Saturday, May 30, 2009

Little Update!

I have talked to Justin a few times today - he is great! They had an amazing devotion time last night. I do not understand all the details but they heard people singing and praising God so they invited them over and had a mini church service - he said it was amazing. Then they went to Ssenge (the boys home) and built the foundation for the kitchen. When he called later he was at Sanyu caring for the little ones.

Justin is well and God is moving and a shakin' our world! We serve a mighty God and he is also a very confirming God!

On the home front: we are well, Lily is a ton better! Praise God!

Pray requests: That God continues to move in a mighty way and that his hand is upon ALL our family members!!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Strange Days

This last week or so I keep having these strange days filled with fun and drama - strange! Today was another one. Started out with a fun field trip ( I am usually not that much of a fan of field trips but this was to a cool place).
(A friend of mine, we are blessed to have 2 of our kids in the same classes - I just love her!)


Got home and decided I better get Lily's cough checked out beings that it was Friday. She was wheezing enough that she is on the nebulizer and steroids. She is already sounding better.



The down fall is that the steroids make her hyper, very hyper! She is laying in her bed right now talking a million miles a minute. Before bed I vacuumed up some strange bugs in our office, so she ran to her room, got her vacuum and wanted me to lift her up to vacuum up high too!





On the Uganda front: I talked to J a couple of times today - sounded great and loving it. We are so proud of him!! Please continue to pray for them, we can not tell you how much that means to us!




God's will be done!

J e-mailed and sent a text today! Here is a little bit of the letter:

"This place is unreal!! There are no words to describe it. There is just so much to take in. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the incredible people... now I understand a little more of the way people use the words that they do to describe it here. There are people everywhere, but you almost feel like you're in a giant village. So many people walking, little side vendors EVERYWHERE selling everything from computers to gum to bananas to wallets, sometimes all in the same space. Everyone watches us and we get all sorts of reactions from looks of disgust to "Hey muzungo, here, here." James and I were both trying how to figure out where to begin to try to describe it here. There just simply are no words. You HAVE to experience it for yourself. I can't wait."


He sent a text this morning that they were on their way to Sanyu. I am asking for GIANT prayer (what is GIANT prayer? I don't know other that BIG, and a lot of it, haha!). I do not desire to step to the right or the left and my prayer is that God's will be done! That J is able to keep his eyes on Jesus and seek his face in the midst of it all!

Matthew 6:10 "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

:)

I really have nothing to write - nothing BUT I just wanted to say that I am so excited!! I can hardly keep my thoughts straight - Africa is one day (well really 2 counting air time) BUT tomorrow we head to the airport! Every time the phone rings I have a hard time not yelling while talking because I am so excited. No I am not the one going but I am just as excited! I see how God has prepared Justin in so many ways and I think that is really where my excitement comes from - I feel like a little girl on Christmas Eve!






Just wanted to share.............


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Reality

I know I have posted about this before but I think God has to teach me things again and again in different ways and different times - often :)! So I was again thinking about what is reality and what is realistic.

I remember so clearly one night an old high school friend came to pick me up at my college apt. We had decided to go down town Portland and eat dinner. This friend was a true ADHD kid - could not sit, always going 900 miles and hour and it got him in a lot of trouble. He had a good heart. Even though he had a great heart he was always in trouble, big trouble. And I will never forget our conversation that night in Portland. We were chatting about me getting married, going to college, etc. and he said something I will never forget. He said "so you mean to tell me that you will never go to jail?" he said that not going to jail is very unrealistic and everyone ends up going to jail at least once.

Sad thing is, that was his reality, his life, his world. People around him went to jail, got in trouble, ran from the authorities and so, to him, that was very unrealistic to live a different way. This is an extreme, I know, but the same thing happens for lukewarm Christians. They stay comfortable in their religious ideas and comfortable cycle, never really examining if they are on the narrow path. Why? Because everyone else around them is doing the same. It must be right, right? Like our youth pastor said a couple of Sundays ago that he could not think of a time where God calls us to be comfortable.

When I think about how that mindset can happen it throws me into the word of God and I pray that my mind will continue to be renewed! Renewed by the truth - the one truth and that I conform to it, not make it conform to my conveniences and thoughts. As Justin and I look to not just read God's word but apply God's word, I see that our reality is changing very quickly and it is looking a lot like I can do all thing through Christ. Nothing is impossible with Christ! Take God for His word, believe Him and watch your reality change. If you would have asked me a year ago if my hubby would be traveling to Africa and possibly starting the adoption of a child, I would have laughed and said THAT is very unrealistic and given you a list of reasons why that is so unrealistic. But now here I sit, surrounded by donations, luggage, passports and most of all the knowledge of knowing how God told hubby to "Go." I am not comfortable, I am totally relying on God. God has to do this to this, I can not. Did I mention this is Africa we are talking about?

So I will continue to ask God to renew my mind and ask Him to define my reality. His ways are much better than mine!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thankful Thursday!


I have one more hour before Thankful Thursday is over......
I am so thankful for prayer! It is interesting to me how when the heat is turned up prayer becomes center stage in my life. I desire to become a women of prayer, not in just the hard times! Prayer holds massive power - why do I give 10 mins plus random thrown up ones here and there? No, that needs to change - I am thankful for this revelation.
I am thankful for my husband, the man he is and the man God is making him into.
I am thankful for my children. I have been very self centered these last few days and I am thankful that I get to go kiss each one of them and thank God for giving them to me to hang with on this earth. I know it is naughty to brag about your kids but really, they are the cutest - I am sorry but it is true. :)
I am thankful that tho I know I am not perfect (and never will be I might add), I know that one that is!!!!!! Praise Him!!!

What this blog is for!

My sis pointed out to me that my blog seems so perfect. So I have been thinking about that and examining my heart of what my blog for. Why do I blog?

Well originally it was to communicate with other adopting families. I wanted to have a blog that they could click on and see that I am not some internet psycho looking to get info about their family. I really did not share it with my family or friends because at that point that was not the purpose. We, then, were at a point that God was really starting to move and shake us and I started to want to share thoughts, etc. That is when I shared it with my family and knowing they were looking at it, the blog then became a scrap book of sorts, to share. We do not live near one family member and have always tried to share pics with them and found this to be a great way (and fun too).

So as I sit here and think about what my blog is for I ultimately would like it to glorify God, He is worthy of all my thanksgiving and praise. I would like it to be a place of encouragement, not intimidation and discouragement. I also have tried very purposely not to "vent" here. Trust me when I say this is purposeful because that is something I battle without a blog. I also do not want it to be a place that I air my garbage for "honesty" sake. I have a core group of friends and family that I trust for that. They are God fearing people that love me and my family and have locked arms to do life with, that is where I will struggle through problems and seek personal advice, etc - not the internet.

To those who think I am perfect. I am here to assure you that because I smile for the camera does not void me from struggles and attacks from satan. Actually to be quite honest it seems the more we step out in faith the more battles to overcome. I am sure that those who have done this just shouted AMEN (I am pretty sure I just heard that :)).

I believe this race we run can get very difficult at times. I can not tell you how many times I have clicked on a blog and have walked away with great encouragement, it makes me bend down, tighten up my running shoes and press on. I love reading about a Mama doing a special project with her kids or a great date with a hubby - it inspires me to raise the bar, not get lazy. There is a place for deep honesty and confession - this is not the place I am choosing to do this. I will share a struggle, I am sure, but I am very aware that I am sending this out to the world. I have blogged in the past that the day my G-ma died I was fasting and praying for a situation in our life and asked you to pray for us - someday I will be able to share how God moved in a mighty way (I am claiming that right now). But until then my bloggy friend get to know just that.

I love blog world - I believe the intent can be a tool for reaching lives for Christ and spurring one other on and that is why I blog.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

I like this post!

I know this is my hubby but I really love this post, so I always try and share post I love so here ya go!

http://the-go-journey.blogspot.com/2009/05/masters-heart.html

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The torch has been passed

This post is specifically for those who knew me growing up - others may think I have surely lost it. :)



Growing up I was known as "The Pig Farmer." I grew up in a family that raised and showed cattle, but oh no, not me. I loved the pig barn. When I was 7 I caught the pig in the greased pig race (and still carry guilt for elbowing the neighbor boy VERY hard and he still was talking about it when we were in high school, that pig was MINE:)) and there began my love for "pig farming." I took pigs to fair for 4-H and even took my sow with her babies as an exhibit. It was so fun and there, ring side of my pig, is where I actually met my hubby - haha! Strange for many, but pigs have always been a big part of my life.


#1 is taking her first animal to fair and to my excitement she choose pigs. She has enjoyed them since we got them but today told me the torch had been passed..............





We let the pigs out to run around and boy did they! But when one began to run towards the road I told all the kids to go run after them. A few minutes later Ashton was yelling at her brothers to leave her and her pig alone so she could calm it down and gently herd it back. I have so many of the same memories because, you see, the more you chase and upset a pig the harder time you have but the calmer and gentler you are with them the more they will go with your plan.. This is not something I taught her, she just figured it out. So I have decided the "pig fama" gene has been passed on. :)

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Welcome Hubby to blogger world!

Hot Hubby has so been moved by all the blogs I tell him about and have had him read, he decided to get in on the fun! God is doing some pretty amazing things in our lives and he wanted to share them as well. So click here to read about how God told him to "GO!"

Welcome Hubby to bloggy land, just a side note though, I am saving money on the side to get you your OWN computer, hehe - love you! :)