Wonderful Wednesday

Another month means another giveaway. I actually had a give-away all planned, but I changed my mind…. perhaps at a later date. Since I started these giveaways, I was on a frantic search to find people, organizations, etc. that I wanted to bring awareness to and offer support. I knew of a few, but not enough to extend beyond a few months. It has been amazing how many incredible people and organizations I have come across and have added to my list, that God has really laid on my heart.

This month though, I really wanted to draw attention to the devastation in Japan. We really are not affected by natural disasters as severe as Hurricanes, Tsunami’s, Earthquakes. Growing up in the Prairies, you don’t really see these disasters. Not to say that we didn’t have any, as I remember Black Friday in Edmonton, I remember the flood in Thorsby, the Strawberry creek flood and we can’t forget the floods of the North Saskatchewan River. The closest I have come to experiencing a Hurricane was when we were in the Cayman's. We got to see the complete devastation that Ivan did on this tiny Island country. The second week, we watched as a hurricane was heading our way, but then turned into a major tropical storm. We were stuck in our hotel for a week. We went a few days without power. When we did try and get out, the wind was so strong, we saw trees knocked down, lamp posts outside our unit on the ground and the sand felt like tiny needles prickling you all over your body. We watched as the waves from the ocean washed over the road close to our hotel. It was something I have never expereinced before, and it was mild in comparison to a hurricane. These natural disasters pale in comparison to the thousands of lives lost to a wall of water in mere minutes. The devastation that the earth quake caused as it shook and battered a nation. One disaster is more than enough to handle and deal with, but if we really take a look at Japan and what it has and is still facing, it is incredible. Earthquake, tsunami, volcano, Nuclear meltdown; unfathomable!

Watching the video footage is surreal, you have to keep reminding yourself that this is not computer generated…it's the real thing. Towns obliterated,and thousands of lives lost in mere minutes. It will take a long time to for the Japanese to rebuild, and heal. Lots of prayers and support are needed for this nation. So this month's giveaway I want to focus on supporting Japan. Another issue that has really been prevalent when trying to decide what organization to give to, is which ones are legit. After Haiti, it was shocking to realize how many crooked thieves cashed in on people's generosity and desire to help the People of Haiti and not line the pocket books of a scam artist. Luckily some favourite organizations are offering some support or advice on how to support: Samaritan's Purse, Red Cross, Compassion. I wanted to check out something a little different.....I wanted to see which crafters out there were using their talents, to give to the people in Japan. At first it seemed like a daunting task and I wasn't able to find that much, but then I refined my search a bit (amazing how you can do that) and I found a whole bunch of amazing websites, etsy shops, etc. that are doing amazing things to aide the people in Japan. This blog highlighted numerous blogs that were doing something to support the Japanese. I found this Etsy shop that featured various artists selling their crafts with the proceeds going towards a charitable organization working in Japan. I learned that the children's clothing store Carter's is doing a really neat Origami crane fundraiser. For every origami crane that is made and donated, Carter's will donate a piece of clothing and then will send the cranes to Japan to let the children know how much they are thought of. Check out their website for the full details and hurry because the deadline is Apr. 25. My Aunty Elaine is really great at doing origami and if I lived closer, I would get her to teach and help me! In the end, I decided that I would offer one of my lucky readers the chance to win a product from an artist who is donating 100% of the proceeds to an organization that is providing aid to the people in Japan. The following two items were what I decided to offer: 1. The Refuge/Home necklace - 100% of the proceeds of this necklace are being donated to the Red Cross. 2. The 'Faith' retro circle bag - 100% of the proceeds are going to Samaritan's Purse. Please leave a comment before next Thursday, April 14, 2011. I want to know if you have ever experienced a natural disaster or major trauma and how you coped and dealt with it? Also tell me which item you would like. Happy Wednesday and remember to pray for the people in Japan.