[ENTER THE MINI-GIVEAWAY HERE]

Today has been a tough day on my heart and it’s something I need to share, so you can pray through with me. I woke up this morning so excited about the mini-giveaway. I just knew that hundreds of my crazy readers would leave a comment and enter to win the contest. It hit me around 10am when only 20 people stopped by here that I didn’t do a very good job communicating to you. I struggled all day wondering if you really knew the behind the scenes to the giveaway and I want to make sure I’m honest and real with every one of you. You truly have no idea how much I love you, the bloggers, who have stuck with all my craziness and the impact you have made to change the world. I couldn’t do this without you! Do you realize what you have done in blog land? YOU helped raise $60,000 for Simply Love projects over the past year that touched the lives of children who desperately need to know they are loved. YOU are mission-hearted people who helped me give away 5 mission trips that radically changed the life of 5 people ordained by God to go on the mission field to love and share God’s good news. Now, we have the opportunity to give away a 6th trip- YOU are making that possible. If you can’t go on a mission trip this year, win the trip for a friend!!

What I want you to know from the bottom of my heart …. this is not about me, or the free mission trip, or the tee shirts, or Simply Love or Man Up ministry. I do not make a single penny from partnering with this amazing HopeChest project or any of the mission projects we do together. I really hope you hear my heart. This project means only one thing to me (and you) and that is the children we are making a difference for in Haiti and Moldova. I want to change the world with you. I want a child who is fatherless and feels unloved to know that people they may never meet in real life care and pray and hope and support and love them. I hope you are never turned off by my craziness, but understand how deeply burdened I am to find the projects that seem the most impossible or unreachable or unattainable. That’s what being crazy is all about. Real faith is celebrating the miracle before the miracle happens (The Circle Maker) and I hope you will join me celebrating the project in Pignon, Haiti and Moldova before the miracle happens.

The purchase of a tee shirt is just the beginning. The challenge is overwhelming, I know. It’s hard to wrap our brains around 147+ million orphans, but the Tom Davis Children’s HopeChest project I have partnered with brings that staggering number down to 8 girls living in Moldova “Beginning of Life” safehouse rescued from human trafficking and 37 orphans living in Haiti at Haiti Home of Hope orphanage and the 70 children cared for at clinic day. So, if you are holding back leaving a comment this week, wondering if you should REALLY get involved with this project, I challenge you to pray, think long term, invest and go. This is your chance to change the world and love big.

Starting today, will you pray with me that we can challenge 1000 people to purchase a tee shirt or two and make this project something we’ll never forget? Next week, I want to show you the real faces of the children you are helping, the stories that will break our hearts, but call us up to live James 1:27 in a radical way. Be radical this week, do it afraid, and enter to win a life-changing mission trip. I promise you will have no regrets. I went on my very first mission trip three years ago and God changed everything about my life…. I have new dreams, new purpose, and an overwhelming burden to love big! I love being crazy for the fatherless and the unreached people groups who need Jesus!!

Mission Trip Giveaway- grand prize: Win free trip [value $3000] with Children’s HopeChest Ministry- any of their 2012 scheduled trips- you pick the trip if you win!

I’m going to keep the mini-giveaway open till Saturday and I hope after you have prayed about it, you’ll join our project with a fresh heart. I need your help spreading the message to your family and friends. You can simply click on the social media tools at the bottom of this post and share …. and share …. and share!!!

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is LOVE. (1 Cor. 13:13 msg)

I don’t feel so heavy hearted now, thanks for listening and I’d love to know what you feel about being part of this life-changing project with me & Tom Davis. Share in the comments- please don’t be shy (I really want to know your heart)

(Baby Rudy with his parents living in Pignon, Haiti- part of the clinic program)