Thanks!

Thanks to friends like you, the Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival was able to give over $20,000 to Drawn from Water to save children who would otherwise be killed!

Meet Hennah, the first little one to make it here to the States. At about two years old, she would have been killed by her tribe... because her top teeth came in before her bottom teeth.

The money Drawn from Water receives pays for the feeding and care of children who have been rescued as well as the transportation costs involved in rescuing additional children from drowning. Without the funds to get to the children, they simply cannot save them.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to serve with the Kjeldgaards each year. Lisa and Eric are a real inspiration.

Our girls decorated cakes for the cake walk.



Friends manned carnival booths.





Online friends became in person friends.



Sweet little ones took time to craft and paint at our booth.

And we all had a great day!

If you weren't able to come out this year, please plan to join us next time!

Blessings to you!

______________________

If you'd still like the opportunity to help Drawn from Water, you can donate here.

Please Join Us!

YOU CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE TODAY!

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

~James 1:27

For the past three years our family has been blessed to be a part of the amazing Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival! It's an fantastic work run by Christian families solely for the benefit of widows and orphans. 100 percent- yes really- 100 percent- of every contribution goes to the selected charity for the year.

All the prizes and costs are covered by local business owners and families that participate (primarily the Kjeldgaard family) so that every dollar spent by participants is donated directly to widows and orphans!

CHECK THIS OUT

This is the organization being benefitted this year:

Drawn from Water an organization that rescues tribal children from being drown if they are born with a birth defect or suspected of being cursed.

Please stop reading this now. Please go to Drawn from Water and watch the short video on their website. Then return here. If you are not completely moved with a desire to help, then please don't feel obligated. But if this moves your heart to act please come on back and find out how you can help!

WHERE ARE WE SAVING OUR MONEY?

This economy is tough. We know of one Christian family that just didn't have the money to donate this year, but decided to buy raffle tickets (where the carnival makes the biggest amount of money) with a portion of their savings. That may sound crazy to some, but they know that the money is safe now where it will not be lost.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

~Matthew 6:19

We would absolutely love if each one of you could come on out tomorrow and join us. We know for some, that is just not possible. If you can come, it will be a fantastic family day spent with other like minded Christian families. Admission is FREE and games are very low cost for those attending. If you come out, please find us- we will be manning the Craft Booth and we'd love to meet you!

If you cannot come, would you please consider donating? At the end of the raffle page is the option to simply donate.

If you have a blog or FaceBook page, please link over and ask your friends and family to join us.

We can make an eternal difference today!

Richest blessings to you!

__________________

Photo: Our little Lydia with her prize from the Goldfish Toss Booth.

The carnival's history:

In 2007, over $8000 was donated to Acres of Hope, an orphanage and relief organization working in Monrovia, Liberia.

In 2008, over $16,000 was donated to the Davis Family Educational Fund administered by Central Valley Presbyterian Church to help the newly widowed Heather Davis and her children.

2009 witnessed yet another rise as $20,000 was raised on behalf of Agape Children's Ministry of Modesto and Seeds in His Garden Ministry of Monterey. Each organization works with children in Kenya and received $10,000 form Carnival donations

A Wonderful Time...

The Wintons were amazing. We were blessed to have them stay in our home and were truly sad to see our new friends leave. We look forward to seeing them again real soon.


Our family, along with our extended Jones family, worked in the Craft Booth. Loved these "design your own" pinwheels.


Sweet Ashley working in the Goldfish Toss Booth (where you toss ping pong balls, not goldfish). Look for Ashley and her sisters in the summer issue of the Girlhood Home Companion Magazine.


Darling Caroline. Can't keep my camera away from this cutie.


Guess what the little girls wanted to spend their tickets on?


Sweet Becky. What a smile.


My cute nephew Joshie at the prize booth. He brought home a really neat sling shot he shared with all the kids.


And can we get cuter than this Little Miss? Adorable.



Still proofing...

Blessings,
Rebecca

__________________
Looking for a FREE "Photoshop" style program to edit photos? Try GIMP. It's quality is amazing and it's available for Mac or PC. Did I mention it's free?

Carnival for Charity!

It's that time again!

The Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival is the exciting family project of the Eric Kjeldgaard family.

In 2007, desiring for their children to have a practical way to help those in need, Eric and Lisa came up with the idea of the carnival to raise funds for orphans and widows around the world. James 1:27 is the guiding verse for the carnival:

“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.”

Aside from raising money for worthwhile charities, the carnival desires to create a day of Old Fashioned fun in a safe, God honoring environment.

This year's carnival will also include the added benefit of the very talented Christian bluegrass band, the Wintons who are coming all the way from Redding, CA to donate their time, talent and CD sales for this great cause. We can't wait to meet them in person.





Our family will be manning the craft booth again this year. So, come out and make a craft with us; win a cake at my sister's famous cake walk or dunk some really fun friends. It's sure to be a great family time for all.


Hope to see you there!


Blessings,
Rebecca



___________________
IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND but would like to enter the raffles or make a donation, just click here.

A Chance to Help a Wonderful Family...

and place a Ugandan orphan into a loving, Christian home.






Pastor Steve Walker and his family have servant's hearts, so when they read verses like James 1:27 (Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their troubles) they see an opportunity to die to themselves and live for Christ.

Their family has been working hard to make sacrifices within their home with the goal of reaching out to orphans. What are they doing? They've reduced their grocery spending, have eliminated big purchases- including the replacement of a high mileage car, their boys have donated their own money and they are coordinating fund raising events. All to bring home an unknown orphan.



Want to help? Go to their blog entitled: Help Bring Hayley Home.



ARE YOU LOCAL?

For those of you in the San Joaquin/ Stanilaus areas, please read what Lisa Kjeldgaard has to say:



"Pastor Steve Walker and his family, who are dear friends,
are working hard to raise funds to bring home a little girl
from Uganda. One of the things they are doing is hosting a
Vacation Bible School Day Camp at their home as a fund raiser.

Wendy, is an amazing as a VBS leader. I'm telling you, this
woman is in her element directing VBS camps and Steve, our
pastor, is right there with her doing wacky skits and leading
little hearts to the Lord.

Lots of homeschooled teens from our church, Central Valley
Presbyterian, will be serving as counselors and teachers. Heather Davis' teens, Andy and Kendra
Fletcher's teens, and our older kids will be there helping
children have a safe and fun week.

The camp is using Answers in Genesis's VBS program and will have an Amazon theme that focuses on
Creation Science.

Wendy's developed a blog which tells their family story and has lots of details about the camp.

Obviously it's a fundraiser, so there's a cost. I know there
are free VBS programs all over the county but this one will
help bring an orphan home from Uganda! And, someone donated
some scholarships; so check out the blog:

http://stevewendy1.googlepages.com/home

Hope to see some of your kids at camp!"

Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival

We love opportunities in which families can minister together. We are pretty much of the mindset that if we can't do it as a family, we can't do it. And you know, there are always still plenty of ways to minister and bring our babes alongside.

This is one of the many reasons we couldn't be more impressed with the Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival. Not only is the Kjeldgaard family practicing true religion, they are teaching their little ones to act with the same compassion that fuels them.

Under the management of their parents, these young people staffed game booths with Christian families, contacted local business people for donations of goods and services for the raffles, coordinated countless details and then served alongside the volunteers all day themselves.


~ Matthew Kjeldgaard ~


Saturday's carnival was fantastic. Not only was it an incredibly fun event at the gorgeous Kjeldgaard ranch, the carnival actually earned above and beyond their goals and expectations! It was exciting to be a part of something so sincere and god honoring.




It was a fun day for the entire family. There were games and rides...





Prizes...




and painted faces.





All for a good cause.

________________________________

Update! To see how much was raised, please go here!

An incredible vision. A God honoring cause.

This carnival, hosted by friends of ours, is an amazing opportunity to pull together and serve a family that recently lost their precious husband and father.

Just this year, in January, the Lord took Eric Davis home. He leaves behind his wife of twenty years and their six children.

Eric was a very dear man who served his family, his church, his community and His Lord with all he had. Up to the very end. He ran and finished the race well. You would have loved him. We did.

In fact, I am convinced that if Eric Davis were here he would have been at the carnival working and serving right alongside the volunteers this Saturday. He would have worked and sweated with a smile on his face and a heart for Jesus.


~Eric and Heather

Now, we have an opportunity to serve our Lord by serving Eric's widow and children.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27


If you and your family would like to have a part in this opportunity, here are a few things you might consider:


1. Pray as a family for Mrs. Davis and her children.
2. Buy a raffle ticket or make a donation toward the future education of Eric and Heather's children.
3. Spread the word! Post a link from your website.
4. Plan as a family how you can help.


If you are able to come to the carnival, that would be wonderful! You and your family will be blessed.

Saturday, May 31, 2008
10:00 a.m. ~ 3:00 p.m.

Riverbend Ranch
4500 River Road
Oakdale, California


Thank you and God bless you.