Saturday, April 30, 2016

In the News ... "Faith & Philanthropy Roundup"

Courtesy Photo
“Texanthropy” initiative announced, 65th Annual National Day of Prayer event at ClayDesta

Staff Report
Midland Reporter-Telegram

TEXAS - Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott announces “Texanthropy” initiative ... West Texas Food Bank and Midland High School collaborate on CANtribute ... Midland Ministerial Alliance to lead National Day of Prayer, May 5 ... and more ...

 • read the rest of this MRT story

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 30, 2016

NEW CASTLE PRESBYTERY, DELAWARE - God’s Spirit has been at work in new and creative ways in the Presbytery of New Castle. Two of these expressions are a new worshiping community in the city of Wilmington, Delaware, and an effort to reimagine the Presbyterian presence in the fastest-growing town in the state, Middletown. ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, April 29, 2016

From ServLife International ... "Keep Us Spinning"

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.



Keep Us Spinning



The Restoration League is a team of people committed to sustaining ServLife through monthly generosity, bringing consistent spiritual and physical restoration to the most marginalized regions of the world. We’re relying on this awesome squad of ServLife super heroes to make gifts we can count on, not hope for to help plant more churches, care for more children, and fight more poverty than ever before! Join this exciting movement by making a monthly gift and become part of the ongoing fun of building global community. When you join we’ll add you to our list of heroes and send you a welcome gift, as well as regular ways you can share about how you’re keeping us spinning through monthly support. Download the album [below] so you can make the joyful songs of kids and pastors in Nepal and India the soundtrack to your awesome generosity ...

CLICK HERE to access the album, and learn how you can help ServLife



Adam Nevins 
From Adam Nevins
Executive Director
ServLife International Inc.


Join Our Mission

ServLife International propels reconciliation and justice by building global community to plant churches, care for children and fight poverty. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for the spiritual, physical, social, and economic areas of life in northern India and Nepal.  Learn more about our latest news, featured stories, and how to get involved at servlife.org

Support a Pastor

Our church planters spread
the love of Christ in some of the most difficult
environments in the world.
Support Them ... 

Sponsor a Child

For only $30 per month you can help give a child food, education, care and, most importantly, hope.
Sponsor Now ... 

Fight Poverty

The HOPE Fund, our micro-finance program, provides start-up funds for a small business, paving a way out of poverty for families in need.
Learn More ...



ServLife International, Inc.
P.O. Box 20596
Indianapolis, IN 46220
USA


From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "From Exhaustion to Elation"

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

FWM Image
Friday Story: "From Exhaustion to Elation"

Greetings, and Happy Friday!

Our partner in Burundi, Food for the Hungry (FH), sent us Abraham’s story. FH staff members regularly passed by Abraham sitting by the side of the road. That was his office where he fixed old shoes for people ...

read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "International Rescue Committee opens Midland office"

MRT Photo by James Durbin
• Agency responds to refugees already living here

Erin Stone, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which provides resources for international refugees fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, opened a new office in Midland on Monday. Until then, the closest office was in Abilene, which has been supporting refugees in Midland since 2007, according to a press release ...

 • read the rest of this MRT report

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 29, 2016

THE PRESBYTERY OF THE CASCADES, WASHINGTON - H.E.L.P. can spell HOPE ... An incredible 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted, but the Mission Ministry of First Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, Washington, lowers that figure for its community. ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Teichert Family Update ... Launching Disciple-making Movements in Lesotho

The family of Karl and Jenny Teichert are serving the Lord as missionaries with OC Africa, in South Africa. They moved to Johannesburg in November, 1997 with their four children; Ann, Scott, Stephen and John. Karl serves as the Southern Africa Director of the Southern Africa Regional Team. Their vision is to see a healthy, Bible-based church established in every unreached village and community in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and beyond. Their strategy is to partner with key African church leaders to research, train, and mobilize the body of Christ to complete the Great Commission. They are striving to equip local leaders in Southern Africa to reach their nations for Christ and send missionaries into other countries as well.


Discipling Farmworkers

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Dear family and friends,

Lesotho is a small mountainous kingdom located inside the Eastern part of South Africa. It has a population of about 2 million people, and 75 percent of the populati on lives in rural mountain areas. Illiteracy, poverty, and HIV/ AIDS are signifi cant problems. The Christi an church in Lesotho is trying to minister to the people in this needy country.

In February, Karl was invited to facilitate a two-day disciple-making movement workshop in Maputsoe, the second largest city in the country. Over 30 leaders att ended and were very eager to learn. The focus of the training was to develop teams to start Discovery Bible Groups (DBSs). These DBSs engage unchurched people in an obedience-based discovery process. As these groups grow and multi ply, they begin to form new churches. A mentor comes alongside each team to help the groups and churches to grow in a healthy way.

At the end of the workshop, the participants formed groups representing the various geographic areas of the country. Each group developed strategies to launch teams and DBSs in each area over the next 12 month. The groups agreed to meet monthly for prayer, training, follow-up, and to invite other leaders to parti cipate. Please pray for Karl and the local mentors to assist these groups to effectively form new teams and DBSs. Pray that disciple-making movements of the gospel would reach every person in Lesotho, from the cities to the mountains as well.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and partnership in God’s mission!

For God's glory,

Karl and Jenny



OC Africa is an interdenominational ministry committed to developing, equipping, and mobilizing church leaders to multiply healthy, Bible-based churches in every community in Southern Africa and the world. OC is a faith-based mission who depends on the Lord to provide committed, financial supporters and partners. The contributions from these individuals help generate ministry opportunities around the world, impact missionaries and their global work, and provide a means for the International Mobilization Center to function. CLICK HERE to learn how YOU can be a part of mobilizing church leaders around the world by donating to OC.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

WAW Wednesday ... Good News to Share

"The Word at Work is a ministry that mobilizes churches and individuals to answer God's call to minister to those in need," writes Rev. Tim Tam, Director of the Amarillo, Texas-based ministry. "Through our relationships, God reveals needs and opportunities for service. As we come along side the poor, new friendships develop and doors for ministry open. As we serve, God provides the resources to supply for the needs he reveals."


Good News to Share

Hello Friends,

Dallan Bailey

Shelly Usher writes, "Good news! Dallan’s visa was approved today and he was told to pick up the passport with the US visa tomorrow at 3:00 ... thanks for praying.”

Visa approved
Hospital and physicians on board
Host family ready
Money raised for airfare and hospital expense
• Still needed ... funds for new prosthetic replacement jaw ... $17,000

I know from your emails that God has put this on the hearts of many. Now is the time to make those donations.

Angels sighted in Belize!

If you have a moment to be encouraged, CLICK HERE ...

Diana Shaw of Child Development Foundation is with us in the states on a Fundraising tour.

Gomer House, a shelter and ministry for girls who are victims of trafficking and exploitation, is a $400,000 USD project. To date we are almost halfway there. I'm hoping that some of you Reading this letter have a passion for or even a calling to fight in this battle against the sexual exploitation of children.

Property has been purchased and building has already begun. One of our partner churches, Crosswinds Church from Hobbs New Mexico, came to Belize two weeks ago to work on construction. Your church can do the same.

Yesterday morning Diana was on local TV here in Amarillo. Last night she spoke at The Vine Community Church in Clovis New Mexico. Tonight she speaks at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Amarillo where Mollie has organized the event around CDF's slogan "Sell Tacos, Not Children!” Over the weekend we head to California to LaJolla Presbyterian Church.

In addition to other donations we've also had an offer for $50,000 matching grant. Please pray us to the finish line.

Please go to our website for an easy way to donate to Dallan's expenses or Gomer House - or you can mail a check to our address below. Please be sure to note where you wish funds to be directed. Thank you!

Thanks for being the Word at Work!

tt (Tim Tam)
The Word at Work

ps: Our Ministry Associate team gathers school supplies, toys, and stuffed animals through out the year ... we've discovered blankets are an ongoing need as well, so please be saving them, too. Click here to learn more about becoming a TW@W Ministry Associate, or get in touch with Tim Hagen for more information!



EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking from my own first-hand experience - working side-by-side with Tim, Kenny and our brothers and sisters in Belize - won't you give thoughtful, prayerful consideration to supporting the efforts of Tim, the Word At Work staff and their partners? Please please fill out this Commitment Card and return it to their office!

Also, remember that you can follow The Word At Work on their Facebook page!


Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Word from Uganda: "Re-entry reminders"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

Re-entry reminders

"I always appreciate hearing first time visitors comments about things they see/hear/smell that are different from the American norms. Having been away for 6 months, here were some of the things that caught my attention ..."

 • read the rest of Natalie's post ...

 • help raise funds for Natalie's mission ...



Monday, April 25, 2016

From @chinaaid : "Pastors, church members detained in church raid"

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.



CAA Photo
Pastors, church members detained in church raid
Distributed by ChinaAid, April, 2016 ...

CHANGJI HUI, XINJIANG, CHINA – A house church gathering in Changji, a city in China’s far western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was raided on March 9 by authorities, who criminally detained two church members, the latest in a long string of house church raids throughout the region ...

more on this story from China Aid



Sunday, April 24, 2016

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 24, 2016

MINUTE FOR MISSION: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY - Pokr Vedi village is home to 3000 souls, Christians nestled in the valley of Noah’s Mount Ararat between Turkey, Russia and Iran. Residents of the Armenian village still remember ancestors brutally exiled and annihilated by the Ottomans 100 years ago—a horror still unrecognized by Turkey, whose closed border lies just a few miles away. Even the young Republic of Armenia is a miracle of survival. Just 25 years ago these villagers lived off the Soviet state and have struggled to provide for their families ever since ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Annie Dieselberg, NightLight International at 1st Prez- Midland this Sunday

• Learn about NightLight and Freedom Place

Join Faces of Children and the missions ministry at First Presbyterian Church in welcoming Annie Dieselberg, founding CEO of NightLight International and Natalie Shirley, co-founder of NightLight and Freedom Place, as they share their experience working with trafficking victims.

Annie will be preaching in all services on April 24 and they will have a table selling jewelry made by women in the NightLight program.



“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

NightLight is a ministry in urban Bangkok, Thailand, and in Atlanta and Branson in the United States, that reaches out to women and children working in the bar areas of the Nana-Sukhumvit district. Located in a neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness, and to combat the sexual exploitation of women and children, both Thai and foreign.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 23, 2016

LEHIGH PRESBYTERY, PENNSYLVANIA - Change is hard. Loss is harder. That is what we faced as Lehigh Presbytery decided to close our beloved Camp Brainerd for financial reasons. A task group formed to look into the possibility of finding a way to keep the camp alive. As the months rolled by into the summer of 2014, we prayed for God to show us the way. We hoped for a miracle that would allow Brainerd to stay open, but the discernment process led us onto an unexpected path ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, April 22, 2016

From ServLife International ... "Mighty Power"

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.



ServLife Photo
Mighty Power

“When we all get together, it’s a wonderful time. We can see God’s presence with us. We can see that mighty power with us,” Director Albert Das shares. That was the purpose of ServLife’s 2016 Pastors’ Conference- to bring pastors together to build their common community, encourage one another and be in the presence of God ...

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post from ServLife



Adam Nevins 
From Adam Nevins
Executive Director
ServLife International Inc.


Join Our Mission

ServLife International propels reconciliation and justice by building global community to plant churches, care for children and fight poverty. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for the spiritual, physical, social, and economic areas of life in northern India and Nepal.  Learn more about our latest news, featured stories, and how to get involved at servlife.org

Support a Pastor

Our church planters spread
the love of Christ in some of the most difficult
environments in the world.
Support Them ... 

Sponsor a Child

For only $30 per month you can help give a child food, education, care and, most importantly, hope.
Sponsor Now ... 

Fight Poverty

The HOPE Fund, our micro-finance program, provides start-up funds for a small business, paving a way out of poverty for families in need.
Learn More ...



ServLife International, Inc.
P.O. Box 20596
Indianapolis, IN 46220
USA


From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "Not Forgotten"

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

FWM Photos
Friday Story: "Not Forgotten"

Greetings, and Happy Friday!

It can be easy to forget our recipients often face hardships beyond living with disability. A recent report from our partner Mission Eurasia reminds us of some day-to-day realities in Ukraine ...

read the rest of this story ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 22, 2016

OLYMPIA PRESBYTERY, WASHINGTON STATE - First Presbyterian Church (FPC) in Aberdeen, Washington, is a noisy place on Friday evenings. There are newcomers and regulars, elderly and young, the quiet and shy still feeling the place out and most recently lots of babies. More than 20 people gather each week to eat a great meal and to support each other in their sobriety. Friday Night Meals is just one of the many facets of Recovery Grays Harbor, a ministry of FPC for those seeking a community of support in their recovery from addiction ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Teichert Family Update ... Look at life from a "higher vantage point"

The family of Karl and Jenny Teichert are serving the Lord as missionaries with OC Africa, in South Africa. They moved to Johannesburg in November, 1997 with their four children; Ann, Scott, Stephen and John. Karl serves as the Southern Africa Director of the Southern Africa Regional Team. Their vision is to see a healthy, Bible-based church established in every unreached village and community in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and beyond. Their strategy is to partner with key African church leaders to research, train, and mobilize the body of Christ to complete the Great Commission. They are striving to equip local leaders in Southern Africa to reach their nations for Christ and send missionaries into other countries as well.


ServLife Photo
Look at life from a "higher vantage point"

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Dear Family and Friends,

A pastor recently encouraged us to look at life from a “higher vantage point” — stepping back to align your heart, mind, and emotions with God’s will. We can then begin to focus on the things that are on God’s heart.

One area of focus for me this year has been Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). I have been privileged the past two years to be a group facilitator for a group of 15 ladies. I have learned so much, not only from our study of Revelation this year, but also from hearing the hearts of women from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Malawi who are passionate to study the Word and apply it to their lives. It has enriched my life and I am thankful to be serving in this ministry!

I hope you are well and enjoying the new year! The start of 2016 has been packed with many activities for our family:

• John — started the Media Academy GAP year program in Jeffrey’s Bay.
• Stephen — began his computer science studies at the University of Pretoria.
• Ann — applied to graduate schools for industrial psychology.
• Scott — is finishing his degree in electrical and computer engineering.
• Karl — is providing discipleship and coaching training.
• Jenny — BSF and Finetown visits to the HIV/AIDS caregivers.

We love hearing from you and enjoy seeing glimpses of many of you on Facebook. Thank you for supporti ng us in many ways through the years.

With love and appreciation,

Jenny for the Teicherts



OC Africa is an interdenominational ministry committed to developing, equipping, and mobilizing church leaders to multiply healthy, Bible-based churches in every community in Southern Africa and the world. OC is a faith-based mission who depends on the Lord to provide committed, financial supporters and partners. The contributions from these individuals help generate ministry opportunities around the world, impact missionaries and their global work, and provide a means for the International Mobilization Center to function. CLICK HERE to learn how YOU can be a part of mobilizing church leaders around the world by donating to OC.

In the News ... "Midland church partners up with program to help elderly and disabled families' homes"

KWES Photo
• Project has helped the church support the community

By Jolina Okazaki, Multimedia Journalist
KWES-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The First Presbyterian Church partnered up with Christmas in Action to rehabilitate a home for families in need. The project involved over ten to thirty volunteers to work together. Every year, the group begins work on each house on a three-day period ...

 • read/watch the rest of this KWES report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 21, 2016

PROVIDENCE PRESBYTERY, SOUTH CAROLINA - Since 1985 mission teams from Providence Presbytery have traveled to Honduras. The people that we have worked with are among the poorest in one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Dr. William C. Oliver, an optometrist in Rock Hill, South Carolina, realized the great need for cataract surgery and arranged for an ophthalmologist to join him on a trip. The joy on the faces of the individuals who received the gift of restored sight was powerful to those who witnessed their smiles and the hugs that they gave the doctors ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... TODAY

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Invitation to Prayer, TODAY

Hi Friends,

I look forward to our prayer time together this Wednesday at 11:30, in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas, followed by lunch.

Also on Monday, April 25 from 11:30 to 1:00, we are hosting the founders of NightLight International, Annie Dieselberg and Natalie Shirley, for a free luncheon to discuss sex trafficking; including how to recognize potential targets and provide support and services to victims. Please RSVP if you would like to come to this free luncheon by replying to me by Tuesday.

Also, Faces of Children is now on Facebook ! I invite you to like our page so that you can see regular stories, prayer needs, and updates from partner ministries.

Thank you!

Carrie



Dear Intercessors,

After recent earthquakes, please pray for the children of Ecuador and Japan who are injured, homeless, orphaned, or simply scared by the world moving under their feet.

//////////

I wondered how long it would take my daughter to realize she had only one ear.

Less than three years. I admit to being a little surprised. For some reason, I thought I had longer...

Stunningly beautiful with raven black hair, porcelain skin, and perfectly almond-shaped eyes, Alea catches people's eyes wherever she goes. Strangers often comment on how she looks like a doll... it is the single most common comment we get. And truthfully, I agree with them. Her features seem so perfectly crafted she hardly looks real.

But Alea doesn't yet understand how beautiful she is... what she does understand is that everyone else she knows has two ears, and she only has one. And as her mama, her grief about this difference caught me completely off guard.

She pointed at my ears one day, "Mama, one - two ears," she said. "Daddy, one - two ears; Sissy, one - two ears." Then with a sigh, she pointed to her own ear and said, "Alea, one ear. No two ears. I sad." Her shoulders slumped, and as my little Drama Queen is prone to do, she let out one more sigh for effect. And though I'd imagined this moment before, it totally caught me off guard and my eyes burned with tears.

We are doing the best we can to raise her with the knowledge that what makes a person beautiful is what's on the inside... our kindness, gentleness, the way we respect and treat others are the marks of true beauty. We tell her and her sister every single day that they are smart and kind and beautiful inside and out. But the truth of the matter is, she's 3 years old and she's figured out she's the only one in our family who has only one ear. And that makes her sad.

Walking through this with my daughter has me thinking about kids like her. In looking for resources to help Alea grow more comfortable with her difference, I found a doll company that specializes in custom-making dolls with differences. (Side note: some church groups sponsor dolls! That might be a fun service project for a small church group.) As I scrolled through their sample page and thought about how each doll represents a particular child, I began to realize just how many differently-abled little kids there really are around us.

Courtesy Photo
All around the world are kids with one ear, one hand, a missing leg, fingers that didn't form quite properly, or something else that makes them feel like they stand out from everyone else. Some of these differences mean their childhoods don't look like others; they can't run the baseball diamond or play the piano. And for some you may never know what they are missing. Some of them have families who work hard to make them feel accepted and loved and whole, and some of them were discarded, shunned, and despised, left on their own to make sense of a world where not all babies are born with ten fingers and toes. But no matter what they can or can't do; no matter how loved or unloved they feel - the truth is no one likes to stand out, and each child has to come to terms with their difference.

My girls are both so young right now. And at 5 and 3, we aren't yet to the season of life where kids are exceptionally cruel under the monkey bars. But those days are coming. And I'm praying for a generation of moms and dads who raise their kids to be inclusive and kind to kids who are different. And I'm praying for strength to shepherd my own daughters well through seasons of life when they don't fit in. And I'm praying for kids who dread the walk home from school today because they know they will be taunted and tormented by mean bullies. And I'm praying for the kids who've been subjected to such abuse that they are questioning whether their lives are worth living anymore.

I'd like to invite you to join me in praying this week for the kids around the world who can't run and play with their friends. Let's pray for the ones in the wheelchairs and the ones who are missing a hand or an ear or a leg. Let's pray for the kids who feel unloved and unnoticed, and for the ones who feel like they stand out for all the wrong reasons. Let's pray for miracles of kindness to take place in the lives of hurting kids, and for every child to know they are precious and perfect in His sight. And may we be ambassadors of that kindness wherever our lives take us.

Sincerely,

Carrie

Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153



If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to info@facesofchildren.net