Julie Gumm - Author

We Believe…

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The Adventure Project believes in…

We Believe In… from The Adventure Project on Vimeo.

And I believe in The Adventure Project. I’ve been helping raise money for their projects for the last couple of years and my readers and friends have donated several thousands of dollars – which means jobs. Lots of jobs. And I fully believe jobs are THE best way to help change the world. Well, Jesus, and then jobs 🙂

What can you do?

Send a Card for Christmas (Not just an e-card. It’s an actual handwritten card!)

Join The Tribe. Predictable funding helps The Adventure Project maximize the impact they can make through their partner organizations. Give $30 a month and in one years time, you will have created one job. And just one job can transform a whole community.

Coal for Christmas Can Be a Good Thing

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Christmas and coal always make me think of my Grandpa Jim who passed away about 15 years ago.

Grandpa was always a bit of a jokester so one year my mom made him this GIANT Christmas stocking (like seriously 2 1/2 feet tall) and each year my brothers and I would help fill the stocking. I’m not sure who brought the lump of coal into the equation the first time, but it made its appearance and each year it would go back and forth between Grandpa and one of us grandkids.

Of course we never knew which kid was going to get it. We made a big show of being relieved it wasn’t us, but secretly we all loved the tradition no matter what.

So this time last year I sponsored a coal-efficient stove through The Adventure Project in honor of my Grandpa Jim.

With $20 you can sponsor a charcoal-efficient stove for one of hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti who are still living in tents. These stoves use 1/2 the charcoal that a normal outdoor fire does. This reduces the toxins their kids are breathing in, and frees up money for other things like school.

The stoves are MADE in Port-au-Prince (creating jobs) and sold by local women (more jobs). What’s really cool is that last year they added a unique serial number to each stove.

Today I got my stove report! It’s so cool to know exactly where our stove went. If you want to sponsor a stove, you can make a $20 donation or buy a gift card in someone’s honor here.

Tomorrow “Until We All Come Home” launches

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Tomorrow is a big day. Oh, yeah, there’s an election. But it’s also the debut of my friend Kim de Blecourt’s new book “Until We All Come Home.”

“Until We All Come Home” reads like an action-packed suspense novel but the knowledge that the story was lived out by Kim and her family makes this book astounding. Kim writes with honesty and emotion that will put you on the edge of your seat one moment and leave you feeling emotionally exhausted the next.

As an adoptive mom I am not naive to the complications and complexities of international adoption. But Kim’s story is unlike any other. Her determination and courage in the fight to bring Jake home no matter the cost is inspiring. Her faith, and God’s hand throughout her time in the Ukraine is a testimony to His love for the fatherless and us.