The kids of Korah...

One of the hardest things to share about my trip..So there, I warned ya!

If you missed my first post about our trip Click HERE

Or, my second Click HERE

Now, my next 'story'...The Kids of Korah.

It feels like more than a year ago when Andrea and I sat down over wine and pasta to choose which trip to go on.  There were several options.  Each one a bit different, different focus, different locations, different times.  In my mind, we chose this trip for one reason...Teshome.  I love Andrea and Teshome is Andrea's sponsor child.  I have been able to hear about Teshome for a long time.  I got to hear about the first time they met and see the pictures, hear the stories.  I love his smile.  I remember one of the first letters he wrote her and how he asked so sweetly "when you come to?".  I was beyond thrilled and excited to JUMP at the chance to meet the boy that has a permanent place in her heart because he, in turn, has a permanent place in mine.  And, don't even get me started on that smile...

All of the trips went through Korah, but this one..Korah was our focus!  We got to go to Korah 4 mornings of the trip and basically put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids there.  A little bit of skits, a little bit of crafting, a little bit of teaching a basic lesson of Gods love.

First, a bit of back story on Korah.  Almost 80 years ago, Korah was a village that was established because of Leprosy.  Two American doctors heard of the spread of leprosy and went to request land to build a hospital to help the people suffering from it.  King Hale Selase agreed to give land, but only if it was furthest away from the town to keep the lepers away from the other people.  There, the ALERT hospital was formed.  The people of Ethiopia use to believe people that contracted Leprosy were cursed.  Once their disease was discovered, people in other parts of the country were put in separate huts and there were attempts from their own families to set them on fire.  After the communists took over the reign of King Hale Selase, the military wanted the lepers gone.  They would even send their military out to kill those people.  These people had been cut off from any type of food, water, shelter..they had NOTHING provided to them.  Their only survival was to send the kids to the trash dump, which is right next to Korah, to find any kinds of scrap food or any objects of value to sell in the village.  Survival.  This is still the common practice today.  Korah is a village of severe poverty.  HIV is prominent and, so are orphans.  

So, Monday was the first day we were going to Korah.  I was very nervous.  I knew it would be probably the poorest place we went.   How do you prepare yourself for what you can only imagine will break your heart?  I remember I was SO nervous about my reactions to the smell.  Would the kids smell?  What would it look like?  

Day 1 was easy and incredibly tough all in one.  Day 1, these precious children were just precious children.  Day 1 the smells of the village were TERRIBLE (I am happy to say, they got better each day that passed).  It was a day of learning and boundaries.  

 While some of the children know some English, the language barrier is a difficult hurdle to overcome.  You want to give and share love with these kids who don't often get any signs of affection or love.  You want so badly to share with them your feelings of nothing but the best for them, but they don't understand a word you are saying.  Well, except "whats your name" and "how old are you".  Those two questions were pretty much the starting points with any child.  They want a relationship, any relationship.  They want to hold your hand.  They want to hug you.  They want to say "I love you" because it is one of the few things that they know how to say!  They call you "mom".  They ask for "candy".  They are kids.  Simple.

Day 1 was quick, easy and a day I will NEVER forget!  I learned so much that day.  I got so many questions answered.  I was introduced to my first "squatty potty"...things really got real.  I finally got to see what it looked like and replaced the imaginary images in my mind.  It was good.

Day 2 was good.  Happy.  Fun.  

Day 3 was bittersweet.  My favorite memory from Day 3 was after a craft that we did during VBS.  As part of our craft, we handed out a small mirror to each child to decorate with stickers and a verse on the back.  Seeing the peoples faces as they looked in a mirror, some for the very first time at their faces...it was a moment I will never forget and one that I will always cherish.  

Leaving Day 3 (wednesday) was probably the most emotional part of the entire trip for me.  Tomorrow was IT.  The last day in this beautiful place where I had given my heart to these kids.  Those kids I met on Monday?  I knew them now.  I knew their stories, their siblings, I had heard about their families or lack there of.  Each face was more than just a face, it was a story.  A story that for 4 short days, I got to see first hand and be a part of.  It was a gift and now, I had to leave.

 Yabsara and Henok...both have a special place in my heart forever.  

(More on Henok later...that's another post in itself)

As our team piled in the van at the end of Day 3 and we backed out of road to Korah, I lost it.  I couldn't even fathom tomorrow being my last day with these kids.  I think it was the first time it all sank in and all at once, I was heartbroken.  I didn't want to leave.  These kids made a huge impact on me.  As I gathered myself Andrea put her hand on my shoulder and said "This is why you're here".  I remember in that moment wishing I hadn't come.  Wishing I hadn't become vulnerable to this love that they so desire and that I can't give.  Wishing I hadn't seen with my eyes images that I will never forget and problems that I.CANT.FIX.  It hurt too bad.

Funny, the dreaded Day 4 turned out to be nothing but joy and blessings!  Not one tear was shed, not one regret even crossed my mind.  It was the BEST day of my whole trip!  I hate to leave you with a teaser, BUT Day 4 deserves a post all on its own.  Day 4 is THE REASON I WENT.

I promise to write that blog quicker than this one...this one took some time.  This story isn't one I can share easy.  

I am glad I went.  Glad I met the "kids of korah".  Glad I gave all I could give those 4 days because, it was only 4 days for me...but it still means the WORLD to them.  

Falling short

I got home from Africa 22 days ago...22 days have passed and I STILL am not ready to explain my trip.  It's so weird to me.  Normally, I can find words for anything (many would say - too many words at times)...and for this, the most significant trip I have taken, there are NO words.

No words that will explain what we saw, what we smelled, who we met, how we helped.

The truth is, I haven't posted because I KNOW my blog will fall short.  I know there is no way possible to express my experience and my heart to get people to truly understand that journey.  

Knowing that I can't share everything...I am hoping what I really do want to share comes out.  So, here's to non-ramble, heart stirring writing...

Day 1 - Gotta start somewhere

You know what's funny?  I don't really know where the real Day 1 is...between that trip to DC, 5 hours there, 14 hours to Africa, huge differences in time zone, etc.  For me, travel days don't count because I didn't journal them SO Day 1 is Sunday ok? 

We woke up Sunday to breakfast at our guesthouse...wait, first let me show you our guest house.

our "family room"...where coffee was served every morning.  A place to congregate, meet others not on our team, and work together on team projects.

the "dining room"...where we ate breakfast and dinners when we didn't eat out.
It is also the spot of an intensely fun and wild night of pictionary that bonded our team forever.

and then, one of my favorite rooms....our Suite.

it was like girl scout camp only "funner".  1 queen, 3 sets of bunks, another twin, a balcony, and a large "kitchen" that we used as our suitcase storage.  7 girls...lots of snoring, laughing, and welp, a few spiders!

Ladies and gentleman...our shower!  It was an interesting shower...hot water not guaranteed.  See that little white tank on the wall?  That's the water heater you turn on - when there's power!  To the left of the shower the SHINTABIT (Amerak for Toilet!)  I kid you NOT - that word I could remember ;) :)

And, lastly...our view at night.

All in all, I LOVED our guest house!  The first day was a bit of a culture shock..I walked up the uneven porcelain stairs a few moments after hearing the word "no wifi" and had a moment of weakness....it was A LOT to take in.  Probably comparable to an inexpensive hotel or motel here but, the guest house is like a Ritz in Ethiopia and I felt blessed and even a bit shamed to have it "so good" and seeing what was around us.

_________________________

Ok, so Day 1..Sunday.  We went to church after breakfast.  It was one of the highlights of our week!  The Beza church was AMAZING!   It is also an English speaking church and I would assume one of the wealthier churches in Ethiopia.  Worshiping together, in a church full of mostly locals, looking around and seeing the Ethiopians that are doing well financially, seeing families together, watching their culture and our culture mesh into a perfect worship and service...it was the PERFECT way to start our trip!  Oh, that music!!  During tough moments later in the week, I would pull energy from that worship or remind myself of the sweet families I saw that day...not everyone is terribly poor in Ethiopia, not every mother is alone, not every kid is an orphan and that was refreshing to see!  

here is a quick glimpse of some of our worship time...but, it doesn't do that day justice.

As God would have it, there was a missions team singing at Beza that day and guess where they were from....DENVER, CO!  I kid you not!  I traveled over 8,000 miles to see a band play from Denver!  We had a chuckle at that one.

From church we went to lunch...one of my FAVORITE places all week!  It was called Sishu and was very modern and stylish!  They had american burgers and fries and Sprite and Coke in bottles.

Sishu:

After lunch, we went to a village called Bole.  The women of Bole, make beads and I even got to try my hand at bead making!  My bead was good and the women kept it for a necklace!  Mission Ethiopia buys the women the clay and then their job is to make the beads and then Mission Ethiopia sells them for money for the women of the village and their children.  While moms working, the kids get to play outside.

These kids have friends to play with, playground equipment to play on and mommas who love them and work hard to provide what the can.

my buddy that afternoon.

Soccer - it's a Universal language.

After watching the women make beads and playing with the kids we were asked to see two of the ladies homes.  These houses was something I wasn't prepared for.  Dirt floors, walls made of sticks and a mixture of mud and manure and SMALL.  About the size of my dining room.  

One of the women we visited was the mother of my little buddy.  We came in and she asked us to sit down.  Andrea and I sat there, on her bed (blankets on the dirt floor).  It was a moment I will never forget.  Our whole team gathered and asked her questions about herself through our translator.  Then, she asked us to pray for her.  When we asked if there was anything specific she would like us to pray for, her response left me in total shock "nothing, life is so good".  Speechless.

I will talk more in depth about this as my posts go on, but to hear this women so content with her life...it brought me peace.  In a whole new world, seeing a whole new way of living and circumstances I am not even sure how to look at let alone live in and to hear her total contentment and peace...it was aw-inspiring.  This moment has helped me A LOT on my journey post Africa.  If I remember how hard they have it, if I think too long about their beds, their houses, their income, it's too hard BUT, when I remember that this is the only life they have ever known it makes it easier.  They don't know what we have, that kind of living is completely unfathomable for them.  It is something they never think about, never wish for because ignorance is bliss and they are happy where they are.  

 see the house?  it's a duplex.  It did have a BEAUTIFUL view.

End of Day 1 - total and complete aw and success!  

So, how was Africa?

**video at the bottom of the page** sorry for the LONG post!

"So, how was Africa"  The question I have gotten everyday since I have been back.  Also, as I am finding, the hardest question to answer..it leaves me speechless (yes, me!).  

How can you put into words what our trip was?  What we saw?  The remarkable things that happened?  What I learned?  

Honestly, I am still digesting some of it!  

There will have to be a series of blogs about my trip because I am not sure there is a space limit on blog posts but if so, I would max it out.

For today, I want to focus on our group.  The 10 strangers that over the course of 10 days became friends.  From Day 1, I felt super comfortable with every one of them and I know that each one was placed on this trip and in my life for a reason.

10 new friends and lots of laughs was such a huge blessing.  Being half way around the world and away from my family and friends didn't feel lonely.  

We had two mothers on our trip with their kids; Angela and Jesse and Mindy and Kate.  We had two Fathers with no kids, but looking out for us all.  We had two young girls, both in college and already doing such amazing things with their hearts, and then...we had three crazy girls from Colorado.  It truly was a great mix!  

I am not sure I would have ever been bold enough to go on a missions trip, 8,000 miles away by myself...I was SO thankful for Andrea opening my eyes and inviting me on this trip!   10 days with a bestie was WONDERFUL!  We were bunk mates.  She took the top bunk and I took the bottom...watching her legs dangle from above as she woke up every morning and wanted to get down, quickly became my favorite start to the day ;)  No ladder for that girl!  No really, they didn't have one BUT even if it did...she may have chosen to shimmy down anyway.  

April, Andrea's  friend, also came with us!  I can't believe I never met her before!  We are kindred spirits and she kept me laughing each day!  That girl is funny.  I love her honesty and her true interest in learning the culture and lifestyle everywhere she goes.  She was a ray of light on this trip and I am excited to continue our friendship at home!

Angela and Jesse are an amazing team...just how a mother and son should be!  Jesse has an amazing heart for God and this was his 4th missions trip to Africa!  4th!  And, he loves it! He lives so boldy while he is there...he loves Ingera (a main dish in Ethiopia), his family's sponsor kids are his brothers, he is respectful, honest and kind and just a sweet hearted spirit.  Angela is a great mom and was a wonderful leader!  She did a great job rolling with the unexpected, making sure we were all comfortable and safe and really making the trip the most it could be for each of us.  We all have different hearts, and she went out of her way to make sure they were fulfilled in the end.  oh!  and that girl can tell a story!!

Brian and Eric were the men on our team.  They both made sure we were safe and comfortable.  They were also the two that were the first ones I saw on my roughest/most amazing day (story to come later).   Watching the kids with them was amazing!  Watching them lead us (both physically and spiritually through stories or even our bible studies) was an awesome experience.  Watching Eric and Andrea's relationship as sponsor parents with similar goals was great!  What a blessing for Andrea!  

Mindy and Kate...have a great relationship as mother and daughter!  It was fun to see the two of them have fun together!  Having this experience for the first time together...WOW!  What a cool memory!  The story of what brought them to Africa and Kate's passion to go was one of my favorite things to hear.  I loved watching God work through these kids!  No one is too small, too young, too old, to Go Be Love.

And, lastly sweet Brandie and Liz...these two were friends already as they went on a missions trip together last year.  It was refreshing to watch these girls.  They are each on the college path and watching them in that stage of life, take time to give so big to others made me smile.  I was not in that place at that age and man, I wish I was!  They each had their own place...Brandie's place?  Well, its just Ethiopia ;)  Pretty sure that girl will end up there one day and I am so happy I get to see it all play out!  Liz, holding those babies at the orphanage.  It was her place.  Watching her love and hold those babies was precious.  

Each of our teammates brought something to the table for our team.  It was a perfect fit!

So, now that I have given you a mini glimpse into our team...I have to find a way to put our trip into words!  A near impossible task, but I will try!

For now...pictures are worth a thousand words so here is the video montage we made for our last night.  We watched as a group and reflected on our week together.  Each of these pictures is a story to us; a memory and a journey.  I hope this will help give you a quick glimpse into our week...boots on the ground, hearts open to GO.BE.LOVE.

Video too big...shocker! Click HERE to watch!

Countdown to Africa!

When Andrea and I met for a girls night out over a year ago and started talking about her trip and what it would look like if we were BOTH able to go, I never hesitated to say "Yes, I want to go".

Now, I am less than 2 weeks away from our trip to Ethiopia and words can't express how I am feeling.

This will be the first of so many firsts for me.  I have never been outside the US, other than a resort in Mexico, I have never been to a third world country, and I have never been the teacher rather than the student about my faith.  

There are a few things I know for sure; 1.  it will be an experience of a lifetime.  2.  it will put me outside my comfort zone in ways I never even knew existed. 3.  I will miss my kids and my husband terribly 

I am a BIG believer that life is worth living.  You can't live amazing/life changing experiences if you don't try new things.  

It has always been something I have wanted to do; going on a mission trip.  I didn't know how to go about it.  I know it was never going to be something I did by myself...well, what better way to start than a best friend going with you?!

So, we are less than two weeks away and the preparations are WELL underway!

I am SO close to being fully funded!  Just $314 to go!!

Passport - check
Vaccines - check

On our last call, we got to hear our itinerary!  I can't remember all of the details but it sounds like it is going to be an incredible week!  

Part of our time there will be spent putting on a "VBS" for the orphans...NOT exactly like your VBS here, as there will be about 200-300 kids and only 12 of us team members BUT the crafts and skits are planned!

I am so excited to go spend time with these kids and "GO.BE.LOVE".  That is exactly what we are doing...

GOing
BEing
LOVEing

If you are interested in helping us, here is what we are still looking for:

1.  Donations (of course) www.visitingorphans.org DONATE, enter info and my name KENDRA LANTERMAN

2.  1500 Bandaids for a craft we are doing about being nice to others
3.  50 Glue sticks
4.  Stickers, crayons and markers

We are also in charge of taking supplies for the clinic there...

If you want to donate money or purchase any of the following, it would be GREATLY appreciated!

-Hydrocortisone cream

-Topical Anti-Fungal cream

-Topical steroid creams

-Coban wrap

-Pedialyte

-Nasal spray

-Acne face wash/antibacterial soap

-Pill pouches – these can be found in the medical supply section at Target or Wal-Mart

-Cough suppressant (ex: Dextromorphan)

-Children’s cough and cold medicine

-“Cough n’ cold” 4 kids – this an herbal OTC cold and medicine for toddlers (HUGE NEED)

-Adult and children multivitamins 

-Travel size toothpaste

-Feminine hygiene products (pads only, no tampons)

-Sunglasses

More blogs to come as we are getting closer to this amazing journey!  I can't wait to share it all with you!

Little Love, Big Love: Mothers day, mini sessions!

Little Love, Big Love: Mothers day, mini sessions!: A HUGE thank you to anyone who donated stuff for the sales!  Thanks to you and the awesome support from family and friends with some private...

Mothers day, mini sessions!

A HUGE thank you to anyone who donated stuff for the sales!  Thanks to you and the awesome support from family and friends with some private donations, I REACHED my first goal of $2,200!!!!!!  

One of my favorite days is Mothers day, when us hard-working, kid loving mom's get a bit of recognition and love!  

This year, as most of you know by now...I am trying to raise money for a short term missions trip to Ethiopia.  

Putting two things that I LOVE together; kids and photography I have come up with a GREAT fundraiser that will hopefully get me A LOT closer to my remaining goal of $1500!

So, for mothers day, treat yourself to some professional photos of your kiddos!  NOTHING better!

Here are the details:

All sessions will be outdoor shoots, kids only (not enough time for family sessions, although I will book those as well and put towards my fundraising if you are interested) AND locations will be finalized this week and once you book a time slot, you will receive location information!

** Friday May 10th ...30 minute time slots starting at 9am, last session at 6pm. (no sessions 12-1).

Cost $50 for 5 high res, edited images of your child/children.  Each additional print $10. **If you're a MOPS momma, basically same set up as Family pics last Fall**

I am starting to book sessions NOW...message me or comment below to select your time slot.  Payment of $50 is due at time of booking to hold your spot, you pay for additional images if you select any after the shoot.

All ages welcome!  

oh, and who doesn't love a DEAL?!  Get a friend to book and you get 1 free additional image!  Pass it on guys!!

Uncharted - you can say that AGAIN!

Last week, I was feeling very overwhelmed.  Fundraising is HARD, fundraising for a mission trip is even harder!  As of last Sunday, I had $1600 to meet my first fundraising goal of $2,200!  

I felt like maybe it wasn't meant to be and maybe I wasn't going to be going to Africa  after-all  little did I know - God had a big week planned for me.

I decided to just sit back and watch what was meant to happen, happen.  I had two fundraisers in place last week and I had the wheels in motion.  I vowed in prayer to give it my ALL last week and if I gave it my ALL, then all that was left to do was to sit back and watch God make it happen!  He can do great things ya know?  

I loaded up my car with loads and loads of people's donations for either the garage sale or kids consignment sale and BAM - sales were great!  Like, HUGE great!  

Drum roll please...

Garage sale: $502!

Kids sale: $347!

Donations from friends/family last week alone: $250!

SO, now here I am a week later and BAM, I went from $1600 needed to only $400 left! 

I went to church Sunday and it was one of those days where I left and shook my head  with a smile on my face thinking "ok, God...yup, that was meant JUST for me".

I tried to get a clip from Sunday's sermon on here to share...just the clip that had such a huge impact on me.  BUT, me and technology - welp, we have a love/hate relationship (and tonight...it's sleeping on the couch!)  The message was mainly about being obedient in your Faith.  It is a great message on taking the next step when you feel you are being called (and the kicker)...even when it means no sense to you.  Of course, this can apply to any step of Faith.  The message was so directly connected to this missions trip though it was amazing!  I have always wanted to go on a short term missions trip, until last year I had no idea really how or what was involved.  A friend planted the seed (and went first which is super helpful) and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance!  I know it will be life changing for me, but it is a scary thing to do!  I would be lying if I didn't say I am a bit scared.  Scared of my safety, my kids and being so far away from them for 10 days, and another BIG fear is what I will see, feel, live while I am there.  These kids are going to change my life way more than I will change theirs , this I know for sure!  However, I can hardly wait to hug them, talk to them and do by best to share the story of Gods love.  

When Pastor George paused and said (paraphrasing)"sometimes you don't know why you are going or it seems very overwhelming to do what is being asked, but if you go to the area that is Uncharted, you will know what was meant for you".  Basically, "Kendra, stop over thinking...GO.  Stop worrying....PRAY.  Stop holding back...FOLLOW."

It was powerful and SO SO fun to watch!

Uncharted is about the BEST word I could use to describe this trip!  Africa??  I haven't been anywhere but Mexico as far as out of country...and, Ethiopia?  It is something SO different, SO new and yet SO important.  I want to give to these orphans!  Can you help me get there?  

I am making ONE.FINAL.PUSH. and starting a Pledge Drive today and tomorrow!  I need 30 people to donate $14.00!  Donate and I will also throw in a Qdoba card for the first 20 people! 

I am SO close, I can feel it! 

$14.00 is it.  Skip coffee, dessert or lunch out?  I promise, after this first BIG push...I am only doing two small fundraisers and they are super fun, easy and you GET something for  the money, I promise! ;)  

So, can you be 1 of my 30?

www.visitingorphans.org

DONATE - right hand corner

Lee Team - July Ethiopia

When it asks you if you want to donate to a specific person ***SELECT yes*** Kendra Lanterman

And, THANK YOU!!  Love you people!  MWAAA!