Winner of the Scripture on Canvas Encouragement Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who joined in sharing someone who has encouraged them.  I was blown away by how detailed and heart felt your comments were.  I PRAY you forward your comment to the person whom you mentioned so they are REALLY encouraged in their Labor for the Lord!

Using random.com, our winner is comment . . . .

TWENTY FIVE!

Not counting a removed comment, this means Alicia won!  Alicia is my crafting, cooking, creative friend from church.  Those of you who know her will smile because Alicia is constantly doing fun giveaways of her scrumptious cupcakes--one each month this year.  Last month she had everyone share their testimony and picked a random winner from the comments on Facebook.  She doesn't have a blog, but she should.  There might be an Etsy shop soon for her . . . yay for us if she does!

Congrats, Alicia!  Congrats, Christa and Beth, her two encouragers who are getting the signs!

Encouragement

    
It is so funny how God encourages us when we encourage others.  Here I had a plan to use my blog and Etsy shop opening to bring attention to those encouragers in our lives, and God heaped a big 'o dollop of grace and blessing into my own day.  Within hours of posting my first Etsy sign, it sold!  It wasn't bought by friends or family either--my first thought when I saw that it had sold--hee, hee.  God is so good!

I love that some of you have written some great notes about encouragers in your life.  If you haven't entered the giveaway and told me about an encourager you admire, go to this post and comment! 

I had a hard time narrowing down an encourager to highlight.  My husband is my number one encourager--always taking time to listen to me "blah, blah, blah" about things I know he would never purposely choose to discuss if it weren't for me in his life.  He is so patient with me.  My mom and dad and in-laws are great encouragers.  They do so much for me through prayer, spending time with my kids, helping us do house projects and loving us in innumerable ways.  Our church family is a tremendous encouragement.  I truly feel that my close friends at church are like family to me--they are my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

However, I have one couple whose story I want to share with my readers specifically.  Michelle (above pic) and her husband are leaders in the marriage ministry we co-lead at our church.  Michelle just had a baby in January.  She has two boys, and this time she had a GIRL!  Yay!

At the end of her pregnancy and right after giving birth, Michelle was having problems with her memory and motor skills.  She couldn't type easily, forgot simple skills, etc.  She chalked a lot of it up to mommy brain, fatigue with her newborn and the craziness of three young kids. 

Finally, Michelle went to the ER with her husband when her headaches started.  They were terrible.  Something wasn't right.  Michelle found out on a Sunday night last month, about a month after having her little girl, that she had a tumor in her brain the size of a baseball.  She had brain surgery that Thursday, where they removed half of the tumor.
                                     
This is a picture of the tumor (the white mass).

She found out that the tumor isn't cancerous just in the last 2 weeks, but she is still suffering from some confusion and her right leg isn't back to normal motor skill.  She will need a second surgery to try and get the rest of the tumor.

This trial has brought out her light to shine for others even more.  Everyone who talks to her says the same thing, "You are such an example to me in this trial!  You have encouraged me with your trust in God and patience with your circumstances." 

Michelle's example has given me an eternal perspective and encouraged me in my walk.  I have realized how much I can impact others for God's glory when I respond to circumstances, and I have been motivated anew to follow the example of Paul  (and Michelle) and be content in all circumstances. 

Thank you, Michelle!  I love you, friend, and I cherish your example and encouragement to be a proper ambassador for Christ!

If you want to read about Michelle's journey and laugh at her CRAZY, AMAZING sense of humor, her blog is Ain't No Supermom.

Don't forget to tell me about your encourager here.  You could win a handpainted scripture sign for yourself and your encourager!

First Etsy Shop Listing and First Giveaway!

Well, I have just listed my first Etsy shop listing!  It is in the picture above, and you can get details here.

In order to celebrate my first listing, I am going to host a giveaway of TWO Bible verse canvas pieces.  My pastor has been teaching us about encouragement from Romans, and I was pondering how I could better encourage others through this crafting I like to do.  I often give crafts away as gifts, but I wanted to specifically tie this giveaway into a way to both recognize and give encouragement.

SO, leave a comment below and let me know about someone you know who is a great encourager.  Share with us all how that person encourages you or others and the impact they have had on others.  IF your comment is randomly selected, you and the person you are sharing as an encourager will each receive a handmade scripture canvas. 

For you, an 8 by 10 inch canvas of I Peter 5:7 in saddle brown with black lettering:

For the encourager you mention, an 8 by 10 canvas of I Corinthians 13:13 in classic gray with white lettering:

Rules:

1.  You don't have to follow me on my blog or Facebook.  If you like the blog and want to do so, that is great, but it isn't required.

2.  You and your encourager example must live in the United States in order to qualify for the giveaways (shipping reasons).  You must know your encourager's address info if you win so I can ship to them too!

3.  The contest will last through Wed., March 7th at noon, PST.

4.  Only one entry per person.

5.  The winner will be randomly selected by number.

6.  If you win, you will be contacted for shipping information.  If you anonymously comment or are a "no-reply" blogger, make sure I have your name and e-mail!  If I have no way to contact you, I will have to pick another winner.  Super sad!

7.  Be encouraged in the body of Christ and how we can show practical love to one another by all the examples you can read in the comments!  Enjoy!