Gloriously Ruined

So my reading has continued and has pushed me deeper into discomfort, disguist and frustration with the culture in which America lives. I have become gloriously ruined. This current book, "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren has given great words to the state I have found in my heart. This alone has brought me comfort in hearing her describe her feelings as she came home from Africa back to her affluent Orange County, California... Kay says, "Everything looked different; everyone seemed strange. I looked at my possessions differently. Suddenly a full refrigerator was an insult. The crowded grocery store shelves were excessive. The displays of fashion at the mall were trivial. Television was disgusting and moronic. Politics made me sick. Church was superficial. I was a mess."

 Funniest Christmas picture EVER!  Look at Sadie!

 Just like a man to fall asleep during decorating the tree!  He could not believe he missed it!

Gloriously ruined is a term Warren and her friends have coined about how they have felt in their own discovery of the evil and unjust world around us..."I was ruined for life as I had known it before, but gloriously ruined!"

I can no longer see our way of life in Oklahoma the same, everything has a new slant on it...people are dying, starving to death, without water and without hope.  While I am broken for the fact that I have been aware and chose to look away, I also have more freedom in Him than I ever have...this is a closeness I have never experienced.  I am only halfway through this book and it's amazing and inspiring as well as gives me answer to what exactly did Jesus mean "take up your cross and follow me." 

Last week we finished Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World?  What a book!  3 pastors started this in 2006 with a bold decision to cut back all excess that didn't focus on Jesus during the season and celebrate His birth.  What a novel idea, huh?  A year after they started THOUSANDS of churches joined in.  Lives were changed both within the church, and those looking from the outside.  Get this: they saw something different in those churches at Christmas time.  Numerous lives have been saved because these churches brought their money saved and gave it to building wells where people did not have access to clean water.  If we could all boldly follow the example of the sheperds and wisemen, share the good news and give gifts to Jesus, not to the blessed, but to the least of these...that's when we are giving to Him.  I highly recommend this book anytime of year, but especially now!  They also have an awesome website. 

As an update on us, we have finished all our trainging hours and are waiting on our homestudy write up to be complete and get our CPR training and we'll be open.  We are still hoping it will be before Christmas! 

The Mercy Project

There’s an estimated 7,000 children who work in the Ghana fishing industry. Some of
these children are as young as 5 and 6 years old.  All of these children are slaves.

–Mercy Project

Today many in our country will take a day off from our jobs to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers.  No matter if we’re celebrating at home or at the beach, we’re entering into a tradition that has largely been shaped by Labor Unions - organizations that are dedicated to protecting workers’ interests and improving their wages, hours, and working conditions.  Today as we lounge around or hang out with friends and family, we’re not only celebrating hard work, we’re honoring fair, ethical working practices and the laws that prevent discrimination, abuse, and child labor in our country.  Without these laws in place (and enforced), the most vulnerable members of society suffer.  Who are the most vulnerable? Children. 

Today as we’re celebrating the systems in our own country that strive to prevent injustices like child trafficking and child labor, we’re mindful of the many child slaves around the world who are unprotected and the organizations, like Mercy Project, who are working to free them.

As a mother, it’s difficult for me to imagine my children working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I’m unable to wrap my brain around the thought of my children engaged in long, hard days of physical labor, eating one meal a day, and then falling asleep at night on a dirt floor filled with other slave children.  Yet this is the daily reality for kids who have been trafficked into the fishing industry in Ghana, Africa.  As with much of Africa, there is a great deal of poverty in Ghana. Unfortunately, this leaves many mothers in an unimaginable position: sell their children to someone who can take better care of them or watch them starve to death. Most of the mothers are told their children will be given food, housing, and an education. Instead, the kids are often taken to Lake Volta where they become child slaves and their mothers never see them again.  Thankfully, Mercy Project is working to break the cycles of trafficking around Lake Volta by providing alternate, more efficient, sustainable, fishing methods for villagers – ultimately eliminating the need for child slaves.  Because of the work Mercy Project is doing in Ghana, the first group of children will be freed this month from Lake Volta.

 

We invite you to watch this moving, 10 minute documentary about the issues surrounding child labor and trafficking in Ghana and most importantly the hope Mercy Project is bringing to children and entire communities in Africa.  Mercy Project is the only NGO working on Lake Volta addressing the injustice of child labor and child trafficking at its root - by strengthening the Ghanaian economy and eliminating the structures that cause the demand for trafficked children.

Whether these ideas of child labor, child trafficking, and modern-day slavery are new to you or you’re aware of these injustices, but need to hear some good news every once in awhile, we invite you to become a part of what Mercy Project is doing in Ghana.  When Mercy Project frees their first group of children this month, we can all celebrate together.

Happy Easter!

We had an incredible Easter.

I can't quite settle down, I am beyond thankful for the things that happened this weekend. Saturday we went to our favorite Stone Mountain. We played and hiked and avoided the spring break crowds. And I got this adorable pic of my lovies below!

Saturday night at bedtime we read Easter books to get our hearts prepared for Sunday. While reading the boys always ask questions. One question led to another about if the soldiers that hung Jesus on the cross would go to heaven. I told them that I didn't know if they had ever given their lives to Jesus. I explained that this is something between you and Jesus.

After saying this Owen said, "I did that. I asked Jesus into my heart." I was shocked, but asked him questions to make sure he knew what this meant. That Jesus is the son of God, that He died for us, for our sins, and that he rose from the dead. And. He. Did.

He wants to give his heart to Jesus.

Then I cried. The tears wouldn't stop as we kept talking about this. Cooper was (as he always is about this) curious and wanted to know why he can't hear Jesus talking to him. Awww, sweet thing.

It was such a precious time that I never want to forget it (sorry for rambling, but i don't want to forget the sweet conversation). This is something Blake and I pray for constantly...our kids to love and follow Jesus. We want them to really grasp how deep His love is for them. This is the beginning of that understanding.

We woke up to a great Easter day with the promise of new life and freedom in Christ. We had Easter lunch with new friends and the kids all played wonderfully together. Well until Emery took the 7 year old's toothbrush and tried to brush her teeth. Oops, he was so grossed out! That girl loves herself a toothbrush :)

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus...

Gosh I love that hymn.

We sung it at the end of every service growing up. It was a visual song for me as a child. I would hold the hands of my church family across the isle and see myself walking toward Jesus. No turning back.

As Easter drew close, I felt an unease that I remember feeling at Christmas. A feeling like the focus was off, and like I was in a tailspin to keep our family focused on Jesus and his sacrifice instead of egg hunts, the bunny, baskets, new clothes, candy, etc. I have to be honest, sometimes I feel like a complete freak. Like I am a glutton for punishment. Why can't I just go with it?

At church on Sunday, this hymn was sung. And my parents were in church with us. I cried singing it of course...and I remembered why I can't just "go with it".

Tho none go with me, I still will follow...

The world behind me, the cross before me...

No turning back, no turning back...

In a desperate need for a feeling of normalcy I reached out to someone I adore and asked her to blog about Easter so that I could steal it and share here (I was kidding of course....maybe). She was already writing it. Not that you really want to know more behind my thoughts, but if you are looking for a great read and a woman after God's heart...introducing Jen Hatmaker. Get ready, she's gonna mess with your head!

Fast forward to last night. Our precious foster family that we are supporting invited us to Easter dinner knowing we didn't have family close. I began to get nervous about how I was going to explain. She emailed me about the plans and Blake and I discussed how in the world we would tell them our thoughts/desires for Easter to be different for our family. This morning she showed up at my door to drop off the boys for the day and we talked a bit more about plans for Sunday. Then she said, "Ummm. Have you ever heard of Jen Hatmaker?"

Holy bananas! Thank you Lord for placing us with a family that not only shares our faith, our passion for the fatherless, but also "gets" our holiday make-over!

Praying that our children grasp the unconditional love of our Father, and that this weekend we can teach them of His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and resurrection on Sunday.

Fall Fun

**These are in a really random order, but our family would rather see them random than not at all ;o) **Two Jedi to keep us safe on our night out! Love the intensity of Owen's face! Trunk or Treat at Cooper's school! Emery loved playing skee ball. She wouldn't let anyone else play!

Trick or Treating with the cutest lamb EVER!

Our munchkins!!! Man, they are CUTE!

She was totally amazed that people were just handing her GOBS of "canny". She even thanked God for the canny in her prayer last night! It is her dream come true.

Oh mercy! This neighborhood we landed in knows how to do Halloween! This is our friend Susan...her son goes to the same school Owen does. They go all out people! They had the street closed and police out directing traffic at the crosswalks!

Waiting at the park as the neighborhood gathers to go out together.

Blake made it to the park just in time! We were so thankful!!!

She knows how to pose now! She even says, "chee" for cheese!

Owen had Character Parade at school and they all got to dress up as their favorite book character. Thank you Gigi for helping us find a book about Luke Skywalker!

Making pumpkin shaped rice krispy treats!
Our first pumpkin carving!!! I know!!! We have never done this before!

The kids had so much fun helping!Blake was home in time to do the carving! Cooper! I love the face! The insides are so nasty, huh? So proud!

A petting zoo came to Cooper's school and they told us to bring the girls. What fun!

Emme wasn't too sure

I think she is putting on her brakes Coop. She does not want any closer to this cow!

Cooper and his buddies from school!