Anne with an E and ice cream

I guess if I look back at my life, God was shaping me for orphan advocacy from way back. And let me tell you, Anne with an E is my girl. And Lucy Maude is my hero. And somewhere over the years I've become more like Marilla (about whom Joe always remarks, "man is she your mom") than I ever intended, but I digress. (I'm still a lot like, Anne, too. Don't worry, my scope for imagination keeps me close to Anne.)

You see that pic? It was shared on facebook by the (sorry I'm a nerd) Anne of Green Gables fan thingy. Not by New Horizons or P143. And yet, what could more accurately portray the truth about caring for an orphan? I know they are fictional characters, but come along for the ride, won't you?

I doubt Marilla and Matthew considered themselves a good choice to care for a child. Brother and sister, old, busy, introverts, etc. They didn't even willingly choose to have Anne. They were looking for a big boy who they could feed and care for and teach him to help on the farm. But they got Anne. Anne who had never had ice cream. Those of you who know me well are probably laughing a little; my love of ice cream is epic. But that's not the part that hit me hardest. It's that Marilla never would have dreamed that Anne hadn't had ice cream before. And the Sunday School picnic they are about to attend? No one there would realize that someone in their midst was having ice cream for the first time. Marilla and all those good people of Avonlea never realizing that what they had was AMAZING. SPECIAL. BLESSED. And EXCLUSIVE. To them it was normal life, and pretty bland at that, but to Anne it was a dream come true.

I could go on and on here. Seriously, Anne, ice cream, and hosting. Anne's not adopted at this point in the story. She was just 'on trial' at Green Gables. Marilla began to see how real Anne was, and full of hope, and full of life. She came to see that Anne was not just another sad case of lost humanity with no chance for a full life of opportunity. Anne was a real, unique, funny, silly, creative, imaginative, distractible child in need of raising. And she began to see that she, Marilla, was the difference. She stood in the gap of Anne remaining "a perfect heathen" or becoming Anne the friend, Anne the devoted daughter, Anne the wife of a good doctor, Anne the mother of 6 children, Anne the light of all who knew her.

I like this story for orphan care because Marilla and Matthew didn't get a vision from God that they should go 'rescue the poor orphans.' They didn't want Anne. She just showed up by 'mistake.' They weren't qualified for the job. Old maid, old bachelor. No experience. No desire. And yet when God sent them a child, and they saw the need, and they saw the person, and they said 'yes.'

Every single orphan has the need of love and family. Every single orphan is a person.

Marilla saw it. And she said yes. Will you see it? And will you give that kid some ice cream?

An accidental Matthew Bible study on Hospitality and Orphan Hosting

Today I saw a picture post on facebook by P143 that stirred my heart.
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There's no place like home... but for over 100 unchosen orphans on our photolisting, there is no such place. You can change that! HOST an orphan in your home this summer. ADVOCATE by sharing our post. SUPPORT with a donation for a child of your choosing. To see all the orphans available for summer hosting, complete our pre-registration form for the link! www.projectonefortythree.org/host/photo-listing-registration/

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(An accidental Matthew Bible study on Hospitality and Orphan Hosting)

Hospitality

A few years ago I read a great book; Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Mains.

I blogged about it back then, I'm pretty sure...let me check....nope. Can't find it. Well, it's been too long for me to be able to recap it accurately, so I'll just say, it changed me. For the good. It opened my eyes to the fact that my home is not mine. It's God's. I'm the steward and there will be a day when I stand before the Owner and give account for how I invested what has been entrusted to me. I began to think of the great blessing it is to have a home. For all it's imperfections, it is absolutely a blessing beyond compare. And yet, sadly, the norm is to hoard it. Keep it clean, keep it warm, decorate it, bake cookies, serve supper, ALL FOR ME AND MINE.

To the faraway hungry-for-love orphan, elderly person, poor person, "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"

The excuses are innumerable:

"My table is too small" (Mine is, too. We have seven people and 4 chairs and1  bench, which we fill with just us.)

 "My house is not necessarily clean." (Yeah, me too.)

 "My family doesn't always shine with love." (You mean like how Cade just tried to smother Jessup with couch pillows?)

"People might not like my food." (Honestly, serve pizza if you're really actually a bad cook. Or Oreos.)

"We don't have enough bedrooms." (We have three bedrooms; parents', boys', and girls'. And when we have a whole other family stay with us? We cut down to a kids' and a kids'/parents' and the other family can have a room to themselves. "It's just like Little House on the Prairie, isn't this fun?")

I give these examples with their short responses simply to illustrate that those thoughts are just excuses that can be solved...or ignored completely (and they go away). My solutions might not work for you, but that's not the point. I just wanted to share them to show that a willing heart finds a way.

And let's be straight- I am not in need of any more kids in my house. I don't need extras at meals. We are quite full. I'm often heard to say, "It's always a party with the Rebisz's." But I know that my home is my greatest blessing. It is invaluable to me, and an unattainable, heart-wrenching dream for the lonely.

Home and family- I have it, they need it, so I offer it. And Christ blesses it.

Matthew 25

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Orphan Hosting

So back to the beginning. There are over 100 kiddos from P143 who have not been hosted yet.

And it makes my heart feel, what, sad? Disappointed? Frustrated? Discouraged? I don't know exactly, but heavy for sure. Heavy that there are ANY kids left at P143 or New Horizons. We should be leaping at the chance to engage our entire family in world missions so easily. There should seriously be a stampede to view the photolistings and the chance to choose a child to bring to our home. We should be honored and joyful and grateful that there such a simple and convenient way to share Christ with those who need Him most. Instead my brothers and sisters in Christ say, "No," over and over and over a hundred times and more.What does that say about our hearts? Stone or flesh?

Ezekiel 11

¹⁹ Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰ that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

What a rich promise! What a happy thought! Let's ask anew for this heart of flesh. He'll be our God, and we'll be His people and walk in His statues. What are those statutes?  You're not the first one to ask, actually.

Matthew 19

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother, and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.


Most of us have heard this story lots of times. What does it mean for us? On the most basic level it means that we must loosen our hold on our stuff and use our possessions as God would have us use them. I think it's easy to figure it out how to do that, but we don't always want it to be so clear, so we say it's hard. I mean, right in verse 21 Christ says use your stuff for poor people. So there's one way to use your stuff. And just before, He says “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”  So there's kids,  another group we can be sure is important to God. And James reminds us that pure and undefiled religion is to care for orphans and widows. So there's orphans and widows. We can use our stuff for them, then, without having to worry about whether its God's will or not. We can just go ahead and use our stuff for them and follow Jesus.

So now what? Well, I'm pretty sure you're thinking, "Oh, yes. That's all true, but it's just not the time for us right now." Well, I was 7 months pregnant when we hosted Anastasija. And my house was a mess. And we live on one income. And my kids were naughty. And I yell at them sometimes. My family is so far from perfect. The only thing we've got going for us is trying to follow Jesus and obey His commands. Seriously, we are nothing great over here.

 And no family is perfect and no time is perfect, and I'm going with a cliché here:

It's not about you.

Christ laid it out in no uncertain terms:
Matthew 10:

³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

A Cup of Cold Water

⁴⁰ “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Ask yourself the hard question:
Do you love your home-life just the way it is more than you love your neighbor the orphan? (Or lonely neighbor, or foster kid down the street- there are lots of people to love, I just happen to be thinking about orphans.)

God is the Father to the fatherless. The Help of the Helpless. And we are His hands, His feet, His heart here on Earth. If we don't spread the love, the world stays loveless. If we don't spread the hope, the orphan stays hopeless. If we don't shine the light, we remain in darkness.

I don't know what else to say. How can I get you to break free of the doubts and fears that hold you back from offering what you have to those who need it? What lonely child would not want to be in your home this summer? Honestly, picture your normal life and compare it to the normal life a child in an orphanage and tell me that these children with hopes and dreams and real little bodies that ache for a hug and someone to tuck them in at night don't need your home this summer. This summer. Not some nebulous some-day-in-the-cloudy-future, but now.
A real child. The child who was interviewed and knows that her face and story are out there and wonders if anyone will choose her. Wondering if she's really as worthless as she thinks? 

Anyway, the answer to the above question is that I can't help you break free of the things that hinder you. Only God can do that. So I'll pray. I'll pray that my desperate plea from the depths of my heart will fall on ears that hear.

Believers Are Salt and Light

Matthew 5
¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Shine your light. Let it shine. Set it on the table in your dining room and invite someone in out of the dark. You'll be glad you did, and so will they.  


 



Check Yes or No

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This boy has been offered before and watched his friends come to America, but never selected. He had great eye contact during our interview and seemed very friendly. Later taking pictures he was all smiles for pictures and loved taking more photos with his friends. He said he wants to come to America to see EVERYTHING. He has seen pictures from his friends and it is beautiful. He would love to be part of a large family with lots of kids …younger, older, doesn’t matter to him. He would like to work on his soccer and ping-pong skills. He is a very goal oriented young man.

Contact your local coordinator for more information.

 

www.newhorizonsforchildren.orgcontact-us/

 

Don't let him feel unwanted and worthless by not being chosen...again. Hosting is so simple and yet so profound in the life of the child. You have a home right? Open it up.
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.[a] 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
Being in foster care or an orphanage doesn't cause pain in his body, but think of the pain in his heart. Feel it as if you were there yourself. Love him as your brother. YOUR BROTHER. I don't know about you, but I would make the room and time needed to let my brother live with me for 5 weeks over the summer. I would never say, "I don't feel called to have my brother live with me this summer." I would just move forward, knowing that I don't need a special word from God to let me know that I am supposed to care for my brother and make room for him in my life.
I sometimes daydream about the possibilities. I think of stories of thousands of Jewish children being hosted by families in safe countries during the time of the Nazis. I think of all the children of refugees in war-torn places right now. I wonder if there is a way to get them into host families until it is safe to go home. But that would require the Church to take the above verse seriously, and I don't see that happen much around here. New Horizons and P143 offer just a few hundred children, it seems like that wouldn't be enough to go around for our whole nation of Jesus followers. But, sadly, that's not the case and this boy didn't get chosen last time. Why? Because someone felt a tug to treat him like their brother- but they said 'No.' And he dealt with the ramifications of their choice. He stayed behind while others spent their Christmas or summer with a family. They heard, "You are wanted. We love you. God loves you." What did he hear?
People. This quick share has turned into a blog post. Because I want this boy to feel God's love this summer. And I want you to feel the power of God at work in your life as you see miracle after miracle in removing every obstacle. God has a plan. He has a plan for these kids with no families. He has had a plan from the beginning of time for the good works He wants you to do.
If you are a follower of Christ, you've got your orders.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.[d]
This is one simple way to get started on your obedience. Will you trust? Will you obey?

Unofficial Guest Blogger

God is amazing. He coordinates our lives so intricately and we never know where our influence on others and on this world begins or ends.

Le Ann probably doesn't know where her burden for opening her heart and her mouth for orphans specifically began or where it will end. But one result is me. My heart for orphans was prepped by God (and L.M. Montgomery) and unlocked by Le Ann's ministry of New Horizons for Children.

I prayed hard this morning about blogging and hosting and lo and behold- this is the first email in my inbox today:
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"Dear Friends and Families of New Horizons for Children,

The clock is ticking quickly. Blink and a child loses hope and so much more.
Please see the link below for the file of Children to Pray For!  Deadlines are quickly approaching! Asian deadline is  MONDAY OCTOBER 21.
Eastern European deadlines begin SUNDAY OCTOBER 27.
My perspective has only gotten stronger, after sitting in an orphanage in China now for well over a week. One has a lot to take in, with the time to take it in, and be thankful. But more, I have realized I have a lot to learn and hear from my Holy Spirit who shouldn't have to put me here to listen! The thoughts that go through my mind on an hourly basis are such that I can't explain many times. The children who rush to me when we walk over to the chow hall to have a meal, just to say "I LOVE YOU!" or just to get a hug open my eyes to see what He would have me to see.  The result for the kids is a smile that never ends and warmth in their heart saying, "I was special to ONE!"
The result for me... well, I get numb at times, but it warms my soul; my life is again, forever changed for the better. It shows me what I have in "things" and "creature comforts" that are meaningless and there are far greater joys in the world besides something we buy in stores. Yes, I complain to those anxiously waiting at home on our return, (mine and our new son, Kevin who lives here as well)..."I am sick of Chinese food three times a day." But, after the adults finished their abundant lunch today, Kevin sneaks in to ask for some rice as he is still hungry. As a mom, I desire to give him all the food that is left before me, but as someone who sees the other 80 little children who have no mom in which to even ask... it kills me inside.
My perspective is something I have to continue to share; the burden is too great.
Last night, I went to visit with the other two Americans who live here and work with the children teaching them about their self-worth and that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them dearly.  They had four of the older boys come to visit their room in the orphanage seeking Ray, their wrestling buddy! The boys were there to wrestle with a "dad figure" and try out an "elastic-exercise-band" that he will demonstrate and share with them. While we all laughed and encouraged them to try their best, it was also sad that none of them could stretch the bands as well as the gentleman who is retiring next week after four years of service in China, and returning to the USA. These teen boys are so weak, under-nourished and have so little muscle mass they couldn't do it.
But, in these servants’ eyes, they have hope for a future. 
Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' "

How can you give them HOPE?
Much of the hope these boys have comes  from families, such as your own, getting ready to start their shopping lists for Christmas or planning a summer vacation. But, instead, a family chose to answer the Call and went on a family mission trip together with one of these children. The map on the wall of this room in the orphanage shows each child's photo that went on one of our hosting programs in 2013. It has a photo of each child and a string attached from the photo to the destination in the USA where he or she has been...and has been loved and shown the care of a Christian family who made a sacrifice. Sacrifice? YES, financial, emotional, physical in some regards. But, these kids all know they mattered to ONE when they see this wall, they have HOPE for a FUTURE.

Are you going to matter? NHFC promotes the starfish as our unofficial mascot, and relates the story of "this one matters" in the legend of a young boy walking on the shore tossing beached starfish back into the water "of life". An older man sees the boy and questions, "How can you hope to make a difference since there are literally millions who you won't be able to save?" The boy replies, "But, I made a difference to THIS ONE."

There are enough orphans in the world, if they stood side by side, they would circle the earth TWICE!
In thinking through this now, This ONE is also referring to each of our host families! This ONE FAMILY answered the Call and hosted an orphan child who now feels loved, has self-worth, knows THEY matter! Best of all, they KNOW THEY MATTER TO OUR FATHER! They are not forgotten, unless you choose to forget and move on.

It takes ONE to SAVE ONE.

Now is the time. Now is the end and now is their hope for ONE--- such as your family. Christmas is the best time of the year to step up... it's the giving season, it is the season of Love and the season of our Father who loved us so much, He gave his ONE son for our life. We now have eternal Life and we know He cares and we matter! It's our turn to pay it forward as Fathers and Mothers and teach our own children-- show them-- the greatest gift of all...
The kids' bags are packed... well, really, there is nothing for them to pack, but in their minds, they are ready to go. But, each one knows they must be considered and chosen by ONE family. 

Is that your family this time?
Psalm 119:105 says:
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." 
Can you believe enough, have the faith of a tiny mustard seed, and take a step onto that path?

Want to take your family on a mission trip for Christmas? For the price of just one person, your whole family can participate in a 4 week Mission Trip, and you won't even need to pack a suitcase... we will send the Mission to your home! Through New Horizons for Children, you can minister to an orphan from Eastern Europe or Asia around your own Christmas tree. It's a life changing opportunity to share God's love with a child who may never have experienced it before!

Click here to see just a short list of the children to pray for! Please complete the short form at this link to view the photos of available host children.

Asia Photolisting

E. Europe Photolisting

 

Contact your regional coordinator for more information on any of these wonderful children! Click here.

WHAT? You can't host a child over Christmas? Well, there is yet ONE more gift to consider giving!
We have a pressing need right now: if any these available children were to receive a scholarship towards their hosting costs, they have an increase of 80% in being selected for Christmas or a future hosting.  Every hosting season, it can be difficult to provide large sums of money for these scholarships. But we have recently created a program where you don’t need a large amount to help—every little bit will help change these children's  lives.  You can partner with us through our new "Agape Fund": a monthly giving fund that will allow you to give a little bit each month in support of our program. Note your funds are for scholarships for a specific country, scholarships for siblings, or as a general donation. Click here for more information on the new Agape Fund!

MOST OF ALL the Agape fund provides NHFC with donations that can be applied immediately where the need is greatest!  Your partnership in this program is invaluable and will help us serve the children of Eastern Europe, China, and the Philippines even more effectively.

Anyone who signs up to give a monthly amount of $10 or more will receive a special gift!  All donations are tax-deductible.

May God bless you on your journey!

Le Ann Dakake, Director of Orphan Hosting Programs
New Horizons for Children
New Horizons for Children
3950 Cobb Pkwy, Suite 708
Acworth, Georgia 30101"
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Forgotten Christmas

As you know, I love hosting kiddos for Christmas.

I also love giving forever gifts for Christmas.

I am just so convicted about the way we spend our money on trinkets for Christmas.
Seriously, buy a newer game thingy?

 

Or buy a well that provides clean drinking water AND a missionary that tells of the Living Water?

I have been thinking about writing this post for a few weeks, but was not sure what to say, how to say it. And then I was prompted by the Bible, of all things. :)

My verses for today are Luke 20:46-47
⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ⁴⁷ who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The scribes devour widows' houses..
My heart is just so moved, and sad. Our gluttony devours the poor. Our overspending, overeating, and overindulging is responsible for the physical and spiritual deaths of so many people. I pray for a wave of repentance, I pray for forgiveness. When I reach heaven and face the accuser- what will I see? Face after face of people for whom I could have provided a drink of clean water and a drink of the Living Water if I had lived a little more simply, but DID NOT?
O Lord, let not my gluttony cause the death of the poor. Let me live poorer and give richer: feeding poor and hungry bodies and souls.



Going into this weekend humbled.

Forgotten Christmas.org

Are you listening?

I would like to take this moment to advocate for orphans. And I would like to prayerfully ask that you please click the following link to New Horizons.  

The world is full of children walking in darkness with no hope; but this is an opportunity to show them love and hope. New Horizons offers an opportunity for families to welcome Christ at Christmas and do foreign mission work without leaving the country.

Please pray for the children listed, children who are wondering if this hosting thing could be true, that God loves them and His people might care enough to bring them into their home for Christmas.

Please pray that God would show you how to help- praying, donating, advocating, hosting. If you feel a tug and have any questions, please contact me!

Hosting Anastasija changed our whole family- we learned more about following Jesus and we grew in our faith more than at any other time in our lives. Our family is not the same. My kids are different, they are others-focused. Joe and I are different- our hearts are softer, our faith is deeper, our eyes are open.

You may think, "I already know Jesus really well and keep His commandments." Let me just say that I thought that too. My thoughts echoed those of the rich young ruler: "And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”" (Luke 18:21) Our attitude often reflects that of the rich young ruler. We are pretty good. We have done lots of good things and live squeaky clean lives. And Christ's response to our attitude is the same as it was to that young man; “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Obeying His call to let go of our comforts and care for the poor is as difficult for us as it was for the rich young ruler and tragically, it is highly uncommon.

There is a reason Christ asked the rich young ruler to do the hardest thing. It is because with obedience comes blessing. Obeying His call to care for orphans in a tangible and out-of-our-comfort-zone way, and trusting Him to strengthen and protect and provide changed us in a way we couldn't have imagined. And now I understand that the Holy Spirit is like gas for your car: It really makes a difference in how far and how fast you can go. I also learned that God only gives you as much as you need. Our day-to-day trials and struggles need about a half gallon. But when you step out in faith to do something that is way beyond your own strength and resources, God fills you up! And man- You can feel the difference!
 God is more than we think. He "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." (Eph. 3:20) The work of His Holy Spirit is just as awe-inspiring as you imagine it to be when you read the book of Acts. God answers prayer just like Jesus says He does when He tells us to ask, seek, and knock! "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Luke 11:9)

Obeying God in faith for something larger than yourself has great rewards. Open your heart and your bank account and your home to the fatherless this year at Christmas, and see how it feels to welcome the Christ child in out of the cold. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42) I always like to think that if Mary and Joseph had gone past my house, I would have gone out and welcomed them in and given them food and a good place to sleep and called a midwife, you know? Well, here are children with no family, with no love, and no Christ. They are standing at your door and seeking the warmth of your heart and hands and your hugs and your Christmas cookies and cocoa and Christmas Eve service. What will God have you do for them?
 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)


New Horizons for Children Christmas Hosting Program


According to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20-21)

XO

Every blog comment and every link, and every facebook like, every comment, and every share (total of 5 entries per person) enters you to win this book! Be the voice!

"Is the message of Christmas lost in the commercialization and hectic pace? Can we celebrate with intentional purpose? Using devotions and activities, Seeking Christmas gives your family an experience to pass down for generations to come."



Where are you Christmas?

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?

I think most of us can hear Faith Hill's voice carrying those phrases, right?

The wonder of Christmas dissipates as we age. We can't quite conjure up the wonderment of our childhood. We enjoy watching our kiddos in their excitement, but even that leaves us feeling a little empty, with part our soul longing for something more.

The presents, the tree, the dinners and parties and cookies- they lose their magic and sometimes even begin to drain us. We try to focus on Christ, but as soon as we close our Christmas devotional, our joy fades and hustle and bustle kick in. It leaves us tired and empty. The mess after the gift-opening frenzy fills us with grief. We always hope for some magic, but all we see are glazed eyes and spoiled children.

And I LOVE Christmas. I LIVE for Christmastime. Christmas music is the all-time-best music. Hope and magic and twinkly things. But after all that, the day after Christmas is gray. The things we wanted and wrote on our lists didn't bring us the joy we thought they would. List-making brings to mind another song,

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies

 

Well, I'm all grown-up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need

 

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.(wrapped beneath the tree)

Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

 

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
There'd be-

 

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

Maybe that's where we can start the process of figuring this out, this lost magic of Christmas. Maybe we need to seriously grow our Christmas Lists UP.

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Let me offer you some hope for your Holyday Spirit.
Once upon a time a lady posted a link on facebook. New Horizons for Children- an organization that brings Eastern European orphans to America to spend Christmas with a real family. Magical, isn't it? Have you ever dreamed of bringing joy to an orphan? Of lifting a truly needy soul up from sadness and despair on Christmas, inviting them into your home to enjoy your blessings of a lovely tree, and cookies, and music floating on the air? Or is that just me? Tiny Tim, Anne of Green Gables, Little Orphan Annie? Just bring 'em on home to your house and do Christmas right? 
Well, I clicked that link and scrolled through some pictures of kids with no family. and suddenly, my heart stopped and there she was- Anastasija, my girl. I didn't know the Big Plan at that time, but I knew she was supposed to be in my home for Christmas. Many miracles took place, she came, and Christmas was REAL.

Really really really real. Like I cannot put it into words, but Christ came at Christmas in 2011. He came to my heart, my house, my church, and my community. People all around were blessed by the Spirit of Christmas, because their hearts were moved. You might have been one of those people. Do you remember?
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And then! God let us know she wasn't a one time deal, she was our forever girl. But that's not the story I'm telling today.

So, again:
AND THEN! In 2012, I simply posted about New Horizons on facebook and two more people I know and love were moved to host. Teenage boys, no less.

Edgars.

And Reno.
I speak their names with awe. Because God is working out His plan for them, too. To soften people's hearts, hearts that had been hard. And plans to prosper these boys and give them a future and a hope. Edgars is already adopted, not BY his host family, but THROUGH his host family. Because they hosted, another family heard the call and Edgars is THEIRS. He has a family for Christmas for the rest of his life. Talk about a Christmas gift. And Reno? God is working out that adoption right now.

And for these families, Christmas is real and will never be empty again. Because the Spirit of Christmas has come to their hearts.

God worked another miracle that year and Anastasija was HOME for Christmas.

The above picture was taken at about noon on Christmas Day. We opened our presents late last year. Our family didn't want to keep Christmas for ourselves, we wanted to give it to others. So we went to the VA hospital and sang Christmas carols to some lonely vets. And we were blessed. We were blessed. The gift we tried to give away came right back. How? The Spirit of Christmas was upon us again. Our focus was not on the gifts under the tree, it was on others. Even on Christmas morning, my kids were thinking of others. And that is an act of God, obviously. It looks like a lovely new tradition was born in our family, besides.

And this year? We're listening. God has a good plan for how we are going to give THIS Christmas away. (If you click one song link, please click this one, it changed my life!)


 I am so excited! I'm like a kid at Christmas! And that is the point.

It takes us right back to the beginning of this post.
Where are you Christmas? Give it away, and you will find it.
What is this illusion called the innocence of youth? Only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

Take a leap. Give your Christmas away this year, locally or globally, big or small, and watch how God gives it right back. The real thing. The Christmas you've been hungering for.

There's more to come about this Christmas thing. Stay tuned.

Peace.

Orphan Sunday

God's crazy economy

I know God is rich. He owns the cattle on 1,000 hills. If I think about it, I am sure He laughs big belly laughs when we get all serious and say, "We're trusting God for the adoption money....$30,000.000!" We're all like, "WHOA, dude that's so much money." And God's all like, "I own the universe, to infinity and BEYOND. LOL" (yeah, God just LOL'ed)

But then, sometimes He does stuff just to be funny. Just for the glory of it.
I recklessly and happily gave away lots (according to our budget) of money yesterday, in two specific chunks. And today, when I opened the mail? We received two checks, one for the exact amount of the first chunk, and one for the exact amount of the other chunk. I'm serious. I thought I was being all crazy and throwing money around and God just threw it right back.

Because of that, we are not the only recipients of God's blessings. God blessed us, we let it run through our open hands to others, and then God put it back in our hands. Instead of just one family knowing of God's goodness and provision, two families do.

I found this good little article at Christianity Today:
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Key Bible Verse: "I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire 10 percent into the storehouse. … Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing." (Malachi 3:10, CEV) Dig Deeper: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

I urge you—plumb the depths of the parable of the talents. Take a good, hard look at the context of your life—nothing happens by chance. You are where you are and the way you are for a reason, for God's reason. The master says that when you invest the talents he's given you, when you are faithful to bear fruit from the little he's given you, he will give you more. And you will enter into his joy. People around the world are searching for joy. Where is it? How can we find it?

Here's the answer. Plain and simple. Straight from God: Invest what I've given you. Take a chance. Put it to work. Trust me. Make it multiply. Then I'll give you more. And you'll be happier and more content than ever fathomed. Don't believe it? Think of investing your talents the way the Old Testament describes giving your tithe [in today's Key Bible Verse].

We've all heard it said, "You can't out-give God." He's made me a believer. My joy is worth more than all the money in a zillion banks. What about you? Are you ready to take a good, hard look at yourself and determine what talents God has knit together within you?

—Bob Westfall in The Fulfillment Principle

My Response: How is the Holy Spirit prompting me to respond to this reading?

Thought to Apply: God has a way of giving by the cartloads to those who give away by shovelfuls.—Charles Spurgeon (British preacher)

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You should try it, it's really amazing, awe-inspiring, fun, exciting, liberating, and faith-deepening.
XO

Top 10 Reasons to Host an Orphan this Christmas

Dear Friends and Family of New Horizons for Children:
THE GOOD NEWS: We still have space available for a great Mission Trip this Christmas! For the price of just one person, your whole family (including the kids) and your friends, can participate in a 4 week Mission Trip, and you won't even need to pack a suitcase ... we will send the Mission to your home! Through New Horizons for Children open your home to an orphan from Latvia or Ukraine and share God's love and your love with a child who may never have experienced that love before (or ever get a chance to, except through YOU!)

THE GREAT NEWS: We received some scholarships to help defray the cost for you to go on this international mission trip!
God is holy and perfect but there is a wide gap between Him and us. That’s why He started the very first mission trip when He sent his Son, Jesus to earth to reach us! Now, you can follow His perfect example and bridge the gap between Him and an orphaned child from Ukraine or Latvia.

Everyone has different reasons they love missions.
Here’s a list of our 10 favorites!
 1. PURELY, GOD APPROVED
James 1:27 - Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence.
2. IT WON’T BREAK THE BANK
A 4-week long mission trip that your whole family can go on together AND you can take your friends with you! Partial scholarships have already been added to help defray the cost of this trip! You only have to pack for your mission ONE TIME!
3. RESULTS GUARANTEED
Psalm 10:14 - But you know all about it— the contempt, the abuse. I dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday in you. You won't let them down: orphans won't be orphans forever.
4. LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS and ADVOCATES
This road isn’t supposed to be walked alone. Meet and connect with hundreds of other families on the same mission trip that you are on along with all the staff and volunteers around the country who have been many times and are great leaders!
5. DIVINE PLACEMENT
Psalms 68:5-6 - Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.
6. SPECIALIZED PRE-MISSION TRIP TRAINING
For those wanting to go even deeper and truly experience a life changing REAL MISSION TRIP, we provide training by experienced speakers in many locations around the country. Learn about cultural differences, language barriers (how to smash them) and hear from past host children who were later adopted. You'll also hear from past host families who discovered that the blessing they THOUGHT they were giving to their host child, came back to them a million times more! Your mission team leaders will explain and share how, as a family, you can get the most from your mission. On line discussion groups and bonus conference calls from the team’s director provide an even greater understanding of what to expect, how to handle specific situations and get the most from the entire mission trip!
7. MEET JESUS! HE COMES RIGHT INTO YOUR OWN HOME!
Matthew 18:5 - And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
8. REALIZE THE CAUSE OF THE FATHERLESS; MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Some of the world’s fatherless children have a lot to give! Learn from them while you share His love and be the hands and feet of Christ to a child who might never see or feel this without your participation! Build their self-esteem and feeling of self-worth while showing them they DO have a Father! 1 Thes 2:8 - We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us
9. FREE STUFF!
Every family who signs up to host a child receives the following, absolutely and completely by grace: blessings, love, attention from a child who never had much, and God’s love and appreciation for eternity! You might even be the first person who ever gave a hug to the child you receive as your mission AND get their first one offered in return!
10. BEAUTIFUL WEATHER
Isaiah 58:10 - If you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.
Plus One more to think about...Don’t be stagnant. Go out and DO ministry, DO missions and GO fishing for the KING! Realize, all disciples are Christians, but not all Christians are disciples. Be a DISCIPLE!

Matthew 25:40 - Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'



Struggling with fear and doubt? Feeling weak and inadequate? GOOD! Trust and Obey!

2 Timothy 1
⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Proverbs 24
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
¹² Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
James 4
17 If anyone, then, know the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.
Psalm 62
Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
2Corinthians 12
⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Falling forward

from Orphanology:


"My hope is that the Homes for Hope for Children story serves as a source of encouragement for those who are struggling to accomplish something great that God has placed upon their hearts. I was told along the way that the vision was inrealistic, and it often seemed the biggest challenge was just keeping the vision intact. As tough times hit and the mountain seems to steep, the temptation is to decrease expectations and standards. I encourage you to adhere to what the Lord has called you to do. There are those in need that are counting on you, and God has called you to meet their needs. Current events, a bad economy, or any other obstacle that is placed in front of you does not surprise Him. Keep moving forward, even it it requires at times to simply fall forward."
~Dr. Michael Garrett

Executive Director: Homes of Hope for Children

Read about how God is caring for the fatherless in south Mississippi through Homes of Hope for Children

It's a cool ministry. I am amazed at what God does through people who are willing to do it. Willing to take a risk and look stupid if they fail, but trusting that God won't fail, that He will come through to complete the good work He starts in us.

LIFE

I don't know if anyone else sees, it, but I think Anastasija looks like my mom. And, it doesn't surprise me that God would give me the small gift of seeing a physical resemblance there. I hope there is more than just a physical resemblance- for myself, as well as for Anastasija. It's good to look like my mom, it's even better have some of her strength.

Because, I learned the lessons of caring for and speaking up for the marginalized of society from my mother. It makes sense to me that I would think of that today, my birthday, and the date of this year's Life March. Because those things have to do with my mom. She gave me life, and then she taught me to respect it- all of it. I remember her making signs to take to local Life Chains, and I remember well our trip to Washington, D.C. one January to speak out againt the violence toward women and chilren that Roe v. Wade legalized. 

Before that, I vaguely remember her as a foster mom to teen girls when I was very little. I remember her home being open to people who needed a safe place to stay. Later in her life she provided respite care for kids in foster care. She allowed God to use her home and family to accomplish His plan for setting the lonely in families.

My mother put energy and effort into protecting and advocating and caring for those who cannot help themselves. Truly, the theme of caring for the fatherless comes to mind- unwanted babies who are not yet born, and kids in the foster system.

I am glad that Anastasija looks like my mom (at least to me). I hope she lives up to her looks and her given name- the breaker of the chains. Because to break chains you need to have two things: strength and compassion. My mother had a good dose of both, and hope I've got some of it- enough to pass on to my daughters.

XO