Lost

No, it's not about the tv show. I've never even seen the show, I don't even know what's it's about except that obviously someone is lost.

I cannot stand to lose things. I've probably blogged about it before. Some lost pictures...a lost "faith" ring...Elizabeth's glasses. It drives me bananas. So as we're packing up to leave Africa, I look for my cell phone. It doesn't work in Africa, so I hadn't seen it in several days. I thought it was in my little suitcase. I unpacked and repacked it three times looking for that crazy phone. Then I did the same thing with my large suitcase and my backpack. I was about to go crazy. Not because my phone is some precious commodity, but because I just can't stand it when I can't find things. (On a side note, Derek says next time he's irritated with me, he's just going to find something of mine to hide and then watch me tear the house apart looking for it. I hope he's joking with me or that he doesn't ever get irritated with me again!)

I didn't find the phone in Africa, but I thought, I'll search again once I get home. Maybe I just overlooked it. And then I couldn't find my headphones for my ipod and I started thinking...maybe my phone and my headphones got left on the plane in Amsterdam or slid out of my bag when it was under the seat. No time to look for headphones...I'll look when I get home. At this point, I'm still extremely frustrated that I cannot find my phone, but God starts talking to me about the lost coin and the lost sheep. How the woman looked and looked for the lost coin and how the shepherd looked and looked for his lost sheep. It didn't matter that he had 99 other sheep, where was the one? And then God reminded me, that it's all about the "one".

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the need all around me and feeling like, "can one person or one family really make a difference"? We can make a difference for at least one. Have you heard the story about the starfish on the beach? It mattered to that one.

And because God just has a good sense of humor, my luggage got lost. Never made it to Atlanta with the plane. And it stayed "lost" for several days. It finally came minus a simply love Africa shirt that some airport employee is now sporting (that's a whole different story). My phone and headphones were never found, but that's okay because there was a lesson to be learned in all of it.

May we be found faithful with whatever "one" or "two" God entrusts to us. Let's not miss the oppportunity we have with "one", because we're overwhelmed with the thousands. God's capable enough to handle it all without us, but He gives us opportunity to partner with Him. I don't want to miss the opportunity!

Luke 15:6
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'

Luke 15:9
And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'

Luke 15:24
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Do You Know What I Love?

Easter came and went. It was a great day, but I didn't take a single picture. No pictures of the family, no pictures of the baskets (overflowing...by the way), no pictures of the 300+ egg hunt. Nothing. My parents' neighbors were photographing their kids like crazy at the egg hunt and I thought...maybe I should've brought a camera.

Life's been crazy since we returned home on Wednesday night. I lost my phone somewhere on the trip, so Derek and I (mostly Derek) have been researching phone and cell phone plans. Exciting stuff, I know.

But then yesterday morning and this morning, I saw this on my kitchen counter.



This is what I love. Not the craft...what it says. Read Matthew 28:6, "He is not here; for He has risen, just as He said." That makes me want to jump up and shout it from the mountaintops!! Our God is a promise keeping God. His Word is filled with His promises and I can know that they are true and sure. He is faithful and true and He did just like He said He would. He rose again (or got picked up like my little African friends say) on the third day! Yes! Our God lives!

This is why Derek and I are willing to leave our families for weeks at a time. It's hard. It's hard on the one going and it's hard on the one staying home. It's hard to go door to door on Sunday nights and share the gospel. It's hard to take the high road when you just want to yell at people because they are just mean and cruel and unkind. But God! Two words that sum it all up. God keeps His promises! One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. That Jesus did die and that He was buried and three days later He rose again conquering death and sin forevermore.

I don't have any family pictures of Easter this year, but I have one picture of an Easter craft. And that picture is precious to me. Easter's not about the bunny or the candy or the pretty clothes or the egg hunt, it's about His promise and His offer for eternal life. I am thankful that my God lives and that He keeps His promises...every last one of them!

"He is not here; for He has risen, just as He said."

It Doesn't Hurt to Ask

This is Matthew's note underneath his Easter basket. I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask!

Overwhelmed with Opportunity

The trip was great! I can't go too deep emotionally just yet or I'll just be a weepy mess, so I'm going to start with something a little more lighthearted.

On Sunday night, we picked the nine kids up from the trash dump/landfill. We went to eat pizza and drink coke with them (coke is a staple for me in a foreign country) and then headed back to the guest house. To hear the giddy laughter of three girls in the shower together is indescribable. When Sumer turned on the water, they just reached their hands in and touched the water. They've most likely never had a shower before. Korah doesn't have running water or toilets (more funny stuff about that later). They were just giggling like crazy in the shower. It truly made the long hours of travel worth it. A sweet kiss from God...hearing three teenage girls giggle with joy over a shower. (By the way, they took three showers during their two nights at the guest house.)

We drove four hours (it seemed like 20), to a boarding school. We are hoping to send 100 children from the dump to boarding school in September. They will have toilets and running water and three meals a day and an education and be overwhelmed with opportunity. There future is dependent on it. Right now, they don't go to school and really have no hope. Some of them are double orphans (both parents deceased). Some of them have lost a mother or a father and the other parent is a beggar or visits the trash dump every day and makes a living on selling trash. They are in desperate situations. It is not a healthy home life. Boarding school is a great opportunity for them. The kids all loved the school and the school is on 180 beautiful acres of Ethiopia.

It only costs $700 a year to send these kids to boarding school. If you're willing to sponsor a child, please email Erin at erin_k_allen@hotmail.com

Our family is sponsoring this sweet 12 year old boy Yasen. Let me give a big shout out to Yasen. He was the only teenager that didn't fall asleep during our long English speaking meeting. He made me a proud mama sponsor. He is going to do well and I believe his future is bright.

Yasen is in the brown in this picture. This picture was taken on Saturday.





My parents are sponsoring Habtamu (not sure if I spelled it right). He was a last minute addition to our already full bus, but I'm so glad he came. We shared a very small seat together on the way home.


What can your family sacrifice this year and in the following years so that these kids can have opportunity? Pictures and words cannot describe the desperation and despair that we saw. We cannot turn away and do nothing. To whom much is given much is required. Let me tell you again, America has been given MUCH. Much will be required of us. Let's make our "much" count for something that has eternal value!

Saying Goodbye Stinks

I always dread leaving. Sometimes I'm leaving to head out of town...sometimes it's Derek...sometimes it's my kids going to Florida Nanny and Papa's. It's just hard to say good-bye. Why is it that when you travel, the good-byes are harder? Honestly, maybe I should live every day as if it's my last. What if I hugged and kissed every day like it might be my last?

I'm always amazed at how quickly and deeply I love children in other countries. It's not me. It's not in me. My life is full. I don't feel like I have that much more love to give. It's all God. Somehow He expands my heart just a little every trip and one child or two takes a corner of my heart. I come home and think about them, dream about them and pray that God works miracles on their behalf. It can't be explained, but if you've ever gone on a mission trip, I think you can understand.

And so...the good-byes in Costa Rica did not come easy. We had to say good-bye on two separate days to two different groups of kids. It was crushing. And then I spent all my time with this group of 10 people for a week and they became like family. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We laughed and cried together and we did God's work together. That's what united our hearts...God and His work.





And so saying goodbye stinks. First I said goodbye to a sweet baby Jennifer and Alexis. I cried. Then I said good-bye to Carolina and baby Fernando and sweet Keoshina. I cried. Then I said good-bye to our Costa Rican friends and then to our teammates. And finally to the three Thompson Station girls. I woke up the next day lonely...wishing to see Tiff and Carrie and Maria. And Wednesday morning I will say good-bye again...to my parents, to my dear husband and to my sweet kiddos. And the cycle will only repeat itself when I leave Ethiopia. And so, I'll say it again, saying good-bye stinks...but may the Lord's will be done even though it hurts to say good-bye.

A Captured Heart

It happens every trip. One child or several grab my heart and it just crumbles. It was definitely Joel in Africa. I still think about Joel and pray that God does a mighty work in his life.

In Costa Rica, there were two...sweet Keoshina and Alexis. It looks like Keoshina will probably be reunited with her mother soon. I hope that her mother pulls it together and offers Keoshina a stable home. It must be so hard on these children to be bounced from place to place.

Alexis is a 16 year old boy who is blind. I think he's been blind since birth, but I'm not sure. He's smart as can be and he is happy and laughs so much.

The day we went to the beach he was sitting on the beach all alone playing with some sand toys. I went and sat with him and he started rattling some stuff off in Spanish (rattling is an understatement). I said, "no hablo espanol". He giggled. Five minutes later we had the same exchange. He was trying to figure out all the sand toys. I was able to show him with our hands what the sifter did, but of course I didn't know the Spanish word for ship since I don't speak ANY Spanish. He kept feeling it and trying to figure it out. I finally said, "un momento" and ran and asked our translator for the Spanish word for ship. I came back and told him, he giggled. Then he rattled something off in Spanish and I said, "no hablo espanol". And he laughed again. When I told this story when I got home, Stephen said, It's kind of funny that you were telling him in Spanish that you didn't speak Spanish. Good point!



Alexis could manuever around that house in amazing ways and he could sense when people were beside him. At one point when we were saying goodbye, he walked up to Jennifer in the high chair (I still don't know how he knew she was there) and started talking to her and playing with her. We had given them all beanie babies right before we left. I gave Alexis a lion. I just kept thinking "be strong and courageous" and to me a lion represents that. Alexis is kind and loving and funny and has an incredible personality. And yet he probably has very little future in Costa Rica. This is an opportunity for another "but God" story. May God take what Satan meant for evil and turn it into something good that brings God glory. I pray this for Alexis' life. I can't wait to hug his neck again someday and this time I hope to actually know a little Spanish. :-)

What Was I Thinking?

We talked Mary into going white water rafting. I was excited to go until I heard the "safety talk", then I was scared. Seriously...there was a pit in my stomach with all the possibilities of what might happen and where to grab the safety rope and how and what it means to "get down" or "lean in" or "right forward, left back" or "left forward, right back". My head was about to explode with all the details, but it was too late. We were there. Get a life jacket and a helmet...no one's staying behind.

And so, off we went and to our great surprise, no one fell out of our boat. The rapids were class 1 to 4 if that means anything to you.

Tiffany was our captain, but she could rarely hear or understand the commands. This wasn't Tiffany's fault. The river was loud and our guide didn't believe in yelling and even when he did, I wasn't sure half the time if he said "lean in" or "get down". This was comic relief for all of us. Mary was always involved in a conversation with our guide about the wildlife or the indigenous people and would not hear the commands either...even though she was sitting right by the guide. He would say, "Maria, forward". This was also comic relief.

I had my foot jammed under the seat so that I wouldn't fly out of the boat. The water felt cold and the sun wasn't shining. How my legs got sun burnt, I'll never know. Carrie was probably the most confident and the best of all of us...she has some great arm strength gained by wrangling some animals on her vet calls.

Enjoy the pics! It was a great way to end our trip! The whole team was a blast. We laughed so hard each and every day!

This was either "get down" or "lean in"...not sure which one. :-)