Where is God Leading??? UGANDA

     God is doing amazing things in Uganda! I am blessed to have an opportunity to take part in His glorious plan for that country. After many nights of praying, many talks with the parentals, and many meetings, I decided to take a leap of faith. On MAY 20 (yes it is very very close!) a team of Texas Tech Athletes and I will be on our way to Bukelaba, Uganda where we will be sharing God's love with the kiddos and anyone else we meet.
      Through Arise Africa International, we will be putting on sport clinics for the kids...I am not sure they will have tennis courts, but I will have be creative! All we need is some rackets and balls and we are good to go! Who knows maybe the next Roger Federer will come from Bukelaba:)
     We would love for you to take part in this experience!! Join us in sharing the Light and Love with the people of Uganda. Join us in prayer for smooth travel, preparation/funds, and for the people's hearts to be open to God's Word. We are extremely excited about being God's hands and feet, but we need the body of Christ, we need you!
    Thank you to all those who have already generously given to use through words of encouragement and funds. Without you, this trip wouldn't be possible. Thank you for letting God use you!
    I can't wait to comeback to the US with stories to tell and praises to be lifted up to our Father. If you would like to be involved with this ministry please comment, contact me,  call me, face book me, or whatever! I would love to talk with you! I will also post a way you can give online. There is also a basketball tournament next weekend. All proceeds go to our trip. If you are in Lubbock and have an urge to shoot some hoops, come on out!
How Great is our God!! Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly more than all we ask or imagine according to this power that is at work in us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generation for ever and ever! Amen.  
     
      
    

Baking Hope Cookies!

     The other day I had the sudden urge to bake (these urges do not come very often mind you), so I decided to make the traditional but still beyond delicious oatmeal raisin cookies. As I stood stirring the delightful combination of butter sugar and eggs, I couldn't help but to think of my dear friends in Haiti and my fellow cookie bakers.
      My mind wondered to the one afternoon in Haiti when Marguerite and  Esme were invited to a desert party that their dance teacher had organized. Each student was given the chance to be able to show off their baking skills and create a delightful treat to share. Realizing that they had not made anything to share, Marguerite and Esme ran up to me along with another girl Fiashia (im not sure how to spell her name). In hurried voices they explained their dilemma. Well being the limited baker that I am I searched for Elisabeth but she was flying around like a busy bee somewhere on campus so  I was left with the job. At first I told the girls to go find other friends that could make brownies or cookie for them to share at the party, but somehow we had a little miscommunication. Little did I know that 10 girls would be on the doorstep. The girls had thought that I had meant to go find friends to help bake WITH me. Oh goodness I have 10 girls, no baking skills, and time limit of 1 hour to make something that actually tastes decent. I scavenged around and found the handy dandy cookies and brownies out of a box! thank you Betty Crocker!
    Thankfully after a few minutes Elisabeth came through the door, without her I am pretty sure i would have burned the brownies right out of the box. Because the kitchen was overcrowded we sent the girls home and started baking as fast as we could. Surprisingly the gooey mess was a success!Thanks to the help of the professional bakers Marguerite and Esme! Wish yall were here to make oatmeal cookies with me :) praying for you all always :)
    These times with the girls were priceless. I enjoyed every minute it whether we were playing Uno or watching Hairspray or even receiving back massages (loved it). They are like the little sisters that I have always wanted! Please pray that these two girls receive their Visas so that they will be able to return to the States. This is a long and laborious process, but through God's leading and perfect timing my dear little sisters will be home soon! Have Hope! Hope in God Hope in His plan hope in His love hope in His will! Even though times may be rough and it feels as though we are being fried in an oven we are actually being made more like Christ and more delicious moment by moment. God is the ultimate baker He knows how long to set the timer and what temperature to make the oven, so we may reflect His beautiful glory and take on His image so others may see and believe. Trust in Him. Have hope in Him. Have a hope cookie!

Hope Planters

    One glorious night in Haiti, Heaven shook with dancing, singing, and rejoicing as a life was saved from the grasp of the fiery pits of hell and a new name was written in the Book of Life. A new brother entered Christ's hands and will forever be known as His and only His.
     As we sat in the living room, we watched the exchange of creole words back and forth and saw the cover of the Creole Bible being opened from one end to the other. Because of the limited Creole I did know (still learning), I sat clueless in the conversation except for the occasional "Bondye" meaning God and "Jezi" meaning Jesus, so I took a wild guess and figured this conversation was about spiritual things. I was right! God poured through Eric as he began to present the gospel all in fluent Creole to our dear friend Imenski. As the Holy Spirit stirred in Imenski's heart and directed the lips of Eric to speak God's words I knew that we were on Holy ground.
     Sitting on the sidelines watching the play by play of this momentous event, I started to pray asking God to open up Imenski's heart to His words. Like a disciple in the Garden of Gethsemane, I fell asleep on the job (its about 12 o'clock at night mind you) but God thankfully peeled my eyes open to see the the grand finale. Passionately, Eric stated something in Creole and tears streamed down Imenski's face as He finally realized that a Father who had loved him so much gave up His own Son's life, so that He could live for eternity in Paradise. His heart opened to Jesus, the One who set free all those who believe that He alone is the Son of God that broke the chains of sin's penalty, so that we could dance weightlessly in Heaven. How great is our God! With hands held tightly together, Imenski prayed the most beautiful and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard. Tears of joy and thankfulness streamed from my tired eyes. "..In Jezi name Amen". I leaped across the room and gave my baby brother a huge bear hug. Whooooops, yells, and hollars filled the Ream household (and I know there was a ton more noise in Heaven)

     Today Imenski stands strong through the power of Christ as a living breathing example of the gospel. After talking with Elisabeth and Eric the other night, they said Imenski was already evangelizing and sharing Jesus with others! So proud of you Imenski, I am proud of who you are in Christ and for your heart to want to grow closer to Jesus. You are an encouragement to me and to many others to continue to build the body of Christ by inviting others to be apart of His family. I know that God will use you in tremendously to plant seeds and to help others grow. No matter what language you speak, or what country you live in, Jesus brings hope and life to all. Planting seeds of Hope.... that's who we are Hope planters :)

Hope Stories

     The Fearsome Foursome has flown from the States to Haiti and back to the States! I can not believe that our Haiti trip that was so longed prepared for, prayed for and longed for has already come and gone. What a delight it was to be able to be back with the Ream Family. Tears swelled in my eyes when I first saw Eric and Elisabeth as we walked through the tunnel from the baggage pick up. By Gods grace, we were given the privilege to pour into the lives of this missionary family. They are an extraordinary family with an extraordinary faith that never dies down but yet grows stronger and brighter upon each trial they face. It was such an encouragement to see God work through them in Haiti.

     The two weeks seem to fly by as our team began jumping all around the country alongside our dear friends the Ream Family. Our team talked in schools, built relationships, played with kiddos, and served with love all through out Haiti. The stories are endless. The hope within the eyes of each person we met there was remarkable. One lesson I have learned and will never forget is that God is HERE God is NEAR and He brings HOPE to everyone tribe, tongue and nation. Through out the Next couple of weeks I will be writing HOPE stories describing our time in Haiti. I pray these stories will touch your heart, open your eyes , and strengthen your faith in the faithful and glorious God we serve. Have Hope in in God!

   

Ready or Not Haiti Here We Come

Its finally here! Takeoff day is finally around the corner! Tonight our team prayed to our Father for His continued guidance, strength, and wisdom as we follow his footsteps to doing His will and His alone on the this trip. We thanked Him for His faithful providence as he worked through the body of Christ to encourage us and pack us with toys, clothes, and jump ropes for the kiddos. What an amazing church family we have! Special thanks to my roommate Macie Borris and to my dear friends Marty Levitt and Paige Wells for their love for gift giving. I loved receiving bags and boxes full of toys on my doorstep :) The kiddos will love it! I give my props to Mary Hine (my mama) and her amazing packing skills. Another special thanks to Kelli McGinnis whose faithful weekly contributions made it possible for this trip to happen I am absolutely too excited I cant sleep! Praise God for this glorious time!
"For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them up and not pull them down, and I will Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God for they shall return to Me with their Whole heart." Jeremiah 24:7

Next stop Haiti!

Hello everyone!!! Take off day is just around the corner! and we still have lots to do! Our team is working hard to prepare their testimonies to be able to share with kids in schools and also some adults as well, and we are still in the long process of packing 50 pound bags which seem to always be over the weight limit (probably because of all my clothes). A few nights ago we had a chance to talk with Eric and Elisabeth over skype. What a blessing it was to be able to see their faces and hear their voices again! They told us that our schedule will be overflowing with ministry opportunities and unlimited chances to be able to step out in faith and love the people of Haiti. As the day draws closer our team is beginning to feel a little antsy. Prayers our much welcomed! Pray that we would be refreshing to the Ream family, encouraging them and building them up. Pray also for our hearts to be totally lead by the Spirit and that we would totally rely on Gods strength alone. For with Him anything is possible! Pray that the peoples hearts would be open and that we wouldn't feel intimidated to step out in our faith and our comfort zone. Pray that we would have the words to speak, the eyes to see, and the ears to hear Gods glory and presence. Above all pray that God would be glorified and that his name will reign! Thank you all! This trip wouldn't be possible without the support from the body of Christ! We are taking you all with us to Haiti.. if anyone would like to donate baby necessities, toys, clothes, or anything new please contact me!

Establish the Work Of Our Hands For Us!

     Back to Haiti we go! We are super excited!!! In about two months we will begin where we left off last spring break. We will reunite with old friends that we have missed seeing for so long and develop new relationships. I have no idea what God has planned for us in just those two weeks, but I have a strong feeling that this trip will be nothing less than awesome. Our mission on this trip is to be the face of Jesus to whoever we meet! We have missed the Ream family this past year and we are really excited to stay in their home and eat their food just like old times. It will be exciting to see what all God has done in their lives since we last saw them. Since we don't know about the nitty gritty details of our trip, we need lots of PRAYER! Preparation is key and prayer is the first and most important step. Pray that God blesses our time with the Reams and that our trip would be full of surprises! Most importantly pray that we would make a difference for ETERNITY! May we bless and be blessed ourselves. Help us pour out the love! Thanks so much!!!

Shopping the Haitian Way

      All girls love shopping. I know some that just despise the very idea of shopping but I know deep down they really do love the thrill. There is nothing like going to your favorite store with walls of jewelery sparkling as if to say "I love you". There is nothing finding that perfect pair of cute shoes or shirt that just seem to complete your life. (ok maybe I'm being a little dramatic) Lets just say new clothes brings out squeals of excitement in girls!
      Well for Esme Ream new clothes brought out squeals of  "Bloop bloop bloop!" Instead of going shopping for new clothes with Elizabeth's two girls (there isn't much of a selection of malls in Haiti), Elisabeth surprised the girls by bringing the shopping to the girls. Our room became a huge dressing room with pink and blue dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes, and underwears flying everywhere. Every time Esme pulled out a beautiful new item of delight a huge smile spread across her face and she'd say, "ahhhh MARGUERITE! blooop bloop bloooop!"  Me and Elisabeth rolled on the floor laughing. It was the funniest thing ever!
        The bags were stuffed with endless outfits of cuteness that would fill any girls shopping dreams.Esme would pull her new clothes out of the bag then Marguerite and they would both giggle uncontrollable while saying, "Bloop bloop bloop."  This was truly a Haiti shopping spree that I will never forget. 
     

BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP two beautiful princesses :)

Simon di! Ruff!

What kind of game do you play with wild and crazy kids? SIMON DI! or Simon says in English. The kids loved it. Eric led an awesome and crazy game of Simon says out in front making the kids jump up, sit down, spin in circles, and just letting them act like goof balls (or just like Eric :)) It was the funniest thing ever! But the funny part of the story is yet to come.
     At the end of the game Eric shouted, "Simon Di, Bonswa Josh!"
     All the kids screamed, "Bonswa josh! "
     Eric screamed again, "Simon Di, Bonswa Ben!"
     All the kids screamed, "Bonswa Ben!"
     Then Eric screamed, "Simon Di, Bonswa Kelli!"
     All the kids started barking like dogs! I guess the translator translated my name for the creole word for dog! Ruff ruff ruff! Everyone was rolling on the floor laughing. I am now known as Kelli G. dog...  :)

Adventure to the Market

Our trip to the market was quite an adventure. Dodging cars, people, trees and trash we hiked our way to the store to buy cups and protein shakes for the kids. Besides learning the ways of Haitian traffic, a little boy, Jif (who named himself after the peanut butter) about 11 years old taught me a valuable lesson through that trip. Elisabeth, Sydney, Betsy, and I took two of the orphans boys with us, Jif and Stanley. The Haiti super market was like an American gas station closely guarded by soldier holding a giant machine gun (a little scary but I felt safe). I told the boys they could get anything they wanted. Instead of getting candy or blow pops or some thing that kids love for themselves they stacked 2 big boxes of corn flakes, 2 big cans of milk, 2 big bags of Tostitos, and 2 cases of apples.
     "For the orphans!" they said with a huge smile on their faces. My heart melted once again.
     "Of course!" I said while giving the lady the huge basket of orphan goodies. Boys who had nothing wanted to give everything for others.
Philippians 2:4 "Each one of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
I spent 489.93 goods (Haitian money/ about 50 dollars on food for selfless Jif and his buddies.

 

My Jif the peanut butter kid!