break my heart for what breaks Yours

lovely night with the young girls’ class again! :) i was asked to share what i was going to do in Mali, and of course i’m not sure yet, but i mentioned the small possibility of working with street kids (talibe boys). almost didn’t make it through explaining the situation of those kids to the girls without losing it. gosh, how am i ever going to make that presentation in front of the church? hopefully the video will say it all… i guess it’s really a good thing that i’m broken over them, because He sure is.

what a memorial box monday post!! :) we serve the Healer!!

for a while now I couldn't think of anything to write for Memorial Box Monday over at Linny's blog. and then today my 2nd cousin Kay, who i wrote about here, and here, and here, and here came over to my parent's house for a visit (i'm here for the summer) and as she was sitting there on the couch it hit me and i just sat there in awe. kay, who according to the doctors should be in the grave. she should have been dead near 5 months now. but she's not! oh no, for we serve the Healer! the amazing, amazing Healer who healed a woman who could not be helped. who was bleeding to death. who only had a few hours according to the doctors. who had every odd against her. i'm tearing up just typing this.

HOW AWESOME IS OUR GOD?!!!

as i'm typing this post up i have linny's blog open and "tear down the walls" by hillsong united is on. Your name is glorious! Your love is changing us, calling us to worship in spirit and in truth! and i don't need to see it. i don't to see it to believe. cuz i, i can't shake this fire burning deep within my heart. and this life is yours and hope is rising... Your name is glorious!

and then there's ashley who i wrote about here, and here, and here, and here, and here just this past week.

she. is. healed.
toxic shock syndrome.

people, that is serious! 50/50 chance of her not making it out, but she did. her Dr. even said she should give the glory to God for what He has done for her. her doctor realizes just HOW AMAZING He is and how they couldn't do anything for her. they couldn't do anything for her but wait.

**** EDIT - the doctors say the tests they've run are as if she never had it :)

You are the Healer.
both of these women should not be here, but God healed them. :)) healed them, people!

what a wonderful Savior. How majestic Your whispers and how humble Your love. with a strength like no other, and a heart of a Father. what a wonderful God. no eye has fully seen how beautiful the cross. and we have only heard the faintest whispers of how great You are. -- chris tomlin.

sing a new song to Him who sits on heaven's mercy seat. You are my everything, and i will adore You. -- kari jobe

and just in case yall are wondering, i'm looking forward to the day i pack my memorial box monday bulletin board in my suitcase. oh yes. it HAS to go with me to africa. :)

Chris Tomlin- Love

i love this song beyond words.

amazing update on ashley!!!!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!! :D

ashley's lungs are clear. she will be in icu until tomorrow, then they plan on keeping her in the hospital for another week or so.

GOD is too good!! He is the Healer!!! :]

another update on ashley

praise GOD ashley seems to be improving little by little. the last i heard she was sitting up a little bit and eating some grits. and she walked around a little. :)) please keep lifting her up!

another update on ashley

thank you guys for the prayers! she has come off the venilator, which is good news. they are waiting for a bed for her at a larger hospital that can deal better with her situation. please, please keep praying. they found out she has toxic shock syndrome.

Sanctus Real - Whatever You're Doing Music Video

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25818895@N03/2865669860/in/set-72157606464558950/

how do you miss a people you've never met or a place you've never been? i don't know, but it's possible. cuz i sure do.
follow this link for more pictures.

update on ashley.

without telling too many details, just please keep praying. she has a 50% chance of making it out of what she is in. her lungs are filling up with fluid. but i know Whom i serve. and He is greater.

please pray for ashley.

would you guys please pray for a friend of the family? her name is ashley and she is in her early twenties. she has a mass of bacteria in her lungs and is really sick. there is talk of possible life support if things don't get better for her tomorrow. please, please pray for her. God can move this mountain standing in her way. He formed her lungs and is more than able to clear them and make her well. would you pray with me that her lungs clear? her kidneys were somewhat failing, but they're turning around, thank God. and please pray for her family that a peace would surround them and give them comfort.

His way is ALWAYS best :)

don’t you just love how God always knows what’s best for us? oh my goodness. i’ve prayed for a certain something (more or less, words to say when i approach someone about an opportunity) and instead of my actual prayer (give me the words to say) He answered it with the best answer ever. the person approached me about it. oh yes :) i didn’t have to say a thing, just yes, yes, oh YES!

i must say i love that He is constantly working behind the scenes :D

i am so humbled by the fact that He makes beauty out of ashes.

My power is made perfect in [your] weakness.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 corinthians 12:9

his eyes were not as bright as they were meant to be. against the beautiful make of his mahogany skin, they were meant to shine like the sun, like jewels, like sheer joy. yet they didn’t anymore. all she desired was to see him come alive inside when she told him of His love. oh yes. more than anything, a fire burned within her to love him like Jesus would. to tell him he is special and not alone. to give him that Hope that will never fail him. to sit with him, in the dirt, and tell him everything she knew.

will you join me in praying for her and them?

would you guys join me in prayer for the young girl i mentioned in this previous post a couple of days ago? i believe God has great things in store for her (as He does every one of us), and i pray that her heart is softened to hear the word and that her heart may be like the good ground where the seed will flourish and grow. last night in the church service, quadera was on my heart again. all the quaderas. it breaks my heart that so many people just pass them by, and i don't want to be that person anymore. i have been that person, and it breaks my heart that it took me this long to realize it. i don't want to see them in their destitute state on the side of the road and just leave them there. i want to pick them up and tell them about Jesus. i want them to know how much their Father loves them and what that means. i don't want to be like the priest and the levite who thought themselves too important to bother with them. i want to kneel down with them at their worst state in all the grime and the dirt and hug and love on them there. bandage their wounds by sharing Jesus with them and just sit there and love on them. love on them like crazy. even when it takes something of me to do it. to make them feel special and loved. really loved. to show them what mercy is, and how His mercy is greater still.
i'm still trying to process everything that i learned the other night, but i know one thing, i'm supposed to help quadera and the other quaderas right now in this season of my life. i asked for Him to show me what to do and it couldn't have been any plainer.
would you guys join me in praying for quadera and the other quaderas hearts to be softened?

Bethany Dillon - You Are On Our Side

Leeland Music Video - "Count Me In"

my heart is in mali. i can almost hear the laughter of the littles and see the bright smiles as we sit together talking about our Jesus. i can see the joy in their dark eyes and feel alive.

sweet little Monroe

this sweet, precious little guy is monroe. he is just five years old and has cerebral palsy. he needs a family to call his own sooooo badly. precious little monroe is just months shy of being sent to a mental facility where he will live, cramped in a crib in the dark for the rest of his life. in the dark, people. alone. just for one second imagine that. imagine his cries. the tears when nobody ever comes. ever. he will be forgotten about. what if that were you? or your children? what if they lay there never to be consoled again. to cry but never have someone say, "it's okay, sweetie, i'm here. you're okay".
and here's the suprise. monroe already has $20,000 in his grant account. he is set and ready. that's right - his adoption has been fully funded.
all he is waiting for is someone to say yes. that they care enough to bring their son out of that situation and give him love and protection. to say, i'm not letting this happen to him. he's ours and i'm going to bring him home.
what are you waiting for?
pray for this little guy. pray that whoever God has as his family would see this and know. that they wouldn't run from it. pray for this sweet little fellow, that he would feel his Father's arms around him right now and know that he is loved.

sometimes it's the little things.

last thursday as i was bringing my sister's cat, izzie, to the apartment from my parent's house - an hour away - i learned something. something profound. i'm beginning to see that it's the little things that God wants to reveal Himself to us a lot of the time. it doesn't have to be loud, bold and huge, but subtle and sweet. the comforting little warm and fuzzy feelings. the oh wows. the finally-get-its.

i was driving (safely as possible :D ), and izzie was in my lap. to say she was hysterical would be an understatement. poor thing, she was panting and hypervenitlating. never have i seen a cat do that before. her heart was beating a gazillion miles a minute. so i did all i knew to do, i allowed her to lay in my lap. i would rub her back and pat her like a little baby. she stuck her head completely under my arm and just sat there, still panting and meowing. i kept softly whispering to her, i'm here izzie. i've got you. you're okay, sweetie. you're okay.

and it hit me - God loves me even more than that. He is doing the same thing to me when i become overwhelmed and more. izzie never really calmed down that much. a little, but not much. i'm not sure she trusted me to keep her safe. a little, but not all the way.

and it was like God was saying, sweet one, I've got you. you're with Me and you're okay. you're okay. no matter where you go I've got you. just rest in that, daughter.
and then something else hit me. do i trust Him? even thought this "car ride" to Mali is scary and unfamiliar and sometimes downright worthy of good cry, do i trust that He's with me and that i have nothing to fear? it was then that i realized how much i can trust in Him. izzie couldn't trust me because i'm human and i'm not perfect. i'll fail her, you'd better bet on it. but my Father, oh yes, my Father can be trusted completely.

and as izzie snuggled underneath my arm i was reminded that i'm under His wing. and i can rest there. rest in the assurance that He has me and i'm okay. no. matter. what. that although things may be scary and unfamiliar i can choose to trust in Him and take His hand and just rest in who He is, rebuking anything that would try to deter me otherwise. nothing, and i mean nothing can ever separate me from Him or His love, and in that comes a peace and rest. a peace that i can't explain. and a rest that does my soul good. sure, there will be times when i will most likely give in to the fear, as i'm human and that's what humans do, but when i feel those times coming on i start to feel myself becoming reassured just when i think of who He is. and then i trust Him and choose not to let the fear get a foothold in my life. but to know Who i serve and Who is with me.

is it just me, or do you get chills when you realize Who He is? just sit there and think a minute. He is the same One of abraham, isaac, and jacob, of moses, joseph, and joshua and caleb. of rahab. of ruth and boaz. of deborah. of esther. of david and solomon. of hannah. of samuel. He was with them. oh yes, and He will be with me. and not only do i boast in the God of all those people, but in my God who i know personally. whom i love and loves me back. who i hunger for more of. who pursues my soul and my love. the One who never left me nor forsook me, but kept knocking at the door of my heart. who i speak to daily and has spoken to me - sometimes oh so loudly and beautifully. who i can say, look what He's done for me. who i just praise because He is who He is.

this journey to Mali is without a doubt the boldest thing i've ever done, and i'm so glad i didn't look back and go to my comfort zone, to where the world was saying i was safe and belonged. oh am i ever so happy that God is teaching me things and revealing Himself to me in new ways. that i'm learning just how much He loves me. really loves me. how beautiful He is and how there is nothing to fear when He is with me. and i mean nothing. how the nisondiya of Yesu is my strength. the power of the joy i have in Jesus is more than anything that could ever come against me.

He truly is all i will ever need.

i’m so glad i learned to trust Thee,
precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
and i know that Thou art with me,
wilt be with me to the end.
-- to trust and obey

my eyes have been opened, again.

tonight opened up my eyes a little further. instead of going in the regular service, my friend and i helped out a children’s worker with a 10 and 11 year old girl class. the lesson was naming off things about the crucifixion and see how much they knew while writing it in a diagram on the board. when they first began naming things that happened along the way to the crucifixion, i was thinking, ‘sure this is too easy for them. they’re in fourth/fifth/sixth grade, they’ve got to know this stuff’. i was wrong. at least about one girl. her name is quadera. my heart went out to her. she apparently hasn’t been raised in a christian family and hasn’t had the blessed opportunity to learn all about the Bible since she she was in diapers. it really did something in me, watching her, hearing her responses.

near the middle of the discussion the children’s worker said “and what happened after he rose and went to Heaven?” to the girls. quadera answered, “then He created the earth”. ohmygoodness. big slap in my face. this girl has no clue. i thank God that she is attending our children’s programs on wednesday nights. we get to plant a seed in her precious heart and help her to grow in her knowledge of her Savior. i thank God that she isn’t home, but instead gets on the van and comes. that her parents somehow allow her to attend. but instead of me blessing her, she has blessed me. beyond anything i thought imaginable.

i’m glad this happened tonight. i just want to hug and squeeze quadera and tell her how precious and special she is in her Father’s eyes, and how her Savior died for her so that she could live with Him forever. and that she’s beautiful and that people love her. i prayed for a chance to reach out to those in my county before i leave. God has answered and He is saying, “help the quaderas”. tell them about me. help those little kids who I love so much and sent my Son to die for.

everything within me wants to go to quadera’s house and just sit down with her, tell her everything i know about Jesus. i just want to sit there, hold her and cry. i want to weep for how she doesn’t know yet. weep for when she will. weep for all the quaderas out there who don’t know. who nobody’s taken the time to tell, those quaderas that are not loved. but i will wait until next wednesday night and take time to form a relationship with her. to show her love and then she can understand how much more He loves her.

oh yes. next wednesday night. and i can’t wait.

quadera, He has plans for you and hope for a future. He loves you. a love that surpasses anything you’ve ever known. beyond your wildest dreams. oh, sweet quadera. i so badly want you to know Him. i’m praying for you girl. oh, am i praying.

so stoked. Jesus loves all His children and i am blessed enough to be able to get to share that with those who have never heard it. to see their lives change right before my eyes once they hear about THE hope and love. oh yes. nothing could satisfy me more than to serve Him all the days of my life and live where He sends me. He is all i need. and i go with that as my heartbeat.

isaac's home!!!

i am sooooooo happy for isaac and his family!



visit andrea's blog at www.babeofmyheart.com.

all i need is You.

Left my fear by the side of the road
Hear You speak
Won't let go
Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again
Father's love that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is you Lord

One more day and it's not the same
Your spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Saviour once again
Where would my soul be without Your Son
Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord

You hold the universe
You hold everyone on earth
You hold the universe
You hold
You hold

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord


ALL I NEED IS YOU LYRICS - HILLSONG UNITED

He loves to speak to you.

OH! i've been meaning to make a post about this recently, but kept forgetting! :)
These are some confirmations of my moving to Mali that have happened in the past few months.

Before service one morning i told my friend that I was going to Mali for a year. I told her that I had been praying about how long to go for, and it suddenly hit me one day that I wasn't giving all i had to give to God until I gave that year and stepped out of my comfort zone. (I woke up one night and remember myself wrestling and tossing and turning, asking "should i go for a year? or not?" i immediately got sick afterwards with a stomach virus that my family caught too. i remember that night vividly in my mind.) I told my friend that in no way did I feel comfortable going for a year, but that I didn't think this was supposed to be comfortable for me, you know? And oh my goodness, get ready. Then my Pastor preached on living out of your comfort zone that morning. about how it's not easy to live for Christ, but that it's not supposed to be, but that He's there with us through it all. If that did shout it out to me!! :)

And then, during campmeeting a speaker who didn't know I was going to Mali and to my knowledge still doesn't, prayed for me at the altar one night. He said something like "God has shown you stuff, and all the fears and doubts just let them go..." I declare I think I remember the speaker saying "shown you" (which totally connects the dots again with the word "shown" from the confirmations past!!) but if He didn't I'm sorry. Those two weeks were so spiritually enriching that I didn't sleep much and I'm not exactly sure if I remember the exact words correctly. But it was something like "shown you" if not exactly that. :)

So yeah. wow. God is good!

from my heart. i want to help him.

yesterday i saw a man on the side of the street, just sitting there. my heart broke. he looked like he's been rejected by everyone and in need of a good hug and meal. i wanted so badly to pick him up and give him a ride to church, but it just seemed dangerous, so i didn't do it. i sometimes wonder if i'm supposed to do things like that, to just give him a ride even if it is dangerous. you know? just to trust Him. but then my reality side hits me in the face and i say "no way". i often think, but that's what jesus would do. He would just give him a ride out of love. out of compassion. but being a young woman it scares me. i want to be safe and not put myself in danger, but where do you draw the line? i've given a sketchy man a little money before, but i've never done anything that would've given any one a chance to harm me. i wish and pray that i would find people like myself that just want to be compassionate to the least of these. i don't want to move to Mali having never done anything for those least of these right here in North Carolina. i want to love on them and show them their Father. i want them to know, oh so badly, the joy they can have no matter what their circumstances. i just have this burden to share with the people that no one wants to share with. i don't know why there isn't already a ministry in this area to those people, or if there is why i've missed it. that man yesterday broke something inside of me. God loves him. i just want him to know it. because it would change his life. and who am i to keep that from him? it's not my right to. i'm supposed to tell.

so i'm praying for You to use me before i leave. because i want to help these people. i want to show them You. i'm ready. show me what to do.

i want a pair of toms. they're contagious. and oh so cute!

loves that holden totally loves lion king music now. i'll share my headphones with you any day, buddy! gosh, why do six year old little nephews have to be soooo cute and sweet? i think ima sneak him in my carryon come january. he HAS to see bamako! i love this kid! :) there is nothing like being an aunt. they're your's, but they're not... haha. it's even better than the grandma thing. you're WAY younger!

and yes, little buddy, i'm gonna miss you a whole lot too. i promise i'll skype with you, k?

testimony time!

so the group i'm going to Mali with ( SaFE, sahel formation experience) asked me to write a testimony for their site, so that others could see how i became interested in the program, and how GOD is working not only in me, but in my family through my decision to go next year. here's the link. i think you guys may want to read it. something exciting and encouraging happened this weekend and it's included in the testimony on their site! :D

sydney's feeding the orphans. at ten.

you guys, i want to share a very inspirational young girl's blog with you. some of you may already follow it, but for those of you who don't please go and read. sydney is 10 years old. that's right, ten. here is an excerpt from her blog, explaining her heart and her vision for feeding the orphans, from feedingtheorphans.blogspot.com:

How my journey began...when I was 7 years old I became interested in orphans. I had two brothers, but prayed for a sister. I watched hundreds of adoption videos and read blogs. In November 2009, my parents finally felt called to adopt. So we sent in our paperwork for a little girl younger than 3 to Ghana, West Africa. Remember I had been praying for a sister for over three years now. Then, in January we accepted the referral of a 5 year old boy and 2 year old girl. I am finally getting a sister, but God gave me another brother, too.

A couple of months ago we were driving home from Kentucky. After traveling, my mom wanted to get Papa Murphy’s Pizza. The boys said yeah, but I said I didn’t want anything to eat. She asked me why and I told her no reason, just not hungry. So we went in and she ordered. I still told her I didn’t want anything. When we left there, I asked her if we could go to Kroger to buy bread for me to eat. She told me if I told her why I was upset she would. I looked at her and said, “WHY SHOULD WE EAT LIKE KINGS AND QUEENS WHEN THEY HAVE NOTHING?” Then I started crying and staring out the window. So this is how FEEDING THE ORPHANS started. After that night, God told me to design a t-shirt to raise money for them. I researched a bunch of facts about Africa. Then I narrowed them down to the ones on the back of my shirt. I have sold over 170 shirts and raised $385 at a garage sale for this cause for a total of $2,178. The t-shirts are on my website if you want to see them or purchase them. Sometimes I feel guilty because we have tons of stuff and they have nothing. Then I remember I do not have to feel guilty. I can do something about it. The kids in America think they have to have an Ipod, xbox 360, wii, ipod touch, or other hot items, but kids in Africa are playing with cardboard and making rings out of cookie boxes. They play with whatever they can find and they play with each other. Some African kids made a soccer ball out of trash wrapped in tape. I want you guys to know that I could not do this without God! He is the one using me to help the orphans! I’m just a 10 year old girl trying to do what God told me to do. Anybody can make a difference, even if they are younger.

sydney is doing a t-shirt giveaway of the t-shirts she has designed to help feed the orphans. i encourage you to visit her blog and spread the word about what she is doing.

sydney, if you read this, you are one amazing girl and GOD is using you so mightily. i'm praying for you and for Helen and Samuel. keep on shining your light for Him and feeding the orphans!!

Hanging On-Britt Nicole

You see my anxious heart
You see what I am feeling
And when I fall apart
You are there to hold me
How great Your love for me
Now I see what You're thinking
You say I'm beautiful
Your voice is my healing

Without You I just can't get by
So I'm

Hanging on to every word You speak
'Cause it's all that I need
Hanging on to every word You say
To light up my way
Even every little whisper I'm
Hanging on as if it were my life
I'm hanging on

And when the darkness falls
I can't see what's before me
Your voice is like the dawn
Always there to guide me

Without You I just can't get by
So I'm

Hanging on to every word You speak
'Cause it's all that I need
Hanging on to every word You say
To light up my way
Even every little whisper I'm
Hanging on as if it were my life
I'm hanging on

You know me better than I know myself
Better than anybody else
Your love is sounding like a ringing bell
Oh, oh, I won't let go

Hanging on to every word You speak
'Cause it's all that I need
Hanging on to every word You say
To light up my way
Even every little whisper I'm
Hanging on as if it were my life
I'm hanging on

Does anybody else just want to join me in weeping happy tears over just how good He is?! He is oh soooo faithful.

mi hermana y su novio

it was getting dark outside but i had to take pictures of these two. :D
what can i say? they're in love. my sister and her boyfriend of 20 months.

the 4th of july!

so yeah, it was the 4th of july today. haha. and i took pictures while waiting for the fireworks tonight.


i love the waterfront!

and here is my first successful capture of water in the air - although it's rather small. lol. maybe you can see it??

i love the glow of the sun here.

the water was so soooo pretty today.

happy 4th of july everyone! not only do i take this day to remember the fallen soldiers who have fought for our freedom, but also to remember the freedom i have in worshipping Him here. we as a people can soooo easily take worship for granted. next year, when i'm in africa, i'm pretty sure i'm going to know a little more of what i'm feeling right now. how blessed i am to have grown up in a country that gives me the freedom to worship my God and Savior how i please. oh, how we all take this for granted. sooo much so. myself included.

Romans 10:14

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” Romans 10:14

There are little ones in the world just like this little guy who have no one and no where to call home. Can you take one minute and imagine with me how much their life would be changed if they were to hear about Jesus?

But now, what if they never hear?

There are people out there who desperately need to know who Jesus is, and what that means for them. Who will tell them? They're in the USA, in Europe, in Asia, in Africa - everywhere. Who will tell them they are loved and they have a Father? I'm challenging myself, as well as you guys, tell someone about Jesus. You never know how it could change their life. He is for everybody, so why do we (myself included) keep Him to ourselves? Why wouldn't we want the next person to feel the way we do, to experience life as God so desperately wants them to? Who are we to keep them from His love?


"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

It's a command. So I challenge you to go! Go and tell them.

jesus loves you in bambara

i could be totally wrong here, since i'm not a bambara expert (by any means), but i think i've finally found out how to say "jesus loves you" in bambara (one of the two major languages spoken in Mali).

i think it is... Yesu kanuya i .
maybe??
one thing for sure is i'm positive the message i'm trying to get across is true. just not sure if the wording makes sense. :D

and oh so haali, Mali. yes, haali.

** Yesu - Jesus
kanuya - love
i - you (clever way to remember this one, eh?!) haha.
& haali - very much

one of those little buddies of mine

i'm missing a certain little fellow who lives in florida. the last time i went to visit him i was sick, so this auntie didn't get to hug and kiss on him like i would've. and the last couple of weeks i spent at campmeeting, which i don't regret AT ALL, but still, my parents went to visit this little kid. i've only seen him 3 times, but i treasure those times. but i miss him. sometimes you have to tough it out for Jesus. that's what i did when i stayed behind and let my parents go ahead. and if i don't get to see him before i move in january, that's what i'll be doing again - toughing it out. it'll hurt oh so much, but i hope he'll one day see that faith without deeds is dead. even if that means leaving precious people whom you love oh so dearly behind while you go. i want to be a good example for you, josiah gabriel, so i hope you'll still love me even though the next time i see you may be 2 years down the road or longer. love you babe. & the next time i see you i'm gonna teach you how to say jesus loves you in bambara. promise.

walmart and books.

yes!! walmart this afternoon. i haven’t been there in like a month i think. haha!

early last semester school supplies shopping (before the crowd :D )

& i just found out i have 20 books to buy for fall semester. yes, 20. i’m just thanking Jesus that i already have 3 of those books and have read 2 of them, and 1/4 of another.

what if that were you? would you want them to pass you by?

I would like to introduce you to a new friend of mine, Christie Cotney. She is leaving soon (this month soon!) to travel to Uganda on a missions trip. While she's there, Christie will be spending time in a village named Bugabo in the Luwero District of Uganda. Witchcraft is practiced in this village, and along with it comes superstitions that either send adults or children out with the boot, just because of a health condition they may have, etc. The water supply here in the Bugabo village is like that of many other villages in the area - nonexistent. Can you imagine not being able to give your young child clean water? Or what about being dehydrated and malnutritioned yourself and unable to feed your newborn baby crying in your arms? What if there was someone out there who could help you? But instead of doing so, they chose to say your problem doesn't exist, or someone else will help them? What if YOU were that woman? that child? that baby? just what if...

Christie is leaving soon, and she is just $840 short of what is needed to provide a well for the people of Bugabo village. Will you pray about giving toward the money needed for the new well? Will you pray that people's hearts are moved for these people of Bugabo village? Someone needs to stand up for the injustice in the world, and then there are those who have to GO and help them. If you don't feel called to GO, then we as believers should be willing to assist those who do. Who knows? This well may provide a village person to ask whomever is digging the well, "Why are you doing this for us? Why do you care?" That, my friends, could be an open door for them to hear about Jesus. Just maybe that person could become saved and touch other people in Bugabo village. Just maybe. But how can that happen without the means to provide a well for them?

And this isn't just my opinion. It is clearly stated in Matthew 25.

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

And how the good Samaritan passage in Luke 10? Will you pass them by? If you can't hear their cries for help, ask Him to help you hear. Because the cries are there, we're just acting like we dont' hear them.

If you want to help these people, visit Christie's blog (i have a link at the beginning of this post). She has a paypal and she could give you a P.O. Box if you prefer snail mail.

Rebecca St James - Wait For Me [Clip Video] + Lyrics

i'm waiting. i don't know who you are or where you are, but just know i'm praying for you tonight. i want you, darling, to love Him with your whole heart, seek Him all of your days and choose Him over the world. i pray tonight that wherever you are in this moment that you know i'm waiting for you too. and that i love you, future husband. whoever you are. and wherever you happen to be. right in this moment i pray that you would realize the joy you have in Him, that is your strength. nothing else. not even the love you may have for me. just Him. because i'm human. humans fail each other. i'm not perfect, you're not perfect. He shall be the cornerstone. i want our relationship to be based on not only our love for each other, but the fact that i see a man who is so lost in Him that it draws me to you. not only do i want a Boaz, a man that will protect and provide for me, but i want a paul. i pray for you to wholeheartedly live for Jesus. not just part of your being, but with everything you have within you. that's what i yearn for. a man who isn't afraid to be known as a man after God's own heart and who would be willing to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. to follow Him even when it's not easy. even when it takes every single bit of trust you have. i want that kind of man. and darling, no, i'm not setting my hopes too high. i believe in you. i believe in the man He has created you to be. so go ahead, drop it all behind you and follow Him. He's waiting and i'm waiting. love you, future husband. and as i look at the night sky it soothes me to know you're out there too. somewhere.