The Holy Spirit & Your Salvation

March 6 & 7, 2010

We Are The Light!

Matthew 5:14 (ESV)  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

In giving the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus enlightens us on the reality of discipleship. Not just in church, but in the everyday world. Jesus shares piercing metaphors to illustrate the impact that the disciples will have on the world around them. In a world full of darkness, we are the light!

Jesus follows the statement above by saying, “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”  Matthew 5:15 (ESV) The typical la

mp in a Jewish home was fairly small and was placed on a stand to give maximum illumination throughout the dwelling. As believers who have the light within ourselves, we should make every effort to let it shine to its maximum potential for those around us; for those in the world who do not yet have the light.

I’ve found in my own life that just like a lamp, I can choose to let the light shine or turn it off. It is up to me to make that decision daily. What will you do with your light each day this week? Will you put it under a basket, or will you put it on a stand and let it shine?

Let your light shine this week!

Shawn

What Does it Mean to Trust?

Joshua 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

The people of Israel were reveling in the spoils of victory.  Having conquered Jericho, they were now on their way toward possessing what God had given.  And what a victory it was!  You see, Israel didn’t win the battle because of their ingenuity or strength.  Their victory was born out of their trust.  Such is the way of all who follow Him.  The prophet said “…not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” Zech. 4:6    It’s an important lesson. God brings the victory.  We bow in dependence.  And then comes Gods words, “But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction…” In other words, God is saying, don’t cling to what I have purposed for calamity and don’t value what I despise.

Have you ever found yourself clinging to something God has told you to cut out?  I have.  Bad habits, wrong relationships, destructive decisions; all one has to do is take a passing glance at my life to see that I’m no stranger to the struggle.  But you know, it never turns out well.  He says, “…lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it”.  Ouch!  What’s the end result of keeping what God says to cut out?  You guessed it, “trouble”!  You don’t want trouble in your life?  Trust Him.  In other words, depend on His instruction and do what He tells you to do.  Trust means, following God’s lead without knowing where; expecting a miracle without knowing how; waiting for God’s timing without knowing when; trusting God’s purpose without understanding why.   Gang, in this you will never be disappointed!  Follow the instruction of the Lord and leave the where, how, when, and why to Him!.

God bless you.

Shane

The Uniqueness Of Jesus

Pastors Ronnie McDougall and Shane Ham

February 27 & 28, 2010

The Uniquenes of Jesus from NorthPointe Church on Vimeo.

Washing Stinky Feet

John 13:3-5, 12-15 (ESV)
³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ⁴ rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?  ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

John paints a powerful picture.  The disciples are gathered together, sharing a final meal with the master before what would be his own sacrifice.  A moment that you’d expect him to get the royal treatment!  And what does he do?  Not what you’d expect!  You see, it was customary for a servant to wash the dust off the feet of anyone who entered the home of his master. In this case, however, no one humbled himself to wash feet, so everyone’s feet remained dirty.  What does Jesus do?  He lays aside his outer garment, ties a servant’s towel around his waist and begins to love those that follow him.  Now, telling this same story, Luke reminds us that the disciples were not sitting in wooden ladder-backed chairs gazing affectionately at Jesus; not like the Leonardo Davinci painting of “The Last Supper” might lead us to believe.  No, they were reclined around what was probably a low table, piously arguing among themselves about who was the greatest (See Luke 22:24-27).  You see, they weren’t as enamored with Jesus as they were their own ego.  Something we struggle with from time to time.  Concerns rattle us over who gets the recognition, who’s more important, or who gets the final word on the matter.   But its here, in this environment, that Jesus gives one of his greatest lessons.  He shows that just as the branch which bears the most fruit bows the lowest, the one who’s really fruitful in life will bow the lowest to serve others.   Gang, you will never be disappointed if you live a life of humility and service to your friends and colleagues.  If fact, quite the opposite, you will be delighted.  Because in doing so, you will be achieving the greatest honor given to anyone.  You’ll be following in the footsteps of Jesus.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

Have a good week.

Shane

Are you counting it all as joy?

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” James 1:2 (ESV)

Trials are designed to produce spiritual maturity and we should count them as joy. They are tests that sometimes challenge our faith. When trials happen, we should “Count it all joy” - not in a worldly way, but in a spiritual way, having total joy in the God who rules over everything, including trials.

I know that many of you have studied James before. In fact, as I write this, the NorthPointe Singles Ministry is in the middle of a study on the book of James. But have you ever studied James from a ministry perspective?

If the trials in our life are designed to produce spiritual maturity in our life, couldn’t the same thing be said about trials in our ministries? I believe that trials in our ministries are designed by God to produce spiritual maturity in our ministries. You see, they’re part of the “good gifts” (James1:17) that God gives to his people to make them, and their ministries complete. We should not run from these things. We should embrace them because they come from a loving God who wants us to discover something. And the sooner we discover it, the sooner the trial can become an experience in gaining maturity.

Are you facing trials in your life or ministry? Ask yourself this question: “If trials are designed to produce spiritual maturity, and I am facing a trial, where in my life or ministry am I lacking spiritual maturity?” If you are brave enough to ask that question of yourself, I am confident that you’ll be through the trial in no time!

Have a blessed week NorthPointe!

Shawn

February 14^th 2010, I started an unforgettable journey to a land so far from home. I’m not the best at leaving my family behind for any reason and knowing that this was a God journey honestly didn’t help me sort any feelings out.  There are tons of mixed emotions for anyone going on a mission trip, anxiety, fear, doubt, hope, excitement…you name it - it exists. I have done it before and I’m sure I’ll do it again. I’m not gonna lie, I cry allot when I leave my family…always have, I guess always will.

Our flights really started our trip off kinda crummy. With A cancelled flight from Fresno to SF because of fog, we decided to drive to SF. Upon arriving in SF we found out that the airline Rep. in Fresno didn’t make sure our connector in Germany was confirmed, so we stayed the night in SF and flew out the next evening , re-routed to London instead of Germany…BUT because again the airline people messed up and didn’t confirm our connector in London to Delhi, India, we had more problems. Because of 2 great Air India employees we were able to get on a plane and get to our destination, 1 ½ late, but we made it.

Kolkata, India…home of Mother Teresa (really all I knew before coming) was a new God journey for me and 8 others. All 9 of us are here for similar but probably somewhat different reasons. What would transpire over the next several days will make a lasting mark on all our lives…marks that may not be understood by all who hear about our journey. Words are hard to find when trying to make sense out of who we met, what they said or didn’t say, the things we saw with our own eyes and I pray through God’s eyes.

The Purpose Driven conference was a great experience. Though I didn’t each as much as I had planned to, watching these Pastors eat it up was amazing. On Thursday after lunch was my opportunity  to share and encourage youth workers…how many would come? What would they be like? Would I connect with them or would they think I was a weirdo? Well 31 showed up for my 2 ½ hr long class. I was blown away first by the number but soon by their passion and Love for students. Question after question they fired them off at me…Ha Ha, like I have all the answers. All I did was try to point them back to scriptures, which is exactly what I do when I have questions…I took pictures of all of them and wrote their names down do I can distribute them to all our youth staff for the purpose of praying  for them on a weekly basis. When I told them I wanted to do that, the look of joy was huge…again I was overwhelmed by God’s blessing in my life and humbled that I was able to be used by God to bless others…Trust me, it’s not my natural way but only through Christ do I get that kind of opportunity. I was able to give out many resources, bible studies, messages, training material which they loved too. One young man touched my heart in a special way. He had come by train some 12 hrs from home. I wasn’t able to print some stuff I had hoped to get done, so God reminded me of this, so I filled a 4GB thumb drive full of resources. When I gave it to him he broke…He said God had answered his prayers for both the teaching material from Steve and our youth ministry stuff…he said he didn’t have the money to buy a thumb drive, but God made sure he got everything he had desired…by the time he left town on Sat to head for home, he was going to get home by 8am and preach on Sunday at 9am…WOW!

Sonji’s Slum ministry was a trip. What a wonderful man of God (not to mention an incredibly gifted wife and two sweet boys…His youngest son Martin has been sick recently, he even ended up in the hospital while we were there. Please pray for Martin, such a sweet boy (10yrs old) that he will be healed. He wants to be a worship leader and is playing the guitar which Todd was blessed to play and teach him some things…and ultimately left his guitar behind for Martin as a gift…Martin was speechless…and I couldn’t keep from crying. The slums are a rough place…dirty, dirty, dirty, but the impact that this ministry is having is amazing…taking like 35-40 kids and enrolling them in a pre-education school that Sonji runs. Teaching all aspects of education including the Lord Jesus Christ! I was asked to share a Bible story with the kids (which made me so nervous) I shared David and Goliath and used one of the boys as David and myself as Goliath (which I kinda was amongst Indian people). I sweated so much in a 3 minute story….it was a special moment for me. All our outreach team was able to work with Sonji for 2 days and share God’s love with the kids and Moms.

Preaching at different churches was another aspect of the journey. For me, Colinga Ave Baptist in the morning. It was a very traditional church, where we sang hymns…of course I sang in English while they spoke “Bengali”. And my message was translated too…The pastor shared how he had recently been given a book on tithing and he had translated it for his congregation and in the process God convicted him that he wasn’t tithing himself…so for the past 2 months he has been tithing and experiencing Gods’ blessings in his life as a result. I was able to speak blessing into a 18-20 yr old girs life who had responded to the message. Later the pastor spoke with her and she accepted Jesus Christ as he savior.

Later that evening I preached at Kolkata Assembly of God Church for their youth service called SOAR LIVE! Pastor Jacob was a very nice host for our team. Todd lead a few songs before I got up to preach. It was a “Love” themed month for them so they asked me to speak on Sexual Integrity…the message was titled (By Pastor Jacob) “Your Biggest Battle”…so here I am in Kolkata, India preaching about God’s plan for sex to 200 students (with a mix of older people too)…Pastor Jacob gave me some youth group t-shirts as a gift which was really cool…of course they won’t fit me because nothing in India fit me L

Next up for me was Sumen’s House…this is a home that houses poor or orphaned children. They were the best kids imaginable…all with a different story but all the same results - Joy - Hope - Love. Again our outreach team spent 2 days there while I was only there for 1 day…but I cried when we left, those children along with Sumen and His lovely wife are God hands and feet to these children. It was a special day for sure.

Let me quickly mention traffic in Kolkata…It is the worst I’ve ever experienced…Horns ALL THE TIME…they communicate with there horns…it mean I’m coming…I’m here…Get out of my way…and maybe even I love you (but I’m not for sure on the last one)even IF you are the only car on the street, you still straddle the lines…and honk…just in case. When we stop for various reasons, beggars will tap on your window and motion that they are hungry…they are dirty and very sad looking…One boy had the guts to slide open the my window in my car 3 times…This is one of the things it will take me some time to better process my feelings…the faces are burned into my mind at this point.

Then there was my teaching gig at Kolkata Youth Fellowship on Tuesday night…My buddy Shakhar who is an incredible young man of God leads this group. It’s ran out of a couples one room house. It is located upstairs in a building located on a busy street corner. The street noise was amazing, the heat was nuts, but I wasn’t ready for 40 college students to cram into a room together to worship God in such a real way. I will always remember what happened that night…it was so special that I can’t really put into words that do it justice. Great people, a great God, and me…But once again, God did his thing and blessed the message. Todd led a few worship songs again and gave them all a CD of his music which they were like using their phones to video Todd singing…He was a “rockstar”…I love working with Todd…It was a wonderful last night of teaching…capping off an incredible trip.

Our last day was spent touring Mother Teresa’s orphanage…I saw and caressed the same boy Christy held 6 month ago when she sang Jesus Loves me to him…He has no eyes, and that was a special moment…I would’ve loved to sing to him, but a weird volunteer lady was with him and she wasn’t very nice…but no matter, it was still a special time.

It’s almost 10am in Fresno on Thursday the 25^th…We are flying from Frankfurt Germany on a United 747…about 6hrs left on this flight then we will fly into Fresno around 7:30pm tonight…I am so tired of flying…Today my son Josh plays his very first JH baseball game and I will miss it, Todd and Melanie will miss their daughters Spelling bee probably going on right now…we hate missing out on special family moments, but our prayer is that our children will grow up knowing that serving others is the right thing to do…and that Their parents love them.

Finally let me say a few more words about our team…

• Stace: has had a rough year this year and seeing her minister to the children was such a blessing.
• Kim: had her home broken into in Fresno while she was in Kolkata…but pressed on and was able to re-focus and teach both the children and women.
• Tina: hates flying (real bad) but her passion for orphans outweighs the emotional pain of 46 hrs of flying time on this trip.
• Chenecua: was such a great team member. She spoke with boldness (like she had done this a million times before, teaching kids…
• Rupee: loves to give me a hard time, but I know she’s actually a softee…she was nails in all the areas of ministry and a cool team member.
• Melanie: had to deal with all kinds of stuff as our team leader, including teaching the women and coordinating with Doddy, which isn’t always that easy…thanks for your work.
• Todd: is a great guy…tons of compassion, humility and an obvious ability to lead people all over this world into a time of Worship. Hey NorthPointe - He’s our guy!!! Thank God for that!
• Steve: I got to see several different sides to Steve this trip…from sharing a small room with him for most of the trip, I won’t go into those details J Steve is obviously one of the best bible teachers around…I got to see him encourage pastors of all ages, listened as he shared a Bible story with children, prayed over them and then called for a group hug from all the kids…
• Kevin: well, this guy has a ton of growing up to do for sure…but I think I’ll keep him around…

Thanks for supporting us with your prayers…You all became a huge part of this journey…Good bye Kolkata…You will always be in my heart and if God has more plans for us together then I will see you again.

Kevin

Like everyone else I had many fears coming here; afraid of what I would see, afraid of what I would hear, afraid of what I would smell. I have to say the Lord took care of it all. I wasn’t bothered by any of it. As the rest of my team has posted this trip has been absolutely amazing. Every experience will forever leave an imprint not only in my mind, but also in my heart. There have been many smiles and many tears. God gave all of us the opportunity to experience pure beauty here in India. The other day I mentioned hearing “one man’s trash, is another’s treasure”. Being that Kolkata is a very poor and dirty, many see the place and it’s people as trash. I told my husband, I think I found a treasure. Because the trash that so many talk about was not visible to me. What I saw was pure beauty. The people of India are amazing. They are all so humble with their lives. Because of the poverty you may expect bitterness and sadness. It was exactly the opposite; joy and humbleness.

Obviously every day was a high point, but there were some very touchy moments for me. We talked about many of our highlights over dinner last night. Our first day here we were able to visit just a few slums, but it was the last one we were able to spend the most time at. Their preparation for our arrival was amazing. I was truly at a loss for words. They wanted so much for us to feel special and welcomed; the feeling far surpassed that. We were showered with gifts, dance and song; all of which were heartfelt. Those with so little, gave so much to make us happy. The feeling was incredible. Another high point for me personally was the women’s conference. Melanie, Kim and Stace did a fantastic job speaking about the beauty of a woman, women in ministry and how our unfailing Lord can turn broken in beauty. This was definitely a message that touched me and I thought, “I had to travel 5,000 miles to hear this message in India?”. I don’t know if the ladies knew how much they touched me that day. Thanks girls this was something I definitely needed to hear! Again, every moment we served was amazing. Many rides home stood in silence just because no words could explain what we were feeling. We are in complete awe. Kevin spoke at a youth service on Sunday night and it was beautiful to see them so engaged. At the end of service we were asked to stand before everyone and those requesting prayer were asked to step forward during worship. Looking out watching them all in worship brought me to tears. I have never seen so many young people in such great worship. They didn’t care who saw them and what they would say. All they cared about at that moment was being in the presence of the Lord; giving him glory and honor, just as it should be. I thought about kids back home and how different they were. They just have so many distractions that keep them from relying on the Lord as they should; friends, clothes, cars, money, technology. I talked with Tina and told her it’s like they have so many other things to turn to. We expect too many things in life, when in reality each gift we receive is a blessing from our Lord Jesus Christ. My prayer is that the Lord will continue His work on the heart’s of these young people and they learn to rely on him for everything at all times. After all; in the end nothing else matters.

So as we prepare to leave this beautiful place I pray for the Lord’s protection. Not only protection over our team, but also protection over Kolkata and the people who live here. Life will never be as we once seen it a few weeks ago. I personally leave here with a new outlook on life, love, friendship and beauty. Most of all I leave here with clearer image of God’s purpose in my life. This trip was indescribable.

Chenecua

Were they really hungry? What about Jesus’ command to feed the poor? What about compassion? Where will the money actually go? Much of the beggar’s money here goes to the mafia. Is this where the money will go? This is one of the many heartbreaking scenes of Kolkata.

The God Who Communicates

Pastor Shane Ham

February 20 & 21, 2010

Untitled from NorthPointe Church on Vimeo.

The first two days we were in the slums (you read about these things in
earlier posts) and that was just an amazing time.  To see how these
people live life day to day and to see all the work that is happening
there with schooling for the children.  They welcomed us with open arms
and had obviously been preparing for our arrival for quite some time.
One of my favorite memories of these days was spending time with Shaji
and his family and getting to know them.  They are doing some amazing
things and their children are going to grow and be great men of God.  The
people here, because they have very little, rely on God so much more than
I think most people do back home.  It is really something you just have
to experience, it’s so awesome.  At the end of our time with Shaji, Todd
(or Toddy-the nickname they have given him) gave Shaji’s son, who is 9,
his guitar.  His guitar had broke and he had been asking his dad to get
it fixed for him but his dad told him to pray to God and He would
provide.  To hear this story after Todd had given the guitar to him; was
one of my many highlights.  Todd made his day and God DID provide.  The
next day was spent doing the conference for the pastor’s wives.  Melanie
did a great job speaking about the beauty of a woman, Stace gave her
moving testimony, and Kim did a wonderful job speaking to them about
women in ministry.  You could tell they were all touched so deeply.
Afterwards we went to Mother Teresa’s home which was something many only
dream about seeing and then did some shopping at the street market.  This
was quite a fun time where we could all hang out as a group and just have
some fun.  Sunday we spent the day at three church services which were
all different but all rewarding in their own way.  These people really
know how to worship and worship freely, without reservation.  They really
love God.  These last two days, like I said at dinner tonight, were my
favorite.  We spent them at Soumen’s Children’s Home with 34 adorable
little children who’s parents, for some reason, could not care for them.
These children are so full of life and have such joy.  They are very
smart and you could really tell they are very well taken care of.  Each
child has their own story.  We were told about a boy (he became my buddy
pretty quickly) who came to them very sick and malnourished, his mom was
dying of cancer.  They took him to the doctor and the doctor said he
would not make it through the night.  They took him in, fed and took care
of him, and he is so alive and well today-and very, very smart.  He wrote
me a letter in Bengali that I was able to bring home-so sweet!  Another
little girl, they call Baby, could not walk or talk when they took her
in.  One day he said they were driving and she all of the sudden shouted
“Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!”  She was just the cutest little thing, so
full of energy and her smile lit up the room.  Another little girl had
severe burns on her body that you could see.  We learned that she lived
in the slums and one day fell out of her bed which was over the stove.
These children, different stories, but all came with broken hearts are
now loving Jesus (Jasu is what they call him) and are so full of joy and
love.  They welcomed us with throwing of flower petals and songs and
dances. We taught them English, Dental Hygiene, Sanitation, Nutrition,
and they absolutely loved the Hokey Pokey and making “rain” with their
hands and feet.  They called us “Auntie” and “Uncle” which was so cute
and they loved for you to take their picture and show them how it came
out.  Today I was able to talk with Soumen’s wife and daughter about
their needs, which I am so glad I was able to do.  She said they are
really struggling to have enough money each month for their needs.  They
pay for their schooling, books, uniforms, and transportation to and from
school.  They said that in April all the children will need brand new
uniforms for school because the school changed all the uniforms.  I asked
what that would cost and she said 1000 rupees per child which is about
$20.  She was also saying that because the children are getting older, it
is getting harder because their books are more expensive and they are
learning to use computers at school but they don’t have a computer at the
home so they cannot do their school work.  She said they would be able to
hook up a computer there in the home but they don’t have the money to
purchase one.  They really focus on their education because it is their
only way to a better life.  It was quickly time to leave the home and it
was so sad to go.  We taught the children “I love you” in sign language
and they hung out the windows as we drove off doing the sign and saying
goodbye.

I leave this trip really humbled and realizing all the things we have,
all the luxuries, opportunities, all the things we complain about, are
all things these people WISH they had.  So when I go back home and want
to complain about work, I’m going to remember the rickshaw people who
pull people bare-footed day in and day out.  Or when I am tired of
waiting at the doctor’s office, I’m going to be reminded about the poor
care these people receive.  Or when I get a drink of water, I will be
reminded about the uncleanness of the water here.  I also leave this trip
with 7 new friendships (Chenecua and I were already good friends before
coming so she doesn’t count!) that may or may not have happened if it
wasn’t for this trip.  My team has been truly amazing and I am so glad I
got to experience this with them!  Blessings to you all back home!

Hugs,
Tina

So this blog I wrote a few days ago but there was a problem when I tried to post it, so do over!

So yesterday was another amazing day in India. We spent our time at the Children’s home with 34 beautiful kids! These are the children that many ladies at NorthPointe have sponsored, including myself. We were royally welcomed (as we have been at nearly every place now) with singing and dancing. Three children (each carrying a different blessing) walked around to each of us and in their own way blessed and welcomed us. One carrying a candle, one marked our foreheads with a red liquid and the last child gifted us with a rose. It was overwhelmingly sincerely and beautiful. They were SO excited to see us and unlike the children in the slums, these kids wanted to climb on our laps and talk to us and it was frustrating to hear them clearly ask us questions and not be able to understand. Our interpreter was the founders daughter and she was a wonderful young lady. She broke down into tears when she talked about how much she’s loves her adopted brother, it was moving. We spoke with her about what the children need and want and she said that they have clothes and some toys but they (the teachers) want to focus their efforts on studies…and it was evident that they do, as these children are extremely smart, reading in English and some even writing as well. I can’t even say that I can do that! When we first arrived I was anxious to see the child I sponsor and I recognized her right way and began to weep…..tears of happiness streaming down my face as I internally worshiped my mighty God who has brought me so far on this journey. I was excited to see her and touch her little face and be in the presence of her smile. My body ached to tell her that my family sponsors her but I was told not too because many kids had not been sponsored and it would cause a problem to share that. I’m sure she wondered why I gave her a lot of my attention. We sat together in the afternoon and I taught her how to fold a piece of paper into a boat….she loved it and we wrote our names on it. She would shyly giggle and whisper words I couldn’t understand in my ear and although I hated that I couldn’t understand her, I knew by her eyes that it was a special message just for me and so loved this moment together. We were all touched by this day and the time we got to play freely with the children. I know a lot of our hearts ached for our own kids to meet these wonderful faces and to bridge the gap in our cultures. I long to hold my boys and kiss them and tell them how amazing it is to serve a God that loves us so much that he gave his only child up for our lives. The greatest expression of love is to lay down your life for another.

So about the bumper cars…..WOW!! Today was a terrible, terrible day in the car. It was insanity! The drivers seemed to be in a race to get to our destination and we were in the middle of that craziness. The car I was in was rear-ended and when we turned to see by whom we realized that it was the rest of our team….ah, ya. The exhaust was thick and between the swerving, stopping and speeding I was having a very hard time. It took everything in me to get through that drive. On the way back I had a panic attack and began shaking and having problems breathing, I just started to pray saying “dhanybad Jesu” which means “thank you Jesus”. I chanted this in my mind over in over begging God to just get me home so I could lay down! I was so embarrassed as I broke down in tears on the steps of our home….everyone standing around us. Oh well, what are you gonna do.

We are headed down to breakfast and then off to another day with the children. It has been a blessing far surpassing to find my worth and peace so far from home. God is God whether you’re in American or India. He is mighty, capable, loving and enduring. As they say here in India “Praise the Lord”!

KimThree children (each carrying a different blessing) walked around to each of us and in their own way blessed and welcomed us. One carrying a candle, one marked our foreheads with a red liquid and the last child gifted us with a rose. It was overwhelmingly sincerely and beautiful. They were SO excited to see us and unlike the children in the slums, these kids wanted to climb on our laps and talk to us and it was frustrating to hear them clearly ask us questions and not be able to understand. Our interpreter was the founders daughter and she was a wonderful young lady. She broke down into tears when she talked about how much she’s loves her adopted brother, it was moving. We spoke with her about what the children need and want and she said that they have clothes and some toys but they (the teachers) want to focus their efforts on studies…and it was evident that they do, as these children are extremely smart, reading in English and some even writing as well; I can’t even say that I can do that! When we first arrived I was anxious to see the child I sponsor and I recognized her right way and began to weep…..tears of happiness streaming down my face as I internally worshiped my mighty God who has brought me so far on this journey. I was excited to see her and touch her little face and be in the presence of her smile. My body ached to tell her that my family sponsors her but I was told not too because many kids had not been sponsored and it would cause a problem to share that. I’m sure she wondered why I gave her a lot of my attention. We sat together in the afternoon and I taught her how to fold a piece of paper into a boat….she loved it and we wrote our names on it. She would shyly giggle and whisper words I couldn’t understand in my ear and although I hated that I couldn’t understand her, I knew by her eyes that it was a special message just for me and so loved this moment together. We were all touched by this day and the time we got to play freely with the children. I know a lot of our hearts ached for our own kids to meet these wonderful faces and to bridge the gap in our cultures. I long to hold my boys and kiss them and tell them how amazing it is to serve a God that loves us so much that he gave his only child up for our lives. The greatest expression of love is to lay down your life for another.

So about the bumper cars…..WOW!! Today was a terrible, terrible day in the car. It was insanity! The drivers seemed to be in a race to get to our destination and we were in the middle of that craziness. The car I was in was rear-ended and when we turned to see by whom we realized that it was the rest of our team….ah, ya. The exhaust was thick and between the swerving, stopping and speeding I was having a very hard time. It took everything in me to get through that drive. On the way back I had a panic attack and began shaking and having problems breathing, I just started to pray saying “dhanybad Jesu” which means “thank you Jesus”. I chanted this in my mind over in over begging God to just get me home so I could lay down! I was so embarrassed as I broke down in tears on the steps of our home….everyone standing around us. Oh well, what are you gonna do.

We are headed down to breakfast and then off to another day with the children. It has been a blessing far surpassing to find my worth and peace so far from home. God is God whether you’re in American or India. He is mighty, capable, loving and enduring. As they say here in India “Praise the Lord”!

Kim< ><-->