Everything in the kingdom of God is relational. It’s about investing, sacrificing, and loving. It’s something that goes beyond a financial donation, beyond newsletters and photo updates, beyond a month long partnership on the World Race.
I want to invite you to invest in the kingdom work that is taking place in India and Thailand. Before you continue reading, pray that your heart would be sensitive to the convictions and leading of the Spirit. Pray for open hands and a confident Spirit that there is no better place than where the Lord is. Pray for strength and obedience to answer the call, “He must become greater, I must become less”.
During our first and third month on the Race, we have worked with two amazing Christian organizations in India and Thailand. These organizations radically love those that society deems worthless, forgotten, and insignificant. Each organization is listed and described below along with current physical needs.
Let this be an opportunity to invest, sacrifice, and love radically. Let us listen to the words of Paul since “at the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” As one Body let us take to heart the needs of our brothers and sisters all over the world.
Sarah’s Covenant Homes: Ongole, India
SCH rescues abandoned children with neurological & developmental special needs and provides them with love, education, therapy, medical & surgical care, and LIFE in Jesus.
Children with developmental disabilities and neurological special needs are the most likely to be abandoned and least likely to be adopted children in India. They are seen as worthless, physical and financial burdens and many Hindus in India believe mentally disabled children represent a spiritual curse on the family.
SCH receives no governmental support and therefore relies heavily on donations from international partners. SCH is a part of a larger Christian organization and therefore receives some financial support from them. However the financial costs of caring for 105 children with varying neurological and developmental special needs is still very expensive.
Every year it costs $16,600 to send the kids to school. Every month SCH uses 9,000 diapers which means 108,000 diapers over the course of a year. Every day “Ayah’s” (caretakers) are paid around the clock to provide constant care for these children. These are just some of the necessary expenses SCH incurs on a daily basis.
SCH is currently leading a campaign called "105 in 105" as they promote one child on Facebook everyday for the next 105 days. This is an effort to get every child individually sponsored to cover the costs for school, food, diapers, healthcare, etc.
Listed below are more resources about SCH. Please take time to get to know some of the children from the 105 in 105 campaign and ask God how He would have you partner with SCH.
Join SCH as they bring the kingdom of Heaven to Earth!
Website: http://www.schindia.com
Blog: http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/schindia
Email: [email protected]
Sila Home ChiangMai: ChiangMai, Thailand
Sila Home is a Christian children’s home located in the province of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. There are currently 45 children living at Sila Home ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old. Sila Home provides a place to live and an education for underprivileged children. Apart from Sila Home, these boys and girls would have limited educational opportunities and would be at risk for drug addiction and forced prostitution.
Many of the boys and girls come from Buddhist backgrounds; therefore Sila Home uses this opportunity to show their families and the individual children God’s love for them by meeting their physical needs. They learn how to talk with God, hear the gospel every Sunday at church, and have bi-weekly Bible studies with the Pastor who lives at Sila Home. Sila Home provides a healthy Christian environment for these kids as they grow up. Their physical needs are met and everyday they come in contact with the exponential love Jesus has for them.
Sila Home is not supported financially by the Thai government and has zero monthly supporters. This organization has radical faith, as they trust God from check to check, donation to donation, to bring in the funds they need to provide for these children. They have made a commitment to these children to provide for them, and everyday they trust God for the means to do so.
Some of the current financial needs include:
· $10,500 to build a new water supply
· $35,000 to build a kids house specifically for the 3-9 year olds
· $10,500 per year for education
· $50,000 to build a computer and library room
· $13,500 to build a fence
· $20,000 to buy a secondhand truck to take kids to school
Another ministry of Sila Home is Ruth Home. This location is 45 minutes away from the main office and ministry of Sila Home. The mission of Ruth Home is to provide a safe house for girls who are at high risk of forced prostitution. There are specific villages in Thailand that are targeted by traffickers because there is little money and opportunity in these places. Ruth Home offers a safe place for these girls to live and provides for their education. We were able to visit the future location of Ruth Home and build a garden for the four girls who live there now. They hope to begin building by the end of the year. They currently have $2,000 in the building budget but need $30,000 total.
Listed below are some online resources for more information about Sila Home. Take some time to talk with God and ask Him how you can partner with this organization. Our God owns all the cattle on a thousand hills, so He doesn’t NEED us or “our money”. He can and He will provide. As believers, however, we are called to sacrifice, to give, and to meet others needs; especially our brothers and sisters! Let the Lord show you how to giving sacrificially and how to steward your money and resources to help build His kingdom all over the world, including Chiang Mai, Thailand!
Website: http://www.silahome.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/silahome.chiangmai
