Sea Container Inventory

For the past three weeks Real Life Church has been collecting items and packing them into a 40 foot sea container. The sea container is being shipped to Uganda and the contents will bless hundreds of children who used be orphans but now are being cared for by Children of the Nations. www.cotni.org  Real Life Church partners with Children of the Nations to help them raise children who transform nations.Below is a list of the 14,568 items that are packed in the sea container. Most of the items listed below are not idividual items but rather and inventory of how many packages of each item! Thank you Real Life Church! The kids in Uganda are excited about the sea container! The kids in Uganda thank you 14,568 times….
Rubbing Alcohol	183
Antibacterial cream	13
Anti-biotic crème	4
Anti-fungal creams	56
baby wipes	19
bags (sports, shopping)	11
Ball point pens	665
Batting Helmet	1
Batting Glove	3
Balls (Soccor/Rubber,etc)	153
Band Aids	380
Bandages	63
Bars of Soap	1560
Bath Towels (large and small)	376
Bibs	7
Batteries	30
Bicycles	10
Blenders	8
Board Games	231
Body Lotions	280
Books – Activity	29
Bras	66
Calculators (Scientific)	12
Chalk Board	7
Chewable Vitamins	143
Clothing Shorts/Pants	120
clothing pack	2
Coffee Brewers	15
Cold Pack	2
cones safety/sports	48
Conditioner – Hair	5
plastic containers	1
Cotton Balls	233
Cough and cold syrup	54
Counter Books	5
Crayons	36
Crock  pot	1
Dental Floss	165
Deodorant	29
Digital Thermometers	19
Extension Cords 12 Gauge 100 ft	3
Extension Cords 12 Gauge 50 ft	5
Extension Cords 12 Gauge 2 plug	6
Extension Cords 12 Gauge 3 plug	4
Extension Cord (Regular)	3
Dolls	22
Eraser sets	3
Face Astringent	1
Face Towels	336
Feminine Pads	244
first aid kit	5
Flash Cards	12
folders (school)	25
Generators	4
Glucose test	7
Glue Sticks	1
golf shirts	12
Griddle – Electric	1
Hand Sanitizer	184
hat	4
Inline skates	2
Infant clothes	9
infant blankets	22
infant booties	10
Infants suits	12
kids shirts	9
kids shorts	19
Lancet	6
Laptop bag	19
Laptops	9
Let’s eat smile packs	12
lip balm	14
Liquid Soap	9
Markers (color)	268
Medical Gloves	1
Microwave oven	9
Mouth Wash	3
Mosquito repellant (spray)	18
Motor oil	13
Pain relief (Tylenol, Aspirin, Advil, Etc)	138
pajama pack	10
Paper – Card stock	75
Paper – Post-it’s	7
Paper – reams	3
PC Monitor	1
Pencil boxes	20
pencils	117
Pillow cases	134
Pillows	115
Power Converter Set 110 to 220	8
Plastic Plates/Cups	4
pregnancy tests	21
Peroxide	14
air pump + needles	13
Printer/copier with extra toner.	1
Q-Tip	8
Radio	3
Razor – Mens	1
Rugs (wool carpets, etc)	33
Rulers	300
Sandals	140
Sandwich toaster	4
scanner	2
School Backpacks/Totes	75
Shampoo	35
shoe pack	10
Shoes	401
Shower caps	18
Scissors	64
Skateboard	1
Silverware	40
slumber bag	2
smile pack – bible	37
smile pack – clothing	45
Smile Pack – Gift	4
smile pack – hygiene	66
Smile pack – Infant	10
Smile pack – Pajama	9
Smile pack – school	36
Smile pack – toddler	3
Soccer Flags (tall poles for goals)	12
soccer goal	1
Soccer Shirt	280
Soccer Shin guards	25
Soccer shorts	274
Soccer cleats	61
Soccer Uniforms	23
Socks	386
Spiral notebooks	337
Sponge – cleaning	4
Stickers	160
Strip tests	4
Student/office Desks	1
Stuffed animals	758
Suit – Men’s	2
Sun Glasses	138
Surge protectors	10
Swim Goggles	1
Swim Fins	3
Dinning Tables	2
Table Cloths	54
Scotch tape	6
television	7
Tennis Racket	3
Tires	1
Toaster	1
Toilet Paper	8
Toilet Sanitizing Blocks	1021
Toothbrushes	1035
Toothpaste	408
toys	24
T-Shirts	361
Twin bed sheets	113
Full size sheets	12
Full Size Mattresses with box	10
Twin Mattresses	44
Umbrellas	18
Underwear	136
Water bottles	28
White Chalk	43
women’s shirts	23
syringe	300
Sponsor Gift Box	1
Large Plastic Play Set	1
Dinning Room Table	1
Box of books for the Gardener	1

Cross Painting	1
Plastic Play House (6 pieces)	1
Fax Copier with toner	1
Computer Scanner	1
Video Projector	1
Plastic Netting	1

Uganda: The Hope of Hellen

This is Hellen. She lives in Lira, Uganda. She used to be orphan.

Thanks to the ministry of Children of the Nations she is receiving exceptional care and lives with a new hope. Hellen is part of the COTN family and is being raised up to transform her nation. Hellen is one of the 60 kids Children of the Nations cares for at the Children’s Village Lira, Uganda. During my recent trip to Uganda, I sat down with 10 girls who live together in the Children’s Village and asked them to tell me their stories. Every story these girls told broke my heart as they recalled how both their parents were killed. Many of them were forced to kill their own parents by the extremist militia know as the L.R.A. The Lord’s Resistance Army wreaked havoc in Northern Uganda for years and left thousands of children scared and alone. This is Hellen’s story:

Hellen’s village was attacked by the L.R.A and she and her father hid under the bed in their hut as the L.R.A soldiers entered. They filled the room with bullets and one of the bullets went through Hellen’s hand that lay on her father’s chest. As she raised her hand and showed me the scar from the bullet that passed through her hand and killed her father, tears ran down her face. Then she said the soldiers set the hut on fire as she lay under the bed with her dying father. Then her mother came out of hiding, picked her up, and ran out of the burning hut. Hellen said her mom fell down and dropped her. More tears ran down Hellen’s face as she recalled saying, “Mom get up. Mom please get up.” Helen’s mom had been shot in the back and laid lifeless on the ground. All Hellen could do was run into the nearby jungle and hide. After months of trauma and fear, Hellen was rescued. Alone and without a family, Children of the Nations stepped in and brought Hellen into their care. I have seen Hellen three times in the past 12 months and she is full of smiles, full of laughter, full of God’s word (she has memorized an incredible amount of scripture), full of songs, full of joy, full of peace, full of love, full of hope. After she finished telling me her story she shared how important it is to forgive those who hurt you in life. Hellen shared how knowing Jesus has made all the difference in her life. I gave her hug and wept. I did not cry because I was sad, I cried because I was holding on to a child full of hope.

Our Church is currently filling a sea container full of supplies for the kids in Uganda. A list of needed supplies and instructions for delivery can be downloaded here.

To learn more about Children of the Nations visit www.cotni.org.

LG Summer Survival Guide

Summer is coming. In lieu of weekly discussion material for our Life Groups, here are some ideas to make sure your Life Group thrives during the summer.

Things you SHOULD do:

• Keep serving! We still need great support from groups for Set Up and Tear Down. When you are scheduled, please communicate with your group Communicator and the church office so we can plan on you.
• Check the church website often all summer to stay informed about all that is going on this summer.
• Mark your calendar now for the LIFE GROUPS WORSHIP NIGHT happening Wednesday evening, June 23rd. And keep an eye out for more details coming soon.
• Take a few minutes to check out The City. This is a new tool we are going to unveil soon, so watch the videos, read the testimonies, and get ready to join this exciting community.

Things you COULD do:

• Study through the book of Philippians. On the weekends we will be teaching through this small but powerful epistle. You can buy copies of a study guide (written by Rusty George) at Guest Services and follow along with your group.
• Join us for a family movie night this July in the outdoor amphitheater. Again, keep your eyes open for more details.
• Have some fun gatherings all summer long. Picnics in the park. Dinner with one or two other families from your group. Or work with your Community Team leader to put together a cookout with other Life Groups in your area.

Thinks you CAN’T do:

• Unplug. It is critical that you stay connected with the people in your group. Watch for each other on the weekends. Send e-mails and Facebook greetings. Pray for each other. Whatever you do, DON’T disconnect completely.
• Get bothered if some people can’t be at something you plan. If you have a cookout and one family is out of town, that’s okay – connect with whomever is available. If your group does a picnic and you can’t be there, don’t get your feelings hurt that they met without you. Try to include everyone, but recognize that we all work on different schedules over summer. Do what you can.
• Play practical jokes on the Pastors. Summers are very serious for us and we don’t have time for silliness or tomfoolery. (By the way, Brandon’s office will be unsupervised for several weeks in July…)

Me I Want To Be Orientation Video

Life Groups Pastor Brandon Beard gives an overview of the upcoming series The Me I Want To Be.

The Me I Want To Be Series Orientation Video

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Me I Want to Be Discovery Packet Instructions

MIWTB DP Instruct

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Three D’s of Outreach

This week in Life Groups we are encouraging you to intentionally reach out to the people in your life who you know need the love and grace of God in their lives. Here is a video with a few tips and thoughts on how to go about doing that.

Movie 2

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The Price is Right and Women’s Renovate

Price is Right and Womens Renovate

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A short video message from Pastor Brandon Beard about women’s Renovate. Click here http://bit.ly/WomensRenovate to learn more about Renovate or email bbeard@reallifechurch.org.

a church that shares possessions

This week I’m going to follow Andy’s lead (from last week) and point you to some web resources that say what I would try to say, only much better! I want specifically to talk about how we can expand the reach of our care even beyond our immediate borders. One of the difficulties with the concept of sharing possessions with those in need is that many of the world’s real needs don’t seem accessible to us. We know about the difficult people in other parts of the world face, but we are powerless to help.

Well, I want to tell you about one very important and practical way you can help. Some of you may have heard of microlending or microloans. Basically, the concept is that you can lend money to resource-less entrepreneurs who will use the money to achieve sustainable living in their own context. You help them help themselves, so to speak. This is a hugely valuable thing for many reasons. It’s not a handout but rather an empowering opportunity. Since it’s a loan you eventually get the money back, and you can either get the cash or re-direct the loan to someone else. Anyhow, below is a video that clearly explains the process by telling one story of a microloan. You can find out more, and (more importantly) participate in something like this yourself, by visiting Kiva’s website (to see the page that describes clearly how the process works, click here). And for more information and resources from a Christ-centered perspective, click here. Okay, here’s the video:

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

a church that faces persecution

This week, rather than me trying to talk about something with which I really don’t have much experience, I thought I would let people tell their own stories. Below is a YouTube video by an organization called The Voice of the Martyrs. You can read all about them at www.persecution.com. There are stories, videos, pictures, and first hand accounts that will move your heart and in some cases bring you to tears. Persecution is real and the church around the world IS facing it.

WARNING: there are some graphic images and messages in this video. Proceed with caution and please make sure your kids are not watching until you have had a chance to preview it.

For more reading, make a habit of visiting the Persecution Blog. They usually post daily and the stories will encourage your faith and make you more aware of the plight of our brothers and sisters around the world.

a church that heals

For week four, Brandon brings a teaching from the book of Acts on the topic of healing.

A Church that Heals

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