Pregnancy Center Fundraising Banquet

One of the blessings we've found since moving is the opportunity to get more involved with our local pregnancy center.  Alan has been serving on the board, and then as president of the board, for a few years, and this past year we suggested putting together a fundraising banquet like one we had attended in Missouri.  It's been a couple months since the banquet, and I've had this post sitting in my drafts folder for a while, but I want to post it now so I don't forget about it.

Alan had board meetings twice a month for several months to get ready.  It shouldn't take so much time planning in future years, but everything from getting a facility, finding a speaker, recruiting sponsors, advertising, programs, music, catering, etc. had to be researched and figured out from scratch.  When all was said and done, about $20,000 was raised, and the board deemed it a resounding success.

Alan welcomed the group, introduced the board, presented the vision the board has for the future of the center, and shared a little about his connection to adoption and pregnancy centers.  The speaker for the evening, Norm Palaski with Iowa Right to Life, shared his journey from pro-choice to pro-life.  Then Rita, the executive director of the center, shared her story of being adopted, and explained the many services the center offers women and families.

We had nice piano music playing in the background while we enjoyed a delicious supper of a beef tenderloin with a demiglaze and chicken breast, garlic mashed potatoes, and vegetable medley and our dessert choice of chocolate cake, cheesecake, and red velvet cake.

We had rented all the plates, cups, saucers, etc. and we volunteers cleared all the tables and washed all the dishes to save money.

Wow, that was a big job!  Ha! We hope to not have to do quite all of that in future years, but you have to start somewhere, right?!

Overall, the event was a resounding success.  It got people talking about (and learning about) the pregnancy center, raised money to keep the doors open, and resulted in 15 people filling out volunteer applications.  Alan has been asked to go and speak to a few people in the community (including at a baby shower to raise donations for the center, ha!) which will continue to raise awareness.

We had a great time with friends and feel really blessed to be a part of this community.

Involved in Working and Serving

Briana's dream job is coming to an end in less than a month.  She has been working in the state capitol for a representative during this legislative session, and she has been loving every minute of it.

Last week was "Homeschool Day at the Capitol" and our family got to go see Briana at her work, in "Briana's capitol", as the younger children call it.  She brought us into the house chambers and we got to see her desk, meet her boss, and meet several other representatives she interacts with daily.

While there, we also got a picture of our entire family with our local representative, who Briana inspired us all to help with his re-election this past year.

I am very proud of Briana for her work ethic, for setting this goal to get this clerking position and attaining it, and for the reputation she has developed with her co-workers.

I am also very proud of her for the way she has jumped in and contributed in ways beyond just doing her job.  The capitol workers sponsored a drive to raise supplies for a safehouse for victims of domestic abuse.  In her few hours at home, Briana made two quilts, one for a baby and one for a young child, to donate to this safehouse (I wish I had taken a picture of them, but I didn't think of it then).  She also volunteered to be in a choir which is performing at a memorial for a state representative this coming week.

It just pleases me so much to see her jumping in and getting involved, to see her doing more than the minimum, to see her doing what she can to help and serve others without any expectation of a reward or payment for herself.

She is also getting to know several other people, including these clerks with whom she got to experience a trip up into the very top tip of the capitol dome.  This was just one of many highlights of her experience, and I've loved watching her grow and spread her wings these past few months.

Welcome New Friends

It was just over three years ago that we were the new homeschoolers in town.  We know what it's like to move to a place where we don't know anyone, and where our children, especially, have no friends.

So when I met a new homeschooling family with three boys ages 13, 11, and 8 and one almost-3-year-old girl, I could relate to the story she told of these last few months meeting younger homeschoolers with children 8 and under, but the difficulty in finding friends for her older two boys.  Several of our friends have boys these ages, so we decided to have a party and introduce our "old" friends to our "new" friends.  (Good excuse, right?!)

We negotiated a price for some pizzas from a local pizza place as life has been crazy and I needed to plan a menu, grocery shop, AND cook in order to make the food.  This time, we went with easy.  I include this detail to remind you that practicing hospitality doesn't have to be about going all out with delicacies.  Or about cleaning your house.

We picked up toys, swept the kitchen and dining room, and vacuumed the living room floor.  No kidding--that's all we did.

Anyway, the plan was to eat pizza, play a few minute-to-win-it games to "break the ice", and then let everyone break into their groups (adults, teens, young boys, young girls) to play games and visit.

The guests of honor, Matt and Tami, playing Face the Cookie in which you have one minute to move the sandwich cookie from your forehead into your mouth using only your facial muscles:

Our friends Aaron and Rachel:

And some other friends, Brian and Cheryl:

Cheryl won the adult round.

We also played Baby Blocker, in which you have one minute to balance a plate on your head, then build a tower out of five blocks and get it all to balance.

The younger children had a really hard time with this, but the teens and adults were able to do it more easily.

 Finally, we played the classic game which makes everyone laugh and laugh--Bite Me, in which you have one minute to pick up five sacks of varying heights (2", 4", 6", 8", and 10") with your mouth.  The only part of your body which can touch the floor is your feet.

This is the game the adults have a harder time with, but the kids find easy.  I'm not including the pictures of the adults who tried, although Alan and Matt both accomplished this game.  I think a 13-year-old boy was the final winner of this game as he completed the challenge in only 6 seconds.  Destry was right behind him with a 7-second time.

I can tell Tami is going to be a great friend to have, because when I shared the party idea with her, she asked if she could bring supplies for the kids to make little houses out of graham crackers and icing and some peeps and eggs to go inside. What a great and fun idea!

We ended up doing these right after supper, which was a perfect ice breaker for all the kids to get to know one another while working together on a project and before playing the Minute-to-Win-It games.

Even all the teenagers (3 girls and 4 boys ages 13-19) got in on the fun.

8 adults + 23 children + pizza + dessert craft + games + laughter = 

a night to remember and friendships made.

"We Are United" Children's Musical

Life should slow down a little now that the performance of the children's musical is over.  With the incredible assistance of Briana, I directed the musical "We Are United" for about 35 children in the homeschool group, including Easton and Kiana.

All the participants jammed into one shot

Briana was much better at remembering all the words and choreography to the songs than I was and I'm not sure I could have done it without her this year.  Destry was also a great help as he played the chords on the piano for vocal warm ups, led the kids in fun rhythm exercises, handled the sound equipment, and generally served as my gopher.  Briana and Destry have been in similar musicals I've directed in the past and I love that they had yet another opportunity to learn to serve and "give back" to others.

The story of this plot was centered around a game show (rather like the Survivor series) in which contestants are on a tropical island and each are proudly certain that their talents will guarantee their win.  Pictured on the right are the game show hosts and on the left are the six contestants.

 

As the show progresses, members of the Bible council (pictured above) recite Scripture teaching that all parts of the body are needed, gifts are given for the good of the body, and the importance of being united in Jesus Christ until the contestants finally learn to join forces and successfully complete the challenges.  It's really quite a clever little show and the songs are catchy and fun.

I was really happy with the way four of the homeschooling moms came together to help with the set, costumes, and props.  I think the set turned out so amazing!  Here was the little hut for the Bible council (made from a patio umbrella and a roof thatched out of paper bags!).

 

And I've never seen cuter palm trees in my life!  But the details are what makes it, with the little monkeys and snakes and frogs and such finishing out the set.  Very talented ladies I have to work with!

Being the director, it's really hard to get pictures of my own kids.  I was too busy making a fool of myself sitting in the front row mouthing the words of the songs and miming the choreography for the youngest kiddos to think to grab my camera.  You can see them a little bit here way in the back.  Easton is over on the left side wearing his monkey outfit and Kiana is over to the right, the shortest one in the production with her bright orange skirt and pink cowboy boots.

It was a really great group of kids to work with.  Everyone is already looking forward to doing another musical next year! 

I was tickled with the group's generosity, too.  They gave me a $100 Amazon gift certificate as a thank you gift with which I have already purchased Lit:  A Christian Guide to Reading Books when it was on sale for a mere 99 cents.  I still have $99.01 to spend!

Feed the Hungry

My children have no idea what it means to go hungry.

No idea at all.  We have two freezers full of 50 chickens and a beef and we have an appointment made for two of our little piggies to be butchered to add to those freezers.  We have a huge bowl filled with apples, clementines, kiwi, and bananas sitting on the counter beside a yet-to-be-cut up pineapple and a small bowl of blueberries.  We have a pantry filled with nutritious ingredients for meals as well as snacks like peanut butter and crackers and granola bars and two refrigerators filled with more ingredients and snacks.

They don't personally experience hunger, but I want them to be aware that there are children around the world who do indeed.  There are children who get so hungry, they eat dirt just to "fill the hole" for a little while.

We recently had a wonderful opportunity for our family to learn about the needs of others and do a little something about it.  "Meals from the Heartland" provides nutritious meals for people all over the world.  Each meal is a mixture of soy, vitamins, dried vegetables and rice that can be shipped and stored until the recipients boil it in water.

Each assembly line was able to package four boxes of thirty six bagged meals (each meal containing four servings) in about 30 minutes for a mere $100.  We worked together with two other families to package these meals and had a good time while simultaneously serving others. 

When we first got there, we watched a short training video explaining what we were doing, but more poignant, why we were doing it.  I think the video showing starving children with sad, sad eyes had a pretty powerful impact on my children, especially Easton.  Easton has a tender heart and prays daily for Alex, a child in Indonesia we sponsor through Compassion International.  We've tried to explain what living conditions are like for others around the world and Alex is someone Easton can relate to as he is also a little boy soon turning seven.  He draws him pictures and sends them with the occasional small treat and I think this connection has made it a little more personal to him.  He asked me if some of the food we were packaging would go to help Alex and his family.  I have to admit the video made me blink tears away as well as I simply can't imagine being unable to feed my children and watching them suffer as a result.

After we recovered from the video, we were given a sample of the food to try.  I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted more than palatable. 

An assembly line was formed with each person having a station.  I was so impressed and pleased that children of all ages were encouraged to help (they just asked that each child under age 10 have an adult partner).  The first section was comprised of two people taking turns holding a bag under the funnel while one child measured and added each of the four ingredients.  Easton took his vitamin responsibility very seriously.

The next station was manned by the teenagers who carefully weighed the bag (adding more rice as needed) and then vacuum sealed each bag.

Kiana and her helper were responsible for affixing stickers to each bag explaining the contents and giving directions for preparation.  She also took her job quite seriously.

Tyrell and Alan worked together to pack the bags in the boxes and then seal them.  Of the food packaged that day, half was to be sent to people in third world countries, another fourth was distributed throughout the United States, and the final fourth was to be distributed right here in Iowa.

I'm very thankful we had this opportunity to serve together as a family, even as I find it hard to locate such family-oriented serving opportunities.  I think this is the best way for our children to learn selflessness and to develop a servant's heart--right alongside mom and dad.  What other ways do you know that families can serve together?