coffee, desserts, and gifts oh my!

IMPORTANT NOTE: at the bottom of this post I'll be introducing a new feature and need your input!  Don't miss it!)

Happy Friday, all!  Can you believe it's December already!?  Oh goodness! (just between you and me, I have 12 gifts I'm MAKING this year and now that we're in December I'm beginning to feel the pressure... hmmm, if I can average at 1 gift every 1.83 days i SHOULD be okay... oh dear)

But gifts aside, let's talk about one of my OTHER favorite holiday past-times... entertaining!  And what does every American host need for a successful Christmas party?  

That's right... COFFEE!

We've highlighted Gobena Coffee before, but do you know just where the money used to purchase this coffee goes?  

Straight to Ziway, Ethiopia where Gobena and Lifesong have partnered to...

 

1. Implement a Feeding Program (breakfast and lunch for over 300 students)

2. Develop a Christian School, adding two addition classes per year (after 5 years, that 1,050 students!)

3. Complete construction on a local church

4. Build and operate a group Home (providing a Christian home environment for 12 double orphans withEthiopian "houseparents")

5. Create a sustainable business for vocational/entrepreneurship training, to help break the cycle ofextreme poverty for these children. 

 These are the goals.  Every bag of coffee(or t-shirt, or tote bag, or mug) helps!

Now you can't have a good cup of coffee without a yummy piece of dessert, right?  So here's what we're going to do...

(this is where i tell you about the exciting new feature)

Remember that cool little cookbook we introduced last week?

Well, starting next Thursday we're going to highlight one of its recipes every week... make it, taste it, review it... and there may even be some video and picture documentation of all the fun!  We're calling it:

And for our first recipe we'll be doing a dessert!  But I need to hear from you?  

What recipe would you like us to feature?

Here are your options:

1. Oreo cheesecake (I have never made a cheesecake in my life so this could be interesting)

2. Honey cookies (My favorite Christmas cookie... a German tradition)

3. Apple Scrumptious (this makes the song "Truly Scrumptious" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang play in my head... which makes me "truly" happy)

or...

4. Baked Custard (no commentary here... other than I LOVE me some custard)

Let me know your vote... and the dessert that gets the most comments will be our very first Tasty Thursday Treats feature!

Have a beautiful (and maybe snowy?) weekend!

Dance 4 Lifesong

Any of you readers have high schoolers who like to dance?  What about their friends?  Why don't we give them something worth dancing for...

This year Kids Caring 4 Kids is raising money for Lifesong School in Zambia by inspiring high schools to hold a dance-a-thon.  Fun, right?  Kendall Ciesemier shares more in this interview...

What a creative and fun way to do fundraising!  Thank you, Kendall, for all you do for Lifesong Zambia and kids throughout Africa.  You are an inspiration to us all.  I have a feeling that $1 million mark isn't too far off.

Check out the Dance 4 Lifesong website 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.

a gift with purpose

10-11 Gifts of Purpose from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

It’s that time of year again.  Holiday music rings through car stereos and store speaker systems.  Decorations and lights bring new life to homes across America.  Families gather together.  Malls fill with anxious shoppers in search of that one perfect gift for their loved ones.  It’s the season of love, joy and family. 

As we celebrate the upcoming holidays with our families...  As we remember the birth of our Savior...  And as we enjoy the many traditions that come with the Christmas season, let us also remember those who won’t be celebrating this Christmas.

Remember the 147 million orphans worldwide who won’t receive a gift from a parent.  Remember the children living on the streets whose only Christmas wish is survival.

What if, this year, your family gave a gift that can’t fit under a tree?  What if this year you gave Christmas to a child in need?

Christmas in the form of… 

• Education
• Food
• Home
• Adoption

This year join Lifesong for Orphans in giving a gift with purpose.  A gift that will speak Jesus to a child. 

Introducing Lifesong’s 2010 Christmas Gifts of Purpose Catalog.  Tis the season to bring joy and purpose to orphans.

 

It's time to post our winners!

But first...

This weekend was Orphan Sunday.  Many of you took part in events with your church or small groups.  While some of you hosted a major event with speakers and live music, some had an intimate gathering in your home.  Whatever your participation in Orphan Sunday, it is valuable!  Thank you, for taking a stand for orphans around the world!

As for me, I had the blessing of being a part of a small prayer group.  We gathered together Saturday night and talked about ways to serve, experiences we'd had, people and children on our hearts.  And then we prayed.

The cool thing is, this wasn't a huge event.  Just a small group of believers coming together with willing hearts for a cause.  A cause that we believe is at the heart of our Father in Heaven.  And believe me, it was powerful.

So I'm curious.  What did you do this weekend?  Was there something specific that touched you?  Did you have a special program at your church?  What was the response?  Leave us a comment and let us know!  

Alright, and now, since I know you're all just dying to know who our winners are... (i have a video of the LIVE drawing but unfortunately I was unable to load it, so a written announcement will just have to do.)

Give-away #1: Answer this question:

How MANY children has Lifesong helped bring home to date?

the answer is... 1531!

and we had a tie... both guessing 1500, Kim Young and Chris Butler went head to head in a tie-breaking drawing and...

Congratulations Chris!

Give-away #2:

First of all, thank you everyone who participated!  Your comments were great!  

And the winner is...

Congratulations Catalina Booth!

Happy Monday, all, and to our winners: email info@lifesongfororphans.org to get more info on how to receive your new t-shirt!