Hello...Hello...Hello

I can't help but in-vision those other hello's as echos through an empty forest, since it's been so long since I have done anything with this blog.  But a steroid shot that keeps you up all night will do funny things to a person! :) So I thought hey why not!!!  Man stuff is easier to update & design since the last time I did stuff. That's fantastic!!!  Before I launch into any sort of large post & update of our lives...is there anyone else still in the forest who heard my echo by chance?  Anyone still there???

I sure have missed you friends!!!

Cass

Family Photos 2012

I am so excited because we finally have some new family photos! It's been almost 2 years & we were due for some new ones. So my sweet friend Sarah who is starting up her photography business took them for us. I love how they turned out & can't wait to get some printed. In the mean time here are a several of my favorites!

Cass

Happy 30th Birthday!

It's that time of the year again.

The day that we as adults just wish would pass us by like any other day.

It's my Birthday.

And not just any birthday.

It's my 30th birthday!

I can honestly say I have been dreading this birthday for at least a year or 2. I am no longer going to be in my 20's now it's my 30's! How did that happen? I swear just yesterday I was dying to graduate high school & now 30! My hubby is a few years older than me so when he turned 30 & HATED it, I teased him relentlessly. Now my day has come, but I will continue to remind him he will always be older than me! :)

While part of me has truly been dreading this day another part of me is SO READY! I feel like these next few years God has something BIG in store for me, even if I can't see it all clearly now. For the first time in my life I am finding things that I am passionate about, other than my husband & children. Part of the reason I never finished college was that I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up other than a wife & mom. Now I still can't say for sure what I want to be. But I know WHO I want to be. And that's exciting!!! :) I am so looking forward to seeing what God is doing & going to do through me. And the beautiful thing is I am ready now at 30 & I wasn't at 25 or even 28.

But 30?

Yep I am ready!

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Cass

Fear

What is fear? According to Webster Dictionary it is...

FEAR:

transitive verb

1 archaic : frighten

2 archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)

3: to have a reverential awe of (God)

4: to be afraid of : expect with alarm

intransitive verb

: to be afraid or apprehensive

This perfectly describes my state of mind the last few days. But before I go into the fear I need to back up & give you the full story...

Since David started on staff at SMBC more than 2 yrs ago I have heard about an amazing company called Freeset, from a sweet friend Kristi who works with them. (I have even blogged about them before here!) Freeset is a company based out of India that makes beautiful handmade jute bags. But what makes them even more beautiful are the hands that make them. They are made by women who have been rescued from prostitution. These women stand shoulder to shoulder on the streets of India to sell their bodies to whatever man will buy them. This is how they support their families & feed their children. Freeset will take these women off the street teach them how to sew these bags which gives them an honest way to provide for their family. They give them a fair wage, medical, retirement, they teach them about sanitation, but most importantly they teach them about how much God loves them!!!! How amazing!!!!!! Life changing!! This has become something I am so passionate about! And I have been saying that I know God has things planned for me with Freeset. I said "Lord use me!" Little did I know...

In talking with Kristi I knew there was a possibility of another trip to India this year. And I knew God was working on my heart to go. He kept bringing it up over & over & over again. My God is a relentless God, knowing full well how stubborn I am. I just continued to pray & think on it never mentioning it to anyone, even my hubby. Then one day I finally knew submitted to God & KNEW He has called me to go on this trip to India. And I am excited. I am pumped! Then this is where Satan comes in & starts to lay fear into my head.

"You can't do this!"

"Why do you think God wants to use you?"

"You come from the middle class, Bible belt, church raised, food always on the table, SAHM, Ministers wife, women's ministry passionate life! How you ever think you are going to relate to those women?"

(Yes he says it just like that with a-tti-tude!)

"What about flying? You know how much you HATE to fly, how you think you gonna get on a plane? Do you remember the last time you flew? Oh that was a sight!!!"

(again with the a-tti-tude!)

"MONEY! How do you think you can afford to come up with the money for this trip? Your still trying to sell your other house, just getting out of debt & now this? Ain't never gonna happen crazy!"

I could go on & on & on. These are all thoughts that have continued to run through my head the past few days. And I am ashamed to say I have let Satan get his foot in there. He is letting the fear creep in & I am falling into it.

I love how God works, I started writing this post in 1 frame of mind & ending it in another. In a good way! :) One thing that keeps jumping out at me is something Kristi actually said to me. I asked her if she ever gets nervous about her husband traveling so much. And her response was "Not really because the reality is he is safer over there in God's will than he would be here out of God's will." I want to be in God's will. My God does not call me to be fearful...

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light & my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear & timidity, but of power, love, & self-discipline."

My God has called me to go to India.

Would you pray?

Pray for peace for me.

Pray for peace for my family.

Pray for the support to come in.

Pray for the small details that have to get worked out.

Pray for the big details that have to get worked out.

Please Pray!

Cass

On a side note...this happens not only in India but here in our own backyard. You think it doesn't in your town but it does! Just this week a massage parlor here in Birmingham was invaded by police & found women who had been trafficked in from other countries. It happens here too & it disgust me. All you have to do is google the statistics of sex trafficking in the USA & you will be astonished at the numbers. And not only that but how few laws we have to protect these women. Get educated & get involved!

Moses

This week our church has been participating in a fantastic event called Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). It's a group that goes in to churches or other places & provides ingredients for people to mix together & then package in a sealed bag. We mix dried chicken, dehydrated veggies, soy & rice into one bag & each bag holds enough for 6 meals. These meals are then shipped to 3rd world countries like Uganda or Haiti to feed the hungry. Our goal this year is 500,000 meals & we are well on our way to hitting that goal! (UPDATE: We hit 545,400 meals total!!! That's enough to feed 1,494 children for 1 year!! PTL!!!!!!) It's such a great time of fellowship but also knowing that these meals will wind up in the hands of kids who desperately need them! I have had the privilege of working on this event with other staff (Susan & Amy) from the beginning & working every session. It's exhausting but incredibly rewarding at the same time! Below is a post I did on our Women's Ministry blog about a unexpected surprise we had on Thursdays session. Enjoy!!!!

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What an unexpected surprise we had this morning during our 10-12 AM session of Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)! We had a group from Shades Mountain Christian School come pack along side our Senior Adults. One of the teachers brought his wife & son with him to see how the meals are packed. During the conversation with them we found out that their son was recently adopted from Uganda in June. He was abandoned at birth & then placed in an orphanage at 1 month old. He was found in a basket under a tree so the workers named him Moses. His tribal name also meant blessing from God! How amazing to see the hand of God on this precious boy! While in the orphanage the children were sometimes feed meals just like FMSC. While there is no way of knowing if in fact they were from FMSC, we do know that FMSC does provide meals in the same area of Uganda where Moses was.

It was such an amazing testimony to be able to see a child that was feed a meal exactly like we were packing! To hear from his parents how much it meant to them to do something like this & to see how much he has grown since coming home. He has gained 14 lbs & grown 4 inches! AMAZING! We were able to get a few pictures of Moses for you to enjoy! He is so cute & such a delight!

Moses loved "driving" the forklift with Mr. David Forehand

This picture was right after Moses found the horn on the forklift!

Moses with Susan Forehand meeting Keith & Marla Habermas.

Moses helping to label bags.

Moses listening to his Dad (Josh Caldwell) telling him about these meals & how he used to eat them in the orphanage.

Moses & his Dad!

Moses with his Mom (Stacey Caldwell)!

Precious Moses holding up a finished bag that will end up in the hands of another child who needs it!

Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

~Cass

Freedom

Sex trafficking. Human trade. Slavery. Forced labor.

Words that we think we don't have to worry about. Those are things that happen in "those other countries". NO this is happening in our country. In our cities. In our own backyard. It's staggering when you start to learn about sex trafficking.

*There are 27 million people in slavery today. (Ncadv.org)

*There are more slaves today then there were African American slaves & the country went to war over that outrage.

*80% of trafficked victims are female. (Ncadv.org)

*Human trafficking is the 3rd most profitable criminal activity, only behind drugs & arms trafficking. (Ncadv.org)

*Between 2001-2005 only 140 people were convicted of human trafficking in U.S. courts. (Ncadv.org)

*Every 2 minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation. (UNICEF)

*The human trafficked buisness is reportly a 32 billion dollar a YEAR buisness. (Multiple sites)

Yes it does happen in other countries like India where the women stand shoulder to shoulder EVERY DAY waiting for a man to come by & pick them out. This is all they know. This is how they feed their children. This is how they survive. How horrible. Thankfully there are some people taking notice like a company that I happen to LOVE, Freeset that take these women off the street, teach them how to sew jute bags. Pay them fair wages, give them health insurance, retirement, dignity. How amazing!!!! I happen to be friends with Kristi who does a lot of work for them & have been blessed to even help her from time to time sell these bags. Kristi is doing a special posting on her site every Friday to learn about fair trade. Be sure to check her out to learn more!

I have been blessed by the women of Freeset without ever meeting one of them, without ever stepping foot in India, I am forever changed by these women. Check out Freeset & support Freedom! You get a cute bag & you give a woman a chance to provide for her family with something other than her body. You can also go here to check your Slavery footprint. You might be surprised! Get involved. Get educated! It only takes 1 person to change the world!!!!

Psalm 9:9 "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

Cass

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Cass