Christmas Shoes

Thank you to everyone who shared my GIVE AWAY on their blog!

Thank you to everyone who posted a link to my GIVE AWAY on Facebook!

Thank you to everyone who purchased a bottle cap necklace!

Thank you to everyone who made my Christmas wish come true!

I received orders for 314 necklaces and 1 very generous donation (thanks Aunt Tamara)!!!

Together we were able to raise $1870 and...

All 42 new children at Kind Hearts will have new shoes!!!

All 21 new children at Trees of Glory will have new shoes!!!

AND

40 of the children at Kechene will have new shoes!!!

That's 103 new pairs of shoes!!!!

34 really cool people left me extremely sweet comments and were entered into my GIVE AWAY.  Everyone's name went into a bag for the drawing and the lucky winner is...

LORI LAUGHNER!!!

Congratulations Mrs. Laughner !! 
You have won 10 necklaces of your choice!

I will keep making necklaces to buy shoes for the rest of the kids at Kechene.  Many of the kids there are hoping to have someone who will sponsor them and provide them with the things they need.  When Greta, the coordinator for Kechene, wrote to me about the kids there, this is what she said:

...They are desperate for food, shoes, new uniforms, and teacher's salaries. The children are well behaved and well mannered. They range from age 5-12 and are single orphaned children and most of them are destitute. They are malnourished, yet the most joyful children you have ever seen.  Some of their shoes had their toes pointing right through the front of them.  The sweaters of all the uniforms were frayed and the wrong sizes. When watching some of the children interact with the teachers, you could tell they loved them and the teachers back to the children. It was an amazing place to be.  I saw hope in the teachers' eyes and the director's words. They said, "You are an answer to our prayers."




To learn more about sponsoring a child at Kechene, you can contact my friend Greta Byers at greta-givemeyoureyes.blogspot.com.

Here are a few pictures that Karen Wistrom took during the November mission trip of kids wearing their new shoes:

Peace... Love... Do Good,

Sami

203 pairs of shoes

SOMETHING FUN:  The winner of my GIVE AWAY, Mrs. Laughner, wanted to share 5 of her necklaces.  She had the fun idea of doing another drawing.  The next name I drew was Jennifer Bridges!!!  When I told Mrs. Bridges the good news, she told me which 5 necklaces she wanted and then bought 5 more necklaces and asked me to draw another name for a 3rd winner!!!  I drew the name Tracy Wages!  Congratulations Mrs. Wages!!!  You have also won 5 necklaces of your choice!

All I Want for Christmas is…60 Pairs of Shoes

As I mentioned in my last blog post, there are 42 new kids at Kind Hearts that are hoping to be matched with sponsor families in the United States. There are also 18 new children that have just joined the group at Trees of Glory. I thought how great it would be if we could raise the funds to buy a new pair of shoes for each of these kids this Christmas season.

$18 will buy a good pair of custom made shoes for these children. For most, it will be the first pair of new shoes they have ever had. For some, it may be the only pair of shoes they have ever had. I figure it will cost $1080.00. I have $215 ready to be sent to a special shoe fund at Children’s HopeChest for these kids. That means I need to sell 173 more necklaces!!  I have a bunch of new designs that Becky Burk (Adopt Africa Designs) made especially for us!! I think they are adorable. You can see more detailed images to the left under "Designs".

I need your help to spread the word, which is why I am having a GIVE AWAY!!!! On December 18, I will have a drawing and one person will win ANY 10 NECKLACES of their choice!! To have your name entered into the drawing, all you have to do is share my blog. You can post a link either on your blog or facebook page and then leave me a comment in the comments section of this post.

This is great news for you because bottle cap necklaces make super cute gifts!! They would be perfect for your friends, your kids, your grandkids, your parents and grandparents, your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, your coaches, your teachers, your mailman, your babysitter, your youth pastor, your dog walker, Barack Obama, your orthodontist, your school mascot, your favorite barrista, your bus driver…you get the idea – pretty much everybody! I will include a little note with each necklace letting the person who receives it know that a donation was made to help buy shoes for orphans in Ethiopia. Who wouldn’t love that?!?

Because I want you to receive your necklaces in time for Christmas, I will finish all orders everyday and my mom will go to the post office everyday…because moms love to do that :0) My dad will provide all of the supplies so that 100% of your purchase will be donated!!

So…if you please, order some necklaces, share it on your blog, post a link on Facebook, and leave me a comment. Come back often for updates and to find out if you are the winner!!

Read more about the kids at Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory and find out how to sponsor a child at Karen Wistrom’s blog, Family from Afar.

Peace…Love...Do Good!!
Merry Christmas,
Sami
Over 100 pairs of shoes so far!!

Note: Bottle cap necklaces are not water-proof and are not for small children. You may experience overwhelming joy while wearing your bottle cap necklace. Normal side effects include: compliments from strangers and looks of admiration. If these symptoms occur, continue to wear your necklace and share my blog. When given as a gift, people may have a heightened sense of how cool you really are. Children should not be fed broccoli more than once a month, but should always receive dessert before and after every meal.  If you feel sad because you want to place an order but don't have a PayPal account, just send me an e-mail using the "Contact Me" button in the column on the left.

UPDATE:  I've been crazy busy over the past  6 days.  A whole bunch of really cool people have been ordering necklaces and sharing my blog!!  We have met our goal and will be able to provide shoes for all 60 new kids at Trees of Glory and Kind Hearts!!!  I am still getting orders and will be using the extra money to buy shoes for Kechene Orphanage, another Children's HopeChest care point where over 55 kids are enrolled!!

Here's an amazing video where you can see a little bit of Kechene Orphanage:  http://vimeo.com/3565906

Ethiopia

We had an awesome time in Ethiopia. It was great to meet my new brother. We are waiting on one more piece of paperwork so we can officially call him ours. The day we met him (Metcha Day) he came out with a big smile and many hugs and kisses for us. He wanted constant attention…and balloons :). He is adorable from his little feet to his face with those big brown eyes.

We also spent a day with the children at Kind Hearts. This is one of the care points that receives the funds raised when you buy one of my necklaces. On the ride to Kind Hearts we picked up some fruit and powdered milk to go with the treats and little gifts that were to be given to the kids there. As they opened the door of the school the kids came running out and showered us with hugs and kisses. We brought many beach balls to play with while we were there. We played the Ethiopian version of Duck, Duck, Goose. One of the best things about going there was getting to meet our sponsor child, Biruk. He was shy, but still played catch with us. It was great to spend some time with him.

We were surprised to find out that 42 more children had arrived at Kind Hearts and needed sponsor families. If you want to know more about how you can help out these amazing children, visit Karen Wistrom’s blog,
Family from Afar. I also hope to raise enough money for 42 new pairs of shoes!! $18 buys a good custom-made pair of shoes for one of these children. Order a bottle cap necklace and 100% of your purchase will be donated to Children’s HopeChest for the shoe fund.

Be sure to visit soon for new designs! Bottle cap necklaces would make great Christmas gifts!

Peace…Love…Do Good,
Sami