Elise is in Annie Jr. play

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Bike Ride after Thanksgiving dinner

Today after a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with my family we went for a bike ride at Usery Pass Mountain and loved it. Elise say clouds and Joshua told her that he felt rain drops and she became very scared. I assured her that I wouldn't bring her into danger and that she could trust her mommy. It would be okay. She felt reassured and felt trust again. It was a great bike ride after all that turkey. I have my family to be so thankful for. I hope this bikeride will be a new Brown family traditon.

Cleaning up the laundry room....

Last night I finally unpacked the rest of the tools and supplies in the laundry room. There is only a few more areas in the house that need to be organized. We just moved from France in April and it's been quite a challenge getting things organized in Arizona. Our furniture didn't arrive until the end of May after two months in hotels with a family of five and then we traveled all summer because when we were making our arrangements we were supposted to get our stuff in April. Well it's almost over and I'm exhausted. I try to have a little break each day taking care of me by curling up with my favorite book and have a little time of worship. I'm creating the sanctuary in our home and it's almost there. I spend time with the Lord in the morning and that usually gets me through most of the day.

Parousia Designs

Parousia Designs ……….September 25, 2008

I was getting ready to go out with my three kids to the store to buy a birthday present for Grandma Jones and Elise suggested that we make a necklace and buy it for the orphans. I thought it was a fabulous idea!!!! It would support the orphans and I didn’t need to drive anywhere to shop with my three kids. I thought this would take hours. We sat down at 3:40pm and by 4:15 Elise designed and made a beautiful necklace for Grandma. While she was making the necklace, I made a matching bracelet. This is amazing that she made this all by herself. She is 7 ½ years old and I’m still pretty amazed. So, we’ve just sold our first necklace set for the orphanage in Kenya. The pictures really don’t do justice to the colors and sparkle of the silver, amethyst, malachite, & amethyst glass. Be Blessed and have a wonderful evening….

Love, Lori

Prayer for Lilian

Please pray for Lillian. I just spoke with Virginia the founder of Mission to the Fatherless and Lillian who was kidnapped last year was taken by the government. In Kenya, there is a law that the orphans need to return home to their families weddings and funerals. Lillian left for the wedding and was kidnapped. During these week long celebrations the villagers make illegal wine and they get very crazy and out of hand. No one watches the children. We don't know what happened except that 14 year old Lillian was not pregnant before her kidnapping! She had a baby boy and the government took her and her baby and will not let them return to the orphanage. The person who kidnapped her is in a Kenya prison for the crime.

Please pray for Lillian, the mission to the fatherless (www.missiontothefatherless.net) has had her for a long time and it's so sad that she can't come back home after this terrible experience. The orphanage is willing to take care of her and her baby but her baby is up for adoption right now by the government.

We pray for Lillian's safe return to the orphanage

We pray for the safe return of Lillian's baby

We pray for justice for those accused in her kidnapping.

Thank you Jesus.

Elise's Fundraising efforts for Africa

My kids and husband picked me up from Kimberly's house and on the way home I found out that Richard helped Elise and Gwyneth set up a lemonaid stand to support the orphans in Africa. My kids have really caught on to this idea. Elise was asking me when are we going to start making the bracelets Mommy? We're going to start Monday after school. I'm so blessed that this can be a family effort. Praise you Jesus.

Parousia Moment

September 14, 2008 PAROUSIA MOMENT

Yesterday, I had a parousia moment……..

My family and I went to Kenya, Africa 9 months ago. We returned the second week of December and what the Lord birthed in me will forever change my life. I’ve been thinking of ways to raise money for the orphans and teach them to help support themselves. Last year before leaving for Africa, our family raised $1,800 in a quick one month fundraiser and that was enough money to build a water tower for the water well in Kakamega. This well has been providing safe drinking water for the orphans and the community for 9 months now. The orphans in Oyugis still have to walk to the river for water every morning at 5:30am before school starts. They need a new building and water well for their community as well. We would love to raise the money for them to provide this.

Kelly and I started talking about raising this money in 2007. One of the clients from her studio thought of the “Every Child is a Gem, and a Gem for every Child” moto when we were talking about feeding the orphans. Then when I went to Kenya, on the plane ride over I met a prince from the Dominican Republic of Congo who owns gem mines. I knew this was a Godly connection and that we would be using his gems for our Gems (the orphans). In July, God told me that he was turning over the financial times this year. This is the time that he was giving Kingdom people the money and turning over the times. This is going to be His economy. His Kingdom economy.

Our family tapped into this through a Parousia moment yesterday. I’ve been wanting to launch the jewelry fundraiser “Every Child is a Gem” for nine months now and over the months, He downloaded a plan with three levels of giving and feeding orphans with the children making the jewelry and then selling it worldwide. I followed the first step of His plan by buying $99.80 of bead and silver supplies yesterday afternoon at 2pm. As soon as I got home, my husband told me that we sold our riding mower for $600. After I was home for twenty minutes, I received a phone call of a family who wanted to buy our table and chairs for $300. At first we didn’t accept the offer thinking that it was our more expensive table and then Richard said to accept the offer. We had been trying to sell the table for two months at $150 on Craigs List with no offers.

The Parousia moment……. When I was checking out at the store the Lord quickened in the spirit to look at the price and pay attention to His economy. Within one hour of spending the money to start the “Every Child is a Gem” ministry we received $900 dollars. As I pondered this that I spent $100 and received $900, God said to me this is His Kingdom, we give 10%, He gives 90%. His is turning over the times. He always out gives us.

Also, my entire family caught the vision the same day. It’s another Parousia thing…. My daughter starting making bracelets with a friend and she sold one already for the children. Our first income from the Gem project, and the money came from a 5 year old emptying her piggy bank to buy a bracelet. My husband and I were talking over dinner and he was sharing how he and Elise were talking about the orphans and how happy they were with nothing. No toys, nothing to play with, how our things are not necessary and that our happiness is not dependent on the things around us, having things. Then he started coming up with a plan of how his contacts in Nashville could help us with our webpage. God is putting us all on the same path and showing each of us how we can be a part of the His purposes and advancing His Kingdom together as a family. Praise God for everything. To Him be all the Glory. Thank you Jesus!!!!