Our Holiday Wish ~

Gifts of Purpose

We wanted to point out some of our gifts this year that are BRAND NEW to our Gifts of Purpose Catalog...
Provide Post-Adoption Resources
Raising children from hard places isn't easy. Because Lifesong believes in supporting adoptive families in all stages, post-adoption training scholarships are available to equip adoptive & foster parents with the tools to help heal hurting children. $200 | $450

Fund a Foster Care Mentorship Training
Many children & vulnerable adults affected by the foster care system want to know that they matter. The Forgotten Initiative Mentoring provides the opportunity for the Body of Christ to show children that they are loved & valued. $500

Sponsor a Family at Village of Hope-Guatemala
Children were made to be in families. By providing Guatemalan house parents, vulnerable children can feel belonging & that there is someone investing in their life & future. Our children are provided food, home & a mother and father figure to pray with them, help them with their homework & mentor them as they grow. $42 | $500

Give Opportunity to Zambia's High School Students
Known as one of the best in the city, the Lifesong Zambia School strives for academic achievement. With the recently built high school, our students now have the unique opportunity to join the 5% of kids in their country that receive a high school education, giving them hope of a future free from the cycle of poverty. $48 | $782

View the Online Catalog

Join Lifesong for Orphans in giving a Gift of Purpose. Until December 31st, a generous donor will MATCH each donation with a gift to Lifesong, up to $300,000. $75,857 remaining to reach the goal! Give a Gift. Bring Joy & Purpose to a Child in Need.
 

It's NOT about us ~ through the eyes of an 8 year old!

Greetings ~
 I really had no idea HOW materialistic I was (I actually thought I really wasn't!) until Tariku entered my life.  When you live a life with less than the bare necessities it is AMAZING what you think about on a daily basis.  For Tariku his mind often wanders to how he can do for someone else, what he can share or give to make another person's day.  About 5 or 6 times a year he comes to me and says he has to go through his toys and give some away.  This past week was once again that time and so he did - 1 by 1 he went through toys and books and asked Teddy to go through his.  In the end they had a large bin, a trash bag and a box full of toys.  Typically we load them in the car and off to goodwill we go but being so close to the holiday I took to facebook to see if there was a place we could take them so Tariku could SEE the difference he was making.  Within minutes and thanks to the power of social media I was reminded of a most amazing event happening on Dec 7th called Help Portrait. (please take a moment and check out what this fantastic group is doing around the world)

Fast forward to Dec 7th - I had a wedding in the morning and as I was leaving Tariku reminded me mama today today is the day to deliver the toys to boys who may never have had any.  So just after noon as I returned from my wedding he and I loaded the expedition and off to Cross Point church in Nashville we went.  I wasn't really sure what we would see or if he would actually get to SEE the joy he spreads when he does what he does. But I did not need to worry - the doors opened and there were lots of kiddos having their pictures taken for the very first time!!  With the help of some wonderful elves we brought in Tariku and Teddy's toys and dropped them off at the foot of Santa.  IMMEDIATELY Tariku said look mama look they really like the toys look at them playing.  And in that moment I was reminded in this season it really is NOT ABOUT US.  It is rather about what we do to make someone's day, to feel valued, to feel important, and most importantly to feel loved - all which we so often take for granted.  So thank you Micah, GraceAnn, Jeb, Myrick and Jeremy for allowing Tariku to SEE the true reason for the season with his eyes.  He hasn't stopped talking about since we left!

Some photos from our time @ the Help Portrait event.

Jeb and GraceAnn take a look at the goodies 

A sweet boy already ready to check out the goodies

Tariku and Jeremy (aka Adler's dad from school!)

It's Giving Tuesday ~

Greetings ~
YAHOOOOO - you have survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday and made it to Giving Tuesday!  I want to know who you give to - so I am going to randomly give away 2 copies of the book Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr.  All I want you to do is share with me who you are giving to on this fantastic day.

So here is how it will work ~
Leave me a comment on who you are giving to - 1 entry
Share my blog on facebook/twitter/instagram - 1 entry for each share (but you need to come back here and tell me you shared it!!)

Than tomorrow morning at 8am I will give away 2 copies of this most amazing book!

Going Mainstream ~

Greetings ~
If you follow me on facebook or twitter than you know last week I was in warm sunny florida at the annual association of bridal consultants conference. I ALWAYS look forward to the week of conference as a time to re-connect with industry pals, learn amazing new things, and come back inspired and ready for the next year. This year is no different EXCEPT I can truly say it was soooo much more than I ever expected.
 I have always been a public speaker, my first formal time on a stage speaking was in 3rd grade and I spoke to 1,500 adults in Hawaii about why my mom was the best shaklee mom. As I went onto high school and college I spoke and competed and became a nationally ranked speaker. In my professional life I have been asked to speak, submitted topics to speak, been paid to speak and created speaking opportunities. What all of these have in common is they were safe. I always knew the group WANTED to hear what I was saying. 
 This brings me to the last speaker on the last day of conference. His name is Simon T. Bailey  I have known Simon since my earliest days with the Walt Disney World Company when he was over new business development for the Disney Institute.  I have followed him and heard him speak time and time again.  In fact in one of my presentations I give away his book!  But this time his talk was different.  It was talking to a different part of me - as per usual he has the group (376ish of us) work through an exercise with what we will STOP doing, START doing and CONTINUE doing.  As he went around the room asking people what their stop and starts were I thought about my continue - imagine my surprise when he landed right in front of me with Courtney what will you continue to do?  I knew it was a moment not to be wasted and so in front of 376ish believers, non believers, atheists and everything in between - my answer was simple - I will continue to be a voice for the 147 million orphans worldwide.  As I went to hand him back the microphone he told me to keep it - he asked me what exactly my continue meant and there in a mainstream room I was able to share what my eyes and heart had been opened to over the last 5 years.
I share this story with you today because you never know when you will get the moment to share your story - so be ready - the lord continues to work in mysterious ways in my life but one thing I know for sure is that I need to seize my moment whenever it comes. And if you are so inclined check out Simon's books.  Great reads such as The Vuja de Moment and Release your brilliance.

Many thanks to my dear friend Lisa with Gabbi Grace Events for capturing this amazing moment on camera!

Gifts of Purpose

Gifts of Purpose Catalog

The Christmas season is just around the corner! As you make and exchange Christmas lists, we invite you to rethink Christmas.

To give a gift that doesn't fit under the Christmas tree.

To give a gift that gives joy & purpose to a vulnerable child.

With Lifesong's 2013 Gifts of Purpose Catalog, you can do just that! The catalog is full of a variety of creative gifts that can match any calling or price range. Gifts that impact ONE child. A child like... 

Andrei, an orphan graduate who is developing agriculture and business skills through Lifesong Farms-Ukraine (Give Employment) or

 

Isaac, who was brought home from Uganda into a permanent, loving family (Give Forever Families).

This year, join Lifesong for Orphans in giving a Gift of Purpose. Until December 31st, your gift will be MATCHED up to $300,000! A gift that will show Jesus, the reason of the season, to a child in need.

To give a Gift of Purpose, please visit www.lifesongfororphans.org/gifts.

Ornaments 4 Orphans

Greetings ~
I hope that Nov is going oh so well for you.  It is so hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner and with that comes ALOT of Christmas trees.  I wanted to introduce you to an organization based around just that ornaments and Christmas trees!  I know I know what you are thinking how can an ornament and/or a Christmas tree make a difference in the life of an orphan?
Well let me introduce to you Ornaments 4 Orphans (an initiative of Pearl Ministries) - the concept is really pretty simple - Buy an Ornament. Bless a Child
Today there are 3.2 million ugandan children orphaned due to AIDS and you can make a difference all while decorating your own home for the holidays.  Proceeds from the sale go directly toward enriching the lives of vulnerable children and building their communities.