Do victims of abortion feel the loss?

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month.

Loss implies something was wanted and will be missed. Often we do not think the mother of an aborted child sees the child as a loss and we assume she does not miss them either. Oh, how wrong we can be.

Some wise person, I can't think of who just now, once said no one ever really wants to have an abortion. And, I believe them. Some individuals would probably rather not be pregnant. Still others might be so bold as to say a child is/would be a burden and is unwanted. But, ultimately I do believe no one really wants to have an abortion...no more than you want to have a root canal.

Stick with me on this one. I am NOT comparing a child in the womb to an infected tooth.

Abortion is:

Surgery
Difficult physically
Emotionally draining both before and after
Causes bleeding and pain
Expensive
Invasive
Uncomfortable
Time consuming
Medical
Can cause death or serious injury

All of that is besides the moral issues attached to the procedure.

So, today if you know someone who has experienced an abortion please pray for them. Pray that they will recognize their loss if they haven't already. Pray that they will understand that it is good to miss that child. And pray that they will receive healing, because they have been hurt and feeling that pain means they are alive.

Giving

My camera is MIA so I can't post a lovely picture of how our cherry blossom tree is growing and our giving thermometer is "heating up". We ache b/c of how badly we want to be IN Japan. I know that God has already begun the work of our ministry and that we are in the midst of it but that doesn't squelch the burn we have to get on that plane and head West.

So, what are we waiting for? First and foremost God's timing is perfect and we know that. We are building towards a commitment of $7500 a month in financial contributions from people who are ready to join the Share-Affirm ministry team and $12,000 in one time gifts to get us moved. 

If you have been following the vision of Share-Affirm and you feel called to join this team please let us know how you want to partner with us. If you are being called to make a monthly financial contribution please click on the WIM logo at the right and it will take you to the giving page. We are branch #262.

Ministry

We've all heard of human trafficking -

Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Unfortunately it is not a thing of years past but a very real thing happening today. What gets me most about this is that those who are trafficked, often for use in prostitution, can become so brainwashed by their captors that even if they are freed they will return to a life of prostitution. 

To be sure trafficking can be found in many, if not all countries. We are learning more about the country we are called to serve and the kinds of ministry we will be called in to. Please take time to read the article below and pray for Share-Affirm's part in ending sex trafficking.

http://japandailypress.com/japans-fight-against-modern-day-sex-slavery-hurt-by-backward-attitude-0311022

If you give it a name...

...then you'll get attached.

We hope that is just what happens. By naming Share-Affirm ministries we hope it will give a sense of ownership to everyone involved in getting this ministry on the ground in Japan. Another thing we hope will solidify this ministry's presence is a visual reminder of what Share-Affirm exists to promote.

We would like to present the Share-Affirm Logo. Masterfully created by Shara's gifted brother Sam. Many thanks go out to him for offering his skills and talents to give Share-Affirm a look.

Please let us know what you think by leaving a comment on this post. Also look for this logo in Facebook and blog posts referencing this ministry.

Enjoying time with our new family member!

 At D&D

 The Big Pecan! This was actually David and Avelyn's first picture with it too!

 At the Mission's Baseball game. No, we didn't get another kid, but he's cute and I would have taken him;o)

 The boys got to go out on the field during the anthem and shake the player's hands (Carson in red, David in orange, and Shuntaro in black)

 Right behind home plate!

 I asked Dave to take a picture of me since I'm not in pictures much. Thanks babe!

 My sweet girl

Crazy kid!

Open mouth...proclaim God's goodness

I am a talker. If you know me, that is not surprising. I am likely to reveal my whole life's story within the first ten minutes of meeting you if it seems applicable. I LOVE to share each and every detail of what God is doing to move forward Share-Affirm. I don't often worry about jumping ahead of myself because I figure everything has a purpose so even if it doesn't pan out exactly the way I think it will it won't be fruitless.

All that said, I'm not going to share this latest bit of exciting news just yet. I WANT to! Believe me I do. But I'm just not sure for what purpose God is going to use it yet. I can say that just when I was getting discouraged about one particular aspect of our preparation "this" popped up. I so want to know what God's plan is and how he is going to use this, but I don't and that's ok.

On Sunday Pastor Nick talked about getting in God's will, not asking him to be in ours. That really really clicked for me. The devotionals I have read in the days following have been right on par with that same theme. As have the scriptures I've been reading in James (gotta love James).

So, I'm not going to jump ahead on this one and make plans that I ask God to bless. I'm going to put one foot in front of the other and let him lead the way. So excited!!!

You Have Been Forgiven

Please take a minute to read:

http://japandailypress.com/japans-aging-population-has-a-lot-of-potential-needs-a-chance-025720

I was reflecting on just this particular subject the other day. How often do we talk about forgiveness and second chances in the American Christian community. What if there was no such thing in your society. 

That is a dark sad thing for me to think of as I reflect on the immature and life altering decisions I made as a teenager.

But what a joy to know our Lord has called us to share His message of forgiveness. Oh I pray that it will be received. It may take years to have one person understand but we will preach that message faithfully even if it takes ALL the rest of our years here on Earth.