Amy L. Sullivan's Blog, page 3

The Ten Boom Museum, Gutsy Girls, and 9 Facts You Can’t Learn From Photos

Since I started researching the Ten Boom family for Gutsy Girls, I’ve dreamed of visiting their home in the Netherlands. Then when I found out the museum’s bookshop was carrying Gutsy Girls on sisters, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom, the illustrator, Beverly Wines, and I decided to board a plane.

Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom go to the Netherlands

Bread, tulips, truly good people, and the gorgeous city of Haarlem. Oh my. When I tell you I ate approximately four loaves of bread during my three-day visit to the Netherlands, this is not an exaggeration. See this bread? I ate it. All of it. Fine, minor exaggeration.

Corrie ten Boom: watch shop worker, caretaker of foster children, people with disabilities, and the persecuted, Dutch resistance worker, concentration camp survivor, lover of God, speaker of truth, forgiver of sins, flat out ordinary woman who trusted in God, and lived an unimaginable life.

The Ten Boom Museum, Gutsy Girls, and 9 Facts You Can’t Learn From Photos

1.  Ten Boom is pronounced Ten Bome. Seriously. Think of the word “home” and put a “b” on it. Who knew?

Gutsy Girls: Book 2 on Sisters, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom go to the Ten Boom Museum!

2. The Ten Booms’ legacy lives on through a staff of 40 volunteers including one dedicated director. Meet Frits Nieuwstraten, a man who played in the Ten Boom home as a child and whose wife worked in the watch shop before she and Frits were married.

Talking with Frits Nieuwstraten, Director of the Ten Boom Museum

Frits has deep ties to the Ten Boom home, and Beverly and I enjoyed one-on-one time with Frits. People, it was highlight of our visit! Not only is Frits dedicated to his work at the museum, he is determined to take Corrie 4 Kids, a children’s program complete with lesson plans and videos into schools.

3. Once a watch shop, still a watch shop. The area in which the Ten Boom family ran their watch shop is now a jewelry store that sells watches. Even though this jewelry store isn’t a part of the museum, it’s housed in the same building, and I loved that the space is being used in a similar way that the Ten Booms used it.

Beverly showing the illustration of 800 watches in Gutsy Girls in front of the current jewlery shop.

4. Tours of the Ten Boom home are free! Visitors can and should make online reservations because tours fill quickly and there are only a set number of tours a day. There is a small fee for making reservations.

      Grote Square in Haarlem, Netherlands

5. Wait outside and mingle. Forget heading into the museum early. Instead, visitors wait outside until the door is opened by one of the museum’s staff members. Waiting outside is fun, and it allows visitors the chance to interact with people from all over the world (China, Brazil, England, Australia!) who also came to learn about the Ten Boom family.

6. The Ten Boom family prayed for Jewish people for over one hundred years. Although I knew this fact, it meant more when I sat in the living room and saw photos of the people who actually prayed for a people whom they had little connection. Corrie ten Boom’s father and grandfather held weekly prayer meetings for the Jews long before World War II started or the Ten Booms were personally involved in the lives of Jewish people. One hundred years.

Cathedral of St Bavo in Haarlem

7. Practice drills still happen in the Ten Boom home. On Mondays the museum is closed to the public, but open to school groups. During this time, children are led through an activity in which they pretend to be members of the Ten Boom family, an alarms rings, and the kids race upstairs and into the hiding place as fast as possible. These drills are similar to the drills the Ten Booms practiced, and I love that the museum allows children this experience.

    Entrance into the hiding place

     Peeking into the hiding place

8. The Ten Boom home is smaller than it appears in photos. The Ten Boom home is actually two homes joined together. There is a home in the front, which is where the watch shop was located. At some point, the back wall of the Ten Boom house was knocked out, and the front house was joined with a thin, steep house in the back. In between the homes is a steep winding staircase. Combining two houses sounds as if it would create a lot of space, right? Nope! For a house that was constantly full of foster children, family members, Jews, and Dutch resistance workers, the rooms in the Ten Boom home are small. Bedrooms, which housed multiple people looked like oversized closets.

9. Once a gathering place, still a gathering place. The Ten Boom home was always known as a safe place filled with people whose love of people was topped only by their love for Jesus. Visitors can feel that love even many years later.

    One of the fun people I met during the tour

Ten Boom Related Resources for You

A virtual tour of the Ten Boom home.
9 lessons we can learn from Corrie ten Boom.
Read about Corrie in the classic book, The Hiding Place .
Introduce the littles in your life to Corrie and Betsie by having them read Gutsy Girls: Strong Christian Women Who Impacted the World.
Book Club Guide for Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom. 
Lesson Plan for Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom.
Enrichment Guide for Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betise ten Boom.
My sister and sisters, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom.

Fanny Crosby Enrichment Guide and Playlist for Your Gutsy Girl

Hey friends,

You asked for an enrichment packet to accompany Gutsy Girls Book 3 on hymnist, Fanny Crosby, and it is here! The guide is perfect for the little learners in your life.

The enrichment guide includes six discussion questions/extension activities and five worksheets on the following:

Calendar work
Vocabulary enrichment
Compare and contrast
Adding Coins
Outdoor exploration

Do you want a glimpse at some of the activities included in the downloadable packet? Of course you do.

Thanks for your notes, messages, and email, and thanks for loving Fanny’s story as much as I do. If reading about Fanny has left you interested in hearing her hymns, yay! I created a playlist of a few of Fanny’s songs redone by contemporary artists. Click below for a listen.

Also, in case you missed enrichment packets on previous Gutsy Girls, the Ten Boom sisters, Corrie and Betsie or Gladys Aylward check under the educational resources tab. I am so excited for kiddos to learn about these amazing women.

Transformation Village and Feeling $11.00 Small

Long ago in a land called 2014, my first book was published. An entire crew of people were involved and they rallied to throw a party and they made me cry.

To celebrate the book’s release, I held a Community Volunteer Fair where agencies and families showed-up and learned a little about each other.

My family and I decided if I was writing a book on serving others and we were trying to learn what that was all about, we should give away the proceeds I made from the book. Sure, the publisher and my agent would get money, but the money I earned would go to a local nonprofit.

Giving away money I made from the book sounded like a grand idea, but often ideas have a way of sounding much grander than they actually are. In reality, giving away proceeds from a book can look a little something like a few decent-sized checks followed by checks for $47.00 and checks for $11.00 and checks for $13.00 and checks for $25.00.

Donating $11.00 feels small, embarrassingly small. It often leaves me wondering if the admin who receives donation letters opens our our white envelope, giggles about the contents, and says,“Eleven dollars! This is exactly what we need to build a multi-million dollar development!”

A few weeks ago, I was invited to an outdoor ceremony for the nonprofit who receives the money from my first book. They are in the process of clearing land and creating a road which will lead to the future housing development/campus and a ceremony to bless the land was planned.

When I received the invitation, I didn’t want to go. This is out of character for me as I attend everything, and I am instant bff’s with any new person I discover in the produce aisle, but I felt small, $11.00 small. In addition, I think I am on the nonprofit’s list of people to invite to events such as this, but no one actually knows who I am. This makes for confused looks and awkward conversations.

I shook off my hesitation, recruited a friend, and took her along.

At the ceremony, attendees prayed and then dumped cups of rocks on the land. In our community, estimates indicate there are approximately 400 homeless women and 300 homeless children at any given time, and friends, that’s flat-out staggering to me.

The building of this development is something very exciting in Western North Carolina, and I am a teeny, tiny part of it, and guess what? You are too.

Thank you for that. Thank you for buying the book, sharing about the book, using the book in your churches. Thank you for inviting me to speak to your people and thanks for knowing way before it ever occurred to me that $11.00 small is actually sometimes perfect.

You should also know, my friend and I tried to leave the ceremony early. Don’t worry, we were very high class and sneaky-like and while everyone was praying, we tiptoed away. Sadly, while we were being ever-so-quiet, a group of dogs (um, hello…where did a group dogs come from?) started barking, and therefore, my friend and I looked down and walked faster, and you know how barking dogs quiet right down when you walk faster.

So yeah, that was my exit at the ceremony. Be proud to know me.

Anyway, thanks for allowing me give you an update on Transformation Village and thanks (as always) for reminding me of the important stuff.

Much love.

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Want to know more? You know you do.

Should you want to buy my first book,  When More is Not Enough , hot dog, go here.
Should you want to know more about the book, I adore the short book trailer. Watch it here.
Should you want to know more about the building of Transfromation Village, check here or here.
Should you want to get a taste of the family-friendly activities discussed in the book, look under the books tab all the way at the bottom. Printables are free, free, free.

 

The Gift of Receiving Honey Ham and Creamed Corn

Last Christmas Eve, I packed-up pancake mix, tossed the essentials for enchiladas in a cooler, and our family headed to Tennessee.

No sparkle or shimmer. No stockings or gifts. No Christmas Eve service or twinkling lights.

A family member was seriously ill, and we were headed to the hospital. We arrived late and missed visiting hours, but family friends offered to let us stay in their empty cabin for the night. Our family of four spent the evening alone at the cabin listening to the one station that would come in on an old radio. We ate bare enchiladas by a bonfire, and my husband read of Jesus’ birth. It was Christmas stripped down to a baby King born to an undeserving people.

We thought our kids would be disappointed. Someone they love very much was very sick. Santa didn’t come and pancakes without butter or syrup don’t exactly scream Christmas breakfast.

But there wasn’t a whisper of wishing things were different.

The next day was spent sitting, talking, waiting, and listening to the TV at the hospital drone on.

As afternoon approached, we realized the cafeteria at the hospital was closed, and lunch would be whatever came from a vending machine. We gathered up quarters and set-out to find Doritos when a woman stopped us and said a local church was serving lunch in the cafeteria.

Here’s the deal friends, I am decent at giving. I am not so decent at receiving. I’m not used to it. I don’t find myself in need much. In fact, I work very hard to make certain I don’t need things. If you do for me, I need to do for you or those awful scales I use to measure life will fall apart. Having strangers, people I don’t know and people I will never see again, do for me makes me uncomfortable.

But when I turned the corner at that hospital and saw rows of tables covered in festive tablecloths, elderly women in Santa hats, and smiling kids passing out dessert, I broke.

We need each other.

We need honey ham and creamed corn.

We need sugar cookies served to us by strangers.

We need to crush those dreadful scales we use to measure out deeds in life.

We need to experience receiving gifts we can never pay back so we can fully understand the mind-blowing gift called Jesus.

It was because of these needs that I let a small, frail woman quietly boss me to sit down and then slowly shuffle to my table with food.

Do you know what was happening while our family was feasting on food prepared by people we didn’t know? Our neighbors were sneaking into our house. They were arranging our gifts under our tree. They were filling stockings. They were loving us in a way we could never pay back.

Christmas is about undeserving people receiving something we could never attain on our own. It’s taken me most of my life to figure this out, and this year it’s left me searching.

Yes, searching for people I can bless with prayer, forgiveness, honey ham, and creamed corn, but also being open to ways I can receive, ways I can resist the urge to do it myself, ways I can allow people to do for me without any intention of ever paying them back.

Merry, merry Christmas, friends. I am beyond thankful for you.

17 Books Your Girl Will Want to Find Under the Christmas Tree

Every Christmas Eve, our daughters open two gifts. The first gift is a pair of pajamas, and the second gift is a book. Books + PJ’s = Sullivan Christmas tradition. Then, our family snuggles up by the tree and digs into the books together. Although my fourteen-year-old teases me about my lack of creativity with my Christmas Eve gifts, I tell myself she secretly loves it and continue on.

The hard part of my Christmas Eve gifting is finding a good book. There are so many books and instead of being elated about the choices, I become paralyzed. That’s why I turned to the members Gutsy Girls Read online book club to help me out. Those ladies and their kiddos gobble-up books, and I knew they would have some good recommendations for me (and you!). Under each entry, I put the member who recommended it, and if no one listed, the book was recommended by me.

If we missed any must-reads, please include them in the comments below.

17 Book Your Girl Will Want to Find Under the Christmas Tree

Books for Young Readers

Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen.

Violet can build and fix just about anything, but that doesn’t stop the kids at school from teasing her. Maybe if Violet wins a blue ribbon in an upcoming air show, she will earn their respect.

Age Range: 4-8, Grade Level: Preschool-3. Recommended by: Rebecca.

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka, and Their New Skates by Maj Lindman.

Swedish sisters Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka get new skates and young readers get a set of paper dolls.

Age Range: 5-8, Grade Level: K-2. Recommended by: Melanie.

 

Insectiopedia by Douglas Florian.

My girl is into bugs. She traps them, studies them, heals them, and cannot get enough of insects. Insectiopedia is a book of poems about all of her favorite creepy crawlies.

Age Range: 6-9, Grade Level: 1-4.

Christmas ABC by Nancy Akmon.

If you like vintage, this book will be a hit. I have to restrain myself from tearing out all of the pages to frame and hang on my walls. Comes with stickers.

Age Range: 4 and up Grade Level: Preschool and up.

 

Tale of Kitty-in-Boots by Beatrix Potter.

Beatrix Potter (the much adored creator of Peter Rabbit) wrote this book in 1948, but it was never illustrated. However, now it’s available. The book stars a young cat who defeats villians.

Age Range: 3-7 , Grade Level: Preschool-2, Recommended by: Melanie.

Princess Parables (I Can Read!) by Jeanna Young and Jacqueline Kinney Johnson.

Three books in an I Can Read Level One reading set which teach young readers about God and faith.

Age Range: 4-8, Grade Level: Preschool-3. Recommended by Renee.

Santa is Coming to _________ (Fill-in the blank with your hometown!) by Steven Smallman.

These personalized books are heaps fun. Our daughter loves to read about the local places Santa flies over and visits.

Age Range: 4-8, Grade Level: Preschool-3.

Magic Treehouse Books by Mary Osborne Pope.

The wildly popular Magic Treehouse books (and website!) encourage kids to dig into history while enoying one book after another.

Age Range: 8-9, Grade Level: 1-4. Recommended by: Faynelle.

 

Books for Middle Grade Readers

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DeCamillo.

Flora immediately recognizes and gives her wholehearted support to a squirrel that, after a near-fatal brush with a vacuum cleaner, develops the ability to fly and type poetry.

Age Range: 8-12, Grade Level: 3-7. Recommended by: Carol.

Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set by L.M. Montgomery

I don’t care how much time goes by or how techy life gets, the sweet story of Anne of Green Gables will always remain a favorite!

Age Range: 9-12, Grade Level: 4-7

 

Rules by Cynthia Lord.

My daughter and I read this together. Twelve-year-old Catherine has a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. Fave, fave, favorite.

Age range: 8-12, Grade Level: 3-7.

 

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forestor.

One author claims it’s “the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men. Prepare to have your heart warmed.”

Age Range: 9-12, Grade Level: 4-7, Recommended by Theresa.

 

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Book 1) by Richard Paul Evans.

Michael Vey may look like nothing more than your average fourteen-year-old with Tourette’s syndrome, but the truth is, Michael has special powers.

Age Range: 12 and up, Grade Level: 7 and up. Recommended by Melanie.

 

Some Writer!: A Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet.

Perfect for young writers. An authorized biography of E.B. White.

Age Range: 7-10, Grade Level: 2-5.

 

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stweart.

After reading this book, Jennifer’s  daughter set-up a society of her own. In the book, one of the main characters wears a red bucket around her waist and now, one of the reader’s friends does the same thing!

Age Range: 9-12, Grade Level: 3-7. Recommended by Jennifer.

Camp Out! by Lynn Brunelle.

Recipes, games, crafts, and experiments. Perfect way for your girl to help plan your summer camping trips.

Age Range: 7-12 Grade Level: 5-7

 

Cartwheeling Through Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell.

Twelve-year-old Wilhelmina Silver is forced to leave her beloved farm in Zimbabwe for a boarding school in England.

Age Range: 8-12, Grade Level: 3-7. Recommended by: Theresa.

 

Your turn! What did I miss? What books do we need to make sure find their way under our tree?

Gutsy Girls Read is a closed FB group where 100+ readers discuss monthly books for girls. Join us!

Pssst. The third book in the Gutsy Girls series releases this Thursday! Make sure this Christmas trio makes your wish list.

 

7 Reasons Why Fanny Crosby is the Next Gutsy Girl

Some people hear about the prolific hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, and are impressed she wrote thousands of hymns despite being blind.

And obviously writing thousands of hymns is a big deal, but that’s not what impressed me most about Fanny. No siree, that’s not why I wanted Fanny to be the third gutsy girl in the Gutsy Girls series.

Do you see the green book with the girl smiling from a carriage? That’s Fanny Crosby, and she will make her way into the world in two short weeks on December 1st.

Of course, I am in awe that Fanny wrote so many hymns (and poems and stories and two autobiographies), but I am also impressed that Fanny was patriotic and political. Fanny cared deeply about issues such as homelessness and disease. She spent much of her time serving patients and caring for people the world wanted to forget. Fanny was adventurous and traveled continuously throughout her life, and Fanny loved God.

Fanny showed fierce determination to use the gifts God gave her, and that’s what makes Fanny gutsy.

7 Reasons Fanny Crosby is the next Gutsy Girl

1.  Let’s start with the basics. Fanny is the author of over 9,000 hymns. In fact, if you pick-up a hymnal today, more than likely, you will find hymns written by Fanny. She is famous for classics such as “Blessed Assurance” and “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” These are hymns which are still sung in churches today and are still being remade by current music artists.

2. Fanny was humble. Because Fanny wrote so many hymns, many publishers were worried hymnals would be filled with nothing but Fanny’s name. Therefore, publishers encouraged her to use pen names. Fanny used over 200 different pseudonyms. Here are just a few:

Grace Lindsey, George Sampson, Leah Carleton, Edna L. Park, Catherine Bethune, Ellen Douglas, Frank Gould, Lyman Cuyler, Lizzie Edwards, Kate Marvin, Jennie Johnson, James Black, Bertha Mason, Arthur J. Langdon.

3.  Fanny was patriotic. She loved the United States, and along with her Bible, she often carried a small, silk America flag. Fanny enjoyed meeting multiple presidents including President John Quincy Adams, President Van Buren, President Tyler, President Polk, President Lincoln, and President Cleveland.

4.  Fanny spoke up. Fanny believed children who were blind deserved an education (She lived during the mid-1800’s and early 1900’s so this was not a common belief!). She traveled the United States promoting the New York Institution for the Blind, which was a school that taught children who were blind in new ways.

5.  Fanny served others. Despite being blind, Fanny helped make pills to fight cholera, knitted mittens for soldiers, counseled prisoners, and constantly spoke of God’s great love.

6.  Fanny was adventurous and brave. Fanny was always interested in American Indians, and the Eel Clan of the Onondaga Indian Tribe even made her an official member.

7.  Fanny loved God, and she loved His people. Fanny gave away most of the money she made, and she chose to live in one of New York City’s worst tenements. She wanted to spend her time with people who felt forgotten.

Pretty gutsy, don’t you think?

I can’t wait for you to meet Fanny, and I hope you enjoy her story as much as I do! I think Fanny fits in well with our other gutsy girls: Corrie, Betsie, and Gladys, and I pray she gets to meet lots of young readers this Christmas season.

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Your turn: Do you have any favorite hymns? Do you go to a church that sings hymns? Have you ever heard of Fanny Crosby?

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Are you joining us this month in #GutsyGirlsRead online book club? This month we are reading the book, Girls Who Rocked the World and discussing it on November 29th. Also, in the next few weeks, our book club will discuss must-have books for all of the girls on your Christmas list. We’d love to have you join us and add to the conversation!

Cell Phone Photo Share: Fall Edition 2016

It’s fall! It’s fall! Are you sipping hot apple cider and wearing multiple layers? Are leaves littering your lawn and do they make crunching sounds? Have you snagged a few pumpkins from your local patch?

Yeah, us too.

Question: Do you print photos from your phone or do you let them linger and then forget about them until your phone crashes/breaks/gets lost and then you curse yourself for not having the pics stored anywhere else?

I know a little something about the second category. When will I learn to back-up my devices? Anyway, in the spirit of giving the photos, which clutter my phone another shot at life, here’s my cell phone photo share fall edition.

The end of my summer looked a little like this.

It included lots of storyboards and plans and drafts because our next Gutsy Girl, hymnist, Fanny Crosby, makes her way into the world on December 1st. For those of you who are following along, Fanny is the third woman in the Gutsy Girls series. I know I’ve said this about the previous ladies, Corrie and Gladys, but Fanny could be my favorite gutsy girl. Really, this time I am sure of it.

One fun part of writing about Fanny was learning about her education. See, Fanny was blind, and for kids who were blind, going to school wasn’t as easy as showing up.

At fifteen, Fanny left home and went to The New York Institute for the Blind. This is where Fanny developed her talent for writing poems. The more poems Fanny wrote, the more poems people asked her to write, and soon Fanny was penning poetry about many of the silly happenings around her school.

Sneak Peek of Illustration for Gutsy Girls Book Three: Fanny Crosby.

Fanny even wrote about the time her teacher fell asleep and a mouse crawled into his beard. Do you know how much I detest rodents? ‘Tis true.

My fall also looked like this.

It’s when I drove deep into the mountains to hear one of my favorite poets read, and she made me cry (in a good way).

Fall also included hosting a gaggle of girls where I watched tweens throw a baby shower for one of their beloved leaders. They forced attendees to wear bibs and have races with baby dolls.

I met some goats. Don’t ask. Rodents, I don’t do. Goats, I may invite to live with me.

I met some students and obviously got a little jazzed-up about the Ten Boom sisters.

I filmed a promo video for Gutsy Girls. I am really excited to see the video, but I would be equally excited if the people who filmed the video let me keep that blue couch.

And I found new places around my town to explore. Tell me this tree doesn’t look like it came from some Narnia-like place.

Your turn. What does your fall look like? Are you printing those cell phone photos? Are you snatching up pumpkins, and most importantly, do you hate rodents?

10 Conferences for Moms and Daughters

Dear Moms of Girls,

You emailed me, you messaged me on Facebook, and you replied to my newsletter with the same request:

“Will you write an updated post about mom and daughter conferences?” 

I heard you (yeah, you, Kaitlin, Kimi, Mary Jo, Hannah, and others) and therefore, back by popular demand, here are ten conferences for mothers and daughters for the remaining 2016 and upcoming 2017 year.

If you have attended any of the mother and daughter events listed below, please chime in about your experience. If you know of any other events we should add to our growing list, let me know!

Photo Credit: Laura Henderson. Go ahead and pin this page so it doesn’t get lost!

1. TEAM Grace Retreat. One day conference for moms and daughters with a carnival theme featuring keynote speaker, Lynn Cowell of Proverbs 31,   fourteen-year-old worship leader, Avery Logan, photo booth, interactive breakout sessions, and loads of swag.

Date and location: October 22nd 2016. Austin, Texas.

2. Daring Daughters. Ann Dunagan author of Mission-Minded Family, rallies women and tween/teen girls with ministry leaders from across the globe. Conference includes: keynote speakers, worship, corporate prayer, workshops, discussion times, leadership interviews, and testimonies.

Date and location: February 10-12, 2017. Orlando, Florida.

3. Right in the Middle. A mini-conference for moms with daughters grades 5th-7th based on Michelle Icard’s book, Middle School Makeover. Topics include social media tips, friends and frenemies, expert Q and A, media matters, and all things middle school related.

Date and location: March 26, 2017 and September 10, 2017 (Two separate conferences). Charlotte, North Carolina. *Registration opens October 2016.

4. Heart to Heart: Mother Daughter Retreat. Speaker Amy Anderson leads a weekend in which moms and daughters grow together with God.

Date and location: March 31-April 2, 2017.  Westboro, Wisconsin. *One day option available.

5. Mother and Daughter Retreat. Games, crafts, photo booth, special one-on-one time with mom, worship, music, breakout sessions.

Date and location: April 27-30, 2017. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

6. Mother and Teen Daughter Retreat. Fun, fellowship, faith formation. Mini-sessions on Catholic faith. Time spent with Carmelite Sisters.

Date and location: June 19-22, 2017 at the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, California.

7. Memories on Mackinac. Conference includes swimming, selfie-scavenger hunt, movie night, main session led by Christian author and speaker, Laura Laffoon and breakout sessions.

Date and location: June 25th and 26th. Mackinac Island, Michigan.

8. 48th Annual GEMS Girls’ Clubs Leadership Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is In His Steps. Workshops on fashion/color analysis, personal growth, walking in the steps of Jesus, fitness, your spiritual life, and more. Also included are interactive booths, inflatable games, and fair-like food stations.

Date and location: July 27-30, 2017. Sioux Center, Iowa.

Conferences With Multiple Dates and Locations
 

9. Polished Conference. Led by Christian recording artist, Emma Danzey and author Debbie Presnell, these conferences are held nationwide. Polished ministry options include conferences, events, retreats, and nights of inspiration.

10. Secret Keeper Girl. Secret Keeper Girl events are designed for tween girls ages 8-12. Girls younger than eight will enjoy the event, but some teaching elements might be over their head.

Date and location: Multiple conference locations and dates Check here for site near you.

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Let’s stay connected! Find me on your favorite social media channel. Instagram (my fave place to hang!), FB, Twitter, or Pinterest, and don’t forget to sign-up for my newsletter with all of the lastest news and writerly happenings.

Reminder: Gutsy Girls school visits for the 2016-2017 school year have started! Contact me about visiting your favorite kiddos in person or via Skype.

 

Are you with us? Join over 100 other women in #GutsyGirlsRead online book club. We are interested in finding well-written books for girls ages toddler to teen. Next week we will discuss September’s book.

9 Lessons We Can Learn From Corrie ten Boom

When I hear of the young girl who lives in a camper, walks to a part-time job, and uses two weeks worth of wages to buy her brother’s school supplies, my throat thightens and my voice goes weird.

I think the girl’s devotion to her brother makes her a hero, and unlikely heroes surprise me. When I hear people speak of the girl, I nod my head and quickly busy myself by staring at the ground. The girl’s acts are simple, but her impact reaches far beyond a three inch spiral notebook and a graphing calculator.

Long ago, I gave up on the idea of heroes sporting capes and flying invisible planes (I still adore you and your fabulous boots and gold-plated headband, Wonder Woman), but average people who show guts? They surprise me. They make my skin go prickly and my eyes burn. They make me fidget and attempt to sit up straight, and then they make me uncomfortable.

Maybe I feel uncomfortable because I am not sure what to say when I hear a stories of such selflessness, but maybe I feel this way because unlikely heroes remind me of what we are all capable of.

Enter Corrie ten Boom.

If you know the name Corrie ten Boom, then you probably know that during World War II, Corrie and her family risked their lives by hiding people behind a fake wall in their home. They smuggled stolen ration cards. They helped Jews find safe houses, and they played a large part in the Underground Resistance Movement during a time in history when evil flourished.

Brave? Absolutely.

But what else can we learn from a woman who referred to herself as an “middle-aged spinster,” a woman who spent the majority of her life living in her childhood home, working in her father’s watch shop, and interacting with her neighbors?

As it turns out, quite a bit.

Here are nine lessons we can take away from Corrie ten Boom, an unlikely hero.

Be the first. During the 1920’s, the world wasn’t exactly cheering for women in the workplace. However, when Corrie was twenty-eight-years old, she traveled to Switzerland, completed two watchmaking apprenticeships, and not long after, Corrie became the first licensed woman watchmaker in the Netherlands.


Ordinary is better than grand. Corrie lived in the same house she was raised in. She helped care for her elderly aunts and her dying mother. She teased her sister. She adored her nephew. Corrie rode her bike. She prayed. She went to church. Her days were filled with ordinary tasks, and it was these ordinary tasks that helped her truly know her community and later, help her community.


Stand up for the persecuted. Before hiding Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis in World War II, the Ten Boom family prayed for them. Before people with disabilities were seen as people of value, Corrie taught them. Before foster care was an organized system, the Ten Booms housed children.


You aren’t too old. When Corrie was fifty years old, she became involved with Holland’s Underground Resistance, and when Corrie was fifty-one, the Ten Booms started helping people relocate and hiding people in their home.

How could we have guessed as we sat there—two middle-aged spinsters and an old man—that in the place of memories were about to be given adventures such as we had never dreamed of? —Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

Love children who aren’t yours. Before Corrie hid people in her room, the Ten Boom family took in missionary children. In 1925, there were a total of seven children living with them. Housing children in their home wasn’t enough. Corrie wanted to do more, and so she started Christian girls’ clubs.


Let others lift you up. Corrie was like us. There were times when she struggled to pray, when she didn’t have the strength to pray, when she flat out didn’t want to pray. It was during these times when she relied on her sister, Betsie. Before Corrie and Betsie were sent to a concentration camp, Betsie prayed for German soliders. While cold, hungry, and sick at the camp, Betsie continued to pray.


Forgive others. Corrie forgave Jan Vogel, the man who revealed how her family was helping others to the Gestapo. Later, Corrie forgave a guard who worked at Ravensbruck, the concentration camp in which she was held and the place where Betsie died.


Trust the dreams God gives you. Before Betsie died, she had a dream. Betsie stated buildings that were used for evil would one day be used for good. In 1949, Corrie worked with the German Lutheran Church to reopen Darmstadt, a former concentration camp. The former camp turned into a home and place for healing for refugees.


Share about God’s greatness. Later in life, Corrie traveled extensively. In fact, she visited 61 countries to tell of God’s great love.

What do you know about Corrie? What takeaways from her life resonate with you?

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Would you like to share Corrie’s great story with the kids in your life? Snag book two in the Gutsy Girls picture book series today, and for a limited time, grab the ebook for $.99.

Source: The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with Elizabeth and John Sherrill

Delicious Reads

In celebration of both new school lunchboxes and fading summer days, these delicious reads are for you.

*Lisa Van Engen loves a good list and honestly, her lists make me smarter.

*Noticing body differences. One girl’s stance. One mama’s response.

*Because maybe it is as simple as loving your neighbor.

*This short write by Jennie Allen on the fear which paralyzes us to do what we were meant to do. From Jenny—-> “The enemy is subtle and warps truths into lies for us. He tells us we are being humble, responsible, selfless while we are killing the thing God put us on the planet to do, that would build His kingdom.”

*One of my favorite poets writes her soon-to-be-married son.

*Beauty Rewrites. If you are thinking about age spots (seriously, when did this thing on the bottom left of my face appear?), losing bone density, or other awesome aspects of aging, this new series helps us get on good terms with aging.

*Go make a rukus. We have the exact same tools as all of the people at the top. Let’s use them.

*An Instagram account I adore created by a teen artist/illustrator. Are you on Instagram? Let’s connect.

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Before I go, here are a few more photos of Sullivan summering.

Playing balloon volleyball with a bunch of rowdy teens and a bunch of rowdier senior citizens. These seniors have not lost a balloon volleyball game in two years, TWO YEARS. The seniors informed the teens they “hit like Justin Bieber” and then Mildred proceeded to spike the balloon and dab. Mildred dabbed. Wait, did you read that? Mildred spiked the balloon and then dabbed.

Meeting new friends.

Enjoying new favorite places.

Hanging out with my new bestie, Harper.

More soon.

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Hey, have you joined our book club? This book club was going to be a summer thing, but I’ve officially extended it. Why? Because I am having fun, and I love meeting authors and getting the inside scoop behind books. Join us!