2015 CHRISTMAS BUNCO!

I can't believe it's that time of year again!  Can you?

It's definitely time to celebrate the Love that the Foundation has been able to show patients and their families throughout the year.  This year we were able to secure The Glory House to be used by families of hospitalized children in the Little Rock area.  The Foundation began leasing The House in June and it has been filled by families from the start!

But my passion is for every family - not just the ones that need immediate housing.  I remember what it felt like to sit in the cold ICU waiting room wondering what news the doctor would come out with.  And waiting some more.  And not being able to move because the fear of what the next few minutes would bring was paralyzing.  

Giving Christmas gifts to the CVICU families (2013)

Let's let this BUNCO event support the families that will be fearfully and anxiously waiting this Christmas in the Arkansas Children's Hospital Cardiovascular ICU by again filling our "Love Totes" with snacks, supplies and all sorts of goodies.  I assure you that each act of Love shown to them will give a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak future.  

Because I am so excited that this is our 3rd year to be able to Love these families I want our event to be extra special!  It will be at the Morton residence on Saturday, December 5th, from 7-9pm.  We invite you to come have a great evening fellowshipping with other women, laughing, eating, and, of course, playing BUNCO!  Stirred Not Shaken will be providing the food, so you know it will be beyond delicious!  The cost at the door to play is $15 or $20 for you and a friend. 

I will be creating a Facebook event soon which will have a detailed list of items to bring for the families.  To keep our costs down (so that more of our donations will go directly to our families) we are NOT mailing out invitations this year.  Please RSVP to our Facebook event or send me an email at glorygirlfoundation@gmail.com so that I can send you the address, etc.

Until then, MARK YOUR CALENDARS for DECEMBER 5TH to come celebrate the spirit of Christmas with us this year!

Why

I thought I would take the opportunity, on Glory's fifth birthday, to update you on what is happening here at the Foundation.

We've had some big changes going on that started about 3 months ago.  As I've mentioned, in June, the Foundation began leasing a detached garage apartment owned by my wonderful friend and Glory's nurse, Amanda, and her husband Chad.  The apartment is within walking distance of Arkansas Children's Hospital.  And we have been busy getting it up and running!  But I think in all the excitement I have failed to give you all of the details surrounding our first Glory House...

The GGF is offering this apartment to families (outside of the Little Rock area) for no charge to them while their child is staying or receiving treatment at ACH.  The Foundation will need monthly sponsors for our lease expense of $550 a month - this includes utilities.  We have been working with our attorney, Kevin Holmes, to handle the details regarding selection and family priority, length of stay, etc.  And we are learning something new each day - it has been a whirlwind!  We are definitely at a point of needing volunteers!  Thank you to all of you who have already donated financially or given supplies for the House to make this a reality.  This is the goal of the GGF and I know more housing is in our future!  

The most exciting news is that we had to put a rush on using those donated supplies to get the apartment ready for our first family to use!  The Donaghue's from Fort Smith, Arkansas, needed a place to stay while their son, Ryan ("Skully"), received a very intense series of cancer chemo treatments.  Go follow their journey here.  

Jace, Skully, and Shawna Donaghue

When the Glory House was only a dream, God spoke,  "Don't worry about HOW this will happen...Begin now to pray for the families that will use this facility."  Please join me in prayer for the Donaghue Family.  For the closeness of their family to stay strong.  For the treatments Skully is receiving to do exactly what they are intended to do.  For them to have indescribable joy and peace.

It is clear to me on this Birthday what we want the Glory House to exude: 

LIFE.  And, above all else, LOVE.

The picture above is WHY we do what we do.

ANNOUNCEMENT

I am BEYOND thrilled to give you this latest development at the GG Foundation!!

Beginning on June 1st the Glory Girl Foundation will lease an apartment very close to Arkansas Children's Hospital to be used by families with children in the hospital!!!  This is happening!  This is the beginning of the realization of God's vision he has given for the purpose of this Foundation.

And in typical fashion - in His time - God placed this opportunity in our laps...

...Actually Amanda and I had napkins in our laps getting ready to enjoy a quiet lunch in a small restaurant in Russellville, AR, when she said there was something she wanted me to consider.  She and her husband, Chad, were in the process of trying to purchase their dream home in Little Rock in a neighborhood close to Arkansas Children's Hospital.  As many homes in this older neighborhood do, this home included a detached mother-in-law apartment.  Amanda was Glory's nurse and she has shared our vision for the Foundation from the time she was changing her diapers.  They wanted to lease their apartment to the Foundation. I knew Amanda would always be a part of this Love Story - I just didn't dream it would be such a natural and perfect fit!  Amanda experienced every feeling of hope and each blow of disappointment and heartbreak right along with us.

I remember how it felt to walk into the CVICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital for the first time.  I remember seeing the countless lines and tubes hooked up to Glory and the beeping of monitors and machines.  I remember leaving the hospital that first night - waiting by the phone and trying not to expect the worst.  I remember meeting families who had been there for months - sleeping in the waiting room.  I remember not knowing how they did it.  I remember the fear of sending your newborn into open-heart surgery and not knowing if you would see her again with her heart beating.

I remember.  

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.  John 15:9

So you are asking what you can do to continue this Love Story as the Father has loved you?

I'll get right to the point - HERE ARE 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW:

1)  Our Summer Bunco event is JUNE 12!  Along with all of the fabulous food and prizes that we always enjoy, we are asking that you bring items such as towels, twin sheet sets, pillows, pillow cases, toiletries, and other household goods to furnish the Glory House.  The lease begins June 1st, so we could have families very soon!

2)  Libby, our hospital contact, has said the "Love Totes" we have been providing to the hospital are needed and greatly appreciated by the new families that come in (most often with only the clothes on their back).  They have almost depleted the last supply that we brought from our Spring Bunco event.  This is something we can not afford to stop providing for these families.  BUT, we need your immediate help since we will be using our Bunco event to furnish the Glory House.  We are asking that if you would like to help continue sending these "Love Totes" to ACH, PLEASE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DONATE via our website.  If everyone donated only $5 or $10 a month, we could continue to supply these grief-stricken families with a small token of comfort and love.  You can also PURCHASE A T-SHIRT - all of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales go toward supporting these families.

"Love Totes" on their way to Arkansas Children's Hospital

3)  The Glory House will be available to families at NO CHARGE to them.  Part of the vision of this Foundation is to remove all of the stress and worry that happens outside of the hospital, and finances is certainly one of the largest stresses on these families!  If you or if you know of someone (individual or organization) that you believe would be interested in SPONSORING THE GLORY HOUSE (to pay for our monthly lease and utilities), please contact me or direct them to our website where donations may be made.  This will be the only way we will be able to continue to provide this service for our families.

Amanda and I standing next to the Glory House

You all are amazing and have supported this vision and taken it as your own.  I am grateful beyond words.  I am anxiously awaiting what God has in store for this Foundation.... 

Thank you for helping us continue this Love Story...  SEE YOU ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12! 

Foundation

We have been SO EXCITED TO FORMALLY ANNOUNCE THE GLORY GIRL FOUNDATION AND INTRODUCE THIS WEBSITE!  This is a work-in-progress, but my God has been faithful every step of the way to provide the resources and the way and we have no reason to think that He will not continue to build this Foundation of love in the future!  

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done."  Along with my family and friends who are offering amazing support, I know that it is our season to act.  In the past I have been guilty of waiting on perfect conditions before beginning this Foundation.  But those were the conditions I had created - not God's.  Through much confirmation from so many of you I know that God's perfect conditions are right now!

Matthew 25:23 says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.  Let's celebrate together!"  These words spoken by Jesus explain two things to me: 1) I don't have to know the extent to which God is calling me to serve.  But this is the season for me to start putting action behind my servant's heart.  2) I don't need to feel guilty about the joy I feel in helping and supporting others.  God says, "Let's celebrate!"  This is the joy He speaks about that is unexplainable because it doesn't align with the mentality of our fallen world.  

Paul wrote in Galations 1:10 on his first missionary journey that, "...if I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  I will check my heart daily for intention.  I do not take the responsibilities given to me lightly.  God did not waste my pain but has called me to serve in an area that I can relate to.  He has called me to invite you to help - in the Body of Christ nothing ever gets done to it's full potential by working alone.  God always wants to involve more of His children.

Is our heart logo not awesome??!!  Look closely and you can see a "G" in it.  Jake Steininger at Star 7 Creative designed it, so if you see him tell him you love it!  And Jessica Wooden at Artifex 323 designed and created our website and I am SO pleased!  This is where you can read about our progress as we move forward in supporting these families in new ways, make a donation to the Glory Girl Foundation, send us a note and let us know that you would like to serve with us, purchase a t-shirt with all proceeds going to our families, and read Glory's Story if you haven't yet. Please join us as we celebrate the valley we have traveled through together and the unspeakable joy in serving on the other side...  

SAVE THE DATE!!  The GG Foundation Summer Bunco Event will be Friday, June 12 from 7-9 at Madame's Main Attraction in downtown Van Buren!  Jake is working on our official invite so more details will be coming soon!

Forty

Anniversaries of special events usually come and go for me without much of my day changing.  Tears may be shed.  Cake may be eaten.  But the actual date of an event is not usually what triggers an emotional response for me.  A song, a scent, or a phone call are much more likely to remind me of the magnitude of a past event.  Yet as I have anticipated being forty years old I have been thinking a lot about the turns, twists, mountains, and valleys that have been my life.

One of my favorite moments during this last year in Malibu:)

I understand that turning forty is not something a lot of people choose to acknowledge or announce.  When we were kids and then pre-teens waiting for the years to go by so we could get our learner's permit - those were the days of celebrating the years flying by.  And I'm by no means immune to the feelings of worry and dread as I witness changes as the years go on.  Pounds don't come off as quickly as they used to.  I have to wear reading glasses to type this.  Lines and wrinkles on my face and hands make it harder to hide my years.

Then why don't I feel like hiding?

I think it's the joy of knowing that my soul is what will last eternally and I am just practicing here the purpose God has already planned for me in Heaven.  

Are you hanging on to your Sunday-school view of Heaven you had as a child?  The one where you were sitting on a cloud.  Or maybe you were hanging out in your house made of glass enjoying your 360 views of the streets of gold.  Confession: It took me until just a few years ago (and you know how old I am) to begin forcing my mind to view eternal life for what it really is.  A life of purpose.  So many things take on a different meaning and have a new context when viewed in the light of a realistic Heaven.

In The Purpose-Driven Life Rick Warren says that any other way of living is just existing.  Before we had Glory I was just existing.  I wasn't happy or sad but I knew I was missing out on something.  I didn't know what it was then.  I hadn't experienced true joy because I had kept my ideas of eternal life inside a very small box in my head.  I was an adult with a very childish view of the Bible's message.  Not until I realized that my life here was a practice run for the real thing did I experience the joy of purpose.  So as I celebrate being forty years old today I am overjoyed to be living with purpose.

As long as we are able to see our wrinkles for what they really are - evidence of laughter.  As long as we see our physical ailments in a true light - scars from living a life of purpose.  As long as we acknowledge we were created "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14)...

Forty is my beginning...

But the plans of The Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Psalm 33:11