Operation Christmas Child update!!

To God be the GLORY!!!!!!

Our church has collected 125 shoeboxes and is in the process of collecting all the stuff to fill them up.  We were praying and wondering how we would be able to pay for the shipping.  Each box costs $7 to ship and we wanted to send the money with the boxes.  That's $875 that we didn't have.  We decided to do a fundraiser for 3 Sundays.  After the second one, we had enough to ship only 58.  We prayed and asked the Lord to get his hand in it and do what he would.  Well, after the next Sunday, I am HAPPY and PRAISING THE LORD and EXCITED to report that we have collected enough money to ship ALL 125 boxes.  But wait, there is more.  We actually have about $300 left over!  So we will be able to purchase more to fill the boxes, and if we have an abundance, we will be able to send more than 125. 

I just gotta say that the LORD is good.  His mercies endure forever.  He cares about every hair on our head, and even more, he cares about every child on this earth.  He cares about their needs, yes, but he cares also about their hearts.  He promised that he would not leave them as orphans, but that he would come to them.  Every orphan has a father, and is not a spiritual orphan.  I pray that every box sent over helps these children realize that very truth.  We may be sending them an earthly gift.  But my prayer is that it will be the vessel to show them that our heavenly Father has given them a spiritual gift.........A SAVIOR.  One that will never leave or forsake them.  One that will wrap his loving arms around them.  I don't know what it is like to live in a third world country.  To live in extreme poverty.  I would imagine that feeling secure, feeling loved, and feeling safe is something these kids truly long for.  I pray that the God I serve will use these boxes to wrap his loving arms around each child and show them they are loved.  They are valued.  They are God's treasure. 

Do you want to be a part of this?  Let me say that no one will ever give you recognition.  No child will ever tell you "thank you."  No one will give you a metal or a blue ribbon.  No one will put you on Oprah and make you a public display of what a good person does.  Your fulfillment from this will come from within your heart.  It will come from YOU and GOD.  You will know that someone somewhere is smiling, is laughing, has a little joy in their life.  All because you gave unselfishly, wanting no recognition.  Just doing something out of the kindness of your heart.  Doing something that has NOTHING to do with you and your life.  Selfless.  It ain't all about us.  The bible tells us so.  And God has to hit us over the head with a two-by-four sometimes to get this point across.  Do we listen, or just put a bandaid on it?  Let's listen. 

To join with me and my church, you can do 2 things.......do a box by yourself.  Send it by yourself.  If you want to do this, here is the link for more information...

Operation Christmas Child

If you want to join with me, send me an email!  I would love to hear from you.  You can also send stuff to me to fill the boxes, or cash for me to do the buying.  Whatever it is, I know there are people out there that would love to participate.  Here is my email and my address.

Amy Adkins
5644 S Ingalls St
Littleton, CO  80123
amylooaac@aol.com

Blessings,
Amy

HELP baby Ari get adopted!!!!!!

Please join me in helping the Boesem family make Ari forever theirs!!  This wonderful family has 8 other adopted kids, most with special needs.  Little Ari was a preemie, and has struggled with medical issues since her birth.  But thanks to the Lord, she has a wonderful family that wants to make her their daughter FOREVER!!  The Boesem's have to re-do their home study and need to raise the funds to do it.  Please consider taking part in this fundraiser for their family.

I will be doing an online book drive for their family.  For every purchase you make, I will donate 100% of my commission to their family.  The more we sell, the more they will receive.  Also, Nora will get free books after the fundraiser, depending on the total sales.  Can you imagine the blessing we could be to her 9 children with not only the profit, but FREE books?

I am starting the BABY ARI Usborne books adoption fundraiser TODAY, and it will go through September 5th.  Please click on the link below to order.  Thank you from the Boesem's, Baby Ari, and me!!!

Baby Ari's fundraiser

HURRY!!  ENDS  SEPTEMBER 5th!!

God Bless,
Amy

New Fundraising Opportunity!!

CARDS FOR A CAUSE

Dear friends who need money,

I have a great fundraising opportunity that I want to share.  It is called "CARDS FOR A CAUSE."  My dear friend Mandy has gotten me hooked on it and I want to share it with everyone I know.  For all my friends who are in the adoption process in the fundraising phase, this is for you!  Also, it will work for any organization trying to raise funds.  Schools, sports teams, ministries, etc.  I am trying it out at church to raise money for our Operation Christmas Child project we have this year.  Let me lay it out, the down and dirty...

Here is how it works............You sell a beautiful box of cards.  There are 30 gorgeous, embellished cards in a cute keepsake box and it costs 30 bucks.  You as an organization get to keep $13 bucks for every box you sell.  That is a 43% profit my friends.  There are very few fundraisers that yield this much.  In my opinion, the cards will sell themselves!!  Everyone needs cards, and you just can't get a decent card for a buck.  Well, yes you can with Cards for a Cause.  Get a booth at a fair, sell them at a Garage sale, sell them door to door, sell them to your friends and family, and keep 13 bucks out of every box.  A little math for you...
Sell 100 boxes, get $1300 bucks (enough for a plane fare to Ethiopia or Russia)
Sell 150 boxes, get $1950 bucks (enough for a homestudy)
Sell 200 boxes, get $2600 bucks (enough for part of your dossier fee)

Small details......
1. You gotta sell at least 15 boxes
2. You take orders for them (unless you want to pay up front for them)
3. You have to charge the customer tax unless your organization is tax exempt

I will take care of all the details and can help answer any questions you may have because I am the Consultant for Cards for a Cause, which is part of Usborne Books.  God bless you all and I pray the Lord will bless what he has placed on your heart.

Here is my link
Cards for a Cause

Here is my e-mail
amylooaac@aol.com

Amy

Dolly Donations

     Wow! I am soooooooo excited about this opportunity!  A fellow adoptive family, The Wade's, are currently in the adoption process in Ethiopia and are doing something wonderful.  This family will be taking handmade dolls with them to Ethiopia to pass out to every kid in several orphanages.
     Directly from the Wade's blog........."The dolls we bring with us to Ethiopia will be taken to the children at the government orphanage, and if we have enough, we would love to bring one to every child at the America World Adoption Association transition home, Abenezer Orphanage and KVI orphanage.  These dolls are so simple and can be made out of any scrap fabric or old clothes.  I am actually using an old pillow to stuff them, so I haven't bought a thing."
     Seriously, we are talking 100's of kids here.  100's of dolls needed.  What an awesome opportunity for you sewing people out there.  I have personally been to several orphanages in Ethiopia and when I say these kids have nothing of their own, I mean NOTHING.  what a blessing it would be to bring a doll to every single child, a doll absoltely all their own.  I can picture the smiles on their faces already.  I just know from seeing it with my own eyes the joy it brings to these kids when they get a small gift of their own.  Visualize yourself with a scratch lottery ticket that is a $1000 winner.  I imagine the feeling of getting a doll is the same to these precious little ones.
     Let us not talk about loving people.  Let us love people with our actions, our deeds, our hands, our hearts, just as the bible tells us so.  Take a moment to decide today to make your life not about you.  I know for me, without loving people, life just doesn't satisfy.  There is a gift that I receive, too, when I make this life about more than just me and mine.  If you choose to participate in this project, I pray that HIS blessings be poured out upon you, and that you would be an inspiration for others.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth."  1 John 3:18

Here is the link to Logan and Brandy's blog for more information, but HURRY!!  You must have them to the Wade's by the end of JULY!!!!!

Dolly Donations

Blessings,

Amy

USBORNE books Fundaiser

My dear friend Mandy Golightly is an Usborne books consultant and has generously offered to donate 50% of her profits to a wonderful family in the adoption process.  Thank you Mandy for your giving, generous heart.  May God bless you in return!

Charlie and Bonnie Schilling have a wonderful family.  3 biological kids and 3 kids from Ethiopia.  Recently, their son's 2 brothers from Ethiopia have become available for adoption and this family is raising funds to go bring them home!  What a blessing, and what a step out in faith.  They have listened to the call that the Lord has placed in their hearts, and even though the task is scary, they believe that the Lord is leading them.  I am believing with them for every penny for this adoption of these two boys who need to be with their brother, and need a forever family.

Would you think about helping them bring their sons home?  You don't have to do a thing except place an online order.  You can do it in the comfort of your own home, in your jammies, in your undies!  These books that you order are absolutely great books, of high quality and kids love them.  The best part is that they will ship directly to your own home.  You get something wonderful out of it, books for kids, but the best part is that you could be helping take care of orphans like the Lord commanded us to do.  Thank you for opening your heart to this family. 

For the fundraiser and to place an order, please go here:
Usborne books fundraiser

Blessings,
Amy

My Stuff Bags

I just cannot stand the thought of kids in pain.  Especially emotional pain.  I have had the privilege of being raised by 2 wonderful parents, which today seems like a total luxury.  I am blessed.  Why should I be blessed because I was born on the right continent?  Why should I be blessed because I was born into the right family?  The fact is that I have no right to live in my blessed little world and turn my head away from those kids that don't have the same luxury that I do.  I simply can't turn my head away.  I hope you can't either.

MyStuffBags is something I came across when searching for children's charities in the United States.  It is an awesome organization.  Many kids get ripped from their homes and end up in foster care.  Most if those kids leave their home with a small trash bag of belongings and enter their new home with next to nothing.  But this organization's goal is to give every child entering the foster care system a bag full of their very own stuff.  Stuffed animals, toiletries, school supplies, baby items and blankets.  My eye caught this because I am not great at knitting or crocheting, but I can make those cute little flannel knot blankets and there is a quick pattern on the website.  You can get the kits at most fabric stores, and with a coupon they would be an awesome price!  There are dimensions on the site for the blankets that they need, as well as the address of where you can send the stuff.

There are so many kids in the world that could use your help. Some right in your own backyard.  One blanket could make a difference.  You will never see who gets it, where it goes, or the joy that it will bring.  But God will see, and it will make his heart so happy.

Here is the link to the website:

My Stuff Bags

God bless you dearly,
Amy

COFFEE ANYONE?

Just-Love Coffee Roasters is a company that sells Fair Trade, organic coffee beans with over 20 different types.  The best part about them is they donate a portion of their proceeds to non-profit organizations, including adoptive families.

If you are a coffee drinker and are interested in purchasing coffee and helping out a fellow adoptive family, the Vagnoni's, please visit here and get your caffeine fix!

Just Love Coffee

Amy

Meet the Vagnoni's! Help them bring their child home!!

Adoption is one of my most favorite things.  I LOVE talking about it, thinking about it, and blogging about it!

We are the Vagnoni Family: Mike, Amy, John, Ryan, and soon to be another brother or sister!  John and Ryan came home to Illinois in February 2010 from Ethiopia.  We have felt the Lord call us again to international adoption, this time from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  As of right now, March 2012, we are beginning our home study and the gathering of paperwork.  We are so excited to see the Lord at work again in this adoption!

Why don't more people adopt?  I hate to say this, but a HUGE reason is financial.  It is expensive.  But when the Lord calls you to do it, you just gotta answer and step out in faith.  The Vagnoni's have a few fundraisers they are doing to help them bring their child home!    If you LOVE coffee, which I do, you can purchase fair-trade coffee from around the world and help contribute to their adoption.  Please consider helping this wonderful family, and make the orphan number one less!  God bless to all who open their hearts to give.

To read more about their family adventures and adoption progress and to view some of their ongoing fundraisers, please visit their blog:

God's plan for Mike and Amy

Amy

Uganda Mission Trip Fundraiser

I love Africa.  I am hoping to help someone get there to make a difference.  A fellow adoptive mama Deb Steiner is going on a mission trip to Uganda and I would love it if you would help her raise the money for it.  And you get something awesome out of it!  You can get one of these awesome bracelets that says "love with abandon" or one that says "be the change."  You can also get a bag tag like the one above that says "be the change."  I ordered the "love with abandon" bracelet yesterday and can't wait for it to come.  Love with abandon.  What does that mean anyway?  Here is what it means to me...
Love like no one is watching.  Love the unloved.  Love the needy.  ABANDON your own self just to love someone else.  Let your own life be less important and spend your minutes thinking of how to make a difference.  I have something on the inside that others want and need.  That is the LOVE of Jesus Christ.  He is the treasure.  I am just the treasure box.  I am going to open up my heart, let him come out and love with abandon.
The money from these bracelets and tags will go to help Deb get to Uganda.  Why is she going?  She and several others will be pairing with an organization called Project Hopeful.  Here are words from the blog.  "The primary mission of our trip will be to provide short-term medical services to people in Uganda.  We will set up make-shift clinics in Ssenge Village, Kampala's slums, and maybe, the islands near Jinja."

Can you help her group get to Uganda?  Consider buying one of the items on the blog.  Just 10 bucks can make such a difference.  If your heart leads you to help, here is where you can make a purchase.

Uganda Mission Trip

For Deb's Project Hopeful's blog debut, go here.

Deb's Project Hopeful Blog

God Bless You!

Amy

 

 

 

 

Let us give up our own selfish ambition

I have been asking myself a question lately.  What is it going to take for people to stop being so self-centered?  It starts with me.  I have lived the last several years of my life completely engulfed in my own agenda, my own hopes and wants.  I have strived to have a nice house, nice car, nice clothes, nice friends, nice job.  The common denominator to all of this is ME.  It reminds me of that country song by Toby Kieth "I want to talk about me."  I wanna talk about me, I wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one, oh my me my.  What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.  I tried to find a bible verse that would substantiate such an attitude, but I neglected to find one.  Instead, I find James 1:27.  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  And Mark 10:21.  "“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  John 13:34.  "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."  We are commanded to do everything out of love toward one another.  We are to give of ourselves in order to grow the Kingdom of God.  It is hard to do everything you can to help and love the needy in this world, yet hold our own selfish ambitions in such high regard.  Phillipians 2:3 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."
My reason for starting this blog is to let go of my own selfish ambitions.  I really do want to value others needs above my own.  Partly because I am so blessed in this life.  Even when things in my life aren't going right, I am still blessed beyond measure when comparing myself to the rest of the world.  I live a very privelaged life.  I have hope.  I want to give some of that hope to people that have no hope.  I want to show the love of Jesus to those that don't know of it.  So if you are reading this, maybe you can, too. 
There are a lot of people in this life that do A LOT.  But there is very little people in this world that do even just a little.  What if we all just did a little?  What if you sponsored one child?  What if you were a big brother/sister to one child?  What if you gave one coat to a child in need?  I doesn't seem like a little can make a difference, but can you imagine the difference it makes for that one child?  There are 450 million orphans in the world.  Billions more that are living the life of extreme poverty.  Adopting one didn't even make a dent in those statistics.  But it sure made a dent in my two's lives.  We have to stop thinking that we gotta go big all the time.  Bigger cars require more gas.  Bigger houses take more money to maintain.  Bigger doesn't mean better.  Some people are meant to move to Africa and run an orphanage.  But more people are meant to change the world little by little, right where they are. 
Yes, peace on Earth really won't fully come until Jesus returns but peace in our hearts can happen today.  Peace in my heart comes when I know the Lord is pleased with me.  When I look outside myself and do something for someone else, peace just overcomes me.  So my prayer today is that those that read this would somehow have their spirit stirred up to show the love of Jesus to the people in this world.

Operation Christmas Child Update

Happy Valentine's Day! Tomorrow is the day after, and if you are out and about and see the Valentinee's Day loot on sale and are led to buy some of it for my project, that would be a big blessing!  Usually the dollar store and dollar bins at Target have V-Day stuff 50% off.  School supplies like pencils, erasers, little toys, stuffed animals.  Anything that would fit in a shoe box that a kid would like.  Here is the address of where to send it.  Thank you in advance, and God Bless You!!

Amy Adkins
5644 S Ingalls St
Littleton, CO  80123

Project Sew Important

This is another great opportunity for helping kids around the world.  Do you sew?  I do and I can't wait to help some very special girls in Ethiopia.  First, Ethiopia is close to my heart, not to mention one of the 10 poorest countries in the world.  Children's HopeChest Carepoint in Kombolcha, Ethiopia is an amazing ministry.  They provide education for AT RISK girls, vulnerable economically,  many of whom are orphans.  What if we in the US couldn't go to school or work because we lacked feminine hygeine products?  Have you ever even had to think about that?  These girls do not have access to these very basic necessities, and so they miss several days of school each month because of it.  That is where we come in!  It is an easy, simple solution.  Project Sew Important is a ministry that provides sustainable, reusible feminine hygeine products to these girls at the Kombolcha Carepoint.  Please visit these blogs for more information on how to get involved.  And may the Lord bless you back in return for giving of yourself, of your heart, and of your talents.  God equips us with talents and strengths that he wants to use for His glory.  I for one am going to sew my little heart out.

Rob and Candy's Blog for information and shipping address
Candy's email  mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

Project Sew Important info and Patterns

Amy

Operation Christmas Child

Do your kids ever go to birthday parties and come home with a party bag full of stuff that you throw in the trash right away?  Do you ever go through a drive-thru and get a happy meal toy that ends up at the bottom of a toychest?  Do you ever walk by the dollar bin at Target and see cute little toys that your kids DON'T need?  Please don't throw them away!  Junk to your kids could be a christmas present for a child around the world, and may be the only present that child has ever gotten.  Operation Christmas Child is a project through an organization called Samaritans Purse.  We collect shoeboxes and fill them with toys, school supplies, toiletries, and whatever else we think a child would like.  The boxes are then shipped all over the world and given to kids who have nothing.  I am not feeding the hungry, nor giving life-saving surgery to anyone, it just creates a smile.  That and the realization that there is a God of this world that cares about them, and there are people in the world that do, too.  So please send me toys, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, gum, candy.  The only thing that cannot be sent is liquids and glass. Also, if you live in Colorado, please save your shoeboxes for me!  Last year I did one little box.  This year I am stepping it up a bit.  My goal is 50 boxes.  Each box costs $7 to ship, which is $350 (I did good in math).  So if your heart leads you, I will be accepting donations to help with the shipping costs as well. 
So save your happy meal toys!  Buy those little books that are on sale in the dollar bin!  And I pray the Lord will bless you 100 fold in return.  Here is the address of where to send the loot to.
Amy Adkins
5644 S Ingalls St
Littleton, CO  80123

Samaritans Purse

Gotta Start Somewhere

This blog has been in my heart for a lot of years.  I knew my purpose in life was to make a difference somewhere, somehow, in the life of a child.  My journey to realizing this dream began in January 2007 when we brought our daughter home from Russia, and our son from Ethiopia in 2011.  My God....how they have changed my soul.   God began to reveal to me my true purpose, and eventually, my passion.  "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you," John 14:18.  God does not call those who are able.  He calls and equips those who are willing.  My husband and I heard His voice, and our hearts responded.  In time, He began to show me my true purpose on this earth is to shelter, love and hold the kids around the world in my arms.  I know my children are my destiny, but there is much more I am to do.  My hope is that this blog will change someone, inspire someone, and join with someone to change the world a little at a time.
~Amy