“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work”. –Mother Teresa
By Lorri Perreault
Don’t you just love it when God “whispers” to you and your heart is open to hear His request? It’s been happening to me a lot lately. The first time, I recall, was when I just “knew” that my husband and I needed to adopt a child from Guatemala. Can’t explain it any other way except that it was a whisper from God and it made perfect sense. Through His grace, our amazing daughter, Mia, joined our family at 14 months old on February 28, 2008. And through her, God continues to speak to my family, reminding us every day of our many blessings and our duty to help others in need.
Mia, my little Sweet Dreams helper
Last summer, it happened again! I received a phone call from a friend who had also adopted a little girl from Guatemala asking if I would join her on a Christmas mission trip through FCI. Four months later, there we were, back in our daughters’ birth country…a mission “team” of fifteen virtual strangers from across the U.S. coming together to answer God’s “whispers”. And, once again, it made perfect sense. We delivered gifts, we gave food, we purchased beds, we held the sick, we loved the kids, we worked hard. We were all forever changed.
2009 Christmas Mission Group
Returning home to Southern California in the midst of our culture’s excessive Christmas celebrations was conflicting and hard. Like my newfound mission friends, a piece of my heart remained in Guatemala with Ashley and the people she serves. My 6 year old son saw my photos, heard my stories and was especially touched by our mission at the dump. I believe that God whispered to him. He asked to help the children there and soon after we started“Cozy Toes” …a shoe & sock collection for homeless kids living in the Guatemala City dump. He talked to friends at school, church and in our community. A Daisy Girl Scout troop volunteered to help and within 3 months, he collected over 300 pairs of shoes! He matched each pair, kept a running tally and helped me wash all that didn’t come to us new. We are so proud of our first grader!
Cozy Toes Project for Guatemala City Orphans
In January, another whisper came, this time in the middle of the night and it made perfect sense. A simple idea to sell homemade treats for Valentine’s day and call the project “Sweet Dreams”…raising money to purchase beds for families living in The Ghetto. I sent emails to everyone I knew locally. Eight dozen decorated Valentines cookies, 52 gift bags of Muddy Buddies, and generous cash donations netted $1,000, enough to purchase beds & bedding for six families living in La Limonada. Sweet dreams indeed.
Our finished product ready to deliver!
My husband, Jay, is organizing a men’s mission group to travel to Guatemala at the end of August to help build a playground at Dorie’s Promise, deliver Jameson’s “Cozy Toes” collections, and help Ashley serve in the ghetto and dump. He has heard God’s whisper, now it’s his turn. It makes perfect sense.