My project has not changed since the beginning, and I don't think that it will until the end of the school year. Luckily, this is a project that I can carry on throughout this semester and next semester so I won't have to be searching through a new idea after Christmas break!

Personally, I think that  I've done what I can up to this point, considering all our drives will be highlighted the same week. Thus far, we have a plan of action. Next step: take action. Over the past couple weeks, we have had quite a few students wanting to do some type of drive for support of whatever organization they choose. Therefore, I fall under the collection category. So, WE SHALL DO A DRIVE! From here, the planning begins. Over the next couple weeks I'll be working on advertising through social media, posters, and handouts. Even though the main focus is pants I will also be collecting all kinds of clothing. Until we get all the details of the drive nailed down, I do not have any adjustments to make.

This project hasn't taught me much about myself, but rather more about the students that will be impacting in Haiti. We take for granted the closets full of clothes that we have daily and forget that there are kids in third world countries that have nothing. In a "blessed" area like Dallas I think it's important to focus on what the term "blessed" actually means. The kids in Haiti might not have clothes to wear every single day, but they have a joy that is unexplainable, and for this they are blessed. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus reminds us not to worry about the superficial aspects of life but rather to focus on him and trust in His provision for our lives, specifically with clothing. The children in Haiti give a  great example of this. They don't have, yet they don't complain. These kids love the Lord fully with their whole hearts, and inspire me to trust him more wholly. For this reason, I want to provide for them not because they complain, but because they trust and they praise God.

For my passion project, I wanted to something of worth. Something that could potentially help another human in need. Mrs. Ashcraft asked me what is something that is close to my heart, and my automatic response was Haiti. She then asked what the kids on Haiti need the most, and I jokingly responded with, "pants". It's funny because little kids run up to you and ask you to hold them, but they don't have pants. It's not funny, because these kids don't have the opportunity to get the clothing they need.

This is where we come in! My passion project will be to do a year long clothing drive, and I will bring all that we receive back to Haiti with me during summer of 2015. The organization I will be donating through is called Mission of Hope. If you want to learn more about Mission of Hope, you can go to this website! If you want to participate, I encourage you to simply clean your room! See what fits and what doesn't! Together, WE CAN HELP GIVE PANTS TO THE CHILDREN OF HAITI!

Losing Teeth (pun intended)

As a child, my decisions weren't as bad as Balloon Fest '86, but similarly, consequences from actions are not always the first thoughts that come to my mind before making a decision. For me, something I thought would be "funny", turned into a night-long disaster. It started on the playground (intimidating) in our backyard. Max and I have always had a teasing relationship, so I decided to do something funny. While Max went down the slide, I waited at the bottom and kicked him in the face. Little did I know, Max had a wiggly tooth he was very proud of, and I had knocked it out with my hilariously planned kick to the face. 

Within seconds, Max began screaming not only because, A. I just kicked him in the face, but B. his tooth went flying into the grass. So to me, I thought, "no big deal, we can look for the tooth and find it and then the tooth fairy will come and he'll be quiet." Well, it's actually a lot harder than expected to find a baby tooth in summer grass. As we were looking and starting to give up, the lawn mowers show up. OF COURSE, the day I need peace within the grassy region, the lawn mowers are scheduled. So, Max and I shuffled inside where he stared out the window at his "gone forever" tooth. He cried and held resentment, even though I didn't see what I had done all that wrong. Anyway, he still holds our incident against me to this day, and I hope my poor decision saves a sister from kicking her brother in the face down a slide.