The Only Gift that Matters

Adam visa to India has been denied. As I pray I ask God to open or close the doors ..that is the way He directs our path.. our journey.. our reaction is to praise HIM.God has chosen to close that door for Adam. (for now anyway) We look for the next open door.

It's Christmas ...On Christmas day .. My good friend and I will have the honor of making dinner for his family; of whom two sisters were just diagnosed with cancer. I look forward to the act of just showing love toward them as our Lord and Savior has done for us..

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!

Adam's latest call...

Adam called this A.M. while he was packing . The Team which now consists of 6 ( the rest have headed off to different countries already ) are headed to the most northern part of Bangladesh early tomorrow morning for an outreach the rest of the month. They were told to pack the warmest clothes they have. Adam said they will be staying at an Leprosy Hospital at 1st .

Then not to sure after that. Adam is now the designated cook for the group, I asked him what is he going to make ? he said " I will have to wait until we get up there to see what is available" & told them to " prepare for a voluntarily fast at any given time ". He said his mind , body & soul are doing well and asked us to pray for safety, that God would prepare hearts , finances for team members along with visa's for India that still are needed. They head for India January 6th.

Stories from Adam

He called Thanksgiving twice and shared the following;

As him and friend George were out walking through the streets of Dhaka going across a pedestrian bridge sat many people begging, "they reach out and grab your legs as you walk by" at one point Adam said he got impatient about the whole thing.George gave someone a few Taka's then another, then another, Adam said once you start they all come to you. Many are professional beggar's and it's hard to find the ones that really need help. He asked that we pray for him ..for discearnment and patience.

As they walked they came to one of the most beautiful places that he has ever seen , he said all of a sudden he felt the "darkness" as the place held all of the snake charmers, the Shaman's and the prostitutes. He looked into their eyes and it was demonic, but he said he could look into their hearts as well and they wanted to be free. They needed to hear of Jesus ,not many have heard of him Adam said.

During the month of December he will be sharing the gospel throughout Bangladesh, January he leave on a train to Bihar, India for a month .

He praises the Lord as he was able to receive the packages that were sent,one from his Grandma who had sent it through the normal Postal service..6 weeks later it arrived ,a package from Grace Assembly (our church ) also arrived. The two packages only cost him about 6,000 Taka which is about $87.00. He was so excited as were the rest of the students as they share the many snacks. The medical items that were sent will help as once again Adam becomes the "Hammer Dr".

I asked him if he "was ready to come home"? I got a "NOPE" and he giggled.

Kim and I continue to miss him more than words can describe, at times it's more than we can bare. But we also know that he is in the Lord's hands & not ours anymore.We prayed for the God's will and this is where HE has taken Adam. God is faithful

Extreme Global Poverty ?

The numbers are staggering but are absolutely real. Behind each number is a human being: a mother, father, sister or brother. While ODW is not a religious organization, we are compelled by our faith and conviction that human life is sacred and precious. 3 billion people live on less than US$2/day. 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25/day - the definition of those who live under the condition of "extreme global poverty."

Consider the following:

* Approximately 9.2 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable diseases. That's approximately 25,000 children each day.
* 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to adequate sanitation and about 885 million people do not have access to clean water.
* Every day, 4100 children die each day from severe diarrhea - as a result of poor sanitation and hygiene.
* Approximately 600 million children live in extreme poverty.
* Nearly 11,500 people die every day from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Nearly two-thirds of these people are living in sub-Saharan Africa.
* 75 million children are out of school around the world, a figure equivalent to the entire primary school-aged population in Europe and North America.

As a result to the Global Economic Recession, those living in extreme poverty have suffered the most. Recent increases in the price of food and oil have had a direct and adverse effect on communities that were struggling for survival even before the recession hit. The long-term effects of this recession are expected to potentially push millions more into extreme povery.

Global poverty facts:

* $1 challenge. More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day and more than 2 billion live on less than $2 a day.
* Check your assumptions. Americans believe that their government spends 24 percent of the federal budget on aid to poor countries, but the actual figure is less than 1 percent.
* Daily disasters. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—all treatable diseases—claim the lives of over 8,000 people every day in Africa due to lack of access to health care.
* The water walk. Women in developing countries travel an average of almost four miles each day to collect water.
* The poor pay more. People living in the poorest slums can pay as much as ten times more for water than those in high-income areas of their own cities.
* Gender disparity. According to the U.N., the majority of people in poverty are women, who globally earn roughly half as much as men.
* Daily bread. Food prices have risen 83 percent since 2005, disproportionately affecting those in poverty who spend a higher percentage of their income on food.
* No school for you. In 2005, a conservative estimate stated that 72 million children around the world of elementary school age were not enrolled in school.
* The global wealth gap. The richest 20 percent of the world's population receives 75 percent of the world's income, while the poorest 40 percent receive only 5 percent of the world's income.

Just being Thankful

Lying awake in bed for most of the night...Thinking of all the "if's" and "what could have been" ..as today would have been ..Carly's (My Daughter's) 25th birthday ...still I have much to be thankful for!

Blessings

My sister Sally sent this to me and I felt compelled to post it here. It helped me understand why Adam is compelled to be in Bangladesh and gave me even more compassion for those who live and work in the slums. It's long but a good read We have MUCH to be thankful for. This year we are taking the opportunity to spread our thanks to the other side of the world. There is a family I know who live in one of the slums of Visak in India. One of their daughters has been blessed to live and study at Grace Life kid's hostels. Her name is Usha and she is a beautiful teenage lover of Jesus. The last time I was there, her family asked if I would come to their home and walk through the slum to their relative's home to pray for their nephew who lay paralyzed from the chest down from falling off a 3rd story roof. I did and I hope I never forget the honor it was being invited into such a situation. Usha's parents and young siblings are literal, glowing lights in the darkness of the demonic and Hindu slum they live in. Their hut seems to shine at the end of a long, dark tunnel, but it's some kind of spiritual optical illusion. The path, under the open sky and a few overhanging branches is in full light of day, while their hut is so dark they have to guide me in. A filtered light falls from the smoke hole in the back room they've designated as the 'kitchen'. Their beds are a piece of dirty fabric on the concrete slab they are so happy to have under part of their plank and metal sheeting home. A fan hangs from the ceiling of the little room where everyone sleeps. It's wires threaten to strangle me. The blade hits my head even though I'm already stooping. But this family sparkles with joy. Usha's little sister was born prematurely and suffers from seizures and is "different". Her mother hip holds her 4 year old frame and asks me to pray for her, but before I can open my mouth, the little girl reaches out and touches my chest and then my head, while looking steadily, lovingly into my eyes, and speaks words that might be Hindi or Telegu or some construction of her own and I receive the purest, straight from Jesus, blessing ever. Not because it was sweet having a little kid 'bless' me, but because it was the purest, straight from Jesus, blessing ever. She did it to me twice and I was nearly undone by the deep joy that filled me. And then there was outright laughing when I asked what her name was and they said it was Blessy. It is very easy to see the Kingdom of God in this slum. The Light is life radiating out of and around this family. The path that leads to their little home is a gauntlet of dark, heavy, empty eyed families spilling out of their huts. There is no light in the eyes that stare back at me. Not even a glimmer. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive. I want us to thank Him for that dynamic this Thanksgiving and get in on that blessing by collecting our extras for Usha's family as they love and follow Jesus in this visibly dark and demonic place. I want them to know that the family of God is proud of them and 'with' them and willing to share what they have with them. I'm not asking for a lot, just the extras that can be collected during this month leading up to Thanksgiving. The pennies and dimes you see on the street. The change you find under the cushions. The coins that fill up the little compartments in your dash, on your dresser, in the bottom of your purse. Bring it on Thanksgiving and I will send it to Kell Frandsen of Grace Life Ministries to deliver to Usha's family. To be honest. I haven't got very much spare change at all this month. Several weeks without paying work tends to do that to a family. Sometimes I like to think I'm exempt from these things because of all the work and sacrifice we already do to help people. But the truth is that I still have way more, that I don't really need, when I'm honest with myself. I can afford to give something.

The Healer

The phone rings at 5:30 AM...usually on Sunday ..It's Adam asking if he woke us up ..it's 7;30 Sunday nite where he lives...He proceeds to tell us how his week went, they all went on a retreat about 2 1/2 hours away which means about a 20 min. drive going across the capital city of Dahka where here spent 4 days in study and in workshops with about 100 other Christians from all over...some from Youth for Christ,Wycliff Bible Translators,YWAM, etc....He said "it was unreal!Experience of a lifetime"

He also spoke of how a week ago the theme for the week was Evangelism...A man from England was teaching them how to share Jesus...then they went to a University which was 95% Muslem and they began to speak and give testimonies ...Adam said he was on the prayer team and He and a few others just prayed..ALL DAY..He said a man carrying a basket of snacks for sell on his head asked Jesus into his heart that day...Oh.... PTL !

He spoke of the people there ..How they have cans of Coke-Cola,Pepsi, Singer sewing machines all from the west but have never heard of the Gospel of Yoesef (Jesus)...????

Keep Him in your prayers as the Lord leads to which Country opens for him to go to the next 2 months...India,Bangladesh or Cambodia.

God is doing a wonderful work all around me..answering so many prayers!

Jan Bement had a miracle recovery.

Mariah is now eating and doing great!

I have been given a job...remodeling a home

Many lives are being changed and a " NEW FIRE " in their lives for the things of God.

God has been blessing me everyday with answers to my prayers..building FAITH and even a stronger TRUST than ever before and yet more requests have begun to pour into my life & heart ...

So I encourage you ..to pray..just talk with God...begin to pour your heart out to HIM or perhaps..Jesus help me, I need you .

And HE... ...The Great Healer ..comes.

Psalms 103;3

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases"

Love

scott