Upcoming Mission Trip!!

Hello all!!

I wanted to take a minute and tell you all about a mission trip that Cline and I are going on in October. As most of you know, I spent a large part of my nursing career working with children that had been diagnosed with brain tumors. As a result of this experience, I have developed a strong passion for helping families of children with cancer in whatever way that I can. After spending many hours reading the ongoing stories of parents facing this horrific battle, I did a little investigating and found the website for the Lighthouse Family Retreat. Cline and I, after some prayerful consideration, filled out an application and will be serving as family partners during an October session.
We are thrilled to be a part of this ministry. I have heard several families rave about this organization and they all talked about how nice it was to get away for a weekend and feel "normal" again. It is a time of refreshment and rejuvenation for families going through something that I hope and pray I never have to imagine.
Since neither of us have yet had a firsthand experience with this organization, I can only tell you what I know from the information we have gathered so far. Here's how it works, as I understand it. The ministry is fully funded through charitable donations. There is NO COST to the children with cancer and their families who attend the retreat. Volunteers are asked to raise money ahead of time to help cover the costs of hosting both the volunteers and families. Cline and I have fulfilled our financial obligation (we think :), but what we do want is your prayers! Between now and October, please pray for all of the volunteers, including ourselves, as we prepare spiritually for this experience. Pray for the families who will travel to Florida, that their children will be healthy enough to attend the retreat and that the Lord will touch their lives while they are there, bringing them hope, peace, and wonderful memories to cherish. While we know that this will potentially be an emotionally and physically draining experience as we care for these children and their families, our prayer is that the Lord will allow us to share His good news and love with these little ones who are hurting so much. So please pray specifically that we will be perfect reflections of Christ's sacrificial and serving love as we minister to these special people.
We'll be sure to keep all of you updated about how things are going and anymore details as we find them out! If you'd like more information about this group, their web address is:
http://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org/