This is me and Diana about a year and a half ago. She is very dear to me. When children from her orphanage graduate they can go to a couple of trade schools. These schools are very dangerous and depression, drugs, drunkenness abound. Many girls drop out, go into crime and prostitution, commit suicide. BUT --> God has challenged us to buy a house for girls so that girls like Diana will be safe, discipled, and given a chance for a bright future. Will you help? -Anna

Esther's House Update

$8,000!!! This is our current total for the orphan 


house in the Ukraine.  As you know, we are trying 


to raise $30,000 by Christmas . We have over 380 


friends on facebook page , and 80 have already 


given $100.  We are asking each of you to please give a ONE-Time 


donation of $100 to provide a LIFETIME  of love for these children. Please 


give today.  Call 417-293-3238 or send your tax-deductible donation to:



Blanket Buddies

2620 Lee Anna Drive

West Plains, MO  65775

It's Right Around the Corner!

Christmas is fast approaching! Have you started your shopping yet?  If not, I want to tell you how your online purchases can help Blanket Buddies. Just go to www.iGive.com/BlanketBuddies and create an account.  You can be part of the first and largest online network of shoppers, stores and worthy causes dedicated to turning everyday online shopping into much needed donations. It's never been easier to support Blanket Buddies- just by shopping and searching online.

We are off and running!

So far we have had over $5000 donated toward the purchase of Esther's House!! God is so good!!

Leap of faith

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we made the announcement about Esther's House? Well, we have made arrangements to partner with Heart for Orphans and Agape in order to purchase this Transitional Living Center for the girls. The cost of this house is estimated to be $60,000. Heart for Orphans has pledged $30,000, and Blanket Buddies, with God's grace, has also pledged $30,000. This is a leap of faith for us, but we know that God will provide and that many girls will be blessed and come to know the Lord through the establishment of this house.

Would you please consider being a pledge partner with Blanket Buddies. We are asking 300 people to pledge $100 by December. Girls who leave the orphanage can go straight  into Esther's House where they will be mentored by a Christian houseparent. They will participate in Bible studies, local mission activities, and two of the girls, both former orphans, are now out on forgeign missions- sharing Christ with others just as we have with them. Praise God!!!

This is an incredible opportunity for you to make a real contribution. A one-time donation of $100 will make a life-time difference for these orphans and other lost souls. Contact us now @ (417) 293-3238, on Facebook or use the donate button here on the blog.

Newsletter Sign Up

If you are interested in receiving our newsletter, please message us your mailing address. We'd love to get one to you!

We are excited to announce...

We have wonderful news about the Transitional Living Center for the girls, which will be called Esther's House. We are partnering with Heart for Orphans and Agape to make this safe house happen for girls leaving the orphanage and going to the trade schools. This house will be the new home for approximately 15 girls.  I will keep you all posted on the details. Please begin praying about God's blessings for this new adventure.

This picture is of one of the houses that is being considered.

Just a little update

Well, time for a little update. We are going to have our newsletter out within the next two weeks. We also are partnering to buy a small village house near one of the trade schools. This is different than Esther's House (you'll be hearing more about this coming soon!).  Agape is working on finding a house where an Agape team member can live and minister to the kids. There is no church in this village. Pray for a good deal and God's blessing on this house!

Praise the Lord!!

A donation has been received by Blanket Buddies to purchase a small village house close to one of the area trade schools. With a little repair work, we hope to have a Christian family live there to hold Bible studies and give the children the guidance they need.

We're making progress...

Many improvements have been made over the past 10 years since Blanket Buddies has began their work with the Ukrainian orphanages.

This is a picture of new carpeting that was recently installed in the baby orphanage. We have more pictures that we'll be posting soon showing you more of the progress that we are making.

Please be watching and praying as we have some big decisions to make and hopefully we can share those with you in the coming months.

Ukraine Update

Remember when we showed you this picture? This is of the old ratty mattress pads that were being used in the orphanage.




Well, on our recent trip to the Ukraine, we were able to purchase some much needed NEW ones.

This is a picture of one of those mattresses.  We purchased approximately 200 mattresses (so far) as well as new bedding for the orphanages!

I wanted to share with you...

Hey guys! I am so excited to be able to share these pictures with you! These are some of the items that were donated for our team to take to the Ukraine during our latest mission trip.

We had 65 diapers that were donated and distributed to the Ukraine Orphanage!

Some beautiful handmade quilts and blankets were also given!

As well as over 100+ Onsies!

A great big THANK YOU goes out to each and everyone of you that played a part in this! We couldn't do it without you!

God is so good

What a blessing God has given Blanket Buddies! Our Lebanon chapter raised 2,000 dollars at their garage sale for the upcoming mission to Ukraine!! God is soooo very good!!! Thanks and blessings to all who helped with the sale!!!

Updates

Our local Blanket Buddies chapter in Lebanon, MO will be having a yard sale May 6-7 at 619 East Elm Street. All proceeds will go to help purchase mattresses for the orphanage.

God is good!! The West Plains, MO chapter recently held a bake sale in front of
Wal-mart which was a big success! Over $700 was raised to help the orphans!

Thank you to each and every one that has helped in any way with these projects! I can't wait to get some pictures of the new mattresses to show y'all where your hard earned money is going :)

And the winner is

The winner of the $15 Walgreens giftcard is:  

pinkcarnation1113

 You will be recieveing an email shortly!

True Random Number Generator
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Help Blanket Buddies & you may win!

How would you like to help Blanket Buddies replace old, worn out mattresses (pads) at the orphanages AND  have a chance to win a $15 Walgreens gift card?

Well, all you have to do is enter! It's really easy!

Get one entry for following our blog and 5 entries for donating- ANY dollar amount!

Please comment for each of your entries and also include your email so that we will be able to contact you if you are chosen to be the lucky winner!  GOOD LUCK!!

Winner will be chosen April 25, 2011 at 9:00 am (CST).

The countdown has begun!!

We have entered the 8-week countdown until our biggest mission trip of the year! Our group will travel to Ukraine May 15 until May 31, delivering help, hope, and hugs to hundreds of orphans. We plan to deliver the good news of Christ's resurrection through a puppet ministry with our AGAPE partners. Please begin to pray for this wonderful mission opportunity. More information coming soon....

Before and After...

Our Blanket Buddies team just returned from a trip to drop off food and supplies for our friends at the Pillar of Hope Orphanage and one other. Because of the dangerous conditions in Mexico, the items were left at a drop spot in  Texas where the orphanage workers can come and get what they need, when they feel it is safe to cross.
Here's some pictures we wanted to share:

Here's our Uhaul- just waiting to be loaded with all the good stuff for the Orphans at the orphanages.

We're half way there!

Whoo Hoo! We're loaded and ready to roll!

A very special thank you to each and every person who prayed, helped collect food or donated to make this trip possible.



You can too!

Blanket Buddies is trying to make a difference in the lives of orphans throughout the world and you can too! Here's some of the many ways you can help:

1: Pray- we can never have too many prayers! Our team, the orphans and the orphanage workers all need them.

2:  Donate- any amount is greatly appreciated and 100% goes to the orphans/ orphanages that we work with.

3:  Download the iGive toolbar at www.iGive.com/BlanketBuddies. A percentage of your online purchases will then be given back to help Blanket Buddies.

4:  Grab our blog button! We'd love for you to add us to your blogs.

5: Offer to host a giveaway/ auction for Blanket Buddies.

If you have any questions or would like to be added to our mailing list, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to talk to you ! :)

Mexico Mission Trip

On January 12, 2011, the Mexican government unveiled a new data- base giving a total of  34,612 people killed over the past four years. The new list showed that 2010 was the bloodiest year so far, with 15,273 murders.

As recently as January 26, 2011, a missionary working with orphans just south of Reynosa was shot and killed after escaping a checkpoint set up by Mexican drug cartel.

For this reason- and after much prayer and advice from our mission partners in the region, Blanket Buddies will NOT enter Mexico this spring. BUT.... we will still deliver food and supplies to a mission base in Texas during the last part of March.  Mexican workers from the orphanage will cross the border to retrieve the items when safety permits.

If you would like to help, please click the donate button. Any size donation is greatly appreciated and 100% goes directly to help these orphans.

And the WINNER is....

The winner of the Walmart gift card giveaway is......

                                                  JONI DANIEL

A special thank you to Melissa at  http://www.sippycupmom.com/  for hosting this giveaway and adding an additional card. And thanks to each of you who entered. With your help, we will be able to purchase 5 new mattresses for the orphanage.

Keep watching for our next giveaway!

Newsletter

We have a new newsletter out! If you would like a copy and to added to our mailing list, please message me your mailing info. We'd love to add you! Thanks and have a great Sunday!

Hey everybody!

Just wanted to say "Hello" and "Welcome" to all of our new blog followers! Also, we need to give a great big shout out to Melissa at http://www.sippycupmom.com/ for doing such a great job on our blog and for hosting a giveaway to help Blanket Buddies.

Please keep in mind that if you can help Blanket Buddies by shopping online. Just visit www.iGive.com/BlanketBuddies , download the toolbar and shop til you drop :)

Anyone up for a challenge??

I want to tell you about a great person I "met" online and her blog.


Her name is Kristina and she runs the blog for an organization called Blanket Buddies.


Blanket Buddies is a non-profit, 501c3 organization whose mission is to provide both physical and spiritual aid to orphans throughout the world.


What Does Blanket Buddies Do?


Blanket Buddies helps orphans in need by making items such as blankets and clothing. We also raise money to purchase necessary items such as medicine, medical equipment, food, clothes, shoes, stoves, water heaters, and numerous other necessities. Most of all, Blanket Buddies delivers the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children.


We currently care for 7 orphanages in Ukraine and 1 in Reynosa, Mexico. We visit these orphanages at least twice a year. During the visits, we conduct vacation Bible schools and spend one-on-one time with the orphans. We deliver as much needed items to provide a dignified life for these children.


Read more about how Blanket Buddies was started!


Kristina wants to raise awareness for Blanket Buddies as do I so she is generously providing a $25 Walmart Gift Card to giveaway.


And guess what? I am going to add $10 to that Walmart gift card. So one lucky reader will win a $35 Walmart Gift Card!


My goal is to get the word out about Blanket Buddies. Will you help?


I wanted to share something from Kristina:


This is a picture of our bed.





You may be thinking, "There's nothing fancy about that!" and you know, you are right! Even though our beds are nothing fancy, they are where we kneel beside at night to say our bedtime prayers, lay our heads at night and flip our pillows to find the cooler side.


Now imagine yourself-or better yet-your children, sleeping on this....





This is one of the worst mattresses at the Ukraine orphanage, but they all are in desperate need of replacement. Imagine, if you will, these orphans who spend the biggest part of their day laying on this! I don't know about you, but I find this heartbreaking!


I have a 5 for 5 Challenge for you! Email just 5 of your friends and ask them to donate just $5. Then pass it on to 5 more friends. Together we can raise the money needed to give these babies a decent mattress to sleep on.


Are you willing to help?


Ready to win a $35 Walmart Gift Card?


~Mandatory Entry~


Follow the Blanket Buddies Blog by Google Friend Connect. (2 Entries)


~Extra Entries~


Like Blanket Buddies on Facebook (1 Entry)


Like Blanket Buddies on Twitter (1 Entry)


Share this giveaway on Facebook (2 Entries)


Tweet about this Giveaway--just press the tweet button! (2 Entries)


Donate to Blanket Buddies--Donate Button is on their blog! (10 Entries!)


Participate in the 5 for 5 Challenge (5 Entries)


That is a total of 23 entries possible to win the $25 Walmart Gift Card! That is amazing!


Please make sure to leave individual comments. If it says 2 entries, leave 2 comments!


Good luck and this giveaway will end on March 3rd!


Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post and am providing $10 in addition to the giveaway. I just think this is a wonderful cause and want to help spread the word.



Sippy Cup Mom
http://www.sippycupmom.com/
http://twitter.com/sippycupmom
http://facebook.com/sippycupmom

Prayers for Pillar of Hope Orphanage

Please pray for the orphans and workers at this orphanage. It is very cold right now in Mexico and these workers are doing everything they can to keep the children warm. Most of them have no winter coats or warm clothing. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Check this out!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MySpringfieldMommy/~3/lwKsH0I4dLE/pay-it-forward-with-blanket-buddies.html

Please Mark Your Prayer Calendar

We are a little less than a month away from our mission trip to Mexico.  We are currently collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations to help purchase much needed items for the orphanages.

Last year we were unable to cross into Mexico due to the increased violence , but God provided a missionary who knew of a way we could enter safely. We also found  a mission base in Texas that would allow us to store the food there. Orphanage workers were then able to return later and pick up the food for delivery.

If you live close to the West Plains, Missouri area and  would like to donate food items or cleaning supplies, please contact us and let us know.  If you live outside the area and feel led to donate, please use the donate button located at the top of this blog page. Thank you and God bless you all!

Upcoming Mission Trip to Mexico

Pillar of Hope Orphanage in Mexico

We are gearing up for our March mission trip to Mexico. Please continue to pray about the violence at the orphanage and surrounding areas.  If you would like to partner with us or help sponsor this trip, please contact us. You will find our contact information on the right hand side of your screen.

Also, this Saturday, we will be having a meeting in Lebanon, MO to set up a local Blanket Buddies chapter. We will be electing board members so if you would be interested in becoming a member, and live in the Lebanon area, please feel free to give me a call.

Upcoming speaking engagements

Highlights from our recent mission trip to Ukriane 2010

Jaxson giving out hugs at the orphanage 

Jaxson sharing the love of God!

Even in the Ukraine, we can still have fun and monkey around :) Anthony has found his new best buddy!

Sharing the Gospel of Christ through Gospel magic.

Anthony and Jaxson will be giving a presentation at Spring Creek Community Church on K Hwy in West Plains, Missouri for Children's Church. It will be the first time for Jaxson to lead the presentation. He is eleven years old and this was his second trip to visit the Ukraine and he has been going to Mexico since he was six. Please keep him in your prayers.
Also, the following Sunday, Blanket Buddies will be making a presentation to Hill Top Chapel on Hwy 17, in West Plains, Missouri. Please keep our team in your prayers as they share their experiences at the orphanages with others.

Coming Soon!

In the coming weeks, we will be posting information about our upcoming visit to the Pillar of Hope orphanage in Mexico. Please keep our team in your prayers as they plan this trip and that the Lord will be glorified and His message shared with many who haven't heard the GOOD NEWS before!

Is He calling YOU?

A group of orphans at the orphanage

Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible ( and Blanket Buddies) tell me so

Do you HAVE to leave now? Will you come back?

We are always praying for people who would like to share their love of Christ with orphans as you see in the pictures above.  Many supporters of our ministry are faithful to meet the needs by working at bake sales, garage sales, festival booths, and holding weekly meetings. We know, however, that God also speaks to the hearts of those who can come with us- to hold, hug, and help these precious children. Is He calling you?

Even though we just got back from our Ukraine mission trip a couple of days ago, we are already gearing up and planning the next one. If you feel the Lord calling you to go, please contact us! This is an exciting opportunity and you will be blessed!

iGive

Do you ever shop online? Well, if you do, did you know that every purchase you make could help benefit Blanket Buddies? All you have to do is go to www.iGive.com/BlanketBuddies . For each purchase, a percentage is given back! Pretty easy, huh?

Heading back

 From Anthony: is beginning the long journey home tonight with thousands of experiences that cannot be shared with descriptions of their sounds, smells or sights, but if you have ever been truly loved, you can know exactly what this trip was like.

Ukraine Mission

Praying with the orphans

Sharing God's love!

Making new friends