Friends on Missions and a Giveaway!

I have so many friends who have chosen to serve God 

through mission trips in the coming months! 

I have a limited amount of resources but I want to help support them as much as I can!

God has called us to live a life of missions, as we go (Matt 28:18-20)

but there is something life-changing about devoting a set amount of time

to fully and completely focusing on sharing God's love with others.

When I served in summer missions, it completely changed the course of my life, 

leading me to student ministry... where I am now!

So today, I'm giving away a couple of AH-MAZE-ING handmade items that 

help support mission trips and spread the name of Jesus!  

First, this GORGEOUS hand-stitched envelope clutch from Kerrie's shop- perfect for spring and summer, the purchase of which goes directly to helping send Kerrie to India!

From Kerrie:

Jemisee! 

That's a Christian greeting in Nepali.  India is one of the most beautiful places we've ever been to!  In 2009 my husband and I joined a medical team on a journey to India where we treated over 1,000 people and experienced about 200 lives changed through hearing the truth of Christ!  Wade was one of the pharmacists on the team and I worked in the prayer room.  On the last day, we were honored to go to a leprosy colony where we simply walked around, hugging and touching the deemed - "untouchables."  One of the hardest parts of the trip was hearing the women's response to the gospel -- much like in Africa, when presented with the gift of salvation, many women wanted to accept Christ's freedom but were too fearful of their husbands.  What was different in India is that surrendering to Christ often meant being disowned from their families and communities. In some villages, to be a Christian was to be lowest in the cast system.  You may as well be a leper -- you would not even be able to enter a Hindu's kitchen for fear of making it "unclean."  To give your life to Jesus in India is often to truly give Him your life.  There is much persecution in India, and I hope you will pray along with us that the nation will be confronted with the gospel and surrender themselves to the One True God. 

In January 2013 we will finally be returning to this beautiful country.  This time we will be hiking through the Himalayas to encourage the churches, as well as spending time working in the children's home.  To raise the funds for this trip, I am selling hand-made envelope clutches and more in my store, "Missionary Kerrie's".  Thank you Chelsea for thinking of me for your giveaway and even more for sponsoring our mission trip!

Check out all of Kerrie's beautiful designs here!
You can also support their trip by sponsoring Kerrie's blog, The Williams Post!

And second, a stunning handmade necklace from Jennifer Blair, of Jennifer Blair photography! She and her husband are fundraising to go to Ethiopia where they want to capture the stories of those trapped by injustice and be a voice for those who have none.  Read more about their journey here and how they'll be using photography to reach the people of Ethiopia. 

The combined value of this giveaway is over $50! 

(Items have been purchased by me because I love y'all!)

To enter, leave a comment telling me one way God has blessed you this week!

extra entries (leave a comment for each):

- follow my blog via GFC

-follow me on Twitter

-follow me on Pinterest

Winner will be announced Friday May 11th! 

Easy Cherry Limeade- and last day to enter giveaway!

So in addition to my Starbucks problem, I also have a Dr Pepper addiction. So in order to save some money and not buy several 12 packs of DP every time I go grocery shopping, I'm supplementing my beverage repertoire with other delicious drinks.

I drink water too, promise. I just love me some flavor.

This concoction is super easy too!

There are lots of ways to make a cherry limeade. Some involve lemon lime soda or heating fresh cherries to extract their flavor into a syrup. You can check out other methods here, here, or here.

For my recipe you'll need:

1 frozen limeade concentrate

1 bottle carbonated water

(sparkling water, club soda, seltzer water- take your pic)

Maraschino cherry syrup

Prepare the limeade according to the directions.

Mix one part limeade and one part carbonated water (you can adjust this to taste)

Add two tablespoons cherry syrup 

Ice, stir and enjoy!

Don't forget- today's the last day to enter for the autumn wreath or leaf garland!! Comment by 5pm!

Great Things and a giveaway!

Cold fronts are wonderful.

I'm wearing boots and a cardigan.

I believe that this is how every day should be. 

(I may feel differently when I want to wear my polka dot swimsuit)

The lovely weather is a beautiful reminder of so many great things lately.

On MLK Day, I was able to visit with my friend Danae. 

I hadn't seen her since her wedding and it was so good to catch up!

We did a little bargain shopping while we were out

Thank you JCPenney. Yes, saving 114.72 is good.

Also, this week OMBC's Ministry Team had a time of prayer and preparation for 2012. We stayed in a couple of very nice cabins in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception or internet, and that was very refreshing. Sometimes we miss what's going on in other ministries because we're so focused on our own so it was great to hear about everything happening through our Spanish ministries and our life groups and our worship ministries!

I am very excited for everything that God is preparing for 2012. It's going to be a year of growth and change and goodness!

And then, I checked out the new Goodwill on Slaughter Lane to look for costumes. No luck on costumes but I did find a great pair of jeans with the tags still on them! 

I was pretty excited. I had been wondering how I could get a couple new pairs of jeans without breaking the bank. Apparently, I'll be shopping at Goodwill from now on. 

So in celebration of all these great things-

I'm giving away your choice of:

an autumn wreath

This can be customized to include whatever colors you'd like!

 or a an autumn leaf garland

Each leaf is hand cut from felt, has hand stitched veins and is stitched on a ribbon- 

perfect for hanging on a staircase, above the fireplace or on a mantle!

To enter, you must officially follow this blog.

Extra entries:

repost this contest to Facebook or Twitter

Favorite Live Laugh Lynae on Etsy

Post a comment for each entry! 


For example, post:


I follow the blog!
then
I added your shop on Etsy! 
or 
I promoted this giveaway on Facebook!

The winner will be selected randomly.

The contest will be closed Monday October 25th at 12pm.