More Project Ideas!!!!

Ben made some bowls made out of records!

This a purse in the process of being made from an old suit!

A stained glass lamp donated by Kris Vaughn. 

Other donation ideas have included creating T-shirts, vouchers for meals, vouchers for martial arts lessons, and poetry! Please feel free to email harvestoftalentseasttn@gmail.com to share your ideas or the pictures of your projects! It is getting exciting to see everyone's gifts coming together as we work on the common mission of helping to alleviate world hunger!

Projects for Small Groups

As Denise posted earlier, Crossings is hosting a Harvest of Talents work night on Sat., March 10th at 7pm in the conference room at 4MS. We would love for you to come with a group of friends or your small group to work on a project together. If you are unsure of what to take on as a project, I found some cute projects that look fairly easy. :) Please come with your supplies and friends to work on your creation! We will also have a simple group project for those individuals who would like to have something to work on, but are unsure of where to start! Please come out and spread the word!

http://lifeasathrifter.blogspot.com/2011/07/copycat-art-project.html

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62201210/the-multi-colored-world-map-screen-print?ref=cat3_gallery_30

http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/diy-door-shelf-tutorial

Creations

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

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

Thankful

    Over Thanksgiving break I was able to have some much needed time of reflection. Fortunately I was able to go to the National Missionary Convention right before the holidays. I have to admit that the day before the convention started I had a really foul attitude and perspective on my life and feeling overwhelmed with daily responsibilities.
        At the convention I had the opportunity to go to lunch with my parents and a man from Myanmar. Over the course of this lunch I began to learn a little more about this man's story.  His home village was kicked off of their land by the local government. He appealed to IDES to help out his people.  He was a recipient of HOT money and has continued to help out local villages and has also started a boarding school for children. As I listened to this humble man I was blown away by his continued service in the midst of hardships and trials.  At the end of the convention this man was up on stage singing a hymn with a choir. The camera focused on him when the verse said," Well done my good and faithful servant." This brought tears to my eyes as a reflected on how selflessly this man has served and how he has handled this responsibility of caring for his people.
     He taught me an important lesson without even knowing it.  He realized that it wasn't his mission. It is God's mission of bringing people back to Him. He also realized that he doesn't have to tackle this mission alone. He appealed to the global church to come alongside of him. Through this act of humility, look at all that God has done! It reminded me of the parable in Matthew 25 of the bags of gold. God has given each of us talents and if we are willing to use them to glorify Him, He will bless and multiply those gifts.
      I often times get so caught up in the daily tasks that I forget that I have so much to be thankful for. Everything that I  love and enjoy is a gift of grace from God. It is nothing that I deserve or have earned. Along with those great blessings, I feel a great responsibility. However that responsibility is not my own, we are in this together. God has equipped each of us with different gifts and talents to use for His glory. He will do the work if we are willing to take the step of faith.  Harvest of Talents in East TN is a huge step of faith, however it is exciting to think of all the ways that God will use this to bring people closer to Him.

- Rachel