Who Writes the Stories?

Feeding the Orphans provides sponsorships for orphans and at-risk children to provide food and/or education for children who might not otherwise receive it. 

With organizations who provide sponsorships, do you ever wonder who writes their stories?  Have you ever wondered who writes the bios for kids who are being sponsored?Who collects the information about what they like and dislike?  Who knows the need that needs to be met?  

 For Feeding the Orphans, all of the children are written about by someone serving in country with the organization.  These are not merely faces without meaning.  These are real children.  They have real stories.  They need YOU to help them live life with hope.

Our family is responsible to share a bit about the children who are in need around us.  In the few sentences we are able to write, there are many things we are unable to tell.

This week, we visited six children who greatly need sponsors.  Our visits this week stirred my heart.  Each of these children came into our lives through a local pastor whom we trust.  He knew their dire circumstances and shared them with us.  This pastor has been providing rice and food for these children out of his own scarce resources.  One of the young boys calls him for help once his hunger is fierce.  

At our first stop, there are three boys are being raised by one aging grandmother.  They live in a small structure void of electricity and water.  We arrived at their home before sunset, but quickly realized the darkness than encapsulates this home once the sun goes down.  There is no light in this home or any of the homes around it.  Darkness set in.

The story of these three boys is one that we are finding to be more common the longer we are here.  Two of their siblings have been given over into child labor.  The grandmother cares for these three boys to prevent them from also seeing them forced into labor.  She is struggling to survive herself and provides a small amount to care for them.  The children receive 30 pesewas ($.15) per day for food from the grandmother.  This is all she can afford.  The parents have abandoned these boys entirely.  The grandmother simply can not provide for these boys alone.

The oldest boy, A, was sold into child slavery as a young boy.  He worked on the fishing boats with fishermen who choose to have children work on their boats.  Sadly, children are still trafficed here.  Once rescued, A came to his grandmother’s home.  He has only completed Class 2 in school - grade 2.  He is attending school now, and moving slowly through the classes.  When A is not in school, he goes to work on the fishing boats to provide a small amount to help his family.  

The middle boy, E, age 13, takes to the streets to sell ice cream in the hopes of a small amount of money.  He uses this money to buy a pencil at school because his grandmother can not afford to provide it.  E also uses the money to provide food for his brothers and grandmothers.  

The youngest, W, age 12, has shed tears in front of me because of their situation.  He doesn’t complain, but he has called his pastor for help when he is hungry and without food.  His eyes at times look hopeless.  The photo below of W was taken one Sunday when we were at the church.  School was out and both of his brothers had been sent away to farm and fish so the family would have money.  There was no food in the house and he was alone.  His eyes tell his story.

All three of these boys faithfully attend one of the only Christian churches in this village.  They come without their grandmother because she believes in the power of the idols of the village.  Currently, she will not attend church.  The boys make the long walk alone. These three boys faithfully attend every Sunday.  

Because we knew the desperate need here, we brought some food for this family.  As one of the young boys was carrying the bag of rice toward the home, the bag split and sprayed rice kernels on the ground of red clay dirt.  He was admonished by the grandmother for this unavoidable error.  Quickly, at the urging of the grandmother, he retrieved a pan and scooped up every piece of rice.  Some of the rice was now red in color from the dirt on the ground, but the boy did not throw the rice away.  Carefully, he poured the rice, and the dirt, back into the rice bag to be eaten later.  My stomach hurt from witnessing this scene.  This is the desperation this small family faces.  Would you sweep rice out of the dirt to eat later?

After leaving the dark shack for A, E, and W, Reid and I progressed to the next home with our pastor friend.  Here we found a similar story.  Three children are being raised by the grandmother because the parents have abandoned them.  The parents were ready to sell them into slavery but the grandmother stepped in to prevent this future.  The grandmother protects them from being forced into child labor because she cares for them. 

The grandmother sells produce at a small stand in the market nearly an hour away from her home.  She works every day in order to try to provide a meager amount for the children.  Because of her long days selling, I (the boy below) is forced to care for his younger twin siblings.  

It was after dark as we progressed to this home.  Everything was pitch black.  Hearing a family has no water or electricity is another thing altogether when you are traveling to the home after the sun has set.  We were on a narrow trail lit only by our cell phones.  Darkness surrounded us.  Our eyes couldn't adjust to the black night and it was only 6:30 pm.  Yet, this is the evening time everyday for these families.

When we arrived, I was alone with the two younger ones  - F and F.  The grandmother was still away at the market selling.  These children are hungry.

All of these children need someone to help care for them.  These children have been orphaned by their parents and are now at risk of desperate measures for survival.

If a child is sponsored through FTO, representatives in country deliver food and provisions to the children sponsored for food.  For education sponsored children, FTO representatives assure their attendance in school and encourage students to study hard pursuing their education.  Would you consider sponsoring one of these children or one of the children on the Feeding the Orphans website?

There are so many who need help.

If you have the ability to provide for them, would you consider it?  

The children who can not provide for themselves would be grateful.

As you read the bios of the kids on the website, remember there is so much that remains unwritten.  You can trust these are children in dire circumstances.  You can know your sponsorship will alter the future of a child.  You can know you are making a difference in the life of ONE.  Your sponsorship helps give them a future and a hope. 

Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the first fruits of all your produce;then your barns will be filled with plenty,

¹⁰     and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to do it.

Proverbs 3:9-10,27

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Reflections From Two Months in Ghana

Katie Batchelor has blessed our lives for the past two months.  Yesterday, we had the difficult task of saying goodbye to her and another FTO volunteer, Amanda Selvidge, as they departed for home.  

Earlier today, we welcomed a single mom and her 11 month old son to stay in Katie's room until we can find a place for them to stay.  And, that's how we see this little space that is already filled - Katie's room.  Today we kept expecting to hear Katie's voice, laugh at her jokes, or see her on the roof, but we didn't.  She is on her way home and, as I share this blog post, Katie will soon arrive in Knoxville.  Her family is waiting with open arms to welcome her home.  Our family, on this side of the world, will be forever impacted by the life of servanthood Katie has demonstrated throughout her time here.  She has been a blessing to all of us.  God sent her in His perfect timing.

One of Katie's final farewell gifts was this blog post.  Enjoy a few pictures I chose from her time with us, then enjoy her final words written from Ghana.  

The people of Ghana and the Beebe family have been blessed by the service and love of Katie Batchelor!  Thank you, Katie, for giving your life away!  You are a blessing!

Guest Blogger:  Katie Batchelor, FTO Volunteer

Well, this is my final time to be able to say "Akwaaba" from Ghana because I am probably somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean by now. Some of you know me, but most probably don't. My name is Katie Batchelor and I have been living with the Beebe family since the first part of September.  And, oh my, what a ride these months have been-- one of the best of my life. I have had the privilege to do life alongside the Beebes and try to minister where I can.  But, now that I am at the end of this road, I am faced with the challenges of how to re-enter the American life in a newly-informed, Biblical, God-glorifying way based on what the Lord has shown me over the past two months. So this post is just another way of me thinking out loud in my search to know how to respond to the Christian's clearly-laid-out responsibility to minister to the "least of these" in the different culture that is waiting for me back home. 

One thing that I've learned while I've been here is that I am now responsible for what I know. That realization has been branded on my mind every time I see a child suffering from malaria or with a distended abdomen due to worms. Every time a mother begs us to take her children out of desperation. Every time I learn that the orphanage of 100+ kids is, again, out of food.  Every time I see a fishing boat in the ocean and pray there is not a child aboard who has been sold into slavery. This knowledge burdens my heart and is not particularly pleasant to bear, but that does not mean that I wish to have the burden removed. For we, Christians, are supposed to be the bearers of this burden because, we were once the spiritually separate and alienated ones, but have been rescued, brought from death into life. We are now SET FREE to live a life completely given over to seeing our Savior magnified in all the corners of the world in all of the various ways that comes. 

  "remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Eph. 2:12-13)

So this burden isn't one of condemnation, but of joyful solemnity. We have the privilege of carrying this burden. One of the core passages that has motivated me for some time now is found in Isaiah 61:1-3,

"1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 

3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."

     So Isaiah sees the calling to bring good news to the poor as a sign of the Lord being upon him. It's a blessed burden. With the full motivation being "that he may be glorified". 

 "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matt. 25:40)  So what would life look like if I believed that this what true? That I get the honor of giving food, water, and clothes to Jesus, my wonderful Savior, when I do the same to the least of these? 

Anyways, so now that I have my blessed burden, how do I take that back to America? In a way, life here in Ghana is easier in the respect that temptations for materialism are not as prevalent or as hard to fight than they are back home. Also, taking action here comes in the form of literally handing food to those without, whereas, in America, taking action may not come in such an obvious, easily-observable forms. And I know, if I try to function under my own will-power or try to bury myself in guilt in an effort to drum up some sort of permanent change within me, I will absolutely fail. It's got to be a work of the Lord. As the end of my trip was drawing nearer I had to start dealing with what action I should take back home, and I'm still working through that. Any advice and, more importantly, prayers, are so so needed and coveted.

Going into this trip one of my main prayer requests was that God would draw me nearer to Himself and-- praise Him!-- I am very thankful to be able to say that He was/is so faithful to have answered that plea! That certainly does not mean that everything was roses during my time here. All of the Beebes can testify to the fact I definitely had my rough patches. However, I am so thankful for those times, because, as most of you all can probably say as well, it was at those points, when everything else had been stripped away, that I was able to see the cross as most beautiful.

Another thing that I am so thankful for is the Lord's sovereign hand in choosing the Beebes as my surrogate family. I can't think of a better family to have lived with. It was a major risk for both parties, especially because I knew virtually nothing about them, and they of me. Little did I know what joys stood ahead of me. I loved singing The Sound of Music soundtrack while Mrs. Robin twirls and flits about the living room, but also having heartfelt conversations long into the night. Having way too long debates about arm hair with Mason, but also seeing him stand up for the truth when it was in jeopardy. Seeing Mr. Reid bear the burden of leading his family in a foreign nation while pouring his heart out in ministry, and also, graciously having to take off my door frame because I locked myself out of my room (again). I've loved having conversations with Weston about adapters, modems, Bluetooth, and ios6 (all of which were one-sided), and referring to him affectionally as many times as I could by his newfound nickname, Big Boss. Loved watching Franklin using his God-given gift by produce these wonderful works of art, and also having him order mystery-meat kabobs at night on the side of the road without a shirt on and his hair teased out into an afro (P.S. I know you will totally be able to nail that backflip soon.) Godwin never failed to make me feel better about my driving when we ran right over a huge pothole by exclaiming, "I love the big bumps!!" It was so sweet to see the love that Braden has for all of his family (here and back in the States) and also the way he used his love language of gift-giving to instantly cheer up the recipient's day.  THEY ARE ALL A HUGE BLESSING!

Well, this post has to come to an end at some point, so I'll leave with a point that John Piper makes and I wholeheartedly agree with: "Jesus has saved us from the American dream." So as I pray that the Lord engrains that into my way of life, I urge you all as well, to adopt that prayer. His blessings are so much greater than all of the stuff on this earth that will be burnt in the end anyways. And in all things, "that He may be glorified"! 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Katie Batchelor

Duty

This post was written by our 15 year old.  It was unprompted by Mom and Dad.  In fact, Mason did not even want it read it until he posted it.  Friends, our entire family is wrestling through things we have never faced before as we experience the poverty here firsthand.  I find our oldest son does not mince words in his direct manner of communicating his passion.  Reid and I are amazed how the Lord is penetrating the hearts of our boys and using them to speak into our own lives.

Guest Blogger: Mason Beebe   Age: 15

     Warning: This will not be an easy to read blog post. The purpose of me writing this post is to call up Christian's to do their job for the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In doing this, I will write some things that may be offensive, but they are things that I feel need to be brought to light. If you have been upset over any other posts on this blog, it is quite possible that you will break your computer after reading the first several paragraphs.  Continue at your own discretion.

     America. The land of the free and the home of the brave. The place where life is easy. A haven where people can be shielded from the reality of the harsh conditions that the rest of the world calls life. Probably the closest to a utopia the world will ever know.

     In my geography lesson yesterday, I found some extremely harsh statistics. I know you probably see or hear of statistics similar to these often, but I will say that they take on a whole new meaning when you are looking into the eyes of poor side these statistics daily.  The richest 20% of the world lives on 80% of the total world income. The poorest 20% of the world lives on 1% of the total world income. Let me put this into other words. If your family makes over $10,000 a year, you are 80 times richer than another family in a third-world country.

     Living in Ghana has given me a whole new perspective of America. America is one of the top ten richest countries in the world, but, in my opinion, many Americans horde their riches for themselves and are not willing to use them to help the impoverished world around them. Now notice that I did say many - not all. There are some Americans who are very generous and want to help the broken and needy. What we are doing here would be impossible without those people. All the ministry that has been done here is a gift from God given by people who felt led to give.

     What has really made me sad and, quite honestly, made me angry is the mindset of American Christians. We have heard several times while we have been here, "Well, I believe God blessed the U.S. so I think God wants us to enjoy those blessings." But, what if, using the blessings God gives us to bless others is the blessing we are to enjoy?  If anyone knows our motto, and the verse it comes from, then it should be clear this is what I believe.  The Lord has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others (Genesis 12:1-2).

While life in America for me was so simple and easy, life here is so much more fulfilling. The Lord has blessed me to see joy in orphans' faces. The Lord has blessed me to see souls won for His Kingdom. The Lord has blessed me to see once hungry and uneducated children, now well-fed and in school. These are the blessings that God has for us.

     It is so hard for me to be in Ghana seeing a new need everyday knowing that there are Christians in America spending money like it grows on trees. And the needs that I see are life and death needs, i.e orphanages without food, people without water, people sleeping on the side of the road, deadly health problems, etc. These needs are so much physically greater here than in America. There are no welfare checks, food ministries, homeless shelters, healthcare, and very few places where you can get water for free. It makes me mad that people are spending money just because they can when people are struggling to survive because they have no food.

     The Lord called us to go and make disciples of all nations, but nobody will listen to you preach if they are starving. I know you cannot understand or see the things the way I do because you are not faced with these situations daily. I know that not everyone is called to pack their bags and move to a foreign country, but ministry takes sacrifice. You may be the person who supports a missionary, or giving to an organization reaching lost souls and meeting the physical needs of people.  People who give significantly impact lives here. Simply put, ministry takes money, lots of money, and that is one huge way you can help. I promise you that if you are doing what God wants you to do, your life will be so much more fulfilling than if you chase after the dust and ashes of the wealth of this world.

     I know this is probably hard for many people to hear, but it needs to be heard. Life is our one chance. When we die that is it - game over. What would you rather bring before the throne of the Lord when you are judged; tickets to a concert, amusement park, or sporting event? Lots of extra savings? A long retirement? Lots of vacations? Or souls that you helped win for his kingdom? A life full of sacrifices made out of love for your King? People's smiling faces because you took the time to love them? Personally, I would rather live the latter choices.

Every night, I know that I am one day closer to my death. I don't want to waste my life. Every day has to count.

     Now this whole post may seem like I am bashing America, which in a way I am.  Please know, I love my country.  What I really wanted the point to be is that I am trying to help my brothers and sisters in America realize the dire need in the rest of the world. Like I said earlier, it doesn't have to be putting on your traveling shoes and moving to another country. Money is essential to advancing Christ's kingdom.  Many, many of you are already helping through your giving!  Thank you!  I am trying to call my other brothers and sisters to action.  Everyone could play a small part, and I'm thankful for the many who do.

I know people may choose to ignore this because it is easier to live in ease and riches without remembering the rest of the world. But others will read this and take action and live a fulfilling life, knowing that they have obeyed the wishes of their King to care for the least of these.

Which would you rather do?

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! 

Psalm 39:5

All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.  J.R.R. Tolkien

Weekend Ghana Challenge

Dear Friends,

It seems recently we have started every post with reasons why you have not heard from our family.  We apologize.  The truth is that we are overwhelmed by the enormous need surrounding us.

Over the past ten days these are some of the needs that have come to us:

1.)  A young boy with an unemployed father - no food in their one room home, and little of anything else.  The young boy is a step-child an unwanted by the step-mother.  The day we met him, he was out begging for fish so he would have something to eat.

2.)  A single mother who works to provide for her 8 month old son and herself.  Her monthly salary is 70 cedis ($35 mo.) to provide for both of them.  She only eats one small bowl of porridge per day because that is all she can afford.  Much of her income is spent on public transportation so she can go to work with her baby tied to her back.  Although she is nursing her son, she weighs no more than 95 pounds and her body is the shell of a woman.  She is an orphan herself with no mother or father.

3.)  An orphanage with 115 children.  Fifty-one boys share one room with 16 beds.  The day we visited there was only one bag of rice left for food.  They had been eating rice alone for several days - mostly in porridge form (more water than rice).  Kids skip school to go beg for food because they are hungry.  Many of the children here have stomach aches because of hunger and parasites.  No deworming has taken place here in over two years.

4.)  Seven children who are not in school because the single mothers can not afford the school fees.  One mother leaves her three young children in her one room shanty alone for the day so she can go to work.  Her pay 50 cedis per month ($25 mo.).

5.)  A school trying to help the poorest children in their community by providing education services at the lowest rate possible.  Because many of the children come from extremely poor homes, the kids are hungry when they come to school.

6.)  A single mother who lives in a kiosk with her youngest child.  Yes, she sleeps in a room no larger than a closet where she cooks rice during the day then sleeps there at night.  Her older two children have been sent away to work as child laborers for someone because this mother can not afford to care for them.

7.)  Three boys living with their grandmother who are out of food.  The grandmother has previously provided .30 peswas for the boys to live on every day - that equates to $.15 for daily nourishment.

8.)  A boy living near us who has not been able to go to school because his father has not been paid.  This bright young man is the age of one of our boys and he has begged us to help him go to school.

9.)  Three orphans taken in by a local pastor who is caring for them out of his own scarce resources.

10.)  A pastor seeking some funds to place a roof on a structure so his congregation will be able to meet in a safe place.  Until the church can afford a roof, this congregation meets under the trees outside the King's home.  (In Ghana, Chiefs rule over small regions, and King's rule over larger ones.)   For the past three weeks, the Priests and Priestesses of the tribal gods have offered sacrifices and offerings to the local idols while the pastor is leading worship services.  These are done within sight and ear-shot of the congregation.  Drink offerings (libations) are poured on the ground while the service is happening.  This past Sunday, the pastor gave a message while two rams were sacrificed within 30 yards of the outdoor service.  The spiritual persecution escalates, and the battle is real for this pastor in this dark village.

I'll stop there, but will throw in that none of the homes listed above have running water.  None.  The orphanage pulls water out of a well in the middle of the compound.  No, it is not purified.  I think only one of the homes above has electricity.  The orphanage only has electricity when they can afford to pay the bill.  The evening we were there, there was only one light bulb lighting the compound housing 115 children.  The church structure needing a roof consists of wood planks that have been raised to hold a roof - there are no walls and no floor.  (Tarps were rented for the outreach below which was held on-site for the new church structure.)

Daily, we feel the weight of this.  This is what our family is living, seeing, hearing, and breathing 24 hours per day.  The US presidential election, weekend football scores, current movies, newest restaurant openings, latest fashion trends, the newest Apple products, or choosing a paint color for the bedroom, etc... seem a world away for us.  It's not that we do not care about these things, but the needs surrounding us seem more urgent for our focus.  (Again, we do care about who will be elected in a few weeks.  Truly, we do.  But at the same time we are trusting our sovereign God who already knows the outcome of the election.  Does that make sense?)  It is hard to explain, but I am being honest.  We are on our knees before the Living God for the beloved people of Ghana that God continually places before our family.  And we are also on our knees for all of our friends in America as well.  It is our homeland, and we pray that our nation would draw close to God.

As difficult as it is for you to wrap your mind around what life is like here in Ghana, it is quickly becoming a challenge for our family to wrap our minds around the luxury of our previous life before moving here.  We grieve our own ignorance about the desperation of millions of people on the earth, and previously doing so little to respond to it.  As church-going Christians, I wish we had heard more about what was happening in the rest of the world.  Frankly, I feel we should have heard more from our church leaders.  However, we also should have been more diligent to find out, and diligent to keep the needs in front of us.  Too often, we would feel a slight twinge of responsibility, pray, respond to a small degree, then move on.  It's sad how we led our own family in fairly comfortable and invincible bubble.    We regret our lack of pursuit to care for the "least of these" in the name of Christ.  Reid and I feel sorrow for this now.

Hungry children without food, many with no clean water to drink, families living in tiny, horrid conditions, children deprived of education, orphans with no one to love them, millions who have never owned a Bible but memorize scripture so that it is hidden in their hearts, Christians who face persecution daily at the risk of their lives because they believe in our Savior, millions who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, etc...  Well...we never "got it."  It never sank in that these were real people, real children, real babies that in some way we, as Christians, must love as our neighbors.  We should be loving them as our brothers and sisters.  These are the real souls destined for eternity that God has told us to "GO," and "make disciples of them."  God has commanded us to "care for the least of these" and, in doing so, "we are doing it unto Christ."

This morning, I wondered if some of you might be up for a challenge.  It's the weekend, and I know many of you have this time for "relaxing."  We receive many questions about what life is like here, and what a typical day looks like, etc...  Why not take this weekend to teach some life lessons to yourself and your children?  Why not spend the next two days living like the people here?  Maybe even group of friends could do this together...  Homeschoolers, maybe this could be an activity for you and your children to do together.  Teachers, what if your class experienced this for a weekend?

If you choose to take this challenge, I'd really love to hear from you.  We are finding that even though we are missionaries here, we can not truly relate to the desperation of the people because we have never felt it.  I doubt many of you have either.

Here are your parameters for the weekend challenge:

1.)  Based on the pay for the single mothers above, you have $1.50 per day to live on.  (Because you are hardworking people, you are being given a raise over the women working here.  Many of them live on less.)  You must buy everything you need for yourself with that $1.50 - food, medicine, supplies, etc...  No cheating.  Remember that $1.50 is for your entire family, not $1.50 per person.  Single mothers are supporting their kids alone on this salary.

2.)  Park your car in a trusted friend's driveway.  You will not have the use of it.  Recently, I sat on a mountaintop and counted the homes in the village below me - there were 54 homes and two vehicles for the entire village.  Only 4% of the homes in this village had use of a car - if they worked.  If you must take public transportation, your daily $1.50 will have to cover it.  If you go anywhere, you must either walk, take public transportation or find a ride.   Each phone call to find a ride will take $.20 of your daily $1.50.

3.)  Shut off your electricity.  Remember, there is none in the homes above, so to empathize them, you need to live without it as well.  You can not use electricity for anything - phones, computers, television, appliances.

4.)  Choose one outfit to wear for the weekend, and one pair of shoes.  You can hand wash your clothes if needed.  If you plan to go to church on Sunday, you might want to choose a nicer outfit to wear for the weekend.  One outfit will need to last several days.  (Over the past four months, please know we have seen children here in the same outfit every time we see them.  Five months.  One outfit.)

5.)  Clean out a large trashcan and fill it with fetched water.  Ask a neighbor who lives a mile or so away if you can come to their house for water.  Do not take it out of the sink in your own home.  Most here do not have that luxury.  Grab a bucket or two and send the women and children to fetch the water.  (People here must buy the buckets out of their $1.50 per day.  However, you may use what you own, or borrow from your neighbors.  Consider it a bonus.)  Throughout the weekend, you must use this water for your cooking, your bathing, your washing, your cleaning, and your drinking.  Because it will sit out for a day or two, you will need to boil it before drinking or cooking with it.  You will need to build a fire to boil your water because you do not have electricity and can not afford gas cylinders.  Send the children to fetch firewood.  From your kitchen you are allowed 1 pot for cooking.

6.)  Your day will draw to a close sooner than usual because you will not have lights.  Once it is dark, you may only use candles to light your room.  Each family may have one flashlight throughout the weekend.  Again, the flashlight is a bonus.  However, any candles or batteries purchased must come from your $1.50 per day salary.

7.)  You will need to choose a small room in the house for your family to sleep in.  Perhaps a master bedroom closet or a small bedroom would suffice.  (One family here has 12 people in one room, and it is not uncommon.  If you really want to be Ghanaian, you might want to invite your grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews to join you in the room for the weekend.)  Have each person choose one item to bring with them for this will be your only item to own for the weekend.  No cheating by grabbing things from the rest of the house throughout the weekend.  Each person's one chosen item is it.  Everything should be contained in the one small living space, and it should be the only space your family stays unless you are outside.  Mom and Dad are allowed a camping mat, but the children sleep directly on the floor.  If you can section off a portion of your garage for your living space, the bare concrete floor would be indicative of children's beds in many homes here.  A few blankets should be shared by everyone.  At least two people should share each blanket.  You can choose if you cover with the blanket or if you sleep on top of it.  It's up to you.

8.)  Throughout the weekend, you must have a joyful heart and spirit.  The people here do.  Don't complain about how little you have.  The people here don't.  Praise God for everything you have for the weekend.  The people here are very thankful for the little they have.  Take time with each other.  Enjoy relationship.  Laugh a lot.  Don't be in a hurry.  Though the work is hard and time-consuming, you might find you enjoy the simpler days without the distractions. This is how the people above are walking though life.  Even in their desperate situations, they are trusting God.  Don't tell anyone if you are hungry, or if things are hard, or about the long walk for water.  You can share only if someone asks.  Don't' complain, but share your difficulties it in a way that conveys, "that's just how it is."  Be dependent on God to meet your needs throughout the weekend.  Pray for Him to provide.  If your children are hungry, you may need to give them your portion of food.  If one of your children become sick over the weekend, you will need to call someone to see if you can borrow money to take them to the doctor. because your current daily income isn't enough to save for emergencies.

That's how the people here are living.  I challenge you to take a few days and live life with them.  Use the time to PRAY for them.

Even as I type this, I am not sure our family could step into this challenge yet.  Yes, we live in Ghana, but we live in comfortable surroundings.  Our standard of living is not what I have described.  Could our family of seven live like this for a weekend?  We do experience the loss of electricity often, so that would not rattle us, but lack of food?  Feeling hunger?  A one room home?  A tiny amount of money to provide for our family - and really live on it?  No car?  AND a joyful heart in this circumstance?  In brutal honestly, I wrestle with the fact that I don't think I'm there yet.  But OH, I want to be.  I want my heart to be broken for what breaks God's heart.  Continually.   Should I desire not to feel the desperation of the need?  Should I desire to ignore it?  If I said "yes" to these honest selfish desires, I would choose to give a blind eye to what God has placed in front of me to SEE.  

And SHARE.  So you will SEE and FEEL too.

Ignoring the vast need is the easier way, but I don't believe it is God's way.

God hears the cries for help.  He alone is their help.  He is their refuge and strength.  He is their true HOPE.  I continue to find my own peace when I can rest in this truth.

Friends, please let me know if you are up to the challenge above.  Our family WILL be doing this.  I'm not sure when, but we will.  Hopefully, we can share some of our journey in the challenge.

Following Christ is a challenge.  At times, He takes us to places where we would never willingly go.  But He is our guide.  He's the one we follow.  So, if that means following Him into a depth of understanding of the life people face here that I currently do not have, then I need to follow.  Right now, I can relate to people only through my own grid of experience.  I'm realizing I need to feel, understand, and experience their life.  After all, the standard of living above represents an enormous portion of the world's population.

Now, I must end this post with PRAISES to God.  We rejoice in what He has done over the past ten days!  As needs were coming to us, God was already ahead.  He's the one who promises to provide.  Because of people who are choosing to "bear one another's burdens" and generously giving of their resources, we do rejoice over what God has done.

1.)  An unexpected gift was used to provide food for the young boy (Need #1) and the single mother with the 8 month old baby (Need #2)!  God is so good!
2.)  Feeding the Orphans was given the money needed to deworm all 115 kids at the orphanage (Need #3)!  This will be done in the coming weeks!  God is faithful!  Money also came through FTO to provide for the immediate need of food for this home!  The children's prayers were answered!
3.)  A surprise gift was given to provide for the seven children to attend school (Need #4)!  They are being enrolled this week!  God provided through His people!  He holds the future of these children in His hands!
4.)  Our monthly support through the provision of His people is providing for our family and enabling us to provide for urgent, immediate needs. We are grateful and we praise God!

In the same ten days these needs came to us, God already provided for nearly half of them and He provided for our family!  Can you believe it?  Nothing is too difficult for Him!  God is already working in all of these circumstances.   Can we do anything less than praise Him?

I am no longer anxious about anything...for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine.  It makes no matter where He places me, or how.  That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace sufficient.  It little matters to my servant if I send him to buy a few cash worth of things or the most expensive articles.  In either case, he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases.  So, if God should place me in great perplexity, must he not give much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength?  No fear that His resources are mine - for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.   - Hudson Taylor

You can contact me or one of our partners - Feeding the Orphans or Meaningful Life International if you want more information on ways to help.  Most of the children listed above will be needing FTO sponsors soon.

I won't end this post with a financial plea.  I won't end it with an "urge to respond" to the above needs, I feel I do that too often.  God is the ultimate provider.

I will end this post with the words of Jesus praying we will all stand together on His right side as sheep before His throne...

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.  

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’  

Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46

Life Saving Donations

When we moved from Knoxville, we loaded a 20 foot trailer with supplies to live in Ghana for a minimum of two years.  Much of the space was filled with donations for the people here.  One of the donations we brought with us was a huge amount of baby formula that had been donated to Feeding the Orphans.  Case upon case was unloaded from our trailer then, later, into our vehicle to be donated to the West Africa AIDS Foundation.

All of the formula was given to babies whose mother's have AIDS.  These women can not breastfeed their newborns.  We have learned that the donations of formula have saved the lives of two babies here in Ghana!  Isn't that amazing?  Two children are alive because of the donations of formula you sent.  Thank you!

 Recently, we visited a new orphanage and met a little baby named Benedict.  He was eight months old and weighed only about 10 pounds.  I held him for a long time and the entire time I held him, he was lethargic with very little responsiveness.  The little guy was light as a feather and teeny, teeny tiny.

Upon learning the need, Feeding the Orphans supplied formula which Reid and I were able to deliver to the home.  Most of the formula was liquid so we immediately opened one of the jars to feed little Benedict.  There was no bottle available so I held him like one of my own boys and attempted to pour the formula in his mouth.  He gulped down the entire 2 oz. jar in less than 10 seconds!  It was unbelievable.  Benedict was so thirsty and hungry.  Heartbreaking.  I opened a second bottle, held it to his lips at a slight tilt, and again, he gulped it down like there was no tomorrow.  We left the formula at the home with instructions for him to receive it and sharing why it was so important for him to have it.

We have learned little Benedict is doing remarkably better with the nutrients from the formula.  He is growing and more engaged with his surroundings.  Additionally, the Aunties are now giving him bottles instead of pouring it in his mouth.  We are thankful his suckling instinct is being met.

If you have any formula, please consider donating it to Feeding the Orphans.  The babies over here could definitely benefit from the gift of nutrition early on.  Who knows?  Your gift may save the life of a child.

Please pray for the children like Benedict.  

Ask God to "supply all their needs according to His riches in glory..."

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."

Isaiah 49:15-16a

Extreme Water Conservation Methods

Five boys, one husband, and one wife with a sensitive nose make for one house rule for this family living less than 4 degrees North of the equator.

We sweat.  A lot.  We smell.  A lot.  So the rule is this:  Everyone must bathe daily.

Right now, there is an FTO volunteer living with us, so out of respect for her, this rule is non-negotiable.  At least once daily - everyone must bathe.  Showers are preferred but bucket baths are sometimes required.  Our water access is sometimes challenging, but even with trickling faucets dripping drop by drop - everyone must creatively figure out a way to clean themselves.

Strangely, last night when our eight year old came out from the bathroom after his shower, I noticed a pungent odor.  Hmmm...

Me:  Honey, did you shower?
B:  Yes.
Me:  Did you wash everything?  Your hair, your legs, your arms, etc...?
B:  Yes.
Me:  Come here.  Let me smell your hair.

B steps closer.  I nuzzle my nose into his tufts, take a deep breath and - no joke - nearly pass out!  I controlled the gag reflex, turn my head away to take in some air, and then responded...

Me:   Ummmm, B, are you sure you washed your hair?  It doesn't smell like it.
B:  Yes.
Me:  Let me smell the rest of you.

B comes close again and I catch whiffs of a boy who doesn't smell like he has showered.

Me:  B, I'm not sure you are telling the truth.  You do not smell clean to me.  Tell me exactly how did you shower.
B:  Well, Mom, I know we don't have much water so I was trying to conserve it.  See, I filled up my water gun and squirted myself all over.  Then I filled up the gun with soapy water and squirted all over myself to get clean.  AND THEN, I filled up the water gun with clean water to rinse off.  I even washed my hair with the soapy water!

B is looking at me like it was the greatest idea in the world.  His eyes say, "Aren't you proud of me?  Look how much water I saved!"

I laughed out loud at his creativity.  He is one resourceful fella.  What could I say?  He was being very considerate of our family needs.

However, his water conservation methods failed this time.  After his immediate second cleaning episode from a shower head flowing water, I figured his bathing cost us an extra three water guns of water.  No water was saved with the water gun method.  (Boys out there, do not try this at home.  You will not save water and your mother will still be able to smell you.)

Oh, the joy of boys.  After 15 years of raising five boys, there are still times I shake my head and wonder where they come up with things like this????

Lord give us clean hands...and clean boys...