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Every year, students in Kenya are encouraged to write to their sponsors twice a year- once for Easter and once for Christmas. This spring, one of our students named Irine wrote a letter to her sponsors named the Gilberts in Seattle, WA.  Three days after I sent the letter to her sponsors, they sent me a letter back for Irine.   Along with these letters, I shared a picture I had of Peter Gilbert who was recently on the cover of USA TODAY as he has been the lead statistician for the US Covid-19 Prevention Network.  Then less than a week later, we received a letter back for the Gilberts along with pictures of Irine showing the newspaper to her head teacher at her school as she was so excited and proud about the connection.   This just goes to show that a short note goes a long way in building connections across the miles.   This reminds me of this beautiful song by Andrew Peterson: "Planting Trees" We chose the spot, we dug the hole We laid the maples in the ground to have and hold As Autumn falls to Winters sleep We pray that somehow in the Spring The roots grow deep And many years from now Long after we are gone These trees will spread their branches out And bless the dawn He took a plane to Africa He gathered up into his arms An orphan son So many years from now Long after we are gone This tree will spread its branches out And bless the dawn So sit down and write that letter Sign up and join the fight Sink in to all that matters Step out into the light Let go of all that's passing Lift up the least of these Lean into something lasting Planting trees She rises up as morning breaks She moves among these rooms alone Before we wake And her heart is so full, it overflows She waters us with love and the children grow So many years from now Long after we are gone These trees will spread their branches out And bless the dawn These trees will spread their branches out And bless someone  If you have not written to your sponsored child in a while, I encourage you to take inspiration from the Gilberts and sit down and write that letter. Thank you so much for your continued investment!
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 CNN reports that "India is on the brink of recording 20 million coronavirus cases as it continues to buckle under its worst outbreak yet. Authorities also reported more than 400,000 daily cases for the first time on Saturday and a record-high number of deaths yesterday." In light of this news, we are raising funds to get vaccines and other needed supplies for families in India. We have a donor willing to match up to $2000 for people who are considering giving a donation for this emergency relief. Please donate here and send an email to [email protected] to confirm designation of your gift.  A Liturgy for a Time of Widespread Suffering
by Douglas McKelvey Christ Our King, Our world is overtaken by unexpected calamity, and by a host of attending fears, worries, and insecurities. We witness suffering, confusion, and hardship multiplied around us, and we find ourselves swept up in these same anxieties and troubles, dismayed by so many uncertainties. Now we turn to you, O God, in this season of our common distress. Be merciful, O Christ, to those who suffer, to those who worry, to those who grieve, to those who are threatened or harmed in any way by this upheaval. Let your holy compassions be active throughout the world even now-- tending the afflicted, comforting the brokenhearted, and bringing hope to many who are hopeless. Use even these hardships to woo our hearts nearer to you, O God. Indeed, O Father, may these days of disquiet become a catalyst for conviction and repentance, for the tendering of our affections, for the stirring of our sympathies, for the refining of our love. We are your people, who are called by you, We need not be troubled or alarmed. Indeed, O Lord, let us love now more fearlessly, remembering that you created us, and appointed us to live in these very places, in the midst of these unsettled times. It is no surprise to you that we are here now, sharing in this turmoil along with the rest of our society, for you have called your children to live as salt and light among the nations, praying and laboring for the flourishing of the communities where we dwell, acting as agents of your forgiveness, salvation, healing, reconciliation, and hope, in the very midst of an often-troubled world. And in these holy vocations you have not left us helpless, O Lord, because you have not left us at all. Your Spirit remains among us. Inhabit now your church, O Spirit of the Risen Christ. Unite and equip your people for the work before them. Father, empower your children to live as your children. In times of distress let us respond, not as those who would instinctively entrench for our own self-preservation, but rather as those who—in imitation of their Lord—would move in humble obedience toward the needs and hurts of their neighborhoods and communities. You were not ashamed to share in our sufferings, Jesus. Let us now be willing to share in yours, serving as your visible witnesses in this broken world. Hear now these words, you children of God, and be greatly encouraged: The Lord’s throne in heaven is yet occupied, his rule is eternal, and his good purposes on earth will be forever accomplished. So we need never be swayed by the brief and passing panics of this age. You are the King of the Ages, O Christ, and history is held in your Father’s hands. We, your people, know the good and glorious end of this story. Our heavenly hope is secure. In this time of widespread suffering then, let us rest afresh in the surpassing peace of that vision, that your whole church on earth might be liberated to love more generously and sacrificially. Now labor in and through us, O Lord, extending and multiplying the many expressions of your mercy. Amen. |
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