Thursday, January 28, 2010

You Said - Hillsong

[1st song on playlist on the bottom]


You said, Ask and you will receive


Whatever you need

You said, Pray and I'll hear from heaven

And I'll heal your land



You said Your glory will fill the earth

Like water the sea

You said, Lift up your eyes

The harvest is here, the kingdom is near



You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you

O Lord, that's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us



O Lord, I ask for the nations (repeat)

Mosquito Repellent and so much more!

I have a couple of friends that arrived in Uganda this week to adopt their precious boys.  As I read their updates on facebook and blogs I am reliving my experiences and thought I would share one from the beginning of our adventure.


We had a layover in the Amsterdam airport for 4 hours - beautiful airport by the way.  I was exhausted - I had not slept a wink in....forever - the anxiety of leaving - the stress of preparing to leave and talking myself down from mini panic attacks all the way over the Atlantic was all starting to catch up with me during our wait.  I was a bit of a walking zombie.


We decided to hit the food court - Sbarro's was my pick - perfect time for pasta - the comfort food!  I chose their spaghetti and walked to the condiments.  Feeling much in a fog and needing every bit of comfort I start shaking the (or what I thought was) parmesan cheese all over my spaghetti - no holding back, after all this was my last meal before entering Africa so I shook away!


We sat down and ranted and raved about my pasta and his salad costing $40 (that's right $40!).  We were going on and on - I was eating quickly because by this point we needed to hustle to our gate.  You would think at this point I would notice that that was not cheese ................ but GARLIC!


Garlic with spaghetti on the side!


Right about the time I noticed my throat burning I realized - I just ate a ton of garlic!  Now I have to board a plane - seated in the back, middle seat, for 10 hours!!!  Not to mention my stomach starting to hurt from garlic over load.


I did not say a word to Justin - I was that embarrassed - how could a person eat a whole plate and not realize this.


About 3 hours into the flight (and a pack of gum later) I tell Justin - why? because I wanted to know if he thought a person could die from too much garlic - my eyes were even burning!  He looked at me a said - "I could not figure out what that smell was" - it was me - a giant garlic clove - in a plane for -10 hours - a full plane! 


We made it, no one said a word and the silver lining ...... I did not get bit by a mosquito for the first week - nope, not once!  Garlic is an amazing repellent!

Crazy Love

"Christians today like to play it safe.  We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.'  But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way.  We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth it in eternity."  Crazy Love by Francis Chan

I am reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan .......  oh, so good!  Highly, highly recommend!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The "almost" perfect storm!

I swore I would never use this blog as a venting post.  But ........  I thought I may get an "I hear ya" out of some of you ladies.

Backdrop to the "almost" perfect storm:

Hubby has been working in horrid weather and has not been around since Monday - 5 days as a single mom (hats off to all of you that are, I suck at it :)).

Hubby comes home and has pulled all the muscles in his neck - not a happy boy.

#3 and I are sick with sore throats and I have had 0 energy.  #4 started throwing up last night, while #5 starts telling me his tummy hurts.

NO sleep all night.

Everyone was looking on the up and up this morning - so I decide that #2 should not be deprived of a bithday party he really wanted to go to .

So off to Walmart we go for the gift.

And this is where the "almost" perfect storm happened.

We are standing in the toy isle (my children were being angels) and a 60ish lady comes around the corner.  "Soooo.... this is the new one, hu?" (did I mention we live in a small town - blessing and a curse) Me - "Yup - Isaiah - say Hi!" (he says hi)  "Sooooo.... are you done NOW."  (Me turning red, fighting back glaring)  Me -" No, no we're not" Her - "What? - 1,2,3,4,5 (counting with her finger in the air) - you have 5!!!"  (This is the part the not so Christian like girl wanted to come out in a BIG way - did she really think I had not counted by this point?!?  Like I was going to turn around and say WHAT?  Are you serious? There are 5?!  Will you take a few - I never realized there were 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ugh!!

I began to defend my self and stopped - (thank God)!

I just turned towards the toys and said "yup, we better get that toy!"  She must have taken the hint because when I turned back around she had flown away on the broom she came in on... I mean walked away.

I know many of you have had to endure things like this, having a big family.  I am trying to come up with a graceful come back for situations like this.  I was not prepared, I was tired, I was weak.....she (the broom lady) saw opportunity.... (I am kidding I am sure she is horrible everywhere she goes not just in that moment (OK I can not seem to be nice - better wrap it up)).

OK so let's hear it - any ideas?  Loving come backs you have used?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thankful/Grateful Thursday!

What a wonderful reminder from a friend, that doing grateful/thankful Thursday is a choice!  I am choosing, despite feelings.  Seriously, for women, this so needs to be embraced again and again :) - my "feelings" can jump from moment to moment!

This leads me into my first two things I am so thankful for : 

Having a husband that reminds me (and is such an example) that how I feel should not determine my reaction!  I think I need to post this around the house - maybe on my forehead! :) 

I am thankful for Freedom in God - Choices!  My sisters and I have been chatting about what God's will for us is.  God has designed us each to do His will, that is written in His word, uniquely and beautiful - unique to us all!  There is such freedom that I do not have to look like anyone but who God made me to be!  I am thankful!

I am thankful for blogs that I can relate to!  I have read some posts that I wonder if they had been in my head lately!

I am thankful for God giving hope, purpose and direction!  This happened for a friend of mine this morning!  God you are so good!  The joy and life came right through the phone and got all over me too!

I am thankful that hearts are being broken for the orphans of Haiti - praying that all those that are desiring to adopt these children hang in there - that the emotion turns to commitment.

I am thankful for my son who prays for me.

I am thankful for so many things - what are you thankful for? 

Monday, January 11, 2010

Look who is 3!


My sweet baby girl had her 3rd birthday party this weekend.  Big Sis and her best friend were very excited to give all the little ones pony rides.  I have said many times that I should have named #4, Joy, she cracks me up daily!  Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Girl!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Questions

I have so many questions that I know will not be answered this side of heaven about Isaiah. 

Mostly I have questions for his birth mother.  I have nothing but compassion in my heart for her - compassion and sadness.  I wonder the big one - WHY?  What happened to bring her to the point of not caring for him?  Was it something out of her control?  Was it physical or was it desperation of a dark reality that is poverty - unable to feed him or properly care for him?

I dream of meeting her someday.  Telling her how beautiful Isaiah is, on the inside and out.  I would love to stare into her eyes to see a resemblance - he has beautiful eyes - does he have her eyes?  Isaiah also has a very kind and tender spirit - does she?  Is she sweet and tender?  He is very smart and looks at detail - does she?

I have so many - I could write a mile long list.

Not knowing and knowing that I may never know (on this side) can be hard.  I know that the real story is probably pretty ugly and sad.  I can not imagine what would have brought her to that place.

But as I look down the counter and see Isaiah and then Lily right behind him - my heart breaks a little more.  And I pray that if something every happened to me, where I could no longer mother my children, that someone would step up.  That someone would step up to care for my Lily.  To enjoy her way and even her looks - even if they are not familiar and unlike theirs.  Even if her ways are not like theirs.

Adoption can be a multi faceted thing - argued among others - is it right?  is it wrong?  How on earth a person could say it is wrong to adopt just blows my mind now that I know Isaiah.  Wrong?  Wrong to take a child into your home?  To take a child that has NO ONE and say YES I WILL - I will care for you - no, I did not give birth to you but you need a mommy - you need someone to make sure you are warm in the middle of the night - you need someone that makes sure you are growing emotionally, physically and spiritually - YES I WILL. 

The adoption process/bonding/attaching is not easy - but DO NOT let that become the excuse.  I am pretty sure that it was not easy for Isaiah to have the first 2 years of his life filled with confusion - I am sure that it was not easy for his birth mother to come to the place in her life that she did - I am sure that it was not EASY. 

I sit in my comfy home, waiting for my tea brew - while other mothers are dying, abandoning and are becoming unable to care for their babies.  I pray that I do not waste the gift that God has given me.  It IS a gift that I sit here - what am I going to do with it?  Say, "wow, sucks to be you?"   No way!  I am going to get messy with the Lord.  Get in that pit and hopefully shine some light in a dark place through Christ Jesus who I desire to follow and serve FEARLESSLY.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Uganda 2010?

While in Uganda the Mama of Redeemer House Orphanage, Gracious, had a dream and came to Sanyu Guesthouse to share it with us.  It was divine timing and straight encouragement for us. 

Part of her dream was about us.  She said that there would never be a time when we would sit in our living room and wonder what to do.  That Justin would bring buses of white people to Africa to care for the orphans and preach the gospel.  Not only in Uganda but all over Africa.  We would be going here and there doing the Lord's work.

The reason it struck us to the core was that about 2 months before that Justin had just fallen asleep and I was reading.  He woke back up and said he had the most vivid picture of us collapsing into bed, exhausted from doing the Lord's work.  He said he really felt like God was saying, your rest will not be here.   

Fast forward to 3 weeks after I got home from Uganda.  We got a phone call from someone that had heard about our ventures there.  They had a foundation set up and felt like God was calling them to be involved in Uganda and wanted to get together and chat about it.

My first very SELFISH thought was - the last thing I want to is talk about Uganda - I just got back and was trying to figure out how to mother my little Ugandan born boy - :)!  But I also know that God is God and I am not - I would never whan to stifle anything the Lord is desiring to do! 

And oh what a blessing these people were.  Not only in a shared love for God's word and His heart for the least of these but also in friendship. 

So why do I share that part? Well because it lit a flame of prayer in our hearts - God what would you have us do?  Who, what , when, where and how?  So we began to pray .......

This week Justin met (via phone) with the Redeemer House Orphanage board and asked them for prayer.  Then today Justin met with the missions board of our church.  Both boards were in agreement to add it to their daily prayer for direction and details. 

We know God birthed in us a desire to care for the poor, widowed, orphaned and lost souls of Uganda in September of 2008.  We also knew that adoption was a slice of the pie, not the only thing. 

So we pray........ and if you would join with us that would be great.

1.)  God's will to be done. 
2.)  Clear direction and vision. There are a few real needs for Redeemer House Orphanage but we need clarity.  Land to build? 
3.)  Hearts would be moved to seek their involvement in what God cares about.  The poor are talked about all over His word.  That people would step forward in obedience to GO!
4.)  Personal mountains to be moved - time off from work, finances, etc.

We desire to follow God passionatly, whether it be reading the bible to our kids at night or taking a team to Uganda. 



(These are the kids of Redeemer House Orphanage)