Journey of Faith

Neema Girls in School

2012-01-22T11:06:00.006-05:00

So, for those who have been following me for the past 5 years you know that I have invested a lot of time and energy into raising awareness about the Neema Project. From the onset of this program that Transformed International began in 2007, I fell in love with the girls, the staff involved in the project, and the hope for a better life it offers. Immediately I began dreaming, along with TI, of ways that we could help more girls. The hope was always to expand and be able to reach more girls from the Kitale area and now that is beginning to happen.

It was exciting to be there this summer to see the new Neema school being built and then to follow it up with photos and stories of others there has been great. BUT, I just kept waiting for the photos and stories from the launch of the new school opening in January 2012. While, I desperately wish I could have been there to see it all happening, the photos and stories of others who are there bring me such joy.

On Friday, Ray Smith (a friend of mine who went to Kenya with the first team I lead there and is now there for several months), went out to take photos of the girls first day of business class for me. THANK YOU Ray!

For this first semester, the girls enrolled in the school will be learning sewing/tailoring (monday, tuesday, wednesday), on Thursdays they will learn general life skills, parenting and receive counseling, and on Fridays they are learning business skills. I love the changes that are being made to add that into the weekly classes for the girls. The Transformed International staff care so deeply for each one of the girls that come through this program, and that is demonstrated in the way they teach and care for the girls.

Here are some photos from the first week of class:

Business training with Eric (TI National Director)

Eric Teaching

Girls working on an assignment from Eric during their first business class

Eric checking their work

The girls taking a break to stretch

(many of the girls are teen moms and some bring their babies to school with them)

THANK YOU to all who have contributed generously through donations, purchase of scarves, handmade bags, jewelry, and crafts. YOU are what makes all this possible!

More to come........

Buy A Brick

2012-01-17T09:35:00.002-05:00

So back in December, as part of Advent Conspiracy, we allowed people to buy a brick to help us raise the remaining funds for the dormitories at the Neema Project. We are waiting for the final numbers but we might have done it!!! Thank you Providence Church for helping us accomplish that goal.

On top of that there are businesses that offered support, many individuals who purchased and helped sell the items the girls made. We raised close to $10,000 in 5 months! This was nothing short of a miracle in my mind. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Below is the latest update from Adam, our friend from NY who is overseeing the building of the Neema Project. The school is now filled with beautiful girls who have the hope of a new future learning a skill and finding value in who they are as moms.

Here are the latest photos from Adam:

Where In the World Are We

2012-01-08T12:19:00.005-05:00

So, I have a wide variety of tasks on my job description as Global Missions Director. As much I as I love to travel and walk on the soil of foreign countries greeting, I am just as happy to send others out. For this Sunday, I enlisted the help of Lindsay to create a little map that shows where people from Providence are serving (around the world) this month. Some of them are involved in short term work using their gifts of medicine, finance, art, photography, teaching, evangelism, encouragement, and LOVE! Others are committed as long term missionaries committed to discipleship with the next generation of missionaries, evangelism, and using their time and talents to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of broken people all over the world. They are serving with various organization and missions agencies that are committed to seeing the love of Christ reach all the world.

PRAY for these as they serve!

**Joe: will be heading back to New Zealand late this month

**Kearston: is currently doing World Race and will be in several different countries throughout the year

NEEMA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

2012-01-06T17:15:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your continued generosity! Over the past several months we have been able to raise over $9,000 through Mosaic Designs sale of Neema items and other items. Those sales along with donation through Advent Conspiracy at Providence Church have allowed for the Neema project dormitories to be built. The school is completed and the dorms are well on the way, just in need of the bricks. Here is the latest update from Transformed International:

After a few weeks off, Adam and the construction crew is back to work at the Neema Project working on the dorms. This week they finished the roof and the foundation, next step, bricks, bricks and more bricks.

We are looking forward to launching this pogrom this month and seeing the lives of young woman transformed.

The Roof is Up!

2011-08-31T08:46:00.003-04:00

Hi All!

This morning I had great news awaiting me. The latest update from Daniel at Transformed International announcing that the roof has gone up on the Neema School. It shouldn't be long now before the school is finished and ready to open. Please be praying as they begin seeking out the next group of young women to enter the program. It is certainly exciting to think about new lives being changed. My heart is bursting with excitement! Here is the update from Daniel.

Adam, the project manager at the school, also posted a recent update with new photos. You can read more about it here:

Return to Kitale Kenya: The Roof is Up and On!

Thanks for sharing in our excitement and in the changing of lives!

August 27, 2010....it was a day to remember!

2011-08-25T23:54:00.020-04:00

It was a gorgeous Friday, August 27, 2010. Rick and I both remember waking up feeling a lot of nervous excitement! There are so many memories from that miraculous day:

seeing each other for the first time at one of my favorite spots in the city
walking through the city with our bridal party for photos
hearing the music in the church as so many people began to file into the church
listening to the wedding music start and realizing it was our turn (after being in and at so many weddings, it was hard to imagine what you feel when it's your own)
the walk down the aisle was so intense. that moment was ridiculous. i still remember turning to my dad and saying out loud "holy crap, this is intense". then i realized i said it out loud. moments later the place erupted in cheering and clapping. i turned to my dad and said, "i have never seen this happen, what do we do." he said, "just walk to the dot (referring to the taped dot on the floor)." i was so grateful when that moment was over and we were at rick's side.
the worship with brian and steve, hearing all those voices in the beautiful church
the personal messages from Doug and Phil
our parents praying over us
the party to celebrate was just what we wanted, time with people we love
dave and emily singing harvest moon for our first dance (and there actually was a harvest moon that weekend....unexpectedly!)
sister's toast
dad's blessing and prayer
leaving as husband and wife

That day was just the beginning and it keeps getting better.

kenya 2011

2011-08-25T23:51:00.003-04:00

I travelled to Kenya with a team of 15 and returned again. We kept a blog as a team while we were gone. Feel free to check it out for stories from the team: provinkenya.blogspot.com. It held some of my favorite moments and it officially launched the Mosaic Designs projects with the girls. You can find that update at www.mosaicdesigns.org.

There is so much coming up in the next few months. I will keep you posted as time goes by.

Learning to PAUSE.......& DELIGHT

2011-08-25T21:23:00.000-04:00

As a leadership team at Providence, we have been going through the book

"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" and I have been learning many things about myself which include:

I have been rushing through life for much too long
I need to have better boundaries (with saying yes/no to people and things)
I need to slow down and rest

I don't know where things got so off track, maybe my senior year of college when I took 21 credits first semester and 28 credits second semester while working at a mental health facility. It could have been while I was working as a high school guidance counselor, serving as a worship leader at a bible study, and also in leadership at a house church. Maybe it was while a full-time grad student, working part-time at a church and part-time at a college. You get the point, I have filled my life with really great things, but have often forgotten to PAUSE and DELIGHT in what God is doing around me.

This year, has been spent learning to rest. Yes, I really do mean learning to rest. In recent years I have not been the type of person who stops to take days off with "nothing" to do. I struggle to sit outside on the porch and read a book for hours, or sleep in on my days off. I am on the go, and when I sit and rest I feel guilty. For some reason it has felt wrong to just take time to be. This year finally brought conviction as I am quickly realizing that we were created to work.........and rest, then work.............and rest. Marriage has been a valuable tool in teaching me that. My patient husband was observing my life and would often remind me to "sit down and relax". When I sit, I fall asleep if I am not doing something. This has meant me sleeping through numerous movies on our at home "date nights". Marriage has exposed the fact that since there was noone in my life showing me balance, I had NONE! I am learning. Another that has taught me about this lack of rest in my life is the many moments where I crave Kenya. I know that sounds funny to people. I love Kenya! I love the people that I get to work with when I am there, I love the community at Transformed International, I love the sites, life slooooows down and amidst the work there is always rest and time to delight in relationships with people and time with God. So as I found myself craving Kenya, I realized I was really wishing to have that same sense of calm and balance.....a rhythm of work and rest!

So, lately (and by lately I mean the past few months), I find I am giving myself time to pause and delight! Yesterday I drove down the road just to watch the sunset, and as I sat there I begin a list in my mind of all the snapshots where I allowed myself to delight the past few months. These are moments that I want to cherish and remember for a long time:

Sunsets....last nights sunset was glorious
Watching and listening as my brother (Peter) and Trish shared their vows with one another with sincerity, love and commitment (it was beautiful). It was from their hearts to one another and shared boldly before those of us privileged to be a part of their lives.
Watching as Justin saw his beautiful bride, Julianna (rick's sister), coming down the aisle on her dad's arm. Justin's love for her is so pure and I am proud to get to call him my brother!
Sitting with my entire family at my cousin Brittany & Kevin's wedding reception and realizing how blessed I am to be in family that can laugh together and later sitting with them on family vacation in the mountains praying together as we face potential job losses and struggles finding work.....as we encourage one another to TRUST that God has His best for all of us.
Seeing my husband first thing each morning and around 5:30 each evening and realizing that he is not going anywhere. He loves me so well, even when I am undeserving. He is a gift!
Being in Kenya and watching the neema and shimo girls work so hard with pride and self-confidence, using the skills they have learned.
Seeing Eileen Roche singing and dancing with Joann in Kenya (she probably has no idea I was even watching)
Hearing a compound filled with laughter as my Providence team broke through any walls and loved my kenyan family so well.
Sitting at a table with my grandparents onso many occasions this past year, and feeling blessed by the heritage I get to receive because of who they are.
Kayaking and picnicking with Matt, Missy, Aubrey, & Leah at March Creek. That day was chaotic but ended up being a gift as we learned to know one another.
Sitting with Rick's mom teaching me to make jewelry so I can train others. She was generous with her time and so willing to teach me.
A weekend in Philly with Rick to celebrate his birthday (and a free place to stay thanks to so generous friends)
Finding amish chicken bar-b-que while out for a drive with Rick one saturday.
Walks at the trail with Jess, celebrating her engagement, talking about life and realizing how much has changed.
Spending 2 days away with the leadership team going talking about how to live healthy lives. I appreciate that the leaders at Providence care more about our emotional and spiritual, our marriages and our families than they do about our job descriptions (and YES, we do all have plenty of work to do). It is a joy to serve with them.
A saturday morning poolside with a funny book (yup, I got it for Christmas and I still have yet to finish it). :)
Watching as Rick got baptized last week and realizing we were surrounded by our family and friends.

There are so many simple things that breathe life into us each day, but we have to pause long enough to see them and recognize them. My hope is that throughout this year I can pause longer and rest more, that I find delight in the daily joys that are often right in front of me.

Kenya, Kenya, Kenya!!!!

2011-07-26T08:12:00.002-04:00

Hello All.

It has been a busy busy few weeks, full of adventure. 3 weeks ago today, I boarded a plane, with 15 other people and headed to Kenya. It was quite a journey to NY, then off to Dubai, from Dubai we landed in Nairobi. From there it was a night of sleep in a hotel and then heading off to Kitale.

I have so many stories to tell and photos to show. For now, you can follow some of the team updates at: provinkenya.blogspot.com

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

It's Getting Closer

2011-06-26T09:28:00.005-04:00

Hi All.

Well, in just 10 days I am heading back to Kitale, Kenya. You can track the teams journey at: provinkenya.blogspot.com. It seems this trip can't come soon enough. I can barely sleep right just waiting to pack my bags and GO. It has been 14 months since I was last there which is a. very.long.time. I miss the beatiful green landscape and seeing all the small villages along the way from Nairobi to Kitale. I am craving a samosa from the quick lunch stop in Nakuru on the long bus journey.

It will be so nice to sit with a cup of Kenyan coffee at the TI compound and listen to the very loud bird that drowns out every other peaceful sound when sitting under the "gazebo".

I am looking forward to the walk into town to purchase colorful fabric at a local market area and then maybe hop a ride back to the compound on a piki piki.

I miss all the smiling faces and I can't wait to spend time with these girls.

And play around with these kiddos.

More importantly.....I can't wait to see what my God teaches me about His heart and His character as I spend time with Him in this place that I love. What a gift it is to be a part of His story.

China Team Updates

2011-06-20T08:11:00.002-04:00

Late last week a team from Providence and CFC headed to spend some time with our friends in Guilin. They will be reunited with friends and make some new ones. If you would like to follow the Care Team's journey click HERE!

New Adventures

2011-04-28T22:51:00.004-04:00

So this week launched some new beginnings for me. I have been dreaming (for too many years) of coming up with new ways to raise money for projects around the world and also provide opportunities for women around the world to earn an income. Fear has held me back from trying for almost 2 years. In January, I decided it was time to take some steps. So I have created a few outlets to do this.

1) An etsy site for me to sell some of my own creations. Currently it is all hair accessories using african fabrics I have collected, some of my favorite linen fabrics, vintage fabrics and buttons that my mom is gathering for me (to make one of a kind creations). Other items will be added over time as I experiment but we will start with simple projects. The funds from this personal site will help me fund the work. You can find things for gals of all ages as time goes on. I hope you will consider checking it out sometime: http://www.etsy.com/people/faithwise.

2) A new project called Mosaic Designs, which is outlet for training, purchasing, and selling items created locally and internationally. I am prepping a group who will travel to Kenya in June to do some training with the girls from the NEEMA and SHIMO Projects at Transformed International. I am excited to come back with some of their latest creations and begin bringing more of their pieces into your lives.

We are always looking or locations to share the stories and sell some of their products. We are hoping to get into as many colleges as we can, as well as craft shows, or visiting youth, college, and women's retreats. House parties, or women's small groups are other options. A team will be approaching businesses about selling items in their shops and we will also set up ways to buy online. There are so many ways to get involved.

For years, people have approached me about providing ways to buy the products the girls are making in order to support them. We hope to provide you with more opportunities over time. We will continue to share the stories of the lives being changed.

Thanks for your interest in what is happening here and around the world!

Bloomsburg University Sale

2011-04-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, April 19th, I had the pleasure of holding a Mosaic Designs sale at Bloomsburg University. It was hosted by Lauren Spiller who is a student there and will be heading to Kenya with me this summer. We set up a table and sold scarves, bags made by the NEEMA girls, Kenyan jewelry, and some of the hair clips and headbands that are part of the new Mosaic Design collection.

I love having the opportunity to watch as new people are not only exploring the products but hearing the story about Transformed International and the girls that are being offered hope through the opportunities they have. It was such a fun experience being there and watching people sift through the colorful scarves and trying hair clips to pick their new favorites. After 5 1/2 hours of selling we made right around $700. The funds from the sale are going directly to the expansion of the NEEMA and SHIMO Projects.

THANKS to all of you who came out to make purchases and support the girls. We were also so EXCITED to be asked to come back. We look forward to visiting with you, and giving an update in the fall!

Interesting Story from Central Asia

2011-02-10T08:45:00.001-05:00

Click here for an interesting story about freedom in Afghanistan recently featured in New York Times

Next Stop......SENEGAL

2011-01-20T13:24:00.004-05:00

In two weeks from today, myself and 17 others will be heading to Senegal, West Africa to spend time with our friends in N'Gonine. Providence Church, along with Ingleside Medical, adopted this village 5 years ago. Each year, a team travels there to work with MIS. Many of us have fallen in love with this village. It has been exciting to see this muslim village changing over the years. Each year there are more hugs, more homes open to us, and more of an openness to hear about the love of Christ.

Two years ago, the village was provided with clean drinking water and we have seen dramatic changes in the health of the village. I was amazed to find out how much that ONE THING can change people's lives.

This year, our hope is to host a medical clinic in N'Gonine and then head to a few other villages to provide medical care for them as well. We will also be looking into providing 400 mosquito nets to the village and identifying whether or not it will be possible to assist in setting up a community garden with the old village wells.

One thing we could use some help on is PRAYER! We recently discovered that Senegal has closed the border to bringing in prescription medications and vitamins for treating people. We are so disappointed but have been told there is nothing more they can do. They have gone on to say that individuals who attempt this will be arrested at the border. So, we are trying to identify other ways to either get the medications we need for the clinic there. Shipping them or purchasing them in country.

It has been 2 years since I have been in Senegal. I am thrilled to be returning this year with the team and am looking forward to seeing old friends there. Continue to pray that our muslim friends would have encounters with the love of Christ. That they would understand it is not too late for them to know Him. The elders of the village asked us to pray with them that a christian church would be built in their village. We are $9,000 away from being able to help them have that happen.

MIS is hoping to see 400 villages have christian churches established in them by 2020. This is a beautiful village. It is my hope that N'Gonine is one of those places. Each year there are more people coming to know Christ and we are so excited to see people in N'Gonine experience the love of their Savior!

GLOBAL RICH LIST

2011-01-08T20:51:00.005-05:00

Reality Check for 2011 – You and the Global Rich List

Now and then it is helpful to type in our salary into globalrichlist website so we can see how our income stacks up to the rest of the world. Take 30 seconds and click below to see where you stand:

HOW RICH ARE YOU?
Every year we gaze enviously at the lists of the richest people in world.
Wondering what it would be like to have that sort of cash. But where
would you sit on one of those lists? Here’s your chance to find out.

I find it easy to lose perspective as I live surrounded so much wealth in the Western world and church. This simple tool helps remind me that God’s agenda and heart includes the poor, the oppressed, the orphans, the widows and those in need.

ADVENT CONSPIRACY RESULTS

2011-01-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

This year during the Advent season, Providence Church was challenged to participate in something called the "Advent Conspiracy". The idea was to focus on the real meaning of the season.....WORSHIP and PRESENCE. We dove into this not know what the response would be, but really wanted to give Providence the opportunity to focus more on the gift of relationships and give them an opportunity to sow some financial resources into some of our partners locally and around the world.

I was AMAZED to see the response! People were incredibly generous in their thoughtful giving outside of their families. Here is what came in:

$1200.50 for the purchase of mosquito nets for the village of N'Gonine in Senegal, West Africa to be delivered in February 2011
$1944.50 toward the expansion of the NEEMA Project in Kenya with our partners, Transformed International
$607.23 toward the purchase of discipleship tools/leadership resources for young christians in China
$602 toward education with our partners in Central Asia
$905 toward helping the family that we adopted through Good Works in West Chester, PA

GRAND TOTAL: $5,259.23

We do realize that many of you gave in other ways too- organizations, helping families in the area, etc. THANK YOU for engaging in this challenge with us! We appreciate your hearts and your desire to: WORSHIP FULLY, SPEND LESS, GIVE MORE, LOVE ALL!!! We have learned so much!

Changing Lives in Afghanistan...LOVE THIS!!!!

2011-01-07T14:50:00.002-05:00

This article was recently posted in the Colorado Springs Gazette. I have had the privilege to meet Dan Bachelder and some of his team in CO. I admire the work that they are doing to help the beautiful people of Afghanistan.

Click the link below to read the story:

How a Colorado Springs man changes lives in Afghanistan | afghanistan, endorsements, brokaw - Nonprofits - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

Our First Christmas

2011-01-04T21:39:00.009-05:00

Rick and I were looking forward to celebrating the holidays together this year. For us the celebration began the weekend after Thanksgiving. We woke up that Saturday morning went out for breakfast, turned on Christmas music (I cheated and started listening to them the week before Thanksgiving), and headed to a local tree farm to pick out our first tree. Knowing how much we LOVE celebrating Christmas, we spent some time carefully inspecting the space that we had for a tree in our apartment in hopes that we could find the perfect "little" tree to find a home within the designated space. We walked through the fields of the farm and there it was, our first tree! We checked it out from every angle, and then began checking out some other trees, but we went back to the first one that caught our eye.

Looking at the photos we should have been able to see our "little" tress was not so little, but in the grand scheme of trees it was just right. Rick graciously offered his man muscles to saw our tree down. We loaded it up on his dad's truck, stopped for a coffee holiday treat (aka. peppermint mocha), and took the tree back to introduce it to its new home. The unveiling of the tree proved was a fun one for us as we realized the tree was bursting from the allocated area. It took 3 trips before I got the "right" lights (twinkling whites and led lights are not acceptable for a Wise Family tree). Eventually we had beautiful non-twinkling white lights strung up and it was time to trim the tree. We picked out a few ornaments to create our own style and added some beautiful personalized ornaments from my very creative sister and her family. We continued adding to the tree as we found more things we liked. The tree added such CHEER to our home. It is soft and living and so so lovely. UNTIL.......December 23rd. Rick was on his lunch break and we were busy making plans for the holidays with family and the Christmas Eve Eve service at Providence, where we were to be readers. Rick went to see if our tree was thirsty and saw that some of the branches were moving. :) We stared at it for a while and realized that some eggs had hatched and hundreds of "flying insects" had made a home in our tree. I thought this was great, but Rick disagreed. By the time we came home later that night, the critters were making their way around our living room dining room so it was time to wage war. As Rick began to spray some raid, the bugs dropped to the floor and all over the gifts, wrapped with love. He was frustrated and I said I lost my Christmas cheer. The gifts were moved, the ornaments temporarily taken down, and Rick went to battle. Christmas Eve we woke up to find hundreds of dead bugs on the floor around our tree. So we cleaned up and trimmed the tree all over again.

It remains gleefully in our home where it will remain for quite some time!

It is a fun story to tell BUT.........

We were reminded of the true meaning of the season. Our hearts were FULL of GRATITUDE for the love of a Heavenly Father, time to celebrate the gift of life with our families, and the incredible gift of marriage, creating memories as a young couple. We had so much fun, there was so much JOY. Christmas Eve Eve was spent with our Providence Church family as we celebrated the precious gift of the life of Christ. Christmas Eve was spent with my family at my parents and then dinner with the extended Ecenroad Family. I love traditions and being with all of them each year. Rick and I created a new tradition of heading to a late night candlelit service in Lancaster on our way home. It was so beautiful and a peaceful way to end the evening. Christmas morning we woke up in the same home and had fun offering one another new treasures from under the tree, followed by lots of time with the Wise Family.

We are so THANKFUL for health, for shelter, for God's gracious provision for us, for the gift of friendship we have with one another. I loved the balance of familiar traditions with new ones we made together.

Our hearts are FULL this holiday season!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-01-02T14:21:00.003-05:00

Advent Conspiracy at Providence Church

2010-12-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

Hello Providence! For the past few weeks you have been hearing about the Advent Conspiracy. The challenge is to put the real meaning back into Christmas.

WORSHIP FULLY: A King is celebrated, love wins, peace reigns. This is a season where we worship Jesus to the fullest. It starts with Jesus & ends with Jesus. That is Christmas!

SPEND LESS: Buy 1 less gift this year and instead.......

GIVE MORE: give more of your TIME. God's gift was a relationship built on love. So instead of spending money on that gift, give your time through relational giving--homemade gifts, baking together, sledding, christmas caroling. Make love visible through giving your time so that you can.........

LOVE ALL: When Jesus loved, He loved in ways never imagined. Though rich, he became poor to love the poor, the forgotten, the overlooked and the sick. He played to the margins. By spending less on gifts, we have the opportunity to join Him in giving resources to those who need help the most.

____________________________________________________________

For the next 2 weeks we are presenting you with the "GIVE MORE to LOVE ALL CHALLENGE" which challenges you to THINK & PRAY (as a family), where you can SPEND LESS (on 1 gift), GIVE MORE (of your time as the gift), and LOVE ALL (by using some of the resources you didn't spend by giving it away)!

Sunday, December 12th and December 19th we want to give you an opportunity to LOVE ALL! We will have tables set up around the building for you to provide resources for some of our partnerships (locally & globally):

AFGHANISTAN: we will be selling pencils ("Pencils for Peace") & t-shirts and accepting donations to raise funds for education in Afghanistan.

CHINA: we will be accepting donations towards the purchase of discipleship & leadership training tools for young christians in China.

GOOD WORKS: we, as a church, have adopted a family in West Chester and have been building a relationship with them doing repair work on their home. We will be accepting donations to use for grocery gift cards for the family.

KENYA: we will be selling handmade kenyan crafts, scarves, bags, & jewelry and accepting donations toward the NEEMA Project in Kenya. The NEEMA project is involved in rescuing street girls from the streets of Kitale, KENYA.

SENEGAL: we will be accepting donations toward $5 mosquito nets to be given out to the village of N'Gonine in Senegal. The hope is to distribute 400 mosquito nets to village families in order to minimize the number of individuals contracting malaria.

Come prepared to LOVE ALL, as you and your family feel compelled to do so. Be praying about what needs you may want to help meet! No donation is too small!

If you have questions, please contact me at: faithecenroad@gmail.com. I am looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses all of us to GIVE MORE of our time to those we love so that we can use our resources to LOVE ALL!

THANK YOU WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

2010-11-05T11:26:00.003-04:00

Hello All!

I wanted to write a quick update to let you all know that we are closer to the goal of building a new home and school for the NEEMA girls thanks to the generous students at West Chester University! Brenna Flynn (pictured below), organized a sale at her university on Friday and Monday. Our hope was to make at least $1000 and we ended up making around $1065 to put towards the neema construction project. We made close to 80 sales and found that many people were delighted to walk away with a new scarf or a bag made with love by one of the neema girls.

It was exciting for me to see each customer sifting through the bags, trying to find which fabric they loved the most. It took me back to the market in Kitale where I bargained and sometimes battled to purchase the fabric at a fair price. It then took me to the days of traveling by bike taxi or motorcycle taxi with James to the house to work with the girls and provide some encouragement while Joyce taught them to make the bags.

I love being apart of this work! I love sharing the stories of the neema girls! I love the memories of seeing them find dignity and worth, seeing them learning new skills and gaining confidence. What a privilege!

THANK YOU to all of you who added to your personal collection and contributed to this cause! Each dollar is being used to make a difference in the life of a girl living in Kenya!

MOSAIC DESIGNS: creating beauty out of brokeness

2010-10-28T20:32:00.005-04:00

About 2 years ago, I had a dream to start something called Mosaic Designs. The motto would be "creating beauty out of brokenness". The idea would be to take creations (artwork, crafts, jewelry, bags, photography, etc), sell them, and use the funds to support programs that are restoring the lives of young women across the world. We can all be involved in creating, selling, or buying. Part of the dream is to see women (of all ages) in North America linked with women (of all ages) in another part of the world. While all of that is still in the works, I am beginning to do this on a very small scale.

This past year, I had the PRIVILEGE to work with two very special groups of girls in KITALE, KENYA. My friends at Transformed International, gave me an opportunity to work with the NEEMA PROJECT and the SHIMO PROJECT. The NEEMA girls are a group of teenage girls who were either living on the streets or at risk of heading to the streets to lead of life of prostitution and begging. These girls have been given an opportunity to live in a home with other girls (a total of 6) like themselves and be provided with education and training in a trade. I have written alot about them in the past on this blog. The SHIMO girls are a group of teenage mothers living in the Shimo Slums in Kitale. I spent two months earlier this year working on sewing projects of sorts with the girls and they continued working and sewing even after I left. The hope was to bring their creations back to sell here in America to raise funds to expand these programs.

TOMORROW we begin with our first sale in PENNSYLVANIA.

THE GOAL: To raise $40,000 to build:

a house of their own for the NEEMA PROJECT
a school/trade school for the NEEMA/SHIMO PROJECT

All of this is being done in partnership with Transformed International. I LOVE this organization and I trust this organization. 100% of everything we raise goes directly to them for the expansion of these projects. Transformed International has the land and is ready to begin. They never asked us to do any of this, but once you spend time there you want to something and they have kindly allowed us to work with them on this, and many other, projects.

If you would like to be a part of making this happen, please contact me. We are looking for:

places to share the vision
places to sell (home parties, craft shows, women's retreats, churches, small groups, schools, colleges, businesses, etc)
people who want to be involved

Thank you for your involvement and for taking the time to care for these girls. Please read previous posts to learn more about them or visit Transformed International's website.

The next sales will be:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29th from 8am-2pm at West Chester University, Sykes Building

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1st from 9am-7pm at West Chester University, Sykes Building

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4th at ELCO HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY FAIR

Hope to see some of you there!

MR. & MRS.

2010-10-05T11:14:00.004-04:00

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I last wrote on this blog. To be honest, I wrote, but didn't post them. I came home from Kenya in March and life changed when Rick Wise asked me to be his wife!! And now......we are HUSBAND and WIFE! On August 27th, we said "I do" in front of many of our family and friends. Having been a bridesmaid in 11 weddings, singing in around 40, and attending at least 20 others, I thought I knew what to expect, but the day came and it FELT so different.

We knew that there were people all over the world praying, and we are incredibly thankful to those of you were praying for us as we committed our lives to one another. I know that there were a group of churches in Romania gathering specifically for that purpose and we felt your prayers. I was overwhelmed as I walked down the aisle with my dad and suddenly people were clapping and cheering. I had never seen such a thing. I turned to my dad and said, "what do we do now?" He calmly replied, "walk to the dot" (the sticker dot that was placed on the floor to let us know where to stand). I love how practical and calm my dad appeared. I was given away by a man who has known me and loved me for years, to another man who I am confident will do the same. We worshipped, and it was beautiful...to hear the sound of so many voices worshipping God together. I was AMAZED at the goodness of God's presence as Doug and Phil shared. Everything felt so personal and we felt so loved! Now we are man and wife and we look back on that day with such gratitude! We are so thankful for:

my mom and dad for all their help in planning and helping so many details come together for the day
our families (Rick and Jan, Joy, Jason, Jada, Bryan, Sara, Addie, Nora, Peter, Julianna, Jeremiah) who celebrated each step of the way and stood by us on our wedding day
Lisa, Jess, Stephen and Dave....you are like family which is why we had you by our sides
Heather Muffley who is the BEST BEST BEST wedding coordinator ever. I am blessed to call you friend and so thankful for your help
the romanian church for praying
Doug and Phil for how well you put together the things you shared
Steve and Brian for leading us in worship
Dave and Emily for singing and playing at the reception
Beth Windom for all you did along the way (dress shopping, shower planning, flower making, being a listening ear, etc)
Janell, Erin, and Steph for flying from so far away to "be there"
Aunt Kay and Uncle Glenn for opening their home and preparing a beautiful and delicious rehearsal dinner for us
Carmen and Davids for opening your Creamery for the bridal party to enjoy your handmade ice cream and take some fun photos......we will give you business for many years to come
Lauren Fisher for helping with some of the hidden details that became visible the day of
Kesh Witmer for making our cake
those who planned and attended our bridal showers, bachelorette and bachelor parties....we felt so loved and honored
John and Marty for giving us a honeymoon house!
Mike and Sherry for doing our premarital and preparing us for marriage.....we learned so much and thank you for the hours you spent with us.
Emanuele and Wendy for the financial counseling....you were so helpful
TO ALL WHO CAME and CELEBRATED this incredible day in our lives

The list really could go on and on, but I have work to do. So, for now let me say THANK YOU! We have been overwhelmed with how thoughtful, generous, supportive, and encouraging people have been toward us. The attention felt like too much at times, but we know it was because of people's love for us.

We will continue to post more as we journey though the mystery of marriage together. Life is peaceful and full of joy (and a bit too much laundry) but we are thrilled to be traveling through life together now.

More to come later.........

NEEMA GIRLS GOODBYE

2010-03-07T15:45:00.013-05:00

Friday afternoon was my last day with the NEEMA gals. Stephanie and I met them, along with Joyce (the sewing instructor), Joanne (their teacher), and Janet (the house mom) at Iroko (also known as Boulevard) for lunch in town. The girls don't often come to town and rarely are treated to a lunch out at a restaurant. I love taking them out and seeing them in town, all dressed up in their school uniforms. They are so funny. After lunch, they posed outside in front of the restaurant for photos and then we all hopped on piki pikis and headed back to their home to have one final day in the workshop to make some bags to bring back to the US to sell.

It was a fun last day with them. I will be writing more about the NEEMA girls and the future of the project. Stay tuned!!!