Feeding Children Everywhere

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to work with a really cool organization called Feeding Children Everywhere. We had a "packing party" and were able to help pack up 10,000 meals to be distributed to orphans and vulnerable children in Haiti and Guatemala. We packed up ready to boil packages of nutritious food made up of rice, lentils, dried vegetables and seasoning. Feeding Children Everywhere distributes meals around the world. Each meal costs just one quarter. Isn't that amazing? For 25 cents, a child gets to eat a meal designed especially for malnourished bellies.

As an added bonus, we got to wear these stylish hair nets (you can see how excited Colton was about that-and you'll also note that I'm conveniently not pictured :)
I think it is so cool that just 5 months ago, Rahel was one of those hungry children and now she is here helping to take care of others in need. She was really excited to help with this project-I think because it is easy for her to relate to the children that will be receiving these meals.

They let the kids decorate the boxes that the food is shipped in and Rahel decorated one with Amharic writing-that box is headed to East Africa (the first shipment that Feeding Children is attempting to get into Somalia). I'm not sure if anyone will actually be able to read it, but she wrote, "God loves you. May this food be a blessing to you." She's such a sweet girl.

Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday.

A day to remember the plight of the orphan and to inspire action.

People with gather all over the world tonight to view the live event from Kansas City and join together in a guided hour of prayer and worship.

Here are a few details:

Join David Platt, Jedd Medefind, the Desperation Band’s Jon Egan, members of the IHOP team and Christian leaders from around the globe via LIVE from Kansas City! This one-hour webcast event will unite believers worldwide in GUIDED PRAYER for the fatherless and WORSHIP led by IHOP’s Jon Thurlow and Jon Egan. LIVE from Kansas City will be webcast live on this webpage on Orphan Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 6 PM Central Time.

To join this free event and watch live from your home, click here to register.

In the words of David Platt, "Orphans are easy to ignore until you see their faces and once you do, everything changes."

Take some time tonight to see their faces.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Pumpkin Time

Sunday, we all carved pumpkins. We had 6 altogether, but we bought them a while ago and Meron's ended up rotting before we carved them. Caroline volunteered all my herself to share with Meron. We were so proud of Caroline for stepping up and being kind.
Dad broke out some power tools to carve with-I went old school with pumpkin knifes.

Rahel wasn't so sure about scooping the pumpkin guts out.

The finished products.

Then it was dress up time. Colton was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Meron was Cinderella

Caroline was Ariel the Little Mermaid

Caleb was a black ninja

Rahel an angel and Hermela a Medieval Princess

When we explained to Rahel that we'd be going to other people's houses and they'd drop candy into your bag, she thought that was hysterical. I mean it is a pretty silly holiday. We ended up having a great time together. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the 6 bags of candy we acquired. Anyone have any creative ideas (I'm thinking shipping it off to another house sounds good).

Happy Halloween 2011