Rather than bore you with details of my return home...I want to direct this last blog in a different direction. This last blog will most likely be my longest one of 2010, but I hope that you find it as refreshing while reading it as I feel writing it.
For those of you who have been following my blog since my first trip in August of 2008, I know that this year's entries may have seemed vastly different from the prior two years...and for that, I deeply apologize. This year was the first year that I had given my blog address to the summer school students I had taught who donated items to be sent down to Emmanuel. Unfortunately, here in Wisconsin, we have a STRONG legal separation between church & state and once I had give out the blog address...I wasn't sure how to tackle this blog.
However, after having this weigh on my heart heavily over the past month, here are the conclusions I've come to:
- This is my personal blog. It is neither a homework assignment, nor a requirement that the summer school children come to this site. Students who donated items who had a true concern about the situation of the children at Emmanuel would be able to follow me on my journey at their choosing.
- The entire trip I have been writing the blogs, I felt the pressure of not speaking in a true form about the experiences at Emmanuel weigh more & more on my heart. And for those of you who have read the past two years...you know that Emmanuel COULD NOT exist without God.
For those of you who haven't followed the past two years, there's a lot of information to share, but I'd invite you to go to the right-hand column of my blog to read how this trip came about. You'll find all this information in the 2008 entries during the week of July 20-27, but there are a few things I'd like to highlight right here:
First of all the motivating verse for me and many Christian volunteers throughout the world (and I will put it here in Spanish...the language of Emmanuel and that which is near & dear to my heart...feel free to look it up!):
Mateo 25:34-40
Entonces dirá el Rey a los que estén a su derecha: "Vengan ustedes, a quienes mi Padre ha bendecido; reciban su herencia, el reino preparado para ustedes desde la creación del mundo. Porque tuve hambre, y ustedes me dieron de comer; tuve sed, y me dieron de beber; fui forastero, y me dieron alojamiento; necesité ropa, y me vistieron; estuve enfermo, y me atendieron; estuve en la cárcel, y me visitaron." Y le contestarán los justos: "Señor, ¿cuándo te vimos hambriento y te alimentamos, o sediento y te dimos de beber? ¿Cuándo te vimos como forastero y te dimos alojamiento, o necesitado de ropa y te vestimos? ¿Cuándo te vimos enfermo o en la cárcel y te visitamos?" El Rey les responderá: "Les aseguro que todo lo que hicieron por uno de mis hermanos, aun por el más pequeño, lo hicieron por mí."
As I mentioned in 2008 during common ground in church during my presentation of the experiences I had at Emmanuel, volunteering doesn't solely have to be in 3rd world countries! Having been raised a Wisconsin Synod Lutheran and attending their parochial school from Kindergarten through the 8th grade, we had the opportunity to memorize a vast number of Bible passages and hymns. As I was putting the many hours in at the clinic, the words "Here am I, send me, send me" kept resounding in my head. I struggled to remember what the old traditional-style hymn was, but after a little bit of research, I finally found it. For those of you who feel that our Lord is calling you to serve, the following passages to the hymn may give a better idea where God could be calling you to serve:
Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling
Hark the voice of Jesus calling,
"Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe and harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Long and loud the Master calls us,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
"Here am I, send me, send me"?
If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the distant lands explore,
You can find the lost around you,
You can help them at your door;
If you cannot give your thousands,
You can give the widow's mite;
What you truly give for Jesus,
Will be precious in His sight.
"If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked,
With the judgment's dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Savior's waiting arms.
"If you cannot be the watchman,
Standing high on Zion's wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Offering life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what heaven demands,
You can be like faithful Aaron,
Holding up the prophet's hands.
"If among the older people,
You may not be apt to teach,
"Feed My lambs," said Christ, our Shepherd,
"Place the food within their reach."
And it may be that the children
You have led with trembling hand,
Will be found among your jewels,
When you reach the better land.
Let none hear you idly saying,
"There is nothing I can do."
While the lost of earth are dying,
And the Master calls for you;
Take the task He gives you gladly;
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calls you,
"Here am I, send me, send me."
Feel free to visit the website listed here: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/v/hvoicejc.htm to see the lyrics and to hear the melody of the song written almost 150 years ago.
Although I memorized all of these verses when I was in elementary & middle school, it was the last verse that I remember best and has stuck with me through the years. Is God calling you? What are YOU doing? What can YOU do???
Posts
