Sponsorship Director

ashley@justiceandmercy.org

Ashley graduated from Murray State University with a bachelor’s degree in English Education, and Trevecca Nazarene University with a masters degree in Educational Leadership.  She has a heart and passion for teenagers, and was a high school teacher for five years before joining the JMI team.  After her first trip to Moldova in 2007, Ashley’s heart was awakened to the desperate needs of orphans there.  She is excited to be serving with JMI and to be part of what God is doing in Moldova and throughout the world.

Alex Derry

Administrative Assistant

alex@justiceandmercy.org

Alex Derry is originally from Franklin, TN and graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Marketing. For the last two years Alex has been serving as a Student Ministry Intern at Rolling Hills Community Church. However, this year Alex will be joining JMI as the new Administrative Assistant. Alex will be managing JMI’s accounts receivable and payable systems while assisting Ashley with the International Sponsorship programs. He has been passionate about missions since a very young age and is excited to be a part of JMI as they work towards changing lives by confronting global injustice.

Haiti Mission Trip! (March 31 – April 5)

The country of Haiti continues to lie in the ruins of the earthquake that, in seconds, took the lives of a quarter million people. http://justiceandmercy.org/serving/haiti)

As predicted, many of the social service agencies that rushed in to help have since moved on to other catastrophes and fresher headlines.  The political corruption and superstition that have plagued the country for decades tends to suck the hope out of its people as well as the less committed of her “good Samaritans.”

The best hope for Haiti rests with her children!  JMI will link arms this year with The Joseph School project and the Children of Hope Orphanage and Hospice.  Both of these organizations share our belief that children who are undergirded with love, resources, a superior education, a model of integrity and a foundation of faith in Christ, represent the best opportunity to lead Haiti from despair to a viable, more prosperous society.

Our goals for this mission are as follow:

1. Every school age child will memorize and internalize Ps. 23 through the coordinated teaching of English and a VBS program oriented to that theme
2. Every child will be interviewed for inclusion in a JMI sponsorship program modeled after the one we’ve used successfully in Moldova

In addition to these objectives, and dependent largely on the skill levels represented by our team, we may work on constructing a home for an impoverished family and providing some medical care within the community.

Haiti represents an excellent opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a work that can change the country.  The price tag on this trip ($1700) is less than all of our other international mission trips.

Haitians are the poor in spirit.  They are the meek.  Theirs are the desolate and forgotten children of the Savior who promises never leave to them nor forsake them.  And we.…you and I….we are either the good Samaritans who rescue the beaten down, deliver them to a place of healing and safety and promise to return to cover all their additional needs….or we are not.

There is a pathway around Haiti, worn down by people who choose to look the other way.  If you have the eyes to see, please contact steve@justiceandmercy.org.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.  If you followed along with my blog of last year’s trip, you will remember that we:

• were greeted by the battle of the raging baggage porters at the airport,
• suffered van problems before we were even out of the parking lot and wound up stranded for an hour at night at a convenience store with armed guards patrolling the premises,
•  were in Jacmel at the height of the cholera epidemic there,
• were enlisted to provide round the clock care for infants and cook for ourselves when staff were dismissed due to cholera in their homes,
• were unable to return to the airport on our departure date due to the political frustration and turmoil that led to vigilante road blockages and the airport closure, and
• were flown out days later than scheduled by a good Samaritan with a 6-seater private plane!

I guess I can’t really explain my own passion to return any more than I can explain why two members of Rolling Hills Community Church – Chris and Kate Suitter – who were “newbies” on their first mission trip last year (and more than a little freaked out by what we encountered, I might add) have since sold a home in prayerful anticipation that they might be afforded a future opportunity to serve full time in Haiti!
What else but the Spirit of God can create such a miraculous affection?  The same Spirit that accepts the unacceptable….that loves the unlovable….that forgives the unforgivable!  The same God who paved Paul’s way with shipwrecks, snakebites and beatings in addition to turning the world upside down for The Way!

The same Christ who beckons us to take up his cross and follow him!…”Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame!”

This coming Sunday (January 22nd) at 12:45 p.m. after church, you are invited to meet with me at the Bunganut Pig on Columbia Ave. to hear about this year’s trip.  (If you’re out of the area and would like to receive information on the trip, please write me:  steve@justiceandmercy.org - everyone is welcome!).  We’ll have lunch together and make our plans.  And in a few short months, we’ll see if our plans came anywhere close to his!

If there is any truth to the notion of God being especially present on behalf of the children, blessed poor and vulnerable, Haiti is a mission opportunity you MUST seriously consider.  The trip has come together more quickly than anticipated and calls for a trusting and unwavering commitment.

The cost of the trip is $1700, and for that I can promise you an extraordinary experience with Christ and his orphaned children and the company of other volunteers that share your desire to serve sacrificially.  Be on the front end of something bigger than yourself and discover more about the purpose God has for you in this life!

PLAYING FATHER CHRISTMAS IN MOLDOVA:  What I’ve Learned About God

It’s Friday in Moldova and I’m suiting up in anticipation of making my surprise appearance to a room full of orphans in Falesti.

My first experience as a European Santa imposter came on Thursday when our mission team visited the orphanage in Drochia. That morning, as we were doing “ice-breaker” activities with them, at least 3 little girls responded to the question, “If you could spend a day with anyone, who would you choose?” with the answer, “Father Christmas.” Suddenly the gravity of my little part in this brief and happy charade has begun to hit home.

As I make my auspicious entrance into the door at the back of the room and kids begin to become aware of my jingling presence, the excitement mounts and is electric. At this point, I sense their interest is directed toward my jolly old soul rather than the sack of gifts I’m toting over my shoulder. I know that most of them recognize the eyes behind the beard because they’ve known me for years now, but I still feel the sense of newfound celebrity.

With the help of a few of my entourage of elves I begin to pass out the assortment of gifts our team has carried across the ocean.

With every gift I hand off, I am struck by conflicting emotions:  the joy of giving that is matched, at least momentarily, by the anticipation on their faces versus the queasy feeling in my stomach that our gifts, once opened, won’t deliver on the full expectation of their impact. And since I, as Father Christmas, am the delivery agent, I sense that my celebrity status is now in real jeopardy!

In retrospect, I wonder if this experience is the bittersweet bread that we force-feed our Lord on a daily basis.  Is He the gift we crave or are we more interested in what He has for us in His promising bag of gifts?  And how must He feel knowing that, even the most satisfying of those gifts will fade in importance over the years, perhaps ending up in the warehouse of our discarded, once precious memories?

Playing Father Christmas is teaching this dimmest of disciples how shallow the stream of my faith runs and how wise is the Father who yearns for us to love Him more than we love what He can do for us!

You are invited to JMI’s FEAST OR FAMINE Dinner Wednesday, November 16^th at 6 p.m.

There are few things as hard in life as staring into the eyes of a hungry person.

Most of us – even, if not especially, followers of Christ – reflexively look away.  Why do we do that?  For me, it is a combination of things.  The expectation of being asked for money….the awkwardness of engaging someone who doesn’t look or smell or behave like the people I hang out with….the feeling that I’m being snookered or that my money will be used for purposes other than food.

But I wonder if there are even deeper things going on within me?….things that I may so greatly fear that I can barely access them?….things that will “expose” me to, not only the world, but to myself and to my Lord?!  Perhaps it’s my greed or my pride.  Maybe it’s the voice inside my soul that says, “Had you been born to different parents or in a different country, that could have been you, and may yet one day be!”

The fact is that we are called to be our brother’s keeper and, deep down inside, we don’t want to be.  No wonder when a child dies every 5 seconds because of hunger!  Who can accept that kind of responsibility?

The good news we will present at JMI’s FEAST or FAMINE dinner on November 16^th is that God doesn’t lay that unbearable weight upon us.  We aren’t specifically called to “feed the nations” or end poverty.  Like the Great Commission, our calling is predicated on the assumption that (1) you will be intentional about going into your Jerusalems, Judeas, Samarias and throughout the world and (2) you will encounter individuals “as you are going.”  And to those who ask of you, you are asked to give.  As my good friend, Jason Cruise puts it, “We aren’t asked to scale mountains; we’re asked to look up at the person on the ledge 20 feet above us.”

I hope you will mark FEAST or FAMINE on your calendar, not as an event you “should” go to, but an event you “need.”  This will be one of those rare experiential opportunities that direct our focus to people and places whose daily bread comes with no guarantees, if it comes at all.

In our eating, our directed conversations and the video that will be presented, you will have the opportunity to express your solidarity with the less fortunate.  You will also be introduced to ways you can make a difference in the lives of those God puts in your path!

Please RSVP to info@justiceandmercy.org or sign up at the JMI Booth to reserve your place at the FEAST or FAMINE table.  The cost for adults and students is $5 and $1 for children who will enjoy their own special mission experience.

On Sunday, October 9^th, JMI Becomes a Beautiful, Fragrant Thing!

If you’re in the Franklin, Tennessee area this coming Sunday, please – pretty please! – stop by the table set up by the JMI booth in the WareHouse between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and purchase some Mary Kay products being offered for sale.  100% of the sales go to support our work with orphans in Moldova!  And if you’re out of town, you can participate by placing your order online by emailing Amanda Sanfilippo at: asanfilippo@marykay.com with your order.  To view items available for purchase, visit the following link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24378225/Inventory%20Liquidation%20Retail.pdf

Get a jump on your Christmas gift list this year and help us raise money for the kids we love!…(and don’t hate us because we’re beautiful!).   ;-)

On Sunday night, October 16^th, discover the darker side of HUMAN TRAFFICKING in Eastern Europe!

Several years back, some Swedish filmmakers produced the movie “Lilia4ever” about a young girl who was abandoned in Eastern Europe by her parents and trafficked into prostitution.  Her story is a painfully realistic account of what has happened to millions of young girls and accurately depicts incidents that I’ve personally heard about from kids in Moldova.

On October 16^th, this movie will be played against the open-air screen on the grassy knoll in the lot next to Bongo Java in East Nashville at 107 S. 11^th Street.  There will be a $5 entry fee and some photography from Moldova will be on sale, all of which will go to benefit JMI.  Steve Davis will introduce the film and provide a brief narrative of how trafficking has impacted kids in Moldova.  The movie starts at 8 p.m. and food trucks will be accessible to those who attend.

We would love to have support from JMI’s church community but be advised that, though this movie has been shown to children throughout Eastern Europe, it is raw and graphic…not suitable for children.  The movie is presented with English subtitles.

As children we used to sing, “Be careful little eyes what you see.”  Perhaps the greater danger as adults is that some of us still want to hide our eyes from the ugliness of life.  As long as God’s people hide their eyes from the evil in our world, it will continue to flourish around us.

Correction to the date for our Christmas in Moldova trip. Last week we erroneously published an incorrect date for the Christmas in Moldova trip.  It should be Dec. 27-Jan. 3.

Dates to Remember:

Oct. 16     Brazil Mission Trip sign up deadline with $500 deposit.  (Female doctors, nurses and dental professionals especially needed…5 spots still available!)

Oct. 16     Christmas in Moldova interest meeting at 12:45 p.m. at the Bunganut Pig in Franklin, TN

Oct. 23     India Mission Trip interest meeting at 12:45 p.m. at the Bunganut Pig in Franklin, TN

Oct. 23     South Africa Mission Trip interest meeting, Backstage at the WareHouse

4 INTERNATIONAL MISSION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEXT 5 MONTHS!

BRAZIL / MOLDOVA / INDIA / SOUTH AFRICA

Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly!”

The Christian life was never envisioned to be anything but extraordinary!  If it’s becoming anything less, recharge your spiritual batteries with one of JMI’s exciting mission trips:

Christmas in MOLDOVA Mission Trip (Dec. 27-Jan. 3) Interest (Lunch) Meeting – Sunday, October 16^th, 12:45 at Bunganut Pig in Franklin, TN

JMI’s “Christmas in Moldova” mission trip has become such a legacy of love with us and it’s time to start thinking about celebrating the wonder of the season again with our young friends!

If you’re one of the winter faithful or someone who can only imagine the joy of bringing the full blessing of Christmas to the children who have no home or family with whom to celebrate, you’ll want to join us at 12:45, Oct. 16^th at the Bunganut Pig to hear the plans for this year’s trip.

If I were the Moldova ghost of Christmas Past, I could show you scenes of children unwrapping the first gift they had ever received.  I’d then show you the unabashed joy on children’s faces illuminated by the light of New Year’s Eve fireworks.  Maybe I’d reveal a little hand in the hand of one of our volunteers as they watched a movie and ate popcorn.  Or the solemn moment when we shared a candlelight service in honor of our Lord’s birth.

I could also show you the downcast faces of children who have no one and nowhere else to be at Christmas but the orphanage.  Most of the orphanage children are placed out with any family who will accept them during the holidays.  The ones that are left know what it feels like to be anonymous or left behind.  When their friends do return, they come with stories of gifts and family that drives the hurt even deeper.  What a joy it is to give these the sense of what it means to feel special…chosen…loved!

The Bunganut Pig is at 11:43 Columbia Ave.  If you’re not in town but would like more information, write steve@justiceandmercy.org.  The cost of the trip is $2350 if the down payment is received by Oct. 30…$2450 anytime thereafter.

JMI On-Call BRAZIL Mission Trip (Dec. 3-11) Signup is underway!….Deadline for $500 deposits is Oct. 16

The interest in our trip to the Amazon is heating up and in a few short weeks it will be time to make a commitment!

Space on the boat limits our team to about 12 people so the first to place their deposits will assure themselves of a cozy hammock.  We’ll also need to arrange for our flights in October in order to apply for visas.

The Amazon is one of the most amazing places on earth and interacting with its people one of the greatest privileges.  They will share what they know of God and survival in an inhospitable and oftentimes hostile environment, and we will share what we know of Jesus and what his sacrifice has purchased on our behalves.

We hope to add medical and dental professionals to the ones already on board, but welcome those who will minister in other significant ways.

The cost of the trip is $2350 if $500 deposits are received by Oct. 16….$2450 anytime thereafter. Trip costs cover everything but travel meals, visa and inoculations.  Pass the word on to the Santas in your life!!!

Mumbai, INDIA Mission Trip (Jan. 28-Feb. 5) Interest (Lunch) Meeting – Sunday, Oct. 23 at Bunganut Pig in Franklin, TN 

If there is one word that best describes Mumbai to me, it is “fascinating!”  There is grand architecture to be admired in the same city as appalling, cavernous slums.  You have a galaxy of Bollywood stars but penniless beggars on every street corner.  And if you are a people-watcher, you have a dazzling array of humanity to keep you wondering what this one does to earn his wealth and what that one does just to survive another day.

Our mission in India this year is to bring a Christian day camp experience to children, most of whom are the sons and daughters of prostitutes in Mumbai’s red light district.  In addition to times of worship, crafts and recreation, we’ll interview children to record what they will tell of us their lives, so different from our own, but equally valued.  We’ll also spend some time in the Bombay Teen Challenge clinic and even worship in the vicinity of the red light district.

As with all our trips, those who live outside Franklin, TN are encouraged to participate in the trip, and its planning, remotely.  Applications and forms are available from our website.

The cost of this trip is estimated at $2600 if a $500 deposit is paid by Nov. 20th….$2700 if anytime thereafter.  But please don’t hesitate to contact info@justiceandmercy.org to express your interest or ask any questions.

SOUTH AFRICA Mission Trip (Feb. 21-Mar. 4) Interest Meeting “Backstage” in the WareHouse – Sunday, Oct. 23

Commitment Meeting – Nov. 13

Whether you’re an annual volunteer or considering your very first mission trip, South Africa offers you an unforgettable and meaningful opportunity to serve.  First timers, in particular, will appreciate the variety of ways your gifts can be put to use and the surprisingly comfortable accommodations.

JMI’s team will work on behalf of our partner, Living Hope, to provide life skills education, children’s activities in the mountain village of Red Hill, assistance in a health care clinic, education in HIV prevention, after-school kids and teens clubs and other types of training.  Your trip will also include the opportunity to take in the sights of vast beaches, Table Mountain, Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island, and wildlife such as African penguins.

The 2012 trip will mark our fifth year of service in South Africa.  That kind of continuous service (along with the consistent leadership of Brent Hutchinson) has provided us a base of knowledge about the country and programs that rewards our volunteers with a predictable missions experience.

The trip cost for South Africa is estimated at $3,200 if $500 deposits are received by Nov. 13…$3,300 anytime thereafter.  If you’d like more details, contact info@justiceandmercy.org.

Amanda Sanfilippo is someone we endearingly refer to as “a Moldova-head” in much the same way that “Parrot-heads” are Jimmy Buffett fans.  She has worked with our orphan friends on many occasions there and has mastered many of the songs in Romanian with which the rest of us continue to struggle.  Amanda also sponsors one of the boys in our Boys2Leaders program, so she is someone who understands “tangible love!”

Last week Amanda approached us with the incredible opportunity to liquidate her inventory of Mary Kay cosmetics and use the proceeds for our work in Moldova.  If we can sell the entire lot, JMI would stand to make up to $2500 for orphans!

Please follow the instructions below and let’s see if, together, we can make it happen THIS WEEK!!!

Shopping with a purpose

With Christmas just a few short months away, here is a creative way to make the ladies in your life smile, with the added benefit of knowing your money is going to make Christmas a little better for kids around the globe who would otherwise have nothing.  One of our sponsors, who fell in love with the orphans of Moldova several years ago, is liquidating her Mary Kay inventory, and would like to donate the proceeds to JMI to help continue to meet everyday needs, as well as make Christmas extra special for these sweet children.  So buy some gifts for others, buy some gifts for yourself, pass the word along, and know that in doing so, you will be making a difference in the life of a child!

To view a list of items available for purchase click the following link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24378225/Inventory%20Liquidation%20Retail.pdf

To place an order, contact Amanda Sanfilippo at: asanfilippo@marykay.com  or 615-804-7537 (call or text)

*Note* As this is a liquidation, quantities are limited and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

In the last 12 months God has been leading Jason to use his influence in the outdoor industry, as well as in men’s ministry circles, to raise awareness with the trafficking of young girls into sex slavery in the former Soviet Union country of Moldova.

By the way, this is not a request for a donation, and you’ll see that once you go to the official website!

The short story is this: Jason has created a small venture-type project called MISSION. What he’s doing is developing high-quality products that men can actually purchase, like caps, shirts, and DVDs, which will in turn generate money to give 70% of the profits to Justice & Mercy International in order to provide funds to bring shelter, both physically and spiritually, to these Moldovan kids.

Guys, whether you’re a hunter or not, you’ll be blessed to subscribe to The Man Minute and Jason’s periodic devotionals.  He is not only a hunter, but a superb pastor, chaplain, author, videographer and public speaker.  I’m not much of a hunter, but I subscribe to The Man Minute and was one of the first to purchase a cap on line!

Hope you’ll join me in supporting someone who is doing his best to make his life count for the least, the last and the lost!

Find out more about what Jason is doing by visiting: www.TheMissionVision.net

I have been involved with JMI since the first of my five trips to Moldova in 2006. The first trip started off on a dare with another man in my church, that if he went, I would go along on a construction team. That trip has changed both of our lives with my friend eventually taking into his home an orphan from Moldova.

As a manager at Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, I shared my experience with many of my colleges and since that time my company and co-workers have happily donated approximately $10,000 to help in construction of the Grace House and to buy Christmas presents for the orphans without sponsors. We have over a dozen children sponsored by Caterpillar employees and as word spreads throughout the company about JMI, employees come up to me to ask about sponsorships and love the interaction with the orphans that they eventually sponsor.

Business people around the world want to make a difference for those less fortunate then themselves. Having an organization like Justice and Mercy makes donating easy, because we trust that the money donated is making a difference in the lives of these children. Having the monthly interaction of emails and photographs with our sponsored orphan takes the sponsorship to a new level of pride and accountability for us sponsors.