Bibles for Uganda… and Answered Prayers You Didn’t Even Know You Had Prayed

I had to share my God moment that happened this week… even though it wasn’t something I had on my sadly neglected blogging calendar that was put aside for sick kids with fevers, field trips to the pumpkin patch and getting my handgun license this week. Somehow God was able to sneak in one of His own to-do list items on my overbearing checklist, even though I was totally unaware of Him doing it. He’s awesome like that.

First of all, we use Mystery of History curriculum, if you didn’t know that already (if you don’t know what that is, click the Bright Ideas Press button on my sidebar). My teens are doing Volumes 2 and 3 this year because we were unable to get 2 covered last year with all our health issues. We are cruising along this year even though we have had some sort of setback every single week, be it a cold or the PSAT – you name it.

Linda Hobar, the author, usually adds in a few additional research questions and possibly a short report for the high school level on each lesson. Last week, one of the assignments was about Jerome and the Latin Vulgate and the activity question for older kids was something along the lines (paraphrasing) of…

“Research how many Bibles are in print today. How many do you have in your home? Might you consider donating some to those in need.”

We’ve got a LOT of Bibles in my house. I read this and felt a twinge of guilt. I imagined myself like Larry Boy [Veggie Tales reference] in the story of David and Bathsheba – with his room full of rubber duckies, still wanting another one… except my shelves were full of Bibles and Christian books, some of which hadn’t been picked up in over a year or longer.

Last year I even picked up an antique bible from Half Price Books on their dollar bin that had an obituary inside and family information written in the front cover. It broke my heart to see that someone’s next of kin had donated their bible to a “book farm” to be set out on a dollar bin on the front porch and flipped through by strangers. I don’t know about you, but I’m attached to my Bibles and would shudder to think that my kids don’t care about me enough to keep them. That said, I also know that we have too many Bibles in my home to use – and I knew when I read this week’s assignment that God wanted me to donate some of them.

There was no shiny light ray from heaven. There was no audible voice from above that shook the ground. There was just an understanding I had that I should probably do this, because it was the right thing, and I could.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
~James 4:17

And so, in my chicken-scratch, I added to mama’s lesson planner “find charity to donate Bibles to this week“. Thus began God’s quest to get HIS WILL done despite my crazy-busy timeline. My heart lined up with His will – and the Holy Spirit in me began to intercede on behalf of God’s desires; using me as the vessel He desired me to be to bring about fruition of this perfect will. Magical stuff.

Remember that phrase about being His hands and feet in the world? It comes from the understanding of this verse and many others that are similar in context about Christians making up one body to accomplish the Lord’s will on earth before He returns:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
~1 Corinthians 12:27

… and also the concept of showing His love through our fleshly bodies to others who are hurting or in need (which is a central theme in the Bible of us caring for orphans and widows and those who are less fortunate)…

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God–for God is love.
~1 John 4:7-8

And so my hands wrote down this little itch God had placed upon my heart – right in the middle of my long list of things I wanted to accomplish this week. And then, the email came.

Apparently, the same little itch was manifest in another homeschool mama’s heart this very week. I made out my list Monday, and by Saturday, she had already written an entire post on her blog about her desire to bless the children in Uganda with bibles and Christian books for their barren library shelves. I’ll let you read the story about the “Libraries of Love” campaign on her blog (click over in this paragraph above)… but I just wanted to tell you that God intricately tied us together this week when she provided me with a way to check off my own list; to scratch an itch that the Lord placed on both of our hearts.

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
~Romans 8:26-27

And so our efforts begin – to help this friend gather over 1,000 Bibles and Christian story-books, reference books, devotional books, and more – all before Thanksgiving. What a glorious way to add to the meaningful celebration of gratitude to the Lord in November!

Won’t you help us?

Surely you have a few Bible and Christian related books at home that have an inch of dust on their tops, just waiting for an eager set of eyes and a heart ripe for Jesus’ truths. Yes it would involve some shipping costs if you are not in Austin… but if you are in Austin, please contact me via my contact page here on the blog and I can give you information on places you could drop off your books! If you want to ship books, please contact me and I can provide you with a mailing address.

I can’t wait to see God blow my friend’s mind when He provides well over 1,000 books for her to deliver to her friend Trudy – and in turn – to God’s children in Africa!

It’s funny how God works His perfect will through scatterbrained, imperfect – even chaotic – people like us… but I’m so glad He can.

Credits: Photo by ChaoticSimplicity.com