FROM PROJECT LOVE ONE

"Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? 40 "The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

RUNaways ~ We have a mission that, though far away, hits close to home for us.  Kristin Cantu's sister is in the process of adopting a girl from Columbia.  A sweet soul that now has an opportunity to be a world changer.  If your feet and hearts feel moved, we are going to run for the Massengale family and their daughter, Yenny.

Our run on Tuesday, February 24th will be a 5K run that will meet at Athletic Republic (on Kuykendahl and Research Forest) and run through the trails of Alden Bridge.  Athletic Republic has offered to sponsor this run and provide us a meeting place and finish gathering along with refreshments.  RUNaway Moms will also be sponsoring the run with tshirts and timing.  And another fellow RUNaway Mom has graciously donated the funds for the medals that you can proudly wear after your 5K.

While you can run on this Tuesday regardless, to sponsor this cause and receive a tshirt and medal, you can submit your race fee of $31.00 (or more, if you wish) directly to Kristin Cantu, Elizabeth Merrill or Kelley Wolf OR sign up on the website link HERE.

Additional information for this cause can be found on this link:  http://projectloveone.publishpath.com/projects

FROM KORIN:

Dear Friends,

We would like to introduce you to a very special young girl. This is our new daughter, Yenny (pronounced Jenny). We are adopting Yenny from Colombia. She is 12 years old, loves soccer, is very sweet and smart, and looks forward to coming to her new home. We are praying that we will be able to bring Yenny home in the summer of 2015.

How did this come about?

Many of you who know us are probably shocked to hear this news since this is not something we have discussed with many people. For years we have felt God calling us to bring more children into our home. We were not sure what this would look like and, honestly, fought the idea for a long time. Then we took baby steps by becoming certified to care for foster children in our home. As we were waiting for a foster child to be placed in our home, we were asked to adopt this precious little girl by friends who met Yenny in Colombia. With very little information about Yenny and having never met her, we both knew this was it. This was the reason for our baby steps the last few years. God was preparing us for a 12 year old daughter!

Why are we adopting from Columbia and not from the United States?

We were open to fostering and adopting through Child Protective Services here at home but, whenever it looked like a child was going to be placed in our home, it just did not work out. When Yenny was introduced to us we began to learn more about the orphan situation in Colombia. There are decent orphanages in Colombia but, unfortunately, Yenny is not in one. Yenny’s orphanage is surrounded by muzzled pit bulls, the girls are locked in the orphanage 24 hours a day, they are given very little hygiene products so they have to limit how much they wash their hair, etc., they sleep in a large room with numerous other children and no adult, are given one roll of toilet paper a month, and the list goes on. The most disturbing part of the Colombian orphan situation is what occurs as the girls get older. When a girl turns 18 she is placed on the street. Imagine, on her 18th birthday, Yenny will literally be placed on the street with no support. Men are waiting, preying, outside these orphanages to lure these girls into the sex trafficking industry. We strongly feel God is calling us to save Yenny from this future.

Why are we contacting our friends?

We are asking for your prayers and support as we go through this process. Please pray that Yenny is safe and cared for during the next year as we go through the process of adopting her. Pray for her transition, and ours, as we bring her to our home. Please pray that God will move mountains to bring Yenny home to us. We trust that God will provide the funds needed to complete this adoption. It cost $40,000 to adopt a child from Colombia. With our golf instructor and school teacher incomes we are truly putting the money aspect of this journey in God’s hands. With that in mind, we ask that you ask God if He would like you to give and be part of our team. If you feel led to give financially, the information is attached.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the new addition to our family. We are so excited about the journey the Lord is taking us on over the next year, and we are anxious to welcome Yenny home next summer to be a part of our family. If you have any questions or just want to hear how things are going please contact us. We love discussing this thrilling time in our lives.

Sincerely,

Mark and Korin Massengale

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.” – Matthew 25:40