Thank God for 2 free checked bags!

Made it to STL safely with no problems...thanks for your prayers! My dad met me at the airport, and on the way back he said my sister Kara wanted me to pick her up from school. It was a little too early, so we stopped by my house so I could drop off my stuff. My mom was home from work, and she had the idea that we could just all go get Kara, and at the same time take a look at some of the items that the schoolkids have donated over the past 2 months. I am leading chapel this Friday, so they collected offerings for YLM in Sept. and Oct.--money yes, but also stuffed animals, hygiene items, school supplies, books, and baseball equipment since it's more fun for younger kids especially to donate "stuff." It's all currently being stored on the stage at St. Paul's. I packed light--just my carryon and personal item--so I can take 2 free checked bags with me on Southwest, packed full of donations, and we are pursuing a couple avenues for free/cheap shipping to El Paso for the rest. In the meantime, my mom had the idea that perhaps we should count it all, for our own knowledge and also so the kids can see how much they amassed collectively. It will actually fit in nicely with the PowerPoint I made for chapel, so I'm going to add all of this on a slide at the end. I was blown away when I saw the piles of bags and boxes, and am even more stunned as I look at the numbers, all tallied up for the first time below:

44 toothbrushes
3 tubes of toothpaste
2 tubes of deodorant
4 container of floss
5 bottles of baby powder
41 bottles of body wash
4 jars of petroleum jelly
170 bars of soap
21 tubes of lip balm/gloss
237 bottles of shampoo/conditioner
1 box of Band-Aids
18 washcloths
4 hand towels
6 packs of wet wipes
65 toys
4 backpacks
60 Spanish coloring books
605 stuffed animals
2057 books (2000 Red Boots for Christmas in Spanish)
53 notebooks
10 boxes of crayons
7 boxes of colored pencils
194 pencils
6 pens
1 elastic knee brace
1 wrist immobilizer
50 articles of clothing
8 bats
1 equipment bag
10 baseballs/softballs
5 baseball gloves
1 batting helmet
25 tennis balls
1 pair of batting gloves
1 pair of cleats
1 set of bases

WOW! As Pastor Smith commented when we ran into him in the hallway, the people of St. Paul's are generous when you touch their hearts...no kidding!

Until next time, blessings!