Wrapping things up (for now) on this blog

                                 NOT "GOODBYE" BUT "SEE YA LATER!"

Jonas with Isa & Zephaniah

The school/work year is fast approaching and we will be getting back to our busy, crazy schedule again.  We are not by any means leaving Africa behind and moving on to "life as normal", but we are not going to be posting anymore on this blog until we hopefully go back in the summer of 2013 (if God so graciously allows us to return).  Thanks to all of you who have so faithfully followed our journey, prayed for us, shared our excitement, laughed with us, cried with us, supported us financially, encouraged us. 
We have not meant any of these last few posts to be used as a guilt trip, but to raise global awareness and cause people to stop and think about our American lifestyle. (Note: I did go back and add a disclaimer to the "Radical" post, so if you read it before the disclaimer, pls go back and check it).
We know it has to be the work of the Holy Spirit that will stir hearts, unveil eyes, motivate change, and transform minds. No quantity of heart-breaking photos, staggering statistics, or moving quotes will cause anyone to jump on our bandwagon....it has to be from God's prompting and leading.  We are only God's vessels and we feel compelled to share what He has placed on our hearts.  Yes, we are on a mission, and yes we hope many of you will join us by sponsoring a child (see previous posts on how to do that), and even better, come with us in 2 yrs to meet them!  But we do not want to offend or imply judgement along the way.  Again, we acknowledge that many of you are already doing amazing things for God's kingdom with your finances. We rejoice in that!  Hebrews 13:16  "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

Until 2013 (or whenever God works out for us to return)......

Alea saying farewell to Lydia and Pauline from Mitumba Slum.

A "few" last pictures.....

"Come and see what God has done! He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man!" Psalms 66:5

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" Matthew 19:14

"I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands" Psalms 63:4

Proverbs 3:5-6  "Trust in the Lord with all your hearts, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands."  Proverbs 63:3-4

"All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name." Psalms 86:9

"To all who receive him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God" John 1:12

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are!"I John 3:1

"For He who is in you, is greater than he who is in the world" I John 4:4

"The first shall be last and the last shall be first"  Matthew 19:30

                                   

"Serve one another through love" Galations 5:13

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope" Ephesians 4:4

"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set before us...."  Hebrews 12:1

"Let each of you not look only at his own interests, but at the interests of others." Philippians 2:4

Jesus said: "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven."  Matthew 18:3

"Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh will also dwell in hope!" Acts 2:26

"Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" Psalms 95:2

"Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name." Hebrews 13:15

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

"Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity" Psalms 133:1

"Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God." I Peter 2:17

"Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."   I Corinthians 13:13

"Whatever you do, work heartily for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will recieve the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ" Colossians 3:23-24

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction" James 1:27

"Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true" Ephesians 5:8

"The rich are to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

I Timothy 6:18-19

"Do unto others as you would have them to unto you." Matthew 7:12

 "Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy."  Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God" Matthew 5:5

"Be kind and compassionate" Ephesians 4:32

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Matthew 5:5

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."  II Corinthians 9:7

"Do not neglect to do good and share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:16

Jesus said:  "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Jesus said: "Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven" Mark 10:21

"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides for us with everything to enjoy."  I Timothy 6:17  

 "When you give a feast invite the poor...and you will be blessed because they can't repay you.  But you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:14

Jesus said: "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me. And whoever receives me, receives not only Me, but Him who sent me."  Mark 9:37

"But to all who receive him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God" John 1:12

Jesus said:  "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." Luke 6:20

Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."    Matthew 6:21

"Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where theives break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven." Matthew 6:19-20

"Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24-25

Jesus said: "Love your neighbor as yourself".  Matthew 22:39

"...but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved." Romans 8:23 

"Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints!" Ephesians 1:18

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."  Romans 8:15-17

You're Invited (if from Wisconsin)...

We will be presenting about our trip at our church and would love for you to be there!  Even if you have followed this blog, we will be trying to purposely show different pictures and share more details and stories that weren't on here, plus doing some creative things, so we hope you can make it!

 When:  Sunday, Sept 11th
  Time:  6:00-8:00pm
Where: Calary Community (on Hwy 50 in WB, across from Geneva National)

ASL Interpreting provided.

There will be a dessert table!

We are trying to make the presentation as kid-friendly as possible, and incorporate Alea and Jonas, there will be African coloring sheets on the tables, so please feel free to bring your children (note: there is no nursery, for non-school-aged children)

Joey's Concluding Thoughts

Final Reflection from Joey

How do you quickly summarize the question, “How was your trip to Africa?” Problem is…you don’t. For a guy who likes to keep his answers short and simple, I just can’t do it short and simple. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and I believe that we have at least a million words on our blog so far, with billions more to come.  Our trip to Africa has just begun. Oh, we may be back in the United States, but part of my heart is still thousands of miles away in Africa. Our African family that we left behind with a “see you” later and parting tears is still waiting, but we will see them again in two years. To see the overwhelming need with your eyes and then not respond is wrong. So many children are fatherless, homeless, and living in extreme poverty. That is why we sponsor 16 kids from Uganda and Kenya with the intention of sponsoring even more. To God be the Glory! God has blessed us with money, so we give it to be a blessing to others. We give it because in Kenya and Uganda they earn about $1.00 a day. Here, in America, we earn obscenely more that we really don’t need for needs, but we spend it on wants and desires so we should give it away to help others. Not save for retirement, not spend on pleasures, not spend on entertainment, but spend to educate others, feed others, give them water, vaccines, and teach others about Jesus. Our purpose in life is to bring Glory to God. We bring glory to Him when we live with hands open to the blessings from Him, spend it wisely, and freely give to where God has called us to give. The 16 students that we sponsor, and call family, are a huge blessing to us. We got to hug, eat with, worship with, dance with, spend time with, and just be in communion with and be forever changed. It is one thing to send money to a foreign land with need, but it is a totally different thing to send money, write letters to, send pictures, and go to the foreign land. To stand on the red soil of a Kenyan “playground” at Raila school and gaze at the Kibera slums just over the railroad tracks. To hold hands with the children that we have prayed for, loved, and longed to see in Uganda. So many letters were written and then to see their school, their homes, their mannerisms. To realize that we have had a part in providing for their needs, their education, food, medical, and spiritual needs. To be a part of their lives for a few weeks was exciting and overwhelming. So my plea is to JOIN US! Join us in getting to know a child from Africa. Sponsor them with your money and then come with us to visit them in two years. Summer 2013 we are heading back to Africa with or without you. I would prefer with you. Come with us and be forever changed. Get into the game. See a need. Respond to the need. Travel to see your child. Be forever changed. Live for more than your comfort and pleasures. Live for a higher calling. Live to bring Glory to God. Any takers???  (If not Africa, how about India, Haiti, Chicago, etc…our world is filled with many needs that we can fill if we are willing.)

Anissa's Concluding Thoughts

JOY AND GRATITUDE
The 2 words I used to describe the thrill and honor of being able to go to Africa even before we left.  The same 2 words that describe how I felt every single day of the 5 weeks while in Africa.  The same 2 words I would use to describe the way I still feel now, looking back at the amazing experience we had there.  
The whole trip felt like a dream come true, finally meeting all the people and places we’d been praying for for so long!  It was one continual high!  Nonstop joy, truly.  But it wasn’t just my own personal joy at being there (or watching my family’s joy at being there)…it was the joy of everyone around us.  Pure joy. True joy. Deep joy.  Not the superficial happiness we are used to seeing here in America; there is a big difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness is situational and based on how we feel about our current circumstance.  Joy is being “being happy whether you have much or little, knowing how to live on almost nothing or with everything”  (Philippians 4:11-12).  Like Paul, Christians in 3^rd world countries have “learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether hungry or well-fed, whether  in need or with plenty”.  Talk to anyone who has been to Haiti or Indonesia or Honduras or, like us, Africa and has seen and felt the difference.  We are missing out on so much here in the USA.  People always think that 3^rd world countries are depressing, but I can tell you that the US is the place that is depressing.  Here we have everything, but can’t seem to find contentment, inner peace or joy, no matter how hard we chase after them.  In 3^rd world countries they have absolutely nothing (by our standards) but yet they are so full and so rich!  Our Christian brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe, wake up each day full of contentment and gratitude, which is where true joy and inner peace are found.


God truly blessed us throughout the entire trip; the whole thing just went so smoothly!  There wasn't one thing that was a struggle, or a challenge or an obstacle to overcome...it was a perfect fit for us!  I feel like God had prepared my family for this trip our entire life!  Any worries that I'd had in regards to my children before going, were a non-issue once we arrived.   I was so proud and impressed of how well they did.  Alea, my germ-a-phobe, stood there so graciously day after day letting the children run their fingers through her hair!   She didn't freak out when she got wring worm on her arm from them constantly rubbing the light hair on her arms.  She even ate with her fingers (African silverware)!  Neither of my kids ever complained about the food and never once were even hungry (on the contrary, we were always full...the food is so starchy it just sits in your gut for hours!)  We had so many boxes of leftover granola bars ("emergency snacks") at the end of the trip, we gave them away to the kids we sponsor (and Alea was worried they wouldn't last the whole 5 weeks).  Jonas was Mr. Popularity....we would pull up in the van at the slum school and the kids would start chanting "Jonas, Jonas, Jonas....!" If you saw the pictures on this blog, you'll see how many times he was being carried around; I had to constantly tell them "He's 8, he can walk!")  My little social butterfly just thrived in that environment and made so many new "best friends". 
As far as safety issues, we never once felt scared or unsafe.  God definitely had a bubble of protection around Jonas!  He drank water out of a broken pipe in the slums, fell out of a really tall avocado tree, had to climb inside every pig pen we passed, held chickens on top of his head, lived on top of the chicken coop (where the baby kittens had been born), was constantly chewing his fingernails (one of my big worries with dirty fingers always in his mouth!), sometimes forgot and
rinsed his toothbrush in the tap water, etc, etc, etc.
As far as health issues, go, God again protected us the entire 5 weeks.  We were all full of energy and felt great!  I was the only one that got a brief touch of diarrhea and it was no big deal at all.  It wasn't until the last 3 days (as you saw on the post) that I got really sick with some stomach bug.  Even though I was really miserable (especially that 12 hr flight home), I don't even want to count it because it was after we were done with all our work there, we had accomplished all we'd set out to do, we had already brought closure and said goodbye to our kids, so it didn't take anything away from the trip.  I'm so grateful that it was only when we were on safari and not with the kids we sponsor.  God was soo good to us on this trip! 


Everywhere we went, we met such amazing people!  The other mazungu (white people) who were there as full time missionaries all had such awesome stories to tell of how God brought them to this place.  And let me tell you, they were full of joy as well, because they were living in the peace of God's perfect will for their lives!  They were obedient to the call He placed in their hearts and with obedience comes joy!   They were completely content with all they "gave up" and "left behind" because there is no trade off for the blessings God lavishes on us when we are in His will.  All the nationals (native countrymen) that were pouring their lives into these ministries, so sacrificially but with such joy and commitment to the kids.  Stellar human beings, such an honor to meet them all and serve along side them for a brief time!  The fellow Americans that we served alongside on both of our teams, each with a servant's heart, all sharing the same deep love for these kids! I LOVE meeting other people, being encouraged by their stories, hearing what God is doing in their little corner of the world  (our teams had people from ND, SD, PA, IL, MD).  It was so refreshing to be with other like-minded people who share many of the same passions we do.  Our group devotions and early-morning Bible Studies were such a sweet time of fellowshipping around God's Word.  And of course we had lots of laughter and fun serving together doing skits (fake beards...need I say more?), games (blog tag, hook-up tag, trying to explain to Africans how to play kickball by using your hands to throw the ball, not just feet), doing silly stuff with the kids, deep heart-to-heart talks on the long bumpy van rides as well as goofy "bus games" to pass the time.  My heart was soo blessed by how both teams welcomed our children so readily and incorporated them in such a sweet way; Jonas and Alea truly were a part of each team (not just along for the ride). 

My favorite times in Africa and best memories from the 5 weeks, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was corporate worship.  Nothing can describe the level of my heart's own personal worship at being able to worship alongside the 10 kids we'd prayed for for so long and actually hearing their voices sing praises to our Father, singing along with the CD at Kids Club in the slums and watching them do the sign language for several of the songs, the 50 kids at Firs Love singing at the top of their lungs and dancing their little hearts out with such sincere passion! 

LOVE                                                                                                                                                     The other word that comes to mind as I reflect on our trip.  The other thing our African brothers and sisters in Christ are so full of.  The love in Africa runs so deep…. that’s the only way I know how to describe it.  It’s such a pure, sincere love;  nothing artificial or surface-level about it.  The love they have for their Creator, the love they have for each other and the love they had for us!  The love that we already had for the 10 kids we'd been sponsoring, was only intensified now that we have played, ate, laughed, sang, hugged, prayed and worshipped with them!  Just to be able to hear each of their voices is truly a gift!  The letters we write them from here on out will never be the same, now that we know them so well!
Then the 6 new kids we fell in love with in Kenya...what a gift!  Of course we fell in love with all the children there, but these 6 are so special to us!  We hadn't planned to sponsor more kids, but it just happened!  It wasn't even a conscious choice or a decision that we even discussed or prayed about....we KNEW that God strategically placed these 6 in our hearts for a reason! We don't even know which came first...they chose us, we chose them?  All we know is that they are in our hearts forever! 
I can't describe the depth of the bond that we have with all of our 16 African children (and young men and young ladies)...they are truly our family!!!  We are blessed beyond measure to have them in our lives!

So if you ask me "what was the highlight?" I undoubtedly say:  the people....old friends and new that we spent time with along the way.  The LOVE of Christ that binds us as one big family!  The JOY of being together.  What sticks with me and what still floats around my mind, even now over a month later?  The faces (all the sweet smiles of those we hold dear, across the ocean) and the songs...I can't get them out of my head.  You know how hearing a song, takes you right back to that moment?  We will never hear those songs again without breaking into tears....the songs we led for Kids Club in the slums, the songs we sang and danced to during worship every night at First Love in Kenya, the songs we sang for devotions with the different family groups at New Hope Uganda.  The songs we'll all be singing together for ETERNITY in heaven!!! :)

Miracle Debris

This is what our pastor calls anything you keep as evidence of God's moving & working in your life, whether it's a rock or a leaf or a scrap of something you jot the date on the back to remember....it could be a monumentous ocassion or a quiet powerful moment between just you and God.  Our "miracle debris" from Africa are the hand-written letters people gave us while we were there.  We'd humbly like to share some exerpts from a few of them.  Again, all the credit in these letters goes to God, not to us...it is HIS power working in our lives, not anything we have done with our own hands or by our own might.

From a fellow team member (18 year old college student):
.....God has always worked in my life through the people he puts around me, and the past 2 weeks have certainly been another testimony to this, with the opportunity to observe how you have chosen to devote your lives completely to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Simply by the way you listen to the Holy Spirit and act upon its promptings has been an immense encouragement to me, and something that has come at a very necessary time in my life.  I'm amazed at how God can use his followers to sharpen one another. Particularly, God has been speaking to me about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's callings and being a good steward of the talents we are given.  You all really exemplify these things in your daily lives.  Whether its the power of the Holy Spirit that brings tears to your eyes as you marvel in the awesome power of God, or the desire you have to give more and more.....

From18 year Kiweewa Christopher that we sponsor through New Hope Uganda:
Dear Jonas Green, my friend and brother,
.....You have really challenged me because of your ability to make friends no matter the age and size.  When I was your age, I couldn't do what you have displayed.  You are brave at heart and I am sure you can fit in anywhere you go.  In the Bible, by the age of 12 years, Jesus was already fitting in with the elderly men at the temple.  You have a social and great heart of friendship and I nkow it only comes from God.  Hence use it wisely.......Jonas I want you to know that I will always treasure your powerful statement of "I love you" for I know you spoke it to me out of your heart.  The best person to believe in me at my age, is a young boy your age.  Such precious words coming from such a loving and caring heart. I love you too and will miss you greatly....

From Philip, who we helped pay for part of his college a couple year ago and is now a mentor for Jack (see next exeprt below). Philip majored in Social Work and Community Development:
(2009) It is with great joy I write to you, for you are winners in Christ our Lord! I'm humbled and my heart rejoices for what you have surely done for me.  For sure the Lord has used you as his instrument by giving this gift in order for me to see once again the doors of college of which for a moment was a dream lost.  But now, you have revivied this dream.  You are truly God sent. May the Lord bless you abundantly, may he continue to walk with you in each step you take for he is there with you while holding your hands and calling you his children.  May he open the flood gates of Heaven and let it rain upon you his love, joy, kindness and peace in your hearts for you are running his good run and fighting his good fight.
(June 2011) Words can't express your deep love for me.  An unknown African boy who was once hopeless about his future and life. You guys have given me new meaning to life to have shown me that God does not give up on his people and he does exist.  Many great things he can do for us ones who call upon his name!  For you to care enough to come all the way across teh world just to see us here at Frist Love! It's a blessing!  I want you to know that you have changed a whole generation and may the almighty God bless the work of your hands.  May he, from you, raise up a generation that is blessed by the blood of Jesus Chrsit and conquer places that love hasn't existed and show love throught Christ.

From 21 year old Jacob "Jack" from Kibera Slum that we are currently putting through college.  Like his rolemodel Philip (see above) he is majoring in Social Work and Community Development:
....To God be the golory in your life and in my life!  It was amazing that in the hour of need someones life was transformed through God's mercy.  To me it seems as if it was sent from heaven to earth that my life was realized by a person. Therefor I aspire with more vigor to do community development and take charge of someone's life in the future both socially, economically and politically.......God, indeed you are a wonder in every situation! I will continue to praise you for Joey and Anissa's life and ask that you bless their effort!....Much gratitude is granted to the Lord our God, not forgeting how great you have suddenly changed my life situation from horrible to honorable. My dears, it is still a dream in all my life that I will never forget your family! I couldn't explain how it all happened, but it was God's call to lift me from grass to grass....It has been a great honor to sit in my lecture class with my fellow peers and I look forward to working hard and become a role model to my followers, school mates and community at large, even as I aspire to be a leader of many in the nation, not forgetting to serve my Creator with all my thoughts, words and deed.....

Radical

Disclaimer:  This post may offend you (note the title).  That is not the intent.  We are merely sharing the issues we have been working through this summer, and what God has laid on our hearts.  Keep in mind, we just got back from spending time in 2 different 3rd world countries. We have seen what it looks like to live on less than $1 a day.   It's been hard coming back to the United States of Abundance and seeing the unused power of the American dollar to save lives in the countries we now love. So please be patient with us as we are still processing. 

Every summer our church has a book that we read together and this year it is "Radical" by David Platt (definitely a must-read!)  It is about turning the American dream upside down.  It is written for Christians living in America, how we have bought into the mainstream lies that success, security and comfort will bring us satisfaction and joy.  Somehow we have come to view those things as rights and entitlements instead of blessings and bonuses.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say as a Christian we are entitled to wealth or prosperity.  On the contrary, Christ himself calls us to give up everything to follow him...even to the point of death.  Instead of our security being in Christ, we build up our security in our white picket fence and our car alarms, our careers and our paychecks, our health insurance , our 401Ks and retirement funds.  
This is a very touchy subject, I realize.  But like David Platt says, we can’t choose which parts of the Bible we are comfortable obeying and which parts we’d rather ignore.  Week after week, we sing songs in church that we don’t mean.  A little 8 year old boy from our church died of an inoperable brain tumor 2 weeks ago, and at his funeral we sang the old famous hymn “Be
Thou My Vision” but did we really mean the line “Thou my inheritance, now and always….”??? We are so concerned about providing for our families and making sure our children are “taken care of” financially after we are gone, but that doesn’t leave God much room to provide for us. Are saying we don’t trust Him to take care of our children after we’re gone?  We sing about God being enough, about our God being able….but yet our lifestyle directly contradicts the words we sing.  If God is enough, why do we keep acquiring more stuff?   We sing “Our God is bigger, our God is stronger” while we build bigger houses and bigger cars.  Nowhere in the Bible does it mention about Christ’s followers living a life of comfort or pleasure (again it is the polar opposite), so how did we come to believe that this is one of our rights?  It's because we have sold our souls over to the American dream and believed all it's lies.  If we live in the right neighborhood, drive the right car, send our kids to the right school, have a good job, the flat screen TV, 2 car garage,  the list goes on and on of things that will make us happy. And then after a long life of acquiring stuff and surrounding ourselves with comforts and pleasure, it's time to sit back and relax and now we can really start enjoying life.  "Well, we earned it after a long career and a life of working hard!”  People in 3^rd world countries work hard from the moment they are born until the moment they die (which for 30% of the world that is only until the age of 15!) We all know the scriptures telling us to store up our treasure in heaven, but yet we continue to store up closets, attics, garages, and even rented storage space with more and more earthly treasures!  (Which by the way, the $$ for that monthly rental storage could sponsor a child every month! ;) 
Dave Ramsey (a famous Christian financial advisor) would have a fit if I was implying to not have an emergency fund (which I'm not saying that's what I'm recommending). Yes, it is wise from an earthly perspective to always have a little set aside. But again, we are limiting God’s power to be poured out in our time of need; we are not allowing Him to supernaturally provide for us in miraculous ways!  For me to propose the concept of not having a retirement or emergency fund is definitely radical if not ridiculous, from a worldly perspective.  But the fact of the matter is, any of us could die in a car accident today….we may never reach retirement!  We are saving up for an emergency that may or may not ever happen, while meanwhile across the globe there are families having emergencies every single minute of every single day!  There emergency is NOW! And their emergencies are real….they involve death!  Our American “emergency” funds could save millions of lives across the globe.

*We can have treasures for 60-80 years (more/less) or we can have treasures forever!
*We can give our kids a monetary inheritance that will eventually run out, or we can give them a spiritual inheritance that will last FOREVER!
*We can save up for our own emergency that may never come, or we can give to someone else who is having an emergency right now.
*We can retire in Heaven for ETERNITY!

I know the concept of eternity is hard to wrap our human minds around.  We have been programmed to seek out instant gratification; whatever makes us feel good right NOW.  Every advertisement convinces us that we deserve their product.  Being raised in America gives us a sense of entitlement. And I'm not talking about the rights our forefathers laid out for us of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, all men created equal.  I'm talking about the "I have a right to treat myself to one soda/latte/candy bar (whatever "it" is for you); I'm entitled to at least one guilty pleasure each day." I just got back from spending 5 weeks with kids that should be entitled to the basic life-saving necessities of food, clean water, shelter and should have the right to an education.

Most of us spend the majority of our energy pouring into our mere 50, 60, 70, years that God grants us here on earth.  Our main focus is how can we live comfortably and securely during these few short years that we're trapped in this flesh, rather than, what can  we do to live comfortably and securely for eternity?  In our finite minds we are so temporal and focused on the here and now that it’s hard for us to think about our eternal security, our eternal reward….we come by it honestly as we are stuck in this flesh, right?  That is why we HAVE to live in the Spirit and not the flesh.  Because the Spirit focuses on things NOT of this world.  The Spirit aligns our heart with Gods so that the things that break his heart break ours.  The Spirit opens our eyes to the needs of others and gives up power to live beyond ourselves.  We met with our pastor this week for a debriefing session (coming back from Africa), and he encouraged us with this passage from Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you, therefore brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God...Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind….”

There is a retirement aged couple that has 10 children (6 of them adopted) and has not been conformed to the patterns of this world.  They are living a very counter-cultural lifestyle, all in the name of bringing Christ glory & fulfilling Biblical mandates.  Here's an excerpt from their blog:    aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com
We didn't get the memo! The one that has been circulating for quite a few years now, throughout Christianity in the western world: that our lives are our own and our "reward" for accepting Christ is a life of pleasure. The one that says that we can pretty much do what we want as long as we “do” the Christian thing on Sundays and maybe attend a small group during the week. The one that says we can ignore the needs all around us. The one that says it really is all about making ourselves and the Christians around us very comfortable.
I really encourage you to check out their blog and read more of how one family is being "radical" for Jesus!

God's World

Consider, please, these staggering statistics (many of them were new to me!!):

*The USA is only 4.5% of the world's population. We are NOT the epi-center of the universe....there's a whole other world out there and it's BIG!
*The USA consumes over 30% of the world's resources.   
*In Africa, the average annual income of a "blue-collar" (middle-class) worker is $350/year.  That is LESS THAN $1 a day!
*Africans are not alone...1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day and 2 billion others live on less than $2 a day.
*If you earn $10,000/year you are earning more than 84% of the world.
*If you earn$50,000/year you are earning more than 99% of the world
*Pets in America receive better medical care, more food, and access to clean water than 95% of the children around the world.
*55 countries with almost 1 billion people do not have access to safe water.
*1 out of 6 human beings do not have access to any form of health care.
*Only 30% of females in the developing world (3rd world countries) receive any level of education
*over 250 milion children will be working instead of being in school
*30% of the world's population is under the age of 15
*Preventable diseases kill more people every year than natual disasters
*Each night over 800 million people goto bed hungry (most of them women and children)
*Over 11 million children under 5 years die every year from preventable causes
*Women are 70% of the world's poor and two-thirds of the world's illiterate
*There is enough food produced in the world to feed everyone!!!!!
*As many people in the western world (that's us in USA) are now malnourished from eating too much of the wrong things (unhealthy junk food) as are undernourished in the developing world (3rd world) from not getting enough to eat at all!!!
*15 children die every minute.
*Over 22,000 children die worldwide every single day.
*About 8 million children die every year.
*More than 1 billion children do not have access to one or more of the basic necessities of life and 90 percent of these children suffer from long-term malnourishment and micro-nutrient deficiencies.
*About 2.5 million children die every year because they are not immunized.
*Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. For the price of one missile, a school of hungry children could eat lunch every single day for the next 5 years.

All the above statistics were taken from the following:
*"Exploring World Mission", a book by Bryant L. Myers (published by World Vision)
*"Radical", a book by David Platt
*UNICEF website
*"Through Their Eyes" artical on cozay.com

Poverty

“I know poverty because poverty was there before I was born and it has become part of life like the blood through my veins. Poverty is not going empty for a single day and getting something to eat the next day. Poverty is going empty with no hope for the future. Poverty is getting nobody to feel your pain and poverty is when your dreams go in vain because nobody is there to help you. Poverty is watching your mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters die in pain and in sorrow just because they couldn't get something to eat. Poverty is hearing your grandmothers and grandfathers cry out to death to come take them because they are tired of this world. Poverty is watching your own children and grandchildren die in your arms but there is nothing you can do. Poverty is watching your children and grandchildren share tears in their deepest sleep. Poverty is suffering from HIV/AIDS and dying a shameful death but nobody seems to care".  " Poverty is when you hide your face and wish nobody could see you just because you feel less than a human being. Poverty is when you dream of bread and fish you never see in the day light. Poverty is when people accuse you and prosecute you for no fault of yours but who is there to say some for you? Poverty is when the hopes of your fathers and grandfathers just vanish within a blink of an eye.  I know poverty and I know poverty just like I know my father's name. Poverty never sleeps. Poverty works all day and night. Poverty never takes a holiday"    (One Poor African)

 

Cut and pasted from: cozay.com

Please check out the website for more on poverty in Africa.