Compassion International's Cards for Unsponsored Kids

Because Compassion International allows sponsors to send up to 25 Christmas cards to unsponsored children, we went out and got some and put a simple message in them that said something like this: Greetings in the name of Jesus. We are praying for you to know the love of God this Christmas. Jesus said "Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." You are so special.
God loves you! God bless you."

You can do this too by sending them to
Compassion International,
 Attn: Suzanne Hall
 (Christmas Cards for Unsponsored Children)
 Colorado Springs, Co. 80997

Circus, Circus!

Last week, we went to the circus! Well, actually the circus came to our house!! We are doing the Stewardship unit in KONOS and so the children and I worked out routines for Rocko the Dog Trainer and Rocky the Dog:

Next we had Zolor the Lion Tamer and Rex the Lion:

Then we had Lenny the Tightropian defying gravity.

Phillip the Strong and his 2 ton weight bar:

And all the kids in the grand finale clown act, fishing on the pond!

We had their muscle men hanging on the wall. These were reproduced from the Wearable Body and 5 Senses book.

They had also completed a nutrtion target that was on posterboard and divided into how much of each group we should consume.

Also on display was a food calorie bar graph with some surprising info on calories in certain foods. Eye opening!!!

Know Penn and Teller? Who are you telling?

If you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior, what are we doing to proclaim the Gospel? Here is a youtube video that will prompt you, possibly:

Faraway Thinking....

I was daydreaming a little,lot, :)  I was thinking about Deborah and Mehamenden, our Compassion kids, and I started thinking about the letter that we had received from Deborah. She likes to play the game Ampe (Ahm-pay). So I couldn't resist looking it up. I found several videos on youtube, here is one of them:

I know you may be thinking I am crazy, but I love watching these children playing and imagining that Deborah is playing a game just like that in her little village in Ghana. It just makes her feel a little closer, I suppose. I am so thankful that God helps us remember that our corner of the world is not all there is...that we should look outside to those in need and help them if we can. It's neat to be able to explore the world through the computer and get an idea of what our kids in Africa might get to do for fun, and what they eat, and a peek at what their lives really could be like. It helps us pray more accurately for them. 

Glimpse of Mercy

Today, I was watching my youngest two children playing together. The baby was laughing at her 3 yo brother as he hugged her up close and made faces at her. I was captivated as I stood watching because I wanted this moment to last. I want to stop more often and catch the kids loving each other. I pray that they feel that loved by me. And, I pray that I remember this moment was a glimpse of the way God loves us. He loves me. That is so awesome. Not that he is making funny faces, but he loves purely. I am so grateful.

We got our first letter!!

On Saturday, we got our first letter from Deborah, our Compassion International child. (We are sponsoring her primarily because God allowed me to come across a blog called Blogging From the Boonies. Michelle has a huge heart for Compassion International. She showed us how much better we could make our relationship with Mehameden. And her passion is contagious! So we sponsored Deborah, too!)

We were so excited we could hardly stand it!!! She is 8 years old and a real cutie! She tells us that her mother is her only caregiver. She has 2 sisters and a brother. She says she likes to play Ampe and sing gospel music. Her favorite food is Jollof Rice. It sounds really yummy and we are hoping to make it soon. Her favorite color is red and she likes to draw.

The neatest thing about this letter is that she colored on it. She ACTUALLY held this little letter in her hands and colored on it!! That just blesses us so much!
She says "God bless you for choosing to sponsor her, she is very grateful and happy. Do you have a child?"
"God bless the work of your hands." She wants God to give her peace and long life.
God bless you, too our little Deborah!
Our kids here at home are loving getting to know both of the kids we have the privilege to sponsor.

Reflections of Mercy

Almost a month ago, today, one of our children was saved. I will never forget his expression as he came to me and said,"I need to be saved right now." His soul was saved, praise be to God!!
Over the past weeks, it has been so good to reflect on how I was saved by grace myself. How I need to keep fresh on my own mind God's mercy in my life many times over. There is some difficult territory that we are in as a family right now, but His mercy is there, waiting to be gathered every morning. I am so thankful.
Ephesians 2:8,9

Faithfulness and Mercies

Lamentations 3:22-24

King James Version (KJV)

 ²²It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
 ²³They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
 ²⁴The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.