Check this out!!! A sweet friend of mine, the girl who inspired me to go on my first trip, has started this program to ensure that the children at Canaan Children's Home in Uganda are eating a well balanced meal. You can help for just $8 a month...think about what you spend more than $8 a month on (Starbucks, alcohol, McDonalds, parking tickets, etc.).
Monday, November 7, 2011
Help the Canaan kids!
http://www.withwingedfeet.blog
Check this out!!! A sweet friend of mine, the girl who inspired me to go on my first trip, has started this program to ensure that the children at Canaan Children's Home in Uganda are eating a well balanced meal. You can help for just $8 a month...think about what you spend more than $8 a month on (Starbucks, alcohol, McDonalds, parking tickets, etc.).
Check this out!!! A sweet friend of mine, the girl who inspired me to go on my first trip, has started this program to ensure that the children at Canaan Children's Home in Uganda are eating a well balanced meal. You can help for just $8 a month...think about what you spend more than $8 a month on (Starbucks, alcohol, McDonalds, parking tickets, etc.).
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Trust.
I am really having to trust that the Lord will provide.
I am not writing this to gain your pity or persuade you to donate, that is for you and the Lord to decide. This is just how I am feeling right now. I am discouraged. Half of my trip money was due last week and I have just under 1/4th of what I need to go on this trip. I am confident that the money will come from somewhere because our God promises to fulfill the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). I ran across these encouraging verses the other night and am clinging to them in this time of need.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19
In the words of Jesus Christ, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." -Luck 11:9
Praying that I can continue to trust in the Lord and for comfort if this trip is not His plan for me. If you haven't yet read this, I hope it impacts you as it does me. It brings me to tears every time I read it.
I am not writing this to gain your pity or persuade you to donate, that is for you and the Lord to decide. This is just how I am feeling right now. I am discouraged. Half of my trip money was due last week and I have just under 1/4th of what I need to go on this trip. I am confident that the money will come from somewhere because our God promises to fulfill the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). I ran across these encouraging verses the other night and am clinging to them in this time of need.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19
In the words of Jesus Christ, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." -Luck 11:9
Praying that I can continue to trust in the Lord and for comfort if this trip is not His plan for me. If you haven't yet read this, I hope it impacts you as it does me. It brings me to tears every time I read it.
"When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much." It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.
The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness. The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life. Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.
My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed by my lack of faith, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little. I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.
I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership. But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me."
www.themochaclub.org/i-need-africa
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Impact.
Something really unexpected, emotional, wild, etc. happened tonight. I got an email earlier today from Visiting Orphans about a church our of California that has partnered with Return Ministries Uganda, the second ministry we visited during my stay in Uganda. (The Lord is using Pastor Samuel in some incredible and life changing ways!) A few hours later I got another email yet this time from Pastor Samuel with this link (click here). Sitting in my living room I pull up this video on my phone. I was watching it thinking, "Wow! I miss these kids!" picking out faces I recognized, longing to go back and wishing Africa wasn't so far away. About five minutes in I started wondering how long this video was until something caught my eye. If you watched the video you may not have noticed but having unfolded, sorted, folded, packed, repacked, and repacked some more, unpacked and distributed, making sure each dress got to a loving home, I noticed right away the fabric of one of the dresses my grandmother and her friends made that I took to Africa with me! I immediately stopped the video and choked back tears! It has been about four months since my team visited Uganda and the effects of our visit, and what the Lord is doing, are still being seen.
I don't know the full story behind what the team was doing but my assumption is the large duffel bag of stuff we dropped off just got sorted through and that team was seeing that the resources were being given where they saw needs. What a blessing! The dresses are at 5:04, a pink plaid dress, at 5:22 a rust colored dress with tan ties, and at 6:37 a green dress with red strawberries (that is the dress that originally caught my eye).
I am praying that God will send me back on the December trip and I am trusting in His plans, however, I am still running very short in the amount of money I need to raise by December. That was just one example from many of how your support can have a ripple effect with lasting visibility. Would you consider partnering with me and supporting my December return? For more information contact machinnis@gmail.com.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. -1 Timothy 1:12
I don't know the full story behind what the team was doing but my assumption is the large duffel bag of stuff we dropped off just got sorted through and that team was seeing that the resources were being given where they saw needs. What a blessing! The dresses are at 5:04, a pink plaid dress, at 5:22 a rust colored dress with tan ties, and at 6:37 a green dress with red strawberries (that is the dress that originally caught my eye).
I am praying that God will send me back on the December trip and I am trusting in His plans, however, I am still running very short in the amount of money I need to raise by December. That was just one example from many of how your support can have a ripple effect with lasting visibility. Would you consider partnering with me and supporting my December return? For more information contact machinnis@gmail.com.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. -1 Timothy 1:12
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Support. Hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A5jyHNGLHE
This video is very similar to the one I made when I first returned in July. I fixed it up a little and am asking for your partnership for my return in just two short months. I have about two months to raise just under $4,000. Please let me know if you have any questions or fundraising ideas. I am also open to speaking at any meetings or events. You can contact me at machinnis@gmail.com.
Thanks and God bless!
Graduation countdown: 49 days :(
Africa countdown: 65 days!
Just came across this blog post and read it through tears. Since I haven't really shared many details from my trip I'll start here (advanced apologies for being vague, not sure how many details I can share)...Towards the end of the Uganda week of our trip we left Jinja and headed to Kampala to a children's prison. Sixty Feet is a ministry currently working in the prisons to minister to the children and do as much as they can to provide basic necessities for these children who live in unimaginable conditions. Anyways, we rode our bus about three hours, I think, to what we thought was where we were meeting a staff member of Sixty Feet who was going to take us into the prison. When we pulled up to where we thought was the right place, no one was there so we called and found out we were at the wrong one and were too far from the one we should have been at. I was pretty bummed because I really wanted to go but we knew that God had a plan! That night, the guy from Sixty Feet came to our guest house and spoke to us about how much they needed our help and I just felt awful that we couldn't go. I was wondering why on Earth we couldn't switch our schedule around to be able to go and just pretty bummed out. That same night I started feeling kind of sick so I went up to my room after he finished talking to our group. There was a smaller group of people that stayed to talk to him and worked it out to where a few of them were able to go the next day into the prison. When I heard about it I wanted even more to go and was extra bummed out because I missed that opportunity. The next night our group got together to talk about our day since we had split into two groups. The group from the prison began sharing their experiences and I just can't even begin to do their experiences justice if I tried to retell them. It is hard to even think about the description of how these children live without crying and asking God, "Why? Why your precious children? They are innocent." Needless to say, we were all very upset listening to these stories of hope or lack of. I knew then that God knew I probably could not have held it together had I gone. He is faithful and has a purpose and plan for everything regardless of our "plans"! I encourage you to check out https://SixtyFeet.org/2011/10/23/steadfast-love/ for just one story and God's promise for these children. There, you will also find more information on Sixty Feet. This is one of the places I may get to go to in December.
This video is very similar to the one I made when I first returned in July. I fixed it up a little and am asking for your partnership for my return in just two short months. I have about two months to raise just under $4,000. Please let me know if you have any questions or fundraising ideas. I am also open to speaking at any meetings or events. You can contact me at machinnis@gmail.com.
Thanks and God bless!
Graduation countdown: 49 days :(
Africa countdown: 65 days!
Just came across this blog post and read it through tears. Since I haven't really shared many details from my trip I'll start here (advanced apologies for being vague, not sure how many details I can share)...Towards the end of the Uganda week of our trip we left Jinja and headed to Kampala to a children's prison. Sixty Feet is a ministry currently working in the prisons to minister to the children and do as much as they can to provide basic necessities for these children who live in unimaginable conditions. Anyways, we rode our bus about three hours, I think, to what we thought was where we were meeting a staff member of Sixty Feet who was going to take us into the prison. When we pulled up to where we thought was the right place, no one was there so we called and found out we were at the wrong one and were too far from the one we should have been at. I was pretty bummed because I really wanted to go but we knew that God had a plan! That night, the guy from Sixty Feet came to our guest house and spoke to us about how much they needed our help and I just felt awful that we couldn't go. I was wondering why on Earth we couldn't switch our schedule around to be able to go and just pretty bummed out. That same night I started feeling kind of sick so I went up to my room after he finished talking to our group. There was a smaller group of people that stayed to talk to him and worked it out to where a few of them were able to go the next day into the prison. When I heard about it I wanted even more to go and was extra bummed out because I missed that opportunity. The next night our group got together to talk about our day since we had split into two groups. The group from the prison began sharing their experiences and I just can't even begin to do their experiences justice if I tried to retell them. It is hard to even think about the description of how these children live without crying and asking God, "Why? Why your precious children? They are innocent." Needless to say, we were all very upset listening to these stories of hope or lack of. I knew then that God knew I probably could not have held it together had I gone. He is faithful and has a purpose and plan for everything regardless of our "plans"! I encourage you to check out https://SixtyFeet.org/2011/10/23/steadfast-love/ for just one story and God's promise for these children. There, you will also find more information on Sixty Feet. This is one of the places I may get to go to in December.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Whoa.
That is all I can say. (Also a warning: I haven't posted in a long time so I have a lot to get off of my chest and catch up on!) I just got home from school and this is the first day in about two weeks that I even have time to sit by myself and enjoy a leisure activity. I have been so busy I can't even begin to tell you about it! While always busy, I feel so blessed!
This week I realized that I hadn't updated my blog in FOREVER! I am terribly sorry to those of you who do check for updates. I couldn't even remember if I had mentioned my upcoming trip to Africa. My days fly by so quickly that Monday, quicker than ever, turns into Friday. I can't even try to explain how quickly my jam packed weekends fly by. A lot has happened since my last blog post. I turned 21!!!!!!! It was such a blessed birthday because my incredible friends constantly point me to Christ! I am probably one of the only 21 year olds that can say I remembered my birthday and was able to function the next day. Praise!
I will be the "full time teacher" in my classroom in 7 days.
I graduate 67 days.
I leave for Africa in 83 days.
I mean really, that list could go on and on... I have to finish my assignments before I start teaching in a week, find someone to live in my apartment, work, raise funds to actually get to Africa, survive until graduation, participate in my sorority, apply for jobs!!!!!, and still try to live somewhat of a normal college life while I still can. The fact that I am leaving my second home so soon is really bittersweet! If you would have asked me four years ago where I was going to college it certainly wouldn't have been here, one of my favorite places on Earth. God has such an awesome plan for my life! Thankfully, I have put my hope and future in His hands and am as calm as someone as busy as me can be (I think).
While this all sounds great, I, like any honest person, have been struggling as well. I think I mentioned this in one of my previous posts but I really feel convicted to share this because I know it is a common struggle. A few months ago and especially this time last year, I felt like I was the only one God wasn't "speaking" to. He had definitely changed my heart and my life, that was evident but I just still felt like I was missing something. When I returned from Africa, it took me a while to get in the swing of life here but I starting spending real, quality time in the Word. That is when I really noticed what it meant for God to "speak" to you. You may not hear a voice but there's just this feeling when you know you are right where God wants you. It's not that God wasn't speaking to me, I just wasn't listening! Anyways, now that I have experienced such spiritual growth, I can totally tell when I am lacking. Being as busy as I have been, I really haven't been spending time in the Word and I can tell. The Lord desires a relationship with each and every one of us but just like any relationship, there has to be more that one person. How amazing is the grace we receive and to know that even when we fall so short, He is waiting right where we left off, longing for us to run back to His arms just like an earthly father would! Praise the Lord for that!
Something so great happened this week, well besides being blessed with the most incredible friends and mentors EVER and being able to meet with them and talk about life and the Lord! My sweet friend, who has been to Africa, and I meet regularly and it is such a great opportunity to talk about our hearts and Jesus and she is just so encouraging to me! About a month ago, after reading Becca's blog, who is currently at Canaan Children's Home, I got so upset. I have the picture of me hugging those three sweet boys right beside my bed and thought of the song Albertine by Brook Fraiser. She says, "Now that I have seen, I am responsible." It is really such an incredible song and touching song and I listened to it the whole way back to the States. I told myself I would never forget those children yet I realized that I slipped back into this lavished (and pretty disgusting) life that we live here in America. I was just so upset with myself for "forgetting" about those children. Amy reminded me that even if we really do forget about them (which will never happen), God never will! He loves those children more than anyone in the whole world could! Wow, I can't wait to embrace their tiny, soft, loving little bodies again!
...So back to what happened this week. I have really been so worried about raising my support in time for my trip! Like really worried!!! And even more worried that I'm not more panicked than I already am. A really sweet girl whom I had never met before donated money, no questions asked, and then yesterday, I received my first support check. Though it is a very small amount in the grand total, it all adds up! When I got that check in the mail I could just hear God saying to me, "Do you not trust me? Really?" I found myself praising God and thanking Him! Lord I really do trust you! I trust that if I really am supposed to return to Africa on this trip, He will provide! My earthly self is telling me that there's no way I can do it in time and the Holy Spirit in me is reminding me of God's promises that "with God all things are possible." I ask that you partner with me in prayer that He will provide! If you feel like the Lord is calling you to support this trip, I would love to talk with you! You can reach me at machinnis@gmail.com.
I am reminded of my first favorite verse, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
One last note: If you are interested in joining Abby and I along with a team from Visiting Orphans this December on our Kenya/Uganda trip, there are still spots opened!!!!!!!!!! Ask me about it!
This week I realized that I hadn't updated my blog in FOREVER! I am terribly sorry to those of you who do check for updates. I couldn't even remember if I had mentioned my upcoming trip to Africa. My days fly by so quickly that Monday, quicker than ever, turns into Friday. I can't even try to explain how quickly my jam packed weekends fly by. A lot has happened since my last blog post. I turned 21!!!!!!! It was such a blessed birthday because my incredible friends constantly point me to Christ! I am probably one of the only 21 year olds that can say I remembered my birthday and was able to function the next day. Praise!
I will be the "full time teacher" in my classroom in 7 days.
I graduate 67 days.
I leave for Africa in 83 days.
I mean really, that list could go on and on... I have to finish my assignments before I start teaching in a week, find someone to live in my apartment, work, raise funds to actually get to Africa, survive until graduation, participate in my sorority, apply for jobs!!!!!, and still try to live somewhat of a normal college life while I still can. The fact that I am leaving my second home so soon is really bittersweet! If you would have asked me four years ago where I was going to college it certainly wouldn't have been here, one of my favorite places on Earth. God has such an awesome plan for my life! Thankfully, I have put my hope and future in His hands and am as calm as someone as busy as me can be (I think).
While this all sounds great, I, like any honest person, have been struggling as well. I think I mentioned this in one of my previous posts but I really feel convicted to share this because I know it is a common struggle. A few months ago and especially this time last year, I felt like I was the only one God wasn't "speaking" to. He had definitely changed my heart and my life, that was evident but I just still felt like I was missing something. When I returned from Africa, it took me a while to get in the swing of life here but I starting spending real, quality time in the Word. That is when I really noticed what it meant for God to "speak" to you. You may not hear a voice but there's just this feeling when you know you are right where God wants you. It's not that God wasn't speaking to me, I just wasn't listening! Anyways, now that I have experienced such spiritual growth, I can totally tell when I am lacking. Being as busy as I have been, I really haven't been spending time in the Word and I can tell. The Lord desires a relationship with each and every one of us but just like any relationship, there has to be more that one person. How amazing is the grace we receive and to know that even when we fall so short, He is waiting right where we left off, longing for us to run back to His arms just like an earthly father would! Praise the Lord for that!
Something so great happened this week, well besides being blessed with the most incredible friends and mentors EVER and being able to meet with them and talk about life and the Lord! My sweet friend, who has been to Africa, and I meet regularly and it is such a great opportunity to talk about our hearts and Jesus and she is just so encouraging to me! About a month ago, after reading Becca's blog, who is currently at Canaan Children's Home, I got so upset. I have the picture of me hugging those three sweet boys right beside my bed and thought of the song Albertine by Brook Fraiser. She says, "Now that I have seen, I am responsible." It is really such an incredible song and touching song and I listened to it the whole way back to the States. I told myself I would never forget those children yet I realized that I slipped back into this lavished (and pretty disgusting) life that we live here in America. I was just so upset with myself for "forgetting" about those children. Amy reminded me that even if we really do forget about them (which will never happen), God never will! He loves those children more than anyone in the whole world could! Wow, I can't wait to embrace their tiny, soft, loving little bodies again!
...So back to what happened this week. I have really been so worried about raising my support in time for my trip! Like really worried!!! And even more worried that I'm not more panicked than I already am. A really sweet girl whom I had never met before donated money, no questions asked, and then yesterday, I received my first support check. Though it is a very small amount in the grand total, it all adds up! When I got that check in the mail I could just hear God saying to me, "Do you not trust me? Really?" I found myself praising God and thanking Him! Lord I really do trust you! I trust that if I really am supposed to return to Africa on this trip, He will provide! My earthly self is telling me that there's no way I can do it in time and the Holy Spirit in me is reminding me of God's promises that "with God all things are possible." I ask that you partner with me in prayer that He will provide! If you feel like the Lord is calling you to support this trip, I would love to talk with you! You can reach me at machinnis@gmail.com.
I am reminded of my first favorite verse, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
One last note: If you are interested in joining Abby and I along with a team from Visiting Orphans this December on our Kenya/Uganda trip, there are still spots opened!!!!!!!!!! Ask me about it!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Yes I am alive.
And yes I am super, super busy. I am student teaching at a school 30 minutes away and student teaching is basically like being a teacher's aide with no pay. Now don't get me wrong, it is incredible and I am at an amazing school but I just wanted to paint a picture for you of just how busy I am. On top of that, I am trying to maintain somewhat of a social life.
On a super excited note, I am officially signed up to return to Africa on another Visiting Orphans trip!!! My heart is literally racing at how excited I am. It is another two week trip from December 27-January 8 spending one week in Kenya and another week in Uganda. I am praying that God will use my return to Canaan to show me very clearly His plan for me. I literally have no clue what it is and there are so many options right now. I strive to be in line with His will for my life no matter what that is. Some more extremely exciting news is that I get to go with a very, very sweet friend of mine from USC, Abby. You can check out her blog at http://www.abbyhilderbran.blogspot.com.
That being said, I will be raising support again but am trying to get super creative this time so that I don't sound like a broken record asking for money. In the mean time, if you feel God is calling you to support my trip you can contact me at machinnis@gmail.com and I can give you instructions for donating online or mailing a check.
Another sweet friend of mine, Becca, who I found out about Visiting Orphans from and her pictures inspired me to go on my first trip, is living at the orphanage I LOVE for a few months. You can read more about that at http://withwingedfeet.blogspot.com. She is so inspiring!
I have started studying Jeremiah and I just love this:
The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." declares the Lord.
-Jeremiah 1:6-8
On a super excited note, I am officially signed up to return to Africa on another Visiting Orphans trip!!! My heart is literally racing at how excited I am. It is another two week trip from December 27-January 8 spending one week in Kenya and another week in Uganda. I am praying that God will use my return to Canaan to show me very clearly His plan for me. I literally have no clue what it is and there are so many options right now. I strive to be in line with His will for my life no matter what that is. Some more extremely exciting news is that I get to go with a very, very sweet friend of mine from USC, Abby. You can check out her blog at http://www.abbyhilderbran.blogspot.com.
That being said, I will be raising support again but am trying to get super creative this time so that I don't sound like a broken record asking for money. In the mean time, if you feel God is calling you to support my trip you can contact me at machinnis@gmail.com and I can give you instructions for donating online or mailing a check.
Another sweet friend of mine, Becca, who I found out about Visiting Orphans from and her pictures inspired me to go on my first trip, is living at the orphanage I LOVE for a few months. You can read more about that at http://withwingedfeet.blogspot.com. She is so inspiring!
I have started studying Jeremiah and I just love this:
The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." declares the Lord.
-Jeremiah 1:6-8
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
For a little background information, I got back to the states from Africa a week ago today. A few days ago I read a verse from Nehemiah and was like Whoa, I totally need to be studying this. So, I have been reading through Nehemiah and learning so much about his faith and also reading these small devotionals that were given to us by Visiting Orphans to read during and after our trip called Experience and Reflect. To be honest I didn't really read much of Experience while I was there so that is why I am reading it now, but God totally wanted me to read it now.
The first thing I wanted to share was this quote, pg. 75 for my team who has them :). It says, "When we learn to see people with God's eyes, we see past the situations and see the souls God has created. We see people that God sent his Son to die for. We see people that have value and worth, people worthy to be served no matter what their outsides look like. We see what God sees."
Ok, so now I'm going to get a little deep, well maybe a lot deep. Fair warning this will probably be long. :)
This section, by Wade Landers, starts on page 41 with a checklist of possessions. Halfway through you begin to start feeling sick because you know where he is going with this. If you check off the majority of the list (if you are sitting at a computer right now then I'm sure you could too), then "you are one of the richest families in the world." He asks, "what are we doing with all our stuff?" Well good question Wade, you made me cry. Luke 12:15 are words from Jesus, "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Here are some estimated statistics that he shared, "about three billion people live on less than two dollars per day; up to a billion people worldwide live in the slums; approximately thirty thousand children die every day from hunger and poverty-related diseases; and sadly, Americans spend over a hundred billion dollars annually on fast food!" I'm pretty sure those statistics probably have you feeling pretty disgusting because they sure did/do to me. I was reading that last night feeling a little hungry (not for long) and I sit here writing this eating a hot breakfast. Probably just last week I spent some time fretting over money. Well I definitely had more than $2 while I was worrying. Have I eaten fast food this week, surely.
The passage then led me to read Luke 12:13-21, 32-34 but I suggest just go ahead and read Luke 12:13-34. It is The Parable of the Rich Fool (AKA the rich American) and then Jesus commands his disciples (and us) "do not worry." "O you of little faith!" Jesus says to us. I think about that verse often. How do I continually have such little faith in the God of the universe and in our Savior who died for us? It was even harder reading that passage after experiencing such extreme poverty, seeing God totally provide for people with very little to nothing but the clothes on their backs and I worry daily about clothes, my car, jobs, money, my future...the list goes on. Why? My Father was PLEASED to give me the kingdom! (Luke 12:32)
Reading the remainder of that section I could no longer hold back my tears from the conviction I felt. Laying in my big, comfy bed I got up to get a tissue. I look around. Stuff everywhere! (Now don't get me wrong, my room isn't a mess.) I have so much stuff moved into my apartment (not including the stuff at my parents house) that I am running out of clutter free places to put things. I frequently complain about size of my room. Complaining that it is too small and looking forward to my own apartment or house with more room to put, you got it, stuff. I literally thought about that yesterday! The room I am sitting in is two times bigger than the whole house of the woman we visited in Korah and probably a large majority of people in third world countries. Now don't start to take this the wrong way. I am incredibly thankful for everything that I have been blessed with but I am clearly not obeying commands from Jesus himself! Luke 12:22-34. Verse 23 says, "Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." If seeing what I saw did not show me that then I am blind! Verse 29-31, "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." I think it is safe to say that many of us, including myself, do this in the opposite order. We first seek stuff and then squeeze in time to seek God and his kingdom.
Many people wonder, why is it that we are so blessed and have so much when there are billions of people with nothing? I strongly agree with what K.P. Yohannan writes about in his book, Revolution in World Missions. It isn't a sin or a bad thing to have everything we have. It is how we use it. I have no clue why God choses us to have so much but I do believe that we have it in order to bless others with what we have and ultimately pointing them towards Christ. As I am writing this I was going to include the following quote so I Googled it to see who wrote it...um DUH! Right here in Luke 12 written by JESUS! Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." That is, in my opinion, the problem with many Americans, including myself. We have been given so much but do so little with what we have. So much of the stuff I have in bins crammed everywhere are clothes I still have for "when I get high school skinny again" (ha! jokes on me) or things that I "may use again for __(fill in the blank)__." I just thought about this last night but maybe I can have a yard sale or something and use the money to send me back to Africa. Ebay would never work, I would lose too much money... Just a thought. (Please let me know if you have any ideas.)
One suggestion at the end of that section was to fast once a week. I can't even think about the word fasting without immediately thinking of the word, impossible. Then I remember Moses (with 60 Feet, the children's prisons) telling us how after the second day with nothing it feels like your blood is boiling. And need not I mention Somalia because I'm sure you have seen some pictures. The devastating fact is that children are starving everywhere all of the time regardless of peace or war. The Lord asks me to fast and I can't go like four hours without getting hungry and thinking about food, or giving in, when all around the world men, women, children, babies starve.
Wow, God has really been speaking to me! The readings I "chose" (God totally planned it) spoke straight to me.
Feeling very convicted. Lord, I pray this is not a temporary feeling but that you would use me and everyone who this has reached in convicting us to serve you with all of our hearts. Help us to trust you wholeheartedly with every aspect of our lives and to worry no more. Thank you for everything you have blessed us with. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much and thank you Father for loving us so much regardless of our greed and sinfulness that you would continue to pour out your blessings on us and that you sent your Son so that we could one day live with you in your perfect kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Please let me know if you want to find out more about any of the organizations you can help or want to talk with me.
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