God's Children

I was reading the blog of a sweet girl that is over in China and had visited an orphanage there. She posted this video that gives a challenging perspective on something that is so real and often forgotten. Please watch it and pray that God would break your heart for what breaks His…

I’ve seen this video before but this time as I watched it, it became more real to me. These are the kids that I’ll be encountering in Africa this summer-children who are starving and have no one to look after them. This week I’ve been challenged as I think about how often we eat as a form of entertainment when there are so many children who die every day because they don’t have the food that they NEED. There are so many statistics that could be rattled off at this point to show just how many children are dying of hunger and hunger-related diseases but it doesn’t do the situation justice. In chapel this week, Eric Samuel Timm came and spoke about “repainting Jesus” to others. He shared about visiting his Compassion child and seeing that in looking at all of the statistics, we lose the fact that each number in those statistics is the life of an actual child. It’s crazy for me to think about the kids that I nanny for and how much their parents invest in each of their lives and to compare that to kids in third world countries who have to fend for themselves because their parents have died of AIDS. I’ve heard stories of 3 year olds who are forced to become the head of their households because their parents have died. I babysat tonight for 4 year old twins and I can’t picture them taking care of younger siblings when they can barely brush their own teeth.

As I watch this, it seems hopeless. We live so comfortably in America and basically have life handed to us on a silver platter. We go out to dinner and the amount we pay for one meal could feed a kid for over a month. I know I am called to go to Africa this summer, but it’s only 4 weeks. I’ll leave and come back to American life again. I know that there are problems here too. I’ve seen that at the daycare I volunteer at Downtown, those kids have someone looking after them but often the same hands that feed them are the same hands that hurt them. Today we had a preschooler come in with marks on his back and mixed up stories when he was asked about how he got them. The more I learn about what goes on in our world, the more my heart breaks. Whether they’re across the world or just across town, these are God’s precious children. When I feel like everything is hopeless and that there is nothing I can do, I rest in knowing that God desires to use me but that His work doesn’t depend on me. I know that I can't change the world but I know I can do my part in the Body to help bring the hope of Jesus to the least of these. I’m so thankful to serve the God who created the world, changes hearts, causes the blind to see, and uses us to declare His love to those who have never experienced it.

Whatever you did unto the least of these, you did unto me. {Matthew 25:40}

Birthday Goodness

Yesterday was Jeremy's birthday and was it ever a good one!

The birthday festivities started off with a surprise party in the hallway including cupcakes along with lots of singing and loud birthday wishes. The festivities continued in the evening as Jeremy and I went to Axel’s in Roseville for dinner. Our waitress, Nancy, took good care of us and thanks to Crowdcut, we ate until we couldn’t move. Our meal consisted of: popovers, stuffed portabella caps, chicken and dumpling soup, French onion soup, a full rack of ribs, green beans, a loaded baked potato and bread pudding (with a candle) for dessert. So yummy!  Jeremy also drew beautiful mountainous scenery on our table for the waitress. During dinner, Jeremy informed me of political issues while we observed an older man begin to lose his mind as he searched for an imaginary hat. What a fun date with my super fun guy. I'm so thankful for him.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

So sweet...

For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the Precious Blood of Christ

One of my professors showed our class this video a few weeks ago. It’s a 13 year old boy’s perspective on what Jesus death means to him. So cute...

HE directs my path

Just over a year ago, I took a trip to South Africa to visit my dear friend and former roommate, Ellen Amdahl to visit her and see the ministry that she’s been involved in. When I left, all I could think about was the next time that I would be back there.

God’s been stirring in my heart over the past year and I knew that when an opportunity came for me to go back, I needed to take it. I knew I wanted to go to Uganda and work with orphans so I started doing my research and found just the organization for me. Around Christmas time, I was meeting with someone from Africa Inland Mission and was so sure that I would be going to Uganda with them this summer. Then I found out the dates of the trip…and it wouldn’t work out because of a wedding conflict.

So…. back to the drawing boards…

 I decided that maybe God didn’t want me to go to Africa or something, so I looked into going to Haiti and working with orphans there. Nothing worked out for Haiti either so I had to think of another plan. Then God gave me a gentle reminder, “Lindsey, is this for you or is this for me?” No wonder my plans had all been falling apart. So I gave it to the Lord and asked him to direct my plans.  

So to make an even longer story short, God took MY plans and is making them HIS…

In 86 days I’ll be leaving for the beginning of a 4 week trip to somewhere in Eastern Africa. I’ll be going with the organization Adventures in Missions, and the more I learn about their heart for ministry, the more excited I am to be a part of it. They desire to do ministry the ways that Jesus did- by first reaching “the least of these” before focusing on the rich or intellectuals. Three things that AIM is passionate about are: Orphans, Poverty and Human Trafficking- three things that God has been giving me a passion for. I’ll be on a team with 10 other girls and while we’re there, we’ll be meeting up with a team that is on The World Race. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll be doing while we’re there and I don’t even know exactly where we’ll be going yet, but that’s just another reason for me to give it all to the Lord and trust that He is ironing everything out.

I’ve already been seeing God work in a few ways. First, I found out that one of my teammates lives in MN, so close to me! We met at Caribou last week and she’s so sweet. She told me about a fundraiser she’s doing, selling bracelets through Threads of Hope and gave me some so I could be a part of it too. It’s been exciting seeing God work through people’s generosity as I raise support and I’m trusting that He will continue to provide.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. –Ephesians 3:20-21