HJ wanted pink cheeks, sparkly eyes and lipstick. She wanted to look her BEST.
Her corsage was a little loose,
but it perfectly matched her nails.
They're on a date tonight!
She Picked Out Her Dress on Monday...
...and The Daddy wore a tie with flowers and butterflies on it. They just so happened to match one another.
I'm About to Go All Sally Struthers on Y'ALL!
A little voice inside me keeps saying, "What can you do? YOU? You are not going to make a difference. No one will listen. No one will respond. YOU, Carey, are ineffectual. You won't follow through. You won't make any difference at all."
I'm fighting against that voice. It's not from me. And I WON'T BE THE ONE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
He will.
Psalm 9:18
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
Micah 7:7
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Now as I said yesterday, here's what you can do. Here are all 42 of the children ready and waiting to have their most basic needs met.
They are waiting for food.
They are waiting for shelter.
They are waiting an education.
They are waiting for you.
I have three specific young ladies who need your help.
Bernadette Brevil, fifth grader and 10 years-old, her parents could not care for her or her sister
Jean Modline, fifth grader and 11 years-old, sister to Bernadette and their parents could not care for them
Fransoise Blanc, fifth grader and just turned 14 years-old, her father is deceased and her mother could not care for her
A $34 monthly support fora child provides basic needs including:
1. Food. Currently at Fond Blanc Orphanage children eat when there’s food available and food is available when there’s money to buy it. On a good day all the kids get one meal a day.
2. Clothes. Most of the children have one outfit and a school uniform if they’re lucky. At Fond Blanc Orphanage Pastor Jean Claude and the caregivers teach the children respect for each other and themselves. Even if they only have one outfit they have they make sure it’s washed for the day.
3. School needs. Whether it’s a school fee, uniform, or notebook and pens, a monthly sponsorship will help with these costs.
You might be reading this and feel that a monthly check is too much of a commitment for you, but sending a one time donation is. Or maybe just following our blog Fondly Blanc and praying for the children and Pastor Jean Claude and the rest of the staff in Fond Blanc is right for you.NOTE: If you are interested in supporting one (or two or three!) children at Fond Blanc orphanage, comment below and I will send you an e-mail regarding your next steps in sponsorship. Or you can email me at Carey{dot}Phillips@gmail{dot}com and we can talk about how you can help.
Feeling Radical
Last year, about the same time that Sweet SJ arrived, our church small group was in the depths of a book called Radical by David Platt. This book was a book I didn't want to read, but couldn't not read. I wanted to quit after chapter two, but felt called to do something about the way I was living my Christian life. Here's just a tidbit of the soul-stirring words from Radical:
“The price is certainly high for people who don’t know Christ and who live in a world where Christians shrink back from self-denying faith and settle into self-indulging faith. While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the Gospel remain in the dark”.
Through reading the book and group discussion, the seven families in our group decided
to
take
a
break
from studying the Bible
and
begin acting as a result of
believing the Bible.
We have been challenged to break out of our comfort zones, both physically and spiritually.
After deciding on Haiti, we were able to partner with Children's Hope Chest to begin work at the Fond Blanc orphanage. Over the course of the last year, we have prayed, fund raised, and planned for this next assignment from God. Last month three of our small group members were able to take our first trip to Haiti to meet the children of Fond Blanc.
Our next steps involve finding sponsors for 42 of the children identified as needing care in Fond Blanc, as well as assisting with the provision of basic necessities such as shelter, food, water, medical attention and discipleship as well as education.
OVER 400 children come to the orphanage and local primary school each day in hope for food and an education. Sometimes there is food. Sometimes there is not. Sometimes the teachers are there, but only if they have been paid. The children are hungry for both food and knowledge.
Tomorrow I want to share with you what you can do to help, but for now please enjoy the scenes from Audrey's video below and catch a glimpse into the world of Fond Blanc, Haiti.
Following God to Fond Blanc from Audrey Perrott on Vimeo.
Florida Ice
Our sweet little town puts up an ice rink in the park each winter. The tent goes up in October for Fashion Week and stays up through January. Last year the girls were DYING to go ice skating.
We never made it.
Suffice it to say that as soon as that tent went up THIS YEAR, the familiar chorus of "Mommy, remember last year when you said..." began.
And I knew it could no longer be avoided.
Helping HJ get her skates on
AE getting her bearings
Ready to go!
Super excited to start
And here's how it went down:
Mama skating while carrying an extra 40 pounds around the ice:
Hardest thing I've done in a while! I worked up a sweat while The Daddy had to exit the tent with this little one:
Seems every time I came around the rink, he would begin to cry. It feels so good to be loved!
Just in Case You Didn't Believe!
As always while in Atlanta for Thanksgiving, we went to "our" Santa, who takes appointments at Phipps Plaza. SJ was not pleased.
Fall Sweet and Salty Treat
If you are on Pinterest, then you surely know that inspiration abounds when it comes to anything and everything crafty, yummy or beautiful.
A few weeks ago I made these:
And they were delicious!
Sidenote:
One thing I have discovered is that I am much more likely to try something I've pinned IF I have the motivation to put it on my "Did It" board where I can comment on how it came out and what the occasion was to make or try it. Try it. Make a "Did It" board to move what you've actually tried and you'll see!
So today at the store, I picked up some more pretzels and Hershey's Caramel Kisses. I happened to have a large bag of pecan halves in the fridge just waiting to be used in something scrumptious.
Throw a bunch of pretzels on a cookie sheet/ jelly roll pan.
Unwrap and place one kiss on each pretzel:
Bake at a low temperature for three minutes:
I think it is strange that my oven only goes as low as 170*. Thoughts? Also, nothing like taking a picture in your kitchen to know just how much you need to clean...
Anyway, you'll know when your kisses are ready to take out of the oven when they get shiny.
Next, gently press a pecan into each soft kiss:
As a last minute and delicious decision, I sprinkled on some of this:
Because chocolate, caramel, pretzels and pecans just weren't enough!
After I sprinkled, I stuck them in the fridge to harden back up. YUM!
Goodbye. (for a little while)
I'm on hiatus.
I've disabled my facebook and twitter accounts.
I've got family in town.
I've got one BIG girl turning SIX tomorrow.
I've got a focus on our family that can't be derailed.
Beth Moore's got me deep in with Saul, Samuel and David.
I'll be gone for a little while.
But we'll be back!
The Cake Was Blue
Our FIRST blue, boy birthday!
Found the sweetest nursery rhyme toile invites, plates and napkins in the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby!
Found the sweetest nursery rhyme toile invites, plates and napkins in the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby!
I tied some ribbon to Humpty and strung it from the chandelier.
I picked some scrapbooking papers that fit the color theme, cut some pennants and sewed them onto some ribbon for a homemade banner.
I ordered the cakes from a cafe/bakery in Marietta, Canvas. They were a dream to work with via the phone and email. They got it just right and it tasted divine!
One little cake for SJ, one big one for the rest of us.
Tied a ribbon to a simple glass cake stand. I have a set of three in graduated sizes, and they come in handy for all occasions.
Ommmmmmmmmmm.
I made a hat for our birthday boy.
He wasn't too sure about the sugar.
HJ couldn't wait to get a taste.
Sweet snuggles from a teething one-year-old, post cake smash
We played a little game with the post-its and the girls' pictures from their cake smash days. I wrote each of our three's birth weight and weight at one-year-old to have our guests match the correct measures with the correct child.
The answers:
AE:
-8 lbs, 4 oz
-19 lbs, 4 oz
HJ:
-7 lbs, 7 oz
-20 lbs, 2 oz
SJ:
-6 lbs, 11 oz
-21 lbs, 14 oz
Then we opened presents.
With big sisters' help, the big one was revealed.
And yesterday he mastered getting in and out by himself! He also found his horn!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)