Monday, November 1, 2010

A Day Of Reflection

 As many of you are aware the last few months have been extremely hectic for me & have left me feeling completley overwhelmed & exhausted. Dealing with Fibromyaglia & diabetes for last 10 years I've come to KNow & learn that listenening to what my body needs is a must & it's telling me..it is time  to slow down & take a day of rest .

So , here I am..attemtping to rest but find myself reflecting on the many wonderful blessings I have in my life. I have a very loving , supportive mother & boyfreind;a wonderful circle of freinds & a beautiful daughter,Jessica Leigh who has just given me a new title in my life..NANA JEWLES.  With the good LOrd by my side & guiding me in my walk I am now a proud NANA to the most handsome lil man ever, NOAH LUCAS COLE. Sitting here, gazing into my grandsons gorgeous blue eyes I cant help but
reflect on this thing we call LIFE , the MIRACLE of child bearing & the many days ,years that follow which forever change the lives of many! As humans, parents, grandparents do we  ever really fully understand & appreciate the true gift God has  given us??? Being given the  ability & choice to reproduce & bring precious new life to this world. It surely is the greatest miracle God has offered to us in this life! The sweet innocence of a child is a true refection of the unconditionalness of GOD'S everlasting love for us! The  nuturing , loving ,caring, teaching & learning  is instictive  to most but in todays day & age with all the negativity, poverty,crime, discontent, hate & worldly disaster going on...it is a constant struggle to stop & appreciate the true simplicity of God's love for us.IN a world full of choices, I can only pray that the decisions we
make & the ones our children make will be the right ones & lead us into a place  where LOve prevails & we all come together as one  nation under GOD as were were intended to do from the beginning!
 I am so looking forward to my upcoming service & exploration trip to Guatemala with my old high school freind Juli.It will be a very rewarding & humbling experience to say the least! For those that know me~ you all know this has been something God has been calling me to do for years now! Well the time  & opportunity have finially come in MY life where I am so blessed to be able to fulfill this desire to share with those less fortunate & offer myself to help inanyway I am physically able to.This is MOSTLY a personal journey for me so when you all ask WHY or HOW I can do this ...the answer is very simple . I am giving of myself ... taking 2 weeks out of MY life to offer my services to a very impoverished country~ hopefully making a
difference in the lives of many & simply sharing with them the gift of sharing, caring & giving.
  It has been very difficult task for me to reach out to the community & ask for donations of any sort as I am one who doesnt do well with asking ANYONE for help. BUt I am strong in my beliefs & have had tohumble myself some to reach out & ask for help from you all as I know just a lil bit goes A LONG WAYS.
  I  FIRMLY believe in COMMON HOPES Mission statements & those of the 2 other organizations we will be servicing. I look forward to hopefully seeing many of my freinds become followers on my blogspot so that you can be updated & FOLLOW US ON OUR JOURNEY .We will be taking many pictures & sharing our experience with you all!

If any of you are compelled to donate even just $1 dollar you can do so by going to 
http://www.livingthedreamwjewles.blogspot.com/  There is a donation button on top left corner. ANy & all donations are appreciated & will be going directly to the 3 organizations we are working with!
                         I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE & SUPPORT!!!

"The place to improve the world is 1st in one's heart, head & hands & then work outward from there!" Robert M Pirsig
 
                              ~COMMON HOPES MISSION STATEMENTS~

Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children, families, and communities who want to participate in a process of development to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing.To ensure the safety of its staff and the families served by Common Hope, we are not politically active in the United States or Guatemala.
There is a difference between charity and justice.  Justice is deeper.  It works toward making systemic change that eliminates the causes of poverty.  Our primary work is in Guatemala, where we attack poverty at its roots without becoming politically active.  In developed countries, Common Hope educates people about their role in creating poverty, as well as their responsibility and power to eliminate it.
While we respect those who work for political justice, our role is to work from the bottom up. We believe that true development and justice primarily happen through solid personal relationships.
 ~Our hope is that each person discovers some way to improve our world.~
                                        Spirituality Statement
Common Hope welcomes anyone willing to serve the poor, and we serve those living in poverty without regard to religion. Although Common Hope was founded on Christian ideals, we believe that people of different faith traditions can join together in service and can live their spirituality without proselytizing.
Our vision and philosophy are based on spiritual principles. We honor all beliefs that lead people to health. We embrace spiritual values such as hope, forgiveness, compassion, respect, love, service, and the pursuit of peace.
 Common Hope recognizes that people, whatever their belief, are equal and deserve respect. We value the strength that diversity offers, and acknowledge that we are all connected.If we respect those we serve, we must allow them the freedom to develop their own spirituality. We recognize that their poverty is physical, and they are often desperate for the services we provide. We recognize that our physical wealth gives us power, and it would be abusive to use this power to dictate belief.
 If we respect those we serve, we acknowledge that they have gifts to share with us. Perhaps we can learn from the deep faith they have developed in facing death and hardship on a daily basis. Perhaps we can grow together in our spirituality.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Benefit Pancake breakfast at Waterville, Applebees on November 7, 2010 at 9am

January 4th is fast approaching and the start of a 14 day service and exploration mission of two high school friends to Guatemala, Juli Sterling & Julie Norton.

Join us Sunday November 7, 2010 and show your support by having breakfast with us at Waterville, Applebees.

Tickets are $5  with ALL proceeds  Going to As Green As It Gets and the completion of their new school.
Get your tickets in advance by calling:
Juli S -207-649-3609    Julie N -207-4312055

~We also are doing a 50/50 raffle , winner to be drawn end of Nov @ another fund raising event~

For those who don't know: We will be volunteering with Common Hope, Safe Passage and, As Green As It Gets -three fantastic organizations inside of Guatemala.

 *Common Hope’s works with 3,500 children in seventeen villages around Antigua and Guatemala City, focusing their efforts on health care, housing, and family development.
*Safe Passage  has its ties to Maine~ Founded by Hanley Denning '92 Bowdoin alumna, it works inside Guatemala City bringing hope, education, and opportunity to the children and families living in extreme poverty around the City's garbage dump.
 *As Green As it Gets provides help entrepreneurial men and women from disadvantaged communities to establish independent, sustainable businesses so that they can improve their living conditions and stimulate their local economies. They are farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and partners..
Please follow along with us on our blogs as the adventure unfolds .Their is a spot on our blog page that allows you to become a follower.
http://www.livingthedreamwjewles.blogspot.com/ & http://juliannasterling.blogspot.com/

Please join us for our pancake breakfast at Waterville, Applebees on November 7, 2010 at 9am .We would love to see you all and appreciate your support on this very special service and exploration mission.
Jewles & Jules

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Lightening the Load Benefit Garage Sale

As many of you are aware, the past several weeks have been extremely hectic for lil ole Jewles...
Between,  the planning & preparing of fundraisers for My Guatemala trip in full swing ,baby showers, moving & getting my daughter Jess moved & settled into her new home before the arrival of my 1st grandson, it left me plenty of opportunity to go threw things & determine what was really needed & what wasn't!
 I found myself getting caught up in "THE LIGHTENING OF OUR LOADS". What a wonderful feeling to let go of belongings that havent seen the light of day in years being tucked away in a closet, attic or basement!
With that being said...I have accumulated many simple treasures to worthy to just Throw Out. From name brand clothing,bed frames, new above ground pool,various chairs,a buffet,antique glassware & lighting ,books and much more.
Sooo...what better to do with it then to have a big ole   BENEFIT GARAGE SALE???
 ***With all proceeds going directly towards My Guatemala Mission Trip.
                                      ~~~~GARAGE SALE DETAILS~~~~
          SATURDAY OCT 23rd ,2010   ~ 9am-3pm~ 111 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville
                                               COME RAIN OR SHINE
No reasonable offers will be refused as each & every dollar counts & is appreciated by the families in Guatemala.
I WILL ALSO BE DOING A 50/50 RAFFLE  w/ the winner being chosen @ a later fund rasing event @ the end of NOVEMBER!  
 I thank you all for your support & hope that you will find it in your heart to partake in one or more of the many different opportunites Juli & I will be doing to involve you all in the GIFT OF GIVING!!!

"LET PEACE THAT COMES FROM CHRIST,CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS & BE GRATEFUL"
                                                                                                          Colossians3:15


                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FYI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 On Oct 9th,2010   the gates of heaven opened & the angels began  to rejoice in the sweet sound of ..  Noah Lucas Cole's tiny lil "here I am " cry.  God has blessed us with a healthy, hearty 8lb7oz bundle of joy! With that being said, I love being a grammy @ 42 years young!!!:)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Tentative Plans For Guatemala

                        

 As January quikly approaches , Juli & I are trying to set our goals and put our plans into action. We both are working diligently in our efforts to come up with creative ideas to raise money for the men , women and children of Guatemala . All proceeds will be divided evenly amongst the 3 organizations we have reached out to .
 I have listed here the organizations & their links we will be primarily working with for those who may want to read more about them. Common Hope, Safe Passage and, As Green As It Gets .  
  Our plan is to work primarily with COMMON HOPE, volunteering our services to them doing whatever it is that they need us 2 do. Ranging from helping to build houses,cleanup relief from tropical storm ,Agatha ,interacting & helping to teach basic life skills and MOST IMPORTANTLY sharing the gospel of GOD'S LOVE for us with the families of this community.
 From there, We hope to be able to tour SAFE PASSAGE and the Guatemala City Dump. Helping there as well with whatever their needs maybe. Juli's group attempted to tour this area last year but, it was determined unsafe at that time. A heartening experience from what we are told!
 Next, we hope to spend a day with AS GREEN AS IT GETS which is famous for it's FABULOUS coffee ~ Touring the facility & hopefully being able to take part in learning their process, helping in anyway we can!
 At this point I think it goes without saying.. that Jules intends to persuade ME into hiking Pacaya again if possible~ as it erupted @ the beginning of this year. We will at least be able to access the damage of the very place she hiked on her first journey to Guatemala.
 The last couple of days after our work there is complete ~ We plan to revisit the Mayan Ruins in Iximche and take in the breathtaking beauty of Lake Tikal and Atitlan, and lastly do a bit of shopping at ChiChi Market, if time allows us.
 I have added a DONATIONS button via PAYPAL for ANYONE interested in making a monetary donation!  Keeping in mind that 1 American dollar is 8.28360 Guatemalan Quetzal. Just think if each & every one of you donated just 1 dollar ...
 WHAT A DIFFERENCE WE WOULD MAKE IN THE LIVES OF THE MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN OF GUATEMALA???
                                 I thank you all for your love and support!     
                                      ~ MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL~
  "Each of US will one day be judged by OUR standard of life..Not by OUR standard of Living; by OUR measure of Giving...Not by OUR measure of wealth; by OUR simple goodness... Not by OUR seeming greatness." William Arthur Ward

Jamie O'Neal - Somebody's Hero

Father Can You Hear Me