whatever

Blog

Category Archives: faith

giveaway!

February 16, 2015

thank you so much to EVERYONE who has donated to His Safe Haven!
Talby has been so excited to see all the donations come in for these kids in Liberia.
seriously… it’s SO COOL!
i love knowing we are all working together to help!
Really! think about it! we are making a difference! YOU are!
giving is important and changes things.
and it feels awesome!

🙂

talby is raising $5400 to fund the housing for a year of the HSH foster homes.
she is at 46% of her goal right now.
and just that already is awesome!!
but she’s not stopping till she’s made it. she’s persistent. i like that.

so let’s see if we can do more.
for them!
i mean… can you look at those faces and say no to helping them?
i can’t.
HSH

how about a great big giveaway of rad awesomeness to help the cause?

each $10 donation is good for one entry to win this prize.
Everything here is from our Craft Weekend Sponsors!

items in this prize package are: bracelet – 31Bits, headband – Natalie Creates, coffee cozy – Knitty Bitties, cute clothespins – Raising Up Rubies, chevron infinity scarf – Sorta Southern, necklace – Jennifer Dahl, photo book & stickers – Studio Calico, sign – Red Letter Words, bracelet – Turquoise Tomato, book – Courtney Walsh, key fob – Pitter Patter Art, notebook – Pencil Shavings Designs, print– Jennie Horne, print – Lori Danelle, earrings – Ike & Co., desk calendar – KatyGirl Designs and chapstick holder – Gabriel’s Good Tidings

How awesome is this prize?!

but wait…. what about TWO prizes?!
double your chances to win!!

i mean how FABULOUS is this?!!

items from this prize are from: recipe cards – Katy Girl Designs, bracelets – Ike & Co, photo book – Studio Calico, blank journal – Curly Girl Designs, polka dot scarf – Sorta Southern, snowman – Allen Deisgns, sign – Red Letter Words, book – Jenny Doh, hello – Say Hello Shop, print -Recipe for Crazy, small bag – Jenna Lou Designs, earrings – Made by Maggie, book & journal – Dayspring, tea towel – Lemonade Makin’ Mama, mug rug – Knitty Bitties, necklace – Jennifer Dahl Designs, cute clothespins – Raising Up Rubies, sign – Little Branches, necklace – Daisy & Dots and necklace – Wifey Singer

To enter to win one of these AMAZING prize packages go to Talby’s Fundraiser page and donate.

– each $10 donation is worth one entry.

– be sure to use your name when you donate – not anonymous.
because i can’t send a prize to anonymous. 🙂

– if you donated last week that counts too.

so if you donate $20 then you get entered twice, $40 = 4, $100 = 10 and so on.

you know… that math stuff.
🙂
Please read Talby’s post about His Safe Haven if you haven’t so you can read about what she is passionate about and why she wants to help.
All of these donations go towards His Safe Haven housing funds.

THANK YOU for caring about the children of His Safe Haven with us.

Winners chosen on MONDAY FEBRUARY 23!

show hide 7 comments

add a comment

Rachel - Whoops! I just donated but chose Anonymous! I just thought my name wouldn’t be public, but I guess I hid it from you, too. Oh well, good cause. Looks like Talby is well on her way to making the goal.

Becky Kindel - Donated! What a selfless heart you have Talby – and a great momma to help you make it happen. Applause to you both!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Talby, you are amazing!!! Thank you for being His hands!

Kathie M. - Very exciting!! What a great way to help a great cause!! 😀

Amy in OKC - Good luck – hope she reaches her goal!

sharon / theprincipledtype.blogspot.com - Very super happy to do this. Good folk, you and Talby are 🙂 Sometimes to be ‘inspired’ to do good – someone next to you gets the ball running! Thank you for doing this!!

Sabrina ST - Talby is so sweet for doing this!!
I donated $25 last week. 🙂

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

the good & the not-so-good-but-still-good

February 10, 2015

how do you like that post title?!
eloquent is the word i think you are looking for…. ha ha ha

so much has been happening around here.
i bet the same is true for you.

thursday was lauren’s birthday.
she turned 20??? i can’t even wrap my brain around that quite yet.

i went and spent the afternoon with her eating lunch and a little shopping before she had to get to practice.
i brought her a basket FULL of everything she would need to make our favorite chocolate chip cookies.
cookie sheets, hand mixer, oven mitt, measuring cups, teaspoons, rubber scraper, spatula, ALL the ingredients and the recipe.
it was such a fun gift to put together!

we haven’t gotten to celebrate her as a family yet but that is what happens when you’re daughter is 20 and doesn’t live with you. 🙂 we are looking forward to birthday cake and time together soon.

friday was a home basketball game for scott… my favorite.

saturday… talby took the ACT to find out what that is like and she survived.
she’s only a 7th grader but she did it!
i was really proud of her and her smarty pants.
we ran errands all afternoon with the three youngest… including trying on sweatbands.
ha ha ha

then i got to run off with friends for a night of talking and mexican food!
is there anything better?
i NEEEEEEDED that.
i always realize so many things that haven’t been processed when i am with girlfriends.
things that i thought i had worked out but then when they are said OUT LOUD instead of in my brain… there is still a lot there that needs to be dealt with.
friends are so good at that stuff!

sunday… craig and i got to enjoy an overnight alone with no kids!
we had to go to oklahoma city for an iPhone issue that i had… needed a real Apple store.
(can i just say that Apple stores are the coolest places on earth!?!)
after that we went to dinner at Cheever’s.
we had been there before but this time i ordered this… (these pictures are from yelp)
cheever-s-cafe
Quinoa Avocado Salad.
mine had chicken on it…. and OH MY WORD… it was so good.
i want to eat it every day.
forever.

spending time with just mr. duerksen… is pretty much the best thing ever.
we worked on Craft House projects on monday.
and more importantly… we watched Comedians in Cars getting Coffee.
that show!
it’s so dry and so odd but i laughed a lot! i just love Seinfeld.
oh and we watched jimmy fallon clips on youtube forever. 🙂

and now we are back to our regularly scheduled programs of school & ball games & letting the dogs out & picking up kids from the gym & rescuing chickens who escape their coop.
all good things.
it’s just that overnight getaways are way more fun.

this past week i have wrestled a lot with fear and anxiety about speaking at Hope Spoken. (in march)
it’s probably more about comparison or doubt that fear and anxiety.
i am not afraid to stand up in front of people… i don’t LOVE it but i don’t hate it either.

but i have been feeling overwhelmed to speak in front of a bunch of women.
wishing i could hide. wishing i was invisible or never had a blog or no one ever knew who i was.
because you know how women do…. we compare.
FullSizeRender-4 copy 3
i see all these ladies who are speaking and think “what the heck am i in this group of women for?”
those ladies are spiritual and bible-y. i am a mess.
those ladies look nice and neat and put together. i am a mess.
these ladies have tv shows and big stories and great hair. i am a mess.
i’ve cried.
it’s embarrassing….but it’s the truth.
and it’s probably very unprofessional that i share any of this since i am a speaker.
i know 100% i am not competing with anyone in the group so comparing myself is so stupid.
logically i KNOW the truth of Jesus that he uses the unqualified (well i am definitely that!) and the willing (i am even though i don’t sound like i am)

i did laugh at myself to think that He would ever let me stand in front of women and have no words.
Jesus would never let me waste an opportunity to share about him… not like that.

BUT… there is that other side… the enemy talking to me…nagging and nagging.
he fills my head with doubt and fear.
he says “who are you to share… you know what your kid said to you last week. what kind of a mom are you? why should anyone listen to you?”
or “you read what that commenter said… or that website that hates you… or those people who talk about you… you heard it. it must be true. people wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true”
OR “you don’t even home school. you don’t have bible time with your kids. good moms do that. and really… you barely make dinner.”

these, among many others, are thoughts that went through my mind this week.
for real.

i can talk right back and say “that’s dumb. go away. you suck.”
and i do.
but it’s been constant and that is exhausting.
the enemy will wear you down.
and he has been working on me for months with this.

sunday at church, right in the middle of the sermon our pastor said something like… “often we say ‘God i can’t do this. This is too big’. And we are right. We CAN’T do it. We have to let GOD do the big stuff through us.”
(i don’t know if that’s really what he said but that is what i heard.)
i kept my tears in but i knew that 10 seconds was for me.
i had to say again “God i can’t do this. Please do it for me. Through me. I am willing.”

i still have no idea what He will have me say??
but he reminded me that He never leaves.
he reminded me that there are ALL KINDS of moms… and that i am unique and He made me this way.
he reminded me that parenting teens & big kids is H A R D. they have their own ideas, make big decisions, and don’t HAVE to choose what you think they should. it feels messy and unknown because it is. but it’s not bad… just messy.
He reminded me that HE loves me. No matter if everyone else would hate me… HE loves me. and that is all that matters.
and that all of this is about HIM not me!

So i guess it’s exciting.
it’s not fun… but it’s exciting to continue to watch this unfold in me.
i know that whatever i share at Hope Spoken is going to be exactly what God wants.
because my own ideas and in my own strength it would be “ummm… i don’t know … i have nothing to say”
and that would be a really long 45 minutes.
ha!

i can’t do this. but He can. through me.
and you can say the same thing today about whatever you are facing.
big or little.
“i can’t do this but Jesus YOU CAN through me.”

ok… i have to get some stuff done today.
and it may or may not include a trip to target!
by myself.
🙂

show hide 61 comments

add a comment

Jennie - Meg – I can imagine with a blog like this and so many women who feel like they “know” you, that you would certainly at some point wish for some anonymity, or the ability to hide. But I just want to say a big “THANK YOU” for sharing part of your life with all of us! It’s so so refreshing to see a woman celebrating where God has gifted her and being so honest with places she struggles – all with great wit and sincerity. 🙂 A dear friend called me the other day crying as she was reading a mom blog. She felt so “less than” and like a mess. I told her to stop reading!! And then I told her to read your blog…I told her she would be so encouraged and would laugh along the way! So thank you for being real, funny, encouraging, and for sharing your creativity with all of us. Your blog has spurred on the creative side of me that’s so easy to ignore with the day to day tasks of being a mom. The women at that conference will be blessed by God through you!!

Mindy - Wish I were closer so I could attend and hear what God speaks through you. I know it will be great because you have met His requirement – willingness. I love the way you have shared what we all feel at times, even those other ladies on the speaking poster I am sure of. When we are weak He is strong in us, He is our confidence. You (and God in you) will be wonderful!

Deb Meyers - Good Loving on that firstborn 🙂

Valerie @Chateau A La Mode - Love you Meg and your heart! Praying for you! You will be amazing through Him!
xo

Flower Patch Farmgirl - You know how I feel about all of this. 🙂 Love that you shared it all here.

Lora - You’ll be great! I used to read A LOT of blogs but yours is the only one I still read. I’m a mess too so I guess that’s why I love your blog!

Kerry - I think you should say that!! Everything you just said here, say at the conference!

Heidi - “Be not afraid, only believe.” -Mark 5:36. It came from this talk: https://www.lds.org/church/news/antidote-for-fear-know-gospel-will-triumph-elder-holland-says?lang=eng.

“When you have a bad thought about yourself tell it to go to Hell, because that is exactly where it came from. – Brigham Young.”

Thank you for your honestly and being real. So many women look up to you and admire you. How lucky those people will be to hear you speak at the conference! You are going to rock it lady!! You are AMAZING!

Kim - Your message to the people at Hope Spoken should be exactly what you just blogged about! How to be an everyday, ordinary mom and not let the enemy wear you down!

Tanya H - I’m like “there are websites that HATE you??? Who hates you?!” and then I was laughing and crying because I am doing the same battle in my head, tho on a much less public scale…women… sigh.
But you know what? You have so many readers and followers because you’re NOT a mess. You get it. You’re real and you’ve been my favorite stranger-blogger for a number of years now. Thank you for being you and for having this blog and for helping me parent big kids becoming teenagers and freaking me out. 🙂 I’m a better mom because of your ideas. In the summers we make stuff I’ve seen on your blog because you had craft Thursdays! You will be amazing. You ARE amazing.

Tanya - Audience of ONE sweet Meg.
Faith is stepping out first – we know that – He never lets us fall. And over and over again the truth is…we are drawn to what is real and we are drawn to the story…not what is perfect. Big love 🙂 🙂 🙂

Jill - You know, what you said above, that is God speaking through you! Those words touch so many lives. You are serving God and you are still “real.” That’s all of us! If God didn’t work through broken people, then he wouldn’t work through any of us. It has taken me so long to know that God wants to use me too. I just have to surrender. I’m praying for you for this.
And, I can’t believe Lauren is 20!

Amy Woods - and, man, I sure wish it wasn’t sold out already! I would love to go!

karen - You are so sweet and honest, I love reading your blog! Blessings….. 🙂

Lauren - “you barely make dinner…” You made me laugh. You’re a gift, a messy, beautiful, blessed gift.

Amy Woods - All the women who will speak at Hope Spoken are awesome! But guess what? You’re my fave! It is your blog I check daily in hopes of updates. It is your instagram feed that I stalk because I enjoy your sense of humor and love of God, kids, hubbies, chickens and color! I like that you hate exercise but do it anyways. I hear the message the Lord puts through you, because it is YOU I relate to! So hold your head high chicky. And thank you for letting the Lord work through you!

Jenna - Meg, the reason I continue coming back to you and enjoying you so much is exactly because you are real life! My kids are little but you speak to the busy-ness and the just trying to do our best each day. I can relate to you and I truly appreciate that! I don’t thank you enough for that!!

Cindy Singer - I just wanted to know that you encourage me so much! My girls are 13 and 11 and it is hard and messy like you said…but oh so worth it. Thanks for your honesty and kindness through this blog. You’re helping me to get through!

lisa@hooplapalooza - whew what a week. so many difficult challenges…
you say “i can’t do this. but He can. through me.”
and guess what? you just did. for me.
thank you <3 XOXOXO

Tami - Hi Meg, I had to recently speak in my hometown and although I am on tv here in Atlanta and I speak all the time, it was something about speaking where I am originally from that had me go bananas! I guess because I knew it would be high school and college buddies there and family, I was a nervous wreck. I wrote a speech but it didnt seem authentic at all, so I tore that up and spoke from the heart and Lord and behold I got a standing ovation! I couldnt believe it and it was not a dry eye in the room! So that was all to say, let go and let God! You will be fine! Ive been a long time reader of your blog and I know you will do well! xoxo

Kelly - I hear you about fear and anxiety. I was in that place so much for a couple months and wishing I could somehow pray my way out of it with a snap of the fingers but He has been at work in His timing and I feel so much peace now. I know that is not necessarily specific and helpful but HE IS GOOD. Kelly

Michelle from Australia - Meg, you might be a self proclaimed ‘mess’. BUT, I’ve never heard of any of the other folk and I’m a Meg fan. So ‘mess’ and all, if I wasn’t living half a planet away, I’d be hanging off your every word 🙂 You can do this. And you will rock it!

katie - i think you’re great! ….always have.

this messy mom is lifting you up in prayer.

Melanie - Your comment section is so encouraging… just print it out and bring it in your pocket! You’ll do great. I wish we could all hear what you share at that conference. But what I’d really like you to share is the source of the You Are So Loved tea towel!! It’s awesome. And I would love for my kids to have that message hanging in their dorm room some day. 🙂 The power of words. Love it!!

Andrea - Meg, I’m such a fan! I’ve been to the craft house twice with private groups and love to follow your words and thoughts. Why is the negative always louder than the positive? I hope you know that you inspire so many spiritually and creatively! Keep up the good fight and let God strengthen you and your resolve!

Meredith - The very last person I need to hear from at a women’s retreat is a woman who has it all together. I would leave in tears of discouragement and isolation. If I wanted that, I’d look to my instagram feed. We need other women to meet us in our messy trenches and offer to walk beside us and share war stories. I would rather stick pins in my eyes than listen to another mother telling me stories of her children enjoying bible devotions every night over home-cooked organic meals. Share with me your mess and how you’re struggling through regardless and looking to Jesus to bring beauty from the broken places. That’s inspiring. It’s also what you do so beautifully here:) xo

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Hi sweet Megan. Once upon a time, I found a blog. In that blog I found a girl who loved Jesus, liked pretty things, and didn’t have it all together.

You know what? I really like that girl. She speaks to me more often than not. Well, He speaks to me through her.

I’ll be praying for you. I so wish I was going to be there so that I could smile at you from the front row.

Sara W - A speaker at the IF Gathering this weekend said, Faith doesn’t erase our fears – it overcomes them! Hoping that you can believe that your faith will overcome your fear!

Cheryl Jaeger - I love what your minister said…and/or what you heard…“often we say ‘God I can’t do this. This is too big’. And we are right. We CAN’T do it. We have to let GOD do the big stuff through us.” Make all that negative noise be quiet and just listen to your heart. You will do great!

Jenni - No ONE wants to hear a speaker that seems to ‘have it all together’, we all know its not true. Just reading this post feels like a good place to start on what you’ll share….how to believe truth when you feel attacked. Sharing a few stories about how that has looked in different seasons of your life. EVERYONE can relate to that. Share your heart, let Jesus do the work in the lives of your listeners. That. IS. Hope. Spoken. Blessings Meg!

Jenna - You rock! I wish I could go to Hope Spoken to hear you talk – I am sure it will be great! I truly look up to you and hope one day I can parent half as good as you do. Sure, I don’t see all the behind-the-scenes, day-to-day life, but I love how honest and real you are. Thank you for also sharing that with God in us, we can do anything!

Alison - thank you for putting into words exactly how I have been feeling but didn’t realize I was actually feeling. Does that make sense? You are amazing! You got this!

Lisa - Meg I’m going to hope spoken just because your there. If you were on stage and just sewed I’d be thrilled. Seriously! Plus I promise I’m not a stalker. I just love your creativity. You are unique and I just love your uniqueness.

Nikki - Um, the reason I love your blog is because you are not all spiritual and bible-y. You LIVE your faith, down here in the messiness of real life. That is SO inspiring and, to me, way more interesting. You will be great.

Jenny B. - Meg, I am sure you are right and God will give you just the right words to share at Hope Spoken. And even after you say them all, you might feel like they were not all that great, but someone (or likely lots of someones) will feel like it was exactly what she needed to hear. Also, when I think about you, I think YOU are spiritual and bible-y. YOU look nice and neat and put together (because I love your glasses and your colorful eclectic-yet-attainable-at-Target fashion sense). And you may not have a TV show, but I think YOU have great hair! 🙂

Hannah - i would pick you FIRST out of any of those women…because you are so REAL and i don’t feel alone when you are honest!! your blog is awesome and i love your life/family stories! YOU WILL BE AMAZING! i only wish i could be there to hear! YAY FOR YOU!!!!!

Kobi - Thank you so much for those words of courage in the face of fear. You spoke right to my heart today.

Corinne - I think you’re great!

Stephanie - Meg, you are so honest and real. Many others would shy away from telling the world how they are really feeling and the fears that they have about doing big tasks for the Lord. The enemy is going to attack you because he is afraid and he knows that you are going to do amazing things for Christ & are going to glorify His name. Those are flat out lies, keep reminding yourself that. And you are right, God does use the unqualified or the seemingly ordinary but that is because He will be glorified. This so reminded me of Esther 4:14 “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” God used Esther who was unqualified and ordinary to do this huge amazing thing and He will do the same for you. Thank you for sharing your heart and I will be praying for you as you prepare for Hope Spoken

Laura h - Just remember this little expression
“Comparison is the thief of joy”

patty - You can do it. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Analene - Awe… sweet friend.
I won’t be there but if I were, I would so appreciate the Holy Spirit’s whispers to my heart through you. A real person. A real woman. A real wife and mama. Just a girl who loves Jesus.

His truths are always best displayed from the unlikely places – that’s what makes HIM so wonderful! I’m excited for you, and for those privileged to participate with you in this adventure.
Wish I could be there too.

Hugs from me~
just another girl.

chrissi - you make me laugh. you a mess? i think i am a mess when i read your blog. i guess it is all relative. you inspire me so much. i love your energy. your love of the Lord. the fierce love you have for your family. i would be over the moon to listen to you talk at hope spoken. you so have this one♥

Abby H - Thank you Meg! I needed to hear this today so much! You are a blessing to many 🙂

Amy - You know what? I am messy too, and I need to hear you to realize it’s ok and we’re doing our best. Keep your head up! You can do this! 🙂

Tere - 1. Happy Birthday Lauren. Crazy. 20! My bigs are only 16, and I don’t look 1/2 as hot as you 😉
2. Oh, Meg. Hope-Spoken. You will be amazing! You hear me, AMAZING! You have everything you need. Just show-up as you. That is who we love. That is who He loves. You can do this. Be brave.
xoxo, tere

Sharon - great read. thanks! we women just can’t ‘turn it off’ in our heads. always thinking, we are! an all-time favorite quote on comparing, to ponder — “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Theodore Roosevelt theprincipledtypeblogspot.com

hope - not good, but SOOOO good. you’re right

oh man, our sunday sermon was about ‘addressing the issue of accusing thoughts’ (from satan essentially). it was super duper good. I’ll pass along once edited and uploaded. STAY TUNED

[ps GREAT post, thanks for sharing, hit home for me today]

Ellen R - Oh, and have you been to the Paseo in OKC? It’s just north of Cheever’s. Paseo is OKC’s art district. Based solely on the internets, I feel like you would LOVE it 🙂 And the Mesta Park and Heritage Hills neighborhoods right there are BEAUTIFUL!! Old houses with lots of character!

Gina - Meg, I am glad you shared how the enemy has been hammering you with doubt. Every Christian, male and female can relate to this. We need to share it with each other so we can lift each other up in prayer and so we don’t think we are the only ones!! When Jesus was in the wilderness and satan was speaking lies to Him, Jesus didn’t argue with the devil He presented the Truth – God’s Word!! Maybe you can find a few verses that speak Truth to the lies and memorize them. Like, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 🙂 Another one that just popped into my mind is, “He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.” You (through Christ) can do it!! 🙂 Now, go forth and conquer!!

Ellen R - We LOVE Cheever’s!! It’s our “big” date place! My husband gets the chicken fried steak and I get the lobster mac and cheese!! Neither healthy, but YUM!! If you’re in that area again you should try Big Truck Tacos…it’s just down the street from Cheever’s and it is the BEST!! My fave local OKC spot!! Very fresh and unique…good healthy (and not healthy) options!!

Ann - I love your blog, decorating style, and your thoughts you share. Isn’t it interesting that we all feel that way at times? You are right on about the source of where those thoughts come from. I think of all the people that rely on us & how much we try to serve those around us & yet we are so aware of our shortcomings. It’s something I struggle with all the time. I always appreciate the way you remind us of God’s love.

s - I have never been to a conference, but if I did go, you are the exact person I would want to hear because you seem soo real. Aren’t most of us a hot mess? I like to think I am not alone in this, but just one of many making many mistakes but trying our best!

Be confident- you will be amazing, you really will. You can always go listen to Shake It Off until you really do shake it off…

Jenn - Oh my gosh! I’m so with you. The doubt and the frustration. Thinking you aren’t good enough and don’t do enough and that you yell at your kids. I know God picked me to be a mom to my girls because he knew I could do it and would be the best mom for the job. That I would show them how to be the best they can be and to have faith and to turn to God when they need help. But the doubt and the frustration sets in and you start to think why, how am I suppose to do this? You hit the nail on the head….because He wants us to ask Him for help and to let Him take over. I love that He lets me start over and He shows me that keeping the faith will prevail and He will prevail in me and lead me to the life he wants for me. He’s good, very good. Thank you for sharing…you are so awesome and brave. They will love you just like we do!

Christin - Thank you for your honesty and encouragement. I needed to hear this today!

jaime - you got this mama. cause He’s got you!
the enemy only attacks hard & relentlessly because you are an obedient daughter who is advancing the Kingdom of Chirst … if you weren’t loving & serving Jesus why would he mess with you? #fistbump love ya.

Rachel - Meg, you are wonderful. And real. And people WILL relate to that. You are no messier than the next gal. And out of all the ladies on the list, YOU would be the one I would most want to hear from. I know other women feel this way too! That dirty rotten devil is a horrible jerk. Your story matters:) God will definitely bring you thru this! You got this girl! 🙂

kassondra - Reminds me of that Toby mac song steal my show.

SoCalLynn - I would love to attend a women’s conference where you are speaking! I have had to do some hard things over the last couple of years, things I never thought I would be able to do, but God was with me and gave me the right words and His strength every time, and I know He will do the same for you. You will be speaking to women who already know and love you and are for you!

beth - I love you Meg, I love you for being honest and real and Amazing!

Kristin S - You’re a mess? I’m a mess. You are who I want to hear from at a women’s getaway. Someone real who admits she doesn’t have it all together (because nobody does) and is at the mercy and grace of God for every minute of every day.

Knowing you are not alone and we are all on a journey is so freeing.

Wish I could go to the conference.

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

His Safe Haven

February 4, 2015

when i went to Liberia in July my friend Pam said “hey… my friend christina is on the same flight as you! hook up with her”
i was nervous and tempted to say nothing at all.
but i was more nervous of the navigating the liberian airport by myself.
(if you have never experienced an airport in africa… it’s nearly impossible to describe the chaos)
SO… we texted in the airport in New York and there she was… my new friend.

she helped me survive the airport exit with out losing any bags to “helpers” because she is awesome.

she was in Liberia to check in on the foster homes that she runs with her organization called His Safe Haven.
halfway through the week she came and we visited all of the foster homes and met the kids.
what a blessing!

Later after being home a few months, Talby asked me if there was a way she could help in africa.
ummm…. YES!
we thought of different option & decided that maybe raising money for Christina’s organization would be a good way to help.
Talby wanted to do it on her own so i have put her fully in charge.
without further ado… Talby has the mic

🙂

My name is Talby Duerksen. I am 13 years old and Megan is my mom. She is letting me use her blog to tell you about a group this is important to me. It is called “His Safe Haven“, a group that strives to improve life for abandoned special needs children in Liberia. Special needs children in Liberia are often abandoned because their families do not think they have any worth. When I learned that I felt very sad. His Safe Haven finds foster home for the children that are brought to them. I have enjoyed loving children with special needs, being with them and making them smile. I realized there so many children who are in need in so many ways. I have all I need, plus much more, but those kids don’t. So I asked my mom if we could start a fundraiser to help the kids at His Safe Haven. I emailed Christina and asked her lots of questions that i had about Liberia and her program.

5928fc_765aa258fd1042ada07ef3c4b3df8e47.jpg_srz_364_431_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz
This is Christina and her family.

Talby: What made you want to start His Safe Haven?

Christina: We adopted from Liberia in 2007. Our Josiah was 7 months old at the time and does not have a right hand. We thought this was the only special need he had. (In Liberia, because of the lack of good medical training and facilities, they lack in being able to diagnose children with special needs). After Josiah came home, we noticed that he wasn’t progressing. He was soon diagnosed with Quadraplegia Cerebral Palsy. He may never walk or talk. We were very devastated at this news, but he was our son and we would love him no matter what. I then started learning the awful realities for children like Josiah in Liberia. Many children with special needs were tossed away like garbage, left to die in the bush (jungle), abandoned at police stations, hospitals, neighbors, etc. The families that choose to try and raise their child with a special need, have very few resources or help. There is 1 therapy center in the whole country. There is lack of trained doctors to help families, and very little assistive equipment to help a child. A lot of the culture believes that most of the children are considered to be a curse and will bring a curse on the whole family if they don’t get rid of the child. Many communities will shun a family because of their child. I wanted to help in some way, so I started training a few foster mothers on how to care for an abandoned child with a special need, how to do basic therapy, help them eat properly, etc. I started traveling back to Liberia in 2008. God blessed me with the vision in 2010, of building a whole village of foster homes, school, therapy, etc. Then His Safe Haven was born!

T: Since you live in the US, how do you check in with the foster parents back in Africa?

C: I travel to Liberia every 3 months to check in with my team and foster moms and evaluated all the children. I usually do ongoing training every trip and bring much needed supplies. I also talk on the phone with Josephus in Liberia (he is my Program Coordinator), and text a lot to check in daily!

T: Do the foster parents have to be women?C: For now, we have some woman that are married with their own children, some single womand and are moving more toward employing widows.

T: Are your own children a part of His Safe Haven?C: Our 5 children at home are a huge part of HSH by allowing me to do work at home, being responsible while I travel to Liberia and help out their dad a lot. They help with fundraisers when we have them, and always are willing to help when needed.

T: How many kids are at the foster home?C: 20…We have 13 boys and 7 girls.

T:How do you find all of the foster children?

C: Most of the children are either abandoned at our doorsteps, or brought into our program through the Liberian government because they were abandoned and left on someone else’s doorstep.

HSH
T: When you find a child, what is the process that you go through to put them into a foster home?

C: No matter how a child is placed into our program, we must notify the government, who then sends a social worker out to try and locate and/or document the child’s history. They interview all our foster moms to make sure the are equipped to care for the children, then we get a ‘Child Placement’ form to make the placement official. This helps the government keep track of the abandoned children and monitor their care under His Safe Haven. We try and find a ‘Child Sponsor’ for each Haven Child that will help fund the cost for caring. Our Sponsorship Coordinator then will send quarterly updates or pictures to each sponsor to keep them updated on ‘their’ sponsored child.

T: What are your plans for His Safe Haven in the future?

C: Our plans are to build a whole community to enrich the lives of all children abandoned and with a special need. There is a lot of information on our website hissafehaven.org about the community plans.

T: What is one way we can help you at His Safe Haven with donations?

C: We value any donation but if you wanted a specific project… another big need is house rent. We rent all our homes at $75/month for 6 months at a time. We have found that renting our homes gives the kids a safer environment. Our moms that are willing to be trained are on the extreme poverty level, so they typically have dirt floors and no good access to clean drinking water, and are typically in very dirty areas. So this is why we must rent our homes. Raising money to help with this cost would be wonderful.

After hearing about the need for renting homes for the kids, my mom and I set a goal to raise enough money for all the homes for one year.
6 foster homes at $75 a month = $5400

Any amount you donate will make a difference. 🙂

Please CLICK HERE to go to my Crowd Rise Fundraising page to Donate.

ALL the money will go directly to His Safe Haven.

I am excited to be able to help all the kids at HSH. I dream about getting to travel to Liberia with my mom and getting to meet Christina & all the kids she helps. But until I get to go I want to help where I can. Thanks for reading this and for donating!

Thank you for your support to His Safe Haven!

– Talby
**** this is MEG again… Just wanted to say how inspired i was by Christina’s work in Liberia. She is a mother of five and didn’t let that stop her from helping in a BIG way. And many years since she began they are very close to moving their family to Liberia! They will create a beautiful community together with their foster moms, the children they care for and SO MANY other Liberians. I can not wait to go back and see how their program grows! They will bring joy to so many special needs kids!! It’s already awesome and it’s just going to get better! ****

UPDATE: See the giveaway on THIS POST that is for anyone who donates to HSH. 🙂

proverbs318-9

show hide 16 comments

add a comment

Carrie - Such an awesome goal! Very well written and worthwhile! I pray you are able to reach and exceed your goal!

Flower Patch Farmgirl - Hey Talby! I just read your post and I wanted to thank you for caring so much for the world around us. It’s so much easier to close our eyes and say it’s not our problem but you know it IS our problem. God is using your heart to change other hearts… And lives! I can’t wait to help.

Melissa - Talby, you are an inspiration! We are happy to support this endeavor. I know this is just the beginning!

Lola - YOU are awesome Miss Talby! I’m happy to donate and follow along on your journey! Your mom kinda rocks too! Lola

Lori - Way to go, Talby!

Renee - This is so awesome! It is a great thing to see a young person care about something so noble. Good luck!

Andrea - “Whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me.”

Good work Talby! I was happy to respond to your request to help.

Lynette L. - Thanks so much for the opportunity to give. When you and your mom are traveling back to Africa (HSH), I would love to help send you – if you will have a fundraiser for that, please let me know.

stephanie ackerman - Way to go Talby and momma <3 YOU all make this world a better place <3

Chris - Talby this is such a wonderful thing you’re doing. I’m glad I could help out. Thanks for giving these sweet kids a voice. Wish I could go there and hug each one of them.

Carol S. - This is such a tender and ambitious heart for Talby. I am in, thanks for the opportunity and God bless these children and their helpers.

Michelle from Australia - God Bless you Talby, Meg and of course, Christina. My husband and I have two children 🙂 And they both have special needs 🙁 I know what it is like to be a special kids Mum and that is in a first world country like Australia. Thank you for giving kids who DESERVE a voice a platform on which to speak.

Grandma Ranney - Talby – Very proud of you! I’m sure you will meet your goal.

Pam - Talby,
This is such a wonderful thing you are doing. Thanks for letting me be a small part of it.
God Bless
Pam

amy jupin - talby, keep up the good work! proud of you!

Maureen - Well done Talby!!! “I have all I need, plus much more…”, isn’t that the TRUTH for most of us. Just dontated.

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

2014 in photos

January 2, 2015

2014four 2014eleven 2014fifteen 2014five 2014eight 2014fourteen 2014nine 2014one 2014seven 2014seventeen 2014six 2014sixteen 2014ten 2014thirteen 2014three 2014twelve 2014TWO

what a fun way to remember!

i was going through Instagram and Facebook, seeing so many posts on what they learned this year.
and their word for the year.
i felt blank.
i thought… did i learn ANY thing?
my brain was feeling like mush from the holiday crazy schedule.

then i looked through these photos.
i see love.
and being loved.
color.
life.
dreams.
strength.
JOY.
courage.
creativity.
focus.
change.
FUN.

this year i found out how to love my kids deeper than i ever have.
this parenthood stuff is HARD and crazy amazing all at once.
it’s no joke.
and i am so proud to be their mom even when things get hard.
I’m happy to walk through life beside them too.

this year i realized i had dreams in my heart i hadn’t validated.
after a little working through what that means… 2015 is the year to make them happen.
i feel like jesus is saying “enough stalling Meg!”

what i reflect on again and again is that through it all God is so good!!
that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.
it’s not.
life is messy. (sometimes a complete disaster!)
everyone has struggles.
no one is alone in that.
but God’s Grace covers all of it.
He takes our offering of brokenness, weakness and failure and FLIPS it upside down.
He says “i love you. You are mine. You are new.”
we are not our mistakes.
we are not our past.
we are not what people think of us.
we are made new through Him.
God is good. He gives me HOPE. He carries me through.

bring on 2015.
i am ready.

(i think… maybe just a quick nap first)

show hide 14 comments

add a comment

Kellyn - just thank you. Thanks for being you!! that is all 😉
have a blessed craft weekend!

Lori - I never get tired of your beautiful photos!

Courtney - Those photos are soo great! It was the motivation I needed! I have to print mine out and take more in 2015! Time just slips by way too fast. Great documentation of your year! Congrats!

annette - great post – i think taking pictures really helps us remember where we have been… wondering where you got your ‘Jesus loves me’ t-shirt?

Sue Linse - Love the pictures Megan! (does anyone call you ‘Megan’ anymore?…or is it just Meg. Anyway – only comment – love any picture of Stanley – SO cute. And Annie is freaking Adorable – should be modeling for GAP or something. Miss you as always 🙂

jennibell - Wow. What a beautiful, reflective post. You are inspirational to so many Meg!!!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - So many beautiful smiles! And I can’t wait to watch your dreams unfold!

Melissa - Amen! Here’s to 2015

Carol S. - I like your photos and perspective. You’re one of my favorite bloggers…real…colorful…most important, faithful. My blogging schedule has been reduced to one a year, lol. I don’t know how you do it, but sure am glad you do. Jealous of all your adorable pics with hubby. My husband ducks when camera comes out!

Kimberlee Jost - I loved all of the pictures!

amy jupin - i share so many of these same thoughts and emotions, especially in the message i keep hearing from jesus.
“don’t be afraid. stretch, grow, follow your passions!”
i push it down again and again.
what does it possibly mean?
what if i blow it?
we need to follow his lead and fight for our dreams!
they are important. so, so important!
i am with you, friend.
i am for you too.
happy new year meg!

Tammy - Happy New Year! Thanks for always being such an inspiration Meg!

Amy - Cheers to 2015! I’ve loved following along with you here and on Instagram. Thanks for sharing your life with us!

Lisa - Well said! Here’s to 2015!

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

thursday morning thoughts.

December 11, 2014

i have been quiet… unintentionally.
just doing the mom thing over here.
staying in pajamas far too late everyday, decorating, christmas shopping, going to programs, ball games, getting groceries, etc.

this post may sound a little Stauart Smalley to you but some days it just has to be said.
Stuart or not.

i just wanted to tell you – in case you forgot for whatever reason today –

YOUR STORY MATTERS.

it does.
(i want to grab you by the shoulders and make you look into my teary eyes)

it does. it does. it does.

we all have our own.
we are ALL living different stories and we are ALL at different places.
none of us have got it all together.
none of us are THERE.
none of us have arrived.
if you think you are the only one – YOU ARE WRONG.

we are all messing up… messed up… broken people trying to get through a day without causing too much damage.

your story is your life.
and your story is important.
it’s important to you. to your friends. to your neighbors. to your family.
Telling your story matters…. LIVING it out! don’t hide your true self from your people.
They need you.

God knows all the details.
He knows how hard you are trying.
He knows how much you may be struggling.
He is right there with you.
You are never alone.
He makes you strong.

What if you don’t like the story you’re living?
pick something to change and make your story better! It’s yours!
it won’t change everything but it will be a start.

what if you didn’t choose it for yourself but it’s happening to you anyway?
what if you feel broken and stuck?
what if you are exhausted in your story?

that is where the HOPE comes in.
hope is trusting that God has a plan that is bigger than the “right now”.
because your right now might be really tough – or boring – or sad.
what if this hard stuff is just a plot twist? the place where things get intense in the story?
and what comes out of that twist is something better than you could have dreamt up?
God has a plan that is good and loving (not easy).
we can trust in that hope to say “God i know you see me here and i know you love me.”

All of us have had days where we feel like losers.
or weeks.
or months.
but i KNOW that YOU are not a loser.
🙂
i know it for sure!
You were made to SHINE and you just need to get out and do it.
pick one thing to be shiny today.
smile.
be kind to someone.
make that phone call.
write that letter.
give a hug.
get out of bed.
go for a walk.
start a journal.
read something uplifting.
sing loud in your car.
give something – your time, your heart, your money, your words

YOUR STORY MATTERS.
it all intertwines… your hope, your love, your strength, your story.

isaiah

show hide 57 comments

add a comment

Weekend Cheer-Ups - […] I know I need ^^ this, and you might, […]

Angie - Thank you.

XOXO

Jen - I have read your blog for awhile now, and with this post, I feel you were speaking directly to me. I’m a working mom of three little boys who is constantly struggling to keep it all together. I often feel like a failure. I want nothing more than to stay home and raise my babies, but that just isn’t in the cards for me. I feel like a failure as a wife, as a mom, as a person. But reading this today gave me just what i needed. Thank you for ministering through your blog. You are appreciated more than you know by a stranger. God bless you and your family. Thank you for your sweet words.

Sara - Meg, Thanks for your faithfulness to write this. Tears streaming down my cheeks. Overwhelmed in my story with the burden/privilege/weight of having eternal influence. Does that make sense? I’m exhausted. But HE is not.

Erin - Where did you get your “Your story matters” t-shirt…love it….

Louisa - Thank you. I SO needed this today. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Lori - I needed to hear this….thank you.

Tammy - Tears are flowing down my face….going through a difficult time in my life.
SO needed to hear these words tonight. Thank you Meg for taking the time to write this strong and heartfelt message. I know that our loving Father will carry me when I fall, but your post really hit home tonight and I am grateful for it.

Rachel - I really needed this today! It really touched my heart and helped me just let some things go! By the way, where did you get your scarf? I think I NEED it!

Jenn @ EngineerMommy - Love this post. Full of inspirational, thought-provoking ideas!

Carol S. - I first read you were getting “gorgeous” not groceries, lol. I liked that! This sweet post is so much better than one more Christmas decoration perfection post, but I like those too. I’m sharing this with a friend who is sick and down. Thank you Meg for this thoughtful post. I love your kind heart.

Linda - Wonderful post. You always make me stop and think. I love the shirt. Where did you get it?- linda

Ann - I know you are right. But I just don’t feel it. And I am so tired.

Kimberly Dial - Thank you Meg. That was beautiful. Merry Christmas!

karen - Wow, thanks Meg, went straight to my heart, really needed it today….

Barbara (WA) - It is SO hard to believe this is true. Is it?

Diane - Wow. So needed to read your post this morning! THANK YOU!!! Felt like it was written just for me. 🙂 YOU are such and INSPIRATION!!!

Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!!

Fabulous Friday Flashes…of Inspiration | - […] Now hear this: What Meg Duerksen thinks of you. […]

Kristen K. - Meg…thank you. Thank you for this ‘early’ Christmas present to my soul. 😉 I am sharing it with my 4 kiddos, too, because you so beautifully wrote what I struggle to tell them – and myself! I am so easily caught up in the tiny details of every day, hyper-focused on myself and my junk…and I forget to see myself and life from God’s perspective. His love is enough! And it doesn’t mean life is perfect..some days, the grace given is just barely enough to move forward…but it’s enough. Next week marks the 5th ‘anniversary’ of my beloved mom’s sudden death, and I’m still devastated somewhere deep down. So many days, I just NEED my mom. You know? So today, I will let the tears flow when they must, and I will purpose to praise God – who carries me and loves me – through it all. So thankful for you, and for your heart! xo

heather m. - Thank YOU : ) ♥!
This is something we all need to hear- myself included. Thanks for sharing what God put on your heart- i didn’t know how much I needed to hear it. You have such a gift and I’m thankful for you and your wonderful blog! And “Be shiny today” shall be my new motto! LOL! Happy Friday Meg!

Karen - thanks!

jo guy - thankyou, needed to hear that today. xx

Ashley from Tennessee - AAAmmmmmen Sistah! Love that verse and have since high school.
We need a holiday home tour. It’s so fun decorating a new home for Christmas.
Hope you and your family are enjoying it!!!

Mignon Jones - Please share where you got that awesome shirt!

Jeanie - Thank you Meg. I really needed to hear this today.

Lesley - Beautiful message, impeccably timed. Bless you Meg. xox

Andrea - Meg, thank you. You are so right…..It was good to read this today….. I wish I would have made the choice to be a stay at home mom despite the different lifestyle we would have had, but I will continue to make each day count with my children and let them know that despite working outside our home they are the most important thing to me….thank you….our stories are all important.

Kristin S - Thank you, Meg.

michele m fry - Loved this and love your heart!! Need this t-shirt, I am a therapist and I tell people all day long how much their story matters, would love to wear to work as a reminder too :]

Valerie - Oh Meg, your words are amazing! They speak straight to my heart. Thank you for sharing them. Have a blessed day xx

Victoria - Thanks! Needed these words today.

Bobbie - wow that was just what the doctor ordered. Rather I believe it was ordered by God. Thx

Kathi - Thank you.

Kara Byrne - Here’s my day… mommy mistakes and all…in a blogpost…
https://byrnenlove.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/pray-for-him/

I promise it’s not spam. : )

Michelle Deckert Richmond - Thanks Meg….I did feel like I was the only one who doesn’t have it all together….thanks for keeping it real. And thanks for sharing “your story”….great post…a lot to think about. Michelle from Canada

Lisa - You just communicated this so well! As I sit here praying off and on for a young couple at our church who are working so hard, doing everything they should and nothing seems to go their way. And yet they are still trusting Jesus to provide financially. And they continue to give. And they just had a 2nd baby and are so thankful. But the struggles can be so real. I want them to read this because I know it’s so hard on them right now. And I’ve been there when life seems too much but now being on the other side, I can see the strength and growth that happened during that hard time. And am so thankful for it now. Thanks for sharing your heart. Praying it touches those who need it badly right now!

marnie - There isn’t a person you wouldn’t love…if you could read their story.

I read that often and it’s true.

Jenna - Wow, just wow. All of this. I needed to hear and be reminded of. Crying the ugly cry in my office right now. Thank you for posting this today.

Kathy - You’re good enough.
You’re smart enough.
And doggoneit people like you!

Lisa - Thanks for writing this and sharing yourself so openly on your blog.

Stevie - This = awesome and true. Thank you for sharing your story with us!

Vicki - And now I am weeping. Thanks for sharing this. Very timely for me.

Michelle - Amen! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the passage from Isaiah!

Rebekah Lyon - Loved this! Thank you. And (in the best possible way), right back ‘atcha!

Skye - Thank you!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Love you. So much awesome truth here.

Linda - thanks you for sharing this. I really needed to hear it.

carissa fox - I love you.
your heart.
and I love that you share.
thank you friend for shining yOur light!
when I crank up the music in my car today… singing lOud…
shaking off my doubts & faults… I’ll do it extra loud… and think of you.
thank you!

Jessica - Such a beautiful post! Thank you so much! It’s is just what I needed to hear today

Sarah - After feeling defeated and crying the entire way to drop my boys off at school today, then trudging into my office and letting the tears continue, I needed this. I needed to know I’m not alone, things aren’t as bad as they may have seemed this morning, and they WILL get better, I can do something to make that happen. Thank you Meg. The tears are back, but they’re tears of hope this time, not tears of sadness and pain.

Mickie - Somehow you knew this was just what I needed today. This was a morning where we ended up yelling at our son (because he wouldn’t get ready) and he ended up crying and “wishing he had a nicer family!” Sigh… It’s the most wonderful time of the year but can also be the busiest and most stressful. Thanks for the reminder that we can get back up after these moments and be forgiven.

Jennifer - AMEN!!!! I needed to hear this. You are awesome and great too! Thank you, Meg…thank you!

Jan - Thank You, Meg, for sharing this today…it was just what my heart needed! Beautifully said. Waiting on the Lord teaches me so much about myself while trusting in his plan. “You take joy and suffering and make it an offering for Your glory.” Listening to the words of this song iver and over!

Cindy - holy cow that was powerful! thanks so much for your encouraging and lovely words! they were moving!

Kara Byrne - Yep, yep, yep. Needed this today so much. Took the day off because my stress level of being supermom while working PT and husband working overnights has gotten to me. I need to hear the holy silence of the season…without the nagging requests drowning it. Thank you for writing what was on your heart as there are many of us out here that need to hear it. Merriest Christmas wishes to you!!!

Kelley - Thank you! I needed this today!! Getting to be a stay at home mom while my husband works his tail off to support us. Yet we are struggling to make ends meet and I am feeling so guilty for not working outside of the home. Was praying this morning about ways to bring in some income. Thankful for the reminder of hope and trust in our Lord and Savior. And the reminder to start doing something! Thank you! I admire you as a mom and wife and sister in Christ. I know you don’t have it all figured out, but it’s so nice to have a real role model who’s a few years ahead of me in this parenting game. Thank you.

Jack - I think I needed to hear this today! Thank you Meg.

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

Project Hunger

December 2, 2014

i was asked by Unilever & SheKnows Hatch to share some words about hunger in our communities. i watched their videos and looked through their websites and i was immediately aware of how uninvolved my family was.

please watch:

i have so many intentions of helping but life is busy.
i have a busy family life… my husband and i both work… our kids are in activities everyday… we have so many things to do…. does this sound familiar?
as i watched those videos or stop & think for just five minutes about hunger in my community, it breaks my heart.
no matter how “busy” i am i know that i need to take action… and so do you.
but WHERE do we start? WHO do we ask? WHAT is the need?

i started simple.
i texted my friends….”hey… i am writing a post about local hunger/poverty, ways to help out, getting involved and talking to our children about those issues… any suggestions?”
i loved hearing their thoughts!
they had all kinds of suggestions of kindness that weren’t just hunger focused:

– run in a race that supports a good cause
– donate to the Angel Tree throughout the Salvation Army at christmas
– pay for the family behind you at the drive through
– join an organization called Circles, USA
– bring a dish to a community meal
– volunteer at a homeless shelter
– have a simple meal of rice & donate the money you would’ve spent on your meal to a food bank.
– leave a treat for your mail man
– visit elderly neighbors
– talk to the new kids at school
– invite people over who may not have a place for the holidays
– “adopt a family” for the holidays by giving a meal or gifts
– donate food and gifts to your community center
– donate to the food bank (food or money)
– volunteer at the food bank
– join meals on wheels
– volunteer or donate to your local clothes closet
– call the local schools and ask how to help

doesn’t that list just get you excited?!!

i had never been to our county food bank.
and i will be honest… i just never put much thought into it.
i didn’t even know where it was.
i called and asked all kinds of questions.
and the bottom line of our conversation was “just do something”

so we did.
i talked with annie about what a food bank was and why we have one.
i asked her to come shopping with me for items we could donate.
we talked about what it might be like to not have any food or enough food for a thanksgiving dinner.
But then we decided to get foods that someone could make a thanksgiving meal with.
i had her write a list for the store. 🙂
we also added other items that seemed like a good idea not thanksgiving related.

we each got a cart and i let her do all the shopping for her list.

annie mentioned several times “this one is on sale”.
i loved seeing her take notice of that.

we asked our store to bag her groceries separately and
then we drove it straight from the store over to the food bank.

it was easy.
but you don’t have to shop! You can donate food right out of your own pantry.

my encouragement to you is: just do something!

Call the organizations in your community and say “what do you need and how can i help”

get involved.
share.
donate.
give.
love.

Project Sunlight and Project Hatch are working on the fight against child hunger right now.
they gave great suggestions on how to get started if you feel a little stuck.

hunger3
go to the Project Sunlight website to learn about all of these options.

About SheKnows’ Hatch, the Hatch Hunger Project and Unilever Project Sunlight:

SheKnows’ Hatch teamed with Unilever Project Sunlight to help families build awareness and take action around child hunger in America. The facts are startling: 16 million kids living in the United States don’t know where their next meal is coming from. That equates to one in every five children – enough to fill 18,000 school buses and 223 football stadiums. On average, those who live in food-insecure households have only $36.50 to spend on groceries every week. That means that 80 percent of children may not understand the everyday struggle their peers – many of whom could be their own friends or neighbors – confront when there’s not enough food on the table. The Hatch Hunger and Project Sunlight video and workshop aims to create empathy by showing kids what it means to shop for healthy, filling meals for an entire week on a thrifty budget. It teaches important math and teamwork skills. Finally, it is about action, empowering kids to have a positive impact on their community to Share A Meal with a family in need and donating food and canned goods to local food banks.

will you share with me ways that YOU are already involved in your communities?
i would LOVE more ideas of ways to help!
every little thing adds up to a lot of BIG things when we are stepping up in kindness.

show hide 21 comments

add a comment

patty - I am a 4-H leader. About 10 years ago our State 4-H project was called Massachusetts 4-H cares about the community – and we were charged with doing something to donate food to a food bank. Some clubs fundraised, put tubs to collect food at local grocery stores. Our club (the kids) raised money during the year and chose to spend $500 doing something, so we decided lets just split up the money and take the kids shopping.

This is our clubs FAVORITE field trip each year. No one misses it, even on a busy Thursday night. We give each kid $30-$50 dollars in an envelope, and send them off in groups of 2-4, and tell them to purchase things that if their family had to go to the food bank, they would want to choose.

It is FASCINATING to see how they arrive at what to buy. Some groups use a calculator to budget and buy store brand. Some buy healthy food. Some buy Starbucks coffee and cheese doodles because even at a food pantry there should be some specials (the teens ; )). Afterwards we weigh it and divide it to be delivered to towns that our members come from — the go for pizza where we talk about how they chose things and methods of budgeting and shopping.

This year a family from our county lost their home to fire and were starting over so we chose to donate to filling their cupboards. The kids sent 496 lbs. of food to this family who then decided to split it with another family whose house burned down on the same night.

Sorry for being so wordy, but honestly this is the most fulfilling community service project — it is so REAL to the kids and shows them that helping someone else can be thoughtful, fulfilling and most of all a FUN thing to do with their friends and family for their community. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy holidays to you all ; )

Erin Ussery - Loved this post! Thank you for sharing about your trip to the food bank with Annie. It’s so cool when our kids get into giving back!

Our church Life Group was challenged to complete a service project in the Spring. We spoke to a local school social worker who pointed us in the direction of school uniforms. In our town, the public schools have uniforms (basic pants and different colored shirts for each school), which is great! When you can afford them. So we hosted a two week fundraising drive and raised enough for 244 shirts, 170 pairs of shorts and over 50 packs of underwear! So in the summer we decided to file as a nonprofit in our state and go BIG. We named our group Lowcountry Dress for Success. This Fall we completed our second drive which raised $16,549 in THREE WEEKS! How it works: People donate online or by check in the mail (the Flinstone method), we partner with local social workers in the school who tell us what sizes and colors they want, we order it, pay for it, and deliver them to the schools for the social workers to deliver them as they see fit. God has provided in amazing ways! It has been awesome to see our community come together to take care of its own. We started our third drive this week called the HO-HO-HOodie Campaign. $15 purchases a full zip fleece hoodie that adheres to the school dress code and will keep a child warm this Winter. Feel free to read more about it at http://www.lowcountrydressforsuccess.com
Can’t wait to read about what others are doing! This is awesome!

stacey - We volunteer at a local toy drive where parents come get toys for their kids because they cannot afford to buy presents for them. The toys are donated and all new.

Flower Patch Farmgirl - You know I love this.

Kathleen W. - My kids and I just went and helped to fill bags with food for our schools backpack program, Falcon Pack. It was a great experience for my kids to realize that not everyone has enough food to eat over the weekend and that these backpacks provide meals on the days kids aren’t at school. We plan to go and help again. On another note, my son’s Cub Scout pack is having a baked goods auction next week. The scout families donate baked goods, auctioneers volunteer their time and we raise money for the elementary schools “Warm and Fuzzy Fund”. The money helps families in our school to provide Christmas for their kids. Great post Meg !

Michelle - I take $20 from every paycheck and shop for my community food pantry. I alternate food one week, toiletries the next week.

Call and ask your food pantry exactly what they need. Mine has enough peanut butter and dried pasta to last through the apocalypse, but is always in need of paper towels and toilet paper (things you can’t buy with SNAP). Paper towels may sound like an unnecessary luxury, but when you have to choose between buying food or doing your laundry at a laundromat, not having to wash kitchen towels or cleaning rags can mean one less load of laundry and a little more food in the shopping cart.

kare - I lead a guild which makes blankets for pediatric hospital patients called “Katie’s Comforters Guild” at Seattle Children’s Hospital. We don’t raise funds; we raise new quilts and blankets, made of new cotton, fleece or yarn, to bring comfort to patients. We support pediatric cancer research through the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment, whose funds support the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and The Ben Towne Foundation. We are #strongagainstcancer (with Russell Wilson, as you may have seen during half-time of the Seahawks’ game on Thanksgiving day)! Thank you for asking, Meg! Blessings to you!

jodi - our church partners with the Salvation Army or other local food bank every year to do a Thanksgiving turkey drive, and sometimes at other times throughout the year we help stock a food pantry as well.

Our kids go to Awana at a church just down the road from where we live, and my favorite is that they ask the kids several times a year to bring cans and/or peanut butter to help stock their food pantry. Because they’re directly asking and talking to the kids about it, it really helps get them involved and gives us things to talk about. I love it!

molly - my church is very involved in fighting hunger in our community and the surrounding area. we have sack sunday every month were we are urged to bring in a sack of food items to donate to our local food pantry. we also have an agape garden where an amazing amount of produce is grown to be given to the food bank. it is just amazing to see what they grow and give away. and finally one of the most touching programs is called backpack buddies. during the week bags of food items are packed and then on fridays are delivered into the backpacks of children who would likely go without meals over the weekend. it is an amazing program that gets food into the hands of children who really need it.

colleen - Annual pre-thanksgiving competition at my kids middle school- each class brought in a specific type of canned food or nonperishable item to make a whole celebratory meal when put together -then the teacher made it interesting by offering country cow (a local deli) egg sandwiches for breakfast for the whole class if their class brought in the highest number of food items, My daughter’s class won and she alone donated 14 cans of peas which we also shopped for together- can only imagine what the total number of cans from her homeroom was!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Love this – just do something 🙂

Ginny - This is such a great blog post and real tangible ideas for people to do and ways for kids to get involved. I just love it!

Amanda - This is awesome!

jeannie - Our family did the same last year at Thanksgiving and made the decision to also volunteer once a month. Even someone as young as Annie is able to help at our local food bank, and your bunch would fill a whole shift. I enjoyed this post. I agree it is hard to fit in more commitments, but this once a month commitment is always positive and always a win-win. My kids enjoy working with the clients that come in and definitely enjoy helping in a personal way! May your Christmas be merry, but especially blessed!

JL - Our small Jr/Sr High School holds a “Can the Teacher” event on the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. The students bring canned goods and other items…the school weighs the items and for every so many pounds donated, a teacher’s door is “canned”, meaning they can’t teach that day. As you can imagine, the students get really involved and gather enough items that they’ve succeeded in “canning” all the teachers the last several years. Since it’s a day they probably wouldn’t do much anyway…it’s a win-win!!

Stephanie - We always give to the Post Office’s food drive when they ask. I agree with you that we could do more. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in my own big family that I forget to minister to others more than I do. One thing I LOVE that our small town does is a community garden. That is such a productive way to feed people. It’s the “teach a man to fish” concept.

Kelly - and that’s why I adore you… You make me want to be creative, but you also give us thoughts on a creative heart too. I just looked up a number to a lcoal church that has a food bank and going to contact them on what I can do to help out. Hugs to you~Kelly

Sarah - Our community has a project called Packing Friendship. This started when a teacher sent a grocery bag home with a student for food over the weekend. Otherwise, they would not have had food outside of school. Now, I think they send out a couple hundred bags of food on the weekends. Numerous local churches collect specific foods that can be used. Pretty awesome.

JulianneB - Thanks for sharing. The video is so good. My 10 year old daughter and I have had a lot of discussions about this lately. This week her school is collecting food to give to 116 children in her own school. They are collecting specifically so they can have food over Christmas break to eat. Before we moved to a different town, we used to help with Blessings in a Backpack. I always want her to be aware of the needs around her.

Gevay - It’s so easy to think of this as a problem that is far away, but it’s right here in our own communities. My boys and I volunteered at a local food bank before Thanksgiving, sorting their donations with our home-school group. My older son has chosen to give his “something you need” gift during our advent celebration to Feeding America. My younger son chose Blood Water.

Michelle - Doesn’t have to be big to make an impact….if you haven’t seen it, check out Matthew West’s song “Do Something”. They showed it at our church last weekend and it was pretty awesome!

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

live fashion{able}

November 5, 2014

fallfaves

Go check out the FashionAble blog to see all of my Fall Faves.
Use the coupon code MEGFAVES that will give you 15% off your order!
i love all of the scarves and i REALLY love the company!

think ahead… christmas presents with a purpose!

show hide 6 comments

add a comment

Christy - where is the sweater from that is your favorite fall staple??? I really need it.

Flower Patch Farmgirl - That scarf looks smokin’!

Jenn - needtobreathe!!! i knew i liked you 😉

tonya - yum! I need the recipe for the pumpkin waffles!

Kelley - You’re adorable!! So fashionable!! And I love all your favs!! Well done!!

Carol S. - Looking good, sharp outfit. Though, I think most fashion looks even better when you are healthy and in shape! Jealous of your trim figure and slim face…though apparently not enough to get up and run daily like you’ve done to achieve your goals. Well, maybe. Keep it up!!!!

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

« Newer Posts
1
2
3
4
5
6
…
12
Older Posts

search

Search for:
Instagram
Categories

Categories
Archives
Archives

Category Archives: faith

search

Instagram

Categories

Archives