Local Need Local Care.

As Sweet Sleep continues to serve orphaned and abandoned children overseas, let’s not lose site of what the Lord is doing right here in the United States through Sweet Sleep!  Children within our own context are without beds due to bed bugs, abandonment, or lack of space. Beds are a huge need and we eagerly wait on the Lord as he continues to open doors wherever he leads.

Rees Greenman, a Linkage Coordinator from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), took some time to share of the partnership that has been formed between DCS and Sweet Sleep.

I got involved with Sweet Sleep through The Middle Tennessee Orphan Alliance also known as MTOA.  Whenever we have an "out of the box" need for families struggling with poverty issues such as beds we tend to send them to MTOA.  Beds have been one of those reoccurring needs.  With bed bugs running rampant through Middle Tennessee it has been a need that has been increasing every year.  Donations of beds have been harder to find because fewer locations take beds due to bedbugs.  We had a lead a few years ago from a hotel who wanted to "donate" several hundred mattresses to us but after doing some research we found that they were bed bug infested and were trying to just get a tax right off.  So finding beds for families has been very difficult. 

 Last year we received 67 mattresses in June or July.  By March they had all been given out to families in need.  These mattresses have helped families prevent having their children come into state custody or have helped children exit state custody and get to go home.  Beds were one of the puzzle pieces needed to prevent or reunite a family.  Beds alone are not the only reason why children come into state custody.  It can however be a reason why children can't go home or go stay with family or friends while the parents work on issues around reunification. 

The day(s) that we received mattresses this year our primary volunteers on the first day I like to call Shane Pass day (Shane Pass is the children's minister at Clearview Baptist Church, Franklin, TN).  He single handedly got a group of about 6 or 7 volunteers to help with 2 trucks and 1 trailer to move mattresses.  We also had a box truck that was donated by a local moving truck rental place.  He is also a recent adoptive father.  It took nearly all day to move about 300 mattresses and I could not have done it without their help.

The next mattress moving day I received a ton of help from Showhope's "The Movement"  These are high school age youth who want to make an impact in orphan care/foster care.  There were 9 youth plus their leader extraordinaire Chris Wheeler.  We moved 150 mattresses in a matter of about 2 and a-half-hours. 

Since receiving these mattresses we have been able to, in the words of Karen Purvis, say "Yes".  Whenever there has been a need for a family in DCS's attention or not who needs a bed we have been able to say yes, come and get it.  We have moved the blessings of mattresses as far as Robertson County and some more in Cookeville.  We have given mattresses to organizations that say "Yes" to families in poverty that we are unaware of through Madison 7th Day Adventist Community Center and Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Antioch. 

The need for beds here in Middle Tennessee is larger than I would have every guessed.  Who knew that Case Managers would drive an hour and a half for beds for their clients?  We are appreciative of our relationship with Sweet Sleep and are forever grateful for Sweet Sleep making it possible for us to tell families, "Yes" your children can come home.

Thanks Rees, for your friendship and partnership with Sweet Sleep.  Knowing Sweet Sleep is being used to help children right next door is something to Praise the Lord for.  Join us as we pray for more opportunities to share with children right here in our own area the joy and contentment of a good night's sleep.

6 churches. 6 weeks. one mission.

PVC pipes. Color Coding. 6 churches. All with one common goal:  To share the mission of Sweet Sleep in a unique and different way with children in Oklahoma and Arkansas this summer!

Alyson Walker, from Oklahoma, shares of how her, her friends at South Tulsa Baptist, and 5 other nearby  churches have chosen to partner with Sweet Sleep this summer! They are in the middle of a 6 week journey of "building beds" and sharing with kids the need for a good night's sleep!  We will continue to keep you updated on this ongoing and awesome journey of theirs!

"Sweet Sleep and Oklahoma!

As the preschool minister at South Tulsa Baptist, I attend LifeWay's Kids conference.  In 2009 I came across the Sweet Sleep booth in the exhibit hall at the conference.  When I heard about what Sweet Sleep does and saw the old nasty bed and mattress I was floored!  I had never thought about how and where children around the world were sleeping before.  The Children's Minister and I said right then and there our VBS offering should go to Sweet Sleep!  So that next summer it did.

I started following Sweet Sleep on Facebook and got more and more information about Sweet Sleep. Then in 2011, we did it again during VBS and our offering went to Sweet Sleep.  But by the time of this VBS, I had gone on my first Sweet Sleep Journey to Uganda and saw first hand what Sweet Sleep means to these children!  I was forever changed and convinced that Sweet Sleep is doing some amazing things. Actually, I should have said God is using Sweet Sleep to do His Amazing work!  I have now been on 3 Sweet Sleep Journeys and I pray many more to come!

Because of all of that, I of course love to talk about Sweet Sleep. So all of the area Preschool & Children's Ministers have heard my heart for Sweet Sleep and they have also jumped on board. We have a summer kids camp we call KMAK (Kids Mission Adventure Kamp) we have 6 weeks of Kamp and churches from all over Oklahoma and a few from Arkansas come. We have a mission focus each day and last year one was Sweet Sleep. We showed a video and then we made pillows. We made close to 1,000 pillows.

This year we are doing Sweet Sleep again but instead of pillows we are giving each church a puzzle. This puzzle is made out of PVC pipe. They don't know what they are making but they work together and when they have finished they have put together a bed. Then we will show a Sweet Sleep video and share w/ them the fact that there are children who do not have their own bed to sleep in. Some might have to sleep w/ 6 or 7 others in a twin bed. They will have that "twin bed" in front of them to actually see what it might be like to have 7 people in one bed.  Each child will get a bank they can take home and fill up for Sweet Sleep & they can give any money left on their canteen card to Sweet Sleep. In one week we collected $310.

Now normally the last day the children will spend all of their money left on candy. One little boy gave his card to this weeks director and said he spent half on himself and wanted to give the other half to Sweet Sleep!

I'm excited that we still have about 2 more weeks of Kamp to go!!  The Lord is doing some great things through KMAK for Sweet Sleep and doing great things through Sweet Sleep!!  Every penny counts and we are seeing that this Summer!!!

Alyson Walker <> Tulsa, Oklahoma"

Have you chosen to serve along side of Sweet Sleep in a unique and creative way?  

If so please email us and tell us how!  We are always looking for ways the Lord chooses to use people to step out and be advocates of orphaned and abandoned children!

Servitude with Love

Freedom.  A word that carries so much meaning:  dignity, deliverance, safety, salvation.  When asked to write about freedom in light of our country’s Independence Day I cannot help but think about those who make that word a reality.  

You see, my sister’s brand new husband is currently in Afghanistan, serving faithfully to protect the freedoms we celebrate this week.  He is a Marine.  He left weeks after his wedding to my baby sister.  Through tear-flooded conversations with Shelby, and via snapshots of skype calls, and grainy-brown photographs taken of a sweet young man standing by a tank thousands of miles away, I am witnessing the sacrifice both Matt and Shelby, and thousands of other men and women, spouses and children, parents and loved ones are making to protect the freedoms that were given so long ago when their predecessors first fought and sacrificed…

But while we will always have to fight to protect our physical freedom, our spiritual freedom has been forever paid for by the blood and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Freedom.  In Christ.  

In Paul’s Letter to the Galatians he says, “So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.”  Galatians 4:7  “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5.1

But there is more.  Just as our physical freedom comes at a cost: Matt and thousands others are fighting and have fought to protect it; our spiritual freedom comes at a cost as well.  “For you were called to freedom brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.”  Galatians 5:13.  

Freedom through Christ yields servitude through love.  And that is what God has called us to do; wherever he has us.  For me, it is in devoted service through Sweet Sleep.  For Matt, it is through selfless bravery in his Marines deployment.  This holiday week I pray that we express our freedom and through love, be servants of one another.

Freely yours,

Madelene Metcalf
Trips Coordinator

Who’s Free?

 When you watch a young grandson explore his world of creative energy and imagination, it’s interesting to contrast his view of freedom with yours.  He loves his play through toys, movies, an ipad, food, and even light “jobs”. He may not want to learn the most basic things like “potty training,” yet he loves to have his “computer time” where He loves to learn new things. His freedom is both limited and expanded by the environment his parents and siblings build. What makes him free when he doesn’t always have a choice of what he can do? And how is that freedom different from a child, whose parents have been killed in a third world country living in new limited reality as an orphan?

One of the things I love about the freedom we have in Christ is that children can be free no matter their country, culture, environment, or family. When is a person is free in Christ they are “free indeed”. Freedom in Christ is not only an expression that is lived out in the American dream. It’s possible (and maybe more probable) in countries, families, and schools, where it may not be exercised.

Freedom in Christ provides the opportunity for every child to love, trust, and obey, which is the essence of spiritual growth. A child of God can experience love in the best sense. She can know the love of God and how He gave himself. A child can learn to trust—to extend all fears and reach out and be cared for—to have a place where they can be assured. A child can learn to obey—to follow direction and instruction.

Freedom during this Independence Day season is a good time to reflect on our freedom—to imagine what our lives would be like if we were not born into the country and family we have. It gives us the opportunity to also love, trust, and obey. We can share the love of God. We can help children trust their heavenly Father. We can help others learn discipline and obedience in following God’s direction. This day helps us think about what we have. It also helps us to own the responsibility to help others realize they can have freedom in Christ, no matter other freedoms available.

One of the things I love about Sweet Sleep is that it gives me a tangible way to share our freedom with children, one at a time. To help them have rest in their own space. To help them tangibly understand there is a Father looking out for them. And that He wants them to experience His love; learn to trust; decide to obey; to be free in Christ.

Take-a-ways:

·       - My grandchild is very blessed. He is making choices and learning in a great home environment. I want others to have that opportunity.

·       -- Freedom in Christ is possible globally, in every part of the world.

·       -Our spiritual freedom is given as we love, trust, and obey.

·      -  Freedom implies responsibility.

·       - We can make a difference in every child’s life, especially those that need to know the Father’s love. 

     Gary Hauk

Because of Christ..

Because I am filled with joy, motivated by love, and redeemed, I know that I am free. Because I shook free of the chains clinging to my frame and now run, I know that I am free. Because Christ gave his life and took the weight of my sin, I know that I am free. Praise Him!

My Lord allows me to do as the woman in John 8 did and leave my life of sin, without condemnation. He not only suggests that I don’t look back at my mistakes, but commands me to flee them (Gen. 19:17). For me freedom in Christ is justification, transformation, and redemption.

I used to grope in the dark for some semblance of meaning and happiness. I dwelled in darkness, I purchased the counterfeits placed before me, and I loathed myself because I had allowed the sin to become my name. Then, He entered and interceded for me. In His glory I shed the layers of my sin like an onion peeling back and blossoming into a flower -- an impossibility made possible only through the love and blood of Christ. Glory to Him! Now, I get to walk forward in the Spirit and live as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I have a chance to be who He created me to be, and have real relationship with Him every day forever. Freedom.

I was reminded of what this looks like practically as I sat amidst a mountain of covers in my cabin bedroom located in [somewhere] Alabama. It was the third night of camp and I was reflecting on the teenagers that I had seen worshipping, that I had formed relationships with, and that I had watched question, learn, and move in the Spirit. Suddenly great joy swelled inside of me and I began to audibly laugh. Spontaneous worship in the form of prayer spilled from my lips as I marveled at His grace. I had spent the week leading others towards Him, through Him. I never would have thought that I could do this a year ago.

Just one short year ago I was still carrying boxes and boxes of shame. Even after what I had considered rededication I had not surrendered all of my shame. I held onto the hurt. The fear had sunk its hooks far in my heart, and I had begun to believe that I could not be truly redeemed. Rather than soaking in the healing only He can provide, I attempted to stuff my sin further and further into my heart. I believed that if I could hide the shameful places in my life I could force them to fall away. I did not realize that I was actually planting the sin, watering it with my shame, and harvesting it in the fruit of my actions. Enter a downward spiral. Enter months of searching for happiness in all of the wrong places. Enter a loss of identity, confusion, and rock bottom. Then enter intervention.

God’s hand was upon me the entire time. I have no doubt of this. He was chasing me, looking for me as the father awaited his lost son (Luke 15:11-32). So, when I began to seek, He opened his arms wider. He drowned me in grace. He overflowed me with His presence. He whispered words of comfort to me; he brought back my joy, melted my cynicism, rejuvenated my dreams, and redeemed me. Even when I didn’t want to believe I could be forgiven and I brought my mistakes to Him sobbing again, and again He said “Daughter, I don’t even see what you are so worried about. It’s already gone”. Now I can serve, love, write, live, and dream as a new creation. That is freedom. I promise, you are never too far. Praise Him, Glory, Giver of true freedom through grace. Praise Him.

Jessica Auville

When God speaks, You listen.

I’m Spencer Key and I want to update you on the upcoming mission trip to Uganda.  Less than one month from today we will be on the ground in Uganda.  16 of us will be heading to Uganda, partnering with Sweet Sleep to build bunk beds, and distribute mattresses and mosquito nets to children.  I don't know exactly what we will be doing there, but I do know that we will be responding to the call from God to go.

When God lays His hand on you and says to trust Him, what else can you do?  For my wife Debbie and I both to be able to go, this has to be a God-thing.  It has been such a blessing to see God accomplish this.  

Uganda has the highest proportion of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS worldwide.  The country has a population of 32 million, and of that 2.5 million are orphans.  Armed conflict that lasted over 10 years displaced almost 2 million people and resulted in the abduction of over 60 thousand children.  We are going because God has called us.

Last year when the kids came back from camp and mentioned a mission trip to Africa, little did I know that God would be calling me to join Him in His work there.  I try to do things, locally, to help out those needs here close to home.  I give money to those far-off endeavors.  But when God speaks, you listen and respond.  The Lord has a schedule, a plan, of where I’m supposed to be, whose lives I am to touch, and how He is going to touch my life.

I just want to be his hands and feet, and I thank you for your support and pray that you will be blessed by our trip as much as we will for going.  Your prayers, beginning now, for us in preparation, as well as your continued prayers for us while we are en route and on location, will engage you in fulfilling God’s will and purpose for the trip.  I plan on taking as many photos and videos as possible.  We want you, our faithful brothers and sisters to be engaged in this mission endeavor with us, and thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

I’ll leave you with two words that have become a part of my spiritual life, engage and intentional.  I want to become engaged in God’s work.  I want you to become engaged in this mission trip.  Let it become your mission trip also, through your prayers and support.  I want to be intentional in my thoughts, my talk and my actions.  I want all that I do and say to shine light on the love of Jesus, not on myself.  To let His love flow through me.  I want to encourage you to become engaged and intentional this week and for the weeks to come.  Engage in prayer for this mission trip.  Become engaged with the church.  Become engaged and intentional with those you encounter this week.  Be Christ to those you come in contact with.

Continue following Sweet Sleep’s blog for updates from our Uganda Team, from Olney, Texas. 

 The team will be  posting while on their journey!  Like us on Facebook to stay updated on how the Lord is using Sweet Sleep to help provide a bed for every head.

Telling their Story

Re-entering Nashville each year that I come back from Uganda is tough. I find myself missing the joy the people have...the wonderful dependence on God....and the community between each other. It's hard to understand how our country got so far removed from that. Leaving the children behind is one of the hardest things anyone will ever do...the kids in Uganda are so incredibly sweet. I never want to make a promise to them that I cannot keep...but the promises I can make them are that I will pray for them and I will share their stories. Each child has a story, has hopes, and dreams.

This year in particular I was inspired by Pastor Alex at the Good Samaritan Home. He has such vision for the children in his home. We believes in each one of them. He wants to know their dreams, and he wants to help them achieve it. As the week continued, we were so blessed to develop relationships with the children. We learned that they dreamed of going on to high school...to college...and on into careers. The children want to  be teachers...doctors...lawyers...pilots...social workers...and more. They dream just like each child does here in America. Their hopes are like our hopes...their God is our God. Their future can be just like our future.

I'm encouraged by these thoughts each year. I too have joined in with Pastor Alex in seeing Uganda's future. I am so excited and hope that God opens doors for me to continue to be a part of it. I want to be open and willing to go and do whatever He calls me to do. As I re-enter Nashville life, I want to remember each one of the children's dreams and hopes. I want to commit to praying for them, and that they will have the opportunities to fulfill their dreams. I think one of my favorite things about God is how big He is! I cannot wait to see how Uganda's future unfolds.

My hope for this year is to never forget, to feel passion for the children of the country as if I see them daily. Trying to live in today's world unselfishly is hard; I'm scared as I get back into my "routine" I'm going to just focus on me again. But I have the stories of the kids, I have the pictures, and I have the memories. I'm going to keep sharing...I'm going to try to keep going...and most importantly I'm going to keep praying. I know God can totally do it without me, but I hope to be a part of it in some small way :)

Amanda Calhoun

As the Sweet Sleep team welcomes the Kampala Team home, we prepare to send another team that will be reaching children in Gulu and Kampala, Uganda.  Join us in prayer and thanksgiving that the Lord has provided yet another opportunity to provide beds for these sweet children.

Be sure to follow us on facebook for updates, pictures, and stories!

Twitter: @sweetsleep

When you lie down,  you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24

Winds of Change

It brings a lot of joy and gratification to witness the lives of children being changed and the Sweet Sleep ministry is committed to continue touching the hearts of the world’s orphaned and abandoned children through the provision of beds and beddings to them.

Josephine (far left) w/ some of the Kampala Team members

On June 11^th 2012, one could feel the winds of change blowing around the Good Samaritan Home as our Sweet Sleep incredible team arrived at the home to have their first day of ministering love to the children at the Good Samaritan Home amidst a lot of excitement among the 1,100 children who live there. The Good Samaritan home is located in the central region particularly in Wakiso district and was founded by Pastor Alex Mitala. The home has a secondary school attached to cater for the continued education of the children after completing their primary level from the same home.

The team was overwhelmed by the warm welcome by the children and it was evident in the eyes and voices of the children that their hope of changing their lives from the poor sleeping conditions to a sweet one had been restored. Being a Sunday, the children were so much blessed having a divine moment with our great team who made new friends.

The following morning, it was a beautiful thing to see God’s hand in providing for his children as 110 new Sweet Sleep beds and beddings arrived at the Home. Sweet Sleeps work is really life changing as we all enjoyed working together as a family of different ages but most exciting that the 110 children who were going to be blessed by new beddings were taking big strides towards getting life saving mosquito nets, comfortable beds and above all a Bible of their own which would teach them more about the kingdom of God for it belongs to them. 

In life, people always pray until something happens, but I have always continued to pray that Sweet Sleep reaches out to more and more children who are having heart breaking sleeping conditions and as I witnessed God working through our incredible team, definitely deep inside me I thanked God for answering my prayers. Children continuously kept on hugging the team members with love in appreciation for their new beds and beddings. This excitement was extended to class rooms where our incredible team divided into groups and each group had a chance to share general knowledge, Bible stories, art work by way of paintings and academics with all the children from the Nursery section to Primary Seven through rotation. 

While in classes, the children could sit and listen attentively to the team members as they passed over words of wisdom to them and this made us feel our presence there. According to the physical touches and hugs of the children with us, one could easily begin thinking and imagining that these children were feeling the presence of God’s love to them through our mighty team.

During our interaction with the children after providing them with new beds/beddings, one of the children confessed that that he used to hold feelings of sadness and envy about other children who sleep comfortably on beds of their own but went ahead to testify that such feelings are no more after Sweet Sleep providing him with one.  “Sleeping on a comfortable bed feels so different from sleeping down on the floor, so God loves me,” he said.

In this hurting world, everybody wishes to celebrate his or her birthday but it is heart breaking that some of the children at the Good Samaritan Home don’t know much and have never had a chance to celebrate their birthdays. As one of the last most memorable moments and activities for our incredible team was having a birthday party with the children. The party commenced with the blessing of over 520 children with gifts/presents and later had three big birthday cakes cut amidst a lot of cheers and singing of the Happy Birthday songs. 

This did not only make the children feel so special and proud, but the team ministered love to 40 members of staff at the Good Samaritan Home as they also joined the party and received lovely gifts.      

         

After sharing the kind of joy, dances, hugs and songs of praises with the children at the Good Samaritan Home, one can take the comfort to realize why our incredible Sweet Sleep team was there. The team was there so that the many less fortunate children at the Good Samaritan and those out there still in poor sleeping conditions can sleep comfortably at night and wake up with a fresh mind that can lead to a big turning point towards their improved academic performance and health hence a positive change in their lives.

We are so thankful to God for the way he guided, used and provided for our incredible team that has just left Uganda after ministering love at the Good Samaritan Home in an amazing way. As Sweet Sleep, we thank you all dear friends for your gift of love and giving. You made the children proud and without you, Sweet Sleep as a ministry would not have reached the so many children.

Praying for God’s hand in reaching out to more children whose sleeping conditions is still heart breaking.

By   Josephine Ssebambulide.

For more information on how you can get involved in some capacity, please visit our website or "like" us on Facebook!

 

A Father to the Fatherless

Being a father is not always something that I excel at. I certainly have my moments of frustration, and my moments of failure. However, I also have my moments where my role as a father gives me a unique purpose and calling from God. I am proud to be the father of Gideon and Abel, and my wife Abby and I also have another little guy or gal on the way in November. 

Stepping back and forth between the different worlds of Uganda and America volunteering for Sweet Sleep sometimes pose some challenges for me as a father. It is easy for me to project my own frustration with the consumer driven world in which we live on my children. It is easy for me to get more quickly upset with Gideon and Abel upon my return from Uganda when they whine, fuss, or don’t listen based on the desperate needs that I witness in the orphanages. I hope that I am better able to control my frustrations, and inner struggles in the future, so they understand the love that I have for them, and the desire I have for them to know how others in this world live.

My incredible wife has always understood my call to be a father, not just to my boys, but to the fatherless as well. Her support and encouragement are one of the things that allows me to “go,” and to attempt to stand in the gap for these beautiful children of Uganda. My first trip to Uganda took place just one month after Abel was born. Although it was hard to leave my family, I felt God’s calling on my life, and I knew that I was called to go, but without Abby’s understanding spirit it simply never would have happened.

In a country where many fathers are abusive or simply absent, I have found a quick bond with many of the children, and a burden to show them fatherly love and support. As my journey with Uganda continues with Fields of Dreams in the future, I hope and pray that God will continue to entrust me with the task of loving, supporting and speaking truth into the orphaned and vulnerable children of this country that I consider my second home.

On my second trip to Uganda, I forged a special bond with a boy by the name of Dallen at Blessed Hope Champions Academy. I am now unsure about his whereabouts, but I continue to pray for his life, and hope that we will be reunited on this side of heaven. Although I only spent a short week in his presence, it is amazing the bonds that God can forge through the incredible ministry of Sweet Sleep. I want to share with you the letters that I received from Dallen during that week, and the important work that Sweet Sleep does in the lives of these children.

Letter One: (Delivered by Dallen on our 3^rd day at the orphanage)

Dear Uncle Mike,

I greet you in Jesus’ name. I love you so much and your friends. I like to be with you every day. I will be not happy when you have to go back to your country, but I will pray for you every day. You will be in my heart all of my life.

From, Dallen

Letter Two: (Delivered by Dallen on our 4^th day at the orphanage)

Dear Mike,

I love you so much. I have seen that you love me. I am going to call you Daddy. You are a good daddy. I write this letter to thank you for what you have given me. I have seen that God loves me and you love me. I am very happy. I am now loving God because you have taught me how to love someone. I greet you with your family and your friends. Sweet Sleep is very helpful. I am 10 years old. I promise you – you will be in my heart and my life. I have a sister called Vannitta. May God bless you. Good day.

Dallen

Letter Three: (Delivered by Dallen as we were loading the bus on our last day)

Dear Daddy Mike,

I love you so much. I promise that you will be in my heart and my life. Please write for me a letter telling me how you feel when you are with me and write for your young boys. Thank you and thank you very much. May God bless you.

From your loving son, Dallen

Letter Four: (Delivered by my friend Amanda after spending 3 more weeks with Blessed Hope)

Dear Daddy Mike,

I love you so much. I greet you in Jesus’ name. I am happy because you are with your family. I wish one day we shall meet in your country. I  pray for you every day and will never forget you in my life. How is Gideon and Abel and your wife. I thank you very much. I will miss you even my heart is caring for you. And I wish I could bring you a present But I have not money to come there. I am very happy because you are with your family and they were missing you. You left your family because of me and God loves you.

From your loving son, Dallen

So yes, I am the proud father of two incredible boys, Gideon and Abel, and another on the way. But I am also a father to hundreds of exceptional kids in the Pearl of Africa. I may not get to tuck them in at night. I may not get to teach them how to ride a bike, or hit a baseball, but they are nonetheless my children. We are called as Christians to care for the orphan and the widow, and for me, it has honestly become the most rewarding aspect of my faith.

Happy father’s day to my incredible father, whom loved me enough, that he traveled with me to Uganda last year to understand my passion for this country and its people. I am the youngest of five children, and my father has been a great example of what it means to care, support and provide for his children. And because of this trip, my father now has another child, she may not join around the table at Christmas, but Sarah, a girl in Uganda, has found a place in my father’s heart.

I pray that one day Gideon and Abel will learn what it means to be a father to the fatherless. I pray that their lives will not be lived for themselves, but for the people in this world that need their love, gifts, and their concern. I pray that Dallen, and William, and Livingstone, and Eddie, and Joseph, and Amos, and all the boys and girls in Uganda would find hope in the fact that there is a Father in heaven that will never hurt nor abandon them. I pray that they will know with certainty that they are loved, and that they play an important role in our family of faith.

Mike Warneke <> June 21, 2012

Kampala Scrapbook

If you have been following what's been going on at Sweet Sleep, you may know that we have had a team in Kampala, Uganda over the past ten days!  With the team home safe and sound back in the states, what better way to celebrate the time the Lord used them in Kampala than glimpse into their time spent there?!

A trip begins with anticipation, joy, maybe even a tad bit of fear, but the end as you will see is hope; hope amongst those children that have most graciously received a bed to lay their head on each night from now on; hope that they have a purpose in their life; and hope that someone loves them and knows them by name. Hope dwells in the team members as they return with new eyes, new ears, and a burdened heart by those sweet ones.  The burden is great, but our God is greater, and he is faithful.

Praise Him for a wonderful team of willing spirits to go and serve His people! Enjoy these pictures, and maybe this will spark an interest in you to look into joining us on a Sweet Sleep journey!

  A nice, warm welcome from these sweet ones!

 

Enjoying some coloring :)

 

Bible lessons lead by the team members.

 The bed frames waiting for their mattresses and sweet little ones to claim them as their own!

 Waiting in line for their beds!!

 

Life saving mosquito net-Check

Bed-Check

Bible-Check

What more do we need?

 

What a difference a bed can make, even in the smiling and grateful face of a child!

 

Every Sweet Sleep journey ends in a birthday party to celebrate each child and acknowledge that they were created for a purpose and deserve a celebration of their life!

 

The kings for the day and their heart shaped pillows :)

 Thankful to celebrate these past 10 days of bed distribution, but most importantly thankful for our Lord and savior that ensures us an eternity spent with Him.  This place is temporary, and we are called to love and serve one another, and in this case make sure that these children can have a bed to call their very own!

If you are interested in getting involved, whether taking a mission journey, starting a program with your youth, how you can be praying, etc. please visit us and bring any questions with you!

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