Hello Pink!

 There has been a lot of 'pink' happening at my house lately. First, my kids both got pink eye, then last week I decided to give my daughter a pink streak in her hair. She was really excited!

I know she doesn't look it but she really does like her pink hair.

Then on Thursday my 11 month old niece got pink eye, from my house of course! And to top it all off, yesterday she decided to be so generous and pass it onto me. So, I still have my head cold and pink eye as well! I think it's time for 'pink' to go. It's overstayed it's welcome at my place! The pink hair can stay but any pink infections have got to leave! 

On another note, everything else has been same old same old. Nothing too exciting. I'm very glad that the snow is melting! Me and my daughter took the dog for a walk yesterday evening. Well, we tried to walk the dog but she was so excited she walked us! Anyway, it was a nice evening for a walk and we had a good time.

I hope your all enjoying the nice weather! Have a great day!

 

* Andrea *

Monday Already?

   Is it Monday already? Wow the weekend went by fast. I was sick with a head cold all weekend (and still am) so we didn't do much. I did, however, get my package sent out to my sponsor boys. I'm trying to send something every 2 weeks. I didn't write a very long letter this time, but I want to remind them that they are special. 
   People living in poverty often believe the lies that "your not worth it" or "nobody loves you", so us as sponsors need to keep writing so they believe that they are worth something. It's often through those letters from us that their self confidence is built up and they know that they are special. I'm not saying that you should write as often as I. I have a bit more time with being a stay at home mom than a lot of people. But I really believe that you should try to send something once a month or once every two months. It can just be a short note with a bible verse and you telling them you love them and are praying for them. It really doesn't matter what you send as long as you try to send a little something. They just need the connection from you.
     I often go overboard when I send stuff. I just get so excited when it's time to send another letter. I want to send them everything! I usually send all kinds of extras from bandaids to stickers to thin scribblers (the staple bound kind), whatever I have that I think they might like. I'm also starting to send little extras for their siblings ( I also have sent bible verses to their mothers) too. In families where there are 3 or less children, usually only 1 gets sponsored. So I want the rest of the family to know that they are special to me and that I pray for them as well. I actually have a box in my kitchen that I keep all kinds of 'extras' to send to my sponsor boys. That way, whenever I am getting stuff together to send, I don't have to rush out to the store to buy extra things. When my 'supplies' get low, I make a trip to the store and pick up more stuff. I find it's a lot easier for me to send things often that way.
   I'm not saying that you need to send all kinds of things. You don't need to send anything other than your letter.  All you really need to send is your Love.

If you sponsor a child, I hope this makes yo want to write more often. Like I said, it doesn't need to be a big, long letter. They just need the reassurance from you that they are worth it and that you care for them.

Have a great day!

* Andrea *

Thankful Thursday

   It seems that these days were always thinking about things that we need or want. So I wanted to dedicate today's post to things that I'm thankful for.

Things that I'm thankful for are: 

First and foremost I have to say God. Because without his grace, mercy and never-ending love, I would not be who I am today. God is not even close to done working in me but I would like to say that I feel I've changed at least a bit.

I am very thankful for my Husband. He is an excellent leader of our home and provider. He is the realist in our home and I'm the dreamer. Without him I'm sure I would have made a million more dumb decisions! I'm not always a clear thinker when I have a great idea so when I ask his advice it's usually NOT what I want to hear but that's a very good thing. He keeps me grounded. I am very thankful that I am married to him!

I am very thankful that God saw fit to bless us with two wonderful children. My kids are so full of life and they bring me so much joy! They also remind me often that they are mischievous! As a parent, you need to have a sense of humor. That's something I have to remind myself at times.

I am thankful that I am an auntie! My niece and nephew are such wonderful little people. I love watching them grow and seeing their little personalities come out.

I am thankful that God gives me the energy and strength to be able to babysit so that I can also help contribute to our finances. It sure takes a lot of energy some days though!

I am thankful for my wonderful friends and family who love me despite me faults. I am not easy to love sometimes but I'm very glad that they still do. Life is so much happier when you have people who care for you! You know who you are, Thanks so much!

I am thankful that I love to bake! I know that it sounds silly but I really do! I go through spells where I don't do a lot of baking but it is a lot of fun for me. My favourite stuff to bake is probably bread, or stuff that needs yeast. I like to experiment in my baking and it's so exciting when it turns out!

I am also very thankful for my Compassion boys. They have taught me (without saying anything because I haven't received a letter yet) how we need to show love to everyone and how very different our world really is. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them!


     So there you have it. Just a few things that I'm very thankful for. These are not in order (except God is #1) and not even close to everything. Just a short list of things that came to mind as I wrote this post.  I encourage everyone to make a list and look at it from time to time. It helps to keep you humble.


Have a great day!

*Andrea*

Something To Ponder...

      In case some of you are wondering about the color change on my blog, I'm still deciding which one I like the best. So be prepared for a few changes in the next little while. I'm one of those people that can NEVER make up their mind! You know, the people that you are stuck behind at the drive thru window? The ones that take forever? That's me! I just can't make up my mind. It drives my husband crazy! Anyway, I'm working on it so that my kids hopefully wont turn out the same way.
 I should hopefully have my blog the way I want it soon.

     Yesterday, I was doing some research about  Rwanda. Seeing as how my correspondent boys are from there I thought I should educate myself. I came across something horrifying. In April 1994 there was a political genocide in Rwanda. You see, two tribes living side by side had happily gotten along until a political rebel group decided to "get rid of" the other group. There were the Huti and the Tutsi. The Huti made up about 80% of the population and the Tutsi made up about 13%. So the Huti wanted to take over the country. In 100 days approx 800,000 Tutsi were murdered! That's not the worst part, the method that they used is very disturbing. They would use machetes, clubs, guns, bombs, anything that was available. Some of these people also killed their in-laws! I was so bothered by this but I could not stop reading. I was even brave enough to look at pictures. They were images that I probably wont ever forget.
   This so disturbed me and still does but then last night I was thinking about the Old Testament. How many times did God tell David to take over an entire city and leave nobody alive? No women, babies, nobody. So now I can't help but wonder about God's hand in this. Why did it really happen? What came out of it?  What was the purpose? It's something we'll never know (at least not in this lifetime) but it is good to ponder the events that happen in the world and wonder what good will come from it. Everything that happens is because God allows it. He doesn't always start it but he allows it to happen because of the bigger picture.

It's something worth keeping in mind, next time something happens and we don't know why...


* Andrea *

Our two new boys!

     What a great weekend it's been so far! On Friday evening I went to check my mail and was very excited at what I received! I received the child packets from my two correspondent sponsor boys! Oh how great! Now I can put two lovely new faces on my fridge to remind me about the world that we live in.
 Let me introduce you...

        Nsengimana

  He's from Rwanda, and he's 18 years old.

He only lives with his mother because his father is in prison. Oh my heart breaks when I read that. Where he lives, most adults don't work but those that do earn the average of $27.00 A MONTH! I can't get over that, that's nothing in our society. The real blessing is that his sponsorship covers Bible teaching, medical exams, nutritious food, hygiene instruction, recreational activities, opportunities for community service, school fees, scholastic materials, tutoring and domestic supplies. Also, his mother receives Bible teaching as well. 

Niyomugabo

He's also from Rwanda, and he's also 18 years old.

Niyomugabo also only lives with his mother, there are 4 children in his family and his mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. Where he lives most adults work as farmers but only earn the equivalent of $10.00 A MONTH! That is astonishing! I can't even think of what we can buy with $10 out here. Maybe, a couple of groceries? His sponsorship provides him with Bible teaching, medical care, nutritious meals, hygiene supplies, recreational activities, tuition and scholastic materials. Also, Bible teaching for his mother.  

These boys, through the little bit that I know about them have started to change the way I see things. I am now, for the first time in my life, really starting to imagine what life is like in these countries. I often wonder what their mothers must be going through. While I'm sitting in my bathtub enjoying a nice hot bath, they are working so hard just trying to get enough money to feed their children maybe 1 meal a day? Some days when I spend a lot of time thinking about this I feel the tears start. But then I stop myself and think, Why did God allow me to have an abundant life? Why am I not living in poverty? What can I do to help? I really believe that those of us that are not living in those conditions can and should help any way that we can. Some people can't commit to sponsoring a child, I understand that. But even if you have an extra $10 bucks and you want to donate it, why not compassion? At least then you know where your money is going.

 Also, if you can't afford to sponsor a child, you can still change a life by becoming a correspondent sponsor. All that Compassion asks is that you write 3 times a year and send a birthday card for their birthday and Christmas. To make writing even easier, Compassion has it set up that you can send them a letter online. You don't even need a pen and paper! You write the letter, it gets sent to Compassion Canada office, they translate it, print it out and it goes to your child from there.

So, if anyone is thinking about donating to Compassion, sponsoring a child, or becoming a correspondent sponsor just go to http://www.compassion.ca/ and you can do it all there.

I am just so passionate about what Compassion does. I see how they spend the money that we give for sponsoring and how they do it all in the name of Christ and I'm so thankful that I can be a part of it even if it's a small part. 

I encourage each and every one of you to do what you can, small or large to spread the love of Jesus.

Have a blessed weekend!

* Andrea *

Thoughts From The Week...

    Wow, is it Friday already? This week has gone so fast! It has been another busy week for me. This has been another week where I've been doing alot of babysitting (which is great) but it sure keeps me busy! Also, my son got pink eye on Tuesday so he wasn't very happy for a couple of days. He seems to be alot better today which I am very thankful for. Arielle (my daughter) is finally over her pink eye but woke up yesterday morning with a "cough" so she says. I don't think it will turn out to be anything. 
    I did get my Easter package sent out to my sponsor boys. I sent it Monday afternoon, I was hoping to have it out first thing in the morning on Monday but we just didn't get going fast enough. That's OK though. I'm sure they will get it close to Easter even if they don't get it before.
   If anyone is looking for a store where they can find some neat stuff to send their sponsor kids, try Dollars Discount. I had not been in that store in a long time then other day I stopped in there to get something and I just took a minute to skim and see what I would find. They have so many neat things in there! My daughter wanted one of almost everything! I can't wait to have a bunch of time to really spend shopping in there without kids.
    Mornings at my house are pretty crazy. As soon as my kids hear me awake they are up and about as well. So to have a little bit of quiet time in the morning often does NOT happen. All I would like to have is 30 min, just enough time to wake up and do my morning devotions. In a 15 hour day I really don't think it's too much to ask. So I was talking to a friend of mine about this the other day and she told me what she used to do when her kids were little. She would have an alarm clock in their room and they were not allowed to come out until a certain time. I think this is a fantastic idea! So the next time I have some free time I'm going to go pick up an alarm clock and try this out. I'll let you know how it works.

    
I hope you have a great weekend!

God Bless!

* Andrea *

Finally!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great weekend!
So, yesterday I went to the mail ( like I have been almost every day) with very high hopes to see if the picture of my sponsor child came. I am very happy to say that yes it finally did!! I was so excited that I stayed parked right in front of the mailbox and checked out the contents. So, here I am with my truck parked right in front of the mailbox reading my mail. I mean, who does that? Apparently me. Especially when you get what you have been waiting for. Of course, as soon as I told my daughter that I had the picture, she wanted to see too. It was a very exciting trip to the mail to say the least!

So now, I'm finally able to introduce all of you to our newest addition!

Meet  Alejandro
He's from Honduras, and he's three years old.

Isn't he adorable?

Alejandro lives in a very poor community. The average MONTHLY wage is $82.00. Can you imagine? That doesn't even cover our phone bills! Never mind everything for a whole month. His father is a farmer and his mother stays home with the kids. He only has one sibling I don't know if it's a boy or girl cause we only just started to sponsor him. What really surprised me was how much $41.00 a month could do. With our sponsorship, Alejandro Gets Bible teaching, Medical checkups, health and hygiene education, academic support, group games, birthday parties, uniforms, shoes, and school supplies. Isn't that incredible? On top of all that the staff also provides evangelism to his parents. What a blessing!
     So when you sponsor through Compassion, you not only pay for their basic needs, you also give them and their parents the gift of learning alot about Jesus. That really makes it worth it to me. So, if your curious about sponsoring a child, or just want some more info, go to http://www.compassion.ca/ . I really encourage everyone to sponsor a child and change a life. Your not just changing one life, but many.
     If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll get back to you!


Have a blessed day!

* Andrea *