Life Post-Oprah

You can keep up with “Touch-a-Life” ministries through this blog. Here’s my sister-in-law’s account of life post-Oprah:

Next week I will be returning to Africa and will be able to see the Magnificent Seven first hand! It’s hard to comprehend the changes that must be transpiring within the souls of these precious children who were once living in hopeless bondage but are now experiencing freedom.

During the past few weeks I’ve felt as if I am living in someone else’s body. This someone else leads a very exciting, busy life! I’ve ridden on the wings of various emotions leaving me to feel as if I need motion-sickness medication!

In case you ever wonder–when one is featured in a New York Times article and then is a guest on the Oprah Show–life changes. It was all a divine strategy carefully mapped out by a divine being! A human could not have arranged this miraculous chain of events where orphans from around the world are benefiting from a Missouri mom’s journey. Only God can do a work such as this!

I find myself giggling out loud as I recall the past six years of my groveling and begging for money to help poverty-stricken, disease-ridden widows and orphans in third-world countries. I had known I was to be a voice to cry out for children whose cries were not being heard…yet the frustration that comes when most people refuse to listen is too painful to describe. I didn’t understand why God would so clearly give me channels to help those who were going to die if someone didn’t step in if he wasn’t going to guide and direct me to people who were compassionate, willing and generous! Most richly-blessed Americans choose NOT to look away from their blessings long enough to focus on the ugliness of reality.

I see that my choosing to remain persistent in spite of endless irritations and constant disappointment has led me to where I stand today. It’s not me–I am operating in “simple-obedience.” I have committed to remain faithful and open to be used as an instrument — the feet, hands and voice. God must have been waiting for some reason and now must be the time. A gentle, refreshing shower of blessings from people whom I didn’t even know existed has been washing over me over the past few weeks. I have discovered kindred souls who are filled with compassion and kindness and who are willing to do their fair-share to save the world (one child at a time!).

I will be traveling to Africa with Amee Molloy. Amy is a writer who has been spending much of her life “inside my head” here lately. I carefully guide her along to visit both heartaches and rejoicings as she paints portions of my life into book form. We will visit the lake where Mark and the others were rescued from the darkness of slavery. I expect to feel excruciating pain for those who have not yet been liberated. Yet, I will take hold of the hope that their day of liberation will come. Experiencing the “Mark-Miracle” has confirmed what I had believed all along: for each suffering child there is a person out there who (if that person would only step out in faith) can be delivered out of bondage!

I am sure you will be reading details of my Ghana-journey while we are there as I have someone who will keep this blog updated for me.

Until then…

Quite often the absence of immediate success
is the mark of a genuine call.
~Bruce Larson~

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Thanks to the diligent work of Keith Brenton, MP3 downloads of Zoe music are now available on our website.