Feeling........

I have logged in here several times-started a post, saved it, and logged off. So, bear with me. :)

I have so many random thoughts going through my head.

I leave for Kenya with 8 FABULOUS people on Thursday. Robbyn, Ryan, Trevor; Wes, Teri, Jordan, Adam, and Ally.

I have all my stuff sprawled out on the floor-but not in my suitcase.

I'm wrapping up last minute work details and spending as much quality time with my family as I can.

I feel peace moving forward with this team-I've never lead a team before, and I'm completely relying on the Lord to give me the wisdom and assurance I need to bring them.

I feel similar pangs of attack the enemy used when TJ and I went to Kenya without our children back in the Fall of 2008.

I feel JOY from the phone call I received this morning from a sweet Kenyan woman informing me that I will be able to hug my sweet daughter, Priscillah and her baby boy, Daniel on Saturday morning, as they intend to meet us at the bus stop before we head to Kitale.

I feel apprehensive as I feel our third child kick me inside my womb as I have never traveled pregnant before. Grateful for the life God has given this baby and anticipating his/her delivery and be witness to the purpose this child has been given (Psalm 139) and the honor of being her/his mom.

I pray for safety and protection for our team.

I pray for God to break our hearts for the least of these and for the team to be sparked a passion that can only come from God to be a catalyst for change.

9 people. 1 country. 14 days. 18 hands, 18 feet. God, multiply our works and help us run this race for the least of these!

Daniel

Oh, my heart! I woke up today and went through my normal routine-shower, drop off kids sans makeup (I do NOT care now), come home and snuggle with Collin through Dinosaur Train and then start my work day. Today, when I was checking my email, I received the GREATEST news!

I have often spoke about Priscillah where you can read all about her here. She is such a blessing and joy in my life. Since leaving Kenya in Oct 2008, Priscillah gave birth to a sweet little boy, Daniel. Having a baby at her age-still in Secondary School- in Kenya means she is forced to drop out. Priscillah has spent the past 18 months it's been since I've hugged her living in Kibera slum with her son. I've received 3 videos and a few emails from her always in a very happy, upbeat tone and lots of smiles. She is proud of her son and loves being a mom-but she struggles, a lot.

It breaks my heart.

I spoke here about how we were going to try to get Priscillah into a program in Kitale. To make a long story short "this is Africa" is all I will say, and we were disappointed to learn that it just was not going to work out due to various barriers that came up. I was disappointed. Very. But, I still believe that God has a purpose and place for everyone-everyone....and Jesus is still the same yesterday and today-no matter what.

Last week I learned that Daniel, being almost a year old, is extremely underweight and is not developmentally on track with milestones and needs medical help. With the care of Homeless Children's International, Priscillah starts school on Monday. Daniel will also have all of his medical and nutritional needs met through sponsorship.

Priscillah has to leave her son in Kibera so she can go to school. Her sister, Anne Wango, will be caring for Daniel when Priscillah is in school. It's a huge responsibility for Anne, being she already has 2 kids of her own.

Homeless Children's International gave me permission and blessing to take Daniel for the 2 weeks we are in Kenya and travel with him to Kitale.

I'm stunned, excited, overjoyed by this opportunity. I've never met him, but I am looking forward to getting to know him more next month. I have a lot of fears-has he seen a white person before? How sick is he? I also have will have the opportunity to visit Priscillah in the school she will be at just north of Nairobi. I hope to take him there also to visit his mama-since she will only be home for 30 days every 3 months of school. I can't imagine how hard this much be for her.

Wanna help our team who leaves June 3? We are collecting various school supplies and are looking for crummy suitcases/dufflebags to put all the donations in that can be left in Kenya. If you have any of these to give, please let me know!

This should be a no brainer

If you have linked up with HopeChest since our launch of Bukedea last December, you may be familiar with their campaign fighting against human trafficking.

There is a massive Facebook, Twitter and blogging campaign going on right now to boycott Craigslist as a way to show that supporting a site who rakes in such a massive amount of money from sex ads will not be tolerated.

Tom Davis writes on his blog that 33% of Craigslist's income is a result of sex ads.

One third.

Sex ads exploiting children for prostitution in the UNITED STATES. Yes, in our own backyards.

This, for me, is a 'no brainer'. Why would I choose to participate in shopping for merchandise that supports such a horrific real-life issue?

Think about this and consider blogging/facebooking/twittering about this very issue to bring light to one of the most horrific forms of child abuse happening on our own soil.