Little Moments

There are certain moments in life where you are exactly in the will of God.

You know at that exact moment, that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, at that exact time.

When I am in India I feel this way, and this photo captures one of those moments.

We were in India this past December for our Christmas in India campaign with Angel House. This day we were spending at an orphanage we were opening for 25 kids in Andhra Pradesh. We had such a special day moving the kids into their new home, showering them with gifts, and showing them love like they have never known before. This little boy's name is Benjamin and I knew about him long before we arrived in India. He is a 6 year old orphan who had literally been raising himself on the streets. We get a 'photo sheet' of each of the kids who will be adopted into our homes, and amongst the nearly 200 children we got to rescue on this particular trip, Benjamin caught my eye. First of all, he is adorable, but more than that, it hit me all over again that his life is so precious. I am so thankful to be able to make a difference in the lives of these kids through Angel House.

As we were leaving the home that day, our team was headed to the bus to leave. As we were saying our goodbyes, I heard a voice yell "wait! wait!" I looked down to see Benjamin, who insisted on giving me a kiss before I left. Melt my heart.

The kids in India have absolutely stolen my heart. I think back on the times when I cried out to God to break my heart for the nations. I had no particular nation in mind, I just felt called to the world. In those moments, he was softening me for things that were completely unexpected. A destiny I knew nothing about. But a destiny so sweet it can hardly be described.

When is the last time that you felt this way? How can you capitalize on those moments and make them have a lasting impact? I pray that as you read this, you will begin to ask God to break your heart for the nations and to awaken your heart to His purposes for you!

For more info on Angel House, visit www.AngelHouse.me

be brave

the other day i was pinterest-ing (for those of you who don't know, 'pinterest-ing' is the art of searching aimlessly on pinterest.com for extended periods of time) and i came across this quote:

"you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs"

wow. that hit me. isn't this so true? sometimes the greatest risks we take have absolutely nothing to do with us at all, and everything to do with the person, or people that it will affect.

a couple of days ago was Human Trafficking Awareness Day. on this day, we took the opportunity to launch a new initiative that Angel House has started, and that's the Angel House Freedom Home. we are essentially raising money ($40k) to build a home for 50 women and young girls who are currently trapped in forced prostitution. definition: sex slavery. with the help of many people across the US, we will complete this project and these women and girls will be rescued from the horrific and unthinkable act of this slavery happening right now, today, in the 21st century.

FACT: MORE THAN 200,000 WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS ARE TRAFFICKED IN INDIA EACH YEAR.

it's time to open our eyes to what's really going on. i wish human trafficking was a thing of the past. i wish, actually, that it had never existed. but it has, and it does. i have met with women personally who have lived in this slavery for years of their life. i have seen the children that have hidden under the beds while their mothers were abused.

is it comfortable to talk about this? no. is it comfortable to read about this? you tell me, you're doing it right now. but my guess is no. would we rather think about something else on this sunny Sunday afternoon? probably. but if we, you and me, turn our eyes away, each minute, hour and day that passes is another minute, hour and day that this will go on.

sometimes talking about things such as this isn't popular. that's why its brave.

because if you can do something brave with your life, someone else (a woman, a child, a teenager, and even those not born yet) will be able to do something brave with theirs.

for more information, visit our website at AngelHouse.me

what can you do now, today, or this year in 2012 to allow someone else to be brave with their life?