Amazed by the love for these little ones in Baja....

Seriously.

I am so in awe...

Not too long ago I wrote on here about Ravenna's Beauty to Ashes Project

helping the girls at the orphanage to know they are beautiful they are to God

and asked if anyone wanted to be involved....

Can I just tell you that simply and slowly...

Our.Garage.Is.Filling.Up!!!!!!

 First came these amazing hairbows from Leslee and her little girls...

 Can you believe it??????

Then came these treasures......

from a Alice and her family in Alaska.....

 Oh has Ravenna ever had fun!!!

I asked her what she was going to do with all of them and she instantly said...

Headbands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(you think she is a bit excited about this project???)

 So I got some headbands and she matched up every pair...

 while I was the trusty hot gluer!

 Aren't they stunning!!!! We have over 50 of them!!!!

 Some of you might remember Operation Notebook

which is our project to help fill the orphanage school with notebooks....

Notebooks have come in from all over the country...Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, Oregon,

and right next door!
We have hundreds of them!
Our garage is filled with boxes and bags of notebooks!

Our sweet neighbor Sahale just turned 5

at her birthday she and her friends decorated notebooks to send to the orphanage...

Aren't the kids going to LOVE these???

We have a family friend in a neighboring town has hand made these beautiful crosses...

150 of them!

I am so excited to see what God does with these!

This year this little guy came up with a plan of his own to bless the boys at the orphanage....

he told me

"Mama, what the boys really need is...

jump ropes!"

 My mom donated money to help with these....

we now have 80 jump ropes just waiting to be unfurled!

 and mydear friend Sara from years ago when we did college ministry in Boulder together mailed us this magical box.

It is full of all kinds of goodies to help in the daycare, in the school, at the dump ministry and in child outreach...

It is going to be so much fun!

 Some old friends from an international adoption playgroup that we were in when Ravenna first came home sent these along with beautiful ribbons for hairbows

Thanks Ali & Diego & friends!!!!

 Today we came home to a giant box on our front doorsteps....

A very special woman who is a friend of a friend gave Ravenna a very special gift...

she gave her money to go shopping at an online store called Halo Heaven

Ravenna got to pick out the goodies and Rebecca paid for it!

Did she ever have fun!

She took hours to pick and choose

all the time saying

"Oh Mama...the girls are going to be SO excited!"

and

"I cannot wait to see this one in Maggie's hair and this one!"

and

"Won't Ana Laura LOVE this one!"

She was dancing and twirling and singing herself around our kitchen as she shopped for her friends at the orphanage!

 We now have...

24 fairy wings!

148 beautiful hairclips!!!!!

 and 24 princess tiara's that will be so fun!!!

 Of course they wanted to try a few things on to make sure they worked....

our littlest angel :)

I'm pretty sure they should make some incredibly special girls

fell pretty darned beautiful.

I don't even know how to say thank you enough...

I get all choked up even trying....

as we box things up and dream of blessing these children in Baja that we love so much...

and many, many of you have given to Ravenna's project not only to help the children know they are beautiful,

but to fill their bellies and teach them the love of God.

I am stunned by the people

who have stepped forward to be God's hands and feet

the children who have delighted in making and sending messages

all so that the children at the orphanage will know....

they are precious beyond belief.

Each and every one of you has played out

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

While so much of the world is focusing on gifts for those that have plenty....

how can I thank you enough for blessing these children who have almost nothing

It leaves me speechless.

and it is a wonder to behold!