There’s still time to bid on the book boxes listed on eBay. All materials for the boxes have been donated and proceeds will go directly to the Christian World Mission for use in their school programs in Chile.
Christian World Mission Faces Great Need
The newest school, located in La Serena still faces great need in terms of building and construction materials. Steve Phillips, an administrator over all ten schools operated by Christian World Mission in Chile says, “We still need two more classrooms and to finish an assembly room. The support and roof structure is built, but we lack the walls, bathrooms, and kitchen. The total cost is about $40,000 dollars…”
Bid on Boxes Today for a Chance to Win a FREE $50 Amazon Gift Card!
Each bid on any box will count as one entry for a free $50 Amazon gift card. Place four bids and earn four contest entries!
There are only a couple more days until the auction closes. Let’s show support for those who dedicate their lives and time to teaching little ones who would otherwise fall between the cracks.
Click the image below to visit the auction on eBay and place your bids!
In yesterday’s post, I introduced Christian World Mission, a group responsible for administering ten schools and over 6,000 students. Today, Steve Phillips shares with us some more information about the students who will receive financial support from the Book Box Auction taking place now on eBay:
“If these 6,000 students I mentioned did not study with us, most would have to plug into the public school system which, in the past 30 years, has continued to crumble, offering a very poor and valueless education. This leaves most students without hope of college education and only minimum job opportunities. Of central importance, they would not get a Christian Education and the opportunity for them and their families to know and follow our Jesus.
On the other hand, nearly all our graduates go on to higher education and enter into the main stream of employment including lawyers, doctors, engineers, pastors, missionaries, teachers…..nearly anything on the professional job spectrum. Several thousand have graduated over the years.
“Of course, we will really never know the depth of width of influence. I can’t even count how many have come back to express their gratitude for the education and values they received. We do know that the children are the best missionaries in their families. This, combined with the church growth around the schools, has evidenced a dynamic growth of the Evangelical Protestant Church in Chile. I have no doubt that starting schools has done more to plant churches than our original plans. Thousands have come to Christ as a result of the church/school combination of evangelism and training.”
Make a Difference to Children in Chile
Four book boxes each filled with snacks and popular YA novels have been donated to help raise money for the Christian World Mission school ministry. Apart from the shipping costs, all proceeds go directly to the ministry to benefit the children and families they serve. Featured today is the Fantasy Haven Book Box, found here on eBay.
Haunters by Thomas Taylor “Haunters is peppered with interesting characters and early teen awkwardness as scenes flip back and forth between modern day and World War II ravaged London. Tension mounts as David’s quest becomes more urgent, making this a difficult novel to put down, once one reaches its midpoint.” – from the review on The Story Sanctuary.
Merlin’s Blade by Robert Treskillard
“Treskillard weaves a fascinating tale and leaves the reader piqued for the next installment in the series. The last hundred pages moved especially quickly, pulling the reader through the tale with scarcely time for a breath.” – from the review on The Story Sanctuary
A Cast of Stones by Patrick Carr
“Carr’s deft and thoughtful storytelling can’t help but leave readers eager for the next chapter in the fascinating world he’s created. Errol’s unexpected and expertly crafted transformation from cowardice to heroism makes this novel both moving and memorable.” – from the review on The Story Sanctuary (will post in April)
More than 35 years ago, Steve Phillips and his wife Colleen moved across the globe to Chile to follow the call of ministry and leadership and plant Christian churches. Ministering to families through opening a school wasn’t something the family had really considered.
But as their own children reached school-age, Steve and Colleen began to worry about their own educational opportunities.
“In 1982, after having made Chile our home for five years, our two boys were beginning their school experience… At that time, only a handful of Christian schools existed, all private and expensive—out of our financial and geographical range,” says Steve Phillips of Christian World Mission, administrator over ten Christian schools in Chile. “Even though I have a degree in Christian Education, our original commitment was to plant churches. God had granted amazing growth in just a few years. But we began to realize that not only our own children, but those of others, too, longed for a school that would strengthen and build Christian conviction and values into the children.”
From 76 to over 6,000
The first school began in Quilpue, Chile in 1984. It consisted of five small classrooms and 76 students. Today over 6,000 students are enrolled in a total of ten schools founded by Christian World Mission. The newest school is located in La Serena. Visit the school’s blog (written in Spanish, but loaded with some incredible pictures) here.
Due to the courageous work began by Steve Phillips, thousands of children receive a quality education infused with care, love, and Christian values. Though the nation of Chile provides partial government funding (vouchers), the funds are not enough to meet the growing needs of the school ministry.
Make a Difference to Children in Chile
Four book boxes each filled with snacks and popular YA novels have been donated to help raise money for the Christian World Mission school ministry. Apart from the shipping costs, all proceeds go directly to the ministry to benefit the children and families they serve. Featured today is the Romantic Interlude Book Box, found here on ebay.
“Missy’s story is peppered with moments of keen emotional insight and turmoil… Missy’s moment of conversion is genuine and as powerful as the emotional pain that make her such an easy character to connect with. Fans of Stephanie Morrill or Laura Anderson Kurk will enjoy this novel.” – from the review on The Story Sanctuary
“In her brave debut, Sharples captures the raw driving intensity of emotional insecurity and the terrible tension it places on a relationship, boldly describing a tragic teen issue. The reactions of Stacey’s friends and family, the helplessness Calvin wrestles with all felt very real and true to character and life.” – from the review on The Story Sanctuary
Mistaken by Karen Barnett
“Since alcohol and prohibition have made criminals out of every man in her world, Laurie Burke resolves to find at least one honorable man. Convinced that handsome newcomer, Daniel Shepherd, is connected with her brother’s rumrunning gang, Laurie quickly scratches his name off her list. Federal agent Samuel Brown might be the answer to her prayers– or her worst nightmare.” – from back cover copy.
Twelve year-old Kendall has a small problem: she sees ghosts, and she can’t tell anyone. Especially Brandon, whose mother has not only been haunting Kendall, but who begins pulling some creepy stunts in an effort to keep Kendall away from her son. So, there’s that. Kendall is also haunted by a girl named Lyra with an attitude whose flaky mom and flirtatious brother have opened a nail salon. Kendall and her bestie endure horrible manicures more than once while Kendall attempts to gather info on Lyra’s death so she can find out how to help Lyra move on. The problem? Lyra’s brother’s hand massages get a little out of control, and now Brandon, Kendall’s almost-maybe-hopefully-soon boyfriend gets jealous.
Now Kendall has to avoid Brandon seeing her with Lyra’s brother and avoid Brandon’s mom seeing her with Brandon, all while she avoids that awkward convo with her dad about his new serious girlfriend. Talk about a juggling act. When it all comes crashing down, there’s only one person Kendall can turn to for help. If she dares.
Barnholdt perfectly captures the zany fun tone of her middle school heroine, keeping what could be a spooky tale solidly grounded in all things bright and cheery. Kendall is a chipper, loveable narrator, though she seems more like fourteen than twelve. While this second novel in the Girl Meets Ghost series is long on fun, not much is resolved between the first page and the last. Budding readers of paranormal stories will like the ghostly elements and latter elementary school readers will likely be charmed by the upbeat voice and attitude of the story.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Kendall sees and interacts with ghosts. They follow her around until she can sort out whatever their unfinished business is and help them bring closure to their lives so they can move on. On to where, Kendall doesn’t know and doesn’t spend much time considering.
Violence None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Nine year-old Patrick faces troubling changes in his home. Since his mom’s death, Patrick, his brother Trevor and his dad have been on their own. But now Dad’s friend Linda and her pesky daughter Claire keep coming to visit. Worse still, Patrick learns that Dad is going to marry Linda, and she and Claire are moving into the house with Patrick.
Frustrated and unsure, Patrick retreats, spending time away from the family with his best friend. Together they build a treehouse, a safe place to hide away from Claire the pest. But before long, Patrick suspects that Claire isn’t happy about her new home either. As he works through his own unhappiness, he begins to wonder if Claire is unhappy, too.
In the course of Patrick’s journey through the year, he begins to see Claire as more than the annoying little tag-along. This transition from self-pity to empathy is the turning point which makes the story so much more than a tale of adjustment to blended family life (a valuable lesson on its own) and pushes further into not only peace with new housemates, but compassion, love and understanding.
The narrative is straight-forward and easy for children to follow, yet fun and tender as well. As a single parent facing this very transition, this is a book that makes my reading list of stories to share with my daughter. The way it’s written easily opens conversation topics about the coming changes and allows opportunity to discuss the fears and frustrations as well as to begin to explore the positives as the new family is built.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None
Sexual Content None, though Patrick’s father and fiancée move in together after becoming engaged. No romance between the two is featured in the story.
Spiritual Content Patrick’s brother Trevor tells a story about their mother pointing out a star and naming it as their star. No matter what happens, she tells them, the star will always connect them. Not really a spiritual theme per se, but a sweet moment.
Violence None.
Drug Content
None.
Disclaimer
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Ava Lavender comes from a long line of peculiarly gifted women who’ve been unlucky in love. She relates her family history beginning with her great-grandparents and their journey from France to the United States in the early 1900s. Ava’s grandmother is the surviving member of her small family by the time she marries. Desperate to escape the bitter memories of her lost loved ones, Emiliene and her husband head west, finally settling in a small Washington town. Emiliene bears one child, Ava’s mother, before her husband dies. Each member of Emiliene’s family bears some peculiarity, and it seems Viviane, Emiliene’s child is no exception, when she is born with an incredibly keen sense of smell. But it is Ava, Viviane’s daughter who possesses the most notable peculiarity: she is born with wings.
Ava spends her young life sheltered in her grandmother’s home with her mother and twin brother and their live-in handyman. Gabe is determined to teach Ava to fly, and spends a great deal of time building flying contraptions so he can do just that. The only problem is that none of them seem to work. As Ava reaches her middle teen years, she begins to grow curious about the world outside her family’s home. As she begins to venture out, she must face the various ways people respond to her wings. She finds herself labeled both angel and demon, worshipped and hunted. As danger closes in around her, Ava’s brother (who appears to have some form of Autism) tries repeatedly to warn the family, but the message doesn’t at first make sense to them. Emiliene and Viviane must piece together the clues and find Ava before it’s too late.
The most striking thing about this novel is the style in which it is written. It’s very whimsical and a little bit dark, both quirky and hopeful. Each of the focal characters is expertly created and their stories deeply interesting. There are definitely some intense moments which make this a story better suited to older teens. Readers who enjoy stories in the vein of the movie Big Fish will enjoy this novel.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Infrequent but extreme.
Sexual Content Brief references to sex, including references to a brother and sister who were rumored to be lovers and two men who are lovers. In one scene a man violently assaults a woman. Details of the attack are brief but brutal, and the progression of events is really choppy, making it difficult to tell what’s happening. The girl is raped. Details of the rape are very limited.
Spiritual Content Emiliene is haunted by the ghosts of her deceased siblings and a former resident of her home. Rumor has it that a young girl living in sin attempted to receive communion and the host caught fire as it touched her mouth. This event occurs again featuring one of the main characters in the story. Violence See above for assault. Emiliene’s brother is shot in the face by his lover. His ghost bears the scars from his gruesome demise. Details are limited. One of Emiliene’s sisters dies by suicide when she removes her heart. Again, gruesome, but with limited details.
Drug Content
A young man drugs a relative in his care.
Disclaimer
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
