“All you who are thirsty, come to the waters”

by LearnAsYouGrow on March 12, 2013

In October, I will travel to El Salvador on a mission trip to install a fresh water well. This is an annual trip for our church working in conjunction with Living Water International.

During previous trips, much needed wells were installed in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

 

WaterMission

Additional information and videos from past mission trips are available at Immanuel Lutheran’s website.

As a way to help fund my participation in the trip this year, I will be donating all proceeds from God Loves You So Much sales over the next few months to this effort. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, they are available at the book stores listed on the Learn As You Grow website  or you can contact me directly.

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A Difficult Week

by LearnAsYouGrow on February 22, 2013

It has been a very difficult week for many of our family members, friends and the local community. The loss of loved ones is always difficult to understand and accept. 

I wrote a poem a few years ago and the events of this week reminded me of it. I rewrote and shared it with a dear friend earlier this week and hope it may be meaningful to others.

 

HOME

God called a friend home today

A friend to you and me

A beacon to the world around

No equal could there be

 

Courageous in her battle

She fought back the disease

Extra time for her and us

Precious memories

 

It’s hard to fight against the tears

Controlling fears and thoughts

When losing someone so unique

No way to measure loss

 

A wife and friend too soon gone

But never out of mind

Her light still shines through our eyes

And will for all of time

 

A trail of smiles and laughter

A path of joy and fun

Brightened days and touched lives

Her legacy is won

 

We always seek for answers

But struggle on the way

Impossible to know God’s plan

Still asking “Why?” today

 

A loss too tough to think beyond

But there the truth may be

To know her was a gift from God

Simple and complete

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You too can “REACH a Child”

by LearnAsYouGrow on February 8, 2013

God never ceases to amaze me with the patience and opportunities to serve that He continues to provide.

I saw an article about a book drive benefiting REACH a Child at the UW men’s basketball game against Michigan tomorrow. While I am (unfortunately) not able to attend the game and event, I realized the founder of REACH a Child lived only a few miles from me. I contacted him and was able to donate copies of God Loves You So Much… for the event. I am admittedly a bit biased, but the book seems to provide a great message for children in times of crisis. 

REACH a Child

The organization, officers, EMTs, and others involved are provide such a great service to the communities they serve. Please take a moment to watch this short REACH a Child video and you can find out more about their efforts at www.reachachild.org.

 I am so pleased that Learn As You Grow can contribute, in a small way, to such a great cause.

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A Wake-up Call from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

by LearnAsYouGrow on February 5, 2013

I just finished reading “Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle” with my daughter. While this book was not my favorite in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series, one of the final chapters titled “The Never-Finish Cure” sounded very familiar.

Piggel-Wiggle

With several books partially finished, a house project still underway, and numerous other projects in the works; I could relate.

As I visited my website today, I realized it had been almost a year since my last post, the favorite books listed were 3 years old, and much of the other information was stale as well.

Perhaps, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle will cure me as well. :-)

 

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A Sad Day for the Berestain Bears

by admin on February 27, 2012

I just saw an announcement that Jan Berenstain , who co-wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books, passed on Friday. She was 88.

The first Berenstain Bears book was published in 1962 and over 300 titles in 23 languages have been enjoyed by children and their parents.

She made quite an impact and will be missed.

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