Feasting with the Homeless on New Years Day

Luke 14:12-14
"WHEN you put on a luncheon or a dinner don't invite your friends,
brothers, relatives and rich neighbors. For they will repay you by
inviting you back. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward
you for inviting those who could not repay you."

The vision of New Year's Day:

We have a twofold vision for the day.
1. To love the homeless. We want to bring them in. Give them
showers (logistically we can either have people take them to their
homes for showers first or to designated shower houses before we bring
them to the house to eat). To let them hang out, watch football, have
a feast to eat, give them some gifts, and give them a reprieve from
the harsh reality of the streets. It's a bit brutal to think of
taking them back to the streets to sleep, but it helped me when Heath
said it's kind of like taking the front line soldiers off the
frontline for an afternoon before they have to go back out. Just
because their life is hard doesn't mean they don't want or appreciate
a break now and then. We would like to pick them up around 10:30 or
11:00 and take them home around 4:30 or 5:00. That is subject to
change but that's what we're thinking.
2. The second vision for the day is to give people an opportunity to
start the New Year with a different perspective; having the poor and
broken be a very near reality rather than a distant knowledge. We want
to experience Jesus among these people. We want to give a relatively
comfortable environment to walk over the bridge to their side. We
want to give the opportunity to come face to face with questions the
Lord is making us ask of our own life: Who is Jesus for me? Who IS
Jesus for the poor? Do I have Jesus or religion? What happens when
the package answers don't touch these precious people's needs? What
happens if we don't use our resources for poor and the orphan? It just
may send our year in a totally different direction.
It's ok to be uncomfortable and have a bit of fear, just push past
it and sit and listen. We will all be amazed once we are sitting next
to someone and realize they are just people and this is easier than we
thought. They will love sharing with someone who is willing to
listen, and they may tell you a really good whopper. Nonetheless, you
will have crossed the bridge.

We're back in Beavercreek

Hey Everyone!
I thought about telling you all that I'm finally home but that's not entirely true. I'm certainly and happily back in Beavercreek, Oregon, but I've learned to a much greater degree that my "home" is in Christ. Therefore it doesn't matter where I'm physically at on the earth! It is an incredible feeling to be "at home" anywhere in the world!
I WANT to spend some time with my unbelievable, wonderful, amazing, handsome husband so this is going to be a short note to thank you all for praying for Abiel and I the last two months. Our travel home was very peaceful but very long. Aside from getting on the wrong plane out of Mozambique and almost heading to Tanzania instead of Kenya, we had no hitches or problems. (Long story but we "just happened" to overhear that we were on the wrong flight when an attendant told another lady that she was on the wrong flight!! So we deplaned and waited another 30 minutes for our plane!! Thank you Jesus!)
I have many stories to share and many lessons to relay but that is all for another day. My body is adjusting to freezing temperatures as we have come from such humidity that we could be dripping sweat off our faces when we were sitting still!!!
Please pray for our family's health. I have been fighting sinus congestion/infection for weeks and Heath seems to be coming down with something similar. Please pray that the Lord will strengthen our bodies and prepare us for the next adventure which we will soon be sharing with you all.

Blessings from the ENTIRE LOCKE FAMILY UNDER ONE ROOF!

Status on Hotwheels for the African Children

Here is a quick update on the status of the Hotwheels. I checked the options from sending them through DHL, to finding a cargo container already going over through a church/organization. I spoke with Iris’ office in Redding and they suggested that we send the Hotwheels with someone who is going to Pemba rather than sending them through the mail. They said a lot of times packages don’t make it and if they do, they end up in the hands of Banditos. Unfortunately, they know of no one going before Christmas but they do know of a family heading over in a few months. So that is the plan. This family (who is more than happy to do it) will take all the Hotwheels we collect over with them. So now we have more time to collect cars. If you would like to donate your old Hotwheels to the orphan boys in Africa please contact me and we will add them to the collection.
Thanks to all those that have already contributed to this idea, the pile is getting higher!
Blessings
The Locke Boys

Bringing God's Promises to Full Term!

The other day I had enough of waiting. I ripped all the grass seed out of our front yard. Sure, there were signs of green stuff but I wasn’t satisfied and it has now been over a month since I planted it. So I am starting over and this time I am expecting bigger results. I want insta-lawn.

In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus has full confidence in the seed that is being planted. He never doubts the effectiveness of His Word, because he would then doubt himself (in Galatians we know that the “seed” is Christ). It is the soil he has his reservations about. I am amazed in my own life how I can be so confident in “my soil” and doubtful concerning the seed of God’s Word. The Word of God is reliable; it is us who must obey to get the promised results. F.F. Bosworth says it like this; “God’s promises work their wonders while we see and act on eternal realities (on His promises, His faithfulness, etc.), as we refuse to be affected by temporal things to the contrary. God always fulfills his promise when He can get the right cooperation (Christ the Healer p.19).

The seed has been planted in the Locke family and we find ourselves waiting and contending for them. Heidi Baker has illustrated it like this, “don’t abort the promises of God over your life, bring them to full term.” The Lord has spoken many things to Emie and I, individually and as a couple, that have yet to come to pass. He has spoken prophetic words over our children that we have yet to see bear any kind of eatable fruit, until now.
As parents we raise our kids to become something. It is our desire to raise our kids to understand the reality of Christ and be willing to die for Him. Emie and I knew that this year for Abiel was instrumental in her life. The things she would experience during her 7th year would be monumental. The prophetic words given to her from the mouth of kids at her party was overwhelming enough. At the time of blowing out candles we would never have known she would be in Africa for 2 months, though this is what the kids were praying over her. If we parents would only listen to our children better.

Abiel has been on a ride these last 6 weeks. She has cried, laughed, and been happy and sad. When I spoke with her the other day she said, “Papa, the rainy season has come.” She went on to say that it has rained for two straight days, which for us from Oregon is nothing. She wanted me to also know that the one-inch worms that dig into your feet have also come out to play.

Well, I have not really torn out the front yard and to be honest it actually looks good. I know that Lord has given me this image to walk by every time I come in and out of the house. He doesn’t want my family (or any of us) to let go of his promises over us. We must hold on and obey until the Lord brings visual growth.

We are seeing the evidence come out of the seeds that have been planted in Abiel over the years. The other day one of the Iris staff members took all the kids that had come to Pemba with their parents and did some teaching on prophecy. I am not sure what they specifically had them do but I am sure it had to do with listening to the Holy Spirit. Well, Abiel’s gifting came out, she went around to all 12 students and gave them each a prophetic word. Then if that was not enough she came back to the house, looked at Emie and gave her a prophetic word from the Lord. Then she turned to our friend Lisa and gave her a prophetic word. And then she turned and went outside to play as if it was normal. I love kids!

“The ones who do the planting or watering aren’t important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose” (1 Cor. 3:7-8).

So become a fertile soil that allows the seeds to go deep and not allow the enemy to snatch them prematurely. Don’t rip anything out, in you or your kids, because God’s word is faithful and it will not return void. “Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, NO MATTER what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has PROMISED” (Hebrews 10:35-36).

Blessings and have fun birthing those promises!
Heath