September/October/November Newsletter

I am finding that sending out a newsletter when needed or per quarter is a more manageable goal for me so if you thought I had disappeared I promise I haven't. I find that my email is full of things I don't have time to read so I wanted to make sure I don't add to that problem in your inbox and you will actually take time to read this if it only comes ever so often.

In August I was blessed to visit my community again and see all the families and kids. We had a great time and all the families were blessed by many things. It probably felt like it was their birthday and Christmas all rolled into one.

I am changing my format on the newsletters to be more specific so you can read only the parts you want to read easier.

Here are the topics for this months newsletter, click on the heading to view more information and view the pictures.

Operation Education 2016 - we now have over 120 kids in the program for this year. Each of them are finishing their current grade in less than a month and will be off until the week of Valentines Day. They will be receiving there new school clothes, shoes and backpacks in December. Check out the pictures and see if you can see your sponsored child. If you sponsored kids from the orphanage I was not able to post those photos.

Baseball Equipment Distribution - I was blessed with lots of baseball equipment that I gave the adult team I sponsor and the kids team. They were in heaven receiving the new Jerseys, hats, cleats, bats and pants.

Thanks so much Kelly for donating all the awesome things. Even the school that the kids attend receiving equipment for the kids to use during recess.

On my next trip the kids will receive soccer clothes and shorts donated by Castanea Presbyterian Church soccer organization (Thanks Lisa). They are going to have more "new to them" clothes this year than they have ever had. They love the jersey type shirts.

New Clothes for the Women and Teens - thanks to an awesome sponsor who sows into this ministry I was able to buy new shirts from Walmart for $1 each. Most of them were the Danskins which are excellent for the weather there. Each family received at least 3 shirts each. They love receiving new things.

It's Feeding Time - each time I go the Lord provides for me to help the families with bags of food. This food can last them up to a month depending on the family size. It's around $20. The cost of ordering pizza once or even a trip to McDonald's once feeds them every day for a month. If you would like to contribute toward this project, please do. I have 72 families to feed.

My Nica Kids - most of you know that I have been working at an orphanage since I started going to Nicaragua in 2004. I have stayed close to 5 of the kids from the original orphanage called the House of Rose that closed in 2008. Those kids are very close to my heart. I love them like my own and I am sad to say that in December during my trip I will have to say Goodbye to my kids. One of them left in August to live with an aunt and this caused a great deal of problems for everyone. These 5 kids are all cousins. A set of 3 sisters and another set of 2. Once the first sister left the orphanage to live with the aunt, the aunts sister who is the mom of the set of 2 sisters "all the sudden" decided she wanted her girls back also. These kids are 12 and 15 years old. They have lived in an an orphanage since they were little and they don't even know their mom. These families are not ready to handle the emotional problems that these kids bring. It will be overwhelming to everyone, especially the kids. I am not ready to lose the girls. For years we were told they would never leave so in my mind I have planned on them going to college and then getting married, not leaving to a place I may not be able to find them again so soon. Please pray for my emotional state. I don't want them to see me upset and I have tears flowing just writing this to you and thinking about them and what they are about to experience. My heart is broke. I just want the best for them and I am not sure this is the best. I know there is nothing I can do but trust God. I know that he is more than capable of taking care of the girls. It's the humans I am worried about, not Him.

These are pictures of us having a great time in August.

Headed down South - I will be leaving on December 6th with two other team members so I would like to ask for prayer to cover us while we are there and my family I will leave behind. I am blessed to have Terry go with me again this year so I should have nice pictures again.

I will be able to see the elementary kids graduate from kindergarten and middle school but I will miss the high school graduation. There are 3 high school students graduating, 5 middle school kids and 4 kindergarten kids. I hope to have a celebration for all of them of some kind. Probably ice cream or something.

Thanks so much for all that you do to support this ministry through your prayers and your financial support. I can't do anything without both of those.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and the update.

God Bless each of you.

For those who SPONSOR kids with Operation Education, please note that if you would like to send them a financial blessing to help with food or bless them for Christmas please send it to me no later than the last day of this month, NOVEMBER 30th with instructions on how to apply the money. If you can't help with buying food please at least send a note or a card or something to let them know you are praying for them. Getting a letter from you is the highlight of my visit. Each kids sits hoping their name will be called. I imagine it's the same when our military is away from home and they too can't wait to hear from family. Speaking of the military, Happy Veteran's Day. Thank you for your service.

Angie

The Power of One Ministry 198 Mellwood Drive Charlotte, NC  28214

* you can also contribute online at www.thepowerofoneministry.org/donations

February 2015 Newsletter

Happy Belated Valentines Day to you. The bible teaches us that the greatest commandment is to "Love". I am pretty sure it would not be the greatest if God had not intended the world to revolve around it. It is the one thing that keeps this world together. It is the very factor that keeps me doing what I am doing in Nicaragua. Growing up in a family where love was not shown much makes a person hunger for it. I can say I looked for love in all the wrong places growing up. If only then could I have known how much my Father in Heaven loves me I am sure my life would have been different. I can see the struggles of the families I minister to in Nicaragua are very similar to mine as a child. Although family is very important to Nicaraguan families, showing love is not. Rarely do I see hugs, words of encouragement or any sign of what Americans call "love" among family members. It seems as if it is difficult for them to express it among themselves yet they hug me so hard I can't breathe. I truly can relate to this. I spent most of my childhood and young adult life never receiving hugs or signs of love and it has only been by the love of God have I broke that cycle and been able to show love to my own kids and others.

On March 5th I will travel back to Nicaragua to see my families. The first 8 days I will be working with Ambassadors and a team of 60 and when they return home I will head to my community along with Gwen Emmett and my translator Raphie for another 6 days.(I have the best husband in the world to be able to do this). I can't wait to see my kids and hear all about their new school year, which started this week. I hope to post pictures soon from their first day of school.

Our theme for this trip will be about "Love". We have craft projects and object lessons being prepared to teach each age group all about how much God loves them. We will bless the wedding couples with pictures from the wedding, the families will each get a family portrait and as usual we will bless the families with food. We will also go and see my babies at the orphanage. I also have good news to tell you. 3 of the kids who I wrote about in January that were taken back to their mother has returned for good this time.  I got word last week that the mother (of my favorite 3) had forced the kids to bed on the streets for money and the aunt turned her into child protection services and upon investigation they found in fact that the mother was forcing the kids to beg so they removed them from the home and returned them to the orphanage where they will live from now on. They love it there and I will love seeing them again. I have goose bumps just thinking about it now.. :)

If you are a current sponsor of Operation Education kids and want to send them a letter I will need it by the 1st of March please. If you want to send money towards the food cost as always that will be appreciated. It usually costs about $1100 each trip to feed all the families. God always supplies what is needed for these families. The food last them almost a month or more and cost around $15 per family. Can you imagine having a grocery bill for the month of only $15. Wow, that would be so nice in this house. :)

Please start praying for this trip. Pray the hearts of many will be affected by the words we say and the love we show. I have learned by now that I'm no preacher, evangelist, or even a teacher but what I am is willing. I am willing to love them as God loves them and allow Him to show His love to them through me. What a great honor that is.

Update on the "new Hotel" - thanks to all of you who gave so generously. Because of you two rooms have been converted into a home for me and others to live in while I am there. They are working hard to convert the house into a safe place for us. I am so excited to see all they have done. A new water tank has been bought, ceramic tile has been laid in the bathroom and the bedrooms, new electrical wires have been ran and many other things are yet to be done.

The family that takes care of me in Nicaragua have been a huge blessing to me for years and now I get to be a blessing to them by making much needed improvements to their home which in turn gives us a safe place to say. What a great blessing this will be for me and others who come with me. Thanks again for all who helped make this need a reality. I will send you pictures when I get there.

God bless each of you. I can't wait to see what God has in store for 2015. Every year I think there is no way to out do last year and every year He shows up and shows off. We serve a great God. He is so faithful. He loves us so much.

Please remember that there is NOTHING you can do that changes His love for you. NOTHING. We as Americans try to measure up to a "person worthy of being loved by God" but God is trying to show us "we are already worthy of His love regardless of what we do". When we finally realize it is not about us and it's about Him our lives will change forever. Don't let the enemy lie to you anymore and tell you that you messed up today and now God is unhappy with you or that you were sooooo.... bad today that now you need to repent every day for the rest of the month to make up for it. If I am not mistaken, Jesus died on the cross knowing you were going to mess up and yet He still took your place. If that's not true Love I don't know what is. Rest in His love for you today and watch what happens.

Dios te ama, Dios te bendiga, (God loves you, God Bless You)

Angie

January 2015 Newsletter

2014 was an amazing year so I am excited to see what God's plans are for 2015. Every year I stand in amazement of His blessings into this ministry and year after year He tops the year before. Our trip in December was awesome. There were 6 of us. My husband Terry, David Eason, Tiffany Fusion, Sara Harvey and our Nicaraguan buddy Ralphie. Together along with our Nicaragua team we had a full week. The enemy worked overtime on us that week as each of us fell sick with a stomach virus that actually came from the states but all of us pressed through it and had a great time.

Our first day in Nicaragua was Thursday and the graduation day of our seniors. I felt like a proud Momma. We had 7 kids who graduated from high school, 11 from middle school and 4 from preschool. One of the seniors actually stood in front of everyone and thanked all the sponsors she has had and Terry and I on behalf of each student who graduated. It was very special. Click here to view the pictures.

Our second day was spent blessing the kids. We have 106 kids who are attending school next year and this was their celebration day. Each child received their package that included a uniform, socks, shoes and a backpack along with some school supplies. Additionally, each child received a toy gift bag that was donated by Ambassadors To The Nations. If you sent a gift or letter to your child they also received it that day. This is always one of the best days of the year for me to see all of them so blessed. Click here to view the pictures.

On Saturday we spent the day with my babies at the orphanage. I took my parachute and some balls and we had the time of our lives. It was so much fun. Every trip is a joy but this was an extra special time. We played and played and laughed even harder. It was only at the end did I find out that some of my favorite kids (I know I am not suppose to have favorites but I can't help myself) would be leaving to return back to their home life on January 4th. This literally broke my heart and I have shed many tears but I have to rest in my prayers that God is taking care of them where ever they are and I praise Him for allowing me to have the special moments I had with them that day. Additionally, the kids had attended church that day and were all dressed up so we took advantage of the opportunity and Terry took pictures of each of them and a group shot. The little boy in the front row is one that left this month and one that will be missed beyond what my words can describe. Pray for them. Pray for God's protection over them.  Click here to view the pictures of my sweet kids.

By Sunday morning I was sick as a dog and very weak but I refused to allow the sickness in my body to stop us so we went ahead with our plans to take pictures of all the families in the community and to bless each family with food and other gifts. It was difficult because I had a fever and could not hug them. Not sure if it was harder on me or them. Each family was blessed with 10lbs of rice and 5lbs of beans and a liter of oil. Prices were extremely high this trip. Pray the price of beans drops because this is the only protein they get in their diet and right now 1 lb of beans cost more than they make in a day which means no one is buying beans. Thanks again partners for making this happen without your help I could not bless these families. Your are truly changing their lives. Click here to view the pictures of the food distribution. Check out the family photos also.

Monday was WEDDING DAY!!!!! Even though we were still sick, especially my husband the photographer, we took the morning to visit my friend Darling and bless her and then we got ready for the wedding. Can you imagine 16 large wedding cakes, decorations and 17 people in a bus headed to the wedding hoping the cakes didn't melt or shift. It was quite an adventure but in the end it was beautiful. We had 15 couples get married and all of them were beyond excited for this day. The church was decorated and the chairs were ready for 300 people to arrive. Each couple came forward as they were called, their vows were said and the kiss sealed the deal and made everyone smile. I was able to share just a little with them about my 25 years of marriage and David Eason blessed them with the Word. Afterwards we fed everyone a nice plate of chicken and rice and most importantly a piece of cake. My friend Gwen created a hand made card for each family with 1st Corinthians 13:4 in it. The brides were blessed with wedding veils and a wedding bouquet and the men were given a boutonniere. Our team member Tiffany even brought dresses for some of the brides to wear. We took pictures of each couple and when I return I will bless them with a wedding photo as well as take the time to talk to them about how the covenant with their spouse is just like the covenant with God. I can't wait for this opportunity. Check out the wedding photos here.

As you see the week was very full and God showed up every day and blessed our team in many ways. Every trip I go I hope I am a blessing to the families yet they end up being the blessing to me.

There were so much more to tell you but it would take another full page of information so I will limit this to say it was AMAZING and I give God all the glory...

Thank you again partners for your financial support, prayer support, and encouragement to keep doing this.

I have a trip planned in March and hope to return again in August and next December. If you would like to join me and see for yourselves how God is changing the lives of these people through you please let me know.

God Bless EACH OF YOU.

Angie

ps. Letters from the Operation Education kids will be mailed soon.

Jewelry Sale!! December 2nd

For those of you who live near me I wanted to let you know I am having a jewelry sale on Sunday, December 2nd from 2:30 - 4:30. It's a drop-in so feel free to come when you can. It will be held at;  East Belmont Church of God  320 Catawba Street Belmont, NC  28012

All proceeds will go directly to helping the Foundation of Life Orphanage.

Prices range from $5 - $10. Cash and Checks accepted.

Where are you going to find a unique present for that special one for prices like that and be able to bless a group of wonderful childrenat the same time..

If you do not live in my area please pray for the outcome of this sale. I need to raise as much money as I can since I will be leaving for Nicaragua the following Friday.

God Bless all of you and thanks again for your support.

Angie

*call me if you need any further info. 704-236-5550

Foundation for Life Orphanage

For those of you who have been a part of this ministry for a long time you will remember this place and for the new ones let me introduce it to you. From 2004 until December 7th 2008 I was working at an orphanage called Hogar de Rose. The House of Rose in English. During this time I fell deep in love with on average about 17 little girls. Even my Francis came from this orphanage.

In December 2008 due to reasons that make no since the orphanage was closed and the current 17 girls were disbursed to many different places. This caused great devastation in my heart. I cried on and off for months. These girls had become my family and the thought of never seeing them again and not saying Goodbye tore my heart into pieces.

In the summer of 2009 I went to Nicaragua in hopes of finding some of these kids again. I contacted the DSS offices and begged for their help and was blessed to get information on where the children had gone. In the very city I was at an orphanage called Foundation for Life was holding 5 of the 17. 5 cousins. The other children were spread across many cities and placed back into the horrible homes they were removed from.

With permission I was given the opportunity to visit the kids in the new orphanage. I will never forget that day. I hide around the corner as I heard the director tell my 5 little friends someone was there to visit them. Immediately I heard them ask was it Angie. My heart was filled with great joy knowing I had impacted their lives so much that out of all the people they could have guessed was there to see them they choose me.  Within minutes I had my little girls in my arms and them telling me "I knew you would find us".

Since then the director of the orphanage has allowed me to be a part of their lives and the lives of the other children. Ironically the directors name is Angela and she speaks English which is a huge blessing for me.

Last night I spoke to her and for the first time heard a great heaviness in her voice. The orphanage is funded by a large organization out of Canada and apparently they are having financial struggles and have not met the orphanages budget needs for this past month. You can't just stop sending money to a home with 24 kids and 6 adults. That's not an option.

The orphanage grows a large part of their food and they sell bread to raise extra money and right now are doing ok but are concerned about the coming months. Please pray with me that I am able to connect them with organizations in Nicaragua that can help offset their monthly food budget. I will be working on that first thing on Monday.

The orphanage has some other needs that I feel led to share with you. I have lived by faith and the approach that if you don't ask you don't get. Who knows what other people may have laying around in their garages or may know someone that has the items needed. I don't but God does and He has a perfect plan for the Foundation of Life Orphanage.

Below is a list of items that the orphanage needs to purchase but are using their resources to ensure the children are feed instead. If you have these items new or used please let me know as soon as possible. I would like to get this stuff on the container in January.  I know these items are not typically things laying around your house but you just never know. Let's watch God's plan come together.

Items Needed:

1. A small freezer - around 7 to 10 cubit feet. They don't want a large one because of the cost of electricity to run it.

2. A commercial gas stove - similar to one that would be used in a church but a little bigger than one in a house.

3. A Rotary Push Mower - she needs several of these actually. They live on a big farm and can't afford the gas for a push mower.

4.Stainless Steel Pots and Pans - commercial size, heavy duty - like the ones used at a church, hospital or nursing home. When cooking for 30 people every meal I am sure the larger the better.

All of these items are extremely hard to get in Nicaragua and extremely expensive.

Please keep your eyes and ears open. Share this with others. You never know what business may be changing their equipment and would donate them or maybe a school is getting rid of old pots. Nothing would surprise me with God.

Please keep these kids and the directors in your prayers. None of the children can be adopted. This will be their home and family for the rest of their lives. Angela and her husband have given up everything to take care of these kids, they are wonderful Christian people.

These kids deserve to have a safe home, lots of love and food to eat. Pray for provision to come to this wonderful group of people. While I am in Nicaragua I will be blessing them with many items of clothing and some money for food and I am hoping with good news that someone will be helping them on a regular basis.

God Bless all of you and thanks in advance for your help,

Angie

Here's a picture of the my buddies.