Melinda's Mission To Rwanda

Many of you know that I have signed on to serve a short-term mission in Rwanda, Africa. I have been touched by the outpouring of support. To all of you have sent notes of encouragement, have made financial sacrifices and contributions of my behalf, and have let me know that you have and continue to pray for me... thank you!!!!!

Because of the support of my friends and family I have raised almost 50% of the needed funds. I believe that God will find ways to provide the rest.

If you would like to make a contribution (no matter how small) leave me a comment and I will get the information to you.

Below are some pictures and links regarding my trip and the people of Rwanda.

Click HIV Initiative to learn more about this ministry I am involved in

Click Rwanda Orphan Care Initiative to learn more about orpaned Rwandans

Click Rwanda Health Care to learn more about bringing HOPE to Rwanda


My dear friends and family,
08/2008
Doors have opened for me to take a Global Missions trip to Rwanda and I am eager to go! I will be serving with a P.E.A.C.E. (Promote reconciliation, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation) team from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. The team plans to take part in fighting global giants including spiritual emptiness,
lack of leadership, poverty, disease and lack of education.

My role will focus on volunteering my time in a rural Kibuye District Hospital as part of the Western Rwanda HIV / AIDS Healthcare Initiative. I will also spend time serving children in an orphanage, many who have been orphaned due to HIV / AIDS.

Here are a few facts about Rwanda:
• Between 800,000 and 1 million people were killed in Rwanda in 1994 over the course of 100 days. Hutu civilians killed minority Tutsi’s and moderate Hutus over long-standing ethnic and economic tension
• Rwanda is about the size of Maryland. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry
• Population: 8.4 million; 25% of the total population is between 15 – 24 yrs old
• Rwanda is one of the top 10 countries in Africa most severely affected by HIV /AIDS
• There are about 200,000 people living with HIV / AIDS and treatment is only available to 18.9%
• There are only 200 doctors and 3,000 nurses to serve the 8.4 million people of Rwanda (Or 42,000 people for each Physician and 2,800 per nurse)
• There are over 800,000 orphans in Rwanda. About 210,000 have been orphaned to HIV / AIDS

I am writing to ask you to please consider partnering with me for this trip. I am in need of your prayers and support. The cost of my portion of the trip is $3,800 with the largest part going to pay for airfare. I have been saving money by working a second job on nights and weekends but still need to raise substantial funds. I would appreciate any financial support that you are able to give. All donations are tax deductible. Whether or not you are able to provide financial assistance, I ask that you please keep the team in your thoughts and prayers. The trip will be from November 29 – December 14th with many training sessions in the interim.
If you decide to partner financially, please place your check made payable to Saddleback Church in the enclosed stamped envelope, and drop it in the mail to me at your earliest convenience. Airfare will be purchased in mid October. Any amount is greatly appreciated and I thank you for your kindness.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Blessings,
Melinda Marie

Gone Fishin'

Catch up with y'all soon!
Melinda Marie

Oldie but Goody

I found these pics while organizing my photos last night. Soka University is one of my favorite local spots to spend time. I walk the campus, people watch, let my nanny kids run around, jog the track, nap on the grass, or read.

Here's Ziad and I reading. It was a perfect June afternoon. The campus was empty, there was shade and and we had a good book.

Ziad played the guitar...

Pray For Angel!

I met Angel's Mom and Dad when I was a Child Life Specialist at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Sarah was a Child Life Assistant and Nick was an ICU nurse. They were a young (age 24) newly married couple who had a heart for children and adopted a patient they grew close to who was medically fragile.

A blog featuring Angel, explains, "Nick and Sarah brought Angel home at age 3 as a very medically fragile child. They gave him 2 years prognosis. He was born weighing 1lb 7oz and they took out most of his small intestines. Because of this, he has been dependent on IV nutrition (called TPN) since birth. There are two things that have threatened his life in the last 5 years: 1) A line infection resulting in sepsis in the Central Line placed in his heart to infuse the TPN and 2) Liver failure as a result of the liver doing the job never intended of assimilating all the nutrients from the blood stream. After 5 wonderful years of doing better than anyone imagine and having a "normal" life his liver began to decline steadily. He was placed on a liver, bowel, and pancreas transplant list. He was listed 7/7/08 and received organs on 7/20/08. This type of transplant is very precarious and has the lowest success rate of most transplants. But Angel is a superhero and already doing better than anyone expected or has seen in most cases. "

Although the road is long and will undoubtedly involve turns that no one can anticipate, Angel’s family remains incredibly optimistic. Despite the extraordinarily difficult and painful life Angel has experienced in his short eight-and-a-half years, Sarah reports that he has never – not once, ever! – been in so much as a bad mood. That’s simply not who Angel is. They have incredible faith in Angel himself, who is nothing short of a walking miracle every single day. And they have incredible faith in a God who they know has a plan, and who will guide them every step of the way.

Please join me in making a donation to Team Angel! You can make a secure donation here . All donations are made securely using PayPal and will be deposited directly into an account that has been specifically created to assist Angel’s family with the cost of housing, gas, food, and other bills accrued during Angel’s transplant and long recovery

Friday

• Rwanda in 7 days = Stress
• 350 personalized work Christmas cards = Hand cramps
• Staying up past 3 AM last night = Bad choice
• Loads of laundry on my couch needing to be folded = Not so fun
• A house desperately needing to be cleaned = Considering Merry Maids
• Coordinating getting my car repaired before I leave = Not happening
• Eating watermelon for lunch = There are worse indulgences
• Worrying about stupid things = A time sucker
• A free night to get it all done = Bueno

Justin Timberlake, Baybee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnzMIaK7HWc

Slow down!

I got stopped for speeding yesterday. I though I could talk my way out of it. Then the cop looked in the back seat of my car....

It really is a small world moment!

When I was in college at OSU, I was a part of the Big Brother/Big Sister Program. I was paired with Leah, a spunky, intelligent Kindergartner. Leah was an only child and her parents thought that she would benefit from some one on one time with a college buddy! The two of us spent time together each week and formed quite a bond. Not many 5 year olds hang out in a college dorm, shadow a college class, or have a dance off in a sorority house living room. And conversely, not many College Freshman consider the highlight of their week having lunch in an Elementary School cafeteria with an energetic pint sized brown eyed ball of fire.

Leah and I stuck together through my Senior Year. We shared many ice cream cones, baked a cake or two, walked around campus, had photo shoots, finger nail painting, and just lots of quality girl time. Leah and I were paired for four years.

My little sister Dana came on to the OSU scene as a Freshman the year after I graduated. She assumed the new role as Leah's Big Sis as I moved to California and started my career.

Rewind. In High School my best girl Tirza and I served on the Executive Council for The Kids Making Miracles High School Campaign for Doernbecher Children's Hospital, in Portland, Oregon. In college I decided to choose a career as a Child Life Specialist where I could work with kids with cancer, similar to the ones I had met and was inspired by at Doernbecher.

Are you following?

Anyway, Dana and Leah carried on. One day I got a phone call from Dana saying that Leah was in the Hospital at Doernbecher. I called the Hospital and spoke to Leah. She explained, matter of factly, that she had been diagnosed with Leukemia. My little buddy had cancer and was being treated at the Hospital that I had been so involved with several years ago.

Today, I get an email from my sister Dana. She works for Nike at World Headquarters and was passing on that Nike partnered with patients from Doernbecher and the kids designed shoes for a new line, with proceeds benefiting the Hospital.

I did a google search on Leah. The mention of Doernbecher made me think of her. Guess what pops up? An article, featuring Leah as one of the 5 designers chosen!

Here's the article,: "LEAH HEILMAN-POLLACK, 9th Grader, CREATIVE DESIGNERHometown: Corvallis, Ore.Prognosis: In remission

Leah Heilman-Pollack loves to play music so much she was invited to attend the annual Rock N’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Ore., where she played electric guitar. When she’s not playing music, she enjoys instant messaging her friends to keep in touch.
Designing a shoe for Nike wasn’t the first time she displayed her talents.
“I make a lot of collages. I think I’d be a good interior decorator or clothing or graphic arts designer.”
Leah is also a risk taker. On a five-week trip to Australia sponsored by the Make a Wish Foundation, she snorkeled, scuba dived and bungee jumped.
“It was exhilarating … yet scary.”
That’s nothing compared to the battle she faced with not one, but two cancers. Leah was diagnosed at age 11 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She completed 2-1/2 years of rigorous treatment, then a few months later it was discovered that she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The cancer team at Doernbecher helped her fight the battle against cancer, but it was a 26-yr-old stranger from the other side of the United States who saved her life. Thanks to the stranger’s donation of stem cells, Leah’s cancer is in remission.
Leah’s mom adds that what got her daughter through this struggle was her determination to live and the ability to do what she had to do each and every day, no matter what.
Leah’s shoe features white hibiscus flowers on a royal blue background. After basking in the sun and exploring the underwater gardens of a coral island in the Great Barrier Reef, Leah fell in love with the tropics. Her design calls to mind the tropical paradise she visited. Plus, Leah notes, hibiscus flowers are always in style.
Originally, Leah drew the flower free-hand, based on a design she saw in a teen magazine, then Marcus Tayui and his team polished the edges. What does she think of the process and result?
“I really liked Marcus…he was very nice and easy-going. I think my shoe gives off a free-spirited, fun vibe, but is still functional.”
Leah loves to sing and listens to fast-paced music, and her favorite sports are swimming and tennis. She designed a high-energy shoe that matches her personality…a shoe that is made for feet that need to move.
Leah thinks it will be very cool to be walking around and seeing her shoe on other people’s feet. "

How's that for a small world!?

Leah, if you're reading this... email me! I'd love to hear from you!!!!!!

Jaime is home now and a MIRACLE!

My pastor's daughter-in-law, Jaime Warren is a miracle! She was hospitalized for a very complicated brain tumor and is now at home, 4 weeks later... and ready to keep on fighting.


Here is what she wrote in her journal:


Jaime here! I am home! It has been a very full day with some ups and downs emotionally as I have transitioned from hospital to home. I am so full of joy to be out of the confines of the hospital and comfortably back at home. It has been a bit surreal. I felt like as they were wheeling me out to the car that any minute they were going to turn the wheelchair around and say, “Just kidding, we are taking you back to your room now.” The car ride was uncomfortable on my head and neck as I was faced with holding my head up in the car. I have been walking and sitting up in bed and chairs for days but the car was another story. I never realized how much the head and neck adjusts to bumps and turns in the road.


It has been 4 weeks since the night on Saturday, Oct. 11th that Josh and I went to the ER with a few neurological symptoms and got my first head CT results. I would never have known when I left my house that night that I would not be home until today, Friday, Nov. 7th.


I cannot tell you what an encouragement this CaringBridge site has been to me. My family members and friends have been reading me the journal posts and guest book entries from all of you. I have looked forward to hearing your stories, prayers, and encouragement. I have been overwhelmed by the number of people and how far stretched across the world people have prayed to our precious Jesus on my behalf. I really cannot thank you enough!


Coming home is wonderful but it does come with a new set of challenges. The doctor said that the last 20% of recovery will probably take a few months. Now at home I get to focus on starting the outpatient physical therapy, and doctors for my ear and voice box. Please continue to pray for me because although today was a great day, I still feel like I have quite a bit of recovery ahead before I feel like “myself” again. I can’t wait to spend time with Josh and my sweet baby Cole in our home. Endless thanks for your prayers, and I know God has heard every one of them.


Jaime"

Thank you for your continued prayers for Jaime's total healing. And please pray for her family and caregivers as they devote themselves to Jaime's recovery!

Today...

I am obsessed with: trying to figure it all out


Can't live without: my faith, my sleep and my me time...


Am petrified of: my nightmares coming true...


Am proud of: others who stay positive when their world seems to be falling apart


Really need to: get out more!


Don't get why: skinny women obsess about their bodies and talk about their love for all things fattening! As if!


Relax by: watching my DVR'd TV shows


Am excited about: going to Rwanda in a few weeks!


My worst vice is: sugar!


Fridge usually contains: Organic skim milk, yoplait key lime yogurt, cheese, fruit, water, Arizona green tea, turkey and eggs


Family is: a treasure


Friends don't understand why: I stress about things that I stress about


Attitude to exercise is: I love it when it's over...


Relationship with my body: is a work in progress!

Now it's your turn...

Girls Night Out

I put myself out there tonight. My Rwanda trip leader, Justin, sent me an invitation to meet some girls at church that are around my age. It's part of the Epic ministry. I've been trying out the new service FUSE and really like it but haven't made much of an effort to get plugged in.

I hesitated about going tonight. The whole insecurity and fear demons kicked in and I almost talked myself out of going... it would require a whole lot less energy and be a lot more comfortable to just stay home, order take out and do MY thing. I worked all day, had a not so fun doctors appoitnment and was t-i-r-e-d. BUT... I took the risk, drove to the parking lot and introduced myself to the other girls waiting. Turns out there were several other, "newbies," as well as those who new each other.

We had 20 girls show up and had a GREAT fun night eating at three different houses and then playing some heated BUNCO. It was refreshing to spend an evening with girls who can talk openly about life, share about how they are involved in providing support to each other and who share the common love for God and serving Him.

I'm looking forward to our next Girls Night Out! Don't expect me to be hosting a dinner or anything that extravagant... but I'll be there... with bells on!

God is good!

Jeremiah 29:11!

Like a kid in a candy store...

I can't wait to start my Fall themed mini scrapbook, courtesy of Mo! If you want to make one too, she is selling the kits (which will have everything you will need and then some to complete one adorable book) visit her Etsy site here!

Remember my, "well meaning" neighbor who commented

on my physique?

Guess who just delivered a huge piece of Costco cake with buttercream frosting?

SO not nice.

At least I did get some more exercise walking it down to the dumpster. (I may have and a bite or two... or maybe a corner...).

Progress not perfection!

Thanks and Giving for St. Jude!

Click here to learn more about St. Jude Children's Research Hosptital's Thanks and Giving campaign.

"Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not."

Ellie from Virginia, age 5 ~ Agressive Brain Tumor (Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor)

Peter from Oregon, Age 4 ~ Brain Tumor (Pineoblastoma)

Talyn from North Dakota, Age 1 ~ Eye Cancer (Retinoblastoma)

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, is one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Children from all 50 states and around the world have come through the doors of St. Jude for treatment, and thousands more around the world have benefited from the research conducted at St. Jude – research that is shared freely with the global medical community.
Working together, our physicians and scientists have pioneered treatments that have helped push the overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent in 1962 to more than 70 percent today. The survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has risen from just 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.
St. Jude pays for everything — food, travel, and lodging.

I'm just minding my own business when...

My neighbor approaches me at the gym. I'm on the elliptical, counting down the minutes until I get to ditch the gym. My iPod is playing my marathon playlist and I'm feeling pretty good. And then she opens her mouth.

Neighbor: What happened to you?

Me: What do you mean, what happened to me?

Neighbor: You were doing so well.

Me: Are you saying that I look like I've put on some pounds? Is it that obvious?

Neighbor: Well yeah. I can tell. You must have stopped running.

Me: (Nervous laughter.) Guess I've got to work out a little harder.


And I put my earphones back on and carry on. I wonder if she's related to Mr. Cruise ship hair stylist. He's the one who complimented me by saying, "You are beautiful. You could be a model if you exercised and lost 40 pounds." Must have been a language barrier. Ouch.


Sometimes honesty IS NOT the best policy.

God help me. Fast!
"If you can't make me skinny, please make my friends fat."

On Voting

I agree with her!

I'm hopeful that after the presidential election on Tuesday, I will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm hopeful that if *that* doesn't happen, that I will be pleasantly surprised the next four years.

My concern is that neither of those things will happen.

Remember to vote on Tuesday ... and when you're done voting, let that feeling of civic pride carry you a few steps farther, and go donate blood.

HaPpY hAlLoWeEn

I love, love, love seeing kids in their Halloween costumes and watch their excitement as they run around on sugar highs. I went to two kids parties tonight.

I had to think of a "costume" last minute. Seeing as how I had just returned from the gym and had just showered, I piled my hair up in my towel turbin and put on my pajamas and went as, "Pajama Woman." Talk about comfy cozy!

Carly and Lauren. No more princesses for these two. Carly is a funky witch and Lauren is the "girl" Power Ranger

Ziad dressed as a nerd. None of the kids knew what a nerd is! Bailey loves Z and is all smiles whenever she sees him. Cute, cute!

Kevin is strolling in as a hippy and I'm with the girl B's!

Peace!

BFF's!

Brittany and Marisa

Full bellys from an Italian feast and ready to trick-or-treat!

And here's Miss Lacy... Ziad's niece. We wrapped up the festivities with the little princess. She's a crack up!