Famine Update

Our Chapel decorated for the Celebration Service.

Do you remember this post? about the 40 hour famine for World Vision at the school I work at? The students gave up food for 8 hours (because they are in Primary School they only give up food for 8 hours instead of 40). 

Our goal was to raise $3500 this year as last year we raised $3000. 

Unfortunately we didn't reach our target. We did however raise a bit over $2000. So it was still a really great effort by all the kids. We even had one particular individual raise $750, a mammoth effort. It was great to see students become really passionate about raising money for the 8 hour famine. Some students set up stalls selling bookmarks and pre-loved goods at lunch time to help raise money. 

On the day we gave up the food we ended the 8 hours with a sausage sizzle and a special celebration chapel service. It was a really great way to end the day. The students felt what it was like to go hungry and try to concentrate during a school day. It is a great way to let the reality of poverty-hunger that children all over the world experience on a daily basis sink in. 

It really was a privlidge to be able to raise greater awareness about global issues amongst our primary school. 

To find out more about World Vision and the work they do around the world then check them out here.

Sevenly

I came across this really neat organization called Sevenly through the ever - insightful Pinterest...

Each week they come up with new t-shirt, jumper, tote bag designs that support a certain charity. $7.00 from every purchase goes toward the charity. The designs on their apparel are always very funky and unique, related to the cause of the charity. 

This week their chosen charity is called  Hope Global. Hope Global provides food, shelter, accommodation and care for a child orphaned by AIDS. It began in Rwanda where there are over 600 000 orphaned children and has since spread to other countries. 

"HOPE: Global is a faith-based, non-profit organization that operates to restore hope and justice to countries devastated by war, genocide and poverty. Our aim is to unite individuals, churches, governments, NGOs, education, trade, healthcare and business professionals to offer practical solutions that strengthen and help develop existing indigenous organisations."

 

What I love about Hope Global is the fact that it was actually founded by some well-known Australian Pastors. Darlene Zschech, the anointed worship leader who used to be with Hillsong and her husband who now pastor their own Church. It's great to see Aussies out there making a difference in the nations. 

 

So why not check out Sevenly and their awesome apparel supporting Hope Global this week and be sure to keep checking out Sevenly each new week in their work of supporting global charities. 

 

Competition Photo Entry

So on Sunday I entered a competition by world vision to win an I PAD. Oh. How. I. Want. One. You had to post a photo about your vision in relation to ending global poverty. Here is my photo:

After I did a bit of research I discovered that by sacrificing a coffee a day for a month, the total amount saved could provide clean water and sanitation for an entire third world community. I truly believe that if we in the Western world could choose to live more simply, we would have more to be generous with. It's crazy how our small sacrifices can make a big difference.

What small sacrifice could you make in your life today?

Wold Vision 40 Hour Famine

I really have a lot of respect for World Vision because they do so-much good and seek to help the poorest of the poor through many ways, shapes and forms. Whether or not they are fundamentally a Christian Organization or not, they challenge me as a Christian in their response to global issues such as poverty. 

I remember when I was in High School I used to do the 24 hour famine, which is where you would give up eating food for 24 hours and raise money from people to do so. The money would go toward World visions target country. Now since working as a Chaplain at the school I have been passed the baton of running the 40 hour famine at our school (It's really 40 hours that World Vision push to give up food for). Since I work at a primary school we don't feel right asking our children to give up food for 40 hours, or even 24, so instead we do an 8 hour famine. Nowadays kids are encouraged to give up technology, talking, furniture etc instead of food if they would like, however we only give them the option of giving up food as teachers find it too-disruptive to give up other things. 

Last year, we did the 8 hour famine and raised $3000 which was a massive effort and huge improvement on the year before. If the kids got to $3000 the Principal would dress as a Superhero, which he ended up doing since we hit the target. 

This year, we are aiming for $3500. If the kids manage to raise that much, then all the teachers will dress up as Superheroes. We have run a Groves Got Talent competition alongside the famine each year to raise a bit of extra money-which is a whole other post... and the kids truly LOVE it. 

This coming Thursday the 16th of August, is our 8 hour famine day. The kids will be going without food until 2pm, and then we will end with a sausage sizzle and a celebration Chapel service (lets just say I've hired helium balloons). So please keep us in your prayers. For me logistically, it's A LOT. But its so-worth it, and it actually is the one thing that sinks in for the kids to realize the reality that many children around the world face living without food on a daily basis. 

This year, the funds raised from the 40 hour famine are going toward Ethiopia who as most of us would know are experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. 

If you haven't considered or ever heard about the World Vision 40 hour famine, then I would suggest that you take a look at their website...and as they would say; Do Something Real, donate, child sponsorship or give up food for 40 hours? They have heaps of opportunities for you to be a part of.

Job Perks

As I was thinking about my crazy busy week gone by (so-crazy busy that I haven't posted in a week) I thought about one of the highlights amidst the busy. Part of my job, is having to chat with kids on  a weekly to fortnightly basis who are going through some significantly hard times. One particular girl who I'd been seeing has had such an incredible transformation over the past few months. She began seeing me after becoming involved in some very dark and harmful actions. She admitted she was in a very dark and hopeless place. When you're a 12-13 year old girl, its never an easy time really, and some have it harder than others...this particular girl was doing it hard. 

Anyway, this term she really seemed to have turned a new leaf in her teen life and was almost a completely different person. She had even begun to notice those around her, others in her year level who too, were going through hard times. Through her own experience of being isolated within her year level she wanted to reach out to those she saw who were at risk of disengaging similar to herself. We decided we would bless people in her grade and her teachers by baking them cookies and writing out Bible verses. It was a really fun thing to do with her and I loved watching her shine with excitement to bless others. 

While my job is at times heartbreaking and oh. so. hard. The partnering with kids as they gain an awareness of others is by far a perk! And it serves as a reminder for all of us, to see if there are people around us in our daily lives who perhaps need that extra attention, love and encouragement...

Blogs For A Cause

Are you in need of a new blog design?

Nikki at Blogs For A Cause designs blogs for an unbelievable price of $30 with $25 of it going toward her humanitarian work. 

Why not check our her Blogs For A Cause website and her portfolio of blog designs... 

Lemon Cake for my Love

Sometimes I think we can find it easy to bless people in the community, those we work with, friends, extended family etc that we forget to look for ways to bless those closest to us. So a couple of weekends ago while my hubby was away for the day I decided to bake him a cake I know he loves. So they say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" and perhaps spending the day alone it made me realize how truly amazing my husband is. Yet, how often do I take the time to show him that through more than words or in a special way? Sometimes I think its easy to look for others to reach out to, but at the same time perhaps neglecting those we are closest to who need that extra care too. While I'm at it, I thought I'd share the recipe because this cake is truly delicious. Its by one of my favourites- Donna Hay, out of her Fast, Fresh, Simple book.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

3/4 cup veg oil

2 eggs

1T grated lemon rind

2T lemon juice

1 Cup natural yoghurt

1 3/4 Cup of Caster Sugar

2 Cups self-raising flour

Lemon Frosting

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

1/4 Cup lemon juice

Preheat Oven to 180 degrees celcius. Place the oil, eggs, rind, lemon juice, yoghurt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Sift over the flour and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 24cm fluted ring tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked. When the cake is still hot place onto a plate. To make the lemon frosting, gently stir together the sugar and lemon juice. Spoon over the cake and allow to set. Serve warm.

*I used a love heart shaped tin

Enjoy and may we all take time to love those closest to us.

New Life

Welcome to the world Judah

Oh my goodness. My bestie and her bump had her sweet little boy Judah on Thursday at 5:30am. Shout out to her because she did it completely drug free (not planned he just came really fast). Anyways so finally hubby and I got to visit on Friday night. It seriously is the most amazing feeling in the world-holding a new born.  There is a sense of restored hope and awe of our amazing God when you hold a newborn...

So we went to the Redbank Public Hospital for the first time and finally made our way into her room to give him some cuddles and to drop off a little care package I'd put together for her.

I recently read an article in one of my favourtie magazines- Frankie. The article was entitled "Get Well Soon" and simply listed some practical tips for what to include when making a care package for someone in hospital. Whilst my care package didn't include all of these things... here is what they suggested:

Entertainment-especially magazines seeing they may not be up for reading in-depth novels

Moisturizer of any kind for hands, face, body, lip balm. Air conditioning in hospitals tends to dry out skin more than normal

Sometimes you just never know if they remembered them, have been able to wash etc so sometimes some spare pairs of undies can save the day

Snacks, hospitals have strict feeding routines and only feed the patient. When we visited my friend we brought dinner for her hubby and snacks seeing he is with her all day, but doesn't get fed.

Breath mints, sometimes when you're not feeling so-great and having visitors, the last thing you want is to have stinky breath.

Hospitals are not the most prettiest of places so some colour can make ones room or corner a bit brighter to stay in

Thermos. Sometimes if you are on high doses of medication you can't stay awake long enough to finish your coffee of cup of tea, so a thermos ensures they can doze in and wake up to their hot drink being hot. 

 So there you have it. A few suggestions of what to include in a hospital care package. Of course these are just some suggestions and I'm sure you have some great ideas too. I'd love to hear what you have packed or as being a patient, wish someone had brought you?

Today I'm linking up with Jess from Lovely Little Things

Flaunt Your Cause

I was so-very excited to have discovered this whole "Flaunt Your Cause" thing, not only to obviously share about something I am passionate about, but also to read about other people passions and ways they are investing their time to live a life of More Than Words....

The cause I want to flaunt is more of a program that is committed to the cause of instilling Worth, Strength and Purpose into women both young and old. A program called Shine.

I personally, am passionate when it comes to women and seeing them live their life to their fullest God-given potential. When I lived in India, I used to travel to the villages running anti-trafficking and safe migration seminars, along with Princess Parties. See, it was at the Princess Parties where we were able to address the root issue of where women find their value and worth. When a woman believes her value and worth is found in what she does, provides, looks like etc then she is more likely to fall into the trap of migrating to bigger cities chasing, fame, money and a more glamorous life. When a women is secure in who she is according to He who created her, then she can say no to that which is contrary to her unique calling. So, yeah when I lived in India, myself and an American lady who is living in India would travel to villages as well as local schools and Church groups running Princess Parties. 

We had women young and old attend our parties...for some it was the first time for them to be made to feel like a Princess

This is a party we hosted in a village where we had the women make "dream journals"

This is a program we ran at a school.

We tried to work within the local traditions decorations to make them feel special and valued with decorating the rooms

We would give each woman a tiara for her to keep:)

Now that I'm living in back in Australia my passion for speaking into the lives of women has not gone away. I work as a Chaplain at a local primary school. I am so-blessed to work alongside passionate teachers who are so-committed to the children. It is a christian school located in a low socioeconomic area. We have students from Christian, non-Christian, poor and privileged backgrounds. We also host a large number of nationalities at our school with over 38 different countries being represented. Needless to say, working as the Chaplain at this school comes with its challenges, but it is equally matched with its blessings. One of those blessings is, this year- starting next term I have the privilege of facilitating the Hillsong Shine Girl Program. 

The aim of the program is; "For each girl to develop understanding of her own personal worth, strength and purpose and realise the potential within her to fulfil her desires". Some facts about the Shine Program:

• Used in over 30 nations
• Used by over 1000 organisations
• Estimated participation of over 20,000 girls and women
• Outreaches to refuges, schools, ethnic groups, religious groups, rural communities, indigenous communities, correctional centres, war-torn countries, girls homes and so forth.
• Translated into seven languages

There is Shine Girl (years7-10), Shine Women (18 years +)  and Shine Hope (For middle school years to 18 years with an anti-trafficking educational prevention element). The program is run in such a way where you have teaching elements, practical/experiential elements which relate directly to issues girls and women around the world struggle with. I am in the process of looking into different grants I can apply for to get some money to help cover the costs of running this program and making it as special as possible for the year 7 girls.

I am so-excited that I get to facilitate this amazing program at the school...if only every school had the capacity to run it...If you are passionate about working with women/girls then I could not more- highly recommend the Shine Program which is changing lives and equipping women for greatness. 

 “I believe the seeds of greatness are within us all. They key is in creating the correct environment for them to then surface into reality” – Bobbie Houston

Be sure to check out the hosts of this link up -Lindsay and Emmy's blogs to read about more inspirational causes...

58:The Film

  

Compassion have created a film that brings to life the reality of what life is like for a Child in poverty. It shows children from Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil and India. It doesn't stop there though, the film then goes on to show what the Church is doing in response to child poverty. In the words of Compassion; "58: The Film shows a vision of extreme poverty coming to an end and invites us to become part of the possibilities."

58:The Film has begun touring Australian capital cities, the tour dates are as follows:

TOUR DATES AND VENUES

NT - Tuesday 22 MAY – Casuarina Baptist Church, 44 Dripstone Road Nakara, Darwin
WA - Thursday 24 MAY – Metrochurch, 142 Beaufort Street Perth
SA - Friday 25 MAY – Hope Church, 11-16 South Terrace (corner Vinrace St) Adelaide
QLD - Saturday 26 MAY – Life Church, 109 Golda Ave Salisbury Brisbane
ACT - Wednesday 30 MAY – Hughes Baptist Church, Groom Street Hughes Canberra
VIC - Thursday 31 MAY –  Activate Church, 1/20 Melbourne St Ringwood, Melbourne
TAS - Friday 1 JUNE – Abundant Life Church, 490 South Arm Road, Lauderdale, Hobart
NSW – Saturday 2 JUNE – Village Church Annandale, Cnr Johnston Street and Booth Street Annandale, Sydney

DOORS OPEN 6:45 PM and the film will begin at 7:00 PM. Evening finished by 9:00PM.

I'm excited about these because everybody who attends will receive a FREE action kit which includes a copy of the film so you can host your own screening. The website includes a bunch of free resources to help you promote your screening.

I think film screenings can be a simple yet effective way to raise awareness and inspire action. You never know what seeds will planted and brilliant ideas will form from simply opening up your home, or a hall or anywhere to show a film. With winter fast approaching, and nights becoming cooler and cooler, why not grab some blankets, pillows, turn on the stove and make some hot chocolate-then settle in for an evening of inspiration. 

Make sure you take a look at the website!

Freedom Climb Atlanta

Here is something exciting that you and your family can be a part of this coming Mother's Day Weekend. Now, it is in America-Atlanta to be a bit more specific...so if that is your sphere of the world then check out the following link to find out more information and to register for the Atlanta Freedom Climb. The climb is being held in order to raise awareness and funds to help fight the modern day slavery -human sex trafficking. And hey, if you can't be there physically-in person (like myself), then how about committing to support the event with your prayers...  

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it

Thank You Water

 A few months ago when I attended a PD (professional development) for Chaplaincy I heard about a really great idea that some young Aussies came up with. As they say, it is based on a simple idea-water. 

"A 600million dollar bottled water industry exists in Australia and when people choose to purchase Thankyou Water, 100% of the profit Thankyou Water makes funds projects that help thousands and one day millions of people gain access to safe water. It’s a simple idea but the process is a little unfamiliar to most people because it’s different to traditional charity".

The following image shows the difference between a traditional charity verses a social enterprise, which is what Thank You water calls itself. 

Traditional Charity:

We all understand the basic concept of traditional charity. You give your donation to a charity organisation and it, in turn, carries out the charitable work. There is usually an administrative fee taken by the charity but the majority of your donation goes toward the charitable work.

Social Enterprise: 

A social enterprise takes a different approach. Our business is set up to be competitive in the bottled water market and to make as much profit as possible for the sole purpose of funding water projects in the affected areas of developing nations.

Thank You Water claims:

'Thankyou Water is a social enterprise that exists for a single purpose: to bring clean drinking water to those in need. Our goal is to give people around Australia the opportunity to change entire communities through a simple, everyday purchase. For this reason, 100% of our profit funds water projects in developing nations. For every bottle sold, at least one month’s worth of water is provided to someone in need".

So far Thank You Water is available at some service stations, post offices and local stores Australia wide. The more people know about this great initiative and how by something as simple as making an informed choice in buying bottled water; together we can help fund water projects in developing nations. Be sure to look out for it next time you grab a bottle of water! 

For more info. check out their:

Facebook page 

Website

Blog

Mother's Day

With Mother's Day just around the corner I thought it very fitting to promote something that makes for not only a beautiful but life-giving gift idea. Bloggers for birth kits aims to reduce maternal mortality in developing nations.

Adriel who blogs at the The Mommyhood Memos has started this unique campaign to assemble and send these clean birth kits over to Papua New Guinea, where the rate of maternal death is 1 in 7. 

"Did you know that a simple clean birth kit can help save a mom’s life? Did you know that for around $2-3 you can assemble one? Did you know that everything you need to make one can be found easily and quickly at your local hardware store and pharmacy. Look how simple these clean birth kits are…"

Clean Birth Kit specifics

1. Soap (for the birth attendant to wash her hands). Use a hotel-size soap or cut a regular bar of soap into 1/8-sized pieces. (Microwave the bar of soap for 30 seconds to soften it for cutting).
2. One pair of plastic gloves (for the birth attendant to wear).
3. Five squares of gauze (to wipe the mum’s perineum and baby’s eyes). Gauze pieces should be about 10×10 centimeters or 3×3 inches.
4. One blade (to cut the cord). You can buy individually wrapped sterile blades at the pharmacist or buy utility blades (much cheaper) at the hardware store. We teach the women to boil the blades for sterilization, so utility blades work just fine.
5. Three pieces of string (2 for tying the cord, 1 for “just in case”). String should be about 30 centimeters or 10 inches long.
6. One plastic sheet (for a clean birthing surface). Sheet should be approximately 1×1 meter or 1×1 yard and can be purchased at your hardware or paint store.
7. One sandwich-size ziplock bag (to pack the contents).

Here are ways Adriel says we can get involved:

How to get involved in Bloggers for Birth Kits:

1. Make a birth kit. Assemble one yourself or gather a group of girlfriends, a moms group, work associates, or a church group to make a box full of them! Mail your kits to: Adriel Booker, Bloggers for Birth Kits, PO Box 6221, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
2. Donate for a birth kit to be made on your behalf. ($10 will buy 5 kits!) All donations for B4BK go toward the assembly and distribution of kits, as well as maternal care education. Make your online donation here. Please be sure to write “Bloggers for Birth Kits” in the box that says “additional comments” so the funds will be allocated properly!
3. Help raise awareness by posting about the cause on your blog, facebook, pinterest, and twitter. (Please use the hash tag #B4BirthKits!)
4. Add the Bloggers for Birth Kits button to your blog. (See the side bar for code.)
You can also watch this video that I made last year. (Feel free to repost it or link to it.) During the first part I tell the story of how B4BK was born, and from the 3-minute mark you can see step-by-step instructions for how to assemble your own kit.

Why not donate some kits or money on behalf of your Mum for a Mother's day present. Adriel will send you a printable document to include in your card for Mothers day... Now I have simply copy and pasted snippets from Adriel's full article from her blog...so for the full story and of course to check out her inspirational parenting blog please click  here. 

Tour of Hope

Getting fit and healthy for a good cause:)

A few weekends ago my husband and I bought bikes! I was so-excited as I have been wanting to have a bike again for ages... Since buying our bikes, which we picked up for $50 each off gumtree, we have enjoyed riding around our neighbourhood when we have some free time. My fear has been however, with work being so-busy and both of us coming home exhausted, we won't make an effort to go for rides and they will just sit in our garage gathering dust:(

So, yesterday I went searching online for bike tracks around the gold coast and surrounding areas, when I came across this website which listed different bike events happening in Brisbane... so curious me decided to investigate a little further and found it was a list of different riding events and races etc that are on this coming year. There was one that caught my attention, which was called the Tour of Hope...

I found they have four different rides of varying difficulties and distances with a small entry fee and all money raised goes towards: "Funds raised from the Tour of Hope events go to various community and transformation projects throughout under-privileged areas of the world."

Most of their projects are in Africa... for specific information check out their projects here.

Anyways, I'm hoping that I can get my husband on board to do the 10 k ride...which is the easiest...it's coming up on the 2nd of June...so we gotta get peddling! Its such a beautiful weekend to get out there and do just that! I hope you enjoy your weekend too.