I'm taking a small hiatus from this blog, but not from blogging entirely. Interested in what's captured my attention? Click here to stop by my other blog & see what I'm up to!
See you back here around August 12th!
Kar
Prayers for our Children
Monday, August 3, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Send Me - Part II
First, let me just thank everyone who left an encouraging comment or sent a supportive email to me privately. This is a pretty big deal, and I’m happy I get to share it with you. If you missed out on Part I, please click here to get caught up. Just to refresh your memory, I ended by announcing:
“…And now an excited sort of panic sets in!! ohmygosh....I'm going to Africa! :-)”
My excitement was short lived, however, and discouragement quickly set in. Doors that, a few weeks earlier, were wide open began to SLAM right in my face. Perplexed and, frankly, irritated, I once again sought out Ondrea’s shoulder (or computer monitor and keyboard! Heehee!). At her suggestion, I began to “lay out the fleeces” (Judges chapter 6). When the fleeces didn’t come back as I expected them to, I tried again, and again, and again until I finally just gave up.
Rather than adopting Ondrea’s viewpoint that perhaps God IS calling me to Africa, just not NOW, I instead allowed the aforementioned feelings of inadequacy to take root. Ondrea mentioned that maybe I had answered God’s call to simply APPLY and be WILLING to go if it was His purpose for me to do so. Maybe God wanted to light this fire inside of me to use at a later date in time. While I pretended that sounded good and outwardly agreed with Ondrea, I silently couldn’t accept that God’s timing is better than my own. Finally, after 6 years, I was ready so…SEND ME why don’t ya!?
Back to Ondrea’s suggestion…. Instead of being prayerful over Ondrea’s suggestion, I convinced myself that I wasn’t “good enough” to be His hands and feet for these orphans…that something was “wrong” with me…that I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be a blessing in the lives of these kids. I felt as if I had gotten it all wrong and God had no purpose, no calling, for me. What a very low place to be in.
Try as I might, I’ve never been able to see the pictures in stereograms - - 3D images that are hidden within other pictures. Take this for instance. Supposedly there is a dinosaur hidden somewhere in this image. Ummm…okay. Guess I’ll take your word for it but no matter how long I stare, I just do not see it.
I started likening my walk with our Lord as a stereogram…trying so hard but not being able to see what exactly He was calling me to do. I mean, here I was, nearly begging God to let me serve Him (and them) in this manner, yet continually being rejected. Telling God, “Here I am, Lord send me”, and getting a resounding NO each and every time. Those fleeces lay limp and unchanged. My sense of service, compassion, love, fellowship, grace, gratefulness, my desire to pray for this very matter…all fell by the wayside.
So, I sulked. I walked around angry and confused for awhile. I continued to feel discouraged and inadequate. Poor me. Irritated. Doubtful. Tired of trying to figure things out. Ever felt that way?
Guess what I just realized I failed to do? Never did I ask myself how many times God had beckoned me down this path, only to be met with my response of shoving it aside, ignoring His calls, putting myself, my fears, my comforts above that which He needed and wanted me to do. So what right did I have to now be angry for wanting this so badly, but feeling as if it had all been taken away? Shouldn’t I have felt blessed that God instilled this passion for orphans inside of me, and was now RENEWING THAT PASSION? Yeah, I used all caps to shout at myself here because that was the title of the sermon that so captured my heart and soul back on April 26. Funny how God works sometimes, isn’t it?
Three weeks ago, I had another opportunity to help children in Africa. This service didn’t require me to go to Sierra Leone for 2 weeks. This time it was at my church for 2 hours assembling 100 birthing kits that would go with the mission team in November. Yeah, the team I was/am hoping to be a part of. Although I was happy to help, I’ll admit that at first assembling kits seemed a far cry from ministering to the children at the Children’s Rescue Center. But as I sat at my table, folding garbage bags into small 3x2 squares, and watching the women around me accomplishing their various tasks, I thought about just how amazing those 2 hours actually were. My 2 hours of service could essentially help save 200 lives – 100 moms and 100 babies. 200 lives! Why? Because a small group of American women, Christian sisters, gathered together in God’s house, lovingly folding Hefty bags, cutting strong, assembling boxes, counting soap, separating razor blades, and praying over each box we assembled.
Did you know that every year, infection and other complications claim the lives of approximately 250,000 African women in, during or immediately after childbirth? How ‘bout the fact that 3 out of 4 African women never make it to the hospital to give birth and instead deliver their precious babies on dirty, dust covered roads using sawgrass to cut the umbilical cord?
Those trash bags I folded - - they can be used to place between mom & the earth, and baby and the earth, to help prevent those infections. Those razor blades we sorted and that string we cut - - all can be used to cut the umbilical cord rather than the pieces of sawgrass. Each item we placed in the kits had a specific purpose, a special role to play in saving the lives of the 100 moms and 100 babies who will receive them.
I find myself reflecting on the time I spent assembling these kits. Was it glamorous, exotic, adventurous? No. (Not that I expected Africa to be glamorous!) But was it serving as God’s hands and feet as I so desire to do? Was it compassionate, full of love, fellowship, grace and prayers? Oh my goodness YES! Did I answer God’s call to serve these women and children, and was it fulfilling to do so? Yes.
Just as each item in the birthing kit has a purpose, so do you & I as Christians. We all have unique spiritual gifts which we should use to glorify God’s name and to be a blessing to others. God has a purpose for each person reading this post, as well as the billions who will never see it. My question to you is whether you’re listening for God’s voice to reveal that purpose to you, or if you’re turning a deaf ear to it as I did for so long?
We are not all called to serve IN Africa, and I’m sure some of you are sitting there praising God for that! LOL! I bet though, that in some manner we can all serve FOR Africa or any other impoverished country, community, family or person that needs our help.
As for me and my trip to Sierra Leone? How ‘bout you join me again for Part III...
“…And now an excited sort of panic sets in!! ohmygosh....I'm going to Africa! :-)”
My excitement was short lived, however, and discouragement quickly set in. Doors that, a few weeks earlier, were wide open began to SLAM right in my face. Perplexed and, frankly, irritated, I once again sought out Ondrea’s shoulder (or computer monitor and keyboard! Heehee!). At her suggestion, I began to “lay out the fleeces” (Judges chapter 6). When the fleeces didn’t come back as I expected them to, I tried again, and again, and again until I finally just gave up.
Rather than adopting Ondrea’s viewpoint that perhaps God IS calling me to Africa, just not NOW, I instead allowed the aforementioned feelings of inadequacy to take root. Ondrea mentioned that maybe I had answered God’s call to simply APPLY and be WILLING to go if it was His purpose for me to do so. Maybe God wanted to light this fire inside of me to use at a later date in time. While I pretended that sounded good and outwardly agreed with Ondrea, I silently couldn’t accept that God’s timing is better than my own. Finally, after 6 years, I was ready so…SEND ME why don’t ya!?
Back to Ondrea’s suggestion…. Instead of being prayerful over Ondrea’s suggestion, I convinced myself that I wasn’t “good enough” to be His hands and feet for these orphans…that something was “wrong” with me…that I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be a blessing in the lives of these kids. I felt as if I had gotten it all wrong and God had no purpose, no calling, for me. What a very low place to be in.
Try as I might, I’ve never been able to see the pictures in stereograms - - 3D images that are hidden within other pictures. Take this for instance. Supposedly there is a dinosaur hidden somewhere in this image. Ummm…okay. Guess I’ll take your word for it but no matter how long I stare, I just do not see it.
I started likening my walk with our Lord as a stereogram…trying so hard but not being able to see what exactly He was calling me to do. I mean, here I was, nearly begging God to let me serve Him (and them) in this manner, yet continually being rejected. Telling God, “Here I am, Lord send me”, and getting a resounding NO each and every time. Those fleeces lay limp and unchanged. My sense of service, compassion, love, fellowship, grace, gratefulness, my desire to pray for this very matter…all fell by the wayside.
So, I sulked. I walked around angry and confused for awhile. I continued to feel discouraged and inadequate. Poor me. Irritated. Doubtful. Tired of trying to figure things out. Ever felt that way?
Guess what I just realized I failed to do? Never did I ask myself how many times God had beckoned me down this path, only to be met with my response of shoving it aside, ignoring His calls, putting myself, my fears, my comforts above that which He needed and wanted me to do. So what right did I have to now be angry for wanting this so badly, but feeling as if it had all been taken away? Shouldn’t I have felt blessed that God instilled this passion for orphans inside of me, and was now RENEWING THAT PASSION? Yeah, I used all caps to shout at myself here because that was the title of the sermon that so captured my heart and soul back on April 26. Funny how God works sometimes, isn’t it?
Three weeks ago, I had another opportunity to help children in Africa. This service didn’t require me to go to Sierra Leone for 2 weeks. This time it was at my church for 2 hours assembling 100 birthing kits that would go with the mission team in November. Yeah, the team I was/am hoping to be a part of. Although I was happy to help, I’ll admit that at first assembling kits seemed a far cry from ministering to the children at the Children’s Rescue Center. But as I sat at my table, folding garbage bags into small 3x2 squares, and watching the women around me accomplishing their various tasks, I thought about just how amazing those 2 hours actually were. My 2 hours of service could essentially help save 200 lives – 100 moms and 100 babies. 200 lives! Why? Because a small group of American women, Christian sisters, gathered together in God’s house, lovingly folding Hefty bags, cutting strong, assembling boxes, counting soap, separating razor blades, and praying over each box we assembled.
Did you know that every year, infection and other complications claim the lives of approximately 250,000 African women in, during or immediately after childbirth? How ‘bout the fact that 3 out of 4 African women never make it to the hospital to give birth and instead deliver their precious babies on dirty, dust covered roads using sawgrass to cut the umbilical cord?
Those trash bags I folded - - they can be used to place between mom & the earth, and baby and the earth, to help prevent those infections. Those razor blades we sorted and that string we cut - - all can be used to cut the umbilical cord rather than the pieces of sawgrass. Each item we placed in the kits had a specific purpose, a special role to play in saving the lives of the 100 moms and 100 babies who will receive them.
I find myself reflecting on the time I spent assembling these kits. Was it glamorous, exotic, adventurous? No. (Not that I expected Africa to be glamorous!) But was it serving as God’s hands and feet as I so desire to do? Was it compassionate, full of love, fellowship, grace and prayers? Oh my goodness YES! Did I answer God’s call to serve these women and children, and was it fulfilling to do so? Yes.
Just as each item in the birthing kit has a purpose, so do you & I as Christians. We all have unique spiritual gifts which we should use to glorify God’s name and to be a blessing to others. God has a purpose for each person reading this post, as well as the billions who will never see it. My question to you is whether you’re listening for God’s voice to reveal that purpose to you, or if you’re turning a deaf ear to it as I did for so long?
We are not all called to serve IN Africa, and I’m sure some of you are sitting there praising God for that! LOL! I bet though, that in some manner we can all serve FOR Africa or any other impoverished country, community, family or person that needs our help.
As for me and my trip to Sierra Leone? How ‘bout you join me again for Part III...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Blog Tour - From Eternity to Here
In the beginning or middle of June, I signed up for a blog tour to review the book "From Eternity to Here" by Frank Viola. I was excited about this for a few reasons. First, I love to read. Second, I found out about this through Ondrea and she was excited about it. If you've read Ondrea's blog in the past, you'll probably agree that when she's excited about something, it's hard not be excited as well! Ahem....no pressure Ondrea! Third, and perhaps most important, it sounded like a project that would bring glory to God.
So, my book arrived right before we went on our vacation, and I took it with me as we traveled to VA Beach. Note to self: Camping with a 2 year old for the first time leaves NO time for relaxation or book reading. None.
I picked up the book again once we returned home but I need to be honest with everyone. Life interrupted us quite a bit in June and July, and while I did read nearly all of Mr. Viola's book, I have not finished it yet, nor did I put as much effort into this as I think I could or should have....had life not interrupted us!! :-)
While I intended to provide you with my thoughts on this book, I now realize I will not do it justice. I need an extra week to go back and read this book in its entirety, and truly study how it applies to my life and my walk with God right now. I will tell you this, however, Mr. Viola's writing is fresh with passion, truth and beauty. The book is divided into 3 parts: the Bride of Christ, the House of God and the Body of Christ. Two main points struck me throughout the entire book: (1) God's relentless love for us and (2) how often I make things about "me" and not about Him.
With that said, at the end of this post, you will see a list of other bloggers who also participated in this tour. I encourage you to stop by and read what those individuals had to say about "From Eternity to Here." This book will help you see things in a way you can't begin to imagine, and I am looking forward to reading it again!
***********************************************************************************
The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st. You may order the book at a discount at www.FromEternitytoHere.org – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also. Here are the bloggers who are participating:
Jay Becker - www.jaybecker.org
Mark D - http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com
Igniting Hearts - Kimber Britner - http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com/
Karyn - http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com
Barefoot Preacher - http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com
Every Day Angels - www.WeAreEverydayAngels.com
FaithEngineer - http://www.faithengineer.com
Kristen Schiffman - http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com/
CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo - http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com/
Crazy Love for God - http://crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com
Amazima Ministries - http://oatsvallteam.blogspot.com
Down to Write Honest - http://downwritehonest.com
A Beautiful Mess - http://blnorth1105.blogspot.com/
The Blakes on a Mission - www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com
Words by Jud Kossum - http://judkossum.blogspot.com
Eric Jaffe - http://www.ericjaffe.org
Reconnect with God – www.Reconnectwithgod.org
2nd Cup of Coffee - http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com
Nolan Bobbitt Website - www.nolanbobbitt.com
Klappyanne - www.xanga.com/klappyanne
Daveingland - http://www.daveingland.com
Randi Jo Rooks - http://seedsinmyheart.blogspot.com
Ephesians Five – http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com
Michael Bayne - http://www.michaelbayne.net
Encounter Church Helena Blog - encounterhelena.org
Thoughts B4 Conviction N2 Action - tsharrison.blogspot.com
Edevotion - http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com
Seeking After - http://seekingafter.blogspot.com
Eric Powell - www.encounterhelena.org
Borrowed Light - http://fbcnewlondon.blogspot.com
So, my book arrived right before we went on our vacation, and I took it with me as we traveled to VA Beach. Note to self: Camping with a 2 year old for the first time leaves NO time for relaxation or book reading. None.
I picked up the book again once we returned home but I need to be honest with everyone. Life interrupted us quite a bit in June and July, and while I did read nearly all of Mr. Viola's book, I have not finished it yet, nor did I put as much effort into this as I think I could or should have....had life not interrupted us!! :-)
While I intended to provide you with my thoughts on this book, I now realize I will not do it justice. I need an extra week to go back and read this book in its entirety, and truly study how it applies to my life and my walk with God right now. I will tell you this, however, Mr. Viola's writing is fresh with passion, truth and beauty. The book is divided into 3 parts: the Bride of Christ, the House of God and the Body of Christ. Two main points struck me throughout the entire book: (1) God's relentless love for us and (2) how often I make things about "me" and not about Him.
With that said, at the end of this post, you will see a list of other bloggers who also participated in this tour. I encourage you to stop by and read what those individuals had to say about "From Eternity to Here." This book will help you see things in a way you can't begin to imagine, and I am looking forward to reading it again!
***********************************************************************************
The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st. You may order the book at a discount at www.FromEternitytoHere.org – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also. Here are the bloggers who are participating:
Jay Becker - www.jaybecker.org
Mark D - http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com
Igniting Hearts - Kimber Britner - http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com/
Karyn - http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com
Barefoot Preacher - http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com
Every Day Angels - www.WeAreEverydayAngels.com
FaithEngineer - http://www.faithengineer.com
Kristen Schiffman - http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com/
CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo - http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com/
Crazy Love for God - http://crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com
Amazima Ministries - http://oatsvallteam.blogspot.com
Down to Write Honest - http://downwritehonest.com
A Beautiful Mess - http://blnorth1105.blogspot.com/
The Blakes on a Mission - www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com
Words by Jud Kossum - http://judkossum.blogspot.com
Eric Jaffe - http://www.ericjaffe.org
Reconnect with God – www.Reconnectwithgod.org
2nd Cup of Coffee - http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com
Nolan Bobbitt Website - www.nolanbobbitt.com
Klappyanne - www.xanga.com/klappyanne
Daveingland - http://www.daveingland.com
Randi Jo Rooks - http://seedsinmyheart.blogspot.com
Ephesians Five – http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com
Michael Bayne - http://www.michaelbayne.net
Encounter Church Helena Blog - encounterhelena.org
Thoughts B4 Conviction N2 Action - tsharrison.blogspot.com
Edevotion - http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com
Seeking After - http://seekingafter.blogspot.com
Eric Powell - www.encounterhelena.org
Borrowed Light - http://fbcnewlondon.blogspot.com
Monday, July 20, 2009
Send Me – Part I
So, in case you haven’t noticed I’ve been kinda silent lately on the blog front. Not that I consider myself to be a literary guru or anything, but my recent posts haven’t consisted of much more than a few photos sprinkled with even fewer sentences. Not a whole lot of thought process involved.
And what’s with having the Father’s Day header still?! At one point I was itching to switch out the header every week. Now, not so much. Are you thinking “What’s my deal?”
I guess in some ways, I started getting a little tired of listening to myself talk. Perhaps in this arena it’s more apropos to say that I got tired of watching myself type?? Or tired of reading my own posts?? You get my drift.
Other things that have distracted me from my blogging responsibilities include Norm’s travel schedule, the joys and pains of parenting a 2 year old, the joys and pains of having 2 dogs, a couple mini-vacations, work, my ongoing insomnia… You know, just life in general.
Those aren’t the main reasons, however, that I’ve been a bit lackluster these past few months. And not just on my blog. I’ve had this overall sense of inadequacy…Christian inadequacy to be exact. I’ve been smack dab in the middle of a spiritual warfare, and for awhile there it felt as if the other side had much too strong a hold on the very things that I, as a Christian, hold dear.
It all started in late April with a boy named Ibrahim, a video and perhaps the most powerful sermon God has ever used to speak to me. Ibrahim is, I believe, 16 years old. He lives in the DC area and for the past few years has been receiving treatment for a potentially life threatening illness. Despite what most of us would consider a huge challenge, he remains humble, brave, happy, compassionate, loving, joyful, grateful…
He is also in a strange country, living with a host family. He is separated from his friends back in Bo, Sierra Leone, Africa. And like his friends, he is an orphan.
Sigh…I can’t even type that last sentence without the tears flowing again.
Ibrahim and 70+ children reside at the Child Rescue Centre in Bo (the “CRC”). These children are precious gifts from God, and sadly the violence of Sierra Leon’s bloody civil war made many of them orphans. Others were considered “street children” before CRC opened its doors. Despite how or why these children came to call CRC home, they all now have hope, love, safety and a future.
Ibrahim wanted to share with our congregation how much his friends at CRC appreciate our help, and to let us know that some of the kids are heading to the University soon to continue their studies. Can I just say…wow!! If CRC hadn’t opened its doors, these children would have faced life on the street, wondering where their next meal would come from. I am fairly certain none would have ever learned to read, much less be attending a University! If you would like to learn more about the wonderful things CRC has and is doing, please stop by http://www.childrescuecentre.org/AboutUs.html.
After Ibrahim updated us, he also shared a very touching video. It was quite simple, really, with still photos of the faces of CRC resident children and music in the background. There is no way I can do the video justice so I won’t even try. I will, however, share with you how happy these children appear in each snapshot despite the hand that life has dealt them so far. Some watched their parents, other family members and their friends being murdered and yet they can still smile. They can still trust. They can still hope. They can still feel God’s love embracing them…which brings to mind the following scripture:
“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?” James 2:5
I couldn’t stop the flow of tears during that video, and even as I type this nearly 13 weeks later, once again the tears are spilling on to my keyboard. My wonderful friend, Kim was sitting beside me and when she noticed I was crying, she thought the tears were brought on the recent passing of my Grandpa. When I told her that yes, I missed my grandfather but that wasn’t why I was crying, she immediately assumed it was because the video of these precious orphans made me think of Cubby’s roots and humble beginnings. While again, that is very true there was more to the tears than I could explain at the time.
Why you ask? Because with each mission trip our church has participated in since 2003, God has used those smiling faces to remind me that I have a duty and an obligation to serve these orphans, and since 2003 I have found one excuse after another to ignore that calling. I didn’t want to witness extreme poverty. I didn’t want to be separated from my family for 2 weeks. I didn’t know where I would come up with the finances t cover my trip expenses. I didn’t want to use my vacation time for a non-vacation. I didn’t want to fall in love with these kids, only to leave them behind with an uncertain future while I carried on with my comfortable life.
I DIDN’T WANT…but I failed to ask what God wanted. I convinced myself that being a penpal with the CRC children was somehow “enough.” But on April 26, He told me it was time to stop ignoring Him, and it was time to start moving. I realized that being a penpal wasn’t nearly “enough”, and that when we adopted Cubby my obligation, my blessing, to care for orphans did not stop.
Certain I felt God calling me back overseas, I applied to be a member of a mission trip to Sierra Leone, Africa set to leave in November 09. Much to my surprise, I was accepted very quickly. My excitement only increased when I received my official invitation to travel, and in a quick email to my dear blogger friend Ondrea (who, by the way, acted as my spiritual advisor throughout the application process), I excitedly proclaimed:
“…And now an excited sort of panic sets in!! ohmygosh....I'm going to Africa! :-)”
There is so much more to this story, and I applaud you if you’ve stuck with me thus far. I don’t want to totally lose any of you, so I’m going to stop here for now. I hope you’ll join me again to catch Part II of this post.
In the meantime, Daddy – go ahead & use this intermission to catch your breath!!
And what’s with having the Father’s Day header still?! At one point I was itching to switch out the header every week. Now, not so much. Are you thinking “What’s my deal?”
I guess in some ways, I started getting a little tired of listening to myself talk. Perhaps in this arena it’s more apropos to say that I got tired of watching myself type?? Or tired of reading my own posts?? You get my drift.
Other things that have distracted me from my blogging responsibilities include Norm’s travel schedule, the joys and pains of parenting a 2 year old, the joys and pains of having 2 dogs, a couple mini-vacations, work, my ongoing insomnia… You know, just life in general.
Those aren’t the main reasons, however, that I’ve been a bit lackluster these past few months. And not just on my blog. I’ve had this overall sense of inadequacy…Christian inadequacy to be exact. I’ve been smack dab in the middle of a spiritual warfare, and for awhile there it felt as if the other side had much too strong a hold on the very things that I, as a Christian, hold dear.
It all started in late April with a boy named Ibrahim, a video and perhaps the most powerful sermon God has ever used to speak to me. Ibrahim is, I believe, 16 years old. He lives in the DC area and for the past few years has been receiving treatment for a potentially life threatening illness. Despite what most of us would consider a huge challenge, he remains humble, brave, happy, compassionate, loving, joyful, grateful…
He is also in a strange country, living with a host family. He is separated from his friends back in Bo, Sierra Leone, Africa. And like his friends, he is an orphan.
Sigh…I can’t even type that last sentence without the tears flowing again.
Ibrahim and 70+ children reside at the Child Rescue Centre in Bo (the “CRC”). These children are precious gifts from God, and sadly the violence of Sierra Leon’s bloody civil war made many of them orphans. Others were considered “street children” before CRC opened its doors. Despite how or why these children came to call CRC home, they all now have hope, love, safety and a future.
Ibrahim wanted to share with our congregation how much his friends at CRC appreciate our help, and to let us know that some of the kids are heading to the University soon to continue their studies. Can I just say…wow!! If CRC hadn’t opened its doors, these children would have faced life on the street, wondering where their next meal would come from. I am fairly certain none would have ever learned to read, much less be attending a University! If you would like to learn more about the wonderful things CRC has and is doing, please stop by http://www.childrescuecentre.org/AboutUs.html.
After Ibrahim updated us, he also shared a very touching video. It was quite simple, really, with still photos of the faces of CRC resident children and music in the background. There is no way I can do the video justice so I won’t even try. I will, however, share with you how happy these children appear in each snapshot despite the hand that life has dealt them so far. Some watched their parents, other family members and their friends being murdered and yet they can still smile. They can still trust. They can still hope. They can still feel God’s love embracing them…which brings to mind the following scripture:
“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?” James 2:5
I couldn’t stop the flow of tears during that video, and even as I type this nearly 13 weeks later, once again the tears are spilling on to my keyboard. My wonderful friend, Kim was sitting beside me and when she noticed I was crying, she thought the tears were brought on the recent passing of my Grandpa. When I told her that yes, I missed my grandfather but that wasn’t why I was crying, she immediately assumed it was because the video of these precious orphans made me think of Cubby’s roots and humble beginnings. While again, that is very true there was more to the tears than I could explain at the time.
Why you ask? Because with each mission trip our church has participated in since 2003, God has used those smiling faces to remind me that I have a duty and an obligation to serve these orphans, and since 2003 I have found one excuse after another to ignore that calling. I didn’t want to witness extreme poverty. I didn’t want to be separated from my family for 2 weeks. I didn’t know where I would come up with the finances t cover my trip expenses. I didn’t want to use my vacation time for a non-vacation. I didn’t want to fall in love with these kids, only to leave them behind with an uncertain future while I carried on with my comfortable life.
I DIDN’T WANT…but I failed to ask what God wanted. I convinced myself that being a penpal with the CRC children was somehow “enough.” But on April 26, He told me it was time to stop ignoring Him, and it was time to start moving. I realized that being a penpal wasn’t nearly “enough”, and that when we adopted Cubby my obligation, my blessing, to care for orphans did not stop.
Certain I felt God calling me back overseas, I applied to be a member of a mission trip to Sierra Leone, Africa set to leave in November 09. Much to my surprise, I was accepted very quickly. My excitement only increased when I received my official invitation to travel, and in a quick email to my dear blogger friend Ondrea (who, by the way, acted as my spiritual advisor throughout the application process), I excitedly proclaimed:
“…And now an excited sort of panic sets in!! ohmygosh....I'm going to Africa! :-)”
There is so much more to this story, and I applaud you if you’ve stuck with me thus far. I don’t want to totally lose any of you, so I’m going to stop here for now. I hope you’ll join me again to catch Part II of this post.
In the meantime, Daddy – go ahead & use this intermission to catch your breath!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Let's play a round of "Name that Stain!"
Is it....The result of me trying to cook?
Dirt?
Rust?
Paint?
Magic Marker?
Dinner?
Make up?
Puke? (child or dog)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, and well, no.
If you guessed blood, as a result of Cubby's first real accident WHEN DADDY'S 1/2 WAY AROUND THE WORLD, you'd unfortunately be correct. Little man decided to hightail it outta there when he heard it was dinner time, and was gone before I could catch him. Perhaps he thought our stone fireplace would taste better than Nana's crabcakes, yams, potatoes and green beans, because that's exactly what he ended up eating when he tripped over his own feet & landed face first on the fireplace mantle. I thought he smashed his head at first and I was terrified. I had a brief moment of peace when I realized his head was okay, but then I saw the blood gushing from somewhere on his face (couldn't tell where because he wouldn't pull his hands away), and that's when I lost it.
Have I mentioned I don't do blood? Not mine, not Norm's, not Cubby's, not the dog's...no one's! So needless to say I didn't handle this well. Thank goodness Nana (Norm's mom) and Vuhvoo* (Norm's grandad) were here to lend a hand because there was A LOT of blood involved IMHO.
I noticed after I took the photo above that there is blood on the back of my shirt as well as on my shorts and socks. Poor little guy (and mommy). We were all surprised that he was able to eat dinner afterwards, but he actually did pretty good. Nana & I looked at it again tonight as Cubby was sleeping and he has cut his bottom lip both inside & out, and it's turning a lovely shade of blue/purple. He also has scrapes on his upper lip and his right cheek. As if all that weren't bad enough, we also noticed his pinky & ring fingers are cut, as well as the little webbing of skin between those fingers. Ouchies!
Ugh! First mommy lets him wear high heels, a purple cape and Mr. Potato head glasses and now this!! See what happens when daddy travels?! In all seriousness though, Cubby is okay and no significant damage was done. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. By the end of dinner he seemed to have completely forgotten about his...incident. It will, however, be etched in my mind and my now ex-favorite t-shirt forever.
Now that I can breath again, I guess I should get some sleep. No telling what tomorrow will have in store for us.
TTFN,
Kar
BTW - we had fun Skyping you tonight Norm! So happy you're okay and doing well in Manila.
*Vuhvoo is Portuguese for Grandpa, or in this case Cubby's Great Grandpa. This is how it is pronounced but I don't know how to spell it!!
Oh, and yes, we will take measures to childproof the evil fireplace mantle now!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
When Daddy's in the Philippines
Cubby plays dress up!
Wild Child!!
Meals just aren't the same anymore without the Chief joining us!
Blame the DOG for this outfit? Bailey & Bandit say NO WAY!
This is all Cubby's doing!! Nice heels, little man!
Peeking around Bandit's big butt!
Like my headband? It goes well with the
What's a kid gotta do to get food around here?
So, Norm faced about 25 hrs of travel today. Poor guy. He's headed to the Philippines - Manila to be exact - and I'm not thrilled about this trip. Very, very nervous for some reason, so I'll be blogging a lot this week to keep my mind off of things. Plus, there's a lot to catch you up on!
Up first - - dawning his purple cape, yellow Mr. Potato Head glasses, and his bestest sidekick Koala, all while successfully steering his Steve McQueen bike!
Wild Child!!
Meals just aren't the same anymore without the Chief joining us!
Blame the DOG for this outfit? Bailey & Bandit say NO WAY!This is all Cubby's doing!! Nice heels, little man!
Peeking around Bandit's big butt!
Like my headband? It goes well with theblack heel, but not so much with the navy one!
What's a kid gotta do to get food around here?All I want is a little salad dressing! (you can hold the veggies please)
So, Norm faced about 25 hrs of travel today. Poor guy. He's headed to the Philippines - Manila to be exact - and I'm not thrilled about this trip. Very, very nervous for some reason, so I'll be blogging a lot this week to keep my mind off of things. Plus, there's a lot to catch you up on!For now, I'm going to sign off though. It's been a long couple of months and, as much as the blog needs to be caught up, so does my sleep! I've suffered some serious insomnia and tonight I just want to crash. So, nighty night for now. See everyone tomorrow!
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