The blessings of Choosing Courage

It has been awhile since my last update, and I could go into the countless events (like 2 funerals) that have taken me away from this blog - but I won't.  Know instead that our Thailand trip is moving forward (updates below) and the women of Thailand and the knowledge that God has something special in mind for me to learn from this trip have never been far from my heart.

So a general update.

We BOUGHT TICKETS!   Yeah!  It makes it so real.  We officially leave on Thursday, May 23rd from O'Hare International Airport here in Chicago.  That gets us into Bangkok very late on Friday the 24th.  We hope to pass out our Girl Around the World Dresses on Saturday morning before meeting the rest of our Thailand team on Saturday evening. 

Then we work, work, work until Sunday June 2nd.  We will take a late night flight out of Bangkok and then arrrive back at O'Hare Monday Morning, June 3rd.

So, where am I on fundraising?  Well, at last post I was $2700 towards my goal of $3000.  Our tickets cost a little more than we thought, so I am probably about $500 away from my actual need.  We will, of course, have other expenses such as money to buy the women "Cokes" to give them time to talk to us and be out of the trade.  But that was to be expected. 

I am in awe of how God has provided, not only financially but in the word's of encouragement and in the little things (my boss said I could take my company cell phone so I will be able to touch base with Colin!) that have been popping up in unexpected ways.

Other than that, it has been an interesting month in terms of Choosing Courage.  It is such a High to get to tell people about all of the amazing things.    We, as a team, and I, as an individual, get to see how God is working in our lives in new, and sometimes, miraculous ways.  In addition, I have been encouraged to open up and share with people where I am going and WHY.  This has been a huge Courage Choice.  People at work are finding out and at first assume it is a work trip.  I choose to take the time to explain what the trip really is and why I am going.  This means I am talking about my Christian convictions in my place of employment with people that I have never shared with before.

As we get closer to the trip, I pray that I am focused on why we are going.  I do not know what we will be doing each day (specifically), which for me, if you know me, is very difficult.  But here is what I do know.  We are going to share God's love with women.  Women, who like me, just want to support their families, in whatever way they need to do so.  Women, who unlike me, have not had the education and choices to support their families in another way. 

Think about that.  For just a minute.  How can you not want to just help these women know that God loves them.  Tell them that He thinks they are beautiful and help them to know that they have other options.   Wouldn't you make sure a girl you know here knows about her options? 

This may not tug at your heart the way it does mine.  And that is ok, we are all different.  But for me, it is important to remember that this trip is not about me, it is about them.

Thank you again for your support and encouragement,

Karla

Quick Update

WOO HOO!!!!  We are VERY excited because our trip has been officially "green-lighted".  What does this mean?  It means there is a full team and there aren't any safety issues to prevent us from going!  We are now searching for our airline tickets (the most expensive part of the trip.)

To top that off, I received an udpate on my funding.....

 

My fund now sits at $2735 (towards my goal of $3000).  THANK YOU to all who have given!

 

We still have several fund raisers planned.

 

The next one is THIS SUNDAY, March 10th at the Culver's on 59 in Naperville, IL.  We will be helping to "serve" lunch from 11:30 - 2pm and a percentage of each purchase will go towards the team.  If you are in the area, would you consider coming to have lunch at Culver's?  Please just mention the Thailand Trip when you are entering your order.

 

 

Lots of love,

Karla

 



Showing Strength

 

I called this post “Showing Strength”, and it is about two people I know who demonstrate Strength in unbelievable quantities. But it is also about Choosing Courage. These two people have chosen to go down certain paths, even though they had no idea what it would entail. (That’s Courage.) I've chosen to keep their names private as this is my outsider's view of their choice and not their own words.

Person #1 - She is an amazing mom (I am constantly wowed) and has faced some significant medical hurdles in the past several years. After undergoing surgery, and a painful recovery period, she tells me that the pain is still pretty bad.

What makes her strong to me is how she lives through the pain. She doesn't talk about it very much, even when I know she hurts and instead she concentrates on others. I watch how she throws herself into everything she can do for her kids. But I also see how she reaches out to others who may be hurting. She constantly speaks out about understanding others and working on relationships. I hear from others and see for myself how she stretches herself to meet others needs and help them when they need it. She is a quiet calm and a source of strength.

Person #2 - Is also an amazing mom, but also a very loving daughter. As many people know, needing to care for another family member can be an act of love, but also a somewhat draining experience. This lovely lady has given up her own plans for the foreseeable future to take care of someone else. I know that she is doing it out of love, but I also know that she is worn down and exhausted. Yet, she chooses each day to carry on, to choose courage. And in doing so, she shows strength.

Why do I share these stories? Well, in one way it's to honor these two women. In another, it's to remind myself of what I want to be when I grow up.  These women are images of Choosing Courage. 

2-20-13 Financial Update

God continues to amaze me - and He is using all of you to do it!  Today I learned my "Thailand Fund" sits at an astounding $2190!

Folks, that is just AWESOME!  Thank you all so much!  We are getting REALLY excited.   Our first Group payment went to Adventures in Missions this week!  Our next one is due April 1st.  Then, they confirm the trip is on and we purchase our airline tickets!

The next "official" fund raiser will be March 10th at Culver's.  The times and details are to follow, but basically the team will receive a portion of the sales made during the specific day/time. 

We would love to have you join us!

Thanks again,

Karla

2-17-2013 Update

It's been a little crazy around here over the last month, and I don't have any real specific updates.  But, I wanted to share what I can on the Thailand trip and where we stand.   Last week received a list of who has donated specifically to my trip fund.  I am at $1625 of my $3000 goal - THANK YOU!

Over the next week I will start sending thank you notes out to each of you specifically.  Hopefully by the time I get home for my trip at the end of the month, I will have a new stack of people to whom I can start sending notes!

 

Ok, what else? 

Oh - one of our Women's Bible Study groups is making the most amazing, fun, "crazy" scarves!  They are to die for.  They are selling each scarf for $15 with the prcoeeds going to the Thailand trip.  Isn't that awesome?

 

Our church has a Chili cook-off coming up on April 6th.  The Thailand ladies will have a table and one of our women is going to make a special Chili for the competition!  I will post more information as I have it, but if you are in our area, we would love to have you join us!

 

We have some other ideas, but we are holding off on a couple of them since we are hoping to be in our new building very soon.

 

 

On another note, this weekend I had to practive Choosing JOY.  Today is my birthday, and while my birthday itself makes me giddy; admitting my age (and admitting to some of my life status' causes a more introspective, sometimes moody attitdue.)  So; on Thursday, I realized it was time to Cry (the moody part) or LIVE IT UP.  I jumped on the LIVE bandwagon, bought a Happy Birthday Tiara and shared with everyone :)

From dinner Friday at Chick-fil-A where two women said they would celebrate with me; to lunch on Saturday where I made my husband and in-laws where Happy Birthday hats with me, to church today where I checked kids in while wearing my Tiara.

 

All I know was it was a MUCH more enjoyable experience by Choosing Joy.  Oh, and in the sprit of Chooising Joy?  I am 38; or 29 for the 9th time :)

 

Karla

 

 

Awesomeness!

Just a quick note to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!  I was just notified I am halfway to my financial goal for the Thailand trip!

February 2, 2013

 

 

 

First, a big Thank you! Your emails, notes, and messages over the last week have been so encouraging!   It has been absolutely amazing to discuss the Thailand trip with my friends, family, and co-workers!  It has already opened up so many conversations.

 

I have been blessed with several notes of donations that have been made for the trip.  It is just another sign that God is with us on this trip :)

 

Going through the notes and messages has also encouraged Colin, and in our discussions he let me know he is feeling a lot better about the trip. 

 

We are both still watching the area in regards to safety.  One of the websites we monitor is the US Embassy in Bangkok.  Another one is http://travel.state.gov/.

 

Neither is indicating any current issues in Thailand, and the Adventures in Missions staff won't ok the trip if anything dangerous is happening. (That won't happen until May.)

 

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In other news, I spent a lot of time this last week thinking about the women in Thailand.  Part of this was because I was with many of my company's traveling force.  As I discussed the trip to Thailand with them, they talked about the sights, the sounds, and the food.  When I reminded them why I was going, they would often get quiet.  I don't know how much of that was lack of comfort with the topic - after all it isn't a pretty one, and how much was shock.

 

I did hear several stories of how men from my company have been approached while in Thailand.  That there are different parts of the main hotels, where a visitor can expect to find women waiting for them.  

 

I also thought about the fact that I was "taken care of" by the men in my company.  They would ensure that I didn't have to worry about walking alone at night,  they would make sure I had eaten, and one even asked to make sure my credit card would cover the hotel bill. 

 

Then I thought about the way I might be "taken care of" if I was one of the women in Thailand.  I'm not saying that all women in Thailand are treated the same, I know that they aren't.  But, I would like to be able to let the ones who aren't protected the way I am know that they are worthy, that they are loved, that there is one who gave everything just to protect them.

 

My prayers for this trip are three fold.  1st, for the women from our church that are traveling with me.  2nd, for the leader we will have and for the women who will be meeting us in Thailand.  Finally, I pray for the women and children that we will meet in Thailand.  I pray that their hearts will be softened between now and them.  I pray that we will get opportunities to share God's love with them.  I pray that after we leave, these women will be able to continue to learn, and will remember that love.

 

 

Thank you again for your encouragement and support!

Karla