SUPPORT UPDATE!!!

SO, support-raising is going very well! I'm almost at 50% already, and I only sent out the letters a few weeks ago!! :) I feel so blessed, humbled and thankful for how supportive everyone is of my little adventure... Not just financially, but the prayers too! It is all so very exciting. It's awesome to see how God uses His people, His creations, to show His love and power. I'm so much closer to getting to Haiti now!!

Thank you so much and God bless you all!

:)

OLTCH

Here is a link to the orphanage where I will be spending some (hopefully A LOT, or MOST) of my time at: OLTCH, or, Operation Love the Children of Haiti….  this establishment partners with EFCA ReachGlobal and is run by Greg and Jasmine Martinson, a Canadian couple. They are down there taking care of 46 fatherless, motherless and/or abandoned children without any salary- they are strictly volunteering. All of the money they receive goes to the children's needs. PLEASE take the time to read each precious child’s heart-breaking stories, to drink in their beautiful smiles and learn more about their Creator-given personalities. They will blow you away, bring tears to your eyes and give you the desire to be a part of their lives in some way- whether that be through prayer, sponsorship, adoption or wanting to visit them.

Just go to the main page, then scroll down to the bottom right corner and click “Sponsor a girl” or “Sponsor a boy” and that will direct you to the children’s information. All of these beautiful children need sponsors.

I can’t wait for the day when these photographs will come to life before my eyes; tangible, audible, visible- the smiles, the laughter, the tears, the hugs, the singing, crying, beauty…. I can’t wait to fall even more in love with these beautiful orphans. By God’s grace I want to be the hands of feet of Jesus to these wonderfully-made, sparkling brown-eyed kids. I want to be a part of their world, to sway to their rhythm; I want my heart to be broken when they are sad, for laughter to bubble out of me uncontrollably when they experience joy, to both teach them and learn from them, to grasp onto their child-like faith. That will truly be a dream come true for me.

Here is a quote I absolutely love from a lady living at the orphanage for the year, working as a teacher for the kids. Her name is Lauren I believe.... Her blog is called Our Daily Bread and the link can be found on OLTCH's website, labeled as 'Madam's Mondays' under 'News'. Can't wait to meet her too!! She wrote this about Haitian children she sees on the streets:

"You are loved, sweet child. I see you.

Where are you going, sweet child? I see you.

Do you have a home, sweet child? I see you.

Are you happy, sweet child? I see you.

There is a God, sweet child. He sees you.

He created you, sweet child. He sees you.

You are beautiful, sweet child. He sees you.

There is a plan, sweet child. He sees you."

I can’t wait to meet you and hold you, darlings. :) 

God bless all you readers! Have a wonderful, wonderful week.

These kids in this last picture still need families!!

Share Your Love.

Today I want to share the story behind the name of this blog. 


See that piece of artwork above? It's a painting by Eric Timm that I got to see recreated right in front of me at EFCA's Challenge 2010 in Columbus, Ohio- a week-long youth conference that greatly influenced my spiritual walk. If it had not been for this conference, I would not be going to Haiti. Here's why:


That week was all about Matthew 5; the Beatitudes. I believe the day I saw this painted was when we talked about 'Blessed are the merciful'.... The speaker talked about how true mercy is putting our compassion to action. When Jesus was moved emotionally by others' pain, he MOVED. He did something to help, He didn't just stand there pitying that person. If we are followers of Jesus Christ, the compassion he puts in our hearts should move us to do something about it! Because we have been shown mercy, we can and should show that mercy to others- that's the real love of Christ right there!!


Anyway, I knew I couldn't keep my God-given compassion for orphans to myself anymore. That would just be pity: pointless. That day He influenced me to do something about it. 


Shortly after that message, I walked up to a sweet lady who worked for EFCA ReachGlobal and told her what God had shown me that day. She worked as a "missionary recruiter" and very kindly offered me her email and phone number. We kept talking and I found out she had grown up in the very county I now live in and had attended the VERY SAME CHURCH! In fact, my church still partnered with her!  God definitely got my attention there! :)


So this wonderful lady got me in touch with ReachGlobal, which got me my interview to be on short-term staff a year and a half later! And now, here I am, readying to go to Haiti with this organization.


But back to the painting: I bought a copy of it that same week in Columbus. It now hangs on my wall in plain sight so that I can be reminded of the mission God has put in my heart. 


I just remembered this a few weeks ago: That child in the painting? A Haitian orphan. :) Yep. Eric Timm told us that week that he painted this orphan because the earthquake had just happened. I never thought I was going to be headed to Haiti back then, but God definitely did. :)


"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18 
This verse is very meaningful to me in so many ways... It reveals the promise Jesus Christ made for us: that we have a loving Father and that He will come back for us someday so we can spend eternity with Him. Also, it inspires me to love the fatherless here on earth and introduce them to their Heavenly Father; to share the love He has given me. This verse keeps me going on this mission.


Thanks for readin', lovelies!! :)

They're off!!

Well, they're on their way, folks! The support letters are traveling with the U.S. Postal Service as I write this.... so let the "fun-ds" begin!! :)  (Insert chuckling at extremely cheesy joke) Oh man.... that was awful....


But in all seriousness now, that was one of the last things I had to do before I actually leave besides get my shots, book a flight and pack! And once the money starts coming in, I can actually GO to New Orleans and Haiti. :) Awesome.


I'm totally trusting God with the raising of my support- if He wants me in Haiti, nothing will keep me from going. He is in control of everything, including all the details of my trip to Haiti- His will be done!


If you do not receive a support letter in the next few days and would really like one, please comment here and let me know! There were a lot of people I had to think about; a lot of envelopes to address and stamps to stick. So, if you did not get one I PROMISE it was not intentional!! I would be happy to send you a physical copy of the letter or an email of it if that works better for you.


P.S. Not to get all business-y on you, but I was sent an email by my candidate coach communicating that if you wish to donate for my trip and want a tax deductible on it this year, all checks MUST be post-marked by December 31st, 2011. I actually received two emails about it, so it must be pretty important. 
Regarding giving: On the right-hand side of this blog page is the link to the EFCA website- there you can see a donate link on the left side. This is, obviously, where you can give. Just make sure that if you want the money to go to me, that you put my name and my donor code: 1613, in the designation box. Also, a regular, old-fashioned check can be sent in the mail to: Donor Services, EFCA ReachGlobal, 901 E 78^th st, Minneapolis, MN 55420, and made out to EFCA ReachGlobal. Just be sure that my name and donor code are in the memo of the check. :)

God bless you all!! 

Ayiti, here I come!

Hullo!


Well, today I very unceremoniously created my first blog with the intentions of keeping my family and friends updated about my short (or not-so-short, depending on who you talk to ;) term missions trip to Haiti that will last approximately from the end of January through the beginning of April. 


Creating this blog has made the coming trip seem so much more real! It's really happening!! :) I can't WAIT to see what God has in store for me: I can't wait for the country of Haiti to become real, personal and tangible to me instead of just seeing pictures. I can't wait to finally hold the orphans who have been on my heart for years, whose faces I have only been able to see in photos. This might sound strange, but I also can't wait for God to break my heart for the things that break His! This trip, I know, is going to turn my whole world upside-down for the glory of Jesus Christ.


I hope to record here all of the adventures along the way that God has planned for me and know that your support, that comes in all different ways, means the world to me and I love you all dearly. :) 


P.S. Also included is this random song by the wonderful David Crowder Band which I happen to love right now (and is also stuck in my head). I hope you love it as much as I do and that you sing and praise our awesome God through it!!