Henriet's Blog

Trick-or-Treat and Help Orphans

Spend no extra time, have fun on Halloween and give back to orphans.

My first Halloween was when I was 16-years-old. I remember dressing up as Spiderman and had a great time answering the door and giving the kids of our neighborhood candy. Why wait until age 16? Well, we just moved to the United States that year and I had never been in a country that celebrated it before. The whole experience was fun and exciting.

Since then, I've viewed Halloween from many different perspectives. As a young adult going to some fun (and clean) parties, as a new mom going out with our young son, and now as a mom of a teenager wondering about the parties going on around us. I used to decorate but don't anymore because we don't get any trick-or-treaters.

More than candy

Throughout these past years I never considered using this day to do more than give or receive candy. Until I read about the Orphan Foundation. It challenges us to do more. It's simple: go out trick-or-treating and bring a can for some donations to help orphans around the world.

Specifically, they hope to raise nearly $1,000,000 to help with the foundation's grant programs for adopting families and for their service tours to orphanages around the world. All it takes is 100,000 kids that raise $10 each. With the money the foundation will continue to pursue its primary mission is to eliminate barriers to adoption, by providing financial support and information to adopting families, as well as services to institutionalized orphans and foster care children worldwide.

An orphan crisis

Apparently the orphan situation around the world has reached epic proportions according to co-founder Joe DiDonato.

"The number of orphans and displaced children in the world exceeds 163 million, creating a population that would make them the 7th largest nation on the planet. In Eastern Europe, less than 50% will see their 20th birthdays, and of those that do, 50% will turn to crime, drugs, and prostitution to survive. In other parts of the world, children are being used to fight wars or commit terrorist actions."

Why do adoptive parents need help?

According to the Orphan Foundation the cost of adoption has skyrocketed out of the reach of most families, averaging nearly $20,000 domestically, and $25,000 to $40,000 internationally. Many orphans go un-adopted because families can't afford it.

"Faced with a large and growing list of families trying to adopt children, The Orphan Foundation is asking children across the nation to help out by carrying a coin canister with them on their trick-or-treat rounds."

What can you do?

Families and kids can download and print canister wrappers. The wrapper will go around any size can, and includes instructions for mounting and sending in the donations.

It sounds like a great and easy way to help out. Kids helping kids while doing something they love. I'm sure that I would have found a dollar to give to the kids that came to our door with one of those cans when I was dressed up as Spiderman. In fact, I hope someone comes to our door again so I can do more than give candy.

Coupons, Cooking and Charities

The economy brings us home and helps us to do more with less.

As I look at the two quiches, a curry dish, Dutch stew and a pot of chili cooling on my kitchen counter, it occurs to me that I owe this evening of meal preparation to the current state of the economy. The cause of my cooking frenzy was my refrigerator which lost power for over a day. Apparently a breaker tripped while we were out of town and the fridge was off.

Some would say that the prudent thing to do would be to throw away all the meat and other things that could spoil. That would probably the entire contents of my fridge because if it doesn't spoil why would I put it in there? However, I can't bring myself to toss all the food. You see, only recently have I started coupon shopping again-something I haven't done for over 10 years. It was the norm in the early days of my marriage some 27 years ago. In those days we had very little money for food, gas and other bills. Coupons were the way to make ends meet...as was coasting from the street corner into our driveway and eating simple meals at home.

Doing more with less

That brings me back to the hours of cooking I just completed. Many of the ingredients that went into these dishes were purchased on sale and with the aforementioned coupons. No way I wanted to throw the food out because my fridge went out for a few hours. Not after all the effort of clipping and printing coupons (I even signed up for Coupon Mom) and really paying attention to the grocery stores circulars again. Granted that I always was partial to sales but I usually participated in those in the store as I was purchasing the groceries I needed. Sadly I did not care about the cost of the food that much. Now I plan the grocery purchases and the stores I go to. The slow down in the economy, the higher gas prices, the drop in the stock market...it requires me to be wiser about how to spend money. I need to cut costs and stretch the dollars. There's just less money to go around.

Charities feel the stretch

That's what charities are finding too. USA Today reported that it's a hard time to be a charity.

"The economic crisis threatening the nation with the worst recession in decades has set off tremors among non-profits and charities large and small that rely on donations from Wall Street, industry and average Americans." (USA Today, October 26, 2008)

The trouble for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and the Big 3 auto makers resulted in pain for various charities including United Way in Southern Michigan, Doctors without Borders, and Child and Family Network Centers of Virginia, to name a few.

• The Red Cross experienced about a 30% drop in responses and contributions from new donors.
• Catholic Charities USA reported a 4% drop over last year. Meals on Wheels indicated getting fewer donations.
• The Salvation Army reported a 9% drop in its western territory.
• Goodwill Industries International indicated a 2.3% drop in cash donations.

Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator stated that "many charities are between a rock and a hard place, being asked to do more with less." He added that the economic crisis might have some positive effect by causing inefficient, redundant or weak charities to merge with other non-profits or shut down. This reduces the competition for contribution dollars.

I agree with Ken Berger. Semper Vita's passion is to eliminate duplication of effort and overhead. Our goal is to facilitate cooperation and collaboration among non-profits and volunteers to have an even greater impact in our communities. In short, doing more with less. Much like clipping coupons, paying attention to sales and eating home made meals. I think I made enough to share.

True Religion

What is your religion? Is it true religion? How does it compare to God's view on the matter?

Leonard Sweet commented that God is always up to something. Reggie McNeal tells us that God is always doing something new. God's at work in the world. Religion revolves around God. The Apostle James tells us how God views religious activity:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27.

Living my religion

What's my religion like? Does it measure up to God's version of true religion? I want my faith, and how I live it out, to please God. If I'm going to be religious I want it to be a true religion that God accepts, don't you?

How can we accomplish this?

Living our faith requires action. So what can we do? Here are some suggestions:

• Volunteer locally (there are many non-profits doing good in the community)
• Adopt a child (My family sponsors a child in Brazil through International Childcare)
• Adopt a widow (Sister Connection is one place). 
• Participate in good organizations that help alleviate hunger, help the least of these, aid the poor and needy.

As Semper Vita we want to make helping easier. The goal is to allow us to connect quickly and easily to people and to volunteer and/or giving opportunities.

What's your way?

Join the conversation. What are some ways we can do this? Which organizations do you support? How do you live this out?

I Volunteered ...

While saying "goodbye" to Larry and being there for the family.

Monday, I discussed that God is up to something all the time. To join Him requires paying attention to His leading, being aware of people around us, and volunteering appropriately (loving people in the moment, right for the situation and according to our own design). Wednesday, I told the story of how I met Larry.

Trying to get it right

I want to join God and volunteer to help people. Larry allowed me to do just that. God was up to something in Larry's life and it was my opportunity to join God. How? Well, on Saturday, September 27, 2008, I had the opportunity to volunteer my skills. Luckily, it did not involve bringing a meal, helping at a foodbank or doing construction because I don't do well at those. It involved being there for Larry and his family.

Meeting a friend

My friend Tamara told me about her friend whose father Larry was dying of cancer. I offered to pray for him and volunteered to visit him in the hospital. I reminded her,

"I'm a pastor, you know. Feel free to offer my services. I'd be happy to visit him."

So after some email introductions, I started visiting Larry at the VA Hospital in Seattle.

Larry was a great guy. Even though he was very sick, he remained in great spirits. We connected and I promised to continue to visit. When I visited I read the Bible and prayed. The prayers seemed to please him. I also sang "Jesus loves me" to him - softly so that only he could hear. He smiled and responded to the song every time. I promised to come every week and I did. After about 5 weeks, Larry died.

Saying Goodbye

On Thursday, September 25, I attended the memorial service at Tahoma National Cemetery. It was officiated by the VFW volunteers and the hospital chaplain, Mark. I'd met Mark during my first visit to Larry. I attended the memorial to say goodbye and to lend support.

Then the following Saturday, I attended the family gathering and celebration. They'd asked me to come, share a meal, and pray with the family. So, after lunch, we gathered, stood in a circle and held hands. (Their idea and it was great.) I said some nice things about Larry (which was easy to do), then prayed. After an  extemporaneous prayer (that's where I just say what comes to mind), I invited the family to pray the Lord's Prayer with me - about half of them did. After praying the family shared some of their memories. Then they shared lots of hugs and smiles. It was a very warm and pleasant gathering. Larry would have loved it.

Reflections of God at work

I drove home after my time with Larry's family and thought: that's the kind of thing I love to do. That's how I volunteer my time. It fits who I am. When I serve as a pastor, visit at the hospital, pray with a family or share words of comfort, I feel like I bring something that's useful. I feel like I'm contributing to the community. It seems like it's how God invites me to join Him.

How does He invite you? What's your way?

Goodbye Larry

...we'll miss you

Meeting Larry

I only knew Larry a short time, just 5 weeks. The first time we met he sat up in his hospital bed at the VA in Seattle. His daughter and wife were there. I came to pray with Larry and encourage him. You see, Larry was dying of cancer. He elected not to get treatment.

Obvious to anyone who met him, Larry was a kind and funny man. He had a warm smile, twinkling eyes, and an encouraging word for anyone. The nurses, doctors and other hospital personnel discovered his warmth and humor quickly even though he had difficulty speaking due to a tracheotomy. He always said "thank you" and never complained. He shook their hands, wanted to know their names and their stories, and shared his stories.

A Kind Soul

His daughter described him as the "kindest soul" she had ever met. His wife always said, “Anyone who spent any time with Larry loved him.”  He was the kind of person who liked to strike up a conversation with anyone, and was the first to lend a helping hand.

Like everyone else, I loved Larry right away. I promised him and his family that I would visit him once a week. He seemed to appreciate it. The hospital chaplain also visited regularly so that coming weekly seemed the right interval for everyone.

Getting Ready

Our talks were mostly about Jesus, heaven and the transition from this life to the next. Larry needed reassurance. He looked forward to going home but did not relish the process necessary to get there. On September 8, 2008, Larry left this earth and went to heaven. 

Goodbye Larry. I wish I'd known you before you became ill. We'll miss you.

What's God Up To?

Apparently God is up to something all the time.

God's up to something

That's what Leonard Sweet stated at a talk given on Thursday, October 8, 2008, to a group of Free Methodist pastors. Then he asked, "Do you know God well enough to know what God is up to?" Hmmm, interesting question to ask pastors. Do we?

If God is up to something all the time and we want to be part of what He's doing in the world, then it behooves us to know Him well enough so we can join Him. Unless of course we don't care about going where God is at work...

God is rebooting the church

It seems that one place that God is at work is in the church. In fact, according to Sweet, God is rebooting the church. Instead of worrying about attendance, buildings and money, the church of the 21st Century needs to focus on God and on people. He claimed that the church needs redefine itself to be a missional community.

What does that mean? Sweet discussed three things: missional, relational and incarnational. Missional implies action which means that we need to be intent on going out to be with people. Relational entails being with people in a way that mirrors God who exists in and for relationship. And, incarnational in essence refers to living out Jesus' love to others in tangible ways unique to the situation and environment.

Following God's design

When we live out God's design for us, know Him well enough, and follow His lead then we can make a difference in the world. Connecting with opportunities, connecting with people and living according to God's design for us are three practical ways to join God to love people.

Pillow Fight Connects People

Last week about a thousand people participated in a pillow fight in Grand Rapids. How did this happen? Rob Bliss posted the idea on Facebook to gather about 100 of his friends for a pillow fight at a local plaza. Well, one connection led to another and at the appointed time 1000 people showed up-pillows in hand. And they went at it-Red team against Blue team. Feathers flew, people wacked and a good time was had by all.

Connecting: A Core Need

When asked why they showed up people answered that they thought it was a fun idea. Total strangers connecting for a pillow fight. New friends were made as they smacked each other.

"If nothing else, this pillow fight battle proved how powerful Facebook and other social websites can be at unifying people under a coming cause." (See the complete story at WZZM13.com.)

Connect To Make A Difference

At Semper Vita we believe that people have a core need to connect. Especially with people who share our interests, passions, hobbies or likes. If a post about a pillow fight can bring people out, what could a post about something significant and meaningful do? Can you imagine if people connected with others via social networking or real time "on the street" for a good cause? Can you imagine how we might make a difference? Can you imagine creating a movement of friends doing life and doing good together?

What would make you show up? Pillow fight? Good cause? Common passion? Send us your suggestions.