Just do it!

A wonderful family and dear friends, Bruce and Jaime Watson, held a fundraising dinner (to benefit Into the Streets of Ethiopia) in celebration of their sweet son, Teg, being united with his forever family for a year.   We are honored to be at the receiving end of this family's efforts and are excited to see what God has in store for the Watson family!

Read this powerful recap of a simple family, being obedient to the prompting of the Lord!

Quit Making Excuses and Just Do It!!!

This is what I had to tell myself over and over.  I had such a desire to DO SOMETHING for the sweet, sweet kids that we had met while we were in Ethiopia.  But I'm just a mom, no special skills, no special talents.  I don't sew, paint, make jewelry, design t-shirts, or any of the other really great fundraising ideas I've seen out there.  I really wanted to do something, but WHAT???? 

The Lord spoke to me and said, "just put the need out there for people to see, and let Me do the rest."  Ahhhh, I could quit trying to rack my brain for something to wow people, and just make myself available and let the Lord do His thing.  It's not about me or what I can or can't do.  So, I talked to my in-laws and secured the location (their backyard).  I talked to my family and closest friends and they became the help.  The Lord brought a wonderful Ethiopian woman to me, and she became the caterer.  Perfect!  We picked a day, Sunday, May 30th and sent out an invitation on Facebook. 

We bought some Ethiopian colored decorations (red, yellow and green), ordered some cupcakes in the ET colors, bought some snack foods and drinks.  The most important part of the day would be making people aware of the kids in Ethiopia and how far their money would go to making a difference in their lives.  We made an information board with pictures and statistics.  We printed out pictures of the people and places we saw in ET, we made bookmarks for people to take home to remind them to pray.  And we put out a box for people to put their money in.  That's it.  That simple.  And people put their money in!  They ate the Ethiopian food.  They drank the Ethiopian coffee.  They looked at the pictures and read the information.  They were moved by what they saw. They loved the food and the coffee.  But most importantly, they loved the kids faces.  They "got it".  They were exposed to a culture and a people and need that they really had no idea about.  God was good and He did His thing.  He brought the people that He wanted.  He inspired people to give to His children. 

In the end, we raised almost $3500.  God is good!  We were blessed.  I learned a lesson.  It's not about any great talent we have or don't have, it's about being responsible for the calling that we all have, to take care of these precious orphans.  

Just do it!