My third week in Peru, my team and I served the community of Pamplona at a Buckner Community Transformation Center. I had only been in Peru for two weeks and my most recent Spanish class was in high school. Language was a barrier for me. However, one little girl reminded me that sharing God’s love does not always require a translator.
Her name is Maria Belen. Belen is 5 years old, owns a little dog named Chocolate and loves to dance and play hide-and-seek. She also does not speak any English.
Her beautiful smile was the first to greet me each day and she was the last one to give me a hug when I left. We often communicated nonverbally and by the end of the week I could understand her rather well. What I did not know was how much she understood from me. (more…)
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Our first week in Russia was spent teaching Vacation Bible School and playing with some of the cutest and purest souls on this planet.
Each morning we would walk hand in hand with God’s children to and from the beach. Have you ever held the hand of a 5-year-old boy or girl? Do you remember the specific feeling that coincides with the grasp of a child’s hand in yours? That little hand resting in yours is the closest humanity can get to replicating the feeling of God’s unconditional love.
Each morning a young orphan would take our hand in theirs and teach us of God’s unconditional love. These children did not care about our past. They did not care about our accomplishments or wealth in this world. They only cared that we were there with them, hand in hand, in that present moment in time. (more…)
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One thing that I learned about making the decision to adopt a child with special needs is that, ultimately, it takes a giant leap of faith to do it.
You have to use good judgment and think and pray about whether it is the right decision for your family. You should seek the advice of a doctor, maybe get insight from other adoptive parents and do a little research if the child has a specific diagnosis.
But at the end of the day, it just takes faith.
As the mom of three children with special needs I’ve also learned that it does not take a “Super Mom” or “Super Dad” to parent a special child. It takes trusting in our Super God. I remind myself frequently that he won’t give me more than I can handle with his help. (more…)
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My wife and I hear regularly from the children we served back in the late 70s and 80s. What a blessing, even after 33 years!
Today at the Crisis Relief Center, where I work, God sends people to Buckner for encouragement and hope and we help them. He wants us to “serve the least of these.” Matthew 25: 35-40
It is never dull and is still exciting. Each day is an adventure and contains surprises.
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Last winter when the cold was nearly unbearable, the Salvation Army maxed out their shelter at 32 guests. At our local Salvation Army, that’s a packed house. All the people who were living in tents along the river found their way to the Salvation Army or friend’s houses.
The day after the first big snow hit, a great friend of mine who is a senior at Norman North High School came to church with a great idea. He came to me and said, “Joey, what do you think about taking a large container of hot chocolate over to the people staying at the Salvation Army?” (more…)
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“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:10-13
This is the week of Advent in which we focus on Joy. As a hospital chaplain, I am witness to many forms of joy… receiving a good report from surgery, feeling the support of family and friends, getting a beautiful bouquet from a loved one and, of course, taking home a healthy, newborn baby–my personal favorite. (more…)
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“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” 1 John 3:16-20
Advent has its center in God’s love. Shortly after this passage, the writer says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I am thankful beyond measure for His merciful, unconditional love. (more…)
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Editor’s Note: In honor of National Adoption Month, we are featuring stories from some of our adoptive families. If you’d like to learn more about the ways you can Be a Family to a child, please visit www.beafamily.org.
“Give us this day our daily bread…” It’s the prayer we say without even thinking about what it really means.
We have enough daily bread in our homes to feed a small army, usually. If not, we can run to the store and pick some up. How many people around the world pray these words in earnest, gut wrenching hunger: “Lord, please give us this day, today, the bread we need to survive another day”? (more…)
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