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Newsletter
IFC Director: Carl Cady
July 5, 2002
God Can Count
The refugee children at the resettlement site had no
idea how far God was willing to go to bless their lives.
It all began in February of 2002 in Grants Pass, Oregon
at River Valley Community Church. I spoke to the four services
at the invitation of Pastor Mark Goen. The emphasis was
to share about the brave saints of Indonesia as they have
faced heavy persecution over the last three years. The River
Valley Community Church family was so open and tenderhearted
to the true stories of the saints in Indonesia. It was the
concern and many prayers by the staff and church family
at RVCC that meant so much to me as I left and went to Indonesia.
I came back home from the February and March trip to Indonesia
and there was a box full of stuffed animals sent from River
Valley Community Church sitting in our office. I was taking
a new team to Indonesia in June 2002 and just put the stuffed
animals in my travel bags. I transported this cargo to Manado,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia. There are over 40,000 refugees
in the region and the job of finding the right group to
give the stuffed animals to can be a little more difficult
than it may sound. It would not be good to find a large
group to give the gifts to because many of them would not
get one and would feel left out. That is the last thing
to do to the lives of children who have already been the
victims of injustice.
We were going to go evaluate the completion of a water
project at a refugee resettlement site near the village
of Tondono. We had recently completed three water projects
at the resettlement site and now these families have water
to use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and irrigating. This
would be a good place to take the stuffed animals because
there was one group of homes with about the right number
of children.
Meeka and her four boys were among the group of refugees
at this site. I noticed her as her infant son clung to her
neck. She is a widow and the boys are without a father.
Her husband was murdered by Jihad militia when he tried
to rescue the elderly from their village. Her husband was
a good and decent man and now he is gone and she and her
sons are now refugees. They had a small home built by funds
given from donors around the world and now they have water.
They are safe but they have to begin their lives over again.
I had the stuffed animals from RVCC with me as we walked
into the first resettlement site. I began to hand out the
stuffed animals. I would see children coming out of the
many homes as I continued to reach into the bag and wondered
if I had enough for each child. The children kept coming
and each child got a stuffed animal followed by a big smile.
I gave every child a gift until all the children had been
given one. I reached into the bag and had two left. I put
them into my pocket. We prayed over the children and so
enjoyed the radiant smiles on all their faces. I walked
to the other end of the housing and met two children who
had not received a stuffed animal. They looked at me with
wide eyes as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the
last two stuffed animals. Every child was blessed with a
stuffed animal-not one was missed.
I walked down the jungle trail thankful for the efforts
made by the staff and church family at RVCC. They collected
and sent these gifts to me. I got to take them and see the
faces of the surprised children who were the recipients
of the kindness and concern of Christians in Southern Oregon.
The other thought I had was-God can count! He knew the needs
of these refugee children that day. He knows when every
sparrow falls to the ground and He knows how to touch the
hearts of these afflicted children.
I want to share two pictures of the children as they received
these gifts. Look into their eyes and pray for the recovery
of their lives.
A voice for the voiceless-
Carl Cady, U.S. Director of International Friends of Compassion
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