Does it REALLY matter?

We all have those days, the ones where you ask yourself if what you do really matters.  Did it matter that I took the moment to do a little something out of my way?  Did it make a difference?  Most of what we do day in and day out goes unnoticed by the world.  But, then there are those moments, precious moments, when God bends down and whispers "You made a difference"!

Most people do little things for others without any hope of repayment.  We were designed to be servants, to be givers.  It is what gives us purpose and fulfillment.  What is such a blessing, is when just once in a while it gets noticed.  That simple "thank you" can fuel you through 10,000 more acts without the "thank you"!

In the case of what we do for the babies of Arkansas Children's Hospital, we know that we make a difference, but we rarely get to see the personal impact.  This past week we received a card from a mom that was able to have one of the little shirts we make for the babies of the CVICU.  If I were to write what it says, I couldn't do it justice.  It is for this reason, I have attached a photo of the card for you to read yourself.  Warning, you may want a tissue!  It is my prayer this note touches your heart and you know deeply that what you do DOES matter!  Be the Difference Maker that God designed you to be in this world!

Enjoy and I will see you this Saturday to make even more items!!!

The Who and Why of What We Do

Spring has sprung and so has the delivery to ACH!  In total we delivered 38 hats, 56 flannel receiving blankets, 29 shirts, and 16 flannel backed blankets!  And, with our April meeting coming up, we are going to be able to deliver even more by the end of the month!  It is so very exciting!

This may be a recap to some, and may be new to others, but I want to take a moment and explain what we do and why.  It is my prayer that this blesses you and encourages you to either be a part of us, or to find a way in which you can be more than you.  Where God can use your talents and passions to make a difference.  You will NEVER regret it!

At Arkansas Children's Hospital you will find the NICU which is a term many are used to and know.  But, what you also find is the CVICU and that is a more foreign term for many.  It stands for the Cardiovascular ICU.  We are used to hearing about cardiac care units in hospitals for adults so the idea is not foreign, but to think about the unit for little ones is many times overwhelming.  Babies born with heart defects is actually quite common.  And, the CVICU at ACH is able to take care of all types!  What they can do is completely amazing.  I have seen them rebuild parts of a heart, an entire heart, transplant a heart, and all the other repairs and procedures in between.  There are patients from all over the world coming because of what they can do.  And, patients of all ages are in the CVICU because if even as an adult if your heart issue is from a defect, you get treated there!  The staff at ACH is under immense pressure with having patients in such a very critical stage.  Their efforts and love make the difference for the patients and their families.  I don't know of more amazing teams!

Now that you know "who" here is the "why"!  When you are a baby in the CVICU it is important to be able to have IV access.  This is a given in the hospital.  Most babies must have two IV access points to make sure one always works.  So, this means there will most likely be one in an arm and then one in the leg or other location of the body.  In addition, many of these patients have had open heart surgery so they have an incision down the center of their chest.  It is a lot of wires and lines to work around, not to mention the daily x-rays and other procedures that must be done.  The little shirts that we make are designed to go around ALL of this!  This allows parents to put a little something on their baby.  To have a "normal" moment and dress their little one.  This moment is priceless.  There is nothing else out there like this.  The other items we provide such as blankets and hats are items that we know can be used by the babies/families of the CVICU.  Flannel receiving blankets are used to cover the bed and give a pretty or fun bed for the baby to lay upon.  Regular receiving blankets from the store don't fit the beds so we make blankets that do!  Hats are just simply cute, and the other blankets we make are a little smaller than typical to fit in the bed with the babies.

It is my prayer this helps you understand why this ministry is important.  And, why we hope you will make the decision to be a part of it as well.  No matter your choice, I pray this ministry blesses you.

May your day be intentional and blessed so you can make the biggest impact in this world!

See you soon!

Spring is Here - Celebrate!

It's that time again!  Spring!  New life is coming out every where you look.  It's so exciting and refreshing.  And, new items are completed and even more being wrapped up by our wonderful ladies that sew, create, and contribute to making a difference with us.  Although we haven't revealed what we've been up to lately, I know that you will be pleasantly surprised!  And, I hope it inspires you to either join us or take a step to making a difference in the world around you with the skills and talents God has specifically given to you.

Through the cold and snow of winter, there were people making small steps on a regular basis.  These steps have provided a wonderful delivery for the babies at Arkansas Children's Hospital CVICU.  And, lately we have had the option of sharing this ministry with others and have new ladies that have joined with us.  It has been a true and wonderful blessing.  Today the first package arrived at ACH and next week the other portion will arrive!  Photos and totals will be posted then so be on the lookout for those over these next few days.

For those of you that enjoy spring cleaning...we love fabric!  We especially love new, unwashed flannel to use for making blankets.  And, precious cotton prints are wonderful for our little shirts.  We are typically blessed with absolutely beautiful flowers and such for the little girls, but would love to have more little boy cotton fabrics.  Again, new and unwashed please.  It only takes a yard of fabric to cut out 8 shirts so as you can imagine, little pieces are great for variety too!

This month, April, our meeting would typically fall on the first Saturday of the month.  This year though that is Easter weekend.  Easter is such a special time of thankfulness and blessing for the price Jesus paid for us.  It is for this reason, we want our ladies and those that help this ministry to take this time with their families.  We will meet instead on the third Saturday which will be April 18 from 9-12 that morning.  If you would like to join us, please email me for the address at melskispark@gmail.com and I will get you the details!