in remembrance

i finished the book 7  in november.

it revitalized something and spoke to a very deep place inside of me.  i immediately put jen's book "interrupted" on hold at the library.  it was available this last week and i'm devouring it.

one of her chapters on communion was so profound to me, i just have to share it.

Not only was communion a symbolic ritual, it was a new prototype of discipleship.  "Continuously make My sacrifice real by doing this very thing.  Become broken and poured out for the hopeless people.  Become a living offering, denying yourself for the salvation and restoration of humanity."  Obedience to Jesus' command is more than looking backward: it's a present and continuous replication of His sacrifice.  We don't simply remember the meal, we become the meal.

basically, when Jesus said "Do this in remembrance of Me." He wasn't just talking about eating crackers and drinking grape juice.  He was calling us to serve as He served, to be broken and spilled out for the last and the least and the hopeless, just as He was broken and spilled out.  

i'm sort of reeling from all of this.  how, Lord?  how can i do this?  i have three small kids, i'm trying to teach one of them to read and write, i'd like to keep my toilets sort of clean.  how can I be broken for the lost right where i am? 

and sometimes, it feels paralyzing.  i can't just spend my days searching for people who need a warm meal, who need to hear of hope.  i have children and a husband that i want and need to pour into.  i so desperately want to be able to do both.  

and i trust that in time, the Holy Spirit will help me navigate these waters.  allowing me to be a firm and safe foundation for my kids and husband, while also being more aware and present in sacrificing for the last and the least. 

in the mean time, i already know that creating jobs brings hope.  and i know that being a part of a solution to keep kids from dying of smoke inhalation is most definitely a part of bringing God's kingdom here.  

and luckily, i know of some women who are fighting for jobs.  fighting with their passion and with their time.  fighting with their talents and their sacrifices.  i believe in what they do.  

so i'm joining theadventureproject in their efforts again.  we want to get a stove in the hands of 2000 families. 

and you remember all the amazing benefits of the coal efficient stoves right?  

-with coal, there is less smoke.  wood smoke kills children.  

-coal is cheaper and more efficient, freeing up time and money for these families.  they can get a second job, they can send their kiddo to school.

i started a campaign here.  my goal is $120 dollars.  donate 5, 10, or 20 bucks and my prayer is  that it will all add up to 6 stoves built and 6 families lives changed.  

if i raise 60 bucks i might get to go to haiti with the adventure project and watch the stoves being built and see the men and women who sell these stoves and the families who use these stoves! 

in the face of extreme poverty, when being blindsided with the astounding statistics of the last, the least, and the hopeless,  let's not shrink back because we don't know where to start, or because we worry about serving in the exact right way.  let's take a step towards sacrificing for the least, let's do something in remembrance of Him. 

thanks for joining me in the fight.

love ya'll.