We're Back!!

At the Kigali Memorial Centre (Rwanda Genocide Memorial)

It's so hard to believe that Lacey and I have been back from Rwanda and Kenya for almost a week now!  I apologize for the delay in writing.  We had limited internet in Africa and I couldn't get the Blogger app for my Kobo tablet.  So, we'll be writing our experiences here after the fact.

I don't know where to begin.  What an amazing journey!  First of all, I just want to thank our Heavenly Father for His blessing and care and thank all of you for your support and prayers.  We are safe and healthy and our families were kept well while we were away.  Special thanks to my mom for caring for my husband and children while I was away.  Thank you also to Heidi for making a delicious meal for them.  Mike raved about it!!

There is so much to process from this trip.  I'll give a basic explanation of what we did in this post and then I will write in more detail later.  

Our days began with devotionals led by a team member, followed by prayer.  Many days our team of fifteen was broken into a few smaller teams and then we all went in different directions.  We assisted with feeding programs, sometimes for over three hundred children, visited poor families, aided in medical ministries and helped with church services.  Each evening we would all meet for supper and share our "highlights of the day."  We went over the following day's schedule and closed in prayer.  

Rwanda is a beautiful country.  I could not believe how breathtaking the land is!  There are so many mountains and it is so green.

In Rwanda, we were based in Kigali, the capital city.  We journeyed out to rural areas each day.  The first full day was spent in Jabana.  We were met by so many children!  I don't even know how many were there! After spending some time visiting families in the area who were in need, we returned to the Jabana Word of Life church campus and played in the playground with the kids.

Children clung to us.  Sometimes we'd have two or three little ones hanging on each arm.  They loved to stroke our skin and hair.  They practiced their English by saying, 

"Good morning.  How are you?"  

We greeted them with "Muraho.  Amakuru?"  

Hopefully one of us would answer with, "I am fine, thank you," or "Meza."  

I met a twelve-year-old girl who carried her baby brother on her back.  I wish I remembered her name.  I spoke very little Kinyarwanda; and, she spoke very little English.  We connected somehow and visited for a long time. I felt compelled to teach her to say, "I am beautiful, " to which she replied, "God is beautiful!"

She was very excited for church to begin and guided me into the building.  Something I didn't know was that the children only sat in the back, not in the front.  The other team members wondered where I was and I didn't want to get separated from them, but when I tried to go to the front, I was not able to bring my new young friend.  She found me afterward and I was able to get a photo with her.  She touched my heart so much!  What a beautiful welcome to Rwanda!

Hugging my new friend in Jabana. 

Love,

Michelle

Tomorrow, Tomorrow!!!

I can't believe the time has come!  Lacey and I leave tomorrow for Rwanda and Kenya!  Ahhhhh!!  Please bear with me as I'm a bit scatterbrained right now.  I'm finishing up the last of my preparations for the trip.  Bags are nearly packed.  My mom is here to help my husband care for the kids, which is especially necessary since Mike had to have emergency surgery to repair a hernia on Thursday.  The kids don't seem too concerned that I'm leaving.  I hope they'll be just fine while I'm away, though my heart already aches when I think about leaving them.

Sunday after church I was covered in prayer by my Evangelist and one of our Priests.  They prayed especially that there would be an entourage of angels with us.  I am holding fast to this prayer.

I want to take time once again to thank each and every one of you.  Each of you has contributed in a very special way through prayer, support, financial gifts and donations for our auction. Everything you have done has not only helped us to achieve our goal of going on this mission trip, but you have also built up our spirits and brought tangible proof of God's love and desires for us.

Today I especially remember a wonderful family who has gone above and beyond.  I want them to know that I will be bringing them with me in spirit as I take along a little token that was given to me just less than five years ago.   Little wings will remind me to believe.  Sending you much love!

I will be bringing along a journal to jot down (well, probably write extensively) the experiences that we have in Africa.  Should we have access to WiFi, I will do my best to pop in to the blog and make an update.  Some of you have been signed up for emails from Home of Hope so that you can keep tabs on our progress and travels.  We'll take lots of photos and we look forward to sharing them with you all!

Thank you once again and please continue to keep us in prayer.

Love,
Michelle

Two Weeks, Baby, Two Weeks!!!

It's countdown time!  We are leaving for Rwanda and Kenya in two weeks!! (We leave April 30th)  Both Lacey and myself have completed our fundraising for Home of Hope.  We wrapped up our auction this week and it has been incredibly successful.  Aside from cash donations and donations directly to Home of Hope in our stead, the auction raised an additional $2505.50!!  Wow!  We'd like to say a HUGE thank you to all of our sponsors and the individuals who purchased items from the auction.  To everyone who made both monetary and material donations, we also want to say thank you so very much and we pray God's richest blessings upon all of you.  We will take you with us to Africa in spirit and think of you with everything we do.

The time has come for us to make our final preparations for the trip.  We have had check-ups and received our immunizations.  We've gathered lots of wonderful items to bring with us for the little ones in Kenya.

Michelle's suitcase overflowing with donations.

There is quite a list of items for us to bring to keep ourselves comfortable and safe while we are overseas.  We need preventative medicines, medicines for sleep, stomach issues, and possible allergies, as well as proper clothing, mosquito repellent, first aid supplies, toilet paper, cleansing wipes, laundry soap for hand washing, luggage locks, voltage converters, etc. Oh the list, the list!  Still, as we pack and think of the things we may need, we remain mindful that those we are going to serve have so very little.  

Please continue to pray for us.  Areas we need specific prayer for are:

• Blessing - That we may be a blessing unto those we serve and in turn to our home churches and communities upon our return.
• Protection - Physically, mentally and spiritually (for all below)
• Strength
• Health

If you would like to receive email updates about our trip from Home of Hope while we are away, please let us know and we will have them add you to their contact list.  

Thank you once again for everything you've done!

Love,

Michelle

Randomness: We're still here

Whoa...it's been a busy couple of weeks!  I've been working at a new job.  We had a really awesome weekend in Calgary with our church.  Then, I came down with a wicked flu, which I'm still fighting off.

So here's where we're at.  Our online auction seems to be wrapping up.  It appears next week may be the last week.  We have a few more generously donated items.  I feel as though the auction is just naturally winding down.  So, we'll accept it and leave it at that.

In the meantime, Lacey and I have been busy making our preparations for the trip.  Lacey received a crazy amount of immunizations on Wednesday.  Ouch, ouch and ouch!  She's a trooper, though and got through all
of them.  I'm up next on April 12th.  Yay.

Both of us have a tonne of physical donations to take with us to Rwanda and Kenya.  I want to say thank you to some special Angels who made that happen for me.

We're constantly going through experiences of faith, which is amazing.  We've had a few emotional moments and have been working hard to battle against the negative spirits that are trying to shift our focus from doing His work.  Please remember to keep us in prayer.

Little Akida and his mom Valerie

Lacey is still accepting cash donations for her immunizations, visas, etc.  I'm still raising funds for Home of Hope and, by now, you know how you can donate for that if you so choose.  Please just keep us all in prayer.  Remember our families, too.  They are sacrificing a lot for us so that we can go do God's work in Africa.  Please also pray for the other donors like you.  We want to make you proud and be an extension of your hands in Africa.

Thank you so much for reading our story and for all of your help and prayers!

Love,
Michelle

The Time is Drawing Near! Please Help.

I know that many of you may be getting tired of my pleas for help, but please read the caption of this photo. This is why I am going to Kenya!!! I have been placed on a medical team as well as a women's ministry team to assist these at-risk expectant mothers. I still need to raise $1194 to be donated directly to Home of Hope in my stead.http://homeofhope.ca/sponsor/onlinesponsorshipform I only have a few more weeks before the deadline! Please help me go to Africa. For these women, their babies and for all of those who have donated for me already. I don't want to let them down!

We want to REACH them before they need to be rescued:
One of  Home of Hope's FAVOURITE projects right now is helping starving, 
pregnant prostitutes in Kenya who see the sign to not throw 
their babies away. You can partner with us to help women and save their children.

Love,

Michelle

Gee, It's Another Update!

A little princess from the Dream Centre

Yes, it's time again for another update.  Thanks to the success of the online auction, our flight taxes are now paid off!  Thank you for your help with that!  As previously mentioned, Lacey has completed all of her fundraising for Home of Hope.  She is now raising funds for her immunizations which are coming up soon.

I am still raising funds for Home of Hope.  I have a current total of $1006 into Home of Hope and cash donations in the amount of $280 which are going toward my immunizations.  I have also recently acquired a part-time job, which I hope will assist me in accruing funds for the trip.  I still require $1194 to be donated directly to Home of Hope no later than three weeks prior to our departure, so by approximately April 9, 2013.  My immunizations are scheduled for April 12.

That is all for now.  Thank you so much for your help and prayers!

Love,
Michelle

Cost Breakdown - An Update

Sigh...as you can see our total $ to raise has increased as we have received updated information from Home of Hope on what we owe them after flights, then we've been told about visa costs, and have to cover flight taxes and immunizations.  So, I thought I would provide you a breakdown as to what we owe and what we have each received thusfar.

	HOH	Taxes	Immun	Visas	Incident.	Total Ea.
Lacey	2200.00	400.00	500.00	80.00	500.00	3680.00
Michelle	2200.00	520.00	500.00	80.00	500.00	3800.00
Total						$7,480.00
Earned Thusfar
Lacey	$2,640.00
Michelle	1267.00
Auction	885.00
Total	$4,792.00

The Auction totals are going toward the Taxes, so we're nearly there for those!  If you would like to make a direct donation to Home of Hope for myself, please do so by using the "Donate Now" button above and be sure to enter my name in the "Comments" box.

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!  You are so amazing and we are praying for all of you to be richly blessed!

Please pray that we can be spiritually and emotionally ready for this trip.  I have been so busy with all of the upkeep and logistics of fundraising, and now I have a new job (thank you for your prayers about that!) that I feel I really need to spend more time on preparing spiritually.  Please pray that I am able to do so and not allow the stress of all of the logistics to keep me from it.

Love,
Michelle

You are Amazing, God!

Peter Tumaini was found abandoned and nearly suffocating...
He was rescued by HOH & has been living
in the Dream Centre for almost 2 years. He is a living miracle ♥

Wow!  Praise be to our Lord!  We've had so many miracles occur over the past few days.  The online auction is going so well.  You are all so generous!  We've had quite the "battles" over a few items and it has been really fun to watch.  We've also had some wonderful friends offering to donate their time and talents to our cause.  It's so touching and has brought me to tears of joy and thanksgiving so many times.  I want to say a special thank you to Sarah, Corrine, Dawn, Tina and Dwayne for their thoughtfulness and their amazing ideas!  Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us and who has spread the word about our cause.

I will post updated auction totals on Monday.  Remember, we do not run the auction on Sundays as we observe the Sabbath.

I wanted to share with you all this insightful video from 2011, when Home of Hope opened one of the Dream Centre homes for children.  Take a tour and learn about the wonderful work they are doing to help save babies!

Thank you again and love to you all!

Michelle

And then there was you...

I love my church family!  Last night we had an amazing service based on John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Boy did I feel the love!  The service and the fellowship following brought so much joy and encouragement to my heart.  Sometimes, I just forget to reach out and ask for prayer.  Thank you!

Now, on to the fun stuff!  The online auction is going swimmingly!  So far you have helped us earn an additional $257.00 and today isn't over yet.  We have another gift certificate from Living Earth Massage up today and the bidding is hot, hot, hot!!  

Edited to add our updated totals: Lacey has raised a total of $2,640.00 and I, Michelle, have raised $498.22.

You all are amazing and we are so thankful for your help and prayers!  Please continue to pray for us.  As you can see from yesterday's post, we need strength to battle the negative spirits that may try to keep us from doing this wonderful work.  We know that prayer changes things, so please keep at it!

In closing, I'd like to share with you one of the projects Home of Hope has completed in Cyuru, Rwanda.  It's an amazing story!

Thank you once again for all of your support.  If you haven't already made a donation, you can still do so, just follow the instructions at the top of the page.  Much love do you all!  Most of all, Glory be to our Father in Heaven!!

Michelle

Stand By Me

It takes one person to make a difference.  It takes a village of support to get them there.  Will you stand by us?

We can't do it alone.

We'd like to extend a special thank you to those who have recently joined us in our mission to raise funds for our trip to Rwanda & Kenya.  Thank you to our newest sponsor, Impact Nutrition of Lethbridge.

Thank you to my friend, Connie Livingston, of Birthsource.com for also sharing our story. 

Thank you to all of you who have bid on our online auction items.  Your support means so much.

If you haven't donated, yet, please do think of us.  We have about a month to finish raising funds to go directly to Home of Hope (Lacey has finished this portion) to ensure we are able to go on the trip.
God bless you all!

Love,
Michelle

Insert Clever Title Here

As I write this, I'm rocking out to Toby Mac on KLOVE and trying to come up with another clever title.  So far, I've got nothing...though by the time you read this post, there will be a title - clever or not.

I'll start with a quick update.  Our online auction is in full swing!  We began on Thursday, February 21 and have raised $125 so far.  All monies earned through the auction will be divided between Lacey and myself.  We would like to thank all of our sponsors once again for their donations of products and services.  Check out the links to our sponsors on the left side of the blog.  You can visit our auction on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/auction4momsmissionofhope/

Lacey is a ROCKSTAR!!  She has compiled the funds required to be donated directly to Home of Hope and her current total is $2080!  Way to go girl!!  Lacey is still collecting cash donations to go toward immunization costs, flight taxes, donations to be left in Africa, and other incidentals. If you would like to send her a cash donation, please email her at lacey.klassen@gmail.com to make arrangements.

I, Michelle, am still at my previous total of $448.22, but I'm confident the Lord will provide.  We're working hard to raise funds and the rest is in His hands. You can still donate to Home of Hope in my stead by using the "Donate" button on the top left of this page and putting my name in the comments box.  If you'd like to send me a cash donation, please email me at michelle.maisonville@gmail.com for my mailing address.

In other fundraising news, we're looking into doing a Tupperware fundraiser as well.  So if you or someone you know needs some kitchen goodies, please keep us in mind.  We'll make sure to post an update when the fundraiser is set-up.  

Children from the feeding programme in Rwanda

We are also receiving donations of baby items, children's items, bras, and other necessities from some of our wonderful friends.  Thank you so much for your generosity.  It touches our hearts and we know how much it will bless the people of Rwanda and Kenya.  We can't wait to see their faces when we give them these gifts.

On Monday, February 25, we will be featured in the BirthSource.com blog run by my friend, Connie Livingston.  Be sure to check it out.  If you are a childbirth professional, you'll also want to browse her online store for a large selection of childbirth education supplies!  Thank you so much, Connie, for thinking of us!

That's all the news for now.  Please keep checking here for updates!  Thank you once again for all of your support and prayers.  We appreciate it!

Hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend!

God bless!
Michelle

Scene, Heard & Gearing up for our Online Auction!

Here is our segment from Global Lethbridge's Scene and Heard with Mark Campbell!  Scroll to 4:05 to see our interview. Please note: the correct website URL for Home of Hope is http://www.homeofhope.ca



Also, a reminder that our Online Auction begins tomorrow at 10:00 am on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/auction4momsmissionofhope/  You will have 12 hours to bid on one item per day (except for smaller items which we will have several up per day to bid upon).  Further rules are posted on the Auction page.  We'd like to thank the following sponsors for their generous donations:

Birthing From Within Lethbridge
Chris Yauck Photography
From Womb to Cradle Doula Services, Inc.
Jake Klassen Plumbing & Gasfitting
Lacey Klassen Designs
Living Earth Massage
Made by Mallory
The Orange Orchid Boutique

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and generous donations!  We love our sponsors!

That's all for now!  See you at the Auction!

Love,
Michelle

Lights, Camera, Action!

We're so excited!  As you can see, we've made some updates to our blog to help you see how we're doing with our fundraising as well as make it easier for you to donate.  Thank you so much for your donations thus far.  We are praying God's blessings for all of you!!

A quick update, Lacey is still at about $1681.78 and I, Michelle, have now raised $448.22!  Slowly but surely we are making it!

We will be starting our Facebook auction within the week and will post a link here.  We now have several more items for all of you to bid on including plumbing services, massage, doula services, and more!

The big news for today is that we will be on Global News Lethbridge tonight with Mark Campbell!  Check us out at 6:00 pm.  The broadcast will also be online.  We will share video here when it is posted.

We will also be appearing on the Miracle Channel program entitled INSIGHT.  We will be on-air twice in March.  Once earlier in the month and again on March 25th.  We will keep you updated you on that as well.

Finally, we'd like to leave you with the following video.  As you watch, let these children move your heart.  Look at what God can do!  Look at what you can do and are doing as you support us to reach these little ones.  We cannot wait to hold them in our arms!

God bless you all!

Love,

Michelle

Reading in Preparation

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. Two books in particular have struck me as life-changing. The first is called "Children and the Supernatural" by Jennifer Toledo. It is the story of how children all over the world are being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work. What makes this book so close to my heart is that her story begins in Kenya. Here is a link to an interview of Jennifer about her experience in Kenya by Sid Roth.                                                          

The other book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan. It is a common book in Christian circles, probably because copies are routinely given away free. I had had a copy for a few years, but had never read it. In preparation of our trip to Africa, God told me that I needed to read this book. It is the story of the founder of Gospel for Asia. As a native from India, he does a wonderful job of pointing out how comfortable we are in North America. We just do not realize that outside of our affluence, 2/3 of the world live in such poverty. Here is a quote from page 42-43:

  "Often when I spoke at a church, the people would appear moved as I told of suffering and needs of the native evangelists. They usually took an offering and presented me with a check for what seemed like a great amount of money. Then with their usual hospitality, they invited me to eat with the leaders following the meeting. To my horror, the food and "fellowship" frequently cost more than the money they had just given to missions. And I was amazed to find that American families routinely eat enough meat at one meal to feed an Asian family for a week. No one ever seemed to notice this but me, and slowly I realized they just had not heard the meaning of my message. They were simply incapable of understanding the enormous needs overseas."

What I take away from this is: How many times have I been presented with how great the need is, and I am uncaring, or at the very least completely unable to imagine the suffering and the hunger because I have never suffered or hungered like the 1 billion hungry people in 2/3 of the world. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to go and see how great the need is. I do not doubt that God will break my heart when I see the destitute first hand. It is my responsibility, however, to prepare my heart to perform God's work for me, whether it be in Africa, or here at home.
In a fun "Pray by Numbers Game"*, it was prophesied that God has given me a work to do and that I am to do it. I know He has called me to both Streets Alive and Africa and I thank everyone for their support - in prayers, monetarily, emotional and even physical support (Thanks to my hubby and mom for looking after my kids!)



*The Pray by Numbers Game is a simple exercise. Count the number of people in your group (X), and place papers labelled 1 through X in a hat. Everyone grabs a number, but does not look at it. Then the group prays for the person representing each number. God may give a word, phrase, vision, or a myriad of other things. One person records what is said, and each person gets to see at the end what was prayed over them. It is not uncommon to find that God has given you something about yourself!

Awesome Responsibility

First, some updates:  The flights have been booked!  We're counting down to April 30th when we will fly out of Calgary with the HOH Team!  Lacey has raised $1680 so far. (Woo Hoo!!)  I have raised $300. I am looking for a job to help me raise funds, though so far it has been difficult to find something that works around church and our family's schedule.  We will be booking our immunizations soon (ouch!) and are continuing to look for businesses to donate to our online auction, which will unfortunately will not be able to take place before Valentine's Day.

Now to the reason I'm writing today.  I recently received an amazing and completely unexpected donation.  I was so touched by it that I started thinking about how much I feel responsible to each of our donors.  Let me explain.  We, of course, are seeking to do what we can for the women and children of Rwanda and Kenya.  We want to be tools in the hands of our Heavenly Father.  We must not, however, forget that you, our donors, have entrusted us with a great responsibility to see through this mission trip.  We must work hard to raise the funds to completely pay for our trip so that we are able to go to Africa and do this work.  When we are there, we promise to remember each of you as we do the work we are assigned to.  When we see the faces of the children, we will remember that it is because of you that we are able to help them.  It is an awesome responsibility and one we do not take lightly.

In closing I would like to share with you a video about one of the ministries we will be involved in.  It is called The Stella Project.

A special thanks to each of you who has donated, read our blog and said a prayer for us.  May you be greatly blessed!

Love,

Michelle

It's Getting REAL!

Yes, I'm shouting!  I can't tell you how exciting it was to attend our first (albeit virtual) meeting with the members of our Home of Hope May 2013 team!  We received our basic agenda via email today and went over it during the meeting.  We discussed some of the wonderful things we will be able to do during our trip such as teaching young children, ministering to women, and helping care for infants in the Dream Centre.  I'm particularly excited that I've been added to the women's ministry team, which is something that has been on my heart so much, especially to work with the expectant mothers.  Lacey and I will be working together with teens, sharing our testimony and with music (wink).

We were able to communicate following the meeting with our team leader, Brian Thomson, and a couple of the ladies we'll be working with in women's ministry.  It was so wonderful to hear what they have already been doing in Rwanda and Kenya, praying with women and helping them to overcome shame and fear and embrace our Heavenly Father.

Tonight, I have a lot to think about.  We still have so much to do to prepare for our trip.  We ask for your continued prayer.  If your heart is so moved, we are still in need of donations to help us reach our financial obligations for the trip.  All funds must be in no later than April 15, 2013.  We pray that we are used for God's glory.

In closing, I'm happy to leave you with this, a video with Brian Thomson, showing some of what Home of Hope is doing in the Dream Centre.   Enjoy and God bless!!

Love,

Michelle

Mums to Slums

I write to you today at the end of a wonderful day. Have you ever reconnected with old friends, and there is a feeling that you were never apart for long? Such was the case for me today as I re-visted my MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) group. Due to doing preschool at home, I have been unable to attend this year, but was invited back to speak about our trip to Africa. What a blessing! I have truly missed getting together with other moms in the same life stage to discuss our current struggles and (sometimes) distant dreams. 

We talked a lot about the slum in Nairobi, Kenya that Michelle and I will be visiting.I have been learning a little about the slums there. About how dangerous they can be. About the open sewers. About how many people live in such a crowded area. About the despair.  But I know it is God's will that we go, and I want to be His tool, guided by His hands.  It is for His children that I want to go and not only help, but to learn from the people there. I may have grown up and live in the elite of the world, but I am well aware that these people and babies halfway across the world have much to teach me.

After a whirl wind day of being here and there, I am ready to take some time with my Maker to be still. I ask that you too do the same, and pray for those living in the slums throughout the world. Although this is normally declared at the beginning of the day, I can gladly declare that This is the Day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Sharing God's Love

I am happy to be posting for the first time ever on a blog! The purpose of my post today is to explain a little bit about who I am, and why I want to go to Africa.

For those who don't know me, I grew up in the Lethbridge area and have been a Christian for my whole life. I was blessed to be raised in a home where I was taught about God and His love for mankind. Two years ago, God called us to our local mission at Streets Alive. Through a few miraculous events, God made it clear that He wanted us to serve there. I have learned lots, but have so much more to learn about showing God's love! A little over a year ago I heard a message by Brian Thomson - the director of Home of Hope. As soon as he talked about how they were rescuing babies from a dump in Kenya, I knew I wanted to go and help. We had two little girls at the time and were expecting our third child. I have never considered myself a "natural born" mom, and God has taught me much about loving my kids. I believe that He has taught me this not just for my own kids, but to show God's love to orphans and widows too. I want to live James 1:27 and visit the orphans and widows. This trip to Africa will most likely be my only chance to go as a wet nurse, and I am excited to do so.

I have asked God if it is His will that I go on this trip, and He answered me with an undoubtable YES! He has also designed it so that I cannot pay my own way to go, so I have to trust Him. Thank you for this opportunity God! You are my biggest supporter!

All Hands on Deck!

...Praying hands, that is.  We're asking you to be a part of our prayer team.  As we work hard to prepare for our mission trip, evil spirits will work hard to try to deter us from doing God's work.  Will you help us?  Areas where we could use prayer are:

• Strength - We need strength to work toward reaching our goal of serving in Rwanda and Kenya.  We also need strength to battle against negative influences that may try to shift our focus.  We need strength to handle what we will face in Africa and the sorrow and tragedy we may see.
• Health - Prayers that we are healthy as we prepare for our trip and while we are on it.  We will be doing our best to take preventative measures against the prevalent illnesses of the area with vaccinations, etc.  Please also pray for the health of our families and our fellow missionaries.
• Protection - Please pray for protection for ourselves and our fellow mission workers while we travel and are in Rwanda and Kenya as well as the protection of the loved ones we leave behind.
• Blessing - Please pray that we can be of good service and a blessing to all those we meet and work with in Africa
• Financial Miracles - We are working hard to fund raise for our trip and organize all finances necessary to be a part of this mission. Please pray for financial miracles for us so that our trip may be fully funded and any monetary burdens to be lifted.

Once again, thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Blessings to you all with much love,

Michelle

Necessary Things

First of all, thank you so much for your amazing response to our undertaking!  We have been so touched by your words, pledges of financial support, and above all your promises of prayer.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting some of the items currently needed by the projects we will be assisting with in Rwanda and Kenya.

One item that has come to our attention is desperately needed in the Dream Centre housing the rescued infants in Kenya.  The children there are cloth diapered and their diaper covers are in poor condition.  If you have any gently used diaper covers, "seconds," or extra covers that you no longer need, we would be happy to take them with us to the Dream Centre. Please email Michelle or Lacey or post on our Facebook Event and we will provide you with an address to send these items to.  *Please note: We are located in Canada, so extra postage may apply.

God Bless You!

Love,
Michelle