A lot has changed in the last, oh 45 days, or so. On July 24th my husband and I wrote an offer on a house. We saw the house the day before, and within minutes knew it was the right place for us. Granted, neither of us really expected to purchase a house this year. And not just A house, our first house. We have been saving for it, and occasionally looking, but we felt that we wouldn't find "the" place until after I came back from Cambodia. Then we found this place. I didn't expect to like it from the listing pictures but was really surprised when we walked in to find that it had everything we have been looking for. A spare room, closet space, a pantry - let alone a walk-in pantry! and it has a yard. It wasn't exactly the cute house with a big yard I was hoping to find, but it had what we actually needed and at the asking price, it was hard to walk away! So, as I said, on July 24th we wrote our offer. Since it was a Sunday it was submitted the next day. On August 26th we were signing! 31 days. That's fast! Everything fell in to place as it was meant to be. My husband had to leave town for a week for work just two days after we signed, so we officially moved in to our new house this past Monday. It feels great to finally be in a space we can call our own. We already have big plans, for much later on down the road.
On top of that my little man started pre-school today. Preschool!? How did that happen? He is going 3 days a week, for 2.5 hours each day. I think its just enough time to give him a break from mommy. And mommy some time to craft, or who knows, maybe even read :-) At this time last year he was terrified at the idea of going to school. He has changed so much over the course of a year, he is definitely not my little baby anymore. This morning was all smiles and hugs getting ready for school. He had a wonderful time, and is even excited to go back on Monday.
The craft show I am doing in October is fast approaching! I am nowhere near ready. I would love to get another 10-15 items done before then, as well as a ton of vinyl wall sayings. I will have a new craft space in our spare room so lets hope that, combined with some free time now, I will push on through. I am still praying for a good turn out. I would love to get my name out there and start a little side business. And of course, selling a few items would be great too! It would be a nice addition to my Cambodia fund.
The Pastor of my church has been speaking more of Cambodia, and Cambodian people, in the last several weeks and it always leaves me in tears. As well as excited for the opportunity to go and make a difference in their lives. Our church has a great vision to help the people of this country, the pure outpouring of love just leaves me in awe. It really is nothing short of amazing.
I have been blessed in this life with some truly wonderful friends. My dear friend Stephanie still has a Scentsy fundraiser going for me until the end of this month. She has graciously offered me 100% of her commission from this fundraiser! If you are interested in some great Scentsy products for a good cause, you can buy directly from here. Many awesome new items were released this month! Another friend of mine, Liz, has offered up a fundraiser as well! She makes some GORGEOUS hairbows and headbands, and super cute jewelry. And they don't just have to be for your kids! I have purchased from her to send gifts to friends. I wish I could pull off a fancy headband myself, but it just isn't happening. I am hoping to have more details about this soon! I have struggled with guilt since I began fundraising for my trip. I have certainly never been one to ask for handouts. Though I am learning that God has set me on this path, and it will fall in to place as it is supposed to. I will not push. I will not hound. I will, however, take an opportunity to talk about God's plan in me. While I do not want to phish for donations, I do want to give everybody a chance to support a cause. Giving is such a wonderful feeling, I certainly do not want to deny anybody the opportunity. If you would like to support me on my trip you can absolutely do so.
Make checks payable to Horizon Community Church - its tax deductable!
Write "Amanda De Jong Cambodia 2012" in the memo line
Mail to:
Rick Meacham
Cambodia Mission Coordinator
23735 SW Ladd Hill Rd.
23735 SW Ladd Hill Rd.
Sherwood, OR 97140
I am deeply grateful to my family and friends that have supported me. In contributions, fundraiser purchases, prayers and kind words. It all means so much!
In the last several months I have thought a lot about my "greater purpose" in life. That amplified quite a bit when I decided I was going to Cambodia. I love being a wife and mother, supporting my family's needs and just being there for them, but I wondered what more I could do or that I should be doing. I don't know what exactly my calling is, but I do absolutely feel it growing in my heart to help not only these children in Cambodia but locally as well. I have registered to walk a 5k next weekend, and have also volunteered to help with the event, through Stop Child Trafficking NOW. These walks are happening nationally. I encourage everybody to look for one in your own neighborhood! This organization doesn't just wait to help victims after the fact, they are working to remove the source. Their mission:
"SCTNow exists to stop child trafficking by targeting the source of child trafficking: predators who drive the sex industry everywhere in the world, including in your local community. SCTNow has partnered with specially trained operatives familiar with what it takes to infiltrate, investigate and bring to justice the predators victimizing children worldwide."You can check out their events here. While it is absolutely free to walk, I have a personal goal of raising $200 to sponsor my walk. If anybody is interested in sponsoring me, please click here.
If you made it to the end of this post. I totally applaud you. I really need to keep up more often so my posts aren't always a big jumbled mess.
How about I leave you with a picture?
