Awake and Alive

Survive...or truly live?

2012-03-07T19:28:00.007-08:00

First of all, I have NO IDEA how it came to be that it's been a month since we blogged!! Yikes! I could tell you, our more-faithful-than-us readers that we've been TOTALLY IMMERSED into the beginning stages of planning for the mission trip September 6-16th. I could tell you that we've been making some kickin' plans with some amazing people about the cinematic future of Awake and Alive. I could tell you that it's now March and the natives are gettin' restless, and we need to be good mommies first and foremost....but the truth is:

We dropped the ball.

And as I learned in Kenya (Kiswahili), we wanted to say Pole Sana. We are very sorry. Well, we're at least sorry. But we don't want to dwell on it, because more than being sorry, we're VERY excited about the connections Awake and Alive is making and what is transpiring. Pretty incredible stuff. Okay, enough grovelling, now to the other thing I wanted to share with you:

Anybody recognize that girl? Well, that's me the very first time I went to Africa--Summer of 1995. (I recognize some of you reading this might not have been alive then.) And that's James that I'm hugging. I think Julius is beside him. I still remember their names. THAT is when Africa first started getting under my skin. And you know what? It's still there--

Stronger than ever!

This close-up to our left , I think, is when I went back to Kenya to the same location to go to Daystar University and work with the same street boys for 4 1/2 months. You might not be able to see it, but my heart is so full. While I've been a Midwest girl my whole life, it is on African soil that I truly feel home.

I could honestly go on and on about how much I love this beautiful, tragic continent, but I think it would be more powerful to end with a story told to me that first time in Africa about a little boy.

His name was Survivor.

He was six when I met him, but he had already earned such a name.

(He's on the right (in red) up in the tree with me and his buddy Charles.) You see, in the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya when I went in 1995, there were thousands upon thousands of children living on the street, many of them orphans. In fact, according to the US State Department, in 1999 (2 years after I was there the second time) it was reported that "there were over 50,000 street children in Nairobi, and the government estimated that their numbers grew at 10 % per year." It made for a very unsafe environment because these kids were hungry and often sick without adults to care for and protect them. And it definitely didn't make the government look good. So, when a major political event happened a year (or a couple of years?) beforehand, the government came through and "swept the streets." Instead of taking these tens of thousands of children somewhere where they would be well-cared for, they put them in prison. Yes. In prison. Survivor was one of these kids.

But he made it through and ended up at this boys' home created because Youth for Christ Kenya saw the need, and acted. It was a place where there was hope and care and love. Perhaps, over time, Survivor learned that he didn't just have to survive anymore. There was more to life than what he had experienced. I hope this wonderful place was the beginning of a new chapter in his life, but I really don't know. I know there aren't always happy endings. Nonetheless,

Hope is real.

Thank you for being a tangible gift of hope...and faith...and love to children and families in Kechene, the latest chapter in my personal story and some of yours, we hope, as well. May all the "Survivors" in the world--both here and thousands of miles away--know someplace deep in their souls that there is more than what they're currently experiencing and living for. And may we all learn what it means to Truly live.

Because of YOU, we're thankful!

2012-02-17T18:32:00.001-08:00

So, we've been talking (Jolene and Danielle, that is), and we realized something. We've been SO focused on our goal of raising enough money to start this school, that we haven't stopped enough to say thank you. This epiphany shocked and horrified us. We NEVER wanted that! We're the first to say we have so much to be thankful for...and then we didn't live that gratitude by expressing it to those of you who have done so much to help. So, in the vein of better late than never, please accept our most heartfelt gratitude for this past year:

THANK YOU to anyone who came to an event that helped raise money for the Bright Future Academy.

THANK YOU to those of you who have offered us an encouraging word....or lots of 'em!

THANK YOU to anyone who has prayed for us, Awake and Alive, our families, or the people of Kechene.

THANK YOU to those who have offered their services in any way.

THANK YOU for the much-needed advice in all things non-profit.

THANK YOU to those who sent money in any increment at all.

THANK YOU to those of you who have successful blogs and allowed us to be guest bloggers.

THANK YOU to those who have liked us on facebook.

THANK YOU to those who have encouraged others to like us on facebook.

THANK YOU to those who have watched our videos.

THANK YOU to those who are thinking and praying about going on our mission trip.

THANK YOU to those who have done fundraising for us.

THANK YOU to those who have bought our t-shirts and wear them as conversation starters

(or just wear them because they're pretty stinkin' cool!)

THANK YOU to those who have watched our children so that we can get stuff done

(including our amazing, stupendous, marvelous husbands)

THANK YOU for believing in us and that He who started a good work, has even more in store!!!

You fill our hearts with gratitude as we sit and reflect on all that has transpired this year and all who have come alongside us to make this dream in our hearts a reality. When we count our blessings, You are them.

School Updates

2012-02-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

We were able to Skype with our in country contact this last week.
He told us that we will know the children by name in July!
This of course made my heart burst with excitement,
as we will then have specific children to begin praying for
BY NAME!
I love it!
We also now know that we will be renting a 3 room building in Kechene for the children. Ethiopian law requires us to have one room for the children's class,
one room for an office, and one room for storage.
The building will be structurally sound for the children but our in country contact would love if our team would take some time to paint and decorate the classrooms for the children!
He had mentioned something about a mural and painting the English Alphabet and numbers on the walls. I (Jolene) am not talented in that way, what so ever, so hopefully one of you who are feeling pulled to come with us is.
There is also an opportunity for us to put on a bible school for the children
and share the love of Jesus with them through
songs, crafts and stories!

While we are there we will be spending a lot of time with the children and families that the school will be benefiting. This time will be spent getting to know each one of the children in the school so that we can set up a sponsorship program for them, in hopes that we can get each child in the school sponsored so that we can send MORE children to school next year! This is vital for the continuation of growth in the school.

Will you please continue to pray for Danielle and I, the staff that will be hired and the children that will be attending the Bright Future Academy! Thank You!

2012-02-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

I love this quote. Because, you know what? It's so true. Does it mean that if we give all we have to the materially poor that we won't become materially poor? No, that's not what it means at all. To me, it means that generosity produces more riches than we could ever imagine. And that's how I want to live my life. Hands open--to God and to others. When we hoard at any level, it doesn't make us more alive or free, but more uncaring, more unfeeling, and more afraid.

A Glimpse

2012-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here is another unedited clip of Kechene. This is a video of a man working HARD in is home to provide for his family! When we visited his house he didn't stop working. I was in awe of his drive to work! This man was the provider for his house hold and he knew what he had to do! And that was and is to work hard to provide for his family! This was a rare glimpse of a man in Kechene who is standing strong for his family and working hard for his family.

During our trip in September 2012 we will be spending time with many of the families, just like this family, who will be touched by our school. What a privilege it will be to build relationships and friendships with these courageous people!

Please give what ever YOU CAN to help us start Bright Future Academy in Kechene, Ethiopia! Many young children's lives will forever be changed because of your gift!

Mission Trip

2012-01-25T10:15:00.001-08:00

This is an unedited, snap shot of life in Kechene. You did hear me correctly when I said in the video that 5 people live in that little tiny home. They only have 2 beds. The place is filthy. Two of the 3 children have to work to help provide food. Their mother was gone all day working. Leaving the oldest daughter, 13, to care for her younger sick brother. Their kitchen is directly out side of the front door. The little boy is sick with Typhoid. They do not have access to clean water. In our standards they have nothing...

yet they are smiling.

They are smiling because of the love of Jesus.
The great people we are partnering with to start our school are the same people who have shown love to the community already! By showing them love: giving them medicine, education, and sharing the Gospel, the love of Jesus Christ,
they have HOPE!

If, while watching this video you could see yourself in those homes loving and advocating for the people of Kechene would you please prayerfully consider coming with us this fall. If traveling to Kechene is not an option for you would you please support us in prayers! Please keep Awake and Alive and our team in your prayers. And if you feel lead to give financially to our project, starting a school for the young street children, please click the link below.
.

THE NEED

2012-01-08T20:10:00.001-08:00

It’s impossible for us to look at these young children and not think of our own little ones. It is very real to us. Let it be very real to you as well. And–PLEASE!–go beyond just wishing it was different and DO something about it!!! Help send 90 of the most vulnerable children to school, slotted to begin September 2012. It IS possible.

Kechene is a district within Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, of 46,000 people. It has the highest HIV prevalence in the city, with almost 16% of its residents estimated to be suffering from the disease. Because of the AIDS crisis and the devastating impact of poverty and unclean water, the district is filled with widows and their children, or worse, orphan-led households. Many within the district eke out a living by rising at 4 am to get firewood back to the city’s morning market for sale by 7 am. It is not an easy life. They labor, often for up to seventeen hours a day and have very little to show for it.

Many of those opting for this lifestyle are the widowed women who go to collect sticks, while their young children are left at home.

With so little money, and such enormous challenges, the children often have no option but to go out into the world and earn a living, too, to contribute to the family. The work available is physically demanding on these tiny laborers; it is not uncommon to see a boy of around 5 carrying his brother on his back as he goes about his work – selling Kolo (roasted barley). Tiny boys drift about hustling for work shining shoes: this earns about half an American cent a shoe shine.

“The children here have no childhood, and very little idea of play, or fun. They are only concerned about making a little money to eat, so you see them, from a tiny age, bent double carrying wood, or sat working with a weaver all day, which earns them just 1 birr a day, about 12 US cents.”*

BUT THERE IS HOPE.

While reading this may seem totally overwhelming–mind-numbing even–there is something that we can do! Awake and Alive is planning to start a school for the youngest of these children in Kechene ages 4-8 who are the most vulnerable. While Bright Future focuses on children age 9 and above, Awake and Alive’s goal will be to help those younger–the ones who are left at home while their moms are out working. This school will not only provide these precious children with 2 full meals a day and shelter, it will also provide them with an education–a luxury most children in this area cannot afford. Yet, without an education they have very little hope of rising above their current circumstances.

With your help, Awake and Alive can change that.

$1,000 will sponsor a teacher for an entire year. This teacher will change the course of so many young children's lives! With sponsoring a teacher you will not only give the children hope for a Brighter Future but will be giving a teacher the ability to have hope in their community and the ability to be the change for so many orphaned children.

$500 will sponsor a child to attend the Bright Future Academy. This will remove one orphaned child from hard labor and the streets of Kechene. It will provide uniforms, books, 2 meals a day(something these children are not use to), protection, and hope for a Brighter Future for an entire school year.

Of course ANY amount you can give will make a huge impact on the lives of these little children.

“Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.” Ephesians 3:20

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW

The Begining of A&A

2012-01-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Once there were two women who didn’t know each other. They were passionate and wanted to be purposeful in their desire to make a difference in the world, but they weren’t sure how. It felt too big with too many choices. So they read and studied and searched online and immersed themselves in the process of learning. This went on for some time. During this time the two women met and were drawn to each other not only because of this desire to make a difference but largely because of their connection to the country of Ethiopia and the gift of adoption. You see, their hearts both longed for children from this beautiful country. After much time passed, their Ethiopian princesses came home forever and became fast friends.

Trials came and humility grew. The search for meaning and the desire to follow Jesus continued. Finally, the time came. No more studying. It was time for action. But, what? How? When? This quote brought a good reminder: “Take one step at a time and wait for God to show you the next step.” Step: The seed for a ministry working with Africans was planted. Step: Meetings with husbands took place as did prayer…and the seed was watered. Step: More meetings with Ethiopians took place and the seed sprouted. Visioning, planning, processing and the excitement became overwhelming. The need was great, and God put in each of our hearts the desire and passion and resources for Awake and Alive to be born. Each new step has brought with it joy, peace, and purpose. While we are still in the baby stages of an organization that will one day, hopefully, touch hundreds of lives (or more?!?), it was birthed long, long ago in the hearts and minds of two women created by God for this unique purpose. God is good and his love endures forever!

Get Involved

2012-01-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Awake and Alive is a community effort, and you are needed here. There are several ways that you can help and become part of the community.

Support the project

A perfect way to donate is through the Razoo site here. If you want to write a check remember to make the check out to Epic Church with Awake and Alive in the memo line as we are still waiting on our official 501(c)3 status from the IRS. Send the check to 18433 Mandi Lane, Goshen, IN 46528.

Pray

During the coming months, while getting the school project off the ground, we will continually need prayers for wisdom. We ask that you take up the challenge with us, praying for the project’s success as each step unfolds. As two very busy mommas we would also welcome prayers for our families.

Spread the word

Last, but not least, we ask you for one more huge favor! Will you help spread the word?

It’s only with the support of a community of people, who are passionate about seeing orphans given a future, will a project like this thrive. Will you talk about Awake and Alive and the school project on Facebook, Twitter and everywhere you meet friends?

These street children need you to spread the word!

Click the Like Button as often as you can! The more times you click that button on our posts, the more of your friends will know about the widows and orphans who need our help.

Come and Help

We are taking a team in September to Kechene, Ethiopia! On this trip we will be setting up a sponsorship program for some of the most desperate children in Ethiopia. We will be there for the opening of the school. We have been working so hard to bring awareness to Kechene and the need there, in hopes that your heart is moved to help. E-mail us if you have any interest in this trip.

Loving the Least of These

2011-12-13T15:55:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have Amy Savage guest blog today! Her blog is called Loving the Least of These. Taken from Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Her blog is amazing and speaks Awake and Alive's heart so perfectly.
I(Jolene) was reading one of her post the other night and I just had to ask her if I could share it with our Awake and Alive followers. This was her reply "My blog belongs to God so do what you like with any of it. God has and continues to break me. Just praying He shines out of the brokenness. I'm happy to help Awake an Alive however I can." ...Really...?!?! I thought it was such a beautiful response! What a precious woman!

Thank you Amy! We are bless to have your love and support!
So here is Amy's post that just moved me...I think you all might be moved too!

In The Dirt

Want to know what I love about God? He's completely unpredictable. He does things that are completely upside down and unexpected. While the world looked to the sky waiting for the Messiah to come down with great procession and riches, Love came down in poverty - vulnerable, weak and helpless.

Not only was the way He entered the world completely unexpected, but so was the city He chose. Scripture says "Nazareth...can ANYTHING good come from there?" I've often heard people refer to certain cities here in the U.S. as "the armpit of America". That's what Nazareth was...the armpit of the world. So, of COURSE, that's where God chose to send His son. Everything about how the Savior entered our world was revolutionary. It didn't add up. It made no sense.

But you know what's really crazy? He chose to STAY. He spent 30 years in the city of Nazareth. Out of a place where there was nothing redemptive, came redemption Himself. He stuck around the hell hole of Nazareth...He stayed with people in their brokenness, filth and pain. He could have left. He could have. I'd never really thought about that before last night. From day 1 on earth, God chose to BE WITH the marginalized, the least and the poor. And not for just a moment, but for thirty years. This is no fluke. Jesus wanted to relate to us in our brokenness. He didn't go live in a palace...that's not real life. He went to the sick, the cast offs, the poor, the lonely. He sat with them. He played with them as a child. He laughed with them. He cried with them. He LOVED them. He REDEEMED them. He entered their pain. He went to them. He became lowly. The God who placed the stars in the sky came so low. And He stayed low. He stayed in the dirt.

We must find the places of pain and heartbreak and live there because that's where Jesus is. It doesn't mean we live depressed...God came to give us HOPE. He came to call us out of our darkness and to live in the hope He offers. But until we get acquainted with the grit, the grief and the sorrow of our world, just as Jesus did, we will miss Him. WE WILL MISS HIM. And I don't want to miss Him. The thought of missing out on the fullness of who God is because I'm not WILLING to enter into the sadness of this world makes my heart hurt. I want to be found willing. O God, may I be found willing.

We see Jesus being in close proximity with the marginalized. We see Him touching lepers. Before I went to Korah (a leper colony in Ethiopia) the number one question I got asked was how I was going to protect myself and keep from getting leprosy. May God deliver us from our mentality of being concerned for ourselves first. If Jesus touched the lepers, why aren't we? If Jesus sought out the lonely, why aren't we? If Jesus was moved to tears by His compassion for His people, why aren't we? WHY AREN'T WE???

God chooses to reveal Himself through us to others. Immanuel...God WITH us. God IN us. The nearness of God comes through the proximity of His people. So, where are we?? Comfortably closed in our four walls? If God's love is seen as we go, then I'd better find myself going. I'd better be found engaging in people's messy lives. Why wouldn't I if that's where Jesus is??

God came for me. He came so low for me. Will I choose to go low? Who do I think I am that I shouldn't go low too? God stooped so low to pick me up. Do I realize that my soul will be satisfied more richly and fully when I choose the road of the broken? If I am running away from the low places, I am running the wrong direction. God is not found where we think He would be. The incarnation proved that. He is found on the narrow path of the lowly. He is found in their eyes, their tears, their smiles. This is the God I've found...the God of the lowly. And He's more beautiful than I possibly thought.

May we be found willing...

If you liked what you read you can hop on over to her blog CLICK HERE and follow her...
I know I am going to!

What outlandish, scary dream has God put on your heart?

2011-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Today I just pulled Danielle's post off of her personal blog. We are both reading

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

Here is Danielle to tell ya a little bit on how she got turned on to this amazing book.

Many of my Taylor girlfriends on our last trip together were reading the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Since then, I have also started and found it so simple yet so powerful in my own life. Today's spoke so to me that I wanted to share it with those of you who don't have it yourselves:

Be willing to go out on a limb with Me. If that is where I am leading you, it is the safest place to be. Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief. Your longing to live close to Me is at odds with your attempts to minimize risk. You are approaching a crossroads in your journey. In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.Let Me lead you step by step through this day. If your primary focus is on Me, you can walk along perilous paths without being afraid. Eventually, you will learn to relax and enjoy the adventure of our journey together. As long as you stay close to Me, My sovereign Presence protects you wherever you go.

. What outlandish, scary dream has God put on your heart?
Seek Him, and then...GO FOR IT!!!

If this book interest you you can Click here.

Enter the promo code awakeandalive

Awake and Alive will get a perecntage of the profits and your purchase will help vulnerable children in the slum of Kechene Ethiopia have a hope for a future through education.

T-shirt winner!

2011-12-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Are you are winner! Watch to find out!
Email info@awakeandalive.org and let us know what shirt and size you want!!
Congratulations!!

T-Shirt Give Away!!!

2011-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

We are GIVING away one of our new t-shirts!
If you win you can have ANY ONE YOU WANT!

There are more shirt options on our side bar.

We are keeping it simple,
We know it is holiday time and EVERYONE is busy!
In give aways past I would give about 10 different ways to get entered.
Not today.

2 mandatory entries:

1.) Follow our blog.
{Leave us a comment that you did}

2.) Share our blog link about the give away on FB.
{Leave us a comment that you did}

The contest will end Monday, December 5th 2011 @ 11:59 pm
We will announce our winner on Tuesday the 6th!

What if?

2011-11-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

We love to have our board members write a blog post for us every once in a while. We are so grateful for each of our board members! Today you will get to read a little bit of Alyssa's thoughts on widow and orphan care. Thanks Alyssa!

I think one of the most effective ways to care for widows and orphans is to take better care of the environment. A little over a year ago, I was praying in my back yard when I was convicted of my flippancy toward the environment. I honestly don’t remember which natural disaster had just occurred, but there had been a series of tsunamis and earthquakes in other parts of the world and I was praying for the suffering. While praying, it hit me that most scientists would hold my actions responsible for these very disasters. You see, scientists attribute the frequency of famines and natural disasters in the 21st century to climate change. Most of them believe that these changes are caused by human activity. I know they could be wrong; there are certainly dissenters who say that our behavior isn’t responsible. But what if the majority is right? I wondered. If there’s even a chance that they’re right, and my choices are connected to the disasters, I have absolutely no room for flippancy, because kids in Kechene are suffering.

So in this blog post, I’d like to us consider Jesus’ living Word to us on environmentalism. We’re often tempted to assume that it’s not really a priority to him, because it wasn’t his focus on the earth. But for the next 5 minutes, I’d ask that we reconsider.

There are many things Jesus never speaks to, directly, on which we’re confident we know his opinion. Slavery is one. It most certainly existed during his time, but try to think of a time when Jesus directly addressed it. He frequently spoke of love and we believe he would have certainly opposed it. But he never addressed it. We rightly make determinations all the time about Jesus’ priorities based on what we know of Jesus, not because there’s historical record of him teaching on that particular issue.

What, according to Jesus, was the greatest commandment? And the second? And who is my neighbor? People in lesser developed countries are suffering and dying because of environmental degradation at much higher rates than those in the developed world. When water gets polluted, wealthy Americans get reverse osmosis systems and poor Haitians get cholera. When droughts cause the price of grain to rise, we all suffer. For Americans who typically spend 15% of their income on food, they may loose their homes, and even have to move in with family members. Ethiopians who spend 95% of their income on food starve.

Jesus commissioned us to love. Discernment tells us how how. 1 Chronicles describes the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. What do we understand about our times? How do we follow Jesus’ command to love in 2011? How are our times different from Jesus’ own? Well, the earth wasn’t in danger when Jesus’ feet walked its dusty roads. There were only 170 million people living on earth when he was born. Now there are 7 billion. And those 170 million people didn’t burn fossil fuels, either, which is the main contributor to greenhouse gasses and climate change. We do. It makes complete sense to me that the Earth’s systems have limits. Everything in this world has limits. My budget has limits. My body has limits. We have finite resources. We live in a finite world. The earth is a delicate system that must be kept in balance. An incredibly resilient system, but a system, nonetheless. Jesus lived in this same world, they just weren’t anywhere close to hitting its limits. We are.

How would Jesus respond? What does Jesus’ command to love mean in this context? Theologians talk describe God’s action of self-limiting as kenosis. When Jesus was born in human flesh, Phillippians 2 says that he “emptied himself”. Not only did he empty himself at his birth, but 33 years later he limited himself, again, by not employing his power and limiting his rights as a human being. He chose this course of self-limitation in order that we might have abundant life. Is a student above his teacher? A slave above his master? Can we cling to more rights than our Lord? Yet there are people in the world for whom there is decreasing space because the world has finite resources. Kids in Kechene have decreasing space. They are suffering the greatest impacts, yet contributing least to the problems. North Americans use way more than their fair share. While we were still needy, God sent Jesus to limit himself, that we might have life. Can we do anything else for the vulnerable among us?

If you would agree that Jesus’ love would have us limit some of our own freedom for the sake of our poorer neighbors, you may feel overwhelmed because the need is so great. And so complex. This is true. I am with you. But in this blog all I’m asking is that we allow ourselves to consider a connection between our choices and human suffering, and for those already convinced of a connection, I’m asking that we repent. Perhaps before reading this blog you had never thought about the connection between ecological degradation and poverty. I certainly didn’t until someone made me aware of it. But now we do. And if you’re like me and you need to study more before being convinced, I implore you to do so. Remember what I said earlier- if there’s even a chance that the scientists are right about humans contributing to the climate change responsible for famines and natural disasters, how can we not change course? Choose to follow through and do whatever studying you need to, because you actually care to know more. In this blog, I commend us to care.

-Alyssa

You Need Them Even More.

2011-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

November is Orphan Awareness Month. In particular, this past Sunday was Orphan Sunday. It’s a good way to focus on the issue and provide camaraderie for those who advocate for orphans.

I found the below video from last year’s Orphan Sunday. The last line of the video is so poignant to me. Amazingly, the now former orphans we have brought into our family have changed our lives more than we could ever change there’s. It’s humbling, and true. Check out this video:

-Darin Shrock

No better time to shop

2011-11-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

We are SO EXCITED to finally have T-shirts for sale!
With every t-shirt purchase you will bring
hope, love, and education
to a street child in Kechene, Ethiopia!
You can proudly wear your love and support for Awake and Alive and the work we are doing!

The Awake and Alive T-Shirts are what we at Awake and Alive strive to do daily and that is to Awake love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control and to become Alive-act on what we know we are called to do. When you wear this shirt it is a great reminder of that.

The Project Presence T-shirts are in honor of our 1st mission trip that we will be taking in September of 2012. I encourage each of you purchase one of these shirts as the proceeds from these T-Shirts will be enabling us to do many different projects while we are in Kechene.

We will be doing this pre-order style. And we will make sure you get you T-shirts by Christmas!!

New Easy Fundraising

2011-11-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about this new easy way to fundraise for Awake and Alive!

You can be a part of it too!

You can simply donate.Or
you can be a part of our team you can create your own campaign and get your friends and family excited about doing something to impact the forgotten community in Kechene, Ethiopia!

Our team is a group of people who have a heart for "the least of these." Our hearts are broken for the millions of children who do not have a safe place and we are committed to making a difference in their world.

JOIN OUR TEAM.
Click this link if you want to be a part of our team!

In the slum of Kechene, Ethiopia many young children are being left at home while their widowed mother has to make the horrifying decision to leave them every morning to go out and make a living. They are not leaving their children to build riches in this world they have to leave them to provide food and shelter...so their children can live. Unfortunately this leaves kiddos as young as 4 years old home alone for up to 12 hours a day! These children have no one to look after them, they are left on the streets, and they are very vulnerable!

Awake and Alive is starting a school to remove these precious young children from the streets. With your help we will be the peace of mind for these mothers and the hope for a better future for these young children. We can give children a childhood and hope for eternity! We have already raised 7k but WE STILL NEED TO RAISE $37,000!! We believe it can be done! It has to be done because those precious children matter!

Every little bit helps!

2011-10-19T09:48:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to have you all meet Jen.

She has been an amazing blessing to Awake and Alive. She has been encouraging to us since the beginning and now she is helping to raise funds to get the school started in Kechene! Click here ---> Check out what Jen is doing and how you can chip in!

Thanks Jen!
Love you, love your heart!
Jolene and Danielle

We want you!

2011-10-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Friends,
This is some exciting stuff. Many of you may know Awake and Alive is a baby of an organization. We are nurturing and growing Awake and Alive so that it can influence the lives of many, but as they say...It takes a village! With the start of an organization EVERY PENNY is noticed, appreciated, and a blessing! So...

We want Awake and Alive to be yours too! This is your chance to truly make an impact.
Here is what we are proposing.

1.)Do some fundraising for Awake and Alive. Get creative.
2.)E-mail us how you raised that money, along with pictures of your event or fundraiser, {info@awakeandalive.org}
3.)And we will do a write up on you and how you raised that money!
{In hopes that it inspires others to do that same}

Here are just a few ideas that might get your creative juices pumping:

Create your own Campaign

It is so easy to get people involved in this one and it produces HUGE profits!! Set a goal of how much you want to raise! Tell people why you support starting a school in Ethiopia!Share it with your friends and let the website do the rest and then watch the money come in!!

You can take pictures from our FB page to add to your campaign. You can also add this video. VIDEO
There is a section at the bottom of the page that says "More ways you can help." That is your spot to get involved, click "fundraise" get creative!
(It will say that you are setting up a fundraiser for Epic Church and in the project name put AWAKE AND ALIVE)
Click here to get started, ---- http://www.razoo.com/story/Awakeandalive

Sponsorship on blog
You can monetize your blog for a month and have other bloggers sponsor "ad space" on your blog for that month. You can ask between $5-$25 per month per ad. You can have as many sponsors as will fit on your blog. It can add up quick!

Book Sales

Ask your church to be a part of our www.christianbooksbibles.com fundraiser! More then likely your church spends $1,000 of dollars each year on Christian literature. All your church or book club has to do when ordering books or programs is:

1. Go to the site above

2. Place items in their cart

3. At check out put “Awake&Alive” in the promo code

Awake and Alive will receive a kick back on every dollar made!

PS www.christianbooksbibles.com is one of the cheapest sites out there to purchase literature!

Coffee time

Set up a coffee time with some friends. {If you would go to a coffee shop you would easily spend $5 on a specialty coffee.} Ask for a donations from your girl friends that are coming, letting them know all money raised is going to start a school in Ethiopia and enjoy a few hours with your friends over coffee and supporting Awake and Alive.

Gift wrapping:

The Holidays are busy and people are willing to pay for certain services to save time. One of the most popular Holiday services is gift wrapping. Let people know you are open to this service. You can make flyers and hang them at your church. You can also send the flyers to friends and family explaining a bit about Awake and Alive and how you are helping send kids to school in Ethiopia.

Walk or Run

This one is great! You can have people sponsor you while you do a walk or run for Awake and Alive. Sign up for a Marathon, Mini Marathon, or 5k and tell people you are doing it to send kiddos to school in Africa! They can sponsor you by the mile or a flat rate just for completion! You can do this individually or as a big group and get your friends to get sponsors too!

At Home Party

We get invited to these things all the time! It could be a make up party, purse party, jewelry party, the list could go on and on, and they are fun!! Wouldn’t it be great to have one before Christmas so your friends and family can do some shopping with a purpose with all proceeds going to Awake and Alive?!?!

I could keep going but I am going to stop there so that you all can get creative, excited and pumped about the way that YOU can raise funds! You can make a difference! You can be the change for the hopeless in Kechene! You can be the peace of mind for the mother who has to leave her kiddos on the streets so that she can make money to provide food for her babies! You can give children a childhood! You can provide safety! You can change lives!

What might you "Encounter"?

2011-10-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

We are lucky to have our buddy Keith bloggin' tonight! I think you will really enjoy what he has to say!!

“Encounter” was the name of the young person’s ministry group we had joined at our church. The Executive Pastor suggested that if you were over thirty-five years old, you shouldn’t even bother attending this ministry, “you just won’t get it.” This warning confirmed that I would attend. At Encounter we met lifelong friends like Danielle Black and Jolene Schrock.

The group was an eclectic, organic mix; recent high school graduates, college students, young married couples and curious individuals. Encounter was described as a group of young people who were raised in active youth groups and who didn’t understand adult church. I confess most of the time I don’t understand adult church.
The group was active in service to others. I loved this piece of our journey together at Encounter. Being involved with Encounter has helped cement my family’s commitment to servant leadership today. We continue to stay involved at the street level in our current church, Immerge. Additionally in July of 2009 we planned a mission trip to Haiti.
A team of nine was put together to build a house in Haiti. Eric Demeter was the team leader and he took this position seriously. His mission work, prior to Haiti, helped children get needed cleft pallet surgeries. Eric loved spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through service and thrived on sharing it in far off places. Eric recruited the nine people to go to Haiti and my wife and I were invited.
My first thoughts of the area surrounding the village of Ballala were this must be what Africa is like. I have never been to Africa, but this must be like it, dry, hot, sand, scrub-brush, a few palm trees and huts. Perhaps it was the primitive huts that reminded me most of pictures I had seen of Africa. It is no coincidence that Haiti was settled by slaves from Africa; voodoo’s roots trace back to Africa. And interestingly the United States owes part of our independence to Haiti but, that is a story for another blog.

All our days in Ballala were difficult. Our first day may have been the hardest for me. As soon as we got there we set up camp. Camp consisted of a ten foot by ten foot canopy and some plastic chairs. It provided some shade and a place to hang our backpacks off the dirt. Then our interpreter set up lunch; fresh pineapple, peanut butter or bologna sandwiches and cookies. Bear in mind, we have not done any work, just arrived in the village, and our first duty is to eat. This may not sound bad, but when you have thirty children smiling and staring at you, it stinks. I could not stomach it.

The children by all outward appearances were perfectly happy, naked and dirty, but happy none-the-less. The children rarely begged. This was something we found out the YWAM staff was trying to instill in their community, no begging. I marveled at their curiosity, handsome features, and happiness. I set up a makeshift fort out of old boards and boxes that they played in for days. A stick or a tailless lizard provided imaginative play for them.
On our third day in Ballala, my wife was honored by the offer to hold a six-month old baby. This may not sound like much; however, Haitian women are extremely protective of their babies. The life expectancy of infants under two years is very low in Haiti. The mothers routinely don’t name the children until after their second birthday. This gesture was an enormous show of respect and trust toward my wife. Sharon treated the occasion with the dignity and compassion it deserved. I could not have been more proud of her, that day, and throughout our journey.

As I write this blog for Awake & Alive to post it occurs to me, I am not sure the direction of the commentary. Is this a blog about the Christian commitment to service, about social responsibility and mission? Or is the article a critical look at established, traditional, irrelevant church liturgy? Taking a second look at the writing my conclusion is all the above and it depends.

Here in Haiti I had found contented, well-mannered, beautiful people. People who when provided with an opportunity wanted to work. Haiti is a country similar to the United States yet different in so many ways. They are different from the United States in their attitude toward each other. Children who engage you right where you are, in that moment and are eager to learn. They loved creating new things and showing us their ways. In large part, everyone was reasonably happy and content. How could this be? Why didn’t we share the same attitude in America? In the US we are taught the “poor” are sad and depressed. We think that if only poor people would pull themselves up they would be all right. They must want to be in that situation or worse- somehow they deserve to be in their situation.

As I sat there in the heat, amongst the bushes wondering about this place, a lovely butterfly landed on my knee. Upon close inspection, he revealed bright yellow wings with intricate black spider web designs. Looking closer still, I discovered the tip of his right wing had been horribly mangled, probably by another insect or a nasty cat. My first thought was this is Haiti, beautifully broken.

From Port-au-Prince to the village of Ballala and all points in between, there exists a beautifully broken atmosphere about Haiti. The country struggles to establish its independence once again, and escape its desperate situation. However, Haiti’s problems are multi-systemic; finding a sufficient leader is just the beginning. A devastating earthquake destroyed what was left of their infrastructure. Financial aid struggles to get to the hands of people who can use it. In addition, a cholera outbreak has claimed more than 700 lives and threatens thousands more. Unfortunately, “In Haiti the insults never end,” as quoted in a Byron Pitts interview on “60 Minutes”. I believe Haiti can rebound and become the beautiful Caribbean nation it deserves to be.

Coming back to the United States was surreal, a cultural readjustment. During the debriefing session, the base leader suggested that, “Not everyone will care to hear about our mission.” Tony said, “Don’t be surprised if people have a lack of interest.” I found this to be awfully true; we are calloused to the plight of the poor among us. We have separated ourselves from each other. The rich, poor, white, black, North, South, Republican, Democrat, Catholic, Baptist and Buddhist and now Tea Party-er and Occupy-ers have all closed in. Unfortunately, we are in a time when we need to be turning outward. People say “Thank God that is not me” or “There but for the grace of God go I.” Why not share God’s grace and mercy? Until we realize that we are them, and they are us, we are not going very far. Until we stop viewing those in need as separate from us, as stray dogs or bad vegetables, we are not going very far. More people should stop believing everything they see on Fox News, turn the TV off and stop writing checks to ease their moral conscience (unless you are thinking about writing one to Awake and Alive). We should get off the couch and meet our neighbors, and pick up a shovel beside those in need. Only then would real, long lasting change take place.

Proclamation and Demonstration

2011-10-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there all our dear and fantastic Awake and Alive readers,

We have some GOOD stuff for ya today!

I want ya'll the meet Yemi, or {Yemmers as I like to call him.}

This awesome guy is on the board for Awake and Alive!

He just ran a marathon!!

And apparently he has picked up a modeling career!! JK ;)

Pretty cool guy huh?!?!

We are so thrilled to finally get Yemi on here blogging because this guy has some great stuff to say! So here he is to take the floor! {Or post, or page...or whatever you want to call it.}

In a recent missional conference (SENTralized) that I attended in Kansas City, I was encouraged to hear one of my heroes, teacher, writer, and missiologist, Michael Frost, speak on the kingdom reign of God. Using Isaiah 61:1 (read it, it is powerful) as a platform, Frosty argued that the purpose of the church is to alert the world of the reign of God through announcement and demonstration. This statement strikes multiple chords within me as I have been wrestling over the last three years with these same truths.

Consider the writings by Saint Luke in Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus begins his ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth by reading the words prophet Isaiah prophesied about him: "the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Kudos to Saint Luke

for capturing this powerful moment

in the life of the ministry of Jesus

as Jesus reminds everyone (as the prophet Isaiah stated)

the beautiful reality of the reign of God that was about to take place.

"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (v. 21).

I'd like to point out three major kingdom implications to you and I, from Luke 4:18-19.

(I) Anointing: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me." Similar to Jesus, we have been anointed, given power and the authority to alert the world to the reign of God. Just like Jesus was anointed, we have been anointed in a similar fashion. Consider the following statements from our Lord and teacher: "I have given you authority" (Luke 10:19), "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go make disciples" (Matthew 28:18-19), "as the father has sent me, so I am sending you" (John 20:21), "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), "I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one one on me. And from our role model Apostle Paul, "Christ in you" (Colossians 1:27), "Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20), "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), "the spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you" (Romans 8:11). And from Saint Peter "you are... a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). This is the beautiful reality, that you and I have God-given authority and power to alert the world of the reign of God through announcement and demonstration.

(II) Proclamation: we alert the world to the reign of God through proclamation. Frosty calls this announcement but I prefer the word proclamation. Proclamation is the starting point of the biblical idea of the good news. That is, to speak hope and encouragement to the broken and marginalized broken. As well as speak on behalf of the exploited and speak against injustice. Isaiah 52:7 states, "how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "your God reigns!" Yes! Woohoo! How awesome is that! Going back to the original text, Luke 4 Jesus stated, His mission is to:

· preach good news to the poor = hope and encouragement

· Proclaim freedom for the prisoners = speak on behalf of the exploited and speak against injustice.

· Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor = let's party!

(III) Demonstration: demonstration and proclamation go hand-in-hand and both are essential to alert the world to the reign of God. No one exemplifies this practice better than the King himself in flesh. People need to hear the good news as well as experience the good news. This is the gospel. Some believe salvation comes through hearing alone (preach the gospel and make converts) without demonstration and that is all they are responsible for. If this is you, I would love to reveal more to you my rabbi Yeshua and I encourage you to study the life of Christ more deeply. In fact you don’t have to go to far from where Jesus originally declared his intentions in the synagogue (Luke 4:18-19), to find an example of his first demonstration in Luke 4:31. Saint James in James 1:27 supports the mission work and life of Christ, stating that “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” Compare this truth with God commanded to his people through the prophet Isaiah, “is not this kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Going back to the original text, Luke 4 Jesus stated, His mission is:

· recovery of sight for blind = healing

· to release the oppressed = setting free

I will end with John 10:1-21 where Jesus was proclaim the good news of the kingdom using shepherding metaphors to convey the message. Many of the Jews challenged his word accusing him of being demon-possessed. But it verse 21 that is so perfect when others sated: "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by demon. Can a demon ope the eyes of a blind?" Jesus constant demonstration of the kingdom confirmed his proclamation so much so that the people couldn't accuse him.

The church has taught for the last 200 years for us to focus on proclamation.

Maybe it's time that we concentrate on demonstration

and lets our "good works" match our "good words".

Talk the talk and not just walk the walk as some will.

Gospels depict our Lord, beautifully modeling both. When we preach and proclaim we bring hope and encouragement in as much as when we recover sight and release the oppressed, we bring healing. Proclamation and demonstration must go hand in hand. For too long we have been speaking. Maybe it's time we demonstrate God's presence in the lives of our fellow imago Dei. To loose the chains of injustice etc. Awake and Alive is committed to demonstrate the good news of the Kingdom in the lives of African's locally and globally.

"In the same way let your light shine before people in such a way they see your good works and glorify your father in heaven" - Matthew 5:16

That's some good stuff!! Thank you so much Yemi for taking time to be part of Awake and Alive! If you like what you read from Yemi click the link to follow Yemi's Journey.

Blessings and enjoy your beautiful weekend!

Love,
Danielle and Jolene

THE WINNER IS....

2011-09-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU to all who participated!
We love your continued prayers and support as we are working hard
to raise our families and raise funds for a school
to change lives and impact the community of Kechene, Ethiopia!

For our blessed winner please contact Wear Love VIA FaceBook. Let her know you are Awake and Alive's winner!!
(I will let her know to expect you)
If you did not win this time but LOVE her shirts you can purchase one on her Etsy Store.

So, what's it like?

2011-09-23T04:25:00.001-07:00

When we were on Moody Radio Chicago in August, one of the questions we anticipated was, "What's it like to run a nonprofit with 7 children?" We thought it might be fun for you to have a little snapshot into what it looks like for us, a fairly typical experience in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style showing you where our love for children--both in our homes and in Africa--takes us:

Danielle:

Wake up and get precious boy #1 on the school bus by 6:50 am. Have 10 minutes to myself to either crawl back in bed, start cleaning the kitchen after being too tired last night, or spend time reading my rockin' new devotional book by Sarah Young. Other two boys wake up at 7:00 am, get dressed, and start watching "Arthur" on PBS. Check e-mail and facebook. YES! Lots of responses for the new giveaway Awake and Alive is doing! Arthur's done. Love on boys for a few more minutes--shoes on, teeth brushed (sometimes), vitamins taken...there's the bus! Then, I should have 20 minutes of quiet before Selah is awake, though this is not guaranteed. Start a blog entry for Awake and Alive. 7:55 am-Selah's up! Run upstairs for hugs and kisses, and 2 books. What? You want them both read again? Okay...make that 4 books. Pull-up off, potty. Tickling, and more kissing and hugging....and then crying...Downstairs to blog some more. Check on brochure our awesome college intern Keith is working on. Shoot! Website is down. Phone rings. Ignore...then pick up (it's the PTO, after all). Share our new giveaway on my facebook page. Get Selah breakfast. Brochure is looking good! Help pick up toy room. Where was I? More blogging. And now it's 8:41 am. Anyone want to take bets when it will finally be ready to actually put on the website?!?

Similarly, here's a typical morning for Jolene:

Responding to an E-mail from a lover of Awake and Alive. She was interested in our mission trip and I was trying to jot down the details of our trip all the while I was getting breakfast for 3 babies. So I was cooking eggs, pouring glasses of milk, typing response e-mail, cleaning up spilled milk, spooning apple sauce in their little mouths, developing a thought, breaking up a fight, continue typing e-mail, blowing on eggs to cool them down, pouring myself a cup of coffee, typing some more, wiping up milk mustaches, refilling sippy cups, typing, singing and dancing to Veggie Tales "here I am to worship" for the kiddos, proof reading my E-mail, Calling Danielle to let her know we have a few people interested in traveling with us to Kechene, breaking up a fight, laying a little one down for a nap...

Can any moms or dads relate?
This is life for us. Beautiful, tricky, busy, full life with 7 incredible blessings. Sometimes an office and uninterrupted time sounds really appealing.
We'd sure get a lot more done!
But most of the time, we wouldn't change all the interruptions for the world-to hear the laughter along with the cries. Because we know that they're not really interruptions, are they?
Mothering is our highest calling.
We're just so thankful that God has allowed us to do both. I want to leave you with a little bit longer video from Andrew Peterson that a wonderful friend posted on my facebook page at just the right time. I hope it means as much to you as it did to me.
Glory to God who gives us strength. :)

GIVE AWAY

2011-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

I want you all to meet Lynn.

Lynn is a Christ follower, she has a family full of missionaries and her husband is a pastors kid.
Lynn told me, "I want to be a cross over company, not just another Christian tee shirt company. Love the cross over because we have the opportunity to tell the story of John 9 and it opens lots of conversation when people say, "spit in the dirt ?""
Lynn has a HUGE heart for Africa and a large amount of the proceeds of Wear Love go to help street boys in Saint Louis (san-loo-EE), Senegal, Africa.
She is flying solo in the Wear Love venture so lets show some love to Lynn.
(clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.)

So...
What have you been wearing these days?
Does what you wear show people who you are and what you believe in?

We have an opportunity for one of our lucky readers to do just that for free!!
Lynn is lovingly and generously donating one of these shirts to an
Awake and Alive follower!

All of the rest of you not so lucky readers ;)
can go to Lynn's store Click here and buy one for yourself or for your entire family!
(They make great Christmas gifts)

So here is what you have to do to get entered to win one of these great t-shirts:
(each entry should have it's own comment.)

2 Mandatory Entries

1. Be a follower of Awake and Alive’s blog {leave me a comment that you do follow..1 Entry}

2. Like Wear Love on FB and leave Lynn an encouraging message on the page, or let her know you came from Awake and Alive. {leave me a comment that you did …1 Entry}

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

Follow Awake and Alive on FB here {Again, tell me you follow..1 Entry}

Share this giveaway on your FB and encourage others to check out Awake and Alive {1 Entry}

Take our button off the side and post it on YOUR blog until this give away is over {tell me you did..1 Entry!!!}

The mother of all entries...

do a write up on your blog about Awake and Alive and link up to us in your post. (You can tell your readers how you know us, what inspires you about the work we are doing, something we have written about that made you think differently or your come up with your own idea about Awake and Alive and write about that.) {if you do this tell me that you have and leave a link to your blog....5 entries}

You have a potential for 10 entries!!

We will be drawing the winner for the Wear Love T-shirt on Friday September 30th.
Go. Spread the love! Then Wear Love.

THANKS LYNN!!!

The Opposite of Love is Not Hate

2011-09-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, but indifference between life and death.” – Elie Wiesel

I resisted agreeing with this quote the first time I read it. On some level or another I have been indifferent and it’s hard to admit that I’ve been the opposite of love. My god talked about loving others a majority of the time he is quoted; it’s hard to face that I’ve been guilty of the opposite.

But the more I have opened up to this concept, the more it makes sense. Indifference is the lack of concern for the well-being of another; the refusal to help someone despite knowing that person needs help. It’s the failure to acknowledge life, yet alone hate it.

When I read this quote, I immediately thought of the reports of famine currently taking place in the Horn of Africa, the children in Kechene who are in desperate need of very basic needs and safety, and how I have reacted to the faces I have seen.

It’s not my goal to guilt you into doing something you don’t want to do. I don’t like doing things out of guilt either. But I hope this quote will enlighten a part of your life much the way it did mine, and help you take action when you see someone in need.

Did this quote affect you the way it affected me? Do you agree with it?

D.Shrock

Prepare for a heart change... at OneTrueMedia.com

2011-09-19T07:57:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to announce our 1st mission trip to Ethiopia! We will be visiting the forgotten and "cursed" slum of Kechene. We will be there to kick off the start of the school, that we have been working so hard to raise funds for and we will be building relationships and showing God's love. If your heart pumps faster when you watch this video I would encourage you to be in prayer over the next few months about traveling with us in September.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Needtobreathe- Slumber w/ Lyrics

2011-09-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

And the winner is....

2011-09-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...

Sarah T.

You can check out Sarah's blog

http://tayloradoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Since this giveaway was such a huge success..I think we will be doing giveaways more often!!

Thank you all so much for loving what we do and supporting us!

PS Sarah please e-mail us at info@awakeandalive.org and then I can get you in contact with Say What Creations!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

“Jeopardy! : I’ll Take Faith for $300 Alex.”

2011-08-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to introduce you to one of my best friends...

my little sister Justine.
She will make ya think and make ya giggle!

Take the floor Justine...

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3

A little boy had gone to school for the very first time. Now this school had many children with a variety of ethnicities and religion. It was not long until this little boy made friends with classmates.

One day he came home from his school and his mother asked curiously, “So have you made any new friends so far?”

“Yes. I met a new friend named Joshua Yoder,” He stated proudly.

“Oh really? And is this a little Amish boy?” his mother pried.

The little boy furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he innocently said.

My former preacher told this story one Sunday in church and I think it is a very powerful example of how God intends for us to live in our journey with Him. Because of the little boy’s child-likeness and innocence, he did not even notice the differences between him and his new friend. I believe God does not care about our appearance, but rather what is in our hearts.

We often put people in a box full of categories that helps us define them and not always positively. I believe this box is created in many ways throughout our lives and often gets in the way of what is really important: living like Jesus would. Loving people no matter what and having a simple faith with a direct relationship with God the Father.

Many things can hinder our “child-like” faith in our everyday lives. Some people are swayed by other people, but for me there was something that happened for four years of my life that put my faith in jeopardy and sadly sometimes still does.

Before I left for my new and exciting venture to Indiana University, my parents had bigger concerns for me other than gaining the “freshman fifteen.”

“Now Justine, you know how you were raised. You are going to see and hear a lot of things you are not used to. Just stick to your morals,” my Dad wisely advised.

I shrugged off this idea. I knew where I came from and I knew exactly who my savior was. I had been baptized when I was 16 and Christ was fully in my heart. Or so I thought.

It wasn’t until my senior year of college when I realized something horrible had happened.

Many of my classes taught us to question EVERYTHING. Nothing was true until it was PROVEN to be. We were to ALWAYS consider other possibilities. It was easier to prove an idea as FALSE than true. This was burned into my mind as I was often tested on these concepts.

One class I took even went to state that the Bible was very sexist. Thankfully one brave gentleman would courageously raise his hand to protest every time religion was dismissed as a valid idea. I’ll never forget how the professor would try to ignore his hand in the air and finally say a long drawn out, “yeess?” Her response at one point was:

“The Bible you are referring to John,” she said as she raised her eyebrows and her head did a little shimmy, “is not a fact. It is simply someone’s opinion.”

What if I would have gone to a Christian college instead? If only my faith could have been stronger through out my schooling. What if I would have protested these ideas in the classroom?

The what’s and if’s ran through my head as I would catch myself trying to critically think about the Bible. In my heart I knew I still believed in the Bible and Jesus Christ as my savior, but the mentality of needing FACTS always sprang forward as my faith got pushed to the back of my mind for a later time.

I believe in education to it’s fullest, but the way school has taught me to critically think has become my cross to bear. My child-like faith was on the endangered species list for awhile and the poacher’s were waiting like vultures for me to give up the little piece I held on to.

Thankfully moving home, attending church regularly, and meeting my significant other has slowly but surely nursed my faith back, almost to what I desire. I know this situation may not happen to all Christians who attend a public university, but I do say beware and do not let “educational” theories and ideas devour your child-like faith.

I still struggle with this questioning and pray about it quite often. I do believe in the power of prayer so your words of encouragement and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

So from now on it is my goal in the Jeopardy puzzle of my life to say, “You can keep your $300. I’ll take faith, for eternity, Alex!” No doubt about it.

Who do you think you are?

2011-08-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

We have a few new readers

So I wanted to take us back to square one,

Just for a second…

((It won’t hurt I promise))

We are in the beginning stages of starting a school the slum

Kechene, Ethiopia. We are doing some serious fundraising!!

And we would love for you to become Awake and Alive and partner with us as we are taking on this crazy task!!

Why?!?

There are kiddos out there who are being left at home for hours by themselves.

Why?!?

Their momma’s are widows and have no other option then to work for up to 12-14 hours a day to make a living just so their children will not starve.

Why?!?

They have no government help. Even the people in the capitol view the people of Kechene as cursed because of how poor they are, so they won't even help them!

So why a school!?!

These kids have no where safe to go while their mothers have to work so they are left on the streets and are vulnerable. We are taking them off the streets and into a place where they can be educated…because education is something that can not be taken from them.

How are they vulnerable?!?

They are left with no one to feed them, no one to ((((hug))))them if they fall down and get hurt, no one to protect them if they come into contact with a stranger, they can easily be taken…trafficked…abused.

These kids are real…

I have hugged them, and held their hands…

They have taken part of my heart.

So…Who do we think we are?!?

Well this is Danielle’s Story

And this is my (Jolene)’s story

of how we became Awake and Alive.

We both understand that God is using us. Neither one of us is qualified to be running a charity but that is what makes this so beautiful.

All of the glory goes to God!!

Give Away!!!

2011-08-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

I am more then excited about this fun new friend I have made!

Her name is Sarah.

She is a stay at home momma of 2 and she makes some AhhhMazing jewelry!

Because she is SO amazing she has decided to do a

giveaway for Awake and Alive!!

Check out her Etsy site www.saywhatcreations.etsy.com

Sarah has a friend who's little boy has SMA Type 1 and so 10% of all her sales goes to

Sophia's Cure Foundation

to help fund a cure for

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (www.sophiascure.org).

Isn't she awesome?!? Thanks so much for sharing with us Sarah!!

Your about to think she is A LOT MORE AWESOME when you see what she is giving away!!

THIS IS WHAT YOU COULD WIN!!!

This is a $54 value! And Sarah said that who ever wins can personalize

the necklace how they want!!

You know you want it...

So here is how you can get it!!

2 MANDATORY ENTRIES:

Be a follower of Awake and Alive’s blog {leave me a comment that you do follow..1 Entry}

4. Like Sarah’s FB page (leave me a comment that you did…1 entry)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Leave me a comment with your Blog or Shop URL {1 Entry}

2. Follow Awake and Alive on FB here {Again, tell me you follow..1 Entry}

3. Share this giveaway on your Blog, Facebook, Twitter,

{one entry for each, tell me you shared... 3 Entries}:

Take our button off the side and post it on YOUR blog until this give away is over {tell me you did...3 entries!!!}

For each entry leave us a separate comment on the blog.

You have the potential for 10 entries!!!

We will draw one winner for the necklace on Friday September 2nd.
It will be a VERY HAPPY FRIDAY for some special!

College?!?

2011-08-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

I want ya all to meet our buddy Keith. He is one of Awake and Alive's fantastic board members. And he has a pinch to say about sending his oldest baby girl off to college...

This past weekend we delivered our daughter to a southern Indiana University, well delivered may not be the right word, perhaps delivered and set up would be more appropriate. By the time the room was rearranged for the fourth time there wasn’t much time left for weeping and gnashing of teeth. Katelyn is our baby girl, our firstborn and the emotions ran high for all.

She only looks slightly embarrassed..

My prayer is she will embrace the college experience, this new season of her life, and turn outward with arms wide open. “Arms wide open” reminds me of a song by the rock band Creed.

Stapp, of Creed, wrote the lyrics when he found out with great surprise that he was going to be a father. In September, 2000 Creed released a limited edition single of "With Arms Wide Open" with some profits benefiting a foundation to "promote healthy, loving relationships between children and their families". Wow, what a novel concept for a secular rock band to promote. Some Christian’s suggest to me those rockers are only about fast cars, women, and drugs. The truth is secular musicians have been promoting love, responsibility, and peace for years. Maybe these folks could take a lesson from Creed. What a great way for Stapp and Creed to put their money where their mouth is supporting foundations that nurture love and respect between children and their parents (but I digress). This isn’t supposed to be a blog about my Christian baggage (I have plenty.)

My wife and I have tried hard to raise our children with a ton of love.
Many times we have failed but,
every once in awhile we got it right.
We read every night to our kids, we keep bedtimes,
and we don’t let them have soda (except every once in awhile.)
That is about it. And now Kate is on her own,
and that is scary.
I hope she is not like me, I hope she understands,
that she can take this life, and hold it by the hand,
and she can greet the world
with arms wide open.

The song took on a whole new meaning for me this past weekend. You are probably very familiar with the lyrics but here they are anyway. I have substituted the word “she” for “he” near the end of the song for emphasis. I think you will get the idea.

Well I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
With arms wide
open Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Well I don't know if I'm ready
To be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath, take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope she's not like me I hope she understands
That she can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And she can greet the world
With arms wide open

We love you Katelyn Grace.

~I think so many people can relate to this post, whether you have a brand new baby, sent your baby to kindergarten, high school, or far away to college, this time of change is a great time to stop and reflect on the precious little ones in your life.

Thank you Keith!!

Steven Delopoulos of Burlap to Cashmere - The Other Country

2011-08-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Bringing home Ben

2011-08-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

This is Co-founder Jolene's journey as they followed Gods call on their lives to adopt again.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Where does your kiddo sleep?

2011-08-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

This little girl is 4 and sleeps in this bed, with her parents and another sibling in Kechene, Ethiopia.

Click here to read the article!!

It will show you where kids all around the world sleep!
Make sure ya look at all the pictures too! WOWZA....

One womens sacrifice...

2011-08-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hiya Friends,

We are so excited to introduce you to this gem!! Her name is Meggan and she is a momma to 2 BEAUTIFUL Ethiopian sweeties!

I mean come on!! Isn't this one beautiful family?

Here is meg to fill ya in one what sparked her to give 2 weeks of her commission from selling 31 Gifts
to Awake and Alive...
while her honey is currently unemployed!!

That takes some faith and passion!

Here is the floor Meg,

The journey to starting a family hasn't been an easy one-after 3 tubal pregnancies, a miscarriage at 12 weeks after one round of intense IVF we KNEW we were fighting a higher power at the whole biological children thing...

Long story short, we quickly fell in love with the images of the children in Ethiopia, our hearts grew BIGGER that we had ever imagined in such a short period of time for them and their country-I had NO idea exactly how much my heart would be pulled at! I can't even begin to describe the raw emotion i have felt for our children's birth country in the last 4 years, everyday it becomes more and more clear how God has been and continues to use and teach me to be an advocate for these amazing children and the people of Ethiopia.

Fast forward to where we are right now. Ryan had an "amazing job" (or so we thought, i mean he made really good money, he was gone all the time, he put in 60+ hrs a week, didn't get to see us very often, stressed to all get out, etc etc)

BUT the income was really good-so who cares right? The amount of money you make-does that make one an amazing person? Does the amount of money you make put you at a higher status? Unfortunately it does. For 3 months now Ryan has been looking for a new job as he was let go from his position in May.

The last 3 months has been the BEST thing for our family.

We have grown so much in our faith, as a family, and as a couple. He's gotten to see our kids do things that he wasn't around for before, he gets to get them breakfast in the morning, he gets to have dinner with us at a normal time, he has time to think about other things other than what his commission check will be or has to be at the end of every month.

So, I have decided to donate my whole commission for this fundraiser for Awake and Alive, and by doing so i STILL have MORE than what we need here.

We're put here for a reason, and I have felt very strongly about paying it forward and giving back, i just feel fortunate that I am in a position to have a job that allows me to do that,

and to have a heart big enough to WANT to do it and a strong faith to teach me WHY we do it!

That is some serious faith... am I right?!?!

Thank you sweet Meggers for this huge sacrifice, given in love for the children in Kechene, Ethiopia!

Bringing Stella and Ben home!

2011-08-08T22:05:00.001-07:00

Here are a few very precious moments of mine. I (Jolene) am sharing them with you all only in hopes that just one person might be inspired to be the difference in the life of an orphan!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

The Lord Relented

2011-08-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I reflected on the difference between justice and mercy. It all began by my devotional reading of 2 Chronicles 1-6. The verse that most struck me was 3:1- “So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to Solomon’s father, King David. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected.” Several things about the Temple’s location caught my attention.

The first was the reference to Mount Moriah. Traditionally, this was where Abraham had been prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac, when the Lord sent a ram to take the boy’s place on the altar. Genesis 22:9-14 describes “When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord. At that moment the angel of the Lord shouted to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Yes,’ he answered. ‘I’m listening.’ ‘Lay down the knife,’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me.’ Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. Abraham named the place ‘The Lord Will Provide.’” Notice that Abraham’s knife was lifted when God mercifully stopped him from following through with the sacrifice.

The second reference was about 700 years later, during the time of King David. I still don’t really understand why it was wrong, but somehow David sinned by taking a census and God punished Israel by sending a plague. 1 Chronicles 21:14-22:1 teaches us, “So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand people died as a result. And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, ‘Stop! That is enough!’ At that moment the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, stretched out over Jerusalem... Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to build an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite... So David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings... Then the Lord spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath... Then David said, ‘This will be the location for the Temple of the Lord God and the place of the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings!’”

Both stories involved a sword being drawn, a life ready to be taken, and a last minute rescue according to the command of the Lord. In both cases, God mercifully and lovingly allowed animals to substitute for the lives/ deaths of the people. This becomes the site of the Temple, where sacrifices are made daily to atone for the nation! And not just the nation, but Solomon’s prayer of dedication in 2 Chronicles 6 was for the entire world! Abraham was considered the Father of God’s covenant people, while Araunah was a Jebusite- a foreigner to God’s promises. And God had mercy on them both. Furthermore, Araunah hadn’t even called out for help. It was David who heard from the Lord and made sacrifices on Araunah’s behalf, yet God still rescued him. Solomon prayed “when foreigners hear of you and your mighty miracles, and they come from distant lands to worship your great name and to pray toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do.”

So I asked the Lord as to the meaning of all these awesome truths to me, today. I asked God how my heart could be purified and I could be brought into greater love for and understanding of God through all of this. My heart heard the following-

People deserve death. As unpopular an idea as it currently is, this is the Bible’s teaching. Solomon recognizes- “[Your people] sin against you- and who has never sinned?...” His father, David, a man after God’s own heart, angered God by taking a census which resulted in 70,000 deaths! Have I not done worse? We all deserve death. One of the absolutely central ideas of both Judaism and Christianity is that God’s mercy and love rescues people from what they deserve. Except for God’s great love for us, we would be consumed. Rescuing people who deserve what they’re getting- redeeming lives that don’t deserve redemption- is our way of reenacting our history and present experience with God. When social justice is our concern, we help those who deserve it. We are strategic in the ways in which we get involved with the poor and suffering. Justice is a Godly charge. But this morning I was focused on something all together different. It wasn’t justice that caused God to relent in the stories surveyed, but mercy and love. In this world, we are charged with helping those who help themselves and equipping all people with the resources to live meaningful lives. But in the kingdom of God, we are commanded to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This is not justice, but a reflection of our understanding of what the Lord has done for us. Both are necessary for the believer. Let us be faithful to articulate each.

Alyssa Mezsick

2011-08-06T07:50:00.001-07:00

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
— Mother Teresa

Mr. Pitiful

2011-08-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

A buddy (Max Yoder) pointed this out, and I like his taste in music. Check out Max Yoder at www.maxyoder.com

Twitter

2011-08-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

It is true you can now find Jolene Shrock on Twitter... Go find me! I want to know whats happening in your day to day just as much as you want to know about whats happening in mine..

Burning out Bright

2011-08-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Burning out bright…

The first time I heard this song, I immediately noticed something about myself. Something I’m willing to bet you and I have in common—especially if you’re an American. It’s this: I live my life anticipating that it will be a long one; that I’ll live to be in my 80’s with my wife, children, and grandchildren surrounding me. Somehow I’ve bought into the fact that the next 60 years are guaranteed when, in reality, I am not guaranteed tomorrow. It’s phenomenal.

Some argue that it’s not practical or responsible to truly live as if today is our last day. Regardless of where you fall in that debate, there is a challenge in this song worth considering. If we truly believe that tomorrow is guaranteed, chances are we are also putting off some very important things that need to be addressed now. Take a step and do that thing you’ve put off for a while now, that thing that will make you burn out bright.

We are not promised tomorrow, and we would do well to not anticipate it so much.

D.Shrock

T-Shirt Time!!

2011-07-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

We do have a gray one that will for sure be in print. But we thought...maybe not everyone is as gray and boring as us ;) So we wanted to have a fun color option too!!

These are only the ladies T-shirts. We will also have kids and guys. We will show ya all those in the next day or two!!

Custom t-shirt printing at CustomInk.com

OK We need YOUR vote! What color would YOU wear?

Danielle's story

2011-07-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

My story, in large part, begins with a commitment from my parents for their children. Because of this, I had the opportunity to go to Kenya, Africa after my senior year of high school. I can remember sitting in training watching a video about missions and thinking, "Well, Lord, this is nice, but it's not me. This is a 10 day trip, nothing more. PLEASE don't send me to Africa, God! Not for more than this, anyway."

Well, just like Jolene shared and many of you know, God so often has bigger plans than what we can imagine. What I thought was a 10 day trip, "nothing more," was the catalyst for a passion in me that absolutely CANNOT BE QUENCHED and is so much stronger now, 16 years later, than it ever was after that summer.

Africa changed my life forever.

After that trip, I went off to college and found out quickly that Taylor University was a part of a consortium that would allow me to study abroad for a semester and, low and behold, one of the places I could study was Daystar University in Kenya....the same place we boarded while working with street kids on my mission trip, and in less than 2 years, I was back for 4 1/2 months, building relationships and weaving Africa even more intricately into my story.

Fast forward 10 years. I have a beautiful family of 5 with 3 incredible little boys. My husband is a missionary kid from (you guessed it!) Africa, and I just can't believe we're not relocated yet! Doesn't marrying an MK from Africa almost guarantee you're going to end up back there? No, it most definitely does not. So, I let the dream die. I honestly think I subconsciously pushed down this very real part of me--this passion for Africa and its people--and thought the dream was dead. But God was working. He was working through the miracle of adoption. He was working in the restlessness in me to LIVE OUT MY FAITH and not just talk about it. He was working in a small group of women who gathered to pray for me and encourage me that Africa was a part of who I was. That dream was not dead! In fact, one person went so far as to say that the "MORE" that I seek of God? Africa was part of the answer to that "more." This realization revitalized me. It made me realize that while it may not look like how I thought it would look, my life journey will forever involve Africa.

Bringing Selah home from Ethiopia confirmed this even more. But then God had another test. When my husband lost his job as a pastor less than a year later and an opportunity presented itself for Karl to go back to Sierra Leone to train pastors, I was sure this was what I had longed for! But, my husband wasn't sure. And once again, God knew the big picture. Honestly, this part still confuses me today. I STILL wish our house would have sold and I was sitting in Sierra Leone right now. I'm not sure why we're not. But I have faith that GOD IS IN CONTROL. He knew that if we were gone, I wouldn't have the opportunity to work alongside Jolene to start Awake and Alive--the dream of a lifetime. He knew Karl and I wouldn't have the same opportunities to grow and learn together in the same way. He knew and He knows. And while I still don't TOTALLY understand, I DO trust Him.

So, here I am today. I am a mother. I am an advocate. I am a teacher. And I am a passionate child of God, more determined than ever to bring life and joy and LOVE to those all around me--so that myself and others--including the beautiful people of Africa--can truly be

Awake and Alive.

Jolene's Story

2011-07-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the story of how I woke up, became alive, and was moved into action...

It started with a pregnancy...
a pregnancy that ended to soon.

I always knew that I was made to be a momma. I never wanted anything more. God had put that love for kids in my heart and it was a strong force in my life.

I was 11 weeks along when I lost that baby. I had 11 weeks of dreaming, planning, and loving that had come to a crashing halt.
I remember sitting in the Dr.'s office right after he had told me that the baby was not alive, I remember the instant rush of emotion, and feeling of lost, and I burst into tears. But it was crazy, only minutes after I had found out about the loss of my baby I had an undeniable peace in my heart. I was still laying on the table when I had stopped crying and felt that peace. Pulled myself together and told my husband and my mom that that was the last time I will cry over my miscarriage. I knew that God has bigger plans.
Little did I know just how big...

Now, I can say that I have felt the extreme opposite of peace. Trying to get pregnant came with an entire new set of emotions and struggles. When I lost the pregnancy my thoughts were as followed, I had lost that pregnancy so that I would be able to come along side my friends who, heaven forbid, might experience the loss of a pregnancy. And that was the box I had put God in, and so I expected him to be "faithful" to me and allow us to get pregnant and put that whole miscarriage thing away until tragedy hit a friend of mine and then I could pull out my "it happened to me too" card. And in my mind that is the plan that I had come up with as to why God would allow a miscarriage to be a part of who I am. With that all being said I was expecting God to be "faithful" to my plan and we should be pregnant with in 6 months ...right?

So we were trying to get pregnant...uhhgg. It was awful. Every month when I would discover that we were not pregnant my emotions would instantly pull me back to the feeling I experienced when the Dr. told me that I had lost my baby. All month long I would think; OK we did everything right, it had to happen, and if it did happen, that would make the baby due in August...whoa that will be a hot summer being pregnant, and if that sweet baby is born in August then it will be one of the oldest in their class when it goes to school, it will be one of the 1st drivers, it will be older when they go off to college, and the thoughts just went on and on....and on. Then one night (I had just realized that day that I was not pregnant) I was totally consumed with angry thoughts, anger at God for not being "faithful" to me, angry at myself, at my husband, at all the people who seemed not to care what I was going through, anger anger anger...crying, crying, crying...

but then my heart stopped racing. And a calm spread through my body. "You do not need to carry a pregnancy to be a mother," is what I heard. I instantly knew that was a Divine gift. Those words changed my life.

"You do not need to carry a pregnancy to be a mother."

After that, suddenly I started being hit with all kinds of adoption awareness. That awareness happened in December of 08. (The month our adopted daughter Claire was born.) We signed on with our adoption agency in December and Claire was home in August.

This is the 1st picture we saw of her precious face. On May 18th 2009.

We have had many people ask us how we decided what country to adopt from and that is an easy one. God picked it for us. In almost all countries if you want to adopt you have to be 30 years old and married for 5 years. Not in Ethiopia. I was 24 and Darin 25 so Ethiopia was about the only option. And it is so great to see how God placed us in Ethiopia for many specific reasons.

Wheew... That was and always is emotional to relive.

So adoption took us to Ethiopia. But God had much more in store then just making me a mother. When we traveled to Ethiopia it was the biggest culture shock of my entire life. I had been on mission trips before but God had broken me in an entirely deeper way then I had ever experienced or knew was possible. On that trip we found out about the history of our beautiful baby girl, this little child that God had given me to take care of. I was holding her in my safe arms as I was looking around at all the other children in the orphanage, not knowing if they would experience a mothers love and the safety that my sweet girl would. I was broken. And I knew that I had to do more!

So we did. We were home for 5 months with Claire when we signed up to adopt again. And this time for 2 more children. And once again I put our God in a box. And I thought OK once we get these 2 children home I will have done what God has called me to do and then I can go back to living my comfortable life. My husband and I will rebound from the financial stress of adopting 3 kids in 2 years and we can live out the rest of our lives comfortably.

But God's plans were bigger!

He put some very specific people in my life that lead me to the slum of Addis Ababa, the slum called Kechene. And my brokenness reached a whole new level. We were able in spend time with the poorest of the poor. We went into their homes and saw how they lived. Theses beautiful widows and orphans who live in devastation and it is their reality... and I know that I have given you all the details already about what these priceless children go through. But they are real! They matter! They matter to me and most importantly they matter to God!

These girls are my inspiration and they are who I think of then I work so hard to try to raise money to help the people of Kechene.

my ending note.

I am thankful for my miscarriage. And I do not say that lightly. I understand that could really sound crazy! But I think about this journey that God has given me, I think about how He used what I wanted more than anything in this life; He gave me the opportunity to experience a pregnancy and the hope that comes from a pregnancy to me, and He took it away, but then...He filled me with more then I could of EVER of tried to fill for myself.

Because of God's true faithfulness...I am Awake and Alive. Thank you Lord.

Not quite accurate

2011-07-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

We have been on awe of your support! The chip in button on the side does not do your love justice!! We have had almost $1,000 donated to help feed the kiddos in Kechene for a year! That means we are 1/5 of the way there!

We have 2 and 1/2 weeks to go and if you can help spread the word we would be MORE then thankful! By reposting this on FB or on your blog we can get this info out to thousands in the next 2 week and that means that by simply taking 2 minutes and a few click of your mouse we can feed MORE kids!!

Give Away Time

2011-07-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

You will not believe it!!
We are so blessed!!! We had someone donate an iPOD shuffle to us,
under one stipulation...that we use it to promote our cause!
(of course)

2 simple things...

1. We have to reach 100 followers on our blog...

So follow us. Simply click the button.

2nd. We need to have more money raised for our kiddos in Ethiopia to eat
so each $10 you give will equal one entry,
You may "enter" as many times as you would like. Our fundraiser ends on July 31st.
(that gives you a little less then a month)
So tell ALL your friends RE POST this blog entry ASAP.
We need to raise that $5,000
and you NEED that iPOD shuffle!!

Think of the summer play list you could have on that thing!!

So again you get entered to win by giving $10,
using our "chip in" button on the side,
$10 =1 entry $20= 2 entries, and so on...
but the kicker is that we can not even draw a winner
until we reach 100 followers on our blog...So tell your friends about the AWESOME way they can give back and possibly win big!

Reminder

2011-07-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends~

I just wanted to remind you all that we only have 4 weeks to go on our 1st fundraiser! By simply giving a one time gift of $50 you can feed a child for a year!
The child who receives your gift will be between the ages of 4-9 and it might be the only 2 meals they will get that day!

On this day where we reflect on all of the freedoms we have, lets not forget those children who are slaves to hunger.

Thanks Erin

2011-06-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

My heart

Click on "My heart" above.

My friend Erin wrote this wonderful piece about my (Jolene) heart and passion for Kechene, Ethiopia.

We need all the support we can get so that we, through God, and your support, can get these sweet children off the streets of Ethiopia.

Who you are loving.

2011-06-23T17:01:00.001-07:00

Hi there Loves~

With all the fundraising going on I thought I should take it back to square one. I want to explain the lifestyle, fears, hopes and dreams of the least of these that you will be helping.

This is Ethiopia's location.

Ethiopia's water and sanitation.

According to this source only 38% have improved water supply (98% for urban areas and 26% for rural areas). That means that in the rural areas 74% of people do not have access to clean water!!! And this picture below shows how SO MANY people get their water. At any given moment in Ethiopia you can be driving down the road and see hundreds of people carrying these big yellow buckets full of water to bring back to their home. This is the only water they will have for the day to cook with, clean with and DRINK!

I am sure you have heard this all before. "We should feel so blessed because we have so much, a roof over our heads, electricity, and water just waiting for us to turn the nob." But this picture below is a reality for the majority of the world.

Looks heavy right...

The work in Kechene, Ethiopia.

This 46,000 person-strong sub city within the capital is made up mainly of people who have migrated from the nearby semi-rural area. They still have links to the forest areas and many of them continue to eke out a living by rising at 4am to get firewood back to the city's morning market for sale by 7am.

Life is hard here. People gravitated to Kechene because life is simple and cheap. Small dwellings made from local mud and bamboo are put up quickly and back on to a river where the residents can wash themselves and their clothes for free. Buying piped water, which is safe to drink, is an unaffordable luxury for most people here. It costs 10 Ethiopian cents a bucket; less than third of an American cent. (unimaginable)

No one can accuse the people of Kechene of not working hard. They toil, often for up to seventeen hours a day, they have very little to show for it.

So many of the women have to go to collect sticks, while their young children are left at home. (These young children, together with your help, we will to get in to school and off the streets.)

Oromo women carrying heavy loads down to a market in Addis. They will probably sleep on a footpath then walk up the hills back home to do it again. They will each make about $1 for the load. Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0">

The JOY.

No comment necessary.

These are not extraordinary pictures. These are very typical things you would see when you visit Ethiopia. Some times when I look at pictures of these kind of things I think... "they probably found something totally wild and took a picture of it." But I can say having been to Ethiopia 3 times in the last 2 years that these are very normal and typical visuals of what you will see in Ethiopia.

The area in need.

Kechene is a district, within Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. It has the highest HIV prevalence in the city, with almost 16% of its residents estimated to be suffering from the disease.

With so little money, and such enormous challenges for the residents here, the children here have no option but to go out into the world an earn a living; to contribute to the family. The work available is physically demanding on these tiny laborers; it is not uncommon to see a boy of around 5 carrying his brother on his back as he goes about his work - selling Kolo (roasted barley). Tiny boys drift about hustling for work shining shoes: this earns about half an American cent a shoe shine.

"The children here have no childhood, and very little idea of play, or fun. They are only concerned about making a little money to eat, so you see them, from a tiny age, bent double carrying wood, or sat working with a weaver all day, which earns them just 1 birr a day, about 12 US cents", sighs Hannah.

"I read the paragraphs above and I break...I think of my 3 children...and how different their lives could be. If any of you know my kiddos( or anyones kids for that matter) you know they are so deserving of love, attention and opportunities! And SO DO THE CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD! Please consider giving to help these deserving, important kiddos!"

resource for much of the info.

Again we know that we are hit up all the time with this kind of information. ((((HEARTBREAKING))))) We pray that we do not become immobilized by this and we pray all of you know that there are tangible ways to HELP and starting a school for these children will CHANGE their lives and the community around them!

We also want to put in a plug about our 1st mission trip

coming up at then end of July or beginning of August 2012.

When we go we will be talking with many of the children

who will be enrolled in the school

and we will be taking pictures of them

and getting their little life stories .

Take the challenge!

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Here is the simple truth.

You can give a child 2 meals a day for a year!

And the simple part

is that it will only cost you $50,

Not $50 per month... But a simple one time gift of $50...

Think of how hard it is to work or concentrate when you are hungry. Hunger can be all consuming! The children in Kechene, Ethiopia that will be affected by your gift will be getting an education and FOOD. 2 meals a day is not something they are use to... can you imagine??

So here is the challenge,

I want you to think about something that you normally purchase for $50. Is it a manicure or pedicure, round of golf, new purse, hair cut, or a date night, the list could go on and on.

I am sure you can come up with your own list of things. Now think, could I give "that" up just one time just this month and give a kiddo food for A YEAR?

Imagine if everyone reading this listened to that voice in their head saying, “do it, give up something and feed a child for a year.” We would more then likely blow our goal out of the water!!! Please listen to yourself!! Do it!

PS if you can not give $50, know that EVERY penny helps!! These kids need anything we can give.

We would love to know what you are going to give up for the month! Leave us a comment. Your comment might inspire others to listen to the voice inside of them!!!

To donate click on the "donate" button on the side bar.

We need you!..They need you...

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THEY NEED YOU!

Oh, you guys! There are so many great opportunities right now

if you have a heart for Africa and want to make a difference.

The fundraisers are abounding so we can raise

enough money (around $40,000)to get

these precious kiddos in school in Kechene, Ethiopia.

Here are your many options:

1. Africa-lovers: We REALLY want to start building a volunteer base as local Africans contact us about needing help and wanting to connect. If you have a heart for Africa and would love to have dinner and build relationships (at many different levels!) with college-aged Africans and entire African families, you can fill out the volunteer form under the “Connect” heading on our homepage or contact us if you have specific questions

Please open your heart and connect.

There are dozens and dozens and dozens of references in the Bible about God caring for the “orphan, widow, and foreigner [African immigrant can be applied here!]” and wanting us to do the same. This is your opportunity! FILL OUT THAT FORM!!! .http://www.awakeandalive.org/connect/volunteer/

2. Coffee lovers: http://www.justlovecoffee.com/awakeandalive and buy some coffee to support Awake and Alive. And an added bonus is if we get $75 in sales, we get lots of free stuff we can use as promos to raise awareness.

3। Book lovers: www.ChristianBooksBibles.com. Order your items and use Awake&Alive for a promo code (make sure you hit “apply” afterwards!) If you spend $50 you get free shipping from the best book distributor in the U.S. (Disclosure clause: Danielle is biased, because it’s a family affair) and Awake and Alive gets a chunk of the profits. They even price match if you find something cheaper. You can’t go wrong!!!

4. T-shirt lovers: We have extra Awake and Alive t-shirts like you see on the facebook page. Send us a FB message letting us know you want one! They’re only $15, and you can support our cause by wearing it! We also have more, even trendier stuff in the works…

5. Jazz and social justice lovers: On Wednesday night, June 22nd the X/Stop project in South Bend is putting on a great event for you to see many (25+) of the local non-profits in the Michiana area complete with jazz music and lots of great raffle items. Awake and Alive will have a booth there and we are excited to connect with other local charities and individuals. You can buy a table or individual tickets at w ww.xstopproject.com. Come and connect!

So, you see, there are no excuses Well, maybe if you lived far away and didn’t like coffee, books, and t-shirts…but does that apply to anyone in the entire United States? You could also give a monetary donation without buying anything–just puttin’ that out there! Please get involved. It really may make you be more fully alive!

Genzeb

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Genzeb Tibeb is very bright. At only 11 years old, her future is looking promising. She is ranked 2nd out of 56 students at her government school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she has been selected for a special program because of her talent. She knows she is special and proudly shows off her certificate and book signifying her accomplishments in this special program.

But her future hasn’t always looked so bright. While her mother, Bekelech, sacrificed immensely for Genzeb, she would not have been able to continue sending her to school. When her husband died, Bekelech was the sole provider for their five children. In order for them to survive, she began the daily routine of walking approximately 8-10 miles a day collecting sticks to sell near her 8′ x 10′ home in Kichene. It wouldn’t have been long before Genzeb would have been forced to quit school in order to help her mom. But Bright Future changed all that.

Genzeb teaching some of the students at Bright Future. Giving back already! She is going to do BIG things!

Genzeb has been at Bright Future for 3 years. Since Ethiopian schools let out early, Genzeb walks to the facility right after lunch. Because of her high ability, she even helps teach the younger children there, building confidence and locking in important foundational academic skills. There’s also other meaningful opportunities Genzeb experiences which allow her eyes to be opened to the different opportunities that are available to her if she completes her studies. Field trips are one of her most favorite activities of all. She especially loved the one to Addis Ababa University.

She knows it goes beyond fun trips, though. ”I am happy because I get extra help for school from Bright Future,” Genzeb shares. At so many levels, her involvement with Bright Future allows her to receive a better education, which she values. For one day she wants to help people in need by becoming a doctor. And now she knows, that with a lot of hard work, that dream might just become a reality.

The is the entrance into Genzeb's home. Her older sister was there taking care of her sick brother while their mother was working. Genzeb's sister was telling us how hard life is in Kechene. She was around 15 years old and taking care of the house hold.

So here is the question...
What could you do to make such a huge impact on children like Genzeb? ... The possibilites are ENDLESS!! You just have to take action!!!

Here are a few possibilities:

Hold a garage sale in Awake and Alive's name. Giving some or all proceeds to our cause.

Tithe a little extra to Awake and Alive.

Have a Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, 31 or any other home party and donate the proceeds to Awake and Alive.

"like" Awake and Alive on FB. To keep in the know about what is going on next and get involved with our happenings!

Share our blog with EVERYONE you know!!!

There are many other ideas out there use your creativity and lets start helping those who can not help them selves!!

James 1:27
²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Donate to us at www.awakeandalive.org

My Montage 6/8/11 at OneTrueMedia.com

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We had a wonderful turn out thanks to all your prayers, donations, and support!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome

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Welcome to Awake and Alive.