not really a blog post

K, so I have this thing...

No, I'm not 14, but it needed some kind of introduction. (This is me stalling................)  (.............)

Every time I eat, I get sick. Not sure why or to what end, but any time I put something in my mouth, shortly after, my stomach is killing me. All this to say... I'm coming up with nothing here.

Oh and it never fails. I'm 3 sentences in and the baby monitor lights start going crazy. I turn the sound up and hear "ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba" and my suspisions are confirmed. There's a very alert baby in there.

I should clean something. Yep. Oh, and grocery shop. I'll get started right after I decide which one I want to do less. :)

WHERE IS MY PHONE?!

Taking a stab at it

I think I'm going to go in to screenplay writing. My first movie is going to be a horror film about a family with three kids ages 4 and under living out a day without baby wipes. I know. Scary stuff.

My second film will be a mothers journey to try and convince her baby to tell her where she hid her grocery money. We'll laugh, we'll cry... ultimately, we may end up killing ourselves. That's good cinema.

A Lifesong Update!

Lives Are Being Transformed!

“I remember the first time I saw Vanya because there was something different about him. Yes, he was the only black kid in the orphanage, but more than that, there was something about his eyes that intrigued me.

“Vanya is a smart kid.” Denis, our director, told us. “He was abandoned as a newborn. His parents were students at the university and he is very smart.”

I smiled at him and he smiled back. His outgoing personality was evident as he tried his hand at English. I met a lot of kids at that summer camp in 2004, but Vanya is the one I remember."

-Marla Ringger, Orphan Advocate

Vanya, then 13, was just learning the power of Christ’s love in his life. Recently Lifesong for Orphans had started a program at his home in Sachnovsheena Orphanage. And though Vanya resisted the Gospel at first, through the examples of volunteers and staff members, Biblical mentorship, and educational support he began to see Christ’s love in action, and knew this was something he wanted for himself.

Now at 19, Vanya continues to rise above standards and expectations. He lives in one of Lifesong’s Transition Homes in Kharkov, a home designed to support those aging out of the orphanage system, studies English at the local college, translates for Americans who come to visit, and mentors younger boys at the orphanage in the same way the Lifesong staff once mentored him!

We praise God for success stories like Vanya’s and are thankful for our partners who continue to support those like him both financially and in prayer!

 

Vanya from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

O_O THAT mom

About a month ago, I got to go to Old Navy and get some new clothes. All the shirts I had were either from highschool (Football champs of WHAT year?!) or they fit a body I didn't have anymore. I got some really cute stuff off of the clearance racks and pretty much got a whole new wardrobe. I was pumped. Keep that in mind. Pumped.

You know how sometimes you'll be out and you see someone -usually an older lady- who looks like she used some children's dress up make up to get ready that morning? Her BRIGHT blue eyeshadow is CAKED on in all the wrong places. Her BRIGHT pink blush is in perfect circles in the wrong spot on her cheeks.

You know the type.

Well, I was at Hobby Lobby with my 3 small children. We're a travelling circus just for that fact, but hang with me here...

As we're walking in, I notice an older lady. She's not elderly by any means, but older than me. She's probably in her 60s and she's taken care of herself. She looks at me with her perfectly styled white hair and we lock eyes just long enough to realize... we're wearing the same shirt. ::sigh:: While I wanted to get out of my high school and college t shirts, grandmother really wasn't the look I was going for.

I'm stewing about it while I'm getting the stuff I need - not that she had the shirt, but at the fact that I obviously don't know how to pick clothes for myself, but the rest of my family is dressed to the nines. We're int he store for maybe 30 minutes. In that brief time, we struck up conversations with about 6 different people. Some were accosted by my children wanting to show them every item on the shelves. Some were just in line to check out and commented on the baby.

I get out to the car - exhausted. Just being in a huge store with THOUSANDS of breakable things while kids are in tow drains me of all available energy stores. I'm trying to pull out of the parking lot and I happen to glance up in the mirror. THIS is the part where that make up scenario comes in to play. Yes. I was THAT lady. I looked like I had put my clown make up on in the dark. I'm HORRIFIED. I tried wiping it off in the car, but by that time we were on our way home! The damage was done! I'm not sure who I feel worse for - me or the kids who call me Mom.

Lifesong

The school situation in the town of Ziway, Ethiopia is very inadequate. Many children simply do not have the opportunity to attend school at any level or in any facility. The government schools are overcrowded with up to 75 students per classroom. Private schools tend to be somewhat better, but usually have 40-50 students per class. Whether private or public, the schools are lacking in even the basics. Students must share textbooks and cannot take their textbooks home. Even standard items such as chalk and pencils are in short supply and must be severely rationed.

The caregivers and children recognize the value of a good education. They know that education is critical to their obtaining good employment and providing for themselves and their families. Therefore, it is a priority to Lifesong for Orphans to construct a quality grade school as quickly as possible. One of the essential ways to pull Ethiopia out of its poverty is to educate its citizens.

 

We all go out of our ways to give our kiddos the very best we possibly can. In Ethiopia, this looks very different than it does for you and me in the US!

Lifesong for Orphans is supporting 3 schools in the Ziway, Ethiopia area. We are currently repairing one of the schools and are in the process of building another, but are hopeful to use all three this fall.

As you start gathering school supplies for your kids, would you consider helping the children in Ziway?

We are in need of new desks, lights, and fixtures!

 

Current supply shelves:

Current ‘desks’:

New desks needed:

Make a donation here and indicate ‘Ethiopia school needs’ in the description.

To stay up to date on the progress, check back here.

Maria

Today I saw a picture of the Chapman family. (minus the 3 grown children.) There was Steven Curtis and his lovely wife, Mary Beth. They were standing on some steps with their daughters Stevie Joy and ShoHannah. It was so strange to see them smiling and having a good time without Maria.

Now that my son is going on 5-years-old, the horror that their family went through hits even closer to home. Can you believe it's been 2 years?

I remember bawling my eyes out for their poor family. I still do when I think about it. But that's a testament to what God can do. You'd never know by looking at that photo that they've experienced unimaginable pain. God can heal. God can make new. God can pick you back up when you can't do it yourself.

Wow. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around every time.

My cup runneth over

I may have posted this before, but it's coming out one way or another and my posting it now is evidence that I still struggle with it.

I have a problem with empathy. I hear a story of someone's grief and I grieve with them. Not a 'Oh-how-sad-for-them' kind of sadness. This is a world rocking, debilitating emotion that sweeps over me for people who I often don't even know. (Think May from The Secret Life of Bees) On the other hand, when I hear good news - from any corner of the globe - it gives me strength to move on. I smile and I laugh and I cry tears of joy for situations I'll never have personal contact with. Is it a blessing or a curse? I don't know.

I have friends who hesitate to "burden" me with their heavy loads because I take it every bit as hard as they do. But truth is, some things are just too heavy to carry around by yourself. I appreciate the opportunity to mourn with people I care about so they know they aren't alone. I'm usually a first call with good news though! Which I'm equally grateful for.

There are people hurting out there. No, I don't like to dwell in sadness, but how can I go about my day without pausing and praying? Someone out there is in the worst pain they've ever felt in their life. Someone just lost a baby. Someone just found out their spouse has died. Some people are watching their families being slaughtered while their country is at war. I just think these people deserve a minute out of my day. Comfort them, Lord.

People are rejoicing! Someone's adoption was just finalized. Someone just got a positive pregnancy test after years of praying and struggling with infertility. Someone just heard their mothers cancer is in remission. These people deserve attention too! Hallelujah! Can you believe how good our God is?!

When it's my turn to grieve or rejoice, I hope I'll have someone - maybe it wont be anyone I've ever met - but I'll have someone who "suffers" from an over abundance of empathy. I hope someone will share those moments with me. What's a Happily Ever After if you have no one to share it with?