1/16/2011

Kenya Trip in March

Dear Friends and Family,

   Did you know that in Kenya alone there are currently 2 million orphans out of the 12 million children?  And 700 children a day become orphaned in Kenya – 1 every 2 minutes!  As you know God has given Ryan and I a heart for orphans.  We are active foster parents, adoptive parents, and advocates for foster care and adoption amongst our circle of influence.  

  Recently I have been presented with an opportunity to go to Kenya over my spring break (March 10-20) to work in an orphanage that is just starting to welcome children.  This orphanage is called Naomi’s Village and is located in near Nairobi, Kenya.  I will be traveling with an organization called Lost Orphans International (LOI).  We will stay at Naomi’s Village during our trip and work on various projects.  I am hoping to spend lots of time loving on these children, but I’m sure there will be some manual labor involved as well! 
  I would love for you to be a part of my support team.  You can contribute financially to my trip by making a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more.  My total expenses will be around $2000.  The first deadline for money to be raised is coming up next week (Jan. 23rd).  If you are able to contribute you can send the donation directly to LOI (with Kayla North – Kenya in the memo line) or I am glad to come pick up checks if you are local.  

                        Lost Orphans International
PO Box 1388
                        McKinney, TX 75070

I would also love for you to pray for me and my team while we are in Kenya.  If you would like to receive email updates and specific prayer requests please send an email to kayla@partnersonline.org  with Kenya Prayer in the subject line.

  Thank you for considering being a part of my support team as I step out in faith and trust God to use me in a powerful way.  Below are websites for Naomi’s Village and Lost Orphans International if you want more information about either of these organizations.

Naomi’s Village - http://naomisvillage.com/

Lost Orphans International - http://www.lostorphans.org/

His,
Kayla North <><

5/11/2010

The Therapy of Writing and Emotions, etc.

I’m told that writing is therapeutic so I thought I’d give it a try.

I realize that I am not necessarily the best verbal communicator in the world. I also realize that information is rarely received the way it was intended if the listener filters what they hear through any emotion. So I share what I believe to be absolutely true; emotion is the enemy of logic and reason.

11/30/2009

Insane

LA Clippers play-by-play man Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith were suspended one game because of the following offensive conversation on air last week.

Smith: “Look who’s in.”

Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”

Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended a viewer who complained.)

Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.

Smith: “He’s the only one.”

Lawler: “He’s from Iran?”

Smith: “I guess so.”

Lawler: “That Iran?”

Smith: “Yes.”



11/15/2009

You never know who you might meet


In an odd turn of events I met New York Yankees first baseman Mark Texiera at church this morning.

11/12/2009

Control is an Illusion

People fascinate me.

I love going to mass gatherings and watching people. I am equally intrigued by what people do as I am by why people do the things they do. Underlying causes explain so much of human behavior. I also love dealing with people. When God made me he made me relational. It is amazing how people are the sum of their experiences. Our behaviors are shaped by our past.

4/22/2009

Why I can't watch Oprah

I was reminded again today why I don't watch Oprah.
I was watching Oprah's earth day special with my wife today and the subject of gardens came up. One of her guests suggested that growing your own vegetables was the "greenest" thing you could do. Oprah agreed. She said that having a garden was one of the best ways to exercise and that there were few things that brought her more joy than tending her garden.
Fast forward two segments.
She doesn't tend her own garden. She has people who do it for her and she loves it when they bring the food in. Nice.
Oh yeah, she didn't know what a compact fluorescent light bulb was. I found her show on earth day to be phony.

3/11/2009

Coaching

I believe that coaching is equal parts education, inspiration and manipulation.
Education - teaching someone how to do something.
Inspiration - convincing someone they can do it.
Manipulation - Convincing someone that they can do something they don't think that they can do.