Miracles Happen (Part 2) :: Everything Changes

Part 2 :: A continuation of Ericka's blog post I shared here yesterday.

 

Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle - it is miracle in its first stage. 

If it is to be a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty but impossibility.

L.B. Cowman - Streams in the Desert

Yesterday, I left us in quite a predicament. I shared with you how we (my husband and I) were struggling with the fact that we were always traveling, and how unhealthy and difficult it was for us relationally. I told you how we needed to move - but couldn't afford to. We knew the best thing for us, and our non-profit, would be to relocate to the South, but it just seemed impossible!

The truth is... we probably should have quit. We were on course to make only $20,000 this year. TOTAL. For the two of us together! It seemed ridiculous. Both of us have college degrees and fantastic resumes after all! My husband is an award winning news and sports anchor who used to work for the top TV station in Arkansas. If he just went and got a "real job" - then all our financial worries would be over!

But we couldn't quit. When a friend of mine asked me why we couldn't quit, I told her the honest truth. The children we care for overseas in Thailand, Swaziland, and India need us. Sure, we could walk away from this and quit making all these ridiculous sacrifices.... we could live very comfortable lives. But those kids can't quit poverty. They can't quit the sex industry. They can't quit AIDS. They don't get to stop suffering just because they choose to.

And neither would we. We wouldn't quit because they couldn't quit. We wouldn't give up this work - caring for these kids, empowering them, educating them, and equipping them to QUIT POVERTY - to break OUT of the cycle of poverty and disease and lack of opportunities - we wouldn't give up until their lives were changed! We talked about it together as a couple and we made some decisions. We knew that with only $20,000 of income, within a few months we would not even have enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills anymore. But we told God - we would give it our all. We would go "all in" - and we would take The Sound of Hope as far as we could take it for the kids. And when we didn't have a cent left, then we would quit and get "real jobs". OR - He could show up, and we would continue the work.

It sounds crazy when I see it typed out like that. Who in their right minds would make that kind of deal with God?! But it didn't seem crazy at the time. And honestly, it wasn't some kind of ultimatum for the Creator of the Universe. I have known, from the very first moment we started The Sound of Hope, that it was God's dream.... and I have known, deep down, in the depths of my being, that it would succeed. In every moment of sacrifice, when it would be easier to quit - I knew I could never live with myself if I did. This is what I was meant to do - and I would not be disobedient... no matter the cost. Even if things seemed impossible.

But then, everything changed.

Suddenly, 4 of our monthly supporters decided to double their monthly support. One by one - without our request - they contacted me to let me know they wanted to give more. Then, 3 new people contacted us wanting to support our administrative needs (which help pay our salary). Momentum was building!

And then, last week, an incredibly large donation was made to The Sound of Hope. A donation that changed everything. A donation that renewed our faith, and renewed the hope of our partners overseas. A donation that would save lives in Thailand, and India, and Swaziland.

Because of this donation, we were able to get two of our little girls in India to the specialists they needed to see.

Because of this donation, two un-usable vehicles that the staff in Swaziland needs to get food to the carepoints, and to get the sick to the hospital, are going to be repaired.

Because of this donation, a community garden is going to be built in Swaziland, where the most poverty-stricken people can grow healthy food to sustain their families. And the best part is, the food will be shared with the orphans and vulnerable children who desperately need more than just rice and beans.

Because of this donation, 60% of The Promised Land Project has been funded, and we are so much closer to beginning construction. This Children's Home is going to protect little girls from being sold into sex slavery, and little boys from becoming child soldiers. Because of this donation, they will get to keep their innocence.

And, because of this donation - and because of all our monthly donors continuing to give - and because of those new donors, and the donors who doubled their monthly giving...

We are going to be able to MOVE!!!! 

We will still be on a tight budget, and (as always) we are still dependent on God to provide. But - with this drastic change in our income, we will actually be able to pay rent (above $300 a month) and can begin looking for a home in Birmingham, AL!!!

And of course, when we move down South we will be in a much better place for us, for our family, and for our business.... so - we won't be quitting any time soon! It is quite evident that God has BIG PLANS for us and for The Sound of Hope! He is a good God, and He will care for His children. That is a FACT. We need not fear the economy, for He promises that -

In times of disaster they will not wither; 

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 

- Psalms 37:19

And we are living proof of that!

God gets ALL the GLORY for what has happened this month, and I can say with some certainty that He is not done yet! I know He is going to continue to provide - we just have to continue being obedient. I can't wait to see what He will do next!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 

according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory 

in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

- Ephesians 3:20-21

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*If any of you reading live in the Birmingham, AL area and know of a home that might be available for rent,  please contact me at erickabennett (at) gmail (dot) com. I'd be glad to tell you specifically what we're looking for and what our budget is. We would love any connections or advice you might have!

Miracles Happen (Part 1) :: Life on the Fringes

Ericka wrote this blog and posted it over on her site. She does such a great job of explaining what we've been through recently that I wanted to post it on this blog so you guys can check it out. God is VERY good and He's been at work BIG TIME! 

We've traveled a lot since we got married. Living far away from family means a lot of trips home, and when our supporters/donors are down South, it means even more trips for work. Add in the fact that our work takes us overseas too, and it's easy to understand why we travel a lot. But this year - it's been worse than ever. We've been home, living in our house, sleeping in our own bed, for 4 weeks today. That's the longest we've been anywhere all year.

Since Christmas, we have been "on the go". We started the year by traveling back to Michigan from the South (where we'd been for the holidays). Then we were off to Thailand (where we traveled continually for the full 3 and 1/2 months we were there), back to Michigan for 2 weeks, to Alabama for a family wedding, over to the Grand Cayman Islands for a family wedding, back to Alabama for work, back to Michigan, back to Alabama for my grandfather's 80th birthday, to Georgia for work, to Mississippi for work, to Arkansas for work, to Tennessee for work, and then back again to Michigan.

Are you tired yet?

Well, listen to this. I have not been able to actually unpack and put away our suitcases since Christmas 2010... that is, not until about the 2nd week of July.

When we came home from our last trip, (July 3rd), I counted up a few figures from our year. According to my estimates (ie - what I can remember) here is a glimpse of what life has been like for us in 2011:

• From January 1, 2011 to July 3, 2011 - there were 184 days. Of those 184 days, we only slept in our bed 39 nights.

• During those 6+ months, we slept on 26 different beds, 2 air mattresses, and spent 1 night on the ground in a tent in Thailand.

• The longest we were any one place at one time was 16 days.

• We have spent time in at least 25 different cities, 9 states, and 5 countries. 

• We logged over 20,000 airmiles - which equals around 50 hours in planes. To put that into perspective, that's over 6 (8 hour) workdays.

• We spent over 150 hours traveling by car. To put that into perspective, that's almost 19 (8 hour) workdays. And I should add, that "regular time" in the car (trips to the grocery store, etc) were not counted. The trips that were counted were only those that were an hour or longer at one time.

As you can imagine, we are tired. But - more than being tired... we are lonely.

With this kind of lifestyle, there is no way for us to have healthy relationships with anyone but each other. We don't really belong anywhere. We aren't really missed anywhere.....because we aren't in one place long enough to leave a void when we are gone. We don't have regular communication with anyone - because we aren't a regular part of anyone's life. And keeping up long-distance relationships, when all you have is long-distance relationships, is pretty much impossible.

It's no one's fault really. When we are down South we are only there long enough to meet a friend for a quick lunch or a coffee break. That's hardly time to have a heart to heart or really catch up with anyone. When we are in Michigan we're only here for a few weeks... and that's hardly enough time to get settled back into a routine - much less become a regular part of other people's lives.

It's a terrible reality, and it's been wearing on us a lot this year. We seem to be living our life on the fringes of everyone else's..... never in one place long enough to plant roots.... unable to find that sense of belonging. We've become "drifters" of some sort, and that's just not what we were made to be. The lack of relationship has not been good - not for our emotional health, not for our marriage (after all, I need girlfriends! and my husband needs guy friends! All of our relational needs are not met by each other.), and not for our spiritual lives (I'm a firm believer that we need to walk through life in community with other people, and we have definitely not had any of that lately).

We knew there was a problem.... but, how could we fix it? The logical reasoning was simple - if we were spending half of our time traveling down South for work and for family, then it would make sense for us to relocate! If we'd just move down South, then half of our travel time would disappear! We'd be able to have a "home base" in the area where all our donors, supporters, and personal networks were located, and as an added bonus, we would also be closer to our families. After all - we'd moved to Michigan for Rusty to work in The World Race office, and not only was he no longer employed with The World Race - but that office had closed and all our coworkers had moved away!

But here is where we hit our dead end. Since we started a non-profit in one of the worst economic recessions in history.... and since we live in an area of Michigan with 30% unemployment.... our finances were lacking. The place we live now (a 3 bedroom house) only costs us $300 a month in rent (totally a "God thing"!) and with our current income we could not afford any more than that. Moving seemed impossible.

Unless....

One of two things had to happen. Either - #1 - God had to provide a free or cheap house ($300 or less per month) for us to rent down South. - OR -  #2 - We needed some seriously large donations to start coming into our non-profit The Sound of Hope.

But both of those options sound crazy..... right?

Are you WILLING

I wrote this in my journal exactly 5 years ago ::

"I think now more than ever I'm ready to do God's good work. I'm so stuck in a rut, a pattern of nothingness. Something needs to change. I still have so many struggles, but I believe I'm getting a glimpse - a taste of my purpose. I want to live for God. I am not satisfied with anything. I now realize my job will never make me happy, make me full. It is only a platform to do God's good work. I'm scared and I'm lazy, but God give me the strength to pray for strength, if that makes any sense. I feel this in my heart - it's coming. I need faith. I need hope....I'm nearly 31, I don't want to waste anymore time.

I'm so bored. My life is so empty, it's stale, very, very stale. My life is lifeless, uneventful and not fulfilled. There's so much that needs to be done is this world. God give me the strength. I need more, not just strength, but more love, more willingness to help, give, teach, inspire, lead. This world is wrapping up! God get me in the good fight! I'm sick of the routine! I'm sick of the normal, it's killing me. Break the chains God!"

At that point in my life I was living in Little Rock, Arkansas working as a television news reporter for the local ABC affiliate. 

I can't believe it's been FIVE years! If someone would have told me what I'd be doing today - just 5 years later - I would have LAUGHED IN THEIR FACE!

The last half-decade has been the most transformational period of time for me - EVER! I've traveled around the world twice, moved up to Michigan, got married to an amazing woman, together we started our own organization, and most recently we lived in Thailand. 

All of these life-changing and incredible events happened because I was WILLING. I was willing to say YES to God even when that made absolutely NO SENSE! Oh, and just so there is no confusion - this is NOT about me. It's about what GOD can do when we have a YES in our spirit - when we are WILLING!

I'm more than grateful for that YES in my spirit. Because of it, I have an amazing wife. My life is much more rich and full than it was before Ericka. 

Because WE (Ericka and I) said YES, God has used our obedience to bless HUNDREDS out in the nations. Last year was hard as hell, but we believed God called us to start our own organization - The Sound of Hope. We had NO MONEY, plus we didn't have the first idea about how to run a non-profit, BUT we were WILLING. We were WILLING to be obedient - no matter the cost.

Now, a year later, we're seeing momentum build! I am convinced more than ever God will bless THOUSANDS and impact many nations through The Sound of Hope.

It's amazing what can happen when you're willing to say YES! Yes, to unknown possibilities. YES, to promises you aren't quite sure are real. YES, to HIM - whatever that may look like.

Again, I write this not to glorify ME, but to encourage YOU to follow your God-given dreams! If you feel like He is calling you out of your comfort zone into something that makes no sense - go for it!

HE is faithful - I'm living proof.

Final Promised Land Update - Home in Michigan

We're back in Michigan!

Ericka and I got in yesterday afternoon after a LONG flight home.

I wanted to show you our final Promised Land Update. Below is the blog Ericka posted on our Sound of Hope website.

Okay, so it’s not the FINAL update for this projects (because they are not finished yet), but it is the last one for our time in Thailand! I can’t believe the day has come for us to head back to America. In just a few hours we will board a plane to begin the long journey home. When we arrived in Thailand in January, 100 days seemed like such a long time… but in reality it has flown by! We are so sad to leave our friends and partners here, and can’t wait until our next trip to this beautiful country!

Our time here has been amazing, and thanks to your generosity we’ve gotten so much accomplished for our projects here. $1,500 was donated to The Refuge to build a new Boy’s Dormitory (with a cement floor and tin roof – instead of the dirt floor and bamboo roof that they had) and another $1,500 was donated to support 10 new children coming out of the violence in Burma and into this Children’s Home.  We also had an incredible time doing Art Therapy with these refugee children, and left them with new art supplies to use in the future. Their lives will be forever changed because of these gifts, and we are so thrilled to have played a part in it!

The Promised Land Project is now in full swing, thanks to over $8,000 that has been donated in the past 3 months. It looks completely different than when we first arrived – and our partners couldn’t be more excited! Since our last blog, the money was donated to build two gates at each entrance of the land. Check out the video below for a full overview of all the changes that have happened in the past 100 days.

Final Promised Land Update from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

 

To give specifically to The Promised Land Project, CLICK HERE.

Of course, if you’d like to donate to all of our projects in India, Swaziland, and Thailand (including The Promised Land Project and The Refuge) you can give your gift on our main donation site or by mail, and the money will be split evenly between each country we work in.

A big THANK YOU to all of you who have been a part of this project, and those of you who support The Sound of Hope through your one-time gifts and monthly pledges. We are so grateful to have you as partners in this work! We could not do it without you!

Until next time…. Suwadee Kha & Khap Khun Kha!

Saying Goodbye - More than Imagined

I miss it already - Chiang Mai.

And I haven't even left the country yet. I can't imagine how I'll feel when I get back to the US.

Unfortunately though, this season is coming to a close, quickly!

The past week or so has been NUTS! Here's a quick look back:

Exactly a week ago today, Ericka and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary by attending Hebrew and Shernaagay's wedding in Mae Sariang. Hebrew overseas the children's home we support in the refugee camp. Click HERE and HERE for more info on The Refuge. He is a Thai citizen, but he gave up those rights to live in the camp so he could take care of the Karen kids who are running from persecution in Burma. You see Hebrew is Karen people, but he happened to be born in Thailand. So he doesn't have to be here in the camp, BUT he CHOOSES to be. He chooses to lay down his rights as a Thai citizen so that he can serve others in need.

He's a Philippians 2 man! (Remember, God gave up his rights as God and became a poor, ole boy born into complete poverty in a remote corner of the Roman Empire.)

Hebrew's new bride Shernaagay, is Karen too, BUT she was born in Burma. She lives in Thailand now legally. However, her mom and dad are still in Burma. They walked SEVEN DAYS through the jungle and the threat of the Burmese army to be at their daughter's wedding. SEVEN DAYS!!!

Ericka and I were HONORED to be there. In fact, Ericka got the privilege of doing Shernaagay's hair and make-up! Ericka also made Shernaagay's rose crown.

As you can see my wife did a fantastic job!

Here's a quick little video of the two walking out after being pronounced husband and wife.

Hebrew and Shernagay's Wedding Walkout from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

The next day we said good-bye to Pastor Ban Ya and his wife Rapee. It was so good to see them again, and it was an honor to be able to funnel THOUSANDS of dollars in to their ministry project over the last three months. These are great people, and they'll make great "moms and dads" to the kids they will take in once their children's home is finished.

Pastor and Rapee doing what they do best - HAVING FUN!

That night we packed up our tiny condo in Chiang Mai and the next day we left for Pattaya. BUT not before a good-bye breakfast with Ray, Candace and Mark. I can't begin to tell ya'll how good it's been to be able to spend the last three months with these people. Ray and I met in 2007 on my first World Race, and there has always been a connection between the two of us. He, his wife Candace and their daughter Maile are good folks. They are the ones doing the hard work of living this thing out cross-culturally. They will be life-long friends and partners!

It was also great to be with Mark. Mark and I did the World Race together back in 2008. He fell in love with the Wards and Karen people too. He now lives and serves full-time in this country. It's been a pleasure watching him walk into the call God has placed on his life. It's good stuff.

I will miss all these people terribly. I already do.

After breakfast we jumped in our SWEET twin turbo diesel Mercedes Benz and took off! Yes, that's right - our BENZ:) Well, not technically, my cousin Sam called me one day and said, "I want you to come down to Pattaya and pick up my Benz. It's like a caged tiger - it's just not happy unless it's going 140kph."

OBVIOUSLY, I couldn't let him down:) So this is what I've been driving for the last month of my trip here. This thing is AWESOME!!!! It ANNIHILATES the road - absolutely chews it up! And it does all this while getting close to 40 miles per gallon!! Diesel is the way to go, especially here in Thailand where it's actually cheaper because the government subsidizes it. Either way, I'm in deep mourning over the fact I have to go back to the US and drive our ten-year old used cars:(

We finished off this insanely crazy and busy week - well, really a crazy and busy 3 months - with 3 days of rest at Koh Samet.

This place was a huge blessing and gift from our Thai friend Thida. Check out this view. Ericka and I literally crashed out for 3 days, barely finding time to eat, and hang out by the beach.

So now here we are back in Pattaya spending our last three days working, packing and hanging out with my cousin Sam.

I cannot believe we will be back in Michigan on Thursday!

God has blessed us and our ministry partners so much on this trip. I'm afraid when I get home and look back on it, it won't feel real - it'll feel more like a dream. It's just been that kind of trip - abundantly more than I ever could have imagined - EVER!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask for or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." -Esphesians 3:20

Yep, sounds about right.

Songkran

This past week the Thais celebrated their new year. It's called Songkran, and it's nothing like our tiny little one night party we have in the US. These people blow it OUT for 3 straight days, and in places like Chiang Mai (where I live) the celebration can last 6 days.

But it's HOW they celebrate this holiday that makes it so unique. Below is a description taken from Wikipedia:

"The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks.

     The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles."

Have a look for yourself. The first part of this video was taken right outside of our condo. So it was pretty tame, but downtown Chiang Mai was complete insanity!!

Happy Songkran from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Meet the Founder

I promise you, after one hour of talking with Dave, you'll be ready to jump in on the front lines of the conflict in Burma. He's engaging, inspiring and humbling - and his passion for life is contagious!

Dave Eubank, a retired US Army Ranger and founder of the Free Burma Rangers, has been running relief missions inside Burma since the 1997. It's a heck of big job considering right now there are more than 1 MILLION internally displaced people (IDP) within the country. Below is the organization's mission statement taken from it's website:

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to FBR to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency medical care, shelter, food, clothing and human rights documentation. The teams also operate a communication and information network inside Burma that provides real time information from areas under attack.

In addition to relief and reporting, other results of the teams' actions are the development of leadership capacity, civil society and the strengthening of inter-ethnic unity. The teams are to avoid contact with the Burma Army and operate under the protection of the ethnic resistance armies. However, they cannot run away if the people they are helping cannot escape the Burma Army. Men and women of many ethnic groups and religions are part of FBR.


What started out with just Dave and a medic back in 1997 has grown to 50 plus multi-ethnic teams serving more than 1 million people. 

What's equally as inspiring as Dave's love for the people he serves, is his passion for his family. Dave and his wife Karen have three beautiful children - two girls and a boy.

Let me tell you, this family knows how to enjoy life. When they are not busy serving IDPs in conflict zones - all of them do this by the way; they are mountain climbing together, or doing some other extreme sport. Now keep in mind, his kids are 10, 8 and 5!



I'm so inspired by this man who is living life to the fullest, serving people in great need, and bringing his family along on this amazing journey.

Only recently has Dave started agreeing to on camera interviews. I was lucky enough to get one with him last week at his home in Northern Thailand. In this clip he talks about what's going on in Burma and why he's there. For more info on the Free Burma Rangers, please visit their website:

http://www.freeburmarangers.org/

FBR Founder David Eubank Speaks from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

Before the interview started, he read me one of his favorite verses - it's from Isaiah - 1:17.

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

Dave, and his organization are doing just that!