{ Great Adventure }

For those of you who have not yet been informed of the impending changes, my husband and I are going to pack up and head out on a great adventure. We are leaving the States and will be making our residence in Olongapo, Philippines. After much prayer and consideration, we felt Christ leading us to help an organization [ Mercy In Action ]. This adventure has been in the works for some time. When I married John, I knew I would travel the world with him. It was merely a matter of time and opportunity.

Then opportunity knocked on our door. Mercy In Action purchased property in Olongapo, and they are now in the process of setting up a maternity clinic. John and I are going to help construct their clinic and a bunkhouse, as well as plant a garden and minister to the Filipino people.

Christ has taken our journey a step further. He planted this desire to help in many hearts, and our little team of two has grown into a team of ten. Besides John and myself, eight other people have volunteered to accompany us to Olongapo. We are very excited at the prospects. It has been amazing to see Christ at work in bringing our group together.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers in this time of preparation. Just yesterday, we purchased our tickets. Our official date of departure is June 2nd, 2011, and it is fast approaching. Our fellow team members are Miriam, Elizabeth, John, Levi, Jake, Jared, Orissa, and Miji. Please keep us all in your prayers! We are going to be launching a website, johnandkelsey.com, in the near future with more information if you want to follow our progress. I'm sure I will post more on here from time to time as well...

As it is a maternity clinic, we will each be taking along an extra piece of luggage filled with supplies. If you would like to donate, Mercy In Action would greatly appreciate the following items:

• Baby hats & receiveing blankets {knitted, crocheted, or storebought, these help to keep newborn babies warm during cold nights}
• Prenatal & Multi-vitamins {to give to expecting mothers}
• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
• Gloves {sterile & non-sterile}
• Guaze Pads
• Shepherd's Purse
• Cord clamps
• IV Tubing & Needles
• 1cc & 3cc Syringes
• Sutures
• K-Y Jelly
• Chux Underpads
• Goldenseal capsules
• Iron Pills
• Alfalfa Tablets

Feel free to contact me with any questions, as I would love to answer them! I will try to keep you up-to-date with the developments as they transpire.

You Can't Take it With You...

I have been to Goodwills more than once, but tonight was the first time I have ever set foot in a Goodwill Outlet. Bins stretched across the length of the building, filled with stuff that people had cast off, articles that even Goodwill didn't want. And people loaded their carts with it, and took it home. Where it will be put to use, but in most cases, will probably sit around until someone purges it from the house.

I had a grand time with my husband, friends, and family, as we set forth with a list of items in hand. We embarked on a scavenger hunt, marking off our checklist as we rummaged through the plastic basins. When our time was up, it was interesting to see what people found, and in what shape the words we were searching for took shape in the items we had scavenged.

As we prepared to leave, I scanned the empty warehouse. So much stuff. And what doesn't sell will wind up in a dumpster, eventually filling some forsaken trash heap out in the middle of nowhere in particular. Stuff is not really made to last. And in the end, you can't take it with you. All that people strive to accumulate, wealthy or poor, it all comes down to the same thing in the end. We came into this world with nothing, and that is exactly how we leave it. No stuff.

I suppose it was just a vivid picture for me, as I surveyed all of the cast of mounds of things. Value the people and relationships in your life, and leave a legacy behind. That is so much more lasting. It is worth the time and effort.