One of the things I love about working at a faith-based non-profit is that we can work with all different churches, and they can work together with us and with one another.
On Saturday we had a big work day at our facility. Four different churches came together to serve us and others. They met new people as they served alongside one another. We had people sorting medical supplies to be shipped to Dominican Republic and Houston, people painting some rooms under construction and people doing yard work on our campus. Wow, what a day!
And as we gear up for our big Gala event on October 10th, we hope all kinds of people from the community, from different churches, and different service groups will attend and network with one another around a cause. We’re excited to have our amazing partners from Houston be the featured guest speakers at our event. If we had tried to plan the program we couldn’t have planned to have them speak right after such amazing events as what they have done in Hurricane Ike. It’s a good thing God was in charge of the program. So we are hopeful for a full room with lots of great people to have fun and find new ways to collaborate together.
If you have a church or service group that would like to collaborate, please call our office. And if you haven’t made your reservations for Voyage of Hope, please register on-line or call our office to book your seat today!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Being Used in Spite of Ourselves
I’m always humbled by how product that leaves our facility is used. And I’m always humbled by the hard work of our partners on the other end. Every shipment has a story. When you do large and small shipments, you become an organization filled with stories. More than you could ever tell.
This week was no different.
I have to admit though; I’m pretty stressed right now. We have a lot of things going on in our offices. We work on development projects, but re-focus in times of relief. This week when Ike hit, I admit, I thought, “I just can’t handle another disaster.” Here I am, at my office in Orange County, safe and sound, and I’M thinking, “God, there is just too much going on to deal with this!”
Truth be told, events are stressful. We have our big event in just 3 weeks now, October 10th. And Randy and Jana from Houston are the scheduled guest speakers. Here I am worrying about our event for weeks with logistics and promotions. I haven’t been able to focus enough on promotions because of all of the activities. Disasters take away from event promotion time as you focus on press releases, media, volunteer efforts, and everything else that goes along with raising funds to cover the costs of relief that you immediately respond to.
Today God flattened me. Who I am to be worrying about an event that God is in charge of? How could I be so concerned over the details of linens while doing the Lord’s work in the face of the real needs in front of me? It’s the Mary and Martha story. Finding the balance between the two isn’t always easy. You need both, my heart is more Mary, but my actions and nature are more Martha. This week the Martha in me had really taken over.
So when I received Jana and Randy’s email today I was struck by Jana’s comment that said, “O, I forgot, the Lord directs your steps”. Wow, that’s right! How could I have forgotten! This is God’s event and He is absolutely going to bring the right people to it and he will use me in spite of myself!
Don’t worry, I’ll keep promoting the event; it’s going to be wonderful! And with guest speakers like these, how could it not! But I’m also going to do a better job at focusing on what God would have me do instead of focusing on all of the things yet to be done. With all of the distractions I was humbled that God would use me in a tiny way to minister to others in spite of my wrong attitude.
Now I must share with you the email I received. Jana reminded me today of why I choose to do what I do:
J, Just in the nick of time!!! The truck came and I did the happy dance! Every pallet contained some kind of answer to prayer. We are so overwhelmed with gratitude for the thoughtfulness of what you sent, Beans, spaghetti, cake mixes, stuffing, cans of vegetables, etc.......I can do so much with these presents. The shampoo was so needed as were the sanitary products and shoes. We had NO blankets....just sheets and not enough of them. And pillows!!!!! How did you know? O, I forgot, the Lord directs your steps. For the first time in days, I feel a huge relief from the constant burden of producing meals from nothing. Tomorrow I will go thru the boxes and make gift boxes for each shelter resident and then we will begin the process of distributing some of the shipment to our neighbors who are still without power. We will probably take some to a couple of other local shelters if they actually get up and running. Right now, Red Cross tells us we are the only church shelter in the city. Surely more will come when they get power. Houston has taken a very hard hit, but we have much to be grateful for. We are not destroyed, just bruised and battered. We are blessed to have people like GIVING CHILDREN HOPE and all of your awesome partners to turn to in our time of crisis. You are truly hands of God. Thank you, from the depth of our hearts. With Sincere Gratitude, Randy and Jana Meeks
This week was no different.
I have to admit though; I’m pretty stressed right now. We have a lot of things going on in our offices. We work on development projects, but re-focus in times of relief. This week when Ike hit, I admit, I thought, “I just can’t handle another disaster.” Here I am, at my office in Orange County, safe and sound, and I’M thinking, “God, there is just too much going on to deal with this!”
Truth be told, events are stressful. We have our big event in just 3 weeks now, October 10th. And Randy and Jana from Houston are the scheduled guest speakers. Here I am worrying about our event for weeks with logistics and promotions. I haven’t been able to focus enough on promotions because of all of the activities. Disasters take away from event promotion time as you focus on press releases, media, volunteer efforts, and everything else that goes along with raising funds to cover the costs of relief that you immediately respond to.
Today God flattened me. Who I am to be worrying about an event that God is in charge of? How could I be so concerned over the details of linens while doing the Lord’s work in the face of the real needs in front of me? It’s the Mary and Martha story. Finding the balance between the two isn’t always easy. You need both, my heart is more Mary, but my actions and nature are more Martha. This week the Martha in me had really taken over.
So when I received Jana and Randy’s email today I was struck by Jana’s comment that said, “O, I forgot, the Lord directs your steps”. Wow, that’s right! How could I have forgotten! This is God’s event and He is absolutely going to bring the right people to it and he will use me in spite of myself!
Don’t worry, I’ll keep promoting the event; it’s going to be wonderful! And with guest speakers like these, how could it not! But I’m also going to do a better job at focusing on what God would have me do instead of focusing on all of the things yet to be done. With all of the distractions I was humbled that God would use me in a tiny way to minister to others in spite of my wrong attitude.
Now I must share with you the email I received. Jana reminded me today of why I choose to do what I do:
J, Just in the nick of time!!! The truck came and I did the happy dance! Every pallet contained some kind of answer to prayer. We are so overwhelmed with gratitude for the thoughtfulness of what you sent, Beans, spaghetti, cake mixes, stuffing, cans of vegetables, etc.......I can do so much with these presents. The shampoo was so needed as were the sanitary products and shoes. We had NO blankets....just sheets and not enough of them. And pillows!!!!! How did you know? O, I forgot, the Lord directs your steps. For the first time in days, I feel a huge relief from the constant burden of producing meals from nothing. Tomorrow I will go thru the boxes and make gift boxes for each shelter resident and then we will begin the process of distributing some of the shipment to our neighbors who are still without power. We will probably take some to a couple of other local shelters if they actually get up and running. Right now, Red Cross tells us we are the only church shelter in the city. Surely more will come when they get power. Houston has taken a very hard hit, but we have much to be grateful for. We are not destroyed, just bruised and battered. We are blessed to have people like GIVING CHILDREN HOPE and all of your awesome partners to turn to in our time of crisis. You are truly hands of God. Thank you, from the depth of our hearts. With Sincere Gratitude, Randy and Jana Meeks
Monday, September 15, 2008
Partnering in Relief
Working in my field, often you have to switch gears between relief and development. This summer we’ve had to switch more often then I’d like.
Relief work means that you have to quickly adapt and rearrange your schedule to respond to the immediate need. Today we switched gears to Houston. Randy and Jana Meeks are pastors at Lindale Assembly God Church in Houston and have been our partners for over 3 years now distributing aid to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Jana and I have had many conversations on the phone over the months. As a matter of fact, they are flying out soon to be the guest speakers at our Voyage of Hope event on October 10th. I have been really looking forward to meeting Jana. I don’t think you’ll find anyone with a bigger heart. They have been amazing distribution partners!
Today Jana and I spoke for the first time since Ike hit. While she had hope, she sounded tired. But the thing about Jana is she never complained. She said God won’t give her more than she can handle and she loves these people so much she looks forward to caring for them.
My heart breaks so often talking to our partners knowing the hard work they have in the field. Jana is an amazing leader. She and the entire staff at Lindale are giving 24/7 right now as they minister to people who have lost everything and have no where else to turn. The city is in desperate need. They are one of only 4 shelters currently open in Houston.
Sometimes devastation like this is so big it’s paralyzing. Fortunately there are things we can physically do to assist Randy and Jana. This afternoon the first truck of aid rolled from our facility providing them the items they need to care for the displaced. That truck will arrive on Wednesday. In this way we are providing hope to Jana and Randy. They can focus on ministering to the people knowing that food, water and hygiene items are on their way.
I realize that to work at an organization like Giving Children Hope it is going to require many tears. I don’t ever want to be so used to dealing with disasters that I am calloused and do not feel emotion at such loss. However, instead of focusing on the devastation, I will continue to focus on giving hope. Today I prayed on the phone with Jana, so often there aren’t many words that could be said in these situations and the most I can do is to simply turn to Jesus. Yet I know that this is truly the most powerful thing we can do.
So today, with all that goes on in our office anyways, we switched gears into relief mode. And it isn’t just sending aid to Houston; it’s sending aid to our friends and neighbors Randy and Jana. We’re trusting God for all that is ahead and we lift up Randy, Jana, Houston and the entire region as it begins to move on the slow road to recovery.
Relief work means that you have to quickly adapt and rearrange your schedule to respond to the immediate need. Today we switched gears to Houston. Randy and Jana Meeks are pastors at Lindale Assembly God Church in Houston and have been our partners for over 3 years now distributing aid to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Jana and I have had many conversations on the phone over the months. As a matter of fact, they are flying out soon to be the guest speakers at our Voyage of Hope event on October 10th. I have been really looking forward to meeting Jana. I don’t think you’ll find anyone with a bigger heart. They have been amazing distribution partners!
Today Jana and I spoke for the first time since Ike hit. While she had hope, she sounded tired. But the thing about Jana is she never complained. She said God won’t give her more than she can handle and she loves these people so much she looks forward to caring for them.
My heart breaks so often talking to our partners knowing the hard work they have in the field. Jana is an amazing leader. She and the entire staff at Lindale are giving 24/7 right now as they minister to people who have lost everything and have no where else to turn. The city is in desperate need. They are one of only 4 shelters currently open in Houston.
Sometimes devastation like this is so big it’s paralyzing. Fortunately there are things we can physically do to assist Randy and Jana. This afternoon the first truck of aid rolled from our facility providing them the items they need to care for the displaced. That truck will arrive on Wednesday. In this way we are providing hope to Jana and Randy. They can focus on ministering to the people knowing that food, water and hygiene items are on their way.
I realize that to work at an organization like Giving Children Hope it is going to require many tears. I don’t ever want to be so used to dealing with disasters that I am calloused and do not feel emotion at such loss. However, instead of focusing on the devastation, I will continue to focus on giving hope. Today I prayed on the phone with Jana, so often there aren’t many words that could be said in these situations and the most I can do is to simply turn to Jesus. Yet I know that this is truly the most powerful thing we can do.
So today, with all that goes on in our office anyways, we switched gears into relief mode. And it isn’t just sending aid to Houston; it’s sending aid to our friends and neighbors Randy and Jana. We’re trusting God for all that is ahead and we lift up Randy, Jana, Houston and the entire region as it begins to move on the slow road to recovery.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Giving it all to God
Today in church I had a good reminder to STOP and pray!
The church I am attending asked the congregation to show up morning, noon, and night this week to pray and on Friday to fast for the direction of the next year. It’s encouraging to see churches taking prayer seriously, and such a reminder to ME to be giving everything to God in prayer.
At Giving Children Hope, we also take prayer seriously. We don’t require donors, volunteers and those we serve to be Christians, but we are Christians and we do what we do because Jesus told us to feed the poor and care for the sick. And from 9:30 -10 AM every morning we pray for our shipments and our partners around the world. We know that getting medicines into places like Myanmar is difficult, and WE can’t do it. So we ask God to provide a way when we see no way.
Sometimes I’m overwhelmed in my work here at Giving Children Hope. Requests for assistance of product come up simultaneously like when a cyclone in Myanmar happens at the same time as an earthquake in China. Or a hurricane hits several places just after several other disasters. I wonder, how can I send out another request for financial help when I sent out one last week? Aren’t people tired of hearing from me asking me for their help? And yet, if we can help, we know we must help. We know that when disasters happen children around the world are at a higher risk to being kidnapped into slavery. We know that medicines arriving in time save lives. And, after all, isn’t this our job? And when we serve those in the field who are under dire circumstances, that their favor in the community they have been working in is greatly increased.
However, it can lead to a feeling of responsibility to care for the entire world, a burden I can’t bear and one that as an organization we simply cannot bear. But when you get emails like I received yesterday, it’s hard to sleep at night unless you know you are going to do something. It’s the times like this that I am most reminded that the work that we do is really the work that God does. I can’t do it and we cannot provide on our own. It’s at these times that I must do as I was instructed in church today, STOP and pray. God will provide for all of our needs.
So this week, as we work on the up-coming community development projects, the continued relief to Iraq, relief to Georgia and relief to New Orleans and Haiti, I’m stopping and praying for God to provide the necessary resources. I know how much I care. And He cares infinitely more than me. I’m so glad that God is at the head of our organization and I pray that I do better at giving it all to God.
The church I am attending asked the congregation to show up morning, noon, and night this week to pray and on Friday to fast for the direction of the next year. It’s encouraging to see churches taking prayer seriously, and such a reminder to ME to be giving everything to God in prayer.
At Giving Children Hope, we also take prayer seriously. We don’t require donors, volunteers and those we serve to be Christians, but we are Christians and we do what we do because Jesus told us to feed the poor and care for the sick. And from 9:30 -10 AM every morning we pray for our shipments and our partners around the world. We know that getting medicines into places like Myanmar is difficult, and WE can’t do it. So we ask God to provide a way when we see no way.
Sometimes I’m overwhelmed in my work here at Giving Children Hope. Requests for assistance of product come up simultaneously like when a cyclone in Myanmar happens at the same time as an earthquake in China. Or a hurricane hits several places just after several other disasters. I wonder, how can I send out another request for financial help when I sent out one last week? Aren’t people tired of hearing from me asking me for their help? And yet, if we can help, we know we must help. We know that when disasters happen children around the world are at a higher risk to being kidnapped into slavery. We know that medicines arriving in time save lives. And, after all, isn’t this our job? And when we serve those in the field who are under dire circumstances, that their favor in the community they have been working in is greatly increased.
However, it can lead to a feeling of responsibility to care for the entire world, a burden I can’t bear and one that as an organization we simply cannot bear. But when you get emails like I received yesterday, it’s hard to sleep at night unless you know you are going to do something. It’s the times like this that I am most reminded that the work that we do is really the work that God does. I can’t do it and we cannot provide on our own. It’s at these times that I must do as I was instructed in church today, STOP and pray. God will provide for all of our needs.
So this week, as we work on the up-coming community development projects, the continued relief to Iraq, relief to Georgia and relief to New Orleans and Haiti, I’m stopping and praying for God to provide the necessary resources. I know how much I care. And He cares infinitely more than me. I’m so glad that God is at the head of our organization and I pray that I do better at giving it all to God.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Non-Profit and Church Collaborations in Orange County
One of the great things about my job at Giving Children Hope is that we are an organization built on collaborations. And one of the great things about this time in history is that collaborations over competition are highly valued.
I attended two collaborative meetings outside of the office today.
The first was the Quarterly Mission’s Pastor’s meeting I attend at Saddleback Church. Saddleback has done a great job at engaging their congregation in missions and giving them ownership. Ten years ago they began these network sessions to share information and foster collaboration. Today’s meeting was focused on disaster response and even included a fireman who talked about church collaborations with the fire department. Wow, how great to see everyone working together.
The next meeting was at the Orange County Register. They are our local newspaper and have created a section called TouchOC. This is a philanthropy section that comes out every November (and now on-line) that allows for non-profits to tell their stories and encourage philanthropy and giving in the county. Isn’t that great! The local paper is fostering us to work together and fostering an environment to encourage every day citizens to give back to the local community workers.
Orange County, leading the way in collaborations!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Gulf Coast Relief
So, working in disaster relief can be exhausting and you realize just how many man-made and natural disasters there are in the world. However, it can also be exciting. Exciting in the way that you have the ability to meet some real tangible needs of individuals.
Today I spoke on the phone to our friends at the Dream Center in New Orleans.
When Katrina hit the Dream Center did not exist. The New Orleans Dream center comes from the communities need to be prepared. These guys are awesome building a place for the community in the center of downtown.
I was informed that most people have not returned, they are one of a few at the moment. However, they expect people to begin returning tomorrow and through the weekend. The power is out in most places and people left in a rush when the evacuation notice left. Some had time to collect medicines and important belongings, but some scrambled to get themselves out.
They were pleased that they are so much more prepared then they were just three years ago. The building fared well and even though most don't have power, the Dream Center is up and running. Actually, they are opening up a relief center to assist the many who left in a hurry.
They sent over a needs list to Giving Children Hope and we are working to send them what they need to meet the basic needs of Gulf Coast residents.
Like I said, disaster relief can be an amazing place to work when you have the ability to talk to leaders like Doreen who have the hard work of caring for many who are displaced.
When you join with Giving Children Hope, you join with leaders like Doreen from the New Orleans Dream Center.
Today I spoke on the phone to our friends at the Dream Center in New Orleans.
When Katrina hit the Dream Center did not exist. The New Orleans Dream center comes from the communities need to be prepared. These guys are awesome building a place for the community in the center of downtown.
I was informed that most people have not returned, they are one of a few at the moment. However, they expect people to begin returning tomorrow and through the weekend. The power is out in most places and people left in a rush when the evacuation notice left. Some had time to collect medicines and important belongings, but some scrambled to get themselves out.
They were pleased that they are so much more prepared then they were just three years ago. The building fared well and even though most don't have power, the Dream Center is up and running. Actually, they are opening up a relief center to assist the many who left in a hurry.
They sent over a needs list to Giving Children Hope and we are working to send them what they need to meet the basic needs of Gulf Coast residents.
Like I said, disaster relief can be an amazing place to work when you have the ability to talk to leaders like Doreen who have the hard work of caring for many who are displaced.
When you join with Giving Children Hope, you join with leaders like Doreen from the New Orleans Dream Center.
Monday, September 1, 2008
South African clinic
Saturday night I was visiting with my family celebrating my Aunt’s birthday in Thousand Oaks. We were out at a restaurant when we bumped into a couple that I had originally met in South Africa and was my initial connection to the South African clinic Giving Children Hope established in partnership with the CareNow Foundation.
In 2006, just before I would be moving from Johannesburg to Orange County I was introduced via my aunt to Steve and Linda while we were both in Cape Town. Steve and Linda would be making a visit to the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa to visit the Lily of the Valley Orphanage of which they support.
A few months later when I came to work at GCH we re-connected and in partnership with the CareNow Foundation, GCH supplied the medical supplies, equipment and medicines to care for the many orphans in this community. The shipment arrived in November 2007.
When I bumped into Steve at the restaurant he announced with great joy that the orphanage has not lost a single child since the clinic was established.
Wow! That’s a testament to what happens when individuals get outside of their self interest and they choose to invest in something bigger than themselves. An entire community in South Africa is receiving health care where none existed. The community is able to become self-sustaining and begin to care for themselves as they have the tools they need.
I’m continually humbled that God allows me to be a tiny part of the process of seeing communities become sustainable and children being cared for. So while every truck that leaves our distribution center looks the same, each has a unique story. The story of that truck was that South African children would have healthcare. I am privileged to be a part of an organization that has such amazing stories!
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