A Year of Figuring Out How To Be Broken

Broken.

I think that is what Jesus was calling us to be when he spoke these words.

Broken.

Poor. Mourning. Meek. Hungry. Thirsty. Persecuted.

Broken.

That is our calling, to be broken.

Everyday, we strive to be like Jesus. 

And here is the example he left for us: His ultimate act of love, his breaking.

His body, his spirit, his heart, he willingly let it all break, trusting his Father to restore.

Broken, but the most beautiful, pure act of love ever. 

And then in His own time, the Father did restore. He breathed beauty into that broken and a man rose from death and the Father revealed that this broken was a part of his plan all along. 

And humankind was shown how to love.

By breaking.

One year and two days ago, I met Florianlyn. 

And that day was full of joy, full of hope.

But when I arrived back at the hotel, then back in the city, and then back home, I broke.

Does breaking hurt?

Yes.

But I am so grateful for brokenness.

Nobody likes being broken. It's what you do with that brokenness that heals you.

I came home broken, with the pieces in my hands, frowning and wondering how on earth I was supposed to glue the pieces back together.

This year has been one of the best years of my life. 

I've learned that God will take the broken. He'll take all those shattered pieces and then something beautiful happens simply because you surrendered.

I've seen that Micah 6:8 only happens when you break. Because why would you act justly or love mercy or walk humbly if you weren't broken by not doing it? 

You have to break with the poor for your heart to really be with the poor. 

Broken is the best state to love.

Mostly, I've learned that brokenness was all part of my Father's plan all along.

Because only when we break like Jesus will we rise like Jesus.

The Broken

One year ago today, I stood smiling next to my family as my uncle snapped a photo of us, Taal Volcano quietly looming in the background amongst the swirling fog.

Saturday, July 23, 2011
In front of Taal Volcano

I wasn't prepared for the brokenness I would see in the coming days.

I had fair warning. I knew before hand about the poverty and the hopelessness and the empty eyes and the bowed heads. Heads bowed in hopeless shame, not heart-lifting prayer.

I saw the broken. I saw every shattered piece spewed all over that country.

And as I spoke to the broken, dined with the broken, as I entered the home of the broken, I broke.

And I found myself broken because when you make the broken your family, you realize you are broken too.

And that is a beautiful thing.

Broken like the hotel shuttle driver, chained in debt and sickness. Broken like the maid, trapped in the world of an illiterate woman. Broken like the slums and the people in it, with their dead animals and even deader eyes.

Broken like the body of Christ, hanging on that cross.

Because only when we are broken, does the Healer rain that healing rain.

If He has nothing to heal, how can he be the Healer?

Only when we have nothing, is the Sustainer our everything.

If we need more than only Him, how is He our everything? Is He then no more than just our portion?

Shattered, broken, weak. My Father promises that is when His power is made perfect.

Amongst the broken, the Almighty says "My grace is sufficient for you."

And I cling to this hope. My only hope.

---

Be broken, because that is beautiful. Sponsor a Child.

Apathy

apathy noun \'a-pə-thē\

1  : lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness

2  : lack of interest or concern : indifference

It's a poverty so deep that those enslaved by it don't even know they're trapped in it. It consumes you, gives you the illusion of happiness and control. 

When you cease to care. When you leave your kin, your brothers and sisters, just because they are poor and you do not want to help them. 

That is called apathy and that is a scary type of poverty that is hard to climb out of.

It's the impression that you're too cool to care. That the marginalized don't deserve your help. 

But as Ann Voskamp so eloquently points out in this must-read, the marginalized are your kindred. 

And how could you not care about your kindred? Your family. 

Another question: Where in the Bible does it say that it's okay to be apathetic?

More specific: Where in the Bible does it say it's okay to hoard everything for yourself and ignore the fact that your brothers and sisters are starving? Where does Jesus command you to climb the success ladder while your kin starves at the bottom?

Don't go digging in your Bibles to answer my questions. I'll give you the answer for free.

As far as I know, Jesus never says "practice apathy".

What he does say, is sell everything and give it to the poor.

Wait, what... Sell everything?

Take a look at this:

It's not about how much you do or do not give. It's your heart.

Jesus is all about your heart.

And I guess the point of this ramblin', get-all-this-out blog post is to say this: please, please, please. Apathy is an endless first-world trap. Don't fall into it.

What is Sponsorship?

Hope, it is exquisitely fragile and it is an exceptional force and it is essential to faith and you can't afford to lose it. -Ann Voskamp

This week, Ann has been blogging from Haiti, where she and her son are on a sponsor/advocate exposure trip.

They're visiting the Child Survival Program that her son, Caleb, funded.

Yes, that's right.

He funded the whole. program.

No big deal. ;)

If you have a bit of time, I'd really encourage you to go over to Ann's blog and read the past few posts about Haiti. Definitely worth the read. :)

Haiti's always been close to my heart, especially since the earthquake. One of our boys, Bell Bradley, is from Haiti:

He's a little more grown up now... This is an older picture. Haven't scanned his new one yet! ;)

We got a letter from Bell the other day. My heart broke as it said he is still just seeing a doctor about an operation he needs, he hasn't gotten it yet. My heart smiled as the letter told us he scored 85% on his 2nd term exams.

That's what sponsorship is. It's more than just handing money over every month. In fact, that's more of a side thing.

Sponsorship is the relationship. It's hurting when your child hurts and smiling when your child smiles. It's the prayer and the letters and the photos and the doing life together.

It's bringing a child into your life and teaching them and learning from them. Loving them and being loved by them. It's freeing them from their poverty as they free you from yours.

I love this {from Compassion Canada's magazine Compassion Today}:

Q: What is the one thing you'd like to tell your sponsor?

A: I want to let my sponsor know that I want to be as kind as he is to me so that I can also sponsor a poor child when I grow up. -Moses, Age 13, Ghana

That made my heart smile.

That is sponsorship.

It's breaking the cycle of poverty - economical poverty and spiritual poverty.

It's giving hope.

Because we can't afford to lose hope.

---

Don't lose hope: Sponsor a child!

Lessons From Summer School

The classroom is air conditioned. It's two times bigger than Florianlyn's house. The thirty or so students drink clear, clean water and eat their hearty lunches. They sit and complain to "Miss" about the strenuous work of class. Of school. Of getting an education.

"All people have the right to protection from obvious forms of injustice, such as violence, exploitation, abuse, and torture. They also have a right to have their basic survival needs met, to be free from the more subtle injustices of poverty, hunger, lack of health care, and environmental pollution. ... Everyone has the right to participate in those human activities that allow one to develop fully, such as an education."

The students read this from the civics textbook and answer questions on it and then they turn the page. Done.

Unaffected.

Because in the country that they're learning about, all those rights are met. Pretty much everyone has their "basic survival needs met". Barely anyone is hungry and everyone has healthcare. Education is something to be complained about, not cherished. If any of the above rights is violated, 9 times out of 10 the courts take care of it. If not, someone else takes care of it.

A few chapters later they learn about global citizenship.

Surprise.

Not everyone's rights are all lined up like ducks in a row.

64 years ago, the United Nations put together the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

It's all outlined there. The way every person deserves to be treated.

Yet every. single. one. of those rights is violated everyday. One is being violated right now, as you read this. A baby starves. A family has no place to live. A young girl is enslaved, her body being sold like a toy. 

Humans violate the rights of humans. The exact same rights that everybody has.

Don't they realize how easily it could've been switched? Don't they realize how easily they could've been on the other end, having their rights violated every day of their lives?

Apathy reigns in that classroom, just like in our world. 

And the only thing that's left to hold on to is the immense hope found in something eternal. In the words spoken by my Saviour: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." {John 16:33}

And how might He overcome the world? 

Truth is, He could do it by Himself. In the big-picture sort of view, He already has.

But the beautiful thing is, He calls you. He uses you. He reaches His hand into all the apathy and says, "Come, work with me."

And it's our job to reveal His love. To overcome this world with His love, His peace, His hope.

Ramblings and Stuff {Exciting Stuff!}

It's 8:00pm and the sun is still shining. I don't really have to wake up for any certain time tomorrow and my wardrobe for the next two months will consist of nothing other than shorts, t-shirts, TOMS and flip-flops except for during basketball clinic. NHL and NBA players create drama over free agency and the only sport on TV is baseball {ick. (no offence, baseball.)}. It's the kind of hot were you feel sticky and the only time of year when Canadians wish for winter.

It's summer. :)

And I'm actually kinda glad I'm doing summer school, cuz I'm bored already! ;) Haha.

18 {non-consecutive} days of summer school gets me a whole high school credit, so it's a pretty sweet deal. And one of my good friends is doing it with me, so it'll be a blast. ;)

Then there's a family road trip and hanging out with friends... and there goes my summer! :P

You know what I just realized the other day?

2012 is halfway over!

That was fast.

Anyways, that's what I have lined up for the summer in general, although I'm a girl who love spontaneous adventure, so who knows what I'll end up doing when I don't have anything planned? ;)

How about you, plans for the summer? (Or if you're American, what have you already done {since your summer is half way over!}?)

Alright, enough rambling, let me tell you about something really. really. exciting.

I know the whole summer stands in between us and this date, but mark your calendars for September 29th because that's the night of Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy.

What is that, might you ask?

Well, as most of you know, last summer my family and I took a trip to the Philippines. While there, we had the awesome opportunity to visit our Compassion Child, Florianlyn.

Florianlyn and I

When we were at her Child Development Centre, we found out that they were hoping to build a new building to hold the growing amount of children enrolling in the Centre, they were just awaiting funds.
        
Fast forward to us coming back home. My mom really felt that it would be amazing to help out in building the centre.
    

The plans for the new building.

Fast forward again and opportunity falls out of the sky {God's in the sky, you know?} and everything is slowing falling into place and on September 29, 2012, a classical-contemporary concert entitled Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy, will happen.

100% of the proceeds from the $20 ticket sales will go towards building a child development centre in Masbate, Philippines. And people can donate above and beyond and hopefully by the end of all this, we'll have enough to build a whole child development centre.

That's exciting.

But wanna know another exciting part of this whole thing?

Ann Voskamp {Yeah, she might've written a book. And it might have been a NY Times bestseller. And it might still be, almost a year later.} will be the guest speaker at this event. {Hence the "Eucharisteo" name, which means "to give thanks". "Eucharisteo" is the main theme or her blog and her book.} :)

Exciting, eh?

Now I know a lot of you blog readers don't live anywhere close to Toronto, so there's no possible way to attend. But you can still help us out! If you go to the concert website, click on the "Compassion International" tab, and scroll to the bottom, there's instructions on how to donate to this CDC.

If you do decide to take just enough and give so others can have enough, thank you. 

Also, we have a blog button that you can put on your blog/website. You can grab it at the bottom of the website, www.eucharisteo.ca. Let all you friends in and around Toronto know to come and support this great cause {and hear some pretty awesome music, too! ;)}

Yikes, that was a long one! Thanks for reading! :)