Haiti

The earthquake in Haiti is devastating. My boss used this phrase, "Unprecedented Disaster." Why is it unprecedented...because there is no water, no food, no shelter, no medical equipment, and no transportation to get around the city. When rescue workers come in they have to bring all of these recourses for themselves and for the Haitians.   How do you even start to begin rescue and then rebuilding?  I don't think there is anyway we could imagine what it is like in Port-au-Prince right now...there is no comparision.

AMG has projects "to the north" of Port-au-Prince in Grand Bassin, Camp Coq and LaFossette and none of them have been directly affected by the earthquake. However, many people living “in the north” had family members living and working in Port-au-Prince. These people are now homeless and jobless, and will be returning to their families “in the north”. Some have also been injured or killed. Those who return “to the north” may require medical care, and there will be additional children, and people in need. Pastor Rodne (AMG director in Haiti) anticipates a significant number of people arriving “in the north” from Port-au-Prince will need aid. Many of the AMG sponsored children “in the north” had one or more parents living/working in Port-au-Prince, so some of these children may now be orphans.

• that as many lives as possible would be saved
• that all would see God's hand at work in the mists of this disaster

• that many would come to know and understand the forgiveness, love and refuge we have in Christ

• that the millions of dollars being donated all over the world would be used in the best possible way

• for everyone involved in relief efforts

• for Pastor Rodne and those working alongside him in Haiti as they anticipate those traveling from Port-au-Prince for relief

Sometimes I get discouraged in my work. I feel like anyone could do my job because the majority of it only requires basic computer skills. There are many days when I wish I could be on the field hugging on kids, encouraging struggling single mothers and needy families, helping those hurting after a natural disaster...to show the love of Christ in practical ways, which is what AMG is all about (Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel). I have felt this way for a few months now and God has been trying to get it through my head that I am right where he wants me to be.

Every Wednesday morning at AMG we have a 30 minute chapel service. We pray for our ministry and usually a speaker will come and give us a short message. Almost every speaker will say, "Thank you for what you do," or "I really appreciate each one of you," or "Every single one of your play an important role," you know encouraging words. But, I didn't listen. I was guilty of believing the lie that my work isn't important. This Wednesday our speaker's message revolved around Psalm 8:4 which says, "what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" That God would care for us enough to send his son Jesus to live among us to bring the world Salvation....who are we (man) that the creator of the Universe is mindful of us!

This got me thinking...the only way I ended up here at AMG is by the hand of God and so here I am complaining about it. I am Lame. I should be humbled that God would even want to use me to help the poor, orphans, and widows...that God is allowing me to help build His Kingdom. Yes, most of my day I sit at my desk on the phone, writing emails and letters, or entering information into a database BUT what I so easily forgot is that without someone taking care of these details almost 6,000 Children wouldn't have access to the basic human needs and the Gospel Message. "What is man that you are mindful of him..."

Something else happened that also put my head and heart back in the right place. Yesterday (the same day as Psalm 8:4 message) I received a phone call from a donor named Jill, a very sweet women of God. She sponsors a little girl named Barbara in Uganda whose mother recently passed away. Jill wanted to help out the family by finding sponsors for Barbara's siblings. After about five minutes into the conversation Jill told me that she has cancer and it is very aggressive. She has three children all under the age of 18 and she says that only by the hand of God will she survive. Jill told me she understood what Barbara and her family where going through because of her struggle with cancer. WOW. What a privilege for me to be apart of a relationship between someone in America with such compassion and love for a sweet little girl in Uganda. "What is man that you are mindful of him..."

I must ask forgiveness for being so small minded and believing the lies told to me by the world. All along God was trying to encourage me but I was stubborn. What a great God we serve, always patient with us in our stubbornness.

Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
For the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and hers, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Letters, Letters, Letters

This time of year the Child Sponsorship department is very busy. Children are sending their Christmas cards to their sponsors and the sponsors are sending Christmas cards and gifts to their child...and all of that must go through the AMG Home Office first. For a little over a week I have been working on getting Children's letters out to their sponsors. While at times this can be very repetitious and even boring, I remember the importance of the relationship between a child and their sponsor. It is so special to see how a relationship develops between child and sponsor, sometimes only through letters. Here is a letter from a boy living in Uganda to his sponsor.

David says,
"Greetings in the name of our good God. We are very fine at home and I think you are okay over there in Jesus name. I am in grade four and how I pray that God enables me to perform well this term.
We are nine in number in our family and I am the fourth of all. I am living with both parents. My mother is a farmer and my father too. I stay in Bukanko and I always come to school on foot.
I also love God and I pray from Bukanko. I love praise and Worship in church. I wish one day I can have a look on our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank alot for the love and care. I still pray for you. As God lives we will meet one day in Uganda.
Love from your child in Christ Jesus, stay well. Good Bye."

I am always amazed when I come across letter from a child to their sponsor in which they express so much love and gratitude for their sponsor whom they have never met. And, it is always such a joy to see the love they express for their Savior, Jesus Christ. I can think of nothing sweeter this Christmas Season then to make a difference in the life of a child eternally.

Museekee Hostel in Thailand

The Museekee Hostel is located in the most northern part of Thailand in the Chiangmai province. In this area there are villages with people mainly from the Karen tribe. These people are peaceful Thai citizens who make their living mainly by farming rice and corn, as they have done for generations. These villages have no electricity or telephones and health care is minimal. Families get their water from hand dug wells and have no plumbing facilities. Most families run out of food before harvest and must scavenge for food in the forest. Also, many young women are often taken to the large cities to be given "good" jobs by unscrupulous relatives and friends. The attractive girls end up working as bar girls or prostitutes while the others end up working 12 to 14 hour days in a sweat shop with little food or breaks.

For this reason Miss Zothansiami Ralte decided to start a boarding house for young Karen women in the last 80s. A few years later she married a Karen man and together they turned this boarding home into a more tradition childcare center where children from the surrounding villages can come and receive nutritious meals, clothing, medical care, education and learn of Christ's love. Without the Museekee Hostel most of these children would never have the opportunity to attend school.

We recently received new children from the Museekee hostel who are in need of sponsors. This is Archidphon and he is 4 years old and from the Karen tribe. He is the youngest with three older brothers and sisters. Both of his parents are farmers and only make enough for their basic needs.

This is little Sudarat and she just turned 5 years old in September. She is also the youngest with one older brother and one older sister. Her parents are also farmers only making enough to provide food and shelter for their family.

$28 a month provides a child with a good education, food, clothing, medical attention all in a loving Christian enviornment. Also, it not only helps the child but it benefits the entire family.

The Museekee Hostel Program in Thailand is a great ministry and I pray for God's protection and for his blessing over the children and staff. I ask that God would provide sponsors for the children in need and that this ministry would continue to grow in the name of Jesus Christ.

Pray for Manila

More than a month's worth of rain fell on the capital, Manila in just 24 hours flooding 80% of the city. More than 450,000 people have been made homeless. The death toll is now over 300 with another storm headed toward Manila.

The office headquarters of AMG Philippines is in Quezon City, Metro Manila, one of the hardest hit areas. AMG has 32 childcare projects in the Philippines, serving over 3,000 children. Seventeen of these centers are in Metro Manila (eight of those have been flooded). Some of the AMG centers are being used as temporary shelters for the many left with no where to go.

Please pray for the AMG staff in the Philippines as they asses the situation and do their best to help those in need. Pray for the city as this next storm is on it's way toward Manila. Pray for the families of those in the Child Sponsorship program for safety. Pray that even during this devastating time people would come to know of Christ's great Love and that God would be Glorified.

Romans 8:26-30

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Please visit the AMG International Website for more information