Last Day of Boss Your Heart Birthday Benefit

Today would have been my mom’s 68th birthday.  It’s still hard to believe the shock the night of December 23, 2011 delivered.  It’s still hard to understand God’s plans, because we have such painfully limited vision of the bigger picture.  I’m grateful for the one constant in all of this unexpected change—we still trust, worship, and adore our Savior, regardless of our limited understanding of His ways.  No matter what, His ways are ALWAYS higher.  Always.

 

Today is the final day of the Boss Your Heart Birthday Benefit.  It’s been good this past week to have my mind focused on helping special needs orphans at Village of Hope—Guatemala, in memory of Chrissie.  Satan would love to steal our joy, especially with two birthdays back to back, exactly a week apart, of two of the most special people in my life (Chrissie and my mom), who both now reside in heaven instead of here on earth.  But Jesus has already won this battle, so we keep our eyes fixed on Him.  I remind myself often that Chrissie and my mom are the blessed ones, getting to eat all the brownie batter they want in Paradise.  Earth is not our home, heaven is, and I look forward to the day when we’ll all be reunited again.

 

 

Helping orphans, particularly in memory of Chrissie, brings joy and peace that passes understanding.  Having so many of you join us on this mission truly does wonders for our hearts.  To see so many people, most of whom we’ve never met, give so selflessly—it’s just overwhelming.  That overwhelming feeling squeezes the sadness out of our hearts as Jesus replaces it with His joy.

 

I’ve been completely blown away by the incredible support displayed in this mission.  53 of 56 toys on the Village of Hope—Guatemala Amazon Wish List have been purchased (and we still have today!).  These toys were not inexpensive either, in fact, many of the toys cost over $100/item, and yet God has chosen to bless this toy drive abundantly by providing so many selfless and caring givers.  And, in addition to the 53 toys purchased, $815 in monetary donations has been given.  I am in awe.  There will never be adequate words to express our gratitude.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Today is the last day of the toy drive.  Be sure to get in on the giveaway of party favors, too (leave a comment on THIS post to enter).  Hurry, everything will end at midnight CST, Oct. 15—tonight.

 

Here are the details again—it’s not too late (up until midnight CST Oct 15):

• Purchase a toy online by clicking HERE. This link will take you to the Amazon wish list for Village of Hope—Guatemala. When you purchase toys directly from this Amazon wish list, when you check out, you will see the option to have the toys shipped to my friend Gina, who will then ship ALL of the toys directly to Village of Hope—Guatemala. Think BIG—gather your small group buddies, Sunday School class members, neighbors, Facebook friends, and your family to pool your money together to purchase sturdy toys that will withstand much lovin’ from many special needs orphans. Perhaps you could donate a toy in honor of a loved one as a Christmas gift? Think out of the box and let’s bless the socks off the orphans who will soon be living at Village of Hope—Guatemala.
• You may donate your gently used toys, in a good condition, to Village of Hope—Guatemala. VOH will need good sturdy toys that will hold up to the love of many children. Thrift stores and garage sales often have fabulous toys at fabulous prices. If you’d like to donate gently used toys, you will need to ship the toys directly to my friend Gina, and then she will ship all of the toys directly to Village of Hope—Guatemala. Click HERE to contact Gina for shipping details (or email her directly at ginamshiland@msn.com).
• Donate money directly to Village of Hope—Guatemala, in memory of Chrissie. Tax-deductible donations may be given directly via the Chip-In gadget below. Our goal is to raise $7,000 because Chrissie would have turned 7 on her birthday this year on earth (October 8, 2012).
• HURRY, Chrissie’s virtual birthday benefit is only ONE WEEK long! October 8, 2012-October 15, 2012. We’ve got 7 days to raise $7,000—that’s $1K per day. God can do this! Spread the word, pray, donate! Help us help orphans in memory of Chrissie. Thank you!!!
• Oh, and we’ve got some fun “party favors” to throw in. See details on this post.

All donations given in memory of Chrissie during her virtual Boss Your Heart Birthday Benefit will be dedicated to purchasing much needed toys, educational items, and play equipment for Village of Hope—Guatemala. Your donations are tax-deductible and all funds donated in memory of Chrissie will go directly to Village of Hope—Guatemala to help provide FUN (in addition to faith, family, and future) to special needs orphans in Guatemala.