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Helping Orphans and Vulnerable Children

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A WHOLE NEW WORLD Year C Lenten Reflections

“People who believe in the resurrection, in God making a whole new world in which

everything will be set right at last, are unstoppably motivated to work for that new world in the present.” – N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

We walk the long Lenten road with Jesus knowing that the difficult path is leading beyond the cross to an empty tomb. As we journey together through this cycle of Lenten scripture, we will soon see that Jesus’ resurrection is grounded solidly in the here and the now in a way that inspires dreaming, hope, and action.

When ZOE brings children into the program, they place them in a new supportive working group of fellow orphans. One of the first things that ZOE staff members do is ask each child to process their circumstances through the lens of their dreams by answering a series of questions with words, pictures or both. Doing so creates hope and that hope leads them into self-determined action that helps them accomplish their goals. They call this process their Dream Statement. Each child answers:

What makes you sad? What makes you happy? What do you not like in your

community? What are your dreams for the

future? What are your guiding principles?

A ZOE participant in Rwanda shares his dream with the rest of his working group and the ZOE staff.

A Whole New World: ZOE Lenten Year C Resource

These dream statements ultimately become the catalyst for a whole new life right in the communities where each child in the ZOE program lives.

This Lent, as you read the stories of seven ZOE children, we encourage you to do a little dreaming of your own and to act on those dreams as well:

When Easter arrives, how might you have helped ZOE build God’s kingdom through transforming the lives of orphans and vulnerable children? We invite you to do less of something you normally pay to do (daily Starbucks coffee, dinner out once a week, etc.) and give the money you save to ZOE’s work in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Liberia, and Guatemala. Visit www.zoehelps.org and look under Get Involved, Resources, and Donate to dream of ways that the money you save can help empower children to be self-reliant in three years or less.

On Easter, you may donate your money online at www.zoehelps.org/donate or make your check payable to ZOE and mail it to: ZOE 700 Waterfield Ridge Place Garner, NC 27529

Each week of Lent you will read and reflect upon scripture and the stories of ZOE’s children, then pray and act. May the dreams of orphans and vulnerable children, both realized and still to come, inspire you with resurrection hope so that God’s unstoppable work of bringing God’s new world into the here and now may empower thousands of children in ZOE’s program.

Thank you for joining the journey.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week One: Refuge

"Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent." – Psalm 91:9-10

READ

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 and Luke 4:1-13

REFLECT

We begin our Lenten journey with what at first seems an odd pairing of Scriptures: a psalm of confidence and assurance and a gospel of wilderness and challenge. The psalm seems out of place for Lent. Isn’t this supposed to be a time of repentance, self-examination, and trial? The Psalmist appears to be saying: “No worries. Everything is going to be great.” But there is more going on.

In the immediately preceding psalm, Psalm 90, we read:

Meet Felix, a ZOE child from Rwanda

Member of Ishema Working Group Family: Caring for sick mother and brother Emmanuel, age 12 What makes him sad: Death of his father and mother living with HIV/AIDS What makes him happy: Eating rice with sauce and beans What he does not like in his community: Abuse and drug consumption His dreams for the future: To buy a piece of land and work in construction His guiding principles: To pray, to work hard, and have good behavior


Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; Yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

So which is it: “trouble and sorrow” or “no evil shall befall you”?

Felix must have asked himself the same question. Now 20, Felix has been caring for his sick mother and younger brother for many years since the death of his father. Before ZOE came into their life, Felix provided food for the family by begging and working as a day laborer for very low wages. They did not have access to proper health practices. They believed that God had abandoned them.

Since ZOE came into their lives, things are much improved. They have learned to grow their own food, and crops are going so well that they have hired someone to work with them. They started out with one pig. They bred it with another pig, sold some of the piglets, and kept a few to build up their stock. They worked hard and earned a cow and have even purchased chickens with money from their own income. At first ZOE paid school fees for the family. Now they pay for school, insurance and clothing on their own. Today, they love to go to church and often invite others to go with them. Felix prays that his mother will be able to live longer and that in time he will find full time construction employment.

Felix and his family show us that the promise of Psalm 91 is not that our lives will be free of challenge and hardship if we love God, but that we need not fear challenge and hardship, because God is with us. When trouble and sorrow come, God has not abandoned us. On the contrary, God is present with us in those challenges. It is telling that the only “person” to quote Psalm 91 in the rest of the Bible is the devil himself. When Jesus was in the wilderness, the devil took him up to a high tower and said: “Look, if you really believe all this stuff about God looking out for you, jump! It says right here in Psalm 91 that no harm can come to you.” Jesus, like Felix, knew better.

PRAY

Ever present God, we celebrate your presence in the life of Felix and his family. We celebrate the way he faces the challenges of his life with joy and confidence and for the opportunity to be part of his life. May we live with the same peace.

ACT

Do less for yourself so you can do more to help orphans and vulnerable children in ZOE’s program. Visit www.zoehelps.org and look under Get Involved, Resources, and Donate for ways that the money you save can help empower children to be self-sufficient in three years or less. Begin today.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week Two: Citizenship

“But our citizenship is in heaven." – Phil. 3:20

READ

Philippians 3:14-4:1

REFLECT

Recent years have seen a small explosion of books by or about persons who claim to have gone to heaven and returned. From the doctor who describes her trip “To Heaven and Back,” to another author’s “Proof of Heaven,” there is no shortage of travel guides to the afterlife. These stories, however, are not what Paul is talking about when he tells the Philippians that they have their “citizenship in heaven.” In fact, his use of the Greek word for “citizenship”— politeuma—is the ordinary word for the citizen of a city or country. It is the same word from which we derive “politics.”

When Paul told the Philippians that they were citizens of heaven, he was not talking about the future or about another place in the sweet by and by, but about how the Philippians were supposed to live in the here and now. Note the present tense: our citizenship is in heaven. Will Willimon says it this way: “Citizenship is about where you live, about the values, commitments, loyalties and allegiances that make you who you are.” Far from being about “flying away,” it is about a deep grounding in Christ and the community of faith, and a citizenship that is lived out on the ground.

Meet Alinafe, a ZOE child from Malawi

Member of Tinyade Working Group Dependent Siblings: Regina, 14, Dorothy, 12, and Charles, 10 What makes her sad: The violation of girls’ rights What makes her happy: Sharing the word of God with friends What she does not like in her community: The scarcity of clean water Her dreams for the future: Expanding her rice business Guiding Principles: Following God and working hard


Alinafe (pronounced ah-li-NAH-fay, meaning “God is with us” in Chewa) lost her father when she was four years old. Her mother died three years later. Now 19, Alinafe is the caretaker not only for her siblings, but also for an elderly aunt.

Things have not been easy for the children. Though they lived with an uncle after the death of their parents, in time the relationship became difficult. At one point some of her other relatives tried to force her to drop out of school and get married. Eventually all three of the children dropped out of school because they could not afford the fees.

ZOE provided Alinafe the school fees she needs to go back to school. She received training on health and hygiene and secured a job selling rice as well. Her sister Dorothy, who suffers from asthma attacks, has been trained in how to treat and prevent them. Alinafe’s working group raises pigs together.

Alinafe is celebrating that through ZOE she and her siblings have enough to eat because they can grow their own maize and other crops together. She enjoys living her faith by sharing what she has with others, and by tithing, praying, and fasting. She thanks ZOE for giving her hope again.

Even though Alinafe lives in Malawi, she is a citizen of heaven, grounded in the good news of the gospel and in the community of faith embodied in her working group.

PRAY

God with us, we rejoice with Alinafe for her citizenship in heaven. May our work in the world and our outreach to the children of ZOE reflect our own heavenly citizenship and the values, commitments, loyalties, and allegiances that make us who we are.

ACT

Visit ZOE’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/zoeishelping, and Like us. Commit to sharing a story a week through your social media


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week Three: Satisfied

“I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” – Psalm 63:5

READ

Psalm 63:1-8

REFLECT

Tradition tells us that David wrote Psalm 63 when he was in the wilderness of Judah, on the run from King Saul and his army. He was probably hungry, thirsty, vulnerable, and afraid. And the worship that pours out of David in the psalm is praise born of desperation: “earnestly I seek you, . . . I thirst for you, . . . I cling to you.” This is a man who is almost out of options, and yet he turns to the source of all strength and proclaims: “I will be satisfied.”

Seventeen-year-old Juana knows what it is like to have few options. She lives with her physically disabled parents, sister Maria age 15, brother Alberto age 12, sister Isabel age 8, and brother Nicolas age 5. As her parents’ health deteriorated, they could no longer provide for the family, so that responsibility fell mainly to Juana. When ZOE met her, Juana and her siblings were malnourished and suffering from health issues of their own. They had no land to grow food. Sadly, three years earlier, Juana had been forced to drop out of school to care for her family. She was shy and withdrawn, lacking confidence.

Meet Juana, a ZOE child from Guatemala

Member of Youth United Working Group Family: Mother and father, both disabled, two sisters and two brothers What makes her sad: Her parents do not like to go out with her What makes her happy: ZOE provided her money to start her own business What she does not like in her community: People in the community do not work together Her dreams for the future: For her chicken business to grow and to continue Her Guiding Principles: Responsibility, hard work, respect, education


Today life is quite different for the family. Through Juana’s working group they have access to a group harvest which provides food and income. Juana’s chicken business is providing lots of protein in the family and has helped her to realize that she is a smart business woman. Vocational training, provided in partnership with the Guatemalan Economy Department, and ZOE’s training about child rights and education have made a huge impact in her life. Juana’s working group is seeing to it that Juana goes back to school as soon as the new school year starts, and they are holding her parents accountable to this plan, too. Juana and her family have agreed that no matter what, a portion of her income will go for her tuition and fees. ZOE staff members now describe Juana as being no longer shy and as one who is able to speak with confidence. One of her greatest joys is helping to identify other needy kids in the area and bringing them into her group. She says that she wants others to have the same great opportunities that she is receiving through ZOE. She feels that God is transforming her life and the life of her family as well.

For many of us, the problem is not being satisfied when we have nothing, but being satisfied when we have plenty. We are bombarded with messages every day telling us that more is better. Tony Campolo has observed that “the ads on television try to convince you that you are not thin enough; your skin is not smooth enough; you don’t have the kind of car that impresses people; you lack the symbols of achievement that will make you more admired.” And if we’re honest with ourselves, the temptation doesn’t go away when we get a little thinner or get a slightly better car; there is always more.

But David and Juana remind us that real satisfaction, the “peace that passes all understanding,” comes only from earnestly trusting God in all circumstances. Now, in the middle of our Lenten practice, let each of us pause and ask: “Where do I find real joy? How can I, like Juana, find joy in sharing my abundance to create opportunities for others?”

PRAY

God, the source of our strength, we thirst for your presence in our lives. May we resist the powers of this world that wish to deceive us into believing that joy comes from things. Thank you for the people and opportunities in our lives that bring true joy. May we share that joy with others.

ACT

Visit the ZOE Hope Connection blog www.zoehelps.org > Blog. Sign up for regular updates and share them.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week Four: New

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! “ – 2 Corinthians 5:16

READ

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

REFLECT

If one were challenged to come up with a single theme for all of Scripture, a “crimson thread” running through all the stories, letters, and writings, one good candidate would be the theme of new creation. God is in the renewal business, reconciling the world to Himself and making all things new. In today’s well-known reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that this is true for us as individuals as well; if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. The grammar of this verse in Greek makes clear that this “new creation” is not something that has been completed; it would be more accurate to view the new creation as a process, an ongoing creating that has been begun by God through Jesus Christ. Much like the new oak tree is contained in the acorn, the new creation accomplished in us becomes manifest in time, most frequently with the love and care of the community of faith.

Gervase knows that sometimes God’s new creation is hard to see. When 20-year old Gervase lost his father in 2010 and then his mother in early 2015, he says he was traumatized. He felt that life had come to an end because

Meet Gervase, a ZOE child from Kenya

Member of the Huruma “Mercy” Ankamia Working Group Dependent Siblings: Robin, 13, Elsie, 10, and Rodin, 7 What makes him sad: The death of both of his parents What makes him happy: Going to church and teaching in Sunday School What he does not like in his community: Stealing and laziness His dreams for the future: To grow his business and open shops in other towns His Guiding Principles: Discipline, hard work, and keeping good financial records


he and his family were completely orphaned. Gervase was hired to work in someone‘s tailoring shop, but was paid very low wages and often went months without being paid at all. He had to beg for food for himself and his family. Several siblings could not afford to attend school and they were not caring for themselves properly. Gervase, who had attended church all of his life, became angry at God for the death of his parents and for leaving them with nobody to look after them.

In less than one year, however, life has really changed for Gervase. Through ZOE’s multi-layered support and lots of home visits and prayers from his working group, he says he is back on his feet and optimistic about life. Gervase received animals and intensive training on how to grow a kitchen garden from ZOE in collaboration with the county agricultural officer. He taught his siblings, and now they have a vegetable garden where they have planted kale and tomatoes, and the animals are reproducing. His working group has a successful nursery tree business, and Gervase has a tailoring business of his own. Gervase says, “I am now my own boss and can afford decent clothes and food for my family.” He has also made many friends and has earned lots of respect by virtue of his business. The family has found solace in God and church again. They are happy and share what they have with their neighbors and friends.

Paul is clear that when the new creation becomes manifest in our lives, we are reconciled to one another. We no longer see male or female, Kenyan or American, rich or poor. We live in community with one another. This is the heart of ZOE’s philosophy. By entering a situation that is broken and creating community through working groups, by the sharing of prayer and resources of American families and churches with vulnerable children around the world who in turn share with others, we participate in God’s new creation.

PRAY

God of renewal, thank you for the new creation you have made in Gervase and for the inspiration we draw from his story. May the new creation in us become ever more visible in our lives, through acts of kindness and generosity, reconciliation and forgiveness, and peace and compassion.

ACT

Visit ZOE’s video page at www.zoehelps.org > Resources > Videos. Find a video you have not seen before and learn more. Share the video through your social media networks.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week Five: Restored

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” – Psalm 126:1

READ

Psalm 126

REFLECT

Most Bible scholars agree that Psalm 126 was written by folks who were going through a very tough time. In verse 4 the writer calls out to God: “Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev!” The people are looking back for evidence that God is a restoring God, probably referencing in verse 1 the return of the captives from the Babylonian exile. And this is surely a fundamental aspect of human nature. We count on what has been reliable in the past. And these people knew their God as a God of restoration.

Patricia has called out to God when her future looked bleak. Now age 15, Patricia lost her father in 2011 and her mother in 2013, leaving her to care for her elderly grandmother and sister. While her church and local community supported them as they were able, Patricia was paid very low, unfair wages as a day laborer and was unable to support and care for her family properly.

Thanks to ZOE and the support of her working group, Patricia now has her own small grocery business and is studying for exams. Her family grows much of their own food and enjoys three healthy meals a day. Their

Meet Patricia, a ZOE child from Zimbabwe

Member of the Kupfumaishungu Working Group Family: Cares for elderly grandmother, sister and two cousins What makes her sad: Not going to school, not going to church and fighting What makes her happy: Going to school, reading the bible in church and singing What she does not like in her community: Prostitution and taking drugs Her dreams for the future: To be a soldier and own my own house Her Guiding Principles: Be obedient and work hard


home, which was in bad disrepair, has been renovated and they care for it and themselves properly. The animals they are raising provide food and additional income. Best of all, because of ZOE’s work, Patricia and her sister Delphine have been reunited after living apart out of financial constraints. They have also invited two of their cousins to live with them as well. Patricia says she enjoys, “eating well, good food, paying for school and dressing nicely.” She asks that people pray for her family, for good health, and that she does very well on her exams.

Restoration most often comes in the most ordinary ways. When the Hebrews called out for God to restore their fortunes, the example they used was the streams of the Negev and the harvesting of sown seed, seasonal parts of their lives that they could count on from past experience. Even the hymnal compares God’s faithfulness to the reliability of summer and winter, springtime and harvest. One of the most crucial aspects of ZOE’s work with vulnerable children is that it is reliable. ZOE does not drop off supplies and leave, but creates community, provides training, and fosters self-sufficiency so that children grow into capable adults and leaders in their towns and villages. Through this presence, we participate in God’s ongoing work of restoration.

PRAY

God of all generations and people, we give thanks for your love and goodness that began in creation and extends to here and how. Forgive us when we turn away. Call us back to your story and your mighty acts that restore us with hope and move forward into your kingdom.

ACT

Visit ZOE’s overview page at www.zoehelps.org > About. Identify the three things that make ZOE’s work different and share that through your social media networks.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Week Six, Palm Sunday: Save

“Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.” – Psalm 31:16

READ

Psalm 31:9-16

REFLECT

Psalm 31 is a fitting approach to the cross. It is a psalm of deep pain, characteristic of the style usually called “lament.” In fact, the writer of the Gospel of Luke tells us that on the cross Jesus quoted Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” The last Sunday before Easter draws us with Jesus to the place where life sometimes leads—to the diagnosis, to the family crisis, to the broken relationship, to the relentless addiction, to the death, to the place where all the praying seems to have failed and all the options are used up. ZOE meets children praying this prayer every day.

One of those children was Betty. Betty’s father died in 2014, and her mother lives apart from them out in the village. They lived for a time with Betty’s aunt and then she died as well. Betty, at the tender age of 14, was left to care for seven-year old Issac and one-year old Emeka. Betty and Issac were unable to go to school. She went to work as a laborer and was able to provide one meager meal a day. When ZOE found them, they were very malnourished and discouraged. Betty told ZOE staff that she wondered if God did not like her.

Meet Betty, a ZOE child from Liberia

Member of the Destiny Working Group Family: Mother (does not currently live with them) and brothers Issac and Emeka What makes her sad: When she is sick What makes her happy: When God gave them food to eat, clothes to wear and no sickness What she does not like in her community: Stealing Her dreams for the future: To be a doctor Her Guiding Principles: To go to school and learn


In one year, ZOE has begun to see hope and progress, and Betty sees it too. She has been through many of ZOE’s trainings and now has her own startup business as a dressmaker. Her working group is productive in farming and agriculture. She participates in her working group’s revolving money account that allows her to put money in and take money out as needed and she is looking forward to opening her own bank account soon. Her faith has been strengthened and she finds joy in going to church and inviting friends to go with her. She says, “I want prayers to earn more money to go to school so as to become someone good tomorrow.”

Out of his misery, the psalmist cried out to God the only prayer he had left: “Save me!” The children ZOE meets in Africa, Guatemala, and India are praying this prayer. They are often out of hope. As we walk with Jesus this week through his trial and crucifixion, let us not turn away from the children ZOE continues to meet. Let us be the hands and feet of Christ at work among the most vulnerable children in the world, so that, like Betty, their lives may be transformed.

PRAY

God of all circumstances: We confess that sometimes we can find nothing to celebrate. Sometimes we long for joy and find nothing but pain. In our times of desperation, may we have the faith and humility to cry out to you. And when we witness the desperation of others, may we be a presence of comfort and hope.

ACT

Visit ZOE’s Meet a Child page at www.zoehelps.org > About > Meet a ZOE Child. Choose one of the stories and pray for child as you pray for Betty today.


A WHOLE NEW WORLD Easter Sunday

“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.” – Isaiah 65:17

READ

Isaiah 65:17-25

REFLECT

The Message Bible shares Isaiah 65:17 this way, providing a wonderful framework for what God is up to on Easter and always:

“Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth.

All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten.

Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating…”

Isaiah wrote these beautiful words during a devastating time following exile. Notice, however, that he does not sing of doom. Quite the opposite, he breaks forth with words of hope born of the mighty things God has done and will do. Isaiah says look for communities where children do not die too young and adults live to a ripe old age. Places where people can plant their own food and eat it and have a home that no one will take away from them and work that is satisfying. The basics, so it seems. Then he goes on to say, the lion shall lie down with the lamb. There will be peace and reconciliation. God will not stop until everything has been made right.

Meet Sheela, a ZOE child from India

Member of the Young Star Working Group Siblings: Shirmila, 13, and Jeryarani, 10 What makes her sad: Feeling all alone in her community What makes her happy: To see herself as part of a group and to feel valued What she does not like in her community: That she and her sisters feel like aliens in their community Her dreams for the future: To raise and sell goats Guiding Principles: Time does not wait, so you should work in every opportunity


Sheela’s life speaks to the kind of dreams God has for the world. Her father was a drunkard who did not take care of the family and was very abusive as well. He abandoned the family more than 10 years ago and they do not know if he is dead or alive. In order to raise the girls, their mother worked in the hot sun every day, building and repairing roads while the girls sat on the side of the road looking for food. One day their mother took them to a nearby school and told them to go there every day so they would receive a free lunch. When she was eight years old Sheela was put to work with her mother, carrying sand and rocks on her head. This gave her a very small daily income. In the evening, Sheela and her mother cleaned in a hotel so they could buy food for their family. Sheela says that everywhere she worked she encountered unfairness and abuse. One day a girl who lived next to them asked her to come with her to a meeting held by ZOE. Sheela asked if ZOE would give her money, clothes, or food and her friend said she did not know.

Sheela went to the ZOE meeting where she met her ZOE program facilitator and other children who were struggling just like her. In the meeting, ZOE program facilitators guided her group through the Dream process and taught them about their rights as children. As time went on, the facilitator taught them about personal development, including: how to have a positive outlook, how to communicate with members of society, and how to follow the rules and regulations of the government. They began to learn about health and disease prevention, and were provided with the basics, such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mosquito nets.

Sheela’s program facilitator taught her about the importance of cooperation and mutual help with other group members. It gave Sheela a real joy in her heart because she had been left all alone in life.

“Being part of a group to share my struggles with, that means a lot to me. My dreams seem to be coming true now. I have four goats and in a few months they with give birth and I will have four more. Slowly I will grow and have more of my dreams come true. Words of thank you are not enough, but to help other children like me is the faithfulness I can now show,” says Sheela.

“Easter,” says N. T. Wright, “was when Hope in person surprised the whole world by coming forward from the future into the present.”

Today we give thanks that the hope of new life in Christ not only renews our lives, but sets us free to be part of God’s life-giving and restoring nature through ZOE. May we celebrate the resurrection by renewing our commitment to Felix, Alinafe, Juana, Gervase, Patricia, Betty, Sheela, and all of the children who inspire us with their stories of perseverance and faith.

PRAY

God of new life, thank you for this Lenten journey in which you have shown Yourself to be a God who is faithful to restore what is broken, in our lives and in the world. May we be equally faithful, committed to the care of your most vulnerable children through our love, our prayer, and our resources.

ACT

How did the dreams of these ZOE children inspire you with hope? Send in the funds you saved for the action you chose, online at www.zoehelps.org > Donate, or by making your check payable to ZOE and mailing it to ZOE, 700 Waterfield Ridge Place, Garner, NC 27529.

be secure a whole new world · note the present tense: our citizenship is in heaven. will willimon...

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