Photo Treasure Hunt: Blue Treasures

Were you able to join me and my blogging friend Jill this past week on the hunt for blue treasures? Here is what I found this past week:

compassion t-shirt

usa flag

fabric

ocean

blueberries

I sure hope you share with us the blue photos you found this past week! If you would like to join us on this blog hop, we want to just remind you of a few rules:

Link up by posting blog post URL- not just blog URL

Link back to one of us (grab button if desired)

Visit other blogs and leave comment love.

Be sure to take note of next theme and start collecting more photos.

We reserve the right to remove any links that don’t fit the link up theme or that we find inappropriate

The Photo Treasure Hunt theme for this next week is……yellow! So get out there, take pictures of yellow things. Then come back next week to join in on the Photo Treasure Hunt blog hop!

But in the meantime, share you blog link with us with Linky Tools below:

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Dear Jesus, Send Me a Sponsor

Dear Jesus,

My name is Crista and I live in the Philippines. I am 7 years old, and I live with my mom, my dad, and two little brothers. My teacher says you know everything about me, but I thought I would remind you, just in case. My family has been bringing me to the local church to learn more about you. You must have a really big heart to love so many people so much, and I am thankful to learn that you love me too.

But Jesus, I have a really big favor to ask. I have a friend who attends the Compassion program with me and she receives these wonderful letters from a family living in a place called the United States. They send her pictures and stickers and they share Bible verses with her in the letters. She shows me the letters with a joy filled smile on her face. Is it too selfish of me to ask for a sponsor too?

There are many children at the Compassion program who have a sponsor and are receiving letters. They are all so happy on mail day when the letters come. I want to receive letters too. Do you know of a family that could sponsor me? Is there someone out there that will love me too?

I have written this post as an assignment with the Compassion Bloggers for Blog Month. While this post is fictional, there are many children like little Crista who are patiently waiting for that one family to make the sacrifice to be their sponsor. Will you prayerfully consider sponsoring a Compassion child today?

Pressgram and reading

So, I am trying out this new app called Pressgram. It is kind of like Instagram, but not. The fun thing I have learned about Pressgram, is that I can take a picture with my iPhone, write a blog post about the photo, then have it upload to my blog! This will make blogging a little more portable for me. In fact, this might be a great way for me to blog while we are in Mexico!

Anyway, I took this photo the other day during our reading time after lunch. This is something we started doing quite a few years ago. It has helped me to remember to take time to rest during the busyness of our days.

Are there any new apps you have discovered lately?

God has a plan

I have to admit, when I first read the first Compassion Blogger assignment for this month, I was thinking, ‘No Way! I really don’t want to revisit my childhood and write a blog post to my childhood self!’ But as the assignment kept weighing on me the last two weeks, I remembered that this assignment is not about me, it is about the children living in extreme poverty, that need you and me to step out in faith, and remind them that God has a plan for their life.

You see, I should not be at this place in my life. I should not be here, asking you to sponsor a child, to release a child from poverty in Jesus’ name. As a child, I had no relationship with Jesus. I didn’t know that He had a plan for my life that was so different than the plan I had for my life.

If things has gone ‘my way’, I would not be writing to you, asking you to be an advocate for children growing up in extreme poverty. I would be a selfish, corporate ladder climbing, working mom, only concerned about my needs and wants.

But 19 years ago, Jesus began working on my heart, drawing me closer to Him, until 14 years ago, I asked Him to be my Savior. The path He has had me on is completely different that any path I imagined myself to be on. I mean, think about it, to go from a Nordstrom clothes wearing women working on going into management to being a capris and t-shirt wearing women who is looking forward to visiting children living in extreme poverty? Only Jesus can make that kind of change in someone’s life.

So yes, God does have a plan. He has a plan to bring many of us into a relationship with Him. And He has plans for many Compassion children to make a difference in the lives of their families and their communities. But in order to do that, they need your help. Would you consider making a sacrifice? Can you and your family do without $38 a month so that a child can realize the plan that God has for their life?

Capture Your 365

Another week…another week of Capture Your 365 photos!

bright background

ISO 800, 50mm, f/4.0, 1/40 sec

Day 243 – Bright Background: We have had a lot of overcast evenings lately and I thought I would try something different for this photo prompt. At first, I was going to photograph the pink clouds as the sun was setting, but them I saw this huge area of sunflowers. The breeze was blowing, so I had to hold the sunflower to keep it from blurring in the photo.

everywhere a sign

ISO 800, 50mm, f/5.0, 1/60 sec

Day 244 – Everywhere a Sign: Birthdays a pretty special days around here! I made this birthday banner a few years ago. We hang it up the night before the person’s birthday, and it usually stays up for days after the special day.

still life

ISO 800, 50mm, f/3.5, 1/125 sec

Day 245 – Still Life: Homemade chocolate chip cookies and homemade iced coffee…just because

back to school

ISO 800, 50mm, f/3.5, 1/80 sec

Day 246 – Back to School: Starting year 15 of homeschooling and my only student this year requested homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I thought I would add homemade smoothies to make breakfast just a little more healthy.

indulge yourself

ISO 200, 50mm, f/2.0, 1/800 sec

Day 247 – Indulge Yourself: One of my favorite places at home is our backyard beach retreat. After lunch on nice afternoons, I will head out there with a homemade iced coffee and a book. It is the perfect way for me to recharge after a busy morning.

on the left

ISO 1600, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/5 sec

Day 249 – On The Left: My son is one creative, musical young man. He was watching some videos from a band called Rend Collective Experiment one evening. After watching the videos, he decided to recreate one of the instruments they were using in the video. Doesn’t it make the perfect prop for this photo prompt?

Did you capture photos and share them on your blog this week? Be sure to let me know if the comments. I would love to visit your blog and see your week capture in photos!