{Day 177 (on the 1st day of Christmas)}

Finally it’s here!!!!! “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.”

Today I get to bring you lovely Bethany again. 🙂  (You can read more about her here and here.)  This is her fashion look for day 1.  I am so blessed to have her be a part of this.  She’s amazing and I’ll let you hear a little from her personally.  If you don’t love her right away you’re crazy.  I totally love her and her beautiful heart and giving spirit!

I’m Bethany, and I’m 20 years old. I live in the town of Mooresville, North Carolina, though I’m not a southern girl at all. I love snow and cold breezes. I was born in the rugged little town of Moab, Utah, though I only lived there for a couple years. I’ve spent most of my life living high up in the mountains in the most beautiful state of all, Colorado. Yes I’m very biased.

My beautiful friend Elaini asked me to share a little bit about why I chose to be a part of this project, so here’s why. Each of us 12 girls who are participating in the 12 days of Christmas have pledged to raise $1,000 by the end of the year. So far I’ve raised $993.

First of all, I love being involved in anything bigger than myself.  Anything that I do that helps someone else, that just makes my dials run. When I first found out about misselainious, she was on day 130 or so. I wished I would’ve known about her project from the beginning, but I made up for lost time and looked at all her stunning outfits and the photos of the darling children she’s raising money for. I like having a cause that I can call my own and I instantly knew this would be mine until she reaches her goal. (and maybe longer..) See, I’ve been to India at least 4 different times for up to 9 weeks at a time. I also have a strong affinity with children – I adore them. I’ve also experienced first hand the places where some of these darling Indian children live. I’ve visited the slums and seen things that broke my heart. The absolute filth and squalor, the little tarps set up to make houses, and the pigs wallowing in the same black water that the children’s clothes are being washed in. I was blessed to be able to go in with a mission that brings school to those children. They’ve built a little thatch building right in the slum area and the children file in to learn their daily lessons and to get a meal. For a lot of those kids, it was the only meal they would have all day. I left a forever changed person.

But it’s so easy to live here in America and let all those sights and feelings fade into memories. That’s why when I discovered miselainious, I jumped right in. It’s very near and dear to my heart. And it’s something all of us can do to make a real difference. Sometimes it seems like the need is too big and what can our little bit help anyway.. but it does. Like that story of the man picking up starfish who had been washed up on the beach in a storm, and he was tossing them, one by one, back into the ocean. Upon being asked why he was wasting his time throwing them back, because there was no way he could save them all, he picked up another starfish, and tossing it into the ocean replied, “It made a difference to that one.”

You and I have the chance, right now, to make a difference in a child’s life. To protect them from pain, hunger, to give them love, food, shelter, a family, an education, and a chance to meet our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It will make a difference to that one.

Thank you Bethany! The orphans thank you too.  😀

UPDATE! $41,649.90 😀 Bless Bethany and the orphans by contributing to her goal today!

(Photos by: Duoimagery)