When we created this blog, we explained that our trip would be broken up into several parts. The first part would be spent at New Hope learning the culture and how to live here in Uganda. Part 2 is the Church Planting Trip we are about to begin, and part 3 is returning to New Hope without our church team for the final 2 weeks.
As we've created relationships, participated in family devotions, and learned how to live in Uganda, I've tried to capture some of those moments with my camera. These are obviously only a few of the wonderful moments the Lord has given to us...and all from my perspective. I'm sure Tamra will have many other pictures to share in the future. But I hope that you'll enjoy seeing the faces of those we've shared stories about, and those who have captured a huge piece of our hearts. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that we really have had a wonderful time at New Hope. It was very hard to leave this morning (especially since, as Tamra shared, I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I wasn't able to go to our final family group time). God has used so many people to bless us and to teach us more about "the fatherhood of God".
Click on the following link to view the first SmileBox Slideshow!
Uganda 2013-Part 1
Enjoy!
Kim
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Bittersweet...by Tamra
Well, tonight is bitter sweet. We had a night of worship with our family, Pacific Family. It was great because we took turns choosing the songs, having many in Luganda and many in English. It was a great time of praising together. The bitter part came when it was time for us to go back to our house.
You see tomorrow we leave New Hope to join our teams from back home. In the morning we'll go to Kampala to reload on some supplies, then we'll head to the hotel where the youth team has been staying, and then finally we'll join them at Victory Living Word for the end of the youth conference. On Friday, they will head home and we'll join our church planting team for the two week trip.
There's one thing we've all forgot to mention about our family times. When it is time to go, most nights at least some of the family members walk us part of the way home. They say, "we'll give you a push." For some reason, I just LOVE that. We stroll down the dirt road, in the dark, just chatting and/or being silly. Sometimes they walk us to the guest house, we here we stop to fill our water bottles for the night, and other times they just walk us to the main road (a big circle drive in the center of the property). Tonight they walked us to the guest house and then we gave hugs, hand shakes, and good wishes.
I just can't believe that tomorrow night, I won't see them. It made me realize how hard it will be to leave them on August 1st. This time, I know I'll see them in two weeks. When we return to New Hope on July 18, it's a Thursday, so the next evening will be family game night. However, on August 1st, I'll leave not knowing if or when I'll ever see them again. Of course they'll always be in our hearts, but we don't yet know God's plan for the future, so it will be tough to leave.
Please continue to pray for us as we seek to follow The Lord. Pray for the church planting trip and that the youth team makes it home safely with no delays or loss of baggage. Also, please for Kim, as she wasn't feeling well today. She doesn't have malaria symptoms or anything like that, just an upset stomach.
Our connectivity may be significantly reduced for the next 2 weeks because we'll be in a different place and we'll be much busier with all the clinics and nightly outreaches. So, keep praying. Your work is just as important as ours. The mission could not be successful without the fervent prayers of each of you.
Monday, July 1, 2013
"Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done." Col. 2:7
Being Thankful was the focus of our message at church yesterday. I know that Tamra already wrote about the worship experience (which I completely agree was wonderful), but I wanted to focus on the message that Uncle Jay challenged us with. I think what struck me the most was the simplicity of the challenge, yet something we often forget to do.
The service began with the reading from 1 Chronicles 29:10-15. This is David's "Prayer of Praise" after the offering for the temple was taken. The people gave freely and generously, and David was filled with joy. He goes on to say, "O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us!" (NLT)
The first thing Uncle Jay did was ask people how they show that they are thankful for something. I loved that he made the sermon interactive, and he called upon people from the congregation to share their thoughts. Many people talked about using words to show our thankfulness. When someone gives you something, you often tell them "thank you" to show them you are grateful. However, someone also shared that our actions speak of our thankfulness. In Uganda, they have a way of accepting a gift that shows gratitude and thankfulness. The person receiving the gift faces the person giving the gift, has a slightly bowed posture, and holds both hands out in front of him to accept the gift. The part of this that I loved the most was that the person receiving the gift has his eyes on the giver, not on the gift he is being given. The point that Uncle Jay was making was how often are we focused on the THINGS that God gives us, rather than God Himself??!!
Uncle Jay then asked people to think of places in the bible where we are told to be thankful. I loved hearing the scriptures that people shared. As I've had time to reflect on the message, these are the verses that stood out to me:
"Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done" Col 2:7
"Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 2 Chronciles 20:21
The service began with the reading from 1 Chronicles 29:10-15. This is David's "Prayer of Praise" after the offering for the temple was taken. The people gave freely and generously, and David was filled with joy. He goes on to say, "O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us!" (NLT)
The first thing Uncle Jay did was ask people how they show that they are thankful for something. I loved that he made the sermon interactive, and he called upon people from the congregation to share their thoughts. Many people talked about using words to show our thankfulness. When someone gives you something, you often tell them "thank you" to show them you are grateful. However, someone also shared that our actions speak of our thankfulness. In Uganda, they have a way of accepting a gift that shows gratitude and thankfulness. The person receiving the gift faces the person giving the gift, has a slightly bowed posture, and holds both hands out in front of him to accept the gift. The part of this that I loved the most was that the person receiving the gift has his eyes on the giver, not on the gift he is being given. The point that Uncle Jay was making was how often are we focused on the THINGS that God gives us, rather than God Himself??!!
Uncle Jay then asked people to think of places in the bible where we are told to be thankful. I loved hearing the scriptures that people shared. As I've had time to reflect on the message, these are the verses that stood out to me:
"Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done" Col 2:7
"Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 2 Chronciles 20:21
"I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you." Ps 35:18
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Rom 1:21
That last verse reminds me of another point that Uncle Jay made yesterday. God does not need our thanks. He is not up in heaven just waiting for us to thank Him for things. Being thankful is for our benefit. It reminds us (just as the verse in 1 Chronicles states) that everything we have comes from God! We are placing him as the greater, and we ourselves as the less. When we give thanks to God, we give Him the praise and adoration He deserves.
The final point of the Uncle Jay's message was to think practically about all the things we have to be thankful for. Next week is the Thanksgiving Celebration here at New Hope (and we are very sad to be missing it). They have a school for the deaf coming to join them on Sunday, and Uncle Jay talked about how these children are treated because they can not hear. Many of them were abused, rejected and abandoned because of their handicap. Yet how often do we take our ears for granted? When was the last time we thanked God that we could hear the birds singing (as Tamra and I are listening to right now), or the gentle rustling of the trees as the wind blows through them? When did we last thank God that we can go to church and HEAR the word of the God being preached? Or that we have eyes that allow us to read the words on the pages of our bibles? Or that we have minds to understand the message? So many things we take for granted.
The final challenge that we were left with was to take a passage of scripture (such as Psalm 139) and to reflect upon all the ways we can thank God as we read the words. For example:
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me..." When was the last time I stopped to thank God that He knows who I am? With the 6 billion people in the world, God knows me...and He knows you. And even more than that, He knows us so well that He sees when we sit down or when we stand up (v. 2).
I said at the beginning that one of the things I loved about the message was the simplicity of it. May we all take some time today to reflect upon "all He has done" in our lives. May we evaluate whether our eyes are on the things He gives us, or on the giver Himself. May we acknowledge our complete and utter dependence upon Him for everything. And just like the psalmist, may we "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever"
Kim
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Face to face with reality...by Tamra
The last 24 hours has been filled with emotions, both high and low. This could be a bit long, but please bear with me. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Yesterday was so long and slow, I think I went on a walk at least 5 times. Floyd worked in the office on some computer stuff and I know I walked their 3 times for sure. Kim and I took the kids on a long walk all the way to the pond. About 1.5 hours before dinner, Kim and I were discussing that time was moving so slow. Since Troy is such a people person, we asked him if he knew anyone from whom we could borrow a volleyball. His response, "I might know a guy." (I could not make that up, Kim and I were quite amused.) Sure enough, he went off down the road and in what couldn't have been more than 15 minutes, he was back with a volleyball. We started out just practicing serving and bumping, as the kids had never played before this trip. Next thing we knew, we had a full team on both sides and plenty of spectators. We played for quite some time, even being late for dinner.
After dinner, we received quite a blessing. A group of the youth were leading a night of worship. We went to join in and it was wonderful! It went until just after 10pm. I've got to tell you, I had a few moments of concern as several bats were flying all around, just over our heads. It was sort of surreal in the sense that I'm not used to worshiping with bats flying here and there, and yet the worship was not disturbed in the least. There was a mix of Luganda and English music and it was awesome!
At one point, I looked over to my right and my heart was touched, yet again. You see, our family, the Pacific family, has children from 6yrs old to 20yrs old. They are all children who, for one reason or another, are orphans, yet they now have a family here at New Hope and they know their Heavenly Father who loves them greatly. So, to my right, I see the oldest-a 20 year old young man who's got to be at least 6'3" or more-standing up, praising God and seated next to him is the youngest-a tiny 6 year old girl. She is wearing a sweatshirt with the hood on and sitting on the bench with her feet dangling. What was so touching-as he stood there praising God, he was holding her hand. I thought for sure she'd fall asleep at any moment. She just sat there listening to the music with his hand holding hers. Try to picture that. It's Saturday night and instead of being out doing who knows what, he is there holding the hand of this little girl who is his sister, but not by blood. A bit later, the worship leader asks everyone to stand and I happen to look over again to see her standing in front of him, not even coming up to his waist, with his hands resting on her shoulders, with such love. And shortly after that, I see him lift her over the bench in front of him, then climb over himself, and they walk out into the dark, hand in hand. She may never know her earthly father, but she is loved and cared for, both spiritually and physically. I know she's been here since she was a baby and he's been here over 10 years, so they've both gone without the love of biological parents, but because of Christ, through New Hope, they are loved and have learned how to love.
This morning we went to church here at New Hope and it was wonderful. By the 3rd line of the second song, I was moved to tears. I'm not really sure what came over me, other than the Spirit of The Lord, but it's been a while since I've experienced worship like I did today. If you'd like, listen to the song HERE on YouTube.
After church, we had lunch, then we decided to play volleyball one more time before we ladies went for our Chapati making lesson and Troy returned the ball (the person had told him to bring it back this afternoon). The game was great fun. Kim, the kids, and I against Floyd. At one point, Floyd and I had a small collision. The ball was coming just over the net, so I went up and spiked it over to Floyd's side. Of course, he was prepared, so he went up to return it. Unfortunately, he came down on my big toe in a horribly awkward way. We're not really sure what happened, other than that it seriously hurt and he knew it had happened. I thought I'd look down and see blood because it felt like my toe nail had been ripped backward. Alas, no blood, but it was pretty sore. We went on with our game and then headed off for the rest of the day.
Kim, Raegan, and I had made plans with a young lady from our family to teach us how to make chapati. (We'll blog about that separately because it was quite an experience and we have pictures.) When we arrived, the family had not eaten lunch, so we were just sitting around, visiting as they prepared lunch. Just as it was time for lunch, another person from New Hope came up to ask a question. Now, this is where the emotion reaches a low. He had come to ask if anyone had A- or O- blood type. A women had just given birth and was bleeding excessively. Unfortunately, those of us who knew our type did not match the blood type, and most people did not even know their blood type. Also, it was shared that the woman's condition was such that it was too risky to try to take her to the capital, Kampala, for help. We all immediately joined in prayer for her.
As I sat there, I decided to go double check with Floyd because he always knows our blood type (we have the same) and I frequently forget what we have. I would have seriously regretted being wrong. As I walked to the house (limped, really), I was praying the whole way and found myself filled with emotion. The reality of life in a third world country had hit me head on. While women can have problems giving birth in the US, there is so much help readily available. There is no blood bank here, no 911, no care flight, nothing. Here we sat, willing to help, but with no physical way to do so.
I got to the house and asked Floyd, "what's our blood type?" He responded with what I had expected, but for once I wanted to be wrong. If only my memory was off and we were A- instead of A+. Of course, he wanted to know why I asked. I couldn't even answer before I just burst into tears. I was overwhelmed with emotion. As I limped and prayed for this woman I've never met, I imagined the sadness of the situation and possible outcomes. Floyd kept his patience as I cried and tried to tell him the situation. Once I regained control of myself, I grabbed the IPad to post on facebook. I didn't have the blood she needed and could offer no other physical help, but I could send a quick message to all the prayer warriors I know. Prayer is our greatest asset and I was going to call out for as much of it as I could get.
Many of you have prayed, and I ask that you continue to do so, because as of 8pm, we have not heard any update on her condition.
Now for the final part of my story. By the time we finished our chapati making, my toe was significantly swollen and has a lovely array of blue and purple. It was significantly harder to walk, even with a limp. Of course, we always hear that toe injuries can't be helped anyway, so just to live with it. In fact, I've broken more than one little toe myself. However, we've also always heard that the big toe is different; that its more important. So, I made it to the guest house (which is not where we're staying, but half way from our family group location to the house where we are staying). Fortunately, the boys were at the water tower helping some girls pump water, so I was able to request their assistance. Troy ran to let Floyd know that I'd just be staying at the guest house until dinner, since that's where we eat, because walking was too difficult. He also brought me back some reading material. Now, I did manage to get some pretty cold water to soak my foot and there was a freezer pack in the guest house that was only partially thawed out, since power has been out for a while now. We thought that would help with the swelling. At this point, the hypothesis is that I've broken my big toe, or at best, severely jammed/dislocated it. Once again, I'm faced with the reality of a third world country. My big toe could be easily examined and taken care of at almost any clinic or hospital in America, but here it is a totally different story. As of now, we're planning for me to go to the clinic and see what they say in the morning. Perhaps they'll know what to do. So, either I'm looking forward to some pain as they potentially put my toe back in place tomorrow, or I could be looking at some issues when I get home in August if it does have something wrong and heals incorrectly, or doesn't heal by then.
The toe, for those of you who might want to see it. :)
You get the top and the bottom. Isn't it lovely.
So, I'm not saying that America is a better place or anything like that. But of course, there are many conveniences that everyone takes for granted. Of course, we might say that hospitals and emergency assistance are are not conveniences, but whatever you might call them, they are a blessing that we should not take for granted.
Today I was slapped in the face by the reality of life in the bush of Uganda and I know that for many the reality is even worse than a troubled child delivery and definitely worse than a broken toe. Believe me, I don't live in denial or in a bubble, I just had some reminders today. While we are spoiled with electricity and clean water at least part of the time, that is not the reality of every day life here for those we come to serve. While we may experience great joy and abundant love here, there is also great suffering.
Please don't let our fun updates let you forget that we are in Uganda for a reason. That reason is to share the Gospel wherever we can and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing His love to all of his children-especially those that may feel forgotten.
 |
| Kim thought to take a picture of the kids and I while we were at the pond. |
After dinner, we received quite a blessing. A group of the youth were leading a night of worship. We went to join in and it was wonderful! It went until just after 10pm. I've got to tell you, I had a few moments of concern as several bats were flying all around, just over our heads. It was sort of surreal in the sense that I'm not used to worshiping with bats flying here and there, and yet the worship was not disturbed in the least. There was a mix of Luganda and English music and it was awesome!
 |
| The youth leading us in a night of worship. |
This morning we went to church here at New Hope and it was wonderful. By the 3rd line of the second song, I was moved to tears. I'm not really sure what came over me, other than the Spirit of The Lord, but it's been a while since I've experienced worship like I did today. If you'd like, listen to the song HERE on YouTube.
After church, we had lunch, then we decided to play volleyball one more time before we ladies went for our Chapati making lesson and Troy returned the ball (the person had told him to bring it back this afternoon). The game was great fun. Kim, the kids, and I against Floyd. At one point, Floyd and I had a small collision. The ball was coming just over the net, so I went up and spiked it over to Floyd's side. Of course, he was prepared, so he went up to return it. Unfortunately, he came down on my big toe in a horribly awkward way. We're not really sure what happened, other than that it seriously hurt and he knew it had happened. I thought I'd look down and see blood because it felt like my toe nail had been ripped backward. Alas, no blood, but it was pretty sore. We went on with our game and then headed off for the rest of the day.
Kim, Raegan, and I had made plans with a young lady from our family to teach us how to make chapati. (We'll blog about that separately because it was quite an experience and we have pictures.) When we arrived, the family had not eaten lunch, so we were just sitting around, visiting as they prepared lunch. Just as it was time for lunch, another person from New Hope came up to ask a question. Now, this is where the emotion reaches a low. He had come to ask if anyone had A- or O- blood type. A women had just given birth and was bleeding excessively. Unfortunately, those of us who knew our type did not match the blood type, and most people did not even know their blood type. Also, it was shared that the woman's condition was such that it was too risky to try to take her to the capital, Kampala, for help. We all immediately joined in prayer for her.
As I sat there, I decided to go double check with Floyd because he always knows our blood type (we have the same) and I frequently forget what we have. I would have seriously regretted being wrong. As I walked to the house (limped, really), I was praying the whole way and found myself filled with emotion. The reality of life in a third world country had hit me head on. While women can have problems giving birth in the US, there is so much help readily available. There is no blood bank here, no 911, no care flight, nothing. Here we sat, willing to help, but with no physical way to do so.
I got to the house and asked Floyd, "what's our blood type?" He responded with what I had expected, but for once I wanted to be wrong. If only my memory was off and we were A- instead of A+. Of course, he wanted to know why I asked. I couldn't even answer before I just burst into tears. I was overwhelmed with emotion. As I limped and prayed for this woman I've never met, I imagined the sadness of the situation and possible outcomes. Floyd kept his patience as I cried and tried to tell him the situation. Once I regained control of myself, I grabbed the IPad to post on facebook. I didn't have the blood she needed and could offer no other physical help, but I could send a quick message to all the prayer warriors I know. Prayer is our greatest asset and I was going to call out for as much of it as I could get.
Many of you have prayed, and I ask that you continue to do so, because as of 8pm, we have not heard any update on her condition.
Now for the final part of my story. By the time we finished our chapati making, my toe was significantly swollen and has a lovely array of blue and purple. It was significantly harder to walk, even with a limp. Of course, we always hear that toe injuries can't be helped anyway, so just to live with it. In fact, I've broken more than one little toe myself. However, we've also always heard that the big toe is different; that its more important. So, I made it to the guest house (which is not where we're staying, but half way from our family group location to the house where we are staying). Fortunately, the boys were at the water tower helping some girls pump water, so I was able to request their assistance. Troy ran to let Floyd know that I'd just be staying at the guest house until dinner, since that's where we eat, because walking was too difficult. He also brought me back some reading material. Now, I did manage to get some pretty cold water to soak my foot and there was a freezer pack in the guest house that was only partially thawed out, since power has been out for a while now. We thought that would help with the swelling. At this point, the hypothesis is that I've broken my big toe, or at best, severely jammed/dislocated it. Once again, I'm faced with the reality of a third world country. My big toe could be easily examined and taken care of at almost any clinic or hospital in America, but here it is a totally different story. As of now, we're planning for me to go to the clinic and see what they say in the morning. Perhaps they'll know what to do. So, either I'm looking forward to some pain as they potentially put my toe back in place tomorrow, or I could be looking at some issues when I get home in August if it does have something wrong and heals incorrectly, or doesn't heal by then.
The toe, for those of you who might want to see it. :)
You get the top and the bottom. Isn't it lovely.
So, I'm not saying that America is a better place or anything like that. But of course, there are many conveniences that everyone takes for granted. Of course, we might say that hospitals and emergency assistance are are not conveniences, but whatever you might call them, they are a blessing that we should not take for granted.
Today I was slapped in the face by the reality of life in the bush of Uganda and I know that for many the reality is even worse than a troubled child delivery and definitely worse than a broken toe. Believe me, I don't live in denial or in a bubble, I just had some reminders today. While we are spoiled with electricity and clean water at least part of the time, that is not the reality of every day life here for those we come to serve. While we may experience great joy and abundant love here, there is also great suffering.
Please don't let our fun updates let you forget that we are in Uganda for a reason. That reason is to share the Gospel wherever we can and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing His love to all of his children-especially those that may feel forgotten.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Field Day at Kasana
That's right...we helped to judge the events for the Primary School's
Field Day today! The morning started at 9:00 when we all headed to the
large soccer field at the edge of the property. Each of the families,
along with the students that attend school here but don't live at
Kasana, are part of a Color Group. There are 7 groups total: yellow,
orange, purple, red, pink, green, and blue. The Pacific Family, that we
are paired with, is part of the Red Team. And boy did they have spirit!!
They were dancing, chanting, banging on a drum, and blowing a horn.
Many of the other teams also had spirit. They held banners with their
team color on them, or had flags they were waving around. But I would go
so far as to say the Red Team topped them all.
When we arrived at the field, we were asked to be the judges to determine the order that the children finished each event. In order to do so, we were given cards with the numbers 1-7 written on them. We stood on the side-lines and as the children approached, we had to determine who came in 1st, 2nd, etc. and gave them the corresponding number. Some of the events were very close, but no one seemed to disagree with our decisions.
Some of the events they completed in were the 100 meter dash, running while jump-roping, a relay where they had to use a wet handkerchief to fill up a glass soda bottle with water, and a relay where they had to carry an egg across the field on a spoon without using hands (they had to hold the spoon in their mouth). It was very fun to be a part of these events.
After the games, everyone headed to the assembly area, to watch the singing competition. I know we've mentioned that the theme for the Primary School is "In Christ Alone." That means that they have been practicing that song for the last few weeks, and today, we were able to listen to all 7 color teams sing "In Christ Alone". If we didn't know it before, we now know that song very well! :)
All in all, it was a great day! We are definitely tired, though, from being out in the sun all day, and are looking forward to a nice, relaxing afternoon!
More excitement to come....
Kim
Here is the Pacific Family cheering before the games began!
When we arrived at the field, we were asked to be the judges to determine the order that the children finished each event. In order to do so, we were given cards with the numbers 1-7 written on them. We stood on the side-lines and as the children approached, we had to determine who came in 1st, 2nd, etc. and gave them the corresponding number. Some of the events were very close, but no one seemed to disagree with our decisions.
Some of the events they completed in were the 100 meter dash, running while jump-roping, a relay where they had to use a wet handkerchief to fill up a glass soda bottle with water, and a relay where they had to carry an egg across the field on a spoon without using hands (they had to hold the spoon in their mouth). It was very fun to be a part of these events.
After the games, everyone headed to the assembly area, to watch the singing competition. I know we've mentioned that the theme for the Primary School is "In Christ Alone." That means that they have been practicing that song for the last few weeks, and today, we were able to listen to all 7 color teams sing "In Christ Alone". If we didn't know it before, we now know that song very well! :)
All in all, it was a great day! We are definitely tired, though, from being out in the sun all day, and are looking forward to a nice, relaxing afternoon!
More excitement to come....
Kim
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Reflections on prayer and sacrifice, by Tamra
Yesterday in our morning devotion the topic was "Strenuous Praying." To give you some idea, it referred to a few scriptures, Heb 5:7-Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears; and Col 4:12-Epaphras...is always wrestling for you in his prayers. The word agonize comes from the word used in Col. for wrestling. It is used also to describe a man toiling at his work (Col 1:29), a warrior on a battlefield (I Tim 6:12), and striving in the arena for a prize (I Cor 9:25).
This entire devotional was quite convicting, in a good sense. Not meaning that it made me feel guilty but called me to evaluate my prayers and the purpose of them. If it weren't plagiarism, I'd type the whole thing here so that you could glean from it; however, I'll just stick to the one part that has really been pressed on my mind for the last 48 hours.
"True intercession is costly...'Are we asking of God something we could ourselves supply? Can it be intercession until we are empty handed? True intercession demands the sacrifice and dedication of all. Have we given ourselves and all we can for those for whom we intercede, or are our prayers costless and cross-less?" (World Prayer, Effective Prayer, by J Oswald Sanders).
I admit this quote got me. In our mission participation, I have often said that we cannot expect people to sacrifice for something that we ourselves do not deem worthy of our own sacrifice. Every mission trip we've ever done has been at significant personal sacrifice financially and in other ways. For example, we have not been on any vacation of any sort since we went camping for Spring Break in 2009 because since that time, Floyd has used every single vacation day and personal day to help cover some of his missed days while in Uganda. All other days were docked (except one year his gracious employer chose to pay him for the entire 17 days). The last two years, our children have put in their birthday money, Christmas money, and much of their allowance. Now, none of this is to boast or say that we regret it. It is only to demonstrate what I mean about sacrificing for what one feels is worthy. We have been greatly blessed by others who have joined our team in prayer and finances. We have also been blessed in countless ways by what we have experienced and witnessed in our missions experiences.
Oher than the fact that people pray for missions support, it might seem that I've gone off topic here, but let me connect my two points. Praying should be the primary work that we do in all aspects of the Christian journey. This point here in the devotional, however, points out that when we are capable of meeting a need ourselves, we don't need to spend time wrestling with The Lord on behalf of the person in need. The Lord has already provided for the need, you just need to pass it on to its intended recipient. (Now please do not go off making excuses and pointing out all the exceptions where this might not be true...enabling a sinner, something immoral, etc. we already have plenty of excuses, so lets except that generally speaking, this is true; otherwise you disagree entirely with my blog and you're entitled to your opinion.) :)
It seems to me that instead of looking at what we have been given as the Lord's provision for others, we look at ourselves and think of how blessed we are. Sadly, in America, many people who have more than enough for survival and even enjoy plenty of extras, look at other Americans and think they have some how been skipped over by God's blessing becasue the other people have even more than they do; but that could be a blogpost all by itself, so I'll stay on topic.
This evning I finished the biography that I've mentioned a few times, A Long Road to Hope. I have had the opportunity to read the stories of some of the people that I have met during my time here. Every night we go to family devotions. We enjoy the worship and the lesson, but afterwards we usually enjoy playing with the kids, visiting with the older children and the adults, and just spending time together. Also, every afternoon Raegan and Kim spend 2 hours at the baby house, and of course there are all the students we've worked with at the primary school and the adults we've met through different things. Most of the time I forget that they have all suffered in ways that I could never imagine. Either their parents abandoned them, were killed in the war, or died from some horrible disease. Then many of them were mistreated or neglected by other relatives because orphans are not important, they are just in the way. The thing is, while I know that they have all sorts of emotions that we don't experience during our short time here, they do experience joy and laughter and love because of Christ. Some of His people have committed their lives to living here (whether they are Ugandan or not) and countless others have committed financially over the years. These orphans are no longer fatherless.
Near the end of the book, there is a chapter titled "Blessed to Be a Blessing." They share about the missions that they participate in....building mud homes for people who have none, taking short trips to other areas of the country to serve those who have less, helping a stranger in the village who is ill or elderly...the list could go on. These who had so little and have suffered so greatly, realize what is important. They read Issaiah 58:10-11 and take it as truth. They know that this is what really matters. They still have very little by worldly standards, but they have what counts.
Read Isaiah 58:10-11 below and ask yourself some tough questions. Have you sacrificed for others? Do you carelsessly enjoy your blessings, as if they were meant for only you? Do you pray for God to provide for a need that he has already given you the means to meet? Will the promises of the verses be yours because you have met the qualifications?
Isaiah58:10-11
And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
This entire devotional was quite convicting, in a good sense. Not meaning that it made me feel guilty but called me to evaluate my prayers and the purpose of them. If it weren't plagiarism, I'd type the whole thing here so that you could glean from it; however, I'll just stick to the one part that has really been pressed on my mind for the last 48 hours.
"True intercession is costly...'Are we asking of God something we could ourselves supply? Can it be intercession until we are empty handed? True intercession demands the sacrifice and dedication of all. Have we given ourselves and all we can for those for whom we intercede, or are our prayers costless and cross-less?" (World Prayer, Effective Prayer, by J Oswald Sanders).
I admit this quote got me. In our mission participation, I have often said that we cannot expect people to sacrifice for something that we ourselves do not deem worthy of our own sacrifice. Every mission trip we've ever done has been at significant personal sacrifice financially and in other ways. For example, we have not been on any vacation of any sort since we went camping for Spring Break in 2009 because since that time, Floyd has used every single vacation day and personal day to help cover some of his missed days while in Uganda. All other days were docked (except one year his gracious employer chose to pay him for the entire 17 days). The last two years, our children have put in their birthday money, Christmas money, and much of their allowance. Now, none of this is to boast or say that we regret it. It is only to demonstrate what I mean about sacrificing for what one feels is worthy. We have been greatly blessed by others who have joined our team in prayer and finances. We have also been blessed in countless ways by what we have experienced and witnessed in our missions experiences.
Oher than the fact that people pray for missions support, it might seem that I've gone off topic here, but let me connect my two points. Praying should be the primary work that we do in all aspects of the Christian journey. This point here in the devotional, however, points out that when we are capable of meeting a need ourselves, we don't need to spend time wrestling with The Lord on behalf of the person in need. The Lord has already provided for the need, you just need to pass it on to its intended recipient. (Now please do not go off making excuses and pointing out all the exceptions where this might not be true...enabling a sinner, something immoral, etc. we already have plenty of excuses, so lets except that generally speaking, this is true; otherwise you disagree entirely with my blog and you're entitled to your opinion.) :)
It seems to me that instead of looking at what we have been given as the Lord's provision for others, we look at ourselves and think of how blessed we are. Sadly, in America, many people who have more than enough for survival and even enjoy plenty of extras, look at other Americans and think they have some how been skipped over by God's blessing becasue the other people have even more than they do; but that could be a blogpost all by itself, so I'll stay on topic.
This evning I finished the biography that I've mentioned a few times, A Long Road to Hope. I have had the opportunity to read the stories of some of the people that I have met during my time here. Every night we go to family devotions. We enjoy the worship and the lesson, but afterwards we usually enjoy playing with the kids, visiting with the older children and the adults, and just spending time together. Also, every afternoon Raegan and Kim spend 2 hours at the baby house, and of course there are all the students we've worked with at the primary school and the adults we've met through different things. Most of the time I forget that they have all suffered in ways that I could never imagine. Either their parents abandoned them, were killed in the war, or died from some horrible disease. Then many of them were mistreated or neglected by other relatives because orphans are not important, they are just in the way. The thing is, while I know that they have all sorts of emotions that we don't experience during our short time here, they do experience joy and laughter and love because of Christ. Some of His people have committed their lives to living here (whether they are Ugandan or not) and countless others have committed financially over the years. These orphans are no longer fatherless.
Near the end of the book, there is a chapter titled "Blessed to Be a Blessing." They share about the missions that they participate in....building mud homes for people who have none, taking short trips to other areas of the country to serve those who have less, helping a stranger in the village who is ill or elderly...the list could go on. These who had so little and have suffered so greatly, realize what is important. They read Issaiah 58:10-11 and take it as truth. They know that this is what really matters. They still have very little by worldly standards, but they have what counts.
Read Isaiah 58:10-11 below and ask yourself some tough questions. Have you sacrificed for others? Do you carelsessly enjoy your blessings, as if they were meant for only you? Do you pray for God to provide for a need that he has already given you the means to meet? Will the promises of the verses be yours because you have met the qualifications?
Isaiah58:10-11
And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Praying the Promises of God
Hi Everyone...It's Kim!
I wanted to first take a moment to tell you about the devotional we read this morning. It focused on "praying the promises of God". It was a great reminder that we can trust that each of the promises in the Word of God will come true, because God made them, and He keeps His promises. We spent some time thinking about some of the promises we have in His word, and how we could pray for those promises. Floyd reminded us about the promise that one day Christ will return, and we prayed that we would be ready for His return. Tamra reminded us that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So we prayed that the Lord of the harvest would send out more workers. Since we know that God desires all men to come to a saving knowledge of Him, we can pray with confidence that He will rise up men and women for that purpose. I've been reading Ephesians and was reminded of the promise that when we believe in Christ, God identifies us as His own by giving us the Holy Spirit. I've been convicted with how much I really think about the awesomeness of having God Himself living in me. I fear that too often I ignore his voice, or I decide to do things the way I want to, rather than seeking His guidance or direction. So my prayer this morning was that we would be reminded of the presence of God within each of us. What an amazing gift to be given. Our final prayer was that we would be filled with a hunger and thirst to know the Word of God so that we might know the promises of God more deeply and be able to claim them for ourselves. May that be the prayer of us all!
I also wanted to share a little with you about the family group that we were paired with, and the devotional time we join them for each night. I'm sure we've mentioned before that we have been joined with the Pacific Family Group. We began joining their family for nightly devotions last week, and on Tuesday night, we had the opportunity to lead the devotional time. Floyd brought his guitar and we led them in several worship songs. Then we decided to take them through the gospel message using the gospel beads we have with us. Much like Rafe has had us do in our meetings, we each took a different bead so that we each had something to talk about. Floyd started us out by telling about the "dark" bead. Rafe would be proud to know that he began at the beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden .:) Tamra talked about the "red" bead, I talked about the "white" bead, Troy had the "blue" bead", Raegan covered the "green" bead, and Tyler volunteered for the "gold" bead. Floyd wrapped it all up for us by covering the symbolism of the butterfly. It was very exciting for us to have the opportunity to "practice" our gospel bead presentation with our family. They even had one of the boys interpret for us, so it was a very good way for us to practice having to stop after each phrase to allow time for him to interpret! We were able to give each of the family group members a bracelet of their own so that they can share the story with their friends.We plan to leave extra bracelets so that as they share, they can give a bracelet to that person (much like we do during the clinics).
I don't know if Tyler's had a chance to tell you much about his experience with sharing the beads with his classmates, but I wanted to take a moment to tell you about it. We asked one of the teachers, Uncle Joshua, if it would be possible for Tyler to go through the meaning of the beads with the class. Well, he was so excited about Tyler sharing the gospel, that he suggested sharing it with both classes...at the same time (50+ kids)!! The kids were very excited, and listened very well while Tyler shared the story with them. Uncle Joshua even had them repeat the meaning of each bead back at the end of the presentation to make sure they really understood each one. I noticed several of them wearing the beads the next day. We hope it will be a good visual reminder of all that God has done for them!
Here are some pictures...
I wanted to first take a moment to tell you about the devotional we read this morning. It focused on "praying the promises of God". It was a great reminder that we can trust that each of the promises in the Word of God will come true, because God made them, and He keeps His promises. We spent some time thinking about some of the promises we have in His word, and how we could pray for those promises. Floyd reminded us about the promise that one day Christ will return, and we prayed that we would be ready for His return. Tamra reminded us that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So we prayed that the Lord of the harvest would send out more workers. Since we know that God desires all men to come to a saving knowledge of Him, we can pray with confidence that He will rise up men and women for that purpose. I've been reading Ephesians and was reminded of the promise that when we believe in Christ, God identifies us as His own by giving us the Holy Spirit. I've been convicted with how much I really think about the awesomeness of having God Himself living in me. I fear that too often I ignore his voice, or I decide to do things the way I want to, rather than seeking His guidance or direction. So my prayer this morning was that we would be reminded of the presence of God within each of us. What an amazing gift to be given. Our final prayer was that we would be filled with a hunger and thirst to know the Word of God so that we might know the promises of God more deeply and be able to claim them for ourselves. May that be the prayer of us all!
I also wanted to share a little with you about the family group that we were paired with, and the devotional time we join them for each night. I'm sure we've mentioned before that we have been joined with the Pacific Family Group. We began joining their family for nightly devotions last week, and on Tuesday night, we had the opportunity to lead the devotional time. Floyd brought his guitar and we led them in several worship songs. Then we decided to take them through the gospel message using the gospel beads we have with us. Much like Rafe has had us do in our meetings, we each took a different bead so that we each had something to talk about. Floyd started us out by telling about the "dark" bead. Rafe would be proud to know that he began at the beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden .:) Tamra talked about the "red" bead, I talked about the "white" bead, Troy had the "blue" bead", Raegan covered the "green" bead, and Tyler volunteered for the "gold" bead. Floyd wrapped it all up for us by covering the symbolism of the butterfly. It was very exciting for us to have the opportunity to "practice" our gospel bead presentation with our family. They even had one of the boys interpret for us, so it was a very good way for us to practice having to stop after each phrase to allow time for him to interpret! We were able to give each of the family group members a bracelet of their own so that they can share the story with their friends.We plan to leave extra bracelets so that as they share, they can give a bracelet to that person (much like we do during the clinics).
I don't know if Tyler's had a chance to tell you much about his experience with sharing the beads with his classmates, but I wanted to take a moment to tell you about it. We asked one of the teachers, Uncle Joshua, if it would be possible for Tyler to go through the meaning of the beads with the class. Well, he was so excited about Tyler sharing the gospel, that he suggested sharing it with both classes...at the same time (50+ kids)!! The kids were very excited, and listened very well while Tyler shared the story with them. Uncle Joshua even had them repeat the meaning of each bead back at the end of the presentation to make sure they really understood each one. I noticed several of them wearing the beads the next day. We hope it will be a good visual reminder of all that God has done for them!
Here are some pictures...
Here is Tyler standing in front of the group. Uncle Joshua is to the right. There are even more kids sitting off to the left, but I could not fit everyone in the picture.
Here is a picture of some of the boys following along with Tyler as he went through the meaning of each bead.
We hope to have more opportunities to share the gospel message during our time here at New Hope!
Continue to pray for open hearts!
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