Can I help you with your next fundraiser??!

So I [semi]debated whether or not to post this, because of that fine line between business and personal life.  But I've never been very good at segregating my life--it's all mine and so everything I do is personal, and it all bears the common thread of being for the glory of God.  So there you have it.  My half-hearted disclaimer. : )

I have started my own business from home selling promotional products.  I am working for a company called Advertising Plus, out of Springfield, MO, that my sister-in-law has worked for for years.  The company has been around for over 20 years and offers personal service, high quality products and competitive prices. They have allowed me come on board as a sales rep down here in Florida, and I have already begun building my business locally and through my connections.  Truth is, everybody needs something at some time with artwork or a logo on it.  So I have a wide group I can serve, here and all over the country.

But in particular, I seek to reach churches, ministries, non-profits, and even individuals and families fundraising for mission trips or adoption!--because I share their heart and passion.  I want to help custom design and create items that fit any budget, style and need.  And a portion of all my proceeds go to support orphan care ministries, missions, and adoption.

So I have called my business "Proclaim!": helping you proclaim your message, your ministry, your event--whatever it may be!-- to those around you with custom promotional products: apparel, pens, mugs, banners, totes--anything with your personal artwork or logo on it!  Our artists can help you prepare your original design for printing, and I can provide you with personal service to ensure that your project meets your highest expectations!

Truth is, I'm married to an awesome guy working 2 jobs and loving his family well, and I want to help however I can to contribute financially to our household of seven.  So this serves the dual purpose of allowing me to do that with flexibility to be a mom first, and it allows me to serve people and ministries I am passionate about.

So if you have a need for items for fundraising, shirts for a ministry, group or team, or maybe even something for your business, let me know!  I'd love to serve you in this way!

As part of my business, I am also a rep for MudLove bands, the bands I sold for my mission trip.  This was a cool development for me, because I love that I can offer something unique for promotional needs that already gives back to clean water!  How cool!  If you are interested in using MudLove bands for your next fundraiser, let me know, and I'll send you details on how you can get the best pricing possible.

And while I'm on that subject of cool artsy products [like MudLove], I am looking for other small businesses that I can represent that offer a unique item that can be customized, and that supports a ministry, adoptive family, or someone with a heart to give back.  If you are someone with a business like that, or know someone who has a neat product that could be used in this way, please let me know or send them here!  Thank you!

I do not have a website yet, outside of the one that belongs to Advertising Plus, but it does not really offer specific information.  So for now, I suggest you head over here and like my Facebook page, so you can follow along and see some of the cool things we're making and some of the neat products available to you!  I also hope to use this as a platform to highlight those fundraising with these products so people can follow links and shop, too! (If you head over there today and "like", then share on your FB wall, you'll be entered to win a MudLove bracelet of your choice from my stock!!)

If you have questions or would like quotes on something, feel free to contact me directly via email, as well.

I'm hoping that by letting you all know what I'm up to, down the road maybe I can help you when it's time to design a t-shirt or a tote or a bracelet for fundraising.  And then, in a small way, I can be a part of what God is doing in your journey as we're together seeking to build His kingdom through missions and adoption and loving the least of these!

Soli deo gloria!

 

My day today.

I woke up 10 minutes before I was suppose to drive Abby's little carpool to school. I had set my alarm on my phone but...apparently it had died sometime during my peaceful slumber. We managed to get out the door only 3 minutes late, but Abby's hair may or may not have been done and she may or may not have had a slice of cheese for breakfast on the way to school.


This is my bed. It's after noon. Why make it now? I'm leavin' it.

I put last nights dinner in the microwave last night when folks started showing up for community group. Forgot about it and never put the leftovers in the fridge. Found it this morning. Woops. Dish still in the sink.


Due to said wake up, I have not showered or washed my hair yet today. Hey-- don't worry about my hygiene. I bathe at least once a week, whether I need it or not.


This is my outfit today. Did I wear these to bed last night?

I'll never tell.

Do they have some sort of unidentified food stains on them, along with lots of dog hair?


Why yes, yes they do.

And did I go to the store like this?

Guilty.

Yea, not a banner day for this mom.

But--

dinner's in the crockpot.
my kids got to and from school on time.
my friend came over for lunch. (Granted, she had to make her own sandwich, but hey, this ain't a 5 star restaurant. : ))
I did one load of laundry and just washed the pan in the sink.
now I'm off to shower for date night.

Things are looking up. : )

How was your day?

When it's hard to believe on Friday

"By His wounds we are healed."

Do you ever not believe that? Are there times for you, as there are for me, that you doubt the truth in that statement? Because life is full of hurt and disappointments and injuring experiences. Because I am so sinful that while on the outside to others I display strength and trust and wholeness, sometimes when I look in the mirror, I see deeper than the mere reflection and have to look away. Because I battle with patterns of brokenness that appear to have no end--weaknesses and failures in me that I cannot seem to overcome.

And I cry out for healing, for change, for a miracle, and it. doesn't. come. No light at the end of the tunnel. Just silence. And darkness.

And with Jesus I cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" God---Don't you promise to heal? Don't you WANT me to be more holy? Don't you want me to have victory? Isn't that where glory is found? Victory over sin and death and an empty tomb?! Where is this resurrection Sunday power on display in me?? Because frankly some days, many days, I feel stuck in the Friday.

At least I'm in good company on Friday. With Jesus. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. A Man who understands like no one can what it feels like to face silence. And darkness.

And [pausing for a moment] this is strange, is it not? He was not the grandiose, celebrated, esteemed central figure one would expect from a major religious movement in the world. This day, Friday--a day that changed history forever-- was a day of grief. sadness. pain. suffering. No parades, no celebrating, no coronations or feasts. It was a day of death. On the surface not a compelling, hope-filled beginning for a revolutionary faith system.

Of course I know the end of the story. Of course I know Sunday is coming. Of course I know-- it's just 2 days, it's just 2 days.... but right now, it's Friday. What hope do I have for today?

But maybe this day is full of glory of its own. Maybe not a sun-shining, white-robe, flowers-blooming kind of glory. But a different glory. Glory in suffering. And I get it for Jesus--look at what he accomplished through His suffering! Salvation for mankind, undeserved righteousness for His children. But for me? Do these wounds, this brokenness, do they accomplish anything?

And I remember I read somewhere--God says they do.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us
an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
(2 Cor 5:17)

Glory? On Friday?

And so I trust. All of it doesn't feel light or momentary, but I chose to believe the wisdom of an infinite God over my own finite emotions and perceptions. As Jesus cried out "MY God, MY God...", I too cry out to MY Father who loves me, who made me and knows me and loves me as I am today, on Friday, in my broken state. He sees my wounds and my scars and promises that though He feels far away, He is in fact as near as my breath. He is here with me.

And He gently tells me to kneel here. On Friday. At the cross. He tells me to have the courage to look up and take in the scene unfolding. Look at my suffering Savior hanging there, broken body and blood flowing, and know that is my rightful place. Look at Jesus, willing to suffer and endure because He knows I am unable to heal myself. Leave my sin and shame at this place, at this cross, and weep for the loss and the subsequent gain found in this sacrifice.

By his wounds we are healed. I am healed.

Wounds come first. I cannot be healed unless I am in a state of woundedness.

And I am healed, not in the way I sometimes wish for. I am healed to hope and trust, to purpose, and I am healed to intimacy with my Creator, my Savior. And somewhere in that, in my mess, is glory revealed. A miracle.

Yes, Sunday is coming, but today is Friday, and I don't want to miss the glory found here.

Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 53, NLT

Created for Care

In January, I had the chance to go to Created for Care, an awesome retreat for adoptive mammas. It was a wonderful chance to meet folks who I have only known via blogland and facebook, and while I'm not gonna lie and say it was restful, : ), it was certainly refreshing.

I am so excited to get to return this weekend to the second Created for Care retreat, but this time I will be going as an exhibitor. I have a new business , called Proclaim!, selling promotional products (tshirts, drinkware, totes, banners--basically anything with original artwork or a logo on it). I am going to display my services for adoptive families and individuals who are fundraising, as well as for ministries and churches. I will also be selling and promoting MudLove bands (like I sold here for my mission trip) as a great option for those looking for custom items to use for fundraising. I can't wait!!

Prepping for this coming weekend made me a bit sentimental for the first C4C, and so I was looking through pictures from that weekend. Enjoy a few below, as well as my new awesome postcard I will be handing out this weekend!


Anybody else going this weekend??!!

Irony.

OK is it ironic to anyone but me that I posted more during my week in Africa with spotty internet that I have in the last month since I've been home with lightning speed American internet?! : ) Sorry, life gets crazy and my blog gets neglected. But it's not because I don't have anything to say. In fact, I have lots I want to share here. So get ready....you should be seeing more of me here in the next few weeks, some of it, flashbacks of what's been going on the last couple of months, more highlights from our trip to Ethiopia, and exciting things coming in the future! Hope you stay with me for the ride!

For now, a fun set of pictures from our trip. I met this sweet little girl two years ago at CFI, Peter and Elizabeth's drop in center. She has grown up and is in school now, but still a part of CFI's program for school age kids. She's changed so much, is doing so well, and is so beautiful! It was a treat to see her again as well as many of the kids we played with two years ago. We got to show a slide show of pictures from our trip in 2010, and the kids loved seeing themselves and their friends! To me, it was a testimony to the faithful, consistent ministry of Peter and Elizabeth, a wonderful couple serving the families of Ethiopia and sharing Jesus in both word and deed. What a blessing to be with them and their CFI kiddoes!! Enjoy these few pics!

2010

2012

our team with Peter and Elizabeth

2012 pics courtesy of Jessica Olivero

Reckless Abandon Day 5

Wednesday

This was one of my favorite days of the trip. After devotions and breakfast we split up: the guys left for their Train the Trainers, where they would be teaching and training about 40 church planters. The gals headed first to Embracing Hope, a ministry run by Jerry and Christy Shannon. This was one of the coolest and most creative efforts I've seen to serve the poor women and children of Ethiopia. They have opened a free daycare for single moms so they can go to work and know that their children are well cared for. The Shannons said when they approached the government about opening this daycare, they were met with some raised eyebrows. Daycares were something only those in the upper class used. It was a new concept to offer this service for free to the poor. They opened their doors last April as today they have 60 children in their program. They help the moms find work, encourage them in their independence, and even offer micro-loan grants to help with those moms who have an entrepreneurial spirit. And they are finding these moms are discovering community through this program in a way they have not experienced before.

We spent the morning touring their day care, talking with the Shannons, and playing with the kids. It was such a blessing.

The afternoon was spent at Peter and Elizabeth Abera's project, Compassion Families International. We are doing a VBS for the next three afternoons (Wednesday through Friday) there, so I will write more about them tomorrow.

We all went to dinner at Island Breeze for some American fare (some of our team has had their fill of traditional Ethiopian fare this week, although I can't get enough!) Afterwards we went to the new Radisson Hotel for free wifi. It was like a bunch of kids in a candy shop--we were so excited to have some high speed, American internet!

We are so blessed by the ministries we have been serving with--so timely in my life--more on that later. Thank you--as always--for your prayers and love.

(I do not have good internet right now so I can't post pics, but check out our facebook page for the team's photos!)

Reckless Abandon Day 3 & 4

Monday and Tuesday: Bring Love In

Monday we woke up to another beautiful day in Addis Ababa. We left for Jesse and Levi’s house after devotions and breakfast. We spent the day sorting through piles and piles of donations they have received from visiting teams, prepping everything to be moved to their new office location. On Tuesday, we got to actually go to the new building and help with some cleaning and prep for it to be move in ready. We did some cleaning, some painting and installed some light fixtures. Seemed like a small contribution, but it is so awesome to know we have had the privilege to serve them and be a small part of this exciting start-up time of Bring Love In!

It has been so much fun to hang with the Benkerts-- listen to their stories, catch their vision, and be a part of the preparations for their new home(s) for children. The location they just signed on will be the transition home and office as they take in children. Their set-up will consist of small homes with 8 children and a mom, and they already have funding for 5 homes—it’s just a matter of opening them! It is a great design and way to help orphans in Ethiopia stay in their home country and be part of a forever family. I am super excited about it and can't WAIT to see what God does in the next few months!!!

I'm so glad to know this family. If you want to know more about them, visit their website at bringlove.in and be a part by helping contribute towards the water tanks they need for the homes. And if you know anyone headed to Ethiopia soon and willing to bring donations, I know of a list of items they could use, so consider blessing this family in this way.

Monday night was dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant, and Tuesday we were hosted by our driver Ephrim and his amazing wife Yeshi. Another amazing couple whom I feel privileged to call my friends. If you'll be needed a driver in Addis, Ephrim is your man! : )

Thank you again for your prayers!

P.S. You can follow our facebook page here for updates and pictures from the entire team on facebook!