3 Gifts In Community - 30DaysThankful - 28

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Galatians 6:2

 

com·mu·ni·ty

noun

a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

 

The interesting thing about community is, it doesn't just happen. It is a "result of sharing". You can't expect another to bear your burdens if you don't share that you have a burden in the first place.

 

And when we share, we can bear. And then we fulfill the law of Christ.

 

3 Gifts Community;

#1 - Fellowship

#2 - Sharing

#3 - Bearing

 

 

Fellowshipping with you,

Kerry

Dressember 6th

Dressember 6th

 

Let it snow...

 

 

Let it snow...

 

 

Let is snow!!

We received over 8" of snow on top of the ice/sleet we were getting yesterday! Even though we live next door to each other it's quite a hike when we have to walk through the woods through 8" of snow. So we took pictures apart and Hope and Sara's Momma emailed me their pictures for the blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confessions from the Dressember Girls

 

 

Like yesterdays pictures showed, It's Not Just a Dress. But this challenge is harder than any of us imagined.

 

Waking up to all this snow, it was fun knowing I was 'snowed-in' and didn't have to go any where. It's the ultimate 'pajama-day'. Drink coffee, make cookies, decorate the tree and watch Hallmark Christmas movies all day. Except for one thing. I have to wear a dress. I have to be presentable. Every day this month. [I never realized how much I like my 'un-presentable' days] :^)

 

 

 

Sara and Hope's Momma shared this with me today:

"I have to be honest, today was a little harder to put on a dress.  Hope did not want to wear one.  It was cold and she wanted to play outside.  But I reminded her why she was doing this and that she made a commitment to do this and she decided on a warm but cute dress.  As you can see.  It might be a long cold month.  But definitely worth it!!!"

 

KIGALI, RWANDA, AFRICA – Thu, 12/05/2013 - Justice was secured for 16-year-old Angelique* [through the efforts of IJM]on Friday, as a judge found the man who repeatedly sexually abused her guilty and sent him to prison. Now raising a baby born from the abuse, Angelique can look forward to a safer future. {Read More}

 

 

"When we first met Angelique, she was living in a critical situation," says IJM Rwanda Client Care Specialist Souvenier Alphonsine. "She was occupying one very dirty room with her baby. They slept on an old wood door—with no clothes for the baby, no insurance cards [for medical care] and no meals."
IJM quickly got Angelique to a safer location, and made sure she had proper food and clothing. Angelique's baby was born deaf, so IJM helped her secure a government insurance card to make sure they could get medical treatment going forward.{Read More}

 

 

 Angelique is a young girl like us. She was a victim of abuse until she got help through International Justice Mission. Not only did she receive the help she immediately needed for her and her baby, but Justice was brought to the individual who wronged her.

 

 

Through Dressember we are raising funds, through people like you, who will sponsor us as we wear a dress everyday through the month of December. We are raising awareness that there are girls like us around the world who don't get to sleep in a warm bed every night, and who don't have loving parents to take care of them. There are girls like us who just need to be loved, but they are tricked and used.

 

We might not help them all.

But we can help some.

 

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Wanna join the fun?

•  Commit to Praying for Sara, Hope and I this month so we can continue to stand strong in our challenge this month to stand with those who stand alone. Leave a comment below to let us know you're praying!
• Sponsor Hope, Sara and/or I, by giving to Campaign 1:17. Go Here to hear the story behind the campaign and Go Here to Donate [be sure to add a note to say who you're sponsoring!]
• Go To the Campaign 1:17 blog and leave a comment for Grace to encourage her to continue the fight!

 

 

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Don't miss a single dress!

Dressember 1st

Dressember 2nd

Dressember 3rd

Dressember 4th

Dressember 4th 1/2

Dressember 5th

Dressember 5th

Dressember 5th

 

 

 

It's Not 'JUST' A Dress

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Freedom and Femininity and raising awareness of the modern day slave trade.

 

The land rights of women are violated on a massive scale worldwide, but with particular ferocity in Africa, leaving widows and other women in vulnerable positions unable to care for themselves or their children. Around the world, women suffer the double trauma of rape - and seeing their perpetrators face no consequences. {source}

 

IJM seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression who urgently need the protection of the law. {source}

 

Campaign 1:17 seeks to bring awareness of modern day slavery to people, and raise funds for IJM to continue their work.

 

We - Kerry, Sara and Hope - are wearing dresses everyday for a month to raise awareness and funds for Campaign 1:17 to benefit IJM to save kids and woman like us live free.

 

Wanna join the fun?

 

 

• Comment to let us know you're following!
• Sponsor Hope, Sara and/or I, by giving to Campaign 1:17. Go Here to hear the story behind the campaign and Go Here to Donate [be sure to add a note to say who you're sponsoring!]
• Go To the Campaign 1:17 blog and leave a comment for Grace to encourage her to continue the fight!

 

Dressember 3rd and 4th had us enjoying the sun shine and temps up to 75*!

 

It was nice taking our pictures outside everyday. So far.

 

Today was a little different. :^)

 

We were shivering in our tights and billowing dresses in 27* today! 

 

With ice piling up around us, wouldn't it be warmer just to wear pants?

 

Now snow is piling up on top of the ice this late afternoon in Missouri and we are glad we can partake in some suffering for this cause.

 

All for Jesus.

 

-Kerry-

 

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Don't miss a single dress!

Dressember 1st

Dressember 2nd

Dressember 3rd

Dressember 4th

Dressember 4th 1/2

Dressember 4 1/2

Dressember 4 1/2

Hope, 5yrs

 

Hope's Mom [Leslie] shared this conversation with me that they had while making dinner together last night:

Hope: "I'm little so I don't think I can do big things, but God thinks I can do big things."
Wise-Momma: "God knows you can do big things and that's why He is using you to help kids in slavery."

To God be the Glory, Great things He hath done!!

 

What big things does God know YOU can do?

 

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Wanna join the fun?

 

• Wear a dress every day with us! Comment with a link to where you'll be posting your dresses so we can see them too!
• Comment to let us know you're following!
• Sponsor Hope, Sara and/or I, by giving to Campaign 1:17. Go Here to hear the story behind the campaign and Go Here to Donate [be sure to add a note to say who you're sponsoring!]
• Go To the Campaign 1:17 blog and leave a comment for Grace to encourage her to continue the fight!

 

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Don't miss a single dress!

Dressember 1st

Dressember 2nd

Dressember 3rd

 

Dressember 4th

A-Dress-ing Social Justice

 

Trafficking in humans generates profits in excess of 32 billion dollars a year for those who, by force and deception, sell human lives into slavery and sexual bondage. Nearly 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry. {source}

 

 

We are Hope (5yrs), Sara (7yrs) and Kerry (25yrs).

 And we are wearing dresses for a month to help kids like us live free.

Hope took this picture!

 

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Micah 6:8KJV

 

 

Sara took this picture!

 

 

Sara and Hope got their first sponsors today! Sending a special "Thank You" to Uncle Mike!! They are so excited to have money to give to the cause! He has committed to giving them each $.50 for each dress they wear this month!

 

 

 

Wanna join the fun?

 

• Wear a dress every day with us! Comment with a link to where you'll be posting your dresses so we can see them too!
• Comment to let us know you're following!
• Sponsor Hope, Sara and/or I, by giving to Campaign 1:17. Go Here to hear the story behind the campaign and Go Here to Donate [be sure to add a note to say who you're sponsoring!]
• Go To the Campaign 1:17 blog and leave a comment for Grace to encourage her to continue the fight!

 

 

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Don't miss a single dress!

Dressember 1st

Dressember 2nd

Dressember 3rd

 

Dressember 3rd



 

3 Dresses on Dressember 3rd

 

Celebrating Freedom and Femininity

 

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Did you know?

 

"CHENNAI, INDIA – The week of November 18th, 2013, 59 girls were rescued from slavery [Through the efforts of IJM] in a factory that markets itself in the country as a conscientious food supplier of high-quality, organic pickles.
"The girls—13 to 25 years old—were forced to work 16-hour days in the unsanitary factory, exposed to dangerous chemicals and barely nourished by rice and water boiled with onions. At night, they crammed mats into a two tiny rooms; 40 girls slept in one space about the size of a small studio apartment in New York City.
"The girls had been trapped in the abusive factory for several months. They told shocking stories of how they got there—most said they had been tricked by the same man offering a sightseeing trip down South for about $15. The girls were from impoverished families, and the opportunity had seemed too good to pass up." Read the whole story here...

Girls 13 to 25 years old...

 



Grace 13yrs - Kerry 25yrs

Grace [Founder of Campaign1:17] and I are great friends. We are very different and so much alike. When I read the above article I realized we represent the age range of the girls rescued from the slave labor factory in India. We live full free lives. We work and play with our families. We go to church and worship God with no persecution. We hang out with friends, go out to eat, and go shopping any day of the week. 59 girls were tricked and this freedom, that I take for granted everyday, was taken away from them.

 

We praise the Lord that these girls have been given the freedom to live away from the abuse they endured!

 

But there are still girls being tricked and trapped into all kinds of modern-day slavery.

 

 

Dressember is our way to promote awareness.

Hope - 5yrs

Kerry - 25yrs

Sara - 7yrs

 

Sending out a special THANK YOU today to Threasa for sponsoring me this month at $1.00 a dress!!

 

 

 

Wanna join the fun?

 

• Wear a dress every day with us! Comment with a link to where you'll be posting your dresses so we can see them too!
• Leave a comment below here and say 'Hi' to Hope and Sara!!
• Sponsor me, Hope, and/or Sara by giving to Campaign 1:17. Go Here to hear the story behind the campaign and Go Here to Donate [be sure to add a note to say who you're sponsoring!]
• Go To the Campaign 1:17 blog and leave a comment for Grace to encourage her to continue the fight!

 

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Don't miss a single dress!

Did you miss Dressember 1st?

Did you miss Dressember 2nd?

A Gift Handmade, Held, Happy - 30DaysThankful - 27

A baby sweater... handmade, to be held, and happy.