Recently Jane, a friend of our ministry and adoptive mother, contacted us regarding her daughter who was turning 16 years old.  Usually, the family doesn’t do big birthday celebrations but this year was going to be differente because her daughter Jaqueline wanted to have a party and instead of asking for gifts for herself, wanted everyone to bring a donation for our children.  Here’s the letter she sent out to friends and family:

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that you will join us in celebrating my 16th birthday.  I am thankful to be celebrating with you here in the United States.  I am blessed to have such a great family and friends that have accepted me when I joined the family through adoption.

There really isn’t anything I want or need for my birthday.  I am thankful for what I already have.  So, in honor of my birthday, I would like to help other children that were not as fortunate as me.  There are many children that were left behind in Guatemala without a family to call their own.  In addition there are many that are starving, have no shoes, clothes, or shelter.

I will be traveling to Guatemala on January 18th… While I am in Guatemala, I will have the opportunity to help other children in need.  I plan to spend time at Hope For Tomorrow orphanage.  My plan is to buy things the kids need and take them out for a day of fun.  Hopefully we can have a pizza party for them, go bowling, or anything else that we can arrange.

So, instead of a birthday present for me, I hope that you might consider contributing to my cause to that together, we can help those who were left behind.

Love,

Jacqueline

What an amazing story of self sacrifice and willingness to serve others.  In the words of her mother, “I am SO PROUD of her for wanting to do this.  She could get a lot of gifts/money at her party but she is willing to forgo that all for other children in Guatemala.”

Fast forward a few weeks and Jaqueline, her sister Karly, and her mother Jane were down in Guatemala celebrating with our children.  Through her birthday party she raised more than $1000 and with that money bought our children school supplies, clothes, and some wonderful gifts for Miguel’s 14th birthday (like an iPod nano!!).  But by far the best part of it all was taking all the children out with the family.  On a Saturday morning we packed the kids in the van and went bowling!  This is one activity we had never done before and the children were really excited.  After bowling and some pizza, we were all still excited and full of adrenaline so before heading home we took a detour to the park and spent some time there just hanging out and playing.  The entire day was incredible and the children had a blast.

We are all so thankful to people like Jaqueline who have put the children of our Home before their own personal wants or desires.  Being able to witness these incredible acts of kindess and grace is encouraging, not to mention the wonderful examples they are for our own children.  We pray that they will learn from people like Jaqueline what it means to “love your neighbor”.  Thank you Jaqueline for your passion, your sacrifice, and the example you are.

Here are some pictures from our bowling adventure.

We are always looking for unique ways for people to support our ministry and with the help of a few friends (Susie, Christy, and Mary Louise), we have come up with the best yet: our Online Gift Catalog.  If you are looking for a unique way to give a gift to a friend or loved one, look no further than our gift catalog.  Our gift catalog has multiple gifts at different prices that all benefit the children of Hope For Tomorrow.  It’s a perfect way to give a gift that will not only bring a genuine smile to the recipient’s face but also impacts the lives of orphaned children in Guatemala.  Not to mention it saves you the time and trouble of searching for something he or she probably already has.  It’s a win win!

After choosing your gift, you also have the option of personalizing a card that explains the impact their gift has on our ministry.  It’s easy to email or print and is the perfect complement to the gift you have given.

To see our gift catalog, just click here or go to www.hope4tomorrow.net/gifts/

Of course, you can always continue to make an online donation or sponsor a child.  Our online gift catalog is just one more way  for you to support our children.

One final idea is to combine a Hope Birthday with our Online Gift Catalog.   The next time you have a birthday or anniversary party, instead of requesting gifts, point people to our online gift catalog and have them purchase their gifts for you there.  A Hope Birthday and our Online Gift Catalog is a match made in heaven!

After driving more than 3000 miles over two weeks, I am back, and what an incredible trip. Over the entirety of my travels I saw the Lord answering the prayer requests I had asked people to be lifting up. I had wonderful travels to and from the States and even as I drove from State to State, I saw God’d protection. Each visit with the churches and small groups that had been lined up went off wonderfully and it was a pleasure to share with them about our ministry and children. Honestly, things couldn’t have gone better. And despite the long trip, the late nights and early mornings, and being away from my beautiful wife for an extended time, I returned from the US refreshed and rested. Thank you all for your prayers and support during this trip. Thank you for helping to set up the numerous meetings and speaking engagements. Thank you to all the host families that allowed me to stay the night in their homes. Finally, thank you to all the churches that gave me time to share about our ministry. God bless you all!

See a recap of my travels, photos, and even an interactive map.

Most people don’t look very forward to their 50^th birthday. I was certainly one of those people. However, my 50^th birthday turned out to be a red letter day for me. Co-Founder of Hope for Tomorrow, Brenda Riddle worked with my family and friends to throw me a surprise party that I will long remember. Around 50 of my family, friends, and co-workers surprised me at the Alumni House at the University of Kentucky on April 28^th. We had wonderful hors devours, birthday cake, and a special slide show developed by my “longest” friend, Rita Rector. The biggest surprise of the evening was a special performance by my second family; the children of Hope for Tomorrow. They sang “Happy Birthday” to me in both Spanish and English. The children prepared a choreographed dance for me and each child introduced him or herself to my friends in Lexington. I felt so blessed to share this important day with my entire family. In honor of the occasion, Brenda asked that attendees make a donation to Hope for Tomorrow in lieu of birthday gifts. I am excited to report that my HOPE Birthday party raised nearly $2,000 for the children’s home.

This was not the first HOPE Birthday party in my family. When our son Kendall turned 11, he decided to forego gifts and asks friends to make a donation in his honor to Hope for Tomorrow. With the help of party-planner and steering committee member Diane Haynes, we had a carnival at my sister’s farm and invited his entire 5^th grade class. The children played “roulette”, corn hole, and other carnival games. In return for their success at the games, children earned tickets that they could “cash in” at the store we set up. There they could “buy” candy, toys, and trinkets with their tickets. At Kendall’s party, $400 was raised.

If you are looking for a creative way to celebrate someone’s special birthday, consider a Hope Birthday Party. It is a wonderful way to honor someone’s commitment to children in a way they will never forget. Please contact any of us on the steering committee if you need ideas!

Jennifer's 50th Birthday Invitation

Kendall's HOPE Birthday Party

The 3rd annual Southern Illinois fundraiser for special donors to Hope for Tomorrow was held June 18 at the home of Marty and Deb McMorrow hosted by board member Lori Kubes and Deb.  Music by Blue Afternoon entertained the guests.  Each year in attendance we have several families who had adopted children from Guatemala or other countries and understand the need to support children in orphanages.  Deb was able to share photos and stories from her visit to Hope for Tomorrow in February with founders Brenda Riddle and Jennifer Grisham Brown.  ”In order to support the remarkable commitment of these two women and the beautiful bright children served by Hope for Tomorrow, we need to continue our fundraising efforts. Having some hand in helping to preserve a child’s future is a priceless gift,” said Deb.  Guests at the fundraiser were impressed by the great staff, home environment and the “family” ties that each child has with one another.  This was especially timely to be able to talk about now the 2 new children welcomed into the family.

Another fundraiser is in the planning for the fall in Southern Illinois to be held at one of the many local wineries.

We were having so much fun we forgot to take the picture until the very end when we were cleaning up

Deb McMorrow, fundraiser organizer, with Carlos during her February trip to Hope For Tomorrow

More than a month has gone by since our last update and as you probably guessed, we’ve all been very busy.  The majority of the absence was due to my trip to the States in early November.  The entire trip was geared around sharing Hope For Tomorrow with different churches and ministries, trying to get the word out there about the work we are doing with orphaned children, and share I did!  Over the course of 10 days, I was able to speak 12 different times totaling more than 1500 people that heard testimonies and stories of the Lord’s work in our children and ministry.  And the response was unbelievable!  People shook their heads in disbelief as I shared about our baby Moses being abandoned on the streets.  They applauded as I shared about Carlos’ incredible physical progress.  They cried when they heard about Miguel’s incredible academic achievements despite seemingly overwhelming obstacles.  Hearts were stirred and people were awaken to the problems so many orphans face not only at Hope For Tomorrow but around the world.

On top of the general excitement, churches and people jumped on board to support us through prayer, sending groups to Guatemala, and providing financially for our children.  In fact, we’ve got a pretty full line up in 2011 of churches that want to come serve at our Children’s Home!  It was incredible to able to connect with so many people that have truly passionate hearts for serving God.

Taking advantage of the fact that I was in the States, Brenda, Jennifer, and I got a lot of face to face time in.  We usually communicate through email or Skype, but being able to sit across from someone and talk is so important…and refreshing!  During our numerous meetings, we were able to plan and discuss many important items, including the vision for 2011 and beyond.  One of focus areas for next year that we are really excited about is our individual long term volunteer program.  After Rebecca, our first long term volunteer, came this year and did such an awesome job working with our children, we thought about how wonderful it would be to have long term  volunteers (think 1 month or more)come down on a regular basis.  I’ll be writing about this more at a later date, but basically we are gearing up to begin receiving volunteers that can come and support our ministry here in Guatemala!

Overall, the trip was a complete success and we couldn’t be happier with everything we were able to accomplish.  A lot of that success is due to the participation of so many people.  There is so much thanks to go around but here are some of the big ones:

A special thanks to:

• Donna for donating her frequent flyer miles for my trip there. The entire trip was made possible by this donation.
• Lisa and Randy for picking me up from the airport at 11:30 pm at night…and then driving an hour to their house!!!
• Scott for loaning me his van to get around in and for taking me back to the airport at 3:30 in the morning!
• Jennifer, Paul, and Kendall for opening their home for me.  It was my home away from home.
• Paul for cooking incredible meals.  I think I gained 10 lbs in 10 days!  Totally worth it!
• Brenda for being there through it all.
• Everyone that helped set up my speaking engagements.
• All of the great people I met who donated financially to our home.
• The Alter Church and Hope Community Church for wonderful Christmas gifts they donated to our children.
• All the churches, bible studies, and people who allowed me to share about our ministry.
• My Mom for taking me shopping.
• Everyone that prayed for my travels!  Thank you!  I had no problems at all!
• And finally, my beautiful wife Diana, who sacrificed 12 whole days, but who also stepped up and filled in for me at the Children’s Home.

All of you (and others) made this trip possible and I am eternally grateful.

God bless,

Kenneth

Next week I will have the privilege of being able to travel to the Kentucky and speak at a number of churches about the amazing things that are happening at Hope For Tomorrow Children’s Home.  Already the schedule we have put together is pretty hectic, but we’re hoping more opportunities will fall into place in the coming days.  I’d like to personal ask that you be praying for this trip as it’s going to be a unique opportunity for all of us.   Please pray for safe travels as I go to and from various places throughout the two weeks I will be there.  Also pray that I will have wisdom as I speak to the different churches I will be going to.  Finally, pray that the trip will be a success!

Below is the itinerary we have put together so you can track me and pray for me specifically as I travel.

Finally, if you live in the Kentucky area and would like to get a group of friends together and come over and share or would like me to speak to your church group, feel free to email me (ksese@hope4tomorrow.net) to set it up.

Thanks and God bless!!

Kenneth’s US Trip Schedule

Tuesday 2

11:00 PM – Arrive in Louisville

Wednesday 3

6:30 PM – The Alter (Lawrenceburg)

Thursday 4

1:30 PM – Meeting with Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church (Lexington)

Friday 5

12:30 PM – Meeting with Church of the Savior (Lexington)

5:30 PM – Chili Dinner @ Good Shepherd (Lexington)

8:30 PM – Drive to Cincinnati (Time with Mom)

Saturday 6

All Day – Mom

Sunday 7

8:30 AM – Hope Church (Frankfort)

9:30 AM – SFPC (Frankfort)

11:00 AM – Hope Church (Frankfort)

3:00 PM – Drive to Muldraugh

6:00 PM – Muldraugh Baptist Church (Muldraugh)

Monday 8

OPEN

Tuesday 9

OPEN

Wednesday 10

5:00 PM – Immanuel Baptist Church (Lexington)

Thursday 11

OPEN

Friday 12

6:00 PM – Possible Dinner at Nathaniel’s Church

Saturday 13

10:30 AM Fundraiser @ Elizabeth’s Home (Lexington)

Sunday 14

Leave for Guatemala