2020

Randy and I (with the help of our granddaughter who is in town visiting and has been a godsend!) have been busy savoring each moment with the kids in our last week at Sonshine. We took the girls out to dinner Wednesday (which is a memory we will NEVER forget!) and we're taking the boys out shopping today. Followed by Randy's famous caramel popcorn and a movie ( The Star ). We've given lots of hugs and so far held back most of the tears. All of this focus on the kids this past week has made me want to seek out other organizations who are loving on all of God's children, to help support them to continue their work. These are two that I believe in. 40-40-40 ... Day 35: Right to Play I learned about Right to Play when it was advertised during the Winter Olympics this year. The mission behind Right to Play is: We use the power of play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities. The website g...

Sonrise Christian Academy. This is the school being built by and right next to Sonshine Hacienda​, and is one of the reasons we moved here when we did. We've watched the foundation be leveled and the walls start to go up and obviously want to do what we can to support it. That starts with construction, but we hope to also help with scholarships and general expenses as the school opens. Why does San Felipe need a new school? Because here at Sonrise Christian Academy, teachers will be paid (which doesn't happen regularly in the public schools), curriculum will be top notch (they currently only go 4 hours a day and still get plenty of recess... how does this prepare them for college?), the kids will get the education and attention they deserve (rather than being expected to drop out by 6th grade)... we're already looking forward to coming back to Baja to see the finished product! ACTION STEPS FOLLOW Sonrise Christian Academy on Facebook . DONATE to the Sonrise G...

We're nearing the end of Lent and while I'm sad that I've gotten too busy to devote more energy to learning about and sharing these organizations with you, I remember that God called me to GIVE and as long as I am doing that I am being faithful. So here's another digest for you, days 31, 32, and 33. I'm so close to getting my 40 donations of $40 to 40 organizations in before Easter Sunday! If you have last minute suggestions for my final 7 donations, PLEASE send them my way! 40-40-40 ... Day 31: Sugartree Ministries Sugartree Ministries is located in Wilmington, Ohio. Their vision is to reach the poor, broken, lonely & addicted. Their ministries include "Your Father's Kitchen", a soup kitchen and food bank, and "Joe's Java", a coffee shop that brings in live music to raise funds and generate a sense of community. You might remember when Rachel Ray visited Sugartree Ministries in 2009. DHL had just shut down in Wilmington, ...

Maybe it's just Randy and me, but we tend to wait until the last minute to pack our bags, and take on a ton of other projects (that we've been putting off) at the same time. Sure, I'll write a book this month. Sure, Randy will put in a new water heater for you. Of course we have time to take the girls out for pizza and the boys out for a dune buggy ride and have a slumber party with all 21 of them while buying last minute souvenirs and squeezing in a 30-minute massage. If you are a procrastinator like us, you get it. And you get why I'm playing a little "catch-up" and "I don't have time for a lengthy blog or photos" today. So here goes: my next 3 donations went to Habitat for Humanity , Baldwin Wallace University and GreySave . *** 40-40-40 ... Day 28: Habitat for Humanity When Randy and I let our friends know that we would be leaving San Felipe next week and traveling east, our friends Dave and Pam responded, "We'll be in Lo...

Thus far all of my donations have been to ongoing needs, but this one came to my attention yesterday as an immediate need. Just last week 2 children's homes were closed down in Baja due to not being able to meet a compliance that was created on the spot during a surprise inspection, so I have great compassion for the immediacy of this need in Rwanda. Please help if you are able! From Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC):      Friends in Rwanda have an urgent need to raise funds following a decree by the government that they must install lightning rods on all their buildings before the end of March. This comes after several fatal lightning strikes affecting churches, schools and other buildings. Lightning storms are very common in Rwanda.      To meet the requirements, Rwanda Yearly Meeting needs to buy and install 35 lightning rods at a cost of around £400 each (about $565 U.S.). Without financial support from Friends in other countries...

I'm so excited that my brother and sister-in-law, Roy & Suzanne, are heading to Ecuador in April! I spent an incredible 10 days in Ecuador when I was in college and absolutely fell in love with the people, the scenery, standing on the equator and strolling through the neighborhood markets. I know they will have an even more rewarding experience, because they are getting to meet Emilia, the child they sponsor through Compassion International. Randy and I spent time in Oregon with Roy & Sue right before we moved to Mexico. During that time they loaned me their copy of "Too Small To Ignore," by Wess Strafford, founder of Compassion International. It wasn't the easiest book to read, because Strafford went through many challenges during his boyhood in Africa that were painful to recount, but it was an honest telling that showed why he felt such a conviction to start this organization. Compassion International has been endorsed by many organizations and...

Mercy Multipied. I'd never heard of this ministry before, but this week it's shown up in two different places. Coincidence? Or an invitation to learn about a new organization? Since I'm in full-on giving mode, I obviously saw this as the latter. So what have I learned about Mercy Multiplied? Mercy Multiplied is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and is celebrating its 35th year of operation in 2018. It's mission statement is this: Mercy Multiplied is a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to helping young women break free from life-controlling behaviors and situations, including eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, unplanned pregnancy, depression, sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. Mercy Multiplied has a 6-month residential program which is free for participants. Eligible women are aged 13-28. The program offers a holistic approach, seeking to heal body, mind, and spirit. They also offer outreach programs and resources to help families wh...

Any time we have anything "extra" (clothes and food, for example) or expired (food, meds, etc.) which we can't legally keep at the children's home, we take them to an organization here in San Felipe called "Volunteers Without Limits." Volunteers Without Limits was formed when two existing organizations joined together: the San Felipe Food Bank and an organization that supported families with children and adults with disabilities. Since some of the work was being duplicated -- providing food for families with special needs, for example -- it only made sense for the two to combine. The organization now provides food (both prepared food for the elderly and sick, and bags of food for families to prepare themselves), wheelchairs/walkers/canes/crutches, etc., hearing aids, oxygen tanks, medication, daily wellness checks for the elderly, blankets and clothes and air conditioners to local families, diapers, prosthetic limbs, etc. It is supported through do...

In 2008, just 6 months after having her first child, Katherine Wolf suffered from a nearly life-taking stroke due to a congenital defect she didn't know she had. The next 10 years have been a series of hurdles that Katherine and her husband Jay have had to overcome. But their faith has led them to say: "Maybe healing just looks different than we think it does." Katherine's facial features were permanently impacted and she has to use a wheelchair to get around. But what at the time was the worst hard time of their lives, they can now say has led to the role they were meant to play -- an inspiration to others with disabilities, both those which can be seen and those which cannot.  After speaking at a camp for people with disabilities, Katherine and Jay were inspired to start a camp of their own: Hope Heals Camp. Katherine writes: At first, I didn't want to be the "miracle girl in the wheelchair", but after years of ministering with all kinds of h...

Today would have been my grandmother's 84th birthday. She's been gone now just 2 days shy of a month and it's still hard for me to believe she isn't here. My grandfather died unexpectedly in 1996. A few months before his death, he told me that if anything ever happened to him that my grandmother would move to Ohio and we would have to take care of her. So when he died later that same year, I fully expected my grandmother to move in with us. She was 62 at the time and, to my 16-year-old self, was old and needed us to take care of her. My 65-year-old grandfather had just passed away, confirming that grandma, too, didn't have long to live. So when my grandma didn't move in with us, instead traveling the world, running off to Mexico and Spain and casinos and forming "Bible studies" (can you still call it a Bible study when there are margaritas involved?) I was confused. And mad. And guilty because is there anything worse than being mad at your gr...

When I put out a call to my friends on Facebook for missions/organizations to support during this 40-40-40 adventure, Trezò (Haitian/Creole for "treasure") was the first to be suggested. The recommendation came from my friends Ryan and Sonja. Ryan and I went to high school together and -- no offense Ryan -- he didn't come to mind when I thought of all the people who I expected to respond to my inquiry. (That being said, there were a lot of people I did expect to respond who didn't. Is it because they aren't givers? Or they didn't see the post? They didn't find it relevant? Or simply didn't take the time?) But perhaps it was because Ryan's response was so unexpected that I felt so drawn to include this organization in my Lenten adventure. If Ryan and his family felt so passionately about this organization that they would sponsor a child -- sending money every month for a kid who they've never even met -- there certainly must be merit in it. Af...

Day 20! I'm half-way through this 40-40-40 Lenten adventure, and nearly $900 in. On this half-way mark, I'm excited to focus on an organization that is just getting off the ground close to "home" in Ohio. Why? Because at the end of these 40 days that is where Randy and I are headed! We'll be looking for opportunities to serve (to keep ourselves from missing our Baja kids!), and this one definitely feels like a worthy cause. Special thanks to Hannah (Bethany Seminary student and part-time pastor at Xenia Friends Church) for sharing the story of Bridges of Hope. SIMON KENTON: BRIDGES OF HOPE By Hannah Mullikin Lutz After several years of working to secure funding and to purchase a building, Simon Kenton Bridges of Hope was finally able to open its doors in December of 2017 to those experiencing homelessness in Xenia, Ohio. For the first time since 2015, single men and women, as well as those who might have been on the waiting list for the small, ...

Welcome back to the 40 days of Lent! Between traveling for my grandmother's memorial and coming down with the flu, my 40-40-40 train definitely got derailed. Yet even in my derailment I've seen how God has already opened my heart to his generosity through this Lenten practice. (For example, at the airport on Wednesday I bought a candy bar and a book -- Ready Player One -- to send to our troops, without even thinking about what it would do to my budget.) Being at my grandmother's memorial also reminded me of the beauty of family. The opportunity to get together with cousins from afar and share stories of when we were kids was everything Grandma would have wanted it to be. And since I'm very much in family mode, I'm excited to share today's guest blog post by another family member! There is so much good being done in the world, and this good is being spearheaded by a Terrell... how cool is that! (Okay, so Sarah and I are 5th cousins by marriage or somethin...

Anyone who truly knows me knows how important this little girl is in my life. This summer we'll have spent 12 years together. My dad found her, locked in his barn, when she was only 6 weeks old. She was an ornery puppy, hard to potty train and chewing on anything she could get her little puppy teeth into. But she showed up at just the right time... the week of my first divorce. I put up a good front on the outside, but most days this little girl was the only reason I got out of bed. She kept me moving and going. Since then we've been on countless adventures together. Moving from Ohio to Indiana, then back to Ohio, next to California, and then down to Mexico. And we're about to embark on another epic road trip across the U.S. once again. What does Jovi have to do with my 40-40-40 challenge? Today's donation goes to Paws Assisting Veterans ( PAVE USA ), which trains service dogs for veterans who suffer from mental or physical disabilities as a result...

One of the things I love about this 40-40-40 project is learning about local organizations that my friends support. There are many well-known organizations that do great work around the globe, but the more well-known an organization is, the more likely they are to have large sources of funding. It's great when an organization can impact a ton of people, but it can at times overshadow those organizations that are grass roots, right here in our communities, doing just as good (or even better because they are able to focus their services) as those big names.  I learned about one of those organizations when I asked my friends Shane and Buffy Rider about Wounded Warrior Project. Shane and I went to high school together, and he later met his wife while serving in the military. Shane served in the army from 1998-2004, and Buffy from 1999-2007. They were stationed in Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Buffy was also stationed in Hawaii (where my aunt was stationed years ago!). Shane spent t...

Yesterday I made my donation to Modern Day . Modern Day is for people like Randy and me who feel called to serve in missions but aren't affiliated with any particular organization. When you go on your own, like we did, you are responsible for all of your finances, communication, connections, and spiritual support. When an organization sends you, they help with all of these pieces of the puzzle. Modern Day provides the same support that those sending organizations do. In fact, some sending organizations have started using Modern Day to help them too! One of my favorite parts of this organization are the video resources they provide, that offer tips and support for common missionary struggles: marriage in missions, rest in missions, safety in missions, finances in missions, guilt in missions (this one is HUGE!). These videos are all free and are right there on their website, so if you know a missionary (whether they are already on the field or are preparing to go or are praying...

Peter Benchley is the inspiration for today's donation. Who was Peter Benchley? Everyone knows him, even if they don't know his name. Peter Benchley was a speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson. Peter Benchley was the first host of Shark Week. Peter Benchley wrote "Jaws". And Peter Benchley later became an advocate for environmental preservation, regretting the fact that he was famous for making one of God's creatures a villain rather than a victim. I just finished reading another of Peter Benchley's novels, " The Girl of the Sea of Cortez ." It's about a girl, Paloma, who lives in Baja, and whose father taught her to love the sea. After her father dies, Paloma struggles to fit in with her family, her community, society as a whole. While her mother would rather she help with housework, Paloma would rather go diving. While her brother sees fish as a means to a profit, Paloma sees them as an essential part of God's creation. Benchl...