Girls Changing the World! Send a girl to camp

When Caroline's Promise met with the leadership of Iglesia Adonai in March, and we started comparing notes about the summer teams, we were amazed and thrilled at what God had in store for us. One of our summer teams this year is very unique. It's all women. This seemed a challenge for us at first, because we typically like our summer teams to be a well-balanced group of ages and genders so as to accommodate the mix we will find in Guatemala. However, God had special plans in mind, and all women suited His needs perfectly. You see, Iglesia Adonai has identified 30 girls, ages 13-23 who are leaders in the church and community.  These are the young ladies who are ministering to orphans and vulnerable children in their community on a daily basis!  Iglesia Adonai has asked us to partner with them to offer a camp  this summer called "Girls Changing the World". The only way Caroline's Promise would be able to assist that camp, is if they had a team with no men on it. Coincidence? Not for our God!
 
The "Girls Changing The World" camp will be based on the theme Isaiah 61, and our goal will be

to make sure that the girls' relationship with Jesus is solid, understanding God as their Heavenly Father. Our prayer is this camp will provide opportunities for them to identify
(and then for God to heal) hurts, and lies they believe about themselves, others and God.  
We're asking God to free these women from the grip of the enemy so that by the end of the camp, they are free to be the beautiful women God created and saved them to be, changing the world by living out their purpose in God's great plan.

We are so excited by what God is doing and will continue to do, particularly through this camp! And we want to extend an invitation to you to join in this excitement! While you may have your own children that you are signing up for summer camps, why not consider sending one of these precious girls to camp in Guatemala! The cost is only $50 a girl, and with your donation you will receive the name of a girl that you are sponsoring for camp. You could even write a note of encouragement to her and we will make sure she receives it on the first day of camp!

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these beautiful girls you can donate online here.
Choose the fund "Guatemala Orphan Projects" and write "camp" in the comment box. 

As a way of saying "thank you" we would like to send you one of two books by Tom Davis.  "Fields of the Fatherless" or "Red Letters".   Please mention the book you want in the comment box as well.

Tapestry Of Love: Your Opportunity

This is Claudia. She is a mother of five children and works three jobs trying to make ends meet. A lot of times there is more month than there is money or food. Her oldest son takes care of the four younger ones while Claudia works. Claudia joined the second group of women in the sewing program. She is learning a skill set that will provide her with the opportunity to generate an income while staying home with her family. She is hearing about God's love for her and seeing His love in action through the volunteers and staff of the church. This chance for Claudia is huge, not only economically, but spiritually as well. God is weaving her story of poverty into His tapestry of love.

A tapestry? Yes, a tapestry. The sewing program at Iglesia Adonai began as a burden in the heart of the church leaders to tangibly help those in the community around the church; help them for a lifetime, not just for the day. So the church opened up it's doors during the week so the sewing program could have a safe place for the women to come and learn.

Oneida (pictured on the right) teaches the women how to sew. She and others share the love of God with the women, encouraging them and pouring into their lives. The sewing machines have been donated by sponsors like you in America. Supplies and material have also been purchased for use. By the end of each program when the women are trained, they invest in their own sewing machine and supplies by selling their finished products. By utilizing what they've learned, they pour back into the community, the homes and the church, since most of these women are moms of children at Casita Adonai.

God weaves this tapestry of the church, the mommas, the volunteers, the sponsors - across countries  even - to show His glory. A missionary once said, "We need you, your support, your prayers; for without it, we could not function. You need us to do the work, to be physically on location to minister on your behalf. And we all need God, for He alone does not need anyone, but rather He CHOOSES to let us partner with Him."

God is doing great things in Guatemala through the sewing program! Women, like Claudia are blessed as they witness the testimony of God's great love for them, tangibly expressed through partnerships like the sewing ministry.

Our 2nd class will graduate in June and we are looking for people who will sponsor these precious Mamas at $50 or $100 each.   We think this is a great way to honor your Mom or wife on Mother's Day!  With each $50 or $100 sponsorship we will send your loved one a beautiful Card, telling her all about how you  honored her and how that gift is changing the life of a family in Guatemala!  To participate please donate online.  Choose the fund "Guatemala Orphan Projects" - $50 or $100 - and write "Sewing" in the comment box.  Please complete the acknowledgement info so that we know who to send the card to.


We are continually blown away by your generosity, whether financially, prayerfully, or physically with your time and energy. Thank you for continuing to partner with us as together we reclaim hope for God's glory.

Thoughts From Recent Trip To Guatemala

Caroline's Promise went to Guatemala in March for an administrative trip. While we had the great blessing of spending time with the children at Casita and Iglesia Adonai, the focus of the trip was to update school records of the sponsor children, train the teachers on some new equipment, assist in a one-day youth conference and plan for the summer teams.

She's just the sweetest thing.

As a sponsor, I was overwhelmed to see all of the children at Casita; getting to meet them in person, see how fabulous they are, and at the same time realize more fully the serious need they live in daily. Spending time with my sponsor child was so precious. What a blessing to love on the child we've been praying for, wrote letters to and supported! What an amazing opportunity to sponsor through Caroline's Promise, where the possibility exists to meet your sponsor child!

As a volunteer and supporter for Caroline's Promise, the trip opened my eyes (even more than I thought they were!) to several things:
1) the critical need of the children at Casita Adonai, the poverty they live in, the danger they endure not only for their safety, but for their well being, their health and education.
2) the necessity of the body of Christ (in this case, via Caroline's Promise) rising up to love on and care for those at Casita Adonai.
3) the integrity and dedication to transparency that the leaders of the church and school have in their partnership with Caroline's Promise, maintaining the highest standards of trust and faithfulness with the children, sponsors' support, and the goal of reclaiming hope for those within their community.

One of the privileges I had on the trip, was to train the teachers on a die-cut machine, called a Cricut. Previously, if the teachers wanted to create anything for the walls or bulletin boards, they had to cut it out by hand. See the lettering and the pictures of the women in the photo below? All cut by hand.
We were able to give them a Cricut with supplies, and teach them how to use the machine.






While we were there, we also labeled each child's backpack with their own name, using the Cricut machine. Such a small gesture, and yet, to the kids, having something of their own - with their name on it, is a huge gift.

This young man, after watching for about five minutes, was able to show the teachers how to use the Cricut! He was hilarious! 

Another incredible moment was visiting the sewing program at the church. The sewing program is currently working with it's second group of women, and we met them and watched them work. While we were there, some graduates from the first group stopped by to visit, and ended up staying to assist those who needed some help! What a great blessing to see these women helping out their own, not just receiving from the program, but giving back to the very group that offered them hope. We are excited to see what God has in store for this program and the women in it.




Throughout our days in Guatemala, every spare moment was spent with church leaders, planning what the three summer teams will be doing.  I was blown away at how thoroughly every moment, every activity is discussed and prayed over. Hours were spent discussing not only WHAT each team would be doing, but WHY, what was the purpose? How could the teams utilize the time in Guatemala to the fullest opportunity of blessing? The love that these teams will lavish on the children and staff offers not only a respite from the every-day-ness of their lives, but also provides a chance to encourage, equip and refresh them, impacting generations, not just for the moment, but for the future. We are excited about what God will do this summer!

In the next few weeks, I'll be adding some posts regarding child sponsorship from a sponsor's perspective, answering questions a perspective sponsor might ask.  We'll also post about the sewing program and how you can help grow this ministry.


 ~Jody (blog editor for Caroline's Promise)

Awesome Vacation Bible School Projects!

Are you looking for a fun, creative Vacation Bible School Project that will truly make a difference for kids?  We can help! Our 2013 Vacation Bible School Project will teach your kids about life in another country and show them that they can change the world!  We'll help you promote your project and even send someone out to talk to your kids.  If you are interested please contact LisaHolbrook@Carolinespromise.net or 336-669-7340.

The Hope Grows Campaign is an effort to build a new building for a school and church in Guatemala City.  This building will not only minister to the 125 kids at Casita Adonai School, but will be used by the children's department at the church there.  When it rains this building floods.  Help us raise the last $50,000 to start construction by October, 2013.  Watch the video below to see a day in the life of Melany who attends both the school and church that this project will benefit. 

  Hope Grows in Guatemala: Building a School for Casita Adonai from Lisa Holbrook on Vimeo.

Make a Difference for Mothers in Guatemala this Mother's Day

If you're looking for a great Mother's Day gift for your Mom, wife, or friend - we can help you out!
Caroline's Promise has a heart to prevent children from becoming orphans.  It's because of this goal that we have developed several programs that equip mothers to provide for their children so that they don't have to face the unthinkable choice of abandoning them.

In 2012, with the help of our friends and donors,  we were able to establish a Sewing Ministry in Guatemala City.  You can read about it here.  These ladies make and sell their product with a portion going into a savings account and a portion going to construction of the new building at the school & church.  We LOVE that they are more than willing to give to this project!  Caroline's Promise finds sponsors in the US who give $100 and combined with the money in their savings account, we are able to provide them with a brand new sewing machine, supplies, and a Women's Devotional Bible.

Our 2nd class will graduate in June and we are looking for people who will sponsor these precious Mamas at $50 or $100 each.   We think this is a great way to honor your Mom or wife on Mother's Day!  With each $50 or $100 sponsorship we will send your loved one a beautiful Card, telling her all about how you  honored her and how that gift is changing the life of a family in Guatemala!  To participate please donate online.  Choose the fund "Guatemala Orphan Projects" - $50 or $100 - and write "Sewing" in the comment box.  Please complete the acknowledgement info so that we know who to send the card to.

This beautiful "Hope" necklace is adjustable (up to 13") and is a fundraiser for our Hope Grows campaign to construct a building for a school and church in Guatemala City.  The necklace is $20 with $14.50 of that being a tax deductible donation to Caroline's Promise.  We also have key chains for $10 that say "Hope".
What a beautiful way to give HOPE to kids in Guatemala!
Order your here.

If you're looking for a gift that will make a difference - check out our fair trade gift items on our website.  These items are made by women from around the world who are paid a fair wage.  We use the profits to support our orphan projects here and in several countries.  Give your Mom a gift that was made by a Mom and is making a difference!

If you live in the Triad - visit our booth at The Spring Folly in
downtown Kernersville this Friday & Saturday, May 3 and 4.  We will be located close to the intersection of Main and Mountain Streets.  

Last Chance to Register for Summit 9 in Nashville

Caroline's Promise is proud to be a member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.  We'll be at Summit 9 May 2nd and 3rd in Nashville, TN.  Friday is the last day to register for this 2 day conference.  Check out the details and register today!

If you're at Summit be sure to stop by the World Market.  We'll be there with all of our fabulous fair trade items - just in time for Mother's Day and graduations.

Want to help plan a party?!

It's a little hard to believe, but this year Caroline's Promise is 10 years old!  Our Board of Directors wants to celebrate but we need your help!  We'd like to put a committee together that will pray, dream, and plan a special celebration to be held in the Fall of 2013.  If you like to party, have great ideas, or just want to work on something fun - contact us.  336-669-7340 or LisaHolbrook@CarolinesPromise.Net

Thank You for Supporting the Hope Grows 5K & Family Fun Walk!

God certainly answered our prayers on Saturday, April 13 by giving us a gorgeous day to walk and run for the kids at Casita Adonai in Guatemala City!  We want to thank everyone who helped make this event such a success!  You prayed, sponsored, donated prizes, volunteered, walked, ran, promoted the event, and helped us raise $4500 to build a new building for the school and church!  Thank you!
We are halfway to the $100,000 needed to build the new school!  If you know of a civic, church, or community group that would like to   contribute, please email us at LisaHolbrook@CarolinesPromise.Net.




 
Please join us in thanking 
our sponsors!

Come Shop With Us This Weekend!

Caroline's Promise will be at Shady Grove Wesleyan's teen and adult consignment sale this weekend! We'll have our fabulous fair trade items including pillow case dresses that our Mamas in Guatemala made! Doors open Friday at 9:00am-8:00pm and Saturday 8-1. Come join us for some great shopping!

(Shady Grove is located between Greensboro and Kernersville off of Market Street (old 421) on Bunker Hill Road.)

Awesome prizes for the Hope Grows 5K & Family Fun Walk!

Don't miss these great prizes!

Register BY April 5 for early bird entry fee and to be guaranteed

a Hope Grows 5K T-Shirt

 Once you register you'll receive an email confirmation with details on how to set up a fundraising page.  You don't have to do this but if you do.......you'll be eligible for these amazing prize packs!

Individual who raises the most money: 

2 Tickets to see Third Day & Dinner for 2

Child who raise the most money: 

A Birthday Party at Pump It Up!

Family who raises the most money: 

One night at Great Wolf Lodge & $250 to spend!

This is such a great way to help us build a school in Guatemala

and earn some great prizes! 

If you can't join us on April 13 you can still register and walk or run on your own.  You'll receive a cool Hope Grows T-shirt while supporting the kids in Guatemala.

You can also raise funds and be elligible for all the great prize packs!

Contact us for questions - LisaHolbrook@CarolinesPromise.net or 336-669-7340

CarolinesPromise.Net

They Need You

Today at the CP office, we received a list of children that will be attending Casita for the school year 2013. Lisa asked me to go through the list, and figure out the kids who will be returning to the school and who wouldn’t. Not really thinking, I started my job. I went through the new list of kids looking for the names to match up. About half way through, I felt my heart get heavy. I had to mark in yellow the kids who had left the school and I realized the list was starting to become more yellow than I had anticipated. So I did what I always do, I triple checked the list. Still the same.

Lisa came back in from her morning meeting and asked me to read off the list that I had marked yellow. I started reading them off, one by one. I could see the hurt in her face as she pulled out the children’s pictures and put them in a discard pile, and I felt it too. “How is it that these children left the school?” I asked Lisa, she responded quite simply, “It’s the economy.” I thought to myself, how can this happen. How can these children literally go to school one year and not the next. It didn’t make sense.

The sad thing is, these children would probably have stayed in school if they had sponsors. 34 children left the school, 25 of them didn’t have sponsors and the 9 children who did, had to move away with their family to a different area. Sponsorship is a real thing. It keeps these kids in school and gives them a place to learn and grow. No child should be robbed of that, but these children are. Ultimately, everything happens for a reason and God is in charge of that. If you feel that God is calling you to do more or stretch further, this may be an option for you.

I encourage you to quiet your heart, listening for God’s voice, and ask Him if sponsoring a child is something you’re able to do. We can protect these children and give them the education and experiences they deserve with this sponsorship.To see a list of the children needing sponsors on our web page, click here. For more children (and if you are on Facebook) click here.

God Bless,

Natalie

Craft Camp For A Great Cause

We always love to hear the creative ways people find to raise funds, whether for an adoption or to go on a trip with Caroline's Promise. The ingenuity and creativity of each story amazes us, as we watch God prove His faithfulness when we take that first step in faith. The Soutter family is no stranger to watching God's providential hand. Caroline's Promise was able to award them with a grant when they adopted their son from Guatemala. And when Rob Soutter and his daughter Anna, went on one of the family teams to Guatemala, God provided again. Last year,  15-year-old Anna witnessed first hand how God provided exactly what she needed with her own unique step of faith. While planning a second trip with Caroline's Promise, she started an art camp for kids to help pay for it. It was a great success.

This year Anna is planning on returning to Guatemala and is hosting two more craft camps this summer to help pay for her trip. If you live in the Raleigh area, this would be a great opportunity for your child to make some wonderful art AND help a teen raise funds for her trip. Check it out here!

Uniting A Forever Family

Our journey started 12 years ago, in the spring of 2001, as a 17 year old girl and a 20 year old boy. We had not been dating but a few months when my (now) husband Brian went on a missions trip to Kenya, Africa. He worked with orphans while he was there and came home a different man. He wanted to bring those children home with him. He told me that he wanted to adopt one day. So from the first few months of our dating relationship, we knew this was a calling for our future. For these past 12 years it was always part of our future plans and we just continued to pray that the Lord would direct us when the time was right to start the journey of adoption. In 2007 we had our first son, and then we welcomed our second son in 2010. When our youngest was not even a year old, we began to feel like the Lord was calling us to start the process of adoption. We were led to the country of Ethiopia and sent in our first applications in October of 2011. 

We were concerned about the finances, but had a indescribable peace that the Lord would provide for us. We knew if he called us to this, He would provide! We refinanced our home, paid off our vehicles. We started fundraising and together with our own savings we were able to pay the first $10,000 of paperwork and agency fees. In the spring of 2012 we traveled for our court date and spent a week in Ethiopia getting to know our new daughter!

It was heart breaking to leave her, not knowing exactly when we would be back to get her. We came home and again started to worry about where the finances would come from for our return trip to bring her home. We had already done so much fundraising and had been so blessed by friends and families supporting us financially we were not sure where the remainder of the money would come from. 

We had applied several months back to Caroline's Promise and they had been keeping in touch with us about where we were in our process and how close we were to traveling. On October 9th, we got a call from Lisa informing us that we were receiving a grant to help with our travel expenses! What a blessing! These funds would almost cover our expenses for our flights. The very next day, on October 10th, our case was submitted to the US Embassy for final clearance to bring our daughter home! It was supposed to take weeks to be cleared ...but instead took 2 months. It was a long 2 months of trusting God that our daughter would be home! 

Our prayer from the very beginning was that she would be home before Christmas and before her first birthday on December 19th. We were cleared to bring her home on December 4th and were on a plane a week later to Ethiopia. She stepped foot on US soil on December 15th just in time for her birthday and to spend Christmas with her forever family! I still am in awe at how the Lord provided for us at the right moment each time we were in need of finances. We could not be more thankful that our daughter is home and adjusting so well! She adores her brothers and they adore her. It is like she has always been a part of our family. We are so thankful for this precious gift that we were given! 

Partnership Works

Caroline's Promise is blessed to partner with others as they work out God's plan for their lives. Sometimes we don't get to see the end of the story, we only get to walk a small part of the journey with them. While we don't know the end of the story for these ladies, we did get to witness a huge milestone for the sewing ministry at Iglesia Adonai. We wanted to share their excitement with you!

Seven ladies successfully graduated from the sewing ministry last week. They received their very own sewing machine and a Bible. What is amazing to us is the way God weaved so many different groups into the path of these women. When we first mentioned the sewing ministry last August,  we shared that a local preschool had a fundraiser to support the start up of this ministry, that Iglesia Adonai provided a teacher for these women and a space for the sewing classes. We told you about the sweet girl who asked to receive a donation of pillow cases for her birthday party in lieu of gifts...and how the Caroline's Promise mission team last summer helped with the beginning classes....since then Sunday School classes and individuals have donated money to help sponsor the ladies.

All these different groups doing their part toward a bigger goal....today these women have made pillow case dresses that have brought an income to them. They have the skills and tools needed to continue their own sewing businesses. And while each of these women did put money into their accounts from their first sales, what blessed us so much was that they also donated $40 each to the Hope Grows Campaign building fund! One of the participants of the class said, "I am very happy because today I received my sewing machine and a beautiful Bible.  I am so thankful to God and the ministry of Caroline's Promise and all of the people that made this possible.  May God bless all of you!"

Our second group of ladies began classes this week.  In three months they will graduate and receive their own sewing machine.  If you or a group you are a part of would like to sponsor one of these ladies at $150  please donate here, choosing the fund "Guatemala Orphan Projects".  Write "sewing" in the comment box.

We don't know the end of the story for these precious ladies. But we do know the One who holds their future in His hands... Partnership in ministry works, and their story proves how the blessing of one is multiplied to the many. Thank you for partnering with us to provide a brighter future for the women of the sewing ministry and those whose lives are impacted by them.

Stuck

 "STUCK is a new award-winning documentary film, produced by Both Ends Burning that uncovers the personal, real-life stories of children and parents navigating a roller coaster of bureaucracy on their journeys through the international adoption system, each filled with hope, elation – and sometimes heartbreak.
STUCK steps into the complex human experience of adoption, exploring the challenges faced by birth parents, prospective adoptive parents – and children.
The purpose of the film is to help the average person understand the issues and create a movement that will ultimately put pressure on U.S. officials to force a more supportive attitude toward International Adoption. One objective while we are on the road is to gather over 1 million petition signatures asking congress/global leaders/President Obama to take specific actions to change the landscape of adoption. The petition will be hand carried to members of Congress in the Step Forward for Orphans March in Washington, D.C., which will coincide, with the last day of the bus tour, tentatively scheduled for May 17."

Showings of the film STUCK will be March 2 in Raleigh at the Grand 16 and March 3 in Charlotte at Northlake Mall 14. We would love our Caroline's Promise folks to go to one of these dates, not only to view the film, but also to have the opportunity to sign the petition.

To see a trailer of the movie, click here.

(All quoted information taken directly from the www.bothendsburning.org website here.)

Cake Decorating!

From Angie:
I have learned in my time working in Plastic City, to stop looking for the big numbers as a means to measure success because the elation of the big “Wow!” is very short-lived. In order to stay with this work I have turned to celebrate the “one” or in the case of the cake decoration course, the “five.”  These ladies pulled together in class and encouraged one another outside of class.  Every Friday my feet hastened to get there just to be around them to hear them laugh with one another, give advice to one another, and push one another to be a little better.  Friday’s were bright, bright days in the Jetty!
In six weeks ladies found a way to have an apron, a head covering, a bowl, whisk, eggs, limes, icing sugar, cake thimbles and all they needed to bake one cake a week to bring to class.  Some of them borrowed from the community box we established, and gave back to it when they had it later in the course.  Others borrowed from friends, but the bottom line was all of them found a way to have their supplies for class AND purchase their certificate from the distance education arm of the University of Guyana.
There is much, much more to tell, but for today enjoy the gallery of pictures and a video from the first class. To see the video and more pictures, click here!