A Sheep or a Goat?

Matthew 25: 31-46   

 

  ³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

   ³⁴ "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

   ³⁷ "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

   ⁴⁰ "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

   ⁴¹ "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

   ⁴⁴ "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

   ⁴⁵ "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

   ⁴⁶ "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

      This is not a fun section of scripture to read.  I have to ask myself, almost daily, do I want to be seen as a sheep or a goat?

 

      These last six months have been an amazing time of study and reflection about what God has for the folks down in Tijuana, Mexico and just what part I am to play in all that.  I was able to travel to Haiti and had a great time, learning from my new friends on the team and taking in all that I could so that I might be better equipped to help the community near El Shaddai.  There have been moments where I would like to quit but then those verses call me on.  You can't see poverty like I have seen on these trips and not want to do something, anything to help.

 

      I recently had some phone calls to come and read the Sadie book and share with young people what it is like to live in an impoverished country.  I take this as God's whisper that I should continue on.  I have reacquainted with my good friend, Bonnie Kovacs Reihing, who has helped us raise over $500 to feed little kids!  Another young lady in our church, Marci Rames, has graciously and generously given me 10% of her earnings from a small business she started in her home making tutus for little girls!  I have seen anonymous donations all year long, and God clearly meeting the $500 goal every month for almost two years now. 

 

      Being a Christian isn't for quitters.  We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned.  We are to be Christ's hands, feet, eyes and ears in this world.  I am privileged and honored to continue this work that He laid on my heart over six years ago.  Please continue to pray for His guidance and providence.  To Him be the glory - great things He has done!

 

      Praying that He sees a sheep when He sees you and me -

Haiti Bound

Isaiah 54:2
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

 

A few months ago a good friend of mine shared this verse with me.  It is a confirmation of what God has put on my heart. 

 

Over the last several months I have have the incredible opportunity to share my little children's story The Secret of Sadie Sequoia with kids all over northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.  Sharing the story is always fun, but what I want the kids to learn from my visit is that they were created to make a difference in this world.  I get a chance to present an object lesson for them.  We open four different lunches from four different countries.  The children are told to pretend that they come from a poor family.  Zimbabwe, Mexico, Haiti and the United States are represented.  When they pull out the contents of their lunches, their eyes open wide and they begin to understand how very blessed we are here in the United States!  I get the chance to tell them a little bit about different government systems and how our government helps those in need where a lot of countries around the world don't enjoy those blessings.

 

God pricked my heart a couple of weeks ago with the desire to visit Haiti.  I tell the kids in my presentation about Haiti but I have never been there to experience it.  So like the verse above, He is enlarging the place of my tent and my desire is not to hold back.  A few months ago, I felt a strong belief that God wanted me to help more than just Mexico.  I don't know how He will do it but when He leads, I will just trust and follow.

 

So, Haiti, here I come!  I am going to be travelling with Dr. Jay and Jan Nielson, a local doctor and counselor who began this ministry 10 years ago.  They have built and opened a school, worked with Haitians in teaching them agricultural skills to grow food, helped with water needs, run a local clinic for medical needs, and a host of other wonderful tasks to better the lives in the community. 

 

Please pray that God will use me!  I want to be an extension of His hands, His feet and most of all, His heart.  I want my heart to break over the things that break His.  I hope that I will watch, learn and glean all that I can on this visit in order to help my dear friends in Tijuana and wherever else He impresses me to serve.

 

30 Years?

I am 54 years old.  Wow!  That is getting really close to 60!  Bob and I spent some time this last weekend talking about the next 30 years.  It may sound morbid but we discussed the fact that one of us will probably be with the Lord by the time those 30 years are up.  30 years will make us 84 years old.  It is very sobering to think that we are now on the downward slope of life but that doesn't make us think downward thoughts.  It makes us look upward!  We bantered good naturedly back and forth about who would be the lucky one to get to heaven first - eternity is just around the corner and we can't wait to get there!  At our age, it is easier to understand our mortality.  Remember when you were younger?  You think you have forever on this earth!

 

Time is short.  Each year, I am impressed more and more with the need for my faith to be acted out rather than just spoken. This last year was a big faith walk for me and Bob.  The Educaching business has really taken off and the Sadie book has given me the opportunity to speak to school children and teachers about the hungry and needy in the world around us.  We are trying to take Jeremiah 22:16 seriously:

 

¹⁶ He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
   and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?"
   declares the LORD.

 

You see, all of my adult life I have half-heartedly participated in helping the poor and needy.  Each paycheck we would give our offering and each Christmas I would gather loose change from my purse to put in the Salvation Army bucket.  I never really saw or cared about the recipients of the gifts I gave.  It wasn't until five years ago that I realized there is a world beyond my own, where people have not because of where they were born not because they are lazy.  I want to know God the way this verse indicates.  We are so blessed here in the United States.  No matter how you perceive our government, we are still citizens of the greatest nation on earth where we have untold opportunity and privilege compared to the rest of the world!  It is because of this incredible blessing that Bob and I want to live out the next 30 years, give or take a few, in kingdom work.  We pray that each day we will be living for our Lord, so that the work we do will demonstrate to those around us His incredibly great love and care for them.  This is what life is about - not stockpiling money and stuff for our later years, but giving out of our abundance so that others will come to know about the One who gave everything for us - Jesus Christ!

 

How does 2011 look for you?  Are you going to worry about things that really don't matter eternally?  I encourage you to begin thinking about what might happen after you die.  Read Matthew 25.  If you are a Christian, you have to begin asking yourself some hard questions - what if what I believe is really real?  What if you only have 30, 20, or 10 years left on this earth?  Would you live differently?  If you don't call yourself a Christ follower please make a commitment to read about Him in the Bible.  So many don't believe because they haven't heard or read His claims.

 

Pablo's Pantry is just one small little charity that you can participate in and help.  There is so much need all over the world!  I am grateful that God has put this passion in my heart to help these kids in Tijuana but I anticipate more opportunities all around the world in the future. Please consider helping us again in 2011.  We are feeding little children every week.  Each week more kids show up.  At last count it was over 100 children three days a week!  We are able to feed these kids for about $500 a month.  We also have begun helping with costs in educating some of the young people there.  A young mother of two children is in beauty school to learn how to cut and style hair.  Educaching has agreed to cover the costs of this education.  Another young lady currently has a job in a factory but can get a better paying job by learning English.  We just sent the money to help her with this education.  We feed the children but we are also trying to help the adults.  Perhaps the cycle of poverty will stop for some of these people!

 

May you have a wonderful 2011!  We look forward to whatever God has for us and wherever God wants to take us.  We pray that you will begin to have an eternal perspective this year and realize that one day you will give an account of what you did here on earth.  I don't know about you, but I long to hear those words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

One of the tasks in 2010 was to help Naomi and the work she does but also have a way for people to receive a tax deduction for their contributions.  If you are interested in sending the money her way you can make the check out to:

 

Lemon Grove Foursquare Church

2115 Lemon Grove Ave.

Lemon Grove, CA  91945

 

Please put "El Shaddai Mission" on the memo line.

 

Letters of encouragement are also appreciated.  You can drop her a line addressing the envelope to:

 

Naomi Anzaldo

1198 Neptune Dr.

Chula Vista, CA  91911

 

Thanks again for your help!  May God bless you with a heart to help the poor and needy!

A God Sized Goal

Good morning!  It is the day before Thanksgiving and I have been up pondering and meditating on all the Lord's blessings.  Do you ever question why you were born in this country, at this time in history?  We are so blessed to be living here in the United States!  No matter what political party you support, no matter what candidate you voted for, no matter what the media tells us about the economy and the bad news all around - we still live in a country where we are free to worship God and tell people about Him without fear of being put in prison or losing our lives.  Most of us in this country still have many choices.  We can choose where we will live, what church we will attend.  We choose what foods to buy, what clothes to wear, where we will go on vacation and where we will spend our money.  Not everyone in the world has these choices.

 

I recently watched a dvd entitled, "How to Be Rich" by Andy Stanley.  No, it's not a sermon on obtaining wealth.  It is a straight talk to Americans who have so much compared to the rest of the world.  Because of this great blessing comes great responsibility.  We have the opportunity to bless the poor and needy with our great blessing that God has so richly given. 

 

In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 it says, "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion."  Notice the last sentence.  We are made rich in order to be generous!

 

This Thanksgiving stop to think of all you have.  Remember the blessings.  Write them down and stick them somewhere prominent so that you won't forget!  And do something for someone.  Look into ways you can serve in the community or the world. 

 

Yesterday there were three large boxes full of 100 books at my door.  The Lord has put another goal on my heart for December - to sell 100 The Secret of Sadie Sequoia books which will provide close to 4 months of food for the food pantry down in Mexico.  Won't you help?  Please consider buying one or more books for a loved one for Christmas.  It's a gift that you can give that will bless a child here and many children down in Tijuana!

 

 

May God bless us as we grow in gratefulness!

Thank You for Giving to the Lord!

Thank you to everyone who has graciously purchased The Secret of Sadie Sequoia.  This whole experience has been a faith walk for me.  I am currently sitting on 100 books which could generate another $2200 for the food pantry.  Please continue to get the word out about the book and where the money is going - remember 100% of the profits goes directly to feed kids!

 

I just finished an incredible book, Radical by David Platt and am currently reading The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Stearns.  Both books have inspired me to put my faith into action.  There is a great anonymous quote in the latter that struck me:

 

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it."

 

"Well, why don't you ask Him?"

 

"Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same question."

 

God has blessed me with so much.  Not only do I have salvation through Jesus Christ, I also have so an abundance of resources to share with people all over the world! 

 

My daughter Katie and I will be traveling back to Mexico the end of September.  We will help make some more fleece blankets in preparation for the winter and also distribute food and assist in the lunch program for the kids.  Please pray for us.  My desire is to eventually help start up some sort of industry for the people down there.  They don't lack a hard work ethic - they lack work. 

 

This is an exciting time!  Our economy is in disrepair but we serve an incredible God who can richly supply.  Thank you for your help.  We couldn't travel this journey without you!

 

Mary Rum

WHY MEXICO?

 

With the current political atmosphere, I have had many people inquire why I am giving my time and  money to help people in Mexico.  Let me just state that this mission has nothing to do with politics.  I just happened to go on a mission trip four years ago to help a small church in Tijuana and I saw a need. 

 

Many have asked, "Why don't you help people in the United States?  There are poor people here."  First of all, I do.  Second of all, the people I have helped in Mexico don't have the luxury of government assistance any time they are without.  There is no unemployment compensation, food stamp programs, WIC, public funded housing, welfare, etc. When you don't work, you may not get to eat that day.

 

My challenge to any who want to point out the need here in the U.S. is this – perhaps God is calling you to make a difference wherever you feel there is need for help.  If you see a need in Appalachia, then help!  If you feel called to serve in your town at a soup kitchen, then simply obey that calling and do something.  If you discover a poor person in your neighborhood or in your child's school, don't ignore the call.  Be proactive in helping out.

 

There is need everywhere, all around the world.  Be a part of the solution!