Countdown...

So Megan & I leave for Sierra Leone, West Africa in just three days!  I can’t even begin to share with you how much this means to me!  As I sit here and think about how much Africa has consumed my thoughts and my heart the last 2 ½ years, I just am amazed by God’s providence and prevenient grace in my life.  Orphans nor Africa were even on my radar then… you can read about how I became aware of the plight of the orphan here, and about the book that opened my heart to them on my book blog.

Once I decided to take the plunge and sign up to go on a mission trip, Jeff & I discussed the logistics of it all.  With a job, four kids and a husband who works a crazy schedule, it is no easy thing to leave the kids and travel half way around the world for 12 days.  But I knew I would do anything to be able to go. What I didn’t anticipate was having my pride dissolved and my heart completely humbled in the process. I was blessed with funds and loving, encouraging notes from so many people and I am so grateful and overwhelmed by the generosity, love and support that I have gotten from my family, my church family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, clients & vendors. 

So if you clicked on the link above about how I was introduced to TRS, you know it caught me completely off guard and pierced my heart.  Hearing the co-founders share their story of opening up an orphanage in Sierra Leone and specifically the life and health of one little boy named Festus broke my heart and convicted me to support them in their fight to save the orphan.  To read more about Festus, please read this. 

Now, can you imagine my joy as I read the updates from Erica & Kelly as they brought little Festus to The Covering?  Then they asked for help to sponsor him!!  Guess what? Yeah, I know you already know…. Jeff & I are now sponsoring this little boy who's story broke my heart 2 ½ years ago!

I got to skype with Festus for the first time this morning, and I will get to meet him in just a few days! (Sorry I know the picture quality is awful, but that is how it looked on Skype this morning, too :) Fatmata was reading me a story and Lawrence & Festus were listening so sweetly.

I just can't wait to meet these three beautiful children who have changed my life forever!  Thank you to everyone who has made this trip possible.  Thank you to all of you who are praying over Megan & me as we travel and experience the next two weeks together.  I love you all.  

How AWESOME is our GOD?

How AWESOME are his PEOPLE?

How AWESOME is His LOVE?

Bigger than all of Africa <3

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Blessings we don't even see...

There is such a dichotomy of pain, beauty, need, abundance, joy & sorrow all around the world and my eyes are beginning to see clearly now.

A prayer that I have been praying for about six months now is a quote by Bob Pierce, Founder of World Vision:

"Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"

I guess I should be careful what I pray for.  I am beginning to yearn for deeper involvement in The Raining Season.  As I read their blog and blogs that link to their blog and blogs that link to those blogs……. I am so very moved by all of the wonderful ways that God is using his Body of Christ to help Save the Orphan.  I am inspired by all of the Godly, giving, loving women and families that I am reading about and I seem to want to get involved more deeply.

Because I dream about it, think about it, read books about it, and don't forget; read blogs about it!

I just finished a book called Little Bee, which I probably won't blog about on my book blog because I want to forget it.  It was a fiction book that started out amazing, was written very very well, but took a terrible tangent on infidelity that I felt was completely not required for the plot.  But, it did get me thinking, so here are my musings:

What a wonderful world I was born into!  I have had so many blessings and opportunities that so many other women my age around the world have not had.  So let's pretend for just a moment that I haven't had some of the advantages that being born in the United States of America in the 1970's has given me:

• I was born with severely bowed legs, I don't know the medical term for this; but I do know that I had to have casts on my legs for months to straighten out my bones.  I was still teased mercilessly in school for my silly walk, but I have grown out of it.  I do still have the cute little white cast that was on one of my infant legs. 
• I got my first pair of glasses in 3rd grade, and my first pair of contacts in 6th.  I have complained almost every day of my life that my eyes don't work because I am hopelessly nearsighted and even laser surgery is not an option for me, but contacts help me see 20/20!  Do you think I would even HAVE glasses if I lived in a third world country?  
• I broke my arm jumping on a trampoline when I was 10, and when it didn't heal right, I had to have surgery to cut out the dead bone and replace it with a new bone from the hospitals bone bank as well as 6 pins to secure it in place.  I now have 100% use of my arm and wrist; before surgery the rotation and strength was diminishing daily.
• I now have straight teeth because my mother worked very hard to provide me with orthodontia and way too many fillings for cavities from my sugar addiction…..
• I had surgery at 21 to diagnose severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with endometriosis; which causes infertility and of course, severe abdominal pain.
• I did 6 months of hormone therapy to shrink the endometriosis and enable me to become a mommy of four beautiful and much wanted miracle babies!

And that is only SOME of my boring medical details……

• I was able to attend school every single day it was offered while I was young, and they even fed me lunch and bussed me to and from school 5 days a week!
• I played baseball, volleyball and danced in drill team to my heart's content!
• I was given a love for reading and writing and as an adult, yes; even a love for math!
• I went to college (after college, after college, after college) - we moved a lot, ok?! It's kind of an ongoing joke between hubby and I!
• I am now a working mother with an amazingly supportive husband who co-parents with me!
• I earn a great salary and am able to care for my family while working at a job I love in the construction industry where I am usually the only woman in a room full of men; where they treat me (mostly) with kindness and respect.
• I am free to worship my God with abandon!

So now for the third world version of me:

I am a bow-legged, blind, snaggle-toothed (ok, lets be real - I probably don't have but a couple of teeth left at this point), uneducated woman (who can't read) with no children and an arm that is bent up and atrophied, and if I know Jesus; there are those who will kill me if they find out.  If I live in Sierra Leone, my life expectancy is 41 years; so that means I have less than four years to live.

Talk about a wake up call to appreciate my circumstances!!!!

Please forgive me if I feel a little disconnected from this life that I am living that includes an over-abundance of things, and over-indulgance of food, and an un-concerned community for their neighbor.

I hope you also see that I have an abundance of love in my home, a heart indulging in the great things around me, and a concern growing for my neighbor; including the orphan.   

For now, I will continue to study God's Word and pray for his will to become my reality.  I will also thank God every day for my glasses (ok, contacts!), straight teeth, able body, beautiful babies, nice home, loving husband, steady income, books galore, vacations, good food, technology, air conditioning, motrin, coffee, washing machine, soft bed, closet full of clothes, toys all over the floor, bills, chores………. 

Please won't you join me in my prayer to have your heart broken by the things that break the heart of God?  I promise, your heart will burst as you see more of the blessings all around you as the things that you don't have will not seem so important anymore, and the things that others don't have will.

  

Women of Faith 2010

I had a wonderful weekend get-away to fabulous Las Vegas (I know, it's in my backyard.... but a world away at the same time....) at the end of April to attend the Women of Faith Conference with 100 women from my church and 5000 other random women!  I stayed with a couple of friends at the MGM (kindly comped by a client of one of my friends, YAY!) and got to have some "girl time" as well as some "God time"!  It was much needed and I have made some good changes in my life because of it!  Here are some of the highlights for me:

• A day off of work (friday) and a day off of chores (saturday) to go enjoy speakers, music, skits and of course, book shopping in between sessions!
• A night away from the responsibilities of being a mommy and wife to spend time with good friends, enjoying good food, good drinks, high heels (and the inevitable sore feet that Vegas brings), and some face time with Elvis impersonators, haha! Not to mention the laughter, time to relax, and a good old cab ride... too bad we didn't get to play Cash Cab; although I think that our ride topped that!

• One of my favorite speakers was Marcus Buckingham who has a book called Find Your Strongest Life.  He has an online test you can take here Find A Stronger Life which will show you how to focus on developing the strengths that God blessed you with so you can live the life He intends for you.  It was wonderful to hear him speak about not worrying about your weaknesses, but finding your talents and your passions and working into them!  I loved that he wasn't just about "to feel good; do your best, be perfect, blah, blah, blah..." but gave very practical advice on how to change.  I am really enjoying his book as well.  I took the test and am amazed at the results; it pinpointed my strengths exactly! I am a "Caretaker" first and an "Equalizer" second; which means I want everyone to be happy and I want everyone to do the right thing because its the right thing (oh, yeah... it also says I love organization and I might have a fondness for spreadsheets..... !)  Told ya, it was spot on! 
• There were many other wonderful speakers including Sheila Walsh, Lisa Harper, Karen James, Lucy Swindoll, drama by Nicole Johnson and an amazing performance by Mandisa of American Idol fame (she was dynamic & I don't think there was a dry eye in the place!). 
• Natalie Grant!!  I was so looking forward to seeing her perform, and she was unbelievable!  I loved her and hope I have the opportunity to see her sing again.  She ended with a gospel song "His eye is on the Sparrow" and it was so moving.... My favorite song that she performed is Held, I only wish she would have performed In Better Hands.  Next time, Natalie?! Still, I Will Not Be Moved!
• Rich Stearns!!  He is one of my favorite people right now and I was like a kid at Christmas ready to see Santa.... I don't think some of my friends quite got why I was so excited to see him speak, but his book changed my life.  You can read my blog about The Hole In Our Gospel for why I love him so.  It was an honor and privilege to see him speak.
• I am now the proud sponsor of a new World Vision child who shares my youngest daughter's birthday and lives in Indonesia.  I can't wait to get to know her....

All the above made for a great weekend for me;
but this is why it was amazing to see God in Sin City: 

• 462 Women committed their lives to Jesus!
• 787 Children have new sponsors through World Vision!

Countdown is on for next year....

Women of Faith Las Vegas April 29-30, 2011

The Raining Season

I have been moved.


I went to a missions meeting at church a few months ago; ok I really had a staff parish meeting at 6:30 and knew there was a missions meeting at 6:00 and thought I'd attend for a few minutes before my Very Important meeting to meet our new Pastor.  I wanted to get missions information for the summer because I knew that the church was planning to go up to the UMCOR facility in SLC, UT to package and sort emergency supplies.  They had all been depleted because of the major earthquake in Haiti and I thought it would be a fantastic way for our family to go on a mission trip and maybe see some extended family along the way.  Instead, I heard the heartbreaking story of thousands of suffering orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa.  Our Missions Lay Leader had arranged for the founders of a new orphanage in Africa that he had been interested in joining on a trip there to come and speak to our church and share their story.  I tell you, after the 30 heart-wrenching minutes I was there, I had to tear myself away and my heart stayed right there in that room with those amazing Godly women.  


At the time, I was reading the book The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, who is the President of World Vision.  Hubby had just finished the book and told me it was a MUST read and boy, was he right.  I was in the middle of the book when I attended the missions meeting and I know that God was preparing my heart for the message that The Raining Season was to bring to my secure, comfortable, safe environment to shock me into action.  


I have not been able to get the amazing stories I heard of how The Raining Season was founded out of my mind and how God moved in two women's hearts to cause them to step up and save the orphans of Sierra Leone.  I have read and re-read every word on their website and their blog and my God will let me rest no more.  Hubby and I went on a date Sunday night and had a very good conversation and decided to sponsor a child, we weren't sure how much to commit to or if we should sponsor one child or two.  


I must admit that I had a crisis of faith on Monday before committing to sponsorship.  Their were rumors of lay-offs at work (4 people did in fact get let go on Friday and I am heartbroken for them all) and I was nervous about that and decided to pray about it for the remainder of the day.  I prayed every moment I thought of it (which was a lot!) and had been reassured by God that he is in control and that I needed to surrender control and show him my faith in action.  When I came home from work and got the mail (like I do every single day), there was a letter from our little World Vision child in Albania.  He had sent us a thank you letter for gifts we had sent him for Christmas and told us how much he loves us even though we are half-way around the world and have not even met in person.  


Thank you, God!  I love it when you speak to my mind & heart and then back it up with tangible evidence of what direction you want me to go in.  You are an Awesome God!  I love your timing - how perfect to get a letter from Albania just hours after I had decided to leap out in faith!  Thank you, thank you!  


Hubby and I have signed up to sponsor two beautiful children at The Covering (the name of the orphanage).  They are brother and sister who only have each other in this world.  Our family has had several evenings this week just looking at the website and google earth-ing and wikipedia-ing Sierra Leone.  We decided to give up some of our luxuries so that we can assist these children into having a chance to grow up loved and healthy.  There is hope - I can't save them all, I certainly can't save them on my own, but I CAN make a difference to one (or two)!  


I have been blessed so abundantly......

http://www.therainingseason.org/

Christmas 2009

Happy Birthday, Jesus! The Q-Crew had a wonderful day

celebrating your birthday and getting presents in your honor! 

Thank you for this season to indulge in food,
toys, music, and each other! 

The twinkling lights, a tree decorated
with ornaments from years gone by;

 the food, the !Candy! the spirits :)
the presents wrapped with ribbons,
the candy canes, hot chocolate and the carols sung off-key!

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on our piano keys;
tiny hands playing with our Little People Nativity.
Advent candles and calendars decorate table tops and walls;
Christmas Cards arriving daily with pictures of loved ones
to hang on our bulletin board for the year to come.

Butterflies in tummys and ribbons in pretty hair
Princess dresses for dainty girls is a treasured indulgance every year.
Handel's Messiah played by an orchestra,
Christmas Cantata by the choir;
and an annual Nutcracker Suite Ballet night out.

Christmas Eve traditions include the Children's Worship Service
some dress as angels, shepards, wisemen and even Mary and Joseph.
 We sing beloved songs as well as listening to the story of Jesus' birth.

Then Smore's, laughs, lots of speculation and anticipation
proceed cookies left for Santa as we snuggle in new PJ's.
Lots of lullabyes to lull little one's to dream of sugar plums,
as busy elves finish preparation and perhaps a glass of wine!

Christmas Day dawns after children have been up
and sent back to slumber;
finally time to share our bounty, stockings are stuffed to overflowing!
Things long wished for, worked for, bought with much care and love;
a day full of joy and laughter, dreams come true, a Christmas Feast!

These are the moments we hope and pray for;
treasure always, live for, love.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!
The presents were wonderful, but not as great as Your presence!
The gift of importance is our Messiah, King of Kings, Emmanuel.

God with us!

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day, which up until today meant absolutely nothing to me.  After today's sermon, I see it all much differently and much more personally than I did before.  Our Pastor, and new Associate Pastor (a 25 year old woman; fresh out of seminary and oh so amazing!) had placed two tables on the stage with lace coverings and about 200 lit tea-light candles on top.  It was beautiful and seemed very traditional, so I knew a surprise was in store for the sermon! 

The Pastor started off talking about saints and those that have gone before us who have made significant impacts on the Christian faith.... this is a little unusual for my protestant church... we don't worship or pray to saints like other religions do.  We believe that we may have an intimate, personal relationship with Christ Jesus and do not require intercession. Then he asked us to make All Saints Day more personal by looking into our own walk with Christ and people or persons who led us to Him.  He asked us to come forward and say their name and light a candle for them because this day represents their being in the presence of our Savior.  I named my Step-Mother (Smother!) because she was integral in my becoming a Christian. 

My Father & Smother 2002

Smother and I had many conversations about religion when hubby and I lived with them after transferring from Utah to California for a job in 1994.  We stayed with them for a wonderful 3 or 4 months and had marathon "Spite and Malice" games and popcorn by the bucketful!  Over the years, I attended Midnight Mass with her on Christmas Eve and drilled her on religions, culture, musicals, books and anything else she would tolerate.  I loved that she was so smart and could remember vivid details at the drop of a hat and loved to tell stories of her many insurance fraud investigations.  And that woman could COOK!  Oh, just thinking of her jumbalaya, cheesy scalloped potatoes, seven minute frosting, coffee smoothies, mimosa's.... makes me gain ten pounds!  She passed away in 2005 from Lung Cancer and I miss her so much. 

My family has a "theme song" that we play before and after family time bible lessons and I would like to dedicate it to Nanny / Smother's memory today because her Lifesong gave me a glimpse of what My Jesus looks like.  Thank you for sharing your faith and your love with me.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEwB0pkes7U

Bright Future

I love listening to Focus on the Family via podcast when I do chores at home or streaming at work while I push papers. I listened to one last week that is sticking with me. It was just a little comment at the end of the show, but God is continually whispering it in my ear. I hope it lifts you as well:

I have a heritage that I cannot yet see,

but the hands that bled are holding it for me.

My favorite song lately has the same message:

Jeremy Camp Lyrics – There Will Be A Day Song Words
Song Words by Artist / Band : Jeremy Camp

Title : There Will Be A Day

Available on Album : Speaking Louder Than Before

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have

But I feel the weight of what it brings,

and the hurt that tries to grab

The many trials that seem to never end,

His word declares this truth

That we will enter in this rest with wonders a new

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings

That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears

There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,

we’ll see Jesus face to face

But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long

You feel you’re walking on your own

But there has never been a step

Where you’ve walked out all alone

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears

There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,

we’ll see Jesus face to face

But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart

Cause joy and peace he brings

And the beauty that’s in store

Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting
I cant wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always

will wipe awaythe sorrow that I’ve faced

To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery

this is why this is why I sing

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears

There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,

we'll see Jesus face to face

But until that day, we'll hold on to you always.

http://www.jeremycamp.com/

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/

Beautiful Christian Sister

I have been in a real funk lately. My best friend from Cali sent me an email yesterday with this poem, by one of my fav poets, Maya Angelou. It really struck a cord because Cali-girl knew I needed a reminder that I am unconditionally loved by God, Family and Friends. Nice to hear because I am really, really tired and get bogged down by the fact that:

• Ok. Here is the obligatory bullet.
• I wrote about ten reasons and promptly deleted them.
• Gave them to God.
• I'm resting in him.
• No therapy bill.
• I feel better.
• The world doesn't need to hear me whine.
• Or know my hurts.
• God has them in the palm of his hand.
• Enjoy the poem!

Beautiful Christian Sister
by Maya Angelou

A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.
When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean living,"
I'm whispering "I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far to visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain...

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

_______________________________________________

P.S. I became a Christian in 2002. If you are a family member, you have my letter sharing my story. If you want to hear it again, I'm willing and I've grown in faith abundantly since I wrote it, it's all much more concise now. Love you all.

Running Proclamation

I just returned from an amazing weekend in San Diego with 26 teenagers and 8 adults who attended Aquire the Fire (ATF), which is a Christian Conference for teenagers.... see www.aquirethefire.com for more info. I will post more on that later, when I have processed the overwhelming worship, learning and sheer awe of our Youth Group that went on the last few days.

While in San Diego, we stayed at the local UMC campus. It was an amazing church, very old and very traditional. On Sunday morning we had the opportunity to attend worship. I loved the psaltar reading, and as a runner will use this as a devotional before my future runs:

• I believe in God Almighty, who sets life before us like a course to be run, and gives us bodies and minds with which to run it.
• I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, who has shown us what it is to run with commitment, and has revealed in his resurrection the rewards to those who finish the course.
• I believe in the Holy Spirit, who breathes into us the strength to run long distances, the wisdom to pace ourselves, and the love to respect all other runners.
• I believe in the Church Universal, that gives us a sense of fellowship as we run, and the feeling that if anything happened on the course we would be supported by those who care.
• I believe in the Life Everlasting, where the course we have run in this life gives way to a course finer than any we have ever known, and where our spirits shall run with a grace and beauty we have not yet experienced.
• I believe- and because I believe, I run better! Amen.

I have been running for over a year now, and am really enjoying it. I started running as a way to release some STRESS buildup that seems to follow me around like a lost puppy. I now crave the run, although the furthest I have gone is 3.5 miles and my average is 12 1/2 minute miles. I am thinking of getting serious about it, and am going to run a 5k to see if I like competition while running. If I do, I might consider a 1/2 marathon. Hmmmm, the Las Vegas Marathon is December 8th. Rock and Roll Marathon no less.....

The gears are crankin'.......