Advocate for the voiceless

I dont' know anything more about this organization other than what is on thier website, but I think the overall message is the same as mine...

Perpetual Change is a non-profit organization that exists to inspire change. It does not take much for one to greatly affect the life of another. Together with you, Perpetual Change accomplishes this through Orphan Care, an Adoption Promise, and Advocacy of the Voiceless.

“Get people talking, Get people motivated, Get people involved”

Become the Perpetual Change!

Chinese companies rent white foreigners

This is totally off topic for me but I couldn't resist sharing.

You can find the story here on CNN.com

In China, white people can be rented.

For a day, a weekend, a week, up to even a month or two, Chinese companies are willing to pay high prices for fair-faced foreigners to join them as fake employees or business partners.

Some call it "White Guy Window Dressing." To others, it's known as the "White Guy in a Tie" events, "The Token White Guy Gig," or, simply, a "Face Job."

And it is, essentially, all about the age-old Chinese concept of face. To have a few foreigners hanging around means a company has prestige, money and the increasingly crucial connections -- real or not -- to businesses abroad.

"Face, we say in China, is more important than life itself," said Zhang Haihua, author of "Think Like Chinese." "Because Western countries are so developed, people think they are more well off, so people think that if a company can hire foreigners, it must have a lot of money and have very important connections overseas. So when they really want to impress someone, they may roll out a foreigner."

Or rent one.

Last year, Jonathan Zatkin, an American actor who lives in Beijing, posed as the vice president of an Italian jewelry company that had, allegedly, been in a partnership with a Chinese jewelry chain for a decade.

When is being foreign a career advantage?

Zatkin was paid 2,000 yuan (about $300) to fly, along with a couple of Russian models, to a small city in the central province of Henan where he delivered a speech for the grand opening ceremony of a jewelry store there.

"I was up on stage with the mayor of the town, and I made a speech about how wonderful it was to work with the company for 10 years and how we were so proud of all of the work they had done for us in China," Zatkin said. "They put up a big bandstand and the whole town was there and some other local muckety-mucks."

The requirements for these jobs are simple. 1. Be white. 2. Do not speak any Chinese, or really speak at all, unless asked. 3. Pretend like you just got off of an airplane yesterday.

You can find more about this in the link above.
Interesting to say the least no? The things you can get away with in other countries!

Items I can (and cannot) send our kids

From Compassion International:

We cannot send our field offices items that exceed 8-1/2" x 11" and 1/4" thick.

ITEMS THAT CAN BE SENT

Band-Aids
Baseball and football cards
Bookmarks
Calendars, smaller than 8-1/2" x 11"
Construction paper
Greeting cards
Laminated flowers and leaves
Magazines, less than 1/4" thick
Origami
Pages from coloring books
Pages from watercolor paint books (may not send paint brushes)
Paper dolls
Photos of you and your family
Postcards
Scrapbook paper
Scripture cards
Small posters
Stamps
Stickers

We cannot send any metal (including jewelry, ornaments and magnets), perishable items (gum, candy, flower seeds), or any larger items (soccer balls, clothes).

Unfortunately, we can also no longer send the following:

balloons
books and booklets
CD's/DVD's
ceramics or glass
cloth items
elastic hair bands
foam crafts
plastic
plastic rulers
ribbons
stencils
tassels
Please remember to put your sponsor number and your sponsored child's number on your letters to ensure that your child receives your letter.

FUN IDEA: Collect pictures of your family and make a small photo album for your child.

Items needed:

Variety of family pictures
Five to 10 pieces of construction paper or fun scrapbooking paper
Glue or double-sided tape
Two small pieces of string
Glue or tape a picture onto each page and indicate who is in the picture, what this person likes and dislikes, his or her hobbies, age, birth date and other fun facts. Continue with remaining pictures. Finish the album by stapling the paper together or tying the paper together with two small pieces of string to keep album intact.

Happy 20th!

Ashenafi turns 20 today. I wish I had the time to send him a birthday gift but we just added him this week.

Celebrating Life!

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2009. On my twenty-eleventh (31st) birthday she completed her treatment! We ('kids') are throwing her a party on Sunday! Pictures to come in a few days! Love you mommy!!!!

Keep Changing the World

I found this song here

Keep Changing the World

by MikesChair

Something here is wrong
There are children without homes
But we just move along to take care of our own
There's so much suffering just outside our door
A cry so deafening
We just can't ignore

To all the people who are fighting for the broken
All the people who keep holding on to love
All the people who reaching for the lonely
Keep changing the world
Take a look around
Before the sun goes out
What's lost can still be found
It's not too late now
It only takes one spark to make the fire burn
So reach inside your heart and let this be the start

I see you changing the world
Every boy
Every girl
Step up!
I see the sun coming up
It's a brighter day
Let's show the world that love is a better way
So lend a hand join the fight
'Cause time is ticking away

Mid June Sponsorship letters

Here is our goodies ready to go out with tomorrows mail.

Top left is for Efrata. Includes a letter from me and a really fun sticker scene. The stickers are removable & she can place them all around the "castle" background.

Bottom left is for Nanese. Includes a small gift ($), a letter from me, something written by the boys, and stickers.

Bottom right is for Ashenafi. His includes a letter from me, lots of photos as this is our first mailing for him, stickers (yes, I know he's too old!) and a funny card with laughing zebra's on the front.

Why do I post these? It helps me keep track of what I send the kid every month! Otherwise I'm looking through my stickers, cards, postcards, and photo's trying to remember who got what already. :)
I'd like to connect with another Compassion sponsor/blogger as well. It would be a great help to see what we are sending our kids!

New sponsorship in Ethiopia!

Introducing Ashenafi!



Another new kid to write! Probably shouldn't call him a kid. He'll be 20 on June 26th!
His family duties are:
Washing clothes
Running errands
Cleaning
Carrying water
Gathering firewood
Kitchen help

He is in 11th grade and participates in church, bible class, and chior. His parents are alive but not together. His guardians are his grandparents. He likes to watch TV, play soccor, swim, and play ping pong. He lives in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia were typical income is $12 a month.

I believe that children in Ethiopia age out of the compassion program at age 22. I have 2 years to get to know him! Again we have been blessed!

Open Doors Orphanage

There is a couple that I know (Aaron & Gwen) who are moving to Guatemala to open an orphanage. I have known Aaron since early elementary and his wife Gwen went to highschool with both of us. What an amazing service to God! Click here to see their website. I'm sharing this to just help spread the word and maybe direct some support their way.

They are putting together mission trips (for only $600!) for anyone willing to go down and help them build the orphanage this fall.

Check out the video (found on their website) below. (Turn the sound off at the bottom of my page.)



There are 370,000 orphan's in Guatemala.
68% of the children are malnourished.

Half the world lives on less than 2.50 a day

Six months ago if you had asked me if I was rich, I would have said no. We are somewhere between middle class & upper middle class in America. Then I learned about countries like Haiti & Ethiopia. Countries like Burma and Kenya. Third world countries.

I continue to learn about how wealthy we really are. How the simple fact that our basic needs are covered everyday is a blessing when so many don't even have that.

Almost half of the worlds population lives on less than $2.50 a day. 80% of the worlds population lives on less than $10 a day. How do you stretch $3650 dollars over the course of a year? That's about $6000 less than our yearly Meijer grocery bill!

Today over 24,000 children will die. I don't understand how this isn't something our media cares to cover until there is a huge natural disaster.

I'll remember how blessed I am today when I have to take 4 kids to the doctors office for Caleb's breathing tests. Inconvenient? Sure. But my precious Caleb wouldn't be here today if he were born in a 3rd world country. In fact. I probably wouldn't be either.

I just requested another correspondence child.

Can't wait to see a new face, write to another child, and love another child.

Why Ethiopia?

This is why I want to help Ethiopia. Nicely put into a video by another blog family. You can follow thier adoption journey at http://youngfamilyadoption.blogspot.com
(Turn off the music player at the bottom of my page.)

International Day of the African Child

Today is International Day of the African Child, an important day to both celebrate the work of those who have fought for equal education and child's rights in Africa AND a day to remember your own commitment to helping Africa's most vulnerable citizens -- AIDS orphans and other children affected by illness and poverty.

Check out Ahope for Children. I love this organization! A orphanage in Ethipia that cares for orphaned children with HIV.
http://www.ahopeforchildren.org/

A new old photo of Nanese

I requested any old information that Compassion had on the girls. This is what I received. This is an undated photo of Nanese. I am unsure how often thier photo's are updated, but it was a joy to receive this!

Garage Sale Money

Last month we had a garage sale. I have been incredibly lazy about putting the money in the bank. In fact it still isn't. This was intended to have been sent to Efrata & Nanese a month ago, but I'm just getting to it today.

It should reach Ethiopia in a few weeks. I have my fingers crossed that I will recieve a photo of them with what they purchased in a month or two. This equates to many months salary for Efrata and her mom.

Nanese's gift will take longer as I have to mail it. I'm so happy that I can give them a gift just by selling some of my "stuff."

Susan G Komen Walk

Looking for ideas for a tee-shirt design.
I'm thinking something that incorporates Tiaras & Hero Capes.

On being a sponsor

Compassion International has a website for sponsors. It's sort-of like a facebook type site where you can meet other sponsors, learn about the needs of children, share ideas of what to send the kids, and see photo's of other sponsored kids worldwide.

I am now friends with a man named Jimmy Wambua. He grew up in Kenya and was a sponsored child. One of the reasons I picked Compassion was because of his story.




I want to be that sponsor someday.

Here is a blog on Jimmy & life here in America: A Different Perspective

By the way... I think Jimmy is in Haiti right now visiting his sponsored child.

Graduating

Taking the next step. The big leap.

From 1/2 days to full days.

From Elementary to Middle School.

From tables to desks.

From old to new.

Congrats on graduating Kindergarten Hunter!
Congrats on graduating Sixth Grade Caleb!

I love you both!

Thanks to the AWESOME teachers at their Elementary School. I will miss them greatly!

A good read-

On being an adult. On Cancer. On that little girl who wants to stomp her feet. All of it. We all have days like this I think.

Click HERE for "On Cancer"