The Power of Empowering One

On a Friday afternoon, a little girl learned that the Salvation Army had to halt packing gifts for children who otherwise wouldn't receive anything this Christmas. And this one  little girl came up with an idea to sell handmade salt-dough ornaments and use all of the proceeds to buy gifts.

By that same evening, she had raised nearly $1000.  A little girl. A “go gettem’” attitude. And a big heart.

In four days, Avery had raised over $3000! And people kept giving.

I want to be like Avery when I grow up. Hearing a need and being willing to act on the Lord's call, just like Avery did. I believe is a huge testament to the work that the Lord is doing in her life. And I also believe that this is a testament of her parents empowering her to love and serve others. To say yes to God.

And the people giving? Generosity abounded. No matter the size of the person's donation--$5 or $200--they were making a huge investment. Not only are they investing in this one specific project--providing money for gifts and therefore showing love to the recipients--but they're investing in the long term...investing in the development of Avery's generous spirit.

People saw Avery's desire to raise money...nobody had to give money. At this time of the year, many people are already giving above what they usually give to their churches or favorite charities. But, people gave anyways, and in doing so, they showed a little girl the importance of what she was choosing to do--serving without any expectations. Giving simply to benefit others. People's kindness in giving donations  will most likely serve as an example to Avery for a very long time. It will be an impetus for more giving in her future. For a posture of generosity.

I believe that there's a whole generation of kids--young and old--itching to give...itching to serve. Lets show them how important it is. Let's invest in their ideas. Support them. Empower them. You never know what one child can do to transform lives and show others the love of God. 

(To see more about Avery and her amazing generosity, check out this local news story)  

Michigan Trip:Part 5-Grand Marais

After Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, Aunt Michele, Grandpa, Joelle, and I all headed across the Mackinac Bridge to the UP. Our first stop once in the UP was Clyde's-an old fashioned burger joint/diner. We all sat at the counter and ordered our food...a cheeseburger and chocolate malt for me! And they were delicious. We then headed to my Uncle Duane's sister and brother-in-law's (Debbie and Dave) house to get the key for her camper that we would be using for the weekend. Then, we finally drove to Grand Marais for the family reunion. 

We settled in very quickly, snacked on some Mackinac fudge, and then Joelle and I made a bee-line for the beach. This was our very first time seeing Lake Superior, and boy let me tell you, it was beautiful! It's all white sand and tons and tons of stones. Joelle and I got to collecting the prettiest ones we could find. I had to keep myself from grabbing more and more. We also grabbed enough of the larger stones and made a heart shape. 

One of the beautiful sunsets on Lake Superior

The next day we walked all around the little town. The UP is a lot less developed than the mitten (lower peninsula)-as the towns are all generally pretty small-so in Grand Marais, there are more boutique-ish places rather than large stores that are well known. Joelle and I picked up a lot of different handmade gifts for family and friends...and ok, ourselves too. Later that evening, we headed to Seney to get dinner with Debbie and Dave. It was a lot of traditional Michigan/Mid-Western type food (fish fry, roast beef, etc.). 

This was the cute art gallery in Grand Marais. Joelle and I made a few purchases here. Also, there were beautiful flowers like this all over the place in Grand Marais.

On Saturday, we had the reunion. Meeting a lot of new people is really intimidating, but I mostly hung around my cousins Debbie and Jeff that I met the day before. Tons of food was brought to eat; including the raspberry pie (with berries right off the bush) that Debbie (Uncle D's sister) made for us. What a hit that was! Everybody loved it. Every time a reunion is held, they also have a softball game, but Joelle and I decided to go down to the beach with Aunt Michele. Once again, we added to our stone collection. 

The rest of the time we were in Grand Marais, we walked around, had campfires, made s'mores, went to a silent auction, and enjoyed the beautiful weather with each other. 

As we packed up and were driving down-state on Sunday morning, we went to The Triangle for breakfast. Yum! A few hours later, we were back down-state and ready to head to our next destination.

The Marina in Grand Marais

Upper Peninsula Michigan on Dwellable