sweet sage girl...

so, today my sweet 10 year old puppy  had surgery.  and yes, i am about to post a blog about my dog!  although i'm not a human mom, this experience makes me wonder how i would cope if sage were not a dog...but a human baby.  i was pretty nervous all day...until i heard she was awake and out of surgery.  i feel silly even admitting that, but it's true!  i was so afraid something was going to go wrong.  but, thankfully, sage is home....with clean teeth, 3 stitches, and 1doggie cone later.

she was a little perky when she came home...not really wanting to sit down...

she's gettin' a little sleepy!

snoozin'...

 as i type, sage is scarfing down her first meal in 24 hours.  she doesn't know that mouthwash is just around the corner.  hoping that goes well...without too much landing on the floor! ha!

treasure hunting...

today was so much fun!  this sweet lady is lisa.  we spent all day hunting for treasures at renniger's antique extravaganza.

ready to shop!

i was literally overwhelmed by all of the color and unique finds with each turn.   

beautiful colors...

i loved these powder canisters.  the shop owner said it well...there was so much detail put into every little thing -- including these canisters. 

 these blocks caught my eye!  do you remember having these as a child?  i do!  although, i don't remember them costing $95.00!  wow!

oh my -- have you ever seen anything like these?  vegetables with legs, faces and arms!  for some reason, these just cracked me up...i couldn't help but snap a picture! 

and now...a couple of the treasures I brought home --- 

 the spool collection has begun!  i learned that each time the thread had to be changed, a knife would be used to loosen any extra thread.  so, each mark in the spool is representative of someone working...of a new thread.  the smaller "candle holder" is actually a piece of something from another type of spool.  now, if you look close there's one more new item...

 a burlap table runner!  this was my last purchase of the day and i was so excited about it!  you can barely see it in this picture, but the reverse side of the runner is a lighter muslin type material...almost cream colored.  so, it's really 2 in 1!  

even though i didn't find this at rennigers, i have to share this...

 as soon as i saw this chair at ReStore, i knew it was mine!  i LOVE the material...it's so fun!  and, if i didn't love the material, the chair just had a great structure! 

 once i cleaned the chair up a bit, it fit perfectly!  i've since purchased a rug to place in front of the dresser.  i'm hoping it will create a little "entry way" of sorts.  i'm thinking about replacing the small lamp with a big floor lamp that i'll place between the dresser and the chair...hmmm.  we'll see! 

i've always wanted a place where i could sit and do my Bible study.  i think this will be the spot...it's much better than laying in bed or sitting at the kitchen table for me.  

well, that's all for now!  i did find a few more treasures at rennigers and a sweet store called when pigs fly, but i'll save those for another post.  until next time...have a great weekend!

exciting news...part 2

**if you are joining for the first time, please check out 'exciting news...part 1'! :)**

now that you know a little about children of the nations, i'm going to share a little about my next steps...how i join the children of the nations staff...

step 1: build up a family

one of the most beautiful things about cotn is the importance of family.  many of the children who are cared for at the cotn children's homes arrived there without a family -- orphans in every sense of the word.  but, all of that changes when they are cared for at the children's home.  from day one, they walk into a family -- a family of brothers and sisters of all ages, a number of house parents, cotn staff who are like grandmothers/grandfathers.  the children learn to fully trust and love their new family...crying together, laughing together, singing together, doing chores together, learning about Jesus together.  doing all the things that a family does together!

house 2 girls -- sorting rice together

my first step in this process is to build a team of partners...a family of sorts!  this "family" is made up of people who will pray with and for me and COTN, and those who will financially partner with me on this journey. 

prayer family...
i need prayer. it's as simple as that!  i know that God can and will do great things through prayer.  and i am looking for people who will faithfully pray for me as i walk out this calling on my life. 

girls praying in sierra leone

if you would like to be a part of my prayer team/family, shoot me an email or comment and i'll touch base with you! :)

financial family...

i need financial support, too. it is that simple, but let me offer a little explanation! :) before i go any further, i want to be honest and say that the financial piece of what God is asking of me has been the most daunting!  i had so many questions and fears about what it would look like to hand all of my financial needs over to God.  but then, He reminded me that it's all His to begin with!  ha!  and He placed great people in my life to walk me through the process.  if you're reading this, you might have questions too!  like, why do i have to raise my financial support?  how does it work?  i'll give you the short answers here...

• why do i need financial support? cotn is a non-profit ministry. in order to keep overhead low and allow as much money as possible to go to the children that cotn supports, cotn staff members raise support. 
• how do i know what to raise?  with the help of dave ramsey & cotn, i have developed an annual budget. this allows me to pay rent, bills, buy groceries, etc.   my budget also includes ministry expenses (travel, computer upkeep, stamps, etc.), taxes, retirement, & savings. all in all, my budget allows for "life"...just as your salary does!
• how does it work?  individuals/groups will partner with cotn on my behalf by providing a monthly or annual financial support.  these gifts will go into my account with cotn, and i will receive paychecks once i start working. 

so, i'm looking for people who want to be a part of what cotn is doing by helping me join its staff! if you would like to partner with me & cotn, please give me a call or check out my cotn staff page.  i won't go into any more detail here on the blog about support, but feel free to email/comment if you have questions. 
 
step 2: get to work!
once i have raised 80% of my yearly support, i will officially start working as the community coordinator for Children of the Nations in the central florida community.  God has given me a passion for this ministry, how He is changing lives through it, and i am so excited to share that passion with others! 

children in ngolala doing chores & stopping for a "snap"

just because i know people will wonder -- i will remain at my current job until i have reached the 80% that is required before i can begin with cotn!  in the mean time, building up my cotn support "family" is my part-time job! :)


so, there you have it...my next steps to join staff with cotn!  as you can see, this isn't something that i can do on my own.  it really is a "family" affair! :)  i would love for you to consider being a part of my cotn family....praying for me and/or providing a monthly financial gift.

thanks so much for letting me share about this exciting next step in my life!

ps - for more information about my cotn journey, you can check out my staff page @ www.cotni.org/staff/amber-rettke.