So excited about a couple of things and I can’t type fast enough to even tell you about them!

1) We received a letter from 5 year old Joan, one of our sponsored children living in Uganda, and an updated picture of her!

Here’s what Joan’s letter said:

11/15/2008
Dear Brittany,

Joan says hi to you. She is so happy to write to you once again. According to her, she is happy to inform you that the birthday gifts you sent she received and she bought a number of items.

The first gift she received was a general child gift of (X) she used for buying a dress, shoes, and stockings that is showed in the photo.

Then the second gift which was a birthday gift of (X) she used for buying a mattress.

She then sends her gratitude to you and the whole family members for the wonderful work you have done in her life.

More appreciation comes from Joan’s family, especially her mother. She says may God bless you so so much. In fact, words cannot express her joy.

Joan says if she was near, she would first come and carry the baby (Eleanor). In fact, she was so happy to see the photo of the baby at the age of two months.

Conclusively, she sends her love and greetings to the whole family- the children and their dad.

May God bless you mightily.

From your child, Joan (she even wrote her own name this time!!!)

I am brought to tears each time I read a letter from my sponsored children. I am reminded of how strong they are… that their faith is so much more solid than mine…that they have so much joy despite living in poor conditions…that they are so thankful! (I was just complaining that the kids’ toys were everywhere and I couldn’t see my carpet…toys - carpeting…does Joan have these things??? ) Can you imagine being 5 years old and buying a mattress for your birthday? I’ve always had a mattress…I never had to sleep in a hammock or on the dirt floor of my house. I am even more moved by her closing: …may God bless you mightily. What a strong word that is, mightily. God has indeed blessed Joan and her family with mighty faith and courage. I am so honored to know this little girl and her family!

2) TWO children from my packet that I received from Compassion have been sponsored: Dalya, who I featured already on this blog, & Vincent, a 7 year old Ugandan boy who I had not gotten to feature yet. (big THANK YOU to Bill in Texas!) I have 8 children left from my packets who need sponsorship and will continue to feature them on my blog. Remember, if you contact me (click the little purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog) and sponsor a child who I feature, I will gladly knit you a one of a kind “Compassion Pal:”

Lastly, if you are still searching around for those last minute Christmas gifts, please consider giving the gift of sponsorship. It is only $32/month…could you put aside 18 cents/working hour for a hungry child?? Just think - there will be two recipients if you do: your loved one…and a child who you helped get out from living in poverty.

Vaijayanthi is a six year old girl living with her mother & father, who are sometimes employed as laborers. She attends primary school and enjoys activities, such as walking, running, and listening to music. Vaijayanthi lives in a country where only 22% of people living in rural areas & 59% of people in urban areas use *tolerable* sanitation resources (in the USA, 100% of people use proper means of sanitation). In her country, only about 39% of its female students attend secondary school…click here to see why. This country is India. For only $32 a month - about 18 cents per working hour - you can sponsor Vaijayanthi and give her opportunities, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that she would otherwise never receive.

Facts about the India and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International)

To learn more about India, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Vaijayanthi…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get her packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send her back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you a “Compassion Pal”  - hand knitted by yours truly - when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Vaijayanthi from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Vaijayanthi’s life…forever.

Yunior is a five year old boy who lives in the Dominican Republic with his mother, who is sometimes employed as a laborer. He attends pre-school and has one sibling. Yunior likes playing with cars and, along with his fellow countrymen, has a love of baseball! (Did you know Ozzie Virgil was the first Dominican to play professional major league baseball in the US?!) Yunior lives in a country where there is a severe shortage of schools, teachers, and educational funds. For only $32 a month (about 18 cents per working hour) you can sponsor Yunior and give him opportunities, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that he would otherwise never receive.

Facts about the Dominican Republic and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International)

To learn more about the Dominican Republic, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Yunior…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get his packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send him back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you this gift when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Yunior from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Yunior’s life…forever.

Dalya is a six year old girl who lives with her father, who is a laborer, and mother, who maintains the home. She attends kindergarden and loves playing with dolls.  Dalya lives in a country where only about 68% of women are literate, only 63% of people in rural areas have clean drinking water, and about 45% of people live on less than $1 per day. This country is Nicaragua. For only $32 a month (about 18 cents per working hour) you can sponsor Dalya and give her opportunites, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that she would otherwise never receive.

Facts about Nicaragua and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International):

To learn more about Nicaragua, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Dalya…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get her packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send her back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you this gift when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Dalya from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Dalya’s life…forever.

Check out today’s charity at the One Dollar Give: the Bakersfield Rescue Mission.

Would you consider donating even just one dollar?

I’m going to be taking a break from blogging for the next couple of days in order to prepare for an extra special blog about Compassion International for The One Dollar Give that starts on DECEMBER 1st (mark your calendars!!!).

If you haven’t checked it out yet, please head over there. Or, if you prefer, I’ll just re-post what I had written a while back:

My oh so dear friend, Mandi, came up with this awesome idea of donating $1 to a different charity each day in December:
(for those subscribing to this via email, click here to view her vlog)

Sure, $1 doesn’t sound like *much,* but just imagine if we EACH donated $1…what a difference that would make!

My oh so dear friend, Mandi, came up with this awesome idea of donating $1 to a different charity each day in December:
(for those subscribing to this via email, click here to view her vlog)

Sure, $1 doesn’t sound like *much,* but just imagine if we EACH donated $1…what a difference that would make!

Collection week is this week, November 17 - 23, and it’s not too late to pack a shoebox for the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child!

Don’t know how to what to pack? Here’s what we packed in one of ours for a boy 10 -14 years old:

But here’s an even better instructional:

Please take the time to fill a box yourself and drop it off at nearby location (if you live in Winchester, VA, our church Grace Community Church is the regional drop off location) or give online.

Can you imagine the smile your box will bring to a child who would otherwise receive nothing for Christmas? Think about it. Pray about it.

”For God loves cheerful giver.”  ~2 Corinthians 9:7

Only with God’s help - here it is…

Uncorrupted Hosting

(go ahead…click on it!)

2 Timothy 3:16 “God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.” (NIRV)

Boy did this hit home! I think I can check each one of those examples off:

**** Teaching us what is true ****
I cannot begin to explain how much I’ve learned from the Bible in the past 2 1/2 years while coming closer to Christ. From patience to forgiveness to modesty, you’d think that since I went to Catholic school, I would know all this stuff (I’m now what they call a “recovering Catholic” and that’s a WHOLE nother blog post that frankly I’d rather not write…lol).

**** Useful for correcting our mistakes ****
Boy have I made some hefty ones! I am reminded of Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (NASB)

**** Useful for making our lives whole again ****
This is especially helpful after realizing the mistakes I made. Hebrews 10:17 says, “I [the Lord] will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (NLT) This verse gives me that “whole” feeling.

**** Training us to do what is right ****
This one I seem to check over and over again. My flesh usually wants to behave a certain way - you know, the bitter-in-your-face-way. But in the end, the Holy Spirit works on my heart and wins (thank God!).
For example, I was in WalMart shopping by myself last week and heard a child crying on the other end of the aisle. She looked to be about Corinne’s size and she was with her dad, who was probably in his way early 20’s. He was not trying to calm her down, but instead was saying, “stop the crying games you f*ing little b**ch!” Next thing I knew, he was speed walking away at what seemed to be 25 miles an hour. You can imagine the enormous rock that seemed to form in my stomach from hearing such hateful words - especially since it was directed at a helpless toddler. My flesh wanted to march right over to him and smack him (okay, punch him) silly, snatch the darling little angel up, and carry her off home. Realistically, I’d probably be charged with assault & kidnapping. Furthermore, how would that show him God’s love? How would that help the little girl? It wouldn’t. I wanted to do *something* and was reminded of Proverbs 31:8 - “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” (NLT) So, after snapping out of it (I think I even had to blink myself out of the shock), I followed him…and caught up with him in the frozen veggie aisle, where he FINALLY stopped…and where his daughter was still crying. “Excuse me?” No response. “Excuse me?” Again, no response. This time a little louder, “Excuse me?” He turned around confused and I immediately started talking. “I just wanted to say that I know what it’s like with children. I have three at home and know they can be frustrating. Sometimes I wonder how I have any hair left.” I tried to force a casual chuckle… “I wanted to know if there was anything I could do…would you mind if I gave her a lollipop? That seems to calm my kids down when they’re having a rough time.” I pulled a couple pops from my *emergency stash* in my purse. The dad just stared at me blankly…”Uh, sure.” Meanwhile, the little blondie stopped crying and slowly accepted the purple lollipop without taking her eyes away from mine. “You are just the cutest little girl and I hope this makes you a little happier.” I ended up giving him an extra one just in case she needed it later (and what I really wanted to say was, “Here’s one for you, you big jerk…perhaps it will sweeten your attitude a little…” But I didn’t.) I smiled, told him to have a good day, and returned to my shopping - about 10 aisles back. When I got in the car, I broke down. Literally…sitting in the parking lot, crying. I prayed that God would keep that little girl safe…emotionally and physically. I prayed that He would guard her heart, protect her spirit. And I prayed that God would give her dad peace.
In short, it’s hard to do the right thing. Because sometimes (if not most of the time), we are forced to get out of our comfort zone in order to do so. Princess Diana once said: “You can’t comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.”