What's Your Impact?

Throughout your busy day, are your thoughts constantly wrestling with the multitude of philosophical questions plaguing society? I grapple consistently with so many topics bouncing around my overactive brain.  Perhaps, my obsessive tendencies cause me to return to these questions, or perhaps I just want to know the answers.  The world gives us one answer to life's questions, but God gives us a much different answer.  His Word tells us:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

Meet Ivan

Meet Ivan

A number of years ago, God placed "the orphan" so heavily on my heart I could scarcely think of little else.  I read amazing stories of adoption, read blogs concerning orphans, prayed for and helped friends financially who were in the process of adoption and humbly asked God to make adoption a reality in our family.

I meditated on James 1:27

²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

At that time, it was estimated that there were 143 million orphans worldwide. There is no way one cannot be astounded by such a number.  (See the rice post if you want to have a visual of 143 million).  I read a couple days ago the number is now hovering around 163 million!!

My heart aches for ALL these children who do not have a family to call their own.

The prayer became, "Lord, use us to reach the orphan."  Making a difference to one or a few of them is what each of is called to do.

Over the years we've met, hosted, sponsored and cared for orphans as God continues to bring them into our lives.

Our first encounter was with a group from Childcare Worldwide in 2006.  If you're not familiar with Childcare Worldwide, definitely check them out.  They're listed with a 5-Star rating from Ministry Watch.com

Childcare Worldwide formed the Ugandan Orphan's Choir to "bring a message of hope to American audiences through the traditional rhythmic dances and songs of Africa."

Back in September of 2006 our church scheduled to have the choir perform.  To defray costs, the choir asks churches to host the chaperones and kids.  I literally JUMPED at the opportunity when our pastor asked for volunteering homes.

After the church service, I walked up to him as a line of other interested families was forming.  I quickly let him know I sensed they were SUPPOSED to be at our home.

He agreed.

All five boys and the male chaperone to the choir were placed with us for a 2-3 day stay.

We cleaned,  readied our home, and welcomed the boys with open arms.

Little did I know, 2 days with these kids ROCKED my world.  My heart's desire to live out James 1:27 was fueled.

These boys arrived with nothing but a backpack, but they exuded JOY like I'd never seen before.  All of them had lost one or both of their parents to the AIDS epidemic. They were delivered from near disaster and placed in a Children's Village where they now received housing, food, clothing, character development and an education.

Prior to being rescued by Childcare, some of these young children (under 13) are found caring for their younger siblings because their parents have died.  Some of these children bury their own parents.  Some are left in the care of older grandparents who do not have the means nor the strength to care for them.  It's heartbreaking!

Childcare Worldwide steps in and offers these children hope for a better future.

One of these boys in particular found a place in our hearts.  His name is Ivan.  We were able to spend Christmas 2006 with Ivan and another boy from the choir, Alex. Both boys are dear to us.

Christmas 2006

With Alex

With Ivan

Alex helped me roll out lefse while the other boys played.  Sadly, we have not heard from Alex since his stay with us.

Alex: "This Chapati?"  Me: "No, this is lefse.  Another flatbread."

Although my husband has not received a heart for adoption as I have, when he met Ivan he said, "He would fit in our family."  Ivan's photo is on a shelf in our family room with other family photos.  We will forever think of him as a special member of our family.

This is the photo we received last year from Ivan.
He has GROWN so much!

Adoption of the kids from the choir is not an option, and adoption from Uganda is difficult to say the least, but we've been blessed to have the opportunity to stay in contact with Ivan and hopefully one day we will meet him again.

We've never learned much about Ivan and his life prior to coming to Childcare. What we do know is he has a genuinely kind disposition and became instant friends with our oldest son.

We got a letter from Ivan this week.  Ivan's now 16 years old and loves to play soccer.  He's doing very well in school.  Childcare Worldwide's goal is to have the children receive quality education and training in a profession so they may not just survive, but succeed!  I think Ivan will break out of the cycle of poverty and succeed in whatever he chooses!

If you feel a tug at your heart when you see kids like Ivan, do something about it. Visit Childcare Worldwide's website.  You never know when you'll get to meet your sponsored child.  We were able to meet our sponsored child, Caleb last year.  That's another story and another post.

Have a blessed day!

Take a Moment to Watch- It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

More Inspiration- TOMS Shoes & Sunglasses

Last night we were blessed to attend a recorded taping of a Focus on the Family Feet on the Ground Event.  Brandon Heath started the night off with his awesome heartfelt music.  While he was singing "Give Me Your Eyes," I was reminded of a service class I taught at our local homeschool co-op.  This song was one of our theme songs for the class.  We prayed that we would have the eyes of Jesus to see the needs around us and to respond to those needs.  As a class we saw kids giving sacrificially, working to serve others, and then paying blessings forward to others.

Following the singing, we heard from Amon Kasambala, the CEO of Focus on the Family Africa.  Focus on the Family Africa has been so instrumental in African countries in helping care for the orphans, family education and community service. The mission is "Nurturing and Protecting Families in Africa through Outreach and Trustworthy Resources."  


Lastly, Jim Daly from Focus interviewed TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie.  Here's a clip on the history of TOMS.

Blake shared his inspiration in starting TOMS, one of his many entrepreneurial efforts, and the success he has experienced.  He shared about his faith in Christ and his heart to reach others in a self-sustaining business.  To date, TOMS has given away over a million shoes worldwide!  Amazing!  Jim shared the verse from Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."  Blake is living out this verse and his giving is an inspiration to us all.

I love the faces in the following short TOMS clip!  Such precious children.

A few weeks ago TOMS launched their next One For One product.  Watch this touching video:

All of us, has the capacity to give to others.  Today is a great day to look at ways we can serve.  Ask God to give you eyes to see a need.  Listen.  Be creative. Maybe it's a smile. Maybe it's making a meal for a neighbor who just had a baby. Perhaps it's opening up your home to an orphan. Or, maybe it's buying a pair of TOMS shoes or sunglasses so that one can be given away.  Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure through your sacrifice, it will be blessed.

Happy Giving!!

Little Things in Life

Can I just say I'm SO thankful for all the men and women who dutifully serve our wonderful country in the Armed Forces?  Just think all over the world US men and women are serving, away from home, doing their day-to-day jobs, but ultimately protecting our country and our freedom.

Today as I was packaging up some items sold on ebay I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the recipient's name and address and found out he was a SSGT in Avionics at an FPO somewhere possibly in Europe.  So cool!  My dad was in Avionics when I was growing up and suddenly I felt a kinship to this young man.  I know it sounds weird, but I felt like that.  I wrote him a note on the packing slip thanking him for his service and wishing him a Merry Christmas.  What I really wanted to suddenly do is send him a care package.  But then I thought that might be even more weird.

So instead of sending this young man a care package, I posted an inquiry on Facebook asking "friends" if they knew of someone serving in Iraq or Afghanistan to whom we could send a package.  Now I'm checking my status constantly to see if anyone posts.

I hope an opportunity arises to let someone know they are thought of and appreciated.  I'll keep you posted.

Disneyland Photos

Ready for Captain EO

At California Adventure

Beautiful Group with Minnie

Love These Kids

These kids are BRAVE!

Mr. Incredible!  I love the Incredibles!

The Ugandan Kids LOVE High School Musical

Disneyland Blessing

Our little girlie was on a soccer team last fall. One dad of a teammate works for Disney and offered us his five complimentary employee passes to take the kids to Disneyland. We are once again grateful for the generosity of a new-found friend.

We accepted this gift and I took the kids to Disneyland along with another host-mom and two of her choir girls.

We spent most of our day at California Adventure. The kids are CRAZY about High School Musical so we wanted to see the HSM 3 performance. The kids ended up wanting to see it a second time. Two of the kids with us were selected to dance with the the HSM performers. Woo Hoo!

We also went to the stage performance of Aladdin. One boy liked it so much I took him for a second show.

The rest of our day we hit the rides...Most of the kids did California Screamin', Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and the re-opened Captain EO 3-D movie.

We had a GREAT day and made the most of our time there.

Blessings



Kalim



Sitting in the waiting room next to Kalim. He's very nervous to be back in the dentist office. The cavity he had filled is still causing him quite a bit of pain and he now needs a root canal. He sits with his head in his hands, drumming his forehead with his fingertips. I wish I could do something, but it's in his best interest to get his tooth repaired.

These were the events of our Monday morning. The rest of the kids were at our house doing schoolwork with the Ugandan Aunties.

He had his appointment and had his tooth further repaired. We then went home and went about our day.

That evening as I was preparing to pray with the kids, I asked Kalim what was the best part of his day. I wasn't expecting he'd mention the dentist, but he said the best part of his day that he was most thankful for was his trip to the dentist. He told me, "Mum, I am thankful. He take my pain away."

What a HUGE blessing! I'm so thankful for a caring, generous dentist who provided amazing dental care to children who don't have the luxury of preventative dentistry.

Photos from Chuck Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment

Edward

Recap Yesterday Then Off To Disneyland

I was going to post last night, but just couldn't find any energy to barely keep my eyes open, let alone focus on the computer.

Wednesdays are our mom's group at church days. I'm a Mentor Mom at a table of younger moms. I've been completely blessed with this mentorship opportunity and I may be a bit biased, but I think I have AMAZING women at our table. They are strong, energetic, godly women. I will post a photo of them soon.

Anyway, at this group, I was asked to be on a discussion panel. We were asked questions about parenting, being a wife, and caring for ourselves. I really had a great time and pray that God will use this time for His glory.

Afterward we went to another host home for lunch. The other two boys from the boys are there and I think they were all happy to see each other. They had some quality Wii, trampoline, and basketball time. I wish I had more time to get to know the other kids better too.

I was so tired yesterday afternoon, but needed to dig deep to prepare for the momentous night out at Chuck E. Cheese. For whatever reason this hotspot was top of the boys list of want-to-dos. They enjoyed the arcade, and accumulated tickets for prizes.

Funny thing though...we ordered two large pizzas thinking 2 adults, 6 kids...turns out two of the boys don't eat pizza. Oh well, lunch for another day.

Right now I'm listening to a cd I made for the boys. I went onto iTunes and let them pick their favorite songs. Disney music is a big hit with them. So we have Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and lots of High School Musical music filling the house. It cracks me up how much they love the High School Musical thing. Just like the girls we hosted from a previous choir.

Well, I'm off...need to be out of the house in 20 minutes.

Dental Visit

Edward is not very excited about this adventure

At the Park

Photos from First Night Dinner

Saffina and Edward


Kalim (on left), Dennis (on right), Edward (back right)

Our Visitors Have Arrived

We are now hosting our 4th group of kids from the Ugandan Children's Choir. What a blessing!!
I picked them up on Sunday and the group of 10 kids were split up between four families to spend their vacation break week. The two chaperones are with a separate family so they can enjoy rest and relaxation for a whole week.
We have three boys with us, Kalim, Edward, and Dennis. They are a little older than the boys from previous choirs, but so much fun for our kids. They love basketball, soccer and of course...the Wii. They've had quite a competitive Wii FIFA Soccer Tournament going on.
This group of boys has specific dietary requests that we haven't had before. One boy doesn't eat meat, only fish and another loves potatoes and would prefer rice or potatoes with every meal. Previous choirs have been voracious eaters, but its taken me a bit more time (actually just one day) to figure out what these boys might like to eat.
Fortunately, I've discovered some wonderful Asian markets here and yesterday I took them to find something they might like. After wandering the produce section and the beginning of the meat section, they said, "Mum, this store is like Uganda!" We found jack fruit, which apparently they love, mangoes, pineapple, cassava, fresh tilapia, rock cod, and more. The tilapia was fresh and packed on ice. The boys picked out a fish then we had it cleaned and fried on the spot. After the frying they'd walk behind the cart enjoying the aroma. It was a BIG hit and we'll be going back for more fried tilapia this week.
After the good eats it was time to head to the dentist. I've met a friend here whose husband is a dentist. He offered his services to the kids free of charge. Because the kids have a lot of dental needs, he took care of the most pressing issue. Two of the boys had cavities that made it to the root of their teeth and one boy just had little cavities and received fillings like sealants.
The whole experience was a bit traumatizing for the boys. I think after the tilapia, they were pretty excited about this vacation week, but then came the dentist. Edward was the most concerned of all. I prayed with him prior to his dental work. I wish I had an interpreter with us to explain how important it was to take care of these issues. His most serious cavities were between his two front teeth. On one tooth the cavity had spread to the root. I know they may have some pain today.
I have major dentist anxiety and when I saw the sweetheart sitting on his clenched hands I knew how he felt. Because we went to the dentist's office after hours, we got home at about 8:00pm.
I quickly fried up the beef liver with onions and tomatoes for the boys. They love liver...not so much a favorite among anyone in our family. We also had fried cabbage with onions and rice. The two older boys were still a bit numb and didn't eat much dinner.
Let's hope for more enjoyable days for the boys while they're on vacation:)

The Big Day Has Arrived!!

After many months of waiting and planning, today's the day I pick up a few Ugandan kids who will be staying with us for the next week. They are members of the Ugandan Children's Choir and most, if not all, are orphans. This has been our way of responding to the Biblical command to serve and care for the (widows &) orphans. And to be completely honest, I think we've been more blessed through this opportunity than any of the kids we've met.
This will be the fourth group of kids we've hosted and it's been an amazing adventure getting to know them. We cannot even comprehend what kind of life experiences they've already endured in their 10 (or so) years, but yet they are filled with joy and compassion for others. The smiles on their faces and the joy they exude shout to the world that Jesus is alive, He saves, He restores, and He has a plan for each of our lives. It's just absolutely AWESOME!!
We will have three boys staying with us. Here is how they are described to us through an email...
-Kalimu is our oldest boy, does not eat breakfast unless potatoes are involved, is a hilarious and respectful young man.
-Edward does not eat meat, except for fish, or anything that meat has touched. He is shy at first, but so warm and so loving.
-Denis is our youngest boy (by a few years), and as a result sometimes acts out to get attention, but you will also see how loving and grateful he is to you.
Good thing Momma here likes to cook a variety of meals. Looks like I'll be buying lots of potatoes and fish. My mom would love the menu!! Fried potatoes for breakfast and fish for the rest of the meals.
Time to get the room ready for them. I'll post photos as we take them.
Pray for safe travel as I head out about an hour drive to pick up six of the kids and deliver them to their host families, and prayer for a smooth, fun-filled week!

Some Dreams Must Be Abandoned

"Bleeding Hearts of the World, UNITE" ~the grinch

When I was a kid one of my favorite stories was The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. I'm not sure a little kid can have a more morbid story to choose as a favorite, but I somehow connected with the story and had such compassion for the little girl who sat freezing, hungry, and ignored by those passing by. I wished someone would notice her, care for her and then at the end of the story she would survive. But instead she tries to warm herself lighting her only possession, matches, and dreams of a warm stove, food, Christmas and her deceased grandmother. She asks her grandmother to take her away from the miserable existence she was living in.

Now maybe there's another meaning to this story, but since I'm literal girl, all I can see is a freezing, hungry, little girl, on the street, being passed over by many adults who don't have the time or the compassion to offer her a warm shelter or a morsel of food.

This breaks my heart. Moreover, this happens day after day around our globe.

How can we as humans turn our backs or a blind-eye to the suffering of the little children? Are we cold-hearted? Where is our compassion? How can we look on the tragedy in Haiti and not have the Holy Spirit tug on our hearts? God's children are living in MISERABLE conditions. They are surrounded by death! That alone should prompt us to want to do something.

I read a Fox News report this morning by Adam Housley. He describes orphans living on a front lawn sheltered by only a tarp, with the dead around them. They have only a brown-gravy type porridge to eat. Such a sad description.

So, I may be a Bleeding Heart. I think the heart of God has a HUGE amount of compassion for these kids too. He tells us over and over again in His Word, as believers it is our RESPONSIBILITY to care for the widows and the orphans. I'm not sure what caring for the widows and orphans looks like in your life and to be quite honest I'm not sure what it looks like in my life. I know what I want it to look like, but I need to wait on the Holy Spirit.

So, I continue to wait, listen, and do what I can. For many it's donating money to a reputable charity. To some it may be offering time on a mission trip. To some it's adopting one of these little orphans and providing a true opportunity to experience the love of Jesus, sacrifice and family.

My prayer is that we don't just walk by the little one freezing on the street and turn away so as not to be bothered.

Out of Balance

Life of luxury. Million dollar mortages. Streets lined with Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac. Private schools. Spas. Gardeners. Nannies. Housekeepers. White sandy beaches. Botox. Plastic Surgery. Implants. Teeth whiteners. Cocktails. Pottery Barn. Neiman Marcus. Sushi. Stilettos. Doggie Daycare. Excess. This is where I live.
I live in a world where I feel like I don't belong. We have a scratched up Honda and a Ford pick-up. We prefer to eat at home. I clean my own house, make our food, and take care of the kids God blessed us with. I do my own laundry. I mostly wear tennis shoes and prefer sweats and t-shirts. I like to compost and try to find places to plant a seed of lettuce just to feel like I have a garden. I choose to homeschool our kids. We are really simple people living amongst so much prosperity.
Devastation. Hopelessness. Death. Tears. Urgency. Crumbling buildings. Shattered lives. Hunger. Thirst. Sanitation issues. Disease. Relief coming? So much tragedy. Surgery without anesthesia. Crime. Violence. Aftershocks. What does tomorrow hold? This is what I see on television and read from people who have been to Haiti.
I sit at home feeling helpless. I sense an urgency to do something, but what?? Pray.
Just Pray.

Wrapping up the First Quarter

We've been wrapping up many first quarter activities and classes. Our home school co-op is now on Christmas break. I'm happy to report the service class I taught ended very well.
I was concerned and feeling a bit defeated two weeks prior to the break. This last quarter the kids did some great service projects. We put together gifts for children in the hospital (a gift bag with a hand made card and a beanie baby), we cleaned up, cut back, and revitalized the yard of a lady who is losing her sight, we wrote letters to a friend serving in China and a soldier serving in Iraq, we made meals in jars for widows (or moms who could use an easy meal), we had guest speakers who coordinate medical services for children with serious health needs, we had a guest speaker who shared with us the need of children and poor in southeast Asia, and as our culminating project we raised OVER 1000 pounds of food for a local food bank. (Note there were only 11 kids in our class and 20 families in our co-op).
When we set the goal of 1000 pounds it didn't seem like too much, but as we were gathering I started to feel defeated. We only had 2-3 weeks to gather the food. And in addition I heard comments like, "Wow, 1000 pounds, that's a lot of food. It's hard to raise that much food, even for a big group, but you have a small group." For a minute I started to believe it was going to be too much. But the night I was feeling down, one of the kids called me because he was SO excited! Along with his brother and sister, he had collected 200 pounds in a day. Amazing!
The following day I read them the story of the Little Red Hen. Hard work gets the job done and these kids were working hard. I was so proud of them. During this quarter I saw them giving, serving and donating time, money, or talent.
I'm happy to report the night of our end of quarter event the kids had raised 987 pounds of food. We made a good effort and were only 13 pounds from our goal. Then one family arrived late and handed me a bag of food they wanted to donate. We weighed the food and...this is such a God thing...their bag weighed 13.8 pounds! We met and exceeded our goal!
What a great lesson of faith for the kids and for me. The Bible tells us we only need to have faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.

"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20-21

The Craft Show

We shared a space with some friends. Our friends were trying to raise money for their upcoming adoption. It was a good experience for all.