Listening and Following God's Word...

Some of you may already know this, but for those of you who don’t, I’d like to share with you that I am taking another short term mission trip!  As most of you know, I have always had a strong passion and desire in my heart for serving and loving the children in Africa—But I also know that God calls us to GO and SERVE and VISIT and LOVE ALL of the children around the world!  …A few months ago I had heard the news from my mom that a few people from our church, Living Word Lutheran Church, were taking a short-term mission trip to Ecuador.  As soon as I had heard this news…I just knew I’d be one of those people going along on this trip.  After I got home from Africa, I was having a hard time (and still do have a hard time) because I miss all of the wonderful children I met. During my time in Africa I felt like I had such a purpose in my life because I truly was making a difference in the lives of the children I met.  I could just feel it…and I could just see it in all of their faces…they appreciated the fact that I came to visit them and they were SO thankful for my time…to simply sit with them and by showing them they were important…So when I got back home…I missed that feeling…I missed the impact that Africa had on my life and I was ready to go back right away!  But, with school…and with the cost of the trip…I just knew it wasn’t quite reality for me to get back on that airplane to see all of those children.  I’d been praying about this…praying for God to continue to use me…whatever it may be…I just wanted His plans to be clear in my life…I just wanted to continue living out James 1:27…So as I was saying, as soon as I heard the news that our church was going on this trip to Ecuador…I felt like this was God’s calling—To GO and to LOVE ALL of His Precious Children…It doesn’t matter what the location is...It just simply matters that these children are His children!  AND, they are in need of love and care. So, who is responsible to live out James 1:27?  And who is responsible to LOOK AFTER these children? Who is responsible to SUPPORT and CARE and LOVE and VISIT these children? We are! As Christians, we are to read the Word of God and we are to RESPOND. So, after hearing about the trip to Ecuador—Right away I knew what I needed to do…what I WANTED to do…what I was CALLED to do…I needed to go to Ecuador to shower these children with love—just like I did with the children in Africa…I want to go to Ecuador…I want to learn and experience as much as I can about orphans and children in need…The more I know…The more I’m able to make a difference and to help these children…I also know I am called to go…how do I know this? By reading James 1:27—“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” So friends, I am going to ECUADOR!:) I’m SO excited and can’t wait to fall in love with the people and children of Ecuador—Just like I feel in love with the people and children in Africa!! Oh I just know this is going to be a great experience!! I’m so excited!! And just like I’ve been writing about my time in Africa, I look forward to writing and sharing about my time in Ecuador with you as well!  So exciting! God is SO great and is SO faithful!:)
I also wanted to share with you one way that I’m funding for my trip to Ecuador. As many of you already know, I am a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and one thing I have always loved about Mary Kay is that we “Party with a Purpose!” You may be wondering what that exactly means, but when we say this, we are simply stating that when we work our Mary Kay Business and when we have Mary Kay Parties we have them for a REASON and we have goals to HELP and GIVE to others.  The Mary Kay foundation is GREAT and gives Millions and Billions of dollars every year to great causes and organizations around the world! So…just like the Mary Kay Company, I too have a purpose behind my business…My goal with Mary Kay is to work my business in a way so that I am better financially to help and reach out to orphans around the world…I hope, pray and dream about doing this by taking mission trips to visit these children, by donating, sponsoring and serving these children, and by also one day being able to adopt a child or children in need.  ….So, this Wednesday, October 5^th I am having a Mary Kay Party at the Country Club in Cottonwood at 6:30pm! And, I’m sure you already guessed it—But I am Partying with a PURPOSE! :) Here’s how it works—Each person that comes to my party, my Mary Kay Director, Rachel, will donate $1 per person to go towards my trip!  It’s SO easy to do and just by showing up you’ll be able to help donate towards my trip! So if you’d like to have a little girl time…and to be pampered…and to learn new makeup tips…and to try new skincare products…and to get great gift ideas for the Holidays…Please come join me! It’s going to be a great time and you’d be helping a great cause!  Just a reminder, here is the information:

What: Mary Kay Party

When: Wednesday, October 5^th @ 6:30 pm

Where: Cottonwood Country Club

Why: To have a great night with some great girls and to help support me on my upcoming trip to Ecuador!

ALSO: If you come to my party and bring a friend you’ll receive a FREE gift!!!:)

Thank you ALL…And if it works, I look forward to seeing you Wednesday Night! J If you could please message me or email me that you’re coming that would be great—Just so I have an idea of about how many people to expect!:)

*May you know the depth of God’s desire to bless you—His love is unconditional, His promises are infallible and the good things He has planned for you are unstoppable.*

Day 10: Head to Fiwagoh Orphanage & School!~

We are headed to Fiwagoh to go meet Pastor Benson, his wife and all of his 180+ kids that he has taken in as his own!  We are all sooo excited and can’t wait to go meet these kids.  So, we packed and loaded our entire luggage and we’re headed in the bus ready to go.  Since I’ve been in Africa I have seen so many new and great things as well as learning so much about this beautiful continent…One thing I found out very quickly is that “Africa Time” is very different than “American Time.”  In America, if we say we’ll be there at 5:30, for the most part we’ll be there at 5:30.  And if we’re running a little behind, it’s just by a few minutes—and it’s really not all that big of a deal.  Well, in Africa, one thing that we had to practice was our patience—which was another great part and experience of this trip!  First off, I may have already mentioned this in one of my first blogs—but the driving is CRAZY in Africa.  So many people…are going in SO many different directions…without any traffic signs and safety in mind.  Besides the traffic tending to be quite busy all of the time…we also learned that the places we were going to visit weren’t just 10-15 minutes from each other—there were always at least a few hours!  Although I would have rather loved to spend these hours on the bus with all of the children instead, it was a great time to soak everything in and to reflect on our trip so far.  So really, it wasn’t too bad—it was actually quite enjoyable and what I thought was so great about riding on the bus for such a long time is that I was able to see so much more of Africa.

Well, while we were on our bus ride to Fiwagoh, there were several times where a few of us would ask about animals or hoped that we could see some exciting animals—and ever since we got to Kenya, we had sort of been talking about this—just because, how COOL would that be?  Our bus driver in Kenya, Daniel, said that we would have a pretty good chance of seeing some animals—so we all crossed our fingers and hoped that we would.  So, here we are…driving along the middle of the open fields in Africa—not a whole lot to see besides wild life and random people here and there walking along the street.  …When all of a sudden, someone yield “Wait! Guys, LOOK!  A Giraffe!”  ….And theeeen, we ALL got excited!  Daniel immediately stopped the bus, turned around…and drove down into a little parking area—where we could all get off the bus to get a closer look at the animals.  MY OH MY—We all had a hay day!  Everyone was jumping off the bus with such excitement and joy! Running with their cameras to take pictures…GIRAFFES!!!  And trust me—they weren’t in the Zoo locked up with a fence surrounding them…they were WILD….RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!  ….It was super exciting, but nonetheless, a little scary at the same time!:)  We seriously were SO close to them! It was such a thrilling experience!!  

After we calmed down we were back on the road and heading for Fiwagoh.  I wasn’t quite sure what happened, but somewhere along the way, we ended up getting lost and had to backtrack quite a ways.  Our bus driver, Daniel, had apparently heard the wrong information and was headed in the wrong direction.  Sooo, this bus ride ended up turning into a way longer ride than we first had expected.  But that’s ok…we saw giraffes and we were on our way to FIWAGOH!:)

We continued to drive and drive and drive…and we still weren’t there yet.  Pastor Benson and his children had been expecting us for such a long time, we all felt so bad we were late…but clearly we had no control over the situation.  It started getting darker and darker out…and so many of us wondered where in the world we were?  Just out in the middle of Kenya, Africa…late at night…while it got darker and darker by the minute.  Something else that is quite different in Africa compared to America is that they don’t really have any lights when it gets dark—and it seriously is a little scary.  It’ll be 6:30 and we’ll be finishing up with supper and by 7:15-7:30 all of a sudden it’s just pitch BLACK out.  …So crazy how dark it seemed to get so fast and how they didn’t have any light…no street lights…no front porch lights…nothing—just darkness.  So, as we were driving, we came up to a gas station and Daniel pulled over to get gas.  As we pulled up it was so easy to sense what the rest of the bus was feeling.  Outside the gas station were quite a few men—hanging out…not sure what they were all doing? …Trying to sell some items to make money I’m sure.  Our team leaders whispered back to keep our windows closed and to not make eye contact with any of them.  So, as we pulled in and came to a stop…Slowly…slowly…they started to surround us.  Coming up to our windows…knocking on them…trying to talk to use and get our attention…I have no idea what they were thinking—but I can about imagine when they saw a bus with 50 suitcases up on top…a bus that was full of 23 American Girls…they obviously knew we had money and valuable items.  It was a little frightening, one of our good friends actually started crying because she got scared...having them all come up and surrounding our bus…One guy even started to climb up the back ladder…heading towards our luggage on the top of the bus….But while this was all going on…I just sat there and really wasn’t one bit nervous or scared.  Yes, the situation could have gone very badly…since it was late at night and we were all women besides our bus driver…but I still felt a peace and strength settle inside me.  I knew God was protecting us…Keeping us safe...He had already planned all of this out for us…and He would continue to protect us—I was sure of it…So as I sat there leaning on Him…Suddenly the owner of the gas station came out and got all the guys to back away from our bus…So, just like that, we finished filling up our gas and we were headed for Fiwagoh…still headed for Fiwagoh.

As we continued, it started to rain…lightly at first, but then the rain seemed to get harder and harder.  The roads that we were traveling on weren’t very safe…at least I didn’t feel like they were…And what continued to spike-up my fear was that every few miles we seemed to drive…we came across car accidents….one at first…then another…and another.  I sat there looking out my window…praying for those in the accidents…hoping they were alright…and praying for their families. …The more accidents we ended up seeing, the more my fear would rise up…I sort of thought we were driving a little too fast on these curvy and narrow roads—especially when it was wet and slippery…and obviously other vehicles were having a hard time too since many of them got into accidents…We saw four different semi-trucks on the side of the road, flipped over onto their side…Goodness, this drive was taking far too long…and all I wanted was to be at Fiwagoh.  The bus was silent…everyone I’m sure feeling the same emotions I was…then our team leader said something about how she thought Daniel was driving a little too fast…I agreed and said I was getting a little nervous…then a few of the other girls said the same thing.  So with that…we decided to sing some songs, to get our minds off of the driving.  We had song sheets printed off that we passed out to everyone…and for the next hour or two…we sat on our bus…in darkness in the middle of Kenya…singing songs about Jesus…and praising our God. ….We sang songs by Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Michael W. Smith, and so many more—including some favorite bible camp songs…While we sang these songs, I prayed deeply that God’s name would be known in the country if Kenya….and that with this group of 23 women who have a passion for serving God, that we could help spread God’s truth to the many children and people we still had left to visit on this journey.  After singing these songs I was so excited to get there and to meet all of the precious 180 kids at Fiwagoh…Oh how I just wanted to LOVE them.

….Finally…we arrived to Fiwagoh…we were all tired and anxious to get off of the bus and to get into our beds (and to go to the bathroom!)….but as we drove up and our bus came to a stop…we heard the most beautiful sound ever…All 180 of these children…standing in the dark…singing in unison as they welcomed and thanked us for coming to visit them.  Our whole team stood up and looked out our windows…and as I stood there…I had tears stinging at my eyes….How precious was this??? ….Really? I mean, just to stop and think about it.  These kids had been waiting ALL day for us to come…they couldn’t wait!  What?—They were going to have VISITORS??? ….Why??? …To COME and PLAY and SING and SHARE with them!!  They couldn’t understand it or comprehend it I’m sure? …Why? Because they had been left alone SO many times before…they were left alone and abandoned on the streets…they were forgotten…they were left to starve…left to survive by themselves….BUT…because of God’s grace and His perfect plans…He had brought each and every one of those 180 children to come and live with Pastor Benson and his wife…God had a plan for each and every one of those children…and He had a plan for us to come and visit and bring them hope….And here I was…standing in awe of how precious and sweet these children were…They were SO SO SO GRATEFUL and with their welcome song I knew this place was going to touch me deeply to my core…And with that, I held back my tears…put a smile on my face…leaned on God’s strength again…and went to meet all of these children…I knew, God had great plans for us—That God had great plans for me…because I was living them…All my life I have yearned to come and to live out James 1:27 and to visit and love on these lonely and precious children in Africa…and here I was…Living out my heart’s desire…and how I was so thankful to have the children of Fiwagoh to be a part of this great and perfect plan…Thank You, God…For Your direction and Your perfect plans.     

Day 9: First Day In Kenya—Arrive to Hope Community Center!~

Hi All! So sorry for the delay and for taking such a long time to post a new blog!  My school work has seemed to consume my life the last few weeks!  But I just wanted to say thanks for your patience and for still being interested in following my blog! …I appreciate it!  And, because I have been there and experienced this on a firsthand basis I feel it is important to share my experience, so thanks again for wanting to hear and learn more about God’s precious children!:)

We arrived to KENYA! :)  Yay! I was so happy and thankful we had a safe flight, but at the same time, we were all SO tired.  I thought out of all of the days we had so far on our trip—today was one of our longest days and we were all very tired.  However, although I was super tired—I was super HAPPY and EXCITED to be in Kenya!!! We arrived in Nairobi at 1:00 a.m. in the morning…and had to wait and gather all of our luggage… fill out new information since we were arriving to a new country…load our luggage onto a new bus…and head out for a 2-3 hour drive!  Although I was tired and could hardly keep my eyes out, I wanted to stay away so I could soak in all that Kenya had to offer.  It seemed quite different than Uganda—at least where we were.  In Uganda we were in such a busy and almost clustered town—while in Kenya it seemed to have more order and it almost felt a little bit like we were back in the states.  After a very long—and might I add a very BUMPY road—I mean seriously, SO bumpy! I can’t even explain how bumpy this ride was!  …We arrived to our first location in Kenya, Hope Community Center, which is an orphanage and school.  By the time we arrived it was about 5:30/6:00 in the morning. It was still dark out and I was just assuming that all of the children would still be sleeping—but to my surprise when we pulled up, we say bundles of children with their lights on, standing in the window—ready to greet us!  Oh, it was a warm welcome and so very sweet of them!  We could tell right then and there that they were so happy to have us!  Here is a picture of the building/dorms we stayed in.

All of these children were just precious—so sweet and kind and loving and joyful!  They actually seemed a little more quiet and timid maybe then the children in Uganda…But I believe this is mostly because this is the first time Visiting Orphans had ever taken a trip to Kenya before. We were the first team to go love on the orphans in Kenya!  How cool is that?!:)  Visiting Orphans sends teams out to Uganda every few months to go love and serve the children there, so the children are a little more used to it and have experienced it before.  But the children in Kenya have never had a team from VO come there before—and besides us, it’s sad to say, but I really don’t know how often they get visitors?  So, this could quite possibly mean that this was some of the first time many of them had ever been around Mzungos—Aka white people.  Nevertheless, our time spent there was filled with singing songs, playing games, doing arts & crafts, and talking about Jesus with the children.   We had a GREAT time!!! Below are some pictures of how our time was spent…

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. Matthew 25:35

Below, a pile of rocks our team bought for them to start their new project--to expand their nursery for the little ones!

 

Working on their GreenHouse!

At night and early in the morning it got SO cold—I mean you could see your breathe in the early morning.  We weren’t expecting this at all!! So, we seriously had to snuggle to keep warm! At night I would wear my thick socks, leggings, sweatpants, a tank-top, t-shirt, sweatshirt and fleece and I was still cold! It was crazy—we weren’t expecting to have to put layers on in the middle of July!:)

Balloon Relays!  They had SO much fun--there was a ton of LAUGHTER! :)

One thing that really amazed me while spending time here was how these children truly spent every single day WORSHIPPING and PRAISING!  They would meet each and every day at 7:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and again at 7:00p.m. before they started getting ready for bed.  During this time they would sing their hearts out to Jesus—and when I say sing, I really mean SING…with all that was in them.  Oh, how I loved just being filled with their sweet voices…This is one of the things I miss most!  …It truly was precious and very comforting to know that although these children may not physically have a lot…and although they have just enough food, water and medicine to get by… I’m not worried about what their lives will look like once they leave this earth…because I KNOW…I SAW…I FELT…how they worshipped and how they truly are IN LOVE with Jesus…and with that I am very grateful.  And because of this personal relationship they have with Jesus and because they devote their time and energy to Him and only Him—He is faithful…He KEEPS His promises to them…And He continues to provide for them.  Each and every day I was in Africa I somehow learned such a great and valuable lesson—and this was one of those days.  God is in control of EVERYTHING—Every single thing…situation…small and big details…He has everything planned for HIS PURPOSE…and while visiting and loving on these children, they reminded me of that…they reminded me of what it is like to have faith like a child—and that with this faith, God will help, provide and move mountains. ♥

Church with Pastor Samuel and then Off to Kenya!~

This morning was a bittersweet morning.  We had spent a week in Uganda and it was time for us to move onto Kenya.  I had such a great time in Uganda…I met so many great people and so many children stole my heart—Especially one Little Boy!:)  I knew we had to move on with our agenda and that it was time to go to Kenya…But it still just felt weird that our time in Uganda was coming to an end.  I was getting used to Uganda and loved everything about this country, but I was also excited to know that we still had a whole other country to go love orphans in! 

So this morning, we woke up early…had breakfast…loaded our entire luggage…and we were headed to church with Pastor Samuel and to visit the children through Return Ministries.  I was very excited about this because I was sort of curious to see what church in Africa consisted of and how they worshiped God.  Below are a few pictures from our church service.  

After the church service we had time to go shopping at their little store that they had set up.  This was such a cute and neat little shop!  It had a ton of Acacia Beads, bracelets, shirts, dresses, skits and a TON of other Africa souvenirs!  There is where Shelby and I bought our Mzungo t-shirts, along with 2 skirts and I bought a dress! :)

Here are some pictures of Pastoer Samuels two little kids--Israel and Pearl. These kids were so stinking precious and SO happy! :) Ahh...and yes, look at little Pearl. Don't you just want to SQUEEZE her? We all commented on how she was the sweetest...AND fattest little baby in Africa! :)  And when you are "fat" in Africa that is a GREAT thing! :) It made us all smile!!

After we did our shopping Pastor Samuel’s wife made us a meal—which was very good! Then we had time to just hang out with the children for a while before we had to catch our flight to Kenya.  All of these children were SOOO sweet.  There were just a TON of them and as always, they all seemed so content and well behaved! 

The picture below is a very common view for Mzungos! All the children would run up, wrap their arms around our legs and look up at us like this...Oh My--Melt My HEART!:)

I stood and talked with these kids for a long time.  They had so many questions about America. They told me how they want so badly to come to America and that they hope one day they will be blessed enough to come here—This broke my heart, because really…Unless someone specifically from America helps and reaches out to them…I don’t think they will ever make it to America.  The cost is just too expensive…But it was so great to see the light and hope that they had in their eyes.  We talked about if it was God’s will…He would provide and He would help get them there. 

The older girl in the white shirt on the left—holding the little girl, was who I talked the most to.  Her English was so GREAT and her faith was unbelievable.  She told me she would be praying for me when I went back to America and she said she prays that I’ll come back to visit her.  Are you kidding me--These children are the ones that need MY prayers and they tell me they are going to pray for me!! ...I also asked her about her family…She had 3 or 4 younger siblings whom she helped care for.  It was just so weird to me as I was standing there because she really did look and act so much older than what she was!!  I could tell that she had been a motherly figure to her siblings for a very long time just by her actions and words.  I told her that my sister was here too—I pointed to Shelby and she thought that was SO neat!!  Below is one of the many older kids I saw that were having to look after their younger siblings.

It was so hot out this day and these precious kids looked so tired…They sat in the shade while the littlest one rested.  These kids shouldn’t have to grow up this fast—They should be able to enjoy being a kid and act like they are a kid!!! ….All they want is a mommy and a daddy…This is all they truly yearn for…As Katie Davis said in her video that I posted on my last blog… “Jesus does not ASK that we care for the less fortunate—He DEMANDS it!!”  Really, friends, we ALL need to step up and do our part.  There is such a HUGE orphan crisis in today’s world…We can no longer pretend and act like the world is one big happy place full of rainbows and butterflies…These children…Children that I have met in person…children that I know the names of…Children that I have touched with my own hands…Children that I have LOVED with my OWN HEART….are HURTING.  They are BROKEN…They feel ALONE… They feel HOPELESS—Day after day they wonder and wonder….Will life ever get easier for them?  Could they really end up with their forever families?  Doesn’t anyone care about them?  Doesn’t anyone know that they need food and water…and LOVE?  …………….Can’t anyone hear their broken cry? I have met them and I know them and I truly do LOVE THEM ALL.  I know that might sound crazy—But they are all my younger brothers and sisters in Christ and I don’t plan on just going over to Africa to visit for 2 weeks and then that’s it—No, I hope and pray that I can continue to help them with whatever God puts on my heart.  Before going on the trip I strongly felt that God was leading and guiding me to go in this direction…And so I listened and I followed His ways.  After returning back to America I still feel like God is working at my heart and that He isn’t finished with me yet…So I will continue to pray and continue to listen.  I just want SO badly to help these children.  They are NOT INVISIBLE—They didn’t have a say or a choice on where they were going to live. They were simply born in this country and so they have to deal with these issues and problems—Issues and problems that NO ONE should have to deal with…let alone young, lonely and precious children.  Let’s STEP UP and make a DECISION to DO SOMETHING…To MOVE and to TAKE ACTION that can literally SAVE A LIFE!    

These twins were a year and a half--But they were SO TINY!!!  Oh my goodness, just tiny! I couldn't get over it...And I have a feeling that this mom is all alone to care and provide for them both. 

 Below, Shelby and I are on the plane headed to Kenya! This flight was only about 2 hours and compared to riding on a 12 hour flight--It felt like 10 MINUTES!! :) It went by SO fast!

You may be wondering how you can help these lonely and precious children…so I’d like to share with you ways that I believe you can truly make a difference.  I know I have shared these ideas before—But I feel like they are so important so I’d like to share them again…. First, PRAY. Pray for these children—Prayer is SO POWERFUL and really does make a difference. Second, DONATE.  Find a Christian-based organization to donate to that will take your money and send it DIRECTLY to these children!  Need specific ideas? Contact me and I can share more with you—But any of these organizations are GREAT ministries that are living out God’s Word and are making a difference in the lives of children and orphans in need.  I would encourage you to youtube/google any or all of these ministries to learn more about them: Katie Davis’s Ministry—Amazima  http://www.amazima.org/  Visiting Orphans—The organization from Tennessee that I went to Africa with…here is their website: http://www.visitingorphans.org/  147 Million Orphans—Two Stay at Home Moms created this organization after going through the adoption process and seeing how much of a NEED these orphans are in! They also partner with Katie Davis! Here is their website: http://www.147millionorphans.com/ ….Fiwagoh Orphange & School—One location we went to in Kenya—I’ll be sharing more details about this! Here is their website: http://www.fiwagoh.org/ …His Little Feet—A choir and ministry that supports the orphans and children in Haiti—I just ordered their CD Yesterday! :) Here is their website: http://www.hislittlefeet.org/ My Father’s House in Uganda started by Rebecca Sorenson. Her website is: http://myfathershouseintl.org/   Ordinary Hero—Another non-profit organization that helps children and orphans around the world—they have a great website, store and blog to follow as well! http://www.ordinaryhero.org/  These are just a few and some of my favorites!! :)  Just contact me if you want to learn more about one of these specific organizations or just take a look at their websites!! :)  I strongly encourage you to  take a look into them and see what they are doing to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ!  You will find many ways that you can help support them!  Next, I’d encourage you to sign up for a mission trip where you can see for yourself how great this orphan crisis is and how many children are in need of food…water…medicine and love!  Seriously, think about it!! I hope to go on many, many MORE trips to LOVE on ORPHANS—Maybe it’d work out to go on a trip together?! No matter what--If you go on a trip I can say with confidence that it WILL change your life forever! Check out Visiting Orphans for trip dates and locations—Maybe one will spark interest to you! Here is their website again: www.visitingorphans.org  Lastly, …and this is a BIG one...but such an IMPORTANT one! ….Are you ready? …ADOPT!  Yes—Adopt!!  Do you know HOW many kids would LOVE to have you be their mommy and daddy?  Who would love to feel your LOVE and COMPASSION for them?  Who would love to have you be their FOREVER FAMILY? You can do it—Why can’t you do it?  And please don’t say you don’t have money to do it—I’ve heard that excuse way too many times…There are SO many organizations out there that are willing to help and support you...there are fundraisers you can do…In America, we are SO SPOILED and we have WAY TO MUCH!  We spend our money way to carelessly...If we just started to cut back and pray about what we spend our money on--I strongly feel like we'd be able to save a lot more money for a much BIGGER purpose! Plus—It’s GODS MONEY anyway.  He WILL provide! Do you know how I know this?  Because HE DID IT FOR ME!  Shelby and I were on a very tight budget before we signed up for this trip and I started to doubt myself thinking I couldn’t do it…I could never find, earn or come up with the money—especially both of us!  I had too many expenses at the time...We didn’t have the money—But YET, God DID…and we ended up getting EXACTLY what we needed just before we left!  Put your Faith in HIM—Don’t let this world bring you down…don’t be negative…Don't give in to useless spending...Just BELIEVE and put your TRUST in HIM—The ONE who CREATED HEAVEN & EARTH! Surely He WILL PROVIDE FOR YOU!

I’d like to leave you with a quote that Katie Davis shared on Facebook the other day and I pray that you let it soak into your heart and that you make a decision to live by this quote.  It’s a quote that I think about each and every day—Which is why I am not letting money stand in my way of helping to change the world for God’s Precious Children…

“There will never be a day when I stand before God and He says, ‘I wish you would have kept more for yourself.’ I’m confident that God will take care of me.” —David Platt