Patricia Laura of Ten Thousand Homes

Back in July this list came out in The Huffington Post. I was THRILLED, GIDDY, ECSTATIC to see Ten Thousand Homes included.

I know Ten Thousand Homes is a remarkable place. It holds a part of my heart and because of this I've decided to "interview" the ladies of TTH and introduce them to you. These Q & A sessions are being posted in the order I receive them.

First up is Patricia Laura, originally from Brazil. You may have heard of that country. It had some kind of soccer thingy there recently. 

How did you come to be part of Ten Thousand Homes? In 2012, God had revived in my heart the dream of being a missionary and a friend showed me a website with information about TTH. Then in 2013 I came to Africa and had been serving for only 1 month and here God told me that I should return full-time. I was invited to come back and do the YWAM DTS. I came back two months later.

Was it an easy decision to join the staff? No. I had a ticket to go back to Brazil after finishing the school and God spoke to me clearly to stay. The hardest part was telling my parents and friends that I would not return to Brazil soon.

How long have you been on staff? 6 months

What is your role at Ten Thousand Homes? I have been added to the Community Development team and help in all that is necessary. I keep praying to God to tell me exactly what to do.

How do you describe hope? For me HOPE is to see and believe that the situation can change in spite of circumstances.

Why is hope important to you? HOPE brings joy, faith and truth.

What is a dream you have for Ten Thousand Homes or yourself? I have a dream of seeing God's love changing this nation through the TTH family. For myself I have a dream to have my own family.

What is one thing you want people to know about Ten Thousand Homes? TTH is not about food or a house, it is about Love, Hope and Relationship with God and people. 

Thank you, Patricia, for sharing. You are so beautiful. I love your heart. I need to hug your neck.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Today is the day the 2013 South Africa journey begins.

On Sunday evening we'll arrive at the Ten Thousand Homes property. I'm looking forward to hugging some necks!


Here are some blogs that have ties with Ten Thousand Homes.

KNOWN
Hearts For South Africa
i believe in love
A Journey of Hope

I suggest you check them out to learn more about what's happening in their neck of the woods.

What will I be doing there? I'll be working with the team at the feeding programs and teaching at the Compassion Discipleship School and whatever else comes up.

And, now, I'm trying to get excited about a really LOOOOOOONG flight or two.

Charity

I took this picture last year when I was in South Africa at the Dwaleni feeding.  It has haunted me ever since.  I never saw this child show any emotion or even move very much.  I didn't even know if it was a he or a she.

So, imagine my hope when I saw this picture on Kacy's blog post at Christmas time.

I was pretty sure it was the same child and I quickly asked Kacy to confirm it.  The answer was YES! The child has a gender.  The child has a name.  The child has a smile!  And food in both hands!

And, then this past week Kacy featured Charity in this blog post.  Oh! How it made my heart sing to see this little smiling face.

Daughters of South Africa: Thuli and Annika

This piece was written for a site that got hacked and wrecked before it could be posted. So, I decided to run with it here.

While on a trip last March, I was blessed to meet two lovely daughters of South Africa. Both agreed to take time from their busy schedules to sit down with me to answer a few questions. Both spoke to my heart. And both have the most lovely accents. Wish you could hear them.

First up is Thuli Sannie, wife of Stembiso, a local pastor, and mother of Blessing, a delightful toddler that entertained me one afternoon with his laughter and silliness.

What was it like growing up as a woman in South Africa?
I think it was good. I'm happy to be a woman in Africa. I'm proud of it. I think it is very good.

Was there a hard time for you growing up?
I never had a hard time growing up. I had the support of my parents. I'm number five in my family so I had the support of my brothers. We had twelve at home. Six girls and six boys. Thuli is the third girl.

Do you think it is hard to be a man or a woman here?
It depends. It's how you grow up. Men have to work hard to get food and clothes to support the family.

What is one dream you have for your community?
To see the women be independent, having their own business that they can teach others and not have to depend on men. Not having that makes us poor.

What is one dream you have for your family?
To see my family safe. I'm praying for that. For us to love one another, to know each other deeply.

What is one dream you have for yourself?
To help people, to see people have hope, especially the women. Sometimes they don't have hope. My prayer is that God can help me about that. Thuli also desires to help the teenagers not turn to sex so easily. She wants to be courageous in teaching them a different way to live.

What are some of the lessons you think need to be passed down to younger women?
They need to be independent, go to school, not drink and not do drugs. Girls fall pregnant so easily and children grow up without fathers. We need to teach that it is okay to say no to sex.

Annika is an artist, wife of Zach and mother of Ariel, Zoe, and Charlotte. She is on staff with Ten Thousand Homes, an organization dedicated to the orphans of South Africa.

Annika feels she lived a very safe, sheltered life growing up which made for an easy childhood. Her parents were not racist, so she knew very little about apartheid and the horrors that were happening in parts of South Africa. It wasn't a subject covered in school. Because of her family's beliefs they had no qualms when the schools were desegregated.

One of her dreams for the community is to see her sewing project, SOSEW, expand for women struggling to feed their kids. It would give women a skill they enjoy. They would be able to use God's creativity while making a difference in their lives.

She dreams of her family continuing to minister together, that they will always have a heart for what God is doing and engage in that together.

One of the ways Annika connects to God is through her painting. She would love to be able to paint on a regular bases and someday have a gallery of her own. Her artwork can be found hanging in various locations on the Ten Thousand Homes base. The Ten Thousand Homes logo is based on one of her pieces.

When asked about what one lesson she thought needs to be passed down to younger women she answered: The greatest thing you can find is peace with yourself and how God has made you.

Ten Thousand Homes

Some people I know live in South Africa, just outside of White River, in a special place called University Village. They are a beautiful bunch with lots of variety in background and specialties. All that variety mixes together to make up Ten Thousand Homes. This is what they say:

Ten Thousand Homes is a movement of ordinary people actively building HOPE and creating HOMES for Africa's orphans and vulnerable children.

They call themselves ordinary, but if you have spent any time with them and watched them love and minister and disciple you know really fast that they are not ordinary.

At this time Ten Thousand Homes is working on University Village Phase 1: Three year campaign to finish the purchase of the 14 acre property. As this phase ends and Phase 2 begins, TTH will begin renovating all existing buildings to suit the needs of the campus as well as upgrade the property’s security in light of the crime problem in South Africa.

Three years will be up at the end of January. If you can, please help wrap up this part of the campaign. It's a very simple and safe process.

You can learn more about the people of Ten Thousand Homes at the following:
KNOWN
Saving The Lost
Zachary + Anneke - The artwork on this site is by Anneke.
The McMillian Tribe

or find the all of them on this page.

Save The Nuba

by Jessica.Dotta
Have you ever wondered what you would have done had you been alive in 1940 and was one of those who knew about the Holocaust?

Would you have been a person of action or a person of silence?

It is perhaps one of the most important issues to wrestle with. More than once in our lifetime we will find ourselves at a crossroad, one where the decision we make will reveal as much about our character as our convictions.

There is a genocide happening right now in Northern Sudan. The government is eradicating their own people. If we don’t speak up and help, no one else will. Each time North Sudan launches an attack to kill their own people, and we in the Western world remain silent, we give our permission to continue.

It is easier to overlook what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Sudan because the task feels overwhelming and thinking about it can make us feel helpless.

The truth of the matter is that one person alone cannot save the Nuba People. But a community of people acting in unison can.

One of the most extraordinary acts found in mankind is when a member of the human race deliberately goes out of his way to help another. It is love in action. It is loving your neighbor. It is doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

This month, The Persecution Project Foundation has launched a campaign called Save the Nuba. In order to prevent another genocide, they need the help that only a community can offer.

For those who can afford it, the need for food and medicine is desperate.

For those who have little to give, they’re asking for petitions signed, for awareness to be spread through social media (Facebook, Twitter and blogs.)

For those who are passionate about this cause, they need your help raising awareness.

Will you join us in speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves?

Please visit www.SavetheNuba.com to learn ways you can help.

Active Compassion for the Persecuted from Watermelon Ministries on Vimeo.

Giving when it hurts

I've been reading up on Ten Thousand Homes over the last couple of days and let's just say that I've been extremely impressed and extremely moved.

For a few years now I've known about Ten Thousand Homes because I know a family on the ground with them in South Africa. Their faith family in the States strongly supports the ministry with funds and volunteers.

Over the last couple of days there has been a tug in my soul to visit there, so that's when I started doing more intense research about TTH.

I came across this in their blog.

10K Tuesday: A Sacrificial Gift

Last week, a local volunteer at our Kabokweni Care Center was seen counting her money. When asked why, the volunteer replied that she had seen that one of the orphaned children needed new school clothes and she wanted to help. This volunteer is a single mother with several children of her own and she struggles everyday to put food on her table, but despite all of her own trials she gave from her heart even though it must have hurt.

Creative Action:

This is a challenge for all of us this week. Find a way to give even when it hurts. Whether that means sacrificing your money, time, or emotions, find your own way to give sacrificially, which means ESPECIALLY when it hurts.

WOW!

TTH 2 from Ten Thousand Homes on Vimeo.

Love Mercy - a book, a shop and a journey

While in Nashville this past weekend I paid a visit to McKay's (thank you Sarah Freeman) and found the book Love Mercy - A mother & Daughter's Journey from the American Dream to the Kingdom of God. It's a brand new book, just published in this here 2010.

The title caught my eye, because that's the name of my Etsy shop and then the author's name caught my eye, because she is one of my favorite authors. And since my daughter and I were in Nashville on a social justice trip it was a buy, buy, buy situation.

Lisa Samson and her daughter, Ty, wrote the book together about their trip to Swaziland and how it rocked their world.

Lisa and I have a lot in common.

She writes great fiction.
I like to read great fiction.

She and her husband wrote a great book, Justice in the Burbs.
I read Justice in the Burbs and recommend it to people all the time.

She was born in '64.
I was born in '63.

She has a child born in '89.
I have a child born in '89.

She and her daughter have been to Africa.
I've been to Africa with one of my daughters.

See! We're almost twins!

I'm only on Chapter 3, but I'm greatly appreciating this book. The writing styles are welcoming and honest. Can't wait to finish it.

This or That

Today I found this on kristiapplesauce. And you thought the decisions you have to make are hard.

How does a person make these kinds of decisions?

I Got Another Letter...

on Saturday from a very special little lady. It is my second letter from this special one. I found we have something in common. We both like la playa. Her mother bought her a "safeguard to swim in the beach." I'm so glad she has a safeguard. I hope it doesn't make her too brave in the water. She also sent me kisses and hugs. Those made me giddy!

I sent her some pictures to color for her mom. They're about Jesus loving the little children. Hope she has fun with them.

Compassion made these exchanges possible for me and my little lady in the Dominican Republic. You can look and find a little one to support financially and spiritually.

My friends, Matt and Kristen, support a boy in Africa. With the $25 they sent for his birthday he bought a mattress, a pair of stockings, a big bar of soap, and a bag of salt. He sent them a picture of him grinning as he held his birthday purchases. Also, due to their monthly sponsorship he is now in school. Yes!

Many children have been waiting longer than 6 months for sponsors. Take a look. We have so much compared to these. I encourage you to find one to sponsor.

I'm so thankful Compassion has given us the opportunity to reach out to these special kids.

UNRAFFLE

Brian Seay and his family are working on an adoption. They have created the UNRAFFLE. Being from a Southern Baptist background I totally understand their unique name for this fundraiser.

Click here to read the description and find out what your UNRAFFLE unticket will give you an opportunity to "unwin". Actually, your contribution does give you a "chance" (watch out for lightning) to win something.

Their adoption story is here.

40 Day Fast - Day Seven

Music lover, list writer, dreamer, idealist Fay is writing about clean water and the organization, charity:water. It looks to be a very interesting organization. I look forward to learning more.

Expert international dateline crosser, Lorijo, at Bamboo Song introduces us, or at least me, to Paz y Esperanza in Lima, Peru. Their mission is to promote justice and the development of the poor and marginalized.

40 Day Fast Is Here!

I am so excited to be part of the Forty Day Fast this year. It is one of those things that you want to participate in and try to make a difference in the world, but you really wish that there was no reason for the Forty Day Fast to have to exist.

Brant Hansen is kicking it off this year. Here is his blog, and as usual, it is great. He always inspires me or makes me laugh or both.

Compassion - It's Not Just For Children Anymore

Are you interested in helping a college student make a difference in the world? Do you want to make a difference in the world? Check out Shaun's entry about Moses. It has the information and links you need to find out more about Compassion's Leadership Development Program.

Bob Geldof, George W. Bush, Africa

My husband showed me this blog tonight. Very interesting. And not on the nightly news.

Mr. Geldof praised Mr. Bush for his work in delivering billions to fight disease and poverty in Africa, and blasted the U.S. press for ignoring the achievement.

Pocket Full of Rocks

When you sponsor a Compassion child, it is not a “symbolic” sponsorship. Your money is not going into some generic slush fund and doled out to a random group of children. There is only one Dissan, and he is ours. If we didn’t sponsor him, he wouldn’t have a sponsor unless someone else signed up. If you’re a child sponsor, and you want to visit your child in his home country, then they will arrange it.

Because there’s only one of you, and there’s only one of them.

Now read the rest of her blog. I mean it. Do not make me have to hurt you.

You need to read this...

it will do something to your insides and if it doesn't, well, then you are dead.

HOPE shows up...

What would you do if your child wanted to be a doctor? Would you have a plan to put into motion to make that happen? Would HOPE show up for your family?

Help HOPE show up for others.

Send The President To Africa

I just signed a petition to the 2008 presidential candidates urging them to commit to visiting Africa during their first term.

You can help by taking action here: http://www.one.org/visitafrica/

Let The Games Begin...

except it really isn't a game. How can life be a game? Thousands upon thousands of children are in dire need of basics every day, every moment. These people have partnered with Compassion International to see that something is done for those hurting children in Uganda. You can click on the widget at the top of my page or you can click on the following. These bloggers will see things daily that will break their hearts. They will also see hope. They will see places that provide that hope. They will see children for whom you can provide that hope. Don't just sit at your computer reading and nodding and thinking how horrible it is. Do something. Change a life for $32 a month.

Compassion Blog
Ragamuffinsoul
Chris Elrod
Doug Van Pelt
Whittaker Woman
Phil Ware
Ethos
Shaun Groves
BooMama
Flowerdust
Rocks In My Dryer
J-Walking
Compassion - Christian Child Sponsorship
Spence Smith
Queen Anne's Lace
Brian Seay

Now go: read, sponsor, change a life.