Little Hands, Big Hearts March 27, 2023

We had a plan and we set goals, yet I knew that this could not be done alone. We would need a good amount of funds and financial support.  So, before I got started on a plan, I went to the place where the wisest seek guidance.... I called my mom. She listened to my heart and after I laid out all the facts, she simply said, "You should give people the chance to be part of this, Jo. Why don't you help let them adopt a chicken? Hell, I want to buy your first one!"

And so it began. I dreamed of giving a hands on element so that people could have something real to remind them to pray for this family. I looked at cute little stuffed chickens online, but I just couldn't find any that were priced low enough. I had the idea to sew my own chickens. However, I forgot that I do not sew. I saved a few pictures of stuffed chickens on my phone and kept the idea in my back pocket. Within the week, a fellow teacher friend asked if I would be interested in having extra African fabric that she brought back from Ghana. I figured it could be nothing, however, you need fabric to sew chickens. The day after that, out of the blue, my dear teacher assistant asked to help with any fundraising that I planned to do for my work overseas. She mentioned that she loved helping in nonprofit work and she had really great sewing skills. No Joke.

Before I knew it, we had the fabric and the means. She came up with the idea of the students being part of it as well. I put together a lesson and taught them about Mam's Farm across the ocean. We spoke about needs vs wants and how we should help others when they have a need. Every child wanted to help. So, one by one, these beautiful five year olds stuffed and named chickens so they could be sold to buy real chickens for Mama. These kindergarteners understood the need and they wanted to make a difference to a people on the other side of the world.