IMAGINE...

Dear Friends,

Imagine waking in the morning to a new world. A place where lions, giraffe, and other exotic wildlife are common place. A place that promises new sights, culture, and wonders. Sounds exciting so far doesn't it. Now imagine the people that inhabit such a land. You might imagine faces full of smiles, mothers and fathers tending to their daily chores, and children singing and playing.

Now imagine that it is all a dream, because in reality you have awakened to a world that is full of sorrow, a world that has been plagued by the lies of the enemy. Satan has whispered into the hearts of a generation and turned them to a life of sexual immorality. He has not only infected their hearts with sin, but he has also poured out a disease on the people...AIDS. It seems that all is lost for the people of Swaziland. The ‘babyboomer’ generation has all but become extinct. The cries of children are not of joy, but cries of hunger, cries of the homeless and orphaned. A few have been lucky enough to have a grandfather or grandmother to turn to in their pain, but most do not. For some girls, their families are not even safe havens. Witch doctors have polluted the minds of the people. They have turned fathers and grandfathers into child molesters and rapist. They promise that sex with a virgin will cure the disease that hunts them daily, so daughters and granddaughters become victims, leaving the young girls to try to pick up the pieces.

What will become of these children? Many will not live to adulthood because they have been born with HIV or have been infected by circumstances out of their control. So what can be done for these kids? How can we help people in a country that we have likely never even heard of and one so far away? You may be thinking to yourself, “There are thousands of them and only one of me. What can I do that would possible impact their lives?” The answer: Children's Cup.

Children's Cup is an organization founded by missionaries Dave and Jean Ohlerking. Their purpose is to take humanitarian and spiritual aid into the hard places where war, natural disasters and disease epidemics have devastated societies. These children in hard places know horrors our children have never heard of. Food, shelter, medicine and education are not enough to heal their emotions. They need hope. Hope's name is Jesus! Through several care points, Children's Cup has successfully set up a means to minister to the children of Swaziland and the future of their country. By providing physical and spiritual nourishment to these kids, Dave and Jean have brought hope to a new generation.

Recently, Angi and I have felt a calling on our lives to join the Ohlerkings in providing care for these hurting children. As you may know, our own girls are coming to an age where they will soon be setting out to college/career or ministry, so we are looking to God for direction in our future service. We believe that God has called us all to share the Good News of Christ with the people around us, but he also places a desire in some to carry the Gospel to people around the world. While I have felt this desire for several years now, God has recently placed this same burden on Angi's heart as well. With a united heart for sharing God's love with these children, Angi and I have committed to join Children's Cup for a 2-week trip in April of this year. We will be leaving the US on April 5th and returning on the 16th. While in Swaziland, we will be partnering with Children's Cup by helping to serve kids in care points and helping with other projects as needed.

We are writing you in hopes that you will partner with us by providing prayer support leading up to and during our trip. We would also like to invite you to share in our financial needs for this trip. While we intend to save much of the needed funds for the trip, we would greatly appreciate any support that you feel God would have you offer. We are hoping that we might present a gift offering to Children's Cup of any funds raised above the cost of the trip.

We hope that this letter finds you and your family in good health and enjoying the blessings that the Father continually lavishes on his people. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

With love,
Jimmy & Angi Bittle

Please take time to visit www.childrenscup.org to learn more about how you can help kids in Swaziland. You can also contribute to our trip costs by calling Children’s Cup at 225-673-4505 or mailing checks to Children’s Cup, PO Box 400, Prairieville, LA 70769 (Be sure to put our names in the Memo).

Want or Need?

So here I am again, thinking of how blessed I am! I have a healthy family, a job, 2 vehicles and a house. I am able to put food on our table and snacks in the pantry and we are all fully clothed. ;~) What a blessing!

Usually during this time of year I find myself looking through the Sunday Ads more and thinking about all the things I'd like to have. How I'd love to go the store and buy more decorations for my house. How nice it would be to give my daughters everything they want. And how I wish I had a large family that gathered for all the holidays and showered each other with many gifts.

Where do I get these ideas? Why do I feel I "need" more? Is it the TV Commercials? The Newspaper Ads? Is it just the culture and time we live in?

This year is different and my husband is taking notice. I have very little desire to go out and buy "things". God is working on my heart and taking away a desire for things of this world. (1 John 2:16-17)

Here are some things God has called me to do this year:

• I am grocery shopping only with coupons (It's amazing how much we are saving by being diligent and "Clipping Coupons")
• Talked to my two teenage daughters and they are okay with only ONE present under the tree this year (They acknowledged that our money should go toward Children's Cup)
• The only other gift I will purchase is for my mother (I want to honor her!)
• Jimmy and I aren't exchanging gifts (Not too much of a change - we show our love throughout the year!)
• As of January first Jimmy and I are committing to not spend any money on restaurants (We cannot wait to see God honor this "fast")

Every time I think about showering my family with gifts or buying more decorations or even lavishing more "stuff" on my children, I remember the children around the world that have NOTHING! Children's Cup is hosting Christmas parties this week for thousands of children in Swaziland, Africa. This will be the one time this year that many of these children recieve not only one small gift, but also meat with their meal. Can you imagine?

God is placing a new mercy on my heart and it's for these children! (Matthew 19:14)

Last week we heard that our applications for our Mission Trip were "approved". We are now working through our second packet of information (References, Medical Information, etc). We have already been approached by several people saying God is leading them to give. We appreciate all the prayer and financial support God has planned for us. We will begin raising funds in January.

Do you know the Mercy I am talking about?

Have you ever sought God with all your heart?

Do you feel like it's time to begin anew?

Please let me know if you have any questions about how to have a relationship with the One True God. I'd be honored to help you find Him!

Empty Nest Syndrome or Swaziland?

Which would you choose?

So, I am starting this blog because one of my daughters graduates in June (2010) and the other one graduates the following June. I have seen how husbands and wives can grow apart while they are raising their children and then when the children are grown they no longer have a relationship and possibly seek divorce. I don't want to be that wife - I love my husband and want us to continue our relationship as we seek to do the Lord's will. I want my children to rise up and call me blessed (Proverbs 31:28). Most of all I don't want to just "Go Through the Motions"; I want to live the abundant life (John 10:10) and minister to those around me.

Which brings me to what's going on in our lives right now. My husband, Jimmy, has always had a Missions Heart and I've always prayed that God would either change my heart or his because I could never imagine taking my children overseas and living in a hut. Well, I guess God has been working on my heart and not Jimmy's because I cry at the very thought of a mission our church supports, Children's Cup. These children are living in a country where 43% of it's population is HIV-Positive. Many of these children are being orphaned due to the death of their parents as a result of this disease and lack of medication. Children's Cup goes into villages with "Care Points" which are designed to care for these children by providing Food, Medical Care, Education and above all they need hope. Hope's name is Jesus!

I shocked my husband and myself when I asked him last weekend to begin praying and asking what our part is with Children's Cup. Jimmy asked what was on my heart and I laid out what I believe God has spoken to me. After our youngest, Anastasia, graduates in June, 2011, we sell our house and become missionaries in Swaziland. I am still unsure of what capacity the Lord is asking of us, but I know He will not take us somewhere without a plan, a purpose and resources to do His will.

Children's Cup has a mission trip scheduled for April, 2010 and Jimmy and I are praying to see if this is the right time for us to go and experience this ministry to the fullest. This trip is approximately $3500 pp so we are asking God not only for confirmation but for financial and prayer support.

Please join me in praying for our family as we begin our entrance into a new phase of life.

Because He Lives,
~AngiB