How Can I Better Serve Thee, Lord?

In a recent letter to family and friends, Lt. Colonel Jolene Hodder, the Territorial Secretary for Women's Ministries in Kenya wrote the following:

"Our next stop was the Joy-town Primary School, an Army home for approximately 130 physically-challenged children. Our emotions there bounced between deep sadness and high joy. We went into a room in which the most severely handicapped children are loved and cared for. Many of them just lay on floor mats, wiggling and squirming in delight upon seeing visitors. I blinked back my tears as I knelt down to speak to them. When I stood up, a young girl grabbed me and we hugged each other. I learned later that she is an officer’s child. Each precious child has a compelling story to tell. One child had been hit by a train; only the head and trunk of his body remain. Nevertheless, he is doing quite well in his studies. We met many other children without some limbs, and all were disfigured.

I suppose there are some who might say (pointing to the children) that a loving God must be an illusion. If God were real, they would ask, how could he allow such tragedy and pain? But by the time we left Joy-town, we saw a thousand evidences of the presence of our loving God. The smiles and laughter of the children were clear signs that they are being loved and cared for by God himself and his helpers. And the helpers are saints--smartly dressed, competent, patient, and full-of-love saints. Now each time I hear that God has taken one of these dear children home to be with Him, the women's department is going to make sure that the family can afford a proper burial, one fit for a child of the King.

We then visited the Joy-town Secondary School for 142 physically handicapped children. Each beautiful teenager we saw is a demonstration of God’s love. When trophies were presented to students for their successful participation in national sports events, district and zonal music festivals, and district and zonal science competitions, we saw each teen as a trophy of God’s grace. What those young people have accomplished against all odds is nothing short of amazing. What, we wondered, would the members of those families and communities who had abandoned their children think and say if they had witnessed the awards' ceremony and heard of the remarkable accomplishments? In many cases, these young people are becoming what their family members can only dream of becoming. These human castaways have become God’s precious treasures."

I have to think about that...

What a challenge to serve God in a situation such as this. Yet in some ways it may be easier to serve God in the face of such obvious challenges - I wonder if it is any easier to figure out what to do for others when the challenges are obvious verses what we face in our local communities."

Think about it.

Look at Luke 4:18. Jesus read His mission statement in the words of Isaiah, the prophet:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the down trodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Are there blind people in your community? Are there prisoners, captives, or down trodden? Are there people who need to hear the good news? Are there poor people? They may not be as obvious as they are in Kenya, but they are there. How do you reach them and reach them effectively?

Women’s ministries encourage you to be creative in your approach to meeting needs. Start with identifying and inviting a few godly women to join you and pray. Pray for your corps ministry and what you are already doing. Ask God to show how you can do it more effectively and how you can do more for His sake. See where God leads you and be sure to obey! You will be blessed!

WOW!