You Helped Us Do The Coolest Thing.

 

A long long long long long time ago . . . 

 

I started typing here at PPP. 🙂

 

It was actually Publix Penny Pincher way back in 2009, which feels like just under a zillion years ago today. You can read one of my favorite first posts over HERE if you need a laugh today. 

As I've shared before, when I prayed about starting the site I knew it would take a lot of time away from my family. Even though I'd heard you could potentially earn an income from home by blogging, the sacrifice for our family of mom being at the computer for hours was a real concern for me.

 

But I felt called to do it so that we could save for our kid's college funds, and give in hopefully a more abundant way to mission work.

 

Way back then, if you'd told me that PPP would have over 700,000 Facebook fans, almost 150,000 email subscribers, and 2 million pageviews each month, I would have thought known you were clearly mad. 

For whatever reason though, God gave this girl-who-has-no-ability-to-stick-to-a-single-thing-in her whole-life this weird ability to keep typing. (He also gave her a few awesome helpers to help her keep typing every day too. Thank heavens!)

 

And for the last few years, we've been able to give abundantly in a way that overwhelms me when I think about it every single day.

 

Most of where we choose to give has been to overseas mission work, but a few weeks ago on Facebook I did a live video and said we'd give a meal to a family in need for every 50 shares we got (not really thinking we'd see all that many shares.) 

 

You shared that video like crazy ~ in fact my 17-year-old came in as I was watching it and started doing the math on just how many meals we'd be giving away, and got a little anxious that his college fund would just go right on out the door. 🙂

 

(Don't worry ~ that college fund is just fine.) 

We ended up with nearly 3000 shares, and as I tried to figure out logistically how we'd give away all that food, I finally decided we'd donate $4000 in food somewhere (I wasn't sure how to find the right way to give that food to specific families!), and we started shopping. 

My friend Shannon used $1000 of it to provide Christmas dinner and gift cards for gifts for the youth at Safe Harbor, and our family went shopping and bought $2700 in groceries to donate to Stowe Mission in Columbus, Ohio. (We still have another $300 to spend, but ran out of room in our cars. Now that we know what else they need, we're heading back to shop!)

 

It took us about six trips to do all that shopping + Shannon's trips in Alabama. We shopped late at night after a Christmas party one night (we were at Kroger at 12:30AM buying canned goods!), several nights after my husband got home from work, and all five of us had five carts one day filled to the brim.

 

Getting to see where we were giving was amazing. While we give all the time to overseas missions because of YOU reading, this was the first time my kids got to see up close what me typing away each day really is all about.

 

After taking the first batch to Stowe Mission of food pantry donations, we were able to find out more specific items they needed for our next few trips. In addition to the canned goods and food, the folks at Stowe said there was in need of toiletries and hygiene products that we would never have known if we hadn't been involved in dropping it off locally.

You will never know what a gift that was for our family. 

 

In all honesty, even after 8 years there are days I struggle with this whole blogging business. 

 

I get lonely sometimes working from home.  I wish I had more time for “real life” many days. Every so often I get jealous of the regular soccer moms who drive kids, run PTA programs, and cook perfect meals every night while I feel oh so often like I'm just barely hanging on.

 

But then I remember this.

 

God didn't call me to be the cute soccer mom or the popular girl who had a million friends. He never has. (It's just not the kind of girl I am ~ I really do love to work and serve, and typing's kind of relaxing for me!) But He's used the skills I do have (typing fast and deal hunting), in a way only He can.

 

Do you know what though?

He's done that all because of YOU.

 

So, THANK YOU. For giving me the coolest job ever, the opportunity to work with the coolest girls ever, and to be able to give in the coolest ways ever because you're part of the PPP family too.

I'm so thankful YOU, and am blessed more than you'll ever know by the opportunity to hang out with you each day.

 

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!

 

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:35-40