Headed to Guatemala!!!

All Blessings will be leading a team to serve in Guatemala from November 16-23, 2011. The team will be serving in a number of different ministries including the Casa Bernabe orphanage, the HANDS OF HOPE bed building project, and Bible teaching/community outreach with Art and Lisa Camarena, missionaries with Ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

Our team will also be honoring Ben Keenan, a passionate man of God who led numerous trips to Guatemala and was dearly loved by the Guatemalan people. Ben received his heavenly reward when he passed into eternity this July. We will be serving in Guatemala this fall in his memory.


The trip cost is $2,000. The cost includes airfare, housing, food, transportation, insurance and outreach materials. The funds can be raised through All Blessings Intl, and all gifts are tax-deductible.















Serving the children at the Casa Bernabe orphanage...















Building beds and delivering them to homes...















Art & Lisa have served in Guatemala for 15 years...

To see photos and read about the Guatemala trip last fall, visit our blog archives in October, 2010. Please contact Jenni Ramsey at jenni.ramsey@cox.net for more information about the November, 2011 trip. We are accepting team member applications now.

Jenni's Response to the El Salvador Article Printed in The OC Register

We are grateful to The OC Register for printing a story about Aidan's Silly Bandz outreach project. The article was titled "North Tustin brothers would rather give than receive."

To read the article, click here:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/salvador-309547-aidan-jenni.html

The original article (printed on July 23rd, 2011) contained a number of errors. We are grateful for the immediate response of the OC Register staff, who corrected the errors. The article will be reprinted in The Tustin News this week. I have included some additional information below which was not printed in the article:

(1) Our background in outreach/humanitarian aide. Mike and I have been honored to serve overseas in relief, development and outreach for over twenty years. Together we have served in over sixty countries. I am blessed to serve as the Missions Director at The Village Church of Irvine. Mike serves as the Elders of Missions at The Village Church and we have both lead many international outreach teams all over the world. Mike first visited El Salvador in 2006 to participate in an orphanage dedication and my work in El Salvador began in 2009.

(2) Our Adoption Journey. The writer did not include detailed information about our adoption. He only mentioned that our orphan outreach trips started through our desire to adopt in El Salvador. Unfortunately, we withdrew from the El Salvador adoption program last year after experiencing ongoing delays and corruption in our case. It was a heart breaking and devastating decision to withdraw from the program after waiting for over three years. We lost $15,000 when we withdrew from El Salvador and had to begin the process of adoption all over again. Last fall we were accepted to adopt from South Korea, and our family is anxiously waiting to be matched with a baby girl. We are currently raising funds for our adoption in Korea. To read more about our adoption, visit our family adoption blog at:

www.ramseyfam.com

While we originally hoped to adopt in El Salvador, we believe that our orphan work in this country was part of our destiny. Our "eyes were opened" to the tremendous needs of El Salvador's orphans through our adoption journey. We are deeply passionate about adoption, which is why I work for an international adoption agency. We strongly believe that adoption or family reunification is the best outcome for every child, and that no child should grow up in an orphanage. Every child deserves a "forever family." We are honored to partner with two Christian ministries in El Salvador, which passionately care for the interests of orphaned children. The families that we serve under truly work "on the front lines of the battlefield in El Salvador" and we are privileged to bring "relief and support" as we serve them through our trips

Re-entry, Culture Shock and Yucky Tummies...

Post written by Jenni Ramsey

This blog post is specifically written to the friends and family members of our super-sensational El Salvador team! You may be wondering how to support team members this week as they process their life-changing experiences abroad. Many of the team members are experiencing culture shock as they adjust back to "life in the OC." Some of us are battling "bugs" in our tummies (including me). Mike is on his way to pick up my prescription as I write this post snuggled beneath the cozy sheets of our bed. My advice in supporting team members? LISTEN!!! Each team member will process their trip in various ways, but everyone needs to talk, share stories and photos. I encourage you to invite a team member to coffee and listen to their stories. Or call a team member on the phone and be prepared to listen. Be intentional and try not to give advice. This is exactly what each team member needs at this point in time.


Mike had a great word picture the other day that described our adventure perfectly. He said that "he felt like he had just seen a train wreck in El Salvador. He bandaged a few of the injured passengers, prayed for some and distributed gifts to the 'lucky ones.' Then he left." Our hearts are torn as we remember the devastating needs in El Salvador and adjust to our "comfortable lives" in Southern California. Please pray for our team members, listen and encourage them. Thank you for being part of our support team!

We also wanted to share a quick update on the opportunities that we have had to publicize our trip. Before our departure, we sent some photos of Aidan with his silly bands to our local newspapers. When we arrived home, we were thrilled to see Aidan's photo included in our local paper, The Foothills Sentry. This afternoon three staff members from The OC Register came to our home to do a story. They visited with us for an hour and a half, taking photos and asking questions. Jordan was also able to share about his trip to El Salvador last year. Their stories will be printed in The OC Register and The Tustin News in the next week! We are so grateful for these opportunities to share all that God is doing in our lives! Please continue to follow the blog as we'll continue to post udpates!

HOME SWEET HOME!!! Team Dessert Wed, July 27th!

Post written by Jenni Ramsey

Our team had an adventurous travel day today! It started when the alarm "neglected to ring" in the girls' bungalow! We set a record time in packing and loading the bus, only to face a flat tire just a few miles down the road. We made it to the airport with time to spare in our bright blue t-shirts (which were printed by Kurt and Susan Ackermann's ministry, "His Children"). They say: WORKING FOR THE LORD, WORKING FOR HIS CHILDREN - El SALVADOR 2011 (in English on the front and Spanish on the back). The shirts sparked many interesting conversations in the airport and on the plane.


There was a short delay on the plane due to a cargo door problem, but we finally ascended into the air with tearful eyes and our hearts and souls filled with the wonders of the week. One of our team members, Stephen Keenan, is staying in El Salvador for two more weeks to serve alongside Kurt and Susan at the government orphanage. Please remember to pray for Stephen and all that he will experience in the next two weeks. He will be posting on the blog.

We will be hosting a dessert and report for our team on Wednesday, July 27, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Ramsey's home. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND JOIN US as we share stories, photos and videos from our week of service together. Please contact Jenni at jenni.ramsey@cox.net for the address.

Please continue to follow our blog as we will be posting ongoing updates, thoughts and inspirations. Many of our team members are already dreaming about the next trip scheduled for July, 2012. God has placed a vision in the hearts of some of the women on the team to minister in a specific way to the teenage girls in the government orphanage. Please be praying for us as we consider this vision in the days, weeks and months to come. We have a sense that many of our team members will be returning to El Salvador for ongoing short-term, and possibly long-term missions service. Stay tuned for more!

Finding God in the Midst of Suffering

Blog written by Jenni Ramsey

This week our team has encountered stories of poverty, abuse, incest, unwanted pregnancies, abandonment, addictions and other atrocities in the faces of children too heart breaking to post on this blog. For most Americans, these issues pose the question, “Where is God in the midst of suffering?” I do not presume to have all of the answers to the deep things of God. But I do know this. In the past seven days God has been right here in our midst.


Our team has been reading through David Platt’s book, “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream.” In chapter seven, David Platt submits that God’s people are the answer to the pain and suffering in the world today. He says that Christ’s followers “are the plan of God, and there is no plan B.” As I was reading through this chapter on the flight to El Salvador, God gave me a name for our team, “The Plan A Team.” It has been overwhelming and humbling to realize that we have truly been “God’s Plan A” for the people of El Salvador this week.


I saw the perfect plan of God as I watched my eight-year old son hold, feed and hug abandoned babies. I saw the gracious plan of God in a homeless man’s smile as he shouted “gracias!” and grabbed a bag of food from our truck. I saw God’s plan as my friend Tanya listened to and counseled a teenage mom. Later she cut her hair, and struggled to let her go in an unforgettable good-bye embrace.


I saw the plan of God as the men on our team worked tirelessly in life-squelching heat building a home for elderly men and women who have been forgotten. I saw God’s sacrificial plan as my friend Carin removed the shoes from her feet and handed them to a construction worker in desperate need of shoes. The stories of God’s plans being accomplished through our team are endless. It has been a privilege to be His plan of mercy, compassion and relief to “the least of these.”


We’ve spent a lot of time this week reflecting on God’s plans for our lives as “The Plan A Team.” Proverbs 19:21 says that “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Psalm 33:11 tells us that “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purpose of His heart through all generations.” And Psalm 40:4-5 says “Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you, were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.”


Our world is broken. No doubt about it. This week we have been reminded that God is a Redeemer, and He can heal anything that has been broken. Anything. By His grace, He has chosen to use us in bringing hope and joy to El Salvador this week. As we return home, we have a heightened awareness of the fact that we are His plan for the hurting world around us. As one of the team leaders, my heart and prayer is that each team member will return home remembering that they are God’s Plan A to reach the suffering souls surrounding them. And Lord willing, many of us will return to serve His people in El Salvador one day soon.

Thoughts from Mike Ramsey

I am so proud of our team. As Dave Eason Senior stated yesterday, we’ve done in one week what most teams do in two. But I can honestly say that the “doing” has only been a small part of our experience here in El Salvador.

I sat in bed the other night and counted how many short term missions trips I’ve been part of and/or led the past 25 years. I’m fairly certain this trip is #17 for me, not counting vacations and the extended times I’ve spent overseas. But I sit in awe of how Jesus has preserved in my heart the newness and freshness of serving Him. I take joy in seeing the Holy Spirit work through my team members and cherish every moment I have encouraging them to recognize what God is doing in and through them.

It’s been almost 10 years since Jenni and I co-led a team together, not through lack of want. It simply wasn’t practical to drag two toddler boys across the globe while leading teams. One of us would go, while the other would "hold down the fort." But now that Aidan is 8 years old, he’s more than ready to serve alongside the team. I’ve been so proud of his heart for Jesus and the fruit of compassion that has been flowing from it. In fact, all the children on our team, Aidan, Samantha, Taylor, Micah and Rebecca have been a key part of our ministry and they’ve all shown tremendous amounts of love. We’ve been mainly ministering to children, so it makes sense that our own kids would play a big part in reaching the orphans.

Everyone else has done such a great job at sharing the details of our trip. There’s nothing else I can say except that it’s been obvious to me that every event, from visiting CIPI, to feeding the homeless, to mixing cement at the church has been beautifully orchestrated by our Sovereign God! This trip has been, in a nutshell, perfect. Yes, we’ve been busy, but it really hasn’t seemed that way because we’ve been fueled by the Word of God, prayer and encouragement.


Not to brag too much on Jenni, but she is an amazing co-leader and I believe her conviction to help focus everything back on Jesus has made all the difference. We’ve had tremendous unity on our team despite being a big group with a lot of different personalities. I’ve been excited to see the Lord using other team members to help build unity. Yesterday, Amanda stayed home with a stomach ache. My heart broke as we prayed for her, then as I stepped on the bus, I could see the tears in her eyes. I knew she wanted to join us, but it was clear she needed to stay home. And when we got back, it was obvious that Jesus took precious time to minister to our dear sister. So much so, that the rest of our team was blessed in our team meeting last night as Amanda shared scripture verses and words of affirmation the Lord gave her for each and every team member. Amanda’s words have been a tremendous blessing and at a time when teams are usually mentally separating from each other in preparing to go home, our team is still tightly knit in ministering to each other.


My prayer is that Jesus will preserve what He is doing through our team and bless our church through our experience in the weeks and months to come. I pray our zeal for sharing our faith will spread to our church family as we return home to share the Gospel with our co-workers, classmates, neighbors and family. And my prayer is that whoever is reading this will gain a heart to join a future missions trip, financially support a missionary and pray more for missions.

I am extremely grateful for our team, but also the Salvadorians who helped us this week and especially for those of you who have supported us through your prayers and finances. And I have peace in knowing that the people we have ministered to this week will receive excellent follow up from the long term missionaries we have been serving with.

Micah's Memories

This trip has been so awesome! The guys and I have been doing construction at The Potter’s Field, San Martin, and at another place in the countryside. The place in the countryside (Angostura) is a farm land where Calvary planted a new church. While the girls were playing with the kids, the guys and I were mixing and pouring concrete to help build a pond. The pond is going to have tilapia fish that will feed the poor village. Also, the fish fertilize the crops that make them grow better and more plentifully. So, this system is like a cycle that keeps on feeding the village for a long time. When we were mixing the concrete, there were other workers that helped us.



The worker that inspired me the most was a 79 year old man (named "abuelo") who was working as hard or even harder than anyone else. He made me work even harder because if a man who turns 80 in November is working that hard every day, then I could work as hard as him for only two short days mixing concrete on that property. The other two days we were working at The Potter's Field digging trenches. We were starting a bungalow for homeless people. The bungalow will become a home for the elderly who are homeless. It has been really hot when we are working but overall the weather has been really nice. Today is our R and R day and I’m really looking forward to it. We are going to the volcano. That is why this trip has been really awesome.