Seeds for the Fatherless

Fall Newsletter

2012-09-23T14:01:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since we last updated this blog. God has blessed us in many ways and we have been able to share those blessings with children and families close to home and in a few countries around the world. Our recent newsletter has been posted on our website at:

http://www.seedsforthefatherless.org/resources/Newsletter_Fall2012.pdf

At Seeds for the Fatherless, we believe that every child deserves the promise of hope, the power of faith, and the experience of being loved. If you share this belief, please consider whether you might be able to contribute financially to our ministry.

Celebrating Five Years of Ministry

2010-10-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

This month Seeds celebrates five years of ministry!

Learn more about our mission, the children we've helped, the families we've worked with, and the friends in ministry we've made by visiting our website (www.seedsforthefatherless.org) and downloading the Celebrating 5 Years document.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our success by praying, giving of time or talents, and giving financial contributions. The seeds you have planted have allowed Seeds to plant seeds of hope, seeds of faith, and seeds of love into the lives of children in the US, Mexico, India, Uganda, Kenya, Bulgaria, Poland, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Thailand, and maybe other places we don't even know about! And the most exciting part is that our ministry continues to prosper and expand as God continues to show us favor and blessing.

Responding with Urgency

2009-10-12T20:39:00.003-05:00

"If you read in the newspaper about hundreds of children dying of malnutrition in a famine in Africa, you might pause for a moment of genuine sadness -- but wouldn't you finally turn the page, read the sports section, check the TV listing, and go about your daily routine? But imagine for a moment that you somehow discovered one of these starving African children dying on your front doorstep the very next morning as you left for church? Would you not stop everything, pick up the child, and rush her to the emergency room, offering to pay whatever it might cost to save her life? You would almost certainly respond with urgency as one human being to another, and that faraway famine you had read about the night before would very suddenly become intensely personal. You see, our problem is that the plight of suffering children in a far-off land simply hasn't gotten personal for us. We may hear about them with sorrow, but we haven't really been able to look at them as if they were our own children. If we could, then we would surely grieve more deeply in our spirits. We would weep for their parents, and we would respond with a far greater urgency."

This entry is a quote from Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S., found on page 108 of his 2009 book entitled Hole in Our Gospel.

Stretch My Vision

2008-05-04T10:30:00.001-05:00

I encourage you first to read the lines below as you would read a poem. Then, when you have finished, if these words have quickened your spirit -- Read them again, but this time aloud as a prayer!

Stretch My Vision

For the orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless who have been:
neglected instead of loved,

hurt instead of protected,

crushed instead of encouraged, and

cursed instead of blessed

For these children Lord:
I desire redemption and salvation,

I want them to know Your life and light and love,

I want them to have the hope of the resurrected life not despair,

I want them to walk in Your power instead of in helplessness

For these children Lord:
I call upon Your blessings and Your favor to fall upon them,

I want them to hear of Jesus, trust Jesus with their life, and receive His grace,
I will be filled with joy when they receive healing, help, and hope,

I seek to see them delivered into a life of freedom and grace

For Your glory my Heavenly Father:
Open my heart up to be filled with an increased measure of Your Grace,

No longer allow me to turn my eyes away from these children but instead let me see Your pain in their gaze,

No more will I react out of guilt but allow my giving to flow out of loving compassion,

Guide me in planting seeds of faith, seeds of hope, and seeds of love into their hearts and lives

By Your Grace and Mercy:
Stir within my heart Jesus' love for children who have been discarded by the world,

Spring forth from my mouth the words of affirmation You, Heavenly Father, have for children who have been discarded by the world,

Shake lose the chains from my hands that have kept me from comforting the children who have been discarded by the world, and

Stretch my vision to see back to the cross when Jesus was discarded by the world

Sometimes

2008-03-16T00:52:00.005-05:00

Sometimes we complicate the simple,
and sometimes we overly simplify the complicated.

Sometimes we think when we need to trust,
and sometimes we trust too much in what others think.

Sometimes we speak words of faith,
and sometimes we doubt the very words we speak.

Sometimes we rush out to do God's work,
and sometimes we are in a rush for God to finish His work.

Sometimes our lives make sense,
and sometimes we can't make sense of our lives.

Sometimes we have faith enough to overcome doubt,
and sometimes we doubt we will ever have enough faith.

Sometimes we are still and wait on God,
and sometimes God is still waiting for us to listen.

Sometimes we hear with our heart,
and sometimes we don't have the heart to hear the truth.

Sometimes we do what God has told us to forget,
and sometimes we forget what God has told us to do.

"The LORD God has told us what is right and what He demands. 'See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern and humbly obey your God." (Micah 6:8, CEV)

Now That You've Looked

2008-02-27T07:44:00.005-06:00

When you hear them call "mommy"
When you hear them call "daddy"
What are you going to do?

You know they aren't calling for you.
But the ones they cry out for,
aren't there anymore.
What are you going to do?

The children, they've been there for days,
for weeks. They are poor. They are helpless.
They are hopeless.
What are you going to do?

Are you going to look away,
face the problem another day?
If you don't allow yourself to mentally go there,
you can once again avoid the cold, desperate child's stare.
What are you going to do?

This is not another emotional plea
based on guilt and shame.
The only question is:
What are you going to do in Jesus' name?

We need to face the problem,
and the problem is not the children.
The faces of the children, they force you and me to see,
the problem lies within you and me.
So, now what are you going to do in His name?

Now that you've looked the child in the face,
and seen the eyes looking back at you,
and realized the child is no different from you,
this child needs to be loved too.

The Plate Makers

2008-02-16T19:03:00.007-06:00

One of the things God wants to show in this ministry is that it is possible for ordinary believers to make a difference even if they don't travel to far away places. There is an important role to be played in the area of helps. Just as God has gifted some people for the ministry of helps, He has called Seeds for the Fatherless to operate in the area of helps.

We may not be the evangelist who brings the children to Christ. We may not be the preacher who shares the Word with them. We may not be the teacher who explains the Bible to them. We may not be the missionary who prays with them and sees them healed. We may not be or directly do any of those things, but we can help to make them happen. This does not mean that we can't or won't ever go or do those things, but our primary function is to help others who have been called to be God's hands and feet. What a great and powerful ministry to be able to help other Christians serve Christ!

In the eyes of the world, the "middle man" is looked down upon. In fact, some may say, "Why should we give to you, when you don't provide any direct services?" You see, the world does not appreciate the humble people who serve in roles where there is no glory.

To illustrate the point, imagine eating in a fine restaurant. The chef prepares wonderful food. The waitress brings the food to the customers at the table. The people eating comment on the presentation and taste of the food. They may send their compliments back to the chef. They will tell their friends about the wonderful meal. They tip the waitress as a sign of their appreciation for her role in making a pleasant dining experience. They may even tell their friends about the friendly and competent waitress. The one thing few, if any, of them will think about is the plate on which the food was served. Somewhere far away from the restaurant someone made the plate. The plate was crucial to having a successful and memorable dining experience. The fact that when people tell the story they don't give any credit to the one who made the plate does not make the plate any less important or valuable to the experience.

You see, God provides the food to feed the spiritually hungry and needy orphaned, fatherless, and abandoned children. Missionaries, pastors, and others are in these places talking to, sharing with, and serving the food (spiritual, emotional, and physical) to the children. Far away, we at Seeds have been blessed to help provide plates to make these "meals" possible for at least some of these children.

At Seeds, we are ordinary Christians who may never see these children smile, hear their voices of gratitude, or feel the touch of their hugs of love. We are ordinary Christians with everyday lives in places far away from most of these children. Seeds is made up of Christians who believe they can change the world by giving financially to this ministry and by praying faithfully. And do you know what? These ordinary Christians -- changed the world!

The world and the children may never know who planted those seeds of faith, seeds of hope, and seeds of love, but God above knows and He rewards His humble servants. God gives eternal rewards to the plate makers. Does God want you to be one of the plate makers?

The Water's Edge

2008-02-01T18:03:00.001-06:00

My chains are gone, I've been set free.
Father, grant me the pleasure and meet with me.
Draw me in to where You are.
Don't let me stray and go afar
from where Your grace and mercy rest.
Give me the courage to face the tests
and the strength to make it to the other side.
Your Spirit is the power working on the inside.
Your Son the tower of refuge I need.
You, Father, give me wise words to heed.
Lead me to the water's edge
for that is where effort ends and trust begins.

Individually and corporately to become what we are called to be, we must come to the water's edge. We don't want to be just another organization. We want to be an agent for transformation. We want to be a part of transforming the hearts, minds, and spirits of these children as well as transforming the hearts, minds, and spirits of ordinary believers so that they feel a stirring in their hearts to become part of something beyond their comprehension and to feel a spiritual connection with the heart of Jesus for the children who have been discarded by the world. Let us meet the Father together at the water's edge.

Defining Moments

2008-01-28T20:07:00.000-06:00

In a one week period this month, Mama Carmen welcomed 15 children into the Casa Hogar Sion family. Five of the most recent children to come to live at this orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico are Felipe (11 years old), Mario (10 years old), Jon Carlos (6 years old), Lupe (5 years old), and Rubi (age unknown 1-2 years old). Some of these children will live their lives with no memories of what life was like before coming to live at the orphanage. However, some of these children are old enough that they will remember the day they first came to the orphanage. The first day at Casa Hogar Sion will mark a defining moment in their lives.

Each of us can recall defining moments from our past. Moments after which your life changed and would never be the same. Some of these moments were filled with pain and sorrow. Some of these moments were filled with joy and celebration.

I remember the defining moment when the Lord placed a burden on my heart for a group of children I had never seen. This burden led to a vision of the ministry of Seeds for the Fatherless. The responsibility that came with this vision placed a demand on my life, my time, and my priorities. I have been blessed and encouraged by the number of people who have decided to embrace this vision to honor Jesus Christ by sharing His love by caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children close to home and far away.

Little Rubi's life will be forever changed because she has been taken in by Mama Carmen and Jorge to live at Casa Hogar Sion. Not all of us will be able to go visit her and the many other children like her living in the thousands of orphanages around the world. We are not all called to go to foreign countries, but Seeds believes we are all called to help these children. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27, NIV). We may not all be called to go, but we are all called to help.

The Pruning Shears of Truth

2008-01-18T20:02:00.000-06:00

When we have the opportunity to speak into the lives of children, we must avoid the danger of being overly critical, which can lead to hopelessness and self-deprecation. But we also must avoid the danger of lavishing false praise, which can lead to arrogance and an unrealistic sense of self-importance and self-efficacy. Perhaps more than anyone else, children need to hear the truth in love. But if they don't see, hear, and know your love for them, then the truth they hear may not be true at all.

How many father-son and father-daughter relationships have been destroyed, not by what was said, but by what was heard? What if these fathers had planted the seed of love and cultivated it before planting the seed of truth?

Truth spoken into a heart filled with pain, shame, doubt, fear, and insecurity is ripe for rejection unless the child hears the love in the truth being spoken. Truth spoken in love and received by children who know they are loved is ripe to yield the fruit of godly change.

If you grow the tree with love, when the time comes to separate the bad fruit from the good fruit, the pruning shears of truth are less likely to destroy the tree.

A Father Into A Man

2007-12-27T20:24:00.000-06:00

There is a paragraph in Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength, where he is reflecting on the time he and his dad spent together. The paragraph ends like this, "I knew I was spending as much time as I could with my kids, but compared to my dad, it just didn't seem like I was doing enough. I was grateful for the times we had shared as a family but I was disappointed in myself" (p. 232).

It is better to be a disappointed father than a father who is a disappointment to his child. As fathers, we should be aware of the danger we ourselves face. Disappointment can lead to discouragement. Discouragement can lead to despair. Despair can lead to disengagement. Disengagement can lead to detachment. Detachment can lead to destruction. Destruction can lead to the death of the relationship. A dead relationship means the father is no longer contributing positively to the growth of the child, nurturing life within the child, or encouraging the child to be fruitful in life -- the father has become a disappointment to his child. When a father is disappointed in himself, this is a call to humble himself before God and seek His strength to change before he allows the disappointment within himself to change him from being identified as the child's father into a man his child identifies as a disappointment of a father.

It Is Too Big A Job

2007-11-23T20:07:00.000-06:00

One minute a little boy's room is clean and tidy. But 10 minutes later his dad looks in and there are toys everywhere! The dad tells the son to clean up the mess. Later dad returns to find the mess still there. The little boy asks his dad to help him pick up. When asked why he needs help, the boy says, "It is just too big a job. I don't know where to start." His dad begins suggesting things to pick up and the boy does. Pretty soon the room once again has order and is tidy. Everything is back in its proper place. The son and father can now go about doing other things together with the rest of their day.

How often is the same true for us when we look around the world and see the problems facing orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children? The situation seems overwhelming. The job just seems too big. We wonder where to begin, and we may even wonder if it matters at all because the job looks impossible to complete. So, sometimes we just sit and look at the situation. We sit knowing we are supposed to act, but feeling to overwhelmed and helpless to even begin doing anything. After all, what are you supposed to do? Travel to Africa and live in a refugee camp handing out food? Save up thousands of dollars and wait several years to adopt a child from overseas? Open your home with your young children to bring in a local foster child who has a history of violent behavior? Even if you did all three of these things, the situation in the world would still look just the same; it would look as if nothing had changed. So, you can reason to yourself that there is nothing you can do to make a difference. Yet, in your heart, you know that you are wrong.

True, you probably aren't going to be the person who changes the world all on your own; however, you could be the person who faithfully prays to the One who created the world and who loves every child born into it. Right now, you could decide to pray for one child for the next 3 days or 7 days or 30 days. Just pick a country and then pray something like, "Heavenly Father, there is a little boy in Bolivia who has no one to care for him. He is all alone and struggling for his physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I don't know his name. I don't know what he looks like. But I know You do. I know You know Him and call Him by name. My prayer Heavenly Father is that You will supernaturally bring someone into his life to share with him, or that You will reveal to him in some way, the reality that You want to be his strength and his shield and that if he trusts his heart to You that You will not leave or forsake him but You will be his help and salvation. I pray that You will hear and answer my prayer offered selflessly on his behalf. I thank You that in time this little boy's heart will leap for joy and he will give thanks to You in song. I know You are faithful and a God of grace and mercy. Please bless this little boy and keep Him in Your care and protection. May no harm come to him this day or night. May You be glorified and receive honor and praise in answering Your child's prayer offered in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen."

As you become faithful in praying for this child and others like him, I believe your heart will become softer and your spirit more open to other ways God wants you to participate in His work to bring about justice for these children. As more of God's heart for these children takes root in your heart, you will find yourself more ready and able to respond to God's promptings to help in other tangible ways in the physical, material world.

When you shift your focus from the situation in its entirety to the situation of a single child, I believe you'll know a greater sense of empowerment to bring about change in the spiritual and physical reality. Prayer makes for preparedness. Preparedness fosters responsiveness. Responsiveness leads to action. Action causes change. Prayer changes you, and God changes the world -- one answered prayer for one child at a time.

Remember Me

2007-11-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

This morning I am reminded of the many children who do not have a parent praying for them every night before bed and as they go off to school. Who is going to remember to pray from them? I see in my mind's eye the faces of desperate children from around the world. Their faces and eyes are saying "Remember me....Please remember me." I know God is watching over these children, but I can't imagine this is what He really wants for them in their lives. I can't help but to think that each day He watches us forgetting these children as we go about the busyness of our own days that His heart aches just a little more. Some of those children maybe are praising the Heavenly Father in the midst of the storm as they find reasons, however small, to be grateful and smile. But how many of these children are cursing Him during the storm? How many are doubting Him and His promises? How many are building up anger and bitterness toward Him? How can we continue to let this happen? What shall we do? How shall we answer His call to righteousness and justice for these children? How far are we willing to walk alongside the Lord in being a defender for the orphans?

Hardened by Heartache

2007-09-28T20:16:00.001-05:00

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10, NIV). How bittersweet is the promise that even when the two people in this world who should love you the most and be focused on encouraging and caring for you turn away from you that the Lord waits and greets you with open arms. The sting of parental rejection, with its loathsome self-deprecation, persists until anointed with the healing balm of unconditional love and acceptance. When the abandoned child is received by the Lord, he finally has the answer to the question he has been asking ever since his daddy left— “What is wrong with me?” The Lord answers this haunting question -- “Nothing, my son. I have loved you since the moment I gave you life. I delight in your very existence.” When God receives a child, He provides affirmation and consolation to a heart that has been hardened by heartache.

Seed of Compassion

2007-09-26T20:10:00.000-05:00

To you this child is a nameless face, but our Heavenly Father calls her by name. He has counted the very hairs on her head. He has been there to capture the tears she has shed. He has heard her cries of anguish and confusion. But He has also heard her laughter and seen her smile. He has loved her from the beginning. To Him, she is precious. He has a purpose for her life. Where many see only a poor girl left to live in an orphanage in Mexico, God sees a blessing. What do you see?

My prayer is that today you will ask God to plant a seed of compassion within your heart and as this seed is nurtured and grows that your heart becomes broken and tender towards orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children all around the world.

I encourage you to ask God to teach you that there are no nameless children; there are only children whose names you do not know. Ask Him to teach you to love these children like Jesus loves them. The seed of compassion that blooms for the world to see is a beautiful expression of Christ's love.

A Seed is Planted

2007-09-20T18:16:00.000-05:00

Really? This was my initial reaction when one of the board of directors suggested I create a blog for our ministry. I have never really understood blogging and had no plans of becoming a "blogger." Yet, here I am, planting the first seed for our blog. Hopefully this blog will give you a glimpse into the heart of Seeds for the Fatherless which we pray is a reflection of the heart that our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ has for the orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children around the world. More than two years ago, I was blessed to be able to put down in words what the Lord was doing in my heart, mind, and spirit with respect to these children. The poem is called "Always their Faces."