Read a Smithsonian article today on some encouraging news on sustainable farming practices in Africa. Really the key to getting the picture is not just reading this post but clicking the link to Nourishing the Planet’s blog and watching a few of the short videos.
I am really intrigued by the potential of these projects that go beyond just feeding the hungry or teaching them skills. Here there seems to be sustainable development happening. The innovation is amazing too. I had heard of several projects like the school garden project which is very similar to one a friend of mine helped successfully launch in a township in South Africa. I am amazed by projects like these because we can’t just export our Western ways of farming to Africa. They need ideas that can be easily launched and maintained that provide both food and incomes for those living with extreme poverty.
When Jesus saw hungry people, he had compassion for them. When the Savior taught us to pray, He said we are to ask for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, there is no hunger. I think we can safely say that His ultimate will is that the hungry are fed (Psalm 107:9, Psalm 146:7, Isaiah 58:6-10, Ezekiel 18:7, and Revelation 7:16 to name a few) and pray to that end as He commands us to do. His heart is toward those who hunger and He longs to satisfy them. One day there will no longer be any hunger.
And yet today an estimated 1.02 billion people in the world go to bed each night hungry. (If they have a bed.) Jesus, in this same prayer, taught us to pray for our daily bread. For me this is a prayer that I rarely need to take literally as I know where I will eat today. (Maybe I don’t know where or exactly what but I know I will eat.) I have never gone hungry unless by choice. In fact, I have the opposite problem. Though for 1 out of every 6 people in the world, they don’t know if they will eat today or if they eat if it will sustain them. For way too many, they may be provided for today but tomorrow need to ask for daily bread.
Until then, may I help bring Good News to the poor of the earth and help feed the hungry in His name knowing that when I help feed (whether by giving food or teaching farming principles) to the least of these, I feed Jesus.
I arrived in Mexico City last night. I was traveling with Shelby Kinzley whose husband Gabe is our Student Ministry pastor. Gabe is leading a team of 18 of a mission trip here in the city. They have been here since Saturday and are partnering with the student ministry at Casa Sobre de la Roca church (House on the Rock) to help end human trafficking. It was fun seeing the team last night and hanging out eating tacos together. They are having a blast doing great!
The team is working on two main things. One is using an exhibit created by iEmpathize to raise awareness on the issue and promote a benefit concert to raise money for Camino a Casa - the safe house for victims of human trafficking. In fact, the concert is tonight by a popular Mexican artist who recently came to faith. If the concert sells out, it will bring around $10,000 for the safe house (if my math is correct).
The other cool thing our group and the group from CSR has been working at Camino a Casa, ministering to the girls who live there and helping create a dance studio. This has been the the thing they have loved – connecting with the girls and hearing their stories of redemption. And being able to work hard painting, putting in a floor etc to help build this studio in a few short days.
I know this might sound random to build a dance studio but imagine a home (a home seized by the government from a a drug Lord) with 25 girls all living together. Except for a few whose captors are behind bars, these girls can’t get out. They can’t go jogging or work out at a gym. Their rehabilitation at Camino a Casa involves being restored physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. A Dance Studio helps in all these ways. It is place for physical and emotional restoration but it symbolizes the restoration of their souls by a just and righteous God.
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! - Psalm 30:11-12
Last night we started a new family tradition. (If we just start it, can I call it a tradition?) Robin and I decided to make some of our extra giving up for grabs and let our boys be a part of the decision processing. We still will give to both our compassion & BEAM Africa child sponsorships and our church. But we set aside $40 from our budget for ‘family fun giving’.
So yesterday afternoon I withdraw 40 $1 bills from my bank and made four envelopes. (I realize the pic is of 32 bills but humor me.) On each envelope I printed off a picture and wrote the name of the options for June. This month, we choose 4 options: helping kids at BEAM Africa, mosquitos nets through Compassion International, Kids against Hunger – Haiti food packs, and helping rescue children from bad guys in Mexico through Camino a Casa.
Before dinner, we saw around the table and I told the boys that Jesus taught us himself that ‘it was better to give than to receive’. I made sure Drew and Jack knew what receive meant by saying ‘it was better to give than to get’. Then I passed out 8 $1 bills to each person (Robin and I played too) and told the boys that they get to decide where we give them. They could put them all in one envelope or 2 in each or however they wanted it.
When we ended, I ask Drew what these all had in common and he said ‘they were all people who were poor’. I said ‘yes but they also are about helping kids – kids like you, Jack and Luke – who are either hungry, or not safe or don’t have easy access to things like doctors when they get sick’. We asked if they wanted to talk to God about these kids but they rather wanted to go play. So Robin and I did.
I am reminded of Matthew 18, where Jesus when asked who was greatest in the Kingdom calls a child forward. A child – often the least in the world – are the greatest, the model, the standard. He said whoever welcomes a child in His name, welcomes Him. Jesus is personified in children. He also warns that whoever causes harm to these children – ones who in our world today are often exploited, taken advantage of, abused, neglected, harmed, overlooked, marginalized – whoever dares to harm them or cause them to sin, well, Jesus doesn’t play. In fact, his description is a rather graphic painful punishment. He also says “Woe to the world because of these things.” Woe to the world you and I live in today for how we have treated children. The woe is not just to the vile offenders but all of us live under their guilt because we allow it to happen. Our world has taken what is honored by Christ – the humility of a child, their trusting souls – and have used it for our twisted evil intents. These kids’ have protective messengers who always see the face of a loving, caring, righteous Father.
[Verse 1]
Do you see me?
The question’s in her eyes
Do you relate to the pain I can’t disguise?
Oh, look beyond what you see
The outside is not all there is
[Refrain]
Won’t You tell me now when did I see
You in need of water?
Oh, and tell me now, when did I see You
Hungry on the street?
God, I hear You calling out to me
In the voices of the least of these
Calling me to reach beyond my world
To the beautiful stranger
Beautiful Stranger
[Verse 2]
He does not look like everyone else
Does not fit in anywhere I know
You ask me to be Your hands
And show him now that he is loved
[Refrain]
Tell me now when did I see
You in need of water?
Oh, and tell me now, when did I see You
Hungry on the street?
God, I hear You calling out to me
In the voices of the least of these
Calling me to reach beyond my world
[Bridge]
There’s beauty that lies deep within
Waiting to be discovered
God help me see what You see
The diamond in the stone
…..You in need of water?
Oh, and tell me now, when did I see You
Hungry on the street?
God, I hear You calling out to me
In the voices of the least of these
Calling me to reach beyond my world
To the beautiful stranger
Beautiful Stranger
Won’t You tell me now when did I see
You in need of water?
Oh, and tell me now, when did I see You
Hungry on the street?
God, I hear You calling out to me
In the voices of the least of these
Calling me to reach beyond my world
To the beautiful stranger
Beautiful Stranger
This afternoon, I met with Kevin Colón. When we emailed last week about getting together, I suggested we meet on his turf – Superior. I wanted to walk around with him and see the town through his eyes. So we met at the Starbucks and walked down Coalton Road and then crossed over and walked on trail along Coal Creek and back.
Kevin is an amazing guy. He has been the pastor of Cool River, a church he planted 8 years ago. About 15,000 people live in Superior. It’s really unique place. I remember when no one lived there. It’s all subdivisions of homes that all look alike sprinkled with townhomes and upscale apartments. The average person has a Master’s degree. When I asked Kevin, how many churches there in Superior. He surprised me by saying, ‘two’. Two among a town of 15,000? And this is America? I know the other one as well as its a home church led by another friend of ours. Lest, we think that perhaps most people just commute somewhere else, Kevin informed me that nine of ten people in Superior don’t attend church at all. It’s an incredible mission field. I am sure most people don’t think church or God is relevant to their every day lives.
I don’t know how large Cool River is. I didn’t ask and it doesn’t matter. Kevin sees all of Superior as his church. More happens outside the church walls (or technically the walls of the school in which they meet) than in. Last fall, Kevin shared with me of how one of his members introduced Kevin to a city official saying, “This is my pastor.” And even though she had never met him, she replied, “Oh I know Kevin. He’s every one’s pastor.” That made his day.
Kevin and I talked about our partnership together in Mexico City. We are both humbled of how God has lead us to this point and what already is happening. Kevin was the first pastor we asked if they wanted to join us in creating a network of working together somewhere globally. He was the sole one who took up the offer to go down last September to scout out the land. (The pic is from that trip.) He was the first in our group, as we met throughout the fall, who said, “I want to partner with Rosi Orozco to help her end human trafficking”. One of the highlights of my past year was rooming with him in Mexico City for a few days. (Memorable too as he snored like an old man.) We had some great discussions. I watched him in his element speaking Spanish and relating to people in a culturally-revelant way. Really the highlight is getting to know Kevin and other pastors and Kingdom leaders in the area like Kevin. It’s been a joy to run with them and I look forward to more time together.
Kevin is a great thinker. He is deep. He is a learner. He loves the Lord. He loves people. There are no pretensions when you meet Kevin. He isn’t trying to impress you or list off his credentials. He is without guile. He is real.
We ended back up at Starbucks and sat outside and just talked. We talked about what it means to follow Jesus. We talked about leaving behind old paradigms that limit us being able to follow Him because we are too caught up in ‘building a church / ministry’. We talked about how even the body often uses things like ‘reaching the least of these’ as a ploy to get money from ‘the rich of these’. We talked about how we just wanted to follow Jesus and live the way He did and care for the things He cares about.
You can see all the updates on iEmpathize’s blog. (Note the upload may take a while, but worth the wait.) When Brad was at the safe home for the shoot yesterday, I was mediating on Psalm 68:6. Seems appropriate:
My friend Brad is right now in Mexico creating a media experience around the issue of human trafficking. Brad and his team are at the safe house that I wrote about back in February. (Or they were a couple of hours ago) Brad and his team are capturing the story of survivors and Rosi Orozco.
Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. – Psalm 106:3
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice - Psalm 112:5
From this footage, Brad will create an iEmpathize experience solely around this issue in Mexico. And then we will use this tool to tell the story and help raise resources both in US and Mexico to help set more captives free. My hope is that there will be a string of safe houses around Mexico helping young women and children experience restoration and wholeness. Actually, ultimately, I long for the day where there is no need of safe-homes because Jesus has made all things right… that things are on earth as they are in heaven.
Until that day may we have the heart that God has. May our hearts be broken for the things that break His heart. May we desire to set captives free – not just a transformation of knowledge – but a real freedom, a transformation of soul. A deliverance from the enemy. A new life. A new hope.
Turned 46 today. Sort of an odd number. (Yes, I know it’s even. Meant odd as in strange.) I guess it means I am on the backside of my forties. Closer and closer to be 5-0. Really I don’t think of my age. I think more of the aches and pains I have. I do think of how old I will be be when my sons graduate high school though.
What do you say about 46? Though i’ve never written a novel, I am glad of a few things that are true today.
1. I have a lovely wife who is a great mom and friend.
2. I have 3 boys that I enjoy who know their dad loves them. I enjoy that Luke lives science and reading. I like that Jack and Drew have great imaginations. I like that all three of them still enjoy crawling into my lap.
3. My parents and our immediate family are alive and we love each other.
4. I am grateful for grace, for mercy and for forgiveness. I am humbled that the LORD would sacrifice himself for me, someone who often follows his own path. Amazed that He doesn’t give up and still calls me to follow Him.
5. I enjoy my job immensely. I enjoy serving alongside Gene and Brian and others at Cornerstone. I enjoy the community of Global Services. I enjoy the things that are new, challenging and fulfilling.
6. I am glad at this stage in life I am investing in using my gifts and experiences in things like helping end systemic poverty or the horrific crime of human trafficking.
7. I appreciate the people that give so we can have this ministry.
8. I am glad that Robin and I are in this together and that we get to serve together in helping our refugee ministry.
9. I have all I need and am not in debt, save my mortgage which we are able to pay. I like where we live. I like the small town feel of Lafayette… the fact that we are not far from the mountains and can see awesome views from our deck… the cul-de-sac we live on and the open space behind us… I like that our house is not big and that our boys share a room… I like that we got it for $25,000 less than its appraised for.
10. Though I’d like to be in better shape and not have a few aches and pains, I have good health. I can see. I can hear. I can walk. I am alive.
Read a Smithsonian article today on some encouraging news on sustainable farming practices in Africa. Really the key to getting the picture is not just reading this post but clicking the link to Nourishing the Planet’s blog and watching a few of the short videos.
The other cool thing our group and the group from CSR has been working at Camino a Casa, ministering to the girls who live there and helping create a dance studio. This has been the the thing they have loved – connecting with the girls and hearing their stories of redemption. And being able to work hard painting, putting in a floor etc to help build this studio in a few short days.
So yesterday afternoon I withdraw 40 $1 bills from my bank and made four envelopes. (I realize the pic is of 32 bills but humor me.) On each envelope I printed off a picture and wrote the name of the options for June. This month, we choose 4 options: helping kids at 
When we ended, I ask Drew what these all had in common and he said ‘they were all people who were poor’. I said ‘yes but they also are about helping kids – kids like you, Jack and Luke – who are either hungry, or not safe or don’t have easy access to things like doctors when they get sick’. We asked if they wanted to talk to God about these kids but they rather wanted to go play. So Robin and I did.
