30 on $30 Final Days

Well y'all, we made it! One thing that I never thought I had the strength or courage to do myself, and I was right, I couldn't have done it all by myself. I know your prayers have given me strength. Strangely enough, I still don't crave different foods - that is supernatural for sure. Given that I love to cook, try new flavors, and show my love through food, I cannot tell you if there's anything in particular that I'm looking forward to eating after today. At the same time, I can't help but want to be able to sponsor all the children that need to be sponsored. But as Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

Today I will not be highlighting one child, but all the children. Here's a photo that my friend Kirby took while he was in India with the children an the harvest from their farm:

They are so beautiful.

Here are some photos from my time in India with the children at the orphanage in 2009:

The children washing their own clothes as well as the younger children's clothes too.

Paul and I first became sponsors in 2013. Since then, we have sponsored 4 children from the orphanage. I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to be able to sponsor these children and know they will not be hungry. We print out their picture along with their age, birthday, what they like to and put it on our fridge. Here are some of their photos.

With every sponsorship, we tell our kids about the children and they become a part of our family. We pray for them together, and talk about them regularly. Sponsorship's become teaching moments for my children. I teach them to care for others, to think of others more highly than yourself, and to love others just as God has loved them. I really don't know if any of this will resonate with them, or change them in any way, but heck it sure does change the lives of the children we sponsor at least. 

We are not rich with piles of money to give away. We have 4 kids, pay for childcare, I'm going to school, and we both work full time to make ends meet. When we first thought about sponsoring we didn't know if we could make the commitment, but once we broke down the cost of our every day life, it really didn't make any more sense to not sponsor. To sacrifice a couple cups of coffee a week, and a dinner out here and there - it was doable! Our dollar stretches so far in these extreme impoverished countries that $48 can pay for all the food, housing, education, and clothes for an entire month! 

There's still time if now is not the time for you to sponsor. Pray for the children, and have God make the path for you to be able to bless them.

DAY 29

This is all the beans I have left to last me a couple days.

Breakfast: Bean and potato tacos. Costs .25 cents

Lunch: Mexican rice with potatoes and over easy egg. Costs .25 cents

 I made the last batch of rice that I had. This could last a whole 'nother week!

 Dinner: Rice and potato  tacos. Costs .25 cents

 Late night snack: Remember that baguette I forgot to bring on my trip? Well here it is! 

Toast with cinnamon coated frozen bananas. Costs .10 cents

My daily food total for today would have been $13.55 bringing the donation total up to be $578.60.

DAY 30

Breakfast: Nothing like a good piece of broken bread to start the day. Costs .02 cents

 Lunch: My usual quick lunch of rice beans and potatoes. Costs .25 cents.

 Dinner: Finished with my favorite noodle stir fry with my last egg. Costs .35 cents

My daily food total today would have been $10.55 bringing my total donation total to be $589.15, round it up and I'm able to give $600! This number includes every drink, every snack, and every meal I would have consumed for 30 days. What an eye opener. 

Y'all want to know something else? I had left overs from my own stash! 

This along with about 6 more corn tortillas (didn't make it in the photo) left. 

That means I was living on <$1 each day during this journey. Crazy how we can make the adjustments in our lives to save almost $600 in 30 days. Along with the $600, I was able to raise another $400 from friends and family who wanted to help with my goal. That's $1,000 more than 30 days ago if I had done nothing. That's $1,000 to help sponsor a child for almost 2 years!

I did not reach my goal of 7 sponsors, but did raise 2. 2 more than 30 days ago. 2 more children that will be able to be fed, educated, and cared for. If there's anything I have learned from this journey, it's that we can all make a difference, no matter how small you make think your donation or commitment is. WE made that difference TOGETHER! 

Update: We had a sponsor sign up last minute and now our total is THREE sponsors!

Here is the orphan we have JOINED TOGETHER in sponsoring. Meet Manggou y'all!! He's 10 years old and lives in Myanmar. This busy boy enjoys running and football. He's in 4th grade and says his favorite subjects are History and Myanmar. We WILL BE ABLE TO underwrite all his expenses to provide an education, rehabilitation, access to nutritious meals and clean water, medical and dental care, all in a LOVING FAMILY environment! His smile says a thousand words for us all.

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." 

- Mother Teresa

30 on $30 Days 27 & 28

As I'm reaching closer to the finish line, I wonder if what I've done was enough to raise awareness, money, and sponsors. Some things I might change is being more organized in vlogging, rather than blogging and possibly making flyers for myself to hand out as I was talking to strangers, co-workers and clients about my journey. I had a lot more people interested in what I was doing than I had realized, so I wasn't prepared to give information easily. I wanted to be really successful in my meal plans and prepping that the main part of what I was trying to do did gain enough of my attention.

As I'm looking at what I have left to eat, I believe I will be having left overs! That means I've been living on even less than $30 a day for the 30 days. After the 30 days, I will assess and let you know how much I did not eat and how much more I saved.

As for now, let's meet a child...my favorite part. Meet Jyothiswar. He's 10 years old and lives in India. Since coming to the program, we've learned that he enjoys reading and painting. He's now in 5th grade and says his favorite subjects are Science and Social studies.Your sponsorship of Jyothiswar will underwrite his expenses, providing for his continued education, rehabilitation, access to nutritious meals and clean water, medical and dental care, and the opportunity to grow in a loving family environment. 

To make a huge difference in this little boy's life, you can sponsor him here: http://www.peacegospel.org/detail/690/

DAY 27

Breakfast: We're still traveling and I am able to prepare my meals in a real kitchen. Potato, bean and egg tacos are so filling and tasty. Costs .30 cents

 Snack: We did a lot of walking, went on lots of rides together so this was a great energy pick me up snack. Beans and Corn chips. No where to warm up the beans, so I ate it cold. Not preferred, but no biggy...because I got to eat! Costs .15 cents

 Dinner: You're going to be seeing this noodle stir fry dish a lot more these last few days. It's my favorite, and I have much left to have a whole brick of ramen each day. Yum! Costs .45 cents

Y'all know when you travel, you definitely eat out for convenience and have lots of snacks together. My total for breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee, and dinner today would have been $27.55 bringing up the donation total to be $542.30!

DAY 28

Brunch: We are coming home today so I went ahead and ate the rest of my food that I brought so I didn't have to worry about it going bad. Costs .30 cents

 Dinner: We're home! I was able to put tons of cabbage (too bad the picture does not show the cabbage well) in this noodle stir fry and actually cook my eggs into it. Costs .45 cents

We did not have any meals at home today due to the travel. My daily total that includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and coffee is $22.75 bringing up my new donation total to be $565.05!

30 on $30 Days 25 & 26

4 day countdown and still needing more sponsors! Tell your friends, family, and everyone you know that could help. These children need it. We can all help each other, even if it is a few dollars or 1 day of living on about $1 worth of food a few times a month to save a few in able to sponsor one of these little ones. Small changes in your life can make a huge difference in their lives.

Here's another opportunity to meet a sweet child. His smile says so much! Meet Pachong who lives in Myanmar and is 10 years old. After entering the program, they've discovered that he enjoys singing and football. He's in 2nd grade and his favorite subjects are English and Myanmar. Your sponsorship will help cover his education, clean water, nutritious meals, medical and dental needs. Sponsor him here: http://www.peacegospel.org/detail/677/  

DAY 25

Breakfast: Weekends give more time to make a yummy breakfast. Potato egg tacos. Costs .15 cents.

Lunch: Mexican stir fry rice since I have so much rice left. This dish consisted of rice, carrots, cabbage, potatoes and eggs.  Costs .25 cents.

 Dinner: Noodle soup with cabbage and carrots along with a bean taco. Costs .30 cents.

 Late night snack: Bananas and cinnamon. Costs < .10 cents. The frozen texture is a great mix-up to the norm. Delicious!

Today's daily food total of coffee, breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at home would have been $13.55. New donation total is: $498.75

DAY 26

Spring break is here and we went on a trip! Had to pack all my food up after breakfast and here's what I got to come up with.

Breakfast: Bean tacos. Costs .05 cents

 Time to pack! Got all my prepped foods together ready for the trip. 

Lunch: I ate this in the car before meeting with my family afterwards in the restaurant. Quick bean rice potato and carrot mix. I had it cold since there was no way to warm it up while we were on the go. Not preferred, but hey...I got to eat! Something a lot of these children cannot say...is knowing when their next meal is. Costs .30 cents.

 Dinner: At a family's house so I was able to prepare my favorite dish, noodle stir fry. Since I did not want to travel around with raw eggs and risk from it cracking, I boiled all my eggs at home first. Costs .45 cents. 

The traveling so far has not been as bad since I was able to prep all my foods. A lot of thought had to be put in on what to bring, but after that little hurdle, all is well! I forgot my last baguette for the trip, one that I had saved for this time but I guess I'll just be able to have it when I get back home. 

Today's food total with daily coffee, breakfast, lunch out, snacks,  and dinner with family that we're staying with would have been would have been $16.55. New donation total: $515.30 in 26 days!

30 on $30 Days 23 & 24

Here for the home stretch! Only 6 more days left and we've raised $740, and have 1 sponsor more (with 2 pending) than when I started 24 days ago. The $750 will care for a child for 15 months thanks to all your help!

Here's another opportunity to meet one of our orphans at Peace Gospel. Meet Lalitha from India. She's 10 years old, enjoys skipping and Kho-Kho. I think that's a game? :) She's in 3rd grade and her favorite subjects are Art and Social Studies. With your sponsorship, you can help her continue her education, rehabilitation, provide access to clean water and nutritious meals, medical and dental care with the opportunity to grow in a loving family environment. Will you sponsor her?  http://www.peacegospel.org/detail/710/

DAY 23

Breakfast: I was able to roll this tortilla with refried beans inside. Tasty and costs .05 cents. 

 Lunch: My husband picked me up for lunch. He grabbed his lunch first, and we sat in his car to eat. Mexican fried rice costs .25 cents

 Dinner: Mexican style dinner plate. The difference of putting it on the plate separately rather than already in the tortilla gave a different satisfaction of variety. Costs .30 cents

My daily total for the day with lunch out with my husband, dinner, afternoon Starbucks and daily morning coffee is $15.30. New donation total $464.70

DAY 24

Lunch: Potato with rice and beans. I eat half for lunch, and the other half a few hours later for a snack. Makes life at work a lot easier than to think about packing so many different things. 

Costs .25 cents

Dinner : I've been doing really well with rationing that I have 12 eggs left, enough for two a day! Also, 9 ramen packs left, enough for a whole one per day with some left over! 

Noodle stir fry costs .45 cents

My daily total for the day with quick lunch from work cafe, afternoon Starbucks, dinner with the family and morning coffee is $20.50. New donation total $485.20!

30 on $30 Days 21 & 22

Ever wonder why you do certain things? Live a certain way? Chose a certain career? These are some things I've been thinking about. How my life came to be what it is. And with everything that I do, have I found purpose? I've been called fake, too happy, and over joyous. If that's even a thing. You see, most do not know how hateful I use to be, and unhappy I was with my life. I just couldn't stand myself. That's when Jesus pulled me so close to Him, that I never wanted to let go. My life literally turned around. My heart opened up. My joy, happiness, and everything I am today is because of Him. He is my purpose.What's yours?

Meet Lutlat. He's 14 years old and lives in Myanmar. He's in Peace Gospels transitional program and is awaiting a sponsor to ensure his continued care. Since coming to the program, we've discovered that he enjoys singing and playing guitar. Our little musician. He's in 6th grade and enjoys studying Science and Myanmar. Your sponsorship will cover rehabilitation, access to nutritious meals and clean water, continued education, medical and dental care all in a loving family environment. 

Can you be his sponsor? 

DAY 21

Lunch: A remake of my Mexican style lunch plate. So filling and costs .25 cents.

 Dinner: We were so busy I was not able to have my in-between snacks. I'm also doing well on portion control of my food so I decided to splurge and make a whole pack of ramen (1/4 of seasoning) and 2 eggs! This stir fry noodle dish was a feast and so delicious. Costs .45 cents

My daily total today with lunch, dinner, and daily coffee would have been  $16.30. New donation total is $425.70 in just 21 days!

DAY 22

Breakfast: A quick grilled tortilla to start my day. I got a pack of 80 tortillas for $1.99, so this breakfast cost me .02 cents!

Lunch: I really like eating rice, beans and potatoes at work since it's all in 1 container. I eat half for lunch, and the other half at about 3PM as a snack. Costs .25 cents. 

Dinner: Fried Mexican rice it is. So good! Costs .25 cents.

Lunch out with a friend, along with dinner and daily coffee today's total would be $23.70. New donation total is $449.40 in 22 days!

30 on $30 Days 19 & 20

As I'm writing this I can't believe I have only 10 more days left of this challenge. Trying to be as creative as possible with what I have, but the flavors are getting a bit mundane. I would like to eat more different types of vegetables and a piece of fruit...and heck even a piece of cake would be great. Strangely enough, I am not craving meat. All in all, it has not been too bad, considering that I do have a meal to eat every day. 

Meet Susmitha. She's 8 years old and lives in India. She enjoys reading and playing group games. She's in 2nd grade and her favorite subjects are Art and Telegu. 

She also needs a sponsor, can you be her sponsor? 

http://www.peacegospel.org/detail/654/

DAY 19 

 Breakfast: Left overs from last nights dinner. Costs .25 cents

Lunch: Trying to use more of the tomato sauce since I have so much left. 

Made potato, bean and egg tacos. Costs .30 cents

 Dinner: This was inspired by my friend Kirby who inspired me to do this challenge. 

Bean, rice and hard boiled egg tostada with a side of potatoes. Cost .30 cents

 Snack: Late night snack. This little frozen bananas with cinnamon number is great! Literally tastes like icecream on my tongue. Costs .10 cents

 Prepping my beans for the week. Easier to make it week by week than day by day. This whole tub will last me all week until Sunday.

I have so much rice left! I decided to make Mexican rice tonight with my tomato sauce since I haven't been using much of the tomato sauce.

I would have spent a total of $11.30 today since there wasn't much activity and all of the meals were prepared at home. New donation total: $380.65

DAY 20 

Breakfast: Beautiful hard boiled egg. It's quick, easy, and gives me enough energy. Costs .10 cents

Lunch: Did I mention how much rice I have left? This plate reminded me of being at a Mexican restaurant. Costs .30 cents

 Dinner: I was able to incorporate a lot of my ingredients today. Carrots, cabbage, beans, rice and an over easy egg. Satiating meal! Costs .35 cents

Late night snack: Potato bean bites. Yummy!

My daily total today would have cost $28.75 which includes lunch out, Starbucks, dinner, and a late night snack. New donation total: $409.40