#35 Paradise Bound - Open Doors Orphanage

So this week my birthday adventure took me to Guatemala. Ok, that may be a stretch. But it took my volunteer efforts to Guatemala. On Monday night I joined JQ99.3 (a local Christian Radio Station) in their Lift Sit 2013. This is the second annual fundraiser for Paradise Bound - Open Doors Orphanage in Guatemala. Troy West (a JQ 99.3 radio personality) and Dan Smith (the founder of Paradise Bound) go up in a shack on a lift suspended over I-196 and vow to stay there until the goal is met. I worked the phone bank during their lift sit. Listeners were invited to call in to make donations to support one year of costs associated with the orphanage. The total they were seeking was $65,000.00. The phones opened up at 6:00 a.m. that morning. After work, I left to go work the phone bank. I arrived just after 3:30 p.m. When I arrived the total raised was $17,858.00. We had 4 phones in the phone bank. Before I left at 6:00 p.m. the total had increased to $23,016.00. What a blessing. I was able to be a part of fundraising over $5,000.00 in just under 3 hours. Can you believe it??? That is 1/13 of the annual budget for the orphanage. This orphanage is fully funded by sponsors and donations. Every penny raised allows them to continue to help the orphans of Guatemala. The phone bank shut down at 6:00 p.m. It reopened Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. and stayed open until 6:00 p.m. Before 6:00 p.m. on the second day, they had raised over $70,000.00 and Troy West and Dan Smith were able to leave the lift. This was GOD working in West Michigan to provide for the orphans in Guatemala. This was a VERY happy day indeed :) If you want to be part of this ministry, if you want to volunteer with Paradise Bound, or if you want to take a mission trip to the actual orphanage in Guatemala, please contact them at info@paradisebound.org

#34 Moriah Ministries

For those of you who do not know me personally, I am a married mother of two teenagers. My oldest child is a senior this year at Allendale High School. We are currently working through the process of college applications and visits. For this opportunity, I was contacted by Mrs. Love who invited me to join her in serving a meal to GVSU Students. I didn't know about this ministry, but I couldn't say no to that. After all, I am Alumni at GVSU. It turned out to be such a great night!! Moriah Ministries is a ministry for Grand Valley Students and their friends. There are team chaplains who are available to the kids for spiritual guidance 24/7. This group meets once a month. They are provided a home cooked meal (which is where I was put to work) followed by a youth group meeting which this night included live music. What a great way to spend some of my birthday celebration. Playing MOM to a group of college kids that literally live two blocks from my home. When kids are away for college, they often face many challenges. Their faith gets challenged. They are missing their homes. This ministry works to resolve both of those issues. It gives these students a sense of home. FAITH BUILDING AND A HOME COOKED MEAL.....what college kids wouldn't want this???? When I attended GVSU, in the 1990's, I would have loved to find this ministry. It would have sure helped me with my homesickness. If you want to BE THE DIFFERENCE in the lives of college students, please contact this ministry. They can be reached at http://moriahministries.wordpress.com/volunteers/

#33 Michigan Blood

On October 6 I joined the staff and nurses from Michigan Blood to work a blood drive in Wyoming, MI. This day I was part of a team that LITERALLY was able to save a life. I have been a blood donor many times over my 40 years. It is so easy to do and it could mean the difference between life and death to a person whom I never met and will never know. Knowing that I could spend a little of my time, give one pint of my blood and possibly save another person's life, I couldn't think of a more special gift. I was assigned the task of working post-donation station. I was there to monitor the donors after they had donated their blood to ensure that they had regained their strength and composure before they left to go about their daily activities. It was so inspiring to see the donors. I met teenagers, adults, senior citizens. They each were there for one thing, to save lives. And do you want to know where I was on Tuesday, October 8? I was in my hometown donating my own blood, saving a life at yet another Michigan Blood Donor Drive. It felt great to know I was able to BE THE DIFFERENCE to another. If you want to help out, Michigan Blood, can use your assistance. They can use volunteers any day of the week. It is easy to do and will fit with any schedule. If you want to get involved contact them at http://www.miblood.org/volunteer/

#32 I-61 Ministries

On Saturday, October 5, I was able to join I-61 Ministries for their Fall Women's Breakfast. This was a day filled with Women and Worship. What a great way to spend a morning. The women who attended this breakfast were treated to Ceci LeBarge from JQ99 (a local Christian Music Station) as the guest speaker. She talked to us about the drawbacks of social media. How we have started to base our happiness in our "status" on social media or how others respond to our posts. She reminded us that our happiness is found by looking up to our GOD and not to what others think of us. It was a pretty powerful speech. That was followed by some beautiful worship music. The I-61 Ministries have one mission "The primary mission of I-61 Ministries is to formulate a community of women who offer support to one another as they search for peace and joy in their lives. I-61 Ministries strive to network women together to share one another’s burdens and offer encouragement through prayer, song, testimony, fellowship and God’s word. Ultimately, it is the focus of I-61 Ministries to “Bind up the Broken Hearted”, as stated in Isaiah 61, by reaching out to women with the gospel message of hope, healing, and salvation." What a beautiful thing to be a part of. I was able this day to work the registration table and assist with clean up following the breakfast. While I thought I was there to help a great organization, it turns out I may have been there to learn from them. I was moved by the amount of peace I felt leaving this day's activity. If you want to feel this kind of peace, if you are searching for somewhere to dedicate your time, please consider contacting them and see how you can be the difference in the lives of women. They can be reached at www.facebook.com/I61MinistriesforWomen

#31 Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding

Do you have a favorite sound? I have two. The first is the sound of crashing waves. The second is pure uninhibited laughter. Last night my birthday adventure allowed me to experience one. I arrived at Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding after work. I was taught how to groom a horse. Once we completed the task and the horse was outfitted with its saddle then the fun began. The riders arrived. This night would prove to be a fantastic experience. I was able to be a side walker for the rest of the time I was at the center. Equest is a center that holds horse riding classes for persons with special needs. During their 30 minute class, riders are taken through different activities to allow them to challenge themselves. These include riding, directing the horses to walk, trot and once in a while even cantor. The riders are given tasks to increase their flexibility and their abilities to follow instructions. Some of the riders require side walkers, some are more independent. A side walker is just that, they walk beside the rider as they ride through their class. It was pretty universal that when the riders were allowed to have their horses trot that the joy came out. I cannot tell you how beautiful the sound is when you hear someone just laugh and even scream a little with pure joy. It was exactly what I needed to hear and a PERFECT addition to this birthday celebration. If you are interested in experiencing a little of this joy, please contact Equest and make arrangements to go and volunteer. They can be contacted at http://equestcenter.org/equest-volunteers/