Chapter 12 Update #1

June 1, 2011

International Service Project Uganda Team
June 1-22, 2011
Chapter 12 – Update #1

We are leaving today for Uganda! This is my 12th journey to Uganda! Each time I travel to Uganda, it is another “chapter” in this exciting path God has placed me. So, for those of you who are new to my updates, this is where “Chapter 12” comes in!

Thanks to everyone who responded to our 24 Hour Prayer Team! If you have signed up for a specific hour of prayer every day, THANK YOU! It helps to know that at any hour, someone is praying. If you have committed to praying for us overall during our journey, THANK YOU! We appreciate your support as well.

As of today, my team is 97% fully funded! According to the team, they have deposited other money that has not yet been posted. We believe we are actually about 99% funded! Praise the Lord! A couple of months ago, we were in danger of losing half of the team because of insufficient funds. God answers prayers!

Our team will have a send off at the Globe in front of the Yeager Center at CBU at 4 pm today (June 1st). If you are in the Riverside area, we would love if you would come and pray for my team before we depart.

Here is our itinerary:
British Airways
BA 268 LAX to London Depart June 1 – 9:20 pm
Arrive London June 2 3:25 pm
BA 63 LHR to Entebbe June 2 9:15 pm
Arrive Entebbe June 3 7:45 am

Return:
BA 62 Entebbe to LHR June 21 9:05 am
Arrive London June 21 4:00 pm
BA 279 LHR to LAX June 22 9:55 am
Arrive LAX June 22 1:00 pm

For team updates and stories about what is going on with our ministry while we are serving in country, family and friends may refer to the CBU website under 2011 ISP Updates: www.calbaptist.edu/isp

For Raining Hope, you can also visit www.raininghope.org and visit my blog.

I will not be on Facebook during the three weeks. My team made a wise decision to be on a Facebook fast while they are in country!

Our team this year is “Yield.” Pray that the students will learn how to Yield to God’s purpose in order to yield or reap a harvest! We are exploring this from Jesus’ teaching from Luke 9:23, “Then he said to them all; ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

These are the items that we are praying for all of the International Service Teams this summer…
Team unity, Health, Self-discipline, safety, boldness, flexibility, communication, salvations, love, Holy Spirit led, surrender, courage, humility, personal growth, perseverance, wisdom, glorify God.

Kale,
Eydie Miskel
Executive Director
Raining Hope Inc. / Team Leader ISP Uganda

Upcoming ISP Uganda Team & Speaking Engagement

Dear Friends & Family,

We have completed our spring training for ISP! Our Uganda Children’s team will leave on June 1, 2011 and return June 22, 2011. As our departure date approaches, I will send out more details.

I attended graduation at CBU this past weekend. Six of my former team members graduated this year! Congratulations to SarahAnn Chaddick, Jenni Fritch, Grace Gefke, Leandra Hosfield, Kristina Osborne & Rachel Sexton! Our dear friend, Natalie Harris also was among the graduates!

We will be conducting various VBS clinics during the 3 weeks we are in Uganda. Some of you have asked for a list of materials that we need. If you can help with any of these items, please kindly respond to eydie@raininghope.org

Supply list:

paper plates
markers
yarn/string (enough for mobiles and bracelets)
brown construction paper
lunch bags
popsicle sticks
beads (variety of colors) Pony beads
Pens (black & blue)
Glue sticks
Bags of candy .

I am speaking at the church of one of my team members, Camille Jansen today, May 15, 2011! It will be during their morning service, 10:30 am-11:30 am at Riverside Free Methodist Church, 8431 Diana Avenue, Riverside (near the CBU campus). I will be sharing with the congregation about our ISP team & our children’s home in Uganda. If you are in the area, please feel free to join us!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Kale,

Eydie!

Raining Hope Yard Sale & United Way

Thank you for your prayers for our Disaster Relief training last weekend! We certified 86 students and staff in our first Collegiate Division of the California Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief training! For me to have CBU and CSBCDR together…it is like a dream come true! I had a good response in the introduction to chaplaincy! I was encouraged by the student’s interest & the desire to serve!

ISP Students: Thank you for your prayers for the students. Their final deadline for all of their funds for the June 1-22, 2011 trip is next Friday, April 29th. We have raised 85% of the needed funds! We are confident that all the funds will come in!

Raining Hope Yard Sale
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011

Where: The Miskel home
8823 Denver Street, Ventura 93004
Time: 7:00 am – 12:00 noon
Would you please consider participating with us?

1. Ask the Lord, along with us, to provide all that is needed.
2. Donate your YARD SALE items to Raining Hope. Contact Carol John at
carol@raininghope.org
3. Come to the YARD SALE on Saturday, April 30th! Receive many hugs, a cup of coffee, maybe a muffin or two and see if there are any “treasures” you just can’t pass up.

United Way
California State employees now have the opportunity to donate to Raining Hope through the United Way! A donor may give a one-time contribution, or give throughout the year via a payroll deduction through the California State Employees Charitable Campaign (CSECC). If you or someone you know would like to take advantage of this opportunity, just call the United Way donor service line at (888) 863-6466 and tell them you'd like to choose Raining Hope, Incorporated as your designated charity!

The children of Raining Hope Children’s Home wish you a very Happy Easter. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” I Corinthians 15:57-58

Kale,

Eydie

Rain, ISP & Disaster Relief

Thank you for your prayers!

It rained consistently for almost 3 weeks in Uganda! I just looked up the weather report, and after about a week of clear weather, the rain is starting up again! Our God is good.

Here is a report from Raining Hope Children’s Home in Uganda. “I realize that everything is high in prices (in Uganda), but praise God that we have never lacked. The kids have enough food on the table. They are in school and everybody is happy. This is because of your great effort out there trying very hard to see that the kids are happy. I am very appreciative on the behalf of all our kids. Thank you very much. Please thank all of our sponsors who give generously to our ministry. Let them know that we appreciate them all so much.”

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, support and love for our children.

I wanted to report on the status of my ISP CBU team! A few weeks ago, I was close to losing half of my team because of lack of finances. I am very happy to report that I still have all 10 of my students! Currently our team has raised 85% of the funds needed! Praise the Lord for answered prayer! Thank you for your support!

Their final deadline for raising the funds is April 29th. They will need to have their full amount in by that date. I challenged the students to pray that their finances would come in this week! Why wait until the 29th!? We want to spend the final few weeks of training not focused on the need of funds, but preparing spiritually and for the task. We are praying for the miraculous!

I would also ask that you pray for me this weekend. This Saturday, April 16th, from 8:30 am-4:00 pm, we have a very special event at CBU. We are having the very first Collegiate Division of the California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Training! Please be in prayer for the whole event. We want to cover the event in prayer. I will be working with Chuck Clayton of the CSBCDR to conduct the orientation. Chuck will then do training in cleanup & recovery. I will be doing an introduction into chaplaincy. We have close to 100 signed up for the training!

As we approach Easter, our prayer is that your Easter would truly be a life-changing experience this year! You are making a difference in the lives of others. Thank you for your prayers and your love.

Kale,
eydie

Rain Is Here!

Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord! When I opened my email today (March 16) ... the subject line said, "Rain is Here!" They said, "Yesterday we received a lot of rain, and today it has also rained a lot. It is an answer to prayer. Its like we are seeing rain for the very first time" God has answered prayer!

Here is the thank you from our family in Uganda...
"First and foremost, we want to thank your continued prayers for our country. For the past two days its been raining around the country, and we are very grateful for that. We know that it's out of prayers that we are receiving this rain. Everyone was worried. The prices of every thing has gone unbelievably high."

I pulled up the national weather report...and they are predicting thundershowers and shattered showers for the next 10 days! Amen!

Pray that prices of food and supplies will come back down to normal. Prices had tripled and doubled for many items during the drought. They just bought a bag of beans for about $100 when normal cost is closer to $50 to $60. Pray for us that God will provide for these extra costs.

Yesterday, my daily reading took me to Psalm 68. I prayed verses 7-10, that God would answer our prayers for rain...

"...the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor."

Our God is good! Thank you for caring for our children. Pray for the rain to continue!

Kale,
eydie
www.raininghope.org

Continue to pray for rain

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers for our children in Uganda. Thanks to everyone who replied back to let us know that you are joining us in prayer. We still need your prayers. Today my reading took me to Psalm 65. At the end of this email I have included the passage for you. It gives hope that the rains will come. Our God will provide.

Here is a message to all our supporters from Raining Hope Children's Home in Uganda. They wanted you to know how much they appreciate you...

Hi,
Greetings to you all from Raining Hope Uganda, I am writing this to let you know that we are grateful for your great support towards us here in Uganda. Its been out of your generous countribution toward us that has seen our kids get a better life. All our kids are in school and also able to feed well. This is a great challege, but thank the Lord that with your help, we are able to eat, shelter and also have our kids go to school. We greatly appreciate your great contribution so much, and we pray that the Lord shall continue blessing you and also expand your territories. We are praying for you all, and we love you so much. We don't have much to say, but what we have to say is that we are very happy that you are a blessing to Raining Hope Children in Uganda. Also we are very grateful for Aunt Eydie who has stood with us to ensure that all is well at this side of the world, Thank you so much Aunt Eydie, We love you so much and always praying for you and also appreciate all that you are doing. You are a mother to many children here in you Uganda. God bless you.

Psalm 65[a]
1 Praise awaits[b] you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave[c] our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.[d]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.

Thank you from our hearts,
Eydie

Pray for Rain

Dear Raining Hope Friends,

I would like if you could join me in prayer for the nation of Uganda. Our home sent us word that they are experiencing a drought In Uganda. It has been a very long time since they last had rain. The government has been announcing over the radio that the drought conditions are on an increase and people are urged to store food. The price of everything has gone way up. The maize flour we purchase for posha has doubled in price. The price of beans is unbelievable. At the home, they are trying to cut down on the food cooked to help conserve and ration. They are trying to be good stewards of what we have.

Their prayer request is that things would get back to normal or this situation will get worse. They said that our town of Jinja did receive a little cloud of rain on Saturday. But that was the only place. The country as whole is in great need.

Even with this situation, the word from Raining Hope Children’s Home is, “The kids are doing well, only it is very hot and all things have been going up. But we are fine and praying for you in daily devotions.”

Please join me in prayer for our children and for the country of Uganda. If there was ever a time they needed rain…it is now.

Zechariah 10:1

1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
and plants of the field to everyone.

Kale,

eydie