An Amazing Night!

What an amazing night! Praise the Lord that the weather was dry and not windy. The temperatures dropped to at least 34 at night evidenced by ice on the car windows. Brrr. We had about 30 total participants, mostly kids, and even more that stopped by to give their support. :)

We began the evening by building our houses out of boxes. Interesting. Some built "resorts" some had just a one room apartment. All had fun. Then we fellowshipped together while roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire. Happy Birthday Corynne! We were blessed by a visit by our Pastor Randy and he devoted the evening to the Lord as he prayed for us and the orphan children.

As the evening grew darker and colder, we moved into a time of worship and prayer. The presence of the Lord was evident as the youth led us in worship around the fire and all joined in praises for His glory. We then entered into a beautiful time of prayer, lifting up requests for the world, the country, Mason and West Chester, the schools, the church, and individuals. During this time, deeper worship was going on in the sanctuary of our church. Cool.

The air became more damp and cold as we huddled around the fire for warmth. At this time, groups of kids funneled into the church to pray for 1 hour shifts during all-night prayer. As they moved from prayer station to prayer station, they petitioned the Lord and interceded for orphans and vulnerable children in Haiti and around the world as well as missionaries. These amazing youth prayed and wrote anddrew things that the Holy Spirit revealed to them.

As the groups completed their prayer shifts, they retreated to their box homes to attempt to seek refuge from the frigid temperatures and to sleep. I was astounded at the amount of energy expended by simply trying to keep warm. It occurred to me how hopeless one must feel knowing that true and consistent warmth is not possible. And even more helpless when one is unable to provide warmth and comfort to his/her children. Our "resorts" slowly began to cave in as the dew settled more heavily and the box houses revealed the truth of their inability to provide adequate shelter from the elements, even for one night.

Throughout the night, I rarely slept. I was cold, uncomfortable and constantly praying for warmth and protection for my children and all of the youth. At one point, the circumstances weighed so heavily on my heart, and I believe it was at this time that the Lord allowed me to experience a small part of what a parent must feel to live in such circumstances day after day. I gained somewhat of an understanding of how a mom or a dad might feel when they are unable to provide adequate warmth and shelter for their family. When they spend all day just trying to keep warm. When they feel so helpless because their children are so vulnerable. I drifted in and out of a shallow sleep.

Morning came almost suddenly at 6:00 am. As I turned to my girls who were wrapped in sleeping bags, I heard them say, "Already? I am so cozy right here." It was at that moment that the Lord spoke to me and said, "I will protect your children." And I realized that He had kept my children warm and safe. It was at this time that I thought about the parents who, unlike me, do not have the hope that is found in Christ Jesus- who don't know the love of the Father and His promises to protect and keep their children from harm. The parent who is desperately hopeless and feels that the only and best option is to leave his/her children as orphans in hopes that they may have a chance at "a better life". Or because the constant struggles to meet the basic needs of their family has finally overtaken them.

As we cleaned the area, I learned that the Lord spoke to each person individually and profoundly, revealing something that He wanted them to understand about the orphans, the homeless and the hopeless. This was an amazing event for everyone, one which I believe will have a much greater result that what we see today. I believe that hearts were moved and prayers were answered as we stepped out of our comforts and into obedience, completing the work that the Lord set before us.

I learned today that we collected at least $2275.00 in donations so far. This is truly awesome! And in only three weeks! This is only $225.00 short of our goal of $2500.00 needed which with the matching funds, will meet our goal of $5000.00 to build the orphanage for the orphans in Haiti. THANK YOU so much to all of you who participated, who donated, who supported, who prayed and who encouraged! We couldn't have done it without you- definately. We are continuing to pray for the remaining $225.00 and believe God will meet all of our needs in Christ Jesus.

I appreciate you all! Christian will be posting pictures so be sure to check back!