leaving the comfort zone

***Kristie Northern is a No Longer supporter, wife, mother of two boys who loves to run.  She is currently training for a 50K trail race happening in January 2014.  She has a very specific purpose for running the race, so we asked her to be a guest blogger to explain why she wants to run a 50K trail race for orphans.  Join us in encouraging her in this challenge!***

It's been almost 13 years since my husband, who at the time was my boyfriend and already a seasoned runner, asked me to join him on a jog.  My first thought was he must be crazy! And after the half-mile trot, I knew he was crazy!  I thought I would never continue running, but somehow, I caught the running fever.  After all these years I'm still running, and I realize he’s actually quite intelligent and not crazy at all! 

 

During these past 13 years, I have logged thousands of miles and have run in more than 100 races, ranging in distances from 5Ks to 15 miles.  To be honest with you, all of that running was done with selfish ambition, whether for exercise or to maintain a slim physique, to chase a Personal Record time or to place for awards in races, or just because of the enjoyment I have had along the way.  Recently God has been stirring my heart, telling me that running with this selfish ambition is NO LONGER an option for me.  I have invested a lot of time, money, energy, and effort to this sport (or hobby and form of exercise for me); in fact, too much for it to be all about me.  I have come to believe that everything I was running for in the past served no purpose in God's Kingdom.  There was no eternal value in it.  During the past year, I have felt God calling me to take this ability He has blessed me with to push beyond my comfort zone so I can use it for the benefit of others and to further His Kingdom. 
 

But, you might ask, "How can she use running to bless others?"  Great question!  In January 2014, I am going to run a 50K trail race.  Let me do the math for you: 50K = 31 miles!  I will be running this race to raise awareness and funds for No Longer, an organization founded in Trussville, Alabama, by a group of people who felt God calling them to action because inaction was no longer an option.  You see, we've been given an abundance of abilities and resources, and God calls us outside of our comfort zones in order to show His love to others for their benefit and for His glory.  If we say we are Christians, we have a responsibility to do what we have been called to do, including feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring "for orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). And that is just what No Longer is doing!  They are raising funds to finish construction and maintain support for an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.  This, to me, is what it means to push outside comfort zones to use the gifts God has given us to help others by showing these children that they are loved by Jesus and to give them a hope for a future!
 

So, back to the 50K race and why a 50K and not just any race or a shorter distance?  As I said, I have never run a race longer than 15 miles, so 31 miles is certainly outside of my comfort zone.  While I know God has given me the ability, strength, and endurance to run all of my previous miles and races, I usually didn't acknowledge Him and relied on myself to reach my goals.  Going longer than what I am used to will force me to rely on God to get me to the finish line of this great distance.  But more than that, I have struggled with some serious running related injuries over the past couple of years, including SI joint dysfunction, IT band tendonitis, and shin splits, all of which left me unable to run for periods of time.  Before these injuries, and even at times during and after them as well, I found a lot of pride in my abilities as a runner.  Deuteronomy 8:14 says, "Do not become proud and forget the Lord your God."  These episodes have caused my pride and spirit to be broken at times, but now I finally realize that being healthy and having this ability is a gift from God and it does not come from myself.  I know I have to depend on God for every step I take now, because after all, He is allowing me to continue on.  I also have an increased level of thankfulness and humbleness.  I didn't even want to announce I was planning to run this race because I didn't want others to think I was being boastful.  However, God has called me to this task as an opportunity for me to "boast in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 20:7) since "God's grace will reach more and more people, and there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory" (2 Corinthians 4:15).  You see, this is not about me!  It's all about God and to God be the glory! 
 

How can you help? 
 

1)  PRAY for No Longer, the children in the orphanage in the Dominican Republic, and everyone who is and will be supporting their mission.

 2)  PRAY for me to continually rely on God and that "He will encourage me by giving me His strength" (Psalm 138:3) as I train and race.  Pray for my body to remain healthy and free of injuries so I may reach the goal and complete the race.

 3)  DONATE!!  There are a few ways to give a donation.

Click this link for the online option.  Once on the page, click "GIVE NOW!" at the bottom to be sent to a secure giving site.  Use the pull-down tab and choose "Kristie Northern 50K Fund."  You can make a flat donation ($10, $25, $50 etc) or a "pledge per mile" flat donation (i.e. $1/mile x 31 miles = $31). 

Another option is making a donation by writing a check in your preferred amount to "No Longer" and giving it to myself or to a No Longer representative or by dropping it in the mail:

No Longer

PO Box 1167

Trussville, AL 35173

100% of all donations go to support the mission in the Dominican Republic and are tax-deductible.  Please consider going beyond your comfort zone by giving of your gifts and resources to help me help these children who are just as deserving of God's love and Good News as we are here at home!  Thank you! 

-Kristie Northern 

"How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news."  Romans 10:15

double the blessing

Can you believe the month of May is upon us this week?  With May comes Mother's Day and the end of the school year.  No Longer is hosting one big house party this season, so don't miss your chance to get a unique Mother's Day gift for someone special or to get a jump on end of the year teacher gifts!  Want to get your young girls involved in the shopping this time around?  They can be a part of the fun shopping for items priced within their budgets.  Seriously, there is a little something for everybody!  We'll have a lot of your favorites from past parties, but we will have a wider focus this time around.

By shopping at this party you will be giving a double blessing.  Not only will you be helping No Longer raise support and funds for the orphanage in Santo Domingo, you'll also be directly supporting men and women around the world who want nothing more than a way to feed and provide for their families.  We will be featuring more than a few great fair trade groups and non-profit organizations that produce unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade products, and we are so excited about it!

Light Gives Heat
"We want to do anything possible to not only help meet needs in Uganda though job creation, but also give the West a way to connect to individuals in Africa - in a personal way."  LGH employs and provides consistent income to women in Africa through the production of handmade jewelry.  Every piece is gorgeous and comes with a gift bag and card with the artisan's bio.  I love every bit of it and we will have a huge selection at the party.

 

Freeset

Freeset is located in Sonagacchi, the largest, most infamous sex district in Kolkata, India. Within a few square miles more than 10,000 women stand in line selling their bodies to thousands of men who visit daily. Many are trafficked from Bangladesh, Nepal and rural India. For others poverty has left them without options. The cries of their hungry children drive them to sell their bodies.  Women looking to escape or avoid this life have learned to sew and produce bags through employment with Freeset.  The women are paid around twice the going rate for an equivalent job elsewhere and as part of their employment package have health insurance and a pension plan. A woman is employed full-time to ensure that staff are able to access their health insurance entitlements.  Every woman who finds freedom through Freeset also brings freedom to her family. They find hope for a brighter future and the means to make it a reality.  We will be featuring beautiful bags and purses created by these courageous women.  We cannot wait for you to see them!
 

 

MudLove
MudLove is "a small love-centric business founded on the principle that giving is far better than receiving."  They give 20% of all sales to clean water in Africa through a faith-based organization called ICDI.  All MudLove products are handmade by a staff that "is fully committed to loving the people around them as well as those who are not."  We will have some inspirational MudLove bracelets available at the party.  And if all goes according to plan (fingers crossed), we will have bracelets stamped with No Longer ready for you to purchase!  They are perfect for women of all ages!

Acacia Creations

The mission of Acacia Creations has always been to improve lives in a long-lasting and sustainable way.  They go beyond fair trade by creating jobs, providing training, and giving back to the community through education and healthcare initiatives, working directly with hundreds of craftsmen and women at a Nairobi studio and across East Africa to improve their skills and product designs.  We will feature several different products like bracelets and wooden bowls and serving pieces from this great group.


 

Open Arms
Every year, thousands of refugees flee oppression around the world and are resettled in America.  To help them avoid the trap of poverty, Open Arms employs refugees at a living wage to create one-of-a-kind products using recycled t-shirts.  We are happy to be featuring skirts and headbands made by these refugees.

Global Mamas
Global Mamas transforms the lives of women in Africa by creating sustainable income opportunities which lead to financial independence. Global Mamas reduces the economic inequality of women by significantly increasing wages and generating new jobs through the production and export of fair trade products. This in turn improves the standard of living for women, their families, and the larger community.  We will be featuring purses, bags, and headbands made by Global Mamas artisans.

2nd Story Goods
This is a group of "co-laboring women and a few good men, working together in Haiti to make beautiful things and create sustainable income for our families."  We will feature jewelry and other housewares made from recycled glass and pottery found in Haiti.  The artisans who create the pieces for 2nd Story Goods are able to provide for their families and work to bring their communities out of poverty.

 

We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the party this weekend!

 



good always wins

***Paige Dorr is a No Longer supporter, advocate for adoption, marathon runner, and she loves the Lord.  We asked her to be a guest blogger to tell us why she ran the 2013 Boston Marathon and to remind us all that good always wins.***

 

 

I am sitting down to write this after running the Boston Marathon, a lifetime goal of mine, much as it is for many serious runners.  Here's a little background about me...  I am 35 years old and am married to a precious man named Eric.  We have three sweet girls: Hannah, age 7, Emma Kate, age 2, and Chloe, age 1.  We love the Lord and are passionate about adoption.  We felt God's call to adopt three years ago and followed through when we adopted a beautiful baby girl from Jacksonville, Florida.  She has totally blessed our lives!  The entire, miraculous process of adoption has changed so much of how we think about Christ and how he has adopted us into His family.  Shortly after adopting our sweet Emma we found out I was pregnant with Chloe, and that is all a miracle in itself and a great story for another time!

I have always loved running.  I ran my first marathon twelve years ago and have been addicted to the sport ever since!  It is my stress relief and my time with girlfriends to chat.  I look forward to every morning I can rise and run with my friends!  I have run several marathons, but I have never run to raise awareness for anything I was passionate about until the 2013 Boston Marathon.  I really wanted to do something to help my friends, Gary and Amanda Knotts, who are currently in the process of bringing their twin boys home from Haiti.  Being the mother of three small children and with so little time on my hands, in my heart I felt the Lord telling me to use my love of running to raise awareness about adoption!  And, of course, I said YES!

Isaiah Kevenel and Isaac Kelley live just outside of Port au Prince at an orphanage called Three Angels. They just celebrated their first birthday a couple of weeks ago.  Gary and Amanda have an amazing story of how God placed them together with these precious boys, and it is awesome to read about the little miracles He has performed along the way to have them ready for each other at exactly the same time.  The fact that they wanted twin boys and decided to go through an orphanage with only a few kids living in it, and then there "happened" to be twin boys is only one of the many miracles!!  You can visit their blog at www.knottsfamilyjourney.blogspot.com to read their full story, and I encourage you to do this because it will bless your heart.

I ran the Boston Marathon in honor of these two boys to raise awareness of adoption and this family's personal story.  Prayers for Isaiah and Isaac as they wait to get home to their family are greatly appreciated!  I also ran to raise funds for this family.  They are currently paying $800 every month for their care in the orphanage until they bring them home.  The Knotts are also paying for multiple bonding trips to visit the boys in Haiti out of pocket.  Anyone interested in helping them can contact me and I will give you information about how to make a donation.  The money goes directly to care for Isaiah Kevenel and Isaac Kelley.  I, as well as the Knotts family, appreciate all your prayers and support.

Little did I know when I woke up Monday morning, planning to have the "race of my life," that all of this evil would occur!  I finished the marathon about an hour before the bombings and thankfully had just met my husband a couple blocks away when we heard the boom.  All we saw were people running with fear in their eyes.  We went in the same direction they were running, away from the smoke, not knowing what had happened.  As we were walking, a lady shared with us what she had witnessed and we were awestruck.  She showed us pictures of where I had just run past moments before, and it sickened me that someone could do this at such a happy event and one that is so near and dear to my heart!  What should have been a day of celebration and happiness turned into such a sadness that I can't find the words to explain.  We heard so many stories from people who were right there when the bombs exploded and so many miracles of how their lives were spared.  My heart breaks for those who were affected and the families of the victims.  What I do know is that we live in a fallen world and there is evil all around.  A friend of mine shared this verse on Monday and it sums it up best:

"Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Please join me and continue to pray for Boston and for the Knotts family, as well as for the safety of Isaac and Isaiah. 

Thanks for all of your prayers while we were in Boston! 

We are so blessed!

-Paige Dorr

 

 

***Since Paige is too modest to brag on herself, we thought it would be fun to share her final time in the Boston Marathon.  As the first woman and third overall to cross the finish line at the No Longer 5K,  we were all cheering her on as she traveled to Boston.  So it should come as no shock that Paige crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon at the 3:26:40 mark.  That is keeping a sub-8:00 mile pace for 26 miles!!  Absolutely amazing and the No Longer family is celebrating the accomplishment with you, Paige!***

 

being the hands and feet

As exciting as it has been to watch our faithful Father guide No Longer step by step, gaining more and more support and advocates for "the least of these" daily, I can't contain my personal yearning to actually be the hands and feet of Jesus to the little ones who are continuously breaking our hearts.  For those of you who read Tracy's words in our last post, you can clearly see a common heartbeat among all of us... the desire to GO.  At the same time we are all being constantly humbled by His timing and trusting He knows best.  With that said and hopefully without causing Tracy or anyone else to envy me, the Lord has opened up doors in His perfect timing to send a crew through No Longer to the Dominican Republic on a medical mission trip April 27th through May 3rd!

God is crazy sovereign... emphasis on the crazy part considering he has ME leading this trip!  Seriously, I'm nothing more than a measly 3rd year med student working my way through school when a mentor physician of mine who works with UAB approaches me about No Longer.  Next thing you know, we're getting a UAB-approved course created and immediately start game-planning!  Our medical missions team consists of one physician, one dentist, one pharmacist, eight medical students, one administrator, and one kids' leader.  We are going through SCORE International to provide transportation, housing, food, translators, and other needs.  The plan is to set up several clinics throughout the week in different villages on the outskirts of Santo Domingo with the help of local churches and pastors that SCORE has built relationships with over the years.  Not only will we be able to take care of 50-100 people per day, but we will also be spending much of our time teaching moms, dads, and other adults in the communities about sustainable healthcare issues.  I was fortunate enough to go on a trip through SCORE two years ago and to see lives radically changed in the DR... not from medicine, but by the Great Physician.  I am now as excited as ever to go back to the place where I left pieces of my heart two years ago, and once again to simply be a vessel used to extend the mind-blowing, unconditional, infinitely loving arms of Jesus to those who desperately need Him.

So how does this exciting trip truly involve No Longer and the orphans we so deeply care about??  Like we've said before, we are still patiently waiting for the Lord to finalize certain issues before the orphanage is actually up and running.  Our incredible partnership with GO Project has made some exciting things possible.  They reached out to Pastor Altagracia to let her know about the medical team coming to the DR, and if everything works out according to plan (we'll see what God's timing has to say about all this), our group will actually get to worship with Pastor Altagracia and her congregation, minister to her and her community, and possibly even do healthcare screenings at the kids' school.  This will give us a chance to further our relationship with Altagracia, as well as serve her community in whatever way we're needed.  Regardless of the hectic details of this trip, the uncertainties of what exactly we will be doing, and the insane notion that I'm the numbskull leading it, I am confident in this: Jesus will deliver hope to the hopeless, the blind will see, the oppressed will be set free, and I myself will never be the same.

Much love and peace!

Drew

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

So, what can we do to help Drew and the UAB medical missions team?  They are in need of as much gauze as we can find and also small/simple craft kits, pony beads (plastic with a large hole for yarn to pass through), pipe cleaners, yarn, and stickers to entertain the kids.  We will be collecting these items all week and need your help!  Contact us at info@no-longer.com if you need info on where to drop items or any of the No Longer crew will take it from you.  Thanks so much!

dreaming while waiting

This has been an amazing year in the life of No Longer.  From sitting around dreaming about the "what ifs" to it being "all very real and happening."  Lots of super cool fundraising has been going on lately.  We have just completed our inaugural 5K and it was a HUGE success in our books.  Success would have been five people showing up.  HUGE success is defined as total awe, mouth wipe open, can't believe this is happening success.  More than five people showed up AND they weren't all our relatives!!!  Stay tuned for a more detail report in the coming weeks.

It's been exciting to plan the race, upcoming home party and even a CrossFit fundraiser.  But, if I'm being totally honest here... I'm just ready to go LOVE on some kids.  I'm so ready to pack my bags and go.  I'm ready to see little girls move into the orphanage.  I'm ready to see the boys dormitory being built.  I'm ready to experience this with my family.  I'm ready for our definition of love and sacrifice to change.  I'm just ready!!!  See the overall theme in the previous statements?  "I...  ME..."; however, God's not ready yet!  This has been a hard, bitter pill to swallow!  At times it seems as if time is dragging by or standing completely still.  I know fundraising and raising awareness to the orphan crisis is HUGE and important.  But, I just want to go.  Picture me standing with a suitcase whining to God, "I want to go NOW!!"  My tantrum in my head is similar to that of my 3-year-old's comical outbursts.  Through some humbling experiences I've had to step back, close my mouth and listen for His voice.  And right now that voice is saying it is not time yet.  It's frustrating for someone who lives by their calendar to not be able to plot the dates of the maiden voyage to see the kids.  But, it's not frustrating to Him.  He still says, "Just wait."  I've always thought I was a patient person.  It's always funny how we think we are and then to see how we actually are when we remove our rose-colored glasses.  Because I am a patient person...  as long as I know the plan.  Okay, I'm not a patient person.

 

In the meantime, I dream about their faces.  I dream about their smiles, their stories, their personalities.  I dream about losing myself in a different culture.  Very soon, these dreams will become reality.

Thank you for supporting us this past year as we travel down the path of unknowns.  Thank you for making a difference in the life of an orphan.  In the big picture it doesn't matter WHO you help or WHERE you go... it only matters that you make a difference and ACT.  To some that means travel and sacrificing time, to some it means adoption, to others it means contributing financially and to some it means simply praying!  All of those areas beautifully weave together and collectively we can accomplish big things and make a difference in the life of a child.

- Tracy

Run or Walk for Orphans!

No Longer 5K
PRESENTED BY GIGI MINISTRY

{Saturday, April 6, 2013}  {Trussville, Alabama}

 

Grab your family and friends!  Big plans have been made and the excitement is building!  We need runners and walkers and families of all ages to come out to support No Longer with a morning of fun, music, and BIG surprises as we raise awareness for the orphaned children living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  We are raising money to complete construction on the orphan homes we have helped start in Brisas, one of the poorest pockets of Santo Domingo.  The 5K day will be a ton of fun for the entire family and we hope you will join us and help spread the word!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

 



update

Do you remember those "choose your own adventure" books?  They were popular when I was a kid, and I could read the same book five different times and it would be like reading an entirely different book each time.  Sometimes the ending would be the same, but the story in the middle always looked different based on which decision you made.  Well, many times this journey with No Longer has felt like we are in one of those "choose your own adventure" stories.  We know where we want to end up and we have a pretty good idea how we are going to get there, but sometimes things take a different twist or turn that we weren't expecting. Every day there is something new that grabs our attention and must be addressed.  However, none of these twists in the plot have deterred us from our end goal - answering the call to help the least of these.  And praise God we know the Author of this story and He knows the ending and He WILL get us to where He wants us... our job is to be obedient and to follow Him as He leads.

No Longer is so thankful for providentially learning about The Global Orphan Project early last year.  At the time we had no idea what our focus would be or in what country we would find ourselves, but when Tracy found GO Project and we started researching their processes, things just clicked into place and our purpose was sealed.  I can easily recall the excitement the group felt when we first studied GO Project's orphan care model.  What sets it apart from other models is what we found to be so wonderful!  The words used to describe the model are local-church owned, culturally-relevant, and sustainable.  All three of these objectives work together to make a system that works well with the right church leadership in place at the local church level.  The local pastors know the customs.  They know the neighborhood.  They know the families and people in the community.  They know who needs help and who can extend help. And knowing all of this makes them culturally-relevant in a way our group in America could never be.  The church working together to care for the orphans in their midst and taking ownership in their care leads to sustainability, the ultimate goal.  

To American outsiders this heavy reliance on the local church partner and their pastor might seem extremely risky.  No Longer has completely trusted GO Project's work in pairing us with the right local church partner.  Pastor Altagracia has a true heart for the orphans in her sphere of influence, as well as the members of her church.  Many pastors in developing countries like the Dominican Republic are given the monumental task of not only leading their church members in spiritual growth, but also of helping to find employment and sometimes housing and of meeting the basic needs of their members.

So, what does all of this mean to No Longer and the orphans in Brisas?  While we were hoping to see children move in by March, delays with some government paperwork and other remaining construction hurdles are pushing the predicted move in date back four to six months instead of the four to six weeks we had hoped.  Is this delay disappointing?  Of course, but if we have learned anything from this experience it is that God's timing is absolutely, without a doubt, spot on perfect.  And trusting in God's timing includes trusting in Altagracia's abilities to do what needs to be done to open the orphanage while understanding the ongoing demands placed on her as the pastor of a thriving church in the developing world.

"Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

No Longer and GO Project have complete confidence in Altagracia and the church members of Restauracion.  We fully support her efforts on behalf of God's children in Brisas even when distance, language, economic, and cultural barriers cause us to feel helpless.  The church is currently caring for 36 orphaned children in their own homes while waiting for the completion of orphanage construction.  They are doing the work and are living out James 1:27 every single day by "looking after orphans in their distress."  These church members know the stories, the language, the culture, the needs of these children like we never will, and we support them completely and faithfully.

Our calling as Christians is not to make something happen in our own power, but to remain faithful to the call God has placed on our lives and to follow Christ every step along the journey.  We aren't as concerned with how we get there, but instead we are to follow Him as He leads us!  We see progress being made (see updated site pictures below) and we are thankful God is allowing us to be a part of His great work!  We are now humbly asking that you would please join us in praying over the next several months for these specific needs:

• for Brisas and the children who will live in the orphanage
• for the construction to be completed, specifically the water and power source
• for the government paperwork to be completed as smoothly as possible

It is an honor to be in this adventure with you!  We look forward to the day God brings His children to this incredible orphanage and we are thankful He has allowed us to play a part in the process.  This is His journey; we're just walking beside Him along the way.

celebrating

>>>>From the Founders<<<<

 

Thank you so much for investing in No Longer during 2012.  We are so grateful for your generosity and support.  We couldn't accomplish anything in Santo Domingo without people behind us who believe in the mission and vision. 

 

Since sharing our vision with others at the founding dinner on April 19, No Longer has raised
 

over $76,000!

Incredible!  Some of these funds will be used to complete the construction of two dorms with bathrooms/showers, an administrative building with health room, and a kitchen that will provide a "home" to 36 orphans in the early months of 2013.    

 

Thank you for your partnership through the giving of donations and/or the purchasing of No Longer merchandise.  We are humbled and honored to partner with you!  And thank you in advance for the amazing things we will do together in 2013!  While we celebrate what has been accomplished, please be reminded the work is just getting started and we hope you will partner with us to see it through. 

 

Thank you and God bless you in 2013!

>>>>Tracy, Michael, Lindsey, Blake, Melissa, Brian, Drew, Kevin, & John<<<<