Praying for labels!

We ordered 500 labels for Leigh's Blankies and they are officially....GONE! :) Amazed that we have made and distributed over 500 blankies!!! Please pray with us for the funds to order more labels! God has provided so much and we are thankful for what he has done and what He is doing with this ministry. Our link to to our PayPal donation account is to the left sidebar for those interested in donating. Thank you!!!

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Blankie Kits!!!

The idea for our home "Blankie Kits" was a gift from God!!! My dear friend, Kathe, has encouraged me from the start of Leigh's Blankies. Kathe leads my grief group at my church, Cornerstone Chandler, and has been a huge part of my grief process and helping me to adapt to this "new normal" of living life here without Leigh Ann. Please check out her blog here, God is using her in many ways as she walks along side women experience grief.  When I started this ministry, it was overwhelming keeping up with the sewing, as the blankies were being requested often! Kathe encouraged me to make home kits for people to take home and make the blankies themselves!!  The kits have been a hit! We have almost 70 blankies out in the community right now in home kits that will be returned and distributed to children all in the next month!

Here is a note from Betty, a friend who has been doing some BEAUTIFUL sewing for Leigh's Blankies! Betty got involved with Leigh's Blankies through my dear friend, Maria.

Just maybe a week after I said to my husband that I needed a hobby to do at home (and housework does not count) Maria sent an email to our Pastor's wife and ask if anyone would be interested in helping sew blankies for children as a ministry....I got the email and forwarded it on to the prayer chain that I send the emails on to and after maybe another week the Lord spoke to me that it was something I could do to help as I like to sew.

I would encourage "Senior Believers" that when you think you have nothing more to give that the Lord can change those thoughts for you and you can do many things to help being strengthened by our Almighty God.

Thank you Maria for inviting me to join you in helping in Leigh's Blankie ministry.

I like to pray over each one as I do the final pressing and folding for the child that will receive it and that God blesses their lives.

God Bless

Betty

If you would be interested in picking up a home Blankie Kit, feel free to contact me!! Or if you have a story to share from your involvement in Leigh's Blankies, send it to me. Others will be encouraged by the work God is doing!!

A Blankie Kit includes enough fabric for 5 blankies, 5 Leigh's Blankies labels, and instructions. 

Group Sew Nights!!!

One of the things I enjoy the most about this ministry is our Group Sew Nights!! It is so amazing to see how God brings different women to minister together! We meet in our home and form an "assembly line" with sewing machines, fabric cutters, ironers, hand stitchers, fabric folders, and "home kit" packers!!! It is truly exciting to see the blankies created and loved on by each individual.  And we love sharing stories of how God is impacting our lives through this ministry!

I'm new to sewing myself, so I'm thankful I have the opportunity to be encouraged by seasoned sewers that  attend.  And it is AWESOME to see women arrive who have never sewn and leave the sew night with new skills!!! We have a few ladies that have learned to sew on Leigh's Blankies and now attend our sew nights regularly or complete home kits for us! What a privilege to see individuals learn, grow and give back!!!  Little ones are touched by these blankies, but the women who sew them feel equally blessed! If you would like to get to involved, please feel free to contact me! Home kits are available with fabric, instructions and labels!

My girls love Leigh's Blankies and I love having them a part of it!

Completed blankies ready to be sent out!!!

Blankies on their way to Poland! Guest Author: Susie Marr

My name is Susie Marr. I am heading to Poland with Joni and Friends - Wheels for the World. Poland is a developing country and it is very difficult to get a wheelchair there. I as a Physical therapist assistant will be fitting people to the wheelchairs that we have sent over there. We will also be hosting a Day Camp for families with children with special needs. When Andra heard about this mission trip she asked if I would take Leigh's Blankies. I have had the privilege of knowing both Andra and Leigh Ann. Greg and Leigh Ann were at our church when they were first married. When Andra was in high school I was her youth leader at church. I am so honored to take these blankets and carry on the legacy and Godly influence that Leigh Ann continues to have. Many of you have lovingly made these blankets and partner with me as my team gives them to the children we meet on our travels. Thank you all so much for allowing me to be part of this too! Can't wait to see what God will do!! I will keep you posted and share pictures when I return!
--Susie Marr

 

Susie and Leigh's Blankies!!!

Please pray for Susie and the Joni and Friends Team as they travel to Poland tomorrow!

 

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!!!