Sunday, September 8, 2013

2014

Our time serving in Belize is flying by. We have had many amazing experiences since our arrival, and look forward to many more before our term is complete. When we began this journey early last year we sought a ministry opportunity where we could serve for one year, providing our family a transition phase that would prepare us for whatever the Lord has next.

We have begun seeking clarity on where and how we should serve next year and beyond.

As we begin this process we invite you to join us in prayer as we seek God's direction. We have begun to discuss with one another places where we feel an interest or burden. (We will share some of these with you in a moment.) One thing we have come to appreciate is how much need there is in the world, both in America and abroad. We also feel the Lord has placed a burden on our hearts for people living in areas that are not as resource and opportunity abundant as in America. For us, these burdens, without sounding too cliche, are for orphans and widows and the poor. We do not yet know if our path to serve "the least of these" will include living outside the U.S. long-term, but we are definitely open to that possibility.

What we are certain of is what we do not want to do, which is returning to the lifestyle of the American Dream that we had been living. During the past couple of years God has revealed to us how different the American Dream is from the life Christ calls each of us to live. America, as with any other developed country, has become a place of abundance and excess. The American Dream teaches us that success is dictated by our independence and possessions and "the pursuit of happiness." The New Testament paints a much different picture of what God values. As a couple we desire to live lives that are radically different from the world. We want to be dependent on God; not our jobs, not our government, and certainly not on ourselves.

Another certainty is our desire to adopt again. Though we do not know the when, where, and how, we do know we would love the opportunity to expand our family. We also share a mutual desire to minister to orphans. We recently read a great quote from "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream" by David Platt that best explains our feelings. Platt shares, "We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they are not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes."

I (Mark) will never forget the images I experienced while visiting orphanages in Romania where children in mass and in unison rocked themselves back and forth continually. Science has shown this repetitive action to be caused by psychological trauma caused by a lack of physical touch and intimacy during a child's first years. Hearing about such things is sad, but when you see it, everything changes.

Platt continues, "As I see their faces, I realize that I have a choice. You and I both have a choice. We can stand with the starving or with the overfed." As we seek where we will stand we encourage you to ask yourself that same question. Where will you stand?

Here are some considerations we have had as to where we might stand:

Romania or Moldova (Eastern Europe). I (Mark) have had a draw to this area since living there following high school. Issues facing these countries include poverty, child abandonment (orphans), and high rates of kidnapping and sex-trafficking.

DR Congo (Africa). UNICEF estimates there are 4.5 million orphans in this one country. Caused by years or war and political unrest, along with high incidents of AIDS, children here need help.

Belize. We have visited an orphanage ministry in southern Belize that is doing amazing work and is in need of long-term missionaries.We may also consider continuing ministry in Gales Point.

The Pacific Northwest. Perhaps we are to return home and focus our efforts on adopting again. As of now we are hoping to adopt internationally, as we see a bigger need there. Unfortunately international adoptions tend to be very expensive. We are figuring that this adoption, which will hopefully be a sibling group, will cost up to 40k.

Missouri. We have been realizing how much money we Americans waste. We have considered buying some acreage with plans to live modestly, much different than the norm. We would then be able to share such living techniques with others, so that resources that are freed up could be used on more important things, such as ministry to the poor.

Children's Home. Another option we are strongly considering is starting a children's home. Our desire to help orphans goes beyond adoption, as we are acutely aware that not all orphans in the world can or will be adopted. As a result many will spend their childhood in an institutional orphanage, foster care, or in a children's home. Experience and research shows that large institutional settings hinder a child's development. Thus the second two settings are better suited to offer a smaller family style setting for children to live and grow. We understand this process would be lengthy and arduous, but also hold confidence that the end result would be worth every difficult step.

Given all those options we also realize that we may be called to somewhere, or something, that is not yet on our radar, and to that, we are open.

So please join us in prayer. We will continue to keep you updated as plans progress.