Hi friends, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! If you read my previous blog post, or follow my family on Instagram, you'll know that some of us were doing a challenge called Dressember--wearing dresses every day for the month of December to raise awareness of human trafficking and funds to support the work of International Justice Mission and other organizations. We were part of a team called Beautiful Rescue, and together, our team raised over $1800, surpassing our goal of $1,000! Dressember is over now, but the fight to stop human trafficking is not.
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Hi friends! This year will be the fifth year I have done a challenge called Dressember. I’m wearing a dress every day for the month of December. Why? Well, because there are millions of people in the world today trapped in horrible forms of modern day slavery, and this little challenge called Dressember is a small way I can be involved in bringing freedom to them.
Hi friends! For several years now, my family has been packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. These shoeboxes are filled with gifts--hygiene items like toothbrushes and soap, school supplies, clothing articles, and fun toys--and distributed by Samaritan's Purse along with the gospel message. If you haven't packed a box yet, I'd highly encourage you to. It's a great way to share the love of Jesus with children around the world, plus it's lots of fun. It's collection week now, so don't wait. (For ideas of what to pack, see my blog post from last year here.)
And now, I'd like to share with you a couple of stories from the Samaritan's Purse website of how God has used these shoebox gifts. Happy December! Or should I say, Dressember... you see, this month my younger sisters and I are doing a challenge called Dressember. We are wearing dresses every day. Why? Well, it’s a simple way we can stand up for the millions of people trapped in human trafficking around the world and even here in the U.S.
The idea behind Dressember is simple: you wear a dress every day for the month of December and if someone compliments you, you explain why you’re doing it. You can also ask people to sponsor you by giving to an organization that fights human trafficking. If you’d like to sponsor us, you can make a donation of any amount to Restore Innocence, a ministry that aids victims of human trafficking in the rescue, restoration, and reintegration process, providing for their physical needs and also sharing with them the hope of a Christ. Go to restoreinnocence.org for more information. Well, always remember, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1 Th. 5:24 All for Him, Savannah Operation Christmas Child blog post
Hi friends! For the past several years, my family has been packing Operation Christmas Child boxes. It’s getting to be that time of year again. (I just love Christmastime!) For those of you that don’t know, an Operation Christmas Child box is a shoebox filled with gifts which is distributed by the ministry Samaritan’s Purse, along with the gospel message, to needy children around the world. I’d like to share some ideas with you today for packing your box. Pick your age range—2-4 year old, 5-9 year old, or 10-14 year old—and whether you want to pack for a boy or girl. Pick a “wow” item such as a stuffed animal, a soccer ball with pump, a backpack or other fun item. Then fill your box with:
Some tips for saving money:
Pray for the child, that they will be blessed by the gifts, and that, most importantly, they will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Visit samaritanspurse.org/occ to find a drop-off location and more information. Remember, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it,”(1 Th. 5:24). All for Him, Savannah There are opportunities to serve all around us, right in front of us. We just don’t always see them. Too often, we are distracted by our own wants and dreams or some lofty idea of how we would like to serve God, that we miss the opportunities to serve Him right in front of us.
In our lives, every day, there are little siblings to love, our families to serve, and people in need of prayer and encouragement. And, human trafficking, abortion, orphans, it’s not just “over there”, it’s in this very country, maybe even your own neighborhood. Then, there’s the elderly in nursing homes, there’s the prisons, there’s the sick… the “least of these” are truly right in front of us. Every day is an opportunity to serve and point others to Christ. We just need to ask for His eyes to see them and His grace to serve those He’s called us to serve. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 On March 26, put your purple on! Why? Because it’s Purple Day! Every year, on March 26, people around the world are wearing purple for epilepsy awareness.
For those of you who don’t know: “Epilepsy is a condition of the brain that is characterized by recurrent seizures. Approximately one in ten people will experience at least one seizure during a lifetime. A single seizure, however, is not epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition that is defined by multiple seizures. Epilepsy is a seizure disorder. It is not a psychological disorder nor a disease and it is not contagious. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells or neurons that communicate through electrical and chemical signals. When there is a sudden excessive electrical discharge that disrupts the normal activity of the nerve cells, a seizure may result. Seizures cause a change in function or behavior. A seizure may take many different forms including a blank stare, muscle spasms, uncontrolled movements, altered awareness, odd sensations, or a convulsion. The location in the brain of the abnormally discharging nerve cells determines the form the seizure will take. Seizures may occur rarely or as often as numerous times a day. Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders… Epilepsy can be present at any age although its onset is most often in childhood or in the later years of life. Sometimes those who develop seizures during childhood outgrow their seizures. In the elderly, there is an increased incidence due to strokes and aging of the brain.” Source: purpleday.org Millions of special people, made by God in His image, are affected by epilepsy. One of those people is my dear little sister Sadie. Some of them live with uncontrollable seizures. For some, including Sadie, dietary therapy has worked to get them seizure-free. Others have found different methods of treatment. (Sadie’s full story, written by our mama, is in my book Do Justly which will hopefully be available sometime in April). So on March 26, wear purple for Sadie and all the other people who are fighting the beast of epilepsy. Maybe purple is “not your color”. Well, you’re not doing it for yourself. I think you can do it for one day. It’s a simple way you can stand for all those with epilepsy, all those people who often have a much harder time doing things that are easy for the rest of us, but are still fearfully and wonderfully created by God. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14 |
Hi! I'm Savannah Jane...I'm the author of several books for children and young adults with a passion to encourage young people to live for Jesus. The third born in an amazing family of seven children, I was homeschooled all the way through. This is where I share encouragement for Christian girls, updates about my books, writing tips, book and movie reviews, and assorted other tidbits. Archives
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Quote"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."
-Corrie ten Boom I'm on GoodReadsFollow my family's writing, illustrating, and publishing business/ministry.Follow my blog on Bloglovin' |