Latest Articles — Tori Close

Hello friends!

No real exciting news today, so I thought I would just post a little update about the Close family. :)

This month is proving to be very busy for us all. We are we continuing to get ready for our move into our new home. Lots of packing, sorting, and cleaning. I still can’t believe how much stuff 3 people can manage to have … especially in this little apartment! I thought we had been doing pretty good about keeping our “junk” sorted, but I was very wrong. LOL! I am amazed at the amount of things we have either thrown away or given away. Crazy.

Along with moving, Derek has a business summit coming up that he will be flying off to. It is being held in North Dakota again this year and we decided that with everything going on he should fly with his business associates, instead of driving like we did in 2007. It’s going to be strange having him gone for a “business week”. It has been many, many years since we have been apart for that long.

Draylen is also going to be heading off; he will be attending the Creation Festival Northwest. He went last year as well, and had an awesome time. Whoever came up with this idea was brilliant! What a great way to get thousands of believers together each year for a time of worship, praise, and fellowship. I am so glad that Draylen is able to be part of it. I love knowing that my son is doing his best to keep the Lord as his central focus of his life. I know it isn’t always easy, especially for a 17-year old boy, but his love for the Lord is obvious, and it makes my heart glad.

As for me, I am hoping to be able to have a visit with my best friend Marti sometime this summer, but I’m not sure if it is going to happen. With so much going on right now, I just don’t know if it is going to be feasible to take a trip to Oregon or not. If I can’t get down there, maybe she can come up here for a visit. I hope so. I sure do miss her. :(

Well, I guess that is about it for now. I know this wasn’t the most exciting post ever, but I miss sitting down and chatting with you all! Hopefully I will have more time to blog once August arrives.

I pray you are all having a beautiful summer so far!

P.S. If you haven’t already, please make sure to take a peek at the post I wrote a couple of days ago about my brother-in-law’s mission trip to Haiti. We are still trying to raise some funds for him, so if you are able, your support would truly be appreciated!

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Travis Close – On A Mission To Haiti

This is my brother-in-law, Travis. (with his lovely wife, Kristen)

Travis is many things; a devoted husband and father, a loving son and brother, the “fun” uncle (as my kids like to say, lol!), a hard worker, and crazier than most people I know. *grins*

But above all though, Travis is on fire for God! He is one of those people that you just can’t help but be affected by when you are around him – his energy and passion for the Lord (and for people) just seems to seep out of him and latch onto the nearest person. :)

Why am I telling you this? It’s simple. Travis is on his way to Haiti in a few short weeks, and I am trying to help raise support for his trip. His passion for the poor is palpable, but his main focus is to bring Christ to those who need Him.

I truly admire Travis for making this trip. He is leaving behind his beautiful wife, his two children, and every single comfort of home in order to do what he feels he is called to do; minister to those in need.

I asked Travis for a little bit of information about what group he was going to Haiti with, and what exactly they were going to be doing. Instead of trying to paraphrase, I am taking a few things that he has sent me, as well as some of his status updates from Facebook to show you his purpose, and his heart.

In his own words:

“I’m falling in love with the hungry, the sick, and the poor.”

“Haiti in four weeks. We are going to attempt to build as many houses as we can in six days.”

“We are working with Child Hope International at The Lighthouse orphanage in Port-Au-Prince. We plan to make this a regular thing to bring the gospel; to clothe, feed, heal, and bring salvation to the poor.

We have been going to Mexico to build for the people and now we are getting off continent. Building is just an excuse to build relationships to lead others to Christ.”

‘What you have done to the least of these you have done to me.’ ~Jesus~ ”

Now, with all of that said, I would like to ask you to pray about this missions trip to Haiti. Please pray for safety for all involved, for the Gospel to reach the hearts of those who need Christ, and whether or not you should donate to this mission.

If you feel led to give, please use the Donation button below:

All donations will be sent to Travis at the end of this month. I am hoping to be able to post a screen shot of my PayPal that contains a huge amount of donations by the time we send it out. :) — And don’t worry, all personal information will be blacked out for privacy reasons!

For more information on what they will be doing, take a peek at the following video links. The first video will pop up in a shadow box here on the blog, and the second link will open in a new window:

Haiti Video 01 —- Rescued Video (the group Travis will be working with)

Thank you in advance to any and all who are willing to donate to this missions trip. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Blessings,