I asked permission to share this note from a few days back. It’s the kind of thing that keeps me going!
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Hey Ken,
I just wanted to send you a quick note of thanks. Over the last few years you have delivered some powerful messages regarding the topics of “giving your life away” and “see a need, meet a need” I really enjoyed your recent message “encouragement is contagious”. I know for everyone who hears these messages it will mean something different. For some it may mean taking a meal to someone who is ill, for others it may be donating their expertise to something. I wanted to share with you about how these concepts have presented in my life.
As you know I was adopted from Calcutta, India and Mike and I returned to India last year and adopted a little girl from the same town. Being in India, seeing the need and processing what my life could have been has encouraged me to do something. I wasn’t sure where to start but I knew God had called me to respond. It has taken about a year but I have co-founded a 501(c)3 organization that works toward helping impoverished children in India. We do this by providing basic essentials such as food, clothing and medicine as well as therapeutic and supportive resources. We are partnered with an orphanage in Calcutta and right now our efforts are focused on helping 23 special needs orphans who will most likely never be adopted. We have provided them with special chairs so they are able to sit upright and we have just funded a physical therapist to work with the children for an entire year.
I wanted to thank you for your messages over the years. I think your messages have helped to plant the seeds and in God’s timing he has shown me how to “give my life away”. I have struggled over the years with why God chose me out of all the orphans to come to America and lead such a full life. I truly believe it was for me to be a mother to my daughters and to now pay it forward to others who have been orphaned as I was.
I am not sure if you are aware that Mike and I had to relocate to southern Oregon a few months ago. We miss Bend and Antioch and hope to visit often. I am writing you with hopes to encourage you to continue delivering messages that call people to action because you never know how God will use that for his work.
There is a local Christian tv/radio station here ( K-Dove) http://thedove.us/radio/8am/brie-mahar-illuminate-india that invited me to share my testimony and one of the people involved had attended the justice conference.
Mark Portrait who is a board member of K-Dove was blown away by the conference and is interested in connecting with you/the justice conference. He asked for your email information, so you may hear from him at some point.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family, please wish Tamera a Happy Mother’s day for me. Thanks again for the words of encouragement.
Take care, Brie
