The GREATEST Birthday Gift (please help me celebrate!)

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday (whew! 29... how did that happen?! ;) and this year, I've decided to do something a little different. I am asking all my friends, facebook friends (yes, all 3,400 of you), Twitter followers, blog readers, and family members to help me celebrate in a special way. Instead of gifts or cards or sappy facebook posts, I'm asking you to each give at least $29 in honor of my 29th birthday to this need.

Swaziland School Fees from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

You see, these precious little boys and girls lead very difficult lives. They live in a country with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world. A country with up to 70% unemployment, and staggering numbers of people living in poverty. And I happen to adore each and every one of these precious children who are fighting for their future against these odds. I've loved them since I met them in 2007 on my first trip to Swaziland. And meeting them is what inspired me to spend my life helping them get the HOPE and holistic care they need to have the kind of future they all deserve.

But that won't happen if they can't go to school.

School fees in this country are expensive, and so are exam fees, and school uniforms. Many families go hungry, just so they can afford to send one of their children to school. Often, little girls will sell their bodies to older men, just because they promise to pay their school fees.

It is no stretch of the imagination to say that for these kids - attending school is a matter of LIFE and DEATH.

So today, I am asking you to GIVE. Give $29 at the very least - $29 to help save a life. Give $50. Give $100. Give $1,000! Give these children the gift of education, and you will give them the gift of LIFE, of HOPE, and a FUTURE.

We still have $9,275 to go to meet this need, and the funds are due by the end of January. Last year (as I mentioned in the video above) we were able to raise the full amount to send every child at our carepoint to school. We saw first-hand the impact it had on the children, their families, and their community. Believe me when I say, there is no better way you could spend your money, and there is no greater birthday gift you could ever give me than to help me care for these precious boys and girls! So what are you waiting for? Please GIVE NOW!

**Want to learn more about the plight of these children in Swaziland, and what The Sound of Hope is doing about it? Check out our Swaziland page here!

The Promised Land Project

I am SO excited to share more with you today about The Promised Land project, one of the projects we are partnered with here in Thailand!

The Promised Land project all started with the dream of a Thai-Karen couple, Panya and his wife Rapee. Located near the border of Burma, The Promised Land Children's Home will be a place where children are rescued from desperate situations such as poverty, abandonment, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, or being forced to fight as child soldiers.

Approximately 7 acres of land has been purchased, which will allow The Promised Land to become much more than just a children’s home. The Promised Land will be a safe environment where children will be given love, stability, shelter, mentoring and an education. At The Promised Land, marginalized children will have a safe place to learn real life skills such as farming, fishing, raising livestock and other agricultural training. The agricultural products that will be developed will allow The Promised Land to become self-sustaining once the buildings are built and children are settled in.

This model of holistic care and self sustainability will EMPOWER the children as they grow older. It will give them the skills they need to provide for themselves and their families AND the opportunities they need to become leaders in their country!

As I mentioned in my last blog, we got an opportunity to visit the land recently, and it is truly INCREDIBLE!

It looks like paradise....

... but there are a lot of other reasons why this piece of land is so special! 

The first is its location - it is located approximately 20 miles from the Bur/ma border (read why that it important here). That means it's strategically located to help rescue not only Thai children, but also Burmese/Karen children. It's also located near schools so the children will receive a great education!

This land is also special because the soil is SO fertile. They are already growing crops of rice and soybeans and will be able to have 4 to 5 crops a year! This produce can help feed the children AND be sold in the market to help cover other costs of running the Children's Home.

 Soybean plants

There is also a fish pond (it's not yet filled or stocked - that's part of what we're raising money for!) which will also provide food and fish to sell in the market. And the land is right near a river, so irrigation will never be a problem!

One of the most incredible things to me though, was what is already growing and flourishing on the land. This piece of land has an ABUNDANT supply of fruit trees and edible plants that can be used for food and medicine! 

There are banana trees....

Jackfruit trees....

Coconut palms
(which are rare up north and can be used for food OR to make pressed coconut oil
- which can be sold for a high price in the market!)

 And sweet, edible bamboo...  

....just to name a few! I can't imagine a more perfect place to start a Children's Home!

This project is overseen by our partners in Thailand - which are the Thai-Karen couple Panya & Rapee and an American couple, Ray & Candace Ward, who have served in Thailand for 10 years. To find out more about them (and The Promised Land Project), check out the video below!

Promised Land Project (Thailand Trip Update) from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

To give a donation today, please CLICK HERE!

An overall estimated 3,000,000 Thai Baht (approximately $100,000 USD) will be needed to see this project fully become a reality. Any amount you can donate will help bring HOPE and OPPORTUNITY to orphans and vulnerable children from Bur/ma and Thailand for generations to come!