Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Ethiopia 2012 Slideshow
Each time we are blessed to travel to Ethiopia God teaches me so much. His goodness and His sovereignty in all things was my major lesson this trip. Amidst the poverty and disease God is working in Ethiopia. He is making so much beautiful in the lives of the people there. Where we see dirty clothes, He has made clean hearts. Hearts that love and give and value one another. Where we see empty stomachs, He has fed empty souls with true joy and contentment that food will never bring. He makes beautiful things and I so want to see the beauty through His eyes.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
OOOOPs...
I meant to post these for each birthday month (when I actually asked them the questions), but I guess it's better late than never! These are recorded word for word. :)
Sam July 10th
** maybe he'll be old enough to answer the questions next year! :)
Max August 11th
How old are you? 6
What makes you happy? when people be nice to me and give me presents
What is your favorite animal? snake
What is your favorite thing to eat? tootsie pop
What is your least favorite thing to eat? grass
What is your favorite thing to do? pray to God
What is your favorite TV show? Tom and Jerry
What are you really good at? baseball
What is your favorite movie? The Santa Clause 2
What is your favorite color? green
What is your favorite song? Sweet Little Jesus Boy, Born in a Manger
Who is your best friend? Jonathan or God...hmmmmmmm
What do you and your mom do together? go on dates
What do you and your Dad do together? play
What is your favorite sport? this is gonna be tricky...soccer
Where is your favorite place to go? Chuck E. Cheezits
What is your favorite book? books about trains
What do you want to be when you grow up? a train conductor
Abby Sept 19th
How old are you? 8
What makes you happy? when I get Jesus into my heart forever
What is your favorite animal? lots...dogs, horses, hampsters, sheep, fish ponies
What is your favorite thing to eat? cake, ice cream, pizza, nachos
What is your least favorite thing to eat? peppers
What is your favorite thing to do? ride horses
What is your favorite TV show? Ant Farm, Good Luck Charlie
What are you really good at? gymnastics
What is your favorite movie? Tarzan
What is your favorite color? rainbow colors, turquoise
What is your favorite song? Christian songs
Who is your best friend? Camryn (her cousin)
What do you and your mom do together? girls night out at the tea room
What do you and your Dad do together? play
What is your favorite sport? gymnastics
Where is your favorite place to go? skating rink and to ride horses
What is your favorite book? Bible
What do you want to be when you grow up? a mother
Madison January 3rd
How old are you? 12
What makes you happy? hanging out with family
What is your favorite animal? dog
What is your favorite thing to eat? chicken pot pie, pizza, mac-n-cheese
What is your least favorite thing to eat? celery
What is your favorite thing to do? read and play games
What is your favorite TV show? Wizards of Waverly Place
What are you really good at? being compassionate
What is your favorite movie? Meet the Robinsons
What is your favorite color? blue (turquoise)
What is your favorite song? Christian songs...I like them all
Who is your best friend? Emma
What do you and your mom do together? mommy/daughter dates
What do you and your Dad do together? play Wii
What is your favorite sport? swimming
Where is your favorite place to go? Disney World
What is your favorite book? that is hard...Nancy Drew series, 39 clues series, I like mysteries
What do you want to be when you grow up? a missionary
Sam July 10th
** maybe he'll be old enough to answer the questions next year! :)
Max August 11th
How old are you? 6
What makes you happy? when people be nice to me and give me presents
What is your favorite animal? snake
What is your favorite thing to eat? tootsie pop
What is your least favorite thing to eat? grass
What is your favorite thing to do? pray to God
What is your favorite TV show? Tom and Jerry
What are you really good at? baseball
What is your favorite movie? The Santa Clause 2
What is your favorite color? green
What is your favorite song? Sweet Little Jesus Boy, Born in a Manger
Who is your best friend? Jonathan or God...hmmmmmmm
What do you and your mom do together? go on dates
What do you and your Dad do together? play
What is your favorite sport? this is gonna be tricky...soccer
Where is your favorite place to go? Chuck E. Cheezits
What is your favorite book? books about trains
What do you want to be when you grow up? a train conductor
Abby Sept 19th
How old are you? 8
What makes you happy? when I get Jesus into my heart forever
What is your favorite animal? lots...dogs, horses, hampsters, sheep, fish ponies
What is your favorite thing to eat? cake, ice cream, pizza, nachos
What is your least favorite thing to eat? peppers
What is your favorite thing to do? ride horses
What is your favorite TV show? Ant Farm, Good Luck Charlie
What are you really good at? gymnastics
What is your favorite movie? Tarzan
What is your favorite color? rainbow colors, turquoise
What is your favorite song? Christian songs
Who is your best friend? Camryn (her cousin)
What do you and your mom do together? girls night out at the tea room
What do you and your Dad do together? play
What is your favorite sport? gymnastics
Where is your favorite place to go? skating rink and to ride horses
What is your favorite book? Bible
What do you want to be when you grow up? a mother
Madison January 3rd
How old are you? 12
What makes you happy? hanging out with family
What is your favorite animal? dog
What is your favorite thing to eat? chicken pot pie, pizza, mac-n-cheese
What is your least favorite thing to eat? celery
What is your favorite thing to do? read and play games
What is your favorite TV show? Wizards of Waverly Place
What are you really good at? being compassionate
What is your favorite movie? Meet the Robinsons
What is your favorite color? blue (turquoise)
What is your favorite song? Christian songs...I like them all
Who is your best friend? Emma
What do you and your mom do together? mommy/daughter dates
What do you and your Dad do together? play Wii
What is your favorite sport? swimming
Where is your favorite place to go? Disney World
What is your favorite book? that is hard...Nancy Drew series, 39 clues series, I like mysteries
What do you want to be when you grow up? a missionary
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How Can This Be?????
Max is six years old! Six?!?! That takes two hands to show and is, to me, a big change from little boy to big boy.
Here are six things I love about my precious son...
1. You love life. You are a silly, willy, nilly little boy who loves to laugh and have fun.
2. You have a gentle heart. You cannot walk past Sam without giving him a hug (even when he doesn't really want one). Your nature is to bring comfort when you see a need.
3. You are quick to forgive. You never carry a grudge long, even when you were wronged and you know it. You would rather accept the apology and make the other sibling feel better after they had to apologize to you.
4. You adore your Daddy. Although there are a few jealous strings to this one I can truly say it warms my heart to know how much you look up to your Daddy. This relationship your Daddy has with you is going to be the foundation of how much you understand how much your heavenly Father adores you.
5. You are a little engineer. You can figure out some of the most difficult puzzles. You are always trying to figure out how something works and you love explaining it to us.
6. You have an amazing smile. Your happiness and smile are contagious. Your joy is so authentic that it rubs off on others. I love you and am so blessed that God allowed me to be your mommy!!
Here are six things I love about my precious son...
1. You love life. You are a silly, willy, nilly little boy who loves to laugh and have fun.
2. You have a gentle heart. You cannot walk past Sam without giving him a hug (even when he doesn't really want one). Your nature is to bring comfort when you see a need.
3. You are quick to forgive. You never carry a grudge long, even when you were wronged and you know it. You would rather accept the apology and make the other sibling feel better after they had to apologize to you.
4. You adore your Daddy. Although there are a few jealous strings to this one I can truly say it warms my heart to know how much you look up to your Daddy. This relationship your Daddy has with you is going to be the foundation of how much you understand how much your heavenly Father adores you.
5. You are a little engineer. You can figure out some of the most difficult puzzles. You are always trying to figure out how something works and you love explaining it to us.
6. You have an amazing smile. Your happiness and smile are contagious. Your joy is so authentic that it rubs off on others. I love you and am so blessed that God allowed me to be your mommy!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
I Saw What I Saw and I Can't Forget It...
The title is pulled from the lyrics of one of my most favorite songs. It is by Sara Groves.
I have wanted to put into words what I saw with my eyes and my heart while we were on our mission trip to Ethiopia a few weeks ago, but I hesitate because I know words could not even scratch the surface.
Going on a mission trip to a third world country where there is so much need presents a great temptation to view yourself as a savior of sorts. Our team met several times before we left and we were reminded that God calls us to be irrelevant. In the book "In the Name of Jesus" Henri Nouwen writes...
I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life.
So I went allowing myself to be vulnerable, resisting the urge to "do" anything for God and expecting Him instead to work in and through me at His will. Can I say that being vulnerable doesn't come easy for me. My tendency is to accomplish, work hard, succeed and conquer, a tendency to be relevant. But, God is gracious, and He showed me the joy, the untethered worship and the peace that comes with a life of dependence on Him through the beautiful people of Ethiopia. People who trust Him for everything, knowing that He is the source of their joy and that He is their sustenance and that He is their savior.
I think a big revelation for me since coming home is that I have been seeking to find joy and peace and sustenance in my hard work and accomplishments! Oh, how much I miss when I believe that lie. When I wake up each morning and I carry the false burden of being "in charge" I think I barrel right past God's blessings for my day, not stopping to notice Him until I accomplish all that I think needs to be done. Why do I make myself so big and God so small, especially when I know better! While we were in Ethiopia, I saw hunger, sickness and extreme poverty but that was not what I saw in the hearts of the people. Their hearts were spilling over with love and joy and it showed most to me in the way that they interacted with each other. Instead of feeling like they each had their own tasks to accomplish, they live life caring for and encouraging each other.
To be honest, for me it isn't easy to keep the truth in clear sight in our busy. success-oriented American culture. I still have the tendency to accomplish, sometimes even calling it "for God". I am so thankful that God showed me so tangibly what it means to know that I am dependent on Him and pray that He continues to break my heart for the things that break His and that I would quit wasting time "accomplishing" things and instead fully trust in Him to show His love in mighty ways through my life.
I have wanted to put into words what I saw with my eyes and my heart while we were on our mission trip to Ethiopia a few weeks ago, but I hesitate because I know words could not even scratch the surface.
Going on a mission trip to a third world country where there is so much need presents a great temptation to view yourself as a savior of sorts. Our team met several times before we left and we were reminded that God calls us to be irrelevant. In the book "In the Name of Jesus" Henri Nouwen writes...
I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life.
So I went allowing myself to be vulnerable, resisting the urge to "do" anything for God and expecting Him instead to work in and through me at His will. Can I say that being vulnerable doesn't come easy for me. My tendency is to accomplish, work hard, succeed and conquer, a tendency to be relevant. But, God is gracious, and He showed me the joy, the untethered worship and the peace that comes with a life of dependence on Him through the beautiful people of Ethiopia. People who trust Him for everything, knowing that He is the source of their joy and that He is their sustenance and that He is their savior.
I think a big revelation for me since coming home is that I have been seeking to find joy and peace and sustenance in my hard work and accomplishments! Oh, how much I miss when I believe that lie. When I wake up each morning and I carry the false burden of being "in charge" I think I barrel right past God's blessings for my day, not stopping to notice Him until I accomplish all that I think needs to be done. Why do I make myself so big and God so small, especially when I know better! While we were in Ethiopia, I saw hunger, sickness and extreme poverty but that was not what I saw in the hearts of the people. Their hearts were spilling over with love and joy and it showed most to me in the way that they interacted with each other. Instead of feeling like they each had their own tasks to accomplish, they live life caring for and encouraging each other.
To be honest, for me it isn't easy to keep the truth in clear sight in our busy. success-oriented American culture. I still have the tendency to accomplish, sometimes even calling it "for God". I am so thankful that God showed me so tangibly what it means to know that I am dependent on Him and pray that He continues to break my heart for the things that break His and that I would quit wasting time "accomplishing" things and instead fully trust in Him to show His love in mighty ways through my life.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Two and Terrific
Sam's second birthday snuck up on me. How is my baby already two years old?
Sam...I am so proud to be your mommy and grateful that God entrusted Daddy and I to raise you. It is never far from my mind that God has a big story to tell through your life. Your birthplace is rich with love and beauty and is a huge part of who God created you to be. I pray that you always feel a deep connection to Ethiopia and your birth family and that we can share in that connection with you. I know that God has a perfect purpose and a plan for everyone, but He has allowed me to truly see it being lived out in your life already and, as a result, in my life too. What a gift! Always lean in to that plan and be expectant for the great things He will do in and through you!!
I love you deeply!!
~ Mommy
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