2012 Ufa Russia Trip

Friends,

I have been presented with an incredible opportunity to help others.  I am excited to be apart of this initiative.  

First of all, my wife and I have always had a passion for teaching and helping children.  This is a calling we both have felt.  Over the years we have been placed in situations that have positioned us to not only work with children, but also children with special needs.  During this time Bob Hartman International Ministries (BHIM) has also begun focusing some of their ministry opportunities in the area of special needs.  

BHIM is developing an initiative among churches in America known as MasterHope. This four-year initiative was launched in Nashville, TN in October 2011, when 21 national church leaders from the former Soviet Union gathered to discuss the development of special needs ministries in their countries. These 21 leaders, a few who have their own children with special needs, are committed to not only developing special needs ministries in their own churches but to also helping other churches do the same.

In 2012, the emphasis of MasterHope is on helping churches in Belarus, Moldova, Ufa, Russia and other key places develop special needs ministries. Many key events are taking place in these strategic locations. One of these events is occurring in Ufa, Russia.  A church in Ufa is asking for help in developing a special needs ministry including holding their first summer special needs camp.

The mentality about special needs in the Eastern European countries and former Soviet Union is one of "hide em or abandon em".  Many of these families face the choice of either having to abandon their children or live in seclusion from society. Many of the life altering special needs in Russia would not even be considered special needs in America do to the advancement of medication and corrective surgery here in the US. 

The Ufa, Russia summer camps is where we will have the opportunity to make a big difference.  We will be working with 2 local women, who have been working with an International Mission Board missionary to develop an outreach to the street kids of Ufa (primarily ages 10-19).  To say these children have a hard life would be an understatement.  Many of these children have varying special needs primarily Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. We will be helping to coordinate a VBS style bible study for these children and providing for them a safe and loving environment where they will be able to hear of how God loves them and cares for their needs.  Some of these children may bring family members with them. These children and their family, many who are atheist, would never be receptive to hearing this message of Gods love outside of this camp environment.  This message of love can provide hope to these children and their families who have never known hope before. This could lay the foundation for tremendous changes in these children's lives and the mentality towards special needs in these regions.  

In addition to solidifying our team, we have a need of “Stateside” volunteers.  Your prayer support and financial support can be a tremendous blessing.  If you would like to assist with prayer or financial support please send me an email atMichael.foster.1@gmail.com.   I will let you know how you can become a financial and/or prayer partner.  Please feel free to repost, email or in any way spread this message to anyone that you think would be interested.

Mistaken Identities

I was recently working with my daughter on some work she was doing for Sunday School.  We started talking about the Messiah and what some people expected the Messiah to be.  I explained that many people during the day of Jesus looked for a Messiah that would be a warrior and defeat the Roman Empire and finally free Israel and glorify her in the worlds eyes.  When Jesus came as the redeemer and not the conquering warrior they did not believe that Jesus was the King of Kings.  They did not accept his authority.  To which my daughter replied "Well, when he comes back, won't they be surprised!"

That got me thinking.

During the tribulation, the antichrist will set up a world-wide government, a world-wide economy and a world-wide religion.  He will establish a 7 year treaty with Israel and will, at least initially, establish a world-wide peace.

How many of these devout Jews and Gentiles will look to this antichrist and see the checklist for the messiah that man desires?  They will see an exalted king, a charismatic leader, someone who appears to be devoted to peace, and someone who unifies religion and preforms miracles.  He will put in place what mankind thinks that the Messiah should put in place.

In the eyes of the world, the antichrist will have it all!  He will seem to be the ultimate king.  Many will not see that that appearance will be a lie!

Contrary to the popular saying, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.  We are choosing to exchange the grass for sand.  In our stubborn  ways, we can not see what we already have been given.  In our shortsightedness, we can not look beyond our present to see the eternity.  We grab what we think that we want at the expense of what we truly need.

God new that we needed a savior and  not a warrior.  He knew we needed redemption and not emancipation.  He knew we needed love and not vengeance. God knows that we need His desires and not our desires.

Always Watching

I have always know that children watch their parents and grandparents and learn from actions.  But I was shown how closely they watch recently.  It always amazes me how tremendous of an influence actions and attitudes have on children.

First of all, my Little Angel broke her arm.  This is a family first and it was a pretty bad break.  She was in a lot of pain and had to have surgery to fix the arm.  This made one side of her pretty immobile while she was admitted in the hospital.

While she was in the hospital she would need to get up to do something, open a bag of crackers, feed herself, take a drink, open a bottle of water, turn a page in a book, or some other routine task.  Anyone in the room, nurses and doctors even, would usually jump to her bedside to offer her some assistance.  Her standard answer was, "Thank you but I can do it with one hand, I have watched my Granddaddy."  This always enlisted strange looks and responses from non-family members.

Now, her Granddaddy lost the use of his arm when he was young. For all practical purposes, has grown up with only one arm.  However, in the almost two decades that I have known him, I have never once heard him complain or act "handicapped" because of his arm.  He can do things one handed as good as any and even better than most (with two hands).  This man does not know the meaning of limitations.  The Philippians verse that claims that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... is something that he defines.

Because of his attitude and life outlook, he has taught my children a lesson that, thankfully, my wife and I can not teach.  He has taught through his life the way to have limitations but not let limitations have you.  Because of that living testimony, my daughter is able to look at these few weeks as what I can do... and not dwell on what I can't.

New Lesson Series

I am starting, this Sunday, to teach a new lesson series about marriage.  I am so excited about it.  I have learned so much about the truth of the what and why God created marriage.  It is a very serious covenant.

I am looking forward to the next 5 weeks.

Yes, There are Strings Attached

I was speaking with a very dear friend a few days ago.  I love talking to this person because he always makes me think.  He is one of the few people that I know has made me a better person simply by calling him friend.

He and I got on the subject of America.  We asked each other if we truly were blessed that we live in a world where we are relatively free from persecution?  Is it a blessing that we can walk to a street corner and proclaim our faith without fear of being thrown in jail or killed?  Is it a blessing that many people openly proclaim the banner of Christ as their savior without fear of retribution?  Is this truly a good thing?

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I hope that the current government outlaws  freedom of religion and forces us to declare atheism or face death.  Hear me out.

We live in a society where we are so free to be what ever religion that we want and we don't have to fight for it.  It is like getting a free cup of coffee with a fill up of gas in your car.  Ok, if it is free, I might as well take it.

We view Christianity as a "no strings attached" lifestyle.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Christianity should never be easy.

Now...
Imagine living in a society where we had to fight to be a believer because we truly valued Christ above life, liberty, business, and yes, family.  Imagine a world where the Banner of Christ would be worn at our own peril, and we did it anyway!  Imagine living in a land where it wasn't a status thing to say "I'm a Christian" but something we truly had to want.  Imagine if we actually could understand the words that the Bible used, like Hope, Deliverance, Salvation, Peace.  Imagine if being a Christian was our existence instead of being another descriptive word in a long list of adjectives that we attached to our life resume.

In the words of the Mercy Me's song.... I Can Only Imagine!

Child Sacrifice

Lev 20:1-5

2 Kings 23:10-11

Jer 7:30-33

Jer 32:34-37

In the above references it seems pretty clear how God feels about child sacrifices. God says it is an evil in His sight. In Jeremiah, he says that He never commanded it, He never even entertained the thought. God uses words like anger, rage, detestable act, put to death, cut off from society. God does not mince words when He describes what he things about the sacrificing of children.

I would dare say that most people would cringe at the thought of laying an infant on the alter and stabbing through its chest with a sacrificial knife. All sorts of human rights organizations would immediately rally, protest, and demand action. However as a country we practice child sacrifice daily.

In the United States, according to 1996 statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, there were 1.37 million abortions. That works out to be 3,700 per day. That is somewhere around 2.6 abortions every minute of the day and night. Even if we entertain the arguments of rape, insest and health reasons to the mother, this accounts for less than 7% of the total abortions. The other 93% were for "social reasons" (unplanned, unwanted, inconvenient).

According to the Guttmacher Institute the number is declining. In 2004 there were 1,222,100 abortions. This number works out to just over 3,348 per day or 2.3 abortions every minute of the day and night. Less than .5% were for reasons of rape or incest and 7% were for health reasons to the mother or unborn baby. That still leaves about 93% of all abortions being for social reasons.

We, as a society, rally under the banner of "a Woman's Right to Choose". We, as a society, choose political correctness so we don't offend someone who is wanting to run from the consequences of their actions. Yet we, as a society, fail to see abortion for what it is... Child Sacrifice.

True, we don't lay the newborn on a table and stab it through the heart, drink the blood while monks chant spells and blessings for harvest, prosperity, or healing. But that, in essence, is what we are doing. In 93% of the cases, we are sacrificing a child for our career, promotion, lifestyle, carefree attitude, body image, social status, or we don't feel as though we are ready to accept the responsibility of our actions.

How are we any different?

It is still done for the same reasons.

It still has the same outcome for the child.

Why does calling it a medical procedure make it anymore acceptable?

Does God find it any less detestable because we call it a medical procedure?

Faith of a Child

This is something that I wrote down a while ago. I thought that I would add it here also.


The other day I was minding my own business when my 5 year old (excuse me… 5 and a half) illustrated something to me.

Let me see if I can set the scene:

My five year old (ahem…five and a half) and I were walking upstairs. I turned my head to grab a bag sitting beside the stairs just waiting for a ride up to the school room. A strange motion caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

Before I could even process what was happening, I had caught my son (who was laughing saying "can I do it again") who had decided to perform an unannounced, backward "trust fall" from about four (4) steps in front of me.

Son: Daddy, can we do it again?

Me: Did you fall on purpose?

Son: Yes, can I do it again?

Me: Why did you fall like that?

Son: cause it was fun, can I do it again?

Me: What if daddy didn't catch you?

Then it happened…

My son then looked at with an expression on his face that would have said "DUH", but we don't say that word in our family. But you could tell that in his mind, I had just asked one of the most ridiculous questions that he had ever heard. His puzzled look and reply caused me to pause. He said with such mater-of-fact way "Daddy, I knew you were with me, you always are going to catch me." His face and response let me know that the thought of his daddy ever not being there to guide and protect him, not only didn't even cross his mind, but was utterly preposterous and didn't deserve consideration.

I then muttered "not now" to his repeated request to "do it again" and I couldn't help but wonder, what if all Children of God could truly have the faith of a five (and a half) year old that our "Daddy" will always catch us. What if we could push from our heart and mind the doubt and distrust that we have created through our imperfect relationships on Earth. We wouldn't even have to worry, "God, are you watching… you're gonna catch me… right?" We could just know that God is with us and will always catch us. How great would this be?

Matthew 18:3
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.