Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Running with Purpose
Update: Donations received through the Chip-In meter as well as checks sent directly to MGM bring the total for Team Lagosette (aka Paul Morphy) to $1055.50, with 5 weeks until race day. Thank you for joining with Paul and supporting the Lagosette School!
Interns
Every summer college students volunteer their time with MGM to serve as interns. This year we had six interns in Haiti and six interns in the Dominican Republic. Some of the interns kept blogs of their own during the summer. If you would like to read about their experiences in their own words, check out these blogs:
Jill Rhodes: http://drintern-jillrenee29.blogspot.com/
Audrey Parker: http://drintern.blogspot.com/
Felicia Blocker: http://fmblocker.blogspot.com/
Jill Rhodes: http://drintern-jillrenee29.blogspot.com/
Audrey Parker: http://drintern.blogspot.com/
Felicia Blocker: http://fmblocker.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Marathon Update
Lagosette Update: While the ChipIn meter doesn't show it, we have thus
far $761.00 donated towards the Lagosette school with more promised.
This is a good start with 47 days to the ING New York city marathon and
54 days to meet our goal of $1.00/mile from 100 friends.
All funds go directly to the Lagosette School. Meeting this goal will provide salary for our preschool teachers for the entire year! Feel free to...Chipin.
far $761.00 donated towards the Lagosette school with more promised.
This is a good start with 47 days to the ING New York city marathon and
54 days to meet our goal of $1.00/mile from 100 friends.
All funds go directly to the Lagosette School. Meeting this goal will provide salary for our preschool teachers for the entire year! Feel free to...Chipin.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Paul Morphy
"I have had a long-time interest in running, learning, and people-not necessarily in that order. When I visited Haiti a few years ago I once saw a school with missing walls and a little girl looking out through a huge hole in one wall while classes were going on. She was under-clothed and quite probably lacked many educational opportunities others take for granted. I took a photograph of her that day, but did little else to help her other than to pray that she and others like her would have a better chance.Children in Haiti (or anywhere) don't need well-intended people to feel sorry for them. Rather, they need opportunities to learn how to build better lives for themselves and their families. Look through history and you will never find a time or circumstance where ignorance has been the better course. Learning can be powerful for dealing with life's difficulties-helping to define the road out.
Over the past 15 years or so I've run largely out of personal interest. Running the New York City marathon to raise funds for the school in Lagosette brings greater purpose to my running-it also helps me deal with the picture of that little girl."
Please consider sponsoring the Lagosette School through Paul's efforts. Donations can be made using the Chip-In meter on the right.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Running with Purpose
The Lagosette School has provided hundreds of children with education, hot meals and the opportunity to hear of the love of Jesus for more than eight years! This ministry continues because of churches and individuals who have a purpose. All of us coming together, each doing what we are able, to help make the work of the Lagosette School possible.
Paul Morphy visited Lagosette years ago and the children he met there have remained on his heart. This year he is running the NYC Marathon on November 7, and he's doing it with a purpose. Paul's goal is to find 100 supporters to donate $1.00 for every mile of the race, and for all those funds to go directly toward continuing the ministry of the Lagosette School.* Meeting this goal, $2,620, would cover the salaries for our preschool staff for an entire year!! Join with us to make every step of his race count.
You can give by using the "Chip-In" meter at the right, which allows you to donate via your checking account or a credit card. Or send a check, earmarked "Lagosette School" to:
MGM
P.O. Box 2993
Clarksville, IN 74131
Thank you to Paul for sharing this amazing experience with us and for using it to encourage each of us to make a difference!
To learn more about the Lagosette School, visit our website at www.lagosetteschool.com
*NOTE: Paul is covering the entire cost of the registration for the race and his own travel and lodging expenses. *All funds* donated go directly to Lagosette School.
Paul Morphy visited Lagosette years ago and the children he met there have remained on his heart. This year he is running the NYC Marathon on November 7, and he's doing it with a purpose. Paul's goal is to find 100 supporters to donate $1.00 for every mile of the race, and for all those funds to go directly toward continuing the ministry of the Lagosette School.* Meeting this goal, $2,620, would cover the salaries for our preschool staff for an entire year!! Join with us to make every step of his race count.
You can give by using the "Chip-In" meter at the right, which allows you to donate via your checking account or a credit card. Or send a check, earmarked "Lagosette School" to:
MGM
P.O. Box 2993
Clarksville, IN 74131
Thank you to Paul for sharing this amazing experience with us and for using it to encourage each of us to make a difference!
To learn more about the Lagosette School, visit our website at www.lagosetteschool.com
*NOTE: Paul is covering the entire cost of the registration for the race and his own travel and lodging expenses. *All funds* donated go directly to Lagosette School.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sharing Stories
John Sloan led a group on a week long mission trip to Lagosette, Haiti this summer and has written about his experience to share here.
The Tipping Point
I know this blog is read by people that have been influenced by the experience of being in Lagosette. We all share something that is difficult to verbalize with our friends and family that were waiting on us to return. They all wanted to see pictures and hear all the details of our journey to the poorest country in the western hemisphere where chaos was abundant, especially since the earthquake. They all imagine crime on every street corner, bodies laying everywhere and danger, danger, danger.
The real story of our trip is the bonds that were made in 7 days. I don’t think anyone besides those of us that went understand how we miss kids like McKenzie, Kay Kay, Steve, Jimmy, Ericson, Eveleen and of course Onz. Or how we got to know Beedel, Miscial, Nama, Mary Lou, Toto, Wilson, Weston and Joanne so much that our conversations all seem to migrate to our experiences with each of them. The truth is, the people of Lagosette are what we all really want to be, sincere, joyful, genuine people who aren’t caught up in the rat race so deep that our relationship with Christ becomes distant to the ignorant desires to acquire things.
If you’re like me you are asking yourself, what do I do now? I can’t continue to ignore those people. Emails and phone calls aren’t enough. We are the 10 talent man who has buried our talents most of our lives. My prayer is that God shows us an opportunity to serve him in Lagosette and that we don’t turn a blind eye when he does.
I heard a story recently about the conversation that must have taken place between Abraham and Sarah after God gave his command to sacrifice Isaac. Can you imagine the faith and confidence he had to actually explain to his wife that he was going to sacrifice their son? He would have to allow her to say goodbye to him. He had to tell her why he was going to go through with such an awful thing. There is no way he could just come back from the mountain after killing Isaac and then tell her what he had done. Imagine yourself telling your own spouse that you were taking this child you loved so dearly up a mountain to sacrifice him. Is it possible for us to believe our purpose in living is equally important and that it demands the same level of commitment in the way we live and gobble up an opportunity to be obedient to God’s will?
We have tasted the love of the Father while serving in Lagosette. We have shared sweat, laughter and tears with each other. Can we go on dwelling on childish desires for earthly pleasures? The Father has asked us to follow the example of his son. That can’t include worshipping the idols so abundant here in the U.S. Thank you Brian, Tammie, Jeff, Keely, Felicia, Jessica, Jordan and of course Savannah. Our week was wonderful because of the way it started with your joyful giving attitudes and then the way it continued one great day after another. Our nightly devo’s were awesome. Sherri, Logan, Jeff, Nikki, Kaylon and Tony all shared compelling thoughts. Rashon was a great Goliath, Sarah Gary can beat any of us in Soccer, Dylan and Jennifer survived a sinking kayak, Jeff and Nikki were awesome leading the VBS games, Beth, Jodie and Tina created such cute crafts, Kaylon was magical, Caleb loved singing and Olivia was so sweet playing duck duck goose with all those kids. And how good were those pancakes? We even added bananas to them 1 day.
I miss our team that went to Haiti July 4th. I miss the Interns and I really miss the Haitians. I really miss them because I of the uncertainty of seeing them again. I pray that the Mission continues and we can stay involved but if it doesn’t at least we experienced the Tipping Point that has changed us forever.
The Tipping Point
I know this blog is read by people that have been influenced by the experience of being in Lagosette. We all share something that is difficult to verbalize with our friends and family that were waiting on us to return. They all wanted to see pictures and hear all the details of our journey to the poorest country in the western hemisphere where chaos was abundant, especially since the earthquake. They all imagine crime on every street corner, bodies laying everywhere and danger, danger, danger.
The real story of our trip is the bonds that were made in 7 days. I don’t think anyone besides those of us that went understand how we miss kids like McKenzie, Kay Kay, Steve, Jimmy, Ericson, Eveleen and of course Onz. Or how we got to know Beedel, Miscial, Nama, Mary Lou, Toto, Wilson, Weston and Joanne so much that our conversations all seem to migrate to our experiences with each of them. The truth is, the people of Lagosette are what we all really want to be, sincere, joyful, genuine people who aren’t caught up in the rat race so deep that our relationship with Christ becomes distant to the ignorant desires to acquire things.
If you’re like me you are asking yourself, what do I do now? I can’t continue to ignore those people. Emails and phone calls aren’t enough. We are the 10 talent man who has buried our talents most of our lives. My prayer is that God shows us an opportunity to serve him in Lagosette and that we don’t turn a blind eye when he does.
I heard a story recently about the conversation that must have taken place between Abraham and Sarah after God gave his command to sacrifice Isaac. Can you imagine the faith and confidence he had to actually explain to his wife that he was going to sacrifice their son? He would have to allow her to say goodbye to him. He had to tell her why he was going to go through with such an awful thing. There is no way he could just come back from the mountain after killing Isaac and then tell her what he had done. Imagine yourself telling your own spouse that you were taking this child you loved so dearly up a mountain to sacrifice him. Is it possible for us to believe our purpose in living is equally important and that it demands the same level of commitment in the way we live and gobble up an opportunity to be obedient to God’s will?
We have tasted the love of the Father while serving in Lagosette. We have shared sweat, laughter and tears with each other. Can we go on dwelling on childish desires for earthly pleasures? The Father has asked us to follow the example of his son. That can’t include worshipping the idols so abundant here in the U.S. Thank you Brian, Tammie, Jeff, Keely, Felicia, Jessica, Jordan and of course Savannah. Our week was wonderful because of the way it started with your joyful giving attitudes and then the way it continued one great day after another. Our nightly devo’s were awesome. Sherri, Logan, Jeff, Nikki, Kaylon and Tony all shared compelling thoughts. Rashon was a great Goliath, Sarah Gary can beat any of us in Soccer, Dylan and Jennifer survived a sinking kayak, Jeff and Nikki were awesome leading the VBS games, Beth, Jodie and Tina created such cute crafts, Kaylon was magical, Caleb loved singing and Olivia was so sweet playing duck duck goose with all those kids. And how good were those pancakes? We even added bananas to them 1 day.
I miss our team that went to Haiti July 4th. I miss the Interns and I really miss the Haitians. I really miss them because I of the uncertainty of seeing them again. I pray that the Mission continues and we can stay involved but if it doesn’t at least we experienced the Tipping Point that has changed us forever.
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