::The joy of new life::

My beautiful sister and her wonderful husband are expecting again.  I am so excited, and so thankful for the miracle of new life.  Isn't it amazing to see the creative, almighty hand of God at work as He knits together each precious little life?  If you want to see Hannah and Josh's super cute baby announcement (plus a bunch of adorable pictures of my niece, Marian) you can hop over to Hannah's blog: throughthelensofgrace.blogspot.com.  Enjoy!  :)

So Thankful!

The Ghana Journals

Part 7//So Thankful!

Last time I updated you all, our visa applications were on their way to be processed by the Embassy of Ghana, and I asked you to pray along with us that our visas would be processed efficiently, approved, and returned quickly.  It is with great joy that I'd like to tell you that God answered those prayers even beyond what we asked for.  We got our passports with approved and ready-to-go visas on Monday morning!  That means it was only ten days total between when we shipped our applications to when we received our visas, and that was over two weekends. (This was almost twice as fast as I expected, even if all went perfectly.)  What a great and faithful God we serve!!  Thank you so much for praying in faith with us.  To God be the glory!

So we're officially, really, truly going to Ghana in just under five weeks.  It still feels a bit surreal, but we're very excited!!  Soon I will be posting an update including a few ways you can share in this adventure with us.  For now, you can read any of The Ghana Journals that you've missed by clicking on the tag at the bottom of this post or on the sidebar of the blog, listen to some Chelsea Moon or Shane & Shane music, drink some hot tea, and bask in the incredible faithfulness of our God.  :)

Until next time,

~Leah

P.S. All the posts on this blog recently have been about my upcoming trip to Ghana, but in the next few days I'm going to be sharing a post about some other exciting news.  You're not going to want to miss it.  :)

Paperwork, Prayer and Praise

The Ghana Journals 

Part 6//Paperwork, Prayer and Praise

Good news!  We have our visa applications complete and they are on their way to be processed by the Embassy of Ghana.  If all goes well, we should be approved and finished with the paperwork side of preparing for our trip in about three weeks.  This is one of the last big things we need to have done, which is great since we are leaving in 46 days.  (We are definitely feeling excited!!)

We would greatly appreciate prayer as our visa applications are processed.  Some who have applied to The Embassy of Ghana have had paperwork and passports misplaced or lost, or have been denied visas for various reasons.  Ultimately we know that it's God's hands, not the hands of the Ghanaian officials, that hold our visas (which is such a sweet reality!), but we would love for you to pray together with us that our visa applications would be processed efficiently, that nothing would be lost or misplaced, and that we would be approved right away.

As a praise report, it looks like we have a date set to meet Rachael, my Compassion sponsor child.  :)  I am so seriously excited to meet this girl!!

And as a special bonus, I wanted to share with you a few of Miah's pictures.  Isn't it amazing that we are called to know, love, serve, and be loved by and satisfied in the God who paints these brilliant sunsets each night and handcrafts every detail of every flower?  He is so good!  (And aren't you excited to see the pictures Miah is going to come home from Africa with??  Me too!)

 

Photo credit: Miah Coen, Given Photography

Photo credit: Miah Coen, Given Photography

Photo credit: Miah Coen, Given Photography

 Thanks!  It is such a gift to be able to take this trip together to Ghana, and we are excitedly expectant to see what the Lord has in store.  He is so good and so faithful!!  We have already seen His hand at work in so many great and beautiful ways, and we know that He will continue to reveal Himself to us as we follow where He leads.

Rejoicing together in His abundance,

~Leah + Miah~

Here We Go!

The Ghana Journals
Part 5//Here We Go!

  
Yahoo!!  As of last night, we have tickets!!  =D  When we had first looked at tickets close to the beginning of this year, the best price we could find was $1800 per ticket.  But… are you ready for this?  Prices have dropped, and we were able to buy tickets for only $1200 each.  That means we paid $1200 less than we thought we would have to pay!  God is so good, and His timing is so perfect!
  
We will be leaving for Ghana on October 29^th, and returning home on December 11^th.  We would love your continued prayer as we prepare in earnest for this adventure.  Please pray:  
--that all the details (like obtaining visas, organizing a visit with my sponsor child, getting necessary immunizations, etc.) would come together.
 --that we would be able to earn or raise the remaining amount of money we need for our six weeks in Ghana.  Thanks to your generosity, we’re well on our way to having what we need, and we’re excited to see how the Lord will continue to provide.  If you or someone you know is in need of baby-sitting, house-sitting, pet-sitting, or if you’d like to have some photo shoot fun with Miah, let us know!  
--that we would be made ready by our Lord to be joyfully spent and used for His glory.  We’re excited to see what He has in store, and it is the desire of our hearts that we would be ready and willing to selflessly serve Him and those we meet along the way.

 Thank you all again for your friendship, love, and encouragement. :) 
  
With joy,  
~Leah + Miah

Blown Away

The Ghana Journals

Part 4//Blown Away

Photo credit: Miah Coen, Given Photography

I am practically jumping for joy today, and I wanted to share with you why.  A few weeks ago, my grandparents offered to give a very generous amount toward our trip to Ghana, and on Sunday I opened an envelope from some friends containing an unexpectedly large check.  All this, combined with what other friends have given, brings our total funds for the trip to $2,460.  Wow!  I am seriously blown away by the generosity of so many of my family and friends who have given toward this trip.  I'm blown away by God's goodness and abundant faithfulness.  Though a simple thank you is so far from expressing my love and deep appreciation for all of you who have shown such unselfish support of me and Miah, not only financially, but spiritually and in friendship, I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!  Your friendship is a treasured gift!  :)

Thoughts for my day

"Realize that every person you encounter is an opportunity for Jesus to pour Himself into.  He wants to use you life as a vessel of His truth, a channel of His love, a demonstration of His power, a picture of His life.  We must be willing for Jesus to bleed, suffer, die, and live through us in order for the world to be turned upside down.  Every person we see today is someone Jesus desperately wants to reach, embrace, transform.  Could we be His instruments in their lives?  Could those same people gon on to radically change the world?  Jesus is using you to create ripples in this world through the tiny encounters you have every day.  Don't take them for granted."  

~Nathan Johnson

(source: http://deeperchristian.com/creating-ripples-of-change/#more-1317)

Something to Share//Orphan Advocacy

I recently read this post: The Next Step: This is my Neighbor// on my friend, Chelsea Mill's, blog.  It's a good and much needed perspective changer.  May we learn to see need and do something about it for His glory.

On Hold for Now

The Ghana Journals 

Part 3//On Hold for Now

Hello, friends.  :)

As you can tell from the title of this update, our trip to Ghana is on hold for now.  We are still planning toward going, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, but we will not be able to leave as soon as we were hoping.  We trust that God will continue to lead and provide, and we are excited to simply follow Him.

We would still LOVE your support in prayer as we continue to prepare for our time in Ghana!  Please pray . . .

. . . that the timing of our trip would be clear, and that God would provide everything we need in order to go.

 . . . for Leah's sponsor child, Rachael, as she grows, that she would have eyes to see her Savior and that she would love Him with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Thank you!  Have a blessed weekend, full of the joy of His presence.

In Him,

Leah + Miah

The Beauty of Purity

An article definitely worth reading: The Beauty of Purity.  His ways truly are the best and most beautiful!

A quick update

The Ghana Journals

Part 2//Of Passports and Airfare

Hello, dear family and friends.  :)

We are pleased to report that Miah's passport was processed more quickly than we expected, which means that as soon as we have the funds we can purchase plane tickets and apply for our visas.  Due to your generosity, we have about $420 tucked away just for that purpose.  Thank you!  

Thank you again for your friendship and prayers.  We are so blessed by you all!

In Him,
Leah + Miah 

Click here to read part 1 of The Ghana Journals

By Christ Alone

"I cannot make myself right with God, I cannot make my life perfect; I can only be right with God if I accept the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift.  Am I humble enough to accept it?"  (Oswald Chambers; My Utmost for His Highest, June 20th)

To Ghana We Go

The Ghana Journals

Part 1//To Ghana We Go

Dear friends and family,

It is with great joy that we would like to share with you an opportunity we have been given for this summer.

For a while we have been prayerfully considering traveling to Ghana to visit Leah’s Compassion sponsor child in Accra.  Leah has been corresponding with Rachael, who just turned 12 this past February, and is eager to meet her in person.  After looking into different options for places to stay and volunteer in Ghana, we have decided to volunteer with Beacon House.  Beacon House is a children and community development center that strives to educate and shelter at-risk children, while working to strengthen families in the community.  For more information about Beacon House, please visit their website, beaconhouseghana.org.

We are tentatively planning to leave Colorado around the end of July or beginning of August, and return about a month later.  During our time in Ghana we will be helping to care for the children at Beacon House, as well as helping in the classroom or wherever they have a need.  We will spend a day with Leah’s sponsor child and have the opportunity to become more familiar with her culture.

We would love for you to be involved in our adventure.  Here’s how you can get involved:

Pray!:  We can’t tell you what a blessing your prayers are.  We know that God has a purpose for this trip, and it is our prayer that He would be seen in and through us.  We would appreciate prayer for the next few months as we prepare, for travel, for quick acclimation, for provision, for health, and for His perspective as we seek to love and serve the people of Ghana.

Follow the Ghana Journals:  Email Leah at allHisgirl@yahoo.com if you’d like to receive updates as we prepare for our trip and while we’re in Ghana.

Or, follow Leah’s blog, tobesimplyHis.blogspot.com, where we will be posting Miah’s pictures and our updates.

Drop us a note:  We’d love to hear from you.  If you have advice, encouragement, questions, something to share, email Leah at allHisgirl@yahoo.com or Miah at fotofreak98@hotmail.com, or send us some snail mail.

Give financially:  The overall cost for our trip, including airfare, accommodations, and food will be around $3,500 for each of us.  If you would like to give financially, you can send cash or checks to us directly at:

17025 Lovaca Drive

Peyton, CO 80831

Or, you can give online through our fundraising webpage: fundly.com/to-ghana-we-go

We would also be happy to baby-sit, house-sit, pet-sit, or have a photo shoot to earn money toward our trip.

Thank you!  We are so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who are so encouraging and supportive in every way.  You are a blessing, and we thank God for you.

   In His love,

   Leah + Miah

  

 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

1 John 4:9-11