The Need!

Sharing from our friends over at Building The Blocks today! What an amazing opportunity to share the love of Christ in a tangible way!:) Go for it!:)




One need...
I knew before even laying my eyes on them that the children who attend the Manna Feeding program here at Eagles Nest would steal my heart... and sure enough they have. :)



Monday through Friday they walk between one and two miles to come and eat a meal and learn a little bit more about the One who created them and the One who loves them more than they could possibly understand. Some travel carry for younger siblings along the way, some walk in groups and some come alone. They are often dirty, tired, and coughing... but almost always have a look of hope in their eyes.

Yesterday when Pedro led the devotion he asked the children how we could be praying for them and some of the children shared their concerns about sick parents and parents needing work. But what blew me away was the ones who shared praises of safety and praises of being given the meal they were about to be served. Such a small thing to so many of us and something I know I have almost always taken for granted.

As the children gobbled down their meal and their little bellies were filled there was one thing that I just couldn't take my eyes off of...

their shoes.


As I looked at child after child's feet my heart ached. Shoes are precious here and something not one of them takes for granted. 2 days ago I was (attempting) to talk to a couple little girls in Spanish while some of the other children were playing soccer. I couldn't help but to notice how one little girl kept reaching down and rubbing at her feet. As I gently took her shoes off I notice the sores on her toes and how they had been so crammed into the shoes that were too small for her feet and how swollen they were. So, I did the only thing I knew how to do, I offered her a pair of Kadens who happen to wear the size she needed. They were boys shoes but that didn't matter a bit to her. Her beautiful smile said it all as she walked away proudly in her new shoes.

Many of you have asked me to let you know if there are needs here. There are so many I don't even know where to begin. So many that often times it becomes overwhelming and I wonder how one pair of shoes could even begin to make a difference. But it is in those times that the Lord reminds me to take it one day at a time, one moment at time, one child at a time...



A pair of shoes here cost approximately $15 a pair. While shoes can be shipped (although shipping is expensive) sizes for the children are not always right. If anyone is interested in purchasing a pair of shoes for a child they can send the money through paypal to http://www.eaglesnestint.org/Donate-to-the-Eagles-Nest_f08529.html You will receive a confirmation number and then you can email me at blockamy@hotmail.com and let me know that you donated money for a child's shoes. We will then size that childs feet, take pictures of that child receiving their new shoes and send it to you. :)

The need here is so great... and I realize that not all of us can do everything but at the same time if I do not let the needs be known than people don't know how to help if the Lord has laid it on their heart. Perhaps you know someone who has a birthday coming and this would make a great gift to them instead of trying to come up with an idea to give to someone who already has enough. Perhaps it's a good project for a Sunday School class or even a family who is mission minded.

Jesus does not separate the physical needs from spiritual needs- He attends to both. As followers of Christ I believe it is a blessing to do the same. Thanks for being His hands and feet here on earth.

Be the Change!

Amy

OH, and if you want to support the Blocks as missionaries in Guatemala, please go click on that little "Backing the Blocks" button on the RIGHT sidebar...we can't all go, but we CAN all be SENDERS!:)

While The Kids Are Away......

Phew! Everyone is at Grandma's and I have a...few...moments......to.......YYAAAAWWWWNNN!

Yeah, it's been that kind of week;).

We started homeschool this week and we are all POOPED!

I've been planning for months for our new year, and let me just say...this week was HARD!

Maybe because I decided to change everyone's curriculum AND add Caleb and Ava doing K-4 this year....hmmmmm...

AND, I've redone my classroom which has me SUPER excited, cause it's so CUTE!:) I like having a "real classroom"...I'm just nerdy that way:) Never mind that the other side of it is the play area and is always a MESS! I'll spare you those pics;).

Anyway..:)

Here's what we're doing:

N-Connections Academy(online), 7th grade

L-Connections Academy...no..wait...after four days of crying that didn't work out, so....now we're doing Bob Jones English/Math/Bible, Road Trip USA, Connections Social Studies/Spelling, and Young Scientist's Club, 4th grade(and I've stopped crying;))

E-Horizons Math, Abeka Language, Penmanship(Mom-made), Abeka Spelling, Road Trip USA, Young Scientist's club/Abeka Exploring God's World, BJU Bible, 2nd grade

S-Horizons Math, Abeka Language/Writing/Spelling/Health, Road Trip USA, Young Scientist's Club, BJU Bible, 1st grade

C&A-Letter of Week Curriculum(http://confessionsofahomeschooler.com), plus lots of hands on goodies:)! My goals for Ava are learning colors, shapes, and pre-writing...she may need outside help to catch her up at some point though...I would say she is at least a year behind right now.

Tired yet? ME TOOOOO!

Here's some pics for ya! Oh, and "note to self"....NEVER spend 6 HOURS at the fair the day before homeschooling starts...N.E.V.E.R!

Sorry the pics are mixed up....I'm just too stinkin' tired to redo them:).

It IS Our Problem! UPDATE!

From an on-fire Momma over at http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/08/because-it-is-our-problem.html. PLEASE PRAY AND HELP!! Hop on over and read about how you can help rescue this treasure!






This little girl's adoption is FULLY FUNDED..in 24 HOURS over $23,000 was raised to RESCUE this sweet girl!! Can you say Yippeeee Jesus?!?!?:)

Fall Is In the Air!

Yes, friends, it's that time of year! Time to snuggle with your hubby and sip a delicious cup of COFFEE!

We're so excited to be signed up with Just Love Coffees and can't wait for you to visit(and hopefully purchase from) our store there!

But I'm getting ahead of myself...let me tell you how this wonderful fundraising program began at Just Love Coffee.

Rob Webb knows coffee. When Rob was two years old, his father started Webb's Coffee Service, which blossomed into a full-blown refreshment service supplying businesses in Nashville, TN and the surrounding areas, and is now run by Rob.

Rob Webb knows the adoption process. In the summer of 2008, Rob and his wife Emily were called to adopt from Ethiopia. After much prayer and discussion with their first two children they started their adoption journey in August 2008. During the flurry of paperwork and preparation, Rob & Emily read books not only on adoption in general, but specifically on Ethiopia. Learning that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee caught Rob's attention, and after reading about the living conditions and wages of the average coffee farmer, he was compelled to take action. What developed through his reading and his trip to Ethiopia to unite with his daughters was a realization that he could combine his expertise and longstanding desire to roast his own coffees with his desire to help others. Just Love Coffee Roasters was born! Roasting Fair Trade Specialty coffees, Just Love uses proceeds to help an Ethiopian orphanage and families adopting not just from Ethiopia, but from anywhere in the world.



So, there you have it! You'll not only help us bring our daughter home, but those sweet ones left behind in Ethiopia as well! It's a WIN-WIN situation!:)

So, START SHOPPING!:) Our URL is http://www.justlovecoffee.com/TheRichardFamily. This will take you right to our page there, and you can shop from there:).

And for those of you who AREN'T all that fond of coffee...they have other goodies for sale at Just Love as well..AND..we are also opening another "store" at another wonderful sight for adoptive families..so, stay tuned!

Too Long.....

WOW! It's been way too long, and I've been a BAD, BAD blogger!

So, let's pick up with where I left off:). We had a wonderful party for Caleb and Ava's birthday..a cook-out actually..but the pics were terrible because the wind was blowing 25 miles per hour!!!! Oh well... Ava had fun, but it was more chaos than anything due to the wind...people having to chase their plates across the yard and all:\.

Gotcha Day was July 5th....honestly a little difficult to look back on with "fondness" because of the bonding issues we have, but we celebrated with peanut butter cookies! She hated them...:(. I need to lower my expectations about "special days" I think.

Then let's see...the 4th of July we went to the zoo and to see fireworks. She shook and was definitely a little freaked out by it all, but she didn't cry:).

Then the computer crashed for two weeks and I was without my "lifeline"...seriously sad when you communicate mostly through a computer!

I've also been working feverishly to get ready for homeschooling this year...LOTS of copying, printing, and laminating goin' on around here!;) I'm using the preschool curriculum from confessionsofahomeschooler.com for Ava and Caleb, and it is a LOT of work to get together, but looks fun, so I'm excited! Now if I can figure out a way to get Caleb to sit still for the hour it will take to get through it!;) GEESH!!

What else...oh yes! Our dossier made it to Ethiopia and we are NUMBER 22!! Our agency(West Sands) is saying 6 months till referral...SERIOUSLY??? See that little chip-in button on the left? Yeeeeaaahhh, that's gotta MOVE or we're in T.R.O.U.B.L.E!;)

We also completed our fingerprints for USCIS on August 1, so we're waiting to hear back about that as well.

Then my oldest daughter was in the hospital for a couple of days, with what we thought was meningitis!! GOOD TIMES!! NOT! She really didn't even feel bad after the first day, but they insisted she stay...SOOOOO, we missed our first Bulgarian adoptee reunion...totally bummed!


Then the computer POWER CORD went out...and so did the battery..siiiiigggghhh. Good thing the kids got a "free" computer to use with their online school this year...and that's where I am today.. I don't have access to our pics and stuff from the zoo, etc...but hopefully can get those up soon.

I would just ask for prayer as we continue to fill out grant applications and save money for the next set of fees at referral($9200). And for this next school year as I am homeschooling FIVE different grades(I must be totally LOONEY...or I WILL be at the end of this school year!!)