Our topic this week was servant leadership. At one point during the week, our speaker mentioned Mother Teresa. To me, Mother Teresa is the epitome of a servant leader. The woman gave up her entire life to love and minister to the needs of the poor and sick. She was humble, full of love and truly cared for others. She spoke up for justice and said she was "a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." I admire the way she gave up her life for God. She let go of having material possessions, having a husband, or a nice house and a car. Instead, she devoted herself to love. This is a beautiful thing.
In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. Mother Teresa
As I was thinking about this, I also remembered some more people who are showing others the same heart as Mother Teresa. In Philadelphia, PA, a man named Shane Claibourne started a community called the Simple Way. About three years ago, I read a book called the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claibourne (highly recommended!) and it totally changed my life. The Simple Way is a community of people living in the ghetto, who spend every day loving their neighbors, helping the poor and loving Jesus. They are also incredibly involved in social justice issues. They have an after school program for children in the neighborhood and are currently working on building a garden in their community. I would definitely recommend checking them out and the things they are doing!
If you would like to check out what they are doing: The Simple Way
Another person that I was reminded of is a man named Brandt Russo. I learned about him last year as I accidentally stumbled across an article about him in Relevant Magazine. Brandt was leading a fairly normal life, lived in the States and loved Jesus...but he knew there was something more. So, he gave up everything that he had, purchased a bus and started driving around the States, living and helping the poor. He's lived on the streets for a year and has been jailed for trying to bring about justice. God has taken him on such an awesome journey and it's cool to read about. His mission is to love, to bridge the gap between the rich and poor and to meet the needs of the poor and neglected. He also began a t-shirt company called "Can't Ignore the Poor." The proceeds from his t-shirts go to help those in need.
If you would like to read more about Brandt's vision: Where's Brandt?
Or to check out his T-shirt company: Can't Ignore the Poor
Love God...Love others. This is what it's all about.
One of the things I love the most is finding practical ways to change my life and the lives of those around me. There are so many small opportunities out there to make change, but we just don't look hard enough or feel like it's too much work. Well...it's not!
Most of you buy shoes, right?
...I'm pretty sure that's a yes.
About a year ago, I discovered something called Toms shoes and I was blown away. A man named Blake Mycoskie met some children when he was traveling in Argentina and realized their need for shoes. After that, he created a shoe company, where every pair of shoes bought provides another pair of shoes for a child in need. One for one. You buy the shoes, another pair is made for a child who really needs them. Such an easy way to help a child! Not to mention, the shoes are stinkin' awesome.
Here's a little excerpt from their website about why they chose shoes:
Why shoes?
Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.
Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.
Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.
Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.
There is one simple solution...SHOES.
Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow.
So....go buy some shoes! :)
Link to the website: TOMS SHOES
Break
Break
Break
Shatter…
God’s heart shatters.
Because…
Because Joe was supposed to live.
Because Nancy was His ballerina
Who’s feet never touched the ground.
Because Rosa’s smile was supposed
To fill rooms with light.
Because Greg was His soccer player
With a heart full of love.
But…
But instead God’s heart is in pieces
Because there never was a Joe…
Or a Nancy…
Or a Rosa…
Or a Greg…
Their breaths were never counted
Their smiles never enjoyed
Their eyes never opened
Their cries long forgotten.
They were never known.
But God knew them.
And now His heart is in pieces.
Tonight at prayer night, we prayed for abortion. It’s said that 24% or 1 out of every 4 children are never born because of abortion. Think about that.
My heart broke when I heard that statistic. Not only that, but God showed me how broken His heart is as well. I sat and thought about all the children in my life: the kids on the base that I see every day, the children we work with through our ministries, my cousins back at home, the kids from church. I see their talents, passions and the joy they bring to people. I’m so blessed to have each and every one of them in my life. But, what if 1 out of every 4 of them didn’t exist?
Millions and millions of babies have been aborted. Those are millions upon millions of lives that God planned out, but ended before they even had a chance to begin. God is crying…His heart is broken because He knew each one of those children and had a specific plan for their life. He knew what they would love to do, He knew each moment of pain, love, joy and anguish that would happen in their life. He was SO excited to know them. But then, someone made a choice. And that life is no longer being lived out. And God lost someone that He was so excited to know. And He will never have a chance to know them ever again. The weight of this is phenomenal. God’s heart is breaking. So is mine.
Local outreach seriously keeps getting better and better! On Wednesday this week, we went to downtown San Jose with a ukulele and some songs and set up on the streets to play. We were kicked out of our first location, but moved onto the street and while doing so met some awesome people! Three young adults that were studying English at a local Institute came up and asked if they could practice their English with us. We spent the next couple hours hanging out with them and met a couple of other people as well. I’m so excited because they live close by, so we are going to be able to hang out with them a ton more!
On Saturday, we went to Metro Ministries again. This time, our team did most of the lesson so we had to practice our Spanish a little! My lesson was on “Little Miss Costa Rica” and our main point was that the power of our words can bring life or death. They can totally change the situations we are in. It was fun to put the crown and sash on one of the little girls, although I think she was a bit shy about it. It’s also so awesome because I get to see the same children every week and I have a nice following of little girls now. They are so precious and it’s awesome that I get to keep building up these relationships with them. Scott, the director of the ministry, says that the kids from the area that we work in are the smallest amount of kids he works with throughout the week, but also the most faithful to come to the program and the poorest. I know that by the time our three months is up here, I’m not going to want to leave them.
Posted by
Amanda
1:33 PM
Speaker: Greg Burch/Brooke Burns
Topic: City Wide Strategies/Setting the Captives Free
I feel like this past week was one of the most intense weeks we’ve had here so far, at least when it comes to emotions and feeling overwhelmed. The first half of the week was taught by Greg Burch, a missionary from California who has been working in Latin America for over 15 years. He talked to us about pulling together ministries that are working in the same city to help each other out. Each ministry offers something different and when working together, they can really help and change the lives of children holistically. We also spent a lot of time reading different stories of people that had tried to start ministries for children and analyzed what we could take away from their efforts. Before we start doing ministry, we need to do our research and not just “jump” into something. So often, I get the feeling that I just “want to do something,” which is a good feeling to have, but I also need to take precautions and not go into things ignorantly.
On his last day of teaching, Greg shared with us some videos from Nigeria about “child witches.” If you have never heard of this, be forewarned…it is really intense stuff. Some evangelical churches in Nigeria are claiming that children are witches. When this happens, the children are basically thrown out onto the streets and left to die. The parents no longer want them because they are a “witch.” These kids can be as young as four- and five-years old with absolutely no knowledge of what a witch even is. Then, the pastor of the church will have the parents pay for them to “exorcise” their child, which involves brutal beatings and things they could not even mention or show in the videos. After watching these videos, I honestly felt depressed. There is so much corruption in this world, even in the so-called “church.” It’s super overwhelming.
The second half of the week, Brooke Burns came and spoke to us about human trafficking, especially in Costa Rica. One of the things she brought to our attention is that Costa Rica is the #1 destination for child sex trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. There are around 300 brothels in San Jose alone and about 3,000 children on the street of San Jose on any given night. Yet even more intense information…
But then I remember that the change starts with me and each individual child and person. These are hard situations, but what I can do is begin with myself, my resources and focus on the individuals I am meeting here. The reality is that I will not be able to stop all injustice from happening everywhere in the world, but I can help change a few people’s lives in an amazing way. For that, I am insanely thankful.
Whenever we think of Haiti and the aid they need there, we typically just think of food, water and health care as the main needs. However, this week I read an article that shows those aren’t the only needs Haiti is facing right now, especially for the children. There were tens of thousands of children who were affected by the earthquake and very few of them have received counseling. The most important thing for those children is to start talking about what they experienced and how they feel, and also to get back to a somewhat normal routine such as school. Here is a link to the article.
I think something we need to remember is that those children are the future of Haiti. The nation will be built back up through them and their needs are so important right now. If they don’t psychologically heal from the things they have experienced during this earthquake, how can they be capable of bringing any change or transformation in the country? Yes, their physical needs definitely need to be met, but I think it’s important to also bring in more counselors and people to train others to counsel these children.
Some things we can all pray for in this situation are:
v Counselors would come help these children heal
v Children would be able to talk about their feelings
v Children would be able to develop a routine, such as school and time with their family
v Continued relief for children and families after the earthquake
Posted by
Amanda
12:14 PM
We had a few days of teaching this week on child trafficking and also watched a movie called Trade (which I would highly recommend, but prepare yourself before you watch it). This topic has really hit home with me and I think the rest of my classmates as well. It’s hard to hear stories about 12-year old girls trapped in the sex trade and not be moved to do something about it. Worldwide, there is an estimated 27 million slaves. There are more people enslaved now then there ever has been, even during the years of the Transatlantic slave trade.
If you would like to get more involved in this issue, I would love to recommend a few websites for you to check out. Last week, I recommended IJM (International Justice Mission) which is a great organization doing amazing things all over the world. Another organization I would highly recommend checking out is Not For Sale. It’s basically a campaign that brings together all types of people: artists, athletes, students, entrepreneurs, social workers, politicians and anyone who is looking to seek justice and end the global slave trade. On their website you can read about slavery in the world, the projects Not For Sale is doing and find out how you can take action. They also have a book called Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade—and How We Can Fight It. I’m currently reading it and would definitely suggest that you add it to your reading list! http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Another great organization that is working in Chiang, Mai Thailand is called The Garden of Hope. They have several programs working with women, youth and children to restore and equip them to live purposeful, loving lives. They also have an awesome ministry that helps train the woman and youth that they rescue in vocational skills so they can support themselves. They are doing really great things and you can easily get involved and even go and volunteer with them for a while! http://www.thegardenofhope.org
If you have any questions or thoughts about human trafficking, I would love to hear them. This is quickly becoming a subject that I am super passionate about and want to spread the word about what’s going on. If you’d like to help, that would be awesome!
