2020

I didn't want Randy to be disappointed by not going to Lincoln, to visit his brother's birthplace, but as soon as he saw how close we were to the world's largest ball of twine, he quickly decided we should head south and see that instead. No sooner had we crossed the border into Kansas than we saw a sign for the Center of the United States. What???! We had already been to the Center... in South Dakota! Obviously we took the turn off and there it was -- a gorgeous little rest stop, with a tiny little chapel, marking the geologic center of the lower 48 states. This had been the center up until 1959 when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted into the U.S., and Kansas was proud of it! A short ways down the road from the Center, we came to the world's largest ball of twine. Call it cheesy if you want, but if you can't get excited about Americana and a tradition that brought a town together then you are going to miss out on so much fun! Van's favorite part of...

Our first adventure in Nebraska was to the Museum of the Fur Trade  in Chadron. The museum didn't look like much from the outside, but the artificats were incredible, spanning from furs to seeds to guns. Even their website is worth a visit! So well known and well researched is this place that they were called upon during the making of the movie Revenant (featuring Leonardo Dicaprio) to autheniticate every little detail. We ventured west from there (because why would we go east toward our final destination!) to another museum, but it was so hot that all we really wanted was an ice cold slushie. We stopped at the "Dairy Sweet" and had the best slushie of my life. You know how you usually run out of juice about halfway through? This one was blue raspberry all the way to the last slurp! AND the "barista" (what do you call someone who makes slushies???) convinced Van and me to add nerds to our drinks. Genius! So, so good. While we waited for our drink perfectio...

Way back in February -- Valentine's Day and the first day of Lent, to be exact, I took on the challenge of giving $40 to 40 different organizations over the course of the 40 days of Lent. 40-40-40 . Shortly after starting that challenge, my grandmother died unexpectedly, knocking me off course for a few weeks. Committed to seeing the challenge through, however, I decided to keep my eyes and ears and heart open while undertaking the Great American Road Trip with my husband as we transition from Mexico to Ohio. What I discovered on that journey was a great big world that is both beautiful and in need, and it is full of beautiful people who want to help. The problem is, sometimes our helping hurts . While getting to know my high school friend Jim's wife over dinner one night in Sherwood, Oregon, Mel shared with me about an organization called "Days for Girls." Days for Girls was started when a woman named Celeste inquired about what girls in India do when they ar...

During my 40-40-40 Lenten challenge, one of the organizations I donated to was Friendly Water for the World. Water is a universal need, even if the need varies from city to city, country to country, village to village. While in Mexico, we had purified water trucked in every week for our drinking water. Last week we stayed in El Centro, California, which is below sea level. Tap water there is too brackish (salty) to drink. So they use purifiers, or buy bottled water. Driving through the White Mountains of Arizona, we met a family whose car overheated. We had several liters of water in case this happened to us, and we gave them all of it. We've had to keep water on us at all times, not just for us but also for our dog. While water may not be something that you think about daily because of its ready availability to you, it is something that a whole ton of people think about constantly because of their lack of it. Friendly Water for the World board chairman David Albert share...

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...

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...

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...