when the saints

when i first heard this song, i thought of all the people involved in Three Angels. the ones who sacrifice their time and money. the ones who give all they have for the needs of these children and the people of Haiti. the ones who saw a need and didn't just wait for someone else to worry about it. the ones that have given an orphan a forever family. the ones who hear the call of Christ and simply obey. Thank you.


this video only shows a small portion of the saints involved with Three Angels, but thanks to everyone else that i either didn't have a picture of, ran out of song, or i simply don't even about the ways you serve TA's! and also, thanks to everyone that i stole pictures off your blogs! :)


"When the Saints was inspired by the work of International Justice Mission. Their work made me think about the people I have admired in history and made their kind of action seem more accessible. I have always admired Harriet Tubman, for instance. Her dedication to not just free herself, but to return over and over again to the place of her abuse and captivity to free over 300 others, and her dedication to physically carry her parents to Canada is beyond admirable. I have wondered if the Underground Railroad were around today, what role I would have played in it. Would I have risked friendships, finance, safety? When I learned that slavery is far from over, that there are more slaves today than in 400 years of transatlantic slave trading, that millions of those 27 million slaves are women and children, and that there is a very modern equivalent to the Underground Railroad at work today, I had to get involved. When the Saints is a celebration of people who were placed by God for certain times and events, and a prayer that I will have the strength to show up for my time. " -Sara

a tribute to the Newtons...

John Newton- slave ship captain, writer of the hymn "Amazing Grace", and mentor to William Wilberforce who helped end the slave trade in Great Britian.





and my cat, Newton. named after John of course, not Sir Isaac or fig newtons. he might not be quite as inspiring as john newton, but he's cute.

same song...

"I do not go to the Lord's table to give, but to receive; not to tell Christ how good I am, but to think how good He is. I have a great many sins and wants to tell Him of, more than would take up a lifetime; and when I have told Him all that I know of myself, it is not the half, but a very little of what He knows of me."
Rev. Thomas Adam

"It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ!...It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, should forget that gracious Savior; but if startling to the ear, it is all too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime...He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor there...Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it suffers the rose of Sharon to wither." (not quote sure who this is from...one of the Puritans. and there's all the "...." because i left parts out, simply to shorten it)

The same song was sung in scripture....

"Behold, God is great, and we know Him not." Job 36:26

"My people are bent on turning away from Me." Hosea 11:7

and i too have the same song....

i say that i live for the glory of God...but do I?? no. i live for myself. i go to work to make money, to pay bills and so i can buy things that i desire. i don't go to work to glorify God. i don't love God as i ought. He is infinately holy and righteous, and yet I, a mere creation, decide that other things are more worth my time than the One who has created me. i love the illustration of God being the potter, and we the clay. it's easy to lose persective of being a creation. that which is created is NOTHING without it's creator. not only can a creation not exist without a creator, the moment the creator takes his hand away, the creation ceases to exist. my every breath depends on God. i could not draw another breath if God choose to withdraw His hand. my being is because of the grace of God. and yet, i forget Christ. and yet, i am more mindful of other created things than the One who created all. Father, forgive me.

time for some pictures!

with a smile like that, Hermann, you should use it more often! Neko looks a little scared...















Shanley and i having a good ol' time.





















oh, steeve...






















yes, Caleb, you're adorable
















give us bubbles!!



















Reece, you look good on the bike,
you just need to work on riding it

















nice necklace, Noah














Steven was pretending to be WaWa and chasing the other kids around














yeah...love this kid!

prayer

a while back i read a book called "The Necessity of Prayer" by E.M. Bounds. during my time in Haiti, I've been thinking back on this book and have had to ask myself the question, do i desire the things i pray for? when i pray for the kids at Three Angels, when i pray for the staff, do i really pray with desire? sure, i want what i pray for...but here's the difference: "Desire is not merely a simple wish, it is a deep seated craving, an intense ongoing for attainment." (all quotes are from Bounds)

There is no urgency or persistance to my prayers. Most of the time, i simply pray for something and then move on. "The urgency of our desire holds us to the thing we desire with a tenacity that refuses to be lessened or loosened. It stays and pleads and persists, and refuses to let go until the blessing has been granted." "pray with an earnestness that cannot be denied" "[persistant praying] never prepares itself to quit praying, and refuses to rise from its knees until an answer is received"

do i pray with fervency? Do i ache and groan inwardly with longing for my prayers to be granted? or am i simply praying because i told someone i would pray for them? "God stands pledged to give us the desire of our hearts in proportion to the fervency of spirit we exhibit when seeking His face in prayer." "The atmosphere about us is too heavily charged with resisting forces for limp and lazy prayers to make headway."

Persistance. I am not persistent in my prayers. Which goes back to my lack of desire. i want, but i do not desire. i ask, but i am not persistant. "Persistent prayer is a mighty movement of the soul toward God. It is a stirring of the deepest forces of the soul toward the throne of heavenly grace. It is the ability to hold on, press on, and wait. Restless desire, restful patience, and strength to hold on are all contained in it. It is not an incident or a performance, but a passion of soul. It is not a half-needed want, but a sheer necessity." "When the conflict gets stronger, a brave soldier displays a greater courage then in the earlier stages of the battle. So do praying Christians. When delay and denial face them, they increase their earnest asking and do not stop until the answer comes."