Fund-Raising Photo Shoots

Over the past couple of weeks Evergreen Photography Studios has been running a special where all proceeds go towards my fund-raising efforts for my mission trip to Russia! Based right here in West Michigan, Evergreen Photography Studios is owned and operated by my wonderful sister-in-law, Michelle Curnow!

A big THANK YOU goes out to Michelle and all of the clients who participated in this special. So far we have had 5 photo shoots and 2 more scheduled on Monday. There is still some time to schedule your photo shoot with Evergreen Photography Studios and take advantage of the "Janessa Is Going To Russia" promotion. My deadline is July 1, 2010, so schedule your booking now by clicking HERE to go to the Evergreen Photography Studios website! If you can't schedule a shoot during the promotion, still check it out- they do all kinds of events and packages and are very reasonably priced!

Here is a picture from one of the photo shoots- two of my good friends, Amanda and Nicole, have daughters who were born one day apart! BFFs Annika and Charlee got their picture taken with "Nessa" during their shoot. It was towards the end and they wanted to go play, but they still look ADORABLE!!


Fund-raising efforts are still going on, so please consider donating in anyway you can. I need an additional $1,100 by July 1st!! Click HERE for more details!

♥♥ Janessa

Unofficial Russia Team Meeting= Awesome

This past Thursday, me and a few of the women I am going to Russia with met for an informal Russia Team Meeting. We had an official meeting scheduled that day and the date changed, but we still wanted to meet up and get to know each other better. BEST. IDEA. EVER.

I had such a great time getting to know those women better. The women who showed up were: Autumn, Lindsey, Nicole, Jessica, Kristen, Lori, Jen, Allison, Emily (Em) and of course, me! There were about 15 people who couldn't make it- sad- but we had a good time. We talked about how we heard about this trip and what made us sign up for it. We heard pieces of each others testimonies and we prayed for each other and the trip.

We have an official team meeting in Grand Rapids on Monday, June 21 and another "unofficial" team meeting in Plainwell on Tuesday, June 29. A big THANK YOU to Lindsey who has been so great in planning our informal meetings and to Autumn who provides a place for us to meet!

Talking with the girls on Thursday definitely started getting me pumped for the big trip. I was excited to go, but distracted by other things in my life that I didn't give it much thought other than how much I still needed to fund-raise. Thursday really made me realize that this is coming up soon and we are going to have such a great time!

Speaking of fund-raising... I do still need between $1,500- $1,700 for the trip, so please consider donating if you have not already! Please visit my past post for details on donations or contact me at janessac917@yahoo.com if you have additional questions.

♥♥ Janessa

Halfway There!

In this post I first wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far towards my mission trip to Russia. As you may know, June 1st was the first deadline and we had to have $1600 in our trip accounts to pay for airfare. This coming week they will make all the finishing touches on the tickets and then we will find out the final cost of that portion. When I find that out, I'll know officially how much I have left to raise to get me to Russia! Right now I am estimating anywhere between $1,500 and $1,700 to go!

As we get closer to the final deadline for fund-raising (all money due by July 1, 2010!!!) I do start to get anxious, but I trust that God will provide. I pray that He speaks to the hearts of friends and family (and strangers??) to give what they can and help me meet the financial needs. From there I will be able to focus on gathering supplies that we'll be taking to the orphans and also working with my team to create a program for the time we spend with the orphans.

Once again, if you are in the West Michigan area and would like to get your photos taken by Evergreen Photography, contact Michelle at michelle@evergreenphotographystudios.com and schedule a photo shoot. If you mention my trip, all proceeds will go towards my trip! Book before July 1!!

On June 10 a few of us are going to have an informal meeting to just hang out and get to know each other better. I hope I can make it and that work will not interfere. Then on June 21 we have our next "official" team meeting where we will meet Paula from Orphan Outreach in person. Paula will be going on the trip with us, but since she works at Orphan Outreach in Texas, she was unable to make our first meeting. We'll also be turning in our Visa applications on the 21st!

Please continue to pray for me and my team. Please pray that we all receive the monetary donations we need to go on the trip, that we bond as a team and that we keep our minds and hearts open to the experiences we'll face in preparation for and during the trip.

Grace & Peace
♥ Janessa

First Russia Team Meeting!

Well, last Thursday was the first Team Meeting for our Russia Team! Not everyone was able to make it, but it was nice to put some names and faces together!

We started out by having pizza and introducing ourselves. I think we have a good mix of people. Both genders, a good range of ages and very different backgrounds, which is nice. I know God brought together this specific group of people because of what we can offer.

We went over some information about the trip- more details about the itinerary (which I will post once I get the new version), got our paperwork for our Visa's and filled out a sheet stating our preferences/likes, etc.

Finally, we split up into groups and prayed for each other, for the orphans, for the caretakers of the orphans and for our trip. Next time we meet we will start planning exactly what we are doing to do with the kids!

Here's something I didn't know- in Russia, orphans are looked at like 2nd or 3rd class citizens. They are not respected. Furthermore, the people who lovingly take care of said orphans are also looked down on and treated with little or no respect because they associate with the orphans!

In the USA we tend to feel pity for those in the foster care system and those without stable or living parents, but for the most part I think that the majority of society is impressed with and think highly of the foster parents or foster care system workers. I had no idea that they were all considered a different "class" of people. It breaks my heart :(

So, it will be nice to love on the kids and also love and show how much we respect the workers!

I will update you all after our next meeting. In the meantime- THANK YOU to everyone who helped me get the funds for the airfare! I still need about $1800 before I have everything covered and then I will start working on getting the supplies we need to bring with us! I have a long way to go, so prayer and financial support is VERY much appreciated!

♥ Janessa

PictuRes for Russia

Ok, so I couldn't do a double R this week, but I tried. haha.

Anyway, if you are in the West Michigan area, check out this wonderful promotion that Evergreen Photography Studios is doing to support my trip to Russia!


Contact Michelle Curnow (yes, my sister-in-law and VERY talented photographer) to schedule your session! If you can't make it on either of these Saturdays, call for an appointment and don't forget to mention me & my trip! ALL proceeds go towards funding my trip and I still have quite a ways to go!

It's a win-win-win- you get FANTASTIC photos, Evergreen Photography Studios gets your business and I get money to go towards my trip to Russia! Can't pass up this great deal!

Also, don't forget to check out my previous blogs, like this one, this one or even this one for more details!

♥ Janessa

Renovations in Russia

Do you like how I have this "double R" thing going for my post titles? I do. Makes me feel witty... just me? Ok. haha.

Anyway, there is a point to this title. Our itinerary has changed a bit from what was originally planned, but I am confident that this is what God has had planned from the beginning!

Our original plan was to spend the majority of our time in one orphanage- Crisis Center #15. However, the government has mandated some renovations/construction in the months of July & August, so Crisis Center #15 will be closed for that time. The children of #15 will be dispersed to other orphanages while the renovations take place. Though the we & the staff are sad we will not be able to spend our time there, this is exciting news since these renovations- fixing a leak in the basement and repairing roads/driveways to the hospital- are much needed.

Here is an excerpt from the email we received from Orphan Out reach that discusses our new plans:

Having assurance that God is in control of these events and our trip and has a purpose in it all --- our plans are now to spend our time with the children from orphanages #2, #14 and #40 at their summer camp locations just outside the city of St. Petersburg. Each summer, the children from orphanages in St. Pete have the opportunity to leave the crowded city and spend some time in the country. This is a special time for them where they can run and play in the wooded areas near the Gulf of Finland. The camps are made up of very old buildings and houses and the grounds are not manicured but the children enjoy the time in the fresh air away from the city. I can assure you that the time we spend with them will be the highlight of their summer.

We will still be doing a Vacation Bible School type program and we hope to share the love of Jesus Christ with the orphans of these 3 locations.

As far as fund-raising goes... I have been getting quite a few pop bottle donations (THANK YOU!) and I have now started to receive a few donations in the mail (THANK YOU!!). I still have quite a ways to go to even get to the 1/2 that is due by June 1st, but I am putting my faith in God that he will speak to peoples hearts and donations will be made.

In addition to that (no, I'm not just sitting around, waiting for checks in the mail!) I am still collecting pop bottles, I will be selling some items (contact me at janessac917@yahoo.com if you'd like to know details before I post them on Craigslist!) and I will also be offering these services:

* Babysitting
* Tutoring
* Budget-planning

Contact me if you would like to take me up on the offer of these services. I do work full time, so we'd have to work around that, but all payments for these services will go to my Russia trip!

I'm sure I'll do other things to fund-raise as well (if you want/need family photos this summer & you're in West Michigan, hold off. I will have an awesome opportunity soon... details to come later!), but I haven't got all the details sorted out. If you want more details of supporting me financially click HERE.

Thanks for your support both financially & in prayer!

Grace & Peace

♥ Janessa

Rubles for Russia!

At long last, my friends, here is the information you've been waiting for!

If you are interested in helping to support me financially in my mission trip to Russia, please continue reading! Also, here is the link to the post where I listed the itinerary: http://mission-love.blogspot.com/2010/04/mission-trip-to-russia.html

Please pray & consider supporting me financially in this mission trip. Know that your monetary gifts will allow me to share the love of Jesus Christ with orphans in need.

The total amount I need to raise to fund my trip to Russia is $3,500.00. This includes: airfare, food, bottled water, lodging, interpreters, transportation, sightseeing, cultural events, etc. I need the first 1/2 by June 1, 2010 and the second 1/2 by July 1, 2010.

All Gifts Matter!

One Day Sponsor= $350.00
1/2 Day Sponsor= $175.00
1/4 Day Sponsor= $87.50

All gifts make a difference, no matter how big or small. Money is tight and the economy is rough. If you are unable to sponsor a full, 1/2 or 1/4 day, your support is important to me! Please consider donating what you can!

Easy to Give!

There are 3 ways to donate to this cause!

• Mail a check: made payable to Orphan Outreach & including my name (Janessa Curnow) & trip code (RU10-08WFM) on the memo line to:

Orphan Outreach
ATTN: MISSIONS
2001 West Plano Parkway Suite 3700
Plano, TX 75075 USA

* If you would like a tax-deductible form sent at the end of the year, please include a sheet including your name, address, phone # & email address. Also, if you prefer sending your checks to me directly, still make it out to Orphan Outreach & you can email me (janessac917@yahoo.com) a request for my address.

• Mail Cash- to mail cash to me, please email me (janessac917@yahoo.com) and ask for my address.
• Credit Card or EFT (electronic funds transfer) Payments can be made at www.orphanoutreach.org!

- Click on "Make a Donation" in the upper right-hand corner & select "Support Trip Participant
- Make sure to put my name- Janessa Curnow as the Trip Participant and Trip Code RU10-08WFM!

It's Tax-Deductible!

Gifts to Orphan Outreach, with an expression of preference for my trip expenses, are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. If I am unable to participate in the trip, your gifts will be used to support the short-term mission program of Orphan Outreach!

Thank you in advance for your financial donations. And don't forget to PRAY! Christ's love to you!

Grace & Peace,

Janessa ♥