Seeing God Big, Part 3

(Please drop over to Leslie's blog, her daughter is Susannah, many were praying for Susannah as they adopted her, she was very sick with a serious heart condition...well, Leslie's dad fell 25 feet from a ladder, please, please pray for him.)

The first day at the orphanage, we had a birthday party. I love the way Dr. E., the Director of the orphanage, does birthday parties…The birthday child sits in the middle of the circle and each of the older children come up and speak a blessing over their 'brother' or 'sister'… It was during these blessings that I first saw C…

He brought his Bible up with him and read the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) over the birthday boy…he spoke with such authority…poise…it was powerful to see this young man stand so boldly in front of his peers and all of these strangers.

In the coming days, we got to know C better…he is truly an amazing young man.

C’s mother died and he never knew his father…He was passed from family member to family member and finally to strangers where he was a slave herding cattle. At one point, he ran way to live as a street kid in one of the big cities…but it was too much, so he decided to try and find his father.

He went to the last place he had heard that his father lived, only to discover that he also had died. An aunt, who had 8 children of her own, finally brought him to the orphanage.

Dr. E said that C quickly discovered a love for God’s word and now he loves to teach in the orphanage…the problem was, C had an eye condition that made reading more difficult for him.

Well, one of our team members B., flies helicopters…and a while back, B.’s wife had given him a large print Bible. Since he's a pilot and has perfect eyesight, he had just put it on the shelf...it had never been used. As he was packing for his trip to Africa, his wife brought him the Bible and suggested he take it with him, she said he would probably find someone who needed it…

Well, I’m sure you see where this story is headed…On Sunday at church, B. noticed that C was having a hard time reading his Bible…he had found the person who needed his large print Bible! Once again, God provided BIG in the details!

Since then, money has been raised and C was able to have surgery that significantly improved his eyesight...

But let me ask you again, who but God? One young man, thousands of miles away, one pilot with a misfit gift, and one wife who answered the stirring in her heart to send the Bible...

God knows and cares about ALL of our needs...

It was such a blessing to watch C…to know the heartache and hardship that he had lived through, and to see his joy, I'm sure you can see it in the pictures…he is a special young man!

Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to A…bring your Kleenex for this one!

Gardening...Seeing God Big, Part 2

Quick note before I tell you my next story...be sure to check out the button on my sidebar for Bringing Home Rachel...it's an awesome raffle for a beautiful little girl that needs to come home to her forever family. Be sure you read the family's story...their son was in a horrible car accident and even in the midst of it, God led them to this precious child... For a small contribution you can enter to win an awesome Nikon D60!

Each day we were in Africa, we were assigned to different teams… I loved being in the community, so the day my mom and Nick and I were assigned to work in the gardens together, I was so excited!

Just a quick background note… we went with an organization called Heart For Africa (you can click on the name and go to their website) but they work with orphanages in Kenya and Swaziland and also with the surrounding communities. They repair roofs, plant gardens, do medical screening and vision testing…pretty much anything a community would need…

So this was our day to work in the gardens…we started off with our 3 teams, but when we got to one of our drop off locations to plant, the owner of the home was not there and he had not prepared his garden. So J., our guide, decided to combine the two remaining teams and go on to the next location…this was very significant, as you’ll find out in a moment!

Planting the gardens is hard work…we would run a crude irrigation system, install a fence…with no tools…hand wrap it…plant onions, spinach, tomatoes and a few other things…it was hot and the women had to wear skirts! But it was incredibly rewarding…





Usually the family would hang around, sometimes they would join in and help us, but they watched everything we did…



One thing about Africa, that is vastly different than America, is that no one is on a time schedule…so when we finished planting the garden, we had to hang around and wait for the truck to come back for us. As we all clustered under a large shade tree for some relief from the heat, the grandmother (gogo) came out carrying one of her few pieces of furniture…a bench…she wanted us to have some place to sit, other than the ground! And then a few minutes later, she came back with a chair…this time she didn’t come all the way over to us, but simply sat it close by so we would know it was available.





I don’t know why her simple offering moved me so much, but it was such a sweet reminder that it is not the size of our offering that matters, it’s simply the heart behind it. She was grateful for our efforts that day and showed us in the only way she knew how…

When the truck returned for us, we went back to the house we had left earlier to see if the man had returned. As we stood waiting for our guide to talk to the man, an older woman came walking up the road. She had a terrible limp, I have no idea how she had made it so far, her foot was severely deformed.

She didn’t approach us, but sat down on a little hill nearby. A couple of us went over to talk to her and she began pulling out a set of papers. One of the ladies in our group was able to learn that her husband had died and now she had no way to send her two grandchildren to school, to finish out the year.



In Africa, you pay to go to elementary and high school and then you can test and go to the University for free…it’s an interesting system. It cost about $50/quarter for a child to go to school…$150 for a year.

When this woman’s husband died, she lost her means of support and the children were being kicked out of school because she couldn’t afford to pay for them….and school in Africa is the only hope of a child escaping this horrible cycle of poverty.

Now remember, we were supposed to have been at this house earlier…and only one team would have been there…3-4 people instead of all 7 of us. When J., our guide, finished talking to the owner of the home, who had decided he didn’t want a garden, we asked him to talk to this lady to find out exactly what her need was…

Turns out, she was on her way up the mountain to the orphanage, to try and get help for her grandchildren. Most likely, the orphanage wouldn’t have been able to help her… But when she saw us, she decided to stop.

J., who takes his job very seriously to protect those who come to Africa, said he would normally never consider a request for help from someone in the community…it can be very dangerous for the person receiving help, as well as for those offering the help. But J. said the whole time he was talking to her, he kept hearing God whisper in his heart, “Get out of my way.” In addition, we had been told, in no uncertain terms, not to take money with us into the community.

Well, when we were told that all she needed was 700 Rand, a mere $100, all of us started pulling money belts from under our clothes! There were 7 of us and we each had 100 Rand!!

7 rebels who would have been split up if the earlier plan had gone according to schedule…

7 rebels who would not have been sitting on that hillside if the man had been home the first time we stopped by…

1 guide who was willing to listen to his Heavenly Father…who feared God more than man…

2 children who would not have finished school that year if God hadn’t orchestrated all of this.



Once again…God showed up BIG in the details! Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to Caleb...another amazing story!!

One Year Ago...Seeing God BIG, Part 1

I’m not sure why today feels so significant, but I just can’t stop thinking about what I was doing this time last year…

Nick, my mom and I, after 2 very long layovers in American cities, an 18 hour flight and a 5 hour, very scary bus ride in rain and unbelievable fog, were in Swaziland, South Africa. My mom had been before, but this was a first for Nick and I…we were on our very first mission trip!

It was an unbelievable trip… My prayer, leading up to the trip had been a plea “to see God big.” I wanted to see what He could do, and WOW, did He answer that request. We didn’t see any miraculous healings, or anything like that, but it’s where I learned, very clearly, that God shows up BIG in the details of our lives…

On our second day there, my mom and I, along with several others, were doing vision testing in the community. None of us had any idea what we were doing, but somehow, God was providing. They would sit down in front of one of our vision testing machines, we’d punch the buttons, and we’d get a reading. We’d always do it a couple of times to be sure the reading was correct, but if you’re reading this and you work in ophthalmology, you’re probably cringing…not exactly the best way to prescribe glasses…but it was all they had.

After we would get a reading, they would take their ‘prescription’ (I use that word very loosely) over to the ladies who were handing out glasses…there were hundreds (probably close to a thousand) of pairs of glasses that had been donated and their prescription was marked on them. All day long, people would get excited over their new glasses…

But the one that still takes my breath away was at the end of the day…we were all packed up and waiting for our ride back to the orphanage when another, older lady came in…she had received the flyer, but couldn’t read it well enough to know what time to come.

We were exhausted, but we unpacked everything and I sat down to take her reading…I was stunned…surely this can’t be right…
-9.75 and -10.25…she was legally blind. I did her reading several times and every time it came up the same. “Lord, we will never be able to help this woman.” He must have thought… “You have such little faith.”

I sent her out to where we had packed up the glasses, again thinking, “Even if we had them, we’d never find them…,” as I said, there were hundreds and hundreds of them…

But before I knew it, she was running back into the room, dancing, hugging and singing…SHE COULD SEE! The ladies looking for glasses had opened one of the boxes and the very FIRST pair they picked up had the EXACT prescription that she needed!






I can’t even begin to describe the emotions of that moment…the understanding that would come in the following days…

In America, we have so much…just yesterday…Mackenzie and I went to the eye doctor. Turns out Mackenzie is near sighted and this will probably explain her headaches and aching eyes…and then, I just needed to get a more powerful prescription…you know..age and all!

I didn’t like the prices of the place we were at, so I did some checking and found someone who would take our insurance…we saved a TON and it was still expensive, we had hundreds to choose from and they will make them to the exact specifications that we need…what an incredible blessing!

But Margaret (that was her name) didn’t have the same opportunity, and still God provided!

In Matthew 6:25-27, Jesus said, “25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

All week long, I watched God provide for people in impossible situations and I was deeply convicted that we have so much that we miss seeing God really work…we are not dependent on Him for the basics of life and I think it makes it harder for us to trust Him for the bigger things in life…as I’m learning with Abby, trust grows best when you’re given the opportunity to meet a person’s most basic needs.

I think over the next few days, I will tell you a few more stories from our trip to Africa. It was an amazing week of seeing God BIG in the smallest details of life!

I'm Just So Tired Of It...

The election that is! I can’t wait for Tuesday to come and go… If I don’t hear another scathing political ad for the rest of my life, it would still be too soon!

I am a conservative Christian and yet, I am so tired of hearing the “hate speech” about the other “non-conservative” side…it’s bitter, angry and just plain hateful. I’m tired of Christians speaking out against each other with hostile, judgmental, self-righteous statements like, “I don’t know how you can be a Christian and support ‘x’.” I hear that from both sides…I’ve heard Christian Republicans say it about Christian Democrats and vice versa…

The Bible tells us to guard the unity of the body of Christ… to live in harmony with one another… we need to watch what we say and how we say it! The unity of the body of Christ is FAR more important than who our next President is! The unity of the body has the potential to impact lives for eternity…our next President only has the power to impact our lives on earth…the temporal!

I know STRONG, godly Christians who are supporting McCain and equally STRONG, godly Christians who are supporting Obama!

Christians who support McCain inevitably talk about the issues of abortion and homosexual marriages, the desire to protect the family… Christians who support Obama inevitably speak of social justice and mercy, they demonstrate a tremendous compassion for “the least of these,” as Jesus Himself referred to them.

Why is it that we can’t have respectful, gracious dialogue on both sides and challenge each other, in love, to become more Christ-like?

I’ve had an on-going dialogue with a dear friend of mine for several weeks now. We haven’t changed each other’s intent to vote, but God has used my friend to educate me and to grow my heart for mercy… I clearly see the Christ-likeness of her desires and I have been deeply convicted by my lack of compassion in some areas. We don’t agree on how to address the issues, but maybe the point isn’t so much the ‘how’ as it is the heart.

And, I would challenge anyone to be as informed on the issues as my friend is…she is careful before she speaks, you don’t hear her regurgitating sound-bytes and she seeks out the source of everything, seeking to discover its original context. She approaches the issues with an open mind and she examines them from both sides of the aisle. I can’t always claim that… I am a more educated voter now because of my friend…if I want to talk to her, I better be able to back up what I say…what I heard on R*ush or Fo*x News just isn’t going to cut it!

But let me say this…as passionate as she is, she has NEVER once crossed the line of being disrespectful! She listens to my thoughts, she turns them over, tries them on and researches the points that I bring to the table… I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone so intent on discovering God’s will for her vote…her heart’s desire is to please Him, not the rest of the world, or even her friends… And for that, I have the utmost respect…

This past week in CBS, I had the week off and our Assistant Teaching Director gave a wonderful lecture. We are studying 1 Peter and we were talking about being persecuted and suffering for the name of Jesus, and she said something that I can’t stop thinking about.

She drew the distinction between suffering for the name of Jesus and suffering for other reasons…ie, political candidates, causes, etc. and she asked the question… Who, or what, are you holding out (to the world)? Jesus or your cause, your political party, etc.?

When the members of the church turn on each other over a political candidate, a cause, etc., then we are NOT holding out the name of Christ…we are doing NOTHING to reflect His grace and mercy…we are harming the name of Christ, we are not, in any way, shape or form, glorifying it.

Let’s get to the bottom line here…Daniel 2:21 says that “God sets up kings and deposes them…” Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Even Jesus said to Pilate, before he was handed over to be crucified, ““You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” John 19:11

Ultimately, God is the one who is in control…He ALONE is Sovereign…Government is for His purpose, not ours! I believe that with all of my heart and I will trust Him, no matter who wins on Tuesday. If God is going to use what is happening in our country to destroy some of our idols of materialism, immorality, etc. and draw us closer to Him…then fine…it might not be fun, in fact, it might be painful…but every day, I will pray for the strength to live with my eyes set on eternity…to hold out His name in a dark world.

If, as Christians, we truly believe that God is good…that He is faithful and just and sovereign…why would the thought of either candidate ‘scare’ us? As Christians, it’s time that we start considering how our rhetoric is reflecting on our heavenly Father…it’s time for this election to be over! But here’s the thing…when the election is over, we still need to remember who we represent…it’s not the Republican or Democratic party, or even America…First and foremost…it’s the King of Kings…God most High…I wonder how pleased He is with our representation right now?

Tagged!

I've been tagged by my friend Leslie...this is a first! So, 7 weird or random facts...

1. I LOVE to watch golf! My mom always loved it, so I guess I learned to love it when I was small. The Masters is my favorite, but the US Open is right up there...there's something really special about watching these guys win on Father's Day. I don't particularly like to play, I stink at it, but I love riding in the golf cart while my husband plays...there's nothing like the quiet beauty of a golf course. When I was pregnant with our oldest, we were sitting at breakfast, in Canada one morning and I looked at my husband and said, "We can't name him Taylor...that's a terrible golfer's name." So we came up with a name that would sound good on the Master's leader board...AHHH...turns out our oldest hates to play golf! LOL!! Oh well...

2. I'm afraid of deep water... I can swim, but I'm afraid of what I can't see beneath the surface. When I first jump into a lake, there is a moment of sheer panic...but I love to play with my kids in the lake, so I just get over it!

3. Like my friend Leslie, I have a secret (not anymore) dream to write a book. I even know the topic, but it's just not the time yet. I trust that God will make it clear when the time has arrived.

4. I love winter and cold temperatures... I love jackets and cuddly clothes...snuggling under a blanket...hot chocolate...soup...and a great excuse to hang out indoors!

5. I definitely prefer the mountains over the beach... I would rather hike on a trail than walk on a beach any day...I just don't like the heat or the sand.

6. When I was midway through my junior year at Georgia Tech, I decided I wanted to drop out and go to the Art Institute...needless to say, my mom wasn't real keen on that idea. I finished at Tech (barely...fortunately though, my degree doesn't say that!) and have always had an unfulfilled creative streak...

7. My idea of the perfect date night with my husband is a quiet dinner out where we can sit and talk for hours and hours if we want... Of course, a weekend at our friend's cabin in the mountains is even better... or an anniversary trip to Charleston... we can walk for hours and hours exploring and talking!

Ok...that was fun! Let's see, now I have to tag 7 others...

Trina...The Great Adventure

April...Miles and Miles to Mylei

Denise...Love Keeps Growing More Love

Jen...Waiting For Chloe Grace

Jeff...Backside of Forty

Laurie...The Unit

Cheryl...2 Taiwan 4 His

I Wanna Be A Bear!

I don't know who wrote this, I received it by e-mail, but I loved it! Enjoy!!

"In this life I’m a woman…but I think I’d like to be a bear.

When you’re a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for 6 months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you’re a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you’re sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you’re a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you’re a mama bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup…wanna be a bear!"

I Just Love Baby Steps!!

One of the concerns that I often hear parents express, who are considering an older child adoption, is how many firsts they will miss...and will they really have the opportunity to shape their adoptive children?

I know science and psychology tend to argue that personalities and many behaviors are shaped at a very young age, but I'm convinced that with love, consistency and perseverance, anything is possible...

Today was a bit of a stressful day...honestly, I was looking forward to Zack getting home from school and being able to head to Walmart for grocery shopping...by myself (you know you're desperate when you're wanting alone time at Walmart!)... Anyway, I figured Abby would want to stay with her siblings, but I invited her to go, just in case...

And she shocked me! She wanted to go with me! At first, I hate to admit, I was a little disappointed, I really needed that away time...but I'm not so dense that I couldn't see that this was a wonderful opportunity to have some time with just her!

So, she and I took off...I think I barely had the car cranked and she was sound asleep... On the way there, I was talking to a friend on the phone and we got word that another of our friend's husband had fallen and was in ICU... This is the sweetest man, he reminds me so much of my Pop... (turns out, he's going to be fine!)...but it made a stressful day, even harder...my heart was just heavy!

As I pulled into the parking lot, I looked back at that sweet, sleeping face and my arms just ached to scoop her up and hug her close, I even whispered a quiet, "please" to my heavenly Father, but tradition has it, that that just wasn't going to happen.

But just in case, I opened her door and offered my arms to her...she smiled and crawled right up into them! Yep, if you've been following this blog long, you read that right...she snuggled into my arms and wrapped her little legs around me and let me pull her close...ahhh...heaven on earth!

We had the most fun at Walmart...she chattered to me the ENTIRE time...we even found silver sparkly...oops, I mean princess shoes...to go with her 3 (as she always reminds me) princess dresses...she's so proud that she has 3!

And when she would see something that she knew we were out of, she would point it out and say, "Abby help mommy!" "Abby, you're a Big help to mommy!" OOOOO, the look that got! "Abby not Big mommy...Abby little!"

We giggled, we laughed, we danced a little to a singing card and splurged on some more popcorn balls and lip smackers lip gloss...fanta orange and grape flavored!

So, if you're considering adopting an older child...go for it! Yes, you miss the first step, first tooth, first hair cut...but the firsts you get to experience are simply magical...and they're experienced by both of you...a baby doesn't remember...but a 6 year old will!

Yes, there are unique challenges to adopting older, but they are so worth it. And just like I learn every day what it means to be an adopted daughter of my Heavenly Father...Abby learns what it means to be an adopted daughter with a forever family...science and psychology don't have all of the answers...God is far more powerful! Thank you Father for baby steps!