Cupcake Day is Tomorrow!

Two reasons I'm celebrating today. One is over to the right side of your screen. Do you see that bar?! It's almost full!!! I'm so excited! This has been such an awesome week of sharing. Thank you to everyone who gave to the Marrs family, and everyone who shared. These people are surely loved and so is that little girl.

But my other reason is that Cupcake Day is tomorrow. First of all, let's just come clean about bake sale stands and lemonade stands, shall we? Have you ever done these with your kids? The truth is that kids can be really gross and you probably wouldn't want to eat anything that an actual child actually made. True? It just feels like we need to talk about this. OK, last year "Will" had a lemonade stand (parentheses because Will was quickly bored and we were quickly exhausted and out a few bucks). We do them quite often actually. So anyway, a cop comes by and asks for some lemonade. Will is, at this point, completely bored from sitting in the front yard for 20 minutes (sigh), and hardly responds. We are prompting him to use his manners, to stand up and get his customer some lemonade for-crying-out-loud, so he finally does. First he fills the cup up just a tiny bit and we tell him to give him some more. Then he fills it WAY up to the top. It's so full that as he walks over to hand the police officer his lemonade, it starts to spill. He then ***drinks the lemonade down*** so it's not so full before handing it to the guy.

look at this tongue! it's the first one, but you know he's going to lick it

i bet you saw that coming. did he double dip? oh, yes, he did

Abby often has "worm juice" on her hands. She's the worm whisperer and I have no idea how they come to her. You know like in Harry Potter they have Parseltongues (geek out with me for a second if you're a nerd like me), and all the snakes find the people that can speak to them. I think Abby's like that with worms. Anyway, as much as I like to keep her hands clean, you do not want to eat something Abby made for you. Just be polite and pretend.

For the purpose of this post I let the kids make and decorate cupcakes. They are likely dirty, germy, ugly, and oversprinkled. Tomorrow I will help, I promise. I'm even making pralines as my own contribution. I will hover over this thing and keep my kids out way past when they are "done". I will remind and remind and remind them that the money will collect is not theirs to keep even though Will will tell everyone "he's going to buy a laptop" with his earnings. He means "donate to imprisoned children in Africa". Sorry.

But still I'm pumped because there's something fun about a bake sale, right? I can't explain it. It sounds a tad silly, but the weather's nice and there's just something wholesome and fun about it. And when they get it right I just beam, you know? So I just told you some horror stories here, and ladies, you simply must comment. Don't leave me hanging like that. Do you do lemonade stands? Will you be doing cupcakes tomorrow? If so, send me your pics for next weeks' recap! And tell the real truth about it. You know you love the lemonade stand yourself!

A Little Hirth Update

Hey guys, remember this lady?

Bob and Lindsay are in Ethiopia right now getting ready for court. There will be one more Hirth this week. I can't wait to see pictures! We'll beg her for a post next week, ok?

Today, can we just send our love and prayers with them? Prayers for their little girl, that she be protected while they are gone. Prayers for safe travels, a lightning fast embassy clearance, and God's peace in this last wait.

Do you have any prayers requests today?

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

-Philippians 4:7

wait for it.

hey yall, I'm Wynne.  

and this is my husband, Stephen and our two Ethiopian kiddies - Camp + Asher. 

I've been here & there but always feeling a part of this give1save1 family.  Our week on give1save1 came at just the right time, allowing us to have the exact amount of money we needed to accept the referral of a little boy.  Now, God has done some amazing things since then and we  now have TWO little ones to love.  They have been home just over 6 weeks and my husband & I still look at each other daily and say, "is this real life?".  

I wanted to give you a little update on our family, and as I was sitting down to write it I totally felt like the Lord pushing me instead to give some encouragement to those in the waiting.  

I was reading in Habakkuk, and this scripture (marked "adoption" in my bible) really spoke to me. 

"and the Lord answered me.  Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.  For still the vision awaits its appointed time, it hastens to the end - it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay."  Habbakkuk 2:2-3

We waited for a little over 2 years for our two.  There were some DARK days.  Days were we didn't trust in Gods promise, days we didn't know if we would get our daughter home, days that the dawn seemed like it was never going to come.  (you should probably download "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson and put it on repeat). 

So I just wanted to encourage those of you in the waiting.  God has spoken, and He has a child(ren) prepared for you to love.  You might not understand His timing now, or you might not ever understand it.  But His timing is perfect.  His vision and plan for your family awaits it's appointed time.  If it seems slow, wait for it!  it will surely come!  it will not delay!  

then I promise, the day you have your baby(ies) home, and you are sitting on the floor of your living room reading that scripture again (while listening to Before the Morning), you will bawl your eyes out at Gods faithfulness.  

His timing is PERFECT.  

wait for it, believe in it, pray circles around it.

it will come!

Newsflash: Adopting is Actually Parenting

Hey, you guys. I've had a bit of a revelation and I thought I'd share.

When we set out on this little adventure we did it for one main reason. Lots of people have lots of reasons, and lots of people don't like mine, but here's where we are... We adopted a child because we felt like there was enough room in our home and our hearts for one more. I'm going to say it out loud and mean it, too. We adopted as an act of mercy to give a child with no home a family. I know this angle is a bit frowned upon, but there you have it. I'm glad we did it. I'd do it again. I probably will. Because I feel like more people could do the same thing, but until more people actually do there are still millions upon millions of children that need families. 




So we "adopted" and all that entails. We filled out mountains of paperwork, had our incomes and our sanity evaluated, defended ourselves and our choices to family members and strangers alike. We met new and awesome people and were inducted into the community. We waited for the call. We called instead. We flew across the globe (twice) to be united with our son. We did it. We adopted. Done.

But then he got home, and wouldn't you know it, it takes a different act of mercy to parent. That's a far less interesting club. That's a bit tedious and thankless and messy. It's very much like parenting my biological children. Wow, it's actually exactly the same. I'm still frustrated when he wakes me up in the night and when he fights sleep and when he chunks a spoon full of chicken and apples across the room onto the freshly mopped floor. That's just the drill with parenting, right?

But the beautiful comes when I think that I'm there to rock him at night when he's wide awake. And scoop him up like it's the end of the world when he bonks his head. I love the fact that he's got a whole family, four people, who spend almost every waking moment trying to make him smile. That doesn't happen much in orphanages, and he's clearly loving that bit. We'll do any dumb thing to make him laugh.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to say that sometimes the thought of adopting can seem daunting. It's long and unpredictable and expensive and kind of bold. But when it's all said and done, it's really just parenting. As tedious and amazing as that is. And it's life changing for everyone involved. So if you're thinking about it and it seems huge, it is and it's not. And if you're new here, sorry, I don't write profound and inspiring stuff. I know that's disappointing. It seemed like I was really onto something there. 

Week 2

Hey guys,

So we're at the two full weeks home and I thought I'd give you the pros and cons play by play. So here we go:

PROS

• I'm getting the hang of how to get three kids out the door in the morning. Will has to go to school at the precise moment that Abby wakes up and Jude gets sleepy for his first nap. That's tricky, peeps, but I'm making it happen. 
• I hired a maid. Yes, I did. At least for a while. I feel out of control with my house such a wreck and I'm just staring at it, housebound, holding a baby. I actually chased her down the street when she stuck a card on my door. "Come back! Please, help me!!!" I really said that. I bet she doesn't come back next week. 
• Jude is getting more comfortable with me and the kids. He still prefers Brandon (who got a bonus week in Ethiopia before he came home), but he's starting to light up for me a little. 

CONS

• The honeymoon phase of fun is over. We're back to the business of laundry and dishes and child rearing and I'm really exhausted.
• I can't really complain about anything. Because I begged and pleaded and went public and fundraised and everything else. I can't tell the world that this is really hard. Maybe they are watching me and want to adopt. I don't want to say "No, you totally should, it's just that it's really hard." But it kind of is. Because on many levels he's instantly mine and we love each other already. And on the other hand, we just properly met two weeks ago and don't really know each other all that well. Sometimes he just gets upset and will stop letting me comfort him. He won't look at me. I'll try and talk and rock and coo and be sweet, but if he gets in a sad mood, he won't look at me. It breaks my heart that he won't let me help him. He's still grieving and he doesn't even have the words to express it. So that's the hard. 

But the good is really good. It's just that the hard is really hard. Does that make sense? I actually totally don't want to complain on here all the time because I'm still thankful. I'm still having fun most of the time. I actually love my life as mom of three (especially when I work a kink out). But I do promise you that this is one place that we'll be super honest because people really do need to know the whole truth of adoption to be able to make the right decision. So the truth of week two is the goods are better and the bads are worse. These things take time, and I'm honored and blessed to be chosen to be their mom. 

You guys have a great weekend!!!

Bonded Forever

Hey guys,

Today's post is by Summer Roughton, our Mama of the week. It's sweet and I love it. I have no earthly idea how to do a proper link-up, but let's all post our blogs in the comment section. And I double dog dare you to visit at least one person's blog and leave a sweet comment.

Also, just in case you missed the coolest blog post on the web right now that totally has something to do with you, head over here.

I had this thought. 

A thought that I thought would be fleeting.

It needed to be written down quickly.

Before it escaped my stressed out mind.

So I got to writing it out on paper towels.

{I really thought it was going to be gone that quickly that I didn’t have time to walk across the room and grab a piece of paper.}

The thought has not eluded my mind, but rather has saturated it.  So deeply that it continues to grow and develop.  I continue to process it.  It is sure to be a thought that is ever changing.  It is the idea of encouragement.  The unique opportunity we have to encourage.  Encourage in a simple loving way.  Encourage those that are in a similar stage of life. 

Here’s how it started: 

Bright and early I received an email from a friend.

A friend who was hurting.  A friend who needed someone to listen. & understand.  A sweet friend whom I have never met.

We are friends because we are using the same adoption agency.  We are friends because we are in a similar stage of life.  We are friends because we have unique bond.  The bond of adoption that allows us to understand the frustration of waiting, the ignorant comments from others, and the deep love we have for a child we have never held in our arms.  But whom we wait patiently (as patiently as we can) for.  

Adoption gives us a unique gift of being bonded forever.  Giving us the ability to encourage.  The chance to allow love to flow from us into the lives of others.  One author describes love as the “fruit” (Galatians 5) from which all others flow.  From love we can experience joy.  Experience peace.  We can encourage patience.  Demonstrate kindness.  We can see goodness.  We can be faithful.  Show our self-control.  We can choose to love those around us- or even those we know from a distance.  That’s one of the beauties of adoption.  We are bonded to perfect strangers.  

Through blogging, I have allowed my vulnerability to be shown to those who adventure into my tiny spot in the world.  A friend encouraged me to write the hard things, as well as the good, in hopes that I might ENCOURAGE someone who may be experiencing the same emotions.  To be honest & real.  Transparent.  As I have read the “hard” of others journey, I have seen hope shine straight through the situation, giving light to a difficult time.  

All that to say… continue to encourage.  Continue to support.  Continue to be honest through the hard times.  You never know who is reading your thoughts.  You may never know whom you can encourage.  Let us strengthen the bond that grows up through the process of adoption, giving hope to those that are a little behind us in the process & looking to others for hope.  Our opportunity is unique.  It lends a voice to those without one.

Summer Roughton

This is How Men Nest

It's true, men do some nesting when it's time for a baby to arrive too. Is Brandon scrubbing the floors? Nope, not so much. A little decorating? Remodeling a bit. But no, his nesting is taking shape in the form of cigars. You know how men have that darling tradition of celebrating a new arrival with a smoke? Well, Brandon's taken it way farther. He's started making his own cigars (last year), and he's perfected the craft so well that they now sell his cigars in a local shop. Well, he made some for when Jude gets home.

He also made some for another couple that we traveled with. He decorated the box with their son's initials and is sending them to his cigar loving daddy!

Aren't they lovely? I have to admit, I never knew it could be such a pretty craft, and I do like the smell of the leaves. NOT the smoke. But the leaves smell nice. :)

On a little sidenote: I hope you guys aren't getting crazy bored with my life, but I'm scaling waaaay back on internet, a bit of a fast - and I'm not scouring the web for stuff to show you. It's all original content for a bit. Hang with me. Or send me a post!

Sweeeeeeet Discount. Think Free.

I've discussed Seven slings before. Love them. I never thought I would be buying one again, but alas, the time came and I got mine free + shipping. Yep, free. I tried it thinking "no way, not free, this is a trick", but no, the whole total was like $15. And if you need one (or a killer shower gift) head on over and snag yours too. I've been practicing babywearing with various teddy bears around here. Obviously this chick adopted as moms of newborns don't have abs like that, but I love the whole concept. The code is ucovers if you need it. The one I used last week was DISCOUNT2. Try those and see if you don't get an awesome sling. And maybe awesome hair and abs. I'm counting on it.

I get to try mine out on Jude on FRIDAY!!!! I'm totally squealing as I type this. So, tomorrow I'm headed to Africa. Some of the other Give1 gals are taking over (I LOVE YOU) and will keep this boat floating while I'm gone. Be good to our families of the week while I'm gone. Fight their fights for those kids! Have you donated this week? I knew you did. You always do. I'll keep you posted as well as I can from Ethiopia, but forgive me if we miss a day here or there. We'll get back to normal soon. I love you all so much and I can't believe we're finally here at this place. Can you believe it?! I'm thinking of you and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Going Away: Adoption Tax Credit

Farewell

Over the last nine months, I have been involved in one of the greatest blessings of my life. I have worked behind the scenes and as a blogger for Give1Save1, helping dozens of families offset the immense costs of providing homes and new futures to orphans around the world.

But I’ve decided to take a leave of absence from my post here on Give1 to tackle some other projects. And in leaving, I have a shameless request. I want a going away present. And not just any going away present…I want you to give me about $13,000 in support of my adoption…in fact, I want you to give every American adopting that much, too. 

“What did she just say?” Yep. I’m serious.

Adoption Tax Credit 

I want you to help pass the Adoption Tax Credit. When my husband and I first considered adoption, the Adoption Tax Credit was a giant piece of the financial puzzle for us. At the time, we figured our adoption would easily be finalized in time to take advantage of the credit. Then the “slowdown” came in Ethiopian adoptions. Then we heard that that tax credit was due to be “sunset” at the end of 2012. Wow…not good news. This meant that the $13,000 we were counting on to reimburse some of the debt we were taking on for this process was probably not an option anymore. A very big deal for us…and thousands more families.

For many years, the Adoption Tax Credit has helped 100,000 families annually to offset the costs of adoption, both domestically and internationally. It has made the difference for countless families to provide homes to foster children and the world’s many, many orphans.

Source: Hope for Orphans

On the fence for political reasons? I hear you. I am proud to be this group’s “token liberal” (a term I’ve given to myself), and I’m not a big fan of tax breaks when our country is at war or is facing such an immense deficit. But without this tax credit, fewer (probably dramatically fewer) families will be able to afford adoption. Fewer adoptions mean more children in “the system” (a vast majority of the people adopting in the US adopt domestically). More kids in foster care means more tax dollars needed to support that system of care. Whether we devote tax dollars directly to foster care or through the adoption tax credit, orphans need resources. They need us.

What You Can Do for Orphans 

As it currently stands, the Adoption Tax Credit has a 1 percent chance of passing as legislation. So what can you do about it? Give us 5 minutes and call your Representative today and urge that he or she co-sponsor the bipartisan bill H.R. 4373, the Making Adoption Affordable Act.

You can reach your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives by calling the U.S. Capitol Operator at 202-225-3121 and asking for your Representative's office. If you don't know your Representative's name, click here and enter your zip code in the box provided.

Here is the message we would ask that you give to your Representative:

•                I am a constituent in your district and the adoption tax credit is important to me. (It matters to me because...)

•                I urge the Representative to become a co-sponsor of The Making Adoption Affordable Act, H.R. 4373.

•                If Congress does not act, the credit as we now know it will expire in December, 2012.

•                H.R. 4373 is bipartisan and it supports all types of adoptions (domestic private, foster care, and international adoptions).

•                This tax credit has made adoption a more viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families.

•                Thank you for your support of H.R. 4373.

Finally, help us spread the word about this important issue. If you want to learn more about the adoption tax credit, click here. 

Also, "like" the Save the Adoption Tax Credit on Facebook.  

With Love... 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading this and my other weekly posts on this blog. You have enriched me spiritually and personally. You gave me a purpose so much greater than I could have dreamed when I started this adoption journey.

Keep giving. 

Qualified

You know what’s weird? Some people think I must really love kids. Or I must be a really awesome parent to want to take on more kids. Some kind of super mom. Super Christian. Most of those people have never met me in person.

The people that do know me think I:

• have my hands full with two kids
• am easily overwhelmed
• hate noise 
• despise babysitting (and actually other kids that I don’t know that well - sorry) 
• rarely craft with my kids
• sometimes give them frozen waffles for dinner (when their dad is working nights) 
• often don’t remind them to brush their teeth
• avoid going to public places for fear of mortification by offspring

And personally, I’m no saint. I have a tendency to:

• be materialistic
• be short tempered
• get depressed
• quit easily
• spend too much time online
• care too much about what others think

So you’d think that adopting another (maybe two, eventually) would be a stretch for me. But despite all my ridiculousness in the parenting department and personal shortcomings, I’m beyond thrilled to add another into the mix. 

Because I also have

• a habit of telling my kids that they are loved (20 times a day)
• a welcoming home 
• a desire to grow
• a generous and kind spirit
• a tendency to snuggle
• some pretty awesome qualities that make me a fun, loving, accepting, creative, and supportive mama

Sometimes we feel like we’re not equipped. Sometimes what you see online from me and everyone else is not the whole truth and we know it, so we feel unqualified in our weak moments. But we’re strengthened with a strength from above, and today, and this weekend, please remember that He’s with you the whole time, equipping you as you walk. If you are willing and you’re stepping out in faith, He’s there the whole time. There is a wealth of parenting advice from the ultimate parent if only we ask and be willing to learn. You got this, and so do I. Nobody's perfect, but you're going to be great. 

No Greater Love

You guys, I am so excited to read this book. Right now you can pre-order, but it goes live on Friday, and I can't wait to start reading. It's the true story of a man and his family and their move to Ethiopia to rescue a group of children that normally would have been killed to due to superstitious beliefs. They facilitated adoptions for these kids and continue to do so. Yesterday I spent a bunch of time on their website learning about their community in Ethiopia. Essentially, they partner widows and orphans, such a brilliant idea, and a beautiful way to restore both. A widow becomes mom to several children. They live in a house in this community, and through sponsorship of the family, are able to send the kids to school, feed them, take them to church, etc.

The whole thing is just gorgeous. I'm really looking forward to reading this this weekend. If you want to learn more about their organization, Bring Love In, click here. Check out the shop and consider sponsoring a family if you have the means. 

And I'd also like to take a second to encourage some folks, here. Mamas, I'm in the pile of 'waiting' folks. We just hit our 1 month wait mark (not that long, I know), but it was possible that we'd have a referral by now. Not the case. In fact, for us it's looking more and more like we'll be in the post rainy season crowd, which is a little disheartening. As that deadline is approaching, let me just hug all of you who are feeling like you might miss it. I'm sorry. I know sooner is better to you. Me too. But we'll get there. God's got a plan and his timing is perfect. For now, let's just settle into summer and be present for the ones He's already blessed us with. You with me? 

Some Beautiful New Faces in the Give1 Family

You know, we watch videos and we see pictures and most of the time those darling faces are blurred out or they have a heart over them. We get it. It's necessary, legal even. But oh, when we finally get to see those faces!!! Guys, this is why we're here. These are the faces we've advocated for and prayed for. These are the faces of some of the newest members of our little Give1 family.

Moses Hapner

Adrian Johnson

Moses(above) and Miriam (below) Roepnack 

Three out of four Sanfords

These are just a few faces. Just to serve as a reminder that they are all His and they are all ours. I love everyone of them! Don't you?!

Hey mamas, we have so many families to keep up with now (we're almost a year old, you know) that I lose track on Facebook, so email me with pics and updates if you want everyone to know how you're doing! We're dying to know!

***Don't you love it when I throw in random asides... Here's one. Give1 is branching way the heck out, but I can't do it all solo. I'm looking for bloggers to do a Give1 site for Asia, America, and Europe. The Caribbean is already getting started, so email me if you're interested in that one and I'll pass you on to the main blogger there. Tell your friends!!! 

The Wait - Day 6 (Don't Laugh)

Some people have a short wait and some people have a long wait. It all just depends on  who you’re adopting (and a million other teeny bits of information). But I can tell you from experience that each day we go on with life and each day half of your brain is willing that phone call. I’m wondering if my foreign born child is born yet. Still with parents? Already in the transition home? Paperwork on my family coordinator’s desk? Maybe she’s just out to lunch and then she’ll call me when she gets back. Maybe. Or maybe he’s not born yet.

Well, here I am almost one week into The Wait. Our agency won’t keep a public list of “who’s next in line” so our Yahoo group has attempted to take on the task. Only problem is that it’s totally inaccurate and there’s just nothing that anybody can do about it. Some people aren’t on the Yahoo group so they don’t get put on The List. Some are, but maybe don’t mention that they are open to special needs, so that skews it. Every week everyone goes and checks The List to see if anyone has moved over to the Received Referral party, therefor bumping us all up one spot. But remember it’s totally inaccurate so you never really know where your spot is. So actually the whole thing might just make you loco. And even if it were accurate and we were number one in line it still wouldn’t mean jack because it all comes together like it’s going to anyway. Only God knows what day is our Referral Day, but still I wake up every morning and think maybe today. Probably not. But one of these days it will be today. I actually hope it’s not today today because my kitchen is sort of smelling funky and we have this plan to throw and impromptu party on Referral Day. And I don’t think I’m up to it today. Maybe tomorrow. Probably not though.

Hitting You Up Again.

Hey guys, you know me, always hitting you up for cash. I'm actually going to do it again tomorrow. We've got a new Asia family of the week tomorrow that could use a few bucks. And you know your situation, so give what you can and don't give what you don't have unless the Spirit prompts you to. But I read something in my Bible this week and I don't really know how to not take it literally.

"Give to everyone who asks you." Luke 6:30 

I really just can't see that that means anything other than what it says. So, this particular week we are cuh-razy broke in a way that we're not used to. My mind is changing as to what 'broke' means, and what trust means, and what obedience means, and what community means. Luckily, a few verses down we read

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38

What I love about being part of this little group of people is how we take care of each other and how, in doing that, we're blessing the greater world. So every time I come on here asking for money it's with uncomfortable humility because I know most of you are fundraising too. I hope that one day you'll be on here with the whole bunch holding you up for a week. Anyhoo, this week I read this, and I actually asked God to let someone go ahead and flat out ask me for money, and if they did I would give even in my 'brokeness'. And then I got an email from Jenna Knight, one of our past mamas of the week. She's headed back to Ethiopia, Korah specifically, to help restore some of the community. This video taught me a lot about the region and tells us what's going to be happening in this trip. The trip is $3,000 and all the money is due June 1st, so it's time to rally and see if we can send one of our own back and change some lives on far away soil, where are hearts are anyway.




Now, know that Jenna's just asking me and her email list for a little donation, not all of you. She didn't know she would be on here today. But I'm actually grateful for the opportunity to be tested with my money lately and welcome the challenge and blessings that come with it. And I wanted to extend the opportunity to you as well.

So, that's all for today. If you'd like to donate a few bucks to the Korah mission you can do so here. If you'd like to donate more than a few bucks and need a tax deduction, go to Jenna's blog and follow the instructions. Thank you so much. I love you all.

A Tornado and Adoption

A year ago, a wickedly devastating tornado whipped through Joplin, MO. We live a couple hours away from Joplin, and after watching coverage of the damage for a few days after the storm, my husband and I couldn't sit in our roofed house any longer...we headed to Joplin to help.

Sounds awesome, right? Like, "we're here, we're volunteers, get used to it." Give us a wristband and throw us where you need us most. We can handle it. We're gonna pull survivors from rubble. We're going to change people's lives, one downed tree at a time. Face mask? Nah. We're self-sufficient. We're tough. We're here to HELP.

Not exactly.

We arrived at the community college where the Red Cross was registering volunteers. Or maybe it was FEMA. Anyway, there were BUSES of people arriving--people with way more equipment than the gloves and lunch bags we had. (You know, because we didn't want to be a burden.) We were given face masks and water and taken to what used to be the high school.

Devastating.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Gone.

Nothing was more than 10 feet high....for as far as we could see...in the middle of town.

Dirt, wood scraps, carpet pieces, torn clothes, broken glass...everywhere.

Everything looked the same, like it had been an abandoned war-torn city a few decades ago.

And everything smelled old and wet.

But hey, we were there to help. Put us to work.



We walked around and saw spray painted crosses and numbers on every house. They were codes for rescue workers -- the real rescue workers, not us handy volunteers. And those workers had already been through the neighborhoods. Our job was to clear debris. So we headed to the worst houses. Of course, right? Nope, said our Americorps guide. Those houses would be flattened. So we went to houses that would be saved. An enormous tree through the roof? No problem. And we cleared what we could, one skinny branch at a time.

I held it together for most of the day. But then I was helping clear debris from an apartment. The roof was completely gone, and the contents inside looked tossed about. The front wall of the house was half-down. And a woman, the resident, sat on her front steps waiting for her family to come. And she just looked helpless...hopeless. I did what I could to make her front lawn look less sad...and then I broke down. This woman had nothing left. She needed real help. And here I was, creating a pile of junk in her front yard.



ALL this to say, I never want to forget how lucky I felt that day. And I never want to forget how helpless I felt that day. I didn't save anyone. I didn't change the world with the dirt I got on my face, arms, and hair. I was no hero in Joplin...I was exhausted.

BUT. I did something. And I can never regret that. It wasn't big or significant or awesome. But I did exactly what I hope others would do if I were sitting in my roofless, wall-less house.

Often I wonder how, in the world of adoption, I'm "being the change" and helping even one child have a family when there is a WAIT LIST for these kids. But then I realize, if I left the "line", that's eventually one child who doesn't have love. The need for adoptive parents isn't a static, one-time-only thing. It's constant. And that line has to constantly be there for the children who will forever need those parents.

No, I'm not Brangelina. And I'm no Mother Theresa or Gandhi or Muhammed Yunus. But I am doing what I hope others would do if I was an orphan. Be there. Show up. Get in line. You may feel much smaller, and more helpless, than you initially imagined when you signed up for this journey. But you're doing something you won't regret.

In Preparation For Tomorrow...

Remember my Mother Theresa phase? I'm going to throw a few more your way today, but they're a little tougher, so it might hurt a little. But you'll feel better in the end.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. We have teamed up with Children's HopeChest and have been assigned a community of children that need us. And here's the kicker. They made sure that our community, Greenlight, is somewhere where we can go and visit 'our kids', in Addis. Anybody going to Addis anytime soon? Thought so. So how cool is that?!

Let me tell you a little about Greenlight. It's a drop-in center, which means they take in about 80 kids and provide everything they need because their parents can't. They are not available for adoption, but that's the beauty. These kids are not yet orphans, but they are what orphans are made out of. Their parents are still with them and love them very much, but poverty makes people very vulnerable. We know all too well that it often splits up families over there. Today and tomorrow is about prevention.

These sponsorships are a most tangible way to provide for these kids most basic needs. The drop in provides food, clothing, discipleship, education, everything. You can provide that for $32 a month. And that might seem like more than you can spare right now (it did to me), but sometimes we just could use a perspective change to see that that is most likely not the case. I don't know your financial situation right now, so this is something I'd love for you to pray about today and tomorrow. Because tomorrow, one by one, I'm going to show you the names and faces of some little girls that need help in Greenlight. It's a one to one, personal sponsorship. You will mean alot to these kids. And the sponsorships are life saving and life changing. So, are you ready for those hard Mother Theresa quotes I mentioned?

“Live simply so others may simply live.”

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.”

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

“When a poor person dies of hunger it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.”

Told ya it might sting. I seriously was considering not sponsoring right now because we are in the crunch time bit of fundraising for our adoption and we're living tight. When I say living tight I mean I cringe when we get invited to a birthday party and I'll 'have to' stop and get a $20 gift for a kid I don't know so we don't look lame. Or that I feel whiney because I can't quite justify buying that new long dress from Target (apparently I need them all). Or we can't go out to Chuy's for dinner for a while. I'm such a brat! Anyhoo, I've been learning (painfully) lately that my stuff is dragging me down and the only solution is to get rid of my money! Will you join me? Today I'm planting a seed. And tomorrow I'm praying for you and for those kids. You'll see the first one in the morning. Then we'll get her sponsored and I'll post another one. Think about it. Talk to your hubby. Pray. Fast. Let's see how many we can place tomorrow. One of them might be yours. Think of her today. This is who I think is more important than the pretty Target dress.



Her name is Tenaye. I painted her last week and didn't even know it. Now her painting hangs in my home as a reminder to pray for her.



Also, as an added little bonus, I'll be glad to paint your sponsored child for you so you can have the same type of reminder. More on that tomorrow. Today, just pray. I'll meet you here in the morning.

A Drop in The Ocean

You guys, I am on a major Mother Theresa kick lately. She was the embodiment of what a modern 'saint' should be, and though I'm no saint (technically), the Bible repeatedly refers to us as such. Mother  Theresa taught something that is so crucial, but I find myself struggling with it all the time. Tell me if you've ever thought this... There is a wait list months, sometimes years long for a child. Am I really filling a need if there are a million others who are jumping through the same hoops?  All I have is a dollar. Is that really going to help? I can only sponsor one child and I can't help the other 80. 

Sometimes I feel like what I can do is not enough. I can't save the world all by myself. The best I can hope to be is a light, and that's all that's asked of me. And you. But imagine if we didn't...

Here's a few more Mother Theresa gems for you:

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?"

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.”

Get the message? Small counts. Really really counts. You might not be changing the whole world, but you make a difference to someone. It's enough. It's plenty.



And on a different note, does anyone happen to recognize the original source of this photo? I adore it like nobody's business and I'd love to throw some love their way. In fact, in a perfect world I'd have this gigantic on my mantel, so if anyone knows where it originally came from I'd be stoked!

Feel Free to Forward to Your Husbands

***a quick little side note for everybody: i usually post the new family of the week on sunday, but it's started to eat up my sabbath, so this week marks the switch to mondays. look for the new family of the week tomorrow midmorning!***

Dear patient husbands,

This is a letter from a crazy woman on behalf of your wife. Mother's Day is coming up. It's actually next weekend. Some of you gentlemen already have birth kiddies so you know the drill. But some of you are waiting on your first little bundle of joy. I just want to save you some grief here. I need you to know that this Mother's Day totally counts. Maybe you thought it didn't if you're an adopter and maybe your newest little member is not in your home yet. Maybe you don't even know their name yet. Maybe you're still paperchasing. But Dad, regardless, we're paper pregnant and it totally counts. The crazy might not come from hormones, but it's deep, and we really need you to acknowledge our maternal bliss next week. Do you need some ideas? Ok, that's cool. We're big into Africa right now, so maybe a nod to our darlings home would be appropriate. Us chicks love Etsy. Here's some good finds. Click on the picture for the link (and order today and nobody gets hurt).

Praying for your Babies, Near and Far

Lately I've been on a path to learn more about prayer. New lessons come at me everyday! One thing I've been trying to practice more of is praying for others. I came across this awesome tool to help guide you in a prayer for your littles. The link to download is here, but the content as well as TONS of other gems can be found at Inspired to Action. You simply must pop by if you don't normally already.

And a few other sweet things I've found on Pinterest that can come in handy when helping the littles learn to pray for others. Some cute prayers sticks (fun) and a prayer book. Love.

Speaking of the littles, y'all don't mind if I show off mine, do you? Our family pictures just came back and they're so cute! I happen to be spoiled by having two photographers as my best friends, so we get some rocking awesome pics every now and then. ;) You can go here to see them if you want to peek.

This Totally Has Nothing to do with Adoption.

Sorry if that disappoints. Congrats if you're saying, "finally". :)





I arrived a tad late to the Project Life party. Like a year late or something, but I'm kind of slow on trends. But I'm with it now. Thanks, Pinterest. Let me be honest and I hope I'm not insulting here, but I've never been a huge scrapbook fan. I can't seem to create something cool out of nothing, and the task of dressing up a picture and journaling and layering and all that is a little daunting to me. But Project Life is a bit different.





You get a big binder and some of these page protectors and you don't have to fill a giant space, you fill a pocket. At first I only did pictures. Then I started doing a little journaling. Nothing fancy for me yet. I started out buying a starter kit, but never used it. I found that mine feels alot like me and so my paper choices are just a reflection of that.



The point is to document your daily life as it is, not always the super glamorous bits, but the daily. We have a lot of just chilling, playing, my art girls, homeschool, cooking, etc.





Anyhoo, I just wanted to share. I LOVE this little pet project of mine and I just wanted to share. Here's some links that you might want to check out.

Buy Project Life kit - You don't have to go this route, but this is the creator of PL and she's got some good basic stuff. I bought this binder (though now I totally wish I'd done a black leather) and these pages. You can also just get variations of them at Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

Inspiration... {instagrams + vellum}  {artistic layering}  {awesome journaling idea}

Free Printables {quirky cute} {days of the week stamps} {super bright and fun}

Not Free But Awesome {check box cards} {vol 25} {my favorites that i use all the time}