Poor Tasha is still not dressed yet although we do have a lovely spring fabric for her. She is getting a little jealous of all the attention Rose is getting so hopefully she will be dressed quite soon.  Tasha is one of the prettiest dolls I have sculpted and has the sweetest face.

If you have called the factory, you are aware that we have shortened our office hours.  We are open Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.  If you call during lunch and no one answers, Carolyn is probably at the “Hungry Hut” where we have eaten lunch for the past 20 years.

The true meaning of Christmas… the Word became flesh.  It is amazing to think that God loved us so much that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.  Isn’t it awesome to be loved that much?

We don’t have the ability to love as God does, but we do love and appreciate each of you.  When we talk about All God’s Children collectors being family, we mean it.  You will never know how much you mean to us.  Thank you for making life more interesting and fun.  Many of you have stuck with us through good times and bad since the birth of AGC in 1985.  You have had a positive impact on our lives.  It has been our desire from the beginning that God would use AGC to build a bridge between the races.  He has certainly done that and more with hundreds of new lifelong friendships being formed all across the country.

We had a great time at the Christmas open house, but several familiar faces were missing.  Our hearts are with you wherever you are.  Our prayers are with those of you who shared heartaches you are going through.  With God, nothing is impossible!  May God grant you peace in the midst of the storms.  He is able to do more that we can ever imagine.

The plant will be closed for Christmas through January 5, 2009.  May God Bless you so richly so that you may be a blessing to others in the coming new year.

I recently received an email that was very thought provoking and I want to share it with you.  “The bread that is spoiling in your house belongs to the hungry.  The shoes that are mildewing under your bed belong to those who have none.  The clothes stored away in your trunk belong to those who are naked.  The money that depreciates in your treasury belongs to the poor.”  (St. Basil the Great, the fourth-century Bishop of Caesarea)

Due to the decline in the stock market, many of us no longer have money that depreciates in our treasury, but for those who do, we need your help.

Several months ago, we started production on a very special limited edition sculpture dedicated to Doulos Ministry in South Africa, a hospice dedicated to taking care of children with the AIDS virus.  Check our their ministry website at Doulos Care Centre (http://www.freewebs.com/douloscarecentre).  This is such a needed ministry as many of these children would be left alone in a room to die if they were not rescued by Emma and her staff.

Made in the USA, Thabang and Nkozi are limited to 150 pieces worldwide and sells for $125 each.  MMO is donating all production costs so 100% of the proceeds goes to Doulos Ministry.

Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who participate in this endeavor.  For those who are unable, your prayers are just as important.  Emma recently had a nasty fall and broke her hip and leg so please remember her in your prayers also.

We’ve certainly been having typical August weather here in Alabama. High temperatures and high humidity make me wonder if I’ve stepped into a sauna rather than out the front door. Last week, however, we had one of those rare days when the heat and humidity waned. The morning was actually cool, the day pleasant, and the sky a bright clear blue.

A day like that in August when the kids are all going back to school and the summer flowers are fading remind me that Fall is just around the corner.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. There is something exhilarating about it! Everything about fall speaks of change. From the leaves losing their green color to reveal their gorgeous yellows, oranges and reds, to the chilly evenings that say, enjoy this because winter is coming.

I think that is it. Everything about fall reminds me to enjoy the day, seize the moment! It reminds me that life itself is one of seasons, and with every season there is something to be treasured.

Sometimes we fall into the rut of thinking when I get this thing done, or when I have that thing, when my children are a little older, when I am retired, then I will enjoy each day of my life. Fall reminds me that there is something to be enjoyed in every season. Fall also reminds me that this season of my life, whatever it may be, will pass. If I fail to enjoy it, to find the lessons to learn, the people to enjoy, the blessings to share, then I miss out because seasons always change.

Whatever season you are in find the lessons to learn, the colorful leaves and gentle breezes along the path to enjoy, the blessings to share with friends and know that this season will pass and bring another with its unique wonders.

• The Family Reunion is just around the corner: June 20-21, 2008. There is much work to be done in AGC land to get ready for the most awesome collectors in the world. We are looking forward to seeing each of you once again.

• The following tree photos were take in April. I like to take photos of unusual things to share with you. Notice the “NO TRESPASSING” sign being eaten by the tree. Like many of us, the sign failed to heed its own advice.
  The old oak tree with the huge bulge around the bottom was found at a cemetery several miles from my home. There are a number of very old sandstone grave markers in the cemetery. It appears that the tree may have gobbled up one of these markers to create the deformity. The close up shows the tree in the process of taking a bite out of a large piece of sandstone, possibly another grave marker. The four handsome boys are my grandsons.

• I hope your Easter weekend was a pleasant one. I enjoyed spending time with my children and grandchildren. They are growing up too fast. My oldest grandson, Garrett, is now fifteen going on twenty one. Alex is turning into a beautiful young lady and the rest are all a tangle of arms and legs as they wrestle, play tag, and fight over an empty bullet case found in the back yard. Oh, the joys of childhood.

• I would like to introduce Kenneth, a little charmer (except for the frog). He has caught the biggest bullfrog you ever did see and plans on entering him in the frog jumping contest at the county fair next week. Cause Froggy is such a good fly catcher, he hopes Mama won’t mind Froggy staying in his room until the contest is over.

• There was a foul odor outside our house so when I went to check it out, this is what I found on the other side of our back yard fence. My camera was quickly loaded and out I went to get a photo of the bovine beauties. While I was looking at the pictures on the computer, I noticed what appeared to be a glistening pond. “How neat,” I thought, “I did not know there was a pond there.” Well, THERE IS NOT A POND THERE!! Farmer Jones decided to clean out the dairy barn and apparently he thought the best place for the poopy pond was next to our back yard. He is a nice man so I will just wear a clothes pin on my nose until the glistening pond quits glistening. Life is good!

Despite being a black woman in a slave state before the Emancipation Proclamation, Elizabeth Clarissa Lange, a Caribbean native, used her own money and home to educate children of color. In 1829, Lange professed her vows and took the religious name of Mary. At a time when African American Catholics could not aspire to religious life, Mary Elizabeth Lange became the first superior general of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first black Roman Catholic order. She and her sisters would educate and evangelize African Americans. Their ministry also provided a home for orphans and the elderly and nursed the terminally ill.

We are pleased to announce that the “How It’s Made” show featuring All God’s Children (resin figurines) is scheduled to air on the regular Discovery Channel on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 8:30 pm EST.

I know we still have active local clubs out there so let us know what you are doing. We want to hear from you.

ATTENTION COLLECTORS: Send a photo to share your display ideas with other collectors. We will put them online for others to see and get new ideas.

Several weeks ago, I took this photo of a beautiful sunset and wanted to share it with you. God is such an awesome artist. The clouds in the foreground are black and overshadowing the brilliantly colored clouds behind them. Sometimes we see only darkness in our circumstances and fail to see God’s light waiting to break through the darkness.

We await the airing of the show “How It’s Made” with great anticipation. We feel it is an honor to have been chosen and feel that this is a gift from God. It is my understanding that it will be on the Discovery Science Channel first, but will also be on the regular Discovery Channel at a later date.

SCIENCE CHANNEL TO SHOWCASE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN

The making of our very own Bass Reeves will be broadcast to a national television audience on the Discovery Network’s Science Channel on January 25, 2008 at 9:00 pm (EST). The episode details are as follows:

How It’s Made - 4
Episode 20 - Find out how Stainless Steel, Football Helmets, Resin Figurines and Laboratory Glassware are made.

It was specifically the All God’s Children Historical Series that caught the attention of the producers of the show. Although the focus of this segment is the manufacturing of resin figurines, we are honored that our product will give international attention to African American heroes.