Keep your heart open for opportunity

“When God measures a man, He puts the tape around the heart, not

the head.”

-- Unknown

My thanks to all of you who showed your interest and encouragement

after last week’s column. If you missed it, it was about a woman

named Colleen Redit who felt God called her at a very young age to be

a missionary to India someday. She heard that specific call at the

age of 13 and when she was 23, she set off overseas with no finances

and no clear focus.

She simply chose to be obedient to God’s leading, and God has

expanded her ministry in phenomenal ways. Hers is an amazing story of

the difference one man or woman can make by being obedient to God.

It’s been fascinating to watch how contagious Colleen’s love of

and obedience to God has been since her talk and the column. Last

week, she shared that her latest dream is to purchase land or a

building for a permanent home for the school she runs in India. She

also prays to one day complete a retreat center with grass and

playgrounds. It’s hard to believe there are thousands of children and

adults who have never even seen grass or open space.

A friend of mine named Teri told me about one of her friends who

had been praying specifically for God’s guidance for a month or two

about giving financial support to a special foreign mission project.

She was curious what it would be and how God would make it clear to

her. She heard Colleen when I did and she was moved and motivated to

give her a check right then and there. Since then some other friends

started a matching grant program with the goal of giving Colleen the

needed funds by Thanksgiving.

It will be exciting to see how the story continues and what lives

will be touched and changed, perhaps eternally. I’ve had many

inquiries about becoming involved in this particular organization

which is called Christian Missions Charitable Trust. If you are one

who felt God’s gentle nudge to love others in this way, you can

e-mail Mary Hendricks at maryh@firstfruit.org or call her work

number, (949) 759-5846.

There are many amazing things about this country. From sea to

shining sea, there are countless opportunities and many worthwhile

organizations to belong to, and to give to as well. My calendar and

the crisper weather tell me that we are in the fall, or autumn

season. We are also quickly approaching holidays that will hopefully

remind us of all we have to be thankful for and of God’s love for us.

Maybe God has a unique call for us this fall. The wonderful thing

is that we can contribute our time, our talents or our finances in

small or large ways to make a difference. We can participate with our

families, with our friends or simply on our own.

Ruth Peale said it well when she said to “Find a need and fill

it.”

All we need to do is to open our eyes and ears or open the

newspaper, and we will see, hear or read about many meaningful

opportunities. Most of all, I pray that God would open our hearts.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.