Compassion part 8: Changed Lives

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" - Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman

This is the eighth and final post in my series discussing the work of Compassion International. It wasn't quite the ten posts I promised, but hey! Life happens, and it's good to fully live it when it does.

We discussed the weight of a hurting world, and learned that while we may not all be able to do great things, we can all do small things with great love.

In the next post I introduced you to three beautiful, small people from three far-flung corners of the globe.

We met Egi, the seven year old from Indonesia with the shy smile and beautiful eyes.

You saw Yegele, the sweet kindergartener who loves to play "house", and lives with no daddy.

We peeked into the life of a tiny boy named Gregori, a preschooler in Peru whose birthday is coming soon.

If you watched this video of Helen when she received her sponsor after waiting for over a year, you probably cried--I know I did!

And before the weekend, we talked about sports fanatics and saw how loving God means letting our hearts become invested in the things that move His.

I'm closing this series with one of the most compelling videos I've ever seen. 

Compassion International has been in operation since 1952, so they invited some of the children who have now graduated from the program to tell their stories as adults. If you ever wondered, "does sponsorship actually make a long-term difference?" just watch this.

Thank you for coming along with me for the past week and a half! In case you're curious, Egi, Yegele and Gregori did not find their sponsors this month, but this means that their profiles will be placed back on Compassion's website for anyone to find. If one of these children has touched your heart, you can search for them by their names, found below:

Egi Ricard Sarumaha

Yegele Telahun

Gregori David Quezada Pintado

And of course, these are only three of thousands of children waiting for sponsors! Check out the Compassion International homepage to see all of the children. 

Compassion part 7: How to love a true fan

Imagine that you're married, and imagine that your spouse is passionate about sports. (Some of you won't have to imagine very hard.)

Your spouse watches every game and physically goes to every event possible. He memorizes details about all the players, even personal details that don't relate to their performance. He adjusts his schedule around watching the games, adjusts his budget around supporting the team, and his entire mental concept of the year revolves more around what sport is currently playing than the temperature outside. Some would call him a "fan-atic".

Photo cred (words mine): Chris Breikss

If you are married to this fan, you probably knew from the moment you began dating him that it would be hard to get close to his heart without sharing in the things he loved. So you bought the t-shirts, cleared your weekends for big games, and cheered at his side until you were hoarse. You even painted your face. You invested in the things he loved, and it knit you close as the seam on a pig-skin.

God is inviting you into intimacy with him. He is passionate too--much more passionate than the loudest sports fan on the planet. 

But instead of sports, God's blood pounds deep and fast for broken people. 

He watches every person's moments and physically became present when philosophers and Jews alike agreed--Diety becoming man was impossible. He memorizes details about each person, even personal details that don't have a shred to do with their performance. He adjusted history to become one of the poor, abandoned his stupendous power and glory to rescue the weak and helpless, and his entire concept of what is valuable turns our economic and social structures firmly on their heads. 

His heart melts for the mistreated. 

He laughs with delight over little ones. 

 

Injustice and oppression make him boil.

Photo cred: Freedom House

 

He leans toward the lonely.

Photo cred: Ding Yuin Shan

 

Giving extravagantly and unexpectedly is his modus operatus.
 

Know this: the path to intimacy with God is to share in the things He loves. 

His right hand is stretched out to you. In the palm is an engraved invitation to join him in radical love for the unlovable. He invites you to sell the stuff Pinterest tells you to crave so that you can give it away and have real treasure. He beckons you to stand with Him for the oppressed, the forgotten, the weird and the socially awkward. 

"I want to know him and the power of his resurrection, becoming like him in his death..."

How can we know Him in his sacrifice if we are unwilling to sacrifice? How can we know Him in His death if we are unwilling to die to ourselves?

It is impossible to love Him without loving them. 

Over the past week, I have written here in this online space about one way that we can join our Savior in his love for the least of these. I have shown you the pictures and profiles of three beautiful children who are poor, small, weak, needing love. Sponsoring one of these children is one way that we can join our Jesus in extravagant giving that dives headlong into loving without counting cost.

 Read about Egi, a 7-year-old from Indonesia.

 

 

Yegele is a 5-year-old from Ethiopia who lives with a single mother.

Little Gregori from Peru loves to play with cars.

The deadline to sponsor these particular children is TOMORROW, October 1st, 2015!

 

 

Compassion part 4: Yegele

Today is day #4 in a ten-day series showcasing three precious children who are waiting for a sponsor through Compassion International.

Yesterday, we met a soccer-loving seven-year-old named Egi who sleeps under a tin roof on one of the largest islands in Indonesia. (Click here to see his post!)

I love this quote by former president Nelson Mandela because it strips away any illusion that peace and security will come about naturally, all on its own.

"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free from violence and fear."- Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

Every human is bent from birth toward evil and selfishness. It is the law of entropy, if you will--we will become worse, not better, if we simply follow our desires.

Because of this fact, no society will  become--or remain--safe and good without the strenuous efforts and thoughtful actions of men and women willing to put aside their own love of comfort and ease for the sake of those who are poor and oppressed.

Compassion International is one amazing channel through which collective consensus and personal investment are making a difference.

Wherever they operate, Compassion partners with local churches to provide critical resources to children and their families. Each child in the program is personally connected to a sponsor--a normal somebody who commits to investing in that child. This helps Compassion provide that child with medical care, food, tutoring, educational opportunities, and mentoring.

Today, meet Yegele!

Yegele has a much more worried look than a typical five year old should have. 

She lives in an area of Ethiopia heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. Other common health problems include tuberculosis and parasitic diseases. 

The city where she lives is large, with over 130,000 residents. The community has many modern amenities such as running water, electricity, telephone services and health centers, but sorely lacks schools, employment centers, and educational opportunities.

At the kindergarten she attends, Yegele loves to play house, and other group games with her friends. Yegele lives with her mother and one sibling, but there was no mention of her father on the profile card. The cryptic notes say her mom is sometimes employed as a day laborer, and most likely earns around $20 per month. 

As I have prayed for Yegele this week, my thoughts kept drifting to her mom. What is her story? I wonder what hopes fill her mind in the middle of the night for Yegele and her other child. Did she do Yegele's hair and help her pick out that white outfit for the picture taken at the development center?

I want to support Yegele!

Great! Yegele's starter packet is currently displayed in the lobby of Fellowship Church in College Station. If you live here in town, just stop by during office hours to pick it up. Please mail in the sponsorship information by September 30. 

If you live out of town, no worries! Just email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com to send me your mailing address, and I will be happy to mail your packet to you. 

I can't sponsor right now, but how can I help?

Pray for Yegele. This moment, if you can. Pray that God will give her a sponsor soon. Pray for her health, Pray that she will be protected from abuse and disease. Pray for her family, her education, and her development. Most of all, pray that she will know God's love and give her life to him as her savior, letting him transform her from the inside out. 

Share this post! You never know whether your random Facebook friend is the one who is meant to build a life-long relationship with Yegele through sponsorship. 

Be an advocate. Compassion International needs our voices to connect thousands of children just like Yegele with people who have the funds and willingness to be their sponsors. Click here for more information. 

Just joining the conversation? Welcome! Here are links to the previous posts:

Compassion part 1: When you can't feed 100 children
Compassion part 2: Meet the kids!
Compassion part 3: Egi

Compassion part 3: Egi

Yesterday we finally got to meet all three kids in the packet for the first time! More than eighty of you clicked to see little Egi, Yegele, and Gregori's faces. Whoo hoo! Every click or share filled my heart with hope that all of these precious little ones will have sponsors by next week on September 30.

If you're just jumping in today, welcome! This is day number three in a ten-day series showcasing the work of Compassion International for impoverished and at-risk children around the world. (To catch up on what you missed, click here for Day 1, and here for Day 2!)

Compassion International operates on the assumption that:

"In a world where more than a billion children live on less than $2 USD per day, child sponsorship is the most strategic way to end poverty."

Many of us ache with sorrow over the tragedies occurring around the world, but feel helpless to help from our living rooms. Or, we feel simply overwhelmed because the Great Need just feels too great.

Friend, you are small. That is truth. But when a small person offers their smallness to a Great God , that tiny offering can be used to change the world.

Today, and for the next two days, I want to open the profile packs a smidge further and really introduce you to each child so that you can make a more informed decision about whether one of them is waiting for you. 

Today, meet Egi. 

Egi Ricard Sarumaha turned seven on the seventh of June - his "golden birthday".

He lives in an island community called Sukarami where around 2,700 people live elbow-to-elbow in homes made of cement floors and tin roofs.

The area is known for torrential rains during the flood season. Can you imagine the deafening effect of a heavy rain on a tin roof?

Egi lives with his father, his mother, and one other sibling. His mom stays at home with the kids while his father tries to keep steady employment as a day laborer. However, he is not always successful, since Egi's profile says his father is "sometimes employed". Most day laborers earn an average of $53 per month in Sukaramai.

Children living in Sukaramai are at risk for diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and skin diseases.

Compassion International's work in Indonesia began in 1968. They partner with churches to help them provide Indonesian kids with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and reach their full potential.

Your sponsorship of $38 per month would allow the staff at Agape Denninger Student Center to give Egi Bible studies, medical checkups, nutritious food, sports, character building programs, reading and writing classes and special celebrations.

One other thing that surprised me--it said that the center staff would also offer meetings and seminars to Egi's parents!

This means that in a very practical way, your sponsorship of a single child may actually be part of God's plan for an entire family's transformation through the love of Christ.

How do I support Egi?

Egi's starter packet is currently displayed in the lobby of the Fellowship Church office in College Station. If you live here in town, drop by after your morning cup of coffee to pick it up. Everything you need to get started will be inside. 

What's that, you say? You live out of town? Just email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com to give me your mailing address, and I'll be more than happy to mail Egi's packet to you. 

I can't sponsor right now, but how can I help?

Pray for Egi. Like, right now, wherever you are. Pray that God will bring him a sponsor soon. Pray for his health. Pray for his education, his family, and his development. Most of all, pray that he will choose to follow Jesus and let God's love transform both him and his community. 

Share this post with anyone you think might want to be Egi's sponsor! You never know--that co-worker or relative may be the one who is meant to build a life-long relationship with Egi through sponsorship. 

Be an advocate. Compassion international needs our voices (and facebook pages and twitter accounts) to connect thousands of children just like Egi with people who have the funds and the willingness to be their sponsors. Click here for more information. 


 

Compassion part 2: meet the kids!

Welcome to day #2 in a ten-day series here on the blog! I've never done a series before, but I'm sure you'll agree--a single post just wouldn't do justice in this case.

The purpose of this blog sequence is to have a discussion about compassion in a hurting world, and to introduce all of you to three very special children. 

Each one of these kids has a story. Each of them hails from a different continent. Each one is waiting anxiously for someone to say "I choose you."

Yesterday, I kicked off the conversation by teasing you with little glimpses of the kids' profiles (so mean, I know!), and telling a little bit of what it has been like for my husband and I to sponsor kids through Compassion International. To catch up on what you missed, click here! 

I know you've all been dying to see the faces of the three kids in my packet, so without further ado, meet Egi, Yegele, and Gregori.

Egi - age 7

Isn't this the sweetest second-grader you ever saw? 

Egi lives in an island community in Indonesia where rice is the staple for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like most little boys around the world, his favorite game is soccer. His parents have signed him up for the Compassion program hoping that he will soon receive medical checkups, nutritious food, sports, and the reading and writing programs that the Agape Denninger Student Center provides. 

"There are no greater miracles than those when lives are transformed" - Unknown

Yegele - age 5

This little sweetheart is five, but she is so tiny that she could be mistaken for a four-year old. Yegele reminds me so much of the way Asnaku looked when I first sponsored her--they could almost be sisters! Both of them live in Ethiopia, a country where Compassion International has been working since 1993. 

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." - Jesus (Matthew 10:42)

Gregori - age 3 1/2

I made sure to mention the "1/2" when listing little Gregori's age, because he will turn 4 next month on October 27. Imagine how amazing it would be if Gregori could receive his very own sponsor by his birthday!

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

Thirty-eight dollars is a small thing for many of us. It is a blouse. A dinner out. A gym membership.

For thirty-eight dollars a month, children sponsored through Compassion are nurtured, given nutrition and medical attention, and hear about the love of Jesus. As they grow, they receive educational opportunities, love from the development center staff, and leadership training that will set them on a track to become mature, self-sufficient adults.

Thirty-eight dollars may seem like pocket change, or maybe it represents a true sacrifice. But to a single mom hoping for a better life for her son, it is a miracle. It is a way to break free from a cycle of malnutrition, illiteracy, and hopelessness.

Sponsorship involves money, but it is far more than just throwing cash at a faraway project. It is relationship. You will write letters to your child which, for many sponsored kids, are their most precious possessions. You will receive letters. You will watch them get taller and see their handwriting improve over the years. Many sponsors even get the chance to visit their sponsored kids!

One thing is certain--both you and the child you love in this way will never be the same.

Sounds great! How do I sponsor one of them?

For the next two weeks, you will not be able to find any of these children on Compassion's website. They were temporarily removed so that I could personally connect someone (maybe you?) with each child.

Starting today (Tuesday), the three starter packets will be displayed in the lobby of the Fellowship Church office in College Station. (Click here for directions.) You can either:

• Run to the church office in a mad dash to beat everyone else to pick up a packet (Actually, you can drive normally. Car wrecks = not good.), OR
• Email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com. If you live out of town, just give me your address and I will be more than happy to pop your child's packet in the mail to you. 

One little thing: PLEASE let me know if you have chosen one of the kids, even if you pick up the packet from the office! Aside from reassuring me that the packet wasn't just misplaced, this will also give me the chance to encourage you and answer any questions you may have. 

I'm interested...what's next?

Over the next few days, I will share more of each child's profile and details about their family situations and the countries where they live. I hope to give you a better sense of who each kid is as an individual, and show you more of the amazing work that Compassion is doing in these three locations. 

If you'd like to check out what Compassion International is all about, visit their website here! 

Compassion part 1: When you can't feed 100 people

Sometimes the needs of our hurting world can feel like a crushing weight.

Barrel-bomb shrapnel is pulled from a newborn's face and Nigerian schoolgirls are pulled roughly from their dorms, still missing a year later.
Tsunamis sweep generations away, wildfires turn homes to ash in a dry land, and masked soldiers think nothing of beheading children while masked doctors do the same in sterile clinics.

Each tragedy pulses through our phones and computer screens with numbing regularity. It's tempting to shut our eyes, plug our ears, and roll over into a deep, comfortable coma.

Don't.

Do not buy into the slimy lie that because you cannot heal our world, you should ignore it.

You cannot stop all the wars or heal all the diseases, but you can make a difference.

I love this quote by Mother Teresa:

Picture from FMSC: http://preview.tinyurl.com/oocguxv

So, my question to you is this: If you could lift one child out of hopelessness, would you?

I'm asking because I just received a fat packet from Compassion International with the profiles of three children inside.

You guys, they are three of the most beautifully unique children I've ever seen.

Up on my fridge, between the wedding invitations and graduation announcements, are two brown faces that my husband and I love like family. 

One is a young man named Eric. Eric is from Mexico and he writes to us to tell us about his grades, his hopes for the future, and his love for futbol (soccer). In his last letter, he told us that he wants to follow God, but he is not sure that he can. His father refuses to take the family to church, and we pray his heart will soften.

The other is a dark-skinned beauty from Ethiopia with round eyes and angular shoulders. I became Asnaku's sponsor when she was six, and she is now thirteen. She loves the color red, and she worries about her schoolwork. She wants to do well and get a good job someday, and she asks when will we visit? Her letters are always decorated with artwork.

The high level of care for the children, the financial integrity, and the quality of communications provided by Compassion International has been impressive.

But far beyond the medical, educational, and social benefits given to each child in the program, the personal connection we've been able to have with both Eric and Asnaku has been something truly special.

So here's the plan: for ten days my blog posts will focus on the children in this packet and on the work of Compassion International. 

I have two goals:

1. To find loving sponsors for Egi, Yegele, and little Gregori by the end of September, 
2. To have a conversation about compassion, need, and God's ancient and unchanging pursuit of poor and broken people. 

I hope you'll join me, get to know the kids, and show them to your friends! Because while we can't do everything, we can do something.

What if God DOES give us more than we can handle?

What do you say when your friend gets arrested for accidentally forgetting the item at the bottom of his cart before he walks out the door? What words can you possibly find for the friend awash in grief because her grown up sister suddenly drowned last week in a creek?  How do you answer the why in their tired eyes when a couple sits across from you at your kitchen table, describing how a house fire destroyed their home that morning?

And in case you're wondering--yes, all of those things happened last month to people I love. 

September was rough. 

When the lives of people around us are messy, when the pain they feel is bigger or different from any we've ever walked through, we get scared. It's uncomfortable, right? So we want to fix it, to say a magic word that will suddenly make it all better. Maybe we just want to be the hero.

Whatever the reason, if you feel the urge to tell them, "God won't give you more than you can handle"...just don't. 

The first reason is that it's simply not true. God DOES give us more than we can handle.

We know this from personal experience. Anyone who has ever had an EBD (emotional breakdown) knows that there are days we just. Can't. Deal. Life is chock-full of stress, and it only increases as we grow into our adult lives and accumulate more responsibilities.

But stress or tragedy in the lives of people who follow God is nothing new. What about Joseph, trafficked into slavery by his own brothers? What about Job, who lost his wealth and his kids all in one horrible day? What about Moses, terribly insecure and shaking in his bare feet when God told him to lead millions of people out of a country where they'd been slaves for 400 years? All of them were handed far more than they could handle.

Telling someone that they'll never be given more than they can handle feeds several lies:

1. It sets up an unrealistic expectation that life will be relatively easy for those with faith.

This sounds great, and is a key part of the Prosperity Theology preached by many. However, it is the complete opposite of what Jesus actually told his disciples to expect. Jesus said that "in this life you will have trouble" (John 16:33). He also declares that "if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).

 Faith in God does not guarantee an easy life. In fact, the sheer number of verses calling believers to self-sacrifice, suffering, and endurance indicate the opposite.

2. If you do find yourself falling apart, it must be because you don't believe strongly enough that you have what it takes. 

This is such a terrible lie, straight from Hell. Not only does it further isolate the person, it also piles a heap of guilt on an already painful situation.

There is definitely a Biblical call to stand firm on the promises of God. But did Jesus promise an easy life? Did he promise that you would never have a meltdown or feel depressed? We must be careful that the promises we are claiming are actually from the Lord. (See point number 1.)



One of the reasons that folk theology takes root and gains popular acceptance is because it sounds so much like the truth. Telling someone that God won't give them more than they can handle is almost  a true statement.

However, the truth is that God will never give you more than His grace is sufficient for.

The Apostle Paul had a struggle that seemed to crush him. Three times he pleaded with God to take it away, but each time God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Not only did God promise to give grace that is enough for all I need, he even seems to say that the best circumstance through which to display His power is our weakness. What kind of crazy, backward display of power is this? But that is the mystery of the majesty of our God.

The truth is that God never intended you to handle it alone. 

Our loving Father wants us to rely on Him, and not on ourselves. Our natural normal state is not independence, as if God wanted us to eventually remove the training wheels of His love and grace. Our natural, normal state is deep, constant dependence on Him for every need, every moment.

Our natural state is also community. Even about Adam, a sinless man in a perfect, pre-curse world, God said, "it is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)

I firmly believe that one of God's primary and most tangible expressions of grace to believers is other believers. When we, as the Body of Christ, are all built up into the unity of the Spirit, we share one member's pain as our own. We bear one another's burdens.

The truth is that God loves us so much that he is even willing to allow painful circumstances in our lives to bring about this intimacy with Himself and within his Body. 

This is a delicate topic. I was so nervous to bring it up that I almost skipped it entirely.

I realize that it would be completely arrogant for me to look at anyone's pain and assume that I know the reason God allowed it. When God allows cancer, or sexual abuse, or a house fire, or a machete massacre in a Nigerian village, I have no words.

And friend, I don't know the "why" behind your story of loss.

But I know that the ultimate good for humans--the absolute best thing that can ever happen to us--is to know God. To see Him for who He is, to experience His greatness and love, to become intimate friends with the Creator who call us His own--this is the best, most joyful thing.

Your loving Father might allow pain and loss in order to bring you into the deep intimacy with Himself and his Church that is your ultimate good.

Paul described this experience in his own life like this:

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

I firmly believe that there is no evil or pain that God cannot redeem for our good and His glory.

After all, the brutal murder of an innocent man named Jesus was the way God chose to bring salvation to the world. 

Five Minute Friday:: Filled to Pour Out

The sun is setting on the first half of the weekend, and I feel so thankful for the nearness of Jesus even in the craziness and emotion of this past week. 

My husband's laptop screen forms a glowing A-shape with mine in the middle of our tiny coffeshop table. I'm so glad that he and I are both feeling better. He has been battling a bacterial infection for the past two months and is nearing the end of an intense round of antibiotics. Funny thing about antibiotics is that they can weaken your immunity. He caught a nasty cold, and then of course I caught it from him, but today we both seem to have more energy. Thank you, God! 

Aside from feeling sick physically, my heart has been sickened this week by the horrific images in the news. It is only now, after I have brought the gut-wrenching sorrow to the feet of Jesus, that I begin to feel some relief. 

Today I'm linking up with the Five Minute Friday crew again, but this time is special because it's the FIRST time that the party is hosted by Kate Motaung. The concept is still the same: the hostess issues a one-word prompt late on Thursday night and we all free-write on that theme for five minutes. No editing, no over-thinking, and no perfectionizing. (Yes, I just invented that word.)

We all post our links here on her blog and leave some comment encouragement for the writer who posted before us. 

{Fill}

He fills my cup.

Jesus sat at a well and told a dry, man-weary woman that he would give her water that would never run dry. His water would become a living stream of water flowing from inside.

I love this part. My dryness is splashed over and my emptiness filled to satisfaction.

But like a long, hot shower, I can marinate in this overflow and forget that I am filled to pour out.

This week and last week and the week before, my eyes have filled at the news of an arid land dripping with the blood of families. When seven year olds are forced to wed, when fathers are made to watch their little ones slaughtered and their spouses taken, the world’s ragged thirst for the Healer is glaring from the screens of our computers.

We are to fill the cups of the thirsty, and Jesus promises that He will count it as a personal gift to Him.

http://smithsk.blogspot.com/

We are to fill up in ourselves what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, standing with and for our family, His Body.

http://tinyurl.com/ktm5gex

And before and during and after each physical need and literal cup filled, we are to fill that beautiful basin in His presence with our prayers.

May they burn and rise as a sweet aroma day and night. 

__________________________________________________

If you haven't had the chance to read much about the recent events in Iraq, here is an article written only two days ago that summarizes the intense persecution against Christians by the militant Islamic group, ISIS. 

If you want a reliable source of news about our persecuted family around the world, please visit Voice of the Martyrs and subscribe to their email newsletters. 

Read enough and want to do something practical?

To provide aid for families fleeing the violence, click here or here. 

To petition Congress to take notice of the plight of Iraqi Christians and allocate aid, click here. 

To move Heaven, let's all get on our knees. 

"What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it." --Matthew 10:28

Close to the Brokenhearted

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18

This is one of those verses that gets highlighted in almost every Bible. We write it in sympathy cards, and it's a favorite in Christian bookstores. When we are brokenhearted, this promise of God's nearness is pure comfort-food for the heart.

But today when I read it, God brought the faces of these brokenhearted ones to mind instead.

Ever since last Friday, when Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines, images like this have been flooding the news.

Bodies lie buried under the rubble of their homes or out in the open, rotting. On Wednesday morning, the death toll stood at 2,275, and the Phillippine government estimates that over 582,000 are now homeless.*

As staggering as these numbers are, the real danger is the health crisis that now looms with medicines, food, and clean water dwindling. Relief has been arriving, but with roads impassable, most of it is bottlenecking at the airports. If doctors, shelter, food, water, and medicines don't arrive soon, the death toll from hunger and dysentery will quickly dwarf the original casualties from the storm.

And even if all relief arrives in time, how does one simply move on after finding your 4-year old under a tarp at a makeshift morgue? 

And the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

A beautiful truth, but how will they know it? If this statement remains only sentiment, thousands will die. 

The closeness of Jesus is meant to be tangible, just as he came himself in a literal, touchable body. Emmanuel--God with us--meant a baby who teethed, a boy who skinned his knees, and a man who touched the untouchables with very literal hands. 

Today, the Church--God in us--means that we who profess to follow Jesus must show his closeness to the broken with our practical help, our literal bank accounts, and even our physical presence. 

Why does God comfort us?  So that "we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort we ourselves receive from God." (2 Corinthians 1:4)

In other words, we are part of a Divine pay-it-forward, not for warm fuzzies or so that we can look good on facebook, but so that those crushed in spirit will be saved. 

If you sense God asking you to take action for the typhoon survivors, please pray about giving to one of the organizations below within the next 12 hours. At this point, hours matter. 

The Philippine Red Cross has teams on the ground to help with rescue and relief.

UNICEF is providing food, medicine and clean water to children affected by the typhoon. 

Doctors Without Borders is sending teams of doctors, surgeons, water and sanitation experts.

If you are looking for a list of other organizations that are helping with this tragedy, click here. 

*The stats in this post were taken from this CNN news article.

The Exodus of Exodus

Exodus International is the largest ex-gay Christian ministry and, at 37 years, one of the longest-running.

Or it was.

This month, Exodus International announced that it is shutting its doors. The same week, President Allan Chambers issued a heartfelt apology to the GLBT community, saying "Please know that I am deeply sorry...for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced."

Click here to read the full apology. 

In his speech, Chambers personally apologized for not telling the full story of his ongoing same-sex attraction for many years. He also expressed regret that Exodus International had "promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents." He was referring to "reparative therapy"--the long-standing idea that intensive therapy and a close relationship with God could "repair" or "cure" an unwanted homosexual orientation. While Exodus has taken recent steps in the past few years to denounce this approach as harmful and without medical basis, they had previously endorsed and used this method as part of their ministry.

One day after the apology, Exodus International gave the formal announcement that they were shutting down.

Judging from Exodus International's facebook page, the reactions to the apology are a mixed bag.

"Your too-late apologies can't begin to make up for the real and lasting direct and indirect damage you did to many thousands of people," said one commenter, Michael Martin. 

Another poster, nicknamed Little Bird, was more forgiving.

 "I've lost so many friends who were forced out of their connection with God because of the internalized messages they received from hateful religious groups. I accept the apology. Thank you."

 This month has been momentous for the GLBT community. Just this past Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), is unconstitutional. As a result, the federal government will now give same-sex married couples the same legal and financial benefits as their heterosexual counterparts.

I have to admit: when I first saw the headlines, I felt genuine disappointment that any Christian ministry to the GLBT community would shut down. With more and more young people questioning their sexual identities, there is an enormous need for ministries that offer Biblical truth, compassion and support. My husband and I personally have friends who have had positive experiences with the affiliates of Exodus International, and we had never heard the stories of abuse and trauma.

The fact that they were apologizing rubbed it worse--at first glance it seemed to negate everything they had stood for. But when I read Chamber's apology more closely, I saw that the organization made a clear distinction between harm done and beliefs held.

"I cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not share them....My wife Leslie and my beliefs center around grace, the finished work of Christ on the cross and his offer of eternal relationship to any and all that believe. Our beliefs do not center on "sin" because "sin" isn't at the center of our faith. Our journey hasn't been about denying the power of Christ to do anything--obviously he is God and can do anything."

In other words, the apology has nothing to do with rejecting a Biblical stance on marriage, sexuality, or the power of Christ to change us. Instead, it means the leaders of Exodus are simply recognizing that well-intentioned ministry strategies have hurt some of the very people they desired to help, and they are adjusting their approach.

The leaders of the disbanded Exodus International have said that they plan to form a completely new ministry  called Reduce Fear. At the end of his apology, Chamber alluded to the new vision, saying that they hope to host "thoughtful and safe conversations about gender and sexuality, while partnering with others to reduce fear, inspire hope, and cultivate human flourishing."

I am cautiously hopeful as I wait to see.
I pray they can make churches a safe place for gays without endorsing the "Gay Gospel" or gay lifestyle.
I pray that they offer hope in the power of Christ without offering false promise in the power of Christian therapy.
I pray that Reduce Fear becomes an organization known for love and compassion instead of one tarnished by hushed-up scandals.

It's a tall order, but I think they have taken a brave first step in the right direction.


I usually don't write about current events, but lately the news has captured my attention. Please take these thoughts as the honest wrestling of a Christian who doesn't have all the answers, but who wants to be thoughtful, curious and engaged with the world in which she lives. This *may* become a more common thing here at A Pile of Pebbles.