Day 6

It would have been nice if I decided to start with day 1, but oh well, you can check out days 1-5 at www.fromorphanstoesthers.blogspot.com.

As I sit here and reflect on what God has done over the past week I am thankful, humbled, and I feel extremely blessed. I have listened to stories of these little ones who are not adoptable because their parents haven't signed off so to say, or because they have 4 other siblings (unless of course you want to add all 5 to your family), and I feel so sad. The living conditions in the orphanages are not horrible, in fact they are pretty decent. They are clean, that's for sure, but they are just so old; lots of metal and concrete. What makes me sad though is the thought of them not being able to have a family. I am sure the children at the orphanage and their caretakers try their absolute best to provide a similar experience, I just don't think it comes close.

I have been texting my family each day (several times a day) and the bond and love I have for them can not be manufactured in an orphanage. I received a text that just said, "hi mommy, i miss you" from my 15 year old daughter, I can't imagine how much those children miss their moms and dads, or for those who have never had a mom and dad, how much they long for the day someone shows up at the orphanage to take them home. Some of these sweet children have never known that kind of love, I pray that someday they will, maybe someday my husband and I can be the ones who show up, maybe.

Kazakhstan Link

I am currently in Kazakhstan. If you would like to check out what's happening, go to the following link;
www.fromorphanstoesthers.blogspot.com

weekly update

Each week, I send via email a "weekly update" to every volunteer and any parent who would like one. This week I sent this......

Real Kids Update

June 19, 2008

In the book “My Life as a Furry Red Monster,” Kevin Clash (who is the voice and puppeteer of Elmo) talks about giving and receiving love by sharing the story below;

“Back in December of 2001, we held the first and only MuppetFest in Santa Monica……Now this wasn’t a gathering of kids; the audience was a collection of adults who grew up watching the show, a number of them dressed in full walk-around costumes of their favorite Muppet, and I noticed more than one super-size Elmo…..Most of all, the stuff they knew—from behind-the-scenes trivia to highly technical details—blew me away…It was great to have such an intelligent and passionate audience, and we tried to have fun with it all, but then something happened to put the whole thing into perspective and to remind us why we were up there in the first place.

We’d placed a microphone in each aisle, where people lined up to ask their questions. At one point, I noticed a stirring in the audience, and I saw a little African American girl walking down the aisle. I thought maybe she’d gotten up to stand beside her mommy or something like that. I kept an eye on her. She didn’t stop by anyone in line; she just kept coming. We were on a raised stage, and when she got right up to the edge of it, she rested her elbows on the stage floor and cupped her chin on her hands, staring straight in my direction. But she wasn’t looking at Kevin Clash. “Hi, Elmo!” she piped.

Steve Whitmire was fielding a question about the responsibility he felt in taking over as Kermit after Jim Henson died, so I don’t think too many people heard her. I did, but I didn’t want to interrupt Steve’s response. “Hi, Elmo,” she repeated. “I love you.”

This time her voice was louder. I couldn’t let Elmo ignore her, so I had him wave, but I knew that wouldn’t hold her. I was dying to get Elmo over to her. By this time, the folks in the front rows who’d seen and heard her started murmuring, and Steve and everyone else onstage were looking at the little girl. I went to the edge of the stage. Elmo bento over and hugged her and said, “Hello. Elmo loves you, too.” He put his arms around her and hugged and kissed her. That girl’s smile lit up the entire darkened portion of the auditorium. She hugged him back and they said their good-byes before she gleefully ran back to her mother.

The audience burst into applause. This little girl could not come to an event where her friend was and not say hello to him. She had to connect with him and tell him that she loved him. All the rest, the reminiscences and the revelations about new developments, didn’t matter to her. After that exchange with the child, that stuff seemed to matter a little less to those of us onstage and in the audience, too. That’s the power of giving and receiving love.”

I love the part where he goes “to the edge of the stage.” He went where he needed to be to impact a child. Sounds like a children’s ministry volunteer to me. Each week, you go where you are needed for God to work through you to impact His children so they can know Jesus as their personal Savior.

Thank you for serving in Real Kid’s and for going “to the edge of the stage.”

Faith, Hope & Love,

Stacey

I don't know how to explain this, but after reading that again, I was totally ENCOURAGED! Actually, I think I do know how to explain it, THANK YOU GOD! As my friend Don would say.."You Rock!"

soakin' it in...

I was in Holland Michigan this past week at Craig Jutila's Liquid conference. The Holland group was amazing! They were truly like little sponges. As I talked about lifechange for children through small groups all eyes were attentive and the questions were such a blessing!

One big surprise was the response to the "Lawnmower" song. Only those who love to serve children would even understand the value of such a crazy tool! Gary Lindsay was my favorite part of that song. I adore that amazing leader! Irving Bible Church in Dallas is very blessed to have such a passionate visionary leader as their Children's Pastor.

The next stop on the tour is Kansas, you just might want to check it out! www.liquidleadership.tv

i'm challenged....

Thank you Perry Noble for challenging me to stay focused, actually, thank you for challenging the CHURCH!

Here is what Mr. Noble had to say;

Be who God called you to be…take risks…pray “stupid” prayers…ask people for commitment…believe in those no one else dared to believe in…PREACH JESUS…listen to the Holy Spirit…give everything your best…spend time BEGGING God to change lives…understand that God wants your church to grow more than you do…stop trying to make people happy…take some time for yourself…hire the people God tells you to hire…LEARN DAILY…spend whatever amount of money you need to spend to grow…develop your strengths, delegate your weaknesses…ignore your critics…STOP trying to be someone else…HONOR GOD’S GIFTING AND CALLING ON YOUR LIFE!!!

I think I'm going to put that on my refrigerator!!

the "littlepastor" has big wisdom

I read a blog this week that really struck a cord. I love children's ministry. I am a children's minister. One thing I am unable to understand is the mentality of people who think that children's ministry is just "child care." Does not compute....

Jonathan Cliff wrote a letter on his blog that I thought was absolutely brilliant, I wish I could send it to all of the parents who have children in our children's ministry, but I'm not so sure it would be taken the right way, so I decided to post his letter here. You can also check out his blog at www.jonathancliff.com.

Dear Parents,

Hi, I'm a pastor at the church you attend. Yep, that church. But I'm not your typical pastor. I'm a pastor to your children. It's hard to define exactly what that means, but basically you could say that I work with the kids. Which in turn, means that I work with their families. Which you being in their family, means that I work with you. In fact, you could call me your pastor if you wanted to (or you could just call me Jonathan.)

I wanted to make you aware of a few things as it pertains to your kids' Church Experience. So here goes.

* You are invited to be a part of what is happening. I'll need a background check, and I'll get you a name badge; but after that you're home free into the world of your kid's church experience.
* You never inconvenience me when you ask what's going on in your kid's areas. I love the questions. Yes, read that again.... You are free to question me about anything that you see or hear while in and/or around the children's areas. I'd love some feedback, and I'd love to share what we're exploring in the bible with you anytime. I'll even buy you lunch and we can talk at length. I love talking about what's happening in the lives of your children. I never tire of the questions, bring them on!
* I am not in the business of childcare. True, I do provide care for your children while you attend church, but what my team and I do is so much more than that. From the people that change your newborns diapers up until they leave the 5th grade my team is pouring into their lives through teaching, prayer, and relationship. But you ask, How can you teach my 3 month old? Well, we don't exactly teach them; as much as we prepare an environment that is coated in prayer for the future of your little one. Yep, we really do pray over your babies.
* Please don't ask me if your kid is "saved." For goodness sake, ask them! We give your kids ample opportunities to receive Christ at church; but it's always better if a parent walks them through those steps. If your confused about what that means, then I'll make sure your saved; and then I'll tell you how to talk to your kid about it. It'll be great, just wait and see!
* If your kid gets in trouble at church, then they really got in trouble. We do everything in our power to make church as fun, and as NOT like school as humanely possible. We give second and third chances to just about everyone; but as some point we have to protect the integrity of our areas and eliminate the presence of those children that choose to be a distraction. I have years of experience with this, and if you will just support what we're trying to do then it won't take but a few short weeks for your kid to step in line and never (or rarely) be a problem again. Did you read that? I need you to support what we do.
* Be nice to my team. I know that getting kids ready for church on a Sunday Morning can be a challenge; and sometimes leads to bad feelings and ugly dispositions. (I do in fact have three of my very own.) But remember that those people standing at the door, checking in your kids, and giving of their time to serve your family are doing it for free. Just be nice to them. You can write me all the nasty emails you want on Monday morning, but try and be nice to these wonderful servants at your church.

Finally, I want you to know that I really do love your kids. Sometimes they can be difficult to love, but they are all lovable in their own unique way. Really! It's true.

Sincerely,

Me