all of creation sing with me now- lift up your voice and lay your burdens down

Its very early in the morning here in Minnesota. The time change has got my body clock all messed up. I lay restless all night....... i feel sad laying my head down at night in a house that can not even be compared to what the people of Sierra Leone live in. I feel sad sleeping in a comfortable bed while the people i have grown to love are across the world sleeping on the streets while the rain poors down on their head. I don't deserve to be living this way. Its not fair that i have everything i could possibly want and others wonder when their next meal will be or wonder how they will have enough money to feed their family. Its not fair. Its not fair....

As i lay awake here this morning all i can think about is my experience this past week how my eyes have been opened. My eyes have been opened to severe injustice in this world. My eyes have been opened to children digging through the garbage to find food, babies fighting for their lives in the hospital because the nurses have no food to feed them. This is disgraceful..... no food for dying babies at the hospital?? My eyes have been opened to the reality of this world...... i have learned that a lot of eyes here in America have been opened to the world of shopping and getting everything they want, horrible words exchanged to one another, and the attitude that the world revolves around them. Our eyes are not opened to Jesus. There is a time to change. Let me tell you about my last morning in Sierra Leone. Ill share stories and pictures with you that will break up your heart. Please let your heart be broken and let God open your eyes to the most awful and beautiful 2 hours of my life....

We went to an area in Sierra Leone called Kroo Bay on our last morning. The UN has named Kroo bay the absolute worst place to live on earth. Those of you who have seen slum dog millionaire picture the slum in that movie..... and then picture Kroo Bay being worse...

We went to meet with the chief and the soccer team at Kroo Bay to present them with Jerseys and Firefleyes soccer balls. The team wanted to compete and the only way they could was if they had jerseys. Easy fix... lets bring hope to their lives so they can be inspired to chase after their dreams.

The guys were SO grateful. They could not have been happier..... they told us that when people like us do little things to show they care in their community it motivates their team to achieve great things. Praise God! The guy next to me asked me to marry him..... they were all in LOVE with the white girls from America :)

As we weaved in and out of the path to the where the ceremony would take place my stomach began to turn. It was the first time on that whole trip where i truly felt uncomfortable. I felt sick, dizzy, and absolute disgust..... the conditions were horrifying. From the smell to the sights that we witnessed my eyes began to tear up and my stomach was in complete knots.... you can see why...

pictures do no justice to the EXTREME poverty we were witnessing...
The team wanted to show us the soccer field that they play in. After the ceremony of giving them their balls and jerseys they walked us over in the pouring rain to the "field" As we were walking my ankles were being drowned in puddles of brown water filled with mud and feces. I was doing everything inside myself to put a smile on my face for these people who were showing us their home. This was the soccer field........ i looked at Regina and said " this is not a soccer field.... this is a garbage dump" There was no place to run, no place to be free. It was absolutely disgusting.
this is just a few feet of what we were walking around in. Kroo Bay is the home of 14000 people packed into a place the size of a super wall-mart. Kids running around bare foot with no clothes on their body.
The rain began to start coming down even harder. My selfish mind was telling me to run to the car and get shelter. I didn't want to walk around in a garbage dump in the pouring rain with dirty children and then have to sit on a plane for two days.
As kids were running up to us and music was being played in the background God told me to live in the moment. Bring hope to these childrens lives who live off of nothing but the Holy Spirit watching over them. They have nothing..... The rain began to come down even harder as we grabbed each child and danced with them. Our hands were lifted to the skies..... it was the most unreal feeling i have ever had....
I was loving life. A wave of hope and joy washed over me while dancing with these children. its the small things in life that make such a difference. The gift of a soccer ball and jerseys changed the life of a group of men and my hands placed in a young childs hands dancing in the rain brings them hope.... hope that they are loved and worthy to be loved.
You should have seen the smiles on their face.....
The "soccer field" was flooded after 15 min of rain......
Pigs were running everywhere. They lived in close quarters with the people......the "river" you see is filled with mud, garbage, and feces. Kids were standing in it in the middle of the rain and collecting the bottles and garbage they could use. All of the filth ran into the ocean......It was a sight that left me numb....
It was time to give away the rest of the baby dolls that we had. We were getting mobbed like you wouldnt believe. Children in every direction pulling on me trying to get my attention. It was pure chaos... i was scared for my life! I thought i was going to get trampled! Why do kids have to be this desperate for a toy? Why do kids have to be so desperate to have something of their very own? You can believe that when they received their toy the smile on their face was incredible...... in 2 hours my life was changed. In two hours i had experienced the most horrible thing you could possibly see. In two hours i was filled with so much joy and hope..... hope for the future of Kroo Bay. Hope for a new soccer ball for the team, hope for the faces who recieved a new baby doll, and hope for Sierra Leone. My friends....... there is endless amount of work to be done. But we can start somewhere........ praise God for the people of Kroo Bay. Praise God for the people of Sierra Leone..... and praise God for life.
After Kroo bay we went back to the center to say goodbye..... the moments i was dreading the whole week. The kids sang us a song and had a verse for all of the team members. Tears were rolling like crazy!!! Look at baby Hawa... she is the CUTEST! This is her praying and singing..... ADORABLE!
Grandma was so touched by the children this week. They all called her Grandma. She gave so many hugs and kissing and shared so much love. The kids sang i goodbye song to grandma linda and there was not a dry in the place.....
The kids sang us a goodbye and prayed for us..... as the song was finishing they all came and gave us all hugs while continuing to sing. Every child was crying...... this is little Mami. Even she was sad to see us go! I realized in these moments of saying goodbye to the kids that the covering was where i wanted to be. I want to see those children everyday and love on them like crazy..... these kids inspire me. The possibilities for the future are endless...

Waving to us goodbye in the car. I was balling!! I will miss them so much.....

So there you have it. The last day in Sierra Leone. After 36 hours of travel it was good to be done. Our team was ready for a shower after 36 hours of travel and a dance session in the rain at Kroo bay! I pray that as you read this your heart would be filled with sadness. I pray that you wont read this and shed some tears for what you just saw and then go back to normal life. Sit with it.... pray about it... ask God where he wants you to be used in all of this. He has a place for you...... There is much work to be done. Your eyes have been opened...... now go..... be his hands and feet. Every single one of us.........

i'll close with a song from Britt Nicole:

Don't let your lights go down

Don't let your fire burn out

Somewhere somebody needs a reason to believe

Why don't you rise up now?

Don't be afraid to stand out

Thats how the lost get found.

Theres a really big world at your finger tips.....and you know you have the chance to change it.....

Proverbs 24:12

Bethany

'Rain' Down Your Love- Allie's Story

This is a long one…so stay with me…

Sierra Leone is an example of how our world is in a humanitarian crisis of gargantuan proportions. It didn’t just get this way over night…it has been this way for a while. Evil reigns in this world. And none of us are free from it. We are all capable of evil and we partake in evil, many times knowing that what we are doing accomplishes the very thing we say at church we stand against. We ignore it. We blame others or make excuses to make ourselves feel better. I am guilty of this. I am guilty of focusing on the trivial, the insignificant and the temporary. I focus on my well being instead of others. I focus on my personal gain rather than my personal responsibility. How do you cope with the fact that the same heart that is capable of loving unconditionally is also capable of betraying the people in this world that need us most? Kay Warren talks a lot about these thoughts in her book, Dangerous Surrender. The thoughts that overwhelm my heart as I write this are the very words I read in this book a few months ago. Nothing in my normal life resembles what I have seen or experienced in Sierra Leone. There is no escaping the poverty. Everywhere you look you are submerged in need. As I fly home I keep wondering how do I ever paint an accurate picture of my experience here? How will anyone ever understand without thinking I am exaggerating or making it bigger in my head than it really is? Kaye Warren says, “How I wish these stories were fictional or exaggerated to illustrate a point. How I wish these examples of evil were isolated incidents—anomalies in an otherwise idyllic world where goodness, kindness and brotherly love reign supreme. How I wish I could just change the channel and make it go away—the way I do when I see it on my T.V. screen, but evil is real and evil must be opposed and stopped.” The things I saw this week are real. VERY real. As you read this…they continue.

This morning the team and I went to Kroo Bay, a village the United Nations named the poorest and worst place to live in the world. Their soccer team has been ineligible to play because they could not afford soccer jerseys, so soccer jerseys were donated from Sartell, MN along with soccer balls on behalf of Firefleyes. We presented them to the chief of the village and the team and were able to speak with the soccer players about how important soccer is to them. The affect soccer has had on them is the same affect dance has had on Bethany and my life. It’s their joy of living component. As the team walked us out to their “soccer field” we were led to a clearing of trash. I looked at Bethany in utter dismay and said, “Is this their soccer field?” Bethany looked at me and said, “Regina, this isn’t a soccer field…this is a dump site…this is not acceptable.” As we walked along the water banks and stepped through Kroo Bay’s soccer field in utter disgust it began to rain…hard. Bethany and I starred at each other already soaked from the downpour and just began to dance around surrounded by this disaster. Many of the children gathered around us and we joyously danced in the rain with children in their underwear, children who were naked, children who play and live in a dump. As we were all soaked and more and more kids began to dance with us you couldn’t help feeling surrounded and entangled in the presence of God. It was the most joyous moment of our entire trip. This is what Firefleyes is all about. Glimmers of Light in dark places. Dancing in the rain amidst garbage…literally. Once the rain calmed down, the very same crowd we danced with went into a frenzy when we began to hand out stuffed animals. Grabbing at us, climbing on the covering we were under and hitting us to get our attention. Grabbing at the bags. Three year olds screaming at us to give them more. Tina later said, “this is what poverty looks like.” That is what desperation looks like. Quami and the soccer team had us stop handing out stuffed animals and had to escort us out because the crowd was getting out of control. No child should ever be so desperate for a toy. But they are. They are desperate for things we take MORE than advantage of. We all have the ability to respond to this injustice.

We went back to the center and presented the children with soccer medals for their World Cup game the day before, gave the girls hand made bows that had been donated for them and “motor cars” (as the kids called them) for the boys as parting gifts. The manner in which the children at our shelter accepted their gifts was light years away from the desperate pleas of the children at Kroo Bay. Crazy what happens when a child is provided with a family, structure, security, a full belly and love. They then put on prepared goodbye songs and skits for us as well. At the end of their last song they all gathered around us crying as they sang their goodbyes. Between that and our experience in Kroo Bay I could truly see the fire of Christ that was being ignited by The Raining Season in this incredible country.

Saying goodbye to the kids was so hard. Each hug I gave I wished it went on forever. I wanted them to know how important it was that they know that people love them all across the globe. That growing up in The Covering and getting an education and falling in love with Jesus is the very thing that will heal their nation. I wanted that hug to communicate how much empowerment they should gain through out their lives to build their country out of this destruction it has found itself overwhelmed by.

As we said our goodbyes to the staff I reminded all the head staff members to please check on Allie every day and work as hard as they could to get her to the center so I could see her when I come back in March. Tina told me one of the staff members would be sure to visit her so she knew someone was there for her. As I said before, a touch makes all the difference. Kaye Warren says, “ Physical touch conveys acceptance and love in profoundly significant ways…it says…I care deeply about you.” And I cared so deeply for Allie. Deeply enough that I stayed in a typhoid, malaria, bug infested hospital by myself and held her little hands. Deeply enough that I considered staying until she was out of the hospital didn’t only because I was told I couldn’t. Deeply enough that when the woman (not her mother) who abandoned her showed back up lying that the police had given her Allie and trying to get money out of me I stood my ground in love and patience and explained Allie was not leaving with her until she got better (a rumor even circulated around the hospital that I had paid the hospital to take Allie back to the U.S. with me.) Deeply enough that the nurses and abandoner got into a fight, about her lies, around me and I stayed calm and sang to Allie. Compassion is not an emotion. It’s a choice. It’s an action. A choice Jesus plants with in each of us to take part in. We get to choose whether we act or not. It was an act of God telling me I had to stay that made me stay with Allie those two days.

I found out on the flight from Freetown to Dakar that Allie passed away Thursday night hours after I left. I will never forget: the reluctance I felt as I walked out of the hospital and the fire inside of me that wanted to pull every string to get her out of that hospital but felt helpless. I will never forget: how she died because the nurses could not even remember when it was time to feed her unless someone was there to nag them until they did and the other babies in that hospital dying from malnutrition. I will never forget her big beautiful brown eyes looking up at me the moment I saw her and cracking a tiny smile, stealing my heart instantly. I know not everything happens for a reason, some times bad things just happen. But, God placed Allie on this earth to tell a story. A story of the strength of a tiny baby struggling to stay alive. A story of injustice. A story that we would NEVER hear in the United States. You will NEVER hear of a baby dying in a hospital because they were not fed by the staff or mother, without also hearing about someone going straight to prison. This is the world we live in. Allie’s light shone in the darkness of that hospital to tell me it cannot happen anymore. And I’m so glad I listened.

I’ve been overcome by the realities of suffering and injustice. I’ve seen it, touched it, smelt it. Allie’s life is a testament to so many things… it’s first and foremost a testament to the fact that this cannot go on any longer. Babies cannot and should not die because they are not being fed. It’s the saddest sight I have ever seen. But Allie’s also a testament to the fact that God doesn’t want us to just sit back in sadness and anger for this injustice. Allie’s life was an example of praise. This little angel’s spirit exuded strength, beauty and a message for all of us. My hope and prayer is that you are able to understand the severity of this situation and are moved to action without it being right in your face. I pray that Allie’s story will help move you to do something about it. Don’t just read this, shed a few tears and then run your errands for the day. Please sit with this and listen for how God wants you to respond to these injustices. What will you personally do? Psalm 90:17 says, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands—the work of our hands!” Be a person who stands up for these things every day of your life rather than merely on Sundays or when a conversation of God pops up. Be a person who stands up for injustices every day of your life. I need people along side me in order to do the same in my own life. It takes us all to make a difference of gargantuan proportions. Help Bethany and myself to ignite the fire in hearts again as Allie did within us!

Praise God for Allie, praise God for creating hearts that get to choose to respond to situations like hers. Praise God that His greatest desire is for us to restore the kingdom. Praise God that a touch can help someone know his or her worth. I will remember Allie for the rest of my life but what I will remember most is that in difficult situations you cling to the compassionate and loving hand of God and dance a midst the garbage! That is when He will rain down his love on his people!

Our God is Healer,

Regina

Lighting the Fire in Hearts Again

Today our plans changed around a bit due to rain! But such is life in Sierra Leone! The team went to visit baby Allie this morning and Regina ended up staying at the government hospital with her for a few hours and had an unforgettable experience. Bethany and the rest of the team went back to The Covering to prepare for the Firefleyes party! Regina got back just in time to witness the CUTEST sight ever as all the kids were enjoying their presents! The fun began with a World Cup tournament and Dancing Festivities! On behalf of Firefleyes we would like to thank you all a million times for you prayers and gifts that have made this trip possible. We look forward to the future we have in our mission to light the fire in hearts again. Our trip to Sierra Leone has touched our lives in immeasurable ways and we know this is only the beginning! Below are thoughts from Bethany and Regina from the day:

Regina's Thoughts:

I've found when you encounter suffering your heart automatically grows deeper and more intimately in to a relationship with Christ. As we begin to see the suffering around us we are able to get to understand just a little of what God must feel when he sees his people suffering in this way. In binds us together in love. Francis Francois once said, “When you love God, it will not matter to you what you must suffer on his behalf. The cross will make you over in the image of your Beloved. Here is real consolation---a true bond of love.”

What do you say? My heart has really nothing to say. Last night I could not sleep just thinking about precious Allie in that hospital all by herself with no one to speak for her and get her proper care. Tina and the team gladly went back with me today to check on her. I felt so disturbed at the thought of leaving her there I chose to stay with her while the team left and went back to The Covering. Eventually, Tina and Quami (one of the head staff members at The Covering) came back and due to the situation we decided to leave but send people back to continue to check on Allie. In those 3 hours I was there I was so deeply affected I have no words to explain my experience. I never thought in my entire life I would ever experience something of that magnitude. In an instant God tied me to that child and intertwined my heart in to her well being in a way I have never experienced…and I could nothing. Nothing but hold her little hands, sing in her ears and comfort her when she cried. The difference in a child’s survival in a situation like this is the love they feel from Jesus and the people surrounding them. Allie needs that love. She needs hope. Please pray for Allie. Pray she gets fed when she is supposed to. Pray she is not subject to injustice. Pray she feels the love we all have for her. As I type through my tears…I don’t know what else to say other than…my eyes have been open and my heart has been shattered.

Bethany's Thoughts:

Since we arriaved late in Freetown because the flights on the way here were delayed we have no choice but to cut our trip short. We have packed a lot of things into the days that we have been in Sierra Leone and because of this I think I will sleep the whole way home!!! I am so grateful for this experience…. I feel so blessed for the people that God has brought into my life. I will truly miss the people of Sierra Leone and the memories and the laughs that we have shared. They have improved my life in so many ways. I will count down the days until I will get to be with them again. As I leave Sierra Leone tomorrow with my wonderful team of ladies I will be saying goodbye to a place that still needs our love and attention. These people know that we know and they are suffering. As Gods people we are called to serve one another and to see kids picking up food off the streets to eat is shameful and make me angry. Today I was riding in the car and we were stopped in traffic. A young boy came up to he window and was begging for food. We gave him a cliff bar and some money…. He was very grateful. As we began to drive on he ran after our car right next to me in the window and begged for more. I looked into his eyes and began to feel heartbroken. I was being immersed into a situation that left me helpless. I will never forget the look of the boys face of what I was feeling at that time. As we drove off I took a deep breath and prayed for God to strengthen that boy. On this trip I have learned to prioritize the things that make me most happy in life. It’s the smiles, the love, and our awesome God that keeps our hearts filled with joy and we need to constantly be reminding ourselves of that. This is what Firefleyes is all about….. bringing the little things into the lives of those who are less fortunate is what lights the fire in these hearts again and that is why firefleyes bring me such joy.

Today firefleyes put on a big party for the kids at the center. We ordered shirts that say “im a little firefleyes” and got sun glasses, cow boy hats, and bandannas for each kid. It was a western themed! Dressing those kids up in their outfites(even the tiny 2 and 3 year olds) was the CUTEST!! Oversized shirts, hats, and sunglasses on those little ones was so precious and my heart was melting!!!! We all got a good laugh in as well as the staff…. They absolutely loved it. It was awesome to see!! We played soccer, did some dancing, hit a piñata, and had a blast. It was so much fun for the kids and I think it was a great way to end our time with them.

As I leave tomorrow I will leave my heart here. I will leave it with the people of Sierra Leone and the thousands of children still fending for themselves on the streets. I will continue to keep these people in my thoughts and prayers as well as NEVER give up fighting for them…. Please join us in our efforts and help us bring hope to the hopeless…. THANK YOU everyone who has made this trip possible for me. Your thoughts, prayers, and contributions have meant more than the world to me and I will forever be grateful. God is good…. All the time. ===

God IS good...all the time! Prayers for safe travels home!

Fighting for those with No Voice,

Bethany and Regina

Hope for the Hopeless

Today was a rough day of realizations. We went to a government run hospital with an intense amount of malnurished, sick children. We passed out baby dolls to the children and bread, cheese and water to the mothers. We also donated Baby Tylenol to the hospital as well. And then experienced the other extreme as we ate a yummy lunch and shopped at the market and enjoyed bargaining with the Sierra Leonians for souvenirs to bring home! Then we went back to The Covering and had prayer and praise time with the children and spent time decorating the center with them before bed time! We were able to help tuck all 80 of them in to their beds and kiss their heads goodnight. It was a wonderfully hopeful way to end what began as a seemingly hopeless day. Bethany and I wanted to share some thoughts we had through out the day and hope you are able to share in our experiences.

Bethany's Thoughts:

Today God tested me and stretched me in so many ways…. Our team went and visited the children’s hospital here in Sierra Leone. It’s a place for mothers to bring their young children…. One baby a month makes it out of that place. What I witnessed today will stick with me forever and I will never be the same again. We handed out baby dolls to all the children laying in the beds and waiting in line with their mothers to get into the hospital. The mothers were so grateful for the baby that they could give to their child in their last days here on Gods earth. We also gave out bread and cheese to the mothers that have been sitting there for weeks with their child. The mothers were so brave and truly showed me Gods love. We were given very clear instructions that we were not to cry or break down while in front of the mothers and children. The mothers don’t always know that their children probably won’t make it out of there so for us to show sadness and emotion was not a good idea. While walking around and holding these deathly thin babies trying to give them my biggest smile my heart was in my stomach and my body felt numb. While we left my heart was beating out of my chest and tears were welling up in my eyes…. I was doing everything I could to keep my tears inside. When we got out to the car my teammates and myself began to break down…. God showed us a side of life that is not fair and not right…. But it is something that cannot be ignored. We all cried while gathering together to say a prayer outside the hospital. We prayed for God to uplift these children and show them his love in what may be their last days…… we prayed for God to strengthen us as we just witnessed his beautiful children suffering….. we prayed for the nurses to bring them back to health….. we prayed for the thousands of other children in Sierra Leone who need to feel the healing power of our lord…… and lastly we prayed for our people back home, and that their eyes may be opened to the suffering and injustice in countries like Sierra Leone…..

Our day ended with a night with the kids at the center. I have grown so close to a few of them and have formed bonds that I will cherish forever. I asked God on the drive back to our hotel tonight how I was going to leave these children….. how am I going to be okay when I have to say goodbye to the kids that have touched my life and shown me the real meaning of why we live? I believe TRS has given these children a place where they can be kids again. They don’t have to live on the streets anymore and suffer…… they don’t have to hall rock up and down bumpy roads to earn money for the mother that is very ill. The children at the Covering are now learning the love of Jesus Christ and attending school. They are given three meals a day and a roof over their heads. They have people that love them and friendships that are truly very special. This gives me hope that when I leave these children behind they are in good hands. I can have peace in my heart knowing that their hearts are being prepared for a bright future and are given so much joy. There are 350,000 orphans in Sierra Leone and TRS has rescued 83 of them….. our eyes have been opened to the thousands of others and we can not stop fighting……..

The lights went out at the center tonight when we were getting the kids ready for bed. I had two kids in my arms and kids holding onto me when the lights went off….. its pitch black and its hard to see anything. It was a difficult task trying to put 80 some children to bed in the dark! As we filed them all into their rooms I gave each kid a hug and said I lick you (it means I love you in sierra Leone) and helped them find their bed…. This is one of the many obstacles these people face and its nothing compared to not eating for days and losing loved ones because of something completely preventable by peaople like US.... I can’t tell you enough how much we need you all to help us. PLEASE put yourself in their world and find it in your heart to help save the orphan….. we don’t do enough and for this we should.

Regina's Thoughts

Today I witnessed things that should never happen on this earth. Today I saw, with my own eyes, one of the most horrible injustices imaginable. Today I walked in to a room to donate bread, cheese, water and baby dolls to sick children and found myself in a world you only see on commercials. But it’s real. A million times I will say it’s real. As you read this…know that children are starving in a hospital thousands of miles from you and they may not live because their government does not provide food for them and their parents are too malnourished to feed them themselves. If it makes you feel bad, I apologize…but these children starve because we let them. Because we simply put $10 in the offering plate each month at church and think we’ve done what we need to. Or we volunteer at our churches and think it’s enough. It’s not enough. I realized today in such an incredible way…it’s just not enough.

As we walked in to the first hospital room and saw the state of the children our team leader, Tina, called us over and reminded us, “Just breath…and don’t break down in front of these mothers.” We walked around and greeted each of the mothers and babies. Many of the mothers offered to let me hold their babies but I declined many times for fear of breaking their tiny, brittle bodies. After leaving the first room we went up two flights of stairs to their ICU. As I was walking from bed to bed a nurse came and grabbed my arm and said, “there is an abandoned baby over here, come, come.” My eyes were not prepared for what I would see. The tiniest baby I have ever laid eyes on lay on this bed looking up at me with the largest, brightest brown eyes. I slowly sat down and placed my hands on this child and the nurse pulled back her clothes to reveal this child’s lungs and loose skin from lack of food. Her name is Allie. The nurses said she had been abandoned the day before and since it’s a government hospital they don’t feed the babies while they are there so the nurses had been pooling money together to buy her food. At 2 months old Allie is 6lbs. I placed my finger in Allie’s hand and her grip was so strong and her cry so weak I felt helpless to do a single thing to save this child. I sat there for what seemed like hours just touching her and loving her with every ounce of myself, knowing that what she really needed I was helpless to provide. When Carrie, one of TRS’ volunteers came up to me and told me if was time to go…I cannot even explain the wave of emotion and sense of protection I felt at the thought of leaving Allie there by herself. I booked it out of the hospital as tears began pooling up inside my eyes because I just didn’t want to break down in front of the mothers. One mom followed me out and put her hand on my shoulder and said, “it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” And it will be okay…if people begin to open their eyes to the fact that there is intense suffering in this world way beyond the comfort of our incredibly privileged lives. Babies like Allie can not continue to go hungry. There are 147 million orphans in this world and I met 148. The Raining Season is going to be providing money for food and supplies to help Allie while a social worker works on getting her to the orphanage once she gains more weight. This child needs intense prayer. And even more than prayer…she needs people who will be willing to do their part to make sure more like her don’t go hungry. As I sit and type this I don’t even really know all that I can do. I feel helpless as I sit in my hotel room while she is at the hospital alone. Her big brown eyes staring up in to the sky…I can’t get her out of my head.

I’m still processing everything I saw today. I don’t really have a compartment in my brain for what to do when you see severely malnourished children and are helpless to help them immediately. So what I will do is just ask you to pray. Pray for Allie. Pray for what God wants you to do to respond to the injustices in our world. It takes all of us. We ARE ALL responsible for responding to this.

In one hour I was changed. In one hour I became enraged at the treatment these children receive in government hospitals. My heart has been broken for children in need for a long time. But in one hour’s time my heart was completely shattered. Allie shattered my heart. I pray God continues to help me see what I can do to address this. Because once you see it…you don’t have a choice but to do more than just see.

Thank you again for all your support and prayers. We love and miss everyone back home!

Broken but Inspired,

Bethany and Regina

Bumpy Roads

The past few days have been an absolute adventure! Yesterday we woke up and went straight to The Covering. We were greeted by the children singing, smiling and ready to receive lots of love. They gave us a Welcome Ceremony and tour of their home. During the day we sorted all of 23 bags worth of materials and supplies we brought for them. Then Beth, Katie, Allison and Linda past out necklaces with the children's names on them and gifts from the children's sponsors, while Tina, Regina and some of the caretakers took two twin babies to a crazy Lebonese doctor. The rest of the day were able to share in their daily activities including prayer and praise time at night. It is absolutely amazing and humbling to watch them pray, give thanks and fully give themselves to the Lord. Today we were up bright and early and met at the House of Parliament where we were honored to sit in on a Parliament session. One of the heads of Parliament accompanied us on the rest of our day and we even met a Tribal Paramount Chief!! The rest of the day...we don't really remember because our brains were rattled for 8 hours as we drove upcountry to Shenge, Sierra Leone. Many of our kids come from this village and we were passing out suckers, soccer balls and taking pictures of the kids to the family members. It was amazing to see the real Africa...we saw what you see in the movies. Beautiful countryside, jungle and lots and lots of huts. We have fallen in love with our driver Foday and The representative from Parliament's son who rapped for us for much of our 8 hour experience. The "roads" were so intensely bumpy that Beth, Katie and Regina were falling on top of each other and laughing/puking for the entire trip. But...the experience was more than worth it. So many jokes and hysterical videos to share later but we thought we would both share our individual thoughts from the past two days:

Regina's Thoughts:

Our God is Healer

I really have no words. I have so many thoughts running through my mind that words just really don't do any of it justice. I'm going to attempt to fill you in on some of the things I've seen but just know no matter what I write it wont begin to scrape the surface of what I've seen. My chest feels heavy and brain full as I see all the things that need to be done to help these children. But, an eerie sense of peace glides over that as God reminds me the power of his presence in this place. So...here goes...

When you hear the words The Covering you think of a place to cover your head. A safe place to sit and rest for awhile. The orphanage The Raining Season has established in these few short months is so much more than a safe haven. It's a community. And isn't that what we're called to be and cultivate for those who do not have community? The first group of kids who came to The Covering were saved from unimaginable conditions. The experiences and things many of these children have seen are unfathomable to any of us. The Covering is now a safe haven for 80+ kids in a guarded and gated community. They have warm meals for their bellies, play time in the yard, education, incredibly powerful prayer and praise time before going to bed and a place to rest their heads at night. (side note...the prayer and praise was enough for me to see that I should have been born in Africa...they are dancing at all moments...now back to serious memoirs from Regina and Beth's trip to across the globe.) More importantly, the comfort of knowing that they now have people who will be there for them. People who will pull through. People who will protect them and care about their future in such an intense way that they sacrifice their personal lives above and beyond anyone’s call of duty.

The moment we began driving up the steep hill to The Covering you could hear the children singing and anxiously awaiting our arrival. The smiles and excitement on their faces as we got out of the car was overwhelming as we were swarmed by hugs and little hands reaching for us to hold them. There is nothing more incredible than spending a day playing, dancing and laughing with children. The joy, adventure and excitement just pours out of them. It's contagious.

I honestly could never paint an elaborate enough picture for you to understand what a cool experience it was sharing in their lives for a day. So many of their stories touched me and their smiles won be over and melted my heart. But, two twin babies touched me in a profound way, so I’ll share that with you so this doesn’t take so long J Gerard and Geraldine are 8 month old twin babies that were brought to The Covering when they were 2 months old and close to death. As the children showed us around the center I came across the baby room and (surprise surprise) I went in and asked if I could hold one! There were twins laying in one of the cribs and the moment I picked Geraldine up I didn’t want to put her down. I quickly noticed however that her poor little body was burning with a fever, lungs rattling and a pitiful little cough. Her brother was basically in the same state. At 8 months they look to be about 3 months old. As I carried her around the center and interacted with the other children she burrowed her little head on my shoulder and just laid there. Tina, Carrie (one of the caretakers), the nurse at TRS and myself took them to a Lebonese doctor who gave them medicine for the most noticeable symptoms and then arranged an appointment this morning for blood work and will receive X-rays and ultrasounds in a few days to assess what further needs to be done to help in developmental delays diagnose why they continue to be so sickly.

Holding this precious angel in my arms and watching her twin brother as well sent so many thoughts running through my mind. At one point Tina looked at me and said, “I wish I was a doctor.” It’s true I wish I was a doctor too and had the resources to just fix Geraldine the moment I saw here. But, all I have is my arms to hold her in and love her in such an intense way that she feels that love and God works in her to heal her body. These twins are the true meaning behind The Covering: a safe haven. But it also reminded me of the abundant blessings and resources we have at home. If a mother wakes up and her child has a fever there IS a place of some sort she can take her child to get medical attention. Here in Sierra Leone, it’s commonplace. If a child wakes up sick, no one is alarmed because they are all sick. So, small illnesses go undiagnosed and become more severe because they think that is just how it has to be. That is not how it has to be. And it’s twins like these that remind me that it is OUR responsibility to make sure these children don’t suffer in this way. It’s our responsibility to help organizations like TRS fund larger buildings so their children are not on top of each other. So that the children of our world not only have a safe place to rest their head but ample space to not pass germs and to have a spot to call their own.

The song “Our God is Greater” has continued to play through my head since we got here and all I can think as I look at The Covering is “Our God is healer…God you are higher than ANY other.” Our God brought Tina and Erica to this place to respond to the need here in Sierra Leone. He is healing these children in this safe place. He has the power to heal anything and everything…including conquering and abolishing human trafficking and exploitation of young children. I’ve seen the fruits of that healing with my own eyes in the past two days. If healing and growth like this can happen in such a short period of time just by two women acting upon God's call, think about what could be done if all of us acted upon God's call when he says to jump! I'm guilty so often of thinking life is about our "success" or how fun and adventurous our lives are and seeing these people reminds that life is about our actions...what we stand for as people, what we do about the things we stand for and the people we touch a long the way.

Bethany's Thoughts:

The reason why the first blog of the trip is just going out for me is because I sit here contemplating the right words to say. There are no words to describe the love that I have experienced in the last two days here in Sierra Leone. Love from each and every child that I have held in my arms, love from the smiles exchanged while driving down the street, love from AMAZING people that I have met, and love from my teammates that are traveling with me. I lay awake last night for a long time before I fell asleep. All I could think about were the children at the center…… the children outside the walls I was sleeping in that were lying on the street…. Little maligie whose smile stole my heart…. My heart has been broken while in Sierra Leone, but has been filled back up with so much joy. I am at a loss for words right now as to what I have experienced.

When we pulled up to the center yesterday the children were all lined up singing and welcoming us. As we got out of the car they all began to run towards us all jumping into our arms begging for hugs…. They didn’t have to beg to much! I was in heaven!!! It was a moment when I realized that all my dreams in life had come true…. I was in Africa with beautiful children, and with people that I have grown to love. The children showed us the center that The Raining Season has provided them. They were all eager to show us where they sleep and where they keep their things. We laughed, we played, we danced, we sang, and we gave LOTS of love. I don’t think there was a moment when I was not holding a child. My arms are sore today!!

Many of the children at the center don’t speak English. When I came over I was worried that the language barrier would get in the way of the relationship that I would form with them. God showed be very clearly that language means nothing when it comes to showing his love. When I picked up a child I would look straight into their eyes and smile. I would dance with them in my arms, turn them upside down (they LOVED that!), give them lots of kisses, and lots and lots of hugs. The love that is exchanged between the kids and us is incredible and truly brings me more joy than I have ever experienced in my entire life.

I’m trying to think of words to explain to you all that will somehow grab your heart and then break it….. so you can put yourself inside the word of the people that live in Sierra Leone. I don’t know what to say or do for you to understand the obstacles that these people face each and every day. I don’t know how to tell you that we need your help and each and every one of you count. I pray tonight that when I go to bed your hearts would be broken. I pray that God will lead you to help these children and work side by side with me and my team to create more joy to children in Sierra Leone. I pray that you will read our blogs and see our pictures and carry on with normal life…. We need everyone to be in this together. God has amazing plans and he is telling me this loud and clear during my time here. “… once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT. “ Proverbs 24:12 ……… I have now opened your eyes….. I beg you….. help us save the orphan.

We'll write more later! Thanks for all your prayers!!

Sometimes Life Get's a LITTLE Bumpy,

Bethany and Regina

WHAT just happened??

Text Message Conversation between Bethany and Regina:

R: I've been crying all morning and dancing around for joy. Just landed in Chicago!! See you soon, friend!

B: They are having problems with our plane and we have not yet left. I'm freaking out. We are going to be cutting it close to make it to Chicago on time.

R: You're gonna be fine. Take a breath. God brough you this far and you're going to make it!

B: Let's hope! Tina is freaking...this is scary!

R: I am too a little bit now. Haha. But faith. Totes gonna be okay!

B: I think I'm gonna puke. There is no way our bags will make it. Even if we leave now we have 20 min to make the flight.

R: My whole body is shaking. I just ate cheap chinese food and it may come up in a moment...hah.

B: Do whatever you can to hold the flight. I don't know if you can do that.

(50 minutes later after what should have been an 1 1/2 hour flight)

B: Landing...come to gate H15.

R: Got it. I'm rebooking us for the same flights as yall. Our bags have been transferred to the London flight. I'm getting our flight confirmation numbers now. Where you at?

B: Sitting against the wall at Nuts and Clark.

(Finally met one another in person...not awkward at all...) (While running through the airport to catch our flight...)

B: Hi, nice to meet you!

R: Okay, LET'S GO!

Tina: RUN!

(5 minutes later)

B: You got it, Grandma! I need my inhaler!

R: KEVIN!

(Fast Forward through our flight to London!...book it off this flight to catch our plane to Brussels)

(Repeat)

R: Now, I need my inhaler!

B: KEVIN!

Mean Flight Attendant in London: Mam there are no flights until Sunday.

US: OH. FOR. THE. LOVE! THIS CAN NOT BE HAPPENING! I WANT TO BE IN AFRICA! THIS SUCKS! YOU GOTTA BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! I NEED MY INHALER STILL!

Next two days: Toured London.

(Strolling by Buckingham Palace)

B: This is nice and all...but I'd rather be in Africa.

B: Save me from these creepy European men.

R: Let's make fun of the London guards.

(Reprimanded severely.)

(In Harrods Department Store)

R: Oh Look! We can go shopping! 50% off today only!

B: Oh for the love! This bag is $400!

R: How many orphans can we save with that? I feel bad being in this store when we should be in Africa!

B: I'm freezing and...I feel outplace in this store in these Africa clothes! Let's go look at the jeans!

R: Oh, only $600...so much better.

(Fast Forward to Sunday morning on the tram having heart attacks that we aren't going to make this flight...PLEASE MIND THE GAP!)

B: I have to pee.

R: Bethany, when don't you have to pee!

B: I need to teach you the Hoedown Throwdown when we get to the airport!

R: MAYBE...everyone will join in with us and the whole airport will dance with us!

B: .......Maybe........

(Many different nationalities observed us American's dance the Hoedown Throwdown in a coffee shop in the London Airport)

(Finally Boarding the Flight...with such jovial flight attendants....not!)

R: I've never been more excited to be getting on a flight!

B: I'm gonna cry!

R: I need my inhaler!

B: Me too! Let's do it together! PUFF on the count of three!

(Many Sierra Leonians staring)

Flight Attendants: Prepare for landing in Sierra Leone!

B: JAZZ HANDS!

R: TIGHT ARMS! WOOHOO!!

We're definitely not in Kansas anymore! Everything from the airport, the helicopter, the drive to our hotel...our actual hotel...is straight out of a movie! It's unreal! But, we could not have been happier to finally land in Sierra Leone. The suspense definitely made it all the sweeter! Everyone is safe, healthy and ready for a week of surprises from the Lord! We're going to The Covering to see the kids tomorrow! Thank you for your continued prayers! We'll report later! Until Next Time...

Dancing Through Life,

Bethany and Regina

And if our God is for Us...

As I stare at the keys on my laptop words that Jesus has spoken to me over the course of 6 months run through my mind and I don't even know where to begin. In twelve hours I will be on my way to Sierra Leone, West Africa. Not only that but I will be on my way to meet someone God placed in my life to start an organization that I have NOT even met! Seven years ago on a small retreat in Louisiana God placed ministry on my heart and placed countries with high orphan populations on my heart. I was also heavily involved in dancing and musical theatre and just knew firmly that the Lord would guide me to a place to combine the two for his glory. I waited. Fast forward to December of 2009 (and many experiences later) I sat in the audience of a retreat center as a youth minister at a church outside of Nashville. I prayed for God to give me amazing amount courage in 2010. Courage to step out and do whatever he wanted me to do, even if it meant stepping out of my comfort zone. That weekend I listened to a woman talk about the extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa. As tears rolled down my cheeks and goosebumps covered my body I knew I needed to know more about this organization. Upon returning home I e-mailed The Raining Season, telling them about myself and asking for more information on their organization. I received a response I would have never expected.

A young girl ALL the way in Minnesota had the same dream I had and was praying for someone to come on board to help make this dream a reality. It's overwhelming how God can intertwine the lives of people before they even know one another. Over the past six months I have grown to love Bethany without even knowing her and am more than excited for this exciting adventure we are about to embark upon together. I feel so many more emotions than I could ever place in to words, but I keep coming back to the line in the song "Our God is Greater", "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us!" With God on our side who could ever stop us from finding homes for all 147 million orphans in this world? With God on our side who could ever stop us from feeding the hungry? From healing the broken? From living lives worthy of God's call? I know I fail miserably in my own life to measure up to how God would want me to live, but I do know that despite our shortcomings God has incredible plans for each one of us to bring His Kingdom here on earth. To make things right. To ensure that children do not go hungry. That people not only have life, but LIVE life! That children are able to dance through life! :-)

That is what Firefleyes seeks to do. To bring hope to the brokenhearted. Brit Nicole sings, "Don't let your fire burn out...Cause somewhere somebody needs a reason to believe." Wherever you sit in your life tonight, know that somewhere somebody needs a reason to believe in Sierra Leone. My mother always says that you find healing when you reach out to help others, but I think I'm learning that God does not intend for you to be healed...He intends to break your heart. To break your heart for the need around us as our eyes are opened to what needs to be fixed.

So, I ask for you to pray for our team over the next 10 days. Pray for our safety, peace, courage and strength. But also pray for our hearts to be broken. And I ask for you to pray for your heart to be broken too. Because those pieces of our hearts that are broken will only be spurred on to action when we truly grasp ahold of the incredible wonder and reality that...if our God is for us...then who could EVER stop us...stop us from changing the world!

Peace and Love,

Regina

We need your help!!

Our team leaves on Thursday and we are having trouble getting all of the stuff we are taking over the the kids in 50 pounds per bag. Now our only options are to either cut everything in half, or pay an arm and a leg for each of us to take more bags. We would really love to have one more bag for each of us so we can bring EVERYTHING that we have collected and make so many more kids happy. If you would like to help us out and donate to the cost of luggage you can contact me by email and visit www.therainingseason.org and donate on The Raining Season web site.

We are getting SO EXCITED! Thank you for EVERYTHING you have done to make this trip possible. You are such a blessing.... God is good.

WOW!

As today wraps up it is officially 9 days until our team heads to Sierra Leone! Its so amazing to think that in just a little over a week i will be laughing and playing with the precious children who live at the covering, and experience a life changing week. Last night was the sorting of ALLL the baby dolls and soccer balls that Firefleyes has collected in the last months. The children of Sierra Leone have been blessed with the generosity from people in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and even donations from all over the country. Its been a really humbling experience for me to meet people in the process of Firefleyes who would reach out to a total stranger and help me put a smile on a child's face. Meeting people who get more joy out of their life by helping others than by helping themselves is an amazing feeling. This overwhelming amount of donations in just a few months proves to me that anything is possible..... People inspire me to keep Firefleyes going and make it bigger and bigger with each new project we take on. I'm looking forward to write back to everyone while in Sierra Leone. Please check my blog each day and see what our team has been up to. Your prayers are appreciated!!!

So here it is..... 418 baby dolls and stuffed animals and over 100 soccer balls!!!! Still looking for more soccer balls so if you would like to donate a ball please let me know! THANK YOU everyone! You inspire me..... God is good.