Blog post for the World Orphans Page...

Here's a post I wrote for the World Orphans blog.  Thought I'd post it here too. :)

Eddie is a small boy in a government orphanage in Uganda.  Eddie isn’t his real name.  I haven’t changed his name for protection reasons, I’ve given him a name because no one knew his name.  Eddie walked up to me the moment I walked through the gates that morning.  His petite, dark features were beautiful and yet he never once smiled.  He took my hand and from that moment he had my heart as well.  When I asked the caretakers his name, they said they didn’t know.  When I asked the other children, they didn’t know either.  I asked him and he wouldn’t speak a word.  I eventually called him Eddie because he stands back and watches others interact, the same way my Pappa used to.  No one knew Eddie’s story, no one knew why he was there except that he seemed to have no where else to go.  He was one of too many, He was lost in the crowd and it would probably not be noticed if he was there or not.

Dorcas has been abandoned by her mother.  She’s three years old and you can’t explain to her why her mother left, she just knows she’s gone.  She attached herself to one of our short term team members and when we left, it was a very tearful goodbye.  But Dorcas’ story differs from Eddie’s.  Dorcas has a name that people know.  She isn’t lost in the crowd because she has a church family that loves her, that cares for her.  They provide for her, not only physically but spiritually and emotionally.  They love her and call her by name.  They notice when she is having a particularly difficult time and they comfort her.  She is still an orphan, but she is an orphan who has been adopted into a family of faith.

See the difference when the body of Christ steps in and fulfills their calling?  An orphan has a name, she is loved, cared for and pointed towards a God who loves her infinitely more than anyone here on earth ever could.  What a difference from the life Eddie will have.  Yes, Eddie will have a roof over his head and yes, Eddie will eat some of the time.  But what will happen to Eddie as a result of being lost in the crowd?  My heart aches when I see his face.  He not only represents so many orphans in this world who are not told that they are valued by an ever-present God, but he is an individual child I long to wrap my arms around and tell this truth until I know he understands.  I can’t wrap my arms around every orphan in this world, but the church can.  Will you wrap your arms around a child today?

My tax dollars....

OK, so this is a topic that I generally stear clear of: politics. But then again, do taxes really fall under "politics"? Well, that's a discussion for another time, today what I'm talking about does fall under politics. :)

So, after reading an article about tax dollars being re-routed from abortion clinics to true family planning practices, I began to wonder. I mean, is it possible to refuse to pay taxes on the grounds that you don't agree morally with what they are spending your money on? OK, go with me here for a minute (and yes, I do remember that Jesus said to render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's). I'm merely thinking outloud (or on paper I guess...) :) I realize that technically all of our tax money supposedly goes into this big pot and then the budget is divy-ed out from there (and amazingly it grows an extra few trillion while its in there to spend....oh wait, no that money isn't really in the pot.....but I digress). :) Anyway, the likelihood of "my money" going to an entity that I don't morally agree with (i.e. an abortion clinic or whatever) is pretty slim. I could technically say it's my neighbor's money that is going to that clinic and mine is going to cancer research or something that is not exactly in the moral realm. But what if my money did go to the abortion clinic? (I'm not trying to make this posting about abortion, I'm merely using it as an example due to the article I just read.) I'm not sure I know what to do with that thought. Our governmental leaders are there because someone said, "I trust you to do this." But can I trust my government's leaders to not do something I don't agree with? Can I trust them to spend my tax money the way I see it should be spent? These are all questions that are running through my mind at the moment. Don't worry, I'm not going to be thrown in jail for tax evasion (not that I make enough for it to be worth them messing with me). I will be paying my taxes. But it's reminded me even more how necessary it is that we pray for the leaders of our country. Pray that God will give them wisdom and courage to stand for what is right. And remember that untimately God is in control, no matter what. Just a random thought on Wednesday afternoon. :)

A Spiritual Reminder from Facebook?

I was checking a few messages on Facebook today and randomly looked up to the right hand corner.  I've only recently noticed FB doing this thing where they show you former posts from your friends, etc.  Today I saw, for the first time, the line "On this day in 2010" and below it is my status from that day, "It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire which He creates. ~ Amy Carmichael".  Last August, I had no idea what adventure He would take me on in a mere 12 months!  He created a desire in my heart to share His love with the world, especially with His little children who don't have parents or family to love on them.  He created a desire for discipleship, a desire to see men and women who are the body of Christ grow in their love for Him and their love for others.  To see a people who put Christ first in their lives rise up and love those around them, take care of them, seek justice for them.  All of these things were desires in my heart and 12 months later He is in the midst of providing for me to live out these desires in my work with Journey117 (World Orphans).  I've been so caught up in the present of raising support and preparing to move to Denver that I have forgotten to look back sometimes.  I look back and see where God has taken me and it makes me smile.  It reminds me deep in my heart that God is faithful, He is trustworthy and even when I don't see it (as I didn't back in August of 2010), He will fulfill the desire He has created.  Thank you Facebook (and Amy Carmichael) for the good reminder today of the blessing of a God who is in control and a God who is faithful.

My Journey with Journey117....

A couple of months ago, a dear friend suggested I start blogging again. Especially start blogging about my recent experiences. I have to say, as most of you know, I'm not very good about keeping up with this blog thing and I know I've said I would countless times before, but I think this is actually a great place for me to put down my thoughts and experiences (besides Facebook) and plus it helps me process what I'm walking through. So you might see me on here a little more often. :) But I'm not promising anything. :)

As I sit in this VERY quiet office (everyone, but me, is still "gone to lunch" :) I've NEVER worked in an office THIS quiet!) :) But as I sit here, I'm able to think about what the last 7 months have brought about in my life. In a nut shell, I've quit my full-time job at OU, moved home to live with my parents, gone to Uganda (wow!), started raising support for my new job (YAY!) and lived the life of a temp for the last few weeks. :) If you look back a couple of posts in my blog, you'll see me talking about my lack of faith with God that He would provide a way back into ministry for me. Funny thing is, He already had at that point. In fact, I had already talked to the gal who is going to be my boss as soon as I get my support raised and who has become a very fast and dear friend. She had already laid my dream job on teh table in front of me. I was just too blind to see it because I "wasn't going to raise support because I'm really bad at it". :) You know those times that you feel like God is just shaking His head and smiling at your stubbornness? Well, that was one of those many times in my life. When I finally was willing to take that leap of faith (and by leap I mean LEAP!) God confirmed over and over again His provision and love. I can't tell you how many things fell into place for me to walk this path. They weren't all easy, they still aren't all easy. But they are sweet because my Lord and Saviour has given me this path to walk and He is smiling down on me as we speak.

So, for those of you who don't know what I'll be doing, I'm going to be the Mobilization Coordinator for Journey117 (www.journey117.org), a part of an organization called World Orphans (www.worldorphans.org). I will be helping plan trips all over the world that focus on God's heart for the orphan, learning about the orphan crisis and what people are trying to do to meet the needs of the orphan. God has opened my eyes to His deep heart for the orphan, for those who have no one to care for them, protect them, love them or teach them. There are 145 million reported orphans in our world and what are we as the church doing to meet this need that is so dear to our Father's heart? (I'm honestly asking that question, I'm not being judgmental.) What are we doing? Are we giving? Are we going? Are we adopting? Those are the questions we want our team members to ask of themselves and their churches. What am I doing? What can I do? What is my church doing? What can my church do? In Isaiah 1:17, God commands His people to "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." That is where Journey117 derives it's passion and direction, a verse that is very close to our hearts. We want those around us to do the same. We know this looks different for each person and that's what I love about my new job! I get to walk beside people as they discover what this command means for them! We can't all adopt a little boy from Uganda or a little girl from Thailand. We can't all fund an orphan home project in India or a camp for orphans in Moldova where they will hear about (and experience) the love of Christ. But we can all go and see these children. We can all go and give them Christ's love. We can all seek our hearts and the wisdom of God to find out what our role should be to "defend the cuase of the fatherless". What will you do?

As I walk this new road, I'm faced with a big mountain. The initial building of a team of people who will surround me with their prayer and their finances so that I can move forward and begin the work that God has placed before me. He is calling people to this team and I have been blessed beyond measure by His grace and love shown through these people. But this team must grow. This is a God-sized task that He has chosen to use little ol' me to tackle. It will take a God-sized team to achieve this goal. Will you pray about letting God use you and your little ol' gift to help start this God-sized Journey? If you're interested in more information on how you can give or go, please feel free to contact me at emily@worldorphans.org. God is faithful, I know that full well. :)

Uganda! I'm Gonna Go to Uganda! :o)

	Trouble viewing this email? Click here to view it online.
	GIVE ONLINE  |  JOURNEY 117  |  WORLD ORPHANS  |  CONTACT J117  |  FORWARD THIS   God has called me to start my Journey... And I need your help!  On June 23 I will be traveling with a Journey 117 team to Uganda. As a result of various issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, and child soldiering, children have been orphaned by death and disease throughout the country. Our team will serve alongside Ugandan believers as we minister to orphans in various care settings, including institutional orphanages, schools, and church-based homes. We will also be able to work with street kids in the slums of Kampala and come alongside the local churches to rescue kids from this environment. Our team will conduct recreational programs, distribute food and clothes, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those we come in contact with throughout our time there. By experiencing this culture first-hand and learning more about the various models of orphan care and rescue, I will walk away with a better understanding of how I can be an advocate on behalf of the fatherless. Taking this Journey is my first step in discovering what it means to live out Isaiah 1:17 in a relevant way.  In order to participate I need to raise approximately $3,000 that will cover my airfare, lodging, meals, training and other ministry-related expenses.  Will you consider making a gift to Journey 117 to assist with these expenses as I take this step to discover my role in orphan ministry?   Note: My trip code for the online donation form is ST-7055-Last Name, for example, ST-7055-Smith. Use this code to ensure that your gift goes toward my trip expenses. Thank You!  WHAT IS JOURNEY 117? Journey 117 exists to equip influential orphan advocates through high impact Journey trips that offer informative teaching, practical experiences to serve cross culturally, and training to impact one's personal advocacy for the sake of the orphan and widow.    Journey 117 is a ministry of World Orphans, a non profit 501(c)3 Christian ministry. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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The patience of Abraham....

A few months ago, God gave me an answer to a question (actually, it's probably more a request) that I had been asking for several years now.  The peace and joy that suddenly flowed over me was wonderful! I finally had God's blessing to move forward into something I had desired for a very long time.  And then it happened.  THE WAIT.  Five months later, I'm still in the midst of The Wait.  In that time, I'm afraid I haven't handled things all that well all the time.  There has been hurt, anger, confusion, questions and wonderings.  Did I hear incorrectly?  Am I missing something?  Have I just not put myself out there enough?  What more do I need to do to cause this to happen?  Am I doing too much?  And then the BIG question wormed it's way into my heart and my head.  Can I really trust Him?  Can I really trust my Savior, my Creator, my Lord?  The question had rooted itself quite deeply before I honestly realized it was there.  And I'm sorry to say, I probably ignored it and then entertained it much too long.  In the midst of my "snow day" activities today (once again stuck in the house), I was reminded of a favorite hymn.  It is Well.  I was then reminded of men of faith who's faith caused them to either do crazy things for the Lord (Noah built a giant boat and told people it would rain, when it had never rained before) or hold out for a very long time (Abraham and the promise of a son).  I went to Hebrews 11, always a challenging chapter, and read of the faith of our forefathers.  Of the men and women who trusted God and His promises.  At first I began to feel horrible, tiny and very weak.  (The weak part is something I'm glad I've felt.) How could I even think that God was not trustworthy?  I've been waiting 5 months for Him to fulfill a promise He gave me when Abraham waited years!  Look at Abraham's faith and look at mine (once again the game of comparison that I'm unfortunately SO good at).  As I began to feel terrible about my lack of trust, God brought to mind the whole story of Abraham.  Abraham had faith, but it doesn't mean he didn't mess up in the midst of the waiting.  He took matters into his own hands and that's how he got Ishmael.  (Just as a side note, he waited another 14 years after Ishmael was born for Isaac, the son God had promised him.)  Abraham messed up and tried to hurry God's plan.  But God still accomplished His plan and fulfilled His promise and counted Abraham's faith as righteousness.  I've had a time of repentance with the Lord for my lack of faith and it has been sweet.  There is forgiveness there.  Now I look ahead to what He has and I pray for the patience of Abraham.