Arrow of Light

This is Jarod in the Fall of 2007.  His first night as a Cub Scout

This is Jarod tonight at his Cross Over Ceremony:

He's come a long way in four years!  We are so proud of him!

The Arrow of Light Award is the highest award you can receive as a Cub Scout.  Jarod received it tonight and "Crossed Over" into Boy Scouts.  It was a really neat ceremony.

 Russell received an Appreciation Award as well for his years as an Assistant Cub Master and a Webelo Den Leader.

 He's so proud!

 As their Den Leader, Russ got to paint their faces!  Each color symbolized something different.  

Blue: Boy Scouts, White: Scout Law,  Yellow: Arrow of Light Award, Green: Boy Scouts.  

So a different color was put on their faces as they went through the ceremony.

 These were very cool!  Each Scout received an Arrow especially made for them.  If you notice the different rings on the arrow - they represent the different achievements they received as Cub Scouts.

 He's very proud!

 Receiving his neckerchief, eplets, troop numbers and Scout book from Troop 650

He is now an official Boy Scout!  Way to go Jarod!  We are so proud of you!  He has worked really hard to achieve this and has a goal to make Eagle Scout!  He has a long journey ahead but we know he can do it!

Always an Adventure!

Chloe came to visit today.  Sam dropped her off to me so she could go to the Eye Dr.  The afternoon was supposed to be simple.  Chloe stays with me while I go pick the kids up from school.  Then we all come back and have an enjoyable afternoon until Sam returns to get Chloe.  NOT!

While I was driving to the school. I get a phone call from the school nurse.  Jarod had fallen at 8:00 this morning and bent his fingers all the way back to his wrist.  They didn't swell up so she gave him an ice pack to keep on his hand all day and gave me a call to let me know that it probably needed an x-ray.  Great!  (You have to say that with sarcasm).


So I pick the kids up from school and call our Dr.'s office.  The Dr. was able to see me immediately, so off we went, Chloe in tow.  (Good thing I brought the diaper bag!)  Jarod and I were talking on the way to the Dr. and I realized that I was exactly his age (11 1/2) when the exact same thing happened to me!  How weird is that?  I fell at school, bending all of my fingers back to my wrist.  The nurse thought I was fine, but my hand was broken.  I was in a cast for 6 weeks.  And of course, like Jarod, it was my dominant hand.

Jarod broke his arm falling off of Monkey Bars when he was 5 and there was no swelling.  Our Dr. was shocked when the x-rays revealed it to be broke in two places.  Given this info, and the lack of swelling in his fingers, the Dr. sent us for an x-ray.  So, off we go with Chloe again.  She didn't know she was in for an adventure today. But I have to tell you - she was so very good!  And boy - is she a show stopper!  Everyone has to comment about her beautiful red hair!  I love that little girl!

Anyway - Sam met me at the Diagnostic Center and picked Chloe up to take her home.  Anne worked on homework, while Jarod went back to have his fingers x-rayed.  No broken bones were found - only a bad sprain on his left ring finger.

So now he will learn how to write differently with his hand looking like this for the next 10 days.

Although the best memory will be on Monday night for his Arrow of Light Ceremony where he becomes an official Boy Scout. 
His hand will have some nice "bling" on it while he says the Scout Oath!

Anyway - all is well.  Nothing a little splint, a few Advil and a pizza for dinner won't cure........

Family Day in St. Augustine

One of our favorite places to go is St. Augustine!  So close to home and yet it feels like a real getaway.  The weather was mid 70's yesterday so we took off to play a little.  A new museum has opened across from the  Fort and the kids were dying to check it out.

 Daddy and Anne enjoying lunch at Cruiser's Grill

 Me and Jarod

 The Pirate and Treasure Museum.  We were not allowed to take photos inside but it was AWESOME!!!!  Totally worth the time and money. 

 After the museum, we walked over to the Castillo de San Marcos fort for a little exploring.  Anne had never been inside so she was excited!

 We made it in time to watch them fire the cannon.  Very cool!

 We love that the Bridge of Lions is finally finished!  So pretty in the background.

We took a walk down St. George Street and came across a lady who was allowing people to hold her pet Boa.  Jarod had to get in on that, of course.  UGH!!!!!  All I know is - one of these creatures will NEVER be a pet in our house and I can say that with complete and total confidence!!!!!  Besides, I have a cat to protect!  :-)

ApParent Project Prayer Request

I was taking a few minutes to catch up on my blog reading this afternoon.  I have several that I follow, my newest ones being from Haiti.  I love reading the ApParent Project's Blog, getting to know Shelley, Corrigan and their family better and also learning more about the wonderful ministry that they do in Haiti. Occasionally they give insight into one of the artisans as well and I know better how to support them in prayer.

This particular blog post took me back today and I wanted to share it with you.  It seems that the Artisan Program is becoming such a huge success that several people in the community are becoming jealous.  They are wanting jobs and wanting help as well.  ApParent Project has now grown to over 130 artisans but it can only grow so fast.  Shelley is being threatened and is scared.  Here was her blog post from today:

LET ME BE REAL......

"I'm scared today. I usually feel like I could joke my way out of most situation but not today. The word on the street is that I may be in danger. I can't even tell you how many people every single day that I turn down for work. It is coming back to bite me.  Despite the fact that we have 130 people in our area with good jobs, now I have ten times that many who are mad that it isn't them.

This week I haven't had the car. I have been walking with Ember in the backpack and Zebedee and Jackson on each side down my dusty streets with money in my backpack and wondering.. what if? what if today someone is mad enough to do something vindictive?  It isn't safe and I really don't know what to do? Close up shop? Ignore it? Get an armed guard.  (I can't tell you how much I hate that idea).

The self destructiveness of jealousy haunts me. How do I get people to be patient? I know full well that if things progress.. many many more people in our area will have jobs. Will they destroy it before it comes to it's fruition? I've thought about talking to the local pastors and soliciting their help.. I am examining myself too. How many times have I treated another begging face at the gate like a nuisance? It gets so draining day after day... but these people are real people with real kids to feed. And I can't do anything for them. And now I may pay for it. I can't even begin to say how discouraging this is.... 

Please take a moment and pray for her.  Pray for the artisans at ApParent Project as well.  Pray for this whole ministry.  They have had such a rewarding few months, and Satan would just love to tear it all down and keep these people where they are.  This is a spiritual battle and they need our prayers.

Thanks so much!  I'll keep you posted......

Cereal Boxes - Shipping Details

Many of you are asking about the details for shipping the cereal boxes to The ApParent Project in Haiti.  It takes a little extra effort - but it's easy.  Thanks to a wonderful Sea Container Ministry out of Grand Rapids, Michigan called Rays of Hope for Haiti.

First of all, go through all of your collected cereal boxes.  Make sure that they are all flattened out and that they are all 8 inches or larger.  Also, mind the thickness.  You don't want the cardboard to be too stiff.  Remember, the artisans need  to be able to roll it into a bead.

Next, find a shipping box a little larger than your cereal boxes and start stacking them inside.  This is where your Tetris skills come in handy.  Pack as many boxes into it as possible, filling all the space - without bending the boxes.  I just kept stacking and pressing down.  When I was finished, I had to squeeze the box together with my legs in order to tape it shut!

Go to Rays of Hope for Haiti and click on the "Shipping" tab.  Then click "Shipping Forms".  Down at the bottom is a link for Sea Container Ministry Packet.  Go ahead and print that out.  It will have all your needed info.  You must fill out the Contact Information Sheet and the Manifest Packing List.  You also need to print off the Shipping Labels and fill those out.

Your Receiving Organization Information is:

ApParent Project
13 Rue Dahlia, Delmas 75
Port Au Prince, Haiti

Contact Person:  Shelley Clay
Phone # 3194-1267
E-Mail: shelleyinhaiti@gmail.com

On the shipping labels you can just write:  Shelley Clay/ApParent Project

On the Manifest Packing List (Used for Customs)  fill in the contact name and info on top and then the description would be "empty cereal boxes"

Once you have all the paperwork filled out, measure your box.  Length x Width x Height.  Divide that by 1728 and then multiply that number by 8.

Example:  21 x 14 x 9 = 2646 divided by 1728 = 1.53   Now take 1.53 x 8 = 12.24

So this box will cost $12.24 to put on the Sea Container to Haiti.  Enclose a check made out to Rays of Hope for Haiti for $12.24 and seal your box up with all the completed paper work laying on top of your cereal boxes inside.  Then ship it to Rays of Hope for Haiti.

The address is:
Rays of Hope for Haiti
446 Grandville Ave. SW
Grand Rapids, Michigan  49503
Loading Dock #6

If you have more than one box to ship - mark the outside of the box 1 of 3, 2 of  3, 3 of 3, etc.  Just put all of your papers and one check for all the boxes in the first box.  Mark the first box "Packing List Enclosed" - that way they will know to open it and get your paperwork out.  Otherwise the box will just sit.  They do not put it on the Sea Container until they have payment.

Now, let me take a moment and explain Rays of Hope for Haiti.  This is a Sea Container Ministry which allows us to pay by cubic foot for anything going to Haiti.  Once their Sea Container is full, they put it on a ship and take it to Haiti.  Part of their ministry is taking care of all of the customs and documentation needed.  Normally, when you just ship something to Haiti, the government requires the recipient to pay $1.50 per pound to receive it.  I packed up 5 boxes and the total weight was over 130 pounds.  If I were to just send it to ApParent Project, it would cost them $200.00 to receive it!  With Rays of Hope for Haiti, those same 5 boxes are going to cost me $42.16 to put in the Sea Container and it will NOT cost anything for Shelley to receive it.  Now - it will cost me to get them to Grand Rapids, but that's going to be the same no matter where I ship in the US.

I hope that this is helpful to you.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Franklin4@truevine.net or you can also call and talk to Rays of Hope for Haiti at (616) 633-4258.  They were very friendly and very helpful in answering all of my questions.

Thanks so much!  I can't wait to hear when Shelley begins to receive all these shipments!  I pray that they are blown away!!!!

Blog Posts from My trip to ApParent Project  -

Me with Shelley & Corrigan Clay - founders of ApParent Project

Let the Adventure Begin

I Made it!!!

Day 2 - Calligraphy and Bead Rolling

Day 3 - Busy, Busy, Busy!


Day 4 - How Great Thou Art

Day 5 - Pay Day

Day 6 - "Blessing Dolls" and High Fives


Day 7 - Croix de Boquet

Day 8 - Saying Goodbye

Processing

You're the one who Came Alone!





The Apparent Project: building a home in Haiti from Corrigan Clay on Vimeo.


NATURALLY HAITI from David Belle on Vimeo.

Cereal Boxes - Beauty from Ashes

The time had finally come for me to do something with the huge pile of cereal boxes growing in the hallway at our church.  I have to honestly say that everyone's response to this was even greater than I anticipated.  I am so excited!

I brought this big tub home and went through each and every box.  Measuring the smaller ones to make sure they were at least 8 inches, checking for thickness and damage.

They, of course, wound up all over my living room and Meggie was quite intrigued by all the boxes!

She had to be right in the center of everything.  Curious kitty!

I finally got everything (all 700+ boxes, minus the cat) into 5 different shipping boxes totally over 130 pounds!  That's a lot of cardboard!  These things are packed full - it was kind of like playing the video game Tetris.




I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about doing this!  The Lord has really used this in my life to see beyond myself - beyond my "circle" - beyond the U.S.  As I follow blogs from people who are serving in Haiti, helping the Haitian people first hand, it is no longer something distant to me.  I follow the ApParent Project Blog and learn more about some of the artisans, and these sweet people are real to me. Not just a face on a computer - but a real person with needs, with hopes, with dreams, with a soul.  I can sit here, reading their stories and know that I am actively doing something to help.  Collecting Cereal Boxes, selling their jewelry - it seems so small and yet, it's changing lives.  I am so thankful that God has chosen me to help in this way. 

Thank you to everyone who has purchased jewelry, collected cereal boxes, helped pay to ship them and spread the word to friends and family!  I have been amazed at how many friends have gotten excited about this and ordered their own jewelry to sell and have begun collecting cereal boxes themselves.  My act of obedience when God was dealing with me about my Christmas gifts, has helped to spread this even further. I am humbled and honored.  It's such a blessing to be a part of God's work. 

When we are still and are willing to listen, God whispers to our hearts and allows us to be a part of his mighty plan.  I can't imagine a better place to be.........