Special Agent Update #3 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

A Fairy Tale Of a Different Kind::
Once Upon a time, in a land of survival, there lived a man named Francisco. We came across him one day as he was busy building a castle for his queen. With many hours of scrounging and sheer determination,his labor of love began to take shape but construction came to a halt when it came to pouring the concrete floor. He had overcome incredible odds, but one thing he couldn't conquer was the few pesos it would take to buy the supplies for this phase of his dream.

Special Agent Update #2 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

The Three Amigos:
Meet Francisco, Edwardo, and Giovanni.These 3 guys had recently 'aged-out' of one of the local orphanages and are trying to carve out a life for themselves with not much more than the clothes they are wearing. Rick & Lisa have begun to take them under their wing and try to mentor them in this part of their journey.

Special Agent Update #1 - Ted & Jo in Mexico

Shop Shop Til You Drop
Well today we loaded up a family of kids from the poor section of town, took them to the local department store and gave them each a specific amount of pesos to spend and then turned them loose! We met these kids last year and they stole our hearts right away.

A Little Princess (3 Little Princesses)

Just the other day we had the privilege to be part of something very special. Ken was asked to walk a little girl down the aisle for her graduation. Now this little girl is named Dayanara. She is very special to us. Dayanara’s schooling this year was sponsored by someone very wonderful through Possibilities International.

A word of thanks

We just wanted to take a quick moment to thank all of you everyday philanthropists for taking your time to volunteer at the Road2Hope Weekend. Without knowing it, those of you who worked in the food booth raised almost enough to help us buy a new fridge. Thank you so much. (Ours kicked the bucket this morning… RIP)

Reflection (from Sherry Tamakloe)

I am just sitting here tonight writing up Dreams to be posted, some for Christmas and others just everyday dreams. I am going through pictures to find ones to use for the dreams and I started looking at the Team pictures from August and start feeling a little homesick.

Becoming a Mother to the "Motherless"

Tuesday's are crazy in my house. That is the day we feed the homeless. I start early in the morning preparing food for 30 of my favourite homeless people. These people have become like family for me. I've always had a heart for the underdogs in life and the people that frequent El Faro (the lighthouse ministry of YWAM) are definitely underdogs.

A moment forever etched in my heart

From our Dream Agent, Michelle Desaulniers:

Awhile back, I went with my friends to one of the local children’s hospital here in San Salvador. We were there to hand out “scripture bears” which is a part of their ministry here in El Salvador. This ministry was birthed when my friend was going through chemo in the US while her family was all here in El Salvador.

A Place at the Table

Posted by: Rick & Lisa Bursey, Mexico 

So this past week Lisa and I got invited to attend a hoity-toity political event given by the current party in power in our city.  Being as the people who invited us went to a lot of trouble to get us on the list, we were obligated to be there.  Those who know me know that politics and Rick don’t mix too well.  There was a whole lot of people schmoozing and kissing-up and making sure they were being seen by all the right people. 

Normally I can put up with this kind of thing and find something redeeming about the event… not this time… I was not happy.  This is Saturday morning after all!!

Ghana & El Salvador Reports!

Due to crazy circumstances beyond our control we are having difficulty updating the blog while away. So....all our updates from Ghana and El Salvador will be placed on our PI Facebook page.  You can click on the link.  Then please "like" the page and then you will get notice every time the page is updated.

Team iam1ru Ghana 2013

The Internet has been 'patchy' here and it's been easier to update Facebook via iPhone (rather than this blog site). So, for trip updates please visit: www.facebook.com/iam1ru

The hands that weave

Let me introduce Samuel. Samuel is 70 something years old and even though he has been affected by the dreaded disease of leprosy, he still has vision and passion to not let it break him.

Keep going ladies!

These ladies based in and around Petrolia, Ontario are making a huge difference in the lives of children and families in places like Guatemala and Kyrgyzstan.  They are knitting and crocheting up a storm!  PI will be taking blankets, baby hats, baby sweaters and more, with teams as we go.  Ladies....I just want to say, "Well done!  Keep up the great work.  Everyday Philanthropy making a difference.

The Simple Things Can Mean the Most

We met with Rhoda from the AOH Children's Home last week after all the supplies for the renovation of the inside bathrooms were delivered to the home and she was so excited. And honestly I personally know what joy she truly feels*... :-) 

What it is all About!

I remember a few years ago, we had two young boys from the orphanage come to our house on a day out and for some reason that I don’t remember, we had an extra box of about 50 ice-cream cones at our house. We weren’t sure what we would do with them so we decided to get the boys to take them around our neighbourhood and give them to the kids around the block.

Donation to "Power of Hope"

A few months back Vee and I were at a networking function representing PI.  While there, we had a wonderful conversation with Penny Jamieson who is the Director of an organization called "Power of Hope". 

A Tale of an Everyday Philanthropist!

Steve and Judy Blockeel are PI's agent in Guyana.  We have a child sponsorship/food hamper program that they oversee there.  While visiting this past January-April, both Steve and Judy were involved in a trade school directed by a local church there in Herstelling, Guyana.

Random acts of kindness on a rainy day in Kyrgyzstan

On rainy days like today, they have a Russian saying for " черный день" which means a dark day... but when you add a little hope into the day, life feels a lot brighter...and that is what happened for 20 students today.

Bringing Light to Darkness

From Bekah Wright, Dream Agent in Kyrgyzstan...
 I still think of the first time we visited the Men’s Home in Iskra.. What a dark place. Our friend Dan Referred to it as a glimpse of Hell. Now I was 14 years old when I went to it for the first time and I can honestly say that I didn't go back for about 6 months while my parents tried to help little by little with Larissa because I couldn't handle what I had seen and couldn't imagine ever going back. It wasn't just what I had seen but it was the smells and sounds that I heard that scared me.

Home again - Home again...an update from Ghana

Sometimes I feel a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as I am walking in the streets here in Osu. I see signs and billboards that make me think I must be somewhere else!! I am sure I am not in Halifax but I wonder who has been, to come up with this name for their Pharmacy?

A Day out with the Men!

Today we took 16 men from the Men's home into Bishkek! They had a day on the town!

A Day on the Town

Today Larissa and I took 25 children from the small village of Iskra to Bishkek. We had a great time!

A Boy With a Dream

Recently, Lisa and I were introduced to a 4-year-old boy named Felipe.  Great kid...Full of life! He wants to be a policeman when he grows up.  Normal boy… sort of. 

Investments (an update from El Salvador)

 What a feeling it was to be there on the opening day. At that very moment when I realized that these girls had never even touched a computer before. They had no idea how to run a mouse, or how to click the mouse. And we were part of that very moment. Oh, the places they will go!

Day Eight

We've had a great time in Panajachel Guatemala.

Day Six

Today was a day of dreams and everyday philanthropy.

Day Five

 Today was a day of excitement, anticipation, laughter, joy, hope and tears.

Day Four

A productive day in the neighborhood.

Day Three

What an incredible day today.

Day Two

Today, the building team and medical team worked together on a project -- painting the home of our Dream Agents, John and Laurie King. 

Day One

Day one. As one person said, someday has become today. So much of us talk about going on a trip like this and helping people, some day. We hear about it from other people, we read about it, we see pictures about it; and that is as far as it goes. For us on the trip, "someday" no longer exists for us.

Arrived

After a 4:30am meet at the church, 5 1/2 hr flight to Panama, 1 hour layover and another 2 1/2 hr flight to Guatemala... we have finally arrived.

A heartfelt cry for help from our Dream Agent in Guatemala

A few days ago, we received an email update from Laurie King, our Dream Agent in Guatemala. We've copied it below:

Today I went to a place just outside of Antigua -- the city where all the tourists go and spend money freely.  Many people there have million dollars homes...there are spas and restaurants everywhere catering to those who have money.

Well today, I went to a small community that sits about 10 minutes outside of Antigua. It is a dirty dusty flat tract of land that is home to 85 families who have nothing. Sadly, they were displaced from their homes 9 months ago. Severe storms hit the area causing a mudslide, and in a moment, their lives were forever changed (not that they had a lot to start with, but at least they had homes and a lot to put them on, and a community of friends and family). Now, they have no homes to return to and no place to rebuild. Everything is simply gone.

A "family reunion" in Mexico

This week was a major victory for Lisa and me.  We got to spend time with our three kids at the orphanage where they are temporarily being housed.  They had just been released from the Social Services holding center here in Monterrey after 7 long months of struggle. For those who don't know, our little girl Fernanda almost died of tetanus this summer while spending time with her family during vacation.  Through a series of unfortunate events, she and her siblings were released into the families custody, had a concrete block dropped on her foot, was not treated soon enough and ended up close to death in the hospital in Monterrey. Because of the seriousness of the illness and other events surrounding it, the three kids were taken into custody and we and our friends Jim and Betty at Back2Back Mexico have been fighting to get them released ever since. 

Dream Agents are real people too

Here is a "picture" of a normal day in the life of your Dream Agent Extraordinaire (LOL) from El Salvador, Michelle. Not only am I a Dream Agent, i am also a friend, wife, mother, daughter, sister, boss...and sometimes it is hard to juggle all those roles and make everyone happy all the time.

iam1ru El Salvador - Day 7 - Sitting in the back!

I missed days 5 and 6 as I was very sick.  During those days when I was out for the count the team took a bunch of homeless folks to the beach for a day.  Sounds crazy but very impacting.  They continued to work on the building that will eventually be used to bring hope to the homeless and prostitutes.  They delivered a mattress to the family we built the house for.