These Demons are Pretty

“Go watch Elliott,” Richard said to me very seriously.

I stepped into the kitchen in our tiny wooden jungle home and looked out onto the back patio where Elliott liked to play in the big water basin. He was three and a half and full of imagination and wonder at all the things the world had to offer. I watched as he played contently, then glanced up into the virgin jungle behind our home. Then a smiled spread across his face as he waved enthusiastically. That’s when my own smile faded.

When True Hopelessness Meets True Hope

Would you travel like this for a total of 16 days to bring the Gospe| to your family?

Sometimes I don't even want to get out and go to church when 

it's raining outside, for goodness sake!

But these men right here? They're passionate. 

They're passionate about their Savior and they want everyone to know it. 

I think that they have a passion that most of us may never fully comprehend this side of Heaven. 

And I think it comes from the fact that they know true hopelessness. 

A hopelessness that greeted them every morning when they woke up as a child to the wails of another mother whose baby died of a disease that--unknown to them--is preventable with the proper treatment. 

A hopelessness that echoed throughout their village while the witchdoctor chanted loudly all night and smoke plumed up from another concoction of who-knows-what but they still had disease and the food was still scarce. 

A hopelessness that stared them in the face each time conflict arose with that neighboring tribe. 

But then they met Hope. And things changed.

They met Joy. And life has never been the same.

They met Peace. And they can sleep at night.

They met Grace. And they can't help smiling.

They met Mercy. And they will never, ever be the same.

After a change like that, how could they NOT go? 

No money. That's how.

The only thing that kept them from going sooner was funding. 

But that's where our awesome, faithful, generous, 

Christ-loving friends came in!

Thanks to donations, these men were able to travel to their village for the first time in months to share the Gospel for the first time in EVER. That's right. 

This was the first time that this village as a whole had heard the Truth. 

And it came from their OWN people, in their OWN language. 

That, my friends, is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. 

More on this story coming soon. Thanks for being a part of our team by giving and praying! 

The Answer Was "Everything"

As she carefully climbed into the canoe, she felt the little baby squirming in her belly. It would not be long before she would meet this tiny person and everyone knew it. That is what prompted this last minute trip downriver to an unknown place filled with strangers.

All she brought with her were the clothes on her back, a few personal items, and a pet monkey--you know, the essentials. Gratefully, a few family members tagged along as well, otherwise it may have seemed like too much for her. After all she was practically a kid herself at sixteen years old.

Arriving at the |ndigenous Seminary site after a long day and a half on the river, she was met by staring eyes and whispers in languages she could not understand. They led her to the tiny room where she would sleep along with ten other people--and give birth to her first child.

When Richard met her, she had been there for a couple of days and it was very evident that she would be going into labor at any moment. He asked Lolo, one of the local pastors and a good friend, what her story was. Lolo explained that he had met her on his trip downriver to the Seminary just a few days prior. They lived just off the river, but far away from any medical facilities should something go wrong.  It made sense to bring her to the Seminary where they were closer to civilization, especially since this was her first baby. The family agreed and they made the journey, a little apprehensive since they would be the only ones from their tribe there.

As expected, just two days after Richard arrived, she went into labor. Initially the baby was breech so there was concern, but there was a midwife there who was able to turn the baby and the delivery went smoothly.

When Richard asked if there was anything she needed, the answer was, "Everything."

Let's take a moment to imagine what must have been going on in this girl's mind:

She is in a place she has never been with people she has never met surrounded by languages she does not speak about to give birth to a baby for the very first time in a small "box" of a room and she has absolutely nothing for this baby except some used towels that were cleaned in river water and dried by the sun. It is hot and humid. Bugs are biting. 

Personally, I cannot imagine what she was feeling. Some would say, "She is used to the heat and humidity and bugs and pain." I would argue, "They do not get used to it. They just learn to deal with it."

I had Raegan here in Brazil just a couple of months ago and I thought that was hard. 

I am a wimp, people. This girl is a beast! And she could be my little sister!

I digress...

After finding out her needs, Richard went to town and was able to purchase the basics: a blanket, diapers, wipes, vitamins, shampoo, and a few outfits. The total cost? About $120.

Most of us spend much more than that on baby clothing alone! This will likely be all that she has for a long time. In fact, she was reusing the disposable diapers by removing the cotton lining and using the outer plastic. I didn't even know that could be done....

This is just a glimpse into normal life for the |ndians. Two days later, this girl was down by the river washing clothes. There is no time to take it easy when you are basically surviving from one day to the next.

So what does this mean for us? How should this affect us as Believers? What can we do?

Those are the questions we asked and this is what we came up with:

We cannot take away the humidity and bugs. We cannot provide a comfortable, relaxing environment for all |ndians to give birth. We cannot insure that they will all have a midwife standing by in case something goes wrong.

But we can show as many as possible the love of Christ with our resources and prayers.

We are praying over starting a ministry for "Stork Baskets". These would be baskets filled with some of the "essentials" for a new baby and Mama:

-blankets
-clothing
-CLOTH diapers
-reusable wipes
-shampoo
-vitamins for Mama
-a small water purifier for Mama
-a snot-sucker (you know what I'm talking about... I don't know the technical name!)
-nail clippers
-etc., etc., etc.

The cost would be about $120.

Some of the items will be more practical to purchase in country, others could be donated.

The goal? 

Shower these women with the love of Christ by helping meet some of their basic needs.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but for these women to see that complete and total strangers love them enough to give sacrificially on their behalf--it speaks VOLUMES. And what's more, it opens the door to sharing the motivation for our giving: the Love of Christ.

Will you pray over this with us? 

Will you share this with your Sunday School class and your Women's Ministry? 

Let's pretend these are our babies being born, and love them accordingly. 

"For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well."

Psalm 139.13-14

Indian girl who gave birth to a precious baby girl at the Seminary. Her husband is to the right. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's time again. The most wonderful time of the year!

That is still how we see it, right?

Despite the shopping lists and the overbooked calendars and the credit card bills and the cooking that needs to be done, it's still the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it?

Living outside of the US this year for the holidays is both a blessing and it brings a bit of sadness.

On the one hand, we would love to be spending the holidays with the fam, toting around our funny, goof-ball of a two year old and our brand new baby girl to all the get-togethers. I'd be lying if I said that we weren't going to miss the turkey and dressing and sweet potato casserole and PECAN PIE! Oh, how I will miss you pecan pie.......

But on the other hand, it's kinda peaceful here. The only sign of Christmas I've seen was when we went to the mall and let me just tell you, it's a shock to the senses when you walk in from 90 degree heat into a Winter Wonderland complete with giant Christmas tree, snow flakes galore, and Santa all decked out, waiting to hear the Christmas wishes of boys and girls. There just something weird about that....

Anyway, it's nice to be away from the hustle and bustle that the Christmas season has become in the US. I see so many FB statuses of long lines and empty shelves and stress and exhaustion... and it's only November!

No thanks.

But then again, Richard and I made a decision back a couple of years ago when we became parents to do things differently, no matter where we were on the globe. We just didn't feel right about what Christmas had turned into in the US, even among Believers. It just all seemed very.... wrong.

To take this season as a license to gorge ourselves on gifts and decorations and STUFF all in the name of "celebrating the holidays" just didn't mesh with what we found in the Bible.

Not the having fun part. Not the spending time with loved ones part. Not the enjoying part.

The gorging part.

So we decided to do things differently. Not because we're awesomely spiritual people. Not because we don't like to get new things or to give our kids new things. Not because we think Christmas trees are of the devil or that if you hang stockings and tell your kids that Santa is coming then they will grow up to be cult leaders.

But because we realized that while these things can be fun, there are things that are best. Things eternal.

So here are some things we've chosen to do differently. No guilt trip here, just some ideas to ponder and challenge you to ask, "Do I even remember what I got for Christmas last year? Do my kids even play with the toys we are still paying off? Do I need new Christmas decorations when I have 17 boxes full in our storage building? What are we teaching our kids about eternity through this season?"

• We don't really do the whole decorating-every-square-inch-of-the-house. First off, it's costly. And secondly, most of the items are "Made in China" where child labor is a huge problem. Last year, we had a simple Christmas tree that fit on our TV stand with some ornaments, a wreath on the door and some yummy Christmas smelling candles. We played a lot of Christmas music and it was simple and fun and inexpensive.
• We don't tell Elliott that "Santa is coming". We don't think Santa is evil and we don't cover Elliott's eyes when we pass by Santa at the mall. Right now he is only 2.5 years old so he doesn't really care or take notice, but if and when he does ask about Santa, we'll be happy to tell him about him and what the story is. But we don't emphasize "believing" in Santa. Personally growing up, we always had presents from "Santa" under the tree and it was fun. For our kids, though, we just realize that it's a dead end road... nothing eternal to teach unless you go back to the TRUE story of Saint Nicholas. That's a good idea!
• We don't buy Elliott a ton of presents. In fact, I think for his first Christmas (which we spent in the Amazon), we bought him two presents... neither of which he played with. Last year, I don't know that we got him anything ourselves because we knew the Grandparents would be buying him things. This year, we will probably go with the saying, "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read"... I think that's very practical and a good way to teach balance between wants and needs.
• In terms of gift GIVING, we are making an effort each year to give gifts in honor of our family members to organizations and ministries making an eternal impact in the world. There are SO many great organizations out there. Here are a couple of ideas from what we've done:

Last year, we bought our family members chickens. Yep. Chickens. We did it through Heifer International and it was something lasting. Heifer is a ministry that provides livestock to impoverished communities to help provide food as well as income for the families.

Check out Heifer International here: http://www.heifer.org

For Elliott, we decided to sponsor a child through Amazima Ministries. So for the last twelve months (and for many months to come), we've helped provide food and education for a 9 year old little girl in Uganda. Better than any toy that he would play with for approximately 3.2 seconds before preferring his drumsticks, pots, and pans anyway.  

Check out Amazima Ministries here: http://www.amazima.org

For Elliott's first birthday (but you could do this for Christmas), we asked people not to buy gifts, but to instead buy gift cards or make a cash donation to a needy family from our church. I have no doubt that there are families right in your neighborhood or church family that have real needs right now... things like food and clothing, not the newest electronic gadget or toy. Ask your Pastor or small group leader... I bet they can think of someone!

There are literally hundreds of other ministry opportunities that your family can get involved with and missionaries around the globe working to spread the Gospel. Search them out! Find little ways and big ways to give back and make a lasting impact for Christmas this year.

I don't know that I have ever heard someone regret giving generously. I know we never have.

"No one ever became poor by giving." -Anne Frank

People have, however, become poor by gorging.

Next year, you'll remember what you gave and so will your kids. And eternity might just be changed because of it. 



Some great blog posts about transforming your Christmas:

Quit Spending Money You Don't Have Just Because It's Christmas-Sheesh!- Brant Hansen
http://www.air1.com/blog/brant/post/2011/12/04/Quit-Spending-Money-You-Dont-Have-Just-Because-Its-Christmas-Sheesh.aspx

Here's a Money Tip: Be Reckless- Brant Handsen
http://www.air1.com/blog/brant/post/2012/11/23/Be-Reckless-with-Your-Money.aspx

The Christmas Conundrum- Jen Hatmaker
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/11/29/the-christmas-conundrum


Some more great ministries to give to:

Buy coffee for a cause! Seeds Coffee Co. seeks to have an eternal impact from the plowing of the coffee fields to the steaming brew in your mug. Check out this awesome ministry... who doesn't love a good great cup of coffee??
http://www.seedscoffee.com

Help send a Panamanian Indian to summer camp! Our good missionary friends in Panama, David and Marianella Bueno, have a vision to send 100 Panamanian Indian kiddos to summer camp where they will get the chance to swim in a real pool, meet new friends, eat good food, and most importantly hear from the Word of God. For just $40, you can pay for a life changing week for one of these kids and be part of impacting them for eternity. How's that for making a kid smile for Christmas??

For more info, contact David and Marianella at mariaydavid@hotmail.com. 

Help reach uncontacted people groups with the Gospel! Several weeks ago, God laid on our hearts the desire to start a program to support the efforts of the Indian nationals in Brazil to reach their own people with the Gospel in areas that foreigners have no access. That's when Project Javari was formed.For just $20 a month, you can support an Indian national who is being discipled and trained to 

carry the Gospel to his own people group. In fact, next month, three of these Indian men will be traveling by canoe to share the Gospel with their people for the very first time. If you want more information on how to be a part of this effort, e-mail Richard at b.r.whittemore@gmail.com.

Help build a school in Haiti! Blogger Jen Hatmaker has teamed up with Help One Now and Pure Charity to build a school in Yaveh Shamma, an orphanage in Petionville, Haiti, to benefit the 30 orphans and 120 vulnerable children that currently attend a tent school. Click here to find out how you could get involved: https://www.helponenow.org/legacyproject/

(I see this picture circling Facebook, and maybe we're becoming desensitized. Maybe it's becoming cliche. I don't care. It makes me physically sick to my stomach when I picture Elliott's little bitty face and arms stretched out like that. God have mercy on us.)

We Probably Could End World Hunger... But....

I was listening to one of our local Christian radio stations the other day when I heard something that made me say, "Hmmm..." but not in a good way.

It startled me.

I missed the initial question asked by a listener, but from the answer it had something to do with how Christians spend their resources and whether or not it's "ok" to do things like the Music Boat Cruise, a Christian cruise featuring several Christian music artists. I turned up the radio, interested in how the host would answer.

It went something like this:

"I guess we all know that there is more that we can do, but it's not like any of us are going to have our water turned off just because there are people in the world without water. No one does that. I mean, my family is going to go on vacation this year and we'll do things we like to do. I think God looks at your heart and as long as we're doing something.... I mean if we don't sponsor any children, then that's a problem. But as long as we're doing something...."

And here's the kicker:

"I mean, we probably could end world hunger if we never did anything we wanted to do!"

That's the part where, as I mentioned before, I said, "Hmmm".

That's a far cry from what we see in Acts 2.44-47:
"And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

So that begs the question, what if the Apostles had said, "Well, we probably could spread this good news, but then we wouldn't be able to do anything for ourselves. Besides, God looks at our hearts."

Don't think that would have led to the Lord "adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

So, while I was initially startled that this came from the mouth of a DJ on a Christian station, my next thought was, "Isn't that the attitude I have?"

Maybe I don't vocalize it like this guy, but there are a lot of areas in my life that say it loud and clear.

What would God be doing through me if I weren't so selfish?