It is better to give than to receive

During one of the many activities this summer, one of the teams brought the great opportunity for the Lulwanda children and staff to participate in being a blessing to the surrounding community. The project, Backpacks of Promise, is awesome. People in the States choose to bless those in Uganda by donating money and school items to then fill these backpacks with a variety of scholastic needs.

I love participating in Backpacks of Promise for many reasons.

     1) Reality: Our children are in a Home that is 100% funded through the donations of our sponsors and friends. Without the generous hands of those outside of LCH, then LCH would not function as it does. Therefore, LCH depends on others to bless us.

BUT: At the same time that LCH needs others to give to us, God allows us the opportunity to also give to our neighbors through various ways. Backpacks of Promise is one of these ways that the children and staff of LCH are able to be a blessing to the surrounding community and give to those in need.  Though we receive, we are also able to go out and be the hands and feet of Love.

Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

     2) Reality: There have been a number of LCH children who have requested school bags throughout the year. But seeing as our school is a stone’s throw away from the Home, schoolbags have not been a priority. Therefore, when all these beautiful backpacks from America were being filled, I imagine there was a bit of desire to keep these backpacks instead of giving them out.

     BUT: I shared with the LCH children before we began the day that it is better to give than to 

     receive. God has blessed us with so much, day after day, and it is good for us to go out and be a 

     blessing to others. Many of our LCH children would love to have kept the backpack they were 

     holding but I saw them joyfully give these bags away. (Little did they know that they too would be 

     receiving their very own backpack from a team coming later on in the summer).

Acts 20:35 “…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

     3) Reality: The homes we visited during our walks into the village to deliver the Backpacks are very similar to the homes and situation that many of our LCH children came from. The poverty, the helplessness, the desperation- all part of their past.

BUT: The Lord, in His great mercy, saw each of the 108 children of LCH where they were. He chose them. He showed himself, in tangible ways that though they have no father or mother here on earth, He is their Heavenly Father and cares for them and loves them.  And he placed them in the family of Lulwanda. What a story of redemption He has already declared over their lives, and they are still only children. I can’t wait to see what else the Lord has in store for each of their lives.

Isaiah 63:16 “You, O LORD, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.”