153 fish and 38 years!

What a difference a year makes! Last Christmas, just 14 children cared for at the Beveni Carepoint had sponsors. This year, it is one of the only fully sponsored carepoints in Swaziland: 102 children receiving the love, food, education and care that your sponsorship provides for them.

In truth, it is His hands soothing tired heads and feeding hungry bellies; His voice teaching inquisitive minds and speaking His truth into their hears and souls; for when each of us chose to step out and obey Him by caring for the orphans, widows and strangers of Beveni, acting as His Body in truth and reality, He is there!

Our hearts’ desire, our souls’ prayer, is that we help these children and their caregivers have a most marvelous celebration of His birth. This letter is to present an idea for you to prayerfully consider participating in.

From today until Christmas Day is 153 days. I know that may sound like a weird number to consider, until we remember that it is the exact number of fish mentioned in John 21. A group of His disciples spent the night fishing, to no avail. They caught NOTHING!

Then a man they didn’t recognize, standing on the shore, yelled out to them, directing them to throw their nets out the right side of the boat. I can only imagine what my attitude would have been at that point: a mix of sarcasm, derision and frustration more than likely. These men were not inexperienced fishermen! They hardly needed a stranger adding to their stress of fishing all night and coming back empty handed.

But there must have been something about that man that commanded their compliance, and so they threw the net, and it was filled with so many fish, they couldn’t bring it in. 153, to be exact.

And it was in that moment they recognized their Master, their beloved Lord.

I have to admit I don’t know why John records the number of fish they caught in that net, but for this moment, I am very glad he did! As I contemplate that story, I come to realize it is of one of the Lord’s provision for His dearly loved disciples. He literally provided them with food and livelihood that day.

So the fact that there are 153 days to Christmas, and that we have the opportunity to supply provision for the community of Beveni is one of those “Wow! Neat!” moments of Bible study in my life.

Knowing the number of days left, I prayed about how much to consider asking people to commit to a Christmas gift for the entire carepoint. I felt strongly led to ask for a pledge of 25 cents a day. When I did the math and came up with the answer of $38 as a total gift from each of the sponsoring families to give, I laughed! Here is why:

We just finished reading and watching the Gospel of John. We found ourselves amazed at how much detail the Lord provides that we may not have included had we been the author of the book. One example is in John 5, where we meet the paralyzed gentleman at the pool of Bethesda. When Jesus sees the man there and finds out how long he had waited by the pool of water, He asked him: “Do you want to be healed?”.

That part of the story always garnered most of my attention, since I have never met a paralyzed patient who didn’t want to be healed. But the detail that jumped out this time is how long the man had suffered and yet waited and believed in hope for the provision of healing: 38 years!

And so once again, we read that the Lord provided what the man needed, and he indeed was healed.

So this letter is our request to you to consider giving $38, a twenty five cent daily commitment for the 153 days to Christmas. Both numbers are neatly placed within two stories from the account of the Apostle John, recording for us examples of provision for the needy. Now we have the opportunity to be His Body and provide!

The gifts would need to be made to Children’s HopeChest by October 25 in order for it to be transferred to the people on the ground in Swaziland in time to be utilized for the good of Beveni. You can make your gift online at: https://secure.pursuantgroup.net/pursuant4/hopechest/chcselect/donation.asp

Alternatively, you can mail a check to:

Children’s HopeChest
PO Box 8627
Pueblo, CO 81008-8627

(As a point of fact: credit card companies charge a processing fee, usually in the amount of 2-4% of the total, so if you are able to make your gift by check, please consider doing so!)

Whether making the gift online or by mail, please include a note that it is for Beveni’s Christmas fund.

I have been so blessed to be allowed to be part of His story as He writes it for Beveni! To have “met” each of you via Facebook or email, to receive the encouragement that your part in the story has provided to me and to be able to pray for you by name has been a delight and a joy! It is so amazing to be part of His Body with you as we care for the people of the Beveni Carepoint!

If you have any questions about this gift for Beveni, please contact me: bevenicarepoint@comcast.net.

In Him, with faith in His ability to provide, and in great anticipation of what His big kids will do for His little ones!

Deb