Day 23 -- Teamwork for a Cause

Today when I pulled out my camera it was to capture my kiddos hard at work on a fund-raising mailing for their brother, John (20).

John's going on a 10-day mission's trip in early March to the Southern Ethiopia town of Shone. He'll travel with a group made up mostly of folks from our church, with a few extra friends from other churchs. The team will be working with the group Look Development, a coalition of both Ethiopians and Americans whose heart's cry is to minister to impoverished and often orphaned children in the Shone area.

Our large family first learned to prepare a mailing four years ago during the last presidential race. We learned the truth to the idiom, "Many hands make light the work." (Did I ever mention I LOVE being part of a large (okay...extra large) family?!?)

At that point, Amy was only five, but even she had a role to play. For hours she would faithfully lick and place stamps.

As I took these photos today I could see that she'd been promoted to envelope organizer. I loved watching the efforts of her yet small hands to make the stack behave itself!

In the end, her reward was a bouquet of envelope trash.

She was just happy to help as were all of John's brothers and sisters.

in our family, what's a project for one is a project for all.

John hopes to raise $1,456 through this mailing. Would you pray for him that God does above and beyond all he could hope? (Ephesians 3:20) He's very excited to have the opportunity to meet deep needs in the people there. One of the group's endeavors will be to build a swing set for the twenty orphans who currently have zero, zip, nilch outdoor equipment to engage their hearts, souls and bodies.

The cost for the swingset, $2,000, had begun to trickle in through requests on the Nordstroms' blog Room for More, but the rest poured in on Friday night at a 'Soup, Pie and Praise Music" event. Not only that, but nearly $4,000 more came in to help cover expenses like medical supplies. Absoultely unheard of to raise nearly $6,000 in one night of fundraising in Sioux City. Major employeers have left town leaving the average incoming dwindling. But God is bigger than our expectations. "Nothing will be impossible for Him" (Luke 1:27)!

God is actively at work in all of this, and our family is so excited that John will be participating. Today his siblings were happy to lend their aid!