Christmas Blessings and Next Week's Needs

As promised, I just got the list for Christmas gifts today and am ready to share it with you all but before everyone chooses what they want to purchase, let me give a few guidelines to make this go smoothly.  

1. Scroll to the bottom of this post.  
2. You'll see the comments.  If no comments have been made then it will simply be the words "No Comments" in blue.   
3. Once you read the list, check the comments, choose an item and record in the comments which item you want to buy. 

Ok.  For some reason, not everyone can post in comments and I have no idea why.  Please text me (314-540-4718) with what you would like to purchase off of the Christmas list and I'll update the blog regularly.  Thanks!


This will keep multiple people from purchasing the same items.  So, here's the current Christmas Blessings list:

1. Remote Controlled Truck
2. Star Wars or Lord of the Rings Legos
3. Duct Tape Craft Kit
4. Computer or Xbox game to help with reading or other educational emphasis
5. Monster High Voice Activated Personal Journal
6. Orange or Black Nike Hoodie in a medium
7. Santa Express Train (Not Wooden) at CVS
8. My Little Pony Wedding Princess Candance  at Target
9. My Little Pony Glimmer Wings Rainbow Dash or My Little Pony Crystal Pony
10. Legos Ninjago Lloyd (Green Ninja) or Lego Ninjago Jay's Storm Fighter
11. Madagascar 3 DVD

This is obviously not all of our kids but this is the list we currently have and I know that some of you are itching to get shopping.  :)


On a different note, here's what we need to fill the bags for next week's bags AND WE NEED TO RECEIVE EVERYTHING BY WEDNESDAY this week:

50 breakfast bars
23 tuna fish
38 ritz cracker sleeves
35 soup
45 22 corn
21 fruit cups
19 applesauce
22 pudding cups

A HUGE thank you to everyone who checks this week after week and takes the time, money and effort to help take care of the kids in this community!

AH-MAZING!

I literally cannot explain how much I love being a part of this! 

Gavin and Chris carried bags of food to the basement last night after dinner.  I always love to see Gavin try to carry the heaviest of bags to show what a strong man he's growing into.  It makes my heart so happy to see him and his daddy serving others together.

I counted what we had and what we still needed a couple of different times last night and went to bed after making an update on Facebook around 10 p.m.  The porch was bare and the shelves were over half way filled.  
It was a pretty good day.  

As usual, I struggled to get up when the alarm went off this morning but made my way down to my coffee and then to the couch to where the kids call "Mom's quiet place until we get up."  A little while later Chris got up and, in his normal morning routine, took the dog to the front door to let her out.  He opened the door, looked startled and announced "We've got a small grocery store on our front porch!"  

I got up and saw this:

Isn't it beautiful?!  The poor little dog had to be lifted over the bags to get out to the yard to go potty!  I loved it! We celebrated and worshiped the God who provides as we carried the bags inside and again later when the kids helped me carry them to the basement.  It was a great morning.

8:45 rolled around and shoes were being put on along with coats... I grabbed my purse and went on to the car because I refuse to participate in morning arguments while they get themselves out the door.  We pulled out of the garage and my eyes saw it... 

               the porch was full again! 

The kids eyes were huge and I'm sure mine were too.  Down the road and off to school we went.  We worshiped some more on our way.  As I pulled back down my street I chuckled to myself when I found someone else putting more on the porch.  

It was an amazing morning because God is amazing! 

This afternoon some Boy Scouts will come and pack the bags.  We have everything we need for today.  The bags will be full... just like my very full and grateful heart.  

I literally cannot explain how much I love being a part of this! 
  

Thanksgiving and this week

I am so sorry that I failed to give a Thanksgiving update BEFORE Thanksgiving as I should have!  With the hustle and bustle of getting everything to school and then getting my family out of town, I simply failed to do it.  The good news is that we did provide a Thanksgiving Blessing to every family that we serve!  It's just amazing how it all comes together every single time! 

I don't know where everyone in our community stands in relation to Jesus... I know that our we have donors with a variety of beliefs and I'm so thankful that we can all work together to show love to those in need.  For me, I confess that I am totally a believer of Jesus.  I don't just believe that he's the Messiah that was awaited for generations but that he is the one who walks with me through every good and bad day that I have.  It has been nothing short of amazing to see what can only be his hand working in Bear Necessities.  I am handed cash for Bear Necessities when I least expect it... or receive donations from people I didn't know knew about it and aren't in any way related to our school.  How things come in for Bear Necessities varies every.single.week but one thing does not vary;  we always have enough.  

I was talking with my kids this morning about what they have experienced of God and they both said the same thing:  he provides for our needs.  We talked about the story in Genesis 22 where God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son.  Abraham, acting in what has to be one of the greatest examples of faith ever, takes Isaac and heads off to the mountain.  Isaac, being a smart Israelite kid, asked his dad about the missing sacrifice.  I mean, his dad had said they were going to go make a sacrifice to God and they had the wood and the fire but nothing to kill as the actual sacrifice.  Abraham's reply was "God will provide." 

As the story goes, Abraham was just about to sacrifice his son when God stopped him and directed his attention to a ram caught in a thicket... the perfect sacrifice.  God provided.  

Abraham named that place Jehovah-Jireh, which means "God will provide."  I am blessed to say that because of Bear Necessities it is the name of God that my kids know best.  It is said often around our house because each week, in different ways, God always provides. 



Last year we were called to provide gifts for the kids and I hope that you'll be watching for a post about that in the next week.  I am still awaiting the list of what they want to come back from the school but I will get it up here as soon as I receive it.  I am also planning to provide for the weekends that fall over the Christmas break.  So those items will be added throughout the month of December which is why some of our numbers this week look larger than normal.


For this week, we will need:

46 30 individual cereal boxes
25 oatmeal
44 chili
50 22 beefaroni
22 easy mac envelopes
48 35 peas
48 juice boxes


Thank you to each person who is a part of the Bear Necessities community.  You are a huge blessing to so many and I'm so grateful to be a part of it!

18% there

Yesterday I received such an exciting phone call.  One family in our community has offered to provide Thanksgiving dinner for three families through Bear Necessities!  In addition to that, enough has been donated for one other family... which means we're are currently at about 18% of our Thanksgiving Blessing goal.  We still need YOU to step up and help our families!  It doesn't have to be enough for three families.  Every little bit helps!

UPDATE 11/12:  We currently have met 58% of our Thanksgiving goal and most of that was just this morning!  Let's keep it going!!!

For the two weeks before Thanksgiving we still need:

5 peanut butter
13 jelly

25 12 ritz cracker sleeves
26 8 easy mac envelopes
5 green beans
14 4 corn
24 soup
34 6 granola/cereal bars
24 individual cereal boxes

With so many of us having so much to be thankful for, please help us bless these wonderful kids and families in our community!

Only 15 more days to give for Thanksgiving Blessings...

We are still awaiting 25 cans of chili for this week and a few cans of peas but I just keep having Thanksgiving Blessings on my mind!  I keep remembering our exciting trip to the store last year to get all of their yummy Thanksgiving food and how excited and blessed they were to receive it.   I am praying that in the next few days we will have enough donations to get everything together for these families.  I hope that you'll join me in praying for this and that if you feel that helping out is something you'd like to do, I hope you will!

I had forgotten to mention before that donations can be sent to school and brought to the attention to Mr. Marion.  Donations can also be given to me in person or dropped off at the house or mailed to 118 Wimbledon ct., O'Fallon, MO 63368

Remember the deadline is November 16

I've looked at what we'll need for the next two weeks and am posting both week's now as there isn't as much as usual.  This will get us through the week BEFORE Thanksgiving.

17 cans tuna
44 sleeves ritz crackers
13 cans soup
2 soy nut butter or almond butter
5 peanut butter
24 jelly
11 green beans

Blessed and this week's needs

Prasie God our shelves are nearly full!  I have to admit that I'm a bigger worrier than I'd like to be.  Every single week, through members of our community, God provides what we need to fill the bags for our kids.  Not every person who gives actually has a kid at John Weldon or has ever even walked into the building.  Somehow... somewhere they heard someone talking about how we provide food for the weekend for kids who may not have enough food at home and they are moved to do what one donor said they "felt was the right thing to do."  Some faithfully go to the store every single week to get items from the list.  Some only buy a few items each week.  Some make one time financial donations.  Some are more high-tech and have a monthly donation set up through Alice and never have to get out of their jammies to still give. (Seriously, how cool is it to be productive while still in your jammies!) So, there's always enough... but I still worry.

I learned long ago that the most effective response to my worry is prayer and so that's what I do each week.  I worry and then I pray and let it go.  I worry and then I pray and let it go.  With Thanksgiving coming up and my hoping to be able to bless our families like we did last year, I have worried more.  What if no one donates?  What if there's not enough?   What if everyone stops giving and we have to stop Bear Necessities all together?! (Sadly, yes, my mind is a very scary place.)

This weekend the most awesome thing happened and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you because YOU are Bear Necessities and this was for you to see too!  I received a phone call from Danielle letting me know that some members of the St. Charles Elks Lodge had heard about Bear Necessities and wanted to donate.  This wasn't a Lodge donation but just something that a few members had felt they needed to do.  I was told that it was enough to "cover a table."  Mark brought his truck on Saturday morning and I told Danielle that it was like God opened the storehouses of Heaven!  It covered a table all right, a six foot long table!   Shelves went from totally empty to nearly full and for some items, I had to get a bigger shelf!  

This is how Bear Necessities works!  Everyone gives what they can when they can and somehow, God makes it enough!


There are still a few items that we need for this week just to keep some variety for the kids:

25 chili
5 beefaroni
3 peas

Yep, that's it!  I expect the next couple of weeks to have similar lists.  After looking at the full shelves and praying, what I would ask each of you to do is this:

Whatever you would normally give for the weekly donation, please donate toward blessing our families with Thanksgiving dinner.  What we are going to do is give them gift cards for Honey Baked Ham on Mid Rivers Mall Drive. (185 Mid Rivers Mall Dr, St. Peters, MO  63376) They have a yummy menu of items with everything from turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and southern pecan pie! 

You can drop off cash or if you're in the area, just grab a gift card at Honey Baked Ham yourself and drop it off. (drop off address:  118 Wimbledon Ct., O'Fallon, MO 63368)  I do ask that you not put cash in the box on the porch for obvious reasons.  I am home most days and do not feel that you're disturbing me so please call 314-540-4718, text or be old fashioned and just knock.  

To the people who give every week or every time they can, THANK YOU!  

To the people who cannot give but pray faithfully for there to be enough, THANK YOU!

To Mark and his friends at the Elk's Lodge, you guys made Saturday morning for my family and we are so thankful to you!

Look at all that food and cute kids to boot! 
(excuse the lovely bed head on the princess as I made her get out of bed so she wouldn't miss the fun!)

Check out the nearly empty shelves in the back while ignoring the rest of the messy basement

Shelves are almost completely full and bookshelf moved over to hold all the ravioli and veggies!

Silly boy!  He makes me giggle. 

Oil Change Day at Calvary Church

Spending money... it's something that can bring great joy if it involves something you've been wanting and saving to get... you know, like those awesome leather riding boots or those oh-so-fabulous heels.  Sometimes, however, it is just downright painful... a broken window, an overflowing washing machine... or maybe nothing's broken at all but you know that if you don't maintain it, it will be... and that is so not as fun as new shoes!  Maybe it's just me but that's how I feel about things like getting the oil changed.  Blah.  Ugh.  Whine!   I mean, I've always said that I couldn't be a gambler and didn't really enjoy Vegas because if I'm handing someone money, I want to walk out the door with a bag full of something I wanted... something pretty, cute or at least useful!  When we my husband takes the car to get the oil changed, there's no bag full of fun stuff!  Alas, I'm so grateful that we CAN get the oil changed because, with two kids, we drive A LOT and i certainly can't walk too far in my new heels if my car breaks down!

Seriously, though, I know that for some, it's not at all lighthearted or silly.  I read an article about something today and it made me wonder how many of our Bear Necessities families might struggle with this.  "Do I buy food for my family or get the oil changed?"  It breaks my heart thinking about it!

So, just in case, I wanted to let you all know that a free oil change IS available to single moms and families who are struggling financially.  Where? you might ask.  Calvary Church, which I have the privilege of calling my church.  Members of the church hold an event twice a year and do 300-375 oil changes FOR FREE to help people in the community.  This weekend the oil changes will be happening out our Mid-Rivers campus. 

If you are needing some help with this, call the church because a reservation DOES have to be made:  636-939-4343

If you aren't needing help with this but you know someone who is, please pass this info on to them!

Thanks!