This is a picture of the first time I walked into one of the fishing villages in Ghana. This was my second trip over and way more culturally invasive than the first trip. We walked into the village of Awudjakorpe and sat in dining room chairs under a mango tree to continue conversation with the people about an economic partnership. Two months later, we returned to implement our first development project – a cassava farm with sustainable crops and processing equipment. Now a year later, we're leaving to go implement our first aquaculture project at Adovepke, which will result in the release of our first group of children off Lake Volta this fall.

I always wanted to go to Africa, so the initial travel and all that came with it was just a new adventure, not something I expected to return to. I wanted to check "Africa" off my travel list and move on to the next location and site to see. But I never could've guessed that my heart would be so deeply affected by children that I've never even met before, by the Ghanaian people who are so kind and hospitable, by a country who has more to teach me than I could ever teach it. I never could've guessed at the ways in which I would continue to learn about myself and the Kingdom through this work. But God has been so faithful in that.

As I've read over and over Micah 6:6-8 in preparation for this trip, one of the biggest things I want to take with me is remembering that God doesn't need me. He doesn't need me to bring the Kingdom in Ghana, he doesn't need my pitiful offerings, he's not impressed with any accolades or gifts. But He's invited me on this incredible journey, invited me to share in His work, invited me to be a person of justice and mercy. So I just want to show up this week, to make myself available and open to what he has to show me. To simply go, and love, and serve with a joyful heart.


There's still a bit of room in my suitcase if anyone wants to join...

Car repaired.
Restful night.
Short run.
Arrive.
Fuego.
Running store opened!
New friends.
Spain beats France.
Wal-mart run. Corn tortillas.
Blockbuster enthusiast.
Jalapano salsa.
Up. Must see.
SQUIRREL!
"A wilderness explorer is a friend to all."
With you.
Academy. Jump ropes!
Turkey bacon.
I Spy.
2 dolphins and a heart.
Avery's mac -n- cheese.
Spoons.
Kiosk.
Conversation.
Worship.
Prayed over.
Supported.
Study time.
Leftovers.
Phone calls.
Super 8. Must see #2.
Sleep.

Here are a few shots of the paintings that were donated for the Art Auction (click on each photo to see larger). Photographs do not do these pieces justice; we were so impressed by the caliber of artwork at this year's event. These artists are simply amazing, and we are so grateful for their gift of time and talent to help the children in Ghana.

In no certain order...

The talented Cash Teague painted this piece, which happened to be my personal favorite of the night. (Yes, I am allowed to have a favorite, though I would hang any of these on my wall.)

Cash also donated this beautiful watercolor of a boy on Lake Volta. A man of many talents.

Oil painting by Donita Brooks – beautiful work!

My own piece. Not my favorite I've ever done, but I certainly enjoyed working on it and learned a lot in the process.

Jeff Hankins, a fellow artist from ComChurch put together this piece. Love his graphic style!

My pal Mark Fansler of McKinney painted this incredible piece, our largest at 30"x40". The use of color and texture and blending is absolutely astounding. Angela and I "may have" tried this one out above the fireplace mantle before taking it to the auction!

Randy Brown sent 3 beautiful pieces for the evening all the way from Canyon. This one we actually auctioned off on FB Friday before the event.

Randy's second piece... love the composition here.

... and the third. This watercolor was the painting of the night. The details in the boat, trees, and water are incredible!

Last but not least, the paintings from Ghana. This piece was put together using handprints from the children of Adovepke who will be in our first rescued group of kids this fall.

"Hope" was put together by the Adovepke kids as well as several children of other villages out working on Lake Volta.

What amazing talent! We were so blessed by the generosity of our artists this year and could not have had a successful event without their help. Thank you all for using your gifts for Kingdom things!

Better late than never, I say. It's a good thing keeping up on here isn't part of my job responsibilities!

So, the Art Auction was amazing – successful financially as well as helped us spread the word about the kids in Ghana to many new faces. We keep saying this, but it keeps ringing true: God continues to show up in the work of Mercy Project.

About 160 people attended the event. We auctioned off 10 large paintings and several silent auction items, helping bring our grand total for the evening to around $20,000. Fantastic! We enjoyed having the extra space at Briarcrest Country Club and really enjoyed the ease of set-up on Saturday afternoon, thanks to several great helpers. One of the best parts of the evening was being able to premiere a video made by the talented Brandon Jones that included footage from Lake Volta and the villages where we are working. It's really powerful to be able to show our supporters what the in-country work actually looks like. We were so blessed to have that!

Here are a few shots from the evening:

Welcome table walking in...

Table set-up...

New MP brochure and picture of a trafficked child at each setting...

Incredible wood logo cut-out made by Josh Marion...

Beautiful quilt made by my grandmother for the silent auction...

Photos and info on Ghana...

Introducing staff...

Getting ready to auction those paintings...

Overall, such a rewarding evening. We are supported and encouraged by so many people near and far, and so very grateful for the chance to share and celebrate what the Lord is doing in our lives.

Well, the end is in sight. Two more days until the Mercy Project Art Auction, and we could not be more excited. We have some really amazing things planned to share with the 164 attendees. All the last minute preparations are coming together, and it's going to be a great evening of celebrating the things God has been doing through Mercy Project.

"Last minute preparations" equates to finishing a painting for me. I haven't quite wrapped this one up, but here's a little glimpse at what I've been up to. The piece is about the transformation that we desire for each child on the lake in Ghana. Hopefully it will all come together tonight... or tomorrow...

********

Speaking of Ghana, we leave two weeks from today for our next trip! We're taking a group of 15 over this time around to help implement the next economic development project. This will be our first run at aquaculture as well as in our first village with trafficked kids, Adovepke. The second half of the week will be spent working/teaching/playing at a children's rehabilitation shelter where the kids will go when they come off the lake.

Each day leading up to the trip, all our group members are reading and reflecting on Micah 6:6-8. A verse I've read so many times and yet is still as powerful as the first time I heard it. If you've never had a child recite this verse to you, find one you can teach it to; it'll provide a new perspective and change the way you think about learning to be a person of justice and mercy.

I was looking back through my last few blogs posts and thought, "where have all the pictures gone"?! No one wants to just read rambling rants with no photos! So I will work on that, starting.... now. These are all Amber's pics, but I'm gathering inspiration. Here's a little outing the girls and I went on last month – our last camping trip (and maybe only, yikes!) of the season. It was still pretty warm, but we had a great time anyway.

Met out at Fort Parker about halfway between Dallas and BCS for a weekend adventure. There are adventures in which you get together and think about having adventures and then there are the actual adventures. Follow? Well, this was more like the first, though we did go on some short expedition hikes in the area. But boy, do we know how to cook some good camp meals! Amber brought the coolest cook set ever, and we put that thing to work. Combined with her awesome bonfire-building skills, Kathleen's s'mores ingredients, and my eating talents... it was one fantastic evening. And that bridge picture? Well, disregard the premature laughing on my part. Getting Callie to face the camera timer was like getting a toddler to sit still in the middle of a toy store. Cheers!

• Today is National Running Day. So go run. And then register for the BCS Marathon or Half Marathon. 10% off today with the code IHEARTRUNNING. Houston lottery opens today as well. Woohoo!

• Watch out world, I have recently joined modern technology and traded in my old school LG Encore for an iPhone. The guys at AT&T laughed at me... a lot... for still holding on to the LG. It was deserved, and I'm glad to have provided some entertainment for them. Now I just have to figure out how to use everything before this model is out of date, which was like, yesterday.

• I've been on this "learn to like new foods" kick lately. It all started with avocado. I thought it pretty ridiculous that I just didn't like it, so I started making myself eat it. While I don't love straight up guacamole (unless I'm at Fuego), I'm getting there. I certainly like the addition of avocado to salads, sandwiches, and the occasional burrito. That said, my latest project is yogurt. It's healthy and seems like something I should like to eat, right? I mean, if Jesse likes it, so should I. Now, I can't do plain-jane vanilla; that's way too invasive to the taste buds. Fruit flavors are also a bit much for me. So I've been hunting down the most random flavors to start with – basically anything that doesn't seem like yogurt, i.e. Chocolate Mousse. So the other day, I grabbed "Boston Cream Pie" (had to taste like the donut, right?) out of the fridge on my way out the door. It wasn't great, but stomach-able. However, I forgot to throw the container away and returned to my car after 2 hours in 95 degree temps. My entire car still smells like Boston Cream Pie yogurt... and I am back to square one.

• I seem to have this complex lately (lately? more like since the beginning of time...) where I want to know the end result before I'm willing to be totally at peace with current happenings. Ironic is the fact that not much else in life works like that. We don't get to the know the ending before going through the process. (Unless of course you're like me and tend to read book endings before getting past Chapter 2; but that's a whole other issue in and of itself!) I'm trying to learn to relax and enjoy the journey, to not worry as much about how it will turn out. I believe great peace can be found when we are willing to rest in not having all the answers.

• Good quote I'm liking as of late: "And when each of us looks back at all the turns and folds God has allowed in our lives, I don’t think it looks like a series of folded-over mistakes and do-overs that have shaped our lives. Instead, I think we’ll conclude in the end that maybe we’re all a little like human origami and the more creases we have, the better." – Bob Goff

• Launched the new MP website on Monday, and it is amazing! Check it out here. Our friends at The Bright Agency did a fabulous job of helping us tell the story of Mercy Project. Art Auction planning is in full swing, 10 days out from the event. I've converted our dining room into my personal painting studio. Check back for a sneak peak to see what I've been working on.

Six months ago, I moved to Bryan and started working for Mercy Project. Crazy how that 'ole time flies. In some ways, I feel like I just got here; in others, I feel as if I've always been here and the 5 year stint in Dallas has faded in the distance. There have been a lot of transitions in the last 6 months: new friends and relationships, new church, new roommates, new town, new job... basically everything. But even in all of that, I feel like it's been so right and so good. I'm being challenged in a lot of ways, and I continue to learn more about myself and the grace of God every day.

In honor of month #6, here are 6 things I'm grateful for today in relation to moving here. In no certain order:

1. Dallas Buddies: I'm grateful for friends in Dallas who continue to make an effort to live life with me. This was one of the only hang-ups for me in leaving the Metroplex. I hated the thought of losing solid relationships, even though that wasn't a deal-breaker in the decision to leave. Luckily, those friends remain a big part of my life; they encourage, support, and offer constructive criticism in the best kind of way. (May there be many more Cabin adventures ahead.)

2. ComGroup/ComChurch: I wasn't sure where I would end up going to church, but I was certainly seeking a smaller congregation that was community/family-oriented and did not separate members based on their seasons of life. I didn't find perfection, but I found a group of people that seek to journey through life together – they are in each other's homes, sharing meals, and living out the Gospel in so many ways. It's been empowering for me to share life with our small group and be surrounded by people in various stages of life. I am no longer a face in the crowd.

3. Design: Another thing I was uncertain of in leaving Dallas was giving up the chance to learn from other designers and be involved in the creative atmosphere that I was in tune with in the advertising world. While that atmosphere doesn't look anything alike here in Bryan, I have been blessed to work on design projects with others and continue to build on my skills. My first print run of 2000+ pieces is rolling out next week!

4. Work: What can I say? I'm so honored to be working for Mercy Project, to get to use my passions for something that is lasting. I've been challenged to widen my job description quite a bit, but it's provided growth and comfort zone break-out – such positive things for me. I still have a lot to learn and make my share of blunders, but I like to think/hope the end results outweigh those things. I honestly can't imagine doing anything else right now, and am so grateful for those who encouraged me to take the plunge. My life is better because of it.

5. Exploring: I'm independent, but I hate big changes. Best combo ever. But it's been fun to find new running routes, the best places to eat, various city parks, the library, and just a new norm in general. As much as I protest it, it's good for me to "reset" every now and then. I've been able to do that here, and it's been quite rewarding.

6. Small Town: I love being able to get across town in 15-20 minutes, not having to schedule a time to go to the grocery store, being able to literally run down the street to pick up Redbox or go to the Post Office. I love spending 1.5 seconds on my commute, instead of wasting 1.5 hours of each day in the car. I'm grateful for the small town culture instead of the frantic, horn-honking city attitudes. I'm grateful for neighbors whose names I know and the sheer entertainment of the older man down the street who dries his newly washed car with a leaf blower once a week. I'm grateful for welcoming roommates and that I feel so much at home here.