Albertine by Brooke Fraser

Well, friends. I'm back in TJ. Hip hip hooray. It's so good to back. There's something here called sunshine. It's fantastic. You people up North should invest in some of it. There's even grass here. But that's not the point of this blog entry. That was merely just to gloat. Because I can. But lets get to the nitty gritty shall we? I'm here to learn. How bout I impart some of my new-found wisdom? This week we had.... bum bum ba-da-da..... INTRODUCTION WEEK. Phewph. So much excitement. We had a fabulous speaker, Jana Moats, of the Women and Children Advocacy Centre. She spent the week challenging me and making me a little sad to be quite honest.  I suppose the "biggest" thing I learned is the "child in the middle" concept (and... how much homework I'll be doing each week. yikes.) "Child in the middle?" you ask. Well, allow me to enlighten you. Here it is: Keep the child the most important thing. "Duh," you say. Pretty simple eh? But is it really? How often do we ACTUALLY do that? Probably not very often. I always assumed that my ministry would be working in an orphanage somewhere. But Janna challenged me with this, since when are orphanages in the best interest of children? Well, actually, they're usually not. How many children are put up for adoption because of poverty? How many "orphans" are really loved by their parents who are too poor to provide for their children? Or who don't think they are capable? What if we invested into the family and did what was best for the child? What if that meant more children living in their homes... with their own families? Can we wrap our heads around this concept? Are we willing to? And that is only one example. Now, mind you, I personally don't believe that orphanage's are evil or anything like that. But my whole thinking has been challenged this week and I thought perhaps I could do the same for you. I learned many other things this week and I know I will keep being challenged throughout the next couple weeks. Do you remember that song that used to play on Smile FM called Albertine by Brooke Fraser? The line from the chorus has been running through my mind lately. Seems fitting enough. "Now that I have seen, I am responsible, Faith without deeds is dead...I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been, I will keep my word." Pretty catchy too. I feel like that will be my theme song for the duration of my time here. Before I conclude, how bout a word about my outreach options? After all my classes end on April 1st I can either go to Costa Rica or stay here in Tijuana. (Don't tell... but I get the feeling God's calling me to go to Costa Rica. We'll see.) I've gots of praying and fundraising to do! Keep me in your prayers! And stay tuned for another adventure in Sunshine and Shenanigans next week!
 
Brooke's music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcI0-axh9WQ


Verse of the Week: Isaiah 1:17, " Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow"