Blankets & Bears 5K Fun Run

It is our 2nd race! This year's Blankets & Bears Fun Run is at the same place, Medi Park, meet in the parking lot between Botanical Gardens & the Discovery Center. Registration will be at the big red travel trailer starting at 8:00. The race starts at 8:30 am on Saturday, August 29th. Entry is $25 and 1st 25 registered get a free t-shirt. You can get an entry form online at www.lonestarrunnersclub.net or email Tori at toridawn@hotmail.com. All funds raised for the race go towards shipping costs. Blankets & Bears is a nonprofit that collects donated blankets & bears in the Amarillo area and sends them to orphanages in third world countries. Started just last November, the organization has already sent hundreds of blankets and bears to orphanages in Liberia, Madagascar, Uganda & Zimbabwee. This summer blankets and bears was able to go and hand deliver bears at an orphanage in Managua, Nicaragua. Scroll down on our link for videos of the trip and more information about what all we are up to! If you know of a business or individual who would be interested in supporting or advertising on the back of our race shirts for this year's event please call Tori at 676-5332. Thanks, this is only possible by donators and that is you!!!!

Shipment to Uganda

Last Monday I sent 200 bears to an orphanage in Uganda. Today I mailed out 65 blankets to that same orphanage but was unable to mail my other package box of blankets because of the cost of shipment. The postal worker said Tori, you look discouraged. Of course I was, I wasn't able to send all I could. It is the winter months there in Africa and the director seemed excited about getting more blankets in the winter months. We have a box of blankets ready just to put the postage and be on its way, if you would like to donate towards this shipment email me at toridawn@hotmail.com. The box weighs 50 lbs, cost is $264.50 for shipment from Panhandle,Texas to Kampala, Uganda.

Mission Trip Presentation

We will be doing our mission trip presentation for the sermon this coming sunday at the First Christian Church. Services start at 10:15 am. Luke will present the sermon on our mission trip and we will show our last video...the best video. Please come and see how God worked in our lives through this trip and how He doesn't want to stop there but start with you!

Not as Planned...but God's Plan

Not everything went as planned but it went as God planned. We have had such difficulty getting videos to upload and we even have a video ready for upload now but a new problem, the program is saying insufficent memory. (We will get it though, keep watching.) Customs never released our shipment over with goodies for the kids. Finally on the last day, after realizing the bears and toys weren't going to come, we got the items we needed through the missionaries and went to the orphanage to give to the kids. We never got to go to the Children's Hospital because they quarantined it due to the Swine Flu, so that was probably God keeping us safe. After they lift the quarantine in a few weeks or so, the missionaries will pass out bears there for us. Another mission team was there for the first of our trip, but we really learned a lot about bringing a mission trip over just by watching them. We never planned on seeing Sister Ruby but that was probably the most encouraging for us all and personally for me the place I felt the safest. I was praying in her prayer room and remember thinking I just want to stay here, I felt so safe, so at peace and we were in one of the roughest neighborhoods. We were never in that neighborhood at night.

For Wayne & Elaine things haven't gone as planned either. This is their 3rd year there and one of their schools was burnt to the ground by gangs not too long ago. When they first went down they believe they were supposed to have their school in the dump grounds. They signed a 50 year lease with the city for land, built an expensive wall around 3 acres of land for the city just to say the lease was no good. The wall still stands as a reminder. They didn't go home either, they didn't give up and things didn't go as planned. They have had children from their school go into prostitution, be kidnapped and just stop coming to school to stay on the streets....but their faith keeps them strong.

Day Four & Five Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGWAHJgZDs

Comments

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Going to Church

We are on our way to church this morning. It is 80 degrees (27 C) with 80% humidity. It looks like it is about to pour, and most people walk to their destinations. We are going to a church congregation of 6,000 that used to have service in a tent every Sunday. They just got a building but it only has fans for air flow. We will pass through numerous beggers, some children, some children holding their own children to get to church. Our translator, who also works at the school here, was beat up one sunday for his watch trying to get on the bus. The missionaries said he made it to church a little late with blood on his shirt. I am thankful that I have a car to get to church, I have security in my small town, I have an air conditioner in my church and I have the ability to give my children food, clothes, a home, and safety....but I only have all those things because of God, I am thankful God has blessed me more than I could ever imagine. These people didn't choose to be born here just like I didn't choose to be born in America.

Day Two Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXOooR8Oo0A

What in the world are we doing in Nicaragua?

Today was actually our free day in Nicaragua. We went to market and got a few things. They are really big on pottery, hammocks, and jewelry. After market we really sat down and discussed why we are here. Wayne & Elaine's true mission is to give these kids hope. They have 2 schools that feed the children at the school. This country is so poor that they have heard many stories that the meal they serve at the school is the only meal some of these kids receive. When it comes to poverty at this level these children grow into adults who know that they really don't even matter, it is just about getting money to eat. We are here to love these children, to smile at them, hug them, play with them and for a lot of them, give them something small like a bear, candy necklace, bouncy ball or match box car. Yesterday, we went to Salinas to another school. After games and singing the children would just walk up behind you and touch you just to be touched. We are here to touch these children.

Day One - Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1-hiH8pXRk