Sending Some Love Your Way Today !!

Love to you, my friends!! Aren't the graphics above incredible? They spell out love in Amharic, Luganda, English, AND sign language!! These tee shirts will be worn by our mission team as we go to Africa this summer. My adorable friend and Incredible team leader, Amanda, took a little brainstormy idea from me and developed it into graphic art! She is working with a wonderful family company who makes tee shirts for funding for adoptions and missions. Pretty great, huh?!

I'm also especially lovin' these shirts for I will be selling them to fund raise for my portion of going on the trip. At this point, through God's gift of the loving generousity of many people, I have raised half of my needed money to reach the 3,000 dollars I need to go to on the trip which is due within the next 5 weeks or so. If we look at this in a glass half-full way--I'm half way there, right?

Ashley has completely reached the goal for her trip--PRAISES for that!!

I'll be posting soon on sizes and pricing for the shirts. I hope you will buy one..or two...or three... :) Let me know on the comment section of this blog if you would be interested in buying one and what sizes you would need--we are getting numbers together and could even do some preordering...I beleive the shirts will be in the $15.00-20.00 range. A fun shirt for summer too! And a great way to speak to others about the need of people and orphans in Africa.

Thanks, you all!!

Love, Gillian

Flip Floppin' and Shoes Update!

Flip, Flop
Flip, Flop

UPDATE!! UPDATE!! PRAISES!!! PRAISES!!!
Within the last 24 hours of posting this about the need to collect shoes for our mission trip--we have had SO MANY donated from a contact at the company "Soles to Souls" that we no longer need to ask for shoes!! Amazing God!! We are so thankful.
Please do look at the P.S. in this post to see if there is anything there you might gather up for very needy children and adults. We are waiting to see how God will bring in those items.

Hey, Everyone! I hope you are having a great Spring weekend!! :)

Our Mission Trip to Ethiopia and Uganda is about 9 weeks away now. I am deep in preparations for the VBS aspects of the trip--what a joy!

I'm going to be posting needs of the orphans and nationals we will be visiting on our trip.

First, Shoes! Ashley and I are very aware of the need of good shoes for children in Africa. Without coverage, they are in danger of disease and parasites. Some children are not allowed to go to school without them as well. Walking ,sometimes long, distances is a huge part of daily life and the need for shoes obvious--yet not always readily available to many children--especially as they might be growing out of one size into the next.

We would like to collect as many shoes as we can before leaving for Africa. Could you help us? We will be in-gathering new and used shoes Newborn-adult with our focus on children's sizes. We would be thrilled to bring new flip flop type or sandal type or croc-like shoes with us in June. Feel free to contact us if you would like to gather some for children who really have next to nothing. Also feel free to drop them by our home. Every little bit is a gift to Jesus--really significant.

Thank you!!

Much Love, Gillian

P.S. needs: Another need is for women's clothing sizes 0-6. The Ethiopian nannies we met on our last trip only made enough income to sustain life--about $20.00 a month. Clothing would be greatly appreciated. We also are collecting children's clothing to take with us.

Also--if your church's Sunday School classrooms have any extra teaching material that they would like to donate--that would be wonderful!! We are especially hoping for flannel graphs and materials to gather up to leave behind for continued discipleship of the children we will be serving. Many of them have very little to no biblical/educational materials. Simple books, music cds, anything to help these orphanages would be such a help.

Muli Mutya! Selam! Hey Y'all!

Hello to you in greetings from Uganda, Ethiopia, Franklin,Tn . :)

God continues to press Africa on our hearts and this summer He will be sending my oldest child, Ashley (14 years) and I over to Uganda and Ethiopia on a Mission Trip with America World.

His call into this trip was unexpected and so clear--so like Him! We are trusting for Him to provide all we need to be launched off. I'll share the story of our separate callings in a different post...

We have met a number of our incredible team members via phone conferencing and many come from our local area and so we are really enjoying getting together regularily to plan, pray, and break bread together. How beautiful unity is!

A bit of a description in the words of Amanda Lawrence, the leader of the trip and also a dear friend:

Our 2009 Visiting Orphans trip to Ethiopia and Uganda will be from June 20th to July 2nd. We will visit Amazima Ministries in Uganda. You can read more about this wonderful orphanage at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. We will also visit and care for the orphaned babies at Amani Baby Cottage and teach VBS to older orphans at the Canaan Children's Home. All of these orphanages are in Jinja, Uganda. We will then travel to Luweero to work with the children at New Hope. (read Amanda's blog, listed link on the right of this post, "Bright Future".)

When we travel toAddis Ababa, Ethiopia and work with many school and orphanages, one of the places we will visit is the very orphanage that my two youngest children were cared for in, Kids Care, and the transition home that dear friends from America World have poured so much love into. I can't wait to walk through the blue metal gate of Kids Care and wrap my arms around those dear children and nannies.

I would like to introduce you to our team members who have blogs--I will be carrying thier blog links as I receive them in the list of blogs to the right of my posting.

Ashley's blog is the "Captivated" one. Leave her messages--she'll love it !!!

And for the "why" of why we are going...here's a bit from a previous trip..Please do take another look at the photo above before reading the following written by Amanda...

God's touch opens our eyes:


"The story on this picture....hhhmm...this one makes me think! Here I am, praying spontaneously for this woman who we saw crouching on the side of the street. She was blind and my heart just literally went out to her. And I spontaneously obeyed...stepped out in faith. What I felt was that I was to touch her..to tell her how beautiful she was. I couldn't imagine the last time someone touched her or told her this. She was probably younger than I was...How long had she been blind? How long had she been homeless? Did she have kids? I watched as she took the money and snacks I gave her and very quickly brushed them inside her skirt so that no one would steal them. As I began to pray for her, I of course, prayed for her healing...but I touched her eyes. When was the last time someone touched her eyes?! You know, I hope God heals her, but what mattered most in that moment was that she felt God in that touch. I prayed she would know how beautiful she was and how much God loved her...even if by that one moment...that someone felt compelled to stop and talk to her and touch her. She truly was beautiful. Beautiful in her weakness and her complete humbleness. As I left she tried to give me her ring. It must have been the last valuable possession she owned and she wanted to give it me. I was glad that she was unable to get it off her finger, but maybe it would have blessed her to have been able to give it to me. For some reason as I write this post, I miss her. I wish I had spent the day with her. Listening to her story and just sitting with her. I feel God's presence in these times."

Touch the eyes of my heart, Lord. Touch and heal my understanding. May we see you. Open our eyes to those who need our touch--your touch--in front of us in the grocery line, at the library, next to us at the breakfast table today.

Omukwaano! Love, Gillian