Merry Christmas! Love Sebastian

A long, long time ago, before he was born, I wrote a letter to Sebastian. In that letter, I talked about how Tim & I had decided to keep a running tab of all the purchases we made for Sebastian each year, and at the end of the year, make a donation in his honor to an organization that provides care for children around the world. I have to admit that I don’t do a great job of keeping a budget or documenting finances, but this is something that we took seriously, so I tried to keep up with it as best I could. After some research and deliberation, Tim & I decided to contribute a percentage of the purchases we had made for Seb to World Vision. We believe in their ministry and know that the money we shared with them will be put to very good use. We also tried to be intentional about which categories we selected to direct the funds we were contributing. Sebastian played an active role in the selection process, too! We showed him pictures of different children, projects, ministries, etc., and if he laughed or smiled, it seemed like it was a good fit!

Here’s the list of things that Sebastian gave as his Christmas gift to the children of the world in 2009:

• Clothing for Children
• Orphans and Widows Fund
• Clean Water Fund
• $350 Worth of Necessities in the USA (through matching gift donations from corporations in the USA)
• Education for 1 Child
• Bicycle for a Girl
• Provide $490 Worth of Clothing (through matching gift donations from corporations in the USA)
• 2 Soccer Balls
• Art and Music Instruction
• Bed Nets for a Family
• Help for Children with Disabilities
• New Mother and Baby Kit
• Immunizations
• Provide $490 Worth of Medicines (provided by co-sponsoring pharmaceutical companies)

These are all things that we have been or will be able to readily provide for Sebastian, so we wanted to share them with others less fortunate. Our hope is that, over time, Sebastian will develop a deep understanding of the worlds’ needs and grow a passion and love for the children of the world. Our prayer is that we will continue to be able to model this for him. Tim and I have both experienced poverty and the tremendous need that exists around the globe, and we feel compelled to give of our time and resources in order to help to bring equality and basic needs of life to others. We’re already praying about and planning our first family missions trip for later this year.

Sebastian also had the chance to prepare school kits for Mennonite Central Committee with his Grandma. This is something that she does every year with each of her grandchildren at Christmastime. And even though Sebastian is the youngest of them all, he really enjoyed stuffing those bags! (Never mind the slobber-drenched onesie he’s wearing – that’s just part of normal life around here.)

Many thanks, by the way, to Sebastian’s aunt, Tia Lydia, who made the Christmas card with Sebastian at the top of this post. It was such a special surprise to find that in his bag when he got home from her house his last visit before Christmas! It sounded like he really got a kick out of his first painting experience! Sebastian is so fortunate to spend quality time with his aunt and each of his grandmothers. We are incredibly BLESSED and THANKFUL for their presence in his life and the CARE they provide for him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! LOVE SEBASTIAN

Someone else put Sebastian to bed!

Tim & I had our first late night out last weekend to go to a "ball," and that meant babysitters for Sebastian. He's stayed with friends and family before (especially after this week of me going back to work), but I've always nursed him to sleep and put him to bed. This was a big step for us; Seb got a bottle from his loving "Uncle Marvin and Nanny Dori," and they put him down to sleep. And he slept. And he slept. Just like normal...'til his dawn wake-up time for an early breakfast. Nope - he didn't awaken when he sensed we were home and were in the bed right next to his hammock. Not even when I got the pump out and took the opportunity to build up some stock and improve my comfort level! It was a good learning experience for all of us. And I only texted Marvin once to find out how our little boy was doing! ;)

Anyways, the ball was a really cool idea. Laura & Terry Schanz held a ball to celebrate their 50th birthdays, and they donated all of the proceeds from the ball, a silent auction and a live auction to the Mix at Arbor Place, which is a faith-based youth center for inner-city kids in Southeastern Lancaster City... which happens to be the same neighborhood where I work serving the underserved. They ended up raising over $30,000! Sweet! It was such a great idea, that I'd love to do it myself at some point. I guess we'll have to start planning the benefit for Tim's 50th birthday, but at least we have a decade to do it! But which organization would we give to? There are so many worthy causes to choose from... which makes it a really good thing that we have 10 years to figure it out! :)