NO! That's right, I got the official "We're very sorry BUT..." phone call from Hope today letting me know that we can NOT use their parking lot for our Market fundraiser. I was not totally surprised and God immediately gave me a sense of peace and EXCITEMENT that if we thought this would be the perfect location and it did not work out, then I can't WAIT to see what bigger and better plan he has in store!
Next possibility: Leesville High School. Pray for the paperwork (which has to be approved through the County) goes through quickly so that we at least have an answer ASAP and are able to move forward or pursue Plan...C? Actually more like "Plan G" by now, but who is counting? ;)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Waiting...semi-patiently :)
I know that God is going to work out every little detail of this awesome trip...I just wish he would go ahead and e-mail me the itinerary. :)
I have not written lately because I don't have much new news. I feel like God has given me an incredible vision for a fundraiser but I had no idea it would be so difficult to find a location willing to let us use their property.
We want to hold a Market (I don't like the word "flea"). We plan to "sell" parking spots to vendors who would use the space to set up and sell goods. I would love to have local artists sell paintings, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, photography, etc. Independent consultants could display/raffle/sell/demonstrate their products such as TupperWare, Mary Kay, Thirty-One, Pampered Chef. Anyone could sell yard sale items-clothing, furniture, sports equipment, bikes, or baked goods. We would also have a table set up with information about our mission and opportunities to donate through raffles or a silent auction.
I have submitted a formal request to use the parking lot at the CrossRoads Campus of Grace Christian School/Hope Community Church's Student Ministries Building. Please pray that this request will be approved as we feel this is an ideal location. As soon as someone gives us permission to use their parking lot, we will start promoting our event and selling spaces. I know that this is going to work out so please be thinking about items you may want to sell or donate for a raffle or auction OR others you may know who would be interested in buying a space to sell something. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers! :)
I have not written lately because I don't have much new news. I feel like God has given me an incredible vision for a fundraiser but I had no idea it would be so difficult to find a location willing to let us use their property.
We want to hold a Market (I don't like the word "flea"). We plan to "sell" parking spots to vendors who would use the space to set up and sell goods. I would love to have local artists sell paintings, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, photography, etc. Independent consultants could display/raffle/sell/demonstrate their products such as TupperWare, Mary Kay, Thirty-One, Pampered Chef. Anyone could sell yard sale items-clothing, furniture, sports equipment, bikes, or baked goods. We would also have a table set up with information about our mission and opportunities to donate through raffles or a silent auction.
I have submitted a formal request to use the parking lot at the CrossRoads Campus of Grace Christian School/Hope Community Church's Student Ministries Building. Please pray that this request will be approved as we feel this is an ideal location. As soon as someone gives us permission to use their parking lot, we will start promoting our event and selling spaces. I know that this is going to work out so please be thinking about items you may want to sell or donate for a raffle or auction OR others you may know who would be interested in buying a space to sell something. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers! :)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Amen
Today when I was reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire By Jim Cymbala I could not believe how perfectly this quote described how I am feeling today.
(In reference to David in his battle with Goliath) "David's weaponry was rediculous: a sling shot and five stones. It didn't matter. God still uses foolish tools in the hands of weak people to build his kingdom. Backed by prayer and his power, we can accomplish the unthinkable."
I am not equiped for this journey. I do not have several thousand dollars just laying around that I can't figure out how to spend. I alone am weak. Yet, God has been faithful once again by accomplishing the unthinkable and providing me people who support and encourage me and have provided me with the financial means to go and "build his kingdom".
A few words that start to touch the tip of the ice burg of how I felt when I opened the cards in my mailbox today are: humbled, blessed, grateful, undeserving, shocked, loved, thankful, excited.
thank you...
(In reference to David in his battle with Goliath) "David's weaponry was rediculous: a sling shot and five stones. It didn't matter. God still uses foolish tools in the hands of weak people to build his kingdom. Backed by prayer and his power, we can accomplish the unthinkable."
I am not equiped for this journey. I do not have several thousand dollars just laying around that I can't figure out how to spend. I alone am weak. Yet, God has been faithful once again by accomplishing the unthinkable and providing me people who support and encourage me and have provided me with the financial means to go and "build his kingdom".
A few words that start to touch the tip of the ice burg of how I felt when I opened the cards in my mailbox today are: humbled, blessed, grateful, undeserving, shocked, loved, thankful, excited.
thank you...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
too excited
I can not sleep. Every night when I lay down, all I can think about is this trip. My mind has been flooded with ideas for fundraisers, questions about what to expect (Will we have running water? With there be electricity? Will they be moved into the new building yet?), things I need to do (make an appointment to get shots, take medicine to prevent malaria, buy an electrical adapter, which I may or may not need depending on whether or not we have electricity...) See what I mean? :)
All that I know for sure is that God will work out every detail. I want to thank each of you for your e-mails, prayers, and words of encouragement so far. I will need them more and more as our depature date gets closer!
All that I know for sure is that God will work out every detail. I want to thank each of you for your e-mails, prayers, and words of encouragement so far. I will need them more and more as our depature date gets closer!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Answered prayers!!!
God is SO faithful!
Before I clicked the final button to send my little blog out into cyber space, I prayed that God would use it to bring people that would be able to help us make the biggest impact possible for God's kingdom.
Yesterday I recieved a facebook message from a friend and co-worker named Ashli who read my blog and told me abot her desire to go to Africa one day as well. (Exciting for us to find out that we have this in common!) She also told me about a friend of hers who establishes libraries in Africa. (www.librariesoflove.org) They have been successfully building libraries for several years and their website is filled with incredbly helpful information that others can use to do the same. I thanked God for answering my prayers and for using Ashli to get this useful info to me...
Later that day as I was continuing to think about how awesome this connection was and how helpful the info on their website was it occured to me that I had not yet even mentoned our mission for this trip to Africa on the blog....our mission is to establish a library at the Heritage of Faith and Hope Center!
That is when I REALLY got chills! How incredible that not only did Ashli provide me with the perfect connection and useful info, she had no idea it was even what I was looking for! God is so good! :)
Before I clicked the final button to send my little blog out into cyber space, I prayed that God would use it to bring people that would be able to help us make the biggest impact possible for God's kingdom.
Yesterday I recieved a facebook message from a friend and co-worker named Ashli who read my blog and told me abot her desire to go to Africa one day as well. (Exciting for us to find out that we have this in common!) She also told me about a friend of hers who establishes libraries in Africa. (www.librariesoflove.org) They have been successfully building libraries for several years and their website is filled with incredbly helpful information that others can use to do the same. I thanked God for answering my prayers and for using Ashli to get this useful info to me...
Later that day as I was continuing to think about how awesome this connection was and how helpful the info on their website was it occured to me that I had not yet even mentoned our mission for this trip to Africa on the blog....our mission is to establish a library at the Heritage of Faith and Hope Center!
That is when I REALLY got chills! How incredible that not only did Ashli provide me with the perfect connection and useful info, she had no idea it was even what I was looking for! God is so good! :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Where I am going: Heritage of Faith & Hope Children Rehabilitation Centre in Nairobi, Kenya
This is a video of Teresia explaining how they started the center. Awesome story!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
More background info
I have been a greeter at my church for a few years. We have "teams" and serve once a month. It is not surprising that I quickly formed a bond with another 2nd grade teacher on my greeter team named Anne. Last summer Anne took a huge leap of Faith and was obedient to God's call to go on her first mission trip to Belize. She went and her heart has been changed. She has since been eager to go wherever God wanted her to go next. She had no idea what perfect opportunity was about to fall in her lap...
One of Anne's 2nd grade students named Judith is from Kenya. Judith was born there but she and her family moved to America about 5 years ago. Judith's Aunt Teresia and Uncle Joseph still live in Nairobi, Kenya. Teresia came to America to visit Judith's family and wanted to visit Judith's school and meet her teacher-Anne. As Anne talked to Teresia she found out that she and her husband started an orphanage and school in Nairobi, Kenya. Judith and her family (Mom-Winnie who is Teresia's sister, Dad-George, and little sister Jessica) travel back to Kenya every summer. They invited Anne to go with them this summer.
In November, it was our greeter team's weekend to serve. We meet before going to our "posts" and have "huddle"-a group devotion and a time to pray together. Our awesome team leader, Troy asked if anyone had any prayer requests. Anne spoke up and shared about the opportunity she had to go to Kenya this summer. She was excited but also nervous. Without a second thought, I told her that I wanted to go with her. At the time I don't know if either of us knew how serious the other one was but over the next few weeks I could not stop thinking about it.
Anne started telling other people about the trip and some of them wanted to go, too! The next to jump on board whole heartedly was Angela, whom Anne had met on her trip to Belize last summer. Then Katie said she was "in". Katie and I have been in the same small group/bible study for a few years and have also served as greeters together. She just happens to be another teacher! One of Anne's co-workers, Laura is also coming. Over Christmas Anne's sister talked to her husband and 3 sons and their entire family is also on board...we hope to have a final decision from the others who have expessed interest by January 30th. Once we know how many people we have going we will start looking for plane tickets.
Anne, Angela, and I met for lunch on December 12th. We looked at our calendars and started talking about dates that we would be able to go. This has been a challenge for me in the past as other trips I had wanted to go on were not during my "track-out" dates. As a teacher, I am not able to just take off work. I do not have vacation days because our vacation days are already determined for us on days when the students are not there. Even though Anne teaches in a Traditional Calendar school and I teach in a Year-Round Calendar school, somehow our last days of school are the exact same day this year. For now, all we know is that we will leave no earlier than June 15 and come back no later than June 30.
One of Anne's 2nd grade students named Judith is from Kenya. Judith was born there but she and her family moved to America about 5 years ago. Judith's Aunt Teresia and Uncle Joseph still live in Nairobi, Kenya. Teresia came to America to visit Judith's family and wanted to visit Judith's school and meet her teacher-Anne. As Anne talked to Teresia she found out that she and her husband started an orphanage and school in Nairobi, Kenya. Judith and her family (Mom-Winnie who is Teresia's sister, Dad-George, and little sister Jessica) travel back to Kenya every summer. They invited Anne to go with them this summer.
In November, it was our greeter team's weekend to serve. We meet before going to our "posts" and have "huddle"-a group devotion and a time to pray together. Our awesome team leader, Troy asked if anyone had any prayer requests. Anne spoke up and shared about the opportunity she had to go to Kenya this summer. She was excited but also nervous. Without a second thought, I told her that I wanted to go with her. At the time I don't know if either of us knew how serious the other one was but over the next few weeks I could not stop thinking about it.
Anne started telling other people about the trip and some of them wanted to go, too! The next to jump on board whole heartedly was Angela, whom Anne had met on her trip to Belize last summer. Then Katie said she was "in". Katie and I have been in the same small group/bible study for a few years and have also served as greeters together. She just happens to be another teacher! One of Anne's co-workers, Laura is also coming. Over Christmas Anne's sister talked to her husband and 3 sons and their entire family is also on board...we hope to have a final decision from the others who have expessed interest by January 30th. Once we know how many people we have going we will start looking for plane tickets.
Anne, Angela, and I met for lunch on December 12th. We looked at our calendars and started talking about dates that we would be able to go. This has been a challenge for me in the past as other trips I had wanted to go on were not during my "track-out" dates. As a teacher, I am not able to just take off work. I do not have vacation days because our vacation days are already determined for us on days when the students are not there. Even though Anne teaches in a Traditional Calendar school and I teach in a Year-Round Calendar school, somehow our last days of school are the exact same day this year. For now, all we know is that we will leave no earlier than June 15 and come back no later than June 30.
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