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Irena is a precious little Bosnian girl with very light olive skin and heavy brown eyes. She often looks sad, and speaks of ending her own life. She is seven years old.

Every week, students from Grace enthusiastically load buses and drive nearly an hour to Clarkston apartments, where refugee children like Irena live. Their heart is to infuse God’s love to families living there. They play games, do crafts, teach the Bible, and share life together with the children. It is one of the brightest spots in Ashleigh’s week!

Of course, all the kids are precious, and each week Ashleigh gives me a run down on each child that is especially dear to her. This past Tuesday, when I went to pick up Ashleigh after Infusion, I could see that she had been crying. From her face, I could see that her heart had been broken, and I knew it had to be over a child. Ashleigh told me all about Irena. She had been in the emergency room the night before with chest pains; the doctor told her she needed to eat more because she had an eating disorder. Remember, she is only 7 years old. She told Ashleigh that she wanted to kill herself because she was ugly and nobody loved her. Ashleigh hugged Irena and told her that God loves her and she did too, and that she was beautiful. Ashleigh reminded Irena that she was made in God’s image and that He deeply cared for her. Ashleigh had never been in a situation such as this, but she wanted to make sure Irena kept coming back. So she told her that if she came back the next day, she bring her Chinese food, which she had mentioned before as her favorite food.

So, the next day, just before Infusion, we loaded up on Panda Express. Irena wasn’t at Infusion, but her brother who was there showed Ashleigh and Christine where they lived, so they personally delivered the food to her. You can only imagine Irena’s surprise and delight when she saw the girls – and the Chinese food.
Beyond feeding Irena physically, Ashleigh is feeding her spiritual hunger with the love of Jesus and the truths in God’s Word.

Will you please join us in prayer, not only for Irena, but also for all the hurting children who need to be fed with the Bread of Life?

Filed under: Missions on June 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

The Prayer Lady at Sam’s

I love how God meets us in the daily-ness of our lives. I am a mom to 4 kids, and we are now in the season of life where our grocery bill nearly matches our mortgage. It was time to re-load the freezer and pantry, so off to Sam’s I went. The more I shopped, the heavier the buggy became to push. And as I was pushing, I was praying for all the other burdens in my life that felt even heavier than that buggy. I asked God for ears to hear and a heart that would listen to His truth; for His presence to completely fill me up.
I stood in a slow line to pay, and just as I swiped my debit card, a lady stepped up behind me and commented on the strawberries I had just purchased. I told her they were for a cake I was making to celebrate Father’s Day early, as my son would be leaving the country, and we wanted him to be a part of celebrating with family.

I walked to my car and began unloading. I noticed that same lady get into the car next to mine, but then something happened…She got out of her car, came over to me, put her hand on my arm, and said that God told her to pray with me regarding my son leaving the country. She asked if he was in the military; I told her that he was on a mission for God.
She jumped up and down and prayed the SWEETEST prayer over Douglas – it was as if she personally knew him! She then told me that God led her to pray that there would be two angels with him at all times: one on his left side, and one on his right side. My heart was feeling much lighter. She told me that she was an intercessor; that was her calling in life. I asked her what church she went to; she told me, but I can’t find it on line. She also told me that she and others have been praying for Downtown Atlanta for over a year, and when I told her about Midtown, she jumped for joy!

The prayer lady at Sam’s, I believe, was God’s messenger to me…that God is with me; that He knows my heart to truly listen to Him; that He will be with my son.

This morning, I read Psalm 121:7-8
The LORD will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Filed under: Missions on June 15th, 2009 | No Comments »

I am in route of returning from a mission’s trip to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International. Their motto is “Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name”. For me the trip was so many things. A contrast of living our days with impoverished children in small, cluttered villages, with make shift houses with no plumbing and in some cases, no electricity, to going back to our hotel for a buffet, hot shower, and clean clothes. So humbling. The children are beautifully brown with sparkling eyes and bright smiles. Many of you gave things for me to take to them, and I can’t stop tearing up every time I think of their precious faces beaming when they saw what you had sent. They appreciated everything, even the empty water bottles we tried to throw away. The conditions there are so desperate. Yet the sponsored children of Compassion are amazingly joyful and filled with praise to God. It’s amazing, and I believe, a glimpse of what we’ll all experience together in heaven.

While getting ready one morning at our hotel in Santo Domingo, I noticed that the hairdryer on the wall read PRESS TO RELEASE.

This week, I have been pressed – pressed to release – pressed to release children from poverty; pressed to release them from bondage; pressed to give more, to love more, to pray more, and even to go more. Pastors there need our help. They need help training their volunteers; they need supplies; their workers need encouragement and love.
One pastor asked me several times to please come back to train his workers. Another pastor I talked to has 3 churches that he oversees. And did I mention that each of these pastors care for over 300 children?

The harvest is great; the laborers are few. I am pressed to release more children into the Kingdom of God.

“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me”(Matt 25:42-43).

Filed under: Missions on May 31st, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Filed under: Missions on March 25th, 2009 | No Comments »

The Strength of Brokenness
Os Hillman

The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. - 1 Samuel 2:4

There is an oxymoron throughout the Bible. It says that brokenness is strength. How can this be? How can brokenness be strength? In order to use men and women to their fullest extent, the Lord has to break His servants so that they might have a new kind of strength that is not human in origin. It is strength in spirit that is born only through brokenness.

Paul was broken on the Damascus road. Peter was broken after Jesus was taken prisoner. Jacob was broken at Peniel. David was broken after his sin with Bathsheba. The list could go on of those the Lord had to break in different ways before they could be used in the Kingdom.

When we are broken, we see the frailty of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength. Then, new strength emerges that God uses mightily. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Do not fear brokenness, for it may be the missing ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength and experience not known before. Pray for a broken and contrite heart that God can bless.

Filed under: Ministry on March 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

The more I grow in my relationship with God, the more I see that life IS ministry.  To abide in Him means also to live with Him - to live like He lives.  When He was in Human form, He lived ministry.  He didn’t even own a home.  Everything about Him was ministry.  And not just with His “own kind” either.  I don’t see Him excluding anyone.  He was the Physician who healed the sick; He reached out to the desperate; He hung out with sinners.  Doesn’t seem that He got much sleep, and I’m not sure that He didn’t miss a meal or two.  I don’t see any “self-time”.  I do see times when He went away to be with the Father; I see times when He pulled His disciples away to hone in on their “issues”.  I see times when He was in intense prayer.  But even in that, I don’t see any SELF.
We are called to live as Christ lived.

Yes, I am soooooo called.  I am as called as Billy Graham was.  I think that anyone who “works” in “ministry” REALLY and TRULY needs to evaluate if they are truly CALLED or if they are EMPLOYED.

Filed under: Ministry on February 11th, 2009 | No Comments »