I am clearly very overdue for updating you on the happenings of my life (that is if I still have any followers here). I am still fairly new to owning a blog, so I will rest on that excuse for now. The last three months have been a bit of a whirlwind, full of so many fun, growing, adventurous, new things. And now, I am tired. I am currently sitting on the couch - where I have been for the last ? hours - with my feet up, a box of triscuts in hand (fire roasted tomato, yumm!) and a favorite pandora playlist lulling me in and out of consciousness. It feels so good! You should try it! :) I'll be honest, I havent tried it in a while. But this evening I embrace rest in all it's glory!
So, what have I been up to? Well, since you asked, why dont you join me. Take a seat, kick up your feet and I will tell you…
April:
After returning from the Dominican Republic, all of the Children of the Nations USA staff came together for our annual homecoming, prayer retreat and training in Silverdale, WA (where our corporate office is located). What a fun week that was! It is always so refreshing to come together as one team, one family, to regroup and refocus on God, who he has called us to serve and who he desires for us to be, in Him. The week was full of fun, rest, prayer, reflection, new faces and fresh ideas. I left feeling encouraged and assured, once again, that working with Children of the Nations is exactly where God wants me to be.
The sunday after we returned, Flood church announced at their Easter service that over the previous 4 weeks, the church family had raised over $200,000 during their Hope for Haiti campaign to help in the start-up of COTN Haiti! Amazing! We have already been able to use a portion of those funds to help 13 children and their families in Haiti move out of tent communities/shelters and into a house of their own, receive more medical attention and help get them on their feet (children of these families were very seriously injured in the 2010 earthquake, identifying them as some of "the worst of the worst". Get to know their stories here. They are currently still in need of regular sponsors to help long-term as well). With the remainder of the funds, COTN is working on purchasing land in Haiti and building new facilities for more children and their families in need. Thank you Flood Church for helping in furthering the vision and mission of Children of the Nations!
Here are two videos about Flood's Hope for Haiti Campaign
May:
A couple weeks after that, the COTN San Diego team drove up to Valencia, CA and had the opportunity to participate in the first Million Meal Maration. In one morning, 13 churches, over 6000 volunteers, 4 shipping containers and a whole lot of Lentils, Spice, Chicken and Rice came together to package 1 MILLION meals! That's enough meals to feed 2,739 children every day for a year! It was so powerful to see individuals of all ages all around the community, come together with one purpose of serving God and his children.
After that, COTN San Diego hosted our first Annual Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction. It was a fun night in which we were able to share Children of the Nations with other locals in the San Diego community. We look forward to next year!
(these arent the best pictures, but you can get the idea)
The following week, I had the chance to enjoy a week of vacation in Palm Desert with my parents and sister. We did a whole lot of nothing, which was exactly what we all needed.
June:
Upon returning from vacation, COTN San Diego began a Water Purification project with Pondorosa Pines Christian Camp (commonly known as "Pondo") up in the San Bernardino mountains. Our team went up to the camp and transformed an old, hidden cabin into a building that looks like it's from a Dominican Batey. We set up 9 stations in and around the building to serve as a prayer walk and prayer prompt for the campers throughout the summer.
Here are a couple pictures through the prayer walk…
little cabin batey in the woods
This cabin of boys were the first to go through the prayer walk.
These two are stopping at the "Things We Take For Grated" prayer station.
Reading and praying at the "Water" station in front
The "Bathing", "Outhouse" (not pictured) and "Hope for the Future" prayer stations around the back
stepping into the one room house
Throughout the summer, over 80 churches in southern california and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to hear about COTN and participate in a project to provide clean water for two bateys in the Dominican Republic that have found high levels of E.coli in their water. We are also making plans to run a church camp for children in the Dominican Republic! I am excited to be going back up to Pondo on Tuesday as this week's COTN speaker/representative and see how things are going.
The last couple weeks, the COTN San Diego team has put our creative juices together and furnished our new office in Kearny Mesa (amazing how many free and inexpensive materials are out there. And how creative you can get when you are working with a tiny budget) and just today we had our first Meal Packaging Event in our warehouse! The Barnabus Group, San Diego Chapter, brought about 50 volunteers and packaged 10,000 meals!
In the midst of this, I have been blessed with enough personal financial support to allow me to move out of my parents house and into a couple temporary room renting situations (my friend Claire was in South Africa for a month and now I am renting another friend's room while she takes a six week trip through Europe).
I am now looking for another place to live starting August 1.
Coming Soon…
My next adventure is a mini-road trip in mid-July from San Diego to the Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino Mountains and High Desert areas… I told you it was mini :) I am really looking forward to seeing and catching up with family and friends!
It has been so exciting to watch God move through all of these awesome opportunities these past months. I am continually reminded of what a blessing it is to work with the people that I do, serve the children and families that God has brought to COTN and to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. There are days when it feels too big, but that is when God reminds me that He is in control and I am not. He has simply asked me to be his hands, feet and voice. I pray that I can do so humbly and faithfully.
Whew! I apologize for the length (and apologize that this is the first COTN update in 3 months!), but it is good to catch up ;) I hope you enjoyed sitting and resting as much as I have.
I'd love to hear from you too! Feel free to email me at amberkaiser@cotni.org
