Monday, February 23, 2009

YOU can make a BIG difference...

Natasha, Mevis, Ezelina and Eunice were all in my group this past summer at Camp LIFE in Lusaka, Zambia....and all of them still need to be sponsored through Family Legacy's child sponsorship program, Father's Heart. (To read more about this program, please read my post from a couple of weeks ago here or visit Family Legacy's website here). You can sponsor one of my girls for $36 a month OR here is an idea....put together a group of four people (your friends, family, co-workers, church group, etc.) and sponsor a child together! Four people can sponsor one girl for $9/month/person. $9/month is a sacrifice that most of us can all make each month....that's 2-3 trips to Starbucks or 1 lunch each month that you can skip out on to make the world of difference in the life of a precious child in Zambia. I pray that you will prayerfully consider the sacrifice...I promise you will be blessed. Please go here if you are interested in sponsoring Natasha, Mevis, Ezelina or Eunice.

Now it's time to meet the girls...

Natasha Chibuye is 13 years old and in the 5th grade. Natasha's father died before she was born and her mother died in 2006 from Tuberculosis. She has an older brother and 2 older sisters. After her mom died, Natasha and her siblings went to live with her mom's sister who was very harmful towards her and did not feed her. The Lord rescued Natasha and her siblings from that situation and they now live with another aunt and uncle. Although this is a much better situation, her aunt and uncle spend most of their time drunk, bitter and angry. Unfortunately, their destructive behavior and anger is usually taken out on Natasha and her siblings. Natasha is very tall and thin and suffers from daily stomach pains...most likely caused from malnourishment. Natasha loves school and enjoys learning new things. Her aunt and uncle pay for her school fees when they can. It makes Natasha very sad when her school fees are not paid and she cannot attend school. Her walk to school is 30 minutes each way, a fairly short walk compared to some of the other girls in my group (some of my girls have a 2 hour walk to and from school each day). Natasha would like to be a doctor when she grows up. She became a Christian last year at church...praise Jesus! She says that she knew it was God who delivered her from her horrible living situation after her mom died. Natasha enjoys singing, dancing and going to church....and as you can tell, she has a beautifully contagious smile! She is such a joy!

Mevis Ngambi is 15 years old and in the 6th grade. She is the first born of five children. She lives with her grandparents and her four siblings live with her parents. She really loves her grandmother and likes living with her. Her grandfather on the other hand, is a drunkard and physically and verbally abusive towards Mevis. Mevis visits her parents and siblings every once in a while. She did not open up and tell me why she lives with her grandparents and her other siblings live with her parents. Her grandparents sell fruits and vegetables to support the family and pay for Mevis' school fees when they can. Mevis helps her grandparents sell produce and she helps around the house. She suffers from stomach pains which cause her to not be able to walk sometimes....she does not have any medicine to help with the pains. Mevis usually gets to eat 2 small meals a day, which her grandparents provide for her. She really enjoys school and wants to be an accountant when she grows up. Her favorite subjects in school are English and math. Mevis became a Christian in 2007 at Camp LIFE! Her grandmother is a Christian too and she enjoys going to church with her each week. Mevis loves Camp LIFE, playing with her friends, singing and dancing.

Ezelina Tembo is 16 years old and in the 6th grade. She lives with her mom, dad and five siblings in a three room house. She is the 4th born in her family. Sadly, Ezelina does not always feel safe at home because scary things happen to her at night...most likely nightmares/witch craft (witch craft is very rampant in Zambia). Her mom sells food and her dad does not work. Ezelina typically eats two times a day. Her mom use to pay for her school fees but she does not pay them anymore, so she is currently not attending school. Ezelina really wants to go back to school so she can finish her education and become an accountant. She loves learning new things and enjoys studying math the most. Ezelina holds a special place in my heart, because she accepted the Lord as her Savior on Tuesday of Camp LIFE!! I will never forget listening to her sweet voice as she prayed for Jesus to come live inside her heart. It was definitely one of my favorite memories during my time in Zambia. This was Ezelina's first year to attend Camp LIFE...and she absolutely loved it! She was very shy and quiet at first, but towards the end of the week her personality really started to shine! Ezelina loves singing, playing with her friends and learning the word of God. She has such a sweet and gentle spirit.

Eunice Phiri is 14 years old and in the 5th grade. She lives in a three room house with her parents and seven siblings. Two of her sisters are married and live on their own. There are ten children total in her family...Eunice is the 6th born! Her father was in a bad car accident and lost his leg, so he is unable to work. Her mom does not work either, so the first born daughter provides for the family as well as pays for Eunice to go to school. Unfortunately, her school fees do not always get paid. Eunice loves school and wants to be there everyday so she can gain knowledge and become a nurse so she can help people. Eunice is anemic. She takes medicine sometimes, but has never seen a doctor. She eats 1-2 times a day. Eunice is a Christian...her family attends church together and they pray together. Eunice has nightmares of someone taking off her blankets and standing over her. She enjoys playing with her friends, singing, dancing and helping out with chores around the house. This was Eunice's first year at Camp LIFE.

"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

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Oh, the places she'll go....

Last night around 10pm while I was cruising down Central Expressway, my lovely Tahoe that I've been driving since I was 21 years old (I'm 27 now) hit 100,000 miles. I felt so inclined to capture the big moment on my iPhone...


I took this picture at a stop light right before taking the entrance ramp onto Central...


And I took this picture while I was driving 65 mph on Central....so please excuse the blurriness.

Oh, the places she's been over the past 6 1/2 years...

Texas
New Mexico
Colorado
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Florida
Arkansas
Tennessee
Virginia
District of Columbia
West Virginia
Maryland
Pennsylvania

Here's to 100,000 more miles...hopefully! :)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Valentine's Dinner Party...

Here are a few pics of the table from our Valentine's dinner last night...


My mom let me borrow the heart shaped bowls...I just love them! I used my everyday red dinner plates and spiced them up with a doiley from Target. I also found the paper napkins from Target. I LOVE Target....they always have the cutest holiday accessories!


For place cards, I filled clear candy bags with cherry sours and used labels (also from Target) to write everyone's name on.


A beautiful arrangement from Bella Flora of Dallas.

Everything turned out really well....and we all had a great time too! It was definitely a fun way to celebrate Valentine's....and cheap compared to going out to eat....restaurants are always way over priced on Valentine's day. For dinner I made a really yummy chopped salad (served in the heart shaped bowls), my famous chicken pot pies (a great recipe from Williams-Sonoma) and heart shaped chocolate molten cakes for dessert.

Whenever I host a dinner party, I always have a "question" or two that everyone has to answer over dinner....last night everyone had to go around and share what they love/admire most about their spouse. The boys always make fun of me for doing this....but deep down, I know they really enjoy it.

I meant to take pictures of the party in full swing....but I completely forgot to get my camera out once everyone arrived....I promise people actually came! :) It was the same group from our Christmas dinner back in December. We truly are blessed with such amazing friends...I heart them. :)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

XOXO

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with lots of love....and chocolate! Josh and I are hosting a dinner party tonight at our house for some of our closest married friends. I'll post some pictures tomorrow from the shindig....

XOXO,
Mindy

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Introducing the newest blog to the blogosphere...

Simply Full by the one and only, Caroline Lamberth. Welcome, friend...WELCOME! Caroline has been talking about starting a blog for a while now....so, I'm pumped that she finally took the plunge! In all seriousness, Caroline is an extremely talented and amazing writer....and also very funny. You'll definitely enjoy reading her little bloggy blog. Caroline and I met on the first day of sorority rush at A&M back in 2000....and we've been the best of friends ever since! Love you, Carol!

www.carolinelamberth.blogspot.com

Check it out!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Meet Natasha...

Natasha Chibuye is 12 years old and in the 5th grade. Natasha's father died before she was born and her mother died in 2006 from Tuberculosis. She has an older brother and 2 older sisters. After her mom died, Natasha and her siblings went to live with her mom's sister who was very harmful towards her and did not feed her. The Lord rescued Natasha and her siblings from that situation and they now live with another aunt and uncle. Although this is a much better situation, her aunt and uncle spend most of their time drunk, bitter and angry. Unfortunately, their destructive behavior and anger is usually taken out on Natasha and her siblings. Natasha is very tall and thin and suffers from daily stomach pains...most likely caused from malnourishment. Natasha loves school and enjoys learning new things. Her aunt and uncle pay for her school fees when they can. It makes Natasha very sad when her school fees are not paid and she cannot attend school. Her walk to school is 30 minutes each way, a fairly short walk compared to some of the other girls in my group (some of my girls have a 2 hour walk to and from school each day). Natasha would like to be a doctor when she grows up. She became a Christian last year at church...praise Jesus! She says that she knew it was God who delivered her from her horrible living situation after her mom died. Natasha enjoys singing, dancing and going to church....and as you can tell, she has a beautifully contagious smile! She is such a joy!

If you're interested in sponsoring sweet Natasha for just $36 a month through Family Legacy's Father's Heart Sponsorship Program, please go here and click on the tab that says "sponsor me" next to her profile picture. I promise you will be blessed. For more information about Father's Heart, please read the post below.

Monday, February 2, 2009

A Father's Heart...

This past summer at Camp LIFE, I had the great privilege of getting to know 13 amazing Zambian girls...all who desperately need your help to provide for their basic daily needs. I love these girls so much and pray that God will faithfully sustain them each and every day. Please take the time to read below about Family Legacy's Father's Heart program and how you can sponsor one of my girls for just $36 per month.



AIDS, Orphans and Africa

Three words that seem permanently linked. Hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic have been sub-Saharan nations like Zambia. With a population of 11 million, 25% are known to be HIV positive and 1 million children are orphans, giving Zambia the highest per capita orphan rate in the world. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has wreaked havoc upon this country which has the seventh worst human poverty index in the entire world. Unfortunately, it is the children who have borne the greatest brunt of the suffering, sadness, and pain of this country. The Orphans of Zambia are needlessly sick, drastically underfed, and generally neglected at every juncture of society. None of these children chose their state in life, but now each one must somehow try to exist in it.

Child Sponsorship and Development Program

The Father’s Heart Child Sponsorship and Development Program exists to demonstrate the practical love of Jesus Christ to the orphan and vulnerable children of Zambia by providing daily discipleship and counseling services, regular health assessment and intervention programs, basic clothing needs, educational assistance and tutoring services, micro-economic development programs for their caretakers, and advanced leadership development programs. Most of all, these children learn about Jesus Christ and the biblical principles to help them grow and mature.

You can read more details about the Father's Heart program here on Family Legacy's website. This "FAQ" section tackles such questions as "How much of my $36 monthly support will actually benefit the child I sponsor?" and "What specific benefits will the child I sponsor receive?"

If you're interested in sponsoring one of my girls, please go here to view their individual profiles. Seven of my girls are already sponsored, so I just need to get five more of them sponsored to have a 100% sponsor rate! Will you help? I pray that you will consider it. It's truly a blessing to know that your $36 a month is dramatically helping the well-being of one of God's children. It was a hard decision for me to decide which one of my girls I wanted to sponsor (believe me, I would sponsor them all if I could...but then I would be taking away your opportunity to do so!)...but I have chosen to sponsor, Karen Namursorwe...


Karen is 14 years old and in the 6th grade. You can read more about her here by clicking on her profile picture.

Each day this week I will highlight one of my girls who still needs to be sponsored. I hope you will check back and prayerfully consider child sponsorship through the Father's Heart program. I'm well aware that times are tough right now...but we serve a big God who is faithful to provide when we are following after his will.

Thank you so much for reading this long post. I'm done for now. :)

Well, actually I'm not done yet...on a completely different side note....today is Peanut Butter & Pop Tart's 1 year anniversary!! I can't believe that exactly one year ago today I wrote my inaugural post. And my husband thought I wouldn't stick with it....

Happy Birthday PB&PT!!!!