Standing with Aleppo this Christmas

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Standing with Aleppo this Christmas | Duluth Moms Blog

I decided I cannot turn my head away. Because the killing doesn’t stop. The pain doesn’t cease fire. The hunger doesn’t flee when I refuse to look. When I flip the channel because the headlines makes me uncomfortable or stop reading the article because it is too deep in the trenches of pain for this fluffy light season of Christmas. What is Christmas anyway if it’s not a story of redemption? Of grace touching earth. Of hope extending its hand. Of receiving a gift in order to give it away. Thousands of people are fleeing death in Aleppo as it consumes with fire. They are scared as hell. Hungry. Holding tight onto their babies for dear life as they pray to escape this genocide. They have left their homes and possessions without a clue where they will ever call home again. The world wants to look away, to not kill the Christmas spirit or be the debby downer. But my friends at Preemptive Love are not only choosing to keep their eyes on the people of Syria, they are standing side by side with them, cooking hot meals for over 20,000.00 and showing the world on of the bravest acts of love on this whole planet. We are standing with them. On our knees praying for them. And not forgetting. These will be the stories in history books someday + I’m proud to say I’m standing with the heroes at Preemptive Love.The ones that chose not to look away.

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We feel helpless like everyone else. Then we thought + prayed and felt God nudge our hearts to give away every penny from our #loveisbrave shop this week. $30 will provide sleeping bags for 2 people. $250 can feed ten familes for a month. $600 can provide sleeping bags for 40 people. $1000 can feed 40 for a month. Our goal is to raise over $1000.00 in the next four days. Because Gods love is extravagant + I believe in our people. I believe brave love remakes the world. And the folks of Preemptive Love Coalition make me braver. SHOP at bit.ly/adoptionshop or you can give directly at preemptivelove.org! This means EVERY SHIRT THAT IS SOLD WILL PROVIDE SLEEPING BAGS FOR TWO PEOPLE. Every shirt that is on the website is in stock and will ship out by Monday to make sure to arrive in time for Christmas. Once we sell out of current in stock clothing (which we anticipate) we will reopen for preorders to be shipped out January 10th. Preorders will be open through December 18th at 11:59pm and will labeled as such on the love is brave adoption shop. Thank you in advance for your generous support. 

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Together we are going to celebrate Christmas the best way we know how. Through redemption. Grace touching earth. Heaven breaking through. Brave love. Hope extending its hand. Acknowledging that the world is scary as hell, but showing up to love anyway. We don’t have to feel helpless. We can grab hands with people on the ground doing the dirty work and say, “We won’t let you fight for love alone. We will stand with you.”

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Anna McParlan
Anna was born + raised along the shores of Lake Superior. The water and the dear family and friends that call Duluth home are the magnet that keep her and her growing family adoring this place. Anna married her high school crush and together they are raising two darling compassionate adventurers with a love of fresh air and grace. Anna loves all things that shout of beauty, hope, truth, and pointing people towards joy. Her love for writing started in kindergarten where she would come home with long stapled together novels- recently found in her Moms chest of saved childhood projects. That passion for stringing together words would only bloom in the many years to come. When Her Dad battled brain cancer for 17 years, writing became her safe place to wrestle with both joy and pain as well as a place to search for beauty. Today you can find Anna running wild in the things that bring her joy. Falling more in love with her tall sweetheart of a husband. Doing her best to raise kids who chase after truth, love a good hike, and give away kindness. Gathering friends old and new in their home to share good food, hearts, and life. Filling out adoption paperwork to bring home their third (and maybe 4th!) babe from Uganda home. Chasing sunsets with her minis + capturing couples promising their forevers as a wedding photographer at Along An Inland Sea Photography. She shares about heaven breaking into the everyday mundane on Instagram where she likes to mini blog and post about those darling babes of hers-- pop over and say hello to her on Instagram