Open Arms Fundraiser 2017

I enjoyed the Open Arms fundraiser so much last year, that I began looking for information about it around the same time.  There seemed to be no mention of it continuing, and I gave up.  A few months later, a friend told me they were still having one, but it got moved to a later date.  I'm glad I got to go!  There were far fewer auction items, but it was still a great event.  Some friends and my sister-in-law even joined me!  The theme was Back to the Garden.

Our table.

I would still love to host a table in the future.  Maybe next year!

Dessert Tea Fundraiser

I was recently blessed to attend the 2nd annual dessert tea fundraiser for Open Arms Pregnancy Care Center with a friend.  I was SO impressed by this event!  Being someone who enjoys teas, it was a wonderful experience.  From what I heard, the event has grown quite a bit since last year.  People volunteer to host tables where they are in charge of decorations and food preparation.  The theme was Love Life, and many people took a Valentine approach.  I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and seeing the variety of styles.

I had never participated in a silent auction before, but I enjoyed that part as well.  They had an option for purchasing items outright instead of bidding, and the item I most wanted was purchased that way after only a few bids.  I was disappointed, but I still won another item, a basket full of goodies.  And I got it below it's value price!

Our hostess did a wonderful job.  Her table was one of my favorites, and the food was thoughtfully planned.  Truly a feast for the eyes!  She even made the nametags!

Our table didn't have all it's food yet when I took these pics, hence the empty pedestal.  Isn't it pretty though?

Some of my other favorites.

This was the item I was hoping to win.  After I saw it was purchased, I took a picture.  :)

Our hostess.  :)

This gives an idea of the size of this event.  Look at all the tables!  I took this shot from my spot.  Our table was at one of the corners of the room.

I'm already looking forward to next year's fundraiser.  Maybe I'll even host a table!

The Fatherless

We just finished listening to a message about caring for orphans that I very much enjoyed.  Click here.  It's titled "God Loves the Fatherless" on 10/6/13.  After selecting the message, click the play button on the screen.  :-)

Saying Goodbye

Today is bittersweet. It marks the end of one of our sponsorships through Compassion.

I wrote our first letter to Kanchana in June 2006. It didn't take long for her to win our hearts, especially with her frequently expressed desire to visit the U.S. We smiled when she talked about wanting to see snow, prayed when she fretted over her studies, and marveled at her beautiful pictures with their bold, brilliant colors.

We knew she should be graduating soon, because she was already at "older child" status when we began this journey. Older children have a difficult time getting sponsored, so when we were asked if we'd consider adding an "older child," we accepted. Two letters a month (one to her and one to a boy we were already sponsoring) were very doable along with the monetary portion for food, school, and healthcare -- in Jesus' name.

Somehow it still came as a surprise when we got the call a few weeks ago notifying us Kanchana had just graduated from the program. How could five years have passed?! We were told she is planning for college while continuing to live at home. We gave her a last parting financial gift with our blessing, and I just finished my last piece of correspondence. It's marked "FINAL LETTER" at the top in bold print and filled with love and hope: hope for a happy future in the Lord. I pray He will bless her.



Most Recent Photo

Her first letter to us:

How are you? I am fine. Did you go anywhere on vacation? I didn't go anywhere, because my mother was very busy. She worked hard. I want to see your house, and I want you to come to my house too. How is your family? My family is fine. It is difficult for me to take care of my sisters and brothers. There are many persons in my family.

I want to see snow. Do you have a picture of snow? I want to see your family. Do you keep pets? I keep fish at home because my mother likes it.



Please pray for my English camp next month. I dream to visit different countries far way like America. I have dreamed since I was a very little girl. I think it is impossible. It is just a dream but I really want to see it.

Please send me a picture for your house. May God bless you and your family to be happy.

May God bless you,

Kanchana

Christmas Charity Ideas

Each year we participate in several Christmas charities. I thought it might be an interesting post to highlight some of our favorites. If you are like I was and desire to give but are not sure where to begin, I suggest starting out small. Take that first step; perhaps pick out a gift for a child from the giving tree at a store. As finances allow, add something else. God will bless you for sharing with others!

We sponsor two children through Compassion International, and at this time of year we send extra money for gifts. Christmas funds are pooled and divided up to buy presents for all the kids, even those still waiting for sponsors. One time donations are welcome!

A couple of years ago we stuffed ten stockings for a local men's homeless shelter through a homeschool organization. It was lots of fun! We bought most of the items in bulk, which brought down the cost. Wal-mart and Costco were great for personal hygiene items, candy and hat/scarf sets. We included small bibles, wooden puzzles, and Christmas cards with a hand-written note and gospel tract. Everything was wrapped in festive tissue paper, which I purchased in a jumbo pack. We filled the stockings assembly line style with all of us helping, even our son who was around five. This is a good project for the entire family!

Last year we started a new tradition of picking gifts from Partners International, a ministry begun in 1943 that works "alongside national believers to bring Christ's love and compassion to the least Christian regions of the world." They have a nice, full-color catalog with things like: Well for a Village, Cambodia; Training for a Church Planter, China; Milk and Cereal for a Child, Senegal; Small Business Training, Mali. Each item includes a photograph and description. We agreed ahead of time on the amount and enjoyed sitting down together "shopping." There is a wide range of gifts to fit any budget from $5 for medicine all the way up to $6,000 for a village grinding mill. We plan to do this on Sunday.

Greg's company has sponsored 2-4 families for Christmas the past few years. They have fund-raisers such as a silent auction and a pancake/spam feed. There is a Tree of Sharing with the names of family members, or employees can donate money directly. The funds are used to purchase any gifts for any names left on the tree, groceries, and as a monetary gift for the family.

I think this was the most fun charitable thing I've ever done. Greg brought home two tags for a nine-year-old girl. Our son is nearly nine, so I have a good feel for that age. Plus, I always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter (even though I adore our son!). One tag said, "Age appropriate game." I visited a game store and picked out a 550 piece family puzzle and a game called "Apples to Apples Jr." for ages nine and up. We have enjoyed the adult version (offensive cards removed, of course!), but Kylen had trouble joining in due to some complex words and concepts, which we were constantly needing to define. So I think this would be a great family game! In fact, it's going on our own wish list!

The other tag said, "Dress and tights." First, I looked at Wal-mart where we get most of our clothes. They did not have ANY dresses or skirts other than a few VERY ugly ones. So Greg dropped me off at JC Penney, and I eventually found a pretty black dress with ruffles, matching jacket, and black tights. That's when the fun REALLY began!

I had lots of extra time to kill, so I decided to hunt for accessories. Just a few stores down was Claire's. What an awesomely fun, FUN store!! Chock full of inexpensive hair doo-dads, fancy lip gloss containers with delicious names, jewelry (great place for a cheap tiara if you ever need one!), and lots of marvelous stocking stuffers for any girl. I found a cute black purse with glittering silver stars, chocolate chip cookie lip gloss, a small black/pink stuffed animal, black hair decorations, and tiny silver stickers that could be worn on a cheek or fingernail. OK, and I spent WAY too much! But it was totally worth it! And next year I hope to do it again, Lord willing and if finances permit!

Compassion Blog Month

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Matt. 19:21 KJV

Growing up, I never thought much about the needy. I knew they were out there, but we rarely talked about them. I lived a sheltered life and was more concerned about my own wants and desires. Learning to care for them has been a gradual process that began after I got married and had a baby. I’ve come to realize that a giving heart needs to be instilled in children from the time they are young, because it won’t come naturally or easily in our materialistic, self-centered culture.

I feel this is something greatly lacking in our nation. Most of us are very spoiled and have no idea how extreme poverty is in many parts of the world. We would be appalled if we knew just how bad it is – sewage in the streets, starvation, lack of basic necessities like shoes and clean water, things that we take for granted. We are enjoying the blessings of God that were brought upon us in our country’s infancy by men who sought the Lord. This is a wonderful thing, but it can make us forgetful. Jeremiah is filled with prophecies of how God's wrath would destroy his people because they had become so wicked. The following scripture tells of how they had become fat and ceased to care for the needy.

They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Jer. 5:28

I am currently working on reading the Bible completely through for the first time. I had tried this before but always became bogged down by laws and would eventually return to the New Testament. However, this time it has been different, perhaps because of my spiritual growth due to physical suffering. At any rate, I am in Jeremiah and what has really surprised me is how many scriptures admonish us to help the needy, particularly the fatherless and widows.

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Prov. 28:27

I know that not everyone is able to give, but for those who are able, it’s very important.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:42-44

What a beautiful story of love, the kind of love that will make a difference. If we all had giving hearts like that woman…just imagine!

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:13,14

I recently discovered that this is Compassion Blog Month, which is perfect, because I’ve been thinking of doing a post about this ministry. They are helping more than 950,000 children in 24 countries. They work through local churches to provide children with what they need to “have a quality and sustainable livelihood.”

We are sponsoring two precious souls through this well established organization and have been blessed by the experience. Kanchana lives in Thailand. We have sponsored her about a year now. She is 15, very sweet and sends us the most beautiful pictures. There is a great need for sponsors for older children.

Cristian is from Peru, and we received our first letter about him in October of 2002. He is nine, a year older than our son. We hope that they will eventually be pen-pals. Kylen has just begun to show an interest in writing and has prepared a couple of letters for them. We receive several nice letters each year (written by their own hand and translated) along with photographs and updates. Sponsors are encouraged to share their faith in letters and to pray for the children.

Let's not forget the needy. You can read more about people's experiences with sponsoring through Compassion by visiting Shaun Grove's blog.

Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. Gal. 2:10