Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
EXPLOSION
Always make sure you're alert while using an unfamiliar socket!!!almost burned my hand on this one
Thursday, March 6, 2008
big fish and bus stop conversations
This past week, i've been organizing an upcoming outreach in the south of Luzon. it's 
about a 20 hour bus ride from kalinga, (but thankfully, i found a cheap plane ticket from manila)....anyway, back to my story. when i traveled to legaspi, i planned an extra day to swing by a place close by that's renown for whale shark sitings. they are the largest fish on earth, reaching lengths up to 60 feet long and can weigh almost 5 times as much as an elephant!... at this place, Donsol, you can even get in the water and snorkel alongside these enormous fish. so i didn't want to pass up this opportunity.
i planned on getting there early in the morning and leaving for our outreach destination that same day. after 2 hours of waiting for decent weather to board the small boat, we then circled the ocean for another hour and a half looking for the whale sharks (while slowly baking in the sun). at that point i was really thinking of how i just wasted that whole morning and should have left when the weather was bad...but shortly after there was a sighting!!!
what followed next was our guide yelling "get ready"..."jump". everyone sat on one side of the boat and slid into the water as the boat passed about 20 yards ahead of the whale shark's destination. we all swam toward the fish with the dark ocean below...looking below for anything. then suddenly a giant grey dotted shadow floats straight toward you and you don't see it until it's about 10 feet away!!! i froze for a moment and marveled. it was amazing. then i swam along side this monster of the deep, seeing even the small cleaner fish clinging to it's dorsal fin.
we did this 4 or 5 times, each time was just as amazing as the last. i was satisfied and ready to get back to my original business. i wanted to eat at this point and didn't see many options in this small town but a 25cent bowl of soup across the street.
while i was there eating and waiting for a jeep, God opened the door of conversation with 2 gays. one was dressed like a woman...it was totally God, cause at first, i was annoyed and didn't want to hear them hitting on me, but then i just turned and began to ask them questions...like why they dressed like women, dated men, and acted with the mannerisms they did. the main reason this young man said he was a "bacla" was because he enjoyed the attention. i told them they have an identity outside the "costume and act" and "gay" is not who they ARE. one guy was almost in tears and the other said, "no one's ever asked me these questions", so when one asked about what i thought about heaven...the door was wide open! so i told them that there is a heaven and a hell and a God who loves them, but their unrepentant actions separate them from Him. shortly after this conversation, i had to catch my jeepney, leaving them to consider the truth that apparently no one has ever shared with them. i knew God gave me grace for that conversation and was thankful that i wasn't too busy or annoyed toward them in order to have that conversation.
about a 20 hour bus ride from kalinga, (but thankfully, i found a cheap plane ticket from manila)....anyway, back to my story. when i traveled to legaspi, i planned an extra day to swing by a place close by that's renown for whale shark sitings. they are the largest fish on earth, reaching lengths up to 60 feet long and can weigh almost 5 times as much as an elephant!... at this place, Donsol, you can even get in the water and snorkel alongside these enormous fish. so i didn't want to pass up this opportunity.
i planned on getting there early in the morning and leaving for our outreach destination that same day. after 2 hours of waiting for decent weather to board the small boat, we then circled the ocean for another hour and a half looking for the whale sharks (while slowly baking in the sun). at that point i was really thinking of how i just wasted that whole morning and should have left when the weather was bad...but shortly after there was a sighting!!!
what followed next was our guide yelling "get ready"..."jump". everyone sat on one side of the boat and slid into the water as the boat passed about 20 yards ahead of the whale shark's destination. we all swam toward the fish with the dark ocean below...looking below for anything. then suddenly a giant grey dotted shadow floats straight toward you and you don't see it until it's about 10 feet away!!! i froze for a moment and marveled. it was amazing. then i swam along side this monster of the deep, seeing even the small cleaner fish clinging to it's dorsal fin.
we did this 4 or 5 times, each time was just as amazing as the last. i was satisfied and ready to get back to my original business. i wanted to eat at this point and didn't see many options in this small town but a 25cent bowl of soup across the street.
while i was there eating and waiting for a jeep, God opened the door of conversation with 2 gays. one was dressed like a woman...it was totally God, cause at first, i was annoyed and didn't want to hear them hitting on me, but then i just turned and began to ask them questions...like why they dressed like women, dated men, and acted with the mannerisms they did. the main reason this young man said he was a "bacla" was because he enjoyed the attention. i told them they have an identity outside the "costume and act" and "gay" is not who they ARE. one guy was almost in tears and the other said, "no one's ever asked me these questions", so when one asked about what i thought about heaven...the door was wide open! so i told them that there is a heaven and a hell and a God who loves them, but their unrepentant actions separate them from Him. shortly after this conversation, i had to catch my jeepney, leaving them to consider the truth that apparently no one has ever shared with them. i knew God gave me grace for that conversation and was thankful that i wasn't too busy or annoyed toward them in order to have that conversation.
Here in the Philippines, there are many "bacla" who dress like women and live the homosexual lifestyle. as i continued on my way seeing they two confused young men, i chuckled to myself as i remembered talks i had with a friend about the (the bacla) and hitting their fore head saying, "out! in the name of Jesus!", so it didn't happen like that, but i think God got their attention.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Kalinga Day 2007
one of the ladies show how weaving done by hand.
this year we entered some photography and postcards we made in one of our friends booths. (they're on the table in the front)...and we made a whopping $2.95...after 3 days. ha ha ha
Friday, February 1, 2008
Home Again
hey friends n family,
just wanted to let everyone know that i'm back in the philippines, safe, hot, and sweating. i am looking forward to being back in tabuk and seeing cathee. after i returned from boise, i was hoping to see my new nephew (from my younger sister, Anna) but apparently the baby boy was shy and waited till i was on the plane flying back....i knew that would happen:)
after 23 hours of flying and airports, i still have about 11 more hours of bus till i'm home again...not really looking forward to that, but it's all good. i wanted to thank everyone (i know mass "thankings" are pretty lame,but...) who has been supporting us in prayer and finances. Jeremy & Julie Watts for the charity ICE BOWL (disc golf) fundraiser for us, the staff at boise vineyard for all their hospitality and friendships, my friends and family at the Etown vineyard, we thank you guys for good times and oportunities to share our heart with you. and my family, who is always willing to accomodate and sacrifice for us while we're here.
after being able to share our vision, i have a new appreciation for the work that God's allowing us to do here in the philippines. so many times i catch myself dwelling on the difficulties of the work and my own disappointments, that i forget what it's all really about, not just doing good things or sharing about a generic "god", but sharing The ONLY Loving God, who sent his Son Jesus to save us from the sin that seperates us from relationship with Him. This is what's it always comes back to.
so thank you for helping us do that. blessings and peace to you all.
love,
chris and cathee mapes
to see my new nephew click http://usmcmcse.blogspot.com/
just wanted to let everyone know that i'm back in the philippines, safe, hot, and sweating. i am looking forward to being back in tabuk and seeing cathee. after i returned from boise, i was hoping to see my new nephew (from my younger sister, Anna) but apparently the baby boy was shy and waited till i was on the plane flying back....i knew that would happen:)
after 23 hours of flying and airports, i still have about 11 more hours of bus till i'm home again...not really looking forward to that, but it's all good. i wanted to thank everyone (i know mass "thankings" are pretty lame,but...) who has been supporting us in prayer and finances. Jeremy & Julie Watts for the charity ICE BOWL (disc golf) fundraiser for us, the staff at boise vineyard for all their hospitality and friendships, my friends and family at the Etown vineyard, we thank you guys for good times and oportunities to share our heart with you. and my family, who is always willing to accomodate and sacrifice for us while we're here.
after being able to share our vision, i have a new appreciation for the work that God's allowing us to do here in the philippines. so many times i catch myself dwelling on the difficulties of the work and my own disappointments, that i forget what it's all really about, not just doing good things or sharing about a generic "god", but sharing The ONLY Loving God, who sent his Son Jesus to save us from the sin that seperates us from relationship with Him. This is what's it always comes back to.
so thank you for helping us do that. blessings and peace to you all.
love,
chris and cathee mapes
to see my new nephew click http://usmcmcse.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 14, 2008
Cathee's latest update (while chris was away)
Dear Friends,
We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration. For this new year, we pray that God will continue to bless you and your family in every area of your lives....May He embrace you with His love and peace, and continue to direct your ways....
Personally, we have a lot to thank God for in the year 2007....He has been so faithful to Chris and I, and to the ministry He has entrusted to us....allow us to share with you some of these things....
We are now 28 weeks pregnant! After a miscarriage, God has blessed us with another precious gift....we're expecting by the end of March or early April. I'm getting big and heavy and feel hungry all the time now! Please continue to help us pray for a healthy pregnancy and a normal labor and delivery to a healthy and normal baby.
Tribal Youth/Students:
- three of our tribal students graduated from college last year...2 of them were the first in their family to have even had the privilege to go to college. The guy, Ramon, went on to university in the city to take up Law. He works as a househelper to be able to do so. The two girls, Bylen and Marivic, went back to school to take up units in Midwifery. Marivic helps us at the mission house/church and in our outreaches. Bylen helps at a charity maternity center run by another missionary friend.
- At the start of the school year in June 2007, we had 27 tribal students living with us. Most of them came from the mountain tribe 6 hours away from town, and some are from tribal resettlement villages in Tabuk but still a bit far from the main town where the schools are. At present though, we only have 20 of them left. Some stopped for financial reasons and /or academic reasons, and others moved to another boarding house closer to their school. We continue to disciple these students and have regular schedule for prayer meeting, Bible study, and Sunday fellowship which we hold in the same building where we live. Whenever possible, we involve them in our outreaches.
CR/Latrine Project in Pakak:
- in May 2007, students of SCCD or School of Christian Character Devlopment from Boise Vineyard came to help dig CRs or latrines in the resettlement village of Pakak. We had high hopes when we started this project 2 years ago. We know that if the people in Pakak have them and use them, it would help with their health, especially the kids.... but it's really taking a long time for this to be completed....it really is not a priority of the villagers....we are encouraged though that some really understand its importance.....so we persist and persevere in helping the people see the importance of having and using them....
TB Testing and Treatment:
- we had graduated 30 kids from their six months and/or nine months of treatment. They all gained weight, have better appetite and more energy after their treatment. Most of them have already had their follow-up and cleared from TB by a doctor we are working with. Others will have their follow-up in the coming week.
- we have done sputum testing on the parents and grandparents of these children and sponsored some for chest x-ray in the hope to find the adults who may have been the sources of TB.
- at present, we are helping 3 kids and 3 adults who are currently having their treatment.
Weighing and Nutrition Assessment of Kids:
- together with the barangay midwife and health worker, we have started weighing and assessing the health and nutrition of kids especially those 5 years old and under, in two other resettlement villages in our town of Tabuk. In the village of Lacnog Butbut, we weighed 98 kids, and out of these, 25 are either low weight or very low weight, three of whom have had TB sometime back. In the village of Lanlana, we weighed 31 kids, and 6 of them are low weight and 1 very low weight. In our work in the other villages, the ones we graduated from tuberculosis treatment were the ones who were low and very low weight kids. This is why we wanted to assess the weight and nutrition of these kids in the two new villages first and prioritize these low and very low weight kids for further assessment with the doctor we work with and be tested for TB. We will also be doing sputum testing for the adults in these villages.
We would like to thank you all so much for making our work in Kalinga possible...Thank you for your prayers and generous donations. May God in His faithfulness, love, grace and mercy, continue to bless you and your family abundantly in every area of your lives!!!
Love and Blessings,
Chris and Cathee Mapes:)
RICHIE
RICHIE
"My gosh, he's just skin and bones," was the first thought that came to mind as this young boy got off the neighbor's bicycle. He had the posture of an old man with a "barrel chest." His name is Richie Anchay, he's 13 years old and only weighs 22 kg (48.5 lbs). That day, their neighbor went to get him out of school early so we can meet and weigh him. He was first mentioned to us by the midwife who works around the area. She knew about our work with kids with TB or tuberculosis in the other villages and asked us to meet Richie. He was diagnosed of TB of the lungs a year ago and was prescribed TB medications for 6 months. His mother told us that he was only able to take the medicines for 1 month because that is all they can afford to buy. He continues to lose weight, and coughs almost all the time....
But oh, he had such a sweet smile....after we weighed him, he busied himself in the kitchen making coffee for us....and he served us with that big sweet smile....
Tuberculosis is the fifth leading cause of death and illness in the Philippines....Approximately 1,500,000 children ages 0-9 years are infected and 40,000 of them develop the disease each year. (From the National Prevalence Survey by Tupasi et al, 1997)
We will take Richie this week for further check-up and another chest x-ray and go from there...He is such a precious kid and we want to see him get well and continue smiling....Please pray for Richie as you think of him.
Curing TB in children is made possible by people like you, who can sponsor the 6-9 month treatment for $100 dollars. just email us at chris.mapes@gmail.com and we'll let you know how.
Thank you and blessings,
Chris and Cathee Mapes:)
To know more about our work in Kalinga, please visit our website at www.mapesmission.com
Friday, January 4, 2008
His Mercies Are New Every Morning...
Hey everyone,
Happy New Year! it's hard to believe it's 2008. over New Year's holiday, i spent 4 days in Kansas City, MO attending the ONETHING conference and THECALL. (www.thecall.com) there were many seminars during the day and lots of worship and teachings during the main sessions. one of the common issues mentioned among many of the teachers, preachers and speakers was the issue of immorality in our nation, and not only our nation, but also rampant in the church today. sadly, this is not a surprise to most. we have already seen the downfall of many religious personalities through the media. but before we're so quick to condemn the televangelist, have we taken a look at our own life? recently, i read a study that said between 20 to 37 percent of pastors are currently struggling with pornography addiction. These were the pastors that admitted it...
Happy New Year! it's hard to believe it's 2008. over New Year's holiday, i spent 4 days in Kansas City, MO attending the ONETHING conference and THECALL. (www.thecall.com) there were many seminars during the day and lots of worship and teachings during the main sessions. one of the common issues mentioned among many of the teachers, preachers and speakers was the issue of immorality in our nation, and not only our nation, but also rampant in the church today. sadly, this is not a surprise to most. we have already seen the downfall of many religious personalities through the media. but before we're so quick to condemn the televangelist, have we taken a look at our own life? recently, i read a study that said between 20 to 37 percent of pastors are currently struggling with pornography addiction. These were the pastors that admitted it...
if the shepherd struggles, how much more the sheep? pornography has infiltrated the eyes and mind of young and old alike. in church counseling, around 25% of the issues are pornography addictions. the WORD of God says (Matt. 6:22-23) 22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
God wants our eyes...
God is not an angry, old school teacher with a wooden ruler and large crooked nose waitin
g for the opportunity to whack us when we fidget. Sometimes i forget and think God's like that. I'm scared to mess up cause i think He's gonna send a lightning bolt my way and laugh as i get fried.
This is not the God i serve. He is a Father, a Lover and a King. God wants our gaze. Even when we are weak. "dark, yet lovely" (taken from Solomon's Song of Songs), is believed to be a description of God's love for us in our weakness. When He has our gaze, he reveals more about Himself to us
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
What We Embrace is What We Become...
So how do we flee sin? keep our eyes focused on the One who desires our gaze. When be behold true beauty, the lesser things become more despised...in other words, when we focus on Jesus, our desire for Him is greater and our desire for sin lessens...
God is not an angry, old school teacher with a wooden ruler and large crooked nose waitin
g for the opportunity to whack us when we fidget. Sometimes i forget and think God's like that. I'm scared to mess up cause i think He's gonna send a lightning bolt my way and laugh as i get fried.This is not the God i serve. He is a Father, a Lover and a King. God wants our gaze. Even when we are weak. "dark, yet lovely" (taken from Solomon's Song of Songs), is believed to be a description of God's love for us in our weakness. When He has our gaze, he reveals more about Himself to us
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
What We Embrace is What We Become...
So how do we flee sin? keep our eyes focused on the One who desires our gaze. When be behold true beauty, the lesser things become more despised...in other words, when we focus on Jesus, our desire for Him is greater and our desire for sin lessens...
So, we must "watch" our eyes...the human heart is "desperately wicked above all things"...when we see immorality, violence and ungodliness, our heart is strangely drawn toward these things...unless our eyes are already fixed on something greater...The beauty of God.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Thanksgiving? (2006)
Culture Shock
Lately, I’ve been busy with various projects and support-raising during my time visiting the U.S. Recently, I spoke to a large group of middle-schoolers. I knew I was not there to raise financial support, but rather to raise awareness. Awareness of how the rest of the world lives. I spent time researching some statistical data from the Philippines and the 3rd world. Statistics say that half of the world lives on less than 2 dollars a day. 2... dollars... a... day... 20% of the world uses 80% of the world’s resources... TB is the 6th top killer of Filipinos -- and the statistics continue to tell us how unjust the world is. I arrived in the U.S. before Thanksgiving. During this time, it seems, the news was filled with stories about the new XBOX and how people were lined up outside every retail electronic store across the country to pay $400 dollars for a gaming system (while the other half of the world struggles to feed their children nutritious meals). What is even more ironic is that the day after "Thanksgiving" is "Black Friday"... meaning the biggest shopping day of the year. It's not like it grocery shopping or alms giving... it’s buying overpriced toys (on "sale") for children and adults. Our nation's children are growing up with increasingly more stuff. We have bought into the idea that we need things.
Back to the middle schoolers... As I read in the Gospels, I find that Jesus called his disciples and they LEFT EVERYTHING. I asked this group of (mostly) churched students if God asks them to "give up everything." They said "no" (hoping that I would confirm their answer). And I don't think He does. From what I read in the Bible, God tells us (commands us) to give to the poor... be openhanded to anyone who asks... to trust Him. The bottom line is that God wants ALL of us. All of us. We cannot serve God AND stuff. We either serve God with all we are and all we have... or we don't. When we serve God with all we are, we present our bodies, lifestyles, speech, etc... as a "living sacrifice" (meaning we lay down those things as gifts to God). When we serve God with all we have, we don’t hold on to stuff. We are willing to give away anything God asks of us. Further still... we are willing to give up anything that another person asks of us.
It All Goes Back to LOVE
"If we don’t love our brother we can see, how can we love a God we can’t see?" This question is presented to us in the Word of God. When you dig deeper into this line of thought, you wonder, how can I love God then? The key, I believe goes back to God’s love. "For God so love the world that he gave his only Son..." I don’t believe we can love our brothers until we understand God's love for us. Ephesians 1 gives a prayer for "THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING so we might KNOW HIM BETTER." We really do need to continually ask God to reveal His Son to us so we can KNOW Him. To KNOW Him is to know love. Once we know and understand God's love for us, we, in return, can love others. God gave me a pretty vivid picture of this a couple months ago...
What’s That Smell?
Staying in Pakak (one of the Butbut villages), I have many small followers. The children of the village would congregate wherever I would be. When I would be walking across the village, they would push and shove to hold my hands. So there I was, surrounded by 5-10 children like the Pied Piper on a small scale (not that the children are equated to rats... nor do I wear green tights...). Later that night, I attended a Bible study with the youth. I began to smell something horrid. I thought I might have stepped in animal's waste or someone had gas or... I couldn’t figure it out. As I began to sniff around (still during the Bible study) I found the smell was in front of me... no, to the right side of me... wait... it’s my hands!!! Man, I wanted to leave right then -- it was my hands! I thought back, "Why do my hands smell like this?" Then I remembered the kids that day. Those disgusting little...
Something Needs to Change
As I walked back from the study, I went straight to the pump and washed my hands. When the kids came up to hold my hands I pulled my hands away and would just put them on the top of their heads in order not to have to smell that on me again. Suddenly, God showed me my heart toward Him. I pictured myself as a child with filthy hands. As I reached out to take God's hand, he pulled them away, not wanting to touch my sinful self. But this was a backward picture. Later that day, I sat and with my guitar and sang these lines, "and so I reach with filthy hands, wanting to touch Yours again... but You don’t refuse me, no you love me anyway." God takes us even in our weakness, and holds us. When we begin to get a revelation of the love of God for us, we can love others in their weakness. We become less cynical, sarcastic, and critical. All this to say, in order to change the world, we must change how we view God. When we have a view of a loving God that loves humanity and hates sin so much he would send his Son to redeem us from our filth, we can love all those who are the unlovely, rejects of society. In fact, we are those filthy, unloved, rejects... who have been redeemed by the God of the Universe.
Lately, I’ve been busy with various projects and support-raising during my time visiting the U.S. Recently, I spoke to a large group of middle-schoolers. I knew I was not there to raise financial support, but rather to raise awareness. Awareness of how the rest of the world lives. I spent time researching some statistical data from the Philippines and the 3rd world. Statistics say that half of the world lives on less than 2 dollars a day. 2... dollars... a... day... 20% of the world uses 80% of the world’s resources... TB is the 6th top killer of Filipinos -- and the statistics continue to tell us how unjust the world is. I arrived in the U.S. before Thanksgiving. During this time, it seems, the news was filled with stories about the new XBOX and how people were lined up outside every retail electronic store across the country to pay $400 dollars for a gaming system (while the other half of the world struggles to feed their children nutritious meals). What is even more ironic is that the day after "Thanksgiving" is "Black Friday"... meaning the biggest shopping day of the year. It's not like it grocery shopping or alms giving... it’s buying overpriced toys (on "sale") for children and adults. Our nation's children are growing up with increasingly more stuff. We have bought into the idea that we need things.
Back to the middle schoolers... As I read in the Gospels, I find that Jesus called his disciples and they LEFT EVERYTHING. I asked this group of (mostly) churched students if God asks them to "give up everything." They said "no" (hoping that I would confirm their answer). And I don't think He does. From what I read in the Bible, God tells us (commands us) to give to the poor... be openhanded to anyone who asks... to trust Him. The bottom line is that God wants ALL of us. All of us. We cannot serve God AND stuff. We either serve God with all we are and all we have... or we don't. When we serve God with all we are, we present our bodies, lifestyles, speech, etc... as a "living sacrifice" (meaning we lay down those things as gifts to God). When we serve God with all we have, we don’t hold on to stuff. We are willing to give away anything God asks of us. Further still... we are willing to give up anything that another person asks of us.
It All Goes Back to LOVE
"If we don’t love our brother we can see, how can we love a God we can’t see?" This question is presented to us in the Word of God. When you dig deeper into this line of thought, you wonder, how can I love God then? The key, I believe goes back to God’s love. "For God so love the world that he gave his only Son..." I don’t believe we can love our brothers until we understand God's love for us. Ephesians 1 gives a prayer for "THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING so we might KNOW HIM BETTER." We really do need to continually ask God to reveal His Son to us so we can KNOW Him. To KNOW Him is to know love. Once we know and understand God's love for us, we, in return, can love others. God gave me a pretty vivid picture of this a couple months ago...
What’s That Smell?
Staying in Pakak (one of the Butbut villages), I have many small followers. The children of the village would congregate wherever I would be. When I would be walking across the village, they would push and shove to hold my hands. So there I was, surrounded by 5-10 children like the Pied Piper on a small scale (not that the children are equated to rats... nor do I wear green tights...). Later that night, I attended a Bible study with the youth. I began to smell something horrid. I thought I might have stepped in animal's waste or someone had gas or... I couldn’t figure it out. As I began to sniff around (still during the Bible study) I found the smell was in front of me... no, to the right side of me... wait... it’s my hands!!! Man, I wanted to leave right then -- it was my hands! I thought back, "Why do my hands smell like this?" Then I remembered the kids that day. Those disgusting little...
Something Needs to Change
As I walked back from the study, I went straight to the pump and washed my hands. When the kids came up to hold my hands I pulled my hands away and would just put them on the top of their heads in order not to have to smell that on me again. Suddenly, God showed me my heart toward Him. I pictured myself as a child with filthy hands. As I reached out to take God's hand, he pulled them away, not wanting to touch my sinful self. But this was a backward picture. Later that day, I sat and with my guitar and sang these lines, "and so I reach with filthy hands, wanting to touch Yours again... but You don’t refuse me, no you love me anyway." God takes us even in our weakness, and holds us. When we begin to get a revelation of the love of God for us, we can love others in their weakness. We become less cynical, sarcastic, and critical. All this to say, in order to change the world, we must change how we view God. When we have a view of a loving God that loves humanity and hates sin so much he would send his Son to redeem us from our filth, we can love all those who are the unlovely, rejects of society. In fact, we are those filthy, unloved, rejects... who have been redeemed by the God of the Universe.
Story of Kayla (2002 - 2005)
Tuesday
A man came to the clinic asking for medicine for his sick child. I was in a bit of a hurry and had helped this family before, as it seemed this little girl was often sick. I found some children's Tylenol, gave him a couple of doses for the child and asked if there was anything else I could do for him. (Truthfully, I suspected this man of being one who takes advantage of others and just wanted to see what he could get from the "rich foreigners"). He then asked for rice for his family, but we didn't have extra at the time. I was in a hurry and wanted to finish my business as I insincerely asked if there was anything else he needed. He eventually said yes, that he needed money to buy rice for his family. I told him it is not our policy as an organization to give out money. He said he understood and then went home.
I told him I would go to his village and do check-ups on Friday.
Friday
I went to his village. I would often go there on my time off to visit with my "tribal family" anyway, so I didn't mind doing it. When I finally started doing check-ups, it was already past 4:30 and I had about 2 hours of daylight before it was dark and I'd have to stop due to the absence of electricity and light. More and more people showed up and I was feeling a bit over whelmed at the number of people and the amount of time I had. It was dark and I was a bit tired and tried to hurry through the last few patients. The man's wife and child who asked for rice for his family came and I listened to the child’s breathing, gave the child some paracetamol for her fever and antibiotics for any respitory infection and said she probably had a cough and cold as I did not see anything alarmingly wrong with the child. I finished up ate dinner with my tribal family and went back to the other village I where I had been staying.
Saturday
I got word that the sick child, Kayla, a beautiful 2 year old, was in the hospital. I reasoned I shouldn't rush right away and waited.
Monday
Monday came, and that afternoon, I thought I needed to check on Kayla. I got to the government hospital and asked where the child was. The nurses pointed to the ICU. I had no idea her sickness was so serious. When I got in the room, there she was, in a stupor on the bed with her mother (who was in a devastated state from the child's grave condition). Kayla was breathing on her own, but would only attempt to move occasionally and could not move her eyes and had no pupil response to light. I stayed at the hospital that night and prayed over the child throughtout the night.
Tuesday
I talked with the doctor. He said there was nothing more they could do and suggested they go to the next biggest city for a CT scan to see if there was swelling in the brain that could be relieved by some type of surgical operation. The family was worried about money and hesitant to go. I encouraged them to go and said I'd go with them. The father said he had to stay home with his other children, so I would meet the mother there later. That evening I went to the government hospital in Tuegagarao to find the family, but many of the wards were so crowded that there were patients lining the hallways. I finally found Kayla and they were in the hallway of the Pediatric ward, the "charity" section of each ward for the poor. She was hooked up to an IV and left there in the hallway. The father arrived about the same time I did and we took her for a chest x-ray. Kayla had a gastric drainage tube that drained a bleeding ulcer. The x-ray pointed toward TB and at this point the doctors still did not know exactly why she went into a stupor, but suspected TB, meningitis, or encephalitis. That night she stopped breathing. An ambu bag was used to resuscitate her, as at this point, she went in to a full coma, unresponsive to anything. People in the hospital would watch as we were resuscitating her like it was a daytime drama. I got angry and yelled for them to go away. We took turns pumping the ambu bag non-stop for the next couple of days. I got a few hours of sleep in an empty hospital bed that night, but the mother had only slept about 3 hours in the past 4 days.
Wednesday
Wednesday came and things were not looking up. The mother was not functioning well from lack of sleep, food, and grieving over her dying child. Kayla still had not gotten a CT scan, our whole reason for going two hours away to another hospital to be ignored by the health workers as we sat in the hallway. There was no progress during that day and I told the parents I'd go find a hotel to get some sleep that night or I'd be useless.
Thursday
I awoke to the thought that Kayla might not have made it through the night. I knew they had a CT scan scheduled for the morning at another hospital, so I'd meet them there. When I got to the hospital, I asked if the transportation had arrived from the government hospital, I was told "yes" and waited in the CT scan waiting area. When the x-ray tech came out I asked him about Kayla, he said the family was not there and called the other hospital to see why. The doctor said she was not stable enough to leave the hospital. I rushed to the hospital and she was there, but her condition had not changed. Finally I demanded to talk with her doctor to find out why nothing was being done for this child. The doctor basically said they thought she was brain dead and medications were keeping her heart beating and the ambu bag keeping her lungs moving. They were waiting for her to die. Later that day, the father said he'd go check on his other children and if I could stay to help with Kayla. I said yes and waited. About 3:30pm, Kayla's heartbeat began to slow to 60bpm to 40bpm till it stopped beating. Chest compressions were done, but the heart would not keep beating. Kayla was dead.
The rest of the day consisted of the mother and I arguing, and sometimes angrily, with guards and hospital staff that would take the body of Kayla to their morgue and not allow the mother to take her child back to her province for funeral preparations unless she could pay all of the hospital bill right then. She would not be allowed to leave until bills were paid in full. While the mother was attempting to complete the paperwork, I sat in front of that dirty morgue holding Kayla and wishing the mother did not have to go through all of this. She did not have enough money and was in no state to worry about billing and the massive amount of paperwork that was required to be discharged from the hospital. Together we were able to pay the bill and get transportation back to her home that night.
The most heart-breaking sounds I have ever heard was this mother weeping over her child. I don't think I can ever forget that sound or that image of her holding her dead child screaming for the child to answer her. I don't ever want to see the father wiping his face continually from the tears that wouldn't stop. I don't know why the child died. Maybe God had me there to be with the family. I cannot tell them why God did not answer their prayers to heal Kayla. The spinal tap revealed she had bacterial meningitis.
The very next week, the other two siblings of Kayla were in the hospital with similar symptoms as Kayla. When I visited them and asked if I could pray for the children, the mother's response was, "it doesn't do any good" and "I think God is punishing us". I don't know how to respond to the mother except that God is good and he does not change. I can just be there, pray and allow God to work through me to love them and show them that God does care so much for this family. I pray that He will continue to reveal more of his love to them through this situation.
The children are doing well now and they were discharged from the hospital after a week. We had the other two children checked for TB and they were found to be positive. We are currently sponsoring their medications for the next 6 months.
I pray I will not ever be in too much of a hurry to stop and help a needy family or individual. I pray that I won't refuse someone daily necessities because I don't want to bother or don't want to give from my own pocket. And I pray that every interaction with people God places in my path will be full of love, compassion and mercy.
Thank all of you for your friendships, support and prayer... to see how you can be involved with mercyinaction go to "how to support" section.
Our greatest purpose in life is to love God and love others.
A man came to the clinic asking for medicine for his sick child. I was in a bit of a hurry and had helped this family before, as it seemed this little girl was often sick. I found some children's Tylenol, gave him a couple of doses for the child and asked if there was anything else I could do for him. (Truthfully, I suspected this man of being one who takes advantage of others and just wanted to see what he could get from the "rich foreigners"). He then asked for rice for his family, but we didn't have extra at the time. I was in a hurry and wanted to finish my business as I insincerely asked if there was anything else he needed. He eventually said yes, that he needed money to buy rice for his family. I told him it is not our policy as an organization to give out money. He said he understood and then went home.
I told him I would go to his village and do check-ups on Friday.
Friday
I went to his village. I would often go there on my time off to visit with my "tribal family" anyway, so I didn't mind doing it. When I finally started doing check-ups, it was already past 4:30 and I had about 2 hours of daylight before it was dark and I'd have to stop due to the absence of electricity and light. More and more people showed up and I was feeling a bit over whelmed at the number of people and the amount of time I had. It was dark and I was a bit tired and tried to hurry through the last few patients. The man's wife and child who asked for rice for his family came and I listened to the child’s breathing, gave the child some paracetamol for her fever and antibiotics for any respitory infection and said she probably had a cough and cold as I did not see anything alarmingly wrong with the child. I finished up ate dinner with my tribal family and went back to the other village I where I had been staying.
Saturday
I got word that the sick child, Kayla, a beautiful 2 year old, was in the hospital. I reasoned I shouldn't rush right away and waited.
Monday
Monday came, and that afternoon, I thought I needed to check on Kayla. I got to the government hospital and asked where the child was. The nurses pointed to the ICU. I had no idea her sickness was so serious. When I got in the room, there she was, in a stupor on the bed with her mother (who was in a devastated state from the child's grave condition). Kayla was breathing on her own, but would only attempt to move occasionally and could not move her eyes and had no pupil response to light. I stayed at the hospital that night and prayed over the child throughtout the night.
Tuesday
I talked with the doctor. He said there was nothing more they could do and suggested they go to the next biggest city for a CT scan to see if there was swelling in the brain that could be relieved by some type of surgical operation. The family was worried about money and hesitant to go. I encouraged them to go and said I'd go with them. The father said he had to stay home with his other children, so I would meet the mother there later. That evening I went to the government hospital in Tuegagarao to find the family, but many of the wards were so crowded that there were patients lining the hallways. I finally found Kayla and they were in the hallway of the Pediatric ward, the "charity" section of each ward for the poor. She was hooked up to an IV and left there in the hallway. The father arrived about the same time I did and we took her for a chest x-ray. Kayla had a gastric drainage tube that drained a bleeding ulcer. The x-ray pointed toward TB and at this point the doctors still did not know exactly why she went into a stupor, but suspected TB, meningitis, or encephalitis. That night she stopped breathing. An ambu bag was used to resuscitate her, as at this point, she went in to a full coma, unresponsive to anything. People in the hospital would watch as we were resuscitating her like it was a daytime drama. I got angry and yelled for them to go away. We took turns pumping the ambu bag non-stop for the next couple of days. I got a few hours of sleep in an empty hospital bed that night, but the mother had only slept about 3 hours in the past 4 days.
Wednesday
Wednesday came and things were not looking up. The mother was not functioning well from lack of sleep, food, and grieving over her dying child. Kayla still had not gotten a CT scan, our whole reason for going two hours away to another hospital to be ignored by the health workers as we sat in the hallway. There was no progress during that day and I told the parents I'd go find a hotel to get some sleep that night or I'd be useless.
Thursday
I awoke to the thought that Kayla might not have made it through the night. I knew they had a CT scan scheduled for the morning at another hospital, so I'd meet them there. When I got to the hospital, I asked if the transportation had arrived from the government hospital, I was told "yes" and waited in the CT scan waiting area. When the x-ray tech came out I asked him about Kayla, he said the family was not there and called the other hospital to see why. The doctor said she was not stable enough to leave the hospital. I rushed to the hospital and she was there, but her condition had not changed. Finally I demanded to talk with her doctor to find out why nothing was being done for this child. The doctor basically said they thought she was brain dead and medications were keeping her heart beating and the ambu bag keeping her lungs moving. They were waiting for her to die. Later that day, the father said he'd go check on his other children and if I could stay to help with Kayla. I said yes and waited. About 3:30pm, Kayla's heartbeat began to slow to 60bpm to 40bpm till it stopped beating. Chest compressions were done, but the heart would not keep beating. Kayla was dead.
The rest of the day consisted of the mother and I arguing, and sometimes angrily, with guards and hospital staff that would take the body of Kayla to their morgue and not allow the mother to take her child back to her province for funeral preparations unless she could pay all of the hospital bill right then. She would not be allowed to leave until bills were paid in full. While the mother was attempting to complete the paperwork, I sat in front of that dirty morgue holding Kayla and wishing the mother did not have to go through all of this. She did not have enough money and was in no state to worry about billing and the massive amount of paperwork that was required to be discharged from the hospital. Together we were able to pay the bill and get transportation back to her home that night.
The most heart-breaking sounds I have ever heard was this mother weeping over her child. I don't think I can ever forget that sound or that image of her holding her dead child screaming for the child to answer her. I don't ever want to see the father wiping his face continually from the tears that wouldn't stop. I don't know why the child died. Maybe God had me there to be with the family. I cannot tell them why God did not answer their prayers to heal Kayla. The spinal tap revealed she had bacterial meningitis.
The very next week, the other two siblings of Kayla were in the hospital with similar symptoms as Kayla. When I visited them and asked if I could pray for the children, the mother's response was, "it doesn't do any good" and "I think God is punishing us". I don't know how to respond to the mother except that God is good and he does not change. I can just be there, pray and allow God to work through me to love them and show them that God does care so much for this family. I pray that He will continue to reveal more of his love to them through this situation.
The children are doing well now and they were discharged from the hospital after a week. We had the other two children checked for TB and they were found to be positive. We are currently sponsoring their medications for the next 6 months.
I pray I will not ever be in too much of a hurry to stop and help a needy family or individual. I pray that I won't refuse someone daily necessities because I don't want to bother or don't want to give from my own pocket. And I pray that every interaction with people God places in my path will be full of love, compassion and mercy.
Thank all of you for your friendships, support and prayer... to see how you can be involved with mercyinaction go to "how to support" section.
Our greatest purpose in life is to love God and love others.
News, stories, and happenings from August
So... where do I start? So many things have been going on here: over half a year has passed for me here in the Philippines, I spent over a week in bed with malaria in July, we have completed many medical trips to the mountains since February, supervised the completion of a well in our adopted tribal village and are continuing with the work here. But I can give at least one recent story...
Our last trip to the ButBut tribal people (and one new tribal people) in the mountains has been the most strenuous for me so far. We spent much time hiking in the mountains to each village we would work at(which I love to do anyway) but also encountered Spiritual opposition. During our first night in a village (that we had never done checkups in before), we spent much of the night up with a sick child and in prayer. We were awakened by frantic knocking on the guesthouse door where we all were sleeping in preparation for the next day of checkups. A child was sick and very lethargic in a nearby house. When we arrived, the child was barely able to keep his eyes open and his mouth just hung open. We gave him paracetamol to help lower his fever and prayed for him. The parents and grandparents were present during this time. I noticed a pig that had just been killed on the shelf near my head. We stayed with the family until about 1am. We said we would check up again at 3am to give meds again and see how the child was. At 3am, upon arriving, we immediately noticed the pig was now on the floor, cut open and a container of blood and a bowl of livers were on the counter.
Many of the people of Kalinga still hold to ancient beliefs that a sacrifice has to be made for a sick person. Sometimes blood is wiped or sprinkled on the sick and sometimes the village witchdoctor is used. We wiped the pig’s blood from the child’s face and continued to pray for him. During this time I really struggled with what to do. Do I need to demand that the pig and blood be removed so we could pray? Do we overlook it? We used the opportunity to tell the family that there was no need for the blood of pigs, but the sacrifice was made by Jesus Christ on the cross for the spiritual and physical healing of all peoples. It is his blood that heals us and nothing else is needed. The family agreed and together we prayed for the sick child. We left the house again at 5am and checked up on the child at 7am. He was noticeable better, but still needed to be transported to the nearby hospital (which was about 2 hours away).
A few days later, I was awakened (and praying immediately) by a strange dream. The moral of the dream (I believe) was that the Word of God is like shotgun shells in our fight against the enemy who is a liar and deceiver who comes to kill, steal and destroy. Without knowledge of God’s Word, we are unarmed. Even if we have God’s Word, but do not have wisdom, we are like one who does not know how to use a gun. Proverbs tells us to cry out for wisdom and understanding and search for it as one searches for gold. We need to ACTIVELY search and cry out for God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as prayed for in Ephesians 1:17.
Our last trip to the ButBut tribal people (and one new tribal people) in the mountains has been the most strenuous for me so far. We spent much time hiking in the mountains to each village we would work at(which I love to do anyway) but also encountered Spiritual opposition. During our first night in a village (that we had never done checkups in before), we spent much of the night up with a sick child and in prayer. We were awakened by frantic knocking on the guesthouse door where we all were sleeping in preparation for the next day of checkups. A child was sick and very lethargic in a nearby house. When we arrived, the child was barely able to keep his eyes open and his mouth just hung open. We gave him paracetamol to help lower his fever and prayed for him. The parents and grandparents were present during this time. I noticed a pig that had just been killed on the shelf near my head. We stayed with the family until about 1am. We said we would check up again at 3am to give meds again and see how the child was. At 3am, upon arriving, we immediately noticed the pig was now on the floor, cut open and a container of blood and a bowl of livers were on the counter.
Many of the people of Kalinga still hold to ancient beliefs that a sacrifice has to be made for a sick person. Sometimes blood is wiped or sprinkled on the sick and sometimes the village witchdoctor is used. We wiped the pig’s blood from the child’s face and continued to pray for him. During this time I really struggled with what to do. Do I need to demand that the pig and blood be removed so we could pray? Do we overlook it? We used the opportunity to tell the family that there was no need for the blood of pigs, but the sacrifice was made by Jesus Christ on the cross for the spiritual and physical healing of all peoples. It is his blood that heals us and nothing else is needed. The family agreed and together we prayed for the sick child. We left the house again at 5am and checked up on the child at 7am. He was noticeable better, but still needed to be transported to the nearby hospital (which was about 2 hours away).
A few days later, I was awakened (and praying immediately) by a strange dream. The moral of the dream (I believe) was that the Word of God is like shotgun shells in our fight against the enemy who is a liar and deceiver who comes to kill, steal and destroy. Without knowledge of God’s Word, we are unarmed. Even if we have God’s Word, but do not have wisdom, we are like one who does not know how to use a gun. Proverbs tells us to cry out for wisdom and understanding and search for it as one searches for gold. We need to ACTIVELY search and cry out for God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as prayed for in Ephesians 1:17.
What is a missionary?
Missions and Tourism
Many times we have mistaken missions for tourism. It seems the occupation of "missionary" has been idolized for too long. Spending a week in Ileb Resettlement Camp has helped me better understand aspects of missions, poverty, and purity. Ileb consists mostly of the ButBut tribal people from the mountains who have been relocated by the government to the lowlands. Currently they have no electricity, no running water, and land that is unfit for productive farming.
Partial Missions
In Ileb, I stayed with the leader of the community and his family. The daughter of the family was the elementary teacher who could speak English, so I was able to ask questions and hold extended conversations. The daughter had passed up a better paying job in the city to stay and work in her own community in an ill-supplied class room with classes grouped together. The teacher sometimes made comments about missionaries having big hearts. To her, and many others, a missionary is defined as a person who travels to a foreign country and does "good" deeds. She was doing "good" things in her own community. So what differentiates what she does from what I do?
Travel Trophies
During my time in Ileb, some leaders from a mission's organization showed up. I felt a little embarrassed as they hopped off the van and started snapping pictures of the "poor" tribal villagers, taking pictures of the insides of their homes (which the villagers feel very embarrassed about), their children and their old people. I often feel embarrassed when there is a large group of westerners in a poverty area. It suddenly seems I have become one of the paying visitors at the poor people's zoo. Photos are taken for their scrapbook titled "look how hardcore and brave I am." These scrapbooks make great conversational pieces in the social circles of the western world. I, too, find myself in this "missionary mentality," writing home to family and friends, displaying the wonderful, brave and spiritual things I have done and seen. Oh, we have so much pride. We are willing to walk through the streets of Welfareville (where sewage runs through the streets and some children are so malnourished, they look like victims of the concentration camps) and take pictures and tell friends, but are we willing to clear a day and hang out with the people there, play basketball with the youth or play a game of tag with the children while we shake their hands, eat their food and step out of our comfort zones? Are we able to point at the people in our pictures and give their name and what THEY talked and laughed about that day? Can you point to the other persons and tell THEIR story, or have our two week outreaches become no more than a potential travel trophy?
There is Something More
Maybe many people's idea of missions needs a little revamping. How do churches and organizations operate their missions program? What should the main focus of missions be? How does our personal life reflect Christ’s commission for missions? How involved have you become in the activity of the missions dept. in your church? Do you know how the missions fund is being spent? How much goes toward travel expenses, conferences, paperwork versus actual projects, the poor and advancing the kingdom?
Missions is Restoration
By simply being around the poor, we will have many things (especially money) asked from us. Does missions mean handouts? Maybe that's too broad of a question to ask. One thought is that, biblically, we should give regardless of what is asked of us. Jesus taught if someone takes your coat; give them your shirt also (Luke 6:27-36). So how do you, or better yet, how did Jesus respond to people who asked things of him? Jesus came to give life, to restore a people back to their Creator and Father God. I can’t find a place in the gospels where Jesus actually gave money to the beggars. Maybe because it was his daily routine to give or he had given all he had to the poor already and lived daily by faith. Maybe it’s that Jesus looked past the outward and saw the inner need of the people. He saw their true inner poverty and need for restoration of the body, soul and spirit. This could be why we do find numerous times he healed them, forgave their sins and spoke the WORD of God into their lives. So, do we give to those who ask? Yes. The Bible is clear on this. "Do not say to your neighbor 'come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow' -- when you now have it with you" (Prov.3:28). "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another man withholds unduly, but comes to poverty..." (Prov. 11:24). If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered (Prov. 21:13). "...the righteous give without sparing..." (Prov. 21:26b).
Heart Issues
The main point is that we should not be closed-handed to the needy. Many times people say the homeless "will use their money for alcohol or drugs" or try to use the verse "don't cast your pearls before swine" as an excuse not to give. I think it really goes deeper to a heart issue. Do you hold onto your money, possessions and time and try to justify your greedy heart? Spending time with the homeless, I can say that not everyone is cheating you out of that pocket change they make a living on. I have seen the children sick and malnourished from not having enough to eat, fathers that collect trash all day to get enough for a small amount of rice for one or two meals for their family, young women that die on the streets from TB because there is no one to help them (and the stories go on and on...). The issue really is our heart. We cannot serve God and money (Matt. 6:24). So are we making excuses not to give to those who ask, or are we able to provide for their need of companionship for an hour, provide money to feed their children, help with funeral expenses, hospital expenses, clean their wounds from infection, walk with them through restoration from sickness to health and healing, from depression to joy, from suicidal thoughts to life. What is it God has given you to give to others? If you say you are doing these things, is it out of love for the people? If you give a dollar to missions and you hate the poor in your heart, your money means nothing. (for more examples read the parable of the *good Samaritan (Luke 10:25+), * story of the widow’s penny (Mark 12:41+), *story of the rich ruler (Luke 18:18+), *story of the cost of being a disciple (Luke 14:25+), and who it is that Jesus welcomes into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 25:35+). Each tells of giving without reservation and bringing restoration to the needy. Restoration is bringing the kingdom of God to man.
Missions is Bringing the Kingdom of God
Now that I have said what missions is not, let me give the Biblical definition missions. Missions is what Jesus did. His life consisted of bringing the Kingdom of God to the people. It’s not enough to just do good deeds. Jesus could have just done good deeds, but His death would have been in vain. He came proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins and the preparation of the coming Kingdom of God. His death was His seal of the promise of forgiveness of sins so people could see the Kingdom of God.
The Gospel of the Kingdom
This is the Gospel that was spoken of in Matthew 24:14 that will be proclaimed and preached in every nation. It proclaims the coming of the King, Jesus the Messiah. Yeshua, the Son of God who has taken away the sins of the world. The term "missionary" implies that certain people are to proclaim the kingdom. Are we not all called to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name to all nations? This is the Gospel of the Kingdom; that Jesus came to redeem our souls from hell, so repent from your sins, turn from your wicked ways, believe in Jesus and you will be forgiven and received into the Kingdom of God. It sounds simple, but do our good deeds get in the way of our mouths proclaiming this? Only God can prepare a person’s heart. He uses us many times to speak the Word of God to them, drawing them to the Father. "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me (Jesus). Therefore (you disciples) go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing (that follows repentance) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:18+).
First month in the Philippines
During my first month here, several students and I have returned several times to a downtown area in Manila where several families live in the street. The first time was on the way to a coffee house (run by a co-op of dwarves) for a time to relax. We never made it to the Hobbit House, but as we cut across a small side street we met the street people we would soon call friends. I soon learned much about the life of these families. One 29 year old lady named Jenny was sick with TB. We met her on a Sunday and by that Saturday, she was dead. One of her friends told her story of being sold by her family (to whom and for what, I don’t know). She lived in a small plaza under a small umbrella. Jenny’s wake was yesterday with a glass jar over her rental casket to collect enough money to pay for the wake and burial. She has no traceable family.
Another lady we met told us about how she would sleep up in trees to escape having all her things burned and being thrown in jail. She had a limp from falling out of a tree trying to escape police. Today we visited a mother who had a baby with a fever and dehydrated from diarrhea. These are the daily lives of many of the families that live on the street. While walking around the city, there are so many needs. Some can be solved with simple medical intervention, some with money (such as to pay for funerals, hospital bills, and daily food), and other with a couple hours time spent with needy people.
The situation is the same for the entire human race. Jesus healed the sick, spent time with the outcasts of society and gave to all who were in need. Redemption. Jesus redeemed our souls from destruction, death, and hell. When we are able to lift another from danger, sickness, spiritual deprivation, depression or poverty, we are imitating the example Christ gave us during his life on earth. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:35, the Samaritan said he would repay WHATEVER costs the treatment incurred. So many times I have to stop and ask myself if I am willing to give whatever it takes to redeem someone and to what extent I am willing to do that.
Another lady we met told us about how she would sleep up in trees to escape having all her things burned and being thrown in jail. She had a limp from falling out of a tree trying to escape police. Today we visited a mother who had a baby with a fever and dehydrated from diarrhea. These are the daily lives of many of the families that live on the street. While walking around the city, there are so many needs. Some can be solved with simple medical intervention, some with money (such as to pay for funerals, hospital bills, and daily food), and other with a couple hours time spent with needy people.
The situation is the same for the entire human race. Jesus healed the sick, spent time with the outcasts of society and gave to all who were in need. Redemption. Jesus redeemed our souls from destruction, death, and hell. When we are able to lift another from danger, sickness, spiritual deprivation, depression or poverty, we are imitating the example Christ gave us during his life on earth. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:35, the Samaritan said he would repay WHATEVER costs the treatment incurred. So many times I have to stop and ask myself if I am willing to give whatever it takes to redeem someone and to what extent I am willing to do that.
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