So this week’s printable is a bit of an odd ball. It involves a leg, money and language barriers.
Let me explain.
When we first moved to the US, I was a freshman in high school and had absolutely no grasp of the “Spanish” language. After all, isn’t that what they speak in Spain? And why on earth should I have to learn it all the way over here in Michigan?
Turns out Mexico is just below this lovely country and seeing 93.6 percent of American students go to Mexico in the Spring at some point in their high school career, it is of utmost importance that you learn how to order a beer in the native tongue. Or something.
Well, at some point during that first awkward year of high school, someone attempted to teach me a few sentences, and when they got to basic greetings and their appropriate responses…
“Muy Bien” caught me off guard.
Dude. You just told me I had a “pretty leg”.
The internal Afrikaans translator in my brain had clicked on and I had heard “mooi been”, pronounced the same way, only it means – quite literally, “pretty leg”.
Why do I tell you this? Well, because it still makes me smile whenever I hear it, but mostly because there’s a particular pretty leg on my heart right now.
My baby sister, Ruth (the adorable blondie on the right, below) broke her right leg falling down a mountain in Botswana two years ago, and the scars from numerous surgeries have created quite the work of art on her leg.
She was making her way down from Kigali, Kenya – where she had taught and volunteered for several weeks – to South Africa to spend time with family, and stopped in Botswana to visit friends and do some teaching/volunteering…and her world changed as quickly as you can say, “you-went-hiking-in-the-mountains-by-yourself-you-crazy-girl?!?”.
I’m not making this stuff up, you can read all about it right here. She’s just that wild and crazy adventurous.
And of all the girls in our family…she’s the most active. We’re artsy and like the thought of vigorous movement. She’s Über active and likes the thought of creativity {although she does have a creative streak all her own}.
Well, the surgeon in Southern Africa did a horrific job of putting her leg back together, which has resulted in 3 additional surgeries on this side of the pond, the latest of which occurred last week.
Broken screws, new hardware, more rods – all which my younger sister {the cutie on the left} has turned into a one-of-a-kind windchime for Ruthie (because morbid creativity runs in our family).
The semi-gross photo below was taken after her second surgery.
The past two years have been a rollercoaster of pain, discomfort, surgery, recovery, scars and disappointment – and yet, she’s kept her chin up, her hope high, and her eyes on God.
{that’s Jeremiah 29:11 she has tattooed on her pretty leg}
So, this is where I come in.
And where you come in.
She’s slowly, quietly (without complaining) been chipping away at her college debt, along with the financial burden this delightful leg of hers has been accruing…and I want to help!
So, for the first time ever…I’m going to ask you to pay for a printable.
GASP. I know. It’s not something I do…but the moment this design came together last week, I knew it would be for a special purpose. And here we are. Here it is.
The “Muy Bien” Fund.
Would you consider purchasing these printables and making a donation to help offset her medical bills?
For a $10 donation, you’ll get this lovely 8×10 print, along with a set of 4 postcards…because who doesn’t need to be reminded that God is good, even when life hurts. Especially when life hurts.
—> CLICK HERE to donate now! <—
Simply make a donation through the safe, easy Paypal link above and you’ll be taken to the download page for the printables. And if you know someone who loves this girl the way we do – who would want to help – please share this with them too!
I want to bless her socks off. Or rather, her cast from her “mooi been”.
And if you don’t know her from a bar of soap…but like dandelions and the color blue, go ahead and purchase these cool printables and help her without even meaning to.
And thank you, from the bottom of my big sister heart, for loving me well by loving on her.
We’re overcomers!
