Poem - The Sun Rises

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The sun rises across the sky

As people are walking by

Shining on the rich and poor

From desert to sea shore

On every man, woman, and child

From the city to the wild

It rises and then sets again

Each day without end

Telling a tale for all to see

That we aren’t living equally

Perhaps equally we never will

And also without justice ‘til

We speak up for the weak and small

In the daytime and at nightfall

To remain consistent and fair

As our lives are there to share

by Christina Morley

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Money on the Move – Part 4 of 4

When it was time for us to leave Japan, we had no idea how we would pay our way back to the airport. Then unexpectedly, one of the Japanese workers who helped us get on a train to the airport gave us some money. Not only did he give us enough for our fare, but there was also enough to buy a few souvenirs at the airport. During our time in Tokyo we had firsthand experience of God working through people and through us.

Life is not all about shopping at the mall, watching TV, or playing computer games. As parents, it’s our responsibility to shape our children’s world-view. Most kids don’t even appreciate what they have. The best way to combat materialism is by giving away money or things. The best way to combat selfishness is by giving away time through acts of service.

Consider taking your kids with you on a short-term outreach during a holiday or summer break. Allow them healthy exposure to the outside world so they can learn how other people live. Teach them to be grateful, compassionate, and generous. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. God doesn’t want the resources we possess to stop with us. He wants them to keep flowing.

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Money on the Move – Part 3 of 4

We spent the two final weeks, before flying back home to South Africa, at a Bible printing organization. The workers were mostly singles who lived on the property in dorm rooms. We were offered a single’s room with a small kitchenette; the bathrooms were down the hall. Lunches were provided and we were blessed with a small allowance to cover the other meals.

During the day, the place was alive with the hustle and bustle of many people hard at work. At night, they all disappeared into their rooms. The halls were deserted and the place fell silent. It went from one extreme to the other. The atmosphere lent itself to work productivity, but after working hours there was just nothing happening. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be any life outside of work.

Most of the people there were Japanese. Since we had arrived in Tokyo, I had learned that the Japanese were generally not accustomed to practicing hospitality. The Lord showed me that as often as possible I was to invite one person from the building to our room for dinner. I wasn’t sure if we would have enough food to feed ourselves, let alone provide a meal for someone else. I also knew how particular the Japanese were about their rice. What if I couldn’t cook it right?

Whatever my reservations, we managed to open our door to several of the missionaries there. We could see that they were surprised when we invited them for dinner. It might have been a small thing, but it was an opportunity for us to be a blessing. They needed to know that they were loved for who they were and not only for what they did. We were also blessed by some who did the same for us.

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Money on the Move – Part 2 of 4

Please read Part 1, if you haven't already.

On our first morning there, they invited us to their apartment for breakfast. We could tell by the questions they asked us that they thought we were crazy to make the trip to Japan without concrete arrangements. When we had finished eating, they read their morning Bible devotional with us. The topic happened to be about faith and trusting God for the impossible.

We were about to pray together when the wife mentioned that Japan was experiencing a serious drought (the year was 1996). It had become a national crisis. As we bowed our heads in prayer, I asked the Lord to please bring rain. The wife looked out the window, and the next thing she saw was a pedestrian pulling out an umbrella. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Perhaps God had sent us there for that short time just to refresh them in the area of their faith.

Having heard our heart for Tokyo, they felt moved to connect us with another missionary family, who invited us for dinner. We discovered that the husband was the overseer of all the regional mission organizations. They were just the right people to learn from and they eagerly shared from some of their years of experience with us. We mentioned that we were on a short-term visit and they invited us to come and stay at their house for a week.

The following morning we said our goodbyes to the first missionary couple that had welcomed us to Tokyo. They gave us a little Japanese outfit for the baby on its way and surprisingly told us that we didn’t need to pay for our stay. We went onto our new host family and continued to learn much from them. While we were there, they arranged for us to stay with a Japanese family for a week so that we could have first-hand experience of Japanese culture. This turned out to be our toughest week emotionally and spiritually, but we learned a lot.

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Money on the Move – Part 1 of 4

Before I got married, the Lord gave me the promise in scripture where Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what they would eat and drink or what they would wear. As long as they sought God’s Kingdom first, the Lord would take care of the rest (Luke 12:22-31). I knew that God was speaking directly to me in regard to my upcoming marriage and the life we would lead. We were to keep our hearts passionate about God’s things, and He would look after us.

My husband and I chose to take God at His word. If getting married without financial security was His idea, then we were going to have to trust Him. We were willing to take the leap of faith.

This decision was tested many times. One particular occasion was when we heard God tell us to go to Tokyo, Japan, for a short-term outreach. We were not joining a team. It was just going to be the two of us, and I was going to be six months pregnant with our first child. When we arrived in Japan, there was no one to meet us and nowhere to go. We thought we might make contact with a Japanese friend, but that idea fell through. We had only about $200 and this was to last us for one month.

We had to rely totally on God. At this point we needed a place to stay for the night at least. We looked in a telephone directory and found a mission organization that we felt inspired to phone. An American missionary couple in charge said they had place for us and the husband would meet us at the train station. They told us that they rarely took in people who weren’t affiliated with their organization. We spent our first two nights in one of their spacious apartments, knowing that all their missionaries were expected to pay for accommodation. We decided not to tell anyone about our financial status as we believed the Lord was going to provide somehow.

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