Thank you, from the bottom of my heart...

Well, we roasted ourselves in

 110 degree weather...

all for a great cause!
So many people today threw in a bit extra to their total,
 because their hearts felt a tug.  How cool is that??

Day 2 of the garage sale

brought smaller crowds and smaller cash,

but all in all it was a HUGE SUCCESS! 

My sweet and talented daughter used

her gift of music to earn:

$24.10 in tips

on just Saturday alone!

Kyle made us some money too at his snack bar,

although sometimes the customers had to

rouse him from the book he was enjoying.

His reading efforts, added to the grand total.

(And kept us fed in the process!)

We didn't keep track of the money Kyle raised,

 but it helped, none the less!

My Aunt Nancy helped out both days,

as well as making a shirt purchase

and a donation.

Lana joined in on the fun Saturday and sold

$140 in beads, to help the needy in

Uganda.  More on this to come!

I snapped a few pictures to try and help

her sell more from this site.

100% of the money will go back to Uganda!

Then, there was this man...

The love of my life,

my biggest supporter,

who puts up with all of my crazy,

off-the-wall ideas, (and loves me anyway)

 such as... flying halfway around the world

to give hugs to more than a hundred teenagers...

My hubby...

who spent today,our

17th Wedding Anniversary,

baking in the heat...

for me.

Grand total for 2 very hot days

 of yard sales...

$904.22

Garage Sale Results for Friday...

I can't believe that I forgot to take photos

 once we got set up, but it is true. 

 Soooo sad about that!  The Kolfe Boys are learning the words,

 "garage sale" and "yard sale" this week, and I really wanted

to show them just how much we had been blessed

by SO MANY families.  These photos were taken several

 hours in, when about 1/2 of our items were already gone!

What a HUGE blessing you all were to us!

Today's garage sale added $630 to the fund!

A few quick emails and phone calls later, and 

 7 more of you started showing up with more

 to add to our sale items for tomorrow!

(we actually were getting a little low!)

I can't wait to see tomorrow's results!

One of my favorite parts of today

was meeting a young mom

named, Tana.

I shared this blog with her, so Tana if you see this

and would rather I not share, please let me know...

Or if I butchered your name!

What an honor it was to have a chance to stop and pray

for her.  Tana is on a very tough road right now

as the result of her husband's past service in Afganistan.

Prayer warriors - please lift Tana,

her husband, and their son

up to our Lord.

She needs to know that God sees her right where

she is at, and hasn't forgotten her or her husband.

The things our military go through to ensure our freedoms

take such a toll on them and their families. 

Pray for strength, comfort, emotional healing,

and for a miracle for them.

That's all I will say, but God knows how to

 fill in the gaps of your prayers. :o)

Amazingly blessed...

Sending out a HUGE THANK YOU to the probably 20 or more families who have helped us to gather items for our sale.  We still have another 4 or 5 families who will be donating things for our sale over the next day or two, but beyond that... I don't know that we have any more room!  Isn't our God AMAZING?!? 

If you would like to stop by and shop, or just say "hi", and listen to my daughter entertain you with some beautiful keyboard music, or enjoy a snack from my son's snack bar...  Please stop by our home on Friday or Saturday morning.  If you are in the area of Ray/just east of Lindsey, (Lindsey Ranch) look for our signs...

If you can't help by coming to the sale, here are a few other possibilities...

~ We need a prayer team praying for this trip, and the Kolfe Boys!

~ Shop my friend Rachel's Mary Kay site...25% of the sale goes to us if you tell her about us!

~ Purchase some great flavors of coffee online or order from us (if you are close by)... 963 Coffee.   If you are ordering, bags of coffee are $10 each.  We will get a portion of each sale!

~ Check back often to our blog, to check our progress or get involved!

Hangin' with my Dad for a good cause.

Today, Dad and I washed a car

for one of mom's friends, 

as part of raising money for mom's trip to Kolfe.

It was very fun giving the money to mom

 and being able to bless this lady

 with a clean car. She said "This the cleanest

my car has been since I bought it!"

Wow, are you blessing us!!!!

To God be the GLORY... for messes like these!

For those who know me well, you know

that this is NOT my favorite decor!!!

...but what a blessing to be on the receiving end

of all of your showers of love for our boys!

We are ramping up for a GREAT sale on...

Well, I think we will have to do it

FRIDAY and Saturday...

there are just too many blessings for just one day!

- - - - - - - -

If there is anyone out there who has a few hours

free on Friday morning, give me a shout.

Friday's sale will have to be a short sale...

6:30/7am until about 11/11:30am,

since the Summer Movie Group

will meet at our house at 1pm!

THIS is why all this work is worth it...

To bring the message of hope to the boys of Kolfe,

that God indeed DOES so love them,

and has not forgotten them.

A few images of life at Kolfe Orphanage.

A letter sent to friends...

There is excitement in the air at the Dirks home! Our new project involves a group of 140 boys between the ages of 8 and 20, living in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and two women (Tamara, and her friend Joy) whose arms are just aching to love on them!



We have been blessed beyond measure this year to be a small part of what God is doing in the Kolfe Boy's Orphanage, and now... we are making plans for Tamara and Joy, another one of the "Kolfe Moms", to travel to Ethiopia to further minister to these wonderful young men.

This is an adventure that our whole family is getting involved in, as the travel costs are great to make this journey. We are estimating about $4,000 for airfare, food, and some much desired activities with the Kolfe Boys.


We would like to invite you join us on this journey...

~ Would you consider being part of our prayer team? We will be praying for the Lord to provide the funds necessary, as well as to work out the timing details of our trip. Would you commit to praying for our trip as a whole? We are hoping to love on not just the Kolfe boys, but kids in a couple of other orphanages as well. We are praying that God will use us to be His hands and His feet to His children in Ethiopia. We will be posting specific prayers on our blessing blog.

~ We will be having a garage sale on June 5th at our Gilbert home. If you have anything you would be willing to donate to our sale, we would welcome those items. We can pick them up, or you are welcome to bring them by our home at ...(please comment, and I will get you the address)

~ We are trying to get creative in this fund-raising, and we are not afraid of a little hard work, so if there is something at your house that we can help out with for a donation... give us a call. Weed pulling, 1st story window washing, car washing (Kyle is anxious to do this) babysitting... you name it, we are up for it!

~ If you know of anyone who desires to purchase Mary Kay Cosmetics, my friend Rachel Robinson has offered 25% of each sale for our fund. You can check out her website from the link on the right side of our blog.  Just make sure to mention Tamara Dirks in the comment section!



We hope you will join us in praying for God to do some big things in the next few weeks. We will try to post regular updates on the blog of our progress .

In the meantime, if you would like to see more stories of these boys from Kolfe, check out the "Kolfe" posts on the right side of our family blog... http://www.dirksacademy.blogspot.com/

Kristelle and Kyle got on board...

I love these kids!

They are a big part of my support team in this adventure.

Kristelle has plans to use her gift of  

playing beautiful music on the keyboard

to earn tips at our garage sale,

JUNE 5TH

and later in the month at a senior event

at my Aunt's church.

Kyle is hoping to take his love of cars

and turn it into some cash,

by offering to wash cars. 

Any takers? 

We can deliver our wash guy to your house.

He will also be running our

snack stand on garage sale day.

We are up and running again with another project...

As most of you know... in March, and then again in April, our family "adopted" teenagers who live at Kolfe Orphanage in Addis Ababa.  The results of this journey have been nothing short of AMAZING!  God has granted us a fabulous opportunity to parent in a way we never dreamed of, from a distance that seems... well, down-right crazy!  Even crazier is the proof that this relationship has radically changed the lives of two young men, who have been without a family to call their own for almost their entire life.

This is the place where 1/2 of my heart now lives... Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  A place that wasn't even on my radar in 2009, but a place that now holds friendship, love, Bible Verses, the message of the Gospel, Mother's Day wishes, heart warming photos, math problems and college paper research sent via emails, and encouragement about the God who loves these young men and their friends with a love that is fierce.. so fierce, that He reached into our home thousands of miles away to be a part of His great plan!

(The above photo was from Tuesday's Skype chat)

So what are we up to now?  Well, we are raising funds for me, Tamara, to hopefully travel to Ethiopia in the near future to visit the boys at Kolfe.

When?  We don't know, but it could be as soon as the middle of June, or as late as 2011.  Travel plans depend on a friend who I hope to be traveling with.  We are awaiting word that an adoptive parent wants her to travel in order to escort back an adoptive child.  When and if she is asked, we will likely travel within a few weeks.

Why?  It's a chance of a lifetime to love on these boys, and hopefully other orphans around Addis Ababa.

How?  Well, with a lot of prayer...  We are really excited to see God at work in this fundraising.   We are exploring options of garage sales, dinners, teaching opportunities... you name it, we are thinking and praying about it!  

Everything from this point on, are posts about our previous event... April 2010's Let's Make a Difference Party that  benefited a group of African refugees, the boys from Kolfe Orphanage, and a local food bank.  I couldn't bear to part with them, so they have been left on our blog... but they have nothing to do with our current project.

Lana's garage sale...

All of this, plus another load have been filling

our school room and garage since the party.

That is in addition to the trailer full that

we took to Lana's on the day of the party.

I am so happy to report that my

house is now free from clutter.

If you know me well, you know that just storing

all of this was an act of sacrifice for Christ...

I don't do well with clutter! :o)

Friday and Saturday was the BIG garage sale at Lana's.

In our preparation for this event,

we pulled out items for the Burundi families,

Lana's friends in Mexico and

a few boxes for some non-profit organizations.

(Lana's friend gave her lots and lots of paper goods.)

This was Friday... I couldn't even photograph

everything we had set out. 

It spilled onto her neighbor's yard, and I still

brought another van load full on Saturday.

The garage sale proceeds totaled $820

PRAISE GOD!!!

This money will be used for the Burundi families,

two Burundi college students,

a group of widows in Africa,

and a single mom of 7 in Mexico who needs

improvements made to her little home....

all lives that Lana has been involved with.

Told ya she was a neat lady!!

We also sold many of these necklaces. 

Neither Lana, nor I can remember just how much

money we put into the Uganda money bag,

((which already had  funds in it))

but it is somewhere around $60-$70.  We think...

 These are hand crafted by people living in Uganda,

and all of the money goes right back to them to be

 used for food, water and housing. 

I absolutely love these necklaces....

the large beads are actually tightly

rolled pieces of magazines.

What are you doing THIS Thursday?

All of the household items and clothing from

the party will eventually be going to Lana's house.

(We are still storing some of it at our house,
until there is room for it in her garage.)

This sweet woman is Lana.

I had the pleasure of meeting her for the

first time a few months ago. 

 She is busy working for the Lord...

ALL THE TIME! 

I enjoy spending time with her, and hearing the countless

 stories of the people she helps in Mexico, and refugees

from Burundi and other fascinating places.

There is always something new to be learned and

encouraged about when you spend time with Lana!

Last Thursday, we spent a couple of hours

tackling the donations in her garage.

The plan is to work on it this Thursday as well.

Sorting and folding the clothing is the biggest task.

We would love help, if there is anyone who is kid-less

(or has older children who can be put to work cleaning)

 Thursday during the day. 

If you are willing and able to work,

 laugh and enjoy hearing stories from her travels

and experiences all over the world,

please let me know.

She lives in Spectrum Williamsfield and Val Vista.

Children's Hope Chest Update...

Hi Tamara,

I talked with our accounting department, and as of today we have received $140.18.   I’m off to Ethiopia tomorrow. I can update you again when I return…around April 27.
Thanks so much!

Ginia Hairston
Program Services Director
Children's HopeChest


Thank you so much!  I am so excited to see this Kolfe money come in!!  Praise God!!!

Wow!

272

That's the number of items we sent with Thomas (above)

to The United Food Bank this morning.

Totals are still coming in...

We still have donations of household/clothing items

for the refugees that will need to be

sorted through this week.

I seriously lost track...

My best guess is 30 bags/boxes of things.

I can't wait to share them with Lana when she gets home!

So many lives will be touched by the generousity

of our Make a Difference Party guests!

Add to all of this, the financial donations being made

to Children's HopeChest, and United Food Bank.

I turned in $70.18 in cash donations to

Children's HopeChest last night. Wow!

We are in awe of what God is doing

in and through all of you!

United Food bank... and Thomas! :o)

By Kristelle

272 food and hygiene items!

Thank you for donating!

This shows that with teamwork,

almost anything is possible!

Wow! THAT'S a whole bunch of food!

Our United Food Bank driver was... Thomas!

Kyle LOVED the truck he drove. ;o)

We loved talking with Thomas.

Thomas REALLY made us laugh.

OH YEAH!! 

Helping the needy is serious buisness!

United Food Bank is on it's way...

We counted the items.... drum roll, please!  TWO HUNDRED, SEVENTY-TWO items will be on their way to those in need around the East Valley, very soon!  We are praising God for you, and your help... MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!!
Photos of the food donations coming soon!  We didn't get a chance to get a really good photo of just how much food was collected.  We will get that soon! The kids and I are gathering it all up (it's everywhere at our house!) because United Food Bank will be here some time today to pick it up!  Stay tuned!!!

A whole lot of fun, while makin' a difference...

So many thank yous to say...

John, Kyle & Kristelle ~ for helping with the countless,

never-ending, crazy projects you get pulled into! 

I love the three of you so much! 

You make me feel SO blessed!

Kelly & Gabrielle ~ for everything... planning, prep, execution, getting excited about my wacky idea... You are the BEST, my friend!

Gary & Carol ~ (my parents) who also were behind the

scenes all over the place!  Thank you for giving your

time, money, lending an ear in the tough times...

Nancy ~ (my aunt) couldn't have done it without your help, thank you for passionately getting on board with this! 

Matt, Lindsey & the boys ~ who's 11 hour tailer donation was so crucial!  How many trips would it have taken? You are awesome!

Mike & Karen ~ for getting the word out, a van load of stuff, and working the tables! Our garage runneth over!

Sonya ~ my photographer!  Can't wait to see the photos!

Javi, Joy, and all those little Js ~ for loaning us your

muscles at tear down, pack up time!

Lana ~ for loaning us your tables, and allowing us to stuff

your garage with goodies. (Oh yeah, you

don't know that yet!  Wait 'til you get back in town!)

Maggie ~thanks for your help!

Karen W, Shonna, Juli, Tina... without your tables,

bins, feathers... we couldn't have done it!

It take a village to raise a child, and obviously it take another village to MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

Did I forget anyone??

The Kolfe Orphanage Boys in Ethiopia

"The life at Kolfe is hard. The government forgets Kolfe. The society have negative attitude for us. After we finish our education to get a job it is difficult. There is no nutrition meal, there is a shortage of clothes and shoes." taken from a letter written by Merhawi (The Kendall family's Kolfe Son)

It's party time! What should you bring?

We are so excited for tomorrow!  Kyle, Kristelle and Gabrielle were testing out the games today while we  were packing them up.  It's gonna' be GREAT!!!   With the complexities of this party, you might be wanting a reminder of just what it is that you should be bringing to the park...

1) nonperishable food items for United Food Bank

(look HERE for a list from UFB's website)

 - - - -

2) unwanted household items and clothing for the refugee families

(look HERE for a photo of previous items we've gathered)

 - - - -

3) Financial donations to United Food Bank and

Children's HopeChest (for the Kolfe Boys)

will have to be done before and after the party,

but we hope and pray that you will remember

these two organizations!

Be sure to let the organizations know that

you attended the Make A Difference Party!

(See the above links for details!)

No money at the park, but we've got THESE!!!

Due to a City Ordinance, we can't exchange money
 at the park like we were originally hoping.

So here is what you can do with all that
change and bills you were collecting...

* Donate to www.HopeChest.org  for our precious boys from the Kolfe Orphanage.

When donating, please type in our party's unique code in in the notes/child reference number section.

That code is: ET2105 Make a Difference

If you do this, Children's Hope Chest will be able to keep a running grand total for us, and use our funds specifically for the Kolfe Boys.

* Send a check of any size to:

UNITED FOOD BANK

385 E. Javelina Ave

Mesa, AZ 85210

PLEASE, write "Make a Difference Donation" in the memo portion of your check, and on the envelope.  United Food Bank will then be able to keep track of our grand total.

On-line donations won't be track-able for our party's total.

Arrowhead Park

Here's the link again (HERE) to the map,

basically it is as follows....

From Chandler and Alma School,

head north on Alma School to Erie.

At the Erie light (ha!  That was funny) 

 anyway, at the Erie light :o)

turn left, and head west.

The park is 1/4 mile up ahead on the left.

(park in the lot west of the baseball fields)

My cell is 480-567-2999,

if you can't find us,

but I am hoping to snag the shaded grass area

directly in front of where you will be parking.

Look for the tables and balloons!

 - - - - -

We have 16 games that we will be setting up,

but only about half will be manned with people.

(Unless more volunteers show up!)

I have laminated simple directions for all the games,

so even if there isn't a designated person running it,

the kids can still play!  The games are really fun,

but very easy to understand.

What type of household items should you bring?

Check out this photo of our stairs full of household items for the African refugees.  These are items that we gathered from several families a few months ago.  Things like... Clothes, clocks, cups, dishes, silverware, cookingware, linens of all kinds, shampoos, conditioner, body wash...  the list goes on and on...

What do you need to make your household run?  Well, they need those things just like you do! 

Lana and I will be sorting through everything next week, and ANYTHING that is donated that they for some reason don't need, will be sold in a garage sale at the end of the month.  That CASH will go directly to the refugees who need it.  See how this works?  You didn't need it, they can use it! 

Are you blessed to be a blessing?  God has been showing me in so many ways lately (mostly because of our son in Africa) that I AM BLESSED, and should be using that blessing to bless others!  Join us!!!

Tickets to play...

When you arrive at the party on Saturday,

you will be given a set of these...

36 tear off tickets

Each ticket will have info about either

United Food Bank, or the Kolfe Orphanage.

We encourage you to tear off the ticket carefully

 so that you can keep the information to

think and pray about when you get home.

Need some Non-perishable Suggestions?

I've mentioned Feeding America to

 you, as well as United Food Bank.

For clarification, the local outlet

for F.A, is United Food Bank.

United Food Bank is in constant need of the following:

Granola Bars

Nutrition Bars

Juice Boxes

Oatmeal

Enriched Pasta

Chicken

Tuna

Chili con Carne

Beef Stew

Apricots

Peaches

Peas

Asparagus

Kidney Beans

Blackeye Peas

Pinto Beans

Refried Beans

Peanut Butter

Tomatoes

Prunes

Nuts

Please make sure your items aren't past date.

Look for these boxes on PARTY DAY!

Blessed to Be a Blessing...

These are the words to our theme song.

Sorry, no music! 

Such a great song, but it's not on the web.

Words and Music by Sc*tt Wesley Br*wn

God has blessed this nation,

He has touched us with His hand.

The promise of His faithfulness,

Can be see arcoss the land.

Our church bells ring in freedom,

We can worship as we please.

And work to achieve our greatest dreams,

in security and peace.

Our fields are full at harvest,

The rains have always come.

Our table is a banquet,

Our silos overrun.

And I know there is a reason,

Why God has blessed us all so much.

There's something He's expecting,

From everyone of us.

(Chorus)

We've been blessed to be a blessing,

We've been loved to give His love.

Made mighty so we can fufill His call.

We've been blessed to be a blessing,

With enough to give enough.

For the greatest in His kingdom,

Is a servant of us all.

A verse for today...

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerfuil giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever."

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righeousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Getting ready for the games...

Wednesday, Kristelle, Gabrielle, Kelly and Kyle worked on signs for the games we will set up Saturday at the park.  They gave it their all and came up with some GREAT signs.

Are you getting excited?  There is still room for more players!

Who will benefit from next Saturday?

1) Canned food, and non-perishable items will be donated to United Food Bank at Stapley and the 60.

2) Household items and clothing will be donated to Lana Hugo, a friend who is helping African (and other) Refugees on an ongoing basis.  She is expecting another family to come to Phoenix in April.  If a donated item is not needed, it will be sold in a yard sale, and the money itself will go to the refugees.

3) Financial Donations (Remember, no cash at the park, due to newly discovered City rules.)

 Option 1: Feeding America, who supports United Food Bank in the valley.

 Option 2: Kolfe Boys from the Government run Kolfe Orphanage in Ethiopia.

Updated!  I spoke with Children's Hope Chest this morning, and they set up an account specifically for our party money.  The director over Ethiopia will be speaking with one of her people who lives in Ethiopia on Wednesday about what needs he sees that our money could be used for.  I did suggest the fruit and shoes.  This is good news for all of you, as now, you can have a tax deduction on this money as well!   Three of us from this event are in daily email contact with some of the older boys.

 Option 3: Give to BOTH!!!

City Ordinance, forces some changes...

Well, 7 days from now is the big day!  We are so excited to see what God will do with this!  The numbers are climbing, and it looks like we will easily hit 50 people.  Good thing we have LOTS of games planned!

A couple of changes that have come about after talking with the City of Chandler yet another time...

Due to a City ordinance, no money can change hands, so people will have to donate after the party.
We will hand out envelopes with addresses for people to make a donation after they leave. I'm bummed about this from a kid aspect. but trusting God to do great things even though the kids can't dump in the coins!


When you arrive, you will be asked to choose to commit to making a donation to Feeding America (aka United Food Bank) or....  the Kolfe Boys' Orphanage in Ethiopia. (We won't ask you the amount!)  You can also choose to donate to both!  We will hand you an envelope with "tickets" and an address or donation information on it.  All we ask is that you please, please don't forget to donate when you get home!

Good news!  I spoke with a representative of Chick-fil-A at the 202/Gilbert, and they will be giving us coupons to hand out, and donating 30 balloons for one of our games.  Hooray!  I love Chick-fil-A!