If there is one thing I struggle with on a daily basis it’s trying to be enough for everyone…

 as a mama to 9 and working in missions, seeing the overwhelming needs around me, I struggle with not being enough.

What I have come to realize is that I am not.

I am not enough.

And never will be.

But the best part is...

 He is.

And He never intended for me to be-

 or else I would get all the glory.

God has a plan better than anything I could ever come up with- and so I trust. Trust that in the areas that I am lacking- He will fill in.

I had someone asked me the other day- why Village of Hope was only going to focus on children with HIV/AIDS- because HIV wasn’t their ‘thing’.

All I know, is that I am pretty sure these children living with HIV/AIDS did not choose HIV/AIDS to be their ‘thing’ either…

 but they were not given that choice.

And there is no doubt in my mind that if Jesus walked on the face of the earth today He would be hanging out with those with HIV/AIDS as it is the modern day leprosy.

"This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did" 1 John 2:5b-6

Because none of us can be enough I believe that sometimes God places certain things in our hearts. If we ALL only wanted to adopt from China- then who would take care of the kids from Ethiopia and who would take care of the kids from the foster system? If we all only wanted to adopt kids with cleft palates- who would adopt the children who are blind and the children who are deaf? If we all only wanted to adopt child with special needs- who would adopt the child who was healthy?

 The point is- we are all called- but sometimes God places a special focus on that calling in our life… and He provides the resources that come along with that calling. Some of us are called to adopt, others are called to give. Some of us are called to go- others are called to be senders. Some of us are called to start an organization- others of us are called to teach Sunday school.

 And one is not greater than the other.

God see’s the whole picture while we do not.

And we cannot.

Ever.

And so we trust- in His plan.

At Village of Hope we will welcome ALL special needs children- as long as God provides the necessary care for us to provide for them. We can’t do it without funds, without help, or the things needed to care for that child properly.   We are trying- trust me… we said 'YES GOD'- and left those doors open wide- for God to send those needed…

Now we pray and we ask and we work….

And we remain willing.

Starting a project like Village Of Hope from scratch is no easy feat. Trust me, we have laid in bed many nights loosing sleep wondering how in the world we will be able to do this.

And what we have come to realize is- we can't. 

But God can.

And so we are doing all we are able to do, and being blown away by those God has sent us to come along side of us doing all they can- instead of pointing out what we cannot.

Training is being translated into Spanish for house parents- all God’s people.

Camps are being put together for the children- ALL God’s people.

Partnerships are being made- ALL God’s people.

Donations are being gathered- ALL God’s people.

State Reps are standing in the gaps- All God’s people.

Boards are being assembled- ALL God’s people.

People are advocating and using their voice- ALL God’s people.

Fundraisers are being planned- ALL God’s people.

Prayers are being prayed- ALL God’s people.

What the Lord has taught me along this journey is that I don’t have to have all of the answers. That I’m not supposed to be everything to everyone, and that I don’t have to do it all on my own. I just have to be willing to do what I can do today…

And trust Him to do the rest…

Because it’s going to take a VILLAGE…

A Village Of Hope.

I wondered why somebody didn't do something. Then I realized, I am somebody.~ Author Unknown 

A sweet friend made these beautiful necklaces as a fundraise for Village of Hope!!! I absolutely LOVE them!!
Check them out, get one for your mom, all of your friends and neighbors too. ;)

Thanks Stacy!!
You are such a blessing!!!
http://jubileesjewels.com/voice-of-hope-necklace

Open doors... Our exciting news...

If I am honest I have to admit one of the things I like least in this world is change. Change is hard. Change says something you are doing is going to be different. Change implies loss of comfort. Change is scary. Change means letting go of control. Change means putting everything you know in God’s hands- and trusting He has a plan.

Our family has been through much change this past year- and through it we have experienced growth that would have never been possible otherwise.

And yet God is not done.

Through a series of events the Lord began to open some doors BIG,WIDE and OBVIOUS in a way that only He could do.

When a door is opened you have two choices- walk through it or close it... and miss out on what the Lord had planned...

When the Lord first called us onto the mission field He placed a burning passion in our hearts for the least, the lost, the last and the lowest in our hearts. This requires faith in a God who operates from a different set of values that are sometimes difficult to measure from human standards. We asked the Lord to use our lives in a mighty way, for a cause greater than ourselves. And so we will move out of the way and let Him have His way in us… even when we cannot see where the road ahead will lead.

This blog post has been one of the most difficult I have ever written... how do you begin to put into words something that the Lord has been working on since before you even understood what He was up to?

We have been given the opportunity to extend our ministry in a way we only dreamed could be possible. This June our family will be leaving Eagles Nest to begin a new ministry called Village Of Hope in San Lucas Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Village of Hope is an initiative of Lifesong for Orphans and a partner of Project Hopeful in conjunction with Manna Worldwide. We could not be more honored and thrilled to be serving under the leadership of these well-respected, Godly organizations. Yet God took it a step further and blessed us with another amazing missionary couple The Uchereks to join us in this endeavor. We could not be more blessed.

The vision of Village of Hope is to provide family, faith and a future to the least of these- to give them a place where HOPE can enter their world. We will do this by providing holistic orphan care to special needs orphans, primarily focused on those living with HIV/AIDS in a family style setting. Each family style unit will consist of house parents as well as 6-8 children in the home. Our hope is to create a family unit as God intended- a family to provide life- long support as well as teach the children to have life values. The goal is to avoid institutional living and prevent children from being thrown out on the streets when they are 18. We will do this by equipping them with family- as well as life skills that meet their physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational care. Because adoptions are closed in Guatemala there is little hope of the children ever begin adopted into families of their own. One part of our vision is to develop relationship in the Guatemalan Evangelical churches, to come along side of them, educating them on God’s heart for the orphan, HIV/AIDS, as well as adoption.
 

We have learned so much from serving here at Eagles Nest. We have grown to loved the workers, the people in the community and especially the children we have come to think of as our own. Now we find ourselves in a place trying to figure out how to let go... We treasure every last hug, every last giggle and we cherish the memories of the day Jen got her hearing aids and heard clearly for the first time, the day I first held 10 day old Abi in my arms, the day Kevin was reunited with his siblings and the day Lizzy took her first steps. We will tuck those precious memories away in the corner of our hearts and pray we never forget a single moment...

Yet as hard as it is to let go we look ahead to the future, to the children who need to know He is Lord, the children who need a chance and who need to know HOPE is in the Lord. And so it is, we will once again say “yes Lord” use us in the way you see fit and we take that first step forward.

We fully admit starting from ground zero at Village of Hope is scary and yet at the same time exciting! Because it’s going to take a village- we cannot wait to see who God sends to partner with us. We cannot wait to see who else says 'YES LORD'. So we invite you to join us and become a part of what He is doing here in Guatemala. We challenge you to really pray and ask the Lord what part He may have you play. We are in need of state side reps who will advocate for Village of Hope, sharing the stories of children, be a voice to the voiceless, and making the needs known. We are in need of prayer partners, financial partners and people who are who are willing to do something more than just sit on the sidelines for the Kingdom of God. We are in need of The Church. So we encourage you to ask God what part He may have you play. We invite you to come, to see, to visit, to experience, and to become as invested in the lives of these orphans – as He is.:)

If you would like to know how you can be a part of Village of Hope please feel free to contact us at: amy@lifesongfororphans.org

 It is a terrible thing to die of hunger

because there is no food...

But it is even more terrible to die of hunger

when the supermarkets are full.

(photo credit)