Nelson Atkins Art Museum

Benjamin is becoming a very good artist and seems to do very well with color and detail. Kansas City is fortunate to have one of the best art museums in the Midwest. The museum is divided into several sections with classical art from the renaissance period, ancient art as well as contemporary art. It makes it very nice to be homeschooling Benjamin because we have a say in what type of art he studies. My mom has been working with Ben to learn how to paint with water colors and Benjamin is getting a good collection. Our major emphasis as parent educators is to teach Benjamin not only the essential subjects like Bible, math, science, reading, history, art, PE, and grammar but to make learning a joy because if Benjamin can always love and enjoy learning, he will be a lifelong learner!

Father and Son Campout!

Bennie and I were able to take part in the annual Father and Son campout hosted by our church. The temperature was in the 30s that night, and we had to fumble around in the dark with flashlights, but we had great fun sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows. The following day we had an early breakfast of dry cereal, biscuits and gravy as well as a pop tart. After our group bible study time, we had a full day of flag football, dodge ball and even got to throw rocks in the lake.

Benjamin was very excited to be old enough to go on this camp out (6 years old) and even though he took a hard shot to the head and gut with the dodge ball along with a couple of other minor injuries he really enjoyed the weekend. My back couldn't take much more of all of the fun so I told Bennie we could go to Chuck E. Cheese on the way home and play the arcade games.

Reclaimed Maple Floor a Green Recyclable Donation

One of the more interesting donations that I am currently working on is reclaimed maple flooring that was removed from a double-sized gymnasium. Reclaimed floor has grown in popularity in recent years because of the growing green movement. This amount of reclaimed flooring can accommoidate three to five homes.

These types of donations are especially valuable not only for their monetary value but for their story value that allows us to spread the word to donors and charities alike. There is amazing opportunity for ministries to fund their budgets and projects with noncash donation and many times the donation is a win win for the donor as well as the ministry. As time goes on, green donations are going to be a greater opportunity for charities as recycling processes become more efficient and the cost of raw materials continues to rise. Some of the possibilities for recycled donations are: Steel, copper, aluminum, plastics, building materials and computers (without monitors.)

Excursion in Alaska, a Perfect Place for a Donation

A Ford Excursion has the distinction of being the biggest SUV on the planet. In a world of high gas prices it can be very expensive to operate. Recently, a donor in Alaska wanted to donate their Excursion 4wd, diesel to benefit a church planting ministry in Asia. It is fortunate that the vehicle is in Anchorage, Alaska, because that is one of the few areas of the country where there is a market for these vehicles. In the winters of Anchorage, you don’t want to dare get stranded in the cold. With the deep snow, the bigger your vehicle the better because there isn’t much room for compromise at 50 below zero. Alaskans have to make a much larger investment for transportation than the rest of the 48 states. We are very blessed to have found the perfect car dealer in Anchorage that can sell the vehicle for us. Pray for us and the donor that we are able to maximize the value of this donation so that many people will have the honor to hear the Gospel. If you would like to donate a vehicle to help the Erwin Family Ministries, click on the link below
http://www.creativegivingsolutions.com/?org_id=&org_id=Erwin .

Your donations help us be a blessing to the unsung heros, the servants to the servants!

Inventory Donation Benefits Orphans; A Family With a God-Given Burden!

Recently we received word of a corporation in New York that was offering a business inventory donation to one of our family foundations. This inventory comsists of electrical supplies from a large distributor that was consolidating their warehouse by taking slow moving and discontinued stock off of the shelves and storing it in the container. Even though this is old stock, it is still very valuable in the electrical wholesale market!

The most amazing thing about the story of this donation is the amazing way God works through anyone who has a true burden for the poor, the widow and the orphan.

4 years ago an 18 year old girl began working with her parents to bring awareness of the plight of orphans. By working with Servant Christian Community Foundation, they set up a Family Foundation called Hopes Heart Orphan Foundation and since their beginning, they have granted out over $100,000 to orphan ministries. That is why this inventory donation is so significant! It shows how a family with limited resources and a servant's heart can really make a difference for the poorest of the poor: orphans.

We don’t know how this inventory donation will turn out. The company in question is still working to obtain permission to actually give the product but what a story! Do you have a burden for the hurting? Has God given you something that is bigger than you can do? Take a look at hope’s heart and be encouraged because God wants to do something great with your life. All you have to do is let Him!

Prayer of Jabez, A 6-Year-Old's Version

Our son Benjamin is growing quickly in the love and knowledge of the Lord. Not only is he an AWANA superstar but he is also a superhero in training. The other day I was working at the office and he was with me writing something on a piece of paper. He handed it to me, and as I read it I noticed that it looked familiar. It was the prayer of Jabez, 1 Chronicles 4:10. Ben had copied it off of a business card holder that had the prayer inscribed on it.
It is interesting that as I read the prayer, I have to focus a little harder to make out the words. It reminds me of the powerful truth that God inspired: Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!' And God granted him what he requested." May we allow God's blessing to come to us by living a life of obedience and growing love and intimacy with God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God.

What is the best investment in missions? Being a Servant!

I was privileged to attend a meeting where George Verwer was speaking last night. George is one of the leading statesmen for world missions and the founder of Operation Mobilization, an organization founded in 1957. OM began after the missionary revivals of Wheaton and Moody College after the death of missionary martyrs Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian. These were killed while working amongst the Auca Indians of Ecuador.
OM has recently celebrated their 50th anniversary and since their beginning they have sent over 140,000 people on full-time or short-term missions. OM also was where a 16-year-old K. P. Yohannan began by preaching the Gospel in North India. After seven years with OM, K. P. Yohannan came to the United States and attended Criswell Bible Institute in Dallas, Texas. After his graduation he founded Gospel for Asia. Over 70 other mission organizations have found their roots from OM.
During the meeting we were allowed to ask questions of George Verwer, and I asked him what he thought the best investment is right now in the area of missions, “the best bang for your buck” so to speak. George was very wise to say that is clearly guiding donors in investing their resources as the Holy Spirit leads them. He went on to remind us of the Dalits of India, human slave trade, the AIDS epidemic, and clean drinking water. George especially acknowledged the importance of demonstrating our faith through preaching the Gospel without compromise and ministering to the needs of the poor and then he finished the answer with a powerful statement: “PEOPLE SEE CHRIST IN US MORE WHEN THEY SEE US AS SERVANTS” because Christ was a Servant!

Auto Parts Help During Disaster?

We have recently partnered with a disaster relief organization that stages supplies and manpower whenever a disaster strikes in the USA or worldwide. This organization has recently received a large auto parts inventory that we are currently liquidating on behalf of the charity.

Whether it is hurricane Gustov or Ike or the tornado in Greensburg, these faith-based organizations are extremely important during disasters. Where there are enormous needs, these organizations are filling in the gap where the government organizations can’t.

When a disaster strikes, corporations offer large quantities of “In Kind” donations like water, blankets, shoes, and food. Sometimes donations are offered that are not helpful for the relief effort but are still valuable. In the past, these organizations turn down these donations but this where iDonate.com comes in. These in- kind donations can be sold for cash providing funds for expense of mobilizing the volunteers and supplies.
There is always a great call during these disasters is for cash donations not only for the victims but also for the organizations that are serving them. Liquidating qualified donations makes a lot of sense, not only for businesses that have overstocks but for the relief organizations themselves.

One of the great values iDonate.com brings to organization is “Creativity!” As we continually learn new ideas for receiving and liquidating noncash donations, we are able to pass that expertise on to other ministries in their fund-raising efforts.