Appreciation
I left the house yesterday morning having no idea what would happen on this blog and feeling more than a little bit terrified about it. When I came home after a day of translation meetings about Odette’s zine and finally checked in, all I could do was pace back and forth in the house and then sit on my couch and weep.
Your kindness and generosity has totally and completely blown me away.
As of this writing, over $3000 has been given in increments of $10, $20, $50, $100 and $500 by sixty-eight people with many more offering encouragement, practical help and loving support in a myriad of ways that totally touch my heart. I am humbled, overwhelmed and incredibly grateful. Your kindness covers not only the ticket but also gets us much closer to being able to print Odette’s zine which I will bring with me. (more about the entire project plan in the PDF)
We have no doubt now we have everything we need to carry out our plans in full.
Odette has been screaming with me and laughing into the phone every time I give her an update, and today we are going to visit our brothers and buy ten phone cards so she can tell everyone the good news and continue to plan my trip.
Thank you feels totally and completely inadequate when our hearts are bursting like this. We both have a deep sense of hope and confidence and love, knowing we are in this together and that you all are with us. When I asked Odette if she wanted to respond on this blog in anyway, she said, “Oh yes!” And this morning she read me her entry over the phone, and instructed me to title this post “Appreciation.”
So here you are from Odette:
All my friends,
I appreciate your generosity to me. And the mercy and love you have for me. Even though we have never met, thank you so much for supporting my gift friend Jen with the money to go to Rwanda to visit my children Grace and Lillian and my whole family. That makes me happy. SO much. And it makes my family happy, too! They are already happy before they see her. It will make them happy when they see someone from where their mom lives after two years without even one picture. Whenever I think about what you are doing for me, I cry tears of joy. How can anyone thank you? What I can tell you is you are a gift from God to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Odette.
If you still want to participate, it’s not too late. You can read the budget for the entire trip on the PDF below, along with our plan for my activities there. And if you want to be involved but giving money doesn’t make sense for whatever reason, don’t despair or feel left out! We’ll start collecting Hope Notes and other items next week (templates and info coming soon on HopeRevo.com) that I will deliver for you personally myself. I have full confidence now that everything is falling into place and that every last detail will come together just in time.
Sweet blessings to all of you this morning. May every kindness you show be returned to you a hundredfold and may you know deep in your heart (like I know right in this moment!) that it’s never silly to hope. Thank you again so, so much.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I stumbled on your blog a little which ago and have really enjoyed reading your posts.
I am not able to contribute financially to your Rwanda trip, but I do want to tell both of you that you are amazing women, and true gifts from God.
It is amazing and inspiring to see you give yourself so openly to people in need. Please know that I am thinking and praying for both of you and am excited to hear the updates on your trip.
God Bless!
April 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
erin, thank you so much! in my experience, money can help open doors, but the real magic happens when human hearts connect. no money needed for that! thanks for being supportive and so encouraging. it means so much to us, we can’t tell you!
April 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I’m curious as to why Odette herself cannot go and see her family. I am very happy you have such a great response.
Stumbling it now.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
witchypoo, those are questions Odette will answer to Oprah herself when this whole thing is over!
in the meantime, i can say that many people are working on odette’s behalf to bring the girls here. in the meantime, odette has been asked to remain in the united states, and her advocates are hopeful her story will evolve to a place where she can travel freely with her girls by her side.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
In the midst of my own struggles to tend to my children’s safety, I am deeply touched by your conviction that you have been called to help. Odette and her girls are lucky to have you, and I consider myself lucky to call you my friend.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
What I love about you, Jen, even though we have only met once, is that when I read your posts and hear your stories I feel like anything is possible. Thank you so much for that, for teaching by DOING and showing us that if we follow our heart and give 100% we can make things happen.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I love you for listening to yourself and what wants to be birthed through you, for opening your heart so fully to this earth, for following your heart as it takes you to new and exciting places, for hoping and asking and gathering and using your voice.
Thank-you for sharing Odette’s words.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
this brings such a wide smile to my face. people are amazing…
you and odette are amazing.
hope, love, truth…these are beautiful things.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Hang on to your hat, Jen… Rwanda will rock your world.
I’m am so excited for you!
April 9th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
There you go.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Hello! Andrea Scher of Superhero Designs brought me here :). I’m glad she did. This is a wonderful project. I had the pleasure of living and working in Rwanda for a while a couple years ago. I can still feel the language on my tongue and see that red clay earth under the acacia trees. Blessings to you!
April 9th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
You and Odette are enormously blessed to have found each other. I am thrilled for you both - and for all of us and everyone whose lives will be changed as a result of this adventure. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it with you. Also - Odette is absolutely fabulously beautiful. She and your daughter look very happy to be together. And you are right where you are so comfortable - behind the camera. What photos you will capture in Rwanda!
April 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
This is great news Jen–my heart is full to bursting for you and our dear O-O.
love to you my soulsister. you rock my world angel
xo
m
April 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Dude, I had to de-lurk for this one! You are amazing Jen. Great work. Stumbled & hopefully getting the word out even more.
Blessings, Alli
April 9th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
love the glimpse of you in the mirror.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
You make the world sparkle! I’m so glad to be able to help you spread your love and sing songs of empowerment in such far away places.
April 9th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Yippee! And I want to say that these photos are gorgeous. Odette has a beautiful, priceless face.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Hi Jen!
Wow!
I will try to keep this somewhat brief but I feel I want to go on and on, bursting with joy with the excitement I feel for you, a complete stranger.
I came here today on a fluke via Superhero Journal where I’m not a regular but wanted to check it out.
Andrea posted a lovely encouraging note (and she rocks) and then I came here and I am so touched.
I went and read more about what you previously wrote on meeting Odette. It resonated with me how you have the desire within to want to reach out to people, your connection with the story of the missionary girl read to you by your teacher and how you chose your life.
We can do amazing and compassionate things for others without traveling half way ’round the world. We all have gifts that God will use when we open ourselves and allow it. We often have our own ideas how, when and where but often we miss it entirely.
Your story is a testament to this. Befriending Odette was a gift in itself. Who would have thought? Now you are going afar although it all began in a park.
I love the hopeRevo idea, genius! Thank you for sharing yourself. You have touched me so gently today and I am over the moon excited for all that awaits this beautiful journey you are on.
xo
April 9th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Your story is filled with love, inspiration, hope, and proves to me the ability that dreams really do come true. My dear I am so happy for you. When I saw how many people were contributing I myself started to cry. This is truly a beautiful thing. How amazing it is that you are able to take this journey. I know along the way you will touch so many hearts like you have touched mine. Thank you so much my dear Jen for being an inspiration to us all.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Thank you for doing this, and for giving us the opportunity to help.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:30 am
hi, jen. you are amazing and awesome as always and you will help not only Odette’s children in Rwanda, but so many others too. the little donation from “tator” is from me and my husband and so are all the candles we can light and all of the good thoughts we can think. i can’t wait to find out what more we can do!
April 10th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Jenny Jen,
Oh, I am so happy for you and Odette! There are even happy tears!
Of COURSE you are supposed to do this, and OF COURSE the money is here. You’ve built this amazing community of compassion and they’ve responded to your love. I know this is the beginning of so many amazing things in the enormous continent that has won your heart.
I am sending you love notes from Denmark today (along with a bazillion other tiny treasures from my Magpie nest.) Kiss Odette for me, and do something wonderful for Dave.
Love you.
Rachelle
April 10th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Jen: I more ore less stumbled over your blog only yesterday (with a little help from Leah Jones), had a look around, and have to tell you: You had me in tears more than once. You truly touched my soul (in places I sometimes forget I have in the daily craze we all call “life in the Western civilization”). Thank you. Be safe on your journey to Africa, my thoughts are with you.
Odette: As the mother of a seven-months-old, I can’t even begin to understand, let alone feel, what it must be like to be away from your children for such a long time. I wish and pray for you to be reunited with them as soon as possible; in the meantime: hang in there. You are not alone, even if you sometimes feel like it.
To both of you: It is little I can offer, living in Germany and all, but if there’s anything I can do, please let me know. Maybe you want to go international?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Jen
I am so thrilled for you. I just finished reading “Left to Tell”, by Immaculee Ibligazia (sp?), another Rwanda genocide survivor. An incredible story of hope, inspiration, and the power of prayer. It is so wonderful to connect with you now, in the beginnings of doing something so wildly hopeful and positive in the wake of such tragedy. Immaculee’s story of hope and inspiration continues and lives on for me in this project of yours, and I will follow intently as it unfolds. Thank you for asking and allowing me to play a part.
May God bless
Kelly
April 11th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Your posts have been an inspiration to me. In return I want to share a group that have inspired me to go back to University to learn about environmental education - particularly teaching children about how to interact with their environments - in whatever shape or size that environment presents itself.
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/che/cerg/about_cerg/index.htm
It is possible to download some papers that might be of help to you in your project:
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/che/cerg/publications/papers_and_monographs/papersmono_titles_index.htm
Have a wonderful time.
April 12th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Jen, is it true about Odette and Oprah? (I hope so as she’s a great vehicle for bringing concerns mainstream). When I saw the news about your trip and the need for funds, I was wracking my brain to figure out who I knew that knows her - no one came to mind, so I donated and now look, voila! - no need for Oprah it seems
My only advice is to trust your intuition… it seems as if you do, so for that I’m glad.
Have a wonderful trip and many blessings to you and to Odette for your vision and drive…you are both an inspiration!
Cheers,
Cate
April 15th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
This is exactly the kind of Big Give I think Oprah would celebrate, whether or not she and Odette and you ever sit on her couch for the cameras.
It’s a blessing to be able to participate in this event Jen, I am so glad that you did it.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I’m thrilled to see how much you raised. Just thrilled. Just when I’ve lost hope in mankind, I hear about someone like you and all those contributors.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:06 am
Stumbled upon your site tonight. You have moved me to tears and inspired me beyond words. My warm thoughts and prayers will be with you all the way. So glad to be a small part of your good work.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:52 am
[…] opportunity to Jen to go to Rwanda; Jen asked her blogging pals for some financial support; and in 24 hours there were funds for the trip AND enough to print a book. What kind of book? A full color zine in two languages […]