Many Thanks for Your Support

An Anniversary Celebration and a Chance to Support a Valuable Mission

In March, to celebrate the anniversary of The Story Sanctuary, I held an auction to raise money for Christian World Mission in Chile to provide funds for school children. Four book boxes went up for auction on ebay. Through a combination of that ebay auction and word-of-mouth, all four boxes were sold, raising a total of $150 for Christian World Mission. Yay!

The Giving Continues…

Two of the boxes were donated back to The Story Sanctuary for use as giveaway prizes.

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These boxes are packed with tasty snacks and other fun goodies as well as at least three clean YA novels. Sign up quick because this giveaway ends Sunday!

a … Continue reading

Interview with the Founder of Sentences: A Book Donation Ministry

sentences_book_donationA few months ago, Clinton Festa contacted me with an opportunity to help promote an unusual ministry he’s begun. Sentences is a ministry through which books are donated to prisons and detention centers around the United States. Clinton joins me today to give us more information about what he’s doing and why it’s important. Thanks, Clinton!

What led you to form this sort of ministry/charity? How long has Sentences been in operation?

In October 2013 I started learning more about prison life from some documentaries. I was surprised to learn that some inmates in Indiana are given the privilege of having pet cats and video games. Most of the times though, in most prisons, reading is the main form of recreation on a short list of options. I started … Continue reading

The Blessing of Books with Colleen Shine Phillips

KidsAppreciating the Little Things

While thinking about how to start this blog post, something popped into my mind: how it’s so part of our nature to take things for granted. We expect the sun to rise every morning. If we have running water, we expect it to come out of the pipe when we open the spigot. If you live in the Western World, you might add driving to work every day, obtaining the latest technology, or ordering anything you want from Amazon. But after living in Chile for thirty-seven years, I’ve learned to be grateful for little things. Amazing as it might sound, one of those little things is books.

What if New Books Weren’t a Few Clicks Away?

Here, having a book is a commodity. … Continue reading

Support Children in Chile and Get Great Books!

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 … Continue reading

Support Christian Schools in Chile and Impact the Lives of Thousands

Kids2In 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 … Continue reading

Standing in the Gap: Ministry Offers Hope out of Crumbling School System

From Planting Churches to Cultivating Schools

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 … Continue reading