Our Story

Our Story

We are Lacey Klassen and Michelle Maisonville; two Christian mothers privileged to go to Rwanda and Kenya with Home of Hope
from April 30-May 15, 2013. We've had an amazing experience and are happy to share it with all of you! For more information on all of the good Home of Hope is doing, please visit http://www.homeofhope.ca. Thank you so much for all of your support!

Love,
Lacey and Michelle



Monday 28 January 2013

It's Getting REAL!

Yes, I'm shouting!  I can't tell you how exciting it was to attend our first (albeit virtual) meeting with the members of our Home of Hope May 2013 team!  We received our basic agenda via email today and went over it during the meeting.  We discussed some of the wonderful things we will be able to do during our trip such as teaching young children, ministering to women, and helping care for infants in the Dream Centre.  I'm particularly excited that I've been added to the women's ministry team, which is something that has been on my heart so much, especially to work with the expectant mothers.  Lacey and I will be working together with teens, sharing our testimony and with music (wink).

We were able to communicate following the meeting with our team leader, Brian Thomson, and a couple of the ladies we'll be working with in women's ministry.  It was so wonderful to hear what they have already been doing in Rwanda and Kenya, praying with women and helping them to overcome shame and fear and embrace our Heavenly Father.

Tonight, I have a lot to think about.  We still have so much to do to prepare for our trip.  We ask for your continued prayer.  If your heart is so moved, we are still in need of donations to help us reach our financial obligations for the trip.  All funds must be in no later than April 15, 2013.  We pray that we are used for God's glory.

In closing, I'm happy to leave you with this, a video with Brian Thomson, showing some of what Home of Hope is doing in the Dream Centre.   Enjoy and God bless!!
Love,
Michelle

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Mums to Slums


I write to you today at the end of a wonderful day. Have you ever reconnected with old friends, and there is a feeling that you were never apart for long? Such was the case for me today as I re-visted my MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) group. Due to doing preschool at home, I have been unable to attend this year, but was invited back to speak about our trip to Africa. What a blessing! I have truly missed getting together with other moms in the same life stage to discuss our current struggles and (sometimes) distant dreams. 
File:Children and open sewer in Kibera.jpg
We talked a lot about the slum in Nairobi, Kenya that Michelle and I will be visiting.I have been learning a little about the slums there. About how dangerous they can be. About the open sewers. About how many people live in such a crowded area. About the despair.  But I know it is God's will that we go, and I want to be His tool, guided by His hands.  It is for His children that I want to go and not only help, but to learn from the people there. I may have grown up and live in the elite of the world, but I am well aware that these people and babies halfway across the world have much to teach me.




After a whirl wind day of being here and there, I am ready to take some time with my Maker to be still. I ask that you too do the same, and pray for those living in the slums throughout the world. Although this is normally declared at the beginning of the day, I can gladly declare that This is the Day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

FUN-draising!

Hello, All!

We've been having such a wonderful time sharing our stories with all of you.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog and follow us on Facebook!  We are in the process of putting together an online auction, which most likely will take place on Facebook.  We have already received a donation of four massage gift certificates from Dawn at Living Earth Massage.  I will be donating gift certificates for birth doula services, good for services in Lethbridge and surrounding areas.  Lacey has been busy making amazing crafts such as princess gowns, boy's ties and children's felt alphabet magnets.  We're looking for other Lethbridge-area businesses who may be interested in donating an item or two to help us raise funds for our mission trip. Our hope is to have the auction take place in time for you to purchase gifts for your loved ones for Valentine's Day. If you or someone you know may be interested, please email either Lacey or myself by Wednesday, January 30th .  Thank you so much!!

Love,
Michelle

Monday 21 January 2013

Giving Thanks, Looking Forward

Poster designed by Sydne Maisonville, age 9.
It's been a whole week since we've posted on the blog and what a week it was!  Thursday, January 17th started out with Lacey and I on the morning show with Charles Sciortino on 98.1 CKVN.  Thank you so much to Charles and the staff at CKVN for welcoming us into the studio and helping us to share our story with Lethbridge!

After my family and I left the station, we were en route to Great Falls, Montana, USA, where I am originally from, for a memorial service for one of my old friends.  It was a bittersweet day.  While I know it may seem to have little to do with our mission here for Home of Hope, I wanted to share a little bit of my experience here as it really impacted me.

I had heard about my friend's passing on Friday, January 11th.  It was the birthday of my former Sunday School teacher, who had also passed, and I had been taking the day to remember her.  The news of my friend's death threw me for a loop and I immediately sank into overwhelming grief.  I began looking back at all of the memories I had of him.  The more I thought, the more I cried and at one point, I almost felt as though the part of my life that included him was also gone.  It was very painful and I spent the next several days trying to work through my grief and focus on our planning for our mission trip.

When my husband and I arrived at the chapel for my friend's celebration of life, we did not expect a Christian service.  My friend was an amazingly eclectic person, but not one that I had remembered subscribing to one religion.  We were pleasantly surprised when his cousin, who led the service, began to speak.  He was a Christian and related to the Lord many times in his speech.  It was a comfort to our hearts.

Here is where I began to see the correlation between my friend's passing, or rather his life, and our work with Home of Hope. My friend had a big heart.  He saw no race, no gender, no life circumstances.  He did not seek out the richest, the most beautiful, or the most perfect people.  He loved genuinely and with his whole heart.  He looked not at the outside, but to the soul.

My friend's cousin so gently pointed out that there was once another man on this earth who did the same.  A man who sat with prostitutes, visited the homes of the tax collectors, and beckoned even the smallest of the small to come unto Him.  He is our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

No, I do not compare Jesus to a mortal man; rather, I see how we as Christians can embody His goodness. How we should strive to take on His character more everyday.

I lost a friend; but, I gained the Godly eye salve to see what I could be...what we all can be.  God has used this experience to change my heart, to open it and to let His love radiate through me.  I do not need to look back with sorrow, but rather look forward with joy in knowing that God can use me and you to share His love with the world.  It doesn't have to be a large production.  It doesn't have to be difficult.  All our Lord is asking is for us to open our hearts to those in need.  They could be our neighbors or they could be worlds away in Africa.  It all begins with a smile, a cup of coffee, or a listening ear.

Thank you again for your support of our journey.  God bless you all!

Love,
Michelle

Monday 14 January 2013

Sharing God's Love

I am happy to be posting for the first time ever on a blog! The purpose of my post today is to explain a little bit about who I am, and why I want to go to Africa.

For those who don't know me, I grew up in the Lethbridge area and have been a Christian for my whole life. I was blessed to be raised in a home where I was taught about God and His love for mankind. Two years ago, God called us to our local mission at Streets Alive. Through a few miraculous events, God made it clear that He wanted us to serve there. I have learned lots, but have so much more to learn about showing God's love! A little over a year ago I heard a message by Brian Thomson - the director of Home of Hope. As soon as he talked about how they were rescuing babies from a dump in Kenya, I knew I wanted to go and help. We had two little girls at the time and were expecting our third child. I have never considered myself a "natural born" mom, and God has taught me much about loving my kids. I believe that He has taught me this not just for my own kids, but to show God's love to orphans and widows too. I want to live James 1:27 and visit the orphans and widows. This trip to Africa will most likely be my only chance to go as a wet nurse, and I am excited to do so.

I have asked God if it is His will that I go on this trip, and He answered me with an undoubtable YES! He has also designed it so that I cannot pay my own way to go, so I have to trust Him. Thank you for this opportunity God! You are my biggest supporter!

Monday 7 January 2013

All Hands on Deck!

...Praying hands, that is.  We're asking you to be a part of our prayer team.  As we work hard to prepare for our mission trip, evil spirits will work hard to try to deter us from doing God's work.  Will you help us?  Areas where we could use prayer are:

  • Strength - We need strength to work toward reaching our goal of serving in Rwanda and Kenya.  We also need strength to battle against negative influences that may try to shift our focus.  We need strength to handle what we will face in Africa and the sorrow and tragedy we may see.
  • Health - Prayers that we are healthy as we prepare for our trip and while we are on it.  We will be doing our best to take preventative measures against the prevalent illnesses of the area with vaccinations, etc.  Please also pray for the health of our families and our fellow missionaries.
  • Protection - Please pray for protection for ourselves and our fellow mission workers while we travel and are in Rwanda and Kenya as well as the protection of the loved ones we leave behind.
  • Blessing - Please pray that we can be of good service and a blessing to all those we meet and work with in Africa
  • Financial Miracles - We are working hard to fund raise for our trip and organize all finances necessary to be a part of this mission. Please pray for financial miracles for us so that our trip may be fully funded and any monetary burdens to be lifted.
Once again, thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Blessings to you all with much love,
Michelle

Sunday 6 January 2013

Necessary Things

First of all, thank you so much for your amazing response to our undertaking!  We have been so touched by your words, pledges of financial support, and above all your promises of prayer.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting some of the items currently needed by the projects we will be assisting with in Rwanda and Kenya.

One item that has come to our attention is desperately needed in the Dream Centre housing the rescued infants in Kenya.  The children there are cloth diapered and their diaper covers are in poor condition.  If you have any gently used diaper covers, "seconds," or extra covers that you no longer need, we would be happy to take them with us to the Dream Centre. Please email Michelle or Lacey or post on our Facebook Event and we will provide you with an address to send these items to.  *Please note: We are located in Canada, so extra postage may apply.

God Bless You!

Love,
Michelle

Thursday 3 January 2013

Why Africa?

Thank you so much for visiting our blog.  I'd like to begin by giving you a little background into why I personally feel so strongly about embarking upon a mission trip to Africa - specifically Rwanda and Kenya - this Spring 2013.

When I was growing up, we had visiting ministers come to our church several times a year.  Many of them had worked in "far off lands" like India, Africa and Asia.  I would fight to sit close to these people of God and listen to their stories of the mission work that they did.  One story particularly touched my heart, even as a little girl, and I've never forgotten it.

Somewhere in Africa, I'm not completely sure of the country, there was a place where children were taken and murdered.  A trough ran to a body of water and it spilled over as a river of blood.

I prayed often for these children and their lost souls.  From my early childhood on, I felt a strong connection to infants and expectant mothers.  In my adulthood, after my own children were born, I found my calling as a certified birth doula and I now work helping families welcome newborns into their homes.  

I try to keep abreast of women's and children's issues worldwide and advocate for better healthcare during the childbearing year.  Still, I was shocked when my longtime friend, Lacey Klassen, told me about what was happening in Kenya.  Newborn children are being thrown away in a city dump. Home of Hope is working to rescue these children and have set up the Dream Centre, where children are fed and cared for.  Yet, with so many children being left in the dump, Home of Hope has their hands full caring for them and needs volunteers to help with feeding, educating and supporting expectant mothers, and even simply holding and loving these sweet little ones.  

After months of praying and talking things over with my husband and my two children, I feel compelled to go to Kenya and Rwanda to assist Home of Hope in their efforts.  I know that there may be dangers, but I do not fear.  I know the Lord is with us and He will protect us.  I dream of the faces of infants and children.  I dream of their mothers in their desperation.  A piece of my heart is in Africa and I know a bigger piece of my heart will be left there when I return from mission work.  

Dear family, friends and supporters, I ask for your prayers.  Pray for the children.  Pray for Home of Hope.  Pray for Lacey and me in our efforts to raise funds to go to Africa and, above all, pray for our safe travels.  We look forward to sharing our journey with you.  We are so thankful for your continued support!  

God Bless You All!

Love,
Michelle