On Their Time

Nobody likes to be rejected.  We all want to be accepted each and every time that we reach out in an effort to connect with another person.  Unfortunately that desire for connection is not always reciprocated.  We then have two choices: 1) give up; or 2) continue to make ourselves available so that when the individual is ready, we are there and waiting.

Meet my friend Noel.  Noel has CP and gets around either in her wheel chair or by dragging her body awkwardly behind her when on the floor in her home.  When we first met she wouldn't look at me or have anything to do with me.  Slowly she played legos with me.  Then, another day, we sat next to each other outside under a tree.  Today we started playing a tickle game.  She just laughed and laughed and laughed.  All I have to do now is wiggle my fingers and she starts to giggle and scrunches up in a ball.  Earlier, I was probably 30 feet away and I looked over to see her looking at me.  I waved and she waved back with a big smile.  I have broken through and now have a special friend.  On her time.

Are there other people with whom you have tried unsuccessfully to connect?  If your heart is right, you are patient and persistent, you may eventually have the result you desire.  Jesus has that desire to connect with you.  He is willing to be persistent in His pursuit of you.  Are you willing to allow Him to break through and be your friend?  He is willing.  On your time.

What's your story?

Everyone has a story...it tells where they've come from and helps to give insight into why they are the way they are.

For those of us who grew up in happy, healthy families, our stories are known and shared by those who love us.  There is continuity to our story.  There are people who help us remember them when we forget.

For those who have been abandoned by their families, their stories must be uncovered bit by bit.  Some pieces may never known. 

Brent was stolen as a baby.  And then he was abandoned.  Nobody knows who or where his family is.  However, because he does have a family, somewhere, who might someday come looking for him, he is not able to be adopted and will likely live out his life at Shepherd's Field Village (SFV).  He has joy, he has spunk, and a twinkle in his eye. More than 24 hours after creating his "Prince's Crown", he is still wearing it everywhere he goes.

Grady is 16, has scoliosis, and is physically bound by his wheelchair.  He has been at SFV for 4 years.  There is a family who wanted to adopt him and began the process.  Unfortunately, because of a paperwork hangup (not at SFV), he turned 14 before it was finalized.  According to China law, once a child is 14, he is no longer eligible to be adopted.  Period.  His would-be adoptive family (as well as Grady) was heart broken, and continues to assert that they have 5 kids - but 1 lives in China.  Grady has amazing English skills, a great sense of humor, a love of magic, refers to himself as Grady Houdini and has the dream of being an interpreter.   He has a generous heart and he is often seen sharing his candy and other special treasures with friends new and old.  His story has taken some twists and turns, has had some dark chapters, but we know that it will have a remarkable ending and can't wait to see what it will be.

The story that is often forgotten in the midst of human struggle, but is the most important one, is that there was this man named Jesus who was God's son, and who came to earth just for us.  His was a story that had twists and turns, happy and sad days.  But one that ended in victory.  Because of him and his life that he gave up on the cross, if we love and accept him, we have the ability to be a part of HIS forever family.  One where love knows no bounds, where everyone has brothers and sisters, and a Father who loves unconditionally. 

The the initial chapters of your story have already been written, but its ending is yet to be created.  Regardless of what has already happened, how will you bring it to closure?    What will your story be?

Princes & Princesses of The King

If I was in church at home this Sunday, I would be hearing Pastor Eric preach about Acts 2 and the work of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  Knowing that that was the text that he was going to be preaching on while I was gone, I spent some time reading it yesterday morning so that while I'm not there, I would still stay connected.

Today is my first full day at Shepherd's Field Children's Village in China.  It is an amazing place led by some amazing people, who have a heart for the Lord and for serving orphaned children who have a wide (and in come cases serious) array of physical and developmental challenges.

If you've ever spent time doing cross-cultural missions and ministry, you know that sometimes communication can be challenging...you use words, you use smiles, you use gestures, and sometimes, as a last resort (which really should be the first resort) you put it in God's hands to help the message get across.

This morning had the potential for chaos - and briefly it was.  I went to one of the children's houses (here at "the village", the children live in 5 different houses) armed with foam crowns and stick-on jewels (some of which, as would be expected, ended up not on the crowns but stuck to their faces).  My message to the kids was that because they are God's children, and He is the King of Kings, that they are Princes and Princesses.  Once everyone got the color they wanted and the jewels which had been flung into the air by one of my very excited little friends had come to rest, I felt it was like in Acts 2:7-8, "Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it  that each of us hears them in his own native language?'"  My Chinese language skills are nominal at best.  Some of the kids have a few English words in their vocabulary.  Yet somehow we were able to connect, communicate, and share some special time together.

I guess that when your heart and intentions are right, and you've placed your work in God's hands, the message that you're desiring to share can be heard regardless of the language that you speak. 

Here are a few of the Princes and Princesses:

Through Their Eyes

One of the things that I love about international and cross-cultural ministry is the opportunity to see life and faith through the eyes of those with which I'm spending time.

Sometimes it is a look of confusion when a common-to-us term is used and I have to try and translate or explain it; sometimes it is a twinkle in an eye when there is understanding; or a grin of success when a joke or a tease is done in a second language.

I frequently have Chinese students join me at church.   Some have faith, others don't.  I'm always curious as to what they think, what they understood, what they "take away" from their time there.

For Easter my parents and I had four students join us at church and then go back to Mom & Dad's for brunch.  As is typical, Dad made jokes that earned him some courtesy laughs - "the girls" didn't really "get" some of what he was trying to say, but being respectful they smiled anyways.  When asked what they thought about the service, one answered, "I really liked it.  I liked how the pastor shared the whole story.  I had never heard it before."  (If you want to hear the sermon by Pastor Eric Waters, you can click here.)

As we spoke more about it, they shared that they are starting to hear more and more from their friends (who are still in China and attending university there) about their faith and becoming Christians.  They have been emailing and chatting and having their beliefs opened to new things.

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel to another country to experience another culture firsthand, but everyone does have the opportunity to find someone from another country living here, and experience it firsthand with them.  You might be surprised what you see when you look through their eyes!