Barren Land

We all know the Parable of the Sower...here is a refresher:
Matthew 13:1-8
Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

So, why am I talking about this parable?  On my drive home yesterday I decided to listen to Shane & Shane.  While in High School I listened to their music all the time and it had an impact on my spiritual life.  Anyway, I was listening to the song Barren Land which deals with this parable and what God can do in the hearts of men.  This song also reminds me of the time I spend in Germany on a short-term mission trip. The summer after I graduated High School I spent 10 days in Germany ministering to a Turkish community. We spent our days hanging out on one street full of Turkish businesses and at the end of this street was a park.  The first day we arrived at the park I saw drunk men laying under trees, trash, a few prostitutes walking with men, and even the grass looked bad...it was a Barren Land.  During our week here we spent time cleaning up the trash, prayer walking around the park, each day we would have a Bible Study under a tree, and we reached out to those we would meet.  The amazing thing was that by the end of our time there the grass was green, there were children playing at the park and it was actually inviting.  To me, this was God showing me what He can do with prayer and work!  Each time I hear the Shane & Shane song Barren Land I think about this Turkish community and that park.  Let me give you the lyrics so you can get a better idea of why this song was so significant to me during my time in Germany and significant to me now in the work I am doing at AMG International.

Barren Land by Shane Bernard
"barren land can overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow
in the barren land with labor and toil
planting seed and tilling soil
will stay the same, stay the same

but if for rain! but if for rain!
but if for rain to fall, irresistibly call
rain to cover me
but if for rain to heal, uncontrollably fill
the soil of eternity

and barren land will overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow

Holy Spirit spur me to till
a once barren land so thirsty still
for living water, O God, sustains
so life and fruit and fields remain
lest they stay the same, stay the same"

But if for rain! We planted seeds in Germany among the Turks living there and I pray that God would continue to grow those seeds, that they did not fall on rocky or shallow soil.  I have the same prayer for the thousands of children in the AMG Child Sponsorship Program.  Daily we are planting the seed of Christ in their lives and in their family member's lives. 

Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Living for Eternity

My husband and I started attending a new church called The Mission in Dayton, Tennessee.  Right now it is small and I love it.  I feel connected and the Bible study is solid and always challenging.  We are doing a short study on Ecclesiastes.  I have always loved this book.  Makes me feel like I'm alone in thinking that life is hard and not easy to figure out.  On Sunday we looked at chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes.  "For everything there is a season, as time for every activity under heaven."  All of us have high points in life and low points in life.  Right now Ryan and I are happy and making it day by day...its not really a high point or a low point...it just life.  There are days when I think my life is falling apart because I get an unexpected bill or something (I'm a bit dramatic) but when you look at life as living daily for Christ...building His Kingdom...for eternity that bill doesn't seem to weigh so heavy.  Also, wanting more space or a relaxing vacation or more stuff doesn't even compare to the fact that there are millions of people on this Earth who don't know Christ.  

Even though I work at a mission organization where our goal is to give everyone on this Earth at least one chance to hear the Gospel message I still get caught up in what the world deems important (being power and riches).  On Sunday night God really slapped me in the face...I sort of live for eternity but I also sort of live for stuff that is meaningless.  I know God has been trying to get this through my head and heart for months now.  I pray that I won't so easily forget that this world is temporary and we are here to love and serve God.  When I was in high school my favorite verse was Philippines 1:21, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."  I was reminded of this verse Sunday night...I want my attitude to be like Paul's. 

There is always a need

Sometimes it is hard to hear all the needs in this world because I don't have the recourses to meet them. It is so hard to meet one need but not the thousands of others. There are countless children who need sponsors (some who have never had a sponsor while others lose their sponsors and need a new one), medical needs, promising students who need money so they can further their education at a university, children orphaned because of AIDS who have no one to feed and care for them, and the list goes on. Depressing huh...
Today I am feeling a bit hopeless because I know we can't help everyone. There are countless aid organizations (Christian and not) who are helping the less fortunate yet there are still so many people living below the poverty line. I don't think it is fair...and it is hard for me to get my head around it.

Although, I am thankful that I can put my trust in the Lord and rest in the fact that He is in control. God loves this world and has a plan to save it...I just need to be willing to be used by God no matter what that means. For example, I desperately want to GO to Lima and play with the precious kids at the childcare center or GO to Uganda and meet the girl I sponsor and encourage her and her mom (who is raising three children on her own). But, God has me stateside; sitting at my desk, typing away at my computer supporting the work AMG is doing all over the world. It's not glamorous and sometimes it is even a bit boring, but it is necessary.

VBS in Lima, Peru

Each year in February the childcare centers in Lima hold a Vacation Bible School for one week.  The children learn Bible stories and memorize a verse each day.  They play games, sing songs and do crafts...similar to VBS in America just with a little less production :).  At the end of the week there is an award ceremony where the children who learned all the verses, those who arrived to VBS on time each day, and the teams who won the games receive prizes.  This year the prizes were beanie babies, necklaces, and bags of candy.  Enjoy the pictures!

Ages 3 to 6 coloring a picture to go along with the Bible story they learned

Playing Volleyball and Soccer

Singing Songs

 Happy with their Prizes!

I think the children had a fun week :)

Reality Check

Currently my husband and I live in a one bedroom apartment.  We have lived there almost two years now and recently I have been feeling like we've outgrown the space.  I so desperately wanted to move to a two bedroom townhome or apartment.  Well, we decided that it wasn't necessary at this time to move to a larger space so I have started to redecorate and reorganize in order to make our 800 square feet one bedroom apartment a bit more homey.  This past weekend I bought new curtains and such to freshin' things up.  Although I started to get discouraged because I can't afford to buy much, only a little at a time.  THEN...

Monday morning Pete (one of our Mission Adventures team leaders) shared about his recent trip to Uganda.  As I watched his power point with pictures of children wearing rags, sitting in the dirt and malnourished I felt awful for wanting more than I already have.  I know it is a broken record to say "there are starving children in Africa." BUT there ARE starving children in Africa.  Now, this doesn't mean we can't have nice things and enjoy what God has given us but I MUST keep things in perspective.  Why do I need more when many live in a hut with a dirt floor and barely eat once a day.  I really didn't need more space and I don't need to worry about not having enough money to redecorate.  God has blessed me and my husband with more than enough and we are blessed to be able to share what God has given us with those less fortunate.  These precious children are so beautiful in God's site and I pray that through AMG International or any other relief organization their needs would be met physically and spiritually, to the Glory of God. 

Are you interesting in sponsoring a child in Uganda or in another country? CLICK HERE. Sponsoring a child through AMG International provides them with nutritious meals, clothing, education, medical care, love and encouragement from the loving Christian childcare staff and most importantly he or she will learn about the saving grace found only in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 7:19-21

Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.