Remember the Poor

shared by John Mugabi

9/16/2009 God is indeed so good!! Recently, in our Bible clubs 13 students came to the Lord.  I am personally so filled with joy to see young people coming to the Lord in such big numbers.  Two of the most felt ministries at Nkumba are the Bible clubs and the food programme.  It’s so good that both have led to so many people to Christ.

10/5/2009 Yesterday we had a Bible club, and 12 students gave their lives to Jesus.  We do not fit in the church anymore.  Thanks for feeding all these students.  God bless you.

shared by Frank May

“David Platt has preached for seven hours straight. He can recite Romans 1-8 on the spot. He delivered the most powerful sermon in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Pastors’ Conference. People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that his shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

Okay, so the last item was Peter, not Platt. But enthused congregations are raving about the pastor of the Church at Brooks Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Three years into his pastorate, David Platt is still only 30 years old… “ Christianity Today 8/10/2009

Here is the link to that incredible sermon.  It leaves me wanting more.  If you take the 30 minutes to watch this, even if you miss your favorite TV show!, I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

Seggy and Cara are trading spaces.  Well, more accurately, they are trading continents. 🙂

In a few weeks, Cara Murray is moving to Nkumba, Uganda.  And, Seggy will be  coming to the U.S. for about 6 months.

Since we’ll likely be hearing from Cara while she is in Nkumba, we thought you’d like to get to “meet” her.  Cara has no idea what I’m going to say about her, yet she was kind enough to give me carte blanche approval to write whatever I want!

Cara and Gift

We just recently met Cara in person, though she’s already done volunteer work for Remember the Poor, having planned John’s entire trip earlier this year…no small feat!  What a privilege to finally get to meet this girl.  She met Rob and Ashley (board member and child sponsorship coordinator) at an inner-city ministry in Chicago where she has volunteered for a number of years.  Rob and Ashley hung out the bait, and well, the rest is history.

In June, Cara went to Uganda.  She had known for a year the Lord was bringing about some type of change, but didn’t know what it was.  Confident the Lord was moving her somewhere, in 2008, she had told her roommate she would not be renewing her lease in August of 2009.  “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  There it is…lived out!

At every turn, Cara’s beautiful servant’s heart is revealed. Upon her return to the U.S., she gave notice to her employer.  One of her biggest concerns was the provision for the 6 children and the family that she sponsors through various organizations.  Within a few days, the Lord had provided a replacement sponsor!   In making the transition to Uganda, she has decided to live on the same salary as the Nkumba leadership ($250/mo).  “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

Cara's favorite picture--Gift had just finished tickling Cara, and now it is Gift's turn!

At the same time, the Lord has been opening doors for Seggy to be here in the U.S. for about six months.  We just received final word today that his visa was approved by the US Embassy.  He’ll be arriving in Phoenix Oct 19 or 20!

His purpose in being here will be to meet with pastors and other church leaders, speaking on behalf of orphans and widows in Africa. “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;  maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”

If you are interested in having him speak or meet with your pastor, please e-mail me. We’ll then be in contact with you as he begins to arrange his schedule.

He will be staying in a guest casita, currently unfurnished.  We are looking for the following items.  If you have any you’d like to donate for the next 6 months, please contact Carol Phillips.

• twin bed with frame
  
• recliner or comfortable chair
  
• very small computer desk
  
• phone: land line phone and text-capable cell phone.
  
• mini-fridge
  
• small microwave to sit on top of mini-fridge
• table lamp
• twin blanket, sheets, comforter/bedspread
• pillow
  

The following e-mail was written by Ben Savage.  If you missed Monday’s post, Ben and Amy Savage are in Uganda right now with Children’s Hopechest.  They have shared several poignant experiences and thoughts so beautifully; I wanted to share them here as well.

Today I walked into a world unlike any other that I have experienced. I arrived two days ago with a team from Children’s HopeChest to visit orphan communities in the hopes of creating connections between our world of plenty and their world of want.

As we drove through the towns, I witnessed a bizarre mixture of beauty, despair and hope.  The landscape was truly astounding.  There were many imaginative and hardworking people who had used what little resources they could muster to create businesses that were showing signs of success.  The next sight I would see would be a child naked, in a ramshackle mud hut with no one to care for them.

In this strange stew of images we pulled into Rapha Community School, a community that is sponsored by a church in Florida through Children’s HopeChest.  We were greeted by 150 children in white shirts and orange smocks.  The children were not exactly what I expected. True, their situation was more dire than any I’ve seen, but the children shone like the sun.  Their smiles were bright and filled with pride and dignity.  The children greeted us individually and thanked us for coming.  I only wish my children acted this respectfully. After we toured the community, we were escorted to their schoolroom. The room consisted of a small map of the world, a few old posters and rough-hewn benches.

The children sang a welcome to us.  They danced and recited God’s words to us.  I was challenged and changed by all of this.   And then there was Sarah, who read Matthew 6 aloud.  Sarah, who, from all earthly perspectives should be disabled with despair for her future spoke of faith.  She is an orphan who has depended on God to deliver food, shelter and all other earthly needs.  She had suffered loss and pain that people in my community would have spent countless dollars on therapy to recover from, but today Sarah spoke to me of faith.  She read:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:25-34

To hear a lovely child of God with a gleaming face recite those words to me was the high point and most devastating moment for me.  The thought that Sarah, who has good reason to worry about tomorrow, would unassumingly speak those challenging words to us fairly contented and well fed Americans destroyed me.  That we worry more about the news from Hollywood than the desperation found around the world was nothing short of life changing.  While our culture is so consumed with anxiety and fear, here was little Sarah exemplifying faith and courage.  She read the words but I could see that she felt them too and that she felt them deeply.

I have always loved that passage and thought about it as a cute phrasing of my simple faith. But today I heard it as a life mantra that was spoken from the core of this small-framed girl.  It was the throwing down of the gauntlet.  And the question that confronts me now as I sit in my Ugandan hotel and Sarah sleeps in her mud hut is “What will I do to respond?”  I have been blessed – not so much that I am rich in my own community necessarily, but I am insanely rich in a global context.  I have also been exposed to enough of the difficulties that these communities face that I can no longer hide behind ignorance.    Do I truly believe that these children are more valuable than my cable television?   I am the “I want my MTV” generation.

As Africa burns, I live in comfort and ease while I CAN make a difference in the lives of others, but will I choose to? What sacrifice have I been willing to make to help fulfill God’s promise of care to others?  I will live differently from this day forward. Have mercy on me God, though I truly don’t deserve it.  I have for too long ignored your call to love those who are broken and abused.  Help me capture and hold onto the conviction, sorrow, and joy reflected in Sarah’s eyes today.  And thank you for showing me a picture of your heart through these broken but not forgotten children in Rapha.  I am devastated and changed.  Thank you, sweet Lord.

Ben and Amy Savage are in Uganda right now with Children’s Hopechest, and Amy shared the following story on her blog, Loving the Least of These, regarding their time in Ngariam. Ngariam is a sub-county comprised of 58 villages within Teso.  John, Seggy, and Mark’s trip to Teso last week was in the same sub-county of Ngariam.

Today we went to a village in Ngariam. Ngariam is made up of people who have been traumatized by a nomadic tribe of people called the Karamajong. The Karamajong over the past 50 years have burned their huts and fields, raped their women, abducted some of their children, stolen their cattle and killed anyone who got in their way. To add to that, this area is in the middle of a food crisis. (For those of you who participated in our fund drive for Feed the Forgotten…this is one of the sites where we were able to send food back in June, although there were people who died one day before the food was delivered).

This was the first UNSPONSORED site we visited on this trip and the difference was astounding. These children showed visible signs of malnutrition – yellow eyes, discolored skin and hair, distended bellies. They were literally in dirty rags and they were a kind of dirty you have likely never seen. There was absolutely no sign of hygiene. They had open sores on their bodies that were oozing with infection. They had to walk FAR to find water (although they had a water pump nearby that had been broken for months…we were able to give them $80 to fix the part so that the 5,000 people in the camp could have water again – $80!!). To say that sponsorship makes a difference is a gross understatement.

Children were shaking our hands while kneeling on the ground. It felt so strange to have someone literally bowing to me. They were shy at first…some ran away from us crying. I’m sure for some of them it was the first time they’d ever seen a white person, so I can only imagine what must have been going through their mind. There was a major language barrier since no one knew English. We had several people with us who translated and I have to say that as cheesy as it might sound I found that love truly transcends any barrier. I was able to give smiles, hugs, back rubs and sing with the kids. We taught the kids to sing “Jesus Loves Me”…Sarah and I led the song and hand motions while they repeated the words. Rita then translated to the children what they were singing. That was SO important to me. More than anything on this trip I have just wanted to communicate and show these children that their Father in Heaven loves THEM…He knows their names. While I might have encouraged them momentarily ultimately they need to know that there is a God in heaven who cares for them and walks with them always. I want them desperately to know the truth of that. People come and go and will disappoint them, but as Lamentations says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to end”.

So, I left them praying for that truth to be planted deeply in their heart. But now that I have seen their situation I am responsible for more than that. These people are in DIRE circumstances and situations. The fact that there were children running around with gaping wounds in their head with no means to care for it just devastated me. I pictured my little girls running around in pain and with festering sores and infection while I stood by helpless to do anything. I cannot imagine that being the norm like it is in Ngariam.

So, as I was taking all of this in, one of our team leaders asked my friend Sarah and I if we would be willing to go help an older woman they encountered. Of course we went. I had no idea what we were walking into. This woman’s name was Mary Ida and she was elderly. We were told that as some of our team members had been walking through the village they encountered this woman lying literally face down in the dirt. They actually thought she was dead until they saw her head move. There were other village women walking by her yelling at her to pull her dress down because parts of her body were exposed. This woman was not able to move and was receiving no compassion from the people around her. Since the guys didn’t know if it would be appropriate to help her they went and got Sarah and I.

As Sarah and I approached her my heart just broke. There she was lying in the dirt – literally a pile of skin and bones. Her bones were protruding from her skin. Part of her toes were gone. She had gaping holes where her toes met her foot. Her legs and hands were swollen. Her hands had wounds and sores on them. She laid there blinking at us. Our travel partner, Rita, asked the women around her what her story was. Apparently she suffers from jiggers which are worms that make their way into her feet. They have left her with infection which has made it almost impossible for her to walk because of the pain. Her hands suffer from something similar. Her husband is dead as all are all her children. Her son’s widow tries to care for her as she can but has no resources to give her what she really needs. She said Mary was traumatized by all the loss in her life and the fact she is alone.

The first thing we did was pray for her… we asked for God to be present with her and to bring her comfort and peace. We then asked if we could move her into her hut so we could care for her. Apparently her hut was in disarray so they led us to another hut that literally had nothing in it. It had a thatched roof and a dirt floor. Two women from the village picked her up and carried her into the hut for us. We only had one pair of gloves so Sarah said that she would be the one to actually tend to her wounds. We only had a first aid kit with us so we laid Mary on the floor while she groaned in pain. We had a bottle of water which we gave her to drink. I’ve never seen someone gulp water down like that – she was SO thirsty. We had a bowl with water to lift her feet into. Sarah gently washed her feet which were bleeding and covered in flies…the whole time Mary was crying out in pain. It was probably the most heart wrenching thing I have ever been a part of in my life. Sarah kept saying, “I know, Mary…I’m sorry it hurts…I’m just trying to help…God help Mary”. After Sarah washed her feet we treated them with anti-bacterial ointment and wrapped them in gauze to protect them as best we could. It was just a bandaid on a much larger problem but it was all we could do. We did the same for her hand which had open, festering sores.

I wanted to cry through the whole thing. I wanted to turn and run. But I knew that Jesus would be right there where we were doing what we were doing. He was using us to wash her feet, to hold her hand, to bandage her wounds, to whisper words of comfort, to say her name, to pray for her. I felt God’s presence in that little mud hut – it was palpable.

And you know what? When we finished Mary looked up at us and actually smiled then laughed. She laughed. Here was this lady that literally could have been left for dead in the dirt with the African sun beating down on her LAUGHING! The way that she looked up at us when we were finished is something I will NEVER, EVER forget. I think I saw Jesus looking back at me.

One of the things I wanted most of all from this trip was to glimpse God in a new way. I glimpsed Him today in Mary. We probably spent 30 minutes with Mary today and they may have been some of the most important minutes of my life. As badly as my heart hurt for Mary I know God’s heart hurt for her so much more than mine. He felt her pain and loved her so much He sent us to her on this day to love her, to touch her, to BE Jesus to her.

I really can’t put words to what I feel in my heart right now…it’s simply overwhelming – overwhelming that God allowed me to be a part of Mary’s life today…overwhelming that there is such suffering in the world while this would be unthinkable in America. But I’ll save that as well as what I saw with the children in Ngariam for another post. For now, I just want to be in this moment.

We are looking for a few more volunteers!

We have several projects, both long-term and short-term, that can be done from home on your computer.  The projects range from 3 to 10 hours per week.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please e-mail Cindy.

Shared by Seggy Hannington

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

We bring you greetings from the eastern part of Uganda, more so from the people of Teso with whom you sent us to share The Word and food. This was indeed the whole reality of the ministry for which we have been called.

We set off for Teso on Saturday night (9/5) in high moods, and everyone was eager to get there and help the brothers and sisters who are going through a hard time. No one on our team  knew what to expect until we got there and people saw with their eyes. I could hear some of  the team members asking ‘What would I do if I was meant to spend the rest of my life here?’

Since we started ministry, we had never experienced the mighty hand of God as it was in Teso. As we arrived all people came running and the children were all over the place rejoicing. When we had people in order, Pastor John went into The Word calling upon people to trust in the Lord and told them that they are not forgotten. They applauded the sermon and praising went on and on.

We then had them line up to get served with the relief aid that we had brought to them. People carried with them all types of containers i.e basins, baskets, bedsheets, jugs, etc.

Mark and John surveying the maize

They kept thanking us for remembering them during this hard time. This reminds us of Galatians 2:10, and it calls us to do more and we reach further.

It’s a pity that satan tried a lot to disorganize this whole trip, because he was defeated. Our hired bus broke down four times in the middle of nowhere, and we tried our best to have it repaired. It rained on the entire team, but we were happy because the mission we were on was beneficial to many. Because of the rain and conditions, a number of people on the team are down with fever but we hope they will get better soon.

The lorry that carried the food got stuck because the roads are bad and this made us reach there a little late on Sunday morning.

We want to greatly thank you so much for having obeyed the voice of God and sent us with all the relief we took.

We are glad to report that approximately 1200 people benefited and countless children too. I should also report that this has been one of the most risky missions we have ever carried out.  Remember that in this region there are many civil conflicts, especially from the Karamajongs who often raid cows and even kill.

As you will see in the pictures, we were highly expected and well received. To see the album of pictures, click here.

Pastor John asked if they all loved Jesus and they all shouted back, “YES WE DO!” “He has kept us amidst all these hard times,” a man shouted.

By God’s grace, we were able to give out 18 tonnes of maize flower,
750kgs of salt, 2080kgs of maize seeds, 290 New Testament Bibles, 89 pieces of shorts for men and 100 dresses, and 45 boxes of soap to help prevent disease.

This was indeed a blessing to have shared with our brothers and sisters. God bless you all.

Seggy with one of the little ones

A little more Teso information (from Cindy)…

I asked how the people in Teso will cook the maize flour.  What type of water is available?  The answer returned to me was, “The water is really bad.  We would not want to touch it. It is filthy swamp water.”  That is what will be used because it is the only thing available right now. (Is anyone else thinking “let’s drill a well”, because I am!)

I asked about the soap, which is a common staple item also taken to the prisons.  Seggy said they have a Lugandan saying that you know someone is really poor if they don’t even have soap.  As important as food is, soap is as well.  Without it, and particularly because the only water in Teso is dirty swamp water, disease will spread.

As for salt, many of you know this, but it is NOT a luxury item.  We have excess here; they don’t have enough there.  Without sodium, a person loses muscle, mental capacity, and may have seizures and die.  It is considered a staple food because of its importance in maintaining health.

Clothing donations were made by Nkumba.

God is certainly using Francis Chan to challenge Cindy and me and all Christians with the Word of God! In his sermon, Lukewarm & Loving It, Chan asks questions Jesus asks, points to answers in Scripture, and then speaks to his own congregation about their lives.  (I don’t think we’re the only one who like this sermon–it’s been viewed on YouTube more than 74,000 times!)

Are we living a lukewarm life?  Do we even care that we are living a lukewarm life?  What are the consequences of a lukewarm life?  When we understand who God is, why would we ever want to be lukewarm?  You gotta watch this one.  I would love to hear your thoughts on it after you watch it.

God is certainly using Francis Chan to challenge Cindy and me and all Christians with the Word of God! In his sermon, Lukewarm & Loving It, Chan asks questions Jesus asks, points to answers in Scripture, and then speaks to his own congregation about their lives.  (I don’t think we’re the only one who like this sermon–it’s been viewed on YouTube more than 74,000 times!)

Are we living a lukewarm life?  Do we even care that we are living a lukewarm life?  What are the consequences of a lukewarm life?  When we understand who God is, why would we ever want to be lukewarm?  You gotta watch this one.  I would love to hear your thoughts on it after you watch it.

Shared by John Mugabi

The VAN: Today has yet been a day of happiness to all who saw Ronald drive in our new ministry van. I couldn’t believe myself. God is so good that the problem of transport we have been facing has been solved. We hope that with this van, we are going to reach more places. It was imported from Dubai and it’s second hand, but still in good conditions. We know the economic times the whole world is going through, yet you have not given up on fulfilling the Great Commission.  When Jesus said, preach the word in season and out of season this is what He meant!! Even when we have little…

TESO: We are really blessed to have been sent to Teso to witness and see the reality of our calling. I will be leading a team of 10 men from our Ministry and shall leave on the 7th of Sep. We are going to take with us maize flour, beans, and on top of these, we are taking seeds we plan to reach out to 890 families -1000 families.  This week, three of our team members will be in Mbale booking food stuffs and making other necessary arrangements.

From Seggy: “Sir,we hope you are not going to forget us and we die.” Those were the words from an old lady who came to me when I was leaving Teso after assessing the famine situation. These words sunk deep inside me and they kept coming back to me.

I am so glad today that YOU have made it possible to feed some of the people in Teso and take THE WORD to them. Very soon we are heading there and I know it will be a day of joy.

Thank you for standing with us through all kinds of contributions.  I am happy they will see us and say “Ohhhh, You did not forget us, Praise be to God.”

PRISON EVANGELISM: Prison Ministry still is very powerful, only that we had a problem of transport, so this summer only 13 prisons have been reached. 147 men gave their lives to Jesus. It’s still a very challenging ministry as we can never meet all of the needs and get to all the prisons. In all, our 9 fellowships in the 9 big prisons are going on well.

Roofing going on the stables at the gold mine

FOOD PROGRAM: At Nkumba the most felt ministry anyone would just see without asking questions is the Food Program, and we thank God for this opportunity of giving food to the hungry. As a result, many young children have come to know the Lord. I remember personally that it was food that drew me to God.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: I am very happy for the 9 students who are now at the University.  To all the sponsors of these students, I and they have not enough English words to show their joy and gratitude.  I quote one of them, Alex Kwagala, “For sure I know God answers prayer…Who am I to be at University?”

Jonathan and Moses Babu at the farmland

THE GOLD MINE: Other than getting sick with malaria and fever, all the children are in good health. We too thank all the sponsors who have bought a goat for their kids; this has motivated the children so much, that every holiday the only place they want to be at is at the goldmine (farmland). They are learning many things and pray that the hens come in soon as well.

Esther says a big thank you from the bottom of her heart.

Held by the Grace of God,

Brother John Mugabi

Today is the big day!

$22,219 is on its way to Teso, Uganda.

I wish I could be a fly on the wall of a mud hut, seeing Mr. Eugenio get to eat.  I can promise you, this would be one crying fly!

There’s a chance we’ll all get to be flies on the wall, as Seggy is hoping to be able to take some video and send it to us.  With the speed (or lack of ) and availability (or lack of ) internet in Uganda, this will be no small feat.  I am praying it works!

John, Seggy and 4 others are planning the food purchases and are heading to Teso next week.  Not only will they be taking food and seed for the next planting season, but they will also be taking the good news of Jesus.  This is THE reason we partner with Nkumba Ministries:  because to give a person food to live for a few years on this earth, while letting them head to a Christ-less eternity would truly be unloving.

We are praying for a great harvest!

As soon as we have pictures (and hopefully video), we will post them here.  Stay tuned.

Earlier this week, we received an unexpected e-mail from a young girl who lives in Australia.  Here’s the story behind the donation she and her family sent to feed the people of Teso.  I think you’ll enjoy it! 🙂  I know we did!

Hi! My name is Michaela.  I’m nine years old, and I live in Australia.  Recently my family and our cousins went to Indonesia for 13 days to see our little sponsored child.  Over there we saw lots of poor places and people, so we decided one Saturday morning to make a “sacrifice box” out of wood.

The idea is that whenever we would go without something we will put the money into the box.  For example:  If we are going to the movies on Sunday night, instead we stay home and have a game of scrabble and put the money we saved into the box.  Having the night of your life feasting on roast chicken and veggies, instead maybe have the time of your life for mum (no cooking) and have rice for the night, and guess what, you have just saved around $40 by doing those two things.

My brother Nicholas bought some music from the internet rather than buying the CD’s and the money he saved ($20) he put in the box.  I put in $2.50 at very first to start it off and it took a while for us to get to $221, and believe it or not by the time you’ll read this, it will probably have a little bit more.

But King David replied… ” I will not … sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” I Chronicles 21:24

Seggy, Ashley and Mark

www.RobandAshley.com

Many of you know (via e-mail at least) Ashley Brooks, our Volunteer Child Sponsorship Coordinator.

What you may not know is that Rob and Ashley are headed to Southeast Asia in September to work with International Justice Mission (IJM) for the next year.

Ten years ago, Frank and I had the privilege of meeting both Rob and Ashley (before they met each other) when they were in high school, no one dreaming of the journey on which they are about to embark!

Rob is on the board of Remember the Poor, and he just earned his law degree from the University of Chicago.  Ashley graduated in 2008 with her Master’s Degree in Social Work, also from the University of Chicago.  They have both received fellowships with IJM in their fields of law and social work.

Rob with Gary Haugen, Founder of IJM

Rob shared in a recent letter that an estimated 27 million people are in slavery today–more than at any other point in history.  Their work with IJM is to “loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.”

We are paralyzed in a poverty of hope because, first, we underestimate the value of what God has given us to transform lives. Second, we underestimate the value of a single life. And third, we underestimate God’s determination to rescue us from a trivial existence if we just free up our hands and our hearts from unworthy distractions and apply them to matters that make a difference in someone else’s life.

…Likewise, when our grandchildren ask us where we were when the weak and the voiceless and the vulnerable of our era needed a leader of compassion and purpose and hope – I hope we can say that we showed up, and that we showed up on time. And that the very God of history might say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Gary Haugen, Founder of International Justice Mission, Terrify No More

To read more about Ashley and Rob’s journey, please visit their site at www.robandashley.com. While there, make sure to click on blogs/updates to see their current updates.

We are excited about all the Lord is doing through them!

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good;seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless; plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:16-17