KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY!!

Sunday Snapshot: My Heart for Missions

(And Kindle Fire Giveaway)!

Ever since 2008 God has been breaking my heart for orphans and needy children around the world. In 2010 I went on my first mission trip to Uganda, Africa. It was an unbelievable experience! The two weeks went by entirely too fast, and honestly I did not want to go home! During our time there we had the amazing opportunity of traveling around to different parts of Uganda to show God's love to the people. 

My favorite part was spending time with the children, many of which were orphans or needy children. These children changed my life! So, of course when I got back home I could not stop thinking about them. I never will forget their joyful personalities and precious smiles! 

Being able to hold the babies in one of the baby homes was such an awakening experience! These babies had been abandoned because their families could no longer take care of them, some dumped in dumpsters, some left in trash bags on the side of the road. I wanted to cry every time I would hear their stories. But there was hope for every one of the babies we held! They had been rescued! And each one of them had the now had the opportunity to be adopted into a family that they could call their own, forever! (Not long after returning home all of the babies we met had been matched with amazing families! Now most of them are living here in the US! I was beyond excited to find this out! I love adoption!)

I will never forget all the amazing people we met in Uganda! 

Now, almost two years later, I am getting ready to begin my missionary training with YWAM (Youth With a Mission)! I am going to Wisconsin in September for the Children at Risk Discipleship Training School. This is a 6 month program where first we will learn in a classroom setting, then we will GO and serve overseas. I am so excited for this journey into missions that God is leading me to! 

I am currently raising funds to help pay for my school tuition and my time overseas with YWAM. God has already showed up big in prompting you guys to give! So far $1,405 has been raised in 4 months! 

And I have 4 (and 1/2) months to go!
(I need $7,000 total)

So, I've put together another fundraiser! 

This one is going to be fun! 

I'm giving away a 

BRAND NEW KINDLE FIRE!

Here's how you enter:

Every $10 you give will equal 1 entry! 


(So, $20 equals 2 entries, 
$30 equals 3 entries, etc.)


There is no limit to the amount of 
entries you can have, 
so give as much as you'd like! 

You can make a donation through my paypal button on my sidebar (on the left). Please leave a comment telling me the amount you gave, and your email address so I can enter you into the drawing and I can contact you if you win. 

I will randomly select a winner (and post pictures of the process) on July 1st, 2012 at 6pm EST! 

Details:

*I am setting the goal at $400 for this fundraiser. (If this goal is met, half the funds will go towards purchasing the Kindle Fire, and the other half will go towards my YWAM training). Of course, if the donations exceed my goal all the rest will go towards my training.*

..........................

Please Note: 

*If $400 is not raised during this time I will still draw a winner, but that person will instead get half the amount of money raised, not the Kindle Fire.*

Please, please, please share this on Facebook, blogs, twitter, etc. Thanks so much! 

*(Paypal will charge the receiver, which would be me, a fee unless the funds are coming from your bank account or your paypal balance. So please make sure that this is where your donation is coming from, or if you are using your credit card or debit card please give a little extra (59 cents for $10, 88 cents for $20) to cover that fee so that your donation will still equal $10, or however much your donation is. I normally wouldn't mind paying it, but I want to make it fair for everyone. Thanks!)*

Next Year...

Next year (Jan 2013) I will be going overseas for my YWAM outreach! Not exactly sure which country I am going to, but we get to choose in September, once we have started our Children at Risk training and have seen a presentation on each country that our teams will be going to. So I will just have to see where God wants me! I am thinking Asia (Thailand or India), but it may just be my desires, not sure yet. I do not want this to be my decision! I only want it to be God's! For it's He that is sending me and giving me the strength, wisdom, and comfort to even do this at all. I don't want any part of this missionary training to be about me! Wow, that's good stuff, haha, I need to say that next time the Devil tries to discourage me with thoughts about things like: "Am I really doing this?", "Why am I leaving my awesome job, my awesome church, and my awesome family and friends?", "What have I gotten myself into?", "I'm going to miss my life too much", "This is going to be so uncomfortable", "I don't know anyone that I'm going to be spending 6 months with!", "There's no way I will get all that money!".... etc. 

Well, guess what? IT'S NOT ABOUT ME! 

It's about bringing glory to God, and being His hands and Feet, and showing His love to the world, and telling others about Him and how they can know Him. Period. 

This scripture is on my wall and I think of it often when I ask myself: "Why me?" or "I can't do this!" 

1 Timothy 1:12

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service."

 

And this one: 

1 Thessalonians 5:24

"The One who calls you is faithful and HE will do it."

See, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!

OK so now that I'm done preaching to myself, here is an amazing video that the past Children at Risk outreach teams put together showing the faces of risk around the world. This video really touched me, because this is where I will be next year! Please watch! Ahhhhh, I'm so excited!!!

The Countdown Continues!!

OK so now the countdown is at ...............................

157 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Until I start my YWAM missionary training!)



So, I was looking back through this blog, and I realized this was the last post I had written about the amount raised towards my YWAM training!! Wow, a LOT has changed since February!! In the past two months $820 has come in! So now the total is:

$1,205!!!!!!!!!! 

That is $470 away from 1/2 of my tution!! All from donations!! YAY!

(I just added a fundraising thermometer to my sidebar so you can keep up with the amount from now on!) 

Also, if you have not yet joined my Facebook group "Help Send Sharon" here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/287354081303531/

(You don't have to give to become a member). 

Be looking for more Fundraisers coming up soon!! And if you have any ideas please share!! 

Thanks! 

Fundraiser through Amazon!

So I got this idea from a friend (Thanks Stephanie!) It's a way that I can raise money for my YWAM missionary training through your purchases on Amazon! How cool is that?

I got approved to be an Amazon Associate! That means: I will get a portion of the proceeds from whatever you by on Amazon.com. BUT the only way it will work is if you GO THROUGH MY BLOG!


SO, I just added an Amazon.com search bar on the left side of my blog. (It's right under the donate button and the title is "Support my through your purchases". All you have to do is: put in whatever you are searching for and that will take you to Amazon.com. Then you just go on with your shopping as usual! It's that simple! It's only one extra step to help me out! Plus, it doesn't cost you anything extra! (Don't worry it's not going to tell me show my what you purchased or anything like that). :)

Please share my blog link with your friends and family so they can participate as well! Especially anyone you know who shops on Amazon a lot!

Thanks so much!! 

Luke's Easter (and more)

These pictures were taken today in China (well really last night) from Luke's home, Shepherd's Field Children's Village.

Isn't Luke getting more and more handsome as the days go by? Still praying for a miracle to happen with his adoption paperwork and his heart.

Jesus died and rose again 3 days later! (What other God has done that? None!!!)

So I think (NO I know) I can trust in Him to do this!!!

I'm praying and believing something will happen by September! That's 5 months away! Either Luke's paperwork will be completed and he will be adoptable, his heart is healed, and/or both!!!

Once I leave for Wisconsin in September I am not sure if I'll be able to continue the sponsorship payments for Luke. If God provides, or course I will still sponsor him, but if that doesn't happen, I am hoping that someone will take over that for me. If anyone is interested, please let me know!