Monday, November 28, 2011

With a Thankful Heart

When recently asked what they are thankful for, the His Little Feet choir children had many ready replies. One said, “I’m thankful for Jesus dying on the cross.” Another said, “I’m thankful to come to America.” Still another replied, “I’m thankful to have food for eat.”

Their responses may seem typical to the ears of most Americans around this holiday, but there is a deeper weight to these children’s gratitude. This thankfulness comes from a different place because most of these children have been without food to eat, clothes to wear, or adults to watch over them. They can literally say, “Thank You!” to the Lord out of sincere hearts because they remember the faithfulness of God, even when they did not see His material blessings.

Some of the most precious times the HLF staff has with the children are at night when they are being tucked into bed. The staff will always have a devotional or prayer time with the children before they go to sleep, and this often brings about questions and sweet, meaningful conversations. These touching stories are called “Tuck-In Testimonies”, and Uncle Aaron briefly shares one below:

The night before Thanksgiving, the boys were in bed and asking me about our plans for the following day. Their questions led into a 45-minute game of charades of me trying to explain what Thanksgiving was about and why we do it. (Since the boys are still learning English, a game of charades at night attempting to explain the next day’s activities is not uncommon.)

The day before I was reflecting on all that the Lord has blessed us with in our lives. I was led to share a bit of this to the boys, mostly reminding them of what the Lord has done, even just to bring them here to the United States. They seemed to really be moved by the realization of what our Heavenly Father’s nature is. Only by the grace of God were they able to understand my feeble attempt at communicating why these blessings are given to us: for the sake of our King and for the furthering of the Kingdom. The boys’ demeanor changed to one of great joy and thankfulness in the little things. My prayer is that we will not forget our Lord for even a moment as we travel and worship our Heavenly Father.

I was reminded of the following verses:

When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.  Deuteronomy 6:10-13 (NIV)

As we enjoy God’s love and the richness of His blessings on our lives during this Christmas season, may we remember the Lord at all times, for it is truly from Him that all good things flow!

Day 39: Praising the Lord for all His Little Feet!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Life in You!

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” - John 1:3-5

Recently, the His Little Feet children’s choir studied John 1:3-5. Now, it is one thing to teach children a passage of Scripture in a devotional setting, but it is always quite moving when the Lord chooses to take that exact Scripture that has been studied and reveal its truth in our daily lives. When this happens, it enunciates His heart and desire for us to take His Word and be exactly what He has called us to be to the world.

About an hour after the devotional had been given on John 1:3-5, the team was driving in the bus and came across a homeless man selling newspapers on the side of the road. He was selling newspapers as a way to bring in a small income in order to get back on his feet. It just so happened that Mike and Christa Hahn, Founders and Directors of His Little Feet, have a dear friend that works for this same newspaper company.

The Hahn’s decided to buy a newspaper from the man, as well as ask the man to greet their dear friend back at the newspaper headquarters, later that day.

Uncle Mikey motioned the homeless man to approach the bus as Mike handed him money for a newspaper. Uncle Mikey said, “Hey there!  How are you? By any chance do you know a tall 6-foot-10 man named Andy that works at the newspaper?” 

At first the homeless man didn’t seem to know who Andy was. Then Uncle Mikey said, “Andy…the real tall man that works at the newspaper?” Finally, a big smile came across on his face as he said, “I do. Andy? Yes, he works at the newspaper.”

Uncle Mikey shared, “Andy is our friend. Would you be willing to do us a big favor? When you check back in today at the newspaper office, make sure to tell Andy hello from Mike and Christa.”

The homeless man joyfully said, “Oh yes, I sure will, no problem!”

As he walked away from the bus, Uncle Mikey said, “Have a good day!”

As the traffic light turned green and the bus started to move forward, the homeless man turned back around and knocked on the bus window. Uncle Mikey rolled the window back down and said, “Yes?”

All of the children leaned in to listen and watch. The homeless man said these words to Uncle Mikey: “Man! You got some life in you! There aren’t many people that smile and talk to me, but there’s something different about your life! You are just shining!”

With a grateful smile, Uncle Mikey responded, “Well, praise God! We just want to encourage you today in the Lord. It was so good to talk to you!”

The children and staff saw and heard the entire interaction. Then, as the bus pulled away, Uncle Mikey asked, “Did you hear what that man just said?" The children sat in their seats stunned. Uncle Mikey said, “The homeless man said I had 'life in me'!  Whose life did the homeless man see?  My life or the life of Jesus?”  The children all shouted in reply, “JESUS!”

On the very morning we studied the Scripture out of John that says, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men,” the children were able to see a real, living example of what it means to be Christ to this world…to shine His life and light to others!

The words of the homeless man reminded us all how God’s life shines out of us to others! On this day, the reminder came on the side of the road on an off-ramp in Nashville, Tennessee.

Day 32: Happy Birthday Mahder, Nahagi and Gracia!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Day 25: Yohannes, Eyob and Auntie Kourtney out for a Golf Cart ride in South Carolina on their Monday day off...good times!!

True Worship

Eight-year-old Dianelie, one the 2010-2011 His Little Feet Children’s Choir members from Haiti, shares below some of her reflections from her time spent in the United States:

“I was excited to meet new people when I came to America. At host homes I got to go roller skating and there was lots of toys and lots of games. All the host families were nice to me.

My favorite songs in the concert were ‘Today is the Day’, ‘His Little Feet’ ... oh, all of them! They were all my favorite ones because I was praising God when I sang them! My favorite place I went in America was Disneyland because it has fast rides. My favorite state was Nebraska because it is beautiful and I liked it.

I wanted to come to America to make all of the people know Jesus and to sing for Him.”

Dianelie’s simple yet profound statements about worship should cause us to think about the real meaning of the Biblical concept and whether it is present in our daily lives. When we hear the words “worship” or “praise”, thoughts of congregational choruses and ancient hymns often come to mind. We easily forget that songs are just a small part of the meaning of worship; better said, songs are an avenue to worship.

One New Testament dictionary describes worship this way:

“It is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgment.”(1)

John 4:23-24 (NIV) says, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

A Biblical encyclopedia looks into these verses further:

“The texts cited also make of worship something far deeper than the human emotion or surrender of will; it is the response of God’s Spirit in us to that Spirit in Him, whereby we answer ‘Abba, Father,’ deep calling unto deep. Its object is...the loving attempt to pay our unpayable debt of love, the expression of devoted hearts...” (2)

What an amazing sight to see and experience the children grasp true worship to God, with their simple child-like faith. Dianelie and all His Little Feet Children’s Choir members are taught that worshipping God does not just happen when they are singing praises to Him on the platform, but in every aspect and moment of their lives, through their thoughts, words, and actions. People are constantly seeing a picture of Jesus through their smiles, humility, and genuine care for others.

How thankful we are to be impacted by the His Little Feet children’s pure worship of our Lord!

Jesus, we ask that You would guide the His Little Feet children in true worship of Your holy name, and show us all more of what it means to honor You in every moment of every day.


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(1) Vine, W. E. "Worship (Verb and Noun), Worshiping", Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Blue Letter Bible. 1940. 24 June, 1996 14 Nov 2011. 


(2) Crannell, Philip Wendell. "Worship", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Edited by James Orr. Blue Letter Bible. 1913. 5 May 2003 14 Nov 2011.






Monday, November 7, 2011

My Favorite Things about HLF Concerts...

Those who have seen one know that a His Little Feet Children’s Choir concert is a special event. 

First there is the lively, energetic worship music being sung by precious children from all over the world. These orphaned and vulnerable children are singing and worshiping with joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces.

Then you also have amazing, child testimonies where the kids share about their lives and what God has done for them.

Finally, powerful videos drive home the important message of His Little Feet: that as God’s hands and feet, we are to take His love and care to the hurting and needy all around the world. 

And within all of this, a His Little Feet program offers a unique and especially powerful presentation of the Gospel. These children, many of whom have been through more than most of us can imagine, choose to praise God and thank Him for what He has done.

The following is a testimony from 13-year-old Ederson Toussaint, a His Little Feet Choir One participant from Haiti, sharing some of his experiences while on tour, and what he found to be the most important part of a His Little Feet concert:

My name is Ederson. I came to America to sing and learn new things. During the concerts, I liked to hear the pastor talk. I also liked to greet people after the concert because meeting new people is fun! I learned how to sing for God in the concerts.

My favorite part of the concerts was seeing people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My favorite Bible verse is John 3:16: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’”

At the heart of the work and message of His Little Feet is the Gospel. Through these children, we are challenged to continually seek God’s grace and purpose in our lives.

Our prayer is that God would make each of us realize how important it is to share the truth of Jesus with everyone we meet, just like Ederson.

Day 19: One month ago today, the Choir Two began arriving to the States. Today the children attended their first field trip to the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro, TN.