Still Kickin'

Well, some weeks are better than others right? This week, I was amazed by all the folks who have stepped up to support my mission trip after my last post. My church in SC (even though I moved to Lexington over 1 1/2 years ago now, I still call WOL my church) has made a large donation to my mission trip, and I have had some friends step up to help with the upcoming yard sale. Thank you to all of you for your support. This morning I received word that the baby's home caught on fire. Praise the Lord no one was hurt. The fire started in the ceiling in the laundry room and has to do with something electrical. Ken and Cathy moved every body out and were waiting for the electrician to determine when it is safe to go back in. In addition, Ken was reended this morning. Fortunately, no one was injured and the other person will have to pay for the repairs. Ken said to me, "I know the enemy doesn't like what we are doing, and whenever things like this start happening, I know God is getting ready to do something big!" Such a great attitude and very true. They have asked for prayer of course. Today, I have a test ahead. I'm not sure how its going to go as I am stepping completely out of my comfort zone and my patience will be tested. Please pray for me. In other news, Kelsie and I signed up for the Iron Horse Half Marathon on October. We are really pumped and scared all at the same time. It will be the first 1/2 Marathon for both of us. We start officially training in June. Exciting stuff.

Warning: Spiritual Retreat Needed: Post Oozes Self Pity

Sometimes the burden I feel on my soldiers from the stress from my job is overwhelming. I have staff who depend on me, I have families who depend on me, and I have children who are depending on me. Even though I know that the burden is not mine to carry and that God’s burden is light, sometimes it is difficult to really give it to Him. I want to, but I keep picking it back up again. There are days when I want to quit and run away. I remember my mom used to say the same thing when I was growing up. I know that everyone feels this way from time to time. I also feel the lies from the enemy creeping in saying, “You are not enough, you can’t do it, you’re going to fail”, or “if you had a spouse or someone to share your burdens with everything would be easier”. I know these are all lies because I do have someone to share my burdens with and He is the best support I could ever need. He is always faithful, and I cannot fail when I am relying on Him. He knows my needs before I even express them. Today has been challenging and all before 10AM. Perhaps a vacation is due. Perhaps a spiritual vacation is due!

To Uganda I Return

This year I am leading a team of 16 people to Uganda for 10 days. Thanks to a wonderful church in Nebraska, we have raised over $100,000 toward the building of the new baby’s home! We give God all the glory and praise! These funds are earmarked for the building so we are not allowed to use them to cover the team’s travel cost. Each team member is expected to raise $2,600 for the trip. So far, I have only raised $593.00. As a team leader, I have an additional $1,500 that is raised by the other team members, which leaves me with a balance of $507 to raise before we leave. I am planning to have a yard sale in April to help raise funds as well. This year, the majority of our team members are men. We have several men who are in construction because we plan to build the first building for the baby’s home. We want to be able to move the children to the site in Mokono, Uganda to avoid continuing to pay rent in Kampala. In addition, while we are in Mokono, we will be ministering to widows and other community members through prayer, donations of goods, and fellowship. We also plan to hold vacation bible school at Kidron Valley Orphanage in Jinja which ministers to over 100 children in the community. I am very excited about this trip because it will be my first time to travel to Uganda and stay outside of Kampala. Also, I’m excited because the Lord has provided the funds to really begin building. Since my trip last May, we have raised the funds to dig a well on the land. This has been such a blessing to the community to have clean water! The folks in Uganda have completed a latrine and are now working on a guard shack. In addition, we have continued to raise and support the baby’s home monthly at $4,000 per month. Each month is a struggle to meet our goal, but the Lord always provides. I’m so excited to see what the Lord has in store for our team on this year’s trip. Below are some photos of some of the work that has been done in the past. Thank you all for your continued prayers and financial support. To donate to my trip click here or please send checks to: A Helping Hand Adoption Agency 1510 Newtown Pike Ste 152 Lexington, KY 40511