Posts Tagged ‘children’

  • 12 Nov

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Design for Life {by Paulo}

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    {my dear husband wrote this, as we are in a time of asking God what he would have us do. this is what he felt. he’s the amazing webdesigner who designed my site, of course!}

    This is the sketch of what my heart burns for..

    I dream of night and day constant everlasting prayer and worship that will affect people, that will change hearts. Not a mega-maniac concept that sees the big and imagines nations changed, that will be a realistic outcome of our intimate prayer life, of hearts being touched by a passion that burns stronger by the day that it stays in the presence of the Holy.

    I want to rescue kids from prostitution and the streets, I want to grow old with them and walk and watch as Holy Spirit transforms their lives. I want to rescue teenagers away from drugs and teach them what I know, teach them what I have in my hand. Teach them how to translate their life story into design.

    I have a dream of forming a design agency made up of young adults rescued from the streets. We will serve the church and help NGO’s and institutions to create relevant and high quality design so that they can bring out their message and in partnership they’ll help us to train and develop more “life designers”, to rescue others from destitution. I want to design for life, to give them a future, to teach them that each line they draw, each typography they work on can mean a chain being broken, how it can mean a message of Hope being brought to the world.

    I want this agency to spread bringing future and proving that Design and Creation can truly announce our essence: that we were created to create, we were designed by God to design, to design life, to design hope, to create the Kingdom of Jesus in this world. Design as a lifestyle, as a fruit of constant worship. This is my dream, this is what I long for; serve the Church and strengthen our Message of Love and Hope by in return giving Hope to those who apparently have no future.

    This is what I’m walking towards, this is what I will look like when I go into full time ministry. I will design for hope, I will write code for the Body so that I can free others to code with me, so that through my art, through my sketches I can show others a way out of the streets, i can give them jobs, show them that they’re life story can be relevant to others around the globe, all they have to do is be willing to pick up a pencil and draw that first line, express who they are, simply design.

    Design for Life
    Pray for Change
    Live for Love

    -Paulo

  • 11 May

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    In the Face of Questioning

    0

    What is true social transformation?  What will be the outward sign of true, deep, transformation in society?  Do social projects just serve our egos?  Does helping the poor only give us a pat on the back?  What are signs that what we do actually makes a difference?

    Is it enough to just visit a children’s home and play with the kids?  Is that social transformation?  What about when you find out dark secrets about the home?  Are you to continue in the name of “Social Justice” when, in reality, no one but the owner’s fat wallet is benefitted by the children’s home?  What would “Social Justice” look like when you find that a project is hiding a dark secret?  Do you stay?  Do you leave?

    What if you leave?  You are accused of leaving the poor and needy.

    What if you stay?  Well, we didn’t even want to think of the ramifications of staying, so we don’t know that outcome.  However, from friends in the legal world, I have heard that nothing good comes of being implicated with such a money-siphoning scheme.

    So we left.  We backed out.  Yes, we left the kids.  But, we decided to do things right.

    Before we start another project, we will either partner with an existing reputable organization or church, under which the project will be founded.  Or we will open our own project, officially, with all that 501c3 and CNPJ stuff.  Lots of paperwork.  It will be lots of red tape, many hours, much work, but we will do things correctly.

    As I am working at a non-profit educational institution now, I have the opportunity to learn some of the things that one must do to stay legal and operating, with transparency.  It is the long, hard road.  It will not be easy to do things correctly, its easy to just let things slip, but there must be checks and balances and transparency so that whoever is working with us, donating to us, or even praying for us, will know what is going on.

    Last year I spent quite a bit of time researching what I need to do in the US to get a non-profit started.  I began to gather paperwork and make contacts, but a wedding got in the way of that, and we decided it wasn’t quite time for us to do that yet.

    Now, a year later, its still not my time.  We wait patiently, even as people we know head back to the children’s home, even knowing full well of the administration problems there.  We get accused of giving up, we get told we aren’t working for “Social Justice”, yet we are.  We are building the foundations for something bigger than just playing with kids.  We are building the foundation for our vision, for our dream, for what we are called to do.

    And the first step of red-tape and paperwork is almost done, and its all been done correctly, legally, above reproach, and we intend to live our personal lives and ministry in that way.  So if anyone ever questions my visa here, I am now officially, legally, a permanent resident.  Everything done right.  The first time.  Let’s keep it that way.

    *as a side note, as I get into the sometimes gray area of sponsored blogs, I’m putting up a reviews tab on here, where reviews of products will be placed, so they are not confused with my ramblings about missions, life, and the world.  All sponsored blog posts will have a disclaimer on them, that they are sponsored.  Even if they stay here on the main tab.  I’m being transparent here…  you readers have a right to know what I’m compensated for.  That said, this is NOT a sponsored post.

  • 15 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Host an orphan for the summer!

    0

    How big is your heart?  Big enough to open your heart and your home to an orphan from Eastern Europe for a few weeks?

    New Horizons for Children runs an orphan hosting program which allows children to experience America and the love of a Christian family for 4-5 weeks.  The hosting programs run every winter and summer, and they’re looking for families to open up their hearts to host for the summer right now!

    Their website has more details about the hosting program and a listing of all the kids available to host, with photos. The kids are from Russia, Latvia, and the Ukraine, for this summer.

    The really awesome about New Horizons is that alot of these kids end up finding their forever families while in the US. Sometimes its the host family, sometimes its another local family. There is nothing more amazing than seeing the transformation in kids’ lives as they are adopted into a loving family.

    If you can’t host for whatever reason (I can’t because I’m overseas!), consider sponsoring a child for part or all of their program costs to allow another family to host them. Or, pick one or two to pray for. Pray for the kids, that a host family will find them, and they will find their forever family in the US.

    What I think I like best about New Horizons, as an organization, is that the people on staff actually host as well. And adopt. LeAnn, the founder, who I nannied for a few years ago, started the program after adopting one of her sons, when God put it on her heart to help more orphans, not just the “few” (ok, 7… or is it 8?) kids her family could adopt.

    Pray and see how God might have you involved in this awesome ministry to orphans in Eastern Europe.

  • 08 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    The Hallways Smelled like Death Today

    0

    the hallways smelled of death today

    of bullet holes in far away graves

    and lungs that couldnt stand to breathe

    leaving behind all the ones who loved

    who stood so strong, so proud, descent

    to tears in shock and hands unbent

    to eyes aglow with wondering dread

    of who this time might be dead

    the smoke from the guns cleared away fast

    rumors of physchopaths

    we’re locked up tight

    the procedures never seem to get it right

    what we expect and what we can’t ever

    seems so uncertain

    these manners and means

    this culture of cultures resounds the team

    no one knows where or how or what to say

    accepted truths won’t go away

    to tumble down the airport line

    saying goodbye goodbye

    because the death that traced its way here

    won’t go away like the dust to the air.

  • 26 Mar

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    savior of the month

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    wishing to find the hope in the blind

    the ones who cannot see beyond the pain and the rain

    and try to be free by flying free south always

    all the time wondering when

    the savior of the month will come down

    when the savior of the month will ride in on a star

    from the southern cross to venus’s tip

    he comes up riding on the horse on the hill

    the stray horse full of fleas and other debris

    the savior of the month is salvation to the soul of the wrong

    planning to fail again, fall again, die again

    he falls off the horse

    scared silent breathing up the hill

    the humid air beats upon the face

    of the little girl who only needs

    to be saved to be rescued to be loved

    to be held on the lap

    with curls being stroked

    and love profusely pouring out

    the savior of the month comes down

    from foreign lands and foreign tongues

    but whats that?

    I don’t know anything

    I don’t even know love

    don’t try to explain in English to me

    how much I love you

    or how much you care

    because I don’t want to understand

    the savior of the month always leaves me

    alone here without a tear to shed behind

    but hope therein it lies

    that not a tear falls and hoping that these fears fall

    from the stars with the savior to the earth

    shed again

    lighthearted breathing air that frees

    that saves that comes to save

    that always saves me

    June 2005, Recife, Brazil.  (just a little bit of cycnicism… i think i’ll be writing the sequel to this poem soon…)

  • 16 Dec

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Christmas at the Creche!

    0

    “Ho, Ho, Ho! Papai Noel Chegou!!”  was the cry we were greeted with as our small caravan of three cars, not camels, arrived at the daycare center, or Creche, in Santa Maria.  The kids were chanting “Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa is Here!!” because we were bringing these kids Christmas gifts.  They all come from very poor families, and live in a rather poor neighborhood, and otherwise don’t receive any gifts.  Their excitement was contagious and quickly spread to the church group, made up of Americans and Brazilians.

    The kids sang for us, and then we taught them new songs and one team member had a puppet and told the kids a Christmas story about the first Christmas with the puppet.  The kids loved it!  There were smiles all around, as the kids waited in anticipation to get to take their presents home.  We were glad to share the real meaning of Christmas with them, as well as love on and give to those who have less than we do.

    We gave the kids a snack, and had a chance to play with them.  We sort of gave out the gifts to some kids, but they weren’t allowed to unwrap them.  Can you imagine 30+ 2-6 year olds all opening up Christmas gifts at once?  What chaos that would be… so we took photos with the kids we bought the gifts for, and when their parents got them, they took the gifts home to open.

    This visit to a project was a nice change for me.  I wasn’t leading it,which was different.  Almost everyone spoke Portuguese and English, so no translating for me either.  I wasn’t even interviewing the co-ordinators of the project or anything, as I usually do.  I was just free, absolutely free.I was able to play with the kids, photograph them playing, see their joy in receiving gifts, and be reminded that we give gifts to these kids just as the magi gave gifts to baby Jesus.  We, the rich, the middle class, the modern day magi, took time to give thoughtful gifts for these children, born into destitute situations.  Many come from broken families, born out of wedlock, the mother pregnant without being married, like little baby Jesus’ family was.  We never know who these children will grow up to be, like Jesus came from such a humble family’s beginnings, yet grew up to be the Savior of the World.  We give to kids we don’t even know, to kids we meet when we give the gift, in the same manner as the magi gave to a baby they had never met.  But the magi knew he was special.  Like we all know these kids are special.As we celebrate Christmas, we must not forget the real reason why we give gifts, and why we celebrate.  And if you have the opportunity to give an Angel Tree gift, or an Operation Christmas Child shoebox, or donate to a local homeless shelter, please take the opportunity you have to bless someone else and show them what Christmas is really all about.

  • 16 Nov

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Happiness Project {week 2}

    2

    This.  This kid makes me happy.  No, he’s not mine, he’s a friend’s kid.  But this kid can make me smile no matter how I am feeling.  He’s almost 3 and just keeps going and going.  We say he’s like the energizer bunny.

    Sometimes, when you pick him up while he is running, he keeps running in your arms, legs flailing, trying to run in the air.

    Sitting in his booster seat to eat, he’ll go “I’m trapped!  I’m trapped! Help me!!” and his mom will say he has to sit and eat a few more bites still.

    He asks his mom where me and my husband are regularly.  I stayed at his house for 6 weeks this summer, and now when I see him at church or elsewhere, and I say I’m going to go home, he asks if I am going to his home.  So cute!

    Thats my bit of happiness for this week!

    Photobucket

  • 22 May

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Dogs

    0

    Fairly frequently the dear child I work with will sing “Who let the dogs out? Who? Who?” Sometimes he screams it. A rather old song, but I have found the answer.

    While babysitting here for 2 boys and 2 big black labs, I was surprised one day to see the dogs run into the front yard. I was sure I had put them inside so we could play in the front without the dogs barking and eating the kids’ soccer balls.

    So my question was “Who let the dogs out?” Well, my dear autistic friend, I have the answer. No one. They let themselves out. Yes, one of the dogs has learned to open the front door, seen it happen myself, he pushes the lever with his paw.

    As for letting himself back into the house, well, he got that down today. I was downstairs with the kids, and I heard someone walking around upstairs. Not their grandma, she wasn’t due in for another 20 minutes. I went up and checked, sure enough, the dog had let himself inside the screen door. I had closed it and let the dogs out. And the dog let himself back in.

    Nothing profound. I just have an answer to the song I hear from my little buddy.