In last week’s prayer update I briefly mentioned the “Job 31 Project”, but I would like to explain it more in depth:
In Job chapter 31, Job makes some very serious statements about how he cared for the fatherless:
“If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; (for from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;) If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw help in the gate: Then let mine arm fall from my soulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.”
Scripturally, there is no denying that we are called to reach the fatherless, and there is also no denying that Scripturally we are to do it, in part, by meeting their physical and material needs. “The Job 31 Project” is designed to help meet some of these needs. Recently, a friend contacted me with the burden to put the quilting skills that God has given her to use for His glory. I started asking around among different ministries to see if there was a need for quilts for the children. What I found out, greatly surprised me. Not only did one missionary tell me that she has been trying to make quilts for each of their children (26 quilts – that’s a lot of quilts), but two other missionaries told me that they are in great need of school uniforms for their children.
We currently need between 160 and 200 school uniforms for children in Kenya and possibly Nepal. Some of the items will be bought by the missionaries in-country, but some of them we will be making.
This is a project that can be worked on from any place in America!
All you need is time, a sewing machine and the know-how to get it done.
For more information please contact me at gbcmissions127@yahoo.com
We are beginning to pull together the information that we need regarding patterns, fabrics and notions, sizes and exact quantities and would like to have an army of seamstresses assembled by the time we have everything in place.
We would also like to be able to do this at as little expense to the missionaries as possible. If you would be interested in helping support this outreach please contact me.
Please pray that the Lord would give wisdom in this. Also pray that as this ministry develops we will be able to help train the national workers in the skills needed to make the items on the field and that even through this ministry we might see them come to Christ.
We are already beginning to see the Lord work in this project, just today we came across a simple skirt pattern (a 2 hour pattern!) that not only will be easy to make, but that also is going to be on sale for $.99 – It normally sells for $7.00! (This is especially exciting when you consider that we will probably need to buy several of them.)
Dear Pastors, please share this need with your church. You never know when it might actually be meeting a need in their lives as well. A friend that I had gone to for counsel in this matter told me today that she had been struggling with feeling like her job at a fabric shop had no meaning and that she was not helping anyone or doing anything for the Lord. Then the Lord brought this along her path and she is rejoicing that she can serve Him in this special way through the job that seemed to present no opportunity to serve.
This is not about providing clothing for these children. It is about providing a situation in which they can hear about Christ. All the clothes in the world would do them no good if they left this world without Him. It is not about getting as many people together as possible and getting a project completed. It is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong on the behalf of the children and to be magnified in the sight of all who are watching. HE is the Father of the Fatherless, it is from Him that the fatherless finds mercy. May He be magnified through this project.
