Soli Deo Gloria

Moved To Move

2011-09-29T11:42:00.001-05:00

For the time being, there's some stuff going on over here at a new blog.

Check it out.

Help Bring Them Home

2011-08-23T08:42:00.004-05:00

Some GREAT things have come out of my recent trip to Ethiopia. Many relationships were built, God was glorified (and continues to be), little Baby E received surgery AND there are several former orphans who will soon join their forever families.

One of my OH team members (Kim) and her family have begun the process to adopt two precious girls that we met on our trip.

She has begun fundraising and I'd love for you to go over to her site and pitch in. She has some great t-shirts that you can purchase (I can hardly wait to start wearing mine) and she's doing a great raffle give-away.

Go on over here and do your part in helping to bring two sweet girls home. Every dollar (and every prayer...remember this family in yours) helps.

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you" James 14:18

Update on Baby E

2011-08-16T10:17:00.003-05:00

It's been a bit since I've posted an update on sweet Baby E and as is normally the case....thankfully, no news is good news.

E's surgery went well and he had a follow-up appointment yesterday to remove the stitches. Swelling is subsiding and the shunt placed in his little head seems to be doing its job.

It is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, this precious baby lie in an orphanage on the verge of death. My fellow OH team member and her family have stepped out in faith for this baby. Not only has LeAnne (successfully) advocated for his care but she and her family have also stepped up and stepped out to raise the funds for E's medical care. And even though his surgery is over, his medical needs are not. Next on the agenda is a CT scan which, hopefully, is being done today.

If you haven't previously read about E, do so here.

The medical expenses for this baby continue to add up and YOU CAN HELP......there is a fund set up through Ordinary Hero where you can make a tax-free donation that will go directly to E's medical fund.

Click here to donate to Baby E's tax deductible medical fund.

Put "BABY E" in the memo line to designate your donation.

Thank you, in advance, for being part of the story that God is writing in the life of this little boy.

He Has A NAME!

2011-08-02T17:35:00.006-05:00

Updated to add: GOD IS GOOD....."Baby E" will have surgery THIS Friday (day after tomorrow) in Ethiopia. God has BIG plans for this LITTLE boy.....please continue to pray for his healing and his future!

And his name means "the Lord is my God". (Due to the fact that he is an orphan, I can't tell you his name on a public site....but God knows.)

When we toured the orphanage and played with the children, there in a room full of tiny babies was one...one who didn't seem well, one whose little head was disproportionate and misshapen, one who lay in his tiny little crib...one who didn't have a name.

But that just wouldn't do for one of my team members, now friend's.

LeAnne couldn't live with the fact that he didn't have a name and so she gave him one.

LeAnne immediately began advocating for this sweet baby who was abandoned at birth. "Baby E" was taken to see the doctor this past week. "Baby E" has hydrocephalus. "Baby E" needs surgery. And soon. Without it, he will not live.

Could you pray with me, BY NAME, for "Baby E" and if you know of ANYONE who may be able to help us to get him here (he will need an emergency medical visa) and/or anyone who might be able to help make a connection with a Surgeon and Hospital who would be willing to donate "Baby E's" surgery, please contact me at kelleywms@hotmail.com.

Do You See What I See?

2011-07-30T20:21:00.012-05:00

As I was going through some of the pictures from my trip, I was reminded of several things that we saw that, maybe, would make for a fun game of sorts. And so, I present to you eight images from Ethiopia.

OH team members, you are not allowed to participate. : D

I'll come back in a day or so and fill in the blanks. If you care to leave a comment with your guesses, please go ahead.

Item #1: Water Station @ Yezelelem Minch

Item #2: Guard's Sleep Shack (every street has a guard and this is where he sleeps)

Item #3: POTTY !!!!

Item #4: MehKOHtaht Woeff : ) (Angry Birds in Amharic)

Item #5: Injera.....traditional Ethiopian food

Item #6: Monkey eating a Pringles potato chip

Item #7: Laundromat and/or Bath-house....when we first passed, people were doing their laundry; when we came back through, they were bathing

Item #8: Home Sweet Home

Hope Ethiopia

2011-07-28T08:52:00.024-05:00

My Daddy loves to ride in the car and take in the scenery. He always takes the backroads so that he can really see the sites. I haven't always been a fan but the older I get, the more I enjoy it.
That newfound love came in handy as we packed up and headed to the Hope Ethiopia site.
We drove approximately 2 hours on the main road and then turned off on a dirt one. Typically, this dirt road meant we were almost at our destination. However, on this day, we traveled that dirt road for another hour and ten minutes.
The drive was absolutely beautiful and our team had the best time. It felt as if we were in a parade of sorts as we waved and smiled and were able to, literally, toss candy out the windows to the waiting children (and adults) on the roadside. We were able to do this here because the area wasn't highly populated and there wasn't much (any) traffic.
A time or two, as children were running as fast as they could out of the fields, our guide Bizzy got out and met them with candy so as to make sure that no one missed out on the fun. One of the many, many reasons that we love Bizzy.

The land in this part of Ethiopia is beautiful and Hope Ethiopia has a reforestation program going on in this area (as well as other things) but, as we arrived in the village, we quickly learned that the children had great needs.

Only 14 teams have ever ventured to this remote area and, we were told, we were only 1 of 2 that came specifically to work with the children. The children were horribly dirty and covered in flies; many of them had a scalp fungus and open sores. As we gathered them together to do some crafts, I was shocked to realize that they had no idea what a marker was (oh the simplest things that we take for granted). I had to physically show them to remove the cap and then color onto the crosses we'd given them.

One of the hard things about this visit was that the people in this village do not speak Amharic. They speak their own tribal language and we did not have a translator.

After we'd played for a while, we headed back down to a fenced area and had the children line up outside so that we could clothe as many children as possible. We also had backpacks filled with school supplies (there is a new program at Hope Ethiopia that is allowing for some children to attend school through sponsorship), food packets and mosquito nets.

Once again, not only did we begin to run out of some items (mainly larger sized clothes and shoes) but the crowd began to push down the gates into the area. We got really good at seeing the "it's time to pack up" signs and could quickly and safely get ourselves to the vans.

On the way out, all along the roadside, we tossed out all of the leftover items that we had that day. It did our hearts good to be able to give until we, literally, had nothing left to give on this day.

Wonderful! Sad. Great! Depressing.

2011-07-27T16:25:00.005-05:00

Things I don't miss about Ethiopia:

Toilets that can't handle toilet paper
Peanut Butter Crackers being my main source of nutrition
Inability to wear flip flops (without getting cold, wet and muddy toes)
No water pressure in the shower
Sharing one bathroom with 15 other women
Smog
Daily headache as a result of the smog
The indescribable smell
Being scared of swallowing the water, by accident or otherwise
Squatty potties (for those of you who've never experienced this....that would be equal to a hole in the ground)
Carrying my HEAVY backpack
Flies on faces
Children in ratty, torn, ill-fitting and dirty clothes, with bare feet and bare bottoms

And, so, with a list such as this WHY, I ask myself, am I already wondering when I can go back? I mean, seriously, I just got home.

It's weird being torn between the blessings of home. My home, my family, my life. And the people of Ethiopia who I've just met.

So many things in this world seem different now. I look at everything and try to process the discrepancies. The water runs while I brush my teeth and I'm ashamed at how much I just waste without even giving it a second thought. (For that matter, I brush my teeth. With a toothbrush and toothpaste; not a stick.) I go to fix a bowl of cereal and that last part...you know, the part that's all tiny little crumbs that just turns to mush in your bowl? I would normally just toss that in the trash but now, after Ethiopia, I can't. I fill my watering cans to water my geraniums and I consider just letting them die. I break a sweat outdoors and think I'm miserable. How dare me. I fill the car with gas and imagine what that amount of money could do for a family or a street child in Ethiopia.

The faces of the children are etched into my memory. I hope that they will remain that way. People ask, "how was your trip?" and I find the answer stuck there. Somewhere between "wonderful, amazing, life-changing, fabulous" and "sad, depressing, awful and did I mention sad?".

It is so hard to put into words but God reminds me of my own words to Jordan (as he returned home, broken at what he'd seen in Mexico)......"God knew what He was doing when He blessed us one way and them another. He didn't make a mistake when He made us Americans and them Ethiopians (or Mexicans)". And, again, I go back to some words that I wrote in my Bible many, many years ago (probably 20 years ago), "He blesses us so that we may bless others".

And my focus must be on HOW He wants me to use my blessings to bless them.

And that should keep me busy.....until I get to go back. : )

God's Plan Wednesday

2011-07-26T10:14:00.001-05:00

The vans headed North on this day. There was more beautiful African countryside to be seen along the way.
We were scheduled to visit a privately run orphanage but, when our guide Bizzy called to confirm directions, we were told not to come. Apparently, the bags and bags of donations that we had for the orphanage weren't what they had in mind; they wanted a monetary donation (which OH had previously made to this orphanage).

At one point after finding out that plans weren't going to go as originally intended, we pulled our three vans off the side of the highway and had the opportunity to hand out clothes, shoes, candy and Amharic children's Bibles to some locals on the roadside.

It also gave our driver, Hoptamu, a chance to try his hand at plowing.
It never gets old seeing God do His work. We began our stop on the roadside by handing out a few items to a few children and the next thing we knew, people were piling off of the hillside. We jokingly wondered who "tweeted" that the white people were roadside...and they had Dum Dums. Who were we kidding? God did that.

Next, we stopped to eat our boxed lunch and were able, once again, to begin handing out clothes and shoes to children on the street. (The picture below is of one of the boys streetside with our guide/translator, Maste). We also gave them some of our leftover pasta and it was fun watching them, first, decide what it was and if they wanted to eat it and, next, witness them scarfing it down.

From there, we headed up Entoto Mountain for a quick game of soccer and distribution of the clothes, etc. that we'd packed up that morning. I left Entoto Mountain in sock feet as this boy needed my shoes more than I did.

It was here that I was able to hand out a couple of special quilts that had been sent with me by a group called More Than Warmth. We placed 2 of these quilts at Woliso Orphanage and 3 at El Olam Orphanage but I had kept out 2 that I wanted to place in the arms of mommies with little ones.

It is 6 miles from the top of this mountain to the bottom and there are women who, 3 times each day, carry a load of eucalyptus branches down the mountain. That's 3 trips UP and 3 trips DOWN for a total of 36 miles each day. These women, some well into their 60's (and beyond) are mostly barefooted. Our guide, Bizrat, had shared that he is brought to tears each time that he sees these women and the grueling work they are forced to do. He wanted to be able to lighten their load in some way. Carry their burdens, if you will....if only for a little while.

So.....two of our vans stopped (I was unfortunately in the third van that didn't realize we were supposed to stop), picked up their load (it took 2-3 of our men to carry), tossed it onto the top of our van and let the women ride inside. When they got to the bottom, two of our team members took off their own shoes and placed them on the feet of these women.

God's plans, not ours, prevailed on this day and what a blessing that was.

A Mud Hut and a Green Marker

2011-07-25T15:49:00.017-05:00

It was not lack of ability that limited my people, but lack of opportunity. - Tatomkhula

Everywhere we went in Ethiopia, children recognized and knew that the "farenj" would/could give them something. Candy. Shoes. Clothes. Food. Blankets. Diapers. Formula. Maybe even a little money (though we didn't really do this.....much). Over and over again we heard, "cahndee", "choc-o-late", "gum", "give me", "shoes", "sister, hungry".

But not at Korah.

At Korah, the children approach you with one intention, one need, one desire. They want a sponsor. They KNOW that education equals hope; hope for a better life outside of the trash dump. And they know that that opportunity (for them) will only come through sponsorship.

Project 61 is the conduit of that hope as they provide the structure through which sponsorship can occur. You and I can be the deliverer of that hope through a commitment to sponsor. The cost of sponsorship for a child attending boarding school (Shashamane) is $750.00 annually; for children attending Bright Hope, the day school at Korah, the cost is $350.00 annually. The price of sponsorship in both of these programs ensures that these children not only get an education but also are guaranteed one meal a day. As much as we don't want to accept it, they may otherwise not have a meal.

As we began to mingle with the children of Korah, they began to ask, "You sponsor?"; they were buzzing like little bees from one to another to find someone willing to sponsor. Many of our team found children to love and sponsor on this day.

As I sat talking with some little ones, my sister Ashley appeared with a whole crowd of boys. One was a young boy that she'd agreed to sponsor (Kumalachu), one was his friend (who we believe still needs a sponsor); and then the other pair was an impressive young boy and his quiet friend, Teraku. The friend has a sponsor and attends Shashamane Boarding School but, on this day, he was advocating for his friend, Teraku (who seemed sad and shy). He said, "he is my best friend; he needs a sponsor; he is a clever student".

(Ashley and her sponsored child, Kumalachu)

(Me and Teraku)

How could I say no to that?

I told Teraku that I would sponsor him and, from that moment on, I don't believe that the child ever let go of my hand. He was very protective and continually making certain that my backpack was zipped and no one was bothering it or my camera. He wanted to see pictures of my family which I was able to show him on my phone. He would shoo others away and just kept looking at me and squeezing tighter on my hand. It was closing in on time for me to leave so I began to try to explain to Teraku that I would return on Friday. He asked me to show him, using my fingers as a guide....Monday was my thumb, Tuesday (the current day we were in) was my pointer finger, Wednesday was my middle finger, Thursday was my ring finger and Friday was my pinky (and the day we would return). When I was sure that he understood, I said goodbye to him with promises to see him again.

Back at the guest house, we all packed our newfound friends a backpack filled with some of our donations. For Teraku, I packed an Amharic childrens Bible, jeans and a shirt, a pair of shoes, some school supplies, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a frisbee and some underwear. I threw in a few snacks and some play jewelry for his sister.

Thankfully, we were able to return on Friday as promised. We'd been told to be discreet in passing out our gifts so as not to "rub it in" to the other children, still without sponsors or otherwise ineligible for the program. As soon as we got out of the van, Teraku made his way to me and insisted on helping carry my extra load (his backpack though he had no idea it was his at the time). He handed me a handwritten letter that he'd written in green marker on a piece of notebook paper.

It said, among other things, that I was his gift from God. Teraku has so much to learn. : )

As we were sitting and I was reading my letter from him, I noticed that he had something written on his arm in that same green marker, so I raised his sleeve to take a peek. This is what I found:

Be still my heart.

Teraku invited me to his home and so we walked deep into the village of Korah for a visit.

His mother was at a neighbor's when we arrived but as soon as she realized that we were there, she rushed in and began scurrying around (the same way that I do when company's coming) tidying up their (tiny, one room, dirt floor, mud walls) home. She went out the door and came back carrying a bench for Ashley and I to sit on and then.....THEN.....she slipped a dress off of a hook on the wall and placed it on over her clothes. For me. Humbled.

Our translator helped me as I passed out the items in the backpack. He would describe each item and then translate for me their deep gratitude for each and every thing. After all of the gifts had been viewed and placed back into the backpack, I handed Teraku's mom, a single parent, some birr to help her out. She thanked me profusely, talked of what a gift from God I was and how thankful she was for me and how the children's father was gone and she was alone.

(Teraku's sister and his mom)

The love of that mother to this one has forever changed me.....and it all took place in a one-room mud hut.

Curse of Korah

2011-07-24T21:26:00.012-05:00

Truth be told, it's highly likely that most of our team anticipated our visit to Korah more than any other part of our trip.

I know, for myself, I've read about and sought out information about Korah for the past year. I've read stories, viewed videos and looked at pictures. I had reached the point where nothing, really, would do until I saw it with my own eyes. Or should I say, experienced it with my own heart.

I've written about Korah here in the past (here and here and here).

Statistics show that more than 130,000 people live in Korah; a community that was started 75 years ago....where people who had leprosy and were considered to be cursed were sent to live. Korah is adjacent to a landfill and the people who live here dig in the trash for the necessities in life (including their food).

In the last few years, following a trip not unlike the one I just took, Summer Yates and her family sold their belongings in Tennessee and moved to Ethiopia in order to begin a program called Project 61 which would (and DOES) help the children of Korah to attend school through sponsorship.

I have a Korah sponsorship story myself but it deserves a post of its own and is next on my list. However, I do want to share with you some of my memories (and pictures) of Korah.

(I glanced over out in the church yard one day and spotted this site; the little boy rubbing on Tucker's head was too cute.)

On our way to Korah, we stopped by the sheep market. Basically, this is an open field/area on the side of the road where farmers bring their sheep during the day to be sold. Our goal for the day was to purchase 45 sheep; 5 to be slaughtered and served to the children on Friday and 40 to be gifted to 8 families in Korah who could then begin flocks of their own which, we were told, could change the course of this family's lives for generations to come. The sheep were purchased and loaded onto the tops of our 4 vans to make the final trek to Korah.

We arrived with much anticipation and all of our expectations were met (and, I'd say exceeded). The children are precious and loving; they were thrilled to see us. We broke into groups and began to practice conversational English with the school children. (This is the group of girls that Brooklyn and I were blessed to work with.)

We helped to serve lunch and just spent time making some new friends. Many of us found children to sponsor and many others who we promised to seek sponsors for once we arrived home.....these kids "get" that education is important and they know that, without a sponsor, they will be unable to attend school.

Time seemed to fly by in Korah and soon it was time to leave but we had the promise of one last visit there just before our flight out on Friday. I'm not sure who was most excited....us or the kids.

Before we loaded the vans, we left the children to walk deep into Korah to the Alert Hospital (for Lepers). There is an area outside of the hospital where people with leprosy make items to be sold in a gift shop there. I think we all bought rugs from this man who worked with such a sweet spirit weaving these rugs/mats; he loved having us watch him work and found so much joy in us all wanting pictures with him. There were also ladies doing embroidery work and spinning.

Next post.....Tariku.

Heading To The Countryside

2011-07-23T21:34:00.016-05:00

On this morning, we loaded up bags of donations, threw them on top of the vans and climbed in for a nice, long ride into the countryside. We drove approximately 2 hours south of Addis Ababa. The drive was beautiful but it seemed that the further we drove, the more poverty-stricken the area(s) became.

If you've ever read Kelly's Ordinary Hero blog, there is a header at the top of her blog as she's leaning down to love on some Ethiopian children. These particular children live in the village in the area where we were headed today. Our final destination was Woliso Orphanage but, on previous trips, Kelly had fallen in love with these village children (she remembered 20-30 kids gathering to visit with her in the past) and our hope was to clothe them while we were there as well.

As we arrived in the village, the children's expressions as they saw our vans were priceless. They were so happy to see us and began to run alongside our van(s). Almost none of them were wearing shoes (and many had no pants or bottoms of any kind) and they were just running like mad on the dirt and rock roads, waving and smiling all the way. Quickly, we spotted the same exact little girls shown on Kelly's blog; the cutest pair of sisters who obviously remembered Kelly and were overjoyed at our arrival. As it turns out, we had missed the turn-off to the orphanage and this little girl (in orange) realized it and quickly began guiding us in the right direction. Look at this precious face.

We pulled into the orphanage and the gates were closed behind us. While we toured the orphanage, then divided up to play soccer, paint nails, do crafts and share a Bible story, these children (and many, many more) waited anxiously just outside of the fence. Some of the children actually were able to sneak in and become part of the fun. (By the way, none of the faces that you see on my blog are of orphanage children. We are unable to post their pictures on public sites; however, I hope that you will pray for the faces that you see and also the ones you do not.)

This orphanage is the poorest we've seen; it was very clean and tidy but there was not one single toy to be seen. The children were dressed poorly and the grounds were overgrown and crawling with ants, flies and other insects. Nearby, very eerily, many vultures circled overhead.

The potty was a hole in the ground out across the lawn with galvanized steel walls surrounding it. Malaria is present in this area so mosquito nets cover the beds.

But, as has been the case everywhere in Ethiopia, there seems to be joy on the faces of these children. Some of them are infested with flies but they are so accustomed to it, they don't even swat. I catch myself swatting a time or two and then I realize that if they can live with it, I can too. It's a battle not to swat them away but I feel that I must do so out of respect for the little eyes that are watching me.

We spend some precious time inside of the orphanage buildings and then prepare to leave for a walking tour of the village. We have been invited into three homes there. I go into the first; a mud and straw hut where there is a mentally challenged man sitting in one corner, an elderly lady sitting on blankets in another and a mother and her four children. The elderly lady is saying something that we can't understand and raising her hands as if she's praising God. Someone asks if they can take her picture and she agrees. They lean down and show her herself on the digital screen and she is overcome with emotion. She laughs, cries, shouts and then begins to touch her own face. Our guide/translator Bizzy comes in to help us understand what she's trying to say. He shares with us that she is a Muslim. She is raising her hands and thanking God (and us) for our visit....she is praying blessings over us all. Kelly asks, "Can I tell her that Jesus loves her....will it offend her if I tell her that?". Bizzy assures Kelly that it's okay and so Kelly touches her and says, "Jesus loves you".....to this, she tears up, raises her hands again and proclaims, "May Jesus bless you all, all the days of your life".

As we walk through the villages to other homes (I didn't actually go into the last two homes; our group is so large and the homes so small, it just seemed overwhelming.....some of the young babies are scared of us and, in fact, in the first home we were in, the youngest child cried out of fear our entire visit), the crowd is growing larger. At this point, we have quite a following; all of the children want to see the Americans. And that's not all....as we've been walking, our guides have been gathering the villagers in a field so that we can begin passing out donations. By the time it was all said and done, there were probably 200 people (mostly children) gathered in this one area. It was quite overwhelming and hard to maintain order. However, we were able to pass out MANY pairs of shoes, lots and lots of underwear (most of the children wear none), some clothes, some food packets (rice and beans), etc.

It's funny, really, we do well handing out donations when it is only the children present. But then the adults start to arrive and it seems that, only then, things become chaotic. I had to admit that I too would become THAT mom. If my kids were bottomless, shoeless, cold and hungry, I'd likely stop at NOTHING to get a shot at some of the items being handed out. We've seen a lot of that "survival of the fittest" attitude here.

We left Woliso with hurting hearts and hopes to begin a sponsorship program there. We'll just see what God has in store.

Let me leave you with one of the neatest things that happened on this trip. God is good that he let us all be part of something great at Woliso as Kelly was able to share with a waiting child there (11 year old Getu) that he has a family. She wasn't able to make a huge production out of it (for the sake of the children who still don't have a family) but she took him aside and said to him, "Do you remember when I took your picture and told you I was going to help you find a family?". (That's one of the main purposes of Ordinary Hero.....advocating for waiting, adoptable children). He replied with a nod. And she went on to say (through near tears), "You have been chosen.....you have a family and they are coming to get you soon". That sweet boy who has been waiting at Woliso for years will soon live in Brentwood, TN....he has a precious family who already love him.....I was able to message with his Mom while I was there and share a hug with him from her. I pray that there are more "Getus" at Woliso in the days, weeks and months to come.

Beauty.....and Ashes (Part II)

2011-07-22T15:50:00.018-05:00

If you haven't already done so, please scroll down and read Part I of this post first.

After leaving the post office district, we stopped by Kaldi's (Ethiopia's version of Starbucks) to decompress a little (and pass some time until our dinner reservations.

(Some of our crew at Kaldi's.....Ashley, Kim, Becky, Me and Ashley)

Our dinner, on this evening, was at a traditional Ethiopian Restaurant, complete with traditional dancing and singing. At one point, Ali and some of the P61 boys joined in and then Maste did Kortnie a huge favor (wink, wink) and had her recruited for a traditional Ethiopian wedding dance.

One of the coolest things about this evening was that we were joined by some very special people. Actually, when it came time to leave Kaldi's and head to the restaurant, a few of us had to stay behind as one of the vans had gone on a little mission. I was on the left behind van (which actually turned out to be a fun blessing).

The van and driver had actually gone to Korah to pick up three awesome kids whose sponsors were on our team. The boys came to dinner with us and then back to the guest house. Sweet, sweet boys. They spent a couple of nights with us and had a great time being part of the team. Sponsorship through Project 61 is so very personal and it was such a treat for all of us to watch these relationships bloom. After the day that we had had, we needed to see the HOPE that sponsorship brings.

(This is Deborah and her daughter Kenya. They sponsor this little cutie, Maluken Abram aka "Winker")

(Here are the boys at the Guest Home after they have showered and loaded up with a backpack full of goodies....all decked out in their OH gear. This is Seasay, Maluken and Robel)

In addition to these P61 boys, we were also joined by Kelly's Ethiopian son's (Nathan) biological mother and sister (Hewitt). Hewitt came home with us on this night as well and spent the remainder of the week serving alongside us. It is safe to say that we all fell deeply in love with this young girl and it was evidenced by the tears (hers and ours) as we said goodbye to her at the airport.

A little side story regarding this night was that they almost didn't allow our van-load into the restaurant. Apparently, the President of South Korea was there. Maste (our guide) successfully convinced the guards to let us in and, in order to do so, we had to pass through a metal detector just to get dinner.

Injera (this spongy tortilla like bread) is the food of choice in Ethiopia. There is no silverware; you simply tear a piece of the injera and lay it on top of the item you'd like to eat and then pinch it up with the bread and eat it all in one bite. I had eaten Ethiopian cuisine here in Nashville on one occasion and, to be honest, wasn't impressed. But the real thing there was much better.

(Some of our gang.....Ali, Kortnie, Andy, Tucker and Kim)

(And the other half of our group.....Maste, Me, Ashley, Becky, Ashley and Clay)

(This was a neat part of the traditional meal.....warm water and soap.....I guess that's in place of a fork and spoon. ; )).

This night was so much fun and though it didn't erase the painful things we'd seen during the day, it did allow us to refuel, to laugh and to be ready for the following day.

Beauty.....and Ashes (Part I)

2011-07-21T10:52:00.017-05:00

It's Sunday morning which means we're going to worship!

What an experience it was for our team to all worship together at the Beza International Church. The service was in English and the worship was extraordinary. Not your typical Baptist singing. : ) We stood and sang praises for what must have been an hour although it didn't feel as if it were that long. The sermon was amazing and thought provoking.

At the end of the church service, a young local girl was trying to communicate with one of our team members (Ashley). As it turned out, she needed shoes so before we left Rachel gave her the shoes off of her feet. It was a beautiful symbol of sacrifice and love. Before the week was over, almost all of us gave away our own shoes. Just a little sharing of God's love and abundant grace and provision.

We returned to the Guest House for lunch and then headed over to the Post Office District to do some shopping at the marketplace and to play soccer with the least of the least of these; the street children. Our minds don't want to believe that children are motherless, fatherless, homeless and desperate. But I'm here to tell you that they are. In this area of Addis Ababa, many street children wander, beg and sell their wares simply to survive. They are hungry, dirty and broken.

We shopped the markets in this area (open-air "cubbies" on the side of the street) all the while being followed by children selling gum, Ethiopian toothbrushes and/or a shoe shine; by a mother carrying her nursing baby, following us and telling us, "sister, baby hungry"; by the handicapped man selling maps who doesn't take "no" for an answer but, practically mashes his face against the window of the van as we load up to leave. Sadder than sad. But it gets worse.....we have been instructed NOT to give to these people because it was not safe. Reaching into your pocket for one pack of crackers would cause a mob of people. So we shop and we try to shrug off the desperation of the people here, unsuccessfully.

Once the group is finished shopping, we go just across the way where there is a parking lot with children hanging out and playing soccer. Our guys want to play a game with them and we are eager for a break from the marketplace beggars. However, when we arrive at the parking lot, we are given strict instructions to keep our hands on our belongings at ALL times. We get out, most of us with cameras but leaving our backpacks in the locked and guarded (by our drivers/guides) vans. No one seems to speak English and, within literally minutes, there have been two attempted thefts (of cameras right out of a team members hand or pocket). A nearby "farenj" (foreigner in Amharic....a young white girl from the states) approaches us and explains that many of these children are high from sniffing glue or taking khat (khat according to wikipedia contains the alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite, and euphoria. It is legal in Ethiopia). They do it to survive and, sadly, to ease their hunger pangs. Communication is a problem and our visit here is brief. We leave with broken hearts; breaking, breaking...for what breaks His.

This boy, Abraham, broke our hearts perhaps the most. His clothes were dirty and ragged; he had no shoes and he was obviously high. We weren't able to help him on this day and, when we returned later in the week, didn't see him. It hurts to know that there are Abrahams on the streets of Addis Ababa but comforting to know that Abraham has a Savior.

Beauty.....and Ashes Part II coming soon.......(this day was just more than one post can contain).

Yezelelam Minch -and- Restoration Orphanage

2011-07-20T15:06:00.009-05:00

This would be our first FULL day in Ethiopia and FULL (and wonderful) it was.

We first drove to the office/headquarters for an organization called Yezelelam Minch. Here we were briefed on the program. YM is doing great things in this area of Addis; providing incentives for families in the village to assist in caring for the orphans there, running a feeding program, a baby orphanage and, on this day, teaching the children in a Saturday School class. In addition, YM has a sponsorship program (similar to Project 61 and Compassion International). Our team member's (Zack) family sponsors a girl from YM and, on this day, he was able to meet her.

After our briefing, we loaded the vans back up and drove to the area where the children were in class (and where they would be receiving lunch). When the children were dismissed, we spent some time in the courtyard area (between the church/school and the orphanage) painting nails, handing out candy and small toys, playing games and just visiting. At one point, the skies opened up and it rained and hailed for some time. This didn't quench the spirit of the kids or rain on our parade. It passed quickly...as did our time there as, soon, we were told that the children needed to head back into the village so that their parents/guardians wouldn't worry about them.

During our time there, one little girl attached herself to me. She was such a cutie and wanted me to hold her at all times. While in my arms, she would constantly touch and rub my face and kiss me over and over again.

Our guys had been having a soccer game with the older boys so, before we left, they had to pose for some team pictures. These boys were so proud and had had the greatest time.

We left YM and drove to Restoration Orphanage. This orphanage recently was in trouble and the children there were not doing well. Ashli York is a young lady who took this same OH trip this time last year. She fell in love with the people there and packed up and moved to Addis full time in October. God is using her mightily there as she has been working with Project 61 at Korah. However, she recently was asked to take over this struggling orphanage and it was a HUGE blessing for us all to see the fruits of her labor. This orphanage is beautiful and the children, clearly, are happy and loved. Several of the children have been chosen and will soon join their forever families. Unfortunately, I can not post pictures of the faces of children in orphanages but trust me when I say that we were blessed to see the care and love that these children are receiving. We had a fun time making t-shirts and mugs with these children. They also entertained us with several songs before we left. Again, I can't reiterate how well these children are thriving here. Good for the heart.

And we're off.....

2011-07-19T22:22:00.009-05:00

Months of planning and anticipation came to a halt when we headed to the airport for the first leg of our trip on Wednesday (7/6). We met up at the airport in Nashville with 13 of our team of 28. Two of our team members were already on the ground in Ethiopia and the others were coming from various other parts of the country. I was originally considering taking this trip alone but am so glad that my sister, Ashley, and I wound up doing it together. I think had she not been along, I would've been much more anxious and certainly enjoyed sharing the experience with her. The only other person that I even remotely knew were Kelly Putty and two girls who I'd never met (or met briefly) but follow their blogs (Hi Amy and Vanessa).

We flew to Washington DC and spent the night near the airport, only to return back there on Thursday morning for our flight to Ethiopia. We met up at our gate with the remainder of our team and made the final trek together.

As I've shared before, each team member had 2 (or 3) 50-pound bags of donations that had been checked. We had been told that we could check them in Nashville all the way through to Ethiopia. However, that did not happen. Therefore, when we arrived in DC, we all had to claim those giant donation bags and load them onto the hotel shuttle only to be loaded back up and rechecked the next morning. (By the way, I can't neglect mentioning what total gentlemen the guys on our trip were.....they were so helpful in handling all of this luggage and even stayed behind at the airport in DC to wait on the hotel shuttle to return since we couldn't all get on at one time....thanks Clay, Christian, Tucker and Andy!).

The flight from DC to Ethiopia was LONG.....13 hours elapsed from the time we left the US until we landed in ET. The plane was very nice and we enjoyed tracking our progress on the seat back (we also watched movies and played games like Solitaire).

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the bag dilemma(s) as when we arrived in Ethiopia and were clearing customs, about 2/3 of our group made it to the parking lot but the remainder of us were detained. It quickly became apparent that their reasons for why we were being detained were changing. They wanted to go through each and every bag and inspect our donations. We seemed to be at a standstill for quite some time. Eventually, (oh about 4-5 hours later) they did go through our bags and determined that we would need to pay tax on some select items (mostly new soccer balls, etc.). Eventually we were released (after paying what our guide Maste taught us was "skin tax") and made our way to our home away from home. I wish that I could describe to you what driving/riding in a car on the streets of Ethiopia is like. It was an adventure each and every day. There aren't many driving laws, road signs or traffic lights. I'm not sure if I saw one single stop sign the entire time. There is a lot of honking and what seemed to us like many close calls. It takes 2 years to receive your drivers license in ET and there are rarely (or so we were told) traffic accidents. It was always exciting as not only are the drivers dodging other cars and pedestrians but there is also livestock randomly wandering in and around the streets.

This delay caused us to miss what was to have been our first orphanage visit but it allowed us to get settled into the Ethiopian Guest Home for the evening and get a decent night's rest. It also gave us time to get to know the neighborhood kids who were congregating outside of the guest home gates. Almost all of these children are in school and speak great English. They loved playing with the iPads, throwing frisbee and playing soccer. They were loyal to our group all week....hanging out each morning when we got up and again in the afternoon/evenings when we returned to the guest house.

Cliff Notes Version - Ethiopia

2011-07-17T13:21:00.002-05:00

(Brief thoughts that I typed into my "journal" from each day of our trip.....I will blog more details regarding these experiences in the days/weeks to come).

For the time being, I am going to try to update the blog just with some details to chronicle each day. There is so much more to come…just as soon as my heart has time to process all that I’m seeing and experiencing.

Internet is sketchy (at best) and can’t be had at all in our third floor room here at the Ethiopian Guest Home, so I am typing into a word document and will later (when I catch a wave on the world wide web) post. Because of this, I can’t see my last post and recall exactly what it said. I apologize, in advance, for any repetition.

Day One (Wednesday, July 6^th)

Met at the airport in Nashville at 4:15 pm. 13 of our team of 28 left on this flight at 6:30 pm bound for Washington DC where we would (and did) spend the night.

Day Two (Thursday, July 7^th)

Boarded a flight at 12:00 pm. Next stop - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Day Three (Friday, July 8^th)

YES, you read that right, we didn’t arrive until the following day in ET). To be exact, 8:00 am (Ethiopia time) arrived in Addis Ababa. Things didn’t go as we’d planned at the airport (to put it mildly) and we were “detained” there for 5 hours. (I’ll try to explain more about this later but let’s just say, oftentimes in Ethiopia, they make up the rules as they go along). Because of this, we were unable to report to what was to have been our first orphanage (El Olam) to feed the children. Always an adventure, remember? Twenty six (two others joined us here) extremely tired people arrived at our Guest Home, unloaded the mounds of luggage and began sorting donations. WOW at the donations, by the way (each team member had 2-50 pound bags each –PLUS- we had 5 additional 50 pound bags. This, by the way, was the reason we were “detained” at the airport. As we checked into our rooms and peeked out the windows, the “street children” were starting to gather; waving to us from below and smiling widely. We headed out into the street and began to visit and play with the children (soccer, iPads, lollipops, etc.). What a blessing it was to see their faces, shake their hands and hug their necks. What started out as a frustrating day turned out to be a HUGE blessing. Beauty from ashes, for sure. We were able, from the donations, to provide many of the children with shoes, soccer jerseys, etc. Such fun.

Day Four (Saturday, July 9^th)

Our breakfast was served from 7:30-8:30 this morning and then off we went. We loaded the vans with donations and headed out to Yezelelem Minch. We were briefed on the program and then taken over into the village where the children were attending Sunday School (on Saturday; yes you read that right). Once they were dismissed, we had some time to play with them, hand out more lollipops, etc. This was a sweet time with the people of this village. As we were leaving, there was a young girl (age 20) there wanting help. She was homeless and had seen us in “town” and followed the van to the village to see if we could help her. The needs here are great. Next, we stopped by Restoration Orphanage to love on some little ones. We had a great time there; the children are being provided great care there. Heartwarming.

Day Five (Sunday, July 10^th)

We worshipped today at the Beza International Church. Such reverent worship with brothers and sisters in Christ. It was an English service (their earlier service is in Amharic) and was more than I can really put into words right now. We had lunch back at the Guest Home and then headed out to an area here known as the Post Office District. There is, in fact, a Post Office there but our mission was to visit the market place where locally made and culturally relevant souveneirs are sold. This was an experience that I’m not sure I was prepared for (even though I’d been warned). There are many beggars at the market area and we’re not talking about people with signs who say, “will work for food”. I’m talking about people who follow you around and BEG for help. Food, money, etc. It was more than just a little overwhelming but I was able to purchase some nice momentoes from the trip. Following our shopping experience, we went just across the road to a parking lot where the local street children often hang out and play soccer. I believe that I used the term “street children” in a paragraph above speaking about the kids who wait for us outside of the Guest Home. This is a completely different thing as those children have homes near the Guest Home….the just tend to hang out in the street. The “street children” in the Post Office District actually live in and on the streets. They are oftentimes motherless and fatherless; they are dirty, hungry and, oftentimes, high from sniffing glue or chewing "chat". It seems they are always desperate. Our intent in going there was to allow the guys on our team to play a pick-up game of soccer. They did play for a while but our time there was brief. We hope to return there before we leave one last time. It would be nice to be able to give out some of our donations there but it is simply not safe; I’m not sure how that is going to work out.

Day Six (Monday, July 11^th)

Today was our first day to head out into the countryside. We headed out bright and early and drove 2-3 hours South to Woliso Orphanage. The countryside was beautiful and just what you imagine Africa to look like. We saw mud houses and grass/straw huts. We saw farmers plowing behind plows that were powered by oxen. We saw many workers out in the fields and their children helping or shepherding the sheep; the smaller ones were playing on their own in the fields. We saw donkey carrying LARGE loads of hay/straw and/or water jugs on their backs and people gathering water from what, to us, was nothing more than a dirty mud hole on the side of the road. There were women washing the laundry in basins out in the “yard” and clothes hanging out to dry. There was beauty to be seen hand in hand with the stark realization that people are living this way in 2011 (actually, in Ethiopia it’s only 2003 now). Many (I would almost guess MOST) of the people that we saw were without shoes. As we approached the part of “town” where Woliso is, it became even more heart breaking. These children (and their families) are , BY FAR, the poorest I have ever seen. As our vans drove through the village, though, the smiles and waves for the white people ("fringe') were more humbling than I can put into words. We are quite the spectacle here and always draw a crowd. We arrived at Woliso and drove into the gates to unload, we were given a tour of the orphanage and then broke into groups to do crafts, play games, read stories and paint nails and faces. All the while, the village children (and many of their mothers) were gathering outside of the fence….little faces peering in in anticipation of a visit with us. Following our time at the orphanage, we walked through the village and were invited into 3 different homes. All mud/straw huts; either one room or two with nothing more than a foam mattress or just a pallet of blankets on the floor. Almost all of the children (and adults) were shoeless and many of the children were bare-bottomed. Children were carrying their siblings on their backs and the flies….oh my word….the flies. They were covering the children’s faces and they are so accustomed to it that they don’t even attempt to swat them away. Just life as they know it. We had brought donations for these children (as Kelly had seen the need on a previous visit and her heart longed to provide for them) and we attempted to gain some order and begin passing out shoes, clothes and UNDERWEAR. Kelly had remembered their being, maybe 20 children there in the streets outside of the orphanage last year and so we thought it would be a cinch. However, the crowd had grown to about 200 and it quickly became chaotic. We were able to hand out most of what we had but, reached a point, where we simply had to pack it up because it had become so crazy. Sometimes it is hard to see God’s glory in some of this but, on this day, I found it in panties and briefs and little bottoms that were bare when we arrived were now covered up and belonged to children with smiles on their faces. I’m not sure what all I can share about this area and this orphanage at this time but I would ask you; in fact, I beg you, to pray for these people. My heart is very heavy for them. And I’m sure that God’s is too.

Day 7 (Tuesday, July 12^th)

First stop today was the “sheep market” (which is nothing more than an empty lot on the side of the road where farmers bring their sheep to sell each day). There we purchased 45 sheep. Something I don’t do every day. I promise pictures later because you really have to see it to believe it but those sheep were thrown (alive and baa-ing), legs tied, onto the top of our van where they made the trek with us to Korah. I have blogged about Korah before. Five of those sheep were being slaughtered to feed the children (luckily we didn’t have to watch this) but the other 40 were being gifted to several families who have land. These sheep will help these families to build a flock of their own and provide for themselves; life changing. At Korah, we were divided into groups where we taught the children some conversational English. After that, we assisted in serving the children their lunch (rice and bread) and then spent some time visiting with the local children in the streets. We all carry backpacks everywhere we go and it is universally known that those backpacks contain candy and snacks, maybe a toy or two. This (and our white skin) make us extremely popular. The hot topic on the streets of Korah (amongst the children and the white people) is about “SPONSORS”. Education, in Ethiopia, is not a right but a privilege and there is no free public education here. Any child who goes to school has to pay for that education. Project 61 has come into Korah and is helping to educate the children with the help of sponsors. The children KNOW that sponsorship can and will change their lives and I was taken back by the fact that sponsors, more than candy, were at the forefront of their minds. You’ll be hearing more about sponsorship from me in future posts. I met a young boy on this day, Taraqu, whose friend was taking him from one "fringe'" (white person) to another, advocating for a sponsor for him. He would say, "Taraqu needs a sponsor....he is a clever student". I agreed to sponsor Taraqu and have some stories to share with you about him and the blessing that HE has already been to ME (not exactly the way that that was supposed to happen).

Day 8 (July 13, 2011)

We set out this morning with the intention to visit a privately run orphanage North of Addis Ababa. We thought that it was approximately an hour and a half drive. After 2 ½ hours, we realized we had passed our destination and turned around and headed back. In the meantime, the director of the orphanage speaks with our guide and has decided (since he discovered that we were not bringing a CASH donation) that he is not going to allow us there. On to Plan B (this is where we make it up as we go along). The team is transported in three separate vans and, as we are stopped one behind the other, to discuss what to do next, the area children begin to appear. We are able to spend a few minutes passing out clothes, shoes, Bibles and, of course, “cahndee”. We head back in to Addis to find a place to stop and eat our packed lunch and our guide, Bizrat (“Bizzy”) came up with a great plan. So, after lunch, we headed up the mountain to a village where the women carry eucalyptus branches in HUGE bundles on their backs down into “town”. We went to an open field where the children play and, of course, started a soccer game. The children began to come and we were able to load many of them up with new clothes, shoes, blankets for the babies, fun jewelry for the little girls and, again, “cahndee”. As we experienced at Woliso on Monday, once the parents begin to arrive to get in on the loot, things quickly become out of hand so we had to pack it up and go. However, two of our vans stopped on the way down the hill and each took the load of one of the women who was making her way down to town; they loaded her branches on top of the car and gave her a ride to her destination. And then, on top of that, Kelly and Lauren took the shoes off of their own feet and gave them to these ladies. Unfortunately, my van had gone ahead so I wasn’t able to experience this firsthand but ALL of the reports seem to add up to one blessed experience for all involved. These women make this trip 3 times each day but, today, their burden was lifted for just a while.

Day 9 (July 14, 2011)

We loaded up the vans for a journey today....off to visit the Hope Ethiopia site. I'm not exactly sure but we drove South approximately 2 hours and then turned off the main (paved) road onto a dirt one. On past trips, the dirt road was an indication that we were almost there but not today. We traveled on that dirt road for another hour and ten minutes. It was, by far, the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. We eventually arrived at the Hope Ethiopia site and their guide joined us as we ended our journey in the little village there. As we drove into the area, it was evident that the land, the crops and the livestock were healthier than we'd seen. Hope Ethiopia has a reforestation project in this area and you could see the fruit of their work. It is our understanding that only 14 teams have ever made the trek out to this area, none of them to work with the children and, as we began to visit with them, it was evident. Many of them were scared of us and communicating was extremely difficult. They do not speak Amharic (native Ethiopia language) here but their own tribal language which meant that we did not have a translator. Love is universal though so we began to do what we do (soccer, crafts, hugs, cameras, "cahndee"). As I was opening some craft kits for the children to do, I opened up markers and set the items in front of them, I quickly realized that these children had NO idea what to do with a marker. I had to show them to take the top off and color with it. Unbelievable. These children were extremely dirty and COVERED in flies; on their faces, in their eyes. Heartbreaking. We loaded up and drove back down the dirt road to the Hope Ethiopia office. This area was fenced in with barbwire and had a large gate. We had brainstormed about a better way to pass out donations and thought we had it figured out. The families lined up outside of the gates and were let in 5 or 10 at a time. We were stationed inside the area with shoes, clothes, mosquito nets (malaria is a problem here) and food to pass out. It went very well. For a while. We have noted that each time we try to hand out donations, it goes fairly smoothly until the adults arrive. Once they realize what is going on, their desperation to get something for their children (or themselves) drives them to seek things more aggressively than we feel is manageable. Unfortunately, once again, this forced us to close up shop and load the vans. This time, however, instead of loading the items on top of the vans to return to the Guest Home, we simply placed what was left (mostly little girls panties) inside the vans with us and, as we made the long drive back out of the area, we were able to toss panties (and candy and mosquito nets) out of the vans to the little girls (and boys too) walking alongside the road. As crazy as it sounds, this was one of the highlights of the trip. So fun to bless others in this way when they weren't expecting it. We made a stop back by Restoration Orphanage this day as well as many of our hearts had connected with these kids and we needed one last time to love on them there.

Day 10 (July 15, 2011)

We could hardly believe that this was our last day...what a blessing this time has been to each of us. We headed back to Korah; an area that has just stolen all of our hearts. We had promised the children that we'd be back on Friday and they were eagerly awaiting our arrival. The sheep we had bought earlier in the week were slaughtered and cooked up for lunch (a HUGE treat for these children who normally eat rice and bread). We broke up into groups and served lunch. Many of us were invited into the homes of various children. I will blog later about my visit to Taraqu's home. We loaded up the vans with some of the children and took them to a nearby field for a soccer game. After returning them to Korah, we made one last stop at the marketplace for last minute purchases and then went back to the Guest House to pack up and load the vans. We grabbed a bite to eat and then went to the airport to catch our 10:00 pm flight back to Washington DC.

From the time we got to the airport in Addis Ababa (7:15 ET time) to the time we arrived in Nashville (4:30 pm Central Time) was approximately 28 hours (including layovers, etc.). You'd be safe to assume we were a little tired (and stinky since time didn't allow for a shower after serving in Korah). But all of our hearts are bursting with love for this country and the people there.

I look forward to sharing details and pictures in posts to come.

I have an Ethiopia-shaped hole in my heart.

Bullet-Point Style (from DC)

2011-07-06T23:56:00.002-05:00

Waterworks (tears for those of you who are unfamiliar with that term) have been plentiful today. BUT GOD (don't you just love those two words) is so gracious to me. One after another, my phone notified me of a text and then a Facebook message and then an email; and while I was reading that, the phone would ring. So many reminders of how much He loves me. Thanks to so many of you for being a vessel of that love.
They say to expect the unexpected in Africa. "Everything's an adventure" I've been told. I've tried to prepare myself for that and my personality type is not A so, so far so good. However, I was a little unprepared for "the unexpected" to begin before we left Nashville.
I was chugging right along at the airport (waterworks had ceased) and then over Jordan's shoulder as I hugged him, I caught a glimpse of the cutest "little" teenaged girl (I'm the mom of two teenagers so I can say that) saying goodbye to her family with GIANT crocodile tears. And so I joined her....one last time. For good measure. That "little" teenaged girl, by the way, is on my team and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for her on this trip too.
The thirteen of us (there are 28 of us total; others who are coming from different parts of the country will join us here tomorrow for our final flight) sailed right through security.
They called our group to board and we headed down that little passageway to the plane (what's that thing called anyway) and, lo and behold, there was no plane at the end of it. We were getting on a baby plane across the parking lot. Not expected but not a problem. We got all settled in and the next thing we know (this is that "everything's an adventure" part of the story) we are told we are deplaning (that means get off, by the way). So, off we went back into the terminal for what we were told would be approximately 45 minutes. Only....about 5 minutes later (no joke), they tell us to get back on.
The flight to DC was uneventful and seemed to sail by. I think that that had something to do with my fabulous next seat neighbor (Hi LeAnn) who was great company.
One of the glitches we hoped to avoid was having to claim our checked baggage here in DC only to recheck tomorrow. We had hoped the airlines would transfer it over and send it straight through. But, you know, "everything's an adventure" and that just didn't happen. What that means is that we each had two checked bags, each weighing 50 pounds each PLUS a backpack PLUS a carry-on. It was quite a load to say the least. So much so that it took the hotel shuttle two trips to get all of us and all of our stuff to the hotel. But we're all here safe and sound and we'll start it all over again at 7:00 am.
The tears, by the way, were for what I was leaving (my precious family) and an anxious anticipation of what I'm about to experience.
If I could be specific about a couple of prayer requests, it would be for continued traveling mercies, of course. But, specifically, that Ethiopian Airlines would be gracious with our carry-on baggage tomorrow. Their guidelines say 15 pounds but it's hard to pack 10 days worth of "stuff" into those parameters. I know I'm over and so are many others. We didn't catch a break in Nashville with the checked bags; maybe this will be the one.

Jeff, Jordan and Braeden......I love you SO much; thank you for allowing me to have this experience. I miss you already and am so blessed by your love.

Packing, unpacking and packing some more

2011-07-05T10:30:00.003-05:00

If someone had videoed each of my many packing moments and pieced them together in one long (and I do mean, LONG) film, it would definitely fall into the "comedy" category. Deciding/knowing what I might need for 10 days in a third world country (a country, by the way, where it's currently winter and the rainy season) is daunting. It has been an ever-changing list but now it's time to be decisive and live with what I've brought along.

The whole packing saga often gives me glimpses of my "American-ness"; my selfishness and vanity (don't forget the flat iron!). The fact that all of my personal belongings for the 10 days must be packed into a carry-on and a backpack was quite shocking to me (my two checked bags have been filled with orphanage donations) but perspective is everything and I wouldn't trade an inch of space in one of those donation bags for another me thing. After all, the stuff in those bags will cover bare feet....and bare bottoms and, most of all, be an outward practical expression of the love I've come to show them. So what if I show them in dirty jeans. ; )

At the time I am finishing this post (I actually started it yesterday but never got back around to it), I am less than one hour from heading to the airport. I'm fairly laid back about most everything and, thus far, have been calm about this whole trip. However, in the last 24 hours, the nervousness and anxiousness have been turned up a notch (or TEN). I suddenly feel as if I am right there, on the precipice of something BIG....and I am. My sweet friend, Leigh, likened it earlier today to my wedding and the births of my children. BIG events, LOTS of anxiety and fear but AWESOME blessings in the end.

As my fears and anxieties have increased so have the calls, the texts, the facebook messages and the prayers. God is just good like that.

I will post if I can while I'm away. And, if I can't, be ready for a doozy when I return.

Catching Up and Taking Off

2011-06-30T17:54:00.009-05:00

And, just like that, I'm six days (SIX DAYS!!!) away from the beginning of the end of my journey to Ethiopia.

It has been an absolute privilege for me to watch the hands and the feet come together and join with me on this trip. A trip that was born of a love for people that I don't even know. I asked Him to break my heart for what breaks His. And He has (or at least He has begun to.....I have this sneaky feeling that this is only the beginning).

I want to chronicle a little of what has happened since I last posted.

Initially, I wasn't certain that I wanted to fundraise for this trip but it didn't take long for God to show me differently. He impressed upon me that this trip wasn't only for me and that there was a role for others to play. Also, I believe that he wanted me to put myself out there and work to raise the funds and, I'm not certain that I know ALL of the reasons for that but I know this......I have been blessed. I have been blessed by people who shopped at our Yard Sale who told us to "keep the change", who brought items for us to sale, who made a donation even though they didn't buy a thing. I have been blessed by the Sunday mornings at church when I was handed donations for the children we will meet. I was blessed by Eli (see previous post) and his friends who gave for the sake of children who aren't as blessed as they are. I have been blessed by people who unexpectedly (and quietly) made a donation to my trip online or who made a purchase from Ordinary Hero to benefit the cause. I have been blessed by the encouragement and the prayers of others and I have been blessed in being able to talk to people I otherwise may have never gotten to talk to about Ethiopia, about orphans and about Christ and what He is doing in me and for me. The cost of this trip is approximately $3,300.00 Initially, as I said, I wasn't sure that I was going to try to raise any of it. And, then, I thought I'd attempt to raise half. I shudder now at the blessings I would have missed along the way had I not stepped out in faith to watch Him fund what He favors. Instead of 50% of the trip costs, God blessed me through various means with closer to 90%.

Ashley and I held a Yard Sale in which we split all proceeds. We set out dreaming BIG....saying, "wouldn't it be AWESOME if we could each earn $1,000.00"? Later...as the sale became reality, I didn't tell Ashley but I decided that that was silly and that I'd just be totally pumped if we could each earn $500.00. (Ashley later confessed to me that she had similar thoughts about our BIG plans of $1,000.00 each).

Well, I'm guessing none of you will be surprised to learn that that Yard Sale earned us..... ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. EACH! That God......he's something else, isn't He?

I sold Ugandan Acacia Bead necklaces (a fundraiser made available by Visiting Orphans (dot org) and I fundraised through Ordinary Hero (dot org) where 40% of all sales made on my behalf were donated to my trip.

And so, here we are; at the end of the beginning. Next Wednesday evening, I depart from Nashville for Washington DC. We will spend the night there and then leave on Thursday at Noon. Some (many) hours later (13 according to my itinerary), we will land in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I hope to blog from there, although we've been warned that internet is questionable at best. There is an internet cafe that I may have an occasional chance to visit. I will try to pre-write posts in a word document and then copy and paste them into the blog if and when I get a chance and/or email info to Jeff that he can copy and paste into the blog.

I hope to post one more time before we leave but, just in case I'm unable, I covet your prayers for myself, for Ashley and for our entire team; not to mention the people that we will come in contact with along the way. I pray that I will allow His light to shine in me and that, in all I say and do, He is glorified.

Do You Know What An Ordinary Hero Looks Like?

2011-04-20T16:58:00.010-05:00

I sure do.

As I prepare for my trip to Ethiopia, the "ordinary heroes" just keep showing up. They show up in the form of ladies at church who bring me little boys & girls underwear for the children of Ethiopia because they heard that the littles there love their own undies. They appear in the form of sweet friends who bring me Crocs and rain boots to share with children who have none for their bare feet. They are out there combing the shelves of yard sales and thrift shops for sweet little dolls and then taking them home and cleaning them up before delivering them to me so that some little girl will have a fresh, clean baby to love. They are friends and family who quietly donate online through Visiting Orphans toward my trip costs. They spend a day working hard at our fundraising yard sale; they clean out closets and donate items we can sell (and sell we did....yard sale post coming soon). They clip coupons and, weekly, bring me bags of toothpaste and toothbrushes to donate to the people of Korah. They sell Ugandan magazine beads in their offices and hair salons because they believe in the cause and they drop off things like Dum Dums (suckers) and Matchbox cars out of nothing but love.

And sometimes they are sweet little boys who, for their birthday, ask their friends to bring items for the children of Ethiopia instead of gifts for himself. And just like that story we've all heard about the starfish. He/we can't save them all but he/we can make a difference for at least one.

Thanks to one of my favorite ordinary heroes, Eli; I am so very proud of the sacrifice that you made on behalf of the children in Ethiopia who will be so very blessed by the gifts of you and your friends.

But I Know NOW

2011-04-18T09:21:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time....I didn't know that Ethiopia, a country that's smaller than twice the size the state of Texas, was home to 5,000,000 orphans. FIVE MILLION.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that, in Ethiopia, one in ten children will die before their first birthday; one in six before they're 5.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that the average life expectancy in Ethiopia is 49 years old.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that, due to malnutrition, 50% of Ethiopian children have stunted growth; malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than half of all child deaths.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that, in Ethiopia, there is 1 physician for every 34,988 people.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that the literacy rate in Ethiopia was 36%.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that only 22% of Ethiopians have access to safe water.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that the average ANNUAL income in Ethiopia was $180.00; I didn't know that the country ranks in the bottom 7% globally in annual per capita income.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that only 26% of Ethiopian children will ever go to secondary school. Actually, only half will ever attend school at all.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that over 575,000 children have been orphaned due to the AIDS-related deaths of one or both of their parents.

But I know now.

Once upon a time....I didn't know that there are as many as 150,000 orphaned children living on the streets in Ethiopia.

But I know now.

I didn't know that there were people, like those in Korah, who live in and out of a trash dump. I didn't know that they were shoeless, diaperless and hungry. But I know now. And now that I know, I have a responsibility. What does that look like? I'm not 100% certain. We do everything that we can. To start, we make prayer for the people of Ethiopia a priority. We keep our eyes, our ears and our hearts open to what He would have us to do. It means that we do things to assist (financially and otherwise); whether it be through an organization like Ordinary Hero, Project 61, Compassion International or a family who is in the process of adopting; it means that we make others aware so that they too become responsible to do something. We hope, we pray, we encourage, we help.

I suspect that God will throw some doors WIDE OPEN for us on my upcoming trip. I look forward with hopeful anticipation and complete awe to having my heart broken a little (or A LOT) more for what breaks His.

ONCE OUR EYES ARE OPENED, WE CANNOT PRETEND WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. GOD, WHO WEIGHS OUR HEARTS AND KEEPS OUR SOULS KNOWS AND HOLDS US RESPONSIBLE TO ACT. Proverbs 24:12

OH Gives

2011-04-16T15:39:00.004-05:00

Ordinary Hero is all about the giving.

As an OH affiliate, they GIVE me 40% toward my trip costs for all purchases made on my behalf.

Now through Sunday, they are GIVING 20% off on all orders.

In addition, they will GIVE the top seller during this sale a $500.00 grant. They will GIVE the second place seller, $300.00 and GIVE the third place seller, $200.00.

At www.ordinaryherostore.org, you can buy a little something for yourself OR you can order one of the items (or packages) that they have available which will be GIVEN to an orphan in Africa. Blankets, shoes, rain jackets....or a great combo package deal of all three for one price.

Currently, I'm in the top ten participating affiliates so the race is ON for those grants. Go on over and help OH give and go.

(20% discount is deducted at checkout and, in order for me to receive proper credit, you must select my name from the drop-down affiliate box).

Friends With News

2011-04-10T16:29:00.003-05:00

Our sweet friends, The Hulshofs, received their referral(s) on Friday !!!

We have gotten a sneak peek at the faces of two cute girls who will soon be Hulshofs and are so excited for this family, whom we love so much.

If you don't already, follow them here and watch the rest of this story take place.

The hope is that Chris & Valerie will have a court date in June. Typically, the return visit to bring the girls home would be a matter of weeks later (sometimes 3-4, sometimes 6 or more). If things work out the way that it looks like they will, I hope to be able to visit the girls (Hannah and Aby) and take them a care package while I'm in Ethiopia in early July.

I am so excited for this family and eagerly watching God unfold the story of their family.

Update(S)

2011-03-24T15:42:00.003-05:00

I have been neglectful in updating since my previous post regarding the scare surrounding Ethiopian adoptions. As it turns out, prayers have been answered and all seems well in Ethiopia. I am praising God for the following, posted by the Joint Council:

Since announcement, the Department of State has heard many rumors, but none have been substantiated. The U.S. Embassy can confirm that the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs has shuffled the portfolios of key adoption personnel. The Embassy has not been able to confirm how this reorganization may affect the processing of cases through the ministry. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is discussing the possibility of developing a consolidated assistance proposal to MOWA to find out what the resource needs are and find what assistance can be given to allow MOWA to accomplish their goals.

In the meantime, for the Williams family, time seems to be racing by at lightning speed. There is so much going on in our lives and in the upcoming months. Currently, we are "Spring Breaking" in Destin, FL where the weather is beautiful and the time together as a family is priceless. This is the last Spring Break of its kind as Jordan will soon be graduating from High School. This time next year, he'll be off to Union University and it's highly likely that the boys' Spring Breaks won't coincide for a trip like this one.

Another sign of time NOT standing still is the fact that Braeden will be celebrating a BIG birthday on Sunday.......can't believe he'll be THIRTEEN !!!!

In addition to Jordan's May graduation, Jeff graduates from Vanderbilt in July (with his MBA) but, first, he'll be taking his International Residency trip with his class (to Budhapest and Istanbul) in late April/early May.

I continue to prepare for my upcoming trip to Ethiopia. I am currently fundraising through Ordinary Hero. In addition, my sister (Ashley) and I will be holding the first of two yard sales on April 8th and 9th (at her home in Murfreesboro). So many people have been so gracious to donate items to the sale. We currently have one bay of our garage FILLED with items for the sale AND friends of Ashley's are housing another LARGE collection of items.

Speaking of collecting, I continue to be overwhelmed and humbled by the individuals in my church who, each week, bring me goodies for the children in Ethiopia. I can hardly wait to see the faces of the little ones when we take these items over. I have one special contributor who I plan to post about soon.

On Friday, March 25th, ORDINARY HERO is offering a matching grant for the first affiliate to raise $100.00. If you were considering ordering some OH gear for yourself/family, tomorrow would be a great time to do it. When making your purchase, simply choose my name from the drop-down box in order for me to receive 40% toward my trip costs.

Lastly.....for some time, I have followed the blog of a local family who adopted from Ethiopia. As it turns out, the Mom of this family (Amy) will be traveling on the same OH trip to Ethiopia. In addition, she recently linked to another blogger (Kim) who also will be on the trip. Kim is currently doing a giveaway on her blog with proceeds from the donations given benefitting El Olam Orphanage (which we will be visiting).

I apologize for the randomness of this post. I just felt like I had some catching up to do, but vacation calls and I likely didn't do this post justice. I have more posts swirling around in my head......promise to update soon.

A Call to Action and A Call to Prayer

2011-03-08T19:12:00.007-06:00

The Ethiopian Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) has announced a proposal to decrease the number of adoptions they will process and approve—even by as much as 90%. They intend to achieve this decrease by reducing the current number of cases seen each work day from 50....to 5. That's 45 orphans who will wait longer for their forever families. This change is currently set to begin on March 10, 2011. The implications of this proposal are huge.

To attempt to counteract this proposal, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) has put a “Call to Action” in place. This sort of international advocacy is what JCICS does, and they do it well. Below you will find a link to their "Call to Action" post with steps on how you can help. Please take a moment to advocate in this way for the orphans of Ethiopia.

http://betheanswerforchildren.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/emergency-campaign-for-ethiopia/

More importantly.....PRAY.

Pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

- God is still in control.

Pray for God to breakdown strongholds of the enemy.

- Every child deserves the right to grow up in a healthy family, and adoptive families provide that for thousands of children each year. Pray that God would demolish the strongholds that are set up against adoption.

Pray for God to fulfill His promises.

- God defines Himself as the Father to the Fatherless. He declares He will set the lonely in families. He warns those who would interfere with His plan to bring justice and mercy that is due to them. Find the orphan scriptures, pray them to God, and ask Him to fulfill those promises to the children of Ethiopia.

Pray for the courts and judges and government officials making this decision.

- Ask the Holy Spirit to permeate the courtroom and convict the hearts of the judges and other government officials. Bring the power of the Holy Spirit into these discussions and proceedings--not that we would get our way--but that God's perfect will would be fulfilled in these decisions.

Pray for the children and families

- That God would shorten their wait times. Fortunately, God is bigger than these obstacles. Pray that waiting children would receive comfort. And pray that waiting families would experience peace, grace, and love from those around them.

While things are uncertain, our best response is prayer.

(Prayer guidelines from Tom Davis @ Red Letters)

GIVE or GO

2011-03-02T17:08:00.010-06:00

To fundraise or not to fundraise....that is the question.

I believe, in Missions, that there are those who GO and those who GIVE. In years past, Jeff & I (for various reasons) have been unable to GO; however, we have been so very blessed to be able to GIVE.

And now that I have decided to GO, I have struggled with whether or not to fundraise for the trip but, in the end, we decided that we DID share in the blessings on those trips that we were able to GIVE toward. We don't want to steal that blessing from anyone; therefore, I will be doing some fundraising leading up to this trip.

First, you may visit Visiting Orphans and make a tax deductible donation there by clicking on the "Donate" link. Once there, you'll answer "yes" to the question regarding whether or not your gift should be designated to a particular team member. At that point, you enter my name in the allocated field.

Second, Ordinary Hero will give 40% of all of the proceeds from their sales at THIS LINK to my trip. I love this organization....I love their products. I love their motto. I love their message. You really can "change the world for one". (If you plan to purchase from OH, you must use the specific link above in order for me to receive credit for your purchase.....click on "THIS LINK" above).

Edited to add: Ordinary Hero is matching proceeds for the first fundraiser to reach $300.00 in purchases.....if you're thinking of buying yourself an OH t-shirt or cool bag, jump on over now and place your order. : )

Third, at some point later (details to come), we will likely be having two different Yard Sales. We will have one at my sister's in Murfreesboro in the Spring (possibly later this month) and one later at my home (maybe June) in Brentwood. We have LOTS of great stuff coming in which should make for a great sale!!!! Will keep you posted.

Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Why?

2011-02-24T08:52:00.003-06:00

I've been asked recently, questions like this:

Why do you feel the need to go?
Why are you going?
How did you get to this place?
And, in all honesty, I've even heard......
What in the hell are you thinking?

So I thought I'd share.......

In a nutshell, God has (for several years), placed a conviction upon my heart regarding the orphan. I have struggled at times knowing how I am to answer that call as my husband didn't necessarily have the same convictions. That matters because all I could think of to do to help an orphan was to adopt one (silly me) and, obviously, if your husband's not on board, it's not a good idea. In all seriousness, Jeff and I have always believed (and preached to others) that God would not divide a marriage.....ever.....by telling one spouse to do something that he doesn't also tell the other to do. So I'd go on feeling the weight of needing to do something and every so often I'd mention it to Jeff who would remind me that he didn't feel called to adopt. We would agree to pray about it and move on.

I'm somewhat of a slow learner, apparently; but eventually I realized that I had to do something.....something that I could do on my own (seeing how it was my conviction and all). In the beginning, that something was reading and becoming informed (of the orphan crisis, of statistics and solutions, of stories and ideas). I began to make donations to families who were fundraising for their own adoptions and/or purchasing products from organizations that benefitted the orphan crisis in some way.

The more that I read and the more that I learned, the more my heart hurt.

Eventually, I was no longer randomly giving via links on the internet (oh I still do that too but it became more personal) but, through some of what I believe to be God-ordained meetings, began to develop some personal relationships with people who were/are more involved in the cause than I. Some of those, I shared here.

Long story short, God's word says that He will care for the orphan and the widow. It also says that His people are His arms and feet. I desire, for this one week, to BE has hands and feet in Ethiopia and see where He leads from there.

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub, Lots of Crocs in the Tub

2011-02-03T14:21:00.007-06:00

We interrupt the regularly scheduled series (Looking Back/Looking Forward) to share the following......

As we prepare to go to Ethiopia, one of the items that I am collecting in order to take over to donate to the people there are shoes; specifically Crocs or Croc-type shoes.

Why Crocs, you ask?

Well, personally, I have chosen to place much of my collection concentration on these shoes because they are so lightweight. Remember, whatever I take over has to fit into two pieces of luggage (50 pounds each) to be checked at the airport. Crocs, as you know are extremely lightweight and I just feel that I can carry over so many more pair.

So, with this in mind, I have been turned onto something new and different (for me). I've often heard a couple of my girlfriends talk about shopping at the Goodwill "Dig" Store. My friend, Gina, is the best thrifter ever and, one day last week, we headed out for my first digging experience. This Goodwill Store is not your average Goodwill Store (I've shopped at lots of those lots of time). This is the end-of-the-road for items that haven't sold at typical stores and it is all "displayed" on large rolling tables. You must literally "dig" to find your sold-by-the-pound bargains. (Word to the wise....don't forget your gloves and some hand sanitizer).

My sister, Ashley, and I went again today. In the last two weeks, I have purchased 51 pair of Crocs. (I have also purchased some rainboots, other shoes, toys/dolls, jackets, etc.). The Crocs wind up being about $1.50 per pair.

Now....when you buy used shoes at the Goodwill "dig", they need to be cleaned up and the best way I could decide to accomplish this was to dump them all in a hot, soapy tub. They've all been Pine-Sol'ed, soaped up, scrubbed, rinsed and are currently drying. Soon, I will pack them up and add others along the way.

Could you pray with me for the little (and big) feet that will someday wear all of these?

Looking Back In Order to Look Forward - Part V

2011-02-02T06:00:00.002-06:00

AKA....Everybody gets FLIP-FLOPS !!!

If you have been following along the past few days, you are aware that I am looking back at the posts from the 2010 Ordinary Hero trip to Ethiopia. I will be taking this same trip in 2011 and I just wanted to spend some time looking back as I look forward.

Day 6 was a day spent visiting a few of the poorer orphanages, including another HIV orphanage. Those of you who know me (or have read my blog for any amount of time), know that I am a lover of flip-flops so, Kelly's Day 6 post was a great one for me to read as all of the children at one particular orphanage each got a new pair for their little feet.

This day was also significant in that Kelly was able to find her son Nathan's birth mom. More and more, I consider the sacrifice that a birthmother exhibits when she gives up her child for a better life. I also admire Shane and Kelly for making the effort to keep in touch with Nathan's first Mommy. Read the story and view the pictures of this day....enjoy !!!

Looking Back in Order to Look Forward - Part IV

2011-01-31T06:36:00.000-06:00

If you have been following along the past few days, you are aware that I am looking back at the posts from the 2010 Ordinary Hero trip to Ethiopia. I will be taking this same trip in 2011 and I just wanted to spend some time looking back as I look forward.

On Day 5, the team split up and made several stops.

There was a group that returned to Korah.
A visit was made to an orphanage with waiting children. "Waiting Children" are the children in the orphanage who, for whatever reason (age, special need, sibling groups, etc.) are harder to place. In Kelly's travel to Ethiopia, she determined that though you can not place pictures of waiting children on a public website, you can send their pictures out in an email. In 2009, while traveling with her sister to pick up her newly adopted niece, Kelly took pictures of 8 children in this same orphanage. After speaking up and speaking out for these children, all 8 were adopted. From this, Ordinary Hero's "Speak Up" newsletter/email was born. You may sign up to be on the "Speak Up" email list on Ordinary Hero's site. Since that initial email, OH has been highly successful placing more and more children in this manner.
Some went to a transition home for the agency, Celebrate Children International. A transition home is, well, just what it sounds like. It is a home where children who have been matched with families go to stay until the adoption is complete.
There was a stop at the Mother Teresa HIV Orphanage, and......
An impromptu game of soccer with some street children.

A full day indeed.

Looking Back In Order to Look Forward - Part III

2011-01-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

As I looked back on 2010's Day 4, I noticed a few things:

A ball works wonders when it comes to uniting a bunch of boys, regardless of where they are from or how different their lives are. In this case, it's a soccer ball. As the mom of two boys, I know the importance of the ever-present ball (after all, it was in the top three first words spoken by both my boys). Thank you, God, for soccer balls and boys who love to kick 'em.
Church is church.....be it in a hut with a tin roof or in the mega-churches of my neighborhood.
I'm gonna need a backpack.
....and maybe I should read up on some sheep stew recipes. ; ) (if you're clueless about this, see yesterday's post)
I'm glad I'm going to Ethiopia in July when a jacket is needed. Me and the heat don't get along.
My days on the farm; of getting dirty and not caring in the least is going to come in handy.
I'm glad being on the OH team doesn't mean I have to play ball. Crafts, I can do; soccer, not-so-much.
There is some beautiful countryside in Ethiopia; I'm going to need to practice up on my photography skills.

Also, in today's post, Kelly mentions distributing donations to the children here (clothing, shoes, toys, toothbrushes, candy, etc.). I, too, will be collecting donations in the coming months to take over with me to hand out to the children that we meet along the way. I will likely do a separate post about this soon; however, as you begin to think about spring cleaning, there are a few things that I know of at the time that we hope to take over with us. They are as follows (with more to come later): Crocs and Rain Boots, Lightweight Jackets, Sweatshirts, Underwear and Socks, Small Toys (they LOVE Matchbox cars), Toothbrushes & Toothpaste.

Lastly.....don't forget to look at the pictures.

Looking Back In Order to Look Forward - Part IIa

2011-01-27T06:18:00.001-06:00

If you have been following along the past couple of days, you are aware that I am looking back at the posts from the 2010 Ordinary Hero trip to Ethiopia. I will be taking this same trip in 2011 and I just wanted to spend some time looking back as I look forward.

Yesterday, I posted from 2010's Day 3 and their visit to Korah. If you haven't read that post, please take the time to go back and take a look.

Today's post is also from Day 3. What can I say? Day 3 was just a two-post kind of day.

Besides Korah, one of the things that really struck me about this day started with a paragraph that began with a sentence as simple as this:

"We were also blessed to be able to feed these kids lunch."

Seems simple enough.

But as I read on, I quickly learned that sheep, in Africa, is a delicacy. And since OH wanted to provide something special for the people there, the obvious meal was a stew made of, you guessed it, sheep. Sheep that would be purchased....(on the side of the road)....using a monetary gift that was given to OH by a couple who just wanted to do something special for the people of Ethiopia.

Back to the sheep.

Any of you that know me know that I am quite the animal lover so as I read the details of this sheep purchase, sheep transport and, inevitable, sheep slaughter, I have to be honest.....I cringed more than a little. (And my husband laughed at the prospect of my having such an experience).

But perspective is an amazing thing and, it didn't take me long to realize the fact that I feel prepared (though I'm sure I'm not) to see and love on orphaned children and people who live in a trash dump but the thought of watching (or hearing; I can cover my eyes) a sheep being slaughtered gave me the "willies".

I feel absolutely certain that God; the One who called me to this trip; the One who made a way for me to go; the One who knows that I'm a lover of his four-legged creatures....I think He's got this handled.

Note: When/If you go to the link for Day 3, don't forget to take a look at the photo gallery which is linked at the very bottom of that day's post.

Looking Back In Order to Look Forward - Part II

2011-01-26T10:21:00.005-06:00

What a difference a day makes......

Yesterday's post, a link to last year's Ethiopia trip Day 2 (Day 1 is a travel day) journaled a visit to El Olam Orphanage. Today's link to Day 3 is going to look a little different.

It was on Day 3 that the team went to Korah. Kelly states on her blog that 130,000 people live in Korah. That's ONE HUNDRED THIRTY THOUSAND people. Living...breathing...people. What's the big deal, you say? The big deal is that Korah is a trash dump. A trash dump! Let that sink in for a second.

Here....let me see if I can help.

Korah, in Amharic, means "cursed".

How about this?

Korah is a community of approximately 100,000 located near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The community was established approximately 75 years ago to serve as a leper colony and provide residence for individuals with communicable diseases. As leprosy has been eliminated, it has developed a social stigma of poverty and illness. The community of Korah faces many challenges; however poverty, lack of education and income generation are three key areas of concern.

Or this?

I don't know if I have fully wrapped my mind around the fact that I am going to Korah. I don't know if it's even possible. But I am.

Looking Back In Order to Look Forward - Part I

2011-01-25T09:00:00.009-06:00

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Ethiopia, I've been going back to Kelly's blog from last year's trip. Funny, I read these posts last year as they were happening but, now, as I read them with the reality that I will be "along for the ride" this time around, it feels altogether different.

Over the next several days, I want to share with you each day's post (from the 2010 trip). The posts begin with Day 2 (as ALL of Day 1 is a travel day.....any suggestions for what to do on an 18-hour-flight is appreciated).

Read here regarding the team's day at El Olam Orphanage.

Be still my heart.

If my link above is not working, copy and paste the following in your browser: http://ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-2-el-olam-orphanage.html

Ethiopia, Here We Come

2011-01-22T11:26:00.004-06:00

In some ways, it seems like forever since I last posted on this blog; in others, it seems like it was just yesterday. Honestly, I wasn't sure that I'd ever begin blogging again but in the last months, God has been doing a work in me and something that I think is very blog-worthy has come up.

In July, my sister Ashley and I will be joining 25 or so others on a mission trip to Ethiopia. Our team will represent Ordinary Hero which is an organization/ministry that I have become aware of over the last couple of years. When I originally began reading about Kelly Putty and her OH ministry, I had no idea that she was LITERALLY my neighbor. Not next-door neighbor, but same subdivision neighbor. Sometimes it's just a small, small world that we live in.

And to prove how tiny this world can be, I was later introduced (through a Facebook posting by my actual next-door-neighbor) to another fellow Brentwood mom who actually took this same trip in 2010 with OH. The FB posting was actually just a call to stop by the Payne family's adoption yard sale (which I did) but God had plans beyond that as Gina has been such an encouragement and great source of information to me over these last months. By the way, that adoption yard sale.....it was being held to raise funds to bring home sweet Daniel Mamo who Gina (and her son Robbie) met while in Ethiopia last July.....Daniel Mamo arrived home to Tennessee in December.

While in Ethiopia, we will be visiting various orphanages each day and will also visit Korah; an area in Ethiopia where people are literally living out of the trash dump. A long way from the comforts of our American lives. Note: Viewing this video can literally change your life....it did for our precious friends, Chris & Valerie Hulshof (who are now in the process of adopting from Ethiopia).

So, this post will be the first of many leading up to, during and after what I believe will be a life-altering trip.

I want to share the opportunities that are/will be available for you to join me and join in the blessings to come through prayer, financial support and/or collecting donations for the children there. I will be forthcoming with more details regarding this soon but, your prayers, I'll take them starting n-o-w and thank you in advance for those.

Long Time No See

2009-09-11T11:29:00.002-05:00

It's been two months since my last post.

And though I'd like to be able to say something like, "where did the time go?" or "how did that happen?"; the truth is that I've been very aware of not posting. Time didn't slip away. I didn't forget. It wasn't that I had nothing to say.

It's simple really. The more that I learn that someone is actually reading my blog, the more anxious I become in writing. To quote a sweet friend: In writing my thoughts here, I often feel as if I'm "standing in front of you wearing only my underwear". Shiver.

I've spent many years on the surface but, of late (the last couple of years really), God has me going deeper and deeper and I love and praise Him for that but, at the same time, I am not secure enough in myself to hash them out publicly.

Sure...my blog could be about "surface" events. It could be just a decorating blog or just a blog about my kids or, for pete's sake, what I ate for lunch. But that's not where I am and so, my blog, it has some catching up to do. It's having an identity crisis of sorts.

In the meantime, my kids are awesome. They amaze me each day as I've come to realize that they are young men. I'm thankful to be their Mom. They're as individual as they can be and I love that about them.

And, my husband, he's amazing too! He's back in school...getting his MBA at Vanderbilt. I'm very proud of him.

I'm ready to drag out the Fall decor for my home....I love Fall ! (Is that surface enough for you?)

And my Savior? Well, He's something else. I just began the study of Esther and these are some things that have spoken to me:

There is as much to learn about God by where He does not make himself obvious as when He does. Just because you don't see Him, doesn't mean He's not there.
You seek HIM and his will will find you.
We must learn to trust His providence even when the Red Sea doesn't part.
And....just in case you're thinking that He would choose (and use) anyone but you, see Esther.

Hand in Hand

2009-07-10T15:04:00.003-05:00

There are some things in this life that are simply inconceivable.

I have followed the website of a young Atlanta boy (Ryan Morgan) for a couple of years. Ryan, in 2004, was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. He has fought long and hard. He completed his initial treatments in late 2005 and then relapsed in April of 2007.

As if that weren't enough, Ryan's sweet Mom, Missy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2007.

Their website has chronicled their journeys and, in the last weeks, became more and more evident that one or both would likely soon lose their battles.

And so it is that Missy passed from this Earth on Wednesday (July 8th) and Ryan followed along the very next day.

Though it is so very hard to imagine such losses for this family....Dad - Les, and siblings Heidi and Will, it is equally powerful to realize that God, in his absolute sovereignty, allowed Missy to welcome her precious child into the kingdom of Heaven. Can you imagine what it must be like to experience that hand in hand?

Please pray for the Morgans as they learn to live life without Missy and without Ryan. I don't know them personally but I've followed them long enough to know that they have faith, they have hope and they have love.

Jesus, for the Morgans (and for all of us), come back soon.

FYI: Ryan's website is www.superryan.blogspot.com (I don't know if it's due to the sheer number of hits or what but it is not operating well at this time). Missy has a Caringbridge site (www.caringbridge.com/visit/missymorgan (this site actually hasn't been updated in quite some time).

Cruisin' 2009 - The Big Bad Boat

2009-07-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

I know, I know....I've already been told, it's not a BOAT, it's a SHIP but that just doesn't sound as good so, for this post, it's a boat and BOY is it a big one.

Here are a few various pictures that we took of the boat/ship:

From the pier in St. Maarten
From the front of the ship. That's a heli-pad, by the way (in green)
From CocoCay...the boat anchored here and tenders carried us to the island.
Zoomed in from CocoCay.

Cruisin' 2009 - Sunsets

2009-07-05T20:25:00.007-05:00

At the risk of boring ALL 2 OF YOU completely to death, I have decided to do several posts about our recent cruise. Sorry! I have LOTS of pictures and though I could simply put them in slideshow form (and quickly put you to sleep), I someday hope to print my blog in book-form and a slideshow simply won't work for this.

Soooo....in order to preserve some of the memories here, I have decided to do various posts highlighting different aspects of the trip.

Jeff decided early on that he wanted to get pictures of the sunset(s) each night. He was so faithful to check the Cruise TV station and get the exact time of sunset each day. No matter where we were or what we were doing, he would excuse himself to snap those shots. Here are just a few. One from each day (in no particular order):

This one's for you Kenny (aka "Just Because They Sell It In Your Size, Doesn't Mean You Should Buy It....Much Less WEAR it")

2009-06-24T22:43:00.004-05:00

A Sneak Peek

2009-06-24T22:37:00.002-05:00

At some point in our travels last week (before boarding the ship), Jeff and I talked about how awful it would be if we'd built this cruise up so big in our minds only to get onboard and be let down.

Know how that happens sometimes? We build up something and think about how wonderful it's going to be, have all these HUGE expectations, only to wind up setting ourselves up for disappointment when that thing can't possibly compare to the dream we have in our head.

Well....

I'm happy to say that though we have spent the better part of the last 10 months:

*talking about our cruise
*hearing about cruises
*reading about cruises
*looking at pictures of cruises
*wondering about our cruise
*shopping for our cruise
*planning our cruise
*surfing the internet about cruises
and just basically submersing ourselves in anything "cruise"
OUR CRUISE DID NOT DISAPPOINT !!!

It was just wonderful. Everything that we hoped and dreamed and more.
Just what we needed to rest, relax and celebrate the last 20 years together.

I have hundreds of pictures and am still working to label and edit them but I couldn't wait to, at least, give you a little teaser. I'm sure you can't wait for some more detailed posts later (just humor me) but, for now, I leave you with just a few. You have no idea how hard it was to choose only five.

And, by the way, God sure does have a lot o' water......who knew????

One Week From Today....

2009-06-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

Jeff and I will fly out of Nashville for a 9-day trip that's been months in the making. We will arrive in Orlando, FL for an overnight stay and then take a shuttle on Sunday morning to Port Canaveral where we will board Royal Carribean's "Freedom of the Seas" for a 7-day cruise to CocoCay Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Neither of us have ever cruised before and are really looking forward to discovering something new. We will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary on the trip.

I am so very excited but anxious at the same time because we will be leaving our boys for 9 days. I believe the most we've ever been away from home like this (without them) is two or three nights. They'll be well cared for by Grandparents and other friends/family who love them. It just seems like a long time away the closer we get to departure.

I will have lots of pictures to share when we return but, for now, I found some pictures of the ship online:

I Can Tell It's Summer

2009-06-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

I guess you could consider this blog post a confession of sorts......

I love me some flip-flops. I love them for their comfort, their convenience and for their cuteness.

But, honestly, does it have to be all of this? I just realized that everywhere you turn in my house these days, you find a pair of flip-flops. 99% of the time they are MY flip-flops. I don't know what that's all about. Why don't I put them away already? All FIVE of these pair were photographed today lying around the house, wherever I took them off.

And I wonder why my boys don't pick up after themselves ?????

More Fun Facts

2009-06-03T14:33:00.005-05:00

In an attempt to try and post more frequently, I've borrowed another fun facts questionnaire from Amy Beth.

1. Who knows a secret or two about you?
Jeana & Paula

2. Four words to explain why you last threw up?
Stomach bug, I guess.

3. Have you ever burned yourself?
Yes...mostly on hair styling devices.

4. Who is your hero?
Jesus.

5. Would you ever want to be a supermodel?
No...never..no!

6. When is your next party?
Jordan's 16th Birthday bash is June 26th....party bus and all.

7. Do you know what you will wear tomorrow?
No idea.

8. Have you ever accidentally eaten an insect?
Most likely.

9. Do you talk baby talk?
Not much but I do talk puppy dog talk from time to time.

10. Would you ever work in a retirement home?
Retirement home - Yes. Nursing home - No.

11. Are you ever purposely irritating?
Sometimes.

12. If you could fly, where would you go first?
To the beach.

13. Do you prefer boats or planes?
Boats.

14. One best friend or 10 acquaintances?
One best friend though I can't imagine having only one.

15. Favorite food?
Mexican...ole'!

16. Do you believe that your first love never dies?
No...I do not believe that. I believe that, for most of us, our first "loves" probably weren't really loves at all. Make sense?

17. What upcoming event are you waiting and ready for?
CRUISE !!!!

18. Do you get your nails done?
Yep.

19. What was the last thing you ordered at McDonald’s?
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait - YUM !!!

20. Are you an emotional person?
Yes...No...Sometimes

21. When did your last relationship end?
Ha...I've been with my husband since I was 14 so it's been a while.

22. Favorite place to be?
Home.

23. How do you feel about your hair?
Like the color....wish I had more of it.

24. Do you sleep with a fan on?
Always.

25. Did you sleep in past noon today?
Ha! No...was at the YMCA by 6:30.

26. Are you sarcastic?
Absolutely.

27. Did you have a good birthday this year?
Yes but not nearly as good as the year before.

28. What is your favorite kind of weather?
Mild, semi-cool, lightweight jacket weather.

29. Have you ever cried during a movie?
Of course.

30. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?
Leigh...but only if an email "conversation" counts.

31. Who was the last person you cried in front of?
Jeff, Paula and Danny

32. Do you like your name?
Sure.

Don't be a Chicken, a Pig or a Cow !!!!

2009-06-01T12:30:00.003-05:00

Without revealing someone's personal struggles, I can not tell the exact details about the receipt of this little story (below). Just to summarize, I was, at the very moment it was received, sitting in a parking lot waiting to meet someone who was willing to help out another someone who they didn't really even know. It was a family member of my own who was, as a favor to me and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, (if I know him like I think I know him) to bring glory to God's name who answered the call to assist someone with a great need and no means to meet it at the time. As I sat waiting to meet this family member and take him to the proper location, I received the story below in an email. I am so thankful to this person (you know who you are) for putting aside everything (personal feelings, time restraints, his own "to-do" list, etc.) to help someone out. It is in those times, when we simply answer the call, that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to someone. Yet how often do we see a need and turn our heads thinking perhaps that someone else will handle it or, like the chicken, the pig or the cow, just decide that it's not our problem.

A Mouse Story With A Moral

A mouse looked through the crack
in the wall to see the farmer and
his wife open a package.

What food might this contain?'
The mouse wondered - - -
he was devastated to discover it
was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed the warning :

There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said,

'Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence
to me.I cannot be bothered by it.'

The mouse turned to
the pig and told him,

'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The pig sympathized, but said, I am
so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there
is nothing I can do about it but pray.

Be assured you are in my prayers.'

The mouse turned to
the cow and said

'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse.
I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin
off my nose.'

So, the mouse returned to the
house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap . . .
alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout
the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching
its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see
what was caught. In the darkness,
she did not see it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the
farmer took his hatchet to the
farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to
sit with her around the clock.

To feed them, the farmer
butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well;
she died.

So many people came for her funeral,
the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from
his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone
is facing a problem and think it
doesn't concern you,
remember ----
when one of us is threatened,
we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra
effort to encourage one another.

Thank the people that have EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND
LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.
REMEMBER. . . . . .
EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD
In another PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold
onto in this world is a FRIEND

Another One

2009-05-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

A - Age: 41 for just a little bit longer

B - Bed size: King

C - Chore you hate: I hate putting away clothes. I'll wash 'em, I'll dry 'em, and I'll even fold 'em but don't like the putting away part.

D - Dogs' name(s): Smokey and Baxter

E - Essential start your day item: Cereal with Skim Milk

F - Favorite color: Changes often...in my home earthtones (brown, red, burnt orange); on my person fuchsia, orange, red.

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Platinum

H - Height: 5 foot 3 inches (on a tall day)

I - Instruments you play: Not a one.

J - Job title: Wife, Mom, Taxi Driver, Check Writer, Lunch Money Passer Outer, Laundry doer, Grocery Shopper.....

K - Kid(s): Two

L - Living arrangements: House on a cul-de-sac with all the boys (Husband, 2 sons and 2 dogs)

M - Mom's name: Linda aka MiMi

N - Nicknames: Mom, Mommy, Honey

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I had pneumonia or something as a teenager and was in the little Waverly hospital with a tent of some sort over my bed. Is that right Mom?

P - Pet Peeve: Long list but I'll start with not doing what you say you're going to do...that's a biggie for me.

Q - Quote from a movie: Ooh...I'm bad at remembering this kind of thing but I think on the last meme I did, I quoted Woody from Toy Story with "you've got a friend in me".

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 2 sisters (Hailey and Ashley) and 2 brothers (Carson and Walt)

T - Time you wake up: 7:00-7:30

U- Underwear: Comfy Cotton

V - Vegetable you dislike: Green Peas

W - Ways you run late: I just do; usually not for any real reason other than not being in a big enough hurry.

X - X-rays you've had: Dentals each year

Y - Yummy food you make: My "specialties" seem to be Casseroles (of all types), Lasagna and homemade Chicken Salad.

Z - Zoo / Favorite: I like the local (Nashville Zoo) because it doesn't seem like a zoo but a stroll through nature (even if Zebra and Giraffe aren't native to Nashville).

Love This....

2009-05-22T14:20:00.001-05:00

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion."

- Mark Batterson

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Dining Rooms

2009-05-21T22:30:00.005-05:00

I have so enjoyed Kelly's bloggy home tour carnival. Thanks Kelly for allowing me to participate. What fun!

This week is Dining Rooms but I'm also throwing in my Foyer since it's nearby and was turning up in a couple of the photos anyway.

A view looking in from the foyer:

(This was my Nana's Dining Room Suite and I am so proud to have it. To be honest, there was a time when I didn't feel the same way; it's beautiful but wasn't what I would've chosen. Now though, I treasure it and have made it a little more "me" by adding the oversized chairs and removing the shelf from the hutch-turned buffet.)

From the foyer / to the right:

A very favorite thing....a handpainted (not by me) ceiling medallion:

From the kitchen area entrance:

A wider view from the foyer into the Dining Room:

One of my only antiques. My Dad spent many years working for a company that did REconstruction (for homes with fire, water damage, etc.). He once was working for a lady with MANY interesting pieces and, one day, when Dad complimented this piece, she remarked that she had acquired it from a lady who owed her $100.00 for a wallpapering job that she couldn't collect on. Dad offered, "If you ever want your $100.00, I'll pay up for her and take this off your hands". She immediately took him up on it. It has the original leaded glass and beautiful inlay.

A fun little "pretty" (what my Grandma used to call decorative "things") by the front door:

The interior of the front doors:

A little spot to the right of the Dining Room:

Come Back Soon !!!

Random Survey

2009-05-21T16:00:00.003-05:00

1. Where was the very last place you went besides your house?
Target.

2. What are you doing tonight?
As little as possible.

3. Who last texted you?
Jordan.

4. Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone?
Probably.

5. Do you get mad easily?
No.

6. Do you talk about your feelings or hide them?
Hide them mostly.

7. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
I really don't like either extreme so I guess warm (as long as "warm" doesn't equal "hot")

8. Who was the last person you were in a car with?
My two boys.

9. What color are your eyes?
Hazel...mostly green.

10. Have you ever given up on someone but then went back to them later?
I don't think so.

11. Have you ever thrown your cell phone in anger?
No.

12. Has anyone told you a secret lately that you aren’t allowed to tell anyone?
Yes; unfortunately so.

13. Honestly, if you could go back six months and change something, would you?
Probably so.

14. Are you wearing any clothes that don’t belong to you?
No.

15. Do you have a lot on your mind at the moment?
Quite a bit but definitely not as much as some people.

16. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Right hand side.

17. What is your favorite thing to shop for?
Loaded question....I love to shop for anything and everything.

18. Who knows you better than you know yourself?
Any number of people, I think; I don't I'm very good at analyzing mySELF. Jeff in the number one spot, of course.

19. What are you doing this summer?
Taking a cruise with my hubby for our 20th wedding anniversary.

20. Do you miss your past?
No.

21. Did you ever have tea parties when you were younger?
Not that I recall but maybe.

22. What is your favorite line from a movie?
"You've got a friend in me...."

23. Would you rather be the opposite sex?
Absolutely not.

24. What would you never name one of your children?
???

25. What is the coolest restaurant you’ve ever been to?
The ESPN Zone in Chicago (or was that New York) was really cool in a guy kind of way.

26. Where do you go when you want to get a really good sub sandwich?
Jersey Mike's

27. What style of house would you like to live in?
The kind that's paid for.

28. Do you flip the channel when commercials come on?
No, but my hubby sure does.

29. Have you seen any of the Saw movies?
Nope.

30. What was your favorite book as a child?
Little House series

Little Fat Birds

2009-05-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

(NaNa's favorite "little fat birds" with a picture of her as a child.)

My NaNa passed away one year ago today. I can still hardly believe that she's gone. Though, over time, mourning is replaced with memories and tears are replaced with loving thoughts, life is never the same. I have missed her so this past year.

She had a love for "little fat birds" (what she always referred to them as) and, because of her, they have become precious to me as well. I can never look at a pair of little fat birds without thinking of her.

Of all of her belongings, the thing that I wanted most was this pair of little fat birds (above)....a pair that I recall has been around for as long as I remember.

I've added a few others here and there as well (and will continue to do so) because they bring such sweet memories of her to the surface.

Show Us Where You Live Friday - The Guest Room

2009-05-15T07:04:00.008-05:00

Ah...the Guest Room...a room, for me, that seems to get left behind. Often, our Guest Room has been filled with all of the stuff that didn't get used somewhere else. I did, however, recently (well, in the last two years) buy new bedding for that room and kind of cleansed it from some old had-beens, bringing in just a few accessories from other areas of the house.

Thanks for visiting!

This is a view from the doorway into the room:

And proof #1 that this room gets ignored...the window treatments that need to be hung...they've been right there for at least a year:

The trunk at the foot of the bed was my NaNa's hope chest.

When we bought this house, because the Guest Room was on the first floor and would be easily accessible for her, I always thought of this as NaNa's room. She never actually lived here but I still see it as "her room" and keep her picture there. She loved "little fat birds" so I keep this pair of concrete ones there.

There's that bare window:

The right hand side of the bed.

The left hand side of the bed.

The mirror (proof #2)....

That needs to be hung on the wall....

And, last but not least, a few shots of the adjoining bath.

Hope Now

2009-05-14T15:46:00.003-05:00

In the last weeks and months, I have often become weary; not because of my own troubles but because of troubles of those that surround us.

But God is HOPE!

I often pray but then wonder, "how can THIS be fixed?"

But God is HOPE!

I look around and it seems HURT is everywhere.

But God is HOPE!

Please take the time to watch this video. There is HOPE and I praise His name.

A couple of the things that Pete says in this video that I love are this:

"How you respond to the unmet expectations, how you respond to the hopelessness, how you respond to the shattered dream, how you respond to the crisis CAN be and WILL be a defining moment in your life."

"There will be a moment when you feel you have no options, you're going to feel like the dark is closing in on you, you're going to feel like you're all alone, you're gonna feel like it's over....but it's not over."

"God will allow pain and God will allow suffering and God will allow unexpected crisis in order to detach our hope from other things and attach it to Himself."

"What I do know is what God desires more than anything else is that you would find your HOPE in Him, in the MIDST of the crisis, in the MIDST of the hopeless situation, you would find your hope in Him, even though there is no circumstantial reason to have hope. Because it's while we're in the waiting that God begins to transform our hearts."

The story told in the video relates to marriage but applies to so much more.

God is HOPE...Praise Him!

Show Us Where You Live Friday....on Saturday

2009-05-09T09:35:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a crazy day so I'm a day behind but I love Kelly's new Friday feature and didn't want to miss out. Last week, we did kitchens (and as you can see, I haven't posted anything since....bad blogger) and today (or technically yesterday) is Living Rooms. I had posted my Living Room once before and intended to take some new pictures but didn't get around to it. For the most part, everything is still the same though I have shifted and changed out a few accessories (oh, and the laptop is not still in the floor) but details schmetails.....

This is the view coming in from the foyer. The blue piece of furniture on the right is actually intended for a buffet. I love it! It is large and giving me some great storage.

Next is the mantle and the really high windows that flank it (there is also another window directly above the fireplace - up high - that you can't see). Someday I want window treatments for there but, for now, it's on the to-do list. I posted my Great Room on Rate My Space one time and had a lot of comments about getting rid of the iron piece that is propped on the mantle. As you can see, I didn't take that advice. I love the piece as I needed something tall there which is hard to find (at a decent price) and this was $25.00 at a Yard Sale (I did add the finials).

A close-up of one of the arrangements on the mantle. I love these (Rate My Spacer's didn't love these either). I had them done on top of some candlesticks that I already had and I bought the pheasant pelts on Ebay...you wouldn't believe how much razzing I have taken for that.

This is a view across the room into the kitchen. I like this little cluster of mirrors but when I look at this picture, they look too low. I'll have to check that out a little further. My wall color also looks pinkish in these pictures and it's not. Must be all the sunlight coming in.

I really like this rounded sofa although it's not too comfortable to lay on.

...and I'm sneaking in a picture of my boys just because it's Mother's Day weekend and I can.

Last but not least, these are some examples of the type of panels I'd like to eventually do in this room. I like the hardware for the first ones and the fact that they don't cover up the shape of the window. They're just wide enough without being too overcoming. The second one I wondered if they could be done by buying already made panels and sewing them end to end. The ceiling heighth in this room is 20 feet and that's a lot o' fabric. Just an idea....what do you think?

Show Us Where You Live Friday

2009-05-01T09:40:00.005-05:00

I love, love, love looking at other peoples' homes so, naturally, one of my favorite bloggy things to do is seeing pictures of other peoples' rooms and their decorating styles. I was so excited when one of my favorite bloggers mentioned doing some room tours and today is the day that it begins. Kelly will be hosting a weekly ("Show Us Where You Live Friday") special and I can hardly wait to see all the participants' entries. Today is kitchens, so here's mine.....

This is a view from the kitchen into the Breakfast Room. That's a jar of birdseed by the back door. I love to feed God's little birds and found this large jar at Dollar General which works nicely for storing their goodies.

Another angle into the Breakfast Room. I have a hard time with art pieces; just don't find very many that I love (and if I don't LOVE it, I don't need it) but this one, I love...

From the Breakfast Room in...the right side of the kitchen.

And from the Breakfast Room in on the other side.

If you've been around my blog (or my world) long, you know that I have a thing about the way that my house smells. I love this scent (Sage & Citrus) by Yankee. It's looking like it might be about time for a replacement.

Kelly had a shot on her blog of similar canisters to these. I bought these cheap, cheap, cheap at Stein Mart because their friend (the middle-sized one) had been broken. I like them a lot.

And this, my friends, is the countdown to what's baking in there right now......

Lemon Squares....Yum!

(Don't worry, they're not for me...for a bake sale but I thought I'd share that I'm actually baking something just the same. It doesn't happen often, you know.)

Pride

2009-04-28T16:50:00.003-05:00

A year and a half or so ago, I did the Bible study, "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore.

I had often heard of the study but didn't really know much about it. I did know that it had to do with strongholds and I went into it thinking, "Okay...I can do this...shouldn't be a big deal...after all, I don't have any real strongholds." In my mind, I thought "strongholds" were things like drugs, alcohol...you know, "real" problems (ha!). Tsk...tsk.

Not long into the study, I discovered that the fact that I came into the study thinking that I didn't have a stronghold, was a stronghold. I was quickly humbled.

Not too long after that, a friend gave me the following and I have kept it on my fridge ever since. I wanted to post it here so as to keep it permanently...and, of course, to share with any other soul out there who might not have a stronghold (wink, wink). You know...just in case you have a friend who does.

My name is Pride. I am a cheter.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny...
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment...
because you "deserve better than this."
I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness...
because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.
I cheat you of vision...
because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship...
because nobody's going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven...
because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.
I cheat you of God's glory...
because I convince you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I'm looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...
If you stick with me,
You'll never know.

More Photography

2009-04-24T21:43:00.001-05:00

This was my attempt at something clever and creative.

I found it ironic that, on Spring Break, as we recovered from sunburn, it was SNOWING. I was thinking that surely this blooming tree (in the foreground) must have been thinking the same thing.

What do you think?

Random

2009-04-24T21:37:00.001-05:00

What's that? You don't recognize these people? Never seen them on my blog before?

Yeah...me neither.

Actually, I know that it's very odd and, perhaps, there are some sort of laws against it but, one day as I sat at the waterpark, there was this sweet little girl and, I think, her Daddy playing in the water in front of me.

What can I say? They were blocking my view into the far end of the pool (where MY kids were) and, after all, I have a new camera and some mean new skills from the class I took (you know the one where I didn't understand a thing that was taught...yeah...that one).

So...what did you expect me to do?

I practiced.

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-24T09:47:00.002-05:00

I'm really behind on posting and wanted to, at least, make one installment today.

Several weeks ago, we took a little trip during the boys' Spring Break. We decided to try out the new indoor waterpark (Wilderness at the Smokies) in Gatlinburg. It was AWESOME! Eventually, there will also be an outdoor water park also but, for now, the indoor was perfect for our trip. In this part of the country, in the Spring, you have to go much farther south to be able to do anything water-related in March and April.

Our sweet Addi went with us and we so enjoyed her company. Having a girl along (other than me, of course) was a change for the Williams family.

We experienced the gamot (weather-wise) as we were sunburned on Sunday and it snowed on Tuesday. Only in Tennessee.

Dear Followers,

2009-04-19T20:46:00.002-05:00

I hope this post finds you well. I'm afraid that I have some bad news (for both of us). You know I've always enjoyed seeing your faces on my blog; you know, right over there, -----> but it seems that one of you is causing a little trouble 'round these parts (or so I've heard).

Seriously, other blogs are having the same weird problems with their computers that I'm having with mine and someone smarter than I am discovered that's it is coming from some anonymous/unknown "followers". I have one of those (I won't mention any names but they're registered as "1_dO6Qkst9hss7aM4jO.6TzlTsQ-", oh sorry...did I just do that?) which means that I have to remove the entire feature from my site. I hate it when one person spoils it for the rest of us. So, farewell to you all; unless, of course "1_dO6Qkst9hss7aM4jO.6TzlTsQ-" you'd like to come out of hiding and tell me who you are. I don't know if I'll be able to add it back at a later time but, for now, it is what I need to do; otherwise, I may soon become so frustrated that I throw my laptop out the window.

It's been nice seeing your faces and I hope that you'll keep up with me in another, safer way (I use Google Reader and/or Bloglines).

Until Later,
Kelley

Good Friday

2009-04-10T14:02:00.002-05:00

For the last week or so, the lyrics to a song have been speaking LOUDLY into my soul. The words of that song, "Bring the Rain" (by Mercy Me) have surely been teaching me a thing or two (about myself, about others, about my church and about my Lord). I have posted the words below:

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

[1st Chorus]

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

[2nd Chorus 2x]

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

Somehow, we've come to think that our lives should be easy and we tend to question any trials that come our way. But the truth is that God uses EVERY situation for good. After all, He used the crucifixion of His own son for the good of each of us.

Today, as I think about Good Friday and the fact that all those many years ago, today, Jesus hung on that cross FOR ME (and for you). He didn't ask why. He was beaten and crucified and, PRAISE GOD, I can stand Good Friday because I know that He couldn't be held by any grave.

Some would question what's so "good" about Good Friday...what happened on that day was gruesome and horrifying. But we aren't called to worship Him despite our situations. We are simply called to worship him...period.

And as I reflect on the meaning of Good Friday and its correlation to Easter, I am reminded again of the words of the song above and the fact that, in the end, it's all but a little "rain" for, when it's all said and done, the grave could not hold him and I (we) can not EVER be plucked from His hand.

I beg of you...if you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, that you email me privately (kelleywms@hotmail.com) or speak to someone who can help lead you to the cross. It doesn't take any special formula or scripted prayer....He meets us all right where we are. Who is Jesus to you?

It's been a Mandisa kind of week

2009-04-03T16:26:00.008-05:00

As I have stated here before, I am on a mission to lose a large amount of weight. I have currently lost 51.4 pounds and am thrilled but still have quite a way to go. Unlike many other times that I've dieted, I finally feel as if what I am doing is just part of my life. I no longer see it as something that I'm doing short term; it is a complete change of lifestyle. I am not one to pat myself on the back normally but I have been working very hard....working out 4-5 days per week.

Anyway, I didn't start this post just to boast but did want to update some of you who read and have asked about how my diet is going.

Now to the "meat" of my post:

I don't watch American Idol (I know, I know) but I have heard of Mandisa. To be honest, I couldn't have told you if she was from a past season or the current season (I would've guess "past"). I couldn't tell you whether she'd won or lost but I had heard her name. Well...Wednesday I jumped in the car to run some errands and caught the tail-end of what turned out to be a new release by Mandisa. Really, I only heard a few seconds of the song but they took phone calls following its play and people were raving about how good it was.

Fast forward to Thursday....I went to get my nails done and right there at Hana's I met Mandisa's personal trainer. By the way, I visit my own personal trainer on Thursdays and was going straight there from the nail salon (just thought that that was a neat tidbit). Come to find out, Mandisa has lost 80 pounds in 8 months with the help of this trainer (named Tina). Now, I may be the only person on the face of the earth that didn't know this but humor me. This trainer (whose business card reads, "Your Body, His Temple" - so cool!) was talking about what a beautiful person INSIDE and OUT Mandisa was and I left there wanting to learn more about this person who had now come up now twice in the same number of days.

Later on Thursday I came home to find that a sweet, sweet friend had left me a little "happy" on my front porch. A sweet devotional book titled, "Jesus Calling" and the all-time sweetest, most humbling note I believe I have ever received. Anyway, while communicating my thank-yous to this friend she shared with me that she'd had a date with God that day (a little alone time with Him) and that she'd spent it praising his name in unison with, you guessed it, the new Mandisa CD. (She didn't know of the incidences above). She was beside herself about how awesome this new work was and wanted me to have a copy.

Being that I am the impatient person that I am (and also being that I have an Ipod and never know what I want to put on it or how to do it even if I did), I decided I wanted to put the album on my Ipod so that's exactly what I did.

Mandisa's new CD is titled "Freedom" and it is really, really awesome. I also found the following video on Tangle where Mandisa shares a little about her journey to lose 100 pounds. I've enjoyed getting to know Mandisa this week and look forward to following her in the future as she reaches her goals and praises His name.

Sorry....I'm having trouble embedding the video but you can see it here.

I Heart These Faces !!!

2009-03-30T15:46:00.004-05:00

In my newly-acquired Photography interest, I have combed the internet for lots of Photography sites.

A favorite that I found is "iHeartFaces" and this week their contest is specifically for pets. And, of course, since Baxter is the cutest puppy dog face EV-ERRR I had to sign him up.

And, in fact, though it's definitely not fair for one family to have the TWO cutest dogs ever, I simply couldn't leave ole Smokey out of the mix.

Despair

2009-03-30T10:54:00.003-05:00

In my 41 years, I've never known a time that there was more hurt and despair among the people that we know and love more than now.

In the past weeks as a church family, we have experienced loss after loss (through miscarriages, sudden deaths, illnesses and also on the job front). It seems that pain and disappointment runs rampant amongst us.

Today, I ask special prayer for the following families:

An unspoken for a hurting friend.
For the family of Jeremy Powers, a 21-year old husband (to Courtney), father (to Koby), son (to David & Tracy Noland), grandson (to Jan Noland) and nephew/cousin (to Kenny, Debbie, Alycia and Kacey) who lost his life suddenly in a motorcycle accident last week. I don't believe that I have ever attended a sadder funeral...as young mother Courtney carried in that sweet 2 month old baby (who had just been released from Vanderbilt following heart surgery) to say goodbye to his Daddy. Continue to pray for little Koby's healing and strength.
For my friend Valerie Hulshof whose sweet mother, Betty, was found dead in her home yesterday afternoon (by Chris & Valerie). As we speak, she is meeting with the funeral home to make arrangements for this sudden loss. I don't believe I have ever known a mother and daughter who have a closer relationship/friendship. Please remember Chris, Valerie, Stephen, Alex and Avery as they adjust to life without Betty.
Another unspoken for friend's whose baby has received a difficult diagnosis.
For two of the dearest friends that our lives have ever known; who are struggling with their loss of income and accompanying uncertainties. Brent & Gina Bumgarner (Tara, Addison, Baylor and Blaine) and Danny & Paula Garrett (Erica, Erin, Eli and Ethan).
Phaedra Clemons' father, Luther, who was diagnosed with advanced cancer two weeks ago and her mother, Elaine, having biopsies done this week as well.
Niki and Bryan Ary who have experienced the loss of two sweet babies in the last year or so. I know that Niki had a day last week where these losses weighed heavy (heavier than other days) on her and I want to continue remembering her this week as well.
Tony & Aarol Williams - Tony who is dealing with neck/back pain and Aarol who is undergoing surgery on Wednesday.
My aunt, Wanda Castleman, who had MAJOR back surgery and developed other complications following.
Jason Kennedy's father who is battling cancer.

The list is long and, even now, I'm sure is incomplete for I know I have, at the moment, forgotten someone. God knows who they are.

My prayer for each of these is that they would see God in a way that they have never experienced before. That He would be so very real to them and that they would crawl up in His lap and feel loved. He knows our every want and our every need and I praise His name. I may not understand all that is happening (and I don't) but I know Who is in control and I trust His plan.

He's my Baby!

2009-03-27T11:10:00.006-05:00

Today is Braeden's birthday. He is 11 years old today....so hard to believe.

Braeden,

Happy 11th Birthday! I hope that, this year, you learn more, love more, live more and be all that you can be. I pray that you never lose your sweet, sweet spirit (even in the upcoming teenage years) and that you always know how very much Jesus loves you; not to mention your Daddy and I.

Braeden, I love that you are so loyal to your friends. I also love that part of you that will NOT allow you to tell me you love me without also telling your Daddy (for fear that he might get his feelings hurt) and vice versa.

This time next year, you'll be in Middle School and I can hardly believe it. In my mind, you'll always be my baby. You and your brother are our greatest blessings! Thanks for being just who God made you to be.

I love you!!!

************************************************************************************

We had Braeden's birthday a week early (on Friday March 21st). He wanted to have a sleepover with a few of his closest friends. He also asked that we go to O'Charleys for dinner which we did. The boys are all awesome kids and we enjoyed their company. We are so grateful for Braeden's friends:

Cameron - our neighbor

Samuel - a long-time friend from church. Braeden and Samuel starting going to THBC together 9 months before they were born and have been friends ever since.Gideon - like Samuel, a long time friend from church.

Henry - Henry and Braeden met at Kindergarten Camp the summer before they began Kindergarten at Winstead Elementary. They have remained close friends over the years even though they haven't gone to school together since 2nd Grade. Our other neighbor, Kyle, with Cameron
Luke - Braeden and Luke have been friends since they were 4 years old and their 9/10 year old brothers played football together. Tom and Lynda, by the way, are the only friends we know who have 2 boys who are the same age as ours. Braeden & Luke crack us all up in that, no matter how long they've been apart, once they are together they pick back up just as if they'd seen on another the day before. That and the fact that, without ever consulting with one another, they are always somehow "into" the same things. Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Lynda about the party and she shared with me that Luke had taken up guitar....just like Braeden. As it turns out, they started lessons within 1-2 weeks of one another.

Not The First Time

2009-03-11T09:15:00.005-05:00

There has been at least once in the past that I have referred to a blog that I read which is written by a local pastor, Ridley Barron. Ridley's daughter was in Braeden's class in the 2nd grade I believe; however, at the time, I didn't know his story or anything about his family. Since then, I learned of the loss of his first wife and their baby and, in following his blog, find him to be a mighty warrior for God's kingdom. His post today is one that deserves to be shared:

You can't do anything about your past. You can, however, do everything about your future. One of our friends and LIFE group members challenged Lisa with this thought a few weeks back. She put it this way. You have to live life through your windshield and not your rear view mirror.

Perhaps that's what Isaiah had in mind when he wrote these words:

18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

I believe God has great plans for you and me. They are limited only by our willingness to follow His lead. We serve a God who is ridiculously powerful, stupendously loving and maddeningly illogical (according to our understanding). Don't limit what He wants to do with your tomorrows because you refuse to leave yesterday behind. Life lived through the windshield holds limitless promises for those who will surrender the rear view mirror. Live dangerously in the arms of God!

Thanks, once again, Ridley for this reminder of who God is.

A little of THIS and a little of THAT

2009-03-10T16:49:00.007-05:00

Prayers:

This past week, many many prayer requests have come our way:

1.) Niki Argo Milrainey had surgery on a brain aneurysm - PRAISES for a good outcome; 3.) little Koby (Jan Noland's great grandson) is in surgery as we speak...the little fella is only a couple of months old and has several heart defects; 3.) Another precious baby has received a difficult diagnosis this week (I am unsure if the parents want this publicly shared so I will refrain....God knows); 4.) my Aunt Wanda had major back surgeries last week (one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday) and though her back is doing well, she's having some other side effects that have kept her from coming home and, lastly, a blog that I found (http://www.bevinsfamily.blogspot.com/) has experienced a difficult loss; one that is hard to understand. This is only a sampling of the specific request(s) that I've been given over this past week; there are others (more personal) that I will not list. Again, God knows the hurts and the struggles of each of us. I don't know the answers but I do know Who is on the throne and, for that, I am thankful.

Family:

Over the weekend, we traveled to see my Dad, Stepmother and Brother. We had a great visit; one that makes you think about how unfortunate it is that we don't do it more often.

They live in Roane County which is where there was a recent ash spill. Though we have seen it on television, seeing it in person is something altogether different. The areas that you see that are filled with ash debris is what used to be a lake. The towers that you see in the background is the power plant that is the source of the spill. Perhaps you can get some sort of feel for how far we were from the actual site and how far the ash traveled.

Dad has a beautiful yard with water features, etc. Things are just barely starting to bud so the pictures, at this point, aren't very colorful but we did take some of some of his garden areas and, hopefully, we can get others in a month or two when things are in bloom.

Jeff took these pictures of the boys which are pretty funny.....

We got to see Walt play basketball (and he even got a dunk - just not on film):

Last but certainly not least, Providence had a Baptismal service Sunday night and it was such a blessing to witness EIGHT baptisms. There were children, adults, brothers, sisters, Moms and daughters....WOW! One of the children, as his testimony, sang "Jesus Loves Me"....it makes me tear up just thinking about it. That really is all of our testimonies, isn't it?

Following the service, we had a Fellowship at Fat Mo's and, as always, PBF'ers showed up for a great time. What a blessing the night was.

Doxa - The Wrap-Up (Picture Overload Warning)

2009-02-23T17:16:00.008-06:00

The weekend was a huge success and Jeff & I feel so very blessed to have been able to be a small part of it.
The session Friday night to kick things off was awesome. The band, Making Malorie, led us to the throne and Brent Gambrell brought a great message; all about His GLORY. We all returned to our Host Homes for some discussion time and, of course, snacks. The boys were up until at least 2 a.m. but were able to sleep in a little since we didn't have to report back to the church until 9:45 Saturday morning.

The only picture I could find of Brent is from his site (http://www.brentgambrell.com/). A little small but I wanted you all to see him.

On Saturday, Brent continued his message and there was more Praise and Worship before being served pizza at the church for lunch. Immediately following, everyone made their way downtown for 3 hours of Laser Quest. After that, it was back to the Host Homes for a little relaxing and some dinner. Burgers and all the fixin's were in order. We all returned to the church that night for, of course, more Praise and Worship and Brent's wrap-up message. He challenged us all to BE a Christian and not just SAY that we are on when it is convenient. Many decisions were made, by Christians and non-Christians alike and I ask you to join me in praying for each of these. It was definitely the kind of weekend where lives were changed. Once we returned to the Host Homes on Saturday night, there were discussions about the day and then the leftover hamburgers made a reappearance (along with a little dessert). It was semi-quiet by 11:00 - 11:30 though a little bird tells me that there was still some fun and games going on.
Sunday morning doughnuts were served to the kids at church and it was so neat to see them all in their DOXA sweatshirts.

Again, I am so thankful to have been able to participate in this great event. We were certainly blessed in all of it. We have a great group of kids at PBF and I was happy to get to know some of them better.

Tom did a great job planning this event and the kids wanted to show him a little love. This is how they chose to do that......

More on Doxa Weekend

2009-02-21T13:35:00.007-06:00

The first question you ask yourself when you're expecting a group of teenage boys is this:

Do I have enough food?

...and you think the answer is "YES" but sometimes you may need to think again because, seriously, this morning's breakfast went like this.....

54 scrambled eggs

4 pounds of bacon

40 biscuits

Now I must be honest, in addition to ten teenage boys, there were also two "little" boys (Braeden and Blake) as well as 6 adults (Jeff, Myself, Barry, Wendy, Kenny and Corey); however, I had one biscuit and two pieces of bacon....I'm just sayin'.

And, then lastly, I'm wondering.........

Who told Stephen he could do this?

We're having a great time. Well, actually, we (Jeff and I) opted to skip the early session and Laser Quest today so that we could rest a little and, of course, cook dinner.

More to come......

Photography

2009-02-20T13:34:00.002-06:00

I don't think that I've posted that I am taking a Photography class. I have always admired really good photos and wished I had the knack but recently we purchased a new SLR camera and I wanted to make certain that I didn't under-utilize its capabilities so Jeff signed me up for a course at our local library.

Funny thing is that the very first night of classes, the instructor said, "If you like Math, you're going to LOVE Photography". Problem is, I hate Math and I stink at it.

I am now three weeks into the four-week series and things are starting to make some sense to me; however, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was/am disappointed to know that Photography isn't so much the creative outlet that I thought it was. It is actually very technical.

Though I do understand more and more, I still am somewhat frustrated that it hasn't all come together for me. So, last night, when my instructor said that once we have been given the information, it will take time for it all to really make sense. I am encouraged that I am not quite as dumb as I was thinking I might be.

Our assignment for this next week is to take a LOT of candid/photo-journalistic type photos at a public place or event. So....obviously, I'll be snapping away at the teenagers over the weekend and we'll see what I come up with. Maybe I'll even have a few worth sharing here. We'll see.....

DOXA

2009-02-20T13:20:00.004-06:00

As if I'm not already outnumbered (boys to girls) in this household, this weekend we are really breaking a record.

Our church is participating in a Disciple Now weekend for the Youth titled "doxa". It is a weekend-long event and we (PBF) are joining forces with 2 other local church's for what promises to be an awesome weekend.

The weekend will consist of time spent hearing the Word (led by Brent Gambrell who I love), praising His name (led by the band "24") and a whole lot of food, fun and fellowship.

Jeff and I were scheduled to be a host home for the High School Boys (approximately 6 of them) and their adult leader(s). Our sweet friends, Tommy and Connie Gibson, were hosting the Middle School Boys but Tommy is in the hospital (pray for him) so we're adding them to the mix as well.

I have made the Sam's run this morning and stocked up on Soft Drinks, Bottled Waters, Chips, Burgers, Bacon & Eggs as well as much more.

Though Jeff used to teach Youth, he and I normally (for the last 10 years or so) work with Co-Ed Adults and/or Preschool Children so this will be a different change of pace for us. I am excited and anxious to see what God has in store for this group of young people. I feel that it will kick-start something big amongst these teenagers and I look forward to being a small part of that.

FYI: Doxa means "glory" which is my favorite word these days. It's what life is ALL about....glorifying Him. Lord, let me do just that this weekend and always.

A Full Weekend

2009-02-02T11:32:00.007-06:00

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” “Though he slay me, yet will I serve Him.”

This verse comes to the forefront time and time again. This very weekend is no exception.

On Friday, the entire family (Mom and Les; Mike, Hailey, Connor & Tate; John, Ashley, John, Sam & Sadie; and Jeff, Kelley, Jordan & Braeden) drove to Lebanon to meet Carson for dinner. Earlier in the week, he had received his much anticipated championship ring and we all wanted to celebrate with him.

Saturday evening, we were thrilled to take part in a sort of "going away" celebration for Mark & Dena Caruth. Mark will be leaving Tusculum Hills Baptist Church (after 14 years of service) this coming week to return to what is his first love....music. He has been such an encouragement to so many over the years and Immanuel Baptist Church will surely be blessed by him. After our split with THBC in July, we have all prayed for Mark & Dena; all along he and Dena reminding us that God would take care of them....in His time. Even in their waiting, they were a great witness for Him. Mark was, in fact, surprised when he arrived and it was such fun to share in a little of their joy.

But in the midst of that joy came much sorrow as we learned that, for the second time in a year, Niki and Bryan Ary had suffered a miscarriage. It is so very difficult to understand God's plan in times such as these but, as Mark & Dena taught us, He does have a plan and it is better than anything our finite minds can comprehend. Please join me in praying for the peace that only He can provide for this sweet couple.

We wrapped up the weekend with a Super Bowl Fellowship at the Hulshof home where fun was had by all......

......some more than others.

Debbie - I borrowed pictures...hope you don't mind. I'll share mine as soon as I get them unloaded from the camera....

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

2009-01-30T15:51:00.006-06:00

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

I have thought and spoken recently (on several occasions actually) about how I feel that I have lived a WHOLE LOT O' LIFE in the last year. Possibly more than ever before in my 41 years.

In this time, I have learned (and am still learning) lots of lessons. I honestly wish that I had had the forethought to keep a running list. I didn't but there is one thing that has become so very real to me and I wanted to share that here.

In what has likely been the hardest year of our lives, I am so thankful that Jeff and I have a group of people to "do life with". Life is hard but, without the love of friends and family, I can't imagine what it would be. I realize, time and time again, what a blessing it is to have this and find myself feeling so unworthy of these valuable relationships. I often think of the fact that some people live an entire lifetime and NEVER experience true friendship. There are so many people who have been placed in my path who allow me to see a little bit of Jesus each and every day. I am humbled and honored.

"BooMama" wrote a post about this very thing today and it rings so very true; when you have a chance, click over and read what she has to say.

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." - Ecclesiastes

The ABC Game

2009-01-28T17:23:00.004-06:00

A. Attached or single? Attached....19 years and 7 months

B. Best friend? Hubby first. Mom and Sisters next. Then lots of girlfriends; most of which I have met/know from church.

C. Cake or pie? Cheesecake which is actually kind of a pie.

D. Dog or cat? Dogs every time.

E. Essential item? Moisturizer/Lotion

F. Favorite color? Red.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms.

H. Hometown? Nashville, TN

I. Favorite indulgence? Manicures/Pedicures

J. January or July? That's hard. I don't like EXTREME weather one way or the other (hot or cold). I tolerate the cold better but I like the Summer when everything is green and blooming. I'll go with July because I can turn on the A/C.

K. Kids? Yep - 2 - Jordan (15) and Braeden (10)

L. Life isn’t complete without? Friends and Family.

M. Marriage date? June 17, 1989

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 sisters - Hailey and Ashley / 2 brothers - Carson and Walt

O. Oranges or apples? Oranges....love 'em.

P. Phobias? Feet and Clowns

Q. Quote? God is good....all the time. All the time....God is good.

R. Reasons to smile? Blessed!

S. Season of choice? Fall.

T. Travel dreams? Right now, I can't think past the cruise that Jeff and I are taking in June.

U. Unknown fact about me? I showed Black Angus Cattle when I was a kid/teenager.

V. Vegetable? Asparagus is my favorite.

W. Worst habit? Lack of organization.

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ummm...I've had both.

Y. Your favorite restaurants? Stoney River, Outback....I love a good steak.

Z. Zodiac sign? Gemini

A Little Linking Love

2009-01-22T15:34:00.008-06:00

I love blogs. I, admittedly, probably spend too much time following them but, can I just say that there are some awesome people out there? I have learned and gained so very much from reading the thoughts of others.

Today, I wanted to just share some recent things that I feel are linkworthy....

Kimba has decided to begin a weekly series titled, "Building a Soft Place to Land" where she plans to discuss all things home and homemaking. I love that she wants this to be a dialogue and I love even more that in this first installment, she shows us that we are not alone. It does so feel good sometimes to know that you're normal, huh?

In more ways than I dare to try and count, it has been a hard year for many of my church family members. The least of which are Bryan and Niki Ary . This sweet couple lost their first pregnancy a few months ago and just last week discovered that the baby that Niki currently carries may have Downs Syndrome. Today they met with the Specialist and, though not completely conclusive, it appears that that may not be the case. I love that Bryan and Niki, though of course, wanted to be educated and prepared that they KNEW beyond a doubt that the baby God was giving them was perfect in every way....no matter what. He is so good. Thank you, Bryan and Niki, for your testimony of faith that He knows better than we and that, ALWAYS, He is faithful.

One of the first blogs that I ever followed was Kelly's and you may even recall that it was in connection with Kelly's blog that, early on in my blogging days, I participated in a little home tour of sorts with her. Kelly and her husband Scott have battled infertility and so very many have prayed that she would have the baby that their hearts desired. Last Friday that little baby girl (Harper Brown Stamps) was born weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds and 12 ounces. God knew that Harper would need to be at her ideal fighting weight for she was born with some heart/lung issues and had to be taken from Arkansas to Tulsa (to a Childrens Hospital) as her condition was dire. This sweet girl has been under medication for this entire first week of her life (sedated and paralyzed I believe) so as not to interfere with her body's need to heal. Anyway, each day Harper improves just a little and God is so good to give this family JUST what they need, JUST when they need it (I love that about Him). They have been overcome by the acts of kindness that have been shown to them and so very careful to give Him all praise, honor and glory. Kelly, her Mom, is so faithful to pray for others who are experiencing infertility and even started a Prayer Blog for those. Please join me in praying little Harper home...she has lots of sweet dresses, tutus and bows that are just waiting to be worn. Thank you, Kelly, for being so transparent in your blog and in your life; to always, always leave no room for doubt as to where your HOPE comes from.

I'm not organized. But I want to be so, go here and see what you can learn.

Have you seen my niece lately?

A new favorite (as if I needed anything else to keep me from doing the laundry) is Dreams of a Country Girl. Can't live with her (she's awfully skinny and cute), can't live without her (she's funny as all get out)!

And almost last but certainly not least is my sweet friend Debbie. This girl (and her husband) make me want to be a better me. They encourage and inspire me and I thank God that they are part of my life. Besides that, we are going to dinner with them tonight and I.CAN.HARDLY.WAIT....seriously. I love it anytime my Google Reader tells me Debbie has updated her blog because I know, reading it, will be an uplifting experience every single time. And, can I just be honest and tell you that sometimes I leave Debbie's blog up while I'm reading others because she has the best music choices ever. It's like a little worship service all on its own. And, now, I leave you with this vision of Kenny and Jeff who also like each other an awful lot. Perhaps a little too much, ya think?

Okay, this last little thing is not so much a link because, to be honest, I can't remember whose blog it was on but I really needed you all to see it so I googled "redneck tank top" and found the picture that I wanted to share with you, my sweet redneck friends. Let's make us all one of these - QUICK - before it gets warm. Think of how economical these will be. After all, you can get a six pack of tighty whiteys for little of nothing.

Perspective

2009-01-20T10:23:00.003-06:00

Since posting yesterday, I haven't been able to stop thinking about all that it said and all that it meant. I've had those moments of kicking myself, moments where I worried about the fact that I had the "m" word on my blog, moments where I feared what someone would think and moments where I was simply thankful that God hadn't given up on me and continues to teach me new things each and every day.

I couldn't wait to call my friend Debbie this morning to tell her what God was showing me regarding this. Debbie is someone who is pure and true and who, I knew, needed to hear what I was hearing.

Do we need to BE the church? Absolutely we do. I don't take back any of that; however, it occurred to me this morning that, as NEVER before in my life (and the lives of many of us at PBF) we WERE/ARE attempting to BE the church more than ever before. (Are we good at it yet? NO!) There was a time not so long ago that I even had knowledge of the fact that I was supposed to BE the church. Ignorance is not always bliss. So...I say all of this to say that, though we certainly do NOT have it mastered, maybe we've made baby steps in that direction and, with that in mind, does it not make sense that Satan would see this in us and, therefore, place a larger target on our backs?

Just something to think about.

Funny how I see God in the simplest of things because I have been thinking about all of this all night and morning and then I went to my blog friend, Linda's, blog this morning and saw this.

BEING the Church

2009-01-19T16:15:00.004-06:00

As it regards the church, I feel that I have lived a lifetime of experience in the last several years.

The "world" believes that the church is a "pollyana" place where righteous people come to be with other righteous people. They believe that we are tee-totalers who have never done anything wrong and that we are sailing through life unscathed.

Not so.

There are two kinds of sinners in the world....lost sinners and saved sinners. That one dividing line is all that separates one of us from the other. But do we, as Christians, make a point of sharing with the lost sinners of the world that we are as wretched as they. That we have lives filled with hurts, with struggles, with deceit and pain; an entire life full of JUNK?

I ran across this today and wanted to share it with you. These words are not mine but they are very fitting for where I am at this moment.

"We need to stop PLAYING church and start BEING the church." - WOW! This statement, was made in a sermon recently at Cross Point Church. When questioned about it, their Pastor provided the following for an explanation.....

It means we need to stop arguing about style of worship and get concerned about the poor and hungry around the world.

It means we need to spend less time gossiping about others and more time allowing God to break our hearts over the people in our cities who are facing an eternity apart from Christ.

It means we need to stop whining about what programs our church has or doesn’t have and we need to learn what it means to abide in Jesus from one moment to the next.

Listen, it’s got to stop. We’ve got to stop showing up on Sunday mornings and playing church. The New testament never calls us to just go to church, but to be the church.

It seems far to often we’ve reduced church down to spiritual masturbation. We’ve made it all about us. We’ve turned it into something we do to stroke our ego-driven, self-centered, materialistic lives. It gives us momentary pleasure, but we’ve failed to give, serve, or sacrifice of ourselves. It leads to false intimacy with our creator God.

We play church.

I’m done with that.

Be the church.

(sound of me stepping off my soap box)

I realize that these are some BOLD thoughts and some BOLD words but I'm convinced that if we did, in fact, stop playing church and started being the church, things would be a lot different for us individually and collectively....not to mention the unchurched folks who have been avoiding us like the plaque.

Baxter on display

2009-01-16T10:29:00.002-06:00

Here's a little time-waster...go to www.loonapix.com to create some neat images from your own pictures. Fun!

Then and Now

2009-01-08T22:13:00.005-06:00

I was taking a look at various pictures yesterday and found this....

A picture of my boys at Christmas in 2001. Braeden would have been just shy of his 3rd birthday and Jordan was 7 1/2.

And here they were a few weeks ago...at 10 (almost 11) and 15 1/2. How did that happen?

Looking Back

2009-01-07T18:30:00.007-06:00

I have been a really bad blogger and, frankly, am having a hard time getting back in the groove. I was pleased to find this meme to kick things off and hopefully get me back in the swing.

2008 was quite a year. It was full and fabulous and, oddly enough, a mixture of equal parts pain and joy.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Wow...this is not starting out so well because I can't think of a thing. Note to self: be more adventurous in 2009.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I am not a person who believes in resolutions; especially not ones that you make on January 1st. So it seems that I like to make and break them all throughout the year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. My sister Ashley gave birth to little Sadie Katherine (see here and here) in November.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. My sweet Grandmother, "NaNa", passed away May 18th. See here.

5. What countries did you visit? Does Hurricane Mills count? That's country. Ha!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A smaller butt. (Sorry....just being honest.)

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The month of May when NaNa elected to forego further dialysis treatments and enter Hospice (see several May posts). The month of July when my church split. The Fall of year when Carson began playing football for Cumberland University. And, overall, just realizing in all of it, that God provided exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I finally became committed to improving my health by eating right (joined WW), exercising and ultimately losing weight.

9. What was your biggest failure? Failing to see God in every.little.detail of my life. Trust me, He's always there...just look.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had the flu in February, I had my first Mammogram which resulted in the big "c" scare and subsequent surgery, I had Lasik surgery (which was and is THE BOMB), and I've been so sore that I couldn't hardly walk after working out with my really mean : ) personal trainer.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Oh gosh, I don't know. We bought a new Canon EOS Digital camera for one another for our anniversary and I love it. Jeff bought himself a 4-wheeler and a pick-up truck this year and I am thrilled about that for him...he's been wanting to do that for a while. He feels like a real manly man now.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jordan's teenager attitude has definitely improved. He is more and more like the little boy I once knew.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I am choosing not to answer this one; however, I'm pretty mad at Adam and Eve for making us ALL sinners.

14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage, Target, Groceries, a really cool Spring Break with friends in the Keys

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Gosh, I don't get REALLY, REALLY excited about much but having a new baby girl in the family was a huge blessing this year.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? Happy to be content no matter the hand that life deals.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Bible Study, ministering to others, strengthenting relationships...worldly and Heavenly

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Wasting time.

20. How did you spend Christmas? At home with Dad and family (13th), in Dickson with Dad's extended family (21st), at Jimmy & Melinda's with Jeff's family (22nd), at home with my family (24th) and at Mom's for breakfast Christmas morning then home for a day of laziness. The best part of it all being that Jeff was off of work for two entire weeks.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? I am so blessed to HONESTLY say that I fall more and more in love with Jeff each and every day.

22. What was your favorite TV program? The Biggest Loser

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't nor have I ever HATED anyone. That's such a strong word and my Mom NEVER allowed us to use it. I'm glad.

24. What was the best book you read? Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers....stop what you are doing and go and get it right now. Seriously.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I have no musical talent but I have LOVED watching the family play Rock Band. Maybe THAT'S the discovery...that you don't have to have talent to enjoy music.

26. What did you want and get? A new camera, a pair of Uggs, some smaller jeans.

27. What did you want and not get? Some REALLY small jeans and long legs.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Fireproof, Four Christmases, Marley & Me.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Well, I was/am 41 which is the problem. Last year, my sweet husband, threw me the absolute best surprise party at Stoney River for my 40th...on the same day that he bought me a new car. Any birthday after that is a bit of a let down.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? On the shallow side: a housekeeper. On the not-so-shallow side: Friends and family who didn't have to deal with so much hurt.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Comfy and just shy of a visit from "What Not To Wear"

32. What kept you sane? The Holy Spirit, God's grace, and Jesus. Isaiah 54:10

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I enjoyed getting to know Sarah Palin though I was so sick of the election drama.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Abortion is always the kicker for me.

35. Who did you miss? NaNa of course.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I would have to go with The Agnew's, The Stegall's and The Whitenack's. What a blessing!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. We are all sinners. Some of us are saved sinners and some of us are lost sinners. It's the only dividing line.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Mary, did you know?

2008-12-24T12:59:00.007-06:00

As I sit here on this Christmas Eve, I have many thoughts. This Christmas season, as all of the others before it, have been a whirlwind. Such a whirlwind, in fact, that I didn't get my cards mailed. They were ordered, they were received, most of them were even addressed but they never made it into the mail. I can recall times where that would have stressed me beyond measure. Today....not so much.

And as I ponder why, all I can think about is Mary.

I wonder what she might have been doing on this day all those years ago and I think back to my own pregnancies. Of course, because of the lack of technology, she probably wasn't able to pinpoint the baby's arrival and plan and prepare in the way that I did. After all, I had scheduled births with both of my boys and those eve's before they were born, I'm sure that I found myself scurrying around taking care of those final details. I had a perfectly appointed nursery and had been given shower after shower after shower. Lots of little clothes hung on lots of little hangers and my Mom and NaNa had washed everything in Dreft. All of the diapers were stacked perfectly and essentials like wipes were placed exactly at arms length. My bags were packed with all of the necessities and always included brand new gowns/pj's for me (NaNa always stressed over us having new gowns when we were going into the hospital) and just the right "going home" outfit for the new baby.

Mary, who I understand was probably only 14-16 years old at the time of Jesus' birth, definitely didn't have new gowns. In fact, in the days before the birth of this Christ child, she had had to make her way from her hometown of Nazareth to the town of Bethlehem where she (and others) had been ordered to participate in a census. Due to the large numbers of people who had to report to Bethlehem, all of the rooms were taken. Mary and Joseph had travelled for three days and then found themselves sleeping in a stable that had been offered by an innkeeper who didn't have anything better available for them. It was there, in that stable, that Mary gave birth to our Savior - mine and yours - Jesus Christ. The baby who was born of a virgin birth and sent to save us from our sins and ourselves.

As the song states, I wonder, did she know? How much did she understand about God's plan for her little boy? Did she know that he would heal the blind, make the lame to walk and raise Lazarus from the grave? Did she know that he would walk on water and then later suffer a death on the cross; one that she would live to see? She obviously trusted God enough to know that whatever He had planned was bigger than anything she could imagine.

Mary was right.

God is sovereign. He sent his one and only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. And he did just that....while we were still sinners. Not when we shaped up. Not when we promised to do better. Not when we said, "pplleeaassee, I'll never do it again."

Tomorrow, we celebrate the birth of this sweet baby. I encourage you, if you do not know him, it is not too late. There is no time like the present. Get to know him. In fact, make him your very best friend. Mary trusted. So should we.

Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Remembering His Birth

2008-12-20T12:49:00.001-06:00

Watch this...in its entirety, please.

http://media.creativepastors.com/mediapreviews/index.php?stream=Upside_Down_MPEG1

God Is Good All The Time...All The Time God Is Good

2008-12-19T16:05:00.004-06:00

I have attempted on many occasions to begin this post.

Though I do not have a large following, I do know that this blog is read by a sampling of people who a.) know me very well and/or b.) do not know me at all. Then there are other people who I know read this blog; people who know of me or think that they know me or at least know something about me but who, in reality, (pardon my bluntness) do not have a clue. There are people who come here to read my blog to see if they can find out something that, quite honestly, is none of their business. It is because of those people that I hesitate to write this post. It is because of those people that I have started and stopped and started and stopped and started again writing of the deep hurt that I have experienced this past week.

To revisit the past months, I am a member of a brand new church, Providence Baptist Fellowship. We became a congregation as the result of what I consider to be an ugly split. My former church was home for my family for some 20+ years and the parting came with much sorrow, MUCH prayer and 100% certainty that God was leading us to do so.

In the past six months (since the split), He has provided for this new church in some UNBELIEVABLE ways; continuously confirming that we were where He intended us to be.

With all of that said, our beloved pastor and friend resigned from PBF this past week due to a moral failure. This body of believers once again is experiencing hurt unlike anything that we have previously known. However, God continues to confirm that PBF is His church and that we are, were and always have been serving Him...not man. We will press on for I know, even more today, that we must be scaring the you-know-what out of Satan. Were he not worried about us, he would have already left us alone.

The emotions and responses to this are many and it is early to have been able to fully filter through them all; however, I am certain of these things:

God is still in control.
Men will sin.
He will and does forgive.
We are called to do the same; after all, we have been forgiven.
Satan is alive and well.
Ministry is hard.
He can use anything, anyone, any situation at any time.
My sin and your sin are equal.
There is only one God.
Gossip is painful.
People tell lies.
Restoration does happen.
People are watching.
We have a choice in how we react.
No man is better than another.
God MIGHTILY used a man who has now fallen; that doesn't make him less of a man or even less God's man.
God can and will use man's successes and his failures.
This is not about me.
Providence Baptist Fellowship will press on; doing the work that we have been called to do with great expectation for what He has in store for us.
God is good....all the time.
All the time....God is good.

Because He died and rose again,

Kelley

Romans 8:28

2008-12-17T08:38:00.001-06:00

And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2008-12-13T12:06:00.003-06:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Some of each. If I am not rushed and can be creative with pretty bows and such, I love wrapped gifts. Sometimes, though, there's just nothing like a good ole' bag.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, pre-lit, hinged

3. When do you put up the tree? Typically, the weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible after Christmas....definitely before New Years Day. My mom, however, has been known to take hers down Christmas Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Lite Brite.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad and StepMom

8. Easiest person to buy for? My children.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a beautiful one that I searched for for several years.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? We have this "thing" that makes an appearance each year at our Sunday School class get-together. There have been years that it has not made it but this year is not one of those and I am the proud owner of him/it for the next year.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October/November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? This year, Saltine Toffee.

16. Lights on the tree? White.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did You Know?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Mostly home. Some local travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Normally I do an arrangement of twigs, sprigs, berries and feathers but my youngest son has been asking for a star so, this year, a star it is.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That there is so much hurt in the world.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Natural (berries, etc.). I also like unique Santas.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? The health and happiness of my friends and family.

"ICE"

2008-12-12T12:57:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday night, we bundled up and headed out to Gaylord Opryland Hotel to see the exhibit "ICE". It is amazing! Everything, obviously, is made of ice. I understand that this is the last year for the Dr. Seuss theme but that something else is being considered. It was a little pricey but well worth it for a night of family fun. I can't believe we've never seen it before now.

The boys loved this area; complete with ice slides.....

Of course, Jeff and I loved this area with a beautiful nativity display made from crystal clear ice. It was a surprise to find it at the end of the exhibit.