Janey's NewsPrayer Requests Nov. 21st , 06
The heart of Orphans First has always been to help as many suffering children as possible—one by one. But sometimes it’s hard to know where and how to help first because the needs don’t just come one by one—they come a dozen at a time. And the needs are overwhelming. Lately, perhaps because in answer to prayer, I find myself face to face with more needy people.
Last week I was thrilled to help feed the homeless at the Bread of Life Ministries shelter here in Oceanside. We served teens, men, women and children! For the life of me, I can’t comprehend how one of the richest parts of the world can have so many homeless. America will have to answer for such a paradox. Then today, while I was attending a meeting on the Sudan—seeing how O.F. could help the orphans tjere—two dear brothers shared with me about another homeless family—with a 5-year-old child.
Meanwhile, my husband’s time in Africa has been very fruitful. A key government official came to Christ in Gabon & doors are opening for us to start an orphanage in other African countries.
But returning to the thought of the homeless, I can’t help wondering what it feels like to sleep outside at night. What’s it like to feel hungry, cold, afraid, anxious…? Or to be battered? This week, I learned of how China batters dogs since they forbid people to have more than one. (And I’ve already seen videos of how some children are treated in remote Chinese orphanages). Sickening. This is a dark, evil world. But we are lightbearers. And we must go forward bearing the Light, letting it shine and sparkle forth warmth and comfort. We must take each project God puts before us, and reach each needy child—one by one. Even if sometimes there seem too many too reach!
Please pray for the following:
ADOPTIONS
The P------ family – that the adoption of the two sibling sisters would be finalized & that the girls would be home before Christmas.
Alex – still needs a home. (Pray for open doors for him to receive visits)
Sonia & others – still need homes.
Pray for more parents to adopt & foster – that all children have good homes!
ORPHANAGES / Children’s Homes
ASIA -- Pray for Grace Home in G----, India
-- Thailand – pray for young Mink,
HAITI -- Pray for friend’s children’s homes in two places in Haiti.
AFRICA -- Pray for new orphanages we’re working on in African countries including Benin—& let’s begin praying for the Sudan in this respect,
EUROPE -- Pray for our work in state orphanages in Russia.
-- Pray for a small children’s home we help in Siberia.
MEXICO – Pray for a friend's orphanage in Mexico. Pray we can come alongside & really help Cindy & these children.
STREET CHILDREN
Pray for our street children in Moscow, Russia, in particular.
Street children in the USA. Pray for God to give us shelters for the homeless & for people to minister to them. (May He provide a big shelter in S. Diego County for Bread of Life Ministries).
Pray for street children everywhere—and that the Lord show us how to better reach them.
CHRISTMAS PROJECT
O.F. provides Christmas presents for needy children who would otherwise receive no gift in many different countries including many of the places mentioned above & others also. May the Lord PROVIDE & also LEAD us as to where the needs are. May He provide also ground-workers to give out gifts, food & share the Gospel with needy children.
If you’re wanting to spread the word about the children’s needs & give a great Christmas gift, please consider my parenting book– www.carepointministries.com (Click on Resources, then parenting, then Heaven Help Me Raise These Children!).
Thank you so much for praying.
Blessings,
Janey
Janey L. DeMeo
Founder/director of Orphans First; author & freelance writer
www.orphansfirst.org / Janey@orphansfirst.org
http://janey-demeo.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to online prayer chain: welovegod.org/groups/orphansfirst/
Monday, November 20, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
Janey's News
November 13, 2006
Friends living in Europe sent interesting responses to my last blog: They understand my viewpoint. Last week I had the joy of watching the Country MUSIC Awards on TV. Wow, loved it. Of course, the music was superb, but beyond excellence was again that God-element that is so prevalent in America. And I mean God, not god, not Budda or Allah or some other such counterfeit. I’m not saying that all the songs that mentioned God refer to the God of the Bible (although I’d like to believe that) but clearly some do. And while many people who received rewards thanked God (which could be abstract), some thanked Jesus. But whatever way you look at it, God had a place in this special music event. And as a Europer, I wept with gratitude for America.
Think about it! If it had been a secular rock concert (as opposed to Christian rock, obviously), would we have heard people thanking God? Doubt it. Some might even have thanked the devil. Or if this had been a European concert, it’s very unlikely you’d hear God mentioned.
I loved many of the songs including “Anyway” sung by Martina McBride, “Jesus Take The Wheel” interpreted by Carrie Underwood, & a super lovely song sung by Vince Gill (husband of Amy Grant) & Sheryl Crow about giving (I forget the exact name but wow, it was all about Heaven, eternity, choices, giving…LOADED with biblical content). LOVED IT. Let me know if you find the exact name.
Forgive me for harping on how wonderful America is. In future blurbs, I’ll tell you things I miss in Europe whether in France, Italy, England or wherever…But for now, I’d like to discuss CHILDREN’S FANTASY LITERATURE.
R.K.Mortenson’s third book in his Landon Snow fantasy series is a delight: Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum. The book is ideal for, say, 8 – 12-year-olds, and is rich in character, family values, and biblical backbone. It conjures up all the enchantment of a fantastical voyage filled with suspense and wonder without the ensorcelled content found in certain disturbing pop fantasies.
The plot is motored by the turning pages of an old Bible which steers the key characters into adventures or places paralleled by Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark. The Auctor—meaning author and, in this case, the Author of the Bible, God—uses the adventures to increase the children’s faith and combat evil as in Malus Quidam.
The amusing characters and animals in the book range from Epops the bird and Melech the horse and add another delightful dimension to this fantasy.
This action packed story would, in my opinion, appeal equally to boys and girls alike. The series provides a great read for fantasy-hungry young readers whose parents desire that their children’s minds be filled with reflections of what is pure, right, whole and true.
See other reviews here:
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Karen and at Karen¹s myspace
Oliver King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
John Otte
Cheryl Russel
Hannah Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Chris Walley
Daniel I. Weaver
I thank God for good Christian children’s writers. Another book series to look out for, and which I’ll be mentioning again in the future is the Mercy Force Adventure Series, beginning with The Secret of the Ancient Crowns by Herbert J. Kellner & Connie Penn.
More in the future. Meanwhile, I need a cuppa coffee…
November 13, 2006
Friends living in Europe sent interesting responses to my last blog: They understand my viewpoint. Last week I had the joy of watching the Country MUSIC Awards on TV. Wow, loved it. Of course, the music was superb, but beyond excellence was again that God-element that is so prevalent in America. And I mean God, not god, not Budda or Allah or some other such counterfeit. I’m not saying that all the songs that mentioned God refer to the God of the Bible (although I’d like to believe that) but clearly some do. And while many people who received rewards thanked God (which could be abstract), some thanked Jesus. But whatever way you look at it, God had a place in this special music event. And as a Europer, I wept with gratitude for America.
Think about it! If it had been a secular rock concert (as opposed to Christian rock, obviously), would we have heard people thanking God? Doubt it. Some might even have thanked the devil. Or if this had been a European concert, it’s very unlikely you’d hear God mentioned.
I loved many of the songs including “Anyway” sung by Martina McBride, “Jesus Take The Wheel” interpreted by Carrie Underwood, & a super lovely song sung by Vince Gill (husband of Amy Grant) & Sheryl Crow about giving (I forget the exact name but wow, it was all about Heaven, eternity, choices, giving…LOADED with biblical content). LOVED IT. Let me know if you find the exact name.
Forgive me for harping on how wonderful America is. In future blurbs, I’ll tell you things I miss in Europe whether in France, Italy, England or wherever…But for now, I’d like to discuss CHILDREN’S FANTASY LITERATURE.
R.K.Mortenson’s third book in his Landon Snow fantasy series is a delight: Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum. The book is ideal for, say, 8 – 12-year-olds, and is rich in character, family values, and biblical backbone. It conjures up all the enchantment of a fantastical voyage filled with suspense and wonder without the ensorcelled content found in certain disturbing pop fantasies.
The plot is motored by the turning pages of an old Bible which steers the key characters into adventures or places paralleled by Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark. The Auctor—meaning author and, in this case, the Author of the Bible, God—uses the adventures to increase the children’s faith and combat evil as in Malus Quidam.
The amusing characters and animals in the book range from Epops the bird and Melech the horse and add another delightful dimension to this fantasy.
This action packed story would, in my opinion, appeal equally to boys and girls alike. The series provides a great read for fantasy-hungry young readers whose parents desire that their children’s minds be filled with reflections of what is pure, right, whole and true.
See other reviews here:
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Karen and at Karen¹s myspace
Oliver King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
John Otte
Cheryl Russel
Hannah Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Chris Walley
Daniel I. Weaver
I thank God for good Christian children’s writers. Another book series to look out for, and which I’ll be mentioning again in the future is the Mercy Force Adventure Series, beginning with The Secret of the Ancient Crowns by Herbert J. Kellner & Connie Penn.
More in the future. Meanwhile, I need a cuppa coffee…
Friday, November 03, 2006
Janey's News
Blog update Nov.3rd, 2006
For years we’ve been praying for more Christians to adopt, for more churches to be involved with helping suffering children, and for more children to find their forever families. When I say “we”, I mean “whoever” prays for these things, including me and all those who join me on the Orphans First Prayer Chain – www.orphansfirst.org Well, I see God moving. Of course, He always was moving in response to our prayers, but now I’m seeing it in accelerated motion.
This past week, there was a meeting in Colorado involving some main Christian groups who are launching a project to encourage churches to be involved in reaching out to orphans. Visit: http://www.voiceoftheorphan.org/Display.asp?Page=Home
I also discovered that Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena provides teaching about ministering to children at risk. My friend, Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn (one of Orphans First’s advisors) will be teaching there next week. Bravo Fuller. I’m so excited. God is moving in answer to our intercession.
This month, an article I wrote called Intercession with Suffering: The Secret of Releasing Heaven’s Power, appears in the Nov/Dec issue of Indeed mag. (published by WalkThruTheBible). This is “indeed” a wonderful magazine—not because they published my article, although that certainly shows it’s not a slushy, feelgood mag—but because they uphold high biblical teaching. Check the mag out -- http://www.walkthru.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5409
Anyway, I pray that God would use this article to help us turn our sufferings into a powerhouse of prayer. That’s why He allows them in the first place—to make us more like Him so we’ll co-labor with Him and then be more like Him again. Amazing God. As Chris Tomlin, one of my fave singers, sings so perfectly: “You are Amazing God” –
http://www.christomlin.com/index2.html
Speaking of fave singers, I often wonder if American Christians realize how fortunate they are. You have so many amazing Christian musicians & Christian radio stations. I say this because as a Brit who lived most of my life in Europe--half in France--& have now lived in America for 3 years, I cannot get over how wonderful America is. We don’t have this stuff in Europe, and especially not France. I know, some of you just don’t get it. What’s wonderful?, you say. Because you see the bad, the removed privileges, the junk, the sleaze (TV, yuk, yuk & yuk!!!). I understand. But trust me, Europe’s worse. Way worse. So to me living in America, in S. Cal which is the modern Bible belt, I see the freedom, the churches that DO preach Christ, the churches that do reach the poor, that do sing His praise (without promoting man’s glory), and I see those that DO back up the troops in prayer and by giving… On and on it goes. I see a beautiful America which is fast following the downfall of Europe but not there yet.
May we all take heed to let our light shine where it should and be involved where we should so that the salt doesn’t lose its savor.
Again, speaking of music, The Kry just released an album in French -- Peut Etre. It’s awesome & I highly recommend it. Check it out: http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/artists/The_Kry/6231/
Profitez-en les français. On y go.
I loooooooooove ze music. Thank you The Kry. Not only are you guys friends but also great musicians. Thank God for Christian musicians such as Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Michael Card, Mercy Me, Newsboys, Nicole Mullen & many, many others I’ll share in the future on this blog. For now, I’m enjoying the music, letting it touch my soul so that I indeed will be drawn more into the presence of our most High King.
Blog update Nov.3rd, 2006
For years we’ve been praying for more Christians to adopt, for more churches to be involved with helping suffering children, and for more children to find their forever families. When I say “we”, I mean “whoever” prays for these things, including me and all those who join me on the Orphans First Prayer Chain – www.orphansfirst.org Well, I see God moving. Of course, He always was moving in response to our prayers, but now I’m seeing it in accelerated motion.
This past week, there was a meeting in Colorado involving some main Christian groups who are launching a project to encourage churches to be involved in reaching out to orphans. Visit: http://www.voiceoftheorphan.org/Display.asp?Page=Home
I also discovered that Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena provides teaching about ministering to children at risk. My friend, Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn (one of Orphans First’s advisors) will be teaching there next week. Bravo Fuller. I’m so excited. God is moving in answer to our intercession.
This month, an article I wrote called Intercession with Suffering: The Secret of Releasing Heaven’s Power, appears in the Nov/Dec issue of Indeed mag. (published by WalkThruTheBible). This is “indeed” a wonderful magazine—not because they published my article, although that certainly shows it’s not a slushy, feelgood mag—but because they uphold high biblical teaching. Check the mag out -- http://www.walkthru.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5409
Anyway, I pray that God would use this article to help us turn our sufferings into a powerhouse of prayer. That’s why He allows them in the first place—to make us more like Him so we’ll co-labor with Him and then be more like Him again. Amazing God. As Chris Tomlin, one of my fave singers, sings so perfectly: “You are Amazing God” –
http://www.christomlin.com/index2.html
Speaking of fave singers, I often wonder if American Christians realize how fortunate they are. You have so many amazing Christian musicians & Christian radio stations. I say this because as a Brit who lived most of my life in Europe--half in France--& have now lived in America for 3 years, I cannot get over how wonderful America is. We don’t have this stuff in Europe, and especially not France. I know, some of you just don’t get it. What’s wonderful?, you say. Because you see the bad, the removed privileges, the junk, the sleaze (TV, yuk, yuk & yuk!!!). I understand. But trust me, Europe’s worse. Way worse. So to me living in America, in S. Cal which is the modern Bible belt, I see the freedom, the churches that DO preach Christ, the churches that do reach the poor, that do sing His praise (without promoting man’s glory), and I see those that DO back up the troops in prayer and by giving… On and on it goes. I see a beautiful America which is fast following the downfall of Europe but not there yet.
May we all take heed to let our light shine where it should and be involved where we should so that the salt doesn’t lose its savor.
Again, speaking of music, The Kry just released an album in French -- Peut Etre. It’s awesome & I highly recommend it. Check it out: http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/artists/The_Kry/6231/
Profitez-en les français. On y go.
I loooooooooove ze music. Thank you The Kry. Not only are you guys friends but also great musicians. Thank God for Christian musicians such as Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Michael Card, Mercy Me, Newsboys, Nicole Mullen & many, many others I’ll share in the future on this blog. For now, I’m enjoying the music, letting it touch my soul so that I indeed will be drawn more into the presence of our most High King.
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