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

]]> http://lifegroupsblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/sea-container-inventory/feed/ 3 frack photo Children of the Nations http://lifegroupsblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/uganda-the-hope-of-hellen/ http://lifegroupsblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/uganda-the-hope-of-hellen/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:49:59 +0000 Brandon Beard http://lifegroupsblog.wordpress.com/?p=456 Continue reading →]]> 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.

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…)

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.

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.

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.