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I am in the process of starting an volunteer program for university students to work with women and children in rural Latin America.  Are there grants that can help me pay for the expenses? 

We have five kids, our oldest being 17 and 18 in college. My husband works but his income is not enough to cover all our needs. Please, we need help asap. We lived in a motel for some years and was fortunate to finally get out. We are in a financial crisis trying to keep up with our bills.Our two daughters have not been able to go back to college and this is really hurting them. Our daughters are very smart girls, and this has put a lot of stress on them  Please somebody help my family. We are honest, hard working people. Our daughters' financial aid covers only half of their fees. My family and I have been through lots of problems. We are trying our best and trusting that God will open the heart of someone to help us. Please! somebody help us. We really, really need help. I know that the Lord is going to gave this back to you double protion. Thanks, God bless. My email address is blue_butterfly36@yahoo.com. Thank you for your time.

I've been depressed and now battle myself from failure everyday.  Me and my husband have passed through one storm of our youngest daughter's food posioning from the tainted peanut butter and now we are still recovering from all the doctor's bills and unpaid days of work.  Our 1 yr old is now healthier and a miracle to us considering we did not know what we were dealing with for 3 months.  My mother in law watched her and without any thought, always spread peanut butter on her toast every morning.  She survived the constant vomitting, diarrhea, and high temp fevers.  I leave for work at 3am and it was always hard leaving my ill daughter.  Her fever would break for a night and return without skipping a beat.  Me and husband took turns calling in sick to take her to the hospital.  We are both full time parents, students and workers.  Our world seem to stand still awaiting our daughter's recovery and the bill collectors and hospital bills were very unforgiving.  Any prayers and or financial support would help tremendously.  God willed me to live and we trust in him.  Thank you for your time and your prayers.

I am a mom of 2 beautiful kids, who gets no child support, and am in dire need of help. My oldest needs her teeth fixed, or she will end up in dentures in the next 3 years, and she is just a teenager!! She also recently lost an aunt, and my sons grandparents lost everything in a violent storm here! My husband is trying to pay off 25,000 in student loans, and we are getting really far behind! We could really use any help you could give. We do work full time!

SIGH...

I'm so not good at this.

I'm feeling torn...I need to be doing research, writing to folks, locating resources, etc. I have hundreds of hours of this type of work to do. Doesn't help that I've misplaced my reading glasses (over the counter type).  I also need to be putting food in the ground (seed) and building fences (not sure with what but I need to at least try)! This requires sunrise to sunset work out of doors. AGHHHH...  Also need to harvest and dry herbs.

These are a few morels we collected last year.  The green background is simply a bench we put the plate on. 

I'm trying to make room for the clothing closet which is currently in the cubby hole the kids built for us to sleep in (which we also share with my bio-son for the summer) and all the students have arrived and cooking from scratch can take hours...SIGH.  I need to interject here...I am thinking I should pack up all clothing of Rick's and mine, leaving out only 2 pairs of pants and 2 shorts each plus 4 tee shirts.  This will free up space.  The pants I wear are coated in dirt by the end of the day...I used to think I had to put on a fresh pair each day but I think I'll just wear them dirty. 

The students also need access to the books and study aids but I have them all boxed up because we need  standing/sitting room...imagine 50 or more young people in a 12" x 14' area.  Ha HA!  We do it!  Help me out here...put some positive thoughts and prayers into a 24' x 32'  4"-6" slab of concrete (or its wood equivalent).  This will ease a great deal of pressure by providing two extra bedrooms (shared) and room for books, study area, games, computer center (for some the only access they have), clothes closet, socialization/recreation, workshops, and so much more.

The kids immediately dived into projects (Yippee!).  Oh and finally, "D-on" decided to go to college.  One problem, 35.00 application fee.  Rick will call and beg a waiver for him but we can't guarantee it.  It's worked for some of the students but not for others....Ask me why he can't pay this...I challenge you but be prepared to unleash my passion!  We are talking rural America.  Gas prices...remote rural...farms shutting down...no jobs, no education, no resources...and more...just ask me but be prepared to unleash a Tiger. 
If there is a way...I find it, make it, do it, beg it, pray it, meditate it, build it...whatever it takes.

Here is a photo taken in last year's garden.  I'm suffing my face with cherry tomatoes.  Excuse the mess that I am but I am not a neat or tidy gardener.  Garden is also chemical free...no pesticides no store bought fertilizers, just hard work. 

I need food...not me personally...I need food to feed the kids...just to get by until I can expand the garden and grow a sufficient amount.   Agghh...I feel so guilty when they are hungry.  It is one of my commitments based on years of experiences and sad stories of hungry kids.  .Not one of these kids can afford to lose weight.  They look terrible...well from a "mother's" perspective...they are muscular but not an ounce of fat anywhere.  I guess this is healthy but I also know a few of them have been on a starvation diet for several months (not by choice).  I know what they've been eating.  I could also use more recipes.  I cannot buy special ingredients or seasonings so recipes should be very basic.  We eat very little if any meat.  I do grow herbs.  Any healthy recipes would help. The recipes need to fit within a budget of  50.00 to 100.00 per week  (my money) in which to provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snack material for my own family and all the young people.  Recipes for popsicles would also be awesome (not too much sugar since there is no dental care out here).  

I wanted to put a photo of dinner time around here but my protective instinct kicked in...instead here is a general photo.  This is the wall in the front room.  It was a huge white wall.  The kids asked if they could paint it so I showed them so old paint, asked them to make sure it was family friendly, and told them "go for it".  This was the result.  Since that time they've just about painted the entire house.  They mix their own colors and have even experimented with clay, sand, and other outdoor materials.  Oh, Papa is pure Italian.

Papa and I were cooking the other day.  I happened to glance at the calendar and noticed it was the 17th.  I turned to him and said, "Happy Anniversary a day late.  I love you".  He was stunned.  It's our 21st.

I need to get busy.  I hope all have a wonderful day today filled with goodness and joy.

In Kindness Always-

-K

...was getting ready to post this and son yelled out he has a 4.0! Yippee!  He is a university student...putting himself through school...no loans and no help from us.

Hello there people on the web,
This is weird for me to do...I actually feel unconfortable doing it but I am desperated and I do not know what else can I do...My husband and I met in the United States. We both were and still are international students. I am from Central America (Costa Rica) and he is from Africa (Sao Tome and Principe). We have been working hard in order to pay our expenses here. We really value education and both of us dream is to obtain a PhD. I am working toward mine but my husband is still working toward his master's degree. We both have students jobs (more than one). We paid last fall and this spring semesters for my husband (I have a graduate assistantship but he does not); however, this summer (2008) it is supposed to be his last semester of his master's, however, we do not have any more funds and we do not know how are we going to pay his tuition this semester. When we got married last year (2007) some friends gave us money so we saved it for his degree but now this money is almost gone and because we are international students, we pay out-of-state tution which is very very expensive. My husband is very frustrated and so am I. I wish he can fisnish his master's. He is so smart and hard worker...you know, there are not universities in Sao Tome and Principe so for him this is the greatest thing that has happend to him...We have tried to apply for student loans but we need an American cosigner and we do not have one...How can I help my husband to fulfill his dream?? He tried to get an assistantship but with all the budget cuts it has been impossible. He studies economics and he loves it! He has a passion for it and he dreams with working in his career soon...We were listening to Joel Osteen on TV and he was saying that we should believe that God will help us to achieve our dreams and that we have to trust God...we do trust God, but I think that when it comes to money we can only hope for a miracle...and money miracles do not happen often...I am wondering if someone, somewhere, somehow can help us...please...if you are there, wherever you are, we need your help...please...In the meanwhile, we are trying to come up with ideas, but we add and add and our accounts do not close...we do not have enough...we cannot make his dream happen...how can we do it?

Nothing is free in this world im not asking any one to give me money (would be nice lol) but to help me find  part time job. Im currently a full time psychology student, its frustrating not being able to find a job that works around school. Im trying to do somthing posative with my life, but never realized how hard it would be. Im not going to let the hardships stop me from finishing school. If you know of any jobs or grants that could help me get through school i would love you forever THANKS A BUNCH

                                                                         sincerely a strong but broke student

                                                                         from the Bay Area, Ca