On a Mission

I leave first thing tomorrow moring for Detroit. I will hook up with three dear women there and the four of us are off to Central Asia. We will be gone for ten days, working among an orphanage there that is made up, primarily, of disabled children.

Please be in prayer for our safety and travel, but most of all, pray that Christ's name would be glorified in our work there and that the spotlight would be turned off of us and onto the Lord. May they not think it is our citeznship in the United States or our funds that make us happy and willing to serve - but the One who sends us. Let it not be our names, but His Name that is praised.

Please pray for these children and pray for wisdom and discernment as we love and serve them. Help us to rely not on our own strength, but only in the strength that God supplies. His grace is sufficient for us!

I hope to blog more about the trip once we return.

After Eve Women's Conference

Well, I've managed to blog for just over eight months without any shameless plugs, so I figured it was high time that I dropped one.

I will, Lord willing, be one of the workshop speakers at a women's conference in November. I will be teaching on "Biblical Jewelry: A Study of 1 Peter 3 -- Beauty From God's Perspective." The workshop is 75 minutes long and is during the Saturday afternoon breakout sessions.

The conference is sponsored by the After Eve organization and is being held at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, 2005.

The conference is by young women, for young women and hopes to draw a crowd of women between the ages of 18-30, give or take -- which in my case, is some take.

Information about the keynote speakers, available workshop sessions, cost, location, room and board, as well as the mission statment and purpose of the conference can be found on their website.

I am looking forward to being there. Please keep me in your prayers as you think of it. I have been told that my session is being recorded, so after the conference, I will post information on how to obtain copies of the audio, should anyone be interested.

Julianna Whetmore

Many months ago, I linked to a newspaper story about a young girl named Julianna Whetmore. My mom happened to be watching the TLC channel the other night and a one-hour program entitled, "Borm Without a Face" came on. She taped it for me and I watched it this afternoon. It turns out that the program is about Julianna. Check the TLC listings. If it is re-aired at any point, it is well worth seeing.

Julianna's parents are courageous and loving people. It was interesting for me to see Julianna's story told through their perspective - it gave me a unique angle to my own situation and all that my own parents probably went through in the early days when no one knew what was wrong with me or if I had any future at all. It also reminded me, once again, that there is never room for self pity, because even those of us who have suffered much -- there is always someone who has suffered more.

Please be praying for Julianna. She is only two or three now and will need a lot more surgery. I have included some links that tell her story, show some pictures, as well as a mailing address should you want to write the Whetmore's a letter of encouragement.

Here is a link to a local newspaper story about Julianna

Here are some photos of Julianna taken at birth

If you would like to send Julianna a letter:

JULIANA WETMORE
c/o THOM AND TAMI WETMORE
P.O. BOX 65852
ORANGE PARK, FLORIDA 32065