Sewing

Each year I am amazed by the generosity of so many. This year several churches worked together to provide many hand-made dresses, vitamins, stuffed kitties and even paid $150 for the suitcase to go to Rwanda. Who are these amazing women from Pennsylvania?

First United Methodist Church, Muncy, coordinators Betty Jo Soohy and Nancy Grove of Mission Stitchers - 28 girls dresses

Friends Church Hughesville, PA, coordinator Nancy Katherman collected children's vitamins.

Watsontown United Methodist Church, coordinator Linda Smith 49 T-shirt dresses and Pat Groover the maker of the 31 stuffed Kitties

Thank you all for sharing your many gifts and talents. Your gifts will warm the hearts of many children!!! They leave with me next week!!!

Yoga for Charity

Yoga by Elizabeth Hay……..Yoga for Charity Give Back
From day 1 in my teaching journey I have built in giving back. Every time you take a yoga class you are participating in the social responsibility of giving back. 10% of each class fee goes to charity plus monthly I host at least one donation only class. The causes change from season to season but the mission stays the same. I am continuously grateful and always amazed by what we can accomplish. Thank you!

Current Charity – Hope Made Real, Rwanda, Africa
Help raise $450 to send 3 packed suitcases to Rwanda, Africa!!!! Carol Falke is leaving for her 6th trip March 2016 with many suitcases packed with books for a library, vitamins, teacher resource materials, school supplies, baby clothing, knit baby hats and blankets, dental supplies and socks for school children. Everything is so needed for Hope Made Real’s Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center and the local community. FYI - Each suitcase over the 2 allowable costs $150. Carol plans to take 7 suitcases. WE DID IT!!!

Check out Elizabeth’s website for a diversity of classes. elizabethhay-yoga.com

Once you find what you like sign up on Schedulicity for her classes.

Giving to God

Giving to God.....Living a generous life.

Sunday February 7th I experienced amazing generosity at Trinity Lutheran Church in State College, PA. You see a friend of mine, Esther, thought her church could help collect money for me to purchase much needed white school socks for the kids in Rwanda. Pastor Ron Miller agreed.

For two Sundays members of Trinity donated towards the socks and ended up raising enough so I could purchase 120 pairs of socks, 55 white snap baby tee shirts and 55 terry baby towels. I never expected to have one church provide all this for so many children and babies.

Making this partnership even more special was Pastor Ron Miller inviting me to church on Feb 7th for the blessing of the gifts. He shared with the children a message about socks and asked me to come forward to share. Then children and adults carried 6 Rwandan baskets overflowing with some their generous gifts for the blessing. More items were still being purchased. Members of the church also signed a children’s book of bible stories.

As the book Giving to God by Mark Powell says, “Where your treasure is, your heart will be also”. I know their hearts and prayers will be with me in Rwanda.

Helping Hands Fair

This year Deana Washell's 3rd grade class at Easterly Parkway Elementary in State College is partnering with the Urukundo school on a water-themed classroom project. They also stepped up to help raise money for a water tank for 4th grade classes in Rwanda. It's called, "A Drop in the Bucket Campaign."

They kicked off their fundraising efforts at the school's Helping Hands Fair Feb 3rd. This annual event exposes children to needs in the community and opportunities to serve. Many local organizations were represented as well as our international project in Rwanda, Africa...Hope Made Real.

The kids made a long poster for the display. They took home flyers to share with their parents. Lanie brought in beads for kids to make jewelry. And Anna raised $65 from her birthday and Christmas. The kids were great marketers at the fair as they shared about raising money for the water tank. Deana's class plans to roll it out school-wide and encourage all the classes to participate.

*Great marketers
*Lanie and her beads
*PSU student intern Charlotte with a student
*Anna being interviewed by Chris Rosenblum
*Some of the team!!!!

Love Flows

God's love flows throughout the world like waters to give nourishment. Nancy Guild, an amazing Sunday School teacher at St. Paul's United Methodist Church brought the theme of life giving water and sharing God's love to life.

She began the mission portion of the advent season lesson by pointing out where Rwanda is on the globe. She then had a map of the world on a tray and asked the kids to place sticker hands and hearts on the map where Pennsylvania was.

Slowly she poured water on the stickers and slowly they spread across the map of the world. It shows that sharing the light of God in each of them is spreading the good news to Rwanda. And it will be shared during the Easter season in Rwanda.

Coloring Books

Coloring Books for Rwanda!!! What a wonderful way to learn about missions and to share with children at the Urukundo Home in Rwanda, Africa. This year the theme for the mission team is life giving water. So coloring books featuring bible stories related to water were created.

Stories included God creating the sky and the water and the fish in the sea, Moses in the basket and parting the waters of the Red Sea, Noah building the ark, Jonah in the belly of the whale, the disciples catching a multitude of fish and Jesus calming the seas and walking on water.

The "covers" of the books were created by BJ Rhodes and colored by the Sunday School kids. The printable pages of stories will be colored by the kids in Rwanda then shared by the mission team at devotions. Thank you to all the children of St. Paul's for sharing your gift of creativity.

New Moms

As you all know we have been reaching out to support women in our community by providing the most vulnerable new moms with clothing for their babies and other items. The support has been greeted with such words of thanks and blessings to Mama Arlene and all that have donated. ...All that have donated infant clothing, knit hats and blankets and money so we can purchase hygiene products for the moms and have a nurse/midwife available. So thank you.

Just before Christmas two of those moms came to thank Arlene in person and share their new babies with our children at the home. Our children gathered around because at first they thought these would be new brothers and sister for them. They soon realized the babies had come with their moms for a visit. Still they till were excited to see the little ones.

Our special girl Claudine had a chance to hold one of the babies. Claudine is such a big girl now who has come a long way since her arrival almost 5 years ago as a 2 year old weighing 18lbs. Yes the love and care she receives daily has given her new life!!! And now she is sharing her love with this baby. Isn't it wonderful how God provides!!!!