Jonah's Well

This is my Memorial Box Monday 
(A Place Called Simplicity)





I have waited a long time to post this update/video. This is truly the work of Almighty God. No man could have planned it this way. No person could have orchestrated the timing so perfectly. No human can write a story like this. Except God.

Today, In Uganda, Praise, her children and the entire village of Matugga-Bubaale will forever have access to safe, clean water. Why? Because a body of believers from Petaluma, CA stepped out in faith, believing that God is so much bigger than our present circumstances. 

And a precious little boy from Santa Rosa CA, born March 2, 2012, already in the hands of Jesus, will forever play a beautiful part in the lives of people half way around the world.

Why? Because it's all part of His grander plan.

Enjoy this video and see how all these pieces of this amazing story came together. After months of planning, preparing, and fundraising.... the well was completed on the 1 year anniversary of baby Jonah entering the arms of Jesus. - I pray we all see how huge this is. At lease I think it's huge! You can not put God in a box. E.V.E.R.

All the money was raised through a family started  (soon-to-be) non-profit that bakes fresh yummy bread and sells the bread. 100% of all the money raised goes to meet the urgent needs of orphans in Uganda. The ministry is called "Bread for Life Ministries".

My blog tells the whole story! 

Early June the website will be launched.

www.bread4lifeministries.org 

God is good all the time and all the time GOD IS GOOD!

Praise HIM! 

We are so thankful for Linny and Dwight!

They have encouraged me to step out in faith in a way I never thought I could. Because of that, together, we are making a difference. It's so awesome.

(And fun. Literally!) 

It's Official! "Bread For Life Ministries"

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, 
     and so all went well. 
     Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 22:16

Friends And Family...
I have some very exciting news!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that,

"Bread For Life" has been approved
through the Secretary of State and Federal Offices
and the name is OURS!!

Woo-Hoo!

Soooo it's official! We are now:

"Bread For Life Ministries"

We are non-profit bound, full speed ahead.

My heart leaps for joy when I say those words.

Who would have ever thought!

It has come to THIS point because of YOU and your continued support of this ministry when in the beginning I really had no clue what I was doing. I had no idea that the very first time I put 22 loaves of bread in the oven, that it would raise $648. Clearly the Lord was moving and demonstrating the simplicity of His work, if we are just faithful to ACT.

"God is calling us... we are supposed to move"

Here we are a year later and we raised roughly $18,000

with BREAD alone! In 12 months!

WOW! 

Glory be to GOD!

Take a step of faith... you'll never know until you do!

I remember when I was praying to the Lord,

"What can I do?"

"How can I make a difference in the lives of the least of these?"

I remember at first thinking I had to do something BIG.

Something.never.ever.thought.of.before.

Something nobody has ever done before, etc…

The foolishness of my heart kept me from seeing that the Lord only wanted me to do what he had already blessed me to do.
I am not a baker but He has blessed my ability to bake yummy bread.
The answer was right in front of my face.

"God does not call the equipped,
He equips the called."

So simple. So easy. So yummy.

I was making it much harder than it needed to be.

I would bake bread. And sell it.

Voila!

The name 'Bread For Life' is so precious to me on so many levels.
I truly know it was a name given to me from God Himself, spoken with authority straight to my heart. I will never forget the day He whispered the name to me back in 2011 as I was walking from my kitchen to my living room. It was so clear. So powerful. So profound.

The Lord's Spirit ministered to my heart and it went something like this:

"Your ministry shall be called, 'Bread For Life.’
You will bake bread, sell it and every penny raised will go to the urgent needs of my children.

Your bread will give life.
The same way that I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.
This bread represents Me and My love for my children."

"Then Jesus declared,

"I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry..."

John 6:35

I've created a sticker with this scripture written on it.
It is stuck to the bottom of every single loaf of bread we sell. 

"Bread For Life" is more than just baking bread and selling it to raise money for orphans.
It is sharing the Gospel with my community.
Helping to mobilize the church to do what we have been commanded to do.

We all have "callings" in life.
However, caring for the 'least of these' is not a calling,
it is a command.
We are all commanded to care for the orphan, the widow, the naked, the hungry, the lonely
in some degree or another, no matter what.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

Matthew 25 31:40

We are commanded to do this,
in addition to the other great things we are 'called' to do. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Again, thank you to everyone who has bought a loaf of bread this past year.
Without YOU, Bread For Life couldn't exist. 

Together, we truly ARE helping children, one loaf at a time.



So here’s to our official name:

"Bread For Life Ministries"

"In you the orphan finds mercy." 
Hosea 14:3



On a side note: I have had different individuals and organizations ask if they could use 'Bread For Life' for fundraising opportunities. I am thrilled that B4L could help others in their fundraising efforts, that will go towards helping more orphans. Whether it’s fundraising for an adoption or a missions trip, or to raise money that will go directly to the needs of orphans, I am more than happy to see about selling starter kits, that can use our logo with our name. (If you need a little help getting your feet off the ground.) I have an amazing 12 member board team and we are currently working out all these details. Hopefully information on 'Bread For Life Starter Kits' will be coming soon. Until then, please message me if you are interested. Thanks and God Bless! 

Let's do this friends!
Let's change lives ALL for the Glory of Him
who changed us! 

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives."
Titus 3:14

"The Memo" Blog Post

Did you get the memo?

A blog post that rocked my world and changed me forever!

You have to ask yourself, did you get the memo? 

Thank you Linny (from A Place Called Simplicity)

for writing this and being so faithful.

You have blessed many people. 

Click Here

"We Didn't Get the Memo"

Hillside Church - 'Bread For Life'

This girl is blessed beyond words!

In the two weeks 'Bread For Life' was at Hillside Church in Petaluma, I was blown away at the precious hearts of the leadership, the open warm hearts of the people and the solid Word being preached from the pulpit. This whole experience was a breath of fresh air.

The warmth and the love that this church showed me was a reminder that this is what the Bride of Christ looks like. Christ-centered, God-honoring, orphan-caring, assisting the poor, giving to the homeless, giving above and beyond what is required, Church. Overall, I am encouraged and humbled at the whole experience

As a body of believers, we raised exactly $900 for the 'least of these'. Praising God! There is great joy when we can work together as a community of believers.

Together we DO make a difference!

Side Note:

I was asked to share 'my story' with the congregation on Sunday October 28th. Here is a link to the message. Pastor Brad's sermon is awesome and I pray you are blessed, encouraged and challenged in your walk with Christ.

Here is the slideshow (click here) that I showed the congregation explaining the project for Praise and how we hope to drill her a water-well soon. These are the faces of her sweet children. 

I read a quote by Katie David that says, ""I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy."

I can honestly say, this is a daily fear I have. 

We Must Learn - K.P.

"We must learn to look away from our own worlds

to care for what God cares about.

Let's not devote our energies into trinkets

and mindless self-indulgence that have no eternal value,

but instead learn to invest in these children God cares about so much.

They truly are the least of these --

the ignored, unfed, abused and unloved.

And we are told by our Lord

that we cannot turn a blind eye to their plight."

No Longer A Slumdog by K.P. Yohannan

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.

Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Proverbs 31:8-9

If We Are Willing, He IS Able!

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD,

have never forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 9:10

 

What another amazing day for Bread FOR Life

where the Lord just ONCE AGAIN

demonstrated His great mercy and love for this little ministry.

I tell you what, it is jaw dropping!

On Sunday February 19^th Bread FOR Life raised a total of

$1,340

It is just astounding.

God’s love for His children can not be stopped.

He will provide if we are faithful to act.

(If we are willing, He IS able!)

A Faithful

F.A.I.T.H.F.U.L.

God is He.

It was a great blessing to be able to stand before the congregation again and give an update on the ministry thus far. I also was thrilled and ecstatic to share with them the letter that I received from Sanyu pouring out their heart of gratitude and thankfulness for all that God has provided through the Body of Christ in Petaluma so far.

(To read the ‘Thank You’ letter from Sanyu Babies’ Home, click here.)

The letter was extremely powerful and the Spirit of God

was touching many hearts (certainly mine) as it was read.

Bread FOR Life is a miracle-ministry.

I do not say that with a boastful heart.

I am simply blown away and in complete

AWE at the work of the Lord.

(Should I expect anything less?)

When we can bake a few loaves of bread and bring in

$1340 dollars for the orphaned and abandoned children

of Africa you know the Lord is

ALL. OVER. THIS!

All Glory to His name!

* This is super cool *

The bread “sales” alone brought in $340.

Then we received a generous check for $500.00 (Thank you Mr. W!)

THEN...

We received another check for $500...

BUT

want to hear the most amazing part of this whole story and WHY I am really brought to my knees in tears with a heart of amazement?

Here is why.

I have always told my husband exactly this,

“I believe that when the time is right, the Lord will place it on somebody’s heart to give to the ministry specifically for the ingredients we need. I believe they will write us a check and say, ‘Here take this and go buy your ingredients.”

I told Chris this from the very first day

and I even repeated that to him the

NIGHT BEFORE February 19^th.

This is what I KNOW the Lord confided in me

from the very beginning.

He promised me that He would provide for this ministry if we would just take a few first-steps of faith.

Well, get a load of this:

After church, a dear, dear sister in the Lord looked at me and with her sweet little index finger motioned for me to come near her. As I sat down on the chair behind her, she leaned into me and whispered, “Im going to write you a check for $500.00, the question for you, is do you want it to go towards the orphanage or do you want it for your ingredients?”

I about fell out of my chair!

Literally!

I almost fell out of my body!

This $500 can now produce 500 Loaves of Bread!!!

These 500 Loaves could easily raise over $5,000!!!

As you could imagine, $5,000 goes a L.O.N.G. way in Uganda!!!!

ONLY GOD!

Truly God has called the church in America

to be the Bread Basket to the world!!!!

This is HIS ministry.

These are HIS children!

This is all HIS money!

He does not need us, however, He wants to use us.

I know that lives are being changed both here in Petaluma and there in Uganda through this little fundraiser. I see it almost daily.

He knows what He is doing.

He is caring for His children through a few loaves of bread

and a few faithful hearts.

Praise God.

All Glory to His name, Forever and Always!

I will have a grand total for you sometime next week. I believe we are now close to $5,000 for the orphans since December 11, 2011!!!

ONLY ONLY ONLY

HIM.

"He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever."

Psalms 111:5

 

A BIG 'THANK YOU' from SANYU! - MBM

"And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

Tonight is another night in the kitchen!

Woo-Hoo!!!

We are heading to the bakery to bust out approx 43 loaves of delicious

LEMON BREAD!

Yum!

I just love “Bread FOR Life”

For those of you who are not familiar with “Bread FOR Life”, it is a fundraiser that I started back in early December 2011. We bake homemade all-natural bread (pumpkin, lemon, banana and yeast rolls) and sell the bread at local churches to raise money for orphans. I suggest a donation of $8.00 per loaf and 100% of all proceeds goes towards food, clothes, medical, and LOVE for the sweet orphans of this world. It really is the most amazing thing ever.
The Lord has blessed it so much. We have currently raised ALMOST and I mean

A.L.M.O.S.T.

$4000.00!

Woo-Hoo PRAISE GOD!

Currently we are sending all the money to a sweet little orphanage in Uganda called Sanyu Babies’ Home! The Lord placed this orphanage heavy on my heart months ago and ever since then
He has been faithful to provide.

Faithful God is He!

I received a precious email last night from Sanyu Babies’ Home and I would love to share that with you. It is SUCH a blessing to know that we have made a huge impact on this little old orphanage half-a-world away, and today they are rejoicing at His goodness because of you and I!

This is what it said:    Note: (*…) are things I added.

Dear Robin,

This letter comes with many greetings from Sanyu Babies' Home, most especially from all the babies in our care. (*Giggling. Precious little babies.) On behalf of all the babies, staff and administration of Sanyu Babies' Home, I wish to express our most sincere gratitude to you and to all Christians of 360 Church of Petaluma for your very kind and generous donation of 5,141,250/= (USD $2,285) to the Sanyu babies. (*Little do they know… more and more $$$ is on the way! Praise God!) The donation is of great relief to the Home and it is going to make a very big difference in the lives of the children and the entire Sanyu family. Thank you so much for being a blessing to us and I sincerely thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. (*Priceless!)

Donations to Sanyu Babies Home are very important as the Home receives no(*!) regular financial support from any church or charity, thus relying entirely(*!) on Friends like you to provide for all the children's needs. As you can probably imagine, this becomes extremely difficult at times as we often have between 40 -50 children in our care at any one time aged from hours old up to approximately 3 years. Currently we have 49 children ages 1 day old to 3 yrs.

Sanyu Babies' Home was started in 1929 by a missionary rister, RIP Sr. Winfred Milnes Walker, and it is the oldest home of its kind in Uganda. Sanyu Babies' Home is a Christian based Organization taking care of abandoned children. We exist to provide Christ-like love to babies and children deprived of parental love; and reintegrating them into the community through reuniting them with their families, fostering or adoption.

Every child has been found somewhere, often in appalling places such as rubbish bins, gardens, roadsides, public toilets, etc. The children are found from hours, days, weeks, or months old and often in very poor states of health. Their entire future relies on Sanyu Babies' Home and friends like you.(*!!)  When the children arrive, we have to guess their age and give them a name, and then here, at Sanyu is where their new life begins. (*Praise GOD for Sanyu) We therefore try to provide for all the needs of such children, from medical requirements to daily foods, etc, relying entirely on friends for support.

So a big thank you on behalf of all the children who rely on friends like you, but can not talk for themselves. (*Those precious watery big brown eyes)

We are looking forward to your continued support. Our prayers and best wishes for you always.”

Amazing!

This is what it is all about my Friends!

This is WHY the Lord created “Bread FOR Life” and this is why we must remain faithful in what the Lord has blessed us with. I am so excited to continue to make a difference. I am beyond tickled to see what the Lord has in store for us (Community of Petaluma!) as we walk faithful in His calling.

If you have a church here in Sonoma County and would like to see "Bread FOR Life"
come to your church, please email me. It is completely overwhelming the
JOY and EXCITEMENT that comes from such a sweet little ministry like this.
(I can say that because I’ve watched it change lives!)

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU

from the bottom of MY heart for all of those who have purchased bread

and made a contribution for this ministry.

Your giving is LITERALLY providing LIFE for precious little children
who have almost lost their own!

Thank you my friends.

And THANK YOU Jesus.

You are AWESOME and I love you!

 

We ARE making a difference. One loaf at a time!

 

Unknown baby girl aged 3 months admitted to Sanyu. The baby was abandoned in a Taxi by her mother. The taxi driver thought she was going to the restroom, but she never returned.. The driver took the baby to the Old Kampala Police Station and later the child was brought to The Sanyu Babies Home.

 

 

 

Unknown baby boy aged 1 month admitted to Sanyu. The baby was found abandoned near a papyrus fence tied in a plastic bag and clothes tied around his neck by a Good Samaritan named Nabuma Sumaiya. She reported the matter to the police and later brought the baby to Sanyu Babies home for care and protection

Unknown baby girl aged 3 weeks admitted to Sanyu. The baby was brought to Sanyu after the mother died immediately after birth. The next of kin, her grandfather, a widower, was unable to care fore the baby so she was brought to the Sanyu babies Home for care and protection.

 

 

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,

 they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31




A smart woman knows her limits.
A woman of faith knows there are no limits!

God is HUGE!

Faces In Another Land

^"But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
   you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
   you are the helper of the fatherless."

Psalm 10:17-18

There is so much that goes on in my heart throughout the day. I am overwhelmed with a love for a Country that I have never been too. I don't know much about their culture. I don’t speak their language. I only have 1 true African friend. (I love you Jackie!)
Although one of my husband's best friend is a refugee from Sudan.

However, I am completely overwhelmed with this people and their land.

Is that weird?

I think it would have to be. Or it could just be a God-thing.

I am reading two books right now. "No Longer A Slumdog" by K.P. Yohannan. (WOW!)

Also, reading and rereading “Kisses from Katie.” Between these two books my mind is constantly thinking of everything other than the easy and simple life of America.

When I read that Katie is pulling jiggers out of malnourshied and emaciated children, I think, “I can to do that.” When she picks up a child out of the slum and brings them home for a month, feeds them, bathes them and nurtures them back to health, I think, “I can do that.” When I read that K.P., founder of Gospel for Asia, I'm overwhlemed with story after story of how he rescued children straight from the mouth of death. He gave them hope and now they are healthy, beauiful, thriving children. It's so the Lord.

I don’t know. My mind is a crazy place these days.

When I have these thoughts, I ask myself and the Lord, “Am I fooling myself. Am I living a fairytale dream in my mind? I mean, who wants to sell everything they own and move to a land they know nothing about and pull jiggers out of AIDS children and scrape dead skin off their bodies and hold them and love them and tell them about Jesus?"

Welcome to my mind.

Many times at night, I sit on the computer and I read stories. I read blogs and I look at pictures. (I know...) Here are some that I think are special and I want to share with you my thoughts as I look at these precious faces. Maybe you can relate. Or maybe this will show you, that yes,
I have flown out to the coo-coos nest. (Hopefully the Lord’s coo-coo nest!)

Here is Pauline. Isn’t she beautiful?

When I look at her, I see pure beauty.

Is that strange?

Perhaps.

What we define as beauty here in America is, well, don’t even get me started.

Sure her skin is weathered. She didn’t just come from the salon and get a $145.00 cut with color. She probably hasn’t seen $145.00 in the last 10 years of her life. Vacation? Not even a word in her vocabulary. Paulina, 91, is among the growing number of elderly Africans who have no adult support. She is taking care of her 16 grandchildren. All 12 of her children died of AIDS.

Selfless.

Life is so different in Africa.

She is beautiful to me and I love her.

If you saw this picture in a magazine, would you wonder why she is crying?

 Or would you quickly turn the page because “you just cant look”.

Me?

I stare into her eyes and I wonder what her life is like.

Does she have a bed?

When was the last time she ate?

How many times has she been abused?

Does she have anyone to tell her she is loved?

These are the questions I ask myself as I am pleading with Jesus…

I’m assuming this is not a fun-Friday-night-sleepover as Hannah

might think it is when she looks at this picture.

Do you know that when children in orphanages wake up together in the morning,

they get on their knees and pray for “forever families” for each other?

Yes, they pray for each other to find families. I find that joyful yet heartbreaking all at once.

Do you remember what it was like as a child to eat your lunch by yourself on the play ground?

Probably not because most of us had many friends to eat with and that made us comfortable. Do you know that most children, when they get food, will go off by themselves and eat at a distance because they are in fear that someone will come and steal their food? They rather eat alone and thus protect their food. In many cases, older children in orphanages will take the food from the younger children preventing them from getting their full meal and plunging them deeper into starvation.

Other times, they simply do not get to eat because there is no food to eat.

SIMPLY. no. food. to. eat.

Although they don’t have much, some children don’t have anything: they still manage to sing and play with the biggest smiles EVER, laugh louder and longer and sing with all their hearts.

It’s very humbling to me. You would think it would be the exact opposite but they are kids.

Just like my kids.

Just like yours.

They love to play. They love to jump. They love to wrestle.

They are people just like us.

A personal reminder I whisper to myself daily.

"The first question the priest... and the Levite asked was,

'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?'

But the Good Samaritan... reversed the question:,

'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 "I see the faces of these precious children and my heart goes out to them.

I like to think that one person can make a difference,

even if it is only one child at a time."

Ms. M.L. (Bridge of Hope sponsor)

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing

because he could do only a little." Edmund Burke

"The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis,

but rather the feeling of being unwanted." Mother Teresa

There is a part of me that thinks I "have it all figured out".

Man, that is a scary place to be. (And not very Biblical)

Here is what I want our family to do.

(I hate the sound of that but it really is my heart)

I want to move to Africa.

Adopt a village.

Drill a well (water is LIFE).

Build a church and a school.

Teach farming.

Grow food

and love LOVE L.O.V.E. the people.

Am I crazy?

(Coo-coo.... Coo-coo)

Will you pray with me?

My heart is with a people I have never met.

I love them with a love I can not explain.

These are my thoughts.

This is what I do in my free time.

I sit and pray over faces just like these.

They all have stories.

They all have feelings.

They all have a desire to be loved.

Nobody should have to ever live the way some of these sweet faces live today.

"I want to lift them up. When I go to villages, even different places,
I see people who are without food even.
I groan within me.
And I think, 'How can I help them come out of all this poverty
and oppression and this kind of problem?'
That is my burden."
Niran John Das (missionary from India)

I guess I have a burden too.