Glass of Water

I would like to introduce you all to the new man in my life. Tu Tuan is 15 months old and he is an orphan in Vietnam. God brought us together in a way that only He can do and it just goes to show how awesome He truly is!

This past weekend was the highlight of my summer. If there was only one reason God kept me here in Dayton for the summer (even though there has clearly been more than one), this weekend was that reason. Our youth group attended "IGNITE", a conference hosted by Precept Ministries for our local youth groups. I had an amazing time with our girls who attended the conference. The whole theme of the classroom sessions was getting dirty for God. Finding out what pleases God and how we can do just that. In our second session one of the verses that we read over was Matthew 10:42 "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." We never even discussed this verse, we just briefly read over it, yet it was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. All I could think about was how before college my biggest goal was to work with orphans in some way. I either wanted to live in the states and do foster care and adoption or work in an orphanage outside the US. Now I had dismissed this idea completely, thinking God had called me into some other form of ministry. I could not get my mind off of helping orphans. Part of me felt bad because I knew I was missing out on some other things being taught during the sessions due to this distraction (not that my ADD mind needs help with getting distracted), in the end this distraction was just what I needed for God to get my priorities back on track.

In our last session, I finally could understand the calling of God. He was saying, "I want you to support a little one. Give him more than a cup of water, give him food, shelter, cloths..."

"Umm... God... That's great and all. But I'm poor! Hello, I have groceries to by, a monthly school bill and other random stuff that pops up. I can't afford any extra expenses." I knew it costs as little as $30 a month to support a child through a ministry like Compassion or Holt International, but I wasn't trusting God enough to supply me with the funds.

"Just trust and obey, Charlee!"

"Yea, okay God. I'll look into it when I get home tonight."

God, having a sense of humor, and knowing I'd conveniently forget, didn't let me wait until I got home. When we were finished with our session I walked past the table of the band, Julian Drive, that was giving a concert in a few hours. I see their merchandise, and then on the other end of the table I see small packets and right away I knew what was in them.

"Alright, alright! I get the picture! I'll support a child."

So I walked over to that end of the table and began looking at the pictures of these children on each different packet. Seeing the faces, the precious faces of children in need, my heart was broken. I was disgusted with my selfishness to think that I could not help these children. After a prayer for God to lead me to the child he wanted me to support, he lead me to precious little Tu Tuan.

I am amazed at how quickly God works. From my previous post of begging God to take back over my journey it took just a few days for him to lead me along to the next step.

If you are interested in supporting a child I encourage you to look into the ministry of Holt International. It is a great ministry and a great way to give a "glass of water" to a little one in need.



Glass of Water

Coldplay