Looking back at His Blessings

I wrote this before boarding my flight to Ireland.

September 6th:

So here I am again at good old MSP.   Sitting at E6 waiting for my 10:38 flight.  Listen to the over head speaker giving the local time. I've said go by to my parents.Listen to their last minute words of advice.Paid the extra $100 for my second bag. Gone through security. Started reading my new book! And of course seen a few oddly dresses people walking through the airport.

I'm so excited for all that God has in store for my time abroad.  I know He has big plans!  Why? Because that is what I have been praying for. Because He has already been working. Blessing me. Like the blessing of Andrea.

Andrea and I went to school together till the third grade. We played Polly Pockets and house together. Now we are going to Ireland together. Although we had no idea went we schedule the trip the other was going. We haven't talked in years, in fact of her status about Ireland hadn't shown up on my feed we could have gone the whole semester with out knowing.

But God knew! He had a plan much greater than my own. Andrea and I meet for coffee last week and caught right back up. We talked for two hours. Decided we would travel together. Found out we were both reading The Circle Maker.  We want to start a bible study and Andrea has even looked into near by churches!

God is so great, so much bigger than me. Which is good because I have big dreams for Ireland.

“Dream no small dreams“–Daniel Burnham, architect of Union Station

From Paris to Dublin, Barcilona to London my God has been faithful!  I have been blessed!

Dublin, Ireland 

London, England

Wicklow, Ireland

Barcelona, Spain

Tours, France

Paris, France

 

God has truly blessed me!  Andrea has been the planner when I simply didn't have time to be with my classes, the navigator, a wonderful Godly influence and my best friend here.  I so thankful God is bigger than me, bigger than my dreams.

Get the Facts

The facts listed below come from the following web sources.
SOS Children Villages.
Orphan Hope International


Fact: Worldwide an estimate 153 million children from new born to age 17 have lost one or both parents.

Fact: Every 2.2 seconds a child loses a parent somewhere in the world.

Fact: Every day 5,760 more children become orphans.

Fact: Every day aproximatly 30,000 children die of preventable causes.

Fact: By 2015 it is projected that there will be more than 400 million orphaned children worldwide.

Fact: In developing countries, more than one third of all children live in poverty.

Fact:  In the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asian, a total of 1.3 million children live in institutional care.

Fact: Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but... Each year 14, 505, 000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen.  

Fact: Studies have shown that 10% – 15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen.

Fact: Putting a child in an orphanage makes them NO less an orphan. 

Fact: The number of people it takes to make a difference, ONE.

Fact:  What the church is doing right now is NOT enough.  

Please watch this short video about how Christians choose to spend their money.

Church, we are failing.  It is that simple.  The number of orphans is increasing drastically and orphanages are not the answer.  

Our Heavenly Father took us in at whatever the cost.  He sought us over everything else.  He seeks us passionately, sending His own son to take the cross for us.  He payed for us to be in his family.  He LOVES us that much.  He knows we are going to fail but He pays everything for us anyway. 

Jesus whole point in coming was to make us a part of His Father's family.  If we are suppose to imitate Jesus than wouldn't bring orphans into our family be a wonderful way to do so?  James 1:27 Yet, many of us are too scared or comfortable to make any real change for these children.   

FAMILY, that is how we are suppose to live, in a family.