Making our house a home!

So much has happened these past couple of months! To sum it up ... we moved to Ohio near my home town and bought a fixer-upper, starter home!

But let me start by saying that it was not an easy decision to leave Maryland. In fact, we loved it! (especially for me) I loved being near my sister and forming a strong relationship with my niece and nephew. I loved living in a small town up in the mountains. And I loved my jobs. (yes I had a couple part-time nanny jobs) Maryland was so good to us and we have no regrets about moving there.

We were also doing well financially because we were making sacrifices in how we spent our money. Many of our dates nights consisted of a .99 cent ice cream cone from McDonalds and a walk in the park. If we did go out to eat, it was at the small town restaurant where we could both eat for $15 easy. Curtis and I also went through Financial Peace University and became even more focused on how we spent and saved our money. We were both working as hard as we could, making sacrifices and seeing some major results.

We were also ready to buy a house and quite paying so much in rent per month. We were ready ... to settle down in a place that we could have a starter home and where Curtis could have more opportunity to pursue his passions in ministry and a career. And the best place we could think to do that was Ohio!

Then this summer we went on our mission trip with Visiting Orphans to Uganda/Kenya and God rocked our world! We were blown away by how "at home" we both felt there and how much we loved reaching out to the children there. I specifically felt like my calling and passion in life was confirmed and couldn't wait to get my feet back on African soil. But both Curtis and I knew deep down that it would probably be years until we went back. We know that God has some work for us to do here in America first. But that doesn't mean that we can't begin preparing ourselves now and placing ourselves in a position so that when God says, "Go!" we CAN go!!!

So in order to keep ourselves in that position we decided to buy an affordable, fixer-upper house that we could easily pay off ... and we had to move to Ohio in order to do that.

It took so many months of looking but we finally got our house! We have had the keys for 2 weeks now and tackled the renovation process head on! We are doing most all of the work ourselves with the help of my mom and dad. I thank God for my dad because if it wasn't for his expertise in carpentry/remodeling there is no way we could have taken on a project this big.

 

My mom and I are actually standing where the kitchen once was ... total demo!

We are raising the ceiling. 

Here is the height before and after

It makes it feel so much bigger inside!

 

Now that I have seen...

Now that we have seen and have held these children in our own arms... what will we do now??? We can't turn away and do nothing. But what can we do when we are so far away and so disconnected from the suffering of these children?

This is a question that we have asked ourselves as a couple and maybe you have asked yourself as well. Sometimes it can seem hopeless about whether or not we can really make a difference. Not one individual can change the world on their own... but we can make a world of difference in just one life... and for Curtis and I that is enough.

We have some big plans that we are storing in our hearts for the future and we are beginning to make decisions now that will position and enable us to one day walk forward in those plans. But what can we do right now???

Well, there is more that we can do than what we first think. I've got lots of ideas and here are just a few of them ...

•  We can sponsor a child either through Compassion International, Return Ministries, or another trusted organization

•  We can financially give towards "Feed My Starving Children" - this is an organization we got to know and became involved with while in Minnesota. Give just 22 cents and provide 1 meal for 1 child!

•  We can go on a trip to visit an orphanage overseas or with an organization like "Visiting Orphans"

•  We can adopt internationally or here in the States

•  We can foster a child here in the States

•  We can be advocates and raise awareness for orphans in our churches, at work, or with friends/family

•  We can pray!!!

•  We can read books and study about how to effectively help the poor and abandoned

Thank you for following our story, supporting our dreams and being interested enough to read our blog to learn more about how to reach out to orphans! Let's go make a world of difference in a child's life!

Some of my reflections ...

So it has been a couple of weeks now since we have been back from Africa and we have been able to really process and reflect on our experience there. We went so many places and saw so many children in such great need. How could our hearts not be moved?! And they were! Both Curtis & I long to return to Africa. It was crazy how we both felt more at home there than we do here in the States. God are you calling us long-term to Africa??? Maybe ... but not right now. It's not time for us to go but still we long for Africa and for the children. As we wait for God's timing to move us forward, we are seeking God on how to specifically get involved now. The question is not, will we get involved? ...  but HOW?

Why get involved? Here are some deep heart questions that I have wrestled with and the conclusions I have arrived at. Maybe you have asked yourself some of these same questions...

Sometimes I think to myself ... there are so many orphan ministries out there ... does the world really need another one? Then I remember that there are more than 153 million orphans in the world today (And the number continues to rise). So if there were ONE MILLION solid orphan ministries in the world (reaching 50 orphans each) then they would still only be reaching a portion of the children in need. Of course, the world needs more solid orphan ministries!

* That is not even counting all the children who have one or two parents but live in extreme poverty

But then I think to myself ... But with 153 million orphans ... am I really going to be able to make that much of a difference? But then I remember how precious just one single life is. I know that I value my own life and I am just ONE person... do I matter? YES! Does ONE orphaned child matter? YES! Each child has a name, a story, a future, hopes and dreams, and an impact that they will personally make in this world.

But then I think to myself ... But shouldn't I just focus on my own family and having my own children? ... but then I remember that my children will one day be growing up in the same world as these 153 million orphaned children. They will be walking along side them on the streets, working alongside them and possibly even marry one of them. The future of our world will be in the hands of the children, all of them! Who will we raise them to be? And how will they impact the world around them and the people next to them (one of them possibly being my own biological child)? Will we take care of them now so that when they grow up they will know how to take care of each other?

~ This little girl was still traumatized because she was abandoned by her mother and still remembered. She would not talk or interact with me at all or anyone else. For hours I held her, talked to her, and just lightly rubbed her arm to show her love. After such a long time, she finally opened up to me and began to play in the dirt. She was abandoned but brought into a new family at "Haven of Hope". My heart was broken at the realization of how deeply these children are wounded by their experiences. They are so desperate and hungry for love and attention.

God please lead us on how to get involved and make a difference in these children's lives!!!

More on our trip!

We went so many places and loved so many children but there were some very special people that God specifically placed on our hearts. So I wanted to share a bit more specifically on who truly captured our hearts on this trip.

Right at the beginning of the trip God brought us to an amazing ministry in Uganda. We were welcomed with such love and hospitality both from the ministry leaders and the children. "Return Ministries" seeks to care for the orphaned children in their area by placing them in homes within the community. They have about 150 children under their care that they work tirelessly to understand their background, care for their needs, feed them and teach them. As of right now, they are renting so much space for the their housing and church property. But because of the consistent need to pay rent on a monthly basis so much of the funds has to be used to sustain the ministry rather than giving where it is needed most ... in caring for the children. Their goal is to raise money so that they can purchase land so that they can build a community center. That way, they are no longer burdened by monthly rent and can use donated money for the children's school fees, clothing, medical bills, food and more! If you are interested in learning more about their ministry or donating towards their goal of purchasing land, please visit their website at http://www.returnministriesuganda.org/

Sarah and Samuel

founders of "Return Ministries"

At return ministries there was a specific girl who truly captured my heart. I only spent a few days with her but I did grow to love her deeply. Her name was "Valely"! She immediately ran to me from the moment she saw me and she barely left my side for 2 days. During that time we really took care of each other in little ways! We really grew a special connection and I could easily pick her out of crowd of 300 children. I will miss her dearly and pray that I will see her again one day!

Valely and I

While in Kenya at one of the orphanages there was a little boy who immediately ran and clung to me. His name is Moses! He was so impressed that I was able to speak some Swahili that he immediately ran and told some of his friends. He couldn't believe that a Mzunge (white person) could speak some of their language. He grew so dear to my heart during those days at the orphanage... he became a true friend!

Moses and I

And then there was Pauline at Amazing Grace children's home! Wow! She was so precious! I immediately felt a connection with her and was drawn to her sweet spirit. She was so thankful that we were there to visit them. When we handed her a small coloring book with 4 crayons she was the one who looked at me and asked, 

"Is this for me?!" 

I said, "Yes, just for you". 

She then responded... "Wow, it's BEAUTIFUL!!!"

She taught me something profound in that moment... What may seem insignificant and small to us could mean the world to an orphaned child. It doesn't take much to show them love and value. She taught me to be thankful for everything... no matter how big or small!

Pauline and I

A trip of a life time!

How do words begin to express 2 weeks in Africa, 2 countries, over 500 children, 5 ministries, 22 team members, and 1 million amazing memories?! "Amazing" doesn't even seem to do justice to begin to describe our experience but I will try!

Curtis and I both have had extensive mission experiences in the past. He has gone on more than 11 short term mission trips that brought him to nearly every continent in the world. and I had been to eastern Kenya for a total of about 17 months. But with all my time overseas, I had not spent much time specifically in orphan ministry. So I have to admit that even I doubted at times how effective we could be in such a short time there. But the most amazing aspect of this trip was to see how such simple acts of kindness could so deeply affect an orphaned child. These children are so hungry for love and attention that the simplest touch, hug, kiss or word of encouragement is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. What seems small and insignificant to us ... means the world to them! Wow! What simple, yet powerful love?!

What I continued to hear over and over again from the local people was such an expression of thanksgiving. They thanked us continually for being willing to leave our comfortable homes in America and travel half way across the world so that we could spend some time with them. They were so blessed by our visit and we were so blessed to know how much it meant to them!

Our team was on a mission not only to love and bless the orphaned children but also to relieve some of the burden for the workers. They work so hard day in and day out to care for the children so we wanted to go and serve them as well. There were times that we told the workers to go take a break while we cared for the children for a while. And twice we were able to shop for, prepare and serve a feast for the workers and children (And in Africa that is no small task!).

We also brought so much needed supplies like clothes, baby formula, wipes, diapers, medicine and more! My mom had brought an entire suite case full of supplies and had been praying about where to distribute the formula she had purchased. She didn't feel like she was supposed to give all the formula to the ministry that specifically requested it and so hung on to it, not knowing there was a need at the next orphanages we were going to. But sure enough, at "Haven of Hope" in Kenya my mom asked the owner whether or not she needed formula and the woman started crying and praising God... She had been praying for a week for formula because they were out. Both my mom and the owner broke down in tears because of God's goodness.

(Owner at Haven of Hope)

We also did a VBS lesson for all the children. We told them that they are beautifully made in God's image and that we are kings and queens in God's royal family when we believe in Jesus! We then had paper crowns for each child that they could personally decorate and keep. One of the girls on our team had brought a polarized camera. So we took a picture of each child with their crown and gave the picture to them to keep so they could always remember the truth they learned that day.

In Kenya especially, the older children like to write letters to you as a sign of friendship... and of course they would like a letter in return. At one of the orphanages we were staying at, the children wrote so many letters to us and they took the stickers and jewels that we gave them to decorate their crowns and used them to decorate our letters. How selfless! These children were taking what they had (what we had just given to them) and giving it to us!

These are just a few ways that we were used in Uganda and Kenya to serve the people there! Later I will post about individuals that we met and how they stole our hearts!

Please pray with us!

We are so excited about our trip in just a few days. It always amazes me on how fast time goes by when looking back. We have been waiting for this trip for about a year now, either in our hearts and/or actually planning and fundraising. We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support, love and prayers we have received fromm those whom we know. And we have been so thankful!!!

This time we are asking for your prayers while we are actually on the field. We will spend one week in Uganda and one week in Kenya. We will be taking 8 flights, stay in a rural village for a few days, come in contact with more than 500 orphans and visit up to 5 orphanages.

Would you please pray for us, with us and for those we will be coming in contact with?

Please pray for:

Safety for us, my mom and the team
That we will have increased energy and strength
That this will be a positive experience for my mom (this is her first mission trip)
That the children will know the love of Christ through us and be transformed!

Life with a few adventures!

Life is good and God has truly been so good to us during this season of life. Curtis and I are working hard in our jobs but also taking the opportunities at hand to embrace this season with joy. One day we went to visit DC to see the Cherry blossom trees in bloom and I told Curtis in the car on our way home, "We sure do like to work hard and play hard!" ... He responded with a laugh ... "Yah, and then we go home and sleep hard!" :) So yes, we are working hard, embracing some adventures and sleeping in when we can, since many times we don't go into work until later in the day.

So some quick updates:

- We are almost funded for our mission trip! We are only awaiting the finalization for our airline tickets and then we will know exactly where we stand financially! Any overage in finances that we raise will be used on the field during our trip to bless the children. Thank you so much to everyone who has given to us so far... we are blessed beyond measure for your support!

- It is warming up outside so Curtis & I are on a mission to get back into shape. Winter was cold this year so  it was extremely hard to keep up with exercising. But now the trees are in bloom and the sun is shining enough for us to start walking and jogging again. Curtis specifically wants to get back into shape so that he can go on some backpacking trips on the Appalachian trail! (A dream of his) I will be so glad to see him do that!

- My sister and I went to a ladies tea party at her church and it was so encouraging to my heart. I love women's events like that ... that focus on ministering to the feminine heart and inspiring the woman to use the gifts God has given her to serve others. During the tea party the Executive Director of "Hope Alive" came to speak about their ministry. They reach out to the homeless women and children in the Maryland area, providing them a home to stay in for 2 years as they get back on their feet financially or pursue an education. The work that they do is so inspiring and I am excited to possibly drop off some donations at the house in the near future since the house is only about 10 minutes away from us...

P.U.R.S.E

(Passionately Using Resources to Serve El Shaddai)

My heart is so blessed during this season of life! God continues to pour out His love on my heart and at times I am overwhelmed by His pure goodness! He truly is working in every area of our lives. All of the pain, hurt, troubles and sorrows that we endure during this life can all be turned around for our good with the Lord's work. He is in the business of redeeming, healing, and saving our souls! And His work is beautiful... hard at times, but if we keep enduring it will turn out to be BEAUTIFUL!!!