half way to half way

So, last month at this time we were 14 senders away from 1/2 way to our goal, and now we're only 7 senders away! So, we're half way to half way to our goal. Woo hoo!

I'm again questioning my sanity at setting the goal of 2000 notes, but you know what? We didn't set a time limit. So, it's all God's timing, right? It's a huge relief to realize that. I know that if we just keep on doing what we're doing and keep on spreading the word, God will get us there. I really love to believe that I'm the one in control, and that what I want and plan for is the best thing. Funny how when I give up, and finally shout out for God's help everything seems to fall into place (usually in a totally different place than I thought it should).

So, one step at a time. 7 more senders and we're half way there. Then I can't even begin to think about how we're going to find 250 more! I do believe that it will happen... eventually. And, that when those 250 people send out their notes, it's going to be the PERFECT timing for the receivers.

With that said, tell everyone you know about the Create Hope Challenge! Or at least everyone you know that you think might like to send out notes to their friends and family.

a l m o s t . . . s o c l o s e . . .

It is only fitting that at the beginning of our 6th month of the Create Hope Challenge we're almost half way there. Only 14 more hope note senders until you have sent 1000 messages of encouragement!

I have to admit that I'm the one who decided 2000 was a good number, and I'm starting to question what on earth I was thinking! However, 2000 receivers is "only" 500 senders, and just think, if each person who has participated in our little project so far just encouraged one other person to pick up a pen and write 4 notes to 4 people we'd be there! Trust me, I know the thought of writing 4 notes when email and texting is so much easier (and faster too) is a bit unappealing, but think about the last time you pulled a hand written note from your mailbox. How fun was that?!

Here are some suggested uses for the 4 FREE cards we'll send to you or your friend who is up for the task:

- Birthday Cards: "It's not a birthday card" you say? It will be after you write "Happy Birthday" in it. Go for it, I promise, the birthday boy/girl will be glad you did.
- Thank You Notes: Um... 4 free thank you notes? Your mom would be proud! You'll get your thank you's out and save $$ at the same time!
- Speaking of Mom... when was the last time you sent your mom a note? Don't even try to tell me she wouldn't LOVE it! (or Dad for that matter).

That's all I've got for now. I'll work on some more totally awesome uses for Create Hope Challenge cards and will definitely keep you posted. In the meantime, get signed up to take part in the Create Hope Challenge. If you've already done it, I bet you know someone else who could, so pass it on!

inch by inch...

We're up to 900 receivers! I feel like that's a pretty huge milestone. Not only that, but we're only 25 senders away from being half way to our goal. That seems really doable to me. If we just keep on going, inch by inch, one day at a time, I know we'll get there. Sometimes I have a really hard time looking at what we've accomplished today because I'm so worried about how we're going to get to our goal, but seriously, 900 is amazing! So, keep up the good work and please spread the word so we can keep on truckin'. Thanks for all of the wonderful notes you've written

Another fancy map...

I've recently returned from the International Christian Retail Show which just happened to be in Denver, CO this year. This was awesome for so many reasons, probably the biggest one being that I got to spend some QT with my sister and my sweet niece. One of the cool things about ICRS moving around each year is that you get to meet a whole new crowd of fabulous Christian stores and wonderful store owners and other vendors too. Of course we also saw some familiar faces and got to catch up on the latest and greatest from the past year.

Before we headed to ICRS I was feeling like maybe we had set this goal a little too over our heads, because 2000 is a lot of cards for a small company like ours. Being in Denver and sharing the challenge with a whole new group of people gave some new energy to our project. The enthusiasm from all of you new participants gave me HOPE that we could reach our goal, so thank you for that. The other thing that I realized as I was making the list of new hope creators, is that they were from all over the map (and globe)... so I got all nerdy again and made another map for you to check out. This time of senders.

Inch by inch we're getting closer to 2000. We couldn't do it without your willingness to write the notes, so thank you!!!

does anyone have a friend in Idaho?

... or Rhode Island? Seriously though, we're only 4 states away, count them 1-2-3-4, yep, FOUR. If my math is correct, you've sent hope to 46 states. Woo hoo! You are a seriously connected group of people and I LOVE how far you've been spreading your hope notes. Way to go YOU!

With that said, our note writing is at a bit of a standstill. We're doing great, but we've still got over 1000 more notes to write. So, use those connections and help us get the word out about our little challenge. We would really appreciate it and I know that the 1272 people who have yet to receive a little hope in their mail box will to!

sooooo close....

... to all 50 states! Yay for you all and your serious commitment to reaching out to our ENTIRE country. Not to mention the 9 other countries you've added to our growing list. So, we're at 44 states. That's only 6 more to go! I got to add 2 more and a new country to our map this evening thanks to our friend Mike in Arizona. Go Mike!

I know you all have friends all over the world, so come on! You must know someone in Hawaii... New Hampshire? Rhode Island? Check out our map, be inspired to send a little smile across the country or the ocean for that matter.

Thanks for doing what you're doing. It's pretty awesome to watch our map turn green with HOPE!

Is it really already the end of May?!

Wow! I guess time flies when you're having fun, right? So... Emily and I are at a trade show in St. Charles, IL right now and we've had 21 people sign up to take the challenge at the show. I even printed out our groovy map so that our new friends could help us reach our goal of all 50 states. So far, Rose (from the booth next door) has added Wyoming and Minnesota to our growing list. Thanks, Rose!

Also, I got an awesome email from a hope note writer in GA... I couldn't say it better myself: "Thank you for encouraging me to encourage others. By giving, I received." (also... she added 2 states to our list! woo hoo!)

Hearing from you all is definitely encouraging, so keep up the good work! You all have sent hope to 43 states and almost 700 people!! We're getting closer, but we've still got a long way to go... tell your friends, family, the guy next door... spread the word! And thanks for being the light in our dark world.