Wanted- Additional Team Members for Team Shantou!

72 days until we leave for our mission trip! I'm getting pretty excited! We had our first phone conference as a team about a week and a half ago and I learned a little bit more about what to expect. Our team leader, Jennifer, seems pretty awesome! I can't wait to meet her and the other ladies who are going on this trip. So far, we have seven members (one who actually just joined us this week)! Jennifer's goal is for us to have a team of 10. The orphanage we will be visiting is in the city of Shantou, which is in the province of Guangdong. This orphanage is the home to about 200 kids! Can you imagine?!? Many of these children are older kids. There are three baby rooms with about eight babies in each room. One nanny is assigned to each baby room. So one nanny taking care of eight babies. Folks from AWAA have visited this orphanage before and these babies are well cared for, as far as their basic physical needs. They are clean, they are fed, and their diapers are changed regularly. But what they don't have is a lot of time for interaction, touch, holding and playing with the babies, talking to the babies, singing to the babies, doing all of those things that babies need to feel secure, safe, and loved and to form attachments. The younger babies will often lay in their cribs crying, just wanting to be held, but with no response. There are just not enough arms to provide this need. The older babies often don't cry anymore. They've learned that it doesn't work. They've given up in a sense. One of our main “jobs” at this orphanage will be to hold babies and love on them. Feed them, rock them, play with them, talk to them, pray over them, and just provide them with the touch that they don’t get on a daily basis. The more people that can go with us, the more babies that can be held. Could YOU be our next team member? Is God calling you to help with this mission? Now I know what you are thinking…a million reasons why you can’t go, right? I’m pretty sure all of those reasons popped into my head, as well. I will share with you my top four reasons “why I couldn’t go” and the reasons “why I could” that God showed me. 1.) WHY I CAN’T: “I don’t have the money. No way, no how can I come up with that kind of money before October!” WHY YOU CAN: “When God calls us to do something, HE PROVIDES! It might take a little (or a lot of) effort on your part. You will likely have to make some sacrifices. You will have to swallow some pride. But HE WILL provide if you are willing to follow Him! He will provide you with the wisdom of HOW to do it, the time and energy to follow through with His plan, and he will provide the funds in ways you never could have imagined. I am witnessing this first hand! There is no doubt in my mind that I will raise the rest of the money needed for my own trip and I know he will provide YOU with the funds, if you are willing to step out in faith and commit to following Him if he is calling you to this. “For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet and they would be distributed to each as any had need.” Acts 4:34 2.) WHY I CAN’T: “It’s just not a good time” My main SLP who works for me is having her baby while I will be in China. I will have a new SLP taking over her caseload for her maternity leave. Not exactly the best time for me to be out of the country. But, I have put this in God’s hands and I know it will be fine. I will just seek His wisdom and trust that He’s got this! WHY YOU CAN: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4) Let’s face it, it’s never going to be a good time. There’s always going to be something. 3.) WHY I CAN’T: “It’s Halloween. I’m going to miss my baby dressed up in a cute little costume going trick-or-treating. She’s only going to trick-or-treat when she’s two once.” WHY YOU CAN: Well this one really wasn’t hard for me to overcome. It’s not like it is Christmas or her birthday. It’s Halloween. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not really all that important. Taking the time to love on some babies that don’t have mommies or daddies seems much more important that than trick-or-treating. “Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless.” Psalm 119:37 4.) WHY I CAN’T: “I don’t think I can do that- see those babies crying with no one to pick them up, children with special needs who are just lying on the floor all day long with nothing to do and no one to play with them. I mean, what would I do? What would I say to them? How would I do it without breaking down into tears? No way. I’m not strong enough.” WHY YOU CAN: Of course you’re not strong enough. That’s why God wants us to do this. So that we have to rely on him and lean on him. That’s the only way anyone can do this. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witness, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even the remotest part of the world.” Acts 1:8 One final word. If you feel that God is calling you to do this, and I believe that if you feel just a hint of desire to go, He is calling you. Pray about it. And really listen. If you hear him calling, say “yes” to this. We would love to have you join our team! “Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with Him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you.” Job 22:21