Friday, November 27, 2009

Orphan Relief & Rescue Needs Your Help!

Click on the banner below to vote for Orphan Relief and Rescue! We have the chance to win $25,000 from Chase Community Giving! Just think about how far $25,000 would go in Liberia to help orphans!




THANK YOU!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wisdom of Heart Quilt

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.
Exodus 35:35


This is the story of a very special quilt. This beautiful handmade quilt was made by Jogma, a bright a funny 16 year old who lives just outside of Monrovia at Frances Gaskins Rescue Home. She is in the 9th grade and is a very good student. Jogma loves to sew. Sometimes I will find her sitting on the front porch with her sewing machine, mending other children's clothes or making a new outfit for herself. She uses a Chinese-made, manual sewing machine that she usually props up on an old chair or bench. She presses her fabric with a coal iron. Sewing in Liberia is quite the task! Because of her love for sewing, Jogma also enjoys teaching the younger children in the orphanage how to sew. I love to sit on the porch with Jogma while she sews; talking about sewing, school and life. Jogma spent her Liberian Independence Day (July 26) manually sewing together the quilt top. I brought the quilt top home and asked a friend (thank you, Sharon!) to complete Jogma's quilt. The quilt backing was donated by the Southern Crescent Quilters Guild and they also provided assistance with the final quilt design.[Jogma working on the quilt top]
Jogma's Wisdom of Heart quilt was the final live auction item at my fundraiser a few weeks ago. I shared the story on the quilt, and then the bids started--at $1,000!! My dad made the first bid, knowing that I loved the quilt. But, I told him to let someone else have it to enjoy, so he stopped bidding. The auctioneer was looking for $1,300...and someone raised their hand. The quilt sold for $1,300. I forgot to get a picture of the winner with the quilt to take back to Jogma.

Two days later, the doorbell rang. It was the winner of the quilt (friend of the family), standing there with the quilt in her hands. I thought my mom had asked her at church that morning to come by so I could take her picture. The winner of the quilt proceeded to tell me that when she bid on the quilt, she thought the quilt was too special and needed to stay with my family (its a Southern quilt and God thing), and she thought my dad couldn't afford it and that's why he had stopped bidding. She also told me that the money she used to pay for the quilt was an inheritance left by her great-grandfather...he helped buy Alaska, and had left all of his great-grandchildren money (what?!). She then handed me the quilt and told me it was mine. Can you believe that?! I was literally speechless! I didn't know what to say, other than 'are you sure??' and 'thank you!' When she left, I put the quilt on the bed in the guest bedroom...it's too small for my bed (schucks!), but I didn't want to just fold it up and put it away...I want to see if everyday and enjoy it!
[The quilt out for everyone to enjoy!]
What a beautiful picture of what God did for us. He gave us His Son for free...with no strings attached. He paid the price, and we are the beneficiaries. We are not grateful and left speechless often enough of His gift. We take the gift for granted. We fold up the gift and stuff it in the linen closet--it can't get messed up and needs to stay nice and pretty. When we do the laundry and put away the clean sheets, we notice the gift and say, "aw, that was nice." We (I'm mainly talking to myself here) need to dig that quilt (the gift of His Son) out of the linen closet and proudly display it! [Does any of this make sense?]

A few weeks ago in church, a guy was leading worship and he said something to the effect of, "Until Jesus is good news to us, He will never be good news to the rest of the world." WHOA! I need to realize how good the gift is so that the rest of the world will take notice. And this all started because of Jogma's beautiful quilt. I can't wait to get back to Liberia and get Jogma started on her second quilt! I wonder what lessons will be taught and learned because of it?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Christmas in November: Liberian Artwork

I have some beautiful Liberian artwork that I would love to sell! So, it's officially Christmas in November at Love in Liberia! I have posted pictures of all of the available artwork on Flickr. All of the artwork was done by Liberian artists who were children during Liberia's 14 years of civil war. The artwork was part of the War Child Art Exhibit that was at the National Museum in Monrovia, Liberia last year. All of the information on each piece, along with information on the artists (amazing stories!) can all be found on Flickr. Please leave a comment or send me an email if you're interested in purchasing anything! Also, share the link with others that might enjoy an original piece of Liberian art!

A few samples:



[I have a few more Christmas in November items from Liberia that I will post later on, so keep your eyes peeled.]

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Undies4Liberia

That's right, the rumors are true. The underwear fairy is at it again!
Sign my pledge at PledgeBank
Click the box to sign the pledge!

Monday, November 9, 2009

What A Weekend!

First of all, God is awesome! Secondly, thank you to everyone who came out on Friday night! And last of all, thank you to everyone who helped make Friday night such a wonderful experience and a huge success! God did it (DUH, of course He would)!


Over $28,000 was raised!!!!!!
Thank you!

I am humbled and thankful to the more than 350 people who showed up on Friday night to the dinner and silent auction! It was a great night to celebrate all that God has done in the past 2 years through HeartCry's ministry, but also my dream finally came true. I have been dreaming about sharing my heart for Liberia's orphans with my church family, and that happened on Friday night! I shared my heart--I had no planned speech, and didn't mean to cry within the first 30 seconds--and I shared the need--to make a house a home for the children at Gold Child. God moved in people's hearts, and it was just an exciting night! I enjoyed meeting so many new people who were so interested in the plight of Liberia's orphans, and had a blast watching the live auction. The night's big moneymaker was an overnight quail hunting trip with Georgia's Governor, Mr. Sonny Perdue (Thank you Mr. Perdue...you brought in $6,000!), but there were so many items donated by alot of really generous people! I still almost cannot believe that enough money was raised to get the Gold Child kids into their new home! God showed up in a BIG way, and I am so blessed to have the support of so many amazing people! I still need to get the rest of the pictures from the night, but here are a few:

[The ORR table, my awesome kiddo backdrop, just a few of the auction items, the room set up complete, me & my table, and me speaking in front of ALOT of people.]

GOD IS GOOD!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Two More Days!

Just 2 more days until the dinner and silent auction to benefit Orphan Relief and Rescue! Help us make a house a HOME for the children living at Gold Child Orphanage Home! I wanted to let you guys know about some of the awesome auction items...maybe these items will entice you to come out this Friday at 6pm!

Some SUPER COOL auction items:
- Become a pilot. Flight simulator hours from Delta Airlines for you and 3 friends!
- A unique day with Georgia's Governor, Sonny Perdue. A private lunch, afternoon quail hunting, an overnight stay, breakfast, and a morning hunt for you and 3 friends!
- "Wisdom of Heart" quilt by Jogma Mars. This quilt was handmade by Jogma, a 16 year old living in one of Liberia's orphanages. The quilt is absolutely beautiful!

Some more auction items:
- Vacation homes. Whether you prefer the mountains or the beach, there are 6 homes to choose from, ranging from a 2 night to a 7 night stay.
- Jewelry. From handmade Liberian jewelry to 14K gold. There's something for everyone.
- Photography sessions from local photographers.
- Handicrafts and artwork from Liberia, as well as other countries around the world where New Hope is on mission (Haiti, El Salvador, Burkina Faso and Ecuador).
- Gift baskets galore. Movie night, coffee lovers, winter survival, food items, etc.
- A summer supply of home-grown tomatoes from Master Gardener, Mr. Lester Bray. These are the BEST tomatoes that you will ever taste! A summer full of tomato sandwiches--YUM!
- Misc. Items: clowns for a birthday part, sports memorabilia, training sessions with 8 time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, etc. etc. etc.

See, this is really going to be great night! I'm so excited and I hope that you can join me in making a house a HOME for Gold Child Orphanage Home!