Comparison of nations

Ok so this blog entry will be a little more deep, but hang with me!

There is an index that shows all the nations of the world and where they rank as far as being countries with stability. It is affected by things like average income, GNP, expected life expectancy, % of unemployed people,those who have access to schools and number of orphans in their countries.

Why is it important to understand this index?  It helps us to understand how we need to approach the orphan crisis. Some things that stand out are that of the 187 nations listed only 43 are considered to be highly developed. Canada is #6 and Norway is #1. On the other end of the spectrum are 45 nations that are considered to be low on the HDI.

Flag of Zimbabwe

The countries scoring the lowest are almost all from Africa, with the Democratic Republic of Congo scoring the lowest. Other nations scoring really low include Haiti and Zimbabwe, two nations God is speaking to me about.

http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Table1.pdf

I am learning constantly and am being challenged regularly. The last thing these nations need is for us as North Americans is to waltz in and tell them what to do in their nations and orphanages to be effective. We need to understand their pain and hopelessness but we also need to understand things that are really working or dreams they have for their people.

As I travel this year I want to bring the message of Jesus Christ to people in ways that they are able to grasp within their culture. I also want to be very teachable and learn how we might alleviate the crisis within their nations by coming alongside the nationals on the ground.

The people we serve may be poor and disadvantaged but they are not stupid. They are people that have the same concerns as we do and that is to be able to provide safety for children and food and clean water so they can have much better health.

Lord make me teachable for your Kingdom!

Spedbumps and God

One day after we made the decision to officially head to Haiti with an amazing team of people, our first obstacle came up. Obstacles are like speed bumps, they are kind of annoying but you only lose a little speed before you get back up and keep rolling!

I think these speed bumps are important in the planning and preparation for a mission trip. It teaches us many things of which tow are flexibility and reliance on God.

One of the moms going on our trip certainly does not have the money to go on this trip on her own. That is awesome, that means she has to rely on Him as we all do! She texted me today to tell me she could not afford to pick up the meds she needed to get tomorrow for the needles she needs in order to go. The total cost was $94.00. She was discouraged and felt she might not be able to go.

She said what can I do? My answer was let's pray. We did and I told her that there will be many times during our prep and time on the field where we will need to pray and see God's hand of provision, protection, direction, wisdom along with the prayers we will offer up for those we serve.

When I returned home tonight I received a message from a friend , She indicated that they had received an unexpected cheque in the mail for $85 and her husband received an unexpected gift of $15 today and they wanted to give towards the mission trip and specifically for the need I mentioned above. What they didn't know was the amount the lady needed. That is the hand of God!

When we step out in faith to do something that God desires for us, we need to remember that obstacles are just another opportunity for God to show His love for us. Is it always easy? No! Is it incredible to be able to share the big and small things with God? Always YES!

HAITI

I knew when I started out this year, that 2013 would be the year when my feet would be on the soil of new territory. As I pray and seek God it is becoming more and more of a reality. Today marked the beginning of this becoming very real.

It looked unlikely even as late as Friday that we would have enough people to go to Haiti, but the Lord raised up seven people over the weekend that are willing to serve the orphaned children of this impoverished nation. I am so thrilled.
We will be flying into Port au Prince in early March to begin an exciting week there. I not only desire to minister there but also to learn how we as a ministry can best serve the orphaned children of the world. I want to also understand what is being done to take care of those precious children that will age out of the orphanages. We will have opportunities to minister in three different orphanages with the number of children in each ranging from 13 in one to 130 in another.
One of the things that really stood out to me, is the need to be covered in prayer as we go. This may seem like an obvious thing but the truth is we need to serve with the heart of God, be protected by the hand of God and love with the sacrificial love that Jesus showed us during His earthly ministry to the least of these.
I would ask that you would join our prayer team as we prepare to go and as we serve the nation that needs to be changed by the power of His love!

Whats my role?

One of the things all of us have to consider as we get older is, what will we do in life? In North America we tend to have many options. In some countries that is not the case. For instance in a country like Zimbabwe there is a 97% unemployment rate. So options would not seem to be varied.

I don't want to really talk so much today about the roles (jobs) we will have in life, but the question I want to ask each one who reads this is: What role are you going to play in the global orphan crisis? The reality is, we all have a role to play, yes all of us! If we are Christians I can tell you for certain that we must play a role in making an impact in the lives of orphaned children. Why because God's heart is for the orphaned child and we as Christians (Christ followers) need to have the Father's heart.

Here are some options for the role you will play:

• Adopt
• Foster
• Open an orphanage
• Work at an orphanage
• Bringing visibility to the crisis
• Raising funds to support an orphanage
• Providing for the needs of orphanages, clothes and food etc...
• Sponsoring an orphaned child or orphanage 
• Sponsoring missionaries who work at orphanages
• Pray for two or three specific orphaned children
• Go on a short term mission trip and volunteer at an orphanage
• Fight human trafficking of children
• Raise money for a family that is trying to adopt an orphaned child

These are just a few and this list can be so much longer. I would love to hear what you would add to this list Also begin to pray and ask God what he may have you do. Remember you and I are responsible to make a difference!!! 

You have a role to play!!!!!!!!

How can we help?

One of the biggest challenges we face in the world is when a problem seems too big. When people think something is way too big to make a difference they often do nothing. Nothing changes nothing! Even worse it can breed apathy.
I am convinced that we as individuals and as churches have a role to play in the global orphan crisis. I read this article and it is a powerful way for both the church and you and I to make a significant impact for orphaned children.
We too can make a difference one child at a time. I can tell you the the five children in this story it changed their lives. 
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/missouri-couple-adopt-peruvian-orphans-article-1.1247290?localLinksEnabled=false
Read more »

Broke my heart

I started the day off today with a friend that had been away on a mission trip to Asia recently. I loved looking at his pictures and loved the joy and excitement he exuded as he told stories. I was thrilled to see what was happening in the lives of new believers who had been introduced to God.

As we continued to go through his pictures, I came across the picture of a little girl. I inquired about who she was,  her name was Anna. Anna was 10 years old and is living in an orphanage. She had been brought to the orphanage when she was eight. She had been rescued from a brothel where she had been sexually abused/trafficked for some time and was addicted to cocaine. It broke my heart!

I looked at this picture over and over and tried to imagine what a horrible life this precious child had for the first eight years of her young life. It had to be filled with rejection, hurt, pain and abuse for years. This should not be tolerated in society. If we have a heart at all for people, things like this should disgust us and call us to action.

I also looked ahead another eight years and my thought of where Anna might be scared me. To think that this amazing little girl could be put back into a world that took advantage of her hurts my spirit. I have already started to pray for Anna that God would protect her and be her defender.

Ps 68:5 says "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling, God sets the lonely in families."

I am compelled more than ever to be a part of the healing process for the precious "ANNA's in this world" I pray that you will help us do that.

Emancipation

All over the globe there are orphanages and where there are orphanages their are orphans. It is easy to say that word and think of a group of people, but each orphan represents an individual. An individual that has been uniquely created by God. A person that deserve every chance to have a life and the love of the parents that created them.
For those children who have no choice but to grow up in an orphanage, there is a day in the future that could be good or bad. It can be good if there is a plan in place for them to move out and get established, if they have been prepared for the world they are about to enter.
For some this is a day they have dreaded for years. When these precious children become teens and then become 18 or 19 depending on their country, they will need to leave the safety (hopefully it has been a safe place) of their "home" and enter the world. Unfortunately the world they are about to enter can be a horrible place.
There are a number of reasons this can be horrible which include: no job, no where to live, not knowing anyone and leaving all your friends behind as you leave, the risk of resorting to crime in order to survive, depression and maybe the worst of all human trafficking.
In many countries when a teen leaves the orphanage they are picked up within 24 hours and  given a promise of work, only to be taken by cruel people who have another agenda. It is sickening.

Please begin to pray or remember today for the safety of children leaving the orphanages of the world. There are 153 million orphans around the globe and that is a lot of at risk people. Tomorrow I am going to share my heart for what can be done to help.

What does an orphan feel?

I had a conversation recently with a little guy who is nine years old. In our chat he shared with me how he felt after having both his mom and dad walk out of his life. He was very expressive. His words were:
           "I am so mad. I am mad because my dad and mom don't ever talk to me, they never check                                                               to see how I am doing, they never think of me and they don't care about me."

This is one emotion that could be expressed by an orphaned child. Other emotions might be despair, fear, hatred, sadness and pain just to name a few. That is not to say that there are not moments of joy that can come during the day or times when they are truly thankful.

I think it is so important that we understand the heart and the hurt of the orphaned child/teen. It is equally important to understand the heart of God towards the orphaned children of the world.
 Psalm 68:5  God in His holy house is a father to those who have no father

The heart of God is to protect and defend the fatherless. If we want to make a difference in the lives of these children, we must also be their protector and defend their cause.

Lord give me and others your heart for the children in need of love and acceptance and care.

Hearing from you

I know many of my friends have traveled around the globe and have visited orphanages and spent time with orphaned kids. I would love to hear of your experience too!
Back in 1998 I had my first real experience with orphaned children. We were in a small community just outside of Uzhgorod Ukraine and one of our outreaches during our short term mission trip was to go to the orphanage. I remember that feeling of hopelessness for these kids.As the children came to greet us I noticed how shy they were (which I understood), but I was taken back by the close shaven haircuts of the boys and girls. They also had patches of green on their bodies which were there to prevent infection.
As the children took us on a tour of their "home", I could tell that these kids were excited to show us around. They were proud of what they had, I was shocked by what they didn't have. They lacked toys and clothing and bedding. I am not complaining as I understood they were at least in a better place than the otherwise might have been.
We spent quite some time with these precious children and then it was time to leave. As we left the children came to us and sat down beside us, or on our laps and looked into our eyes and said, "will you be my father?" and to my wife Ruth they said "will you be my mother?" Our hearts were ripped out as we had to say we couldn't do that.
My last memory of that day was the children that tried to sneak on our bus to drive away from the orphanage. It was heart wrenching to send these kids off the bus and send them back to their "home", as we departed to our safe, well fed, comfortable world.
This was a seed that was planted in my heart and the beginning of what God has been preparing in my heart for 15 years.

I want to hear your experiences, please write it here and tell us.

Global Orphan Crisis

So excited to be able to begin a journey with friends tomorrow as we study and learn and then move into making a difference in the lives of orphaned and emancipated children around the globe.
As I met with a friend earlier this week he shared his heart for the children of Haiti. He specifically shared the need of 16 year old kids in the orphanage that are about to age out in a couple of years and where will they go when this happens.
It is so important to provide homes for the orphaned children and in addition to that we need to consider how do we transition some of these children in to the harsh realities of the country around them.

Lord help us to learn and apply and make a difference.