SUSIE CHILDERS
what? photographer
who? believer, a voice for the voiceless (namely for oppressed women - world wide)
from? Hawaii via Germany
where? works with YWAM - Youth With A Mission
my thoughts?
ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING SPEAKERS, WOMAN, MOM, AND CHRIST FOLLOWER I have encountered in a long time
she was a breath of fresh, challenging and motivating AIR.
she travels worldwide and her 2yr old son and 3month old kids come with her for most of it.
she is a mom AND a missionary
what I loved most is when asked by an audience member how she handles that she didn't get defensive, she didn't offend but she just pointed straight back to Christ
here are some things she said:
it's not God first, family second or God first, ministry second, family third, etc....it's
God First
God Second and
God Third.
I was reminded of the verse...Christ is all and is IN all. there is no one, two, three, four, etc....just Christ. So simple.
"God has this calling on my life to be a voice for the voiceless and God also has the calling on my life to be a mother - while my children are young enough to be unable to choose to listen to God's calling on their own life they are blanketed by God's calling on my husband and on my life. To be the best mother to them possible I need to be answering God's calls on my life because I want them to answer His call on their life as well" (something like that!)
challenged me to look at God's calling on my own life and what I am doing to pursue that - not using motherhood as an excuse to shy away but using it as a reason to press on.
You could tell she had a real passion for all the needy but specifically for the sexually oppressed women and little girls
a HUGE SOFT SPOT in my own heart that was planted about 7 years ago and has just been sitting there ripening.
I often have dreams and visions of myself walking into brothel houses and down the streets of red light districts in attempts to 'rescue/kidnap' little girls out of that life -
people can talk about AIDS, other forms of slavery, orphans of other tragic events and my heart stirs but you talk about Sex Trade and Trafficking of little girls for prostitution and I get ANGRY, UNCOMFORTABLE, WEAK in all my joints, and I SOB.
One day.
and this night was one more step towards that.
Col 3
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving
p.s. I'll find her web info later but she said to visit International Justice Mission if you want to do something
p.p.s. I will be absorbing that website for the next couple of days
The Mommy and Daddy
(aka Holly and Jake, but only sometimes)
Our Lydia
Our Samantha
Our Lenora
Our Sophie
3 comments:
Do you read Today's Christian Woman magazine? Their focus this year is on sex trafficking. I can give you my old mags if you haven't seen them. --Tina
In all of your free time, read the book "Mission of Motherhood"...if you haven't already...by Sally Clarkson. It's really good. About using your gifts God gave you, but mostly being the mother God called you to be...and balancing all of that. I'm about 1/2 through it. Really good.
I LOVE those tables!!! Or old church did something like that, but it was always Christmasy...I like yours much better!!
I agree with you that what she said was so wonderful when it came to missions vs. motherhood. I loved how she pointed out it's not a Versus, it's an Along With.
And the part I loved most was the fac that she did all of that WITHOUT notes. She shot from the hip and spoke her heart. You don't get many speakers who are so 'real'.
You got great photos, too.
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