Last night Hope and I went to a gathering of people who have a passion for missions work in Ethiopia. She wants to go back. Having just returned from Ethiopia, Renee has assured me that if Hope WANTS to go back, I should rest assured it is absolutely a calling from God.
Life is not easy in Ethiopia.
But God.
I love those two words strung together.
Two Ethiopian men named Berhanu and Ephrim shared their life stories last night and I couldn't stop the tears that forced their way down my cheeks. Berhanu was saved through a vision where Jesus spoke three simple things into his heart:
"You are a sinner. You are mine. I want to use you to tell the nations about me."
Can you imagine? He wasn't in church. He wasn't surrounded by praise and worship to set just the right tone. There wasn't a pastor giving just the right sermon. He was in a desperate land surrounded by Muslims where Christians are persecuted in horrific ways. And Jesus came to him and said, "You, Berhanu, are mine."
Amazing.
I will forever remember this story when skeptics say, "How can Jesus require that all believe in Him to have eternal life when some live in remote places where the name of Jesus will never be spoken?" God is so perfectly capable of making sure every person hears, knows, and is told, "You are mine."
Ephrim came to know Jesus while wrongly imprisoned. Prisons in third world countries are the lowliest of places with the most desperate conditions. He couldn't even describe the conditions to us. But in the midst of living a nightmare, a group of Christians in the prison had incredible joy shining from their faces. Ephrim saw, inquired, and eventually believed.
After he got out of prison, he happened into an AIDS orphanage one day. In the corner of the room something caught his attention. It was a 2 year old boy, laying in a small make shift bed, dying. He was encircled by a group of boys ages 4-6 who were holding hands singing their brother into heaven.
In that instant Ephrim knew he was ruined for good. He vowed the rest of his days on this earth would be spent, telling the kids of his destitute country about Jesus. He vowed he would give his life for these kids.
And to think I complained about having to get in my car and drive across town to a meeting about Ethiopia.
Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me. Give us bigger eyes and bigger hearts by which to see your world.
I so want to be like my daughter when I grow up.
_________________________________________
I know sometimes the orphan problem of the world seems so big. We think we could never help, but we can all do something. We could sponsor a Compassion International child (see info on the right of your screen) or we could get involved with a local organization. I will be speaking in Pontiac IL on November 15. Click here for more information.
Life is not easy in Ethiopia.
But God.
I love those two words strung together.
Two Ethiopian men named Berhanu and Ephrim shared their life stories last night and I couldn't stop the tears that forced their way down my cheeks. Berhanu was saved through a vision where Jesus spoke three simple things into his heart:
"You are a sinner. You are mine. I want to use you to tell the nations about me."
Can you imagine? He wasn't in church. He wasn't surrounded by praise and worship to set just the right tone. There wasn't a pastor giving just the right sermon. He was in a desperate land surrounded by Muslims where Christians are persecuted in horrific ways. And Jesus came to him and said, "You, Berhanu, are mine."
Amazing.
I will forever remember this story when skeptics say, "How can Jesus require that all believe in Him to have eternal life when some live in remote places where the name of Jesus will never be spoken?" God is so perfectly capable of making sure every person hears, knows, and is told, "You are mine."
Ephrim came to know Jesus while wrongly imprisoned. Prisons in third world countries are the lowliest of places with the most desperate conditions. He couldn't even describe the conditions to us. But in the midst of living a nightmare, a group of Christians in the prison had incredible joy shining from their faces. Ephrim saw, inquired, and eventually believed.
After he got out of prison, he happened into an AIDS orphanage one day. In the corner of the room something caught his attention. It was a 2 year old boy, laying in a small make shift bed, dying. He was encircled by a group of boys ages 4-6 who were holding hands singing their brother into heaven.
In that instant Ephrim knew he was ruined for good. He vowed the rest of his days on this earth would be spent, telling the kids of his destitute country about Jesus. He vowed he would give his life for these kids.
And to think I complained about having to get in my car and drive across town to a meeting about Ethiopia.
Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me. Give us bigger eyes and bigger hearts by which to see your world.
I so want to be like my daughter when I grow up.
_________________________________________
I know sometimes the orphan problem of the world seems so big. We think we could never help, but we can all do something. We could sponsor a Compassion International child (see info on the right of your screen) or we could get involved with a local organization. I will be speaking in Pontiac IL on November 15. Click here for more information.
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