Care Kits for the Homeless

After listening to Elder Holland's talk in General Conference "Are We Not All Beggars?" I made a goal to actually take action on an idea I had a while ago but never implemented. Then Andrew Brown spoke in church on Sunday and I felt very strongly prompted during his insightful comments that the Lord expected me to ACT. So, I will be hosting a get together at my house to put together Care Kits for the Homeless. These are small, waterproof bags that contain items that could be useful/helpful for a homeless person. We will be following a packing list provided by the Portland Rescue Mission for the Care Kits, which include things like sanitizer wipes, toothpaste, bandaids, socks, water bottle, hotel toiletries, etc. 

The simplest way to complete this activity is to have one or two people do all the shopping for the items to assemble the kits. We will keep the total cost of the kits between $5 and $10 per kit (never having done this - I don't know which end it will be closer to). If you wish to participate, just let me know how many kits your family would like (commit to a number) and then after the shopping is done we will calculate the exact cost per kit (e.g. $6.27) and multiply that per the number of kits you requested. (If each kit were $6.27 10 kits would then be $60.27.) You should bring cash or check to the assembly activity. 

I started brainstorming about this project a few years ago when we started going to downtown Chicago so frequently (where you encounter the homeless each block), and more recently as I have wondered how I want to teach Jack to respond to people in need. While everyone I've talked to who ministers in the homeless community states emphatically that it is never a good idea to give money, that is certainly the easiest thing to do. These care kits are bulky, and inconvenient compared to a $5 bill, but I feel they are so much wiser and more 'caring.' I want to teach Jack both wisdom and compassion, and this is my personal solution. 

If you wish to join, let me know how many care kits you want to take home after we meet to assemble them all. For example, Richard and I will need 10-20, b/c we encounter homeless people A LOT, but perhaps you only want 2 or 3. Or maybe you want to get enough for the next 2 years - (everything in them will be non-perishable). Perhaps you want to keep them in your car, or make it a specific family home evening activity to go hand them out. In addition, let us know if you have items already on hand you can donate (e.g. hotel toiletries).  

The Five Factor Challenge

I've organized a fun health challenge based on various ones I've seen online. Here are the details for anyone who is interested or wants to join! It runs for six weeks, and we will do several rounds if the interest is there.

The Five Factor Challenge

Factor One: Exercise (20pts)
You have to do 20 minutes of exercise a day. It has to be intentional, nonstop exercise. Grocery shopping at Costco, while a marathon, cannot count. A 20 minute walk in the neighborhood in the evening does.

Factor Two: Nutrition (40pts)
Select any diet plan you choose. Then follow it. You can do weight watchers, calorie counting, my fitness pal, gluten-free, carb free-whatever. It just has to be a change for the healthier from the way you normally eat.

Factor Three: Hydration (10pts)
You must drink 3 L of water a day, this is six water bottles, for those who hate math. It's a lot, but it's amazing how much better your body feels and your skin looks!

Factor Four: Rest (10pts)
Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. If you can't fall asleep, you can lay in bed and meditate. If you have to get up and tend a child in the middle of the night, this does not count against you, assuming you go back to bed when they do. If necessary, you can use naps to make up your seven hours. You just need to give your body at least seven hours of rest within a 24 hour period.

Factor Five: Healthy Habits (20pts)
Choose one bad habit to stop, or one good habit to start during the six weeks. Bad habits to stop could include eating late at night, or limiting TV. Good habits to start might include journal writing, scripture study, etc.

That's a total of 100pts per day. You get one free day for each of the categories, but can take each one on a different day. Every category except Nutrition is a total loss of points if not completed. For Nutrition, deduct 5 points every time you eat outside your nutrition plan. If calorie counting, that's 5pts per 100 calories over your goal.

In order to play I am asking that everyone toss $15 into the pot, so you have some skin in the game (but if you really want to play but can't come up with the cash, don't worry about it, just let me know). I will hold the cash 'in escrow' if you will, until the end of the game, when the entire total of the entry fees will be divided into three winners, or more if there are ties in any of the winning categories. The three ways to win are
1) Transformation (highest percent of body weight lost)
2) Dedication (highest overall score combining all the points from six weeks)
3) Fitness Guru (logged the most number of exercise minutes)

Every Monday use the link below to the game google doc to report your score by noon. There are separate tabs for the weight loss and exercise competitions, if you are competing in those by logging percent lost and exercise minutes.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PhUnZUvjs_x6Yaxn5apxeZ8slD0pgKakrTHWxMYeIU0/edit?usp=docslist_api

To start, record your plan in the google doc and give me the $15 bucks for the pot the next time you see me! You can also send it via paypal, message me for a PM with my paypal email address. Be aware that paypal has a 3% fee for non business transactions, so it would be like, $15.50. 

Letty

Look for Jack Updates on our Private Blog - G7KidChronicles

How it works:
ChroniclesofLetty is public, and so you can choose to follow it and get notified in your inbox whenever that blog is updated. Because this blog is private, you have to be added to the blog (which means I need your email address) in order to be able to click on the link and have it actually work - if the link isn't working, I haven't input your email address yet as an invited reader, or you haven't replied to the email blogger sent you saying that "your were invited to view G7KidChronicles" and gotten yourself set up.

 

Whenever I update either blog (with the exception of the daily picture journal for Jack) I will post the link on Facebook, so it's easy to click on and access that way.

 

What's on G7Kids:

• Funny and sweet stories about Jack
• Updates on Jack's development and progress
• Adoption updates about trying to locate siblings for Jack and/or further IVF updates
• Jack's daily picture journal, which is a super-cool idea I stole from online and we will see how successful I am at implementing it. The general idea is that you post at least one picture from each day - either a 'sum it all up' photo, or as the key to a funny story, or just the random one you took at night b/c you had forgotten to do it yet that day...if time allows, text and stories accompany the photo, if not, well, then that's that.

What's on Chronicles:

• Vacation travelogues and pictures
• Extended family stories and pictures
• Myself and Richard's life, hopes, aspirations

Announcing the Sudden Unexpected Arrival of Jack Goering!

An incredible thanks to all of you who have helped spread the word through passalong cards, Facebook and other media, and word of mouth. Jack found us through a friend, who found a posting, that led us to a facilitator...

We know that our little miracle is the result of so very, very many prayers ascending to heaven on our behalf, and are so grateful to a God who hears and answers prayers, and whose timing is always perfect.

Please continue to keep an ear out for potential adoptive situations and let us know! Not only do we hope to eventually have siblings for Jack, we have so many, many wonderful friends who are still waiting!

Meeting Jack - The Video