Sixteen Small Stones

OPERATION: LOVE

2012-02-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

At the table on Saturday.

Setting up Saturday. Kind of blurry, but oh well. :)

Setting up Saturday.

Preparing the Valentines Friday night.

How did it go? How did it go? HOW DID IT GO?!

I know that is why you are all here. :) I am pleased to say it went really well. I learned a lot, as I usually do when I do a fundraiser/donations collection project. Most of what I learn is about myself. About my weakness. About my own, well, wickedness, really. I am sure I will post stories over the next couple of days, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Thank you all who came and supported OPERATION: LOVE! Remember, this was just the beginning of OPERATION: LOVE and we still DESPERATELY need monetary donations to pay to mail the Valentines!!!!!! You can donate using paypal or by mailing a check to the address on the left sidebar. We still need more Valentines, too! So feel free to mail homemade or store bought Valentines. There are a lot of kids who need YOU! Thank you, again, for being involved with OPERATION: LOVE. Bryttan's Valentine party went extremely well! But I will let her tell you all about it. ;)

Heavy Heart

2012-02-09T22:47:00.000-08:00

In the midst of the excitement for tomorrow, and the joy and gratitude that we have been so blessed with being able to host Operation: LOVE, my heart is heavy tonight. I don't want to be a downer, but I do have some sad news. :( Tomorrow, Katie has to leave YueYue and move back to ShenZhen. Things just didn't work out and she is unable to live in JingMen. They simply don't have the money for her to not work. My thoughts are full of her, and my heart is full of prayer to God on her behalf. I pray she will feel comforted and somehow find the strength to face tomorrow. To face leaving her precious daughter. So, as I gather Valentines and cut out paper hearts, I feel a shadow of sorrow hanging around my heart. Won't you join me in prayer for Katie, YueYue and SuSu (Katie's husband)?

Tomororow is the big day!!

2012-02-09T11:48:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day!!

If you are in Idaho, come see our table set up at Broulims in Shelley to promote

OPERATION: LOVE!

If you are in Utah, plan to attend the party of the century at Bryttan's house in Sugarhouse, where you will learn all about Sixteen Small Stones, and will make Valentines for OPERATION: LOVE! Go to her blog HERE for more info!

There is going to be a lot of love tomorrow!! Will you join us?!

The rumor is true

2012-02-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

It's true, ya'll.
My sweet husband and I are having a Valentine Party at our house, Friday night at 6. No Beer bongs, or strip poker, sorry. Just yummy food, games, and Valentine making!!
Are we a little crazy? Little is an understatement.
Are we thinking to ourselves, how on earth do you entertain this many people and in such small quarters? Yes we are.
Have we thought about the fact that maybe only two random strangers will show up and will will be sitting on the couch listening to one another munch potato chips all night? You betchya!
Have we considered the fact that quite possibly no one will show up, and we will have to eat all of the food on our own. And become fat. And sick. And get carpal tunnel from making so many Valentines on our own? I think it's safe to say that we have.
So this is why we need all of everyone to come and make valentines and just have a good time!
If all turns out we will have a very full house. We have no idea what we're doing. Did we really invite a whole bunch of people + their friends to our house? Yes we did. And it's all for Operation: LOVE.
So if you're in Salt Lake on Friday the 10th. PLEASE come over to our house and donate/make some Valentines for Operation: LOVE.
We would love to see you here!

Bryttan & Mike

Awake

2012-02-06T23:46:00.001-08:00

"It is 12:46 at night...er, in the wee hours of the morning. What are you doing up?!" That is what someone might be asking me, if someone were awake to ask. :) I can't sleep. I am nervous. There is a lot that needs to be done, and I am not doing it. Starting with Katie. I lose more sleep over that girl! :) Really, though. I am worried about her and her situation. Did you hear? You didn't? She has to move back to ShenZhen and go back to work in the factory. Yes, leave her daughter. Again. For 365 days. 365 times YueYue will wake up in the morning and not hug her mommy. 365 times Katie will wake up and not snuggle a sleepy little daughter. 365 nights YueYue will go to sleep without her mommy's voice singing her a lullaby. 365 more nights Katie will wake in the night an not be able to check on her precious child. And after those 365 days apart? What will happen then? If they are lucky, Katie will have saved enough money to make the long journey from southern China to central China to spend perhaps 30 days with her only child. 30 days. That's all. And then gone again. Seperated for 365 more days. So, why am I worrying about it? Well, because I could do something about it. I used to work in JingMen, where YueYue is living and where Katie used to live and where she dreams of living again, with her child. My boss in JingMen loved me and has always made it clear that if I ever want a job at his school, it is there for me. I could move to JingMen and live in a house that would be paid for, with electricity that would be paid for, with internet that would be paid for, with fresh water delevered to my door and paid for, AND be making an income. All for doing what I love (teaching) in a place that I love. What does that have to do with Katie? With a free house and electricity and a salary to live off of, I could have Katie and YueYue come live with us. They could be together! Katie could nanny for me while I am at work, and could help around the house, and she and YueYue could live with me in exchange for her hard work caring for Mr. T. Taig and YueYue are about the same age, so could go to school together and Taiger would LOVE having a little "sister" to play with. JingMen is where I plan to open the Sixteen Small Stones' Foster Home, so if I were there I could get started on that and move forward with my dreams. Logically, everything says to GO! To save Katie and YueYue, and to fulfill my mission of serving the orphans in JingMen. But... Just but. And "what if". And "what about". Am I just being myself and jumping in with both feet without knowing if the timing is right? Shouldn't I finish school, since I have invested so much time and money to that, and I am so close to graduating? Shouldn't I do as I wanted and wait until Taiger is 8-10 years old to take him back to China and risk his health? I never, ever, EVER in a million YEARS would have imagined that I, Breclyn-Go-For-It, would be considering WAITING! (Do I even know how to do that?!) When a major opportunity (excuse??) to go to China comes along, I always take it! At the risk of my life, I go! So, what is holding me back now? Katie NEEDS me NOW! She will never get back these years she has missed with YueYue. Can I carry that burden the rest of my life? Knowing I could have gone, and didn't? This is one of the many things keeping me up tonight. OH! One of the homes we are sending Valentines to is in need of pillowcases! They can be new OR LIGHTLY USED! So, go dig through your linnen closet and see if you have that Ninja Turtle pillowcase your now 25 year old son had when he was 4 and donate it to some kids who need it! :) You can send them to Sixteen Small Stones at the address listed on this page and we will ship them off to the home in India. :) Thanks, everyone! Don't forget, this Friday and Saturday we will be at Broulims in Shelley so you can come write a Valentine (or make a donation.) to send to a child in Africa, China, India or Belize!! FUN! If you live in Utah, Bryttan is hosting her Make A Valentine Party! It will be a TON of fun and you can make a Valentine there to send to one of the kids! Don't miss that if you are in Utah!!!!!

OPERATION: LOVE 2012 LOGO!

2012-02-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

I know your FAVOURITE part of our projects is seeing the picture that is to be the logo for the project, right? (...RIGHT?!) I thought so. Well, this year is our FIRST YEAR to be including KINGS CHILDREN'S HOME in BELIZE in OPERATION: LOVE!!!!! How exciting is that?! They are an AMAZING home and they take in orphans AS WELL AS ANYONE who is in need. Talk about ultimate service!!!!!! We are SO EXCITED to be able to support their home in this way, and to send lots of love to the darling kids who are staying at the home! Since starting work with a new home is a HUGE deal, we decided to use a picture from King's Children's Home as our logo for this year's OPERATION: LOVE! Bryttan Everett (took pity on us all and) made the logo this year (and you can tell she is MUCH more artistic than I am! Remember the sad logo for OPERATION: LOVE 2010? Sad, sad day.). So, without further ado, here is the official unveiling of the logo for OPERATION: LOVE 2012! THANK YOU, BRYTTAN and King's Children's Home!

OPERATION: LOVE

2012-02-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FEBRUARY! Love is in the air, isn't it?! Here at Sixteen Small Stones we are feeling lots of love from all of our wonderful friends and supporters, and are sendinging our love right back to you. Thank you for all of your support! We are also feeling the love for some special little kids around the world! As you all know, this month is our annual OPERATION: LOVE project (I can hear the cyber-crowd go wild!)! This year, we have even more kids than ever in our OPERATION: LOVE program, and we are excited to be able to reach out and touch so many little lives. Will you join us? OPERATION: LOVE is when we collect "Valentines" (any note of love, really) and send them to the kids in our OPERATION: LOVE program. Anyone and everyone can participate! People who are interested can buy Valentines OR homemake Valentines! You can donate one Valentine or one hundred! It is totally up to you! If you are not really the Valentining sort, but want to be involved, you can donate money to put toward the cost of sending the Valentines!! YOU WANT TO MAKE VALENTINES? Sure! The kids LOVE the homemade quality of Valentines made by YOU (and/or your kids!). Remember some of the kids are little, so make sure there is nothing they could choke on (bells that can pull off, etc.). Some of the children have visual impairments, so adding embelishments like soft feathers or fuzzy stickers are a wonderful way to help them enjoy their Valentines! YOU WANT TO BUY VALENTINES? Great! The kids LOVE the cute, cartoon-ey pictures found on store-bought Valentines! Many come with candies or stickers, and that is great! The kids love any little extra "treat"! WHAT DO I DO NEXT? The premise of OPERATION: LOVE is to send love to kids who otherwise not feel there is anyone who really cares about them. Recieving a special "Valentine" is a physical reminder that they are important and valuable and loveable. It is something they can carry with them and keep forever. Although the cute pictures are fun, the real meaningful part of the Valentine comes in the message printed on it. Writing words of love and encouragement on your Valentine tells the children they are LOVED! Keep in mind that the children do not celebrate Valentine's Day in their country, so wishing them a, "Happy Valentines Day" will not hold the same meaning to them as it would to children in America. It is important to tell them in other ways that they are loved and you are wishing them happiness. **NOTE: Signing your name (or having your child sign his name) makes the Valentine very personal and give them children the feeling that someone specific cares about them.** Here are some examples of what you might write on your Valentine: Hello! You are such a wonderful person and I love you! You are special! I love you! I am sending lots of love and good wishes your way! I LOVE YOU! Hello! My name is _________ and I love you! I hope you have a good day! Never forget how special and important you are! I LOVE YOU! WHO WILL RECEIVE MY VALENTINES? You can specify if you want your Valentines to go to a specific country, but it is best if you send them and Sixteen Small Stones can make sure enough go to each home. Your Valentines will be sent to: Racham Ministries--Uganda, Africa. Serving His Children--Uganda, Africa--A home that takes in severely malnourished children and rehabilitates them. The Kings Children's Home--Belmopan, Belize--A home that takes in needy children, adults and orphans. We are contacting some homes in China and India to see if they are wanting to be involved in OPERATION: LOVE this year! We will let you know what they say! :) We hope they will want to be involved!!!!!!! I HAVE MY VALENTINES READY! WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM? You can either mail them to Sixteen Small Stones, or drop them off in person. The address to mail them or deliver them is the same! Sixteen Small Stones C/O Breclyn S. Everett 445 East Center Shelley, Idaho 83274 U.S.A NOT DONE YET!!!!!! PLEASE leave us a comment and let us know if you are wanting to send Valentines! We are excited to hear who is involved! Also, you can take pictures of you making/buying/writing your Valentines and send them to us! We will post them in our later post about OPERATION: LOVE! :) THANK YOU to EVERYONE! Let us know if you have any questions!

Happy Chinese New Year!!

2012-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! This is a FANTASTIC new year, and here is why. I called Katie to wish her a happy Chinese New Year. I have never the entire time I have known her heard her voice so happy, so full of hope. Of course, she will always have to "work" like everyone, but she is no longer a prisoner. She has her life back. She has her daughter back. She and her family had gone out to eat for the holiday, and were outside walking around town. It was snowing and they were feeling the excitement and and magic that comes when a small child sees the first snowfall of the year. I admit, I don't like it when it snows. It is cold, and slushy and I hate it. I don't want to take Taiger outside to play in the snow. My feet get cold and wet, and my hands get cold. I am willing to miss those moments in a magical snowfall because I am a mother who has had the luxury of being with my child every second of his life. I have seen his eyes light up with magic. I have held him in my arms and absorbed his joy and excitement. I have laughed with him over the simple things in life. And now Katie gets to experience that with her daughter, for the first time in her daughter's life. This New Year is wonderful for Katie and her family because of the hope you have all given her. Through your support, your love, your prayers. The warm clothes sent for YueYue made it possible for her to stand out in the snow with her parents, surrounded by their love and their presence, and watch as the icy glitter drifted down. Thank you all for giving this family hope, joy and, most importantly, each other.

Update about Katie

2011-12-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got off the phone with Katie a while ago and I wanted to let you all know what is going on. Katie quit! She quit her "job". At first I was upset!! Not AT her, but just about the situation. Then, I felt proud of her. Proud that she did what was right for her and her family. So, she is moving to live with her husband's family and her little girl. Her husband has to stay in southern China to continue working at the factory. :( That is sad. But at least she will be with YueYue again, and she won't have to work anymore. She won't be living on the street, as I had feared. She will be at her in-law's home. They are poor farmers, so I know it won't be the "lap of luxury", but that is fine. I am just so thankful she will be with her little girl and in a home. :) Katie is worried about how they will make it financially. She doesn't know if they will have enough money. She doesn't know what will happen in the future. If you could continue to pray for her, it would be really appreciated. I don't know what the coming weeks and months will look like for her. Also, if anyone wants a good place to donate a little money, sending ANY to Katie would go a LONG way. Thank you all for everything! Have a fantastic day!

Merry Christmas to All!

2011-12-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends and Followers! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!! I had some friends who did AMAZING service over the holiday...from serving the homeless, to going to Africa, to moving in with family to help with a sick loved one, to buying a special gift for a friend. What did YOU do this season to look outside yourself? Did you bring a dessert to a church Christmas party? Did you give a special gift to someone you love? Did you do a service project for someone in need? Post a comment here and let us know. We LOOOVE to hear what everyone is doing to serve others! Me? I loved on my little boy and gave him a happy Christmas. :) I am so excited about everything happening with Sixteen Small Stones! For right now, I am calling out for PRAYERS and/or POSITIVE THOUGHTS! The first thing is for something AMAZING. It is something that would help NOT ONLY SIXTEEN SMALL STONES, but would help HUNDREDS of organizations that help people! Could you imagine?! An amazing way for ONE person to touch THOUSANDS (not exaggerating here) of lives. (Doesn't it give you a "warm fuzzy" inside?! It does me!) So, please, please, PLEASE pray and/or send up positive thoughts that this will all work out. I know you all want to know WHAT it is, but I can't tell you right now :(. But not to worry! It isn't some big SECRET...just something private that you will get to hear about soon enough. :) Okay, the next thing...remember Katie? And her sweet husband and daughter? I received an email from her today, and she sounded pretty upset. It was a really short email so there wasn't much info, but from what I gather, Katie has lost her job at the factory. Now, even though she only made pennies a day, it was at least keeping her from having to live on the street. Now I don't know what will happen. In China, you can't just go in to some place and apply for a job. Even in the wonderful country of America it is hard to find work. In China? Almost impossible. (Which is why she was working in a "sweat shop" in the first place.) Anyway, Katie asked in her email that I call her tomorrow, so I will do that and update you all. In the meantime, prayers and positive thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you all for following Sixteen Small Stones! We hope you had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! And have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D :D

National Adoption Month...YIPPEE!!!!

2011-11-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOODNESS! I almost forgot!! November is NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH! I LOOOOVE IT! Has your life been touched by adoption? Tell me your story! I LOOOOVE adoption stories! :)

Thankful!

2011-11-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

So, I have seen people on facebook doing a fun thing for November: Telling one thing a day for which they are thankful! I think it is a great idea. I like hearing what others are thankful for because it reminds me to be thankful for it, too. I want to participate, so that I can pay attention each day to something for which I am thankful. SO...I am starting four days late, so I will tell four things today for which I am thankful. 1. Taiger 2. My sewing machine 3. My family 4. My bed What are you thankful for today?

SPONSOR CLOTHES FOR YUE YUE!!

2011-10-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

I went to Target, and I went crazy. REALLY crazy. :) FINALLY, an excuse to buy all those darling GIRL CLOTHES! Pink, lace, bows, glitter...Heaven. Puffy, frilly, HEAVEN. So, what was my excuse? Katie's darling little girl, YueYue. As I said before, YueYue is in need of some warm clothes. (I remember how cold it is in JingMen! Maybe that is why I feel such a need to send her some warm clothes!) Needless to say, I don't have any hand-me-down girl's clothes, and I think this sweet little princess deserves some lace and frill in her wardrobe, rather than Taiger's old BOY clothes. So, I bit the bullet, took my savings money and went to Target. And can I just say, spending money for others (ESPECIALLY when that person is a sweet little girl who desperately NEEDS some warm clothes) is so much more satisfying and FUN than spending money on yourself?! Now, since I am poor, I am doing a fun little fundraiser. You can look at all these CUUUUTE clothes I bought, and you can SPONSOR and outfit for YueYue! And the best part? YOU get to pick the price! Want to sponsor the cute little D*ORA outfit (did you see the sewn-on tutu?! Come on! How CUTE is that?!)? You can sponsor it for WHATEVER amount of money you have! Have $5.00 to donate? Sponsor WHATEVER outfit you want for those five bucks! YOU choose the item, YOU choose the price! Fun, huh?! I thought so, too! :) So, here are the pictures. Use the Paypal "DONATE" button on the sidebar and in the "comment" section of your payment, tell me what outfit you want to sponsor! Thank you so much, and happy "shopping"! :D

Darling pink and grey DISNEY PRINCESS outfit, with glitter stripped grey pants. (You can sponsor homemade hairbow separately.)

Check out these bunched, puffy sleeves! PERFECT for a REAL PRINCESS!

HOMEMADE PINK TULLE HAIRBOWS WITH CURLY GREEN RIBBON.

Here are all three "PRINCESS" outfits lined up. On the right, you see this sweet D*ORA the Explorer outfit. Notice the frilly cuteness on top! The matching stretch pants have a pattern of grey and dark pink ballet slippers and pretty little curley-ques. Thepink tulle tutu is attached to the pants.

The hairbow sitting on the shoulder can be sponsored separately! It is made of puffy tulle and curled pink GLITTER ribbon.

Here are TWO pair of SNUGLY, CARTER'S brand "feetey" pajamas. These are so soft and cozy, and sure to keep YueYue warm at night.

This Sleeping Beauty shirt is for a real princess for SURE! Every princess needs a special fairy, and this one comes with a "real" diamond holding her hat on! What more could a girl ever want? This darling top matches the glitter grey pants that come with the Disney Princess top, OR the tutu attached pink pants that come with the D*ORA top.

Here we have THREE snugly sweatshirts! HANES brand ensures comfort and durability. Each shirt has a GLITTERY image on front, either a butterfly, flower or heart. PERFECT for a little girl on a cold wintry day. Each shirt matches BOTH pair of sweatpants, one pair plain baby pink, the other grey with pink and purple flowers, hearts and butterflies.

Update on Katie

2011-10-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

I talked to Katie yesterday. She was full of kindness and being polite, and finally I just told her, "Katie, I don't know about Chinese etiquette, or how to be polite and gracious according to Chinese customs.. I want you just to tell me straight what you need." So, she set aside her "politeness" and admitted what she needed: warm clothes for her little girl. So, yesterday afternoon I went to Target and blew through all of my savings buying little YueYue some warm clothes. :) And I couldn't think of a better way to spend my money. (I had talked to Taiger before hand and explained Katie needed some warm clothes for YueYue. I asked him how he would feel if we used our money for some warm clothes for YueYue rather than saving it for fun things for us. He remembers Katie and her house and insisted we use our savings to help Katie and YueYue. I LOVE Taiger's heart!) I KNOW for a FACT that Katie and her husband need some warm clothes, too, but she was more concerned for YueYue. HOWEVER, if anyone has some warm women's or men's clothing, I would love to send some to Katie and her husband, too. So, if you feel like you want to help Katie and her family, there are four ways: First: PRAY!! Katie could use all the prayers she can get! She does not know anything about God or Jesus, so she cannot pray for herself. Any prayers sent up for her would be greatly appreciated. Second: You can donate MONEY. I will be donating money monthly to them. Third: You can donate MONEY to cover the cost of SHIPPING clothes to them. Fourth: You can donate CLOTHES for their family. THANK YOU, ALL! And let me know if you are interested in helping in ANY way. :) Thank you.

Please.

2011-10-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

This is for EVERYONE out there who loves a child. To all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. To the teachers and the social workers. To the loving neighbors, the doctors and nurses. And this is to all the MOTHERS out there. Imagine the child you love. The child of your heart. Imagine the child that is your world. That makes you laugh when she laughs. And when she cries, you think your heart will break in two. Imagine those hugs. Imagine how some days you wish you could take a break, but other days, you wish she would never grow up. Imagine holding her hand. Imagine when she looks in your eyes. Imagine when she falls asleep in your arms, or cries for you at night, or hugs you first thing in the morning. Imagine that you missed all those days. All that all those cuddly hugs will never be yours. Imagine that you are only able to see that little child once (ONCE!) each year. For only a few days each year you get to hold her soft hand. For only a few days each year you get to stroke that hair. Imagine knowing each day that she misses you, and that someone else is caring for her. You know how you treasure each of those little kisses on the cheek because you know they will be gone all too soon? Imagine if you only got to experience that a few times because the next time you see her, she will be all grown up and won't want to give you those wet kisses on the cheek any more. Imagine someone else seeing her off on her first day of school. Imagine someone else holding her when she is feeling sick. Imagine someone else teaching her the words to her favourite song, or showing her the way the sun shines through the clouds at sunset. Imagine missing all of that! Now, imagine this is the story, the REAL LIFE story, of someone you know, and love, and who has served you tirelessly, and has given you so much and helped you so much and loved you so much, and made you smile when you were feeling your most sad, and was your best friend when you were most alone. Would you FIGHT for this mother to be back with her child? Katie is the friend that gave me everything when I needed her. Now, it is MY turn to help HER. For five. long. years. she has been away from her daughter. I can't do this on my own. Please help me reunite Katie and YueYue. YueYue needs her mommy in her life, and Katie needs her daughter in her arms. Will you help me? Please.

Katie

2011-10-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have written and erased this blog so many times. I just don't know how to say what I am feeling and thinking. Please bear with me as I try. I have a good friend in China. She has been my friend for over 10 years! I call her my "sister", because I care about her that much. Lately, I had a feeling she needed my help. I couldn't call her from my house phone, but I felt desperate to contact her. While I was in China this last time, I went to visit her. Her life was terrible when I lived in China, but it is just as bad (if not worse!) than it was when we first met. I cannot tell you her whole story here, nor can I adequately express how much I love this girl. I know you would love her, too, if you met her. She is kind and loving and giving. She has nothing. She is poor. Really, honestly poor. But she is happy all the time, and would give you anything she has, even if it is her only treasure with no hope of ever again buying something so wonderful. I have seen her give away her shirt when she only had one other. She would sacrifice her life for someone she loves. She may live in a country where Christianity is not recognized, but she is one of the most Christ-like people I know. When I saw her, she was in a dire situation. She and her husband were working at a factory in Southern China, and were living in the factory compound. The two of them shared the bottom bunk of a bunk bed, in a cold, cement room with seven other beds. Their bed, with only a piece of plywood where a mattress aught to be, was their only space in the room, so all of their belongings are kept on the bed. They have no warm running water. They have no washer to clean their clothes. They clean themselves with a hose. But the worst part of their lives is that they have a 5 year old daughter who lives far away with her grandmother. Katie and her husband work seven days a week with very (VERY!) little pay, and so can only manage to go visit their daughter once a year, and that only if they have managed to save enough money over the year for the train tickets (about $15.00 each). Katie and her husband love their little girl so much! They long to be with her. They are trying to save enough money to move to the city where she lives. They wish to open a shop there so they can work and afford to live near their daughter. Can you imagine having a 5 year old daughter you have only seen a handful of times? And yet they love her with all their hearts. When Taiger and I visited them, they held Taiger and snuggled him and bought him little candies with the last of their money, and they loved on him, and all the while they talked and talked of their little girl who was the same age, and I could see in their pained eyes that their arms longed to hold her and kiss her and be with her. A few days ago, I figured out how to call Katie from skype. It was such a blessing to talk to her. To hear her voice. I told her I have some money to send her, and she cried. I told her I want to help her get the money to move north to be with her daughter and she cried. She is desperate. So, dear friends, I am here to ask for your help for Katie. I am here to be her advocate. I am here to be her voice. I am here to speak for one who cannot speak for herself. I am here to BEG for your help. Katie is saving every tiny bit of money she gets so she can have enough to move and live with her daughter. But she cannot do it alone. She is trying! She is really, really trying. But I know on her salary, she will never make it. SO...lets help. Lets all help get Katie and her husband back with their little girl. Will you please help? Please??

My Road Paved With Good Intentions

2011-08-18T12:22:00.001-07:00

I forget that while I walk down my road paved with good intentions, that someone is waiting for me. That someone is counting on me. That someone is suffering as they wait for me. That someone is DYING waiting for me. How long will I make them wait? I don't like to look left or right as I walk along. My road is smooth and nice. Look HERE. Where is the Good Samaritan? Who will be the Good Samaritan on my road? Because it looks like I am not stoppin' to help.

Prayers Lately

2011-08-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

There are some things I have been praying for lately, and I just wanted to share a few of them. Some things are personal, but some things need to be shared! Have any of you been reading the blog about sweet baby boy TRIPP? I love him so much and have been praying hard lately for him. If you haven't heard about this amazing little man, go HERE and read all about him. He is a fighter, he is a miracle, he is my example. I LOVE TRIPP! I have posted on facebook a few times links to THIS blog. I still remember when I first learned about Sudan and what was happening there. It is what first opened my eyes to the horrors that are taking place around the world, the injustice, the INHUMANITY! It was learning about the Sudan that I first learned about REAL apathy. Please read THIS blog and join me in praying even harder for the people in Darfur. Some posts, like THIS one, are so powerful, yet contain graphic images, so make sure you are reading them ALONE and not with little kids hanging over your shoulder. THIS family is amazing. They have adopted so many children, been on many mission trips, and are in the process of adopting two more kids. I know there is more to serving and loving than adopting and serving missions abroad, but for some reason, people who do those things really catch my attention. Anyway, the older daughter was dating this guy and he was going to pick her up for church and he got in a motorcycle wreck. I was DEVASTATED for them and have, for some reason, felt compelled to pray and pray for Karl. Isn't it funny how we can feel connected to people we have only "met" in the blog world? People for whom we can feel so deeply, and yet they may have no idea we exist? Well, anyway, if you want to read about this family, go HERE. This is another AMAZING family with a heart for orphans. They absolutely AMAZE me. Their son has been in the hospital and I am praying so hard for this sweet little boy. Read about him HERE. Those are a few of the prayers on my heart. What are you praying for these days? Won't you share, so we can join our prayers with yours?

Hey there, I'm Brytt! You want to read this post, I promise.

2011-08-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hi! I am a member of Sixteen Small Stones and am also sister to that awesome girl, Breclyn. I'm that girl that has some good ideas, but never really knows how to follow through with them. You've heard of me, I know you have.

So, I recently learned of this sweet little Girl and her amazing Story.

What a precious selfless act for someone, ESPECIALLY a young girl, to do. Her parents must be so proud and I'm sure Rachael is as well. For Her 9th birthday, all that Rachael wanted, was to raise $300.00 to fund clean drinking water projects in developing nations.

An 8 year old wanted this.

Rachael made a very selfless decision in Heaven. She knew that She would come to this earth to help, to love, to teach, and to be an example, all in a short time.Last month Rachael was injured in an accident and was in critical condition. A few days later, She was taken off of life support and went back home to heaven, leaving such an amazing legacy behind. This precious girl had a goal, it was to raise $300.00. She has raised $758,386 and counting. She is in Heaven, and I know She is smiling. Because of Rachael and her wonderful heart, over 37,919 people have been served. Rachael has saved so many people and has taught us all so much. Rachael is an example to us. It is never to late to serve. It is never to late to love. It is never to late to just act. What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world, remains and is immortal. ~anonymous donor. Please Donate to Rachael's Charity if you can. If you cannot, please pray for the people who are in need of clean water and help all over the world, and please be sure to pray for Rachael's family. This is the a link to Rachael's charity. Please go read it. http://mycharitywater.org/rachels9thbirthday *************

Sixteen Small Stones is a group of Volunteers that through small steps and small acts, are helping people all over the world. Rachael's story teaches us that it is never too late to act. Sixteen Small Stones wants to help many people all over the world, but without your actions, your help, it is very difficult.

Matthew 18:4 "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

************

And don't worry, I am still working on that "special surprise" Breclyn mentioned in the last post. I received some very sad and devastating news, and because of this, I am holding off on announcing anything until I get further information. But please remember SSS and every single person helping with us and those we are trying to help, in your prayers. With everyone's help, we can serve.

New Projects!!

2011-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

As you all know, for a while (like, TWO MONTHS!), I have been thinking it is time for some Fuzzi Bunz around here :). Operation: Fuzzi Bunz was so wonderful last year that I really wanted to make it an annual project. I kept thinking, "I NEED to have another OPERATION: Fuzzi Bunz!" I had this feeling like some little buns needed some cozy covering. However, each time I thought, "Okay, I am going to announce the start of Operation: FB", I would have this feeling to wait. I couldn't figure out why, but I waited. I had a feeling there would be SOME diaper project, but I wasn't quite spot-on with Fuzzi Bunz. Just THIS WEEK, board member Bryttan (who also happens to be my lovely sister! HI, BRYTTAN!) found about about some very special kids with a VERY specific and desperate need. I will let her tell the story, but I wanted to give you a little "teaser" that something exciting is coming up! We are always discussing projects around here. Many are brought to the table each month, but VERY FEW are put in to motion. It is sad, really. Very sad. We know of many places that could use our help. My first reaction when I hear of a need is to say, "YES! We will do it!" But I don't want to make promises I can't keep. It breaks my heart, but I think it is worse to say SSS will fulfill a need and then not. Why don't we do them all? It all comes down to finances. Money...some say it's the "root of all evil". Sometimes, I feel like it is the root of all apparent apathy. Soooo...I just want to say that if you have been thinking to yourself, "Gosh, I have so many thousands of extra dollars taking up space in my wallet. =SIGH= I surely do wish I knew what to do with it!" we surely would be happy to spend it in a good way for you. :) And please remember, NO donations is "too small". I am serious!!!!!! Anyway, we have a couple (or maybe three?) projects on the table now that we might decided to work on, and we will certainly need your help and prayers! Are you ready for some fun? :) I know I am! Bring on the diapers! OOOPS! I almost spoiled the surprise!! :) OH! One last thing!!!!! And this is ONLY for adults! Please consider checking out THIS blog. It is a bit graphic, but can be eye-opening. If you are unable to look at this blog, will you please consider praying for the people of Sudan anyway, if you aren't already? Thanks. :)

Here is a little picture of some "Fuzzi Bunz" recipients from last year's project. :) SO CUTE, don't you think?! (Photo courtesy of Serving His Children . PHOTO COPYRIGHTED! )

Father's Day Silence

2011-06-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't post on Father's Day. There was so much I wanted to say, but I am not good with words sometimes, and I couldn't figure out how to put in to words what I wanted to say. And I still can't. I can feel it in my heart, but it isn't coming out right. It has something to do with God being our first Father. It has to do with the amazing miracle of fatherly love from our Earthly fathers. It has to do with the fact that some kids have moms and not dads on this earth, but we ALL have a Father In Heaven, and how I WISH so badly I could preach that truth to EVERYONE! It has something to do with being a father to the fatherless, and the roll men play in our lives, and the way God has asked men to step forward, fathers to step forward and be fathers to the fatherless. It is a noble calling of God to be a father, a sacred calling. But I couldn't make sense of it all, so I didn't say anything. Can YOU see...no, can you FEEL how this somehow fits together for Father's Day?

Carpet!!

2011-06-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

MORE CARPET! Some really NICE pieces of carpet are out of stock now down here at the carpet store...so my boss is sending me home with the samples! The one style is SO soft and squishy. It is one of my favourites. I have no idea if/how I will ever get all these carpet samples to China to use in the SSS orphanage, but if we are meant to have them there, God will figure out a way. :) (I would love to post pictures. You will just have to use your imagination:). )

.

2011-06-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

We are preparing for a major PARTY at our house! Lots of cleaning an chaos. In the midst of it all, I brought T. down to our room to have his nap and sat down to check facebook and blogs while I have a quiet moment. I read EXILE'S blog post earlier. It moved me. Shifted me. Shook me. Now, I just read THIS blog post. I felt like the ground had been pulled from under my feet. The foundation of the world moved, the earth groaning under the weight of this event. My heart started pounding and my legs became hot, the natural reactions, I later realized, of the body when in "flight or fight" mode. My body was naturally preparing to run. To run away from what I was reading! To run away from the horror before me. TO RUN! But I am human, and in that moment I had a choice between, well, "fight or flight". I chose fight. I chose to stay. I chose to read and have my eyes open so I can FIGHT for these children. To FIGHT for childhood that was robbed. To FIGHT for mental stability that was shattered. To FIGHT for God to intercede for these children. I read their horrific story...only "horrific" doesn't even begin to describe it. There are no words, simply no words, in the English language to describe it. I read their story and raised my heart in prayer to God. Pleading. Begging. For what, I didn't know for sure. For healing? For their lives to somehow to go back to how they were? For the fear and horror to stop? I didn't know WHAT to pray for...so, I prayed just for HIM! It is only through HIM that anything changing and positive can take place inside these traumatized, demoralized, horrified and petrified children. There is no way...NO. WAY. that anyone could come away from that, except through the blood of Christ. So, I prayed for Him. Because that is all I knew to pray for.

Troop Tribute

2011-05-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States of America. It is a day to remember all those who have gone before us. I think there is a particular focus on members of our Armed Forces who have given their time, talent, bodies, families, health and lives to the defense of our country and the world.

Brave men and women everywhere have taken up the cause ever since the Revolutionary War and I am grateful for their sacrifice. Part of the Armed Forces is the National Guard. Just as the deployed, active duty troops have been busy so has the National Guard. They have been helping and assisting people within the United States in times of disasters.

As many of us recall we have had tornadoes, massive flooding, severe snow storms and soon hurricanes will be coming. I personally have just learned that farm land in Idaho is flooded from the Snake River with only more flooding expected from the massive amounts of snow still left to run off. This means wheat, barley, and potatoes all will be effect by too much water and erosion. Those poor farmers.

The say thing has happened all up and down the Mississippi River even to families who aren't farmers. Tornadoes have ripped up homes and lives all across the south and Midwest. Many lives are being effected.

This memorial day remember and honor your ancestors and what they have done for you. Remember and honor the active duty and deployed troops for what they are doing today. Remember and honor the National Guard who comes to give in service every time there is a need. They are swift and efficient and a tremendous help to the communities they serve in.

This memorial try to not only remember and honor but also contribute. Contribute with giving time, effort, support, donations to those who need it all over the United States.
-Blake A.

New Voices

2011-05-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

SO, this is fun! I have gotten all computer savvy and learned how to add people as contributors on this blog! So...I added ALL five of Sixteen Small Stones' board members! YIPPEE! So check back soon and see who writes next!!

Here is a little picture to brighten your day. :) (Gosh, I miss these little babies!)

BEGGING

2011-05-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I follow the blog of a family with a son with a skin disorder known as "EB" (sorry, I don't remember the long name...and it IS long ;)!) They are a wonderful family, and they take such good care of their little boy. Caring for a child with this disorder is HARD, HARD, HARD! Well, this family blogged about a family who has a daughter with EB (they also have NINE other kids, without EB) and they want to adopt these two brothers who also have EB! What an amazing family! Anyway, they have raised a lot of money, but they are still short about $35,000.00. Their paperwork has been approved. They adoption has been approved. They have EVERYTHING they need to go scoop up these little boys and bring them HOME! All they need is the rest of the money. Could you help? Do you have five dollars you could spare? Please click HERE to read more. Let's help get these boys HOME!

Whom The Lord Calls, He Qualifies.

2011-05-24T11:38:00.001-07:00

There are so many things racing through my mind that I want to write about! So, I will just share what I am thinking. First of all, WHAT THE HECK?! Okay, so my first goal, YEEEEEAAAAARS ago, was to open an orphan home in China. That is what I was doing. The End. Then, I found out that the only way to start an orphan home in China is to open a special home that takes special needs children out of the local orphanages and provides them with a home and the medical attention they need. HOW OVERWHELMING IS THAT?!?!?!? I knew I could NOT do that. I wondered why God had put it in my heart to open an orphan home if I couldn't (well, not the way _I_ had wanted!). BUT...I always had faith that God had a plan. Well, I soon found out about these amazing food programs in Africa and thought how wonderful it would be to start one in China. I told myself that this is what God wanted me to do instead of an orphan home. This I could handle. This I could do. And I really felt good about opening a food program. There are so many children on the streets with no food. It breaks my heart. I wanted to do this! And it was something I could handle. This last trip to China, I had gone with the thought that I would look in to opening a food program (where we feed the people who live on the streets). HOWEVER...I lived in an area where that was not a huge need. HOWEVER, I knew that in the city where I had first planned to open my orphanage, there is a HUGE need for a food program. So, I would start the food program in that city. I kept trying to think of the food program, how to run it, where, etc. And do you know what happened? God lead Taiger and I to the local orphanage, where He opened doors and made it possible for us to spend time loving on the kids there.

And wouldn't you know it, most of the children there were special needs! I FREAKED OUT! I thought, "I can't come here and volunteer with these kids! This is NOT for me!" After my first afternoon at the orphanage, I was SO discouraged! I just didn't think I could handle helping children with special needs. That just wasn't something I could do. So...do you know what I did? I went back. Yup. If God opened the door, I better be walking through it. I was disheartened, though, and discouraged. I didn't think helping special needs orphans was something I could do. Well, God had other plans. God did not berate me, or belittle me, or get angry at me that I was unsure. Instead, He lead me to that orphanage and do you know what? I fell in LOVE with those children! Taiger and I held them. We fed them. We played with them. We loved them. And do you know what? They loved us back. That experience changed my life! I always said, "Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies!" I had been called, and I went from being so set against the idea of caring for special needs children, to wanting to adopt them all and bring them home! He didn't only soften my heart, He changed it completely! He called me, and He qualified me!

So...last week. I am in America. I have been wondering what to do. I want to build my orphan home. I can do this! I can care for special needs children! I DO have it in me! God has qualified me, changed my heart. BUT...what about a food program? What about the children on the streets who are starving? What about the kids who get kicked out of the orphanage when they are 12 and are forced to starve on the streets? Can I just ignore them? I had planned to start a food program, and had felt that there was a great need for it! What do I do now? Which do I do?! People ask me about Sixteen Small Stones. I used to tell them we were opening an orphan home in China. Then, I started telling people we are starting a food program in China. Lately, I have been avoiding the question, and when it comes up, I randomly say one or the other. Because I did. not. know! I was waiting for God to show me which to do. And then, last week happened. Someone asked about Sixteen Small Stones, and without thinking I said, "We are opening an orphan home in China and starting a food program there to feed the people on the street." WHAT?!??!?!?!? Where did that even come from?! The words fell out of my mouth just as if they had been wanting to come out all along. It was so natural and it felt like cool, refreshing water on my lips on a hot day. WHAT?!??!?!?!?! That is what I was thinking! I laugh now, because I realize, maybe that was God's plan all along. So, there it is. Sixteen Small Stones is possibly opening an orphan home AND a food program to feed the people on the streets. (Don't you love how I still say "possibly"? I am so slow to follow. So slow to take up my cross and follow Him and His plan.) HOW?!?!??! I have been thinking that, too. But I remember a God who changed a girl's heart and qualified her to love children with special needs. If He can do that, He can provide the money and manpower. I just keep praying.

Carpet=Miracle

2011-05-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

What's coming next? Why does that always seem to be the question in my mind. What comes next? Come on! I want to know! It is like a dormant volcano is inside of me. Rumbling. Turning. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Does the volcano know when it will eurupt? Can it sense that something is changing? Does it feel when the pressure changes from constant and mild, to the point of exploding? Dormant. Waiting. But not still. Sixteen Small Stones is waiting. Waiting. But not still. Where have I seen God's hand these last few days, as It moves mountains for Sixteen Small Stones? Let me tell you. I work at a carpet store. I mentioned to my boss (the store owner) that I will be building an orphanage and would be so very thankful if they could donate any carpet samples that are out of date. I want to use them for story times. The floors in our orphanage will be like floors almost everywhere in China...tile! I love it because it is easy to clean...but for story time, little bums need a soft place to rest. :) (Also, using carpet samples helps kids know where to sit! :) ) Aside from that, can you imagine the OTHER uses of these carpet samples? Think of the little girl in the orphanage in HaiNan where Taig and I went. She was unable to sit and lay on her back day in and day out. Think if she had a soft piece of cosy carpet to lay on?! Think of the little boy at the same prphanage who was blind. Imagine giving him a soft piece of carpet to sit on and feel with his hands, and the backs of his legs, and to tickle his tiny toes! New sensory input! I remember when Taiger was learning to crawl. We had hardwood floors, and it was so hard when he tumbled forward as he tested his new mode of transportation. Think if we had several carpet pieces to move around and make a space for little ones to crawl on...especially one that could be moved when other activities called for hard floor! Of course, I didn't tell all of this to my busy boss as I desperately and shyly approached her with my request. Her reply? She handed me two samples to take! I was overjoyed and so thankful! Today when I showed up for work, she had FOUR MORE samples for me!! I thanked her and told her, "You are going to have our orphanage carpeted before we even have it built!" Her reply? "I hope so!" Tell me it isn't a miracle. CARPET! Thank you, Heavenly Father!

Updates All Around

2011-05-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I last posted, and for that I am sorry...as usual. I promise someday I will be better about blogging. :) For now, thank you all for being patient! This week, I had the chance to attend a "business meeting" of sorts in California. Although it was fun to be in California, the BEST part was spending time with such amazing people! Imagine, if you can, spending nine hours a day for three days in a row with people who LOVE to serve, who have HUGE faith, who love others, who are kind, who are giving, who treat you as the dearest of friends even though you only just met? That is what I got to do. It was uplifting to say the least, and I feel I created lasting bonds that will stand the test of time, even though those three short days are the only time I have ever spent with most of those people. Amazing. Sharing what the meeting was all about will come later, but I do want to share that Sixteen Small Stones MAY be able to bennifit monitarily from the hard work of everyone in that room during those three days, and I am so thankful to each one of them for that. We have some amazing things coming up, and I can't wait to get you all involved in the fun! Stay tuned!! :) Mr. D. is coming home from Japan later next week. He has been working his tail end off there and has had little time to email. However, he HAS taken time to send a few notes back, and reports that all is well. We can't wait to have him back to find out how everything went! SOOOoooooooo....Anyone ready for some Fuzzi Bunz? Just askin'. ;)

EXCITING NEWS!!

2011-04-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

First of all, I am so sorry I haven't written in SOOOO LONG!

Okay, moving right along....

BIG NEWS!!!!!! This is SO EXCITING! I have been waiting and waiting for the chance to post this good news. God is so good to bless us with this unique chance to serve!!!!!

There is a man, Mr. D, who is part of our Sixteen Small Stones team. (He is a really important part, actually. We really love Mr. D!)

Anyway, guess where Mr. D is RIGHT NOW?

Driving to Salt Lake.

Guess why?

To catch an airplane!

Want to know where Mr. D is heading?

JAPAN!

It has been on Mr. D's heart ever since the earthquake hit Japan to go there and serve. Finally, he is able to go. He is so excited, and we are so excited for him!

Mr. D is a loving, caring, Godly man. He is Christ-like, gentile and kind. He is just the man to go over and serve the people in Japan. He is wise and knowledgable, and I am sure he is going to do great good while he is in Japan.

If you wanted to donate money for Japan but haven't yet, now would be a good time!! You can donate using the "PAYPAL" button on the left sidebar on this blog, or you can mail a check to the address on the left sidebar on this blog.

If the money tree in your backyard hasn't quite yet grown this year's crops (mine hasn't in YEARS! ;) ), you don't have to be left out!! Mr. D would really appreciate any prayers you have time to offer up for him. He could use prayers for God to guide him to those he can serve, prayers for his safety, his health, etc. Mr. D has experienced some physical ailments as of late, and prayers that he will be able to find rest at night and strength by day would also be appreciated. :) His wife is going to be missing him like CRAZY, too, and WORRYING about him, so prayers for her would be great as well. :)

Mr. D may or may not have internet access while in Japan (see why his wife and family will be fretting?!), but I will post with updates if I hear anything. Also, he promised to bring home a picture or two, so check back for pictures.

Thank you all for your support!

Thank you, Mr. D! We love you!

One Day Without Shoes!

2011-03-31T17:17:00.001-07:00

Remember these?

(Hello, good lookin'!)

Remember these?

Or these?

Well, they are coming back!

APRIL 5 is Tom's One Day Without Shoes day. Will you join us?

Thoughts on Japan, and OPERATION: $3.11

2011-03-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have been overwhelmed with the events unfolding in Japan. We watch the news for hours each night. It is hard to accept as real. It seems like I am watching a movie, or something from another world, or at least from another time. As I sit in my home, comfortable, safe, warm, with my family around me, I wonder, "Why not me?" How have I somehow been lucky enough to avoid such pain, such an horrific experience. How? Why? I watch the scenes play out on the tv of the water flowing in to the towns and villages, swallowing people, homes, pushing devastation before its wave. "God, why not ME? Why? How have I managed to escape? How?" I love hearing the stories of survival, of humanity at its best as people pull others from the water, the stories of the aid workers. I love seeing the Japanese people working together, carrying the old on their backs away from the devastation. I love the way there has been no looting. The way people wait in line for basic necessities without fighting, stampeding, hurting one another. I saw a picture as a soldier stood and prayed with a woman. It stopped my breath. It was indescribably beautiful. It was heartbreaking. It was raw. It was seeing Christ's hands and feet on Earth. Anyway, those are my feelings on these tragic and unbelievable events. Please join us as we continue to pray for the people in Japan. One of our amazing team members, Blake, came up with a fantastic idea to raise money to send to help Japan and he invited us to be a part of it! In memory of the day of the earthquake and tsunamis, March 11, Blake is asking everyone he knows to donate $3.11 So, thanks to Blake (and his great ideas), Sixteen Small Stones has launched OPERATION: $3.11. You can mail donations to the address posted on the left side of this page, or you can donate via paypal by clicking the paypal button, also on the left sidebar. I am certain many of you have sent money to Japan, or are praying for Japan, and I am awed at the kindness of everyone pulling together in love and concern for Japan. You are all wonderful, caring people, serving the children of God and setting a beautiful example to me of service. Please comment and share your thoughts on what is happening in Japan. I would love to hear your perspectives. Love you all!

Operation: LOVE Round 1: ACCOMPLISHED!

2011-02-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

Round One of Operation: LOVE is complete! Our first set of Valentines (the ones for Africa)have been sent! What a miracle! Both times we have done this project, I have thought, "This is a miracle!" It is quite an undertaking to get people to donate valentines. When they do, I think, "This is a miracle!" It is quite an undertaking to organize all of the valentines. When I see them organized, I think, "This is a miracle!" It is quite an undertaking to get them boxed up and to the post office. When I do, I think, "This is a miracle!" I never think I will have enough money to mail the valentines, and each time I somehow have just enough. When that happens, I think, "This is a miracle!" Yep, every single step of Operation: LOVE is a miracle. So, will we be doing Operation: Love next year? YOU BET! To witness that many miracles? Why would I choose NOT to see God's hand? In the story of the Brother of Jared, God lit the sixteen small stones (yes, this organization's namesake of sorts). The Brother of Jard did a LOT of work and in the end, after all of his hard work, there is a MIRACLE to bring all of his work to fruition. The Brother of Jared saw the finger of God. And I did, too. Thank you to EVERYONE who donated! In this picture: The white envelopes have heart-shaped puzzles in them. (Thank you Annelise!). The ones in front have pictures of Christ with the children. (Thank you, Cindy, and her Young Women's group!) The red envelopes have a little valentine and a note to the young women working with the orphans. (These were three cards left over from last year's Operation: LOVE. Unfortunately, I was much less organized last year, as you may all recall, and now I don't remember who donated those cards last year. So, whoever you are, THANK YOU, and if you see this post, PLEASE leave a comment so I remember who donated these! THANK YOU, and I am SO SORRY!)

Valentines!!

2011-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

What did Sixteen Small Stones do to get ready to celebrate Valentine's Day? We made VALENTINES!!!! We have enough Valentines to send to Africa, but didn't have all that we needed for China. So, we set to work! This was an especially meaningful project for Taiger and me, as we know the very children who will be receiving these Valentines. I tried not to focus on that with Taiger, as I didn't want to "play favourites" with this project by seeming more excited to send Valentines to the kids we know in China than to the children in Africa, who are just as important and need love just as much. However, as we sat on the floor making Valentines, Taiger was especially quiet and deep in concentration as he was making his Valentine. I thought maybe he was making one to send to his cousins or maybe give to Uncle B (making Valentines isn't all work and no play, after all!). So, I asked him who he was making his Valentine for. His voice was full of love and was so gentile when he said, "I am making this for my one little friend in the orphanage. The one who used to play with my hair and walk with me." I almost burst in to tears. He not only remembers that special little boy, but loves him, and was making a Valentine especially for him. It made my heart break and made it soar at the same time. I am so proud of Taiger, and I am so in awe at how Christ-like he is. He loves unconditionally and is so accepting. That little boy at the orphanage just loved Taiger. Whenever Taiger would enter the room where that little boy was, that sweetheart would run over and grab hold of Taiger and not let go. Sometimes, the boy was a little rough (side effects of growing up in an institution, I suppose), and sometimes he even would accidentally hurt Taiger. But Taiger never raised his voice, never tried to get away from the little boy. Taiger was always gentile and understanding in return. I was constantly amazed at the patience and love Taiger showed to that little boy. When we were at the orphanage, Taiger was always helpful and loving to the children. If a child was crying, Taiger would go comfort him. If a child was playing by himself, Taiger would go be his companion. He helped feed the children and care for the children with more patience and love than many adults would be able to. Seeing Taiger make that Valentine for that little boy reminded me of something Christ would do. He would not just make a bunch of Valentines and send them off. He would think of each specific child. Make each Valentine as beautiful and special as He could. He would personalize it and make it according to what they child would like. Taiger made this special Valentine just the way he thought that little boy would want it. It was fun to make Valentines for the children, and I am so thankful to everyone who helped make them.

We have some Valentines that people have given us and we are still organizing them and getting them ready to send off! Stay tuned for more pictures!!

WE STILL NEED MORE VALENTINES! So, if you are still planning to send some, there is still time! We are accepting donations until March 1! Also, we are in GREAT NEED of funds to mail the Valentines. If you want to donate to help cover the cost of shipping, please let me know. THANK YOU, ALL! We hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day full of love! :)

What Am I Going To Do?

2011-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

There is so much to DO! Okay, okay, there is a house to clean, laundry to wash, dishes to wash, homework (oh shoot! I have SOMETHING due today...what is it?!). But I am not talking about that. Yes, it is important to do those things, and I DO complete these tasks. Some women are "SUPER GALS"! They do all these things and MORE, and they are amazing! I want to be like you someday (BRYTTAN, just to name one!). However, right now, I have this little problem. I think of those things as things that need to be "done", not as things that need to be engaged in. I want to ENGAGE with Taiger. I don't want to ENGAGE with dishes! There is something else on my mind lately (always). Something kind of bugging me, actually. You know when you have something REALLY important to do (not like homework, that is not at all important... HA! That was a joke!) and it almost WEIGHS on you? Something someone is COUNTING on you to accomplish? I feel that lately. I feel that responsibility. The only problem is, I don't really know what it is I am supposed to do! Frustrating, right? I know! The problem is, I feel like if I look inside myself, I will know what it is I am supposed to do. I know what it is about. ORPHANS. It makes sense it is weighing on me. I mean, God Himself has commanded us to care for the orphan. I read someone's blog the other day and they were saying how people always tell her, "If GOD asked me to adopt, I would". She was saying how aggravated she is with people who say that because God, for one, doesn't have to tell us the obvious! And for two, God HAS asked all of us to adopt! It is like saying, "If God asked me to go to church, I would." GIVE ME A BREAK! He has commanded us to keep the Sabbath day holy! What more do you want?! Lightening to strike YOUR house to make it more personal?! I feel the same way about caring for orphans. God has said that PURE religion is to care for the orphaned and widowed. God has asked us to care for the orphan. Does He really need to come right out and say MY name? No. I know what He wants. Okay, enough with THAT little rant. Anyway, so I know I am supposed to care for orphans...but HOW?! That is where I am right now. I cannot adopt because I don't have the money to pass a home-study. I am working on that. It is my goal! In the meantime, what more should I be doing to follow God's word? There is so much to DO, while I sit here wondering what to do! There are children on the street DYING while I ask myself, "Hmmmm...what should I do?" GET UP AND FEED THE MASSES, for goodness sake! It isn't rocket science! But it kind of is. For me. Where do I go? How do I get there? What do I do, really? Set up a food program? Open a foster home? I look at Katie Davis (Amazima Ministries) and Renee Bach (Serving His Children). They had NO IDEA what they were going to do! They just felt God's call to GO TO AFRICA, and they went. They had no plan. They didn't know what they would be doing there. They just obeyed God and WENT! I see people doing that all the time when it comes to serving orphans. My parents knew they were supposed to adopt, so they jumped! They didn't ask, "How will we pay for it? Where are we supposed to adopt from?" They just obeyed when God called. People do it all the time. Why can't I? Do I lack the faith that GOD will come forward and set my path? Do I think that I will follow His call somewhere and He will walk away and leave me in some country with no direction? I guess so. I worry I will get to, say, China. And just stand there and not know what to do. After 5 months, I will turn around and come home, confused about why I ever left and wondering if I had REALLY heard God's voice asking me to go. The comfort is, if I am answering His call to serve orphans, it is enough. Even if I fail, I have tried to do what God asked. I always think of the scripture, "I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you." God is with the orphan. He is already there, loving them, comforting them. But He needs us to be His hands and feet. To bring the food He will provide. To bring the clothes He will provide. To build the shelters He will provide. He will provide the money, the time, the patience, the food, the shelter. His Grace is sufficient. All I have to do is ACT! So, what am I going to do?

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!

2011-02-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

I am a half hour late leaving Utah for Idaho, so this is going to be quick! There is someone leaving from America to go to Africa and visit Gabi (Racham Ministries). Gabi had told me if I would mail the Valentines to her address in Africa she would make sure all of the various homes got the valentines for their kids. Well, now that this girl is going to Africa, we can save money on shipping and mail the valentines to this girl in America and she will bring the valentines with her to Gabi in Africa (OH MY GOSH! Does that explanation even make any sense?!) So, if you have Valentines to send to AFRICA, PLEASE try and have them to Sixteen Small Stones BY February 20! I know, I know...that doesn't leave much time. And if you really can't get them here before then, we will just pay to ship them to Africa. But let's TRY to get all of the Africa Valentines in time to send with this sweet girl. THANK YOU, ALL! (If you are planning to send Valentines for CHINA, the deadline is still MARCH 1st.)

Operation: LOVE

2011-02-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Please don't forget

Leaving the 99 to find the ONE

2011-02-02T05:27:00.001-08:00

WONDERFUL NEWS! We only need one HUNDRED valentines to send to China, NOT one THOUSAND!

Okay, so even though this news is such a relief, I had a hard time feeling "happy" about it. I wanted to pray and thank God that we only had to provide one hundred valentines, but it didn't feel right. I wanted valentines to be provided, I did NOT want to "get out of the work". I feel like when a little kid is whining about cleaning their room and their Mom says in a soft voice, "Okay, don't do it. _I_ will." You feel even WORSE! You don't want THEM to have to do it! I feel like there are so many orphans (an estimated 140 million, actually) and giving out 1000 valentines was a big deal! It was a way to reach out to so many and show them that they are loved.

At the same time, I also have a different take on this situation. There are big orphanages in China that many people know about, from which many children are adopted. Foreigners set up foster homes for the children in these orphanages, and when a child needs a surgery, the foreigners have the connections needed to obtain financial aid to cover surgery costs. On the other hand, Hainan is a small island in the middle of Nowhere-South-China-Sea. The orphanage is not fancy and they don't receive much help. They don't have a bunch of fancy equipment or a bunch of financial sponsors covering the cost of the children's food, daily life and medical needs.

But GOD knows them, and Jesus knows them, just as much as they know the children in the larger institutions. And He will leave the ninety and nine to go find the one.

In this project, we are serving the one.

1,000

2011-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

One thousand valentines. ONE. THOUSAND. That is all that is on my mind right now. We have all of the valentines to send to Africa covered. People have said they will donate and we have enough to send to Africa. But what about China? 1,000 valentines. Why do I allow my faith to waver?

Valentines to go to China!!

2011-01-29T15:41:00.001-08:00

SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just heard back from the communications directer at Half The Sky Foundation! They have a program at the orphanage in Hainan where Taiger and I volunteered. I had emailed them to confirm an "okay" about sending valentines to the orphans there. She said she thought it was, and I quote, "a lovely idea"! Can you believe that?! "LOVELY"! I was so worried they would say we could not send them for one reason or another (and I would have completely understood that! I mean, what if someone sent valentines that could somehow harm the children....I don't know what kind of valentine that would be, but I am just saying!), but no! She thinks it is a good idea!

So...what does all this mean? It means something so amazing and overwhelming and HUGE! It means that in just over one month's time, we need to collect (are you ready for this?)

ONE THOUSAND more valentines.

I am not kidding, people. One. Thousand.

Just take a breath for a second.

You good?

Okay.

Because this is the truly amazing part. The part that will make your knees go all soft and your heart turn to jell-o.

This also means that GOD loves those children. He knows them. They are HIS children. He knows each of their names. He knows that one likes noodles while another likes rice. He knows that one likes to play with the doll while the other likes the ball. He knows the one that cried yesterday. He knows the one that laughed today. He. KNOWS. them. AND? HE LOVES THEM. He loves them SO MUCH that he would send US to send them cards of love! He loves them so much that he would inspire the directer of communications at Half The Sky to allow us to send valentines to the children. He loves them so much that I can have faith that 1,000 valentines will will be provided.

This is a picture of the front of the orphanage in Hanan!

(Taking pictures inside the orphanage, or of the children, was --understandably-- not allowed.)

Operation: LOVE

2011-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

I try and find one good picture to use for each of our projects. I was looking at a lot of pictures to use for Opearion: Love (sending valentines/cards to orphans around the world). Many of the pictures I considered using were just beautiful and would have worked well...but I really felt like I should keep searching. I wanted to use one that really symbolized LOVE. I found among some of GABI DICKENSON's photos, images where kids were hugging each other and thought, "That is PERFECT for Operation: LOVE!"...but then I would change my mind. I saw some of people loving on orphans and thought THOSE would be perfect...but something just wasn't right. SO, I totally did a dorky thing and I "googled" images of Chinese orphans. I know. Lame. BUT... I came across this picture. The second I glimpsed it, it took my heart away. I clicked on it and read the story:

A man in rural China worked as a scavenger. He was quite old for the job, and should have retired. In China (as everywhere, I would assume), scavenger workers don't have a lot...they don't have a lot of money, food, clothes, a lot of space in a house. One day, he was out working and he saw a group of people all gathered around something. He was curious and went to see at what it was they were all gazing. He worked his way through the crowd and saw in the middle of the group a small baby wrapped in a thin sheet. The man was so sad that no one was doing anything to help the baby. They were just looking. Well, this kind old man, I imagine with calloused and wrinkled hands, lifted the small baby. The man said the infant was frozen stiff. He brought the small bundle home and he and his wife wrapped the little girl in a burlap bag and fed her soup broth. Soon, she warmed up enough to move. The wife felt sad for the girl and said she pitied her. She said that no one else wanted to touch the baby. "She is human", the wife expressed, something I think many people forget about orphans.

The years have passed and the man is now more than 80 years old. That first little girl he brought home was not the last. Over the years, he has taken in all of the abandoned children he has found and now cares for over 40 little ones. Everyone knows where to send abandoned children, and even the local law enforcement knows to bring abandoned babies or children to this man and his wife to care for.

This story absolutely broke my heart...and healed it at the same time. This man who had NOTHING, sacrificed EVERYTHING for that little girl. This man has a deep sympathy and a Christ-like love for his fellow-man. He does not judge those abandoned, or think they are less than him! He and his wife see them as deserving children. And although Christianity is illegal in China, this man is the greatest example of how to live a Christ-like life.

So, I chose this picture. It SCREAMS "love" to my heart. The picture is of one of the children he has taken in. You can see the boy is holding and LAYING IN the hands of this kind old man. It is so touching and so powerful!

May we all love as he does! Let us all perform this small act of sending a valentine so we can be like this man and show love for those so starving for it.

A Short Update

2011-01-27T02:54:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep, so I decided to post! Our great friend, and someone who has really helped SSS so very much, delivered her valentines/cards to us today! They are beautiful, each with a picture of Christ (so we know they are going to Africa, not China). THANK YOU, C! Many people have said they would donate valentines. Each told me how many they could provide, and guess what the total is? 225! I kid you not! We serve such a GREAT God! Thank you to everyone who is donating valentines! If you still want to donate some, don't hesitate! We still need MANY more! Please continue to pray that the orphanage in China (where T and I spent time with the children) will allow us to send some valentines to the children there. I know it would mean so much to T, as he really misses the children there, and he loves them so much. I admit, I, too, miss those little munchkins. I became especially close to one little girl and I really miss her hugs and her laugh. Unfortunately, they would not allow us to take pictures of the children, so I can't share her picture with you. However, her face is imprinted on my heart, and I will forever be able to see her smiling face in my mind. Is it time to go back to China yet? :)

Three New Projects!

2011-01-22T19:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy few months! It has been overwhelming going through the, what I call, "Reverse Culture Shock". That is the shock of going from China to America. Going from typhoons to temperate weather. Going from cement floors and walls, to carpet and wallpaper. Going from random power outages, to consistent electricity. Going from shower over the bathroom floor to a bathtub and lots of hot water and a "western" bathroom. It is that panic that comes from having TOO much, and not being able to forget the life you have lived, and, even harder, the things you have seen. Having Reverse Culture Shock, severe jet-lag and Christmas all within the same month has been a bit hard to come through. I have appreciated the patience of my family and friends as Taiger and I have "gotten back in to the swing of things". With the settling of the chaos we have been able to reflect on our time in China. Taiger is really starting to miss China, and we can't wait for the day when we can go back. In the meantime, we will occasionally share stories on our other blog, manygrandadventures.blogspot.com, of our adventures there. We hope you will stop by our other blog and enjoy hearing our stories and seeing our pictures. Now that we are back and things are calming down, we have all decided it is time to get Sixteen Small Stones started with some new projects for 2011! We are really jumping in with both feet and have a few new projects already underway! To kick things off, we are having our annual OPERATION: LOVE, sending valentines to orphans around the world! We hope you will want to be a part of this project by making (or purchasing) valentines and sending them to SSS. We will collect all of the valentines and send them off! Let us know if you are interested in helping with this project! The deadline for sending in your valentines is March 1, so get out the glue and glitter and get going with the fun! We are also raising money to purchase beds for some very special little girls in Africa (Racham Ministries, Uganda, andthenloveon.blogspot.com). (Don't forget! Even ONE dollar helps...and you can donate via Paypal using the button on the left hand side of this blog!) OPERATION: Fuzzi Bunz is returning from last year for an encore run! Thanks to two very generous women, we had great success with this project last year, and we hope this year is just as successful. Many children were greatly blessed with these cozy, cloth diapers, and we hope to bless many more little ones this year! If you are at all interested in helping with any of these projects, please let us know! We would love to have any help with these fun projects! We also are so very thankful for anyone who feels so compelled to donate money, diapers, valentines, time, prayers or love! :) Thank you all so very much!!

What Child Is This?

2010-12-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

"What Child is This?"

What child IS this?

Or this?

What child is this?

Back From China

2010-12-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

WE ARE BACK!!!!! Taiger and I have returned to America. We are still trying to get over jet-lag, but I wanted to post and let everyone know we are back! I want to post a HUGE THANK YOU to the members of our Sixteen Small Stones board who kept things going while I was gone. It was a rough journey and we had a lot of time where I could not access the internet, and therefore was completely out of touch with everyone in America, including members of our board, our partner homes, etc. I hated being "out of the loop", but I never worried a second that things would be taken care of in my absence. Thank you all for your hard work! You are amazing! Also, THANK YOU to EVERYONE for your positive thoughts and prayers. They were truly felt and appreciated more than you can imagine. There were some really hard times and times when we were in less than safe situations. Your prayers brought strength to push through the hard times, and safety in times of danger. Thank you all so very, very much!!

The first update of many

2010-08-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

From China, to Me, to You. Hey! It's Bryttan, I'm going to be posting updates for Breclyn until she returns home from her adventure in Chinaland. Sorry, you are going to have to put up with me and my craziness. I don't write nearly as well as Breclyn, nor do I know as much as her, but I'll do my best, and keep you all updated on what she is doing and want's to say. So Sixteen Small Stones followers, Breclyn and Taiger are living near the Hai Nan orphanage and have been going over once a day for hours to help and play with the Children there. She has yet to take pictures, but She has told me that they do take care of the kids, it's just, the china way. Whenever they go over, the kids run over to Breclyn, and wait patiently for their turn to be held by her. Taiger has told me that he loves to play with the kids, but their teachers are mean to them. He has also gone on to tell me that he has told the kids that [I] am very nice and can come take care of them. Thank you Taiger for volunteering me, haha. Wish I could. Glad they couldn't understand what you were telling them. The kids over in that orphanage do not get the attention and care that they need, and Breclyn has told me what goes on inside, and it makes me want to do everything I can to help those kids. I wish I could go over, but someone has to stay here and keep everyone updated I guess. Also, I don't have the money or time unfortunately. The "Aunts" (caregivers/teachers) in the orphanage are trying to take care of so many kids, that they don't have time to be gentle with each child and they change them on a wooden counter top that is very hard. They do not lay the babies down softly, and they cry in pain. Their diapers are cloth, but they are not nice and what they do is tie them around their waists very tightly and it rubs against them. Breclyn said that they all have rashes and bruises. I want to try to do another Fuzzy Bunz type of fundraiser again, only it does not HAVE to be Fuzzy Bunz nor does it have to be called Fuzzy Bunz. I don't know much about cloth diapers, but if anyone out there does, let me know and maybe we can get some nicer softer kinds for these kids. What do you all think?? Next thing, They have a room for the children with disabilities. I did not quite understand, but it sounded like they have many different rooms with a lot of kids in each one. Maybe it's easier for them to take care of the kids this way. I'll try to get more accurate details, I'm sorry. Anyway, it sounds like they only have ONE doll for all the kids (yes, girls AND boys) to share. Breclyn told me that they have to take turns and the little girls especially hate this. They love walking around holding their dolly so much. I am going to sew some dolls to send over, and if anyone else wants to do the same and or send some to me instead of DI, I think they would love it. Breclyn and I have been talking about other things we would like to do, but I'm going to wait to bring that up. We don't actually have permission from the orphanage to do this, but Breclyn said we don't need any. She has been going over and has met with many of the Teachers and She says if we send them, she can just bring them in and they will be happy. The problem is, with me here doing this alone, I don't really know where to start to get money. So, if you do send some dolls, try to make them those softer light dolls....do you know what kind I am talking about? Just because right now I don't have a lot of money to send a very heavy package. I'm sorry. I need to talk to Breclyn and ask her a lot of questions. I just don't want you all to be lost, or think that Sixteen Small Stones is no more. We're doing what we can with her over there and me here :) Heavenly Father will help us if we have faith that everything will work out. I believe that is true. So, I will keep boring you all with my posts, updating you until I get things worked out and going again. I really think that the diapers and babies are a really good place to start. I'll post her stories from the orphanage a little later, they are so amazing, i want everyone to hear them. I had surgery and have been going through a long recovery. Posting a short blog is about all I can do right now, I apologize. I'll leave you with some pictures that She has sent to me. I know She is doing what She can right now while she is there to help anyone and everyone and still study and take time for her dear sweet Taiger. She is grateful to all of you who support her and have helped 16 Small Stones so much. I know I am as well. Being on this end, I have seen how much help and support you have all given, from money, to prayers, it's all appreciated. It's been amazing. Thank you. Keep praying, and things will all work out for everyone. God blesses us in many ways, we just have to be patient and have faith. Thanks Everyone!! This is their way of transportation. Taiger sits on the back seat and Breclyn peddles. She's going to come home with some super strong calf muscles, haha. Aaaaaand, when you take a 4 year old little boy to China to help the people, he prefers to help the Turtles. Taiger caught this tiny turtle, and is crazy for him :)

God Is Love

2010-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today, I am giving a little, quick lesson in church. I am teaching the song, "God Is Love" and I wanted to give a little lesson about it. The problem is, I don't really understand that phrase, "God Is Love". God is made up of flesh and bone. So, what does it mean that "God IS Love"? For the past few weeks, I have been trying to better understand this concept. I still don't understand it with my mind, but I have started to comprehend it in my HEART. A few experiences I have had these past few weeks have helped me feel this idea that God Is Love. I felt God and was overwhelmed with this realization of how HUGE His love is. I saw beauty in Earth and felt warm inside like a testimony of God's love. I felt Love, and in that love was God. I wish I were an eloquent writer, like Bethany P. Haily, or Gabi Dickinson, or Katie Davis. But I am not. All I have is my testimony and my heart.

Another Mriacle at the Post Office

2010-06-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Another sale at the Post Office?? Hmmmmm...I think God is up to something. He has some AMAZING work He is preparing some special young women for. :) I sent another box of donations a couple of days ago. This was the SCARY box. I had sorted and resorted. I had down sized again and again, taking out items I thought were not AS necessary as others, etc. In the end, I had a box that was so full I had to put paper on the top to fill in the gap between the folded down leaves on the top. I went to the post office just to weigh it. I had brought the address and some tape JUST IN CASE, but I fully planned to weigh it, find out the price, and come home and downsize AGAIN. I had discussed with Gabi how much it COULD cost. I was estimating around $200.00, but hoping for $150.00...what? I believe in miracles!! I had raised $140.00 at the yard sale. Twenty of that went to sending Renee's package. That meant I would have to use some of the money from my "miracle stash" in Shelley. That was okay. But I was REALLY wanting to use it to either help with the cost of getting to China, or help with the cost of registering SSS as an NGO (a girl can dream!). If it came to more than $200.00, I didn't know WHAT I would take out...it already felt like I wasn't sending nearly enough! I stood nervously in line, trying to guess how much it was going to cost, and trying to picture what I could take out of the box (on that part, I was coming up blank). When it was my turn, I hefted the huge box onto the counter and told the post woman I just wanted to weigh it and find out how much it would cost. She looked at me doubtfully and asked, "Is it going to close?" It was stuffed past closing, but I promised her I could squish it down and it would fit...I was hoping for a miracle for that part. When she read me the price, I think I just gave her this odd, blank stare. The price? $71.00. Blank stare. Not $200.00? Not $100.00? Just seventy-one dollars? For the WHOLE box? To England? Why is it so hard to believe miracles? :) Since I wasn't actually thinking I would be able to afford to mail it at that time, I didn't bring my camera, so you will have to trust me that the box did make it to the post office. :) We have cloth diapers, socks, and clothes en route to England even as we speak! We are praying God will provide Gabi with the two extra suitcases so she can transport all of the donations with her to Africa. (Please join us in prayer if you feel so inclined.) Thank you all for your love and support. God is so, so good. :) :)

Side Note

2010-06-15T23:44:00.001-07:00

A Side Note Tomorrow, I am going to weigh the box to send Gabi and ask how much it will cost to send. Wouldn't you know, I have been STRESSING ALL DAY about this..."What if it is too much?", "What if I can't afford it?". "What if...", "What if...", "What if...". When will I ever learn?! GOD WILL PROVIDE A WAY.

God Is Good

2010-06-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Some incredible things happened yesterday. I want to share them with you. For the past few days, I have been packing up the donations to Renee (Serving His Children) and Gabi (Racham Ministries). I finished the box for Renee and planned to send it. I lifted the box, and boy! was it heavier than I had thought it would be. Gabi's, too, was big and heavy! I knew I needed to send Renee's box ASAP because she is leaving the states soon, so I made arrangements to mail Renee's box. Then, I started panicking. What if I couldn't afford to send the boxes? I remembered a God who had provided twenty four Fuzzi Bunz diapers against all odds. I also realized God would not have provided the diapers and would not have asked me to send them without providing a way to accomplish what He asked. So...what did I do? I prayed! I prayed with full faith that God would provide a way for the packages to be sent to Renee and Gabi. I absolutely believed that God could provide a way for those boxes to be sent. I envisioned some kind person behind me hearing where the box was going and footing the bill. I imagined a SALE at the post office...I mean, I had never before HEARD of a postal sale, but that wasn't the point. I KNEW God could provide a way. As I was kneeling in my room, my Mom hollered in to me. She said she had just received a notice in the mail that I had a bank account in Shelley that hadn't been used in five years and I needed to do something with the account--either withdraw or deposit--or the money would be given to the government. I smiled. I knew God could find a way. SOME way. A bank account? In Shelley? God had a plan for this moment from the time I opened that account and then forgot about it (I know it seems impossible to forget about money, but to this moment I cannot remember leaving money in an account in Idaho...). He knew this time would come where I would need the money. So, off I trekked to the Post Office, with my box of donations in the back seat.

At the post office, my sister came in with me. As we stood in line, we guessed how much it would cost. Mind you, I had only made 140 dollars at the sale to send these boxes. I thought this box would cost $70.00, my sister guessed $80.00. Either way, if either of our guesses were correct, I would be left without enough to send Gabi's package without spending the money in the mysterious bank account. I was so happy God had revealed that to me before I left so I would not be under great stress at the Post Office, waiting in that line, wondering what the mailing cost would be. When it was our turn, the postman read us the prices. The cheapest price? You will never guess. $21.00 No kidding. A sale at the Post Office?! God is good. Always so, so good. :)

Quick Update!!

2010-06-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

What a day! I have spent much of the late hours of last night and most of the day today sorting all of these wonderful donations we have received! It is almost 2:00 and I still have not showered (I know...I sicken myself sometimes). It has been difficult, exciting, fun and humbling to do this work.

Anyway, I wanted to post a few pictures really quickly to give you all a peek into how it's going!

Thank you, to EVERYONE who has donated! We have SO MUCH and it is so exciting to picture little children and young adults around the world receiving their new clothes from your hands to theirs!

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

OH! Please spread the word about Project: 1000 Words...let's get some of these cameras sponsored!!

Love you, all! Remember, you are a child of GOD!

Yes, this really is our living room...I am sure my family just HATES me right now.

A Story

2010-06-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

I am driving through the country-side in Idaho, down back roads, totally lost. Why am I here? I am so glad you asked. :) Several months ago, Renee with Serving His Children let me know that she was in great need of Fuzzi Bunz one-size diapers. I was so excited when she told me that because it seemed like something Sixteen Small Stones could provide for her. We launched Operation: Fuzzi Bunz...and nothing happened. No one donated. I emailed Fuzzi Bunz manufacturers and distributors asking for discounts or donations. I emailed LeLeche League leaders. I told everyone about this project. I prayed that someone would donate! I had FAITH that something would happen...but it never did. Nothing happened. I was worried that Renee would think I let her down. I was worried that she would think Sixteen Small Stones was some dorky thing that some careless flake "put together". I forgot to look at His big picture. I figured I would just buy some Fuzzi Bunz myself and send them to Renee! However, I quickly learned there was NO WAY I could do this, as Fuzzi Bunz are SO expensive! Some people donated cloth diapers, and I was so thankful to them! However, because of the children Renee cares for, I knew these just weren't going to work. I was so sad that things were not working out as I had hoped, and wondered how the end would be. One day, months after I had started Operation: Fuzzi Bunz, and months after I had all but "given up" on this project ever coming to fruition, I received an email from a woman who wanted to donate Fuzzi Bunz! She had FOUR that she wanted to donate! I was so excited, and SO THANKFUL! ("Maybe Renee won't think I am a total looser, after all!", was one of my first thoughts...How shallow I am!) Renee was going to be in the US in June, and I set the diapers up so I could send them to her when she was in America. I was so thankful, and imagined the difference these diapers would make to her and to her children! I prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for this sweet woman. Then, this same woman emailed me and told me she wanted to donate MORE diapers, UP TO TWENTY, but she always looks into the organizations to whom she donates, and she wanted to know more about Sixteen Small Stones...specifically, if we were 501c3 approved. Dang. That little combination of letters and numbers has alluded me for years. Not because we don't qualify, but because I just can't figure out the process of application, etc. Somehow, I just can't wrap my mind around this complicated process. Dang. Dang. Dang. My heart was breaking. If only I could somehow PROVE to her that we are what we say we are, even without those silly numbers. I felt so heartsick for the lost possibility of getting the much needed diapers to Renee. I felt embarrassed that we weren't an official NGO. I felt overwhelmed with desire to provide these diapers to the children. I felt FULL of FAITH that if we were supposed to get these diapers, we would get them...with or without having 501c3 at the end of our name. So, I asked all of our partner homes if we could use their names and send to this woman a list of the places we help. I was so amazingly humbled and grateful when everyone said I could, and I sent this woman an email with information about us. I was ashamed because it looked like we weren't "real". A week or so passed, and one day I opened my email to see a message from her. I was sure she would say she has decided NOT to donate any more...and that she wanted me to send back to her the four she had already donated. "Oh ye of little faith..." This woman said that her friend in Rexburg had twenty diapers to donate. I was overwhelmed with gratitude! With humility! I prayed and thanked GOD for His goodness! TWENTY DIAPERS! Could you imagine? Well, more time passed...another month, and I didn't hear from this woman or her friend. I began to think it wasn't as great as it had sounded. I doubted everything. "I probably won't hear from them again...Even if I do, I bet they don't actually have TWENTY diapers, maybe 5 or 6...But even 5 or 6 would be AMAZING...But I probably won't hear from them again...Why would they want to donate twenty diapers to us?..." And so my doubts continued. In an attempt to make a long story short(ish) I will spare you all the details. But, the real story begins when, this last weekend, I received a phone call from that woman's friend, stating she wanted to meet up with me while I was in Idaho and donate diapers. I was at my cousin's wedding, but left early so I could meet this woman! NOTHING was going to get in the way of getting these diapers, even if it was only ONE more, it was one more, and that would make a difference!!!!! I changed out of my wedding attire. Taiger had fallen asleep and I tucked him in to bed and left the house. I got in the car and considered going back in to get my i-pod, but decided I needed this quite drive more...I needed some quite time with God. So, I drove away. The sun was setting and the sky was beautiful, as it is only in Idaho. Their sunsets are the most amazing I have ever seen anywhere in the world. I spoke with God as I drove through the beautiful, open land and gazed at the many-colored clouds of dusk. I felt so close to my Heavenly Father as I drove and spoke with Him. It was a tender and quiet moment as I thanked God for His miracles and for these diapers. Then, I began to doubt (AGAIN! Oh my gosh, will I EVER learn?!). I thought of Taiger at home. I knew if he woke up, alone in the basement, he would be so frightened. He could cry for a long time before anyone heard him. I knew he would be too afraid to leave the room and go upstairs. I wondered what I was doing...what I was sacrificing to help these other children...complete strangers, really. I was sacrificing my own son for the sake of my desire to serve some children far across the world. WHY?! Would Taiger always resent me? (How the devil puts EVERY doubt in our mind when we are doing good.) I prayed for Taiger, that he would please just stay asleep. Please. I drove for a long time, all the while worrying about Taiger, praying, thinking. I became lost. It was getting late, and I didn't want to leave this woman waiting. We had planned to meet at a specific time...what if I couldn't find this place? And here we pick up where we began. I am driving through the country-side in Idaho, totally lost. I see a gas station up ahead and I decide to stop and ask directions. If you read my post about getting lost with Taiger, you will understand this next fact: I was worried about stopping at the gas station to ask directions. I didn't want them to be angry with me, and I didn't want to bother anyone. Finally, I went into the gas station. I flashed the man at the counter a smile, hoping I could soften him up before he realized I wasn't buying anything and was only taking advantage of the fact he may know the surrounding area. When it was my turn in line, I was so nervous I just blurted out my question without much gentleness or formality. I shut my mouth in shock at how my words had come out. I knew I had blown it. I waited for harsh words to rain back on me. Instead, I was met with a kind smile, and a soft voice. The man I had asked, as well as someone else working with him, took the time to explain how to get where I was going. They leaned on the counter to look in my eyes and point directions on an air map. My heart was again humbled. I left with many a "thank you" pouring from my mouth, and a heart full of humility, gratitude and relief. I found the place and got out of the car to meet the woman. At first sight, I was struck with how KIND she looked! So loving and gentle! I was so relieved and immediately began thanking her for meeting me, for taking the time, etc. She lead me to the back of her suburban and opened the door. There were many things in the back, and I wondered if she was a Relief Society President helping set up for some ward event, or if she was just getting rid of many "old" things...maybe a trip to DI, but they were all so organized it was surprising. She moved some pots (all neatly stacked) and there was a box. Because I had wondered if these were all just old things from her house, I figured she must be donating some old, used diapers (I had thought this from the first), and since no one in their right mind would need TWENTY Fuzzi Bunz on hand, I figured she was going to donate one or two (again, this is what I had already figured from the get-go). Then, she said, "Let me count and make sure there are all twenty". "WHAT?!" I screamed...in my head, of course! "She REALLY IS going to donate TWENTY?! HOW?!?!?!?!" She opened the box, and inside, all neatly packed, were BRAND NEW FUZZI BUNZ DIAPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My thoughts stuck in my head. She pulled some out and began to count and I caught a glimpse of the tag..."ONE SIZE"...THIS WAS A ONE SIZE FUZZI BUNZ DIAPER! Precisely what Renee needed! She counted out twenty. Yes, twenty. I asked if these were all hers, and she told me that she sold Fuzzi Bunz and her friend (the woman who had donated four to us already) had ordered these twenty from her. I almost fell to my knees. Do you know the sheer price of twenty Fuzzi Bunz?! I will give you an idea: ONE costs about 15 dollars. Yeah, you do the math. But more than the actual cost, I realized the SACRIFICE going on here. The woman asked me a little about where the diapers were going and through conversation I found out she has sent a donation of colored pencil packets to Katie Davis of Amazima Ministries! Again, my jaw dropped (in my mind here folks...it is still part of my face, I swear). How good is God?! How His timing and planing is so perfect! I could tell she felt somewhat comforted knowing I knew about Amazima and that Renee was "friends" with Katie. I gave her a Sixteen Small Stones business card and told her she could read more about us at our blog and website. I was overwhelmed as I got in the car. I pulled out one of the diapers...I realized they ALL were "One Size". And I began to laugh and cry at once, all out loud, and then I started praying at the same time. I have never laughed and cried and prayed at the same time before, and it gave me a tummy ache after a while, but I couldn't stop. All the months of being discouraged, God knew these two women were going to donate. All the time I felt nervous and worried about what to do to get Renee these diapers, God was already miles ahead of me, preparing these women. I realized that long before God planted in my heart the idea of Operation: Fuzzi Bunz, God was already preparing for this time. Through a journey I don't even know the story of, he lead this woman to Katie Davis and to making that huge donation of pencils so we could be united to bring diapers to these children in Africa. It all reaches back before time and memory and existence to the the beginning of His plan, which has no beginning or end. I was struck with how BIG God is. How HUGE He is...how eternal...how perfect and amazing and....BIG! I was struck with how ENORMOUS His love is for those children in Africa....every single one. He is not too big to know each of them personally...to know each and every one of them. And then I was humbled that a God so big, with a love for those children that was so GIGANTIC and with a plan so perfect and big would use little, insignificant me to be His hands to bring diapers to those important children...HIS children, who He loves immeasurably. I am sitting here, in the center of His great and eternal plan, with twenty little baby-yellow Fuzzi Bunz diapers, ready to mail them around the world to His precious children in Africa, for whom He has a plan, for whom He is concerned constantly, for whom he LOVES deeply, and for whom He has chosen little Sixteen Small Stones, without 501c3 status, to be HIS hands to deliver twenty yellow Fuzzi Bunz.

The Sale: Part II Become as a little child.

2010-06-03T07:16:00.001-07:00

So, to continue with the Sale Story... Sorry...this part starts on a bad note...but ends on a good one, so read on! A woman and her husband stopped by. I explained what we were doing and that ALL of the money goes to helping the children in the orphanages. This is our conversation: Woman: Is there an orphanage around here? Me: No, we help homes in Africa, China and Haiti. Woman: I grew up in an orphanage. Me: Oh my word. Isn't that something. Woman: Yeah, it was something. They looked around a moment more. I wanted her story. I wanted to hear if she was ever adopted. I wanted to hear EVERYTHING! But I didn't pry. I felt a gentle tenderness toward her. She was rather closed off and I could tell she didn't want to discuss it. I was thankful she felt she could open up and be honest about being in an orphanage as a youth. I got the impression it wasn't a fact she generally shared with strangers. And then, they left. I am serious! A woman who had herself dealt with life in an institution, had MAYBE felt hungry, had MAYBE felt alone, could MAYBE sympathize with these children, and EMPATHIZE in a way none of US could. And she didn't even drop a nickel in the nickel basket. I was saddened, but also confused. What had I done wrong in setting up and preparing this sale? Where had I failed? A mom and two girls came to the sale. They were such a sweet family and I loved visiting with them. I was amazed at the interest the girls showed in the the pictures and the orphans, and I was truly AMAZED at the fact that these two young women had more compassion than I had seen in many adults that day. They were genuinely interested in everything we were doing. The Mom wants her two girls to go volunteer! Anyway, they bought some things, paying more than the usual garage sale low prices and I was so thankful! After the morning I had had, I was ready to hug them and tell them to take EVERYTHING! I was just so thankful for their good hearts. I really couldn't believe how good-hearted these three women seemed to be. Toward the end of the sale, these same young women returned to the sale! I was so happy to see them, but they had not just come to say HI. They had brought MORE MONEY! Each daughter bought a Sixteen Small Stones shirt, and I could not be more honored to have those two, wonderful girls wearing "our" shirts. Then, they bought a cake with some money that it sounded like their Grandma had given them. I was impressed with the way the whole thing went. I saw the Mom gently guiding the girls. Teaching them without words how to love and how to be compassionate. She stood back as the girls selected their shirts, and offered kind words when they asked her if this color or that one would be better. She was excited to tell them how great the shirts were, and then, again, stood back as they paid and selected a cake. Their mother was allowing them to exercise their own compassion so it could grow and become strong. I thought of how these girl's lives will be so different because of the lessons they learned from their mother about serving others, and caring about others. It really was quite touching to watch this lesson unfold, and it was so glorious to see these young girls follow their mother's example of sacrifice and give their money for the children. Three women on their way to the gym donated money. They didn't want to purchase anything, but one handed me money anyway and offered words of encouragement. I was touched by that. They then returned to their car, but before leaving, another of the women came and said she, too, wanted to donate some and handed me some money. Another woman did the same thing. She handed me some money without purchasing a thing and told me, "This is great work you are doing. Keep up the good work" and left. I was so, so thankful to these women for their sacrifices. They are going to be feeding so many children and I am so grateful to them for giving without a thing in return. A cute, young couple had stopped by the sale early in the day, but had left, saying they didn't have any money on them. I hear that at my job all day. An excuse to get out of having to spend money without having to look someone in the eye and say NO. However, these two surprised me! Later that afternoon, they returned. When I said, "All of the money goes to the children", the man said, "That is why we came back". Hearing that touched my heart. They bought a cake and then saw there were HOMEMADE Snickerdoodles, and wanted some of those. I was going to let them just take some, but a kind woman said, "Here. For mine, and his cookies". She handed me some money and took a bag of cookies for herself. I thanked her profusely and so did the young man. It was sweet to see someone sacrifice for someone here in her neighborhood as well as for people around the world, all in the same moment! What a wonderful experience! Our neighbor from down the street came to the sale. Her little girl came with her. The mom had told her daughter that a single nickel would feed a child. The little girl danced up to the sale and begged her Mom to empty her pocket into the Nickel Basket. Out of her Mom's pocket poured two handfuls of nickels! The little girl was beaming! Those were HER nickels! When the little girl had heard that one would buy a meal, she had gathered ALL of her nickels to donate. My heart burst at this fact! Such a dear little girl. Her heart is so big, and she would give ANYTHING to anyone! The little girl and Taiger played (Taiger LOVES this little girl SO much! I am so thankful Taiger has such a good example for him. She is a bit older than Taiger and Taiger looks up to her so much!) and the mom stayed and helped with the sale. The little girl had brought a whole jar of small stones for people to pain! SO thoughtful! Not many children had come, so she and Taiger painted the rocks, colored with the chalk, blew bubbles, and sorted all of the clothes we are sending to Africa, China and Haiti. This sweet little girl sacrificed everything for others. I gave her a bag of cookies for her generosity, and she immediately gave a cookie to me and one to Taiger. That left her with only two cookies. When two small girls came to the sale a moment later, our neighbor asked her daughter for her last two cookies and gave them to these other two girls. The neighbor girl stood and smiled as she watched her last two cookies being handed to two complete strangers. We hurried to give her a new bag of cookies, thinking she would be sad that she had given away every one of her cookies. Quite the opposite. She looked up at Bryttan and said, "Thank you that I could give my cookies to those girls!" We were shocked! Such a good heart. Her mother had taught her to give and give and give and not think of herself. This little girl had achieved what many adults have not. She has gained an open heart, a giving heart, and a selfless heart. She thanked us for the new bag of cookies. At the end of the day, I was finishing cleaning up after the sale. Everyone else was inside, and I was carrying in boxes of things, tables, etc. A young girl approached apprehensively. She looked to be around eight years old and long, red braids hung loosely over her shoulders. I said, "Hi sweetheart." She came forward and said softly, "I don't actually want anything. I just wanted to give you this." She handed me six dollars. I thanked her and gave and told her how much that would help the little kids. She beamed. Her smile was huge as she walked away with her head high. She realized what she had done. She knew she had sacrificed for others. And she saw that felt good. My favorite story is from a bit earlier in the day. But before that, I need to explain something. When Taiger was little, he LOVED the movie, "Cars". He had seen a toddler bed that was "Cars" themed. He was only about a year old, but he was so tall and so big that it was time to get him his OWN bed. I knew I could never afford this Cars bed! BUT I found a bed with a car on the headboard that I wanted to get him. One day, my mom and sister came home from shopping with this very bed! It had been on sale and they had bought it for me to give my son. I was so, so thankful. I had NO money and being able to give my son this bed meant a lot to me. Taiger LOVED his Car Bed. He slept in it so well right from the first. I had made him a "Cars" blanket and given him a "Cars" pillowcase, so it really looked like a "Cars" bed, and he loved it. Taiger had that bed for years. However, about a year and a half ago, he was past outgrowing it and it was time for a "real" bed. I gave him a twin mattress and box spring from work. He thought it felt nice, but DID NOT want to give up his car bed. I put it in the basement, and he cried for about a week straight. Whenever it was bedtime, he would cry and cry for "his" bed, saying he HATED this new one, and he just wanted his old one back. Sometimes, while we were out for the day, he would suddenly ask if he could PLEASE have his old bed back. It was more than a year before he finally stopped asking for his old bed back. Well, this bed was at the garage sale. I don't know if Taiger realized it was sitting out there to be sold, or if he thought it was just some strange decoration, but when someone drove up and offered me five dollars for it, I immediately looked over where Taiger was writing with chalk. His jaw was dropped and I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I muttered to Michael to go distract him. I was so worried a tantrum would ensue. I must admit, as they began loading the bed, my own heart became heavy. That was my little boy's bed. It was like letting a part of his childhood go. I wasn't ready for him to grow up! I wanted to grab the bed and tell the woman that bed was my baby's bed! I didn't WANT to sacrifice! The orphans could have money from something else! This was my only child's youth I was sending away with complete strangers for a lousy five bucks! I WANTED IT BACK! Then, I heard Taiger's little voice. I don't know what Michael had said to him, but this is what I did hear. "...It is okay, because it is to help the kids in Africa, China and Haiti have food and clothes...". And that is when I realized, my baby wasn't just my baby...he is a child of God and he has a good heart. He is filled with compassion for others. The scriptures say to "become like a little child". I saw example after example of the goodness of youth and children. Sacrificing without hesitation. Having not a thought of themselves, but only of those in need. Giving their money, their cookies, their favorite bed. I thought of the adults. So many sacrificed, but many more did not. They are not "bad people", or "mean people"...they just have forgotten how it feels to be like a little child and give freely without considering the consequences. Without thinking of what they could do for themselves with that nickel. Without thinking how good the cookies would taste if only they kept them for themselves. Without thinking about the fact that they will never again see their favorite bed. Without thinking of what the money could buy them. I only know this because I am this way. I think of myself all the time. I think of what I can do for myself more often than I think of what I can do for others. I think of me all the time. I am slow to part with my possessions and fast to look away from those in need. May we all become more like these children.

The Sale: Part 1

2010-06-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have been anxious to post all about THE SALE. However, ever since the sale, I have been exhausted and have not even had the energy to post! I have slept a ton, and finally yesterday, started feeling sick...for the last few, exhausted days I have been fighting some sickness, and that is why I have been so, so tired. But it has caught up to me. So, I am curled up on the couch with body aches and a sore throat, listening to Taiger talk on and on and on (and on, the way only Taiger does), and have decided to buckle down and post about the sale!

First, I want to say AGAIN how THANKFUL I am to everyone who helped, donated, came, prayed for success, and who helped in any other way imaginable. :)

Although we had been getting ready for this sale for weeks, the REAL "last minuet" preparation began Friday night. Bryttan, Michael and I worked at making the signs for the yard and the signs to place around town. The signs for the yard were AMAZING! I had printed off pictures of FACES of the children we help, and they were beautiful! We mounted them on signs to set up around the sale. The signs for around town were perfect, and Bryttan and Michael even showed off some of their amazing art skills by drawing Africa on some of the signs! I was super impressed (you should have seen my attempt to copy their idea! HA! Africa looked like a limp balloon. It was pathetic.). My Mom had been in Idaho and drove all the way back that night to be home in time for the sale the next morning. My sweet board member, Natalie, had spent the last week or so baking goodies to sell at the sale as a Bake Sale portion (see what I mean about spending the past few weeks getting ready?!). My Mom transported the goodies from Idaho to Utah for us. My Mom stayed up LATE that night, despite being exhausted from the days in Idaho and the LOOONG drive back alone at night, and took care of Taiger while we got ready for the sale. Taiger helped make signs for the Sale. Saturday, I woke with a smile on my face. I knew what day it was, and I was so excited to see what God had planned. The day dawned grey and cloudy. I am NOT a morning person, and I don't know the last time I woke up at 6:00am, so, because of my complete lack of early-morning experience, I kind of thought maybe that grey look was how all days started. I threw on some sweats and my Sixteen Small Stones shirt and raced outside to start setting up. Wouldn't you know it, a few minutes later, my sweet Mom came out and helped set up. What an angel! As soon as things were ready, my Mom drove me around town to put out signs. A light rain began to fall. I knew the donations, the clothes AND the lovely posters and pictures would be ruined, and I prayed...not for the last time that day. When we returned from putting out signs, three men were at the sale! I was THRILLED! One wanted to know how much a table was. I told him it wasn't for sale, only display. Three men, two together and one alone, left the sale...without even dropping a nickel in the Nickel Basket. The rain drizzled on. I was freezing and sat in the car to watch if anyone came. People would drive up and stop, even turn off their engines. They looked at the pictures. They looked at the information signs. But all they SAW was a garage sale with nothing they wanted, and they drove on. After so many "drive bys", my heart broke. I saw the suffering of the children. I saw the hardness of the hearts of people. I went in the house and dropped to my knees. As I stood from my prayer a woman pulled up. She turned off her engine. She looked at everything. I thought this was one of the miracle times, when your prayers are answered immediately, and you feel your testimony grow and your faith in men restore. I pictured (with minor trepidations) this woman burst out of her car in tears and throw thousands of dollars at me to use to help the poor children. Instead, she turned her engine back on and drove away. I went back to the car. My board member Natalie texted me and I burst in to tears. She wanted to know how the sale was going. At first, I didn't want to tell her. She had worked SO HARD baking goodies, and has donated SO much (I joke that she is singly handedly trying to clothe the entire orphan population of Africa!). In the end, I unloaded all of my sadness on her. She was a kind and listening ear, and I appreciated that. Then, someone came! The woman bought some cookies and left! Then another person bought his grandson a toy for a dollar. More people came. More drive by's. More BUYS. Bryttan woke up and then Michael came, and it made a HUGE difference to have some support rather than sitting alone in the pouring rain, watching cold hearted people drive away from the needy. A little later, I was feeling discouraged again. I had been praying all day ("Please let them buy", "Thank Thee, God, for letting someone come", "Please let someone stop", "Thank Thee for sending someone", "Please help me help those in need", and so forth) and just when I was feeling so sad, Jeremy came! I cannot express how thankful and happy I was at that moment. Then, a woman came. She looked at everything. She commented. And she went to leave. I handed her a card and told her she could at least go to the website and learn more about the people we help. She handed it back and said, "I'll remember the name". Let me say that again: SHE HANDED THE CARD BACK! It was in her hand, and she gave it back. Really? Did she REALLY do that? Yes. Yes, she did. I stood there stunned. I felt the hurt coming into my heart. I felt the tears growing, swelling and pushing to come out. I held them in. I didn't want to cry in front of everyone. I don't know if Jeremy could tell I was about to burst or if God just prompted him to say SOMETHING, but he started talking about how nice the sale looked, how well everything was set up, how good the pictures looked. I was more thankful to him than I have ever been (and that is a lot, because I really owe him my life, and that is a TON of gratitude!). We all went inside after that and watched from the window for someone to come. I was still on the brink of tears when Jeremy left.

After the rain, it became very windy. Don't you love my rain-wind treated hair? No wonder no one was stopping or buying anything! They thought the whole thing was being run by a CRAZY woman! HA! They were right, but not because of the hair-'do!

Then, something incredible happened! A woman came. She spoke little English. Her daughter was there to translate. Her husband was with her, but two little kids were in the car, so he went back to the car after a while to wait with them. These people were kind hearted and gentile. They asked the price on some items, and when I said, "Whatever you want to donate," the woman chuckled, I think in disbelieve. She asked on some other things, and I gave her the same answer. Some people had donated some amazing things and some really nice children's clothing. She began gathering all of the nicest things. At first I thought of how poorly this sale was going, and I thought, "If she takes all of the 'good stuff', there will be nothing to LURE people in!" But I stopped those thoughts and figured God had a plan and He had sent this woman and I had better stand back out of His way! So, I watched as she found some good things and started making a pile. When she had all she wanted, she and her daughter walked to the Nickel Basket and began dumping in change! They were speaking in hushed tones to one another. I was overwhelmed with GRATITUDE! Look at all the little ones they were helping! Then, the woman reached in her purse and held out to me five one dollar bills. The daughter translated as she spoke, "My mother says she is sorry, but my Dad is not working and this is all we have." I quickly and sincerely said, "NO, no, no! It is fine! Anything helps! Thank you so, so much!" The woman again had her daughter apologize, and I walked right up to the woman and looked deep in her eyes and said, "NO! It is fine!" Then, I pointed to the pictures and said, "Look at all these children you are helping! Whatever you can give is PERFECT! Thank you so, so much!" At that, she had the daughter translate more. "I have two daughters still in Mexico." And with that, she burst into tears. I hugged her, and the sobs came freely. I asked the daughter how old her sisters were. 15 and 13. They are staying with family. But they cannot see the girls. The mother misses them very much. I felt her Mother Heart. I could tell this Mama loved her children deeply and being away from them was torture for her. She sobbed and sobbed. I held her as she cried. Then, Bryttan held her as she cried. Our hearts were broken for this loving Mother. After she left, my heart felt healed. Somehow, I think we helped her...at least we gave her someone to open up to. When we looked in the basket, we saw she had put in the basket pennies. Isn't this what Sixteen Small Stones is all about? Sixteen SMALL stones. It is not about doing some great, unbelievable things. It is about doing all we can, no matter how small it is, and allowing God to make up for the size. Her pennies were like gold to me. She sacrificed all she had to help others. It didn't matter how little or how much it was. God makes up for that. It was about her giving all she had to help others, even in her own pain and sorrow. TO BE CONTINUED

THE SALE

2010-05-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

The SALE was today. Yes, THAT one! I am so overwhelmed and awestruck. It was a difficult day. Very, very difficult. But, in the end, it was worth it. Not because we made grand amounts of money, but because, after the tears and rain had ended, I saw humanity. I want to tell you all about it, but, quite frankly, I am exhausted and need a rest...I also need to go to the grocery store, because, even though I am asleep on my feet, Taiger is excited after the sale and rambunctious! HOWEVER, I wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped with this sale. You know who you are. :) I appreciate those who posted about this event on your blogs and facebook. Thank you to everyone. Thank you, thank you! I only wish (WISH!) you could have all been here today with us. We missed you. I missed every single person from our board and wished we could have all been together. Thank you to Bryttan and Kramer who faced the elements and stood outside with me. Thank you to my Mom, who lifts me as I reach for my dreams, and takes them on as her own. She was up all night (litterally) with Taiger while I was busy getting ready, even though she had driven four hours from Idaho to be home so I could do the sale and she could work at our business. THANK YOU to our friend homes/ministries, Racham Ministries, Serving His Children, Foyer De Sion and Bethel for letting us HELP YOU! Thank you, 60 Feet, for letting us help you! We love you all and appreciate the work you are doing! I want to really thank everyone who came to the sale. You don't know what it meant to us. You don't know what it means to those caring for the children daily. And, above all, you don't know what it means to those children. Thank you, from the deepest part of our hearts. Thank you so, so much. We recognize your sacrifice and appreciate it beyond words. THANK YOU! Finally, THANK YOU, TAIGER, for sacrificing so much. Thank you for being patient while Mommy has been getting ready for this sale. Thank you for selling your favorite bed so others could have food and clothing. Thank you for helping make signs. Thank you for loving all of the orphans. I love you, Taiger! And I am so proud of you. :) Okay, off to the grocery store. Taiger has been BEGGING for apples for the past three days, and we have had none in the house. :) Poor little guy :) :)

Please, Monsieur, another note!

2010-05-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

I am starting to feel like The Phantom Of The Opera with all of these notes. :) So, it is time for today's note. Sometimes, it is easier to do a major service PROJECT than to do a simple service, like wash the dishes for your mom. When it is a HUGE ordeal, you feel like you have done something great and amazing! Sometimes, the little things take the most sacrifice...because they take so little physical EFFORT. Does that make sense? So, something that is hard to wrap our minds around is that, for a nickel, you can feed a child a meal. A nickel. A nickel is so small, sometimes we don't even think about it. A quarter, we are slower to sacrifice, you know? But a nickel...they get lost in the bottom of our purse, or tossed on the dresser, and we try and figure out ways to "get rid" of them. When something costs a dollar and five cents, we often tell the clerk NOT to get us the change..."Wait! Wait! I KNOW I have a nickel! Please let me get rid of some of this change!" Well, here is your chance to "get rid" of that loose change. Those nickels that are worth so little alone. At least, for us. A volunteer at one of our Friend Homes in Africa told us a child at the school was so hungry, she ate her pencil. Renee with Serving His Children shows us pictures of hungry children. Why are they hungry? Because they don't have a nickel. Yes, one nickel would buy them an entire meal. And we thought the dollar menu was cheap! For the price of your snack wrap at w*endy's, you could buy TWENTY kids a MEAL. (Not saying YOU shouldn't eat...just putting in to perspective how little a nickel is to us, and how MUCH it is to those kids!) SO...at our sale we are going to have a Nickel Jar. It is a glass jar you can LOOK at and SEE how many meals will be bought. You can plunk YOUR nickel in the jar and visually SEE it added to the others...add a meal for a child. This sale will: *PROVIDE FOOD FOR HUNGRY CHILDREN.

Today's Note

2010-05-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you have to give up what you love for what God loves. His path is greater, and even though our pain right now might be great, it will be dwarfed in the end by our JOY! Okay, so today's note is a little more complex than the usual "clothing and food". I hope this doesn't embarrass any of my readers, but I THINK we are all mature enough to handle to complexities of the human body. We are working with several people and groups who are working with the children and youth living at Mukisa (the prison in Uganda). One of the major issues facing those living there is sanitation for the older girls. During their menstrual periods, the girls are forced to tie banana leaves around them to absorb the blood. I can only imagine the humiliation and discomfort these girls must endure! On top of that, I can only guess at the infections and disease this COULD create, not only for those young women, but also for others living in the prison since there is no disposal system for ANY garbage there. Maybe because I am a girl, but more likely, maybe because I am HUMAN, I feel sicked and saddened at the situation in which these innocent girls are put, where they are having their very pride and modesty compromised. This sale will (hopefully, as we work with other groups to find a solution to this problem): *PROVIDE FEMALE HYGIENE CARE SOLUTIONS FOR THE YOUNG WOMEN AT MUKISA. *

Clothing!

2010-05-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here it is, LATE at night again, and I am only just getting to my NOTE about our sale. =SIGH= Only 24 hours in a day? Really? AND no naps this week?! =SIGH...again= First of all, GOOD NEWS! President Obama PASSED the LRA DISARMAMENT AND NORTHERN UGANDA RECOVERY ACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has passed. How relieved my heart is. How happy and how LIGHT! Sometimes, when I am overly excited/happy (or sad/upset), I cannot find the words I want to say. The news of this bill passing has put me in to one of those states. You will have to trust me that I am thrilled about this news. :) Okay, so today's note. Ready for it?? This sale will help us... *PROVIDE CLOTHING FOR HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN! And when I say hundreds, I mean HUNDREDS! We have had SO many donations of clothing come in to us! These clothes will be available for you to SPONSOR at the Benefit Sale! The clothes will be going to Haiti, Africa AND China!

Today's Note

2010-05-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I kept thinking I had already posted today's note about our sale! SO, once again, you are getting this late. Sorry! I have spent FOUR DAYS making slide shows to have at our sale! :D It has been a lot of work, and NOT the kind of work I am good at OR enjoy. Poor Taiger thinks the computer ate his Mommy. :( I am such a stinky Mommy sometimes. :( Anyway...moving right along (getting off the Mommy Guilt topic), here is our note for today about how our SALE will benefit others! This sale will help... * PROVIDE FOOD, MEDICINE AND OTHER DAILY NECESSITIES FOR 100 FAMILIES IN HAITI LEFT HOMELESS BY THE EARTHQUAKE (as part of Operation: 100 FAMILIES).

How This Sale Will Help, AND UPDATES! :)

2010-05-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today's update is coming rather late, I know. I am sorry. Better late than never, or so I have heard.

Before I give you today's little note about this great Event and how it will help others, I wanted to give a quick update about SSS!

First, a prayer request. Dear Gabi of Racham Ministries arrived in Uganda, and not more than two days later was at Renee's house (Serving His Children) feeding the thousands of children in the food program. When Gabi had been in Uganda before, she had been in the sun without getting a sunburn. However, this day she served for hours in the heat and at the end had a terrible reaction to the sun, much like a horrible sunburn. I imagine maybe she had before been in Uganda at a different time of year, when the sun was different in the sky, and maybe not so near the Earth. Or maybe her malaria treatment made her skin more sensitive (as it is known to do). My point is, Gabi is wise enough to take care of herself so she can better serve others. Either way, Sweet Gabi now has what are akin to third degree burns over much of her body. Her eyes have been swollen nearly shut. She is in excruciating pain. Through it all, her heart is still so focused on serving that she has thus far refused to leave! She has gone to the hospital and is taking medications and using several different balms and ointments on her blistered and painful skin. Despite all that, however, her pain is still quite severe. Let us lift this sweet sister up in prayer as she deals with the pain, as her burns heal, and pray her spirits will be lifted. God is the great Healer, and can heal Gabi's body if it be His will. Please pray for Gabi!!

On a lighter note, we had ANOTHER bag of donations brought in. By seven o'clock tonight, I had cut my hair (myself! What an adventure THAT was) and had taken a shower so wouldn't be shedding hair clippings all night, like Sasquatch in the Spring. My clothes were COVERED in hair, so when I got out of the shower I decided it was "late enough" (do you ever justify that to yourself??) for pajamas and was wandering around the house taking care of five little boys (my nephews are here visiting! FUN!) when the sweet neighbor down the street came over with a bag FULL of clothing! I was embarrassed that I was in my pajamas so early (what happened to that justification!??!?!?!) and was not much of a gracious hostess (I think my efforts came across more as "kicking him out" then "welcoming him in"! Oh dear!). However, once he left, I was overcome with gratitude! I opened the bag and there inside were BOY'S CLOTHES!!!!!!!!!!! Something we are lacking greatly. I had wanted a few more boy's things to sell at the garage sale, but on top of that, I know there are boys at Mukisa who are in need of clothing and I really wanted to be able to send a few things to them. What a blessing this kind neighbor was! I am only sad that I am more worried about MYSELF and my appearances than about God's work. If only I were more like Gabi, who is so in tune to service that she becomes oblivious to the world around her and SO FOCUSED on service that she doesn't even realize she is getting a sunburn! (NOT, mind you, that I would want to be in her position of suffering so greatly, nor that I would wish that on ANYONE! Also, I realize the importance of looking after yourself so you can physically serve others, as I KNOW Gabi does, too. But the fact still remains that she was so focused on others she forgot herself entirely, and that is admirable.)

The next piece of good news (and when I say "good" I mean, "good as in YUMMY"), is that Natalie shared a little list of a few yummy treats she is baking for our Bake Sale! Let me tell you, folks, you are not going to want to be late to this sale! EVERYTHING will be 100% HOMEMADE! I kid you not. Also, Natalie is a very clean person with no pets, so you will not have to be afraid to eat her goodies! I have TERRIBLE Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (I know, right?! How DO I stand living in countries with lower sanitation than what I have been accustomed to?! I don't know, either, but I DO have faith that, when about God's work, He can make our weaknesses strong! And boy! Am I ever a living testimony of THAT fact!) and I would eat Natalie's food any day! :) So, no worries there. :) Some of the food she mentioned is so far past my repertoire, I didn't even know what it was (hey, if it isn't cheap brownies from a box, you have me stumped!), but they sounded DEVINE! Chocolate Cake, Jell*o cookies, Lemon Bars and Lemon Cake were just a few little names off that list. So, when I say YUMMY, I don't mean cookies from pre-packaged dough you can buy ready-made. I am talking gourmet goodies here!

Okay, and now the moment we have ALL been waiting for...Our little NOTE about how are GOOD (and YUMMY) Benefit Sale will, well, BENEFIT the people we serve!

Because of this sale, Sixteen Small Stones will be able to:

*SEND CARE PACKAGES TO BLIND CHILDREN IN CHINA!!

The Point

2010-05-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Point radio station is going to attend our Open Air Benefit Sale Event! We are SO thankful to them for coming and are excited to have them there. :) We LOVE their station! :)

Another Note!

2010-05-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is your friendly note for today about something else our SALE will help! This sale will: *PROVIDE BLANKETS TO CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD (as part of our Operation: WARM BLANKETS)

Bake Sale and Introducing BLAKE and NATALIE!

2010-05-21T08:30:00.001-07:00

Thank you, to everyone, who has helped and is helping with the Open Air Benefit Sale!! Thanks to our own Natalie, our sale is now going to have a BAKE SALE area! Don't worry, I am not doing the baking...no one likes burned cake, and that's a fact. :) No, Natalie is cooking up some of her special delicacies, and you aren't going to want to miss out on buying these scrumptious treats! Also, thank you to our newest Team Member, Blake! Blake has set up a facebook event for us so people can RSVP in advance to this event! (So, if you are attending, please RSVP on facebook!:)!!!!) Okay, so I realized after I wrote that that you have no idea who Blake and Natalie are! I think some introductions are in order (and I LOVE being able to introduce you all to our new members...one of my favorite things to blog about! :D!!!!)! Natalie and I have been friends for a long time! Although we lost touch for several years, I always have considered her a good friend, and I am so, so happy she is one of Sixteen Small Stones' leaders now! Natalie is an amazing woman with a HUGE heart! Almost weekly, she is sending our way bags of donations for the children. I think she is single-handedly going to clothe the entire country of Uganda! Natalie is always the first one to step up when we introduce a new project at Sixteen Small Stones. She rarely asks, "How can I help?" and instead just jumps in with both feet and starts working without having to be asked or told what to do. She is a mother to three small children and sets an example daily of how to live a Christ-like life. She is loving and kind and she gives and gives without expecting something in return. Natalie is our China Specialist. I am so, so happy she decided to serve in this position and I am so thankful she has joined our team!! I can't wait to see the great things God has planned for Natalie! Blake has been my friend since high school. For years, we were out of touch, but, thanks to facebook, we have reconnected, and I am so, so thankful for that. Blake has a heart of gold! He and his wife are so giving and would sacrifice anything to help someone in need. When the earthquake hit Haiti, their hearts were pulled to serve those most in need at that time. Having small children at home, they realized serving on site in Haiti would not be possible, but they still knew they wanted to help the people of Haiti during that trying time. Blake and his wife reached out to the Haiti people through Sixteen Small Stones, and Blake ended up setting up a short-term group called Hands Helping Haiti to collect supplies to send to Haiti, including toiletries, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. His donated items went to a camp of over 100 families living in make-shift shelters in a church parking lot. Blake has been a huge support to me and to Sixteen Small Stones. He is always one step ahead of me with organizing things for Sixteen Small Stones, such as setting up pages on facebook for our events. :) Whatever Sixteen Small Stones needs, Blake is there to get things done. We are so blessed to have Blake on the Sixteen Small Stones team. He has already helped us so much, and I am so thankful Blake is on the Sixteen Small Stones board!!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-05-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen! Time for the GREAT GIVEAWAY! That's right, step right up, folks, you don't want to miss this opportunity of a lifetime! (Did it work? Should I apply for a job as a carnival barker?) Okay, so here's how it's going to go. 1.) Tell ALL of your friends to "FOLLOW" this blog. 2.) Your friends click, "follow this blog". 3.) Your friends leave a comment here that says that YOU told them to follow this blog. 4.) Be the one to get the MOST people to follow this blog and YOU WIN THE GRAND PRIZE! (WAY easier than tossing ping-pong balls into fish bowls ANY day...besides, this isn't rigged, as I have always suspected those games are. I don't know HOW, but I am SURE they are! Either that, or I just really stink at tossing ping-pong balls into goldfish bowls. Hmmmm....) OH YEAH! And YOU have to be a "follower" of this blog, too, in order to qualify! No one-time-pop-ins winning! ;) So, whether you have been following this blog without actually clicking "follow", or if this is your first time looking but want to continue to follow, PLEASE click "FOLLOW" so you can qualify to win! Okay, so the prize? Oh boy, are you going to LOOOOOVE this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A TEAM SIXTEEN SMALL STONES SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, really! I am not kidding (WAAAY better than a giant stuffed Tweety Bird, don't you think?!) I wanted to make sure that the shirt would work for ANYONE who won, so it is a men's large. Guys: You can now sport your own Sixteen Small Stones gear and win big with the ladies (we LOVE a guy who serves others!). LADIES: Okay, so it may not be pretty pink, but it is STILL one super cool shirt. It would be PERFECT to sleep in...the fabric is soft!!!! (Shhhh...don't tell the guys! If they ask, tell them it is lined in sawdust!) Okay, so there it is! GOOD LUCK to everyone! :D :D

BENEFIT SALE!!

2010-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

OPEN AIR BENEFIT SALE for AFRICA, HAITI & CHINA! SATURDAY, MAY 29 from 7:00am-2:00pm at 1811 SOUTH 1800 EAST SALT LAKE CITY, UT AH.

REMEMBER: Even if you can't make it, you CAN still make a donation! ALSO, even if you cannot be there, PLEASE tell your friends about this sale! THANK YOU!

Here is today's note for how our BIG SALE with lend aid to those who need it!

OUR OPEN AIR BENEFIT SALE WILL PROVIDE:

CLOTHING FOR YOUTHS LIVING IN MUKISA, THE "PRISON" IN UGANDA.

(Read more about Mukisa at sixtyfeet.org.)

This little girl at Mukisa is holding a women's skirt around her as clothing because she has no other clothes. Let's send some clothes to this little girl so she can run and play with her friends.

SALE! SALE! Help us get diapers to kids in GREAT NEED!!!!!

2010-05-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

COME ONE, COME ALL! To our

OPEN AIR BENEFIT SALE for AFRICA, HAITI & CHINA!

SATURDAY, MAY 29 from 7:00am-2:00pm at

1811 SOUTH 1800 EAST SALT LAKE CITY, UT AH.

REMEMBER: Even if you can't make it, you CAN still make a donation! ALSO, even if you cannot be there, PLEASE tell your friends about this sale! THANK YOU!

SO....At our Open Air Benefit Sale, you can score some REALLY NICE things! We will have children's clothes, adult clothes, and other amazing items!

Each day I am going to tell ONE thing that this sale will do to help the children in our homes. This sale will:

*PROVIDE DIAPERS FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE MALNOURISHED AND NEED SPECIAL DIAPERS TO FIT THEIR UNIQUE BODY-SHAPES, CRADLE THEIR FRAGILE BODIES AND BE SOFT ON THEIR SKIN, DELICATE WITH LACK OF NUTRIENCE.

SAVE THE DATE! BENEFIT SALE!!!!!! You DON'T want to miss this!!!!!

2010-05-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

We have a date for our fun, exciting, wonderful Sale!

OPEN AIR BENEFIT SALE for AFRICA, CHINA & HAITI

Saturday May 29, 2010 from 7:00am-2:00pm at my house,

1811 South 1800 East Salt Lake City, UT 84108.

This is going to be SUCH a cool event!! Art project for the kids, lots of cool things for sale for YOU to bring home, and items there to buy and donate right then! LOTS of information, pictures, slide show of pictures of the people we help... No set prices...you donate what you think is fair and take the item! It is all about helping the children, and EVERY single penny donated goes right to helping the kids. There is also going to be a place to sign up to participate in Project: 1000 WORDS!! Sponsor a camera while you are there for 10 dollars. We will also have our shirts for sale for 20 dollars. Bring your jars of change, grab your kids, and come have some fun while serving others! :D

We do have a facebook event page set up, so feel free to RSVP there AND to use it to invite friends (even if you won't be able to make it). Please spread the word on your facebook and blogs.

The facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=122713431086455&ref=ts

PROJECT: 100 Words

2010-05-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, oh boy! Am I ever EXCITED! My heart is OVERFLOWING with joy and GRATITUDE and a peaceful SPIRIT. We have a NEW Project starting at Sixteen Small Stones!!!!! And you are going to want to be a part of this one! :) I am going to have you read about it at the website instead of telling ALL about it here...BUT I know if I just post a link to it, you won't take the time to read it. (And you will be SO SAD you didn't when you find out more about it! LOL!) So, here are some "teasers" to get you, um..psyched? * It gives voice to those who have before had none * It will provide a way to see the lives of the children we serve from THEIR EYES * It will bring out the creativity of the children in our Friend Homes/Ministries. * It will most certainly be therapeutic for the children. * YOU will get something back for your donation...In fact, I have a feeling we will all get back MUCH more than we give with this one * It is called PROJECT: 1000 Words http://www.16smallstones.org/project/1000-words

THANK YOU! AND A Miracle!!

2010-05-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

I want to shout a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the people who run our Friend Homes and Friend Ministries. They are wonderful, amazing, loving people, and I admire them so, so much. I could go on and on (and on) about what incredible people they are. I am so, so blessed to know them and have the opportunity to speak with them. SUCH a blessing! Aside from that, these people have sacrificed something very special for ME! Daily, hourly...every SECOND they are sacrificing themselves for God and to serve His children. But, on top of that, they did something that really blows my mind, and I am over the top thankful for them. To some of you, and maybe even to them, it seems ridiculous that I am SO thankful for what they gave me. But trust me...I REALLY AM "that" thankful. These sweet people allowed me to use their pictures. A picture is priceless and irreplaceable. A picture captures a moment, a memory, a feeling. A picture preserves for us something to which our weak, human minds cannot cling tightly enough. Time robs it from our memories, but the picture holds it for us to keep. Letting someone "use" a picture can often feel frightening. It is like sharing something so private and personal with someone. You know that when you hand this memory over to someone, it is not a memory to them...it is now a story. They will never feel the way you did in that moment picture was taken. Of course, a good photograph attempts to express that feeling, but, in reality, what happens for the photographer is that the picture reminds him of the memory and feeling he already had. When you give someone a picture, you run the risk that the picture did not adequately capture the moment to portray the feeling, but only conjures the feeling for the photographer, who, of course, is only remembering the feeling the real-life situation already produced. (Wow, was that confusing? I am so sorry!) What I am trying to say (and probably really failing at...so sorry!) is that I KNOW that letting someone "use" a picture is, really, an enormous sacrifice. Several people have entrusted me with their memories, their stories, and allowed me to use their pictures on the Sixteen Small Stones blog, website AND facebook. I deeply appreciate them letting me use these pictures, and I wanted to publicly express my gratitude at being offered something so precious and dear. THANK YOU to everyone who has offered for Sixteen Small Stones to use your pictures! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! ***** I know the little munchkins in these pictures, and in all of the others we post, are SO cute you want to gobble them up and maybe share their pictures on YOUR blog, but PLEASE RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF THESE CHILDREN AND DO NOT REPOST THESE PICTURES OR USE THEM FOR ANYTHING WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THEIR OWNERS. THANK YOU!!***** Okay, are you ready for some good news? Ready to see the HANDS AND FEET of Christ at work? Ready see how God preforms miracles through His servants? Ready to see with your eyes the LOVE of God? Well, get ready to SHOUT praises, too, because this is going to knock your socks off! Remember little Sarah? Renee's sweet angel who helped us get the word out about our first project with Serving His Children in Uganda? Well, some sweet young ladies went to visit Renee and the healing home of Serving His Children. While they were there, they took videos of the work Serving His Children is doing. If you watch the videos that show the babies, you will see shots of Sarah. You ready to witness a miracle? Whoever claims miracles cease to exist...be prepared to have your theory seriously debunked. http://livinghislove.blogspot.com/2010/05/videos-from-serving-his-children.html (By the way... It is NEVER too late to donate Fuzzi Bunz diapers!!!!! Notice all these little baby-bums in these videos wearing disposable diapers? Let's work together to get these little tykes into some Fuzzi Bunz! Donations of money can still be sent via paypal from this very page, or can be mailed to the address above. Donated new and GENTLY used Fuzzi Bunz can also be mailed to that same address.)

The world is wide, and my arms are so small.

2010-05-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

It is difficult when you realize your horizons are endless and you cannot do EVERYTHING. It is hard to see this whole, wide world and not long for all of it. It is a struggle to narrow down your point of view, thus, cutting out breathtaking views of others of God's creations. It is painful to let go of the vast expanses and instead hold dear the things within your reach. "Breclyn, you cannot save the world. You cannot save EVERYONE," she said. "But I will die trying!"

The Day We Have ALL Been Waiting For....

2010-05-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

BIG NEWS! You ready for this?? OUR SHIRTS ARE DONE! YAAAAAAY! (Could you hear me screaming all the way in Nebraska?!) (Does anyone from Nebraska even read this blog?! I don't know. Just wonderin'.) They look FAN. TAS. TIC! (I played the syllable game in Kindergarten). I was so excited when Michael called to tell me they were in. Here's the story. So, I was SO sick this afternoon that I lay down and fell asleep. (I think Taiger was talking to me as I slept, actually....anyway.) After almost an hour, my phone rings and Taiger shouts, "MOM! YOU GET YOUR PHONE!" What a way to wake up. Bleary-eyed, I see that it is Michael calling. My brain is all fuzzy and I think maybe he is calling because something is wrong (Bryttan and my Mom are out of town, and if they couldn't reach me, they would call him...at least, that is what my half sleeping brain was telling me). I said, "Hello?" The voice on the other end sounded like one of the muppets. It said something about shirts and in. I was still thinking of Bryttan and my Mom and things were pretty confusing for a second there. Then, I realized what he was saying (even though his voice still sounded funny...not so much like a muppet anymore and more like an opera singer...I don't know.) I just remember saying, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" (By this time, I was kind of sounding muppetish and it was a little freaky. I don't know how many times I said thank you, but probably as many as my sleeping brain thought a muppet WOULD say Thank You.) He said, "Don't thank me!" At this point he sounded like Michael. Weird. I opera sang to him, "Well, you are the one that delivered the good news, so you get the thank you!" I hung up the phone.

I had told Michael I wouldn't be able to make it in today to pick up the shirts, but with the snapping shut of my cell phone, my brain snapped awake! Suddenly, I was Breclyn again (with Breclyn's voice now, thank you very much!) and was like, "=GASP= OUR SHIRTS ARE IN?!?!?!? They close in 40 minutes?! I GOTTA GO! I NEEEED those shirts! TODAY!" (For no real reason, mind you.) (PAUSE the story. Back up. Taiger would not do ANYTHING today...even get dressed! I tried, okay? One of his morning "chores" was to get dressed (wish MY parents had been so easy...I had to milk a cow at 5:00am! Not really.). If he does his chores, he can play his video game for a while. I believe in natural consequences where possible, and so his consequence was that he didn't get to play Nintendo. Unfortunately, that didn't bother him today. And that is why he was sitting around in his underoos at 5:00 this evening. Okay, un-pause and fast forward.)

I told Taiger who had called and that our shirts were in and asked if he wanted to go with me to get them (REMEMBER: There was no one here to tend, as Bryttan and Mom are gone, but I asked him anyway to make him feel like he was in control. Such a good Mom, eh? Such a liar.) He said he didn't want to go. So, I put on my Mommy voice (intentional voice change this time) and made Taiger put down his Legos and get dressed. He mopped and whined and I went into Speed Racer mode! I ran around getting his clothes and throwing them at him. I dug up his missing shoe, and we ran to the car (NOTE: Something really cool happened during this time, about which I will post later, just so you know). We sped (a figure of speech, I was TOTALLY obeying ALL traffic laws) to the freeway...and what a mistake. Of course. Five o'clock traffic. Blast. We counted the minutes until they closed. I was so scared we wouldn't make it on time! I called Michael to check again what time was the shop's closing time. While stuck at a light, I texted him and asked if he could call the shop and ask them to stay open later for me. We were about three minutes away, and it was already 5:29. BLAST again. Then, I could see it. FAST SIGNS. The shop was in sight...and we were stuck at another...ANOTHER...red light. So, what did I do? The only thing a woman in such a state could do. I turned a right...and jumped the curb. Into the neighboring parking lot...luckily, the lots connected. We raced up to the shop, and the lights were off...BUT WAIT! A ray of hope! The open sign was still on! They were closed, but not "really" (okay, they REALLY were...they just hadn't shut off the neon light that said "OPEN", and in my desperate mind, that meant they were OPEN to ME!). I raced in, just in the nick of time! What a blessing!

Taiger and I at Fast Signs...Taiger is wearing his new shirt. Notice my bed-head hair?!

(OH! And my Karamajon necklace? Eh, eh?)

AND....we have the shirts! HOORAY So, I want to SHOUT OUT to FAST SIGNS of Murray, Utah. You are incredible! When they were having to re-open tills for my change, etc. I apologized for coming right at closing time, and they said, "It is fine! We are not like (and they named this really big chain store that I loathe and hate that starts with a wal and ends in a mart), we are not DYING to leave RIGHT at closing time! We want to help you!" I THINK some HOT guy came out of the back at that point and said, "And we love you, and think you are amazing, and BOY does that outfit make you look thin". I THINK that is what happened...but I could have just been blinded by the fact that I now LOVE FAST SIGNS! THANK YOU for your amazing service and how quickly you got the shirts done for us! :D Okay, so now you are all wondering, "HOW DO I ORDER ONE OF THESE SUPER COOL SHIRTS?!" Easy-peasy-rice-and-cheesy (please tell me you have seen, "Meet The Robinson's". If you haven't, go do it. Now. No wait...AFTER you order a shirt!) REMEMBER: THESE SHIRTS WOULD BE GREAT MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS!!!!!!!!!! (Read more at my other blog, http://www.manygrandadventures.blogspot.com/) To order your shirt, you can use CHECK OR PAYPAL! For check, please fill it out to Breclyn Everett and mail it to the address on the left of this screen. Be sure and email me or include a note with your check that tells your name and what size and color for the shirt. Please also give me your email address and a mailing address. {LEASE also state how many shirts you would like. THANKS! For Paypal, click on the paypal button on the top left corner of this screen. In the comments section of your payment form, please include your name and what size and color shirt you want. Also please let me know your email address and your mailing address. PLEASE also not how many shirts you would like! THANK YOU! THANK YOU, AGAIN!

HERE ARE THE THREE COLOURS FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE! :

LIGHT BROWN

ORANGE

WHITE

BUSINESS CARDS (and a plug for Vista Print)

2010-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Guess what?! We have BUSINESS CARDS! REALLY! They are BEAUTIFUL! I absolutely adore them (as well I should...after all, I designed them!). The best part? They were FREE! (I know I shouldn't announce that...I sound so cheap!) I am so, so thankful to this company for providing items for free. It is so kind of them, and I greatly appreciate it. So, to show my gratitude, I am doing a bit of advertising for them here...USE VISTA PRINT FOR ALL OF YOUR BUSINESS, PARTY, ANNOUNCEMENT, ETC. NEEDS! They have SO many things and they are so worth your time! With their "free items", all you pay is shipping! If you DO order from them, make sure you order everything you need in ONE shipment so you only have to pay shipping once (here I am, being cheap again!!). Anyway, their website is vistaprint.com. Check them out! You can get some cool things made!

I am so thankful we could order these cards! They look so nice. We are going to have them set out at the garage sale, too, for people to take. Yay! Thank you, Vista Print! :D

Found

2010-04-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Found. Abe and Aninda have been found! PRAISE GOD! I don't know the entire situation, but it sounds like Abe and Aninda were still (again?) at Luckyhill when they were found. It was NOT easy to get Kingsley to "give them up", but, thank The Lord, he did! They are now safe and sound with a new foster family, sleeping in warm beds, being fed well, AND being loved on!!!! I guess when they found the boys, their "new Dad" shouted HOSANNA! Shouting right along with him. "...Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...I once was lost, but now, am found." It strikes me that Heavenly Father knew all along where those two little boys were. :)

Following

2010-04-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

I remember when I thought nothing was really HAPPENING with Sixteen Small Stones. In my heart, I knew things were, in fact, happening...they were all just happening, well, "behind the scenes", as it were. I knew God had His plans, and He was working on His end of things, while on my end, I waited. I waited for His plan to be made known. I still wait for that. I waited for action. I do NOT wait for that now!! It seems every day is a whirlwind for Sixteen Small Stones. Planning, praying, ACTING! So much going on...donations, shirts, cards...So many to help...Haiti, China, Africa...New ministires. New faces. New prayers. New love. Lots and lots of love! I still wait for His plan to be made known. But I have learned that this is something I will "wait" for until the end of my days. God's plan will never be laid before ME as it is before HIM! Tonight, I made Taiger take a bath. He really needed a good scrubbing, but, more than that, I needed the time to prepare a special gift I was planning to give him. Taiger complained. He whined. He procrastinated. When I finally lured him into the bath, he did more whining...the water was in his eyes, the water was too hot, there was soggy paper in the water (did I really just admit that?! It was just the wrapper off the shampoo bottle...life could be worse!). Finally, I told him I had a special gift for him, but he had to be good in the bath. He had to wash his hair. "What is it?!" He had to wash his face. "What color is it?" He had to dry off. "Is it a...". He had to lotion up. "When do I get it?!" He had to get his pijamas on. "PLEASE can I have it now?!" I had a plan. Taiger didn't know all of my plan. He knew there was something special, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't know why he had to take the bath (so I could prepare it for him without him seeing it). He didn't know why he had to get in his pijamas first (because I knew if I gave it to him before, he would be so busy playing with his new surprise, he wouldn't stop to get his pijamas on, and then he would fall asleep without pjs and he'd be cold all night). He didn't know all of this. Why didn't I just tell him? Because...it was not the right time. Because he was not ready. (If I had told him, he would have wanted to play with it right then and the software wouldn't have been downloaded, and he NEVER would have had a bath and he would have been dirty and smelly! Then, he wouldn't have gotten in his pjs so he would have been cold all night...). My timing was better. I knew how it would turn out and I knew the better plan. Sometimes, I am like Taiger. I want to know NOW! I HATE waiting! I KNOW God has something special for me...and for so long I have waited to know what it is! Now, I realize, God's plan is not something I need to know. I just need to follow His will, step by step, and in the end, all will be right. I think everyone knows this news, but I want to make SURE everyone knows. In a few months, Taiger and I are moving to China (finally, right?! LOL!). I will be in school there, taking my last Chinese classes toward my major. Taiger will be...well, that is still a mystory. I suppose he will be coming to my college classes with me (unless anyone wants to volunteer to nanny? Anyone? No? Didn't think so...but it was worth a shot. :) ). The IDEA is to eventually start a food program in China, similar to the ones Katie Davis and Renee Bach run in Uganda (kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com; servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com). You notice I said "IDEA" and NOT "PLAN". That is because I have no plan! ONE idea is to start a food program. But only GOD knows THE REAL PLAN! Only He knows what He has planned for Taiger's and my life! So, I take His hand, and step into the darkness. I can't wait to see where He leads us!

A Bit More Good News!!

2010-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

For a bit of good news, check out this blog! LOVE IT! :D http://fullplatemama.blogspot.com/2010/04/and-then-she-wept.html

SO THANKFUL!

2010-04-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today was an AMAZING day for Sixteen Small Stones!! :)

First of all, I ordered FREE business cards for Sixteen Small Stones! Is is a HUGE blessing! The amazing part? They were FREE! Check out visaprint.com!!

Next...about the shirts. I now have a picture of the design for you all to see! YAY! The shirts are not necessarily this color (the MEN's ones are, similar, though) but it gives you an idea of the image and writing on the front. :D THANK YOU, Michael, for this fabulous design! (I will post actual photographs of the finished shirts once they are done being printed!)

We were able to purchase several more plain shirts at the sale price!! So, anyone ordering in the near future, you will still get the same great price of only $20.00!!!! Also, earlier this week the company printing our shirts waved the set-up fee because it is for a Non-Profit!!!!! Talk about true miracles. :D :D I didn't know how on earth I would come up with the money for the set-up fee. Thank you, Fast Signs in Murray, Utah! You are AMAZING! :D :D For those of you who have already ordered your shirts, we have not forgotten about you! I am sorry it is taking longer than I had expected. There have been NO "problems"...just logistics to be worked out, and I appreciate you being patient with us. :)

Next, Sixteen Small Stones has had some very, very kind and generous people DONATE MONEY to Sixteen Small Stones over this past week or so. When people donate (money, time, items), it really, really blows me away. I am totally blind-sided and don't really know what hit me. I am so in shock, and in this state of INSTANT humility. I feel my legs kind of go shaky, my jaw drops and in my mind I start shouting prayers of THANKS. Then, I come to this point where I have to come up with some words to express how I feel about what they have done. THANK YOU just doesn't ever seem like enough. My mind is screaming, "The only way to thank them is to buy them a gift, or pay them back" and my logical mind screams back, "SILLY! That totally defeats the purpose of their donation! HA!" So, I am left at a loss for words and in a state of being totally overwhelmed with gratitude. So...THANK YOU, for lack of better words, to everyone who donated this week and EVER. I just want to make absolutely SURE you all know how thankful we are.

For donations, I have some MORE good news (it just keeps comin' tonight, huh?! LOVE IT!)! I received a package yesterday of FOUR FUZZI BUNZ diapers! YAY! Again, blown away with gratitude...and now even MORE good news! The kind person who donated the diapers sent me an email today saying they want to donate TWENTY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means TWENTY FOUR diapers for Renee to use in Uganda! TWENTY FOUR! I am so, so thankful.

And now, for the last bit of news, and I really HAVE saved the best for last...

We MAY have an idea of where Abe and Aninda are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I read this at Full Plate Mama's blog (fullplatemama.blogspot.com), I kind of went numb for a second. I thought I had misread it, or hadn't understood, or something. When I reread it, I got goosebumps all over my arms and tears in my eyes. I know it is too early to really believe they are safe and well, but I can't help praising God for His mercy, His goodness, and the way He knows everyone...each sparrow that falls from the sky is accounted for. Please continue to pray as the search continues for these two brothers, and as help continues for all of the children from Luckyhill. :)

So much for which to be thankful tonight. Thank you, all. :)

The Most Amazing Garage Sale in History

2010-04-24T17:17:00.001-07:00

An Amazing Garage Sale! Sixteen Small Stones is in the process of planning the best Garage Sale of the year...maybe even of this CENTURY...=GASP= MAYBE even the most amazing in HISTORY! Why so amazing, you ask? First of all, ALL money made is going to help our Friend Homes and Friend Organizations! Isn't that fantastic? Second, as if that weren't enough, my Dad has pledged to match whatever amount is made at the Garage Sale!! So, if we make $50.00, my Dad will also give SSS $50.00! Isn't that amazing?! My Dad is so loving and generous. :) The final fantastic thing is the variety of items we will be selling and how we are setting things up. Okay, stay with me and hear how this is all going to work out. First, we will have the normal Garage Sale things. Second, we are going to be selling Sixteen Small Stones shirts! Third, we will be doing the traditional SSS fundraiser, a "Paint A Stone" table (where, for 16 cents you can paint a rock to take home). Fourth, (and I am REALLY excited about this one!) we are going to have an area of items that you buy and donate! So, you say how for much you want to "buy" an item and pay for it. Then, you take a tag and write your name on it (it will probably look something like the one pictured below) and pin it to the item. Then, you put the item in one of three boxes, the one labeled, "Foyer de Sion", the one labeled, "Serving His Children", or the one labeled "Racham Ministries/Children's Prison". You choose the donation, how much you think it is worth, AND to which ministry it will go! AMAZING! Of course, we are going to have literature set out about Sixteen Small Stones and all of our Friend Homes and Friend Organizations, so people can learn more about us, about our "FRIENDS" and about People In Crisis around the world! (If you are part of one of our Friend Homes/Organizations and you want us to show pictures or set out any literature about you, please let me know as soon as possible!! THANK YOU!!) If you are doing "Spring Cleaning" and would like to donate any items to our Garage Sale, please let me know and I will give you the address of where to drop off your items! We would be SO GRATEFUL to have more things to sell! I will update for sure when the Garage Sale will be (it is all depending on when the shirts are done being printed!). In the meantime, search around you home for anything you don't use anymore and would like to donate, or start searching under the couch cushions for change to spend at the Garage Sale! :) Thank you all SO MUCH! This is going to be SO FUN and I hope everyone will at least stop by, say HI and paint a stone!

An Important Letter to All Readers

2010-04-23T22:07:00.001-07:00

Out of respect for everyone involved with Luckyhill, I have removed all recent posts pertaining to Luckyhill. However, Sixteen Small Stones is still very much involved with helping the children from Luckyhill and we are still accepting donations on behalf of those children. At this time, we ask that you please do not post questions regarding Luckyhill as comments on this blog. If you have any questions regarding Luckyhill and donations, please send them to us privately at smallstonesafricaandchina@yahoo.com and I would be more than happy to answer your questions as quickly as I can. Your respect to this request is greatly appreciated! Please continue in prayer for Luckyhill and the wonderful children and people there. Your continued support is invaluable! The sweet children are, as always, in great need of love and support, and we continue to collect monetary donations to help support Luckyhill's Nutrition Program. As always, you may donate with the paypal button on this blog. Thank you all for your understanding and support! With Gratitude, Breclyn S. Everett President Sixteen Small Stones

SHIRTS!

2010-04-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we went and bought the rest of the shirts AND went to the printer's! Still working everything out, so PLEASE be patient, if you have ordered a shirt and don't receive it right away. I have no clue how long it will take them to print the shirts, but know we will get them as quickly as possible! If you are wondering about an ETA, feel free to post or email me. :)

Shopping for shirts!

Bryttan and Taiger helped me pick out just the right ones for all of you! For those of you who ordered a WHITE shirt...they are SO MUCH BETTER than we thought they would be! I had assumed they would be "under shirt" quality, BUT NO! They are made out of GREAT fabric! They are soft and kind of stretchy a little, so they will lay so nicely. :) YAY!

So much love here!

For those of you who have NOT ordered a shirt, check these out! They are incredible and you will LOOOOOVE them! :D You can still order them, if you want one! We now also have ORANGE! It is so pretty! (If you ordered a different color and now want orange, let me know TONIGHT OR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!) Anyway, they are only $20.00 and the purchase of one can help SOOOO many people! If you DO want to order one, you can pay via the paypal button on this very page! In the notes, please specify the color and size you would like. Be sure to also include your name, address AND email address so we can contact you! THANK YOU!

Taiger was helping us look for the perfect white shirts...when he suddenly came around the corner with one hanging from his curly hair! So silly!

Okay, last but NOT least...we have another product in the works. Shhhhh....don't tell! I haven't even told my Team Leaders yet! (Um, surprise??)

Here is Bryttan outside of the print shop!! Isn't she just the cutest?!

AND don't forget to check back in the next few days to learn more about the GIVE AWAY! So excited you just can't even stand it? I will give you a little heads up...Think of anyone you know who blogs. That's all I'm sayin'!

Of course, since he was SUCH a good boy while we were shopping, Taiger simply HAD to ride the escalator, and Bryttan was kind enough to escort him while I paid.

Okay! NOW for pictures of THE SHIRTS! Of course, they are NOT printed yet, but this gives you all an idea of the styles and colours we are doing!! Don't you just want to wear one RIGHT NOW?! I know I do!

Here are pictures of our oh-so-fashionable shirts! Please note that the FIRST orange one comes only in CHILD'S sizes! (Yes, you CAN buy child's size! We LOVE tiny supporters! :)!! )

So, the colours are, from left to right:

DARK ORANGE (child sizes only), LIGHT ORANGE, LIGHT BROWN, WHITE

PLEASE NOTE: The LIGHT BROWN has a "V" neck! Also, the LIGHT BROWN is the NEW BROWN, and isn't nearly so snug as the original brown. These new browns are the ones we will be sending to EVERYONE who ordered "brown" on this next shipment. (Don't worry...they still fit nicely...they just fit like a shirt rather than a glove...Hooray for conservative dressing!:) )

Here is the CHILD'S DARK ORANGE for you to see a little closer. It is made of heavy cotton and felt really durable.

Update!!

2010-04-14T20:11:00.001-07:00

Lots of wonderful things are happening with Sixteen Small Stones! One of the MOST exciting things that is happening NOW is that we are getting TEAM SHIRTS made! YAY! We were supposed to get them printed today, but weren't about to, so we are doing it tomorrow about noon. SO...if you want a shirt, you have about 14 hours to let me know ;)! They are going to be INCREDIBLE! AND...be sure to check back often as we have a cool give-away coming up (hmmmm...I hope that wasn't supposed to be some kind of surprise, because the fact that I just announced it in the same paragraph as the shirts MAY give away what the "give-away" may be...but don't let that keep you from ordering one, because the giveaway will be...well, you will just have to see ;)!!!!!) Anyway, they are ONLY $20.00! ONLY TWENTY! SO CHEAP for such COOOOOL shirts! :D :D AND 100% of proceeds will go to helping people in our Partner Homes and Partner Programs! So, you get a fantastic shirt AND you help clothe and feed children around the world! What a great thing!! Okay, so "donations" have been AMAZING and SO ongoing! I love it and rejoice in the goodness of those whose hands have so generously and graciously sacrificed for children they don't even know. I also rejoice in the goodness of a God who loves and knows each of the children around the entire world. A loving and nurturing Father in Heaven who longs for the safety and joy of these children, who touched the hearts of amazing people to donate on their behalf, to pray for their safety and comfort, or to advocate for them, and be their voice, asking for help. THANK YOU, GOD! And thank you all for answering the call of God, who needs us to be "His hands and feet". Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! About Operation: Fuzzi Bunz. So far, we have nothing. HOWEVER, one spectacular woman has offered to DONATE money for the fabric and supplies for ANOTHER incredible woman, who has offered her time and talent, to make a batch of diapers. To these women, I wish to say a MIGHTY and a VERY HEARTFELT THANK YOU. You are providing something that no one else could. Diapers are definitely NOT glamorous, but, I am sure to those dear children and those who care for them, they are going to be beautiful as gold and certainly more precious. I thank you for your sacrifice and kindness.

About A Place We Are Trying To Help

2010-04-13T02:04:00.000-07:00

I know there are a lot of people who have not read the blog about the "prison" in Uganda. The blog is sad...it is heart breaking and hard to handle. For several days after reading it, I was on the verge of tears (and I was taking my "Happy Pills", so it wasn't that, okay?! :) ). The post is descriptive and it tells the horrors of what this children endure daily. Because it is so sad, I think many people are avoiding reading it. I do not want you to be depressed or overly upset, but I do think allowing your heart to break for someone else can be a good thing. It can cause you to ACT, even if that means doing something as simple as adding something to your prayers at night. God has asked us to "mourn with those that mourn". Sometimes, I am afraid to learn about tragedies. I don't want to know! But I don't want to know for selfish reasons. I don't want to hurt. I don't want to feel sad. Sometimes, I just plain don't want to say longer prayers! :) The fact is, that, as the song says, once we have seen, we are responsible. Each time we learn of something horrible, we are help responsible to act. And sometimes, so much responsibility can be overwhelming. God does not ask us to become bogged down, overly burdened or incapacitated (sometimes, it can become like that, can't it?) by worrying or by feeling guilty or by feeling upset for others. At the same time, we ARE asked to be our brother's keeper.

So, I am bringing SOME of the story to you. I will NOT burden this post with all of the details, as you can read those at the blog whose link I posted. If you feel comfortable to learn a bit about this place, please continue reading. This is a place I really hope to continue to serve and help, so you may want to know a bit about it. If not, that is okay, too. :)

In Uganda, there is a "rehabilitation center" for youth. You might imagine a place for "troubled youth" or minors who have committed petty crime.

Imagine, instead, a place where babies without parents are left to fend for themselves.

Imagine a place of cement, where doors are padlocked shut at night and children have no choice but to urinate on their beds, if they are lucky enough to have one (over 100 of the children are without beds and sleep on the hard cement floor...I imagine those would include the toddlers, too small to fight for a place in a bed).

Imagine a place where there is no adult supervision. Image a place where food is brought only once a day, if that, and it is a watered down mush, and there is not much of it. Imagine a place where children are chained to windows. Imagine a place where children are locked in small cells, often for days at a time, with no food or water and no clothing.

Now you are imagining the place we are trying to help.

Children are brought to this place for many reasons. One girl killed her father because he was raping all of her sisters and came for her. One child was simply left there by his mother. Another was found badly injured (I will not give details here, as it is quite heartbreaking) by his grandmother, who injured him this way so she could bring in more money when begging. Many of the children are very young, some only babies. Most are boys, orphaned or "useless" girls never make it there as they can be sold into prostitution.

One young woman has been helping this place for two years. When she first found the place, they would feed the children by throwing the "food" on the ground and letting the children fight over it on their hands and knees. She donated dishes so they could at least each get a fair share of whatever was supplied. She also has sponsored several children to go to school, and has continued looking for other people to sponsor more children. She has singing time with the children, which they all (even the older kids) greatly enjoy. She hands out clothing and does all she can for these children.

This little girl is holding a woman's skirt around her for clothing.

One of our friends, Gabi with Racham Ministires, is moving to Uganda soon and is going to be spending time working with the youth in this "rehabilitation center", more commonly known as a prison. She has many wonderful plans to help these children, but she cannot do it alone. Sixteen Small Stones wants to help! Once Gabi is there and can get a better feel for the needs of the children, we, in turn, will have a better idea of how we can help. In the meantime, we know for certain that many of the children have no clothing, so we are collecting clothing donations. We also know, as I stated before, that most of the children are boys, so we are going to really try and collect boys clothing.

More than any donations of clothing or money or ANYTHING, what these children (and the women working with them!) really need are our PRAYERS. Heavenly Father knows each of these children. He knows each of their hearts, their fears, their pains. He knows their lives, their past, and He also knows their future. HE. LOVES. THEM. They are HIS CHILDREN. Through Christ and Heavenly Father, these children can feel joy. Through The Holy Ghost, these children can feel comforted. By feeling the love of a kind Heavenly Father, they can feel HOPE. Let us lift them in prayer as we would lift them with our hands from the dirt of the earth if we were there. Let us cover them in prayer as we would cover them in comforting clothing and blankets if we were there. Let us wrap them in prayer as we would wrap them in our arms if we were there.

Thank you all, so much!

The Ugly, AKA, A Terrible Rant

2010-04-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

If you don't want to see the "ugly" side of me, don't read this post. A nicer post is coming, I promise, and you can just wait for that one, if you want. I hate money. Hate, hate, hate it. It brings sorrow, and it brings false joy. It causes death for some and breathes life for others without reason or rhyme. Money causes woe and misery when it is lacked AND where it is found in abundance. Money is the root of ALL evil, some say. Money causes tears, money causes hatered. Money can lead to murder and a long list of other horrific acts. I. HATE. Money. And yet, I find myself constantly begging for money for Sixteen Small Stones. How often have I asked people I don't even really know to donate? How often have I WISHED I had money to buy food, clothes, blankets for the orphans? How often have I thought, "If I had the money, I would send all of these donations...". How often have I said, "If I had the money, I would be on a plain to Whatever Place to help and to gather those babies in my arms!" I beg. I really, really do. Pathetically and usually shamelessly. The gratitude I feel over any tiny donation is like that of any other sincere beggar (and I don't mean the guy on the corner in BRAND NEW Ni*ke's, okay?). I often cry over donations. Sometimes I laugh so hard and loudly that I think my very soul will explode, so overwhelmed am I at the thought of someone donating. In tears of joy or laughter, I praise God for His mercy and for sending someone with a broken heart (and now wallet, probably) to give what I cannot. There is a group I follow (kind of) on facebook. This group is trying to help people around America. They are four youths, maybe 19-22. They are going to travel around the U.S. and help people start small NGOs to help their communities. A worthy cause. A good idea. It is wonderful that they are helping so many people! But why are people so drawn to THIS cause? In their FIRST DAY on facebook, they earned over $700.00 in donations. Today, they earned almost $1,000.00. In one day. I am so, so thankful that people will help them! I think their work is noble and amazing and wonderful! I am just wondering WHY people are more willing to donate to them than other places. I see some of the smaller ministries with whom we work, struggling to earn enough to feed the children in their care, begging for any small donation. Trying to draw blood from a turnip. Why are people more enthusiastic about one kind of NGO than another? Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? I am SOOOO thankful for the donations we have brought in! They have helped so much and are changing so many lives! But why is it so hard to find more people who will donate? I thought it was because of the economy, because of this or that, but this group is not facing these struggles. If they need money, they mention it and their costs for anything are covered. Today, they needed $800.00 and they were donated a thousand. Do they get donations because they DON'T beg? Am I SO pathetic that people refuse to donate? Like how no one will kick a dog, but they will squish a fly...because it is certainly the more pathetic of the two. Do I beg like a fly or a dog? How off track can I get in this post? How greedy and obnoxious can I sound? I will leave it to your comments to judge that. Thank you for listening to my rant.

Update and PICTURES of Sarah!!

2010-04-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have SO MUCH exciting news to share! I will not expound on anything much because I want to keep this short. But PLEASE read to the end! You will be glad you did! ;)

First of all, we are in touch with a NEW MINISTRY! This is SO EXCITING! Gabi is an AMAZING woman with HUGE heart, and a HUGE faith in Christ! I know she is changing lives and bringing Christ to the people she serves. I am so thankful she is letting us be in touch with her and participate in a small way with her ministry. Her link is http://www.rachamministries.blogspot.com/. Please join me in praying for Gabi and her ministry!

Okay, I have also learned of a heartbreaking situation in Uganda. I will not explain it here...just go to the link and READ! Gabi is going to be working with these children, and we hope to support her in helping these children. ONE great need at this time is clothing for boys/young men in this prison! If you have ANY to donate, please let us know! PLEASE consider making a donation of clothing OR money! You can donate via our paypal on this blog. Please not you want the money to go to the Rehabilitation Center in Uganda. THANK YOU!http://web.me.com/joeb78/J_%26_B_in_Africa/Blog/Entries/2010/3/5_Kampiringisa.html

The NEXT exciting news...WE HAVE A WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is not entirely competed, but it is AMAZING! Thank you, SO MUCH, to Michael Kramer for his AMAZING work! Michael did this ENTIRE website FREE of charge! The time and work he put into making this website is staggering, and it did it all without compensation. Michael is so kind and caring, not to mention SUPER talented with building websites, and we want to really express our GRATITUDE for his hard work and for the beautiful website he created for us! Check it out at http://www.16smallstones.org/. Feel free to share this website on your facebook, blog, website, ANYWHERE to help spread the word! :)

Thank you all for your continued support! I wanted to let you know we have had MORE donations come in this week, and we have MORE coming on Tuesday! Thank you all for the donations you have made, and for covering us in prayer! Thank you all so, so much!

Finally, but not least in excitement...remember little Sarah? She is the sweet girl on our picture for Operation: Fuzzi Bunz. Renee with Serving His Children has done such an AMAZING job caring for Sarah (and for ALL of the kids in her care!) and I am so excited to report that she is doing so much better! Thank you all for covering this tiny, precious girl in your prayers! Sarah inspired Operation: Warm Blankets as well as Operation: Fuzzi Bunz. She is a blessing and a joy and I am so thankful to Renee for sharing her story with us! Please take the time to read Renee's blog at http://www.servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com/ and lift her and these children up in PRAYER!

Now, for the fun part! PICTURES! Here are pictures of Sarah, when she came to Renee, and how she is NOW!

BEFORE:

NOW:

God is CERTAINLY over this great work! How God loves the children! He will not leave them orphaned...He will come to them! Praise God for His goodness and kindness and love!

Thank you all, again, for your support and prayers! :D

Barefoot In The Park...or the mall

2010-04-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today is "One Day Without Shoes" day! I am going barefoot to show my love and concern for those around the globe who live daily without shoes. I think of little William (read older posts to hear about William) and the pain he endured because he didn't have shoes.

I am going to really put myself out there and admit something. I really struggle with feeling EMPATHY toward people without shoes. I haven't EXPERIENCED it. I feel sad about it, but it doesn't click in my mind...that feeling of going without shoes. I am so thankful that I could learn about William, and learn about the child soldiers who are forced to walk shoeless. I am so thankful for the things I have learned which help me SYMPATHIZE. But I still long for that feeling of EMPATHY. To feel my heart rip in two as if it were ME. I am praying that today, God will change my heart. That He will give me the EXPERIENCE to EMPATHIZE rather than just sympathize.

My sister is getting married, and today was the designated day to do a big "Shop for the wedding" excursion. Because I am THE MAID OF HONOR, I will be going with them on this event. And I will be going barefoot. I wrote on my feet, "I HAVE LOVE ON MY SOUL". Taiger's say, "Yo ho A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME". I try and teach him compassion, but at some point, I have to let him be himself, too. :)

PICTURES OF DONATIONS! THANK YOU, ALL!!

2010-04-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

So, my silly computer won't let me post pictures on my last post, so I am posting them in their own, sweet post. Pretend they are inserted in the last post, tucked away between paragraphs in an artistic way...okay, who are we kidding? Even if I COULD do it, they wouldn't look "artistic"! But you still can pretend. Also, I just wanted to say AGAIN, a HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to EVERYONE who donated!!!!! I wish I could express how much your donations are appreciated! :D

SO THANKFUL!!

2010-04-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

I am so happy, excited and GRATEFUL!!!!!!! I spent time this afternoon sorting and organzing the donations that have come to Sixteen Small Stones over the past few weeks!! What a joyous and humbling experience. To have four boxes, labled for different Friend Homes, and PILES of donations to sort was like a dream come true. To work as the one who passes things from donors to people who need the donations is an amazing and spiritual place to be. I was in awe at the goodness of the people who donated, and in awe of the GOODNESS of mankind and GOD...God, who provides all, who loves all, and who has a perfect way and a perfect plan. I was amazed and SO THANKFUL for the NICE donations we received. My heart was bursting as I sorted them. Blankets, towels, toiletries, baby clothes (SO CUTE! hee hee), children's clothes, clothes for winter, clothes for summer, clothes for rain and clothes for shine. I cannot express how it felt and I wish all of you could have been there to see it all, and experience the joy and gratitude. As I made the rather difficult decision about which home would receive which item, I pictured the children who would be wearing the clothes. I HAD to in order to organize...picture them, their situation, their surroundings. Will this outfit be too warm? Too cold? How tall are the children there? Which house takes in babies? Which house cares for older children? But I also WANTED to! I thought of the children in China who are blind and would want clothes that are soft to the touch, easy to put on and take off, with some that are warm for the bitter winter cold, and some that are cool for the opressing heat of summer. I thought of the children in Renee's care, who are thin and ill so require petite, soft, warm clothes in the begining, but more sturdy and functional clothes once they return home. I thought of the children at Luckyhill, who have shelter, but not much else, and may need clothing that will keep them warm on the cool nights in the rainy season. I thought of the people in Haiti, who have neither clothing nor shelter. The mothers carrying babies and trying to keep them warm in the cool nights, and keep them cool in the blistering heat of the day. Mothers who always, always, always worry about their children's comfort and security and safety. I imagined the children who will wear these clothes, or find comfort and warmth in the blankets. It was a wonderful experience to think so deeply about each child who would bennifit from these donations. THANK YOU for your donations and support! :D Taiger "helped" me organize (in the way four year olds do...little help, but LOTS of HEART!) and seperate everything into the boxes.

Easter

2010-04-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!! I have so much I want to say, but I have not been able all day to organize my thoughts. So, I will ramble here for a second, and I cannot promise my rambling will ever come full circle to make sense! :D This Easter has been very special to me. First of all, having a sweet little four year old to teach about Jesus Christ, his Atonement and His resurrection has been fantastic. Last night, we had a special Family Home Evening about Christ, and it brought The Spirit into our home and into our hearts. Then, today when he hunted Easter eggs, he was SO EXCITED! I have never, ever in all my days seen a child so excited about finding Easter Eggs. It was heartwarming and touching. To watch his pure, whimsical and fanciful joy made me feel like I was learning something about Easter, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. It made me think of all the times we are commanded in Scripture to "become as a little child". It reminded me of when Christ said to, "let the little ones come unto me", and when the Angles came down from Heaven and ministered to the children, and Jesus said, "Behold, your little ones". I wish I could understand better the things of my spirit, but I cannot, and because of that, it is difficult to put into words the FEELINGS, the stirring of my spirit, I feel inside. Next, this Easter was very moving because of all of the things I have learned in the past year. About the children and people around the world who are suffering. About the sorrow and pain in the world. Easter celebrates the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ! That night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ felt all of the pain and sorrow we feel in this life. Jesus KNOWS how the children starving in Africa feel. Jesus KNOWS how the child slaves in China feel. Jesus KNOWS the fear the people of Haiti felt when the earthquake struck. At the same time, Jesus KNOWS the feelings and hearts and minds of the members of the LRA. He KNOWS the feelings and the hearts and minds of the men and women who work the child slaves. Because of Jesus' Atonement and Resurrection, we can all LIVE FOREVER with Him in Heaven, where there will be NO pain, hunger, fear, sickness, suffering. Because of Jesus' Atonement and Resurrection, we can BE FORGIVEN OF OUR SINS. WE CAN BE MADE WHOLE AGAIN THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. I bear testimony that I KNOW JESUS LIVES! I KNOW He died on the cross FOR US. I KNOW that three days after His death, Jesus rose and left the tomb. I KNOW that He visited the people on the American continents and that the record of those people in this hemisphere can be found in The Book Of Mormon. I KNOW our families can be together FOREVER. I KNOW Jesus Christ is the Son of God. "CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY! ALLELUIA!"

Vantines, Valentines! How many do I see?

2010-04-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some pictures from a BIG DAY for Sixteen Small Stones!! This is from the day we sent off the lovely Valentines donated to the children in all of our homes. We are still waiting to send a couple of the boxes (darn it!) but they are all packaged up and ready to go when we get the go-ahead from the right people.

I know I do a LOT of asking for things for Sixteen Small Stones, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say a HUGE, "THANK YOU" for all you do for us. Sixteen Small Stones would be NOTHING without your help! I am constantly amazed at the good hearts of the people who help Sixteen Small Stones. You are all amazing, kind, wonderful people, and I so appreciate all you do for us, and I so appreciate your encouraging words and your prayers and love! Thank you so, so much.

Breclyn

Art Print 1

2010-03-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Artist Roscoe Fink has donated this lovely painting to Sixteen Small Stones! For a donation of $1.00 (or more) we will email you the high resolution copy of this print for you to download! Perfect for desktop wallpaper! Use our paypal button in this page, and specify that your donation is for the purchase of Art 1. Please include your email address so we can send you your downloadable copy. See more of Roscoe Fink's art at www.roscoefink.deviantart.com REMEMBER: Because Sixteen Small Stones is a VOLUNTEER group, 100% of donated money goes to helping orphans and People In Crisis around the world. (Roscoe Fink DONATED this art for Sixteen Small Stones and will not be paid for his time or materials.) ABOUT THE PIECE OF ART AND THE ARTIST This picture was painted by the same artist who designed our logo, Roscoe Fink. He is an INCREDIBLE artist and works professionally as a pinstriper and concept artist. Roscoe Fink is notorious for painting for charity auctions and doing other not-for-profit work for people in need. We are lucky to have him as a resource for us! Yesterday, Roscoe Fink offered to paint a picture custom designed for Sixteen Small Stones! He so graciously VOLUNTEERED his time in doing this, and offered us the beautiful print FREE of charge as a fundraising initiative. His plans for this painting were for us to post a low resolution thumbnail size copy and sell a high resolution copy for download with the donation of one dollar (or more). He made this print so it would be usable as a desktop background for your computer. Fink loves the work Sixteen Small Stones does (he himself being a HUGE advocate against child slavery around the world), and wanted this picture to portray a child who Sixteen Small Stones is helping, thus the hopeful look and slight smile on the face of the boy in the picture. He hopes this piece of art will encourage those who donate to continue advocating for children in need around the world, and remind them of the great work they do as someone who helps Sixteen Small Stones.

Falling Whistles Part II

2010-03-27T21:43:00.001-07:00

When I first tried to access the Falling Whistles website, I skipped the video. The other pages would not load. I tried again and again, each time skipping the video, with the same conundrum...if I didn't watch the video, the pages would not load. Finally, I sat and watched the video...a video that has changed my life in the 12 hours since I watched it. Each time I hear about someone helping orphans, I feel like my cup that was already full is added to, and I realize that cup wasn't full at all. I feel ignorant that "I didn't know about THAT" (whatever orphan situation THAT may be). I feel happy that there are people out there who DO know about "THAT". I feel an overwhelming excitement that I have found another place to help. My cup has more poured into it. In a government far from here, some rules were changed, and, for the time being, one of our Friend Homes is undergoing some changes. For now, SSS cannot work in the same way with this home. Since I found this out, my heart has been breaking. Over and over, again and again, every day. I think of families who have started adoptions, only to have that goal taken from them. I think of the children who were waiting for their families to come, who will never be brought home to that family. I think of the leaders of that home who worked so hard to keep the children safe and healthy. Why is this happening? I remind myself that GOD is in control. I remind myself that a loving Heavenly Father will not leave them orphaned...He will come to them. They may not be brought home to their families here on earth, but they are HIS CHILDREN, always and forever and ever. No government can take that away. So, I pray for the strength and the faith to turn the situation over to God and allow Him to fulfill His perfect plan. I wonder what SSS is to do now. We are, of course, still working with all of our other Friend Homes, but I feel like a piece of SSS is gone with this Home, I feel a loss, I feel a little empty. Financial donations have been low lately. Operation: Fuzzi Bunz is still trudging along, albeit slowly. And each day I pray. I pray for people to donate. I pray for a box of Fuzzi Bunz diapers to appear on my doorstep. And I pray to know what SSS is to do now, with the emptiness left in the absense of this Home. I heard about Falling Whistles. I could not get their site to load until I watched the video. What was God telling me? It may seem that I am being very eccentric to think God had anything to do with the website not loading. You are right. It is eccentric. I am eccentric, I guess, when it comes to my belief in Personal Revelation. I don't think it was coincidence that the website would not load. Watch the video. Watch the video. Watch the video. Hmm. Maybe I should just watch the video. Duh. My heart turned. More was added to my cup. After I watched the video, many of the pages still wouldn't load, but I felt it was for a purpose. By me returning again and again and again (and again) to that website, my interest increased ten-fold, and it stuck in my head much more than if I would have gone once, seen what it said and then left it. Maybe I would not have had the same desire to help if I hadn't been tested again and again. Isn't that how God teaches? By repetition? (Thank Heavens He doesn't only tell us things once, or I would be in a HEAP of trouble!) Is SSS supposed to help with Falling Whistles? Of course! To what extent, I don't know. That is not for me to know right now. What I am supposed to do is step into the darkness and allow God to lead me, to lead SSS. There is a reason I was lead to that website. There is a reason I needed to watch the video. There was a reason my heart needed to be changed. Maybe for no other reason than to tell everyone I could about the plight of Falling Whistles and of the little children in the Congo blowing those whistles for their lives. And so that is what I will continue to do. PLEASE go to fallingwhistles.com and WATCH THE VIDEO. Then, read my previous post, which tells the story of the Falling Whistles. Please join me in praying for precious children of God who are sent to blow the whistles. Please pray for Falling Whistles that they can be successful in helping the "least of these".

Falling Whistles

2010-03-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I REALLY don't have time to be blogging...I am supposed to be leaving for work in about 40 mins and have not showered, brushed my teeth, gotten dressed...Okay, I am stressing myself out with this list. Let me move on. I have been sitting at my computer reading about Falling Whistles. When I first heard of them from another blog, I went to find out about them. They had an instantly playing video, which I HATE on websites, so I tried to skip it. I did that, but then the rest of the page would not load! All day yesterday, I tried to get into this website, each time clicking "skip video" and then trying to get the rest of the pages to load. It was making me CRAZY not knowing what this whole Falling Whistles thing was all about! The other woman's blog hadn't given even a HINT as to what it was about, so I was DYING of curiousity (this should come as no suprise to those of you who know me...at all). Finally, this morning, I couldn't stand it any longer! I decided to let the video load and watch it. It changed my life. (God loves to do that to me...change my life.) After I watched it, I wanted to know what it was all about, so I tried to get into the website and STILL couldn't get the pages to load. So, I googled it, and was pleasantly suprised to see this was mentioned on Tom's Shoes (LOVE the project...just can't afford it! LOL!). This is what I read:

Sean went on a shoe drop with Blake, after that shoe drop his life took a dramatic turn. He spent lots of time traveling and finding himself and his place in this crazy, hectic, scary, beautiful world. He did some work with Invisible Children, learned, and grew. His steps lead him to the Congo and here is where the real story begins… Some strange circumstances led him and his fellows to meet a group of boys, these boys had escaped two of the rebel armies in the Congo. They found them in a military encampment called Titu. Because these boys had chosen not to fight they were treated as “Enemies of the State,” forced into this prison and made to stand all night, all under the age of 15, they had not eaten in over 48 hours. These boys (and all the other citizens of the Congo) had no refuge. All people wielding guns were not to be trusted. There was no room to believe in safety, a term that is unheard of there. Lindsay convinced Sean and they bought the boys food, soap, clothes, shoes, and a toothbrush. These gifts, seen as commonplace here were a saving grace to these boys. The simple bananas that were given were the first food they had that was not rotten since the last time they had seen their families. While waiting for the UN to respond and act on a promise to rescue each of these boys they spoke to them and found out that each had been abducted, taken from their families with no warning, tied up, beaten, and forced to kill. One of the boys told of being dropped in a deep hole with 300 others, forced to stay for 20 hours of the day, all the while living in their own feces, waiting for the four hours a day when they were taken and trained in fighting and firing a gun. These stories make you cringe, but this is only the beginning. This is where Sean’s heart broke and the floodgates to this amazing story come to full force. The boys also spoke of Whistle Blowers. These small boys, too small to carry a gun and use it, were simply given a whistle and put on the front lines. The only job these small boys had was to use their whistles to make enough noise to “scare the enemy” and to be the frontline and take the first round of bullets. These small children were to serve as a temporary barricade. The ones who try to run, are shot from behind. This is to serve as a reminder to the others to “be brave.” They are left with no way to protect themselves from either side of the line. “With falling whistles, their only choice is to feign death or face it.” Strange as it may seem, telling their stories brought a sense of hope to the boys. In a small and cramped prison there was a light within each of them that could be seen. But their story is not over yet. There was some hold up with the UN and the rescuing of the boys had been put on Unicef. With some fast talking and quick moving all was resolved and the trucks to take the boys out were let in the compound; however that didn’t mean they would be let out. Sean watched as these five boys who had been planning their escape for weeks were set free and their dreams finally becoming a reality. After hearing their stories and knowing that there was hope, Sean asked “Am I even capable of helping such madness?” That’s where YOU come in. Be a whistleblower. Let everybody know that this cannot stand. These small children are not toys to be lined up and shot at, they are human life, pure, beautiful human life. With your purchase of a whistle, Sean will give to help these children be taken from this death sentence. The ones that are taken out of the Congo will also go through Art Therapy to help them learn to cope and come to terms with what they’ve experienced. Please, don’t sit by idle and let these children die in vain. We CAN help. We CAN make a difference. Write to your congressman and let them know that you want to see something done. There is power in the masses, let’s not let the whistles fall on deaf ears any longer.

Go to fallingwhistles.com. Turn the volume up on your computer. WATCH THE VIDEO. Let God change your life. You can bet, Taiger and I are getting whistles for Easter.

LOGO and FACEBOOK!!

2010-03-25T13:03:00.001-07:00

We want to thank one Roscoe Fink for his time in creating this NEW, SIXTEEN SMALL STONES LOGO! It is with great excitement that we introduce you to it for the first time! Look for it all over the internet and around the WORLD in the coming months! :D Now that we have an official logo, we have started an official facebook page! We are trying to get SIX HUNDRED members on our FACEBOOK PAGE TODAY! PLEASE JOIN! Please invite ALL of your friends to join! Search on facebook for Sixteen Small Stones. Watch for our NEW logo as the profile picture!

Update and Pictures! (And who doesn't LOVE pictures?!)

2010-03-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sixteen Small Stones is working really hard to collect Fuzzi Bunz diapers. We have not had ANY donations of diapers yet, but I am not giving up! It is just time to get CREATIVE! If you have ANY suggestions on WHO we should be reaching out to, HOW we could more effectively reach out, etc., I would appreciate ANY and ALL advice or suggestions!

Along with collecting diapers, we are also collecting CLOTHING! For this, we have had GREAT responce! Our goal is to collect enough clothing to send some to ALL of our partners! We have TWO homes in Uganda, one in Beijing, one in Ghana and one (maybe two) in Haiti! That means we need a TON of clothes! So, if you have ANY, please send them our way! It doesn't matter if they are used, as long as they are in working condition. We need clothes from newborn to adult, male and female, clothes for cold weather and for warm! So I really am serious when I say send ANYTHING! It will ALL be used! :D

We are still hedging toward Operation: Warm Blankets. We have already had some donations for that project and will hit it full force once we get the diapers we need...diapers really are the greatest need right now!

In the near future, we are going to be doing a medical supplies operation, so keep that in mind as the cold and flu season winds down. If you are cleaning out cupboards and have extras of ANY kind of midicine or medical supplies, send them to us or hang on to them until this operation is in full swing!

Remember: ANY items can be mailed OR dropped off in person! Monetary donations can be mailed OR donated right online on paypal! (We have a paypal button on our blog, sixteensmallstones.blogspot.com, and ANY tiny donations is HUGELY appreciated!!!!! )

I really, really want to thank EVERYONE for their help and prayers for Sixteen Small Stones! The emails and comments and encouraging words I receive regarding Sixteen Small Stones really gives me the courage to move forward with all of this. Sometimes, the projects seem so overwhelming! But I KNOW that God has a plan for His children and that He will not leave them without when we have SO MUCH to give! Thank you so much to you all! Breclyn

NEWS! NEWS!

2010-03-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

So many people have come forward to help with Operation: Fuzzi Bunz! We have had people post our link of their own blogs and facebook profiles. I have had people make announcements about this operation in Church and offer advice on more ways to spread the word and collect diapers. Unfortunately, we have not had any donations yet. HOWEVER, we are full of faith and hope that this operation will soon come to fruition. I would like to thank EVERYONE who has helped in ANY way with this operation! Your efforts are felt and so very appreciated. I also wanted to post that we are ENHANCING this operation! This is really exciting because it is offering us a lot of different ways to help! Along with sending diapers, we are also sending donations of CLOTHING! We have had a great response with this, and I am really excited to have the donations start coming in and to start organizing clothes and sending them out! That is my favorite part of doing all of this...organzing donations and sending them out. :) We work and pray that the donations will come and things start coming and I worry and stress it won't be enough...then, I pull out all we have and start organizing and I see the miracles! The Lord truely is aware of our efforts and always makes sure we have enough. It is wonderful and exciting to see. I have faith that Operation: Fuzzi Bunz will be the same way. That, although it has started out slowly, people's hearts will be softened and the right people will be prompted to donate clothes and diapers, and that things will work out well. And just to put a little bug in your ear, we may soon be collecting medical supplies...but keep it a secret...shhhh! ;) I am sorry that this post is so discombobulated. I just feel overwhelmingly excited about this operation and I wanted to put that enthousiasm out there. I feel that things are going to work out well. I also wanted to make SURE that everyone knows we are taking clothing donations! (This is REALLY exciting for me, as it gives me something good to do with the clothes my son has out-grown!!) So, please continue to spread the word, to continue to pray, and please consider if there is ANYTHING you can donate (clothes, money, diapers...ANYTHING!). Thank you!!

OPERATION: FUZZY BUNZ

2010-03-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of one of the precious little angels who will bennifit from this operation.

OPERATION RUNDOWN:

WHAT: COLLECTING 100 FUZZI BUNZ DIAPERS

FOR: SERVING HIS CHILDREN (RENEE'S NUTRITION PROGRAM)

DEADLINE: APRIL 20

WELCOME TO ALL OF THE NEW PEOPLE READING THIS BLOG! If you want to, check out our FIRST blog entry to learn more about us and what we are doing! Also, in the next few days we should have our NEW website up and running, so be sure and check sixteensmallstones.com!! Thank you all for your interest in Operation: Fuzzi Bunz ! (This is the first operation we have done that has a name that makes me laugh, that is for sure!) I am going to quickly tell what this Operation is all about and then give you a few ways to help!

In Uganda, Africa, a young woman named Renee has started taking in children who are severely malnourished. She puts them on a strict meal plan, working hard to bring the children back to health. She educates the child's primary caregiver on proper nutrition and food preparation. When the child is healthy and the family is confident in how to best care for the child, the child is sent home with renewed strength and the blessing of a body functioning well and well nourished. You can check out her blog at servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com, or her website at servinghischildren.org. She is an amazing young woman!!

This is another of the sweethearts who will soon be wearing the Fuzzi Bunz we send! Yay!

Sixteen Small Stones has watched as this sweet young woman left her family and moved to Uganda. She didn't know what God's plan was for her, but she knew she had to go there. It didn't take long for her calling to be made sure! She now takes in up to TEN children at a time and has already had many successes in healing these sweet children. Sixteen Small Stones was so moved by her ministry and help! She has been so great to help Breclyn start Sixteen Small Stones, and we really wanted to reach out and help this sweet sister. We started Operation: Warm Blankets to collect blankets for the children (you can read more about that operation in our previous post titled, "Operation: Warm Blankets"). However, these are not needed for a few more months. In the meantime, Renee sent Breclyn an email stating that she has a great need for cloth diapers for the children! The best ones for her to use are FUZZI BUNZ and can be purchased on their website at fuzzibunzstore.com and at many "Toys R Us" locations! So, we started Operation: Fuzzi Bunz to help fill that need! We are collecting AS MANY of these diapers as we possibly can! The goal is 100 FUZZI BUNZ cloth diapers. I have FAITH we can reach this goal by the end date, which is April 20.

There are four ways to help with this project: 1.) Buy Fuzzi Bunz and donate them

2.) Make Fuzzi Bunz and donate them

3.) Collect LIGHTLY used Fuzzi Bunz (please make sure they are in good, usable condition) and mail them to us

4.) Donate monetarily using the paypal button on this page. (Under notes, please specify, "For Operation: Fuzzi Bunz")

Please use the address listed on this page if you are MAILING any items to donate to Sixteen Small Stones. Thank you!

I would like to REALLY thank you ALL for your help and encouragement! I will keep track on here how many we get so everyone can stay involved. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Breclyn S. Everett President Sixteen Small Stones

Below you will find instructions on how to make your own Fuzzi Bunz diaper. I am NO seamstress, so I have no idea how difficult or easy it may be. Good luck! Thank you!

Things You'll Need: Measuring tape Butcher paper or paper grocery bag Pencil Micro fleece, approximately 20" x 20" PUL fabric, approximately 20" by 20" Pins Paper clips Scissors Elastic Sewing machine Thread Snaps Snap attaching tool

Create Your Pattern: Step 1 Measure your baby's waist and rise without a diaper on. Take the measurement around the waist at the level of the belly button. Take the rise by starting at the belly button, measuring between the legs and finishing where the back of the diaper will be. Step 2 Draw your pattern outline. Draw a vertical line that is the same length as the rise, adding 1/2" for seams. At the top of it, draw a horizontal line that is the same length as the waist measurement (plus 1/2" for seams), intersecting the rise line in the center. You should now have a T-shape, with the top of the T as long as the waist measurement and the vertical line of the T as long as the rise measurement. Next, draw a horizontal line at the bottom of the T that is half as long as the waist line. This is the tummy panel line. Step 3 Measure a section in the middle of the waist line that is approximately 1" longer than the tummy panel line. Draw a 1" tall rectangle directly above this section so that the waist line forms the bottom edge of the rectangle. This will create an extra inch of fabric above the center section of the waist line, which you will use to create the elastic casing. Step 4 Divide the rise line in half and draw a line there. This will be your crotch line. Make the length of this line about 2/3 the length of the tummy panel line. So if your waist line is 18" and your tummy panel is 9", your crotch line should be 6". Step 5 Draw the sides of the pattern. Start at the waist line and draw a line straight down from each end of the waist line that is about 1.5" long. This will create the square tabs that FuzziBunz diapers have for better gripping on the edges of the waist panel. Draw similar lines straight up from the tummy panel line that are about 3" long. This will give your tummy panel the square shape of a FuzziBunz diaper. Finally, draw curved lines from the edges of the tab lines down to meet your crotch line and out again to meet the lines coming up from the tummy panel line.

Sew Your Diaper Step 1 Pin your micro fleece material to the pattern and cut out a piece of micro fleece to match the pattern. Leave off the extra fabric above the waist line for the elastic casing. Step 2 Attach your PUL fabric to the pattern using paper clips. Don't use pins, as this will create holes in the PUL that will ruin the waterproofing of your diaper. Cut out a piece of PUL to match the pattern. Include the extra inch of fabric for the elastic casing above the waist line. Step 3 Make your back elastic casing. Place a 4" piece of elastic on the wrong (inner) side of the PUL fabric along the waist line, and fold the 1" tab down over it. Attach one end of the elastic to the PUL by sewing with a straight stitch through the elastic and the PUL. Do the same on the other end of the elastic. Then sew the casing closed with a straight stitch, attaching the PUL tab to the back of the PUL layer without sewing the elastic. Step 4 Attach your snaps to the PUL. FuzziBunz diapers have snaps for both the legs and the waist. Use a fabric marker to mark where you want to place your snaps. You can allow room for the diaper to fit as your baby grows bigger by attaching several snaps. FuzziBunz have four snap options for each leg and a total of 8 snap options for the waist. Put the back of the snaps on the tummy section. Put the front of the snaps on the waist tabs; use two on top (one at the end and one about an inch back) and one below for the leg closing. Step 5 Sew your PUL and micro fleece together. Lay them together, right side to right side, and attach them with paper clips. Sew them together, beginning at the end of the back elastic and finishing at the other end of the back elastic. This will leave the pocket opening in the back. Then attach the leg elastic. Cut a 7" piece of elastic for each leg and lay it inside the edge of the leg, between the inside layers of the two fabrics. Use a zigzag stitch to attach it to both the PUL and the micro fleece layer.

HELP NEEDED!! Operation: Fuzzi Bunz (Why does the name of this operation make me laugh when I read it?! Hee hee!)

2010-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

YAY HOORAY!!!!!! Sen. Dr. Coburn RELEASED THE HOLD ON THE BILL!!!!!!

Thank you all for your prayers and fasting and support for this. I think it really was a miracle. Now, we just have to keep praying that Pres. Obama will pass it.

Okay, so I am trying to get back focused on our operations. I kind of let them slide as we focused on getting the LRA Disarmament And Northern Uganda Recovery Act bill to go through, but now that we are done with that, let's get working on a project!! :D

I spoke with Renee, the girl for whom we were collecting blankets. She said blankets are ALWAYS appreciated, but are going to be more needed this summer! So, we are going to keep collecting blankets, but hold off sending them for a month or so.

In the meantime, Renee expressed another GREAT need! She is in desperate need of CLOTH DIAPERS!! Although I am SURE any kind would be appreciated, the kind that would be BEST for her are the Fuzzi Bunz brand. At first, I figured we would get those if we could but at least get as many cloth diapers as possible. Then, I looked at their website, and realized how much BETTER they would be for someone doing what Renee does! They adjust to different sizes, they dry easier and they absorb well, they don't have a plastic cover, no pins or clips, the snaps have a guarantee to never wear out...these really are just PERFECT for her! She has different babies of HUGELY varying sizes, she is taking care of several children so can't always change immediately, so needs something that will keep baby dry until changed, the will be used over and over and for years and years as she continues to take in children...Everything about these are perfect for her!!

SO...here is the plan of action. Sixteen Small Stones is going to collect AS MANY Fuzzi Bunz diapers as humanly possible, and also collect donations to purchase as many Fuzzi Bunz diapers as humanly possible. And we are going to do this in record time...The operation will end April 20!! That is only a little over ONE MONTH!

There are THREE ways to donate:

*Buy Fuzzi Bunz diapers and mail them to Sixteen Small Stones at the address to the left of this page (fuzzibunzstore.com, or I think Toys R Us sells them, too!).

* MAKE Fuzzi Bunz diapers (I have the instructions, so leave me a comment or send an email if you want it!) and mail them to Sixteen Small Stones

* Donate money using our paypal button on this page (as always, please specify in the notes that you want the money to go to this project)

Our goal: 100 FUZZI BUNZ CLOTH DIAPERS (including inserts...we want each one to be a "complete" diaper)

I will chart the progress of this project here, keeping track of how many more are needed.

Thank you ALL for your help and support! I have faith and confidence we can do this!!

LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act

2010-03-07T00:33:00.000-08:00

I wish I were more eloquent. I wish I could write my feelings in a way that moved people. I wish I could convey the emotions I feel through words. But I can't. When I feel strongly about something, it is almost impossible for me to write about it because it comes across all a mess (to which anyone who follows this blog can testify). So, I pray that, despite my clumsy words and my inability to express REALLY how I feel, you will be moved, and maybe even moved to action. Something about which I feel REALLY strongly is the presence of child soldiers in Africa. This breaks my heart. The stories, no, the TRUTHS of the lives of these children are horrific. They are unimaginable. Exile International is an organization whose blog I follow. The woman, Beth, works closely with the child soldiers in Africa. She tells their stories on her blog. Horrible, devastating stories. The children are forced to kill their own families; to murder; to rape; to kidnap. The stories are simply unbearable to read. The Lords Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act is a bill that ensures that America will take a stronger stand against the atrocities happening in Uganda, and will assist in promoting peace between the warring groups.

This bill has been passed by every US Senator, save one. Senator Dr. Coburn is the only senator who has said NO to passing this bill. His reason? The help requested in this bill is "too expensive".

What is the worth of a life?

What is the worth of freedom? What is the worth of joy? Who is he to say how much is TOO MUCH to spend on saving lives? Representatives of Exile International and other groups are taking a stand! They are camping out outside of Dr. Coburn's office until he agrees to meet with them for 20 minutes to explain his stand and to state his case as to why he will not allow the bill to pass. Also, many people are participating in a MERCY FAST, which will continue until an agreement is made with Dr. Coburn. Sixteen Small Stones is standing boldly with Exile International and others to pursued Dr. Coburn to allow this bill to pass!

Please learn more and decide how YOU will take a stand!

One very good documentary about the frightening events happening in Africa is, "War Dance". (This movie is available for Instant Play on Netflix)

Click on these links to learn more!: **Link to the presentation of the bill: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/news-press/news/detail.php?pID=235739135 **To read more about the Mercy Fast and the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, click this link: http://www.exileinternational.org/lra **Video link of Beth and the news coverage of the people outside of Dr. Coburn's office: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coburnsayyes.com%2Ffaith-leaders-launch-nationwide-mercyfast-until-compromise-reached&h=759b91497b72eb0458352ed85774fd36

**Link to Exile International's blog to read stories of child soldiers: http://theheartofexile.blogspot.com/

OPERATION: Warm Blankets

2010-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Before you read this post, please check out the blog servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com. Read the post one prior to the most recent, then read the most recent. Thank you! For children who are so deprived of nourishment, life can be miserable. Aside from the health side effects, such as heart problems, dizziness, confusion, dry skin and lips, dehydration, hair loss, low bone density, and many other side effects, malnourished children can also experience body aches, and even gentile touch can be quite painful. Also, the body's core temperature drops and the child can become very cold.

From here in America, we cannot provide for the child's nourishment. BUT we still want to help! So...Sixteen Small Stones is launching Operation: Warm Blankets. Blankets can warm a child cold from hunger. The softness of a cozy blanket can soothe the body of a child aching from starvation. We are collecting blankets to send to the children cared for by Serving His Children. In a time of pain and fear, a warm, snugly blanket may bring comfort to these precious children. There are two ways you can help with Operation: Warm Blankets: 1.) You can sponsor a blanket by paying $10.00 using the paypal button on this blog (In the notes section, please put Operation: Warm Blankets so the money goes toward the right operation!) 2.) You can make or buy a blanket to send to the address at the left of this page If TEN blankets are collected: We will send them to Serving His Children and the blankets will be left at Beth's home to be used on the beds slept in by the children who come in to her nutrition program. (She is set up to care for ten children at a time. Once a child is healthy, he/she is sent home with his/her family. The blankets will stay at her home and be used again and again as new children come and leave her program.) If ONE HUNDRED blankets are collected: We will send them to Serving His Children and ten of the blankets will remain at her home and the rest will go home with children who have completed her program. If MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED blankets are collected: Ten blankets will be sent to Serving His Children to remain at Beth's home and used for children in her program, ninety will be used to send home with children who have completed the nutrition program with Beth, and the rest will be distributed to our partner orphanages in Haiti, Ghana, China and Uganda. Once each of those children has a blanket, we will send the rest to Beth to use in the future as more patients come to her program. As you can see, there will be NO such thing as "too many blankets", and I would like this to be an ongoing project, like Operation: 100 FAMILIES. Sixteen Small Stones would like to THANK YOU for your continued support and love. These children NEED it! As always, please remember even the smallest donation helps...one dollar, one blanket...whatever you can do! No amount is too small. ANY contributions is noticed and VERY appreciated! Some ideas for making simple blankets and for collecting blankets to donate: * Collect or purchase pieces of fleece, which can be cut to size and used as blankets. No sewing required as fleece doesn't fray. * Sew two pieces of flannel together

* Buy one of the fleece blankets sold at the grocery store and donate it * Ask members of your church to participate in a church blanket drive * Ask friends to donate blankets * Post a blanket drive on your facebook or blog and have blankets sent to you or directly to Sixteen Small Stones * Hand out fliers for blanket donations at you or your child's school stating on a specific day you will collect the blankets at the school **BE SURE AND TAKE PICTURES AS YOU MAKE OR COLLECT BLANKETS! If you want, send them to use and we will post them on our blog and/or website! (PLEASE specify if you DO NOT want pictures made public!)**

Fasting for The LRA Disarmament Recovery Act to Pass

2010-03-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is a post from the Exile International blog. PLEASE read all of it. To learn more, you can click on the link to their blog to the left of this screen. Will you join us in a fast? Sixteen Small Stones is sensitive about the fact that some cannot fast from food (they may be pregnant, ill, have an Eating Disorder, etc.) and want to remind you that fasting does not need to mean you go without food. You can "fast" from your favorite book, the internet, listing to the radio, watching tv, etc. We are not encouraging you to do anything that would be hurtful or harmful to you. Thank you. TO LEARN MORE ON HOW TO HELP AND THE LATEST ON THE LRA DISARMAMENT AND NORTHERN UGANDA RECOVERY ACT CLICK HERE: www.coburnsayyes.com and here www.resolveuganda.org/news.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .MERCY.FAST. Why are we fasting? On eXile's last trip to Village of Hope Uganda orphanage in January of 2010, we asked the children who were formerly abducted by the LRA and former child soldiers to draw their heartaches and their hopes on handkerchiefs during a time of art therapy. Dennis was one of the first ones to share his story. The first one to share his tears. This was part of it ".....the rebels came and kicked in the door...they abducted my parents....they cut my brother and killed him in pieces....my brothers and sisters ran into the bush with nothing to cover ourselves and we had nothing to eat...we continued to run and the rebels continued to come....We fasted for God to have M E R C Y on us. As we were fasting, we managed to escape........ When we came back, we continued to fast for God's deliverance. I thank God that we were saved. I thank God for that...." In the bush, naked, after loosing their parents and their brother to the atrocities of the LRA - they fasted. They fasted from food they did not have. For MERCY. And so do we. Senator Coburn, These children cannot come to you with their stories. But we can. We cannot release the hold on this bill. Only you have the power to do that. For Gloria, Norbert, Barbara, Norman, Scovia, Fida,Dennis and the 30,000 children who have been abducted by the LRA - we ask you to have mercy. We will be fasting and praying for God to soften your heart. And find a way. Most of us will be fasting until you release your hold. 23 years is long enough. For those who want to join: please email info@exileinternational.org If Dennis can fast from food he does not have at the age of 11 - we can fast from food we do have in his honor. In prayer for Senator Coburn. eXile international Those currently participating: Bethany P. Haley Peggy Cox Kathryn Campbell Breclyn Everett What else can I do? (1) EMAIL SENATOR COBURN'S OFFICE HERE:www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCoburn.home choose "Foreign Affairs"(COPY AND PASTE THE INFO BELOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE, BUT PERSONALIZE IT IF YOU CAN)(2) CALL SENATOR COBURN'S OFFICE AT (202) 224 - 5754. No need to be fearful. He is in the position that he's in for this very reason. That is democracy. Be a part of it!!What do you say? "This is (YOUR NAME) and I am calling to ask Senator Coburn to release his hold on the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. I believe the children are worth it" (3) SIGN THIS PETITION: at www.coburnsayyes.com under "take action" (4) IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE IN OKLAHOMA - SPECIFICALLY A CHURCH OR MINISTER - please pass this information alone. we need Oklahoma to take a STAND.

What I Can Do

2010-03-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

How many times must I be taught the same lessons? When the earthquake struck Haiti, I tried to turn away. I kept telling myself there was nothing I could do, I can't save EVERYONE, so I was going to focus on Operation: LOVE, pray for the people in Haiti, and just try and not think about it. We all saw how that turned out. I sort of got a mataphorical slap in the face from Heavenly Father. When the earthquake struck Chile, my heart broke, but a part of me said, "So what? I am stretched too thin with everything and I am not getting involved." The truth is, seeing those pictures all the time, thinking of the pain all the time, listening to the horror stories all the time...it is all JUST. TOO. MUCH. It hurts TOO. MUCH. It is too upsetting. That voice in my head...the Holy Ghost, my conciounce, my humanity...call it what you want, it has been wispering away since the earthquake. At first I ignored it. Then, I started thinking, "Shhhh! I don't want to hear!" Now, I am full-on FIGHTING with this voice! The problem is, to be true followers of Christ, we must mourn with those who mourn. That is all there is too it. Yes, it is uncomfortable. How do you think Jesus felt as he hung on the cross? We cannot profess to be Christian without weeping with those who weep. So, I am trying to tell myself to stop avoiding the hurt, watch the clips on the news, and let the tears flow. Be uncomfortable. Be sad. Ache for those people...or, actually, WITH those people. Part of me hates not being able to help. I see the pain and sorrow and I want to do something. The thing I forget is, I CAN do SOMETHING. I don't have money. I am not in Chile. I cannot hold the children as they cry, or comfort the mothers! But there is something I CAN do! Something that is stronger than anything I could do with my hands. I can PRAY. I can allow my heart to break and cry to Heavenly Father for those people. So, that is what I will do. I will allow myself to hurt. I will allow my heart to break. I will allow myself to cry. And I will raise my voice to God on behalf of those people who need it.