New Videos

We just added a couple of new videos to the website!!

http://loveforthesakeoflove.com/#/videos/

3 thousand feet

      Right now Im sitting at a pretty three thousand feet above sea level in the quaint town of Boone, North Carolina. Not surprisingly its already fairly cold here (40s the last couple of days) and fall seems to be rather shy this year, already leaving the stage for winter to come on and do its thing.
      The last month and a half have been filled with all kinds of adventures.  The hand (surgery on an infection) is healing nicely and I reaped in goodies and get-wells from people.  The first couple weeks following surgery were the most interesting when I had to keep my had elevated above my heart at all times.  On quite a few occasions I was called on in class with the teacher eventually realizing I had no question but am simply following medical orders.
      Time management has been one issue Ive been trying to deal with, along with glorifying God through school and the work that comes with it.  These are two things that I often struggle with.  Africa gave me great perspective on the blessings Ive been given, particularly in regards to education, and that blessing entails responsibility.
       That said, college is a lot of fun and I dont want to be a slave to school.  Slavery's not good.  Anyway, im pretty tired and Im talking about slavery for some reason, so im gunna call it a night and wake up in the morning ready to manage some time!

Ben Kern

30//thousand feet.

 Im back in the Air Cruising over the earth at 30.Thousand feet on my way to Los Angeles, CA, writing this blog on Air Tran's wireless internet which in my book is pretty cool. My morning started 3 hours after my night at 4am when i had to get up to go to the airport. But somewhere over the course of my trip to Africa i acquired the ability to sleep in a variety of noisy places, and managed to catch an hour of sleep on the floor of the Atlanta, GA airport.
 So heres the catchup.

1 month and 6 days:  life is back in full swing. Ben and i got back around midnight on august 18th and hit the ground running. For me it was class that day at 9am for Ben it was heading back to app for crusade leadership training. But before long he was back in raleigh Rex hospital for some surgery on his hand for staff infection. 40 Some odd stitches later and a ton of acting like the tough guy while the girls look at his cool scar and hes back in business chugging through school at App state.

Things havn't stopped though more than ever God has been moving and were excited about it.  Last Sunday we all got on a conference call with a group of supporters who are looking to head off to africa themselves next summer. And ive been getting coffee constantly, even though i dont even drink coffee, catching up with people and telling our summer's stories. The more i go through it with people the more i realize what an awesome time God provided for us this summer and the many ways we got to see him move.

Inside. Lately ive been trying to refocus my heart and mind to the mission God has in store for me in the Raleigh area and seeking new ways to serve locally. Because i feel that we are called to go but also to serve wherever we are. God has also been at work in my heart making sure that in everything i do i realize that the only way it succeeds is through him.  Ive been going through  Mark with my Crusade bible study and will admit that parables are cooler than i remember my Sunday school felt boards making them out to be. If you had to tell a parable what would yours sound like? next time on the blog ill write one. so get pumped.

Life. Busy almost to busy to keep up most of the time. This week in particular has been rough but maybe that means that Gods just got something really cool coming my way. Either way im so down for being back on the road again. Would love to hear from you guys, even if its just throwing out a hey! amvanove@ncsu.edu
 From on top of the world.
Av.
-L4L Co-Founder

Going Home Letter

Go to our youtube page to check out our latest video created as Andrew and Ben were leaving Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/user/L4LVideo

Report Back

We're getting together on Friday night to spend some time sharing about our summer.  Andrew, Ben, and Erin will all be speaking about their time in Africa and we will have a few videos and lots of photographs.  We'll also be talking a little bit about Love for the Sake of Love's plans for the future and what God is currently doing in our organization.  We would love for you to come!
It will be at:
316 Seasons Drive
Raleigh, NC 27614

at 7:30 p.m. this Friday (September 3rd).

Stateside Update

We have roughly 260 days until we will be back out serving in Africa and potentially other parts of the world.  It sounds like a lot of time, but I know that it is going to fly by and that we have so much we need to accomplish by then.  Love for the Sake of Love seems to be growing bigger each day and it is truly incredible to see what God is molding it into.
Now that Andrew and Ben are back from Africa, we have been working nonstop.  Our main focus has been on figuring out some of the logistics for our mission trips next summer.  We have already had a lot of interest in these trips and it has been so exciting to see everything come together.  (If you're interested in coming with us, e-mail me at summer2011@loveforthesakeoflove.com and I'll send you some more information.)
We've also been trying to finish up the endless amount of legal paperwork to obtain our 501(c)3.  Andrew has been working on editing all of the photos and videos he took while in Africa.  We'll have these up on the website soon.  We are also looking forward to speaking at churches and other events to tell others about the work we're doing and what God has already done through our organization.  If you would like us to speak at your church or to another group of people, please let me know.

-Alison

Follow Us

Become a fan of our facebook page and follow us on Twitter @Love4TSOLove!!!

It's finally here!

The website is launched!!

Go to loveforthesakeoflove.com to see it.  I've heard that some people are still having trouble viewing it if they have a slower internet connection, so if you have any problems with it please let me know so I can get them fixed.

I would love to hear your thoughts about the website.  Enjoy!!

Alison
Co-founder

finally on the road

The plan was to leave at 10:30 this morning and we pulled out of the church parking lot a little after 3. Being 5 hours behind schedule seems to be the start of any great church trip so I knew that it was a good sign. We are now a little over one hour into our 8 hour drive to Lee university in tennessee for the first two YCM conferences I'm working at this summer. Each week will have a few hundred students. I never went to any of the great escape conferences as a student so I have no idea what to expect. Its hard for me to go into the situation not knowing anything, but I know its exactly what I need. It will push me to give up all control to God. I'm excited to see what He does there and to see so many middle schoolers experience God...many for the first time.
Andrew and Ben spent the past few days doing work in Rwanda and are now back in uganda. They met with George, the missions pastor from Providence in Raleigh, today and will be working more with him this weekend.
Be on the lookout for a blog post about our website. We're finishing up the final details for it and plan to launch it soon.

Alison
Co-founder

Time.

Africa comes Fast, Ben and i took a few trial run trips camping for a weekend and i have come to the conclusion that this is going to be an amazing summer no matter what happens. I have been so encouraged by a peace that the Lord has given me about the plans he has in store for my life and what they look like. 

Alison and I have been praying recently more and more for the Lord to take control of this whole project as a whole. The way i see it is. God is Love. So i think he should play a pretty big role in an organization that is solely based off of loving and serving those around us. 

Contacts: We have been making more and more contacts with people that we are looking foreword to meeting when we actually hit the ground over in africa. Its going to be a great trip. We are going to be spending a lot of time with orphanages and people building and running them. It should be an amazing opportunity to receive training so that we are able to push foreword Hope N Doors. Our missions to soon build an orphanage in uganda. 

Erin went and bought the gear she needed to come to africa when she meets us in june or july. Which she got much of her joy from finding out that she was able to match her headlamp chacos and backpack. Whatever floats her boat. Soon she will see everything matches in africa, its dirty. We are soo happy that she is going to come and bring life to our stay in africa. And from what i understand she is just as happy. 

I recently made a short video for vintage 21 for a group of college kids that are as passionate about serving others as we are. You can check it out if you would like. at this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GVRSzNF-Uc

Let me know what you think. I accept and welcome all criticism and of course encouragement to improve my video work. 

We are continually praying for everyone that is serving and supporting us thank you for all that you do.

Andrew

-founder 

L4SL

Abby Tracy

Who is Abby? She is what we have been waiting for. As some of you know a little while back i sent out an update letter then a support letter to friends and family. (if you didn't get one and want one let me know) Well a former pastor of mine Steve Wright read my letter and what love for the sake of love was doing and planning and he also knew Abby and saw that it was complete deja vu. So he got in touch with me and i was able to meet up with her 30 minutes before she got on the plane to fly out which was great. 

Abby from what i understand went over to africa when she was 13 and hated it, only to be called back at 18 when she went on a foreign exchange program. This time things were different, she fell in love. She stayed behind working with and loving on the street kids in kampala even after she was supposed to go back. From there she started feeding and helping kids from just 400 dollars her brother gave her. She is basically one of Gods sharpest tools. Taking nothing and using it for everything. Later on she was able to raise enough money to build a house for kids to stay at and has many programs running. Abby has been super helpful giving us tips and encouragement on how to pursue our dreams.

We are looking to pursue a partnership with her in the future, what that looks like we don't know the details  as of now but i will be visiting her over in africa this summer. I cant wait. I have a feeling there are bigger plans for us than we can even imagine. 

Andrew

Founder-

L4L

It's all starting to come together

I probably should have posted this update a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never right?  The elevator pitch for Carolina Challenge went really well, but unfortunately we did not make it to the next round.  Although I can't say I really agree with all of the judges choices, we still learned a lot from the experience.  The judges all said we were really passionate about what we were doing, but Africa was so far off their radar they had a hard time comprehending why we would ever want to leave our comfortable homes here to go serve over there.  It was frustrating, but I realized that we are probably going to be running into this situation a lot.  I'm hoping that I'll know how to approach the situation differently in the future.
I've had a really hard time recently accepting the fact that I'm not going to be in Africa this summer (honestly, I probably wouldn't have left Africa this past August if I knew that it would be 2 years before I was able to go back), but God has been so faithful throughout all of it.  Last week, I was offered a job working in the administrative department for Youth Conference Ministries for the summer. (ycmhome.org)  YCM puts on huge one week Christian conferences for middle and high school students all over the country.  I'm going to spend the first six weeks of my summer helping with all of the preparation for the events and then will spend the rest of my summer going to each of the conferences.  Throughout the summer I'm going to get to work with Chuck Neder, the CEO, and several other key members and absorb everything they know about running a non-profit, fundraising, large scale event planning, missions, and pretty much everything else that would fall under the administrative category.  I feel so under-qualified for the position, but I feel that God really wants to push me out of my comfort zone this summer and stretch me as much as possible.  I think this opportunity would give me so much experience and knowledge, as well as some great contacts that will be able to help establish Love for the Sake of Love in the future.
I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the bible verses Andrew put in the last post.  It really fits the core of what we are trying to do and I'm praying that God will continue to mold us into that image.

-Alison
Logistics Expert

Coffee Shop.

Today i'm cranking down on the video once again... its coming along. But its a process, i'm pumped to get to see how it turns out but what is done so far is what i was hoping for so that good. I know a lot of people have been asking about it and i'm super excited to hear that keep looking out for it.

Yesterday Alison and i got together and worked on some update support letters that i sent out so if you see one of those feel free to drop me an email. Id love to hear from everyone!

Loving other, i have been focusing a lot on what it means to love EVERYONE. Because even at best my human nature has a tendency to be selective like duck duck lovegoose. I am constantly reminded that if thats how Gods love worked i probably wouldn't have made the cut. I do like talking to people that are different from me and learning to show them that i do care about them. Alison and i were talking about this passage the other day.

Romans 12:9-16
"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When Gods people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!" -NLT


I think this passage pretty much sums what ive been working on up. I challenge you to join me in the battle against mediocre love, and pursue a stronger love for those around us, the kind of love that only comes from God.

Andrew-
Founder

Carolina Challenge Update

We have officially submitted all of our preliminary information for our elevator pitch on Tuesday.  We have a few final touches to make on the powerpoint, but we're really close to being done with all of our final preparations.  I'm meeting with Maryann Feldman, a professor at UNC who has agreed to advise us, on Tuesday to give us some final tips before our presentation.

Although we were struggling with sleep deprivation and ADD last night (when I say we, it was really more me than Andrew) we were actually able to get a lot done.  We're making a lot of progress of building the foundations of the organization and really defining who we are and what we're doing.  It seems like it should be a pretty simple task, but there's a lot more that goes into it than I originally realized.  We also know that having a strong foundation is really important, so we're trying to be intentional with our time and ensure the quality of everything we do, even if it means going a little slower.  I couldn't be happier about the organization Love for the Sake of Love is becoming.  I love getting to work on various stuff for the organization each day and can't wait to see where God leads us next. 

We are also continuing to work on the website and will publish it as soon as we possibly can.  I hope you're getting excited to see the video, because Andrew has already done a lot with it and its going to be amazing once its done.

Thanks for taking the time to see what we're working on right now.  We'll do our best to keep you updated with everything that goes on with the organization.

-Alison

Carolina Challenge

Tonight Alison and Myself worked on the powerpoint and completing some more of who we are the actual framework of it all. It was a little hung up with some writers block but two oranges and some cough drops later and it turned out really good.


The Carolina Challenge is a competition at UNC for new ideas/organizations the offers grants and scholarships for the winners. We are going mostly to learn, we would love to win but we want more to get info on how to do what we are trying to do. It is also a great way to make good contacts with those that know this better than we do. In all its a great opportunity.


Now its 1 AM and i am going to bed until tomorrow when im going to sketch up some new designs. and keep working on the project. but things are moving foreward!


Thanks for checking in on us!
Andrew-
Founder

Back in The Lab.

Friday is all too sweet,


I'm just hanging out in the Media Studio working on some editing, just me and the Mac Pro, cutting things up today working on the final timeline before I throw together the final green screen tweak. 
Alison is working on the Carolina Challenge meeting with some professionals asking them what will give us the edge to have a chance at these grants. 


How are things going with you?
Feel free to say hey or stop by!
Andrew-
Founder

Under Construction

Here we are at another Thursday and at work once again,


We are soo pumped to be at work for L4L and getting to see things progress, its funny to see the progress and feel like we are in something so much larger than life, but its happening and fast. We are comfortable with the speed things are moving, considering we are looking for perfection rather than completion. We are focusing on how to do things right, and that takes time. But don't be fooled there isn't much dilly dallying going on, things are in full speed. 


Today Alison and I are meeting with Caleb Durham to discuss the construction of the website that should be up soon, so keep your eyes out for that.  Also Eric Sholz the media mix mastermind is getting a sneak preview of the video to get a feel for how he is going to finish the track for the Intro film. We are so happy to have him on board the team for the creation of this video and everyone else that has helped out in so many different ways. Thank you for all of your help!


If you have anything that you think you can be helping out with or are interested in, shoot us an email or question and well be more than happy to get in touch with you.
LovefortheSakeofLove@gmail.com
Apples and Oranges well keep you posted. 


Andrew-
Founder

Like Andrew said in the last post, I'm Alison Gamble, the Logistics Expert for Love for the Sake of Love.  I oversee a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on with the organization and help to execute our team's plans and make our ideas a reality.

This week I'm working on some material for the Carolina Challenge.  The Carolina Challenge is a competition at UNC-CH for entrepreneurs who have good ideas about possible business plans.  We have some tough competition, but even if we don't win, we should make a lot of good contacts and get the chance to tell more people about the organization.  We have our elevator pitch next week and should know soon after if we have made it to the semifinals.  I'm meeting with several professors and business professionals over the next few days to get some advice and guidance for our business model.  

Right now I'm really excited to see how the video turns out and am looking forward to getting to know some of our team members and potential team members a little better.

-Alison

What is going on here.

Hey everyone, 
This is our new blog where we will be keeping you up to date on the organization and its growth. It will also be a place where you can contact us with your ideas and help, we will have a website up soon that will also be a great resource for you to check out.


We are Love For the Sake of Love, people that want to serve as a community, devoting our lives to loving others without expecting anything in return. As you get to know us i hope that you will be inspired to join us in the journey to care for others and work along side us. 


Im Andrew Vanover, the founder, alongside Alison Gamble the Logistics Expert and backbone to everything that goes on within L4L. 


Today: Im working on the video that we shot at NCSU a few weeks ago that will hopefully explain who we are in a creative and entertaining yet inspirational way. I also met with Wes Latta the genius being a lot of the camera stuff, and Alyssa Benfield the Marketing expert we are talking to looking into the options of her joining the team.


Thanks for Reading feel free to ask questions
Andrew-