Rusty Jackson - Be the Blessing

Bustling with Activity (Video Update)

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Sound of Hope has been instrumental in getting one of our projects off the ground here in Thailand.

Check out my latest video over on my "new" blog!

Promised Land Project - Video Update

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Since getting to Thailand we have raised about $2,600 for the Promised Land Project.

This video update gives you a good idea of what this project is all about.

Settling into Thai Living

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Here is a new post on my new blog!

To subscribe to my new blog - click HERE

Under the Red Lights

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We went shopping a few nights ago on the street in Pattaya. While walking around we took a turn down a soi (side street). Suddenly, it wasn't clothes or shoes or hats for sale.....it was women for sale.

Here are Ericka's words:

It's amazing what happened when I walked into the Red Light District for the first time....when I really saw the horror close up. Suddenly I didn't react how I expected to react. It's as if my body took over, involuntarily, to protect and preserve me. I just SHUT DOWN. Mentally and emotionally it's as if someone flipped a switch. I just went NUMB.

Here's a glimpse of what we saw that night. Take note that this is just ONE little side street, and that it wasn't even in the worst area. I interviewed Ericka to capture some of the raw emotion she was feeling in response to what we experienced...

(*note - you may want to make the video full screen so that you can really see everything... we only have a little bit of footage and it may be hard to see because it goes by quickly.)

Under the Red Lights from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Loving Life in Thailand

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Check out my latest post from Thailand!

To sign up for email alerts on my new blog - click HERE

A Distant Relative in a Distant Land

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Here is my latest update from Thailand.

Please click HERE to subscribe to my new blog.

Safely in Thailand

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Click HERE for my latest blog post.

Also, if you have not signed up to receive email alerts on my new blog - please do so by clicking HERE.

Our Work in Thailand

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

I just posted a great blog over on my new site.

Please click HERE to check it out. It offers some great insight to the work we'll be doing in Thailand.

Blessed to BLESS

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

OK, I lied.

I will continue to post here just a bit longer in an effort to give people time to switch over to my new blog.

Here is my latest post - in it you'll read how much money has been raised through The Sound of Hope and released into our overseas ministry partners.

Please remember to sign-up and follow me at the new site!

NEW Blog

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Hello all faithful blog followers!

Believe it or not - this is my last post on this blog. I got another one set up and I'm writing this post to let you all know about it. Simply click HERE to check it out.

I know a bunch of you folks are subscribed to this blog. I'm going to do my best to move all your subscriptions over to the new blog, HOWEVER, you can also go to the new one and sign up to be a "follower" as well.

I get that Ericka has been the "author" of this blog for quite some time, but I plan on keeping the new one updated much better. I've written some great posts on this one over the years, and I look forward writing again!

Thanks for all your support and hope to see everyone over at http://rustyajackson.blogspot.com/

Here are a couple of other links where you can keep up with our travels and our non-profit work:

http://www.rustyandericka.com/

http://www.thesoundofhope.org/

Blessings!

Home for Christmas!

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by Ericka :)

We were so blessed to be home for Christmas this year!
First we were with my family in Alabama where we enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL White Christmas....

Rusty & Ericka, Jaron, Dad, & Mom
(*my other brother Brent and his fiance Melissa are missing from this photo.
He was only home for one day because he is working as a Student Firefighter in Auburn!)

And now we're with Rusty's family in Arkansas where there's a high of 67 tomorrow! Haha!

Rusty & Ericka, James Andrew & Trudy, Tracy & her fiance Frank, and Davidson the dog!

There were lots of good memories, but after seeing these funny things around the house I just had to share this post with you all!

You know you have brothers when...

The train set around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree looks like a scene out of an action movie....

with GI Joe's trying to take over the train, and several who've been decapitated on the tracks....

The stopper guns they got for Christmas were aimed at each other and then at the fan
(much to mom's chagrin)....

and now there are 5 fluorescent orange stoppers stuck to her fan at the top of her 19 foot cathedral ceilings.....

And if you take a closer look at the Nativity Scene you'll find some interesting guests....

Yoda is apparently blessing Baby Jesus with The Force...

and Luke Skywalker is staying close by to protect Him....

because the evil Darth Vader is lurking behind that Wiseman!

I couldn't help but giggle every time I found another one of these scenes that seem to shout, "BOYS WILL BE BOYS!"

And then of course there was the night the cat got loose and climbed 8 feet up my mom's 12 foot tree.... it took all of us circled around the tree - laughing so hard it shook - trying to lure him out with Christmas ham.... but my brothers are in the clear for that one - that was all my husband's fault! HAHA!!! ;)

Here are a few more shots of us with family over Christmas....

With my Aunt Tammy & Uncle Grant on Christmas Day

A kiss on the cheek from my baby brother Jaron on our White Christmas!

With my Granddaddy Christmas Day

My Granddaddy's old tractor that my brother decorated for him outside his house -
it was quite a sight!

And a kiss outside in the snow on our White Christmas!
All that snow was a dream come true for Rusty!

We hope you all had a great Christmas,
filled with family, love and lots of laughter!

Health Update :: Good & Bad News

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Well friends, here's our final "Health Update" for a while! (written by my wife) -

I'll start with the GOOD news...

RUSTY does NOT have skin cancer!!! PRAISE THE LORD! To be honest I've had a lot of peace about the situation, but we were still surprised (and relieved!) when we got this good news! The doctor really thought the spot on his face looked like melanoma, so we have been anxious. We FINALLY got the phone call on Friday and the nurse informed us that both spots were benign! He is CANCER FREE - no more surgeries required! THANK YOU all SO much for praying - it meant so much to us!

And now on to the BAD news.... my meds did NOT work. I finished round 2 of my antibiotics but my symptoms came back the day after I was done. I knew if that happened the doctor would want to refer me to an Infectious Disease Specialist, but I just didn't want to spend the last 5 weeks of my time before leaving for Thailand getting poked and prodded and tested and taking a bunch of medicine. (especially since for 2 of those weeks we're supposed to be home for Christmas!)

So, since the first 2 doctors couldn't diagnose me or treat me correctly, I'm trying a natural remedy for the next 30 days. I'm taking anywhere from 9 to 12 pills a day - which isn't much fun - but I just can't take anymore antibiotics that wipe out my immune system before our trip to Thailand!

So, if you don't mind... please pray this treatment works! Or just pray that GOD HEALS ME! We are pretty much out of options and time... we need this to work so I don't have to go to Thailand with parasites!

Thanks again for your prayers!
We are so grateful to have you supporting us and lifting up our needs!

A Christmas Miracle!

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by my wife :)
------------------------------------

Last Monday night after coming home from our trip to Arkansas, we experienced a real life
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.

But...before I tell you what it was, I should probably explain WHY it was such a big deal... right?

Well, for those of you who don't get our newsletter, you may not know that we stopped getting paid on October 25th. Our support account has been in bad shape for months now, but we've kept slipping by. In October it had dropped so far into the 'red' that we had to stop getting paid. See, it works kind of like a bank account.....people donate money to support us, but we can only draw a paycheck if there's actually money in the account! So October 25th was our last paycheck until January 10th. We just HAD to let our support build back up so that we could afford to get a paycheck again when we move to Thailand (January - April).

As you can imagine, it has been DIFFICULT. We already lived on a very modest "missionary budget", so we would have felt any pay cut. To have our pay completely STOP right before the holidays was definitely a struggle!

Rusty started substitute teaching a few months ago to help with some of our needs, and as soon as our pay stopped he tried to go "full time" (meaning he tried to find a substitute job every day). It was helping us make ends meet until he hit a rough patch and only got jobs about half of the month of November. Then things got even TIGHTER. We were trying to stretch our groceries farther than we ever had. I was only able to buy ESSENTIALS at the store - anything that wasn't an absolute necessity we couldn't get. Forget date nights - we couldn't afford to go out to eat or to a movie (not even fast food and a rental!) And when it comes to Christmas shopping....well, lets just say I was struggling to keep my Christmas spirit!

Rusty was EXHAUSTED and MISERABLE. Teaching is definitely not his calling, and dealing with obnoxious kids everyday who treated him like a "sub" was wearing on him. He struggled to keep his perspective and patience the days he got a job, and the days he didn't get a job he worried about how we were going to make ends meet. I hated the fact that he was so unhappy, but we had no other options for paying the bills!

To make matters worse, our trip home for the holidays was coming and we had no idea how we were going to afford it. Gas prices were rising to $3.00 a gallon again, and we had 34+ hours to drive round-trip! Everyday we were trying to "focus on the positives" and "count our blessings".... desperately trying to focus on the reasons why we live the way we do and trying to trust that God was still in control.

And then, Monday night happened.

We came home to a bunch of mail, including a whole stack of Christmas cards. Since I LOVE "fun mail", I eagerly began to open them. I opened a couple and showed them to Rusty, when he picked one up and said, "This one is from Arkansas! I get to open it!"

"Who's it from?" I asked. "I'm not sure," he said, "there's no return address. It just says Merry Christmas!"

So he opened it....

and I heard him GASP as a stack of $100 bills fell out of the Christmas card.

We both just stared at the money in shock as we scanned the card & envelope for a signature, an address, ANYTHING?! But there was nothing!

I began to count the money and the tears began to fall.... $100....$200....$1,000.........$2,000! Someone had sent us $2,000 cash ANONYMOUSLY in the mail to help us get through the most difficult season we've had since we got married.

It was a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!!

I couldn't hold it back anymore.... I just started SOBBING! I was so overwhelmed! Rusty just hugged me as I cried tears of joy and he prayed a prayer of THANKFULNESS to God (and a prayer of extra BLESSING over whoever sent the money!)

I can't explain to you how much that money has blessed us - we were immediately able to breathe again! It was like a heavy burden had been lifted off our shoulders and we could enjoy the Christmas season again without worrying how on earth we were going to survive it!

And now, this week, we've seen just how needed this money is since the weather has been TERRIBLE and schools have been closed for 2 days (which means 2 of Rusty's jobs got canceled!)

Now, don't get me wrong - we still DEFINITELY need money in our support account before we leave for Thailand (if you feel led to give, you can do so HERE). But for now - for the holidays and the time leading up to our trip to Thailand - WE ARE GOING TO BE OKAY!!!

To our ANONYMOUS DONOR (or our "Christmas Angel" as I like to think of you):

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

We can't even begin to express what this gift meant to us. I hope you are reading this, and I hope you have in your heart and mind a picture of us praying prayers of thankfulness and crying tears of gratitude because of your generous gift. Thank you SO much for being sensitive to the Spirit and willing to bless us in such an incredible way!

THANK YOU. THANK YOU! A million times THANK YOU!
May God richly bless you for your generosity!

"May the Lord repay you for what you have done.
May you be richly rewarded by the Lord...."
Ruth 2:12

"A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
Proverbs 11:25

Health Update

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by Ericka

So sorry for my lack of blogging lately! We are just super busy and dealing with these health issues too. But I promise I will get better soon!

I just wanted to give you an update on our health because so many of you have been so kind to check in on us and to pray for us lately!

Rusty's Update: On Tuesday night Rusty had a mole removed from his back and another spot biopsied on his face. It was a minor surgery (in office) but he has stitches that we are taking care of right now. We'll go back to the doctor on Tuesday night (14th) to have the stitches removed and we should find out then whether or not either place is cancerous. If they ARE, then he will have to have several other places removed and if the place on his face is melanoma we will find out how serious it is and learn what steps need to be taken. BUT we are believing the best - that there will be NO skin cancer and that the report will be a positive one!

Ericka's Update: Well, there's good news and bad news. The GOOD news is, the medicine they gave me a couple of weeks ago worked! I was symptom free for an entire week - so that means we were right about me having parasites! The BAD news is, all my symptoms came back after 1 week. So, right now I am on Round 2 of antibiotics. We are praying they work and completely rid me of all my issues. If the don't work, the doctor here wants to send me to an Infectious Disease Specialist. We don't have time or money for more tests or treatment with the holidays approaching AND our trip to Thailand coming soon! So PLEASE pray this treatment works!

And while you're praying... could you add my back to the list? Somehow I managed to fall down the basement stairs two nights ago and I am pretty beat up. I know, I know.... my middle name should be GRACE right? (haha) I fell/slid down 3/4 of the stairs - it was painful to say the least! I am SO thankful I didn't break anything - I know it could've been so much worse! But it hurts to get up and down, bend over, lay down, drive and ride in the car... pretty much any use of my lower back is painful. I am hoping everything is healed before I have to ride the 34+ hours home and back for the holidays!

So - that's our latest! We will share more (fun) info later but I just wanted to update you all on our health. Thanks SO much for caring and for praying! We love you all!

The Sound of Hope :: IRS APPROVED!!!

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

::Written by Ericka Jackson::

If you didn't catch the title of this blog, we have GREAT news!

The Sound of Hope is now IRS APPROVED!!!

Which means, you can now give tax-deductible gifts to The Sound of Hope!

I know many of you don't know what a big accomplishment this is (I didn't either until we applied!) so please let me explain this process. We announced in May that we were an "official" non-profit, because we'd been incorporated in the state of Michigan. That incorporation status however, did not give us tax-exempt status (or for those of you who know about non-profits, 501(c)3 status). What that meant is, although the State acknowledged us as a non-profit, the IRS did not recognize us as one. Until we were approved by them, we would still be treated as a business for tax purposes, not a non-profit.

So, this summer I began the process of applying for 501(c)3 status with the IRS. To do this, I had to fill out a 26 page application (all in IRS/lawyer/accountant language) called a 1023 form. It was extremely difficult, incredibly detailed and very time consuming! By the time I was finished, my application packet was 60 pages long!

After final reviews and a few edits by our accountant and attorney, we FILED OUR 1023 with the IRS. We were told it would take approximately 6 months to get our approval - though it could take longer. We were also told to expect our application to be "kicked back" to us once or twice for the IRS to ask for "more information" for certain questions/sections they felt weren't explained well enough. Our lawyer said there was a chance we'd be approved in 3 - 4 months, but it was unlikely. So we prayed for favor and set in for a long waiting period.

Here's where things get INCREDIBLE!!!

The IRS APPROVED our 501(c)3 tax exempt status in 14 DAYS!!!

Check out the timeline below:

September 17th - After making a few final edits, our lawyer Fed-Exes our 1023 Application to the IRS.
September 30th - The IRS mails us a letter stating they have received our application.
October 13th - The IRS mails a letter stating they have APPROVED our non-profit, The Sound of Hope, for 501(c)3 tax-exempt status.
October 18th - We get a phone call from our lawyer to let us know that we've been APPROVED!!!

If you count the days between when the IRS received the application, to the day they approved it, that's 14 DAYS! We were expecting 6 months or more, and instead were approved in 14 days! The entire process (from the day we mailed the application to the day we received our approval) was 4 weeks and 3 days.

To say we were SURPRISED would be an understatement. We were STUNNED! We received the phone call from our lawyer on our 1 year & 6 month wedding anniversary - exactly 3 months before the day we leave for Thailand. (a great day to celebrate!) When we heard first heard the message we thought we'd misunderstood. We called our lawyer back and he confirmed our approval with utter and complete shock in his voice - he couldn't believe they'd approved us so quickly either! In his words "I guess the stars aligned"!

We know it was more than that though.... this was FAVOR from the Lord!

I must admit, it was a great feeling to know God's favor is on this project and also to see all my hard work pay off! We celebrated with some sparkling grape juice, thanked God for His favor, and prayed for blessing and favor over our future work. We also had a toast - to the millions of children in hopeless situations around the world... we toasted to THEIR DREAMS - may The Sound of Hope make a way for every child to have the HOPE and FUTURE they deserve! May all their dreams come true!

I will admit I got quite emotional that night - looking at pictures of the precious children in Swaziland and India that inspired me to start The Sound of Hope. This all began because their hopeless situations were unacceptable to me. I began this journey because I wanted to give them opportunities, education, safe homes, medical care, and most of all LOVE. It was an overwhelming feeling to realize that after 3 years of working, hoping, dreaming, praying, and lots of "learning experiences" we are now poised to make a REAL difference in the lives of so many children. This is the beginning of something incredible that I've dedicated my life to see come to fruition - children who are in hopeless situations BREAKING OUT of the cycle of poverty, and STEPPING INTO the HOPE and FUTURE they deserve!

And so, we are officially up and running! Our donations are now tax-deductible, AND we have an online donation page for those of you who want to donate via credit card!

Check it out here: Razoo
or

THANK YOU to every single one of you who's prayed for us during
this process. Every person we've told who has experience with the IRS has been stunned -
God's hand has been so evident in this approval!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. - If you have a blog or website and want to support The Sound of Hope, we'd love to have you add a Donate Anywhere Widget (like the one at the top of the screen!) You can get the code above or on our Razoo page. We'd also love it if you'd share our Razoo page with your friends via facebook, twitter, or email!

Rusty's Videos featured

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

:: Written by: Ericka Jackson::

For those of you who don't follow our blog regularly, Rusty was hired by our church this year to do part-time video work. He LOVES video work more than anything else... using his gifts to tell someone's story truly makes him come alive. He's really good at it too! Of course he has lots of experience shooting, editing, producing, and anchoring/narrating pieces from his days in TV, but this year he's been committed to sharpening his skills even more. He has mastered Final Cut Pro (a professional editing program for Macs) and has been learning FCP's "extra" programs like Color (which improves, matches, and corrects color issues) and Motion (which can add text and all sorts of special effects, graphics, etc).

All that may sound like gibberish to you, but as I've assisted him in shooting and offered ideas in the editing process I've realized just how impressive his work is! I'm so proud of him for working so hard to sharpen his skills and improve his videos. I love that he loves to learn and is constantly trying to make himself more knowledgeable about video work! Plus, I've really enjoyed helping him with some of the shooting and with adding music to his pieces. We make a great team :)

Unfortunately this job ended recently because of the bad economy up here (though he may do another story on a volunteer basis). We have been so thankful though for the income it's provided and for the opportunity for Rusty to get paid for something he LOVES to do. Below are his two latest videos. You can watch them here, or you can go to CCchurches.com (which is what I would recommend). This is the new (incredible looking) page on our church's website that features Rusty's videos telling our church members' "God Stories". Please check them out! They will increase your faith and remind you that God still fulfills His promises!

Maura's Story

Rusty is especially proud of this story - it took a LOT of extra time and attention but it was worth it! Maura has led an incredible life, including time in a convent, time in the Navy, getting married in an orphanage, and raising twins as a single mom. Hear her story of how God was faithful through it all....

Maura Gostinger - A True Story of Faith and Perseverance from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Tanya's Story

This is actually Part 2 of Tanya's Story (Part 1 can be seen here.) She has walked through two abusive relationships and a horrible custody battle, but she's learned through it all that God keeps His promises!

A Promise Fulfilled from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

A Missionary's Life :: Thai Visas, Word Art, and Goodbyes

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again.... time for our FRIDAY UPDATE! (written by my wife)
(sorry it's Friday night, but I figured better late than never ;)

Welcome visitors! Sorry I missed last week, but I spent all afternoon with a friend who was visiting! Kelsey and I worked together at AIM - she was an intern for The Sound of Hope and the Development Department first, then she came on staff for a while and did quite a few different jobs (including leading mission trips). She moved back to Michigan a few months ago, so last Friday she drove to Port Huron for a visit. We had a great time together - walking around town, drinking apple cider, and sitting under the Blue Water Bridge catching up! I especially enjoyed it since we hardly ever have visitors (and I love to play the hostess!) She also brought us some goodies - organic beef from the farm she works on, and decorative gourds. How cute are they?! Thanks so much for coming Kelsey! I can't wait until next time! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! No, I'm not one of those people who jump the gun and decorate for Christmas in September (though I do LOVE Christmas decorations! Lights and candles and glitter, oh my! ;) This week we had a Christmas and New Years photo shoot for iStock. We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to share some of the pictures with you! We're also doing a fall shoot later today.... and, wow.... I just realized that I'm way behind at posting these pictures. Sorry! I'll try to get on that soon.....maybe I'll do a whole post of some of our faves from each shoot to catch you up ;)

Do you take Visa or Mastercard? No, not that kind of Visa! Our Thai Visas came in today (the kind you get in your passport). We are super excited! That was the biggest thing we needed to check off our list before our trip in January. Next we'll be buying a couple of new pieces of luggage (some of ours is in bad shape and won't survive the trip), stocking up on some things we need but can't buy there, and then apartment shopping! I can't believe how quickly time is passing....our departure day will be here before you know it!

Time to say goodbye. In case you haven't heard, Michael and Kathy Hindes are moving to Georgia. Yes, the same Michael & Kathy that we moved up here to be mentored by (they're leaving us! >insert abandonment issues here< ....kidding, kidding! ;) God has called them to Gainesville for their next season of life, so they are the last of the AIM/World Race Crew to leave here (well, except for us). Monday, they took us out for a goodbye dinner at a wonderful waterfront restaurant. We had delicious food, caught up, laughed a lot (while Michael & Rusty sang the "Bed Intruder" song) and enjoyed each other's company one last time in Port Huron. We ended the night with a "Bed Intruder" sing-along in the car on the way home... laughing and goofing off. Once that song gets stuck in your head, there's no getting it out!

It's easy to say, there is NO ONE like those two! We are going to miss having them just down the road from us....they have truly been our family up here and our home away from home. We refuse to say goodbye though, because we know they'll always be a part of our life. So we'll just say, "Good luck in Georgia! We love you!"

*note - they are driving down today and tomorrow with the moving truck - please say a prayer for them!

Word Art. I'm not sure if you've ever seen "Word Art" before, so let me explain. Word Art (also called "Alphabet Photography") is a collection of photographs that spell out a word. Each photograph is an object from the world around you - a flower, a park bench, a window, a column, etc - that looks like a letter. You put these letters together to spell a name or other word. (you can see some examples here.) I saw it a few years ago and thought it was beautiful, but didn't plan on trying it myself. That is, until Michael and Kathy told us they were moving.

You see, Michael and Kathy are 50, and they've lived their whole life in this area. Fifty years is a long time to call a place home, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to leave it behind. So, Rusty and I took a trip to downtown Port Huron to work on some Word Art for the Hindes!

What you see below is the finished project. (the letters anyway....I forgot to take a picture once it was framed because we were so excited to take it to them! So, imagine it in a really nice black frame.) Each letter is a little piece of Port Huron they can take with them to their new home. It was incredible to hear Michael pick out what they all were, and to hear him share his memories of growing up in the area!

"H" is the front of the old courthouse, which Michael told us was the first college in the area! It's over 100 years old, and now houses our attorney's office. (This is the spot where we incorporated The Sound of Hope!)

"I" is a raised bridge that goes over the Black River, where it joins the St. Clair River. (Apparently, Michael used to climb 20 feet up this thing and jump off into the water!)

"N" is a lamp post from downtown.

"D" is a window at Beacon Home Care (run by some of Michael and Kathy's good friends).

"E" is the railing from the bridge downtown on Huron Avenue.

"S" is part of an old light fixture at The General Store.

If you're interested in a Word Art piece of your own let me know.... they aren't something I'm planning on doing again, but I would consider selling them on a case by case basis, especially if you're in Michigan! (I'm afraid they would be expensive to ship!)

Well that's all for this week! We have lots more to share, but each topic
really needs it's own blog.....so we'll put those on the "to do" list.
We love you all and hope you have a HAPPY FRIDAY!

A Missionary's Life :: GLEE, New Jobs, & the IRS

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Back by popular demand.... its our FRIDAY UPDATE! (written by my wife)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this post, Friday's are for updating you on the random happenings of our lives. To those of you (all 2 of you, plus my mom) who asked me to bring back our Friday Updates, here you go!

I can't promise a "Friday Update" every week, because, well, we just aren't that interesting anymore! No, really.... we are working a lot lately and not traveling as much.... so without kids or pets, there aren't always interesting updates. The last thing I want to do is bore you guys to death! haha! I will try to do a Friday Update when we do have an interesting week though, or fun pictures to share! In the meantime, I have a new blog idea that I am working on.... so stay tuned for that! ;)

Now, here's our latest news....

Fed-Exed to the IRS. "What"? you might be asking? Our 1023!!!! For those of you who don't speak "lawyer" or "IRS", a 1023 is the massive, confusing, crazy detailed application you have to fill out in order to get tax-exempt status for your non-profit organization. See, you can be a "non-profit organization" but not be a "501c3" (501c3 status means you are recognized by the IRS as being tax exempt, and the donations you receive are a tax write off). Needless to say, that status is a BIG DEAL if you ever want major donors or grants. I have been pouring over the 26 page application (all in "IRS" language - AGH!) for months now... doing my very best to get it finished and ready to file for The Sound of Hope. Thanks to some explanations from our wonderful, supportive, patient accountant friend Lane (he is awesome!) I was able to finish!

Monday, we took the 60+ pages of information (which I had either prepared myself or answered questions on) to our lawyer. *Note - when filing your 1023, the IRS typically sends it back once or twice for "more information". We are really hoping to avoid that delay since we'll be in Thailand for almost 4 months next year. Here's the really good news - our lawyer was so impressed with my work, that he said he thought we had an 85% chance of getting approved on the first try! YES!!!!

I can't tell you how good it feels to have heard him say that! After being consumed by this application for so long and working SO hard, it was incredibly affirming to hear "job well done"! Now we wait and pray for FAVOR - that it will be approved on the first try and that we will get the results by the end of this year. Please pray with us!

Paperwork and meetings. If you're wondering, that's not all we've been up to lately for The Sound of Hope. Since our last update, we had our first Board Meeting, approved our bylaws, and named an organizational lawyer and accountant. We've also created lots of necessary paperwork, like an accountable expense reimbursement policy, reimbursement forms, and a partnership agreement for our overseas partners. (I know it sounds boring, but it had to be done!) Our next big undertaking will be our website. We are in GREAT need of a website - it's been holding us back for months now. Please be in prayer about this process with us!

Our Sound of Hope Board :: Rusty Jackson, Ericka Jackson, Tina Essmaker, & Michael Hindes

Hard-working husband. I'm not the only one that's been working hard around here, Rusty has been BUSY! This week, he worked 5 different jobs. Yes, I said 5! His main job (job #1) is of course working for The World Race, recruiting and equipping missionaries. His next job (job #2) is Treasurer and Vice President of The Sound of Hope (which means he does our bookkeeping and accounting, and helps me with other projects when I need him). Unfortunately (as you all know) those are support raised jobs (with no benefits) and don't provide everything we need. With the holidays approaching and our trip to Thailand only about 4 months away, we are in need of some extra money. So, Rusty has also been substitute teaching some days (job #3) and working here and there with a friend who does masonry work (job #4). Job #5 is working for our church doing video work. This is Rusty's favorite thing to do (and he's SO good at it!) We were so grateful when the church hired him on for this year as a part-time employee! This was Rusty's only constant, paying, extra job. Unfortunately, the economy has not been kind to our church. We found out this week they were having to cut back on some things, and can't pay Rusty anymore. While this news was disappointing, we are still so thankful for all they have done for us! Please pray for PROVISION for us and for our church. They are an incredible body of believers that are doing wonderful things for the Kingdom. It's just unfortunate that they're located in one of the hardest hit economic areas in our country.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL! As my husband says, "It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!" No, not Christmas.... FOOTBALL SEASON! We could not be more thrilled that it's THAT time of year again! We may have a lot of different interests, but FOOTBALL is one thing we both LOVE! We had an opportunity to go to the season opener here at Michigan's stadium (the largest stadium in the nation). Let me tell you friends - it was a very different experience than the SEC, but still lots of fun. Stay tuned for another blog about that trip :)

35 and counting. Since we've been away from blogging, we celebrated Rusty's 35th birthday! We spent the day resting, watching movies and cooking out together. His birthday present from me was a day at the Tiger's game (yes, the same as last year. It's all he wanted! haha!) So a few days later we went out for a day of baseball. We had a blast!

Hanging out in the hammock....

Rusty getting ready to blow out his candles!
(and yes, I know the cake it pitiful....Baskin Robbins did an awful job!)

Celebrating at the Detroit Tigers Baseball game in our orange and blue!

Modeling Missionaries. We are still modeling for our friend's iStock business... so I guess that's job #6 for Rusty! I haven't been doing a good job of posting pictures (sorry!) so there are a few too many to add here today. I'll try to put up a blog next week with a few new pictures from our shoots, and a link where you can view new photos as they are updated.

GLEE! The countdown has begun!!! 4 days until GLEE is back! If you've never watched this show, you are missing out. Considering I was in High School Show Choir for 4 years, All-State Show Choir for 2 years, and AU Singers for 2 years, it's pretty easy to understand why I am OBSESSED with all things musical/show choir/glee club ;) I'm SO EXCITED Glee is coming back next week! Anyone with me?

Well friends, that's all for this week (at least all that I can remember!) so I'll leave you with a HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Roadtrip Recap :: (info, photos, & a video)

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by my wife :)

WOW! I can't believe I let a month go by without blogging. So sorry friends! Thanks to those of you who've sent me personal messages letting me know you missed our blogs. I feel so loved!

Things have been absolutely crazy since late July. I'm working on a "Friday Update" for this week, but first I wanted to do a little recap of our trip down south (where all the craziness began! ;) Check it out below!

15 days. 7 states. 10 cities. 8 events. 3,500 miles.

That's a little recap of our last trip down South. By the end of our trip, we didn't know what day it was, what month it was, or what state we were in! What we did know though, was how very, very, blessed we are.

We started this trip with about $10,000 of immediate needs for our support, The Sound of Hope start up costs, and our upcoming trip to Thailand. We only had 2 events set up and we were desperate - we needed God to show up. We stepped out in faith - just trusting that God had a plan for this trip.

Of course, God always shows up - right at the last minute! As the days passed, the emails and phone calls started coming in. Doors were opening for us! Our 2 scheduled events quickly multiplied to 8 events, and soon our schedule was booked solid!

By the end of our trip, God had blown us away with His provision. Our Thailand tickets were paid for, the camera we bought for The Sound of Hope (with our personal money - in FAITH God would provide) was paid for. The Sound of Hope had more money to meet our administrative needs AND more money raised to support the precious children we care for overseas.

We also had some very generous people donate towards our personal support (which is how we get a paycheck). At the beginning of our trip, we were facing a deficit so great that we feared we would have to quit our mission work for several months and find another way to pay the bills. Now, while we are still greatly in need of new supporters, our account is much healthier than it was!

We are SO thankful to all of you who let us stay in your home, speak at your church, or hold an event at your place of business (and those of you who facilitated those events and came to support us at the events!) THANK YOU to each and every person who made this trip possible - we could not have done it without you!

(here comes the detailed RECAP! You might want to grab a snack.... it was a LONG trip ;)

Cincinnati, OH
Our first (and last) stop on our trip was in Cincinnati, OH with Josh & Shelly Daniels. Unfortunately, we forgot to get any pictures.... probably because we were just having too much fun! Josh & Shelly - thanks so much for being our stopping point to and from home! Your hospitality made our trip so much easier. We love you guys, and we love spending time with you!

Memphis, TN
On our way to Monticello, we made a dinner stop in Memphis to see Rusty's sister Tracy and to meet her fiance Frank!

Monticello, AR
In Monticello we spent a few days with Rusty's family, visited with Ashley Hillis (a former World Racer), and spoke at the First United Methodist Church of Monticello. This is Rusty's home church, and they were WONDERFUL! We always enjoy our time with them. I was invited to sing for the 1st and 2nd service, and in between all the Sunday School classes came together for us to share about The Sound of Hope and our upcoming trip to Thailand! Here's a picture of me singing during the 1st service....

We always try to visit Rusty's Uncle Charles when we are in Monticello. He will be 93 in October and is still sharp as a tack! We love hearing his stories of growing up during the Depression and all the family history he knows!

Cabot, AR
Rusty's best friends live in Arkansas, and we try so hard to see them all when we visit. In the middle of a crazy Sunday (we had 2 events in the same day!) we found an hour to head to Cabot so we could see Josh, Kristy, and Carly Fleming.

Carly is growing up so fast!
Here she is wearing a hairbow I made for her (a new craft I tried before this trip).

Heber Springs, AR
After our quick visit in Cabot, we were off to Heber Springs to visit New Life Church. We were able to share with the church about our mission work and we had an incredible prayer time where they all circled around us and prayed. It was SO encouraging!!!

After that we stayed up until about 2am visiting with the Keeter family. We absolutely LOVE Lane and Denise, their son Trip, and their sweet little girl Chancey (whom we met for the first time on this trip!) They are such a source of support and encouragement for us! We also got to meet a very special friend of the family named Mio who is such a JOY! By the time we went to bed we were all zombies (and needless to say, forgot to get a picture!) Whoops! I guess we'll have to come back soon for another visit.... ;)

Fayetteville, AR
The very next day, we were off to Fayetteville for an event at Arsaga's coffee shop. Here we sold merchandise and took donations for The Sound of Hope. Several of Rusty's friends from TV stopped by to visit and show their support. It was SO nice to meet people I've heard so much about! (we were so busy visiting, I forgot to take a picture!)

The next day we rested and spent time with the Tucker family. Chris & Carrie are old friends of Rusty's and have some of the cutest little girls in the world! (see the picture above) We love spending time with them!

Tuscaloosa, AL
Bright and EARLY the next morning, we were off to Tuscaloosa. This was an unplanned event that opened up at the last minute (thanks God!) so we drove all day just to make it in time. I made sure to stop on the way in to get some Holy Water though.... I couldn't go into enemy territory without it! (HA!)

We were given the whole service at The Church at Tuscaloosa - what a blessing! I got an opportunity to sing with their very talented worship band (which almost never happens on the road). They were AWESOME! It was truly a blessing to get to sing with them! Below is a video Rusty made of me singing, "None But Jesus"....

None But Jesus - by Ericka Jackson from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

We had some amazing friends show up to support us in T-town. Below are two of my dear missionary friends - on the left is Jenny Brown (my mission partner from my 2 summers serving with the NAMB in Oregon) and on the right is Caroline Dorning (my roommate during my time at AIM in Georgia). LOVED seeing these girls!

Stephanie Shelton also came to show her support! Stephanie is a friend of mine from my pageant days - we were in the Cinderella system and the Miss Alabama Pageant together!

And here's a shot of us working at our table after the service!

We stayed with the very very sweet Miller family (who set up the speaking engagement for us). David and Tina have been so encouraging to us! We like them a lot (so much that we endured sleeping in a room decorated with U of A prints to visit them!)

Birmingham, AL
Next up was an event in Birmingham, AL at O'Henry's Coffee House in Homewood. A big THANK YOU to Lisha Li for setting this up for us! It was a great time to sell some merchandise that benefits orphans and to visit with our sweet friends who came out to show their support.

Some of my AUBURN girls! (L-R) Dorothy, Lindsey, Me, Lisha

With Shelley, another sweet Auburn friend!

Working the merchandise tables!

Nedra & Jeremy Springer stopped by to show their support too.
They run an AWESOME non-profit called SheDances.

The Owen family made a surprise visit! They were some of my very first supporters (I would not have gotten to Swaziland in 2007 without them!) We went to church together in Auburn, and they now live in Jackson, TN. I had no idea they were going to be in Birmingham that day, but it was a GREAT surprise!

Birmingham to Oxford to Birmingham
After our event at O'Henry's we went to Oxford, AL to stay one night with my family, and then BACK to Birmingham for a wedding reception! By the grace of God, we were able to work our schedule so that we could make it to this event. Courtney is a dear, dear friend of mine (and was one of my bridesmaids) and her (now husband) Paul is another good friend who was our wedding videographer! These two were tying the knot in a small, family ceremony, so this was our chance to celebrate with them!

Enjoying the reception with Katie - another bridesmaid/Auburn girl/dear friend!

They had this awesome Polaroid wall of all their guests at the reception.
The 3 of us got the LAST shot! ;)

We couldn't leave without a picture with the happy couple!
Congratulations Paul & Courtney! We love you!

Are you tired yet? Sorry for the length, but the trip isn't over yet! We had one day to rest, and then we were back to....

Oxford, AL
On Sunday we had 3 more events (yes, all in the same day!) We started the morning at
Friendship Community Church, where we had the whole service to share about our mission work. They were so receptive and supportive!

After that, we drove straight over to First United Methodist Church of Oxford. (Thanks to my friend Julie Talley for setting this up!) We were introduced and had a few minutes at the start of their mission Sunday to share about our work. Then we were given space in the lobby to set up our prayer cards, merchandise, and talk more with people about what we do!

Once we were done with those events, it was time to drive to....

Helena, AL
Here we spoke to a small group at Annah Grace & Jeoffrey Morgan's home. Annah Grace is another wonderful Auburn friend, and she set up this night for us to share. I was so excited to see Annah Grace, but by the time we arrived we were EXHAUSTED. Lucky for us, their small group was absolutely INCREDIBLE! They were so, SO encouraging and excited about our work. It was truly REFRESHING to be with them!

Unfortunately, I can't find my pictures of our time in Oxford or Helena. I've either lost them or deleted them... (so sad! go figure, in my exhausted state! haha!) So, just imagine very welcoming, beautiful people in both cities!

I will leave you with one last picture though. You KNOW you're back down South when the temperature gauge in your car reads....

This was the one thing that made us happy to be heading back to Michigan! (Though I'd endure 107 degrees for Chick-Fil-A & sweet tea anyday!)

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WHEW!!! If you made it through all that - CONGRATULATIONS - you deserve a gold star! As you can see it was a very BUSY but fruitful trip! Again - THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of it!

Sound of Hope Event :: Fayetteville, AR (and a sneak peek at our merch!)

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Great news! We have a new Sound of Hope event scheduled for this coming Monday
in Fayetteville, Arkansas and we would LOVE to see you there! Here are the details:

Date: Monday, August 2nd
Time: 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Place: Arsaga's Coffee
(Crossover location)
1852 N Crossover Rd
Fayetteville, AR 72701

(479) 527-0690

www.arsagas.com

This will be a very relaxed event and you can come and go as you please. Rusty and I will be there to share information and answer questions about The Sound of Hope and how you can get involved. We will also have some incredible merchandise for sale that benefits orphans & vulnerable children in Swaziland, Kenya, and India. Donations will be accepted and are appreciated (but are not required).

If you're wondering what kind of merchandise we will have, here's a sneak peek of a few of our items!

The Sound of Hope T-shirts

The proceeds from one shirt are enough to feed a child in Africa for a MONTH! How awesome is that? Our basic black shirt is shown, but we also have a few "limited edition" shirts in green, red, and brown. Every shirt is printed on soft American Apparel shirts. *Price: $15

Timbali Purses

Hand-crafted by women in Swaziland, Africa. Each purse is unique and beautiful! The women who create Timbali crafts also care for thousands of orphans and vulnerable children at carepoints in Swaziland. With every purchase you help these women earn the income that sustains their families AND you help give HOPE to these precious children! *Price: $25

Hands of Hope

Hands of Hope was created from a vision of orphan artwork that not only allowed these children to express themselves, but also created a source of income to provide for their needs. The proceeds from this artwork help provide needy children with food, clothing, shelter, and education, mentoring, or learning a sustainable life skill. Every piece is unique, made by children in India and Africa. We hope they will forever leave a handprint on your heart! *Price: $5 to $25

Hands of Hope are painted on fabric from India and Swaziland and left with an unfinished edge. They can be framed, hung 'as is' on the wall, or sewn into other crafts like a pillow cover, wall-hanging, or quilt. Our India pieces (shown above) are on a wide variety of brightly colored and patterned cloth. They are all 8x10 size and are tagged with the child's name who painted them. They are priced $5 to $10. Our Swaziland pieces (shown below) are on more muted colors like brown, green, orange, maroon, black, and navy. They come in many sizes and are priced $10 - $25. We have a large variety and every piece is not shown here, so come to a Sound of Hope event to find one you love!

We will also have Timbali table runners and Sound of Hope notecards available for sale. The runners are $30 each. The notecards are $10 for a pack of 8 and feature some of our adorable Swazi children.

Please help us spread the word if you know anyone in the Fayetteville area! Come by for a visit, bring some friends and hang out with us over a cup of coffee!

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*note :: When buying merchandise or making a donation we can accept cash or checks.
Checks may be written to The Sound of Hope. For cash, exact change is appreciated.

Hitting the road to raise support (we're coming SOUTH!)

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's time for us to hit the road again! We're leaving tomorrow to come South for yet another support raising trip! We'll be traveling half the day tomorrow, staying with friends in Cincinnati, driving all day Wednesday, and arriving in Arkansas late that night. We would really appreciate your prayers for safe travels, our car staying in one piece, and protection over our hearts, minds, and relationship as we set out (things always seem to go wrong on these trips!)

We will be taking every opportunity we have to share on this trip. I'll be really honest with you friends, we HAVE to. We are really, really struggling right now when it comes to raising support, both in our personal support account (which is how we get a paycheck each month) and also for The Sound of Hope (donations for the children and our start-up expenses).

Our personal support account is not healthy. And by that I mean sick... admitted to the hospital, in ICU, on life support, SICK. For it to be healthy again, we need several thousand dollars in special gifts, and quite a few new monthly supporters. We also have $2,600 on our credit card for our plane tickets to Thailand and don't have the money to reimburse them. And, finally, we still have $2,000+ needed for our Sound of Hope start up expenses. We are in desperate need of donations for us to continue our work.

For all our needs to be met and our support account to be healthy again, we need $10,000.
Yes, 10 grand. I know that seems like a huge amount, but we know that our God is bigger than our needs! He always shows up when things seem impossible... so we are PRAYING that every cent we need will come in! We believe with all our hearts that we are doing the work God has called us to do. So PLEASE PRAY with us that the money we need will come in!

We have been working for the past month to set up speaking engagements down South. Those scheduled are below. If you are in the area, please come, bring a friend (or a dozen), and pray about giving to our needs!

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August 1 (Sunday) - First United Methodist Church of Monticello, AR
I'll be singing a special solo at the 9am service and 11am service. In between those services, we'll be sharing with the Sunday School classes about our new non-profit (The Sound of Hope) and about our upcoming trip to Thailand! We'll also be taking donations and we'll have merchandise for sale that benefits orphans (t-shirts, handmade African purses & runners, Hands of Hope orphan artwork, and notecards).

August 8 (Sunday) - Oxford, AL & Helena, AL

9:00 am - Friendship Community Church - we'll be sharing about our non-profit and our upcoming trip to Thailand
10:30 am - 1st UMC Oxford - we'll be introduced to the church, and we'll be available afterwards to answer questions/share info with anyone who's interested in hearing about our non-profit work. We'll also be accepting donations and selling merchandise that benefits orphans.
6:00 pm - private engagement - we'll be sharing with a friend's small group in Helena, AL

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We also have some possible opportunities to share "in the works". These are not final yet, but as soon as they are we will post details on our blogs.

August 2 or 3 (Mon/Tues) - Fayetteville, AR
We are trying to set up an event at a coffeeshop or restaurant during the evening. This would be a time when you could drop by, visit with us, and find out more about what we're doing! You will also be able to donate to our needs or buy merchandise.

August 4 (Wednesday) - Tuscaloosa, AL
A friend of ours is checking into us speaking at her church this Wednesday night. We would also be accepting donations and selling merchandise that benefits orphans.

Aug 5 (Thursday) - Birmingham, AL
We are trying to set up an event at a coffeeshop during the afternoon/evening. This would be a time when you could drop by, visit with us, find out more about what we're doing and donate to support us or buy merchandise. A friend is checking with a coffeeshop for us, but if you know of somewhere we could go (and would be willing to help us set it up) please contact us!

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We would LOVE to see you at these events! Stay tuned to our blog and facebook to find out more about the dates/times/locations we will be available. Also, if you know of anyone who might want to support us, we would love to meet with them and answer any questions they have. Our schedule between events involves a lot of travel, so contact us ASAP if you'd like to set up a meeting.

Thanks in advance for your prayers and support!

World Race Report AND Test Video

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The World Race Report - July (HD) from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Ericka and I recently purchased a new camera for The Sound of Hope - here is our first test run with it this past weekend. I'm VERY excited about the quality video that comes out of this sucker:)

Date Night w/Ericka from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

A Missionary's Life :: A Summer Update

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

(written by my wife :)

Forgive me for being MIA in our "Friday Updates"; those weekly blogs I write to update you on all the random happenings in the life of us missionaries. We've been busy with all the Sound of Hope start up needs, and in between that we've been trying to enjoy the summer sun. I thought I'd write a little summer update though; so here's the latest in our lives!

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Moving to Georgia. No, not us....*sigh. Our World Race community here is moving away! A couple of weeks ago we helped pack up the World Race House (the same home I lived in when I first moved to Michigan) and sent the moving truck to Georgia. The office is closed here, and the World Racers are moving South to work in the Gainesville office. Almost all of them are gone now, with just Matt, Mark, Kim, & Caroline who are packing up the rest of their things this week. Michael & Kathy will be moving down too towards the end of the year (after they sell their house). We are going to miss our World Race family SO much! For now though, God is still telling us to stay here. We have a beautiful little home (with really, really cheap rent) and Rusty has a part-time job with the church that really helps with our expenses (and is able to do his job with The World Race from home). So we are committed through the end of 2010, and will return here after our trip to Thailand. After that, who knows?

100 days in Thailand. If you missed our blog titled Destination :: THAILAND!!! then you missed BIG news! We are moving to Thailand for 100 days! The plane tickets are bought; we leave in January and won't be home until the end of April. We are really excited about what God is going to do in us and through us while we are there. If you want to donate toward the cost of our tickets, contact me. (We bought them in FAITH that God would provide; right now they are on our credit card and we're praying for the money to cover them). Read our blog for more details!

GO TIGERS! No, not the Auburn Tigers, the Detroit Tigers. Rusty and I went to a baseball game last year for his birthday, and got our picture taken by one of those "official" photographers that wander around at sporting events, theme parks, etc. We forgot about it after that (since we had our own camera) and never even looked at the shots online. We had no idea we'd be seeing them a year later! A couple of months ago my friend Rachel sent me a text from a Tiger's baseball game that said, "You'll never believe this! The photographer at the game just took our picture and gave us a card with the info to find it online...and YOU and RUSTY are on the card!" She brought us the card so we could see and sure enough, there we were! I guess they decided we'd make good DETROIT TIGERS models (funny since I was wearing an AUBURN TIGERS hat!) I hope this means our iStock pictures will sell well!

They're ENGAGED! Yes, we both have engaged siblings now! My brother Brent got engaged in the fall to Melissa Beard with a wedding date set next May. Rusty's sister Tracy just got engaged to Frank Dey, and they are planning to tie the knot in June! Looks like we will be home from Thailand just in time for WEDDING SEASON! Congratulations Brent, Melissa, Tracy, & Frank!

Love and War. That's the name of the newest book by John & Stasi Eldredge. If you've never read their books, I would highly recommend "Wild at Heart" & "Captivating"! Rusty and I loved their other books, so for our anniversary I bought him this one. We've started reading it aloud to each other a chapter at a time and we are LOVING it! It's been so encouraging to be reminded how important marriage is, and that there are forces opposing it. The devil does NOT want marriage to succeed, and we feel his efforts often as a married couple in ministry. If you're married and looking for a good read, check this book out! (*note - I have a couple of single friends who've read this book and loved it too!)

Modeling Missionaries. For those of you who don't know, we've been hired as models for our friends' iStock business! iStock provides microstock photos for sale on-line that are used for internet ads, print ads, websites, articles, the inside of picture frames, etc. Our friends Rosie & Shawn Gearhart have been photographers for iStock for several years now, and have hired us to do multiple shoots this year. We usually do anything from 1-4 shoots a month, with lots of different themes and costumes. The money we make is split between our support account and our Sound of Hope needs.

Since last I wrote, we've been busy! We've completed 7 new shoots (a Wedding Shoot, Picnic Shoot, Couple Shoot downtown, Coffeeshop Shoot, Businesswoman shoot, Cowgirl Shoot and Renaissance Shoot). The photographers are busy editing right now to get all those pictures online. Many are still "in process", but I can show you a few from our Cowgirl Shoot & Renaissance Shoot here!

The beautiful creature you see in these pictures is named Storm.

The Renaissance Shoot was our most difficult shoot to date. Satin shoes, a floor length velvet gown with flowing chiffon sleeves, floor length cape, floor length headpiece, knee high grass, lots of bugs, a cat who wanted to be in the shots and a horse that didn't really want to pose the way we wanted him to.... it required a lot of patience, flexibility, and help from his owner to get these shots! (and a very talented photographer!)

After every shoot I have a new set of sore muscles and more respect for models (especially those who work with animals!) I'm learning so much though, and having a BLAST! Rosie & Shawn are great photographers and they are so much fun to work with!

I'll be posting a few images from each shoot as they go up online, so "stay tuned"! ;)

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That's all we have for now! Please continue to pray for us as we work through more paperwork for The Sound of Hope and sort through more start up needs. Starting a new non-profit is not easy and we need all the prayer and support we can get! Thanks for reading - hope you are having a HAPPY FRIDAY and a BLESSED SUMMER!

Destination :: Thailand

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

As promised, today we are sharing our other BIG NEWS....

We are going to THAILAND!!!

We bought the tickets Tuesday night, so it is OFFICIAL! We leave January 18th, and won't return until April 28th. That's over 3 months which adds up to.....

100 days in Thailand!

In essence we are 'moving' there - we will not be staying at a missionary base or anything like that - we will be renting our own apartment there, and buying a car to use for our time there (then selling it back when we leave).

There are many reasons we are going to serve overseas for this season. The #1 reason is to connect the ministry there with The Sound of Hope. Thailand will be our fourth partnership (the others are Swaziland, Kenya, and India). One of the conditions in our partnership agreement is that we must go to these countries and see the program in person that we'll be supporting. We want to meet the children, meet the leadership, and build a good relationship with them. We want to see the area and culture first hand. With so much corruption in the world, this is VERY important! It insures that we understand the culture there, have a good relationship with the leadership, that the program is doing everything they said they would do, and that the children are well taken care of.

In Thailand we'll be partnering with a Thai couple and an American couple who have been doing ministry there for 10 years. We'll be working with two children's homes - one that already exists, and one that is 'in progress'. For the second, there's a chance that we might even be able to help build it!

These couples are dear friends of Rusty's, and he is SO excited to have this opportunity to serve them. He worked with them in 2007 and 2008 when the World Race went to Chaing Mai, and he's extremely passionate about them and their ministry!

There are other things we are hoping to do while in Thailand - village ministry, bar ministry (ministering to women in the sex trade), possibly helping with World Race teams that come through, and any other needs God opens our eyes to. We are going to bring Kingdom, and we know God will direct our paths!

Now you see why it is SO important that we make the purchases I explained yesterday. The Sound of Hope needs to be 100% up and running so that we are able to provide for the orphan programs there and share the stories of the people we meet in Thailand. In order to share those stories though, we have to have the media equipment we need (camera, computer, editing software). So please, please pray about giving to our needs!

There are two ways you can support us in this venture. The first is to give to our support account. We still desperately need monthly support and one time gifts! This is how we get paid to continue to do this work, and how we'll get reimbursed for our tickets to Thailand. We bought the tickets on our credit card in faith that God would provide, so we are currently in debt $2,600 for them. To give towards these needs, click HERE. (or, if you'd like to write us a personal check toward the cost of the tickets, contact me).

The second way to help us is to give towards our Sound of Hope needs. As I explained yesterday, we need a total of $6,250 to move forward. The full breakdown is below:

$1550 - Legal fees & Filing fees
$2000 - Camera
$1500 - Macbook pro
$200 - Quick books (software for our bookkeeping/accounting needs)
$1000 - Final Cut Pro (software for Rusty's video editing)

Total - $6,250

To give to these needs, make your checks out to The Sound of Hope, and mail them to:

The Sound of Hope
3130 Range Road
Port Huron, MI 48060

*in the memo line, write "SOH - ADMIN" if you'd like the money to go towards our start up needs listed above.

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Please help us spread the word about these needs! It would bless us so much if you would share this blog on facebook, with your friends & family, with your church, or with anyone else you know who might want to give towards these needs! We'd be glad to answer any questions they may have. You can also share this video that explains more about our ministry.

Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward!

The Sound of Hope :: We're INCORPORATED

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Forgive me for being behind in updating you all, but we have big news!

We are OFFICIALLY INCORPORATED!

On May 18th, we filed our Articles of Incorporation with our lawyer. Here we are signing the papers with our lawyer...

And celebrating outside! (on a very windy day ;) Two thumbs up! I am so excited!!!

On May 20th, we received our official paperwork from the State of Michigan. I was THRILLED! After years of working and praying and dreaming, The Sound of Hope is now an official non-profit!

Our Mission Statement:

The Sound of Hope exists to raise funds and awareness for orphans and vulnerable children around the world. We are committed to helping children break out of the cycle of poverty by partnering with programs that offer holistic care. We seek to educate, engage, and empower others to join the movement in creative ways.

And so, STEP #1 - Filing with the State to be incorporated - has been completed. We are in business! STEP #2 - Creating a Board of Directors - has also been completed. Our next BIG step, STEP #3 is filing with the IRS for tax exempt status. This requires a lot of confusing paperwork (26 pages to be exact) and a 'waiting period' once they are filed. I am working with our lawyer on this paperwork and hope to file it in the next two weeks. Then, it could take anywhere from 2 months to 18 months to get back our approval from the IRS. Once that happens we will be able to receipt the donations people give us as tax deductible gifts!

In the meantime, we are moving forward!

Last week we opened a bank account and applied for a credit card, so we are able to take donations. We are still working on getting a website, online store, and blog up. We are also going to be making some large purchases in the coming months to equip us to run this nonprofit and raise funds effectively. That's a big reason why we're writing this blog; we need YOUR HELP to continue to move forward.

Media is a huge part of fundraising in the non-profit world. We need a camera equipped to shoot professional pictures and HD video to share stories and pictures from overseas. (The cameras Rusty has been using this year are not ours and cannot be taken overseas - one belongs to The World Race and the other belongs to our church.)

We also need a new Macbook Pro for me. My Macbook has been having some issues lately and cannot function at the level needed to run a business. With Rusty and I as the only employees right now, all the responsibilities fall on us (fundraising, writing/PR, emails, website management, merchandise sales, bookkeeping, etc) so I need a reliable computer.

Those are just two of our biggest needs. We are looking at a total of $6,250 needed for our start up costs. PLEASE PRAY about giving towards these needs! Any amount will bless us! The full breakdown is below:

$1550 - Legal fees & Filing fees
$2000 - Camera
$1500 - Macbook pro
$200 - Quick books (software for our bookkeeping/accounting needs)
$1000 - Final Cut Pro (software for Rusty's video editing)

Total - $6,250

If you have a heart for orphans & vulnerable children, we would love to have you partner with us in this non-profit! We know God has led us to this point, but we cannot move forward alone. These things must be purchased for us to continue this work. We are incurring some of this debt now, with the rest to come in the next few months. We need you to invest in this vision! We would also appreciate it if you would share what we're doing with anyone you know - friends, family, business partners, etc - who might want to donate towards this cause! We'd be glad to answer any questions you have about our needs and our work.

To donate, make your checks out to The Sound of Hope, and mail them to:

The Sound of Hope
3130 Range Road
Port Huron, MI 48060

*in the memo line, write "SOH - ADMIN" if you'd like the money to go towards our start up needs listed above.

Thank you in advance for helping us help these precious children!

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*Stay tuned for our next blog - we have more BIG NEWS to share! There is a very specific reason we need to make these purchases and be fully set up soon. To find out why, check back tomorrow!

What do you do? (video)

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Since we started doing mission work, the #1 question we've gotten is....

"So...what exactly do you do?"

In the mission/ministry world, the answer to that is ever-changing. As God leads us to do new things, we pick up new responsibilities.

Soo... we thought it would be a great idea to put together a video just for YOU! In it we explain exactly what we do - the organizations we work for, the different ministry opportunities we take part in, exactly what God's call is on our lives, and how YOU can be a part of our mission work!

So, please check out this short, 5 minute video all about our ministry. We'd love to have you be a part of it!

Jackson Ministry Update from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

We are still in serious need of people to support us as we continue this full time mission work. If you feel led to give you can donate by clicking HERE.

And if you liked what you saw, would you please TELL A FRIEND about us? You can share this video with them and if they have any questions, just have them comment below or contact us.

Thanks for watching!

Thank You Antioch Baptist Church!

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Well, we've been home for almost a week, and we're almost caught up with our blog updates from our trip down South. We'd be forgetting a very important one if we didn't post this though...

THANK YOU ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH!!!

On Sunday, May 30th we were invited to speak at Antioch first to a Sunday School class and then to the entire church. Despite some 'technical difficulties'*, we had an AMAZING time! Your church was so warm, friendly, and inviting. The interest you had in our ministry and mission work was so encouraging, and we were blessed by the donations you gave to support us! Your generosity will help us continue to serve as full-time missionaries.

Above: Rusty sharing about his work with the World Race
Below: Ericka singing after sharing about The Sound of Hope

Thanks too to all of you who bought merchandise to support orphans in Swaziland, Kenya, and India. Your willingness to give was wonderful, and the products you bought will bless so many children in need overseas! Just to give you an idea of what your donations can do:

Your church bought 18 Timbali purses. That means you helped provide an income for up to 18 women (most are widows) in Swaziland. Those 18 women not only care for their children & grandchildren, but also for thousands of orphans and vulnerable children at our carepoints!

Your church bought $375 of Sound of Hope merchandise. That's enough to feed 32 orphans in Swaziland a hot meal of rice (fortified with vitamins & minerals) for a MONTH!

Your church gave above and beyond the price of the merchandise $170 (which means $170 of donations for The Sound of Hope). That is enough to feed 5 orphans in India for a month (3 balanced meals a day of rice, meat, fruit & vegetables) AND buy the uniforms needed for 4 orphans in India to go to school.

In just a few hours on a Sunday morning, look at what your church was able to do!!!

Because we work with an interdenominational mission agency (which means all denominations are welcome) and not the NAMB or the IMB, we very rarely get to speak in Baptist churches. Being invited to your church was a special treat! THANK YOU for opening your doors, your service, and your hearts to us. You truly blessed us, and we look forward to seeing you again!

*We'll be posting our support video (the one that we couldn't get to play) on our blog on Monday, so stay tuned for that!

The World Race Report - June Edition (Video)

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

World Race Report - June Edition from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Roadtrip Recap... (photo blog)

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

*written by my wife :)

We're finally home! Actually, we got home late Sunday night...after almost getting blown away by 2 tornadoes and driving through flooded roads! It was a scary and dangerous time and we are so thankful we made it home safely. Seriously - to all of you who pray for us when we are traveling we appreciate it SO much! From health to safety to blessings over our ministry time - your prayers are so important to us!

I thought I'd take a moment for a RECAP of this roadtrip. We had a very busy 2 and 1/2 weeks down south and we'd love to fill you in on how it went!

There were a lot of reasons for this trip. The first of course was that we were needed to work at Training Camp in GA (which I shared about in my last blog). Since we were already down South though, we wanted to visit our family, friends, and supporters. It's so important to us to build into the relationships of the people who invest in us financially and in prayer, so we tried to squeeze in time with as many people as we could! It was great to share our vision with new friends and update our supporters. It was also great to visit my family. Check out the recap below!

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Once Training Camp was over, the first thing on our "to do" list was watching my baby brother graduate! He's not a baby anymore.... I can't believe he's 18 and done with school! We are SO proud of him! Congratulations Jaron!

That Saturday we'd planned a trip to Birmingham to visit with friends and supporters. We had coffee with the Browns, lunch with the Kynerds, afternoon visits with our sweet friends Lacey & Lindsey, and dinner with the awesome Daniels! Here are a few pictures of our time... (Watch for a separate blog about our morning with the Brown family :)

At Barnes & Noble with Lacey (above) & Lindsey (below).

Below: Enjoying 2 of our favorite things, Chick-Fil-A & The Daniels! :)

On Sunday we had the incredible opportunity to speak at Antioch Baptist Church. We were so blessed by our time there! We'd like to share a little more about that, so look for a separate blog coming soon....

We also hung out with my family for Memorial Day....but unfortunately we don't have ANY pictures! I think we were all too busy stuffing our face with Dwightie's BBQ, Mom's baked beans, Granddaddy's boiled peanuts...and of course washing it down with SWEET TEA! YUM! ;)

On Tuesday we drove down to the Loveliest Village on the Plains.... home sweet AUBURN! It had been over a year and a half since I'd been to Auburn, and I was so anxious to get back to the place I love most in the world! We ate at my favorite restaurants, visited some of my favorite people, and enjoyed some of my favorite places. We had a WONDERFUL time!

Meet our wonderful hosts: Candice, Randall, & Clay Stoves! Candice and I have been friends since my freshman year of college when we were AU Singers together. This little family is so precious, and they took such good care of us in AU! Candice also has a 'hobby' of making the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen! Her house smelled delicious all week!

Meet Clay, our "little friend".

He played with us every morning and night while we visited. Isn't he adorable?!

Our first stop in AU was BIG BLUE BAGEL! We had lunch with Mike & Rene Waldrop.
Love them so much!

Next we took a walk around campus. I introduced Rusty to some of my college professors and my WONDERFUL advisor, Chris Huggins (above). It was so good to see her, and to share about our ministry with her! She was such a blessing to me in college!

The next day we took a trip to Troy, but before we left we ate lunch at Toomer's
with my friend Lacey! It was great to see her and share about what we're doing -
she is so encouraging and supportive. And of course it wouldn't be a trip to Auburn
without some world famous Toomer's lemonade!

That night we met my precious friend Shelley at Niffer's
for some hang out time & yummy dinner!

Then it was time to take Rusty to his 1st ever Auburn Pep Rally!
These are hosted in the summer by Camp War Eagle and I used to sing the Alma Mater for them when I was Miss Auburn-Opelika Area. They are SO much fun! Here we are with Mark Armstrong ( the king of all things CWE ;) at Jordan Hare Stadium!

Of course I couldn't pass up a chance for a picture with AUBIE!

Day #3 we visited campus again. First stop - AU Admissions! I worked in this office for 4 and 1/2 years and love the people there so much! (Above) With "Fancy Nancy" (my former boss) and Mindy Street- an AU friend who is now working in Admissions! (Below) With Ms Havlin.

Above: Lunch with sweet Mindy at Amsterdams!

Above: A surprise trip to hug Adam at The Gnu's Room

Above: "Hanging out" with my little brother at the Auburn Fire Station

Above: Bottle feeding a 2 week old baby raccoon!
(I know, so random, but she was so cute I had to share the picture!)
Her mom chewed into electrical wires and was killed,
so my little brother rescued her and her brother.

Above: Back to campus - one of our friends/supporters wanted us to meet his brother who works at Auburn. We had a GREAT visit with Brian Keeter - getting to know him, chatting about Auburn, and sharing our ministry with him. Thanks so much for the suggestion Lane! :)

Below: Of course we had to finish the day with a classic Auburn picture in front of the AU sign!

While we were in Auburn, we took an afternoon to drive down to Troy. We couldn't miss the opportunity to meet my friends Kira & Oliver's beautiful little girl! Friends, meet Miss Elizabeth Anne Aaron!

Above: Ericka, baby Elizabeth, and her beautiful Mommy Kira!

Below: Holding baby Elizabeth in her room.
On the wall behind us are the paintings I made for her!

Of course, all too soon our time in Auburn was up. The day had come to start our 14+ hour drive back to Michigan. Luckily, on the way home we had something to look forward to....

A visit in Tennessee with the Wards! Ray & Candice (and their daughter Maele) are missionaries in Thailand. They are some of Rusty's favorite people - he served with them in 2007 and again in 2008. He was SO excited to see them again and I was thrilled to finally meet them! Lucky for us, they were in the states for a few months visiting family and friends and support raising, and Ray's parents live in TN. (Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Ward for hosting us!)

We had a great time together, and were able to share about The Sound of Hope with them. We are excited to announce that their Children's Home will be our fourth international partnership! More to come on that later, but we are so glad to add Thailand to the list of places we will be supporting through this non-profit!

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Overall we had a long, exhausting, but WONDERFUL trip! We were able to share about our ministry with so many people, and were blessed by our time with friends and family. We also were given some generous one-time gifts and got two new monthly supporters! Praise the Lord! THANK YOU to all of you who poured into us on this trip! We love you!

A Missionary's Life :: Training Camp Update!

Sat, 29 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I am writing this update from Barnes & Noble in Birmingham, AL. It's been a CRAZY 10 days and this has been my first opportunity to really update you! We will have lots to share from our time down South - the past few days have been spent visiting friends and family, watching my little brother graduate, and meeting a very special little girl! More on that later though...

For now, let me update you on our first week down here, which was spent in White, GA at Training Camp!

For those of you who don't know, Training Camp is a very important time for our World Race participants. These missionaries are going to serve in 11 countries over an 11 month period. It is so important that we equip them well before they go out! That's what Training Camp is all about; preparing them emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually for their 11 month mission trip to serve the nations.

The World Race has sent out over 550 participants since it began in 2006, and the number continues to grow! This week we helped prepare another 130 participants to go out and share the love of Christ around the world!

Below you will find a video Rusty and I shot together about Day #1 of Training Camp. Check it out!

I also helped Rusty with this video about worship. If there is one thing World Racers know how to do well, it's WORSHIP! We were led this week by Jonathan David Helser and his band, and it was incredible! It's an amazing sight to see almost 200 people (160 participants plus staff, coaches, and volunteers) worshiping God with reckless abandon!

And somehow in the busyness, we managed to snap a few pictures too!

Rusty shooting video of one of the married couples going on the World Race!

At a session with two of the sweet WR Alums! I love precious Michelle & Lynette!

Rusty teaching the World Racers about "Rights & Expectations"....

With Rebecca Herndon - she and I both led Real Life teams to J-Bay, South Africa in 2008!

Our last day at World Race Training Camp :: Hanging out with William Miller. What a great guy!
(Ms. Tina, this picture is for you! ;)

Prayer Requests :: Thank you so much for your prayers during our ministry time last week! We ask that you PLEASE continue to pray for us as we travel around the South. We have a speaking engagement tomorrow at Antioch Baptist Church and will continue to meet with friends, family and supporters for the next week. We have been looking forward to this trip but we've really had some struggles this week - - we locked the keys in the car with it running, Rusty injured his back, I have been having a lot of trouble breathing and some bad headaches from my neck issues, Rusty got stung by a wasp and had a swollen arm for 3 days....then he had an allergic reaction to some laundry detergent, and to top it off I now have a very painful stye in my eye! Soo...needless to say we are fighting discouragement and not feeling 100%. If you could pray for HEALING, PROTECTION, and PROVISION we would really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading! Much love and a HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY to you all!!!