Family project: We are in a little jam....

When we first told the kids that, this summer, we would be going on a missions trip to Honduras, their first concerns were about money. It amazes me how kids can take on the worries of the world at a such a young age. Last summer, I decided to homeschool. We were going to become a one income family for the first time since I had had a newborn. They have watched us trim our expenses here or there and I'm sure they've heard Mike and I talk about budgets and inflow vs. outflow, but never thought they would take on that burden in any capacity.

However, when their first worry was money, I was actually excited. That's the same worry I had when I went on my first trip and through it, I was able to watch God work on and stretch my faith as I had to rely on him fully for finances. I want that for my kids!! If anything through our new life in the last year, I want them to understand that money just doesn't appear and that it's not unlimited. But even more... I want them to grasp that everything we have has been given to us by a God who loves us and wants the best for us.

We were able to talk about ways that God will supply all our needs and how we can't do this trip alone. We need friends and family to help us and partner with us. As Michael and I sat to write partnership request letters, we talked about how we might physically be going to Honduras, but so many people will be coming with us in spirit.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about all that God is teaching us through this trip??

Well... after some simple brainstorming, the girls suggested that we make something. I suggested that in order to raise money for our trip to Honduras, we could make jam.

I have never made jam before.

Now, we happen to live very close to Plant City, Florida, which happens to be home to the Florida Strawberry Festival. Since most people online said that strawberry jam is a good beginning place for canning, we decided that would be our jam. (pun intended)

We were joined by my cousins and their boys out at Favorite Farms and in just about an hours time had picked about 30 quarts of strawberries. I highly recommend Favorite Farms. The berries were great, the location was awesome and at $1.00 for 2 quarts, the price was amazing.

We brought our treasure home and decided very quickly that rinsing and washing these berries in the sink was just not going to happen easily and that's when I remembered when my mom used our bathtub to rinse strawberries, probably from the same farm, when I was my kids age.

Our tub of berries was pretty amazing and after the girls dreamed of jumping in with the berries, it was on to the next step. I promise. It was only dreaming. There was no floating on a sea of fruit happening. ;)

We hulled and mashed our five cups of strawberry yumminess. We measured out the cups and cups of sugar. We squeezed ever last drop of lemon juice from the lemons.

Then we had a science lesson. Again, I have never "canned" before. (Yes... we used jars, but for some reason 'canning' is the proper lingo. I don't know why... but go with it for a minute.) Since this was a whole new experience, we had to look up all the ins and outs and how-tos. We learned that you can't put a room temperature jar into boiling water, it needs to gradually rise in temperature with the water. We learned that you can't pour strawberries that have been "violently boiling" into a cool jar or you might have a broken jar and oozing jam all over. We also learned that when you water bath in your canning process, the pressure from the water is what pushes out the air to help create that vacuum seal to keep out bacterias.

Kudos to all those who followed that paragraph.

After our jars were done canning, we were the proud cooks of the best strawberry jam ever made in this house! After the 24 hour setting period was over, we enjoyed some of our hard work and ultimately were pretty impressed with ourselves.

But this is a fundraiser, so after that first batch was complete... we repeated it. Seven times.

72 jars of jam later, I bring you Branda Jam.

But WAIT!! There's more!! We are selling it!!

This can be yours for a simple $15 donation per half pint jar. We will accept cash or check. Comment below, Facebook message me, or email me to reserve your jar and instructions on donating! 

It's first come, first serve, so HURRY!! Let me warn you, my sisters have already purchased TEN jars! 

If you'd like to become a full partner for our trip, you can read more here about that.

... and now I will tempt you with examples of its yummy goodness... 

We had such a fun experience learning how to can and working together. Here are two fun facts. One... my kids actually dislike strawberry jam. But they all wanted to try what they worked so hard to make. Two... This was all done, from picking to the 72nd jar coming out of the pot, in a 48-hour period. I was leaving for a conference in Virginia and knew the berries wouldn't last until I got back. Just so you know... 30 quarts of strawberries is a lot. Even after our 72 jars... I had enough berries to do at least another 27 or so. :) 

I'm so grateful to have the ability to learn and grow with these kids and the experience was worth it alone. If you would like the recipe, or tips on canning, let me know! I'll direct you to all the fabulous websites I found that helped me learn a new trick and even share what I would and wouldn't do next time. 

Now.... buy some jam. :) 

Family Project: Honduras 2014

This is an excerpt from our partnership request letters that went out this past week... If you are interested in becoming a partner, please comment below and I can mail you a packet.

Thank you for your interest in our trip and for giving us the chance to share with you our hearts!!

Nine years and eight trips ago, I sat in a little town on the shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala and I was emotionally broken. Here I was, witnessing God working through my life and falling in love with ministry to the nationals, in a country I had never been to, and all I wanted was for my family to share that experience with me. At the time, an 11 month old Jaedyn, Hannah, who had just celebrated her third birthday, and my “big kid”, four-year-old Michael were under the care of my amazingly understanding husband back in Florida. I knew that a trip to a foreign country with small children wasn’t going to happen soon, but I started dreaming of the day that they would all be there by my side. 

Fast forward to 2011, my first dream became a reality when Mike joined me in La República Dominicana (Dominican Republic). It was during our time there that he and I knew that we needed to start praying about introducing our kids into what was becoming our passion for the lost and the countries of the world. 

Nine years of dreaming and three years of actively praying have finally come together. This summer, the ENTIRE Branda family will be joining our international church family, Every Nation, and their Ten Days Missions organization in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. To say we are excited, might be the understatement of our 2014.

We will be in Tegucigalpa, June 4 - 14, and while schedules are still being finalized, we know that our biggest mission is to go and bless the local church. Every Nation Ministries is a global family of churches that exist to honor God by establishing Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, socially responsible churches and campus ministries in every nation. Since 1994, Every Nation has had a heart for ministering to college campuses and planting churches all over the world. Last summer, as I was a part of a huge national crusade and revival in Honduras, Every Nation planted their first Honduran church in Tegucigalpa. I had the opportunity to meet Pastor Rigoberto just before his church launched last summer and it is his church that we are coming along side of and encouraging. 

For nine years, my kids have sacrificed time and vacations in order for me to go and minister around the world. Now, my kids get to come and see what their sacrifice has been for since we will be in the same area that I was in last summer. You have an opportunity of partnering with us as we continue to minister to the Hondurans in Tegucigalpa. 

The total cost for our entire family is $10,000. That equates to $200 a day for each one of us. Would you consider being a day partner for $200, a half-day partner for $100, or even a full-day family partner for $1000?  We need people to come along side of us and join us in this adventure. Not just financially, but prayerfully as well. 

If you choose to join our team with a gift of $100, $200, $1000, or whatever you feel you can do, you have two options to donate. You can enclose a check with your response card. Please make the check out to our home church, Trinity New Life Church. The other options is that you can give securely at http://pushpay.com/kiosk/trinitynewlife Choose the reference, MISSIONS. Both of those are tax-deductible ways to partner along side of us. 

Thank you for joining along side my family and becoming a part of this exciting adventure!