GFA

Last night we had the great privilage of having our friends from Gospel For Asia come and talk to us about the work that GFA is doing. I don't know if you are like me, but every time I get to hear missionaries speak, my yearning to be active in mission work grows stronger. The work that GFA does is incredible, if you are not familiar with them check them out on their web-site.



GFA works in the 10/40 window, reaching out to those who are in the lowest class. These people literally live in cardboard huts. And are viewed by the higher classes as dogs. They tell you more about this here.... http://www.gfa.org/about/reaching-the-most-unreached/ . These people have never been told that they are important, or that anyone cares for them. And GFA is now there to tell them that they are important and that so many of us here in the U.S. care for them. But not only that but that God loves them too.



Thousands of people are being saved in the 10/40 window because of the ministry of GFA and Gods amazing grace to his people. Check out there web-site. Give a donation, sponsor a child, Give a gift to a needy family, Spread the news of this wonderful ministry!!!

What I have been up to...

Okay, so I know I was going to do a post about the sermon on Sunday but I have been so busy that I haven't been able to type all of my notes. Sorry about that.

Lately I have been working on debate and speech. Which just basically means that I am reading up on a bunch of political issues, killing trees and whales (sorry, inside joke, some of you may get it), printing, Going to classes, and trying and failing to write speeches. I have officially realized that I like doing "impromptu" speeches way better that prepared ones. Anyway, that is what I have been busy with.

One of the things I have been reading about is the issue of human rights in Russia. You can not believe how appalling it is over there. After reading all of this our missionary friends out there are even more in my prayers. U.S. department of state on February 25 2009 said:
"In July [2008], a mass grave was discovered in Chechnya that contained up to 300 bodies. According to the Chechen ombudsman, the bodies were from a group of refugees killed by federal forces as they attempted to move to another area of the republic in October 1999."

This is just one example of what happened years ago. And now the corruption has grown in the government. Russia doesn't up hold Human Right in any way. There are so many more examples of death, raping, hazing, torture, and courts that don't up hold justice, it can be depressing.

Okay now on to happier things..... =D

I have been having fun editing and reediting photos. I love being able to say "Ooo, don't like that, I want to do something else"



One of the best ways to get a break from the computer is playing this song on our player piano (I'll have to post more about the piano later).



I think that is pretty much all for now. I have to get back to work.

Coming tomorrow...

I was so edified by our pastors sermon today that I have to post about it tomorrow. Stay posted...

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. -Eph 4:29

I am second.

I could just post the title and that would be all that I need to say. But alas when you find a good thing you have to post more than just one sentence about it.

Some of you may have heard of the web site I am second. And if you have, you will know how it can impact your life, in ways so unimaginable.

What is I am second? This is how they explain it:
" I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second."

The first video I watched was about a solider that had been stationed in Iraq. He shared a story from when he was in Iraq. About how he had been under attack and a couple feet in front of him lay an Iraqi man, that had been fighting against them, wounded. He lay there helpless, in excruciating pain. But this man at the time was not willing to go and save this enemy. As you watch him tell this story, you can see the sorrow in his eyes and you can hear the pain in his voice. And he remembers sitting there asking himself "what would a christian do?", over and over again. I sat there crying, feeling his emotions along with him. His story taught me that no matter how much I can hate someone and no matter what they do to me they still need to be saved. I viewed it, in a way, as an allegory.

There were and still are many videos that impact me to change. And sometimes they just help me to better understand the people around me, who are going through things I can't even imagine going through.

What I love the most is that every time I go on the web site I am constantly reminded to keep God first in everything I do.

So I hope you will check out this site and be as edified as I have been.

What is important to you?

A few weeks ago one of the families at our church decided to leave our church. This family is very dear to me, in fact I would say they are some of my best friends. And when they made this decision it made me think. When it comes to church, what are things that are the most important to me? What do I believe?

It has been a long thought process for me. And believe me when I say that I don't believe this family is wrong in leaving our church. It is a decision that they have to personally make for their family. It has just lead me to think about the things that are important to me in a church.


The thing I decided on as the top is that the scriptures should be clearly preached on, every Sunday. I think that is pretty self explanatory. How can we expect to be edified every Sunday if our own Pastor is not preaching directly from the bible? Here 2 Timothy 4:2 makes it clear: 'Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.'
This passage even applies to the second thing I decided on as something that I can't side step in a church, and that is having a pastor that is active in the community of the church but also in our rural community too. I have been in churches where the pastor only sticks to preaching and views that as the only way he needs to minister to his congregation. When really the pastor's ministry in the church and community are essential to it's growth and fruitfulness.


As a third I picked music. Some of you are sitting there going "Oh sure thats important, but really that important?". And I say yes! To me it doesn't matter how old the song is. Just because it was written five hundred years ago does not make it better. I am just as happy to sing a song that was written two weeks ago, just as long as it is not self centered and is directed as worship to God. It is so easy to go to a church where the music is vibrant and up lifting. It is harder to show genuine worship to God. Worship isn't that tingly emotional feeling you get when you sing a song you really like in worship. And I think that is where some churches don't get it. So follow what the psalms say!

'Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.' -Psa 29:2

'So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he [is] thy Lord; and worship thou him.'-Psa 45:11


One of the other things I think is very important, is for the elders and adults of the church to minister to the youth. And I don't mean in a youth group situation. And I am also not saying that you can't segregate by ages. It is kind of a fine line that has to be drawn. As a teen I know first hand that I really need to have people to look up to that care about me and know firmly what they believe. I know what it is like to look down on an adult because I don't respect them, and it is not a comfortable position. I know most adults understand this, but I don't like having to question what adults do around me. On the other hand I don't want to be brain washed (for any of you that know me, you know that that most likely won't happen). There is a huge responsibility to counsel these teens in doctrine and ministering. So it is very important to me to find that in the leaders and adults in our church.

'And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.'-Psa 139:24


And doctrine of course is important. Even as 1 Timothy 4:13 says: 'Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.' Pretty clear, right?


What are things that are most important to you when it comes to church? Let me know, I would love to hear it.

In the year 1990 1,608,600 children died. In 2005 1,206,200 children also died. You maybe thinking it is because of malnutrition, malaria, or poverty. but they are not. These numbers come from the U.S.. Since 1973 Fifty two million eight thousand six hundred and fifty five children have died! By now you probably know what I am taking about. All these deaths were due to abortions here in the U.S.. Abortion is a large problem here in the U.S. specifically and needs to be fixed. These deaths are just as bad as euthanizing and murder, in fact it is murder!

The most sad thing about this is that our culture is okay with this open murder of innocent children. Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought murder was illegal. Not to mention it goes against what God says in the bible.

"Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked."-Psalm 82:4

The one thing I rejoice about in this is that christians are not sitting still and watching this happen. There are so many organizations you can be apart of and a lot of community outreaches.

Here is a list of a few outreaches you can be apart of:
1. Abort73: http://abort73.com/
2. Walk for life: http://www.walkforlifewc.com/
3. 40 days for life: http://40daysforlife.com/about.cfm

These are only a few choices. But there are many more! Don't be afraid to take a stand against abortion!

Something new....

Because I really like to start new and fun projects I have decided to start this:

Every time I go somewhere (movies, national parks, big cities, restaurants, ect). I will take a picture with a peice of paper that says "save a life". Lets see how far this thing travels. If you have a blog feel free to start doing this two. Have fun!!

Save a life.

Nearly 21,000 children under age 5 die every day, mostly from preventable diseases. Recent research in child development is clear: The first five years are a crucial period in the development of a child and this development directly affects the quality of adult life. Says Compassion international.


In most African countries about 150 out of 1000 children, under the age of 5, die. They die because their parents or guardians don’t have the funds to provide the medicine or they don’t know that there is a need to take action against certain things that could cause disease and growth problems.


There is a solution to this problem and it comes in the form of Compassion international. Compassion started a program called the ‘child survival program’. This program consists of

Growth Monitoring, they do this because steady growth is a good sign of adequate nutrition

Oral Rehydration Therapy, which restores fluids lost to diarrhea.

Breast-feeding which promotes infant growth, facilitates bonding with the mother, and reduces incidence of illness.

Immunization used because it is an effective way to reduce or eliminate many diseases that cause childhood death and
disability.

They also use Female Literacy because the mother's level of education is directly tied to child survival.

Also, Food, food or supplements fight off malnourishment.

By using these different methods there is a higher chance for the child to survive.

If we do not work to solve this problem and save these lives, more children will die needlessly and there will continue to be a drop in educating these third world countries about medicine and how to be healthy. But if we do work to make this change we will provide a healthy future for these children and educate these third world countries. What better way to jump-start a child’s future than giving them the fundamentals to survive?

So how can you help? You can go to Compassion’s website and pick out a survival program out of a few options and become a partner to that program. One example is the Lenchani Baptist child survival program in Lenchani Kenya. Each program uses you money to minister and educate the mothers and children. To become a partner all you have to do is commit to giving your chosen program only twenty dollars a month. You can also give a one-time tax-deductible donation.

These children need to be cared for and provided for, tonight when your sitting in front of your computer wondering if you should really do this, just remember that every minute you waist 14 more chidren will die.