Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

I can't believe that it has been so long since I've blogged. Lame, Katherine, really lame! I've been to India and now I'm back to tell my story. I'm still a little jet-lagged, but I wanted to go ahead a give a little update as to what God has been doing.

26 people (ages 16-25) felt the call to India for Christmas. We each raised $3,200. We all met up in Boiling Springs, NC and began a wonderful journey together. When I arrived at Boiling Springs I didn't really know anyone. I wasn't scared though. I may not have known intimate details about the lives of these 25 people, but we all had something in common. We all loved Jesus enough to give up Christmas with our family and travel to the other side of the world for Him.

It didn't take long for my team to get real close real fast. When you travel the world with someone you are each others comfort. When you rely on each other for medicine, toilet paper, snacks, direction, and safety, you can't help but become close. When you are together practically 24/7 and there is never any personal space you just get over having a bubble and embrace everyone. I have to say though, that God really blessed us with unity. It was amazing to me that 26 people could all come together under a common cause and supported each other every step of the way.

In my next few blogs I will unload some of the stories of what happened during my 2 weeks in India. Its impossible to tell every story, and there are some stories better left untold. But still I hope to effectively convey to you how God is moving in Nagpur and in my heart.

God Speaks & Mountains Move

So, yesterday I woke up with Laryngitis which is not fun in and of itself. I really had to strain myself to say anything, and it put me in a awful mood yesterday. But to make the situation extra challenging, I had an appointment speak about India this morning. I was a little worried, but still had faith, that God would be able to speak through me with no literal voice. I asked for prayer, and someone (or someones) must have taken that request seriously. I woke up this morning fully able to speak. Not only speak, but able to sing God's praises!

So this morning myself and 3 other ladies arrived at the little Baptist church and were directed down the hall of the adult classrooms. The girl in the front of the line said she would rather not go first, so I, without missing a beat stepped up and took the first room. It would later be revealed to me that I was meant to speak to that particular room of people. I introduced myself and quickly told why I was there. I shared of my summer in Beaufort as a LCM VBS Director, and then gave a brief synopsis of my plans to go to India for Christmas.

It was a miracle in and of itself that I was able to be so brief. (If you can't tell, I'm tend to be very long winded.) I asked if there were any questions. The only questions they had were (1) "What is your testimony?" & (2) "Can I give you money today?" So I shared a brief version of my testimony, and shared my support letter with them. I told them where to find more information about my trip, my facebook page, and my blog.

One man stepped up and wrote a single check for me, asking for two wristbands. I figured the check was probably for $3 for the bracelets, maybe 10 or 20 dollars if he was being extra generous. But no. God proved me wrong. He showed me to have more faith in total strangers. He taught me that my enthusiasm for this trip is enough to inspire people to believe in it. The check was not for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 85, or 95 dollars. It was for $100.

I was absolutely floored when I got home and discovered this little surprise. And what made it even more special is that I have a feeling this man doesn't have that kind of money to just throw it away on a whim. The address listed on the check was for an apartment.

My God is so BIG. He can move the mountains. But even more so, he can allow us to have so much faith in him that WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Thank you for helping me to move mountains, by watching you do it by your generosity. THANK YOU!

Half way there...almost! :)

Hey guys! Thanks so much for you support! I'm excited to say that God has provided $1,558.07 for my trip so far! This means that I have met my deposit deadline, I have surpassed the minimum by $58.07 & I am $41.93 away from having 1/2 my support money raised! This is incredible!!

I still have a billion bracelets left to sell, so please let me know if you want one! They cost only $1.50, are fashionable, & the best part is: They are a great reminder to pray for me and share about my trip with the people around you!

Just FYI, most of my support money raised so far has been from small donations of about $2. Sure, I have some ultra generous donors (who have given amounts of 10,20, 50, 75, 100, and even 300 dollars!) But all the same, so much of my support has come from people literally collecting pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters in the name of Christ!

All of this is to tell you that God is moving in a HUGE way but sometimes the journey is made in the smallest of baby steps. This makes me smile :)

Prayer Requests:
*Sharing about India @ Rawlinson Rd Baptist Church on Sept 12
*Raising the remaining $1,641.93 + the cost of my visa (TBA)
*My heart be prepared for what will happen in India
*My current life struggles never overshadow what God has planned for me.
*My team & all the people I will encounter in India
*My health prior to the trip (specifically the little illnesses I'm catching from my 5th graders) and during the trip (specifically my stomach handling the intensely spicy food).


THANK YOU!! God is using you to make his name known HERE and across the WORLD!!

$14 per person = India paid for!

If every member of my Facebook group donates $14 before November 15, then my mission trip will be paid for! What?? That's AMAZING!! I really hope that everyone who receives my message considers doing at least that much. The money would stretch so far, half way across the world and back!!!

God's provided for this trip since day one (January 4) I'm sure he will continue to provide!

Keep the change!

God has been providing for this trip in all sorts of miraculous ways. One example of this is people telling me to keep the change when I sell them a wristband. To think, I was worried about not being able to sell for $1.50 when people are spending $2.00 without me even asking.

Also, I have some really awesome supporters who are hard at work fundraising for me. My brother David has sold 10 for me already. My good friend, Bret has sold 40 wristbands, my stepmom Maribeth is trying to sell 44 for me. My mom has sold 50. I have very little fears about being able to sell all my wristbands. My fear is that someone will want one and I won't have anymore. (Of course that would be more an excitement than a disappointment. :)

Altogether the wristbands and the elephant bank have brought in $190.73. I can't wait for Friday to find out how much money has arrived at Crossroads Worldwide in my name.

Feed India: John 6:35 Wristbands

The wristbands have been here for just 2 days and I've already sold 70! I'm so glad God gave me the idea to do this, because its going to be a very profitable fundraiser! Unfortunatley in an effort to get the wristbands here asap I had to order very plain white ones, and they are engraved, and hard to read. BUT, God gave me the brillant idea to color in the engravement with sharpies (Feed India:) in green, and (John 6:35) in orange, to match the Indian flag!

I spent a good part of my day preparing my support letter to be sent out. I had finalized it days ago, but had to go to the Post Office for stamps, Kinko's to print it out, and yellowpages.com to find addresses. I mailed about 30 letters today. If everyone who receives a letter sends $8 & I sell all of my wristbands by September 15th, I'll make meet the deposit deadline! So far I've presold 62 wristbands. Only 485 more to go!

Sleepless nights thinking of India

So its after midnight, and yet I'm still awake after being in bed for over an hour. I was sincerely tired, even drowsy an hour ago. But as I closed my eyes a thought popped in my head, which lead to another thought, which then lead to another thought, and so on and so forth...and now I can't turn my brain off and go to sleep. Most of my thoughts are about my trip to India.

I'm wondering about the wristbands I ordered, (will they be able to be sold, will they bring in enough money and quick, will people be disappointed in the quality.)

I finished my support letter,(but I still need to print it & copy it 50x, I need to find the addresses of people I am going to mail it to, I need to buy stamps to mail the letters).

I decorated my India Elephant,(but I haven't taken it everywhere with me. Will it really bring in a lot of money)

I am going to India, but where. Everyone keeps asking me where and all I can say is "central India" because that's all I know.

My Elephant Bank

So I was in the local dollar store looking for a piggy bank that I could easily carry around with me everywhere. That's when I spotted this beautiful elephant bank. Then a wonderful idea popped in my head - decorate its face like they do to really elephants in India. So I pulled out my sharpies and had a lot of fun! When I showed my daddy, he told me how the elephant is a scared animal in that country. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile! :)

My Support Letter

Hi! My name is Katherine Weikle. I was born and raised in North Augusta, SC. I am currently a senior Elementary Education major at Winthrop University. When I am not in class, I am student-teaching at India Hook Elementary School, attending BCM, tutoring in local schools as a Teaching Fellow, working at Chick-fil-A, and spending time with friends.

Since graduating from high school, God has really been pushing me to break out of my comfort zone to reach souls for Him. It all started with going off to college. After only a few days I knew I was where I was meant to be. I quickly got involved with the local Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) on campus. During my sophomore year I applied and was accepted to be a South Carolina BCM Summer Missionary. I spent ten weeks that summer working with children from all parts of the LowCountry of South Carolina. Also during my sophomore year, I traveled to the Dominican Republic for a week with Teaching Fellows. It was on that trip that God taught me that I could and would be traveling out of this country’s borders for Him.

In January of my junior year I attended the Passion 2010 Conference and received a call from God to go to India on a short term mission trip. I immediately began praying and searching for the perfect opportunity. God closed many, many doors along the way but ultimately led me to apply for one particular trip. Crossroads Worldwide & Clayton King Ministries travel to Central India every Christmas to give out presents to orphans. I will be able to share about Christ with these orphans and students from a local Bible College, as well as work on facilities, and of course encourage believers living and/or serving in India. The trip lasts for two weeks, December 16- 30, and costs $3,200. The deposit ($1,500) is due September 15th, with the balance ($1,700) due November 15th.

There are several ways that you can help me to answer God’s call. (1) Please pray. Prayer has the power to make the impossible possible. Pray for the team members to be able to raise the money necessary to fund the trip. Pray for the hearts of the missionaries, and the people we will meet there. (2)Respond to this letter by sending a check of ANY amount that will go towards the $3,200 cost of the trip. (3) Send me an encouraging letter that I can take with me to India to share with my entire team. (4) Save your spare change and put it in my Elephant (piggy) bank. (5) Buy a Feed India : John 6:35 silicone bracelet for $1.50. Over $1 from each bracelet goes towards the cost of the trip.

*For more information on the Passion Conference visit: http://www.268generation.com
*For more information on Crossroads Worldwide & Clayton King Ministries visit: http://www.crossroadsworldwide.com/index.html

Respond Today!
Mail letters of encouragement to:
Katherine Weikle
PO Box 5201
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733

Make checks payable to CROSSROADS WORLDWIDE, with "Katherine Weikle, India, Dec 16-30" in the memo line & mail support money to:
CROSSROADS WORLDWIDE
Attn: Katherine Weikle, India, Dec 16-30
307‐A E. College Ave.
Shelby, NC 28152

Stay updated on my trip and the money raised:
o Email me questions and encouragement at: weiklek2@mailbox.winthrop.edu.
o Join my Facebook group: “Katherine’s Christmas in India”
o Follow my journey to India & back home by visiting my blog at: http://lovelikeyoulove.blogspot.com/


1,133,759,811
people in India are unsaved.

It's official!

I got my acceptance email a couple of days ago! I can't believe I'm really going to India for Christmas! I've got lots of fundraising ideas to make this dream become a reality. Let's just say that everyone I know will soon be wearing an awesome India bracelet for just $1.50

I've been saving money since January, and with the help of a few friends' donations already have $740.45 in my India fund! I just have to double that in the next month and 1/2 to make the deposit deadline.

How it all started

I have been called to go to India on a short term mission trip (approximately 3 weeks). That's all I know right now, because that's all that God has revealed so far. But I have so much that I want to share with you about what happened before I got called to India.

There are few things that I am 100% positive about. If you know me very well, you've heard me say "I could be wrong, but I think..." However the events leading up to India have been crystal clear.

1) God told me in the 11th grade that I needed to apply to be a teacher cadet. I had never wanted to be a teacher, but I thought it would be fun. When I started filling out the application (aka obeying God) I almost instantly decided that was what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I became a teacher cadet, and the activities of that class changed my life. From then on, I was a teacher in every way. It became a huge part of my identity.

2) So knowing I wanted to be a teacher and 5 short months til graduation from high school, I started researching SC colleges that had good education programs. I came across this little school that I had never heard of and passed it right by. However, every teacher I met was soon telling me to go apply there. So I sent in my application and Mom and me took a road trip to the campus. I took one step out of my car, looked around and began to cry. God told me loudly and clearly that I was supposed to go there. Winthrop consumed my thoughts for next 2 full weeks until I received acceptance.

3)Because I was a teacher cadet I heard about the Teaching Fellow's Scholarship and decided to apply. I didn't get the scholarship at Winthrop (but some other school) until 2 weeks before graduation. But I told God and everyone else that I was going to Winthrop with or without it. I think God was testing my obedience to him, since Winthrop would be $6,000 more expensive each year if I didn't get Teaching Fellows. I obeyed, and God rewarded.

4) Because I was at Winthrop I wanted somewhere to go to church up here. Also, at the end of the summer before my sophomore year of college I decided that I needed to stay at Winthrop more weekends and so really needed a solid church and so started looking harder. I found Fort Mill First Baptist Church and fell in love almost immediately with everyone there. By February I had joined the church and was serving there. My Sunday School teachers encouraged me to grow in my faith and to push my boundaries.

5) Because I was a Winthrop Teaching Fellow, (the other institutions don't do this) I went to the Dominican Republic in March of my sophomore year (last year). I didn't want to go, I was probably the most reluctant traveler, but I did. I prayed my way to the plane, on the plane, and everywhere in between. I fell in love with the DR. It was a phenomenal place and it changed my life. I would never have left the country if it wasn't for this trip. I now had a desire to teach, at least for a short time, in a foreign country, but that is still to be decided.

6) Because I saw that I could survive, and thrive, leaving the country for the week, I know had confidence that I could go be a summer missionary. But I was still not wanting to leave the country, or the southeast. I ended up in LowCountry, SC. Just a few hours from my hometown. I was there for about 10 weeks of my summer, with one week of break in between. I made it there by the support of my new church, and my family and friends.

7) My involvement with the church lead me to go to the Passion Conference this past weekend. There I had several conversations in which people brought up India. Then I went to an area where they had detailed maps of the world displayed. I heard God ask me to be a missionary again. I walked closer to the maps running my finger over them as I asked God "where?!?" It became very clear, very quickly that God didn't want me going anywhere but India.

I'm going to India. I don't know how. I don't know exactly when. I don't know who I'm going with. I don't know what part exactly or where I'll stay. But I'm going, because God called me too. God has orchestrated this whole thing for at least the last 4 years, and he wants me there. I have such a desire for India now its unreal! I never wanted anything to do with the country, and now its all I can think about. Just days later and I've spent hours researching. I'm buying books, and talking to all sorts of people so that I can know all those details. I can hardly wait!

I haven't told my parents yet, but we have made plans to talk about "something important and exciting" so they will soon know, and will support me I'm sure.

So if you have any information that might help me, please share because I would love to hear it. Mostly send up lots of prayers for me and an encouragement you can give me while be greatly appreciated! Thanks for letting me share my story with you!