And don't worry, none of it goes to waste! We make sure to throw it out for the animals to gnaw on. ;)
Just a little something to ponder on Black Friday. . .
(Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom)
Wanna know who supports CHRISTmas and who just wants your "holiday" money? Click here for the American Family Associations's Naughty and Nice list for Christmas Shopping.
I am grateful to have the Lord's hand in my life. I am grateful for church community and the acceptance that I feel amongst it's members. I am grateful to have experienced this unity in all parts of the world and to see people from all cultures and all walks of life believing and striving for the same thing. I am grateful that there are people who have given up years of their life to share this message and help others be converted unto Christ.
No stories, or links, or pictures to share today. I just hope that tomorrow we will all take the time to REALLY think about what we are MOST grateful for and Who we have to thank for all of those blessings.
A group of six of us traveled about 2 1/2 hrs out to a remote village on Lake Victoria to spend the day teaching and discussing needs. We had to hire a private taxi to take as out there, as there is no public transportation that goes anywhere near (probably because there are no real roads). We were welcomed with open arms - singing, food, grand introductions. They also took us for a ride in one of their fishing boats. The whole community had gathered to share the day with us and to hear what we came to teach. As they prepared the food, we were escorted on a brief walk through the village and to one of the two "schools" (pictured here).
Though I REALLY want to tell more details about that visit, I will stick to the story. On our way, we were made aware of a very sick little boy who they thought was finally at the stage where he really should be taken to the clinic. We were glad that we were there and gladly used our phone to call our driver back. After visiting the school, we made our way back to the "community center" (benches under some huge shade trees) where we would eat and teach our classes. Before we began, one of the community leaders announced that our proceedings would be stopped because it seems that the little boy had just passed away. I was dumbfounded, I didn't know what to say or how to respond. Then from where we were, we could here the mother crying, wailing for her lost son. We were informed that the custom is for anyone of stature in the community to go in and to "say sorry" (in Lugandan, of course) to the mother. And they wanted us to go. 
The fuel needs for these cooking fires was not only causing severe deforestation in the National Park but the collection of fuel wood in unstable areas was placing women at risk of rape and murder by some of the remaining rebel soldiers.
Look at the pride in their eyes and the happiness in each of their faces!
Unless you've been raised in a bubble, you know that there are people all over the world (including our own country) that do not have enough food or clean water. This is just one organization that is doing a myriad of things in just one village to improve the outlook for those who live there. They are literally saving lives. Click here to be inspired and see what's happening for some of the world's poor. More on Village of Hope here.
And, yes, this:
To protect us from this:
And this:
And this: 
click here for more
Although at times we are cashing in our penny jar and I feel like we are scraping to get by, I am very grateful that in these economically tough times we have a job at all. By "we", "of course, I mean my husband. And although he doesn't like being gone as much as he is, I am thankful for both of his jobs. I am thankful that he likes, and sometimes loves, his job. I am thankful that he is able to work and provide for our family. I am thankful for the second family we have there. We are so blessed!
0,000 trees in a one-hundred hectare area where water springs are located. Now, this new forest absorbs rain water and supplies it to the villages during the dry season.
my diploma from Brigham Young University. As I had planned since the age of 14, I studied International Relations and was well on my way to saving the world. My education has not only given me a broader perspective of the world, but it has given me oppportunities to serve and grow in ways I never would have imagined. It has allowed me to travel and teach and share with others my passion for community development and poverty alleviation. It has made me a better mother and a more productive member of society. I am so thankful for education I have recieved and am so grateful that my sons will have many of those same opportunities. I hope we do not take for granted all the knowledge that is available to us.
involved with crime, drugs, violence, street gangs, or all of the above. This home helped integrate them back into society by putting them back in school, giving them vocational training, and most importantly, giving them the emotional support and confidence they needed to progress with their lives. I am so grateful to those who help make this happen and who see more in these boys than the menacing label society would put on them.
Mostly, I am SO thankful that when I am pregnant and when I deliver my children, or have them surgically removed, that I have access to a clean hospital and to educated medical personnel that I can trust.
If we were in Denver, I would take my children to Fort Logan Cemetary and show them, along with their family members, all the people who have given their lives in service of this great country.
We will talk about our neighbor who recently returned from Afghanistan, and his friends' dad who is gone to training in preparation for their move overseas. Sometimes I think that I have it hard since my husband is only home a few nights a week, or a few days a month - but then I think about all the military wives who have sacrificed so much more (click here for a great article entitled "Lessons from a Military Wife").
For years I was apathetic and mostly ignorant about those who serve and fight for our country, but as I learn more, read more, and talk with people more about it, I have come to have a different and more sympathetic outlook. I have so much respect and gratitude for those who serve in whatever capacity - policeman, firefighters, military, coast guard, etc. Thank you for your selflessness!
At any rate, it was fun and Corbin's costume was VERY popular. At first he really didn't like everyone pointing and commenting, but I explained to him that this was a good thing. It meant that they liked his costume and they thought he looked awesome. By the end he was totally proud of it and was smiling from ear to ear every time someone said something. 
Cody found this costume in our costume box weeks ago, and has loved it ever since. Aside from the fact that we always call him "Cody-bug", I think it totally fits his cute, busy little personality. I loved watching him run around cause the little bum would wiggle as he ran from one person to the next. I also loved that he refered to him self as caterpillar ("Caterpillars love suckers", as he opens yet another piece of candy), and we were expected to do the same ("Mom, you have to say 'Caterpillar wash your hands, not Cody wash your hands'"). 
Have you ever seen a cuter monkey? Colton's costume was very fitting as we have called him "Monkey", or "Monk" for short, since he was about 9 months old and would do this cling on thing with every time you held him. Plus he has these scrawny little arms and legs and can manuever like only little flexible 1 year olds can. He's just so cute! I wanted to paint his face like a little monkey, but I figured that wouldn't work so well, since I spend half my day wiping something from his nose, mouth, chin, etc. Colton spent most of the day with a sucker or other piece of candy in his mouth. My only consolation was that he drooled most of the sugar onto his outfit and he rarely actually finished what he was eating before moving onto the next piece.
