VISION-(repost from last year)

This post came into my mind in recent times while praying for the future for the kids, I thought i’d repost it. In recent times we’ve seen 3 street kids PERISH..die..could it be for lack of vision?..harsh words? but lets face the truth, if you havent got a vision and arent working for a purpose..what Gods word says is true…Where there is no vison the (STREET KIDS) people PERISH….very very scary! please read on….

It’s one of, if not the most important things in life I think and is essential for a ministry to have. Vision. From the 1st day I ever met a street kid I knew this simply was not the plan God had for them, when he placed them in their mothers womb. God says is Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Most of these kids are certainly not living in much hope..

I think vision is also essential in life, where do we see ourselves going, where will we be in 1yr,5yr,10yr or 20 yrs? Are we planning or just sitting and waiting for it to happen..or someone else to do it for us? It can be quite a daunting thought which I probably go into a little too much. But there is a truth that gives me great peace..GOD has a vision and a plan! For my life, for my ministry and for my future! Praise him! It’s for us to seek HIM for it. Not bring our own agenda, great ideas, thoughts and feelings, etc, but to really say God what is your plan, for these kids?, for my life?, for my ministry?, what do YOU have in mind?! To some that might seem irresponsible, but to me it brings GREAT relief, that I can ask God if I can get in on his ideas and plans and not simply ask him if he’s willing to get in on mine!

I am actually greatly encouraged by that thought and in recent days God has been confirming his plan and vision for many areas of my life to me. I never saw myself as much of a visionary, or missionary for that matter! But turns out I’m doing both of those right now whether I like it or not!

In proverbs 29:18 its says “Where there is no vision the people perish” YIKES! pretty heavy words and to me personally I take that quite literally to mean, if I dont seek God and fufill his vision for these kids, not only I but they (the people) perish also! That’s some responsability! But again I am encouraged that If I/we stick on the right path with God, he reveals to us each step and how to complete what HE wants us to do (or if you are eagar and have my kind of hunger for vision he might just give u a sneek peek of the next 20 yrs!).

I’ve read 100’s of books and ideas on street kids ministries, do and donts, pros and cons and they have all had their benefits..but ultimately you have to know what GOD is saying to you, and then go and do it! That’s the not so easy part.

Someone said to me when God gives a plan (the what) that’s the easy part, the next bit is the who, the when, the where, and the how part..that can kind of take a bit longer!

So anyway be encouaraged that God has a plan and a vision for your future, all we need to do is seek Him for it and then follow his lead to see it fulfilled!

Till next time…

The Community

Whilst in Colombia on my ‘Working with Children at Risk’ course 18 months ago, I was praying for my return to Bolivia, I had what I believe was a ‘vision’ or picture as some christian circles call it. A very strong image in my mind/imagination. I saw a mountain/ hill country, there was a LONG line of kids going way back and the front kid said to me ‘Rehanna come, we are waiting for you’. I was also told by 2 other people that they had visions of me in a dry arrid land, one described a building close by. On my first visit to the community we stopped to get our next transportation, as I looked accross the road I saw something that made my mind flash back to what one of these people said, I felt like it was the building they described. As I got up the mountain I saw how dry and arrid the ground was and on my last visit I was advised that there are more and more families settling in this community going atleast 1 km back from the hill we climbed (the hill with the line of kids that went far back!)

We’ve had some really good conversations regarding this community and my involvement with them. I’ve seen the families and rooms these families live in, I was heartbroken as I was told about 4 children who were refused from a home because their mother is still alive (but trust me she’s not kicking!) I guess the home didnt want to work with the mother as well. As the social worker introduced me to more and more kids and other recognised me from before I felt something ’strange’ inside of me, the fathers love for them. I said outloud… in a whisper, wow Lord I LOVE these kids..that can only be HIM!

Two girls in the dry arrid land.

I think I now understand the role God wants me to have there, it’s scary and exciting. I’m not ready to share it all right now, but I am so greatful for God opening this door to me. This preventitive side of my ministry. If I had any doubt as to whether I should persevere there I was introduced to one of the girls who is at high risk of becoming a street kid, her name was the same as one of the girls I’ve worked with who lost her child due to her street life. I felt God say “Dont let this ‘one’ have the same fate as the other!

Praying for a better future for her!

Till next time.. i’ll keep you all informed!

I believe in Miracles!

I’ve just come back from a short getaway visiting a friend in La Paz Bolivia. I never knew a simple desire to get away could be so drawn out and stressful. Firstly I should say I believe in miracles of all sorts, that’s why I am here, not accepting the status quo amoung street kids and the poor, I really do believe for change. But there is something special about when God does a personal miracle for me. In a nutshell I was looking for a flight go away, a series of ’strange and wonderful’ events took place all day. My dear mum seeing how upset and stressed I was over the past few weeks events gave me some money to get away (love ya mum). It seemed straight forward but it was the hardest thing ever finding a flight to get on. I couldnt find my card details at one point and was told there were NO flights suitable to my budget..or time frame. I was advised to go to the airport and go on a waiting list..I did..I was told they were TWENTY people over and three people who had already paid were definately not getting on the flight that I wanted, I was told it was IMPOSSIBLE THREE times! BUT, I know impossible is where God works best! I stuck it out and put up with sarcastic smiles and remarks and laughs and stares as I quietly waited and believed the ‘voice’ in my head telling me ‘Nothing is impossible to him who believes’. I approached the desk 3 times and was ‘politely’ laughed at each time, the last time I said well I’ll wait, you never know a miracle might happen..you can imagine the raised eyebrows and eyes in the back of the head! BUT after enduring that for 2 hours I heard the desk staff humbly tell me to come forward..miraculously a few spaces had come up!!! I cant tell you how happy I was, and how humbled the staff were! As I gave in my boarding card I saw 2 of the staff who had laughed at the fact that I was waiting for a miracle. I saw a certain respect they had for me as I handed the card and they greeted me, she spooke with a certain warmness in her voice wishing me a safe flight. I regret not fully explaning WHY I waited for a miracle to take place…but hey I think the look on her face said she got it!
‘

We had a great 'girlie' weekend!

So another ‘weird’ post but maybe you are waiting for a miracle to take place, maybe its personal, maybe its work or ministry based..can I say JUST BELIEVE..because, as I believed I saw my miracle!

Mark 9:23 EVERYTHING is possible to him who believes’

Even through tears-Thank you Lord

Seems like a strange title for the post, but I have a point. Today I got another phone call telling me that another street kid had killed himself, that is two in two weeks. I was shocked, angry, confused and extremly tearful, but through my tears and pain I had a ‘moment’ I cried out to God and said NO MORE. Now I dont claim to have some amazing powers that can be so bold as to proclaim no more death…but God does! As in he says we DO have power THROUGH HIM to declare victory over death and the enemy.

I can’t tell you have heavy I felt today, but I also decided to do something about this seeming ‘power’ and evil satan has HAD over these kids. I decided to spend a day fasting and praying for these kids and other things so we can start to see change and transformation. At the end of the day I went to the bridge to see how the kids were doing, I didnt see many of them. But the ones I did see I prayed for, I laid hands on and declared freedom and liberty..not because of me, but because of CHRIST in me.

At my last ’stop’ I saw a young kid that has been concerning me for over a year, he seems low, depressed and CONSTANTLY high, after recent events I took no chances and jumped down and talked to him, I asked how he felt, through very slurred speech and tears he replied the obvious…sad. I spoke to him about how much God loved him, I laid hands and prayed over him pleading with God to set him free from his situation. As I got up to leave I said I’d see him tomorrow at the funeral, with that he nodded his head slowly and burst into tears. I hugged him and prayed with him again. I took his little head in my hands and said “listen I want you to always remember God loves you and that Jesus loves you, Jesus came to give you life, God has a plan for you, he wants you to leave this bridge, please always remember that” I said, with tears in my eyes. “Death is never a way to escape your problems”. His head hung low again. I continued “all you need to do is look UP to the one who loves you”. I was so touched by his next action, this little darling literally lifted his head up and looked straight to heaven as if agree with what I said. And that’s when the title came out of my mouth THANK YOU LORD. Thank you that this child knows to look to YOU. After all this is their ONLY hope.

I left the bridge a little lighter, hopeful, that one child knows there is a hope a future for him..praying he’ll follow through and leave the bridge like he said he wants to.

I only pray God lifts my head tomorrow at the funeral…well I know he will!

Something’s missing…

I’m aware that anybody can read my blogs, so it sometimes makes me hold back on sharing things that reveal something about me..or atleast what’s on my heart. But today I’m gonna break that mold! Today I met with Juan again and had another great chat (over ice-cream..again). We talked about everything from his past and his life to the the type of animals and height of buildings in England! When it was time to go I could see he still didnt want to go ‘home’ back to his shared room with his work mates and dry atmosphere. And it was just another painful reminder to me about how something is missing, for these kids..but also in my life. Let me explain.

While walking to lunch today a friend and I walked passed a gorgeous house in our neighbourhood that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s wrought Iron bannister work and medditeranean architecture were so ME. I have dreams of owning a home like that! But more than anything I have dreams of having a home like that for my family. As we walked past I saw a sight that made me a tad bit jealous, I saw what looked liked mum, dad, brothers, sisters and possibly cousins and aunties all listening to music, eating and ‘hanging out’ on a sunny afternoon in the garden. Who knows what their family life is really like but to me they looked happy..to me they looked like they had something I want and can even say need. I can’t tell you how much I yearn for that family home to raise my family. Not just my biological one, but one that includes kids God has intrusted me with. A place they can all call home.

I thought today, as I have many times how I would have loved to have invited Juan ‘home’ to a place where he could see a positive family environment and hopefully a place he’d feel comfortable enought to just..BE. How i’d love to have Sundays with the whole extended family in the garden and create an atmosphere where kids can feel loved, wanted, safe and accepted. Alas that time hasnt come just yet, but it’s coming alright..I believe and I think I can feel it in ma bones..(or is that just the biological clock ticking??) I’m so looking forward to this missing thing to be added to my life….

thanks for reading…

not the house..but this would do too!

Helping the poor-I’m going for the village!

There’s a well known quote that goes something like “give a man a fish and he can feed his family, teach him to fish and he can feed a village.” That’s kind of how I feel when it comes to helping the poor and developing communities. When I visited one of the top 10 poorest countries in the world in central asia, I was made aware of how easy it is as a western minded person to just ‘throw’ your money at the poor singing pity pity poor boy, somehow feeling like you’ve acheived something in the process. When in reality…if you are honest all you’ve done is made yourself feel better (for the moment) and taught someone how to keep waiting for handouts in the process. Sound harsh? Well how would you put it? I think many times we try and help the poor in our lack of experience clothed in our ’saviour’ cloak. When really we are just feeding a family when we could potentially be feeding a village. SELAH

I have a policy not to give street kids or street beggers money..sometimes I feel it IS the right thing to do but in general I dont think I am helping someone remain ‘handicap’ by saying yes the best way to get out of your long term problem is to give you a short term ‘fix’. It’s the fish and fishing rod theory. Dont get me wrong it’s not that we dont need money to help the poor quite the contrary, and its not that immediate needs shouldnt be met, but perhaps if we took a bit of time to think about how best to direct those funds and make decisions to make a long term positive impact..there’d be less issues…

SELAH

So when trying to help the poor….i’m going for the village.

Poor communiy in Bolivia

R.I.P Vladimir

Gone but never forgotten, what a smile!

My only reason for writing this in a blog is because it helps me process my grief and deal with the pain, not because I enjoy sharing bad news! Today I got another one of those phone calls you dread. I was told (by my friend Barb*) that a boy I know very well was dead. I heard a few weeks ago that he had been stabbed pretty badly, but that was the last I heard. Only to receive a call today saying he’s gone. It came on a day that doesnt going on my records for ‘high days’ I was still trying to process the fact that another boy had killed another guy..without any motive! As I said to my friend who told me..I just dont know what to say, how to respond. I remember the 1st day I met him, a very charming boy that I seemed to click with straight away. He was intrested in moving his life forward, we spoke lots about it and once decided he was very eager about working in a job Skip had found him. He seemed to be doing so well, and even put himself in a home here for a good few months, but then he just gave up time and time again. He got really skinny and was obviously using more than glue to numb his emotional pain.

I remember everytime he saw me he’d come over and put his arm around me and kinda wink..as if I was his girl! Unusually I let him everytime..what I would do to feel that arm around me again. To see him smiling again and moving on like I really believe he wanted to. I am haunted by his words in the video some street kids made ” In this life there is lots of unhappiness, because our parents have abandoned us, they’ve thrown us out on the streets…I want to cry nothing more…nothing more…

When I saw the kids this evening most had decided not to go to his wake as they were worried about how his parents might see them, that they might blame them for the life they are living..and ultimately ended in their sons death. I hear their point..but God knows that is NOT the way he intended it to be. I’m guessing the funeral is tomorrow, I wont be writing anymore on it. But once again if you believe God has a solution to this distructive life of pain and sorrow these kids lead, pray with me, pray for them and pray that GOD will help these kids change…we really dont need anymore lives lost! Jesus said ” I have come that they may have LIFE and LIFE more abundantly…Jesus really is their only hope peeps..so please pray with me that He will COME and give LIFE more abundantly real soon!

*P.s Barbs thank you so much for caring enough to keep me informed of the goings on of the kids that mean so much to me….even if I am not as involved with them. You dont know how much that means to me!! xx

Prodical son returns-Juan (pics added)

I love my sundays, they normally go something like this. Church, Lunch (usually alone but always good food!), tv watching which usually enduces an afternoon nap!, evening walk, prayer and reflection, bed. Todays day was pretty much the normal standard, except for as I was getting ready for my evening walk an MSN window popped up with a message from Juan. Any regulars will probably know who I mean, but for the sake of those who dont, he is a kid myself and skip worked alot with, he used to disappear into a hole full of human faeces and generally worry us with his introverted slightly negative behaviour.

Way back then out for ice-cream

He went into a home for a year which was an amazing thing to see after being really unsure of his both physical and mental future, but when we came to take him out for his birthday from the home, he had disappered. Only a few months ago I wrote a post at how he had contacted me and told me he was living with his family in the tropical region..I was estatic to say the least that he was back home and not what we had feared..back on the streets.

Back to today, I was again happy to hear from him but my heart half sunk when I heard he was back in town..AND on the same street his old street friends crew hang out on. I asked him to clarify if he ment he was on the streets as in living on the streets….as I waited for him to write his answer it felt like eternity had passed by a few times! Thankfully he wrote back ” HA HA of course not, i’m here working” (PHEW) I checked over and over making sure he wasnt just telling me I wanted to hear, then I decided to meet with him tonight as he was so close to where I live.

Recent days..ice-cream again..seeing a theme??

As I walked towards him I almost didnt recognise him, he looked SO smart and trendy, like any other very well kept 16 yr kid! I felt really emotional seeing him and I wanted to squeeze the death out of him, but I opted for the more formal kiss on the cheek! He was a typical teen looking slightly embaressed but evidently happy to see me (as of course I was him) We went for a walk to buy some ice-cream and catch up, it didnt take long for us to be just like old times again. Laughing, joking and him asking 100’s of questions about me, skip, work etc etc.

I was able to walk him back to where he lived so I now know where he is incase of emergencies and he has my number. I cant lie I’m smiling slightly through gritted teeth as he is SO close to where his old life was and I am slightly concerned as to how long he will last in what sounds like GRUELLING work! But he assured me he will regularly be visiting home and has plans to study!

So I am asking all who read this to pray for Juan and that he will stay far away from the life he used to live and continue to grow into the man he is supposed to be!

Back to Basics

Sometimes I feel life could be so much simpler if we just went back to basics. Now this isnt a post charging all who read to run to the hills naked and live there in ‘peace’ and tranquility..as funny as that would be to see! But I’m talking about going back to the basics of a relationship with God!

For a longtime I was looking for a church here, one that had to meet a mountain of criteria for myself, the street kids and possibly the queen of Englands bestfriend too! I found many good churches and was ministered to at each and every one. But none could meet my perceived ‘need’. One week I sat at home for lack of motivation of where to go, I worshipped with the church across the street from my frontroom and then watched an online sermon which was great…BUT Then I had a thought…and I said to myself Rehanna..Go back to basics! Go back to looking for a church where the word of God is preached and you can congregate with his people…period!

I started realising that I had made it complicated, yes I want a church I can one day bring street kids to, where I can receive the Rhema and Prophetic word of God for my specific situation, where the doctrine is simular to what I was raised in and believe and where the worship is electric and the people are friendly. But ultimately..I want a place that love and celebrate God. Period!

I think our walk can get a bit like that too, wanting to over complicate and know everything “is this God or isnt it”, how to hear him clearly in a situation, “what is the will of God for my life”, when is the right time to move etc etc. But sometimes we just need to stick to the basics and let God work the rest out! By basics I mean, Love God and develope your relationship with him, pray (talk to him), read your bible..get into his word, mingle and socialise with other christians and tell others about Him too. That seems so much more straight forward that what I am sometimes tempted to do!

I’ll end with saying I have started doing an exercise DVD. With technology being the way it is here, I could only find an old copy of a DVD that had exercises that were popular 20 years ago! But you know when I researched it, they are still being used and advised today! And what’s more intresting is the only equipment needed is.. YOU. (and let me tell you the results i’ve seen these DVDs bring are AMAZING!) There is no need for flashy equipment or expensive gym memberships..you just need one thing.. YOU and the body that God gave you. In an age of gadgets and every superstars diet and exercise regime being thrown in your face, it can be confusing, but the basics of exercise hasnt changed in years..and still brings great results! This was a profound revelation on something simple when I realised it..things can be so complicated (if we let it) and cost us more than it needs to(in time, worry, money, energy)..but sometimes all that is needed is God and his relationship with YOU…after all that is what will stand the test of time!

hope that makes sense to you..if not it makes sense to me!

Aunty Rehanna

There are only a few kids on this earth who have the biological right to call me aunty, they mean the world to me and have had to sacrifice greatly not having me around. They will always be my first ‘loves’ so to speak.

The fourth arrived a few days later!

But there are a good majority more who I feel have an equal ’spiritual’ right to genuinely call me aunty. Some of those kids live in a ‘foster’ style home as part of the orphange I used to voluteer for. Every now and again I have the privillage of looking after them and sometimes I even ask to! (yeh I’m that crazy). Yesterday was a fulfillment of one of those ‘I need my ‘nieces’ and ‘nephews’ time request.

It’s quite intresting that most of the kids in the home are kids I feel quite a strong bond with. There’s N and L the siblings who I made a DVD about some of you may remember (I am still secretly hoping my husband will come along and we can adopt them..but dont tell the Family that ha ha! it’s a hard desire to change since I’ve known them over these 3 years!) Then there is the baby that came through a home I introduced the director to a few days after we went! She was sadly found to have HIV. Next there’s the baby that was found in a black bag by the side of the river who is the first child I’ve ever woken up at 3am for and had a smile of my face! (miracle!) Of course one I really feel a bond with is the JG who myself and Skip ‘rescued’ from the streets, it always brings a joy to me to see him living a life he could have only dreamed of, had he even survived his life on the streets. The other kids have also got to know me more and are starting to see that maybe this aunty thinks they are something special too…I DO!

I think I love being there and looking after the kids even more because this ’style’ of home is one I personally see myself running in the future. Practice makes perfect and after looking after seven kids yesterday..I think its safe to say I’m on my way!

I also would like to acknowledge the family who ‘run the ship’ so to speak, they really are an integrally awesome family. Mum, Dad and 4 kids have given up their lives to dedicate to these children and can I say I think as a family unit they do an EXCELLENT job, the director of the organisation should be very proud of them!!

I guess it’s times like this when things really move in swings and roundabouts and ups and downs that I have to choose to take the rough with the smooth, the good with the bad and know that God is preparing me for better days ahead and a properous future!

for now, this Aunty Rehanna signing out saying BRING IT ON!!!!