How It All Began

So back in May I was finishing up a therapy session with a kiddo whose mother just returned from a mission trip to China with AAWA(I'm a speech-language pathologist (SLP), for those who don't know me). I asked her how her trip went and she shared with me stories from her visit, stories that tugged at my heart strings, stories that eventually led me to "get up and go". It was one story in particular that got me. The story went something like this...As the group was walking through the baby/toddler room, there was one little boy that the caregivers told them "doesn't have a mind". This little boy scooted across the floor toward my client, as she squatted to the floor with outstretched arms. When he came near to her he reached out and held her hands. They interacted for a short while, and when she walked away, he said "mama." His first word. The caregivers said that they didn't think he could even talk. Wow! Just Wow! I was pretty sure I heard God whisper "go" at that point. My client went on to tell me that they need "people like me" (i.e., medical professionals, SLPs, OTs, physical therapists, etc.) on these trips to help the caregivers understand how to work with the children who have special needs. Again, God whispered "Go." I heard it little louder at that time, but again, I thought, "Oh. no, not me." Then she made a comment about the Bible saying when you know about it, you are responsible to do something about it. Not her exact words, but something like that. Then I was certain He was talking to ME. But, of course, I'm not a very good listener, so I argued with God a little bit over the matter...for a good six week before deciding to say "yes". "I'll pray about it," I thought. Then, later that day, my client emailed me a link to her blog and a link to AWAA's website to read about their mission trips. "Ok, well, I'll just take a peak at the websites, and maybe one day I could do something like this," I thought. Then the next day (or a couple days later, I can't remember exactly), she forwards me an email response from one of the mission trip coordinators at AWAA (she had emailed her and told her about me) which talked about this trip, to Guangdong in October, and that she personally had been to this orphanage and there were many children with special needs-Down Syndrome, Autism, etc.-and that they could use "someone like me" on this trip. Well at that point, I said to God, "There is absolutely NO WAY I can go to China in less than five months. No way! for so many reasons--For one, I don't have $4300! Also, it's CHINA! It's so far away! I've never been that far away from home before. Also, TEN days?! That's such a long time to be away from Natalie. And I would miss Halloween and Natalie all dressed up trick-or-treating. And, my main SLP is having her baby during that time and will going on maternity leave and I will have a new SLP taking over for her at that time. AND, AND, AND...So, "I'll pray about it," I thought. And so I did and God kept bringing things up like "If you wait for perfect conditions you'll never get anything done" (Ecclesiastes 11:4) and on Facebook of all places, I read a quote on the Proverbs 31 Ministries page. It said "You know that thing God has been nudging you to do. Now's the time to begin" and it referenced Noah and how it had not started to rain when he said "yes" to God and began to build he arc. "Okay. Okay" I said to God. I'll email the coordinator and just get more information." So, I did and I was honest about being interested, but not having the money to go. She emailed me back an inspiring fundraising success story and a list of ideas for fundraising. "Ok. Well maybe I can do this. I'll have to work really hard to fundraise." BUT, Todd will NEVER agree to this. There's just no way. He'll think I've lost my mind. We absolutely don't have the money. "I'll just pray about it some more" I thought. I'm a little stubborn and I'm so grateful that God is so patient because it takes me a long time to comply sometimes. It's not that I don't trust God, I just don't trust myself and my ability to listen. I have a hard time discerning if whether the "voice" I hear is God or if its just my imagination or impulsivity. So anyway, God knows this and he usually eventually speaks VERY loud and VERY clear and he did. One Sunday in church, the priest's homily was VERY clear and Todd heard it, too. He was preaching on Matthew 8:21-22 "Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father. But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." Basically, what I heard was that you don't tell Jesus to "Wait." You just go and follow him. That's what we are called to do as His disciples. And just a few days before, I read Acts 8: 26-27 "But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he got up and went." He got up and went! And that is when I said. "Alright, God. I'll go!" So here I am, working my booty off to raise the money so I can go on this trip. Thanks for hanging in there with me through this long post and thanks for your prayers and support along this journey! If you want to read more about my client's trip, jump on over to her blog here

Going On a Mission Trip

So most of you know by now that I'm embarking on a new adventure...I'm going to China! China?!? That's SO far away! I'm going to "visit orphans", sweet little children, most of whom have special needs, children that need to be loved on with caregivers who need wisdom on how to best care for them, how to encourage their development, and hopefully provide some insight about their communication abilities that can be shared with potential adoptive families. I am starting this blog to keep those of you who are supporting me up-to-date on the happenings before, during, and after the trip. I have unfortunately not been blessed with the gift of entertaining, so my blog posts will likely just provide factual information about what's happening along this journey. My hope is that this blog will also serve the purpose of inspiring others to go out and do the same...to "visit orphans", as God calls us to do. "True and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27 I cannot do this alone! If I don't raise the money, I simply cannot go. I'll save those details for another blog post. But I know that when God calls us to do something, he enables us to complete it. So I know that with your support, I will be able to complete this journey, not just financial support, but prayers, prayers, and LOTS of prayers! My goal is to post 1-2 time per week with updates, prayer requests, or maybe just food for thought, so please stay tuned. Share this with others you know who have a heart for orphans or for children with special needs or anyone who would simply be interested in seeing how the Lord is working in an ordinary person's life. If you are interested in donating, you can do so online at https://www.awaa.org/give/general_donation.aspx. In the “Designated Funds” drop down box, select ACT Missions. And enter my name, Tara Roof, where it says “Participants Name” in order to ensure your donation is credited to my trip. Thank you for supporting me and for following my new blog!