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August, 2016 - Issue #142
A Favorite Bible Verse can
Help You put your Trust in God

By Karyn Malchus

My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Think back on your hardest, darkest times. The most difficult thing about those times seems to be our lack of control. If you think about it, that's really the root of the problem because we feel like if we just had the power to fix things and set them the way we think they should be then all would be right with the world. I've had my fair share of very difficult circumstances to deal with and every time I feel like I have to learn the same lesson over and over; stop trying to understand the circumstances through your human eyes and trust God. He's got this (And everything else, I might add.).

If we put our trust in Him, He will give us strength to carry on and show us the way. It's strange when I look back over my life. I see how when I leaned on Him and adopted this verse as my mantra (Sometimes for many, many long months.) I became strong and was better able to handle what this world had thrown at me. When it took me longer to get to a point of totally giving the situation over to God, then I was like a dog chasing his tail - running in circles, never getting anywhere except just more and more frustrated. I am guessing God gets a pretty good laugh when I get like that, like a parent watching a toddler! I have also come to realize over the years that the more in relation I am with the Lord, the more quickly I can trust Him with my troubles.

So praying, going to worship and studying the Bible helps me stay connected. Try this the next time you're having trouble or don't know which way to go. Repeat the verse above and visualize putting the circumstances or situation into a large trash bag. Heave that bag over your shoulder. Carry it to the foot of the cross and lay it down. God has got this; trust Him and see the incredible things that He will do.
Karyn Malchus is the director of Family Ministries at Valencia United Methodist Church. www.umcv.org


"I had the honor of working alongside the Haitian midwives, attending 10 births in seven days. No matter the language barrier - they speaking only Haitian Creole and me, only English, I quickly learned birth and midwifery crosses all language barriers. All mothers need compassion in labor and all midwives know intuitively how to give that CARE. I am continually inspired when I go to Haiti - this being my third time. I am reminded of what is important and how incredibly BLESSED and spoiled we are in the United States. I am thankful for clean water, healthy food choices, air conditioning and a solid home with my loving family. I pray for my Haitian sisters that they may continue to be cared for by compassionate, knowledgeable midwives. I'm already planning my next trip!"
Owner of SCV Birth Center Travels to Haiti to Donate Midwifery Services
Renee Sicignano of the SCV Birth Center recently worked with MamaBabyHaiti - a non-profit birth center and health clinic located in Northern Haiti - to donate her services to the women of the struggling nation. MamaBabyHaiti provides a safe place for Haitian women to receive compassionate and respectful free prenatal, birth, postpartum and gynecological care at the hands of skilled Haitian midwives. That's especially important because Haiti has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere. "It is my core belief that no woman or child should ever die because of where they live," says Renee Sicignano. Sadly, one in 263 women who have a live birth die in childbirth or the immediate postpartum period, and one out of 14 Haitian children die before the age of 5; worse, 98 percent of these deaths are preventable. MamaBabyHaiti, with the help of midwives like Renee, is saving lives every single day. 254-3000
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