If you would've told me 2 years ago that our family would leave everything behind us in order to live in Kenya for a year, I probably would've laughed. "Yep! It's been a dream of my mom's for years. But I don't know if it will ever happen." For years and years our family has dreamed of moving to a different country to serve the Lord, but that dream became a reality about a year ago.
It was then that Kate and my parents decided to visit two ministries in Kenya that serve the poor and the helpless, trying to restore hope to lost and orphaned children. As soon as they came back it was obvious something had changed in them, it was as if the Lord had given my parents a letter instructing them what to do. Agape Children's Ministry became a focal point of our lives, as opposed to just an organization we had raised money for. Moving to Kenya became our new reality. Passports were obtained, shots were given, supplies were bought, and items were packed. People often knew us as that crazy family with the 8 kids; but now we were that crazy family, with 8 kids, moving to Kenya.
All of us had varying reactions to the news. Kate's was one of extreme joy as her heart is for the poor and oppressed in Africa; the little kids were excited about moving to a new country; and I, well, my heart wasn't "souled" out for Africa when I first heard the news. My heart is for serving the local community, teaching the church, and preaching God's word here. It seems logical to me that if I feel this way, then others must feel similarly. Maybe you are not all about moving to a different country to serve the poor, maybe you are not all about moving to a different state. Maybe your heart isn't for the poor at all, but instead to teach and raise up the next generation of pastors, teachers, and leaders. Whatever the status of our hearts however, God's commands are clear. To serve the poor.
I found one of the clearest passages regarding the church's mandate to serve the poor while reading through Galatians. In this passage Peter and Paul had been called back to "home base", if you will, to get the battle plan.
Galations 2:9-10 says, "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do."
In my mind this is a such a clear reminder that we must serve the poor. Sure we must teach and exhort the existing body of Christ, but we must also reach out for the poor.
In Deuteronomy 15:10-12 God states, "You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"
Obviously God requires us to serve the poor and oppressed everywhere. If serving the poor is not where you feel God has called you to focus your time and talents, you have no excuse. We must simply work harder to remember to serve the poor. While I may not be as excited as Kate, or my mother, this is still God's calling! And it is a calling I am happy to answer!
In Christ,
Nick, The Towheaded Rambler
It was then that Kate and my parents decided to visit two ministries in Kenya that serve the poor and the helpless, trying to restore hope to lost and orphaned children. As soon as they came back it was obvious something had changed in them, it was as if the Lord had given my parents a letter instructing them what to do. Agape Children's Ministry became a focal point of our lives, as opposed to just an organization we had raised money for. Moving to Kenya became our new reality. Passports were obtained, shots were given, supplies were bought, and items were packed. People often knew us as that crazy family with the 8 kids; but now we were that crazy family, with 8 kids, moving to Kenya.
All of us had varying reactions to the news. Kate's was one of extreme joy as her heart is for the poor and oppressed in Africa; the little kids were excited about moving to a new country; and I, well, my heart wasn't "souled" out for Africa when I first heard the news. My heart is for serving the local community, teaching the church, and preaching God's word here. It seems logical to me that if I feel this way, then others must feel similarly. Maybe you are not all about moving to a different country to serve the poor, maybe you are not all about moving to a different state. Maybe your heart isn't for the poor at all, but instead to teach and raise up the next generation of pastors, teachers, and leaders. Whatever the status of our hearts however, God's commands are clear. To serve the poor.
I found one of the clearest passages regarding the church's mandate to serve the poor while reading through Galatians. In this passage Peter and Paul had been called back to "home base", if you will, to get the battle plan.
Galations 2:9-10 says, "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do."
In my mind this is a such a clear reminder that we must serve the poor. Sure we must teach and exhort the existing body of Christ, but we must also reach out for the poor.
In Deuteronomy 15:10-12 God states, "You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"
Obviously God requires us to serve the poor and oppressed everywhere. If serving the poor is not where you feel God has called you to focus your time and talents, you have no excuse. We must simply work harder to remember to serve the poor. While I may not be as excited as Kate, or my mother, this is still God's calling! And it is a calling I am happy to answer!
In Christ,
Nick, The Towheaded Rambler
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