My Immeasurably More

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory.” Ephesians 3:20

    The opportunity to do business in such a way that lives are restored, communities are transformed and Christ is made known has become my immeasurably more. This was the vision for LifeTotes. The dream a year ago was that one day we would grow into the ability to effect change in sustainable ways. We started where we were with what we had, which was mostly just ourselves, believing that He would take us where we were not and provide all we did not have.

                This year has been a year of growth in many ways. Over 30 families have been employed, a school has been built, a church has been planted, a medical clinic established, and a community organized with designated leadership established. Children have advanced in knowledge, men and women have gained life skills leading to gainful employment and a community has been utterly transformed. This is immeasurably more than we could have asked for, thought or imagined possible in such a short amount of time with so little resource.

 The Lord has taken what we had to offer, mainly ourselves over in service to others, and multiplied it just as he did for the disciples who offered over the loaves of bread and fish. The loaves of bread and fish were just an expression of what was happening in their hearts. When the Lord multiplied their offering and fed the 5,000 people with one sack lunch, the hearts of the disciples were expanded and grown. The real growth this year has been in our hearts as well.  Our relationships have grown, or borders have expanded, our understanding, compassion, humility, kindness and gentleness has grown.  LifeTotes is growing, but this is just the expression and overflow of what God is doing within each of us. My prayer is that no amount of growth experienced by this organization would be larger than the growth taking place within us.

Expand us oh God, enlarge the tent stakes of our hearts and then enlarge our borders.

 

Medical Mission at the LifeTotes School

The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

We are consistently in awe of what God has allowed to unfold over the past four months. When I stepped onto a plane for Cambodia in late June, I had no idea there would be a village of Cambodian’s living on the edge of a landfill who would become one of our assigned tasks for LifeTotes. I am, however, certain that the Lord gathered these forgotten people into this place in order that their hearts may be made whole and their infirmities healed. Please read about the medical mission that was conducted by Brother Sihok’s church and remember that when you purchase a LifeTotes product, you are helping these #LIFEgiving efforts become a reality.

Dearest my Sister Jennifer

Very warmest greeting from Cambodia in the great savior name Jesus Christ.

Sister, please allow me to let you know about the ministry in Dump site because during in this time many people in dump site they have many kind of disease so I decided to do the medical care for them in the school building because this Monday there is no class ( Public holiday ). You know Sister, by the grace of God we able to check up 95 patients and we praise God we have 7 souls received Christ as their personal and savior.

The reason that the people in dump site have many kind of disease because this time is to much of raining and when they go collect some things from the the dump site they need to across the water around the dump it about 1 meter deep and 150 meter distance.

Lastly I would love to say thankful very and very much for care about the ministry of the Lord in Cambodia. Again Sister thankful very much for a great heart of mission.

 So Sister, please continues to pray for my house building.

Very much love you in Christ Jesus.

Great honor respectful

Sincerely your

Bro. Sihok

WHERE DO YOU TOTE LIFE? Sharon Hattaway Totes Life to Children in Cambodia as a Champion of Education

Sharon Hattaway totes life to children in Cambodia through harnessing the transformational power of education. Her life is devoted to helping children rise from poverty through training teachers who can provide the next generation of Cambodians a quality education. 

Sharon made her way to Cambodia all the way from North Georgia, and Cambodia made its way into her heart. When you meet Sharon, her passion for Cambodia and its people are immediately evident. In a country where those who are over the age of 25 have an average of only 5.8 years of education,

Sharon is using her unique gifts and her passion for education to make a difference and help improve education levels and opportunitiesamong the poorest communities in Cambodia. She believes that the most impactful way to do that is by training the teachers to adequately equip the next generation of leaders.  

Sharon dedicates her time to several Khmer (Cambodian) schools in her area, one of them being the LifeTotes School at the dump site. Sharon models new and innovative teaching methodology and works alongside the teachers to help them feel comfortable with the new content and techniques.  Not only does she train the teachers, but Sharon uses her own resources to improve the facilities and the materials by purchasing curriculum and furniture for the schools. She also helps them develop advanced curriculum in science and math, as these are the two most neglected subjects in Cambodia. She has been piloting a new science program for about 9 months where she models instructional methods and curriculum for Khmer teachers and then supports them as they teach engaging material to students. As Sharon allows these students to see new ideas of science, she is a part of expanding the possibilities for their future. Indeed, she shared with LifeTotes that of her seven third graders, five want to be scientists after being a part of this new program.

  

Sharon is an absolute encourager and supporter; she motivates and truly loves the teachers with whom she works. Sharon is indeed transforming education one teacher at a time, helping to restore hope and empower futures for many children in Cambodia.  Thank you, Sharon, for being a champion for education and for making a LIFEgiving impact in Cambodia.

The School that Love Built

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.

1 Samuel 2:8

Someone shared with Pastor Sihok about 80 families that lived in desperate conditions at a village surrounding a dumpsite so he went to see for himself. His heart so moved by the desperate conditions that he has been ministering to these families at dumpsite for the past year.  Pastor Sihok, divinely connected with Jen Barnes and the LifeTotes team, was able to take a small step to help the families here rise up, find hope, and begin establishing a solid foundation for their future.  This small step was accomplished through the building of a school.

Less than three months after meeting Pastor Sihok and Jen’s visit to Cambodia, children at the dumpsite village, who were once forgotten and had little hope for education, are attending the LifeTotes school in their village. 

LifeTotes’ dear friend, Sharon Hattaway, has dedicated her life to the people of Cambodia.  Currently living in Phnom Penh, Sharon recently visited the LifeTotes school at the dumpsite village.  She shared with us about the school that is a helping build a foundation of hope for this community.

This is how Sharon describes the school:

“There are about 20 children who go every day to this new school building. Most of the children have never been to school or at least have not been regularly.”

“Pastor Sihok worked the local community to design the building and they thought of many specific design elements that helped make the building better equipped for the surrounding environment. The building is very basic but extremely functional. It has open windows on three sides to take advantage of any breeze and keep the metal building as cool as possible.”

“There are also two fans on the ceiling, which help with airflow and cooling. The building design also wonderfully allows natural light to be used in the classroom. The windows can be latched so when it rains the students stay dry. There is a cement floor so that there is no problem with mud in the rainy season.”

“The classroom is very basic with 10 student desks (each can sit 3 to 5 students), a teacher's desk, a white board, and one poster on the wall that looks like the children made it. The students use slates instead of paper to write whatever is needed.”

The Lord has used others to continue to show love to these families. A woman from a local church donated the slates for the children.  Sharon herself has donated funds to ensure that the students have flashcards, books, and posters for the English portion of the school as well as Khmer posters or books for the students to learn Khmer, the local language.

The school is indeed just a building, but it is a building built with much love, prayer, hope and vision.  It is a building whose foundation was established by Jesus and that serves as a vision of His immense love for all of His children.

WHERE DO YOU TOTE LIFE? Mary Frances Bowley Totes Life through Giving a Voice to Those Who Have None

There are more than 100,000 children trafficked for sex in the United States. And, more than 250,000 at risk of being trafficked.  The average age of a child when they are first used is twelve to fourteen years old.  

Starting in 2001, Mary Frances and Wellspring Living have been working to change these numbers; they have truly been making a difference for the girls and women that they serve. They are reaching out to help young girls and women rebuild their lives, to live and to dream again.

Mary Frances sees these girls with eyes of hope and faith; she is inspired by them as they remain so resilient and strong after having experienced the worst of life. 

Mary Frances and the Wellspring team work to ensure that the girls know that they have someone who believes in them and sees beyond what has happened to them. As they build trust with the girls, the once-hardened hearts experience new life. Wellspring also works to provide the tools to help the girls rebuild their life, including personalized education that allows them to learn in their own style and at their own speed, therapy that helps provide healing from the experienced trauma, and life skills that teach them how to live in the world, healthy and whole.  They are allowed and encouraged just to be girls, to have fun, to enjoy life, and to experience freedom, rediscovering their childhood and all that they may have missed.

Although many of the girls come to Wellspring at a young age, as they find their inner healing, they exhibit an inner strength and compassion for others that should compel and inspire us all to action. As she was completing the program, one precious young lady of fourteen years old asked to speak with Mary Frances.  She confidently stated, “I want to help other girls so that they don’t fall into this.”

Now Mary Frances is helping make this young girl’s wish happen with the writing of Make it Zero: The Movement to Safeguard Every Child.  She is working to help safeguard not only the girls that at fourteen years old are forced into a life of sex trafficking but also the lives of all children who face poverty, hunger, isolation and abuse. 

Thank you, Mary Frances, for being a voice for those who have none and being a #LIFEgiving force in the world.  

LifeTotes is proud to support the Make it Zero Movement at http://makeitzero.squarespace.com! JOIN US! 

The Coexistence of Generosity and Frugality

Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. James 5:4

Everyone likes a bargain. If you love to shop, and most do, there is probably a sense of euphoria that happens when you get a good deal. We live in a consumer society that has become driven by competition that drives prices down and sales up, allowing us to buy more than we otherwise would or could and perhaps even should. 

Growing up, especially in the early years, I can remember our family being "heavily budgeted." We would value shop and bargain brand whenever possible. It was necessary, and it eventually became a mindset to spend the least and stretch the dollar to get the most. Even when there was no overabundance, my parents and grandparents always modeled sharing and generosity. We would take what we needed and share the rest. 

After growing older and utilizing these principles to reach a place of stability and eventual abundance, I've learned that frugality and generosity can coexist and succeed within the same framework and when equally balanced, everyone wins. This is actually how we were created to live. In our quest to be frugal, we must not abuse others who are working hard to help us have what we need without considering if their needs are being met. This is the responsibility that comes with having and acquiring. 

So when you're looking for that bargain in the business arena, or negotiating with that person at the market or the contractor working on your home, it is okay to reach a responsible price, but make sure you leave them with their dignity, and when all else fails, you will never go wrong erring on the side of generosity. 

WHERE DO YOU TOTE LIFE? FLY Musiq Totes Life to Young Women through Empowerment and Inspiration

As an artist, author, speaker, host; Cierra “FLY Musiq” Bobo displays LIFE-giving action for others in all that she does. FLY, a female hip-hop artist that creates a graceful dance between hip-hop and soul, has a beautiful voice that matches her beautiful heart--a heart that beats to give back to young women.

FLY founded FLY Spirit, Inc. as an organization with a goal to inspire and empower the next generation of women leaders. FLY is an acronym for Full of Faith, Love, and Youth; and, these three things are reflected in every aspect of the organization.  Upon meeting FLY, one can see them truly reflected in her life and smile as well.

To empower and inspire young women, FLY Spirit provides resilience education in low-income areas through weekly after-school chapter meetings, field trips, community service work, guest speaker presentations, and gender-based relationship violence prevention presentations as well as through hosting the FLY Life Girls Conference.  At the conference, FLY builds a creatively powerful environment that emboldens young ladies to step into their destiny and find their beautiful unique strengths.

FLY looks outside of herself to something bigger--to others--and challenges everyone around her to do the same.  She finds beauty in everything and totes LIFE to all who surround her through her faith, love and youth.

The idea of perfection doesn’t inspire others, 

it discourages them. 

Be a perfect example of  BEAUTIFUL IMPERFECTION. 

– Cierra “FLY Musiq” Bobo