YOU:create ... week 16

After yesterday's post about remembering that the first step in all things should be going to the One who is all things, I thought this would be the perfect quote to go on a canvas:

"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him."

Another way that I keep my gratitude when my life isn't always peachy is to take my eyes off of MY life and focus my attention on others. In case you're interested, I have a great way to do just that.

There is a great program going on right now through Dayspring where you can design a card for a Compassion child who doesn't have a sponsor, so they can receive a card at Christmas. How awesome is that? Cards can be made for $1.99 or $2.99, Compassion will then translate your card into Spanish, Dayspring will print it up, and they will be hand delivered to a child in Ecuador at the beginning of December. You can go here to learn more about it and make your card if you're interested. It's just one little way to make a really big difference in a child's life this Christmas... and a little way to help us remember how big the blessings in our own lives are.

And this little canvas? It won't cost you a thing. To win, just leave me a comment below telling me something you're grateful for today.

I'll start... since it's my friend Shannon's birthday tomorrow, I'm super grateful she was born. :) And since it's also Veteran's Day today, I am forever grateful for all the men and women who have served, and are serving, to protect our lives and freedoms.

Now it's your turn... leave me a comment before midnight CST, and I'll announce the winner in Friday's post [only one comment per person, please].

I can’t wait to see what you guys came up with this week! Just click below and follow the instructions to link to your project. When it asks you to choose the web or a file for your thumbnail, choose web. Then it will take you to a list of the images on the page you are linking to and you’ll be able to choose a photo to represent your project.

Please Let This Break Your Heart: Part 2

Yes, I’m posting twice today.

Here’s the thing… The Pioneer Woman is having her 4th anniversary of blogging celebration this week. She is giving away Nikon cameras and Kitchen Aid mixers and iPads.

Yes, I’m entering for all of them.

But the truth of the matter is, I already won her greatest gift. She chose me to correspond with one of the older children that she has paid to sponsor through Compassion. I get to hear from Tsegaye and how he is doing in school and at home… I get to read his words as he now understands that God loves him and provides for him. He is grateful in his circumstances. I have learned so much from him.

When I look at the amazing work World Vision is doing, it makes me want to do more. It makes me want to post twice in one day so you can read these words from Matthew. Words that are hard to read, to apply to our own lives, to imagine a parent ever having to think.

But they do. They live in the world he describes, and we can help them replace these questions with life giving ones. Matthew had the suggestion that if you can’t afford to sponsor a child yourself, maybe you could sponsor with a group of friends. Maybe you can help a child and their family with extended members of your own family.

We’re asking you to read this. And think about it. And pray about it. Because their reality is something we can’t even imagine.

This is a picture of the slum in Santo Domingo.

The slum. Look at it. Smell it. Feel it. Can you taste it?

What would YOU do if you’d been born here? In the slum? In the Santo Domingo slum? What would you do?

Would you stay? Would you runaway? Would you have a choice to stay or runaway?

Would YOU know your father? Your mother? Would you trust your father or mother? Would you? COULD you?

Would you try to run away? Over and over again? Would you TRY to run away?

Would you knock your girlfriend up and then leave? Leave HER to raise your baby alone. Would you do that?

You wouldn’t do that, would you?

Would you sell drugs? Would you USE drugs? Would you use your children to sell drugs in hopes that it would buy YOU more drugs?

Would you find community in the company of gang members? Yep, I used the word “community.” Would gang members be your friends? Would violence define your relationships?

Would you use FEAR to get people to talk to you? To like you? To do things for you?

Would you sell your body?

Would YOU sell your body?

Would you sell YOUR body?

Would you sell YOUR child’s body? Would you? Would you have a choice?

What if your babies needed food?

Would you sell your child’s body?

What if your husband left you with six kids?

Would you sell your child’s body?

What if you had HIV and no way to get medication? Would…

YOU?

Sell your child’s body?

Not for thrill. Not for extra cash. But to survive. Would YOU SELL YOUR CHILD’S BODY?

Would you lose everything in a flood? Would you return to the slum after the flood? What if you didn’t know any different? Would YOU return?

Again and again and again? Would you?

YOU?!

Would you save somebody if you could? Would YOU? Save somebody? Would you?

Poverty asks a lot of questions. Few answers.

How would YOU answer?

World Vision needs your help. Together we can stop poverty from asking the questions.Would you click this link to help?

Would YOU?

Flashback Friday: Pictures of Uganda

Today, I’m flashing all the way back to last week.

Remember back that far? When I told you about my friend Matthew’s mission trip to Uganda for World Vision?

He’s been there all this week and his stories have been amazing. And I realized that within the past week, many would have forgotten about that post where we talked about being needy. It’s easy to forget, because we’re safe and fed. After seeing Matthew’s trip unfold this week, and after hearing so much about what’s happening in Haiti… my heart’s desire is to not forget. To not let the simplicity of my life stop me from pointing to others.

“Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” 
                                                               (Matthew 25:40)

This is one of Matthew’s recent posts that explains so well what World Vision does, not only for these kids, but for their whole families. Do me a favor and take a minute to see Uganda through his eyes:

Though I've spent my fair share of time this week soul-searching and emotionally lamenting all of the circumstances and experiences I've encountered in Uganda, ultimately, this isn't about me or my emotions. As a writer and a person of faith, it's easy for me to get caught up in "me." Of course, more than you will ever know, my experiences during the last eight days has made me want to change, and hopefully the changes I make in my own life will be good and helpful to some degree. But let's be honest: If this trip was only about "my change," I should stop writing and you should stop reading...

But it's not about me and my personal change.

Today I saw real change, change that started with something that World Vision was doing for people. Today, I met people who once had to walk a day's journey to get clean water in their own community. I witnessed people pursuing healthier lives. I watched as forty or so children learned the truth about HIV-AIDS. I hugged people who were cheering because a health center that World Vision erected allowed them the benefit of receiving their vaccinations without having to walk miles and miles to do so. I met people who were learning how to grow crops in their own backyard.

As some of you know, I've been working with World Vision in some capacity for four years. Since the beginning I've believed in their work to help suffering children and families all over the world. But this week I witnessed World Vision working. The gatherings of people I met weren't about me getting to meet poor people – any ministry or non-profit can introduce me or anybody else to poverty. But sadly, not nearly as many can show somebody poverty and then tell them how they are planning to change that poverty into sustainable living. During my time as an author and speaker, I've worked alongside many non-profit organizations/ministries, and most of them have good intentions and are helpful to a certain degree. But when you're entrusting a certain amount of money to a ministry or non-profit on behalf of a child, good intentions don't often lead to sustainability.

So I thought I'd give you my personal reasons as to why I love and believe in World Vision... and why I trust them to do their best to not simply save people's lives... but to help them live better lives...

I believe in World Vision...

... because its goal is never to enable... it desires to empower...

...because every World Vision worker believes in the words on this sign…

...because they aren't afraid of being controversial when it helps people remain healthy…

...because this HIV-positive woman is receiving medication because of World Vision, and now volunteers to care for others with HIV-AIDS…

...because these kids, as well as their families, have a health care facility that helps heal them when they’re sick and educates them to live healthier so they don't become sick again...

...because this orphan now has a home with more than twenty women on a farm with chickens, pigs, cows, and crops... and has future...

...because this baby's mother is receiving HIV medication, and now has a much better chance of seeing her daughter grow up and not make the same mistakes as she did...

...because this woman has a deep well within walking distance where she can now get clean water for her two children...

...because the man who gave my friend this avocado learned how to grow his own avocados...

...because this 19-year-old is a World Vision sponsored child who is now studying to become a teacher and volunteers his time caring for orphans and widows who have been affected by HIV-AIDS...

...because World Vision works with a multitude of local churches (at least, in Uganda) and never turns a child away because he/she is Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or from any other religious or non-religious background...

...because World Vision is not simply about saving a "child," World Vision is about helping to sustain communities...

And ultimately, it's World Vision's hope that one day that community can live healthily without them...

That's just a few of the many reasons why I love and believe in World Vision... more to come...

To sponsor a child from Uganda, click here...

The World Gets Smaller

What a week.

I started out by talking about the meaning of being needy, about the kind heart of my friend Matthew who is on his way to Uganda for a mission trip as we speak. I talked about how a tweet from a friend in Australia kept nagging at me: “The poor aren’t on earth for us to think, ‘Phew, how blessed am I that it’s not me.’”

And then I wrote this:

Ugh. Instead of making that statement, I should be asking a question. What am I doing about all those who aren’t me? Those who don’t have family and friends and disability payments. It’s not enough to be grateful and go about my business…

And then an earthquake hit Haiti. And reports are saying 100,000 people are most likely dead. That 3 million people are wounded and homeless. I watched CNN as they tried to free an 11 year old girl from the wreckage, debating whether or not they could get her out or if they had to cut off her leg. The people deciding this were not rescue workers… they were her neighbors, her family, her friends. They were strangers who were in the same desperate situation.

I listened to the President say in a press conference Thursday morning, “For the sake of our citizens who are in Haiti, for the sake of the Haitian people who have suffered so much, and for the sake of our common humanity, we stand in solidarity with our neighbors to the south, knowing that but for the grace of God, there we go.”

And again I found myself saying, “What am I doing about those who aren’t me?” Some are able to go and assist, some are able to give money, all of us are able to pray. Whatever you want to do, I just wanted to make sure you have the resources that will directly help those in need…

World Vision

Compassion

Texting “Haiti” to 90999 will allow you to donate $10 to the Red Cross.

Texting “Yele” to 501501 will donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Campaign.

Both text options will put the charge on your next phone bill.

Brought to You by the Letter N

Needy

We’ve all been there, right? We have a needy child or spouse [well, I don’t, but you might], a needy boss or neighbor [ok, I might be the needy neighbor]. We feel needy when we think we’re neglected. We need new technology, just the right outfit, a long overdue manicure, the bigger house that suits our idea of success.

We are needy, needy people.

Except, we’re not. Even in this economy, most people reading this have a roof over their head, food in their fridge and clothes on their backs. At the very least, you’re in a place that has a computer and internet access. Which means we are spoiled rotten rich.

This isn’t one of those “guilt you into appreciating your life” posts. I swear. It’s just a reality check post.

Tonight on Twitter @machroi posted this: “The poor aren’t on earth for us to think, ‘Phew, how blessed am I that it’s not me.’” I’ve got to tell you, it hit me in the gut. I am the first to tell you I realize how blessed I am. I have everything I could possibly need and then some, despite my health and disability status. There are so many who struggle more than me.

Phew. How blessed I am it’s not me.

Ugh. Instead of making that statement, I should be asking a question. What am I doing about all those who aren’t me? Those who don’t have family and friends and disability payments. It’s not enough to be grateful and go about my business…

This coming Sunday, my friend Matthew is going to be traveling to Uganda for World Vision. I love his heart and we are so lucky that we can take this trip with him… read his stories, see his pictures, get a real view of the need and what we can do to help. You’ll notice on the left-hand side of my blog there are two buttons you can put on your site to help promote his trip and open more eyes to the needs of these kids. Just copy the code in the box and paste it onto your own sidebars… they will connect people to his blog posts about the trip. It will be life changing for him, for us who read, and for so many kids who need us to listen, and then speak out.

I’m including a post of Matthew’s below so you can get more of a feel for what he’ll be doing.

A Needy Soul

There was a time when it was easy for me to look at pictures of children in need and become numb. Honestly, just writing that sentence makes me want to vomit. But for me, that's often been the case. Perhaps I'm the only one who's sometimes guilty of letting his "spiritual gift for cynicism" break into areas where cynicism is unwelcomed or incorrect or unhelpful.

But I doubt I'm alone.

We're inundated with pictures of little faces similar to that of Janet's. And because we've seen so many pictures and seen the commercials on television and heard everybody from Third Day to Bebo Norman to Margaret Becker to Amy Grant to many others stand on stages and speak about organizations like World Vision and Compassion International, maybe our numbness to the pictures is understandable.

But when the organization is reputable and good, which I know firsthand World Vision and Compassion International to be, every one of those pictures that we are numb to aren't simply ads or ways to generate collateral or cute/sad/curious/emotionless faces hoping to win our good graces...

Each of those little faces are souls.

Souls.

Like you and me.

Souls like Elias who I love and call my own.

Souls like my wife, pastor, and friends who I'd do anything in the world for.
The picture above is Janet, one of the needy souls from Uganda.

Jessica and I sponsor three souls: Carlos (from Nicaragua who's struggling through those awkward middle school years. I've had the pleasure of meeting Carlos, and actually wrote a little about that experience in Relearning Jesus), Shilpi (from Bangladesh who is almost 11 and has grown like a foot since we first began sponsoring her. She also shares a birthday with Jessica.), and Maya (from India who is 8 and has sent us many beautiful pictures that she has colored for us).

And because of Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya, I no longer look at the photographs on the cover of World Vision packets the same as I once did.

When Jessica and I got married in 2004, one of our goals as a couple was to live simply and to use what we have to serve other people in various capacities. Some months/years we have done that well; other times we've failed miserably. But so far, by the grace of God, we've managed to always somehow find our way back to that original goal.

While Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya don't in anyway represent "fulfillment" of that goal to us, they are a part of it--and a very significant part. Why? Because it's often their faces and letters and stories and the coloring pictures they send us that remind us of our prayer for simplicity and service.

Pursuing that prayer isn't always easy.

As some of you know, 2008 and much of 2009 were financially difficult years for Jessica and me. No threat of homelessness or somebody coming and taking our car away; however we experienced several months in that time frame when we wondered how on earth we were going to pay our mortgage or electric bill or for another can of Elias's formula.

While Jessica and I never mentioned this aloud to each other, I'd be lying if I didn't say that, on occasion, I wondered if we should de-sponsor Carlos or Shilpi or Maya. Selfish, I know. But thankfully, we didn't do that. Instead, we started thinking of ways we wasted money: so we dropped cable (haven't had it since), stopped eating out (and only rarely do it now), stopped daily trips to Starbucks (I might go once a week now), and we decided to keep Elias home a day or two a week to save on daycare. Also, Jessica began clipping coupons and began reading bargain blogs to learn new/better ways to save money; she also started using things like Swagbucks. It was still hard some months. But somehow it worked...

And I can't help but believe that once again God used the faces, stories, letters, and coloring pictures of Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya to help Jessica and I experience a more profound (harder perhaps) answer to our prayer to live even simpler...

Jessica and I know that our financial support helps Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya.
But it also helps Jessica and me.

Though I would never suggest that this is true for everybody, I do believe that, as much as Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya need us... we also need them.

Because like Janet, I am a needy soul...

And perhaps you are, too...

The little faces from Uganda that you will see when you click on the link below are all souls who need help on some level. And you're a needy soul who needs to help them...

CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR A CHILD FROM UGANDA

Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision wrote these words in his book The Hole in Our Gospel:
“Proclaiming the whole gospel, then, means much more than evangelism in the hopes that people will hear and respond to the good news of salvation by faith in Christ. It also encompasses tangible compassion for the sick and the poor as well as biblical justice, efforts to right the wrongs that are so prevalent in our world…The whole gospel is truly good news for the poor, and it is the foundation for a social revolution that has the power to change the world.”

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to read about this… if you want to follow Matthew’s journey next week, click on the button below, or the buttons on my sidebar anytime.

Compassion: India

Happy Monday, Peeps!

  

We have some business to take care of this fine [stormy] Monday! So, without further ado, the winner of Friday's book giveaway is:

  

Kate Gal!!! 

I've felt that 'gut feeling' where I take that as God nudging me. Sometimes its a little nudge 'yes Kate, do that' other times its a pretty hard jab 'what are you thinking!?? STOP!!' I'm not sure I've heard His voice but I keep looking for His hand, His guiding, His help. I need it a lot. Will have to go out and get this book (if I don't win it)

Congratulations!!! Email me your mailing address to gitzengirl@gmail.com and I'll get your book to you ASAP!

  

I feel like I should put a disclaimer here because so many of you commented about the concept of being more quiet to hear God's voice... and that part wasn't actually from the book. That was just me giving my opinion. :) The book is an easy read that is basically a compilation of short stories telling different people's experiences... it's especially nice for people who want to pick up a book and read snippets when you have time since it's not one continuous story that you feel you need to finish. Just wanted to make sure you understood what you were buying. :)

   

***** ***** *****

   

Remember awhile back when I told you that I won something amazing over at Pioneer Woman's blog? For those of you who missed it, I won the chance to be a part of a Compassion child's life. Ree [aka Pioneer Woman ] paid to sponsor a few older children who were a part of the program, but who are often overlooked for sponsorship because of their age. I offered, and I was chosen to correspond with one of them.

Recently, I received my packet of information and instructions on how to correspond with my sponsor child. Meet Tsegaye:

  

I opened my packet and instantly felt such a pull on my heart. I have nephews that are around Tsegaye's age. They are in school, play sports, go on dates and are planning for their futures. They are getting driver's licenses and thinking about college. And I want Tsegaye to have all those hopes and dreams, too. And then I read his profile.

He loves to play soccer, he is above average in his middle school studies, he attends church activities and helps his mother with the cleaning. He's really just like my nephews... a great kid. A great kid who just happened to be born into an HIV affected area of Ethiopia, who needs help and encouragement and people to believe in him. And I get to be that person.

I can't tell you how great that feels.

You might have noticed that I have had a link on my sidebar [over there on the left] to the Compassion website, in case any of you are interested in sponsoring a child. For the next week or so, there is another button right above it that says "Compassion Bloggers in India." Right now, a group of bloggers are traveling in Kolkata [which used to be Calcutta] visiting children in Compassion programs. You can click that button to go to a page that lists the bloggers on the trip and provides links to their sites. I've gotten to know both Angie [from Bring the Rain ] and Pete [from Without Wax ] and would encourage you to go to either of their blogs to read about their journey... they should be posting regularly while they're there with photos and accounts of their trip.

It's a pretty amazing opportunity to see first hand [well, second hand, really... but you know what I mean :)] what the needs are in these countries and how the children can be helped.

I'll keep you updated from time to time on how things are going with Tsegaye, and I'd love to hear about your experiences with programs like Compassion, too. It's overwhelming to think of how many kids in the world need us, but it's pretty amazing to be able to help at least one.

Compassion

You know how I've been chosen for a couple of giveaways in this blog world of ours? This next one is hands-down the one I'm most excited about.

Pretty much everyone who reads blogs has heard of The Pioneer Woman (aka Ree). If you haven't heard of her, click on her name and follow that link to find out what big-time blogging is all about. She's funny, she's talented, she cooks and takes photos of life on their ranch, and tells one knee-buckling story about her courtship with her husband, affectionately known as Marlboro Man.

And she has a big heart.

Late last year her husband and two oldest daughters went on a blogger mission trip to the Dominican Republic that was sponsored by Compassion International. If you have a minute, you should go read through the archives of their trip ... hear their stories and see the photos they took while visiting and helping the children and communities in need. To say it will touch your heart is an understatement of great proportions.

You can click on the banner below to find out more about the Compassion program, but basically for $32/month you can support a child by providing...

• clean water, food and nutritional supplements
• critical health care
• opportunities to learn in a clean and safe environment
• mentoring, to help kids reach their full potential in Christ
• Bible training and daily exposure to our loving and caring God

One of the important components of sponsoring a Compassion child is the emotional support you give through correspondence and letters. You take the child you are sponsoring into your life and your heart - making sure they know they are cared for, believed in and loved.

Ree and her husband, through working with the program, found out there is a great need for people to sponsor older children. I imagine that, much like you see with fostering and adoption situations in our own country, older children are simply harder to place. So Ree's family made the decision to sponsor a certain number of Compassion children that are age 16 and older, but because the communication aspect of the sponsorship is important and requires a certain level of time commitment, they wanted to make the financial commitment and offer others the opportunity to mentor.

Which works out great for me... because I don't have the money but I do have the time and desire to help. So I sent my email to the Compassion representative and heard back that I will be matched up with an older Compassion child.

I am so excited to do this.

And I'm so grateful for Ree's kind heart and generosity that made it possible for me to give of myself, and for a child to be supported.

So... when I get my packet of information I'll fill you all in and let you know how it's going, and will also keep a permanent link on my sidebar if any of you are interested in learning more about sponsoring a Compassion child. I have the distinct feeling that I will be getting more out of this than the child I'll be matched up with... because it never fails that when I've taken the time to give I've received so much more in return.

Question of the day: Do any of you sponsor a Compassion child, or work with any other similar programs?