Team Davis

Hey everybody, we wanted to introduce ourselves as members of the Cambodia team. We are the Davises: Elloa and Mike. We enjoy long walks on the beach and talking at length about how in love we are. :) Just kiddin;, we are definitely in love, but we're not that nauseating about it. We are, however, crazy excited about this trip, about being a part of this team, and about experiencing this together. What Elloa is most looking forward to is spending quality time with and loving on some amazing kids. What Mike is most looking forward to is teaching kids about how they fit into God's big story of creation.

Some things you can pray about specifically for the Davises: home and work details we have to take care of before we leave. Please pray that these things will get taken care of and not distract us as we prepare our hearts for this trip.

Thanks, everyone, for all of your prayers and support. We would not be able to take this trip without a support base of awesome family and friends.

Updated prayer points

Thank you guys so much for keeping up with us and praying for us. We are truly blessed. Here are some updated prayer points.

Children at the Orphanage:

*Please pray that the Christmas message that we are bringing them will stick and makes a lasting impact on these children.

*That their hearts become softer so that they will continuously be open to the gospel. Whether they have already accepted Jesus or are just learning about Him. Please pray that their hearts are filled with God’s love constantly.

*Pray that they understand that they are fearfully and wonderfully made(Ps 139:14). That they were not mistakes and that each one has a purpose. That they are lovable and belong to their heavenly Father.

*For healing of any wounds they may have gotten from losing their parents or their parents giving them up. Breaking any chains of bondage or any lies that the enemy has planted into them. Please pray that they can overcome any obstacles while developing into a loving adult, including any traumatic experiences that haunt they have been through.

*Pray for their futures. For these children to develop into young adults who pursue Jesus with all their hearts. That they can be successful in all their endeavors whether it be college, training, or work. Give them wisdom and talent beyond their imagination. Plant dreams that are God sized. That they have amazing success in whatever field they go into. That they can glorify God in everything that they do. That they can give back and serve, whether it be with other orphans or whatever God puts on their hearts.

*Pray that they can raise families with unconditional love, even though they didn’t have this love from their own families. That they can break the cycle of broken families.

*Healing over any physical ailments they may have.

*For the older children who are reaching the age limit to stay in the orphanage. Life is usually very tough for these children once they are left to fend for themselves at a young age.



Prayer for the team

*Please pray that our hearts become prepared for the trip. That they become soft and that we start to feel more love and compassion for the children we will be serving.

*Please pray for team unity. That our relationship gets closer and that we can encourage, rely, comfort, and pray for each other.

*For flexibility as the unexpected comes up during the trip. That we are joyful in whatever situation we face.

*That our dependence on God grows more and more as the trip comes to a near.

*That we start to see more of God’s vision for this trip.

*Pray against any spiritual attacks that will come, because the enemy wants to impede whenever people are trying to advance the gospel or pursue God more. Pray for anything whether it be hurts or sin that may be coming between us and God which would hinder the trip.

*That we grow spiritually through quiet times and times spent preparing for and on the trip. And that we are stretched and refined during this process. Please pray for more and more desire to seek God.

* More trust and patience in God to meet our fundraising. God will provide. May we believe that we will be provided with even more so that we can give to the orphanage.

*Pray for each team to have fun, work well together, and glorify God. Curriculum: Mike, Elloa, Lisa Arts/Crafts: Kristie, Anna, Saegye Sports: Stuart, Dominique, Zach.

*Pray for our leaders to have wisdom and discernment. And be able to handle any pressure.

*And most importantly, pray that the reason for us to be on this trip is to glorify our Father and to worship Him.



Prayer for New Life Church:

*Please pray that the staff and volunteers at New Life Church can shine the light into their hearts of these children everyday, even when it gets tough.

*That they have the energy and strength to take care of these children. Pray for the health of the members of the church who are involved in this ministry. That they get adequate rest and healing from sickness.

*That they are fed spiritually and that they are constantly refreshed so that they can provide and love on these children. That someone is discipling them and are growing spiritually.

*That they are blessed financially so that they can continue to bless others with their resources.

*That when they are running to God when they are spiritually attacked and that nothing gets a hold on them.

*That their families are blessed.

*That revival happens at this church and spreads like fire through their community and throughout the nation.

Update on abandoned puppy(David)

So turns out Lil King David is a she. She has been renamed Autumn. In the adoption description it says she's a American Staffordshire Terrier [Mix]. She seems to be doing well and I hope to visit her soon. Hopefully Autumn gets adopted by a loving owner who will raise her and take good care of her. All of the children we will be serving yearn so deeply for loving parents to do the same. Can't imagine what feels like being abandoned and getting your hopes up every time someone comes by because it might be your day but leaving without you.

Here's some adoption information for Autumn

Adoption Description
Autumn, pictured here at 4 wks. DOB 10/3 with her foster nursing mama Chikira and 4 step-brothers DOB 10/6. She was found in a box with umbilical cord still attached at a gas station downtown ATL. Bottle fed for a week or so and found Chikira to help socialize and nurse from... She will be available after December 3rd sometime for pre-adopt - email for application. Foster mom: Julie - 770-329-4742 and email: jachambers4806@yahoo.com


If you or someone you know wants to adopt her:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15038081

Want to donate supplies/gifts?

During our trip we will be doing arts/crafts with the kids at the orphanage. We are in need of some general supplies that don't need to be specifically picked out by us. As far as arts/crafts, we need markers, scissors, glue sticks, crayons, white chinese take out boxes, sidewalk chalk. All items must be new. There are about 30 or so children at the orphanage that we will be at. The pastor of New Life Church also said that the children could use other items such as toothbrushes, barrettes for the girls, etc. If there is anything else you can think of please contact me first so that we can see if it’s needed and if we can carry it. If you want to donate supplies, please contact Saegye @ saegye@gmail.com or 404-513-4190.

Aging out

Here is something I read on http://www.orphanepidemic.com/. They talk about 38,000 orphans aging out of the system everyday. 38,000! Whoa. Where do these children go? What happens to them? Orphanages are definitely needed but are solutions for these children who they have to leave, when they don't get adopted. I'm thinking there are already organizations working on such solutions. But I'm also thinking that more could be done. Just something to get you guys thinking.

The orphan epidemic refers to the fact that there are over 143 million orphans in the world, about 5,000 are children are orphaned each day, and 38,000 orphans age out (forced out) of orphanages where 90% or them either fall into crime, prostitution, slavery, or suicide.

Our mission is to bring awareness in the next generation of the need for orphan care. We believe that the next generation is poised for a massive groundswell to make a difference in caring for orphans. We want to see generations of orphans rise up as disciples of Christ so that they may take hope to the hopeless.

Awareness

Meeting the needs of orphans is not the goal, but just the beginning. Every 2.2 seconds, an orphan ages out (is forced out) of an orphanage. Over 38,000 children age out each day. Orphan Epidemic is about bringing awareness to the need for spiritual growth and life skill development of orphans, especially those who are at risk of aging out. We want to engage the next generation in the United States and educate them of the orphan epidemic at hand.

Action

Once we bring awareness to the orphan epidemic, we want to convert that awareness into action. We want to mobilize people by connecting them to our partners to go and put their hand and feet to work by being knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye with orphans and spiritually disciple them and develop their life skills so that those orphans may in turn bring hope to the hopeless. This action must be in place so that these orphans would in turn take the hope of Christ to the hopeless.

Unwanted and Thrown Away

Two weeks ago, at this outreach event we were blessed with a precious gift. As our group was driving away, we saw the other members of our group looking down at something on the ground. What had they discovered? What they were looking at? Shortly afterwards, we got the news that they found a puppy and to pray for it. When we met up with them, to my surprise, we found out the puppy was a newborn. As they were walking down the street, they heard wimpering coming from inside of a box. So they went to check it out. At first they were a little scared because they thought it could have been a baby. I would have thought the same because of all the abandoned babies you hear about in the news. But it was a tiny puppy in a box and a hamburger(so random). He was so fresh out of the oven that he was still rocking his umbilical cord. He couldn’t even open his eyes. So defenseless and cold. He was so cute, small enough to fit in your hand. Black with brown spots. Some of our members guessed that he was probably a pit bull or boxer.

Who would have done such a thing? The person who put it out there obviously didn’t care that much. Or did they? I mean if you didn’t care, they wouldn’t have even bothered to put him in a box outside for someone to feel compassion for him and take him home. Did they put the hamburger in the box for him to eat? Or was it someone passing by? Whoever it was, obviously had no idea that they might as well have put a rock in there because there was no way he could have consumed a hamburger. They had it all wrapped in a beanie and a t-shirt to keep it warm. He kept trying to wiggle out to seek even more warmth. All he wanted was to be with mommy. Anyways, the group bought some regular milk for him at a convenience store because it was late and nothing else was open. As they were leaving the place, a man shouted, “Do you want a baby bottle for the puppy?” and went and bought baby bottle for him. Its so cool when strangers feel compassion and act on it. The puppy continued to drink milk in small quantities. One of the ladies took it home because she knew a vet who could take care of it until it became old enough to survive on its own with the hopes that someone adopts him. I found out the other week that the puppy is nursing with some surrogate mother dogs and is doing much better. That’s so awesome how God hooked that up. His name is David(Little King David) and fittingly the tshirt, the hat ,and the bottle were all purple. Although little David was thrown away to fend for himself, he was found and rescued to be given another chance. How much more does God love his children than someone who finds a thrown away puppy? The children we are going to serve were also abandoned by their parents, because they didn’t want them or couldn’t afford them. Like the puppy, they may have been dropped off at the orphanage or left to fend for themselves on the streets in the hopes that someone would be able to take care of them better than they could. These children probably feel like they are unwanted or thrown away. Each one deserves to be fed milk and be wrapped in a t-shirt to be kept them warm. Each one of them is precious and deserves a surrogate mother who will feed, love, and take care of them. Each one of them was designed by God and has a specific purpose. As we get closer to our trip, please pray that the absence of love that they didn’t get from their parents, be filled by the only love that can replace it, the love of Jesus. And that they can heal from pain they have experienced, which will likely be a lifelong process. That our hearts break more for these children as well. Please pray that each one of these children gets the love and attention they deserve from the workers at the orphanage and hopefully someone can adopt them to take care of them.

Phnom Penh... in Tucker???

Just a quick update on the group retreat... the big surprise?!?!?  We made dinner together... in a Top Chef meets Iron Chef kinda style.  We were give a table full of ingredients, pots, pans, utensils, etc and told to go to work.  We had a blast cooking, helping each other, and then the best was eating all the food!  It was all so yummy!  I will have to get the pictures and upload them to here soon.

Then, last Saturday all who could make it headed to Tucker, GA for some Cambodian cooking. Saegye had a great idea that we should have at least tried Cambodian food before heading over and he found a restaurant called, fittingly, Phnom Penh.  I have to be very honest... I loved the food!!  It was amazing and it made me even more excited about our up coming adventure!!

Tonight we have another group meeting.  Tonight we will divide into our groups and start planning our time in Cambodia this week. Our different teams include:  Anna, Kristie, and Saegye on Arts/Crafts; Elloa, Mike, and Lisa on curriculum; and Stuart, Dominick, and Zach for sports.  Amazing how the guys chose sports, hmmm... hehe!


Every week I am getting more and more excited to be going!!