Happy birthday, Jesus

We went to a Happy birthday, Jesus, party that one of Hannah's Sunday school teachers had at her house.  They decorated cake with icing and sprinkles, and then made boxes for the Lottie Moon Offering.  The kids are to put their change they get in them, and then donate it to Lottie Moon.  I LOVE this idea.  She explained who Lottie Moon was.  I'll help reinforce that thought in my kids' heads.  I want them to know the woman behind the offering. 

It was very loud and very chaotic.  I was very glad to be gone.  We went to lunch with Dusty at his work, and then dropped off our toys at the Carl Perkins Center.  The woman said that those toys will go to children who would, otherwise, not have a Christmas at all.  They're mainly used in the relative placement program, where the kids are placed with their grandparents or aunts and uncles, and those relatives can't afford presents.  These children may have been placed mostly because of drug abuse in the parents, or neglect.  Our kids were glad to give their presents, and when I explained to them where they were going, Hannah seemed to understand.  We came home and I realized there was another present we'd forgotten, so I said maybe we could take more.  Hannah said, "Yes!  What about the helicopter?!  Or that piggy bank?!"  Well, those are both Seth's toys, so we'll have to talk to him about them, and he's still at the stage where those toys are fun for him.  She doesn't particularly care about them anymore because they're teaching things she already knows.  I'm happy to clear out a lot of our toys though!  And I'm even happier that Hannah was excited about giving their toys away to children that don't have toys.  I told her that some mommies and daddies aren't nice to their kids, and don't play with them and sometimes don't feed them.  She asked why they were so mean, and of course, I had no answer for that except sometimes people are just mean.  If people follow Jesus' example and do what he did, and act how he acted, then they're very much less likely to act that way.  I hope some of this sinks in...

I think I have more wrapping paper than I will use in about 15 years.  Just saying.

OH! I forgot!  I talked to Kimberley Forsythe about the money I was giving to them to use instead of to my brothers' kids, and she and Travis decided how they will use it.  They're going to buy a bike for a 12 year old boy who runs errands for his family.  He and his little brother live with their aunt because his mother was unable to care for all six of her children because the husband left to live with his second wife (yeah, polygamy rocks).  I'm SO excited that it's going to a child.  I think this will mean a lot to my nieces and nephews because they'll get to see pictures of a child with a useful toy, that they find common, that will be such a gift to him.  I'm so excited that this boy is getting a new bike!  I'm so excited that he'll be able to help his family!  I'm so excited that this money is going to help Travis and Kimberley, too, because they had thought about buying this boy a bike for Christmas, but now won't have to because God provided the money.  They make so many sacrifices, monetarily, that this wouldn't be helpful for their budget.  The budget cuts that the IMB is making is really burdening the missionaries everywhere, and I'm so glad that I can help in an indirect way.  With that said, DONATE TO LOTTIE MOON!!!  The money goes DIRECTLY to missionaries.  Lottie Moon died because she starved to death using her money to help others.  While that wasn't probably the wisest decision...perhaps she could've eaten something and continued her mission.  However, she is an extreme legacy that strikes reverence and respect in many hearts, and is an encouraging role model for others to mimic, and through her death she has inspired so many people.  Amazing how death does that sometimes.

Dusty's grandmother is not doing well.  Her liver is failing, her kidneys are failing, she only had 20% of her lung capacity 2 months ago, so I'm sure it's less now.  They do not give her very much longer to live.  She is in an extreme amount of pain, and they're giving her morphine every 30 minutes.  She claims to be a Christian, and was very active in her church, so if she is a Christian, then going home would be such a welcome relief.  This may sound cold hearted, but I long for her life to be over, so she can be home.  No more pain, no more suffering.