What My Family Needs

As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't really been told what anyone in my family needs. I simply listened while I was in Texas and came up with a few things on my own. I talked with Dawn yesterday and need to change my requests for them. While Target gift cards will work while they are in Texas, Dawn isn't really sure what she still has in her room and won't know what she needs for school until she gets back in Mississippi. Because of this, I am asking that if you want to bless Dawn please give her Wal-Mart gift cards, so she can purchase what she needs when she gets back in Mississippi. Thanks for all your love, prayers, and support!

Family Update

Many of you have been asking for ways that you can help my family through this difficult time. I want to thank you for your desire to want to bless my family and show them that there is still goodness in this world even after Katrina.

As I have mentioned to some of you, your prayers are always appreciated. Please pray for my mom and sister, Dawn, as they are separated from their husbands. Pray that my mom and Dawn would have patience with the two children, Addison and Alex. Addison is Dawn's daughter (almost 10 months old) and Alex (4 years old this coming Monday) is Travis' son. Pray that both children would adjust quickly to their new home life with our Uncle Don and Aunt Lynne. Pray for my dad, Chris (Dawn's husband), and Travis (my brother) that they would have the wisdom to know when to rest. There is much to do, and they all want to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Pray for my dad and Chris as well while they are separated from my mom and Dawn. Pray that they will have the time to connect via email and the phone, so they don't feel as far away.

Now, as far as things my family needs, no one has really mentioned anything. However, I have thought of a few ideas on my own based on what I overheard my mom and Dawn talking about while I visited with them in Texas. Target or Wal-Mart gift cards would be great for either one of them! My mom doesn't have a ton of clothes right now. All she has is what she packed when they evacuated, a few things she purchased at Target in Texas, and a few things I gave her. Dawn is a sixth grade teacher. She had spent a lot of money (her own, not the schools) on decorating her room as well as supplies for the children. A tornado came through the fourth through sixth grade hall and tore her room apart. The gift cards will help her replace many of the things that were lost. Other than that, I can't really think of anything else at this point. If you want to get something in the mail to them, please email me at gullandfamily@netzero.net for the mailing address.

If you want to send them an email to let them know that you are thinking of them or praying for them, here are their email addresses: Mom's=maryhrogers@hotmail.com and Dawn's=dawnmcnabb@hotmail.com.

Finally, my parents will be building a house sometime in the future on a new piece of property. At this point, they are planning on keeping their property on the water and turning it into a fishing camp or something like that. When they build their new home, they are going to need help with the building. If any of you can go down there and help, that would be wonderful. I will keep you posted on the timing of all of this and help coordinate the help, so it will work the best for all involved.

Again, thank you for all your prayers, thoughts, and concerns. My family and I appreciate it more than words can express. When I told my mom about the outpouring of love from everyone, she was overwhelmed. We both were moved to the point of tears. We love all of you and thank God for each and every one of you.

Build-a-Bear Workshop

David entering his puppy's information at the Build-a-Bear Workshop.

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While we were in Texas, we visited the Build-a-Bear Workshop (BABW). Jessica's mother-in-law, Linda, wanted to help David make his own animal. It is amazing all the different animals they have to choose from. Here I thought that all they had was bears. Oh, no! They have giraffes, dogs, Elmo, and many more. There is also a whole process you go through. First, the child selects the animal. Next, they can choose a sound if they want to. David picked a dog bark for his puppy. Then you make a wish on a heart and kiss the heart. Now you get to the BABW worker who stuffs the animal. Before they put in the stuffing, they put in the heart, any sound (if chosen), as well as the animal's identification number (it is a barcode that is unique to the animal, so if David ever loses it, the dog can find its way back to him). Next, the animal is stuffed. After the animal is stuffed, you give it a bath (with air and a brush to fluff it up). Finally, you can purchase clothes for the animal. After this is all done, you still aren't ready to pay for it. You have to input the animal's information as well as your own or the gift recipients's into a computer like David is doing in the picture. Now --- you can pay for it!!!

If you have ever wanted to go, but didn't have the money, you may be able to go now and build a bear for the children who survived Katrina. I know that they were doing this at the mall in Houston. Call your local BABW and ask if they are participating in this program. At the Baybrook Mall, they let you build the bear for the children and then gave you something like 20% off of clothes and accessories if you wanted to add those. What a great gift to those children and a comfort to them who have lost so much!