Thankful.

:: We can only be said to be alive in those moments when are our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ::

Thornton Wilder

I am thankful to share this morning that we have officially moved to Dallas. We closed out our old house in Missouri on Friday and we will be moving into our new home this week. I have so much to be thankful for during this move. We sold our house in two days and found what Randy and I feel like are the perfect accommodations for our family in Coppell, TX. I will take a week off from blogging but I have so much to share when I get back to work next week. God is really building a strong foundation of talented people that are stepping up to help boost Touch A Life to the next level. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and has had some great family time with loved ones. Happy December 1st.

Pam

(Originally posted on Monday, December 1, 2008.)

George's Birthday.

George Archibra is the director of our Ghana program. Below is an e-mail that George sent today telling us that the Village of Life is finally completed. We ran into a little hitch with the water but it looks like everything has been worked out. We are so excited and anxious to rescue more children. I can just picture George celebrating his birthday while jumping up and down because water is flowing everywhere in the village. George has been such a blessing to Touch A Life.

• "Your message was well-received and I am happy to inform you that the water system has been completed. Water is flowing everywhere in the village. I am also happy to inform you that today happens to be my birthday and it has coincided with the completion of the village. We've also mounted eight boxes of the beehives and we are embarking on the construction of three apartments of fish pond. This is from our own initiative to support the village. We are also making efforts to rescue the older trafficked children who will be in the village around January. We once again want to thank everybody, especially the board, for the good work they are doing. We will continue to give progress reports on the project."

Happy birthday, George Archibra! You are a good man.

Pam

(Originally posted on Thursday, November 20, 2008.)

West Texas Girls Conference.

I had the opportunity this last weekend to speak at ACU to over 300 high school-aged women from Texas. It was so much fun. I really enjoy challenging people that age to embrace their uniqueness and not conform to what the world is telling them to value. It was so encouraging for me to talk with them after the session and have the chance to hear them share about their dreams and passions. To see tears in their eyes as they were asking how they can join the fight against injustice and stand in the gap for children less fortunate than them. I have such hope in this next generation that they will rise up and want to change the world to make it a better place.

We have been blessed with so much here in America. Do we truly comprehend that to much who is given, much is required? Every day we have the chance to give of our gifts and talents and serve those in need. Be a servant to someone hurting today. Love your neighbor.

Pam

(Originally published on Monday, November 17, 2008.)

Accept No Mediocre Life.

I am currently reading David Foster's book Accept No Mediocre Life. I really love the message of living beyond your labels, libels and limitations. Here is a paragraph from the book:

• I take heart when I consider my access to God. I heard about some newlyweds who, in the wee hours of their wedding night, were escorted to the bridal suite of their high-priced hotel. Once in the suite, they saw a sofa, chairs and table but they couldn't find the bed. They spent the first night of their honeymoon on the sofa, which was turned into a hide-a-bed with a lumpy mattress and sagging springs. After a fitful night with sore backs, the next morning they went to the hotel desk to give the management a tongue-lashing. "Did you open the door to the room?" asked the clerk. "What door?" they replied. He opened the door they had thought was a closet. There, complete with fruit baskets and chocolates, was a beautiful bedroom! They had wasted the first night of their honeymoon because they didn't open the door.

I guess turning 47 this year has given me the feeling that I don't want any doors left unopened in my life. There may be chocolates and fruit baskets on the other side. 

Randy was approached to come on board as the CEO for American Consolidated Media. He accepted the position and we bought a house last week in the Coppell, TX, area. Randy and I were both in agreement that this was a door that God was calling us to walk through. We are bracing ourselves for hot summers and milder winters; we are very excited to be moving south and not north. Texas, here we come.

--Pam

(Originally published on Monday, November 10, 2008.)

Jantsen's Gift.

"The elephant has been birthed."

These words describe how Aimee and I felt so many days carrying around this baby elephant the last two years. You work and work on a book for so long. You start to even question if you like it anymore. Now that I see it becoming real and available on Amazon, I love it. It is like a mother giving birth and the minute she sees the baby she forgets all the labor and pain. 

This book was very labor intensive and painful at times. I had to examine every motive and share some intimate details of my life that were not pretty. Overall, I keep I kept my promise to God. I promised him I would just tell my story with truth and honesty. Thank you, Aimee Molloy and Jamie Raab; I cannot believe how I have been blessed working with two incredible women.

Tema Program.

I am excited to share about a new program that was launched last week. Touch A Life has partnered with many NGO's in Ghana to network and share visions of how we can best help the children that have been trafficked. Last year Randy and I met an amazing young couple named John Bull and Stacy Omorefe. John and Stacy share the same passion to help the children that are working on Lake Volta.

Together we were able to rescue six more children last week and they will be living in a coastal town called Tema. Tema is a city that is progressive and should have many educational resources to offer these children. John and Stacy have rented a building that will be home to 24 children and houseparents. We are so thrilled to be able to offer a new home to...

• Emafa - 9 yrs old
  
• Mary - 10 yrs old
  
• Gideon - 12 yrs old
  
• Gashon - 7 yrs old
  
• Emmanuel - 4 yrs old
  
• Joseph - 6 yrs old
  

Thank you to Joseph and Teresa who have agreed to take on the job of being parents to these six wounded little souls. Our Ghanian family and vision is growing. Thank you Touch A Life supporters who are making this possible.

Hope.

Take a minute to listen to this special song written for Touch A Life by an amazing young artist named Shane Dulling. Thank you, Shane, for using your talent to be a voice for the voiceless.