Flashback Friday: the first orphanage

Months of anticipation
Lots of preparation
Hours of traveling

…….all leading up to the moment. The moment I went to my first orphanage in Africa. It was in August of 2011. For just under 7 months, I had been anticipating the trip to Ethiopia and Rwanda. Through God's handiwork, a friend and I had signed up for the same trip. We were 2 people on a team of 20, that came from 7 different states, and traveled around the world to a foreign country to minister to orphans and widows.

Leaving the airport in Kigali, Rwanda, we were extremely exhausted and in a daze as we tried to process being in a country so different from home. We loaded up the buses and went straight to the Rwanda Genocide Memorial Museum. There, we learned about the history of the country, as well as causes and effects of the genocide. It was an emotional roller coaster! That first night, most of us slept very well from the physical and emotional exhaustion that we were already starting to feel.

Morning came and we felt like a whole new team. We were filled with excitement and anticipation as we prepared to go to the first orphanage. I remember our driver taking us on a detour that left us with an interesting story but eventually we made it to where we are supposed to be.

Kimisagra Orphanage!

It is land locked and on a hill. It is a small hike up a steep hill to get there. (Each time I return the walk up seems less and less but the first time for anyone is always a little shocking.) We climb the hill and gather in a tiny room to hear some history on the orphanage and meet the workers. This was interesting but we could see the kids craving our attention and love more than a football player craves a super bowl win.

Eventually, we finished the interesting but less desired formalities and we were able to go with the kids. Somehow, I was the first to make it around the corner and into the courtyard where the kids had gathered. It was and still is an unforgettable moment.

Children swarmed me faster than a hummingbird flaps its wings. Some wanted a hug and then backed up one step. Some wanted to hang on and never leave. Some walked over smiled and just looked at me. Others came and just giggled with pure joy that I had come from so far to see them. I felt like I couldn't move. It seemed like the children were multiplying and I was overwhelmed. Of course, this all happened in a matter of seconds that felt like an hour. As more of the team made it to the courtyard, the kids spread out and seem to lay their claim on which muzungu (white person) was theirs for the day. 

It was here at this orphanage that I learned how truly thankful someone can be for something so small. 

a wooden toy car

a new headband

someone to play catch with

or even a hand to hold

These kids were emitting gratefulness in amounts that I never knew existed. 

One girl was thrilled to be up in the air. Something that most parents do to some degree and she had probably never had such joy.

I may have enjoyed it more than she did. 

I will never forget the first orphanage, the first group of kids that stole me heart, the first time I saw such gratefulness come from someone who had so little. Those kids will never know how much they changed my life and how much God has done since this moment. I suppose I will never know the same for them. But I can look back and know that for that moment these kids knew they were important and someone loves them.

$20in14days Fundraiser update!!!

Greetings everyone!!!

Tomorrow is the last day for the $20in14days fundraiser. (Although, donations are welcome any time for the trip, any team members, or the ministries we will visit.)

So far, through you, God has provided about $1200.

My trip is now funded completely and I will continue to help with some fundraisers so that if any team members are running short, I can help them.

Please continue to support our trip through prayer as we will start preparing quite soon. Actually, two more people signed up today. That makes a total of 8 people that are going to bless many ministries in Ethiopia and Rwanda. I am so excited to share with these 7 people (and maybe more) an experience that is so eye opening and life changing. 

If God leads you to not only support us in prayer but also financially, then we would love to have you be part of the trip in that way. Everyone is called in some way to be part of ministry. I believe God will lead you and open your eyes to the way that He wants you to further the Kingdom. 

To support our trip financially, here is how you can do it:

1. Checks can be made out to "Visiting Orphans"

     -I can accept them and mail them to VO

     -if you mail it to VO please indicate the trip and if you want it to go toward a specific team member

2. I can also accept cash donations

3. Go HERE for online donating:

     -For fund category please select "Ethiopia/Rwanda: Leader - Rowe"

     -team member or ministry name please enter "Katherine Rowe"

    ********you may leave this area blank and your donation will go toward the trip in general and be used for other team members or ministries we visit**********

4. If you wish to mail checks directly to VO please make sure my name and the trip name are on the memo line. You can abbreviate it to"Et/Rw July 2014; Member K. Rowe"

Following are the mailing addresses for Visiting Orphans and myself

Visiting Orphans

449 Metroplex Drive

Nashville, TN 37211

Katherine Rowe

1515 Robertson Ct.

Clarksville, TN 37042

I am endlessly thankful for how God has used you to bless me and then allow me to bless orphans in Africa.

Stay tuned for un update with my journey with Africa Inland Mission. That will come later this week!!!! Great and Amazing things are happening!

$20in14days fundraiser

Happy New Year!!!!

Only about 12 hours into the new year and I've already heard a variety of stories for how people ended the year. I know one family that had a wedding last night and another had a unique trip to the ER (with everyone healthy and happy at the end). I spent it with a wonderful group of friends playing games, laughing, and most importantly making some life long memories.

Resolutions are not something that I make a habit of doing. I might have some unofficial goals of varying degrees each year. This year my first goal is to have the Visiting Orphans July 2014 trip fully funded in the next two weeks. I have just over $1000 left for my trip to be fully funded. Although, I would love to raise more than that so our team may be able to bless the places we visit or that I may share with other team members if needed.

I am calling this the $20in14days fundraiser.

I am asking for 50 people to donate $20 within the next 14 days. If this happens, then my trip will be fully funded. Anything I raise above this will go toward the ministries we visit or other team members.

If you feel called to support our trip financially, here is how you can do it:

1. Checks can be made out to "Visiting Orphans"

     -I can accept them and mail them to VO

2. I can also accept cash donations

3. Go HERE for online donating:

     -For fund category please select "Ethiopia/Rwanda: Leader - Rowe"

     -team member or ministry name please enter "Katherine Rowe"

4. If you wish to mail checks directly to VO please make sure my name and the trip name are on the memo line. You can abbreviate it to"Et/Rw July 2014; Member K. Rowe"

Following are the mailing addresses for Visiting Orphans and myself

Visiting Orphans

449 Metroplex Drive

Nashville, TN 37211

Katherine Rowe

1515 Robertson Ct.

Clarksville, TN 37042

As always, thank you so much for your continued support! It is such a blessing to have a group of family and friends that truly believe in and support what God is doing in my life. I hope the new year brings you great blessings and new adventures!

Anticipatory thoughts about the future…..

Regard as probably; expect or predict.
Guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared.
Look forward to.

All of those are listed as definitions for anticipate. All of those apply for how I feel about the potential move to Africa for two years and possibly even longer than that if God leads that way.

Let's first clearly establish that the longest I have been overseas is four weeks. During that time I had [all things considered] good access to internet and therefore my support system. I also had running water and electricity except for a few minor incidents.

Last month, some friends and I watched "Machine Gun Preacher". This is a movie based on the true story of Sam Childers. Sam had a past filled with violence and drugs. With influence from his wife, he came back to the church. Sam started to prosper as a construction worker and eventually found himself volunteering in South Sudan rebuilding what had been destroyed in the war. God led him to build an orphanage to provide for children that were so greatly affected by the fighting. I have not done enough research to know how accurate the move is compared to Sam's biography. However, I do believe that the movie gives a glimpse into a few aspects of mission work.

1. What about people here?
In the movie, Sam's friends and family (especially his daughter) have a hard time understanding how he can be so moved for a country, culture, and people he has never met. Sam's best friend struggles greatly. Rarely people ask me this but often I think I can see the question in their eyes. The only answer I have to offer is that God calls everyone for different purposes. I believe mine is in Africa and so far God is opening doors that confirm this. I will do my best to serve locally when I can and people that are called for local service will do their best to serve those that are overseas. Think of it as that one hobby (collecting stamps) or movie series (LOTR) or other strange thing that your spouse or best friend just doesn't like. It just does not make sense but you work through it, support them, and participate when and how you can.

2. It is not all fun and games.
The movie depicts this awful, horrendous scene that ends with the death of a group of children. I could barely watch. I knew it was coming and kept closing my eyes and opening to check and see if it was over. I won't even keep going because it is making me shudder with emotion just thinking about it. Various missionaries write books, have blogs, and get movies made about them. All too often people only see the part where they hold little kids or build a great building or delivery water to a village. But in between those moments, malnourished people are suffering, poverty stricken people ask for help everyday, locals get irritated at the foreigners trying to blend into the culture, and so much more. Going overseas for mission work is not always fun.

3. Home will be missed.
Home away from home is a popular saying for people that get their hearts torn between two places. I think this is true for most overseas missionaries. There will always be a home in the first world culture surrounded by family, friends, home church, and the countless amenities that are implied by that classification. There will also always be a home on the other side of the ocean. Once you are called and recognize that calling, the heart gets split in two. You long to be with the new culture. You long to be always helping and it feels like you are living in disobedience when you are not. Yet, in the middle of all of it when you are living God's will, things will be missed at home. In the movie, Sam constantly watches a video of his daughter in a play when he is in South Sudan. You will not make it to weddings and births, recitals and plays, holidays and parties. In my opinion, the truth is that we really do want to be there. Just because we are called away from our first home does not mean that we don't desire to be part of the ups and downs that happen.

As I anticipate what changes may come…these three concepts continue to rattle around in my brain. Looking back to the definition, maybe this can help me be aware and take action. At the same time, I will definitely be looking forward to the adventures that 2014 will bring.

Looking to the Future

Stop and smell the roses
Enjoy the season
Slow down
Sieze the day
Go for it now
Wake up and live
Live for today
Cherish the moment


All of those phrases mean roughly the same thing. I interpret the meaning of all of it to be the following: tomorrow may have some awesome things to look forward to or some unwanted stressors but that is tomorrow and today will only happen once, so make the best of it.

This concept is becoming more and more important to me. Don't get me wrong. The importance of it does not mean it is easier to put into action. I still have my moments when I am can't focus on anything for the day because my brain is completely consumed with tomorrow or next week or even things next year. In those moments, I try to turn my thoughts to prayer and pray for what I'm looking forward to in the future. I have two main things to share with you.

Visiting Orphans has graciously trained me and allowed me to partner with them. I will be leading a trip through their organization July 10, 2014. We will be going to Rwanda and Ethiopia. The trip is posted HERE!!! Actually, I checked earlier and I should be getting on the international flight in 290 days. Things are in full swing for this trip, well.....as far as the winds will push the swing right now. Personally, I am already fund raising and mentally planning for the trip. I am beyond excited to take my experience from the past four trips I have had with VO and use that to lead a group of people through a life changing experience.

Prayer Requests:
future team members will have open hearts and be willing to GO when God calls
fundraising will continue to progress for me and for members as they sign up
God will blend our team together in unity from the very beginning




Africa Inland Mission is an organization I learned about in the airport in Ethiopia as I was just beginning my journey in March of this year. Sometimes, I begin to think that I was on that trip so that I could be placed in the right moment, by the right person, at the right time to learn about AIM. (Although, I know that many other great things happened on that trip.) AIM's mission is to have Christ-centered churches among all African peoples. AIM's priority is Africa's unreached people. I encourage you to learn about them and the impact they are having.

I have started the application process to be part of a two year program that they call TIMO. This is a two year team outreach program designed to equip new missionaries for ministry and to reach Africa's least reached peoples with the gospel. I am unable to put my excitement into words for this opportunity.
A few quick things:
1. I don't know exactly where I'll go. This is the one thing I have absolute peace about. The team I'm on may not even be thought of yet. The team I'll join may be full and someone will have to withdraw in the later stages. I really have no idea. I do know that God has a place for me with AIM and He will make sure that I get there. [However, I would absolutely LOVE to land in Rwanda!!!]
2. I also am not sure what I will do....not even in a roundabout sort of way. I have expressed my desire to work with children or in a women's ministry. AIM is also aware of my experience in the medical world. God will ensure that this gets worked out also!!! Of this I am sure!!!

Prayer Requests:
for God's timing to happen with the application progress of AIM
for His will to come to fruition for #1 and #2 above
I'd also like to ask you to pray for whatever you feel led, whatever is on your heart. There are so so very many aspects of going into full time ministry. Some of them, maybe most of them, I don't even know about. Please pray about this opportunity I have as you are led by the Spirit.



Meanwhile, I'll be trying to smell as many roses as I can. I know in my heart that this is God's plan for me but I know this will not be easy.

One day at a time
One hour at a time
One moment at a time
I will try to my best to cherish them all!!!!

The Girl that went to Africa

Impacting the world is a grand task. Although, how does one know if he or she truly impacted the world? I suppose the inventor of the wheel can rest in peace knowing that the world has been forever changed. The same probably holds true for the inventors of electricity, automobiles, planes, air conditioning, Netflix, Facebook, skydiving, batteries, and the list could go on and on.

What if we take it down a few notches? Is it possible to impact the life of one person? Would it then be possible to know with certainty that this happened. I often get flabbergasted at the number of people that I have crossed paths with in my life. I suppose it is possible to live in a small town of a few hundred people for one's entire life. Go to a community college or progress through the job ladder straight out of high school. Marry. Kids. A dog, of course. Possibly a special vacation or two. Kids graduate from the same high school. And so on. That person might come into contact with a few thousand people in his or her life.

Moving, at any point in life, is hard, stressful, and most importantly life changing. I've lived in four states and a few more cities than that. I've traveled to two other continents. I've played on seemingly countless sports teams. I've worked in customer service. The people I've meet are beyond measurable using Earthly means.

The number of people I have met through any sliver of my life amazes me often. The more I think about it, the more I think that Six Degrees of Separation is true. But I have no idea if I had any impact on those people. I have no idea if we had a meaningful conversation or if I just brushed by them on a bus. Maybe I never talked to them in class or never said hi from across the aisle at church.

[keep reading...this will all circle around and make sense eventually]

Laughter has happened with so many dear friends. Smiles have been exchanged with orphaned children in foreign countries. Sporting events have been won. Little notes at random times have been left to be found by someone deserving it. Pizza has been purchased and delivered at the end of weeks that were less than ideal. Finances have been shared when the receiver wasn't always willing to receive.

I would like to think that most of these things had an impact. It may have been short lived and only cured a need for an hour or a week or a month. Possibly, it lasted longer. Not to sound too egotistical, but, I'm fairly certain I have a few friends that will [hopefully] always remember me. I may have done more impacting than I have any idea about. Often, I still wonder. I wonder if I helped that person. I wonder if I left a smile on their face. I wonder if they even really heard whatever I had to say.

A few months ago at a yard sale for a friend going on a Visiting Orphans trip to India, it happened. God blessed me with confirmation that I had truly impacted someone and it warmed my heart. It was a slow part of the day. A lady had come and walked around everything. Everything is important because when we have fundraiser yard sales, we really have a yard sale. I still get surprised at how much stuff gets donated. She walked down the hill of a driveway we have and crossed the street to her car. I stood there, talking to my friend. We slowly noticed that the lady wasn't leaving. I distinctly remember commenting about what could she be considering purchasing that much to stand there for so long. Then, we made eye contact and the situation really became weird! We locked in for probably 2 or 3 seconds that felt like 2 or 3 minutes. I unexpectedly started walking down toward her. She walked back toward the sale. Then the words come straight from her, the words that I will never forget. A smile full of curiosity and gladness spread from ear to ear as she excitedly yelled, "Are you the girl that went to Africa?" My heart leaped! I know lots of girls that went to Africa but sure enough I am "the girl" that she was asking about. She had been to one of my yard sales and recognized me. We talked about my trips and she mentioned her trip. That's right! Because our paths had previously crossed, the road on the future had altered. God, of course, knew where we were going but we didn't expect it. This lady told me that I had planted a seed in her and it grew over the last few months. Now that it is blooming, she is going on a trip to Africa with her church. It was so exhilarating to have been blessed with this follow up of crossed paths.

Two things I would like you to consider:
1. What are you doing to impact each and every person that crosses your path?
2. When was the last time that you shared with someone how much he or she has impacted you?


Here are two stories of how people are leaving a lasting impact in moments that could have had completely different endings:
Young DQ manager amazes customers
Drive thru customer with unexpected response

News Flash - - - Prayer is IMPORTANT

Shocking news, isn't it?
Well, maybe not.
For me, sometimes it does seem that way.


Ever since I was young, I have struggled with prayer. I can even remember writing a letter to my pastor at the time and asking why should we pray? In a previous discussion with him, we had established that there is a plan for everyone. [Note: I don't want to start a debate about predestination here.] My thinking was that if He already knows everything that will happen and when, why should we bother asking Him to alter those plans in one way or another. I have since learned through more than one lesson that prayer is more than that.

I can think of four instances within the last couple of weeks where I saw almost immediate results from prayer. Results doesn't seem like the best word but lets use it anyway.

1. A family member of a co-worker was interview for a new (highly desired) job. She asked me to pray for him to get it because she felt God heard my prayers a little bit more than hers. [That ignited quite another thought process for me.] The guy was offered the job and all of us rejoiced.

2. I have had a minor medical issue going on since April. I have seen direct effects of the prayers of my friends and families throughout this process.

3. Children with unexplainable high fevers one day seemed almost perfectly healthy the next day. I guarantee you that prayer was a huge factor in their quick recovery.

4. A false sense of irritation between a couple seemed to vanish after pray for the situation.

If such minor things are so important that they warrant prayer, then how come we aren't praying for the bigger things in life, in God's Kingdom? We have been given a Great Commission and it is the responsibility of everyone!!

Some may be sent.
Some may be organizers.
Some may raise funds.
Some may build structures.
Some may fly the planes.
Some may translate.

But....everyone, EVERYONE is to PRAY.

Jason Mandryk states it quite nicely in his article titled "The State of the Gospel."

"We can strategize, harmonize, dialogue and worship---we can equip ourselves with the best financial resources and the most astute missiology available---but without prayer, we will not see spiritual strongholds broken down, nor the unevangelized peoples experiencing the gospel. The state of the gospel changes by prayer."