Just me and the cat

Wow. First day of school. All three of my girlies are enjoying their first day as 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders, and Miles was invited to play with the neighbor this morning. I find myself roaming around the kitchen thinking, "surely there's something I'm supposed to be doing right now...." ha ha ha...and there's tons to do, but my life has been divided up into 2 hr. increments for years now and I hardly know what to do with myself! (So I blog. ha ha) There's tons to do, but I've never really been able to tackle any big projects during the day - and that's my plan starting in about a 1/2 hr. :) Of course, this phase won't last long, as we'll be bringing another little one home in the next months, but wow, it's kinda weird feeling.

Here's a picture of the girls this morning - they were all up, dressed, and ready by 7:30. Hope we can keep that up! (ha ha - wishful thinking, I'm sure)



And this morning Miles' preschool teacher made a home-visit to introduce herself and give him an idea of what to expect in a couple of weeks when school starts for him. They totally hit it off and he's gonna love it. A highlight of their conversation was when she pointed to a circle and said, "What's this?" And Miles replied, "Um, an 'O'." And she said, "Yes, it's a letter 'O,' but what shape is it? A square? A rectangle?" All to which Miles answered, "No....but maybe it could be a hole!" :) Oh boy.



Well, off to big projects like beginning to go through our stuff and pack to get ready to move in the next few months...something I haven't mentioned in blog world yet, but that's another post. :) And now I'm going to have WAY too much time to think, wonder, worry, and hope for a referral call for our little man in Ethiopia. So pray I can focus those thoughts into constructive prayers lifting it all into God's hands.

Lesson #8 - the last one!

Well, we made it. We're finally to our last Ethiopia lesson: How to be the hands and feet of Christ in Ethiopia (my plan was to research and find some worthy organizations to give to and then pick one with the kids.) Wow - I've been thinking a ton about this all week. First off, I feel like I kind of dropped the ball with Lesson #7, because I was supposed to write about more than just one thing going on in Ethiopia right now (the famine), but I just got kind of overwhelmed. Truth is, it feels way too big for me - and it is! The issues...the solutions....continued critical food shortages, poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans, the need for clean drinking water...makes my head spin. So where do we start?

I heard a quote on the radio a couple of weeks ago, and wish I would've written it down. It was something like this: An African leader was talking about how people in his community had been the blessed recipients of new wells, health education and support, and food, but they still had a sense of unrest and searching. What was missing? (This thought stayed with me and has been resonating and working in my soul the past couple of weeks.) I guess what I've come up with is that just feeding people's physical bodies only gets them so far...YES, there's a critical, immediate need right now that must be met, but looking beyond NOW, what's gonna last? What's gonna really facilitate change not only in people's circumstances in Ethiopia, but their lives...their souls? So yes, we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving others, but MORE than that - we want to share the hope that lives inside of us. We want to share Jesus.

So, what's that look like for you and me? What does it look like for my kids and I? How's that translate from great intentions and big words to action? Of course the goal is the same, but how it's carried out is different for all of us. And this blog post is just scratching the surface. I've found links to some really great holistic organizations that share the Gospel as well as provide for people's physical needs, and will share them in a second. But first I guess I wanted to challenge myself and you guys to just totally surrender. Yes - the issues sometime seem insurmountable. I mean, we live in a fallen world, right? Yeah, BUT, we serve an awesome all-powerful God...imagine if we were to pray what Isaiah prayed, "Here I am Lord, send me!" Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to do short-term missions, some to adopt, some to start companies whose profits go 100% to orphan ministries, some to spread the word and need, some to....???? (And by all means this applies to ALL areas of our lives and in all sorts of ways - not just in helping those in Ethiopia. That's just my focus for this lesson.)

So, here's some really cool organizations we found for you to take a look at. They all have a Christ-centered focus, but work in different ways and in various avenues. A really great picture of the Body of Christ. It's certainly not extensive - and most definitely just the beginning - but it's place to start.
First, the organizations who can connect you to tons of great resources:

The Red Letters Campaign -
"We’re connecting you to resources, people and partners that can educate you and equip you to make a difference in the areas of poverty that you care most about."

Cry of the Orphan -
"The Cry of the Orphan campaign represents a group of Christian organizations and churches that are joining voices to make caring for every orphan a reality."

And then some more with specific methods of outreach:

Living Water International -
"Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience "living water"—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst."

Gobena Coffee -
"Construction is underway for a group home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Christian house-parents will look after the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of "their" children."

Adventures in Missions -
"Through our 14 bases around the world, we have year-round ministry to places where “the least of these” are found. We believe that by giving people the opportunity to hold orphans, bring hope to the hopeless, and pray for the sick, lives are transformed."

Children's Hopechest -
"Children’s Hopechest exists to show God’s heart for orphans to know him, expereince the blessings of family, and aquire skills necessary for independent living."

African Widows and Orphan Project -
"African Widows and Orphans Project (AWOP) believes that through a cooperative team of ministries with diverse methods of service and a common goal of glorifying the Lord through evangelism, discipleship and servant ministries the widows and orphans throughout Africa will have hope for this present life and a joyful expectation of eternity with the Lord."

Kingdom Vision International -
"KVI will stand for people to receive the whole blessing of God on their lives. He will lead them to faith in Himself, as well as heal the rest of their lives."

LifeSong for Orphans -
“Our Children” will have:

1. No want for food, clothing, or shelter.
2. Fundamental Christian training and discipleship.
3. A quality education to provide a foundation for the future.
4. Continued love and support as they transition into adult living."

Right now we're enjoying some great Gobena with the knowledge that great things will be done with the profits. No, the kids don't drink it like we do, but they get it. And they've totally fallen in love with the little Ethiopian sweetie and her family who started it - Lehman's, we love you guys!

This is way long, and it's hard to know how to end my last post for Ethiopia 101. I guess I'll just think about it as a beginning instead...

Lesson #7

We've spent the last several weeks learning about all that makes Ethiopia beautiful and unique. This week has a different feel. Our lesson: Present Day Ethiopia and Current Issues. And although there are many current issues, just like anywhere in the world, here's what's going on right now and appears to be the greatest, most pressing challenge and crisis facing Ethiopia:



This leaves me so speechless. The kids and I sat glued, motionless and silent, to the computer screen as we watched video after video and read article after article. Here's an informative article from TIME:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1829841,00.html

and some others:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-food5-2008aug05,0,1993870.story

http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/unicef-seeks-additional-funds.html?gclid=CIfK4M7A-ZQCFRghnAodAjqArA

And our project for this week? Prayer, prayer, and more prayer for the people directly affected by this famine and for all of us here, still eating, drinking, and daily living obliviously to the pain and need on the other side of the world...Lord, show us how to be your hands and feet!

Hilton Head Island, SC

We got up this morning at 3 a.m. and loaded our van with sun-kissed sleepyheads and made the 15 hr. straight-through drive home from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We were with my entire family. It was great. I'm tired, already miss the beach, but am happy to be home. We spent tons of time on the beach, even more time eating at spectacular restaurants, and did a little shopping and history stuff too. I thought I'd post a few pics before I start playing catch-up with laundry, grocery shopping, etc...hope you're all enjoying what's remaining of summer! (I missed my blogging buddies this week!) :)


My Dad and Mom


My fam


My brother-in-law Eric, sister Macy, and Moses (16 wks.)


My brother Mike, sister-in-law Sarah, and Carys (6 mo.)


Miles and his best ultimate-victory warrior buddy, my brother Bob


My baby sister Molly who turned 20 today (and me)...Happy Birthday, sis!


The grandkids - Miles, Ellie, Carys, Josie, Moses, and Maggie