Purpose Driven Post

Ok, so another two months have gone by and I still don’t really have a big update to post. It seems like the only thing that can get me motivated to update this site lately is the need to pass on some information to Eli’s Prayer Warriors. Now is one of those times. 🙂

Some of you may have noticed a new tab on this website for “Eli’s Army Base”. This is a project being led by some friends of ours that would like to see a new playground structure built at the park near the Iowa State Football Stadium in Ames. All of you long time followers know what a big fan of playgrounds Eli was. I think he had hit every single one in Ames multiple times. Anyway, the city has a grant to match funds for a bigger structure if $5k can be raised. On top of that, if the money can be raised, they will put in a rock with a plaque dedicating it as Eli’s Army Base in Eli’s honor. We can’t help but feel that it would be such an appropriate way to remember Eli, honor his memory, and continue to share his story with others who might get to learn about him from visiting that park. It’s especially appropriate that the park will be full of kids wearing Cyclone apparel on Saturdays before the football games! Our friends have setup a website where they are taking donations for making Eli’s Army Base a reality. If they aren’t able to raise the $5k, they’ll refund the donations to anyone who contributed, so you’ll only be contributing to the project if it actually takes place. The site went live yesterday and it’s already almost up to $1k, but I believe they need to raise the money by the end of June, so time is a little tight. Feel free to check it out and contribute if you’d be interested in seeing Eli’s Army Base constructed in Ames! Thanks to those of you who have already contributed after hearing about it on Facebook and Twitter!

Also, as a reminder, I added a tab to this website where people can Share a Memory of Eli. If you click on the “Share a Memory” tab at the top, you’ll see a form where you can submit a memory of Eli and share how his life impacted yours. The idea is to potentially compile these into a book that could be published. Even if that doesn’t happen, we’d just love to have the stories compiled for ourselves to keep forever! So please take a moment to share something, even if it’s just a little story or a quick thought.

Thanks for the continued prayers as we continue to work out our new ‘normal’ and deal with the daily pain of missing Eli’s laughter and sarcasm.