Facing Giants

If you're wondering what I've been up to lately, this pretty much sums it up:

Yep, I'm the little one.



I've got big dreams for a little community, but there are so many giants in the way.

Time

Health

Money

Fear

Discouragement

Satan has lots of sleazy sneaky weapons. And they keep stacking up higher and higher, bigger and bigger, scarier and scarier.

I have been tempted to give up, to walk away, to cower.

But then I am reminded of a courageous little boy named David and the giant he faced.

And the more I think of him, the more I am reminded of the God he feared and the giant he conquered.

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.       1 Samuel 17:45-47

So I am laying this battle into the hands of the Lord Almighty:

The same God who used a boy to slay a giant. The same God who parted the sea. The same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, the oceans and the mountains, the whale and its gentle beauty, the honeybee and its intricacies.

This same God, the Lord Almighty, holds this battle in his hands.

He knows each of his children by name and by heart. Even in the remote villages of Zimbabwe.

He is fighting their battle, ready to give the enemy into our hands.

He's just looking for courageous little girls and boys willing to stand in his name and face the giants.

Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it. (Mark Twain) What giants are you facing?

Being a Billionaire

In all honesty, many of the things I write on this blog are things I think about while driving/praying on my 30 minute commute to work.

Today on my drive home I was listening to the radio, and there was a short news piece about a couple of famous young women who are now billionaires.

I've gotta tell ya, my $20,000 a year income cannot even wrap its mind around what a billion dollars even means. And billions of dollars? Can't comprehend, other than I know it means being able to live without the constant worry of what extra jobs I can pick up this week to pay my bills.

So, away with this thought my brain went.

If money was not an issue, what would I do? How would my life be different?

Of course there are the little things. I would pay off my car and student loans. I would throw out several shirts that are ready to go and replace them with new ones. I would go out for a sushi dinner more than once a year. I would fly to Colorado to see my family more often.

On a bigger scale though, I gotta be honest. If I didn't have to worry about money, I would keep the same job I have now, working with autistic kids.

I would continue to volunteer at Youth for Christ, but instead of squeezing in time with my girls when possible, I would buy a house in their neighborhood and quit my extra tutoring jobs so I could be home with my door open when they get out of school. I could bake them cookies and help them with their homework every day. I could hear the little details about their everyday lives instead of once or twice a month updates.

Then summers. Oh, the things I would do with my summers. Since I work at a school, and I wouldn't have to work summer school, I could travel the world. But first I would get my master's degree in Community Development. I would spend the summers building schools in rural areas where there is no formal education, but I would do it in a way that they are community sustainable. (I have ideas, let me tell ya).

And as I continued driving, my ideas expanded. Then I realized that my dreams are not that far away from reality. In some areas I would be able to do the things I love "better," but I wonder at what point my reliance on Christ would turn to reliance on money.

Since I can remember, growing up in a single parent home, each month was lived by faith. There were days we didn't know if we would have dinner, and somehow God always provided.

Yeah, it would be awesome if I had the money to, with the swipe of a card, just pay for the Rural School Project in Zimbabwe.  But then I would be missing out on being part of an international community. The members of New Life Church and I would miss out on the act of stepping foward in faith each month to meet the government regulations and time line in the building process. The communities around Binga would miss out on offering their time and talents and sweat in order to give their children an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. And the kids would miss out on the opportunity to experience through this project the faithfulness and power of Christ, through whom all things are possible.

And all of these things, they can be hard, but they are good. These are the things money can't buy.

I ended my drive with a prayer that if God ever entrusts me with more money, that I will be faithful with each cent I am given, and if he doesn't, that I would do the same. I prayed that I always remember that no matter how much or how little I have, it all belongs to Him. And I thanked Him for always proving himself faithful.

What would you do if you never had to worry about money? How would your life change?

Breaking the Cycle

This photo is more than just a picture.

Like I said this morning, this photo represents something that is amazing, beautiful, exciting, and a dream come true.

It is amazing because it is the result of hard work,

determination,

and the sacrifice

of many.

It is beautiful because it is the beginning.

Beginning of change

and new opportunities

for an entire community.

It is exciting because

I was part of this

 

and you were part of this.

We were part of making this dream come true.

And in February these children attended their first day of school here.

Which was their first day of school ever.

With a little help from money I raised, a lot of help from a local Zimbabwe church congregation, and this community of villages, we were able to start school for these rural families almost immediately. But this is just the beginning. These coverings are meant to be temporary. Permanent bathrooms have already been built, and we are hoping to build a permanent school here that will serve many generations to come.

Currently this school is giving 159 students first time educations, and I am told that there are more than 1,000 children from surrounding villages who are in need and waiting to attend as well.

These communities are amongst the poorest in Zimbabwe. They are set apart down dirt paths that are complicated to travel on.

 Many children among the current students are orphaned, and are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

But we are equipping them with tools that will enable them to

rise above and break the cycle of poverty.

Over the last three months I have been able to build a trustworthy relationship with New Life Church in Zimbabwe, who was given the vision of building this school. I am still working on joining with a non-profit ministry here to raise funds through, but I could not keep my secret any longer.

More information will be coming soon. Until then I ask that you would be praying about this opportunity to bring education to these villages, and that you would be searching your hearts to see if there is a way you would like to take part in this blessing.

A Dream Come True

Can anyone tell me what makes the following photo amazing, beautiful, exciting, and a dream come true?

Okay, so here's a clue:

Any guesses?