giving.
the first gift of the Christmas season is wrapped!
we do gifts, but try to be very intentional about what they
are, how many, that we are giving sacrificially
& focusing on the reason we have to celebrate.
& focusing on the reason we have to celebrate.
this gift is one i did for matt & i'm so happy with how it turned out.
Tiny Prints is always having great specials & i got
this photo book for 50% off. they have no idea that
i'm writing this; i'm just always so impressed by their
quality & their customer service is like no other.
seriously. i'm a customer for life.
i love that our 2010 year is here in review
and we can remember these moments in
such a beautiful, tangible way.
i hope he loves it.
our advent activity last night was:
what could you give today with a joyful heart?
we counted every last penny that we have
all been throwing into a jar for the last year.
we made big piles of every quarter, dime, nickel & penny
then slowly added them up.
they were so excited & i think we were all blown away
to hear the total:
$203.48
we decided to pick gifts for Redeemer House.
this is one of the ministries that i'll be serving with in Uganda in February.
Kathy was serving on a medical missions trip there & knew that she was called to do more.
she prayed & God birthed Redeemer House in her heart.
today, she is blessed to daily bring love & hope to many children
there that might otherwise not have it.
Redeemer House's Christmas catalog ended yesterday,
[remember me saying i'm always behind?! ugh.]
but i just chatted with Kathy and she assured me that if
you'd like to participate with a specific gift,
you could designate it in the box during your paypal check out.
so i read the kids some options from the catalog:
a milking goat for $65
an egg-laying chicken for $7
a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap & vaseline for $11
a bed frame, mattress, sheets & mosquito net for $77
new shoes for $11
a bicycle to get to school for $100
a new book [most kids don't have even 1 book!] $11
the girls decided on a milking goat, 3 chickens, a bed set-up &
the rest to their general fund.
we pray it is multiplied & blesses them.
i can't wait to hug on the kids there & Kathy.
if your family would like to give them a special holiday gift, you can here.
i can't wait to show you the precious faces of these children...
soon.
You always inspire me. We will do a jar next year. Love the idea.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness, you inspire me.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are amazing and I love your family heart to give :-)
ReplyDeleteDoes your hubby read your blog?! LOL
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! We LOVE Redeemer House!
ReplyDeleteMANY BLESSINGS!
Moriah--nope! i send him a link to a post every now and then, but otherwise he usually doesn't. i was wondering if i should just not say anything [because he probably won't look] or mention to him that he shouldn't look at today's post! [that might be too tempting!]
ReplyDelete=)
This is FABULOUS!!!
ReplyDeleteSteph
Yay! Redeemer Kids will be blessed blessed blessed. We need to think of a few ways to spoil them. Painted toe nails and finger nails for the girls for sure but what about the boys? Hmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteClicked over from Andrea's, and I'm so glad I did! What beautiful pictures and amazing words. I love your advent activity. Beautiful blog.
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing gift to those children.
ReplyDeleteAlso, yesterday I met a man who is going with his wife and two teenagers to Africa in 6 days to adopt 2 boys ages 3 and 6. He shared his story with me and talked about how his wife has wanted to do if for years and it took about 10 years for his heart to soften to the idea and when things fell into place he could really look back and see God's hand in it all. He prayed with me and told me that if this path is meant for us God will work on my husband's heart just like he did his and it will happen in it's time.
I shared with him your story with Clay and he cried about how it just makes his heart swell when he hears of other stories.
((hugs))
Oh, my goodness, we at Redeemer House are so blessed by your family! The children have no idea how wonderful Christmas is going to be. They are incredibly giving themselves, and when they see how God has blessed them, I know they will recognize it as from His hand, through His people! I wish they could meet your kids - and I'm so glad they are going to get to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHands of Hope just told me that people had purchased all 12 new bed set-ups already - so - how about if we use the bed money instead for a welcome kit for new kids who are going to be using the beds? They will all need clothes, shoes, toothbrushes, towels, and so on, because they all come to us with only the clothes on their backs. Would your kids like that? I could send them pictures of the kids they help welcome to Redeemer House - and I would love to show the new kids pictures of the family who helped get them settled!
And chickens and a dairy goat - hooray! Now I'm going to have to learn to milk!!!
I know your husband is going to just love his Christmas gift! It's wonderful!
Blessings!
What an AWESOME advent activity! I just love it! Thank you so much for checking in on us this month and your comments. I love your blog and hope to join Dan when he heads to Chicago for the Jan. 14 event (although I will hopefully have my two new ones home by then so who knows what life might be like). You inspire me!
ReplyDeletekathy--that sounds like a wonderful plan!!
ReplyDeletealso? i've totally milked a goat before. WHILE wearing a formal gown. seriously. maybe i can help while i'm there! =)
Love, I love how LOVING you family is. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being an example for all of us.
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net
That is fabulous! My husband and I were deciding what to do for new Christmas traditions that focused more on giving sacrificially, and we had this same exact idea! Bravo! :)
ReplyDelete