In the weeks since Hurricane Harvey first hit, the storm has passed and the floodwaters have receded. However, now begins the difficult task of rebuilding all of the devastation. Current estimates place the damage at approximately $150 to $180 billion. At the same time, Hurricane Irma appears to be dissipating little by little as it makes its way through Florida, after hitting the Caribbean and causing destruction throughout the island nations. Even still, the southeastern United States is still at risk for widespread flooding as a result of Irma. Just recently, approximately 41 million people in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh have been affected by severe flooding as a result of an unusually heavy monsoon season.Amid all of this pain and devastation, you may be wondering what you can do.First and foremost, we invite you to continue to pray with us for the residents of Texas, Florida, the Caribbean, and South Asia.- Pray for the safety of those who are still in the midst of flooding and dangerous weather, and those who are working to ensure their safety and security.- Pray for health and protection for people trapped in flooded areas and the rescue teams working to free them.- Pray for full provision and safety for crowded relief shelters.- Pray for adequate workers and funding to rebuild and repair homes, churches, and businesses affected by the flooding.If you feel led, you can also give a financial contribution. SEAPC has arranged to receive these through our online giving platform, which you can access at here. Simply follow the links to the donation page, and when prompted, enter your donation under “Global Disaster Relief.” If you would prefer to give by check, you can mail it to SEAPC, PO Box 127, Oakmont, PA 15139 (please ensure that you mark “Global Disaster Relief” on your donation). All donated funds will go towards providing supplies for rebuilding homes and churches in the area affected by Hurricane Harvey.Lastly, you can join a disaster relief team. Bill Richardson, our missions director and an experienced global disaster relief professional, will be leading a team to Texas to provide assistance.Dates: TBD. Thanks to feedback from local ministry partners, SEAPC will be solidifying trip dates within the next few weeks.Project Description: Volunteers will be assisting homeowners affected by Hurricane Harvey. We’ll be tearing out damaged drywall, removing flooring, tarping roofs, and clearing debris.Additional Information: Meals and sleeping quarters will be provided for overnight volunteers. Volunteers need to bring twin size air mattress or cot, linens/sleeping bag, pillow, towels, and personal hygiene items. Tools will be provided, but volunteers may bring their own tool belts and small hand tools. Volunteers plan to dress in long pants and bring work gloves, safety glasses, and sturdy boots. Volunteers should bring rubber boots for working in flooded areas.Length of Stay: Minimum stay of three days for overnight volunteers.Maximum Team Size: 15 people. Both teams and individuals are welcome.Minimum Age: Volunteers must be at least 14 years or older. Volunteers ages 14-15 must be accompanied by their parent/legal guardian, and 16-17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult chaperone (age 21 or older). All youth must have a signed Youth Volunteer Release and Waiver of Liability. If not accompanied by their parent, this form must be notarized.Approximate Costs:Travel Meals: $60.00 to $100.00Trip cost per person: $400.00 for 7 daysContact: Bill Richardson, 412-418-7371 or billrichardson@seapc.org or Carly Davis, 412-826-9063 or carlyd@seapc.org.Thank you for partnering with SEAPC to be God’s hands and feet to those affected by disasters around the world!

Meet An No, a courageous man whose laughter seeps through nearly every word he speaks. He is a man of incredible joy although his past holds great sorrow. Eleven years ago, An No lost everything. He lost his mother, father, sister, girlfriend, comfortable lifestyle, and security within a 24-hour period. Despite all of this, An No remains full of joy.

Although he was raised a Christian, An No encountered God in 2006 after his mother became deathly ill. He distinctly remembers the Lord asking him on three separate occasions if it was okay for his mother to go away. The first and second time, An No refused. However, the third time he agreed to the calling of the Lord. His mother was in a coma and An No was ready for her to experience ultimate peace. Following his exchange with the Lord, An No cried for two hours straight. He knew her time on Earth was nearing an end. That evening, a friend invited An No to a Christian concert and around 3 am he received news that his mom passed away. Despite the news, he didn’t cry in the moment or at the funeral a few days later. Instead, An No felt peace. He knew his mom was with Jesus.The same day of the funeral, his girlfriend of eight years broke up with him. An No was financially supported by his mother before her passing and without those resources his girlfriend wanted nothing to do with him. She didn't want to live a lower quality of life due to a lack of resources. An No’s friends also abandoned him for similar reasons. The day after the funeral, his sister ran away with his only source of income and his cell phones. An No has not seen his sister since this day. As if things couldn’t continue to get worse, his father moved to a different island shortly after these events. At 20 years old, An No’s life had come to a crashing halt.

In the past, An No was a self-proclaimed brat and he lived a life of tremendous affluence. After his mother’s passing, however, he was left with nothing. He jokingly quipped how he was forced to fast many times due to having no money for food. An No aimlessly walked the streets and mentally prepared himself to die. He lost all hope and had trouble finding anything positive within his situation. He had no support, even from life-long neighbors. These neighbors only remembered the spoiled An No and had no desire to offer him anything.At his lowest point, An No noticed an insane man walking the streets. He remembers this man’s happiness and his incessant smile.The man offered a smile and An No immediately felt peace. This simple exchange marked a turning point.The man kept smiling at him. Eventually, An No opened up and confided in the stranger until he could literally feel a weight leave his body. He was struck by how the man would keep smiling at people even though they would visibly laugh at him. This reminded An No of his current situation. He realized he could look up and smile back at the people who spoke poorly of him. It was in this moment, An No touched the stranger and told him he hoped to be just like him. An No then got up quickly and turned around. The man was nowhere to be seen. Stunned, An No noticed the pain he continually experienced was gone and he felt completely free. From that moment forward, he began to accept, appreciate and make peace with himself.

An No was completely out of his comfort zone. However, it was through this time his character began to develop. Every morning, An No would wake up at 2 a.m., rain or shine, to sell the paper. When it rained, he would wrap the paper in plastic and carry it close to his body to keep it dry. An No later worked in a printing store and was also a street singer for a period of time. Over the years, he has collected many job titles. He is currently working remotely selling different products online. To An No, however, these titles are just a means to make enough to survive. He said his real job is ministry and he works to support his ministry of worship.First and foremost, An No’s heart is to “equip everyone to worship Jesus.” His heart for praising Jesus remains evident even if traffic proves a troublesome feat. He simply laughs off the traffic jam and finds any and every excuse to praise the Lord.Despite tremendous loss and abandonment, An No smiles. “Here I am. God is always beside me. I am alone, but I am not alone because I have a good Father. So, every day I smile, smile, smile, because it is going to be a good day.” SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

As part of a series of blog posts about child sponsors from around the world, today’s guest author is Erin Wimer, a sponsor and dedicated mother of two. She and her husband, Tony (Financial Administrator at SEAPC), live in the Pittsburgh area.The three precious faces you see in the picture are the children in Myanmar that Tony and I have the privilege of sponsoring through SEAPC. Through our sponsorship, we are able to help provide them with food, shelter, and a Bible based education. Their pictures hanging in our home are a daily reminder of the goodness and graciousness of our Lord and how He has called us to serve the least of these.

I’ll be honest, before I hung their pictures up a few months ago, I rarely thought about them. I would sometimes remember to pray for them, but not always. Unlike my husband, I haven’t had the privilege of meeting them and building relationships with them, so for me, the connection wasn’t as real. My days are busy, and I have two kids to raise, so I didn’t really think too much about them. Their names come up in conversation after Tony gets home from a trip and we talk about his interactions with them, but that was the extent of it. The day I decided to hang their pictures in that old window frame, and after I spent some time reading their letters, admiring their drawings and taking in their faces, I realized that our sponsorship is much more than just sending them a check each month and mentally checking it off our “things we should do” list. It’s about love and compassion and grace. It’s about giving selflessly and asking for nothing in return. The very things that God displayed when He gave His life for us. The things that we show to our own children every day are the same things we can show to children on the other side of the world.

After looking at their pictures for a while I found myself crying. I cried because their pictures were hanging in our dining room, where we share three meals a day as a family. Where we talk and laugh and thank God for all that He’s blessed us with. I cried knowing that they may never sit in a dining room like ours with their family, and my heart broke for them. I felt helpless, thinking that there was nothing I could do to change their situation. But through our sponsorship, we are changing their lives. We are ensuring that they are safe, and healthy, well loved, and educated. And most importantly, they are being shown the love of God. So while I can’t give them the same experiences that my kids have, I can still show them love and compassion and grace. And really, that’s the least I could do.

So I encourage you to prayerfully consider sponsoring a child. The ways that you can impact their lives are far greater than anything you can imagine. You are giving them hope and a future, and showing them they are invaluable in the eyes of God. Remember that it’s not about the money or the obligation; it’s about sharing the love of God—what we’re all called to do.

To learn more about becoming an SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.If you’re already a child sponsor and would like to share your own story, please contact us at info@seapc.org.

Our guest author today is Rochelle Agnew of Pittsburgh, PA. Rochelle is a musician and friend of SEAPC who has been working to develop music curriculum for teachers in the Banteay Meanchey Arise program. “Kingdom of Wonder.” That’s the tagline of Cambodia. From the moment your toes touch the tarmac it’s a statement that effortlessly proves itself to be true. I fell hard and fast for this nation last summer. It took me completely by surprise, but that’s often the nature of wonder itself. You don’t see it coming, and then suddenly you’re overtaken and overwhelmed by it. One little girl held my hand for two days, and I became singularly obsessed with the future of a nation. Fast forward three months, and I was sitting in the Oakmont offices of SEAPC. I walked in to try to learn the Khmer language. I walked out with the goal of bringing music education and an atmosphere of praise and worship into the public schools of Banteay Meanchey. It was a total divine setup. One little girl led to one meeting which led to one nation being changed forever.

From October through July we dreamt of what bringing music and praise into the classrooms of Cambodia would look like. What does it sound like when a generation born into tragedy is educated in beauty and creativity and thereby the very heart of God? We knew that as we created and taught we were not just awakening new avenues of education, but new encounters with God for the heart of every child in Banteay Meanchey. As we crafted a music curriculum with Jesus at the center of every song, we leaned into the heart of the Father and his dreams for his children. The most practical goal of the program became the one with the biggest supernatural need. At the end of the day, we wanted the students to have fun with the curriculum, causing them to want to stay in school longer. Staying in school longer meant more education, more dreams, more opportunities, and an eventual breaking of the poverty cycle. What an impossibility. Teach a song and end poverty. Who but Jesus could make that happen? At the end of nine months of dreaming, I set out to return to Cambodia.

The first step was to discreetly test out the material with the children in the schools. We played a musical version of hot and cold by singing “God is So Good”. It was a home run. I can’t remember seeing such eagerness and engagement from any group of children before. It took all of five minutes to know this would work. The next step was training the national Khmer missionaries. We spent two days learning the curriculum. The Holy Spirit accelerated the process, and I witnessed firsthand what acceleration looks like when hearts and minds are hungry and Holy Spirit is running the show. We started from square one. None of them had ever seen western music notation before. By the end of two days we had tackled years’ worth of musical content. It was a sign to make you wonder if ever there was one. I pulled out concepts I thought I’d teach two to three years from now. Then the biggest test of all came: the schools. The night before we left for the villages I told our team what I planned to teach the next two days. I’d leave this in, take that out, etc. Hubert Tutwiler asked if he could make a suggestion. I said yes, anticipating his sage advice from working in the mission field with this precious people. “Why don’t you just do whatever Holy Spirit tells you to do?” The wonder of the kingdom came rushing in again. No amount of effort on my part could have culminated in the acceleration we’d experienced the last few days. I set my heart once again to see what the Father would do. We went to two school districts in two days. Once more, we taught years’ worth of material to people who had never even seen it before. At the end of six days, I had no words to explain what the Lord had accomplished. The wonder of the Kingdom and all its power and possibility had just manifested in the kingdom of wonder.It was a trip spent marveling at the immeasurable heart of the Father. As we plan for the next installment of the curriculum, we have our sights set on kingdom possibilities. To quote Hubert Tutwiler, “Our hearts are set on one thing: to bring glory to Jesus, and Jesus to the people.” Twenty years from now, we don’t know where we will be, but our hearts will still be fixed on his. We will see the beauty and creativity of our Jesus manifest in the hearts, minds, and lives of every child in Banteay Meanchey. It begins with a song, and ends with wonder. More, Lord.

To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.

SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

As part of a series of blog posts about child sponsors from around the world, today's guest author is Abigail M. She is 11 years old and very passionate about the arts and acting, and loves to travel around the US with her family. Abigail lives in Grove City, PA with her parents.I really like going to work with my dad. One day, a few years ago, I went with him to Pittsburgh. After several meetings, I asked my dad where we were going next because I was starting to get tired and a little bit bored. He told me that we were going to an amazing bakery where we going to meet someone who knew Van.

Van is a young man that our family has been sponsoring for the last three years through SEAPC. I see his picture on our refrigerator every day. He just turned 18, so he was 15 or 16 when we started sponsoring him.My dad said that we would be meeting Matt Geppert, someone who worked for SEAPC and helped kids like Van. As soon as he told me, my heart leapt and my mind began to race. My thoughts were going a mile a minute! Imagine! Me, going to meet someone who knew Van! A thousand questions rushed into my mind. I grabbed my notebook and I started to write them down. As a 9-year-old, I was so excited to learn more about the young man whose picture I saw every time I passed our refrigerator.When we got to the bakery and opened the door, the smell of fresh bread, cookies, and other amazing pastries greeted us. It took me a long time to make up my mind, partly because of the fact that someone who knew Van was sitting in the back of the bakery! When I had finally ordered, I sat down and immediately took out my notebook like I was conducting an interview.

As soon as we were all sitting down, I looked at Matt and asked, “Do you know Van?” It took Matt a minute to figure out what I was talking about, but then my dad told him that I was asking about our sponsor child. Matt told me that he did know Van and that he would be happy to answer my questions.The first question that I wanted to ask was if Van was a Christian. Then I wanted to find out what were some of the things that he liked. At first, Matt didn’t say much. He just looked at me. I kept asking questions.“Does Van have a family?”“Where does he live?”That's when Matt looked up and told me something that surprised me. He said that my family were some of his heroes. When I asked why, he said it was because we really cared about Van and that I wanted to know about him and his life.Matt told us that Van is Christian and that he and his friends pray every morning. He enjoys soccer, and he teaches the little kids how to play. He also told me that Van likes to write. That was interesting to me as I also love writing. Van lives in a children's home because he abandoned. I told Matt that I was glad that Van had a home to live in. Even though I was really young, I knew that most orphaned or abandoned children were child soldiers or worse.A week after I met Matt, I was so surprised to get a package from Van. There was a letter from him and two bracelets made by some of the girls in the SEAPC home. This was so special!I first started thinking about sponsoring children when I watched a TV show about a family that wanted to help orphans in Central America. They thought about adoption, but the laws in that country made it hard, so they started sponsoring the children instead. This stood out to me because I am an only child and we have prayed about adopting, but haven’t been able to. But we can sponsor a child, and in some ways, sponsorship was almost like we were adopting. Now we’ve made a commitment to Van and I feel like he is a part of our family. My heart has grown for others, and I pray for Van and our other sponsor kids every day. My family and I are so honored and grateful that we get to sponsor children. We are glad to make an impact on Van’s life, and in turn, God has made an even bigger impact on our family.To learn more about becoming an SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.If you’re already a child sponsor and would like to share your own story, please contact us at info@seapc.org.

Our guest author today is Dan Taylor — in collaboration with Shema Kallimel — a close friend in ministry who works in North India with his organization 5 Rivers International. The airport was shut down. The roads were closed. The snow kept falling. This was Kashmir’s worst snow storm in 17 years. In the midst of the storm, we sat with Pastor Sunny drinking traditional Kashmiri tea, called kahwa, and praying. Our two-day visit had now turned into five. My team was beginning to think we had wasted our time coming here. We felt we were doing nothing of significance. As we sat watching the snow get deeper, a man came to see me.This man, Irfan, is a Muslim businessman who raises sheep in the mountains along the Pakistani border. He told us about a people group called the Gujjars who live a life of poverty high in the mountains of Kashmir. Irfan proceeded to share his vision of helping the Gujjars through an economic development project of raising sheep.

It took me a moment to grasp what was happening. As we sat, stranded in a snow storm feeling like we were wasting our time, God used a Muslim man to invite us into a region that had been closed to Christianity for 2,000 years. Last month I was able to return to Kashmir and Irfan took us into the mountains to visit a village of the Gujjar people and meet the shepherds chosen for the sheep project. We were received very warmly as we went from house to house drinking tea and breaking bread together. It was a beautiful day as we walked up to the top of a hill with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.Then the shock came. Irfan and the village leader led me to the top and said, “This is the land we will give you to build your center so you can bring people here to pray for us.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! An opportunity to pray over the multitudes that were weary and scattered, lost without a shepherd. An opportunity for Jesus to bring his sheep to himself. An opportunity brought to us by a Muslim man. Jesus said in John 10:16 that He had other sheep that have not yet been gathered in. And He desires to bring them in so that there may be one flock and ONE shepherd. Here was an unreached people group in the mountains of Kashmir giving us land to build a house of prayer so we could come pray and minister to them!The next day Irfan met with me to discuss the project. Our conversation turned to Jesus. I explained to him that no longer are we slaves trying to earn God’s favor but we are His children deeply loved by the Father. There was nothing we could do to earn His love. We sat quietly in the Presence of God as tears began to roll down his cheeks and the Holy Spirit penetrated his heart. It was just as Jesus had said. The other sheep had begun listening to the Shepherd’s voice.Through our partnership with SEAPC we have agreed to take on this sheep project. SEAPC will supervise the business side and 5 Rivers will provide the funding and bring teams to pray through these mountain villages. Would you pray with us as we attempt, through this project, to reach out to an unreached nomadic people group in the mountains of Kashmir?A total of $15,000 is needed to fully implement this project. Five flocks of 25 sheep will be purchased that will multiply, adding more shepherds and flocks in the years to come. If you would like to be a part of bringing Jesus to the Gujjars through giving, praying, or going on one of our prayer teams, please contact us at 5riversinternational.org. If you’d like to give, please mark your gifts “Sheep Project.”

To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.

SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

Hi, my name is Dana. I took my first trip to Southeast Asia in September of 2012 having no idea what I was in for or just how much it would change me. We visited Singapore, Laos, and Cambodia, and it was in Cambodia that I first got to meet children at New Hope Children’s Home. One of my most vivid memories was visiting the temporary home in Siem Reap (the large facility was almost complete but not finished when we got there). We pulled up and dozens of children rushed up to hug Pastor Sinai and many of the volunteers from our team. But I remember a very shy little girl in a bright orange outfit with very short hair who stood somewhat farther away just watching, what looked like frightfully.

With each home we visited and each encounter laughing, smiling, and trying to communicate with these beautiful Khmer people, my heart became forever engrafted. Upon my return home, I felt my heart being pulled to sign up to sponsor a child. So I did, and a couple days later I got my sponsorship packet in the mail. As I opened it and read through the name, the child's favorite color and school subject and when they arrived at the home, along with other information from their bio, my eyes fixated on the picture. I thought, “I think I know this little girl.”I started flipping through pictures from my trip and sure enough, she was that exact little girl in the orange outfit at the orphanage that day. I noticed on her paperwork that she had only arrived a week before we had visited, which explained why she was so shy. I got the opportunity to visit Cambodia again the next year and this time when I got out of the van Dim ran to me and hardly left my side the whole day I was there.My heart gets overwhelmed just thinking about this precious little girl who was so much more outgoing and joyful, a testament to the love of Christ and the love of the houseparents who watch over her. Soon after my second trip, I learned that her sister was also coming to live in the orphanage and that she was in need of a sponsor. I emailed SEAPC to let them know that if possible I would love to sponsor her as well. I now have four sponsor children and I thank God for the opportunity to partner with SEAPC to help these children all over Cambodia and watch as they rise up and take this nation for Christ.To learn more about becoming an SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.If you're already a child sponsor and would like to share your own story, please contact us at info@seapc.org.

Pink neon lights welcome guests to Le Park, a secret rooftop eatery located in the oldest mixed use building in Southeast Asia. Most weeknights, it is the ultimate trendy, hipster spot. However, on Tuesday evenings, this foodie haven transforms into youth-led worship gatherings.Le Park was opened in 2013 by Carmen Low and Lionel Ang. When they first stumbled upon the rooftop space, it smelt like death and decay. This area was notorious for every crime imaginable. Many people would have trouble looking past the trash and horrendous smell, but this pair had a vision and put their hearts and creativity into transforming this space.

Before revival was part of her vocabulary, Carmen dreamt of mass youth awakenings. She had an incredible vision of the Le Park rooftop, the secret spot at People’s Park Carpark, covered in fairy lights representing all of the youth shining for Jesus. This was wild considering Chinatown wasn’t typically filled with youth. It all seemed impossible, but within the first six months two to three thousand young people came every weekend to enjoy the hip concerts and weekly flea market Carmen and Lionel organized.After the first six months of business, Carmen and Lionel began to experience trouble with the use of the land. In fact, they almost sold everything and declared bankruptcy. They began to run out of money to pay the additional fines and fees the government and landlord kept pushing their way. It was only a matter of time before the Lord miraculously intervened.

In the midst of this persecution, Lionel felt stirred to start a worship night at Le Park. He called Carmen to suggest moving forward with this plan and the Lord told her to lead with prayer. This ensued a 30-day prayer walk. During their third day they were connected with Jeff Yuen. The first word Jeff said to them was restart. He randomly chose a night for the restart to occur and it happened to be the last night of the 30-day prayer walk.Six months ago, Carmen and Lionel prayed for direction regarding their worship night and they received a cold email from the largest worship organization in Singapore. Having never even attended a youth ministry, youth ministry is uncharted territory for Carmen. Amazingly, with divine connections and the Lord’s guidance both Carmen and Lionel have grown a grassroots gathering for young people to come and worship together. The purpose exists solely for people to encounter God’s presence.Something noteworthy about this youth movement is its inclusivity toward the older generation and their involvement in worship. This July, many grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, and mothers of the faith commissioned over 100 youth. Carmen and Lionel personally sent out invitations to invite these people to worship. This small, unassuming rooftop bar is quickly becoming a space for unity within the community.

After hearing pieces of Carmen’s story, it was amazing to tangibly experience a worship night at Le Park. People trickled in and were greeted with the option of receiving prophetic ministry. Following fellowship, everyone was invited to worship together under the twinkling lights. This space, like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm, clearly remains a safe space for youth to encounter their Father. Even down to the aesthetic, Le Park proves a true gem of the city. Everything—from the street tapas to the music and the chosen art—creates an alternative social space the younger generation continually gravitate towards. It isn’t hard to imagine increased participation for Le Park and the movements of God. People might come for the food, but Jesus is presented in a way this youth culture desperately craves.The venue, worship gathering, and birth of Le Park feels reminiscent of the biblical story of the dreamer, Joseph. Despite multiple setbacks, Joseph’s character remained and created a deep space to release forgiveness and lead in unconventional ways. The same can be said of both Carmen and Lionel and their years of persecution and hardships. The favor on their lives is undeniable and their troubles have led the way for breakthrough. May the hungry come to Le Park and be fed both physically and spiritually.

To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.

SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

As part of a series of blog posts about child sponsors from around the world, today's guest author is Ginny A., a longtime child sponsor from the Pittsburgh area.I have always had a special love and compassion for children and have worked as a School Nurse Practitioner in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for 28 years. As a lifelong single woman, I have been blessed to help care for and love my 10 nieces and nephews and now my six great-nieces and great-nephews as well as my school children with whom I work. In November 2010, Tina Tomes, Raising Kids Coordinator, came to the Penn Hills Christian & Missionary Alliance Church to find people willing to sponsor children in Myanmar through SEAPC. She had a beautiful display of the children’s pictures in the foyer of our church. She shared how a small donation per month would provide these children with food, clothing, medical care, education, shelter, and staff caregivers. The Lord was speaking to my heart during her presentation. I knew that I must help and I picked the picture of a little girl named Deborah who was 6 years old. I signed up so she would be “my child”.

Within a week or so, I learned that Deborah had a baby brother named Enoch who was only 3 years old! Of course, the Lord spoke to my heart again and I knew what I had to do. I signed up to sponsor Enoch too so now I had two children! I have so enjoyed my sponsorship these past almost seven years, and my kids are now 10 and 13 years old. I love and treasure the photos, letters, and drawings from my children! My refrigerator is covered with their pictures and drawings! It has been fun watching them grow and see little Enoch start to smile for his pictures!

Deborah and Enoch are in my daily prayer journal under “family” and I pray for them and SEAPC daily. I have enjoyed sending the children little packages every few months to brighten their days. Now that the children are older, they thank me in their letters for some of the gifts included in their packages so I know that they are receiving them. I am not sure who has been blessed more by my sponsorship, me or Deborah and Enoch! God is so good!To learn more about becoming an SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.If you're already a child sponsor and would like to share your own story, please contact us at info@seapc.org.

Matthew 13:44 compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field. A man stumbles upon the treasure and sells all he has to purchase this field. I know it is a parable, but I often wonder how this man saw more than a worthless and discarded wasteland. Did he intentionally seek out the treasure or did he simply appreciate the beauty of the field, thereby opening his eyes to see the nuances? I wonder this, because I want to see things from a kingdom perspective. Pondering this parable reminds me to seek out the treasure within people and intentionally call forth the gold. If the field took on human form, I want to learn how to properly value and honor people before the treasure manifests. Let me give a real life example.A medical team recently spent some time in Thailand. It was on this trip that one of the team members discovered a proverbial field named Moon. This man had spent the better part of his life in prison and still has many years to go. On this particular day however, Moon discovered that his life was a field worth dying for. His life was worth the ultimate sacrifice. Moon wept as this truth sunk in. Seeing the treasure within, someone shared with Moon the love of the Father. They told him about God’s love, forgiveness and abundant grace. Prison had aged Moon and I am certain that many people would have overlooked him. It is possible that many already had. This is unfortunate, because appearances do not accurately display someone’s inner value. It is my understanding that every single person is a field worth dying for. Some people may have treasure hidden a bit deeper than others, but it is still there. In fact, I think that the simple act of acknowledging and loving another person helps uncover the treasure a lot faster.While I wasn’t at the prison that day, I felt the Lord’s pleasure upon hearing about Moon. The medical team was intended to stay in Laos, but God had alternative plans. Instead, the medical team spent almost all of their time in Thailand. Their sudden shift in agenda allowed one of them to meet Moon. It would not surprise me if the Father had this encounter in mind the whole time. Nothing escapes Him. After all, His love is the kind that leaves the ninety-nine in search of the wandering one.

To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.

SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.