May 3rd, 2013
Today is the due date for my 2nd child, so the title may imply I am waiting for her. I’m sure she will be fantastic and I cannot wait to hold her. But as the birth of our daughter draws closer, I cannot help but think about how vulnerable she will be. I remember holding [...]
Tags: champion, child, forgotten voices, hope, orphan care, Ryan Keith
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April 30th, 2013
My family and I were out for frozen yogurt recently. The place was packed, with the line spilling out the door and down the sidewalk. We were sitting on the curb watching the massive crowd building. My almost 3 year old daughter, like me, loves people. With my typical lack of humility, I told her, [...]
Tags: community, forgotten voices, ice cream, strangers, zambia, zimbabwe
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April 9th, 2013
Me: “What do you like most about being a mom?” Mrs Nozitelo Moyo, (responding through pain): “being with them” Last April, I sat with Mrs. Nozitelo Moyo and talked about life. She is pictured here. I knew it was highly unlikely she would be alive by the next time I came. Sadly, I was right. Today, I [...]
Tags: death, forgotten voices, motherhood, orphan, praxis, Ryan Keith, zambia, zimbabwe
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April 4th, 2013
The reason I love today is because I love helping you release children to be free. We get to do that together – every day – if we choose to do so. So AWESOME! This first photo is of a boy named Shelton, who lives in Zimbabwe. I’ve known him for just over 6 years [...]
Tags: change, education, forgotten voices, freedom, hope, orphan, running
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March 26th, 2013
Are you overwhelmed by life and wondering what now? What next? Me too, sometimes. One of the most rewarding, yet emotionally challenging parts of my life is leading Forgotten Voices. Over and over, I find our ministry in situations that seem impossible, likely because we are on the front lines of caring for vulnerable children [...]
Tags: change, forgotten voices, hope, love, margin, perseverance, world
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February 28th, 2013
Late last night I was at a diner. I met up with a long-time friend, who I used to be pretty close to, but life had taken our paths apart. He’s younger than me and I had not seen him in 5 years. He has a lot going on in life. Serious stuff from many [...]
Tags: community, diner, forgotten voices, zambia, zimbabwe
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February 25th, 2013
I love listening to children tell me their stories. What they did that day. What they want to be in life. Or just a random story or joke that doesn’t seem to fit in with anything else. Children have a way of unlocking life, no matter where they come from or where the world thinks [...]
Tags: change, forgotten voices, hope, listen, love, margin, relationship, world
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January 18th, 2013
This January I am struck by the memory of the old “No room at the Inn” story. As Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to rest and a place for Mary to deliver Jesus, they couldn’t find a place. Imagine if the people KNEW who was in Mary’s belly? Would they have made [...]
Tags: change, forgotten voices, hope, love, margin, world
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January 3rd, 2013
On New Years day a friend of mine, Layton Shoemaker, passed away unexpectedly. He went for a walk early in the morning, something happened (TBD), he collapsed, and he passed away. He was supposed to be my first call of the work year yesterday. My very first call in 2013. I had been praying for [...]
Tags: death, forgotten voices, Layton Shoemaker, life, living, zambia, zimbabwe
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December 27th, 2012
I had to leave school immediately. I couldn’t come back until my fees had been paid. Devastated, I picked up my things, passed by my friends sitting at their desks and walked home. As I went home, I wondered to myself, “what happens next?” Did that ever happen to you? Yeah, me neither. The story above is [...]
Tags: #FVAdvent, Christmas, Jesus, neatness, orphans, school, school fees, thanks, zambia, zimbabwe
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