Ghoing, Ghoing, Ghana!!

Although things have been quiet on the blog, things behind the scenes of our Ghana Child Slavery Rescue Mission are anything but quiet.

With only 104 days to go (!!!!!!) until we head to Ghana, we're finding ourselves in a flurry of activity here in New Brunswick (Canada) as well as in Michigan and Illinois.

While the school construction fundraising has always been our priority (with 100% of the school funds going to the school construction) we had to take some time to focus some of our efforts on raising the necessary funds for the travel expenses so that we could book our flights.

At my youngest brother’s suggestion, I launched a photography auction on Facebook in June as well to help us reach our separate fundraising goal for the travel. We had such an encouraging and positive response to this that we may do another one in the fall.

Debra had an auction in June in which half the proceeds went to her travel costs, and half went to the school. This auction raised over $600 for the school construction fund, increasing the school fund by 2 percentage points! So many people and businesses contributed their time, energy and items to this great event, we’re so grateful for the tremendous support.

Thanks to the success of those specific fundraisers, along with countless lawn mowing jobs, bottle recycling refunds, car detailing and various other odd-jobs, we purchased our plane tickets. What a surreal feeling!! This is really happening!!!

We have since resumed 100% of our focus to the school fundraising by continuing with various jobs and event fundraisers.

We still have much to do in order to reach our goal,

and we need your help.

Much of our fundraising successes have come by word of mouth, simply from sharing about this project, what we’re doing, where the funds are going and what a difference it will make... people are inspired to help in any way that they can.

Share our button on your blog, place our project url in your email signature, post it on Facebook... every single contact is a seed planted, and we can not afford to underestimate how important each of those seeds are. www.tinyurl.com/Ghana2011 -- easy to remember!

If you are able to donate $5, $10, $20 or more, please do so and know that your contribution WILL make a difference. There is no amount too small. Every dollar will bring us closer to providing the school for these rescued children. Every dollar will greatly affect the future for generations to come. Every dollar counts.

Last but not least... your prayers. Your prayers for us as we walk this journey have made an impact beyond what can be seen. Your prayers have helped keep us energized, encouraged and uplifted when the road gets tough and our hearts are heavy from the reminders of the children we're doing this for. As well, your prayers for George and his ministry, as well as the children of Lake Volta, both those who are awaiting rescue and those who have gained freedom.... those prayers are life changing and crucial -- please continue to support them in prayer.

THANK YOU for your support!

Baker's Dozen

She once was lost, but now she's found...!

Back in April, I had asked Compassion to send me a handful of packs of children available in Ato Sam's Compassion project in Ghana. Hers was one of two that I received.

Her name was Tahameena.



I prayed over her week after week as I placed her photo profile in our church lobby, and when her profile disappeared in May, I hoped it meant she had found a sponsor. I kept praying that I'd connect with her or her sponsor, one way or another -- after all, she was a friend of Ato Sam's.

Then, in June, she resurfaced. Someone from church, assuming that someone had lost their Compassion Child info, tucked her away somewhere for safekeeping. When they saw me with Compassion child packs in the lobby week after week, they put two and two together, and gave her back to me.

Her child pack had expired, though, and her profile could have been in the hands of another Advocate, on the website, or elsewhere. She may have even found a sponsor by now.

Still, I kept praying.


When child packs expire, we are asked to destroy them because it means that someone else has been assigned to finding them a sponsor. I didn't have the heart to do that to her photo... I discarded the envelopes and the forms, and tucked her profile into my Bible, not knowing what it was that God had planned, but knowing I would be praying for her as I studied His Word each day.


I sat across from our Children's Pastor this week at church, talking about connecting Compassion, missions, and worldwide children's ministries with our church's children. I presented the idea of having a Compassion child for our K-5 KidzWorld group at church. We exchanged ideas of how it could work, what we could do, how it would help plant seeds of compassion and serving into the lives of the children and families.

While brainstorming, we also talked about where we could sponsor a child, which country, how great it would be to sponsor a child we could interact with in person to help our children understand that these kids are real, to help them build that relationship.

On the way home, I pulled out my Bible again, and that's when I saw her face and wondered...


I prayed about it all the way home, and called Compassion right away. I provided them with her child ID number, and learned that she hadn't been sponsored. The last Advocate that had her was me.


For such a time as this.

Tahameena is now our 13th sponsored child, in partnership with our children's ministry at church. We will support her in prayer and learn about sacrificial giving through this sponsorship. The children at church will be able to take part in sending her cards, drawing her pictures, and also learn about the work we're doing in Ghana. Her photos and letters will be posted on a special Compassion Station bulletin board where the children will learn about her country and about Compassion's ministry around the world and about the difference that their small change can make in the life of a child their age. The children will have her photo to take home to stick on their fridge as a reminder to pray... and perhaps their families will also be led to sponsor as a family.


I'm so eager to see God working in the hearts of these children through this experience, and to see Tahameena's life bloom as a result of the seeds that have been planted.

This has served as a reminder that He has a plan for each and every one of these children that we're entrusted with as Compassion Advocates; and a plan for each and every encounter we have in our life. Sometimes, the two connect, and it's the most incredible thing to witness!

Indelible Marks

Our daughter began coloring her world at the age of 2.

Walls, floors, cupboards – every surface was fair game every time she found a stray pencil or crayon. We did our best to hide the pencils, crayons and markers, but she had incredible talent for honing in on them like a bloodhound on a relentless pursuit.

Relentless. It should have been in the top contenders for her middle name.

As she taught herself to read and write, the incessant obsession to label the world around her seemed unstoppable. Unlike our sons who were older than her, redirection did not help, impulse control was non-existent, and consequence was of little importance to her. We were at a loss.

Years later, the writing on the wall began to make more sense as we were told that she was on the autism spectrum. The pervasive tendency to put a mark on her world was part of her own autistic traits, and the complexity of her issues were the reasons most of our parenting methods did not bear fruit. This knowledge helped us extend more patience and grace.

Our perspective had shifted.

She’s nine now, and unless you spent a significant amount of time with her, you might not realize that she still deals with the effects of the autism spectrum every day. The days of the intense, non-verbal child who found social interaction overwhelming and who spent every waking moment in sensory overload have slowly faded. She’s still intense, but less so now that she is capable of expressing herself verbally. In fact, the pendulum has over-compensated. She’s just like her mother, and never stops talking!

While she still has an insatiable need to doodle, draw, write and label every tangible surface, she now uses paper and other acceptable mediums more often than not. These days, the odd self-control mishaps have mostly become a source of entertainment, like the mysterious appearance of the world CHOCOLATE in big bold letters on the kitchen wall (it’s so hard to get angry when you want to yell AMEN, SISTER!!). Or her apparent fear that we'd get confused about the difference between the washer and the dryer even though we are a family of 5-going-on-6 and laundry is pretty much perpetual...

At least they were labelled and spelled correctly. Atta girl!

As she and I read the letters we received today from 3 of our Compassion kids, the topic came up of when Suwanna would be able to write her own letters. At the age of 8.5, Suwanna, our child from Thailand, is still struggling to write her name.

I explained to her that until April of 2011, just a few short months ago, Suwanna had never owned pencils or crayons. We had recently provided them to her through a child gift, along with papers, art supplies and a bag or backpack to put them in. Knowing how much she and Suwanna loves to draw and color, my daughter understood how the value of this gift and the difference it would make. The Compassion project worker expressed to us how grateful Suwanna had been for this gift and how she had even tithed from her birthday funds, something so encouraging to see.

A precious drawing from Suwanna

As I asked my daughter to imagine what her world would have been like if she had not had access to any writing or coloring materials at home until last year...

We both fell silent.

I couldn’t imagine our world without the marks of autism any more than she could imagine her world without the pencils and crayons that had helped give her world a voice.

Although the perspective had already shifted for me long ago... today brought it home even more. The fleeting frustrations of life are temporary, quickly erased, painted over or faded from memory. Well, except those made in permanent marker on a washer and dryer! The true blessings are in the indelible marks my children, both biological and sponsored, have made on my heart and how they have changed my life perspective.

How have your sponsored children helped change your perspective with your own life or your children's lives?

Beyond The Photo

Every few months, I receive the information on a few Compassion children that are in need of a sponsor. These children are not available anywhere else but through me, their Advocate.

Right now, I have 14 of these precious children in my care, all of them living in extreme poverty, all of them waiting for a sponsor to call their own.


Even though I care and pray for each and every one of these children, and I work hard to find them a great sponsor... this time, I am searching for a particular kind of sponsor for a specific little girl.

Meet Berling De Los Angeles, a precious 4 year old girl from Nicaragua. Berling helps her family by carrying water, gathering firewood, and running errands. She lives with her mother, and her mother isn't employed. She has two siblings. She loves to play with dolls.

The information on Berling is fairly typical, but her photo isn't. Not to me.

When I looked at Berling's photo, it hit me immediately.

Something's not right.

In the first glance, perhaps what struck me the most was the juxtaposition of her pure white bride-like wedding dress against the desolate backdrop of poverty.

I took a closer look.

Take a look with me, beyond the photo... look at this child. What do you see? (For a closer look, click on the photo.)



I am startled to see hair that I would expect to be jet black... I know from when we sponsored Emily that just as Compassion can change a child's hair color, so can poverty and malnutrition.

It would be tempting to assume that perhaps this child is simply a blonde haired little girl, and that nothing's amiss...


Then...


You see her face.


Compare it to 3 year old Belen from Peru, also in my care until July 31st...



Do you see the difference?


Not only is Belen more healthy in terms of proportionate body size for her age, but Belen's countenance is completely different.


The hopelessness is missing.


I feel very strongly about finding each and every one of these deserving children a sponsor who will care for them, help provide for them, build a relationship with them, and most of all, love them...

... but I need something more for Berling. I need a sponsor who will be very attentive and proactive, a sponsor who will write faithfully and regularly, a sponsor who will advocate for her and watch carefully for signs that may point to something deeper affecting her health and wellbeing, including the potential that she may be abused.


I know that this sounds like a lot to draw from a photo... but there is a reason I feel so strongly about this.

Beyond the photo, there is something heartbreakingly familiar about her.


That look on her face, without words, describes exactly how I felt as a victim of child abuse. I could be wrong -- but how many people didn't advocate for me on the chance that they might have been wrong on their suspicions? So many people suspected or knew, and backed away from the responsibility. Even the police. Am I willing to make that mistake with her? NO.


Whether you're already an active sponsor or have never sponsored a child before... if you can see beyond the photo to what I see, and feel a burden on your heart for Berling, please contact me before the end of July. If you are not in Canada, I will have her file transferred to you.

I have already committed to another sponsorship this month, so it may very well be that God doesn't intend for me to sponsor Berling, even though I feel so very strongly about her.

Perhaps He is simply asking me to advocate for her because of how strongly I feel.

Perhaps she will be my 14th sponsorship.

Perhaps, you have read this and already know that she is yours.

Perhaps, like Michelle's sponsorship of Kwagala (check out the story here!), the CompassionCan blog family can come together in a group sponsorship of Berling.


I don't know yet what His answer is. Our role is to advocate and pray for all children at all times. Beyond that, it becomes a question of whether we will keep praying for them, or whether we will be the answer to their prayers.

C3-PU

Once upon a time, there was a man who was known for his appreciation of all-things-gadget. We'll call him Mike (because that's his name, after all), but at work, we call him most-likely to electrocute himself if he fell into the harbour.

At any given time, he has a belt that holds a cell phone or two, tools, keys, a pocket knife, and probably a toothbrush, a flashlight and who knows what else. He's tall and very thin, the belt also acts as an anchor so that he won't fly away when there's a decent gust of wind.

If you ever wanted advice on which brand/size/model of the latest something-or-other, Mike's your man...


This week, though, he came into work with an unforgettable story of what NOT to get.



Mike has two beautiful dogs that pretty much resemble fluffballs of teased white fur.

(Similar dog -- don't know what breed exactly)

Adorable, but all that fur, well.... Mike, being gadget-boy that he is, decided he'd invest into one of those robotic vacuum cleaners, the "Roomba".

Seems simple enough... let the Roomba do the work for ya.


That worked well until a few days ago.


Mike was in the shower when he heard the Roomba start it's automatic daily run through the house. He didn't think much of it at the time. Twenty minutes later, when he opened the bathroom door, an unmistakable smell immediately overwhelmed him.

I can only imagine the look on his face when he realized that one of his beloved dogs, (who is now under the witness protection program) produced a "present" for Mike on the floor....


... and that the Roomba, unable to detect "road hazards" and drive around them, proceeded to push and drag the present throughout the entire house. There was literally a trail from baseboard to baseboard, in every single room except the bathroom, since that door had been closed.

(Aren't you glad I spared you that photo? You're welcome! )

One thing is for certain -- if you ever wanted to know if a Roomba really does cover every square inch of floor... just ask Mike. He'll tell ya the proof's in the pudding. Uh... well, or something.

Without his iron-strength sense of humor, I think he'd be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder... It took less than 24 hours to clean the mess, but it may take a lifetime to fully recover the sights and smells of that one.

He told the story to pretty much everyone at work the next few days. We laughed to the point of tears every single time he retold it.

We have been teasing him mercilessly since... "Hey, Mike -- how's that C3-PU robot of yours? I hear it doesn't pick up squat....!"


See the pitfalls of technology? If you have puppies, you may want to avoid getting your loved one a C3-PU for Father's Day... just sayin'.

Heaven Is For Real -- Review

I was recently offered the book "Heaven Is For Real" in exchanged for an unbiased review.

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent

Heaven Is For Real is the story of a young boy who, in the course of an emergency surgery to save his life, takes an unexpected detour through Heaven. His family hasn't realized his adventure until he began to describe it in bits and pieces over the next few years. His revelations and descriptions lead them to believe that it was unmistakable -- their son had experienced Heaven.

Beautifully written in simple language injected with light hearted humor, Heaven Is For Real is a page turner that is read with surprising ease, considering the intensity of the topics discussed.

I most appreciated the way it caused me to pause and reflect on my own feelings about Heaven. In fact, I decided to take a week or two after initially reading the book in order to give it much thought, and in the end, my conclusions always came to the same point:

While the book gives no reason for me to suspect it's authenticity, I have little interest in knowing what Heaven will be like. Yes, as a Christian, I'm homesick for Heaven, but until I am Home, my focus is on the path God has placed before me, my only goal is to finish the tasks as He gives them to me. The only thing I need to know about heaven, I already know... Jesus will be there. I can not imagine noticing anything else about Heaven in His presence.


The characteristics of Heaven aren't the reasons I seek Him... I seek Him because of His character. Whether Heaven is beyond beautiful and amazing or it is a dirt filled pit of endless nothingness... it only matters to me that He is there. That is sufficient.


"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

Picture Freedom Photography Auction

It's hard to picture ourselves trapped in modern day slavery.


Harder yet to picture our children in those heartbreaking conditions.


When we consider the children being rescued in Ghana by George and his team at PACODEP, we picture freedom for every one of the children waiting for rescue.

To help George in his efforts, we have launched the
Picture Freedom Photography Auction
on Facebook!!

On the auction block -- 20 beautiful individual photographs (your choice of 8x10 or 11x14) with the funds going to our Ghana mission trip. Please take a look at these photos -- bidding takes place in the individual photo's comment section!

More than anything, your prayers are needed: For our trip, for George and his team, for the children, for our families as we prepare, and for our fund raising efforts. Thank you so much for your support!

Photo Preview:

Auction Posts listing www.tinyurl.com/picturefreedom


Preview:

If you're interested in these photos, but are not on Facebook, simply contact me!

Opportunity Strikes!

There is something all Compassion sponsors have in common – we all do a “Happy Dance” at the mailbox when we receive an envelope marked “Message From Your Sponsored Child”. Our family even takes guesses as to who the letters are from before they are even opened. We often read the letters while gathered around the table at meal time, discussing what we’ve learned through our Compassion child’s letter.


With talks of a Canadian postal strike happening in the near future, there may be an interruption to the letters we receive from our Compassion children. While that is disappointing for us, the thought that the letters the children receive could be affected is an even greater concern...


Read my Compassion Canada guest post to see how opportunity "strikes" in this situation!

http://www.compassion.ca/advocatenetwork/blog.php?intid=519

Healing Hearts

Thousands of miles away from my little corner of Canada, God has blessed me with a sister named Sonia. Sonia's daughter, Lizbeth, is our Compassion daughter from Bolivia. Lizbeth and her twin sister were born on March 25th. It was their birth date that God used to connect me to Lizbeth and her family -- we lost a baby girl on March 25th years ago, and celebrating Lizbeth and her sister's birthday on March 25th has helped my heart heal.

Lizbeth and her sister are idential, inseparable, and ridiculously adorable... see for yourself!! (Sonia and her two precious daughters -- just don't ask me which one Lizbeth is!)



Sonia and I have not yet met, but through the letters she lovingly writes on behalf of her daughter Lizbeth, the connection has been instant and very strong. We are family in every sense that ever mattered, and in ways that weren't expected...


The letter we received from Lizbeth today, written by Sonia, began as most of their letters do... sharing greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus, offering their prayers to our family and to our Africa mission trip.

Then, I noticed something that stuck me as unusual... "Lizbeth is in good health, along [with] her sister and my husband."

What about Sonia's health? She hasn't mentioned it... so I made a mental note to ask in my response letter, and kept reading.

She spoke of the girls' schooling, her remembrance of March 25th, how their holidays were... she answered some of my questions about her marriage and relationship with her husband.

Then, the unexpected. "I ask your prayers... I have problems in the heart, I had tests done and have "Chagas", there is no cure in our country for this sickness."

Such a simple, quiet, heartfelt prayer request, followed by shared scripture, gratitude for our letters they received, and affectionate goodbyes and blessings to our family from theirs.


I never imagined that I would have this in common with Lizbeth and her sister... my mother also has a life-threatening heart condition.


Unlike Sonia, my mother has access to great doctors and treatment, and they are able to keep her healthy and doing well.


Sonia does not have that "luxury".


Chagas is an infection transmitted to humans by insect carriers of the disease. Initially, it is an acute infection which can be treated by anti-parasitic medication. Even with treatment, after 4-8 weeks of acute infection, it becomes a chronic situation which in 20-40% of individuals eventually develop life-threatening heart, nervous system and digestive system disorders. This is the case with Lizbeth's mother, Sonia.

The prognosis is not good. Without treatment, she could face sudden death. Without treatment, she may not get to see her daughters grow up... the thought makes my heart hurt alongside of hers.


Over the years with Compassion, I have seen the importance of correspondence in building relationships; relationships not only with our Compassion children, but with their families. Through these letters, we develop trust in one another, and through that trust, our hearts -- and our heart problems -- are shared.

Without that relationship, we may not have been told about this serious issue, and perhaps we would have missed on the opportunity to help.


My relationship with Lizbeth and her mother has brought healing to my heart. What if...

What if somehow, this sponsorship can bring healing to Sonia's heart as well?

What if, by sharing this prayer request with you and our other Compassion kids, God answers our outpouring of prayers and helps bring healing to Sonia's heart?

What if, by contacting Compassion tomorrow morning and explaining the situation, a field inquiry can be initiated, and a potential solution can be found?


What if... every sponsor saw the impact that letters can have on Compassion relationships and began a change reaction that reached into every corner of the world for Him?

Freedom for 116 Children

What a tremendous time of progress in the Lake Volta area of Ghana. Our dear friend George Achibra called and wrote 2 weeks ago to share with us that 116 children have been recently rescued from slavery in the Lake Volta area. These children, some as young as four, had been sold into slavery by their parents.

What is different about this rescue operation is that 28 slave masters were taken into custody, sending a strong message to the other slave masters in the area that slavery has serious consequences.


Of the 116 precious children rescued, 20 are in the care of George. While I am celebrating their freedom, I am also aware of the increasing resources needed to care for these children.

Please continue to provide prayer and support for our fundraising for the children's 3 classroom unit. While the fundraising goal has not changed (it will still only take $30,000 to build the school) the need has increased, it's more important than ever for this to be built.


We have created a new blog button for our Ghana project. Please feel free to circulate it!



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