Monday, February 23, 2009

A Playdate With A Purpose: Bowls and Spoons for Orphans in Haiti

I am enjoying all of the conversation about dog ownership. There sure are differing opinions. : ) I'll get back to that discussion soon, but I wanted to share with you something special the girls and I did today.

Brandi, a mom who I met on my adoption yahoo group, started a great group for kids called Kids Lake. It stands for Kids Loving As Kingdom Examples. Brandi started a website that sponsors a new project each month that allows kids to help other kids around the world. The theme this month was helping orphans in Haiti by purchasing bowls and spoons for them.

I was so excited to find this website. I've been praying for ways to develop generous and compassionate hearts in my kids. The girls helped me plan a playdate with their friends and today was the day. (All of my ideas for this playdate came from the Kids Lake website)

I talked with the kids about what life is like in Haiti. We learned that many orphans have only one meal of rice a day, and many have to hold that rice in their hands. I scooped rice into the kids' hands and they had to try to eat it without dropping any. As I asked questions, the kids talked about how hard it was to not drop any, how sad they would be if that was their only food, how they would eat any that fell on the ground even if it was dirty, and how dangerous it is to eat with dirty hands.




Trying hard not to drop "their only meal of the day."



Making posters reminding us to pray for Haiti:




The kids brought offerings from their piggy banks to help buy the bowls and spoons.



Even the youngest among us wanted to contribute. : )



Hey! I was there, too. I even got to sample some rice. : )
If you are interested in donating to this cause, you can checkout the Kid's Lake website. They have a PayPal Donation button set up.

It sure was sweet to watch these kids opening their hearts to the kids of Haiti. I'm excited about future projects. I love what this experience has taught my girls already.

We had AWANA tonight and the girls asked if they could get up and tell the other Sparks about their playdate today. I was shocked how comfortable they both were with a microphone and how knowledgeable they were about what we did today. They were able to share what they learned about Haiti and to invite everyone to go to the Kid's Lake website, too.

This was a really special thing. It made my mommy heart happy. Plus I got to hang out with some great friends. : )

(Is it wrong that the moms ate molasses cookies and drank coffee while our kids only got rice?)

5 comments:

Daiquiri said...

Beck - this was such a special project, and I'm so thankful that you included us. My kids were sure to include the kids from Haiti in their prayers last night :)

Brandi said...

awe. . you guys brought tears to my eyes! Thank you so much for participating. You mamas made this mama thankful. I am so thankful that I know other moms across the nation trying to teach the same thing to their kiddos. Wait till next month! Our Playdate with a Purpose is going to be "Soles for Souls" and our KidsLake project will be raising money for Guatamala where $20 buys milk for a sweet little one for a month! Just a heads up now!

Love,
Brandi

Kim said...

What a wonderful project for kids to get the chance to see how lucky they are, and have such giving and thoughtful hearts for other kids. I will definitelt go check out the Kids Lake website. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me. Did I ever give Karissa and Amy my donation? We did so much that week that I can't remember. Mom

B.D.Riehl said...

Hey there! I finally got your blog from my sister today. So excited. What a great idea for a playdate! How wonderful to focus on others while playing and learning together.
I was sorry I didn't get to talk to you more at Kylee's party. I was getting sick that day, so we didn't last long. Anyway, good to finally see your blog!