To Blog or Not to Blog - That is (or was) the Question Mission 1:27 | September 17, 2010 at 8:57 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/pQ3NI-6L

Yep, that's the question I have asked myself for the last three months (ugh).  I'd sit down to write a blog post and then, alas, something would distract me. It wouldn't take much - perhaps an email from a client or the need to mow the lawn or the mighty call of the bag of Mike & Ikes hiding in a drawer in my office (a small but tasty weakness of mine). The words would just not come to me. I would do anything to postpone the blogging process.

You see, writing is a struggle for me.  It does not come easily.  As comfortable as I am extemporaneously speaking in front of large groups, I absolutely get paralyzed in front of a keyboard.  I write and rewrite and erase and delete and end up frustrated, tired and craving more Mike & Ikes. Not the characteristic of a super blogger, I know. But the unvarnished truth, and the reason why this blog has been quiet for a few months.

But what hasn't been quiet for the last three months is the ongoing work of Mission 1:27.  While the blog sits idle, it seems that every waking and spare moment for many of us is focused on thinking about, praying for and trying to support our Russian friends in Slobodskoy.  We work tirelessly in committee meetings to brainstorm ways to better support the ministry.  We speak to everyone we can about sponsorship, travel to Russia and the plight of the 147 million orphans in the world.  And we spend quiet times listening for the wisdom of God and praying for the patience to wait and the courage to act.  Everyday, the passion seems to grow, bringing a new sense of anticipation for what God is doing...and ongoing feelings of despair for the kids who live without much hope and light in their world.

Well, the blog rests no more!!  Awaken, sleeping giant! It's time to file away the excuses and put down the Mike & Ikes (can I have just one more?!?). For there's too much happening not to share the good news with everyone.

This will be the first of many posts in the next couple of weeks. We want to get everyone re-acclimated to reading the blog - and more importantly, focused on the fatherless children in Russia who need our love and support more than ever. To start, let me tell you about some of the major happenings with Mission 1:27:

• THE BIG NEWS is our upcoming Mission 1:27 fundraiser. The big event is Saturday, October 16th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Pazzo! Restaurant in Southern Village. Food, drink, silent auction and so much more. The silent auction will include incredible items like a Maine Vacation Home, Sports Tickets Galore, Beach House, Biltmore Estate Package including overnight stay, Vietri, Fearrington Inn Overnight, Jewelry, Theater Tickets and much more. It will be an amazing night of fellowship and fun, all to raise funds for Mission 1:27 and the orphans in Russia. Click HERE if you want to register for tickets.
• We're spending a lot of time preparing for our next trip to Russia, leaving on October 23. We have a team of 8 people from Chapel Hill going - four people who went last spring and four folks who were called to take this leap of faith and journey for the first time to the other side of the world. We are in the final throes of planning our trip, ranging from the agenda while we are in the orphanage to the supplies we need for our activities and everything in between. We hope you will lift up the traveling team in prayer - and their families who will be staying home to go to school or care for children. As we get closer to the trip, we'll share more about what we're going to do and other areas for prayer. And don't worry - we'll be blogging on the trip so you can get the play-by-play of another God-inspired visit to see His children.
• There's been a lot of news lately about sex trafficking in other countries. It's a scary and sobering topic - one that we don't want to talk about much here in the cozy confines of our safe little neighborhoods. But it's a reality for Russian orphans. A sad, terrifying and true reality. This summer I read a haunting book by Tom Davis, founder of Children's HopeChest, called "Priceless." It's a powerful tale of hope and redemption amidst the reality of the sex trade in Russia. I plan to use one of my future blog posts for a book review (yep, the non-blogger is now an online book critic!), so look for that soon.

So there. A small step to reinvigorate the Mission 1:27 blog.  Want to help? How about posting a comment so that we can have a dialogue with you? Or maybe recommending that a friend REGISTER for our blog updates? Or how about blogging here for yourself?  We welcome guest bloggers. Yes, the pay is bad but you get unlimited Mike & Ikes! Put it that way and it's not a bad gig at all.

For the Fatherless,

Your Friends at Mission 1:27