The launch of Project Friendship

You know those Klutz books that tell you how to do all kinds of fun child-like things like face painting and paper airplanes? Well, there's one on friendship bracelets - go get one!! We need you, and we need you now!

Here's the history and the plan for Project Friendship:

Every since my first trip to Uganda and Fathers House in 2009, I have come home with at least one friendship bracelet made by Jenneth or Keren. I have kept them all on until the literally fall off (I still have one on right now from my March trip), and all but once they've made it to the the next visit. These bracelets have been a constant reminder of what I'm doing - what GOD is doing - in Uganda, the people I love, and the wonderful men, women and children I work with there.

In planning for the basketball camp, I had the idea that we would make a bracelet for every child participating. As these things work in the Kingdom, friendship bracelets were big at New Life Camp this year, where 4 of our staff worked over the summer. So I bought 2 huge bags of floss at AC Moore, and when we got to Uganda we settled in to make the bracelets. We ended up with 53 bracelets, thanks to about a dozen craftsmen at Fathers House, and we were able to give one to every child as well as to the volunteers who helped us.

What we told them was, "These are called friendship bracelets, and we make them for our friends. You are all our friends, and we love you! We want you to remember the camp, and what we taught you about God, and all of us, when you see them; and we will wear bracelets too, and remember you." It was really awesome, actually!

So then I thought... Well, they're really cheap and easy to make. These kids are making them all the time anyway. Maybe we can collect donations of them, and use them to raise money here, and also take them over next trip for all the people that we are able to love on there. And so... Project Friendship was born!

We would love for you to make bracelets in your spare time (watching tv, talking after dinner, putting off cleaning the potty...) and send them to us! Any kind of friendship bracelet, in any colors, will do. (Uganda colors are red, black and yellow, which are always popular!) Make them with love... and say a prayer for whoever receives that bracelet, either through a donation or as a gift in Uganda.

Thanks so much!