God has
grown and challenged me through the mission field in the past 12 months. Ghana in November of 2011, where God provided
the resources to shelter up to 100 rescued child slaves and blessed the
negotiations to release 2 children from slavery. Cameroon in February of 2012, helping with
school and water development projects for children and communities living in
extreme poverty.
Priceless experiences
and growth, but carrying the Cross has a precious cost.
While
the faraway mission field had made a significant, life-(and-faith)-altering
impact on me, my home mission field was about to suffer a serious blow. I came home from Cameroon to discover that my
spouse had not only lost his job, but worse, had chosen to leave our
family/marriage. With our family
irrevocably restructured and the income halved, to say it has been a year of loss
would be an understatement. That is why
I had not anticipated God being willing to use me in my shaken, stumbling
state, to go to the faraway mission field once again and serve Him by
faith. In time, yes, but now? What could I offer in
this season of loss? How could I be the
hands and feet to the broken when I, too, felt just as lost and broken?
God told
me the same thing He told me when we faced raising $30,000 for Ghana’s rescued
child slaves…
“I’m not asking whether you can do
this. I already know you can’t.
I’m asking whether you trust that your
God is sufficient in this.”
My
answer was an apprehensive, subdued, yet faithful “Yes”. Over and over again, God uses the weak – like
me. My life has changed, yes, but God
Himself has not changed – and that’s why He calls me once again. I will trust and serve Him.
THE
MISSION
In
November of 2012, I will be traveling with my 11 year old daughter Jillian as
well as my best friend and Ghana team member, Tia, to the Les Cayes region
on the South West shores of Haiti. Our primary project will be to provide a home
reconstruction for one family so that their home will become a dry, secure safe
haven. The Castel family lives on the outskirts of Les Cayes with extended family in a house that is crumbling
around them. They have 3 young children, one of whom has disabilities. Medgina
suffered brain trauma at the age of 3. Now 11 years old, she has repeated Grade
2 several times, and is yet unable to reach past this grade level academically due
to the learning disabilities and memory loss caused by the brain trauma. Jillian
is Medgina’s sponsor, and also suffers from learning disabilities as well as
autism, and like Medgina, struggles in school and in life. Unlike Medgina, Jillian has a warm bed and a
safe home to sleep in. We seek to bridge
the gap and provide relief for this family, and at the same time, grow
Jillian’s heart for the mission field.
(Medgina)
Beyond the home restoration, we will be serving the needs of
the community that surrounds Medgina’s family, distributing school supplies as
well as seeking to tend to the needs of the “restavek” child slaves and orphans in the area, much as we did in
Ghana. We will simply be God’s vessels, led by Him, seemingly empty, but
pouring out from His abundance, into the lives of the people of Les Cayes and
Torbek in Haiti.
THE NEED
Prayer, first and foremost.
$825 for the home reconstruction
$900 for Jillian’s travel
expenses (including immunizations, passport, flights, transportation,
food, lodging)
$750 for Jolaine’s travel
expenses (including flights, transportation, food, lodging)
$750 for Tia’s travel expenses (including
flights, transportation, food, lodging)
All funds over and above this
will be poured into the needs of the Les Cayes and Torbek communities.
We are currently at 30% of the funds raised!!
In
Canada, tax-deductible donations can be made by cheque, cash or Paypal. For payment address and instructions, please contact JD@beyondmeasure.me.
CANADIAN Paypal payments can be made using this link:
In the U.S., tax deductible donations can be made to
our organization, Worldwide Relief of Children in Captivity (WRCC)
through the PayPal button provided on my blog sidebar at: www.beyondmeasure.me
Donations can be accepted this way from anywhere, but receipts for PayPal transactions on the sidebar link will only be provided to U.S. residents.
Donations can be accepted this way from anywhere, but receipts for PayPal transactions on the sidebar link will only be provided to U.S. residents.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We have taking this trip on our own, not
through any group or organization. This trip is ALL about faith. We are already
growing through this, challenged and stretched by what’s ahead, and learning to
completely rely on God. While there, we trust
God to keep us safe, provide our resources, guide every single step, lead us to
every need He will fill through us, and to teach us through the people of
Haiti. This isn’t “our” trip nor “our”
plan, but His – and yet through this, He will not only serve the needs of His
people in Haiti, but He will invest into our growth and our lives. Will you invest in us too?
Please be in prayer for this trip and for God’s provisions to be sufficient, even overflowing.
We urge you to pray for our safety! We
are aware of the potential dangers and are asking God to surround us and supply
security as we serve. Haiti is a place of unrest, disease, spiritual warfare,
and extreme poverty. It will be unlike
our experiences in Africa. Much more
importantly, Haiti is a place of hope and healing… for them… for us.
We ask that you
continue in prayer throughout the days ahead, and while we are in country. Your prayers and support are vital to
this mission. If you have any questions
or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
In His grip of grace,
Jolaine (JD) Richardson
