Bees? Mosquitos? A funny story!

This is a recently received email. . .just another fun way to include your little ones and look for those teachable moments, even from infanthood!

"I just wanted to send you a quick note. Kids LAKE is so awesome! I've been trying to think of a way our little family can get involved, since our munchkin is only 18 months. Last night we had a bee in the house. He was very excited to watch me get rid of the bee! I told him it was a mean bug that could sting and hurt him. His eyes were very big and he responded "uh-oh". So to honor our first encounter with a mean bug, we made a donation to get 3 mosquito nets, one from each of us in our family. What an honor to be able to help protect other little ones from the uh-oh bugs!!" --Cindy in WV

We just received news of 4 new families participating!
1. The Pannell Family (related to the infamous Laird's) did a lemonAID stand raising $49!
2. The Wimberly Family decided to say no to sodas so they could say yes to helping Liberian kids after church on Sunday and in the process helped 2-4 kids by providing a net!
3. Brayden earned some money on his 4th birthday. He was so excited that he had over $7 and could buy a whole net to help save a kid from mean mosquitos!
4. he Easton family was up to it again this month!! Here's what their mom, Amanda, had to say:
"Guess what??????
The kids did a lemon-aid stand and small garage sale on friday (hoping to raise $56 to get 8 nets for orphan relief and rescue-one per person in our family) and the total amount raised was $168 and change!!!!! Getting three nets per person in our family. In only about four hours! They are amazed, as am I!!"

Thank you, Easton kiddos for the awesome pictures!!!!

Madeline

My sweet little friend, who is 6, walked up to me Sunday morning and handed me $ .50 and said, "This is for the kids in Liberia"

That's what it's all about!!

PS Our LemonAID stand tonight, made $96.79!!!! The Laird's did another one too and I'll have video of both in the next few days!

LemonAID for Liberia

There is a bit of a competition going on now. . wanna join? Check out these posts by the McElheny and Laird families who combined have raised over $220! and. . are planning more!

Mosquito Nets (this post found on the Laird Family Blog)

So today is the nicest day we've had in a month. The thermostat actually hit 70. We were on our way home from our Father's Day lunch at mom and dad's house when the boys asked if we could stop by the store to get some lemonade. They wanted to make a stand to sell lemonade (and water and pop) to raise money for the Kids LAKE project this month to raise money for mosquito nets for orphanages in Liberia. They raised $81.73 in about 2 hours! That's enough to buy about 11 mosquito nets, which will protect about 4 children per net. They have plans to run the stand again later this week. After all, they didn't want Brandi's kids to out-raise them. But the boys had excuses: 1) Brandi's kids are younger, and beat them in the cuteness factor 2) They live in Orlando "which is a huge city and we only live in Everson, which is tiny" and 3) It is hotter in Florida. So watch out McElheny kids!

Our First LemonAID stand! (This post found on the McElheny family blog)

This week, my kids and I decided to do our first ever LemonAID stand! This month, it's LemonAID for Liberia to raise money for mosquito nets as a part of KidsLake (check it out and join us!)!

My kids got SO into this! Brayden kept saying, "When are we going to celebrate lemonade?" (not sure why the celebrate part?) and he knew that we were raising money for kids in Liberia for nets that will protect them from the mean bugs. . 'cuz these kids don't have moms and dads and the houses they live in don't have good windows and roofs. It is so sweet to hear Brayden describe it! We spent all afternoon making our posters and cookies and lemonade. . .

Then. . .the thunder began. . .uh oh! There were big storms moving through Orlando. I told Brayden that we just needed to pray that God either moved the storm really fast or kept it from coming to our neighborhood. I wish I had been able to video him, sitting at the table feverishly making his poster and talking out loud to the Lord. . "God, can you please not let it rain? We really want to have our lemonade stand. We want to raise money and we made our posters. Can you please make the rain just go away or go real quick?" It was absolutely precious! He said it in the most conversational tone and it just made this Mama's heart thrill to hear her boy talk to Jesus like that!!!

If you know our God at all, you will not be surprised by what I'm going to say next. . .NO STORM!!! We had a few drizzles, but not one person complained! The other thing we prayed for was customers! We are not in a high traffic area at all!! I wondered if anyone would come!

PS: not sure why Brayden doesn't look happy. .he was so excited that he was continuously hopping!! Bummed I didn't get a great shot. .but here it is!

Guess what? They did! It ended up being a blast of an evening hanging out in the driveway and getting to know our neighbors. Super bonus because I have been convicted lately about getting to know our neighbors and making a difference in our home community! Everytime someone drove by, my kids stood behind their table and waved like their lives depended on it. When people came up, the kids hopped around smiling and waving and saying "Thank you" (the little ones) and "Welcome to LemonAID for Liberia" (Brayden. .although sometimes it came out as "Welcome to Liberia!). What a fun evening. . .

Final total? $87!!!!!!

That's 12.5 nets, which at 4 kids each, will cover 48 children!!!!

This was a blast and I TOTALLY recommend it to other families who want to make a difference in their neighborhood and in Africa TOO!

June's Project

Hi Kids! Our Project this month is Earning, Saving, and Raising money for Orphan Relief and Rescue in Liberia!

In Liberia mosquitoes are EVERYWHERE! Here in America if we get bit by a mosquito it is not really a big deal. Sure, they itch but we do not fear for our lives! In Liberia most mosquitoes carry a deadly disease called malaria. Kids over in Liberia have to be protected not only during the day but also at night while they sleep! Their houses don't have good roofs and doors so mosquitoes can get in.
Malaria kills 58 kids in Liberia a day! 58!
How we can help:
Earn,Save and Raise your money for mosquito nets.
They are seven dollars for one mosquito net but they will cover four kids! The orphanage they will be going to sleeps two kids on each bunk. So seven dollars could help save four precious lives!
Together with God's help let's try our best to raise money for Orphan Relief and Rescue!
-Taylor and Sarah

KidsLake for TEACHERS / PARENTS. . .June '08

Liberia:

Wikepedia Information. . contains lots of hyperlinks
CIA Fact Book
Liberian News Articles from AllAfrica.com
Liberian Embassy
US Embassy in Liberia
Liberia: Menus and Cuisine
United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)

Who We are Partnering With:
Orphan Relief and Rescue

Malaria:
CDC
Frequently Asked Questions
World Health Org
Malaria in Liberia

May's Project

Hey guys,
We are all so excited to see how much all of us kids Earned, Saved, and Raised money for Rapha school in Uganda in the course of just ONE month. Now we have a new project to Earn, Save, and Raise for. May's project is going to benefit . . . . . . . . . . Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children in Mali, West Africa. Please take the time to read this information about Koutiala Hospital.

Alright now it's time to tell you where your money is actually going.

When you Earn, Save, and Raise your money for this months project you will be providing-

Mama Packs for $8 each (they give these to the Mama's after they have babies. Many women come to the hospital just for these because they can't get these items easily! They include baby clothes and blankets, cloth diapers and a wrap for Mama to carry the baby)

Thermometers for $6 each (we are trying to send 30 of these!)

Bottles of Vitamins approximately $10 each (VERY much Needed!)

Neonatal (that means Baby) or Pediatric (kids) Stethoscopes for $125 each. . .you could go together as a family, Sunday School class or School group. . or ask your parents or adults that you know!


If you see anything specific, on the above list, you want your money to go to, then leave a comment on our page and we will make sure your money goes to buy the item you want.

ALSO, this month you can do something different! You can create packages of your own and send them in! We are looking for all sorts of children's medicines! Put together your package and send it in to Shelby Alliance Church and they'll include it in our package! This way, you can find the best deals in your town to get the most medicine!

Please send in your stories about how you Earned, Raised, and Saved your money for Kids LAKE.

Get creative and have fun serving God and others.

Good luck and remember to lift your projects to God in prayer EVERY day,
Taylor and Sarah