Countdown to Congo

update

2012-01-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for our son. He is still in the hospital, but is doing better. He is eating and improving. We are hopeful that we will get more pictures and updates soon.

Things have been busy, busy around here. We have been getting all the things together that we can for the adoption. We have all the paperwork in that we can and now we just wait. Waiting is brutal. So many things can happen and when a part of your heart lives somewhere else it is just hard. We have our receipt from USCIS so now we wait for our fingerprint appointment. There is no other paperwork to do right now. When we get the appointment letter I am driving straight to the office and getting printed! I cannot have these babies waiting on me.

In the meantime we are trying to get the funds together. Our adoption went on fast-forward and we weren’t quite financially prepared for the next steps. God is so cool though and once we said yes, He has been providing. Many people have donated and that has been a HUGE blessing. People are so great and lots of people in the adoption community have given to help these kids. We are on full fundraising mode and have been walking around the house deciding what to sell. It really changes your perspective on your possessions!

church adoption fund

2012-01-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

We love our church! This is a copy of the proposal I wrote last year for the church to set up an adoption fund. We are in the process of getting things set up and getting it going!! God loves the orphan and so does our church!

Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

On Sunday November 7th we are going to be focusing on the plight of orphans. This day, November 7th, has become known as Orphan Sunday. As you may or may not know, we have many families at Grace that are involved in all aspects of orphan care. One aspect of orphan care is adoption. Several of us are very excited to be launching an “adoption support group” here at Grace. We aren’t sure exactly what form this will take, but we are starting it to be an information and support group. These types of adoption groups have been very successful and have grown by leaps and bounds at other churches. We would like to ultimately open these groups to the local adoption community as well.

He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5

One of the biggest roadblocks to families being able to adopt is finances. In my opinion, this is the biggest roadblock for people. The reality is that adoption, both international and domestic, can range anywhere from $15,000 to $45,000 in cost. While there are some financial resources available for families, these funds are not nearly enough to help all the families that desire to adopt orphans. Also, with the downturn in the economy, many of these resources have been closed down or are so heavily inundated with applications that they cannot even process all of them. The other issue is that the resources that remain available have tightened restrictions in such a way that many families do not even qualify to apply for the assistance. This is a matter of life and death for orphans.

Let me give you an example of this. My son was adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo in November of 2010. I was only able to apply for 2 grants because the DRC is not a member of the Hague Agreement and the organization we used was not a licensed adoption agency in the state of Washington. We did not receive either grant. Three days prior to my son being removed from the orphanage, the baby girl that was supposed to leave with him died due to complications from starvation and malaria. When they removed my son, they took him straight to the international clinic as he was dying from malnutrition. They were sure he was going to die. This truly is a matter of life and death. While people wait for more money, children die.

I am proposing that Grace set up an adoption fund to help assist families with the high cost of adoption. The initial fund can be set up through a special opportunity of giving. This could happen on Orphan Sunday so that people are given a tangible opportunity not only to help orphans, but to bring those orphans into our Grace family. Can you imagine if Grace became a place that was a haven, an extended family to even more former orphans in this world?!?! It would be wonderful to give the church family this opportunity every year on Orphan Sunday. I would like to further propose that in the 2011 budget, that Grace set aside monies to contribute to the adoption fund. I am proposing that in 2011, the fund become dually funded, both by special giving opportunities and through the annual budget as well.

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 26:11-12

There are many ways to manage and distribute an adoption fund. One of the most simple ways is to use an organization like LifeSong for Orphans who handle the management and disbursement of funds based on agreed upon criteria. They do this at no cost to the church. It can also be handled in-house. The newly formed Adoption Care Ministry would happily work with staff and counsel to put application procedures in place. There are many other churches that have adoption funds and handle them much like a benevolence fund.
The financial burden that adoption places on families is truly a practical roadblock and it needs to be removed. The Grace family has a wonderful opportunity to help bring those babies out of the pit of the enemy and show them the love of Jesus. Not all are called to adopt, but all are called to do something.

Thank you for your consideration,

Chelese Bergstrom
An adopted child of God

There is Enough Love to go Around

2012-01-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

I feel so blessed to be a part of the group of families that have adopted from DRC. They are an amazing group of people. I have felt so supported over the years. It’s so inspiring to watch them show the love of Jesus to their children and to others. Going through this process is very hard and having people you can rely on to lift you up is crucial. The journey we are taking isn’t always supported by family, friends or even our churches so having each other to share with and lean on has been vital to us. You know…someone who understands our crazy! There are families who started the process again after just returning home with their little ones. There are families who are working on their fourth and fifth adoptions, it’s so cool to see how God has opened their eyes and their hearts. There are families who adopted and are now advocating for children, setting up agricultural programs, supporting orphanages, building orphanages, partnering with local churches, building churches, I could go on and on.

There really is something about DRC that captures your heart. A team from our church went just to check on a water project we funded and they were HOOKED! They are headed back in a few months to work with church leaders. It is just an incredible place.

Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with all the fundraising efforts we have had for adoptions and mission trips and school sponsorships, etc, but I have to remember that there really is enough love to go around. We live in God’s economy and he will provide. If all of us get out of our own little shell and off our own personal hamster wheels, all of these projects can be funded. All God wants is for us to say “yes” and He will work. He wants us to get on His plan and just say “yes” to what He is asking of us. In the event He is asking you to give, please consider giving to one of the amazing causes below, it literally will save lives:

Amazing Grace and a Safe Haven
Luila Village Ministries
JabuAfrica
Our Family in Africa

Or you can always donate to our adoption at two for two: Bergstrom family Adoption

Another step closer

2012-01-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were finally able to send in our USCIS packet. This is a big deal. We started our home study in April! We had our actual home visit in July and the home study was done in October. There was no real reason for how long things took, it is just sort of the way things have worked out. I can see now, that if things had gone more quickly we would be in a different place and I know that God has his hands all over this process. We had to get several last minute edits done before we could send it in and amazingly, that went very quickly! I feel like we have been lost in a flurry of paperwork these past 10 days. It’s been a good flurry.

Now the wait sets in. All of our paperwork is in country and in to our own government. We wait on appointments and court documents. The wait is hard. We have lots to do on our end, but we know that anything can happen while they are still in country. Things can go wrong with governments, kids can get sick, etc. We rely on God, as always, to care for our kids and care for us.

While we are waiting, we have lots to do! There are funds to raise, mission trips to plan and hopefully a move to make all in the next couple of months. Like I said, lots going on!!!

adoption update

2012-01-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Oh how I wish I could share every single detail. God is in the details and someday I will be able to share all the little details so you all can see Him glorified as well!

The kids are out of the orphanage and in foster care. They will be cared for as best as is possible until we arrive to bring them home. We have very little information about them. We are praying for their health and safety and for their spirits to be healing. All of our paperwork is in country and being processed and we are working on finishing up our paperwork for the US side of things. There have been a few delays on the US side of this adoption and I truly praise God for things happening in His timing! (Someone feel free to remind of that while I am going crazy waiting to travel:>)

We are looking at potential travel in a few months! Our adoption had been proceeding so slowly that we were unsure if it was ever going to happen and now all of sudden...fast forward!

Will you please pray for us and for these sweet kids (all 7 of them!) International adoption is greuling and we need to be covered in prayer more than ever right now and going into the future.

If you feel so led, please visit our fundraiser and donate. We are holding a two for two campaign to bring these two little angels home. Click here to read more or to donate even $2!!

Or click here: Two for Two campaign for the Bergstrom Family Adoption

Thank you so much and we will keep you posted!!

GIVEAWAY!! We (they) need your help

2011-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Get ahold of these GORGEOUS gold leaf lace earrings. They are absolutley stunning.

We just got a surprise referral of two young children. We need to raise some serious money and we need to do it fast!! We MUST GET THESE KIDS TO A SAFE PLACE!! We need to raise the funds to cover the legal fees and we need your help to do it! We are putting together several fundraisers right now, but we are going to need about $4000 in the next week or two. This really is a matter of life and death.

PLEASE donate and spread the word. If you aren't in a position to donate, please spread the word.

Here's how to enter:
-Donate! You get one entry for each $5 you donate. (Just click on the Chip In button on the right)
-Post a link to this post on Facebook
-post a link to this post on Twitter
-Post a link to this post on your blog

Leave a comment for each one that you did on this post. A random winner will be selected on Tuesday December 20th.

thank you!

RANSOM

2011-12-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

God has been whispering to me for the last few days that I should expect the unexpected. He delivered it yesterday. We received news of two waiting children. The plan doesn't like we thought it would in more ways than one! We will share all the details when we are able.

One thing that was unexpected is that we need to come up with about $4000 right away. We thought we were several months away from this point. The kids are in a very dangerous place. In order to survive, the children need to be removed and placed in foster care. In order for them to be removed, the attorney needs to go to court. They need to pay the court fees, etc. We need to do this before time runs out. This really is a life or death situation!

Would you please consider making a donation toward our adoption fund to help make this happen? These kids need us and we NEED your HELP!!! Please click on the Chip In button on the right to donate. If you can't donate, please share this with anyone you think would like to!

We'll keep you posted and will be having a giveaway very soon! THANK YOU!

Change Lives for Christmas!

2011-12-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Help change children's lives by giving them an education. We are putting together a sponsorship program for three children we met in Mexico. Their family attends one of the local churches that we worked with on our trip. Their dad died and then their step-dad went to another town to work, but sends no money. They live on the edge of the old garbage dump in a house they built of cardboard and pallettes.

Many of the kids in this town are subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Many kids either don't go to school or only go to school until they are 12 years old. Their chances at employment are minimal, but if they receive an education and learn to speak English then their chances for a future skyrocket! Through the local church we are setting up an education fund for three of these kids. These kids are so great. We hung out with them and they are so smart and so sweet. They have a wonderful mother. She loves them and she takes good care of them. We want to support her in that. We need your help.

We need sponsors for $200 a month. You can give any amount. Even $5 can make a huge impact. You can make a one time donation or give a monthly gift. Please help give these kids the gift of a future.

Mexico Day Six

2011-11-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Friday morning we woke up and started deboning the turkey that the other group had cooked the night before. They put all the leftover veggies and meat in a huge pot and made soup. There is a lady that runs a soup kitchen and they were bringing it to her to feed the children she serves. Somehow one of our leaders connected with her the night before. We had no idea who this woman was or what she did, but one of the leaders felt compelled to hug on her and talk to her. She shared her incredible story with him and we planned on going out the next day (today).

We got to her place and I started crying the minute I stepped foot on her property. She lives right in the same neighborhood as all the kids and families she serves. She lives right along side them on the dump. She has the same kind of fence around her property as they do (not 10 foot concrete walls). She is an American and was living in California. Four years ago she and her husband (who was born in Mexico) sold everything they had and bought the property they occupy. They slept in their car until they could build a grass hut. They held services outside in the sand. They all sat on old two by fours in the dirt and worshipped God. A couple of years ago the pastor of the church where our group was staying happened to hear about some crazy American living with and feeding the children so he went over to see her. She was receiving no support and they were paying for everything out of the money they had from selling their possessions. He connected her with a couple teams from the US and they built a small church, a small classroom and a house with a feeding area and large kitchen for them.

This couple followed the Holy Spirit when He asked them to sell everything and serve the children of Mexico. They are doing His work there and showing the true love of the Father. They teach the kids English and literacy in Spanish. They feed them. They teach them about Jesus. When a child begins to come to the “center” regularly they go their home and connect with the parent or parents. They ask them to participate and contribute. She runs a tight ship and she requires the kids to behave and learn about Jesus. It is amazing. She asks that parents help at least one day a week. She gives the kids toys and rewards when they learn scripture or the books of the Bible. There were kids all over the place, but they were very sweet and well behaved. They fed every kid that came in. She knew them. She knew their stories and their families and she and her husband love them.

They teach the mothers how to care for their children as well. They also help them learn a skill so that they can get a job. They teach them that you can take care of kids whether you are rich or poor. It is so cool. She has no regular church support. There is no “sending church” or flood of American dollars to help this program. There aren’t glossy fliers and power points. They do have an email address though! They rely on God and what He will do.

As if that wasn’t enough for the day…we had the grand opening of the church that the construction team had been working on. They had poured a cement floor, built and put on a roof, installed doors and windows all in 7 days. It wasn’t creation itself but it was pretty awesome. We had the service at night with only the light from the work lights the guys had been using. A kid in the house by the church had tapped into electricity somewhere and they were able to plug in an extension cord. They didn’t have power in the kitchen that they were making hot dogs in so they did it on a propane burner by candle light. The kitchen was also a person’s house. It was a unique experience. I went outside in the dark and looked up at all the stars (you can see them there) and thought about how life looked when Jesus was here. I wondered what it was like when He and the apostles were together. It was good enough for Jesus. No electricity, out in the desert with the cool night breeze and quiet all around. The lights were glowing inside the church and it was filled with people. There were old men and families and anyone else who lived out there.
Ed and I gave our testimony again. God is so good. We fed them hot dogs and gave them all the gifts that people sent. It was really special. I could go on and on about how great the kids are down here.

Ed and a group of guys had brought over 18 kids from the edge of the neighborhood. They were so fun. They were just a bunch of rowdy teenage boys. One of them watches his 2 year old sister all day. She came with him tonight as well. It was such a joy to see our guys having so much fun with them. One kid said how special it was that they were hanging out with them because there are so many groups of Americans that come and no one ever spends any time with them. The guys told them it is all about Jesus!!!
What an awesome way to end the week.

Mexico Day Five

2011-11-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

What an amazing way to spend Thanksgiving! We woke up to fresh cinnamon rolls and a “rich man’s” breakfast made by the other group that is here. We went out to the work site and some of the kids helped sand benches for the church. Right next to the worksite was a house that had 2 dogs. One of them had died and the other one was slowly eating his buddy. Gross. Some of us ran around and got supplies for the church service, some of the guys and kids went around and knocked on doors in the neighborhood to pass out fliers for the service tonight. Lots of people here have dogs so they had fun trying to dodge attacking dogs while inviting people to church. They went to one house and they could hear a woman sobbing and weeping. They knocked and could hear her feet come over to the door but no one opened it. They knocked again. A man came around from the back and they handed him a flier. They had no interpreter with them so they could find out why the woman was crying. They never did see her. Domestic violence is rampant here.

A while later, we went to the soccer field with the group and they handed out a couple more bags of shoes and jackets. They just pulled up in the van and opened the back and the kids came from all around. The shoes were a very big hit. The older boys were very excited about all the soccer stuff. They got a little rowdy, but they were fun!

We had an opportunity to go to an orphanage and just visit briefly. I have to just state right up front that I know nothing about this place and they may do amazing work, I am going to state my OPINION and my IMPRESSION. We pulled up to this orphanage and they opened the gate. I have never seen any place like this. The facility is huge. They have a HUGE playground. There is a beautiful marble church with a projector and a huge marble stage. There are large tile courtyards with what looks like a covered dance floor or party-type area. There were huge planters (for flowers) everywhere and there was landscaping. There are dorms for all kinds of visitors to come and stay. There was a library and a beauty shop that was for training the girls. There was a HUGE kitchen that was being repainted. The facility was a very large compound. It looked absolutely nothing like any of the surrounding area. To say that it was in stark contrast to anything else we saw would be an understatement. There were people in cars driving in and out. There were several ladies working there. This was an incredibly beautiful place. There were about 3 children. They said it houses 30 children from age 3 to about 12 (for boys) and 18 for girls. There was no one on the playground it was surrounded on all sides by fencing. We asked why and they said it was because there was no one to watch the kids out there so they wouldn’t let them play. The library was locked and the kids weren’t allowed in it. When we asked why we were told there was no one to watch the kids and so they couldn’t go in there. The beauty shop was open, but there was no on in there. They have groups of Americans continually visiting and staying there and running ministry from there I guess. You can definitely see all the American influence.

God brought us to that facility on exactly that day at exactly that very time for a very specific purpose. We would find that out the next day.

A group of the guys went to a recovery house and spoke to the men there to encourage them. Alcoholism is a big problem here as it is everywhere really. That night we had a Thanksgiving feast of tacos at El Chipilon. They are so good! We ate until we were about to burst and then went back to the house and ate pumpkin pie that the other group was so kind to give us!

Mexico Day Four

2011-11-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful mother that has five children. This is her youngest, Juan Hermando, and I absolutely fell in love with her and her children. We got to pray for her baby as he has been sick and in and out of the hospital. I especially fell in love with her 11 year old daughter.

We put on a program in the morning that included music and a puppet show and some talking. We also gave out more hats and blankets that some wonderful church ladies made and we gave out beans and rice. The bigger kids finished up their coloring contest and the winners were brother and sister.

In the evening we had a service that included a short version of the puppet show and a message. Ed and I also gave our testimonies! I had no idea that we were going to do that. We didn't plan on it, but we were asked to do it and we are always happy to share what God has done in our lives. After the service a woman came over and wanted to talk to me, she told me her story and we prayed together. My heart was just broken for her. She was crying and I could feel her pain.

We finished off the night with a hot dog feed and just playing with all the kids and trying to talk to them and their parents. It is just a joy to be here with these great people.

Mexico Day Three

2011-11-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

I'm getting behind on my blogging because we are having too much fun and I am worn out at the end of the day.

Today we got to put on a women's program at one of the churches. We have been a little stressed about this because no one was quite sure what we would be doing. First it was a full program, then there wouldn't be time to do one at all and so on. We never really planned what we would speak about, but one of the women was a genious and brought a craft for the women and it turned out to be a big hit!

When it was time to start our women's time, there were three women there to listen. There was 3 of us and 3 of them! Eventually more showed up. We each gave our testimony and did the craft with them. I went through my testimony way too fast because I was afraid I would go too long. The kids were upstairs doing a puppet show and all kinds of cool stuff. They started a coloring contest and the soccer girls handed out some shoes. Those big girls had a blast playing with all the kiddos. All the big girls have just been awesome with the little kids here. They really have connected well and are seeing things with their own eyes.

We have had the opportunity to go to the soccer park and hang out with kids while the other kids play soccer on the field. The little girls are particulary fun and one has taken a liking to my cell phone! We were all sitting around on bleachers when we looked underneath and there was a little boy about 2 years old. He was squatting down going poop on the ground and when it wouldn't come out, he just reached around and pulled it out! We gave him some hand sanitizer, but I don't think that it was enough!

There has been a lot of personal growth on my part and I have been learning quite a bit about what it takes to put a trip like this together.

Mexico day two

2011-11-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

This is me doing my first official job here at the guest house! A couple of the girls and I painted the main gathering room of the guest house. It needed quite a bit of touch up paint, but once we started patching, we realized that we had the wrong color of paint! We ended up repainting the entire main room (be flexible!).

After we finished the painting, we headed over to the construction site where a very talented group of men is working on a church. They laid the foundation and put up trusses and are finishing the roof while we are here. The church is setting up education and support for single mothers.

This was by far, the highlight of the day. After we checked out the construction site, we had to run over to another church to find out exactly what we were doing for the women and children's ministries the next day. We met with the wonderful pastor and talked with him about what he wanted us to do for the ladies. After we got our program worked out, we asked him if there was anyone in the community who had a very great need (his church is located on the old dump in the town). He told us there was a very old woman who had a blind son and she was in great need. We walked to her home and she was gracious enough to let us in. She began tidying up the table that was in the middle of the room. Her house was built of scraps and it had two rooms. The fact that we could all fit in the room was its own miracle. The photo makes it look deceptivley large. When the pastor explained that we were there to ask if there was anything that she needed she immediately exhibited the love of a mother and said her son needed money to get to another town for eye testing. This woman could have asked us for anything and she would have been justified. Her home was so tiny, her teeth were gone, they were so thin...she really could have asked for anything. She only wanted the money to get her blind son to the eye test. She is far too old to work and her son can't work because he is blind. They had been begging for pesos for weeks trying to get the money together to just get him to the appointment. They weren't even asking us for the money for the eye test! They just wanted to get the money to get him there! She was so very sweet and welcoming. We made sure they had what they needed for the test, the stay and to get him there. The coolest part of the visit with them was praying with them. What an honor. God filled that tiny shack.

Mexico Day One

2011-11-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

We got up a little late (after getting in at about midnight) and got ready for the church service. We went to the church that is on the compound we are staying at. There are long term American missionaries that have a church and a very nice set up here. We attended their service and there were about 75 people there. The worship was awesome, all in Spanish of course. The last song they sang was “How Great is Our God” and it was INCREDIBLE. I was on my knees worshipping, there were people in the front at the altar and everyone was just alive in the Spirit. It was so amazing to hear it sung in Spanish and just realize that God hears us, no matter what language we speak or where we live on this planet. God knows each of us by name and He loves each one of us.

We got to go to the Mexican WalMart for food and supplies and get ourselves organized. We spent the day kind of getting our bearings and figuring out what the week held for us. We got to go to the local park and watch the soccer group that we are with, play soccer. It is just so cool to see how kids respond to each other out there on the soccer field. The girls just grabbed a soccer ball and started walking down the street to the park, before we knew it, there were kids everywhere. It was very cool. I never saw the glorification of God in sports before, but I saw how the Father was glorified in this. They all had so much fun and were connected whether they knew each other’s language or not! It was great.

We have a big day tomorrow and we are looking forward to all the great stuff that God has for us!

Mexico mission trip drive down

2011-11-21T22:48:00.000-08:00

Friday and Saturday we had a great time driving down. We had the best conversations about family and the Lord and lots of other stuff. We were on the road for fourteen hours the first day and about 13 hours the next. We stopped almost every 2 hours to switch drivers and have potty breaks. The kids went into hibernation mode and slept almost the entire way.

quick update

2011-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

We got our finished homestudy in the mail this week! We are so excited to finally be moving forward. Now our agency (Children's Home Society) just needs to review it and approve it and we can move on to the next step. It took us so long to get all our documents to the social worker because we were waiting for the lawsuit with our house to settle. It did settle, but oddly enough, it isn't finished yet!!! It has been a wonderful (divine) reminder that we are not called to let the circumstances of this life dictate our following of Christ.

We are also gearing up for our mission trip to Mexico with the bigs!

perspective

2011-10-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Something happened recently that was a wonderful reminder about perspective in adoption. We really only see things from our side. All the waiting and paperwork, all the decisions about what country, timing, birth order, etc. All the choices about bedrooms and vehicles and insurance and school and all the things that we focus on as we are making our decision. We want to make sure that we are making all the right choices and are minimizing our risks and potential problems. We decide if we can afford certain things and how we will go about raising funds.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, maybe there is a parent or a family member that has another perspective. Maybe they are thinking about how they are going to feed their children or nieces and nephews or grandchildren. Maybe they are trying to decide if certain starvation is better or if life in an orphanage is a better choice. They may be filled with thoughts of grief at the loss of a dear loved one and trying to decide what to do with the small ones left behind. Maybe they are so sick and know they are dying and are trying to make the best possible choice for their babies. Or, maybe they are so far gone and hopeless that throwing their baby in the trash seems to be a better option than anything else.

I think about my children and how much I love them. I just cannot fathom that if something happened to us that no one would step up to take them in. I think how incredible they are, how they are all so unique and beautiful and no one would want them???!!! How they are each a treasure and a masterpiece made by God’s own hand and they are too much of risk. I think about how our family isn’t quite complete yet, and most people would think that there are too many already. It really does blow my mind. I wonder if mother’s in other countries feel the same way.

Encouragement

2011-10-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

These last few months I have spent a lot of time with the Lord and have been really seeking His will. I have gone between being frustrated to having peace and everywhere in between. I trust God and I really do know that His ways are best and that He has a plan for our family.

Good friends of ours went to the Empowered to Connect Conference in Nashville recently. They had a great time and came back with great tools they are successfully putting into practice. They came back with something else too…the idea propagated by ETC that people should not adopt more than one, maybe two children who have experienced trauma. I was not at the conference myself, but I am working through the audio and just listened to the Coley’s speak. I have read the book and have worked through part of the Christian supplement. I have heard amazing things about Dr. Purvis and have heard that her methods bring healing and results and I am not doubting that for a minute, but the ENEMY can use ANYTHING for his purposes. He can twist things around and fear is one of his greatest weapons.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10

I am not the only one who was affected by this idea. There are several families who have expressed their concern about this theory and have QUESTIONED WHAT GOD HAS CALLED THEM TO DO. This is very dangerous territory as there is always worldly temptation to succumb to fear. I was encouraged by several mothers to many who reinforced my belief that we are not called to make our choices based on earthly ministry, but on what God is asking each of us to do.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

We need to encourage each other in this journey and not be encouraging fear and retreat. Satan hates the orphan and he would like nothing more than to see these sweet, precious children of God be left to fend for themselves and die. This road is not for the faint and we need God first and foremost to be our pillar, our strong shield. When we get weak, we need others to help lift us up. This is a battle and sometimes it will come from within…sometimes the fear within ourselves and sometimes within our ministries or other earthly wisdom. Jesus says that His sheep will know His voice. I encourage you to listen to HIS voice today, the only one that truly matters.

“This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
2 Chronicles 20:15

2011 OFA Families Reunion

2011-07-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's almost here...the annual OFA DRC families reunion! It's going to be good times. On Saturday August 6th we will be gathering for a day of celebration of our children, our families and DRC. We have an amazing Congolese speaker who will be cooking up a Congolese dinner and there will be lots of fun and food for the whole family!!!

If you would like more information, please email me at chelesesara@aol.com.

Maybe it is all about me

2011-07-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Adoption is all about me.

If you want to do something that is truly “all about you” then you should adopt. You should adopt multiple children of all ages, with all kinds of issues. Nothing in this world will be more about you that that! YOU receive the following benefits:

-You will be rocked to your core

-You will question everything you believed to be true about yourself

-You will question everything you thought to be true about others in your family

-You will be fully burned up with the Refiner’s fire

-You will realize the depths of your own selfishness and depravity

-You will see the glory of God

-You will realize that hearing a child laugh is the most beautiful sound you have ever heard

-You will be aware of and deal with of all your old junk either by choice or the fire thing I mentioned earlier

-You will see things that you never thought were possible

-You will see Jesus in your children (even when you can’t see Him in yourself)

-You will be drawn closer to God than ever before

-You will gain a deeper understanding of what Jesus did on the cross

-You will never be the same

It is the greatest and most wonderful adventure!! Now…off to have some “me time” with the kiddos!!!

Our Process

2011-07-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

I have had so much on my mind that I can’t seem to get it down in any way that makes sense!

First, I am taking some R and R at the beach with my kiddos. We have the amazing luxury of being able to stay at my Dad’s beach house nearly anytime and today we took advantage of that. There is SO much to do at home, but we all needed a little break from reality. Hopefully my sweet husband is at home knee deep in getting reality taken care of!!
I did promise that I would lay out our hearts and our process with our adoption so here goes. To recap, we have our application in and are now waiting on our actual home study visit in a week and a half. We have been working on our required adoption education and finishing up our paperwork for the homestudy. It’s all pretty simple as we have done this twice before.

We are so early in the process and it has already been so challenging. So many issues that we have not had to deal with before are coming up. The first two adoptions were of (essentially) babies and single kiddos. Now that we are talking multiple, older kids the issues are coming out!! We are dealing with issues in our own house that have nothing to do with any new kid behavior yet!! The big question for me right now is “What is true selfishness and what are legitimate issues”? We have had concerns voiced by a couple of household members and that is the question I need answered. I lean toward…It’s all selfishness. This may be true, but it isn’t fair or helpful. I think…the only way to root out selfishness is to confront it head on and be fully immersed in a situation that requires you to be selfless. Otherwise, you’ll just keep living in the self-love. The problem (good thing) is that I am not God and I don’t know when is the right time to push and when is the right time to let someone be. After much wise counsel I think the right choice is to respect the family members’ concerns and make a choice with that in mind.

The thing is, these are children and not choices. I know that the choice I make will be the one God wants and it will be right, but I also KNOW that the choice I make leaves children behind. I know God loves these kids more than I do and I know His plans are good, but I can’t sleep at night because I wonder who will come for them. Once you see their sweet faces and hear the details of their lives, you can’t help but know them and love them. It also makes it even more heart-breaking to leave them behind.

Thorns

2011-07-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

The thorns of this life have been threatening to over-take us. Someone even uttered the words “ I can’t believe we are talking about adding four more kids when this is our situation”. Yikes. You see (among other things) we are in a fight with our mortgage company. We have been fighting them for nearly 2 years now. They have our home in foreclosure with an actual sale date and we have NEVER. BEEN. LATE. ON. A. PAYMENT. It is the craziest situation I have ever been involved in. We have tried everything we know to get them to fix the problem and they haven’t. They admit on every phone call (there have been at least 100) that it is their error and that they will fix the problem, and then they just never do. Our renter moved out because of this problem and our credit is ruined. It has been a nightmare. We finally broke down and hired an attorney yesterday (‘cause we have tons of extra money). The attorney said it should be a simple fix, but it could cost us several more thousand dollars and the bank may never be required to pay our attorneys fees even though it is their fault! They might have to, but they might not. Crazy, huh!? This has caused a lot of stress in our house. I am looking forward to when it is FINALLY resolved.

This is truly just one of the weird things (thorns) that we are walking through right now. I was telling a friend about all this stuff and she stopped me and said that we must be doing something right because we are under attack. That really is what is going on. There really is an enemy of our soul and he is a sly one. He knows how to use those lies and strongholds against us. How crazy is it that we get so caught up in the mess that we actually think the answer is to NOT do what God is asking us to do! Weird that somehow NOT adding children to our family was a way to avert the stress from this situation. Nice try, but not going to happen!!!! Even in our circumstances we are committed to caring for the orphan by providing them a family…our family.

I believe with my whole heart that if these kids were at our gate (like Lazarus Luke 16: 19-31) more people would care for them. But we know these kids are really at our gate. We can’t pretend that they are not. The circumstances of this life will never be perfect. There will always be these kinds of things going on. We aren’t called to wait until circumstances are perfect. We are called to do it in spite of these circumstances. I know God is not asking everyone to adopt right now, but he is asking us to do it despite these thorns and to do our part.

And the Winner is...

2011-06-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Cristy Ford is the big winner!!!!! Congrats and give me your address so I can mail it to you!

Festivals and Fears

2011-06-12T18:26:00.001-07:00

We have been ridiculously busy with end of the school year stuff and other random events this week. I actually camped out for 19 hours in line to get the big girls a spot at their homeschool support program. We also had 2 parties and lots of other stuff. We did get to go to a local festival for the kids and they had a blast. There was a petting zoo and bouncy castles and delicious fair food. The kids had a great time playing and bouncing and swinging.

Toward the end of our time at the festival a teenage girl we know was pushing Daniella on the swing. Daniella started screaming (which I don't always pay immediate attention to because she screams ALOT) but then she started yelling "butt head" over and over again so I went over to see what the problem was. She's crying and saying that she wants out and the girl won't get her out, and that she wasn't yelling butt head at anyone in particular and then she finally takes a breath and looks at me and me and says "mime mommy". And then it all made sense. Daniella has developed a pathological fear of mimes. One came and performed at her school and she has been terrified of anything mime-like since then. They were having some kind of magic show at the festival and apparently she saw a mimish character. Needless to say we were done after that!

Our Hat is in the Ring...Vote for us!

2011-06-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ok...So we are nominated, we might as well ask for votes! Click on the link below to vote for us in the Circle of Moms Top 25 adoption Blogs! It is literally two clicks, one on the link and one on the "thumbs up" to vote. Thank you!!! You can vote once a day from each computer!

Vote for Countdown to Congo (and Colombia)

PS. If you are already voting for Millions of Miles please don't vote for us, just keep voting for them!!!! Thank you.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-06-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

I LOVE giveaways! We have all kinds of good stuff so let's get started!!! Our first giveaway is this FABULOUS men's shirt from 147 million orphans. It is so very cool and would make an excellent Father's Day gift.

The back says " Stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves" Prov. 31:8

It is a men's extra-large

Here's how to enter. Each of these is one entry:

1. Share this on Facebook and leave a comment that you did.
2. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment that you did.
3. Friend me on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you did.
4. Share this on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.
5. Repost on your blog and leave a comment saying you did.
6. Donate to our adoption via our "chip in" button on the right. EACH dollar is one entry!

We will draw one random name on June 15th!
Thank you and let's spread the love!!!

Ugandan Necklaces!!!

2011-05-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

We have the necklaces!!! They are SO beautiful! I just want to wear them all, BUT they are to raise $ to bring these kids HOME!!! They are made by women in Uganda to help them support their families. By buying these necklaces you help those women and you help this group of kiddos be orphans NO MORE!!!

They are $20 a piece and we will ship them to you for free!!!!!

just send me an email at chelesesara@aol.com and we will get them to you!!!!!

Why a Sibling Group

2011-05-30T01:35:00.000-07:00

So, next in my apparent series of “why” is why a sibling group? People are also shocked to find out that we are asking for multiple children. While the older child thing seems to bring a negative response, the idea of many children at once is generally followed by a glassy eyed-stare and then some type of comment about how we are saints. We are not saints. I’m sure I would get an amen from folks that know us.

We really were open to multiple kids during our last adoption. We had seen the need and figured it was so hectic around our house already that it wouldn’t matter if we threw a few more littles in the mix! Now we are convinced that a sibling group is the way to go. After Gabriel came home, we started looking at our kids and thinking…Can you imagine if something happened to us and no one would take them in? We just couldn’t. We could not conceive of this happening to our kids, but it is happening to God’s children all over the world right now.

I know of some older children that come home to the US and begin to tell their parents of the siblings left behind. This is heart-breaking. The thought of a family being broken over and over again makes me want to throw up. I think about someone (or very large groups of someones) viewing my children as “unadoptable” because of the fact that there are 5 of them. These are my babies, masterpieces made in God’s own image…and no one would be willing to take the risk on loving them. Unacceptable.

We have room for more in our hearts and in our house and even if we didn’t, we would make room, because God is asking us to do it, and we are happy to oblige the Father! We are messy and loud and sometimes defiant and ugly and God loves us anyway. For us to do less with His children is to deny what He has done for us. Period.

Why Older Children

2011-05-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

When we tell folks we are adopting again, most people assume we are adopting another baby. People seem to be a little concerned when they find out what the age range is for our adoption. We requested children between the ages of 2 and 12. I’m sure many of you know the kinds of comments and questions we receive!

When we started on this journey many years ago, we set out to adopt a baby girl. We had lots of reasons for choosing a baby girl and all of them were valid. God placed the perfect child in our family. The second time around, we requested a sibling group of up to 3 and up to age 6. God was expanding our horizons, but we were still very concerned about the risks of adopting older children. God again placed the perfect child into our family. That time, though, there was a little pain in the process as we lost the referral of a pair of siblings. We were hurt and confused by this, but we knew that God’s reasons are always good.

It’s as if each time, God was removing the barriers of fear from our hearts. Now, we are asking for older children. Our two oldest are 15 and 12 and are very much the “oldest” children. The next sibling is 5 years old so they have a very established place as the leaders of the kids! We are requesting that 12 be the oldest down to 2 years old. Really though, God is opening our hearts on a daily basis and we are open to whatever He has in store for us!

When I was in DRC this last time, I was humbled and ashamed when I saw the older girls at one orphanage sharing their food with some of the smaller children. I watched as a few babies were passed over in the food line and these sweet girls (themselves malnourished) shared their meager portion with someone even lesser than themselves. They received nothing for this. They got less food for their generosity. They were hungrier and put themselves in even more danger for them. I remember thinking…what will become of these girls, no one is coming for them. No one is going to reward them (in this life) for their gift. I was ashamed at myself for being afraid, in the past, of loving them enough to bring them into my home. I was ashamed at my own selfishness in the presence of their generosity.

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been over-come by waves of fear in this process. Every so often the fear creeps in and says things like…what are you thinking????? You can’t do this. You are going to destroy your family. In one way, those people are right, this is dangerous territory…enemy territory. But, I lean into the Father and know beyond doubt that He loves me, He is in charge and that He has called us to do this. God has very clearly asked us to adopt and care for the orphan. He doesn’t just mean the darling little babies, although they are SO stinkin’ cute! We are sold out to God and we know what He wants us to do. I know I will be leaning into Him in new and profound ways during this process and what is to come, but what an AWESOME adventure!!!!

Nesting

2011-05-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

We have a long way to go, but for some reason I am already nesting! I switched 2 bedrooms around and painted two bathrooms, the kitchen and the hallway. We have also done a ton of work outside. I keep having that feeling of just wanting everything “done”. I have been so far behind on certain things that I hadn’t switched pictures in frames since our oldest was about 4 (she’s 15).

In this last month we have also been audited for the adoption portion of our tax return and our mortgage company has messed up our mortgage account so badly that they have us several payments behind when we are not even one month behind. Anyone who knows me in real life knows how much I LOVE paperwork and how GREAT I am at keeping it organized. Needless to say, I have about stroked out trying to deal with the paperwork on these two issues.

Although I have been tempted, none of these things will distract me from what is important. These are just thorns and things we have to deal with in this world. Our focus is on the eternal and we have been called to care for the least of these regardless of the cost in this world. We are called to love others regardless of the circumstances and so that is what we are leaning into. We know God is in control and He has our backs! It is so fun to say yes and watch our amazing God work!!!!

Black is not an 'event'

2011-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is like being Black in this town. I will never know what it is like to be Black in America or anywhere else for that matter. I love my babies and I want to know what I can. The things I am reading are coming up short lately...books with positive black lead characters... a lovely play starring a black person...listening to music played by people with brown skin... a positive Black role model in their lives. All of these things are good things, but to say they come up short is a joke right now.

What it is like for my babies? Here is what I do know. They are 2 and 3 and they notice. Our younger child may not "realize" that he notices, but the fact that he talks non-stop about the one other little brown boy in our town or that he won't go to anyone else that we know except that little boy's daddy, says otherwise. Our 3 year old flat out talks about it. She was struggling a little bit at an Easter egg hunt that we went to last weekend. After we were home, all her comments were about the one little brown baby that looked like her. There were about 200 people there. That baby was just one of many babies there, but she zeroed in on her and it made enough of an impression that she talked about it for a while.

Well meaning people genuinely believe that these kids don't notice these things. Even I am guilty of just glossing over it and expecting them to get on the "happy family train". I expect them to just jump right on and keep moving because everything is fabulous right? I just need to stop. Lord help me to stop and see and remember things from their perspective, from all my children's perspective.

Our country

2011-04-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

We are not adopting from the Democratic Republic of Congo this time. This breaks my heart because I love the country and the people and the kids there, but this is God’s plan and sometimes it is different than my own (praise God for that!). No matter where we adopt from, we remain fully committed to DRC and to the organization Our Family Adoptions
So…drumroll please……we are adopting from…Colombia! We have already been asked the question, “Why Colombia?” So I will just try to answer it here from the very beginning:

1. We qualify
2. Orphans are orphans, regardless of where they are born
3. They seem to have a stable process
4. They have sibling groups
5. We qualify

We are very excited to move forward, but this is very new territory for us. We are going through the whole “agency thing” and there will need to be a connection to a whole new group of people and country. I am a little grieved about Congo, but God knows better than I do what is needed right now. Not to mention that we will be adding siblings to our family!

I’m going to be taking you all along on this journey with us, each step of the way. Not because I want to publicly display my life, but because I want others in the process to be encouraged that they are not alone and maybe someone else will be encouraged to move forward! My hope is that God will be glorified!

Frugality

2011-04-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

This last year has been interesting for us financially. Things are moving in the right direction now and are looking up for the future. However, one of the blessings of our situation is that we have learned some fabulous lessons in frugality! These lessons have been awesome and they will continue to help us as we add to our family. We have done lots of things to save money, one of which was get rid of tv. Now, we love ourselves some tv around here! It was hard and we still want it sometimes, but the side effect of not being able to afford it is that we have spent more time together as a family. We have been more purposeful in our time together and we have read a lot more books!
We have also whittled down all our other bills as far as they can be. We make our own laundry soap and I am constantly working on the grocery bill. There are lots of strategies people use to do this, but I have found Mary Ostyn’s, of Owlhaven, book:

Family Feasts for $75 a Week

super helpful. It’s a lot of common sense, but she is also very specific and I need that!
Between no tv and the baby chicks, our kids are starting to think we are either hippies or fundamentalists!

2011-04-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hold tight dear ones...we are on our way

2011-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Our first piece of paperwork has officially been submitted!!!! YAHOOO..we are on our way sweet babies!!!!

We really do need all the help we can get to get to these sweet kids. In order to get started, we need to raise at least $800 for our home study and application. Our home study provider has agreed to update our study for a ROCK BOTTOM price (praise God)!

For our first official fundraiser, we will be teaming up with Just Love Coffee and have opened our fundraising store. For every item purchased, we get a healthy portion of the proceeds and you get some fabulous coffee!!! Please click the link below to help us get to the next step and get these kiddos home!

Just love Coffee

I need to put a button with a link on my side bar, but I haven't quite figured that one out yet. Thank you so much and I will be keep you all posted at every step along the wonderful way!

The greatest word

2011-04-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yes.

Is that the greatest word or what? It is so simple and so profound. Just a yes to what the Lord is asking. That is all it takes. Today we said yes to what He has been asking us to do. We don't know how we will get there or how this will all come together, but I bet He does! All He wants is the yes and He will do the rest!!

Baby chicks!

2011-03-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

Every year we talk about getting layer chickens for eggs and every year we don't actually do it. Well this year we finally did it! They are SO cute and we are loving the cute little sounds they make. We got 15 because we will most likely lose some (or all) of them. We are not natural farmers.

Father Daughter

2011-03-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last week Ed took Emily to the father daughter dance here in town. It was a big deal. This was their first year going and they had a blast! Ed does not dance and I guess even he was out cutting a rug!! I would've liked to have been a fly on the wall!!!! It is a huge event with something like 450 people there. It's put on by a great organization that tries to educate parents on what is going on in the world of our girls. Seeing as we have four of them, it's important that we know!

Hopelessness...and the God of hope

2011-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get my mind around what I saw and experienced while in DRC. I still don't know how to express what I am feeling. I thought it was hopelessness, and maybe for a while it was. The things I saw were horrific. They didn't just break my heart, it put a crack...a chasm in my soul. I know what the Bible says about this world, but I still held onto the belief that people were basically good. They are not. When left to their own devices, they can be incredibly selfish, wicked and all consuming.

But my hope does not rest in people. It rests in the FATHER.

"He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap" Psalms 13:7

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families Psalms" 68:5-6

"Weeping may endure for a night,

but joy Comes in The Morning."

Psalm 30:5

I was reminded of a time about 8 years ago when life seemed to be the polar opposite of what it is now. I believed the lie that there was no hope. The sad thing is that the lie of hopelessness leads us to sin. When we buy in to the lie that there is no hope, we let the enemy win. The enemy of our souls would like nothing more than for us to believe that what we do does not matter...that there is no way that our efforts are going to effect any real change. Jesus worked ONE PERSON AT A TIME. We can work in that same way and show people true hope, the only hope...the hope in the Father.

New Post

2011-02-22T00:57:00.000-08:00

Just One More Child

Last post from DRC

2011-02-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

We took baby girl back to the hospital today. Our 3:00 appointment began at about 7:00. She has gained almost 2 pounds in 9 days!!!!!! Praise God! I thank God that there is a hospital here in the city and that all she needs is money to pay. When I get home I will write how God got that money here for her!

She had no fever and is improving. They prescribed her many physical therapy appointments and more vitamins. I am so happy that she is doing better. It has been so touch and go, but God hears our prayers. Keep praying for her. She needs us to be interceding for her.

I'm off tomorrow and heading home. I am ready to see my family, but I do feel sadness at leaving here. There is so much work to be done and it is hard to do from back home. I am so happy though to go and see my family and it sounds like they are ready to see me also!!!

P.S.

2011-02-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our driver, Michelle, totally redeemed himself today and gave us a very cheap taxi ride!

Thursday's update

2011-02-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

We managed to see more children today. I wish I could give every single detail about these wonderful kids and the people that are fostering them! They are all just so great! I held the most precious baby boy today! Oh he reminded me so much of Gabriel. Too bad he has already been referred or I may have just snatched him right up. We have got to visit with some of the most wonderful children and adults I have ever met. These kids are happy and accepting and still hopeful after all they have been through. These adults have sometimes risked their very lives to help these children with little or no benefit to themselves. It is a humbling experience being here and seeing families with very meager living conditions, open their homes to even more children and truly take care of them.

Our translator is equally fabulous. He is a 25 year old kid with a Bachelor's degree in agriculture and he speaks probably 5 languages (or more). He has tolerated my friend and I and our every odd request. He has graciously answered our very nosy questions. He also has not asked for a single thing. He is so appreciative of anything he does get. I am hoping the families can help him get into a masters program in the US. He is so smart and just a good kid. There are not a lot of opportunities in DRC and he so much wants to help develop agricultural programs. That is something that is so desperatley needed here.

I am winding down my time here and have a few things to try to finish tomorrow. We made another trip to the embassy today, and then went out to a nice dinner with the folks that run the guest house and another missionary. It was good and it was nice to escape for a little while.

The sweet baby girl is doing a little better. She only cried a little bit last night so that is good. We have some more testing while I am here so we will see how much improvement she has made. Keep praying for her and all the children here.

update on sweet baby girl

2011-02-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, the baby was not doing well. The pastor kept trying to call me to discuss what we should do. He thought she was surely going to die. We were out all day, and “coincidently” we had left one of the phones here and taken the other two with us. For some reason, he only was calling the one we did not bring. Because he could not get ahold of us by phone, or in person, he decided to have his wife bring the baby to his office and he and his wife prayed over her for hours. They took her home and in the morning she was doing much better! He said she was 50/50! She has one more appointment while I am here so I am very curious how much she will have improved and how much weight she will have gained! This precious baby has a long road ahead of her. There is more testing that needs to be done when her little body can take it. She has suffered so much in her little life. Please keep praying for her and that God would be glorified by her life.

today's update

2011-02-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

I got to Skype with my family this morning! We’ve only done it twice, but I am going to try to do it for the remainder of the trip because Ed says that the kids do so much better after seeing me. I love hearing their voices. I will be happy to be home.
Today has been our only down day. I met with the pastor earlier to go over paperwork, but nothing since then. We did clean our room and wipe down the countertops. We also got fresh sheets and towels as well. I don’t even want to talk about how dirty my sheets were, disgusting.
There is a large conference here and they are using all the bandwith (?) on the internet. I managed to send one email and one message and that is all I have been able to do today. It is a huge bummer because I got all kinds of birthday emails from people and I haven’t been able to read most of them. I emailed some last night kind of late and I probably will need to stay up late again.
I cried yesterday. Just for a minute. I have only cried one other time and that is when I saw Mama Josephine walk into the hospital to help with the sick baby. I begged God to make me a soldier and stop me from crying and he did. Yesterday, it took a little longer for Him to stop me. A few tears made it out. There was a little boy, maybe 3 or 4, who had just been taken from the orphanage and he was a little sad and confused. He did just fine while I was at the house, but when the driver opened the door for me to get in and go, he just stood in the open door. He was not going to move, he wanted to get in the car and leave. Finally, the house mama picked him up and was holding him and he was just screaming…screaming. We started to drive away and my heart broke. That is when I cried.

I Turned 40 in the Congo

2011-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my 40th birthday!!!! How exciting for me to turn 40 in the DRC. God is so great and His love is sufficient. I started my day with French toast which is exactly what I would have had at home! Then I went out to the Pastor’s house to check on some children and was so happy to see a loving African family with the means to live a good life. This same family takes in many other children as well. The mama knows what she is doing. This family’s willingness to help others and help children just amazes me. They have a large family to support and yet they are always open to helping. It is humbling for sure.

On the way to our next stop, we pulled into a gas station. We had a very interesting exchange with a policeman, but I will save that for later.

After that we went for ice cream! Me, my friend Jaeda, Jules (the 25 year old translator) and Michelle (our 20 something driver) all sat and had ice cream. They sang Happy Birthday to me, except Michelle who does not speak one word of English. The ice cream was SO good and I am hoping we can go back there on Friday. After that we went back to the guest house. By the way, Michelle was kind enough to totally rip us off on the taxi ride home (whatever, you’re welcome for the ice cream buddy).

I ended my day getting hit on by the Rico Suave of DRC. He did not even blink when I told him I had 5 kids. He was, however, disappointed to know I also had a husband!
I got to see the sick baby again today. She was eating rice cereal and crying. This time you could at least hear her cries. Just keep praying for her healing and restoration. There is so much more that I want to say about the situation with this baby but I think some things may have to wait until I am home. Just know that God hears our prayers.

another update...I think I should come up with a more creative title but I don't have it in me today.

2011-01-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent all day with a local Pastor and her entourage. The service was awesome and long. She is on fire for the Lord though and it was so fun watching her preach! After the 4 hour service, we were served a very traditional Congolese lunch. It was delicious. I did try to avoid eating the pigeon, but Pastor grabbed a big piece and put it on my plate. It really was so good, but i was terrified that I was going to get some funky amoeba or something.

After church and lunch, they gave us a tour of the facilities. We were blessed to meet a group of widows and their children that are supported by the church. They were wonderful. They have a small room they want to use for a widows school and then thye need the bathroom improved dramatically. There was one non-working toilet and 2 basins to use as a toilet. They have a small room that plan to use as an emergency clinic and the church has 4 doctors to staff it. The building is pretty big and they have the space, they just need resources to fill the rooms with supplies.

After that tour, they took us out to their agricultural site where they allow widows to harvest cassava and take it to market for free. They do a very good thing here. They want to develop it further and put more crops, an orphanage and a school.

After that we stopped at a local market and the Pastor bought us some fruit. It was a very nice gesture. They are doing good things there. We made about 4 or 5 more stops after that and we were SO tired. It was a good, busy and tiring day!

update

2011-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

busy, busy days. Today we went to the good orphanage and gave the kids balls and powdered milk. I was so bummed that to my camera wouldn't work because it was a blast to wch the kids play with them in the courtyard. One child only wanted to hold the ball and would not put it down. They were all very cute. There was someone there doing improvements in the courtyard, dinner was cooking and babies were getting baths. There were mamas taking care of them all.

Our taxi died several times and the driver had to get out and work under the hood. He always got it started though! I have met some fascinating people while here and have got many new insights. It has been very good. I absolutely love our translator. He is just a very good young man.

Yesterday, we spent all day at clinics and the hospital for the sick baby. We got all the results from tests and in the grand scheme of things, her results were very good. She has medicine and should improve soon. We must continue to pray for this girl. She is made in the image of God. She was fearfully and wonderfully made. Pray for her restoration and healing. It was interesting sitting in a Congolese hospital for 5 hours. The doctor didn't get there until 5;30. It was a long day but worth it all for the glory of God!!!!!

update

2011-01-27T05:05:00.000-08:00

We took the baby to the hospital to have a CT scan of her head. We will get the results tomorrow morning. This little angel is in horrible shape. Not only is she starving to death which by itself is bad enough, but she has some problems with the skin on her legs and some serious injuries on her head. On her cheekbone, she has a wound that is partially healed that is very nasty and looks like she fell onto concrete. On her opposite ear she has another wound that is sort of in a spray pattern on her lower ear and just below it. This poor baby has been through something awful. If she does go home to be with Jesus, at least she is going from one set of loving arms into His. At least she will be loved. I will be so surprised if she makes it. She is the prettiest little thing and she SO wanted to give the mama kisses! Mama Josephine bent down and kissed her and she just kept trying to reach up to her and kiss her again. She did lift her head today which is more than I have seen. We will know more tomorrow.

There is nothing to say about the starving twins. The pastor will go back and try to convince the mama at the orphanage to let us help her by helping them. We will see what she will do. Please pray that her heart will soften and she will let us help them.

On a much lighter note, we got to do some shopping today. We got lots of beautiful fabric and the seamstress is coming tomorrow to make some things for us.

We got one baby out today

2011-01-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

Praise God, Praise God, praise God!!! The dying baby is being cared for and is out of the orphanage. We went very early to the orphanage and the mama let us take the baby to the hospital. She knew we were coming and had given the baby a bath and put brand new clothes on her. She had to take the baby to the waiting car first and then we followed several minutes later with the pastor and the translator. The road in front of the orphanage is about a foot deep of mud from all the rains so the car had to wait at the main road. The area is kind of a market place so there are a lot of people and it would look strange to see white women carrying Congolese babies around. We went straight to a very good Congolese hospital. We were standing there waiting and in walked Mama Josephine, the pastor's wife. I have never been so happy to see someone. She is the wonderful woman who cared for our son Gabriel. I started crying and almost lost it completely, but I pulled it back in as it is not appropriate behavior. She took that baby in her arms and never let her go. She is amazing. Here is a woman with 9 children of her own, she fosters other children and it was never a question that she would take this baby in and take care of her. I see people like her and the pastor here in this country and I am so humbled by their love for God and these kids.

Everywhere here, the money has to come first. We paid and she was seen. It just so happens that an actual pediatrician was the one to see her. The doctor doesn't usually work on this day, but God put him there to see this sweet baby. The doctor said she was starving to death. He said she was at least a year old, maybe more and she weighed in at 4 kg (8.8 pounds). The doctor was shocked at how poorly she was cared for. She has a large wound on her cheek that he thought was from a fall as well. He ordered an x ray and ultrasound and that she go home with Mama Josephine and not return to the orphanage. We will be getting those tests done this week and hopefully have the results by Monday. He wants to make sure she has no broken bones in her face or skull and that there is no problem with feeding. Mama gave her just a few drops at a time and she could swallow them. I will post a few pictures soon.

Please pray for this precious angel. She is still in a lot of trouble. I would not be surprised if she went home to be with Jesus but we are going to do everything we can to get her healthy and let her life be a testimony to the power of God.

Please pray that the orphanage director's heart would be softened and that we will be able to remove the two other starving babies.

my first couple of days

2011-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

It was so busy getting things ready to go last minute! I had like 6 days to plan the trip and plan for everything at home as well. It was challenging, but it all came together before I left. My husband is fabulous so that helps. I know he is already having some challenges at home (ringworm, brakes went out, person who was supposed to watch kids cancelled at last minute, etc) He is handling it like a champ.

The flights getting here were great. It was about 22 hours flight time to get here. The last time I came it was about 31 hours of flight time so this was a breeze! I did watch some good movies too. The airports were fine. The Kinshasa airport is totally different than 3 years ago Praise God! I was seriously terrified to come through there again. It was organized and there were no military with machine guns and police everywhere and people yelling and jumping on the baggage carousels. It was very calm and just a normal African airport. The cab ride to where we are staying was fun. We were just on the end of a big storm and it was pouring rain. You couldn't see anything and neither could the driver! All the roads were covered in standing water and the taxi would die everytime we stopped. We got there eventually though and I was very happy to see my friend that has been here for 3 months and is anxious to get home.

The first day we went out to the orphanages. I posted some pictures, but am not ready to write about it yet. It's very hard. We did go to the market on the way to the orphanages and sat in the car for a very long time and people watched...or should I say people watched us. Our driver is fabulous, but he wandered off to buy some pants and I was a little nervous sitting there with no guide or escort! An older man kept sticking his head in the car, cigarette in hand, pointing to my friend and her baby and to his skin and saying a French variation of "different". I thought he was being nice so I kept saying "se bonne" (it's good). When our escort came back the gentleman was asking him a lot of questions and he told the man that he was asking too many questions of people he did not know...it turns out the man was a plain clothes policeman on his way to the police staion for work and he wanted to know where that baby came from! I'm glad I was nice to him!

It is going to be a very hard day today. I am praying that the hearts oof the powers that be would be moved and we can help the babies.

there is nothing i can say

2011-01-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way

2011-01-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to Dulles! The flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem so they deboarded us after about an hour and a half, but they fixed the problem and we were on our way! We arrived about 3 hours late, but I am here. Apparently the part they fixed broke midway through our flight and the plane is now officially grounded. I'm just happy to be here!!

I am so thankful to all the folks who donated so generously and who are helping with the kids. It has been so crazy trying to put together a last minute trip.

I will keep you posted on my journey!

My week, interrupted

2011-01-17T00:13:00.000-08:00

I was preparing myself to head to Africa in March, but it looks like I am going this weekend! I'm very excited and a little anxious, but mostly excited!

I am taking the blog private just as a general security measure and so I can post while I'm traveling.

We'll keep you posted.

This precious child of GOD needs a family NOW..

2011-01-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

Reposted from the blog I will be a carrier:

Davids' Story: URGENT NEED!!!
Earlier today I posted "a plea for a boy in Latvia," and later received more information about his story. It is heartbreaking, and he is URGENT need of prayer and adoption!! Please read his story, and PRAY! Below is the message I received:

"Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors:
I have prayed over the last few days about how to share this story, and I have no words to adequately express it. However, it has to be shared and I will do my best. Many who have heard it are so sick over it, our hearts just ache. We know God has a plan; is it you?

In January, 2010, I met an awesome child/young man at an orphanage in Riga , Latvia . His name is Davids. He was one of a few children we were introduced to that day for consideration in our Summer 2010 orphan hosting program. He was really sharp and smart, had a great sense of humor and looked you in the eye when he tried to speak the good amount of English he had already learned. I remember asking his favorite things to do and he didn’t hesitate to explain he loved kite flying in the sky and dreamed to be a pilot some day! He also enjoys soccer, basketball, swimming and all sports. But, the thing that surprised us most was his age! He was already 15 and effectively the size of a 9 or 10 year old child. We asked the orphanage director more about him later, and were told Davids is healthy, just small and has the kindest, gentlest heart. He generally plays with the younger group of kids because the older ones make fun of him and claim to be “too cool” to hang out with a guy his size. As for history, he has been in 4-5 different orphanages, but has managed to keep hope for a brighter future. He is a sincere and especially child towards younger children. Lego building is one of his hobbies! I remember, he made a joke when I asked him if he liked dogs and cats…a traditional question we ask… He said, “of course! But, I am no cannibal.” And gave us the biggest smile of all! Later, when he was among the group and doing art projects, he drew a picture of a jet airplane landing under a sky that resembled the American flag. When I asked him to explain it, he told me, “My dream to fly airplane and live in family in America !” From that point, he had us at “hello” and we were committed to helping him fulfill his dream.

For the summer program, Davids was hosted by a multi-cultural, multi-racial family and he did awesome! He was kind to his younger host brothers and sister and enjoyed just about everything they did. He especially liked to build and make things and play sports outside, with swimming being one of his favorites! He learned a lot more English and wasn’t shy to use it either. While his host family was not his forever family, our team and staff was so thankful when we received a call from a couple who wanted to go and visit with him before his return to Latvia . We knew time was short, and we encouraged anyone who might be interested, to meet him asap. After one meeting, the family who went, let me know they would be adopting him and how encouraged and inspired they were by Davids. After many discussions, we realized that he needed to know the plan, as his birthday was coming up…his 16th birthday, which means several things to an orphan. First, it means they are about to age out and can’t be considered for adoption. Second, it means that they are on their path of graduating the orphanage and will soon be on their own. Third, it means life as they know it now: food, shelter, protection and security is about over. In the first year after a child leaves the orphanage, generally 15% commit suicide. So, it was decided for me to talk to Davids when our interview returned to Latvia this past August and see how he felt regarding this adoption.

When I sat down with him, I had a translator with me, but he didn’t need her. We sat on a sofa in the social worker’s office and I asked him how he liked America and what he thought? He explained he loved it, and it was more than he ever imagined! I asked him if he remembered this particular man who came to meet him and spent time with him the week before he returned to Latvia , and he said “Oh Yes and we had fun!” I went on and said, “Well, this man told his wife about you and they want me to tell you they are so happy, and they want to adopt you.” Davids’ look was utter shock! He said, “Who, me?” and I confirmed it was indeed him. He said, “Oh yes! VERY VERY much YES! And, they want ME?” He was just the most excited kid I think I ever had the pleasure to tell about an adoption. Most kids are shocked, but usually have to think about it and have several questions to ask before they really accept it and consider it as real. Davids’, on the other hand, was just the happiest kid on the planet that day; his dream was coming true.

Last week, I got an email from his adoptive family… now just 10 days before his 16th birthday,it basically said they felt that they would adopt a girl they met (which was planned all along), but they no longer wanted to adopt Davids’. They had changed their mind. The next day, I got an unsolicited email from Davids’ social worker in Latvia . This is what she wrote:

"Hello Le Ann,
I wish to ask you about one of our boys, his name is Davids T. He was hosted Summer 2010 at a host family in IL. Since he was close to 16, we got information and you shared with him that there is family who will adopt him. It was not the family who hosted him, but another one.
Till this day we never received more information about the adopting family, and we confirmed that the Ministry also has no information yet. I must share, we are all worried and concerned. Davids became so nervous in this last month, his attention to everything is gone. Yesterday he was moved to hospital, because of problems with his stomach relating to the stress of not knowing. We know this all is because he is so close to his 16th birthday; it's on 23 January this year.
We don’t know what to say and can't say anything to Davids because we don't know. It will be a shock for him if it's not true, he has so long lived with this thoughts focused on this adoption and a family in America .
We wish to know the truth to share so he can know and be happy again.”
We have tried to contact his family and explain, show them, what their decision has done to this child. So far, there is no response, but more importantly, there is no time with only a few days that remain for someone to file the I800 with USCIS to adopt Davids’. I have explained to his social worker what the full situation is, and as a strong Christian, she has agreed to pray earnestly with us for a new family to come forward for this child! The adoption agency who was working on this case has agreed to do everything they can to expedite the adoption and assist where possible to get them through the system.
If you or someone you know is interested in moving NOW to adopt Davids’, this is what needs to happen:
1)You must already have an approved home study issued by a Hague Accredited adoption agency in the USA . It must be able to be amended to show you are approved for at least one child, a boy, who is age 16 or under.
2)You must be willing to file with the USCIS the form I800, which will specify Davids’ as the child you intend to adopt, and it must be received prior to January 23, 2011. If done, this gives the adopting family 180 more days to complete the adoption.

Please join us in immediate prayer and action to locate and identify Davids’ Forever Family!!! You are out there somewhere and God knows exactly who you are and He doesn’t make mistakes. We just need to get the word to you about him."
Le Ann Dakake, Director of Hosting Programs, New Horizons for Children 678-313-8321 cell

Gabriel's Birthday!

2011-01-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Our baby boy turned 2 this week! He is so much fun!! He is the kind of kid that makes you want to have 10 more kids. He is so sweet and funny. He laughs a lot and we laugh a lot. He is so helpful and even though he is the youngest, he has a tendency to watch over his sisters, especially Daniella. He will get her her special blanket and he came over to comfort her at the dentist the other day. He held her hand and told her it was ok. Either this child is a baby-genius or he is older than 2! He is just a joy to be around.

Today's prayer

Today, ask the Father to set the lonely in families. Pray specifically for families in your community who may be in the process of adopting an orphan. Ask for God's provision for all their needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Today's prayer

2011-01-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Today, pray that God would break the heart of your city's pastors with the plight of orphans. Ask that He would convict them to lead their churches to pray, go and love in Jesus' name.

Just One Story

2011-01-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

This story was posted by the Okongo Organization and it is just one of thousands.

The story of Nyota

Hello Friends,
It's been a while since I told myself that I must speak of the history of this beautiful girl and her mother here with their photos attached. I think you, like me, are convinced of the beauty of this little girl. She is pretty and charming just as her name "Nyota Charmante". Nyota is a Swahili name that means star and Charmante is French and means Charming. The person who gave her that name was the Archbishop Charles Mbogha of Bukavu. It is a custom in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the biological father to name his children. But Nyota has no known father.

In October 2003, Judith Mufungizi Zawadi, an orphan, aged 16, who had been residing with her older sister, was kidnapped and carried away by the Rwanda rebels commonly known as Iteramhwe. They went in the forest during an attack of the rebels to the territory of Irambiza, Kalehe in South Kivu.

She spent two months with the rebels, and each day she was raped by 15 men. During this period, she ate only meat, and she was not allowed to move. Towards the end of December, when the kidnappers or rebels moved from one location to another, she and a group of other people had the chance to escape. Thus, by chance or luck, she found an ICRC's truck (International Committee of the Red Cross) passing through the location controlled by Rwandan rebels. She explained her story of captivity to the driver. He felt sorry for her and agreed to take the risk to bring her in the ICRC vehicle under bags, because he was afraid of the rebels who erected barriers and controlled every vehicle that passed the location.

With the help of God, the driver passed all the barriers with Judith under the bags, and reached the town of Bukavu.

In January 2004, following weaknesses and different diseases, Judith found herself hospitalized in the general hospital in Bukavu, where she spent three months, and during examinations, she was told that she was pregnant. She was unable to say who was the father.

When the due date arrived, she gave birth to Nyota Charmante. The Archbishop of Bukavu Charles Mbogha was passing through the general hospital and gave her the name. Today, Nyota is 6 years old and is one of the children we support. Judith Zawadi, her mother, is okay despite continued pain in her back and lower abdomen. Now her biggest problem is what to say to her daughter when she asks who her father is. Or she'll ask, "Mom, where is dad?" or "Which day is Dad coming?"

Life is good but sometimes weird, when in the same community, a child sees his or her friends playing with their parents and asks questions about where her father is. So who knows how long Judith will keep silence with her daughter? Please help us to help Judith give an answer to Nyota. Nyota calls me Dad, and when she is beside me, she will hold me close and will not leave me. She is charming as her name, also cheerful and fun.

Pierre Lokeka
The Coordinator of Centre Kitumaini
Dem. Rep. of Congo

Today's prayer

2011-01-07T00:30:00.000-08:00

Today, thank the Lord in advance for all that He is going to do to bring glory to His name in your church and community. Thank Him for the care He is going to provide for orphans through your church.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)

The Rape Capital of the World

2011-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

News today from Congo: Women Raped in Mass Attack

Today's prayer

2011-01-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

Today, ask the Lord to help your church family to live out Proverbs 31:8:
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."

40 days of prayer for the orphan

2011-01-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

On January 1st we began 40 days of prayer for the orphan. Several people from our church and orphan care ministry are participating. Would you consider joining us and seeing what our amazing God will do!

Here is the link: 40 days of prayer

This is the prayer for today:

Today, pray for the fatherless in your
community. Ask the Lord to protect them
and to care for them and to defend them
and keep them safe.

While My Husband was Away...

2011-01-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

My husband was out of town working for 4 weeks recently. He came back on the 23rd of December. We did all the family Christmas' without him. I did all the shopping, every little thing that needs to be done in general as well as for the Christmas holiday. I thought for sure that I would be a huge stress case. I thought for sure, the house would be trashed (it was a few times!) that the kids would eat popcorn for dinner (I think they only did once!) and that I would be SO ready for my husband to come relieve me. The thing is...That didn't happen. I missed my husband, but all chaos did not break out.

I'm hesitating to even write this because I would never want to offend anyone or imply that we don't receive help. We get more help than most people, I'm SURE. We have wonderful and supportive family and friends. We don't, however, get a ton of physical help...you know...family coming to hang out and help with the kids, run a load of laundry, read books to kiddos, that kind of help. I've read all these blogs and folks talking about how so and so comes over once a week and does this and that and one of the guys that Ed traveled with had his mom come and stay with their child and his wife the entire time he was gone.

God knows me better than I know myself and I was getting caught up in this weird mentality of "I could do what You are asking if I had help". I was saying to God, I need more than I have to do what You are asking and God said to me...You have ALL you need in Me. He spent those weeks showing me that I can always come to Him and He will come through EVERY time. It was amazing. I can feel Him drawing us in closer and closer and preparing us for the fact that we are going to need to lean on Him more and more and that possibly...He is asking us to do something that may turn people away even more.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

First...a quick house update. We dropped the price 105k. Thank you Jesus that we have enough equity to do that. Hopefully it will generate some interest. We also have some very exciting other things in the works. We are feeling God's presence in a whole new way right now. It seems like we have so many exciting things going on that I don't even have the time to blog about them!!

Christmas

2010-12-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

This year I have actually enjoyed Christmas shopping. It has been so fun trying to pick out just the right presents. I think maybe the more kids you have, the more fun it becomes. We have been having such a blast spending time with family and eating and eating. My "Christmas tummy" is even bigger this year! My kids are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. You know you have it good when your biggest problem at Christmas is how to fit in time with all your family! And... that I have to clean out my van between celebrations to make room for the next haul of presents and leftovers. It really is a wonderful life!

The big girls joke that I have a unique ability to turn any conversation or circumstance into an opportunity to talk about orphans or Congo. I have to say that I am a little proud of myself for this! I have been honing this skill for a while now. I think one of my best yet is a turning a Taylor Swift song into a love song about adoptive families. Something about" people throw rocks at things that shine...". The girls really aren't all that impressed by it. Christmas is no exception. I am so happy to see my kids smiling faces when they open their gifts or when they have their third dessert, but always in the back of my mind are those kids that have nothing. Not just no presents, but nothing. They have no one to love them. No one to hold them on Christmas eve and whisper in their ear...I know we have no presents baby, but we still have each other and that is all that matters. They have nothing and we have SO much. I am sick about this. My heart is broken for these babies. I cannot let another Christmas go by and not do something. How can I celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior and not do what He asks. I will not let another Christmas go by and leave children fatherless when THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT. If it is God's will then that is my promise.

Christmas Memories...DRC

2010-12-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

For the past two years the LRA has targeted civilians celebrating the Christmas holiday. They promise to continue doing it every year to show their power.

They have killed more than 865 people and abducted at least 160 children. You can see a list of the people killed and abducted here.

You can read more about the story here.

I wonder what Christmas means to the families of those people and children. I wonder if as our excitement grows about the coming day and the wonderful things it brings, if their terror is growing. I wonder if each day they get more and more anxious about the impending attacks. I wonder if the mothers (if they're still alive) wonder what happened to their sweet children. If they wonder if they are alive, now killing other people or being raped repeatedly or being beaten and forced to do manual labor. Not the usual things we think about at Christmas, but maybe it should at least be crossing our minds that others around the world don't have it "quite" as good as we do.

"Your New Moon festivals and your [hypocritical] appointed feasts My soul hates. They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:14, 17.

Someone else

2010-12-09T14:05:00.001-08:00

Someone else is standing up for those kids. Someone else is going to adopt all those waiting kids on those lists. Someone else is going to step out and adopt that sibling group of five with one HIV positive. Someone else is in a better position financially than us. Someone else is a better parent than me. Someone else has room for 10 kids in their home. Someone else has more patience than me or my husband. Someone else has better health insurance than us. Someone else's family will be more supportive. Someone else won't be judged by people. Someone else is being called by the Lord.

I think I need a reality check. A REAL reality check. I went to a site that lists waiting kids. I went there a couple of weeks ago. I saw all these beautiful faces and looked through them all. I went back there today and was seriously surprised that all the kids were still listed as available. I thought that with all the media attention that this site was getting, that surely some of these kids would have been chosen by loving families. I was seriously surprised. I think I still live in la la Land that people are somehow lining up to adopt all these kids....that these kids are SURELY going to be going to their home soon. I think I am delusional. Can someone please wake me up and tell me some numbers or direct me somewhere so that I can get my mind around the fact that "someone else" probably isn't showing up.

What if it were my Emily?

2010-12-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

I Worshipped Money...Maybe I Still do.

2010-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

I don't suffer from a love of money...I may just full-on worship it. I'm not one of those materialistic types. I like nice stuff as much as the next gal I guess, but nice stuff doesn't really do it for me. I don't need nice clothes, or my nails done, or whatever the latest gadget might be. Those things don't really interest me all that much, but here is the thing...I find my comfort and my security in money. I didn't even realize this until very recently! I thought I was doing all right with my pious self thinking that I am not money-hungry so I must be doing things right. Man, did I have it wrong. What the Holy Spirit started to say to me was that my peace and security were totally wrapped around if/how much money I had in the bank. I have been allowing my circumstances to dictate the level of peace and joy in my heart. I'm pretty sure that is wrong!!! I am so thankful that God is a god of mercy and grace. My peace can only come from the Father and my heart is filled with joy for Him.

"Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance" James 1:2,3

Quick house update

2010-12-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

Just a real quick update on our house journey. Our house has been on the market for 3 months and we have not had a single inquiry. We are leaning into our trust of the Lord more than ever right now. We'll see how the rest of this month goes and then we plan to make some significant changes in January to see if it will generate any interest. Who knows...we may be here for quite a while! We truly are trusting that it is in God's hand and that He is working whether we "see" it or not!!!!

Family Pictures

2010-12-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

We have an amazing and talented lady in our church that took these photos of our family. She is Simply Olive Ministry and she is wonderful!

World AIDS awareness day...Our Story

2010-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today and every day we need to be aware of the incredible impact that AIDS is still having on the people and children of our world. I don't know about you, but I still view HIV as an 80's disease and I don't really know that much about it. I'm working on changing that.

When we adopted the first time, we had already started the paperwork on our child prior to her HIV test results. We had pictures, we loved her, but we didn't know if she had HIV or not. We felt that we weren't prepared to parent an HIV positive child so we hoped her test would be negative. I spoke with our director and she told me that the test was done and we would have the results the next day. I spent the entire night praying that our child would be HIV negative. The Lord was also saying something to me.

He was asking me if it was ok with me if I assigned my newly loved child to death. If I knew that I could save her and give her a wonderful life where she would know HIM or if I would simply pass on her life and assign her to a slow death in an institution somewhere...this child, Daniella, not some nameless child I had never met or heard of, but this baby that my family loved.

This was a question that I did not want to answer. I don't want to look at my own selfishness. The problem is...there are lots more Daniella's out there. There are so many orphans dearly loved by the Lord, our Savior, that we are just too selfish to help. These children need us to stand up for them, to stop playing at this "Christianity" thing and step up to be followers of Christ.

Daniella turned out to be HIV negative, but I can tell you that I did not ask myself the same questions with Gabriel and I did not stay up all night praying that he would be HIV negative. I prayed that the Lord would be with us, give us our daily bread and help me step-up to whatever HE calls me to do.

It's a Choice, Loved Ones

2010-11-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

It was just a year ago that our sweet baby Gabriel came home. He is such a joy to be around. He has come such a long way in a year and his willingness to love and trust is just astounding to me. When we first brought him home, he was in such bad shape. He was covered in old mosquito bites, his stomach was so distended, he had scars all over his diaper area, eczema all over and the list goes on. He looked so bad that when I took him in to the doctor the next day, they wanted to take him by ambulance to the children's hospital and have him admitted immediately! He was diagnosed with Kwashiorkor's and some other random things. His overall health has improved dramatically but he has also been diagnosed with Epilepsy since then. We aren't sure why he has seizures, but I'm not convinced that they are benign in origin.

He is such a sweet baby and he loves his family. He makes our days so fun and we are so blessed to be his parents! These past few days we have been on a wonderful vacation and I have been brought to tears more than once just thinking about how different his life is now than it was a year ago. Once, I started crying while I was watching him play in the private 50 seat movie theater. Another time, we were sitting around our room eating gourmet room service. I promised God and my family that I would not be Debbie Downer on this vacation by talking about how many lives could have been saved with the money that was spent on this vacation and I have been true to my word (well...mostly). However, I can't help but think of my son and how he would have been dead long ago if we had made a different choice. It really is a choice.

We are all going to do something with our time, money and energy. We make choices all day long. God has commanded (not just called) each of us to care for the fatherless and the opressed. We can choose to love God by obeying his commands or we can choose another road. It is so amazing (mind-blowing) to me that the Creator of everything has also exercised this choice. He has chosen to love us and give us every opportunity (for some of us this is ongoing!!)to be a part of His team! He has chosen to not leave us as orphans, but to come to us, be with us and let us participate in His plan. I love it!!! What a great God we worship. How great is it that we get to show His love to others because He first loved us!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

I think it is officially my turn to give something away!! Here is the deal...We now know there are 163 million orphans in the world so in "honor" of that number...if I can get 163 of you to commit to donating $10 a year...yes I said A YEAR to Luila Village Ministries I will give away this fabulous t shirt:

It is their brand-new holiday shirt and the purchase feeds orphans in Uganda so everybody wins!!!!

Mama Rose can do incredible things with $10 and the money will literally save lives. Just click here to donate. I think we can all give $10 a year to the cause of the orphan.

HOW TO ENTER:

1.Donate $10 a year to Luila Village Ministries. Leave a comment on this post that you have done it. (this is a must and is 1 entry)

2.Become a follower of Countdown to Congo by clicking on the Follow button on the right. Tell me in your comment if you are a new or old follower.(1 entry)

3.Post a comment on my Facebook page about this giveaway. (1 entry)

4. Blog or Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post. Leave a comment telling me you did this. (1 entry)

5. Give a one-time donatation of more than $10 to Luila Village Ministries. Leave a comment (or email me privately) telling me how much and I will give you one entry for each $10 that you donated above the $10 a year.

I will choose a winner at random on November 30th at 6pm PST.

Thank you, thank you, thank you and somewhere in a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo a child's life is about to change forever because of you!!!!!

And like that...she was gone

2010-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

What an incredible weekend. I just cannot express how blessed I have been by Mama Rose's visit. We talked about Jesus and Congo and Luila Village and France and a hundred other things. It was four days of bliss for me. I am so happy she was here. Now she is back in Nashville and we are waiting to see what the Lord will do next. God is so good and He is always at work whether we see it or not. This weekend, I saw it.

So much more is happening and I will share more about it very soon. For now, please visit Mama Rose's website for her work in Luila Congo www.luilavillage.org.

It's all in the numbers...

2010-11-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

I have seen the new numbers for orphans worldwide and the new estimates are at 163 million. 163 MILLION orphans. Wow. There is no way to get your mind around that. What is the quote...

"One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic." Joseph Stalin

163 million is a number that is numbing. There is no way to grasp that hugeness and the horrible tragedy of it.But every time I hear that number I am gently reminded of the number 1. The one baby boy I have sleeping next to my one baby girl I have, who is sleeping next to my one little girl all across the hall from my one sweet girl who is getting more grown up every day and my one teenager who is such a great young lady. These are the faces of 163 million children. They are exactly the same as the children we have in our home. I cannot do anything about 163 million, but I certainly can do something about the number one...and I will bet that you can too.

Happy Orphan and Adoption Awareness Month!

2010-11-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

This month we are specifically focused on the raising of awareness for the plight of orphans around the world and the plan of adoption to bring the lonely into families. I will be posting often and about all kinds of things going on so stay tuned!!!

My husband

2010-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

I love my husband. I am blessed by God to have him in my life, as my bestie, my man and the leader of our home. He is an incredible guy and his heart has no limits. Today we have officially been married for 12 years. That is ridiculous! I never thought I would be married to anyone for that long!!! It has been quite a ride and lest either one of us ever seem "holier than thou"...I will share some of our story with you all.

Ed and I met on Christmas day 1997 in the very house we are living in now. I walked in and he was reading the book "Jesus Loves Me" to his 18 month old daughter. I was best friends with his brother's girlfriend and had come up to his parents house to eat dessert and say hi. I had heard a lot about Ed, but had never seen him before. He was so much cuter than I had expected! And that baby of his...they do not get any cuter than her. That was it for me! He called me the next day, we went to a movie and that was it, we were married 11 months later.

Now, for any of you that can do the math...we have a daughter that will be turning 12 in 2 weeks. Are you getting the picture. All of our wedding photos are from the neck up as I was 9 months pregnant at the time! My mom made me a lovely dress though so I could still walk (waddle) down the aisle dressed in white! I was so big that I couldn't wear shoes and I couldn't put on my wedding ring. Our sweet baby was born 2 weeks later and we were an instant blended family. Let's just say the first few years weren't exactly the honeymoon that I had expected. We had an infant and a toddler (who, by the way, wasn't too excited about me at the time). It was just a little bit stressful.

Fast forward a few years and things really began to unravel. Ed was really turning to other things to relieve his stress and I was retreating in my own way from the emotional pain of our marriage. It got to the breaking point about 7 years ago and without going into all the details (those of you that know us personally got to witness some of those horrible details)...Ed hit bottom and cried out to Jesus. He fell on his knees and called out to the only one who could save him, and He did. Even now, I am crying as I write this. Our lives were such a mess and God was just waiting with his arms stretched out so wide for us to let go and fall into them. Life has never been the same.

We have spent the last 7 years trying to put God at the center of our relationship and our lives. We miss the mark ( a lot) but we have Him and His grace to fall on. Life is so different and I just wish that everyone could know the love of God. All of this is just to say that if God can forgive us horrible sinners and lavish His love on us, than y'all have nothing to worry about. No one is beyond redemption and out of the reach of God's arms. We are truly blessed by God to still be married and to have our amazing family.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband and I am so excited to see what God has in store for us in the next 12 years!!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

We love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch! It's so fun to go back through the pictures of when they all were little and see how much they've grown. It was also so fun to see the look on Gabriel's face as he experienced it for the first time! He was not sure about the animals, but loved climbing around on everything. We also discovered that if you ask him to "show me your teeth" he actually smiles. He's a handsome little man!!!

MIA

2010-10-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have been completely off the grid for a while now! We have had a lot going on.

-We have moved back to the Hacienda
-My husband has switched jobs

Along with that, one of the kids has had to have some testing and has been diagnosed with epilepsy. Mix all that into all the regular stuff that has been going on and it has been one crazy month! During the move, we were without internet and had no cell reception. I had NO idea what an addict I was! I have been going crazy these past couple of weeks. We got the internet fixed today (just a tip: it helps to have the cord pugged in)and we do have a landline now!

Oh and I would LOVE to post some great pictures that I got at the pumpkin patch, but since someone broke into our house and stole my printer (along with some other stuff) I can't load them onto my computer!

Really...all is well though and God is so good. We are just resting in Him right now and we are so thankful that He is always increasing our faith! "Consider it pure joy my brothers..."

As always, more to come later!!!

And we're back...

2010-09-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is more like it. I felt like I just needed a face-lift and since I totally ruined my layout, I had to call in reinforcements.

I also wanted to update everyone on our house situation. So...remember I said that we got the call that the renters wanted to move out just after we had left the meeting with our realtor? Well they really are moving out by the end of this month! Now we are staring at making 2 house payments for who (only God ) knows how long. I said this was going to get interesting! As soon as they move we will have lots of work to do, as quickly as possible, to get the place in tip top shape. I am praying that we can keep our peace and just trust and rely on Him through this process and that we will just be drawn closer in to Him because of it all. Isn't faith fun!!!

Under Construction!

2010-09-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Forgive my horrid looking blog...I am in the process of having it redone! It should be better than ever in just a few days.

Thank you!!!!

This kind of sums it up

2010-09-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about my love for DRC and Africa and how it really is kind of selfish. I stumbled upon this when looking at "Day of the Orphan" resources and it describes how much more I need Africa than it needs me!

A whole new world

2010-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just read the book "Renting Lacy" by Linda Smith.

By "chance" yesterday, I walked into our church office and ended up walking out with this book. I started reading it and did not put it down. I wanted to put it down. I wanted to go to my happy place that tells me that these things don't happen at all, let alone in the United States of America. I remember this same type of survival mechanism that tried to tell me that the LRA doesn't kill babies and that women/infants/children/men/boys weren't mutilated and raped and tortured with no justice.

I wanted to go that place that tells me that the government is working to stop this and that there are TONS of NGO's and groups working to eradicate this. You know...the voice that tells you that someone is helping these girls, right?

The problem is...I don't have that place anymore. Instead of that "happy" place, there sits a girl, maybe 3 years old, huddled in a corner of some filthy room, alone. All her family is gone or dead. She knows no one is coming for her, not to rescue her anyway. I see this girl whenever I try to go to that place, or in my (nightmares) dreams. I've never seen her in real life, but I know, in my heart, that she exists. I know there are thousands of these little girls. I also KNOW that God sees them and God sees me.

Now the questions is...What am I going to do about it?

While we wait...

2010-09-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

While we wait for the perfect timing...

they hope they can wait another day.

While we wait for more money...

they wait with nothing.

While we wait for a bigger home with enough room...

they wait for room in our hearts.

While we wait for others approval...

they wait with any dignity they can find.

While we wait for the ideal child....

they wait knowing they are not.

While we wait trying to decide if we can manage another...

they wait trying to manage on their own.

While we wait to see how much we have to give to them...

They are waiting to give us even more.

While we wait for God to provide...

He waits for us to take the first step so He can.

We must NEVER use 'waiting to hear from Him' as an excuse for not doing what He has ALREADY commanded in the bible for us to do... proclaim the truth, care for orphans, serve others, be His hands of justice for the poor, and show compassion.

So, what are you waiting for??

(Originally posted on the God glorifying blog Building the Blocks)

Seriously, this kid needs some brothers.

2010-08-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm sure someday Gabriel will not be pleased with all the fabulous photos we have of him in tutus and ballerina slippers, but for now they sure are cute!!!!

Radical

2010-08-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

A lovely lady sent me the Radical book by David Platt. It is a good one! It's a hard read because you want to ponder what he is saying and it is very convicting. I've had to put it down a few times and really pray about what he is saying. I want to know the truth, not just what our culture says is the "truth" about God. I've been praying for weeks now that the Lord would make clear to me what is from Him and what is from this world. This book helps with that request!

One thing that really sticks out is the comment that God did not give us options, he gave us commands. I think most of us wait for that "call". I feel "called" to help orphans and the least, but I don't feel called to visit anyone in prison. That is somebody else's job right? I feel called to adopt, but only if it doesn't really interefere with my other plans, right?

We've been talking a lot about that, about what the gospel really says as opposed to what we simply "think" it says!

Pick the book up if you can, it's awesome!

I'd choose you...everytime

2010-08-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

I'd choose you over...

This.

Or this.

Or this.

Or this.

I would always, every time choose you.

It's about to get (even more) interesting.

2010-08-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have been having some Joshua moments lately...you know, "choose you this day whom you shall serve" kind of moments. I am trying to listen to the Holy Spirit and really discern what he would have me do. I think I want to invite you all along on our journey of faith...
A while back I had posted something on my Facebook about seeing smoke in the distance and thinking it was a forest fire, well now I can actually see the flames and feel the heat my friends!!! We just signed papers to list our big house for sale. We are also going to be selling our small rental and most likely, selling the house we are living in. Now for those of you that don't know...the big house was my husband's family home, built by his mom and dad and we planned to live there forever as well as pass it down to our kids (it's THAT kind of house). For those of you that do know know us personally, you know what kind of a step of faith this is. We believe that God has a plan for us. A plan that includes more work with orphans, more children, and who knows what! We feel that God has given us that house for this very reason.
Here is just a little bit of confirmation that God gave us...We have renters in the house, they have been great renters. We were so distraught because they were going to have to find another place to live, etc. So about an hour after leaving our appointment with the realtors, I got a text from the renters that they were going to have to move out because the dad had got a job (this is a big deal too) out of town! They had been so distraught to tell us that they were going to be moving out! How great is that!! I called her right back and told her how great God is!!! I just couldn't believe it.
I have no idea how all of this is going to play out, but I am full of joy and peace because I know it is in God's wonderful hands. I am sold out to the Lord and I am going to follow Him wherever He goes and wherever He leads!!

Summer recap!

2010-08-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, like most of you, I could write an entire blog on what we did this summer! However, like most of you, I don't have that kind of time! So...this is the (very) condensed version:

Sun River with our awesome friends, the Curtiss family. I got rebaptised and we had the police at our house a total of 4 times!

Sun River for a great family reunion with my husband's side of the family. Met great people that I had never met before and we got to party with the Link cousin's (always fun)!

A fabulous two part birthday!

The Kansas cousin's came for 3 weeks! This is always a blast as we get to party with them almost the whole time they are there. We went to Bullwinkle's, swimming, shopping, to the movies, barbecued, etc, etc.

Middle school camp. This was great too! I got to help cook for the middle schoolers. I got to be with a group of great ladies and great kids. I definitley want to do this again next year!

A trip to the coast. This was very quick for me as I came straight from camp and left the next day. While I was there, Gabriel had another seizure, but he is fine. I think I will post that whole story later...

There were lots of other great times, but really those are the big ones! Now we are gearing up for school to start. I think I am going to start a little early and shoot for September 1st this year. We always take so many breaks that I need to make sure we are meeting all of our requirements. I really hope everyone else had a wonderful summer and is as blessed as we are to get to spend so much time with family!

No better way to wake up...

2010-07-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

This morning this is how I woke up;

Gabriel (whispering): Mommy, Mommy

Me (eyes still closed): What baby?

Gabriel (whispering): Mommy, I love you.

Is that the greatest way to wake up???!!!

Something you can do

2010-07-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

People are always saying they wish there was something they could do to help. They feel so helpless and that they just don't know what to do.

Well today is your lucky day! There is something you can do and it won't even cost you any money! Chase Communtiy Giving is having a contest and Our Family Adoptions is very close to winning $20,000. You have to make the top 200 to win the $20,000 and we are in spot 222. It just takes a few seconds to vote. These children need us to stand up for them and doing something as simple as clicking a few links on a computer can change lives! Please click the link below and vote for Our Family Adoptions.

From the back seat...

2010-07-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

Just to set the scene: Our 4 year old and our 11 year old (Emily) sometimes have a hard time sharing with one another.

This is what I hear from the back seat:

Her: "Mom, I told Emily that her gum smelled good and she just gave me a piece!"

Me:" That is great. What wonderful sharing"

Her: "Yeah, I'm glad we didn't have to go through the whole crying process and the whole Emily getting in trouble process"

I think this kid may have the game figured out!!!!

Please comment!

2010-06-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am really curious how people feel about this...I have been thinking a lot about money lately. How much money is enough to adopt again? How much is enough to add another child to your home? What is the limit of sacrifice that we should make and ask our current children to make in order that other children may have a life? I am asking seriously how people feel about this.

Should our kids have to share rooms so that another child may have shelter and a place to call home? At what point can we not "afford" another mouth to feed? How much would it cost to feed another mouth and put clothes on their back? $150 per month? $200 a month? Is that too much for a life? What about how much the actual adoption would cost? How could we possibly come up with 20k? I have a tendency to have a "let's do it and it will all work out" kind of mentality. I am not the best planner! So that is why I am seriously asking. At what point is it irresponsible?

Ok, so let's forget about the money for a second..How much would it cost in love and time? We already have 5 kids (none of which are special needs or have seriuos behavior issues). We already have our hands full, right? If we brought more kids into this household, we wouldn't be able to give each child the attention that they deserve. Would be be doing a serious disservice to our current children and then to our additional children?

I think about what our family members would say if we said we wanted to adopt again and I know that all the responses would all be about money. They would probably say it was a bad idea and that we couldn't afford it and that we have plenty of kids already. That is the response we got from some people about our last adoption. There is a piece of me that thinks this is true, but then there is this other piece...

Please let me know what you think! I am very curious how others have worked through these issues!

Selfishness

2010-06-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

I just reread something that I wrote a little while ago that really was just a venting session about some things that have happened recently. They are all justified words and feelings. The interesting thing about God is that He has such a way of piercing the heart of a matter. As I have been pondering this idea of selfishness lately I started by ranting to the Lord about the selfishness of others. I could almost hear Him (in a teenage girls voice of course) saying "I know, right? Can you believe how selfish some people are?"

I also kept saying to God "I mean, as long as the needs of one family get met, right"? But my sweet Savior has a way of turning all things for good! He gently started turning me toward myself and my own selfishness. I reread my ranting post (never published of course) and God used it for me. He began showing me that this is exactly what I am doing. I began questioning in what ways I do this. In what ways do I say to God and the rest of humanity "As long as the needs of my family are met, right"? Here is what I can tell.

I am a very selfish person. I don't even understand the depths of my selfishness. Every day I say to God, as long as the needs of me and my family are met! There are 147 millions orphans in this world and what am I doing to help them? I say to the Lord, today I lay down my life and take up the cross with you, but I think I really just set my life on a cozy chair next to me and pick it back up all day long! What am I doing to answer the Lord's call to help those in need? Nothing. Filthy rags. That's it. I am not out of my comfort zone. I am not sacrificing anything. I can pretty it up and say that we have adopted 2 (of 147 million)and that we pray for others and that we are trying to bring awareness, but what is all that really? Filthy rags. None of it has required any real sacrifice on our parts.

I feel like Peter. I feel like He is calling me out of the boat and I am still sitting here contemplating the size of the waves. I am waiting for them to calm before I step out, but the Lord says in Ecclesiates 11:4 "Whoever watches the wind, will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."

God calls us up and out. There are so many that need help and God has made it abundantly clear in His word that we are to help them. It also is clear that it won't be easy. It will require sacrifice, real, beautiful, Lord loving sacrifice. The kind that is so wonderful that you see Jesus in it. It is only through Him that we are able to do it.

I love the Lord and I am so glad that he loves us so much that He continues to work in us even though we don't deserve it.

Daniella is officially three!

2010-06-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby turned 3 recently! I am a little behind on posting so she has been three for a little while now!! Hmmm...how has the last year been for our little princess? She has grown tremendously. She is so outgoing and social. She loves to visit and play with anyone who happens by! She LOVES to dress up and changes her clothes about 10 times a day! She absolutley loves going to church and can't wait to see her teacher on Sundays. The last 6 months have been a little rougher on her in some respects. She has had a harder time adjusting to a younger brother and this once compliant and quiet baby decided she was going to get her fair share of attention regardless of what kind it was! We are all getting that worked out and she has been much happier all around as of late. Daniella is such a treasure and a joy to be around! I can't wait to see what the next year brings!!!

Graduations

2010-06-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Among many other things, we had two graduations this week! Our oldest graduation from middle school and one of the younger kids graduated from preschool. We had a blast at the performance and graduation from preschool. It is always so fun to watch all the little kids perform.

So in the Fall, we will have a high schooler, middle schooler, pre schooler, kindergartner, and a baby still at home. This is becoming quite a spread! It is a lot of fun having kids of different ages. It can be a challenge when we go on vacation, but mostly it is tons of fun! The big kids get a kick out of playing with the little ones and I don't get that mind-numbing feeling from speaking to toddlers all day! It's a win-win for everybody!

From the back seat...

2010-06-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

On the way home from Costco yesterday, I stopped to give some food to a homeless woman. This is something I really don't do, but we are getting ready to put a feeding program together (more on that later!) so it has been on my mind. Of course our little one was with me and this is what she says:

Her: "Mom, why did you give that lady muffins?"

Me: "Because I think she was hungry and her family needs food and they don't have any."

Her: "You've never done that before."

Me: "You're right, but we need to do that more and more. God wants us to help people that need it."

Her: "We need to look at their faces too. Their faces mean something."

This kid gets it!!!!

Of course that is where it came from...

2010-06-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

As we were sitting taking out our 3 year olds braids, our four year old walks into the room and says "Daniella, I love your God perm!! It's so beautiful!"

Memorial Day weekend

2010-06-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at the beach. We just had the little kids so it was pretty relaxing. They are easy to please and they don't want to shop! We got to play on the cool playground and go to the beach and that was about it. We did see a crow swoop down right in front of us and eat a baby duck (disgusting) and we had some random peacock walk up to the car and peer in!

The highlight of the trip may very well have been Ed getting stuck in the kiddie slide! Enjoy!