How to Make A Difference and Dinner at the Same Time

I heart being a stay-at-home mom, and feel super grateful that

the man I married is on board with being the main breadwinner of our home. (sidenote: I did take a little part-time job recently, but more on that in another post).

But, even as I love the job I've got raising my two munchkins, there are times during the day when I'm elbow-deep in dishes, or knee-deep in laundry or being buried alive by the obscene amount of Legos that live in this house, and I find myself feeling grieved for the world outside the walls of my house and grieved by how limited I am in my ability to help. While I fold laundry and cook dinner, I mull over all the stories of suffering in the media - stories of refugees and unwanted children and abused women. And sometimes I can't help but wonder if I could relieve at least a small part of that suffering if I wasn't over here sorting socks and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

Even while I'm confident that I'm doing exactly what I should be as I raise these children and keep our family washed and fed and hugged on, I can't help going over and over in my head all the things I wish I could also be doing, being, offering to provide some relief for someone, somewhere.

Anybody else out there feeling any of that with me? 

Well, if so, I have a couple tools to share with you to enable you (and me) to reach outside of our little worlds and into the lives of those who need hope and rescue, all while we're still keeping up with the laundry and cooking dinner for our people.

Online for Life's Prayer App    

www.onlineforlife.org.                                                                                                               

You get real-time updates on your phone about women considering abortion so that you can pray as they meet with a counselor at a crisis pregnancy clinic. The app will text you if and when that woman makes the decision to keep her baby. It's hard not to feel the tears well up when you get a text like this one: 

"Baby number 3394 was just saved in Detroit, MI. Thanks for praying."

You can watch a video explaining how it all works at www.prolifeapp.com and download the app at the Apple Store. Such a great way to be a front-line prayer warrior for women and their babies!

The second suggestion I have for you is:

Noonday Collection Trunk Show
www.noondaycollection.com 

You may already be familiar with then, but if not, essentially, they set up avenues for women in struggling countries to sell their handmade jewelry and accessories, giving them the opportunity to support themselves and their children in a dignified, professional way.

Between now and November 1st, any trunk show you host (set up by a Noonday representative), will give 10% of its proceeds to a family in the process of adoption AND enter them into a drawing for a $14,000 grant toward their adoption costs. What a great way to have an impact on a child in need of a home without ever changing out of your yoga pants, well, unless you have a fancy trunk show and need to put on something with less spandex.

Here's the link with all the information you might need to be a hostess:
http://www.noondaycollection.com/pws/homeoffice/tabs/host.aspx

So, there you go. I hope you feel as encouraged as I do about being able to have even the smallest impact on lives beyond the borders of your yard. I'd love to hear ways that you have found to make a difference while also making dinner. (-;