HOPE TO THE HOPELESS
One of the things I love about the internet and the blogging world is that it has allowed me to connect with people that I never have ever would have had a chance of meeting any other way. In fact, its through that means that God has orchestrated my upcoming trip to Swaziland.
.
God has also used the internet to let me "meet" a really incredible young woman that I want you to get to know. Casey Wells is on staff in Swaziland with ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS doing a variety of things including helping run a guest house for visiting short-term missons, getting a business off the ground that will benefit Swazi craftspeople, and spending time loving on orphans...one of her very favorite things to do.
Casey's blog is a record of her physical journey to Swaziland and her life there, but its also a record of her spiritual journey and what God is teaching her as she strives to be an authentic follwer of Jesus Christ...not just loving in word, but in deed as well.
A few months back, Casey wrote about the desperation of the Swazi situation but she also wrote about hope. She has graciously permitted me to share this with you here at Graceland:
I have been struggling with this whole concept of giving away hope... I am surrounded by a nation that is completely hopeless. A nation that is slowly disappearing. It is one of the most beautiful places, full of mountains and nature, yet the people are dying. They have no hope for today let alone for the future.
It is easy to give hope to one person. To bring joy into someone's life for one day, one moment. But how do you change an entire nation? How do you turn things around so that they can have a hope and a future; When the future doesn't even look like it will exist? When people don't expect to live until they are thirty. They are living only for today. How do you do that? How do you change a nation?
There can really be only one answer ~ a relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing else has worked, and nothing else will. It's not about my 'religion' or my culture, because those things havn't worked, people have tried. It is only people truly coming into a relationship with the Lord, where they know His word and can hear His voice. We need to stop telling people and start showing people. It's not about converts, it's about true disciples - brothers and sisters. It's about helping meet their needs of today, giving them the tools and knowledge to be able to provide for themselves so that they can live the kind of full and happy life that God wants for them for eternity, not just today.
It's time to start changing our own cultures. It's time to pick up the good from what we've learned from our cultures, and leave behind the rest. It is time to have a 'Kingdom Culture'. To have a culture that is worthy of the name that we carry. . . for we are to be the living example.
.
Please pray for Casey as she seeks to do whatever it takes to obey the call of God on her life and love others around her as Jesus would have her love them.
.
Related links:
4 comments:
I was blessed to find yours and then Casey's blogs. My daughters have been called to Africa and will begin the journey with a 2 month stay at an orphange this spring. Stories like yours and Casey's give me hope and encouragement to carry on with the mission. Thank you and God bless.
Just wanted everyone to know that I only deleted the second comment because it was a repeat. Didn't want anyone to think that there was anything inappropriate.
That is awesome Julee Ann! I can remember how excited my mom was for me when I left for Africa as a 22 year old nearly 20 years ago. I hope that their time in Africa is as incredible as my 2 years were. They were definitely some of the most fun and rewarding days of my life.
Contact me if I can be of any help (or encouragement) and if they have a newsletter mailing list, I'd love to be on it! :)
Post a Comment