A Little Late...

Tuesday evening already?!? This means that this Multitudes on Mondays blog post is late this week! Not sure where the weekend went... but all of a sudden, it was Monday and I was faced head-on with this new week without any warning! Needless to say, blogging got put on the back burner!

Until tonight, that is...
My girl and I were supposed to volunteer at an event where Compassion was going to have a display table, but sadly, it got cancelled due to poor ticket sales! It looked like an interesting event on meal planning too! I was looking forward to learning some meal planning tips... well, maybe next time!

So... because of the cancellation, here I am with some extra time to blog! :-)

Hmmm... where should I begin?
Well, for starters... the Compassion Bloggers are back from Peru! What an amazing week... the stories gripped me. I do have one favourite post... it's written by Angie Smith from Bring The Rain... it's simply called Love Moves and these are some of the words she wrote...

This is how love moves.

It says “we” instead of “they.”

Every step we take in the direction of compassion brings us closer to the cross...

Reading Angie's blog post brought me back to when hubby and I took our kids to visit both our sponsor child, Florianlyn, and LDP student, Rochelle, in the Philippines last year. Meeting them both face-to-face helped to catalyze the "they" into a "we." Life-changing... friends, it's a must-do if you sponsor a child! Love moves!

Speaking of love moving... that's where our weekend went to! 

On Saturday, we got together with my sisters and their families, and a few friends... and we packed Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! It was chaotic, to say the least, with over 20 people packed into my sister's home... but it truly was a load of fun! When we were done, there was a pile of 79 shoeboxes... love, all ready to move!

On Sunday evening, we got together with a few other people from church and went on a Sandwich Run with Project417... handing out lunch bags to street-involved people. This is just our second time walking the same route and already, we are starting to recognize some faces and names... and, we are starting to engage in some meaningful conversations!

Love moves... when arms grow stiff carrying heavy totes and grocery bags full of lunches and when feet grow sore after walking the downtown streets for three hours... yet hearts are full knowing that biblical justice {even though not nearly enough}, not charity, has occured.

As one homeless folk said to my boy as he handed him a lunch bag, "Thank you, son. You people are very kind. The world needs more people like you." Love moves...    

As I continue to count grace-gifts, with unending thanks... to The One who is the greatest example of what it looks like to live out love... these are the things I am thankful for this week... #1649 - #1661:

:: The opening of new doors.

:: Excellent report cards for both kids!

:: Two friends from church popping in for a chat on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon!

:: A quiet evening at home alone with my thoughts.

:: A week of baking, baking and more baking!

:: A day off from school for both kids.

:: Shopping for items to fill Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Always a fun thing to do for our whole family!

:: Some extra time on Saturday for my boy to work on his Robotics project... thankful that his school principal came to open up the school for us!

:: Packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with family and friends!

:: Great Sunday morning breaking bread with our church family.

:: Sandwich Runs becoming a monthly thing for us!

:: A frazzled start to the week... and grace that sustains.

:: Awesome time of community and sharing at Home Church on Monday night.

Hope your week is off to a good start, friends!
This... is giving me food for thought this week... all because love moves!

Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control... let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy's fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love, and whisper surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy's flame.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

Let's soar into this new week together, friends... let's do justice, love mercy and walk humbly!

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Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

Shoebox Packing Party!!!

This past weekend was the Shoebox Packing Party at our house!!! We had so much fun hanging out with family and friends... and making a difference at the same time! This has got to be our family's most favourite leading-up-to-Christmas tradition!!!

Folding boxes on Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice 

and untie the cords of the yoke, 

to set the oppressed free 

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry 

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —

First round of packing... just our family alone.

when you see the naked, to clothe him, 

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, 

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you, 

and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; 

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

First round of packing --- all done!!!

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, 

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

Second round of packing... so much fun!!!

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry 

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness, 

and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always; 

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land 

and will strengthen your frame.

Third round of packing begins!!!

You will be like a well-watered garden, 

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Writing notes to shoebox recipients.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins 

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

Folding more boxes --- we ran out!!!

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, 

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

~ Isaiah 58:6-12 (NIV 1984)

All done --- 165 gift-filled shoeboxes on their way to make children happy!!!

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!

December Is Here!

Well, wouldn't you know it?  December is here... which means the most wonderful time of the year will be here in no time!  Our household loves Christmas!

This year, we are actually observing Advent.  We are reading an Advent devotional each night.  It is called the Jesse Tree Journey written by Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience.  The best part of it, in my opinion, is that each day's devotional ends with unwrapping more of His love in the world --- a call to action.  Each member of our family is asked to do or give a simple thing each day --- a gift --- that demonstrates unwrapping more of God's love in the lives of people around us.

Today we are to create something with a gentle heart of love that would be good (a letter, a treat, a surprise) for someone.  Hmmmm... what should I do?  I wonder what my kids will do?

Speaking of Advent... here's a great video from the website Advent Conspiracy.  It's a great reminder to our family on how we should celebrate Christ's birth.

 

My morning started with a great devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries on giving the gift of hope this Christmas.  What a way to start off December! :-)

Here are some of the ways our family will be giving the gift of hope this year...

~ We kicked off the Christmas celebrations by packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes!

~ We will be delivering Christmas presents to 30 under privileged children who live in the Jane/Finch neighbourhoods.  We are doing this with an organization called UrbanPromise.

~ We will be packing an AIDs Care Kit.  This is an initiative of the church our family is considering calling home.  The goal is to have 1200 of these kits sent over to Africa this year.

~ We will be doing two Out of the Cold dinners for the homeless, one next Saturday and another one in January.  We do this with our extended family every year... it's an eye-opening experience for our kids!

Our family is very much looking forward to Christmas!  There is just something very special about this most wonderful time of the year --- I think that's why He is known as the Miracle of Christmas!

Here I am.  Lord, send me! 
 

352 Shoeboxes!

As the Operation Christmas Child project at my kids' school comes to a close... I am very humbled to share that the count is at 352 shoeboxes --- definitely more than what I asked or could have thought possible!  Truly a lesson in faith for me.

Here is a video of an Operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution in Sudan... it truly warmed my heart! 

(Please pause the Playlist on the sidebar of this blog as you watch the video.)

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ---Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Weekend Recap...

Busy weekend... amazingly FUN and MEANINGFUL!

On Saturday, we got together with three other families (my two sisters and one of our adopted sisters!) and we had a Packing Party to pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. We were aiming to pack 70 shoeboxes in total... but, by the end of the evening, we had 106!!! How cool is that?!? God is sooooo good!

Here are our children (minus the littlest one) with the initial 85 shoeboxes...

And here we are... the mommies!

We had a GREAT time... instilling in our children the meaning of giving to others... an awesome family tradition... and, making lasting memories!

At church today, the guest speaker was Brett Ullman.  He spoke on "Media, Faith, Culture" and how it relates to our families and especially to our young people.  Amazing message!

He ended with a four-fold blessing which really resonated with me.  Here it is:

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

May that be true of our family, I pray... Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Shoeboxes Collected!

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes have been collected at my children's school!  Here they are posing with the "Collection Crew" in front of the wall of shoeboxes... 298 shoeboxes have come in so far.  More are going to be trickling in this week as at least 350 gift-filled shoeboxes are expected in total!!!

This makes me smile... I am one proud mama!  This picture truly says it all... children can make a difference!!!  This is much more a faith lesson for me than for anyone else... you can read the story here.  My God is truly good!

I am looking forward to the Shoebox Packing Party this coming Saturday here at our house.  We will be getting together with family and friends to pack another 70 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  It will be lots and lots of fun!  

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

So Much Beauty...!

Overwhelmed.  Speechless.  Awed.  That's how I am feeling this morning.  There are so many "beauty instead of ashes" moments happening all around me... I don't even know where to start writing!  I can most definitely say this though --- my God is indeed an awesome God!!!

So, where do I begin?  How about starting with... "There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10 (ESV).  Remember the lady (Ms. X) who ended up in the hospital whom I blogged about last week?  Well, my sister and I continued to visit her a few more times over this past week.  Yesterday, as I prepared to leave my house to head to the hospital... the Holy Spirit nudged me to bring along a Bible for Ms. X.  So I did.

I would say that Ms. X was the most spiritually hungry yesterday ever since we first met her over a week ago.  She indicated that she wants to have a relationship with God... she specifically asked how she can talk to God everyday!  That provided my sister and me with an opportunity to pray and read the Bible with her!  She prayed along and read the Bible too!

My sister talked to her this morning and Ms. X informed her that the Bible is now her most favourite book... along with the Our Daily Bread devotional that I brought her last week!  Please continue to pray for Ms. X as there is still no clear diagnosis... and she is facing the possibility of dialysis!  It is understandably a scary time for her... without any family or friends around... but she now has peace knowing that God will always be with her!!!

A seed planted.  A new creation.  A new daughter of God.  Truly beauty instead of ashes!

Next story... if you have been following my blog you'd know that God has recently led our family to become involved with a ministry to under privileged children living in the Jane/Finch area of our city.  It has been a blast... we are sooooo humbled that God would use us in this way! 

Well, this morning, I met a friend for coffee.  I don't even remember how we got to this topic but she ended up telling me that, as a teenager, she spent a considerable amount of time in Jane/Finch!  I had no idea that was her past!!!  Well, I said: "Funny you mentioned Jane/Finch... I have to tell you something!"

So, I started to tell her how God brought our family to become involved with UrbanPromise and how they are doing great things in the Jane/Finch neighbourhoods!  One of the neighbourhoods they work in, Driftwood, is exactly where my friend used to hang out at.  Coincidence?  I think not.

My friend continues on to tell me that she's had this feeling of being unfulfilled in terms of the way she is currently serving God.  She wants to do more.  She's always wondered about going back to Jane/Finch and making a difference... but she's never known how or where to start!  She had tears in her eyes... she's wondering if... through our involvement with UrbanPromise is the way God is bringing her back to Jane/Finch!

Awesome God-appointed coffee date.  Exciting possibilities.  A life going full circle.  Again, beauty instead of ashes!

So... as you can see, it's been an exciting couple of days around here!  Tomorrow is another exciting day coming up --- Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are being collected at my kids' school!  Can't wait...

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Two Months Until Christmas...

Today, my thoughts are of Christmas!!!  It's not that far away, you know!  It is exactly two months away from today.  Why Christmas?  Well, it all started with our family writing Christmas cards to our Compassion children last night... because the cards still need to be translated, they need to be sent off early.  So, they are off --- on their way to India and Honduras!!!

This is also the week for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to come back to my kids' school.  350 shoeboxes!!!  I can't wait for Friday... my children are beyond excited as well.  It will be awesome to see their project "come to life" --- it will surely be a sight to see!!!

And... today, we finalized plans for our family to help get Christmas presents to 28 under privileged children who live in the Jane/Finch neighbourhood of our city and to be a part in the plans for these children and their families to have a Christmas Party!!!  This is through an organization called UrbanPromise where a friend of ours is the Site Supervisor.

So... as you can see, our household is abuzz with Christmas activity.  This is why Christmas has been on my mind!  I should say "giving Christmas away" has been on my mind!!!  I am very humbled, awed and grateful that God would so graciously allow our family to be a part of such amazing opportunities to be His hands and His feet.  It is truly a blessing!

I've been singing the song Give This Christmas Away by Matthew West and Amy Grant all day!  I thought I'd share it here so you'd be singing it too!  It's contagious, you know! ;-)

Please pause the Playlist on the sidebar of this blog as you watch this video.

Why don't you give this Christmas away too!  Here I am.  Lord, send me!    

Still Thinking About That Middle Ground...

Since my blog post last Friday about not becoming comfortable in the middle ground... I find myself still deep in thought about it all week long.  My thoughts dwell mostly on how to make sure we do not leave our children with a legacy of being comfortable in the middle ground.

One thought is truly bothering me and this is it: If the only thing our children are familiar with is the middle ground, then it is all they are going to live for and be passionate about.  This thought got illustrated very clearly to me one afternoon this week as my kids and I drove towards my sister's home.

The drive there is very scenic, a lot of nature, especially at this time of year when all the leaves are ablaze with their beautiful Autumn colours.  I remarked at how beautiful the sight is... and noticed that my children were not as captivated by the beauty as I was.  At first, their reaction (or the lack of it...) puzzled me, but then the truth hit me.

Here's the truth.  I grew up in a country where the seasons didn't change.  I had absolutely no idea that Autumn could be sooooo beautiful until I came to Canada at age 17.  But to my children, there really isn't anything that special about Autumn.  It's just plain old Autumn... it's always been the same way as far as they can remember.

Same thing with the middle ground... my children have only ever known North America, a culture where everyone strives to live in the middle ground!  To them, there is nothing wrong with the middle ground... it is the norm.  This truth moved me to tears... I had to stop driving and compose myself before continuing on to our destination.

The real question is... are we doing enough to make sure our children don't get sucked into the lifestyle of being comfortable in the middle ground?  That is precisely why our family intentionally gets involved with groups who minister to under privileged children locally, globally with Operation Christmas Child, feeding the homeless from downtown Toronto, sponsoring and writing to Compassion Canada children (in India and Honduras) and worthwhile causes like Habitat for Humanity.

The next step would perhaps be a mission trip to countries like Haiti or Guatemala... or a trip back to the Philippines... to places where my children can see people who do not have the luxury to live in the middle ground.  It is only when one has seen with their own eyes that a response can ensue.  Our prayer and our hope is that... for our children, their response will not be a non-response.  Instead, it will be a resounding... 

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Should Just Stop Counting...

So... I've decided to just stop counting for now... stop counting the number of empty Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that are leaving my doorstep and going to the homes of families from my kids' school community!  I stopped counting at 350 shoeboxes and 195 families.

In exactly two weeks from today... all the shoeboxes will be coming back filled!  That's when I will count them!!!

In the meantime, we have started folding shoeboxes in preparation for the Shoebox Packing Party that is happening here at our house with three other families!!!  Together, we are aiming to pack 70 shoeboxes that day!







My son and I went shopping last night for things to fill the shoeboxes. The excitement is building! It was our first of what will be... maybe three or four shopping trips!!!

Finally... here's a video clip from Operation Christmas Child Canada.  What an amazing story!!!  This is why our family packs shoeboxes each and every year!  Over the last 17 years, it has become one of our best loved family traditions!



Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Our Thanksgiving Weekend...

It is already Monday night and the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is almost over.  For my Facebook status today, I wrote: I am thankful for "beauty instead of ashes" and for the simple graces that my God gives! Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends!!!

Our weekend was jam-packed with activity... so much excitement and so much action!  We have sooooo much to be thankful for... words aren't adequate enough to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for His bountiful blessings.

Here are a few highlights from our weekend...

~ 3 more Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes were requested by a family from my kids' school over the weekend taking the total up to 346 boxes!  God just keeps adding to the total --- He has definitely successfully blown my socks off on this one!

~ On Saturday, our family and 15 of our family and friends went to the Daily Bread Food Bank and volunteered to sort food.  This is in celebration of hubby's 45th birthday!  We are so thankful that many of our family and friends who came to help also brought along food to donate.  Others who couldn't join us donated food as well.  It was a very fun afternoon celebrating and fighting hunger both at the same time.  To top it all off... we even made the news --- both in print and on air!  Of the many, many people there volunteering, we are still wondering why the news reporter would pick our group to interview.  God must've wanted our story to be heard by many more!  Very humbling thought.

~ After volunteering, we had Thanksgiving dinner here at home with the family of hubby's sister.  Great times!  I successfully made too much food yet again.  Burp!

~ Sunday, we took my sister's kids to a local petting zoo.  It's been a while since we've been there and it was so much fun!

Here are my kids with their little cousins posing with the pony.  

And here I am overcoming my *dislike* of animals and leading the pony on which my nephew is riding on. I'm always amazed at what we, adults, would do for cute little children!!!

~ Today, we went on a nature hike in the woods to soak in the wonderful Autumn colours!  The trees are ablaze with God's artistry... so captivating!!!  We took along our camera and tripod... and took a few family pictures.  We got quite a few good ones that we plan to include in our year end family newsletter.  Here's a sneak peek:



Well, another Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone... but, the thankfulness will definitely be staying!  As it says in James 1:17 (NIV) --- "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  So thankful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! 
 

I Spoke Too Soon...

So... it appears that I spoke too soon this morning!  My children just stepped in the door... home from school... with more request slips for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes!!!

The new total is now at 343 shoeboxes and 190 families participating!!!

When I look at those numbers, I must admit that I can hardly believe it.

OK... here comes the confession.  When my kids initially thought of the idea of introducing this project to their school, I was skeptical.  First of all, I didn't think that their principal would even go for it. It is a public school after all and with all the political correctness going on these day... I thought the chances are slim that he would embrace a Christian organization like Samaritan's Purse.  God quickly proved me wrong... the principal approved the project even before my kids could really explain to him what it was all about!  He, apparently, already knew about Operation Christmas Child and had packed shoeboxes before.  :-)

Then, my kids went on to set a goal of 200 shoeboxes!  My skepticism got the best of me once again.  In my mind... I had set an "attainable goal" of 50 shoeboxes.  I know, I know... I should be ashamed of myself for my lack of faith!!!  I feel like Peter when he walked on water.  What did Jesus say to him again?  Oh yeah... Jesus said:

“You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

---Matthew 14:31 (NLT)

I went along with my kids' goal... and silently prayed that God would not disappoint them!  Well... you all know the rest of the story.  God proved me wrong once again... we are now having to go back to the Collection Centre once again to get more shoeboxes!

343 shoeboxes.  190 families.  Beauty from ashes.  A lesson in faith.  God is sooooo good!

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

305 Shoeboxes!!!

Can you believe it!?! My kids' school community has together requested 305 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes as of this very moment. I just came home from dropping off the shoeboxes at the school. They are going home to the families today!!! Plus, a few more requests are expected to trickle in today and throughout next week... this is sooooo exciting.  I am beyond excited!

Let me just say that I am sooooo proud of my kids! From two children to a community of over 165 families coming together to pack shoeboxes for children living in poverty. What a God-thing!!! I count it a blessing, an awesome privilege, that my children can be Jesus' hands and feet in this way. Words aren't adequate enough to express what my heart is feeling right now... I thank you, Heavenly Father, for beauty from ashes moments! This is truly one of them.

Brian Littrell's song In Christ Alone comes to mind right now... (It is on the Playlist on the sidebar of this blog if you want to listen to it.)

♪ ♫ In every victory, let it be said of me.
My source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone. ♫ ♪

This is the lesson that I want my children to learn from all of this... that their source of strength and their source of hope is Christ alone... that their every victory is for the glory of God alone!

Here I am. Lord, send me!

24 More and Other Exciting Things...

Twenty four more shoeboxes have been requested by my kids' school community for Operation Christmas Child bringing the total to 272!  We have run out of shoeboxes and I am having to go get more at the Collection Centre tonight.  I think I will get 75 more just to be on the safe side. :-)  Words can not express the excitement that this household is feeling!  God is truly gracious to us... this is truly beauty from ashes!

Speaking of which... plans are starting to take shape on how our family can tangibly get involved with the ministry for under privileged children at Jane/Finch.  This is an after-school ministry where 25-30 children return everyday for Bible study + worship, homework help, snacks and just to hang out.  God loving, Christian leaders reach these children with the goal in mind to raise a leader in order to restore their community!  I received an email last night from our friend who is the Site Supervisor there... again, exciting opportunities to impact the lives of those who are truly needy!  One item on his list of things that we can be involved in excites me the most... and that is to get Christmas presents for these children!!!  You can be sure that our family will start working on that project right away once we are finished with Operation Christmas Child.

Another beauty from ashes item worth mentioning is happening this weekend --- Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  Our family will be going to the Food Bank and volunteer to sort food this coming Saturday.  This is to celebrate hubby's 45th birthday!  Well, get this --- we invited family and friends to join us and 15 of them said YES!!!  I am sooooo thrilled and sooooo excited.  Among these 15 people are 3 ladies from my workplace... God truly is turning people's hearts towards the things that matter most to Him!   

God is truly taking our family to heights we've not seen before and places we've not been before!  I am in awe... we are truly humbled that God is gracious enough to allow us to be a part of these beautiful God-moments!

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

248!!!

TWO HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT!  We just finished tallying all the request forms that came home from my kids' school today --- 248 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in total have been requested by families in our school community!  Plus, more request forms are expected in the next couple of days...

248 more children who live in poverty will receive a Christmas present this year because of this endeavour.  This year, the majority of these shoeboxes will be heading to Haiti!

My kids are beyond excited.  They surpassed their goal of 200 shoeboxes!  Wow!  So humbling.  So exciting.  So cool!!!

I am one proud mama!  My heart is happy and I know that God is smiling!  Truly beauty from ashes...  I couldn't have asked for a better outcome!  God is good.

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Beauty Keeps Coming...

Beauty from ashes... life has been full of beautiful things lately in spite of the ashes!

Information about our second Compassion correspondent child arrived in the mail! A boy this time --- 7 year old Junior from Honduras. My son quickly volunteered to be Junior's pen pal! This is going to be a beautiful thing... it already is!

Operation Christmas Child was successfully launched at my children's school! I am soooo proud of my kids... this has been an awesome project for them to introduce to their school. Now we await shoebox request slips to come back from families this coming Monday... the goal is for the school community to pack 200 shoe boxes! My daughter came home from school today all excited. She told me that one of her teachers is going to get the people on her street to pack shoe boxes with the school as well... how cool is that! This is going to be a beautiful thing... it already is!

God does make all things beautiful in His own time... this is making me break into song...

♫ ♪  In His time, in His time.  He makes all things beautiful in His time.  Lord, my life to you I bring.  May each song I have to sing.  Be to You a lovely thing.  In Your time!  ♪ ♫

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

More Glimpses of Beauty...

Glimpses of beauty are sprouting up everywhere!  I think God's intention all along was for me to have eyes to see opportunities to bring beauty to people and places around me when He recently took away an ongoing ministry that's near and dear to hubby's and my heart.  You see... taking away that ministry freed up A LOT of our time.  Time I didn't realize I was spending not bringing beauty into this fallen world.  Time I now use for things that matter more eternally.

Beauty from ashes...

Here are some of those glimpses of beauty...

~ With school now in full swing, I am thinking about the 10 under-privileged children who received backpacks from my son's Birthday Backpack Drive.  Beautiful!

~ Last night, my kids launched the Operation Christmas Child campaign at their school.  The response was heart-warming!  Everyone was so enthusiastic!  My kids have set a goal of 200 shoe boxes which I thought was a lofty goal... teachers and parents alike are saying that there will be at least that much that will come in!  I am already thinking about the children in 3rd world countries who will receive a Christmas present this year because of Operation Christmas Child and my heart smiles!  Beautiful!

~ Hubby's birthday is around the corner.  To celebrate this occasion, as a family we are choosing to participate in the Daily Bread Food Bank's Thanksgiving Food Drive by volunteering and also by bringing in non-perishable food items.  We decided that we would invite friends and family to join us!  We are overwhelmed by the response... as of this blog post, there are already 13 people signed up to volunteer and food items pledged to be donated.  Together, we will have fun, celebrate and fight hunger all at the same time.  Beautiful!

As you can see, I've been busy --- a good kind of busy!  Beauty from ashes... one family's quest to make the world a better place, one step at a time!  God is so good!

Here I am.  Lord, send me!

Reflections on this First Day Back to School...

Hello... new school year!  This morning was bittersweet as I realized how fast my two kids have grown up... 

It's my daughter's last year at this school.  She's in Grade 8 this year.  Nine years at this school, a school accessible via a walkway few houses from ours... one more year and she's off to high school, to a school located outside this familiar neighbourhood which we call home.  How time flies...

My son is in Grade 5 this year.  Wasn't he just entering Junior Kindergarten not too long ago?  This morning, as I waited with him for the school bell to ring... he said: "You can go home now, Mom.  I'll be alright!"  Wasn't it just yesterday when he would clutch my hand tightly... not wanting to let go... because he didn't want to go to school?  :-)

The memories... the realities...  time, would you slow down just for a tiny bit?  My babies are growing up way too fast!  I don't know if I'm ready for them to leave the nest... I don't know if any mom will ever be ready!!!

Well... reflections aside, I sense that this year will be awesome.  Both kids, as they sat eating their lunch in the kitchen today, had great things to say about their teachers and their classes.  There is excitement in their voices... a good thing!

They are also going to be spearheading the Operation Christmas Child project at school this year.  They are beyond excited to have their principal's support.  It will be the first time that this project is done at their school.  They have an ambitious goal of 200 shoeboxes!!!  I can't wait to see how it all comes together...

Kids making a difference for kids... what an awesome thing.  I'm one proud mama... my heart is smiling!

It's going to be a GREAT year!  Here I am.  Lord, send me.

Shoexbox Packing Party 2009

We had a shoebox packing party for Operation Christmas Child with the kids' cousins from both sides of the family.  They all had lots and lots of fun packing a total of 66 shoeboxes!!!

This is one of our best loved family traditions! 

Shoebox Time!

It's shoebox time again! This is one of our best-loved family traditions. This year, little cousin A is finally old enough to understand the whole idea of packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes so we invited her to come and join in the par-tay!!! The children (and the mommies --- my sister and me) worked hard and had lots of fun at the same time!

Here are some photos:

All done!Twenty-one shoeboxes filled with goodies ready to be sent off.Great job --- Big A, Big J and Little A!!!We can't wait for the rest of the littler cousins to grow up and join in the tradition!

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

---Acts 20:35 (NIV)