"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
– Ephesians 5:15-16
Our first month in Asia has been both amazing and challenging. As we set foot on a new ministry site, I quickly began to learn valuable lessons and discovered new ways to serve.
On January 10th, we were sent to “House of Union” in the hills of Northern Thailand. It’s an orphanage for at-risk children that is just bursting with life. They are expanding and providing a much needed resource in this poor community. As such, they are continually in need of funding to pay for basic necessities, a new dormitory, and for sponsorship of each child. We hear of needs like this all the time. Funding for clean water projects in Central America, funding for medical clinics in Southern Africa, funding for pastors of church plants in India, and countless other pressing matters. And God has indeed blessed us in America so that we in turn can pass on this blessing to others. But, something that we often forget we are blessed with as well, is our time. Our ability to serve is not limited to the wealth in our wallets. God has given us many years on this earth to touch the lives of those in need and bring the Good News. He has demanded our time and He demands it from everyone, no excuses!
This is a lesson I’ve certainly learned myself this past month. At House of Union, there were many tasks, both big and small, that needed attending to. And it always seemed to be the little tasks that got assigned to our team. Whether that was weeding the garden, shaving bamboo, organizing a shed, chopping firewood, or cleaning bathrooms, our time was filled with doing simple work that had to be done. Yet, it was still work for the Kingdom, and someone’s got to do it. We even got to spend some quality time with the kids there, teaching them English three nights a week, and playing a soccer game nearly every evening. With each task I had to remind myself that building the Kingdom often requires much of my time and hard work. Along with this, it often requires quality time building relationships as well.
Where it may seem easiest to write a check to sponsor a child, God may be calling you to adopt a child yourself. Where it may seem easiest to pass out a tract, it may be better to give an invitation to dinner instead. We have to remember to give the best of everything that we have. We must spend our lives making the most of all the time God has given us. Why? Because, as the words of that familiar hymn tell us, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
My support raising is nearly complete. Only $1,000 more to go! Please continue to pray that I’ll find new donors and that pledged donations will come in time for my final deadline in April. God has been good in bringing me this far, and I know His timing is perfect. I’m humbled by the support I’ve been given and can’t thank you enough for joining me in this endeavor to carry the name of Jesus! If you would like to make any further donations, make checks payable to Adventures In Missions, mail payments to the following address, and be sure to include my name in the memo:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
You can also make your contribution online at danlidwin.theworldrace.org. Just click the “Support Me” tab on the left hand column and follow the instructions thereafter.
For His Renown,
Dan Lidwin
