The Harnisch Family: Bolivia - Kaya Children Int'l

Remember that little upcoming trip I was telling you about a few weeks ago??

We've had more team meetings and are learning as much as we can about the country, the kids, as well as more about each other. So that when June 22nd rolls around we are as prepared and as ready to go as we can be!

Having this dialogue is also getting us more "emotionally" prepared for what's in store.

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Today, we had the pleasure of meeting this young man. His name is Daniel.

He traveled to the United States from La Paz, Bolivia to share his amazing, heartwarming and inspiring story. He spoke to our entire church this morning, during all three services.

I also had the pleasure of attending a special dinner in his honor tonight, where he shared more about his life and his role in helping other kids, just like him, kids who are just trying to survive.

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below is a note that my friend Christina sent out a few weeks ago, when it was still unclear as to whether or not he would even be granted a Visa to be allowed to travel here.

"Typically I don't usually ask for prayers from others, but I am sincerely asking for prayers. Here is the story, years ago a child about the age of 8, was living on his alone, in the streets (the sewers) of Bolivia. Imagine your child having to live, survive, on the streets, in the disgusting dirty sewer. This young boy was brought into one of our homes at Kaya, he was loved (something he never knew before), cared for, educated. Today he is an amazing young man, furthering his education (something almost unheard of for the majority of Bolivians), and mentoring more young boys & girls who have had to endure similar situations as he did. For someone like him, one who has no "money", family ties, etc., to get a Visa to travel out of the country is unheard of. On May 2nd, he is going for his 2nd interview applying for a Visa to travel to the US to tell his story to potentially 1000’s, with the purpose to help save more children. We have had letters of support sent to Bolivia from our US politicians, asking for his Visa to be granted. He has the support of us, we just need Bolivia to allow him to leave for a 1 week trip. Please pray for "D", so that he can help so many children have the opportunity to have a safe stable environment to call home, something every child deserves in our world. Thank you!" ~ Christina

his visa was approved a few days later :-)

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Each of us have been trying to raise funds on our own, by sending out personal letters, etc...but we've also had a couple group fundraisers. First, we offered a "freewill donation" pancake breakfast at church.

We had a pretty good turnout. While I can't exactly say it went off without a hitch...we had SEVERAL hick-ups along the way, but I can say it was a COMPLETE SUCCESS!

Aside from the large rented pancake maker not working properly, and us having to improvise by hunting down several skillets, it was fine. Oh, then, the breakers kept tripping as we had so many plugged into each wall outlet. NICE! In hind-site, what a hoot man! :-)

But...despite those challenges & obstacles, I'm SO proud of our team. We worked together, didn't panic and devised a solid plan. We had a good balance of leaders and "instruction-takers"...I was proudly on the "instruction-taker" end.

Mouths got fed and at the end of the day, our customers seemed satisfied :-)

Everything happens for a reason right? I think this was just God's way of pulling our team together, telling us that not everything is going to go exactly as planned, especially over there in Bolivia. Things may be disorganized and the path unknown...you need to keep your heads up & learn to work together. And most importantly, STAY POSITIVE and keep in mind what's truly important in your heart. That's exactly what we did!

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We also sold Roses at church on Mother's Day. They SOLD OUT! :-)

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I still have a ways to go in reaching my personal fundraising goal...I very much appreciate those of who have already donated to this worthy cause! In addition to seeking donations, I have also taken on several "picture taker" projects, of which 100% of those funds will go directly towards my trip expenses...so that's helping! A big thanks to ALL my recent clients :-)

If you'd like to make a donation, you can give it to me directly, or there is another online option as well - just follow these simple steps below:

1) Just go to http://www.bethanyelkhorn.org/

2) click on "give" - which is in the upper right hand corner of site

3) Enter your desired amount in the "OTHER" box

4) please be sure to type my name in the "designation" field Sherri Harnisch - Kaya Children Int'l trip

That should do it! It would be helpful if you could also shoot me an email to let me know if you've made a donation on my behalf in this capacity, so that I may follow up on it properly - to ensure nothing "falls through the cracks". sharnisch1@gmail.com

Thanks again SOO very much for all your support...whether it be in the form of monetary support or prayer support. Please know ANY support is appreciated :-)

Thanks friends & God Bless!

Love,

Sherri H.

The Harnisch Family