So proud of our sweet Morgan!

This is the recent newsletter sent out by CGI Kids - an entity of the Center for Global Impact. http://centerforglobalimpact.org/
So proud of Morgan!

2014 Winter Update

Encouraging and equipping kids to use their God-given passions and abilities to make a global impact.

What's New in 2014? CGI's New Initiative in Cambodia... KEIN SVAY KIDS! A Cambodian CGI staff member telling a bible story to a group of kids in Kein Svay. Kein Svay is a province in the capital city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is an impoverished area of the city that CGI has been involved with over the years. CGIKids has chosen 15 children in this underprivileged area to assist, educate and share the Gospel with in the coming year in a program we call Kein Svay Kids. The kids are eager to learn and we are eager to help. You can help, too! Along with raising funds to provide basic health needs and water filters, we want to be able to provide them with other supplies like Bibles, school supplies and uniforms. If you would like to contribute financially or have the capacity to donate any of these items, please CLICK HERE or reply to this email.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS "For my birthday, I asked my friends to bring $9 instead of presents. I asked for nine dollars since I was turning nine. I didn't want to use the money for myself.  Instead, I gave it to people who don't have much or maybe nothing at all. I mostly wanted the money to go to people who don't have food and water. I also collected lots of toys and a few of my own toys that I didn't play with, and I gave them to children who don't have any. As you can see above, the children really liked it!" ~Kyra Chudyk, 9 years old

Morgan Schmidt, 7 yrs old "My daughter and I went to a trunk show at a friend's house and Morgan bought 15 byTavi keychains with her own money....she then chose to use her birthday party as a fundraiser for CGI instead of getting gifts. She raised $83 from her other 7 year old first grade friends who came to the party - they were each given a key chain and Morgan spoke of where they came from, who made them, and how the money would be used at CGI that they chose to donate. We are giving an even $100 as support for our dear daughter who has caught the vision of your ministry. I am sure you will see/hear from us again - maybe even in Cambodia some day.  We attend Common Ground Christian Church and are proud to support your ministry." ~Megan Schmidt and 7 year old daughter, Morgan

CGIKids in Nicaragua This Christmas, CGIKids partnered with Hope Road Nicaragua and we were able to help collect over 200 gallon-sized ziplock  "Bags of Hope" full of items for an orphanage and children in the surrounding communities of Managua, Nicaragua. Thank you to many of our CGIKids families for contributing. A Special THANK YOU to Emmanuel of Greenwood, Southside Bible Church and Boy Scout Troop 264 for going above and beyond with the donations. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES   10 kids stocked the  byTavi storage facility for the holidays. Thanks for serving CGI! Contact kristenbaynai.cgi@gmail.com or jaimeroscoe.cgi@gmail.com to schedule a time for your group to serve.

Check out 

www.cgikids.org. 

  

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Great Wolf Lodge

Joe and I decided to do something different this Christmas....an EXPERIENCE instead of gifts.
Santa came and brought each child what they asked him for.  Stockings were filled with toothbrushes, underwear, and orange and PJ's as usual.  But that was the only gifts under the tree from us.  (Although, let's be clear...Mo, Bubba, Ry Ry AND Gram Young were in town for Christmas morning - so there were still TONS of gifts to open!)

We got a one night reservation to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio.  (just a quick 2 hour drive)
But that meant from 11am on the day of check in to 8pm on the day of check out - we could be at the waterpark!

It was unanimously determined that it was the "Best Christmas Present Ever!"

Some highlights for the trip -
The orange slide (Jackson went down it like 250 times)
The basketball hoops
The wave pool
The hot springs
The "toilet bowl"
Cayote Canyon
Totem Towers (Jackson even went down them!)
The "kids cabin"
The porch of our hotel room (it went OUTSIDE, into the snow, and had a view of Kings Island)
The fire place in our hotel room
Yuengling was sold at the gas station next door :)

The only low light - the 4 hour drive home because the weather was REALLY bad that night - but the kids were all too exhausted to care (or complain too much)

Happy 7th Birthday Morgan! A special story....

It's hard to believe that Morgan is 7. She is an amazing little girl.

 Happy 7th Birthday to our sweet Morgan - you are smart, kind, thoughtful, social, playful, messy, and passionate. We love you so very much!

She had a very special kind of birthday - she hosted a few of her 1st grade friends at the Rivi for a Swim Party.  But what was unique was how she chose to celebrate:

Here's the email that was sent to her friends' parents:

Your daughter is invited to attend Morgan Schmidt's Swimming Birthday Party

on Monday, December 30th from 1pm - 3pm at the Riviera Club (5640 N Illinois St, Indianapolis, IN 46208)

Please have your daughter pack a swim suit and towel and come enjoy a time of indoor swimming fun, plus cake and ice cream afterwards.

Even if your child isn't the strongest swimmer, the depth of the pool is shallow enough that they can touch.  :)

Instead of gifts, Morgan would like to do a fundraiser for the Center for Global Impact.

Each of your daughters will get a small gift for attending the party that was hand crafted by a woman from Cambodia. Family friends of ours have partnered and even visited this organization and this is one small way Morgan feels she can contribute too to the lives of these women and children in Cambodia.  So, if you feel led, just put some cash in a card towards a larger donation Morgan hopes to give as a gift to CGI  :)

http://centerforglobalimpact.org/

Center for Global Impact © 2013 Center for Global Impact is a faith-based relief and development organization designed to creatively connect financial and human resources with people who desperately need them with the ultimate goal of opening doors to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Because of the donations her friends gave her for her birthday - she raised $83 for CGI.
I gave them an even $100 online right before the New Year, with a brief explanation of what Morgan did and here is the response that the CEO of CGI sent to us!

Dear Megan and Morgan,

What a wonderful blessing it was to read of the birthday party you had that helped to raise money to help kids & families in Cambodia.  I think it is absolutely awesome that you decided not to ask for gifts for yourself, but rather asked your friends to give money to help people on the other side of the world!  I must admit that I am truly inspired by you Morgan.  I want you to know that I have shared your story with many of my friends and I have told everyone here at CGI, including our board members, about you and what you have done to help people in Cambodia.  It is awesome to see God at work in the life of a 7 year old!  THANK YOU for being generous, thinking of others, and for sharing the love of Jesus!

I hope I get to meet you someday to thank you in person.

Sincerely,

Nathan Cecil

P.S.  Do you know about CGIKids?  If not, you can learn more by visiting this website - http://centerforglobalimpact.org/cgi-kids/.  What you did with your birthday party is exactly what we envision for CGIKids!  You are now a CGI Kid :-)  Question:  Could we interview you and write a story about what you did?  We would like to share your awesome story with others! 

--

Nathan Cecil

Chief Operating Officer

Center for Global Impact

2650 Fairview Place, Ste. W

Greenwood, IN 46142

Phone: (317) 294-9951

www.myCGIstory.com

www.byTavi.com