grinch

sometimes i really feel like a grinch. i like things the way i like them. i like my comfy bed and my quiet life and my predictable surroundings. i like my... my!, "my", MY MY MY! you get it?.. i'm so like the grinch.

but when i first heard about the orphans at the village of hope in uganda, i really feel like my heart did grow three sizes that day.

i have always been passionate about caring for orphans. many folks know jon and i have even considered fostering children. we believe God has called us to care for and pour love into kids and families that need a place to stay.

but these ugandan orphans aren't just your regular, run o' the mill orphans. no sir! many of them were formerly abducted and forced to join the LRA (a rebel militia). the stories of these children of war will wrench your heart out. they were forced to do things that are horrific, inhumane and disgusting.

well, if you know God, then you know how he works. as of late, every time i turn around i am confronted with new information about village of hope... about how they provide help to the helpless. they build villages where kids can live with their siblings in safety and have food and education and love and... hope.

and i gotta get in on that.

i've been asking of God that i would love with his kind of love,.. that his heart would beat inside my own chest. and i believe through this passion i have to leave the safety and comforts of "my, my ,my" everything in order to love on the orphans in africa, that he is answering that prayer.

i always say, "if God can make someone like me out of someone like me, there's hope for anyone." well, i want to take that hope to a whole village in africa!

will you help?

jon and i are joining a team of people going to village of hope for two weeks in august to spend time with the kids there, share God's truth, play games and lavish love on them. we’ll also participate in food distribution.

will you partner with us? as evidenced above, God answers prayers, and so i covet yours. please pray for this trip. please ask God for safety, good health, smooth travel and that we would raise enough support to cover the expenses of this trip. let us know if you want to be a prayer partner so we can send you updates.

beyond your prayers, if you are led, please consider being a financial partner. together jon and i need to raise $6,900. i know, right?! phew!! but here's the deal: God has already decided where he wants this money to come from. he already has a plan. please consider that you may be a part of it. you can give securely online or send a check (email me for mailing address trace at jonandtrace dot com).

i don't want to be a grinch anymore. i want to carry God's hope and abounding love to the orphans in uganda and show them they are worth every effort it took to get there.