Rescue for one orphan.

I would love to invite you to follow along our journey to rescue our little girl from Uganda. You can follow along here: www.amustardseedjourney.blogspot.com

-K

Catching Up

The shop is on vacation for awhile while this mom of 2 catches up on orders, home life, and working on these sheep. Hope you understand!

In the meantime, check out how adorable my kiddos are wearing some of my scrap flower headbands for Easter!

Be back soon!
-K

Grammy's Stocking

I have a regualer customer (whom I am so thankful to call her a "regular") that ordered Christmas stockings from me last year. She recently took advantage of the 40% off discount and ordered a stocking for Grammy with a little penguin. Here it is!-K

We have names!

I have the list of names of the children in the Salvation Army Orphanage in Mexico City! (want to know more about why I need name? Check out this post) I am going to List the names below. PLEASE be in prayer over these kids.

Daniel ILC
Diego
Luis M
Fernando
Rodrigo
Wilmir
Jean
Luis L
Abelardo
Joshua
Miguel
Jesus
Armoando
Daniel R
Bryan
Alexe
Daniel LC
Oswaldo
Edgar R
Salvador
Ricardo
Roberto
Luis M
Israel
Jorge
Sebastian
Edgar J
Ramon
Oscar
Jaun
Marco
Jose
Maria P
IIse
Evelin
Liliana
Estafania
Ximena
Dominga
Daniela
Sheyla
Maria A
Maria O
Lucia
Ariana
Liliana
Dayana
Anahi
Maria V
Veronica
Mari
Selene
Clementina
Lucero
Betsy
Jenni


Thank you for your continued support!

The shop is now on vacation as I finish up orders and start working on sheep for these kids.
I'll keep you updated (also about a possible auction!)

-K

A llama for Willa.

-K

Princess Pickles

I recently got a request for a sally doll for a little girl nicknamed "Princess Pickles". So fun! So, here is her debut, Princess Pickles!


-K

waiting on names.

I will be buying the supplies to make all the sheep on Monday. Then the sewing, stuffing, and stitching begins to get those little sheep into the hands of the kids in Mexico City. I have had a hard time getting information on the names of the kids in the orphanage, but I have had help from friends with contacts to try and get them soon.

I hope to get the names soon.

I have been wanting to also include a Bible verse on the sheep. I found this one recently.

How very perfect.

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10:3

God knows each name of these kids, he knows every hair on their head, he knows all the days of their life. He calls them, to love him. He leads them out of bondage, he leads them to freedom. He gives great joy, even in an orphanage in Mexico City.

We need to show them His great love, even if it is through a stuffed sheep.

-K

Reckless Abandon

Four months ago I came across this blog. It was by mistake on my end. God, however needed for me to be there. I spent 4 hours that night reading and sobbing, and feeling God pull on my heart in ways I never have before. Orphans. I was always the one saying "I am glad people are helping them, I applaud those willing to adopt, I might do that someday, my world is full right now." That night changed everything.

I cannot wait to share more with you about all God is doing in our lives right now, but I will tell you this blog post was the beginning of it all.

Read it here or below.

Reckless Abandon

It’s Orphan Awareness Month. Again.

Another month set aside for the church to show orphan related videos, hear testimonies relevant to adoption and orphan care, and an opportunity to listen to sermons where orphans are [possibly] mentioned.

I must confess. Many times I ask myself, “What’s the point of it?” “Is having another time set aside to create an awareness of the orphan crisis even worth the effort?” Is it? Will it make a profound difference?

Perhaps I have become somewhat cynical, or weary of the battle that rages for the lives of millions of children, or frustrated that help seems so slow to come, or desperate to see more and more who are willing to go. I don’t know. I only know the sinking feeling that I feel each time I look into the faces of our four adopted children and remember the millions that are left behind. The ones who are literally without hope, without life.

We’re the Christians doggonit! We’re God’s beloved church. His beautiful bride. We’re the ones He has already commanded to take care of the orphans.

Yet sadly, we wait.

We wait for God to speak to us in an audible voice, telling us to “GO!”—sometimes He does that audible voice thing, you know.

We wait for the perfect job to come along—orphan care demands a whole lot of money.

We wait for the bills to be paid—can’t be taking on more than we can handle.

We wait for the larger house—because adding children requires a large house.

We wait for a few kids to leave the nest before we add more—can’t be having too many children in the home.

We wait for confirmation with the perfect scripture to drop into our spirits as a sign that we need to act now.

We wait...for someone else to go.

We wait, we wait, we wait.

And while we wait—they perish. The statistics are staggering. I can’t even look anymore.

This is the horrendous reality...

Why do we find every reason under heaven and earth why we should not go? The Bible is as clear as daylight—“care for the widows and the orphans.”

It’s a lot like missions. My heart aches when I see how many churches don’t have a fabulous missions program. God’s Word says to “Go into ALL the world and make disciples of all men.” It’s a command! It’s non- negotiable. Taking care of the orphans is a command too. We’re commanded in His word to care for them—however that may look.

But still we wait for “the call” to come. Kind of like, “I am SO glad Mrs. Jenkins is called to lead children’s church, because that is DEFINITELY NOT my calling.

Ouch!

God hardly ever calls us to do things for Him when everything in our lives is just grand. He never calls us to walk on the water when our circumstances are sweet. When I look in the Bible, I see people doing things for the Lord in the midst of impossible circumstances. Tougher than what my circumstances have ever been in my entire life. Yet, they did it. In obedience. The Lord commanded them--and they went. They accepted the tough task that lay before them—come what may. They never asked the Lord for a re-commission.

So why in the world do we? What makes us so different to the people God gave us to learn from in the Bible?

Why are there so many uncared for orphans in the world when we’re commanded to care for them?

We would be wealthy if someone paid us every time we have been told that we were “called by God” to adopt our four children who have special needs. Or for the many people who have told us that “There is no way we could do what you do.”

I disagree.

You know what that does? It diminishes God’s sovereign power to do the impossible through each one of us, His people. Comments like that tell the Father, “Sorry God, but you don’t have enough power to give me the ability to parent a child who struggles in life.” “So sorry, God. Just go and call someone else.” “Oh God, and that mission field thing? There is no way I could ever do that!”

That’s perilous ground to walk on.

God’s power is absolutely made perfect in our weakness. When He commands us to do something, He equips us with everything we need to fulfill the calling with excellence. Even people like us--ordinary sinners saved by grace who are just average Joes. He does it for His glory! To make Himself famous in the earth. It has absolutely nothing to do with us. Everything God does is for His glory, not ours.

I believe with all my heart that God is raising up an army of crazy people to do the ridiculous. Many believe we are living in the end times. We agree! We sense that more than ever God is looking for those who are willing to do the impossible. Just WILLING! God is seeking out those who will serve Him with reckless abandonment, no matter where that takes them or what He tells them to do in this life.

Reckless abandon for the sake of His orphans...simply because they so desperately need US. Come what may.

-K

Just 6%

Found this article to be extremely frustrating at first, but I am also hopeful. We CAN be the rescue plan for orphans!

Go here to read.
I am copying it here as well:

How many adoptable orphans are there in the world?

How many Christians are there?

What is percentage of Christians would it take to adopt all the orphans?

My best guess (looking at the data available, see my Orphan Statistics post) is that 40-50 million orphans worldwide are adoptable or would be best cared for through adoption. Ideally that means adoption locally/indigenously first and then adoption internationally.

As for Christians, according to Mission Frontiers, globally there are:

Christian Believers — 800 million who have been born again into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Other Christians — 1.37 billion who consider themselves Christians because they come from a Christian culture.

Culturally near non-Christians — 1.8 billion are not yet Christians but live in a people where a viable, indigenous church movement has been established.

Therefore, if roughly 6% of the born again Christians in the world adopted we could care for all the adoptable orphans in the world (I have heard 7% used and that might be true as well).

Either way you add it up, there are way too many orphans worldwide and way too many Christians to not believe we can make a difference!

Just 6%.

-K

A lamb made just for ewe.

Just listed! You can customize your very own little lamb. These guys are fun, quirky, and as one customer told me "Fill you with childhood glee".

Head over to the Dunlap Love etsy shop to get one just for ewe!
-K

Softies = care for orphans

So, what is Dunlap Love's Mission?

To provide toys and aid to orphans. Plain and simple.

Let me start at the beginning...

Dunlap Love was started in 2008 with my love to create unique and original items mostly for babies and kids. God has given me an eye for design and a love to imagine and create. All, wonderful and beautiful things, and all worldly. My prayer has always been the same: "God, I know you gave me these talents, but they seem meaningless in the work of your kingdom. Why do I have these gifts? What value are they?". I have seen how he has allowed me to use them to comfort grieving hearts by using a loved one's old clothing to create a softie, and my softies have made many babies and children happy, but I was still searching for how these talents would be of any real value.In the past few months God has been breaking my heart for orphans. He has put a true passion in me to help. I read this post from No Greater Joy Mom and was right there convicted. I hear a lot of Christians say "I am not called to adopt or care for orphans". The reality is God calls ALL of us to care for orphans! It may be financially, through your time serving, or by bringing them home to a family, either way, we are all called to care for them.My dear friends, and church family, just recently came home form a mission trip to Mexico City. While they were there they stayed at an orphanage run by the Salvation Army. They came home with stories of these children they fell in love with. I felt like I was there with them. What stuck out in my mind when I was hearing testimonies of the trip was that there were no toys at the orphanage. The kids did not have but a single pair of clothes to call their own. They had nothing to put their name on. God has made it clear now how my love of making quirky softie toys will be a part of his kingdom plan.The Start:

--There are 60 kids currently staying at this orphanage in Mexico City. I will be creating 60 sheep, one for each child that will have their name on it, each one different, no two the same. To some, toys are not necessisty, not a basic need. They are right. But to a child who has been abandoned or who has nothing to call his/her own, a toy, with their name on it, means the world. My prayer is that each child in that one orphanage will know they are valuable, cared for, loved, and prayed over.--My goal is to provide each child not only with their own softie doll, but to provide clothing in their size, toiletries, and other small toys. I am waiting to hear from a contact in Mexico to get their sizes.--100% profit of items sold through Dunlap Love will go straight to the orphanage. Right now the orphanage desperately needs financial help. They are very behind on their taxes and are at risk of being evicted. I do not want to think of what will happen to these kids if that happened. I know that Dunlap Love will not be able to cover their taxes, maybe not even a month of food, but we can do something. Your purchases from Dunlap Love directly go towards helping this Salvation Army orphanage in Mexico City. They help these kids.

Long Term:

--My dream is that it would not stop at this one orphanage. My dream is that these softie dolls find their way into hands of orphans everywhere. That they own it and know they are worth love. That the proceeds of Dunlap Love will go beyond the orphanage in Mexico City.

Big dream? yes.

Possible? yes.

Why? Because God dreams bigger than I do.



How can you help?

--Buy any handmade item from Dunlap Love at www.dunlaplove.etsy.com and support the Salvation Army Orphange.

--Pray! Please be in prayer over these kids, and that God would provide for the orphanage.

--Give. I am in the process of setting up a Paypal account specifically for giving to the orphanage.

Why blog?
Here you will find updates on what is new in the shop, how progress is coming along on sheep, and how much has been given to the orphanage to date.

Thank you for walking this journey with me, and thank you for your support of Dunlap Love!
Can I take every orphan home and give them a family? The reality is no. However, we can be a part of bringing them joy and supporting their basic needs! I am so excited to see where God takes Dunlap Love.

-K