more tears..

i have such a heavy heart today.  as i am still grieving with brittany over the loss of her mom.. i am also grieving for beth and her family as they lost stu (her brother).  i spent (almost) everyday with beth for 6 years and i wouldn't have it any other way.  she is like the big sister i never had.  i love her so and i love her family.  and i loved stu because he was her brother. please help me bless beth by sending her some happy mail during this time.

SIGN-UP:  Mail Train for Beth

today was rough.

As some of you may know (my best friend) Brittany's mom passed today.  It has been rough.  But not as rough as it is for the family I am sure.  I love Brittany and her family so.  Please help me bless them by signing up to send her some happy mail to let her know she is loved and being prayed for.  It can be a letter, happy mail, a card, etc.

Or if you are local, please sign-up to drop off food at their house for the family.  If you would like to contribute but can't drop food off please let me know and I will happily drop off the food for you- if you would like to sponsor a meal.

Thank you for helping me spread the love and support this family.

INDIA!!

Well... we are going to India!! We've prayed and prayed about it and we feel as though we are being called to go to India and help launch the Global Freedom movement at our church in Orange.  We are so excited for this opportunity! I think I am most excited about how God will work in our hearts and the transformation that will happen within us and our marriage.

Here is a bit more about what we are doing and going.  If you would like a prayer bracelet let me know and I will be happy to mail you one.  We appreciate all prayers as we go through this journey!

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Hi Friends & Family!

It is with much excitement that we write this letter to you! We will be going to India with a group of 8 members from our church, Friends Church Orange and over 50 from our Yorba Linda campus! We will be traveling to Hyderabad and Chennai for two weeks, July 22-August 1. While in India, we will be partnering with the Dalit Freedom Network and Operation Mobilization. With the assistance of our church as well as many others, the Dalit Freedom Network has built several schools for the Dalit children.  We will be visiting the children in these schools.  Our purpose is to demonstrate the love of Christ to the Dalit people. We will be spending time building relationships in their schools and villages to serve these people where there is a profound need. We are also going as the first from our church in Orange and hope to help establish and grow the Global Freedom movement at our campus.

The Dalit people or “Dalits” are considered the “outcasts” or the “untouchables”. They are denied access to public wells, public parks, basic medical services and education. The ruling caste tells them they are Hindu, yet they are denied access to the temples. Seventy percent of the Dalits live below the poverty line and only 10% of rural Dalit women can read and write. Dalit women and children are also often sold into prostitution as early as eight years old. The Hindu scripture tells these people that they were not made by God, and therefore, a mistake that never should have happened.

The team has asked us to raise finances necessary to cover the expenses of the trip: which will be approximately $3,500 per person. We, and the rest of our team, would greatly appreciate your help in raising support. The deadline for all funds is June 20, 2014. If you are not able to contribute financially, we ask that you would please pray that all the needs of this team will be met. Prayer is so important. Enclosed with this letter is a handmade bracelet and note card that you can keep close as a reminder to say a prayer for us as we prepare and go to India.

God is definitely moving in India right now and we are so excited to see how He uses our team on this trip and how our team can help influence our new church body in Orange. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the opportunity to go to India. We cannot wait for this experience as we are confident that God is working mightily there, and to just be a small part of it is such a blessing!

If you are able to participate with financial support, you can make a donation via check payable to "Friends Church" with "Global Freedom - India" in the memo. All donations are tax deductible. (Please don't put our names anywhere on the check as it is not tax deductible to gift directly to/for a person.) You can send it to our home address of 2354 N Robinhood Pl, Orange CA 92867. We want to keep you posted of our growth and journey during this time. If you are interested in being a prayer partner for us, please send us an email to let us know so we can include you on all our updates and prayer requests.

We love you so!

Trent & Amanda

Blogging.. It's a struggle

So.. I am awful at this blogging goodness. However! I am a work in process and will get better!! 

Anyways, recently I've been emotionally drained. I am sure lots of people have seen the #redballoonsforryan story and it broke my heart. These beauties just came in and I am so excited to get them to their new homes so people can share the love and memory of sweet Ryan. 

Then the following week was the Browns from Huntsville, AL. Another little one taken too early. But through it all we have to find strength in God that there will be healing. 

That same week.. We had the opportunity to commit to going to India to minister to the Dalits focusing on the little ones. Is it our calling? Should we go? Well.. I don't know the exact answers. But we are going. Here is to hoping we are responding to God's calling and he will make wonderful things from us. 

I am so emotional all over the place.. It's like a roller coaster. So what do I do when my emotions are confusing.. Craft! 

Choose Joy Event

There's this fabulous event coming up called Choose Joy that is hosted by a lovely lady named Emmy. (choosejoyevent.com) Now I'm not friends with Emmy in real life.. but she is a good friend of Beth (whose my real life friend) and the only thing Beth can say about Emmy is that she's phenomenal. {{I believe every word-- because she has the best insta. #justsaying}} With that being said.. This event touches my heart. It's spectacular that she gets to minister and love on women (sometimes the men too!) who are struggling with infertility and adoption.  The stories that come from this make me cry and rejoice. I wanted to donate something that would hopefully bless one of the ladies in attendance.. And make a memorable reminder of the fabulous event that they attended. 

Without further ado...

I'm so thankful for a hubby that can whip up a wood canvas for me in a matter of minutes. 💙

Hello new drinking glasses!

It must be a sign that the day I finally start my blog.. My hub gets me these beauties! 

How cute are these gonna be in the cupboard!? ❤️