.powerful.

Suppose those of us born into privilege are responsible for taking care of the ones who are born into poverty?

.stateside.

Got back about a week ago. Promise to post pictures and stories soon. :)

.prayer.

I'm not entirely sure that anyone actually reads this, but nonetheless, I need prayer. Leave 3 weeks from tomorrow. Starting to freak out. I mean, I am going to a place where I know no one. Don't know the language, the culture, what is considered insulting, what is considered encouraging. Still do not know what my teammates look like, meeting up with them is Chicago will be so fun, to finally put faces to a name. :) But I am terrified. What if we don't get along and end up driving each other crazy? So many 'what if's'. I suppose that is where trust comes in. As it turns out, I like to be in control (who would have thought?). Planning is something I love to do, and the fact that I have planned nothing about this trip is starting to sink in. I have no idea what to expect. No idea what I will see, or what it will be like to play with little girls who have been raped more times than they can count. How will my soul react? So. Many. Questions.

On top of all those questions and fears, I am being fiercely attacked. I can physically feel it. All of my inadequacies are surfacing and I am painfully aware of them. I feel completely overwhelmed and that I shouldn't go on this trip because I am such a mess. I have been angry all week. For those of you who know me, I am generally not an angry person, I tend to keep things bottled up inside and never really acknowledge if I'm upset or angry. Man this week has been different. Ask my sweet boyfriend who has bestowed an incredible amount of grace on me, yet, will still put me in my place when I am out of line. Everything seems to be bothering me and I can't escape it. Forces are trying to pull me away from my Maker in these last few weeks before I leave. It is pretty discouraging. Do not feel like myself at all.

So I humbly ask for your prayers. I know that we are warned about attacks. 1 Peter 4:12-13 says "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." So, even though, my emotions feel foreign, I will rejoice because, this should be seen as a good sign. I am a threat. Jesus is with me and fighting for me.

(sorry if this has been depressing, I will post a more uplifting one soon)

FULLY FUNDED!

I just wanted to write out a huge thank you to everyone that donated money to help me out. It is clear to me that God wants this trip to happen, since most of the funds came from people I have never met. I will be indebted to all of you. And, since I know who each person is (except for the Fidelity donation) you will each be getting something special in the mail. And whoever is responsible for the Fidelity donation, I would like to get you something too! Thank you to everyone who is helping me financially and through prayer, I am so blown away and encouraged!
xo,
Janay

.why cambodia.

I thought it would be a good idea to give the backstory on why my heart resonates with Cambodia, and why this is the country I desire to be in. My support letter explains a little bit about it, but here is more detail:

October of last year (2009) I went to visit my friend Jessie in Kampala, Uganda. The original plan was that her and I were going to go to Uganda for a month e

arlier that year in June, however, it didn't work out for me to go due to a restriction on the shots that I could get. It was neat to see God redeem the situation by allowing me to go a few months later for a couple weeks. I didn't know going into the situation that I would be sleeping in the slums where Jessie lived with 15 street boys and other people who were helping raise these incredible group of young boys. Jessie and another girl, Abby, were running a program for street boys called A Perfect Injustice. (Make sure to check out Abby's blog at http://africa-love.livejournal.com). While I was there, every Mon

day, Wednesday, and Friday I would take the short walk through the slum of Kivulu with Jessie and Abby to a church where the programs are held. The church, Grace Fellowship, had two walls and a roof made of sheet metal, a dirt floor with a humble platform for the speaker to preach from. On these days, several dozen rambunctious boys came to play, learn, eat, an

d brush their teeth. Some brought drugs, some tried throwing stones at the others who made them angry. Some would hold onto your arm for the three to four hours that the programs lasted. All came to have a few hours a week to be kids and feel loved.

Dissan, Kato, and Me

A few of the boys who attended the programs.

About a week into my short stay, the thought came to me "Where are the girls?" We had even stopped by a drop-in center for street kids one day, and I saw no girls. I eventually asked my friend, and her response was "That is more of a justice issue, most of the street girls are picked up by pimps and live in brothels in the slums." This news sickened me.

When I returned home, International Justice Mission was my first thought. I e-mailed them asking to visit aftercare programs that they have, really anywhere in the world. I just wanted to go. A few days later, I received a response, and the answer was "for confidentially purposes, no." They did provide, however, links to several different organizations and places to find resources. One organization was World Hope International. I perused their website and came across their Hope Corps with an upcoming trip to Cambodia to work with girls who have been pulled out of brothels. When I realized the trip was 10 days, and not 6 months, as I originally thought, I decided not to apply. "What could 10 days do, I want to do long term." I think I was still on the 'getting back from Africa' high. I told a friend later that night that I wasn't going to apply because of this, that I was, in fact, looking for something long term.

I went to work the next day as normal and had to take our adult patients to Barnes and Noble on an outing. I was walking through the store, counting to make sure everyone was in the same store, and I ran into one of those tables that sits in the aisles with sale books or books with the same theme. One book caught my attention, which was my favourite book to date "The Road of Lost Innocence" by Somaly Mam. You can see a picture of it below. There isn't anything remarkable about this book. I saw the word "Cambodian" on the front and turned it over. Sure enough it was about a woman who was sold into prostitution at a young age, ended up escaping, and has now rescued thousands of young girls. I read the book in a day or two, and applied.

Sweet little connections have kept coming up that are small confirmations that this is where I am to go.

Things to pray for:

My heart- Lately, I have been a little distant from Jesus. Been distracted, and need prayer for my focus to be only on Him.

My team- I haven't met any of them yet, pray for unity and love for one another.

Cambodia- This small country is hurting, yet resilient. They are beautiful people. Mostly prayer is needed for their souls, that they ultimately meet Jesus.

Girls still captive- Pray for the release of all girls being held. That they also may have hope whilst imprisoned.

Girls rescued- That their healing isn't necessarily painless, but that it is freeing.

.will you join me.

Friends,

"If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall down in the darkness. And you darkness shall be as the noonday." (an excerpt from Isaiah 58) Living in Phoenix the last 7 years has stretched me as a person and narrowed the vision of my life to missions. I am volunteering with an organization called World Hope International to be a instrument for Christ to help satisfy the afflicted soul. World Hope International (WHI) is a faith-based relief and development organization operating in 25 countries. The organization was established in 1996 to alleviate suffering and injustice through education, enterprise, and community health programs. With a focus on local leadership and staff, WHI is engaging poverty, disease, exploitation, and natural disasters with opportunity, dignity, and hope. I will be volunteering with the Hope Corps division of WHI. Hope Corps provides opportunities for individuals, or groups, to learn about and support the work of WHI around the world.

Last October I travelled to Kampala, Uganda to visit a friend working with young boys who live on the street. I noticed the absence of girls and asked why there were virtually no street girls. My friend looked at me and said "that's more of a justice issue, most street girls are forced into prostitution." My heart sank. When I returned home, I looked into organizations working in the rehabilitation of girls rescued from sex trafficking. That is how I became acquainted with WHI.

On October 16th, my feet will leave US soil to be planted for about 10 days in the capital city of Cambodia, called Phnom Penh. Cambodia is a beautifully broken country in southeast Asia recovering from a civil war, that ended about 30 years ago. Cambodia is also suffering from the slavery of sex trafficking. Unofficial estimates say that there are about 15,000 prostituted persons in Phnom Penh alone! A lot of the trafficked girls are brought to Cambodia illegally from neighboring Vietnam or China. Whilst there, I will be entering into a world of healing for those who have seen incredible evil. I will be seeing firsthand girls who have been rescued from brothels. To be chosen to play a small role in a child's life who has experienced a lack of love, is an honor I cannot describe. It is a responsibility I cannot carry on my own.

I need you. First and foremost, I need your prayers. Your prayers are absolutely invaluable to me. Your prayers are what will carry me through my trip. Prayer is essential. I would be grateful if you would also prayerfully consider supporting me financially. I am to raise around $2700 by September 15th. Just over a month and a half, which seems overwhelming, but I know nothing is impossible with Jesus. All donations are tax deductible. I am very grateful for all types of support.

If you are able to give, here are some ways to go about it.

If you would like to make a donation by check, please send your check to:

World Hope International

PO BOX 96338

Washington, DC 20090-6338

*****Make sure in the memo line you write T1310 CT10011819*****

Those numbers will direct the funds into my account.

If you would like to pay by credit/debit card, please follow these instructions:

*visit www.worldhope.org

*click on the 'Hope Corps' link on the right

*click on the 'Donate Now' button on the lower right side of the screen

*Enter the amount of your donation on the first line

*choose 'one time gift' or 'recurring monthly gift'

*Enter the volunteer name (Janay Jarvis), the volunteer constituent number (CT10011819)

and the Hope Corps team number (T1310)

*Click the 'Make Donation Now' button.

Thank you to everyone who reads this, I am indebted to you.

In Him,

Janay