Correspondent Child!!

So you know I'm a Compassion sponsor, right? I've sponsored Ezra from Indonesia since 2004 - she's 11 now! I recently learned that you can also request a correspondent child... There are some children in the program who never get letters, etc., and while their sponsor wants to continue financially supporting them, the sponsor doesn't want to write. Compassion believes so strongly in the connection that the sponsor makes with the child, in encouraging him/her, loving him/her, showing him/her that there is someone who truly cares, that these children can become correspondent children. Someone else pays the monthly sponsorship, but the correspondent is the one who writes to them.

When I learned about this, I realized that, though my budget isn't built for a ton of kids, my hands can easily write letters and support another child that way. I finally got my correspondent child YESTERDAY! I went on my compassion account and saw that it no longer just showed Ezra's beautiful face - there was a link to another child! 12 year old Victoria from Ghana!! I was so excited last night that I instantly sent off an email (and wrote one to Ezra, too, since I was there!) and will follow up with a letter and some pictures soon. (Compassion allows for handwritten letters, obviously, but they also have an email system... The email you write is sent immediately to Compassion to disseminate to their translators and get to the child. I love handwritten things, just to show that personal touch, but having the email option has allowed me SO MUCH MORE communication.

Anyway, I'll update when I hear from her (or Ezra!). I'm actually putting Ezra's lapbook in the mail today, so I can't WAIT to hear if she likes it. :):):)

Reflections...

2010 is now officially over. I said goodbye with some good friends from my Central days... and all their children (with noisemakers!). We laughed a lot, talked a lot, and did a lot of running (hurdles!), boxing, ping pong... all on the Kinect. :) I'm home now, in bed with a throat sore from outtalking all those kids, and am reflective... (who gave me the computer at 2 am??)

Tonight marked day 1,095 of reading my Bible straight. 3 years ago, I made a commitment to read a little bit each day for the month of January. I had no idea that I would be challenged (by myself) to continue in February, then challenged by Pastor Dan to increase it in March, and then just stick with it to see how long I could do it. That was the year I turned 30. That was the year I went to the ACM's for free. That was the year my sister got cancer. That time in the Bible, every day, after three years is not a duty. It's not one of those things I have to get done every night before I go to bed. It is an integral part of me. I'm afraid I would stop breathing without it. Thank you, Lord, for turning what I thought was a gift to You into a blessing for me. How honored am I?

This year I had to big opportunities (OK, big to me!) to speak in church. In May, three of us got to do 5 minutes on the topic of forgiveness. It was so much fun to get in front of a congregation and speak again, and to try to be as concise and clear as possible--in just five minutes. In December, I was able to tell my My Story to all three services (1 Saturday, 2 Sunday). Again 5 minutes, but this time it was my story with Jesus. I was reminded that I WANT to be up there, on that platform, speaking into people's lives. It's been so long since I've had opportunities like that, and I definitely feel rusty, but... I LOVE sharing/teaching about Jesus in front of people.

This week I rang the year out right by cleaning my office--no big deal to some, but to me, it was a room that has weighed heavily on me since I moved in 5 years ago. This, combined with one or two other things that I have put off for YEARS have truly freed me, mentally and emotionally from a lot of baggage... baggage I didn't even know was there.

This year I also received a little more clarity about some things in my future--missions I want to go on, and people/ministries I want to be involved in. I don't really know when... but I know that as soon as there is an opportunity, I want to be there.

This marked my second year of living in financial peace, as well. I can't say that I'm debt free yet, but I have cut my debt almost in half so far--and am praying for the second half to leave my life as quickly as possible.

This year I began writing my sponsored child, Ezra, more than regularly. I joined a second Friday of the month writing group, and have written the second Friday of the month--plus MORE for several months now. I am more excited to pray for her, to develop relationship with her, and just to know that I am able to contribute to a little girl becoming a young woman--following God.

2010 has been filled with so much more. It's been a year of growth--in areas where I am surprised to see change. I'm thankful. And I'm anticipatory for 2011... I think there will be more change, more growth... I'm doing my absolute best to follow my Jesus... And I'm excited to see where our journey will lead this year.

Happy New Year!

This and That

I stole this from another blog--Michelle is a Compassion Advocate and I love reading her stories about her kids, etc. She posts this from time to time... and I sometimes have a hard time coming up with fun topics... so this is what *I* am going to modify for myself!!! :)

• Outside of my window…. it finally looks like November. :) It's gray, drizzly, cool... It's funny, though... with the warm days + the rain, some of my plants have started blooming again! I've got a bright yellow Gerbera Daisy on my porch--my favorite flower... thanks, God!
  
• I am hearing… the Dick Van Dyke Show. I just turned an episode on to watch while I ate some lunch. :) All weekend, though, it's been Pandora with Christmas music!
  
• I am smelling… my fuzzy, snuggly Lockwood.
  
• I am wearing… my 2007 RID long sleeved shirt. It's warm and comfy.
  
• My plans for the day…I already went to church... I help sometimes with the sound for Children's Church. It was fun, and the kids were super cute. I MAY have friends swinging by later, but not sure. That means I should probably vacuum downstairs! :)
  
• I am thankful for… my long weekend. I've been off work since Wednesday (it's Sunday now) and have done SO Much in my house. It's been a long time since I've been this productive.
  
• I am thinking about… how glad I am that I've gotten connected with Faith Assembly of Lacey. I just love the people there, and God is truly growing me there.
  
• I am creating… at the moment... nothing. I haven't picked up my cross-stitch for a LONG time. I may have to do that soon.
• I am praying for… My Ezra in Indonesia. She's my sponsored child through Compassion, and I've been writing her more and more lately... I feel like I'm actually developing a relationship with her--and it's about time. If you sponsor a child, I would really like to encourage you to WRITE to him or her... it's as important as the monthly money.
• My projects for the week… Well, my major project this weekend was getting my house clean - and, except for the office, I accomplished it. It feels SO good.

One Life Impacts How Many?

It's late and I'm laying in bed reading blogs on my laptop. I know I should go to sleep, but I always seem to push it to the limit on the weekends... weekdays, too, I guess. A few weeks ago a friend asked me, "You love sleep so much... why do you always try to put it off???" I guess I'll never know the answer to that one. :)

In my last post, you read about the book Outlive Your Life and how it and my small groups are affecting me. I'm here to say... it's still going on. This week's video during Tuesday's small group was so powerful--I was almost in tears watching the lives of 2 ordinary Americans change when their world was flipped in Haiti... when the earthquake hit just one week after they moved there to become English teachers. They found their ministry HOME, where they knew they belonged.

My heart has been yearning even more to make a difference in the world. I have always, ALWAYS wanted to leave a legacy, something that I was a part of that is so much bigger than me. God's showing small ways to do that now--and how to prepare for more ways to make an impact in the future. Our small group is planning on tackling an issue in our community, and I'm excited to see this group of women grow into that. I've been completely convicted in my lack of relationship building (i.e. letter writing) for my child I sponsor through Compassion. That conviction has led to me joining a group of other sponsors who write their children every second Friday (that's today, by the way!). My Ezra has a letter in the mail to her right now, and one sitting on my night stand with a bunch of pictures in it--just waiting for one finishing touch and a stamp. By sponsoring her, I AM fighting poverty, hunger, need... she's getting an education, learning about Jesus, and developing a friend--ME. I'm so blessed to call her MY friend... and over the last several months we've actually started to get to know each other better. If I ever go to Indonesia--she's the first person I want to see.

OK, it's nearing midnight. I'm going to go to sleep. But here's tonight's question... well, questionS. Have you written to YOUR sponsored child today?? If you don't have one, are you willing to make a long term difference in someone's life?

What Do *I* Know of Holy?

The first time I heard the song "What Do I Know of Holy?" by Addison Road on the radio, I really liked it. I thought it was beautiful, but the lyrics really didn't impact me. I learned them, though, and sang along each time I heard it. Then something changed in me...

I've started a new small group this season. It's based on Max Lucado's book, Outlive Your Life.
The study is rooted in the book of Acts. It questions our lives as we are currently living them; asking if we should stay in our safe comfort zones, or if God really meant it when He said that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) We have the decision right now to do something about hunger, poverty, orphans, the unloved, the hurting. WE have the capability. WE DO. YOU and I. RIGHT NOW.

Enter the marriage of "What do I Know of Holy?" and "Outlive Your Life."

"If you touched my face, would I know You? Looked into my eyes, could I behold You?" If I am doing nothing for the hurting in my community, in our world... what DO I know of His holiness? I DO know the stories; I CAN talk about His mightiness... but what about His desperate love for those who are DYING TODAY because they aren't being fed, or loved, or clothed. Did you know that in the last 5 minutes, NINETY children have already died of preventable illness?? 90!!! During my half hour lunch, every single day, that means that 540 children are dying... and I am doing almost nothing about it. What DO I know of Holy?

Now... I probably am not going to be able to save 2,160 children each week (the number who die during my lunch break during the 4 days that I work). I know that I make a difference in the life of the little girl I sponsor through Compassion. Many of the people I associate with do more than what most comfortable Americans (even American Christians) would say is "our part." But would God have me, would God have any of us stop there?

Questions that have bombarded me this past week:
* Why have I not re-examined foster care and gotten that process started?
* Why do I feel I have to wait until I am married before I can adopt?
* Why have I never volunteered with the food bank through my church?
* Why do I walk by so many needs in my own community and remain, for the most part, unaffected?

The answers (and resolutions) to these questions are between me and God. However, here is the question to YOU:

When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?

That's Just the Way I Am!!!

Today is the second Friday of the month. That probably doesn't mean anything to YOU, but I've just joined a group that's made a commitment to write to our sponsored children (through Compassion) on the second Friday of every month. This is big for me because I'm so bad at writing to my child. I always have the best of intentions, but I don't tend to go through with them. I'm hoping that this will help incite change in my life - not just in writing to Ezra, but also in praying for her. See, that's another area where I'm really feeling the weakness right now--Intercession.

One of my family members likes to say, "That's just the way I am" when an issue is raised in his life. Have no grace or compassion for others, "Well, that's just the way I am!" Unwilling to help? Callous? "That's who I am - you can't change me!" Unforgiving? Stubborn? Hurtful? Arrogant? "That's the way I was made!"

Bull.

Tonight I'm here to call ME on my crap, and possibly to call you on yours. (I'm in the same boat, though, so don't take it too personally.)

Why don't I intercede as I should for Ezra? I could say that I'm just not a pray-er, at least not like people who's GIFTING is prayer. I'll admit, there are some people who are just darn GOOD at prayer. They love to intercede---in case you don't know, intercession is where I am praying for someone else... on their behalf. So if I am praying for Ezra and her family's health, I'm interceding for her. Just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page. ANYWAY... some people LOVE to intercede and can spend hours and hours and hours praying for other people. If you aren't one of these people, FIND SOME WHO ARE. I'm looking at my life right now and I can think of 2 people for sure who are big time prayer warriors. I definitely need to follow my advice and develop closer relationships with these people or people like them.

See... as Christians, we are not called to stay as we are. Before I was even born, God called me a sinner. He also had already determined that He didn't want me to stay that way. It's pretty clear when you read Scripture that staying as we are isn't much of an option. Therefore, for me... not being much of an interceder isn't really an option. No, I'm probably not going to ever be like one of those prayer warriors I mentioned before. I'm gifted in ways that they aren't - that's part of being in the human race. BUT... I DO need to grow.

That's why I'm going to try to start learning more about intercession... looking at biblical and real-life examples, practicing it more in my every day life, etc. I might add it to a journal. I might create a checklist. I don't know yet. I just know that God wants me growing, so grow I will.

Are YOU growing?