Excellent Opportunity

Remember when I told you about Drawn From Water?  Well, I'm here to tell you about an excellent opportunity available to them now where your help will be doubled!  If you sponsor a DFW child now, it will be matched for an entire year!  A child's entire sponsorship is $250 a month, which covers "child care, housing, medical care, food, schooling, books, cooks, cleaners, the occasional toy or game, transportation to and from school, and other various child care costs that may arise" (per their site).  One thing that I think is neat is that DFW has 10 "slots" of $25 each, so that if you can't cover a full $250, you can still have a part in sponsoring one of their children!  So, if you can swing $50 a month, then you can fill one slot for 2 children or 2 slots for one child.  Pretty cool, huh?!  Think about it, pray over it, talk it through with your beloved.  Doubling your money's effectiveness while changing a child's life is definitely a win-win, don't ya think?

***Update:  In just this one day, DFW has already had enough donors to meet their matching sponsorship goals!  It's really been amazing to see how God has worked through His people to support & encourage this wonderful ministry!

Contemplating Christmas - Part 6

We're almost at the end of this series.  Follow the links to read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5.

     -Save mingi children.  Drawn From Water is an organization that I've highlighted before that saves children believed to be cursed (mingi) from certain death by decree of their tribe's elders.  Once these children - who would be drowned or starved - are discovered, these folks go to work convincing the families & elders not to kill the children.  They want them to see that these children are not cursed, that they are instead a blessing.  When they are successful, they bring the children to their orphanage, where they are provided with safe shelter, clothes, food, schooling, love-love-love, & Christ.  They have sponsorships available, too, or you can just donate generally.  This is also a very worthy organization who is not just attempting to save these children from physical death, but also from spiritual death.  And their tribes, too!  They have a church plant in at least one of the tribes, & are striving to not only eradicate the practice of mingi, but preach Christ crucified to people who are dying in sin, for the glory of His holy name.


"It Began with Bale" from Drawn From Water on Vimeo.

Contemplating Christmas - Part 2

Yesterday, I told y'all that we're changing the way we celebrate Christmas, mainly in that we're not buying gifts for ourselves or the adults in our lives.  We have some other ways to give gifts that don't stuff our already overflowing closets & drawers, ways to give to others who are in need.  Doing this has warmed our hearts.  We hope you'll join us in . . .

     -Sponsoring a child.  We sponsor two precious children - a beautiful boy & girl who live in Ethiopia - through Compassion.  There are other organizations that have child sponsorship programs as well, like World Vision.  We chose Compassion (& fully endorse World Vision) because of the connection to the local church & because of their financial transparency.  We love that these organizations aren't about giving hand-outs, but extending a hand-up, not just financially, but educationally, & - most of all - spiritually.  Our babies are learning about Christ while their families are being helped out of dire poverty through education.  We spend $38 a month per child, which is completely doable, even for a one-income family like us!  And I have to tell you, I cried when we got our first picture from our boy, Abel.  To see the drastic difference in his hair, his skin, even his eyes from his sponsor picture took my breath away!  To think that we have a hand in saving these precious children & making sure they know of Christ - well, it's a gift from God to us.


Compassion International from Student Life on Vimeo.