Tuesday, January 31, 2012

One Year.

It has been one year since my feet have been on that red dirt.



I miss it.

One year since stepping out in obedience to take women to serve in Ug@nda.

I am sitting here not feeling very well [cold/flu go away!] and thinking back to that trip.

Reminisce with me, will you? 

The day before we left I was up on the Mt. with my treasures.  What a thrill to be standing on a snowy mountain, knowing I would be standing in Africa 30 hours later!


Love KLM.


I could not sleep for like 4 nights it was crazy and nearly did me in so I thought I would watch the sunrise and praise the Lord in that land.  Sun rising over K@mpala.


 First day out.
 Day ? Watoto interviewed Jennie because she was meeting her sponsor child.  Can I just say that sponsoring a child changes their lives but also changes yours in the midst.  It really does matter.  I had no idea until I spent time in Africa.  Our kids at RH pray for their sponsors all the time, by name, and think of them as parents, in a sense.
 I just love this pic.  Pure joy on both sides.
 I miss chapatti.  mmmm….
 I wrote about this lady once already, she reminded me of my Gma.  I know God sent her [both times] in Africa to freak.me.out (in a good way).  I want to be like her when I grow up.  She is 70 and serves for weeks at this orphanage every year.

Pretty sure this pic is one of my all-time-favorites.  ever.


I love these two girls.


 Meat on a stick!

 Pretty.

 Hangin' out with the cutest kids in Ug@nda.
 This was nice.  Ahhh...
 I ate so much pineapple that I had sores in my mouth.  and it did not stop me from eating more …that pineapple is crazy awesome.
 I love this program.  Christ-Centered!  This was just a fun day.  A hot day, but I love heat.
 Church with my sis in Africa will forever go down, in my book, as a little kiss from God.
 She was my biggest cheerleader through our adoption of #5.


 I drank Nile water.  No, I did not, but it's still a cool pic.


Sarah gave me a heart attack.  but the pic is kinda cute.  just be glad, miss sarah, that you survived! I am sure someone will use this pic as a "what not to do on a mission trip in Africa" . ;)  good thing I love you to pieces and take pictures fast!



 On the last day my MIL and I went all around Jinja and looked at land pieces for the orphanage.  We were sure this was a prophetic sign that this was the one because of the coffee plant. ;)  [hehe and it wasn't but I will still ask for that nice feature :)]

 pretty, hu?

Then, on the last day, (same day as our flight) 3 hours from the airport….we ran out of gas!  It was a little nerve racking!


But we made it, safe and sound.
Well, somewhat sound, Africa has a way of wrecking you forever.
A beautifully broken kinda wrecking.

There were crazy hard parts but there was much joy.

I saw the hand of God in many moments along the way.

I had no.idea what I was doing leading those women.  Some moments were more than I could handle and I only had the Lord to cry out to, but you know something?  He was so stinkin' faithful.  He spoke to my heart so many times in the midst of the hard stuff.

I also knew without a shadow of a doubt along the way that He was strengthening me and giving me pure gifts from Him.  Gifts and moments that will forever be cherished in my heart.

I am so glad I obeyed.  I am so glad I did not miss the awesome parts and the hard parts.

God is so faithful and worthy, worthy, worthy!

I miss that place.

just cute






Redemption in Action.


How an Abortion Saved the Lives of Many from Homeschool Convention on Vimeo.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Trusting.

This week I read about the Israelites walking through the Red Sea.


Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.


and… I can not stop thinking about those walls.


They must have been high, above their heads and the strangest sight.  Have you ever seen a wall of water and nothing making it stand?  We know God used wind to divide it, but I imagine the wind must have died down to enable them to walk through.  

And they walked next to them.


They kept moving forward, next to those walls.






I can only imagine looking to my right and left and only seeing giant walls of water, yet going farther into the sea.


In the midst of it, there must have been sheer terror in their hearts.


They must have been in awe. The mouth open, no words seem to fit kinda awe, with terror.  


We know from reading the next chapter that once they got to the other side and the Lord had delivered them from the their enemies they had a big ol' praise session.


The Lord was faithful and from the overflow of their hearts, they praised.


This story and those walls have gripped me this week.  I think this picture can be played out in the paths God has called us to today.


With adoption, the walls are huge.  They are: money, paperwork, social workers, lawyers, judges, birth order, R.A.D., judgement from others, leaving home …..and on and on.  


If I had a dime for every time I heard "no" in adoption I could fund everyones adoption!  


In missionary work the walls are:  safety, longing for home, support, not fitting in, Spiritual attacks, malaria…to name a few.


God did not remove the walls for His chosen people. He asked them to walk beside them.


One foot in front of the other, to walk beside those walls.  


Those walls may "feel" like they will crash in at.any.moment but the resounding word in our hearts, to God, should be "I will trust you."  


He is asking us to trust Him.  


He was asking the Israelites to trust Him and they saw the salvation of the Lord.


He is asking me to quit asking for the walls to be removed but walk beside them.


God, You are faithful.  In the midst of the walls, in the deep of the sea, You are faithful.  Please help me to walk on.  Amen  










   



Monday, January 16, 2012

weekend wrestling and more...

This weekend we traveled to The Oregon Classic for wrestling. We knew it would be tough competition, and it was. Wrestling is an emotional sport and VERY hard on a mama's heart. Your baby is out there all alone and when they are being put on their back everything in me wants to run out there and grab them off the mat and rock them back and forth and back and forth, forever and always my baby you'll be.... oh wait, that's one of my favorite books. But still, it is hard to watch. My sis was sitting next to me and that helped because after the boys lost we talked about how dumb wrestling was and how the winner was just advanced. [you can bet your bottom dollar had they won, we would have said the opposite] ;)

Speaking of my sis…. look who we got to meet [finally]!

 The kids had a great time and their prayers last night and this morning reflected their love for their cousins "thank you for The Brewers."






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Monday, January 9, 2012

lead me

Psalm 139:24

New International Version (NIV)


"24 See if there is any offensive way in me, 
                                 and lead me in the way everlasting."



Wednesday, January 4, 2012