One Day/One Lunch

Would you be willing to take a minute to help my friend Amy and her daughter Addisyn spread the word about the One Day/One Lunch project?  Thank you so much!!

 
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.  Proverbs 22:9 

Every 5 seconds a child dies of starvation.  And the truth is, most days this never even crosses our minds.  Perhaps that's because with a number like this, we don't even know where to begin.

But what if you knew where to begin?  What if you knew what to do to make a difference?  And what if that difference simply started with your lunch?

What if all it took was One Day and One Lunch to make a difference in the life of a child?

If you are reading this today, I'd like to ask you to be a part of something big.  God usually prefers to work through people -- ordinary people like you and me.  You have two choices right now.  You can click off this page and pretend you didn't read this and go on with your everyday life or you can choose to see that God brought you here to read this for a purpose - to be a part of something big.

Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to do something you can't.  I'm going to ask you to do something you can.  The average American spends between $2 - $8 a day on lunch.  I am asking everyone who reads this blog post to simply choose, on February 3, to give up their 'lunch money' and then donate what they would have spent on lunch to Lifesong for Orphans for the Adami Tulu preschool in Ziway, Ethiopia.  Can you imagine what Jesus could do?  A mere $3 feeds a child for one month!  Can you imagine the impact we could make - simply by being willing to make a small sacrifice for someone else?

So mark your calendar for February 3 and spread the word about the One Day/One Lunch project.  Put it on facebook, add it to your blog, ask your coworkers, friends and church family to join in.  Let's make a small sacrifice - to make one big difference.

Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love - Mother Teresa 

Donations can be given online at www.lifesongfororphans.org/donations.html.  Please indicate it's to go to the Adami Tulu preschool.

Oh How I Wish Everyone Loved Orphans!

I'm crying as I watch this video.  I don't think I can embed it, but you can watch it on facebook HERE.

The young girl that started Rosalynn's Hope at Ninth and O Baptist Church has an amazing story.  I was so moved by her testimony... you've got to read it!  What a joy to hear from a young adult that was adopted from the Philippines by a Christian family, and her love for adoption because she's experienced the blessings of it!!

We Love to Do This

Five Plus Yes

Every now and then hubby sends me a link to an adoption blog post that moves him.  THIS is one of my favorites yet.  Here's an except to get you started...

Could it be that God’s will is found at the intersection of someone’s need and our ability?

Could it be that simple?

Good stuff already, huh?  If you have a minute more, click on the word Ethiopia in his blog post to read more about his trip there.  This is the kind of stuff that moves my heart more than almost anything else.

I hope to also check out the book he mentions in the article -- Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most by Wess Stafford.

Recent Footage

Why Ethiopia?

The statistics in this video are staggering. Absolutely staggering.

Miracle Child

Six year-old William once asked his mother, “Why do other children walk on the bottoms of their feet? Why am I like this? What did you do to me?” When she told him that it was God who did it, not her, William said, “Then please tell God to fix me.”

William was born with clubfoot, affecting both of his feet.  If William had been born in America this common deformity would have been easily fixed when he was still a baby.  But in Zambia it’s a different story.  In Zambia, where the resources are few and the funds are even fewer, healing is only a distant dream.

Last February Lifesong Zambia coordinator, Dru Smith wrote about William in her newsletter.  When Wendy in Illinois heard his story she was prompted to act.  After a thorough investigation she discovered CURE Clubfoot International, which had a clinic in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia!  In April William was fitted for casts (first in a series of 3) and then had corrective surgery on his right foot in June and his left foot in September (the video was taken in September just before his second surgery).

God used His people to “fix” William.  Today William can walk!  Soon he will be strong enough to return to school, play with the other children, and be able to do many of the simple tasks we take for granted!

Through this journey the Lifesong staff has been able to help not only William, but his family as well.  William’s brother, Bright, and cousin, Gift, have both been enrolled at Lifesong school.  In addition his father, Victor, who was unemployeed now works in the Lifesong gardens!  We’re so thankful our God is the master at doing “abundantly and immeasurably more” than we even think to ask!

*Find out more about Blogging for Orphans here.

Happy Martin Luther King Day

I have to admit, I've never really celebrated Martin Luther King Day before.  But this year I'm thoughtful about the noble man who laid down his life for the rights and freedoms of all men, not just those with white skin.  If you haven't ever watched it, his I Have a Dream speech is wonderful.  Inspiring.  Prophetic.



His final speech (much shorter!) is even more unbelievable considering the fact that he was assassinated the next day.



And I absolutely LOVED this post from a blog I follow, Filled With Praise.  It brought tears to my eyes!

Cade (the older brother): "Mom, did you know today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday?  Mom, did you know during his time, they had separate water fountains for people with brown skin?  Did you know that people with brown skin were not able to sit at the same table in a restaurant with people that had white skin?  Mom, if I were alive during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s time, I would have worked with him to help him to change the rules.  Because that would have meant that Elijah couldn't have eaten with us at a restaurant or go to the same bathroom as me.  Mom, that is just wrong.  I would have never let anyone treat my brother that way."  

Isn't it amazing how the whole world changes when you look at it through your brother's eyes?

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!

I have a dream today!   ...one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.  I have a dream today!  I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

{An excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.}

Sweet Dreams...

Sometimes we find them in the funniest sleeping positions!  How can that be comfortable?

And here's little buddy dozing off on grandpa's lap...

Raising Children Who Hope in the Triumph of God

At the recommendation of a dear friend, I just listened to an excellent sermon by John Piper on parenting called Raising Children Who Hope in the Triumph of God.  I completely agree with what she has to say...

It's so inspiring and motivating toward living radically before your children as a lover of Christ and--from there--training them to become a part of the grand scheme of following the victorious Lord of the universe. Lord, may You make us this way!

Enjoy!

Inspired

I'm not all that creative/crafty but this blog has me ready to at least experiment with a couple of things to help extend the life of an outfit.  Her ideas are cute and seem pretty easy.

Get ready for frills and frugality.  What a great combination!

Making Her Clothes Last -- part 1, part 2

And while we're at it, since I don't normally blog about these things, have you come across this video of Molly Piper folding a fitted sheet?  It works especially well with crib sheets.

Christmas 2010

We had a busy, fun-filled Christmas and New Years with family and friends!  The kids bring so much joy to our family!!  We had a blast hanging out with grandma, grandpa and cousin Timothy.

It was so nice to spend time with aunt Michele, Lisa and Anne!

We also really liked aunt Michele's dogs and the front door windows that were just our height.
 

We had good intentions for a picture of Grandma Rose with all her great-great grandchildren, but this was about the best one we could get (and we're even missing a child!)...

Our home was often full of visitors, like the Sciarrones, the Egans and Uncle Dan and his fam.

 And we had a GREAT time visiting with our "cousins" Victoria, Jack, Kyra, Will and Kate!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!