I’ve been out of town and celebrating our country’s independance, so this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and share the good news from last Wednesday.  God did it!  He blew us all away with how He provided for these orphans in India.  We asked for $4,884 in 48 hours to send 12 children to school in Mumbai, India.  Many of these kids were born to women working and living in brothels, and they’d come to an orphanage run by Asha Ministries.  The people on HopeChest’s first vision trip to India found out about them while they were there last week, and found out that school started last Thursday and the kids would have to wait another year if they couldn’t get the funds together in time.  So, on Tuesday morning, we all hit our blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, offering people the opportunity to experience the joy of making a difference in the life of a child.  $4,884 in 48 hours.  Well, God decided to show off and brought in $5,651 in only 28 hours!  12 school tuitions, uniforms, and school supplies, plus money for food!  It was quite a rush to get to watch God work, to see the money come in as we prayed and re-tweeted.  

My favorite story from the day is of one of my Adacar sponsor moms who called me asking if there was still time to give.  Her daughter had accidentally hit a button on the computer which caused my blog to pop up.  This sponsor mom read about what we were doing and thought, “Oh, I wish we could help, but we don’t have any extra right now.”  The mail arrived, and there was a surprise $500 check from a grandmother.  She immediately thought of the kids in India!  When I thanked this sponsor mom for choosing to spend her gift money on school fees for a child she’d never met, she answered, “How could I not?”  Wow!  I LOVE that!!  She had such joy and excitement in her voice, and that’s just it.  When we choose to give, not only does the recipient feel blessed, but so do we!  We are filled with joy and exuberance, and it’s such a fulfilling act of worship to God, who gives so generously to us.  Last Wednesday was such a special day.  I loved asking BIG and seeing my God respond even BIGGER.

Tags: Children's HopeChest, Giving, Orphan