Soon to be site change

As many of you know Beautiful Baggage will be falling under our newly launched Beautifully Inspired nonprofit. We have our Wa state nonprofit status and are working towards a national one as well. As always we seek complete transparency in all that we do, so if you have any questions let us know.

Why the change?
Because the need of the community involved in foster care is so great and we believe that God can use our local,  state, and national people to get motivated and help the cause of those involved in foster care. The children, the foster families, the teens, the Social Workers, the bio parents. Let's work together and support. Not everyone can be a foster parent, but ALL can and SHOULD help.

What will the change look like?
It will be an addition of a variety of programs. Just like BB has taken off and is slowly becoming successful and gaining popularity. The other programs will deal with a specific area of need and seek to support it.

Will there be a website and contact info?
Yes, it is in the process of happening right now.

Looking forward to working with you in the future! 

Brooke Lamberson
http://thefosterlife.wordpress.com/

Beautifully Inspired

We are expanding!!

Good morning!

We are so happy to announce the Amazing journey God has been taking us on. Being foster parents you see the needs of kids on a daily basis, but you soon start to see something else, the struggle of foster parents. Being a foster parent is not something we take lightly, it is a mission field we felt called to do. What we have discovered is that often times, especially in the beginning it can feel as though you alone, yet you are still with all of your family and friends. You didn't go anywhere, you just took a step out, a step out in faith.

We are launching Beautifully Inspired to help surround the foster community. The kids, the foster parents, the state, and if ever needed the bio parents. We are going to be offering several different programs, including our much loved and needed Beautiful Baggage.

Stay tuned for more info about our new programs!

Many thanks

Dear you,

I am sitting here, with about 10 minutes between conferences, but I wanted to tell you all something.

 

Thank-you.

Thank-you Tri-Cities. For the bags, the toiletries.

 

For the coloring of glorious and beautiful heartfelt cards.

 

Thank- you for the donations.

 

 Thank-you Lord for putting these hands to work and blessing this mess that I am.

 

Thank-you for calling our family to this mission field.

 

Thank-You.

November Drop!!

Today we delivered ....

20 bags

And

16 backpacks!!!!

Thank-you to the many hands that crafted cards, made blankets, donated time, dropped luggage, gave toiletries, whatever you did, you. are.amazing. 

I look forward to working with many more people in the future!

Girls on the Run

God has been so faithful blessing our tiny little organization. While we see and dream big beautiful things I know we will only go as far as God will have at. 

Last week I was able to present to Girls on the Run. A group of elementary girls who do volunteer service and, well run. FOR FUN! Great gals and great teachers!! 

When I showed up I thought I was going to present about what BB did and who we are. I was shocked to see that not only did they have bags ready, but that they were making cards too!!!

Look at these sweet faces:-)

So what does BB do???

Beautiful Baggage get bags into the hands of kids in care here locally in our area. 

What do we need:

1. Bags!!! While we take a bag of any donation we prefer duffel bags. They fold nice and compact:-)

2. Toiletries and toiletry bags. 

     * think toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, etc.

3. Bible

5. Something cuddly- soft toy or blanket

6. We are working to get a $25 gift card for Target or somewhere in each bag.

Thanks! Have a happy weekend!!!

Do something beautiful

I am on lunch at work. I have 5 minutes to go pee and then meet up with other teachers again. In my 5 minutes I want to tell you this. Do something beautiful with yourself. So you are busy, so you are single, so you are a teenager, so you are a kid, so you are old, so you are a stay at home mom.....SO WHAT!!!! Do something!!!!!

Here is what I have been doing

Come to the ball! 

Find out what you can do for FOSTER KIDS AND ORPHANS IN YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY!!!

Long before I knew it.. I think I always knew...

Beautiful Baggage started years before it ever began. Is. 61:3 holds a special place in my heart. I read it the night before my Aunt Kim passed away. What God brought to me then was that there would consoling, but there would be beauty from the ashes. What I didn't realize was the big picture. What i saw was the then. And God used that verse to guide me through the then.
My Aunt Kim was to graduate college and go on to be a social worker, we were planning to turn in our paperwork and start the foster care process. Something her and I had talked about was how kids carry their stuff in trash bags. I often wondered how much that happened until I became a FP. 
Shortly after getting licensed my husband and I began throwing around the idea of Beautiful Baggage. Then one day in worship the verse came back to me. I realized how much more God had in store. 
I am excited to see how God will grow Beautiful Baggage and how we can be the hands and feet of such a much needed thing.
If you are interested in finding more about Beautiful Baggage or foster care please let me know! 

Watch the start of BB

Jr High and Outreach

So it is starting....
We are finally getting a group together and starting an outreach. With youth! I am so excited. We have made a contact within the state office to be our official rep. Someone to let us know when they need bags and to hand out fliers and let people know who and where we are and that we have stuff available. We are making contacts with other community groups to get out and have an actual physical presence in the community, for this I am so thankful for.
You see I know that the need is there, I see this at the ground level. The kids who show up at my door, or hear stories from friends of their kids showing up, no suitcases, just garbage bags and boxes. Or nothing at all. This. must. stop. We are a "civilized" country. We "take care of our children." While this might not seem that big of a deal, it is.
If you have had to move you need something that you can say is yours. A cuddly, a bag, something. I am not here to tell people, go out be a foster parent. No, not everyone should be. However, everyone can help.

How can I help? Just me?
 Donate:
 a bag
toiletries
bible
something cuddly
help us get a fundraiser going
help us get sponsors to sell shirts

Pray. Donate. Foster.

Foster care awareness

Please click here for a short video.

Happy weekend and many blessings

Students!!!

Are you a student?  WE WANT YOU!!!!

Maybe you are a high school senior and you just realized "oh dang! I have the Culm. Proj. this year!!"

Maybe you are a Middle Schooler and want to do something legendary at your school this year. Start something for generations to COME!!!

Maybe you are in Elementary School, and are tired of lemonade stands and are looking for something bigger!!!!

Well you found it!!!!! HERE WE ARE!!!!

Who says that young people can't help??? Who says that if you are tiny you can't do BIG things?? Just ask David, I am sure he would beg to differ:) Maybe you want to set a backpack goal, or you want to hold an event that only gain entry by way of completed luggage! The possibilities are endless!!

Contact now to get started:)

You're beautiful...

Thank you

Beauty for Ashes...

Welcome to Beautiful Baggage!

We are so happy to have you here. I was so pleased today to see an overwhelming positive response to the beautiful baggage program. So many people stopping by asking how they could help. So here are the steps:

1. Take that luggage that is sitting around your house you don't ever use anymore. Or grab a new piece if it suits your fancy:)

2. Please carefully tuck inside 3 things:
   - A toiletry bag with basics, travel bible in NIV, NIrV or other easy to read version, and something cozy. Stuffed animal, blanket.

3. Take your Beautiful Baggage and drop if off at Calvary Chapel TC in the office and we will handle the rest.