If you think this post is going to be about discipling children, you will be disappointed. While I could write a post on that, I don't know that I have much to offer. If you think our children are well behaved and well mannered and obedient, well you haven't been around my children for longer than...let's say five minutes. One of my children believes that the solution to everything is physical contact...that's a blog for another day.
I saw this quote on facebook today, "Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most".
What I want now....
A new deck
A fall trip to Disney
New family room furniture
A fall trip to Disney
Curtains in all the downstairs rooms (we have lived here since 2004 and we still don't have curtains!)
A fall trip to Disney (did I already say that?)
What I want most....
a sweet little boy from Africa
And so, no trip to Disney for us in 2011. We are postponing until next year and believe that we'll have a new family member in 2012....and then we're heading to Disney. And maybe some of those other things on the list will happen in 2012, but for now we choose to give up what we want now because we're saving for what we want most....a precious little African boy.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Simply Love Shirts
Our dossier is done! Hooray!
We are starting our fundraising for the next payments that will be due. We decided to sell these great Simply Love shirts (I'm sure you've seen them around).
They are the Next Level Alternative Brand both on brown heather (espresso). The ladies' shirt comes in both a ladies/junior cut and a unisex/standard cut. For the ladies' cut, you'll need to order several sizes up. (I wear a small/medium in most tshirts and require an XL in this ladies cut as it fits more slender). The men's cut runs pretty true to size.
They are $25 plus shipping.
Ladies Design
Brown Heather with Pink Writing (this is a heather brown shirt even though it looks like a solid brown)
Men's Design
Brown Heather (please ignore the army green :)
We are starting our fundraising for the next payments that will be due. We decided to sell these great Simply Love shirts (I'm sure you've seen them around).
They are the Next Level Alternative Brand both on brown heather (espresso). The ladies' shirt comes in both a ladies/junior cut and a unisex/standard cut. For the ladies' cut, you'll need to order several sizes up. (I wear a small/medium in most tshirts and require an XL in this ladies cut as it fits more slender). The men's cut runs pretty true to size.
They are $25 plus shipping.
Ladies Design
Brown Heather with Pink Writing (this is a heather brown shirt even though it looks like a solid brown)
Men's Design
Brown Heather (please ignore the army green :)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Hope in the Midst of Despair
We visited one orphanage that didn't allow pictures. Of all the orphanages we visited, this one needed to allow pictures. These precious children need homes and I would love to advocate for help for this place (however, it's not what they want right now). There are probably about 140 children at this home and it's simply survival at this place. Some places have a real sense of family and the kids look out for one another. That is not how I would describe this place. When I was there in May, the toddlers were kicking and pushing and spitting and hitting and throwing chairs across the room. Anger and hurt was everywhere. It broke my heart. It was almost more than I could take.
And in June, I spent more time in the baby rooms. There were probably 25-30 babies under 3 months old in one room. Two to a bed and itty bitty babies, two that were very malnourished. The majority of these babies have been abandoned and were brought to this place by the police. I don't understand it all and the system doesn't always seem to make sense. But this is the only hope for these children. And honestly the nannies are doing the very best that they can. But I think there were only 2-3 nannies for this room and you just can't consistently feed 25-30 babies with 3 people.
The older baby room had 30-35 babies most likely and I only stayed in there for about 5 minutes. The smell was more than I could handle. I tend to have a sensitive nose, but with each trip to Africa, the smells bother me less and less. But that room, I just thought I might pass out because of the smell. I knew I couldn't stay. But God calls everyone to something different and several of the team members stayed in that room and helped feed the children oatmeal.
And there was one little boy that captured my heart. He seemed like a healthy 12-18 month old, but he was in the newborn baby room. I asked why. They said that he had just recently been abandoned. I carried him around for awhile (he was a chunk) and then I'd try to put him down, but he'd cry. And he was so stinking cute, so I'd pick him up again and carry him around some more. One of the nannies said, "You take him to America". I told her that it's not that easy. If it was easy, I would've brought him home. The nanny told one of the other team members that this boy needed to go to America because he cried a lot except for when he was being held. I can only imagine why he cries and what has happened that such a cute little boy who laughs so easily cries except when he's being held. Don't we just all long to be loved by someone. I asked his name...they didn't know. But God knows his name.
And then the girls....oh my....statistics say that over half of these girls will be abused or have been abused. The injustice of it all. One very young girl who came couldn't walk because she had been abused. Another child was being burned by a family member. The heartache and the tragedy, only God can bring healing to these hurting hearts.
It was a lot to take in. Words cannot accurately describe what we saw. And even if we had pictures, I don't think they would help either. Children just starving for attention and acceptance. Children longing for a forever family whether that's reunification with their birth family or placement with an adoptive family. Statistics show though that the majority will just end up living in an orphanage for the rest of their lives.
And so all I know to do is to keep going and to keep telling them that Jesus loves them and that God has a plan for their life. And hopefully some seeds will be planted in their hearts and they will have big dreams for their lives and their families and they will become future leaders of their country. Only God can do that! But I know that God brings beauty from ashes and that what someone else meant for evil, God can use for good. I have to stand on the promises of His Word.
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
And in June, I spent more time in the baby rooms. There were probably 25-30 babies under 3 months old in one room. Two to a bed and itty bitty babies, two that were very malnourished. The majority of these babies have been abandoned and were brought to this place by the police. I don't understand it all and the system doesn't always seem to make sense. But this is the only hope for these children. And honestly the nannies are doing the very best that they can. But I think there were only 2-3 nannies for this room and you just can't consistently feed 25-30 babies with 3 people.
The older baby room had 30-35 babies most likely and I only stayed in there for about 5 minutes. The smell was more than I could handle. I tend to have a sensitive nose, but with each trip to Africa, the smells bother me less and less. But that room, I just thought I might pass out because of the smell. I knew I couldn't stay. But God calls everyone to something different and several of the team members stayed in that room and helped feed the children oatmeal.
And there was one little boy that captured my heart. He seemed like a healthy 12-18 month old, but he was in the newborn baby room. I asked why. They said that he had just recently been abandoned. I carried him around for awhile (he was a chunk) and then I'd try to put him down, but he'd cry. And he was so stinking cute, so I'd pick him up again and carry him around some more. One of the nannies said, "You take him to America". I told her that it's not that easy. If it was easy, I would've brought him home. The nanny told one of the other team members that this boy needed to go to America because he cried a lot except for when he was being held. I can only imagine why he cries and what has happened that such a cute little boy who laughs so easily cries except when he's being held. Don't we just all long to be loved by someone. I asked his name...they didn't know. But God knows his name.
And then the girls....oh my....statistics say that over half of these girls will be abused or have been abused. The injustice of it all. One very young girl who came couldn't walk because she had been abused. Another child was being burned by a family member. The heartache and the tragedy, only God can bring healing to these hurting hearts.
It was a lot to take in. Words cannot accurately describe what we saw. And even if we had pictures, I don't think they would help either. Children just starving for attention and acceptance. Children longing for a forever family whether that's reunification with their birth family or placement with an adoptive family. Statistics show though that the majority will just end up living in an orphanage for the rest of their lives.
And so all I know to do is to keep going and to keep telling them that Jesus loves them and that God has a plan for their life. And hopefully some seeds will be planted in their hearts and they will have big dreams for their lives and their families and they will become future leaders of their country. Only God can do that! But I know that God brings beauty from ashes and that what someone else meant for evil, God can use for good. I have to stand on the promises of His Word.
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
Monday, July 11, 2011
What Was I Thinking?
So in 2010, I signed up to lead a team in May 2011 to Ethiopia/Uganda. I signed up for this trip because it was the only Visiting Orphans trip going to Ethiopia and Uganda in 2011. I love Ethiopia, but I wanted to go back to Uganda. God had other plans though, because we ended up only staying in Ethiopia because of some political unrest in Uganda.
I also agreed to co-lead a youth group in June of 2011. Not sure what I was thinking with these trips being back to back. As excited as I always am to head back to Ethiopia, it was with some anxiety and fear that I entered into this trip. It would mean joining up with a tight knit group of youth and chaperones that had been planning this trip and fundraising for over a year. And I was to jump in and co-lead and share my love of Ethiopia with this group of youth. I knew they'd be silly, but I thought they might also drive me bananas.
But God is so good and He sent me such an awesome group of youth. I love each and every one of them. It's interesting how you start out as strangers and ten days later you're family. I love each and every one of these youth and chaperones. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had with them. There are several who I know have the tug to do something "radical" with their lives for Jesus. It's going to be great fun to watch the adventure ahead for them!
I also agreed to co-lead a youth group in June of 2011. Not sure what I was thinking with these trips being back to back. As excited as I always am to head back to Ethiopia, it was with some anxiety and fear that I entered into this trip. It would mean joining up with a tight knit group of youth and chaperones that had been planning this trip and fundraising for over a year. And I was to jump in and co-lead and share my love of Ethiopia with this group of youth. I knew they'd be silly, but I thought they might also drive me bananas.
But God is so good and He sent me such an awesome group of youth. I love each and every one of them. It's interesting how you start out as strangers and ten days later you're family. I love each and every one of these youth and chaperones. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had with them. There are several who I know have the tug to do something "radical" with their lives for Jesus. It's going to be great fun to watch the adventure ahead for them!
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