Time seems to be flying by! Honestly, it's hard for me to realize it's almost July. Here in Swaziland we are now in Winter and where I stay at Hawane it gets quite cold, especially at night. I'm thankful for my hot water bottle and loads of blankets I snuggle during the night. :)

I realize I typically give updates on what ministry work or outreach I've been involved in, including counseling and mentoring the ministry children, house mothers, and LifeSkills students. While I love to share what's going on here, I feel the need to include some personal reflections in this post.

What's life like for me in Swaziland, Africa? I'm constantly reminded of how blessed I am as I encounter life stories of the people here. I've always had a roof over my head, warm clothes, plenty of food, safe drinking water, people who care about me and express love to me, a safe place to call home, a mother and a father, good health, an education, and friends and family who support me. Many of the children and adults I work with do not have or have not experienced these blessings that, for the most part, I've taken for granted my whole life. When working with the ministry's children who have been orphaned and are vulnerable my heart sinks in my chest to hear of their backgrounds of physical and sexual abuse. I'm beginning to think more young girls than not have been raped or molested before they reach adulthood. It's hard to imagine how these crimes go on day after day. The results are girls and boys who are left with damaged souls, poor self-images, distrust in people, and silent voices.

A project that is before me currently is to meet with each one of the nearly 50 children at the orphan care center to obtain a life story from them. The story will be from their point of view but will include social welfare records and other credible reports. Each child will then receive a copy of their story from me to keep. My prayer is that these precious children will begin putting a voice to their pain and that God will bring beauty from ashes. Nothing is impossible for Him. He is the Healer. He is love. He has come to bind up the brokenhearted. What a joy it is for me to see God repairing brokenness, healing hearts, restoring lives. God can truly bring good out of bad situations. He's doing it around the world one life at a time.

Our God has sent me to comfort all those who are sad.
He wants me to help those in Zion who are filled with sorrow.
I will put beautiful crowns on their heads
in place of ashes.
I will anoint them with oil to give them gladness
instead of sorrow.
I will give them a spirit of praise
in place of a spirit of sadness.
They will be like oak trees that are strong and straight.
The Lord himself will plant them in the land.
That will show how glorious he is. - Isaiah 61:2,3

I'd like to share some excerpts of my journey so far in Swaziland with you. In these 8 months I have learned so much, been stretched to truly live by faith, been blessed by the people I serve and work with. God has brought people from around the world (currently people with God's missions heart from England, Canada, Zambia, Korea) to live on Hawane Farm where I stay and to share His love with the orphans and widows here.

The counseling I've been involved in here is going well. God has given me a new direction to focus on training and equipping the house mothers (often widows who are caring for the orphaned and vulnerable children of the ministry) with basic counseling skils. This will enable the mothers to then be available to the children in their homes - many of these children have experienced trauma, abuse, and loss. For me it's a testimony to see the house mothers growing in their confidence, in learning new skills, and in their ability to communicate within the ministry. Having worked with this same group of amazing Swazi women in 2008, I can see first-hand their growth spiritually and emotionally. These hard-working ladies are raising the next generation of Swazis who will lead this nation to be the pulpit to Africa. God is using Swaziland to bring transformation to all of Africa. This nation that is predicted to become extinct due to the AIDS pandemic will instead live and declare the works of the Lord. What a testimony to the world it will be!

I also have the privilege of working with Teen Challenge Ministry Institute (TCMI) students. Recently one of them preached in our morning daily chapel and I afterwards I wrote the following in my journal:

This morning in chapel Sibosiso (one of the young adult Bible school students from Hawane Farm, the orphan care center where I live) shared his testimony. He powerfully explained how he was a well-known alcoholic, drug addict, and drug dealer in the very community we reside in. He said he was the kind of person people would look at once, not want anything to do with, and move on. He was rejected by the community members and thought of as worthless. This morning he testified of how he met Jesus and his life was transformed. Today he studies in the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute an d frequently preaches with power. He encourages others to follow God, accept His forgiveness, and to live for His purposes. He also attends Hawane CLC church and participates in community outreach.

When I hear stories like this from the lives of the Swazi people I work with my heart is touched and I find myself praising God for showing up in people's lives as only He can do. As Sibosiso encouraged us this morning people may have disqualified you or discarded you but God wants to use you. There's no limit to what God can do in and through one life!

Some highlights from the last few weeks serving in Swaziland...

During a recent trip to the government hospital to visit those who are sick, I had the privilege of leading 2 girls who accepted Jesus & decided to begin a relationship with God. Both girls shared that they had never heard of Jesus before. We (myself and the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute students I work with) found Nosippo, a 12-year-old girl who was suffering from severe malnutrition, laying on the dirty hospital floor with just a towel over half of her body. Her eyes with empty of hope as she shared that her family experiences poverty and often doesn't have enough food. After she listened to the gospel - how God loves her SO much and has a purpose for her life- and prayed, inviting Christ into her heart, she was smiling and reading the Bible we gave her. She's such a precious girl and a future leader in Swaziland.

The TCMI student ministry team and I at the hospital (rules prohibit pictures being taken inside)




Lavumisa, Swaziland -Last week I spent 3 days in Lavumisa, the location of the ministry's newest church plant and orphan homes. I was asked to accompany a Teen Challenge missions team that was here from Oklahoma. This team was from a girls' adolescent Teen Challenge, a drug treatment center. It was a joy to serve them in practical ways (cooking meals, praying, accompanying them in the community) during there time here. Our 3 days in Lavumisa was complete with powerful times of worship and prayer for this village with the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, visits to community members' homesteads for encouragement and prayer, and taking outdoor showers inside a shack made of tarps :) We even had a little visitor one night - a rat that had made it's way out of the team leader's mattress during the middle of night to make an appearance. :) TIA - "This is Africa" is a common saying here among missionaries...

An old
bridge at Lavumisa
(community members walk across this daily)

Me on the bridge (walking across is a little scary, tests your faith:)

The Teen Challenge Oklahoma Team and I (we all made it across!)

Building the orphan homes by the church (using sand bags)

Our youngest little helper

ok.. youngest AND cutest volunteerVisiting homesteads in Lavumisa

homestead visit with the team
children playing in the river at Lavumisa (it's super hot there, not surprising to have temps over 100 degrees F)
Support volunteers and I with Pastor Sabelo
CLC Lavumisa

I'm honored to be involved in assisting in leading the women's Bible study at Hawane CLC Church. Many women from the rural community walk far distances to attend this meeting every Tuesday morning. It's exciting for me to see them growing in their faith and in their handling the Word. Now, some have even begin to preach to us, sharing the message! Praise God! Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations, including teaching them to obey everything he commanded. What a blessing to see this happening before my eyes!


THANK YOU for making a difference through your prayers, encouragement, and support! Together we are making disciples in Swaziland and seeing people's lives by changed through God's power!

"Recent pic from a homestead visit in the community. The 7 month oldbaby boy was abandoned by his parents & his grandmother (to my right)is caring for him along with about 16 other children"

Christmas & New Year's here was great this year. On Christmas Day every year all the centers in the ministry I work for (men's drug rehab center, women's center, and the children's homes from the orphan care center) gather together for a lunchtime celebration of the Lord's birth. It's a time of many presentations of songs, skits (the kids did a really cute birth of Jesus play), testimonies, and dances. I'm sorry I don't have more pics to share. I think I was lost in the moment. I did manage to get a few pics from Christmastime.

I took one of the teenage girls out before Christmas
to check on her & give her an opportunity to share what's on her heart.
She's an amazing young woman whose desire to is to preach God's Word.

Waheedah & I on Christmas at Hawane CLC

One of the teenage girls & I on Christmas

A group of friends & I on Christmas Day
(in this photo 2 Finnish, 1 Zimbawawe, 2 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Swazi)

To recap on a few recent events - I had the opportunity to lead a week of teachings in December with the children from the orphan care center where I work. They are just wrapping up their summer holiday break from school (we have opposite seasons than the States). It was an awesome time of interacting with the children in groups according to their ages. I taught groups on feelings/grief, self-esteem, and career planning for the teenagers. My prayer is that these trainings minister to them and that they come away with healthier coping skills for dealing with their feelings (many of them have been abused, neglected, and going through grief/loss) and with an understanding of who God says they are. The most important thing about you is not who YOU say you are or who SOMEONE ELSE says you are. No, the most important thing about you is who GOD says you are. That's who you really are. The groups participated in various activities, including designing posters to help illustrate what they had learned.

The teenage girls & I

Participated in a cookie bake activity in
one of the children's homes

Me with some of the kids :)

Teaching the younger kids about God's love for them
(it was so cute- when I explained that God says they are friends of God, one boy
started loudly singing the popular song "I am a friend of God")

The teenage boys & I

Teaching the kids of feelings
(they're also proud of their Feelings Books)

Me with the youngest group
(they're proud of the Feelings Books they made:)

Teaching one of the 6-year-olds

What a joy it is to be involved in sowing seeds of God's truth and His unending love into the lives of these precious kids. I know God's Word does not return void. It will accomplish the purposes it is sent to. How could God be speaking to you about imparting His Word into the lives of others?
May He guide us every day, every step. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Commit your way to him and he will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Remembering Bernadette, the friend You gave

"Father God,

Thank You for the time you gave me on this earth with my dear friend Bernadette. She was a precious gift from You. Today (November 3rd) she would have turned 37 years old. You blessed her with 36 precious years of life and she became special to so many people. Her belief in You was evident and she taught me many things. She taught me that people appreciate it when you take interest in the details of their lives. Bernadette was so good at that. She frequently asked me about how things were going and brought up things I was surprised she recalled. She shared God’s love and care with me. She listened to my joys and sorrows. She gave encouragement and even loving correction. She is a true sister in Christ. One day we will rejoice together in Your presence, God, for all eternity. I look forward to dancing around the throne with her!

Thank You for allowing me the opportunity to be there with her during her time in hospice. I praise You for Your perfect timing… even though I had planned to be in Swaziland, Africa for missions work at that time You arranged it for me to be with Bernadette during the last months of her life on earth. What an honor and privilege. You are good Lord and Your love endures forever!

Love Your daughter,

Kylee"

"Time seems to be flying by! This weekend I'll have been in Africa for1 month already. I want to share some pics with you so you can get anidea of some of my surroundings. I hope to share more soon. (Pics are not easy to upload here so someone from the USA is posting this forme:)"

This is my new home, currently living at the girls halfway house onHawane Farm, the orphan care center

another one of my house

Some of the other volunteers and I currently serving in the ministry -one from Scotland & 2 from Canada

Hawane Farm, the orphan care center I stay in

Landscape of Hawane

A precious boy & I (he was abandoned and left tolive w/ the dogs, he was rescued & is now living with the ministry,he's doing very well and can now walk!)

This is the newest member of Hawane Farm

I’ve made it to Swaziland, Africa and I’ve been adjusting to life here once again. Having spent 5 months here previously seems to be helping me to get back into the swing of things. Driving on the other side of the road (left side) and sitting on the other side of the car (right side), living on a farm with 50 orphaned children, attending a wonderful church - Potter’s Wheel Church, and working with many new (and some familiar) ministry staff and volunteers are beginning to become familiar. Even waking up at 5am to teenagers already cleaning the house and singing is starting to seem normal. :)

I’m settling into my home, the girls halfway house, on Hawane Farm. Both teenage orphaned girls who are being cared for by the ministry and young adult female Teen Challenge Life Skills School students live with me. My role is to care for them, provide discipline when needed, provide mentoring and counseling, and oversee the daily living tasks of the house. So far it’s been great and the girls are nice to work with. Many of them have such heartbreaking backgrounds and amazing testimonies of what God has done in their lives. It’s a joy to be with them.

A new 11-year-old boy, Bandile, has arrived on Hawane Farm (part of Lighthouse Care Centre & Challenge Ministries) to be cared for here. He was referred to us by the teacher of the pre-school on the Hawane CLC church property and worked out through social welfare. This boy is a double orphan as both of his parents have died from AIDS. This precious boy is HIV positive, has cerebral palsy, is developmentally challenged and he does not regularly speak. He was being cared for by his 77-year-old grandmother who is going blind and was struggling to give him his tablets to treat HIV. Bandile came to us last week malnourished and, though he is 11, he is the size of a 7-year-old boy. He is able to walk, though not normally. So far he is adjusting well to being on the farm and around all the other children, including Mandhla, a 12-year-old boy who also has cerebral palsy. They have become instant friends and brothers as they live in the same house. So, this Bandile is almost always smiling and playing with the other children. He is attending the home school here on Hawane Farm which is being taught by a long-term missionary from England.

I’m reminded of God our Creator. Psalm 139:13-14,15,16- says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place…. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God has created each one of us. He has such an exquisite plan for every life. I am just so thankful that part of God’s plan for Bandile was to bring him here to be with us in the ministry. What a joy to see these abused and abandoned children rescued and brought into a loving environment where they are fed physically and spiritually!

Over the past few months people have generously donated to me various prizes, suggesting I hold a raffle to raise support for my long-term missions assignment to Swaziland, Africa. I look forward to returning to bring God's hope to this nation that has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world. My prayer is that this nation predicted to become extinct by 2020 due to the AIDS pandemic will instead live to declare the works of the Lord! It will be a miracle.

In Matthew 25 we learn that what we do to the least of these we do to Christ. How will we as the church and as individuals respond to all the orphans and widows of the world, even to those left behind on the continent of Africa? What an opportunity we have to serve God! We can be His vessel to bring His love, Truth, hope and peace to a broken and hurting world. Through prayer, giving or going we can partner with God to see Him transform nations. "For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:11)


Tickets are being sold at $1 a piece or 6 for $5. If you're interested please contact me via email KyleeMalhotra@gmail.com or on fb. Each ticket has a stub with a # on it. All the stubs will be kept for the drawing. If your # is a winner I will contact you to arrange getting you your prize(s). (Most can be mailed) Winners need not be present to win. Winners will be posted to fb and my blog (www.rememberinggodspromises.blogspot.com) on June 21st.

THANK YOU for participating in almost $800 being raised towards my missions assignment to Swaziland, Africa!

Some of the prizes....

And the WINNERS are....

* Brian Amlin & Scott Bassman won 4 Movie Passes to Regal Cinemas
* Peggy Shafer, Betty Gress & Laura Bauer won ½ hr massage sessions @
Vandalia Massage Therapy
* Diane Patton & Mildred Vest won 1 hr massage sessions @ Hands Down
Massage & Copeland
* Donyce Montgomery won TX Roadhouse Gift Certificate (dinner for 2)
* Rhea Jeffers won Family Fun Pack- 4 tickets for "Hubble" at Imax,
Wright Patt Air Force Museum
* Janet Neal won Redken Hair Product Gift Basket
* Scott Bassman won Gift Basket from Bob Evans
* Tracie Trim won Gift Certificate for 2 entrees @ Logan’s Roadhouse
(Beavercreek)
* Dave Churchill & Radeen Bookwater won Gift Certificate for Abuelo’s
* Cheryl Mader won Coffee Gift Basket
* Tamika Cook won $25 Gift Certificate to LaRosa’s Pizzeria
* Cheryl Strange won 1 Dozen Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme
* Sue Schroder won CD from Lite 99.9
* Brian Amlin, Bernice Adams, Linda Becker, Sandi Opp, Penny Perkins, Tamika Cook, Melanie Brammer, Dave Churchill, Larry Dunn, Regina Huelskamp, Christina Clark won 1 T-shirt
* Laura Bauer won Car Wash @ Soft Touch Car Wash Systems
* Randy Brown won Complimentary Nutrition & Physical Fitness Consultation
w/ Physical Trainer

* Penny Perkins won GRAND PRIZE: 1 night, Jacuzzi Suite, Hilton Garden Inn, Beavercreek, breakfast for 2 in the morning included (exp. June 2011)


*Grand Prize*

Lots has been going on lately. I'll share some photos to communicate some highlights from the last few weeks....

The weekend of May 1st a friend from CLC Fairfield, my home church, held a Plant Sale fund-raiser and he surprised me by donating all the proceeds to my missions account to help me get back to Africa! $1,050 was raised & this puts me over 100% of my missions cash budget (only a few more monthly pledges left to raise:)! It was such a blessing! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Dave & I at church the day after the sale with some of the remaining plants :)

Spent some family time at my Mom's on Mother's Day. We enjoyed a cookout and of course I always love to see my cousin Natalie's little girl Nadia. In many ways Natalie is more like a sister to me... we're about the same age and we've grown up together.

Nadia & I on Mother's Day (she'll be 1 in July!)

I had the privilege of getting together with these 3 amazing ladies at a local Tim Horton's to catch up on life and what God's doing in Swaziland, Africa. We even got to discuss future plans! :) All 3 of these friends also spent extended stays (3-4 months) in Swaziland over the past year or so. Each one of us desires to go back to serve there.

(Right-Left) Julie, Waheedah, Stacey & I sending a shout out to Swaziland
(these pics were transported by the recent short-term team to our friends there :)

Wednesday May 19th I had the privilege of attending a missions gathering at the Dayton Convention Center for the Assemblies of God Ohio District Council. It was an encouraging, inspiring night with a humorous pastor who shared a message with us on faith. One particular comment that I laughed excessively at was when Pastor Dan explained that he once had a missionary years ago sharing pictures on a slide projector with his church. The missionary said "and this next picture is of my wife and our pet chimpazee - my wife is on the left" HAHA! :)

Missionaries from AG Ohio District (going out all over the world!)
John Wootton, Ohio superintendent introduced & prayed for us

Excited to see so many of missionaries from Ohio up there!
May God raise up more to go out into all the world!

The time for my return to Swaziland grows nearer with each passing day. As I stop to think of all that has occurred during the past few months I'm awestruck by seeing God's hand at work in the details of life. See, I'm learning that my timing is not necessarily God's timing (ok, it usually isn't:). I also see that life isn't about accomplishing a goal - it's about the journey. My original goal was to be back in Africa in September 2009. When I could not go at that time (my missions organization AGWM requires 100% of my budget to be raised before leaving the country) then my hope was to arrive by January 2010. Here's where the "my plan verses God's plan" comes in...

In January my 29-year-old cousin Nathan died suddenly of an accidental overdose. His sister found him and called us immediately. Since we live down the street we arrived at her house quickly. He was the closest person to the older brother I never had and our families were close, visiting together almost weekly or multiple times per month. I'm thankful I was able to be here for my family, to support them and to be present for his funeral. I don't know why God allowed Nathan's life to end so soon but I do know He has a plan. His Word says "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."(Romans 8:28)


My aunt & my cousin Nathan @ Young's Dairy

Later in January my best friend Bernadette was diagnosed with recurrent cervical cancer that had spread to her liver, colon and abdomen. She spent most of February and March in the hospital and later she moved to hospice. She breathed her last breath on this earth and went to be with God in Heaven on Saturday, March 27. It stills seems a little surreal that she's gone. Her friendship has impacted my life in many ways. She will never be forgotten. I'm so thankful that I was given the privilege to be by her side over the last couple months of her life. Though it was not easy I know there's no place I would have rather been. Again, I'm so thankful that I was here in the U.S. during this time. I cannot imagine being overseas, apart from my friend during this time. This is just another testimony of how God's timing is best. He IS in the details of life.

Bernadette & I at the Dayton airport
before I went to Swaziland the 1st time


God's purposes will stand and He will accomplish His will.
"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please... What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:10,11) Even though I don't always understand why certain things happen, I know God is in control and that He is good.

From the waiting room at hospice...

I sit here in awe of God. He is without a doubt in control of all things. I can see His hand in the details of my life. Despite the current circumstances I trust in His plan. My best friend at the age of 36 lays in a semi-comatose state in her room at hospice. Earlier this week she became minimally responsive - keeping her eyes close and rarely speaking.

Just less than two months ago I accompanied her with some family members to her oncologist's office to hear the report of her PET scan. The cancer had returned and this time it had traveled to her colon, abdomen and liver. After this news the remainder of the appointment was a blur. The doctor recommended looking into clinical trials if treatment was desired as chemo was unlikely to work in her case. Surgery was not an option. Shocked and yet sensing God's peace I knew that a new chapter of this journey of life had began.

The last couple months have been challenging for my friend and for all who love her. Shortly after her diagnosis she was admitted to the hospital due to continued problems with her digestive system. She had a bowel obstruction and surgery was required. The surgery didn't go well as they found the cancer was extensive and pervasive and therefore they were unable to remove the obstruction. The surgeon was able to help alliveate the symptoms however. Since her surgery during the last week of January she has been in the hospital and later moved to hospice as her condition progressed.

Her faith in God and perseverance in the face of suffering has touched my heart, solidified my hope of Heaven and and strengthened my spirit. As Christians we know and believe what God's Word says is true - "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) These words speak of Jesus and the eternal life we have in Him when we believe. I'm reminded that every human being will exist for eternity after this earthly life. This crucial decision... whether we believe in God's Son...God's invitation for us to believe in Him and therefore have eternal life determines whether we will exist for eternity enjoying life in Heaven with God or experience eternal death in Hell without God. "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

So, I've been on this journey back to Africa since February 2009 when I returned to the U.S. after a 5 month mission trip to Swaziland. I believe God's called me to full-time missionary work there - to share God's love in this nation predicted to become extinct by 2020 due to the AIDS pandemic.. .children who have been orphaned and women left as widows all due to this devastating disease called AIDS. I continue to trust God's timing for my return and I praise God that I have the privilege to be here for my friend right now.

The call to the mission field... In December 2007 a small group of people, including my senior pastor, traveled to Swaziland, Africa for a 2 week exploratory trip to discover how we as a church could do something about the AIDS pandemic sweeping across Sub-Saharan Africa. During their trip I was constantly praying for the team as God placed a burden on my heart for the people of Swaziland, the country with the highest rate of HIV infection in the world (about 45%). I began looking up information on the internet about AIDS in Africa and before I knew it I was randomly crying... my heart was breaking. Shocked and outraged, I couldn't believe there was such a crisis with so many people dying and I hadn't been aware of the extent... the reality. I sensed the Lord speaking to my heart to prepare to go to Swaziland to serve the people and share hope with those who were desperate for it. After my pastor returned from Africa in late December I went to hear him share about his trip and what the group had experienced. God's divine appointment of the team meeting Pastor Kevin Ward (who is now our ministry partner) was explained. Swaziland was described as a country beautiful in landscape and yet a people devastated by AIDS- overpopulated with orphans left behind. I left church that night overwhelmed with a continued burden for the people of Swaziland and I cried out to God in prayer. I had been asking God "what Your will for my life?" Immediately I felt the Lord impress on my heart "do you have 20 years?" Speechless I thought "if You give me 20 years Lord, yes I have 20 years." The question came again "if it meant the salvation of a nation, do you have 20 years?" My soul and all of my being cried out "yes! yes, I do!" My decision since then has been that I will do what God calls me to do and go where He calls me to go.

In my current challenging situation with my dear friend I see God at work. Even though I would selfishly like for her to stay on this earth I know it may be God's timing for her to go to be with Him in Heaven where she will be better off by far. Whether I'm in Africa or here I have one goal: to love God and to love others. See, when this life is said and done God will proclaim: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous ask the Lord when they saw him in all these situations and helped him. God replies "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me." (Matthew 25:34-40) What an opportunity we have to serve God by caring for those in need. Wherever you or I find ourselves we can make a difference.

CHRISTMAS MISSION 2009 JACKSON, KENTUCKY

I was blessed to go on a short-term mission trip to Jackson, KY the week of Christmas with Foundation Builders International (foundationbuildersinternational.org) whose aim is to "meet the needs of the neglected in the Tri-State. The orphan, the widow, the mentally ill, families with special needs children... all that need help with the necessities of life". During the 2 day trip we unloaded/sorted donations, distributed food to homes in the community, prayed with families, helped prepare the church for the Christmas celebration, wrapped donated gifts for 80 children of Appalachia, and served at the Christmas party.

I'm taking away a few things from this experience:

1) There is NEED (poverty, addictions, crime, abuse, hopelessness) every place all over the globe We cannot individually do everything but we can do something. God has designed you uniquely and equipped you with certain gifts and abilities. He has more than you could ever imagine planned for you (Ephesians 3:20). As we all do something, everything will change. What is the something God is calling you to?

2) My heart must break for the things that break God's heart if I desire to live out the plan He has for me. God's plan is about people... especially people in need. Imagine that the God of the universe sees everything, including the devestating, that goes on in the earth. Rape. Murder. Violence. Deceit. Death. God loves the "least of these" - the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, those who are sick, and those who are in prison. He desires for us to be His hands and feet and share His love with them. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the lest of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

Beautiful children in Appalachia

(Appalachia has 3 times the national poverty rate, a big prescription drug abuse problem and the shortest life spans in the nation.)

a sweet, reserved girl I'm so glad I met

a beautiful baby who played baby Jesus in the Christmas play

why would there need to be a sign like this outside a McDonald's play area?...

3) It is more blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE. This week I was so blessed just to simply give of my time to help in a small way facilitate the celebration of Christmas for some children in Appalachia. Each of the 80 children were sponsored by someone they did not know who bought them Christmas presents and committed to pray for them. The kids put on a Christmas play at the church, then everyone enjoyed dinner together, and finally they opened their gifts. :)

wrapping gifts preparing for the Christmas celebration @ the Happy Church


Christmas presents waiting to be unwrapped!

getting ready to open presents at the party

community members in the sanctuary about to open gifts

I'm learning life's about making a difference wherever you find yourself. Lend a hand, offer a listening ear, provide food for someone who is hungry, pray for people in need... Jesus summed it up when He said that the greatest commandment is to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength AND the second is to LOVE your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)