God provides... Jesus to Jinja project fundraiser update

I am thrilled to say that by the grace of God I was able to complete the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 9th! The total that was given to the "Jesus to Jinja Project" was $880.77!!
Thank you SO much to those who gave. Thank you Jesus for the way you provide and answer prayer!

As the weeks went on in my fundraising for the orphan home I will admit I was a little surprised that more people had not had the desire to get behind the project. When looking at the fact that I had only raised one fourth the amount I had hoped to I was feeling disappointed. I prayed about it saying "Lord, I don't understand. I believe you put this on my heart to do. What do you want me to learn from this?" After praying about it I had such a peace. I was reminded that it was not about me and how much money I could raise. It was about being obedient to what the LORD put on my heart and trusting HIM with the results - maybe HE wanted to use someone else. I felt at peace that despite that the money had not been raised that I hoped for, to help these precious children, that God still had a purpose in me doing it and HE would take care of those little children. I remember praying again as we were leaving for our trip to Florida about the whole thing. I asked the LORD to help me complete what HE put on my heart to do despite that not a lot of money had been raised. I didn't want that to lessen my zeal. I concluded with asking that if HE was willing would HE please put it on some people's hearts to give generously - even yet. I knew if HE wanted $800 raised through this run HE didn't need weeks to do it.

That evening we got a phone message on my husband's cell phone as we were traveling to Florida from a dear friend. She said she wanted to make sure that I saw my fundraising page before I ran the race. She knew I would want to see what had happened that day. When I finally had access to a computer and looked at the fundraising site the day before the marathon I saw that a very special family had given a donation of six hundred dollars that day!!! I was completely overwhelmed by their generosity (and the loving words they expressed to me) and in awe of God's faithfulness. Their donation took the total raised above the fundraising goal. I cried. God is so faithful.

Thank you Jesus for loving the orphaned children of Jinja, Uganda. Thank you for putting it on the hearts of Warm Blankets Orphan Care Intl. and ICM to build them a much needed new home!
Bless that home - pour out Your Spirit upon it. May the children know of your great love for them and that You are the father to the fatherless. Thank you that I, along with those who gave, could be a part of what you are doing there.

P.S. Something else very special... as I hit the 13 mile mark (half point in the race) there was music blaring out from alongside the course. Do you know what words I heard being sung right as I passed the half way point??? "This is for Africa, This is for Africa". SERIOUSLY. Tears came to my eyes and I had to keep myself from getting too emotional (as I start to hyperventilate when I get emotional when running! LOL) Jesus, YOU were being my cheerleader and showed me love by orchestrating that special moment - YOU spurred me on. Thank you for doing Marathons LORD.

Love,
Joanna

What you can do to help the children of Jinja, Uganda

The orphans in my previous post and in the photo above live in the city of Jinja, which is in Uganda, Africa. These orphan children need a new home!
SO, I am doing a charity marathon run (26.2 miles!) on January 9th, 2011 to help raise money for this home! I realize the money I raise will not be enough to build the home but it certainly can make a difference. Not only does the structure need built but it needs all the things inside that will make it a home. By sponsoring me in this run, together, we can make a difference! We can reach out and extend our hands in love to the precious child reaching out in the photo above!


The photo above is of the Benevolent Child District Home, that needs replaced. Over 40 orphans live in this run down building. They are thankful to have a home. Yet, I am sure you will agree, they need a new one! Thankfully, the LORD has put it on someones heart to build them a new home... and not just any home! Warm Blankets Orphan Care International has partnered with ICM (International Cooperating Ministries) to build a new Church Orphan Home for these children! They are planning to break ground as early as December or January!
About WBOCI: Warm Blankets Orphan Care International is a registered Christian Non-profit that has built over 125 Church Orphan Homes around the world. They are making a big difference in the orphan crisis and they are helping bring many precious souls into the family of God! I am excited to come alongside Warm Blankets in their ministry to these orphans! I love the heart they have for these children and I am especially impressed with the way they do things. They have a very unique and effective approach to orphan care! What makes their orphan homes different? (Quoting from their website)

"Moving away from traditional, institutional, orphanages WBOCI offers a fresh, dynamic approach to confront the world orphan crisis, through establishing and supporting church-based Family Homes. Each home has a family atmosphere based on love and compassion that is touched by the word of God. Every home shares a building with the local Christian church. The orphan children live on the top level with the caregivers, while the ground level is where the church and community meet... (click here to read how these homes also Each home has the capacity to house about 40 children. The homes provide beneficial, nurturing, holistic care to parentless infants, children, and adolescents. A healthy, flourishing environment filled with love and songs of worship is found at each Family Home."
"Widows are the principal caregivers in each orphan care facility. In this manner, a child who just lost his or her parents is cared for by someone who knows their pain because they too have experienced loss. We maintain a staff ratio of one caregiver for every five children, so you can be assured that a frightened child will be held and comforted by someone who cares."

You can view photos of Church Orphan Homes here: WBOCI Church Homes To see photos of the children that live in the Benevolent Child District home click here: Photos of Children

To donate to this fundraising effort please click here:
You will be directed to the "Being Jesus to Jinja Project" fundraising page. You can securely make a donation from this page and your donation is tax-deductible.
Please help spread the word! You can click icons at the bottom of this post to share this on facebook, twitter, blogger etc. If you have your own website or blog please consider sharing about this on your site. You can feel free to use the photo at top and link it to the fundraising page url.

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25:40b
Thank you on behalf of myself, WBOCI, ICM, and mostly on behalf of the children.
Sincerely,
Joanna

(The photos in this post and on the fundraising page were provided by and used with the permission of WBOCI)

7 orphans that matter to Jesus... do they matter to you?

This photo grabs my heart. When I received this photo and was viewing it on my computer screen my 9 year old daughter walked into the room. She saw the photo and she quickly said "Mom, you are going to cry aren't you?" She knows me well. I couldn't answer her without the tears beginning to flow.

The little children in this photo are real people. They are alive. They have names. These children know what "hunger" actually means. They know what it means to have little. They have hurts. They have fears. They have hearts that long to be valued & loved. They have talents yet to be discovered, dreams yet to be imagined, and hopes that they are desperately holding onto.



These are 7 orphan children of Uganda, Africa. They live in the Jinja district.
They need to know that Jesus loves them. They need to know that HE is a Father to the fatherless. But, before anyone can teach them who Jesus is they need to see HIS love shown to them in physical ways. They need the hands and feet of Jesus to show them our loving Father's love by meeting their physical needs for safety & shelter, clothing, and food.

These 7 children matter to Jesus... do they matter to you?

"But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 18:10

(next post: How you can help these children!)