Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea is the best book I have read in a long time! It is the true story of Greg Mortensen and the inspiring way he has found to promote peace (fight terrorism) in a nonviolent, cost-effective, BETTER way -- by educating children. Here's a blurb from his website:

"In 1993, to honor his sister’s memory, Mortenson climbed Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain in the Karakoram range.

After K2, while recovering in a local village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school.

From that rash promise, grew a remarkable humanitarian campaign, in which Mortenson has dedicated his life to promote education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote, volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan."

It is an amazing, uplifting story perfect for book clubs and a great way to start out the new year. If you order the book from Amazon via the following website some of the proceeds will be used to support his work building schools. Here it is:

http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

Cliff Girls

Our Primary is going to spotlight each child this year, and asked parents to answer a few questions about their children. This is what I submitted for our girls:

Primary Spotlight Questions: KATIE CLIFF

1) Your child’s full name: Katherine Louise Cliff

2) Your child’s favorite food: "chocolate biscotti"

3) Your child’s favorite activity/pastime: "sewing or other craft projects"

4) Your child’s favorite scripture story/hero: "Nephi -- because he obeyed quickly while his brothers murmured"

5) What makes your child unique? Katie is extremely creative! She enjoys drawing, painting, sewing, scultping things out of clay, and would like to learn how to knit or crochet but her Mom doesn't know how to do either of those things!

6) What is a special gift that Heavenly Father has given your child? Katie has been blessed with a loving heart and a desire to do what is right.She is a wonderful big sister and she helps our family a lot.

Primary Spotlight Questions: ANNA KAY CLIFF

1) Your child’s full name: Anna Kay Cliff

2) Your child’s favorite food: "Pizza"

3) Your child’s favorite activity/pastime: "Play soccer"

4) Your child’s favorite scripture story/hero: "I like when Jesus is up in the sky" (Christ's visit to the Nephites)

5) What makes your child unique? Anna loves to go go go -- since she was a little girl she has always been interested in getting out of the house and doing something new. She dearly wishes she could fly.

6) What is a special gift that Heavenly Father has given your child? Anna came with a joyful spirit! She has a lot of happy energy and makes us smile with her enthusiasm and good humor. She is a sunshine girl.