Christmas For Thousands

What do you want for Christmas?

A new laptop?  A book?  A new outfit?  Jewelry?

Seriously, what do you want for Christmas?

In the United States, Christmas is so focused on materialism.  Stores are already playing Christmas music.  Christmas displays were setup in most stores the day after Halloween.  I’m sure the commercials on television are advertising the things you MUST have.

What if you decided to make Christmas more about giving than receiving?  What would happen if you found ways to make Christmas really special for those who have nothing?

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”  Acts 20:35

Here’s one suggestion for making this happen.  For $5, you can make Christmas super special for a young child in Xenacoj (in Guatemala) or in one of the nearby villages.  $5 goes a long way in Guatemala.  Based on our experience, you can be sure that $5 will be stretched as far as possible to provide the best Christmas for these kids.  Without your generosity, most of these children will not have a gift to open for Christmas.

While we were in Guatemala this summer, we worked directly with GO! Ministries.  Each year, GO! Ministries collects gifts and purchases gifts with donations, so they can distribute gifts to the children of Xenacoj.  Over the past several years, Christmas for Thousands has grown.  It has provided for the orphans and poor children in the area.  And it has opened the door for GO! Ministries to share the gospel with families in these communities throughout the year.

Check out this video to get a little glimpse into Christmas For Thousands.  Then consider how you might be able to help out.  For more information click here.

How do you make Christmas more about giving than receiving?

Making Corn Tortillas

On Saturday night, I made my very own corn tortillas.  This may not sound all that exciting to my friends and readers advanced in the culinary arts, but it was a big deal to me.  The tortillas I made cannot be purchased in most stores in the United States.  The corn tortillas you may purchase at a store in the U.S. is typically made by machines into perfectly round and very flat shells.

My tortillas are not quite as flat and definitely not perfectly round.  But they bring me to a place I will never forget.  Here are some pictures from my tortilla making experience along with some more details about what made these so special.

The tortillas started with MASECA – an corn flour made for tortillas and sold in stores that specialize in Latin American food.  I picked up the floor on Thursday when I was in Norristown, PA doing other business.  I was so excited when I discovered this little store which carried the flour necessary to make the tortillas.

While we were in Guatemala this summer, we ate a lot of handmade corn tortillas.  Our first full day in Xenacoj, we actually had the opportunity to make our own tortillas.  Try as we might, they never turned out as well as the ones made by the women of Xenacoj.

To make the tortillas, I combined 2 cups of corn flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and just enough water to make the flour stick together.  I mixed the dough for a couple of minutes until the mixture was combined.

Then I divided the dough into sixteen fairly equal parts.  I’m an engineer, so you can imagine that I did my best to make sure these were as equally divided as possible.  I rolled each part into a ball.  The directions on the flour back indicated that I should use a tortilla press to flatten the tortillas.  This would never work in the small villages of Guatemala.  Whenever I saw the tortillas being made, it was always done by hand.  The women would get a little water on their hands, and they would flatten the dough into perfectly round discs by passing the dough back and forth between their hands.  It was amazing how perfectly they made these.  After several attempts of my own, I was lucky to come up with anything looking remotely similar to a full moon.  My tortillas were more irregular in shape.

Once I flattened out the dough ball, I put it on a hot skillet for a minute or two each side.  In Guatemala, the women cooked these on a flat sheet over a fire.  The skillet wasn’t quite the same, but it worked.  It was at this point of the process I really started missing Susie, Linda, and Susie’s girls who made most of our tortillas throughout the week we were in Guatemala.

After watching me struggle with the first couple of tortillas, my family jumped in and tried their hands at making tortillas.  We stood around the skillet talking about our experiences in Guatemala while we tortured the dough into some kind of submission.  As you can see by the picture above, our tortillas weren’t perfect.  It was okay though, we were remembering our experience and our Guatemala friends through this experience.

Finally, it was time to eat.  We had rice, black beans, sautéed onions, and handmade corn tortillas.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  Well almost.  It would have been much better if we were eating them in Guatemala with the Sgro family (the missionaries to Xenacoj), the Spooner family (the family from New York who joined us on the trip), the Espana family (the host family in Xenacoj), and you!

Since we came home from Guatemala in August, our family eats rice and beans at least once a week.  It’s a great way to remember our experiences.  It’s also a great opportunity to remember our friends in Xenacoj.  This is how much of the world eats every day and every meal.  We take this time to pray for those in Xenacoj, to pray for the Sgro family, the Spooner family, and the Espana family, and to pray for open hearts to serving those who need a little boost.  It may just seem like rice, beans, and tortillas to you, but to our family this meal means so much more.

What did you have for dinner last night?  What meals do you eat that remind you of something special?  Have you ever made a corn tortilla?

Cheer Each Other On

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

My Guatemala story would be incomplete if I failed to talk about the importance of cheering each other on toward love and good deeds – especially when it comes to marriage.

My initial leap of faith decision to go to Guatemala would not have happened had it not been for my wife.  Let me explain.

Two years before my initial trip to Guatemala, my wife and I were planning to go to Nairobi, Kenya on a mission trip with a group from our church.  We saved and raised money to go on this trip.  We got our shots.  We purchased our airline tickets, and we made our final deposits for the trip.  As we finalized our preparations for the trip, something wasn’t quite right.  My wife’s health was beginning to deteriorate.  We visited her doctor, and we tried to make some adjustments.  But it wasn’t enough.  Four weeks before the trip, we made the difficult decision to cancel our plans.  It was one of the toughest decisions we have ever had to make.  We didn’t have travel insurance.  We couldn’t get our money back, and we were missing out on a “dream” mission trip to serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Nairobi.  I remember feeling lonely and defeated.  Would we ever be able to go on an international mission trip again?  More importantly, would my wife’s health improve?

Without going into detail, things got worse before they got better.  Leanne ended up in the hospital in September just weeks after we would have come back from Kenya.  It was clear that being in Nairobi at this time would not have been a good idea for us.  Leanne’s recovery was slow but steady.  She was released from the hospital in early October, and she began the process of healing.

Throughout the healing process, we continued our desire to serve others.  We launched our H.O.P.E. group (Helping Other People Everywhere) serving the local community with other families.  This has filled much of our desire to serve others, but there was still an itch begging to be scratched.  We still desired to serve internationally.

Fast forward to last spring, our youth pastor asked if I would go on the high school summer mission trip to Guatemala as a chaperone.  I can’t tell you how much I struggled with this decision.  How could I “risk” leaving my wife and son home alone while I traveled to Guatemala with our daughter?  I prayed.  I sought godly council from friends and family.  And I wrestled through a lot of fear and doubt.  In the midst of this, my biggest cheerleader kept encouraging me to go.  Leanne said go over and over again.  She knew it would be hard, but she knew it was the right thing to do.  She kept cheering.  She kept spurring me on toward love and good deeds.

You know the story.  I ended up going to Guatemala in 2012, and the trip rocked my world.

Upon my arrival home, I had so many stories to share.  I indicated my desire to go back again.  And Leanne listened to my stories – a little jealous about my experiences and a lot more interested in going overseas for missions.  Our family talked and prayed about going somewhere together as a family in 2013.  We kept coming back to Guatemala.

This decision gave me an opportunity to be the cheerleader.  Leanne was a little concerned about the language barrier that went with being in a strange place.  As the week went along, I tried to encourage Leanne, and I prayed she would connect with the people of Xenacoj as we ministered together.  It was amazing to watch her fear and frustration transform into enthusiasm and excitement.  I will always remember our last day in Xenacoj.  Leanne was in tears – good tears.  She didn’t want to leave yet.  Xenacoj had captured her.

Our reentry back into life in the United States has gone relatively smoothly.  Yet we’ve been left with a huge desire in our heart for serving the people of Guatemala.  And so our story continues to evolve.  It’s our turn to cheer you on.  While we prepare for another trip to Guatemala at some point, we want to encourage you.  We want to spur you on toward love and good deeds.  Maybe it’s in your office.  Maybe it’s in your neighborhood.  Maybe it’s overseas.  Maybe with us in Guatemala.

How will you share love and good deeds with others today?

Who is your biggest cheerleader?  Who do you need to encourage today?

What are you being encouraged to pursue?

Book Idea…Moving Ahead…Asking For Help

If you happen to follow me on Facebook, you may have seen a couple of status updates from me over the past couple of weeks about writing a book and talking to book publishers.  I’ve learned a lot the past two weeks about the whole process by talking to a couple of friends who have navigated the book writing/publishing journey for themselves.  And I’m hoping to tap into more people in the coming days and weeks as I move down this road.

I thought it might be helpful to share my early ideas with you.  I’d love to get some feedback from you as I value your thoughts and opinions as part of The Stretched Community.

I want to help Christian “couch potatoes” to understand the value of moving outside their comfort zone, so they can live a life worth living.  Specifically, I hope my own leap of faith, short-term mission trip story will inspire others to take similar leaps of faith.  In my book, I’ll share practical tips for moving off the couch and into the mission field of life.

This is a work in progress, but it’s a start I wanted to share with all of you.

Now, here’s where you come in.  I’d love to get your thoughts, ideas, and questions about this topic to help me focus my ideas.

What do you need to know about short-term missions?

What do you want to know about my short-term missions story?

What specifically would make this a book you just have to read and share with others?

Does this sound like something that would interest you?

Do you have any advice for a first time book writer like myself?

Seriously, I would like to hear your feedback.  Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Thanks!

A Leap Starts With A Step Forward

“That’s one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind.”  ~Neil Armstrong

Over the past couple of years, I’ve written a lot about taking leaps of faith.

When you think of a leap, what comes to mind?

I don’t know about you, but I think of a giant lunge forward.  I think of a Carl Lewis size jump ahead.  I think of Michael Jordan taking off from the foul line on the way to an amazing slam dunk.  I think of those crazy guys in wing suits who jump off of cliffs like they are flying squirrels.

I don’t usually think about an inch forward.  Yet a small step can be just as terrifying as jumping out of a plane.  And a small step may require just as much faith as something considered more extreme.

I want to encourage you to dream big, but I also want to remind you to start small.

What are you waiting for?

Why are you standing still as though your feet are stuck in concrete? 

What small step of faith do you need to take today?

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matthew 17:20

I’ve talked a lot recently about going on a short-term mission trip.  Maybe that is just too big and scary for you right now.  Just maybe you need to take a smaller step right now.

Here are a five suggestions for taking smaller steps towards a short-term mission trip:

• Learn about a foreign land.  Get on-line.  Read about Guatemala.  Learn about Haiti.  Educate yourself about a part of the world that needs to know the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
• Connect with a missionary.  Develop a pen pal relationship with a missionary from your church.  Get on their mailing list, so you can read about their adventures and ministry.
• Pray.  Pray that God would help you to take a bigger leap of faith in the future.  Pray for the people and missionaries you are learning about.
• Get some skin in the game.  Consider giving to a missionary you trust.  Or consider supporting someone else as they pursue their own short-term mission trip.  Your financial contribution – big or small – could have a huge impact on those in need.
• Start today.  Do something small today.  Don’t wait until tomorrow.  It probably won’t happen if you keep putting it off.

El Gringo Gigante – 4 Reasons To Go On A Short-Term Mission Trip

When we left for Guatemala, our family had all kinds of feelings and fears.  Little did we realize the people of Guatemala would have just as many feelings and fears about us.

I remember walking through the streets of Xenacoj the first night we were there.  I felt out-of-place in some ways.  I didn’t fit in the makeshift shelters.  My skin was quite pale compared to the darker complexion of the Guatemalans.  And I couldn’t understand most of the words floating through the nighttime air.

Everywhere I went in Guatemala, kids and adults pointed at me.  Many even laughed.  They whispered or snickered to their friends, “El Gringo Gigante!”  I think some kids were even a little afraid of me.  I towered over everybody in Guatemala.  I’m nearly 6’6″, and most Guatemalans are challenged to make it to 5’6″.  Once the kids saw me smile, they usually lightened up.  Some were shy, but most kids seemed thrilled when I came over to ask them questions in my broken Spanish.

I interacted with many kids while we were in Guatemala.  While my Spanish is pretty weak, a smile is universal.

It’s amazing the difference a week can make.  By the end of the week, the villagers were saying hello to me (actually they were saying “Bueno”).  They weren’t laughing at me (at least not as much).  And I felt comfortable there as well.

Many people are afraid to travel to a foreign land.  They don’t know what to expect.  Will they be safe?  Will they be accepted?

I get it.  For many, international travel requires a huge leap of faith to go to a foreign land – especially when it requires serving and getting dirty.  A short term missions trip may be just the recipe you need to overcome your fears.

Here are four reasons to consider going on an international short-term mission trip:

• An international short-term mission trip opens your eyes to how the 98% really live.  There are third world countries within a few hour plane ride of the United States.  As Americans, we complain about the rising cost of healthcare and the tough economic times we are enduring.  Go see how people live in countries like Haiti and Guatemala.  I guarantee it will change your perspective.
• An international short-term mission trip opens your mind to imagine a different world.  While there are many sad things about life in a third world country, there is also hope.  I left Guatemala with so many new hopes and dreams for myself, my family, and the people of Xenacoj.  I imagine the people of Xenacoj learning new skills that will help them thrive.  I imagine their kids growing up nourished and inspired.  And I imagine an entire village on fire for Christ.
• An international short-term mission trip opens your mouth to share the message of hope.  While we were in Xenacoj, I definitely felt more encouraged to share the gospel message with those I encountered.  And since I’ve come home, I’ve been encouraged to share about our journey.  I want others to know they can help make a difference for the orphans and the widows.  They can take a similar journey and be forever changed.
• An international short-term mission trip opens your heart.  If you’re dragging, if you’re uninspired, if you’re spirit is down, consider going on a short-term mission trip.  Your heart will be ripped open for people who need help and who need to know the love and hope of Christ.  This will also change your perspective on your daily interactions at home.  We work and interact with people everyday in our jobs, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools who need to know the love and hope of Christ.

Don’t take my word for it.  After all, I’m just a “Gringo Gigante”!  Try a trip out for yourself.  Now is the time to start planning a trip for the spring or summer of 2014.  If you need some encouragement or ideas, look me up.  I’d love to help!

How could an international short-term mission trip open you up to something amazing?  How has an international short-term mission trip change you?  What’s holding you back from going on an international short-term mission trip?

Tuned In – Keeping Your Ears Open To God’s Voice

This radio tower stands tall above the village of Santa Clara.  Santa Clara sits on the mountain top ridge as you drive out of the Lake Atitlan valley in Guatemala.  The tower is not a lot different from what you might see in the United States, but this one represents something pretty significant in our trip to Guatemala.

Let me explain.

We spent most of our time in Xenacoj (or nearby), but part of our trip included an exploratory trip to Lake Atitlan (one of the ten most beautiful lakes in the entire world).  The goal of this one day, one night trip was to find another location where GO! Ministries might be able to expand their ministry in Guatemala.  After staying in a beautiful bed and breakfast on the coast of the lake and serving children in the village of San Pedro, we felt it was time to move on.

Nothing felt exactly right for expanding GO!’s reach until we stumbled upon the village of Santa Clara as we were driving back to Xenacoj on Thursday.  When we stopped in Santa Clara, our intent was to stop for 15 minutes so our team could stretch their legs and one of our team members who was fighting illness could get some fresh air.  Our fifteen minute pit stop turned into a 3 hour appointment.

After walking through the town square where local marching bands were playing in exhibition on what must have been a holiday in this town, we decided to walk through a few of the streets to get a better feel for the town.  What was the need?  Were they open to this type of ministry?  Would the churches in Santa Clara welcome GO! Ministries as partners or would they cast them out?

While we were walking down one of the streets, we ran into a local pastor and his wife.  It was as if God had set up this meeting.  We ended up talking in the street for several minutes learning more about the town and its openness to missionaries.  We learned a lot in those minutes.  Santa Clara is about three times bigger than Xenacoj.  The people in the town struggle with similar issues that inflicted Xenacoj.  Poverty is one of the challenges in Santa Clara, and divorce is another challenge in Santa Clara.

We did our  best to understand what was being said, but it was a challenge to understand the Spanish language being exchanged between the pastor, his wife, and our missionary friends.

We decided to take a walk to the pastor’s church.  The church is also home to a school.  We poked our heads into a couple of the classrooms.  The children were amused at the site of “the Gringos”.  We learned that the church was open to partnering with GO! Ministries and their martial arts ministry.

From there, we asked if they would join us for more conversation and a bite to eat.  They agreed, and we ended up in a restaurant near our van.

As we sat down in the restaurant, it was amazing to listen as the discussion continued.  Like Xenacoj, there were a mix of Catholic and Evangelical churches in the community.  It appeared these churches do work together to a degree to spread the message of help.  From our discussion, it was quite obvious that there was more need for help – spreading God’s Word, teaching, and helping with the widows and the orphans of the town.

Our missionary friend, Dave Sgro, had been praying about a place to expand their ministry.  He was hoping to find a place that was similar to Xenacoj.  He was hoping to find a place 3-4 hours away from Xenacoj.  He was hoping to find a place open to break dancing and martial arts (two tools that they used in Xenacoj to engage with the community).  And they were hoping to find the place where God was calling them.

It was interesting to watch this unfold.

Could this have happened if Dave had just prayed about it but stayed in Xenacoj?  I suppose, but it doesn’t seem realistic to me.

Could this have happened if Dave and his family took a vacation to Lake Atitlan without thinking about expansion of the ministry?  Again, I suppose, but I don’t think this would be realistic either.

After much prayer and thought, Dave took action by going to Lake Atitlan.  He didn’t know exactly where he would land, but he realized that God had given him a vision for serving in another community, and he went.  He had his antenna up as we explored the area right by the lake, and it didn’t feel right – it didn’t match the vision that God had laid upon his heart.  He kept the antenna up as we began our journey home, and we “stumbled upon” the village of Santa Clara.  Was it an accident?  I don’t think so.

I will always remember this divine appointment in Santa Clara.  How God uses GO! Ministries in this town is still being worked out, but I will forever be marked by what I experienced in our three-hour pit stop to Santa Clara.

How do you listen for God’s voice?  What have you heard lately?  And how will you respond to His voice?

Ice Breaker – Discover Columbus Day

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

This week’s Ice Breaker is inspired by Columbus Day.  This is a day when Americans celebrate the discover of America by Christopher Columbus.  While many will question whether or not he actually discovered America, there is little doubting his pioneering spirit.  With this in mind, I hope you’ll chime in with an answer to this week’s Ice Breaker question.

Question:  What discovery or invention are you especially thankful for today?

My Answer:  I’m especially thankful for the invention of the toilet.  After doing a little research on Wikipedia (assuming you can trust this resource), this is an invention that has evolved over time.  Many of us in developed nations take this invention for granted.  When we were in Guatemala, they had toilets, but you couldn’t flush toilet paper down the toilet.  I’m assuming their sewer systems were not designed to handle this extra paper waste.  When you go number 2 in Guatemala, you have to put your used toilet paper in a waste container typically located next to the toilet.  It’s a little strange.

Needless to say, I was thankful when we returned to the United States where our toilets and sewage systems can handle our waste.  Our trip to Guatemala was a great reminder that many people in the world do not have clean water and advanced sewage systems.  This is a basic necessity that helps people stay clean and healthy.  I’m grateful for organizations which have begun to tackle these problems.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the weekly Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

Life Is An Adventure – Are You Living Like It?

Life is an adventure.  Are you living like it?

Honestly, I’m typically a “keep it the same” kind of guy.  I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day.  I eat nearly the same thing for lunch every day at work.  I get up at the same time every day.

Routine is a good thing.  At least I think so.  But sometimes our routines prevent us from experiencing adventures that are screaming for us to break free of our comfort zones.  Going to Guatemala this summer was definitely an adventure – a contrast from the routines of my life.

Our trip certainly didn’t match up with the typical American vacation to the beach, to the mountains, or to some resort.  While we did eat one or two fancy meals on our trip to Guatemala, we didn’t eat in any expensive restaurants.  In fact, we ate a lot of rice, beans, and corn tortillas.  We certainly didn’t ride in any luxurious motor homes, trains, or sports cars.  But we did take some rides we will never forget.

The morning we went to San Antonio was an adventure I will never forget.

As I mentioned earlier, we took a long and curvy road from Xenacoj up to San Antonio.  The road was paved most of the way until we turned right onto a dirt road.  One of us said something about riding on the roof of the van.  Before we knew it, the white, 15 passenger van had stopped and five of us were climbing on top of the van to sit on the uncomfortable metal roof rack.  When we were all positioned as comfortably as possible, one of us banged our fist on the van’s roof, and we proceeded up the rugged dirt road for a ride we’ll always remember.

The initial part of the road passed by fields where workers were cultivating the fields by hand.  They waved to us calling out “Bueno!”  (Or “Hello”).  Across the fields in the distance we could see volcanoes stretching way above the horizon touching the sky.  Continuing up the bumpy road, we passed a couple of cows and horses grazing on the side of the mountains tied to a fence post or stake.  The clouds in the sky looked like fluffy pillows spread throughout the sky and wrapping themselves around the nearby mountains.

Climbing higher, we passed a pump house that was built by another missions organization used to get water closer to the people of San Antonio.  Looking down the side of the van, you could see where a previous group had dug a trench up the side of the road to deliver PVC pipes filled with water to the homes on top of the mountain.

Suddenly, we arrived in the small village.  We passed a few homes – many built with cornstalks and sheets of metal and some built with concrete block.    We started seeing signs of life.  A woman walking up the road with a load balanced on her head was a reminder that we weren’t in Kansas any more.  Our van pulled to a stop next to the one and only school in San Antonio – a place that would grip our hearts further.  It’s here where the faces of children were etched in our memories and hearts for ever.

What if we didn’t go on this adventure?  What if we didn’t climb on the roof of the van?  What if we didn’t drive up to San Antonio?

We would have missed out.  We might have passed right by the “appointment” with these children.  We may have lost the opportunity to be touched in such an amazing way.  We could have been left out on the adventure of a lifetime.

But…

We didn’t!

Adventures can be scary.  They can be bumpy.  They can be completely uncomfortable.

And…

Adventures can be totally worth it!  They can touch you in ways you never imagined.  They can inspire you (and others).  They can absolutely change you from the inside out.  I will forever be marked by this adventure.  I know we helped the people of San Antonio, but they also impacted me in amazing ways.

What adventure do you need to pursue?  What’s holding you back?  When has it been worth it to get outside your comfort zone in pursuit of adventure?

Priceless Popsicles

What can you purchase for $12.50?

What did you purchase last week that cost $12.50?

Lunch?

A quarter tank of gas?

A ticket to the movies?

This summer, the value of $12.50 took on a whole new perspective for our family while we were in Guatemala.

Yesterday, I shared a little about our trip to San Antonio.  Today, I want to share a little more about this trip.

On our way out of Xenacoj, our van pulled over at a local store.  Dave, our missionary friend, jumped out of the van and ran into the store.  Within a few minutes, he popped out of the store with three boxes in his arms.  As he climbed back into the van, he passed the boxes back for us to see.

As the van started moving, Dave asked us if we were ready to see one hundred kids smile.  He went onto explain that he had just purchased 100 Popsicles and ice creams for a grand total of 90 Quetzals.  90 Quetzals is equivalent to $12.50 (US Dollars).  Amazing!

When we arrived in San Antonio, we saw the poorest children we saw while we were in Guatemala.  These children struggled with malnutrition, hygiene, and general poor health.  They do not experience any of the luxuries that we take for granted.  They don’t get three healthy meals a day.  They don’t have a closet full of clothing.  They don’t have an abundance of toys or books.  Do they get ice cream very often?  I don’t think so.

This was a real treat for these children.  And it was incredible to see them enjoy this very special treat.

It cost us 90 Quetzals and a quarter tank of gas, but the results were priceless.

I will never forget the look on the faces of these children as they accepted these cold treats and as they enjoyed the cool flavors.  I know we live in a different place where prices are naturally higher, but I will never again have a Popsicle without thinking of the children in San Antonio.

How might you spend $12.50 this week that would change someone’s life?  I’d love to hear your ideas!