Blankies delivered to Joplin MO...Our prayers are with those in Joplin!

 The tornado that went through Joplin Missouri last week had all of us praying and grieving for those that lost their homes, belongings and loved ones.  The night of the tornado, many people across the US were scrambling to see how they could help.  Joplin residents would need everything. Food, shelter, medical supplies, camping gear, clothes, blankets, etc.

I couldn't help but think of  the small children in Joplin without their blankies that night.  Blankies provide security and comfort to small children. With their world turned upside down now, due to the devastation of the tornado, we definitely saw the need for Leigh's Blankies to be sent there.  As I prayed for the families that night and stewed about how we could help them, God gaves us an answer! On Facebook, I found news about a man, Sean Wright, from The Grove Church, who was packing a trailer with goods for Joplin and he was driving it out there the very next day!

As I showed up that next morning with the blankies, it was such a blessing for me to witness the generous response of others!  Below is a picture of Sean organizing just some of the goods donated that morning.

I enjoyed meeting Sean and telling him about Leigh's Blankies.  His wife had taught Sunday School with Leigh Ann and she had been personally touched by Leigh's friendship and her willingness to serve children.  Sean was excited to deliver these blankies to some of the little one's in Joplin! And he genuinely communicated his eagerness to get to there and help in any way he could. His humble heart and willingness to go showed an examle of how to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Fundraiser Yard Sale!

I enlisted a few sweet friends to help me kick off our Leigh's Blankies' Fundraiser Yard Sale!!! They helped me price, move and organize the many donations we received from several different families! I couldn't have done this sale without the help of others, so to all those that participated...THANK YOU!!!

During the sale, we had several shoppers interested in our ministry.  One gentleman had adopted his 2 daughters from an orphanage in Columbia and teared up thinking about the children in orphanages receiving Leigh's Blankies. Another woman had been looking for a way to serve in her community and wants to sew with us! One gal, Rebecca, stopped and cried as she read on this easel about Leigh Ann and the blankies.  For the last year, she had been following Greg's blog (Leigh's Ann's husband) and her heart had been heavy for his family's loss. But she had also felt encouraged by God's faithfulness through his grief and was inspired by Greg's choice to keep trusting in the Lord through pain and hardship. We couldn't deny that God wanted her at our yard sale that morning. This gal has been personally touched by this situation, but she also sews and wants to join us in making the blankies!  

We raised almost $750 at this yard sale! All of which is going towards the purchase of fabric for a delivery to Huruma Children's Home in Kenya!!! Check back soon for more details!!!

Delivery to Christian Family Care Agency!

This is a beautiful picture to me!

My family has a deep love for Christian Family Care Agency (CFCA), as we adopted both of our girls through their agency.  In 2005 we first met our case worker, Carole, and  began our adoption paperwork.  She counseled us, mentored us and has continued to love and pray for our family through our adoption finalizations and as our children have grown older.  Leigh Ann and her husband, Greg, also had a relationship with Carole, as they had completed their adoption paperwork through CFCA in 2009 and had been waiting for an adoption placement before Leigh Ann died.  You can imagine how touched we were when Carole called and said CFCA would like to receive Leigh's Blankies, but not only that, had a specific plan for the blankies.

Their staff had come up with the idea for us to make a matching set of blankies for them, one small and one of regular size. Baby could be wrapped in the regular sized blankie and be held by birth mom in the hospital. When it's time for baby to go home, that blankie could be sent home with the baby and new adopted family. And then the matching small blankie could be sent home with the birth mom  to keep by her side, in her purse or as a keepsake.

This concept touches my heart so deeply as I'm sure it does yours.  You can imagine the grief a birth mother experiences when placing her baby in the arms of another mother. I've only experienced the receiving side of adoption placement, but my heart is tender towards birthmothers. We maintain semi-open adoptions with both our birthmoms and love them deeply. We pray that God heals their pain and their grief and blesses their lives for their incredibly selfless decisions they made for their babies. 

We pray these blankies are a blessing to them!

 

Carole and our girls with the first batch of matching set of Leigh's Blankies! 

THANK YOU for your support for Leigh's Blankies!!!

Blankies in Haiti!!! Thank you Lord for this blessing!

I'm continually amazed to see God's hand with Leigh's Blankies. My hope is that in every step of the process in making these blankies, God is glorified!!  Whether we are at the store counter ordering fabric or delivering these blankies over seas, may God be glorified for his goodness and faithfulness in all of it! 

Pictured above is Paul (The Grove Church) and John (Good Neighbor Orphanage Director in Port au Prince) and 20 of  Leigh's Blankies!! :) Yes, that makes me smile! The blankies were distributed starting with the youngest child, working up to the older children. There are 30 children that live at Good Neighbor Orphanage (GNO) and they are hoping to grow their facilities and house more! I wanted to include the information below from GNO's website. I'm sure it will lead you to pray and possibly support these children!

The Orphanage 

Waiting for breakfast

So to give you a quick peak into the orphange as it is now. The current dorm building was put up after the earthquake.  It is two rooms-girls and boys.  There are 3 bunks per room (double on bottom, twin on top) which sleep 5 allowing for 15 girls and 15 boys.  The orphange is not set up to take in infants because of the extra care, money and staff they require.  Our youngest child is two years old.

 Sophie, Esther, and Vivi live in the dorm rooms with the children and oversee their care.  In addition there is extra support staff that works during the day to take care of the cooking, washing, bathing, hair, etc. 

  

Wash day



Kitchen

Visit the website for Good Neighbor Orphanage here.

Good Neighbor Orphanage is serving orphans in Haiti, and seeks to educate, care for and when possible find homes for orphans in Haiti.

Blankies have arrived in China!!!

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 As many of you have read, our latest batch of blankies flew to an orphanage in China, New Day, with our dear friends Jarrod and Sara. They flew to China to meet and bring home their beautiful adopted daughter, Samantha!  God laid it on their heart to bring a blanket to every orphan at New Day and their lives and the lives of the children were blessed by the experience.

 Jarrod wrote about his experience at New Day...

"The last thing we did at New Day was also unforgettable.  Sara had posted earlier about us delivering some of "Leigh's Blankies" to the kids.  It is hard to describe what it was like to hand out these blankets to a group of orphans other than overwhelming.  Probably the best way to describe it is this...one little boy took his new blanket and within about 8.6 seconds he had it in his room and neatly spread out on his crib....he was so proud!  Within a few minutes, about 5 others had done the same thing.  It was a special moment for Sara and I as we remembered our friend Leigh Ann and her heart for children.  We were thankful to have have something tangible in her memory stay in China with these very special kids."

The crib of the proud little boy! I love these blankies and the children who receive them!

 Thank you for your support for Leigh's Blankies! God is moving this ministry in ways I could have never imagined. Organizations are contacting us weekly to be on the receiving end of these beautiful blankets.  Please continue to pray for us as God grows this ministry!!! We are considering packaging kits for others to make our blankies. How awesome for others to share in the joy of making Leigh's Blankies!!! Pray for us as we finalize the details on the kits.

Psalm 67:1-2

 May God be gracious to us and bless us

   and make his face shine on us, so that your ways may be known on earth,

   your salvation among all nations.

Leaving On A Jet Plane for China! -Guest Author: Sara Heinz

Andra asked me to do a guest post about  the Leigh's Blankies that are going with us to China!  Andra is a dear friend, and when she told me about the blankets she was sewing for children in memory of Leigh Ann, I wanted to help in any way I could.   It warms my heart to remember Leigh Ann in this way.  She was such a great friend and never failed to make me laugh and give me perspective on things in life that really matter.  Leigh Ann loved Jesus, her family, children, and had a such a servant heart.   Leigh's Blankies is such an awesome representation of something she would have been excited about. 

"Say China!!!!"  Here is a picture of our two boys opening up the much anticipated box of Leigh's Blankies to go with us to China.  Jarrod and I will be on an airplane in less than 48 hours on our way to our daughter, Samantha!  We will have the privilege to go to New Day Foster Home in Beijing and hand deliver blankies to the children who are still waiting for their forever families. 

Here is a picture of our daughter - I can't wait to snuggle her in her very own Leigh's Blankie!

We are so grateful for this opportunity to show the love of Christ in a practical way to little ones on the other side of the world! 

Love, Sarah and Jarrod Heinz

Leigh's Blankies leaving for China...the sooner the better!!!

Why the sooner the better!!?? Because our dear friends, Jarrod and Sara, are delivering 20 blankies to New Day Foster Home in China at the same time they are meeting their adopted daughter, Samantha, for the first time!! So let's get these blankies out the door and on their way to our new little friends in China! I am covered in goose bumps just thinking about it!

Samantha at New Day!

I am blessed to be an adoptive mother.  There is emotional pain in waiting for your chosen child.  Not being able to care for your child from the moment they are conceived is difficult.  Both of our babies were placed with us right after their time of birth, so attachment and bonding started right after delivery. For most families that adopt internationally, they receive a Child Referral which includes a picture and a file of notes on the child's history.  If the Referral is accepted by the adoptive family, they meet their child for the first time from that file of notes. Don't think for a minute that an adoptive family doesn't bond with that child in the picture! They do! So waiting until time of travel is so very difficult to endure. We have prayed that our friends would be traveling sooner than later, and God decided sooner IS better than later! Thank you Lord!!!

Our hands are busy sewing 20 blankets in a very short amount of time, but I work fast when I'm excited. ;) Jarrod and Sara will update us on their journey.  I'm ecstatic at the thought of seeing pictures of those precious children with their blankies!

Stay tuned!!