Book Review + The Love Chapter

Happy Monday, friends!

This past Friday, my sweet (adopted) Auntie Kim and I complete our study through the book Preparing To Be A Help Meet by Debi Pearl. My, oh my, was I blessed!

Our last meeting called for matching nails, of course.

This book really emphasizes the importance of becoming the right kind of gal your perfect man is looking for, rather than just hunting for Prince Charming. Love that. The content covers simple ways young women can prepare to be a wife, from learning to be a servant in your home to planning your wedding. It is geared toward girls who are dating or engaged, but I believe it blesses single girls as well as married women as well! Many powerful testimonies of love stories are shared throughout the text, which is so fun. Totally a great study to do with a group of girls all seeking the Lord. Pearl summarizes the book on its final pages by saying this: 

"Walk in truth and job, become a servant, study and learn all manner of different skills, practice honoring those in authority over you, and pray for every man you know who seeks the Lord; pray that these men have the heart to labor for the harvest."

So good. I highly recommend it.

Anyways, Valentine's Day is coming up! Perfect time for the love chapter, right? Well it's pretty typical of like everyone to quote I Corinthians 13 in February or at every single wedding on the planet, but this passage is reeeaalllyyy good. It's not talking about this kind of lovey-dovey fluffy love that is a feeling. No. This is God's love. This is agape. And He calls us to love this way whether there is a heart on the calendar or not.

Our final little journal prompt in Help Meet was to write I Corinthians 13:1-8 in our own words:

"You know, I could speak in tongues but without love, it would simply be loud racket. Sure, I might have the gift of prophecy and possess all wisdom and understanding and have great faith that can move mountains. But what good is all of that without love? I am nothing without it. Even if I sold all of my belongings to give to the poor and sacrificed my life, I gain zilch. Love truly acts with patience and kindness, and has no hint of envy, boating, pride, dishonor, selfishness, quick anger, record of iniquities, and delight in evil. What love really does in rejoice in truth, bare all things, believe, hope, and endure through it all. This kind of love never fails."
{paraphrased}

His love never fails.

With that, Happy (early) Valentine's Day! Have a great week!

Africa On My Mind

For the past several months, the entire continent of Africa has been on my heart after hearing one family's testimony of adopting two children from Ghana; one of them is my student. :) I began praying for sweet babes who live in poverty and suffer from disease and tried to do some research here and there. Recently, I came across a book entitled Kisses from Katie which is currently rocking my world.

The author of this book, Katie Davis, is an average American teenager who tells of her adventure of obeying God's call to pack her bags, move to Uganda, and eventually adopt fourteen (yes, I said fourteen) beautiful little girls. Jesus' love overflows out of her. She finds that living a life dedicated to serving others selflessly is the most rewarding, fulfilling life she could ever live. It's an incredible story.

While this book is making my heart leap for little African babes, it is also truly opening my eyes to the devastation of poor and sick children with no one to take care of them, no one to feed them, and no one to nurse them to health.

In fact, did you know:

16,000 children die daily from causes related to hunger.

3,000 children around the world will die from diseases that is both preventable and treatable - Malaria.

143 million children are orphaned.

8.5 million work as child slaves or prostitutes.

2.3 million children have HIV.

There are about 164.8 million needy children in this world.

Yet, there are 2.1 billion people who claim to be Christians.

If only eight percent of Christians cared for only one child, statistics of needy children would vanish.

I don't know about you, but this infuriates me. All we have to do is take care of one child, ONE CHILD, and we can change the world through His power and might. Obviously, we are not doing are job. Something needs to change.

While talking about this randomly at school, one person suggested that instead of paying for medical care in third world countries, we should be preventing human reproduction in those places all together. Basically, because you cannot provide a "good" life for your child and you are poor, you should not have children. This broke my heart in two.

I completely respect her opinion and understand where she is coming from. If no one had children in the first place, there would not be any suffering kids. I get that. But, that's not the solution. They are God's children. He created them in His image. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves them so incredibly much and holds them close to His heart. All He asks is that we take care of the less fortunate so they may tangibly see His love. Through this, Jesus will be glorified.

We have a responsibility as followers of Christ. We are commanded to take care of the poor. The sick. The orphans. The widows. The brokenhearted. And they need us to help them. They need Jesus to save them.

Lord, give us Your eyes. Help us to see the hurting, the weary, and the brokenhearted all around us, even in our comfortable country. You have called us to serve others and love unconditionally just as You have. Give us opportunities to meet their needs and tangibly show Your love to everyone around us. Send Your angels to heal the sick children across the globe. Hold them close and send Your followers, including me, to help them. They need us. They need YOU.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,
for the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD's favor has come,
and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the LORD has planted for his own glory."
{Isaiah 61:1-3, NLT}

Much love,

All statistics were found in Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis, published in 2009. To learn more about Katie and her ministry in Uganda, Amazima Ministries, go to amazima.org.