Once our eyes are opened...

Proverbs 24:12 tells us that "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."

I know...

and you know...

and it's our job to make sure others know too.

I know in the past I have wanted to scream "WHY AREN'T WE DOING MORE?? WHERE ARE GODS PEOPLE? What is it going to take to make them wake up and what is it going to take to make them care???"

But what I am learning is that they DO care- sometimes they just don't know.

And, I am reminded that it was not all that long ago that I didn't know. Not all that long ago that when God opened my eyes.

Not all of us are able to travel and see for ourselves for one reason or another. And while hearing a story about a child suffering may break our hearts- the truth is, unless we come face to face with that suffering child, unless we walk in their 'shoes', unless we experience their pain-we often times just go on living our lives, feeling bad for them, but not really knowing what to do.

A group of us from our church decided we wanted to do something for the children at Adami Tulu preschool in Ziway, Ethiopia and raise much needed money for these children to attend preschool. My daughter, Addisyn, shared her heart and experience here. One way our church has raised money in the past is to have luncheons after service with a spread of food large enough to feed an army.

But Sunday we decided to do things a little different. Sunday, we decided to let our congregation experience the life of a child in Ethiopia.

Instead of the big spread of food- our congregation was asked to remove their shoes and socks before entering the fellowship hall. Rough, dried dirt had been spread all over the floor for them to walk on- and as you can imagine- it was painful. Pain much like the children in Ethiopia experience daily because they are in desperate need of shoes.

The air condition was turned off- it's August in Texas - enough said.

Doors and windows were opened and the flies were welcome to attend.

Instead of the typical big spread of food awaiting them they were given a simple bowl of bean and vegetable soup and a hunk of bread- closely resembling the recipe of that the children at the preschool are given.

No spoons...

No napkins....

No waste...

The little ones in our congregation struggled to carry their bowls and bread.

African music filled the air...

and awareness of the blessings often taken for granted filled their hearts...

They got it, and they know now...

and they did something about it!!!

I have mentioned in the past how blessed we are to belong to such an amazing church body. While small in size, they have HUGE hearts. What I love most about our church is that these people are not about prestige, impressing others with a big fancy building and state of the art sound equipment.

These people are real- admitting they need Jesus desperately because they are NOT perfect.

I absolutely adore our Pastor and wife, because they are the real deal. They are the first to admit their mistakes and even point them out. I believe this kind of leadership is crucial- because when people feel like they have to be 'perfect' to be accepted, and perfect to be a Christian- they are missing the whole point of NEEDING Jesus.

Our pastor even took a few pies in the face all in the name of collecting money for the preschool. :) Can you find a better guy than that?

And our children's pastor has grow to be one of my dearest friends on earth. She and I share a heartbeat for the least of these. She challenges me to be more than I ever thought I could. She challenges our kids to be more, do more, care more- and the seeds she has planted are blooming.

I am so incredibly proud of the youth at our church- just watching them in action points you straight to Jesus, and it's beautiful. So because of leadership in our church like this- good things are going on all over the place-and we are blessed to be a part of it.

My challenge to you is to let your congregation know. Ask for their help. Tell them, show them, help them know.

Because if you know...

you can help them to know...

so they can ACT.

I saw it happen, before my very eyes in my own church.

I saw heart after heart in love with Jesus and ACTING on it.

If you'd like to help the children at the Adami Tulu preschool you can send a donation to Lifesong for orphans at:

PO Box 40 · 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744

If you'd like to learn more about God's heart on Adoption or how to get your church involved in an adoption ministry please join me at T4A October 2nd. You can sign up here.