In preparation for Harvest of Talents I keep wondering what in the world can I create? Then enters the wonderful world of Pinterest! I believe that my first project is going to be taking an antique window that I have had for months and to buy some chalkboard paint to go over the glass panes. Then each pane can become a designated to do list section, message section, or shopping list section. I have posted the link of how to create this project below. We will be hosting Pinterest evenings where groups of people can come together to create individual projects or to create one big project. Watch for those dates to come out soon. We are hoping that people will keep posting their creations on here, so that it will spur on the excitement and the creativity of others! Bring on the ideas!
Vintage Window=Message Board
- Rachel
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Seeing the Faces
It's sad to admit, but I often worry that Americans have grown numb to the recent onslaught of world hunger commercials, usually inundated with sad pictures of starving children wearing raggedy clothes and covered in flies. I think maybe we steel ourselves to these realities partly because the idea is overwhelming, and what could we possibly do about it? I think the other factor in our avoidance is the mere disconnect with the reality of the situation. How bad could it really be? Surely somebody is going to take care of the situation.
I've been blessed enough to visit several developing countries and missions around the world. I have always come back feeling that the people have changed and served me more than I could possibly serve them. I have built wonderful relationships and learned many great life lessons from the friends I have made.
Harvest of Talents is a very personal experience for me, because I have MET the people that this endeavor works to benefit. Two summers ago, I had the great privilege of visiting and working with the Massai people in Kenya. They were a happy people group, hardly like the sad faces you see in the commercials. But they are also a group of people in great need. I have learned recently that the people that I met in Nchishi are currently suffering from an overwhelming famine. The friends that we made, and the students we taught, are literally starving to death. HOW could I possibly sit by, knowing that my friends, and brothers & sisters in Christ, are STARVING?
I hope that, even if you have not had a chance to meet some of these people, you would really look at them. Imagine your own child, or sibling, or parent literally dying because there is no food.
I am SO excited about Harvest of Talents. And I am comforted to know that, while our Harvest of Talents is still a little ways out, IDES has already stepped in to help my friends in Nchishi, Kenya. They are using funds from programs like Harvest of Talents.
Friends, YOU can make a difference. Our talents were given to us through the grace of God. He is the all-powerful and the epitome of creative. Who are we to underestimate or undermine what he has created in us? Whether it's car maintenance, tutoring skills, a craft, music, food... anything... YOU can feed my friends in Nchishi, and our brothers and sisters all around the world.
See you in May! And again in October :)
- Denise
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.
1 Peter 10.
I've been blessed enough to visit several developing countries and missions around the world. I have always come back feeling that the people have changed and served me more than I could possibly serve them. I have built wonderful relationships and learned many great life lessons from the friends I have made.
Harvest of Talents is a very personal experience for me, because I have MET the people that this endeavor works to benefit. Two summers ago, I had the great privilege of visiting and working with the Massai people in Kenya. They were a happy people group, hardly like the sad faces you see in the commercials. But they are also a group of people in great need. I have learned recently that the people that I met in Nchishi are currently suffering from an overwhelming famine. The friends that we made, and the students we taught, are literally starving to death. HOW could I possibly sit by, knowing that my friends, and brothers & sisters in Christ, are STARVING?
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| Katie with some of her 4th graders |
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| Denise, teaching 3rd grade |
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| Rachel, with some of her 6th graders |
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| Denise & Students |
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| Team with students at a local traditional dance competition. |
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| Rachel, teaching class |
I am SO excited about Harvest of Talents. And I am comforted to know that, while our Harvest of Talents is still a little ways out, IDES has already stepped in to help my friends in Nchishi, Kenya. They are using funds from programs like Harvest of Talents.
Friends, YOU can make a difference. Our talents were given to us through the grace of God. He is the all-powerful and the epitome of creative. Who are we to underestimate or undermine what he has created in us? Whether it's car maintenance, tutoring skills, a craft, music, food... anything... YOU can feed my friends in Nchishi, and our brothers and sisters all around the world.
See you in May! And again in October :)
- Denise
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.
1 Peter 10.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Christmas presents
I spent this Christmas at home with my family in Cincinnati. The older I get, the more I appreciate those rare times when we all get to be together. Opening presents is always a big ordeal at our house. Everyone has to open one at a time, and the order is strategically designed so that we all finish opening around the same time. I like to wrap my presents in as many separate packages as possible so the whole experience lasts longer. For me, the opening of gifts in itself is a present: the time spent with family, laughing and joking about what we've received (all mine were kitchen-themed), the presentation (my brother tries on purpose to use the ugliest wrapping paper), and the procedure for unwrapping (the relative merits of taking one's time vs. ripping it open). Once the production of opening presents is over, I have a second gift to enjoy: the actual presents! I can't wait to try out my brand new immersion blender. That butternut squash soup won't know what hit it. :)
Reflecting on Christmas presents reminds me of the products for sale at the Harvest of Talents. When you create an item, you have the joy and pleasure of doing something you love that God has given you the ability to do. But it keeps on giving! Not only do you get pleasure out of creating, but your gift will benefit those in need. In the same way, when you buy a product, not only do you get the actual item, but you know your purchase will help people around the world with their physical and spiritual needs! It's two gifts in one! And who doesn't love buy one get one free?
-Katie
Reflecting on Christmas presents reminds me of the products for sale at the Harvest of Talents. When you create an item, you have the joy and pleasure of doing something you love that God has given you the ability to do. But it keeps on giving! Not only do you get pleasure out of creating, but your gift will benefit those in need. In the same way, when you buy a product, not only do you get the actual item, but you know your purchase will help people around the world with their physical and spiritual needs! It's two gifts in one! And who doesn't love buy one get one free?
-Katie
Community
As I reflect over this past year I think about different events that took place and the highs and lows in between. As I contemplate this past year I realize that with many of those events I associate certain people and friends. Life is made more tolerable or more joyful dependent upon who you get to share it with. As I walk through different phases of life I have come to realize that often times people are only in your life for a season. However the need for those people in your life never fades. We were designed to need relationships. The cultivation of community is often times a puzzling factor. What is it that connects you to people? Why do you instantly connect to some people and not to others? How do I foster community?
One of the major goals of Harvest of Talents is to create community. When people are working towards one common goal or mission that unites them together. Through this event the prayer is that people will connect with people who share similar interests or talents and it will unite people who have different skills and gifts. I look forward to Harvest of Talents East TN in this new year, but even more than that I am anxiously awaiting the new friends and community that will be discovered through this journey.
- Rachel
One of the major goals of Harvest of Talents is to create community. When people are working towards one common goal or mission that unites them together. Through this event the prayer is that people will connect with people who share similar interests or talents and it will unite people who have different skills and gifts. I look forward to Harvest of Talents East TN in this new year, but even more than that I am anxiously awaiting the new friends and community that will be discovered through this journey.
- Rachel
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