Wednesday, June 19, 2013

I've been keeping a little secret, for about 3 months...

It's true.  For about 3 months, I've only shared with some close friends, and now we're telling the world.  And if you tell me, "Well, I thought you looked pregnant," I'll kick you in the knee.  I have NO baby in my belly.  Seriously, I will kick you.  BUT, I do have something exciting to share.You know my heart has been in Ghana the last 3.5 years, ever since I knew our son was there. I have had such a love for the people who live there, for the culture, for that little corner of the earth.  I'm even trying to get my husband to move there... someday, hopefully.

Well, about 3ish months ago, I had the opportunity to partner with one of my good friends, Anita, and some "family" in Ghana to make the dream of having a nonprofit here in the US a reality.  For almost a decade, my Ghanaian friends, the people who facilitated our adoption in Ghana, have been devoted to family preservation and caring for the vulnerable in Ghana.  And my sister from a different mister, Anita, had this dream of creating a nonprofit here, stateside, to come alongside our dear friends in Ghana, and for some reason, God wanted to use me to help make this happen.  I'll spare you the details and give you the mini mini version, but that week went something like this:

Friends in Ghana: We would love to have a stateside partner
Anita:  I have a dream... nonprofit, you help?
Me: hahaha!!!  how?  me?  Let me pray and ask people to pray (Monday). 
Me:(Tuesday and Wed) life group and mom's group: HELP! Pray, I feel so inadequate, how? me? how?
Good friend: B, you're not 23 anymore, if God called you - DO IT!
Husband of a friend: (Thursday) B, I would love to gift you a nonprofit.  DONE.  We'll mentor you, do the taxes for you, help you in anyway.
ME: (Thursday) I guess I'm co-founding a nonprofit.  Okay God, here we go...
Jesse: Well, I knew God gave you an ODD love and devotion to a country that wasn't your home, and I always wondered why.  Well, I guess I know now.  Lets do this.

So, there you go.  We're called Eban Project.  HOLY SMOKES!  Guys, I'm so excited.  I really didn't want to share with you until everything was perfect, our website was up and I "knew" what we were doing... who am I kidding?  In the beginning of something like this, it's just going to be messy, not perfect, and confusing.  First impressions can't be what it's all about.  We need PRAYER, help, resources.  So, just like a friend asked me if I wanted to help her start a nonprofit, I'm asking you... hey, want to be apart of something God is doing in Ghana, Africa?  Do you want to come alongside in the very beginning and watch it grow with us?  

So, "who are we?" and "what do we do?"  Well, our mission is to transform the kids of Ghana inside and out, to stop the cycle of abuse, poverty, child labor, and holistically help them reach their full potential God has placed inside of them to do HIS work and be change agents in their communities.  Because, did you know, God does have a plan for all his people?  Even those who live in developing countries, who are struggling to keep their families together, those who are sick and whose communities see them as outcasts, those babes dying of hunger, those single moms dying of hunger because they are giving everything they have to feed their children.  He calls them all and we believe He is asking us to partner with Him to restore that little corner of the earth.

EXCITING NEWS!!  We (my co-founder, Anita and I) are headed there in August!  Yeppers, we are.  August 2nd.  We bought our plane tickets in FAITH!  Yes, after much prayer and conversations we decided that August was the time, specifically, we needed to go.  Because we're officially brand new, we need to step again, on that soil that we love so much, to make relationships, have meetings, check on our foster homes, find land for a new home we'll be building, and network with certain people in Ghana.  We feel strongly led that the time to travel is now, when there are several programs that need development, and several more that require an update by U.S. representatives.  In the midst of praying on how we were going to get there, low and behold, there was a "sale" on tickets to Ghana, but the prices were literally raising hour by hour and we felt like God was saying, "Sorry ladies, you need to step out into faith - buy them now, yes, before you have all the money raised.  FAITH.  TRUST ME. Yes, I'm calling you to step out.  So what, you're a little scared.  Let me provide, in ways that you aren't expecting.  Let me show off my faithfulness." So, friends, YIKES!  We did.  But we are trusting that God does provide for us, in this new beginning.  It was never our plan to beg ask for donations to help us in the beginning.  We wanted to do that on our own, to report back to you, all the crazy God stuff that was happening over there and how you can be involved in other ways.  But, then, in my quiet time with him, I felt him saying, "I don't always work how you want me to, or WHEN you want me to.  YES, I will call people to partner with you in Ghana to sponsor children, families, to help restore that little corner of the earth, but don't rob my people of the blessing of helping you in the beginning." Seriously, guys, I hate this part.  Asking for money for ME.  So there, done.  Because in the future, once we're up and running, we'll have funds set aside for trips like this.  But we don't now.

I can share with you the aspect of our trip I'm looking forward to the most... A big part of our program will be sponsorship, and we have the privilege of getting to meet children in three communities we are working in, signing them up for sponsorship, hearing their stories, hugging them, and then bringing YOU back their stories and opportunities for you to personally get involved in their lives.  We want these children to feel like an extension of your family who live in Ghana.  Beautiful relationships will occur, and I'm so excited.

I can't say it better than my friend, Anita... "Ultimately we hope that by traveling, the work of Eban Project will be greatly expanded so that the funds used to travel will be paid back to the people of Ghana ten-fold. It is our desire to serve the people of Ghana, and those that support Eban Project. We do not wish to travel to Ghana for our own pleasure. It will be a challenging trip in many ways, but ultimately rewarding if more vulnerable populations in Ghana are served."

If you feel led to partner with us in the beginning by making a tax-deductible donation, you can do that HERE.  Please note on the donation page, that it is for our trip to Ghana.  We're estimating that our total will be around $7,600 ($600 for food, $1500 lodging, $4000 flights, $1500 in-country transportation).  Any donations raised beyond what our actual trip costs, goes directly to serving the vulnerable children and their families of Ghana.

You can see our website at ebanproject.org . Remember it's not all done yet and you can judge none!  Okay? No judging.  Just love in the beginning. And PRAYERS for us and God's work there.

x, b