Update on Operation Christmas Love Goal

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the progress made on Operation Christmas Love. This blog has a goal of sending $400 to Mission Without Borders to help needy families in Eastern Europe during the Christmas season. How can you help? When you purchase gifts on Amazon simply use my affiliate link and I will get a small commission. Also, if you are traveling and need a place to stay, you can use my Booking.com affiliate link and a small commission will be made. These commission do add up! Two years ago, we sent $382 for this project. All commissions earned during November and December (even to the 31st!) will be forwarded to Mission Without Borders to help needy families (like the P family).

This first week we took in $10 in commissions which is a slow start.  I know many people haven't started ordering Christmas gifts yet so this will definitely pick up in the next few weeks.  You can always donate directly at the Mission Without Borders website.  It is tax deductible in the US.  Thanks for helping!

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Missions Monday! Letter from Sponsored Family

One of the blessings of assisting a family in crisis through Mission Without Borders is being able to encourage them with your prayers and letters. You are encouraged to write short notes several times a year. Of course, you don't want to talk politics, talk about your vacation in France, or other frivolous things. It's an opportunity to encourage people who might not get very much of it- other than through the Mission Without Borders coordinator visits. Poverty itself is discouraging. And when there's no easy way out, I'm sure it can be stressful.  So I have been stretched to learn ways to be encouraging, without being cheesy or fake.

This week I received a letter from Moldova...

Sadly, the family I help is suffering with very serious illness.  Unless God intervenes, there will likely be a parental death soon.  And that's so very sad.  I think the best encouragement I can give is from the Scriptures.  I don't know the specifics of the P family's faith (the coordinators encourage families to attend church and offer counseling and Christian literature but serve people of all faiths or no faith) but I know that they pray and that the children attended Christian summer camp. 

Moldova is culturally a heavily Orthodox Christian country.  The Orthodox faithful use the Psalms heavily in daily prayers and every service.  It is the "prayer book of the Bible" after all!  So I've tried to send short notes from the Psalms encouraging the family to cry to the Lord like David and place their hope in Him.  I was encouraged by this article to pray Psalm 139 for the family (check it out!).



The latest update from Mission Without Borders also included info on the coordinator for your family.  This is the person who is responsible to help Mission Without Borders care for the family's spiritual, emotional, educational, and material needs.  They visit, pray with, and assist the family on their journey out of poverty.  From what I witnessed in Albania,  a coordinator's job is tough!  Working with limited resources and trying to ascertain the needs of the families you are responsible for AND praying for/with them AND encouraging them/helping them toward self sufficiency.  They work long days and it has to be mentally and emotionally taxing as well.  Thank God for these faithful workers.

What are the benefits of helping a family?  One benefit is knowing that one family has food on the table this month.  I can't feed the world but I can help one family.  I appreciate the fact that the children are in school- not on the streets or having to work/help their parents to pay for food/rent/heat.  But most of all, and I pray this will happen, they will hear the Gospel, repent, and accept the Lord.  I pray the children will grow into well adjusted Christian adults and be able to support themselves because they got a full education and life skills.   Maybe my family will never be able to support themselves without help (due to terminal disease). But I pray and believe that the chains of poverty will be broken (if not in this then maybe the next generation).  Please pray for the P family.  I don't share pictures or the full name for their privacy but God knows them.

$50 Amazon Gift Card Holiday Giveaway!

I want to share about the many lives being changed by Mission Without Borders among the poor in Eastern Europe. I need YOUR help though! To reward you for sharing, I want to give you a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card- just in time for Christmas! Many of these activities can be repeated daily so please revisit every day and earn more chances! Start entering right away to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

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Missions Monday: An Easy Way to Send HOPE to Needy Families!

What if I told you could can help send Operation Christmas Love boxes to needy families across Eastern Europe and it wouldn't cost you anything?   You can by using the affiliate links for Amazon and Booking.com on this blog!





With Operation Christmas Love, we are given the opportunity to share Christ's love in a very practical way. It's not just a food parcel- it really is a box of hope for families living a hand to mouth existence.  I would love to be able to fund 10 parcels from this blog.  That is about $400.  That's where YOU come in.





   
    Booking.com


If you are traveling this holiday season would you consider using my Booking.com  affiliate link to search for a hotel?  Any hotel purchase will generate a small commission which will go to this goal of 10 Operation Christmas Love parcels.  


And if you are purchasing gifts online, would you consider using my Amazon affiliate links?

Any commissions earned during November or December 2018 will be donated to Mission Without Borders for the Operation Christmas Love program!

"For our beneficiaries, the OCL packages represent hope.." MWB Coordinator in Romania

A couple of years ago, we were able to raise $382 for families in Romania using these affiliate links.  $400 is really achievable!  Just use the links and I will keep a tally and forward the money.  If you would like to give directly you can easily on Facebook, call 800-245-9191, or mail your tax deductible gift (of any amount) to 

Mission Without Borders

P.O. Box 6008

Camarillo, CA 93011

Coming soon.. a new Amazon giveaway starts tomorrow!

Share Hope This Christmas. Operation Christmas Love 2018

Today was a special day. Not that I did anything special. Pretty much slept most of the day ignoring the fact that I need to do laundry.

Today I received the letter from Mission Without Borders for Operation Christmas Love! What is Operation Christmas Love?  Christmas Love is a massive undertaking to send 30,000 food parcels to the neediest families in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. Mission Without Borders helps families year round move toward self sufficiency- over 1900 families sponsored last year!- but Christmas Love also helps ease the burden of poverty during this special time of year. 

Each parcel contains "a selection of rice, pasta, canned vegetables, biscuit mix, soup mix, cooking oil, condensed milk" as well as jam and sweets for the children. Where there is a special need, blankets and warm clothes may also be provided.

When I visited Albania last year, I heard that Christmas Love parcels had been distributed to needy families at a Christmas party held by a local church. So the families also heard the true story of Christmas at a local evangelical church.  


I also saw Christmas Love parcels in the homes of some people we visited in the outskirts of Durres.








Each parcel costs about $40 and the goal is to pack and distribute 30,000 parcels. Donations can be made at the Mission Without Borders Facebook page or the US affiliates web page. The US affiliate uses Paypal for donations on a safe, secure network.

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Reaching Adi with #ChristmasHope

Reaching Adi with #ChristmasHope from MWBI on Vimeo.

Based on my experiences in Albania, Romania, and Moldova, this story is far from uncommon.  Many families, children and elderly, are struggling to survive daily.  That struggle intensifies during the bitter cold months.  Poor people are digging through scrap heaps looking for metal or plastic to sell.  In Albania, a charity placed open recyclable bins in Tirane so the poor wouldn't have to dig through dumps daily.  Mission Without Borders works to help children and needy families year round but as the weather intensifies, efforts are stepped up.  A Christmas Love box provides some of the necessities of life (food and hygiene items) as well as sweets for the children.  It's a "box of hope" as one coordinator called it.  A reminder that they are not forgotten.  

As Thanksgiving approaches, try to find ways to let people know that they are not forgotten.  Don't just say thanks but show your gratefulness in meaningful ways.  If you can any tax deductible donation to Mission Without Borders would be appreciated.  Maybe someday you'll meet a recipient in Heaven who learned about God's Love because he was first SHOWN God's love when he needed it most.

You can make a tax deductible gift HERE

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What does a #Christmas Love parcel do?

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Operation Christmas Love- Reaching Petru in Romania

1 in 2 Romanian children are at risk of poverty.

1 in 10 children in Romania go to bed hungry at night.

70 % of children in rural areas live in poverty.

$50 will provide a Christmas Love box filled with food to the poorest families in Romania and throughout Eastern Europe.  Any amount helps Mission Without Borders walk alongside families and give them the tools and skills they need to support themselves.  This includes monthly food and hygiene items, counseling, vocational training, scholarships, tools and high quality seeds for families who have arable land.

Make a safe, secure donation to Mission Without Borders using Paypal

Operation Christmas Love 2017 - Reaching Petru from MWBI on Vimeo.

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Christmas is Coming!

I know..I know..many of you would say it's WAY too early for Christmas.  It's actually only 63 days away (thanks http://www.xmasclock.com/)  It is early but hear me out.  Anything in life that is worth doing at all is worth PLANNING for.  Everyone PLANS their summer vacations (especially if you have kids).  Time and effort are spent in finding the right location, venues, beaches, housing, transportation.   I know some people prefer spontaneity- but that often comes at a higher price and occasional disappointment.

SO why am I bringing up Christmas 2 months in advance?  NOW is the time to begin preparations so that you will have no regrets on December 26th.   If you have sponsored children through World Vision or any other organization it is very important that you send that Christmas gift (or money- which always goes farther) in ASAP.  Shipping takes time.  Meeting with a sponsored child and their family to determine what is most needed also eats into the 63 days that are left.

Mission Without Borders has family and child sponsorships available year round.  But during the cold winter months, they share the love of Jesus with needy families with a program called Operation Christmas Love. 

What is Operation Christmas Love?  Operation Christmas Love delivers around 30,000 parcels to the neediest families in Eastern Europe.  A typical parcel would contain tinned meat, flour, oil, cereal, pasta, sugar tea and basic foodstuffs so that a family can enjoy a Christmas meal and have food for the cold winters.  There is also chocolates for the children!    I saw these boxes in the homes of the poorest families I was able to visit in Albania last year. 


This week I want to share some videos about Operation Christmas Love and the work that Mission Without Borders is doing among the poorest countries in Eastern Europe.  Start thinking about the upcoming holiday season.  Plan how you can be a blessing during the next two months.  Start today!

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You are invited! Join me in a birthday celebration

I want to invite all my blog readers to follow me on Facebook. I try to post daily and it is easier to keep in touch with people using that format. I will continue to maintain this blog however. I am celebrating my birthday in 10 days and I wanted to share the celebration with children and families! My posts on Facebook for this fundraiser are public. I would appreciate a follow as well as that helps me keep in touch easier. Please check out this opportunity to celebrate life by being a blessing to those in need!

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Who are YOUR heroes?

Our local coordinators are heroes. They reach those in greatest need in the toughest communities in Eastern Europe. This winter they are delivering urgent supplies to thousands in cities, towns and isolated villages. Please pray for them. #reachingpeopleforchrist #missionwithoutborders #easterneurope #winter #survival #hope #faith #christian #church #Jesus #horseandcart #Moldova #Albania #Bosnia #Ukraine #Bulgaria #Romania #pray #love #family #children #cute #picoftheday

A post shared by Mission Without Borders (@mwb_international) on Jan 13, 2018 at 1:00am PST

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Notes from Fflake:Albania Visit 2017

A memory from last years visit to one small village in Albania.  A very very cold day...

After lunch on Friday, we drove to the rural area of Fflake, just outside Durres. Fflake is a small village with a population of around 860. We were greeted by Mission Without Borders coordinator Arjana (Arriana?) who took us to meet the D family. This family had five children and were enrolled in the Family sponsorship program. Arjana had acquired a new warm coat for the mother (it was still very cold- we were all in the one room of the house that had a wood stove). 

You can help a family like this one in Albania!  Walk alongside them as they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and move out of poverty into self sufficiency!  Click here to learn more!

The oldest daughter is almost finished with high school and wants to continue her education in Durres at university. I understood that MWB was going to be investing in her with a full scholarship. Most girls in rural areas stop education after high school (if they finish) and marry young. Unfortunately, this often perpetuates poverty. Mission Without Borders offers scholarships to promising students and invests heavily in education. 975 children throughout Eastern Europe received scholarships to study at university. All 530 children in the family sponsorship program in Albania were provided with school supplies "which helps reduce the rate of early school abandonment"(this was from the 2015 annual report).   You can help provide school supplies for needy children here.  


   
    Booking.com

The family attends church regularly as do many of the families who are sponsored through MWB. As we concluded our visit, Arjana noted that there is a 1500 square meter side yard and wouldn't it be wonderful if they could get them enrolled in the Seeds of Hope program?
There was also a neighbor family whose children peeked out the windows. Wouldn't it be great to start to visit and get them enrolled in the family sponsorship program? It was inspiring because, even with all the work already being done, she was always looking to do more. To share the gospel and transform this rural area into a self sufficient, healthy community. (My pictures didn't turn out at all for this part of the visit-sorry!)

What part can you play?

I left wanting to do so much more. The kids peeking out of the windows just broke my heart. I had hoped to be able to sponsor an additional family but then came home (January 2017) to half the promised raise and hours cut at work..   Mission Without Borders has talented, hard working people working as coordinators throughout the poorest countries in Eastern Europe.  But they need partners who will pray and give generously so the work can continue, grow, and flourish.  Over 85% of every dollar given goes directly to the field- meeting the needs of children and families- moving families to self sufficiency through job and skills training and encouraging and helping children and young adults to stay in school and break the cycle of poverty.  The program works.  I am a witness to the changed lives I met in Moldova a few years ago and in Albania last year.

Missions Monday. Afterschool Care in Romania

Teacher's Statement from Mission WIthout Borders on Vimeo.


I have been promoting the #GiveABackpack appeal on Facebook, Twitter, and this blog and want to share a view of the bigger picture this week.  It's NOT just giving a backpack to a needy child once a year.  Mission Without Borders is there year round working with local churches sharing a holistic gospel.  Many churches are providing hot meals after school, a safe place to do their homework, encouragement and tutoring.  Sharing Christ and lifting people out of poverty are both a process.  Both take time, a lot of love and encouragement,  and providing the tools for growth ( a Bible, Bible classes, a hot meal, tutoring, job skills, school supplies)

"Their homework improved, they were better prepared...the change was obvious.  We saw it clearly"- principal from a Romanian school where students received backpacks

You can tell from the video that the backpacks and encouragement really does make an impact in the lives of these children.  Won't you consider how you can help in this appeal?  Each backpack filled with supplies costs around $25  I have set up a GoFundMe page where you can donate and every donation will be MATCHED.  This is an easy way to maximize your giving to this great cause.  I have also started a giveaway where YOU can win a $50 Walmart gift card for your own school supplies.  By sharing this important work, you can earn entries every day!

If you want you can also donate directly to Mission Without Borders.  Whatever you choose to do- whether giving or sharing this appeal- please know that it will positively impact the life of a needy child.  Thank you!

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Enter to win a $50 Gift Card in The #GiveABackpack Giveaway!

"Summertime and the living's easy" Well it may have been easy for Porgy and Bess but it sure has been miserably hot here. And there's really nothing to do about it either. Stay hydrated, stay indoors in air conditioning when possible, pray for cooler weather. Thankfully, autumn will soon be here enough with cool, crisp mornings. And kids all over the world will be returning to school.  Many families will go shopping for school supplies- maybe even new clothes or shoes.  Some children aren't as fortunate however.

Did you know?

Approximately 75 per cent of children in Moldova experience some form of physical and psychological violence.

 Many kids in Eastern Europe are in the grip of generational poverty. Their parents didn't finish school (if they went at all). Neither did their grandparents. Living a subsistence agricultural life or doing odd jobs when available is a way of life. Education is not a priority in their lives. Because they are living in poverty, kids drop out (or never enroll) in school so that they can help the family survive. This may be caring for animals, begging on the streets, or digging for scrap in dumps. Because they do not have an education, they do not have other opportunities. And the cycle of poverty continues to the next generation.

1 in 8 children go to bed hungry in Romania.

Mission Without Borders works with local churches to provide after school programs, tutoring, a safe place to complete homework and a hot meal - all this designed to share the love of Jesus and encourage children to stay in school and live up to their potential.  One way that they do this is providing thousands of the neediest children with backpacks filled with school supplies.  Many of these children's families do not have the money needed to buy necessary school supplies and this leads to discouragement and falling behind in school work.  Each backpack full of supplies costs about $25.

To help fill this need, I have started a GoFundMe page with a twist!  All the money raised on this GoFundMe page will be delivered to Mission Without Borders- I have no access to the cash.   But I do know someone who will MATCH YOUR DONATION..  

Every dollar will be matched up to the $600 goal! 

  You can visit the GoFundMe page here.

To encourage sharing online I have a new giveaway to help YOU buy school supplies!  You can enter daily and new entry methods may be forthcoming soon.  

Get Ready For School $50 WalMart Giveaway!

Be Social Saturday: Why Summer Camp?

How Can I Get Involved?  

Follow Mission Without Borders Canada or Mission Without Borders US on Facebook!

Share this Facebook post with friends who love and wants to help needy kids!

Give at either Mission Without Borders Facebook page!

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Moldova: The Devastating Effect Of Economic Migration

This is a short film from Journeyman Pictures about the situation in Moldova. Thousands of children have been left without parents- being raised by relatives (usually grandparents) or left to fend for themselves. This leads to psychological and social damage and leaves children vulnerable to exploitation and/or trafficking. 






On Monday, I'll look at several of the ways Mission Without Borders attempts to intervene in these crisis situations.

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Sponsorship Tuesday- Mission Without Borders

Just $25 (US) a month will provide hot meals, after school programs, emergency support, and emotional care to one boy or girl who is struggling in Moldova or one of the other 5 poorest countries in Eastern Europe where Mission Without Borders works 

 In the US you can make a donation (of any amount) on the Mission Without Borders Facebook page or call 1-800-245-9191.  You can start a new sponsorship today by logging on to the Mission Without Borders website. 

250,000 children in Moldova alone are missing a father/mother (or both) due to economic emigration!

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Be Social Saturday.

THIS.  RIGHT.  HERE.  Just made my morning.  It's a story about people I've never met.  And I'll probably never meet them in this life!  It's the story about one family.  A single parent family that is struggling to make ends meet.  But God loved this family so much that He brought Mission Without Borders into their lives to not only tell them about God's great love but also to show them love.

  Families like these are being transformed daily through the encouragement and gifts brought by Mission Without Borders coordinators.  Hot meals served to hungry children.  Firewood and warm clothes for the winter. Food and hygiene supplies.  Job training for men and women so they can be self sufficient and provide for their families.

BUT the best part (for these children anyhow) is that 

THEY ARE GOING TO SUMMER CAMP!!

(click the box to read the entire story!)

I call this "Be Social Saturday" because I want to share social media with YOU and ask you, in turn to share with others!  Log on to the Mission Without Borders Facebook page or my page and share some of these stories about summer camp and the work Mission Without Borders is doing in the poorest nations in Eastern Europe.  Maybe you can't give now- hey we've all been there!- but you can make a world of difference by sharing on social media and praying that God would raise up sponsors and donors for this work!

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Spread the Word about Summer Camp Giveaway!

Hey friends, I am trying to breathe new life into a dormant blog and need your help! See, this blog isn't just about me. I want to tell the stories about the people and places I'm passionate about. One thing I am passionate about is summer camp!  

Now that school is out, thousands of orphans and deprived children in Romania, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, Bosnia, and Bulgaria will be attending Christian summer camps. These camps are funded by generous donors and staffed by dedicated church volunteers who have partnered with Mission Without Borders.  One week of camp costs about $95 (on average) and the goal is to host 4000 children this summer!  

That's a LOT of money to be raised! I hope to raise awareness of this terrific program that gives children a break from the stresses of daily life in poverty.  This is one aspect of a year round program of caring for children and their families.  Their mission statement is "Reaching people for Christ: helping thousands of people out of poverty into a sustainable future"




In the US, you can easily donate at the Mission Without Borders Facebook page


   
    Booking.com



Did you know that I am an affiliate site of Booking.com?  If you book a hotel room using my links, I receive a small commission which I forward to help these children and families.  I would appreciate it so much if you would!  It costs you nothing but will help do something good!

I also want your help in spreading the word about Mission Without Borders!  By doing this, you will earn entries into a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!  This giveaway ends on July 6th and the winner will be randomly selected shortly thereafter.  Start today and come back daily for more chances to win! 

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Instagram Wednesday! Summer Camp in Moldova.

Our Summer Camps have started! See how much fun they are having already in Moldova. Thanks to everyone who has given to our Summer Camp appeal so that these children can have the holiday of a lifetime.

A post shared by Mission Without Borders (@mwb_international) on Jun 6, 2018 at 3:53am PDT

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