Fund-raising etc.

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have been working on raising funds for our upcoming projects primarily through jogging but the weather has not been very cooperative. After a month of being sick and sick of the cold, I am attempting to return to my fund-raising jogs. I have a few sponsors who are sponsoring me per mile for every run that I complete on runs that are at least 3 miles. I managed to get in only two runs in February thanks to the polar vortex, bombogenesis, and a severe cold. But March will see a return in more runs and hopefully I can go back to the mileage I was posting before everything went downhill with the sickness and the weather. So if you would like to sponsor me, send me a message! Of course, if you would rather just donate without having to keep track of my miles, that is always welcome too. :)

So what am I raising funds for? I am working on two projects: 1) a medical mission trip to Nigeria, and 2) an educational program for Syrian refugee children. The medical mission trip to Nigeria is in partnership with a classmate who is organizing a group of medical professionals to head to Nigeria in June; these professionals will, in collaboration with a team of local professionals, provide medical services to some remote towns in the Anambra state of Nigeria. The people who live in these remote towns do not have access to regular medical services and as a result are experiencing a lot of loss. Any funds raised will go towards purchasing necessary medication, equipment, transportation, and lodging while the team is there for two weeks.

The second project is actually our first target project back as GCP. We have some paperwork to get out of the way but we will do what we can to move forward and get this project into gear. We will be creating a program to provide education for refugee children who currently have limited or no access to education as a result of being displaced. Our goal is to get things into motion this summer so that the program can be implemented this fall. We are also raising funds to get this project started. Funds raised will go towards filing of documents, program costs, and transportation for a team to travel to the areas where these displaced children and their families currently live.

So please prayerfully consider supporting us in either (or both) of these projects. And of course, prayers are always always needed. If you would like more information or have any questions, feel free to email me! Thanks!

Moving Forward in 2014

Global Community Partners has been quiet for a long time because I have been quiet for a long time. There has been a lot of thought and prayer regarding GCP and its future. BUT, it is time to move forward now. It has been decided, not quite by me, that we should move forward. So we are coming back. There is of course a lot of paperwork entailed in order to officially come back, so we will have to spend the next few months figuring out how to go about doing that.

I am also volunteering with a classmate to organize a medical mission trip to Nigeria this June, and if we are able to sort out all the paperwork for GCP, this will be our first partnership project, and certainly not the last one for this year. I am fund-raising for these projects so if you would like to make a donation, please contact me. I will post information about my fund-raising on a different blog post.

So pray for us and keep your fingers crossed for us! We'd love to come back full-force with renewed zeal and compassion for those children around the world who are suffering and the communities that could use some partners in improving the lives of their children.

Just to share

Wanted to share a video about some boys in Malawi. It's a 12-minute documentary about how these young Malawian boys hunt birds to sell. There's more information on the video if you follow the link as it's on Youtube. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/Sr0fBXMthwY

On a temporary hiatus

I thought it was appropriate to let everyone know, although I'm sure you've already noticed, that GCP is on a temporary hiatus. With my dissertation pending and personal life events, it has been difficult to keep GCP on track. I'd like to ask that you continue to pray for GCP and all of us who have had a part in it as well as all of our supporters. The future of GCP is uncertain and until we feel that there is a direction in which we can go, we can only remain here as we are--at a standstill. We'd like to move forward but there are practicalities that we must face. So thank you for your continued prayers and we hope that we can post some good news soon. In the meantime, I pray that all of you are well and keep well. And I hope that we can all be participants in improving communities, environments, and the world for the future of our children, even if it's not through GCP.

GCP Update: Happy Christmas!

I can't believe it is already almost the end of 2010. It seems that each year, as I watch the calendar, I still can't seem to believe my eyes when that "December" rolls around. Strange isn't it, how we seem to protest the passage of time? Or maybe it's just me.

In any event, I hope this update finds all of you well and happy for some time with family and friends. I know it has been a while since I've written an update but honestly, I haven't known what to write. Since my last update I've sort of plunged myself into other things - dissertation proposal, mainly - and also into wondering where GCP needs to go from here.

We are a different organization, and we are a very small start-up one. The very thing that makes us different makes it harder to get us off the ground. And thus, this difference has made me wonder if GCP can even become a useful team of people that brings its vision to others at a given point in time. I was hopeful, and sometimes I still am, but in the midst of trying to work on my dissertation and find an income, GCP has not had much attention from me.

So as I look back on a somewhat stalled year for GCP, I also look forward to a new year of changes perhaps, whatever those changes may be. And I thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.

I also wanted to mention, as I didn't get a chance to update you on this, that Pastor Joseph, one of the pastors I met while on my trip to Malawi in 2008, passed away this September. This was very sad news as I absolutely enjoyed meeting him and listening to his stories. I marvel at the fact that although little time was spent with him, the impression he made was quite great. And it inspires me to want to be such a person, despite my shortcomings. Please pray for Reverend Phyllis Labrentz (the missionary with whom I stayed while doing the workshop at Kings Victory Academy), as she worked with him very closely as well as all those who are feeling his loss. Thanks.

Safe travels for those of you visiting family in different places. I will be spending Christmas in New York but will be in Southern California for New Year's. I wish you all a beautiful Christmas and a blessed New Year!