We've Moved!

Well, actually, I've just moved the blog to a new site...

Check out:

www.lydiaslamp.com

I'm Here!

Hi!
Sorry I haven't posted the photos from the outreach yet.  After the outreach we had to clean up and reorganize and at the same time I had to start preparations for giving a seminar to 90 students at a Seminary.  That will be tomorrow and Wednesday.
In the meantime, we've still been fighting with rain, and staff illnesses.  Even I've been sick for a few days with a cold and sinus infection.

Also, a dear friend's son has been working on a new blog page for me!  I'm excited to say that it's almost finished.  I'll be giving you notice soon.

Special thanks to Matt Aebersold!

Stay tuned...

First Outreach

Even with the rain off and on we've enjoyed doing our first outreach in the new area.  We have 25 children that regularly attend Sunday School so we were praying for God to double that amount.  Instead He gave us 55 the first day!  By day 2 we had 66 children!  We were rained out a little last night and are wondering what the Lord will do today.  This is day 3 and the final day.  Tonight we will have a short program for the parents (if it doesn't rain), and a special meal of Chow mein, cake, and ice cream.  I look forward to posting the photos and videos tomorrow!

24 Children Among Hundreds Raped in the Congo

You will notice that I am posting articles from a website of Tom Davis that I follow. He is an advocate for children in sex trafficking and abuse.
I hope you will read the articles and pray and ask God what He wants you to do in response to the increased abuse against children.
Praying for you!

24 Children Among Hundreds Raped in the Congo

How a Three Year Old Turns Into a Sex Slave - True Story

There are many things that break my heart, especially when it comes to children. I can't judge by saying there is no reason what so ever not to love your child, no matter how God created him or her.  But the more I see children abandoned, especially when the parents are not poor, the more it breaks my heart.  Just in the past two weeks, I've had two different parents bring their older children that were developmentally disadvantaged and just want to 'dump' them on me with no care in their hearts whatsoever.  Last night was the  second one.  The older brother came with his parents and their supposed 15 year old sister (she was more like 25 years old) trying to convince me to take her.  They were practically begging me to take her off their hands.  The sad part is they had never given any care to her whatsoever.  They had never tried to get her any help even though they were not poor, and here she was now, a young adult in terrible condition both physically and mentally.  A child made in the image of God.
What burdens me is my hands are tied.  There was no way possible due to circumstances in my home, and because of the restrictions of the agency I am with here.  So what happens to her now?
There is actually only one place in the city near by that has residency for children who are developmentally disadvantaged and even they are letting children go that have lived there.
Last week a father brought his adult child here for the third time begging me to take him.
Last Sunday, the Pastor of the house church asked me to take in 3 children who were typically developed because their mother had died and the new wife didn't want them.  These children are approximately 4, 5 and 6.  I've been in much prayer the past couple of weeks praying and asking what God would have me do.
The other plight that is increasing daily is children in sex trafficking.  Below is an article from the blog of Tom Davis who is an advocate for children in this situation.
What can you do?  Pray, research, pray more, give, go, even come help me!
The children need us!  We have the ability and resources.  Won't you help?


How a Three Year Old Turns Into a Sex Slave - True Story

Plan C

In my years of training other teachers I've always told them when one plan doesn't work or a child isn't learning than you need to change your plans. I've found the same true in my years of teaching. So, why shouldn't I do the same with the staff themselves? The original group of

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

staff that I trained at the first center I trained in all of the technical stuff and then gave them tons of activities and various ways to try things. So what happened? After they ran through all of those things they came back for more, not looking into themselves at what they could create on their own. After a while (a long period), they finally looked to themselves. This second team at the new center I decided to give them the basics, a few examples, and then let them figure out the rest on their own, leaving with them plenty of resources and materials. The result, not much. It's always been difficult getting the staff to use their imaginations and creativity. It's not that they don't have talent. When I've given them assignments they come with some marvelous, innovative ideas. However, in trying to get them to carry that over into the classroom is like pulling teeth. I do keep in mind that although they are very creative they were all brought up in schools where only rote teaching took place, no hands on experience. So plan C? I'm doing the whole activity myself and teaching the children and letting them assist me! I'm using the same exact materials and resources that I have available for them. We had a meeting this morning and I showed them my literacy board (pictured below) and explained how I was going to use it and they saw what materials I used, they all kind of hung their head down in shame. I didn't want to make them feel bad but I wanted to motivate them and encourage them that they could do the same and more! So what happened? When I peaked in on their planning session today they were busy making all kinds of things and for the first time ever one staff member stayed past quiting time to make some things for class on Monday! Score! Pray for their continued motivation so that the children can have the best learning possible!

Birthdays

I HATE BIRTHDAYS! There, I said it. I know all the good things about God ordaining the special day that we were born, and Psalm 139, and I don't mean to sin against God by saying I hate birthdays but they've always been disappointing. I don't know if it's my expectations, which I couldn't even tell you what my expectations are. All I know is the older I get the faster time goes by and I end up feeling like I've wasted a year by not getting the things I wanted to get accomplished. Now I don't want to say that all of my birthdays have been bad. I remember my 49th was a special treat where friends threw me a surprise party and BOY was I surprised! It was one of those moments when you look your worse and all kinds of people show up at your door! A dear lady, Sara, made me this wonderful poster sharing about my life and work using candy bars.







I think my saddest one was when I turned 21. Life was not going well and then a few weeks after my birthday my father died.
I even thought this last year was going to be a monumental year. I was looking for God to do amazing things through me and with me. I felt it was special because I turned 50 and my birthday fell on the exact same day I was born 50 years ago. I must say the last year WAS monumental but it was negative monumental things that happened in my life... what to say or do?
Well, this morning I think the Lord was sick and tired of my bad attitude about birthdays and decided to put a stop to it. You see, since my return here a couple of weeks ago I've been working on devotions with the staff concerning "Attitudes of the Heart." I feel sometimes that, although these people are Christians, they just don't have a passion for the work. I decided before I did further training on working with the children that I would first, with the help of the Lord, do some exercises in heart surgery. It has been going pretty well and so far the staff have been thinking about it and questioning my motive.
Tomorrow, I am training the staff on using puppets again and it's also our day for the next step in our heart attitude lesson. I decided to look online for some new skits and found one listed under "heart." JACKPOT! I thought what a great way to convince the staff of their heart attitude by doing a skit with puppets! Then I read the skit. Here's an excerpt:
S - "I can thank him that I'm not as old as you! (ouch)
V - "Yes, and I'll thank Him that I'm still getting older. (double ouch)
S - "Why would you do that?"
V - "If I didn't get older, I'd be dead. Plus that gives me more time to live for Jesus." (slam dunk!)
S - "Oh, yea"
V - "If you want to feel better all the time then remember in Proverbs 17:22 it says a cheerful heart is good medicine."
I did laugh after I read that realizing that God does have a great sense of humor. I'm trying to preach to my staff when some areas in my own life need fixing, not that I thought I was perfect, but some things are more obvious than others!
So, what am I doing this year for my birthday? Celebrating(!!!) and making a list of all of the things I am thankful for! So join me on Thursday, August 5th, in thanking God for the last year He gave me (difficult as it was), because I've learned and grown from it, and I know Him more than I did the year before. Looking forward to what He has in store for me in the next year! May HE be glorified in it all! Happy birthday to me!
(p.s. I'll give you my list after the 5th!)

IT'S A WALL!

I've been waiting since last year for a foundation wall to be built around the campus which the hospital agency said they would provide. Alas, it wasn't built. Then, right before I left to the U.S. people came out to look at the land and I knew the wall would be built while I was in the U.S. Alas, it still wasn't done.
So what's this wall you see? My neighbors the Tibetans decided to build a new building AND put up a foundation wall! They started just a few days ago and have almost completed one side in just a short time!
That means we can link up a chain fence to the wall for the goat pasture!
I think it's kind of funny because I expected the wall to be done by our people, yet God used my neighbors to accomplish the work that needed done.
We can always depend on Him if we just wait.
(both of the land photos will be what we fence in for the goats pasture).

The TRUTH

So many things in our life are constantly changing. So many things that we don't have control of, they just happen. So many things seem like a boat sailing on the water you can be in perfect stillness or moving quickly amongst the waves and enjoying it. Then there are the storms, and you don't know how damaging they are going to be until they are over. Sometimes the damage from the storm is very light, and you learn what to do the next time that kind of storm hits. Other times the winds are so powerful and the waves so high that they just come crashing down upon you and you can only lay flat down on your face and ride it out and wait for the winds to subside, the rains to stop, and the sun to shine again.

One constant thing I am reminded of today, is the consistency of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Through the dark, through the storm, He is always there holding on. The following song God brought to my mind today and I was refreshed by it. May you also be.

In the midst of the storms we must hold on to the one TRUTH that never changes.
" How deep the Father;s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son,
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there.
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anyting
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom."
by Stuart Townsend






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The Many Changes

I've only been back, exactly a week today and many things have already happened. It was good to see the growth of the baby goats. Here Ruth is with big sister Esther. While I was in the U.S. people there gave funds to purchase 10 goats to give to villagers! Pray for wisdom as I search out the goat farms.



Boaz (below) will be as grand as his father.









Mariam (below) and my other children were happy to see me!

Two new children joined the intervention center (one pictured above) and I have assessments for another two new ones next week. Sadly, the four children that were related (Sabina, Manju, Wasim, and Nafix) have dropped out. I've gone to speak with the parents but can't get them to change their minds. Please keep those four in your prayers.

Back in South Asia

I had really hoped to update you while I was in the U.S. However, my time there was spent traveling, speaking at different churches, small groups, etc. It was a blessed time and brought much awareness to people who had no idea the plight of the children here. Due to a delay in my visa (a God-send I believe), I finally had a chance to relax and get away during my final days there.
But now I'm back home!
I've been home for 5 days now and trying to get reoriented in everything. The hardest has been the jet lag and diving into the high temperatures. The easiest has been being reunited with my children and staff here.
There are so many things that are 'first' on my list to do. Mainly, reassessing staff, reassessing children, and getting the intervention center to run a little more smoothly. Thanks to donations, I am able to hire another staff. Instead of hiring one of my old staff back though, I've decided it's best to try and hire an Indian teacher. Since the visa process has been so difficult, I have found it might be better to have another trained person to be able to carry on in case I am not able to return. The staff I've trained have come a long way but there is still so much to learn. Since I'm only getting 1 year visas at a time, I am only getting so much training accomplished.
Another objective to work on is the goat project. I just received another donation to purchase a goat for a poor villager. This makes the 8th donation for that specific reason.
Just a week before I returned here I visited a goat farm on the west coast. I was able to get some really valuable information from them. The agency I'm with here was supposed to put up a foundation wall around our campus while I was gone. That wasn't done. However, my tibetan neighbors are building a foundation wall around their area which means I will be able to put fencing up to that area for my goat's pasture! I believe God, in His grace, allowed my desire to be fullfilled in this way, since the people that I was depending on didn't follow through.
So, I've been busily taking new photos and look forward to posting the updates soon.

I'm Here!

I know if you have checked this blog or my twitter account or even if you are on my group email list you haven't heard from me for awhile. I've been in the U.S. for 3 weeks, and yes, have done quite a bit of traveling and speaking thus far. It's been great to share with people I have never met before and find that every where I travel that God has already been working in their hearts. I have a lighter schedule next week and hope to update on what God has been doing and post some photos.
In the meantime...a funny thing happened on the way to... Lacey, Washington. A friend and I went to hear Greg Mortenson speak at a University. It was an awesome event and Greg's speech encouraged us, motivated us, and challenged us. If you haven't read his first book, 3 Cups of Tea, it's a great read!
However, before the event a friend and I decided to walk to a latte stand a couple of blocks away. Once we got there, we both laughed as we saw the trivia question posted on the white board, " What is the National fruit of India?" Yeah, we kind of knew the answer to that question! I really do believe that God has a sense of humor!

Don't Let It Pass You By

If you have a heart for orphans like God does, you won't want to miss out on this conference!

There's a great line up of speakers! You get to net-work with others who have a passion for orphans! And you can choose what individual sessions you want to go to!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit/conference.asp

UPDATES

* We were happy today that we had 27 children in Sunday School! We orginally had about 30 children but a few moved back to Nepal and then others just stopped coming. The last 3 months our numbers have been averaging around 10 children. We praise God that most of the original children have returned and there are also some new faces! Please pray for each of these children that they will comprehend the love of God (see today's video of them singing below).
* In 9 more days I leave for Delhi and in 11 days for the U.S. I still have a lot to do but feel at peace that I will get accomplished what I need to get done. Temperatures are high, water levels are low, and there's enough power outages to cause some frustration.
* For those of you monitoring our goat project... our little Esther miscarried this week. The baby boy was premature and in breech position. It took the vet quite a long time to remove the baby from her. The mother goat, by a miracle, is surviving and getting a little better each day. She still has a long way to go. We were a little disappointed about this set back but know that God's timing is perfect.

Mariam's Birthday!

Yesterday we had a fun filled afternoon celebrating Mariam's life. She celebrated her 10th birthday. We praise God that He has sustained her life this long. Her mother, grandmother, one sister, one brother, and some of friends came to help celebrate. We pray that God will do amazing things in her life this year!

Easter Outreach #2

See more pictures and video below!

Easter Video

EASTER OUTREACH

Because of the financial crunch and a few other reasons we were only able to have a small outreach for Easter. It was still a blessed time though and the kids enjoyed hearing the Easter Story using the Resurrection Eggs, singing songs, eating cake and drinking pop, and of course, the famous Easter Egg Hunt! A little video for you too to enjoy! Sorry the quality of the photos or the video is not too good. My cells weren't charging very well. Please remember these children in your prayers...

Tarun's Opinion of Homework!

See previous post...

PRAISES!

Tarun passed to 1st standard!...... it's been a long first year getting Tarun used to structure and homework. It took many times explaining to Tarun the importance of studying. When he first began school he was excited but then the excitement wore off when he found he lost play time because he had to do homework! We are just grateful to God for His strength to continue in this. Tarun is very pleased now! He went from being 17 in the class to being 10 in the class. Great improvement over all and excellent scores at the end!

This past Saturday I had decided to shut the program down for 3 months while I was in the U.S. Finances have been lean and we weren't meeting the overall budget. However, God's timing, always perfect, changed my mind on Sunday morning. I received an email from a couple who have been friends of mine for a long time and have supported, encouraged, and prayed for us over the years. Even though they are already contributing a large sum each month for the work they decided to pick up the rest of the new budget! I don't have to close the program and when I shared with the staff yesterday of the news, they were overwhelmed! We sat together yesterday and prayed and praised God for His miraculous hand. We look forward to Friday morning, even though everyone should be off, we are meeting together for a time of praise and worship in humble appreciation.