Save your calendar pages!

I still like to have a wall calendar at home even though our family uses an electronic calendar these days. This past year, I had a calendar from Dayspring which had beautiful illustrations with Bible verses for each month. Instead of just throwing the calendar away, I turned the pages into a project to send to my Compassion kids!

 

 First, I took apart the calendar, page by page.

 

 Then I trimmed the pages down to 8 1/2 x 11 inches.

 

 I pulled out some card stock and a glue stick. I mounted each of the pages onto some cardstock to strengthen the pages and to cover up last year's calendar pages.

 

We wrote letters to our Compassion kids yesterday and I was able to include these in our mailing. I hope they enjoy them!

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Today our family drove into the city (San Francisco) for a day trip to

 The Walt Disney Family Museum.

 

 The museum is located on the grounds of The Presidio which is a beautiful area in San Francisco.

 

 We started off in the hands on studio where Kev and Matthew worked on a stop motion video with Kelsey looking on.

 

 The subject of the movie short, very colorful!

 

 While they were creating, I took a walk around and found a couple of fun things to photograph. Wouldn't this look great on someone's bedroom wall?

 

 Kev's dream desk...animation desk at Disney!

 

 Matthew ended up working on his little short by himself

 

 One of the very few things I was able to photograph in the lobby area

 

 A replica of the apartment that sits above the fire station at Disneyland. While we were at the museum, we watched an hour long movie about Walt and his love for Christmas. This was included with the admission price. After the movie, we toured the museum. Like a lot of museums of this type, no photography was allowed.

 

We learned a lot about Walt's early life, saw a lot of pencil sketches that had been saved, and saw many old family photos. The museum had many different rooms filled with a lot of history and artwork. Toward the end of the museum, there was a large model of Disneyland with a few things that I remember from my first trip a long time ago.

 

 I was able to take this picture from inside the museum. It was a beautiful clear day!

 

 Once we were outside the museum, I took just a couple more photos...

 

Wish I could grow these at my house!

 

Again, I took these photos in RAW and did a quick edit in Lightroom. I was really hoping that a book that I had ordered would have arrived today to help me to establish a good workflow in Lightroom. Guess I will need to wait until next week.

 

This trip will be a great topic for my next letter to my Compassion kids! And I will be sure to get some of the photos printed to send to them. Which photos do you think I should send?

It's About Giving

Are you up for a challenge?

 

I want 10 of my readers to give $10 to the Compassion Christmas Gift Catalog. A gift given through the Compassion Christmas Gift Catalog is a gift that can change eternity for a child and their family living in extreme poverty. Does this mean that you might have to bake cookies for your neighbor instead of buying them a Starbuck's gift card? Maybe...

 

Take a look through the catalog, together as a family choose a gift, then send the money! Maybe even make an ornament for your tree to remind yourselves of the special gift that you gave this Christmas.

 

Will you do this today?

 

 

 

 

December Photo Project - Day 13

Our generous church family has been donating their spare change to purchase treated nets to help prevent malaria through Compassion's Bite Back program.

 

Are you looking for a way to make a difference this Christmas? Compassion has a whole gift catalog to help you make a gift purchase that will last a lifetime for a family living in extreme poverty. This is one gift that doesn't need gift wrapping or a trip to the mall.

 

 

December Photo Project - Day 7

Compassion filled day!

Letter from Abner!

New Compassion shirt arrived!

77 Compassion kids sponsored at the MercyMe concert tonight!

And the winner is...

...Amber!!

Be sure to send me your mailing address to kymk99 at yahoo dot com and I will get this out to you next week.

 

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! Stay tuned, because I will be announcing another giveaway on Monday... :o)

Time for a Compassion Giveaway!!

Have you been wanting this book?

 

When I participated in the Compassion Blogger Blog Month back in September, I was able to earn a copy of this book. Since I already have a copy, I decided to give away this copy to one of my readers! I will also be sending along one of the 'You Can Change the Story' bookmarks that were available at the Global Leadership Summit during the summer.

 

How to participate?

 

Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know what book(s) you are currently reading.

 

Entries must be submitted by midnight (pacific time) on Thursday, December 6th. I will draw and announce the winner here on the blog on Friday. Giveaway only available to those living in the United States.

 

If you are a Compassion sponsor, you will want to add a copy of this book to your library!

Take the time

We live in a very busy world.

 

We have instant everything.

 

We get impatient when we have to wait.

 

One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10.

 

"Be still and know that I am God."

 

Be still.

 

When was the last time that you were still?

 

The children that we sponsor through Compassion want us to be still.

 

They want us to take the time to pray for them.

 

They want us to take the time to write to them.

 

 

 

They want us to take the time to send them encouraging words.

 

They want us to take the time to share our prayer requests with them.

 

They want us to take the time to share about our daily lives with them.

 

They want us to tell them about the hope they can have in Jesus.

 

The letters we write to our Compassion kids can be the 'hope in the darkness'.

 

Please take the time to read about Marco.

 

 

Will you take the time to write to your Compassion sponsored child today?

 

 

 

 

Peru - follow along!

The Compassion Bloggers Team is in Peru!

 

Kelsey and I just looked at the pictures that have been uploaded today on Flickr.

 

Here are a couple that we really liked:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, to go on one of these trips and have the experiences that all of these bloggers are having. I am so thankful that I can follow along from my home until I have the chance, if the Lord wills, to visit one of my sponsored kids. Just today, I received a letter from Lina. She told me it would be wonderful to meet me in person and to give me a big hug.

 

Are you following the bloggers in Peru?

Peru!

 

 

The Compassion Bloggers are getting ready to head out to Peru next week!

 

Shaun Groves has all sorts of things prepared to make it easy for all of us to follow along on this trip.

 

Will you join in praying for this team?

Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog

Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog is now available online!

 

You can view all of the gifts online, but you can order a catalog here.

 

Have some questions about the gift catatog? You will find answers here.

 

I love that there are so many choices to help make a difference! You can $4 to help protect one child from parasites...

 

...you can also share in the gift by helping to provide a roof for a highly vulnerable child and family.

 

We have already had a family discussion about scaling back our Christmas gifts this year so that we can make a purchase from the catalog to help spread some Christmas joy!

 

What gift are you drawn to?

 

 

 

InstaFriday

Time for a review of my Instagram photos from the past week!

 

 I was inspired last week by one of the InstaFriday posts to do some organizing in my kitchen. I decided to work on my cupboard at a time. Here is the contents of one cupboard.

 

The picture on the left is at after photo of the cleaned out cupboard, the picture on the right was the one I needed to tackle the next day.

 Compassion Event Volunteer Time! I love being available to help find sponsors for these kids at events and concerts.

 

 The concert we attended this time was really close to home this time. And, the Compassion table was set up inside the auditorium. We enjoyed listening to Heavens to Betsy, Dara Maclean, Jason Castro, and For King and Country. If this concert comes through your town, be sure to go! It was a great night of worship!

 Day 3 of kitchen cupboard cleaning...the dreaded baking cupboard! Yikes!

 

 Ahhh, so much better! And look, there is room on the top shelf!

 

 On Wednesday night, Kelsey decided the two of us should play a game of Scrabble. We only had just a few tiles left by the end of the game.

 

 Even though my photography class was postponed last night, I decided to work on my homework. This little guy sits on a shelf in my entry way. The 'trust God' sign was made by Matthew a really long time ago. Isn't it the perfect reminder for all of us? So simple and so profound...

 

 Another amazingly full cupboard! I believe I have enough tea to last me for years to come! Tea party anyone?

 

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones - these are for Kelsey's game night tonight with some of her friends, but I am exchanging a few of these with a young lady from our church. She made coconut macaroons last night and posted a picture on Instagram. So tonight I will be able to have scones and macaroons...maybe with some tea!

 

Are you on Instagram? Let me know in the comments and I can follow you! Be sure to link up with Life Rearranged each week for our InstaFriday posts too!

Happy Compassion Mail Day!

 Today there was a new letter with a drawing from Abner!!!!

 

Abner is one of my Compassion correspondent kids. He lives in Colombia and we have been corresponding for about a year now. He is such a sweet boy!

Here is what his letter said:

"Dear sponsor Yvonne,
I greet you with a big hug filled with peace, love and blessings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is a very cheerful day for me because I have the opportunity to write you again. I thank you for the letter, drawings and pictures. I am very proud you are my sponsor since you have a very kind heart and you help other children. My family and I will be praying for them and their families. We also will continue praying so that God takes care of you and gives you wisdom every day and good health. I hope you pray so that God uses me as an instrument to his work. I tell you that my mother had her birthday on August 11. I am going to decorate a card with a beautiful rose. I am doing well in school too, and I got 2nd place in my classroom. I feel very happy at the project. I hope you read Joshua 1:9. I say goodbye with much love. You are always in my heart.

Abner"

This little boy is just 9 years old and I love how he shares his heart with me. If you have taken the time to read through Abner's letter, will you say a prayer for him and his family?

Imagine this...

...the sound of 3,159 children and their families singing, rejoicing, and giving thanks to the Lord!!!

This is what happened in September when many people participated in Compassion's Blog Month! Last month, many of us who blog for Compassion were given weekly assignments to try to reach a goal of having 3,108 children sponsored solely through the internet. Well, that goal was met and then some! Prizes and giveaways were offered for certain assignments and there was one really big prize of earning a spot on a Compassion Blogger trip next year!

My Pinterest friends helped me to earn a $25 prize for Lina and her family! I was so excited when I received the phone call from Shaina at Compassion telling me that I had won a prize for her!

Do you have a blog? Would you like to blog for Compassion? It is really quite simple, join the network. You will receive assignments once or twice a month to help spread the word about Compassion. Share pictures and letters you receive from your sponsored kids, and most importantly, help others to realize how important our letters are to these kids!!

A few of the bloggers are getting ready to head to Peru. Will you join us in praying for them before, during, and after their trip? Oh, and be sure to read about their journey. These blogger trip blog posts are amazing!!

How do you see your Compassion journey ending?

We are at the end of Compassion's Blog Month, on a journey to do what we can to find sponsors for 3,108 children. As of this morning, we are 715 children away from meeting this goal!

Well, the folks at Compassion Bloggers have pulled out a very creative way to end our month. Our new assignment is to blog as if you are a sponsored child. You are a child living in extreme poverty. What do you have to say?

The top 3 blog posts (as determined by a panel of judges at Compassion) will win money for their Compassion child's family! But the overall goal of all these blog posts this month is to have more children sponsored with Compassion. If you are not currently sponsoring a child with Compassion, please prayerfully consider it as you read through my post.

In this post, I have decided to write 2 letters, and here is letter #1:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

I want to thank you for the many years that you have provided my sponsorship with Compassion. Because of your investment in my life, I know who Jesus is because I was able to attend the project center each and every week and hear many lessons about this man who saved me from my sins.

Each week, I would share the stories I was learning with my family, and they also know who Jesus is. For this, I will always be grateful for your sponsorship.

As I prepare to leave the Compassion program, I am excited about the opportunities I will have in my community. Opportunities to earn money for my family, share about Jesus with others, and help at the Compassion project.

There is just one thing I wish had been different. Many of my friends received so many letters of encouragement from their sponsors. Even though I never received any letters from you, I am still so thankful for the blessing you have been in my life. I just would have loved to been able to learn more about you and your family.

Thank you for being a part of my life over these past 15 years. I will continue to pray for you every day.

Love,
Natalia

Letter #2:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

I am not sure whether to be extremely happy or extremely sad writing this letter to you! For the past 15 years, your family has been such a blessing and encouragment to me. You and your family consistently sent letters and pictures to me, which I have kept every one and will treasure through out my life.

Through my struggles, your prayers and letters pointed me to continually trust in Jesus. I am not sure where I would be today without your constant love and support. I pray that every Compassion child could have such dedicated sponsors like you have been for me.

Now that my time at the Compassion center is done, I am looking forward to being a part of the Leadership Development Program. I never would have even attempted to apply for this program if it hadn't been for your family continually sending me such encouraging words. I thank you for making me feel like I really am a part of your family.

I know that we were never able to meet in person during my time at the Compassion center, but I look forward to the day when we are all in heaven together, rejoicing at the feet of Jesus, because you took the time to invest in the life of one child, living thousands of miles away from you. Thank you just doesn't describe how much your family means to me.

I love you all so much,
Natalia

Both of these letters are creations from my thoughts about what a child might write at the end of their journey with Compassion. Which letter would you prefer to receive?

Time for InstaFriday...a little late

Here is a recap of my week of Instagram photos...

 

Last Friday, we held our monthly Compassion sponsor letter writing night. Found this idea on Pinterest! I also found some cute fall stickers at Michaels to send along with this month's letters.

 Saturday was our annual beach trip with our church family. It was a beautiful sunny day, and as tradition would have it, we ended our day together singing worship songs before heading home.

 

 Sunday was an exciting day at church! We started the service in our old building, squished together and just a little warm like usual. Just before it was time for our pastor to deliver the message, he invited us all over to our new building! Many faithful workers have set aside many hours to complete our new church building!

 

 Last time we went through Mystery of History, I was teaching both kids. This time, Kelsey gets to do all the projects on her own. We just finished reading about the early Egyptians. Project time was to construct a pyramid. She did a great job working on her own!

 

 The mornings have started to get just a little bit chilly here, decided to have my first cup of hot tea in quite a while! Harney & Sons Vanilla Comoro is so yummy with a little bit of raw sugar... :o)

 

 Time to start learning how to use my Photoshop Elements 6.0 program. So glad the library has these books so I can decide which one to look for used.

 

 Found a couple of cloth book kits on our last trip to Wal-Mart. I love making these types of gifts!

 

 Compassion Event Time! We signed up to be volunteers at the first stop on The City Harmonic's new tour as a headline band. Matthew and I had heard these guys a couple of times already this year. We knew this would be a great event to work at because Bob Lenz would be speaking! And it was a great event! 28 Compassion kids were sponsored that night! Yay!

 

Since I didn't get my InstaFriday post up yesterday, there is one more picture to share with you. Today is the first day of autumn and I finally took down all of my summer decorations... :o(

 

Want to join in the IntsaFriday fun? Be sure to visit the link at Life Rearranged's blog!