Archive | November, 2011

Last week was crazy… Tuesday I took my last big CLEP test for the year and passed! Praising the Lord for that. 🙂  Wednesday I got in a really bad accident and my car was totaled.  Grateful that I was able to walk away from the wreck.  Thursday was Thanksgiving for all of us in the states and what a blessing it was to rest and spend time with family.  My niece discovered the word cornucopia and would randomly insert it into conversation which cracked me up.  Lol!  Friday I had the last of my iron IV’s and then went to the wedding rehearsal and dinner.  Saturday was the wedding and it was lots of fun and so beautiful.  🙂  I got to be a bridesmaid for the sixth time and was very honored.  Looking back on last week I am so thankful for all the little ways that Jesus was with me and gifted me in hundreds of ways.  Living life with him is so wonderful!  I am rejoicing greatly and I pray you are too!

I still need 3 more lovely ladies who are willing to be fashionable for a cause!  It has something to do with the song the 12 days of Christmas. 🙂  Check it out here.  And the 10.for.10 challenge is still on!  Will you join me and others this holiday season to give to those who have less than we do?  I’m wanting to have another update. 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving! Things I am thankful for…

To be loved and known by Jesus

To have a wonderful family and friends

For an abundance of food

For a bed

That this is my 200th post

That I have amazing readers

That I am alive after being in a horrible car accident last night

That I can walk and still be a bridesmaid on Saturday

I could go on and on because I am crazy blessed…

May you all have a wonderful day!

If you are thankful today would you consider taking the 10.for.10 challenge to help those that are needy?  You just have to get 10 people to donate $10 dollars to the orphans by the end of the year. 🙂

What are some things you are thankful for today?  Feel free to tell us in the comment below! 🙂

Sorry I have been pretty quiet this last week.  I have a good excuse and some exciting news!  But first please watch this video.  No, really, please watch it before you keep reading.  Did you?  O.K.  Soooo by now you probably know that I get crazy ideas…well I got another one.  I realized that we have about $12,000 left to raise and the second thought that jumped into my head was the song “The 12 days of Christmas”.  Naturally of course. 😉  What?!  The 12 days of Christmas doesn’t just start playing in your head after you hear $12K?  Haha!  Anyways right now I am searching for 12 normal yet brave, willing, beautiful women to pledge to try and raise $1,000 dollars by the end of the year.  Here is the fun part and where the 12 days of Christmas comes in.  Each lovely lady will get a day of Christmas to interpret into a high fashion evening gown look (think a Vouge spread) to be shown on the blog for the 12 days leading up to Christmas.  Currently I have 7 amazing ladies who are taking on this challenge.  Yet I still have 5 more days to fill.  Any of you gals up to giving this Christmas season and looking fabulous while doing so?  If you are interested in being one of the 12 then please send me an email at: misselaini @ gmail . com  (remove spaces)

Oh and don’t forget that you can still take the 10.for.10 challenge.  Some people are getting 100 dollar bills just because they were willing to ask for $10. 😀

Yay! UPDATE: $38,010.50  SO happy we tipped it over the $38K mark. 😀 😀 😀

…The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.  Psalms 10:14

So grateful that while I can’t help all the millions of orphans God just calls me to do my part for He is the true helper of these needy little ones.

… be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.  Luke 6:36

Pretty excited about how quick we made it to this UPDATE:  $37,990 😀  Only need $10 dollars to push it over.  Take the 10.for.10 challenge?

I’m a goner.  And yes I’m in love.  And my heart aches because I found out that the ones I love were all excited about their bunk beds and so was I until I saw that there were no mattresses on these bunk beds.  Yes “my” precious children are sleeping on boards.  And while it must hurt their little bodies it hurts my heart.  And while their bones ache my heart does too.  It costs $50 per mattress.  If you figure all 11 homes need them, and each home has around 10 kids, that would be $5,500.  This isn’t including pillows and such.  It is $100 per home for pillows, sheets, and blankets.  O.K. so what do we do.  Do we just let them sleep on hard boards??  No?  Well then will you help me help them today?  What if this was you…or your child?  So if you haven’t already will you take the 10.for.10 challenge.  I hope you don’t have to think about it but if you do then think on it tonight…while you sleep in your comfy bed…

I so love putting in these UPDATES! $37,850.50  Thank you everyone!  Can we keep it coming??  We only need $150 more to hit the 38K mark!  You all are amazing.  Seriously.  xxx

I’m really happy to write this post. 🙂  You see I have had the privilege of “meeting” some of you wonderful readers and I get to introduce you to one of them today.  Her name is Bethany and frankly she is wonderful.  There are lots of reasons why but here is just one of them.  You see a few weeks ago she posted on the Facebook page that she was going to keep her profile picture about the project…until I raise the $50,000!!!  Now there’s dedication for you.  I informed her that she might never have a normal profile picture again (hey it IS taking a while… 😉 ) and she happily responded with, “But I do want to, cuz just maybe it helps, maybe one of my friends will see it when they’re looking for someone to help out.  I don’t know.  I like to hope so.”  She also added this, “Sometimes I think its easier for us to do little things. Like, hey. I can do that!”  I agree with her.  But you see about a week and a half ago this sweet lady’s husband, John, had a piece of metal fly in his eye and he has had to have several surgeries since.  Needless to say this wonderful couple has been through a lot.  Yet in the midst of this huge trial Bethany still responded so cheerfully to the 10.for.10 challenge….I was humbled and blessed to say the least.  As if that wasn’t amazing enough she emailed me just a few days later and said that she had gotten fourteen friends to pledge ten dollars.  WOW.  And one friend she asked handed her a hundred dollar bill and said he wanted to give it to someone who needed it.  All because Bethany asked.  I pray you are as encouraged as I am by this amazing couple and that you are inspired to go do what you can do for these sweet orphans.  Also if you are the praying type please pray for Bethany and John in this difficult time.  We are praying that God would restore full vision to John.  Thank you to all you wonderful people who are reading and following this journey.  I am blessed to be able to share life with you. xxx

UPDATE!!! $37,563 😀  So excited about such a big jump in the numbers! Onward to the 600 mark. 🙂

~1st Photo by: Gretta of Grettagraphy ~

~All other photos by Bethany of Duoimagery ~

Today is Orphan Sunday.  Please take the 10.for.10 challenge.  See these young ones in this picture?  They are excited about their new toothbrushes.  They have so little but they are more grateful and happy than we can imagine.  Let’s impact their lives.  Will you give even just $10 dollars today? You can’t get much for that here but if you give that amount for these orphans it will feed two of them for a month.  I only ask that you would do for these orphans as you would want others to do for you if you were in their situation. xxx

UPDATE! $37,151 😀 😀 😀  You all are amazing! We finally tipped it over the $37K mark.  O.K. how fast can we race to the 200 mark?

(Photo: courtesy of Warm Blankets. These are children from one of the homes we helped!)

Knowing that they are praying for me and that they pray for their daily provision helps keep me going.  I’ll be honest…I’m a bit frustrated today.  I read that some $40,000 dollar purses can’t be kept on the shelves because people are buying them like crazy.  I don’t care if it is crocodile, no purse should cost $40,000 dollars! Right?  Right.  Especially when “my” children in India and around the world don’t even have food.  The fact that the vast majority of able bodied people don’t help because they can’t do “that” while it is the weak and poor that often do the most for others is hard for me to swallow.  I have been one of those that neglects what I should do and many times that is still the case, but I want that to change in my life and I pray it will change in your life too.  If we say we love then let’s put that into action.  For those of you that do sacrifice: thank you.  I am humbled by your actions.  You inspire me.

Let’s stop saying what we can’t do and start being creative about what we CAN do…

Have you checked out the 10.for.10 dare?  If not please do so!

(Photo: courtesy of Warm Blankets)