Bierock Sack Lunch Fundraiser - THIS SUNDAY!!!

For those of you who are local (especially Grace Community people!!) we are doing a fundraiser to help cover expenses for us and our team going on the missions trip to Russia in a few weeks!! 

We will be selling bierock sack lunches this Sunday, November 16th at Grace Community Church in Newton after both services (around 10:15 and then again at 11:45). Did you catch that - this isn't a ham and cheese sandwich kind of lunch; we are packing you yummy homemade BIEROCKS!!!! Sack lunches include a bierock, chips, pickle, cookie, and drink. There will also be a child option available. Suggested donation is $5. Take your lunches with you and enjoy!

Please come and help us get to Russia to love on some precious little orphans this Christmas season so we can share the hope of Christ with them.

See you Sunday!!

Christmas gifts for Russian orphans

If you haven't noticed yet, the Christmas inventory is flooding the stores. And Christmas melodies are filling the air. If you're like me you are wondering what happened to Thanksgiving? But instead of being annoyed at that, would you please use the Christmasy displays as a reminder to help provide a Christmas gift for a Russian orphan?

One of the fun things Ryan and I and our team get to do on our trip to Russia is to go Christmas shopping and buy specific gifts for the kids in the orphanages that we will visit. The Boaz Project (the organization that we are going with) raises money for us to use to purchase the gifts once we get to Russia as well as for orphans in the country of India that they work with. They have these Orphan Gift Banks where you can collect coins to donate for the gifts. But since Indiana where the Boaz Project is located isn't exactly local it might just be easier to donate here or by sending a check. :) Donations must be received by November 21 to be used for this year's Christmas gifts. 

So as you start to buy Christmas gifts for your families or at least think about who you might be buying for this year, would you please consider helping buy a gift for a Russian orphan? It will most likely be the only gift they receive. Let them know that they are loved and treasured; they are not forgotten. We will pick them out something awesome, hand deliver it, and tell them about their Heavenly Father who loves them and the hope we have because Jesus came to earth to rescue us. If you can't donate would you please pray with us for these precious children? Thank you.

a Father who will never let them go

Today is Orphan Sunday. Orphan Sunday is a worldwide event where Christians stand together to defend the cause of the fatherless and encourage those around us to do the same. The fact of the matter is that every Christian is called to care for orphans and to defend the cause of the fatherless. That means a whole lot more than only fostering or adopting. You're not too old or too young or too busy or really too anything (insert any excuse you can come up with). There are plenty of ways to love orphans and you just need to do SOMETHING. Love. I promise you that loving orphans will open up your heart and teach you much about how God loves you. It is completely and totally worth it.

During worship this morning we sang the song "Rejoice" by Dustin Kensrue which we've sung several times. But this time the following lyrics grabbed me.

We are children of the promise
The beloved of the Lord
Won with everlasting kindness
Bought with sacrificial blood

Bringing reconciliation 
To a world that longs to know
The affections of a Father 
Who will never let them go

Rejoice, come and lift your hands and 
Raise your voice, He is worthy of our praise
Rejoice, sing of mercies of your King
And with trembling, rejoice

All I could picture were the precious children I have seen. The wonderfully made little ones in Russian orphanages that I will get to talk to and love on in just a few short weeks! I am so excited to get to tell them of the Father that will never let them go and how He loves them. There is such hope in Him. He is more than worthy of our praise and we have much to rejoice about. Because of Jesus we are children of the King. We are beloved, won with everlasting kindness, bought with sacrificial blood. We are adopted and He will never let us go. How I long for that hope for each of the precious children all over the world, especially those who don't have the love of a family today. Please consider what you can do to show God's love to orphans today. If you need some ideas on just how to do that, please click here to find 10 ways that every Christian can care for the orphan and waiting child.