Ten days from today, I will be boarding an airplane back to Uganda. I will be on my way to see the kids that I love so much, to see my precious puppy (ok not really puppy, but still precious), my ill mannered cat, and very dear friends. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
This time home has been rough. Much more difficult than I expected it to be. Things are different now and I don't always get what is going on here. I know I wasn't in Uganda for that long, but it has definitely changed my world view.
I think one of the toughest things that I have had to deal with is wanting to be back in Uganda and not being able to be. I have been impatient and at times running in circles trying to get back. I wanted it to be in my own time, and forgot that it will be in God's time.
A few Sundays back, I was at church and I felt like the pastor was speaking just to me. He said something like, "If things aren't working how you want them to, you should consider that God doesn't want it to happen now. Maybe, there are still lessons that you need to learn in order for you to be successful at what you are supposed to be doing."
Oh....
I wanted to be back in Uganda a long time ago and even now that I am going only for a short time, I just realized there were still lessons to be learned. I have learned so much in these 4 months home, especially the last month. Had I left for Uganda when I wanted, I probably wouldn't have learned these things.
I know that God wants these kids off the street and that He wants me in Uganda. I just needed to wait on Him. I am happy that I am going back, even if it is just for a short time, and I am confident that if He brings me back to the US at the end of the trip, it is because there is something else that I need to learn. I am now waiting patiently for the day when He says I can be back in Uganda for good!
If you haven't checked out the fundraising campaign on Indie GoGo, please do so, give whatever you can (no amount is too small to make a difference), and share it with everyone you know.
Thanks for everyone's continued support!!!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Funny stuff
I wanted to post something funny instead of all of the serious stuff that I am always posting. It is a long post but full of funny stories. So here goes...
Since I have been home, I have been taking public transportation(the bus). Now, if you are from a big city you may not understand how the bus system works in a smaller town. Taking the bus here is not like taking the bus in Chicago. It is usually inconvenient and doesn't always run when you need it to. Instead of every 10 minutes or so, it might be every 30 minutes or an hour. Also, here, to ride the bus announces to the world your life is in some sort of ruin (This is a stereotype that almost everyone here has.). Since it is not convenient only the people that are desperate ride it. That means the drunks, drug addicts, people with DUIs, teens, convicts, you get the idea...and me.
Waiting for the bus I get many looks and riding the bus I experience many things. I keep joking that I am going to write a book with all of my stories, but for now, here are the top 10.
10. There is a certain bus driver that is so grumpy and mean, literally every time I have gotten on his bus, he yells at me for something, usually because he doesn't like where I was standing. One time, I was standing in the exact spot another bus dropped me off at!
9. I was at the transfer station downtown standing in line waiting to get on the bus. There were two people standing right next to me talking very loudly. It was obvious that they had just met and had exchanged numbers. I hear the girl telling the guy she is going to call him. I turned my head and the guy says to me, "What? Do you want my number too? Let me give you my number. You want it? I hear you listening to us. You must want my number too!" Um...NO!
8. I was on the bus and there was a lady sitting across from me. We stopped and picked up another lady and she sat down across from me also. We stop again and another lady gets in and sits next to me. She realizes she knows one of the ladies across from me so she moved next to her. She sat very close to the other one, so that lady then moves next to me. The two ladies across from me are talking about the one's son and girls chasing after him when the friend announces, "I know they say you ain't supposed to hit a woman, but if she that dumb you need to slap some sense into her." Really? WOW!
7. I was heading home from a craft show and had a back pack, another bag and a poster board with me. I get on the bus first and 2 ladies get on right after. One sits across from me and one next to me. I could already tell that the ladies were a little off/slow. The one across from me started asking me why I had so many bags, so I told her. Then she said how she liked my earrings and asked where I got them. I told her Africa. She looks at the other lady and says, "Did you hear that? She is from Africa!" The other lady says to me, "Oh wow! So do they sound like us when they talk? I mean I can understand some of the words you are saying, but not all of it." I was speaking English!
6. I was leaving the Farmer's Market and was standing waiting on the corner for the bus. It isn't unusual for me to see people in their cars, look at me and start saying something to the other people in the car. I can only imagine what they are saying, but I am sure it is creating a story as to how my life has gone drastically wrong. So when I was waiting I saw this happening. I could see the driver but not the passenger, but I could tell they were looking at me. When the light turned green, and the cars started to move, I could finally see the passenger. As the car drove past, I saw it was someone I actually knew and was friends with until we had lost touch. Instead of waving as they drove by, she instead gave me the saddest smile that said, "I'm sorry your life is a mess but I don't really want to acknowledge that I know you or stop and ask if you need help." Sigh....
5. Riding the same bus home all the time, people start to look familiar and then they are convinced they know you. I was standing waiting for the bus and a guy that rides the same bus says he thinks he knows me. I assure him he doesn't. We kind of chat but then another girl screams at him from afar and comes over and starts talking to him. He tells her about his fiance and then asks if she knew they had a baby. She informs him she didn't, so he offers a photo. She then says, "Oh my gosh! Look at her. She's so f@#$*&^ cute! Look at her f%$#@&* red hair! How f^%#@$& cute!" Yeah he was shocked too!
4. I was trying to get to the post office one night before it closed and I should have known as soon as I got on the bus it was going to be bad. Someone had dropped a milkshake right at the door of the bus. The driver was very concerned but did nothing to clean it up. She just warned everyone that it was there. There was also a coin on the floor that was causing further chaos. One person gets on the bus and tries to pick it up and hand it to the driver and she quickly tells him to put it down. A kid is then running to catch the bus, gets on, sees the coin and goes to pick it up. The bus driver tells him to put it down, but he doesn't understand why so doesn't. She then yells at him to put it down and he still doesn't. So she shouts, "I told you to put it down! Drop the coin, now!" He drops it but is then annoyed that she yelled at him so they start screaming at each other. He goes to his seat but they are still sparing back and forth and then he says a cuss word. I don't even remember hearing it but I know he did because then the bus driver says to him, "You have one more chance and then I am calling the police to the bus." Yep, all over a coin. Did I mention the kid was probably 13 or 14? Yeah...
3. This wasn't on the bus but on the South Shore on the way back from Chicago. We are making the stop in Michigan City when this lady starts running through the train car screaming, "Baby, wait! Wait baby! I don't live here no more. I live in South Bend. Baby! Wait!" She then takes off her hat and starts shaking her hair and says, " See baby. I live in South Bend!" What hair has to do with South Bend I am not sure but then she starts walking back to her seat and says, "I just got loud in here." Really, you think? She then sits back down and continues talking loudly so everyone can hear. She asks the man next to her if he wants to do a word search with her and says how she knows the train driver is so tired. When we are about 10 minutes from the airport, she gets up and starts walking to the door and says, "This is South Bend? Is this South Bend?" No one really answers her because she has been talking to herself the whole time and she gets annoyed by this and says, "What? None of y'all going to answer me? Oh ok." and then starts mumbling to herself, sits down, and then gets up and walks to the next train car. Thank goodness!
2. Yesterday, I was standing at the corner waiting for the bus. As always, people are starting and I can see them talking, and I try not to make eye contact with anyone. I am just trying to get home. I notice the car at the light but don't pay much attention to it. A few moments later, there is a guy standing in the parking lot of a business behind me talking to me. It was the car that was just at the light. The guy asks if he can offer me a ride. Now, maybe I have watched too many Criminal Minds, but I am sure this is how people end up dead, so I tell him thank you but no. I inform him the bus is coming and I am fine. He says, "Oh ok! Happy holidays! Have a good day!" Did he really think I would say yes??????
1. My best story comes from today. I was waiting to get on the bus and this guy comes up to me and starts talking. After a few minutes it is obvious that he is either crazy or high on something. He starts telling me how beautiful I am and asks me about my shoes. He tells me I should have a hat on the same color of my shoes and then I would be "head to toe". ????? He keeps talking to me and saying all sorts of things including screaming at his friend that he should look at me. Thankfully, for me not them, 2 other girls walk up and so he starts talking to them. He tells the one girl no wonder she can't keep a man, her eyes are crazy! Then he asks her last name and she tells him, "Uh, none of your business." He asks her why she said uh like she forgot her name, never mind the none of your business. He decides to leave them alone and starts talking to me again. There was a guy that seemed to have very low vision standing next to me. The crazy guy says very loudly even though he thinks he is trying to whisper, "Is that your husband?" When I tell him no, he asks why he is standing so close and I just shrug. He then says, "because he's blind." What he doesn't realize is its because I keep moving over towards the other guy to get away from him! He then announces that he is a bad boy and asks me if I have ever heard of a bad boy and if I want one. When I tell him no, he says, "Oh you only like the nerdy guys!" At this point I was ready to start screaming like the other girls for the bus driver to hurry up! The other guy is announcing the crazy one is high as a kite and the crazy one just keeps going. He then asks me if I go to the dentist a lot? I think I hear him wrong, because that is weird, but I didn't and I say sure. Mind you, he is missing several of his teeth and almost all of the front ones. He then points to this old lady and says, "I bet she was beautiful once. Look at her now." Then he goes back to announcing he is a bad boy and it is his birthday. Thankfully the bus driver came and I ran on.
Hopefully the stories made you laugh. I know they are the only thing that makes riding the bus bearable, because I know I will get to laugh.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!
Blessings!
***If you haven't checked out the Indie GoGo widget on the right yet, please make sure you do so and help in any way you can!
Since I have been home, I have been taking public transportation(the bus). Now, if you are from a big city you may not understand how the bus system works in a smaller town. Taking the bus here is not like taking the bus in Chicago. It is usually inconvenient and doesn't always run when you need it to. Instead of every 10 minutes or so, it might be every 30 minutes or an hour. Also, here, to ride the bus announces to the world your life is in some sort of ruin (This is a stereotype that almost everyone here has.). Since it is not convenient only the people that are desperate ride it. That means the drunks, drug addicts, people with DUIs, teens, convicts, you get the idea...and me.
Waiting for the bus I get many looks and riding the bus I experience many things. I keep joking that I am going to write a book with all of my stories, but for now, here are the top 10.
10. There is a certain bus driver that is so grumpy and mean, literally every time I have gotten on his bus, he yells at me for something, usually because he doesn't like where I was standing. One time, I was standing in the exact spot another bus dropped me off at!
9. I was at the transfer station downtown standing in line waiting to get on the bus. There were two people standing right next to me talking very loudly. It was obvious that they had just met and had exchanged numbers. I hear the girl telling the guy she is going to call him. I turned my head and the guy says to me, "What? Do you want my number too? Let me give you my number. You want it? I hear you listening to us. You must want my number too!" Um...NO!
8. I was on the bus and there was a lady sitting across from me. We stopped and picked up another lady and she sat down across from me also. We stop again and another lady gets in and sits next to me. She realizes she knows one of the ladies across from me so she moved next to her. She sat very close to the other one, so that lady then moves next to me. The two ladies across from me are talking about the one's son and girls chasing after him when the friend announces, "I know they say you ain't supposed to hit a woman, but if she that dumb you need to slap some sense into her." Really? WOW!
7. I was heading home from a craft show and had a back pack, another bag and a poster board with me. I get on the bus first and 2 ladies get on right after. One sits across from me and one next to me. I could already tell that the ladies were a little off/slow. The one across from me started asking me why I had so many bags, so I told her. Then she said how she liked my earrings and asked where I got them. I told her Africa. She looks at the other lady and says, "Did you hear that? She is from Africa!" The other lady says to me, "Oh wow! So do they sound like us when they talk? I mean I can understand some of the words you are saying, but not all of it." I was speaking English!
6. I was leaving the Farmer's Market and was standing waiting on the corner for the bus. It isn't unusual for me to see people in their cars, look at me and start saying something to the other people in the car. I can only imagine what they are saying, but I am sure it is creating a story as to how my life has gone drastically wrong. So when I was waiting I saw this happening. I could see the driver but not the passenger, but I could tell they were looking at me. When the light turned green, and the cars started to move, I could finally see the passenger. As the car drove past, I saw it was someone I actually knew and was friends with until we had lost touch. Instead of waving as they drove by, she instead gave me the saddest smile that said, "I'm sorry your life is a mess but I don't really want to acknowledge that I know you or stop and ask if you need help." Sigh....
5. Riding the same bus home all the time, people start to look familiar and then they are convinced they know you. I was standing waiting for the bus and a guy that rides the same bus says he thinks he knows me. I assure him he doesn't. We kind of chat but then another girl screams at him from afar and comes over and starts talking to him. He tells her about his fiance and then asks if she knew they had a baby. She informs him she didn't, so he offers a photo. She then says, "Oh my gosh! Look at her. She's so f@#$*&^ cute! Look at her f%$#@&* red hair! How f^%#@$& cute!" Yeah he was shocked too!
4. I was trying to get to the post office one night before it closed and I should have known as soon as I got on the bus it was going to be bad. Someone had dropped a milkshake right at the door of the bus. The driver was very concerned but did nothing to clean it up. She just warned everyone that it was there. There was also a coin on the floor that was causing further chaos. One person gets on the bus and tries to pick it up and hand it to the driver and she quickly tells him to put it down. A kid is then running to catch the bus, gets on, sees the coin and goes to pick it up. The bus driver tells him to put it down, but he doesn't understand why so doesn't. She then yells at him to put it down and he still doesn't. So she shouts, "I told you to put it down! Drop the coin, now!" He drops it but is then annoyed that she yelled at him so they start screaming at each other. He goes to his seat but they are still sparing back and forth and then he says a cuss word. I don't even remember hearing it but I know he did because then the bus driver says to him, "You have one more chance and then I am calling the police to the bus." Yep, all over a coin. Did I mention the kid was probably 13 or 14? Yeah...
3. This wasn't on the bus but on the South Shore on the way back from Chicago. We are making the stop in Michigan City when this lady starts running through the train car screaming, "Baby, wait! Wait baby! I don't live here no more. I live in South Bend. Baby! Wait!" She then takes off her hat and starts shaking her hair and says, " See baby. I live in South Bend!" What hair has to do with South Bend I am not sure but then she starts walking back to her seat and says, "I just got loud in here." Really, you think? She then sits back down and continues talking loudly so everyone can hear. She asks the man next to her if he wants to do a word search with her and says how she knows the train driver is so tired. When we are about 10 minutes from the airport, she gets up and starts walking to the door and says, "This is South Bend? Is this South Bend?" No one really answers her because she has been talking to herself the whole time and she gets annoyed by this and says, "What? None of y'all going to answer me? Oh ok." and then starts mumbling to herself, sits down, and then gets up and walks to the next train car. Thank goodness!
2. Yesterday, I was standing at the corner waiting for the bus. As always, people are starting and I can see them talking, and I try not to make eye contact with anyone. I am just trying to get home. I notice the car at the light but don't pay much attention to it. A few moments later, there is a guy standing in the parking lot of a business behind me talking to me. It was the car that was just at the light. The guy asks if he can offer me a ride. Now, maybe I have watched too many Criminal Minds, but I am sure this is how people end up dead, so I tell him thank you but no. I inform him the bus is coming and I am fine. He says, "Oh ok! Happy holidays! Have a good day!" Did he really think I would say yes??????
1. My best story comes from today. I was waiting to get on the bus and this guy comes up to me and starts talking. After a few minutes it is obvious that he is either crazy or high on something. He starts telling me how beautiful I am and asks me about my shoes. He tells me I should have a hat on the same color of my shoes and then I would be "head to toe". ????? He keeps talking to me and saying all sorts of things including screaming at his friend that he should look at me. Thankfully, for me not them, 2 other girls walk up and so he starts talking to them. He tells the one girl no wonder she can't keep a man, her eyes are crazy! Then he asks her last name and she tells him, "Uh, none of your business." He asks her why she said uh like she forgot her name, never mind the none of your business. He decides to leave them alone and starts talking to me again. There was a guy that seemed to have very low vision standing next to me. The crazy guy says very loudly even though he thinks he is trying to whisper, "Is that your husband?" When I tell him no, he asks why he is standing so close and I just shrug. He then says, "because he's blind." What he doesn't realize is its because I keep moving over towards the other guy to get away from him! He then announces that he is a bad boy and asks me if I have ever heard of a bad boy and if I want one. When I tell him no, he says, "Oh you only like the nerdy guys!" At this point I was ready to start screaming like the other girls for the bus driver to hurry up! The other guy is announcing the crazy one is high as a kite and the crazy one just keeps going. He then asks me if I go to the dentist a lot? I think I hear him wrong, because that is weird, but I didn't and I say sure. Mind you, he is missing several of his teeth and almost all of the front ones. He then points to this old lady and says, "I bet she was beautiful once. Look at her now." Then he goes back to announcing he is a bad boy and it is his birthday. Thankfully the bus driver came and I ran on.
Hopefully the stories made you laugh. I know they are the only thing that makes riding the bus bearable, because I know I will get to laugh.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!
Blessings!
***If you haven't checked out the Indie GoGo widget on the right yet, please make sure you do so and help in any way you can!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Indie GoGo
You have probably noticed the new icon on the right. What is it? It is a campaign that I have created for Indie GoGo.
Indie GoGo is an online forum that anyone can use to fundraise. I chose to create a campaign on there because it will reach a broader audience and the more people that know about the boys, the better. It is really important to share the campaign with everyone you know, every way you can. The more people that view the campaign and share it, increases the chances of my campaign being on Indie GoGo's front page. This would mean everyone that visits the site would see it first.
I hope that you will take the time to visit the campaign and give what you can. As of right now, I have a fifth of what I need to go back and get the boys off the streets. I leave January 13th. I am going back to move 8 boys off of the streets and into a home, get them in school, and provide everything they need. This campaign will hopefully help me to reach the goal and cover all of the start up costs and the first 3 months' expenses of the house. Please do what you can and make sure you spread the word!
Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!
Indie GoGo is an online forum that anyone can use to fundraise. I chose to create a campaign on there because it will reach a broader audience and the more people that know about the boys, the better. It is really important to share the campaign with everyone you know, every way you can. The more people that view the campaign and share it, increases the chances of my campaign being on Indie GoGo's front page. This would mean everyone that visits the site would see it first.
I hope that you will take the time to visit the campaign and give what you can. As of right now, I have a fifth of what I need to go back and get the boys off the streets. I leave January 13th. I am going back to move 8 boys off of the streets and into a home, get them in school, and provide everything they need. This campaign will hopefully help me to reach the goal and cover all of the start up costs and the first 3 months' expenses of the house. Please do what you can and make sure you spread the word!
Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
All of my hope is in You
Yesterday, I was reminded that God doesn't need me to do His work in Uganda but has given me the amazing privilege of sharing in it. I would like to think it is my love for the boys that is making them change, but in reality it isn't. Only God can change these boys' hearts and He is doing it whether I am there or not.
I have talked about John on here before. He is an amazing kid and part of what helped me realize Uganda was where God wanted me. I can't imagine loving anyone more (Of course I love all of the boys the same, but he has a very special place in my heart.) and would do just about anything for him.
John and I are very similar in personality and I think that is part of the reason that we connected so well. He is very quiet and shy, until he knows that he can trust you, and then he never stops talking. He holds a lot of things in and is very guarded, but has an amazingly soft heart. It took work getting to know him and there were many days I was convinced he didn't care about me one bit. Of course, now I know that isn't true.
Very soon after I told him I was going to take him back to school, we were talking and I was asking him about his family. It is almost a useless topic with street kids because most of the time they won't give you the truth as to what really happened to them. However, I feel like if it is possible to keep the family ties, then the boys should. So I was asking him if he would like to go home for a visit or to stay. What he said shocked me and broke my heart all at the same time. He told me, "Why would I ever go back there? They don't love me."
While that could very well be the truth, there is a chance it isn't. He could have just been hurting so much at the time from all of the trauma and abuse that he couldn't see the situation clearly. There is a chance his family is missing him and praying he will come back, but there is also a chance they don't care and are happy without him. Since that day, I have never asked him about his family again. He has shared a bit at his own will but nothing in depth.
Yesterday, I was talking to him on the phone, first he told me that he forgave someone he was very upset with. He was upset because she never came and visited him at school and he was expecting her too. He felt hurt and abandoned and said he would not forgive her and never wanted to see her again. She finally did visit and he forgave her. I was very proud of that accomplishment alone. It showed great growth and maturity on his part but most importantly it showed how God was working in his heart, that the healing had begun. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he asked me if he could go visit his parents because he missed them. What???? I couldn't believe it...
There are a lot of ups and downs with these kids. Sometimes the downs seem so overwhelming, that I wonder, "Is it ever going to get better? What is the point?"
But John is the point. God calling us to take care of orphans and widows in their distress is the point. A while ago when I was trying to decide if it was God calling me to Uganda long term, a friend told me that it is our choice to accept God's calling in our lives. God doesn't need us to do His work, so we can choose to accept the calling or not, but if we don't we will miss out on the blessings from doing His work.
For me, this means I would have missed out on moments like this with John. I would have missed out on miracles because it is a miracle what is happening to John's heart and many other boys like him. I would have missed out on being loved by some amazing kids.
I am very nervous about John going home and part of me wants to tell him no just to shield him from more possible heartache but that wouldn't be fair. So I hope you will be praying with me for God's hand to be over this reunion, that his family is missing him and will welcome him with open arms, and that God would continue to work in John's heart and would prepare him for whatever he finds.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
God moments
Some times there are moments where the only explanation is they were God given. Today I was lucky enough to have 2...
I went to a craft bazaar at a church today that I had never been to. I saw the sign advertising "vendors wanted" so I decided to call for information a few weeks back. Today was the day of the show and I was all prepared to sell the jewelry. All day I had in my mind a set number that i wanted to sell, so I prayed throughout the day that God would just keep bringing people to my table. With only about 45 minutes left, I was $50 dollars from my goal, and most of the customers had gone. I prayed again and waited. When it seemed that I was not going to sell anything else I thought, "God, what happened? I thought we were selling $500 today." A lady that had a booth and came by earlier to chat walked by and said bye shortly after and started heading out the door, when she STOPPED, TURNED AROUND, CAME BACK, and handed me $40 and told me it was for the kids and I should be encouraged. I definitely was...
Last week, I contacted a church here that has a heart for Africa and the mission pastor told me I should check out a service and then give him a call and we could chat. I decided that I would check it out tonight. It was very different than any service I have ever been to, but I took away something very important. The pastor made the point that Jesus never performed a miracle for someone that wasn't willing to ask for it. He talked about the man with the deformed hand in the temple. Jesus asked him to stand up, which would have shown everyone that his hand was not right. He had a choice to make, either stand up and show everyone what was wrong with him and admit he needed help or stay seated. Because he stood up, he was healed. He admitted he needed a miracle and Jesus performed one.
Made me think, maybe the reason that I don't have all of the sponsors and support I need is because it will take a miracle to get them and I haven't admitted that I need a miracle before. So here I am, admitting that I need a miracle...
God, I need a miracle. You have known it all along, but I finally just realized that I needed to ask. I am ready to ask for it. I am standing up and admitting that I cannot do it without You, You are the only one that can provide for these boys. I pray that just as you healed that man's hand when he stood up, You would hear my cries and see me standing and would work a miracle for these boys, that I love so much, and provide all of the support that is needed, so they never have to spend another night on the streets. I ask this in Your name, Amen
Friday, November 11, 2011
LOT 2545
Matthew 25:45
"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"
I am happy to share that yesterday, the paperwork was filed to incorporate LOT 2545 in Indiana and it was approved!
LOT 2545 is going to be the non profit I use for my work in Uganda. I got the name from the verse in Matthew. Street kids are definitely the "least of these".
I am really excited for this new step and can't wait until the last piece of paperwork is filed. I know God has big plans for LOT 2545 in Uganda and can't wait to see what He does.
Thanks for the continued prayers and support!
"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"
I am happy to share that yesterday, the paperwork was filed to incorporate LOT 2545 in Indiana and it was approved!
LOT 2545 is going to be the non profit I use for my work in Uganda. I got the name from the verse in Matthew. Street kids are definitely the "least of these".
I am really excited for this new step and can't wait until the last piece of paperwork is filed. I know God has big plans for LOT 2545 in Uganda and can't wait to see what He does.
Thanks for the continued prayers and support!
Friday, November 4, 2011
What's the season?
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about how fundraising was going. Thankfully, he is wise beyond his years and gave me the best advice. He recited the following verses to me:
Ecclesiastes 3 (easy to read version)
2 There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to pull up plants.
He then told me that everyone knows that it is impossible to harvest at the same time as you are planting. You must plant first and then come back later to harvest. He reminded me that this is my planting time. I need to be patient and wait for the harvest.
Seems like simple advice...it was. But it never occurred to me, I was trying to harvest before I even planted anything.
I was interested to see what the rest of the passage said, so I looked it up. How appropriate is the rest...
3 There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy
and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad
and a time to dance with joy.
5 There is a time to throw weapons down
and a time to pick them up. [a]
There is a time to hug someone
and a time to stop holding so tightly.
6 There is a time to look for something
and a time to consider it lost.
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear cloth
and a time to sew it.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.
14 I learned that anything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God did this so that people would respect him. 15 What happened in the past has happened, and what will happen in the future will happen. But God wants to help those who have been treated badly. [c]
16 I also saw these things in this life [d]: I saw that the courts should be filled with goodness and fairness, but there is evil there now. 17 So I said to myself, “God has planned a time for everything, and he has planned a time to judge everything people do. He will judge good people and bad people.”
My favorite part???? God wants to help those who have been treated badly and He does everything at just the right time.
I know the harvest is coming. I know it is His plan for these boys to be off the streets. I just need to be patient and wait upon the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 3 (easy to read version)
A Time for Everything
1 There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.2 There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to pull up plants.
He then told me that everyone knows that it is impossible to harvest at the same time as you are planting. You must plant first and then come back later to harvest. He reminded me that this is my planting time. I need to be patient and wait for the harvest.
Seems like simple advice...it was. But it never occurred to me, I was trying to harvest before I even planted anything.
I was interested to see what the rest of the passage said, so I looked it up. How appropriate is the rest...
3 There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy
and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad
and a time to dance with joy.
5 There is a time to throw weapons down
and a time to pick them up. [a]
There is a time to hug someone
and a time to stop holding so tightly.
6 There is a time to look for something
and a time to consider it lost.
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear cloth
and a time to sew it.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.
God Controls His World
9 Do people really gain anything from their hard work? 10 I saw all the hard work God gave us to do. 11 God gave us the ability to think about his world, [b] but we can never completely understand everything he does. And yet, he does everything at just the right time. 12 I learned that the best thing for people to do is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants everyone to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. These are gifts from God.14 I learned that anything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God did this so that people would respect him. 15 What happened in the past has happened, and what will happen in the future will happen. But God wants to help those who have been treated badly. [c]
16 I also saw these things in this life [d]: I saw that the courts should be filled with goodness and fairness, but there is evil there now. 17 So I said to myself, “God has planned a time for everything, and he has planned a time to judge everything people do. He will judge good people and bad people.”
My favorite part???? God wants to help those who have been treated badly and He does everything at just the right time.
I know the harvest is coming. I know it is His plan for these boys to be off the streets. I just need to be patient and wait upon the Lord.
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