Fingerprint Friday: Clean Water

By Ginny (MAD21)

Here in Maryland we have somehow missed late spring/early summer weather. We went from 50-60 degree weather to 90-95 and humid in just a matter of a week or two. But to put things into perspective, all we have to do is turn on our local news and suddenly we are thankful for such "miserable conditions." After seeing images of entire towns being completely wiped out in a matter of minutes by all the tornadoes our country has seen in the last month or so it makes one a lot more thankful.

I think most of us in general don't think about how fortunate we are in our every day lives. But put an entire area into a situation like the devastation caused by all the tornadoes, and people are quickly confronted with the harsh reality of how fast it can all be taken away. One day you go to work and have a "normal" day, the next, not only are your house and all of your belongings gone, but you no longer have a job either because your place of employment also no longer exists. Suddenly you aren't asking what you are going to have for dinner that night, you are in crisis mode because there is no food to eat, or water to drink at all... for you or your family, or your friends and neighbors. People who are used to living in our society with everything at their fingertips are suddenly thrushed into living in survival mode and just looking for the barest of necessities. Much like how a lot of people around the world are living, except for them, this is the normal. And they don't have access to enough food or clean water... at all.

My oldest had a service project with her class last week. We went to one of our local public playgrounds and planted flowers. Everyone brought with them at least a gallon of water to pour on the flowerbeds once we were done. As I stood watching the kids work, I looked over at all of the gallons of water and I was struck by how much we take advantage of having clean water. No one there that day probably even gave it a second thought about what an incredible blessing it was to have as much of it as we wanted... and not only to drink, but to pour onto the flowers in the ground... something that is unimaginable to a person living places like Kenya, Ethiopia or Uganda.

Next week I'm going to be sharing about an important project we are part of for the month of June. I can't wait to tell you about an amazing opportunity we have to help those who don't have access to clean water.

Clean water... definitely one of God's fingerprints.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

Tasty Bites: Creamy Italian Chicken For The Slow Cooker

By Beth V

Heading into a particularly hectic day recently, I knew I needed a dinner game plan or we would be hitting a drive-thru. My standby crock pot meal is typically pot roast - you really cannot go wrong with a slow cooked beef chuck roast. It is always so flavorful and tender. I didn’t have any beef on hand, and chicken dishes in the crock pot sometimes makes me a bit nervous. In my limited experience, boneless, skinless chicken tends to either dry out or just become a sort of pasty when crock-potted. I took a gamble knowing my family isn’t super-picky and I was really pleased with the result. This is a slow-cooker meal that truly involves dumping ingredients and turning it on. No chopping or pre-cooking necessary. You can even start with frozen chicken. The end  result was saucy, flavorful, moist chicken that our whole family thoroughly enjoyed.

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Back to Honduras

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

In less than three weeks I will be returning to Honduras to complete a promise I made over four years ago.  Those of you that know me understand that my journey with Compassion began in 2007 when I met my first sponsored child Linda. To make a long story short I looked into her eyes and my heart was broken. I understood we could make a difference! I became an advocate and Area Coordinator for Compassion and the focus of my life changed because of this one little girl. Back then she made a special request of me. She told me that she had no father and she thought of me as "her father." Talk about an honor. She asked me to attend her Quinceanera when she turned fifteen. For those that are not familiar with this occasion it is similar to our "Sweet Sixteen." It marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. I promised I would do my best to be there.

We returned to Honduras in 2009 to visit then our three sponsored children Linda, Jeyelly, and Jorge. Number four was to come shortly after the return from that trip. We knew Jeyelly's sister (Sofia) was available for sponsorship but we would not be able to sponsor her until the end of May. I debated having Compassion bring her to the meeting day but did not want to get either of our hopes up. Therefore we kept it a secret until it could actually happen. I took the time to sit down with Linda and tried to tell her (through a translator) how important she was in my life and how she had changed my focus. She was just as responsible as me for getting other children sponsored. I promised I would be back for the Quinceanera.

So here we are just about 17 days until we return back. This time we are taking our daughters Courtney and Stephanie. Our flights are made and the hotel confirmed. All I am waiting on at this point is our itinerary from Compassion and the Honduras Compassion Country office. We are hoping to spend one day with each of our children. We want to visit their home (and pray there) and their projects. We want to take them to lunch and just have a special day with each of them. Then of course we have a day set aside for the Quinceanara. We are actually hosting and paying for this. Compassion will assist with all of this including in country transportation, translators and other things. I am excited that both of our daughters are excited about going. I had kind of felt we were forcing them to go along with us but it is a blessing to know that they are just as excited as we are. Everything is starting to fall into place. I am asking for prayer that this trip will be everything God wants it to be. I have looked forward to this for the past four years and am just afraid that our enemy will try to mess things up. You know how sometimes things you really look forward to just don't live up to expectations? Pray that this trip is truly special for all of us. There is a bit of a political situation developing in Honduras over the next two weeks. Pray that this does not change or affect our trip. Most of all this is about Linda- Pray that this day is truly special for her. 

In 2009 I started my blog to allow people to experience my second trip to Honduras. This time I will again be updating it with daily experiences and pictures so please check it out between (6/11-6/17) as well as my Facebook. In the meantime we covet your prayers as we begin our final preparations.

Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 18 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.

Remembering God's Goodness

By Pat

I am not a person who likes to dwell in the past. I am really not a grudge-holder, and when it comes to forgiving I don't have much trouble (except when it comes to myself!). I know that Jesus renews His followers daily, so I have never found it useful to remember how people used to be. Thinking about incidents from my past that I can't change do me no good in my current walk with the Lord. I am a changed person as we all are, and I am thankful every day. There are, however, times when I don't just recollect the past; I cling to it.

In those times when I find myself in a spiritual drought, the thing I do the most is look back at my other periods of weakenss, doubt and fear and remember how God got me through it as only He can and brought me out stronger than ever. I remember the incomparable, incredible feeling of knowing that I had finally heard God's voice, felt God's touch, in a way that was meant just for me. I remember, and it comforts me. I dwell in those past encounters with God, and my heart is warmed with the knowledge that my current state of spiritual drought will one day be remembered as a time of spiritual growth.

I am very thankful for the vivid memories of past times of struggles and how God reminded me that I am not alone. They sustain me and give me the strength to go on, sure of the fact that I am safe in God's arms, and I do not walk alone. Although I may be unsure of the length of the dark tunnel I am going through, I know my Conductor will take me through to the light again. I know because He's done it before. I remember!

"Blessed in the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Is... Almighty

By Jason V (Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor)

God Almighty Rules Over All

"The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all." (Psalm 103:19)

Do you remember when you first discovered that your dad was not really all-powerful?  When I was a small boy, I really did think my dad could do anything.  My dad is pretty handy and big (over 6' 5"), so to a small 6-year-old, he seemed like Superman.  Yet like all of you, I had to endure the hard, slow realization that my dad was not, in fact, omnipotent, until, as a teenager, I wondered if my dad could do anything right at all.

Some people (even those who call themselves "Christian") think that our typical childhood experiences with our earthly dads is a model for what should happen to our view of God over time, as we mature in our faith.  As crises and conflicts come, they reason, we ought to see that a world full of evil is incompatible with an all-powerful and all-good God.  Since we all believe that God is good, we must then abandon the idea that God is all-powerful in favor of a God who looks a lot more like our limited and fallible dads.

The Bible gives us no room whatsoever for such a pale view of God. In Scripture after Scripture, God shines through with radiance as the great and glorious King of the Universe. "Nothing is impossible with God," the Bible boldly proclaims time and again (see Luke 1:37 and Mark 10:27). When God's people doubt His power in Isaiah 59:1, "Surely, the arm of the LORD is not too short to save."

When Jesus came, He demonstrated the Almighty power of God.  Jesus showed unmistakably that nothing could stand in God's way or frustrate His will.  God was mighty enough to create life in the womb of a virgin.  He was mighty enough to use a wicked king's edict to get His Son to the proper place to be born, Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2).  He was able to use dreams and visions to deliver His Son from the hands of a murderous tyrant (read Matthew 2). 

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