Last Christmas my kids put together a
shoebox full of gifts to send to a needy child through
Samaritan's Purse. This is a ministry headed by
Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham. We have enjoyed giving in this way for the last three years and have been blessed by sharing with others at Christmas. You don't know who will get your box, you just choose a boy or a girl and an age range.
This past Christmas we chose a boy between ten and fourteen. It is a fun challenge to see how much you can fit into a shoe box. We included toothpaste,a toothbrush, paper, pencils, a pencil sharpener, sun glasses, soap, a wash cloth, index cards, hard candy, gum, and of course a baseball! All of this fit in a Rubbermaid shoe box so "our kid" could store his things for a long time! We also wrote our kid a letter to be sent in his box. We prayed for our kid and dropped it off at our
"church across the street." This is the church that we visit for their Saturday night service!
We received a letter from our "kid" this week, exciting mail all the way from Zambia, Africa...Our "kid's" name is Webby and his letter said this...
Dear Family,Thank you very much for the gifts you send to me in the shoe box, God bless you richly as you are doing the work of God. You know men of God. It's not easy to send something to someone whom you don't know, but God made it simple and easy because you have the true love of Christ in your heart. Greetings to all your family. You are good people, I enjoyed your gifts. All my family are praying for you, and we would love to hear from you soon.Pass my love greetings to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and all church members tell them that God loves them.Yours in the master's service,WebbyWe were blessed by his kind words. His letter made my day! What else can I say, he said it all so well.
I don't want anyone to think that I go through life making decisions based on what people may think. I guess that is fairly obvious based on the facts...seven children, two born at home and all home schooled, breastfeeding past a year, sometimes past two years. With that said, I am curious about something. You see, we live in a neighborhood of lovely homes, most built in the seventies, all well maintained, with about an acre of well manicured yard. Our back yard connects with the backyards of five other homes. It is really pretty especially this time of year with everything green and blooming. 
The top of the steps
"Piles" in the dining room floor (We had to move it off the table to eat:)
Socks and books on the steps
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