Rejected

As I spoke to my bestie one morning, she was relaying a story to me and the part that stuck out to me was a statement made...someone had commented that a particular church had a bunch of rejects and losers. The parent who made the statement was concerned about their child being in that atmosphere.

Now normally, I think I would have kinda agreed. You know after all, if an eagle is raised with chickens, it will be raised to NOT fly, even though its in the eagle's nature to not just fly but to soar. BUT rather than this thought, this scripture came to mind.

"The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner." -Psalm 118:22

And that began my musings for yesterday morning.

Our role model (if you are a Christian) is Jesus and He was the ultimate example of rejection (Isaiah 53:3). The "who's who" of that day literally called Him everything EXCEPT the son of God. It was even said that his authority was from the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34;12:22-25). And despite his humble beginnings, despite the fact that His own people rejected Him, despite the fact, that He really wasn't "much" as it relates to socio-economic status, the fact remains that this man was a revolutionary. Some 2000+ years later, his followers are still the largest group of all religious and/or civic groups. This rejected one, became the foundation, the head stone, by which Christianity was built.

If that revelation wasn't enough to keep me thinking, I then read this scripture in prayer later that evening:

"Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial; He is mighty in power of understanding and heart." - Job 36:5

So what's my point: There is a difference between those who are unmotivated, under-achieving, and settling for less than their potential (eagles with a chicken mentality) from those who may be in a particular position (e.g. temporarily unemployed, victim of abuse, divorced) and may not be of a "good" status by society's standards.  Both groups of people could be considered losers, and if we aren't careful, its easy to cast judgment, scorn, or fully reject them..

Does this mean that we have license to reject one while providing a pass for the other? NO! The MIGHTY God doesn't despise them, so why should we? I guess in the end, this post is a call to compassion, very similar to what I talked about last summer (see here).  A second or even third look at those who are different would go a long way for us as we manoeuvre through life and attempt to live it intentionally, purposefully, and with an impact beyond the grave. 

Grace, peace and love,
Gia

Note: I do apologize for the late entry and the missing entries- life is super hectic now and in prioritizing, blogging fell to the bottom of the list. Thanks for your patience. :)

It's Christmas!

Well...so it's about a month and some days away from the actual day we celebrate Christmas but in our apartment this past weekend, it surely seemed like Christmas sans the Christmas tree I guess.

I'm a firm believer in putting my time and my money where my heart is. As you've read...my heart is with the kids of Timothy Project.  A couple weeks ago, I pitched the idea of shoebox Christmas (or did I just develop it).  The point is, I felt very strongly that each child should have something to open on Christmas (since they celebrate Christmas) AND to push the limit, this shouldn't be something that the community supports. It should come from the members of the Timothy Project team.

The catch is, there are currently 26 children apart of Timothy Guyana and maybe about 10 non-Guyanese members...this inevitably meant...some of us were going to have to take more than just one kid. Because the majority of the members are in fact unemployed full-time students, we set a very reasonable cap for this initiative and made the announcement. It was well received and we had some members who took as many as 6 kids!?! 

Awesomeness!

Star giftwrapper, your truly, ended up having to wrap about 70%  of the gifts which was interesting in and of itself because the boxes couldn't be sealed. This occured Friday night after we drove around collecting the gifts (reverse-Santa). Then, the next day, we drove 8 hours (4 hours each leg) to Toronto to drop off the gifts and send them off...

Fun times indeed. Here are some pics from the two days...

boxes all stuffed and wrapped and ready to be loaded in the car

Schantal's back trunk...looking a lot like Christmas!

last minute finishing touches

 we had to get creative with some of the boxes that didn't have a top that came off, so we wrapped the bottom and then tied it all together with a lovely bow.  Those are what you see on the top of the box as we began to pack it...

This process was also interesting. We had planned to purchase a barrell but with all these boxes that was not going to work. However, there was another option...a large cardboard box which worked out to be about the same cost and maybe get there a couple days earlier. The box was the largest they had and we had maybe about 1-2 inches of space left. 

Definitely a God-thing since we just let everyone find their own shoeboxes.

 The ride back was nice. It was a beautiful Fall day. I felt this truck was smiling at us.

And as we got closer home, the sunset was our guide

...just look at the beauty of what our God made!

Grace peace and love,

Gia

Reflections...from Guyana Pt.1

I'm going to begin a mini-series with my reflections and experiences from Guyana. I'm not sure how long it will go for but I'll keep it to Wednesday posts.

Well you know how it all started, if you don't check here. The trip in was smooth but long...more about that here.  But in any event, I spent about 6 days in a small city inside Georgetown, Guyana. I personally met with maybe 15 kids and parents, while the rest of the team interviewed the others. However, by the end of the trip, I had an opportunity to have meaningful conversation with 23 (out of 26 kids). I'm kicking myself that I missed an entire 3 boys but I guess I am only one person. ;)

The reflection for today is on giving. There were a lot of images and conversations that are etched into my brain; one of which is with a young boy-Antonio. He is by definition, an orphan.  He lives with family but his parents are dead and he takes care of himself. He is a good kid but no one wants to (or have money to) take care of him so he's been passed around. He has basically nothing.

He comes to church with us, as we invited all families to join us. Our conversation goes as follows:
Me: What you get there Antonio?
A: Mi dinner and food fa tomoro at school.
Me: What is that? (pointing to the container in his hands)
A: Roti (opens small container) that Aunty M gave me.
 he picks off a piece and begins chewing. He also has a small bag of "Famous Amos" cookies.
Me: That doesn't seem like a lot for dinner
A: shrugs and smiles. Its okay

(picture of a roti)

A couple minutes later I feel a tap on my back

A: Miss?
Me: Yes
A: here (He hands one of his cookies with me)
I stumble to find words to decline..but in barely a whisper, I reply with a soft "thanks" and a smile.
Inside my heart just melts and my eyes begin to sting.

I walk away and enjoy my cookie just shaken at the very core. This kid has nothing. He has maybe two rotis and a bag of cookies and apparently this is his meal for today and tomorrow for school. Why...why would he offer to share his bag of cookies with me?

Didn't I come here to share with him [them]?

I learned about 10 minutes later that he offered a cookie to each of the team members (3 in total). If I recall those bags of cookies probably only have 8 cookies in them...

What do you have to give today? Even in little, I'm sure we can find something to offer someone in the spirit of our Father.  It's just not enough for me [anymore] to offer out of my abundance. If I'm going to live life the way God wants me to, and for His glory...then sometimes my gifts will have to be a sacrifice. I can't help but think of David response in 2 Samuel 24:24

"No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing."


Grace peace and love,
Gia

Guest post: Timothy Project

So this began last Thursday (see more here) when I realized that I had failed to share with you about a very special project...I then decided that I would put aside the next couple Thursdays to report more about the vision and successes of this "maiden voyage". ;)

Here is a little more about TEP from the visionary herself:

Many of you should recall what it felt like going to school on your first day of the school year. Everyone in the classroom is comparing their school supplies. Checking out each other’s shoes and bags… Well… how would you feel if you showed up on your first day in a soiled tshirt that you stole from someone else, some flip flops, a plastic bag with an exercise book and a ‘half’ of a pencil? That’s what these kids feel like.

My heart for the Timothy Education Program is based on the fact that I think every child deserves a fair chance at a successful life. But they can’t do that without support. In the Timothy Education Program, not all the children have parents. Some have single parents or guardians who are unemployed. Some have lost their parents to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. They have no one. In one household, the eldest daughter left school to take care of her other siblings, because the mom was mentally ill and has not been able to get treatment. In another, the mother is a street worker, gone for several times at once. Many of the kids don’t know what it’s like to have everything they need for school. They sometimes don't even have food and proper housing either.They are disadvantaged. Underprivileged.

That’s why I wanted to do this project. I don’t think it’s good enough to give kids backpacks and then send them on their way. I don’t think that we should pass out a whole wad of money to governments to help those at the bottom, because God knows, the people that need it don’t even get it.
I want these 25 kids in Guyana to know that they are loved; that they are not forgotten. I know that the United Nations and all these other organizations are doing their ‘thing’. But what about God’s people? Aren’t we the ones called to touch the lives of others? Aren’t we the ones called to show God’s love? I want the next generation to know that they are loved. Loved by God. Loved by others. We need not get deep about showing God’s love. It’s His mandate. When Jesus was here on earth, He visited the sick. He went. And that same commandment He has given to us: Go…And when He went, He empowered people to change.

If we are going to change this world we are going to have to sacrifice something. Each of us will have to do our parts. I am sacrificing my finances, my time, my energy so that these kids can be helped. More than just sending them to school, I want these kids to surpass their previous generations. I want them to break the cycle of poverty that has gone on before. There is a spiritual part to that. But there is also a natural part. And it starts with getting rid of ignorance. It starts with a sound education.

So this summer, four of my colleagues will ‘go’ to Guyana and minister to the needs of 25 children. We will give them supplies including backpacks and stationary supplies. But we will also give them their uniforms, their shoes, their undergarments, their socks. We will sit with them and their families and talk to them to understand their needs. Yes we will pray. But we will also create and implement strategies to ensure that the kids are successful in school. Some of the kids live in swamp zones and can’t even get out to a bus route. Others can’t afford to take buses. We’ll arrange for a bus to pick up everyone each morning so that they can get to school and back. We will recruit an academic mentor and a career mentor to work with the children. We will have spiritual mentors in place to pray over them and encourage the kids. And we will do this on a continuous basis, until they all graduate.

I think one of the best ways to succeed, is by knowing that you having a support system to fulfill your dreams. I want that for these kids. And my ministry is to help them dream and realize a bright and successful future. So at the end of this month, I will be going along with a pastor, a counselor (your very own, Gia Jones) and an academic mentor to start something new. Showing more than anything else, that God has not forgotten, and that each of us is the apple of His eye. ~Schantal

In the words of some wise person, "Be the change you want to see in the world"!

Grace peace and love,
Gia