Ways to help

Here is a list of ways to help us on our mission to Uganda and help the children we will see in the orphanage.

1. Things the children need (we will be bringing it all with us and have clearing with customs);

*Art and School supplies; rulers, pencils, markers, flash cards, colored pencils, child scissors, paper..

*Sports equipment; all sports balls, nets, toys, cards, uno, anything they can play with

*Hygiene; toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, sunglasses.....

*Letters from kids to the children

2. Donations for our group (there will be 20 of us traveling);

*Money donations towards our airfare, travel, and cost towards the orphanage

*Things we need: Handsanitzers, mosquito nets, insect repellent, twin bed sheets, power bars, snack foods, electrolyte tablets for our water

*Prayers

3. Fundraisers

*Attend one of our fundraisers, we will have a big one November 28th, a shopping and poker event

*Donate items for us to sell for our fundraisers

*Support or help us with our fundraisers

Thank you so much!

Stepping out on Faith

...... the journey has begun!

Found out last night that there is a spot for me and Dennis!!! Yes I said it, Dennis decided late last night that he was in. I am shocked and so excited. I can't imagine embarking in such a life changing experience and not having my husband by my side to share in it with me.

Lots of planning and fundraising to do in the next few months. Have to have all funds in by January. But I know that will be an adventure and moments of God's love too!

Some things scare me.. the unknown.. the possibility of danger and some things overwhelm me with excitement... seeing a new country that is so different from my own... being apart of something greater than I am.... and sharing the love of God with his children.

The next question will be our team.. who will go with us. This is what I know so far. Our great leaders (only met them twice, but they are such great people, I can feel the love and acceptance when I walk in their house) Yvonne and Trevor Davis are putting this mission trip together. Along with their 2 daughters, there will be 6 more women and 9 more men. The orphanage can accommodate 20, dorm style with up to 10 women and 10 men in each separated dorm. So the next problem.. there were 9 women and only 4 men (including Dennis and I) that are 100% in.

One of my great friends Shannon Perkins is joining us in the adventure too. I'm so touched by this, because she is the one that brought me to Eastlake has been there for me in the beginning stages of my finding God and been a great friend of mine! The two of us have talked about doing a mission for awhile and when I called her and said I'm signing up for the mission, she instantly said sign me up to. She was in with out even thinking it over, she knows this is her calling too.
I know we will share all theses amazing experiences together and each one of us with walk away with a different outlook on life. I can't wait!!!!!

"What will we be eating?"

Here is Africa as a whole, Uganda is where the arrow is

Approx. where the arrow is, is where the orphanage is.

"What will we be eating?" ..... guess who asked that question? :) Yes Dennis did come with me to the meeting, he wanted to see what it is all about and decide for himself if he wants to go on the mission with me or be part of the pray team that stays behind. Surprisingly he asked a few questions and was very in to the discussion.

So let me share a few bullets from last night:

*Travel dates we are planning for is Feb 18th - 27th (may change if we can get cheaper flights another week)

*$2200 for the entire trip, but only 50% can be fund raised, I didn't get that at first but I do know, that is an Eastlake thing, they want you to use other peoples money to travel around the world, and this makes you financially intrigued by the trip too.

*lots of immunizations: Routine, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Polio, Yellow Fever, Meningococcal, and Rabies.

*lots of diseases, in Africa in general but the orphanage we are going to is mostly children with Aids and/or their parents have died of Aids, majority of the kids have scabies, syphilis and other diseases.

*Their are over 400 kids that attend the school, grades 1-7, 180 live in the orphanage.

Okay with some of the facts out of the way, how do I feel? I feel more driven to go after the meeting, the leaders; Trevor and Yvonne; have done missions before, never been to Africa, but do know Fred (he runs the orphanage) and they do have a few friends that have adopted children from this orphanage.

I feel confident that they will keep us safe and this experience will forever change me!

Having said that, I'm committed to going, the only thing that worries me we can only take up to 20 people, so first we have the hosts and their two children, that leaves 16 spots left, and 37 people attended the meeting last night, that is over 20 people that won't be able to be a part of the group that goes, I'm praying I can be part of the group that travels.. that I make the cut!

We will get a mini head count as to where people are wanting to serve on this mission and than decide who will go next week!

Oh I didn't give the answer to Dennis' questions! So Trevor said that we will bring lots of power bars, for once we are traveling to the orphanage and leave the orphanage, there will be large gaps with no food, or food we don't want to eat! Before we go to the orphanage we will go grocery shopping and have a chef to prepare all of our food for us, we will bring all our own bottled water too. So there will be some trying new things and some bringing our own food!

Here is the website for the orphanage: http://hccpuganda.org/

The Travel Test

As everyone knows; I talk a lot, not a surprise to anyone right? Well it is time to put a little bit of action to my talking :)

Ever since I have become a Christian, I have seen others in our church go on mission trips and "been forever changed". I have been moved to tears to see the videos, the pictures and hear the stories. I know and can feel it deep down that that is where God is calling me, and a way to change my heart for life. Well now is the time to make that a reality.

At Eastlake Community Church we do these awesome small Growth Groups, they come out 3 times a year, and I look forward it every time! I even wait for it to go live online at midnight just so I can see right away what they have to offer! Every time I look, I browse and I dream about the mission trips they have to offer, but I haven't had the guts or the push to do it yet.
The list came out, I looked, I browsed, I prayed and I talked to my mom! (Dennis too don't worry!)

Two major things brought one to life for me. First we had this pastor Fred from Africa come and speak at our church, I instantly was moved when I heard him and the passion our Pastor Ryan had to help his orphanage. So when I saw there was a mission trip going to Uganda, going to an orphanage, going to his orphanage, I knew that was a sign! The second thing was that when I told my mom what I was thinking about doing, she didn't call me crazy or bring me to "reality" or tell me to think about it, she told me I have been talking about it long enough and no time will be "perfect" but now is better than later, so why not do it? Ya mom why not!!!

So here I am, I just got back from my first meeting with the Uganda Mission trip leaders, got some questions answered and some more to think about. I am moved and excited, a little nervous, but as a whole overwhelmed and very pumped! But for now I have to go to bed, sort some things out in my head and I will be back with more details!!!