Living out Christmas... Giving Love, Hope, & (in)Mercy

So, I wrote about Phase #1 of the (in)Mercy House Project in September.  In that post I wrote this:

"There is an amazing Community online... I mean, take-your-breath-away, encouraging, uplifting, let's-bond-together-and-change-the-world kind of gathering of Awesomeness... they break up into smaller groups all over the blogosphere but as a whole, many of them can be found over at (in)courage.me and I assure you that once you visit - well, you are like family and there is just no need to knock! Oh no... when you are part of the family - you are invited to just come right on in!"

 So we invited ya'll in and oh my how you stepped up and came in and helped us to reach our goal!  We fully funded that van so fast! In fact, all of Phases 1-4 were funded ahead of schedule and this makes us all giddy with excitement!

Phase #5 is the biggest, the most audacious of goals... for we want to purchase a second home for our sisters in Kenya! Yes... we know! It is a God-sized dream, for sure! But our God? He loves it when we dream big and we are believing that as we partner together and enter in to this season of Giving by giving whatever we can, He will take our offering and bless it and multiply it and provide some Rooms for these pregnant Mama's... no more do we want to hear "There's no room in the Inn!"

photo by Bess Brownlee 

 I was tempted to just link to Ann's words here...
because, as always, they bless!

Then I wanted to just link to Kristen's words here...
because she shows us what all those Phases 'fully funded' truly look like.

But I decided that I really wanted to add my own words to this cause too... simply because He is stirring our hearts and meeting us in ways that are causing us to get a bigger vision. 

My little family of three... for way too long we believed the lie that our limited paycheck-to-paycheck budget was too small to really make a difference.  Sure - we tithe... we give to local ministries and missionary friends and global outreaches.  But somehow we had forgotten that even $5.o0 can change the world.  In our American Dream, we-can-have-it-all culture - if we can't go big... we just go home.

But not anymore! You all proved that to me! With $5 here and $25 there, we joined hearts and wallets and we sowed into the red dirt ground of Kenya and we changed the world for our sisters in Africa! We did it first in buying a Van... then on to building classrooms, purchasing a generator, and equipping a computer lab... but it hasn't all been isolated to the Mercy House... no - I have joined hands and hearts (and yes, wallets) for other things too... aid to the Philippines and to Syria... and that day when we all joined ranks and did Laundry together with Lisa Jo. 

God is showing us here at home that even if we can't give MUCH... He makes much of what we can give!  When we open our hearts and our hands and offer up what we can... He meets us right in the middle of our God-Sized Dreams and shows off just a little!  And He should... for He gets all the glory!

Join us in Being the Gift... in sowing a little (or a lot) this Christmas!  I don't know about you and your family, but each December, as a family we look for ways that we can be a blessing.  We look for ways that we can put our money where our mouth is and we purpose to Speak Life, to Be Love, and to Shine On...  We decided already to cut back on how much we spend on ourselves and our families... in order to live out Christmas all the way across the world! We want to bring a bit of Christmas to Kenya and to make more 'room' in the 'Inn' (InMercyHouse - that is!)




To Join with us in Phase #5, click HERE



P.S. Because today is officially Cyber Monday... I wanted to let you know that you can also purchase some gifts and be the gift at the same time! You can Shop MercyHouse here! (Today or any day!)

#BetheGift