Despite the setting...in a dump... there was so much beauty.
I was struck, as I walked out of the house of the woman with the baby, that the view from their hut was gorgeous...all mountains and greenery. There were beautiful flowers and trees.
We walked into a home that was probably 12 x 12, again dark, and sweltering hot and housed 18 people. These people were almost piled on top of each other in this house. I am sure they felt like they were on display when we all shoved ourselves in there with them to greet them and say God Bless you. Seemed so odd to me that we were saying God bless you... I know in my heart of hearts God does love these people. I believe he grieves for their plight... I believe he grieves for the losses that they have incurred, that I can't even fathom.
But I also think we should grieve for ourselves for the things we are missing that they have in abundance. These people aren't alone. They have formed a community of faith and shared pain, as well as joy. They may lack in stuff... but they don't lack in bonds that we here in America just do not form. They were willing to open their homes to us so that we could come in and shake hands... or stumps... or to hug them... to share a moment with a blind mother holding her baby.
I am not saying these people aren't crying out for help. They mourn for what they have lost. They mourn for the children that they see working in the dump to collect food or things to sell to get food instead of going to school. They mourn the lack of basic convieniences such as electricity and plumbing... just clean water.
There's such a contrast here.
Such beauty in the faces, such beauty in the plants and mountains, such beauty in the faith of those that come to the church and praise their Father in heaven. It was a huge lesson for me to praise my Father as well...in all things. Cause I honestly have nothing to whine about... only praises to give.
4 comments:
Thank you for sharing. If everyone who lives here in comfort, could just go and SEE and FEEL, I think we would all live very differently.
Love in Jesus,
Amy
We could learn much from each of them.
Blessings,andrea
Andrea,
I'm so glad you and your group visited Korah. I know your presence was a huge blessing to them.
God has opened the floodgates for these precious people and people are flocking to Korah...a place no one previously visited. Praise God!! They are going to be getting the help they've so long waited for. As you know, the need is so great but a start will be made and our God is a BIG God.
I don't think I gave you my sons website for Korah. He (and a friend), my daughter and her boyfriend are going to Korah in June for 2 weeks. Check out their website to see video and pics of Korah.
It is musicforkorah.com
If you can't view the video there for some reason, look for it in youtube...musicforkorah.
You'll be blessed!
Thanks for sharing Andrea and thanks for going,
Laura
Thank you for ministering to me this morning. I am reading a book by Wes Stafford and in his book, he shares a story about the comedian, Ken Davis and his first mission trip. It took several years for Wes to convice Ken to travel to a developing country with him. Once in Ecuador, the two men were prayed over by the local village children. Ken began to shake and when Wes asked him what was happening to him at that time, Ken stated that all these years he was afraid to go on a missions trip because he was afraid of letting his heart break over the conditions of those living in severe poverty but he said, instead, I have found my heart breaking over my own conditions.
Just had to share this because I think it is such a powerful statement of how our hearts can be broken for the things that break God's heart and that they can be things that are part of our life as well.
Thanks for the great updates!
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