Turning 5 Miles into Water…

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Here in our rural Oregon community, we are surrounded by water.  The North Umpqua meanders in front of our house, picking up a little speed behind Esmé’s school a few miles downstream.  We pump all our water from that river without fear of running out.

Unemployment rates are crazy high in this county.  Esmé goes to a Title I school, bespeaking the poverty level of many local residents.  We don’t have a lot.  But we have water.

So I find it pretty sweet that this little community, less than 2,000 people, partners up with a African community thousands of miles away, making sure they’ve got water, too.

Two years ago was Glide’s first Walk for a Well event, organized by a Glide High School senior.  In two years, this community has raised over $15,500 to fund water projects in Africa.  Here is a shot of last year’s Uganda project.

Back when we were in Mozambique, we had the privilege of seeing firsthand the impact wells have on the immediate community.  They are truly life-giving.  Here is 1yo Esmé high-fiving a group of kids at an AIDS orphan center that received one of our organization’s wells.

Miss Esmé is hoping to make a difference in this year’s Walk for a Well event tomorrow.  She is planning to run five miles, with sponsors pledging for each lap.  (This photo is just before she ran 5 miles for a school fundraiser last fall, so we know she can do it.)

And she is challenging YOU to make a difference.  How can you help?

• Support Glide’s project!  Donate online here: https://thewaterproject.org/community/profile/caroline-brown It is tax-deductible, and you can put Esmé’s name in the Message box if you’d like to specifically support her run, but really, it’s just about the project.
• Challenge your own community to take on a similar project!  And get out there and run!

“Run for a well!” she says…

If Glide can do it, I bet any community can.  If a 7yo can do it, I bet any person can.

“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”  ~Matthew 25:35

Mission Sunday: House on a Rock

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Sometimes I just love how crafts turn out.  This photo actually shows a combo of two weeks’ of crafts.

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The first week’s lesson was on the topic of rocks:  “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2). 

I brought in a bunch of rocks that Esmé and I had collected as part of our rock studies – and threw in a little science about sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous – how rocks are formed and changed.  As usual, the favorite was the obsidian piece – “born of fire.”

The previous night, we DH had spray-painted a bunch of rocks white on top and sides – rocks we had scavenged from our rock pile about 5-10 inches wide, flat tops preferred.

In class, each child got a painted rock, and I had various colored Sharpies available. I had the kids write a word that described their “Rock” – they came up with various ideas like praise, love, ha-ha, happy, joy, etc.  They could also draw a picture on their rock if they wanted.

In the photo above, Esmé drew a sunny scene on the side, with a cloud on top around the word “Love.”

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The next time, our topic was The House Built on a Rock, which went nicely with the VeggieTales’ The Little House That Stood DVD.

We made paper houses from the Enchanted Learning paper house template.  I had printed them on cardstock and precut them.  We put out markers and tiny stickers - I was thinking they could use the the little flower stickers, but Miss Esmé went after the peace symbol stickers against my wishes…

I also cut out little rock shapes with Psalm 18:12 printed on them to glue to the front of the house

After the kiddos colored them with markers, it took a bunch of us adults (and a couple older kids – we had ages 4-9 in that class) to fold and put them together with glue dots.

I had sand in a tray – which was the primary source of entertainment for some of the littles – running it through their hands and pushing it around.  In the middle was the rock from the previous class.

So – put a paper house on the rock, and a paper house on a pile of sand, and now comes the science part!

I tried this with water at home and had little success, just soggy sand.  So we came up with the hair dryer concept.  Turn on a (very carefully controlled) blow dryer, and blow out the sand from under the one house, and it falls over.  The blow dryer has no effect at all on the rock. 

(You do need to be careful not to aim the air at the houses themselves, or they’ll blow over, bringing up a whole other conversation about construction.  And don’t ask for volunteers to run the blow dryer.  Just saying.)

A cool printable I discovered this week is based on a Gandhi quote:  “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Mr. Gandhi is a bit of a hero of mine, in part due to this quote.  Sharing it here for your reference (click on the graphic below to get to the download page):

Also wanted to share a story that is viewing this week at Samaritan’s Purse – a favorite of mine for their Operation Christmas Child shoebox program. 

A Gift of Forgiveness in Rwanda

Orphaned at just 5-years-old, Alex Nsengimana questioned whether God existed after he witnessed the brutal murder of his grandmother and uncle. But then God used a simple, gift-filled shoebox to show him that he was loved and not forgotten.

Click on the graphic below to sign up to watch Alex’ story on Oct 7.

And have a blessed week!

Mission Sunday: Ten Commandments

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Esmé’s class this week was on the topic of the Ten Commandments.  We started the craft time off with a red-light green-light game, initiating the discussion of rules and what life would be like without them.

The kids colored the border on a Ten Commandments printable, and then I laminated it for them to take home.  I used one from www.biblestoryprintables.com; there are a variety of options, including bookmarks.  Here is Esmé’s, not yet laminated because (the story of our lives) she isn’t finished yet…

Then we did a paper shapes craft.  I printed and pre-cut the small color template of DLTK’s Moses and the Ten Commandments paper craft.  I set out glue sticks, lots of construction paper, and scissors, encouraging the kids to cut various shapes (grass, sun, etc.)  for a background.

This was met with varying degrees of success.  I had hoped by precutting the templates, the kids without scissors skills could at least glue Moses together even if they didn’t do a background.  However, several had difficulty with the glue sticks, and none of them could figure out the order in which to glue the Moses parts on their own. 

And then there is Esmé, who decided to create a pointer hand rather than participate in the craft (also the story of our lives).  So I’ll just show you my demo version of the craft instead of hers.

I also happened upon a cool origami version of the ten commandments.  When I was prepping ahead of time, Esmé was following along with the folds, but I don’t think most of the 4-6yos in the class would’ve been able to make sense of it, so I didn’t use it in class.  It is pretty simple and probably would fit well in a 7-10yo age group.

Just wanted to share an article I ran across on Facebook that really struck home for me.  It’s about “Me Time” – one of those things I crave! – and it puts it into perspective.

I used to hear it all the time when we lived in the States (usually when people ran across me in the grocery store with 5, 6, 8 children in tow): "Oh, honey, please take time for yourself!" or "Make sure you get some 'me time,' sweetie! I don't see how you can manage to survive unless you take time alone foryou." And, every now and again (when the littles were whining for something or someone had a naptime breakdown in the middle of a restaurant), that "me time" idea just sounded so good. I mean, what would be wrong with putting me first once in a while? Don't I deserve it? Don't I put in enough hours around here? [click here to read more]

Last but not least, there is an old Gaither song that just keeps going through my head over and over lately – maybe a side effect of turning 40?  I admit to feeling a little embarrassed showing it here – the video makes it even more an “old-timer” song – but the words are sweet and I figure I’ll let it get stuck in someone else’s head by sharing it.  Watch at your own risk! :)

Mission Sunday: Bitter Water

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Our kids’ class Bible story this week was about the bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15). 

One of the boys had the perfect segue – his prayer request (and beautiful prayer) was that God would help him not sweat so much at school.  We’ve been having amazing summer weather, and for kiddos running around in an non-air-conditioned environment, it is a reasonable request, no?  :)

So we could talk about how the Israelites felt after three days of walking in the desert without water, and how thirsty they must have been, and how important water is for healthy bodies and life, and how living water is so amazing…

I couldn’t come up with much of a craft, but we did have a sweet object lesson.  I poured each kid a cup of water, and they could sip if they chose.  Then I poured in some lemon juice – it was funny to watch their expressions on tasting that.  Not so pleasant!

Fortunately, they stayed with me, sweet trusting souls, and dutifully stirred in the sugar I added, tasting it once again.  One of them suddenly realized it was “lemonade!”  Wow!  Amazing!

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In other news…

…the young daughter of friends has a sweet 10th birthday wish this year.  Her brothers’ nickels and quarters, the money she made selling books door-to-door this summer, are going to International Justice Mission, which rescues victims of human trafficking.  Give a special birthday gift to Anaya’s True Freedom Campaign.

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Last, but not least, I wanted to mention a film Esmé and I watched this morning, Evolution vs. God.  This 36-minute documentary by producer Ray Comfort can be freely viewed at www.EvolutionVsGod.com and is uniquely geared towards the young person who may be having trouble reconciling religious beliefs to the science being taught in schools and college courses.

The film is a fast-paced flash through a number of interviews with university students and scientists, mostly self-identified atheists.  The pace kept 6yo Esmé engaged – admittedly, she has a deep and unusual interest in the topic for her age.  It is not so much an attempt to prove intelligent design as it is a revelation of how current secular education deceives our kids (and our adults) into believing that evolution is an irrefutable fact, when “in fact” it cannot be tested or proven with the scientific method.  The actual evidence just isn’t there.  And the famous scientists whose work the evolutionary theories are based on?  Even they reject the classification of atheism and would admit there is room for intelligent design.

If one wanted to delve further into the science – why natural selection is not the same as evolution, why fossils don’t provide evidence of common descent, why changes in bacteria are not proof of evolution – there is a Companion Guide to the video available.

While I felt a little sympathy for some of the interviewees and wouldn’t have presented the gospel message exactly as was done at the end of this video, I think the producers did a good job condensing things into a short, attention-keeping film. 

The message I got personally was this:  both intelligent design and evolution theories require faith.  They both use where we are – what we are – what exists – today as “proof” of what happened in the past (see Romans 1:20).  Not having been around in the past, I have a choice in determining the better story, the one I want to believe in.  And which is the better story?  The one where my life ends here and now when I die?  Or the one with eternal rewards?

Nicely done for a tough target audience.  To view the film, share it with others, or contribute financially to spread its message, visit www.EvolutionVsGod.com.

Mission Sunday: The Storm

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Today I thought I’d share a classroom bulletin board printable with a storm theme.  I put it together quickly, so it’s not elaborate, but sometimes simple is good, no?

The first file is the header of the board.  Lightning bolts can be printed on yellow paper, clouds printed on white or gray.  “I will praise you in the storm!”

The second file is the raindrops.  There is a blank larger drop, and then a smaller drop with the text, “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” ~Psalm 107:29

Print the larger raindrops on a darker blue, and the smaller ones with text on white/light paper. 

Cut the printouts into quarters, and then have your kids cut them out, one blank and one with text.  Then, they can glue the smaller one onto the larger one.  Ours decorated with glitter glue, but it does take longer to dry that way.  While working on the craft we discussed different types of storms (blizzards, hurricanes, etc.), as well as personal “storms” – times when we are sad, angry, or scared.

You can print extra raindrops to fill the board if desired.

Some great Bible stories to go with the storm theme:

• Jesus calms the storm (Mark 4:35-41)
• Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18)
• the story of Job (God speaks through storm in Job 38:1, Job 40:6)
• Samuel’s farewell (particularly 1 Samuel 12:18)
• Paul’s shipwreck (Acts 27)
• Noah and the flood (Genesis 6+)
• Jesus walks on water (Matthew 14)
• Jonah and the big fish (Jonah)

 

Mission Sunday: Naaman

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FINALLY!  We got to do a regular old craft about Naaman!  It’s a picture of the River Jordan, with a slot in it for you to “dip sick Naaman” in 7 times.  On the 7th time, you flip Naaman around, and the healed Naaman comes back out.

A simple visual that the kids can take home with them and use to tell Naaman’s story to others.

Rather than give you how-tos, let me just point you to the original Naaman Craft Project, with free printables and instructions all included

Here is the craft we did – my demo on top and Esmé’s craft on the bottom.

A couple of comments or variations to the instructions:

• Cutting the Naamans took a *lot* of time.  Our kids are young enough (4-6yo) that I had to do it ahead of time.  The kids also mostly needed assistance with gluing the Naamans together, and some even managed to glue the reeds over the slit so Naaman couldn’t dip through it.
• I put out brown/green/murky-colored markers so the kids could make the river look dirty.  Esmé really took that to heart, as you can see.
• We used glue sticks for this project (less mess), but they did not work for the craft stick, so I left that out.  The project seemed just fine without it; Naaman (with two sheets of cardstock to him) was pretty sturdy.

This craft didn’t take very long, so I set some construction paper and materials out for the kids to make spots (like leprosy spots) while we talked a little bit about leprosy:

• Do-a-Dot markers (We’ve had these for several years, kids love them, and they last forever.  Knock-off brands don’t work nearly as well.)
• Shaving cream in little cups (and big towels for cleanup!)

You could also use Q-tips and paint, or Q-tips and baby powder.

In other exciting news:  Mission India is back with a Lost in India Adventure!  A couple of years ago, we tagged along with Chris as he visited Bible clubs and more in My Passport to India, watching a little video clip each week, and Esmé raised a little over $50 to support the Bible clubs.  So we’re excited to join Chris on his next adventure!  To join Lost in India, sign up by September 20th to get your Adventure Kit.  The journey begins October 8, 2013, and lasts for eight weeks.

Today I thought I’d share Petra’s song Love with you.  I played it for little Miss on Friday, and she immediately staked out her dad to have a little conversation.  “Love makes no demands!” she told him.  “So you obviously don’t love me!”

Regardless of the internal drama, it’s still a sweet song to remind us of God’s awesome love.

Have a great week!

Mission Sunday: Telling the World

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As I mentioned last week, Naaman has been the hot topic of Esmé’s class lately.  One week, the focus was on mission; the fact that the young maid was far from home and witnessed for her God there.  We talked about what a missionary is, how old you need to be to be a missionary, and how you can be a missionary at various places right near home.  We also talked about the different nations of the world where people work as missionaries.

For a craft, I wanted to focus on the children of the world, and here is the colorful world we came up with.

Materials used:

• Construction paper in rainbow colors (with paper cutter to make strip cutting easier)
• Cardstock to print the children and the earth (with printer and scissors)
• Pencils (to wrap paper strips around) – unsharpened works best!
• White glue (poured onto paper plates)
• Colored markers and scissors (if you want to work on the children during class time)

Prep steps:

• Print circular globe (or just a circle) on cardstock for each child.  I used this white and black globe, printed on aqua cardstock.  You may want to cut it out.
• Print children of the world on white cardstock for each child.  I used this free children around the world printable; you can pick your favorite out of a fair amount of freebies online.
• Cut construction paper into strips about 1/4 or 1/3 inch wide.  Use a variety of colors, and cut the length of the paper (not the width).  One sheet each of 10 colors should be enough for 10 kids or so; we had lots left over.  Group the strips into an assortment of colors you can place around the table for easy access.
• Curl strips for the younger ones by wrapping around a pencil.  I had 4- to 6-year-olds, and most of them couldn’t get the hang of it; we were blessed with enough parents to help.  Esmé did okay, but it didn’t keep her attention very long.
• Just before class, pour glue onto paper plates.  You’ll want at least a plate between every two children.

Do the craft:

• Pass out cardstock globes and pencils.  Place paper strips and glue-filled plates around the table in easy reach of all kids.
• Demonstrate how to wrap paper strips around pencil.
• Demonstrate how to dip a curled paper strip into the glue and then place onto the globe.
• Let them have at it!  Encourage use of multiple colors.  Talk about the many colors of God’s world and His love of variety.
• If you have time during class, bring out the children of the world coloring pages and markers.  Due to lack of time, I just sent these home with the children.  Esmé did a great job coloring a couple of hers; then I cut them out for her.

Remind them to be missionaries in their own homes, and to pray for children around the world as well!

For those in the northern hemisphere, I hope your summers are ending well!  We’re planning to enjoy this Seize the Last of Summer printable list over the next week!

And a quick reminder that the back-to-school sales will be ending soon, and this is the perfect time to stock up for shoeboxes!  Samaritan’s Purse is offering free materials for this shoebox season – “labels, posters, flyers, packing party guidelines, inspirational videos, and more…”

Last but not least, it’s been a hard season at work, I’ve been feeling a letdown that the summer is almost over without our doing much, and school registration holds many decisions for our little girl that are wearing me down…  This Selah video is a reminder: there are far harder choices we could be facing, and no matter what, we will keep pressing on!

Mission Sunday: Messenger Butterflies

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Esmé’s class at church has been reviewing the story of Naaman for several weeks now.  One of our crafts, a “secret-message” butterfly, turned out kind of cute!  The young maid was brave enough to share God’s message with a powerful captain, and this is a fun way for our kids to share messages from God.

Each butterfly had a “secret” message from God inserted into the body, and the kids were asked to deliver the butterfly to a friend during the week…

Materials used:

• Colorful “toilet paper” rolls (found at Michaels).
• Various colors of cardstock (with printer and scissors)
• Pipe cleaners for legs (optional – didn’t stick well with glue, so we used craft glue dots.  Hot glue gun may work better if available.)
• Plastic “gems” (optional, made project more fun for kids)
• White glue (poured into recycled plastic cups and dabbed onto project with q-tips)
• Colored markers (optional to write name, decorate)

Prep steps:

• Print hearts for wings on various colors of cardstock.  I used my computer’s “Snipping Tool” to copy the the DLTK printable butterfly wings B&W template – and then pasted them into Microsoft Word so I could fit a complete set of wings onto one cardstock page.
• Print butterfly faces on a sheet of cardstock.  Once again, I used my computer’s “Snipping Tool” to copy just the face of the butterfly from the DLTK printable butterfly B&W template, and then paste 12 times onto one sheet in Microsoft Word – to minimize wasted cardstock.
• Print messages from God on cardstock.  The free printable Love Notes at Mod Squad blog worked perfectly for this!
• Cut heart wings, faces, and messages.  There are a number of kids in the class who don’t have great scissors skills yet, so this makes things run more smoothly.  Get help if you can; it is a LOT of cutting.
• Cut pipe cleaners for legs if used – one pipe cleaner into 6 parts.
• Just before class, pour glue into plastic cups for use.  Also set out q-tips to use with glue, as well as markers to decorate butterfly and/or write name on craft.

Do the craft:

• Have children choose two large, two medium, and two small hearts in the colors of their choice.
• Pass out glue and have them glue their wings:  medium heart onto large heart; small heart onto medium heart.
• Pass out colored toilet paper roll; have them lay wings down flat, points together, and glue toilet paper roll onto the wings.  Let glue dry for a couple of minutes.
• Pass out butterfly faces (and gems if used); let them decorate however they choose (markers can be used to color in eyes, etc.) and glue faces onto toilet paper tube.
• Pass out pipe cleaner legs if used; white glue didn’t work well, so may need to use glue dots or hot glue.
• Pass out messages; read them, have children curl them and insert into toilet paper rolls.

Send them home to be messengers for God!

And for a little PSA, Kidology has three years of open source (“free”) children’s ministry curriculum available!  These studies can be used for grades 1-6.

Mission Sunday: Treasure Boxes & Such

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It’s a random sort of day…
First, I want to share an inspiring article: “The Death of My Husband” by Pam Lello.  John, her husband, was in a tragic accident last November while serving on the mission field.  Pam and John were classmates of my sister in high school, and John later taught science while I attended the same high school, though I was sadly a “conscientious objector” towards all things science at that time…  Anyway, Pam’s testimony is touching on many levels and well worth the read.
Second, here’s a fun “act of kindness” idea I came across today.  Esmé is a fan of Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Moose a Muffin etc. series – and a fun way to pass time on road trips is to start one off:  e.g. “If you give a cat a crayon” and see what craziness Miss Esmé comes up with.  I’ve often wished I’d documented some of these.  So I love this free printable over at Keeping Life Creative:  “If You Give a Mom a Muffin.”  Pair it up with a basket of muffins or a packet of muffin mix, and you’ve got a sweet gift for a busy mamma.
Lastly, I’ll share our church class craft from last week.  The study was on Abram’s rescue of Lot and his townsmen (Genesis 14), and emphasized how Abram did not take a reward of the spoils for himself, but did give a tenth to the king and priest Melchizedek.  There were two take-home activities for this.
The first was a coupon to be presented to a neighbor, offering an act of service with no expectation of reward.  I used a printable that came with the lesson, but I also found a very cool free printable Homemade Coupon Book at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam that would be perfect for this.
The second was a treasure box, to represent the treasure Abram recovered, with a slip of paper inside about tithing to remind kids to give a tenth of their treasures to God.
I found some paper mache containers at our local craft store for each kid, and set out gems, stickers, and glue for decorating the boxes.  Each container included a Tithing Cup printable.
Here is Esmé’s finished box:
That’s all for this week!  May your week ahead be full of treasures…

Mission Sunday: Asante Choir

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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”  James 1:27

We started out our Christmas season in a most amazing way.  Way in this back neck of the woods, we somehow managed to be within driving distance of an Asante Choir performance.  And were we blessed…

“Asante” – Swahili for “thank you.”  The choir is made up of children from East Africa, where thousands of children have been orphaned through civil war and genocide.  They are the voice for many more back home in need of support and education. 

It was a great way to step back from some of the materialistic messages of the season and realize what an amazing, caring God we have.  Watching these vibrant little faces, orphans with testimonies of a God who cares when no one else does… singing this song:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

~Tommy Walker

Lest you be worried this is simply a tear-jerking experience, let me assure you that these kiddos are virtuoso performers with perpetual smiles.  A lively choreography kept the crowd engaged, and it was a great cultural experience for Esmé and her cousin, who were captivated with the music.

They are still on tour!  If you happen to be in the Arizona or Texas area, you can check out if they are coming your direction here:  Asante Choir West Coast Tour.

Here’s a rough video of their trademark song:

Mission Sunday: Tower of Babel

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I got to coordinate crafts for Esmé’s class (ages 4-9) at church this weekend, and thought we’d share our Tower of Babel activities here…

First, the origami tower:

I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for as an online printable, so made my own origami Tower of Babel printable.  You’re welcome to download it for your own use; I’ve included a few variations in case you are using it with a different memory verse, etc.  Print it on card stock, hand out the scissors, and you’re good to go – you could also extend the activity by coloring the tower.

The second activity was the tower in the clouds.

• Collect wrapping paper rolls or paper towel rolls
• Print out a block print (several free options at Jennifer’s Printables) and cut to size if desired
• Wrap it around the roll and tape/glue it in place
• Glue cotton balls to represent clouds at the top
• Glue a paper block with your scripture verse to the bottom.  I used the free block printable at LittleBlots.com and added our verse to it as shown here:
• 

Pictured is Esmé’s craft –  I ran out of block prints and her blocks were drawn in with a brown marker, and she taped her scripture block midway up the tower instead of at the bottom, but there’s the idea…

Mission Sunday: A New Year for Kindness

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A study now suggests that “children who make an effort to perform acts of kindness are happier and experience greater acceptance from their peers.”  It’s about time we had some evidence for this!

Seriously, read it for yourself:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121226223051.htm

So, Little Miss has been having some behavior issues lately (like that is new?), and I’ve decided we’re going to make acts of kindness a new year’s goal for her.  My first thought is to pull out all the ideas I’ve gotten from www.randomactsofkindness.org, make a paper chain out of 52 of them, and have her pull off one link a week to do.

However, knowing her resistance to things that are not her own idea, and really wanting this to be a matter of the heart instead of another assignment, I’m going to pull her into the planning session instead.

So we’ll be back here on another Sunday with the outcome of that planning session…

In the meantime, tell me!  What acts of kindness have you done with your little ones?  Small, big, doesn’t matter – what has been most meaningful?  We’re looking for more ideas!

Wishing you and yours a blessedly fantastic beginning to your year!

Mission Sunday: Back-to-School Giving

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We were in Walmart the other day on our monthly get-cat-food trek.  Mr. Flame has certain requirements – not just a specific brand, but specific flavors of that brand – or he is a most unhappy and bothersome cat, and Walmart has the best consistent price and selection in our town.

If both our cat and our daughter have similar “pickiness” characteristics, does that reflect poorly on our parenting?

Back to Walmart.  Our local Walmart has been strategically been playing musical shelves for the past three or so years.  So we were meandering throughout the store, trying to find those specific flavors of specific brand of cat food.  And of course, we had to go by the strategically-placed back-to-school supply bins.

Little Miss Esmé grabbed a handful (her hands have grown rapidly in the past year or so, it seems) of those 24-pack boxes of Crayolas and snuck them into the cart.  Huh?  Yes, they were cheap, but we have several unopened boxes already, not to mention the jar of crayons we use for wax art etc. etc.  And when she does her “sneak-into-the-cart” trick, it usually involves something I don’t typically buy, like a zebra-sequined top hat or every pink shade of embroidery thread.

I asked her why, when she already has plenty of crayons.

“To give away!” she responded.

“To who?” I asked.

“To the children in Africa who don’t have any crayons,” was her answer.

So obviously Esmé’s reading has improved on the sly and she happened upon Amanda’s Pray for South Sudan post this week.  Amanda talks about stocking up on supplies for Operation Christmas Child’s shoeboxes all year long:  “I want [my kids] to think outside of their own spoiled American life as often as possible.”

Now if only I could get Flame the cat to realize how good he has it – maybe he’d start volunteering some of his Fancy Feast for starving cats?  If it would ever go on sale?

Seriously, parents – now is definitely the time to stock up on those school supplies for your shoeboxes. 

Thank you, Miss Esmé, for reminding me.

Mission Sunday: Bangladesh

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I was born in Bangladesh way too many years ago – and we moved to the US before I turned four.

We recently added a little “sister” to our “family” from Bangladesh, and it’s been fun virtually introducing Esmé to my “homeland.”  (And let’s just keep encasing “words” in “quotes,” shall “we?”)

Anyway, I came across a beautiful photo gallery on facebook appropriately titled "Face of Bangladesh," and I got permission to share some of those photos with you (thanks, Deepak)!

Enjoy a view into this beautiful country...

An old lady fishing:

The epitome of elegance:

A trip to the market:

This one just makes me think of Huck Finn…

Village bathing spot:

Laundry time:

Pure loveliness:

I’ve got a stack more favorites, but we’ll stop here for now…