Thank you.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Day In Pictures, Tuesday April 19, 2011
Thank you.
And Who?
And just who do you impact when you financially support Beautiful Feet Global Outreach? Who's minds do you equip with knowledge through education? Who's bellies do you fill? Who's hope do you increase? Who's spirits do you open to the word of God and the love of Christ Himself?
Just these.....and many more like them.
To learn more about our organization, please visit http://www.beautifulfeetgo.org/ ALSO - please scroll down to see the other post I published today. Thank you.
Just these.....and many more like them.
To learn more about our organization, please visit http://www.beautifulfeetgo.org/ ALSO - please scroll down to see the other post I published today. Thank you.
More Zim Baby
Sunday in Zim - August 17, 2011
To my dismay, we went to a modern mega church led by white American pastors. I reserved the urge to say "been there done that every week for the past 11 years, but okay". While in Africa I do prefer the rural black African church where the Holy Ghost stomps, shouts and utters Jesus name twenty million times. Where the hairs rise stick straight off my arms from the goose bumps chilled by the same Holy Ghost. I do love me some tribal worship. But alas, not this time.
From the time I arrived until Sunday evening the boys have monopolized my face. They want to know everything so they probe, with permission. I love the boys so much. These teenage boys are so close to being men. In some ways they truly already are, as they work the fields and take long journeys by foot to retrieve this or that, or this and that, or this and that and those and more of these. They are always on the run to fetch something. And they are crafty. They have more skills than they realize, one of those being to monopolize my face. The girls wait to spend time with me and it seems they will wait forever. So at the end of the supper time I invited the girls to come to my room and share time with me without the boys. The boys visibly pouted and mourned. It was a funny sight. I love that they love me so much, but as I have no daughters I truly crave the girl time. Pleased, each girl agreed and thus the night of girl talk began. It almost did not end. I could not believe how much they would open up without the boys hogging the auntie. My my, those girls are something else. What a privilege and honor to be their sounding board, their temporary momma. I still have one solid week here to spend and even so I am already grieving the goodbyes that are scheduled. The thin wall that was standing between me and the girls is now shattered into dust. Goodbye, wall. Hello love.
I told the girls that I love the sound of the early morning sweeping. This morning I awoke to the loudest sounds of sweeping I've heard so far. I suppose they wanted to bless me.
I am blessed.
To my dismay, we went to a modern mega church led by white American pastors. I reserved the urge to say "been there done that every week for the past 11 years, but okay". While in Africa I do prefer the rural black African church where the Holy Ghost stomps, shouts and utters Jesus name twenty million times. Where the hairs rise stick straight off my arms from the goose bumps chilled by the same Holy Ghost. I do love me some tribal worship. But alas, not this time.
From the time I arrived until Sunday evening the boys have monopolized my face. They want to know everything so they probe, with permission. I love the boys so much. These teenage boys are so close to being men. In some ways they truly already are, as they work the fields and take long journeys by foot to retrieve this or that, or this and that, or this and that and those and more of these. They are always on the run to fetch something. And they are crafty. They have more skills than they realize, one of those being to monopolize my face. The girls wait to spend time with me and it seems they will wait forever. So at the end of the supper time I invited the girls to come to my room and share time with me without the boys. The boys visibly pouted and mourned. It was a funny sight. I love that they love me so much, but as I have no daughters I truly crave the girl time. Pleased, each girl agreed and thus the night of girl talk began. It almost did not end. I could not believe how much they would open up without the boys hogging the auntie. My my, those girls are something else. What a privilege and honor to be their sounding board, their temporary momma. I still have one solid week here to spend and even so I am already grieving the goodbyes that are scheduled. The thin wall that was standing between me and the girls is now shattered into dust. Goodbye, wall. Hello love.
I told the girls that I love the sound of the early morning sweeping. This morning I awoke to the loudest sounds of sweeping I've heard so far. I suppose they wanted to bless me.
I am blessed.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Just Joy
They begin brushing the carpets at 5 or 6 am. There is no vacuum cleaner here. They use handmade straw brooms, very small to hold lightly in on hand and they sweep sweep sweep sweep......every day. It is a soft rhythmic sound creeping under my door to tell me this is life in Africa.
I wake to no water. Wanting to brush my teeth, but no water. I improvise. You don't need to know the details. I brush with a soft rhythmic sweet void of water reminding me this is life in Africa.
I finally arise and come out of my room to one young girl assigned to be my personal hostess for 2 weeks. She is intent on not allowing me to do anything for myself. She locks my room to keep it safe and when I try to enter my locked room, she laughs at me. Sweet soft rhythmic laughter reminding me this is life in Africa.
I step outdoors to see where everyone is. They are washing dishes outside from the well water and the boys are washing their clothes, by hand, in a water pail with hand soap. They do this with smiles and simplicity. Rhythmic back and forth, in and out washing what precious little they can call their own. This is life in Africa.
I take a journey in the blessed blue truck, our first gift to the orphanage director, to go into town to get an internet connection. Wow, this is not life in Africa...but it is. I ask to buy fruit for the children and I am quickly taken to a market. But this is not any market. This is a wild market outside of town in an industrial area where the poorest of this area live. They hock fruit and potatoes in a farmers market type environment. Massive amounts of fruits and vegetables. Same goods, different prices.....they still have not learned marketing in these parts. I feel like the only white person in the entire country and they all spot me at the same time and begin to call out "lady lady come buy my fruit". I am accompanied by 2 well abled young men to guard and protect me. They do this very well. My sweet Boaz and Pastor Phillip....good company. Mighty good company. We choose apples, bananas, cucumbers and oranges. Loads. And I want to kick myself in the face for not having my camera. What a site. Rhythmic calls and hollars from the salesmen over their fruit. This is life in Africa.
I return home and share the most lovely evening with Fatima and the kids. They think I know everything based on all they ask me, and somehow the answers find me and confidently leak from my lips and I can see that the children treasure me. What a treasure they are. One lovely young lady followed me to my room to ask if we could talk. And of course to me this is like chocolate.....divinely sweet. My day could not be more full of joy. It is pure. Just joy.
30 children met me at the airport. All crammed into a bus for 20, plus all the adults. This is life in Africa. There is much to do here, much I will see and get to photograph and share. I will see the maize harvest and the chicken project. There is much to rejoice and much still to pray about. School fees are due the 10th of May and we need to raise $4,000 more. If you have ever considered sharing your pocket with these tender, beautiful, hopeful ones, now is a good time.
I wake to no water. Wanting to brush my teeth, but no water. I improvise. You don't need to know the details. I brush with a soft rhythmic sweet void of water reminding me this is life in Africa.
I finally arise and come out of my room to one young girl assigned to be my personal hostess for 2 weeks. She is intent on not allowing me to do anything for myself. She locks my room to keep it safe and when I try to enter my locked room, she laughs at me. Sweet soft rhythmic laughter reminding me this is life in Africa.
I step outdoors to see where everyone is. They are washing dishes outside from the well water and the boys are washing their clothes, by hand, in a water pail with hand soap. They do this with smiles and simplicity. Rhythmic back and forth, in and out washing what precious little they can call their own. This is life in Africa.
I take a journey in the blessed blue truck, our first gift to the orphanage director, to go into town to get an internet connection. Wow, this is not life in Africa...but it is. I ask to buy fruit for the children and I am quickly taken to a market. But this is not any market. This is a wild market outside of town in an industrial area where the poorest of this area live. They hock fruit and potatoes in a farmers market type environment. Massive amounts of fruits and vegetables. Same goods, different prices.....they still have not learned marketing in these parts. I feel like the only white person in the entire country and they all spot me at the same time and begin to call out "lady lady come buy my fruit". I am accompanied by 2 well abled young men to guard and protect me. They do this very well. My sweet Boaz and Pastor Phillip....good company. Mighty good company. We choose apples, bananas, cucumbers and oranges. Loads. And I want to kick myself in the face for not having my camera. What a site. Rhythmic calls and hollars from the salesmen over their fruit. This is life in Africa.
I return home and share the most lovely evening with Fatima and the kids. They think I know everything based on all they ask me, and somehow the answers find me and confidently leak from my lips and I can see that the children treasure me. What a treasure they are. One lovely young lady followed me to my room to ask if we could talk. And of course to me this is like chocolate.....divinely sweet. My day could not be more full of joy. It is pure. Just joy.
30 children met me at the airport. All crammed into a bus for 20, plus all the adults. This is life in Africa. There is much to do here, much I will see and get to photograph and share. I will see the maize harvest and the chicken project. There is much to rejoice and much still to pray about. School fees are due the 10th of May and we need to raise $4,000 more. If you have ever considered sharing your pocket with these tender, beautiful, hopeful ones, now is a good time.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Packing Underwear
Normally when I travel to Zim, I take 3 pieces of luggage... 2 checked bags and 1 carryon. The carryon carries the essentials in the event my luggage is lost. So far my luggage has only been lost once, and I got it all back eventually. And one time my luggage was robbed, yes robbed. I take so much luggage because I am delivering things to the children and to Fatima. I always just come home with all the bags stuffed into the largest bag, containing just some clothing and toiletries for myself. This time I will travel with 2 carryon's which will be miserable at points during layovers, but all in all will be okay. See, the kids need underwear. All 65 of them. I will be delivering some things they need, as well as several bibles, a cook book, some gifts from a friend of mine, and some clothes, etc.
My phone rang this morning and it was Fatima, the orphanage director. She asked in a very humbled voice if I could be burdened to bring some underwear for the children because many of them are going without. I was overjoyed at this request because with all of the food money and school fee money we have been raising for them, there has been no room left over for "gifts". I'm just happy to know that there is another need that can be met. The more that we do for them as an organization, the more they can rejoice. I know that our sweet Lord has connected us for a purpose. He wants to meet their needs and He wants them to know Him. Somehow, we just get to be blessedly stuck in the middle of it....and I cannot tell you how much that rocks my socks. I'm hoping to find some fun, inexpensive small things too, for their delight.
Our focus continues to be raising approx $4,600 more by early May for the next round of school fees. We cannot lose sight of the ongoing need for food and school. Food and school. Food and school. Food and school. I cannot stress to anyone really how dire the circumstances are there. I hope to be able to translate this better while I am there, through pictures and hopefully some video too. We have merely cleared the first hurdle, but the finish line continues to be far off in the distance.
I continue to be humbled and grateful for the support we have had so far. Our financial supporters and prayer warriors are angels to us and to the children. I cannot wait to hear their African screams and whistles as they rejoice over all that I share with them about you.
My phone rang this morning and it was Fatima, the orphanage director. She asked in a very humbled voice if I could be burdened to bring some underwear for the children because many of them are going without. I was overjoyed at this request because with all of the food money and school fee money we have been raising for them, there has been no room left over for "gifts". I'm just happy to know that there is another need that can be met. The more that we do for them as an organization, the more they can rejoice. I know that our sweet Lord has connected us for a purpose. He wants to meet their needs and He wants them to know Him. Somehow, we just get to be blessedly stuck in the middle of it....and I cannot tell you how much that rocks my socks. I'm hoping to find some fun, inexpensive small things too, for their delight.
Our focus continues to be raising approx $4,600 more by early May for the next round of school fees. We cannot lose sight of the ongoing need for food and school. Food and school. Food and school. Food and school. I cannot stress to anyone really how dire the circumstances are there. I hope to be able to translate this better while I am there, through pictures and hopefully some video too. We have merely cleared the first hurdle, but the finish line continues to be far off in the distance.
I continue to be humbled and grateful for the support we have had so far. Our financial supporters and prayer warriors are angels to us and to the children. I cannot wait to hear their African screams and whistles as they rejoice over all that I share with them about you.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Eraselet - Bracelets that Erase Pencil - and World Hunger
My friend, Kimberly and her husband Bryan have invented an awesome product and launched a company. The product is a bracelet that erases. It is awesome for kids of all ages because the bracelet is stylish and fun, but it doubles as an eraser, therefore providing a useful function even outside of fashion. The eraselets(R) come in multiple designs ranging from sports packs, animal packs to cute girly designs, and on and on. But there is something even better about this company and product.... Kim and Bryan have created a division to their company called "Erase World Hunger". They are contributing 10% of their profits to this division, to then be distributed out to charitable organizations who help feed the hungry. I am so blessed and honored that Kim & Bryan have chosen Beautiful Feet Global Outreach to be one of its recipients. Furthermore, very special BFGO Eraselets were made and donated to us to help spread the word for us and for them.
Eraselets can be customed ordered for any organization or fundraiser. I have known Kimmie for a long time, but what I love most about our relationship today is that we are connected by Christ. Her life and mine have been radically transformed through our relationships with Christ - and to be able to reconnect in that way has been sweet. I am so blessed to see Kim's love for the Lord and to be able to serve alongside her in this life.
Thank you Kim, Bryan, Eraselets and Erase World Hunger. I am so excited about what you are doing. I'm hopeful that your product will be well received and that together we can feed the hungry.
(In this photo to the right you can see how the bracelet works...when you need to erase you just flip it over to the underside and hook on your thumb...then erase away!)
Please explore to learn more at both:
Eraselets Website
&
Erase World Hunger Website
If you are interested in specifically obtaining a "Beautiful Feet Global Outreach" Eraselet, we will mail you (2) for a minimum donation of $6 to the organization. You can visit our website and learn how to make donations HERE.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
School Fees Caught Up - Praise the sweet sweet Mighty Lord!
This past week we have received several donations. Additionally I had another real estate closing and was able to make another donation from my family. We are now officially caught up on school fees and have contributed $1,000 toward food, as the current food supply will run out in a couple of weeks.
I am SO thankful for the many people who sent in money this week, as well as to my real estate clients who continue to work with me and/or send me great client referrals. Every time I sell a house, my family is able to give more, so we are deeply and incredibly thankful for the business opportunities.
I have received a revised figure for the next round of school fees, due in May. The total is less than I had thought. We are full of hope that we can raise $4,600 by the beginning of May, and then $4,600 again by September. We do not have the current level of support to do this, so we continue to look for prayer partners and financial partners.
If you are in the middle Tennessee area and would like to consider working with me the next time you need a Realtor for either selling, purchasing or both, you may learn more about my career HERE.
To learn more about Beautiful Feet Global Outreach, please visit our official website for all info. You may click HERE to get to the official website.
Thanks to everyone who is on this journey with us. We are just floored over what God is accomplishing. I cannot tell you what a joy and honor it is to be walking in faith that He is making Himself known throughout the world.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come."
I am SO thankful for the many people who sent in money this week, as well as to my real estate clients who continue to work with me and/or send me great client referrals. Every time I sell a house, my family is able to give more, so we are deeply and incredibly thankful for the business opportunities.
I have received a revised figure for the next round of school fees, due in May. The total is less than I had thought. We are full of hope that we can raise $4,600 by the beginning of May, and then $4,600 again by September. We do not have the current level of support to do this, so we continue to look for prayer partners and financial partners.
If you are in the middle Tennessee area and would like to consider working with me the next time you need a Realtor for either selling, purchasing or both, you may learn more about my career HERE.
To learn more about Beautiful Feet Global Outreach, please visit our official website for all info. You may click HERE to get to the official website.
Thanks to everyone who is on this journey with us. We are just floored over what God is accomplishing. I cannot tell you what a joy and honor it is to be walking in faith that He is making Himself known throughout the world.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come."
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