Update on Moses

A couple of posts back I introduced everyone to Moses from Liberia (he’s the one on the left). Since that time things have changed a little bit around this story.

The Hand Center wanted to make sure that Moses’ visa could be extended before they performed any surgery. The most important part of his treatment will be the rehabilitation. If he could not stay in the U.S. long enough to do the rehab then it would not be worth doing the surgery.

God is working through this whole process. The visa was extended until November 2 which gives us plenty of time for the surgery and the needed rehabilitation.

The next big change in this story is that Moses has moved in with our family. He’ll be staying with us until his visa expires in November. My kids, as well as my wife and I, are very excited about being able to share our family with Moses for the next five months.

So far, the transition with Moses living with us has been extremely smooth. Moses gets along great with our other kids, although the four year old is still playing shy with him. However, Moses is up for the challenge. I think he’s made it one of his goals to win her over. It’s really pretty cute as he tries to get her attention and she hides her face (with the smirk that only the baby in the family can have).

I’m sure the next five months will be go by as fast as they always do. Before long it will be late October and we’ll be trying to figure out how we’re supposed to say good-bye to Moses.

Are we supposed to say good-bye?

It will be interesting to see what God has in mind.

What is your World Vision?

This is Lewal. Lewal lives with his parents and 2 brothers. His parents struggle to provide for the family. His father is a farmer and his mother is a farmer. Despite their efforts it is difficult to meet the family’s needs.

Lewal is growing up in a farming community in the Kwame Danso region of Ghana, almost 300 miles from Accra. A typical home is built of heavy mud with a thatched roof.

My family has been sponsoring Lewal through World Vision for about 5-6 years now.

There is a lot of poverty and hunger in the world. We forget that sometimes in our comfortable homes. We worry about mortgages, taxes and who’s going to win the World Series. Across the world, other people, just like you and me, are wondering if they are going to have anything to eat tomorrow.

If you honestly sit down and think about all of the pain and suffering in the world it can be overwhelming. That’s why many times it is easier just to block it out. It’s much easier to go back to worrying about our own petty problems than worrying about life and death around us. What can we do anyway?

There is some good news. The good news is that it’s not your problem to fix the world. God has a plan of redemption and a promise to bring forth a new heaven and new earth. However, it is your calling to have love and mercy for the poor and the oppressed in our current fallen world.

God has a purpose for each of us in our lives. I have a really good hunch that none us have a divine purpose to just accumulate wealth or just tread water in our lives, every day until we die. Our calling is to show the world the love of God to others.

For some, that calling takes them into the ministry, and in some cases it takes them into the mission fields far from home. For some, that calling has them living in the suburbs where their mission fields are their neighbors and their co-workers. Frankly, I’m not sure which calling has more challenges.

Regardless of where God calls us to serve, we are all called, as Christians, to take care of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the oppressed. There are no valid excuses for ignoring the suffering around us.

There are many ways you can serve. World Vision, offers a way for those of us with much to help the children in this world that have less than even a little. Through World Vision, you can sponsor a child or an entire family for about the cost of a tall coffee from your local coffee shop each day. You can make a difference, providing clean water, nutritious food, health care, education and spiritual nurturing.

Fixing the suffering in the entire world is an overwhelming task. However, the opportunity to help the world, one child or one family at a time is available to you today.

Visit my sponsorship campaign page for more information about joining me in helping to change a child’s life. Isn’t it time that you had a “World Vision”?

Meet Moses

Meet Moses. Moses is a thirteen year old boy from Liberia where he has been raised in an orphanage since he was three months old. His mother died when she was shot by rebels. When she was shot, she fell on top of Moses where he remained pinned for three days. As a result of this tragedy, Moses was orphaned and his left hand was severely crippled.

Our church, Fairfield Baptist, sponsors Moses’ orphanage in Liberia. By the grace of God, we were able to arrange for Moses to come to the United States to have his hand fixed. More details can be found on the Fairfield Baptist web site.

Moses is here for at least 60 days. I think the church is trying to get his visa extended because after the surgery it would be best if he could be here for more physical therapy.

My family has been blessed by being able to spend some quality time with Moses on his visit. We home school and Moses has gone with my wife and kids on field trips, met our home school group, and today he got to see all the kids dressed in their Renaissance costumes as part of the home school groups Renaissance festival.

Up until now, my family’s interaction with Moses has been while I am at work. However, today I got to pick him up on the way home. We had some friends over and enjoyed homemade chicken and beef enchiladas. The house was full of kids and you can tell Moses really enjoys the other children. He plays with the little kids and laughs and makes them laugh. After our neighbors left, I got to play a few rounds of Uno Attack and spend some quality time with Moses and my three older kids.

I finally had my turn at being blessed.

There are going to be a lot of tears in my house when Moses goes back to Liberia and the orphanage.

James 1:27 (ESV)
²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Father Knows Best: Blessed are the poor

I have four awesome kids and I love them beyond words. So when they ask me for their hearts desire and it is something I can afford, how do I say no?

I remember when I was growing up that my Dad said many times that he wanted to give to us boys because his parents could not afford much when he was growing up. I did not get everything, but there was not much I didn’t get that I wanted. So what did I get that I just had to have?

I have no idea.

I got lots of stuff and I can remember some of the stuff I had, but I certainly can’t remember any gift that made my heart swell and think, “Wow! My mom and dad really do love me!” I’m sure some of the stuff I got really made me happy when I got it but over time, the joy brought by that gift was forgotten. Why is that?

We are basically born selfish and prideful. What is one of the first words we learn? “Mine!”

When parents feed that selfish desire it grows. If we continue to feed this desire it soon becomes almost impossible to turn back. When we do try to say no, we risk being pulled into psychological warfare with our little loved ones and we discover that they are really good at it. (How do they learn to push our buttons like that?)

Before we know it, we are giving to our kids out of guilt or avoidance of conflict rather than out of love.

What if we had no money to give our kids anything? What if the children in the picture above were you’re own children? How would you show them that you love them if you can’t give them any stuff?

It’s really an easy question. We’d hold them. We’d console them. We’d give them our portion of food. We’d pray for them and do whatever we could so they did not have to scrounge for food in the streets. Basically, we’d love them.

The problem we have in America is that even most of our poor are rich. For most of us, we can feed those selfish desires in our kids until they pop. It’s an easy way for us as parents to attempt to show love. It’s an easy way to keep the peace. What becomes increasingly difficult is saying “no”.

However, saying “no” once in awhile may be the greatest gift you can give your children. They will already have more stuff than they will ever really need and any stuff you give them will soon be forgotten. But if you can teach them that the world is not about stuff, then you have given them a great gift that will not only always be remembered, but it may just save their soul.

Matthew 19:21-22 (ESV)
²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
²² When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

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