Ysabela and her minion cookie jar!
It’s fair week once again. Kids are completing projects for 4H, and parents are stressing along with them. Bela decided to do a minion cookie jar, and she finished it a few hours ago. Now all tha remains to be done with it is bake two dozen cookies and get it to the fair grounds in the morning. Her other projects include two photo groupings in the heritage category and poultry. The poultry show is Saturday morning.
I have been checking various websites to discover information about volunteer opportunities. I have read about Mercy Ships and Global Volunteers, etc. What I have discovered is that it costs quite a bit of money to spend my time helping communities around the world.
When I think of volunteerism, I think of making contacts in the desired location, buying a plane ticket, packing light and a tight budget! Nowadays, there are other costs involved. I can understand that arrangements have to be made for housing and logistics, but spending $2000 or more to be able to serve seems over the top to me. Does it sound reasonable to you?
Missionaries will tell you that they have a lot of added stress in addition to their ministry responsibilities when a group decides to come over to volunteer building or teaching (or whatever else they are able to do). I can totally understand that. After all, housing even a small group can be challenging. To charge $2000 per person doesn’t seem realistic, however. Volunteers should be prepared to cover their airfare, food and lodging. It would seem that only independently wealthy volunteers could afford that plus the extra fees!
So how can a family group (for example) go on a volunteer/service trip? As I mentioned before, make some contacts. Look for people in your church (if you attend) who know people, find out if other churches sponsor any missionaries in your preferred location. Do you know a teacher who has traveled? Maybe a friend of a friend has been to a place you find interesting. Just check references, ask questions and verify everything before planning your trip. Make sure you have a safe place to land when you arrive!
Consider me one of your contacts. I know people in Mexico, and my daughter and I lived in a Mayan village for five years. If you have veterinary skills, a heart for animal rescue and determination, I can give you names of people to contact. If you want to collect supplies for schools serving poverty-stricken areas, I know teachers who would welcome a visit from you. Elvira, a friend of mine runs a school in Guinea. She needs donations, supplies and support. Her ministry is sponsored by a church in North Carolina called El Buen Pastor, but Elvira covers her own expenses. Anyone who volunteers would have to do the same, but there are many options for fundraising. Just think about it!
Use your talents in your community whenever possible, but don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. If you have the heart to serve others, you will seek out opportunities. Doors will open if you’re meant to go.
http://www.globalvolunteers.org/dates_and_fees/AllFees.asp
http://volunteer.mercyships.org/volunteer/finances-for-volunteers/
http://afunketimeintanzania.blogspot.com/2014/07/10-things-missionaries-wont-tell-you.html
http://www.colegioelbuenpastor.com/author/ailen
Last night the fire department had a fundraiser. The guys cooked pulled pork and brisket, and there were cookies, drinks, beans and chips to go along with the main course. The boot was set out, and all donations were welcome for a meal.
It looked like half the town (or more) showed up for supper! Awesome! I was running a few minutes late due to a bout of “words with friends” on Facebook (thanks, David!). Moving on….when I arrived, the guys asked if I had seen the banner I had made for the department. It was hanging on the gate. I went around to take a look. The guys were very happy with it; it could be seen for blocks! Thank you, Lyndsay, for making me look smart! She did all of the work; I just chose the design.
Looking good!
I usually am not much of a carnivore, but I didn’t have lunch. I was hungry! The guys loaded up my plate, and I took it home to eat. I hate eating in crowded places. (Yes, I know I’m weird.) That food was some of the BEST ever! Now I know why we have a good crowd when the guys cook.
Aside from the benefit of great cooking, firefighters are a valuable asset to any community. Fire departments across the nation need volunteers. If you are interested in being involved, please contact your local department. You are needed!
I wish I was still this size! 😦
This was taken at CISY when I worked at IMA (Instituto Moderno Americano).
Growing up as an only child, I heard a lot of comments, mostly from adults, about what I was supposedly missing by not having siblings. Of course, the comments usually came from people with large families. Things like, “Oh, I bet you get lonely a lot,” always annoyed me. I’m here to tell you, those people had no idea what they were talking about! They had to have been projecting their fear of loneliness onto me! I found it amazing that they were experts about my feelings! 😉
Most of my friends have siblings, and I have observed the squabbling, drama and aggravation caused by multiple kids in the house—even when those kids are grown! I remember my school friends fighting with their sisters, or their siblings following and bugging us when I stayed with them. After a sleepover, I went home with a healthy appreciation for my only child status! I was rarely lonely; I did get bored at times. Bored and lonely are very different feelings! That’s when I would listen to music and/or read a book. I learned to be okay by myself. Kids today seem to expect constant entertainment. Life is not like that!
As I mentioned, I spent quite a bit of time in my room reading. My mom would always come to drag me out to “be social.” Even then, I preferred books to people. I never felt like I was missing anything by being an only child. I don’t remember ever wanting a sibling. If given a choice now, I still wouldn’t!
The results of being an only child: I don’t like drama and avoid people who cause it. I don’t share my stuff, and I aggressively protect what is mine. I enjoy time alone. Reading is still awesome. I rely on myself and my own abilities. To me, all of those things are positive! 🙂
When we moved to Mexico, Ysabela was surrounded in this park by kids who wanted to touch her hair and try to talk to her. 🙂 This park is across the street from our house.
And this is what happens when I get a day off….
Princess Jinx
Jinx the cowgirl…um…dog!
Firefighter Jinx!
It feels like every website I visit for information lately is trying to sell me something. Let me clarify. I have visited a lot of homeschooling sites in the last few weeks looking for free resources. A lot of homeschool families spend money for boxed curricula, but that has never been my style. My older daughter used the Alpha Omega books for a variety of reasons many years ago, but it was never my first choice. My younger daughter and I used Five in a Row. I am not selling anything; I am just informing you.
For newbies, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices out there. I have homeschooled before, and I get information overload! Most of the books can be found in the library, but I love books and didn’t mind buying them on ebay in lots. It felt more like a treasure hunt than actual shopping!
If you are looking for supplies to buy, at least check out the free items first, and ask homeschool groups if they have any co-op materials or second-hand items for sale.
Just last Friday, I saw an advertisement on television for K12.com, a free online school. Keep in mind our “local” TV station is in Denver; we live in Nebraska. I called and left my information, and a rep called me back a little later. The school is based in Virginia. Anyway, the rep didn’t have many answers, but I did find out that the “independent study” program can be used here in Nebraska, but to the tune of $800 per class. Yikes! School is big business, and some companies have found their niche with homeschooling families.
One of my friends attended a homeschool conference this year. She was able to take her kids, but noisy kids and parents were thrown out because the sessions were being recorded for people who couldn’t attend. This conference is supposed to be a Christian one, but from what she said, it didn’t have a “welcoming” vibe, but that’s another story!
For once, I would love to be able to check out a website without feeling that a “hook” had been set to interest me in buying something! I don’t mind ads on a website, but enough is enough! And don’t tell me something is free and try to sell me something else.
Bela and Gen exploring at the river.
I walked home from work this morning to check on Ysabela and the dogs. I figured I’d find her connected to her head phones listening to music and playing on Facebook. I was only half right.
She did, indeed, have her head phones connected, but not to her phone and music. She was listening to a video on the computer. Would you like to guess the topic? I was excited and amazed that she had signed herself up for a free astronomy class through Udemy.com!
We have been chatting about homeschool options, as you may remember from earlier posts, so I think her initiative in this case is saying something important. I will wait and see if her motivation stays high, then we will revisit our decisions for this school year and make any necessary adjustments for next year.
An English translation of Yoani Sánchez's blog Generación Y, from Havana, Cuba
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