By Sandi McMordie
Padraic came over to my table in the foyer of our church, just browsing around. I’d never met him before. I saw him looking at my list of Fundraiser
Ideas for the New Hope Uganda Hope Family House and asked him if he would like to grow a beard for the new baby house. He looked at his wife and she said, “No!” So, for a laugh I asked him if he would sit in a bath of baked beans? Again, he looked at his wife and this time she said, “Yes”! I asked why no to the beard and yes to the bath of baked beans and she said because he would love to grow a beard!
This threw me into a real dilemma – how on earth was I going to do this? I hadn’t a clue! but again God came to me rescue and I was amazed at the way the bath, the beans, the venue all came together. Totally, wonderful! Padraic sat in the bath for ages whilst the children spooned beans all over him and his little dog sat at the side of him licking the beans off his face. It was great fun! There are many more things on my list to raise money for the baby house and one or two really big challenges I will pray about. I feel as though, God is really stetching me and blessing me at the same time – so WAATCH THIS SPACE!
Note on UK Partners Raising Funds for the Hope Family House:
Just last week, we received a call that an abandoned baby had been found. As the only organization offering care for such infants in our District, we were happy to be able to offer a place for Jebez (as we have named him) to be cared for. Sadly, in recent months we have not always been able to say “Yes” as we simply have not had room. However, our new Hope Family House will change that. The house is now needing only $15,000 to complete. Sandi McMordie and others in the UK are doing everything they can to raise funds for the complete. So far the our UK friends have hosted a large “Tea Party” that raised £870 ($1400), an “Open Farm” event that raised over £1300 ($2100), and most recently the unique fundraiser described above!
Other Fundraisers for the Hope Family House
– Steve and Stella Spencer ran a half marathon in aid of Hope House.
– Neil and Judith Reynolds had a strawberry tea party with a jewellery and plant sale.
Sandi McMordie’s Testimony
My name is Sandi McMordie and I am 64 years old. I was born in Belfast, N. Ireland and lived in a protestant area of the City and was taken to be confirmed at the age of 13 but was a bit of a rebel and didn’t see why I should be confined just for the sake of it, surely it would have to mean something to me?
I left Belfast at the age of 17 married to my childhood sweetheart Eric, who had signed to play football in England for Middlesbrough in the North East. We lost our first child, Mark, who died at three months old. A couple of years later we had a daughter Tracy. when Tracy was small I went to college to learn shorthand and typing and got a job in the legal department of a big engineering company over here.
My life looked good on the outside but inside I was desperately seeking but didn’t know how to find that “something” that would fill the deep void inside of me. Then I was invited to church and I went knowing no one apart from the people I went with and as soon as I walked through those church doors, I felt this amazingly strong love directed at me!!! I could have just broke down and wept, but I didn’t. I thought maybe I was just in such a state inside that things might just be coming apart. There was a crusade on at that church and I went by myself every night and listened the following Sunday, alone in my kitchen, I asked Jesus into my life, that was in 1978 and I was baptised the following year, still weeping and weeping, but with a fantastic, grateful weeping, to think that this could happen to me!
God filled me up and I wanted another child and He blessed me with a second daughter, Lindsay.
I work from home doing the wages and paper work for our small supermarket and am kept busy with family and work. Life has not been easy and over the years there have been many trials, fears and worries and for a while I backslide in my faith but God has never left me, and I came back to Him in another very emotional way when my daughter, Lindsay, was caught up in the tsunami of 2004 and I didn’t’ have any news for more than 36 hours. I prayed and praised God for His wonderful gift of Lindsay into my life, I said “she is Yours to give and yours to take, please give me the strength to get through this” then as I stood up from that desperate prayer and within seconds, the phone rang and it was my daughter, she was injured but alive! Praise God!!!
Then, after my trip to New Hope in 2009 I asked god “what can I do?” and the answer God gave me was to fund raise and I have “had a go”! ever since and God has blessed me over and over and I feel privileged to do His work and to show my love for Him and for the people of New Hope especially the children, who I care for deeply.God is expanding my heart all the time and showing me, that one simple person, without any particular talents, who trusts in God and asked “what can I do”?
HE WILL ANSWER HE WILL USE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US of that I have no doubt.!
So whatever you are going through be confident in the Lord, hold fast to Him, Praise Him for He is Worthy, He loves you and will NEVER let you down!
In Christ
Sandi Mc