The purpose of these emails is to make this leap year a LEAP Year. (Living to Educate ourselves and others About Poverty by spending 1% of our day on the subject or 14.4 minutes.) After 29 days we hope to have 29 kids sponsored, $29,000.00 raised and a new way of thinking and good new habits formed.

More Ways To Leap
Looking at your list? I was reminded that I skipped electronics in our lists. TV, DVD, VCR, STEREO and all related paraphernalia. How many hash
marks/reasons for gratitude/"luxury items" did that add? How are you feeling? Shocked? Surprised? Saddened? Blessed? Encouraged?

Several more ways to L.E.A.P.: One of my friends is boxing up all of her gently used items and donating them for the Show Mercy team to take to Uganda in June. My nephew is selling popcorn, a snack the Hope Kids love, at his school during lunches to send money with the team. One friend is going to make beautiful cards, and another from Beard’s Framing has framed at cost the Hope Kids’ art, to sell as fund raisers. Beaverton Family Chiropractic is offering a free exam and x-rays in exchange for sponsoring a child to go to school. They have sponsored 7 children already!! Still others are just sending these idea emails to everyone they know.

People are using their time, talents, hobbies, connections, businesses, gifting, and schools to spread the word and bring resources to children all over the
world! Email me back with how you will spend your time, your 1%. Or any other thoughts or concerns you may have. I will share the ideas with everyone. We
don’t have to be working with the exact same charities, to be working for the exact same goal. Show Mercy’s stated goal is: Reaching out in Love. One Child
at a time.

Blessings on you and your whole house,

Lia

For more information, please go to www.showmercy.org

Easter and Christmas are the two main holidays celebrated by our friends in Uganda. We want to make this an extra special holiday for the over 100 children and staff that we are assisting at Hope Children’s Home in Gganda Village. Our secret plan is to surprise them with enough resources to not only have a big feast like they would have at Christmas time, but we want to provide them with enough  food so that they can also invite some of the widows in the village to join them.  We know that this is a bit last minute since Easter is THIS SUNDAY, but we just decided today that we should at least give everyone an opportunity to be a part of this special day. If you sponsor a child at Hope or just want to share in the blessings of being able to bless others, they would greatly appreciate any help you could give. You can click on the image or click here to make a donation online with a credit or debit card. (Feel free to mail a check as well if you prefer) We are confident that we will be able to not only provide for our kids but reach out in love to the local village as well. Thanks in advance! CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE TODAY to provide a feast for Hope Children’s Home and some Gganda Village widows.

The purpose of these emails is to make this leap year a LEAP Year. (Living to Educate ourselves and others About Poverty by spending 1% of our day on the subject or 14.4 minutes.) After 29 days we hope to have 29 kids sponsored, $29,000.00 raised and a new way of thinking and good new habits formed.

Ways to LEAP
Still looking at your lists of "luxury items"? Here are some of the suggestions we have received to help people get started stretching out that
"hunker" into a LEAP: 
 
Throw a party and invite all of your friends and take up a collection, charge them for the food/beverage, just as if you were all going out to eat. How many
times is the 29th of February going to be on a Friday Night? Be creative, you know you’re your friends would find entertaining and still communicate the
worthiness of the cause. Have everyone from your hobby group bring a few bucks to the next meeting. Hold a competition for who has raised the most money and give trophies/bragging rights to the winner. Auction or raffle off your services/items to new or old clients and get your friends to donate theirs as
well. Have a garage sale with your neighborhood and give all the money to your charity. 

And I think this is my personal favorite: Swear or Workout jars. Remember those New Year’s Resolutions? Put money in a jar for every time you keep, (or
don’t keep) your resolutions. I even saw on the news the other night that a man was going to get his friends to help the poor and him to lose weight at the same time. For every pound he lost, the food bank got that many pounds of food donated to them by the dieter and matching donations from all of his friends. 

So here is my proposal. My resolution was to be caught up in my scrap-booking before I forgot what was in the pictures. Let’s do it together this Friday
February 29th at 6:00pm through Saturday March 1st at 10:00pm … For every 12”x12”page finished by me or anyone who drug their “scrap’n” to my house, I
will donate $1 to Show Mercy, ($.50 for each 8”x 8”page.) Who will join me? You will be able to see many of my Uganda pictures, too!!! 

If you come over, you will need to bring a folding table. I have 10 chairs and 2 tables. Bring your own snacks. I will cover drinks. Email me if you need
directions and/or me to have the house available the following weekend as well.  

Actually, it may sound like more of a triple jump than a leap. Spread the word. Sponsor kids. Raise project funds. But that is when we all work together.
Who knew the triple jump could look more like Leap frog. Have fun! 

Can’t wait to hear about your weekends/See you at my house! 
Lia

The purpose of these emails is to make this leap year a LEAP Year.  (Living to Educate ourselves and others About Poverty by spending 1% of our day on the subject or 14.4 minutes.)  After 29 days we hope to have 29 kids sponsored, $29,000.00 raised and a new way of thinking and good new habits formed.   

How Do You Begin to LEAP?
How would some one begin to Leap? Well first they hunker down. Can’t jump from a straight stance, or at least not far. To get the most spring, we compress and then stretch out and reach as hard as we can with our whole body in the direction that counts the most. Isn’t momentum interesting? So how do we figuratively “hunker” to prepare for our L.E.A.P.? (Living this year to Educate ourselves and others About Poverty.)

I have an idea that might propel the whole family towards more awareness. Grab a piece of paper for each family member, a pen, and the family. Let’s go to
each room and put a tally mark down for every item we have that would be considered a “luxury item” to the children of Uganda (and most of the world.)
Put a second mark down if this item’s status as “luxury” was surprising to you or one of your children.

The House: Is there a floor above the dirt? Does the floor have carpet? Is there glass in the window holes? Is there electricity? Running water? A roof
that doesn’t leak? Gutters? A locking door? Is there heat or air conditioning? Do you own cleaning products/utensils? Is it full of bugs or rats?

The Bathroom: Each beauty products, soap/ wash cloth and towel, the sink, shower and the toilet. 

The Kitchen: Food beyond rice and beans, or anything over a one day’s supply. 

Clean water. Stove. Sink. Refrigerator. Dishes/cups beyond one a piece. Pots and pans. 

The Bedroom: Bed/mattress/blanket, clothes beyond one shirt, and one pair shorts. Anything that is new, anything that is clean, anything that is not torn, any underwear/socks at all. Any pajamas at all, any toys at all, a dresser or desk?

Now put another check mark down if it surprises you to know that many, many children do not have even the items we listed as “basic” that you didn’t have to
count. Tack your list up on the fridge to help the whole family consider gratitude and compassion. Besides, we may be revisiting it before the 29 Days
are over.

Being stretched right along with you,
Lia

showmercy.org