He Walks Among Us

     One of my biggest hopes as I transition away from cross-cultural work and into American life and school teaching is that I find a solid devotional, a book of encouragement and truth, with which I can start each day.  Luckily for me, I haven't even had to go out and buy one, as I have found a beautiful compilation tucked away in John's old bedroom.  It is called He Walks Among Us: Encounters with Christ in a Broken World, written by World Vision leaders Richard and Renee Stearns.  This book is just what my heart has been yearning for, given the doubts I have recently had about the importance of missions work.   

This book serves as a reminder of the power of Jesus' name, the good that it can do in the body, mind, and soul, of even the most despairing people in this world.  Each page in this book tells the stories of individuals who have been given grace at their lowest moments, changing them from bitter to grateful, alone to loved, desperate to hopeful, dead to alive.  This book tells of child soldiers, mutilated widows, homeless families, and sick elders, all of whom become transformed, thanks to the power of the gospel in their lives.  Photographer Jon Warren, captures these stories with his beautifully crisp and colorful pictures. 

Here are some samples of his work (sources: World Vision Magazine and Response, Seattle Pacific University)

an orphan in Zambia prays over her meal

sponsored school children in Rwanda

Rwanda during war time

a Rwandan orphan

women working in Rwanda

rehabilitation of child soldiers in nothern Uganda

 

 

 

 

health outreach in Honduras

 

 

a rural hospital in DRC

teenage mothers in Romania

a Bolivian mother with her disabled child

nutrition classes in Guatemala

a kid-friendly space in South Asia

     I have to pace myself, as I am tempted to read through this whole book in just one sitting.  Each page shouts the wonderfully surprising truth that God is at work in the world, as much as the devil tries to persuade us otherwise.  These stories reveal the paradox of living as a child of God.  While many brothers and sisters are poor and struggling on this earth, they show that they are still the rich ones-- "rich in wisdom, community, perseverance, courage, faith, and even joy." (Rich Stearns)  I thank God for these examples.  

sponsored school children in Tanzania

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go 

and bear fruit-- fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you 

whatever you ask in my name." -John 15:16