Classy Competition part 5

Did you think it was over?

Tomorrow is the last day the polls will be open at the Classy Awards and we want to celebrate with our 5th and FINAL drawing (other than the grand prize drawing of course)

(*Note*  Polls close tomorrow at 11:59pm EST, which means our competition will be cut short by 1 hour)

The format is the same (see here, here, here, and here if you don't know what we're talking about)

Our winner on Wednesday was Kim Kellenberger and... Kim Kellenberger?  Wow!  Someone has been working to get her votes in!  Remember, the more people who vote in your name, the more times you will be entered in the drawing!

Tomorrow's winners will get a Choisi flower pin!  Choisi (the French word for "chosen") was created to raise funds for Lifesong Cote d'Ivoire (find out more about Lifesong Cote d'Ivoire Here)  Trust me.  These little pins are even more beautiful in person!

(look them up on facebook HERE!)

So if you were hoping for that grand prize of a FREE trip for two to Arizona and the Together for Adoption Conference... you still have

1

MORE

CHANCE!

Starting tonight at midnight you can get voting to be entered to win!  (go Here to Vote for KC4K!) 

*Keep in mind that only NEW votes count towards tomorrow's drawing.  If you have already voted and want to be entered you will need to find new people to vote for you!

Our two Choisi flower pin winners AND our one grand prize winner will be announced on Monday, August 29th.  Not that we want to make you stew over the weekend... or maybe we do!

Good Luck!

 

Please Pray!

There is so much turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire right where we were!"

This is what I read yesterday in an email from my dear friend, Sandra, who has been in the process of raising funds for orphans in Cote d'Ivoire, Africa. (check out an earlier post here)  We traveled there together last September and I can hardly believe what's happening there now.

For those of you who don't know, Cote d'Ivoire is on the brink of another civil war... their first one lasting from 2002 to 2007, and attributing greatly to the orphan crisis they currently have.  According to the UN, since the beginning of this year, there have already been over 300 people killed, dozens raped, and an unknown amount of abductions and disappearances.

My heart breaks.  It breaks for the Ivorian people as a whole.  But mostly it breaks for children that I saw... the children I spoke to and held and laughed with.  I can only imagine the fear and pain they now live with daily.

Please pray with me...

Our Dear Father,

Lord, You are a mighty, mighty God.  This we know.  We also know that you are full of love and compassion.  But sometimes, Lord, we look at the world and it doesn't make sense.  We see children struggling to survive.  We see war and brokenness and we don't know what to make of it.  We don't understand it, Lord, but we do know that You are good!

And it's with this knowledge that we lift up the nation of Cote d'Ivoire to You.  We pray that You will be merciful to these people.  We pray that You will touch the hearts and minds of the leaders so that healthy change can happen.  We pray that You will give wisdom and guidance to Sarah as she strives to serve 200 children in the midst of very dangerous times.  We pray that You will protect her, her family, and the children she serves.  We pray, Lord, that in the midst of great darkness You will be there!

In the might name of Jesus,

Amen.

If you want to check out more on the project in Cote d'Ivoire check out Sandra's blog here.

Rejoicing

Hello all!  I'm coming to you from Music City, visiting my dear friend and fellow orphan advocate, Sandra Ney (who Lifesong is partnering with in her efforts to bring hope to orphans in Cote d'Ivoire, Africa).  This weekend Sandra hosted an orphan awareness day, where we made flower pins to raise money for the children in Cote d'Ivoire.  Here are some shots of the day...

What a success.  Her house has been buzzing ever since, with phone calls and friends stopping by to see how they can help.  Praise the Lord!

The spirit of the weekend totally reminded me of last month's Orphan Sunday, where there were 568 registered events across the US (plus many unregistered events: over 21 in Florida alone)!  And the response didn't end there... at each registered event an average of 539 individuals were challenged to action (ranging from 3 to 5,000)!  And i know more went on that we don't even know about.  Wow.  Thank you to everyone who participated in Orphan Sunday this year.

You know, sometimes it can get so discouraging, feeling like nothing is getting done as fast as I think it should.  I look at the need and wonder how in the world we can even make a dent.

But God is moving mightily in His people to rise up on behalf of the orphaned, and when i look at how Orphan Sunday has become such a powerful tool for awareness... when i look at how a woman in Tennessee is spreading the vision through flower pins... and when i see the response...

then I get excited.  I begin to catch a glimpse of what He is doing behind what I naturally see.  And it is big.

If you have a story of rejoicing, we'd love to hear it.  Maybe an orphan ministry is getting started in your church.  Maybe you finally got your travel date to pick up your child, wherever he or she may be.  Maybe you had an inspiring conversation with a friend and that action you've been praying for is finally about to happen... let us know!  

In Him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in His holy name.  Psalm 33:21

Want to know more about the vision in Cote d'Ivoire?  Check out Sandra's blog here.