Let Us Pray

A dear friend asked this week for a specific prayer to be praying over the crisis in West Africa. Our prayer is this one adapted from Psalm 72:1-5. Join us....

“Give your love of justice to the governments, O God, and righteousness to the next generation of leaders.

Help them judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly.

May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful. 

Help them defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.

May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!”

The Peace of Wild Things

photo from Grand Tetons National Park last week

In response to the worsening security situation, a missionary friend sent us this poem by Wendell Berry:

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Twelve cent medicine and underage wizards

Helping Titus with a project for his International Development class, I pulled this book out of a drawer where I long ago forgot about it as I focused my reading on making a home in America. This quote, though, tore at me while simultaneously being understandable to a young teen. 

"In a single day, on July 16, 2005, the American and British economies delivered nine million copies of the sixth volume of the Harry Potter children's book series to eager fans. Book retailers continually restocked the shelves as customers snatched up the book. Amazon and Barnes & Noble shipped preordered copies directly to customers' homes. There was no Marshall Plan for Harry Potter, no International Financing Facility for books about underage wizards. It is heartbreaking that global society has evolved a highly efficient way to get entertainment to rich adults and children, while it can't get twelve-cent medicine to dying poor children." Will Easterly, The White Man's Burden

The twelve-cent medicine the author refers to is a dose of malaria medicine that could prevent half of all malaria deaths. Years ago we had the heartbreak of a child in the ministry dying of malaria. Regularly, our ministry leader meets with caretakers of babies whose mothers have died of malaria. 

We have also participated in the system that efficiently gets entertainment to rich adults and children. There is a temptation when in one system to forget that the other exists, but what I want you to do is hold onto that tension.

A Faith Known By Its Scars

 "Mature faith is always faith wounded by the world's suffering.
We recognize it by its scars - in the same way that
the resurrected Christ identified Himself to His apostles with His scars.
Yes, only in this way and at this cost can we acquire a new name,
a name denoting the chosen people: the one who contended and prevailed."

-Tomas Halik, Patience with God

Seven Months of Thank Yous

 You guys, we did not see this coming. 

Back in the fall we hoped to help the community during the seasonal hungry months. Through The Hungry Months Challenge, our ministry partners launched a rice distributing outreach specifically for people in our region who were far from their homes because of violence. Unlike the rest of the town, "the hungry months" did not cease for this population with the incoming harvest three months later because these folks no longer have land on which to plant. They have no harvest. The hunger of displaced people continues to this day, but so do the gifts. That's right. Each month roughly thirty families continue to receive rice because of the Hungry Months Challenge initiative back in the fall. The photo above is from the rice distribution this past weekend! 

To those of you who work at your job so that you "may have something to share with those in need," thank you. (Ephesians 4:28) Your gift is multiplied in His hands. The initiative designed to span three months continues to be engaged seven months later....and counting!

Fruit of the Spirit in the Pandemic

"Can you find any good in the pandemic and social isolation and world shutdown?"

I made the following list after my friend Kelly posed this question. I'm putting the whole list below but the one I want to highlight for this Front Row blog is the fruit of FAITHFULNESS. A year ago we didn't know with certainty that we'd have the ministry funds to make it through the year (and that was before the pandemic arrived!). But God is always faithful and the need is great, so by faith we started out 2020 by increasing our formula distribution to provide for sixty babies (up from the fifty babies that the previous budget anticipated). 

Now, looking back on 2020, we know the rest of the story: ministry funds never dried up. Even in a pandemic. Even in the uncertainty. Even with the increased need. AND we launched a new ministry that has fed displaced people for six months. AND seventy-eight babies came to the last formula distribution. There was enough formula for all seventy-eight babies even though the budget numbers say we can provide for sixty.  

*Insert pause to let that soak in.*

Without a doubt, I have seen the faithfulness of God in the faithfulness of our ministry supporters.

Here are my other Spirit finds in the pandemic:

LOVE: The neighbors who pulled out their holiday decorations last spring to boost neighborhood morale. Those neighbors who put stuffed animals in their windows for the youngest generation to go on bear hunts.

JOY: Finding new ways to connect like cross-country family Zooms or international video greetings

PEACE: Learning from those who have always lived this way

PATIENCE: The kids giving up a year of summer camps and extracurriculars

KINDNESS: Church elders calling to check in, a neighbor bringing us meals during virtual school

GOODNESS: SGN by John Krasinski

FAITHFULNESS: Supporters (as mentioned above) who continued to give and even launched a new ministry

GENTLENESS: The community-wide compassion on missed deadlines

SELF-CONTROL: Choosing not to "panic buy"

What about you? Where have you seen the fruit of the Spirit this past year? As Kelly said, "The pandemic is not good. But God redeems everything if we look to see where He is working." 

There and Back Again: The January Trip

 

You may already know, Philip spent some time in Africa earlier this month. It was a unique trip as his time was dedicated to missionary care. There was some attention given to a missionary sick with both COVID and malaria, but the bulk of the time was focused on launching a new missionary family well. For eleven days, Philip served as their translator, culture coach, and spiritual director. How fun that another family can learn from all the mistakes we made and those hard lessons learned.

There was one overnight trip in which he got to follow-up on a request made back on his trip this fall by holding a trauma and attachment workshop for some aunties (caretakers) at an orphanage.

Overall, it was a strange trip because he spent most of it in the missionary community, but anytime his feet are planted in that red dirt is a good time.