Sweet Sleep is on the go

Here at Sweet Sleep we always seem to be on the go. We want to continue to celebrate the team's return from Moldova, click here to see photos on FaceBook. 

But before you know it we are off again to Uganda this June. 

This summer we are once again offering a special Back2Back experience in Uganda. We will send one team the first week of June and another team the second week. But for those who have extra time in the summer we offer the opportunity to make an 18-day journey that bridges both weeks. For only about $500 more you can double your ministry experience with our Back2Back trip.

If you are interested in any of the Uganda trips this June, we are having a 

Special Uganda Informational Meeting 

on Thursday, March 29 at 6:30 pm 

at the Sweet Sleep office in Brentwood, 

116 Wilson Circle Pike, Suite 100 

(in the same building with Mazatlan's near the Brentwood P.O.)

Uganda Experience – June
3 options – 2 different trips or a 1 extended trip

Gulu – June 1–11 – Open
Cost: $1200 - $1700 plus airfare
Team will be providing hundreds of beds kits to (probably) HIV+ children in northern Uganda. They will also be ministering to and sharing Bible stories to thousands of children, caretakers, and members of surrounding villages.

Kampala – June 6–18 – Open
Cost: $1200 - $1700 plus airfare
Team will be providing beds to children in an orphanage in Kampala. They will also be doing arts & crafts, leading Bible studies, and doing recreational activities with the children in the orphanage for the duration of the week.

Uganda Back 2 Back Experience – June 1–18 – Open
Cost: Open $1700 - $2200 plus airfare
Team members will be participating in both the Gulu week and the Kampala week. This is a great opportunity for students, teachers and others with extra time in the summer. Because airfare is a big part of the cost, for only about $500 more this trip almost doubles the ministry opportunity.

Application Due April 1 for all three trip options

A Gift that is Greater than Riches

This past week will be one of the most memorable weeks of my life. I knew the trip would be hard as I have always held a special place in my heart for children but couldn’t imagine the affect it would have on me.

The last night in Transnistria Tony, our team leader, asked us what was the single most memorable moment was from the week. Well when it came my time; I copped out and said “tons, to many to just say one.” Well I must admit that even though this was mostly true it was probably more due to the fact that I thought I would break down in an embarrassing, blubbering cry if I had to talk much longer.

Well now that I have had time to stop and ponder, I must say my most memorable moment was when a group of the older boys that had been helping us (these guys latched on to me all week) were going through my phone and looking at all my pictures. They were asking tons of questions about my family, hunting and America.

At the beginning I was proud of showing off my two year old son but then as they were scrolling through my 400 something pictures, I quickly felt guilty. I realized that they may see my house or the size of my T.V or just in general how much I have compared to how little they have. By no means am I considered rich in the States; I live in an averaged sized brick home in an east Texas suburb, but to them I might as well have been a millionaire. In that single instant my eyes were opened to how materialistic we Americans are.

I wanted to do something. I mean I had brought several hundred dollars for travel money and my first thought was to give it all to them, but that was not what we were there for. We were there to share the love of Christ through our bed building and the time we spent with them. I really struggled with guilt after this because of how many worldly possessions I have and how little these kids have, and I had grown to really care for these kids and wanted to give them riches beyond their dreams.

It’s funny how if you look in the Bible, God will always show you an answer, whether you are looking for it or not. Towards the end of the week I had woke up early before everyone else and had decided to go down to the hotel lobby and work on my devotion for the week and came across what the true meaning of riches is.

Proverbs 3:13-15

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who obtains understanding. For her benefit is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than gold. She is more precious than rubies, and none of the things you desire can compare with her.”

Colossians 2:2-3

“My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

On the last day we were able to hand out bibles to these children. The look on their faces helped me to realize that we were able to give them something that was better than gold and more precious than rubies; the word of God

A Mother's Love...

It's so hard to find words to express our experience here in Transnistria. Yesterday was our final day in the orphanage; beds were built; crafts were completed; Bible stories were all told; snacks were consumed. It was the orphans turn to share a little of themselves with us. Our team was treated to a concert performed by the children. Easily one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. We entered their auditorium and were immediately escorted to the front row where they had saved seats for us, the guests of honor. The performers were assembled off-stage to our right decked out in traditional costumes. Their smiling faces and fidgeting feet betrayed the excitement they were feeling, anxious to perform. The auditorium was suddenly filled with music accompanied by the audience clapping to the beat. As child after child took their place on stage to sing or dance I couldn't help but be amazed by the amazing talent the children possessed. As I sat, watching and listening, smiling and clapping I began to imagine what my reaction to them would be if they were my very own children. How my heart would swell with joy and pride as I watched my child on stage. Then it hit me. These kids mama's would never get to see how beautiful they turned out to be, how talented they were. As I watched a beautiful young lady, about the age of my own daughter) sing, tears sprung to my eyes. I tried to control them so that she wouldn't catch me crying--I didn't want her to think I was anything but thrilled by her performance. I wanted her to see reflected in my face what she might see in the face of her own mother if she were able to see her. So, I have a new prayer request for orphans everywhere; when you pray for God to meet their needs, don't forget the intangibles--like seeing someone who thinks you hung the moon sitting on the front row applauding your every move. Pray that they won't miss out on those experiences as well having comfy beds and Jesus in their hearts.
Arlene McDonald

God is the Father to the fatherless

Wow. It is always intimidating to start a blog, knowing that so many are thirsty for words regarding our mission work. We've been preparing for months-God has been preparing our hearts for even longer. But now the moment is here, and all I can say is, "Wow!"

This trip has so far been the most challenging and most rewarding journey I have ever been blessed to be a part of. But God is always faithful, and His plan and love always shines through, even when the Light is dim in a place like Transnistria.

Obviously, bed building is one of our main priorities, so every morning we have commenced with breaking out the sheets and screws and breaking into a sweat. Some of the older boys at the orphanage (around age 13-16 or so) had been given permission to come help us everyday, and let me tell you, help they certainly did! Many of our boys back home could use a lesson from these guys in the art of chivalry, as not a one would hesitate to take something heavy from your arms or let you walk through a door before they did. It is amazing to me that these kids, despite their lack of food, education, etc, made sure that our female, American arms were relieved. Ha, what gentlemen!

What struck me the most, though, about these boys is their utter desire for an older male figure to look up to. Our team has been blessed with two amazing, Texan, hard-working men (Wes and Rob!), who the boys immediately latched onto. They follow Wes and Rob everywhere, paying close attention to instruction about using drills and how to assemble beds, and laugh and smile and ask so many questions when shown pictures of families back home. The boys so desired the attention of Wes and Rob, and love they certainly received. This is one thing that has struck me the most-I have such a wonderful dad, and these kids literally only have 6 men in their lives, all teachers. And while this is unfortunate for the girls, it is an utter tragedy for the boys. So, to see the beautiful smiles, joy, happiness, and love that Wes and Rob gave to these boys, though temporary, there is no doubt that a life-long impact has been made.

And above all, while these children may not have earthly fathers, God is the Father to the fatherless, and loves these kids more than words could every say.

There is so much more I wish I could write, however I fear that there is not enough room in the world to store up words to describe what has occurred in the past several days. However, it is the images of the smiles, hugs, and beds that are literally worth a thousand words.

Please continue to pray hard core for us. It already has made a huge difference, and will continue to do so. God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.

With all my love, in HIS mighty name,
Katie Huey

See more photos on at www.facebook.com/sweetsleep.

Moldova team struggles but God is faithful

Currently a team is serving, quietly and faithfully, in Moldova.  Seeking ways to pray for the team, Sweet Sleep staff reached out for an update from the team leader.  Following is an excerpt from the email sent by Tony Black.  Please continue to partner with this team in prayer as His faithful servants work tirelessly to bring hope, love, and the Word of God to the children in Transnistria.

We're doing fine. We haven't been able to blog much, primarily due to daily changes in the program. We have been faced with daily adjustments to our schedule which has required us to regroup and re-plan almost from scratch. We don't arrive back at the hotel until 9:00 pm or after and then have to prepare for the next day. Many of us are getting to bed well after midnight.   We came to Moldova with the the belief we would have two and a half hours each day to do the VBS. This is one hour- to one and a half hours less than usual.

When we arrived we were told that time was reduced to one and a half hours by the director of the orphanage. After our first day of VBS the director reduced our time to a mere one hour as they had issues with how excited the children got about the program.  This was a devastating blow to our team and it took much prayer and discussion and tears to work through how the program could  change that significantly and still have impact.

God, as always, is faithful. We gave ground to the director in this battle so that God could ultimately achieve the victory.  Yesterday was a long, difficult day  but it was very rewarding as smiles and hugs from the children proved God was still working here. The director and assistant director were very complimentary of the day and actually getting to see children sleeping in their new beds during their nap time yesterday was precious.

We've had sickness run through the team. At least 5 of the team members have terrible coughs and fever.

The Internet has also not been reliable.

We will hopefully have more stories ready later today. There are some amazing ones.

Thank you for your concern and continue to pray for strength and health for the team.

--Tony Black, Team Leader

Support the Team in Moldova, Be a Bedhead

The Moldova team is well under way distributing beds to orphans. Click here to see photos on FaceBook and keep up with their progress. We are able to provide a clean, comfortable and healthy place for these children to sleep because of the support of our donors and especially our monthly Beadhead donors. Below are rerunning a story from Bedhead, Kristen Jackson. Pray for the team currently in Moldova but more importantly, support these orphans and Be a Bedhead.


My involvement with Sweet Sleep began a few years back when I was looking for a faith-based organization that would provide mosquito nets to children in Africa. And the more I learned about Sweet Sleep's work with orphaned children, the more I wanted to get involved financially. I became a bedhead because I can't think of anything greater to do with my life than to positively impact the lives of others, in Jesus' name.

As an elementary teacher, I work daily with children, some of whom have much, and some of whom have little. My heart is filled with compassion for children when I think of Jesus' command to care for the poor: the orphans and the widows. And I can't imagine not doing my part to carry out Jesus' command. In my eyes, this command isn't optional. It's imperative.

Sweet Sleep is an organization whose sole mission revolves around Jesus' command to care for the poor and to spread the Good News! And I want to help! I feel honored to be involved in spreading the Good News, while fulfilling tangible needs of children around the world. To whom much is given, much is required.... And its a blessing to do my part!

Join me in becoming a bedhead! It's just $30 a month and you can sign up at www.sweetsleep.org/donate. You'll even get a soft, cozy "I Helped An Orphan Sleep Sweetly" t-shirt for signing up! So join me in helping provide these beds, life-saving mosquito nets, and Bibles to orphans through Sweet Sleep!

Kristen Jackson teaches elementary school in the Pulaski County Special School District. She is married to Jeremy Jackson, a firefighter with the Little Rock Fire Department. Kristen and Jeremy live in Little Rock, Arkansas and have one 7-month-old son, Logan.

...Don't be polluted by this world.

We have arrived for what is my third trip in this wonderful, but little known and lesser understood country of 3.5 million. For those who have never been here, it makes little sense for someone from East Texas to make his way to this place during what is Spring Break for many, unless you understand the context under which I and 12 others come. We don't come because this is a vacation mecca just waiting to be discovered, we don't come here because of the allure of great shopping and amazing amusement areas. We come here because God asked each of us to follow through with the word the apostle James gave the early church in James 1:27. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." I know as you read that scripture, you think..."Okay...okay so you're building beds for orphans...that was an easy scripture to quote that fits your circumstance..."
The truth is, that's not really the part of the scripture that's most applicable to what we're doing here. The last part of James 1:27 (which is rarely quoted) says..."and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Why is this more applicable than the other portion of the verse?...for this reason...just as a body of water needs an inlet to allow water to fill the reservoir, it must have an outlet to sustain life. Without the outlet, the water becomes stagnant and the precious life-giving liquid becomes a cess pool of polluted sludge. The seeming, counter-productive out-flow of water is actually the very thing that ensures a constant influx of new, refreshing nourishment.

In the very same way, this group of 12 that I am serving with this week, have made the decision to let the time, talents, and other resources they might have flow from themselves to those less fortunate in the orphanage in Tranistria, Moldova. It would have been so very easy for all of us to use those resources for ourselves and in essence be polluted by the world as we have been so many times before: To become complacent;
predictable; stagnant.

May this choice to follow the instruction of James have eternal significance this week for those children we have been allowed to share life with. We pray that the love that God has so graciously given to us will flow out to those who so desperately need it.

May God Bless you! Continue to pray for us as we serve this week and may Jesus be exalted in this place.

Message from Lucia in Moldova

Tomorrow a team leaves for Moldova to distribute beds in the Transnistrian region. Here is a message from our Program Manager, Lucia Hmleic about that trip.

Starting the 11 of March we’ll have a team of people doing a great project in Hlinoe, a small community in the south west of the Transnistrian region. It is always a challenge to go in that region: to pass the Russian military army (Peace Corps) posts; to never know if the customs officer will allow you to pass or will say “It’s better for you if you did not entered our country”; to know that there are certain things that you’re not supposed to talk about while you’re there, to wait and see if the registration with the passport office will go well…  It is a tensed time. One thing we know for sure is that there are a bunch of orphaned children that need a cozy bed, for a good night sleep.  So we’re taking our chances and let God be our guide and defender.

Despite the political situation in the region the people are very friendly. The director of the orphanage has a great heart for the kids this is why he opened the doors for us to bring the beds and alongside them the Message of God’s Love.  

We plan to provide 100 beds this time, and have a very interesting creative VBS program for a number of 230 children. Every day we’ll do a part of the beds, the children will be helping us. Have a time of sharing the story of God’s love for them and explain that the bed is the expression of that love. Help them understand that God is the one that loves them so much despite of all that’s going on in their lives. 

Yes we know that God has the orphaned children of Transinstria in His mind and would like them to know that too. He wants them to have a sweet night sleep to and know that He loves and cares.

Lucia

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. So much of what Sweet Sleep does empowers women. Most of the caretakers in every country we serve are women. Especially in Africa these women are almost always widows and are as such, as vulnerable and unable to take care of themselves as the children. But by caring for the orphans, they are cared for themselves. In addition in Uganda, Sweet Sleep by purchases magazine bead necklaces from these widows, and as a result we are providing employment, security, and independence.

The caretakers in Moldovan orphanages are no different. They are teachers, nurturers and are the first line of responsibility for these children in that country as well. We want to show them how valued they are. Tomorrow we send a team to distribute beds in Moldova. Since it is so close to International Women's Day we are celebrating these women by bringing them a rose or other flower and some chocolates or other small treats as a token of how much we appreciate their presence in these children's lives.

Please begin praying for the trip next week and celebrate a woman in your life today.