It's a Yes!

Congressman Altmire has decided to co-sponsor the Child Protection Compact Act!

Whoohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got an email Friday from his DC foreign affairs staffer confirming his sponsorship. Still waiting to actually see his name on the legal document, but I suppose there is some paperwork to file first. For now, I'll take his word for it:)

Thank you all so much for praying! Thank you, also, to Pastor Charles and Amy Gerwig for coming with me as advocates. Not sure I was so willing to have gone alone:) And Paul, thanks for getting on my case about calling his office, even though I was intimidated by the lack of prior response. Yay!

Now to pray that the bill gets passed. And that money can go to bring hope, freedom, and healing for children around the world.

Yeah, God! Whooohoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mission: Manassas

Check out our Mission Team's blog here. It's good stuff.

If you get a chance to comment, I'm sure they would love it! Thanks!

Prayer Guide

Hey Guys-

Paul left today with our Missions Team to Manassas, VA. (Sad face, mine.) I hated to see him go, but love that God will do brilliant things in and through everyone involved. I'll meet up with everyone on Friday to help out with a Leadership Conference in D.C.

The following is a prayer guide that we've created for our Team. We would really love if you prayed with us on a daily basis. I'll keep you updated if you care:) Thanks!

Much Love,
Kristin

Here goes:

SUNDAY, JULY 5th
Pray for safe travel for the team, including Rob who is flying into D.C. Pray as they receive their responsibilities for the week. (Already prayers answered:) Pray that they start making connections with team members of other groups.

MONDAY, JULY 6th
Pray for the team as they head to their ministry projects. The team will be working with many special needs children. Pray that the students are challenged as they serve so that their faith grows. Pray that they work humbly, hard, and without complaints. Pray for meaningful connections to be made with those whom they serve.

TUESDAY, JULY 7th
Pray that God deepens relationships. Pray for our students and leaders to see opportunities that are available to them, even when it feels like there are roadblocks. The students will have Tuesday evening free to spend as a youth group, so pray that they have safety and a great time of team building.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th
The students will continue the projects at their sites. Pray that they will see God clearly at work in their service to Him. Pray for individuals to come to Christ. Pray for students to be challenged in the morning and evening programs and through personal devotions.

THURSDAY, JULY 9th
Pray for the teams to complete the work that they began at the sites. Pray for good attitudes and energy to get through the last full day of ministry. Pray for Abby and Heather as they travel back to PA in the evening.

FRIDAY, JULY 10th
Pray that the team makes it to the conference safely. Pray for safe travel for Aprille and Kristin as they drive to D.C. to meet up with the team. Pray that God deepens relationships with Himself, as the team is challenged by the first evening message.

SATURDAY, JULY 11TH
Pray for the team as they attend seminars, learning labs, and an evening message. Pray that they are challenged to “Be” the people whom God has created them to be.

SUNDAY, JULY 12TH
Pray for continued growth in Christ. Today the students will be challenged to “Love” those whom God has called us to love. Pray that God is honored in worship. Also pray for Aprille and Christin as they travel back Sunday night.

MONDAY, JULY 13TH
Pray for the team as the conference concludes. Today, the focus will be “Serve.” Pray that all will leave this week changed and affected for a lifetime of discipleship. Pray for safety as the remaining team members travel back.

Please Let Your Voice Be Heard

I received this email from International Justice Mission today. I'm not certain when (said) meetings would be held in our area, but I would love to organize a group to head to one. If you would like to join me, let me know. Thanks.

You can do something today to help end child trafficking.

Will you help IJM pass the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009 (HR 2737)?

IJM has expertise about what it takes to end slavery and trafficking, but the people who matter most to Members of Congress are their constituents. We need your help to urge your Members of Congress to support the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009 — groundbreaking legislation that seeks to eradicate trafficking in children in focus countries.

With your help, we will reach policymakers in all 50 states.

Here is what you can do: Commit today to attending a meeting with your Member of Congress and/or Senators in your home state/district this August and share your passion to abolish modern-day slavery.

The IJM Justice Campaigns team will schedule and coordinate these meetings for you as part of a unified month of action -- sign up online and indicate your availability.

We will guide and support you, provide you with talking points, offer trainings by phone before your meeting, and will help you connect with other advocates in your area. Take the leap and sign up today! (Please reply by July 10 — we may not be able to schedule meetings after this point.)

Schedule too full for a meeting? Urge your Member of Congress to support the Child Protection Compact Act today through the current IJM Justice Campaigns Action Alert. The CPCA holds promise for vulnerable children around the world who desperately need an ally — thank you for giving them one.

Gratefully,
Eileen Campbell
Director of Justice Campaigns

P.S. Please forward this e-mail to friends, family and colleagues who may want to attend a district meeting with you!

Flamingos!

We've got 24 flamingos on the loose.

These gals are helping us get to DC for our missions trip.

They'll flock a yard of your choosing for $20.

Since this was our master plan, we weren't expecting an attack on ourselves:)
And with our minuscule yard, 24 flamingos were quite prominent. Those students!

Shoot me an email if you've got a victim in mind (and you live nearby).

Oh, and you can follow their flight patterns here.

Thanks!

Mission Galveston

Hi guys!

Please pray for a missions team of former 4th graders, coworkers, and friends who are currently serving in Galveston, Texas. They are partnering with a church to paint, landscape, and remove debris for people who have been devastated by Hurricane Ike.

When I saw the list of individuals for this team, my mouth dropped open (and of course I got tears in my eyes). It's a great, great team of people. I am so excited to see what God will do in and through them.

Check out their website here for updates. Thanks!

30 Hour Famine

The youth group is participating in a 30 Hour Famine this weekend, proceeds benefiting World Vision. They will be "starving to provide food" for others in need.

The students have raised money through donors and sponsors that will go towards projects in areas like Malawi, Swaziland, North Korea, and the States. They will be fasting to feel the pangs of hunger, felt around the world. There are 26,000 who die from hunger every day.

Included in the weekend will be basketball, volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, a late evening message and worship, building cardboard homes to sleep outside in, morning devos, community and church work projects, a scavenger hunt, and a spaghetti dinner to break the fast.

Paul and I would like to thank Heather O. for all of the work she has done to help organize this. We love you, girl. Thanks for having a heart for God, the girls in your small group, and the world at large. Thanks for also being flexible when everything started falling through.

If you would like to donate to the famine, please let me know. If you want to host your own famine, find out more information here.

Please pray that these 30 hours will draw students closer to God, each other, and somehow to that 13 year old in the North. Thanks, guys.

FAMINE UPDATE:
Our incredible students raised $900 for the fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow! Are they amazing or what? And they had a blast while doing it. I'll post some of the pics this week.

Don't ever count teenagers out.

Ever.

Global Food Crisis

One person in seven goes to bed hungry every day.

One third of the world's population is malnourished.

There are 25,000 starvation - related deaths every day.

And I complained about the price of cheese Sunday.

Perspective is a powerful thing.

What we can do:

1. Pray. Join Compassion's Prayer Partner's Network.

2. Donate here.

3. Get your church involved.

4. Blog, facebook, talk to spread the word.

5. Become a Compassion advocate.

Honkin Bag of Potatoes

Great picture of our Compassion child Ruth (2nd from right) and her family, after receiving our youth group's gift. Everything in the picture was provided with the money (including sneakers, bookshelf, honkin bags of potatoes and rice, etc.) Thanks, Michele, for scanning this for me:) And thanks, PBC students, for your continual support of Compassion. You guys CAN change this world. And maybe, you already are. Love you.

Dia De Luz

This is Braddigan's Dia De Luz (Day of Light) that they celebrated in Managua. I love, love, love the message of hope here.

Meet Braddigan

He's gone from main stage to garbage dump. And in his words, he's better for it.

Braddigan is a nickname for Brad Corrigan, the lead singer of the band, self-titled. Brad sang with the indie band Dispatch until their 2002 disbanding. For Dispatch's farewell concert in Boston, between 10,000 and 30,000 were expected. The estimated attendance ended up being 110,000 - the largest concert in independent music history.

To meet Brad, you would think that he would have the rock star vibe going on. Instead, he was one of the most humble, wise, and deeply committed followers of Christ that Paul and I have ever been around. So much of what he said was straight scripture, like he lived and breathed the word of God.

I'm sure the humility comes from walking with God. But I think much was also born in the trash dumps of Managua, Nicaragua, where Brad spends half of his time. To hear him speak of Managua, you would think that he was talking about his home - a forsaken dump, filled with ever burning fires, garbage, rotting carcasses, and hundreds who have lived and died there. To hear him speak of the people, you would think he was talking about his own grandma, children, dad. Some would consider these individuals a project. He regards them as family.

Love Light and Melody, a non-profit organization founded by Brad, was created to battle the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual affects of extreme poverty in this trash dump. Love Light and Melody is built on a simple concept: "When you walk with someone you're saying to them, 'I am with you.'"

I love that premise, "I am with you," cause I've heard those words before. Jesus hasn't left us alone in this place. He walks with us - in our strength and in our weakness - in the beauty of our lives and in the trash that we find ourselves in.

As Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death, He says, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live....I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:19-20)

The world can't see Him, but His followers can. The world can't see Him, so we've got to live His life. How do we make God real and apparent and visible? I'm still trying to figure out what that means for me, with long term goals and in this hour. But I sure know that Braddigan is making Christ tangible - through handshakes and flying kites with kids and song - in a place that can no longer be deemed as God-forsaken.

God was living in Managua all along. But the people couldn't see Him. Now, even through the smog, He's a little more visible. Now they just might be able to hear those words, "I am with you."

40 Days

To prepare his heart for the coming of Christ, Paul has always given something up - soda, certain foods, media. Though he's not part of a denomination that would observe Lent, he has chosen to sacrifice something as a means to draw closer to Jesus.

I have never given anything up. Ever. That's his thing. Till now.

In no uncertain terms, God has been pursuing me about this. In particular, about giving up coffee for a season. My first reaction? God, you have got to be joking. I am so not going to sacrifice like my favorite thing ever. I live on coffee. It is my necessity. I depend on it.

His response: It is not your necessity. It is your luxury.

Clean water is a necessity. And yet people are dying without it. Walking for miles to drink water with all sorts of junk infesting it. Mothers giving thirsty children water that they know will make them sick. But their kids are crying. And there's nothing else to give them.

So for the next 40 days, I'm going to be participating in Blood Water Mission's 40 Day Challenge. I will make water my only drink. I will keep track of the money I would have spent on coffee, tea, milk, whatever. At the end of the 40, I will donate that money to give clean water.

I pray that this fast draws me closer to my Savior. I pray that I'm not the most miserable person on the face of this earth. (And if I am, slap me.) And I pray that someone will join me. Anyone?

Crazy Weird Timing

I've been trudging out to the mailbox for 5 months now. Every day, with kids in tow, in calf-deep snow and in freezing rain.

Normally I never check the mail. Neither does Paul for that matter. And the mail carrier, I'm pretty sure, totally hates us. Cause she stuffs and crams and rearranges and stuffs some more till she gets every last phone bill and pizza coupon to fit. She really is the woman. And we're mail checking delinquents. But anyway, back to why I've been checking religiously.

On September 11th, we received a heart breaker from one of our youth group's sponsor children, Ruth, informing us that her mom had passed away. Within 10 days, our jammin' incredible students pooled together 300 dollars, which is the maximum gift we could give Ruth's family. Ever since then, I've been waiting for a letter.

And we've had letters. Lots of letters from Ruth, in fact. But not that letter. Not that one. Till yesterday.

The kicker? Yesterday was my birthday. I've been waiting 5 months for one letter and I got it on my birthday. Of all days, my birthday. Though I'm not huge on birthdays, there isn't anything I've wanted more than this letter. And I got a picture to boot.

Ruth's family was able to take a special shopping trip to Alto City with the donated money. They bought food and furniture - a bookcase, pots, a kettle, pans, spoons, knives, forks, cups, blankets, a bed-cover, rice, sugar, potatoes, flour, more sugar (I take it she likes sugar - that's our girl), oil, and sneakers for all her siblings.

"When I got your gift, all I could do was cry." Ruth thanks us all over and over and asks God to bless us again and again. It confounds me that she asks God to bless us more when we've already been given riches. Even more amazing is that this girl who has almost nothing has given us so much in her life, her letters, her love for Jesus.

You can't tell me that this was an accident, perchance, crazy luck - that we would receive her letter yesterday. Cause I would say this is the work of a God who takes great delight in His children. A God who quiets with His love. A God who rejoices over us with singing.

By means of a letter from a child in Bolivia.

Clean Water

Change

I LOVED this post:

Today during President Obama's speech he called on Americans to personally sacrifice so that change can come. The idea of sacrifice for the greater good is something that historically Americans have done but that's not history from my life time. Sacrificing so that someone else can break even is something our country is no longer known for.

I wonder if Obama will be able to lead our country into that change. I hope he can. But Obama will have to be a very smart, strong, and persuasive leader to bring about this change. A large part of his success as a President will be reflected in whether or not he can do this, on whether or not we are willing to change... (post in its entirety here.)

Thought Provoking Editorial

Matthew Parris recently penned this article, "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God."

In it, he claims that, "Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset." A shocking claim that, "Confounds [his] ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit [his] world view, and has embarrassed [his] growing belief that there is no God."

In another section of the article, Matthew also observes that some of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. In reference to this assertion, he states, "It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught."

"Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were." For anyone in a secular work environment, there's no greater challenge than this... to stand out in excellence and to let our conception of God affect who we are.

Joy and Resolve

My Dad lost his job last week. He was hoping to bank in one and a half more years for a retirement package. Nope. He'll get a small severance, but nothing like he would've had. He'll soon be a part of Rhode Island's 10% unemployment rate.

Paul and I splurged Friday on a dinner out. We strolled right on in, along with a party of thirteen, and were surrounded by empty tables. Normally, this place would've had a 90 min wait. Our waitress said that the economy is crushing them.

Our nation's financial plunge is pretty scary. Yet despite the recession, Compassion International's giving is up. More children are being sponsored now than ever.

What?

Paul stumbled on these quotes the other day from Francis Chan.

"In this universe, there is God, there are people, and there are things. We should worship God, love people, and use things. But if we start worshiping ourselves, we will ignore God, start loving things, and using people. This is a formula for a miserable life, but it characterizes many people today."

Okay, frankly, this often characterizes me. But I think I'm finally starting to get it. Well, maybe just a little. And based on Compassion's financial reports, I would say that I'm not the only one.

Is our economy causing us to get priorities back in order again? God, people, things? In Deuteronomy 10:21, it says, "He is your praise; he is your God." Our praise who becomes our love who becomes our life, lived out in the small things...

With Christmas music already cranking in the retail stores, I'm so hoping we'll approach the birthday of a King with great joy and great resolve. Joy to celebrate. Resolve to worship just One.

And as we worship, may we love others with the treasures we have received. Whether that be our own tikes or that waitress who is pulling a double or those Compassion children still waiting for a sponsor.

May the world see that He is our praise. He is our God. Yep, even in a financial meltdown.

Up For a Challenge?

I've got spoiled feet - flip flops, running shoes, black boots, a few unfortunate heels, ordinary loafers (who still wears those but me?), and my favorite pair of brown Sketchers. All in all, my feet have 13 different looks. Thirteen ways to dress up my horrid little feet.

It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets. I'm part of that 1.5 billion.

It is estimated that 300 million children have never owned one pair of shoes.

3oo million. And children at that. It's probably safe to assume that these kids aren't walking on carpeting either. As a mom, I cringe to speculate what a broken bottle could do to a pair of tiny feet. Without clean water and Neosporin and pretty Tinkerbelle band aids to make those jagged cuts better...

Imagine giving a ten year old their first pair of shoes? Can you conjure up the delight that would beam from this child? Shoes give dignity, bring hope, and save lives. Shoes have saved millions of lives. Shoes.

Soles 4 Souls is a non-profit organization whose goal is to impact as many lives with a simple pair of shoes. Just $5 buys 2 pairs of shoes. That's $2.50 a pair. What a deal! I've been known to drop a whole lot more than $2.50 to spoil my stinkin' feet.

So here's the challenge. Soles 4 Souls wants to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. Let's blow that goal out of the water! Would you consider helping to tackle it?

Paul and I just donated $25. That's 10 pairs of shoes. Would you consider giving just $5? (Or more?) Just click here. Your $5 will buy 2 pairs. Forgive me if I sound like a pesty salesman, but I think this cause deserves it.

Would you mind helping me spread the word? Re post it on your blog, tell others on facebook, give shoes in honor of someone (birthday gift?), get your youth group involved, do whatever...

Just do something.

Thanks and thanks.
Much Love,
Kristin

An Endless YS Snippet of Sorts

The YS conference ended last evening for me. Walking away from the convention center there was a sense of fatigue and joy and too much good food and circles under my eyes from crying and great conversations with friends and giggling and hope and promise and one too many coffees and God time and late night pizza and talks with Paul and lots of just us time. And it was everything I didn't know I needed and yet everything I wanted at the same time. It was invigorating. Here is just a little snippet (okay, a ridiculously too long one) of random treasures.

In Margeret Feinberg's talk, I was challenged to listen to God's voice and to pursue the passions He has written on my heart. My joy is my God and my family, without question. But my joy is also listening to stories and hearing God's heart within them. I want to give credence to voices who have drenched their pillow with tears, but are waking up to restoration and beauty each new day. I want to serve a broken world with words of hope that communicate love winning in the end. I want to point to Jesus, I want to point to Jesus.

Andrew Marin, founder of the Marin Foundation, is a guy who has committed his life to loving Jesus and living right in the middle of the largest gay and lesbian community. His intention is not to change his neighbors with an end agenda in mind. Quoting Billy Graham, he stated that it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict, it's God's role to judge, it's his place to love. Clearly through his stories, it was more than his place, it was his honor to love those that the Christian community has despised for far too long, to our shame. (It's always hate the sin, love the sinner, but geez... we sure can't seem to extricate that hate from individuals whom God longs to pursue.)

Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, took the stage Saturday night. And dude, he took the stage. He convicted and challenged and said just about every hard thing I didn't really want to hear. If you haven't seen this guy speak or read his book, please do. He is as authentic and true to the word of God as it gets. One of my favorite quotes was, "Teach in such a way so as not to cheapen the gospel." Oh, and "When salt goes bad, it's worthless. So worthless that it ruins manure." Yep, manure. I don't want to be the one to ruin manure. (Luke 14: 35)

Phyllis Tickle spoke at some point - at this point everything is a blur- and she was this wondrous genius, this spitfire of a sage. She gave a history lesson and covered the Great Reformation, the Great Schism, the Fall and Decline of Rome, Jesus' arrival, etc.... Her premise was that every 500 years the church goes through some type of major deal. And it's that time again. We're at the precipice of another 500 years, so there are crazy implications to this cycle that we'll see in our lifetime. God does have a funny thing for numbers in His word. Strange stuff, but great thing to be aware of.

Mark Yaconelli spoke about the soul and disco balls. I sorta wish he had dove deeper into the word, but I did love how he said that joy is always, irrevocably connected to suffering. Joy is an expression of healing. And he gave a great object lesson to boot. It's why people found it easy to celebrate around Jesus, because he was connected to their pain. It's also what I can stake the last 2 1/2 months on. I would've never understood this concept, had we not lived through it (to a minuscule degree.) Deep joy finds a reservoir in wells of suffering. Those tears were worth it for this joy now.

Beyond the general session speakers, I attended a few seminars, two of which I would highly recommend - Jim Burns' seminar on Marriage and Youth Ministry and Andy Root's seminar on Rethinking Relational Ministry.

One comment from Jim Burn's seminar really stood out to me. In speaking to a teenage girl (whose dad was very effective in young life), the girl said, "I hope you do things differently than my dad. He saved other kids. He didn't save me." Ughhh... our families, first and foremost, need to know that we are for them. "For them" (for our kids at least) translates into lots of time playing, laughing, hanging out, listening, praying for, and inviting them to be a part of what matters most. I will leave this weekend with a million strategies in working with teenagers, but I will also find myself playing tag a whole lot more in the leaves with my kids (and being more intentional about date nights with Paul!) Playing tag is of infinite value.

Andy Root's seminar on Relational Ministry had like no one in it, but it was really like this gem. Here's this little soft spoken preppy guy who learned what he knows from working with gangs in LA (I think, I could be totally lying about the LA part.) What I got out of it was that students can sniff out agenda from a mile away. So if you've got this goal of getting an unchurched kid to sit quietly in a pew with a collared shirt on, he will never ever get anywhere near you. (Bad goal anyway) But if you meet him where he's at, in his place of deepest need/vulnerability/weakness and communicate that you care about him - well, then that is the framework for a relationship. Yes, you can still speak the truth in love, but you listen more than you talk. And you let Jesus do the saving anyway.

Gosh, all of this plus Crowder and Matt Maher (fabulous worship leader), Shane and Shane, a Compassion graduate, Kendall Payne, and the Skit Guys. Oh yeah, Tony Jones was there too. I really didn't get his whole beginning ditty and frankly didn't find much value in it. It bothered me a lot, especially the prayer mocking of sorts. But what the guy had to say was great. He spoke on not cheapening the gospel, getting into the word of God, and letting the person of Jesus Christ (with dirt under his work worn hands) be our example. Can't argue with much of that.

Well, it's late and I need to get to bed. It was a long day of work today. I am thrilled about spending tomorrow with Selah and Adden. I missed them immeasurably while we were gone. (And huge thanks to Paul's amazing parents for loving them the whole weekend and giving us this retreat!)

Can't wait to play tag in the leaves....

Give More Presence