tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27098320035779681902024-03-13T23:22:53.745-07:00Thiele's Tidbitsdreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-35399480621360292682014-02-20T22:33:00.000-08:002014-02-20T22:33:04.021-08:00NO...YES...<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">NO! It is powerful word. Yes, is equally as powerful. Both hold an answer, it may be positive, or it may be negative. "NO, you can't play in the street", is positive although the word "no" itself is a negative. "YES, you look horrible in that dress", a negative affirmed with a positive. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">There are over 14,000 children in the state of Arizona who are desperately looking for homes. There are 153 mi</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">llion orphans world wide. The bible mandates we care for orphans and widows.<br /><br />Church statistic : 20% of the people do 80% of the work. You who serve every Sunday know this well. We know that few show up to do the work. Orphan care is not much different. If only 7% the church (the people) stepped up to follow the biblical mandate to care for orphans there would be NO orphans world wide.<br /><br />Today I said NO. I think I have recanted that statement a thousand times in the past 5 hours. NO...I will not take a 6 year old who is need of a home. NO. My heart broke as I heard the story of this little broken, abused, girl in need of someone to say YES to her. YES, I will love you. YES, I will treat you like you make a difference. YES I will follow this mandate. YES. NO, I won't let one more child sit in a crisis center, YES I will do it! But I said NO....NO.<br /><br />I know you dear friends. You are probably thinking, 'Drea, you always say YES. There has to come a time where you say NO. It is okay. You can't save the world." You are right. I, we can't always say YES. I couldn't say YES. My house is full. I had to say NO.<br /><br />Here is the real question....Can you say YES?<br /><br />Somewhere tonight there is a 6 year old girl, scared, frightened, alone. Her family said NO, she isn't worth it. Foster family said NO, we just can't handle it. This mama said NO, I have so many. Who will say YES? YES, I will deny myself. YES, I will care for these fatherless. NO, I will not put it off for one more minute. YES...YES...YES, she is worth it. YES, they are worth it. YES, I was worth it!<br /><br />Only 7% of the church. NO more orphans. Will you say YES?<br /><br />contact me if you would like to pursue saying YES to one of the least of these</span>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-52100886321374179362013-06-15T21:24:00.000-07:002013-06-15T21:24:00.842-07:00Father's...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tomorrow is Fathers Day. Some of us may give deep thought about this special day, some may see it as just another day to celebrate and another gift to buy. However for me, this year, I have been challenged into deeper thought of this special day and what it means to me to celebrate Father's Day. </div>
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For years it was just my mom and I. Because my dad was not around frequently, my mom filled the role of mother and father. At some point I made her Father's Day cards, because I had no one else to give them too and she was both to me. I resolved that to be okay. It wasn't. My daddy was important to me and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fill that role. </div>
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Roger came into my life, when I was eleven. my bio dad started to come more frequently also. They both did their very best to love me and raise me. In many ways I am the woman I am today because of my dads. I love them dearly and wouldn't change a thing or trade them for the world. I miss my daddy Richard, beyond words. He was a kind, tender hearted man. He loved hunting, fishing and the great out doors. He loved me. He always told me so. He called me Monkey, that was my special name. Roger taught me so much and still does. He taught me how to be witty, laugh and to care for the people around me. He is my dad just like Richard was and is invaluable in my life. </div>
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Today I want to share about 2 other men in my life that taught me about true Fatherly love. (Scroll down)</div>
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Roger my loving father who raised me from 11years old and on. </div>
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Richard, my loving dad who gave me life, with Jesus now. </div>
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Bryan, the love of my life who showed how a daddy should love. </div>
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When children are young, if they have parents that they care for and respect, they want to be just like their daddy's. I remember my dad and how I tried to be brave and strong like him. I tried to mimic him and what he did. I was my dads shadow as a young child. He was a promise of safety, a rock. </div>
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Some times things go wrong and we do not have the healthy foundations of what a father could bring to a child's life. We are left broken and scared. </div>
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Our Heavenly Father wants to show us what perfect love from a Father looks like. How he can love unconditionally and without blemish. He wants to teach us, guide us and make us more and more like him. He wants to teach boys how to be great, remarkable daddy's like He is. </div>
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In the same way we mimic our earthly father's sometimes good and even sometimes bad. Our Heavenly Father wants us and dads to mimic Him. Always good, alway loving, always teaching, always guiding, always honoring. He wants daddy's to make a difference in their children's lives. Our Heavenly Father is even a "Father to the Fartherless." </div>
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This brings me to the other man in my life who has demonstrated such love to me. My husband, Bryan. Of course he is not perfect as Jesus is, but he strives to be. He has had great representation in his earthly father, and loves His Heavenly Father. Therefore he wants to mimic exactly what he has learned. </div>
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Today I honor the Father's in my life. I honor my Heavenly Father, my two earthly fathers, and I honor my husband who has shown me in the physical sense what a father should really look like. </div>
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Bryan Thiele, I can say from the bottom of my heart you have taught me more than any other human, what a Godly, loving father should look like. You have taken the initiative to </div>
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follow your Heavenly Father and to be holy as He is holy. What is more, you have followed in His footsteps and are a father to the fatherless. There is no man on earth I have more respect for, more love or more gratitude for, than you. I pray our boys and girls follow closely in their fathers and Fathers footsteps. I love you.</div>
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For all the Fathers in my life, I am truly grateful. </div>
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Happy Father's Day! </div>
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<br />dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-6290696354750108202013-04-14T17:58:00.000-07:002013-04-14T18:43:00.077-07:00Martina's Joy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a story of Joy! A story of Gods love for one lady and her family. This story of joy, has come with its share of tragedy, and sorrow. This story is the epitome of Psalm 30:5 ...Weeping may endure for a night, but <i>joy </i>comes in the morning.</div>
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If this story compels you and you want to be a part of Martina's joy, please visit <a href="http://www.irememberthepoor.org/" target="_blank">Remember The Poor </a> where you can make a donation to this wonderful cause. </div>
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(please scroll down to bottom of page and pause the playlist before watching the video) </div>
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<br />dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-71379441323090283752013-01-11T08:36:00.000-08:002013-01-11T08:36:35.934-08:00Transformation in Kochgoma- Part 2 of 2<br />
<a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/2013/01/01/transformation-in-kochgoma-part-2-of-2-4/lawrence-ogwal-age-12/"><img src="http://rememberthepoor.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/lawrence-ogwal-age-12.jpg?w=300&h=225" /></a><br /><br />Lawrence Ogwal, age 12, loves animals and wants to be a veterinary doctor. His parents are too poor to pay for schooling.<br /><a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/2013/01/01/transformation-in-kochgoma-part-2-of-2-4/peter-ogwang-14/"><img src="http://rememberthepoor.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/peter-ogwang-14.jpg?w=300&h=225" /></a><br /><br />Peter Ogwang is age 14. He stopped in 5th grade, unable to afford to continue. He is currently digging to support some of his 8 siblings.<br /><br />You may have heard Experito mention in the video yesterday the long-range vision for Kochgoma: a complete school kindergarten through high school. We have been praying about and for this school for several years. The nursery school/kindergarten built a couple of years ago is the beginning of this project.<br /><br />* Nearly 1000 children in Kochgoma are not attending school…because there is not one within a reasonable distance to attend. Most are hungry or sick. And all are affected by the 20+ year war.<br /><br />* The dream we share with Experito is that all 1000 children could not only attend school and be educated about health care and learn how to provide for themselves, but also be trained in Worldwide Perspectives/Pathways during their high school years.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.joshuaproject.net/interactive-map.php">* We pray, trust and hope that this school would become a launching pad for sending well-trained students to take the gospel into the un-reached areas of northern Africa (which is in the 10/40 window).</a><br /><br />Lawrence and Peter are two of the 1000 children living in Kochgoma who are currently not attending school.<br /><br />The estimated cost of building the school (including planting food, providing school uniforms and shoes for everyone, building latrines and showers, and providing dormitories to students who are too far to safely walk) is $1,100,000 or about $1100 per student.<br /><br />One-time “Sponsorship”<br /><br />You can sponsor 1 child… or 2 or 5 or 10…or more <img src="http://s0.wp.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif?m=1129645325g" /> By sponsoring a child, you will be contributing to the cost of building the school and providing the children with uniforms and shoes and other schooling needs. The sponsorship amount of $1100 per child can be given all at once or over the period of a year.<br /><br />RADICAL Challenge<br /><br />The Church at Brook Hills, where David Platt pastors, took one year to join forces and take the RADICAL challenge. The challenge is–for a period of one year– to make a plan to forego our comforts to meet the needs of the world around us. The goal is to spend as little as possible and give as much as possible.<br /><br />Remember the Poor is planning to provide funding for Martina’s home ($30,000), and funding for the school for 1000 children in Kochgoma ($1,100,000). All 15 of Martina’s children are included in the 1000 who need sponsorship. 100% of your donations will go directly toward these projects.<br /><br />If you, your family, your small group or your church will be joining Remember the Poor for a RADICAL challenge during 2013, would, you let us know by leaving a comment or sending an email? We’d love it if you would share your ideas on what you plan to do to to cut back on comforts to make more available to give. We’ll compile ideas and share them in a later blog post.<br /><br />As I was writing this, I was reminded of Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi. They had been giving to meet Paul’s needs, to “share in his troubles.” He reminded them:<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%204:10-20&version=NIV">“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”</a> As we give, we can do so with confidence that God will meet our every need.<br /><br />To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%204:10-20&version=NIV">Philippians 4:20</a>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-31202739085312987392013-01-02T22:13:00.002-08:002013-01-02T22:25:26.165-08:00Transformation in Kochgoma- Part 1 of 2...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Bryan and I count this man, Pastor Experito, and his family, among our dearest of friends. Immense thanks to Pastor Jonathan Celoria of Palm Vista Church for putting this video together. The children you see in this video are sitting outside the kindergarten school in Kochgoma, the structure funded by <a href="http://www.irememberthepoor.org/" target="_blank">RTP</a> donors. </span></span></div>
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<br />dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-15146836699162823322012-11-27T20:11:00.000-08:002012-11-27T20:27:57.809-08:00Martina's Joy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Bryan and I, and a group of three others visited Pastor Experito in Gulu in October. We asked to meet some of the families who live in Kochgoma, whose children can attend the school, as the school grows.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today was a long day full of joy, sorrow, sad stories, some victorious, some with no hope. Kochgoma is about 2 hours in the bush outside of Gulu (Northern Uganda). The people here have been so affected by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) and most have nothing. No food, one pair of clothes, no soap, no work, no land and no home. The children are mistreated or unwanted due to a parent’s inability to provide for them. Some have no parents at all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today I met with Martina, a widow, whose husband died years ago. She had three</span><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">children, 2 boys and a girl. Her daughter died last month of HIV/AIDS. She now cares for 15 children, as her daughter-in-laws and</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">their children also live with her, and her two sons leave often.</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She has been seriously affected by the war and the LRA rebels. She is having a hard time because she is old and can’t work and farm like others can. Her small garden is dried up, and her</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">hut leaks. She has very little food and only the clothes on</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">her back. Her daughter’s grave is just a few feet from her mud hut, with a simple home-made wooden cross.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Martina’s hope is Jesus. She became a born again believer when she was young. She lost most of her relatives in the LRA rebel war, and grew up virtually alone. Her</span><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">heart was so troubled, but the Lord spoke to her and said, “Don’t be troubled, you will make it through.” Her miracle is “JOY” she says. Even looking at the cross where her daughter is buried, she still has joy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Her grandchildren cannot attend school because they have no money for school fees, but Martina still has joy!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Her granddaughter, Prisca, spent the majority of her day with me. She was leaning on me, playing with my fingers and cuddling with me. I learned later that it was her mom who had just died. I was so blessed to be</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">able to give her love and attention as she has to be mourning the loss of her</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">mom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today the Lord has filled us with unspeakable joy! Joy to do His work. Watching these glorious servants of God, fills us also with hope! Hope to keep going, hope to know that this life is for one purpose only, hope to be the hands and feet of Jesus, the whole earth filled with his glory!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Upon our return to the U.S., we have had ongoing communication with Experito about how we can best help him and Justine and their church serve this widow and her grandchildren.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Experito Nov 1:</span></strong> Helping Martina would be one of the most burden lifting moments for her and quite yoke breaking. She has been one of the families we help weekly with foodstuffs because of her limited ability to cultivate sufficient food supplies for such a huge extended family! Martina spoke to Drea about her leaking grass thatched house. Apparently it wears her down to keep looking for the scarce grass to thatch her roof seasonally.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">For several years we have been talking with Experito about a <i style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Habitat for Humanity</i> type project in Kochgoma. (The community and residents provides the labor, and others, like us, provide the money for materials). It is his desire, and therefore ours as well, to see the community freed from the chains of slavery to finding and hauling clean water. The best way to do that is through housing that has iron sheet roofing. Water is channeled from the iron sheet roof, down the rain gutters, into the water tank. They use this for their water source, rather than walking miles to pump it, and walking miles to haul a few gallons back to their hut.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">We therefore asked him if a house would be appropriate for Martina and her 15 children.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Experito</span> <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nov 2:</span></strong> We thank God that he has brought you in our way to partner that we can together do whatever we could for the economically vulnerable. My wife has always been praying for them to have a better living condition. I must confess that you are stepping in as an answer to Justine’s daily heart cry.</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Please Drea you have made us to genuinely appreciate the unfathomable love of God by feeling what we have been feeling for the least in society. It encourages us more to know that we are not alone but an army of God to bring the goodness of God to whom it had been denied. It sometimes emotionally drains us to see that we are helpless. However, praise be to God who cares. A house shall take Martina leaps and bounds with her extended family.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Experito Nov 8:</span></strong> I was able to visit Martina and her grandkids. They are supposed to be 15 in her care but the two had been taken to hospital because they were sick. They were not available for our camera and conversation. It was only 13 available as you can see in the picture.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">About the house, I shared the opportunity to some members of the community and they have showed interest to come and provide manual labour when time comes for construction. Martina is currying this burden of these kids because five of them have no father and mother. Three of them the mother is dead but their father became mentally derailed and his father is as well very ill. The other kids have mothers and the fathers whose whereabouts are unknown. Justine and I are praying that Martina will receive good-hearted people to help uplift her state of living conditions as well as the little kids get educated.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">And when we asked what amenities the house should have, Experito wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #3333ff; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Experito Nov 12:</span></strong> We will be extremely delighted to see Martina’s family advance to a good standard of living. The house is intended to have 4 bedrooms. There will be a pit latrine bathroom outside. The house shall be built with bricks, doors, windows, and iron sheets (for roofing). It shall be plastered and painted, with a water harvest tank constructed as well. With the size of Martina’s family, a house of $30,000, which shall include a water harvest tank, might be appropriate.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">100% of any donations go directly to Africa. If you would like to donate toward Martina’s home, please send a note with your donation to <a href="http://www.irememberthepoor.org/" target="_blank">Remember The Poor</a>. 100% of your gift will go toward her home. We’ll be taking pictures and hopefully video to provide updates on progress.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><em style="border: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”</em> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gal%206:10&version=ESV" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Galatians 6:10</a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martina with her daughter - in- law, you can see the fresh grave in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martina and I saying goodbye, until we meet again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justine (Experito's wife) Prisca (who's mother just died) and Martina</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martina and the 13 of the 15 children in her care</td></tr>
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Blog shared by: Drea Thiele, Cindy May and Pastor Experitodreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-49815171176182871492012-11-04T11:14:00.000-08:002012-11-04T11:18:31.933-08:00Orphan Sunday...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Today, November 4, is Orphan Sunday. I find "Orphan Sunday" hard to say, because in God's economy every day is Orphan Day! <i>James 1:27, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this; to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."</i></div>
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I understand that Orphan Sunday is a day of recognition, and not the only day we celebrate, or remember, but is it? There are 147 million orphans in the world. 10,000 just in my home state, Arizona. Are we remembering? Are we celebrating with all the children that are forever home? My hearts cry is that every day we remember, every day we celebrate! Every day we should advocate, every day we should ask God, "How do you want to use me?" </div>
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All over Gods word He tells us how we should care for orphans and widows. These words are not mere suggestions, they are commands. This command has no contingencies, based on finances, space in your home, economic times, politics, tax deductions, age, gender, location, time, or .......</div>
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This command is direct, unchanging, inexcusable, there are no conditions to it. We are to care for orphans in their distress. The only consideration there is, is choosing if we will obey or disobey. </div>
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Five years ago, God interrupted our lives with two beautiful girls, one from Russia and one from China. And then just two years later, 3 more from Ethiopia, 1 girl and 2 boys. We didn't know all He had in store for us and I am thankful that he changed the path we were on, to His path. It has been quite a journey. I have not for one second regretted our YES decision. We have planned, stepped out in blind faith, rejoiced, cried, celebrated, labored, but most importantly we have LOVED and been LOVED. </div>
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<i>"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18</i></div>
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My heart aches for the other 149 million children who don't know the love of a mother and father, who are alone, fending for themselves. The children who need touch, unconditional love, food, shelter, Jesus. It aches for the suffering, the uncomforted, the tears left unwiped, cries unheard, prayers unsaid.</div>
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147 million, minus 5 more, Cailee, Cyilea, Meske, Eyob, Sami...</div>
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What will you do with the words of God:</div>
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<i>"Whoever receives on such child in my name receives me..." ~ Matthew 18:5</i></div>
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<i>"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." ~ Galatians 4:4-6</i></div>
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<i>"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land." ~ Psalm 68: 5-6</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My babies, representing 4 Nations</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forever Family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubby and Cyilea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Thiele Clan</td></tr>
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dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-50245004285436290092012-07-06T22:07:00.003-07:002012-07-06T22:07:35.337-07:00I am Alive...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWs-RPPnZDFBNmcfd8jYM9dB4HoRdGZpM0PQgxV4FMihHW8qEws63eOgK5s5Lah-xuQu0Cq2wWju70rWgmxFps8mPb61_NCv3sWYwbfbQB6OkKdyBvpY2J83hNIMxgMueZlZ_d4weeG48/s1600/IMG_8777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWs-RPPnZDFBNmcfd8jYM9dB4HoRdGZpM0PQgxV4FMihHW8qEws63eOgK5s5Lah-xuQu0Cq2wWju70rWgmxFps8mPb61_NCv3sWYwbfbQB6OkKdyBvpY2J83hNIMxgMueZlZ_d4weeG48/s400/IMG_8777.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Friends,<br />
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I am alive!!! The truth...this traveling, homeschooling mama of 9 has just gotten BUSY!! I have been in Africa, started planning another trip, started 2 of my kids in college, 1 in high school, 1 in cosmetology school, got two kids with their drivers licenses and all of this within the past 2 months!!! If you want a sneak peek into our Africa trip visit <a href="http://www.irememberthepoor.org/" target="_blank">www.irememberthepoor.org </a> there are a few updated stories on our blog there.<br />
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Thank you for your sweet comments, I will posting the next adoption story soon :) I can't wait to share all that the Lord has been doing in our lives.<br />
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Blessings,<br />
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Dreadreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-36733090321729654832012-03-14T16:53:00.006-07:002012-03-16T13:08:46.153-07:00Step By Step part 3...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSGopJgF2kj02zaQvUZQ_JtXXG7Bp7MqpPPp1vuS-SmEL3DZaWTyoK0AnlcR8sR-qSMuXisnB6sbu4Z-lbto2nVGzwubadWPsUn3mEXxa6L9MxBRYYOvCUlakmhO8nvRYKNMNkQ1L0OE/s1600/Thiele+Family+Picture4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqV6f0TmRW-uw8iFfIll5RtixFLcBnqYH7DavD1vtuCFJjCpxgffC0qc6XQEFlw6IjS4ueKiuEqS88rG_YdbpyHPJIZtlzUenW6LF_UtkbF6p6oVSKb7u3E0Ax9ZuCF0hBomPkfOeMUA/s1600/Cailee.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqV6f0TmRW-uw8iFfIll5RtixFLcBnqYH7DavD1vtuCFJjCpxgffC0qc6XQEFlw6IjS4ueKiuEqS88rG_YdbpyHPJIZtlzUenW6LF_UtkbF6p6oVSKb7u3E0Ax9ZuCF0hBomPkfOeMUA/s400/Cailee.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719905834768811346" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">Meet my daughter Cailee (Natalia). She is a beautiful girl filled with love, talent, and wittiness. I adore this special gift from the Lord. She graced our lives almost 5 years ago this April. There are days that I forget she is adopted and that I didn't carry her for 9 months in my own womb. But I have carried her in my heart for some time. I pray that her testimony will bless you and be a witness of God's grace, mercy and love for all of His children. He is definitely the Father to the fatherless!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;">I was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia. When I was about three years old, my parents put me in an orphanage. I always thought that they would come back for me, but when I was about six I had to move to a different orphanage which was in St. Petersburg. I wondered as we left the first orphanage, "How is my mom going to find me now? Does she know that I am leaving?" I kept thinking that over and over. My cousin and my best friend were leaving with me also. That helped me a little, but when we got there my friend and I were separated from my cousin because we were older than him. I was so scared that all I could do is stick close to my friend. I was not sure how to fit in. Would this new place ever feel like home?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;">When I was about 8 1/2 years I was told that there was a family who wanted to adopt me. I was so glad to hear that a family wanted me. I couldn't wait, but first I had to go visit them for a week or two in America so that they could get to know me. The time came for me and the other kids to leave to America. When we got to the airport, we had to go into this big room where there were a lot of families waiting for us. They would call out the families name and then call out a kids name, that would determine what family we went home with. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">This is when I met my family who had three kids, 2 boys and 1 girl. If they adopted me, I would be the second oldest in this family. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">When we got to their house, I loved it! It was really big to me, but I got used to it really fast. The week went by fast and soon it was time for me to leave back to Russia. When I got back to the orphanage I couldn't wait to know if I was going to be adopted by this family or not. A year went by by before I heard that I was getting adopted! I was really happy that I got a family of my own. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">The Family traveled to Russia to pick me up and then we traveled to America. The fist night I slept in my house, I woke up really early and I couldn't fall back to sleep. I took the blanket that I was given to me by my Nana and I went into the family room and sat. Looking around I thought, "Is this my forever home, or are they going to give me away like my first mom did?" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">A couple of months later my family decided to adopt a new girl from Russia and from the same orphanage. After that we moved to a different state in America. That is when we started to have a lot of problems. I wouldn't do what I was told or I would do it but in a bad way. If I would fool around and play rough with somebody not meaning to hurt them I would be sent to my room. I would not want to be in there so I would yell and kick and throw a fit. Also, I would be sent to bed early even if I didn't misbehave. This was a hard time in my life. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">One day I was sitting on my bed watching the kids play outside having fun. I was wondering if there was this God, why would He put me in this family if I didn't fit in at all? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">One summer we went to visit my adopted grandparents half way across the USA. This particular afternoon, my parents had arranged for us to go to the park. We met this family who had 4 kids. The oldest girl was named Coral and she was the same age as me, but I was two months older. That day at the park, I took Coral's hand and I started running and saying, "Let's go and play!" I was so excited! That was also the night of my first sleep over! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">I stayed with Coral and her family for the whole week. When it was time for me to leave, we met my parents at a park. Coral and I played while the her parents and my parents talked. Then they called me over and wanted to talk to me. It took them awhile but then they told me that this family was going to adopt me. I started crying. I don't remember if I was happy or sad, but i think that it was both. They gave me a card and a CD by Rich Mullins, my favorite song, "Step by Step." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">That night I said good-bye to my second family and hello to my third family, the Thiele's. Even though I didn't fully understand then, I now know and can see how God used my second family to bring me to my forever family.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">One night when we were praying in my new parents room, I was looking around the family thinking, "I want the joy, happiness and especially the Jesus that they have." When we were done praying I looked up at my dad and I asked him, "How can I ask Jesus into my heart?" He said, "It is easy, you just need to believe and pray and ask Him." When dad prayed I repeated it after him. Every day I learned and am still learning something new about our amazing Heavenly Father. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">Every day I think about my other two families. I used to wonder if the Thiele's would give me up too. But now I know, this is my "Forever Family"! No matter what happened in my past or what will happen in the future, they will always love me. And my Father in Heaven loves me and cares for me. I know that He does because he gave me my forever family. Every day I wake up and see His work in my life and am thankful. I can't wait to see what he has for me in the future!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); ">By Cailee</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSGopJgF2kj02zaQvUZQ_JtXXG7Bp7MqpPPp1vuS-SmEL3DZaWTyoK0AnlcR8sR-qSMuXisnB6sbu4Z-lbto2nVGzwubadWPsUn3mEXxa6L9MxBRYYOvCUlakmhO8nvRYKNMNkQ1L0OE/s400/Thiele+Family+Picture4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720588735825926066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">(Cailee Natalia and Coral)</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"> </span></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-41254771263064496672012-03-12T09:57:00.006-07:002012-03-12T19:47:50.553-07:00As Seen Through Her Eyes part 2...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYoJEgO1SoIQQY3kqKDN4uZ4fVLyjOJ4TgS-Ybqolcz1CknynH-tD3G06slEz1e5aMQnoZBdhyj_nzFFEBY2d3Bp5x_5KOvyTcvBvAHv65vmGWOO4kqJ9fzuQClldYaCF32T8N-Lbqh0/s1600/Adoption+Day+Ethiopia+127.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUiBCePW4V1L2LKnLe6JXb5PYQI2cHuK68CBt7VDvVODXBTRE4a0Eo5RqD8Fr-KX-HDbnuuDPm3-euC7Mud2fTWqbPMlxnON6cFfLVOhKMHEA7iSnDwBWN4T5vju1tmkJZj3bgLFG_2M/s1600/IMG_0346.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUiBCePW4V1L2LKnLe6JXb5PYQI2cHuK68CBt7VDvVODXBTRE4a0Eo5RqD8Fr-KX-HDbnuuDPm3-euC7Mud2fTWqbPMlxnON6cFfLVOhKMHEA7iSnDwBWN4T5vju1tmkJZj3bgLFG_2M/s400/IMG_0346.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719063030453596482" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">Meet Coral. She is the second born to Bryan and I. As the first biological daughter, Coral has faced many blessings and challenges that come along with adoption, especially adoption out of birth-order. Coral has had the most change of any of our biological kids as she has had to adapt to having two sisters her age come into our home. Coral is an amazing young lady and as her Mom, I am blessed to have her as a daughter and friend.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">My hopes from these next few blogs are for you to be inspired and encouraged by real stories, real feelings, real struggles and real blessings about the journey of adoption. Adoption isn't some fairytale dream come true. There are ups and their are downs, however we shouldn't be surprised by any of it. The Bible tells us we will struggle. But in our obedience to Christ struggles are not the only thing we face. There are blessings beyond the hardships and a peace beyond the storms. The story you will read below are Corals thoughts about adoption. I hope you are blessed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;color:#003300;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">“What do you guys think of adoption?” I remember my dad’s question just hanging in the air. My family was an average sized family. It consisted of 2 boys and 2 girls. I was the oldest girl, the second oldest out of all the kids. I was 10 when my parents went on a date night to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. They returned with a small pamphlet, on the front was a little Asian girl, she had one of the biggest grins I’ve seen. My parents sat the four of us down in the living room for a “family meeting” as they like to call it. Usually family meetings are far from fun, they usually consist of new rules or explaining how we don’t need every light on in the house. But this one, this one was completely different. “What do you guys think of adoption?” <i>Adoption? </i>The unfamiliar word played in my mind. Sure I heard of adoption, I knew what it was, I was just a little confused on the whole process. Do we just waltz into China and take a kid? If that was the case, I loved adoption! But little did I know what I was claiming to love so much and exclaiming was an amazing idea, was a lot more work than just grabbing some kid and telling them you loved them. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The adoption process begun. The months we took raising money, filling out paper work, having home studies, and so on and so forth, seemed endless to me. As a 10 year old I didn’t fully get this process, I was completely annoyed with hearing we are waiting for the courts or getting asked questions by a strange lady about my parent’s ways of discipline. Then one morning me and my younger brother Christopher Ash decided we were going to call the adoption agency office ourselves and see if the documents of our future sibling came in. We had the phone on speaker, everyone crowded around as me and Christopher innocently asked about our sibling. Sure enough the mail just came in with a picture and paperwork for a little girl from China. My heart jumped! The same day we drove 30 minutes to the office to retrieve the documents. <i>A huge step closer!</i> I thought to myself. With total excitement I continuously prayed about my new little sister, Jia Bao. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">More months passed, the dates were set for my parent’s trip to retrieve our little girl from China. It was 8 weeks before they were planning to leave, when my mom got a call from our adoption agency. “How do you guys feel about adopting a little girl from Russia?” asked the lady on the other end of the phone. My mom just laughed, little did she know it was a completely serious question. Natasha was a 11 year old Russian girl that was adopted by a family in America. The family decided that it was God’s will to give her to another family, a family that would love her and be her forever family. Her story completely touched my heart and right away I called her my sister and knew she would be forever a part of my family. And she was! 5 weeks before my parent’s left to China I met Natasha (now known as Cailee), we adopted her 5 days after our first meeting, the day before Easter. That day I promised her we would never abandon her and we will always love her. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This insane adventure started to begin. Cailee who is born almost exactly two months before me moved into my room. This was nothing new to me, I shared a room with my little sister Chloe until we moved into our two story house (which was about 8 years) and even then we ended up sleeping in each others beds. Cailee and me hit it off for awhile. We decided to share clothes, music, hair products, just about everything! Only after Cyilea (Formally known as Jia Boa) came home, our sharing began to shift. </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><br /></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjrVEUp2jx_0f_AApWdFLDRi3cQVs_mTjfUOcWckdlfawwYpti5Rr9YJ2C3gcEqEUH9oqOsyxWvp9pSj6pYX2CIgkzrYcWRDdi_8x0e0PUJtCuFSvIfqa6NJBz877rCTyqCtRlnzSuik/s400/IMG_1356.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719080661138497682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUiBCePW4V1L2LKnLe6JXb5PYQI2cHuK68CBt7VDvVODXBTRE4a0Eo5RqD8Fr-KX-HDbnuuDPm3-euC7Mud2fTWqbPMlxnON6cFfLVOhKMHEA7iSnDwBWN4T5vju1tmkJZj3bgLFG_2M/s1600/IMG_0346.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUiBCePW4V1L2LKnLe6JXb5PYQI2cHuK68CBt7VDvVODXBTRE4a0Eo5RqD8Fr-KX-HDbnuuDPm3-euC7Mud2fTWqbPMlxnON6cFfLVOhKMHEA7iSnDwBWN4T5vju1tmkJZj3bgLFG_2M/s1600/IMG_0346.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;color:#003300;"> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">(Me and my sisters and friends)</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Some people think adoption is a complete walk in the park, it’s the most fantastic thing you can do and you’ll be so happy with it. It is true that it is one of the most fantastic things you can ever do and it is true that you are really blessed and happy. But there are some hardships, there are somethings that you have to fight through. As a 11 year old girl mine was fighting through sharing friends. I liked my friends, I liked having my own people. Selfishly, I didn’t want her to be apart of it. She talked to the people I talked to, she texted the people I texted, she liked the boys I liked. It was really hard for me to learn to love her through it. When I got to the age of 13 I began to pray about my heart and my selfishness. And my heart suddenly started to change. Now don’t get me wrong, there were still some times when I lost it and truthfully there still is. But God bonded us in a special way, gave me crazy love for this amazing girl from Russia. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You may think that God would be done with our family and adoption. I mean, a girl from China, a surprise Russian sister. But no, he was just getting started. I guess a family with 6 kids just wasn’t big enough for Him. Because He brought 3 more along. </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Me and my mom had a dream the same night about 3 kids from Africa. My dream was helping them get home using bikes. There was 2 boys and 1 girl. Soon enough a lady sent us a video of these kids from Ethiopia that needed parents. 2 boys and 1 girl. God is amazing, huh? These kids were all siblings, the girl (Meske) was the oldest. Both of their parents died and their older siblings didn’t have the money to provide for them anymore. The littlest boy (Sami) was sent to an orphanage away from Meske and Eyob (The older boy), were he was going to be adopted by a family, away from his siblings. This sent my mom in a panic, she didn’t want them to be separated. After talking with my father and us kids, and praying, she called the lady and explained to them we will adopt all the 3 together. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Another process started. A lot of garage sales, more paper work, but this time I understood more fully what we were in for. The “Little” girl Meske wasn’t so little, outside of size that is. Meske is about 6 months older than me. <i>Another girl older then me? </i>I thought to myself. I hated loosing my role as the oldest female, which I seemed to keep the title even with Cailee. <i>Why not? </i>I thought to myself. <i>I did it once, I can do it again. </i>My confidence was high. The process didn’t seem as long as Cyilea’s, mostly because I’ve been through it before. And soon enough in January of 2010 I traveled with my parent’s and older brother (Cadenn) to Ethiopia. The culture shock was major. To think of my great luxuries at home compared to my 3 new sibling’s home, broke my heart. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The day I met Meske, Eyob, and Sami was the most nerve racking day, I think of my entire life. I remember arriving at the church, kids everywhere singing and clapping. And then, the 3 kids come to us with flowers. Tears streamed down my face when my new sister approached me and gave me flowers and a hug. That day we ate at an Ethiopian restaurant, were a taught Meske how to work the camera (great bonding might I add) a few days later we said our good-byes and made our way home. Me and Meske sat alone on the plane ride to America, we tried talking (even with our language barrier) and amazingly, like a couple of teen boys, bonded over a little video game. I automatically had this insane love for Meske, she had this gentle spirit, she prayed before she ate, and just was all around a great girl. </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYoJEgO1SoIQQY3kqKDN4uZ4fVLyjOJ4TgS-Ybqolcz1CknynH-tD3G06slEz1e5aMQnoZBdhyj_nzFFEBY2d3Bp5x_5KOvyTcvBvAHv65vmGWOO4kqJ9fzuQClldYaCF32T8N-Lbqh0/s400/Adoption+Day+Ethiopia+127.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719081367557186450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;color:#003300;"> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">When we arrived home things began to get hard. The friendship between me and Cailee lessened as we tried to adapted to a threesome instead of a twosome. The language barrier almost seemed to become larger to me. I constantly had to explain everything to Meske. If it was what someone said, or a movie, or anything else, I was Coral Thiele the interpreter. I liked the job at first, I enjoyed explaining things and talking with Meske constantly. But soon I started to loath it, I got this horrible attitude when ever she asked a question or even wanted to talk to me. Not only was I an interpreter, but I was the peace maker between my sisters. The job was heavy, I was in tears about the whole situation multiple times. I started to always want time alone, if it was locking myself in my bathroom for an hour or hiding under my covers. I wanted to be rescued. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I remember one night, sitting in my bathroom reading the bible. I was so tired of language barriers, calming fights, and helping my sisters understand one another. In tears I began to pray. I remember calling out to the Lord, telling Him how I didn’t understand why everything was so hard. I told Him I wanted to give up. No sooner did I say those words the verse 1 Corinthians 13:13 flash through my mind. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Love.. That was it, the patient, kind, unfailing thing, I needed. Adoption isn’t just saying you love them, but showing it as well. I knew I needed a heart change. And it had to start right away.</span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We learned to adapt to this threesome. We also learned to love it! Let me just say, Chinese food and movies are a lot better when there are three crazy girls who all have different accents. I learned a lot from these beautiful ladies, not just in the sense of Crocheting or a Russian dance move. But I learned the pain of these orphans. I’ve never been abandoned, I never had parents who couldn’t take care of me, nor have my parent’s ever died. I am completely blessed, in every way. And they really opened my eyes to that. </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; min-height: 16px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">In all honesty, my siblings from various countries is one of the best things that has happened to be (Besides my salvation in Christ). I love sharing my room with those two amazing girls, I love going throughout my house and listening to the various accents, I love when my Chinese sister talks about China, I love when Meske shares insane stories about her home land, I love getting “Russian Hugs” from Cailee, I love when I my family all goes somewhere in the 15 passenger van, I love my life, and all my siblings, everyone of them. Sure I still have times where I struggle, and maybe even lose my mind for a moment. But if I had to do it all over again, if I went back to the day my dad asked that question for the first time. I wouldn’t change a thing. I would have the same answer, “Sure! I love adoption!”</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Georgia; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">By Coral </span></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';font-size:130%;color:#003333;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p></span></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-62281556356084333502012-03-06T18:26:00.005-08:002012-03-06T21:43:00.625-08:00Where It Began, Part 1...<div>I love children, I just didn't know how much until... I used to think that I wasn't that great with children until they were much older, but the Lord had a very different plan and for that I am grateful. <div><br /></div><div>Bryan and I were married in 1993, I was just 20 years old. We knew then that we wanted to change our heritage, as there was nothing we could change about our heredity. We wanted to try and follow Jesus (what ever that meant), unknowingly we set out on a journey where we could have never determined the destination. </div><div><br /></div><div>Early on in marriage we decided to have 3 children, two boys and one girl (as if we could control those details.) By the time our fourth child came along, we found out we were pregnant with twins and sadly lost one baby. Chloe was born sick with more problems than we could count. By the grace of God over about 3 years He healed her to whole. We decided not to have any more biological children. We had enough and each pregnancy got harder and harder for me physically. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 2005 Jesus decided our boat needed a little rocking. We attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. The concert focused on adoption. Steven appealed to our hearts and simply asked the question, "Why? Why wouldn't you adopt?" He went on to say, "If you are a follower of Jesus, and you have a house over your head and love in your heart, why won't you trust Jesus in opening your heart to one of the least of these?" </div><div><br /></div><div>I went away completely undone. I thought through his questions and decided, "Why wouldn't we? We have love, we have a home. If God is who he says He is then that is enough!" On the drive home I mustard up the courage to ask Bryan, "Honey...have you every considered adoption? I mean, would that be something you would be interested in doing?" Bryan answered very quickly but kindly, "No." </div><div><br /></div><div>I did not really continue the conversation. I could see that I was undone but he was unmoved. Honestly I was shocked or at least confused as to why my heart ached over the stories that were shared this night just to have a big NO in response. I decided to pray about it, that one of our hearts would be changed to match the others. </div><div><br /></div><div>Soon the feeling faded and we were back into life as normal. A family of 6 after all is no small family. It is bigger than we ever dreamed. We struggled with all of our bills, keeping up on our mortgage was hard. We were always late paying the utilities, maybe this was for the best, I thought. I am so glad my husband balanced my crazy ideas out, God knew I would need that in a marriage. </div><div><br /></div><div>A whole year passed and Christmas was upon us, the hustle and bustle, shopping, decorating, Christmas parties and lots and lots of food. We were invited to a Christmas concert, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy me, we couldn't pass that up. As we entered the suite where we would be watching the concert, I was handed a concert brochure. Bryan ran downstairs to get us coffee before the concert started and I sat thumbing through the brochure. All of the sudden the Spirit of the Lord nudged me. This was a Steven Curtis Chapman concert, they would be talking about adoption! My heart beat a little faster. I remembered the last concert we were at and how my husband and I were not on the same page. Excitement started to ensue in me out of no where. "Lord, if they do talk about adoption it is going to have to be all You," I whisper under my breath. "I can't, I won't say anything. Lord You will have to move his heart, change it if this is you." </div><div><br /></div><div>The time came for an intermission. Steven and one of the guys from Mercy me came to speak. Sure enough, they focused on adoption. Steven said, "If you are a parent here, your child is more than likely making out his Christmas list. These kids that we are talking about here tonight have one wish on their list, a mom and a dad to love them. Can you open your heart to just one? You are adopted sons and daughters of Christ, can you extend yourself to make a difference in just one life?" James 1:27. He let us know that if we were interested in more information to head to the corridor and there would be people to help answer our questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tears poured down my face. I was praying that Bryan didn't miss one word. I turned around as we were dismissed and he was gone. I thought for sure he must have ran to the bathroom and not heard a word. I tried to get a hold of myself and wipe the tears off my face, when I saw Bryan. Standing in the corner of the room weeping. Not a gentle cry, but an overwhelmed, over come cry. As I approached him, he looked at me with that look that speaks more than any word ever could. Bryan chokes out, "What are we going to do about this?" I knew what he meant! The Lord knew Bryan's heart, He had cultivated it for a whole year. He didn't need me to say a word. Jesus spoke, Bryan decided to obey. Before I knew it Bryan whisked me off to the corridor, hand in hand we approached the booths with fear and many questions. We were on our way to start our journey of adoption. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are so many details that I would love to tell you about, like how we decided to adopt from China, or how God showed us that He would provide every dollar for our international adoption. I would love to tell you about the great community He surrounded us with and how we decided that we would adopt a child with special needs. But lets suffice to say that when Jesus asks you to trust Him, He if faithful and HE WILL DO IT!</div><div><br /></div><div>Almost two years later, after arduous stacks of paper work, interviews, more fundraisers than I can count, tears, laborious work, the time had come to get ready to travel. We went into finalize our paper work and set out to finally meet our daughter. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we got to our beautiful adoption agency for our appointment, Margot, one of the adoption workers came in to visit us and was obviously frustrated. The joke ran around the office that all the adults loved our family and wanted us to adopt them too. "So Thiele's, you wouldn't be interested in adopting an eleven year old girl from Russia would you?" WHY we asked. She began to explain the situation. "There is an eleven year old who has been adopted from Russia and the adoption is being disrupted. We need to find this girl a home quick." </div><div><br /></div><div>Bryan and I were taken back, how in the world does this happen we asked? Why in the world does this happen? Where is she? Can we meet her? All of the sudden the room that once was focused only on our China adoption that was only 5 weeks away was now focused on a possible double adoption from two different countries! Margot who once was only blowing off steam with her candid comment, became very serious. "Thiele's this could ruin your life. I didn't think you would consider it really, I was just venting. Are you sure you want to meet the family?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, we did want to meet the family. We prayed the whole next week while the family drove across the USA to meet us for the first time. Our lives were already crazy we thought, what is one more thing. My mom had recently been diagnosed with ALS a fatal disease. Once we thought that my mom would be the care givers for our 4 kids while we traveled to China, but now she lived with us full time and I needed to care for her 24/7. She was unable to move from the neck down, mom went from walking to completely bed bound in 4 months. Our lives were up-side down. Still, we wanted to meet the family and they were excited to meet us. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will never forget the fear and trembling I had meeting Natalia's adopted parents for the first time. We were so scared and had so many questions. Was this the best thing for our 5 kids (well almost 5) and was this the best thing for a dying mom? Was this the best thing for us as parents and our marriage? </div><div><br /></div><div>Our meeting went well with the family. Long story, but one thing was for sure, they loved Jesus. They knew that Natalia was not thriving in their home. They told us all the stories, all of their fears and that they knew that the Lord used them to bring this little girl across the seas to her new forever family. Bryan and I were so confused. We were filled with more "Why's". We decided with the help of our adoption liaison, that we would meet Natalia for the first time the next evening at a park. </div><div><br /></div><div>The meeting went well. The little Russian girl of 11 was the same age as our biological daughter and of course they hit it off. We asked Natalia if she would like to spend a couple of nights with us, with big eyes she eagerly accepted, she had never had a friend her age before! The next 4 nights we watched closely and prayed a lot. We didn't share our story with anyone except for a few close friends. Natalia and Coral bonded right away. Natalia even shared deep secrets with Coral like, "I wish we were sisters." </div><div><br /></div><div>I agonized over if we should say yes or no to this big decision. Who would take her if we said no? What if we said yes and we didn't know how to handle her or the situation? What if we failed. What if? What if? What if? I could hardly sleep those next few nights. My mom bed bound in our living room, Natalia and Coral bonding faster than I liked, phone calls from friends of friends warning us not to move forward and Jesus whispering, "Trust me, I am the Father to the fatherless. I have this Andrea, will you trust me?" </div><div><br /></div><div>This time, tables had turned. Bryan was sure and confident that we should and I was confused and terrified. On the 4th day I read a devotional. It said, "Is Jesus asking you to say YES to something that is big? Won't you trust Him that the with the "Yes" today?" I went downstairs to my little mama and laid my head in her lap. "Mom, what should we do? I am so scared?" My mom so sweet answered, "Drea, bring that little girl into your home, she needs a mom." </div><div><br /></div><div>That very day we said YES to the most incredible journey of a life time! Natalia graced our home, and embraced our family, our lives were changed forever. The first night that she was officially ours, we were driving from saying our goodbyes to her "First Family" when she asked in a heavy Russian accent, "So does that mean I can call you Mom and Dad now?" We cried the whole way home, knowing that our God was sovereign and although I didn't understand all the "Why's" myself, I could trust in Him because He knows all the answers!</div><div><br /></div><div>4 weeks later we traveled to China to pick up our daughter Cyilea and we were a family of eight!</div></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMjDgwg0TzoClQGi3GvvcXvH-qx37CMH_9vXhiBQSVw9brSOz_K_Ld6SiIAHPsdn7ovwsHcwjYOL0for2KmBJi9siQ4AdBU0dUO8AGk6TrIRGt32Akk1z67e6UxqAFZBLFUJvdPxTf30/s1600/Image.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMjDgwg0TzoClQGi3GvvcXvH-qx37CMH_9vXhiBQSVw9brSOz_K_Ld6SiIAHPsdn7ovwsHcwjYOL0for2KmBJi9siQ4AdBU0dUO8AGk6TrIRGt32Akk1z67e6UxqAFZBLFUJvdPxTf30/s400/Image.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717010557789622818" /></a>Our first week with Cailee Natalia<div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49xhwkYNQtllZP5WEgfxgzlaeb1KctFaLvqE5zyX6FpgJNHiWeHzZYMx4JVqq7sCvxdDb_wnBaXagq3JRHSvurCL1JigwcXVbugYBJw_Z9SLb-N8uZWjpc6tCRvi8Ezg72U2loodNnBA/s1600/Image+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49xhwkYNQtllZP5WEgfxgzlaeb1KctFaLvqE5zyX6FpgJNHiWeHzZYMx4JVqq7sCvxdDb_wnBaXagq3JRHSvurCL1JigwcXVbugYBJw_Z9SLb-N8uZWjpc6tCRvi8Ezg72U2loodNnBA/s400/Image+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717010549808640530" /></a>Four short weeks later our daughter Cyilea (Lea after my mom)<br /><div><br /></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-81962956980141372302012-02-25T14:28:00.006-08:002012-02-27T17:44:53.808-08:00Turn Up the Music, Drown Out the Noise...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">I always have adoption on my mind. With 9 children, 5 of which are adopted, I often wonder about the "What ifs'." I recently read a <a href="http://www.knowntome.net/index.php/site/comments/how_many_can_i_carry/">blog</a> that made me think and take an inward look at myself and my heart. The blog explained that there are so many children in Eastern Europe who, if are not adopted by the age of 4 - 5 years, will be transferred to mental institution. These institutions are for unwanted children, children who are deemed "un-adoptable". (Check it out <a href="http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2012/02/power-of-one.html">Here</a>)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">The word institution reflects exactly what it sounds like, prison for children. Some of which will live and die, with no more then their basic needs being met, and "basic" is an understatement. Most children are bed or crib bound, they are uneducated and worse, unloved and untouched. They have no care givers to walk them outside, in fact most will never leave their rooms. The conditions are horrible, my pets live in a better environment. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">The term un-adoptable is grotesque at best. I don't know who coined that phrase, but the term devalues life and mars a child's existence. It suggests that they are worth nothing and deserve, no love, no touch, no freedom, no chance and no hope. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">As a follower of Christ, I have had to ask myself two questions. Where is the church? And what is my personal responsibility? Isn't it us who Christ has called to love others? (Matthew 22:33-40) Isn't it the us who are to care for widows and orphans in their distress? (James 1:27) Isn't it the Church that is supposed to preach the Good News to the poor and to bind up the broken hearted? (Isaiah 61:1) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">When we read scripture there is just no denying what our calling is. Jesus was specific with what He said to do. Why then do we wonder what His will for our lives are? All we have to do is turn on the TV, or step outside our door to see what is going on in our world and that they NEED Jesus! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Matthew 25:31-40 ~ "<i>When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ' Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me'.....'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brother you did it to me.'</i> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i>Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you didn't not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me'....'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Words we have heard before, but not very comforting. I love the way Richard Sterns author of A Hole In The Gospel paraphrases the scripture into a modern day understanding.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i>"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved."</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Is that me? Is that us, Church? Do we care more for our own comforts and gain, then we do the sick, poor, homeless, hungry, un-adoptable, untouchable and dying? Am I willing to let Jesus use ALL of me, or just the parts that won't hurt or cause discomfort? Do we just attend Sunday service to check our spiritual boxes? The Gospel demands action. If the Gospel doesn't change us on Sunday's then we may as well just stay home.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">To quote my friends blog, " But CHURCH, are there really so few? Can that be true? If not us, WHO? Aren't we just like the worshipers who turned up the organ music to drown out the sound of the trains full of Jewish captives rattling by on Sunday morning?" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Why don't we act? Why don't I act? Why don't we risk it all and be just like Jesus? We must remember that we love because He loves us. We serve not just to "do", but to seek His face! He uses us to change us! Are we going act? Or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">are we just going to turn up the music to drown out the noise? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuFgyMtQACLHUYTfy4DjCus2zQuoDzFi7zBfDeUrfBAb-V390J3B1AZlNI9jwo9eoRz3D3RusHjgBth5-s5zZGoYFrR0jviO8bsuMoVqlfdJ4AiryRvq1plkho18YJcoo8U2cp3Kid8o/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuFgyMtQACLHUYTfy4DjCus2zQuoDzFi7zBfDeUrfBAb-V390J3B1AZlNI9jwo9eoRz3D3RusHjgBth5-s5zZGoYFrR0jviO8bsuMoVqlfdJ4AiryRvq1plkho18YJcoo8U2cp3Kid8o/s400/IMG_0260.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713205130563310082" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-13370918693869536172012-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:002012-02-04T14:48:28.413-08:00Unimaginable...<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.</span></i></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">In late January, we emailed Experito to notify him that funds were available to build the teacher's home that houses the teacher for the school in <a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/2011/03/20/joy-at-kochgoma/">Kochgoma</a>. The temporary structure that had been built previously was destroyed in a storm.</span><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kfszKhXOK40R-JXnHOUNM74czP-eKzV2UY_-6dLkf7TKVJ0C9ZJHyIsJXZ-N5z8dfCNrxmNf96WoDhhWoLPhAUOloWc1hsYtNVxJzfxZdamXyp8qi54fNlnxM1YEK-F_QvoD_LftU_Q/s1600/Residence+for+teachers+%2540+Nersery+school.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kfszKhXOK40R-JXnHOUNM74czP-eKzV2UY_-6dLkf7TKVJ0C9ZJHyIsJXZ-N5z8dfCNrxmNf96WoDhhWoLPhAUOloWc1hsYtNVxJzfxZdamXyp8qi54fNlnxM1YEK-F_QvoD_LftU_Q/s400/Residence+for+teachers+%2540+Nersery+school.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705407473730027714" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">The community wanted to build a permanent structure for the teacher. We discussed the typical local home (mud hut), but those who are educated enough to teach would generally have a different expectation for housing. Therefore the one teacher who had been willing to teach in Kochgoma was living in Gulu and making a horrendously long and difficult daily commute into Kochgoma (think huge mud mogles for 60 to 90 minutes each way on a motorbike).</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">The Koch Goma community began by donating bricks (which they made) to build the new structure. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><br /></div></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWd51W0TQEfQnBc1grjDtzGvtarjZHXoOlOvc_3jr9dOlvd0Fz_v8-0UYFPexxFkMLcAi7ie7NAfrOvfF5L6HgQhBo0ar_8CpkwUpx7aTHwVVOA1K7yWq81-yvwJK3qz41cqE-ALP3yQ/s1600/Transporting+bricks.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWd51W0TQEfQnBc1grjDtzGvtarjZHXoOlOvc_3jr9dOlvd0Fz_v8-0UYFPexxFkMLcAi7ie7NAfrOvfF5L6HgQhBo0ar_8CpkwUpx7aTHwVVOA1K7yWq81-yvwJK3qz41cqE-ALP3yQ/s400/Transporting+bricks.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705407466954234786" /></a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">When we learned they were hand-carrying all the bricks from their community to the school site, we were able to send money in May of 2011 to assist with transportation. Still money was needed for items such as iron sheets (for roofing), nails, cement and some skilled labor.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">Below is Experito's always-spirited response to learning of the good news that the school teacher's home can now be built.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F1QzVe3SOE8nVCJIqxkUj1RluVO9clH4MDA9UvOHFgl7uavhFE2VRLgc-cGH6h-cuIpa0abivBm28qwraUPH9Pm9emy5siGeGZOtKH62avCSM1YMVFQ-8_iWUdt1OqgT8jDxOnTYGSY/s1600/Image.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F1QzVe3SOE8nVCJIqxkUj1RluVO9clH4MDA9UvOHFgl7uavhFE2VRLgc-cGH6h-cuIpa0abivBm28qwraUPH9Pm9emy5siGeGZOtKH62avCSM1YMVFQ-8_iWUdt1OqgT8jDxOnTYGSY/s400/Image.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705407456866438194" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div class="gmail_quote">Waaaaooohhhh......Waaaoooohhhh....Waaaooooohhhhhh<br />This is incredible. It is unimaginable. I am at loss for words.I can<br />believe in the kingdom of God there is enough for every need except<br />greed.</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br />I had not been on the internet to see your email, because we had traveled to Kitgum. It is<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div class="gmail_quote">a district north of Gulu, on the border of Sudan.There has been an outbreak of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nodding_disease">NODDING DISEASE</a>, (a fatal, mentally and physically disabling disease that only affects young children typically between the ages of 5 and 15).</div></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">It made people abandon each other in order to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">avoid the disease. We risked our lives to take some food to some of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">suffering families.There was joy to some of these families which we </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">ministered to. Some of them had gone for days without food neither </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">medical help in near reach for them.We discovered there some kids who </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">had passed well to go secondary school.Some of these kids their hopes </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">for further studies had been shattered because their relatives and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">parents are now helpless. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">We picked Daniel one of those kids who had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">passed well. Our congregation has bought scholastic materials </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">for him as well as a mattress to go to boarding school. We are yet to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">raise tuition for him to cerebrate joy in school. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">Justine had gone to Kochgoma with Carissa to make arrangements for</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">the start of the new term.The teacher of the school in Koch Goma had expressed pain </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">traveling daily long distances to the school. He had opted to halt the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">services. God has demonstrated a miracle. When all was immovable, God </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">moved.We cannot say enough thank you for your concerted efforts to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">make Kochgoma a place of praise for God.Thanks to Drea as director for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">the new breath of energy which is bearing unexpected precious fruits. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">Our momentum has taken unimaginable levels. Next week it will be </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">work on the staff house .We salute Pastor Steve for his love for us and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">courageously became a voice for the voiceless.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">Hugs and Love to all,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">Experito</span></span></div></div></div></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-9334746621548922212011-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:002011-12-20T08:07:02.603-08:00Glorious...<div><br /></div><div>Before watching video, make sure to scroll down and turn off the playlist.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xhx3g5SbWTw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So this is the first time we have wanted to go on a trip of this sort and didn't raise A DIME!! We have always raised all the funds we have needed, even if just of in the nick of time. However this time we didn't. We sent letters and all the stuff we normally do, but nothing. We bought our tickets through a friends ministry with the idea that we would raise the money and reimburse her. However we didn't. I was totally stressed cuz we had never done that before either. We always raise the money buy our tickets, not the other way around. While I was in Spain, God was doing amazing things, my friend emailed me to tell me that the tickets were covered, they had a big donation. But we still needed the money to cover our stay in India. Ha!!! We didn't have a dime. We don't make hardly any money here in the states, I don't know how we survive, seriously, not with 9 kids. It is only God. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So we kept on going, praying that God would supply. about a week before our leaving I was crying out to God (stressed) about this trip. I wanted to be able to give our team the heads up that we wouldn't be able to go. We needed $1000 and had NOTHING. I had really been meditating on the name of God, "Jehovah Jireh" God my Provider. I don't really resonate with that name, and always struggle in this area. I asked God Sunday morning at about 6 am to please forgive me for stressing and if he wanted to provide, that would be great, we were going to spread His Gospel. However, if he would, would He do it Today! so that we could tell our team if we were going to be going with them or not. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">At about 9am Bryan texted me from Church that someone had donated $1000 for our trip. Which is miraculous because we are new there and people don't know us. I know in India they experience things like this all the time (we do too really) but this time it was so much more. When we got to the conference there was a pastor who gave testimony. He said he didn't want to come. God told him to come to the conference and he decided not to. Then the Lord told him again to go. He didn't have a dime to get there, but he obeyed. He went to the bus station without any money and waited. This lady came to him and told him that the Lord told her to give him money for a bus ticket!!! He came to the conference, we met him!!! He didn't even have money to get home! He said that the teaching was such a blessing, God knew that he needed to be there!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Here we were, tickets paid for, and doubting if we should come cuz we didn't have the $1000 for the hotel and food in India. Dumb! This man was BEYOND blessed for what he learned at the conference and had we not obeyed and gone to India, canceled our trip, he would have not been blessed with the teaching and we would have never been blessed with his testimony. However, in India people struggle for so much more. He went with nothing trusting God would provide. Lesson learned (or so I think, I am really just like the Israelites) we had EVERYTHING we needed to get there and didn't trust!!! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">India is deep in my. It has been amazing to see my hubby so deeply touched by this too. We can to bless others and got back far more blessing than we gave out. My mind is still overwhelmed by the time there, and I didn’t even really know what to blog. I don't know how I could explain India. It is nothing like the places I have been in Africa. A whole new world that is for sure. The sights, sounds, head bobbling, smells, tastes (all of which I enjoyed a lot, didn't loose a pound) but not too many words to describe, except Glorious. Isaiah says; His Glory fills the whole earth. It seems hard to believe in a place so dark that His glory still fills the whole earth, even the cracks and crevasses in India. However, I saw Jesus, in the faces of lost people. I saw Him lying on the sidewalk, sweeping trash, wading in knee high water and sewage, cooking on a little cart on the side of the road. I saw Jesus usher our bags in at the hotel, drive us to our destinations, preach on a Sunday, I saw him in the face of a little boy holding tight onto a motor bike full of other passengers. I saw Him most every where I looked, sometimes He was recognizable like in the face of our new family in India, sometime He was passed by like the poor old grandma begging on the street corner, BUT He was there!!!! Praise the Lord!</span></p></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-2808527960312473912011-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:002011-10-06T14:17:43.923-07:00The Ultimate Experience...<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">Recently my three oldest daughters and I planned to go to a dinner theater. Not the kind with a stage play, the AMC kind of theater where they serve dinner, a new experience, <b>the ultimate</b> <b>experience</b>! </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">The theater was doing soft runs before their grand opening night, we were their guests. My daughter got us four free tickets off line for an entrée and a movie ticket. We were so excited! We felt like royalty when we walked through the door on the red carpet, the place was lined with employees just waiting to serve us. We went to guest relations, where we chose our seats and were handed a meal voucher. When we turned around to find out where we order our food, there was a fully stocked bar. Exciting to most maybe, startling to me. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">The waitress came to order our soft drinks and let me know that we could order food inside while we watch the movie. Now, let me clarify, I am not talking about your run of the mill hot dog, warmed on a spinning rack, or popcorn drenched with artificial butter. I am talking signature items, Chicken Alfredo, Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad, shrimp or gourmet pizza. Once inside the theater we were greeted by an attendant and seated in large, red leather chairs, most of which reclined. The waiter was only a few paces away from the hostess, and was ready to take our orders on his wireless computer pad and send off directly to the kitchen.</span></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">Our server explained the call light located on the left of my table was to call him incase we needed anything. He explained that we could upgrade our seats next time to the suite, with fully reclining seats complete with a hot clothe for our faces once the movie was finished. Our food was served in a flash and we settled in, cozyed up, ate and drank in the lap of luxury while watching our movie.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPuobXMNztE_RAoocS9sTQhAgN8GtLuu7Ff-TDz2LwtTm6gLsboLNSDW0YH7jAPMXXNWvnzRUBEF9lLFcc202W5pkXFKejFrZcnRNCzgxmGu1DLnbr9p6cfeTMiH-fIZlDzVeFsVn1FY/s400/2011-09-05+15.08.00-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660488383514289106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></p><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"> Fancy call light</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWewc-BdZx_7MizBdN48s031-c02tJsI5u7qHS5hmjQ8UP-A1HvSPpbfHEhU8LLgrdDcuHJp6NyE2999wzELeLD1Io1J4HoP2jflzzkiXa7Y2oXD_1Hj9fk6SNk6H4yiRvFZDhrZq44U/s400/2011-09-05+15.06.00.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660485837928674786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"> Meske, Cailee, Me and Coral</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"> </span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjroWyDJpzyWJUXYwq5e_jy4BsrLTKSRNf0sqlqf2KchcCTwbLTowMTa78kb_0p39vZhT2yTwK462fHlLn59CL1ALDyZIOL1qqV6DxXnMoJuNJoFJ-t1v5ZwvTpOmzjZSCD03eQ9O0eA8/s400/2011-09-05+15.17.57.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660485833791341122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;">Coral and Meske</span></span></div> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaWs63oINq_JxfFcUMO0Tb-uE7Q1g-F0PwJ8GSn7cGY4BWko8Thqu6fUI_ELAFM75CHHrN0-S2Y4j4tMBzUg1WdwCOuvEAcOyXRFTpMcB8Q_tHBqi7vANio_mFUx8EQuJc4nDrldhsoY/s400/Me+n+Cailee.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660485817091302066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"> Me and Cailee</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">I am not going to lie, it was the <b>ultimate experience</b>! We were a part of the it and it was going to be fun! But it got me thinking. I started to think on what kind of lies we have bought i</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">nto as a culture. What is worse, what kind of lies have we bought into as Christians? In a world that says, we should indulge, “we deserve it,” or that, “money is no object,” or “everyone needs to have a little fun,” I began to wonder where we have been deceived.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Colossians 2:8 says; </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.</span> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">This scripture is the essence of the lie that we, as believers, have fallen prey to,</span><b style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "> deceptive philosophy</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">. </span><i style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); ">Philosophy</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"> defined means: credo, beliefs, convictions, ideology, ideas, thinking, notions, theories. It left me begging the question, “What do we as believers believe?”</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); "><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Do we really believe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> Matthew 6:19-21: <i>Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:100%;" ><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.</span> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">I wondered, what if? What if we did actually believe that our treasure was in heaven, would we then be so self-indulgent, and callous to the ways of the world? If we truly believed the word of God cautions us against being taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy of this world, then would we be cautious? </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">“We have prioritized our comforts over the needs of the world around us, and we need to repent.” - Dr. David Platt. The population of India is over 3.5 billion people. Of that number over 88% do not know, or have never even heard of the name of Jesus! In the United States there is one trained Christian Pastor for every 250 people. In the rest of the world, there is one trained Christian Pastor for ever 450,000 people.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">We have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to India, to help train, encourage and equip Pastors and leaders so that they can more effectively reach and disciple their people for Christ! </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Arial Narrow'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;color:#990000;">William Burns, a 1800 century missionary to China, said; <span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">“I am ready to burn out for God. I am ready to endure any hardship, if by any means I might save some. The longing of my heart is to make known my glorious Redeemer to those who have never heard.”<b> </b>This my friends is true conviction true belief. This is “</span><span style="text-decoration: underline; letter-spacing: 0px; "><b>The Ultimate Experience</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><b>”! </b></span></span></p> <p color="#1a150d" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-7490963946394748972011-06-11T20:36:00.000-07:002011-06-11T20:37:38.794-07:00<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Faith! The word is common among the Christian community. We hear about it in our churches, talk about it among friends and small groups, and pray for it in our quiet time with Jesus. It is something that is easily found, but not easily held on to, or so we think. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">I was recently in Illinois visiting some friends, when the Lord used something so simple to teach me something so profound. I thought I would share it with you. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Most of us are familiar with the scripture of the mustard seed. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus is speaking to His disciples answering their questions as to "why they couldn't drive out the demon?" Jesus answers with this; "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here, to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">All my life I grew up thinking about that little mustard seed and what could be accomplished with such small faith, which meant, at times, mine was even smaller that that tiny little seed. While this scripture is true, I would like to share with you what I learned about that little seed and why these words from Jesus meant so much to the disciples he was talking to. This is a broader picture.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">The mustard plant is a weed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Weed</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">- noun [weed]</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">1. A valueless plant, growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury to the desired crop. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">2. An undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); "> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); ">While faith is not valueless, or undesirable, the picture Christ may be painting for us is something that should be desirable by all. Below is a picture of one type of a mustard plant.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm2xUTMS5ANdr2MJ2ZZDa7wUcz3K_YrkX1mwmo0ILGMxnCUR1qcVD3Rtgd9yMrhzLPfesKYuJlobPzfErTeR3cAN3k4whIGumkf_Co98_ueoVgqvoj9kkZWARuYX8hK2Kod5waSdYnOM/s400/IMG_4928.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617036130183044226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">When driving through Illinois, I noticed this beautiful flower. I was admiring the beautiful farm land and cute little farm houses and of course this beautiful flower. Because we were among farms, I naturally thought this was something that was being harvested. My friend who I was driving with told me it was a weed. "A weed?" I said, " It is too beautiful to be a weed!" "It is unwanted by the farmers," he said, "But they can't stop it. It is wild mustard plant."</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdAHe8cImEr_WfY0q6lY197D6QzKyIDJAFWrA5Euh4oo37MxgVvfqrfjTFUrpKQyptR_DCZ7SwQwTVuTtf1zP-TTkBtbsKu7OCZduOEo4kkrTPN3FjmjiR-K3bR_UgtRkW9EojC5yRy0/s1600/IMG_4930.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdAHe8cImEr_WfY0q6lY197D6QzKyIDJAFWrA5Euh4oo37MxgVvfqrfjTFUrpKQyptR_DCZ7SwQwTVuTtf1zP-TTkBtbsKu7OCZduOEo4kkrTPN3FjmjiR-K3bR_UgtRkW9EojC5yRy0/s1600/IMG_4930.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdAHe8cImEr_WfY0q6lY197D6QzKyIDJAFWrA5Euh4oo37MxgVvfqrfjTFUrpKQyptR_DCZ7SwQwTVuTtf1zP-TTkBtbsKu7OCZduOEo4kkrTPN3FjmjiR-K3bR_UgtRkW9EojC5yRy0/s400/IMG_4930.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617036150348522642" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Every year the farmers plant their crops and then harvest them. In the winter the land freezes over. Come spring, everything begins to bloom, including the mustard weed. No matter what the farmer does, there is no getting rid of this undesirable weed. They don't harvest it, and what is more, they don't even plant it. By the time weed blooms, the farmer is just getting ready to plant the thawed field. By the time the farmer is ready to plant the field the, the beautiful mustard weed has already gone to seed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Once the tiny little seed has fallen to the ground, the farmer is ready to plant his own crop. He sprays the little yellow plants with weed killer and begins to sow his beloved crop. Soon the plant dies, but it is only gone for a season. Because safely nestled into the fertile soil lies the seed that will sprout yet another plant next spring. With that small mustard seed, that has been sown, the plant spreads and insures it's existence for yet another year. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">I believe we can learn a lot from this delicate plant and it's tiny, minuscule seed. When we sow one seed of faith, when we do as Jesus said and believe Him, that faith, that is the size of a mustard seed, breeds more and more faith. Until what was once only one small seed.... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHbKqBDQzOregah4eb3RZO_PiMqySg3SLpfO56oAGG8xmP_ukBXCjADs-QXNplReTqnZ_ub2wh_X14c6nmxoENw-S7lbYPmqSMCFnKN_K6D5ExqpmgNeEsm5vse1sERvfDKxA9B168l8/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHbKqBDQzOregah4eb3RZO_PiMqySg3SLpfO56oAGG8xmP_ukBXCjADs-QXNplReTqnZ_ub2wh_X14c6nmxoENw-S7lbYPmqSMCFnKN_K6D5ExqpmgNeEsm5vse1sERvfDKxA9B168l8/s400/IMG_4935.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617036142165951682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Becomes....Field's of Faith!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEhXAh7iaPx0L9AGlGksYpKq3_dqxK4eUq-WpX5nekheKQcb38TypzFSIhJEmlhtTk6pFeWW48RmF0i6EagxL8crs9zKYI-uXHhi59qfSBPh-5NsslNJq6xRmCn_mqlcUmyqUZGNPk3s/s1600/IMG_4933.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEhXAh7iaPx0L9AGlGksYpKq3_dqxK4eUq-WpX5nekheKQcb38TypzFSIhJEmlhtTk6pFeWW48RmF0i6EagxL8crs9zKYI-uXHhi59qfSBPh-5NsslNJq6xRmCn_mqlcUmyqUZGNPk3s/s1600/IMG_4933.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEhXAh7iaPx0L9AGlGksYpKq3_dqxK4eUq-WpX5nekheKQcb38TypzFSIhJEmlhtTk6pFeWW48RmF0i6EagxL8crs9zKYI-uXHhi59qfSBPh-5NsslNJq6xRmCn_mqlcUmyqUZGNPk3s/s400/IMG_4933.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617036139416214674" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">Again, He said, "What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like, or what parable should we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches, that the birds can perch in it's shade." Mark 4:30</span></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-17872252516415362482011-03-21T10:11:00.001-07:002011-03-21T11:06:30.486-07:00I'm Sorry...<span style="color:#330033;">Setting the Stage:</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Most of you know I have a lot of kids. All with different personalities and different bents. Some have given me "well earned" gray hair, and some are not even a challenge. They are all beautiful inside and out. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Today I just want to share something that tickled me about my oldest biological daughter Coral. Being the oldest girl should tell you something about her personality. She is a strong, influencing, leader. She knows what she wants and is determined, and enduring. She love Jesus, more than any young girl I have ever known. She has a wonderful servants heart, and whats more, the Lord has a plan for this girls life and she is on the journey of finding out what it is!</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">I home school all of my kids (yes, I do ask myself "why" from time to time). I am not the best teacher, but we make it work and by God's grace, all my kids read and write and are pretty bright. I use different curriculum to make this school thing fit the different needs of my kids. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Last year I used an online program to school some of our kids while we adjusted to our new additions. It gave me some extra time in the day to work with the ones who needed me more. However this seemed to be a big mistake. The program that I used had underlining messages of, no absolute truth, and there is no real God. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">As you may have guessed, this didn't settle well with me. It was fine for my Coral because she seems to be well grounded, but not for some of my other kids who are just learning their identity in Christ. And even though Coral would survive, I would rather have her learning solid Christian values rather than worldly ones at her age. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Ok...the story. This made Coral upset. She wanted to graduate early on the online program, and I was throwing off her groove. She didn't want to return to curriculum "A" because she thought it was not challenging enough and said it was a waste of her time. I decided she would not continue on the online program, so I would mix it up. I didn't return to curriculum "A" but found other programs that would fit. We battled on this one and she ended up hurting my feelings trying to prove her point.We worked it out all then and she apologized. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">A year later, (a few months ago) Coral decided, she disliked the new curriculum's I used in place of the online program, and really wanted what she had...curriculum "A"! As you can imagine I laughed at the thought. She proceeded to tell me how wrong she was, and how she just didn't get it then and now she does. "Please mom, please let me use curriculum "A" you were right I was wrong. I will get a better education with this and be able to stay on track!"</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">So...I got a bright idea. "Coral," I said. "I will switch you back to "A" IF you write me apology letter, and I will post it for the world to see!"</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Well, I told you she was determined, she did just that. So here it is world!!! Take notes...this is what it looks like when a 15 year old apologizes publicly to her mother! (I have typed it just as written minus mentioning the name of the curriculum). </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">Dear Mom,</span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">I must admit I've been stubborn, annoying, and all around awful. I have put you through some hardships. As I think about my heart then, it was evil and impure. It makes me truly depressed. I count the grey hairs I helped produce and feel sorry.</span><br /><span style="color:#333300;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">As I write this essay, I feel stupid for what I have said. I feel the need to mention, I love you. Now that I have been put into a less school challenging curriculum, I feel the need to go back to the curriculum, I "<strong><u>claimed</u></strong>" to hate. I understand that you make the right choices and curriculum "A" was clearly the right choice.</span><br /><span style="color:#333300;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">To put this paper to an end, I would like you to know you are the smartest mom I know, besides Carol Denny, since you ask her for advice. But still, I think curriculum"A" is the smartest choice yet! Thank you for still loving me.</span><br /><span style="color:#333300;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">Love, </span><br /><span style="color:#333300;">Coral</span><br /><span style="color:#333300;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Now, I know what you all may be thinking, "You are so lucky to have a daughter who understands her mother and finally gets it." or "I wish my daughter would write a letter like this one!" I want to encourage you all, you too can have a letter writing daughter...it just takes the right touch and a little bribery, and I am not above that at all. With perseverance and a little grey hair, you too can have your very own apology writing child. But remember there is always someone smarter than you! </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586582189882461970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMSX-oIzB9ArWYQH_tUcWCLAIEpO-HLUjC5IkDgvaG-veCRGWCql8iiF1lUYZV5c-yNHo5H46ys8XnFsisU4puvmCkZ3O3wqEM0juPX8OC53CBJkRqHBJEt-AhcrbHOY1ggAK69zk8j8/s400/Coral2011.jpg" /><br />My Coral<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW7PxJA5v8nYsniuxD8yqh9bMf0y53Z6C2VlLuDxjKnZDSCB_RyFoHbIqArESHFLFJ1_wsdV5sbVQqZLA-G_9xL93mVL7qq4-qFuNu_sQwGP_EAtv_tlYtr5jAnJLeBNeAs5WS4wpz0Y/s1600/coral2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586582185179158242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW7PxJA5v8nYsniuxD8yqh9bMf0y53Z6C2VlLuDxjKnZDSCB_RyFoHbIqArESHFLFJ1_wsdV5sbVQqZLA-G_9xL93mVL7qq4-qFuNu_sQwGP_EAtv_tlYtr5jAnJLeBNeAs5WS4wpz0Y/s400/coral2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-61548960763982474932011-02-15T18:14:00.000-08:002011-02-16T10:36:47.625-08:00Parasites, Scabies and More...<span style="color:#330033;">What do parasites, scabies, malaria and an unreached people group have in common?<br /><br /></span><div><div></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">I just returned from Uganda, Africa where the Lord used disease to bring Himself Glory. The Karamojong Tribe in Northern Uganda are an unreached people group. They are a nomadic people who pillage and steal cattle from the other tribes in Uganda. They are frowned upon among the people because of the havoc they reek in villages. Most Karamojong are not welcomed among any of the people in the market, and churches. They also can't get jobs and are just tolerated at best.</span></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#663300;">The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9</span></em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">This trip to Africa was like all others. Hard work and planning was the prelude before the actual travel. We needed to fundraise, send letters, and organize garage sales. Originally Bryan and I both planned to go on the trip. We would visit our missionaries in Uganda, cross the border to Kenya and spend time with Pastor Cyrus and the kids at the orphanage. We worked hard to earned money, and had several donations but we just didn't bring in enough for us both to go. We needed to make a decision, put off the trip again, or go with what the Lord had provided thus far. We had prayed for the Lord to show us and he opened the door for just me to travel and that is just what I did. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span><span style="color:#330033;">Once in Uganda, almost a day later than planned, I was greeted at the airport by my dear friend Tonya. We had big plans for my stay, sick babies, visiting ministries, vision casting, and travel to Kenya. We arrived at her house at 5am and slept for a couple of hours and when we woke, Tonya was sick with a fever. I spent the day at a program down the street that cares for sick and dying kids, (pictures to follow). </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">Day two in Jinja, Uganda started off well and ended bad. Some how I picked up a mean parasite and well you probably know what that means but I'll tell you anyway, vomiting and diarrhea. I pretty much would have rather die, but that wasn't going to happen. It was just miserable enough to beg for mercy and lay in bed and not move. By day four I had recovered and was ready for the mission field, or so I thought. Day 4 also was the start of high fever for Tonya's son, who tested negative for malaria shortly there after.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">In the back house lived Aunt Sara and Mama Maria. Maria is Karamojong. She has three children living with her, Phillip, Angela and Longoli. If you follow my blog you may recognize the names of the children (if you want a quick background </span><a href="http://thielestidbits.blogspot.com/2010/11/reaching-lost.html"><span style="color:#330033;"><u><span style="color:#000066;">click here</span></u> </span></a><span style="color:#330033;">to read the story). Phillip and Angela were Tonya's foster children. Tonya had been caring for Phillip and Angela for a few months while searching for their mother. Maria had been separated from her children for about a year previous to Tonya meeting them. Once Tonya had the children in her custody, and Maria found her children, Tonya starting to form a bond with Maria and helped Maria to form a bond with her children. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">Tonya then invited Maria to live with her to make the transition for the kids from Tonya to Maria easier on the children. When I arrived Maria was very welcoming and I was immediately drawn to her. She sat on a mat in the side yard listening to the Proclaimer (a New Testament reading of the scripture in her language). </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">In between being sick and laying low, I would venture out back with Maria to talk, the best I knew how, using sign language and common threads between women. I invited myself to sit on her mat and hold her precious 2 month old baby girl and she willingly and joyfully excepted. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">About day five, we started to make our plans for our big travel to Kenya to visit Pastor Cyrus and his wife Eucbeth. Our ministry has adopted Pastor Cyrus' orphanage and I try to make regular trips out there to see the kids. Day five was also the day Tonya and I started itching! Some time in the morning Tonya was telling me of the bites on her body that she had been complaining about for a couple of weeks. I began to see some bites on me too, but figured that it was Africa, so what else would I expect. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">While sitting on the couch one night I saw these tiny, tiny, bugs crawling on me and assumed they were hatching spiders. So I remedied that situation, I got off the couch! If you know me, you know I HATE bugs of ANY kind. Day six, Tonya is really itching and can feel things crawling on her and I can feel things crawling on me, more little spiders! I proceed to pick these buggers off of her neck like a monkey would groom her baby and she did the same. Gross I know, but necessary for the story! So we groomed ourselves and sometimes each other, as needed. After a while we decided to put the bugs in a ziplock bag, and head for Al Shaffa clinic for a twofer, diagnosis of bugs and a malaria smear for Tonya's son who still had a high fever. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">The Doctor informed us that we were infested with scabies, a microscopic bug that burrows under your skin and lays eggs (look it up if you don't know), and another negative malaria test. The remedy for the bugs was to treat ourselves with a "poison" lotion, literally, and boil all of our clothes and linen. Easy for people in America, but hard and time consuming for people in Africa. We did what we had to and bought 15 bottles of "poison" and treated the whole compound and ourselves. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">Now at this point there are far more stories to tell about wood eating bugs in my bed, toads in my bathroom and the sort, but I will spare you the details in order to keep this from turning into a novel (dangerously approaching one already, I know). But lets suffice to say that the devil was on the hunt to destroy every ounce of hope and every opportunity to share the Gospel with anyone outside of our compound. BUT God determined our steps. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">At some point, as I am sure you would understand, I began to get discouraged. I kept asking God why had he brought me halfway around the world to get all of these sicknesses. I could have been sick at home. My personality is such that I began to feel bad for the people who poured themselves and their finances into this trip. Nothing but sick was happening. I couldn't even go love on sick babies in fear I would make them more sick! I kept being reminded that God knew every part of this story already and I had to trust in that, but my plans to travel to Kenya were slowly fading, especially when I found out that Cyrus had contracted a bad case of malaria.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">We spent many days at home with Maria. I had brought Maria some gifts from home and we spent time laughing together, clapping at new outfits she would try on and model for us and holding and loving on her babies. One gift in particular struck me. Someone had donated a Bible coloring book. The color book was for kids, with pages from Genesis to Revelation. It was used and some of the pages were colored in, but it was new to them! I had gifted it to Phillip, but Maria was the one who was captivated by it. Then it dawned on me, of course she was her tribe was mostly illiterate! This appealed to Maria because it was story made from pictures! </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">She began to point at the pictures, loving calling us Mommy, and saying the charters in the story by name. "Mommy, Abraham! Mommy, Jesus! Mommy, Moses!" She knew each one, it was astonishing. Then in her own tongue she would sing! The songs were unfamiliar, but ministered to my soul. I could pick out words like Jesus or Abraham. She new it all. "Mommy, Angel!, Mommy", pointing to the Cross. The words that I once couldn't understand came to light. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">Someone had gotten to Maria, long before Tonya or I came along. Someone had told her about Jesus. Her understanding my not have been focused, but it was a start. What joy it was to see her sad eyes come to life, a tool of communication in a kids coloring book. At times we would look out the window to see what she was doing and we could see the color book next to her on the mat and Maria there flipping the pages. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">The days went by and our Kenya window closed. I wouldn't be able to visit the kids I so much in Kisii. I kept asking God to make clear for me the reason for all of this illness and the steps he determined for me. Our scabies were gone, Tonya's son received treatment for malaria (even thought he tested negative) and we were all feeling better. Only 48 hours before our return to the states and Pastor Cyrus called and said he was taking a bus to come and see us! Praise the Lord!</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">Cyrus arrived what a reunion, and with Cyrus we had a perfect translator. Maria had her own tribal language and spoke Swahili, Cyrus' native tongue. He was able to tell her all that Tonya and I wanted to say. We talked about Jesus and how he loved her. We talked about the kids how she would care for herself once we were gone. Tonya had been thinking how wonderful it would be if somehow Maria would be able to go with Cyrus back to his compound and live with them. She asked Cyrus what he thought and he loved the idea. </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">Cyrus asked Maria if she would come and live at the orphanage with him and his wife. At first Maria was tentative and said that she would do whatever Tonya did. But we explained that Tonya was coming back to the states for awhile and wanted Maria and the kids to be cared for. </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">Karamojongs are notorious alcoholics and drug addicts. They put their small children on the streets to beg and then spend the money on little food and lots of drugs. They are sober on rare occasions. But Maria had a definite interest in caring for her kids and most importantly, Jesus. </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">When asking the question to an American, "What does poverty mean to you? List everything that pops into your head." What do you think of? I thought of several things, no food, no water, no shelter, no work, no education, no clothes, etc. But when that same question was asked among the poor, the very objects of poverty, around the world in various different cultures and countries, the answer was astounding. It was NOT based off of material things like food or water or housing. It was based on one thing, SELF WORTH! These people didn't have anything to say about their lack of watter, or food, what they said was, they feel useless, like they didn't matter, their life was meaningless, they had no self worth (When Helping Hurts). </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">Maria, like most Karamojongs lacked self worth. No one respects her in her culture expect her own. She can't and won't work which creates this horrible unending cycle of poverty and low self worth. It is a vicious cycle that consumes and devours thousands maybe millions of lives around the world. Moving with Pastor Cyrus would provide the Godly model of working, going to church, caring for others, community, and discipleship which brings about WORTH!</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;">Maria, Phillip, Angela and Longoli are all in Kisii, Kenya now. Phillip has started school and has a "smart" school uniform. Maria is being mentored by Eucabeth, Cyrus' wife. Angela is making new friends and Longoli is growing and doing just fine. </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;"></span></div><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574317756415059474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlR-ipGV-slkvmW80Q06Nh4pd9owSvPbQ2-sg2yLEhnMFRnWAUZF1wg0F3UhhAGL_DOw5af7bApKI9VWoyUBXGCjQBUoVvH5QTi-6m4BPBNu3nN6zKnyi5qTNJ5-H92tFTBZDMck-DPc8/s400/Lalany+wearing+School+Uniform.JPG" />(Phillip in his school uniform)<br /><br /></span><div><span style="color:#330033;">So what do parasites, scabies, malaria and an unreached people group have in common? Answer, God's perfect plan. It is simple, had we have gone to Kenya as planned, we would have missed this opportunity for Maria to move with Pastor Cyrus! God determined our steps, now that is worthy of praise! </span></div><br /><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574317757718568338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Z2GD2HO2tRoK-RLwtZK2SPH-Pt-eTtSWFC-1jBF_eH5S46psuifbd5rE3kmQkMdjKMR75wrwzDKrHPepDHTzx9mK_xNE0aQo5G61uDCx2e2swnorJn9rqv9Om7MHU_NBTjqjvu9246c/s400/Eucabeth%252CLalany%252CMariah+Holding+Langoli+Angela+and+Cyrus..JPG" />(Eucabeth, Phillip, Maria, Longoli, Cyrus and Angela)<br /></span><div></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#330033;">As for Maria, will you please join us in prayer. This will be a long road for her, breaking the bonds of addiction, changing her place of living, and learning to trust Jesus for everything. Our prayer for Maria is that she would fall madly in love with her Savior and then return to her people where she can share God's truth and this people group can change status from unreached to reached! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX38gbMyyWixyOwek-UGN22r6IX925V5sfeOcvXFU8qUvjs4rLGBTCf8n7_e1v8vPHzhsxj3j7xBLVnEkWHwSjFEfT4toxKLNtEMZEbnWC9tZS7PTywiDcE21upLM4d9la6HoxsO8cQ8/s1600/Christmas+Africa+247.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116210463260962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX38gbMyyWixyOwek-UGN22r6IX925V5sfeOcvXFU8qUvjs4rLGBTCf8n7_e1v8vPHzhsxj3j7xBLVnEkWHwSjFEfT4toxKLNtEMZEbnWC9tZS7PTywiDcE21upLM4d9la6HoxsO8cQ8/s400/Christmas+Africa+247.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> The Source of the Nile<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHGM_t3pkilgWP9mJx73qPX3RF_fj8Mo2gBDFYhKiE-CxlNH1j33iLMxGqurNYzxBg26YdIi9fle7c38PRjdoFCfIehJ6mvPoRnj52-uf6-I68r4Wp9SLnAl3-PF_1Zubj7QFrIluHts/s1600/Christmas+Africa+137.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116207695090002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHGM_t3pkilgWP9mJx73qPX3RF_fj8Mo2gBDFYhKiE-CxlNH1j33iLMxGqurNYzxBg26YdIi9fle7c38PRjdoFCfIehJ6mvPoRnj52-uf6-I68r4Wp9SLnAl3-PF_1Zubj7QFrIluHts/s400/Christmas+Africa+137.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Angela and her new baby<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfmpgn5ZvwgHkoMpB5vWUAmPZCSeSU4B0p-gj3P4wHxd8edFVg_pmtccuSVHk_LYAVTtzr5hHEk99B8CVIfMsGpUVFu3eIm5NmU8oBXp4dMUhoSr5EXOiswgXN6VhprVo2pfc27HqLfM/s1600/Christmas+Africa+120.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116208032753026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfmpgn5ZvwgHkoMpB5vWUAmPZCSeSU4B0p-gj3P4wHxd8edFVg_pmtccuSVHk_LYAVTtzr5hHEk99B8CVIfMsGpUVFu3eIm5NmU8oBXp4dMUhoSr5EXOiswgXN6VhprVo2pfc27HqLfM/s400/Christmas+Africa+120.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Me and Maria, looking at pictures of my tribe (kids) she was amazed<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57lrdtSDt080VuabLIvy6dXdvakQtH7UC8iH6StOvkgYoAoUp5OrlFMatzta-wx55wX-P5xTK7P0MGoTzAfotaRTroy5m0q6oQm2r1PRSn1WtzEtFlKfYWXwASjGPmiP7kTa2oHXFlbo/s1600/Christmas+Africa+091.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116201998206002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57lrdtSDt080VuabLIvy6dXdvakQtH7UC8iH6StOvkgYoAoUp5OrlFMatzta-wx55wX-P5xTK7P0MGoTzAfotaRTroy5m0q6oQm2r1PRSn1WtzEtFlKfYWXwASjGPmiP7kTa2oHXFlbo/s400/Christmas+Africa+091.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Rejoicing with Maria over Gods goodness<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAt8lFh0RFLg1w4luYAXvFbV8sd8XgVOUCLjJsaZxcl52oj6W5kER5dzAIhdrbcPfImVP4YCdBa4hRrt0aS94qnmOU4jqsPtNCZDKrv1CteI1vsjXrJjZYMM2GO1wSVPxWGZH7Eoz1j4/s1600/Christmas+Africa+314.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574114240751545922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAt8lFh0RFLg1w4luYAXvFbV8sd8XgVOUCLjJsaZxcl52oj6W5kER5dzAIhdrbcPfImVP4YCdBa4hRrt0aS94qnmOU4jqsPtNCZDKrv1CteI1vsjXrJjZYMM2GO1wSVPxWGZH7Eoz1j4/s400/Christmas+Africa+314.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> The untold story of my wood eating beetles, this is the saw dust after one night!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkezuDRaQ88sUtbP8baiLAcladwENam9YttzvKleU2KNxp08c3GtSx8JAUtjyYOIi4Qh7sUm8PMsQq0kPK4vmFCpmhX2BjB77d5oqcezkVeMPlH8XNO2Su_YoPGLMlGixTwF_80EkPMKM/s1600/Christmas+Africa+320.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574114240752084930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkezuDRaQ88sUtbP8baiLAcladwENam9YttzvKleU2KNxp08c3GtSx8JAUtjyYOIi4Qh7sUm8PMsQq0kPK4vmFCpmhX2BjB77d5oqcezkVeMPlH8XNO2Su_YoPGLMlGixTwF_80EkPMKM/s400/Christmas+Africa+320.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> One of the many beetles in my bed<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qEejx-IKThfjo2EqO60Gn84SLD4IwvNAyVKPuHjUAmB59xm4R2eemW1dlf6bdb9naNLrQutY42Ls4MddcLDoMjCt9EzVcsFRd5aOT7h12gZSaoA4F69wo1JJBN7FhkiLG3AJJw9N87Q/s1600/Christmas+Africa+341.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574114235717702706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qEejx-IKThfjo2EqO60Gn84SLD4IwvNAyVKPuHjUAmB59xm4R2eemW1dlf6bdb9naNLrQutY42Ls4MddcLDoMjCt9EzVcsFRd5aOT7h12gZSaoA4F69wo1JJBN7FhkiLG3AJJw9N87Q/s400/Christmas+Africa+341.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Girls carrying water from a muddy, dirty water bed<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjC_FBd1IpbFtJkF58W99QZuneCpTdTq2TDreNFE4vCsvhs-ksSPqpTfCMxPAu6oxpXEAktTJ3qLSwtN1pm0CTAiBdSBzbaw-QKTVz4kHGOdVovslRDqYqCXuWyHRklpD5D0As6UNr_k/s1600/Christmas+Africa+381.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574114231312667314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjC_FBd1IpbFtJkF58W99QZuneCpTdTq2TDreNFE4vCsvhs-ksSPqpTfCMxPAu6oxpXEAktTJ3qLSwtN1pm0CTAiBdSBzbaw-QKTVz4kHGOdVovslRDqYqCXuWyHRklpD5D0As6UNr_k/s400/Christmas+Africa+381.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Bujagali Falls<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_zlJX_BOQarCAV072tp7w3BqGnBqnwmC9QSaXyoX1GnnBapCMKNbVRmB3KdJTMZvbR6FSVZi2w9kizbn3FfNLsFr2dC9I_VE3SbNba9Uj-zOE4sjwFnrdhVWRxqaBncfHCjjmFd08IU/s1600/Christmas+Africa+433.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574114228039559250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_zlJX_BOQarCAV072tp7w3BqGnBqnwmC9QSaXyoX1GnnBapCMKNbVRmB3KdJTMZvbR6FSVZi2w9kizbn3FfNLsFr2dC9I_VE3SbNba9Uj-zOE4sjwFnrdhVWRxqaBncfHCjjmFd08IU/s400/Christmas+Africa+433.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Angela getting her baby tied on her back, The African way<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL01XFxRewxDG9wOkjEO34gyxRVCmST1vzeABC8QLhd_rsg7uhV4ZxDVDWenKRMQAf71hAzIq0m5iOvbE656peiklUPC3N8vZiXu77POKCump2vQWn_MsVbjuTyWgbkPU2T8v7MQ0eRy4/s1600/Christmas+Africa+571.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574111353984371842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL01XFxRewxDG9wOkjEO34gyxRVCmST1vzeABC8QLhd_rsg7uhV4ZxDVDWenKRMQAf71hAzIq0m5iOvbE656peiklUPC3N8vZiXu77POKCump2vQWn_MsVbjuTyWgbkPU2T8v7MQ0eRy4/s400/Christmas+Africa+571.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> This is Harriet. She is over one year old, but the size of a 6 month old. I fell in love over and over with these kids. Harriet suffers from malnutrition and HIV/Aids. She is currently being treated for both.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAy5HfW_P4WDAUdfUa31J863uHHydLcytHCHe1CQvqgbdJ1vvR0Limbd1xd2Q8NP-x-3bV27bWEB68rpBTLZI5Rx1Nu8FNvFUL8KazAW8n0TwQudUD4NvsTBycm_t961JenwiQTl6J8Y/s1600/Christmas+Africa+570.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574111344908979058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAy5HfW_P4WDAUdfUa31J863uHHydLcytHCHe1CQvqgbdJ1vvR0Limbd1xd2Q8NP-x-3bV27bWEB68rpBTLZI5Rx1Nu8FNvFUL8KazAW8n0TwQudUD4NvsTBycm_t961JenwiQTl6J8Y/s400/Christmas+Africa+570.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> I had the privelege to love on some really sick babies. This is Harriet.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK989J_K7X9e94hBqDt-zEFidhjsqd8IawCf2413G33i4hfhV4iLodbGRaqPK3CjZf6p7g792eNoCJ9db7G0183qacljprp01Mw1GukyORin5a4ibmJ4k-sB5QSC24F-W1SPjW6mym-z8/s1600/Christmas+Africa+593.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574111334951173250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK989J_K7X9e94hBqDt-zEFidhjsqd8IawCf2413G33i4hfhV4iLodbGRaqPK3CjZf6p7g792eNoCJ9db7G0183qacljprp01Mw1GukyORin5a4ibmJ4k-sB5QSC24F-W1SPjW6mym-z8/s400/Christmas+Africa+593.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> My other heart throb, Abby. Her mom and dad are young about 13 and are from two different tribes and are cousins and not married. When the elders of the tribe found out about the baby they planned to kill her because she was a disgrace to the tribes. She was recued and brought to Rene, who runs malnutrition rehab center in Jinja, Uganda. Abby is awaiting adoption.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADZwLR5XodbweK1zJk1QrRfXfqLUym2TDtyimPNQbq-pY8i9O_iUvk1vD4teHx3n4wZWWWlWlY32VaiHy9XapwUhSHWiMDEVaRquIaP-dCnhI7z_M4p2FFTrMewc6gyjqO9_gIhdNW7s/s1600/Christmas+Africa+601.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574111327921681906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADZwLR5XodbweK1zJk1QrRfXfqLUym2TDtyimPNQbq-pY8i9O_iUvk1vD4teHx3n4wZWWWlWlY32VaiHy9XapwUhSHWiMDEVaRquIaP-dCnhI7z_M4p2FFTrMewc6gyjqO9_gIhdNW7s/s400/Christmas+Africa+601.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> One, two, three...swing<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNlLrrgO_5auW0zpFryBgcGDZfciEDydYF8MHpKpJ_eLbkcSW_BBLorS21-KRULZxX9fcCYRqmGRvx1FOZ8202F5C6J03syzUp6AIjkhoLpb1nYAvijzk7JkMP-Ev5-1yq9NcZWHnw18/s1600/Christmas+Africa+610.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574111324613212194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNlLrrgO_5auW0zpFryBgcGDZfciEDydYF8MHpKpJ_eLbkcSW_BBLorS21-KRULZxX9fcCYRqmGRvx1FOZ8202F5C6J03syzUp6AIjkhoLpb1nYAvijzk7JkMP-Ev5-1yq9NcZWHnw18/s400/Christmas+Africa+610.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Tonya with Maria and the kids (with one extra)<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-N4iK5j7gWSbDUvCKP9Mkhpv_Y6VbtVm3UWVI6bWA7rG94nB6YduHzgYT1HL7NTLph7FcZ0FuScCSwK-b43mLlGCf4dHWNFHDajbHHAhf7smQOaOVl6MOZEWKNJFs-01mY5XjmcuvJs/s1600/Christmas+Africa+672.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574108837161440754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-N4iK5j7gWSbDUvCKP9Mkhpv_Y6VbtVm3UWVI6bWA7rG94nB6YduHzgYT1HL7NTLph7FcZ0FuScCSwK-b43mLlGCf4dHWNFHDajbHHAhf7smQOaOVl6MOZEWKNJFs-01mY5XjmcuvJs/s400/Christmas+Africa+672.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;">The slum in Kampala</span></div><div><span style="color:#330033;"><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116222311269538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeuT0q_wmngIx4KaPnVZhG22JQuIwFM3xaB28LwMazhRxLbusgGKjGyCKEAuU5zbGvdRrEKiM0lCgZjNT7R6sLRd7U4KExgyPNukYK1R6zu9SGt6rhnWLkvN4UvnFV8dPRU4fcwhfiio/s400/Christmas+Africa+629.JPG" />Cyrus and I having lunch at Two Friends Restaurant<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeMSq21GQiMM_zjPmu21sy-b4MGAY1PyUhTALTTimXAMIoVYIhzDPW7mnUGPOHJfcOH1c0bXi-JjgThtYHfKa8Kxev9mY48DZTtrCJQ-EP2TeFV91m777qoYdh5a6WIIlI8ZTA-pFzYo/s1600/Christmas+Africa+698.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574108829668444482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeMSq21GQiMM_zjPmu21sy-b4MGAY1PyUhTALTTimXAMIoVYIhzDPW7mnUGPOHJfcOH1c0bXi-JjgThtYHfKa8Kxev9mY48DZTtrCJQ-EP2TeFV91m777qoYdh5a6WIIlI8ZTA-pFzYo/s400/Christmas+Africa+698.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Maria and Longoli, so beautiful<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51XlG5AaY7j9HUyUEVx6tNtl-MSpOIpC49tfduTb_kJOqCEIrsmryhDPFDN3cJXpslrICFtmBJbC5D-pE5E5QrPscD59ItcSKUHiVS3-iaAS7N-s7aSeNO0GLAnDYzWt3qp1oXtUR1sk/s1600/Christmas+Africa+771.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574108819156536818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51XlG5AaY7j9HUyUEVx6tNtl-MSpOIpC49tfduTb_kJOqCEIrsmryhDPFDN3cJXpslrICFtmBJbC5D-pE5E5QrPscD59ItcSKUHiVS3-iaAS7N-s7aSeNO0GLAnDYzWt3qp1oXtUR1sk/s400/Christmas+Africa+771.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> The sunrise over Jinja town from Tonya's balconey<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lNJsxcGVvwDKmQkYbJGPiGxiabxN1WD8RZcltzjYGQqIfp7YIsfrN7pPkno3P0B1JpXuViZTb5Yn3Gq2VABisnrOhD80bWTNmJ3XeZmikhixlGgSD2l1fsvaUQqSddahUX6VFaVH3nY/s1600/Christmas+Africa+755.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574108818181729826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lNJsxcGVvwDKmQkYbJGPiGxiabxN1WD8RZcltzjYGQqIfp7YIsfrN7pPkno3P0B1JpXuViZTb5Yn3Gq2VABisnrOhD80bWTNmJ3XeZmikhixlGgSD2l1fsvaUQqSddahUX6VFaVH3nY/s400/Christmas+Africa+755.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> Lake Victory in the morning and the view from Tonya's house<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dGd5JWcsMUS0_Ojx0s_VCFOe4zOgoa9jtY4A-QauyUmqD1WbqIRAj8-VaA9jJCsl4aTl_obP9Z-zvXaE7-9BG3f24t3mTkYhcLDEJJ99kfFh-Ay9GEnUfHTGUd9FzbDv7XzfkE41dOA/s1600/Christmas+Africa+778.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574108810271533426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dGd5JWcsMUS0_Ojx0s_VCFOe4zOgoa9jtY4A-QauyUmqD1WbqIRAj8-VaA9jJCsl4aTl_obP9Z-zvXaE7-9BG3f24t3mTkYhcLDEJJ99kfFh-Ay9GEnUfHTGUd9FzbDv7XzfkE41dOA/s400/Christmas+Africa+778.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;"> My dear friend Seggy and I, having coffee<br /><br /></span><div><div><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-18927628118548514212010-12-28T12:05:00.000-08:002010-12-28T21:19:48.653-08:00Frequent Flyer Miles...<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj606mgp4NidB9iBHSlLJxpN_gArOgGmfUmkkLA32YM_5KAHlqLJbSNA4uhuvNEr4GFPl8UUbEkgNnuCIfSuxlSiMOk4FrywyTcCXxeeusWWftT4UermYHDCoT-uZ0aBbKdP78kN7UHhHU/s1600/cara-in-katakwi.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 290px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 270px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555827095320891010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj606mgp4NidB9iBHSlLJxpN_gArOgGmfUmkkLA32YM_5KAHlqLJbSNA4uhuvNEr4GFPl8UUbEkgNnuCIfSuxlSiMOk4FrywyTcCXxeeusWWftT4UermYHDCoT-uZ0aBbKdP78kN7UHhHU/s400/cara-in-katakwi.jpg" /></a><span style="color:#000000;">Cara on one of her trips to Teso</span><br /></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 350px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 232px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555827099074463010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVi6Y3efovQy30o5jQWM4V9lRZxD7FpVmFg_JfyRIE52jBfEZD3QnHqSWJNDWWjfHhiGPo4xnVNr6uQyAubzX6SHKDljeOsqUbxZUIlnAa5mBxUvBcN8SvBqAcMJNXTgSAmqGYzVtpOBc/s400/tonya-with-angela.jpg" /></div><div><span style="color:#000000;">Tonya with Angela, who has been living with her and is now healed from her Turberculosis.</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#333300;">We have the privilege of partnering with two of the most amazing young women you’ll likely ever meet. Cara lives in Entebbe near the Nkumba schools, and Tonya lives about 4 hours east in Jinja. Both are in Uganda with Remember the Poor. They pour their lives out for the sake of the Gospel.<br /><br />Trans-continental trips don’t come cheap! If you have frequent flyer miles that you’d like to donate (or un-used airline gift cards), please email me with the quantity of miles you have available as well as the airline. We have specific need for 4 tickets in late January, and 1 in March. We can use both domestic and international carriers, as some of the travel is within the U.S.<br /><br />Thank you!</span> </div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-16730018423885438162010-12-21T14:42:00.000-08:002010-12-21T14:58:54.006-08:00Swell Up and Die...<span style="color:#003333;">Dear Friends,<br /><br />I would like to update you on our fundraiser and what the Lord has done, but first I would like to share a true story with you.<br /><br /><em>Acts: 28 1-10 ~ Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.<br /><br /></em>On the way to Rome, Paul faced many life threatening events. In Acts 27 he boarded a ship as a prisoner and set sail for Rome with a centurion, guards and other prisoners. The crew decided to sail and beat the weather in order to deliver their cargo in a timely fashion. They sailed into some hurricane like storm. Paul warned the centurion to no avail. After the crew feared for their lives, Paul shared that an angel of the Lord appeared to him and that no one on the ship needed to fear. All 276 people jumped ship and swam to the island of Malta, all 276 men made it alive, just as Paul promised according to his vision.<br /><br />In Acts 28, once the crew arrived safely on shore, Paul gathered some wood to throw into the fire. But a viper was hiding in the wood and jumped out and bit him on the hand. I love that the Lord had orchestrated that all eyes would be on his servant Paul. Verse 4 says that the islanders thought that Paul must have been an murderer and was getting what was due him, from the goddess Justice, because he escaped death from the sea. But Paul just shook off the snake. Verse 6 tells us that the people expected him to swell up or fall over dead, BUT “after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.<br /><br />God had all eyes on Paul, everyone watched him, the centurion, the guards, other prisoners and now the Islanders of Malta. Not all of us has had the prospect of sharing our faith through a snake bite. However the Lord has orchestrated the things in lives to be such a witness to Christ. He draws attention to us, our life stories, our up’s and our downs for one purpose, to bring Him glory!<br /><br />This is the case with a friend of mine living in Uganda. Tonya has been a part of our ministry at The Mission. The Lord moved her and her son Christopher to Uganda and she has been on a wild journey from day one. In just five months, Tonya has had to change her course about five times, move twice, saved a child from witch craft and starvation, has taken three children into her care under the age of nine from different tribes (one tribe being an unreached people group), lost and regained two of her children twice, been sick, feared for her life, been thrown in jail for protecting a neglected child, and has been in two car accidents. There is much more to her story that I can’t go into detail about now but you get the idea, Tonya has been under great pressure and great attack.<br /><br />Tonya shares a compound with a Muslim couple. They have began to form a relationship and the couple really cares for Tonya and her kids. Just last week Tonya got into a pretty big car accident and had to take care of some personal business. The couple was concerned for Tonya and her family and was waiting for an update once Tonya returned. You see, the Lord has drawn attention to Himself, through his servant. This Muslim family has been watching Tonya get struck by “the viper!” They have been waiting, just as the Islanders of Malta, for Tonya to swell up and fall over dead! How could one person endure such venomous strikes and live?<br /><br />With all eyes on Tonya, she gave testimony to the one and only, Christ! She has displayed his truths and testified to His name sometimes, without even knowing it. This Muslim couple has been watching. With their gaze fixed on Tonya and the wonder that she has not given up and died, they made a bold statement! “We are tired of this Muslim religion, we want to know about your Jesus!”<br /><br />This is why we are set on traveling to Uganda and Kenya. This is our heart beat, the nations coming to faith in the one true God! This is why we have garage sales and fundraisers. This is why we ask for your support! Christ glorified is the reason we live! There is story after story of people giving up their “old idols” for new life in Christ. They watch and see that we have victory and no snake bite will take us from praising the TRUE God!<br /><br />Our sale earned $1097! Praise the Lord! Thank you to all who participated by donating and helping so much. We fought against the rain the whole time, but God is good! We are approximately in need of $2000 more! Will you please pray and ask the Lord how he will use you to “send” us? It is the time of the year where we are all busy getting ready for Christmas and we know that it is the time of the year where finances get tight. Would you please pray and ask God to challenge you in the area of giving, and then trust Him through it?<br /><br />If only 20 people gave $100, the task would be accomplished! We appreciate all of you. We thank you for your generosity, prayers and love for us and the mission of Christ.<br /><br />There are two ways to donate, you can send a check to Remember the Poor (with a note “Thiele Travel”)<br /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">RTP<br />PO Box 1013<br />Lynden, WA 98264<br /><br /></span>Or you can go online to <a href="http://www.irememberthepoor.org/">http://www.irememberthepoor.org/</a> and click the donate button and donate on line. Make sure you add a note to it, saying “Thiele Travel”!<br /><br /><br />As for the end of Tonya’s story with her new Muslim friends, we will have to wait and find out what the Lord has planned. Tonya can only do and say so much because of cultural barriers between men and women, but her friends are eagerly awaiting Bryan’s (and my) arrival so that he can ask questions of another man, a lover of Jesus<br /><br />Blessings to you all. Please know that we are praying for you! Please email us your prayer requests, we would love to pray for you as well!<br /><br />In the Matchless Name of Christ,<br /><br />Bryan and Andrea Thiele </span>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-32063869823614253652010-12-10T11:29:00.000-08:002010-12-10T11:37:24.970-08:00His Desires, My Desire...<span style="color:#660000;">Dear Friends and Family,<br /><br />This past week we have learned so much about reaching the nations for Christ. Bryan and I were able to attend a Community Health Evangelism (CHE) meeting and it spoke right to our hearts.<br /><br />“The purpose if CHE is not just breaking poverty or planting churches, though both are accomplished in CHE programs. The real goal of our work is a transformation in the lives and communities that is as deep as the human heart, and as broad as the whole range of the human experience on the world God made. We want Jesus to be recognized as the Lord over all creation, and our development activities to reflect the depth and breadth of the kingdom of God. CHE seamlessly integrates evangelism, discipleship and church planting with community health and development. The ministry is wholistic, seeking to obey everything that Jesus commanded and addressing the whole need of individuals and communities.”<br /><br />We are planning on taking next steps with CHE to receive their formal training. This is will be a vital tool we use to reach out to the Karamojong people of Uganda and other communities.<br /><br />Our trip to Uganda and Kenya will be a vision trip. We will be working with our missionaries in Uganda and our pastors & leaders in Kenya to cast vision and explore the possibilities of reaching local communities and unreached people groups with the Gospel of Christ.<br /><br />As we all know, going to the nations requires the means to get there. While we know that reaching the unreached with the Gospel of Christ is important, we also know that some go and some stay to send the goers, every part is vital to a successful ministry and as the body of Christ, we seek to build the kingdom of God together.<br />Romans 10: 12-15 ~ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f] 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]<br /><br />We are well aware that this is the Christmas season and money is tight. I would like to present to you:<br /><br />If 40 people gave $100 (or more) we would reach our goal.<br /><br />40 x $100 = vision trip to reach the unreached!<br /><br />Your donations are tax deductible, when you make your check to Remember the Poor. Please do not write our name on the check, but please do include a note, “Thiele Travel”.<br /><br /><u><a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/make-a-donation/"><span style="color:#333300;">RTP</span></a></u><br />PO Box 1013<br />Lynden, WA 98264<br /><br />Or click </span><a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/make-a-donation/"><span style="color:#003300;"><u>here</u> </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">and donate online to <u><a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/make-a-donation/"><span style="color:#003300;">RTP</span></a></u>, please include "Theiel Travel" in your note.<br /><br />Our fundraiser is one week away! Thank you to those of you who have donated to our sale, we are so grateful.<br /><br />I will keep you up to date as we move along and God provides.<br /><br />Blessings<br />Bryan & Andrea</span>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-46739061965021390822010-11-20T00:27:00.000-08:002010-11-20T00:32:45.889-08:00Help Needed...<span style="color:#330000;">Dear Friends and Family,<br /><br />I am sending out a reminder that we are having a <strong>DONATION GARAGE SALE</strong> on<strong> December 16th through the 18th </strong>. 100% of your donations, will go to our Uganda/Kenya trip. <strong>Remember it is almost the end of the year and ALL of your financial contributions are tax deductable.<br /><br /></strong>Bryan, The Mission and I feel it is vital that we spend time with our missionaries in Africa. We have several ministries that need special attention and our help. We are asking for donations for our garage sale, and financial contributions to make this trip come to fruition and to be successful.<br /><br />In Uganda, we plan on working with Tonya and another local missionary to effectively reach the Karamojong people. We believe the Lord has provided ways to begin ministry with the Karamojong, to teach them the Word of God, and bring Glory to His Name! The Karamojong are an unreached people group in the 10/40 window. You can learn more about their people on Joshua Project.<br /><br /><em>After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:</em></span><br /><span style="color:#330000;"><em><br />“Salvation belongs to our God,<br />who sits on the throne,<br />and to the Lamb.”<br />Rev 7:9-10<br /><br /></em>The Bible says the Karamojong will be represented in heaven! Praise the Lord! This is our hearts cry! We long to serve Christ in this capacity, reaching the unreached of His nations.</span><br /><span style="color:#330000;"><br /><em>How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15 </em></span><br /><span style="color:#330000;"><br />We <strong>NEED</strong> your help:<br /><br />We are accepting all donations for our garage sale <strong>ASAP</strong>! Please drop them off anytime to our house, or call and we will pick them up. (623) 910-4886, most of you know this routine, we have done it before <br /><br /><strong>OR</strong><br /><br />You can donate directly to our ministry for our trip. Your money will go toward, travel, The Proclaimer (a tool used for translating the Gospel into native tongues), training, and needs for our missionaries and leaders. This is a great time to make tax deductible contributions, before year’s end!<br /><br />You can send your financial contribution directly to the address below, or online by clicking<u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Dear%20Friends%20and%20Family,"> <span style="color:#000000;">here</span></a></u>:<br /><u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Dear%20Friends%20and%20Family,"><span style="color:#000000;">Remember The Poor</span></a></u><br />PO Box 1013<br />Lynden, WA 98264<br /><br />Include a note “<strong>Thiele Travel</strong>”<br />Remember the Poor is a 501 c(3) charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Please include your e-mail address so we may send your gift receipt by e-mail<br /><br /><br />Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for partnering with us in ministering to the nations of the world.<br /><br />Blessings<br />Bryan and Andrea<br /><br /><em>“Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” John Henry Jowett<br /></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#330000;"></span>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-28323729701815431492010-11-18T11:32:00.000-08:002010-11-18T12:44:32.601-08:00Reaching the Lost...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hnJDx2IVFn6eNI3u33aVoPczGPWe-KRsfQGs0CMjKApTU5QhS-8FAGvFLxNeTnKoWqGxLe9OsIE06cSkSaJ-x8_FdK51Zsc0Nct-xPdMOC7qoWY8fLMfgQ8DcqIE3OADxx-umRfr8Q0/s1600/Tonya+and+Maria+2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540978664608831298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hnJDx2IVFn6eNI3u33aVoPczGPWe-KRsfQGs0CMjKApTU5QhS-8FAGvFLxNeTnKoWqGxLe9OsIE06cSkSaJ-x8_FdK51Zsc0Nct-xPdMOC7qoWY8fLMfgQ8DcqIE3OADxx-umRfr8Q0/s400/Tonya+and+Maria+2.JPG" /></a><br /><div><em>Urgent: The harvest is ripe the workers are few!!! Matthew 9:37<br /></em><br /></div><p>Dear Friends and Family,<br /><br />I want to take this time to update you on some important circumstances in our ministries that need immediate prayer and financial attention.<br /><br />Most of you are aware that we have ministries in Africa. <u><a href="http://minusonemore.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#333300;">Tonya</span></a></u> is one of our missionaries that we sent out from <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/themissionaz.org"><span style="color:#333300;">The Mission</span></a></u> and is one of the ministries that we support. She lives in Uganda and has been given the opportunity to minister to the Karamojong (an unreached people group) and street children.<br /><br /><u><a href="http://minusonemore.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#663300;">Tonya</span></a></u> has been facing some trials in the last month or so. It has been hard to send out updates for prayer, because her circumstances change sometimes minute to minute. I think now is a great time to try and update you while there are some things that need immediate prayer and financial attention.<br /><br />First I will give you some back ground. Tonya has 5 children. 1 biological, 1 adopted and 3 foster children. The African tribe called the Karamojong live in Masses, near Tonya. That is not where they are originally from, but they venture out of their home town of Moroto, to the towns to beg, and earn money.<br /><br />I am stilling learning about the Karamojong, and don’t want to tell you information that is not true, so I will be vague. The Karamojong are not highly regarded are not liked and looked down upon in Uganda. They also, believe that they own the cattle in all of Uganda, so they steal, pillage. They are sometimes a violent people.<br /><br />Most of the Karamojong do not work. When they don’t have cattle, the women take their kids to the streets of Kampala to beg. The children are left by themselves to walk up to 15 miles a day, sometimes with a baby on their back, begging for money and food. If the children can’t make the long walk home to the slums, they sleep in store fronts, alone.<br /><br />This is the story of thousands of lives, including Phillip and Angela. Phillip and Angela were picked up by the police, off of the street for begging and taken into custody.<br /><br />Tonya finally was able to take in Phillip and Angela to care for them. They have been on the streets for most of their lives, or in custody of the police. She knows that the Lord has clearly told her to advocate for these children. She was looking for the birth mom, in order to make sure there was not a birth mom looking for them. The birth mom was able to find Tonya and her children. Tonya invited the birth mom, Maria to live with them, which she did for about 24 hours. Maria brought her supposed mom, infant and 4 year old son with her. Maria took Tonya to the slums where she lives in Kampala to sign papers so Tonya could have custody. Tonya was welcomed in by the women singing and dancing and praising a foreign god, not our own Jesus. The chief of the town, invited her back to help them in the future.<br /><br />After about 24 hours, Maria decided that she would take the people she came with and Phillip and Angela with her back to the streets. Tonya tried to argue with her to let them stay, but Maria insisted. When asked if the kids would go back to begging, she said “Yes!” Tonya packed their clothes and loaded them up and Phillip and Angela walked into the night in the pouring rain. This is a note I received from Tonya after the return of her children the first time. I love her words, and I must share it with you. Tonya spent a horrible night sick to her stomach and that is the reference you read in the beginning about sitting on the bath room floor;<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">Wow sister, that was not, not fun! But I spent a lot of time with Jesus in those moments as I laid on my bathroom floor and I praise him even when satan tries to tell me that none of this is worth it.<br /><br />I prayed about the slum in Kampala with all those Karamojong brothers and sisters. I was thinking that their rent is $2 a month and their food is no more than $2 a day. The kids are the ones who work, not the parents. But for them there is no other way.... BUT THERE IS.... JESUS!<br /><br />I am praying in many moments a day about THE MISSION MASESE and about that slum in Kampala. My heart is forever tied to these people because that is what God did through my precious Philip and Angela. They asked me for help as they thanked me for the kids, and that, I believe, was God opening the widow to heaven.<br /><br />I need help sister. I am but one woman with these huge tasks on my heart. The letterhead paper that the village persons wrote the letter on for me to care for Phillip and Angela says, "Together we can make a difference". I can't stop thinking about that and how with Jesus and just small, small resources we can change the lives of these people who feel so outcast yet God holds in his highest regard.<br /><br />I remember reading a post that Gwen from 147 million orphans wrote after a visit last year to Masese1 where the Karamojong live that they work with. She said it was different, because when they pulled up there were not kids begging! I pray for the day we drive down Jinja road, the same path that my dear Philip walked with his little sister strapped to his back, to find no Karamojong children on that road working. I know I can pray that prayer with confidence because surely that is God's wish too. He wants justice.... OCEANS of it. He wants fairness.... RIVERS of it. Let us not yearn for the things of this world, but for JUSTICE and FAIRNESS as it is written by THE ONE we claim to know and love so dearly.<br /><br />These past few days I have found myself homesick. I thought it was for AZ and all the people I love so and miss so dearly, but this morning I realized it was for heaven and the arms of Jesus..... whew, I get chills just thinking about that day. I love you. Come quickly, praying for God to make the path so clear and for his provision for every single need. XO from UG my dearest friend. Oh how I love you and long for the day that we serve his people together, arms linked and in community!<br /><br /></span></em>Please understand that the primary concern is for the children. Tonya’s heart is wrapped around these kids, but the heart ache comes when she knows that they are unwanted and are going to be living in conditions that are not suitable for a child. It is hard to imagine, that Angela was once in a warm bed receiving the medication she needs for her TB and now is living in the slum with no food to eat, facing a life of danger in the streets, with a mom she doesn’t know and a language she doesn’t speak.<br /><br />We have been praying for the Lord to advocate on behalf of these kids and today, God is working miracles! Today Tonya is on their way to pick up her kids BY THE GRACE OF GOD!<br /><br />This is just in from Tonya, via text:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">“I have them, only by a miracle. I think Angela is drunk with alcohol and has a broken leg. They are in the same clothes and looks like they have not bathed. They are weak and limp, please pray.”<br /><br />“Angela is drunk!! Phillip just told me they have no mattress, and slept on the dirt floor. She knew me and cried and them came back and won’t let anyone near her. She is gyrating and I think someone must have hurt her. We are going to the hospital.”<br /><br />“Please, we pray we need God to keep showing up.”<br /><br /></span></em>Friends, here is the situation. Tonya NEEDS money. Most of you know that she doesn’t not have much support. She stepped out and trusted God for her circumstances. She needs money and support. It will cost money for the hospital and the paper work for the police. On top of that she trust that the Lord will supply all of her needs for food. They are going on faith right now.<br /><br />It takes a lot of money to serve these kids, and their families.<br /><br />Please pray and ask the Lord how he wants you to give right now. You can contact me directly if you can donate to Tonya and these beautiful kids, we can get it to her ASAP. Your donations are tax deductible, through<u><a href="http://irememberthepoor.org/"> <span style="color:#333300;">Remember The Poor</span></a></u>. </p><p>If you click here, you go right to the donation page:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=HVaKEdaLqPP6sHnzSMaMQWb9wMX8-yz-zj83LSxXlv6tZH405ZesIA_U6_e&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d9384d85353843a619606282818e091d0"><span style="color:#333300;">https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=HVaKEdaLqPP6sHnzSMaMQWb9wMX8-yz-zj83LSxXlv6tZH405ZesIA_U6_e&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d9384d85353843a619606282818e091d0</span></a><span style="color:#333300;"><br /></span>Please include a note in your donation that specifies “Tonya, Uganda.”<br /><br />Finally, friends, pray for the lost and dying world in Africa and the nations. These people need Jesus and discipleship. They are in desperate need of a Savior, until that time, nothing is going to change. The harvest is ripe, the workers are few! The Karamojong are an unreached, possible unengaged people group. There are no known churches among them. We are praying for the Lord to show us how to reach them. This is what the Lord has commanded us to do! Pray for him to make our path clear and to begin to soften the hearts of the Karamojong to accept His truths.<br /><br /><em>“Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” John Henry Jowett<br /><br /></em>Blessings,<br />Drea<br /><br /></p>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-22088925754443914322010-10-27T14:41:00.000-07:002010-10-28T00:23:13.641-07:00More Than Words...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOepfZrWj0YEgrx5b3SPopofIv62ez1QkdlbYgCTFwP9s3S6D8C8v9Tx3Q616pf30q2a2jFIwMAnogv3lLkLSKRopsfEyubtvhGIhMrAoj-Lnn5vBQkpSz-8719BiBo1uUBa_5X-yjywk/s1600/DSC_0184.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532993626117670178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOepfZrWj0YEgrx5b3SPopofIv62ez1QkdlbYgCTFwP9s3S6D8C8v9Tx3Q616pf30q2a2jFIwMAnogv3lLkLSKRopsfEyubtvhGIhMrAoj-Lnn5vBQkpSz-8719BiBo1uUBa_5X-yjywk/s400/DSC_0184.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#660000;">I have been thinking recently about words. We read a moving blog or a great book and leave feeling inspired or refreshed. Our heart is full and we cry or laugh. We tell our friends the story, or share the sorrow. A mean word from a friend can cut like a knife, and a kind word can encourage and build. Words are powerful but here is what I have determined; <em>Words move people BUT truth transforms them! </em></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">I am a lover of words. I like to write, I like to share my stories. But more than just sharing words I want people that are reading the words I pen, to be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ in me. If the words that we read do not compel us into some sort of action, then it is just a word, it is stagnant and means nothing. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">If what we read does not alter our thinking and leave us different than what we were before, then we have not encountered truth! Truth transforms! It changes us from the inside out. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Psalm 51:6<em>, "Surely you desire<strong> truth</strong> in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the<strong> inmost</strong> place."<strong> </strong></em></span></div><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></strong></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Truth invokes action and empowers us to do the impossible through faith in Jesus Christ. Matthew 17:20; <em>He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the <strong>truth</strong>, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.</em></span></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"><em></em></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Truth liberates us from the bondage of sin and darkness. John 8:30-32<em>; "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the <strong>truth</strong>, and the <strong>truth</strong> will set you free."</em></span></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"><em></em></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Truth purifies us and makes us holy. John 17:<em>17; Sanctify them by the <strong>truth</strong>; your word is <strong>truth</strong>.</em></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Truth brings forth new life and transformation. James 1:17-19; <em>Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of <strong>truth</strong>, that we may be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.</em></span></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">When we are transformed by the truth of the Word of God, He equips to do His will. He gives us the desires of His heart, then we are to carry out the action. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Today, I talked with Joshua, a young Ugandan man who has given his whole life to living out the Word of God. He cares for twenty orphans and about five widows. While trying to study at a university, Joshua is the hands and feet of Christ to these people in need. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">In our conversation today, I could tell that Joshua seemed discouraged. I asked him what was wrong, this is what he said. "I am down. Like right now when some of my kids are sick, and we have no food. Our house is leaking and the piglets have no food to eat either."</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">I then asked him how I could pray for him. His response was, "Pray for each kid and me, <strong>we need to feel the worth of God." </strong>How does one "feel the worth of God?" The answer is through us! We are to take action, and demonstrate that they have value and are important to Christ. We brothers and sisters, are the catalyst of Gods love to them. Oh, how I want to shout that from the roof tops! If we sit complacent as followers of Jesus, we have not grabbed hold of the power of Christ, and have failed to allow His truth to change us. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">We don't have to move across the ocean to demonstrate this kind of love and worth. We can do it right from home. One way, is to sponsor a child or a Jaaja (grandma). They are desperate for this kind of care. When you sponsor a child or Jaaja, you show them that Christ values each and every one of them. You also bring hope and a future, through the word of God. They incounter the life transforming truth of Jesus. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Our ministry helps to support Joshua and the kids. You can be a part too, by going to <u><a href="http://www.themissionaz.org/"><span style="color:#333300;">The Mission</span></a></u></span> <span style="color:#660000;">and clicking on the tab </span><span style="color:#333300;"><u><a href="http://www.themissionaz.org/">Get Involved</a></u></span><span style="color:#660000;"> <span style="color:#660000;">. </span></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Words merely rest on a page, but truth will dance in our hearts as it awakens our souls.</span></div><strong><em><br /></em></strong><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div></div></div></div></div>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709832003577968190.post-56640854503549987352010-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:002010-10-26T20:42:13.092-07:00It is Well...<span style="font-family:verdana;color:#660000;">Dear Blogging Friends,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">It seems like it has been a while since my last blog. I want to update you on my life, with all of our children and craziness, but this is just too good pass up. I promise to write and catch you up on soon. This blog was written by a friend of mine in who lives in Southeast Asia. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">I wanted to share it with you, because I feel it captures the essence of why we worship this amazing God. He alone is worthy of our praise. I can clearly remember times hearing and sometimes feeling, "Worship was just not that good for me today," or "I just couldn't get into worship today." While we know that we sing to the Lord, sometimes we forget that worship never was and never will be intended for us. It is intended to glorify Jesus, to bless His name. When we worship, we are filled and do end up "feeling good," but if that is why we worship, then we have fully missed the mark. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">I love the lady who has written this note to me, she is an amazing woman of God. I can only pray that the Lord continues to mature me to this place of really seeing and worshiping Him for who He is. Lord may I live my life completely abandoned to You, serving You wherever You go, and however You call us.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000000;">Today's service was absolutely awesome. I cried all the way through worship (so what's new :). This was just a tad different however. As we were waiting for the service to begin, the musicians were practicing and the song being sung by a lovely woman was "It is Well With My Soul." Alone, that is a very moving song in and of itself. As they were practicing, I shared with Harry a comment from one of the visiting professors just before she left to go back to the states. She'd seen me with several of our girls and I was sharing a birthday coffee with her and several ex-pat ladies, when another couple of my girls saw me and yelled across the room, "Hi mommy!" I responded with thrown kisses to them and proudly claimed as "mine". When the visiting professor, Carla, said goodbye to me the night before she left, she said,<em> "I think you've found your home."</em> That statement has haunted me ever since and today was the first time I uttered those words out loud - to Harry.<br /><br />I have no idea of the full capacity of what that statement means. Is God leading us to live in Southeast Asia? Is our calling to young people of high school age? Is our home in Arizona soon to be exchanged with somewhere else God will lead? Only God knows. The one thing I can hang my hat on, however, is this: God knows and if we keep our hearts open to Him, He will lead us and we will not have to stumble along trying to find His way.<br /><br />All through the service, God continued to "prime" my heart as He spoke to me in so many different ways.<br /><br />First song up, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." WHOA!! The words are like a love letter from God to us. Every morning He floods us with His new mercies and He provides everything I need. For each new day, He provides His presence to cheer and guide me and He freely gives me His strength for the now, and His bright hope for tomorrow. Tomorrow!!! That means tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day ... for however many days He has numbered my life.<br /><br />Second song up, "Because He Lives." Because He lives, I CAN face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know HE holds the future, life is worth living just because He lives. His promise to me is that because He lives and reigns in my heart and life, whatever tomorrow brings, I can face it because He will be in it and I have no need to fear. He holds all the my future in His hands and every breath that He gives me will be worth it, regardless of what it holds, because He lives in and through with me. WOW!! What a bargain.<br /><br />Third song up, "Offering." You may not be too familiar with this one. I'd sung it a few times before but many years ago. The chorus goes like this, "I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing. Jesus may You receive the honor that You're due. O Lord, I bring an offering to You." When you cling to the promises of God ... that He holds your future ... that you do not need to fear ... that He lives in the future with you - praises to Him just spill out everywhere - almost every orifice on the head for sure. If my ears could cry, I'd have a waterfall goin' on :)<br /><br />Fourth song up, "Find Us Faithful." Oh my goodness - are there still tears left??!! "Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey. Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful." "After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone and our children sift through all we've left behind. May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover become the light that leads them to the road we each must find." Even as I sit and type these words, I am overcome at the desire of my heart that this sentiment be true in my life. That not only my children, but my grandchildren see through our lives and the things left behind that are important to us, that being faithful to God was the hallmark of our life and inspire them to follow in those footsteps.<br /><br />Last song, "It is Well with My Soul." God what are you trying to do with me, wring me dry!! The enormity of the words from this song still hang in the air. "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control. That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for my soul." "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in PART but the WHOLE, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul!!" That is the message in it's entirety!!! This is the message that the whole world needs to hear. This is the message I want to share to those who will listen!! <br /><br />I'm not even sure how to conclude this missal. I guess I just needed to share my heart and I love that you understand it. Thanks for doing just that - listening. I just find that God continues to break me before Him. I think He's still trying to root out of me, Me!! So there's more room for Him. I know He wants to lay us bare before Him so that all we want - we thirst for and cling to - is more of Him. Oh I want that with every fiber of my being and I know He has to do a lot of "house keeping" to make that even possible. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">If every fiber of our being could be saturated with Jesus! Isn't that our goal? To live is Christ and to die is gain? I often wonder if I am living my life as Christ would live it for me. I wonder what opportunities I have missed with my Savior due to business and distraction. I wonder what opportunities I have missed to share the Glory of the Lord with a person, who is dying and going to hell. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">Jesus would have me be on purpose for Him. Giving my all to this loving savior. He would not have me think of all the what if's, but live as reckless abandon trusting in Him. I don't want to be safe, I want to risk it all. I want to live on the edge, following His lead, and be fully saturated with my Jesus. </span>dreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00306049499606669381noreply@blogger.com1