The Blessings Continue!

Hello Friends and Family!

Time has flown since the last time I posted an update about my service trip to Ghana.  I am half way through the fall semester of my senior year and am trying to soak up every minute.  Since the last time I posted in July, I have received so many blessings I can't begin to number them all.  Many of those blessings have come from family and friends in the form of prayers and donations towards my trip.  For those who have prayed for me and sent me donations, I would like to sincerely apologize for not sending your thank you cards sooner.  As I'm sure you all know, life has a way of making us so busy that we feel like we can't catch up.  Though I have not mailed all of your handwritten thank you cards yet, please know that my heart is overwhelming with gratitude. William Arthur Wood once said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Please consider this blog my attempt to give you all the present you deserve :)

Over the past four months, I have witnessed the Lord work miracles in my life.  I went from having little funds for my trip to having almost completely funded the entire trip.  It is because of generous, loving, and giving friends and family that I will be traveling to Ghana on December 7th!  Every time I open an envelope, I am astounded by the heartfelt gifts I receive.  Words can never describe how much it has meant to me to receive such thoughtful letters, notes, Facebook messages, and comments.  Thank you simply isn't enough to describe how humbled I am to be the receiver of these generous gifts.  Please consider the following e-card as an expression of my deep appreciation.  Click on these words to view the e-card: DaySpring E-Cards

I am in shock that in about a month I will be traveling to meet our girls in Ghana!  God has truly blessed me to have all of you join in my experience.  I pray He will richly bless each and every one of you.  I Love You all, always and for eternity!

Love Always,

Michelle

A Fount of Many Blessings

I would like to share with you how God took my idea to support girls’ education in Africa and transformed it into a fountain of many blessings. 

This journey began after I read the 2010 Meredith summer reading book Half the Sky, a book that details the plight of girls worldwide.  When I finished Half the Sky, I told my mother, “I don’t know how anyone could read this book and not be compelled to do something.”  At that moment, God inspired me to take a leap of faith and to share my desire “to do something” with Meredith’s chaplain.  This meeting initiated what is known today as Sisters United, a partnership between the Class of 2013 and the Chaplain’s Office that supports the education of five girls at orphanages in Kenya and Ghana.  After two years of supporting these girls, we have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Ghana this December!

On our service trip to Ghana, we will be visiting Beacon House, the orphanage in which our girls live.  During our trip, we will be leading a literacy program for the children, creating a garden by partnering with a nonprofit called Slow Food International, and helping build a poultry house layer enterprise by partnering with the NC State Department of Poultry Science.  We will also learn about Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lehmah Gbowee’s nonprofit called The Women Peace and Security Network Africa.  Most importantly, we will be able to fellowship and share God’s love with the Ghanaians.

                                                                             

I invite you to follow my journey by visiting my blog!  I plan to update my blog in the months leading up to the trip and in the months following my return.  Join me in learning more about the country of Ghana, our trip goals, and our groups' fundraising efforts.

Thank you for reading!

Michelle :)