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March 6, 2017
Well, my dear ones, may the Lord touch your hearts with His heart for His children and single parents living on the very raw edge of poverty. He certainly has touched mine.
I have been gathering facts for, actually, three days now for this video, plus recovering from oral surgery, so that's why you've missed me. I am bringing to you a most precious treasure...children that don't have beds to sleep on or a blanket to cover them at night. Children with heart wrenching handicaps that have been left to fend for themselves after being abandoned or parents dying. Orphans and single parents coping with severe health issues and no income. Please consider this cause and what is needed to do to help them a little at a time. We have been donating to this cause, and will continue to do so after our basic needs are covered and those who we care for around us, as well.
After I found out about this cause, Jesus came to me and began to speak:
"Do you know how thrilled I am that your heart went out to these little ones?" He began.
'I can only guess, Lord.' My Jesus kitty attacked me and wouldn't stop licking me and making kitty biscuits on my back. Climbing around as if I were a jungle gym.
Jesus continued, "Yes, he is My little messenger of love and I knew you were feeling very guilty for abandoning Me today. But do you know when you minister to such as these, you have ministered to Me? Even as it is written:
And the King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.' Matt 25:40
"These are the ones that break My heart with their poverty. They have been chosen before time in the heart of the Father to be a gift to mankind. Their agreement with Me before conception was to come to Earth and suffer the direst need that the hearts of hardened men and women in first world countries would be renewed and softened. Their reward in Heaven is great.
"This is rarely seen or understood by My people. They see their poverty as a chastisement, when in fact it is their gift to the developing world.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21
"Did I not say that I am their inheritance?
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
"Rarely will you meet a person well-off that is this humble. When you accumulate riches, you become self-sufficient and the need to cling to Me becomes less and less important. That is, unless you truly are poor in spirit, a rare quality in the wealthy.
"Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him?" James 2:5
"And so, it is truly My gift to you, Clare, to soften your heart and live a more circumcised life of self-denial, the perfect cure for your excessively preoccupied-with-money culture. The American dream has become the American nightmare, with people in such debt that sickness and insomnia plague them night and day as they work to sustain this madness. Which, by the way, has been inspired by Satan, to entrap men and women and keep them from Me.
"When money is abundant, they lie awake at night planning how they will spend it. When money is scarce, they lie awake at night worrying about how they will pay off their debts. This is not the balance I ordained for man. It is right and good that all should have what is needful to a proper and productive life, where men can grow in knowledge of Me. Wisdom and charity and the fulfillment of their destinies. This I will restore when I return. But as it is now there is great inequity on Earth and My children must learn to give and sacrifice as they live for Me.
"This is a perfect opportunity for Heartdwellers, Clare. Lift this cross to your shoulder gently and carry it for Me; it is My delight to see your deep concern. This I will bless greatly.
"It will revive the conscience of many who are at a loss as to how to do something that really makes a difference, one they can see and truly appreciate. Not that your left hand should know what your right hand is doing, but there is an element of solidarity and shared relief that softens the soul and makes them more like Me. This is essential to a healthy spiritual life as well."
And that was what the Lord had to say.
So, I want to share with you, Heartdwellers, the gift He is talking about here. In my search for a musical instrument, I found a man, Erik the flute maker of FlutemakerMinistries.org, who makes flutes and bamboo saxophones and donates much of his profit to providing for orphans and widows in Nicaragua. Especially the hopeless, handicapped ones who have been abandoned by their fathers and living in the garbage dumps. Nicaragua has been devastated by brutal political strife and death squads, and is still in recovery mode.
When I saw what he was doing with Pastor Carlos Baez of A Heart To Love Foundation, and the abject poverty they live in, and the orderly way in which he has planned out and executed self-sustaining solutions that are bearing fruit now, several years down the road. Well, I just melted and sought the Lord on how we could help.
So, I am bringing this to you, dear ones. And I believe this is a worthy and ethical cause and I believe I can vouch for the integrity of those involved.
Rather than throwing money at them blindly, there is a plan in place to help them become self-sustaining. Very simply, each of you has friends that love the Lord. And if you could inspire them to watch this video and check out his site and get them engaged - there is an orderly way that we can go about helping them, without making it a burden on one person.
We are encouraging you to form a little mercy team with two other friends or more, and asking them to consider their needs along with you and a little at a time WITHOUT STRAINING your own needs, giving to this cause. The key words here are THREE PEOPLE OR more and A LITTLE AT A TIME. In this way, together we can gradually have an extended impact on this extreme need, and stick with it for the long term, because new families in dire distress are always being found.
Their needs are simple and the America dollar goes quite a long ways. For instance, a table and 4 chairs is $54 And it certainly does elevate people, to be able to sit in chairs at a table, rather than eating on the floor. If you have three people in on it, that's only $18.00 a person and now a family has a table to eat from and chairs to sit on.
For families coming from the dump into their own dwelling, it would cost three people $70 each to provide $210 to cover for pots and pans, utensils and plates. $210 is a hefty offering for many - just a little too much. But $70 is much easier to handle, when 3 people are involved.
I know our American mentality tends to just do it or not do it. But here we are seeing the wisdom in grabbing a friend's hand and saying, "Lets all pitch in and get what they need."
Or, if you're a little better off, one situation is a family living under rotten roof beams and they need a new roof. And labor there, by the way, is free. 'Cause people volunteer to help one another. The only thing that is asked is that the workers get fed. And believe it or not, daily wage there is $2.50 - $3.00. And that's not per hour. That's for the whole day.
In Erik's own words here is a little introduction to their work:
He begins, "Flutemaker Ministries was born in 2006, when my wife, Linda and I performed for and gave out toys to 18 kids who were in the process of being rescued from a garbage dump in Nicaragua. Some of the children were living in a structure with no water, no electricity, no doors, no windows and no bathroom. The kids were sleeping in bags of rice and beans; it was an audience that changed our lives.
Through the help of many customers, family and friends, Flutemaker Ministries was able to buy land, build the kids a home, start a farm, sow into micro businesses and support efforts to feed children in feeding centers throughout Nicaragua. By 2017 we have expanded our efforts and now support 243 children with disabilities, 52 Feeding Centers, helping children in the Miskito Coast and helping to educate the Kids of Cascabel so they can one day give back to their community. (Learn more at FlutemakerMinistries.org)
"This weekend I learned there are still no doors or windows or electricity in the house we built for six orphaned children whose mother died of a twisted intestine. The doors and windows will be made by Geylin, one of the kids of Cascabel now doing construction. (By the way, that's the name of the house he built for the orphans.)
Anyway, I encourage you to check out his site and watch the videos...I don't think you'll feel the same after you've seen them.
A word of caution here, dear ones. As our hearts are moved, we mustn't forget the efforts to help and support those around us we are already committed to. I had to set aside what we use for those who need firewood and help with medications and utilities, rent money for a free store and shelter. So, a little caution when you give - please do not abandon your tithes and offerings to regular ministries that have to survive in the first world.
But with a small group contributing to one family, it will take very little to support them, and help them be self-sustaining, in God's good timing.
Many of the single mothers have been given sewing machines, by the way, and fabric with which they have produced beautiful bags that are sold to replenish the fabric, buy another sewing machine and help support families with no income. You can find these on Erik's site, under "Other Products." These families have come from the garbage dump. They were living on what others threw away. Now they are producing an income by sewing and some farming, living in their own houses constructed from the profits of the sale of Erik's flutes.
The goal here is to help a family get on their feet with a respectable living. We are in it for the long term, to help as we can, not just blindly donate and not know how it is being used. The element of sharing in their plight is so very enriching to our souls.
After we've met our operating costs, and taken care of the widows here who are in dire need, and in danger of losing electricity, we will give substantially to this ministry.
So, this is my dear brother, Erik the flute maker, and his many children...the ones Jesus has given to him and Linda to love, and the ones he is so graciously sharing with us.
In closing, I just want to remind you to check out FlutemakerMinistries.Org and call a couple of friends to join hands with you in donating when you can, to their efforts. You will find updates are on a month to month basis on the address I provide on the PDF of this video:
http://eriktheflutemaker.com/blogs/articles/past-present-and-into-the-fluture
The Lord bless you, dear ones. Thank you for your kind, kind heart.