Sweet Gifts

One of the many lessons I've learned while walking this road is this: The thoughtfulness and generosity of others can heal a hurting heart.

We have been continually amazed at the outpouring of gifts to our family. And, not generic gifts. Extremely thoughtful ones, with special significance to us.

I've realized I'm not very good at doing that myself...at being thoughtful enough to send "the perfect gift", especially to a family in sorrow. But, I've learned how important that really is. So many of you have done that for us, and it has been so healing for us.

I thought that a tribute to our latest gifts would be a good way to honor this day, January 30th... FOUR months since we met our little Chase.

• One of my most cherished new pieces of jewelry (please excuse the very nonprofessional photos):

And, just this last week, my girls got one too!

These were made by a sweet new friend, Jennifer, who has a ministry called Pray'd 4 You. She and her volunteers make these necklaces by hand, and pray for the person receiving it as they work. They send the pieces with an attached scripture card of encouragement.

I LOVE this idea. I LOVE how cute they are, and that each time I wear it, I remember I was--and still am--being prayed for. And, Jennifer is one of those people who I've never met, but who has been alert to the Lord's voice, and has ministered to our family again and again during this time.

• These are three of my very favorite daily devotional books, that offer new wisdom and insight to me every single time I open them:

If you are ever searching for the "right thing" for a grieving friend, these books would be great. They have blessed me in countless ways.

• One of the most creative gifts I've ever seen is this charm:

If you don't recognize the artwork, this is the poster that Kendyll painted for Chase's balloon celebration. My roomie Angie had it made into a charm. Oh my goodness, this is so absolutely precious to me.

• My mom & sister got me this "angel of remembrance" for Christmas:

On it, it says "Perhaps there are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy."

I love having reminders like these in every room. :)

• Another very special gift (and a great idea if you ever need one!) has been our oak tree from Seeds of Life, given in memory of Chase. This one began as an ACORN!

That's right. We have been watching this tiny acorn grow into this tiny tree. Eventually, this will be planted outside, as soon as it is strong enough to endure the weather. This was a sweet way to memorialize our baby boy. And, I love that it will last forever and ever.

There have been so many other thoughtful things given and done for us, and we are amazed that STILL people think of us, remembering that we are still walking this road, and blessing us on the journey. We've received everything from Christmas ornaments to gift cards for dinner, donations to His Chase and more sponsored children in Chase's honor. The prayers, cards, and emails keep coming too....we are just so thankful. And, as I've said before, "thank you" doesn't seem like enough.

You have blessed us and been the Lord's comforters to us. And, we are still feeling those blessings of comfort four months later. Thank you.

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ." Ephesians 5:1-2

Freedom Stones

So, I never actually shared the third part of my giveaway from last week. So, since I finally decided on which necklace to send my friend Candice (the big winner!), I thought I would share the information with all of you, so you can support this great ministry too!

Freedom Stones began in 2005 as a ministry in Thailand, to bring freedom to women and children who were caught in a world of exploitation and human trafficking.

The women in Thailand make the jewelry, the jewelry is sold here in the US (to friends like YOU!), and the proceeds go directly back to the women and children, to provide an income to those in communities most vulnerable to trafficking.

And, I'm so excited that this business has now expanded to Ghana! Leah Knippel, the founder of Freedom Stones, has begun a new partnership with Touch A Life, to provide income options for these families who see no way out of poverty, except selling their own children into slavery. The Ghanaian jewelry is beautiful and all the beads are made from recycled glass in their area.

The best part: Not only do they train the women (who they call artisans) in jewelry making, they also guide them through a two year educational program on how to manage their money, plan for their family long term, and run their own business. They teach biblical truth to these women about taking care of their children, and living out the gospel in their lives. I was amazed to hear how well-planned this entire ministry is, and how they are reaching the hearts of these families through the mothers and women. This is changing entire communities!

They are showing Christ in such real ways, and are helping these women find hope in what seems to be hopeless situations.

I love their signature clasp, handmade in Thailand, representing "breaking free" of the handcuffs of slavery:

So, how can you help, you ask? :)

You can buy your own Freedom Stones necklace, bracelet, or earrings, and share the news with others! Their website is being redesigned, so you will be able to purchase online within a week! In fact, they hope to have all jewelry available for purchase for VALENTINE'S DAY! So, tell your hubby to visit them here!!

Then, come back again in April, because the Ghanaian jewelry will be officially online too! (It's really beautiful and looks totally different!)

Some other ways to help:

*Join their mailing list or follow them on Facebook or Twitter and stay informed of their current work.

*Donate online to help them increase their inventory and do more (did I mention that EVERY bit of their profits goes to these women?!)

*Host your own party! Freedom Stones has just begun hosting home shows in the DFW area! If you would be interested in hosting your own show for your friends or family, let me know in a comment or by email, and I will pass your information along.

I think this is such a great way for us---moms and women in America---to directly affect the quality of life for moms and women in Africa and Thailand...and we can do that by shopping!

Leah Knippel, of Freedom Stones, is yet another example to me of someone listening to God's call, of dreaming big and going after it, and of using her gifts and talents to stand in the gap for widows and orphans across the world.

Hope you find a piece just for you, your mom, your sister, a good friend...or your wife. :)

And, Candice...yours is on its way!!

One Hundred and Eleven!

When Kendyll decided to donate her money to Haiti through blog comments, her goal was to get TWELVE comments by the second day. When she woke up to find she was already in the 20's, she was astounded. Needless to say, we never expected her to reach over 100 comments, and she has enjoyed reading each and every one of them over the last few days.

She told me the other day that she BEAT me on comments...and she's right! By a landslide!! And, I'm so thankful for that.

Thank you for being a part of this for her. Thank you for encouraging her. And, thank you for standing alongside her and providing hope for Haiti in your own way.

Here are the final numbers:

111 comments @ 25 cents each = $27.75

Mom & Dad matching X 3 = $83.25

Other matching donors & gifts = $108.25

For a GRAND TOTAL raised of: $219.25!!

What an amazing lesson for our little girl about how God multiplies our gifts to bless others. We are so proud of miss Kendyll, and again we pray that the Lord continues to soften her heart for others in need, and encourages her to continue to let her own blessings flow to others. She has definitely taught her mommy a lesson in this!

Tomorrow, she'll be taking her jar of quarters to the bank to get a cashier check to send to Compassion. In some ways what we are doing feels so small in the midst of such sorrow in Haiti. But, I know God can use ANY amount for His work. So, we are trusting Him to do what is needed with each penny.

Again, thank you so very much for supporting Kendyll in this...It has taken her by surprise to see the results. :)

Help Haiti

(Following post written by Kendyll, typed by Mommy)

When I first saw pictures of the earthquake in Haiti, I felt bad for them.

My mommy told me some ways to give money to Haiti to help them have everything they need.

So, I chose that every comment someone leaves me on this blog, I will give the people in Haiti 25 cents.

We will give the money to Compassion.

If I run out of my own money, I will raise more.

So, please give me comments.

Keep Haiti in your prayers!

Love,

Kendyll

(P.S. From Mommy: We have told Kendyll that the amount she ends up donating, we'll match by three times.)

Various Updates...

1) Announcing our first winner of a Jacobs Journal Giveaway!! (I have to say, I actually got nervous as Mark was drawing the name...I have no idea why. :)

Such a perfect friend to receive these books. Love you, Candice! And, I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you read a while.

Also...the surprise gift reveal is coming soon. Honestly, I'm trying to decide between two things that I love. Maybe I'll give you the choice, Candice!

2) Tonight was a little "friendly competition" at our house, that I wanted to document. To make our spelling word review a little more interesting, I announced a spell-off between Daddy and Kendyll after dinner. The whole family was so excited, and Kendyll was talking big trash to her daddy (who is not known for his spelling ability). It was cute to watch Kendyll get her "serious face" on as she wrote her words as neatly as I've ever seen. (There was also a competition for neatness.) Even Mark tried his best. Although Kendyll smoked him in that area.

It ended in a tie, so we did one bonus word, which they BOTH missed: mischievous. Mommy was a little tricky with that one.

So I asked Kendyll "What should we do since it was a tie?" Her response, with a totally serious face: "Just say I won." The girl is competitive!

My favorite part was that Carlie decided to color green and red cards to hold up as we checked each word. Green said "G" for good. Red said "R" for wrong. I thought this was so funny seeing that it was a spelling competition. :)

Here is Carlie checking Mark's work. She really concentrated, even though she didn't know any of the words she was "checking".

Then, we noticed she was doing this:

Notice every single one has an "X" next to it. This absolutely cracked Carlie up (notice the face below)...and if you've ever heard Carlie really cackle, it's priceless. And, infectious. We were all laughing along with her.

It was so much fun, and Kendyll wants to battle her dad weekly now. Of course, that might change as soon as she loses. :) But, hey, it may make spelling practice easier! She now has even greater motivation to do well!

3) This week was a big one for Abby Kate. She really loves letters. And for whatever reason, she has always really loved the letter O. And the letter H. And the letter A. But, especially the letter O. EVERY week, since the first week of preschool, she has asked if it is "letter O week" yet. And, this was finally the week! So, her sweet teacher, Mrs. Amy, had the idea to have an O party, to celebrate the arrival of AK's favorite letter.

For her party, they had Krispy Kreme O donuts, made O's out of bendaroos and had a table covered with all kinds and colors of O's.

I can't even tell you how excited Abby Kate was about this party. She woke up absolutely giddy, and has stayed that way all week. We've of course been doing O crafts all week at home too, and she will probably be very sad when it's time for P.

This kind of thing sums up our third child. She has some very quirky likes and dislikes, and I absolutely love that about her. She is constantly entertaining, and I don't want to forget the random things that make her smile.

4) We officially sent Cailee off to Oxford today. We went to the airport to give our last hugs and kisses. We are so excited to see what amazing experiences this semester holds for our baby sister and aunt. Cassie took cute pictures, but somehow I only got this one with my phone:

We love you Cailee, and we are praying daily for you! We'll miss you so much, but we're glad we'll see you on Skype!

5) On a much more serious note, our hearts are heavy tonight as we continue to receive more news about Haiti, especially about the children sponsored through Compassion and World Vision there. Compassion sponsors over 65,000 children in Haiti and they already report many of their families have lost everything, their child development centers have been destroyed, and they anticipate many deaths among these families as well.

(Picture from National Geographic)

It's absolutely heartbreaking.

(Picture from National Geographic)

Today, my grandmother sent me an email about a specific orphanage, Sonlight Children's Home. They lost one of their 30 children to this disaster, and their entire orphanage is in shambles. The children and their caretakers slept outside last night. This is exactly the kind of thing we will be able to assist in someday soon with His Chase.

We can't wait to be up and rolling so that we can reach out to orphans all over the world when we find a need just like this one.

Thank you to all of you who have been so encouraging about our new road ahead. Please keep praying as it develops. And, keep praying for these Haitian families!

Prayers for Haiti

One of our dear friends asked me to put this on the blog, to solicit prayers for the Haitian people, as they deal with the aftermath of such a disastrous earthquake that hit their country today.

This family who emailed me sponsors a child in Haiti, named Mackender, listed on this sidebar. They are not sure right now if he is okay or not, and he and his family need prayers! They do know that the earthquake was very near where Mackender attends school, so it is likely that he lives in the area as well.

At this point, they are estimating thousands of deaths, and it is the poorest area of Haiti that has been hit the hardest.

Add the Haitian people to your prayer list. Susan, please keep us posted on what you hear about little Mackender and his family!

(The book giveaway is still going on through tomorrow...see post below for more info.)

A Special Day, Continued

Special Day REASON #2:

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

I know that is quite a mouthful, but it basically means this: Today, we stop to realize that there are children in this world who do not know what it means to be free. There are still children who are forced to work in awful conditions, for too many hours, being devalued and mistreated, with no hope or way out. They are modern day slaves.

In fact, the statistics show that there are more people enslaved today--in the 21st century--than at any other point in history. And, so many of them are children!

And they desperately need each one of us to rescue them.

It's been so easy to turn my head...to think that someday later {when it is more convenient for me}, I will help. I have spent my time focused on the abundant blessings I have around me, wrapped up in my world that is so free, so safe, so comfortable. I've been secretly thankful that it's not my children who are enduring harsh treatment, or my family who is living in such desperate levels of poverty. I have counted my blessings and enjoyed my abundant American life for many years.

But, we can only do that for so long, before God grabs our attention and calls us out.

Mark and I truly know---with no doubt in our minds---that we are being called to "join the chase" for these children. And, as He reveals the injustice that breaks His heart, we are amazed at how quickly our hearts have been broken too. They are now in my daily thoughts, my dreams, my prayers...

So, on this day of awareness, we want to share a bit of news with you!

We are in the beginning stages of our new ministry, called His Chase, and will hopefully be launching it in the next couple of months, as we continue to pray our way through each detail.

Obviously, our priorities have been shaken up in recent months, and we had a choice to make. We can either stay where we are, surrounded by our own emotions and looking inward for meaning. Or, we can turn to Him, and say "What now? Please use this to make a difference." We feel He was just waiting for us to turn to Him, empty-handed, and say "What can we do?" We have been reminded so clearly that time is precious and life is fragile, and we don't want to waste another second on our road instead of His.

So, He is showing us exactly where He wants us. And, we are doing our best to follow His lead.

We are anxious to share more with you about His Chase. The name means two things. First, our little Chase was always His. And, we want to honor our son by choosing to use his life to bless the lives of other children. The second meaning is that we are joining God's chase ("His Chase") for children across the globe, who He desperately longs to free and redeem.

I have been so very proud of my husband, who has been diligent to listen to the Lord and follow His plan for us in this new ministry. He has dreamed big, as he always does, and it is coming together so quickly! We have had such gracious giving people jumping in to offer their gifts and talents left and right, and we can see the hand of God in every single detail. We are currently working on the website, the logo, the launch party (yes, you're all invited!), and the structure of the first project. So stay tuned for more details!!

It is our hope and prayer that many of you will join His Chase for children, so these little ones can live a life of abundant joy.

Abundant joy looks like this to me:

Bright smiles on the faces of the children who have been rescued from a life of slavery on Lake Volta in Ghana.

These are the children of Touch A Life. And, these are the children we will be traveling to meet in future months. These are the children we hope to build "Chase's Place" for. And, these are the children who will hopefully welcome many of their friends home, as we begin rescuing more children through His Chase.

So, today is a special day. As President Obama stops and declares a national day of awareness for children in slavery, we know that He is calling us to not only be aware, but to act on behalf of these kids. To stand in the gap for them. And, to bring them God's love, so they can experience the abundance we have all been blessed with.

Will you join us in praying for these children? We appreciate all of you for joining our hearts in aching for these kids who are trafficked. May we all be a part of their rescue, so they can fulfill the purposes God has for them!

Tonight, Kendyll wrote a song that she hopes to sing when she meets some of these children. It made me smile:

Don't worry, children, you'll be off the lake.

No more work, for goodness sake.

God's watching over you and you'll be safe.

Don't worry, children, you'll be off the lake.

A Special Day, Reason #3: My First Giveaway!

And, now, for those who stayed with me through this post, I am hosting my first giveaway on my blog. I'm giving away a set of two books that have literally changed my perspective forever.

{and one extra CUTE surprise as well!!}

The winner will receive a signed copy of Jantsen's Gift, by Pam Cope. { a story of a mother's grief for the son she lost, her newfound perspective on what is important in this life, and her work to free enslaved children in this world.}

And, Dangerous Surrender, by Kay Warren. {a story of Kay's journey to being "gloriously ruined" for life, as she truly surrendered to God's call on her life. Absolutely amazing and inspirational. It will change you forever.}

The third component is a surprise...I promise it's cute and will remind you daily of the children. :)

I truly do pray that whoever does receive these books will be blessed. Please leave a comment and I will draw a name on Wednesday at 8:00 pm.

A Special Day

This is a special day around here for three reasons. (Check back later today for reasons 2 & 3! It might even include my very first blog giveaway!)

The number ONE reason for this special day: It's my sister, Cortni's, BIG birthday!!

She turns 30 today, and I've been calling her "old lady" to welcome her into the next decade of life. :)

Mom and the sisters spent the day with her on Saturday, eating lunch, and relaxing at a little spa together. Such a fun way to hang out with our birthday sister.

Little did she know we had the job of distracting her while her amazing husband planned her surprise party that night! She made it a bit challenging to hide it from her, but eventually we got her to the party, totally unaware, just in time to spend the evening with friends and family at her CASINO birthday. SURPRISE!!

(She was so surprised that she didn't even put on makeup or her contacts after her facial that afternoon...talk about not even suspicious!!) Here she is AFTER she "reapplied", posing with her fun teacher friends.

I was so impressed with Adam's ability to throw a great party! Down to the tiniest of details, he handled it all.

(These are dice and casino chip shaped cake balls made by Adam's mom and sisters. I thought they were so cute!!)

It was such a fun night of watching the Cowboys, eating lots of yummy food, gambling with fake money, and celebrating with Cortni. (Even the kids got into Black Jack! Braden is in the black hat...which is all you see of him, actually.)

Mark won second place with his winnings of $485! Why can't he do that with REAL money? Instead, he got a Starbucks gift card, which will still be well-appreciated. And, here is AK showing off her fine abilities as a high roller...

It was a VERY fun day for everyone, and hopefully most of all for the surprised birthday girl.

Cortni, I hope you know how incredible you are, how thankful I am for you and our relationship, and how much you mean to me. This picture says it all to me, and is one of my very favorite pictures ever. In my hospital room, in a moment of loss, we still smiled together. And, your smile especially, is one I love.

Your smile is contagious and your love is so deep. You bring life to the party, encouragement to our souls, and joy to our family. You are amazingly passionate, intensely loyal, and overflowing with His spirit. You are a blessing, my sweet sister, and we are honored to celebrate with you today!

Wrapping Up the Holidays

And, now that we're well into January, it's time to wrap up the Christmas posts!

We celebrated Christmas and New Years with my family at the ranch, and had a great time eating, getting dirty, playing games (where I almost won Catchphrase, Phase 10, and Texas Hold 'Em...) and relaxing.

We tried to get as much time with Aunt Cailee "D" as we could, since she is leaving THIS WEEK for Oxford, England!! What will we do without you here?? I can't talk about it...

Her Christmas gifts were themed for her upcoming cold semester in England. Even if she is frozen, won't she be CUTE?!

We actually all got our version of a winter scarf, and they are multipurpose. Cortni was demonstrating our different options for us in this picture...maybe I'll try this version tomorrow when the temps are in the teens!!

Funny that I have no pictures outside on the ranch...because I never left the house! Except to make the usual Walmart run. The husbands love it when we say "We have to go get diapers" and come back two hours later with hands full of sacks. Oops.

For New Years, we had our own fireworks show to ooo and aahh at...and entertained ourselves by warming up...and playing with the fire. :)

Thank you Gammy and Papa Ron for the New Years festivities!

We rang in the new year with party hats, sparkling grape juice, and kisses all around. :) My grandfather informed us that he has now lived in 10 decades. That is amazing to me! And, here is his cute little bride (of how many years?), Maw Maw.

The cousins always have so much fun together, and can make anything into entertainment. Even the dog crate becomes fun when you have a cousin to play in it with you {or to fight over it with you}.

And Eli entertained the crowd with his sweetness.

How many of these pictures do I have already? We can't get enough of this little guy...

There was lots of down time too, which is what we all needed at the end of these busy weeks. I love Carlie's expression in both of these pictures. You can tell that her brain was getting to have a break! She was completely vegged out!

And, now we can officially close the book on this Merry Christmas with the completion of family celebration #6. :)