That mother whose heart is bound to her child’s – doesn’t compare to how your Father’s heart is bound to you. {Isa 49:15}

CAN I JUST SAY IT AGAIN?? GOD DID IT!
GOD SHOWED US JUST HOW MUCH HE LOVES!

May 2nd we made it through South Africa Customs without any question! Just imagine for a moment, if you will… Imagine one rather small (but I do have muscles!) blonde girl unloading (12)-50lb duffels off the baggage ramp: all filled with blankets, scarves and hats! Now imagine me, loading them on three very small rolling carts. … The weight and height was way over the top of me.

And, no one had yet showed up to help me.

“Father I know you have a plan. I know you love these precious children more than me. I also know I am very imperfect; fall short so many times; but please don’t count that against blessing these precious little ones. I know I don’t deserve such mercy and a free ride; but they do. Please… show up and show me how to get out of here unharmed and all these giftss untouched by greedy hands. Thank you, Jesus.”

I know, that little prayer sounds a bit odd. But, when you’re in a crisis mode-you know the only thing that can hinder God’s power is maybe something not right in yourself. So, you repent of everything you can think of really fast and hope…. (smile) and pray.

Of course, during my dialogue with God I saw a young boy watching me curiously. He had a Custom vest on. Should I? I was standing alone in the entire area. He was ready to get off shift. I went up to him and did it. I explained about ‘our’ children–so in need. I told him I was in need of some help to get out of the baggage claim area. ……

Of Course God Did It!

Mercy! He took off his Custom vest and helped me push my carts past Customs and out to meet our Pastor Alcy and Pastor Bruce. …… “Thank you, Father….. Thanks for Your Love and Compassion that holds no limit even when You are forced to work with cracked vessels!”

Our Weekend Started on Friday

Here we started our morning with meetings with the principal and teachers of Majakaneng School. It is through this precious relationship that we work with the 300 orphans. Eunice the principal updated us on the feeding program. We heard success story after another! Not only are we able to feed the extra 300 orphan– daily but the hot meal (Tender Mercies from Midwest Food Bank) feeds the other children living in each of their homes—because, they take the extra left over hot food home with them. None is ever wasted!

See these two?

One small story…. These two were coming to school and eating ravenously for over two months. Finally, it was noted by their teachers that these siblings were not being washed; their uniforms were dirty and shoes were in need of great repair. Since it is pretty much culture driven to keep quiet-the teachers sat them both down and begged them to speak about things going on at home. With much reluctance they proceeded to spill out the details. Their mother had run off with their government ID’s and papers. They were alone. Without papers there was no money to help feed and clothe them. They found their grandmother but their grandmother did not have the finances to support them—however, she did the best she could. I tell you, tears… Tears. ……..

Their mother may have abandoned them and took from them; but God didn’t. God showed up in their time of need.
HIS HEART IS BOUND TO THEM Is. 49:15

Mama Fatima

Here, we have Mama Fatima! We met with her on Friday, also. She is a member of the Flames Church and lovely gifted woman of God who has been heading up the cooking for our 300! She is amazing! We love her! It was quite a surprise to Eunice and the rest of us when Mama Fatima told us that the two kids she cared for at her home were not her own—but were orphans from the school! We fell back in shock! We have our key Mama! She has a heart for orphans because her parents were not there for her when she was young. Her passion has her growing peanuts, vegetables and cooking food for our kids—everyday. She showed us her shack by the school. She showed us how she made peanut butter and how she roasted peanuts to give to the kids and sell for an income! She is a one amazing gift to our children!

Again…monthly support from YOU keeps her alive in her work for HIM!

PLEASE PUT MAMA FATIMA IN YOUR DAILY PRAYERS! SHE WILL BE OUR KEY TO GROWING IN OUR CARE FOR THESE CHILDREN!

Saturday could not come fast enough! We gathered the Flames Church youth and gogo’s and set up our event! You see, the Flames Church also made 200 blankets alongside us for our kids; some are orphans of the church themselves… not some, but I should say most are.

Can you imagine—orphans making blankets for orphans?

We had an outpouring of blessings and God’s nearness as the 350 little ones walked into our tent church of Elandstrand… There was something different about this group. They were different than when we gathered at Christmas…….. (I will touch on this in a moment)!

Of course once again Byron our lovely Cheetah came to our party! Many did not get to pet him the last time so we had him come and bless our kids, again! He is a perfect gentleman and the kids are in such awe of him! (ok, me too!)

Then.. we had the Flames Youth present a program of dance, love, worship and fun! IT was fantastic! The orphans were smiling ear-to-ear; clapping and laughing! I tell you, I was placed on another level of joy! I can’t tell you or even explain it! I felt God wrapping His big Arms around our little tent and pulling us in– tight into His bosom! I did not want to leave-ever!

After this program our kids got to have another meal-just like at Christmas. Food was piled high on plates that consisted of chunks of good meat, vegetables and pap Set up for Kings and Queens! But, at this point here it was ‘different’.

Bruce and I both noticed it. There was not that desperate look when the food came out. The children ate, talked and looked around while eating. It wasn’t like in December where total concentration was on eating; putting food as quickly as they could into their growling tummies. They were having fun eating and their eyes were bright!! They were enjoying us and each other while eating. In other words eating wasn’t that BIG of a deal!

WE CAN ONLY CONTRIBUTE THIS TO OUR FEEDING PROGRAM!

Our Father continues to be bound to our kids! He is filling them in the places where there is the greatest void! Is 49:15

After everyone was full they lined up to receive a gift of warmth from You! Even if you personally did not make a blanket -the resources given bought material for others to make warm blankets! We had blankets for every child along with scarves, hats and gloves! We got them set for their winter! They even got special notes of love from you!

I wish you could have seen their eyes! They were so excited to receive such beautiful and warm blankets! They lit up with all the bright colors and child prints! They wrapped themselves in them!

If you want to see the total event in pictures here is a link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.520225308014103.1073741827.151982811505023&type=1

I promise you will look at these pictures and a smile will slowly spread across your face!

What can I say? The weekend was filled with God spilling out His Amazing Love in so many different and big ways! Lives were touched! Important connections were made to take our care of these precious orphans to another level! God is putting out the plan before us-we simply are walking through each open door! That is really how it works!

So many times, yes…me. I want to run ahead and do this/do that… There are just so many needs! But, that is not how God works. He doesn’t ever want to overwhelm us with a list of to-do’s. No. He quietly lays out the next step; when done, He opens the next step…

We just have to be faithful in the finishing of the next best thing-one step at a time.

HE LEADS—we follow!

If I thanked you from now until He comes back-that would not be enough to fully express my gratitude for your faithfulness. I am so humbled as I see God fully binding His heart to us through you! Is 49:15.
I love you, my family. I love you so much-Sally Herman (did I say thank you?)

He came through our surgical screening line so helpless; or so I thought. He was among the last to be screened for surgery in Malawi, Africa. And, I hate to admit it; ashamed to admit that I could not look at him. This small boy had fallen into a cooking fire—a story we hear quite often, and his body and face had suffered encompassing burns. I could not look at his face—he had none. Poor healing had led to a disfigurement so bad a face was indistinguishable. And yet, his mother stood there so helpless and looking at us so hopeful.

Could we help him?

The story went something like this. This little boy had been helping with the family cooking when all the sudden he had a seizure and landed headfirst into the fire. His mother quickly grabbed him; however, it was too late. His little body had been engulfed by the unrelenting flames.

Having no immediate emergency medical care-what does one do? Can you imagine the fear that groped this poor mother? Can you imagine the terror? In a third world where sons are so important in sustaining a family-can you imagine the feelings of despair as a hopeful future disintegrated into a pile of ash? Her son lay helplessly burning in her arms!

As the uncertain future stretched before this mother, she did what every mother instinctively does. And, that is—she bravely cared for her son with what little resources she had. Each day of healing brought some tough decisions she had to make. His eyes were so badly burned that his left eye started to die. The protective eyelid had been burned off. So she was left without a choice—she had to remove the eye. She removed it.

His right eye was covered but the eyelid had become constricted and unable to move up and down. He would soon lose that eye if he had no surgical intervention to release the contracture.

This is what she asked.

Could we save her son’s right eye? As he was evaluated by the surgeons and finished the screening process I was so deeply ashamed that I was unable to look at this young boy. I prayed for this family and prayed that the surgeons could properly release the eyelid; thus, saving the right eye.

I prayed for grace for them and for me.

As the week went by; however, I realized something. The person that was handicapped in this situation was not him—but it was me. This little boy was not bothered by the ashes of his tragedy. His mother didn’t appears so either. I found this boy laughing with the other children in the shelter; helping with the other children’s needs after their surgeries and assisting his mother with the rest of the family. In fact, everyone loved this little ‘man’ who was so grown up for his years; who showed such a deep inner beauty of compassion for others. As he waited his turn for surgery he used those days to encourage others!

In fact, it was so touching that by week’s end I didn’t see a disfigured face, at all. I didn’t see the gross abnormalities that contorted his little frame. I saw a beauty so deep; so alive that it beckoned me to want to be close to it. It called at me to drink of its peace; love and assurance.

When asked how they lived through such a tragedy—this mother pointed to heaven and held her heart.

I was the one handicapped. I was the one blind. God was showing me something so deep; so profound that I will never forget it for as long as I live. As this little boy’s life lay burning to ashes in his mother’s arms-every single hope and every last dream, a deeper beauty began to emerge that could never be duplicated. The ashes worth nothing became beauty and strength worth everything. From the outside this boy had nothing to offer the world but looking from the inside he held everything.

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair—Is 61:3

When circumstances come into our lives that burn up all our self-laid plans, our hopes, our dreams, or even destroy our health … what is our natural human reaction? We begin to ask questions. We may turn angry. If all the things we had ever hoped and longed for in this world suddenly burn up and lay in ashes at our feet—-our humanness fights deep anger, dark bitterness and gloomy despair. Our natural tendency is to place blame on others or even place it on God.

I had to think of our most beloved Apostle Peter. SO human, like us! He had followed Jesus for three years and had placed all his hope that they would soon be free from Roman bondage and persecution! Under Roman rule at the time the believers were persecuted, terrorized and all the believers hope was placed on this Messiah, Jesus to set their world free.
How many of us have deeply followed

our Lord Jesus and somehow thought in following He would deliver us from the curse of broken dreams, heartaches and fallen hopes?

It’s a thought most of us have. But what if the beauty of our dreams, hopes and human desires is different from His definition of beauty? What if His beauty perspective is different from ours?

Jesus was to be the Messiah of the ‘world’ and set the ‘world’ free! Then, ever so quickly Apostle Peter witnessed the anger, the accusations, the mock trial, the beatings, the crown of thorns, the cross, the journey up the hill, the nails, the sphere, and then….total blackness.

Everything he had believed and hoped for was taken down from the cross, wrapped in linen and laid in a cold rocky tomb—dead.

Have you been there? The beauty and hope for your life as you had planned now lay dead among the cold rocks? Scripture states that the Apostle Peter went away dumbfounded. He lay in ashes of despair. How could anything beautiful arise from this? What did he even follow the Messiah for? What was that all about? Where does one go from here?

Beauty is not always seen in the same way as WE believe it should be.

He will give us beauty for ashes. Some may say that everything we lose on this earth-God will redeem. This is true. But redemption for our little ‘boy’ didn’t come by miraculously being made physically beautiful to this world. Redemption comes when we willing lay down our pride, self fulfilled ideas, dreams, our motives, our plans of what ‘should’ be and fully accept God’s what ‘can’ be out of our pile of despair. He calls us to the beauty of surrender and sacrifice of everything that is self-made, prideful, and self-willed to the higher calling of beauty that is crafted through Him. And, many times this crafting evolves by burning ashes.

The purest and most impeccable beauty one could ever achieve is the beauty He offers to us when we surrender and offer up the ashes of our ‘self’.

For three days Apostle Peter experienced the deepest pit of despair. For three days it was the darkest of nights. Where could he even go for a pittance of hope?

Then, on the third day….. The ashes of death were aroused. An explosion of life rose up from the ash! A garment lay empty and our Lord Jesus walked out of that tomb by His own power arising into the beauty of a living Hope!! Strength and beauty arose from the ashes! Jesus.

Hope of this ‘world’ ends in the grave and in the ashes of every lost human dream and desire—but, for those who believe—ashes are the place where Hope and Beauty arise into a new beginning.

JESUS.

He gives us HIS beauty when we offer HIM our ashes. The offerings of ashes from our selfish desires and self-righteous ways EXPLODE in His Hand into His beauty, His strength and His power.

If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are sadder than anyone else. But it is true! Christ has been raised from the dead! He was the first One to be raised from the dead and all those who are in graves will follow.1 Corinthians 15:19-20 NLV

……….to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes… Is 61:1-3

Twas the Night Before Surgery

‘Twas the night before surgery…and, all through our shelter house not a person was stirring not even the most prominent mouse’
It was a dark night in Malawi, Africa. Proper lighting is always scarce among many other things; but tonight was a night like no other–for them and myself.
Many of these precious people had walked for days to get to the city where our team was set-up for the first time in this country. Many had never seen a white person. The stories that went through the villages of this country kept many those suffering with facial defects-away.
“Don’t go! Those white people will kill you!” “Stay back you will be harmed!”

But of the many sufferers in this small country–150 of them trusted God enough to take their journey. Although, for many the journey was long and treacherous; with limited resources they spent and risked it all to come. Adults as well as children were in need of this cleft lip/palate surgery we freely offered. So against their own culture norm-the few risked a step in faith and boldness.
Tonight, it was the night before their lives would be forever changed.
If there was a nighttime fear it was chased away by the strong bonding of the like-minded; like-hearted; like in the suffering group. Many had never met and yet, together…tonight, they had become family. Each looking after the other; sharing in their hopes, dreams and even comforted in their personal fears.

I wonder if the shepherds found comfort in each other the night the sky lit up in the brightest of brilliance just for them? I mean here we have the unaccepted; the lowly, poor, cast-outs of society gathering each night and on one special night they became privileged guests to witness the hope of heaven!! That night, they journeyed together into the city of Bethlehem-their lives to be changed forever.

Checking to see that all were tucked in safe and tight before I left to go back to my hotel, I saw a dim light flickering coming from underneath a door down the long corridor. I slowly walked to this dim light as not wanting to disturb anyone. As I got nearer there were a dozen women and their babies sitting on blankets on the floor-just talking and laughing. I asked if everything was ok… They beckoned me in.
It was as if I had come to the light of the stable.

….just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings
-Elie Wiesel
I think that is why Jesus chose to come to us dressed as a human being.

In that overcrowded room I sat down on the floor to join in their discussions. For the course of a few hours I was transferred from being an American to an African. They began to fill me in on their lives. They told me stories filled with severe pain, loss, struggle and despair. They shared with me about the routine of a ‘normal’ day in their villages. I sat spellbound.
The one thing that was so striking was that not one of these women knew each other. They had just met; coming from different villages. And yet, they all shared the same stories. Community is their way of survival.
If one family cannot make it in their villages-another family was there offering them their last piece of bread. If there was a child ill-the entire village prayed. If someone needed to journey far away somewhere-there was always another to come and offer assistance. When they plant their crops the entire village does it together. If a mother cannot attend to her children-the other mothers’ take the child and care for him. If both parents die-a neighbor takes over and cares for the children. But ultimately, and they would say this over and over that it is God’s help that sustains them through every hardship and struggle; every famine and drought.
As they talked of their way of life-I sat there feeling as if I had been birthed on another planet. Oh, how strange it would seem to them if I had said I didn’t even bother to know my neighbors! How even stranger it would seem to tell them my parents lived three days journey by car away from me.

My struggles felt so trite in comparison to anyone’s in the room-and yet, in so many way so much heavier. Where every struggle in the villages of Malawi is equally shared and felt; our struggles in the USA are so much of the time made heavier by our self-imposed isolation. Where they are not afraid to involve others in their lives—we are.
We don’t openly share; nor do we openly give assistance to those we don’t know. We would never give away our last piece of bread to our neighbor; nor would a neighbor come in and care for my family as if it was their own-free of charge. We don’t ‘own’ anyone’s hardships. It’s also as if our own personal struggles are weaknesses or a curse in which we don’t want anyone to see or bear witness of. We don’t actively put ourselves in that place to share in the need; and yet we know we all have it.

I was so absorbed in their conversations; transposed into their lives that I clearly missed the dreaded question…
“Tell us what life is like in America”

I sat stunned; not knowing what to say. One sweet elderly lady broke my silence, “We hear you don’t need God as much as we do”… “We are so desperate for Him, here.. Please won’t you pray for us?”

I don’t deny they need God here. There is starvation. The hospitals are stacked full. Sometimes even three lay on one bed while the stockrooms of supplies are empty. There is only one pediatric ventilator in the entire country. Family, relatives and neighbors take shifts keeping children alive with breathing tubes-by hand-breathing with a bag/valve. People with fractured limbs wait days for a volunteer orthopedic surgeon to come. Those in need of anesthesia wait for a desperately needed surgery until anesthesea is available. Sick patients wait in the halls for a bed in a ward to open up; only opening because another dies. There is no water to drink in the heat of the summer and no heat in the winter. Equipment breaks without the proper tools or maneuverings to fix it. Children die from simple things they shouldn’t.
And yet, I tell you the churches are full. Faith is strong. There are no books, courses, DVD’s, or studies to reveal the truth of God to these people. They just know Him….. They just Know Him. It’s as if the slighter the resources in a country-the stronger the faith and purer the worship. It’s as if the poor are the privileged ones that God opens the heavens of the heart with such a brilliance and revealing that can’t be seen or felt in those of affluence.

“Oh, God is so good to bring you here. Thank you for coming to our country. It’s a privilege for us. I want to name my baby-your name. It would be honor for me and my family to have my baby named after someone from the America.” She then placed her hands on her large swollen belly-with child. I blessed this little one and as I did tears could not be held back. For, in shame I felt just the opposite. If I was pregnant with child I would consider it the greatest of honor and privilege to bless my baby with an African name….

I think God knew something all along.

When God chose to bring His Son to earth He chose to do it in such a way that His Son would be welcomed by those who would do so with the purest and truest of worship. He knew that only the lowly, the poor, the disadvantaged and those void of hope would consider it among the highest of honors to take the proper time to journey to the lowliest of mangers-the place most worthy of the grandest of worship.

God did not want His Son to come to earth as a ‘human being’ without the support of an ‘entire village of lowly shepherds’ because He knew and knows today, that the greatest gift He gives to each and every open human heart on this earth is the gift of another open human heart.

Twas the night before surgery—as Twas night before Christmas. The night was quiet and dark; the stars were out and yet, one star shone brighter than the others. For me, the star on the night before this surgery night was this room filled with the brilliance light of hope.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”—–JESUS

We could not believe our ears. I wanted to shut-down all my senses and run to a place that was untouched by the viciousness wiles of evil that is set—on destroying the innocent.  Sharon and I literally sat stunned as this story was unveiled before our eyes. A story, that I am sure is replayed over and over again in the dark poor places of South Africa that the enemy continually lurks to devour and destroy.

Sharon and I were sitting in the office talking to the assistant principal of a primary school for the poorest of the poor when she poured out her heart to us. Oh…..  how she loves all 1000 or more of her ‘children’ and takes personal responsibility for their hearts! You could just see it in the way she poured out this story and by the tears that started to blur her eyes.

Her small primary student had no parents. Both had died. This small girl was living with her grandma who was barely getting by; who also suffered from an addiction to alcohol. One day, this grandma’s uncontrolled addiction to alcohol led her to make a snap decision which ended in a devastating consequence for her granddaughter.

This grandmother was penniless and in desperate need of a bottle of beer.

So, she went over to her neighbor’s home and begged him for a bottle of beer. Taking advantage of this grandma’s addicted situation, this man agreed to give her a bottle of beer only if he could ‘have’ rights to her granddaughter.

She agreed.

She handed her very own precious granddaughter over to this dark situation and along with this rash impulsive purchase for a bottle of beer she bought a fatal consequence.

A death purchase.

Her innocent granddaughter returned home—HIV positive.

This assistant principle could hardly continue the story; as her heart broke over ‘her’ little girl.  She told us that her school needs education especially in the primary grades on good-touch/bad-touch and give them the empowerment to fight for ownership over their own bodies.  She said to us if this girl would have known that what was happening to her was evil and very wrong; she could have run to the police.  Now, this very small innocent child was destined to try to out-run the life sentence of AIDS.

Let’s …just pray…

We have so much set before us.

Let’s pray.