Sophia's story

As this year comes to a close and we all pause to think of all the blessings in our lives I thought it would be a good time to share with you a few testimonies from students in Rwanda. After the holiday season I will share a few more, but for now I will share with you Sophia's story......

I am called Sophia Mukamabano born in 1980 in a family of twelve children where I am the last born of my parents. When the war of genocide broke out in Rwanda I was then in primary five and sometimes, things are not easy to speak out or testify due to such awful calamity and hardship I have gone through.

It really seemed to be no way out and it sounded like there was not any kind of break through while our lovely nation was full of holocaust country wide in 1994 to the extent that after the war survivors were found moving around the streets hopelessly.

Within no time I found myself alone because my parents and brothers and sisters had been exterminated by the horrible genocide and I was then fourteen years old. You can not imagine my feelings; suffering, hunger, disease s, loneliness rejection and disappointment to the extent thatI wished I had not survived.

That was when I saw the hand of God when I met my maternal uncle who had also survived and welcomed me in his home. He however did not have ability to help me go back to school but at least he provided me food and shelter.

By goodness’ sake, I will never forget the time I met Tillie A Canadian parent who had visited Rwanda. I really saw her as a gift from heaven but the most important thing is the time she allowed me sponsorship so that I could follow my studies up to the university level. She has been one of my unforgettable person for her help turned my life around especially my last four years in a private university where it required her to pay a lot of money. She has provided all fees till I graduated in 2010 with Bachelor’s degree in social sciences.

As I write this testimony, I see myself participating in nation building not as useless girl as I used to see my self after genocide and God willing ,I believe I will even per sue Education to higher heights of which if there was sponsorship, I am not sure where I could be by now.

I am now a respected lady married with two daughters; one is five and another one is four years old. I am still on job search but very happy and all that I have achieved in life is attributed to God and my sponsor.

I can not close my testimony with out deeply thanking Tillie and all other people that help the needy and I believe with all my hear t that God will not fail to reward them here and even in heaven; as God promises in word that “ he who gives the poor is a creditor to God.”

Long live my sponsor, long live other sponsors and I pray that partnership between Rwanda and sponsors continue for it changes many hopeless lives and hopefull lives like it has to my life

With sincere gratitude and many blessings to you all who endeavor to open up your hearts and hand to help the poor.

Sophia Mukamabano.

Isn't it amazing how $30 per month can CHANGE A LIFE! A big THANK YOU to all our current sponsors and to those of you inspired by this and wondering if there is a child who might need you.....here's a few lives you could change!

Josseline

Josseline was born on March 19, 1997. Her father is deceased and she lives with her mother. She has 4 brothers and 3 sisters. She likes children and when she was younger she used to like to carry a doll on her back, just like the Rwanda mamas do. She does fair in school and is very grateful for the support she has received so far.

Elizabeth

.

She was born on June 25, 1997. She lives with her mother. She has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Her favorite subjects are english and math and she gets very good grades. She likes to play volleyball. She continually promises to put much effort into her studies

Lewis

Lewis was born on November 15, 1996. He lives with his grandfather. His mother is a single mom and she cannot afford to send him to school. Lewis has no siblings. His favorite thing to study in school is languages. He does very well in school and he loves to play soccer.

To sponsor a child, please contact us via email.

mugishamin@yahoo.com

or call

603-832-3934

Shout out!

Just wanted to give a shout out to the DuncanFamily, the Hoover Family and the Petroro Family for changing the world for one child by giving them the opportunity to continue their education. This small act gives a child the chance to break the cycle of poverty that has ensnared their family. So, on behalf of Sharon, Allen and Christabella, we THANK YOU!

So many exciting things are happening with Mugisha Ministries! As I type this right now our first Uganda family is getting ready to land and be greeted by friends and family and introduce their new son. It doesn't get more exciting than that!

We also have a family in Rwanda right now that just finished up

all their paperwork and will be moving on to Nairobi this weekend to begin the visa process. Again....exciting times!

We are gearing up to host an appreciation event in November to all our donors, including our church family and families that sponsor children in Rwanda. I realize most sponsor families will not be able to attend due to the many miles between where you live and New Hampshire, but you will be getting an invitation anyway and we will be honoring you and praying for you that evening! =)

Then sometime this winter we will be having a very fun, fundraiser for the ministry and it is going to be a BLAST! More details to come soon on

this one!

We need to get this event planned soon because unfortunately this economy has hurt a lot of families and we have received several emails from donors that just cannot continue their support. I just can't stand the thought of these kiddos having to STOP going to school because their support has ceased. So I am doing everything in my power to raise funds to supplement the "holes" in the account until more donors can be found. I will re-post a few kids that are in danger of losing their ability to continue their education. If you could consider being a donor with a monthly commitment of $30 please let me know mugishamin@yahoo.com. Or if you can just give a one-time gift to help fill some of the gaps until we can find donors for these kids....you can do so by using the paypal "donate" button just under the logo at the top

of the blog. Thank you. Here is our list of kids needing a donor to continue their education.

Josseline

Josseline was born on March 19, 1997. Her father is deceased and she lives with her mother. She has 4 brothers and 3 sisters. She likes children and when she was younger she used to like to carry a doll on her back, just like the Rwanda mamas do. She does fair in school and is very grateful for the support she has received so far.

Bright

Bright was born on October 5, 1996. He lives with his mother and has 5 brothers and 2 sisters. He enjoys playing football and his favorite subjects in school are math and english. He gets good marks in school. Bright also promises to work hard and improve year after year.

Elizabeth

She was born on June 25, 1997. She lives with her mother. She has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Her favorite subjects are english and math and she gets very good grades. She likes to play volleyball. She continually promises to put much effort into her studies.

Assumpta

Assumpta was born on August 25, 1993. She lives with her mother. She has 2 brothers and 1 sister. Her father is deceased.

Her favorite subjects in school are French and Mathematics. Her progress is above average and she is described as a social girl. She also loves to sing.

Lycan

Lycan was born on February 2, 2001. She lives with both parents who are very sick with HIV/AIDS. She has 1 brother and 1 sister. Her favorite subject is drawing. She also enjoys playing soccer.

Lewis

Lewis was born on November 15, 1996. He lives with his grandfather. His mother is a single mom and she cannot afford to send him to school. Lewis has no siblings. His favorite thing to study in school is languages. He does very well in school and he loves to play soccer.

Unity

Unity was born on October 11, 1992. He lives with both parents and has 2 brothers and 1 sister. Both parents are poor and cannot pay school fees. He does good in school and his favorite subjects are mathematics and english. He loves singing and soccer.

Alison

Alison was born on August 3, 1996 lives with her mother and has 1 brother and 1 sister. Her favorite subjects are mathematics and science. She loves to sing and play hide and seek.

Mugisha’s Educational Sponsorship Program!

Sorry for not posting in a while. We have been very busy here at Mugisha Ministries. While we continue to assist families with independent adoptions in Rwanda, we have also expanded our adoption services to Uganda and our first family is scheduled to appear for court in Uganda on September 1!

My last post was all about our first fundraiser for the educational sponsorship program in Rwanda that we were getting ready to oversee. Well, things are under way and we are now able to connect the fortunate with the less fortunate.

We have some immediate needs to make you aware of. Let me re-phrase that .....we don't just have “needs”; we have some CHILDREN that need your help. These children were being sponsored for years and due to the economy, their sponsors have informed us that they can no longer support these children. These are kids that are already used to going to school with their friends and now they are in jeopardy of being told that they may not continue with their schooling due to lack of sponsorship.

Allow me to introduce these precious ones to you:

Meet ChristaBella.

She was born on November 9, 2000. Her father is deceased. She lives with her mother, who has heart trouble. She has 4 brothers and 4 sisters. Christa Bella gets good marks in school. She likes math the best and when she grows up she wants to be a doctor. She enjoys reading books, watching films and visiting with friends.

Meet Josseline

Josseline was born on March 19, 1997. Her father is deceased and she lives with her mother. She has 4 brothers and 3 sisters. She likes children and when she was younger she used to like to carry a doll on her back, just like the Rwanda mamas do. She does fair in school and is very grateful for the support she has received so far.

Meet Elizabeth

She was born on June 25, 1997. She lives with her mother. She has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Her favorite subjects are english and math and she gets very good grades. She likes to play volleyball. She continually promises to put much effort into her studies.

Meet Bright

Bright was born on October 5, 1996. He lives with his mother and has 5 brothers and 2 sisters. He enjoys playing football and his favorite subjects in school are math and english. He gets good marks in school. Bright also promises to work hard and improve year after year.

Meet Sharron

Sharon was born in 1994. She lives with her brothers, sisters and other relatives. Her favorite school subjects are writing and dancing. Sharron has a promising future as she ranked as one of the top students in her class this year. Her goal is to be first in her class next year.

Meet Allan

Allan was born in 1994. Allan lives with relatives. His mother passed away and his father is a soldier. He has 1 brother. His favorite subjects are math and writing. He enjoys playing soccer and football. He would like to visit the USA someday.

If you think that you have room in your budget or could sacrifice a dollar a day to help these kids continue their education, please email mugishamin@yahoo.com. We would be glad to get you connected with one of these 6 children. There are many more in need, but we are considering these 6 our top priority since they have already been going to school for years now and we would hate for their schooling to be interrupted. $30 per month can bring hope to the life of these children.

Mini-golf for Mugisha!

I think I will let the pictures tell the story!



Rudi Koornneef: Fundraising Coordinator Extraordinaire!


Just some happy golfers!


Mugisha Ministries President, Mark Seltzer and his wife Annie who is also on the board of directors for MM came out to support the event!


Our display.


The tee shirts given to every golfer.....such a cute model, huh?!


That's me on the left and this is Anne Stewart, Mugisha Ministries Treasurer and Secretary, and yeah, she's awesome!


One of the fabulous cupcakes donated by Rudi's mom, Beth, that started a business called, "Cupcakes for a Cause". Each golfer was given a coupon to redeem one cupcake of their choice. YUM!


When all golfers were finished their 18 holes they gathered under the tent. They were about to announce the winners to the raffle, but Rudi asked me to address the crowd and tell them a bit about Mugisha Ministries.

Here is Rudi with her very proud mom and dad.

Here I am with Rudi and Mark, the owner of Chuckster's.


In addition to providing the venue, Chuckster's also gave each golfer free ice cream and a flex coupon to be used anytime to ride the go-carts or use the batting cages. Lot's of fun stuff to do at Chuckster's....like they say it's FUNbelievable!

Ok....Here is Rudi presenting me with the final check after all the festivities were over.


In this picture I had not yet even looked at the amount and I'm glad I didn't, 'cause when I did, I got a little teary and when that happens, my nose gets instantly red....rudolph red! Anyway....this amazing young woman raised ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY ONE dollars! That amount will provide 35 children with a complete package of supplies including uniforms, exercise books, pens, and mathematical sets. What an impact this will have on these children. Thank you Rudi, and all her friends that came out to support this event. We were blessed and these children will be too.

Mini-golf Fundraiser

About a month before I left for Uganda the youth pastor announced at youth group one night that the offering collected over the next month would be given to Mugisha Ministries to use to bless the orphans of Uganda. I had no idea. I am on youth staff at our church and so I was there, of course, and he asked me to come up and say a few words about Mugisha Ministries and what we would be doing in Uganda. After youth group was over, one girl came up to talk to me and she was all excited. She said that she was doing her senior project on orphans in Africa and she needed to interview someone related to her topic. She asked to interview me. I said, "of course!". We emailed back and forth a few times for the interview and then she sent me an email stating that as part of her senior project she was planning a fundraiser to give to "orphans" and that she was originally going to give the money to a larger organization, but that she really wanted to be a part of helping Mugisha Ministries. She spoke to the sponsor hosting the event and he agreed that he would love the proceeds to go to a more "local" organization.

The really cool part of the story for me is that I was just asking God for encouragement in this area. I knew that we needed to start putting together a committee of some sort to work on fundraising and awareness events and then....BAM....encouragement pops into my inbox from this young woman who has already planned out first fundraiser for us. God is so cool!

The event is: "Mini-golf for MUGISHA"

Located at: Chuckster’s Family Entertainment Center, Chichester, NH

Hosted by: Rudi Koornneef as a fundraiser for Mugisha Ministries

Saturday, May 14, 9:00am (rain date May 21)

$15 per person; open to everyone

Includes: 18-hole “instant win” round of mini golf, ice cream, soft drinks, event T-shirt, prizes Proceeds benefit Mugisha Ministries Rwanda Education program

Every hole will have an instant win prize for everyone who gets a hole-in-one! Prizes include Chucksters passes, restaurant gift certificates, sodas, and more!

Register by email to: chucksterspringfling@yahoo.com; limited to first 72 registrants

Be sure to stay tuned....I will post pictures of the event and let you know what a great success it was!

If you can't make the event, but would like to give to the educational sponsorship program, you can do so by using paypal at the top of the blog.

The money raised will go toward buying textbooks, uniforms, and supplies for all the children that are currently being sponsored. There will also be an opportunity for people to "sign up" to become a sponsor of a child in need of educational scholarships. If you want to sponsor a child for $30 per month, leave a comment or email Tina at mugishamin@yahoo.com

Friday

First day we got to sleep past 6:30! Woo Hoo! We slept in till 7 and had a meeting at 9 with one of the baby homes we had previously visited. We spent about 2 hours brainstorming ideas on how to partner together for the benefit of their children. We discussed everything from adoption to toilet paper to sewing machines....seriously! It was a fabulous meeting and I am so excited about all the projects that we brainstormed together and it was such a blessing to see them get so excited and encouraged by our ideas as well. More to come on that soon!

After our meeting we met up with the Director of the baby home we visited in Jinja. She had gotten stuck in Kampala while we were in Jinja so we missed each other yesterday so we arranged to meet for lunch. We at a Java Cafe(?)....I can’t quite remember the name, but it is located in the Oasis/Nakumatt Mall.


It is kinda like a cross between Starbucks/Panera/Applebees? Decor like a Starbucks, with great coffee, smoothies, milkshakes, etc, but with a full menu from fruit platters to hamburgers to mexican food too. I got Mexican food in Uganda! I just kinda thought that would be fun to say and it sounded good at the time....but anytime there is guacamole on the menu....it is easy to pull me in! Another GREAT meeting. More great ideas!

Then we went to the Friday market which is the spot for local crafts, jewelry, scarves, bags, flip flops, you name it! Did some shopping for my kids and ok...maybe I bought myself a pair of earrings....and a pair of flip flops....and some new oven mitts....and oh yeah..some super cute candle holders. Yeah, like I said, we shopped for the kids and then headed back to our guesthouse to chat with our driver friend who is part of that ministry I told you about a few days ago....Be a Blessing. Talked about some ideas he has and then at 4:30 we met up with a couple that had contacted me about Rwanda adoption, but then Rwanda closed and the ended up going with Uganda and they happened to be in Uganda NOW picking up their 2 new daughters and they are staying just down the road...literally...walking distance away! It was fun. Came home and skyped with my daughter for like an hour and she had us laughing so hard we were crying...just funny stories from her week. And we later got to chat with our boys too.
Tomorrow we will meet with Be a Blessing to try to help them set up a blog as an alternative website for their ministry. Then it’s off to the airport!

Thursday: Jinja

Today we had a meeting in the morning and then headed out to Jinja to visit another home. We made a few pit-stops along the way...one that I will remember whenever I think of Uganda. Now, I know you might be expecting some description of some real poignant moment or encounter with someone along the way that touched my heart oh so deeply...but in reality....it was an unforgettable experience with chicken! Yes...chicken....in fact...it was chicken on a stick. Yummy AND fun!

On the way to Jinja there is sort of a road side market/BBQ. I can’t remember what it was called, but if you ever plan to come to Uganda all you have to do is ask anyone to take you to the place (on the way to Jinja) that has chicken thighs cooked over the fire. Of course it is a long way to go just for chicken on a stick, so make a day of it and actually go all the way into Jinja for the day. There are some cool sights to see in Jinja, some pretty falls and rapids of the Nile River and even the source of the Nile is there. There is a place you can bungi jump over the Nile too. The best part about going all the way into Jinja for the day is that you can get chicken for lunch on the way there....and then stop for dinner on the way back! And if you are like me...you might even get 2 chicken sticks for dinner...I know...oink. But it was worth it..so good!...ok I promise...I’ll stop about the chicken already...oh...sorry...one more thing that might make all the difference in your future chicken on a stick experiences in Uganda...don’t buy the chicken from the millions of people that will rush to your car but ask your driver or Ugandan friend to get out of the car and go to the fire to get the fresh ones. They also have liver pieces or chicken gizzards on a stick too! This reminds me that we have all these pictures but can you believe that we forgot to pack the cord to download the pics to my laptop! Sorry...you will have to wait till we get home to see some pics of our adventures.

As a sidenote, probably did not make any news back home, but people have been holding these “walk to work” protests to express to the government that the fuel prices are out of control and as we were heading out of Kampala some commotion began between police and the protestors... and then apparently another protest was going on in another town that we had passed through already. The only way we knew anything even was happening was that someone had called one of our friends and asked where they were to make sure they weren’t caught in the commotion. So we felt very protected by God to have not been caught up in all that during our travels! Needless to say, we decided to hang out in Jinja for longer than we had originally planned in order to not hit any major towns along the way during “rush hour”. We did not see a single issue there or back.

So....in Jinja...we visited a baby home that we just loved. The aunties were awesome, they knew every child’s name and age. We were there during nap time so we did not disturb their naps but just played with a few that were awake while we chatted with 2 aunties and got a tour of the 2 different facilities that they run. One for babies and one for older kiddos.

After our visit there, we decided to go see Bujagali Falls along the Nile River. It was beautiful and a nice cool spot on a hot day. Best part.... I got to put my feet in the Nile River!




After that, we decided we could head back to Kampala, with one important pit-stop on the way home...for CHICKEN...I know I promised to stop...but I couldn’t resist. =) Can you see how happy I am about the chicken!

Update

Thank you all for praying. I heard from my daughter that Brayden is feeling better today. I am trying to stay awake so that I can give the kids a call in about an hour. We had another great day. Really fun. We were able to visit a few different baby homes today and learned more about the work they do.
Nsambya was a very well organized home with many helpers and children that all seemed very happy and content. I loved seeing their facility and learning more about all the work they do for vulnerable children of all ages. Our wheels are spinning as we contemplate how we might be able to support their efforts in educating children and training the older girls with skills to earn a living. Brock and I each got to hold some wee little ones as we toured the rest of the home. I really loved this home and was impressed with the cleanliness and organization that made it clear they want the best for these kids.
We also visited Dwelling Places and I don't think I could even remember all the different ministries that they manage, but it is incredible... they go out in to the streets and build relationships with the street children and from there they have several programs to educate and reintegrate the children back into their communities. They do so many things it is hard to even describe. Most of the children here ranged from age 6 or 7-17 years old so when we brought out the jump ropes and soccer balls they were overjoyed. One of the teachers told me that they had been wanting jump ropes so badly. That made my day! We had many for them and it was so fun to see them jumping rope with huge smiles from ear to ear. We also got to pass out little bendable figures some shaped like animals and there were a few ninjas and cowboys mixed in and when I handed a ninja to one of the older boys he shouted out, "oh yes!" I think he must have been 16 or so but was thrilled to have this small ninja toy. LOVED that moment.
Another favorite moment was when Brock was holding one little boy about a year old and a girl about 3. Both kiddos had a lollipop and even though the baby boy had his own pop he was sucking on, this sweet girl bit a small piece off of her pop and placed it in the babies mouth. LOVE THAT
Ok another cute moment....we had opened the suitcase full of shoes and clothes and a pair of green flip flops fell out on the ground and this little 3 year old girl, who had been very shy all morning, just stood there staring at them and when I looked closely, she had one little finger pointing at them....I could tell she really wanted these new shoes so I helped her put them on and she almost smiled...then I pulled out a pair of boys athletic pants and she immediately stripped down so that she could put them on. PRECIOUS! I finally got a smile when she started playing with a jump rope.
Well I'm getting sleepy so I will sign off and try to call home now. Until tomorrow......

Prayer Request =)

To anyone following this blog....would you please pray for my oldest son, Brayden? He has been sick ever since the day we left...OF COURSE!....and his Grammy brought him to the doctor and while he has no strep throat or ear infections, his fever still comes and goes and he is just not feeling well and I'm half way around the world. I know that he will be fine and this is not a crisis by any means, but it would bless me to know people are lifting him up in prayer. Thanks! =)

Tuesday

As I type this entry, I am sitting in the car as we drive back to Kampala. I look out the window at the green hills in the back ground with the red clay in the forefront and am once again just struck by God’s creation and the beauty of Africa. I wonder how it is that I have come to love a land so foreign to me and yet it feels like home at the same time. Only God can do such a thing. Sometimes people here think Americans are the lucky ones and that we are so blessed and I can’t help but laugh at the fact that I have the opposite opinion. Yes, I have more possessions, but these things are only a temptation to cling to something other than God. These people simply love God for WHO HE IS....not WHAT He has blessed them with. Can I say the same? Can you?

Sorry for the heavy, deep thought moment....let me just get back to telling you about my day =) So we arrived back in Kampala in good time and proceeded to a market to gather more supplies of food for tomorrow’s agenda. We will go to 3 different baby homes near Kampala and try to be a blessing to the children and workers there. After the market we came back to clean up a bit and try to email our family. We were invited to meet with a ministry that our driver participates in call “Be a Blessing” ministry. What a treat. We were greeted so warmly and laughed with each other. One of the men on the team introduced himself as “Brown”, to which Brock says, “I noticed!” and I went to shake his hand and said, “I am white.” They all busted out laughing...it was so fun to joke around with them. Brown proceeded to share a passage from Luke chapter 19 and then he shared how God was speaking to him through these verses and then we all had the opportunity to share our thoughts on the verses. We then heard about their ministry which is really all about using your passions and talents to BE A BLESSING and seek ways to take action. They closed the meeting by singing, “Worthy is the Lamb” and praying. Across the street from where we were meeting is a restaurant called Cafe Roma.



We got some yummy pizza for dinner and came back to the guesthouse to organize all the donated items to be distributed tomorrow. We look forward to more smiles,giggles, and laughter that we know tomorrow will bring.

Monday April 11, 2011

We started out early in the day to begin the long journey to Ibanda. We stopped at the Equator along the way and took a picture to show our kiddos that mom and dad stood on the equator...cause how many times in your life can you say that you stood on the equator!


Then we continued on until. We became very hungry and stopped for lunch at Agip Motel in Mbabara. While the food was good, it took a long time to get served which made us even more late than we would have liked.

We stopped at a local market when we finally reached Ibanda to buy some rice, beans, potatoes, vegetables and bananas. When we arrived at the baby home around 6pm some children were out front playing and came running to the car to greet us. We played with these kiddos for a little while and then we were led to the backyard where more children were playing. They were all very cute. Brock and our driver brought the kids out front to distribute all the toys. I came back outside to many smiling children playing with jump ropes and balls. The caregivers were also excited about all the toys. And they all had a blast seeing their image on the screen of our camera! They kept pointing to each image and saying the names of their friends as they giggled. It was so adorable!

It was a good day, minus the headache I had been fighting all day, but a good productive day. We traveled back to Agip Motel for the night, had some dinner and then a nice hot shower to remove the insane amounts of red dust from our hair and skin. Now it is time to collapse in bed and rest up for the journey back to Kampala in the morning.

Some pics of Agip Motel...

We made it!

We have arrived safe and sound. We are all checked in at Emmaus Guesthouse and just finished dinner. The picture is the view from our table in the dining room looking out onto the garden area in back. We will soon head back to our room and finish organizing all the donated items. We are VERY tired. It was a long journey and I don't ever remember being this tired on my previous trips to Africa. As soon as we finish organizing we will get some sleep. Our driver will be here at 7am to bring us to meet up with our attorney friend and we will then head out to western Uganda. A six hour trek! We will spend the night out there tomorrow and be back here by Tuesday evening. I don't expect to have internet service....but if I do...I will update as I am able.

That's really all I have for now....all we have done is sit in a plane, airport or car...nothing real exciting to share.

Mugisha Ministries in Uganda

As I type this post there are probably 100 other things I should be doing to get ready for my trip to Uganda, and yet I will sit and take a moment to reflect and dream. I never would have imagined 4 years ago that I would be preparing for my 4th trip to Africa! But adoption changes everything! It changes YOU, it changes your family, it changes your priorities and in my case, it has changed my "work". I am trained to be a teacher and while I am not in a classroom setting anymore, in some ways I use those skills even today. God has done amazing things in my life and I am learning everyday what it means to truly hope.....to wait EXPECTANTLY for Him in every circumstance.

I am clinging to this hope as I get to head into some unknowns and wait for Him to show me His will for me personally and for the future of this ministry. I TRUST that He has equipped me for this, but if I am honest, I don't FEEL equipped. But I am also learning lately that if I let my FEELINGS dictate my state of mind, I will live in fear and that is NOT how He calls us to live. I am to be bold and I am to live in TRUTH.

The truth is that I believe He has called me to this. The truth is that the Lord loves me, He loves the orphan, and He has called me to DO something. Will my efforts be fruitful? The truth is that HIS will WILL be done as I submit to HIs leading. Will the outcome be what I expect and hope it to be? I have no idea....but I can trust that He will never leave me or forsake me. And I can trust that obedience will bring blessing. It may not be what I want or hope to happen, but I know that whatever happens there is purpose in it. So I go knowing that I cannot change the world, but I can do my part to change the world for ONE child at a time. Let the adventure begin!