A Beginning and, An End

About five weeks ago I was sitting in the Sweet Sleep office in amazement at all God had done through our ministry this year.

Last year at this time I was in Gulu working to distribute beds to 454 orphans in Gulu, Uganda. It was an amazing---first of its kind---ministry opportunity for Sweet Sleep. I had no idea what God has in store for us after that.

God provided amazing partnership opportunities for our ministry and we've had a bigger impact in this war-torn area than any of us could have ever imagined. Our partners hoped to use Sweet Sleep's beds to resettle 700 orphans in 2010. This meant they'd relocate children in child-headed households from the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps they'd been born into to new huts our partners would build for them in their family's home village. These victimized children would no longer be alone and vulnerable, but would be reunited with their tribal families who would care for them and raise them.

God had much bigger plans in mind than what we prayed for. What happened was that the children, who had previously been so reluctant to leave the displacement camps because of (simply said) the fear of the unknown, were lining up to go "home".

By June, Sweet Sleep had completed the entire 700 bed commitment. But, there was a new sense of urgency. The Ugandan government was about to sign papers to officially close the IDP camps; people choosing to remain would be completely on their own and aid organizations working through the government (as our main partner was) have to end their programs to comply with the government.

With that urgency in mind, in November, Sweet Sleep responded to our partner's requests to provide beds to 700 additional children who were asking to leave.

So, back to where I began this blog post. I was sitting in the office 5 weeks ago, marveling at all God had done. We were going to close 2010 by providing more than 9,000 beds to orphans. A-mazing!

Then, that changed. God asked us to do even more.

What?

Really. I was absolutely good with the 9,000. Ready to do all the work I had in front of me to wrap up all of THAT work by year end.

"We're not finished yet" was what God was clearly saying.

To my shock and amazement, our partners in northern Uganda were asking Sweet Sleep to provide 938 beds before the end of the year. I should put an exclamation mark there. Here, !!!.

How do you tell orphans in crisis OR God no? You don't. So, we've been scrambling. Despite our attempts, funds for this need haven't been coming in like we need. And, we had a commitment from a group that actually had to change that commitment, so what do we do? Pray more. We've always ministered with great faith, and I joke that God likes to keep me humble and wait to provide at the last minute.

But, saving orphan's lives is no joke. So, we pray and wait. And, work.


On our first day of distribution of the beds for this need, Sweet Sleep found that all of the chidlren (and whatever caregivers they might have) had already gathered to wait for our beds, nets and Bibles to arrive. As Sweet Sleep's fabulous Ugandan National Director, Josephine, said, "Children had moved long distances to the sub county to be blessed with beddings and Bibles for the first time in their lives."


The meaning behind that is hard to explain, but let your mind just think about it for a minute or two...

We shared the hope of Christ in their lives and the meaning of God's love in the provision of their beds. Told them about how to use and care for their nets and gave them their first ever Bible and the prayers of how that will change their lives.

I look forward to sharing with you the letters appreciation the children wrote to Sweet Sleep for caring and providing beds to them. Letters that they said are going to change their sleeping conditions completely.

As always, I'm humbled and grateful to you, our partners in caring for the world's orphans. I look forward to sharing about the 2nd day's distribution tomorrow.

Finally, if you can give or, will pray about what you might be led to give, please do. You can make contributions for this need by going to our website, www.sweetsleep.org and marking "Gulu" in the special comments box or, by mailng a check to Sweet Sleep, PO BOx 40486, Nashville, TN 37204 and writing "Gulu" in the memo line. A complete bed (mat, mattress, linens, mosquito net and Bible) is just $50 and we are still in need of funding for more than 500 children.

Thanks, friends. Stay tuned...

Sweetly,
Jen

5 Days to change lives...for this tax year!

On behalf of our US staff, our international staff and our Board of Directors, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and want to wish a Happy New Year!

With just a few days left in 2010, Sweet Sleep is still working hard to provide beds for as many orphaned and abandoned children as possible! We are working tirelessly to raise the funds that will allow us to provide the 938 beds needed in Gulu, Uganda before the end of the year. Resettlement kits for these children, including a mat, a mattress, a blanket, a life-saving mosquito net and a Bible in their own language is just $50.

Your year-end gifts will be 100% tax-deductible and can be given at http://www.sweetsleep.org/donate. And thanks to some wonderful friends of Sweet Sleep, your gifts will also be doubled! So give today - and make a life-saving difference in the lives of children in northern Uganda.

Please, consider what your ability is to give right to Sweet Sleep for this immediate need. We are still in need of funding for beds for nearly 600 children. When you give online, please type "Gulu" in the comments section. If you're writing a check, please write "Gulu" in the memo line. Checks must be postmarked by Dec 31st to receive tax credit for 2010.

Thanks for helping us meet the needs of the orphaned children of the world.

Sweetly,
Jen

938 Reason to Give the Gift ofSweet Sleep This Year

Right now, 938 orphaned and abandoned children in northern Uganda are waiting in expectation and anticipation of their best Christmas ever -- waiting to be resettled into their now, safe home villages as the more than 22-year war there is now in a time of "peace."

With Christmas just 10 days away, Sweet Sleep is in great need of the funds to make their Christmas wishes and dreams come true. We still need $30,000 to reach our goal. Without these much needed funds, these children will return to their huts in their "closed" IDP camps - forced to try to survive and continue sleeping on the cold, hard ground like this child pictured here - leaving them susceptible to crawling, biting insects and deadly malaria.

You can help these children today by:

1. Giving the Gift of Sweet Sleep. Your gift in any amount provides beds, bedding , mosquito nets or Bibles to orphans around the world. We’ll send a card (or you can send an e-card) to your honoree letting them know of your gift. You can see the different items needed now in our new Gift Catalog at www.sweetsleep.org/givethegif t. What a great way to honor your loved ones this Christmas - by helping an orphan who has witnessed terrible atrocities, finally come home and sleep sweetly in their new Sweet Sleep bed. You can also give now at www.sweetsleep.org/donate.



2. Giving Gifts Where Needed Most. This year you have the opportunity to give gifts where needed most and receive great new Sweet Sleep items like our Ugandan Magazine-Bead Jewelry, Nalgene Water Bottles, T-shirts, Stickers, Window Clings and our new, cozy Sweatshirt Blankets to give as gifts (or as a gift for yourself! You desrve it!). Just go to www.sweetsleep.org/shop to order today and receive your gifts in time for Christmas!




3. Giving a Year-End Gift or Special Gift for Gulu. A resettlement kit for one of these precious orphans in Gulu, Uganda is just $50! This is such a small price to pay to know that one of these boys or girls will not only receive their new mat, mattress, blanket and life-saving mosquito net but also a Bible in their language that will bring them comfort and hope. Every gift to Sweet Sleep is tax-deductible and will be recognized by receipt.



We hope you'll take this opportunity to help change an orphan's life this holiday season. On behalf of our US staff and our staff on the ground in Moldova, Uganda and Haiti, thank you for your support of our work! We simply cannot do what we do without you. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011!

Sweetly,

Jen Gash
President and Founder

Honeysuckle Lane: Guest Blogger ~ Jennifer Gash of Sweet Sleep

Honeysuckle Lane: Guest Blogger ~ Jennifer Gash of Sweet Sleep: "I met Jen several months ago during one of my online Junk Sales. It was a quick transaction, she wanted something on my site, I invoiced her..."

Election Results and Report from Moldova

Below is an email I just received from our friend, and Parliamentarian-elect, Valeriu Ghiletchi. Thank you for your prayers and, per Valeriu's request, please continue to pray as the final votes are determined.

We give thanks to God for the strong, Christian leader he has created in Valeriu. Though Valeriu won a seat in original election and again in each subsequent "do-over" election in the last 2 years, the journey has been tiring and complicated.

Val, I praise God you've been steadfast in the fight to bring integrity and hope to Moldova. We continue to thank God for you and to pray for you.

Here's the email:

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for your prayers. After processing 97,5% of the election results, the good news is that three parties members of the Alliance for European Integration got together 58 seats in the Parliament versus 43 seats for the Communists.

Another good news is that both, I and brother Veaceslav Ionita are in. The Liberal Democratic Party I ran with got 31 seats.

The sad news is that the Alliance lacks three seats in order to elect the President and overcome the constitutional crisis. Only a miracle can give the Alliance the necessary three seats from the last 2,5% of unprocessed votes.

Keep praying for the final result and for the negotiations that will follow. 

Valeriu
PS Here you can follow the results: 
http://www.alegeri.md/en/ 

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In Moldova, Great News...So Far.

See the AP article below. Please continue to pray as the results are finalized and as this historic change brings great hope for the future.

"Moldova's liberals poised to name new president

By Anatoly Golia (AFP) – 1 hour ago

CHISINAU — Moldova's liberal forces appeared on the verge Sunday of finally getting the votes necessary to appoint a new pro-Western head of state for Europe's poorest state.

Two exit polls from Sunday's parliamentary election -- the third in the former Soviet republic in less than two years -- put the three-party liberal alliance well ahead of their Community Party foes.

The RIAS-Publika TV poll gave the liberals 65.1 percent of the ballot while the CBS-AXA marketing firm gave the three parties a combined 56.2 percent of the votes.

The difference is crucial: the ruling party needs to control 61 of the 101 seats in the chamber to appoint a president -- a super-majority that has escaped the liberals since July 2009.

The two polls said the Communist Party had collected between a quarter and a third of the popular ballot. The result reflects the gradual wane in influence that pro-Moscow forces have experienced since the Soviet Union's collapse.

The pro-Western alliance -- which is pushing the country toward EU membership despite its dire economic record -- is composed of Prime Minister Vlad Filat's Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, the Democratic Party of Moldova, and parliament speaker Mikhai Ghimpu's Liberal Party.

The prime minister's group came ahead of the others and is set to assume the leading role in any future negotiations over a head of state.

"These results show that even the seemingly impossible is possible," a jubilant Filat said after polls' release.

"This is the outcome of our persistent work. I would like to thank everyone and hope that these results are confirmed by the actual vote count."

The initial official results will be released at 2100 GMT and updated throughout Monday morning.

The Communist Party had blocked all previous efforts to pick a president who would use a stronger alliance with neighbouring EU member Romania to bring the tiny country into Europe's fold.

And its leaders gave initial signs that they may yet contest Sunday's outcome. They warned of potential falsifications and announced that they were conducting their own independent count of the votes.

"We want to avoid a repeat of past violations," said deposed Community Party chief Vladimir Voronin.

"The people are tired of voting. They want a parliament that will be around for four years," Voronin said.

Such controversy would mark yet another setback of a nation where the per capita Gross National Income (GNI) is estimated at 1,590 dollars and which remains isolated from the European Union and on bad terms with Russia.

The Kremlin has been watching the election closely for signs that it is losing its once-formidable influence on the EU frontier.

And much of the Moscow media has painted the election as a battle between pro-Russian allies and a reckless group of parties that is trying to push the country into an untrustworthy alliance with EU member Romania and the West.

Moldova was in fact a part of Romania between 1918 and World War II -- when it was annexed into the Soviet Union by Stalin.

It remains a Romanian-speaking country with strong cultural ties to Russia and the mix has proven dangerous in the past.

Two people died in April 2009 when protesters successfully demanded a recall of what they saw as a rigged Communist Party election win.

The uprising was led by the youth and became known as the Twitter Revolution -- a protest that was kept alive through instant phone messages and chat rooms on the Internet.

That youthful optimism transformed itself into a slim victory for the liberals in July 2009. But the Communist Party managed to block its choice of president and the capital has been wracked by political turmoil ever since."
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Election Day in Moldova and Haiti: Tomorrow, Sunday, November 28

Tomorrow is a very important day in two of the countries where Sweet Sleep ministers: Moldova and Haiti. I ask that you please take a moment for some prayer for fair and peaceful elections. And, for the right leaders that God has created for such a time in history as now, to be given the opportunity to lead their people and countries in a way that is honoring to God.

So much of what we are able to do to minister to the children of these countries depends on the peace of the country and leadership within. Your prayers are important and have been asked for by those we work with in the leadership of these countries.

If you don't receive our monthly prayer guides (via email) please sign up on our website at www.sweetsleep.org. See last week's e-newsletter for how to pray for the upcoming elections in all the countries we minister in.

Below you'll find some important guides for prayer from Valeriu Ghiletchi, former Bishop of the Baptist Union of Moldova (with whom Sweet Sleep has a partnership) and who now serves as the Bishop for the European Baptist Union and a member-elect of the Parliament in Moldova.

Dear friends,

Tomorrow, November 28, is the decisive day of the Moldova Parliament elections campaign. 

Please, join your brothers and sisters from Moldova in prayer at this critical time for our nation:

1) Pray for fair and peaceful elections. 
2) Pray for a victory of the democratic forces and a new future of Moldova.
3) Pray for the Prime Minister Vlad Filat and his team, which I am part of.
4) Pray also for me, so I will finish well this course for His glory!

May the light shine in the darkness!

Valieru Ghiletchi

Pray also for people in Haiti to be able to come out and vote without fear of violence or sickness. Pray for fair and safe elections. Pray for peace in the process. Most of all, pray that the people will see this as an example of healing, but that they'd remember TRUE healing and restoration is from a different source.

Thanks friends.

Sweetly,
Jen

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December 2010 Trip to Gulu Announced!

(click to enlarge...)

Article from The Economist on the LRA and the US

Uganda's dangerous rebels
Lords of woe
America wants to end the reign of a brutal rebel group. But can it?

Nov 11th 2010 | Dungu
Displaced by Joseph Kony’s devils

FOR a man whose job consists largely of counting the massacred, raped and abducted among his flock, Father Benoît Kinalegu is surprisingly sunny. He firmly expects Barack Obama to send American forces to intervene soon in the nasty guerrilla conflict on his doorstep. “It’s not enough just to send money,” he says, sitting in his office in Dungu, in the remote north-eastern part of Congo.

Two years ago the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel group, unleashed a brutal campaign, perhaps its bloodiest in more than two decades of its existence, against isolated villages in the ungoverned borderlands straddling north-eastern Congo, southern Sudan and the eastern bit of the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN has documented more than 2,000 civilian killings and 2,600 kidnappings by the LRA in the past two years; other human-rights people say a lot more. At least 440,000 people have fled their homes. Until a few months ago, Father Kinalegu had little reason to hope that the rebels and their bloodthirsty leader, Joseph Kony, would ever be stopped.

But in May Mr Obama signed into law the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, making it American policy to kill or capture Mr Kony and to crush his rebellion once and for all. America has repeatedly said that peace in the region is in its own interest. It would free up thousands of Ugandan troops to redeploy them under the African Union’s aegis in Somalia, where the rise of the jihadist Shabab militia has rattled the Americans.

The new law was also born of a moral obligation to make up for past mistakes. On December 14th 2008, less than three weeks before George Bush left office, the Americans provided advisers, intelligence and logistical support for a Ugandan army operation to hit LRA bases in Congo. But the air raids failed to defeat the rebels, Ugandan ground troops never arrived, and Mr Kony and his closest LRA friends escaped. Since the Ugandans and their American backers had no plan to protect civilians, the LRA began a new killing spree that continues to this day.

Getting Mr Kony and his henchmen was never going to be easy. With forces already operating in two big combat theatres, Iraq and Afghanistan, and painful memories of its intervention in Somalia nearly two decades ago lingering, it was unlikely that America would send troops to fight an African bush war. Among its potential partners in the region, Kenya is loth to get involved. The Ugandan army is better placed to serve as America’s proxy. But its record, after failing for 20 years to clobber the LRA, is hardly glorious.

This time the elasticity of the new American law may help. It allows for American financial and logistical backing for a small coalition of the willing. The French already have a permanent base in the CAR and a long history of intervening in African trouble-spots. Some senior Ugandan soldiers have called for drone attacks against the rebels. “It’s not just a choice between minor logistical support or putting hundreds of American troops on the ground,” says Paul Ronan, a founder of Resolve, a Washington-based lobby that pushed for the law. “There’s a wide range of options in between. There’s a lot the Obama administration can do if they’re serious about this.”

The Americans are due to announce a plan of action later this month. Doing nothing could be costly. In August Mr Kony is believed to have slipped beyond the reach of Uganda’s army into the southern part of the embattled Sudanese region of Darfur, perhaps to renew ties with his former benefactors in the government in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. As ethnic tensions in Darfur still simmer and southern Sudan is on edge ahead of an independence referendum due in January, Mr Kony and his men can still sow strife across a wide area. Hence America’s renewed eagerness to stop him.

(Original article here: http://www.economist.com/node/17472814)

Now that you've read this, take advantage of the opportunity you have to help. Go to this page and sign the petition: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2241/action/pledge . This is really happening, but only if we keep it moving. I've signed. Will you?

Sweetly,
Jen

Eyes

I'm not sure this blog will adequately express my thoughts and feelings. To be honest, I'm not even really sure where to begin. The people are so beautiful. Their eyes tell the story, with each set telling a different scene. There are eyes that silently scream, "Help me…please help me." Others show uncertainty and fear. Still others (most others) tell the story of relentless joy despite the circumstances they face. I would love to journey back with the elder man to when he was just a young boy. We could experience life through his aged and tired eyes. I wonder what I would see. I wonder what they see in my eyes. Allow me a brief moment to tell you about one set of those eyes I met today.

As we jammed into a one room building with at least 220 locals, one small boy who looked to be 8 or so (he later told us he was 13) stood to address the crowd. He introduced himself as George. George boldly stood and proclaimed how thankful he was to have our team come and provide bedding for his community. He started to tell us his personal story of tragedy and hardship only to be overwhelmed by tears. George quickly sat down embarrassed by his breakdown. The older women told George to stop crying because big boys don't cry. Later, I was privileged to sit down with George as Jen interviewed him. George's mother and father were killed by the rebels when he was younger. George and his two siblings are now cared for by his ailing grandmother. Since the passing of his parents, George is required to provide for his family by working as a gardener. His greatest desire is to be educated so that he may become a politician who serves his local community. George's eyes tell a story of bravery and ambition.

Now, as I sit in a comfortable hotel room after filling my stomach, I can't help but to think of those like George. Two questions have weighed heavy on my mind each night. I'm not sure I have the answer to either of them. But, I would like to share them with you:

1. How can we possibly meet the needs of all these people? I know we have been given an opportunity to provide for some; but, what about the others? I feel hopeless.

2. How will my life, ministry, and marriage be different upon returning home? Is there a proper balance in which to live? How will things be different for God's grace and glory?

So, how do you see the world around you? What story will others see as they look into your eyes?

Hebrews 12:2 – "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…"

David Kephart

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