Ignorance Is Bliss
Do not watch the following story if you do not want to be made aware of the reality of sex trafficking in places like India. At the core of my being is a desire to help make a difference for the enslaved. There are 1,000,0000 children who are trafficked in India alone. To put that number in perspective that’s about 25% of the entire population of the state of Kentucky.
Now imagine being a 16 year old girl who was trafficked, was rescued and rehabilitated only to be trafficked AGAIN. Share this story with as many people as you can and most of all give to International Justice Mission.
“As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!” (Psalm 40:17 ESV)
LOVE WINS!
In honor of the children we left behind
Yesterday was a GINORMOUS day! Thanks to many of you for celebrating with us. As far as the United States is concerned three children orphaned by AIDS and extreme poverty have been given a family as if it never happened.
Today I want to encourage anyone and everyone who reads my blog, sees this post on Facebook or Twitter to watch this video and ask God if one of these kids, other than our three, is supposed to be yours. Ask for a dream, like I had, or simply just begin to pray for these children that moms and dads would bring them home. Contact Jill Baker at Promise Kids A Future if interested in joining us on this adoption journey, and maybe at this time next year we’ll be attending your celebration.
The Story of Today
November 7, 2011 may be remembered as the day the new Nook Color was announced by Barnes and Noble. It will go down; however, as the fulfillment of a dream for me, and as a testimony to the faithfulness of God my Father.
Here is where it all began:
I was a new dad, a young youth director in a mid-sized United Methodist church, and I had just gotten a new job at Lexmark to help supplement our income, and to put to work my MS in Chemistry.
Duffy Robbins was the speaker at a denominational youth even in Frankfort, and other than enjoying him I can’t remember what he had to say. Sorry Duffy.
What I do remember is walking past a table with a bunch of kids pictures on it. One of the first ministries I implemented as a youth director was sponsoring a kid through World Vision as a Youth Group. The youth would send her letters. We’d take up offerings to help cover the monthly support. I’d post her report card on the bulletin board. She eventually married at the tender age of 14 and she was from Africa.
This ministry was another child sponsorship organization called Compassion. I remember just thumbing through the packets, and eventually it hit me to see if by chance there might be a child with the same birthday as Shelbi Lynn. I felt like I was supposed to do this, but this time it was for us as a family. I made a deal with God that if there was a packet of a child with the same birthday as Shelbi, then I’d do it.
Now as the weekend went along I passed the table several times. I never found a packet with Shelbi’s birthday. On the last day the person at the booth finally asked me if I was looking for something in particular. I explained the desire for the birthday match and that there weren’t any on the table thinking she would just sigh and say, “Sorry, we can’t help you.”
Instead she pulled out a box full of other kids.
In about two minutes, there she was, Dennis (pronounced Daneese) Rafael Campos from Peru. A beautiful child, with a beautiful family, who needed Jesus, and a sponsor and I had made a deal with the LORD…