Thirsty?

So tell me, what's your passion?  What are you hopelessly addicted to that you drink day after day after day.  My vice.....the good Dr.  Yes, Dr. Pepper is my nasty addiction.  Like smoking (except I kicked that habit YEARS ago thank goodness), I have to (or at least think I have to) have it everyday.

Yes, yes, I know it's pathetic.  My drug of choice is a sweet syrupy cola in a plastic bottle.  I prefer the mini bottles because they don't go flat as quickly.  And when I get busy or I'm working away at my desk it's not like I'm taking it through an IV so I don't want it to get hot and flat.  Hence, the smaller bottles stay cold because quite frankly they don't last very long.  But every time I try to drink a 20 oz it takes me all day.

Because it's so darn sweet I actually grow tired of it after some time (which can be months, but still it happens).  When this state of taste bud denial happens I reach for a Pepsi.

Some people are coke junkies.  And I'm not talking cocaine.  Strictly coca-cola.  And think of the many many uses we've been taught this little number can do!

Everything from meat marinades to cleaning battery acid from your car battery.  Works like a dream!  lol  But my all time favorite use that I've seen shared for Coke:


Got The Trots?? Keran from New Zealand wanted to share this Coke tip with us; "While living in Papua New Guinea as a child, my father and I got a bad case of the trots. (As you often do in 3rd world countries). We went to the Doctor, and he told us the most effective treatment would be to get a 2ltr bottle of coke, take the top off and let it go flat, and up to room temperature, then drink 1 glass every couple of hours. BINGO... all fixed up inside!" Thanks Keran... I won't be going out of the country with out a supply of Coca Cola!!

It's a new generation these days though.  Kids now drink Gatorade and Powerade which is really just hyped up sugar water if you ask me.  Yes, I know all the benefits of drinking and refueling your electrolytes.  We even use them once in a blue moon if someone in our house gets the flu.  It's easier to get a kid to drink blue powerade than it is to drink pedialyte.

And as a parent you find out these awesome POWER drinks will have you driving straight to the dentist.  Yes, the dentist.  These sugary drinks are the WORST things you can let your child drink as the sugar deposits that stick to their teeth will likely have you spending more in dental bills than the average person.

So, what should we do?  As a health conscious generation we have discovered bottled water!  Aaaaahhhh..... pure, crystal clear, cold, fresh, non-chlorinated WATER!  The best thing to quench your thirst.  And the best thing for your body.  Right?  We're told that we should drink a minimum of 8 glasses a day.  Which I'm guessing is equivalent to about 4-5 20 ounce bottles per day.  And I know some folks who actually get that much water a day.  When my kids are playing sports, I buy them bottled water rather than powerade's.  They may drink twice as much to keep hydrated but I'm okay with that (no sugar remember?!)

And with sooooo many options for bottled water, well it's pretty convenient to pick one up anywhere.  Gas station, vending machines, grocery stores, Wal-Mart (that's redneck for Macy's--couldn't resist, lol).  The possibilities are endless, the supply is NEVERENDING!  Have you ever seen a store that was out of bottled water?  You can even take those big jugs in now and fill them at your local grocer so you aren't drinking tap water.  Because face it folks, some people are bottle snobs.  Yes, I said it.  They refuse to drink from the tap.  Trust me.  My son has a friend that has never, NEVER, drank water from a tap.  The boy is 15 years old and thinks it's terrible that my son drinks tap water and claims the chlorine and other crap that's in it will decrease his health over time.  Seriously.  Scarey.

Yes, he thinks THIS is going to cause my son harm.  You wanna know what I'd like to share with this family? Just how idiotic this truly is.  You wanna know what I'd like to see this family do?  Drink this:

Think I'm being a bit sarcastic?  A bit dramatic?  Well, think again.  Because a great multitude of the world's population do just that.  This is the only source they have for water.  Life sustaining fluids.  

And don't think for a second that I 'googled' this image.  Yep, I googled the pop, the powerades and the bottled water.  But this, this is a picture my friend Christie shared with us last week.  She is living in Uganda, trying desperately to show them the love of Christ.  The love that other Christians are to poor out on the least of these.  This, dear readers, is where Christie and the people of the village of Bugabo get their drinking water.  Not from a tap, not with chlorine added to take away the parasites and make it crystal clear.  That's a luxury folks.  They have to go and fetch water and carry it.  

This sweet little guy is only four years old.  What do you have your 4-yr-old doing today?  I bet they're aren't packing water.  Preschool maybe?  But that's another post, and a soapbox of another kind.

You see, people really do have to drink water like this.  Everyday.  Because we know that we must have water to survive.  It sustains us.  So, you drink what's available.  But, as my son's classmate likes to point out how all the 'preservatives' in tap water are bad for his health, people fail to realize just what BAD water can do for you.  

It doesn't make you chubby and healthy.  Remember looks can be deceiving.  It makes you bloated and wormy.  Yes, wormy.  Just like we treat our pets for worms to keep them healthy.  When we go to these measures to care for the health of a pet yet pay no attention to God's people hurting around the world.  Needing simply fresh clean water.  What have we become?   

You know, years ago (decades even) we could claim ignorance.  We didn't have things like internet, wi-fi, heck even television!  So we knew very little of how people in other places lived.  In other states, much less on the other side of the world.  

What is our excuse now?  

That it IS the other side of the world and why should we care?  It's not our problem.  Out of sight, out of mind.  These people choose to live this way.  If they wanted something better or different they would do something about it.  

Really?

REALLY?

Reeeaaaallllyyyyy?

As Christians we are called to care for the least of these.  Jesus tells us of this repeatedly.  REPEATEDLY folks.  It's not a 'duty'.  It's a command.  And there are several ways we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Some like Christie (love ya girlfriend!) make the BIG sacrifices and give up their life of 'normal'.  Their urban lifestyles tossed aside to live a life of serving as a missionary.  Some pray.  Others give.  What I'm asking of you is to consider giving.  Giving to their fund to build a borehole.  A simple well for their friends and family to obtain fresh water.  

We all know that beneath the earth's surface is water.  God has given us everything we need to sustain life on this earth.  The book of Genesis tells us all about it.  But when some of God's people struggle to obtain what they need to live a healthy life, it's up to more of God's people (that's us!) to help provide it.

How can you look into these beautiful faces and not be stirred to help?  Not want to provide basic needs for them to grow and thrive.  

♥ This is Cate, Resty & Henry ♥

♥ Mastulah & Ali ♥

This woman couldn't........

We ♥ you 'Chuwidgety'! (Christie)

And certainly I couldn't.  We (between my husband, my daughter and my sister) are currently sponsoring 5 children from this village.  Five beautiful gifts from God.  (Cuz we all know God doesn't make mistakes and he certainly don't make no junk! :)  right?!)  But we're doing more than that.  We're helping by contributing to the fund to raise money to get that borehole.  To be able to provide fresh clean water to the faces we have grown to love and care about.  These people have become a part of our family.

Can you go back to your desk, your work, your Dr. Pepper without thinking about someone else needing fresh water?  To help with the borehole simply click THIS LINK and you will be taken to Christie's blog.  You can read more and see videos of the village and daily life she is living in Bugabo.  More importantly....is that little DONATE button on the sidebar!  Specify in your paypal donation what you want the funds to be used for.  (i.e. borehole, sponsorship)  Yes, I included sponsorship there....  go ahead, really step out of your comfort zone why don't you?  Sponsor a child AND give them clean water!

If I had enough money, I'd pay for that borehole myself.  But it's going to take more than me.  It's going to take the body of Christ (all of us Christians!).  Unless of course Donald Trump is reading this post, and then Mr. Trump, feel free to paypal compassinmyheart@yahoo.com approximately $10K and we'll scratch this off the 'Faith List'.  ;)  I'll personally send you a thank you card!

Catching Up!

We've been updating facebook regularly and thank everyone for following there, but have been a bit neglectful of the blog!  :)  So we're going to share a few updates and things we've been up to.  Thanks for sticking with us!  Keep watching for more exciting news in the very near future!!!!  =)

Remember the WIPHAN organization that we were supporting with sponsorships and the Warm Up WIPHAN campaign?  Well, here is a thank you from them for those who helped keep them warm during their winter season.  :)  Remember WIPHAN stands for WIdows and orPHANs.

A Warm up Wiphan Thank You! from Wiphan Care Ministries on Vimeo.

Remember you can help children and women in Zambia through WIPHAN by clicking HERE.

Soles 4 Souls

As we continue to advocate for the orphan and the least of these, check out our weekend!  


My girlfriends that co-founded Joint Heirs Adoption Ministry(JHAM) and I sat at our local shoe store on the main street in our little podunk town Saturday (in the pouring rain!) and collected over 650 pairs of shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  AWESOME is the only word I can think of to describe our day.

We partnered with Soles4Souls who provided collection boxes and flyers to distribute for our 'cause'.  They are awesome to work with!  The Girl Scouts in your community can become involved to earn merit badges.  (we only had one girl scout show up but it was encouraging and fun to remind her she will be the ONLY girl scout in our area with one of the S4S's badges!  :)  The local shoe store, Brown's Shoe Fit, is a participating business with S4S, and gave each person that donated shoes on Saturday a coupon for $20 off a new pair of shoes!  Pretty awesome! 

We got our schools involved and the kids at my son's school started collected two weeks prior to the drive.  They donated two full boxes of shoes!

Then we also had the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) collect shoes at the middle school and high school in our local town (my kids go to a country school so the pics you see above is the entire 8th grade class my son is in! lol)

It was so much fun to work with the girls all day and we banded shoes together from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Yes, every single pair of those 650+ shoes had to be rubber banded together.  But it was interesting to see just what kind of shoes we got!

Yes, shoes of all kinds!!!  These had never been worn!!!!  (I'm thinkin' that's a good thing!) lol  We figured they might have been bowling shoes.  It was hard to think of how many hundreds of dollars people spend on shoes......  that they never wear.  We had so many people bring shoes that still had tags on them, new soles or were still in boxes.  We as American's are so very spoiled (some are blessed....that's a better word huh?) and don't even know it.  As we banded all those shoes together we thought of where they might end up.  China, Africa, Haiti, Chile, even our own inner city hospitals in Kansas City.  I wonder where they will walk next.  Knowing my shoes have seen the sandy beaches of Hawaii and now they may walk on the rocky ground of Haiti.  One day seeing the sun and having fun, the next day comforting and protecting the feet of a mother who walks miles to bring her child fresh water.

Now that's humbling.

Joy and some of the shoes that people had in boxes.  yep, some people actually save the boxes their shoes come in!  lol  (not me)

Now THOSE are some LOUD shoes! ;)

So....  we made a decision yesterday.  We are responsible for shipping ALL those shoes to a S4S's warehouse where they will be distributed.  Can you imagine the shipping cost of over 650 pairs of shoes?!  Staggering!  We are going on a road trip!  The girls and I decided we are driving the shoes to the main warehouse in Tennessee!  Now, that's going to make for some awesome bloggin' and pictures!  Stay tuned, in the next couple of weeks we're heading out with all those shoes!  Who knows.... we may stop in to say hi to some of you bloggy friends!

That's little Miss Jia (Joy's daughter from China that she brought home forever last summer), the kids were all a big help actually and it was fun to have them around to 'encourage people to stop and share their shoes with us!

Two of Melinda's cuties!  Acel & Meah.  Meah came home forever from China last year too!  I can't tell you how great it feels to work with these girls and do what we do.  Advocating for the orphan and the least of these.  And seeing our kids get involved with us is even more of a blessing!

Me, Melinda & Joy

Joy's mom is always our little angel in disguise too and she was kind enough to buy us all lunch.  Pizza in the trailer (you didn't expect us to sit in the rain all day did you?  ;)  Joy's hubby has a racing trailer that we were able to conduct our shoe drive out of.... nice and dry).  Thanks for the Pizza Mellanie!  But thanks even more for the shoes! :)

Hopefully, we have prevented a lot less of this...

and a lot more of this....

Maybe someday the girls and I can go on one of their distribution trips ourselves and help put all those new shoes on people's feet....

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 

Hebrews 10:24

Mocha Club Update!

How cool that we can receive updates on where our sponsorships are going and how they are helping in Africa! Remember THIS POST where we invited you to join with us and Mocha Club to support Orphans in Africa?  Well, now you can see what the guys have been up to for the last three months with the support that they receive through this awesome opportunity!

See what happened on Char & Skiff’s last 10 days in Africa…living in rural Zimbabwe and Ghana, eating local food, and hanging with folks at several Mocha Club projects – the Zimbabwe orphans in Bulawayo, the Grace Orphans and the Grace AIDS project in Sunyani, Ghana…



So, if you haven't done so already.... won't you JOIN US in supporting this ministry in Africa?! It's only $7 per month (the cost of two mochas!) and you receive a FREE t-shirt when you join!  Seriously!  What are you waiting for?!  :)

FREE Food & Water

What an awesome thing to do!  Giving someone free food and water.  There are two great sites that do just that, while playing learning games.  These would be great for your home schooled students or for your child to share at school with their teachers.  Get the whole class involved and see what an impact you can have on the world!!!

A great opportunity to provide food is www.freerice.com 

Pretty great day.... all in all I've donated 136 cups of water and 460 grains of rice in the last 20 minutes.

I dare you to beat my record! ;o)

Just click on the donate now button to start playing.  Here's the link in case my html doesn't work right is www.freepoverty.com

Dressed for HOPE

I LOVE wearing adoption shirts.  Anything to advocate for the orphan!  We're getting ready to make some new ones ourselves, but you MUST check out Kim's new fundraiser for their adoption!  You seriously cannot pass this one up!  Check out her blog HERE and I'd like to tell you not to enter so I can win, but hey.....  it's for the greatest cause I can think of!  Creating bigger families through adoption!  Bringing orphans home to forever families!  So buy as many entries as you can afford!

If you win, you get ALL of this!

AND THIS!!!!

Incredible!!!  Even if I don't win this sweet giveaway I can't wait to see who does!  Congratulations Kim on the coolest fundraiser I've seen to date!  You rock girlfriend!  

World Water Day & New Financial Aid!

There are lots of things in the works for JHAM!  We have some exciting events coming up this spring and summer to benefit the orphan and advocate for adoption!  We're so excited to share those things with you in the VERY NEAR future!  We're going to be meeting later this week to get some things in place and start the new season off right!

TODAY..... is World Water Day.  You can 'celebrate' with us and get one of these:

When you buy a water bottle, 15 Africans get clean water. That means fewer women in Africa will have to walk six kilometers to collect water. And because of this, they won’t be carrying the 44 pounds of water that they normally carry on their heads that whole way. Think of what they could do with all the time and energy saved.

That’s not the bottle’s whole impact, though. Now, you can use your “Ripple Effect” water bottle instead of having to buy bottled water. You save money, and fewer plastic bottles end up in landfills, where they can take 1000 years to decompose.  By refilling your water bottle from the tap, you save the energy and resources that otherwise would have been used to manufacture, ship, and dispose of plastic water bottles. With over 50 billion bottles of water being consumed yearly, that’s a lot of energy!

Now consider this: the amount of water used in one flush of a toilet is the same amount as an average person in Africa uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking, and drinking.

In fact, 311 million Africans lack access to clean drinking water. That’s roughly 45% of the population.Some of you might be thinking this is because there is no water in Africa, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Only 4% of the total renewable water available in Africa is used yearly due to a lack of wells, pumps, reservoirs, and other irrigation systems.  Shocking statistic, isn’t it?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

NEXT is a new resource we found for Adoption Funding!  Awesome site!  Awesome folks fighting for the plight of the orphan!  Check them out by clicking the logo and 'about us' link below!  We hope this will be a valuable resource to someone in search of financing to finalize their adoption!  

Widows & Orphans - WIPHAN

One of my bloggy friends, Andrea, is wanting to spread the word about their organization called WIPHAN. They are in need of sponsorships and we want to share with everyone we know (or that reads about us!) what you can do to help!

I know first hand what sponsorship can do for a child. We love our sponsored child in Haiti and it's such a blessing to see her and know what we are doing to help change her life and her family's life. But even greater is the blessing she is for our family. We have changed hearts and changed lives because of Smerelda and children like her. We needed Smerelda as much as she needed us. This week I'm going to be sharing nothing but sponsorship blogs and posts! So fasten your seatbelts! It's going to be a bumpy ride! But one you'll enjoy I'm sure!

From Andrea's blog:

Wiphan was started just 3 years ago…and we’ve just had our 501 non-profit status for TWO years. It went from one friend of ours—to our family—to 3 more families…and we had a board! For awhile—it was just us + 450 orphans + 150 widows. We trusted the Lord to provide the thousands of dollars of month we would need to run–and He has always provided. Last year we started our sponsorship program to invite OTHER FAMILIES to join us! I would LOVE to see all TWENTY of our children who still don’t have sponsors sponsored by Friday!

OK—so how can you help?! We need voices! We need others who have hearts for orphans to speak with us! And if you have a blog—well, you have a voice and you probably have lots of readers!!! The MORE people we refer to the Wiphan site…the MORE people will find out about Wiphan and our sponsorship program!

Zambia isn’t really open to adoptions…so for these kids–the only hope is for them to be cared for in country. We have TWO schools and 450 kids—with MANY MORE who would LOVE to be in our program. BUT before we can grow–we need to find sponsors for the children on our list. Many of our children waiting for sponsors are “older children”. Maybe you don’t qualify for adopting an older child–but you could sponsor one!Maybe your budget really is too tight–but you could blog about them and be their voice!

† Support For Haiti's Orphans

Joint Heirs Adoption Ministry will be providing relief aid to Canaan Orphanage in Haiti. With the connections that we have through Haiti we've learned that Canaan is taking in more children everyday and has been providing relief to as many as they can in Port. Making trips into Port to provide food and water to those in need. They have begun rationing their own supplies at the orphanage which are obviously going to be depleted soon. There is not enough fuel to continue making trips to Port but as people are depending on others for transportation or just walking, more and more are coming to Canaan to seek shelter and care. Canaan also provides a medical clinic for malnourished children and I'm sure with the disaster situation they can expect to start seeing additional children very soon.

I have met some of the workers and staff at Canaan and know that with donations provided Sister Gladys and Pastor Henri can be trusted to use donations in a necessary and honest manner. If you are interested in supporting the Orphanage at Canaan with us you may use the Chip-In box below or feel free to click through to the Canaan Orphanage support page and make your donation directly through their site.

These are just a few of the children we met at Canaan.

We continue to pray God's blessings upon the people and children of Haiti. If you have questions, please feel free to contact one of us directly or leave a comment below. Thank you for your continued support of our mission to care for "the least of these".

On one of the outer walls at Canaan you see this painting. Tet Kole Nan Kris means Togetherness in Christ.

† Searching...

Below you can read the information regarding Haiti and the families and friends we have been praying for and the link to make {legitimate} donations for aid and relief to victims. The links provided are missionaries currently working in country and can help victims. Please feel free to visit their links of their missions and the organizations they are affiliated with. If you don't feel led to give through these missions, please find some way to help support the families in Haiti. Right now they need money for food, water and medical supplies. Things cannot be shipped into the country such as clothes, shoes, etc. and there is more immediate need for necessary, life-saving items like food, water and antibiotics and other medical provisions.

I urge you to continue to pray and keep the victims in your thoughts as our lives continue to go on as regularly scheduled, they are displaced, burying loved ones (if they are fortunate enough to provide a burial--most victims will go into a mass grave), they search for food. I encourage you to fast for a day, one day and try to understand the urgency for their needs.

Please pray for our friend Celissa. She has yet to be found. Roberto and Alex are making another trip into Port today to search for her and others they are still waiting to hear of their safety. I'm not sure what school Celissa was teaching at but we have posted her photo and information to the CNN search site as well as Earthquake Haiti facebook group in hopes of finding information about her.

Celissa is able to access the internet from school to visit with us on a regular basis.
We have not heard from her since the earthquake.

We pray for your safety and well-being Celissa and know that God is with you.
We ♥ You!

Please continue to visit the links in the next post for the missionaries and their updates as they become available. Pray for their safety and that provisions will come soon. Everyone is running out of supplies at this point.

If you'd like to read more about our trip to Haiti you can click HERE.

† Prayers & Aid for Haiti

* UPDATES INCLUDED *

Have you ever gone somewhere and felt like you had been there before, or like it was a home away from home and you didn't want to leave? That's how we felt about Haiti this summer. After yesterday's earthquake we're left heartbroken today for the people of Haiti. Not just the ones we know, but the ones we don't know that are still God's people.

To most yesterday was just like any other typical day. Even myself. I got up, took my shower, did household chores, sat down to work at my computer and spent my day in a normal routine. I checked my e-mail around 4:30 and started discovering messages about earthquakes and Haiti. Huh? There's no earthquake in Haiti..... then I discovered the news. I don't turn my television on during the day and once I clicked into yahoo I saw the home page and the news releases. Instantly my heart sank.

My mind raced with all the faces of the people I met, those I didn't meet but passed on the street or drove by along the road. One can't begin to imagine the fear and devastation they must be facing. It's one thing to live in a world like we do where disaster may strike but there are plans in place and methods to follow to ensure we don't stay 'down' for long. We're America after all. Power gets restored, telephones work, there is more than one airport..... Imagine being in a country that has no regular current of electricity. You live on generators on a normal day and now your world has collapsed and there's not even a source to bring fuel to your country to run your generator (which believe me is the least of their worries!). No phone, no electricity, no roads left to get through.

We made new friends and found family in Haiti. Not just the other missionaries but the native people of Haiti. Roberto and Alex who spent every day with us from sunrise to bedtime. Marjorie who cared for us and fed us. Celissa, Claudia, Linda, Smerelda, Miko, Stanley, Mackline...... the list goes on and on. Where are these faces? Where are these loved ones?

Marjorie was our 'mom and grandma' in Haiti. We love her beyond belief. ♥

Leslie and Chris are missionaries living in Haiti with their adopted Haitian daughter Olivia. Chris went to port to have the truck worked on. The last time Leslie spoke to him was 45 minutes before the quake. Imagine wondering where your husband is in the middle of a natural disaster with no phone and no way to communicate. Luckily, after countless hours..... he made it home last night.

* Chris made it home, but the 'countless' hours before his arrival he had spent in Port after the quake trying to help others. He was near a 3 story school full of girls that collapsed and was trying to pull them from the pile of rubble and debris. You can read his heartbreaking story on their blog that is linked below. My heart breaks for Chris as he had to leave some girls behind to find help and wasn't able to return til morning, only to find the girls had died in the night. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Leslie and her daughter Olivia
Kevin and Olivia

Keith's new wife is in Haiti while he is stateside right now. Imagine not just being away from your spouse and knowing of their safety, but being in another country.... across an ocean. There is no 'coming home' to the arms of the loved one. Luckily, before bedtime last night Keith was notified that his wife was alive and safe. Yet he still had to go to bed with his arms empty.
Those of us here (and in Haiti I'm sure) began to pray. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Have you ever literally stopped what you are doing and fell to your knees and prayed?

Roberto, Me and our sponsored child Smerelda

Roberto and Alex let us know last night that they were safe but they have family in Port that they cannot contact and don't know of their safety or whereabouts. They have become our family. When someone you love is hurting, you hurt. I may not know their extended family but I pray for them. My heart aches for them.

* Roberto and his father traveled to Port yesterday and were able to find his brothers and they are okay. Last we heard he was still searching for his mother. They have brought members of their family home with them to Montrouis.

Roberto, Taylor and our sponsored child Smerelda

Alex! These men have a heart of gold. I believe Alex had found his siblings and they are okay.

Remember the wedding we just went to in December? Bobi and Marcus flew home to Haiti YESTERDAY! Only by the grace of God did they arrive, make their routine trip through the airport, out of Port and traveled to Canaan safely. They were far enough away from the point of the quake that they were safe and unharmed. Can you imagine just arriving home from a long vacation only to be thrown into disaster within hours. Can you imagine being their parents and not knowing how they are just hours after you've said good-bye at the airport? They had no way of contacting their parents. Luckily through the wonder of internet and before they lost power they were able to get a message to friends to notify their families. We praise God for their safe return home. Now they are caring for the dozens of children at the orphanage where they live.

* Bobi and Marcus have updated their BLOG from Canaan Orphanage on their account of the earthquake as they were driving home when it happened. There are also links if you are interested in supporting Canaan Orphanage and their relief efforts.

My 'sister' Diane still has regular contact with her children's biological mother in Haiti. Can you stop for a moment and imagine having your son turn to you and want to know if his Momma Cheri is okay? How do you tell your children you don't know for sure? How do you comfort them? (sorry Diane..... don't cry. Know that I love you and I'm still praying for Cheri and the kids. We know they'll be fine. xoxo)

Diane with Momma Cheri and Brian and Kristi's siblings.

* Diane received word that Cheri and the kids are fine. Roberto went out and found them to let Diane know of their safety. Many prayers have been answered. =) There are many more in need of prayer.

I can't tell you how much I want to be there today. I've yearned to go back for the past 6 months. But never so much as the last 24 hours. You can't live with someone for the period of time we did, sleep under the same roof, share all your meals together, pray together, worship together, work together, play together without loving together. A part of my family is hurting today. So please, when you know of someone in Haiti who is safe, don't stop your prayers there. Be grateful for their well being and praise God for that blessing. But remember there are still thousands of others who need your prayers still.

Me and Mackline (she's 7 and has brittle bone disease)
Roberto, Kelsey, and her sponsored child Claudia
Diane and one of her sponsored children Miko (Michael)

Kevin and another girl they sponsor Alexandra
Taylor made MANY friends with her long blonde hair. ;o)

These aren't just faces in the crowd.... not only do they belong to someone here on earth, they belong to our Lord. If you are wondering what you can do to help the people of Haiti.....the very first thing you can do is pray, and secondly you can click on the link in the sidebar (or below) for the mission and donate through paypal or click on the chip-in box and funds will be sent to Leslie and Chris' mission Clean Water for Haiti (which they are so desperately going to need now more than ever, and gas alone to run vehicles to transport people and water and food will be in short supply) and a portion will go to the Heartline Ministries and Life Connection Missions to help any in need. We may not know who they are right now, but God does. These are reputable missions and people we know that are working for the people of Haiti. You can read updates on their blogs and here. Thank you for your prayers.

* Please also keep Britt & Kris and their family in your prayers also. You can read her blog and updates HERE.

If you'd like to read more about our trip to Haiti you can click HERE.

All Donations will be provided a receipt for your contribution. Thank you!