First, if you feel strongly about something in our government, CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. They work for US (in a collective sense). If you think something they are doing is wrong, speak up. It doesn't matter if you voted for them or not. Call them. Send then a letter and encourage others to do the same. If they keep doing things you don't like, don't vote for them, I don't care which party they are in. But also remember they work for everyone and sometimes the best for all might not align with what you want. Evaluate and read different things going on in the government, too many American's give up their voice by not voting and not contacting their representatives. They can't read your mind. I have already started working on letters to politicians about the ACA and how it effects a family like ours. I know this weekend there has been a lot of back and forth from multiple people in power about the ACA so now before they are voting on things is the time to speak up.
But there are also many people in our own back yards that need to be loved on. I will fully admit that when Jillian was born I got swept up in all of her needs and working full time that loving others got pushed to the side, however I have made a choice now to make it a priority to show love to others in tangible ways (James 2:14-26 speaks of why we must DO). Here is a list of different things that we are involved in that love others. This list is not to brag but to give ideas of some places that we work with to show love to other people. We would love to have you join us in any of them. (If you click on the link it will bring you to a website with more information)
Bouncer/mobile project: We are taking donations through THIS SUNDAY of mobiles and bouncers for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for the 11th floor. So far we have collected 3 bouncers and 2 mobiles. Thank you to everyone who has helped so far! I am so excited to be able to bless little children with a smile while they are in the hospital.
Tubie Friends: I am a volunteer with Tubie Friends. We make stuffed animals for children with medical needs with matching medical equipment (feeding tubes, oxygen, traches, IV lines). These animals make the medical equipment less scary and bring a smile to the kids faces. They also help families explain to other people about the child's medical equipment. We run on donations. The feeding tubes are donated from a manufacture but everything else we buy at full retail prices. We use Build a Bears for a mix of reasons, but they cost money. Shipping is also expensive. We ask families for donations however if a family is unable to pay we raise the funds to cover the stuffed animal, however it takes longer then for the child to get the animal while we raise the funds. Donations can be made on the website.
Never Say Never Playland: I have joined a group in our community working to build an inclusive playground. Playgrounds help to build community and we are working to build a playground in Lake Geneva for ALL CHILDREN. Typical playgrounds are really hard for Jillian however in an inclusive playground we are able to put all of her medical equipment in her wagon and she can play with other children independently. This is huge for her. I am excited to be a part off this project but building an inclusive playground takes a lot of hands and money. Right now we are working to raise 1 million dollars. Once the money is raised we will be doing a community build where we need a lot of hands to work together to make this happen. This is a literal way to get your hands dirty to help others. (plus if you go to the gallery on the website you will get to see some cute kids... wink wink)
Ronald McDonald House: I can not even put into words all of the things rmh in Milwaukee has done for our family. They provide a place for us to stay when are hearts are stressed. They have brought some amazing people into our lives that we have been able to form friendships with and support one another (I have a group of moms who I contact multiple times a week just to check on their kid and they check on mine because we are a community). I have heard it said that people don't want to be around sick kids because it would be depressing and I can tell you that rmh is far from that, in fact Jilli cried tonight because she knows one of her friends is there and she would rather be at rmh tonight then at home. Meals are served at rmh only on nights that there are groups that come in and volunteer to make the meal. I can't even express how much these meals mean to family. For us, times we are in the hospital gets very expensive when we are having to eat hospital food however having a meal provided is a wonderful gift. This is also a time where the families gather together and support one another. People ask about how testing went and what the plans are. Ideas are shared between parents which can be lifesaving for kids. Another thing the rmh has is the magic room. When we are going through something scary the magic room brings a smile to Jillian's face. When you check into rmh each child gets a token and that gives you one trip into the magic room. The magic room is filled with toys and books and each child gets to pick out one toy and one book. Christmas toy deals are already going on and rmh is always taking toys to stock the magic room through the year. RMH also takes donations of (new) household items. There is a full list on their website of things they need.
Recovery Home for Victims: This is a ministry our church is partnering with to help get girls out of the sex trade in Kenosha. Yes, the sex trade happens here too. Fighting for people in sex slavery has been something that has been on my heart since I was in high school and I first read about it (I had text books thrown at me for speaking up that it goes on in our area and is wrong). When I was 16 my Christmas wish that year was to help as many people as possible get out of sex slavery and I am thankful for my family for rallying around that wish. While I have not invested as much into this situation, I still have a passion for it and am so thankful that our church is working to not sit silent but do something. Right now this organization is needing $15,000 and it is our church's goal to raise that asap. Check out the website to see what they are doing right in our community. This is something the global church has been quite about way too long.
So what are you doing to love the least of these? Don't have lots of money? then use your hands to love others. Have a few extra dollars (lets face it we live in one of the richest countries in the world, if you live here you are most likely considered wealthy in terms of the world), then find places to use your money to love others. Have more ideas of ways to love others? leave ideas in the comments bellow! We need to talk about what we are doing to help others because it shines a light on the cause and helps others to see a need so they can help too.
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| Jillian playing at Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee |
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