Lately, I have been touched by how much people around me are doing to simply help. To make the world a better place. So I wanted to point out how God is working in big ways, even in our small towns:

• My dear friend Jess is doing a second benefit concert for Love146, a non-profit organization that helps and supports victims of sex trafficking. This event last year really informed lots of people about a problem that is global but also definitely local and tried to get people the right tools in order to help.
• Julie and Bill have finally brought back their son from the Congo…I mean, wow. Moses is just a little star, I can tell that much  by the pictures. And I haven’t even met him yet. It takes some brave parents to adopt a special needs baby from the other side of the world as they venture into being parents for the first time.
• Matt and Andrea are in the process of adopting a child from South Korea. While they are not first-time parents, it still give me goosebumps to think about some baby on the other side of the world being chosen to grow up in such a loving and fabulous family…and to have big brother Eli and big sister Anna….I’m jealous….
• Julie and Mike in Tampa are living and ministering and helping in the inner-city so far from their families and the midwest they grew up in. I miss them terribly but I know they are really making an impact just by visiting her and hearing their stories and seeing how much they sacrifice.
• Brittney is soon to be home from a short trip to Uganda. The trip in and of itself I am sure was life-changing but I’m anxious to see how much brighter she will shine once she returns to the states in a couple weeks.
• Megan is in Australia, sharing her stories and photos of ministry and work with students. She was a close friend of mine in college and she just shines the love of God everywhere she goes, especially when she comes home to Indiana I am sure.
• Multiple people in our house church volunteer in different places…with students, with the elderly, with building and fixing up houses, speaking with youth groups…

There are lots more I am sure. Even our own non-profit is starting to pick up a little, with several more events on the calendar for this year and a little more organization taking place. I get goosebumps when I start to think about how many people are out there, offering a hand, sharing wisdom, listening, helping, loving.

God has not left us alone. He is completely present and aware that things are broken and get difficult sometimes. But the most beautiful part is that He offers us a chance to help restore things too. And that is one of the single greatest joys we can find in life.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea…” Habakkuk 2:14