A Not So Important Blog About Nothing

The devastation of the recent earthquakes in Haiti has touched the lives of people across the world. While droves of friends and family were receiving horrific news, one of Primerica’s own, Regional Vice President Peggee & Jarrin King, was elated to receive word that her parents, missionaries in her home country of Haiti, were alive. They were alive, but lacking the basic human necessities to keep themselves – and the people who depend on them – well.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010, flattened homes and crumpled government buildings. Because of the tremendous loss of life and the overwhelming need for food, water, shelter and medicines, the International Faith Fellowship Ministries, Inc. (IFF) was in dire straights. The Liberuses, Peggee’s parents and the founders of IFF, sent word that they needed help, and the Primerica community responded right away.

Senior National Sales Director Andy Young coordinated an effort that collected more than 850 boxes of food, medicine, clothing, toiletries, generators and more. These donations, along with monetary gifts, filled two moving trucks that Young, Jarrin King and two other Regional Vice Presidents – Chris McHugh and Joe Redd – drove to Venice, FL, and loaded aboard Agapé Flights.

In Haiti, Peggee’s family met the plane and distributed the more than 30,000 pounds of donated goods.

The amazing contribution was reportedly the largest the airline had seen to date – good news for a community of six churches, three schools and a Bible college that was waiting anxiously for relief. Peggee said, “We are overwhelmed by the response. It’s wonderful that people want to help, despite what’s going on with the economy here.”

Through these contributions given by the Primerica representatives and Home Office family, hundreds of people will be able to meet some of their most basic needs and begin determining how to go on from here. To boot, Primerica made a corporate donation of $10,000 to the American Red Cross to help in the Haiti recovery efforts. Individual employees have also made personal financial donations through many of the aid sites that have been established in the wake of the earthquakes.

Peggee warned, “As people are giving so generously, I want them to be mindful of which organizations they give money to. They want to make sure that the need gets to the people, like the Primerica donation did.” Jarrin added, “I also hope people remember that after the cameras have left, the people will still need us. Primerica helped to supply the immediate needs of the people – needs like food, water and medicine; but they didn’t forget to send things like saws and other tools. These are the things that will help the people of Haiti as they start the next step: rebuilding.”

Primerica said “yes” and came through for people who desperately need help right now. They delivered on a promise to do what’s right for families … starting with their own.

If you’re interested in giving specifically to the International Faith Fellowship Ministries, Inc., they are a 501(c)3 organization. You can make financial gifts at any Wachovia Bank.

• If you have a small business, or planning to start one, joing us on Feb 10th @ noon at the Oasis on Joe Pool Lake. #

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• If you have a small business, or planning to start one, joing us on Feb 10th @ noon at the Oasis on Joe Pool Lake. #

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mtb International Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in Business Development and Business Performance Improvement through Operational Excellence applying LEAN and Six Sigma principles enhancing your business’ customer satisfaction, efficiency and effectiveness and ultimately your bottom line. All our consultants are Certified Six Sigma Black Belts with over 20 years of experience in a variety of industries.

In addition, we help you grow your top line by developing innovative Sales & Marketing strategies for your business or organization.

Our firm also offers assistance to manufacturing start-up companies or to companies planning on transferring partial or whole operations within Texas, U.S. and from and to Mexcio.

Here are just a few remarkable facts:

• A company operating at the 3 Sigma level spends approximately 25%-30% of the annual revenue on inefficiencies; a 6 Sigma level company spends less than 1%!
• A company working at 2.8 Sigma level means that 200,000 wrong drug prescriptions will be written compared to only 68 per year at a 6 Sigma level.
• Similarly, operating at 2.8 Sigma level, 5000 incorrect surgical operation will be carried out weekly as compared to 6 Sigma level, when rate of wrong operations will be 1.7.
• Delnor Hospital in Geneva, IL reduced the average length of stay by 10 hours by improving the patient discharging process applying Lean principles, making a planned $80 Mio. expansion unnecessary.
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Phone: 817-719-0303
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Primerica is unleashing a revolutionary new marketing campaign, which will span coast to coast and extend its reach as far north as Quebec, Canada and as far west as Maui, Hawaii.

Primerica On The Road’s base of operations will be a 40-foot motor coach, custom built to support mobile film and video productions. Starting December 10 and continuing non-stop through February, the motor coach will be visiting offices and covering Primerica events throughout North America.

“This is our motor home of destiny,” said Primerica Co-CEO John Addison as he introduced the new campaign recently. “We’ll be going around the country profiling people who are winning now, ranging from our newest stars to our top company leaders.”

Before I go into this story, let me preface this with some history about me.  This is going to be a very personal post revealing something that I’ve told very few people in the last 15 years.  Why am I spreading this online now instead of keeping it a secret? Well, I had a good talk with Pastor Steve about this and made a few realizations about it.

1. What I was seeing wasn’t dreams, but memories.
2. Not my memories, but someone else’s begging to be heard.
3. When I figured out I was suppose to tell the stories, I had a huge feeling of relief.

For the past 15 years, ever since dating an “adventurous” girl named Tiffany (last name withheld to protect the guilty. ), I started noticing things around me.  Not items things, but spiritual things.  Yes, actual ghosts and demons.  I found that if I meditated a bit and concentrated, I could sense what they were saying.  How do I know I wasn’t crazy? Well, I’ve described what people look like to other.  Not people I’ve met, but people that passed many years before. Even passed on a few personal messages.  There was even a time when I was dropping off my friend Elric, and while talking to him about it, sensed hundreds of sprits who have died various ways.  Shootings, old age, fires, collapses, diseases, etc.  Some were hundreds of years old begging just to be recognized.  That same night, I also quoted Revelations completely in graphic detail…with never having read it even once.

Can I do this on demand? Not really.  Although it does explain why I haven’t dreamt in a long while.

Now for the story.

This one is about 12 years old and just now being told.  I only ever had it once and it’s only gotten clearer as time progressed.

A solider is patrolling with his platoon in Vietnam. It’s raining, dark, and otherwise just not a place he wants to be.  He keeps thinking about how much he wants to be home with his girl.  As they are patrolling, he spots movement in the distance, but they doesn’t hear the noise the creature is making.  He points his gun into the distance and takes the best aim he can.  As the movement gets closer to an clear opening, and a clean shot), he preps to shoot.  He sees what looks like a body, shoots, and the bullet makes contact.  A split second later he sees a woman falling down with a surprised look on her face.  He approaches the her to get a better idea of what was going on.  Upon investigating, he realized he killed an innocent village woman.

The soldier in question has been asking for forgiveness since that day, even after his death.

At this point, the dream flashes white and repeats in the view point of the mother.  Although I don’t know what she is saying, she is searching for her son. She knows their are patrols coming and doesn’t want her son to be captured.  As she moves through the trees and brush quietly calling for her son, she doesn’t realize she is near a patrol.  Upon passing the clearing, she hears a shot.  By the time she can turn her head in the direction, she feels what feels like a punch on her chest and a burning sensation.  She trips and falls. The last few seconds before she passes on, she feels the warmth of blood exiting her chest as she grows cold and is thinking “Why?”

At this point, the dream flashes once more and this time, I see an overview of what happened.  However, in this case, I also see the little boy, hiding not but 100ft away, witnessing his mother being killed and scared to move for fear of being killed himself.

As mentioned above, the soldier in question died of guilt, begging to be forgiven for killing an innocent mother. As I write this, I sense his regret, and relief that his story has been told.  At the same time, I sense the anger from the mother as to why she had to die.

I will end this with a message to both spirits, if you don’t forgive, you won’t move on.

To my readers, as I have more of these, I will post them.  That is the only reason I can think of as to why I have them.

Imagine It! Board Member and Primerica CFO Alison Rand was proud to announce that Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta will honor Primerica for its “outstanding commitment to the wellbeing of children and families of our community” at the Museum’s gala, Amuse’UM, to be held on February 20, 2010.

Primerica Co-CEO Rick Williams served on the founding Board of Directors. Since officially opening in 2003, many Primerica employees and departments — from Community Relations to Publications — have contributed their time and talent to support the museum and its work with children.

“For nearly a decade,” says Rand, “the financial and in-kind resources that Primerica and its employees have provided have made a profound difference in the museum’s ability to spark imagination and discovery for more than 1,250,000 children and their caregivers. Through grant support, board leadership, committee involvement, graphic design and print services, Primerica has enabled Imagine It! to bring rich, innovative, hands-on learning experiences to families and schools in the metro Atlanta area.”

Imagine It! has created a unique place where children and parents can play and learn together about a variety of topics in a safe, fun and nurturing setting. Tens of thousands of disadvantaged children have been welcomed free of charge, and many provided with free transportation to the Museum, so that visitation barriers are broken down and resources are openly shared. Through extensive community collaborations, Imagine It! is mobilizing four of Atlanta’s most impoverished neighborhoods to engage parents in the education of their children using the educational tools of the Museum.

Primerica is proud to partner with the Museum and is honored to receive such recognition.

Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta encourages children to learn by doing. This little one enjoyed playing with the colorful balls in the Tools for Solutions exhibit.

If you’re like most people, the start of a new year is a time for reflection and resolutions to make the new year better than the previous. Of course, all those grand plans for losing weight or exercising more usually fall by the wayside as life gets in the way.

This year, Primerica encourages you to make a resolution that you can keep…a resolution to start preparing for your future! With all the changes of 2009 behind us, right now is the perfect time to start making little changes that could have big benefits in the future.

These four tips will help you get started.

1. Create a Budget. Have too much month left at the end of your money? A few dollars here and there don’t seem like much at the time, but when added up can equal a big chunk of money you didn’t realize you were spending! Creating and sticking to a budget is an easy way to identify exactly where your money’s going.
2. Trim Expenses. Think about the expenses you have every month. There may be ways to trim costs by foregoing some conveniences – like specialty cable channel subscriptions or movie theater outings.
3. Consider the Latte Factor. Getting into the habit of saving isn’t hard, it just takes practice. Start by cutting out small expenses first and put the money you would be spending on those things into a savings account. For example, if you purchase coffee every morning, try making your own brew at home a couple of times a week.
4. Become a Bargain Hunter. You could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year by shopping around! It takes a little effort, but clipping coupons, purchasing items in bulk at discount stores and holding out for sales for big ticket items can really add up.

You Can Do It!
This year, resolve to take charge of your financial destiny! Your local Primerica representative can show you more ways to free up funds and start saving. Call today for your FREE Financial Needs Analysis and get on the road to a fantastic future.

Many of us pay too much for these everyday essentials.

Snacks. A daily protein bar can set you back $2 a day. Choose fruit instead for a healthier – and cheaper – alternative.

Bottled water.

Fruits and veggies. If you enjoy precut vegetables and salad mixes, consider the cost of that convenience: about $5.98 a pound. Wash your own lettuce and you’ll pay just a third of that.

Movies. An evening for two at the theatre costs about $30 in major cities. For about $5 a month you can watch two movies from an online rental source or. Plus, DVD kiosks located at certain neighborhood grocery and discount stores rent current-release flicks for about $1 a day. Or … surf your local library’s Web site for free rentals!

Television. Cut the cable or satellite service and get a digital conversion box, which gives you a clear connection to all the basics. With a broadband Internet connection you can watch more than 300 shows on certain internet sites. Many networks now post full episodes on their Web sites so you can watch them for free, or rent DVDs of your favorite shows.

Kiplinger.com, viewed September 9, 2009

The holidays are upon us and many families are digging deep to find the cash for gifts and travel costs. According to a recent survey, the average U.S. household plans to spend an average of $683 on holiday related shopping, a slight drop from last year.¹ With unemployment close to 10%, and many more families unsure about their financial future for 2010, finding ways of enjoying the season without busting the budget are more important than ever.²

Primerica presents three easy ways to make your money go farther this Christmas.

1. Shop Smart. Both traditional retailers and online merchants often run sales or offer incentives like free shipping to encourage consumers to buy. Just shopping around a bit could help you save big.
2. Stick to Your Budget. Decide ahead of time how much you want to spend on each person or gift and stick to it.
3. Try a “Stay” Cation. Airfare for a family can really stress a budget – especially when the economy is slow. Even gas and other travel expenses could be a big strain on a family’s finances. Consider staying close to home this year. Start a new family tradition like watching a special holiday movie together, going caroling in your neighborhood or taking cookies and homemade crafts to a local senior center.

A few small changes can make a big difference and if you’re smart about your spending, you can still satisfy those wish lists – without breaking the bank!

1 National Retail Federation, www.nrf.com, October 20, 2009
2 www.dailyfinance.com, viewed December 17, 2009