Friday, July 23, 2010
Unexpected opportunities
Friday, July 16, 2010
Amy Carmichael's Dream
Amy Carmichael's Dream
The tom-toms thumped straight on all night and the darkness shuddered round me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, as it seemed, this:
That I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.
Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step . . . it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry as they went over!
Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks, as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.
Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simply agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could only call; though I strained and tried, only whisper would come.
Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set at intervals. But the intervals were too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.
Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned toward the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise. And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. "Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven't finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish," they said, "to leave us to finish the work alone."
There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries set for miles and miles of the edge.
Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for awhile; but no one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.
Once a child caught at a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf; it clung convulsively, and it called-but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they sang a hymn.
Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was-the Cry of the Blood.
Then thundered a voice, the voice of the Lord. "And He said, 'What hast thou done, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'"
The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and weird, wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate.
What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it?
God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!
typhoons, flu, and exams
Friday, July 9, 2010
I know it's a mission trip but sometimes it sure looks like a slumber party
This weekend I am writing you from Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro! As a part of the Nehemiah Team program we are given a 3 day vacation to spend some relaxing and refocusing on God. Our vacation started yesterday with a 2 hour van ride, 1 hour boat ride, and 2 hour jeepney ride. That's a lot of traveling but when we saw the beauty of Mindoro and the South China sea it was worth it! Last night we had the opportunity to met the founder of threads for hope, a ministry that employs 250 women here in Puerto Galera. These women are at high risk of falling into poverty and dangerous lifestyles. They make bracelets that are sold in the Philippines and in the United States. God has truly blessed this ministry and it was cool to see how God is working in other parts of the Philippines.
This week at Open Door we have spent a lot of time with the older girls ministering to them and just having a good time. Last weekend we had a tea party with them on the roof of the Orphanage and Church. The girls spent all day preparing and set a really nice table on the roof. We sipped tea as Chelsea shared with the girls how beautiful God thinks they are. Many of them have not been treated good in the past and it is so important that they see important and beautiful they are to God and us. A few nights this week, the girls decided to attack us before bedtime. One night they did our makeup and another night they did Chelseas hair like cindy lou hoo!
These girls are so special to us! Please pray that God would continue to give us opportunities to minister to them. This week we helped the college aged adults at the church start a discipleship biblestudy so they can minister to these orphans when we are gone. We really feel like this is something God wants us to do. Please pray for the bible study. We will hold it on Tuesday night this week.
It has truly been a great week as God has brought us closer and closer to the kids. One night I was playing with a little girl named Nicole. She is not an orphan, but her Lola works at Open Door and she stays here to attend school. I think she is 7 years old. She was riding on my back and we were spinning around in circles on the basketball court and she was just having a lot of fun and laughing. When I put her down we hugged me around the waist and looked up and said I Love You! I think it was one of the happiest moments of my life. She was so sincere and it just gave me strengh to make it through the rest of the week. I really do love the kids here. We have only been away from them for one day but I already miss them. Leaving yesterday made us realize that in 20 days we will leave Open Door and the Philippines and fly home, and most likely we will never see the kids, the youth, or the Philippines again. July 30th will a sad day. But, luckily we still have 19 more days with them, to love them, to take care of them, and show them God. With this trip I hope that we can show the kids that even though we have to leave, that God will stay with them and never leave them.
God has brought us to San Pablo city for a purpose! Please pray for us and the kids this week! We have monthly tests on thursday and friday. Also feel free to read the Nehemiah team blog as well. This week we will have Malloree from the media team with us and she will update the team blog throughout the week. The address is www.nehemiahteams.blogspot.com, then look for the tab on the left that says Open Door.
I will update you more night week! Thank you everyone for the prayers and support!
Brittany