YESSSS!!!!!!!

I found out today that I won a NZ$50 voucher for food in our supermarket!
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This money will go to feed some hungry children in Africa that would otherwise not eat.

I am always looking for ways to squeeze some money so that we can help.
As a family, we have started "only" eating rice and beans on Sundays - to help us identify a little bit with the African orphans for whom this would be a treat - and to save some money that can then feed some of them.

Remember that for US$0.14, Children's Hopechest can (and WILL, if you designate your gift) feed someone a meal of posho and beans. (posho is cornmeal, which is filling and beans are protein).

I immediately started doing the math - that food voucher will feed 215 children a meal! YAY!!!

Hmmmmm....

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of starvation.

15 million people a year die from starvation.

To satisfy a year's sanitation and food requirements for the world would take about 13 billion US dollars - what the US and European Union spend on perfume in a year.

Does something stink?

random

Here are some of the little darlings (under 2s) I get to take care of on Sunday mornings at church - too precious!

Kylie's new creations - decorated hat and a sock-puppet (eating a muffin) - made at school

funny girl

When it rains, it pours

First, I don't update my blog for ages, then 3 shots in one day - or is it four?



Well, here ya go - with all this orphan/Africa passion spilling over, I haven't even told you about the "Discipleship Training School" that started on August 31st. Rich is only involved part-time with it this year. It seems to be a great group of 11 students!



We had them over at our house last Saturday. Here is more about our hang-out time and a photo from Josh and Misty Cole who are leading the school.

I just can't sh...t up

"If only 7% of the professed Christians in the world would open their lives and homes to an orphan, there would be no orphaned children, crying out for a place to call home."



How many orphans? 147 MILLION

More, Lord, more!

Break my heart with what breaks YOURS!

I think I know which book I'm gonna read next - also written by Tom Davis:

Have a look at this website!

What I'm thinking about...

2.2 million people die every year from contaminated water

= 20 JUMBO JETS crashing E.V.E.R.Y. D.A.Y!!!

How come we don't hear about THAT in the news???

On another note...

... since I've known that AFRICA and ORPHANS are on my horizon, it feels like I've been breathing, thinking, praying, dreaming, reading and whatever else you can imagine about Africa and the situation with the orphans there! What a journey - and it's just begun!

I just finished reading another book - all I can say is W-O-W!!!!

Here is a trailer for SCARED - a novel on the edge of the world - written by Tom Davis, and based on true facts about the situation of orphans in Africa.
Heart-wrenching and VERY challenging - not for the faint-hearted.
But if you want to get a realistic picture of what is happening RIGHT NOW for millions of children in Africa, get a hold of this book and read it!
It is worth every penny and minute!!!!!!!!
But watch out - it may CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Shayden's a champ!

This morning, I took Shayden to the hospital straight from bed (at 6:30am). We were supposed to be there at 7am and he was the first on the list of operations.

He needed grommets (tubes) put in his ears, since he has had chronic "glue ear" a condition that makes hearing hard. He also needed to get his tongue-tie cut. (he'd been on the waiting list for this for over a year!)

Everything went REALLY well.

I was definitely the ONLY ONE that was - let's say - anxious/nervous.

Obviously, he didn't know what was gonna happen...

They started operating at 8:30am and we were back home before 11am. He only cried a tiny bit when he woke up and I wasn't quite there yet and then just cuddled on me for a while.

No whining, nothing! What a champ!

How grateful I am that we live in this day and age - and in this country - where these types of operations are performed at all - and in such a non-traumatic way (I held him until he was put to sleep). PLUS, totally free for us!

THANK YOU, JESUS!!! (I was going to write last night asking for prayer, but the computer was occupied by another family member...)

Now we're hoping and praying that all will heal well and that the little guy will start taking off in his speech - and hopefully - eating!!!

In the recovery room

Dressed and ready to go home!

Kylie's recovering from a bad flu - once again - after she was just healed from a cold - and before that the chicken pox. Seriously, we've HAD ENOUGH of sicknesses in this house - but somehow aren't able to shake them... YET! But we will - with God's help! (I am also taking antibiotics for a recurring sinus infection...)

Back in New Zealand...

After all this sharing about AFRICA, here's a short presentation of what we're involved with here in New Zealand - EXCITING stuff!!!

Rich has been working on this project for a while now.
I am helping in the setting up of a walk-through exhibit about needs (and involvement opportunities) around the world.

Can you guess what needs I'm working on presenting - in a (hopefully) creative way?

You guessed it:

The needs of orphans and street-children worldwide - particularly in Africa.

An estimated 8-10,000 people around New Zealand will be confronted with the needs - and given ideas of possible involvement. YAY!!!