Back-2-School Pack

I know, I know. It is summer. Why in the WORLD am I talking about school?!?! Well, let's just say that in this case, I think it is a great idea to start early.

World Relief (whom our church does collaborative work with in the form of World Relief NEXT) is ramping up a very cool program called "Back-2-School Packs".

The concept is probably not that unfamiliar to a lot of people who have participated in Operation Christmas Child (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/) and since we all know how meaningful that is to do with our kids, here is yet another fantastic way in which to engage in compassion WITH your children!

Here is an excerpt from the web site::

Fikret was 6 when men with guns came to his home and loaded his older 
brother and father into a truck. He never saw them again.

Farah was 8 when a bomb blew up next to her and her Mom as they ran. 
Farah survived.
Her Mom did not.

Joseph was 5. He remembers the refugee camp most of all, but he also 
remembers waking up in his mud hut to the sounds of distant gunfire and 
the cries of his Mother as she ran into the bush with him on her back.

Refugee children like these arrive in the United States every 
year-seeking safety, peace and a new place to call home.

They come from very different places and cultures. They feel different 
than the other kids in their neighborhood and schools.

You can give them the tools they need to succeed AND help them fit in 
with their classmates.

The gift of one backpack for one refugee child can make all the 
difference in the world.

You can change the life of one refugee child, one backpack at a time.

*****************************

I don't know about you, but these stories affect me

every

single

time.

And perhaps you, too, are learning as I am that as a parent, I need to not only be affected emotionally, I need to be affected right into action. The best gift I can give to my children is a legacy of love in action through compassion.

So, I am marking my calendar, starting the beginning of August, to start hitting up Target and Wal-Mart for their back-to-school sales. My goal is to put together 10 backpacks to take down to CA at the end of September, where a local drop off center is. World Relief's web site gives you step-by-step instructions as to how to go about preparing a pack. Make sure you follow the instructions, as packs that do not follow the guidelines will not be sent. Click here for the information you need: http://worldrelief.org/Page.aspx?pid=2524

And if you live here in Bend, join me and I will drop off yours as well. Or better yet - let's BECOME a drop off center ourselves. More to come on that...

And if you do not have the time to put together these packs, or you do not have access to a drop off center, you can still be involved! Click on this link to donate: https://worldrelief.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=2522

Lastly, here is one story I am sure you are not likely to forget.

http://vimeo.com/11873045

Enjoy your summer!