All Aboard!

 

 

If you've read here before, you probably know that one of the ministries that I love and adore

is the folks at Children's HopeChest; an internationally focused organization based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their motto is simple: Encourage orphans to thrive in their home culture and know God through a personal relationship with Christ.

 

While HopeChest's model is simple, it is the approach that I adore.

Take an American community; a church, a school, a business, etc.

and partner them with an international community;

a village, a church, a school, etc. who is in need of encouragement and capital.

This partnership provides that the American partner obtain individual sponsors at $34 per month for

the children currently in the international program

to provide basic medical care, school and uniforms.

Individual sponsors are encouraged to send letters to their sponsorship child.

 

But the commitment doesn't end there.

The American partners are encouraged to send a travel group at least once a year to check the progress of the development and assess other needs which may lead to other development projects.

 

For example, this year, LoPa Art stepped up to fund through our art sales, a brick making project for the Hand for the Needy care point in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Currently, all of the children at HFN are individually sponsored, but the care center

was is desperate need of income generating ideas for the elder boys aging out of the system.

Thus, the brick making project was born.

(And fully funded by the way. :)

 

 

Currently HopeChest has 150 care points and projects in 8 different countries wold wide.

 

I have advocated for HopeChest to partner with two congregations in our metro area 

and LOVE watching the communities here fall in love with two separate communities in Uganda.  

 

While my family sponsors other children through other organizations over the world, I love through our church that all of our children know each other. Each time a trip from Westmoore Church travels to Ngariam, Uganda, we are updated with pictures and videos of our kids.

Our family's small group love sharing letters from one another's sponsored kids.

Such a beautiful picture of community here in South Oklahoma City.

And in Ngariam, Uganda.

 

So image my giddy delight when HopeChest asked me to accept a volunteer position with them.

To advocate for other churches, schools and businesses to travel with me once a year to the different countries HopeChest serves worldwide.

Uh...YES!!!

I only had one request...that this first trip would be to my favorite place.

You know what it is...

Ethiopia.

 

So that's where we're headed.

July 6-16th, 2013.

There are currently 5-6 new locations that are looking for an American partner.

We will travel to these locations as well as 2 sites that are currently being sponsored so that

you may see the difference between what a partnership and un-partnership can mean.

We will spend time in the capital city of Addis Ababa and also in the rural region of Awassa.

We will also be traveling to the red light district in Addis to minister to the over

40,000 prostitutes and children who live there.

 

If you, your pastor, your best friend, your manager, your church leadership board would

like to know more information about partnership, email me.

I'll send you some information about travel, partnership and Ethiopia in general.

I cannot wait to lead this trip with HopeChest staff and see the way God uses this for His glory.

Now...go pack your bags!

Seeing...

LoPa started as a dream of three mamas who loved Ethiopia and wanted to provide a way to fund the children we had come to know with food, education and the love of a Heavenly Father.

We started funding the program with just the sales from the art that you all bought and

Hands for the Needy officially opened last September as an Ethiopian non-profit.

We had 50 kids in the program.

50 precious gifts who would no longer be defined by their existence in a trash dump.

The Hero and I travelled last September to finalize the paper work and to help organize

a few things on the ground.

One of the team members who travelled with us was my amazing friend Amy,

whose husband works for Children's HopeChest.

The entire trip we kept praying and hoping that God would allow

LoPa, Hands for the Needy and Children's HopeChest to join forces.

We are thrilled to announce that it is finally happened.

With this partnership, there are currently over 200 kids

enrolled in the Hands for the Needy program.

I never thought that I would see how God was using so many people

that I love so much to continue to do His will.

But here it is:

A chance for you to see.

To write.

To connect your heart to another.

For only $34 a month.

LoPa is going to continue to bring you great product.

Our proceeds are going to continue to fund Hands for the Needy.

But as individual sponsors step up and choose to be a part of this program,

LoPa will be able to fund bigger projects, building projects, trade training projects...

So for the next couple of posts, I'm going to introduce you to some of the kids

we met back in September, who are now available for sponsorship.

Many of you have asked us about the kids in our program

and now you have the opportunity to walk this journey next to them.

First up is Asechalew.

He gets to go first because he is The Hero's favorite.

This is his family.

Asechalew is on the far right.

He is a twin with the precious angel standing next to him.

He and The Hero played thumb wars.

A lot of thumb wars.

Asechalew is 8 years old and is ready to be sponsored.

If you go here. It will take you right to his profile and you can start sponsoring him.

We are so blessed to be able to bring you this opportunity

and can't wait to see who God lays on your heart.

Speaking in Public.

I don't scare very easily, but this last Saturday, I was definitely shaking in my sparkly pink TOMS. Westmoore Community Church held their annual women's conference and asked me to come speak about our adoption and sponsorship opportunities through Children's HopeChest and the work we do in Ethiopia through LoPa.
I'm used to public speaking, but speaking in front of a group of women is the scariest thing I've ever done and my own personal nightmare. Remember, I have girl issues.
We had done a run through on Friday night and I thought I would be holding a hand held microphone for my talk. Imagine my surprise when they hooked me up to a wireless mike ten minutes before I was to start.
I had been really good at controlling my breathing and not staring at the 200 individual female faces staring towards the stage. But about 10 minutes before I was to go on, I suddenly had the urge to tinkle. "You should go" i told myself, just in case, despite the fact I went 5 minutes prior.
I hurried into the little girls room and locked myself in a stall. I turned to unhook the battery pack from my belt loop and my sweaty hands slipped against the plastic of the case of the mike and...
I watched in slow motion as the battery pack hurled itself into the toilet. I felt myself scream but it was too late.
That was it. I'd never be asked to speak again.
Or I'd permanently have attached to my resume, the woman who sinks expensive audio equipment.
If I was nervous before, I was terrified now.
The urge to tinkle had vanished and I bolted from the stall as if I was being chased. The audio guy was already having a bad day since he was the only testosterone in a sea of estrogen, so my little accident was not good news. I was almost sobbing when he realized he not only had to fix my mike, but also calm me enough so the next speaker spot wasn't filled with a crying, hysteric woman who babbled about toilets and microphones. He graciously took my wet mess of equipment, repeatedly assured me he'd fix it, but I'd have to use a hand mike for my talk.
I nodded and then I was being introduced.
There was no more time to be nervous, only time to get going.
I clenched my Bible and my notes and griped the hand held microphone. I prayed that God would be glorified and that my voice would carry His message.
My 30minutes flew by and I only cried once (& it wasn't about the mike incident)!
It was an amazing time sharing how God used our family's story for lifting up His heart and LoPa got to display a booth to continue to raise awareness for what we do in Ethiopia. Thank you so much Westmoore Community Church for letting me share.

At the time of this posting, the microphone is fixed and continues to be in use. Whew!