Natalia is only 12 years old, but she is a Sunday school teacher in her small village in Moldova. When she stood in front of those attending our training, she seemed older than her years. Stoically she talked about the poverty, the lack of hope, and the consequences of abandonment. And when I said to those hearing that we were seeing through the eyes of a child, Natalia began to weep. She wept for the two children who had drowned in a nearby lake because there were no parents to watch over them. She wept for the 10-year-olds who are served alcohol in bars because money is more important than children. She wept because she should be allowed to be a child … and she cannot be one.
While we were in Moldova, we heard story after story of children left with grandparents, neighbors, or no one at all. Why? Because parents flew to Russia, Portugal, Italy or elsewhere in a desperate attempt to find work. What happens to these children, often very young? Many end up on the streets or in terrible orphanages if there is no one to nurture them. Many may have a place to sleep, but no structure or accountability throughout the day, so they become involved with drugs, sex, and alcohol. These children are very like the abandoned buildings that dot the country of Moldova … tattered, rundown, and without hope. They become the targets of evil people who promise jobs and help but bring degradation and slavery. When I was in Moldova last year, there was a newspaper story of a grandmother who offered her grandson for sale … for sex or body parts! She was caught and he was saved, but how many more abandoned children end up thinking this is what is normal for them?
When children experience abandonment, their “trusters” get broken. There is no one to comfort hurts, to whisper “I love you,” to answer their questions, to be there for them. When these needs are not met, children eventually give up hope, and the dream of all they could be disappears. So what can we do?
• We can pray that local churches will rise up to meet the needs of the abandoned children … not only their physical needs, but their emotional and spiritual ones. (In Moldova, after years of Communist rule, the churches forgot the mandate to care for “widows and orphans.”)
• We can pray that children become valued and therefore protected from evil.
• We can pray that in children’s darkest moments, they know there is a God who loves them and has a plan “to give them a future and a hope.”
• We can pray that “trusters” become mended and children become part of God’s forever family!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
PRAYING FOR THE POOR
The sidewalk was only a block long, but the journey seemed like miles.
Walking from a guesthouse to a nearby market area, some friends and I needed to navigate through this sidewalk. We passed a heap of garbage. Mind you, all the good stuff (empty bottles, old scraps of food, pieces of cardboard) had been gleaned from the pile already. We passed by a man sleeping under a thin blanket. We passed another one with no blanket at all.
We neared a mother and her child. She urged the child toward us, instructing her to hold out her hand for coins. Then there was another child. And another. It seemed like an eternity before we reached the end of the block.
Poverty. On a recent trip to Ethiopia, this was just one of the experiences where we saw desperate, severe, nearly incomprehensible poverty.
Everything in me wanted to "adopt" each of the people we met along that sidewalk and help them. Many people visiting Ethiopia have felt the same. In fact, billions of dollars of aid have been poured into the country to alleviate hunger, provide education, make housing available, care for babies, and more. However, the patterns continue.
Even worse, in my mind, is the number of children included among the poor. About 500,000 kids live under $1 per day. 130 million do not have access to education. About 30,000 per day die from PREVENTABLE diseases (if only antibiotics, clean water, or malaria medicine were avialable).
In his incredible book “Too Small to Ignore”, Wess Stafford, says:
“At its very core, poverty is a mind-set that goes far beyond the tragic circumstances. It is the cruel, destructive message that gets whispered into the ear of millions by the enemy Satan himself: “Give up! You don’t matter. Nobody cares about you. Look around you: Things are terrible. Always have been, always will be …” (p 184)
What can we do? The list of possibilities is long. But it begins with prayer.
Pray for kids (and families) living in poverty to get the things they need ... today. Also pray that they will begin to experience the incredible life-changing love of Christ. Pray that they hear whispers of "You matter", "You are special", and "You can do this!". Pray for even more people to work for LASTING SOLUTIONS to helping the poor, rather than solutions that meet their needs for the day ... but never change their lives.
God hears. He will answer. He will help!
Believing God cares for kids even more than we do,
KIDZANA MINISTRIES
Walking from a guesthouse to a nearby market area, some friends and I needed to navigate through this sidewalk. We passed a heap of garbage. Mind you, all the good stuff (empty bottles, old scraps of food, pieces of cardboard) had been gleaned from the pile already. We passed by a man sleeping under a thin blanket. We passed another one with no blanket at all.
We neared a mother and her child. She urged the child toward us, instructing her to hold out her hand for coins. Then there was another child. And another. It seemed like an eternity before we reached the end of the block.
Poverty. On a recent trip to Ethiopia, this was just one of the experiences where we saw desperate, severe, nearly incomprehensible poverty.
Everything in me wanted to "adopt" each of the people we met along that sidewalk and help them. Many people visiting Ethiopia have felt the same. In fact, billions of dollars of aid have been poured into the country to alleviate hunger, provide education, make housing available, care for babies, and more. However, the patterns continue.
Even worse, in my mind, is the number of children included among the poor. About 500,000 kids live under $1 per day. 130 million do not have access to education. About 30,000 per day die from PREVENTABLE diseases (if only antibiotics, clean water, or malaria medicine were avialable).
In his incredible book “Too Small to Ignore”, Wess Stafford, says:
“At its very core, poverty is a mind-set that goes far beyond the tragic circumstances. It is the cruel, destructive message that gets whispered into the ear of millions by the enemy Satan himself: “Give up! You don’t matter. Nobody cares about you. Look around you: Things are terrible. Always have been, always will be …” (p 184)
What can we do? The list of possibilities is long. But it begins with prayer.
Pray for kids (and families) living in poverty to get the things they need ... today. Also pray that they will begin to experience the incredible life-changing love of Christ. Pray that they hear whispers of "You matter", "You are special", and "You can do this!". Pray for even more people to work for LASTING SOLUTIONS to helping the poor, rather than solutions that meet their needs for the day ... but never change their lives.
God hears. He will answer. He will help!
Believing God cares for kids even more than we do,
KIDZANA MINISTRIES
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
ENCOURAGING "INVISIBLE" CHILDREN'S LEADERS
She's amazing. But she hardly knows it.
Margaret (not her real name), works to reach kids in Cameroon. If you met her, you'd notice a little crookedness to her smile. And her walk. And her talk.
As a child, she had a very high fever during an illness, and it left her partially paralyzed on one side. Most families in Cameroon would hide away a child like Margaret after this happpened. It would be too difficult ... and embarrassing to bring her into public. But not Margaret's family. They nurtured her. They continued to help her get to school. They cared for her.
Little did they realize she would grow up to have a deep burden to reach and disciple kids. Little did they realize the courage and commitment she would have to serve physically, mentally and emotionally challenged kids in Cameroon.
Maragaret, on her own, has started a school for the disabled. As she visits the jungle areas of Cameroon to present kid's programs and share the gospel, she often meets children with severe challenges. She works with the parents, and brings them to her school for the disabled ... something nearly unheard of in all of Cameroon.
She's making a huge difference in the lives of these kids -- many of whom have never been to school before, or been accepted as real people. It's amazing.
We know thousands of other leaders, like Margaret, who work quietly, unseen to most, to share the life-changing love of Christ with kids in their neighborhoods and communities around the world. They make enormous sacrifices. They work long hours. They care deeply for the children. They often do it with little or no resources at all.
They need our prayers. Though we celebrate their work here, they often go unthanked, and unnoticed for years.
Pray for them to be encouraged in the Lord. Pray for them to be filled with his joy. Pray for them to have all the resources (financial, staff, practical) they need to fulfill the call God has placed on their lives. Pray that they get rest. And pray that their desire to share the love of Christ with kids will continue to burn brightly.
Margaret (not her real name), works to reach kids in Cameroon. If you met her, you'd notice a little crookedness to her smile. And her walk. And her talk.
As a child, she had a very high fever during an illness, and it left her partially paralyzed on one side. Most families in Cameroon would hide away a child like Margaret after this happpened. It would be too difficult ... and embarrassing to bring her into public. But not Margaret's family. They nurtured her. They continued to help her get to school. They cared for her.
Little did they realize she would grow up to have a deep burden to reach and disciple kids. Little did they realize the courage and commitment she would have to serve physically, mentally and emotionally challenged kids in Cameroon.
Maragaret, on her own, has started a school for the disabled. As she visits the jungle areas of Cameroon to present kid's programs and share the gospel, she often meets children with severe challenges. She works with the parents, and brings them to her school for the disabled ... something nearly unheard of in all of Cameroon.
She's making a huge difference in the lives of these kids -- many of whom have never been to school before, or been accepted as real people. It's amazing.
We know thousands of other leaders, like Margaret, who work quietly, unseen to most, to share the life-changing love of Christ with kids in their neighborhoods and communities around the world. They make enormous sacrifices. They work long hours. They care deeply for the children. They often do it with little or no resources at all.
They need our prayers. Though we celebrate their work here, they often go unthanked, and unnoticed for years.
Pray for them to be encouraged in the Lord. Pray for them to be filled with his joy. Pray for them to have all the resources (financial, staff, practical) they need to fulfill the call God has placed on their lives. Pray that they get rest. And pray that their desire to share the love of Christ with kids will continue to burn brightly.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
CHILDREN WHO DON'T KNOW JESUS
We regularly hear stories of kids getting into trouble, but this was new. Mostly, we hear about childhood mischief, or misbehavior to get attention. Some kids go as far as causing trouble in an attempt to communicate their need for serious help. But Charles' story (not his real name) was different. He was in trouble for reading his Bible.
Does Charles live in underground China? In a Muslim country? In Hindu India? No. He lives in the United States of America.
Actually, his parents claimed he was reading his Bible too much. But the boy just couldn't help himself. A few days earlier, Charles, who had never ever heard about the love of Jesus, had made a decision to follow Christ. He was anxious to learn everything he could about his new life. He had read a whole book in the New Testament. Every day, he came with new questions for leaders at a kids club he was attending. Questions about the books of the Bible, weird Bible words, simple Bible words (like prayer and sin). He came with questions about families, parents, relationships, forgiveness ... his family was going through a divorce. The timing of his new relationships with Jesus could not have been better. Years later, Charles continues to grow in his life with Christ.
Millions of kids like Charles, life in your neighborhood. It doesn't matter where you live: China, Africa, India, Iraq, or North America. There are more kids waiting to hear the truth about Jesus than ever before: billions of them. Some are facing terrible social and practical challenges. Some, may have an easy life. But all are at risk of not knowing Jesus, ever, unless we do something about it.
Every second of every day, three more children are born into families that do not know Jesus. That's 86 million each year.
Imagine that every member of every short term team was able to reach ten children for Christ. With 1.6 million people going on short term teams each year (and we know they don't all focus on kids), that would be ... 11.6 million kids reached. (Remember ... 86 million unreached kids are born each year).
How will it happen? Who will tell them? And who will help them grow in their relationship with Christ? We don't have all the answers. But we know that God wants them to know him, even more than we do. It's time to pray.
Pray for more people to focus on reaching kids. Pray for people who work with needy children, to recognized that kids need the transforming love of Jesus, in addition to practical help for their social needs. Pray for kids you know -- that they would come to follow Jesus, as you do.
God will hear. God will answer. And he just might work through you. Are you ready?
Does Charles live in underground China? In a Muslim country? In Hindu India? No. He lives in the United States of America.
Actually, his parents claimed he was reading his Bible too much. But the boy just couldn't help himself. A few days earlier, Charles, who had never ever heard about the love of Jesus, had made a decision to follow Christ. He was anxious to learn everything he could about his new life. He had read a whole book in the New Testament. Every day, he came with new questions for leaders at a kids club he was attending. Questions about the books of the Bible, weird Bible words, simple Bible words (like prayer and sin). He came with questions about families, parents, relationships, forgiveness ... his family was going through a divorce. The timing of his new relationships with Jesus could not have been better. Years later, Charles continues to grow in his life with Christ.
Millions of kids like Charles, life in your neighborhood. It doesn't matter where you live: China, Africa, India, Iraq, or North America. There are more kids waiting to hear the truth about Jesus than ever before: billions of them. Some are facing terrible social and practical challenges. Some, may have an easy life. But all are at risk of not knowing Jesus, ever, unless we do something about it.
Every second of every day, three more children are born into families that do not know Jesus. That's 86 million each year.
Imagine that every member of every short term team was able to reach ten children for Christ. With 1.6 million people going on short term teams each year (and we know they don't all focus on kids), that would be ... 11.6 million kids reached. (Remember ... 86 million unreached kids are born each year).
How will it happen? Who will tell them? And who will help them grow in their relationship with Christ? We don't have all the answers. But we know that God wants them to know him, even more than we do. It's time to pray.
Pray for more people to focus on reaching kids. Pray for people who work with needy children, to recognized that kids need the transforming love of Jesus, in addition to practical help for their social needs. Pray for kids you know -- that they would come to follow Jesus, as you do.
God will hear. God will answer. And he just might work through you. Are you ready?
Monday, October 22, 2007
CHILDREN OF WAR
She amazed everyone. Marianne (not her real name), was joyful, playful and seemed incredibly resilient for an eight year old ... especially when considering what she had been through.
Marianne's village was attacked by rebels. They brought villagers into an open place and shot everyone. Somehow, Marianne survived, being hidden away under the bodies of her family as they fell.
For weeks afterwards, relief workers observed that she acted like a normal eight year old. She had no symptoms of trauma. She went about her life as a typical child. Then she broke. It turns out her mind and heart were able to cope with the incredible sadness of losing her family and the other villagers. But the real trauma came for her in having to walk out over the bodies of those whe loved. The ultimate insult in her African village came when someone placed their foot on another. Marianne had walked over all of the people she loved and admired as she escaped. She could not overcome the shame of what she had done to disrespect them. Who would have known that this was the most distressing part of a war situation for Marianne?
The trauma of war impacts kids in ways we will never know. It's fairly simple to recognize the observable facts: Over 12 million people live as refugees; hundreds of millions are living in areas of war and conflict; around 300,000 children are even captured as child soldiers.
What can we do for them? Many believers are part of relief efforts to feed, house, clothe and encourage the refugees ... and those living in areas of conflict around the world. Many others are working to resolve conflicts (or stop violent situations from beginning in the first place). Others are teaching children affected by war. And ... unfortunately ... many are so unaware of the problem, that they do nothing at all.
We need to begin with prayer. Pray for refugees to find a sense of "home" where they are. Pray for Christians to mobilize to give practical care to refugees who have come into their communities. Pray for more Christians to care and to help, even when the problems seem too big to understand. Pray for children to experience the healing of Christ, especially from the unseen hurts they feel inside their hearts. And pray for people to stop fighting -- to find creative and caring ways to resolve conflict among villages, communities and nations.
God hears and answers our prayers.
Marianne's village was attacked by rebels. They brought villagers into an open place and shot everyone. Somehow, Marianne survived, being hidden away under the bodies of her family as they fell.
For weeks afterwards, relief workers observed that she acted like a normal eight year old. She had no symptoms of trauma. She went about her life as a typical child. Then she broke. It turns out her mind and heart were able to cope with the incredible sadness of losing her family and the other villagers. But the real trauma came for her in having to walk out over the bodies of those whe loved. The ultimate insult in her African village came when someone placed their foot on another. Marianne had walked over all of the people she loved and admired as she escaped. She could not overcome the shame of what she had done to disrespect them. Who would have known that this was the most distressing part of a war situation for Marianne?
The trauma of war impacts kids in ways we will never know. It's fairly simple to recognize the observable facts: Over 12 million people live as refugees; hundreds of millions are living in areas of war and conflict; around 300,000 children are even captured as child soldiers.
What can we do for them? Many believers are part of relief efforts to feed, house, clothe and encourage the refugees ... and those living in areas of conflict around the world. Many others are working to resolve conflicts (or stop violent situations from beginning in the first place). Others are teaching children affected by war. And ... unfortunately ... many are so unaware of the problem, that they do nothing at all.
We need to begin with prayer. Pray for refugees to find a sense of "home" where they are. Pray for Christians to mobilize to give practical care to refugees who have come into their communities. Pray for more Christians to care and to help, even when the problems seem too big to understand. Pray for children to experience the healing of Christ, especially from the unseen hurts they feel inside their hearts. And pray for people to stop fighting -- to find creative and caring ways to resolve conflict among villages, communities and nations.
God hears and answers our prayers.
Monday, October 15, 2007
PRAY FOR STREET KIDS
Lucy (not her real name) knew she had to do something. She was conceived out of wedlock, and born into a large family tribe ruled by the Fon (King). When she was born, it was immediately decided that she would become one of the King's wives when she grew up.
As Lucy became a young teenager, and learned of her intended fate, she felt trapped. Lucy had met the King (Fon) of her family tribe. He was an unpleasant old man. She did not want to marry him.
In an act of desperation she ran away. Living on the streets, surviving in whatever way she could, she searched for a man. She knew that if she could only get pregnant, losing her virginity, she would be unacceptable to the King ... and would not be required to marry him. She saw it as her only way out. And she took it.
Why do so many of our world's kids end up living on the streets? Some, like Lucy, run away from an abusive, damaging home situation. Others, live on the streets to help their families survive, working during the day and sleeping at home during the nights. Yet others, have been abandoned, kicked out of homes, or are orphans, with no one else to take care of them.
What can we do? To begin with, we can pray. Pray for families to find jobs. Many children live on the streets because of the direct or indirect influences of poverty. Pray for churches around the world to see the street kids in their own neighborhoods and find ways to help them. For those who continue to live as homeless kids, pray for schools and teachers just for them. Pray for people to set up centers, homes, and medical services to meet the needs of street kids.
And pray that they come to know Jesus ... and his invitation for them to be part of his family forever. Pray they experience the healing of Christ, deep in their souls, where places of trust, giving and receiving love, and a sense of value have been broken.
We know God cares more for street kids than we do. When we pray, we also know he answers. It's time to call out to God to help the street children of the world.
As Lucy became a young teenager, and learned of her intended fate, she felt trapped. Lucy had met the King (Fon) of her family tribe. He was an unpleasant old man. She did not want to marry him.
In an act of desperation she ran away. Living on the streets, surviving in whatever way she could, she searched for a man. She knew that if she could only get pregnant, losing her virginity, she would be unacceptable to the King ... and would not be required to marry him. She saw it as her only way out. And she took it.
Why do so many of our world's kids end up living on the streets? Some, like Lucy, run away from an abusive, damaging home situation. Others, live on the streets to help their families survive, working during the day and sleeping at home during the nights. Yet others, have been abandoned, kicked out of homes, or are orphans, with no one else to take care of them.
What can we do? To begin with, we can pray. Pray for families to find jobs. Many children live on the streets because of the direct or indirect influences of poverty. Pray for churches around the world to see the street kids in their own neighborhoods and find ways to help them. For those who continue to live as homeless kids, pray for schools and teachers just for them. Pray for people to set up centers, homes, and medical services to meet the needs of street kids.
And pray that they come to know Jesus ... and his invitation for them to be part of his family forever. Pray they experience the healing of Christ, deep in their souls, where places of trust, giving and receiving love, and a sense of value have been broken.
We know God cares more for street kids than we do. When we pray, we also know he answers. It's time to call out to God to help the street children of the world.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
PRAY FOR THE ORPHANS
What kind of games did you play as a child? On a recent trip to an orphanage in East Africa, I watched a group of kids play "the car alarm" game. An official had come to visit in his BMW. Kids crowded around, pressing their bodies close to the car ... until the alarm went off. Peals of laughter. Children scattered. Then they returned to do it again. The game went on for a long time. Little Charlie (not his real name) captured our attention. He had THE BEST smile!
I enjoyed watching, until I remembered the challenges facing these kids. All were HIV positive. Without medication (still not available in all areas), no child in this facility would live past the age of 15. It just never happened. In addition, most of the children had also lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
Around the world, the problem of HIV/AIDS is so big, its hard to get our minds around. By 2010, the UN predicts that at least 25 million kids will have lost one or both parents to the disease. To put this in perspective, the number is nearly as many as ALL the grade school children in the whole United States. Can you imagine?
Though governments, social agencies, and even churches are attempting to help the situation, we still find whole villages in Africa where kids are running their families, where crops go unplanted -- and unharvested -- because there are not enough adults to work the fields.
What can we do in the shadow of such a huge pandemic? We must start with prayer. The problem is so big, the solutions seem impossible, while real kids TODAY, are living with the painful realities. Pray for God to give people solutions, medication, ideas ... and a heart to serve the needy. Pray for kids to find Christ and find hope in the midst of their challenges.
GOD LISTENS. GOD CARES.
I enjoyed watching, until I remembered the challenges facing these kids. All were HIV positive. Without medication (still not available in all areas), no child in this facility would live past the age of 15. It just never happened. In addition, most of the children had also lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
Around the world, the problem of HIV/AIDS is so big, its hard to get our minds around. By 2010, the UN predicts that at least 25 million kids will have lost one or both parents to the disease. To put this in perspective, the number is nearly as many as ALL the grade school children in the whole United States. Can you imagine?
Though governments, social agencies, and even churches are attempting to help the situation, we still find whole villages in Africa where kids are running their families, where crops go unplanted -- and unharvested -- because there are not enough adults to work the fields.
What can we do in the shadow of such a huge pandemic? We must start with prayer. The problem is so big, the solutions seem impossible, while real kids TODAY, are living with the painful realities. Pray for God to give people solutions, medication, ideas ... and a heart to serve the needy. Pray for kids to find Christ and find hope in the midst of their challenges.
GOD LISTENS. GOD CARES.
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