Compassion Share & Tell 2015

Last year, I wrote a lot of letters to my Compassion kids. But I know I can do better.

Sometimes I really struggle with what to write to them and what to send to them.

Writing to seven children now (I just added two correspondent girls from Kenya!), I have been trying to think of ways that I can still share something with each of them every month, but still keep the letters somewhat personal.

I really love the letters that my friend Hannah shares with her kids each month. Last year, she was sharing missionary stories and games with her kids in each letter. My friend Jill has been writing to her kids about the different fruits of the spirit. 

But while I am still pondering what to focus on each month to share with all of my kids, I put together something simple to mail this month.

After Christmas, I found these cute cards and decided to just write a simple message to each of my sponsored children. I want them to know that I love them! Most of my sponsored children live in Spanish speaking countries, so I wrote 'I love you' in Spanish and looked up John 15:12 in Spanish to share with them. Then to each card, I added a strip of heart stickers.

Simple...yes!

There is no 'one way' to write to your sponsored children. They just want to hear from you on a regular basis. And it can be as simple as writing 'I love you' in a card and dropping it in the mail.

Don't you miss the days of handwritten cards in the mail?

I hope you can take a bit of time this month, and quite a few times this year to let your sponsored child know that they are loved by you.

This is not the life I should have

Over the weekend, my son and I had the opportunity to work the Compassion table at a youth conference. On Saturday, we were able to hear Lincoln Brewster share a bit about his family life. It struck me when he said, "If they had taken a vote in high school to see who would be least likely to be a worship leader, I would have won that contest."

I could so relate to his statement. I never had any intention of relying on anyone for anything. My goal was to climb the corporate ladder and be one of those 'look, she has it all together career moms'. I know God must have been laughing, because He knew the path my life would take.

Be a stay-at-home mom? No way!

Be a homeschool mom? Not ever in my lifetime!

Minister to children through an organization I had never even heard about in high school? That was something that was never on my radar.

My life is different today than I would ever have thought possible. And I am in awe that God loves me so much that He has allowed me to do things I never thought would be a part of my life. Makes me kind of wonder what other plans He has for my future.

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.

13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

My 2015 Reading Goal

Last January, I set a goal for myself in 2014 to read at least 2 books a month. I kept track of the books I read on my Goodreads account. I was very pleased when I finished out the year with having read over 30 books in 2014! Woo hoo! And if you happen to look over my reading list from last year, you can see that I read quite a variety of titles.

I love using my Goodreads account. It helps me to keep track of books I am reading, and I can see what many of my friends are reading too.

For 2015, I have decided to challenge myself and see if I can finish 35 books this year! Yikes!

I already have quite a stack to start, following recommendations I have seen in many places. And I have a couple of books to finish that I started last year and haven't completed...yet.

What is your reading goal for 2015? What books are you currently reading?

Christmas Gift - Part Two

For Christmas, I had a really hard time figuring out what to give my children. In the years past, we have given them three gifts under the tree, plus a stocking full of unique and fun items.

But last month, I was stuck! What do you get for a 20 year old young man and a 15 year old young lady who even had a really hard time giving me a list of what they wanted for Christmas!

Then, by a strike of luck, I came up with an idea!!

My daughter has taken an interest in art and she loves superheroes. My son has taken an interest in soccer, especially since we watched quite a few games of the World Cup last summer.

So...for my daughter, we purchased quite a few art supplies and I was able to find a Heroes and Villains art exhibit at a local museum which is running through this month. Perfect! And for my son, he received a new (proper size!) soccer ball and cones with the promise of going to a soccer game some time this year.

Today, as a family, we were able to visit the art exhibit. The bummer was, no photography was allowed of the exhibit. But my daughter really enjoyed this extra part of her Christmas gift. Makes me want to start thinking of ideas like this for next Christmas!

My One Word for 2015

Last year was the first year that I choose One Word to define my focus for the year. I have to tell you, that one word was so fitting for those first few months of last year. And has continued to remind me of the many blessings I have in this life.

This year, one word keeps standing out to me...

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines focus as "In optics, a point in which any number of rays of light meet, after being reflected or refracted; as the focus of a lens."

As a photographer, I know what it takes to focus on the right subject when taking a photo. But as a person, many times, I can get so easily distracted just trying to accomplish the simplest task.

Take today for instance. For weeks, my desk has been haunting me with its clutterness...

Ugh! So today, I took time to plow through a lot of the clutter on this desk. After a couple of hours between working on the desk and doing a few other things around the house, the desk ended up looking like this...

Ah! Perfect? no. Better? yes! In fact, there are a few other areas of my home that could use this kind of attention. But the thing is...I was able to focus (somewhat) on this task until I reached a point of contentment with the results. I don't want to be too focus driven, but I know I can do a better job of focusing on certain areas of my life.

For 2015, I want to focus on a few things:

• my relationship with God
• my relationship with my husband and my children
• my home
• my Compassion children and my Compassion responsibilities
• my photography
• my reading list

And I am going to focus on this Bible verse for the year:

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrew 12:2 (Amplified)

Focus on Him. I know in my heart that this is what I need to do each day, each moment...but there are so many distractions in this life.

Will I focus on Him every moment of every day? Probably not. But if I continue to remind myself that He is who I need to focus on, He will help me to do what is pleasing to Him. There is no checklist of goals or resolutions I need to complete each year.

Have you chosen One Word for 2015?