tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-299660802024-03-26T02:26:33.442-07:00Tasting and Seeing - A JourneyI have a real need for getting a lot of things written down, to remember the past and plan for the future. This is where I plan to do both, and maybe even play a bit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-19580836331327737992013-09-15T13:10:00.002-07:002013-09-15T13:10:52.293-07:00Somewhere along the way I forgot . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night I watched a truly great man be honored for his contributions as the president of Compassion International. It was very emotional and challenging to see person after person stand up and show what this one man's answer to God's call meant for their lives. When it was his turn to speak, Dr. Wess Stafford told a story about the building of the Notre Dame cathedral. A journalist comes to a worker with tools and a rock and asks what he's doing. The worker replies, "I'm hammering on this rock." He comes to the next worker who is doing the same thing with the same tools and asks him what he's doing. The worker replies, "Well I'm trying to make the side of this rock smooth so it will fit into the foundation somewhere over there" He walks over to the next man who's doing the same thing and asks him what he's doing, what his job is. The worker stopped and looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm building a cathedral for my God."<br />
<br />
I think somewhere along the way I've forgotten that I'm in the cathedral building business and I've moved on to just beating on rocks so that they fit in place. That's on a good day. Some days I think I might not even have that much of a clue as to what my purpose is. I'm more likely just blindly beating on a rock. It's time for that to stop. It's time for it to build the cathedral in my marriage, in my parenting, in my relationships, and in my advocacy. I knew this walking into church this morning where the message was basically that this isn't even done by me, "but Christ lives in me."<br />
<br />
This seems unfinished because it is. It's right here, right now and I don't have further answers or plans. I don't know how to build a cathedral. I don't even know if I know the right places to hammer on the rocks. "But Christ lives in me."<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://new.livestream.com/accounts/153536/events/2138706?origin=Digest&mixpanel_id=a38171454bdd3-014fe0fd-43681f0a-2ee000-a38171454ce5a&acc_id=3244664&medium=email" target="_blank">Watch Compassion's service as they honor Dr. Stafford and pass the torch to the new president, Jimmy Mellado</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-52515471809408565412013-06-11T05:31:00.000-07:002016-06-11T17:50:20.693-07:00Voices in the Dark<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the lights are low and the breaths beside you are slow and rhythmic, sometimes you hear things. Not things that go bump in the night, but voices. Voices in your head that remind you of things you've done, things you've thought, and lies you've believed. And it's hard, because the voices are as accurate as a history text. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's easy to find yourself back in the negative cycle of accusing yourself and remembering even more wretched behaviors, feeling the guilt pile grow higher and higher. But sometimes, even if it isn't often, you remind yourself that these aren't yours to carry anymore. You've asked for forgiveness and been assured numerous times that your sins have been covered, and nothing has or even is allowed to change that. And you find yourself asking forgiveness for forgetting. You think this might be a good time to catch up a few days on that Bible reading plan. You read in Luke, <i>"<span class="text Luke-6-37" style="font-size: 16px;">Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25175BW" title="See cross-reference BW">BW</a>)"></span>forgive, and you will be forgiven;</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span></i><span class="text Luke-6-38" id="en-ESV-25176" style="font-size: 16px;"><i>give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25176BY" title="See cross-reference BY">BY</a>)"></span>into your lap. For <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25176BZ" title="See cross-reference BZ">BZ</a>)"></span>with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”</i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-6-38" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-6-38" style="font-size: 16px;">And maybe you've never seen it this way before, but you start to apply these words not just to your relationships with others, but to the way you see yourself. Suddenly you find that you really can't even afford to slip back into that self-condemnation cycle. Too much rests on your ability to forgive and move forward. Tonight Light wins and the voices quiet, leaving only peace and sleepiness in the dark.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="text Luke-6-38" style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-12884224082665330482013-05-02T12:38:00.000-07:002013-05-02T12:48:52.118-07:00A Family Chosen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anyone who knows me would call me an introvert, and it's very true. However, I'm an introvert with a pretty strong need for people. I don't want to organize the people or feel comfortable introducing them to each other. I certainly don't want to be at the center of the people. But I definitely want to be in the group. And obviously not all groups are created equal, but there are those groups where you feel comfortable in your own skin without fear of what will happen if those dialogue filters in your brain fail you and you say something embarrassing or inappropriate.<br />
<br />
I got my first taste of these groups with a few friends that I had in grad school. Around the same time, we watched and read Bridget Jones Diary. I don't remember if it was in the books or the movie, but somewhere in there she referred to her tight-knit group as "urban family", and it made perfect sense. In these groups there is a connectedness that you typically think of as reserved for family. I think in some cases, you can be even closer to this "urban family", depending on your own family dynamic. I'm not saying that it should supersede your blood family, because I don't think it should. However, I don't know that I can think of my own groups as less like family. Sometimes "friend" seems too commonplace and "family" more accurate, especially when they are friendships within the Church (big C Church, the whole thing, not necessarily your local church). I have hundreds of people under the label "Friends" on Facebook, but I would said that the relationships I have with most don't feel like family.<br />
<br />
My kids are the ones who bring this to my mind most often. They seem to get this concept so well in the way they choose people to really let into that inner circle, the people they allow to really love them. It comes out in their celebrations and in their prayers. For my youngest, it shines all over her face when she sees one of "her people", especially unexpectedly. I love that we share people. Mostly I love that she hasn't learned to temper her excitement. She never worries, "What if you don't like me as much as I like you?" That idea would seem absurd to her four-year-old diva brain even though it's something that I've struggled with as long as I can remember. And all we can do is try to unlearn the fear, to decide that family is worth the risk. The idea of being called to love has in my head for a while, and it occurs to me that I can't do that while holding other people at arm's length. So I have to keep trying. And it isn't really a task of trying to love people, because these people are completely lovable The task is in deconstructing walls that have been put up over years and years of rejection and fears of rejection (and, let's face it, perceived yet nonexistent rejection). And it's not easy, but so far it has always been worth the effort.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-66536371723595479032013-04-28T13:30:00.003-07:002013-04-28T13:35:38.056-07:00Words on a Page<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You can let a lot of time go by without doing something. So much time that you then don't want to come back to it because you're embarrassed about how much time you allowed to pass without doing doing the thing. So more time passes. More regret piles on. I do it with lots of things. Contacting friends, scheduling appointments, Bible reading plans, cleaning a closet, and, obviously, writing a blog. I can say that I haven't had much to say. That wouldn't be entirely untrue. But there have been things written in my head that have never found there way from there to the laptop. Today isn't much different. I still don't have much to say, but I figure that if I just say something that I've broken the cycle of a regret-filled silence.<br />
<br />
And just like when I do most of those other things I keep putting off because I delayed for too long, it's not as bad as I made it out to be. I'm betting that the organization of my homeschool shelves (that I've talked about doing since Christmas) will be much more painful! So what about you? Where are you most likely to procrastinate? How do you stop the cycle?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-48648965649073557142012-12-10T19:53:00.000-08:002012-12-10T19:53:16.577-08:00Lessons You Just Think You've Learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQij6KkGe0HJFJRlvrXmS7rF0RHylyTnTzAg_IfQZlFoCtCOpZKRpZYFxI5c_7NT4kiDXYQDxdQcl0NxlmmF7FZ7XUqBGhUENER52_DyUmm0-RIt0EPsXdSEzGJ10UIeOgOluJVw/s1600/537499_4377722594314_1065270571_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQij6KkGe0HJFJRlvrXmS7rF0RHylyTnTzAg_IfQZlFoCtCOpZKRpZYFxI5c_7NT4kiDXYQDxdQcl0NxlmmF7FZ7XUqBGhUENER52_DyUmm0-RIt0EPsXdSEzGJ10UIeOgOluJVw/s400/537499_4377722594314_1065270571_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Today the girls and I had the second week of our own makeshift advent. We colored a "Love" ornament and read about the coming of God's special baby. We have been talking about Christmas in America during other time periods, and today we started talking about how other countries celebrate the holiday. We've talked about giving through <a href="http://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm" target="_blank">Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog</a> and have picked our gift, talking about the difference just a little can make to someone who has much less than we do.<br />
<br />
All of this just to point to one truth, really. It's not all about the presents. Not even mostly. Then tonight I decided to close myself in our bedroom and take all their gifts out, making sure everything evened out between them. I looked at all of it laying there and thought, "This isn't enough." Now to my credit, I had forgotten about a few things stashed in other places, but my thinking was still so contrary to what I've been telling my kids for the past month. It's more than enough. And I can't expect them to learn a lesson in their six and three years that I haven't learned in my thirty four.<br />
<br />
So tomorrow we will write a letter, not to Santa, but to Jesus. We will tell him the things we want help with. I <a href="http://www.thebettermom.com/2012/11/contentment-at-christmas-write-jesus-a-letter-giveaway/" target="_blank">stole</a> the idea from a blog post I read this morning. This mama will write one, too. We will share our letters and pray for Him to be more than enough.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-69199775081812254302012-11-14T12:06:00.000-08:002012-11-14T12:06:06.081-08:00Let's Go to Peru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I told you I would be back. I wonder if you've given any more thought to checking out those blog posts from the Compassion Bloggers in Peru. Just in case life threw you a curve ball or 12 and you forgot, I thought I would tell you about a few of them.<br />
<br />
There's a unique thing happening on this trip. While we are seeing the neediest of Peru through American eyes, we are also getting to see them through the eyes of children. I don't know that these girls are having a different experience than anyone else. I am willing to bet that they are more willing to be honest about their insecurities. <a href="http://angiesmithonline.com/2012/11/love-moves/" target="_blank">This blog post</a> also has great pictures that you don't want to miss. Love truly transcends language and cultural barriers, and you will see that so clearly.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://shaungroves.com/2012/11/poverty-in-peru-thanks-to-god/" target="_blank">Shaun Groves</a> examines why we give and reflects on an idea that has been rolling around in my head (and my church) that we are blessed to be a blessing. He also takes us on a tour of a home of a child sponsored through Compassion. I don't want to keep pushing (or maybe I do), but you're really going to want to watch it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
My favorite blog post yet is on the other side of Compassion, an employee. But <a href="http://blog.compassion.com/hope-in-the-darkness/" target="_blank">Marco</a> isn't just any employee, he's a formerly sponsored child. That's right, Compassion does what they say they do. They work to break the cycle of poverty. Marco talks about what got him through hard times, and it was a little hard for me to read that it wasn't the student center or the church, but his sponsor's letters. It made <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">me think about what I've been writing and wonder if there are words I need to be saying more often. "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Your words to a child in a poverty are too precious to set aside. Too precious to become buried in a list of to-dos. They were all too precious to Mar</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">co"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Here's one last picture, from Shaun Groves' Instagram. This one is a culture shock for me.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl1tj3l9SEr0IyKtLYFORzGFp4xwu0zgoi9vip9fKSKpxRW1zRfB6BH9d1SZPJMJAOROx0GWrf19iaXE7oeTRsbJ8CDI-gvEB9RLA4R4nB3B1Tuh_cfl5BR4Tm0U5NAfVOfWx3g/s1600/7f47ba762df111e2aee522000a9f15b9_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl1tj3l9SEr0IyKtLYFORzGFp4xwu0zgoi9vip9fKSKpxRW1zRfB6BH9d1SZPJMJAOROx0GWrf19iaXE7oeTRsbJ8CDI-gvEB9RLA4R4nB3B1Tuh_cfl5BR4Tm0U5NAfVOfWx3g/s320/7f47ba762df111e2aee522000a9f15b9_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-44492284881505488222012-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:002012-11-09T07:00:08.110-08:00Join me?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I keep staring at this empty box, trying to put together, in an organized fashion, what I want to say to you. How to make this relevant to you and worth the time that we all seem to be running short of. In a very real way, it's not. It probably doesn't concern anybody you know or anyone you will ever meet, but if you will, just indulge me for a few minutes and I'll try to keep this short.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next week, there are a group of bloggers who are taking a trip with Compassion International to Peru. They will meet with workers, families, and children and then go back to their rooms and write down their stories for us. I love these trips because they make the world smaller and give faces to abstract concepts like child development centers, poverty, home, compassion. I plan on sharing some of their stories with you and helping to bring Peru as close as your computer is from your face. At that point, it will be relevant. You will have "met" this group of people. Then you will know how to pray for all of those involved, including yourself. Because after you see and read and pray, I think you will want to know what you can do to help. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.compassion.com/visit-peru-six-things-i-learned-from-a-local-church-in-peru/" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a little bit a different blogger learned while in Peru. Which of these six things speaks the most to you? My favorite is <span style="font-size: large;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hugs and smiles speak volumes when the language doesn’t work so well."</span> I hope you'll join in next week and read the blog posts by the eyes and ears Compassion is bringing to Peru and that you will let me know what stands out to you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://compassionbloggers.com/trips/peru-2012/" target="_blank">You can access the Compassion Blogger posts here. </a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-35159373862020634062012-10-24T13:24:00.000-07:002012-10-24T14:02:00.219-07:00Just Jump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
So it's been a while. There are really no easy excuses for my lack of blogging. Suddenly I just found myself without a voice. Or hearing too many voices might be more accurate. Either way, there just didn't seem to be a point, and I always did hate busy work. There have been quiet moments of clarity in my blogging hiatus, but they have been fleeting. I've asked God several times to just force on me a desire for prayer and reflection, but He's even more stubborn than I am. "Seek me with all your Heart" is always the answer that I get. So I asked for a new heart. I still felt like I was being told to seek. But I just didn't feel like it. How lame is that? This is a recurring crisis, so I know the solution. He and I have had these communication issues before, too many times.<br />
<br />
I've had several of those glimpses of clarity this week. From PreK worship to <a href="http://northridgechristian.com/media.php?pageID=5" target="_blank">a call to relentlessly surrender</a>, to <a href="http://deeproots-dana.blogspot.com/2012/10/swoony-girl-new-things-day-20.html?spref=fb" target="_blank">hanging around at a concert watching little blue Compassion papers pour in and knowing what a blessing it was to be a part in it</a>. I also traded in mindless for mindful yesterday evening and listened to a <a href="http://www.passioncitychurch.com/watch/#PCC-072212-V2" target="_blank">great podcast from Passion City Church</a> where Louie Giglio said (pardon the paraphrase) that sometimes you might not feel like you are who God says you are, but that's OK because "operational truth" trumps feelings.<br />
<br />
Last night, we were getting the girls ready for bed. I told the youngest to hug her daddy good night. She ran to him, looked up at him with those big blue eyes and a smile on her face. He clapped once and held his hands out to her. "Come here." She reached up and jumped to him, and her short little legs barely left the ground. She couldn't jump to him no matter how hard she tried. But it was enough, and he pulled her to him and held her tight. I'm sure this happens all the time in my house, but last night it just hit me. I have to reach up and jump, even if I don't feel like it. It's not going to get me very far and I'm not going to accomplish anything really by doing so. Except that it's going to allow Him to reach down and grab me, pull me close, and hold on. And maybe you read this and say, "Well yeah, of course it's that easy." If you do, please let me in on how you keep sight of that in life's monotony and challenges. But if you're like me and you struggle with this stuff, do yourself a favor and just jump like a three-year-old jumping to her daddy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qrY-EYfgU-fmLbKvGOd-3LtM-1vwnK3k3P2-4wDDHoqOet-IbsUc2yDNQx5fB3RSmccYNMOD-5sCqn_fWwEwJ1LxyoluIKPoLw8Vgk01WdbxLhrgL4SPN5cLriLnwUcEIEn34g/s1600/LILYlookup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qrY-EYfgU-fmLbKvGOd-3LtM-1vwnK3k3P2-4wDDHoqOet-IbsUc2yDNQx5fB3RSmccYNMOD-5sCqn_fWwEwJ1LxyoluIKPoLw8Vgk01WdbxLhrgL4SPN5cLriLnwUcEIEn34g/s320/LILYlookup.png" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! And that is what we are!"1 John 3:1<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-61137444891110848462012-03-16T18:51:00.000-07:002012-03-16T18:51:40.187-07:00A Day Lived<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today was one of our Fabulous Fun Fridays. We've been trying this most Fridays since New Year's, and sometimes the Fridays really do turn out to be fabulously fun. And some do not. Today was one of the days where I really fought against the urge to just live in "survival mode", something that is becoming more and more of a habit for me. The difference was I had made promises, showed my hand a few days early. And wouldn't you know that kids have much better memories for things you tell them that you are going to do than they do for things you tell them to do.<br />
<br />
So I drank coffee and pretended that I wasn't drained from a night of being awakened by both children at the end of a week of middle-of-the-night Mama calls, then created just a little bit of leprechaun mischief. We made shamrocks and read stories, talked about pots of gold, rainbows, and Ireland's green rolling hills. Rainbow cupcakes were made (more tedious than I realized), decorated, and consumed. There was worship with Matt Redman while I cleaned the kitchen. But the day wasn't perfect. Potty training accidents happened and there was a three-year-old covered in washable markers. There were sibling squabbles and forgotten dinner ingredients.<br />
<br />
A lot happened, but the day was most definitely experienced and lived, and not one that I just "made it through". There's a part of me that feels like it has been hibernating these past few months. I hope that there are many more of these to come, that this marks an awakening in me. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-10941021704392306012012-03-02T14:05:00.000-08:002012-03-02T14:05:19.768-08:00It's been one of those days . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">You know those days that you plan and replan just to get the most fun out of them, but they still just somehow seem to go horribly wrong? This has been one of those days. From running late and missing almost all of the story time that I've been talking up all week, to the two bloody five-year-old knees, to the three-year-old's forgotten elevator phobia, to the busted gallon of milk to the whiny children who just "have nothing to do" in their house chock full of toys and just want to go swimming on the second day of March, it has just been one of those days. And I look on this blog and see that it has apparently been one of those months, too, since I have been MIA since the end of January. I could add that to the guilt pile, but that would just be silly.<br />
<br />
So I sit and wonder what decisions I could have made to make the day run more smoothly. And there are some things. I could have gone to the store last night instead of this morning. We could have skipped making the Cat in the Hat hats, but that was supposed to be part of the fun. I could have let them go swimming in the bathtub. But some of the things that happen, just simply happened due to no fault of my own. They just happened because that's how life is. I just need to learn to deal with it better. And to remember that there were several really good days this month and a trip to Kroger where I didn't have to make a single threat this week. We've had days full of watching birds pour into our backyard and squirrel turf wars that have had me doubled over laughing. I just have to put down the binoculars on days like today and look at not just today, but all the days around it. It really does all come down to gratitude, and whether or not I choose to do it. I have to get back out of survival mode . . . again and start living, knowing that days like today will still happen, but I can decide how to handle them and how to remember them.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-40459733512991714052012-01-30T07:48:00.000-08:002012-01-30T07:48:56.373-08:00Looking Forward . . . a few months anyway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This April, Sonny and I have an opportunity to do something we've done separately but never together. We're going on a mission trip to Show Low, Arizona to serve alongside others from our church with the American Indian Christian Mission. I should say that we both have missions experiences, but not with this organization. Therefore, I have very little to share here. What I do have is a lot of excitement and nervous energy to go and be surrounded by people groups who have called out to me since I knew of their existence. And I so look forward to doing it alongside a man who just sees needs and fills them without any fanfare, and often without even being asked and a great group of team members who are as excited as I am.<br />
<br />
I did want to leave you with some words from others who have made this trip. The first is from <a href="http://craigportwood.blogspot.com/search/label/AICM" target="_blank">our trip leader</a> and the second is <a href="http://www.jeffrandleman.com/mission-2011-summer-mission-trip-to-american-indian-christian-mission" target="_blank">another church leader</a> from a completely different state. I hope you'll take some time to read about these groups' experiences. Then, if you feel led and able, please consider making a contribution to our trip with the little box on the right side of this page. If you can't financially contribute, and even if you can, please pray for our team as God continues to prepare us for the work He has in store for us. Thanks. A LOT.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-47732743792470782512012-01-28T13:17:00.000-08:002012-01-28T13:17:26.138-08:00Looking BackI think I need to go back to an end of the week review. I think it was good for me to be able to look back and see what we've been through. I also think it was helpful because it made me re-experience some things and not just survive them. A lot of times I feel myself just trying to get through days, just make it through school, to nap time, until Daddy comes home, or to bedtime. It's ridiculous really, when there's so much life to be lived in between, but I still find myself doing it. So this is my list of sorts, just something to catalog the things going on in our lives or inside my head.<br />
<br />
- This week has been a slow one, as far as responsibilities outside of the house, so the house should reflect that. But it really doesn't. Kid stuff is everywhere and there's still laundry to wash and floors to clean. <br />
<br />
- For Christmas this year, Sonny's grandmother gave the girls a trunk full of dressup clothes. I've been slowly rationing some of these cool gifts just to make the pile less overwhelming, and this week we got it all out. They've had such a good time. But that youngest one, she scares me, the way she can walk around in a floor length gown with high heels and clip on earrings, purse in the crook of her arm.<br />
<br />
- We've cut out sugar yet again, and again I'm amazed at the difference that it makes. No acid reflux, no after-lunch dragging, more energy. Maybe this will stick in my mind the next time I want a candy bar.<br />
<br />
- Speaking of no sugar, we took the day off of dieting yesterday and had a fun time with it. There was a cookie or two and some white flour pitas. But it was a great time with just the two of us and all of the food was soooo good. It made me want to learn to make spanakopita. I am really enjoying our local Greek restaurant. And I really enjoyed some alone time with my husband. I read<a href="http://www.imom.com/espresso-minute/2012/01/25/are-you-a-good-mom-but-a-bad-wife/" target="_blank"> an eye-opening article</a> this week about a lot of us moms/wives and it really gave me some things to work on last night. <br />
<br />
- We're in the middle of trying to raise money to go on a mission trip to Arizona with our church, and it has come to my attention that I have trust issues. With God, actually. The fundraising part has me a bit stressed, and it shouldn't. A few recent experiences in different areas and my fear that my sphere of influence is no bigger than a penny have taken over these past few days. I realize the ridiculousness of this, but I haven't been able to shake it. It will be a big part of my prayers this week.<br />
<br />
- My Kindergartener is making crazy strides in reading. It's blowing my mind sometimes. She's pretty strong in Math and loves a map. But what is really cracking me up is her love of drawing animals. And she's pretty good at it. I'm trying to think of ways to foster this without pushing it on her, so this week I might be doing a little research into that.<br />
<br />
So that's a little of our week. I'm sure there were other things that seemed important at the time, but this what still stands out at the end of the week. My goal is for next week to be more productive, but for me to also be more focused on the one thing that's going on at that time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-68906175907198369412012-01-10T13:26:00.000-08:002012-01-10T13:26:56.708-08:00Love - Where do I start?This post will contain a lot of links. I won't make it a habit, I promise, but please bear with me. Last week, I almost wrote a blog post titled "Satan Reads My Blog", because it seemed like the only reasonable explanation for the difficult to love week I was having. The kids were having a hard time settling back into a normal routine after holidays and Daddy being home for over a week, and I was having a hard time tolerating everyone and everything. I was really trying hard to be loving to my family, but they just weren't being very cooperative. On Tuesday, I read a <a href="http://blog.compassion.com/just-love-me/" target="_blank">post from the Compassion blog</a> written by their president and CEO that led me to believe that my problem was that I should have started with evaluating and working on my love for God before looking at home. Well that made sense. So I decided to shift my focus. I tried to pray more and read the Bible more. I'm not saying that it didn't help at all, but I was still having a hard time not exploding at most of the people in my path (a reaction that really isn't THAT common for me).<br />
<br />
This continued for what seemed like weeks but was actually only two days. Then there was a<a href="http://shaungroves.com/2012/01/growing-up/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+shaungrovesshlog+%28ShaunGroves.com%29" target="_blank"> blog post from Shaun Groves </a>where he was reliving a lot of his past and evaluating different parts of his life. Then he said, " I wasn’t a good boy because I was good but because I was scared of being bad. Scared of throwing up, of getting caught, of being talked about, of disappointing." That was me as a kid, too, and I thought it was funny that he had that same trait. It occurred to me that I was still living in some of that. I was trying to love God harder and better, but I was still doing it with my own strength, because I said that this was my goal for this year and obviously I had to start with the most important. I mean, how can I love my family well if I can't love God well.<br />
<br />
Fast forward a few days to Sunday and this is where I confess to not paying much attention to the church newsletter this week. Every song we sang was about God's love. The <a href="http://northridgechristian.com/#/messages" target="_blank">sermon</a> text was John 3:16. God's love. Not mine. Not for Him. Not for my kids or my husband or the people who run me over in Wal-Mart or the developing world. God's love. And sometimes I think he loves us enough to let us have a crappy week and choose the wrong doors to open so we can get to where he wants us. Surely he could have hit me over the head with this truth with some of the songs I had been listening to and the books and Bible passages I've been reading. But He chose to wait. His love is perfect and until I can just dwell in that, I won't be any better at loving the rest of the world.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-53096136148959901282011-12-31T13:00:00.000-08:002011-12-31T13:00:23.369-08:00A Year in ReviewToday all of the Christmas decorations went back into the attic, and the tree is naked in the backyard. Evidence that this is the end of the year. You would think that the calendar would be enough evidence, but, for me, the end of the year is usually marked by putting away all the Christmas stuff. It made me think through the past year, and I realized that a lot has taken place in these 12 months. Here's a recap.<br />
<br />
1. We moved. Not far, but the moving did happen. And our new house is fantastic, even if we did give up our beautiful lake view to get it.<br />
<br />
2. Lily turned into a little person. It has been so much fun (and exhausting) to watch that toddler grow into a chatterbox of a little girl.<br />
<br />
3. Compassion happened. I'm not really sure how else to put that. We added a little Guatemalan princess to our family in April, and things just steamrolled from there. I'm so glad we were obedient in that rather small thing that led to three more children in our family and a little advocacy with the organization, too. I wouldn't give up my four far away children for anything.<br />
<br />
4. As preschool ended for Kayla, we opted to homeschool for Kindergarten. We haven't regretted it at all. It has been amazing to watch her eyes light up when she realizes that she's learned something new, and I can't imagine letting a stranger have those moments.<br />
<br />
5. In July, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Date nights have happened more regularly and communication has flowed better than ever. This year of marriage may be the best yet. Not sure what that itch is all about.<br />
<br />
6. We lost Sonny's grandfather this year, and that was the hardest thing of the year. It was hard all on its own, knowing that no one is going to see this amazing man on this side of Heaven, but it also led me to grieve again for the grandparents we have already lost.<br />
<br />
7. There was an amazing and relaxing vacation in September where we went to St. Augustine and watched tortoises everyday and I even got to feed a dolphin with my Kayla Roo.<br />
<br />
8. After all of these years, I also finally read through the Bible. As a word of warning, reading all of the Word will lead to things like point 3. There were a few months when I completely fell of the wagon, but I did manage to finish.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm generally opposed to New Years resolutions. They tend to be a setup for failure for me. I do have a few aspirations and things that I feel like God is working on with me. I feel like 2012 will be a year for me to love more. There's to be less complaining, judgement, and criticism and this needs to start right here in my house and work its way outward. There will be more and deeper Bible reading with more fasting times, too that I am convinced will help with the loving part. I think I want to take a day at the beginning of each month to evaluate how things are going instead of just letting myself get into "survival mode" where I just try to make it through. During these times, I plan to ask myself what I'm doing to love more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-37026792047012300572011-12-16T10:22:00.000-08:002011-12-16T13:33:09.368-08:00Celebration EnvyI have a confession to make. I'm a little bit of a Christmas junkie. All of it. Well, most of it. I'm not into the whole "no presents if you're naughty" threat, and we've tried to make Santa seem a little less like a deity. But other than that, I eat, sleep, and breathe Christmas starting sometime in November and ending whenever Sonny decides that the tree must come down, usually around New Year's Day. I love buying presents, decorating the tree, setting up nativities, listening to nothing but Christmas music (as long as I get to pick the songs), stuffing stockings, baking Christmas goodies, finding Christmas lights, watching Christmas movies, and advent calendars. The whole nine yards. Therefore, it shouldn't surprise you that regular schooling, whatever that is, has been interrupted around our house. We've talked about different aspects of Christmas since the first week in December, and we will continue through next week.<br />
<br />
This week we've been talking about Christmas around the world.We started with countries that would be significant to Kayla, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Ethiopia. Kayla's favorite thing about Christmas in Guatemala was that, while some children do receive presents under the tree, others find gifts under their pillow. I mean, she liked it to the point that we will be doing it this year! My favorite part was that in the more country regions, families take Mary and Joseph figures to different houses starting around December 16 and ending on Christmas Eve, when they usually have a big celebration and add baby Jesus to their creche. So cool. Here are some other things that we found.<br />
<br />
- the Philippines - There's church at midnight on Christmas Eve and a big feast after where the grandparents, Lolo and Lola give gifts to the children, instead of Santa.<br />
<br />
- Several countries we've talked about set off fireworks, including China.<br />
<br />
- In the Congo, children make Christmas gifts for Jesus. Then during the offering time at their Christmas church service, they march around a table and lay their gifts there. That was my favorite thing this week.<br />
<br />
- In Saudi Arabia, where Christianity is not celebrated in public, Christians celebrate with their families. On Christmas Eve, one child will read the Christmas story from the Bible while everyone else holds lighted candles.<br />
<br />
- In Ethiopia, Christmas (or Ghenna) is a huge play day. The women all gather and cook big breads where they also have time to laugh and talk while the young men play games. My favorite part is the high regard they give to the wise men, since it is believed that one of them was Balthasar from Ethiopia.<br />
<br />
And we still have other countries to read about over the weekend. Kayla and I have loved it. However, it has given me a good bit of envy. Most of these countries celebrate Christmas in ways that seem much more . . . celebratory, for lack of a better word. It doesn't seem to be all rush and wishlists. Don't misunderstand me, I'm a fan of the wishlist. But it seems like some of these countries are celebrating the birth of Jesus in ways that make a lot more sense than the ways I celebrate the exact same thing. I really didn't bargain for learning this much during my second round of Kindergarten.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-75307713440163037682011-12-05T17:10:00.000-08:002011-12-05T17:12:19.322-08:00But even if He doesn't . . .I've finally gotten to the book of Daniel in my Bible in a year plan. One that I'm quite far behind on, by the way. Months behind schedule. I'm always struck by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's statement to the king when he's threatening them with the fiery furnace.“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) I thought about that and wondered how many times I've prayed that way. I don't think it's been often. I'm pretty sure any prayers that even resemble their statement could be easily counted on one hand.<br />
<br />
Then there was a scheduled well child check at the doctor's office and a scheduling of the test that little kid nightmares are made of. Adult nightmares, too when you've been in that radiology room before and had a horrible experience. Well, today was the test. I felt prayed up and prayed over. And truly loved on, even when I didn't know that I needed or wanted it. And I really did believe that the medical issue that necessitated the test would have resolved itself in my delicate little five-year-old girl's abdomen. Still, I kept thinking, "But even if you don't, you're still God." The problem is still there, and God is still over all. He's over misshaped ureters and little girl fears. He's over Mama and Daddy anxieties and radiologists and wonderful nurses who remember Webkinz's names.<br />
<br />
And even in undesirable results, he still showed off. Forgive the red-eye.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6ZRUgUhWKfu2ZPjTXswQpRrVnRll0WYC8WrXvaGZyLle7Fa2KJAnssox2WFiy1vQ9T4UCDZUPEXkEoMWP3j5MVZ7MarVMKEmzUBiT1BWiNZJTWbSOlvcDU3LOYb9K9K1xVx9Cw/s1600/P1010207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6ZRUgUhWKfu2ZPjTXswQpRrVnRll0WYC8WrXvaGZyLle7Fa2KJAnssox2WFiy1vQ9T4UCDZUPEXkEoMWP3j5MVZ7MarVMKEmzUBiT1BWiNZJTWbSOlvcDU3LOYb9K9K1xVx9Cw/s320/P1010207.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>You see that panda? That's all she cares about tonight. Not catheters or strangers holding her down or giant x-ray machines that cover her from chin to shins. What you need to understand is that pandas are her favorite animal. Over every other animal ever. And that's what this sweet hospital social worker handed to my baby today. And God showed off for my girl. And he told a disappointed mama that even if the medical concern still exists, he's still God and he still loves me. And he sees my girl and she's important to Him, too. And I haven't even gotten started on how he's showing off with the sweet ladies that he's put into our lives that went with us today. There's not even time to even get started on that tonightAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-46076410071810616142011-11-29T05:52:00.000-08:002011-11-29T10:35:51.138-08:00SeekingLast night, there was an urgent search for a missing, no more than 5-inch, stuffed orange cat. Nothing else would satisfy. We all search the usual hiding places for "cuddlies", pet hammock, toy box, under dresser and beds and without luck. Much loved toys were tossed aside to look for this little kitten that had obviously been neglected long enough to go completely missing. Finally, we insisted that it was bedtime and promised to resume the search this morning.<br />
<br />
Well if you know this little five-year-old at all, you will not be surprised that she had me out looking in a rather cold car at 7:00 this morning. And on the porch. And through a bag of confiscated toys after a failed room cleaning. Again, we had no luck. Now she is ordering that the search party be expanded to Meme's house.<br />
<br />
I am irritated by this, but I'm also envious of her persistence. I don't know that I am this determined to make ANYTHING happen. At all. I give up far too easily. If something seems difficult, I often decide to just let it go. Actually, I don't actively decide at all. I just decide to wait until it seems a little easier, and, because life never gets any easier, I just never follow through. This is sometimes harmless enough. I can't get my ipod to sync right, so I just don't try for a while until I idly mention it to my handy IT guy/loving husband, and it's working in less than five minutes. Good nutrition is difficult when it is only a priority to you, so I decide to just eat what everyone else eats for a while. And weeks stretch into months and weight comes back. I don't feel like people respond to things that are on my heart, so I just slowly start backing off, just until I find a better way. I wonder if the better way will come. I send an email to a local organization asking for volunteer opportunities and get no reply. And I never take another step to follow through. I find praying difficult and God a little more distant, so I take another step back. Just to wait. To stop seeking. I call it a break, but if I'm honest, it more closely resembles giving up.<br />
<br />
This week, I plan on taking a few of these things and borrowing a page from my little girl's handbook. I'm going let go of some of the passiveness that is such an ingrained part of my personality that I may have to fight against it for the rest of my life. I will seek and search for the answers I need. <br />
<br />
And no, we still haven't found that dumb cat. But the day is just beginning, and there are plenty of places to search still.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-67991189504208132712011-11-26T08:53:00.000-08:002011-11-26T08:53:28.153-08:00Gratitude . . . and ending and a beginningThis is my last weekly gratitude post. I have really enjoyed the accountability of thinking through even the hard days and finding something in them to be grateful for. Last week, I read these words by <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/11/because-every-day-begs-to-be-thanksgiving/">Ann Voskamp</a> - "That which I refuse to thank Christ for, I refuse to believe Christ can redeem." I hope and I pray that I remember those words in the hard days. If He really is in the business of making "all things new", I have to remember and believe this. All of this sounds like this week was terrible. Really, it wasn't. There were hard days and really good days. Here is the reader's digest version.<br />
<br />
20th - Sunday was a really good and really busy day. There was an amazing message about the dangers of refusing to be grateful (only a few days after reading Ann's brilliant blog post mentioned above). The 1st-5th graders have already raised enough money for one Water of Life filter. We had a good fellowship time with our small group and a good turnout for the college ministry. And I got to watch my kids and their excitement over Anma time when my mom came over to keep them for me to go to campus church.<br />
<br />
21st - I enjoy Christmas shopping far too much. What I enjoy even more than the shopping is the deciding what to buy. What is even more fun than that is an email telling you that the perfect gift for your husband just landed you $10 to spend whatever way you want when you've been eyeing a toy for the youngest that you just couldn't justify this pay period. I also love being asked to do things. I think it's because I generally lack initiative and insight, but I really do want to help. I got to do a little of that on Monday, too.<br />
<br />
22nd - <a href="https://www.thehungersite.com/store/site.do?siteId=220&site=The-Hunger-Site&context=gifts" target="_blank">This website</a> brought me far too much joy for one afternoon. Fair trade shopping and some profits go to a few different hunger-fighting charities. There's some fantastic stuff on there, too. There was also shopping in our brand new huge Kroger and cousins playing until after bedtime. I remember the day being harder than this, but now I can't even remember what was difficult about it.<br />
<br />
23rd - This was my Yeimi's birthday. My little Guatemalan princess turned 6.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ5mN6IA4ruvuVuaTO9QL-UL75o71OMBXRXiBlbikWewx5TMoRF_sYd_q94eiU9yLqlpVcIR0_kX4kodNIoc6qbhcYi0wC0skKaQqlk1lhH06BuVcvn0bLrCY8jLnb1rYxlojpA/s1600/Yeimi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ5mN6IA4ruvuVuaTO9QL-UL75o71OMBXRXiBlbikWewx5TMoRF_sYd_q94eiU9yLqlpVcIR0_kX4kodNIoc6qbhcYi0wC0skKaQqlk1lhH06BuVcvn0bLrCY8jLnb1rYxlojpA/s1600/Yeimi.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
We celebrated with brownies, candles, and the birthday song and documented the whole thing with pictures to send to her. In the words of Lily, "That's Yeimi. I want to hug her." I also made four loves of pumpkin bread deliciousness that made the house smell wonderful.<br />
<br />
24th - Thanksgiving. Don't underestimate a simple recipe. I made cinnamon pie again, and it was still wonderful. Cinnamon is, without a doubt, my favorite scent and flavor so this was a big satisfying moment for me. The day alternated between awkward and fun, sometimes in the same moment. But the day was good. Long, but good. The girls couldn't have behaved better, the food was good, and there was some great company. <br />
<br />
25th - We decked these halls yesterday. Stockings were hung by the chimney with care. This is the first year we've had a mantle and it had top priority. The kids were so excited, and I am already hearing the batteries wearing down in all the snowglobes and singing Christmas critters.When I was checking my email, I also found a free download from Shaun Groves from the Compassion Advocate Network. I am so thankful for his clear focus. You should watch <a href="http://vimeo.com/26700899" target="_blank">this</a> and then buy his latest album, Third World Symphony.<br />
<br />
26th - The day is still early, but I am so thankful for eight, count them, eight full and straight hours of sleep. The girls have been waking up at, literally, all hours of the night, and it has been hard. Last night, neither one of them called my name from 8:30 to 8:20. It was WONDERFUL. And I've already enjoyed a rare Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, thanks to some leftover gift card money. The girls are enjoying Christmas suckers at the table beside me and all is well. For the moment. <br />
<br />
This does mark the end of my weekly gratitude posts, but I hope that it is only the beginning of a life-long habit. Counting your blessings sounds trite, but it honestly works. I hope to keep it up, and even write them down in a notebook. I've tried it before, but I'm hoping that I will stick with it this time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-27217963070934934532011-11-19T19:53:00.000-08:002011-11-19T19:53:05.780-08:00Choosing To Be ThankfulI have to admit that I completely let people and circumstances rob me of my gratitude for the first part of this week. A good bit of it is a blur. And what I can remember, I don't like. School was hard. Parenting was hard. And dealing with people outside of my household seemed even harder. I will say that this little experiment in remembering at least one thing from each day that I am grateful for and being accountable to it here helped me snap out of that by Wednesday. So I will just start there.<br />
<br />
16th - We stuffed our Operation Christmas Child shoebox and talked about what we like and what we're thankful that we have. It was a neat little conversation and helped reinforce the idea that being "good or bad" isn't the only thing that can affect what you get for Christmas. We filled out the little sheet that was provided by the children's church program, and this is what my girl wrote. If you can't read it, where it says "I Love Jesus because" she said "he never leaves me alone". I love when I get little glimpses that she's really getting what it's all about.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyA3wjTGmAfPrt3VcdtNe3OSOXEUdYsXJlEj3niSSr8gYqbFKdXdzvGXM59YUt36X9kLBTNoi9nb5h4ftcBNNZuPhDP_9e5NBpD4cqwuLOA33GhDpUAM2Ri88geC7EAAQ6d9dqw/s1600/downsized_1116111116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyA3wjTGmAfPrt3VcdtNe3OSOXEUdYsXJlEj3niSSr8gYqbFKdXdzvGXM59YUt36X9kLBTNoi9nb5h4ftcBNNZuPhDP_9e5NBpD4cqwuLOA33GhDpUAM2Ri88geC7EAAQ6d9dqw/s320/downsized_1116111116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I also got to spend an hour will a beautiful baby boy, and since we only had two, I could just dote on him. And I did. I'm also really really really thankful for how much my family cares about me on all sides. Some of that really came out this week in very hard ways.<br />
<br />
17th - I got four hours off from being a mama. Well, not really, but they weren't with me. I did use a little of the time to Christmas shop for them and buy their food, but I also got to have a lunch date with a rather hot IT man BY MYSELF. And I sat for over an hour and read. In absolute silence. Saying silence is golden is really devaluing the silence, people. It's platinum or titanium and is inlaid with diamonds of the best clarity. Whatever that means. It was glorious. And my girls had the best day, too. In fact, Kayla is certain that her day was better than mine. I say that's some day.<br />
<br />
18th - Four words. Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake. Add friends and stir. We had a fun morning. Before leaving for Chic-fil-a, I also got an email confirming that I can have a package taken to my LJ in the Philippines for her birthday in January. I am so thankful for that, and I'm still getting my small, easily shipped package together. Then there was an impromptu family night with the McKenzie crew where there was taco soup. So many things to be thankful for in that sentence.<br />
<br />
19th - Today I went to Atlanta to serve at a Compassion table during the National Youth Workers Convention. I was disappointed that there were no sponsorships during my shift. However, I did get to talk to a couple of gentlemen who work with Compassion, and it was a good to just hang out with people who share a passion. I did have several conversations with potential sponsors. I hope those let to sponsorships during their presentation tonight. This was also my first midtown Atlanta experience totally on my own. I am very thankful that I didn't get lost and everything flowed smoothly. I'm also thankful for some unexpected savings on Christmas gifts that I found on my way home. <br />
<br />
The last half of the week definitely made up for the first half, at least in part. I can't control everything, but I can control my reactions to life, and I have to work on finding joy in all circumstances. That is not negotiable.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-53049778107852171472011-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:002011-11-18T19:31:55.357-08:00New Compassion PacketsI've got some new packets for children available for sponsorship through Compassion International. Please let me know if you feel led to bring hope to one of these beautiful ones. We have the ability to actually rescue a family from poverty and form a relationship based on the love of Christ with a child who might otherwise never hear of that love. Without further ado, here they are.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4IzvNtEBEfIDtFtVLeLQ3x7fPcQkmG4E-lrZSb3jX84HPBhrP2IwPfbnwykingVVWTm0yoDG_J6XpegF4sxMteJUsnx0ZATUUHS5E0XWQEznYtBZZp6VjpNdqUiqsjqu8gvLwg/s1600/jose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4IzvNtEBEfIDtFtVLeLQ3x7fPcQkmG4E-lrZSb3jX84HPBhrP2IwPfbnwykingVVWTm0yoDG_J6XpegF4sxMteJUsnx0ZATUUHS5E0XWQEznYtBZZp6VjpNdqUiqsjqu8gvLwg/s320/jose.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> Jose Carlos Blanco Munguia<br />
Jose is from Nicaragua. His birthday is April 23, 1998. Jose lives with his uncle and his mother. His household duties include caring for animals, washing clothes, and making beds. Jose is an above average high school student. He enjoys soccer, singing, and playing with marbles.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m43XsuVjNrMiRaEGLsNFYM-QpkMTT7xCNTk8U3LwUmaEiJaKwgULa24b8J-s0oe8dFZi5Usr0J0qDdfrePkFWc6NG0-Rt7n2lwHdsUpK5P63CadtH9qFctubxTeUk8p9kbFF6g/s1600/muskan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m43XsuVjNrMiRaEGLsNFYM-QpkMTT7xCNTk8U3LwUmaEiJaKwgULa24b8J-s0oe8dFZi5Usr0J0qDdfrePkFWc6NG0-Rt7n2lwHdsUpK5P63CadtH9qFctubxTeUk8p9kbFF6g/s320/muskan.jpg" width="214" /></a></div> Muskan Yadav<br />
Muskan is from India, and her birthday is October 5, 2005. This beautiful girl lives with her father and mother. Her household duties include making beds. She is an average student in primary school, and she enjoys playing house, playing with dolls, and walking.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK2CkULFZhL7SUh3A7Pax6z8NOUXQuipmp8I7dlJ9__z4E6OH13OPX58ByiAJ4K0UabTVrN8q_5-pb6meTscTuVMKDbhCBIB4fEOQiH_6509gRVjrweU-bbcXMqOrhJgPjtjUxg/s1600/roger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK2CkULFZhL7SUh3A7Pax6z8NOUXQuipmp8I7dlJ9__z4E6OH13OPX58ByiAJ4K0UabTVrN8q_5-pb6meTscTuVMKDbhCBIB4fEOQiH_6509gRVjrweU-bbcXMqOrhJgPjtjUxg/s320/roger.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>Roger Kokou Akpamou<br />
Roger is from Togo. His birthday is June 1, 2007. Roger lives with his father and mother. Roger helps at home by running errands, cleaning, and helping out in the kitchen. He is not in school yet, but she does attend church activities and Bible class. Roger enjoys playing group games.<br />
<br />
Please let me know if either of these "least of these" is tugging on your heart. Believe me, you won't regret it for a minute. Please ask if you have any questions or just want additional informationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-50961257065908227542011-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:002011-11-12T19:11:56.094-08:00Thankfulness in PicturesI'm a visual person. Seeing and reading helps me remember. This week, I decided to document my gratitude in pictures.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6MA4OeGLvu6prOaFZqV25UxY7aknLakhyphenhyphenS3_fKuNy1N87bnKmGl402rFnY1Lm8N_nSVTTv5cX9MfWQVwwMch7PfbXG1F6eN8oc94kTPxBQBT8dULz0xx6OVDE3qP4B2pzus2ng/s1600/downsized_1112112115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6MA4OeGLvu6prOaFZqV25UxY7aknLakhyphenhyphenS3_fKuNy1N87bnKmGl402rFnY1Lm8N_nSVTTv5cX9MfWQVwwMch7PfbXG1F6eN8oc94kTPxBQBT8dULz0xx6OVDE3qP4B2pzus2ng/s320/downsized_1112112115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>6th - Getting to share and demonstrate Compassion's Water of Life water filter for kids' church.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtg1q-HeC7Lpu80LgNLO8sBGh8oQG5rJtYIeAJulDQg_1xFgm7Jjt-cLqxofv3DCoCxfdLAkW5mx75xvuAzqjnGo9Wi2-h8FM7Ikl6LYNnINTZYjLvAZfxc0n3eKHFNp-tStfdmw/s1600/downsized_1112112123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtg1q-HeC7Lpu80LgNLO8sBGh8oQG5rJtYIeAJulDQg_1xFgm7Jjt-cLqxofv3DCoCxfdLAkW5mx75xvuAzqjnGo9Wi2-h8FM7Ikl6LYNnINTZYjLvAZfxc0n3eKHFNp-tStfdmw/s320/downsized_1112112123.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>7th - An unexpected and fun gift from my husband. Love it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnOQnWtpS8tFRPoHBSMks42ivU95PG3zydhxLgGlbquYhGH_pYW_0eHp2CGD0cr410h0lYMwd6absGbR9NbjxX9hTNTg0IU8MIJziMu_1l_GvdOpCpIkJXtcGwAXxX7N_d5e4wQ/s1600/downsized_1108111027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnOQnWtpS8tFRPoHBSMks42ivU95PG3zydhxLgGlbquYhGH_pYW_0eHp2CGD0cr410h0lYMwd6absGbR9NbjxX9hTNTg0IU8MIJziMu_1l_GvdOpCpIkJXtcGwAXxX7N_d5e4wQ/s320/downsized_1108111027.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 8th - Reading with my Kayla girl. She's learning so much so fast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmbteE__G1BNOeZYg2JZhnyqHDsBw76RVoSZPo_FSGvRM1VLju4JhWeTKwYtF3niehrZl-MAOtX8pwAbqNDl9i9_BzxcmnhiY4-bfyAkjxznDOpOTtVexUGlsslvwd0eltfD02Q/s1600/downsized_1109111339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmbteE__G1BNOeZYg2JZhnyqHDsBw76RVoSZPo_FSGvRM1VLju4JhWeTKwYtF3niehrZl-MAOtX8pwAbqNDl9i9_BzxcmnhiY4-bfyAkjxznDOpOTtVexUGlsslvwd0eltfD02Q/s320/downsized_1109111339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">9th - A fun trip to McDonald's after a really, really trying morning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSpg5FHEnK7nmkkrLaglt27YCK_HFjMS-PZphn8gc7LON1suoEX6odjcn3bkXH4QhiXIK81ayotwe9bp8bQ_pNjWr1hKYWpa-BrMg0RyMLeHC2gMgx4G8zIxZesf9nNjWvehFdQ/s1600/downsized_1110111611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSpg5FHEnK7nmkkrLaglt27YCK_HFjMS-PZphn8gc7LON1suoEX6odjcn3bkXH4QhiXIK81ayotwe9bp8bQ_pNjWr1hKYWpa-BrMg0RyMLeHC2gMgx4G8zIxZesf9nNjWvehFdQ/s320/downsized_1110111611.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>10th - An even more fun trip to Atlanta with my friend, Kristen to serve at a Compassion table where around 55 children were sponsored. My second favorite part of the trip is in this picture. The trees in Centennial Olympic Park were absolutely gorgeous. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwUSZspv1e-2YGws63g7u-as8XWwDY3ruxf3nExHZRSt9edJBX4fmqmeBPypnPMj0hcQotQatb0OtjDZIX03meDgJ-EgO8-N1eHR20-qxjBXawRVQ8ehOJdOx01r8yDDvvYuL1A/s1600/downsized_1111111620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwUSZspv1e-2YGws63g7u-as8XWwDY3ruxf3nExHZRSt9edJBX4fmqmeBPypnPMj0hcQotQatb0OtjDZIX03meDgJ-EgO8-N1eHR20-qxjBXawRVQ8ehOJdOx01r8yDDvvYuL1A/s320/downsized_1111111620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 11th - There is progress being made in our garage. Finally, we are starting to see the floor again. It doesn't seem like a huge deal, but this whole thing has had me feeling very overwhelmed for a few weeks now. Also, the stuff that was in this spot went to an old friend. I enjoyed my morning visit with her and her baby girl.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCawhLZ2zva8kdtDGAsBBhF6lZVyhS7_cN1HQd4ADS5Z-HzOl2Ejxg_2dtXyQKaXeY6xGr3K6e2AmawNOsFqCA1WR97RJtWwBjJw__Blbl8BsrDWqxFHb4PV0dwY_H1MDmX25JxQ/s1600/1112111035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCawhLZ2zva8kdtDGAsBBhF6lZVyhS7_cN1HQd4ADS5Z-HzOl2Ejxg_2dtXyQKaXeY6xGr3K6e2AmawNOsFqCA1WR97RJtWwBjJw__Blbl8BsrDWqxFHb4PV0dwY_H1MDmX25JxQ/s320/1112111035.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">12th - I really do love this quote, but that's not what I'm most thankful for about this picture. I love that I have had this truth revealed to me. I also love that I was able to read it this morning BY MYSELF at Starbucks while taking a Mama break.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-86300456876345448742011-11-05T06:42:00.000-07:002011-11-05T06:42:22.952-07:00GratitudeThanksgiving. Turkey. Native Americans. Pilgrims. Sweet Potatoes with little marshmallows on top. Dressing. Thanks giving. Not my favorite holiday, I'll admit it. However, I started earlier in the year jotting down things I was thankful for, then tapered off. As is my way. I plan on using November to start forming the habit again. Maybe if I do it for the whole month, I'll keep it up. There are so many things to be thankful for, but I will stick to one a day probably.<br />
<br />
1st - Tuesday I got a letter from my Rugwiro in Rwanda. He's being baptized. I am grateful that Rugwiro knows Jesus.<br />
<br />
2nd - Wednesday I was very thankful for sweet beautiful babies that I got to hold and squeeze for an hour . . . and then return them to their parents.<br />
<br />
3rd - Thursday was great all the way around, with a lot of Compassion goings-on. But my favorite part of Thursday was the freedom to just call of school for the rest of the week because we just needed a break. We're calling it Fall Break.<br />
<br />
4th - Friday, I did not get fully dressed ALL DAY. I didn't go farther than the mailbox, don't worry. It was a fun pajama day with Aristocats, popcorn, and sorting through out-grown clothes.<br />
<br />
5th - Today I'm going with two good friends to a concert. I'm happy about the concert, but I'm really excited about friend time. Grown up girl conversations!<br />
<br />
This week has been trying. There's been defiance, rejection, and tears. And that's just me. The girls went through all of that and more. Daily. Some days hourly. But there have been plenty of blessings to count, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-82540270588164042812011-10-30T14:19:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:31:17.793-07:00A Different Grownup Christmas List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PpWScF7IIVVgDZlQPXs8stKp75Beqv8fcmo0ZsAxo0xc_G2ABEtLu8aCaB2dK-UlH4Jij-o1ZlOJFbsJX2xd3a7l7OfqHP0FC2jyW-7E0pCbWEBBhV2-194Om8DDxj-SiutEKg/s1600/CompChristmas.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PpWScF7IIVVgDZlQPXs8stKp75Beqv8fcmo0ZsAxo0xc_G2ABEtLu8aCaB2dK-UlH4Jij-o1ZlOJFbsJX2xd3a7l7OfqHP0FC2jyW-7E0pCbWEBBhV2-194Om8DDxj-SiutEKg/s320/CompChristmas.PNG" width="281" /></a></div>This week we started talking about what to Christmas lists. We start early around here, because I don't like to be caught in the mad rush of last minute shopping. I love Christmas. No, I mean I really LOVE Christmas. This year from July until now, I have tried to do something Christmasy and fun on the 25th day of the month. It has really helped with my craving the holiday season. I don't know if it's the music, the decorations, the hope, or the present shopping, but I become a giddy little girl for a month, and then I wish for it to hurry up and roll back around to November again. <br />
<br />
This year, my girls have already started thinking about Lalaloopsy's and video games. I have started making little requests for Sonny and have kept a few things in mind for myself for the past several months when I saw something that I "needed" but couldn't justify on our current budget. So when I got a little catalog from Compassion with this cute little chick on the cover, it challenged me to think a little farther beyond myself. I don't know about you, but I've never thought about giving someone pigs for Christmas. Or chickens. Or vaccinations. Or, the ultimate things we take for granted here in America, Water. But you can do just that. Do you have some people who are really hard to buy for because they have everything they need? Maybe you could look through this catalog and find something that would be meaningful to them. Compassion will send the gift to a family in need, and they will send a gift card to you to write a note for your gift recipient. I know that I would like to get my kids involved in this giving opportunity, but I'm not sure how I will approach it yet. I have a friend who asks their kids to eliminate one thing from their Christmas lists. They pool all of that money together and pick out what they would like to donate as family.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of ways you can help that go beyond this year's Top 10 Toys. And they aren't as pricy as you might think.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR94fMY1ZZlK3UI4UxeAE4O2CZl0qbg32kiC5JXfu556iArAV1pGPOO4phHVuC33iOEfjaoD1Biti7eSXNqJoQEmPLzdEEaDInlup1dpK4B2Zgw79UT9sB8b96-6RsFXFqVVvY9A/s1600/ChristmasBible.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR94fMY1ZZlK3UI4UxeAE4O2CZl0qbg32kiC5JXfu556iArAV1pGPOO4phHVuC33iOEfjaoD1Biti7eSXNqJoQEmPLzdEEaDInlup1dpK4B2Zgw79UT9sB8b96-6RsFXFqVVvY9A/s1600/ChristmasBible.PNG" /></a></div><br />
Five dollars can provide a child or caregiver a Bible in their own language.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb04KP1iqy76sNXUndwTS4gTGp5gSSPc4jHd_jwYyFlvJb0gvXx6mKj46jhYhXd2Y8SK4mJQTw2BFwSC7eW5tGXjweZjnNb7a7tGkNLRcTx_aC6vNNe-z80FKJDi8l-DsmdB0IuQ/s1600/baby+survival.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb04KP1iqy76sNXUndwTS4gTGp5gSSPc4jHd_jwYyFlvJb0gvXx6mKj46jhYhXd2Y8SK4mJQTw2BFwSC7eW5tGXjweZjnNb7a7tGkNLRcTx_aC6vNNe-z80FKJDi8l-DsmdB0IuQ/s1600/baby+survival.PNG" /></a></div>Twenty dollars can provide infant formula for one month. Not all infants have the options of breast milk. "Due to their own health conditions and diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, many new mothers are unable or are advised not to breastfeed their newborns. Sadly, other mothers trapped in poverty do not survive in childbirth and leave behind an orphaned infant."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3zHUTi4lsJr5tg4t4g2dNFe66UJtg0VSCAomqGyEz06xav8rs9aCUS4c7W0N0sydIk_Jr9e2kxGdPyNi4Y1NZxvZHmayF_dIcFWOaPX7wvbMeIU8aoVZLvIweTza0knLg63k2g/s1600/garden.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3zHUTi4lsJr5tg4t4g2dNFe66UJtg0VSCAomqGyEz06xav8rs9aCUS4c7W0N0sydIk_Jr9e2kxGdPyNi4Y1NZxvZHmayF_dIcFWOaPX7wvbMeIU8aoVZLvIweTza0knLg63k2g/s1600/garden.PNG" /></a></div> Ten dollars can provide garden seeds. " A vegetable garden provides food for the family, and abundance can be sold for income. Your gift will help give a family all they need to start their own kitchen garden: vegetable seeds and fertilizer, along with training and any necessary equipment."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj755bak_G3IkxaEFxwM0A-l5rjAAXvtGQKM3_nMfC3pi6zTKkRKqCbIiGr9Zh99vyMPqmW6VuDlbD2VREVwnk_fe9x9GobYbRlwPQxD09c33ZpQt1IftOROTNnanfx5IiaFuy8IA/s1600/goats.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj755bak_G3IkxaEFxwM0A-l5rjAAXvtGQKM3_nMfC3pi6zTKkRKqCbIiGr9Zh99vyMPqmW6VuDlbD2VREVwnk_fe9x9GobYbRlwPQxD09c33ZpQt1IftOROTNnanfx5IiaFuy8IA/s1600/goats.PNG" /></a></div> Forty-five dollars can purchase a goat. "Goats can be bred to provide a source of milk, meat and household income. Your gift will help families generate income by providing training and other resources to help them successfully raise and care for their animals."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkHzYWPkL-BjD8-RMo77ZlCNP_QQChJMEdOC1Q8DF2gF8y9wOlL8-cFhFxTBML7XY-BijXvje-KXSdZmcFRKb1FmeD4HQ2dvEtCQ1Wg3pkxznNZIlxtNMBLN6g-nWMgofafF7dQ/s1600/chicken.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkHzYWPkL-BjD8-RMo77ZlCNP_QQChJMEdOC1Q8DF2gF8y9wOlL8-cFhFxTBML7XY-BijXvje-KXSdZmcFRKb1FmeD4HQ2dvEtCQ1Wg3pkxznNZIlxtNMBLN6g-nWMgofafF7dQ/s320/chicken.PNG" width="272" /></a></div><br />
Sixteen dollars can purchase a chicken. "A chicken is much more than a meal for a family living in poverty — one chicken can provide a source of income, manure for the vegetable garden, and a steady supply of eggs."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6iCjCywJzUg_hRlhLDD5j5HN6az3-k3Wgr7c4y4RTat-vbdQahM7kdFBwYwmGXQ1-wPXx6xB5OQN5W3_af-GYFj8BNSrufJmlGQs5NLucZV1065kOGHu-66ZSeUdM07mOeM8WQ/s1600/water.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6iCjCywJzUg_hRlhLDD5j5HN6az3-k3Wgr7c4y4RTat-vbdQahM7kdFBwYwmGXQ1-wPXx6xB5OQN5W3_af-GYFj8BNSrufJmlGQs5NLucZV1065kOGHu-66ZSeUdM07mOeM8WQ/s320/water.PNG" width="216" /></a></div> Fifty-five dollars can provide <a href="http://sonnywindykayla.blogspot.com/2011/10/safe-water-life.html">safe water</a> for a family for life. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_2143770456"></span><span id="goog_2143770457"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnurLZtTyDFIYdbrg0BTAkAXk7L6AaqQy5kQeFdVlzc_0nwsFQGpFXIO4kyxfvaIGQUw1H2HnBXkL2svr8NWs4MN_H12TmfJbwyQXFelW9BQw3OMWLjaUff-HY823O59HqBF2Og/s1600/checkups.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnurLZtTyDFIYdbrg0BTAkAXk7L6AaqQy5kQeFdVlzc_0nwsFQGpFXIO4kyxfvaIGQUw1H2HnBXkL2svr8NWs4MN_H12TmfJbwyQXFelW9BQw3OMWLjaUff-HY823O59HqBF2Og/s1600/checkups.PNG" /></a></div>Thirty dollars can provide regular and routine medical care. "Your gift will help provide medical checkups, surgeries, and other special treatments as needed so that children can grow into mature, healthy, young adults."<br />
<br />
<br />
These are just a few of the gift giving opportunities you will find in the Gifts of Compassion Catalog. Please click on <a href="http://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm">http://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm</a> and see how a little of our Christmas money can make a huge difference all the way to <span class="woj">"the ends of the earth"</span>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-15876681135263613022011-10-27T14:12:00.000-07:002011-10-27T14:12:22.909-07:00Mighty Is the Power of the CrossI had my iTunes running from the computer, just playing though songs. I was thinking through dinner plans, rolling a Compassion blog around in my head, and thinking about how to remedy the fact that I'm just not dealing well with my children today. And all of a sudden this broke through those thoughts and I actually heard what I was "listening" to.<br />
<br />
What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again?<br />
What can heal a wounded soul?<br />
What can make us white as snow?<br />
What can fill the emptiness?<br />
What can mend our brokenness?<br />
Brokenness<br />
<i></i><br />
Mighty, awesome, wonderful<br />
Is the holy cross<br />
Where the Lamb laid down His life<br />
To lift us from the fall<br />
Mighty is the power of the cross<br />
<br />
What restores our faith in God?<br />
What reveals the Father's love?<br />
What can lead the wayward home?<br />
What can melt a heart of stone?<br />
What can free the guilty ones<br />
What can save and overcome?<br />
Overcome <br />
<br />
Mighty, awesome, wonderful<br />
Is the holy cross<br />
Where the Lamb laid down His life<br />
To lift us from the fall<br />
Mighty is the power of the cross<br />
<br />
What if, for just one day or one week, I just <i>really</i> believed that? Just the cross, not the other stuff we feel like we have to add in. That it really is THE only answer. And a real answer, not a band-aid. The restoring, overcoming, awesome, wonderful, mighty, holy cross.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29966080.post-23063877084401681012011-10-24T18:44:00.000-07:002011-10-24T18:44:09.898-07:00My Monday Mail Call<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibAAmnUUinFhSTdzivhOKARjGuruOiJUsuZL81DIiGAM0VMJYi5ckeoRZa4ZZXT9SsTJBzWRj9YEWxtfKUOGu9CWFrzR3tEf6LeDeRBcUo9hK6cfiBJJZgDGRcj1iETEzFoNWTg/s364/IMG_8029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibAAmnUUinFhSTdzivhOKARjGuruOiJUsuZL81DIiGAM0VMJYi5ckeoRZa4ZZXT9SsTJBzWRj9YEWxtfKUOGu9CWFrzR3tEf6LeDeRBcUo9hK6cfiBJJZgDGRcj1iETEzFoNWTg/s364/IMG_8029.JPG" /></a></div><br />
It's been a few weeks since we've gotten any letters from our Compassion children, but today we received a letter from Lordylien, who likes to be called LJ.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV2yhP6mPWP39GWQpLOBOHXnbJC3-f5SjT-WdH1aa0kohmqMyen6vSAy9uMsQ2Dlug2Vf2-PjJGasSHx2RjTqp17FsOe0ARu0tJYJ5hkNIqTFqjEeYiwyUOXyCp6Tcu5BVZRDfw/s1600/PH2380873+new.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV2yhP6mPWP39GWQpLOBOHXnbJC3-f5SjT-WdH1aa0kohmqMyen6vSAy9uMsQ2Dlug2Vf2-PjJGasSHx2RjTqp17FsOe0ARu0tJYJ5hkNIqTFqjEeYiwyUOXyCp6Tcu5BVZRDfw/s320/PH2380873+new.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>LJ writes that she performed in her school and in a local shopping mall. I'm assuming she was dancing, because I know she is on the school dance team. She says that she is happy at the student center because she has two new friends. At the center they are learning "to become helpful, respectful, and many more." She writes that her family is happy and that they never fight. She also says that the rain is heavy there. This letter was written in August when a typhoon came through the Philippines. The last thing that she writes is, "My prayer request, I hope that I will get you more that's all." I have no idea what this means, and none of the online translation tools make any more sense than this translation. I know that there are several other Filipino languages and dialects that are slightly different than the official language, so I am wondering if that is why I can't make any sense out of it online. The translator there probably had a better idea of what she intended to say, but I still don't know what it means. My favorite part was the little picture she drew at the top. She's never used that space in her other letters.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsGC-sErWyGDTWNYEjgslr1oIswq79e-fnyOg54sI894RWt4Q-gO1DKvvLuXJe3CZWsAK5LWxDxnAhEtXXtbthk-7j5lZpfBhQUXmOrr4jaHoK0s1ztWB0ScYee0HqfGHnWqOyg/s1600/P1010141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsGC-sErWyGDTWNYEjgslr1oIswq79e-fnyOg54sI894RWt4Q-gO1DKvvLuXJe3CZWsAK5LWxDxnAhEtXXtbthk-7j5lZpfBhQUXmOrr4jaHoK0s1ztWB0ScYee0HqfGHnWqOyg/s640/P1010141.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16795597611706302770noreply@blogger.com2