Day 1058: Kitchen Klutzes of America Day

Day 1053: Raising a Wanderer

Hey folks!  I thought I would pass this on for the good of the group. 

As many of you might recall, last November I held an ‘unofficial’ Toys for Tots drive, and no one was more enthusiastic and supportive than Bethany, over at the blog Raising a Wanderer.

So, when I received and email from Bethany, two days ago, regarding a service trip to Guatemala she is raising money for I thought it would be nice to repost her message for all the SchutzHappeners.

She’s only looking to raise $1150.00 (which seems VERY low) and according to her blog, the last time I checked, she has already raised 72% of her goal… so she only has like $322.00 left to raise. 

Awesome job Bethany!

SO, will the readers of SchutzHappens be the folks who put her over the top?  Who knows… Who cares...  That’s between you and your pocket book.

All I can say is Bethany is legit… and I’ll leave the rest of the details to her:

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Dear Friends,

Many of you know that Guatemala has always held a very special place in my heart.  I backpacked solo through Guatemala 7 years ago for almost 3 months, and met the most amazing people and saw the most amazing places.  I also met some of the poorest people in the world with homes most of us would never consider living in...people that still smiled and were grateful for what little they had.

Today I was given the opportunity to join a very special organization Nuestros Niños on a service trip to Guatemala...leaving July 9th...as in next month July...as in just over a month away....for 8 days.  With my love for Guatemala and for being of service to others...I just couldn't pass up this opportunity to give more. 

During this trip we will be hosting field days for preschoolers, building playgrounds, handing out school supplies, shoes, clothing...giving away chickens and fruit baskets, and building safe stoves in homes that are currently unsafe...and that's not even the half of what we'll be doing!

I am so so so excited about this opportunity and my husband and son are in full support of me going....so it's full speed ahead!

So what are you missing, you might be thinking?  Well...that's an easy one.  M.O.N.E.Y.  aka "Sponsors" to help me send me on this service project.  The total cost for the trip is $1150.  Any donations above and beyond that amount will be used to buy more chickens and food baskets for families.  All donations are fully tax-deductible and I will you ensure you will receive a letter stating such.

Please consider donating $5, $10, $15, $25, $50...whatever you can.  Seeing as this is happening so quickly, I don't have the luxury of fundraising all year...so I'm praying that my friends and family can help out if possible.

I will be keeping my blog Raising a Wanderer updated while in Guatemala and will also be providing the link to Nuestros Niños  blog within my posts.

If you're interested in donating, please visit my blog Raising a Wanderer and click on the Donate button on the top right of the page.  You do not need to have a paypal account to donate.  

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me be of service.

xoxo Bethany

Day 1052: My Departure is Becoming Real… VERY REAL

Deep breath.

Can it be true?  I really have less than 40 days left in Pakistan?  Less than 40 days separated from my family?  Less than 40 hug-less nights!  Less than 40 days of food that may, or may not, make me sick!  Less than 40!?!?!?!      

Honestly… that just seems crazy.  Unreal!  Simply amazing!

It has certainly been a very long, stressful, and lonely year.  But it’s almost over and I can’t wait! 

You know?  Everyone measures the end of a tour in different ways.  Some people checkout immediately after they receive their next assignment (even if they still have a year at their current post). 

For other folks, their move becomes real when their travel arrangements have been finalized and their pack-out scheduled.

However, I have to say… my departure from Islamabad did not really become real until my next post (Paramaribo, Suriname) assigned us our sponsor, the family who will help us with our adjustment and settle into our new home. 

That’s right!  The Paramaribo welcome wagon is starting to gear up for our arrival and I am super excited.

Leaving a post is always hard.  Even a crazy place like Islamabad… you know how it is, I’ve lived here for a year and in a lot of ways it’s become my normal and I have a lot of friends here.  So yeah, it’s going to be hard to say ‘good-bye’.   And honestly, this transition is doubly hard, because five days after I say ‘good-bye’ to Pakistan, I’ll have to say ‘good-bye’ to Serbia.

I guess with all this saying ‘good-bye’ it just feels good to know that there’s a place ready to say ‘hello’.  And that makes the transition SO much easier!

Plus, our sponsors in Paramaribo are another crazy blogging family of four: http://fergusonfamily2002.blogspot.com/

And that’s just plain cool.

Day 1051: Be-Bop-A-Lula Day

Day 1048: National Repeat Day

National leave the Office Early Day?  Seriously… no one needs to ask me twice.

Day 1047: National Leave the Office Early Day

National leave the Office Early Day?  Seriously… no one needs to ask me twice.

Day 1046: National Go Barefoot Day

But seriously: http://www.soles4souls.org/