I was only seven, but I still remember how I felt in 1985 when I memorized every line of the song "We Are the World." I have very vivid memories sharing a snack with a friend that summer while talking as deeply as any elementary-aged child could about how there were children dying and that we needed to eat our freshly-picked cherry tomatoes with the idea of starvation in mind. This was the first time I remember my heart breaking for those in need.
I was almost in middle school before I met anyone who had skin that was a different color than my own. I grew up deep in the heartland and I've had to be intentional about opening my eyes to learning more about this world because, to be honest, I was downright ignorant.
God tends to speak to me through music. Several years ago, before a trip to journalist trip to Zambia that I didn't feel even remotely prepared for, there were some lyrics in a song by Matt Maher that we sang at church. The line says "you shattered my darkness, washed away my blindness, now I'm breathing in and breathing out, I'm alive again!" And I couldn't help but think about how God had been opening my eyes to poverty, sickness and the overwhelming needs of children and families all over the world.
It's easy for me to get comfortable in my home and forget the way that families struggle to have even the most basic necessities like clean water. I can easily forget that nearly 1600 children under the age of five die every day because of diarrhea from dirty drinking water. I can ignore the headlines about refugees and seek out the gossip in the entertainment section. Or I can scroll through Instagram and be totally oblivious to anything happening anywhere beyond those squares.
I know I'm not the only one.
It's why I'm joining with World Vision to bring you a little challenge. A challenge we are going to join in together.
A challenge you can do with your whole family.
The Matthew 25 Challenge
**fair warning, there are a lot of words here, to get the reader's digest version skip down to the section that says join me in the Matthew 25 challenge**
Why World Vision?
I legitimately believe that World Vision is the absolute best at what they do.
They have a proven track record and have built a reputation for themselves as one of the leading Christian humanitarian organizations working in the hard places. Because of this reputation, they are able to defy religious boundaries and work where other organizations can't seem to get a foothold.
Growing up my parents sponsored children through World Vision, but it wasn't until our own family started sponsoring a little boy named Moses that I really understood the way that World Vision builds relationships through child sponsorship.
World Vision started in 1950 and is dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to tackle poverty and injustice. They work in nearly 100 countries and serve ALL people groups. Not only does World Vision provide emergency assistance they also work with communities to help develop long term solutions to alleviate things like poverty and they advocate for justice on behalf of the poor.
I've been fortunate to be able to see the work first hand on several trips into the field and I'm always impressed with how World Vision uses local staff {bringing jobs to the community} and makes my donor dollars go farther while at the same time creating lasting change through community projects.
Why take the Matthew 25 challenge?
I believe it's hard for us to even understand the challenges that our brothers and sisters around the world face on a daily basis. How can we understand what it's like to walk miles and miles for dirty water that makes us sick when all we have to do is turn on our faucet? It's challenging to understand famine when we have never had to go hungry, truly hungry a day in our lives. Can we even wrap our minds around the idea of having to flee our home because of government violence not knowing if we would ever be able to return?
And how do we teach these things to our children if we don't fully understand it ourselves?
You'll get a chance to be invited into a challenge to live out the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 25.
This challenge will have you stepping out of your comfort zone, but I'm telling you, friends, sometimes stepping out of our comfort zones is exactly what needs to happen in order to help us to respond and create real change in our lives.
What is the Matthew 25 Challenge?
Matthew 25 is a 7-day text challenge that will help break your heart so that you can care about those things that Jesus cares about. It's a way to enter into conversation with your family through daily activities and videos
Every day you will receive a few text messages. {promise it won't be overwhelming!}
You'll get a daily challenge that will call you out of your comfort zone. You'll receive a story of a child from somewhere in the world and you'll have reflection questions that you can reflect on individually and use as a discussion with your friends and family members.
Not only that, we will be in this together, as a community!
I'll be sharing in this challenge with you across all of my social media platforms {I'm @msrachelteodoro all across social media!} and we will be walking through this together. No one has to go it alone!
But wait, there's more! {I'm trying to sound like the infomercial guy but I promise, I have nothing to sell ya!}
It's an amazing resource you can use to work through this challenge with your kids. There are thought starters, activities, and challenges to help you as parents walk through this as a family.
It's so important for me as a mom to include my kids in the things that are challenging me to create change. I know we have a future generation of changemakers and this is an intentional time that you can engage your kids in some really great discussion that gets them thinking beyond themselves.
Join me in the Matthew 25 Challenge!
Pull out your phone right now and text M25 in the subject line to 44888. We will be starting on February 25.
**if at any time you get asked to put in a church name, enter RachelT because we are in this together!**
This week as you receive these daily challenges, as you spend time reading their stories and watch their videos, you are going to feel challenged. You'll be tempted to ignore a text, or skip a video.
DON'T OPT OUT!
Each day, it's only a few minutes of your time to really take part in the challenge and it has the potential to transform your world view. It may even transform you and your whole family. It will be earth-shattering in the very best way!
I want to encourage you to share your experience on social media using #m25challenge. Don't go into this challenge alone. We are a community and we will do this together!
Text M25 to 44888 RIGHT NOW to opt in for our February 25, 2019 challenge
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