Another Trip To Africa

I am excited to announce that God is on the move again. An unexpected, quick trip to Sierra Leone just came my way and I am leaving in about a week and a half with the group pictured above. Ordinary Hero is partnering with The Raining Season in order to find these orphans sponsorship and help for their basic needs to survive and flourish in all that they can be. The folks with The Raining Season took a mission trip to Sierra Leone in Dec. While there, and as God would have it, they stumbled upon 86 children that were in one building being cared for by one woman. The children were literally starving to death. They rushed one little one to the hospital who was close to death. (After a two month stay, he survived) They asked "Where is your food?" and a little girl grabbed their hand and led them to an empty storehouse and to a well that was run dry. They saw that hubcaps had been used as plates to eat whatever food they could find. They were sleeping on the floor in filthy living conditions that none of us could imagine. While there, they went to the market and loaded up on bags of rice and water. They brought back enough food and water to make sure that the kids would be taken care of while they were there. They knew, however, that it would not be enough.

Erica, the director of The Raining Season, who has an adopted child from Sierra Leone herself, came home from that trip and couldn't sleep for weeks over worrying for those children. She started a campaign to raise money to support the children to supply their basic needs which is what she has been doing for the past 6 months. They have been getting food and medical attention because of donations coming in. Below you will see a before picture of a child that they found while there and then you will see an after picture of the same child after he received nourishment and medical attention for 6 months.
She now has it in her heart to open a care center for the children which will be an orphanage type facility. It will get the children out of the awful living conditions that they are in and it will provide them with food, care givers, beds, education for the first time in their lives. I have been asked to come along to photograph and document this trip. She saw the great things that came from my last trip to Ethiopia and she hopes the same from this trip. I will be photographing these precious children as well as helping get them moved into their new place to call "home" . I then hope to come back and find sponsorship for these children and have hopes for the doors to adoption to open in the future for them just as it has for Erica. There will be a group of about 10 of us going.

I ask for your prayers concerning this trip. Pray for our covering and protection and for God's hand to go before us and along beside us and behind us and guide us and open doors for us. Just as this group stumbled upon these children, there is still more to be stumbled upon. I will be updating this blog from the trip to keep everyone posted and to allow you to feel that you are on the trip with me.

One thing that I would like Ordinary Hero to contribute to this awesome ministry is to furnish them with much needed beds and mattresses. These children have never slept on mattresses before and she has a man building the beds in a bunk style for all of these children. Please consider donating towards the construction of the beds and the purchase of the mattresses. She only has half of the money raised for them and we leave in a week and a half. I would love for OH to come through and support in this way and then allow you to follow along with the pictures that I will be bringing to you from this trip. I would also like to supply vitamins for the children, formula, and much needed medical supplies.
To Donate CLICK HERE.

Also keep my family in your prayers while I am gone. I will be in Africa for 2 weeks...Wow!! My husband is a saint and is taking on 6 kids to allow me to live out my passion and God's will for these children in Africa. Every time I embark on a journey of this nature amazing things come from it and God uses me in ways I could never imagine. I am believing the same for this trip.

I would like each of you to view this AMAZING video by CLICKING HERE!! It is a video from The Raining Season and it documents their trip in Dec when they found these children. You will notice their ribs showing through their skin. These are the very children that we will be going back to help. They are just precious. This is also the group that I will be going with. Keep us all in your prayers and follow along on our journey with us. We leave one week from Saturday.
You can also visit the site of The Raining Season for more info on their ministry.