AFRICA...HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE LEAVE IN 3 DAYS!!! OH MY GOODNESS! :) I am SO incredibly excited and can’t believe I’ll be in Africa SO SOON!  GOD IS GREAT!! :)

We are ALL packed and have everything READY to GO!! ---At least I think? :) I’m sure we will find some more last minute items to pack and bring along with us in the morning!  Tomorrow morning, we are heading go the cities to stay with our older sister, Steph, and then will be flying out to Washington, D.C. Saturday morning!  We’ll have the afternoon and night in D.C. and then will meet with our team early Sunday morning for breakfast and then will fly out to AFRICA from there! :)  Can you believe it?  I CAN! After all of these years of having a heavy heart and passion for the children of Africa…After all of my prayers and cries to God…After all of my “God, I’m here! I’m willing to go—send me!!”  …I am FINALLY going!!! WAAHOOOO!  All along God heard my cries and He heard my prayers!  And of course—like always—His timing is PERFECT!  I am SO happy to be going on this trip and I am even more excited about the fact that I get to go with my sweet sister!  We both love and enjoy spending time with children.  We’re both going to school at SMSU to earn a degree in Education where we can be around and teach children on a daily basis.  Shelby has always been such a special person in my life—and not just because she’s my sister! ;) We truly have a special bond and I am so excited to strengthen that bond by going on this trip TOGETHER! :)  I had explained how God led me to Visiting Orphans in my very first post.  Shelby was at that concert with me as well and she saw how excited I was about it.  We never really got into the details while we were at the concert…but after getting home and looking up Visiting Orphans…I KNEW I was meant to go.  At the time—I was signed up to go all by myself, but I just didn’t have a peace about it.  I was excited to go but I strongly felt like she was supposed to go with me.  I was a little nervous about bringing it up to her because I knew we would have a hard time coming up with the money.  But night after night and day after day I just didn’t have this peace about going by myself—I strongly felt that SHE was supposed to go with!  So I talked to her about it and right away she was on board and was EXCITED too! :)  I can’t imagine going on this journey without her and I look forward to living out God’s plan with her by my side!

And yes—we had to get shots! …SEVEN to be exact!  Shelby and I both are not a fan of blood…needles…shots…etc...etc. BUT we both knew we could do this if it meant going to love on God’s children, so we did!  Here is a picture of us after we got them! Ooooohhhh were our arms SORE!!  Now I know how kids feel after they get theirs! :( 

Shelby and I have been super busy packing and running around finishing up on all of our last minute details!  This week has seriously just gone by SO fast!  Monday and Tuesday night I had Mary Kay events and got to see my Director, Rachel!  She is SUCH a great girl!  She was able to send SO many donations home with me!  I’m SO thankful for her! :) My Aunt Jody, Gramma Marvel and friend Heidi also dropped off some donations for us to take!  Shelby and I are SO thankful for ALL of you—and we really do appreciate your donations to take to the children! Oh how they are going to LOVE them! :) Thank you for your giving hearts!! 

Included in the picture of donations are: a ton of Christian children books, 32 bars of soap, pens and pencils, color pencils and crayons, candy, wipes, Ziploc bags, toothpaste, Mary Kay:) Sunscreen and Lip Balm, pads of paper, and embroidery floss! 

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

I also wanted to share my time at Joyful Noise 2 weeks ago!  I was able to go with Patrick and my parents and we met my aunt and uncle there.  It was a GREAT time of worship and praise.  The whole time I was there I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d be in Africa in 2 weeks!!  Brandon Health & Casting Crowns were there and shared a little bit about Compassion International which is ALL about helping and loving on children in need!  My aunt sponsored a child that day and my mom signed up a few weeks ago to sponsor a child as well—how AWESOME! :) ..That’s ONE LESS…One less child going without food and without care!!  What a difference it will make to that child!! 

Me & Patrick!

 My mom & Aunt Jamie!

Lastly, here are a few pictures of Casting Crowns…They are AWESOME! Honestly—Soooo good!!  If you have not gone and seen them in concert you MUST! You won’t be let down! :)

Have a good night and please continue to keep myself, Shelby and our team members in your prayers!  We’ll need them and we appreciate them—SO SO much! :)  I will try to blog as often and as much as I can while I am there but not sure just how much that will be! So, you’ll have to stay posted in case it does work out! I’d LOVE to share with all of you our experience!! 

One more thing…Here is our Itinerary for when we are in Africa!  I thought I’d share this with you since you might be interested in following along with where we are each day! :)

Uganda Portion Itinerary

Date	Day	Activity
Sunday June 26th	Day 1	D.C. crew will meet at 6:30 AM for breakfast and depart for the airport by 8AM. Check-in by 9AM. Entire team will fly out of the Dulles airport on Ethiopian airlines at 12:00 PM for Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia.
Monday June 27th	Day 2	Arrive in Ethiopia at 7:45AM; depart for Entebbe at 10:50AM. Arrive at Entebbe airport at 12:50 PM. Depart to Kampala (2 hr. drive). Check-in to the Namirembe Guest House. Exchange money, use internet. Rest some, sort through orphanage donations, dinner & devotions with the team.
Tuesday June 28th	Day 3	Breakfast at Namirembe. Spend the day ministering with the children at SixtyFeet (children’s prison). Dinner with team at Namirembe.
Wednesday June 29th	Day 4	Breakfast at Namirembe. Spend the morning ministering with the children at SixtyFeet (children’s prison). Eat a quick lunch at Namirembe. Spend the afternoon with Rebecca Sorensen and the children at My Father’s House. Dinner at Namirembe.
Thursday June 30th	Day 5	Breakfast at Namirembe. Depart to Jinja at 9AM. Spend the day with Godfrey and the children at Pillars of Hope. Check into King Fisher Resort. Drive to Amani Baby Cottage and spend time with the babies from 4-6:00 PM, help feed them dinner & put them to bed. Dinner at King Fisher.
Friday July 1st	Day 6	Breakfast at King Fisher. Spend the day with the Karamajong’s with Pastor Andrew. Shopping, internet & coffee in Jinja. And have dinner with the team.
Saturday July 2nd	Day 7	Breakfast at King Fisher. Drive to Amazima ministries to work with Katie Davis and her feeding program until 3 PM. Drive to Kampala & check-in at the Namirembe hotel. Sort through donations for Kenya ministries, dinner, devotion & relaxation with the team.
Sunday July 3th	Day 8	Breakfast with team at 7:00 AM and check-out of Namirembe. Attend Church with Pastor Samuel and the children at Return Ministries. Arrive at Entebbe airport at 2:30 PM for check-in. Depart to Addis at 5:30 PM.

Kenya Portion Itinerary

Monday July 4th	Day 9	Arrive in Nairobi at 1 AM. Take mini-bus (2 hour drive) to Hope Community Center orphanage and grab a bunk. Breakfast with the team between 9-10AM. Spend the morning with the children. Teach a VBS and eat lunch with the children. Dinner with the team.
Tuesday July 5th	Day 10	Breakfast with the team, spend the day with children at Hope Community Center and say goodbye. Depart to Nakuru at 3PM (2 hour drive). Arrive at Fiwagoh Orphanage & spend time with Pastor Benson and the children, eat dinner and grab a bunk.
Wednesday July 6th	Day 11	Breakfast with the team. Spend the morning with children at Fiwagoh orphanage with Pastor Benson. Eat lunch with the children and teach a VBS. Dinner and devotions with the team.
Thursday July 7th	Day 12	7AM breakfast with the team, depart to Eldoret by 8AM (3 hour drive).  Arrive at Grace of God Children’s Home and eat lunch at Christ Restoration Church. Spend the day with the children & teach a VBS. Eat dinner with the children and the team. Check-in to Hotel in Eldoret City (TBD). Rest & relax the rest of the evening with the team.
Friday July 8th	Day 13	7AM breakfast with the team and spend the morning with children at Grace of God Children’s Home. Eat an early lunch and say goodbye to children. Depart for Nairobi by 11AM (6 hour drive) and check-in to a Hotel/Guest House (TBD). Dinner and trip re-cap with team.
Saturday July 9th	Day 14	Breakfast at hotel. Shopping at market in Nairobi. Arrive at the Nairobi airport for check in by 2:45 PM. Flight leaves at 5:45 PM for Addis. Depart Addis at 10:15PM for the States!
Sunday July 10th	Day 15	Arrive in D.C. at 8:40AM. Depart for home! Your trip has changed your life and touched the lives of hundreds of orphans in Uganda & Kenya! THANK YOU all for your servant hearts!! We hope you will join us again!

Sweet Little Andrew---My WHY.

Hey All! So I wanted to share with everyone my “WHY” about Africa and WHY I am going to visit these children and people in need.  Most of my family and friends are 100% supportive and understand this.  But there have been a few people that look at me sort of weird when I tell them that I am giving up my own time…spending my own money…to GO to Africa!  They get confused and don’t understand it?  I’ve had people say things like, “Well, you can’t save them all!  ….What are YOU going to do by just going there? ….There are children here in the U.S. that need your help too.—what about them?” This sometimes starts to upset me, but I still try to have patience with them and explain to them that by just me going I WILL be able to help them…right now, I’m not sure how and when this will happen on my trip.  BUT—God knows and He has had this planned out for a very, very LONG time now!  He has hand-picked Shelby and I and the rest of our team to go on this trip and I believe with ALL of my heart He has big meaning behind this trip.  GREAT things are going to happen!  I also explain to people how I have ALWAYS had a passion for loving and serving children—especially those who are in need!  I understand that there are children here in the U.S. that need help…and I promise you, I try to do as much as I can for these children that God puts into my life and that I cross paths with.  Sometimes it may just be a prayer—but I DO try to help in whatever way that I can.  But I also explain to people how I truly feel like God has CALLED me to Africa.  As most of you know, I have always pictured myself helping children in Africa. I don’t know WHY it’s Africa—but that’s what has always been on my heart. So I tell people that God calls us all to a certain place and to certain situations and that we are all unique in HIS WAYS.  If we ALL were called to help the children in one place there would be so many kids left out who need our help.  This is WHY we are ALL called to reach out and help children and people in all different parts of the world.  All I know is that God has put a desire and passion in my heart to GO and SERVE and LOVE on the children in Africa—So I am listening.

Now, I know this blog story is probably going to get a little long, but I really hope that you take some time out of your busy day to sit down and read it.  My “WHY” story that I want to share with you is below and I think this is SUCH an important story! As I shared in my first blog story about HOW God led me to Visiting Orphans…there was still some uncertainty that I had.  I was nervous about the money…I was a little nervous about going to Africa right away…would we be safe? Would we be protected? And I was still so unsure about so many little details.  Then, one night I read this story and I took from it that this was Gods way of saying “GO and SERVE and LOVE on my children!”  I had prayed and prayed about this trip…could I go? Could I come up with the money? Could I make a difference?  Then it was like God directly placed this story right in front of me and said “YES! …Yes you NEED to go! YES I WILL give you the money…YES you WILL make a difference!”  This story is a blog that the Executive Director from Visiting Orphans shared after going on one of their trips to Africa this past winter.  I read it and seriously CRIED my eyes out.  I know Patrick remembers this…I was in the living room with the rest of my family while I started reading this story.  I then needed to stop and go down stairs to my bathroom. I closed the door…put on my Kari Jobe CD…called Patrick…and cried my eyes out.  My emotions were sort of mixed emotions because my heart was seriously just ACHING for this child…But at the same time I was also sort of relieved that God had spoken SO clearly to me and I knew that my mind was made up.  I would GO to Africa... and this is my WHY. 

As I mentioned, this story was written by the Executive Director of Visiting Orphans—Amanda Lawrence.  I am so very thankful for Amanda and her heart to serve God’s precious children.  I pray and thank God so often for Visiting Orphans and I pray that God continues to BLESS the children and orphans all around the world through this AWESOME and LIFE CHANGING organization! Please enjoy her story…

“I had a couple hours this morning that I could have finally have slept in...yet, I was awoken at 6 AM. As usual, I tried to go back to sleep but as I tried, the memories and realities of our last fourteen days rushed in. I've had no time to process everything as the leader. I'm always "on". Always... but here at the Adonai Hotel which feels like a big hug, thanks to their sweet service and lovely accommodations, I've had some down time and some time alone. We leave tomorrow night so our schedule has slowed down some as I'm trying to be sensitive to the team's emotions and energy which is quickly running out.

As I began processing these last two weeks, I suddenly remembered the news I heard yesterday which, had I been in the privacy of my home and not having to "hold it together" for the team, would have brought me to my knees.

On Monday we visited Renee Bach's ministry, Serving His Children in Jinja. Renee is doing an extraordinary service through her ministry to starving and malnourished children among the least of these in Jinja. What makes her even more extraordinary is that many times as she is nursing a child or young man or woman back to health, they will pass away in her sweet arms. Yet, she keeps on going and serving, loving her God, by loving and fighting for these children.

Our team had the honor and privilege to meet sweet Andrew who was in her care. He was four years old and had been left by his mom in a starving condition at his grandmother's front door just a few days earlier. He was at Renee's when our team visited.

 Pictures of Sweet Little Andrew

We were all stunned and shocked that he could be four, yet he barely weighed anything. I held little Andrew's feet as they were so cold and I could tell he wanted to sleep. I know when my feet are cold that I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. So, I held his little feet in my hands and rubbed them until they grew warm. It's all I knew to do. We all gathered around him and asked questions, spoke to him in our English, which he did not understand and tried to let him know we loved him.

But, you could tell he was so scared. So sad and so uncomfortable. Renee in her beauty, grace, peace and strength just calmly reassured him all the while answering our many questions. We just could not understand how someone could let their child starve. There are many questions that will never be answered. How could this team of white people ever understand life in a small mud home that has probably been visited by death and sickness many times over. Most of these poor women just give up when they find their children very sick, or when they can't find the resources to care for them.

But this sweet Andrew's grandmother had the love to take him to the hospital where Renee found him. His last couple of days were spent with two sweet women of God, Renee and her best friend, Shana, as they stayed up every hour all night long, just to feed him two tablespoons of this special mixture they make, as that is all he would eat. Every hour....all night long.

Yet, the news I heard yesterday was that Andrew passed away. What breaks me the most is that his last words were "I want my mommy". In all the love and care that Shana and Renee poured on him, he just wanted his mommy. But his mommy was nowhere to be found. I don't say this to bash her. We do NOT know her circumstances. But, I think of the MILLIONS of children who are in Andrew's condition, who die alone just wanting their mommy and it WRECKS me. In his last minute, he just wanted his mommy.

I think of Jesus who died on the cross and how forsaken He felt in those last minutes...He felt abandoned by his own Father, the God of this universe. Even he wanted to live. Even he wanted his daddy in his last few minutes here on this rotten earth.

They all just want their mommy and daddy and they are left alone.

I weep as I write this as the idea of now returning to our plush, seemingly lifeless reality hits me. We are sick in America. We are sick with fatness, complacency, indulgence, entertainment, the pursuit of success and distraction. The enemy's goal is to lull us to sleep...to make us so comfortable we cannot move!!!!!!!!!! And yet, there are starving orphans, literally, left alone to die.

I hope this blog post WAKES YOU UP!!! I hope it makes you stop eating all those lifeless foods which are trying to put you to sleep. I hope it makes you turn off that movie or television which steals your time and WASTES it. And lastly I hope it convicts you of the reality of the life of an orphan here in Africa and many other nations. And I pray as well that I will return with this same conviction and never return to that place.

A few minutes ago I went into the kitchen at this guest home to get my cup of coffee. Above the coffee maker was a sign that said, "El Roi - The Strong God Who Sees".
God sees these children and he saw Andrew. This strong loving Father picked sweet Andrew up and placed him in Renee's arms. I pray he some how knew that His loving, heavenly Father never forsook him. He loved him so much that he took him home to be with him. Home where there is no sin or death. Home where he is surrounded and engulfed by Love. Not the emotion or feeling, but the One who is Love.

We love you Renee and we are so sorry. Thank you for always getting up and going forward, even when your heart breaks so much. We are praying for you. And you inspire those of us whose hearts break. We can't give up either... There is too much at stake.”

Friends and Family…This IS my WHY.  I hope this story touched you as much as it touched and inspired me.  We NEED to GO.  These children of God NEED us DESPERATELY to GO.  God Himself has CALLED us to GO.  There are still SO many children just like Sweet Little Andrew.  Please believe that if we ALL step out and work together we can HELP all of these helpless and hopeless children! We can…we really can.  Will you GO and SERVE and LOVE wherever God is calling you to go?  I personally pray that you do and so do all of these children like sweet little Andrew.

Great Grandma's Dresses & 60 Feet...

Can I just say HOW excited I am to go to AFRICA!! Oh boy, oh boy, OH BOY! :) We leave in 10 days and I can hardly believe it! I feel like Shelby and I still have so much to do—which is good because it should make the rest of these 10 days fly by!! :) I just wanted to share a few pictures of the dresses my Great Grandma has made. When I told her I was taking a trip to Africa to go LOVE on all of these children, she immediately wanted to do something and wanted to give them something. So, she came up with the idea of making some dresses for the little girls. What a sweet and loving heart she has and how I ADORE her so much! She has always said, “God gave me this talent to use for His good works—so that’s exactly what I do!” She is seriously the sweetest lady ever and let me tell you all that she is turning 96 in September!!! AND she still sews!! Oh how she amazes me! :) So here are the dresses she made…there are 12 total and I can’t wait to bring them to the girls! I know 12 dresses really isn’t A LOT—but these dresses truly did come from my Great Grandma’s heart and are made with LOVE and PRAYERS—and I know whichever girls receive these dresses are going to be SO thankful and excited!! I can’t wait!!

The above picture is sort of hard to see all of them and what they look like so I snapped some pictures of a few dresses alone…

I also wanted to share with you all a little about one place where my team and I will be visiting once we get to Uganda. We’ll be going to a prison that is called 60 Feet. This is a children’s prison and I’ve actually been a little confused about what it actually is. Right away I thought it was similar to the prisons we have here in the U.S. But I am finding out that it is much…MUCH different. 60 Feet –back in the day known as “M” was a place where parent’s put their children if they were being “bad” and they’d scare their children by saying to them if they didn’t behave they'd have to go to the “M”. There are also a lot of orphans that are at 60 Feet because really—they have NO ONE else and nowhere to go! I came across another blog that did a story on this prison and it seriously is just SO SAD……..These kids—little innocent children don’t have an option and are treated SO POORLY. I was reading about “M” and I found myself just ANGRY…WHY? ….WHY can they get away with this??? Why are these children being treated as if they were stray animals—or worse, why are they being treated as if they are a NO BODY? They ARE a somebody…THEY ARE GOD’S CHILDREN. The blog that I was reading stated this, “The facility is overcrowded. The children often go without food. When they do eat, it’s one time a day. They are sleeping on 22 year old mattresses soaked in urine and feces. Many children sleep directly on the cold cement.” If reading that doesn’t start to break your heart or get your blood boiling I don’t know what will!! I am going to be HEART BROKEN after visiting this place! We need to find a way…a solution…a HOPE for these children. And this is exactly WHY we go and VISIT these places and these children…to…bring...them…HOPE! The blog that I was reading has more information at how you can help or donate to these children. If interested, please check out this blog at: http://feet2ourfaith.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-childrens-prison-post-about-60.html

The Dance from Sixty Feet on Vimeo.

Here is a video clip that was taken by a member that went on one of the last mission trips to Uganda with a team from Visiting Orphans. These boys in the cell had been locked in there for about 2 weeks...Make sure the video is loaded so you can watch the clip smoothly! This video is very touching to me—singing God’s praises and encouraging these children that HIS MERCIES are NEW---NEW each and every morning!

Holy is the Lord God Almighty from Michael Smalley on Vimeo.

So sad…and so crazy to think that I will be IN Uganda…meeting these children in a few short days! I ask that you please PRAY for these children…Pray that our team can come and bring them LIGHT and HOPE to their dark…DARK world. Please pray for strength for our team as well because I know—I can feel it—that this place will definitely have a big impact on all of us! Our hearts will be breaking…that is for sure.


Have a BLESSED day! And let’s remember to be THANKFUL for what we have!

Donations & Items for the Children

I cannot fully express just how EXCITED I am about leaving in 13 days!! It’s so crazy for me to think that in just a short amount of time I will be IN AFRICA where I can hold…love…play...comfort…support…pray… with all of these orphans!! I’ve been dreaming, praying and thinking about what my time in Africa will be like with all of these children, but I know nothing can fully prepare my heart for what it will actually be like! Once I meet all of these children…get to know them…their names…hold them in my arms…I KNOW my life is going to be FOREVER CHANGED! And I honestly cannot wait.  My prayer for a while now has been for God to BREAK MY HEART FOR WHAT BREAKS HIS.  I know His heart breaks when He has to see SO many of HIS PRECIOUS children STARVING to death…aching and hurting day AFTER day…having NO mommy or daddy to call their own…and to feel as if there is no hope.   I do know that my heart is going to BREAK and ACHE with pain after living out this experience in Africa—but this IS my prayer!  I want my eyes to see the REAL meaning in life and I want my heart to LOVE like it has never loved—which is what I’ll be doing with ALL of these children every second I am there.  I want to bring them HOPE…I want to give them LOVE and I want to share the WORD of GOD with them.  I know and feel it in my heart that spending only two weeks in Africa serving God’s children is not going to be long enough...(I’m praying God uses me somehow & has another plan for me to go back—but for longer than 2 weeks next time! J)  But I DO know that during those 2 weeks while I’m there…GREAT things are going to happen and God’s plan will prevail.  I know time and love is what those children truly need so I am SO excited to go and give that to them!  However, I also know that these children honestly have NOTHING and that they still have such high spirits.  My sister, Shelby, and I have been trying to collect and come up with items to bring to Africa to give to these children. Below are a few pictures of items that we’re taking with us to give to God’s children! J I LOVE giving to others and I know that these children are especially going to be so HAPPY, JOYFUL and THANKFUL!  

The picture above includes these items: bubbles, balloons, toothbrushes, books, stuffed animals, fabric paint, twister mat & spinner, baby wipes, hats, baseball/kickball bases, coloring books, headbands, barrettes, beach balls, dresses and 4 arts for the nation bags!

Here are the 4 Art for the Nations bags!  I was able to call this organization and they sent me ALL 4 of these bags for FREE!!!  This is awesome since the money has been a little tight and I want SO badly to bring items to these children! It worked out wonderfully!! So thankful for this organization!! Bless their hearts! Below is a picture of what all comes in one of the art bags.  ALL of these supplies! And we got them for FREE! Ahhh...I just LOVE it! :) Each bag has all of the art materials needed to complete about 50 crafts!

Below are some more items that I just picked up at the Dollar Tree store today--how I LOVE that everything is ONE DOLLAR in this store...really makes your money go a long way! The items in this picture include: candy, bible stickers, sidewalk-chalk, flashcards, blankets and children's books. I plan on leaving the blankets and some of the books at the Amani Baby Cottage for all of the babies! :)

If any of you are interested or would like to donate some items to the children in Africa please just let me know!!  They would honestly CHERISH your gifts and your donations would be very much appreciated!!  My sister and I are willing to pack and bring as many items as we collect—so please just let me know if you’d like to help in any way!! 

Our team is also trying to collect as much DMC Embroidery Floss as we can!  I’m really trying to collect and get a lot of this because this simple item can truly be LIFE CHANGING!  One of our team leaders, Diana, wrote us and said this, “We have an AWESOME opportunity to bring a potential earning option to some of the ladies in the Karamajong Tribe... Pastor Andrew has asked us to help give HOPE to these ladies... so... we are going to teach them how to make friendship bracelets. They are easy, but can be made very creatively and with harder patterns…we will start with easy. We need as much DMC Embroidery Floss that we can collect. I will bring Zip-Lock bags and we can put together several kits to share with the ladies. Wouldn’t it be great to bless them with lots of supplies to make something they can potentially SELL???...at least we can TRY! :)”  So, if any of you would like to be apart in helping us CHANGE the lives of these women in need and to bring them HOPE…please consider purchasing some of this DMC Embroidery Floss.  It’s such a small thing that can truly make a BIG impact on their lives!  Below is a picture of the some embroidery floss in case you’re wondering what it looks like!   



I hope you all are enjoying your day! Have a blessed Sunday!*