Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Home Again, But Not The Same




I arrived home late Monday night after more than 24 hours of travel from Phnom Penh to Atlanta. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and with me while I was away! I am still processing all that God has set into motion over the past several weeks. LifeTotes was birthed in my heart several years ago, and it has moved from a dream, or the hope of a thing, to an actuality. This is only the beginning of what Erin, Rachel, Allyson and I believe is going to be an exciting venture that will be used as a force for good in the lives of the least of these. We are believing God for the next steps with LifeTotes. 

I will be posting over the next few days about what the next steps in this journey will look like for us. Please continue to pray with us for direction and guidance!


I have been overwhelmed by the response to my last entry. Half of the amount for the Dump Site school has already been committed! If you would like to make a contribution for the building of the Dump Site school, you can go to this site, Metamorphosis Ministries, who has agreed to partner with us so that your contribution is tax deductible. www.razoo.com/story/Metamorphosis-Ministries I will be posting photos of the school as they begin the construction. They do not wait to receive the full amount! They build as they go and since there is already enough for foundation and walls, they will begin! This is a valuable take away that I have learned from them! 

Start where you are with what you have and what you know, and believe God for the rest!


Friday, July 3, 2015

America the Beautiful - That we would be a blessing


“…The Christian gospel is a two way road. On the one hand it seeks to change the souls of men, and thereby unite them with God; on the other hand it seeks to change the environmental conditions so that the soul will have a chance after it is changed.”  Dr. King

Yesterday I visited the Dump Site ministry with Pastor Sihok. There are around 80 families that live at the dump where Sihok has been ministering to for the past year. He first heard of the families by word of mouth; then he visited the village and saw the desperate conditions they were living under. There is no school for the children, no healthcare, no church or civil infrastructure. These are a forgotten people who sift through the landfill. The children have parasites and lice. They have no access to education, no hope for a future. 



Bro. Sihok has been hosting quarterly medical clinics when possible for the families. His vision is to build a church school in the center of their village that can also serve as a centralized medical clinic for the people. I asked him about the cost for building the school and his response, “$1,600 US dollars”. 

On this Fourth of July, I woke up and looked over the city of Phnom Penh and played a rendition by Ray Charles of “America the Beautiful”. I thought about the legacy of our nation, and the grace that God has shed on us as a people. “America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.” As I read this in print, I see it as a proclamation and a charge, “America! God showered you with His Grace and placed a crown on your head! A crown of brotherhood to all nations! That you would be a blessing to them!” 

What grace is found in such a small amount to us having the ability to make such a great impact to these people here? What an opportunity to exercise our brotherhood and sisterhood as a people, as a church. I’m writing this post for Sihok’s vision and for the small village of people in Cambodia who live among the discards, that they would have a hope and a future. I’m wondering if I can find 16 people who could donate $100? I already have one, so really 15 now. Pastor Bill Overstreet from Bluegrass Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN has committed $100, so really 14 people. What could this village become if people like you and me invest in their future?

To make a tax-deductible donation Click Here. Please dedicate donation to LifeTotes-Cambodia.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Visiting an Empowered Community of Women on Tuesday


The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.



The past several days have been exciting! I spent the greater part of my Tuesday with Sothea. She met me at the hotel and drove me to meet several of the bag makers in their home workshops. She utilizes local NGO organizations to assist her in sourcing employees who are among the most underprivileged and helps equip them for entrance into the workforce by providing job skill training and any materials needed to set up a home workshop. Sothea has a high school education, and she has created a sustainable, flourishing and sophisticated business model that offers dignified employment to those in need while also engineering consumer goods out of discarded items. 

Sothea embodies and reinforces what LifeTotes believes: 

We believe that women are capable, equal contenders and that empowering, training and educating women to impact their communities will change the world for good. 

Empower a woman and she will empower a community of women. It's as simple as that.