Alternative Christmas Tree

We've been wanting to do one for awhile.  Actually, Brian is the one who has had this tree on his mind...it's been cooking in his brain for the last few years now.   And it's just like my hubby to wait for a really full year to go ahead and bring this tree to fruition.  So what if our car just got totaled and our other vehicle: our very cool, very needy '76 Bronco is in pieces in the garage...the only way for my sweet husband to get to work without having to drag his butt and bicycle out in 30 degree December frigidness?  I like it that he always has time for creativity, even when knee deep in the To-Do's of life.

His idea was to make a tree out of scraps in the garage (he is a major recycler!) and make a super fun, awesome, totally modern tree for our Christmas this year, and those to come.  And since he's using scraps, He figured the money that we would have used to purchase a tree, should be donated to The Water Project.  They use the money to help fund wells for communities and schools in Africa who are in dire need of clean water to drink.  It's amazing really: you donate the amount you are able and they send you a link where you can follow and watch the progress being made!  They even give you GPS coordinates, so we will be able to involve our children in watching the well be built, pray for the people using the well...and we can map it on our map and learn more about Africa in the process.  The well is implemented by Living Water International, which "exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water."

The site gives you a choice of where you want the money to go, and the girls were adamant about Uganda.  Not only do we know of and have been praying (please pray with us!!!) for a sweet family living in Uganda RIGHT NOW who is trying to finalize her adoption to a little girl (and who has adopted a little boy from Uganda as well!), but they have also watched the videos of Katie Davis, the young girl who went to Uganda to serve the people there, and has stayed to live and has now become the adoptive mom of 13 girls! Right after we finished sending in our donation, we were sent a link and learned that we helped fund a well for a school in Uganda.  The girls were so thrilled and excited.

More about the tree...I call it our "tinker toy tree".

Because that is exactly what it looks like.  The middle is made from PVC pipe, covered with very lavish, expensive, authentic gold duct tape.  The middle pieces (where the dowels rest) are recycled pieces from a beautiful oak bed my husband had made us our first year of marriage,

the dowels are from the crib Brian made Liv right before she was born

(These parts were further recycled when Liv built a real live scooter that really truly worked for her grateful little sister who didn't have a scooter at that time...and then went on to win first place at the fair in the category of:  Recycled projects.....notice a likeness between Liv and Brian?  :o)  The base is from the girls' bassinet that Brian built for them.  Yes, it is a very special tree for many different reasons.

God can provide for these people. It's not us...nor our measley donation, but how wonderful it is to do something practical for someone, especially at Christmas.  That elderly neighbor who lives next door, the family down the street who is struggling, the person you don't know who is in pain....there are opportunities all around us to share God's love.  So grateful for my sweet husband and his beautiful woodworking skills!