This Is The Church

Many of you know how much I love my church. Many of you may be tired of hearing about how much I love my church. But I continually fall in love with my church family again and again and I just can't help but share about it. Yesterday I was so deeply moved and reminded of what the Church is supposed to be. Our congregation is socioeconomically diverse. We have one member whose story is extraordinarily precious and involves the love of God's people in very bad times bringing him to the love of God. He has been an incredible member of our church family and stepped up in every way he can. He loves his church family so very well. This is the Church.

Yesterday he posted on Facebook that he desperately needed some finances to fall into place for something that was really important for his well-being and didn't know what he was going to do but was trusting God to provide. He wrote this with the purpose of asking everyone to pray- prayer for his unbelief. He asked for prayer to trust God to provide. It's been since taken down due to abundance of provision, so I don't have the exact wording; but quickly a dependable brother in the church family posted something to the extent of, "I've got the first 10%. Come on church let's do this!" He knows what the Church was made to be. Two more 10% offerings followed. The whole amount was taken care of nearly immediately. This is the Church.

There are so many things I love about my church, but one thing is the way everyone offers all that they have. Some members have enough money to get by and they offer it without a second thought. Some members have time to invest in our kids and youth and are so excited to do it. Some members rejoice to carry the cross into the service, read Scripture, set the table for Communion, collect the offering, or pray for others. We are all so unique and at my church I love to see how each person's gifting are utilized. This is who we are. Diverse people united in their love for and service of God and each other. This is the Church.

May we never forget the beauty of diversity. May we never fail to step up and say, "I offer all that I have." May we never walk past a brother or sister when they are in need and just pray that things will get better for them. May we often chose to be the answer to our prayers. May we welcome every person into our family not out of some silly place of pity, but because we NEED every person. May we never undervalue the gifts that each individual brings. May we see God in every brother and sister and praise Him for how He reveals Himself through them. May we never forget who the Church is meant to be. May we be the Church.

The Beauty of Aana

Sitting on the back patio drinking my daily cup of the most delicious Sweet Missoula Puerh Chai tea (which may suddenly disappear when I leave... just kidding Jack!), listening to dozens of different kinds of birds singing and chirping, and looking at the gorgeous mountains that I did not know Las Vegas had, my senses are happy and I am content. But why wouldn't I be? I have no pain, my vision is clear (when my contacts are in at least), I am capable of moving myself and lifting things without a struggle, and I can breathe easily. Yet my beautiful cousin Aana is as grateful and peaceful as I am and none of these are true for her. Sweet Aana has been battling cancer for a few years now and it's a very hard struggle she's having at the moment. That's where I am this weekend- sitting with her and being blessed by her beauty. I see the pain in her eyes, her face, the way she walks, the way she sits. It's impossible to miss the constant pain she is in and the loss of physical capabilities she is facing. But she does not let it rule her life. Aana is so easily distracted by the beautiful bird at the bird feeder. She so quickly rejoices at some small success of one of her young boys. She laughs so easily at her husband's jokes or the Iron Chef show that she loves. She enjoys life as much as possible in the midst of harsh pain.

The depth of her faith is so evident. Even when she's telling me about the pain and how she doesn't understand why it's happening, there's never a question about God's existence or His goodness. Maybe she can't understand His plan, but she believes in a faithful God who is doing something that she does not understand. It's easy to see how God delights in Aana and her faith. The suffering isn't leaving her, but God is constantly giving her sweet small gifts. He gives her a ride on a horse here, an immediately inclusive and caring neighbor there. He has blessed her with the most amazing family who has more than stepped up to help out. Seriously, I can't even begin to address how amazing her husband, parents, and brother are in this post. I am honored to know such loving, selfless, and supportive people and blessed to call them my family (thanks Aunt MaryBeth for that one, and all the Elsen aunts and uncles who have allowed me to grow up calling you aunt and uncle and believing your kids were my cousins). But all of this is also a testament to who Aana is. What amazes me, but does not surprise me, is the huge number of people beyond her family who rally around Aana. Anyone who has ever met Aana has loved her at once. She is so sweet, joyful, friendly, welcoming, and fun. She's given so much to so many and now they are all giving it back to her. And that is what gives her the strength to carry on. God speaks to her and gives her hope through all these people who send her little gifts, notes of encouragement, prayers, Scripture, or offer their presence or the presence of their babies. :) While the babies are clearly the favorite, all of these things remind Aana that she has an army behind her and she is not alone. She knows that if she's not being healed, it's not for lack of prayer. Rather God is doing something that she can't yet see and probably won't see on this side of heaven.

Yet what I can see here and now that Aana truly doesn't see is the impact her faith and perseverance have on those around her. Other people struggling with cancer are encouraged by her, but it goes beyond that. She is showing God's goodness in the midst of suffering to so many people. She is being a light in the darkness. She just can't see it because a light can't look at itself. She can't see how bright she shines. She just sees the darkness and pain that surrounds her physical body and thinks that's what she's offering to people. This weekend she's apologized to me for being useless too many times. What she doesn't know is she is so very helpful to me. She's teaching me so much and shining so bright. But she truly doesn't see the blessing that she is. What she needs is for the people around her to reflect that light that she offers back to her. That is why the people around her give her hope. That's what they are doing. They are showing her what they see- that she is beautiful.

I'm telling you this brief version of Aana's story because I love her and I feel that her story needs to be told by someone besides her. If you read her blog you see some of her beauty. But Aana tends to point out how she's failing at trusting God. The truth is this beautiful woman, when she can get out of bed (and truly even when she can't), is continuing to love and serve those around her to the best of her abilities. She is seeking God with all her heart and trying desperately to follow Him whatever His plan may be, however hard it may seem. She is faithful and trusting when she has every excuse not to be. And I hear Him saying, "Well done my beloved daughter, in you I delight and with you I am well pleased." 

Join Me in Taking Up the Cause of the Fatherless

Hi all. I haven't written in awhile. Mostly because my heart is so heavy for my friends in India but I'm not sure what else to say or how else to share their story. Nothing has changed, except that persecution in India is intensifying. I found out last night that the children's home that we visited on our last day in Delhi was raided and shut down. The government came in and took all the children. What will they do with them? I'm not sure even they know. They didn't want to worry about a bunch of orphans, but they are following through on their threats to shut down children's homes in Delhi and Pune where children are coming to know Christ. They are calling it forced conversion and showing that they will not allow it. Please join me in praying for these children. There are four in particular that I am worried about. They are Nepali refugee orphans, so the government will care even less about them. I had been trying to find a family for them, but now they're very unlikely to be able to leave the country except to get sent back to Nepal. Please pray for these four. They've been through so much and yet managed to maintain sweet dispositions. Only the oldest had some issues, but the parents of this children's home had dedicated much time and love to work with her and she had started to grow and became a sweet child again. Please pray for the protection of the spirits, faith, and hearts of all these children as well as physical protection. They need our prayer.

The government is finding any excuse to crack down on any children's homes where they find Christian faith. My friends who are trying to build a new building could really use help. Fortunately they are not in Pune or Delhi, but eventually the danger will reach them. If this building gets built, they will officially have a school. They will also have more suitable living quarters for their children.  These are two things that will help them, I believe. Not that anything but God can ultimately protect them, but anything that may help them is worth doing. They also are continuing to take in orphans or children whose families can't care for them and raising them up and educating them. They need the space to be able to do this. So they need money. It's that simple. They need about $2000 more to be able to start building and they'd like to begin in August. Please consider helping them.

Finally, these kids need sponsors. If they are going to eat, have clothes, be educated, and eventually be sent to school, they need support. I have four children in mind that I would like to find sponsors for. Two are the sweet little girls for whom I was a jungle gym or a chair depending on their energy level. One is an orphan and the other's family asked the home to take her because they can't provide for her. These girls are so bright and joyful! They are dreamers who love life. I have so much hope for their futures. But they will need help. Please consider helping them. The other two children that I'm asking you to help are two older boys. While I was in India I got the chance to play soccer with some of the boys. It didn't matter at all that I was horrible and so out of shape. They were shocked and over the moon about the fact that I was playing with them. It took several minutes for them to understand that I was trying to play with them, but once they did they were so excited. They were so kind and tried to communicate with me as well as they could. Any time I would get the ball away from them (a very rare occurrence, typically due to a mistake on their part and unrelated to my abilities) they'd blush and get so bashful. But they would never be mean or angry, instead they'd laugh at themselves and give me a high five. These boys are smart, athletic, kind, and excited about the future. They have huge dreams. When I asked through a translator about what they wanted to be, they answered with things like doctors, engineers, missionaries, and teachers. These boys and my two sweet little girls need help so that they can reach these dreams. Please please please consider sponsoring one of them.

As much as I wish I could it all myself, as a grad student I've found that to be rather impossible. But we are the Church. These brothers and sisters need us to be the church. These are the orphans that God calls us to care for. And they're not going to waste your support. They're going to do amazing things. Just wait and see. Please help make this possible. Please join me in taking up the cause of the fatherless and fighting for them and their futures.

Construction Project Goal

Hello all! If you recall, one of my goals when I came home from India was to help raise money for the construction of a new building so that my friends would have more (very necessary) space. Well, I am excited to be able to share a number with you so that we can begin to work towards this goal. This construction project requires $3,600. That is totally doable! I was hoping to be able to get back down there and bring a team to help build, but I don't think I can make this happen by the time they will be ready to build. However, if any of you are interested in going to help build, I am excited to help make it happen! Just let me know and I'll help you with any details that seem overwhelming. I'm happy to make it as easy as possible for you! My friends have expressed how much they love and are blessed by people coming to encourage them and work with them for any amount of time. For everyone else, I believe that this financial goal can be achieved! I'd love for anyone to join me in raising money among your family/friends/church/etc. and giving money. Contact me for information on where to send the money and who to make your check out to. I'm so excited to help my friends with this new building!

Support These Sweethearts!

I posted a picture on Facebook with the link to my blog and it is of two adorable little girls from the home I was at in India. These girls were my shadows. Though I suppose your shadow is not normally on top of you... Anytime I was on the ground anywhere near them, they were immediately on my lap. And when I stood up, I'd find that two children had come up with me. Their whole bodies would literally cling to me. I didn't have to hold them at all. Though of course I did. I wrapped them up in arms and held them as much as I could. These precious babies just want to be loved and held and cuddled. They fell asleep on top of each other on my lap while watching a movie. That's what the picture is of. They are so sweet. One of them is an orphan who is four years old. She is so full of joy and smiles and fun. The other is 6 years old and both her parents are still alive but they cannot afford to feed themselves one meal a day, let alone her and her sister. She is so sweet and kind and gentle. And they both have been brought into this wonderful home and now they have a huge family and they have each other. But they don't have much support. If you are interested in supporting either of these girls, please message me! I'd love to send you their names and their birthdays and connect you with the home so that you can help them! 

Post-India Letter

I know many of you were supporting me prayerfully (thank you!!!!!!) or are just interested in how the trip went or what's happening in my future. This is my post-India thank you to supporters for those of you who fall into these categories (or anyone else- no category necessary- that wants to read this for any reason). 

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you SO much for helping to make my trip to India possible. It was an amazing and very educational experience. It was not at all what I expected of course (what trip ever is?), but I’m very grateful for that now. As most of you know I was expecting to go to multiple children’s homes and learn how they’re run for different children in different areas. Our itinerary ended up changing because the Christians in the area of India we were supposed to go to were experiencing pretty bad persecution. We would have had to be very secretive about working with them and could not have done much. We probably would have put them in danger. So our trip changed and instead we went to one home in a village outside of Calcutta for most of our time. We visited another home briefly, but this is the one that grabbed my heart.

Joseph and Deborah have a home there where they are raising 167 children. I wrote about the history and more details of the home a couple posts earlier. A short summary is that Joseph’s dad started taking in kids in 1990 and it’s multiplied since then. They have very minimal support (one church in the States is connected with them and supports them a little bit, but not much) and it’s not an organization, it’s just a home with a mom and dad struggling to provide for their children and leaning fully on God. I wrote about what God taught me more in depth in a previous post. I also wrote about some ways people back home can support Deborah and Joseph.

I am going to be working on raising money for them here. I am also happy to talk to anyone who is interested about going back to India with me. I would like to pull together a team to go back and encourage my friends and help them start the project of building a school. Currently the children wake up, clean up their rooms, eat breakfast, and then return to their rooms for school. It would be nice for their rooms to be their rooms and for them not to have to roll up their mats and empty the rooms every morning. They also are eventually hoping to buy the land right next to theirs so they can have more space to be able to take in more kids. So I will be trying to raise money for both of these projects, as well as finding supporters for the children. If you are interested, I would love to match you up with a child. The older ones would love pen pals, and I’m sure some of the younger ones would enjoy letters too, but it’s not necessary. Also, I will be collecting clothes- dresses for girls ages 4-18 and sweatshirts and shoes for boys and girls of those ages. I hope to send several packages throughout the next few years so that their clothes are not falling apart as they were when I saw them recently. There are so many ways you can help Joseph and Deborah. If you are interested in helping in any of the ways I’ve listed, or any other way you think you can, please let me know! I’d love to make it happen!

I know this is supposed to just be a thank you for supporting me note, but it turned into more support requests for my friends! Sorry about that! I really am grateful for your support! But also this trip reminded me why I’m in school. It reminded me of the children around the world who have no families, no food, no roof over their heads, and no hope for the future. These are the lives I want to be a part of. These are the ones I want to fight for and hope for. And I’ve found some children that need to be fought for and supported. I believe these children can have hope for the future. Which is why I’m studying counseling. Specifically, it is why I am focusing on career development and trauma counseling. The career development factor is so that I can go into children’s homes and help children name and understand their giftings, skills, and passions, and then train for a future that they can be excited about. It is to break the pattern of children who turn 18, leave the home, and end up back on the streets, back in the cycle. I believe that that doesn’t have to happen and I believe that it can be changed by giving these kids hope and by encouraging their passions and giftings. The trauma part is because almost 100% of the children in these homes have rough pasts and some sort of trauma and I want to be prepared to walk through some of that with them. All this to say, there is a reason I went on this trip and the many before it and a reason I’m in seminary studying counseling. I have been reminded of what’s ahead in my life and I wanted to remind you all. You have been faithful and encouraging supporters in my life and I hope you will continue to join with me as I continue the journey. I still have at least another four semesters including this one, but I know that once that is over, I will be going to hard places and being blessed to be part of the lives of kids who need love and affirmation. Please pray with me as I try to discover how exactly this will play out and where God would have me go next. I know it will not necessarily be safe or ordinary places. So please pray that I grow in boldness and courage and faith, and that my mindset grow to be more heavenly and kingdom focused. And thank you so very much for being on this journey with me. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me soon enough. J 

Love,

Coray

They Need A Family!

We visited a second children’s home in Delhi one day near the end of our trip. We decided to take 22 of the kids (all from the one house we were at) to McDonalds. Apparently when asked what they wanted for Christmas, one little girl had said, "McDonalds please." So we got to make that Christmas wish come true! Anyways, I was riding in the car with this darling little boy in my lap (see picture on Facebook since I can't figure out how to do pictures here...) and he fell asleep. He was so sweet and so cuddly and without thinking I asked if I could keep him. The papa of the children’s home said, “Actually, he and his three older sisters are our only adoptable children right now.” I immediately wished I could actually bring him home. But it would be impractical for me to take him in while doing grad school and working many hours a week, let alone him and his three sisters! It wouldn’t be good for them. And they definitely can’t be separated! But they do need a home and a family. And the Indian people (even most of the Christians) do not believe in adoption. These orphanage fathers and mothers there are looked down upon because the people cannot grasp why someone would take care of someone else’s child. So if you feel like your family is missing three daughters and a son (about 10, 8, 6, and 4) I would love to connect you with this beautiful family. They are definitely some of the sweetest kids I’ve ever met, which is incredible considering what they’ve faced. 

These four are refugees from Nepal. Their abusive father died pretty soon after this sweet boy was born and their mom tried to keep them alive, but she died about two years ago. The oldest daughter had been running the home, taking care of her sick mother, and trying to protect and care for the other three. She had to be re-taught to be a child, but she has learned well. They are all sweet, responsible, and needing a stable family to love them forever. They of course have a history that will always be part of them, but they are all so miraculously open to new people and learning and being loved. Please let me know if you feel in your heart that you could adopt these beautiful children. I would love to connect you with the ones in charge of making that happen.

Always Learning, Always Growing

The past couple days God's really been challenging me in my prayers. I asked you all to pray for protection for my friends. And I still believe that is good and necessary. But God has been reminding me that safety isn't what we're called to. He sent His Son not into safety but into persecution and death. That's dangerous to the extreme! God is challenging my earthly perspective and asking me to have a heavenly one. As Mr. Beaver said when asked if Aslan was safe- "Safe?! Of course he's not safe! But he's good!" Our good God has been filling my heart with prayers for boldness. Every time I try to pray for safety, I find myself praying for courage, strength, and boldness. I find myself praying for these people to stand up for Jesus and preach truth. I ask you to join me in prayer for depth of faith, strength from God, and boldness to preach the Word no matter what. The Christians here are not praying for safety. They are praying for their people to know Jesus. Please join them in this prayer.

I know I still haven't written much about what we've done. But I've felt more led to share what God has been speaking to me for now. I want to share one way He spoke to me about this change of perspective. So we were at another children's home this weekend and we were hearing about how hard the government is making their work and their lives. And there was one thing I heard that I will never forget. It resonated with this prayer God is teaching me to pray. The orphanage father said this after telling us about their situation: "They want to put us in prison?! Let them put us in prison! We will bring change from the inside!" Amen!

Great Joy and Deep Sorrow

I don't know where to begin so for now I'll just share a desperate prayer request for my friends here in India. This is not something I realized before coming here, but recently Indian Christians have begun to be persecuted more pointedly. This is actually why our itinerary changed. The missionaries at the children's homes in Pune were not safe. So we came to a small town outside of Calcutta instead. But we soon realized that they were worried too. They were very cautious about taking us out in public because they didn't want to be questioned about who we were or why we were there. So on the one day that we went out, we asked our guide about it on the way home. She told us that a certain political party had become worried about all the Christians. They decided to look into why the number had risen from 2.3% to 8% in the past few years. Everyone was being questioned. And they discovered the pastors who preached the good news to be a huge problem. They also realized that the Christian children's homes were a problem for them. They were worried about all the conversions. So they began to persecute them. They also began to work on a new no conversion law. This law that they are writing pretty much says, "Even if someone comes to you and asks to receive God or be baptized, if you help them to do either, you will be arrested." In addition to this law, many Hindu men are kidnapping Christian women and marrying them so that they can try to force them to become Hindu. My heart is breaking for these people. I know Christians all over the world have experienced persecution and that breaks my heart. And India is not to the horrid place many areas of the world are. There is no murder yet. But now to see my sweet friends experience any persecution, it is horrible. 

The man who runs this home plants churches. One of the pastors he helped plant a church for has been told to stop preaching or they will hurt him. He kept preaching. He went on a trip and they came in and took his wife into the street and shaved her head and beat her badly in front of everyone. They told all the people how dangerous it is to be around her. And they made it illegal for this couple to receive certain things. My friends are in danger. Please pray! 

Now i will share their story. Joseph and Deborah run the children's home. Joseph inherited it from his father. When his father turned 18 he became a Christian and was thrown out of his family and left without a penny. God told him to move to the town we are in now. He moved here and got married. But he had no money and one day he realized he couldn't feed his first child that day. He cried out to God for help to feed his child or she would die. And God said, "you are worried only about feeding your one child, I am going to give you many children to feed." He replied, "God, if you will feed my child, I will feed all of yours that you send me." God fed his family and he started a children's home in his hut in 1990. Joseph took over a few years ago and his father died this year so it's just his and his wife's place now. It's no longer a hut. They currently have 167 sons and daughters. These children are amazing because their parents are amazing. I have never seen so many children who could be broken or damaged or still affected by the demon spirit that their parents prayed to, who are fully healed, filled with the joy of the Lord and His Spirit alone, and full of trust! It's so beautiful. So you see, I am asking you to pray for Christians throughout India and the world, but I am begging you to pray for my friends. Pray for protection for them so that that may continue to protect and raise up their children. Joseph wants to take in another 100 children this year. Pray for that to be possible. Pray for God's will to prevail in India. Pray against the devils stronghold in the worship of idols and the banyan tree. Pray that the percentage of Christians in India would only increase under this persecution, as it seems to always do. 

And if you feel that you want to help not just prayerfully, but in other ways please let me know!! Joseph's family has been praying and struggling to feed their kids for years and years and they only have one small supporter in america. They need so much help and support! So there are a couple things you could do. First, if any of you are interested in coming, I would love to help make it possible! They would love more teams of people, or even just a person. They've only once had a white Christian man come. So they would love any men who could come love their boys and play sports with them or do anything! Their boys need to be poured into! Second, I will be bringing home pictures and stories about a few kids who captured my heart. We are setting up a way to send money to them and have it be tax deductible so that if anyone would like to support these children it can be easy to do. The older ones would love pen pals and families or people who really care about investing in them! Third, you can support new projects. Joseph wants to buy a plot of land across the street so they can expand (they have 67 girls in five bedrooms right now) and build a school. For him the amount is outrageous but for us it is definitely doable. $14,000 for 3 acres of land. Lastly, I will be sending a huge package of clothing. If you'd like to help pay for shipping or if you have any dresses (knee length) that you would like to donate (please nothing that's not still nice!! I cannot tell you how many dresses I've seen safety pinned together at the top because the zipper is broken) for girls ages 4-18, let me know! The boys mostly wear uniforms but sweatshirts or running shoes would be great for them. They are also 4-18. Or if you'd like to contribute any fabric, the older children have their clothes made by a tailor, so I'll be sending that too! If you are interested in helping in any of these ways, please let me know! I'd love to make it possible or tell you more about it! 

I am back in New Delhi now with all the other white tourists. I will not see the truth of what's happening here. And I will be home soon and be even farther from it. Please pray that I do not forget these people or what they are experiencing. Please pray that I would have faith like them! And please pray for them. Thank you all on my behalf and on their behalf for letting me come. They have been greatly encouraged by our presence as only a few Christians have ever come to them because the journey is too hard and they are not in a nice place. I'll tell you more about the actual trip later, but for now this is what matters. 

Filled Up to Pour Out

Well, here it is. It's almost time to leave for India. I am so ready. We've had a slight change of plans in the itinerary recently, so we're going to a few different places. I am most excited to tell you that we will be spending a day or two at Mother Teresa's Home in Calcutta!!! Probably the place I have most wanted to go for the longest time. So that is very exciting for me. I can't wait! This trip is going to be different than I expected, but what's an adventure without a good bit of change? I'll be telling you all about it after (and hopefully a little bit during, when possible), but for now all I can say is that I'm excited to see what God has in store for us. We'll see how much internet I can get, but if you don't hear from me the whole time I'm gone, do not worry! You will hear SO many stories when I'm back!

God has gifted me with a wonderful time of preparation these past few days. I am getting to spend time with some wonderful cousins who have blessed me tremendously and filled me up with so much love. I've received an abundance of hugs and cuddling from the little ones. In fact, I'm currently hanging out with the one year old who has taken quite a bit of work to win over, but she is smiling at me, dancing with me, and giving some special cuddle time with her. I've also enjoyed some good conversation, sitting around the fire, and listening to my cousin play worship songs on the guitar and sing. These are some of the most life-giving things to me. I feel refreshed and encouraged going into this trip. I've also had much more time to sit and read my Bible and pray. In my head this weekend was just a little bit of extra fun time with some family I haven't seen enough recently, but God (of course) knew it would be a necessary time of preparation. I am so grateful! What a blessing this time has been!

Thank you so much for the prayers and the encouragement! I'll certainly continue to need the prayers with the very full days of helping out at many places in many ways! I will talk with you all when I'm home! Peace be with you!