0 Operation Christmas Child

This year, one of my closest friends is heading up Operation Christmas Child at our church. The mission of Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Read below about how you can help a child during the Christmas season.

1. Tell us about OCC

Operation Christmas Child is one of the ministries of Samaritan's Purse. This ministry is all about sending a simple gift around the world to a child in need. Last year the United States collected 5.2 million shoe boxes filled with small toys, candies and hygiene items. These boxes are sent to over a hundred different countries where they are given to children along with a comic book about the gospel in their language. 

2. What stories have you heard about children that have received boxes?

I have heard so many stories that have shown me how present God is in this ministry. I know that when you decide to pack a box that God has already picked out who will receive it. Start praying for that sweet little child and as you walk through the store God will let you know what he or she needs. 

There are two stories that stick out the most to me. One is about someone who put a five pack of toothbrushes into a box.  People kept asking "Why are there five in here?" but they didn't take them out they just sent them along. When the box was given out, it turns out that there where five people in the child's family that received the box. God knew the need and put in on the persons heart who packed the box.

There was a little girl who told her mom she did not want to go to school, the reason was that her shoes were embarrassing. They were beat up, messy and put back together with wire. Her feet would get wet on the way to school and then be cold as she wore them all day. She tried to convince her mom to let her stay home that day. After her long walk to school she sees that the kids all have these boxes. She goes to get one herself and when she opens the box there is a brand new pair of shoes. Immediately, she asked who had given her this box and the gospel was shared with her. Today she lives in the US and packs boxes for Operation Christmas Child every year.

3. Why did you decide to get involved?

Our church is a Collection Center, which is where all the boxes from the Montgomery area come to be sent to the processing center.  There was an announcement in church at the end of July that there was a need for a coordinator. I immediately felt like it was something that God was telling me to look further into. 

4. Why is this organization so important to you?  Tell me how it has impacted your life.

 

Operation Christmas Child has become very important to me over the past few months. When I began working with this great ministry I knew it was amazing ministry for kids. I have now had the opportunity to hear and see some of the kids that it touches. Getting more people involved has really became a passion of mine when I heard these numbers: in the US we collected 5.2 million shoe boxes, Mexico City alone as 6.6 kids who would benefit from one of these shoe boxes. Even if every box from the US went to Mexico City we would still be short. That simple stat fires me up to get everyone I know to make a box. We are told in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  I know it is not always easy to take off and go on a mission trip across the world. There are issues like taking off work, getting the money raised but here is a simple and easy way to directly impact one child a world away.

5. How can others get involved?

There are so many different ways to get involved! You can pack your own box and take it to a drop off location near you. Pack any standard size shoe box full of small toys, hygiene items and school supplies. For about $20 you can fill a box completely!! Check out http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC/ to find a drop-off location, ideas of what to pack, downloadable labels, and ways to track your box to see where it goes! National Collection Week is November 15-22 so get packing!!

You can also contact your locate Collection Center Coordinator to help with the packing and loading of the boxes from your area. This is a major need because each Collection Center pack thousands of shoe boxes to be shipped to the processing centers. 

Year round volunteers are needed to help with preparing and promoting National Collection Week. There are needs for people to help with Church Relations, Community Relations, Prayer, Promotion and Area Coordinators. These positions are a great way to take the next step in getting involved on the next level. No matter what your spiritual gift there is a way for you to become more involved with OCC. 

Your simple gift will change a child's life. That child will have a present to open at Christmas and because of that gift they will hear about the love of Jesus.

To donate a box to a child in need this Christmas, click here to get started.

Till next time, let your light shine!


Blessings, christen

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1 Six Months Old

 Maralee & Adeline

It is so hard to believe that another month has gone by and our girls are now six months old!  In six more months they will be one!!!!!  They always say that time flies as you get older, and I really do feel like it has flown by these past three months of them being home with us.  I am a pretty sentimental person but I am trying to not linger on the memories and enjoy the present.  These girls are growing up right in front of my eyes and I don't want to miss any second of it.

Adeline

Six Months Old

We had our six month doctor's appointment and Adeline has hit 10 pounds!  Maralee is right behind her at 9.11 pounds.  Can you believe we are in the double digits?  When I think that we started at two pounds it makes my heart feel such achievement for these little fighters. We are still wearing newborn clothes but are hoping to move into some of our bigger clothes over the next two months. Both sets of eyes are looking good and we should only have to go back one more time before we are cleared.  The girls received their six month shots and also are starting the RSV shot which will help their premature lungs during flu season.  We are still on formula and he thinks we will be able to start rice cereal in another month.  One thing that we discussed in detail was their bedtime sleep habits.  The past month they had been going to bed after their 10:30/11:00 feed and would wake up around 4:30.  That was a lot better than 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. but he encouraged us to start a new schedule that should help them sleep through the night.  Our goal is to start weaning that 10 p.m. feed back to 7:00 p.m. so they sleep from 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.  I don't know what Raleigh and I will do with ourselves when that time comes!!!!!  One of the hardest things about our new schedule is letting them cry when they wake up at 4:30 a.m. and see if they go back to sleep.  We decided that it would be easier for us to let them cry if they started to sleep in their nursery upstairs.  The first couple of nights were hard hearing them scream through the baby monitor but after about three nights, they are sleeping until we come in their room the next morning!  I am so proud of them adjusting to this new routine that benefits us all! :)

Maralee

Six Months Old

Also, we have started to have more interactive play time.  At three months, they love to grasp things and have started to study what is going on around them.  I went a little gift card happy at Target and bought all of these fun little developmental toys and videos for them to watch.  It is so much fun watching them learn!  One of the biggest things that we try to do each day is our exercises to build their muscles.  They get tummy time on their Boppy pillows and we also kick their legs and practice pulling our necks up.  Our pediatrician pointed out that Adeline's neck is stronger on the left so we also do an exercise to help her strengthen the right side of her neck for better head control.  Raleigh got out the Johnny Jumper and padded it with blankets so the girls could sit in it.  Of course, they aren't ready to jump because their feet barely touch the ground, but they have fun swinging around in circles.  When they do this, they turn their head in the direction that we are in so I think that is benefiting their head control as well.  They also are starting to have little conversations with us and we get an occasional squeal from time to time that is just too darn cute.

Christen & Adeline

Raleigh & Maralee

I think as time goes on, we are going to get to experience so much with them.  Our pastor stopped us the other day and asked how we were doing.  He has three kids that are in high school and middle school and he said for us to just try and enjoy each stage of their lives and somehow the next stage is always better than the last.  That made sense to me and it is so encouraging for the future.  Thanks to everyone that has prayed for these girls to grow big and strong; they are truly little miracles. 

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Technical Upgrades

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that over the upcoming week Raleigh will be doing some major technical work on the blog.  We are going to start self hosting the blog soon - this will allow us to have more features that we currently cannot.  We should be back up and fully running by this time next week.  There will still be posts going out this week and should be able to still view all of the older stuff as well.

The important thing to remember is that the www.theuncontainabletruth.com is down, but we will still be available with full content on www.theuncontainabletruth.blogspot.com during the upgrade process.  Also, you can still read individual post through Facebook or any other reader you may currently use.

Thanks for being patient with us and hopefully we will have some neat stuff to show you in about a week!

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0 You're my boy blue!

So I was going through the ole' digital photo album the other day and came across this little photo, which other than pictures of our girls - is just the cutest thing!

 

Yep, this was Obi when he was just a pup!  He's so tiny and cute.  We couldn't find his breed anywhere around here so we had to get him online.  I found a breeder and we were given first pick of the litter.  We were shown this little adorable fellow and another that was wearing a crimson colored sweater and was also the Alpha Male.  Seeing as we naturally dislike anything in crimson (sorry Grandpaw Jim) and we already had an Alpha (fe)Male in the house, this little fella was the obvious choice.

You're my boy blue!

-Raleigh

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0 Dolka Pots: Godwin T-Shirt Winner

Congratulations to Ashley Carson for winning a free Godwin Family Adoption T-Shirt!  Thanks to all who participated and stay tuned for future giveaways.

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2 Under Pressure

This month I realized that I put too much pressure on myself to succeed.  This revelation occurred to me last Monday as our family was driving to Dothan.  The warm haziness of the sun had just drifted beyond reach and darkness started to set in as we drove south on Highway 231.  Raleigh and I had been in a tizzy earlier that day and we were finally discussing our gripes with one another.  Lately, I have been a bit of a grinch.  My tongue has been short and I haven't really enjoyed the companionship of my husband.  Everything he had done last month just plain got on my nerves.  If he took all of the covers at bedtime I felt like he was doing it to make me feel cold.  If he drank the last gulp of water out of our shared cup, it was his fault it was empty.  When our big dog was hysterically hyper I threatened to have him stay in Dothan next time we visited because it was Raleigh's fault that he was acting this way.  Anything and everything about that boy was just getting on my nerves.

Needless to say, what conversation we had up to that point in the car had been limited.  Finally, neither one of us could take the silence any more and on that two hour drive we both apologized for the way we had been treating one another.  Raleigh said that he has been having trouble being at work instead of home with the girls.  He knew our dog needed to be exercised but he would rather spend time holding and kissing our babies instead of running.  He was having a difficult time managing all of his responsibilities and he felt like I had too high of expectations for him.  He was right about the last one.  I expect way too much from my husband.  I want him to be the perfect family man and I often ignore any signs of struggle.

Raleigh did have some blame-worthy moments this past October, but I take first place in the one instigating the problems.  It all goes back to my need to succeed.  Last month, I was stressed.  I finally realized that on our drive home.  As the cow pastures and peanut fields passed by my window, my heart began to soften.  I just started to talk, hiding my tears in the darkness of the night.  I felt so bad for the way I had been treating Raleigh.  He was such an easy target and it made me feel better to place blame on him rather than myself.  As I was talking, I realized that the pressures in my life are put there only by me.  I used to think it was my circumstances or my job.  Whenever I used to feel stressed I thought it was because I had to do what I was doing and if I could only choose how to live my life I wouldn't feel stressed.  I realized that ever since I stopped working outside the home I have still put pressure on myself to stay busy.  I think that made me feel like my days were still worthwhile; that somehow what I do now is still just as important as having a real job that gave me a pay check every two weeks.  I want my life to be filled with substantial days and not let any hour go to waste.

So, the question I had to ask myself, "Is caring for my babies wasteful?"  My answer every time is, "No, it most certainly is not."  I realized that the babies are not the root of my issue.  I think the reason I feel this way is because I still have my own goals that I want to see fulfilled.  If I don't take time to work on these goals, I will feel like my purpose in life was never accomplished.  I don't want to look back in twenty years and wish I had taken more time to devote to this ambition but at the same time I don't want to miss out on any moment with my two beautiful little miracles.  So, is now the time to accomplish these goals?

This is where my problem lies.  My girls are my number one priority besides God and my husband.  Period.  End of discussion.  When our day starts, I do everything that I have to for them.  We eat, change diapers, play, learn, grow, and sleep.  That takes up a major portion of my day.  What time I have left is juggled between friends, family, household commitments, quiet time with God, the blog, learning to sew, and my goals among other things.  Every day is different but I try so hard to keep consistency.  I think that if I stick to my planner as a guideline, I will get everything accomplished.  But, I think I push myself too hard some days.  When it looks like I'm not going to get things done, I start to feel anxious.  That is where the pressure begins.  It is this need for perfection that is driving me nuts.  I need to be satisfied to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Before the girls were born, I really felt like God was calling me to go deeper with my writing.  Our whole experience in the NICU

My quiet time is way shorter these days and my prayers have been more of thankfulness than anything else.  I have SO much to be thankful for and I feel like now is the time to act on how gracious He has been to me.  Last year was a time for seeking out my purpose and I felt the calling on my life.  Why is it so hard now to accomplish it?  Why am I second guessing it?  I think it is because I see this huge picture and I'm not taking it one step at a time.  If I have learned anything, it is to trust God and give Him all control.  I need to take some time to spend with him in genuine prayer.  My soul is yearning to scoot closer to Him so I can rest my head on His shoulder.  He needs to stroke my hair and tell me everything is going to be okay.  I need to look at Him and realize that Christ is perfection and it is our goal to live our lives like Christ but not as Christ.  I need to know that what I am doing is meaningful in His eyes and is part of His plan for my life.

So, friends, I think I need to spend some alone time with God.  I need to remember that what I am doing is very meaningful.  It is growing me into the woman that I want to become but that woman needs to stop putting so much pressure on herself.  I have to get past this need to succeed and literally take things one day at a time like I did this summer.  Getting back to the heart of the matter, I have to trust in God's perfect timing.  If this goal of mine is meant to be fulfilled in the near future, it will.  I need to remember what God has already taught me so I can continue to move forward instead of going backwards.  This month might be a little different for my blogging.  As important as it is to me, I might not be posting as much material this month as I have been.  Who knows, I might be posting a ton if I feel His gentle prompting...I guess we will see as the days unfold.  All I know is I need to spend some genuine time filling up my soul through His truth.  Thank you for allowing me to share such tender feelings; I already feel like this is a step in the right direction.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Monthly Memory Verse: November

Happy 1st of November Everyone!

I started to think about what verse I wanted to memorize this month and the word prayer kept coming into my heart.  Lately, our small group has been talking a lot about how powerful prayer truly is.  We have been saying that prayer is what brings us closer to God and it deepens our relationship with Him.  But, it is also a way for us to listen to what he is telling us to do.   Prayer is a necessity in our pursuit of living our lives like Christ.  So, this month I wanted 2 Corinthians 13:8-9 to be my memory verse.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.  We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.

 

Now, I know we typically do two verses a month, but today I just wanted to focus on one.  I must admit that last month I got behind on my memorizing so right now I am choosing to just memorize this verse.  Have a great day!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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