Squeal!

Earlier this morning, after feeding, burping, bouncing and talking with my favorite little buddy, I logged into my email, mostly to see what goodies Zulily would be offering today (which I would then drool over, maybe add to my "cart" but never buy. Anyone else have this problem? Endless browsing with zero commitment?) Imagine my surprise this morning when my screen refreshes and I see "You Won!" in the header! 

SQUEEEEEAL!!! 

I won a giveaway! I never win things...but today is my super lucky day!!! E, Myself, and I hosted this a-may-zingggg giveaway, which obviously I entered... never expecting that I would get all these great goodies!

I was literally hopping up and down on the couch (and cursing our spotty internet, which coincidentally chose to go down right at this moment. Seriously?!), which prompted some curious looks from my husband. I informed him that I won this incredible blog giveaway, to which he replied, "Oh, from Pioneer Woman?"

"No dear. Her giveaways have like 50,000 entries."

"Well, someone has to win"

Jordan was pleasantly pleased when I announced to him what this giveaway was all about... because here's the really awesome thing about this giveaway-- not only did I win FIVE awesome prizes (each one making up for the FIVE suspicious wet spots that we cleaned up last night! Hahaha), but ALSO, Elizabeth is making a $100 donation to the charity of my choice.... which just so happens to be Destino del Reino.

For those of you who have journeyed over from E's blog (thanks for the love!), here's the origin of Destino... in a nutshell. Back in 1999, Rhonda felt God tugging on her heart to start a ministry in Honduras. She was single and didnt know spanish, but packed up her belongings and moved all the way to Central America. After spending some time in the city, she realized that she was not learning spanish very quickly and moved once again to a small village in the Yoro mountains.

While living in the village, she quickly came to see that the people in the village were dying. They were very poor, had no way of using the land to live, had no education, and no Christian influence (relying on pagan practices like witchdoctors to cure sickness). She remembered a passage in the Bible where Hannah gave up her son Samuel to do the work of God (see 1 Samuel) and the vision for Destino was born.

Using this story from the Bible, she opened a children's home -- not for orphans -- but for children whose parents were willing to let them live with Rhonda, receive an education, and learn about the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Then, these children would return to their village where they could support their family and spread the Good News. In the last few years, Rhonda has also opened an elementary school (separate from the home), where children from neighboring villages can attend for free, get a great education, and the word of God.

When completely finished, Destino del Reino will consist of 6 homes for children and guest house for parents to visit, a church, an elementary and junior high school, a medical and dental clinic, and a vocational center for the surrounding villages. It really is remarkable what Rhonda is doing there in Siguatepeque, Honduras. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read more of her story, which can be found here.

You can also check out this post and this post to see additional testimonies of the great things happening at Destino.

This brings me to my favorite Christmas card we've received this year:

The front of our card. See the three wise men? And the star of Bethlehem? And baby Jesus in a manger??

        

...and the inside of the card. Melt my heart!!!

This is our Christmas card from Esdras, who is a Destino school child that we sponsor. He is in the first grade this year! It is such a joy to support this sweet boy, especially when I know Rhonda personally and am assured that she is pouring the love of Christ on this child.

I know it's Christmas and our wallets are thin, but if you haven't found that perfect gift for that special someone, would you just consider making a donation to Destino?? Or better yet, sponsor one of the children who attend the Destino school!


Thanks again E for hosting such a FAB get and give away!