What We Have Been Doing in Haiti

As some of you have seen on our Facebook page, Haiti has been having a  lot of celebration for new beds coming! Here at Sweet Sleep we thought that you would like to know what we have been up to in Haiti:

Beds on Boats - A new Dr. Seuss Book

     A couple of weeks ago 105 beds were delivered BY BOAT to the orphans on the island of La Gonave, Haiti by Sandy Lake Wesleyan Church! The orphans are at the Okipe [Oh-kEE-pAy] Co-Op which is headed by Mme Soliette, who for the past 6 years has been caring for over 70 children. Okipe provides "hope for their future through loving care, food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and physical/spiritual/vocational training."

An Old Bed

      We also recently provided 16 beds for Source of Life Ministries! The orphans at Source of Life are provided with "a Christ-centered spiritual foundation, a good education and life-sustaining food, medical and emotional support." 

Group Picture!

      Please be praying for both Okipe Co-Op and Source of Life Ministries to continue to be able to care for the fatherless. Pray for strength for their leaders and that the children they care for are soon placed into loving homes.
     Speaking of a loving home, we have some great news! Ron, our Sweet Sleep Staff Member in Haiti, recently adopted a four year old girl into his family! Please be praying for Ron and his family as they integrate this little girl into their world.

     All of this is part of our 13in13 Movement where Sweet Sleep will provide beds, nets, and Bibles to 13,000 children around the world this year! Our total so far this year will be announced March 31st, so be sure to like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter if you want to be the first to know! It is a very big goal and maybe even a little crazy, but God loves it when we give Him a chance to REALLY show His power!

Want to be a part of our 13in13 Movement? Head over to our DONATE page to help out a child in need!

Nickels for Nets

Did you know 1 in 5 childhood deaths are due to malaria? But that a single net can prevent malaria and help a child to sleep sweetly tonight?

Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Both of these facts are what prompted Amanda and Erin to join together to teach their children about doing the “hard things.” As Erin says, “Serving, giving, making a difference for those who are in need.” They wanted their children to know to truly count their blessings, but to also bless others with the gifts God had given. So Amanda, Erin, and their kids researched our Nickels for Nets program, downloaded the resources, and made goals to raise money for the nets. They even created their own resources, like this poster that Amanda used:

Together and in unity with other friends/readers, they raised $166.31! WHOA!! Way to go!! That’s enough for 20 nets!

Here are links to Amanda's and Erin's blog posts about their experience with Nickels for Nets if you would like more information! If you would like to see Nickels for Nets resources then click this link!

The great thing about nets is especially seen in God’s work with us in Uganda. 90% of the childhood deaths due to malaria are in Africa. When Sweet Sleep is able to give beds to an orphanage we know that kids will be sleeping sweetly with their new bed, Bible, and mosquito net. But, what you may not know, is that there are kids who come out of HIDING to get registered for a bed! These kids usually are HIV/AIDS positive. When the kids come out of hiding, Sweet Sleep registers them with our partner Health Alert who is able to give them the medicine that they need for HIV/AIDS and they also receive A NET. In the past two years we have had over 1,000 children come out of hiding to be registered! That’s a lot of life saving nets! This wouldn’t be possible without the obedience and heart of people like Amanda, Erin, their kids, and YOU.

One Net = $8

What were you going to do with your change today? Why not create a lasting change for a child in need? Head over to our DONATE page and be sure to put “Nets” in the comment box when you make your gift!

Children lost in the shuffle

"While the circumstances are different, the need's not different. We're both involved with at-risk children.  Whether it's in another country or children in middle Tennessee--same story the world over, children getting lost int he shuffle." Tom Ward, President and CEO of Oasis Center, shared his heart yesterday as Sweet Sleep helped to provide 24 mattresses to the two transitional living shelters: Emergency Youth Shelter (13-17) and Harwell Lofts (18-21).  

Tom helping carry in the mattresses

This partnership is a special one due to the nature of these children's living situation--it's very similar to our work done in Gulu, Uganda, helping children resettle into a safe place with a place (bed) to call their own.

The children coming to these shelters at Oasis are searching for a place to come and feel safe, to re-establish themselves, and simply rest.  When Sweet Sleep heard of a need for 12 beds in each shelter, we reached out our friends, and YOU made this possible!  Thanks to your sweet gifts, 24 teens and young adults will have a new bed to rest, revive themselves, and escape the circumstances that have led them to Oasis.

some of the brand new mattresses!

94% of the families are reunited after they do the 2 week program at the Emergency Youth Shelter, which is a very encouraging statistic! We long for children to be brought into "Forever Families," and in this case, going home to their very own family is such a blessing. The bed distribution at Oasis brings Sweet Sleep's domestic bed count to over 600--meaning over 600 children are now sleeping sweetly in middle Tennessee (through local partnerships like DCS and Oasis) thanks to you!

Tom shared, "The more dollars I can move into directly impacting a young person's life the better I am.  Beds, anytime we get a contribution like this, it helps us take dollars from simple day to day things and move it into direct services. They have allowed us to put the money we would have used for the mattresses into really doing more street outreach and finding more young people that want to transition their life."

The whole crew!

Oasis Center is up to some amazing things, and Sweet Sleep was so humbled to be a part of their incredible work serving youth in the area.  "The biggest challenge for us is obviously demand," Tom said.  "The fact is that we can't take every youngster that we want to serve at the transitional living shelter, we have a waiting list.  We need beds."

As we look ahead to kick off our 13in13 Movement, set to launch February 1, the Lord has shown His faithfulness as He leads us to serve His children both internationally and domestically.  Keep a lookout for our launch of 13in13 Movement on facebook & twitter!

For more information on Oasis Center, please visit http://www.oasiscenter.org/

Please begin praying how you can partner with Sweet Sleep in providing beds to orphaned and abandoned children globally! 

Thank you for your gifts. We are truly humbled by them.

To make a gift, please click here>>>>

Jen's Pen January 2013

Hello Friends!

January 2013 is an incredibly exciting place to arrive;   the celebration of our 10^th year of ministry begins! Our Board and global staff are so thankful for you. Your faithful involvement, prayers and financial support of our ministry has allowed Sweet Sleep to touch the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. Thank you.

January is often a time of reflection. We pause to rejoice, however we also pause to remember Haiti. Three years have now passed since the devastating earthquake---lives lost, buildings reduced to rubble. Through the destruction and loss, we are mindful of how God takes events like these and makes His name known: countless orphans and hurting have been reached with the gospel and the gift of a bed at a time of chaos, hurt and loss has brought physical and spiritual rest.  

Looking through the calendar pages, I see such incredible ministry needs, opportunities and plans. Look for more on our “13 in 13” movement next month. In May I’m excited to announce Sweet Sleep will be hosting our anniversary celebration on May 9^th, so save the date! Also, in the coming months, Sweet Sleep will be announcing new global ministry opportunities. Make sure you “like” us on Facebook or “follow” us on Twitter or are subscribed to our blog so that you can stay current on all the important things you’ll want to know and pray about. 

Through all of the things ahead in 2013, isn’t it freeing to know that God is at the forefront of our lives and certainly, Sweet Sleep, as He guides us to the children He wants to reach through Sweet Sleep.  Thank you for making the plans, ideas, and dreams into something tangible through your gifts.  I am grateful for each of you!

Sweetly,

Jen

PS: Have you thought about what your VBS mission focus will be this year?  Why not check out one of our programs and see if something like Nickels-for-Nets or Build-a-Bed would be fitting for this year's VBS! Please visit our website for more information about these two programs!

Imagine.

Hello, my name is Hannah Farley. 

I am 9 years old and I wanted to share something with you.  

Last year our family made a lot of life changing decisions.  Some of them have been very hard and uncomfortable.  During this time we found ourselves complaining and during our complaining we were reminded about all the blessings we have and some people in other countries don’t have those blessings.  Even though there are things that we want we still have so much and we need to focus on giving that’s why we are blessed, to be a blessing.

One night I was complaining about not having my own room but then I learned about children in other countries that don’t even have a bed.  And some of them have dirty beds made out of mats and they need mosquito nets to go over their beds.  And so I was thinking about that.  And I thought that maybe I could help them.  So I am doing a project to raise money for “Nickels for Nets.”

My goal is 1,000 nets.  It only takes 160 nickels, just $8 to provide one net!  A single net can save a life of a child.

I plan to reach my goals by meeting with my teacher and my principle to see if my class and school can help raise money.  I also plan to talk to my children’s pastor at church about “Nickels for Nets.”

I am going to raise money myself by having a lemonade stand, bake sale, yard sale; consign my old things, donations from friends and family and we are working on some other ideas.

With my mom’s help I have created a Facebook group called Imagine to help advertise my project. I have also contacted Sweet Sleep, the organization hat provides the nets and through them I will be able to provide information and collection boxes for each family that wants to help me reach  my goal.

More information for this organization can be found at www.sweetsleep.org.

I hope you can help me save lives by giving money to Sweet Sleep’s “Nickels for Nets”

You can give directly on their website or you can turn your money into me and with my parent’s help I will send in all the money I collect.  Thank you for helping me reach my goal.  

Sincerely,

Hannah Farley

Trussville, AL

 To directly help Hannah fulfill her goal of 1,000 nets, please click the link below and write "Hannah's Nets" in the comment box!

www.sweetsleep.org/donate

 

Join a Sweet Sleep Mission Journey in 2013!

Upcoming Mission Journeys 2013

La Gonave, Haiti          March 8 – 16               Sandy Lake Wesleyan Church Closed

Gulu, Uganda               June 7 – 16                   Open

Kampala, Uganda         June 14 – 23                 Open

Uganda                         June 7 – 23                   Back to back experience (Both locations) Open* 

Moldova                       June 14 – 24                 Fall Creek Xtreme Student Ministry  Closed

Gulu                            July 12 – 22                   Boone Train Baptist Church  Closed

Uganda                         Summer 2013               Kingsport, TN Closed

Haiti                             August 2013                 Open*

Kitgum, Uganda           October 2013                Open*

Ethiopia                       Fall 2013                      Open*

Uganda                         November 1 – 11          South Tulsa Baptist Church

Moldova                       Christmas 2013             First Baptist Church Whitehouse

*Open trip dates are tentative and are subject to a minimum team size

Sweet Sleep offers the option to join an “open journey” or form your very own “custom journey” with friends, family, and church groups.  If you have a group of 8 or more and would like to begin the process of planning your very own “custom” Sweet Sleep mission journey or would like to join an “open journey,” first visit our website, click on the trip tab, and download an application. For further questions please contact our Global Ministry Director, Madelene Metcalf at madelene@sweetsleep.org.