Hello America

Hello America!   Please, can you help us out here?

America has the largest English speaking population in the world.

America has some of the largest Christian churches in the English speaking world.

Christian House Sitters has been prominently featured in articles in numerous American Christian magazines.

But

We still have fewer members in America than in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, South Africa and many other countries.

Please, can you help spread the word in the USA?

Remember this is not a business but a ministry.

Becoming a registered house owner is free.

Having someone look after your home and pets is free.

Registering as a house sitter so you can enjoy rent-free vacations all over the world costs just £25 for a year (all of which goes to help vulnerable children at Home of Peace Children’s Home.

We need a few Christians to catch the vision, tell their churches, friends and family and the result will be that we are able to serve everyone so much better.

To find out more about how this ministry works look at our website Click Here
Or read some of our past blog posts such as

USA The No vacation Nation

The Science Behind Vacations

8 Important Questions

God bless you,

Ray

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

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If money was no issue?

I love travelling. Seeing new places, meeting new people and experiencing new and different cultures.

The only real problem is paying for it.

Through Christian House Sitters people all over the world are enjoying the pleasures of travelling without having to pay any rent for their accommodation and in addition, if needed, having someone who will look after their home and pets free of charge while they are away.

Membership lasts a year so I have just looked back at the past 12 months and I see that we have been able to provide lovely, rent-free accommodation in the following countries.

Scotland

Germany

South Africa

England

Australia

Spain

Wales

Ireland

Mexico

France

New Zealand

USA

Do you know anyone who may benefit from this wonderful opportunity?

Have a look at our website and contact me if you have any questions. CLICK HERE

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Have you got any interesting, funny or heart warming vacation stories that you would like to share on this blog?

If so please let me know using the contact form. Especially if they involve House Sitting!

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God bless you,

Ray

 

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

You need it and deserve it.

To my regular readers an apology. I know that I have touched on this topic a few times in the past but it is so important and backed by so much new research that I felt it was worth mentioning it again.

Language. This blog is (thankfully) read all over the world. People in places like the UK use the term holiday and vacation interchangeably but most our US friends tend to see a holiday as something like Thanksgiving Day. I will therefore use the term Vacation to avoid confusion.

Americans are not taking all of their earned vacation days. A 2014 survey revealed that while 96% of people recognize the importance of taking time off, 41% did not plan on taking all of their available vacation. Another survey showed that 42% of Americans did not take a single day of vacation in 2014.

This is bad for your health, your family, your mental well being and for your effectiveness at work!

Vacations are good for your health.

For example, a nine-year study, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, found that middle-aged people at high risk for heart disease who took regular annual vacations were 32% less likely to develop heart disease.

According to the Framingham heart study — a renowned longitudinal study of cardiovascular disease — women who vacationed frequently were less likely to have heart attacks or die of coronary-related reasons.

A Wisconsin study of 1,500 rural women demonstrated that frequent vacations led to less depression and tension, as well as greater energy and marital satisfaction.

Families as a whole benefit from vacation, too. A poll found that 97% of parents with children aged 5 to 17 said their children learned more about them on family trips. Also, these getaways enable families to have more meals together and be sillier and more affectionate with each other.

Dr Lucy Goundry, Nuffield Health’s Medical Director, said: ‘Our clinical results show how vacations helped couples reduce their blood pressure, improve their sleep and manage their stress levels better. ‘These results clearly demonstrate that on vacation our ability to physically cope with stress improves.

Ladies this bit is specially for you.
Stress May Cause Fat Around the Midsection in Lean Women

Even some slender women have problems with fat. Research shows that lean women who are stressed-out may be more likely to have “spare tires” around their midsections -which increases their risk of certain diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. “Our findings support the idea that greater life stress and stress reactivity can contribute to central fat, especially among lean women,” says study author Elissa Epel, PhD. “For lean women, central fat may indicate an underlying sensitivity to stress rather than being in part a result of obesity.” Epel, who was a research scientist at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., when the study was conducted, is now with the Health Psychology Program at the University of California, San Francisco.

“When you have chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you crave carbohydrates and fats, and these extra calories make a beeline to the inner abdomen, she explains. As levels of the female hormone estrogen change as women age, fat goes to the abdominal area instead of the hips and thighs, where it was formerly needed to support reproductive functions”. Dr. Peeke says.

So why do we not take the much needed break?

We enjoy them.
We need them.
We want them
So what is the problem?

Research suggests that there are 2 main obsticals.

1. People are concerned that their job will not manage without them. Actually the research clearly shows that you will do a far better job with a break.

 

Vacation Makes You More Productive and Relaxed

Interestingly, the concept of leaving unused vacation days is practically unheard of in Europe. In fact, the European Union requires its citizens to receive at least 20 paid vacation days every year. (In contrast, U.S. companies are not legally required to give their employees any paid time off.)

This mandate stems from the idea that workers are not only less stressed when given time off, but that they come back more productive and less likely to burn out.

2. People feel that they simply can’t afford to take a decent vacation.

Let us help you. That is what we are here for.

As a registered house sitter you and your family will be offered a wide range of vacations all over the world. Totally rent-free.
But what about your home and pets? What will happen to them?
Again we can help. Register as a Home Owner (it is free) and we will help you find a suitable person to look after your home and pets free of charge.

Don’t delay. Be bold and take a major step towards a happier, healthier and more productive life.

If you would like to benefit from our service please have a look at the website. http://www.Christian-housesitters.com or  CLICK HERE.

God bless you,
Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

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USA The No‐Vacation Nation

I was commenting to a friend (yes i do have one and he is not imaginary) that we have members all over the world but the USA, the largest English speaking country in the world seems to have the lowest number of people joining Christian House Sitters.

My friend kindly sent me a paper called “European Economic and Employment Policy Brief” By Rebecca Ray and John Schmitt ISSN 1782‐2165 published by ETUI-REHS which is financially supported by the European Commission and the following is an extract

Average annual working hours are substantially shorter in European countries and elsewhere in the world’s advanced economies than they are in the United States. One important reason for the difference is that workers in the United States are less likely to receive paid annual leave and paid public holidays, and those U.S. workers that do receive paid time off generally receive far less than their counterparts in comparable economies.

This report reviews the most recently available data from a range of national and international sources on statutory requirements for paid leave and paid public holidays in 21 rich countries (16 European countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States). In addition to our finding that the United States is the only country in the group that does not require employers to provide paid leave, we note that almost every other rich country has also established legal rights to paid public holidays over and above paid leave.

Members of the European Union and other European countries analyzed here all establish a legal right to at least 20 days of paid leave per year, with legal requirement of 25 and even 30 or more days in some countries.

Australia and New Zealand both require employers to grant at least 20 paid-leave days per year. Canada and Japan mandate at least 10 paid days off.

The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid leave.

The gap between paid time off in the United States and the rest of the world is even larger if we include legally mandated paid public holidays, where the United States offers none, but most of the rest of the world’s
rich countries offer between five and 13 paid public holidays per year.

That is really shocking!

There is so much solid research showing the benefits of a vacation. Benefits to both the employer and the employee. I will not repeat it all here but if you are interested please refer to some of my previous posts such as

Help Yourself Get A Promotion

Live Longer & Happier

Why You Need A Vacation

Health Benefits of a Vacation

Wherever you live and work we can make your vacation easier to afford.
Some of the biggest costs associated with a vacation are the price of accommodation and the price of having someone look after your own home and pets while you are away. Through Christian House Sitters these are made available FREE OF CHARGE.

Have a look at the website for further details. CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

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The Adventure Continues. South Africa

I have been running an occasional mini-series reproducing media articles about the wonderful work of Christian House Sitters from all over the world.

So far we have reproduced an article from Canada Click here

One from the UK  Click here

Two from the USA  Click here   and Click here

Today I will share one from South Africa.

Note this is now a couple of years old so at the end I will update the details.

Let me update this article.

We now give 100% of all income from Christian House Sitters to this Children’s Home. Yes that is right 100% of all income not of all profits. We personally cover all overheads.

We are now a registered Charity and God has blessed the work at the Children’s Home.

So when you join Christian House Sitters you get the benefit of rent-free vacations, you can also have someone look after your home and pets free of charge while you are away and your full membership fee helps feed, cloth and educate vulnerable children.

To find out more about Christian House Sitters please Click Here

To find out about the charity and how you can get involved even if you are not part of Christian House Sitters please Click Here

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

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Faith Filled Family

We are continuing our mini-series reproducing articles about Christian House Sitters that have appeared in the press around the world. This week we feature another article from America.

The following article appeared in the American Magazine Faith Filled Family on the 26th of January 2012

 

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Ray White was born in South Africa. His wife, Marilyn, moved to South Africa from England at eleven months of age.

They now live in England but they have seen the needs of the people in this region, and their heart is to help Christian work in Africa. .

Their organization, Christian House Sitters enables them to support a children’s home in Kenya with proceeds going towards this charity.

Faith Filled Family: How did you come up with the idea for Christian House Sitters?

Ray: When we retired, we had very little money as it had all gone into the work of the Christian Counselling Ministry so in order to be able to have a good vacation we needed to find an alternative to paying full price. We heard about a Secular House Sitting organization and registered and ended up in a house in France for 3 months. It was a wonderful experience but we found it a bit lonely as we knew nobody and could not find a church. Also the home owners who were not Christians left some statues and things around the house that made us feel uncomfortable. Marilyn said that the next time we should use a Christian organization so we searched and could not find one anywhere. Marilyn therefore suggested we start one which we did and the result is Christian House Sitters.

Faith Filled Family: It is my understanding that you two started this ministry on your own. Would you please explain what the CHS does?

Ray: We seek to help home owners and house sitters find each other. People can register as a Sitter, an Owner or as both. If you register as a home owner we help you to find a house sitter to move into your home while you are away on vacation. They will look after your home and pets for you free of charge and in return they receive a rent free vacation in your home. So as an owner you save money by not having to pay anyone to look after your home and pets. You also have the security of knowing that your home and pets are being looked after by a responsible Christian.

If you register as a house sitter you get to travel and stay rent-free in lovely homes all over the world rather than in expensive and often characterless hotel rooms.

How does this work in practice? When you register as an owner we list your house details (without the specific address) on the restricted section of our website that can only be viewed by registered sitters.

We also email all registered sitters drawing their attention to the listing.

Sitters then decide which houses they are interested in and click an enquiry button. That automatically sends the owners their details and their profile info. Then it is over to the owner to make contact and decide which application they like best, check references and arrange the sit.

Faith Filled Family: How can someone sign up for either being as an owner or sitter?

Ray: It is really very easy. All they need to do is visit our website www.Christian-housesitters.com and click on the link to register. They will be asked for their name, the name of their church and minister and for some information about themselves. As long as they are members of a recognized Christian Church we will accept them as members. We also write to the named minister informing him or her that these members of the church have joined CHS.

Faith Filled Family: Can I be an owner and a sitter? What about paying, if I am both would I still pay the sitter fee?

Ray: You can register as a sitter, as an owner or as both. Registration as an owner is FREE. Registration as a Sitter is £25 per year.

Faith Filled Family: How does a sitter gain access to the houses available and the timetables?

Ray: When a sitter registers they select a password. This enables them to login to the members section of the website and see details of all available houses. From here they can also notify home owners of their interest in a house. Also whenever any new house is listed with us we send an email to all registered sitters giving them the details and reminding them that if they are interested they should login and contact the owner.

Faith Filled Family: What advice do you provide for both parties?

Ray: On the website we have a number of sections to help people. These include:

Tell Your Sitter, Advice to Sitters, Suggested Agreement and also more general info under “House Sitting Explained” and under FAQ

Faith Filled Family: How many countries has your ministry been extended into?

Ray: At the moment we have active members in Canada, USA, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales

We are also looking into expanding into other areas as well.

Faith Filled Family: I would think this is a fluid ministry in that owners and sitters are changing. Is this true?

Ray: Yes and no. Many owners remain with us and use our service every time they have a vacation.

There is no limit on how often they can ask for a sitter. We also have many sitters who renew their membership every year. But naturally there are some owners and sitters who do not remain with us and there are also always new people joining.

Faith Filled Family: I understand that the benefits from the sitters’ fee go towards a particular charity. Where does it go?

Ray: 100% of this money goes to support homeless children at a Christian Children’s Home in Kenya.

The cost of running the site is covered by us so all income goes to these needy children. You can read more about the children’s home at www.christian-housesitters.com/kenya.htm

Faith Filled Family: Please explain how and why you chose your beneficiary?

Ray: When we first started we decided that we wanted to support Christian work in Africa because of our personal experience there. Initially this money went to a Christian Organization in South Africa.

Meanwhile our church had been helping a Children’s Home in Kenya. For various reasons the church could no longer afford to continue this financial support and after much prayer we decided to take it on as our project. The work had not been run very efficiently in Kenya so Marilyn, who is experienced in business management, set up a strong accountability structure with herself as the leader. She appointed local Christians to run the home on a day-to-day basis under a local leadership team.

But all major decisions need to be approved by her and she also makes certain that the money is properly accounted for and used wisely. She has had contact with local officials and the home has been inspected by both the area Chief and the District Commissioner who expressed their delight in how well it is being run.

Faith Filled Family: The Home of Peace Children’s Home in Kenya; how many children are cared for at the home?

Ray: This varies slightly but we normally have between 80 and 85 children who would otherwise be living on the streets, begging or stealing to stay alive. We provide them with accommodation, food, clothing, medical care and pay for their schooling. This is all done in a strong Christian atmosphere. As a result we are seeing lives transformed.

Faith Filled Family: You have explained that Home of Peace Children’s Home in Kenya Is supported by the CHS. Does the ministry cover all expenses?

Ray: At this stage we are their only financial support. Over the past 12 months we have built them 2 toilet blocks (before this they had to use a field which we felt was not satisfactory), we have built a nursery room for the younger children, and we have got additional beds for the children. They now all have bedding and mosquito nets and we have been able to keep them in food, medicine and clothing. It is often really difficult and each time we send out money it is an adventure in faith asking God to supply but He has never failed. If we had additional funds we would love to improve the facilities, build some more dormitories, turn our temporary kitchen into a real kitchen, etc.

Faith Filled Family: If someone desires to donate to the Children’s Home, how would they go about doing so?

Ray: They can do that from our site by clicking the donate button or by sponsoring a child. Full details are at www.TLC-childrenstrust.org

NOTE FROM RAY. Some information in the article about the children’s home is now naturally out of date but the current information can be found at www.tlc-childrenstrust.org/update.htm

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

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An Easy, Fun Way to Save Your Life

Warning Signs

Stress, Depression and Heart Disease are some of the leading killers of this century. Everyone is at risk and we bombarded with advice about diet, exercise, weight control etc. These are all important and I am not seeking to negate them but there is another factor that good solid scientific research has shown to also be vital to preventing theses killers striking.

A solution that is enjoyable, fun, and something to look forward to with eager anticipation and to look back on with fond and lasting memories.

In brief research shows that not taking a regular vacation will significantly increase your risk of death from a heart attack.  I will not go into all the details but will simply summarize a few studies and provide links so you can read them in full if you wish.

In a study of 13,000 middle-aged men at risk for heart disease, those who skipped vacations were found to be 30 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who took at least one week off each year. Even missing one year’s vacation was associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Full report

A separate study, tapping information from the Framingham Heart Study, found vacation deprivation may be equally hazardous for women. Researchers looked at 20 years worth of questionnaires given to 749 women. Their finding: Women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year.  Full Report

A study conducted among 1,500 women in rural Wisconsin found that those who take vacations twice a year or more were less likely to become tense, depressed or tired than those who took vacations once every two years. In addition, the odds of marital satisfaction decreased as the frequency of vacations decreased. Full Report

Finally a sample of 887 law firm lawyers in Canada found that participating in active and social leisure activities and taking a vacation are important in reducing lawyers’ depression Full Report

Americans are at greater risk than those living in most other countries. This is because most countries in Europe have a legal requirement to give staff an annual vacation of between 20 and 30 days (varies between countries. Australia and New Zealand mandate at least 20 days off. Canada only insists on 10 days a year and America has no legal minimum.

There is the mistaken idea that it would cost business too much but that is simply not correct. As an example Jancoa, a Cincinnati janitorial service firm, for example, decreased its employee turnover from 360 percent to 60 percent while simultaneously increasing its productivity with the addition of a week of vacation. Full Report

The Chicago office of Price Waterhouse Coopers, the worldwide accounting firm, once dedicated an entire issue of its in-house newsletter to the importance of taking a vacation, pointing out that vacations enable employees to return to work with a strong focus and energy. Full Article

So start making plans NOW. Your life may depend on it.

BUT I can’t afford it!

In the USA 34% of those asked said that they can’t afford to take their full vacation. Now that is really sad! We all know how important a vacation is for your mental and physical health. Cutting it down because of cost is not necessary.

We can help you!

How?

Register with Christian House Sitters and you can enjoy rent-free vacations all over the world.

We can also arrange for a Christian to look after your home and pets free of charge while you are away.

For more information please have a look at our website CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

 

 

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Some recent rent-free houses around the world

I am often asked what sort of houses we get on the Christian House Sitters website. Some people seem to assume that they will only be tiny apartments tucked away in some dark back street. Far from it we get a wide range from small to big, town to country and everything in between

To give a rough idea here is a short slide show of where some of our recent houses were located and what the sitters found when they arrived.

Remember these were all rent-free. Visit the website for more details CLICK HERE

God bless you

Ray

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Calling American Christians

I have a problem that can only be solved with the assistance of Christians in the USA.

Are you one?

Please will you help?

Let me explain the problem.

As you know I run a ministry called Christian House Sitters offering rent free vacations to Christians all over the world.

We also offer Christian Home Owners the chance to go away on their vacation knowing that their home and pets are being looked after free of charge by a reliable Christian. The ministry has blessed many hundreds of people from all over the world. And yes it is a ministry we do not make any money from this. In fact it costs me personally money to keep it running. All income goes to support homeless children in a Christian Children’s Home in Kenya.(Full details on our website)

So what is my problem?

Although the USA is the largest English speaking country on earth we have far fewer members there than in virtually any other English speaking nation. In fact we even have more members in countries where English is not the native language. Our ministry has been featured in the American secular and Christian press with glowing reports.

We have written to hundreds of churches telling them about what we offer. But America is still losing out and so are people who would love a vacation in the USA.

How can you help?

Please can you help make this ministry known in your circle.

Tell your family and friends.

Share it with your church.

If you want ideas just let me know.

You can read most of the information on the website CLICK HERE. While there be sure to read the About Us page, and the page called House Sitting Explained.

Your help would be a real blessing

Thank you,

Ray

 

 

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Unanswerable Questions

I get loads of emails every day from all over the world. I am not talking about spam. Those I just delete without even reading. I mean real messages from real people who are interested to find out more about Christian House Sitters.

It is fun to look at the timing of the emails. When I wake up in the morning I normally have a bunch from Australia and New Zealand. As the day progresses I start getting the messages from Europe and the UK. Then late in the day and into the evening it is the USA and Canada that dominate my inbox.

We do our best to answer everyone within a maximum of 12 hours. Most are answered far quicker than that.

But among the questions I get there are some that are simply unanswerable.

The most common is from people wanting to know what houses are going to become available at a specific location in the future.

I can’t see into the future. I only know what is available now. I will find out about future houses when their owners decide to list them.

So to try to answer most of the common questions here is a brief summary of what we do and how it works.

Who can Join?

Any Christian who belongs to a recognised Christian Church. People can register as a House Sitters, a Home Owners or as Both.

If you register as a home owner

We help you to find a house sitter to move into your home while you are away on vacation. They look after your home and pets for you and in return they receive a rent free holiday in your home. So the house owner saves money by not having to pay anyone to look after their home and pets. They have the security of knowing that their home and pets are being looked after by a responsible Christian.

If you register as a house sitter

You get to travel and stay rent free in lovely homes rather than an expensive and often characterless hotel room. You are notified about every new listing and can apply for as many as you like.

By becoming a registered House sitter you will benefit by being able to have short or long breaks in your own country or abroad.

Your only expense will be the actual cost of travelling to and from the destination and your food.

You will know that you are helping another Christian to have a break and that when you arrive you will be introduced to their Church and Christian friends.

Naturally it is entirely up to you to decide if you want to get involved or not.

Having done house sitting ourselves we know that arriving in a strange place knowing nobody can be lonely. This should be overcome through using this Christian website.

So what actually happens?

When you register as an owner we list your house details (without the specific address) on the restricted section of our website that can only be viewed by registered sitters. We also email all registered sitters drawing their attention to the listing.

Sitters then decide which houses they are interested in and click an enquiry button. That automatically sends the owners their details and their profile info. Then it is over to the owner to make contact and decide which application they like best, check references and arrange the sit.

What does this all cost?

Registration as an owner is free. Registration as a sitter is only £25 (or the equivalent in your local currency)  per year. All of which goes to supporting a Christian Children’s Home in Kenya. The cost of running the service is covered by Marilyn and Ray White as a service.

If you want any more information please visit the website CLICK HERE or feel free to email me

God bless you

Ray

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