On the 1 and 2nd of December, our Hands village participated in two days dedicated to Prayer, Fasting and Giving for our vulnerable children. Continuous prayers over the 48 hours were lifted to the One who sees each tear that falls from their cheeks, and our village was blanketed with a feeling that only comes when an entire community comes together to keep their eyes on one common purpose. Nearly a week later, we are still astounded by the work that God did in those two days as we hear stories from all over Africa. We gathered in the village before breaking our fast with communion as we shared our revelations and reflections.
“The thought that came to me was simply have a heart of compassion. I needed to pour out my heart day and night for the children, and follow God’s cry for the heart of the children”
“...I was encouraged to stand and walk with those people, and I found that it’s so important to be there to celebrate with the children when there’s reason to, but to also encourage them when they have little hope. That’s what sincere love is – loving them through both good and bad moments.”
“The New Year is a time of restoration – God will restore his precious children to himself. Each child was fearfully and wonderfully made. He has an identity, a future and a plan for each child. Each child was God-begotten... it was not a human decision. It has been stolen from so many of our children – the freedom to choose the life He had mapped out for them. But He says Live. (Ezekiel 16) He says ‘I’ll wash the blood off of you and I will pick you up where you’ve been discarded. I will adorn you. I will make a covenant with you.”
“To be closer to the Heart of God almighty. Is that not why we’re here? Is there anything more important than this? It is by knowing His heart that we can finally come to know His love for us. It is by knowing His love that we can come to know His cross. And it is by knowing His Cross that we can come before Him emptied of ourselves, willing to give up our lives, and willing to know Him and be filled by Him. It is then that we are able to receive His Heart and his love.
'And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and by careful to obey my just decrees.'"
“My love will always run dry, my strength and my energy will always fade out, my heart will always grow cold. Lord, please give me a new heart and a new spirit; please give me your heart and your spirit. Please give me your love. For your love never runs dry, your strength never fades, and your heart never grows cold. In Jesus’ Name.”
"Father! You saw injustice in Egypt and you got involved by raising Moses to bring hope. You saw me and my hopelessness and you sent your son. Now I see injustice because You gave me Your heart. Give me courage to be like You and Jesus. I want to bring hope!"
"Ezekiel 16 speaks of God’s love and compassion toward Jerusalem. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water... no one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you... I said to you live, I made you grow... I covered your nakedness. I have you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine. I clothed you. I fed you. I adorned you."
“Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your heart do not think evil of each other” Zachariah 7:9 – 10
“God is at home. God is your home. He is a father who will protect you. A friend who will watch your back. A brother who will keep you from ever being lonely. He loves you so much and he is holding out his hand. Reach out for it and walk together. He won’t let you go or lag behind. He won’t run ahead, unless it is to protect you. He is your biggest champion.”
“Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these... I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father”
John 14: 12 – 14
“My vision is that Jesus sees all the broken and vulnerable children. He sees our heartache and He encourages us to persevere in care and love to them. As we weep, he weeps over all the injustice”