Monday, November 29, 2010

Fundraiser for Son of God Orphanage in Haiti

holiday Loveland
Miss Market is hosting an event at The Outlets in Loveland this coming weekend.
The Outlets are located at: 5661 McWhinney Blvd. Loveland, CO (formerly the Liz Claiborne building)
Saturday December 4th from 11am - 7pm
Sunday December 5th from 11am - 4pm
Stop by and purchase some raffle tickets that will be entered for some great prizes. All Raffle proceeds will go to Son of God Orphanage. :)
www.missmarketevents.com

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS!!

Joy – A feeling of great happiness or delight

Look up the word "Joy" in the concordance in your bible. Here are two:

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

The first thing we have to do is get past what we think the season “should” look like. You know the magazine and movie pictures that come to your mind? Those need to go!! We get an idea in our minds of how things should be and when they don’t go that way we can feel angry and frustrated while also making those around us feel angry and frustrated.

Keep in mind constantly the Reason for the Season and that is that we are celebrating Jesus’ birth, not that our house looks just so, or that our sugar cookies are perfectly decorated. It is easy to get distracted during the Holiday Season and put unnecessary pressure on ourselves and our family.

Don’t be Critical. If all the ornaments end up on one side of the tree or all around the bottom (this is usually what happens in our home) so be it. In the days leading up to Christmas you can gradually move some around without making a big deal and the kids usually don’t even notice. When putting out special Christmas decorations, make sure that the kids have some that are at their level to play with. Fisher Price has an awesome, hands on nativity set. The less you have to monitor your kids activity around the decorations, the better!!! You won’t feel like a parole officer and your kids won’t feel like they can’t touch anything.

Baking. Small batches and low expectations will keep everyone happy. If your child tends to overuse the icing to decorate, only give them the amount that they can use and take pictures of their creations so that they can see them long after the cookie has been eaten.

Gift Giving and Receiving. In our family all the siblings draw names on Thanksgiving Day for who they will buy or make a gift for to exchange on Christmas Day. This is a big deal and usually much more time is put into what they are going to give their person than on what they themselves would like to receive. Get your family involved in giving in your community through Adopt A Family, visiting a nursing home with goodie bags for the residents (you need to get permission from the facility first), making cards for soliders overseas, etc. By keeping them involved in giving, the receiving is not as important.

Sensory Challenges. Keep in mind your child’s ability to handle certain settings. If that means you will not be able to be able to stay long at a gathering prepare everyone that you will be leaving before the party is over. If this is hard for kids without sensory challenges you could make arrangements for one of your kids to be brought home by another family later or you can get a sitter for your child/children with the sensory challenges so that you can all stay and enjoy.

The Family Dinner. The dinner that we put so much time into and what can be a huge tradition in most families can turn into a big argument. If your child is totally opposed to eating “that yucky stuff” make them something ahead of time and let them do another activity during the main meal. It will not be the end of the world if they are not sitting around the table. Decorate the kids table just as fancy as the adult table. We use sparkling grape juice for holiday dinners. The kids get small wine glasses for their juice. Make place cards for the dinner in the days leading up to Christmas. Make them easy so that the kids and you feel successful.

Enjoy each other. God created and grew our families according to His will. He will give us wisdom in how to keep the peace and joy in our homes through the season. We just need to make sure that while we are busy preparing that we don’t leave God out of our activities.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

You can make a Difference!!

Jedd lives in California with his wife and four children.

Sixseeds.tv interviewed Jedd Medefind, President of Christian Alliance for Orphans about adoption and how the church is responding. It is a great article. He mentions what is happening in CO regarding adoption! Please leave a comment after you read the article. For every comment posted CAFO will receive $2!! You can support Orphan Ministry Nationwide just by reading this article and posting a comment. :)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Blessed Blankets is a Blessing!!! :)

Oct 4, 2010 download 020.jpg Our Blessed Blankets Ladies have been very busy!! They have made 28 blankets for Larimer County Foster Children. They are currently working hard to make blankets to send to Son of God Orphanage in Haiti with our team next month for the kids under 2 years old. A big Thank you to Vicky and Glyn for all of your hard work in organizing and recruiting others to join Blessed Blankets. When children are in foster care or an orphanage they likely have nothing to call their own. These Blankets that you have made and prayed over will be a blessing!!! If you would like to know more about Blessed Blankets please email Vicky at: Vicky@vickyflint.com

The next meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 7pm in Room 206 at Timberline Church.
Nov 12 all 6, 3.jpg

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Welcome Home by Kristin Orphan

I have had a lot of people ask about a song that Kristin Orphan and The Finally Home Band performed at our Dare You to Move Event. It blessed a lot of people. The words reflect how we feel about the children that God calls us to adopt. Here is a video letter that Pastor Mark and Kristin put together for Sadie. :)


Welcome Home by Kristin Orphan

Looking at you, it's hard to believe
All that you've been through and all that you've seen
You built wall so high of your fears, disappointment and sorrow
You're too brave for tears
You've waited so long just to laugh and to play
Yesterday's gone, you're here today

Welcome Home, This is where you belong
Welcome Home, You don't have to be strong
Precious child, you're safe now here in my arms
Rest your head, be at peace, welcome home

All that we have is yours now, too
Hope, love and faith, we give to you
And in return, we ask just one thing
Open your heart and believe in your dreams
And when you stumble or feel all alone
Just call my name and I'll lead you home

Welcome Home, This is where you belong
Welcome Home, You don't have to be strong
Precious child, you're safe now here in my arms
Rest your head, be at peace, welcome home

What is a family, what does that mean?
You've Asked that question, now I hope you see......

It's a home, where you belong
It's a home, you don't have to be strong
Precious child, you're safe now here in my arms rest your head be at peace

Welcome Home, This is where you belong
Welcome Home, You don't have to be strong
Precious child, you're safe now, related by love
Rest your head, be at peace, you're finally home.

What Love Really Means

I love this song!! This is a powerful song that is full of a truth that we all need to grasp. As adoptive parents we sometimes need to be reminded that God loves us for us. On our best parenting days sometimes it just doesn't seem to be enough and we can get pretty discouraged. Our kids need us to love them for them - right here, right now.
Let this song pour over and fill your heart. God loves you for you, right where you are - not for what you will become.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Stand on that Promise Today!! :)


Saturday, November 13, 2010

Orphan Sunday Food Packing Event with Change this World








Way to go Kids Blast Kids and our awesome Joy Team volunteers - You packed 4200 meals at
our food
packing event with Change This World at our Orphan Sunday Event!
Not
only did you exceed our goal of 4000 meals you also raised $1500!!!
Thank you to our Children's Ministry Leaders, Nikki Crosson and Trevor Laughlin and to Rita
Noel from our Welcome Child Team.
They really wrapped their hearts around this event. Because of their enthusiasm, all of the
kids in Kids Blast heard how they can have an impact in the life of a child in another county.
They wrote letters to the kids at Son of God Orphanage.
Here is a little sample of what some of them said:


Dear Piere, You are not alone. Don't give up. There are people who are praying
for you.
Dear Gerome, I promise I will pray for you every night. God Loves You.
Dear Taina, I am at church and thinking about you. We are talking about what
your life is like and I will pray for you. God is with you.
Dear Cophe, I hope this food helps you. I think you will like it. I brought a lot of
quarters to help.
Dear Martial, I wish you are safe.


I have had a lot of WOW moments in the last week and reading these letters
was one of them. The seeds planted in their young hearts for adoption and orphan
ministry will grow and bear much fruit in their lives and those around them. :)



Friday, November 12, 2010

THANK YOU TIMBERLINE CHURCH!!!

One week after Orphan Sunday and the response we have had from our family at Timberline Church was beyond amazing!!!!

- Kristin Orphan and The Finally Home Band was able to lead Praise and Worship at all of our weekend services. They performed in concert Sunday night with over 500 people in attendance. The concert was a beautiful blend of music and stories about adoption, foster care and becoming a Child Appointed Special Advocate that caused people to move to action after the concert.

- Our partnership with Children's Hopechest and Son of God Orphanage in Haiti brought amazing support!! All 130 kids now have a sponsor!! We have a team of 23 people heading to Haiti to Son of God Orphanage in one month that will be led by Sean and Tiffany Cherry. You can be a part of covering this team in prayer. We will be posting a prayer request list and frequent updates while they are in Haiti. We feel strongly that these kids and staff at Son of God Orphanage are an extended part of our family.

-We had 28 tables host representing ways that people could get involved in the life of a child in 3 categories - Global, Local and Personal. Those tables were busy!!! I have never seen people linger after an event so long.

-Our kids were busy with Change This World food packing event for Haiti.

A love offering was taken for Welcome Child Ministry and totaled over $30,000.
THANK YOU TIMBERLINE CHURCH FAMILY - YOU ARE A BLESSING!!!!!

As a team we do not take this responsibility lightly - we are very grateful for your love and support and look forward to seeing this ministry grow in touching the lives of children in desperate situations and to provide support for families who are called to adopt them.

Thank you to Kristin Bleger, one of our storytellers at Timberline Church for taking these pictures!! You can view a larger version of these pictures on a slideshow at:
:)