My mind is racing, and my heart is breaking. I feel like there's so many, many things to do with less than two weeks to go until Christmas and less than two months until we board a plane for Africa. Yet, I'm also feeling a trampling on my heart for the things in this life that must break His.
Friday night we spent a few hours with "The Missionary Call" lifegroup. It's been such an awesome connection in our lives since the spring. Just a group of people either feeling a tug for missions, whether in our backyards or across the world, or just people wanting to live more missionally and be intentional about outreach and serving. We feel so connected to the group, especially since we share such kindred hearts.
Two friends in the group, Scott and Kari Raymond, have been to Swaziland twice (and subsequently rocked by the little country and its people!), and are incredibly involved with World Relief. They have become friends with many refugee families from Burma and Nepal, organizing incredible outreaches with these refugees living in St. Paul. These families are now spending their first Christmas in the States, and Scott and Kari are working to provide gifts and goodies for them. What an awesome way to show God's love to these beautiful refugees.
Our family asked if we could help with one of the seven families -- such a very small and easy thing to do. But, last night after seeing "God Grew Tired of Us" -- a documentary that follows Sudanese refugees as they flee to the States for a "better" life -- my heart has broken even more. We have no idea what it's like to experience civil unrest, having to flee from our homeland leaving everything behind, stepping into an entirely different and foreign culture. What these refugees have endured we'll never comprehend.
A quote from the documentary/book: "Americans have so much, yet they insist on seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full. To extend the metaphor a bit, when I lived in Kukuma I didn't even have a glass." (Kukuma is Swahili for "nowhere." It is a town/camp located in Kenya and is home to over 70,000 displaced refugees from war-torn countries in Africa.)
What a simple thing it was to shop for the Karen (Burmese) family: a dad, mom, three girls (ages 14, 12 and 7), and two boys (ages 3 and 1). Each will receive two pairs of gloves, the girls will get lip gloss and the boys will each get a toy -- and the family will share games, puzzles and hot chocolate, along with a very warm down throw that I found online. It was an absolute steal, too. :)
Nonetheless, amidst of the season and this beautiful time of year, there is a huge brokenness that I'm feeling -- just knowing that we've had it so good, and so many have never even had "a glass." Just knowing that there is so much hurt and need here, and we're on our way out. Just knowing that there is so much more than can be done, more that we could do and could have done long before now. Just knowing that we're so comfy... and so many others are not.
My heart has really taken a trampling lately, which is probably just a tidbit of what we'll experience in Swaziland. I guess this present trampling is preparation, and is all in His plan. And so I say... and pray... "My heart is here for the trampling..." Yikes.
If you'd like to be involved in doing a little something for these refugee families, let me know and I'll get you hooked up with Scott and Kari. It would be such a blessing for them... and you may find your heart a little wonderfully trampled, too.
"Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." -Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision
