Lifetime 2

Here are a few more pages from the informational insect book the Friends School 6th-8th grades wrote and published.

They also made 15 butterfly-wing capes for the schoolchildren in Rwanda to use for drama and creative play. I wish I could feature them all as they are beautiful!!! I'll show the kids wearing them in Rwanda in a future story. So keep checking back!!!

Moms and More

Tory Jenkins shares her thoughts as she and Mothers and More donated baby clothes for Rwanda.

Baby clothes~~~with their adorable designs and their cute little sizes it is hard not to love baby clothes. We ooo and ahh over them at baby showers. As we wait for our babies, we hang little garments up in the nursery, just to replace them with slightly larger adorable outfits a few weeks or months later. The outgrown clothing often gets saved, waiting for future brothers or sisters.

Our group, Mothers and More, was excited to help once we heard about the need for baby c,oohing for the Mom & Baby Love Home. many onsies, sleepers, pants, and socks were collected. moms who no longer had any infant clothing expressed disappointment in having nithi to donate and asked if they could purchase new items instead. Other Moms were quick to ask if other baby items were needed as well.

Looking through my own collection of baby clothes, I was struck by memories of my children wearing the c,other , when they were so very small and so new to this world. Then as I snapped little snaps and folded little sleeves, I thought about the new babies that would soon be inside these clothes. I also thought about their mothers.

We hope that this small gesture helps these women as they become mothers or add to their families. We are not only sending socks and pajamas and onsies. We are also sending love.

Mothers and More provides programming and national community for moms through all stages, phases and transitions of motherhood. The State College Chapter website is http://mothersandmorestatecollege.org.

Blessings

This past Sunday March 1st my church held a Blessing of Many Hands to recognize the children, youth and college students that are connected to the ministry in Rwanda. How wonderful it was to have them bring their gifts forward to be blessed.

Girls scouts helped pack layette kits for our Mom and Baby Home that will offer post natal cate. They also made cards for new babies.

Rachel, a 5th grader, has worked with me on projects for 3 years. This year she raised money through her school project the Arts and Crafts and Caring Fair. She will send two children to school.

14 children wrote letters to a new friend in Rwanda. Pen Pals!!!

Several children from our church worked on school projects. We have sister school partnerships with Mt. Nittany Elem, Radio Park Elem, Ferguson Elem, Friends School, Friends School house, Nittany Valley Charter School, Grace Lutheran preschool and St. Paul's Preschool. They exchange art, drama, science and writing projects.

A music video was made of the children choirs singing songs with hand motions to teach new songs. The kids in Rwanda will make a video to send back to St. Paul's kids.

Felt Nativity sets were made by Kappa Phi sorority and St. Paul's kids.

2,170 toothbrushes were collected by K-Cafe middle school and high school youth for our dental clinic.

Wesley students and Kappa Phi sold birds of peace to support Peter the carver and youth education.

All of them were blessed for their service in missions!!

And thank you Kristin for displaying all their gifts throughout the sanctuary!

Interact

How are students at the State College High School engaged in service locally and globally? As a member of the State High Interact Club. The 17 members tackle issues that they care about most, through hands-on service projects. For 2014/2015 the emphasis was on books and reading. They collected books for Park Forest Day Nursery and built Little Free Libraries to be housed on the high school property.

Knowing they work on international projects I contacted them about a service project for Rwanda, making browsing sticks for our library. The sticks will mark the book's place on the shelf while having library time. Little did I know it would fit so well with their book theme for this year. Creativity was evident as paint, beads and embellishments were added to the sticks. Thank you Interact members!!!!!

Here are some of their comments. Reading is important because:

.....it opens you up to a whole new world and allows you to use your imagination and creativity. ~ Maryann, 15

.....books inspire you to be something great! ~Kaylah

......it allows you to communicate with people all around the world. ~ David, 16

......you can learn a lot about different places around the world. You could read stories of things that have happened in the past. (history) ~ Needhi, 16

......books are always better than movies. ~ Ana


Photos - Working on Library browsing sticks and the little free libraries.

Gift of Voice

The children of St. Paul's have so many gifts and one I want them to share is the gift of voice. Children all over the world sing joyfully and what better way to share something that makes them happy.

St. Paul's kids sang two songs and were video taped to teach the children at the Urukundo Children's Home in Rwanda. Songs that are fun, with hand motions and share what they learn in Sunday School.

Led by Joanna and taped by Sarah two groups sang "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock" and "Inright Outright Happy All the Time".

What fun it will be to bring back a video of songs the kids in Rwanda love to sing. Voices will ring out across the world as they share their special songs of praise!!!

Birds of Bethlehem

Our sister school partnership with St. Paul's Preschool is alive with feathers and color!!! This year I gave the preschool the book the Birds of Bethlehem and asked if they would have their children make birds to go along with the story. They will be used in devotions and Sunday School in Rwanda. The kids had such fun and asked that our kids in Rwanda make birds that I will bring back.

The Birds of Bethlehem is a quiet, simple story told by pairs of birds who witness the Nativity scene in Bethlehem. Each different colored pair of birds is filled with wonder as something unusual is happening in town. The green birds saw a long line of people, the yellow birds saw the inn was full and the blue birds saw a man and his wife being led to a stable. Other birds hear the angels singing. Finally all the birds fly to the stable to see the new baby that has been born...baby Jesus.

What a wonderful time the children will have reading aloud this story and taking the role of the birds to announce the birth of Jesus.

Rachel Gives

For the past few years a young girl has been very involved with the projects in Rwanda. Rachel Foster started as a 3rd grader working with her Sunday school class to raise funds to buy two goats. Last year her class at Houserville Elementary worked on an art and writing project for Rwanda and she also worked with three high schoolers to make a handprint banner for the worship area in Rwanda.

This year, as a fifth grader, Rachel worked with Nancy Guild to coordinate the making of Nativity sets by Sunday School kids at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The first day of that project Rachel was so excited to tell me that she raised money through her school's Arts, Crafts and Caring Fair where students sell things they make then donate proceeds to a charity of their choice. Thank you to her teacher Linda Andrews for this wonderful lesson in giving back.

As she shared in her letter to me, "I am going to donate to you because I love how you run so many mission projects to benefit Rwandan children's lives. I love that you care about all the children's lives, childhoods, resource supply, children's families, and letting them know that God and Jesus care about them. I hope you can do something amazing and great with the money I'm going to give you." She raised $37.02.

After talking it over with her Rachel decided she wanted to send a boy and girl to school for a year and use any extra for their school supplies. I can't wait to meet those two children and share Rachel's story with them. And bring back pictures of the kids to share with Rachel.

I am constantly amazing by the giving hearts of our children and youth. What an example they are showing that helping others is an important part of their lives.

Thank you Rachel for being a light to others, reaching across the world to children in Rwanda. And to the two children you are sending to school.