Mission Journey Update
Our Ialoveni Mission Journey Team leaves in just 3 weeks and we would love
for you to
support this team as they prepare to go!
First of all, make sure to walk alongside our team as
they minister in
Ialoveni, Moldova Aug. 29-Sept. 6, by reading our TEAM
BLOG.
We'll post updates so you can pray specifically for our team and for the children we're serving.
We also still need nearly $20,000 for beds for the 170 children who
call this
orphanage home.
Help us replace their broken, soiled beds with beautiful new Sweet Sleep beds.
Click here to GIVE
ONLINE or
mail your donation to Sweet Sleep, P.O. Box 157, Brentwood, TN 37024. Please write Ialoveni beds in the memo
line.
Why give online?
1. You don't have to wait for newsletters to remind you about orphans.
2. No more worrying about forgetting to give - you can set up recurring
gifts!
3. Help the environment! Fewer paper products used!
Sweet Sleep to Provide Relief for Flood Victims
Over the past few weeks, Moldova has been devastated by the most severe floods to
hit Europe in 200 years.
During Sweet Sleep's upcoming trip to Ialoveni, team members will be working with
the Baptist Union to bring food and Bibles to those who have lost their homes.
If you would like to help Sweet Sleep provide relief to these
flood victims, e-mail stuart@sweetsleep.org.
From the Heart
We received this letter from a child who participated in Sweet Sleep's Build-a-Bed
Project at Camp Xtreme in Texas July 21-24. He requested we send it to one of the children receiving a new bed in Ialoveni in a few
weeks.
Hi, my name is Charlie and I am 11 years old. I live in a very small town in
Texas called Ropesville. When I heard about ya'll I felt terrible that it must
be hard to sleep at night. Everyone at Camp Xtreme is helping by giving money
in the offering. You all will have a bed soon don't worry. Sincerely, Charlie
Our Mission
Sweet Sleep exists to share God's love by providing beds to the world's orphaned and
abandoned children.
Sweet Sleep is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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From Jen's Pen
Ah, back to school time! I can almost smell it: No. 2 pencils... new
trapper keepers (I'm really dating myself) and Moldovan mattresses! That's right -- it's also back to school time for kids in
Moldova.
You may have noticed most of our Sweet Sleep mission journeys happen
during the school year, and you're right! This is intentional as children living in Moldovan orphanages who have any family at all
- even a distant aunt or uncle - are sent to live with them until school starts back September 1st. By going during the school year, we are able to
share God's love with all of the children
who
live in the orphanages we serve. The children also work with us to take apart their old, broken beds and help us build their beautiful, new Sweet
Sleep
beds!
We would love for you to join with us in praying for what God is going
to do on our upcoming trip to Ialoveni, Moldova. This orphanage is home to 170 children with physical disabilities. What a joy it will be for these
children to lie down in safe, comfortable beds for the first time!
We still have some funds to raise before we leave on August 29th, so if you
are
able to help us provide beds for these sweet children, you can give online at www.sweetsleep.org or mail your donation to
Sweet
Sleep, PO Box 157,
Brentwood, TN
37024. Please write Ialoveni Beds in the memo line.
Sweetly,
jen
P.S. August 4th was Sweet Sleep's 5th birthday! We've been celebrating all summer and
now it's finally official -- we're 5! Click here to download our look back at 5 Years of Sweet Sleep.
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Sweet friends: Jen Gash with her new friend Valentine -- one
of the boys
who received a new Sweet Sleep bed in Drochia in May.
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Happy Birthday! Kids in Drochia celebrate their
birthdays after they receive their new Sweet Sleep beds.
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Life-Changing Birthday Parties
We've really enjoyed celebrating 5 years of Sweet Sleep this summer! But what has been
even more fun, is celebrating the birthday of the children we serve in Moldova when we provide beds.
Most of these children have never had a birthday party - and some of them
don't even know when they were born, they just know they were dropped off at an orphanage when they were little. Oftentimes a little boy or girl may
have the same birthdate as their orphanage director, because when they're taken in they need a date on their official papers, so directors will share
their birthdate with the children now entrusted to their care.
We know the importance of celebrating the fact that we were created special
and unique by God on our special day - our birthday! Friends of Sweet Sleep, Lesia Goddard and Laura Langham, recently decided to celebrate their
birthdays by having a party and encouraging their friends to give a gift to Sweet Sleep in lieu of gifts. These ladies raised over $600! What a
birthday! And what a great idea. Thanks ladies for loving orphans and sharing your special day with us!
Have a creative way to raise awareness about the needs of orphans or to raise
funds for beds for kids? Let us know! E-mail us at info@sweetsleep.org.
As we continue to celebrate 5 years of Sweet Sleep, we'd love to hear from you! You can
e-mail
birthday wishes to info@sweetsleep.org. You can also read
more about our birthday party for the orphaned children in Drochia in our "Meet the
Board" section below.
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Build-a-Bed Kids Raise
$10,000 for Ialoveni Beds
This summer we've been piloting our Build-a-Bed project. Kids in churches across the
country have been raising awareness in their communities about the needs of orphans in Third World countries and raising funds for beds for the
orphaned children of Ialoveni, Moldova.
Preschool children attending Summer Nights at Gladeville Baptist Church in
Gladeville, Tennessee raised over $1,000! 4th through 6th graders attending Camp Xtreme near Amarillo, Texas raised nearly $4,000! And to top off our
summer of pilot Build-a-Bed events, elementary children attending ClearView Baptist's Vacation Bible School raised $5,450! Find out how your church
can be part of our Build-a-Bed Project in 2008-2009 below.
Thank you to the following people for making this pilot summer of Build-a-Bed a success!
Bridgette Scott - Preschool Minister - Gladeville Baptist
Shane Pass - Children's Minister, ClearView Baptist
Jennie Ross - Children's Assistant, ClearView
Susan Young - Children's Minister, FBC Canyon, TX
Kathy O'Guinn - Children's Minister, Highland Baptist, Lubbock,
TX
Cliff Cary - Children's Minister, FBC Amarillo, TX
Jan Johnson - Children's Minister,
Coulter Road Baptist Church, Amarillo, TX
Meghan Azam - Children's Pastor, FBC Denver City, TX
Ami Vineyard - Children's Minister,
Monterey Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX
Maryhelen Matsler - Children's Minister, Calvary Chapel
KC Smallwood - Children's Minister, Farwell, TX Richard
Ray - Pastor, FBC Wink,
TX
Anthony Sizemore - Pastor, FBC Floydada, TX
Kent Benson - Children's Minister, FBC
Littlefield, TX
Matt Crawford - Pastor, FBC Matador, TX
Byron Potter - Youth Minister, FBC Olton, TX
Kyle Morton - Pastor, Ropesville, TX
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Build-A-Bed: A girl attending ClearView's VBS gives her offering to help orphans in Moldova sleep sweetly.
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Help Kids in Your Church Help Kids Through Build-a-Bed
Sweet Sleep's Build-a-Bed Project is the
perfect way to get kids in your local church
involved in missions during VBS, camps, retreats or Sunday School. Share the stories of these orphaned and abandoned children with
your
kids and see how many beds they can provide!
What You Get
- Video and print promotion pieces for you to customize provided by Sweet
Sleep.
- Stories of orphans whose lives have been changed through Sweet Sleep to share with
your children.
- Mission Moments to incorporate into worship times or Bible Study
meetings.
- Your kids fired up about missions!
"I've never seen a missions project that our kids related to so well! It made sense - our
kids could help other kids have a new, comfortable and safe place to sleep! Our kids really got behind this project and gave more than they ever have
before!" Connie Hartzell, Preschool Minister, ClearView Baptist Church
If your church would like to help raise awareness and funds for beds for orphans contact
Jon Merryman at jon@sweetsleep.org for more information about our Build-a-Bed Project.
You can also find out more information at www.
sweetsleep.org.
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MEET OUR BOARD
Changed lives. That's what drives Sweet Sleep Board of Directors Treasurer,
Shawn Sullivan, to spend his time, talents and resources to help orphaned and abandoned children
around the world.
In December of 2006, Shawn's church, Brentwood Baptist, was buzzing about
orphans half-way around the world needing beds. While attending Kairos, a
mid-week worship service at Brentwood, Shawn heard the story of Sweet Sleep taking up the plight of orphans around
the world by replacing their old dilapidated metal beds with beautiful, comfortable new wooden Sweet Sleep beds.
After seeing the pictures of these beds and hearing the stories of these children, Shawn knew he had to do something to fight this injustice.
"I
think some causes you give to because you want to help someone who has had a good chance at life but blew it." Shawn said. "A second chance is
definitely a worthy cause, but what drives me to help these orphaned children is that their situation is absolutely no fault of their own. They've
never had a solid chance at life."
Shawn immediately began supporting the work of Sweet Sleep financially but
soon found himself wanting to do even more. In the summer of 2007, Shawn
joined Sweet Sleep's Board of Directors as Treasurer. Using his finance skills on the Board helps Sweet Sleep use every donation to most effectively
improve the lives of children around the world.
Shawn recently returned from a trip to Moldova where he helped build beds for 280
orphans in the village of Drochia. Shawn shares with us his experience serving in Moldova: "The children we worked with were starved for love,
starved
for attention and starved for the knowledge that they are unique and special. My
favorite day in Moldova was "birthday party day," Shawn said. "We picked a day
and threw a big birthday party for all the kids in the orphanage. Most
of these children had never been celebrated before! Most of them had
never had
a birthday party - and some didn't even know when they were born. They
just know they've spent their entire life in an orphanage. It was so
amazing to
see them smiling, singing, laughing and celebrating just the fact that
they were born - each of them unique and special. It's an experience I
will
never forget."
After seeing Shawn's passion for these children, friends and coworkers at Willis decided
to help as well. Shawn and his co-workers recently participated in "penny wars" and raised money to help pay for beds for the children
Sweet Sleep served in Drochia.
"I encourage everyone to get involved with this organization that is doing so much good
in the world." Shawn said. "For less that $200, Sweet Sleep
can provide a complete bed for an orphan in a Third World country. In Moldova alone, Sweet Sleep has provided nearly 2000 new beds for the children
living in this country's orphanages but more than 11,000 children are still waiting... And with more than 210 million orphans world-wide, Sweet Sleep
has a huge task ahead of them as they seek to provide "a bed for every head." If you can give, give. If you can go, go. I encourage you to help these
children any way you can."
To join Shawn in helping these orphaned and abandoned children and to watch a video of Shawn's trip to Drochia, visit www.sweetsleep.org.
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Shawn hands out Bibles to the kids in Drochia.
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