I have a mixed marriage.

I have a mixed marriage.

I am a Pepsi person and my husband prefers Coke. When our kids were learning to crawl, we would put one of each cola 10 yards away and cheer as they crawled to one or the other; as if that would determine any kind of superiority.

I now have the opportunity to win this argument for life. Brighten A Corner Ministry is currently in the running for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant. At 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time on the first day of the month, Pepsi accepts 1,000 grant applications in 6 categories. By 12:10 am, the 1,000 have been submitted and accepted. Having learned the hard way that was the case, I left my family at Disneyland Halloween night to run back to the hotel, so that my finger would be on the “send” key as the clock turned over.

It worked. This meant that we made it to the next step, which was to be evaluated by the Pepsi grant committee. The ministry was accepted in the “neighborhood” category, but competes against all categories to be one of the $50,000 winners. At this level winners are selected purely as a result of online voting.

We need you, and everyone you know, to help! There are four easy steps to making this happen:

1. Go to www.refresheverything.com
2. Sign in. (You must do this to verify you are not part of a computer program designed to rack up votes.)
3. Put “Brighten A Corner” in the search engine.
4. Vote every day in December.

$50,000 for Brighten A Corner means up to $400,000 worth of work completed on the Central Coast. In addition, we spend all of our money here on the Central Coast as well; supporting local fabric stores, hardware stores, lumber companies, eateries etc. We use local people to serve local families all in the name of the Lord.

Brighten A Corner has reached a place where we want to grow in our resources so that we can better manage our calling. Whether or not this grant comes through, we are committed to moving forward. To “borrow” a line from Rivers of the World (a FABULOUS international ministry) we need four things to grow: people, prayer, money and stuff!

PEOPLE: We have a wonderful, loyal group of volunteers and are always adding more! However, in order to constantly improve we want to be specific about some of our needs.

1. We are looking for a group of 6-10 women at each project who would head up the move out and the move in. We have realized that this element of the project could really be managed in a less-stressful way. Having the move out people also move in is very helpful! In addition, we will be investing more money in organizing materials for each project and allowing for more time for the move out. The thought is that if we move out in an EXTREMELY organized way, the move in will be much easier!
2. We need administrative help in the planning of projects. Specifically, we need someone who would send out postcards to the entire mailing list 6 weeks prior to the beginning of a project, and then reminder postcards to people who have signed up for shifts 2 weeks before a project.
3. We would love photography help. If there was one person who would go online and print out BEFORE pictures of each room that we could put up at the project, that would be great! Also, someone who could take pictures of the progress and the people, and get them to us would be helpful as well.

PRAYER: We would love to put together a solid prayer team. In addition to prayers for specific projects, we always need prayer for:

1. That we would honor God in all we do
2. Effective time management for the leadership team
3. Prosperity for those who step out in faith to serve and give
4. Financial Provision for the ministry
5. That everyone who serves would grow in Him as a result of service. That we would be moving forward in our walks with the Lord

MONEY: We have decided that we will have a significant portion of project costs in the accounts before we start preparing to serve. In order to do this we have stepped up our fundraising efforts and are now looking to:

1. Receive grants for our work (VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.)
2. Build a team of people who donate to BAC monthly
3. Partner with local churches that might support us
4. Actively fund raise—look for a fun-filled, music-filled day this spring to raise money and awareness of BAC

STUFF: We are always trying to partner with local businesses to acquire supplies for each project.

We are ending this year full of gratitude for all that has come our way. As a ministry we are amazed at how God continuously provides and how much we have grown to love the people we’ve seen and places we’ve been. We are focused for 2011, and are resting in His promise, “I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. Have a wonderful, blessed year….and PLEASE, VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

ROBIN LEE