A Much Needed Update on 'Bread for Life Ministries'

A much needed update on

Bread for Life Ministries

is in order, wouldn't you say?

I agree.

Here's a snapshot on what's been going on the past 5 months:

After we finished 2012 strong with a running total

of $20,000 raised for the precious little faces of Uganda,

we realized we needed to get some things in order.

The Lord had placed it on our heart to turn this

sweet-little-orphan-loving-ministry into a non-profit.

As you may know, every non-profit needs an active-working 'Board'

in order to be approved by the Government.

Being already surrounded by an amazing group of

orphan-loving friends it become very clear who the Lord

was putting in place for this ministry.

I am so excited to say, Bread for Life Ministries

has established an exceptional 12 member Board

who LOVES-LOVES-LOVES Jesus,

the fatherless and pumpkin bread.

It's a perfect mix! 

So, over the past few months we have been very busy!

We've had many prayer meetings,

Board meetings and worked very hard

to get all our ducks in a row.

We did all the hoop-la of filling out the applications,

Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, Conflict of Interest,

Financial Data, and establishing our EIN.

Does this all sound fun? 

Needless to say, we are now just waiting for final approval

for our 501 (C) (3).

Please join me in prayer that this will come quickly!!!

Another top priority for the ministry is getting

into a commercial kitchen to bake all this yummy bread.

In order to do that, there is another list of hoop-la-hoops

to jump through. 

Certification through the Department of Health,

Food and Handing testing and exams, Insurance,

Approval by the State, Certification through the County...

hoops and obstacle courses all day long. 

After all is said and done...

I take my final exam for the Department of Health:

Food and Handing Safety course on June 5th

After I pass: we will be ready to GO!

BAKE

BAKE

and

MORE BAKING!

It will be so wonderful to be back in a BIG kitchen.

Lot's of flour, eggs and pumpkin....

I can smell the bread now!

Not to mention: setting up accounts with all my vendors,

special ordering for my packing materials,

printed material, labels, stickers, twisty ties...

all the little details that make a delicious loaf of bread

change the lives of many little bodies half way across the world.

It's a BIG DEAL!

All the details I take very serious.

Oh!!!!!!

And not to mention... our new website!!!

Woo-Hoo!

I hope to have it launched by early-mid June!

The address is:

www.bread4lifeministries.org 

Isn't that awesome?

So, In a nutshell, that is where we are.

A little bit of a waiting-game right now but trusting

this will all be completed and official soon

so we can get back to business. We have a job to do!

LOVE.THOSE.CHILDREN.

Im in AWE of the Lord!

His sweetness to bless this ministry with everything

it needs to reach the thousands,

encourage the Body of Christ and spread awareness. 

That's what Bread for Life Ministries is all about.

Helping, Feeding and Loving orphans; one loaf at a time!

"Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,

for he shares his bread with the poor."

Proverbs 22:9

Jonah's Well

This is my Memorial Box Monday 
(A Place Called Simplicity)





I have waited a long time to post this update/video. This is truly the work of Almighty God. No man could have planned it this way. No person could have orchestrated the timing so perfectly. No human can write a story like this. Except God.

Today, In Uganda, Praise, her children and the entire village of Matugga-Bubaale will forever have access to safe, clean water. Why? Because a body of believers from Petaluma, CA stepped out in faith, believing that God is so much bigger than our present circumstances. 

And a precious little boy from Santa Rosa CA, born March 2, 2012, already in the hands of Jesus, will forever play a beautiful part in the lives of people half way around the world.

Why? Because it's all part of His grander plan.

Enjoy this video and see how all these pieces of this amazing story came together. After months of planning, preparing, and fundraising.... the well was completed on the 1 year anniversary of baby Jonah entering the arms of Jesus. - I pray we all see how huge this is. At lease I think it's huge! You can not put God in a box. E.V.E.R.

All the money was raised through a family started  (soon-to-be) non-profit that bakes fresh yummy bread and sells the bread. 100% of all the money raised goes to meet the urgent needs of orphans in Uganda. The ministry is called "Bread for Life Ministries".

My blog tells the whole story! 

Early June the website will be launched.

www.bread4lifeministries.org 

God is good all the time and all the time GOD IS GOOD!

Praise HIM! 

We are so thankful for Linny and Dwight!

They have encouraged me to step out in faith in a way I never thought I could. Because of that, together, we are making a difference. It's so awesome.

(And fun. Literally!) 

It's Official! "Bread For Life Ministries"

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, 
     and so all went well. 
     Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 22:16

Friends And Family...
I have some very exciting news!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that,

"Bread For Life" has been approved
through the Secretary of State and Federal Offices
and the name is OURS!!

Woo-Hoo!

Soooo it's official! We are now:

"Bread For Life Ministries"

We are non-profit bound, full speed ahead.

My heart leaps for joy when I say those words.

Who would have ever thought!

It has come to THIS point because of YOU and your continued support of this ministry when in the beginning I really had no clue what I was doing. I had no idea that the very first time I put 22 loaves of bread in the oven, that it would raise $648. Clearly the Lord was moving and demonstrating the simplicity of His work, if we are just faithful to ACT.

"God is calling us... we are supposed to move"

Here we are a year later and we raised roughly $18,000

with BREAD alone! In 12 months!

WOW! 

Glory be to GOD!

Take a step of faith... you'll never know until you do!

I remember when I was praying to the Lord,

"What can I do?"

"How can I make a difference in the lives of the least of these?"

I remember at first thinking I had to do something BIG.

Something.never.ever.thought.of.before.

Something nobody has ever done before, etc…

The foolishness of my heart kept me from seeing that the Lord only wanted me to do what he had already blessed me to do.
I am not a baker but He has blessed my ability to bake yummy bread.
The answer was right in front of my face.

"God does not call the equipped,
He equips the called."

So simple. So easy. So yummy.

I was making it much harder than it needed to be.

I would bake bread. And sell it.

Voila!

The name 'Bread For Life' is so precious to me on so many levels.
I truly know it was a name given to me from God Himself, spoken with authority straight to my heart. I will never forget the day He whispered the name to me back in 2011 as I was walking from my kitchen to my living room. It was so clear. So powerful. So profound.

The Lord's Spirit ministered to my heart and it went something like this:

"Your ministry shall be called, 'Bread For Life.’
You will bake bread, sell it and every penny raised will go to the urgent needs of my children.

Your bread will give life.
The same way that I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.
This bread represents Me and My love for my children."

"Then Jesus declared,

"I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry..."

John 6:35

I've created a sticker with this scripture written on it.
It is stuck to the bottom of every single loaf of bread we sell. 

"Bread For Life" is more than just baking bread and selling it to raise money for orphans.
It is sharing the Gospel with my community.
Helping to mobilize the church to do what we have been commanded to do.

We all have "callings" in life.
However, caring for the 'least of these' is not a calling,
it is a command.
We are all commanded to care for the orphan, the widow, the naked, the hungry, the lonely
in some degree or another, no matter what.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

Matthew 25 31:40

We are commanded to do this,
in addition to the other great things we are 'called' to do. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Again, thank you to everyone who has bought a loaf of bread this past year.
Without YOU, Bread For Life couldn't exist. 

Together, we truly ARE helping children, one loaf at a time.



So here’s to our official name:

"Bread For Life Ministries"

"In you the orphan finds mercy." 
Hosea 14:3



On a side note: I have had different individuals and organizations ask if they could use 'Bread For Life' for fundraising opportunities. I am thrilled that B4L could help others in their fundraising efforts, that will go towards helping more orphans. Whether it’s fundraising for an adoption or a missions trip, or to raise money that will go directly to the needs of orphans, I am more than happy to see about selling starter kits, that can use our logo with our name. (If you need a little help getting your feet off the ground.) I have an amazing 12 member board team and we are currently working out all these details. Hopefully information on 'Bread For Life Starter Kits' will be coming soon. Until then, please message me if you are interested. Thanks and God Bless! 

Let's do this friends!
Let's change lives ALL for the Glory of Him
who changed us! 

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives."
Titus 3:14

1 Amazing Week of Fundraising - BFL'

"In you the orphan finds mercy.”

Hosea 14:3

The week of our 'Bread For Life' Christmas Open House,

we raised a total of

$2,000!

Only. God.

I mailed my check today to IVO so when they travel

to Uganda in 9 days, this money will help start

the building process of Praise's new dormitories for the girls! 

Woo-Hoo! 

I'm PRAISING the Lord because I KNOW it's ALL HIM.

He IS the Father to the fatherless

and He is using this little bread ministry

to provide for His children.

It is such a blessing to have a front row seat at God's Work.

Altogether we had 163 loaves of bread and from that,

we raised $2000 and even had bread left over! 

God is TRULY AMAZING!

Thank you to EVERYONE who purchased a loaf of bread

or just gave generously through 'Bread For Life' for this project. 

Without your support, love and prayers

 we couldn't make such an impact

on so many little lives.

So thank you!

Really, thank you!

Would you believe me if I told you...

this little bread baking ministry is 1 year old

and I believe we are pushing the $20,000 mark!

It's true. 

I am blown away!

(I'm doing my books after the first of the year and I will let you know

but I think we are pretty darn close.) 

Unbelievable...

Or is it?

NOTHING is impossible with God!

When we step out in faith, God holds our hands.

He does things that we could not even imagine would be possible.

The Bible says it all. We just need to believe!

"Jesus looked at them and said,

'With man this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

Together,

we are helping a child,

one loaf at a time!

Happy New Year!!

Christmas Open House for BFL

THIS Friday night is another 'Bread For Life' Christmas Open House at my home! "Bread For Life" is raising money to build our dear sister Nalubwama Praise (in Uganda) and her 24 children new dormitories. Recent rains have destroyed their home and the children get wet in the night from rain pouring into their rooms. Not to mention a snake got in and bit one of the little children. So they really need our help! BFL has partnered with "International Voice of the Orphan" for this project and fundraising. (This is the organization that I traveled to Uganda with this past June)  (http://www.internationalvoiceoftheorphan.com) Join us as we raise money to get this project started! :) 100% of all donations raised will go to this urgent need. Types of bread: ~ Persimmon Bread ~ Lemon Poppy Seed with Glaze ~ Poppy Seed with Orange Glaze ~ Pumpkin Bread ~ Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips ~ Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts ~ Orange Cranberry Bread These breads are wonderful for the holidays and a great gifts for friends and neighbors! Also, Below is a slideshow that I created when we were fundraising for water for Nalubwama Praise children. Praise God we raised all the funds needed and they will have a Well drilled for them early next year. All from BREAD! Thank you to YOU who made that possible.  These are the precious little faces we are are helping! Also, the Water-Well that will be drilled for Praise (and her village) will be dedicated to the  Ives family in honor of their precious little son Jonah David who went to be with Jesus. (BFL has partnered with Holden Uganda to make that possible) God is SO Good!. All the time! Together, we are helping a child; one (yummy) loaf at a time!

Slide Show Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ne14PWUb9g

In One Month, $5,100 In Bread Sales? YES!!

This is my MBM from last week.
Overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness as I watch the Lord
move mighty mountains for this sweet little ministry called
"Bread For Life". 
(Soon to be a non-profit- Woo-Hoo!!)

Praising Him all the way!



After a huge weekend of bread sales

and a busy month of BFL,

I am looking forward to a week of rest

and Thanksgiving.

I am in awe of all the Lord has done.

He has demonstrated His power in such a way

that leaves me speechless

(Oh, me of little faith).

ALL the glory and praise will continually flow

upward to Jesus for all He has done.

$5,100 in one month?

Yes!!

Bringing our overall total to over $15,000 in less than 1 year. 

Off pumpkin bread! HA!

Would you have ever imagined?

O.N.L.Y. H.I.M.

I believe the Lord is moving mountains

on behalf of His orphaned children;

once again demonstrating His heart

for the needy and abandoned.

I am humbled to have a front row seat

to such a sweet move of the Spirit.

Nobody could write a story like this... nobody!

I'm also so thankful for all the wonderful people

in my life watching this unfold with me;

so thankful for all the love, support, prayers,

and encouragement along the way.

And just to think, this is just the beginning

of what the Lord has in store.

Glory to God and praise Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart,
but believes that what he says will come to pass,
it will be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Mark 11:23-24

(More blog posts to follow with details of the amazing stories

that took place this past month.

It's taking me more time than I thought to put this all down on paper.

God is a God of detail. Amazing, flawless detail. Praise Him!)