Life has been full, exciting, and a little exhausting lately, and we have much to be thankful for.
What our last few weeks have looked like: Our house has been almost full (6-7 girls) and brimming with energy among other things. Because our monthly weekend shift fell right before Halloween, we had a fun-filled weekend of festivities with the girls! Pounds of sugar, chocolate, and hot apple cider were consumed, one scary throwback movie was watched, and 9 plump, round pumpkins were carved or painted to their owner's liking in the Barton Home! We also attended our church's "Judgment House" the night before which the girls really enjoyed. The night of Halloween, we let the girls paint masks and go to the other houses on campus for some trick or treating. That morning, as a staff, we shared a fall potluck breakfast in costume, and Michael went as the Jim Halpert 3-Hole Punch (The Office) and Betsy went as facebook (plain and simple: paint the word book in blue block letters across your face). Then, on Thursday, I was able to take our oldest resident on a college visit day to a few schools in northern Arkansas. It was a fun day but also very crucial in her process toward independent living and college life in the fall of 2012.
Today is ORPHAN SUNDAY nationwide, and it was so encouraging and inspiring to join with congregations across the country in recognizing the GLOBAL need and problem of fatherless (and motherless) children in need of love and care (in addition to their basic needs). We heard a lot of statistics this morning but the two that have stuck with me are the literal MILLIONS of orphans worldwide, totalling 83 million in Asia alone and the hundreds of THOUSANDS of kids in this country living in foster care everyday, 500,000 to be exact. That makes about 10,000 per state if it was averaged out! We know this issue is close to God's heart, and we know He provides many opportunities for all of us to be a part of meeting the ever-growing needs. If you are looking for ways to reach out personally this holiday season, though, here are a few through the ministry of Vera Lloyd:
-With the holidays approaching, all Vera Lloyd youth have complied their Christmas wish lists. We have already seen the pain and grief in the girls' hearts who know they will not be going home for the holidays. Vera Lloyd has a great history of making sure the holidays are as special as they can be, and many churches and donor's genorosity make that possible. The youth have been asked to write down all of their sizes and gifts of several different price ranges down on their wish lists. Gifts are due by December 15, and you can request the lists by calling 1-877-353-6430 (or contact me and I can probably hook you up, as well)!
-With cold weather slowly settling in, our youth are always in need of winter warmth items - coats, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves. Most of our girls didn't even show up with a jacket let alone a winter coat. If you have sizes your own kids have grown out of or are no longer interested in :), I am sure there are youth here who could use them! Just contact me here to get an address, etc.
We thank you for your prayers and your support. We feel them, and we cannot explain what they mean. I shed tears just this week over the partnership in Christ I have been so blessed within the Body of Christ I am apart of that transcends denomination, location, occupation, or translation. Thank you.
Prayer Pleas(e):
-Please pray for our house this week as we deal with a particularly difficult youth who brings difficulty upon everyone else, as well.
-Please pray for our girls' hearts. They are repeatedly broken by their circumstances and the people in their lives, and we are often in great need of the encouragement and hope of the Lord around here!
-Please pray for our house as we transition to a new weekend staff member in a few weeks as our current alternate has resigned and a current staff member has agreed to take on Barton! She is going to be a great asset, but no matter what, any transition will take a toll on the girls.
-Please pray for opportunities to pour God's Truths into the lives of these girls and their hearts.
-Please pray for encouragement for my heart as I have dealt with some discouragement lately. I need prayer so I can turn anxiety into trust and sadness into a transformative joy.
What our last few weeks have looked like: Our house has been almost full (6-7 girls) and brimming with energy among other things. Because our monthly weekend shift fell right before Halloween, we had a fun-filled weekend of festivities with the girls! Pounds of sugar, chocolate, and hot apple cider were consumed, one scary throwback movie was watched, and 9 plump, round pumpkins were carved or painted to their owner's liking in the Barton Home! We also attended our church's "Judgment House" the night before which the girls really enjoyed. The night of Halloween, we let the girls paint masks and go to the other houses on campus for some trick or treating. That morning, as a staff, we shared a fall potluck breakfast in costume, and Michael went as the Jim Halpert 3-Hole Punch (The Office) and Betsy went as facebook (plain and simple: paint the word book in blue block letters across your face). Then, on Thursday, I was able to take our oldest resident on a college visit day to a few schools in northern Arkansas. It was a fun day but also very crucial in her process toward independent living and college life in the fall of 2012.
Today is ORPHAN SUNDAY nationwide, and it was so encouraging and inspiring to join with congregations across the country in recognizing the GLOBAL need and problem of fatherless (and motherless) children in need of love and care (in addition to their basic needs). We heard a lot of statistics this morning but the two that have stuck with me are the literal MILLIONS of orphans worldwide, totalling 83 million in Asia alone and the hundreds of THOUSANDS of kids in this country living in foster care everyday, 500,000 to be exact. That makes about 10,000 per state if it was averaged out! We know this issue is close to God's heart, and we know He provides many opportunities for all of us to be a part of meeting the ever-growing needs. If you are looking for ways to reach out personally this holiday season, though, here are a few through the ministry of Vera Lloyd:
-With the holidays approaching, all Vera Lloyd youth have complied their Christmas wish lists. We have already seen the pain and grief in the girls' hearts who know they will not be going home for the holidays. Vera Lloyd has a great history of making sure the holidays are as special as they can be, and many churches and donor's genorosity make that possible. The youth have been asked to write down all of their sizes and gifts of several different price ranges down on their wish lists. Gifts are due by December 15, and you can request the lists by calling 1-877-353-6430 (or contact me and I can probably hook you up, as well)!
-With cold weather slowly settling in, our youth are always in need of winter warmth items - coats, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves. Most of our girls didn't even show up with a jacket let alone a winter coat. If you have sizes your own kids have grown out of or are no longer interested in :), I am sure there are youth here who could use them! Just contact me here to get an address, etc.
We thank you for your prayers and your support. We feel them, and we cannot explain what they mean. I shed tears just this week over the partnership in Christ I have been so blessed within the Body of Christ I am apart of that transcends denomination, location, occupation, or translation. Thank you.
Prayer Pleas(e):
-Please pray for our house this week as we deal with a particularly difficult youth who brings difficulty upon everyone else, as well.
-Please pray for our girls' hearts. They are repeatedly broken by their circumstances and the people in their lives, and we are often in great need of the encouragement and hope of the Lord around here!
-Please pray for our house as we transition to a new weekend staff member in a few weeks as our current alternate has resigned and a current staff member has agreed to take on Barton! She is going to be a great asset, but no matter what, any transition will take a toll on the girls.
-Please pray for opportunities to pour God's Truths into the lives of these girls and their hearts.
-Please pray for encouragement for my heart as I have dealt with some discouragement lately. I need prayer so I can turn anxiety into trust and sadness into a transformative joy.
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