Getting Closer(From Dan)

      So ally and i are getting closer and closer to the date that we leave for Honduras and I don't think either of us expected the support that we have received from the people around us. i knew going on this trip was going to be an amazing growing experience for both ally and I through God. but before this past week that was really all i expected. I mean, I knew that we were going to be going there and helping as much as possible but it just did not seem like we were going to be able to do that much for this community. we had these goals and projects that we were talking about doing and how awesome it would be to be able to make bunk beds for these kids who didn't have places to sleep. we have also talked briefly about how difficult and expensive it is for these parents to be able to attain their children's birth certificates and would love to help them with that as well. All of this talk was great except for one thing. we didn't have as much money as we needed to make these things possible. So we did the one and only thing that we knew to do in a situation like this, we prayed. We prayed that the Lord would guide us in the right directions for this trip and we prayed that money would not be as big of an issue as it always is in our everyday lives. our prayers were answered in 7 days and not only were they answered but they were almost answered without us doing any work but trusting in the lord which was no work at all!!! 
        Ally has fallen in love with this church in Lynchburg that asked her to come and speak about our trip and there in church people got out there wallets and check books and collectively gave allison close to $1500 (i think we both got a little emotional hearing that)! but it was just so amazing to me because we both have wanted to go and campaign for these kids that we so desperately want to help but Allison has been SOOOO busy with her school that she has had barely enough time to sleep and there in her tiredness and her stress filled days the Lord was there to answer her/our prayers.
       My answer from the lord came just five days after allison had received her money from the church and not only that but it was when i was on VACATION!! not in a church like Ally where a certain amount of preparation had to take place which can be stressful all in itself(although i think Ally loved every minute of it :) ) mine came from relaxing in St. Augustine Florida where my family goes every year for a family reunion. My Uncle Tom and Aunt Kelly are amazing people and they have been in my life ever since i can remember. I love going down to florida to see them and it is always fun being around them. It was awesome talking to them and catching up with life even though i was at there just like last month for golf and hanging out with the family but even there both Uncle Tom and Aunt Kelly both asked questions about my trip with Ally to Honduras and were so incredibly supportive i loved talking to them about it. it did not come as a surprise to me when i got asked a couple more questions about the trip and the plans while down there from both of them, but what came as a surprise was when Uncle Tom took me aside and told me," we love what you and Ally are going down there for and i want you to know that your Aunt Kelly and I support you One hundred percent!! we love you and we want you to have this for whatever you need down there." i was amazed when he said that and when he gave Ally and I a check for $200! 
     God is so incredible and Family is so incredible it is amazing that one week we ask the lord of what he wants of us when we are down there and upon getting our answer we were both a little overwhelmed but knew that we just needed to keep the lord In front and let him do his work. and sure enough within 7 days we have had loving people around us to support these kids that we will be helping down there! 
      So from the deepest depths of my heart i thank Pastor Al and his Church and my Uncle Tom and Aunt Kelly for the support that they have provided for these kids and us while we are down there! 

ambitions.

When dan and I talked about Honduras, we talked about the children and the beach and the excitement.  We didn't plan on doing any special projects.  But one night we were talking and we got so excited about 'special projects' that we got started right away.  And then katlyn emailed us about the bunkbeds and we loved the idea. so then we put it on our blog. and then i got nervous. what if we don't have anyone willing to support us or the beds? I mean 500 dollars for one bunkbed? thats crazy. And as the week went on i thought we were for sure crazy to think we could raise that kind of money. but in the back of my mind, as he always does, the Lord was saying, trust me. and towards the end of last week i decided that i would really try.  So i said, Lord do what you want with this blog, and do what you want with these special projects. and then Saturday, the Lord started to work. really work, in a huge way. There is this small church here in Lynchburg who answered our prayers.  I met the pastor of the church two weekends ago as he was walking around my apartment complex getting to know people and inviting them to church.  This made such an impact on me.  The fact that this pastor, Pastor Al, and his friend, Pastor Ed, were knocking on my door and inviting me really touched me, so i went.  The best way to sum up this sweet little church is family.  It's alot like walking into a family reunion.  On Saturday, Pastor Al asked if i wanted to speak about my trip to Honduras in church.  I said yes but i was nervous.  I made some quick little bookmarks with some information on it and went to sleep praying that the Lord would speak instead of me.  I go to this church by myself so I was nervous to speak in front of this church of people who I didn't know without anyone in the audience i knew cheering me on.  Little did i know, I had the best little group of cheerleaders in that audience.  The Lord was there, and he answered Dan and I's prayers in a major way.  Thanks to Pastor Al's church, not only do we have enough money for bunkbeds, but we have enough for way more.  And now, we are thinking about building bunk beds instead of buying them so it is cheaper and we can make more.  My heart is so full.  Dan and i are stunned. literally it has been hard to wrap my head around it all.  Today I read this verse from Psalms 131:1-3 that says, "My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed myself and quieted my ambitions. I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."  reading this was so perfect.  Once I quieted my ambitions and just let God be God, he showed me that he had plans so much bigger than what I had dreamed.  Like i told dan, obviously the Lord has more planned for this trip than we expected, we just have to trust him with that and take a backseat.  So thank you Pastor Al and The Kirk.  We will never forget your generosity and thanks to your amazing love, some children in Honduras will no longer have to sleep on concrete.  My heart could explode tonight.  seriously, thank you.

A Message From Kate.

Katlyn sent us an email that can be found in our "Special Projects" link or you can view it by clicking here!!!

Our little adventure...

In about a month, we will be heading to Honduras.  It is hard to put into words how exciting that is.  The point of this blog is to document our time there and keep you updated.   We will try to do that everyday whether it’s dan updating, or me. My sister, katlyn, has been in Honduras now for 10 months. She is volunteering for an organization called Honduras Children which is a nonprofit that works with children in the small town of El Porvenir (read about it here.) In November, my family and I went to visit Katlyn for Thanksgiving. This trip was way more incredible than expected. Not that I didn’t expect it to be wonderful, but I guess I didn’t really understand the impact of what katlyn was doing.  (Read about what she has been doing here, and read her blog here.) .

  

 this is katlyn in El Porvenir..

    After that trip, I knew I had to spend some time there, definitely longer than just a week. And I knew I had to bring dan. The whole time I was there I thought ‘he would love this.’ When I got back and we talked about traveling this summer, we looked at different organizations but we couldn’t find any that was quite as perfect as the one in El Porvenir.  I mean, lets be honest… who wouldn’t want to wake up to the mountains behind them, and the beach at their doorstep? Perfection. 

kate and i with some ninos on the beach... literally right at her doorstep...

the view opposite the beach... seriously? perfect.

So anyway… we decided as we thought more about our trip, that we really wanted to be intentional with our time in Honduras. Really change lives. Really change our own. The Lord has brought the two of us together in these past few months of preparing for this trip in ways we could never have predicted. We have grown as a couple and we have grown in the Lord’s love.…  and the adventure hasn’t even begun.  We also want you to be involved in as many ways as possible. One of those ways is simply prayer. Please pray for our time there. We want our time to really mean something in the big picture. Secondly, we are really excited about some special projects. Recently katlyn has been helping out specific families in town with individual needs. One family of 5 with one mattress, was obviously in need for another.  So with the money one of the volunteers raised, they bought a mattress.  One family needed a fan, and another needed birth certificates. Simple things that change lives.  Dan and I want you all to be a part of that.  These families have incredible lives… hard lives.  Their stories, their needs, and the cost of some of their needs will be posted as time progresses and as Katlyn informs us of new stories. Please read some of these stories as they are posed under the 'special projects' tab.  Get to know the families, and if you feel led, please donate to these needs (information for donation will be posted under the donating tab.) You can also sponsor a child on the Honduras Children website (here.).  Please be a part of this journey.  We want you to be invested in their lives. Matthew 25 says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”  That’s what we want to do for the 37 days we will be there.  So please help us out. Read along with us as we document our journey. Support these children, and if you feel led, support us by clicking this link.  This isn’t about us though, so please choose the kids and their families over us!  We are not worried, the Lord will provide for our funds while we are there.  Thank you in advance. You are so special to us.  Finally... here are some pictures of a few of the kids katlyn has been working with.