~Giving Update~

15 days have come and gone already in this 30 Days of Giving Challenge, and I wanted to give an update on our journey.

Some of the ways we've given:

-Operation Christmas Child: we filled 2 boxes and I wrote a letter to each of the kids, and we actually sent them in!! (last year we got 2 boxes but never filled them)

***If you want to give to OCC, This week is National Collection Week so hurry!!***

-visited a friend who is going through a tough custody battle and gave her the gift of a listening ear and unconditional love

-donated my time and talents at a nutrition program for the YMCA (I finished up 5 weeks of cooking lessons for kids)

-made a cute baby blanket and "Welcome" cake for my cousin's brand new baby girl

-gave my little man a full afternoon of "Mommy time" and we got his hair cut, went out for ice cream, and played and tickled and read whatever C wanted

-used my coupons to get extra cleaning supplies (super cheap) for a friend who just started a house-cleaning business

-brought coffee to my amazing daycare provider to make her Friday afternoon a little easier

-baked treats and delivered them to friends

-I helped at church in the nursery

-B helped do powerpoint for both services on Sunday

-donated new toy for a toy drive at a local shelter

More plans for the rest of the month:

-donating gently used clothing to the Salvation Army

-spending quality time with my grandpa who has recently suffered a few strokes

-finishing and donating baby blankets to an organization called Sunshine Hugs or Blankets for Canada that will send them to Interval House or Morningstar Mission (both in Napanee)

-donating unused yarn to volunteers for Sunshine Hugs to make other items including dish rags, hats, scarves, mitts, and afghans

-giving time and organization to our family by de-cluttering our home

-getting an early start on my Christmas baking, and bringing some treats over to the Bethel Houses (a program started by my church to help men recovering from addictions)

-using this list from our church to help us find more ways to get involved in volunteering locally

-listening to the promptings of the still small voice to give even when I don't think I have time and especially when I have to step outside my comfort zone

Do you have any more ideas on how I can give?

~A

Link Loves of the day: Giving Ideas!!

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God."

-Micah 6:8

I found this image on the Etsy shop for We are THAT Family when I was doing some research for ideas on giving this month. The entire profits from this painting (and anything else in their Etsy shop) go to an organization called "The Mercy House" which provides nutrition, housing, prenatal care, Bible teaching, and job skills for pregnant girls living in the streets of Kenya.

For those who want your Christmas presents to last more than one day, check out the World Vision Christmas Catalogue to send gifts like chickens or school supplies that will support needy communities. Shop for gifts from the Ten Thousand Villages website (or go to their stores if you're blessed with one in your town as we are!) for beautiful, one-of-a-kind, fair trade gifts.

There are many organizations encouraging us to start sponsoring children this holiday season. If you can't find room in your budget to sponsor more children, but still want to make a difference in the lives of sponsored children, why not write Christmas letters to one of the many sponsored children who have never received letters... I read a post this week about the importance of these letters to the kids who receive them.

If you wish to send personalized Christmas cards, Compassion International has teamed up with Studio DaySpring to send cards to children in Ecuador. Check it out here and bless a child with a Christmas card today!

This last idea is one of my favourite ways to celebrate giving every holiday season. Operation Christmas Child! Pack a shoebox (or 2 or 3) with toys and other small things, add a letter and some $$ for shipping, and bring it to a drop-off location near you. The Canadian website is here, and the international site for Samaritan's Purse is here. Just remember, the deadline is SOON so pack those boxes quickly!!

I'll be posting soon about how I've been giving this month so far (even before I heard of the 30 Days of Giving Challenge)

-A

Learning to grow my giving heart...

*From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48)*

Today is the first day I've heard about the 30 days of giving. Apparently it was started last year (2009) for the month of November, and this year it's running online from November 1-30.

I was expecting to find a to-do list on the website of exactly which action to take on each day of the month, and I was really excited that it's nothing like that. What the 30 Days of Giving is about is bringing the whole IDEA of giving to the front of your mind, and helping people to focus on doing things for others.

It's like the new song from Matthew West called "My Own Little World." If you haven't heard the song, here's a link to the song on youtube. What hits me about the song is just how simple it is to find people every single day who are in need.

Physical needs like shoes, coats, hats, scarves...

Needing food...

Needing clean drinking water...

Needing someone to talk to...

Needing hope...

Needing salvation...

How often do I look the other way when there are needs before me? How often do I AVOID the homeless man or woman because "I don't have time" or because "they look funny." I want to become aware.

I remember Service Week in grade 10 with my high school class. We went to Toronto for a week, and I don't remember what month it was, but it was cold outside. There were people sleeping on the streets in boxes. There were people sleeping on park benches. There were people who wouldn't even meet our eyes begging for money, or food, or even just the recognition that they are human. I remember feeling shocked that these people lived so close to me, and I had all my needs filled when they didn't have anything.

This month is not going to rid the world of poverty, or find homes for all the homeless, or feed every hungry child in Africa; but if we can change our hearts, maybe we can change the life of one person.

Maybe we can give shoes and coats and food.

Maybe we can speak of the hope we have.

Maybe we can be all the difference between life and death.

I'm going to give. And I hope it won't just be for a month.

-A