dancing in the dark

As the SSE/Vineyard team left just a couple of days ago, they ended their time with dancing as well, but on one of their properties. They invited all of us and it was fun to hang out with the group and just enjoy without being responsible.

I have come to realize that my oldest daughter, Sarah, is bold and strong and very courageous. This is a great mix for a future leader, but boy, I tell you, in a twelve year old it can also be a perfect mix for lots of prayer for her parents!! :) After the dancing show, they invite others in the audience to come out and dance with them, their tribal dancing at that.....

This was an unusually shy group and there was not movement towards the floor, so Sarah got up and for about twenty minutes joined the tribal dancers and "went to town". I have to admit, she was amazing and had some good moves. That is her in the second picture, it is dark, but if you look closely, you can see some action "still photo" shots..... It is in these moments that I look at her and love that she is not afraid to start something even when others are not joining in..... I love her.

This last photo is of John and some great friends, Daniel and Ibro. We are grateful for both of these men as they have encouraged and loved on our family in desperate times and in just fellowship times.

In the end, the group did come out and join in on the fun (that is the first photo).

FYI, Sami's birthday was yesterday, but we will talk about it tomorrow due to her school party is today.

widows outreach

Last night, as a ministry, we went to give some widows in the Kissayhip village a photo of themselves that was taken awhile back with the Next Chapter team that came to serve alongside of us.

We went around 5pm, hoping to catch them in their home area verses in the fields. The desire was to return the photo (which by the way, they all loved the picture of themselves - they truly are beautiful), and then invite them to a future (Nov. 28th) meeting time for fellowship, prayer, small items hopefully for their family to help provide for Christmas and a teaching time.

As our journey continued from village hut to village hut the kids followed and grew in size and number. These photos are just some of the views we saw on our walk.

When we entered one little pod area looking for the widow who lived there, she was not there but these two boys were pounding and grinding some grain that will be used for majority of their food. They are holding what is called "pistons" and then they use those to beat whatever might be in the bowl. It is a very common site here to say the least. It is mostly used to pound yams. That is the first picture.

The second snap is just two pet pigs that were on their leashes, just hanging out and eating.... I can only imagine what their future holds....

The last photo is of our line of baturi and village children. I know I say this every time I am out in the village, but it is one of my favorite places to minister. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE the kids at OLA, but there is something different about the village. Ahhhh, someday you will see....

one block at a time

No matter where you live and what church you attend, there is going to be talk of a new building in the works, or at least eventually. Our little village church is raising funds to construct a newer one. One that can fit the people who are attending the Sunday services.

We have outgrown the old one. So, there have been some foundational blocks donated by a supporter in the USA for a matching program/grant with the village to encourage their involvement. Here is a picture to show the beginning of how a church building is raised here in Jos. Same idea, but plays out in a different way.....

rumpke

I cannot remember if I have shown you before one of our "Rumpke" sights, here in Nigeria? You can find in seemingly random spots, large piles of garbage to the side of the road. Here is one of those spots. This is just five minutes down our road. Of course we have a similar pile like this next door.....

adopting the moment

As I was mentioning this yesterday, the Lord has really been taking me back to the heart of this ministry. The reason why we are here doing what we are doing. It is not that I have truly forgotten, but sometimes an "emotional" jumpstart triggers a deeper understanding.

I was reading a new blog just a few days ago and this woman was writing about how she has adopted and the ups and downs of it. Here is an excerpt of what she wrote:

"and every single day, it is worth it. Because ADOPTION is God's heart. He sets the lonely in families. Adoption is the reason that I can come before God's throne and beg Him for mercy, because HE predestined me to be adopted as His child through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

My family, adopting these children, it is not optional. It is not my good deed for the day. It is not what I am doing to "help these poor kids out." I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress. I adopt because to whom much has been given, much will be demanded. I adopt because whoever finds his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for HIS sake will find it.

Some days, my friends, it is not easy. Today, it is not easy. The HURT in my daughters' hearts is big and real and as their mother, I want to fix it and know that I CAN'T. So I lay it at the feet of my Father and rejoice to know that if we are children, then we are heirs - of God and co - heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings - in order that we may also share in His glory. And I call out to the Holy Spirit knowing that He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for us.

Adoption is beautiful. Adoption is hard. Adoption is the Gospel of Christ and the promise of God's love and redemption lived out in our lives."

I know that was a long excerpt, but for me it was an important excerpt. Now, I am not telling everyone that you must go out and adopt, and I am not trying to trivialize anyone's adoption experience by what I am about to say.

Even though as a ministry we don't find a home and place a child type of adoption, we do adopt moments.

We adopt each time we have a child in front of us, anytime we do some action that will benefit the neglected or orphan child. We adopt when we travel hundreds of miles to laugh and sing and play with that specific child the Lord has chosen to bless us with, in front of us. So many people have chosen to "adopt in the moment." These pictures you see are just some examples, some who have made the decision.

John and I are continually adopting the moment because we believe the promises of God are real. We believe that we are living out those promises for the Fatherless. These photos to the left and right are examples of people who have made that choice alongside of us.

No, John and I have not physically adopted a child into our Guckenberger home. BUT, we adopt children daily into the Guckenberger hearts. It is by God's grace that He uses us to love children back to life and where we cannot and are not able it will be HIM who will do it. We can only stand in the gap for the moment, we can speak for these children when they don't have voices of their own. So daily, we trust, we cling to His promises and I, personally, believe HIM.

two new kids

I wanted to introduce to you all two new children that are now finding OLA their new home.

When we went yesterday, we had the privilege to meet Susanna (she is below). She is four years old and she moved in on Saturday. Of course, "moving in" does not mean what we think. It means for Susanna that she was taken away from her mother who had gone crazy and stopped caring for her awhile ago. It means that without prior knowledge to this four year old, she was taken to this children's home to be fed and looked after and in some ways, loved on for the first time in a long time. It had been reported that others found that little Susanna had stopped being cared for and that she wasn't eating or people found her looking for food anywhere she could find it. When others came to investigate, they had realized that her mother had gone mad and was no longer caring for her daughter. Susanna was caring for herself and as best as she could, and she was caring for her mother as well.

Please pray for her because since she has come to the home, she has not said a word to anybody. Nothing, not one peep. Not one complaint, not one tear, not one acknowledgement of changes in her daily life.

Sami (our youngest) played Legos with her almost the whole hour we were there. She engaged a bit, but not with enthusiasm nor joy. Our hearts were motivated by love to encourage her, but she is just a four year old girl who probably does not understand that for the time being, this home is her best interest. All she knows is that she is with strangers and that her mother is not a part of her daily life. Please pray for her. That she will allow God to put back some pieces that have been torn off of her heart at way too early of an age. That she will see us "strangers" eventually as friends she can trust and maybe move forward to beginning to trust God.

Of course, I have shown you this picture of Joseph before, but it is the best one I have, so please pray for him as well. He is probably about 4 or 5 weeks old now. His mother died while giving birth to him. From what we have been told, she was "way too young" to be having children and a boy (again, way too young to be producing children) is the father, who doesn't even really understand what that means. When the mother died, her parents did the best they could to care for little Joseph for about the first two weeks. At that point, they realized they were not able to care for him in a way that was healthy. So little Joseph found his home at OLA, in the hospital section until he is strong enough to cross to the orphanage side. They have told me that it will be in about three more weeks.

Joseph came in very malnourished and weak, almost not able to survive the day. BUT, praise God for the grandparents who had the wisdom to bring him in before it was too late and he is receiving good baby formula and he is receiving love, prayers and snuggles each and every day.

A mad mother, a dead mother..... what do you do with these circumstances when you get older and realize the impact of these women? How will Susanna and Joseph respond at their point in life when the "light bulb" goes off and they recognize the reality of their mothers? I don't have the answers to these questions, but what I can do is "adopt the moment."

The Lord is really showing me the impact of adopting the moments with these children. Tomorrow's blog entry will be all about what that means in this ministry and for each of us who make that choice.

Thanks for your prayers and your encouragement. God Bless.

crowds

How come in a crowd, you cannot see the circumstances of the one? What is it that makes it easier to gloss over?

These are different pictures of an area outside where we live (within five minutes).

Crowded areas like these are in some ways better off, circumstantially, than the villages apparent needs, but in no way are they safer.

The streets are always crowded with people, motorcycles, cars and animals. I can pass through though and not consider the need of the one. I see need, but not in a way that can motivate me to action.

This photo was taken during a borehole water drilling day. People came from everywhere.

And then there is one. And I am motivated to move forward, press on, express another day. For the one, I am willing. For the one.