An EXCITING UPDATE on our URGENT NEED!

Yes, this is another post about the kids at Asha Mission Children's Home and our URGENT fundraising need for land! I don't normally inundate my blog readers with constant updates like this, but we have never had a need this BIG or this URGENT before. And I am reminded of what Asha Mission Founder, Babu John, said - "I will get on my knees and beg for these children, if it keeps them from becoming beggars." AMEN. (For those of you who don't know - many orphans and vulnerable children in India are kidnapped and disabled on purpose (eyes gouged out, legs cut off, arms cut off, etc) to become more pitiful, more "effective beggars". It's disgusting. And we will NOT let it happen to any of the precious kids we care for!)

But the good news is, we have a pretty INCREDIBLE update for you today! If you remember, months ago we started this fundraiser needing $200,000. On Sunday I updated you that the need had dropped to $54,000. Well friends - it has been an AMAZING week! Our current total needed is only $24,500!!!

WE are completely blown away! The stories people are telling us about their donations are so humbling and encouraging. One church gave away $11,000 out of their building fund so our precious kids could have a home. A dad in Mississippi gave away $5,000 he'd been saving for his son's college housing fund. People are choosing to sacrifice their future plans for the future of these 33 little boys and girls in India. It has been incredible to hear how God is moving in the hearts of people all over the nation! We are absolutely watching a miracle in the making!

Just a reminder - these are the precious kids you are caring for when you give to this need! 

Asha Mission Brothers (above) and Asha Mission Sisters (below).

But friends - we are down to the wire! We only have until midnight THIS Sunday night (May 20th) to raise the last $24,500! So I am asking all of you - one more time - to get involved! Ask yourself what you can sacrifice for these kids. Will you donate part of your savings account? Will you give away your tax return? Will you ask your friends and family to give by sharing this blog, this link, or this video?

Let's make a miracle happen!

URGENT NEED :: Asha Mission Land Project

To all my blog readers (and fellow blogging friends) I'm sorry I've been a little MIA. I have so many fun blogs I want to share - with more videos and pictures from our time in Africa, a recap of our Singer's Reunion this past weekend, and even a Springtime Giveaway - but I have been consumed with this need and right now, it's all I can post about.

I am BEGGING YOU to please, please watch this video and GET INVOLVED. We are up against some overwhelming odds, and I know that we cannot do this without each and every one of you getting involved in some way!

URGENT NEED :: Asha Land Project from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

$75,000 may seem ridiculous and impossible to you - but today I am standing on the truth that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! I am sure that Joshua felt pretty ridiculous playing an instrument aimed at the walls of Jericho, and that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thought walking through fire was impossible. The truth is, God has a history of making the impossible, POSSIBLE, and He loves it when the odds are stacked against Him! $75,000 in less than 30 days is completely do-able - if we all work together!

So, here is what I'm asking. 

1st - I am asking you to consider what you can give. And not just $10 either - these precious little boys and girls are worth so much more than that! As I said in the video - I am asking you to give until it hurts. And believe me - Rusty and I are doing the same thing. (I would not ask you to do something that I wasn't willing to do myself!) DONATE HERE. 
 
2nd - I am asking you to spread the word to everyone you know. Send an email with this video and this blog (or this link to give) to your friends and family and coworkers and small group.  Repost this video or blog to your facebook. Tweet this link on twitter. Challenge everyone you know to GIVE SOMETHING!

3rd - I am asking you to take a look at this list of fundraising ideas (below) and choose one. I know that most of you who read my blog do so because you care about the children the world has forgotten. You are the people who love orphans - who believe they deserve a hope and a future. I am asking you today to do something about it. Put some action behind what you believe! Consider what you would do if this was your child. What lengths would you go to, to ensure a safe and healthy future for your little boy or little girl? I know we're all busy people, but I am asking you to put these children first. They have no one to fight for them except you and me! Their future rests in our hands.

So please - I beg you - choose one of these ways to get involved and then DO IT! We will help you publicize whatever you decide to do via facebook and twitter and even give you ideas to make your project a success. Just comment below or email me (erickabennett(at)gmail.com) which thing you're volunteering to do - with the proceeds going to this need! Or - come up with your own fundraising idea and let me know about it! (I'd love it if you got even more creative with this!)

Here's the list - please pick one and get to planning!

• Garage Sale - Usually a Garage Sale makes around $1,000 to $3,000 profit. We are looking for 10 PEOPLE who will volunteer to host at least 1 Garage Sale each before May 20th. This is the perfect time to do some Spring Cleaning for a great cause! Your trash really will be "another man's treasure" - because it will give LIFE, HOPE, and a SECURE FUTURE to our precious kids in India! Don't have enough stuff to do a yard-sale? Why not put up a big ticket item (like a boat, car, furniture or antiques) on Craigslist?
• EBay Sales - Have some old collectibles? How about a camera, clothes, books, or jewelry? I have seen some crazy things go for high prices on EBay! So go through your closet, attic, basement, and garage and get to selling! If you aren't EBay savvy - you could always sell your items via facebook post. (I have seen some girls recently doing this with old pageant dresses and suits!)
• Benefit Shows - Are you a musician? Are you willing to lend your voice for children in need? We are looking for 10 MUSICIANS who will host 1 Benefit Show each before May 20th. It doesn't matter if you don't have a big following or a great venue. I once did a small coffeeshop show in college that raised $1,900 for a charity! You may be surprised at the turnout! We'd be glad to send Sound of Hope brochures and lend you our logo for any promo posters you create!
• Art Auction - Are you an artist? How about a photographer? Would you consider auctioning off one (or more) of your pieces online, or getting some friends together for an art auction? A small auction could easily be set up at a coffeeshop, college, or church!
• Tax Return Donation - According to my online research, the average tax deduction is around $3,000. That means, if just 25 people donated their tax return to this cause, we would be COMPLETELY FUNDED! Will you donate your tax return so these kids can have a home? Will you challenge your friends and family to do the same?
• Share Your Savings - Many of us are at the age where saving is important. We are thinking of the future of our spouse and our children. Unfortunately, these kids in India have no one saving for their future. There is no one putting away money for their college fund. There is no one even saving for their needs next month. Would you consider giving away a percentage of your security to provide for theirs? Would you donate 5% of your savings to give these kids a future? What about 10%? What about 25%?
• Birthday Campaign - Do you have a birthday coming up in April or May? How about asking for donations to this project instead of presents? You can have your friends give directly to this link, or you can set up your own page by clicking "FUNDRAISE" on the right side of that page and following the prompts.
• Do Something Crazy - Remember when your school raised funds by promising you could pie the principle in the face if you met your mark? Or that your favorite teacher would die her hair pink if you raised $1,000? Think up something similar and challenge your friends and family to help you reach your fundraising goal! What would people pay to see you do? Wear your rival team's jersey and sing their fight song? Shave your head? (You can click the "FUNDRAISE" button on the right side of this page to set up your own page and keep track of your donations!)
• Calling All Bloggers - I know there are many of you who have your own blog, and it would mean the world to me if you would do a post about this need! You can even add the widget below to your blog and people can give right on your page! Just click this link to get the embed code (you can even change the color to match your blog!) It would be amazing if you would set a goal for you and your blog readers to reach together - maybe $500? or $1,000 by the deadline? You could even do a giveaway once you reached your goal!

Online fundraising for Asha Mission, Delhi - Land Project at Razoo

Whichever fundraiser you plan to do, remember it must be completed (and the money sent in) before May 20th. Donations can be given online here, using the widget above, or mailed to this address :: The Sound of Hope - PO Box # 534 - Helena, Alabama  35080.  Thank you in advance for loving and fighting for these children. Together, we can insure that they have the HOPE and FUTURE they deserve!

From India to Thailand... (catching you up!)

Sorry guys for the lack of blogs! My last update was on Thanksgiving in India, which means I'm way behind on all we've been up to overseas.To say things have been busy would be an understatement. Let me try to (quickly) catch you up!

Here are the highlights...

After our time at Asha Mission, and Asha House in Delhi - we headed to Kolkata for a few days to visit the third Children's Home we support - Asha Mission Kolkata (founded by the same people who founded Asha Mission Delhi). This is home to 15 little boys, and we loved spending time with them! While we were there we found out they were sleeping on the cement floor and getting sick from the cold weather (because they couldn't afford mattresses or warm blankets.) So we bought them all new pillows and thick blankets for the winter, and then (thanks to our awesome donors) we were able to raise the funds for new mattresses! Check out the video here...

Asha Mission - Kolkata from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

After 3 days with the kids in Kolkata, we finally took a much-needed day off. For some reason we didn't schedule any off-days between the 3 orphanages, brothel, and leper colony this trip, and we now know what a mistake that was! We would work all day at the Children's Homes, travel for hours in Indian traffic, and then come back to the hotel for 4 (or more) hours of video/blog/internet work before falling into bed around midnight or 1am. We were seriously worn out by this point (day 15 of the trip). We'll definitely do a better job of planning some rest into our next trip!

After our rest day we flew back to Delhi. I spent 2 days shopping for merchandise for The Sound of Hope, and let me tell you - that was an adventure all by itself! These ladies don't like to take "no" for an answer. At one point one saleswoman had me by one arm - Rusty had me by the other - and both were pulling as hard as they could! I felt like a human wishbone! (I seriously wish we had a pic of that - LOL!) But I am happy to report that we got some extremely beautiful handmade products that I know many of you are going to love! We're planning a big fundraising event for next November (in B'ham) where we'll be having a silent auction with these items - so keep an eye out to find out how you can be a part of it! 

Our last day in India was one of the busiest, but best days of our trip. We spent the day with Babu John - the founder of both Asha Mission Children's Homes. He shared so much with us about his vision for these homes, the children we care for, and also about the issues orphans and vulnerable children face in India. He also took us to visit the Chauma Slum, and what we saw broke our hearts. I'll be reposting my blog about our time there soon, but I'll go ahead and share our video now. You see, we've decided to plant a school in this slum, and we want YOU to be a part of it! 

Chauma Slum - Delhi, India from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

We said our goodbyes at Asha Mission (Delhi) later that night, and got some beautiful gifts from the children. We also got to celebrate 2 of the kids birthdays with them! It's tradition here for the staff to feed the kids all bites of the birthday cake (kind of like the bride & groom at a wedding in America). Of course, they also smash icing all over their faces and everyone has a good laugh!

Here's the birthday girl, Leel...

And the birthday boy, Ramlal!

We sure are going to miss these two (as well as all the other sweet little boys and girls at all 3 homes here!) India is a very difficult country to visit (it's really rough on your health), but being with the kids  makes it all worth it!

The next day, it was time to fly to Thailand! The plan was to have 3 days to rest in Pattaya, before heading back up to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, our plan didn't really work out. Our first day in Pattaya ended up being the only day Rusty's 81 year old cousin Sam could visit with us, so we stayed awake for around 36 hours straight! (It sure was good to see him and our Thai friend Thida though!) After that we were just going to sleep in for 2 days and lay by the pool... but our health issues kind of ruined that. We think we both got parasites in India (I guess that's a risk when you are eating in brothels and leper colonies!) and had to take parasite meds for 3 days. Then, I had a serious allergic reaction to the bedding in the hotel (I think it was the detergent the sheets were washed in). I was pretty much covered in a red, itchy rash from head to toe for 4 days. Pretty miserable to say the least! I'm glad to report that after our parasite meds, lots of benadryl, and prescription strength steroid cream we are both feeling much better!

After our (itchy) days in Pattaya, we flew back up to Chiang Mai and immediately hit the road! No rest for the weary! We drove to Mae Sariang to visit the new Children's Home we bought a few months ago (video to come soon) and then headed to the refugee camp to visit the 19 kids at The Refuge for a Christmas party! It was SO good to see them all again. We were really encouraged to see how well they are doing and also to see the new home. We can't wait to share the details with you!

Until then though - here's a pic of some of our kids at The Refuge in their Christmas hats. We had so much fun together!

... and now you're all caught up! (Well, with the basics anyway!) We still have a LOT more stories, videos, and pics to share - so I promise to post more later. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! We only have 6 days left in Thailand, and we still have so much to do!

I'll end for now by saying a big THANK YOU to everyone who's been following our work on our personal blogs, vimeo, facebook, twitter, and The Sound of Hope blog. It has been so encouraging to get your comments and messages, and to see you reposting our videos and blogs! It's great to know you are here with us "in spirit"! We really couldn't do this work without you!

A different kind of Thanksgiving... (Part 1)

Since November 1st, I've been reading lots of posts about thankfulness on my friends' blogs and facebooks. For the past few days, I've been reading about everyone's preparations for the holiday - and all the family, friends, and food they're planning to enjoy! But this year, Thanksgiving looked very different for us. Instead of spending time with our family and eating all our favorite dishes, we spent the day working at one of our orphanages in Delhi, India. We may not have celebrated in the traditional way, but the past few weeks have given me a lot of new things to be thankful for... many of them things I typically take for granted.

After spending time in a leper colony, I am thankful for all my fingers and toes. I'm also thankful that I live in a country that has eradicated this debilitating disease. To see people suffer as social outcasts because they have a curable disease is so unfair. To see them die without dignity - living out their last days in a crude wooden box - is a tragedy no one should suffer.

After spending time in an orphanage where half the children have to sleep on the concrete floor, I am thankful for my bed. What my husband and I once thought was small and old (it's only a full size mattress, and it's a "hand-me-down") now looks luxurious. The fact that I have a guestroom with an extra bed in it seems like an even more outrageous blessing.

After watching a video of Christians being beaten to death in Orissa, India, I am thankful for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. The beatings I witnessed were absolutely horrific. Crowds of people not only watched without helping, they joined in with baseball bats and rocks - beating, kicking, and stoning men and women simply because they professed to know Jesus Christ. The streets were strewn with dead bodies - men and women martyred because of their faith. But every day in America I am free to pray, worship, and profess my faith in public without ever fearing for my safety.

After spending time in a brothel, I am thankful for my FREE education. Most of the women in prostitution here (in India and around the world) are trapped in this profession because of a lack of education. We were told that there are up to 20,000 women working as prostitutes on the one street we visited, and that most of them can't even read.

Because school fees are expensive, those born into poverty often remain trapped in the cycle of poverty for generations. It is truly a privilege to live in a country where a quality education is available to every single child, up to 12th grade. It's even more amazing that so many scholarships are available to those wanting to continue their education in college!

God forgive me for taking so many of these gifts for granted! 

There is more than just thankfulness in my heart this week though. I have been so humbled by the people we've met here - living out their faith in some of the most difficult circumstances in the world. I've found myself asking WHY often. Why don't I have leprosy? Why wasn't I born into a brothel? Why wasn't I orphaned? Why am I healthy when so many are sick? Why was I given the incredible opportunity of a free education? Why was I born into a loving family instead of being abandoned? Why have I been so BLESSED, when I am surrounded by extreme poverty and pain? 

I don't know the answer. All I know is, I didn't do anything to deserve the life I live. In no way did I "earn" the incredible blessings God has given me. Every day, I feel so undeserving when I compare myself to our friends here in India. And while I don't understand why I have every opportunity to thrive while women just like me are suffering in brothels and slums, I do know that I have an opportunity to do something about it.

We are blessed to be a blessing friends - plain and simple. I hope as you reflect today on all you are thankful for, that you'll ask God how He would have you share your blessings with others!

(Stay tuned for Part 2 - a post full of pictures from our Thanksgiving Day!)

Welcome to Asha Mission!

Today we spent about 8 hours visiting Asha Mission - one of the Children's Homes we are partnered with in India. I can't express how incredible these children are - and how good it is to see them so happy and well cared for. They sang and danced and played and prayed - and we were so blessed to be a part of it all!

We got quite the welcome when we arrived (as you will see in the video). What we weren't able to shoot was all 32 children hugging us and introducing themselves to us. It was the sweetest thing!

Hello Asha Mission from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

I spent a lot of time with the girls in their room. I told them I only have brothers at home, and asked if they would all be my little sisters? They were more than happy to agree! Before the night was over, Susheela, the oldest girl, had given me a pair of earrings that she insisted were "too big and heavy for her" - no matter how I argued that she should keep them. At 13, she has only a few belongings tucked in her bunk bed, yet she wanted me to have something of hers. I was beyond moved and put the earrings in immediately. They will remain one of my most treasured possessions.

One of the gifts we brought for each of our Children's Homes, is a copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible. I was able to have "storytime" with the kids and read them "David & Goliath" and "Daniel & The Lions Den" at their request. Their Bible knowledge both amazes and humbles me. These kids know the Word and they are hungry for more!

They are also hungry for more EDUCATION. We heard about how hard they work in school, and that they have received outstanding marks and honors in their classes. The house mom and dad, Sharma and Sasi, are incredibly proud of them, and they shared some of their dreams with us. These children want to be doctors and nurses and teachers and policemen when they grow up.... but it's up to you and me to be sure that happens.

The children asked us repeatedly today, "please do not forget us".  We promised them we wouldn't, and that we would share their stories and their needs with all of you. We told them that you cared about them, that you wanted to know more about them, and that you would be praying for them. They were encouraged and excited to know that there are people in America who care about them!

Over the next few days, we'll be sharing more about the kids at Asha Mission, and what some of their needs are. I can tell you right now that need #1 is a bigger house, considering there are 32 children crammed into 2 small rooms with no place to sleep or play or study. So keep checking back to hear the details of their current living conditions, and to find out how you can help. Together we can provide for these children and empower them to reach their dreams!

100 Days in Thailand :: Day 44 - Viengping Children's Home

There are over 1.4 million orphans and vulnerable children in Thailand. 

  

As I've shared with you before, these kids are at risk of sex trafficking, drug trafficking, child slavery, and many other horrors that come with poverty and corruption. That's why we're passionate about the work we're doing to care for vulnerable children here - including building a Children's Home that will be used for many, many years.

Unfortunately, that home is still "in progress". We are actively raising money for it and things are happening - but without the project being finished, there are no children there!

We support another Children's Home in Thailand, but it is inside a refugee camp and our access to it is minimal. (It takes the approval of the Camp Government for us to be allowed in and even when approved, our time inside is limited).

So..... I found myself in an odd predicament. Here I am - a woman with a heart for orphans, in a country with over 1.4 million orphans in it, and yet there were no children for me to spend time with?!  This week, I decided to remedy that!

After doing some research, I was thrilled to find a Government orphanage in Chiang Mai that allowed volunteers! And even though it's not an orphanage we (The Sound of Hope) partner with, I knew I wanted to go! Even if I won't have a long-term role in these kids lives, the least I can do is go and spend time with them while I'm here!

So today, Rusty and I went to volunteer at Viengping Children's Home.