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Thursday, September 17, 2015

Where are my KEYs?

Something I take for granted, as long as they are close to me, are my keys.  I personally hate having them in my pockets so they always end up in my backpack or tossed in a basket.  I must have at least ten keys on my key ring and it would take me a bit to figure out which one goes to what but carry them I must.  One exception to this rule is when I travel.  I have no need for keys when I travel so I abandon them on my desk to be left but never forgotten.  Without them close by, my mind often franticly does a search for them.  Which pocket of my bags are they in?  Were did I last have them?  On and on my mind will repeat this as I go from one place to another.  Its like a strange invisible umbilical cord that attaches me to them. It is amazing to me how keys have become such a part of my anatomy.  Its a strange feeling, as though I need to know that I can lock myself in or out, open a door or turn the ignition on and speed away.  So here I fly to Eastern Europe again with this nagging feeling that I need them but in reality I have no need for them at all. What I need more than to open a physical door or to turn on a car, is the assurance that my God has spiritual doors waiting to be opened that I can walk through.   Maybe today my need for keys are just a personal need to control the doors I want opened.  Whatever the case, today I release that control to God and Go in faith.   He holds the keys and I look forward to the journey and the wide open doors...  

1 Corinthians 2:9  However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"   James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Vision for the Children International - What have we been up to? Sept 2015







I am excited to share with you some incredible updates!  Thank you so much for your ongoing support of our ministry. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible. Three years ago, the realities of what it was like for a child to live in an orphanage and the poor conditions they would live in afterwards, forced us to take a hard look at how we dealt with our world orphan crisis.  What we found, was that according to UNICEF over 80 percent of children classified as orphans have a living parent. This is a tragic statistic!  How could we strengthen families and keep children from ending up in orphanages?
Vision for the Children International was launched because we knew we couldn’t keep walking by these vulnerable children. We needed to find a way to change the conditions which forced parents to abandon their children to a hopeless future, simply because they lived in an environment which gave them no other option.  VFTCI now focuses on 4 main areas of ministry that are having a significant impact; Rescue, Education, Outreach and Awareness. 

Check out these highlights from the last couple of years that you made possible:
2012 We turned a dark cold Armenian school with no electricity into a vibrant welcoming school with electricity for computers and modern kitchen that now serves two meals a day to needy children. 
2013 We launched an Abandoned Mothers with Children Shelter – Rescuing and rehabilitating 9 mothers and 14 children so far.
2014 We co-founded an International NGO called KERA to administer the shelter.
2014 We began supporting and expanding an after school program.  This program is providing a safe environment for education, English classes and over 4000 healthy meals for impoverished children.
2014 We also launched a computer education lab with 6 computers that provide necessary access to computer programs, internet and research capabilities for kids to succeed in School.  
2014 - 2015 We began to look at ways to expand outreach into communities and villages. This lead to the support of outreach programs that included missions trips, children's summer camps, holiday events and weekly Kids Programs.  These programs allow us to continually build relationships, expand existing programs and provide relational support to children and families.

We are continuing to see incredible progress in our programs and are preparing for ongoing growth and expansion. It is exciting to see the hard labor of the last three years begin to grow and flourish.
Last week, Monique and I took a little time to give blood at our church.   What struck me this time was the reality that just 30 minutes of my time and a small amount of blood had the ability to save three lives.  For me it was incredible realization that so little effort on my part could have such a lasting impact on someone’s future.  Just like giving blood, your regular investment and support, has this same ability to radically change the future of a child! Would you take a moment and consider a financial gift today or signup for a monthly recurring gift?  With your regular monthly giving, it makes it possible for us to wisely plan and budget for the future of each of our programs. Consider using our secure online giving at www.VFTCI.org.  With your ongoing help this vision of proactive care will continue to have long term impact that will break cycles of abandonment and broken families for many generations.