Future Hope Project

Wow....I am so excited to share this with you. Two amazing women have teamed up to provide another great, hands-on opportunity to help others out. Abbie and Gin have created the Future Hope Project.

Abbie explains this opportunity really well on her blog...

Gin, founder of Hope Aid International, is the other party involved.

The basic idea is that Hope Aid International is working with a maternity clinic in Uganda to help new mothers and infants.

The basic mission of Future Hope Project is to get a small list of essentials gathered together in large quantities to help assist these new mothers and infants as they begin their journey of fighting the stark statistics that are ahead of them. We are asking that you get a large, gallon size baggie and fill it with the items above and mail it to us along with $5 to help with shipping costs. Then all the collected packages will be sent the maternity ward in Uganda.

These are the essentials needed:
3 cloth diapers
6 diaper pins
2 plastic diaper covers
1 receiving blanket
1 small travel size baby powder
1 pacifier
1 bar of baby soap

Can you imagine only needing those things for a newborn? These gifts are small in comparison to what they will face, but a wonderful gift that will be a treasure for the new family.

Please check out the official sites for Future Hope Project and Hope Aid International.

Also, Abbie and Gin would love help spreading the word about this opportunity and are offering giveaways and incentives for anyone who helps. Please check out their blogs for more information on that!

God's Army of One

Here is an amazing, inspiring story of a young girl and her desire to help those in need.

God's Army of One

I am so encouraged when I read stories like this.

Do Something Monday

I know I have already posted today about "paying it forward" with a "random act of kindness", but my friend, Gin, is hosting "DO SOMETHING MONDAY".

Her theme (in case you didn't click on her name to read what she wrote on her blog) is doing a random act of kindness. So I've been thinking about what I could do.

I read another blog today...I'm following the Compassion Bloggers Trip to India this week. Melissa (Beth Moore's daughter) is on the trip and her post made me want to write my Compassion kids and tell them I love them.

And so I did.

Maybe it's not so random because I write to them at least once a month. But I don't know if I've ever just written and said...I love you.

And so I did.

Random Acts of Kindness

My friend Allison had a great post this morning....and I'm joining in on the "Pay it Forward" bandwagon.

The idea is that the first five people to post a comment on this blog entry will receive something special from me sometime in the next year! Then you look for people to pay it forward to yourself.

Here's how it works:

1. Leave a comment letting me know you'd like to participate. You must be willing to provide me with a mailing address, obviously.

2. Post a "Pay it Forward" on your blog where you link back to me and extend the same offer to five of your readers. (again, if you don' have a blog, you can still participate maybe over FB, Twitter or just in 'real life' situations!)

3. Promise that you will follow through and send something special to those five who comment on your blog (or however you choose to do it!)

The little something's don't have to be extravagant, just something that you select with that specific person in mind.

So there you have it...are you in? Leave a comment if you want to participate!

Kayleigh

THIS GIRL....


CRACKS ME UP!!!



Kayleigh and I went for a walk this evening while Sydney and Kevin went fishing. Since Kayleigh didn't nap today, she quickly fell asleep in the stroller. When we got home she tried telling me she wasn't tired. This is what I found when I went to check on her....sound asleep on my floor.


Well, maybe not sound asleep.


Alright...maybe she wasn't so tired after all.

Bite Back

I have often talked about Compassion's sponsorship program on this blog. I believe so strongly in the good work Compassion is able to do with $32 a month through their child development sponsorship program.

But Compassion has many other initiatives and areas in which they are working to make a difference.

Today I want to talk about their fight against Malaria....BITE BACK. We are all aware that mosquitoes are annoying, but in many countries, mosquito bites can be deadly.

Although I've known about this campaign, I learned more about it today on Compassion's Blog. They have a post today about World Malaria Day.

I remember the very first time I sent extra money to my first sponsored child, Judith in Kenya, she wrote back to me saying,

May the living God be with you this time of Christmas. I am thanking you very much for the money you sent to me as a Christmas gift. I was filled with joy. I have bought a blanket . Right now I am sleeping well without any problem. I used to sleep for a short time because of disturbances of mosquitoes and coldness at night.

I remember being totally blown away at this simple thing we take for granted.

Did you know that for $10 you can buy a net for a family and help prevent malaria?

Please take a few minutes to explore Compassion's Bite Back website. Maybe you can't afford to sponsor a child for $32 a month, but you could make a one time donation and buy a net (or 2, or 3).

There are also some great Bite Back t-shirts for adults and kids in Compassion's store.

Friday Flowers

I saw this very cute craft idea in a magazine and today we gave it a try. It's very easy (although I had to do all the assembling. All you need: strips of paper (I used magazine pages), hole punch, buttons and pipe cleaners.

I had these cute little watering cans that we used as our vases.

Have you seen any cute craft ideas lately?

Read this Post

My blogging / Bible study / Compassion friend, Brittany, wrote a wonderful post for Compassion's Blog....Go here to read it!

Our Week

The girls and I spent some time at a paint your own pottery place yesterday. We had a coupon for a free mug so we cashed in on it.



Princess Kayleigh...seriously, without any encouragement, this is how Kayleigh walks around the house these days.

Happy Earth Day

Quest For Compassion

Compassion has just launched a new website for kid's to learn about their work in other countries. Go HERE to read more about it and be sure to check out the site.

Disgusting

Some might call this beautiful...I'm calling it disgusting!



I feel like I've been pretty positive about the long winter and the amount of snow we get up here...but this is crossing the line. We had a wonderul, muddy month of melting and finally all our snow was gone and now look at this. This is a very heavy snow and sadly we have lost some decent sized trees.


Maybe we'll go make a snow man later.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the Lord has made...I will rejoice and be glad in it!


Maybe if I say that verse enough, I will forget that all our snow had melted and we were at the beach on Friday!

Good News / Bad News

Good News...
8 children were sponsored this morning!!!

Bad News...
Winter storm warning...up to 15 inches of snow between now and Tuesday morning. Ug.

Compassion Sunday - Step Into My Life

Tomorrow I am giving a Compassion presentation at our church and I wanted to share my presentation with you.

I will begin with this short video.

In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

Compassion partners with local churches in 25 countries in the developing world and is currently helping more than 1 million children through their sponsorship program.

This ministry is unique in that it is child-focused. Many other organizations build schools, develop community centers or dig wells for the community and in doing so, believe their efforts will trickle down and benefit the children as well as the community. Compassion believes that the only way to overcome poverty is by meeting the individual needs of the child (spiritually, economically, socially and physically).

Why Children? They are the hardest hit by poverty and have the fewest resources available to them to change their circumstances.

Here are some staggering statistics:
*Nearly 27,000 children younger than 5 die each day, mainly from preventable causes.
*More than 400 million children have no access to safe drinking water
*More than 93 million school-age children do not attend school
*More than 15 million children worldwide have been orphaned by AIDS
*At least 120 million children are homeless

Compassion links individual children with caring sponsors who have the opportunity to support and encourage them to rise above poverty and become all they can be in Christ. Through letter writing and prayer, you can make a difference in both the child and their family’s lives.

I would like to read the final letter from my first sponsored child, Judith, from Kenya. It illustrates the impact of sponsorship on her life.

Dear Mrs. Jill Foley,
Receive precious greeting from me in Jesus name. I'm sorry and very sad when writing this letter to you because it is my last letter. In fact, I never imagined that our communication would come to an end. But if I look back into my life, I'm very much impressed and comforted of what good you have done in me. Your help has shown light in my life. I'm educated. I have also done a tailoring course and qualified. I never knew in my life I would have such kind of education compared to my family's poor standard of living.

Actually because of your love we're now living in a good shelter too. I completed my course and now I'm no longer in school. I feel I should start a business but finance is a problem to my plan.

I hope you will pray for me. Jill Foley, though we shall no more communicate, I will never forget you. I will keep on remembering you in my prayers because what you have done in my life is great. I and my family are fine. Everyone in my family says the house in which they lived reminds them of your love for them. May the Lord Jesus give you prolonged life. May you live to be remembered.

From your loving child, Judith.


Christ instructs us many, many times in Scripture to care for the poor.
*Proverbs 14:31 Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
*Proverbs 31:8, 9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…defend the rights of the poor and needy.
*I John 3:18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him.

For $32 a month, you can enable a child to participate in Compassion’s Child Development Sponsorship Program. Through this program that child will receive educational opportunities, health care, health-related instruction, supplemental nutrition, life-skills training and opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel.

Compassion is committed to financial integrity. They strive to put at least 80% of the $32 monthly fee directly into your child’s program. This past year that number was 83% with the other 17% going toward advertising and overhead.

Today I have 20 child packets with me – children that need sponsors. Won’t you sponsor a child today? In Matthew 25:40 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” You have the opportunity to make an eternal difference today. Please stop by the Compassion table after the service and choose a child to sponsor.

Since you can't stop by my table personally, I thought I would post pictures of two of the children than need sponsors.

Surekha lives in India


Savali lives in Kenya

Will you become their sponsor?

Beach Day

We had the most beautiful weather today so we spent a couple hours at the beach. The water was still really cold, but the girls had a blast playing in the sand. It was like a giant sand box. We met some friends there and had a picnic. If you look closely in the background of some of the pictures you can still see ice and snow on the rocks. We had significant melting this week....most of the snow is gone in our yard. It's going to cool off a bit tomorrow and next week, but this week sure was nice!





Making "cookies"

Park Week

We are fully enjoying this beautiful, spring weather we've had this week. We have one more day of significantly warm temps (in the 60s) and sun tomororw...then it will be rainy and cooler. Kevin came home from work a little early today and we went on a 10 mile bike ride. We stopped for a bite to eat and then again to play on a playground. I've dubbed this week "Park Week" because we have gone to a different park every day so far.




The girls found this mud puddle on our neighborhood walk yesterday. I let them play a little bit and a neighbor girl joined it. She ended up falling in and getting quite dirty! I'm sure her mother wasn't too thrilled that my girls gave her the idea!

Spring

We are finally enjoying some sunny, warmer spring weather!

P90X update

I know you have all been sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting for an update on my P90X adventure. I started back in January and was still very excited about it after just 6 days. Well...I have now done 66 workouts and I'm still very enthusiastic about it. It's probably been 90 days, but I have been counting the actual workouts instead of the days. I think I manage to get 5-6 in each week.

I've never stuck with any exercising routine like this before. But this is why I think it's working for me.

1) I can do it when the kids are awake or asleep....I don't have to "schedule" gym time into my day.

2) It's different every day - there are 12 different workout dvds - you do one each day and when you get to the end you repeat the cycle.

3) It's working!!! I can see and feel muscles in my abs that I didn't know existed in my body! I have seen changes everywhere and I feel great, too!

4) It's very motivating and fun. I like having someone tell me what to do and how many times to do it.

I highly recommend this program. I'm addicted and it's fun. If you do get the program and you have little ones around, Tony uses a few choice words that I would rather my girls not hear, but it's nothing they wouldn't hear out in public. And they don't seem to have picked up on them. They did pick up the motto "Beach body" and I've heard Sydney muttering that under her breath! It's funny!

A couple nights ago while the girls were in the bath....
Sydney, "I'm so cold"

Mommy, "I'll show you cold. I'll dip you in Lake Superior."

Tonight walking down by the lake...
Sydney, "Mommy, there's Lake Superior! You better dip me in and show me cold!"

Everything's Coming Up Tulips

Since my flower beds are still covered in snow and the tulips can't grow, we have to wear tulips! I think these tulips are much cuter.

My Little Shopper

It doesn't get much cuter than this...