Orphan Care 4- Suffering?

            Hosea 1:2-3

 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”  So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

                 Wow!  I know you are probably wondering where I am going with a passage of scripture like this.  But, the point that I want people to understand is that God calls us to do difficult things.  Orphan care is no different and this principle applies to all ministries, but I think this can be confusing for people that sacrifice their lives to help children. 

                If you are like me it is so easy to get caught up with the pictures of beautiful kids and our hearts get tugged as we want to alleviate their suffering.  But, these cute kids are really just regular people in cute containers.  And since they are normal people they will have the same afflictions we all deal with greed, anger, disobedience, stubbornness, un-forgiveness, meanness, and hatred. There is no guarantee that the individuals we bless with good intentions will ever respond the way we expect. 

                But, God calls people to do hard things.  Hosea was a man of God, I doubt Gomer was at the top of his list for his future wife, even her name does not sound pleasant.  Hopefully, he had cute nickname for her.  Hosea was willing to tell his people about God, and demonstrate it through this difficult relationship.  He continued to follow God's leading, even when he had to go and purchase his wife out of prostitution.

                We do not do ministry of any kind because it is good for us.  In fact, at times it is hard and will be hard.  We will be rejected, picked on, and people will be downright mean to us, that is what Jesus tells us (John 15:19-21).  We do it because we are called to love how God loved us.  Most of us have heard about the mother who sent her child back to Russia. ^LINK I do not know the full story, but it is clear that the mother did not understand that taking this step forward to adopt would require suffering.  In returning the child she may have done what was best for her and kept her from suffering,but at the expense of harming this young boy. 

Romans 5:6-8

 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

God understands suffering and knew his love may never be reciprocated.  God demonstrated a love that is willing to suffer for the benefit of others.  There will be times of suffering when we give our hearts to others, but it is temporary because God also promises times of celebration.  Yes, children will break our hearts and make us question why we even tried in the first place.  But, some of the children will be transformed, because they give their lives to Christ.

I know this is a bit of a downer this Christmas Season, but remember we do not celebrate this holiday just because Jesus was born.  We celebrate His birth because of Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die for our benefit.  Without this truth, this Christmas celebration would have died out years ago or would have never caught on.  That is why Jesus' birth is so significant, because He gave more then He would ever receive back for people who may not truly fully appreciate His sacrifice.  We are not asked to do something that God has not already done for us!

 Merry Christmas!

 

Orphan Care – Part 3 Is it really needed?

             As I had said all along I am kind of new to the need for orphan care around the world.  It seems to me like I know lots of people who have adopted or who are on a waiting list to adopt.  If there is a huge need how come it is so hard to find a child to adopt?  In 2012 in the United States there were 8,668 international adoptions this is down from 22,991 in 2004. ^LINK  There is even a larger number of children adopted from foster care in our country every year, about 52,000 in 2010. ^LINK

These Adoption statistics are all great numbers, but the number of orphans around the world is increasing every day.  It is estimated that there are 42,000 new orphans per day; that is 29 per minute! ^LINK  If you do the math you will figure out that adoption just scratches the surface and the problem is HUGE! The need is overwelming... But, the cost of adoption and the regulations surround adoption make this solution an impossible option.  It is a very good option, but there will always be more children in need of a homes than homes avaible for children.  That is where ministries like Rancho Ebenezer become very valuable. 

 In many other countries there are many things, illness, wars, displacement, and extreme poverty affecting what it means to be an orphan.  Just like in the United States, there are many kids that are adopted out of foster care that may have at least one living parent, but for many reasons their parents can no longer care for the children.  UNICEF counts children as orphans in developing countries when at least one parent has died and it is difficult to raise a family without the help of their spouse.  So many kids are considered orphans because they no longer have suitable parental care but, they still have connections to their community.  Which means orphan care has to be done near their home in order to maintain their ties to their community.

Now if we look back at what God wants for His people in the Bible (read earlier blogs: Orphan Care 1&2), He wants His people to be a father to the fatherless.  This really throws the doors open and we realize what a blessing we can be if we respond to God’s vision for our lives.  Why do I say this?  In America we have an epidemic of fatherlessness, about a third of all children live in Fatherless homes! ^LINK  This problem gives us an opportunity to serve children.  It is unfortunate that the reality is that many people are working hard at exploiting these children.

 What I want you to understand is my family is called to serve the fatherless children in Honduras.  But, there are many opportunities for others to serve here in our country.   As Jen and I look back over our years of ministry one thing stands out, God has called us to serve the fatherless, only now it's the fatherless that are in Honduras.  Maybe your home town is your mission field?

             God wanted His people to be a blessing to others; in His wisdom He pointed people in the direction of the Fatherless.  Because of death, illness, poverty and sin, He understood this need would always be in our world.  He has helped His people be a blessing to the world by guiding our lives into the path of children who are in much need of help. 

Do I believe we will solve the issue of fatherless in our World?  No…  But it does not mean we cannot work to impact those in our community.   I would rather be able to impact one child at a time than attempt to solve all the world’s problems, and miss the one child I could have blessed.   Is there a fatherless child you can bless today?

Orphan Care Part 2 - Empathy and Compassion

This is a brief conversation my 7 year-old son Adam and I had on the way home from school on Wednesday:

   Adam:  Dad do you know what Empathy and Compassion are?

   Me: Yeah, but what do you think it means?

   Adam:  Well, Empathy is trying to feel and understand what others feel.

   Me: Ok, so what is Compassion?

   Adam:  Compassion is feeling what others feel and then doing something about it like helping them or saying kind things to help them feel better.

   Me:  So how is that like what we will be doing in Honduras? 

   Adam:  Well we visited the ranch, and met all the kids without parents.  We are showing compassion because we are going back to help them.

                I watched a little video about a fight on black Friday where three women were fighting over who knows what, but a person standing there was concerned enough to pull out a camera to film.  The most startling thing about the video was not the fighting itself, but the lack of action taken by those in the crowd of shoppers. 

                It is not that people did not have empathy.  I am sure there were people in the crowd who felt the same frustration as these women.  Some, may have even sided in their heads with the women they felt were in the right.  Empathy comes in bucket loads at times, but empathy is not enough.  How come no one stepped into stop the fight?  Empathy did not stop the fight; empathy just recorded and took in the pain.

                As followers of Jesus, we need to move past empathy and embrace compassion.  We can watch the news or hear about people’s pain and feel the prick of pain in our hearts.  But, God wanted a world where people acted.  He did not want people just to know about others pains, but He wanted people willing to partner with them to alleviate their suffering. 

                As I said in my last post, God commanded his people to respond in action, because He knows it is easier to have empathy than compassion.  He knows it is the human tendency to be spectators of the destruction going on in our world.  I hear people complain constantly about the state of our world, but what steps are we willing to take to show compassion to one person at a time. 

                In the story of Ruth, she is a widow and a foreigner.  She has been reduced to gleaning in fields to provide for her mother in-law.  She was gleaning in Boaz's field. Boaz could have happily let her pick through the passed over crops and known she had food to eat.  But he was moved with compassion and went beyond just empathy; he redeemed her and took her as his wife when her intended redeemer would not.  The whole story can be found in the book of Ruth in the Bible.

                I think some of you could argue that Boaz showed compassion by allowing Ruth to glean, but I think that would just be showing empathy.  It is kind of like saying we are showing compassion by paying taxes to help those on welfare.  Meeting needs out of moral or mandated obligation does not always mean weare being compassionate, but sometimes the opposite happens and we are resentful of these people who need help.  God wants our compassion to inspire us to invest in the lives of others.  Jesus called this type of compassion discipleship. 

Matthew 9:35-37

 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

 

Matthew 28:19-20

 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

            In Matthew 9:35-37, Jesus feels the pain of his people and states his need for harvest workers.  His command to his Harvest workers is stated in Matthew 28:19-20.  According to Jesus, how do you show compassion? By making disciples! This is the kind of compassion God wants his people to show, it is beyond just the finacial obligation to care for fatherless (widows or foreigners).  It extends to how much we are willing to personally invest into the lives of people.  Jesus' discipleship meant personal investment.  If you want to gain more understanding, read the Gospels to see how Jesus invested in the lives of his disciples over the 3 years they were together.

Orphan Care Explained Part 1

            A few Sundays back I preached on Orphan care,  I thought it would be good to share on my blog what God has taught me. It would be too long to post the whole document, so I am going to break it up over the next few weeks.

Deuteronomy 24:17-22- Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

            First, you have to understand how God valued orphan care from the foundations of his people.  He states other commands and curses for neglecting the widow, foreigner, and orphan over 13 times in the law and 40 times in the Old Testament.  The Prophets condemn the people for neglecting the fatherless.  This act of caring was to be an identifying component to the life of the Jewish people. 

            His law gave instructions to how this was to be done through the systems of tithes and generosity.  God also gave his people warnings and curses, it was not a casual request; it was a mandate.  But it seemed to be bigger than just dealing with the symptoms of fatherlessness or poverty.  The best stories in the Bible present this generosity toward the widow, foreigner, or orphan through discipleship or true investment.  Think of the storys of Ruth, or Esther.

             In Job 31:17-18 Job explains that he has cared for the fatherless as he would his own children.  He saw the care extending past the financial obligations of the law and became a father to the fatherless.  

            I know we tend to ignore statements from the law as outdated or legalistic.  Jesus did come to fulfill the law, but I believe this goes beyond the Law to the heart of God.  In Psalms 68, David identifies God as a father to the fatherless; he goes on to say God sets the lonely in families.  God wants his people to reflect his character to the world; it is just one more way to shine the light. 

            I believe that God in his foreknowledge saw the reality of the orphan problem.  He knew that they would be impoverished and easily taken advantage of; he knew that the poor would always be with us.  But he also knew, it was an opportunity for his followers to impact the world one life at a time. 

His Eye is on the Sparrow, and I Know He Watches Me

John 20:24-25

 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

 

                Thomas is such a doubter, didn’t he know, like really know Jesus? And what about his friends, these were his best friends don’t you think he should be able to trust them about something so important?  But, nope Thomas was a doubter, he was a first hand witness to countless miracles, he had grown to love and trust Jesus, but he doubted.  How could he do that?

 

                Let me tell you from personal experience it is easier than you think.  My wife and I are completely confident that God has called us to serve World Gospel Outreach at Rancho Ebenezer.  And we still get frustrated and doubt each other.  He has worked over and over again to our benefit.  He has sold our house and brought us many supporters.  But, I keep piling this responsibility on my head, and I really cannot claim the credit.  What can I say?   I am a doubter…

 

                Why are we plagued by doubt?  We have an enemy that continually tries to keep us blinded to the truth.   I wake up every Sunday Morning and read my weekly report from WGO, it lets me know who is supporting me and how much.  Every Sunday morning I skim through the report, which is always good but I look for new supporters.  Although we had 6 new partners last week, the report does not show them yet.  I know about them but they were not on the report, it was discouraging.  Why? Because I believed the lie…  So off to church I went discouraged.

 

                Why do we doubt?  We are in a battle for hearts and minds of the lost.  God wants to win the hearts of these abandon children.  These children without the help of Rancho Ebenezer are living in the cycle of poverty, but have been rescued because of staff willing to give their lives for these unwanted kids.  But more importantly these kids are being rescued from the cycle of Sin that is destroying the world and they are given a chance to know and receive Christ.  We battle against the devil for souls he does not want to give up.  We doubt because we forget we are on the winning side! 

John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Why are we plagued by doubt?  For no good reason!  Yesterday at the end of our Church service our family was called up front.  It seemed like our serve team had raised some extra money from our trip with WGO last month.  The people on the team felt this money needed to go to Honduras so they wanted to hand it over to us.  Little did the Church know that our start up expenses still had a small outstanding balance due amount of around $3500, the money needed to pay for our Honduran residency.  But, they presented us with $3514.  So why should we doubt?

Ah-Ha!

                Last week we attended a conference on orphan care, as my wife and I sat and listened we became very aware of how God has been preparing us for this ministry for a long time.  The focus of the conference, although talking about orphans, focused on the issue of Fatherlessness.  In other countries, without social welfare systems, the death or lose of a father is equivalent to being an orphan.  In many countries opportunities for a single mother to make enough to provide for a child are almost nonexistent. 

                But, the same can be said about fatherlessness even in our country.  God intended for children to be raised by both a mother and a father.  Our culture has devalued the male role model and has tried to make fathers seem optional.  While in Honduras it becomes quickly clear that children need men, 80% of Honduran children are raised in single parent homes.  But, these children beam when a man takes time to wash their hair or play with them.  It fills a hunger in their lives that they may not even realize exists.

                We sat and listened to how God challenges his people to care for the fatherless.  God makes 13 commandments in the law about caring for the fatherless, 7 prophets made charges against the people of Israel regarding their neglect of the fatherless. Read the example below, this was a big responsibility for God’s people.

 Deuteronomy 14:28-29  At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,  so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (NIV)  

Even Job talked about his care of the Fatherless in Job 31 to defend his morality.  Somehow this is what had captured my heart, not because I had read these Biblical texts looking for a cause but because God was at work transforming my heart.  Jen and I will often comment that people stand out as my kind of people; I have a soft spot for those that struggle through life.  But, a common thread is that a majority of these people are also fatherless.  God used passages like this to reconfirm what I felt God is doing in our lives.

                We thought it was odd that months before we are running off to work in an orphanage, we had this ah-ha moment.  The light bulb comes on and we discover that God has been shaping us all along to do this new ministry. I have been a Minister to the Fatherless for a long time, but have not connected the ideas together until this weekend.  The thing is God loves the Fatherless, and he has given me the same broken heart for these people. 

                I also believe very strongly that God shapes each individual by His spirit at work in our lives to accomplish very specific tasks within the Church that is why we do not have people fighting over filling our Sunday school teacher positions.  God has only wired some of us for that task.  Now I am not letting you off the hook, if you are not called to teach Sunday school I challenge you to discover what God has shaped you to do.  God does not call Christians to be idol or even retire from Christian service.  In fact I believe as you mature in your faith you should better understand exactly how you should be serving, I am still figuring it out! 

God has a Dream!

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NLT)

 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Dreams, ideas, and plans not only are an escape, they give me purpose, a reason to hang on. ~ Walt Disney

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up,  ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

                The idea of having dreams captures us from an early age.  Last week I went to a field trip at the Fire Station with my daughter who is in kindergarten.  One of the firemen asked if anyone wanted to be a firefighter when they grow up, all the kids raised their hand.  He said he had dreamed of being a firefighter since he was 5 and visited the fire station with his class. 

                What is it about dreaming that is so powerful in our lives?  I like how Walt Disney noted that his dreams gave him a reason to hang on!  I have worked with students my whole career and I can see the difference between children who do not have adults willing to dream for them, and those with parents who have big dreams for their lives.  Everyone needs someone else to dream for us from time to time, the kids who lack this, “collaborative” dreaming often do not have a reason to “hang on” when life becomes hard and their dreams die. They easily lose hope and direction.

           The real question is: Are we dreaming big enough? When Martin Luther Jr.  stated his dream, it gave power to break down years of oppression.  People were given a new dream…  And our country was changed.   Even more than that the doors were blown open and people were able to dream bigger then they had before. 

                In this passage Paul reminds us that God’s plans for us are bigger, even bigger then we can imagine.  I have been told by several people that they have good jobs and like what they do, but do not feel like they are doing something that truly matters.  What if we allowed ourselves to live out another dream?  What if God's imagination drove our lives, and we lived out His dreams for us.

I have found that often life sidetracks our personal dreams and we tend to settle into our lives and our own dreams are quickly downsized.  But, God’s dreams for us are supersized!  I am moving my family to Honduras, this is not the dream I had for myself and I even had to let go of some of my dreams.  But, God’s dream for my family ignited my imagination, it gave me a new understanding of the way God has been directing my life.  It was bigger then I could ask or think!

The other reason I believe understanding why God’s dream for our life is so important is this:  I will be serving kids who have lost parents to dream for them and inspire them.  Serving at the Ranch gives care givers like my family the opportunities to help kids who may have never had a dream beside survival to learn, seek out, and understand the things that God is calling them to do.  As I think about our students at the Ranch, I am continually reminded of the story of Joseph and how his and his father Jacob’s dreams were taken from him, but God gave him new and bigger dreams.  This is my prayer for my children and all the children at the ranch that God would supersize their dreams through his mighty power at work within their lives and will accomplish infinitely more than what they might ask or think!

In a few short months I will get to live out God’s supersized dream for my life, while getting to inspire God’s dreams in the lives of these 27+ abandon Children. 

 

 

 

 

               

 

Amazed by Grace

                I just got back from one week on a Serve Team with World Gospel Outreach ( www.wgoreach.org ) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  One thing that captured my attention this week was; I am amazed with God’s grace.  This week we spent lots of time sharing, one to one, God’s Gospel message to everyone who would hear.  It was for everyone freely given with no regard to the recipients merit or history.  It was powerful and freeing.  Then it hit me.  I am normally not so full of grace!

                Grace is not really a human characteristic…  I know we can be gracious but, just think about how many times you withhold grace even from yourself, and then think about those who have wronged you!  How freely do we give grace?  Or has there been a moment where you know you did wrong and it broke your heart, then you could not find the grace and forgiveness that you really longed for from people? 

                But at the medical brigades in Tegucigalpa, we had the opportunity to offer the same message with who ever sat across from us.  We saw:  Cops both good and bad, prostitutes, gang members, pimps, abused wives, abusive husbands, teenage mothers, adulteresses, gays, lesbians, sinners and the list goes on.  And time and time again, we offered the same life changing message without ever giving thought to the worthiness of the recipient.  We made no demands for a change of behavior before we took the time to love and care about them.  Most of the time we did not even ask, but they freely expressed their sin to us. 

                But, on the other hand I know how difficult it is in my home to offer the same judgment free grace to those I know.  Sometimes I saw team members offer free grace all day long.  Then withhold it from those whom they are serving beside because they already know who they are,  have judged their sins, and determined their merit.  I realized now how amazing it is to offer God-like grace… even if the only way I could do it was out of ignorance.  But, God goes a giant leap beyond my ignorant grace when he offers his free gift of grace.  He knows each and every one of my faults and your faults, he is not ignorant of our need for His grace!  God does not hold back his forgiveness from us.

Romans 5:6-8 (NLT)

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

              Last week I brought Christ to sinners, not good people, not upright people but sinners. Yes, these people who share this same distinction with us.  I wonder if that is why God sends us on short term missions?  Do we need of taste of His way of handing out grace so we will understand the grace we have received so freely?
              Lord, thank you for giving me the opportunity to hand out with out reservation Your free gospel message.  Please forgive me for not offering the same grace with others that You knowingly give me, an undeserving sinner. 

Check out the pictures from my trip at www.facebook.com/walkinginobedience

Humbled

                To say raising support is a humbling experience is a bit of an understatement, at times it can feel like selling something no one wants.  But, that is not really the most humbling part.  The most humbling part is when someone responds.

                First it is humbling because I am not sure if the shoe was on the other foot, if we could respond as generously.  I often find my needs outweigh the things God is calling me to support.  I have to be honest, there have been many times when I have felt God prompting me to give and I have held back. Or because of my buying choices, we have not had the money I wanted to send.  But, now people are giving to me more than generously.  That is humbling!

                Second, sometimes I get in front of people and do not know exactly what to say.  Then I get done and do not really know if I made any sense.  Maybe you are reading this now and thinking this guy does not make any sense but, then people comment on how passionate I have spoken or how what I shared impacted them.  This is not me; I believe it is God Spirit acting on our behalf.  It is not me speaking to your heart; it is your heart responding to the Spirit of God.  That is why we call our website walking in obedience; we are just doing what God’s spirit is directing our hearts to do.  Really, it is nothing hard or difficult, even when we think it is or we make it more difficult than it is.  Do you realize we sold our house without ever putting it on the market or even looking for a buyer? Did you know that our family was able to send SIX trunks with our team that is going to Honduras tomorrow to make it easier to get all we need to Honduras? Did you know that this week we were given the news of another church supporting us? Whenever this transition gets too difficult for me, I have to realize it is not me doing, it is God. How quickly I forget all He has done for us already.

                Third, God is intrusting us with you, those who have partnered with us in prayer and financially.  We want to make sure you know all God is doing in us, as we prepare.  This week one of our friends came and told us how she prays (thanks Barb) for us every day!  We want to have our words reinvest in the lives of those who are investing in us.  Thank you for being part of the Cloud of witnesses that surround us!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Visiting Churches

We have had a month of visiting Churches.  We spent 2 weeks in Northern Minnesota and North Dakota and had the chance to be in 5 different Churches.  We are learning a lot in this process.

First, we are blessed by all the people we have met and the people who are so supportive.  We have been blessed by complete strangers and friends a like, it is amazing what God puts together for us.  We need your prayers and kind words during this transition.  We really need this now, it is hard to explain what it is like to switch from being a normal person to becoming missionary. It is not really normal, I was joking with my wife that it feels like we are downsizing to move to a nursing home, but we are helping our kids downsize too. Most people our age have no idea what it is like to downsize.

Second, It is very hard to share what we are excited about in 10 minutes or less.  God has been moving incredibly in our lives.  Once my mouth gets going it is hard to stop, but it about all what God is doing, so I have so much to say.  But, people have been patient and have been willing to sit in Church a few minutes extra.

Third, We get reminded of the value of good friends and Jen's Parents.  It is great to be able to drag our friends and family along on this walk.  They listen to our stories and although they may think we are a bit crazy, they support us anyway.   They have opened up their homes to Jenny, me, and even enjoyed the 4 kids and 2 dogs that make up our family.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Run Out of Town

There seems to be a common theme in westerns. It seems there is one family making trouble for another family, and doing their darnedest to make sure the outsider family realizes they are unwelcome.  They want to make sure those outsiders realize they are getting run out of town.  In a sense it seems we are getting run out of town...but in a good way. 

Why?  We have a purchase agreement on our house!  This is really exciting, I know many people that have been sitting on their homes just waiting for them to sell.  Mine never had a chance to go on the market, the buyers found us and wanted our house.  God does not always work this way, but maybe he knows we need some extra nudging.

I love the story of Nehemiah, as I have said before, because it seems to parallel our story so well.  We heard the news of the needs at Rancho Ebenezer, we responded, and God has been opening doors.  This was not always the common experience of prophets and heroes of the Bible, it may even be the exception, just think of all King David went through before he became king.  Let's look how it just all falls into place for Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 2:7-9 (NIV)

⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. ⁹ So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

To be honest I thought  my home would hold me back from getting on the mission field,  I was afraid it would not sell, or we would have to give it away to get rid of it.  We have a very nice home, but there are lots of nice homes not selling.  I was afraid I would get our support raised and have to wait to sell it.  So as of November 1, we will be homeless and all that worry was just a waste.

Up to this point, we were looking at a nice slow uphill climb. But now the momentum has switched and we have crested the rise.  Now, we need help to make sure our support is in place.  Our Goal is to be in Honduras on or before February 1, 2014.

If you can help us financially, we would really appreciate your gift. We are currently at about 25% of our monthly supporters which maintains our family's monthly needs, but we are still low on our start up account that will help with our family's initial travel to Honduras and language school.  WGO requires us to have 80% of our support committed up front.  

If you cannot support us please keep reading and keeping track of what is going on because we also need prayer warriors.  Even Nehemiah did not have a smooth path the whole time, and prayer is very important. 

This month you can praise God with us as He works to run us out of town!  Maybe, we are supposed to do more than just walk in obedience...

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

If you want to find out more about us and our ministry follow the links for "About us" or "World Gospel Outreach" at the top of the page. Remember to keep us in your prayers. If God lays in on your heart to help us financially you can donate online clicking on the "Donate" Tab at the top of the page, or the blue button on the sidebar.

If you have any questions email me at matt.nevala@wgomission.org

Sounds Too Good to be True?

                It seems God likes to catch my attention and spur my imagination in many ways.  This week I was following a car with bumper stickers, and found myself reading them as I waited at the light.  This car just had a few bumper stickers, it was not plastered like many cars I see driving around.  But on the driver’s side trunk lid it had a sticker that said this, “When you know better you do better” by Maya Angelou. 

                Wow, what a profound statement. It sounds so true, why would anybody do wrong if they knew better?  But although this simple to grasp quote sounds so true, it is really too good to be true.  In school, we were taught to “just say NO to drugs.”  Problem solved right? I think every child in America has heard this message, so we no longer have a drug problem! Yeah right!  The reality is that laws and rules cannot fix the brokenness people experience.

                In Romans 7, Paul wrestles with the opposite reality that often when we know right we desire to do exactly the opposite.  In many ways, this is the truth we see in our culture and in our lives.  We are powerless within ourselves to do right.  We only do right, Paul goes on to teach us, when we are ruled by the Spirit and this only happens when we give our lives to Christ.

                By serving with World Gospel outreach, I have had the opportunity to help them bring this reality to people.  I served on a medical brigade and we provided medical services for the people of Honduras.  This was great and we met really important needs, but it does not solve the problem.  That is why WGO has focused so much on Evangelism.  Each person receiving medical help also hears the Gospel message and WGO goes further by training Pastors in Discipleship, so they can follow up with the people who receive Christ.  And most important to me, WGO through Rancho Ebenezer is raising abandoned children in homes centered on Christ.

Because… “When you know Jesus, you do better.” ~Matt Nevala

 (You can stick that to your bumper!)

 

 

These twin girls are the latest addition to the Rancho Ebenezer family.  We get more excited everyday for our move and opportunity to serve these children!

 

If you want to find out more about us and our ministry follow the links for "About us" or "World Gospel Outreach" at the top of the page. Remember to keep us in your prayers. If God lays in on your heart to help us financially you can donate online clicking on the "Donate" Tab at the top of the page, or the blue button on the sidebar.

If you have any questions email me at matt.nevala@wgomission.org

Moving to the Beat

Psalm 40:1-8 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Last Night I went to my son’s Middle School Choir concert.  I know what you are thinking… but really they did very good, especially the 7^th and 8^th grade choir.  They sang one song I believe it was a French folk song about windmills that had a very catchy tune.  As I listened, I saw several kids sitting around me begin to move to the music. I think this is why music is such a positive thing in our lives.  It has a way of reaching in and connecting with us, and like these kids, we can get caught up and set in motion.

David, the author of the Psalm above, understood the impact of music in fact he wrote a large percentage of the Psalms (songs) in the book of Psalms.  He saw the reality of allowing God’s spirit to be alive and at work in his life.  Here, he compares it to a new song.  Have you ever had a song that gets into your head and you find yourself singing it over and over again?  David is thanking God for putting this new way of thinking into his head like a song.  He expresses the joy of allowing himself to be set into this new dance, he calls it God’s will.

One of the great things about the life of David is he was a man who took joy in listening to God’s song and letting the song move his life.  But, he also knew the contrast of ignoring God’s song and dancing to his own music.  He understood the need to listen.

At the concert we were not alone.  We were surrounded by people, and not everyone was listening as carefully.  We saw kids that were acting up, and a parent talking on her cell phone, yes during a concert.  But the reality is that listening takes work, and focus, and maybe switching seats so you can hear more clearly.  We live in a noisy world and if we want to hear God’s melody for our life we have to take the time to listen.  Or, like David we will find we are dancing to our own music that can be destructive for our lives. 

So as we prepare for our new ministry, I think the joy that we have found is about listening to the music.  And realizing that the music is moving us, the melody that God is singing into our lives has helped us find our rhythm, and we are not the composer, choreographer, or even the director.  It is just our role to listen intently to let God's music set our feet to motion!  Step by step… walking in obedience!

If you want to find out more about us and our ministry follow the links for "About us" or "World Gospel Outreach" at the top of the page. Remember to keep us in your prayers. If God lays in on your heart to help us financially you can click on the "Donate" Tab at the top or the page, You be redirected to the World Gospel outreach donation site then just select our name from the drop down list and give online.

If you have any questions email me at matt.nevala@wgomission.org