Just wanted to post this video about some of the work that is going on in Tanzania. The team website is www.missiongeita.org . This is the group that I referred to last post. We are in contact with them via email. Please pray for their team and for the people in Tanzania. What a mighty God we serve--He is so active.... He does not leave us as orphans.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Shoes for Children and Africa Update
Here is an awesome way to help children all over the world!
Update:
For anyone who is wondering, we did hear back from the Drawn from Water group. Since they are in the beginnings of getting things up and running, they are not sure of all their needs. Right now they are not in need of additional staff, but could definately use prayer and financial support. There is a family from California that is going to help run the orphanage, and another family from Germany that is going to work with the tribe. Their prayer is that within 3-5 years they can eradicate the false beliefs of the tribe relating to "mingi" and return the rescued children to their families.
God is doing an amazing work delivering these children from death and working to free these people from Satan's grasp. We will continue to be in prayer for everyone involved. Who knows what all God has planned, amazing things I'm sure!
God did remind me this week, through His Word, to be careful what I claim as a word from Him. No doubt, God has planned for us to be involved with Drawn from Water, but perhaps not in the way I was thinking. (God even used Sat. morning cartoons to remind me of this! Hillarious!)
Jeremiah 23:38 Although you claim, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' this is what the LORD says: You used the words, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' even though I told you that you must not claim, 'This is the oracle of the LORD.'
And as is common around here, Mattie reminded me not to be discouraged. "So...," she said, "I don't care who we work with. It doesn't matter to me."
SO TRUE, So True! From the mouth of babes.....
Anyway we have been in contact with Blessing the Children for a while now. They are opening the 1st phase of their new Adana Education Center in Ethiopia this September. They have been eager to have us work with them from the very beginning, and they now have a financial plan for our family to be career missionaries (meaning 1+ years) with them. They would love to have someone there starting in September of this year, but they are very flexible as far as a start date and commitment length. They have been so encouraging and helpful to us as we seek to follow God's call on our lives.
Right now we are in prayer for a specific answer: when are we supposed to go to Africa? There are a couple of big things that need to happen before we could go: the sell of the business and the sell of our house. Again, right now we are just in prayer about when to take these next steps.
We are also in contact with some "friends of a friend" who just recently moved to Tanzania to start an orphanage and work on teaching sustainability among the natives. You can check out Carson's and Holly's blog to read about their journey.
It is soooo exciting to see all the ways God is at work! We just got word from some friends that God has called them to adopt from Ethiopia! One more precious orphan will be getting a forever family. Every child in a home is an answered prayer! Caring for orphans is definately contagious and has a domino effect.
Thank you God that it only takes 1 person listening to your voice to make a big difference!
YOU are that 1 person! Glory to God for all the people He has used to open our eyes to His heart.
Update:
For anyone who is wondering, we did hear back from the Drawn from Water group. Since they are in the beginnings of getting things up and running, they are not sure of all their needs. Right now they are not in need of additional staff, but could definately use prayer and financial support. There is a family from California that is going to help run the orphanage, and another family from Germany that is going to work with the tribe. Their prayer is that within 3-5 years they can eradicate the false beliefs of the tribe relating to "mingi" and return the rescued children to their families.
God is doing an amazing work delivering these children from death and working to free these people from Satan's grasp. We will continue to be in prayer for everyone involved. Who knows what all God has planned, amazing things I'm sure!
God did remind me this week, through His Word, to be careful what I claim as a word from Him. No doubt, God has planned for us to be involved with Drawn from Water, but perhaps not in the way I was thinking. (God even used Sat. morning cartoons to remind me of this! Hillarious!)
Jeremiah 23:38 Although you claim, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' this is what the LORD says: You used the words, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' even though I told you that you must not claim, 'This is the oracle of the LORD.'
And as is common around here, Mattie reminded me not to be discouraged. "So...," she said, "I don't care who we work with. It doesn't matter to me."
SO TRUE, So True! From the mouth of babes.....
Anyway we have been in contact with Blessing the Children for a while now. They are opening the 1st phase of their new Adana Education Center in Ethiopia this September. They have been eager to have us work with them from the very beginning, and they now have a financial plan for our family to be career missionaries (meaning 1+ years) with them. They would love to have someone there starting in September of this year, but they are very flexible as far as a start date and commitment length. They have been so encouraging and helpful to us as we seek to follow God's call on our lives.
Right now we are in prayer for a specific answer: when are we supposed to go to Africa? There are a couple of big things that need to happen before we could go: the sell of the business and the sell of our house. Again, right now we are just in prayer about when to take these next steps.
We are also in contact with some "friends of a friend" who just recently moved to Tanzania to start an orphanage and work on teaching sustainability among the natives. You can check out Carson's and Holly's blog to read about their journey.
It is soooo exciting to see all the ways God is at work! We just got word from some friends that God has called them to adopt from Ethiopia! One more precious orphan will be getting a forever family. Every child in a home is an answered prayer! Caring for orphans is definately contagious and has a domino effect.
Thank you God that it only takes 1 person listening to your voice to make a big difference!
YOU are that 1 person! Glory to God for all the people He has used to open our eyes to His heart.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Going Upstream
God is so faithful, so good. It blows my mind. I am having a hard time even putting thoughts together and typing. I believe that God has revealed where we are supposed to go and it is just like God to tie everything together.
If you take a look back at our first post you will remember that God called us to "go upstream". I remember Chad coming downstairs and saying, "We have to go upstream and find out who's throwing people in the water." He was sooo right. All along Mattie and I have felt called to go specifically to Ethiopia, but we didn't really know why or with who or how.........but God knows.
Tracy, a friend of ours posted this video on her page and told us to watch it. I was overwhelmed with the sense that God was saying "This is it". Please check out this video and the web site (specifically the page that tells "the story".) These children are called "mingi" or cursed and they are being saved from being drowned in the water by their tribe---www.drawnfromwater.org . I emailed the contact immediately (tonight). They are a family with 5 kids and they are moving to Ethiopia in 5 weeks to help run the orphanage for these precious children. I can't wait to see what God has planned. Please pray for us. Please pray for these precious children. And Praise God for His perfect plan!
Drawn from Water from Drawn From Water on Vimeo.
Thank you God for Tracy and her family. Thank you Tracy for listening to God and heeding His callings on your life. Thank you Elle for being so passionate for God and His children.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Waiting
I'm not very good at this............but, this is where we are right now. Waiting on God, waiting on answers from organizations, waiting on Maclain to sleep.
In the mean time, we are trying to listen and obey the "next steps" God is calling us to. Recently this has mostly revolved around finding ways to raise and save money. The kids are a constant source of encouragement to me. They are fully convinced of where God is calling us and they are eager to contribute anything they can to help us get to Africa to help the orphans. Tucker figured out we could use all their money in their piggy banks to get there. They all want to have a garage sale. We have started making and selling laundry detergent ($2/gallon if you're interested---cheap and it works really well!). Mattie has designed a couple of T-shirt ideas and is very ready to make and sell them to raise money.
I am planning on having a Green Gold Party for our families in the near future. It's a party where you can actually take money home instead of spending it and a percentage will go toward helping us help the fatherless! More to come on that.
Mattie continues to tell me that God is telling her that we are going soon and we need to get ready. Chloe hears God telling her to love people, even people she doesn't know. Tucker is realizing how many problems there are in the world, and he continues to lift them up to God.
From the mouth of babes! I am so thankful to have a God who speaks to each one of us.........I am so thankful that our precious children are listening to Him!
So I will try to be patient. I know God planned everything out before we were ever created and He will be faithful to do what He has called us to.
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:6
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph. 2:10
In the mean time, we are trying to listen and obey the "next steps" God is calling us to. Recently this has mostly revolved around finding ways to raise and save money. The kids are a constant source of encouragement to me. They are fully convinced of where God is calling us and they are eager to contribute anything they can to help us get to Africa to help the orphans. Tucker figured out we could use all their money in their piggy banks to get there. They all want to have a garage sale. We have started making and selling laundry detergent ($2/gallon if you're interested---cheap and it works really well!). Mattie has designed a couple of T-shirt ideas and is very ready to make and sell them to raise money.
I am planning on having a Green Gold Party for our families in the near future. It's a party where you can actually take money home instead of spending it and a percentage will go toward helping us help the fatherless! More to come on that.
Mattie continues to tell me that God is telling her that we are going soon and we need to get ready. Chloe hears God telling her to love people, even people she doesn't know. Tucker is realizing how many problems there are in the world, and he continues to lift them up to God.
From the mouth of babes! I am so thankful to have a God who speaks to each one of us.........I am so thankful that our precious children are listening to Him!
So I will try to be patient. I know God planned everything out before we were ever created and He will be faithful to do what He has called us to.
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:6
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph. 2:10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
