Seeing these statistics can be overwhelming and hard....I think it's good to feel uncomfortable. Puts the whole "occupy" thing into perspective a little bit, don't you think? At least for me it does....I'm not so worried about being in the 99%.....what stands out to me is the fact that based on our annual income, (which isn't really that high!) we're in the top 10% of the world's richest people!!!! Over half the world lives on just $2 a day...and over a million people struggle to get by on less than $1 a day. I read not too long ago that Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas gifts each year....the world's water crisis could be solved with $10 - $15 billion a year.
There are more than 147 MILLION orphans in the world - recently I read that the number is probably more like 163 million. Another one of those staggering overwhelming statistics....but it's not just a stastic, it's children. Adoption or foster care isn't for everyone - I absolutely recognize that. But Brandon and I feel like it is right for us, and it's not just because we want to "do good" or something like that. God has called us, commanded us to take care of the least of these - and who are we to say no to God's commands? :)
Please watch this video (assuming I figure out how to post it of course! At the very least, I know how to post a link to it!!) - by watching this video, I think you'll get a glimpse of what drives Brandon and I in what we do.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'"
-Matthew 25: 35-40 (The Message)
6 comments:
When you talked about how much we spend on Christmas each year. It reminded me of advent conspiracy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9IN0W3gjnNE
When my son was 11 he was convicted to give up his Christmas presents and have the money donated for clean water in third world countries. That was two years ago and our Christmas season has never been the same. We have been a family that remembers to give, and not give in to the temptations of consumerism.
Yes yes yes!!! Advent Conspiracy is where I read that statistic! Ahhh, I feel like we were destined to be friends...why can't we live near each other? Did I tell you that in your give away you're giving away 3 of my favorite books EVER...Radical, Crazy Love & The Hole in Our Gospel. All three of those books have had a HUGE impact on our lives and how we live!!!
We'll be using the Advent Conspiracy format of Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All - as the basis for our church's Christmas season Missions offering. (which my husband and I are in charge of the campaign)
Those are also 3 of my favorite books, I put them on the giveaway because I want others to read them. Very life changing books. So where are you guys in the process of adoption, is it something that is going to happen soon?
We are still at the very beginning stages. We have talked with an agency and have our official application we are ready to fill out - but were waiting for some $$...which now we have so we can submit it. I just sent an inquiry to RR today about two little girls (Maribel & Emilie) - who are listed in the same region, and we're interested in potentially bringing them both home. I haven't quite figured out how the whole committing thing works - since you have to be working with an agency - but since I don't know for sure what country the girls are in, I'm not sure if our agency works in their country. Does that all make sense? :) Hopefully, I'll hear back from RR soon - so my questions will be answered!!
Wow, how exciting. I don't know if I told you but we are thinking about possibly committing to another little girl also. RR usually responds really quickly so you should here back soon.
Really? That's awesome!! My husband and I were talking about it, and were like, you know we're going to want to do this again - maybe we should just bring home two at once, which will save us a lot in travel expenses and stuff. Ahh, why couldn't you live near me? :)
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