Jens Pen December 2012

Hello sweet friends!

I'm writing to you from Uganda as Madelene, our Global Ministry Director,and I begin rounding up our very own journey!  What a wonderful and humbling time it has been to learn more about how Sweet Sleep can better serve and expand God's kingdom through something as simple as a bed!  I want to thank you for making expansion and growth possible through your gifts of prayer and giving! You are such a key part of our story and we are so grateful for your support and partnership!

Our journey began November 27th as we took off to Ethiopia.  The Lord blessed us with the incredible opportunity to talk with the president of Ethiopia and learn more of how Sweet Sleep can best serve his country.

December 1st was World Aids Day. There are an estimated 2 million people living in Ethiopia with HIV/AIDS (54.5% are women women and 96,000 are children under 15). We attended an AIDS conference to learn more about caring for this extremely vulnerable population. Would you join me in prayer for the fight against the AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia? For more photos and stories from our time in Ethiopia click here.

Next on our journey was Uganda where we landed a few short days ago!  To kick things off, Josephine, Madelene and I were interviewed on the radio show, "Women's Voice" on The Alpha FM, speaking to their 1.5 million listeners and raise awareness and advocate for the orphan.

A few days back I stood in what used to be an IDP camp for 15,000 people from the Northern Uganda area of Kitgum, Uganda as Sweet Sleep gave beds, Bibles, mosquito nets and water to 100 children. As I handed a little one a mosquito net, I was overcome with gratitude for what God has called me to do for the last ten years. Thank you for making it possible to share this kind of love with the most needy and vulnerable. I am forever humbled and grateful and eternally blessed because of what we do together.

See more of our journey through updates from the Sweet Sleep Facebook, Blog & Twitter!

P.S. As Christmas is just around the corner, and you're wondering what the perfect could be, remember Sweet Sleep! By Giving the Gift this Christmas in honor of a loved one, you are changing the life of a child by providing them with a safe place to rest their head at night. Wishing each of you a very blessed Christmas!