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Informational Meeting for September 2010 mission trip to Rwanda:
Date: Monday, January 25, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: US Digital Outreach Building
1400 NE 136 Ave, STE 201
Vancouver, WA 98684

Please come if you are at all interested in going to Rwanda this year! More details about the trip are in the January 8th entry here on the blog.

Also, if you are interested in the Mexico mission trip (see blog post below) here is the website of the orphanage we are going to be visiting/working with:
El Sauzal

God Bless You,
Lisa

On Monday night, January 18th, at 6:30pm there is an informational meeting for the 2010 trip to Mexico being put on by Ten Talents International. We will be traveling at the end of June to work with an orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico. Please attend this meeting to find out more information. Meeting held at the US Digital Building- 1400 NE 136th Ave. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would still like to find out about the mission trip to Mexico, please contact us.

A huge blessing, answered prayer, and amazing thing is our new office space located in the US Digital Outreach Center. US Digital is a local company seeking to do more than just business- they are doing good & using the resources God has given them to bless their community & the world. They have provided over 20 ministries with free office space, including other resources such as meeting rooms, a gym, and more! If you follow this link you should be able to find out more & get a glimpse of the beautiful building they created just to be a blessing.
video

I feel we would be remiss if we did not address the current situation going on in Haiti. The pain and suffering experienced by those living there just pierces our hearts. It is the job of the people of God to respond to situations like this & be Jesus to those in need. The Assemblies of God (the group under which Mike is a minister) already has people on the ground in Haiti through their ministry called Convoy of Hope. At their mission they have a warehouse that had been filled with supplies, a medical center and are already helping the suffering in Haiti. If you would like to give to help the people of Haiti we would like to recommend a gift to Convoy of Hope. Before the earthquake happened they were already feeding 7,000 children every day. Follow this link to find out more:
Haiti

We must continue to pray for Haiti. Pray for those who have lost everything- including loved ones. Pray for those who have survived but are suffering and in need of help. Pray for relief & resources to get to those who need it now. And pray for there to be an outpouring of faith – that hearts would seek comfort in God.

Psalm 107:19-21 “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them: he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”

God Bless You,
Lisa

We are having an informational meeting on Monday, January 25th, for all persons interested in going on a trip to Rwanda with us in 2010. (Details at the bottom of this post.) First, I would like to post an update from our Missions Team Coordinator, Darcee:

Greetings Everyone,

I pray that you had a blessed Holiday season and I am hoping that you are all in holiday-recovery mode. We have just passed through a season of the year that has been a Christ-focused season for most. In this time I pray that God has refreshed and renewed you for 2010. What a great year to glorify the King and assist in furthering His kingdom. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for each of us in the New Year: A year of blessing and promise!!!

I am writing this email to let all of you know about the May trip. Because I know that we are still recovering from the economic woes of 2009, Ten Talents has decided to postpone the May trip and combine it with the trip in September. Some of you might be wondering… September? Well yes, the August trip is also shifting just a little bit. Here is where we ask for your prayers for the trip and the country of Rwanda. In August, Rwanda will have its first major presidential election since the genocide. We do not anticipate there being any conflict in the country at this time but the possibility does exist. Please pray for a peaceful and unified election for the country. Truly they have made HUGE strides toward peace and reconciliation, but we would do Rwanda an injustice if we did not hold them up in prayer during this time. I know that God will show off his goodness and be glorified, strengthening the faith of Rwandans. And I am so excited to see HIS GLORY SHINE EVEN MORE!!!

And the second area of prayer is to pray for the September trip and those that are being sent!! I really feel that God wants to change some lives in his people. Usually we know that he changes the lives of those the team members come in contact with, but I really feel pressed that he wants to have a life changing moment in the lives of those being sent. Please pray over them… pray for their finances, pray for a deepened relationship with their maker, pray that God would give definitive answer on being sent, and pray for their protection.

So if you are interested in the September trip, it is still possible to complete the application form on the website and send it back to me (the non-refundable application fee will not be requested until May, 2010). So please if you are interested please complete the application and send it to us. Then in May we will collect the application fee and arrange the team meetings. With the completed application we will be able to get an idea of how large the team might be.

…………………………………..

Now, more details from Darcee re. the September trip:

I would like to let you know that we are going to be having an informational meeting for the September Rwanda Trip. Please come… it will be a time to ask questions and get a better understanding of what to expect in Rwanda. We will talk about getting ready to go, such as obtaining your passport, vaccinations that are needed, luggage requirements, and much more. The cost of the trip is $3,500 but we have figured out a great payment plan that will break the payments down to smaller amounts each month.

Informational Meeting:
Date: Monday, January 25, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: US Digital Outreach Building
1400 NE 136 Ave, STE 201
Vancouver, WA 98684

We also want to discuss what the schedule will look like while you are in Rwanda. Which will better prepare each of you to minister to the street children, and help you get to know the children that are currently in the sponsorship program. We will share a brief history of Rwanda, so that you can better understand what the country has walked through.

It will be a great time to start connecting and planning for the trip. A team meeting schedule is being established, along with the payment schedule for the trip. And I know that I said that applications and applications fees won’t be do until May, however, we have decided that to better equip for this September trip we need to make an adjustment to that due date. Instead of the May deadline for both the application and the fee we would like to bring that date closer. This will help the team to start it’s formation earlier and creating more time to get to know each other better before we go half-way around the world to serve together. So the new and improved due date for the $200 application fee is February 22, 2010 (however, the fee remains refundable until May 1st).

I am looking forward to meeting with you all. Please let me know if you can attend or even if you cannot attend because there is a possibility that you can skype into the meeting if you are unable to make the meeting. I love technology!!

Blessings,

Darcee Tandy
Ten Talents International

Mike made it home safely. He did miss one connection en route, but they were able to reschedule him & thankfully kept him on schedule for the rest of his flights. The other good news is that we have recieved our “letter of collaboration” from the district we operate in in Kigali. This is something we have been waiting for so we can move to our next step for our in-country registration as an NGO. Next we move our paperwork to the immigration office for our approval, which we hope will not be far off. Pray with us!

Before Mike left he had two volunteers from the US arrive in Rwanda. These two college students are going to spend a few weeks giving their time to work with the kids at the Home of Innocence. One of them is actually Rwandan and can help with translation, and they both will be helping with teaching english, making sure we have current information on sponsored children, and otherwise helping however they can. What a blessing- thank you!

Our most recent newsletter went out last week. If you are not receiving our newsletters you may sign up to do so here on our website. //tentalentsint.org/involved/join-our-list.cgi In this issue of our newsletter we are asking for people to join our support team for our family. Our desire is that our monthly support would increase enough for us to be able to afford to take our whole family to work in Rwanda for an extended length of time. Please take a few minutes to read our newsletter & keep us in your prayers.

We are so thankful for the many people who are a part of the work of Ten Talents International. Whether it is through your financial support, your prayers for us, or by telling people about our work, we would not exist without you! You allow God to use you & what a wonderful thing happens both in you & others when this happens!

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Our Christmas wish for you is that you are able to focus on your blessings- most especially your loved ones and the greatest gift that was given to us in Jesus. A savior!

God Bless You,
Lisa

P.S. I will post pictures from Mike’s trip soon!

Michael is in the air now, on his way back home to the US. We pray for all of his flight connections to happen smoothly this time! They had the Christmas party for all of the TTI sponsored children on Saturday, and this is what Mike said about it, “had a great time at the Christmas party for sponsored children. All of the sponsored children were there and got gifts, sang songs, ate good food including meat(very big deal), and opened christmas gifts from their sponsors. Wish you could have been here.” A few days before he had given the children who live in the Home of Innocence their gifts and he said it was so fun to watch them open them- they were so excited to get their new clothes!

Another day Mike said he “went up to the Acres of Hope today. God has blessed us with an amazing piece of property. I am excited to see what it will look like in a few years. More than that, only God knows the lives that will be changed on those 7 1/2 acres.” Amen!

Also Mike has been using his time there to work on getting our registration completed in the country. We have been working on that for well over a year now and encountered many delays & requests for more information & to “come back tomorrow”. Mike had a meeting with the mayor of the community we are located in and he felt it went well. The mayor said that he wants this completed & we really feel like things are coming to a close with this finally! Mike said today he “was told by the Mayor of Kicukiro district that the letter of colaboration will be ready to pick up on Wednesday. Ngoga will pick it up because I am heading home tonight :)”

We want to say “thank you” to all our sponsors who gave so that the children could have a wonderful celebration of Christmas & Christ! I have had many Rwandans tell me that for them, most of the time, Christmas is nothing. Meaning, they are too busy just trying to make it from day to day, and Christmas is just another day. If they are lucky then they will get to have a large meal (maybe even meat- for many they only get meat once or twice a year, Christmas being one of those times). To get gifts at Christmas is unheard of as well. So, thank you for helping to make this Christmas one these children will remember forever, and for helping us show them the love of Christ in practical ways.

I will post pictures on the blog after Mike gets back home. Thank you for your prayers for his safe & swift return- we are very excited to have him back with us again! 🙂

God Bless You,
Lisa

Here is an update from Mike from a few days ago-
“Yesterday [Saturday] was full and productive. I went to the office where we had Centerday. Christine, Michael, and Peter were there too [children who are from the Faith Home we opened in 2003- they are now in secondary school]. Christine helped me translate and gather missing info from kids in the At Risk program, while Michael and Peter help Ngoga lead the TTI Children’s choir. They have been meeting about three times each week while school is out. I will try to record them and bring home a copy. It was great to see some of the kids that were helped back in 2003/2004 ministering to kids being helped right now. That is the way it should be. I look forward to seeing that more in the future.”

Mike has been spending the days this week working on getting some business accomplished, trying to get closer to getting our organization registered in the country. Mike, Christine, and Maureen (the Home of Innocence house mom) also went shopping for the children to give them gifts at the Christmas party this Saturday (not one of Mike’s highlights- he hates shopping!) 🙂

Please continue to pray for his time there to be productive and effective. I am praying for God to open doors that no one can shut & to give him favor. That God would bless the work of our hands.

We are also getting ready to send out our next Ten Talents newsletter. In there our request is going to be for more people to support our family. The support we have coming in right now is not enough for us to afford to spend any time in Rwanda (as a family). What Mike is doing right now we feel needs to continue and we need to be there to help it happen. Please agree with me in prayer for God to use this letter we are sending out to touch hearts and for God to use his people to provide for his work.

Thank you for praying with us & for caring for the children of Rwanda!
God Bless You,
Lisa

Mike has made it safely to Rwanda now. Unfortunately, getting there safely involved an actual 42 hours of traveling! His connecting flight in Chicago was delayed 3 hours, which caused all of his remaining flights to be changed and he even had to be re-routed through 2 additional countries! Someone told me be glad it was just him & not the whole family- yes, that would have really been a nightmare! But he did finally make it to Rwanda Friday morning, and, miracle of miracles, his luggage did too!
Saturday all the sponsored children will be at the TTI office for “center day”. Mike will get to be there with them and visit with them. The Christmas party for the children will be next Saturday.

Please continue to keep Mike in your prayers as this “short” trip has become even “shorter” now & he has many things he would like to accomplish while he is there. Pray for God to bring him resources, to open doors, and to do great things!

Thank you!
Blessings,
Lisa

Mike has a trip to Rwanda planned for December 1st through the 15th. This will be a short trip for him, but enable him to be there to help with a Christmas party for the sponsored children, as well as getting letters completed & translated from the children to go to their sponsors. He will have a chance to check on the children and see how we can continue to help them and make sure their needs are being met. We thank God for the work that continues to happen there and that together with you we are able to make a difference with children who will shape the future of their country!

Thank you for your prayers for Mike on this trip- that it would be productive. He will also will be checking & hopefully pushing forward the registration of Ten Talents in the country of Rwanda.

God Bless You,
Lisa

We are very thankful to everyone who came out and supported Ten Talents International at the “Night of Hope” banquet. We had the opportunity to meet many new people and to introduce them to the work of Ten Talents. We also were able to get 9 more children sponsored- praise God! We heard that night from Obed- a former street child, then sponsored child, then adopted to a family here in the US. He told us what a difference it makes to a child to know that *someone* cares about him enough to help him. How it makes the child want to succeed and do well to show their sponsor how worthwhile it is. It gives them hope!

He also talked about what it means to the kids who are still on the streets, those that the only contact we have with them right now is to feed them a meal twice a week, and provide them with areas to wash themselves, their clothes, and to spend time together rejoicing in God. How even for them to be able to come somewhere safe, even twice a week to the feeding program, means so much to them- it means someone cares about them.

We also heard from Enric, who shared with us his music and some of his story. How he was orphaned & living on the streets when God got a hold of his life. He went to church & he too was able to find opportunity through sponsorship. Now his life has come so far & he has had the chance to share his music & message around the world!

Thank you again to everyone who is able to support this ministry through your gifts, your prayers, and your faith. Lives are being changed for eternity! Continue your prayers for Ten Talents International, for Mike & myself & those who assist us, for the ministry to the street children of Rwanda and for those children who are waiting for sponsors.

I want to share with you a praise report from the Home of Innocence- Benjamin’s health is continuing to improve- he is doing much better! Praise God!

My prayer verse today was, “Lord, because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:7-8)

God Bless You,
Lisa

This month, October 24th, will be our annual “Night of Hope” banquet. This is our main fundraising event for the year. It is a time to reflect on what God has done in the last 12 months, and also to look forward to the vision he has given us for the upcoming year. This year our special guest will be Enric Sifa. Enric is a genocide survivor, former street child, and now attending high school here in the US. Enric is also a recording artist. He will share both his story and his music with us this evening.

The banquet will be at the Red Lion Inn at the Quay in Vancouver, WA. If you would like to attend the “Night of Hope” please contact me [email protected]. Either way, please pray for this evening. Pray that people who have been invited would be able to attend, and pray for us to find persons or businesses who can sponsor tables to help us cover the costs of that evening.

Thank You!
Lisa