Rescue A Baby With Me!

October 28, 2015October 30, 2015 / Susan Woodward

As an advocate for Operation Baby Rescue I feel I have been given an opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of rescuing and restoring children who are in desperate need of help. I know I am giving a voice to the voiceless. I am helping a child to have a chance to live. To grow up and have the opportunity to learn and experience the love of Jesus!

I hold babies often. I cannot imagine my life without them in it. My heart is burdened for hurting kids and my heart has often cried out to God to rescue some of them! Through Operation Baby Rescue – I have an amazing opportunity to pray for children that I will never meet and that I will never hold. But I can still be apart of rescuing them….even from across the world. By praying and by giving!

So, I’ll keep writing and talking about it. There’s too many babies in isolated areas with life threatening needs. As I bring awareness, it also allows YOU an amazing opportunity to make a difference. It’s easy too! You can help by Praying…Loving like Jesus…and by Giving!

My husband and I have been called to Rescue & Restore. We have had an awesome opportunity to help in our community over and over again when we made the decision to become Foster/Adopt parents. Everytime a child has come into our home from an abusive or neglectful situation, we have felt a sense of helping in their rescue! The Lord has met each need that has been represented in our home. We have followed our hearts and with the Lords guidance we continue to give. It is a humbling as well as demanding job. There are so many children locally, and worldwide that still need Rescuing….and Restoring! We have also been blessed to help many children and families through our leadership and connections in running The Hope Again Care Center in Winchester, VA. The Care Center is a ministry of The Winchester Church of God where my husband has been on staff for 10 years as the Care Pastor.

Every child is worth rescuing!

Operation Baby Rescue gives each of us a beautiful opportunity to be able to help rescue a child across the world!

So many children, so many people, so many near and far away, that need rescuing!

Over 4,000 children have been rescued through Operation Baby Rescue since 2011! And there are so many more that are living moments from death without our help.

Please jump on board and Resuce and Restore with me.

You can make a difference across the world in a childs life, by giving up the cost of one (or a few) specialty coffees, and donating $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can give. And you can do it from right there where you are at this moment. Click here to donate

ISAIAH 46:4
“I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

If you would like to connect with me you can follow me on Facebook or on my blog website HERE (Truth.Love.Service)

*Enjoy a blog I wrote A Neon Orange Moment of Mine (talking about World Help)

The Lord Rescued me! I was lost and He found me. And oh did I need rescuing….

Skip a Latte. Save a Baby!

October 20, 2015October 20, 2015 / Susan Woodward

Skip a Latte. Save a Baby!

-Operation Baby Rescue.
-World Help.

Will you please consider skipping a Latte…or two or three…and give $5, $10 or even $20 to help fund the rescue of two children through Operation Baby Rescue.

Can you imagine not being able to provide your child with any medical care as they lay in your arms dying? Or how about leaving your sick child in hopes that some one may rescue it? I can’t fathom either for one second. I’ve decided to do something about it. I am asking YOU to help make a difference and for the Lord to bless our every effort!

I am teaming up with World help and Operation Baby Rescue and would love my family and friends to partner with me. My goal is to encourage everyone of you to skip a latte and save a baby! Do it along with me, once, twice….or as many times as you’d like until January 1st, 2016. We can proudly and boldly do this together! It will be easy to reach my goal if we ALL skip at least ONE coffee and donate the amount instead. It is my prayer that together we can fund the Rescue of Two Babies!!

One Child’s Rescue costs about $1,200. That money provides a team to enter a very remote area that is virtually inaccessible . It covers medical treatment, hospital stays and in some cases extensive or prolonged medical attention. It allows for housing and care for family members of the rescued child and after treatment it provides clothing, food and supplies needed for the child and family when the child is nursed back to health.

Let’s do it together!
So SHARE this…and Let’s talk about it!!

Skip a latte or specialty coffee today! Or skip one again and again…
Help Save a Baby! Or two … or maybe even more…

Thank you in advance!

Trying to Love Like Jesus,
Susan Woodward

A Neon Orange Moment of Mine

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 / Susan Woodward / 4 Comments

If you have ever wanted to Sponsor a Child or give to an Organization that is truly impacting children around the Globe and making miracles happen every day….

Then World Help is the one you’ve been looking for….

I experienced a heart moving opportunity hearing Noel Yeatts speak at a few Leading and Loving it Conferences that I have attended. She shared beautiful stories of her Dad (Vernon Brewer) and their entire family’s passion with World Help. Amazing missions have been and are taking place all over the Globe. Every day, somewhere, they are making a difference!

And then came my neon orange (highlighted) moment for me. I got to meet with her. We talked…about our families…our love for the Lord…and both of our service to Him. Then we talked about the upcoming Operation Baby Rescue Mission that was fast approaching in Guatemala. Only briefly into our conversation my mouth spoke directly from my heart….and Yikes….not only had I spoken it out loud, but directly to her. I was now going to be accountable. Not by her, but by God! I told her of my hearts desire to one day be a part of…to make a difference…to help change the world…and be on a Baby Rescue Mission Team! And then I thought….Oh my, what had I just spoken???! How? When?

Well, only God knows the exact day and time. The seed was actually planted in my soul…by God himself, not her. He just chose to use her to give me the opportunity. As she spoke of how World Help shares the message of Hope in our desperate and Hopeless World, I couldn’t stop thinking of the children. The children I could see on the screen that she shared stories of, and all of them that are yet to be found. After that initial seed was planted, it has since been watered…several times!

I know God gives us the desires of our hearts. And It’s a deep desire of mine. One that I think of often. I find myself reading about the missions that have already happened and also of those that are yet to take place. I often pray for the teams that are sacrificing everyday to share the message of Hope and Life in Jesus. I find myself praying for those sweet babies to just hold on…one more day…until they too can be rescued. You see, that planted seed, has been growing within me.

My oldest son Wesley, has also had the privileged to personally speak to Noel Yeatts. (they even took a picture together and she quickly text it to my Uncle saying….Guess who I’m with right now?) My Uncle has been on the board for World Help for years. Wesley met her at one of the heart moving presentations held at Liberty University while he was attending. They share with the students there at convocation often. They are always planting seeds.

World Helps offices are located in Lynchburg, VA and in the same community as Liberty, so their presence is known there and supported greatly by the University. Wesley was excited to share with me after he met and talked with her…and YES I was secretly jealous. LOL I can honestly say, that both of us having the opportunity to meet with her was an honor. She took the time…because she genuinely loves people. And God uses her to touch others lives.

She has such a sweet, genuine spirit. The way she lights up when sharing the stories of all the lives being changed all over the World by this God sent Organization her family founded….You just can’t help but want to be a part of something so wonderful! It makes your heart move…your gut ache…and awakens a desire within you To Do More! Hearing the devastating needs and then the miraculous stories of how the Lord has met those needs through team after team, person after person….It just can’t help but light a fire under you! Or well, It lit mine!

I have been blessed to hear first hand of some of the amazing trips that my Aunt Betsy and Uncle Cotton (Ronald) have taken over the years with World Help. They’ve also been blessed by a visit in their home from a girl they met in India on one of those trips. They live in California and he has served on the Board, along with many other men and women that are helping to change the World through this Organization.

God has been using World help to impact children Worldwide. For years they have been furthering Gods Kingdom one Mission, one Rescue, one Village, one Child at a time. They have already impacted over 72 million lives in 68 countries. Amazing!

Their approach is this: World Help is a faith-based humanitarian organization that exists to serve the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world. Our strategy is based on the belief that true transformation is only possible when the needs of the body and soul are addressed simultaneously.

This holistic approach of HELP and HOPE shows people that they matter to God both now and for eternity. We are committed to purposeful investment through sustainable programs, enabling individuals and communities to thrive—body, mind, and soul—and building lasting change for generations to come.

If you’d like to learn more or be part of a Mission team, Sponsor a child, or Give, please take the time to read more. You can go to any of the links on this blog.

I Know I will be a part of an Operation Baby Rescue myself one day! God knows exactly when….But I have learned in my years of serving Him, that His timing is not only best for me, but It is always Perfect!

I have since planted the seed in my oldest daughter….

Baby.Parent.Jesus. Separation Anxiety!

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015 / Susan Woodward / 4 Comments

home-is-where-the-heart-is

A few Sundays ago Amanda was dropping Kayleigh off in the two year old class at church. I stood in the hallway and watched as Kayleigh’s Separation Anxiety slowly consumed her. She wanted her mommy. Nobody or anything was going to satisfy her.

As I watched…This Mimi’s heart ached for her… and Amanda. I remembered when my kids were that young. It always hurt to leave them. They didnt understand that I’d never put them in harm’s way and that I’d always return. But we have to teach THEM to trust US and it’s a very important stage in their development. When they became older, WE have to learn to trust THEM when we are separated. This is just as important!

Babies start going through the “Separation Anxiety Stage” around 7 months and it last each child different amounts of time. It can be triggered for many different things and is VERY VERY REAL!!

In a way, it’s good news for your “little baby!” They are becoming aware of strangers when you leave them. Being worried about stranger’s is a sign that your baby has made a big leap in thinking and understanding. Develop a calm, short goodbye routine. (Hugs, quick kisses, and leave the room….May Work….Or Not!) Make it a big deal when you return. Tell them how proud you are that they did it and express a big….Yippee!! This Crazy Hard stage for your baby will pass over time, so you can rest assured, because ALL babies have to go through it!

The Crazy Thing is…. later it’s the PARENT who goes through the “Separation Anxiety Stage.” But this stage begins when your BABY is around 17! So, don’t be alarmed when YOU start going through a very similar experience that your baby once did. Only this time it is when THEY are leaving YOU! Hang in there…..You can make it through It! And it can still be great news!

The first time my oldest son took the car alone was the onset of my first full blown “Separation Anxiety Attack!” I prayed and prayed…and I (and him) made it! Over the years, I have experienced a lot more “attacks!” (OK maybe they’re not “real attacks” but they are episodes where I have become “real frantic”) And….despite my own disbelief at times…I have made it through ALL of them thus far! I have endured the separation of having three drivers, each of them exploring life and different jobs, going away to college, taking trips with friends and just this weekend having my first child move out on their own! You can too with Gods help and a whole lot of prayers! They always know where home is! After all…..Home Is Where The Heart is! Even with knowing that, my heart strings still get pulled often and I am pretty sure yours will too.

I realized this weekend that my goodbye routine is very similar to when they were babies. Calm and short works best for me. Making it a Big Deal when I see them again. I still always express a big…Yippee!!! It doesn’t lessen the heart ache of them being away, but it sure helps to celebrate the moments you are together. Learning how to watch them grow and become independent from you is Crazy Hard!! But you can rest assured, because ALL parents have to go through it!

What a calming thought it is to know How Jesus feels towards us when we separate from Him! There are times we make choices that can bring us into many unknowns, or far away from Him. I can only imagine the Separation Anxiety that He has for his children when ONE becomes separated. I’m thankful that my feelings for my children are nothing like the heart ache Jesus has for them. His heart ache is soooooo much greater for them than ours. It gives me amazing peace and comfort knowing His Love for His (our) Children is far beyond comprehension or measure.

Every child and parent will go through the “Separation Anxiety Stage” in raising their children. Continue to pray your child never chooses to separate from God. But we can all rest assured, that every time one of His children takes a step away from Him, He never leaves them or says goodbye! He waits patiently for their return home to Him. And He is so proud of them when He sees them again. He wants each of us to understand what a big deal it is when we are no longer separated from Him. I just know He has to celebrate to an extreme we can’t imagine….I bet He jumps up and down and expresses a big….Yippee!!!

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.