2013 L.I.F.E. Day Recap

I apologize for being inexcusably late in posting this update. Thanks to everyone who participated in and supported us for David's L.I.F.E. Day 2013!

We enjoyed a trip to the circus on David's birthday. We like to do something 

special to remember David on his birthday each year.

After that, we dropped off some supplies at Wellspring Living.

Brought in our neighbor's recycling bins.

And made some cards for the children that we sponsor in Kenya.

It was a good day remembering David and celebrating his sweet life.

Thanks to all of our dear friends and family who celebrated David with us. Your generosity was a tremendous blessing to us and many others!

Michele & David ~
This year my husband and I decided to buy your David Nathaniel a birthday present (a pair of track shoes) and give it to one of my husband's students, Trey. He delivered the gift yesterday (March 1st) in time for Trey's track meet. Although I don’t know Trey, David says he is a talented, hardworking, and dedicated high school student who lives with and loves his single mom.

Luke & Asa's Mommy ~
Today I was buying food for our Lenten food drive at church. To honor the sweet life of your precious David, I bought twice as much food as I had originally planned. Hopefully this food will feed someone in need in David's name. I know he's playing with Asa and watching over us all. They are our beautiful Angels.

Laura ~
1) Found two families ( a single woman and family with autistic child) who had the same surgery that my 8-year old son had that needed the same probiotic that we used after surgery. We had several months’ worth stored and no longer needed, so gave them our remaining boxes. Each box cost several hundred dollars so we were able to give some financial help to these families. Thankfully our son is doing so well he doesn’t require this medication at this time. 2) Our 5-year old daughter’s Girl Scout troop is planting winter herbs and vegetables this week in greenhouse to later plant in community garden. We will plant a row dedicated to David and donate the crop once it is ready.

Mom ~
Ministered to those in assisted living through time, music, and words of encouragement.

Jenn & Harrison ~
Made cookies for neighbors.

Kevin & Dana ~
Baked cookies for our neighbor whose wife died this year.

David & Lena ~
Took out neighbors' trash.

Brittney ~
Made a meal for a friend battling breast cancer.

Valerie ~
Helped a homeless man downtown with some food and connected him with a ministry nearby.

A dear friend~
Served our family on David's birthday by coming to our home and taking care of Benjamin, Caleb, and Esther while Tom and I spent some special time together.

Delighted Magazine Spring 2013

I am excited to announce that David Nathaniel's story is featured on page 76 of the Spring 2013 issue of Delighted Magazine. Thank you, Amanda Gomes, for sharing David's story.

http://issuu.com/delightedmag/docs/delighted_spring2013/1

Third Annual L.I.F.E. Day

March 1, 2013

3rd Annual David Nathaniel

LIFE (Leave an Impact for Eternity) Day

Well, friends, I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth. I am still here, and I want to say "THANK YOU" to my faithful followers who are reading this post! 

Over the next week or so our family will be remembering David Nathaniel's small but powerful life by Leaving an Impact For Eternity (L.I.F.E.), and we welcome you to join us in our effort to bring LIFE to others.For 2013, our family's theme verse is Isaiah 1:17. 

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." 

In January, we began supporting two orphans in a Kenya, Anon and Millicent. For David's birthday, Benjamin and Caleb are making something special to send to these precious children.

Our family is also getting involved with an organization called Wellspring Living. Wellspring Living's mission is to confront the issue of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation through awareness, training, and treatment programs for women and girls. Wellspring desires for these young women to see God’s love and hopes that they will want to explore a relationship with Him for themselves. 

If you would like to join us in David's L.I.F.E. celebration, here is how you can participate:

1. Sometime around David's birthday (March 1st), do something to Leave an Impact For Eternity. It can be for a stranger, a friend, a family member, etc. You can do one thing, or several things. For some ideas, click here.


2. Come back to this blog and leave a comment letting us know how you celebrated David's birthday with us (tell us about your act of LIFE), or email me your act of LIFE along with a picture, if you have it.

Colossians 3:12-14 has been our guide for the past two years in remembering David. It says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

When we, as believers, “put on” this type of life, we are inviting the world around us to live a new way, an eternal way. The invitation is not to embrace a new ethic but to embrace Jesus that offers this new life (Col 3:1). So, in celebration of David’s 3rd Annual LIFE Day, our goal is to “put on” this kingdom of God mindset so that we might leave an eternal impact.

If you would like to spread the word about our LIFE celebration, please feel free to copy our invitation at the top of this post and put it on your blog, or link this page to your Facebook or Twitter account. Thank you for remembering the life of our son, David Nathaniel, with us.