Happy New Year!

2012...it could be the end of the world or just the beginning for change in the lives of women in Zambia!  Since we are not so worried that 2012 is it, we are charging forward with what God is calling us to do at  Extending Hands!  No fear here people:) 

A quick review...After the end of our first "official" year we ended on a great note...looking back to see all that God did this past year was amazing and when it was all said and done we pulled in over $23,000.00!  That enabled us to get our 501c(3) done, a website up and running, do a trip to Zambia, a fundraiser put on, marketing materials designed, buy a computer, buy product and have it shipped from the women, and all the other non-fun stuff of running a organization (paper, printing, stamps, bags, tags, P.O. box, web hosting, annual filings, etc, etc.).  God is so faithful!  This past year went beyond our expectations and we are waiting to see what God is going to do this year!

As I did last year, I  am going to share the prayer requests we have for 2012 and trust that as we and you all pray, God will hear and answer!

First off, I want to thank and praise God for my husband Ben and our board of directors!  They have been so wonderful in praying, giving advice, and knowing when to reel me in and let me go!  I sooooo appreciate them!  They have jumped of the cliff with me multiple times this past year when they probably thought I was nuts but followed me anyway!  God continues to show up and be the real AWESOME God that He is as we continue to step out in His will for us and the women of Zambia.  Pray for continued guidance, wisdom and faith as we plan and follow what God would have for us in 2012!

Now, for the things to pray about!

1. Please, pray for the widows and vulnerable women we work with in Zambia.  For their health (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), for provision for what is left of their families, for safety and for continued opportunity for them to grow in their talents and skills, their relationships and their walk with God.

2. Pray for our partner on the ground in Zambia, Community for Human Development.  Reberiah and her staff are dedicated to helping the women there and giving them the education and skills to pull themselves out of poverty and protect themselves against and deal with HIV/AIDS. Pray for them and their needs as an organization and for wisdom and eternal perspective as they work everyday with the impoverished women and children of Zambia.

3.  We are pushing forward with finding stores, conferences and events to showcase the wonderful products that the women make in Zambia. We would like to be in 10 stores and be at 10 events by the end of 2012.  To help us do that, you can pray and connect us with any store or coordinator for women's conferences, Fair Trade shows, world market type stores, etc.  We are already in 4 stores...so just 6 more to go! Events will pile up quickly, so pray for wisdom in attending the right ones for the best exposure.  This concept needs to expand quickly as we need to sell as much as we can here to keep the women in Zambia working so that they may be empowered by the opportunity to provide for their families.  That their talents and gifts may be used to create beautiful products that are marketable here and around the world!  That is the next step by the way, to expand our market to different places in the world as well!  That will be a goal for 2013;)

4. Pray for the team we are bringing this summer to Zambia. For what we will be doing and the relationships that will be made and the lives that will be changed.  We are looking to do a women's conference or "gathering" to address the issues women deal with in Zambia.  We will also  be doing more skills training with the jewelry and hopefully other products that we will market!  We are very excited about this trip and what God is going to do in us and through us!  Pray for safety, growth in our own lives, for the funding we will need, the wisdom in planning and the team's "oneness" and the grace and love to be all things to each other as we travel and stay in unfamiliar territory.

5.  Pray also for Ben and I as we will be in Zambia together for the first time.  This will be Ben's first trip and we will be tackling many things.  Continuing the research for a shelter and safe house in Zambia for widows and prostitutes.  Assessing other area's (other than Lusaka) for a shelter. The plight of the men in Zambia and their needs as that is one of the passions Ben has.  Immersing ourselves in the area's of Zambia and visiting multiple other NPO's to gain perspective and advice,  and praying and figuring out the finer details of what it would look like for us to be in Zambia full time in the future.  This is a lot to do in one trip so we will need prayer to have things go as planned and run smoothly while we are there.

6. Pray for our fundraiser we will be having at the end of summer!  After our first fundraiser this past Sept. 1st, and the success we had in that, we can't wait to plan our second annual fundraiser!  Even now, we need prayer for the date and theme of the fundraiser and most importantly, the team that will again pull this together! 

This is a start, a rough draft of what 2012 will hold for us.  We want to be open to all that God has for us not only as an organization but as individuals.  While we are doing our part in planning our year, we also have a blank slate waiting to be written on by God.  This is God's story and we are thrilled to be a part of it!

The Smile from your Heart

I have been extremely mindful of the blessings in my life over the past couple of years, despite the hardships and trials we have been through! It seems this Christmas Season we have been given a little respite from the testing and trials God has allowed in our lives. Though we still have many concerns that face us for the New Year and are wondering how God is going to work, we live in a peace that is found, if we seek it, in Jesus. I find myself exclaiming God's goodness for seemingly small unimportant things - a walk taken on a chilly evening, sitting by the soft glow of our Christmas tree, making cookies and spending time with friends. Because I have only been given today, I am grateful for the little things God gives and for His presence in my life. Do I live each day with the JOY that God has given me or am I wasting time with worry, anger, self-absorption or busyness? If I don't wake up tomorrow, what will those closest to me say about my yesterday...




This Christmas season, I have been captured by the word REJOICE. God seems to give me a word or phrase to cling to during this time of year. It is a word that I want to shout from the rooftops right now. That we should REJOICE in the gift of our Savior, Jesus! REJOICE in who Jesus claims to be! REJOICE in what he did on the cross! In Isaiah 61:10 it says, "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul REJOICES in my God." Joy is found in God, not in anything else. In Luke again it says, "...and my spirit REJOICES in God my Savior...." No matter our place in life or the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can REJOICE in who God is. When I am in Zambia, I am always in awe of the women who lift their hands to the God of Heaven and REJOICE in what God has abundantly given them (how humbling!) and for all that He is, their provider, their Lord, their Savior, their Father. Their JOY is not based on the temporal things of this earth but in the peace of God's goodness and sovereignty designed on the ethereal plane of eternity.



We are to re-joy, again and again. I love Philippians 4:4-7, "REJOICE in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."



Now I know re-gifting might be a faux-paux in this day and age but re-joy-ing, I think, is a great idea! Let's pray that the joy that is hopefully seen in us despite our circumstances might be re-gifted to those who come in contact with us. May the joy we have in Christ be the one gift we want to re-give during this season of getting. Let us not pass up a chance to give real joy today, for we are not promised tomorrow. Let each day this month be the 25th, days of giving -- of ourselves, of the joy we have, of our time, energy and money, not just days of preparation and busyness with the hope you are all still in one piece by the 25th! I pray that the smile on your face that we so quickly give to those around us as we rush through this month of December is truly the reflection of the smile from your heart...the inexpressible joy found in knowing Christ.

One night

There are those nights that forever haunt you, forever change your heart. Touch you in a way you were not expecting. Those nights that push you off balance yet right your soul. Nights that take you to your knees but send your mind racing ahead. There are those nights that render you speechless as you silently cry out to God.

I am continually broken every time I go to Zambia. It is something that I ask for in prayer. I don't know why I am surprised when God answers, but sometimes I still am. I have been to Zambia four times, and each time God has showed me something else that breaks His heart and that should break mine.

Again, He has answered....

I have been thinking back to a night in Zambia, one that did bring me literally to my knees. A night I spent out on the streets of Lusaka listening to the stories of and talking with prostitutes. It's not that I didn't have an idea of what I was going to see or hear or even what the environment in which we found ourselves in was like, but God gave me encounters with women -- real women -- who are broken, hurt and alone. God once again put faces and gave names to the plight of women and girls in Zambia. I looked into their eyes and heard their stories and listened to their questions and tried to come up with suitable answers.

One said she had told her stories to many before, but no one had done anything. One woman said that this was the only way for her to feed her children. Another said she didn't like this business but had no other choice. In a way, she was right. There is no other choice, no other way for these beautiful, brave women to take care of and feed their children.

Where are we? Where is the church? As I left, I went to my knees asking, "How, HOW, can we just walk away from this? How can we leave them there?"

This has given me new focus as we move forward with our goals to empower women and girls in Zambia. We are to love. We are to give the opportunity of a SAFE, sustainable living. We are to BE the hands and feet of Jesus to women and girls who are waiting for someone to show what his pure love looks like.

We have to get going with what God has called us to do. I know we here at Extending Hands are continuing to prayerfully research and assess what it is going to take to catapult into existence a shelter and safe house for widows, prostitutes and other vulnerable women and girls who have no other hope. What will YOUR part be in pulling women and girls off the streets in Zambia, women who are being raped, beaten and used? What will YOUR part be in giving a widow who has been left with nothing a soft place to land and skills to make a sustainable living? What will YOUR part be in helping girls who have been told they are nothing but future property the ability to understand their true identity in Christ that will far outweigh a disadvantaged beginning?

Join us now as we desperately need your help! We have lots to do before this goal is achieved, but I know we are on the right path -- the path God has placed us on. Walk with us as we commit to changing the lives of women and girls in Zambia. Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Recently, when I was asked to speak at my church, this is what God laid on my heart to share. Now I am sharing His heart with an even greater audience. It is my hope and prayer that these humbly written words will be impressed upon you as you pray for us and consider supporting us financially.
To donate go to www.extendinghands.org or mail at Extending Hands P.O. Box 181 Woodstock, Il 60098
To pray for us, just go to your knees, thank you!

Extending Hands 'Under One Sky' Fundraiser, Sept. 1st, 2011

 

Wow!  What a great first fundraiser!  I want to take this space to thank all the people on our committee who worked so hard.  It all started in May when we pulled this committee together to take on this thing called a fundraiser.  Only a couple on the committee had ever done this before and we were all pretty overwhelmed and scared! 

The marketing/registration team was first to get going.  That team included Lisa Kelly, Colleen Lennon, Cindy Sharp and Heather Yoder.  They were awesome on all levels! They worked on sponsorships, marketing, time lines and just keeping us focused! Registration went off without a hitch and was SO organized with notes even at the end of the night! Oh, and Carrie Zamorano....our charming, intelligent, greeter!  You were perfect!

The creative team with the help of Kim Zelke, came up with our fundraiser logo and all the ideas for the tables, fabric, plant arrangements and overall feel of the night.  That team was Shannon Broling and Dinah Schisler!  For those of you there, you know what a wonderful job they did at bringing in the African feel!  Herb Kruse from Woodstock High School did about 10 paintings of some of my pictures of Zambia that were also placed around the venue and were oohed and awed over!  Thank you Herb!

Monica Summers and her friend Joseph worked till all hours the night before on the video presentation!  They did not have much time and did a phenomenal job!  Wow!!!  Really impressed!

The silent auction team was pulled in late but thanks to Sheri Webb, she ran it like she had done it a thousand times before!  She pulled in Hollie Grossman and Gere Wissell who gave tirelessly of their talents and energy to the HUGE task of putting together descriptions, baskets, and the tables the night of!  Not to mention, the intake of all items and the storing of them before hand.  Still can't believe all the work they did!  Peggy Souchek and Tracey Kent helped them set up the day of, thanks gals!  Also, thanks Alicia Barnett, Brianne Choitz and Ali Webb for helping with the silent auction! 

Sheryl DiCicco was gracious enough to share the story of Precious and her children to many who wandered through the gardens.  Our entertaining MC's, Glenn Chelius and Chuck Field did a fabulous job of keeping everyone informed and having fun throughout the night!  Thanks all of you!  The extra touch you guys put on the night, Sheryl, Glenn and Chuck, was priceless!

Then there is Steve and Mary Jacobs.....you guys......Steve, I don't know what we would have done without you!  Your expertise in event planning and your willingness to jump in and take over working with the venue and caterer and MANY other details was a gift from God!  Truly, we could not have done this without you!  Your support financially and otherwise for Extending Hands and this fundraiser was overwhelming!  Thank you both for all you did and just who you guys are! 

Then Sandy and Phil Woznicki....Sandy my dear, wonderful board member....it's been quite a ride!  You have been my rock, my truth teller, my friend.  We were scared to death to even think about doing this and here we are on the other side!  Your ability to know what your roll was going to be and jump in feet first to this crazy thing with me is something I will never forget!  Phil, you were soooooo helpful wherever you were needed!  A true servant!  You and Rich Schisler behind the scenes....Rich, it was inspiring to see two men, be examples of what love looks like.  What is more inspiring is that it was done for women half way around the world whom you have never met.  Thank you!

Now, I have to mention here my other board member, Bob Barnett.  Though, he was away on sabbatical during this time, his prayers and concern of not only Ben and I but for Extending Hands did not go unnoticed!  We missed him very much but we are all glad he was doing what needed to be done!  Thank you Bob and Deb for your support always whether near or far away!

Keva Jones, you too!  Thank you for helping us out in the beginning and moving us in the right direction!  Much appreciated!

Ben.....you have been the most understanding, supportive, hard working, husband ever!  You constantly worked on every detail of not only the fundraiser and my trip but all the other Extending Hands duties that have to be done on a regular basis!  Paperwork, technology issues, printing, and on and on it could go.  Thank you for being you!

Then there is all the others who jumped in to help the day of or by supporting us financially as a sponsor (Noel Thelander-Edward Jones Investments and Nils and Sylvia Cederberg!).  Those who donated silent auction items and banners or signs, and ALL of you who have supported us financially in the past or have prayed for us at any time!

None of this though, could have happened without God.  From putting this committee together, allowing my return to Zambia in the middle of all the planning and how all of it came together in the last few weeks, God continues to show us He is in control and it will all happen in His timing.  One day at a time......

To check out the full album of the night, go to our facebook page (at the top of this page).

Thanks everyone who helped or attended!  You all made it a great event!

En Route

 

                                                                 

I am home from my fourth visit to Zambia and yet  this is not the end of a trip but the continuation of a journey.  A journey in which lay behind me, a stretching of faith, miracles and gifts from God, brokenness, tears and one box that was left unchecked on my list of "to do's" in Zambia.  The one box I thought would not be vacant of such a mark.  But I must move on, not getting stuck in what has not been but what will be.

Seeing all the women and widows again was so wonderful!  The first week was spent with them working on jewelry, fellowshipping together, devotions, and of course lunch!  We made Nshima and cabbage and chicken, yum!  They all worked  hard on the jewelry and then on Fri. even took a lot home to work on over the next few days! 

That first Friday night I went out (with some male Zambian friends of course) on the streets to talk with prostitutes.  This was not only hard on me but really opened the eyes of the friends with me on a deeper level.  This left us all a little somber but with a realization of the need for what we want to do in the future, allowed me new focus.  This was a fact finding expedition but also a mission of love to these very brave women who have been left with no other choice in how to feed their children.

I then spent a day with my friend Sam Sakala getting some paperwork done and filed for Extending Hands (Zambia) ltd. I prayed we would just be able to get it done in one day and we did!  That was a miracle, believe me:)  I also went to church with Sam and his wife Joyce the day before and went to COMESA market for fabric!  Fun!

After a failed attempt to see Precious' children the week before, not despite us jumping on multiple buses to George Compound and traipsing through to find out they don't live at that location anymore, we finally tracked them down.  I was able to make sure they got a big bag of mealie meal, some oil and sugar and then of course some stuffed animals and candy, paper and colored pencils.  It was good to see them and they looked well, despite their circumstances. 

Then, God gave me such a gift!  I went out with Gordon (The Simon Poultney Foundation) to the bush to be on a farm to see his projects in the village area.  I slept in a tent out under the stars in Africa.  Those of you who know me well, know this was just about as close to heaven as you can get on earth!  It was a little respite in the middle of so much other busyness and heartache. 

After driving back to Lusaka on Thur. and getting home late, I got up at 4am and took another long ride down south this time to visit the women in Monze who make these wonderful baskets!  It was a privilege to meet them and see them work on these baskets, some that take about a week to make!  We made that trip in one day and after getting back from that, I crashed.

Over that weekend I ran into Princess Kasune Zulu at a book store!  The funny part is I never went to this shopping center because I was walking distance from the other one in town.  But for a certain purpose, I had to be at that one that day and then ran into her!  It was wonderful to chat with her and get a pic!  Hoping to catch up with her when she returns to the states!  God is good!

Had a  down day that next day and did laundry while Dolly the cat (my roommate) kept trying to get on my lap as I was scrubbing my clothes! 

Then I was able to go out with Bob and Mary Sendgikoski and Gary Schnieder from Every Orphans Hope to the village I first came to help build orphan homes.  Brought stuff for the kids and got to see all the new things happening out there.  Had a wonderful dinner with them as well!

The Tues. before I left, I had some meetings and things to do along with seeing and saying "good-bye" to the women who were coming out to the office one more time.  I  met with Daisy at IJM (International Justice Mission) and had one more meeting/lunch with Gordon and then after spending the afternoon with the women I got to meet with Siyani, one of my pastor's friends who works for World Vision and had a great conversation about many things going on in Zambia. 

As all this was happening I was also trying to get that one box checked off....our old sponsored child, Agness.  I was not having any luck getting a hold of the one person who knew how to find her.  I felt so trapped and frustrated.  I was so close yet I was so far away.  I just wanted to see her and spend some time with her and give her a few things.  I started realizing it might not happen as the days ticked by without any response.  I never got to see her on this trip....it was heart breaking and frustrating.  I will have to have it out with God as to why.  But I will make it my mission to continue the journey not only to better the lives of the women and widows I work with but to get back and find her. 

We are moving forward here at Extending Hands to do what God has called us to and it means walking the path God has laid out before us and trusting His sovereignty in all things.  Even the things I don't understand.  But maybe while en route some things will become clear.  The journey beckons us on.....

We now have less than a month till our fundraiser on Sept. 1st, 2011 and will be planning out the next year.  We have much to do, expanding the  market for the jewelry and baskets, working on speaking engagements, and planning out next summer's trip.  Please, pray for us.  We want to make sure we are hearing and following God's plan and that we are on the right path, His path.  Thanks everyone!

Packing List

I was thinking today about my return to Zambia and the things I want to bring with me this year.  Little things for Agness, our "old" sponsored child.  New clasps for the jewelry the women make.  Pencils and other fun products if I go see the orphan homes or go to a school.  Gifts for certain people and fiber bars...well, the fiber bars are for me:)  Though,  I was also thinking about what I don't want to bring with me...stress, hurry and worry.  I want to be a blessing in who I am, not in just what I bring to Zambia.

This will be a different trip for me as I am going it alone this year.  It will be a chance to reflect and be quiet in my traveling and arrive ready to minister to those people I come in contact with.  I heard a great quote the other day..."Speed and caring for people are incompatible".  In this society, we try and tell ourselves that being busy and rushing around is what we get medals for.  But those medals of hurry weigh us down so that we are not able to listen to God or act on the whispers we so often miss.  We are more worried about  "pushing on" with those things dangling around our necks and trying to get to the next event, or phone call, place or some sort of made up finish line in our heads. 

I cling to the many verses in the Bible that talk about being still.  Psalms 46:10-Be still and know that I am God.  Love that one.  Be still and then we know...As I desperately try to keep my schedule from hitting a level of lunacy, I try each day to spend time being quiet, hoping to take some deep breaths and claim the promises of God.  It is also so neat to notice that Jesus continually "went away" to be quiet and pray.  If He needed to, how much more do we?

That being said, we then ask,"How does it make a difference?".  It is in being before God that our priorities are always straightened out.  That we remember who He is and who we are and why we are here.  That the "interruptions" in our day, from our children, spouse, or neighbor are the chances to show we can slow down and be the blessing, the encourager, the shoulder to cry on to the people we come into contact with.  To listen to that still small voice that says maybe you can miss that meeting or class.  Or maybe on my trip I won't look at delays or missed flights or no shows for a ride or getting stuck in the bush as problems but a chance to be where I am supposed to be to minister to someone around me if I choose to be still and listen.

I can't wait to wake up in  the morning and be drawn outside to see the beginning of a day that though planned, is open for God's unexpected moments.  Pray I pack carefully....

Is It Summer Yet?

It is May 2011...from dark, dreary, and cold to warm, summer like weather over night. I didn't think I was going to make it to that special day when we say, "Yes! Open all the windows!". It is momentous that we, here in the Mid-West, have made it through another winter. Though, I was thinking today about who we are during our stormy winters that matters more. Are we just holding out for the sun and warmth or can we find true rest in the middle of the storms of life?


I am challenged to want to take that sigh of relief, not after, but during the crisis at hand. I want to live in the rest that God says He gives to us if we turn our eyes to Him. I love the story of Peter in prison in Acts 12. James, the brother of John, had just been put to death and Peter was arrested and put into prison and guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. The night before he was going to be brought to trial he was said to have been sleeping between two soldiers. SLEEPING, yes, sleeping. He was not awake worrying about what was going to happen to him the next day or wringing his hands in disbelief that he was in this position to begin with. He was so at rest with the circumstances at hand that he was peacefully asleep. More so, he was at rest with who was in control of his circumstances.

Then, I love how he is woken to the angel. When we are willing to accept our circumstances and rest in His presence, God shows up. He is never on the "other side of the fence", He is always right where we are. Sometimes we are so busy trying to get out of the pain or crisis we are in that we miss that God could have given us the refreshment we needed during the wars we fight on the frozen cold battlefields of life. He is there...Psalm 27. When David is speaking of evil men advancing against him and his enemies attacking him; his desire is still this-"that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." His desire to be in God's presence was at the forefront of his mind in spite of the enemies that were pursuing him.

I hope and pray that I can live in the presence of God and truly rest in Him, like these men did thousands of years ago.  I want to have the peace of God exuding from my soul as the wars around me wage on.  I want to put myself out there as a lightning rod in a storm so God's power can be seen in the dark not just when my life is sunny.  This challenge has been set before me that I might be able to continue in the work that God has given me.  That through whatever happens, I will BE at rest in Him who has sent me to love the widows and vulnerable women of Zambia.  Come what may....