A few weeks ago, I posted that I was on a quest to discover my #OneWord for the new year. I believe that God uncovered my one word for 2021.

Grit = “firmness of mind or spirit, unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger (Merriam-Webster),” or “courage and resolve, strength of character (Dictionary Online).” In regards to personality traits, grit is “perseverance of effort with a passion for the end in mind (Wikipedia).” Psychologist Angela Duckworth defined grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”

In her book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth describes grit,

“…there are no shortcuts to excellence. Developing real expertise, figuring out really hard problems, it all takes time―longer than most people imagine….you’ve got to apply those skills and produce goods or services that are valuable to people….Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it…it’s doing what you love, but not just falling in love―staying in love.”

Duckworth, Angela. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Narrated by Angela Duckworth, AudiobooksNow, 2016. Audiobook

My pastor Nick Cleveland gave a sermon earlier this month about perseverance on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at Grace Church in Wooster, Ohio. He challenged every one who was listening to persevere even amidst the most difficult circumstances. He asked, “Do you feel like giving up when faced with trials?” His remedy was grit. He mentioned the book by Angela Duckworth. He gave me a hint toward my quest for my One Word.

So my quest continued.

I recalled that Jon Gordon had offered an Action Plan to discover your One Word. So I share that link with you. It’s never too late to discover your One Word for the year. As soon as you find your One Word, you get to have that word guide you for the next year, whether you find your One Word in January or in June. followed the outline from Jon Gordon.

My One Word last year for 2020 was ASCEND. Little did I know that I would need to ASCEND to greater heights to deal with the worldwide pandemic and its global aftermath. I found my One Word helped me soar amid the negative, doomsday media posts and the fear-filled resignation of many people. I chose to ASCEND rather than descend into depression and fear. By faith, I moved forward knowing that I could ASCEND above the chaos with positive focus and good thoughts. With prayer and a personal faith in God, I keep the my One Word as a touchstone into the new year.

So using the action plan, I jotted down my notes. I offer my notes on my quest here. It took me a few days, then a couple of weeks to clarify my One Word. Last year, it was over a weekend. But this year, I traverse many days in search of my One Word. As things came to mind, I added it to my list.

Grit found me. As I contemplated, grit, GRIT resonated with me. Once you find your One Word, next you share it with your family and your accountability group. You can post it online with the hashtag #oneword. But before I posted my One Word, I wanted to find an image for reference. I found on the USGA–The United States Golf Association–an image of grains of sand from a sand trap.

This post is part of the action plan to share widely and enthusiastically my One Word. I trust that you will consider joining me to Get Your One Word. So I challenge you to take the One Word Challenge today. Let me know if you do take the challenge. I’d like to know. If you have your One Word, then please share it with me. Moreover, if you have another method for keeping your focus, then please share that method with me too.

My One Word is GRIT

As we start a new day and a new week, I am reminded how I can care for others amid the #COVID19 pandemic. In Hebrews 13:13, the writer says,

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:16‬ ‭NASB‬‬
https://www.bible.com/100/heb.13.16.nasb

Wherever you live—in a subdivision, trailer court, home owners association, apartment building, duplex, assisted living, farm, ranch, reserve, reservation, row-house, homeless, or nomad, I encourage you to do good and share with your neighbors. Where you are at any moment is the space you get to do good and to share.

Sure, you might be scared. I am fearful. But together we can do good and share with those around us. You can maintain social distancing and catch someone’s attention and check-in with them asking, “Hey! You okay today? If you need something, get a hold of me. I can get you groceries or go get meds for you. Just checking in.” Then, wait for their response.

My wife, Melissa and I did a check-in with our neighbors yesterday. Some neighbors were home. Others were not home at the time. A few reached out via social media to indicate that they are alright. Most were grateful for the check-in. We also got to do an errand for a neighbor who was not feeling well and needed an item picked up.

You can care for others by doing good and sharing. You can care and stay relatively safe. So, care for your neighbors. Check-in. Care by doing good and sharing.

It’s hard to believe but children are victims of human trafficking!

Sadly, according to the UNODC, children are victims of human trafficking worldwide in increasing numbers. The most helpless are the most harmed.

Yet, there is HOPE!

Melissa and I are so happy that our church, Grace Church in Wooster, Ohio partners with Asia’s Hope in Columbus to rescue at-risk children in SE Asia. Asia’s Hope rescues at-risk children providing a wonderful home environment where they learn about God and His values as well as provide food, shelter, clothes, and an education. Moreover, they provide a family for the at-risk children in their care.

Please pray for Micah, Melissa, and I as we seek to raise funds to visit and to care for these at-risk children. You may also give to our GoFundMe campaign and share our project. We plan to visit the orphan homes in August 2020. Thank you!

We are so grateful for the many generous gifts that have been made towards our trip to show love to the orphans. We are sad that the trip is postponed until August, but we are overwhelmed by God’s people.

To date, we have raised $3,430. Praise God!

We’d like to finish this GoFundMe campaign on March 17–St. Patrick’s Day in honor a great missionary who had a love for people, different than himself. Therefore, we have $1,570 remaining to meet our goal.

Would you join us in reaching that goal?

Melissa and I saw firsthand how one can care for orphans in SE Asia by going to visit them. Read the story of *Sara who came as a young orphan child to discover a hopeful path from hopelessness. (*Sara is a pseudonym for her security)

Starting on Wednesday, March 10, we will be counting down the final seven days to the end of our campaign. We’d love your support and shares.

So, please pray that we can raise $1,570 by March 17. You can still give as God leads you. Please also share our need to reach the goal.

Sadly, we have determined with the help of Grace Church that due to the health risks abroad fueled by the Coronavirus, we are going to have to postpone the SE Asia trip. For the safety of the team & the safety of the orphan children as well as the home staff in Cambodia and Thailand, the trip is postponed.

We will still continue to raise support to go on a future trip on August 4-17, 2020. We will keep you updated and keep striving to our goal of raising $5,000 for the trip.

As our journey takes us on a new path, join us on our adventure at our Care for Orphans, Send the Butler fund.

We are disappointed. This is cause for sadness for us and the orphan homes, but we look forward to the trip in August.

All funds collected will be applied to the trip in August. So, if you have any questions, please contact us at mbschool6@gmail.com

Here are some of the facts surrounding the postponement:

• Coronavirus in South Korea–CDC warning, avoid nonessential travel
• Coronavirus spread around the world–animated map of confirmed cases of Coronavirus as it spread across the world
• Coronavirus precautions for the US–prevention, treatment

How should Christians talk about Coronavirus? From this article, stop the panic and start to pray. Moreover, trust in the truth of the Word of God.

“We pray for the people of China and other nations where this virus is spreading. Our hearts go out to those who are sick and suffering and to the families who are grieving the loss of loved ones.”

Prayer of Franklin Graham

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27).”

I felt like an orphan when I left for college in the Fall of 1983. I was 18 years old. I did not know any one in Winona Lake, IN where Grace College was located. I was departing family from New Mexico to travel over 1,500 miles away. Although a new adventure, I would be the first in my family to start college and eventually graduate. My family dropped me off the first week of school and my family visited me at my graduation. No visits from them in Indiana for four years. But I persevered. God enabled me to graduate with family prayers and wonderful gifts and encouragement from many people. I may have felt like an orphan–but I was not an orphan. My parents and extended family were always there for me, even if they were 1,500 miles away.

But when I became pastor of cross-cultural ministries at Grace Church in 2008, I learned what an orphan faces by visiting orphans in SE Asia in 2011. Grace Church partners with Asia’s Hope where we now support and help care for four orphan homes with about 108 children in SE Asia.

In 2012, my wife Melissa and I got the opportunity to visit orphans in SE Asia. We discovered what a hardship they faced. Always at-risk for human trafficking, orphan children had little hope. But Asia’s Hope provided wonderful, family-based care and we got to visit seeing first hand how their lives changed from hopelessness to lives of hope.

Our lives changed with that visit.

God prompted us to start sponsoring a young girl with Asia’s Hope. Although we are over 8,000 miles apart, we are able to care for her through the sponsorship of Grace Church. All it took was a visit.

Every time we visit the orphans we are blessed in a greater way than the blessing that we offer. Knowing that we can intervene and help a young orphan have a future hope in Christ makes all the difference. Melissa and I look forward to this visit–a visit that offers hope and a blessing.

So, join our team:
 – PRAY: Send email to 2daronbutler@gmail.com to let us know you will pray for us.
 – GIVE: Click on the donate button on our GoFundMe page to give at one of three levels:  the BRONZE level ($25 or more); at the SILVER level ($50 or more) or at the GOLD level ($100 or more). 
 – SHARE: Share, like, comment on Facebook or Instagram to help us get the word out!