Young Ladies Christian Fellowship » Ministries

The Lost Art of the Mother’s Helper

Ashleigh — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:14:27 +0000

We’re in the middle of a big move.

My little family is pulling up our roots (my roots anyway) in California, loading up a moving van and driving a bit north and a bit east, eventually landing in a tiny Rocky Mountain town (my husband’s roots).

You may remember that my husband is a Marine–a job that requires extended periods of time in a combat zone. We’ve done the deployment thing before… and it’s time to start over. In about six weeks, my beloved will be heading to Afghanistan for 13 months. It will be long, and it will be hard, but we’ve experienced enough of God’s sufficient grace to know that we’ll get through it.

Which brings us to this move. We have about a week until we haul ourselves and all of our belongings into the mountains, where the boys and I will have the opportunity to be near John’s family for the next year and a half. I love the mountains, I love the snow (which we’ll have more often than not, living at over 10,000 ft. elevation!) and I love my parents-in-love. While I’m not at all looking forward to leaving the people and places we love here in California, when it comes to living in Colorado, I’m basically, in a word, thrilled.

But the moving part? The sea of cardboard boxes? The Everest of packing paper? Not so much.

Combined with John’s extremely long pre-deployment training hours and me still just as busy as ever caring for our little people, I was beginning to freak out get a bit overwhelmed.

Until the knock at my door last week that brought me a blessing. Two of them, actually. A pair of sweet fifteen year old girls with smiles on their faces and hearts eager to just… help.

They fed the boys lunch. They read books. They played with toys. They made cupcakes and let my three year old crack the eggs. They cleaned up messes and wiped hands and faces. They raced up and down the stairs, running for tape and permanent markers, blankies and stuffed Pooh Bears.

I packed boxes. I checked off a long list of phone calls. I wrote about ten urgent emails. I packed more boxes. I sorted through paperwork. I organized and threw out old craft supplies. I folded laundry. I packed MORE boxes.

We had long conversations about life and struggles during nap time. We packed up all the books from our last two bookshelves. We stacked boxes and labeled them. They helped me figure out what to keep and what to toss. We did a lot of laughing.

I could have kept them for days.

These girls aren’t perfect. They didn’t step straight from a nineteenth century story book. They’re normal fifteen year old girls living in 2010, complete with texts messages ringing in every few minutes. They like to laugh and they deal with the same everyday issues every other young lady faces. I’d even guess they might not always be quite as eager to wipe faces and play with Legos in their own homes.

But they both have hearts that love Jesus and are quick to do whatever needed to be a blessing. They shared their hearts with me that day and I saw beauty and maturity in that glimpse. God is at work in these girls’ lives. They put themselves aside for a day in January and sweetly gave their time and energy to a busy mom of two little boys.

When I was a teenager, I made a trip to visit some friends in Texas, splitting my time between two sisters who were each married with active little ones and only lived a short distance apart. In preparing to head out there, my young self was anticipating being busy making meals and cleaning the house so these young moms would have some free time to spend with their children.

What I didn’t expect was the reality of mothers needing time to catch up with all the million and ten other things that never get done because they do spend most of their time playing and cuddling and feeding and changing and training their busy tiny people. While I did make a few meals and bake a couple desserts and do a bit of shopping and mop some floors and change several diapers, I spent the majority of my time playing and cuddling and feeding and changing the children. It freed the mothers to get caught up on other important things and feel a little more rested.

I consider myself very blessed to be surrounded by willing mother’s helpers. I’ve had several here in San Diego. When I get to Colorado, I know of two other young ladies who are just as sweet and just as eager to help (also YLCF readers, incidentally!).

But I know not every mother of little ones is in the same situation. Perhaps you know of one such mother. Maybe she’s busy and weary, waiting for a single young lady to step forward and offer a few hours of time so she can catch up. Perhaps she’s overwhelmed with a move or a new baby or a husband’s busy schedule–or maybe she would just like to take a nap or make dinner with two hands! She could be wishing, right now, that there was someone who could spend a few hours playing with her little ones and maybe vacuum the living room carpet.

And maybe you are just the girl for the job!

I’ve been given a gift with these various young women. Mothers, don’t afraid to accept help, and young women, don’t be afraid to offer it! Get out there and get helping!

International Justice Mission featured in New Yorker magazine

Natalie Nyquist — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:47:00 +0000

From the press release:

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Samantha Power spent more than two years researching IJM’s casework in four countries. Power thoroughly investigates many facets of IJM President Gary Haugen’s life, the mission and diverse viewpoints on anti-trafficking methodology. Ultimately, she provides the powerful evidence – by citing compelling IJM casework examples – of the life-changing and far-reaching outcomes of the work…

With a circulation of more than one million, The New Yorker is one of the nation’s most influential news sources, and the article unveils on the world’s stage IJM’s passion for, and commitment to, strengthening rule of law on behalf of the global poor.

Read the full piece here.

The Road of Lost Innocence

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:15:00 +0000

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed A stronghold in times of trouble.For he who avenges blood is mindful of themHe does not forget the cry of the afflictedFor the needy shall not always be forgotten.And the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.- Psalm 9:9, 12, 18

Early fall is one of the busiest seasons for book releases, hence so many reviews lately here on YLCF. There’ve been so many books I was excited about and wanted to share with you; This, however, the final one for awhile, is most important. If I had to choose one book to review this entire year, it would probably have to be The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam. The message is too important, the need too urgent to be ignored. It is the “hidden horror” that I have written about before with Project Rescue, the International Justice Mission, and more.

Caution: The Road of Lost Innocence is written in a heart-wrenching, raw, unflinching manner and does not shy away from describing some of the horrific abuse that Somaly and countless thousands of other young girls have endured. Though I think it is critical for adults to be shaken out of their comfort zone–and this book has the power to sear one’s heart permanently–I would keep this book away from any reader under age 18, unless she was reading it with the constant oversight and guidance of a parent. That said, I think this kind of book–reality–needs to be read far more than fiction which gets far more graphic. This is real life for thousands of little girls. We can’t hide from that, and I think we need to be shaken up a bit if such will change the way we view this issue.

Born in Cambodia and orphaned at an early age, Somaly Mam, a Buddhist sex trade survivor, grew up never knowing her real name or birthday.

As a teenager, Somaly Mam was sold into prostitution and spent years in the brothels of Cambodia where she witnessed and experienced the full-blown horrors of the human sex trade – rape, torture, and nearly unfathomable abuse. After her eventual escape, she could not forget the young girls (some as young as 5) left behind in the brothels, and so she returned to serve them. The Road of Lost Innocence tells her personal story, inviting readers to become involved (or to continue involvement) in this war against an epic evil, a modern battle for “the least of these.”

For more on Somaly and her fight against human trafficking you can visit the Somaly Mam Foundation. “She has orchestrated raids on brothels and rescued sex workers, some as young as five and six; she has built shelters, started schools, and founded an organization that has so far saved more than four thousand women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Her memoir will leave you awestruck by her tenacity and courage and will renew your faith in the power of an individual to bring about change” (From the book synopsis).

You will cry, you will shudder, you will feel sick to your stomach–if you have the courage to let the truth enter your world. There are consequences to knowing the truth. When we know the truth, God holds us responsible to act on it…to order our lives around it. If you read this book you cannot ignore these girls’ need to be rescued and healed. What if it were your little sister or your daughter?

Somaly writes: “I don’t feel like I can change the world. I don’t even try. I only want to change this small life that I see standing in front of me, which is suffering. I want to change this small real thing that is the destiny of one little girl. And then another, and another, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself or sleep at night ” (The Road of Lost Innocence, pages 128, 129).

Obviously these girls need help. But God does not need any one of us. This post is not an attempted guilt trip to prod readers to help. On the contrary, to be part of the hand of God to these, the least of these is what Christianity is all about (James 1:27) and it is both an honor and a privilege to be involved. I am blessed to be able to help and want as many of you as possible to get that same opportunity.

Through the Somaly Mam Foundation you can purchase the book, handmade crafts made by rescued girls, and become a member of the foundation for as little as $2 a month. They want everyone to be able to help and remind us that every little bit makes a difference.

Project Rescue

Natalie Nyquist — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:06:00 +0000

Note: This post contains some details that may not be suitable for younger readers.

My first introduction to Project Rescue came in picking up the book Beyond the Soiled Curtain (unfortunately already out of print) at a thrift shop in the Ozarks. Before I had time to begin reading I googled “Project Rescue” and read everything I could find on the mission. Wow.

Here was an organization with a similar passion as Natalie Grant’s The Hope Foundation and the International Justice Mission, both of which I have supported through the years specifically because of their work with young girls who are sexually exploited. Why had I never heard of Project Rescue before? They are helping the girls that some would never touch; they are battling an evil some will not even acknowledge as existing. Human slavery has not ended in America, much less other parts of the world such as Asia and Eastern Europe. Did you know that one million new children are drawn into the commercial sex trade every year? Can we even comprehend such a number? Do we even care?

A girl who is purchased by a trafficker for as little as $150 can be sold to customers as many as ten times a night and can bring in $10,000 a month profit. With minimal expenses, police as co-conspirators, and almost unlimited victims to prey upon, trafficking for sexual exploitation is surpassing the sale of illegal drugs as the preferred industry for criminals. In India, there are approximately 10 million prostitutes, and an estimated 300,000 – 500,000 of them are children. In the city of Mumbai, 90% of the 100,000 women in prostitution are indentured slaves. - Project Rescue Issue Overview

I am selfish and stupid if I ignore reality. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I know it exists. This organization’s purpose to Rescue, Restore, and Prevent is one I whole-heartedly support. The need and magnitude of this issue could easily seem overwhelming and too difficult. I may not be equipped or able to save one million children this year from slavery, but I can do something.

Maidens Quest Ministries

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:02:00 +0000

Written in September: Two sets of sisters are leading the third Maiden’s Quest retreat next week. From origins in Texas, the September retreat is being held in Seattle and plans for more are in the works. It has thrilled my heart to see Katrina and Tara heading up this much-needed ministry for young ladies and we are excited to help spread the word.

Katrina writes: “Tara and I have been friends for many years, but due to the distance between our homes, we have only been able to see each other at select times throughout each year. In September of 2006, we met up again at a mutual friend’s wedding, much to our delight!

“As we visited together about the things of the Lord and the latest ministry opportunities He had given us, we discovered a like-hearted passion for investing in the lives of young ladies. Having both experienced the tremendous blessing of Godly older role models during our teen years, we shared a similar burden to faithfully pass on the baton of encouragement to younger girls now facing the choices that come with growing up….

“An idea came to me that I now know was from the Lord. What if Tara and I could join forces and host some sort of retreat, conference, or weekend event for the young ladies we knew? The event could provide edifying messages, feminine skill-building opportunities, and an atmosphere for encouraging fellowship.“

Caption: Katelin, Tara, Katrina, and Kelly, the leaders of the Maiden’s Quest retreat for young ladies.

Remember those in chains

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 16:00:00 +0000

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Heb. 13:3

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed, and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 1 Pet. 3:13-17

The passage in 1 Peter was my theme verses as I graduated from high school…4 years ago (there, I dated myself!). Never did I see them incarnated in human form than the night in a Beijing hotel room when I met and prayed with two leaders in the Chinese underground church. One had been running from the police for four years, never able to go home to her family. In these faces shone the courage and simple faith of believers who lived the reality of the above passages every single day.

Since then some of my Chinese friends have been arrested. One friend’s father has been in and out of prison and news reaches us so slow that sometimes I am not certain how he is–but we pray all the same to the All-knowing One. And we thank Him for what He has given to us and vow to not take our Bibles, our freedom, our families for granted.

I highly encourage all of you to visit Prisoner Alert to view brothers and sisters all over the world being imprisoned for their faith. You can sent them a letter of encouragement in their own language, write to the officials in charge of their incarceration, and help spread the word to your friends and family.

Finding families for orphans

Natalie Nyquist — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:49:00 +0000

I first heard about Holt International at a concert in January. Back in 1955 after the Korean war, a couple with six children from Oregon petitioned for an act of Congress to allow them to adopt 8 orphans from Korea. Thus began Holt International, which has now placed over 60,000 orphans into loving families all over the world.

Not everyone can adopt a child, but one thing I can do as a single girl is provide the financial support for an orphan to receive food and medical care while waiting to be adopted. They have the opportunity to be in a loving home environment (foster families) until they are adopted. One of my close friends from Korea was placed by Holt years ago…when I learned this it made their work all the more real–it has changed lives of loved ones.

My little boy is Yue Ling from China. He turned 2 on May 3rd and he is so precious! He does not like dogs, is able to walk on his own now, and has the cutest little nose I’ve ever seen! I may not meet him on this earth, but for now he is mine to pray for and support. I thank God He has given me this opportunity to help “one of the least of these.”

View the children waiting for a sponsor.

Picture: This little boy from East Asia is still waiting for a sponsor and then adoption. You can see him in the Holt photolisting by clicking on the link above.

What are you giving this Christmas?

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:36:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I feel incredibly blessed this year. Being back with my family will be the greatest gift I could ask for–and I have zero desire for cluttering up my life with more material possessions. Living in Japan, with only the few personal items I could bring over in my suitcase and duffel bag, has reminded me again how little we really need in this life. I have not even needed/used all that I brought–surely I have been blessed with so much, how could I not want to help others who are in real and earnest need?

The Samaritan’s Purse ministry run by Franklin Graham is responsible for providing millions of children living in poverty with Christmas boxes of toys, candy, and an opportunity to hear the Gospel. Samaritan’s Purse also offers a way that you can give gifts in honor of your friends and family, making gift-giving have eternal impact all around the world. You can visit Samaritan’s Purse and see all of the opportunities to help–ranging from a couple dollars up to thousands. Every bit helps.

North Korea is the most dangerous place for a Christian right now

Natalie Nyquist — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:51:00 +0000

The North Korean government is persecuting Christians more brutally than any other place in the world. Do we even know what is going on? Gene Veith directed to an article in a Canadian newspaper which gave some information on the consequence of being caught with a Bible in your possession: death.
Read Veith’s comments here.
Read the article in the National Post here.
And as always, the best source of information on the persecuted church all around the world is the Voice of the Martrys. If you are not already receiving their monthly newsletter and/or emails, be sure to sign up.

Bring Me Hope!

Natalie Nyquist — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 21:40:00 +0000

Grab the box of Klenex and visit Bring Me Hope to watch their eye-opening video on China’s orphans. This organization, run by a Christian family, hosts summer camps for orphans as well as adoptions. You can also request a DVD by mail to share with your friends and family.

On the same vein, I wanted to recommend this sweet book for children, “I Love You Like Crazy Cakes,” which prompted my sister to want to adopt from China.

Bright Lights

Natalie Nyquist — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 15:20:00 +0000

I don’t believe I’ve ever linked to Bright Lights before, but after getting to know the founder Sarah Mally more at this past weekend’s convention, I wanted to give the heads-up to those of you who have never heard of this discipleship program for young girls. Geared for preparing young ladies for their teenage years, Bright Lights is centered around groups which meet for fellowship, Bible study, and service to their community. I was too old to take part in one by the time they were going in my area, and now God has led me to other areas of ministry, but what a great opportunity this is!

If this doesn’t make you…

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 20:24:00 +0000

…cry or say “aww” or want to thank God for the work faithful in China are doing…!

I love Chinese kids and I love what the Philip Hayden Foundation is doing!!! Looking through this scrapbook of kids when they were first abandoned, and what they looked like when they were adopted is incredible! Look at Abigail and Maria. Are they not precious?

I’ve been watching Petal grow up for a year now and she is sooooooo cute! And Peter is one of many, many babies with cleft lip who Langfang Villiage takes care of until they can have surgery. These babies like Hayden are beautiful BEFORE and after their surgeries!!

God is good all the time!

If this doesn’t make you…

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 20:24:00 +0000

…cry or say “aww” or want to thank God for the work faithful in China are doing…!

God is good all the time!

Bible Classes

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to take just one or two Bible courses? Either for personal enrichment or college credit? Have you ever wanted to do such while living at home, but there is no good school nearby?

May I suggest pursuing college-level theology and Biblical studies courses via the Moody Distance Learning center? You can take classes either online on a regular semester schedule or through correspondence and move at your own fast or slow pace. I have taken many of my undergraduate required classes this way in the past two years, and all of the books and notes are still on my shelf for easy reference. The information presented and the emphasis on practical application make these classes the best available, in my opinion.

I’m finishing Church History right now and it has been one of the most difficult but also my favorite thus far. I’m also enrolled in Interpersonal Ministry Skills and that has been interesting and very practical.

A Calvary Bible college grad starts a new revolution…

Natalie Nyquist — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:47:00 +0000

in internet ministry!

Have you ever visited www.GotQuestions.org ? In the past few years it has exploded and there are thousands of visitors each month…viewing over one million pages and asking 16,000 questions just since January of this year. It is a wonderful resource for any lay person, and if you are a writer looking for ministry opportunities, you can apply to serve as one of those who researches and answers the questions.

VOM’s Action Packs

Natalie Nyquist — Sat, 15 May 2004 03:01:00 +0000

a sure-fire cure for feeling down is to do something to help others. I did not fill the Action Pack tonight because I thought it would cheer me up–but it did. It was fun to fill, and it was even more fun getting my little bro involved to help close up the vacuum-seal on the bag. He enjoyed that. Anything that uses muscle, you know. So now this Pack will follow the other my family did last year, sending a blanket, gloves, hats, socks, a jacket, and three sweaters to someone in Iraq…

Voice of the Martrys is providing a tangible ministry of love and encouragement to the needy in the Middle East and Asia: Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan. They also receive the chance to hear and read the Gospel in their own language. Check it out. It’s an awesome ministry, and a way we in America can connect with our brothers and sisters overseas.