The idea of “serving someone” seems so foreign in America. The closest thing that comes to mind is a server at a restaurant. Ha ha. And that is really sad. How often do you serve someone whole heartedly without expecting ANYTHING in return?  Even servers get tips. I would assume that most of the time we expect the favor to be returned no matter who it is. And sometimes we even get a little ticked off, if it’s not fair and we worked harder than the other person. I know I dont have much to offer the world, I don’t rescue or heal the dying or the dead, i can’t cure cancer, I can’t feed all that go hungry, and I cant even take away all the pain in the world. 

But I can bring joy, love, and inspiration to life. I am very excited to serve with whatever I have. I am excited to serve humbly, selflessly, to put others before myself, and to care about people in the way that God does. I wanted to take a minute and tell you about an AMAZING opportunity that my hubby and I will get to do this coming August. We get to be the serving hands and feet of God at an orphanage in Africa. I am so excited to see, touch, play, teach art and photography to the orphans of Huruma Children’s Home in Kenya. What a cool opportunity to use my God given gifts to touch other peoples lives.

 
I am sure you can remember, like all children, LOVING craft time in elementary. Children LOVE crafts and getting a chance to create make believe and dream. It’s a time to let your mind run wild, free, think outside the box, and it’s a time to allow them to dream bigger than they can imagine. I am just so thankful that I get to bring passion, love, new tricks, techniques, and inspiration to their lives. A couple of years ago our church, Cornerstone, crossed paths with a brilliant and beautiful African woman named Mama Zipporah. Oddly enough, I was aware of the work Mama was doing in Kenya as she was the primary reason that the filmmakers from the revolutionary documentary called Invisible Children found their story. Mama Zipporah leads the orphanage in Kenya called Huruma Children’s Home. She is in the business of living out the scripture in Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:17: learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. [a] Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Right now Mama has 150+ children in her home. Most of the children come from a horrific background of abuse and abandonment. Mama and her team have made it their aim to not just be a transitional orphanage but rather to provide these children with love, dignity and family. Let me just say that Brian and I know Mama, personally, and spent a great deal of time with her here in Arizona last fall when she came, unexpectedly, as a broken widow to grieve the loss of her amazing husband Papa Isaac. We cried with her, prayed with her, laughed with her, and dreamed with her about how God would continue to use her in the plight of the less fortunate.

As a church we are in the process of helping them fund and build a dormitory that would allow them to bring in 200 more children. It’s our privilege to have been invited to come, serve and help build this additional dormitory so that they can rescue more of these orphan children and give them a place to call home. Mama’s dream is to bring these children into the home, share her love with them, share the love of Christ with them, give them an education and, effectively, raise up the future leaders of Kenya. This is the dream, this is the hope and this is the heart of the Kingdom of God.

Brian and I will be leaving with our team on August 7th, 2009 and we will be in Kenya for 10 days doing a wide array of things with the Staff at the home and with the children. One of the things we’ll be doing is putting on a ‘summer camp’ for the older children (ages 12-18). Brian will be leading worship, I will be teaching some art & photography, and we’ll have some great time to build into some of these amazing kids. Additionally, we will be helping finish up their dormitory and chapel spaces.

Here’s the reality, WE NEED YOUR HELP funding us to get to Huruma! The cost of the trip is $3200 dollars, total, for both of us to get to Huruma. This is actually an AMAZING price for both of us to be in Africa serving for 10 days (flights, food & transportation for both of us are all included in that price). We are trusting God that we can raise all of that support in the next 6 weeks. We are just going to be bold enough to ask you if you would consider helping us get to Kenya. Honestly, any amount is a huge help at this point. If you have $10 dollars, $1000 dollars or anything in between IT WILL HELP US!!! Anything you give is completely tax-deductible and we would be forever grateful!

Here’s the two ways you can give financially:

1. Give Online – Cornerstone has a website where you can give directly to our account for this trip. When you click the link below you’ll have to click create an account, which only takes like 2 minutes, and you’re then able to use a debit or credit card to give to this mission. Creating the account allows our finance office to mail you a giving statement at year-end. Be sure to select one of our names (Promise or Brian) in the drop down menu so that you can give to us. Click HERE to give.

2. Mail Check – Make any checks out to “Cornerstone” and in the memo section put “Wurzell– Kenya Aug. 2009”. You can mail Checks to us at this address:

Cornerstone
c/o:Brian & Promise Wurzell
2211 E. Pecos Rd.Pecos Rd. Suite #2
Chandler, AZ 85286

If you cannot give financially, seriously, would you pray for us and our team? Pray for Mama Zipporah and pray for these children that God would use Huruma to be a place where they’re built up to be the future leaders of their country. Mama is the widow serving the orphan and we want to do whatever we must to support this Kingdom mission. We believe its possible. Please feel free to email Brian and i at PROMISEANDBRIAN@GMAIL.COM if you have any questions.

Also… Please be encouraged that YOU play a significant part in this world. Your gifts, abilities, and passions are NEEDED today. God is a big God that can use ANYONE with a willing heart. Rack your brain and get creative in how you can serve in our society with your abilities and strengths.