Wowed by God

Four days ago, our Board of Directors sat on a conference call crunching numbers.  We had our tickets to Sierra Leone, but that was it.  The bank account was virtually empty.  It was looking a bit dismal.  While our hearts told us we had not heard wrong when the Lord said "Go," our eyes were saying something altogether different.  We tallied up the figures - $2,500 for furniture, screens, a water tank and other set up costs, $2,500 for program expenses (salaries, etc) for one month, $2,500 for our living expenses for one month, including setting up the internet and buying all the initial food and supplies, and $2,500 for registering Women of Hope International as an NGO with the government of Sierra Leone.  $10,000 for March expenses.  Seeing as how it is so difficult to get money to Sierra Leone, we were hoping to carry over 2 months worth of case so the board wouldn't have to pay exorbitant wire fees to get us April's money.  But, that was an additional $4,500. 

So, nine days out from departure, we needed at least $10,000, and we had a few hundred.  That isn't even counting the fact that we don't have a vehicle when we get there, which makes it pretty hard to do much of anything at all! 

Enter the miraculous...

A friend from church asked me (Kim) if I'd be at AWANA on Wed night.  I said I was dropping off the kids, but couldn't stay because I had work to get done.  She said, "Well, be sure you find me.  I need to talk to you and it's really important."  So, I found her.  Now mind you, this family is not especially well-off.  In fact, they are in financial need right now due to a number of circumstances.  So, she tells me that the Lord spoke to her husband very specifically about helping Women of Hope and told him to sell some of the shares that he gets from his company as a perk - and told him the number to sell.  So, he did.  The check had come through that day and she then handed me a cashier's check for - TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!  I was floored.  Stunned.  Awed.  And I cried. 

The exact amount we needed for March's expenses...?!  I called Kelsey.  She and I had both been having pretty miserable days.  The reality of what this ministry is costing in personal sacrifice was looming large that day, and we had both been assailed by doubts and fears, leading to a spirit of complaining and wondering if God really was going to come through like we originally thought.  When I told her the story she... well, I'll put it mildly.  She cried too.  And so it went on through the Board. 

What an amazing God we serve!  And how humbling to be allowed to participate with Him in this great plan of His for the redemption and restoration of broken women. 

Yes Lord, we believe.   Help our unbelief!

The Countdown is On!

In just 10 days, Kim Kargbo, Kelsey Martin and Kim's 3 children will move to Sierra Leone for 4 months.  Kim's husband, Tim, will also be accompanying the group, but only staying for 2 weeks.  Since there is no electricity in Makeni, where Women of Hope International is headquartered, Tim will be installing solar energy systems for the guesthouse rented for the administrative team and the WOHInt office.  He will then return home to his job in Memphis, TN.

The guesthouse, at the moment, not only doesn't have electricity, but it also doesn't have running water, screens on the windows, or furniture!  Other than that, it's a really nice house (we think - we actually haven't seen it)!  The WOHInt staff is working on getting things in order for the team's arrival in 10 days, but things don't usually happen as you wish them to in Sierra Leone, so we're not holding our breath.  We're praying that at least the screens get installed to keep the malaria-ridden mosquitoes out of the house at night. The rest we'll deal with as we go.  We can always take showers out of buckets and sleep on mattresses on the floor until furniture is made and a water tank can be installed.  We wouldn't mind if you want to pray about these things with us!  Life is already hard in Sierra Leone, so a few little conveniences can make all the difference.

There is so much to do to prepare to be gone for 4 months, as you can imagine.  Credit card auto-payments must be stopped, pets cared for, mail delivery dealt with, bills dealt with, and many other things.  Keeping it all straight is the hard part!  Then there is packing.  Fortunately, we shipped all the household goods over to Sierra Leone already, which makes packing a bit easier.  We have 5 drums and a couple of boxes of things on a ship which is supposed to arrive 2 days before we do.  We'll see if that happens!  But, packing up the remainder of a school year, clothes and shoes for 3 kids, supplies and resources for the program (like Braille books and sign language videos), and personal items takes some thinking.

We'll keep you posted as we step out on this great adventure.  It's a wild ride - but an exciting one!

The Inside Story

Thanks for coming to the new Women of Hope International blog.  We wanted a place where people could stay informed of what's really going on with Women of Hope and the women we serve on a more intimate level than the monthly newsletter snippets.  This is where the "real stuff" will be - the ups and the downs of this ministry, the things God is showing us, the needs we are trusting Him for...

Come back and check here often.  As our administrative team leaves for Sierra Leone in 2 weeks, there will be regular updates and stories from the field - the day to day ins and outs of working with and ministering to the women we've been called to touch.  You can rejoice with us, laugh with us, cry with us and pray with us in the journey that is Women of Hope International.