Our Weakness, His Strength

"God purposely chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful."

As I read this scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:27, I was reminded again of God's perspective on weakness. Since His ways are higher than ours, He often does the exact opposite of what we expect. The children at CLM fall into this category! The world has labeled them as damaged and unwanted...and many of them have accepted that as truth. BUT we believe that God is going to use these orphans to change the world! Some of them are going to be pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles, and prophets...God is going to send them out to tell people all over the world of how Jesus died for them! Their stories of pain, suffering, loneliness, and rejection are going to minister to people that no one else could...how powerful is that!? There will be people rejoicing in heaven that would have died in their sins if it wasn't for one of these little ones and the traumas they've endured. We will not understand why they had to suffer until we hear stories in eternity of people who had turned away from God until they met Maria Joana or Lucas or Cristiane!

In Hebrews 11:32-34 it says, "It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and all the prophets...their weakness was turned into strength." I would like to add the names of the children of CLM to that list! Will you stand with us in prayer, asking God to transform each one of these precious children into world-changers for Christ?

Shibboleth or Sibboleth?!

"Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him." – Judges 12:6

This particular scripture was from my dear friend, Andrea who is always able to put things into perspective for me!:) I was overwhelmed this week with emails and conversations from friends and family who wrote and called to encourage us through this difficult time with the language! Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer, believing that when God calls us, He will equip us.

In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, "Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with." What a beautiful reminder of all we can do each day to share the love of Christ with a dying world! We are grateful that He has called us to a place where we can minister with our hearts until we are able to minister with our words.

Feliz Dia Dos Pais e Feliz Aniversario!

Lord, your Word says my light and momentary troubles are achieving for me an eternal glory that far outweighs what I'm experiencing now. So I fix my eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

Today was Father's Day in Brazil...and our 18th anniversary! We celebrated at Turvo with the entire CLM family. Surrounded by so many beautiful children and my wonderful husband, I had so much to be thankful for and yet my focus drifted elsewhere and before I knew it, my "light and momentary troubles" had gotten the best of me. I have been so focused on the end goal of learning the language that I again am missing out on the internal process that God desires for me to apply to my life. (Will I ever learn this lesson, Lord?) I have felt like a failure because I'm constantly comparing myself to others and trying to meet their (perceived) expectations instead of only seeking God's approval. I find myself having to repent daily of my pride--asking God to help me focus on the gifts and talents He's blessed me with instead of coveting the gifts and talents of others. I have needed to ask Him to forgive me for seeking out that which is seen because I wholeheartedly believe that what is unseen is eternal and that is the only thing important to Him!

I am so grateful for all of you who have sent such encouraging emails during this difficult week! Thank you for covering us in prayer and sending so many timely scriptures that have reminded us that in our weakness, we find His strength. We love you!

A Day at Parque do Lago

Last Saturday we spent our "sabbath" listening to a sermon podcast from our church in Canton at the park. (Isn't technology great?!) While we were enjoying some worship songs afterward, a couple of boys approached us with much curiosity about our ipod and speakers. (They actually asked us if it was an "MP4" or "MP5" player!) After realizing that we didn't have any money with us to give them, we thought they would keep walking. Instead, they sat down on the blanket with us! Before we knew it, 7 more boys, ranging from ages 5-12 were surrounding us. They asked us questions about the U.S., our Bible, our dogs--we ended up talking with them for about half hour! It was disheartening to notice that most of them had filthy faces and clothes and probably lived in the poorest favela (slums where "homes" are made of plastic and cardboard) next to the park...but it was a blessing to see their smiles as we took an interest in them. We gave them all hugs as we left and told them that we would look for them again next time we were there. They followed us back to the car, where we gave them some "centavos" for ice cream--and they excitedly ran off towards the vendor at the park. Unfortunately, when we shared this story with our Portuguese teacher, she warned us that many of the children who beg for money will use it to buy drugs or glue. It is eye-opening to see how each day here brings new experiences that give us a glimpse into the former lives of our CLM kids. Please continue to pray for the children of Brazil.