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Toby’s Adventure to Africa…

03.17.2010

Remember Toby? If not—I first shared about him here. And we unveiled where that little stinker stuck off to here. Yep, give our family a class pet to take care and see what we do?! We send him into the mission field;). I so think of Zambia though as our other home…where part of our heart is with our widows and orphans. I shared a little bit more about ole Toby here and promised for more details on his trip. Well…enough from me already!

It’s about time you heard from Toby! (Special thanks to my little voice overs! Toby couldn’t have done this project without them…but he really couldn’t have done it with out the hand of the Lord and what HE is doing in Africa! So thankful for what God is doing…and a few images at the end of the video are thrown in from past trips too. Enjoy—and please feel free to share this video of Toby and Wiphan with others!)

PLEASE PAUSE MUSIC ABOVE BEFORE WATCHING…

Wiphan Care is doing a blanket drive…to “Warm Up Wiphan”…a simple but BIG way for YOU to serve…

Warm Up Wiphan Launch

We are launching our Warm Up Wiphan drive!! We need everyone’s participation and help for us to accomplish a big task in a short amount of time!! We are trying to purchase 450 blankets and 450 sweaters for our student by May 15th!!

About 3 weeks ago we received the following email from our social worker about three of our students living by themselves, struggling to keep warm at night. Our summer months are winter months in Zambia and temperatures can get in the 40’s at night. After receiving this email, we as the Wiphan Board knew we had to do something as soon as possible to help our students stay warm. Please read the email below and join us as we endeavor to keep our kids warm this season:

Davison Njovu (15), Mambo Phiri (11) and Gibson Kumwenda (13) are all related. They are double orphans who come to Wiphan’s Sinia Center in grades 6, 4 and 6 respectively.
Davison_Gibson_Mambo_with_their_new_blankets
Just yesterday Davison who is the oldest of them all came to school to report that he was quitting.

This is their story.

Davison, Mambo and Gibson are cousins who found themselves under the care of their grandmother after each one of their parents died. Their grandmother is old but has a small farm 3 hours walk from sinia where she said she would go. She has since been gone since October and left the kids to fend for themselves. The kids know where the farm is but have never found her there. A few times they have gone, desperately looking for something to eat. They do have one meal when they come to school but that’s as far as it goes. After school, they go home and sleep to get ready for school the next day. They sleep in a tiny mud house which has holes in the roof and since its been raining pretty hard lately, they just sit in a corner and hug each other for warmth because also, they don’t have a bed or mat to sleep on. After living this way Davison has totally given up and so a few days ago he came to report that he was quitting school so that he could go to Lusaka (4 hour car ride) where he hopes he could find some relatives that can take care of him and his cousins. We were overwhelmed and encouraged the boy not to leave. Wiphan has since put them under the care of a Wiphan lady (who is a neighbor to these boys and has been helpful with giving them meals). Wiphan has also given a bag of mealie-meal , beans and cooking oil to the same Wiphan lady to make sure they eat something other than the meal they have at school. Wiphan also bought blankets for the kids which were presented to them by the Administrator (as shown in the pictures). For now, they will have more than one meal and they will be able to keep warm at night. Update: The children continue to be monitored and cared for by their new care-taker and the Wiphan administration.

Wouldn’t it be great if all of the Wiphan children had blankets and sweaters this year?

You can purchase a blanket or a sweater for just $20 by going here…(also—we have BUTTONS now…would you consider putting one on your BLOG or WEBSITE? Go to www.wiphan.org and click on banners under Media)

Wiphan Blanket Drive

Today’s Scripture reading is: Deuteronomy 13-16:17. I am unable to type much as I had an accident today and can only type with my right hand—so be blessed and refreshed by His Word…let us not give up on reading it…and trusting Him for each day—to be made strong in our weakness and to shine His light through us to others…even when our days seem hard—He is able and He is enough. Amen.

AND…just to make you smile on a Happy St.Patrick’s Day note… Lucky me (no pun intended) happens to have snack this week at P’s school…SOOOO…tomorrow I’m bringing…

THIS…green pepper

Plus these on the side…wasabi peas

And just in case the kids don’t like wasabi peas…I’ll have these…snap-peas

And of course a “pot of gold” to end on…
pot of gold

How fun are those?! Happy St.Patrick’s Day! I found these ideas online…but I’ll be posting lots of pics I’m sure tomorrow from the fun;). Wear green so you don’t get pinched!

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Posted in Orphan & Widow Care
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Renea - March 17, 2010 - 9:27 am

Your mommy snacks are amazing!!!! You must be ‘the cool mom’ to all the kids around. Love Toby’s video and the story of the boys at WIPHAN brought tears to my eyes…. yet again. I can see and hear these boys in my heart. Sponsoring a child seems like so little that can be done. I’m spreading the word about the blanket ministry (Addie sent me some goodies) and I’m off to buy a blanket!!! Much love to you! Hope your ‘accident’ is healed quickly. We’ll be praying for healing. ♥

Dawn - March 17, 2010 - 12:46 pm

Love your posts….they make me think & smile at the same time 🙂

Easter Garland…and cultivating waiting on God {Deut.10,11,12}

03.16.2010

CRAFT TIME!!! OK…here’s your craft inspiration for the week…Easter Garland…IMG_2040
OK…just had to make that image BIG…because I LOVE THAT PICTURE of one of our Zambian girlies! The garland doesn’t touch her cuteness…BUT if you want to make the egg garland…

1. Create holes in both ends of an egg using a sharp object (I used a corn pick) and blow the egg yolk out. Let sit over night to completely drain and dry.

2. Dye eggs – This is way fun in empty eggs because they FLOAT and the kids will have fun “spinning them” instead of sinking them and waiting. (You can buy the packaged kit OR you can simply add a cup of water + tbsn vinegar + food coloring.) Again, let eggs dry–we let ours dry over night b/c we dyed in the late afternoon.

3. Make a hook from heavy wire (bend the end tightly and tie string around) so you can string eggs on wire needle. You will need to use a sturdy THICK string like yarn or upholstry thread (we used upholstry thread because I keep it on hand for crafts.)IMG_2019

4. You can add another item between each egg for added decoration (marshmellows–bigger ones would be easier, popcorn, etc) We used miniature marshmellows alternating between eggs…IMG_2026
My older kids (ages 4 and 5) could do this all by themselves—so it was a lot of fun…but you have to watch them if they are using marshmellows;). Mine are sneaky boogers and ate lots in between before I acknowledged the giggles.
If you do use marshmellows—display them like this for the first day and night to let the marshmellows harden or else they will be sandwiched by the eggs and start to fall off…but displaying this way is my favorite I think…so we may just leave them like this…IMG_2042
If you want to hang it, however, as garland–use framer wire or a thick floriest wire to tie the ends of the string to and then we tied the wire to our topiaries. It worked;).

TUG YOUR HEART TIME…here is your picture of the week. MEET Obbrey…DSC00807
Okay, okay—I know you aren’t supposed to have favorites…but this is my “nephew”! Pictured with Obbrey is my hubby—and we had to get this picture for my sister’s family who sponsors Obbrey. I’d like to say he’s just a family favorite—but I’ll confess…he is one of Wiphan’s favorites. We can’t help it! We confess…with 450 orphans…some times it JUST happens. And Obbrey is set apart. Yes. He is going to be used by God!!! We are believing BIG things for this kiddo! Doesn’t Obbrey make you want to sponsor one of our children!? MELT. MY. HEART. OK…so if yours is melting…it’s never to late to “add” one to your family. P-r-e-c-i-o-u-s.

AND now…be HONEST from Andrea time… I love God’s Word. I do. I do. Today’s reading is Dueteronomy 10, 11, 12. I just needed to be in the Word today. NEEDED IT.

I feel like I have waited during this adoption process well. I have been focused on the three children I already have in my home—and thankful for this time with my clingy 16 month old…who obviously just needs to be held by his mommy allllllll the time. OK…yes, ALL the time. BUT then there are days like today. Where the waiting is just hard. ALL I think about is the baby I am waiting for…and at many points in my day I feel WORTHLESS. Yep, good for nothing. Picture miniature marshmellows + slingshot + 2 preschoolers + baby picking them up and eating them….all the while…a mommy sits on a chair dazing off into space wondering, “When will I ever bring my baby home?”

CLEARLY, when you imagine the scene you understand that I NEED yet another addition to our chaos. BUT I DO. Simple because the Lord planted it there. AND truly there is an empty space in my heart that causes me to LONG for my baby. Some days are easier than others. Today was not one of those days.

SO…I organized. I cleaned. I did a craft with my kids. I organized some more. I checked the mailbox. Checked my email. Played Batman and Joker…I had to be Joker—again. I cooked. I dazed off more, only to be interrupted again by someone pulling on my pant leg for more milk in their sippy cup.

After dinner, I went for a drive just to get some fresh air while the sweet hubby put the children down. I have few days like this—but when I do…the hubby knows and sends me off to the bookstore. Well, I didn’t want to go to the usual. I didn’t want to go to a bookstore. I didn’t want to go anywhere. BUT TO MY BABY.

That is what I want. And if it’s okay—I decided to pitch my little fit in my heart. I’d like to say it felt good. But it didn’t. Then I walked in Homegoods…and landed on the aisle of nursery decor. No that color won’t do…I really wanted something more seagreen. AHHH…a ramb stool! Now that would be perfect for Isaac. Oh wait—maybe that’s too “Isaccy”…yes, no ramb. Or yes Ramb? No, no ramb. Ok, I have to leave the nursery aisle. This is just too much. Frames…yes, who can go wrong with frames?!

On the frame aisle I found myself reading each one. They just happened to have scripture on them–and with just a few words from THE WORD…my heart melted. Okay Andrea, not here. No, not in Homegoods. Hold ’em back. Do not start tearing up not. No, not here. Everything related to my baby and our wait. He who hopes in the Lord…The Lord is my strength and my salvation… OK…needed that. But definitely also need the next aisle. BOOKS. Yes, books are safe. So I picked up a child’s book and began to read…maybe I’ll find something sweet for one of my kiddos…

I am your mommy and I’ll always be here for you…no matter what I’m always here...Every line of this book about a little bunny…so sweet…and then—a tear. I thought of my baby who is probably already born. Who could just be in a government orphanage right now. AND I am NOT there. BUT…I AM your mommy. And I soooo wish you knew that I am here—and I will ALWAYS be here. Close book. Time to go home. I know the only book I really need to be in is at home…

When you are in the midst of waiting, its some times hard to see or do anything. Marshmellows might be flying, little people tugging on your pant legs…and reminders seem to be everywhere of what is yet to come…what your heart is longing for…the wait that seems to not even be close to an end. It isn’t until you run to the source of the only thing that stands…that is sure…that can’t or won’t ever change…and allow those words to be written on your heart. CLING TO THE WORD. HOLD TIGHT TO THE LORD. Today is one of those days where being in the Word daily makes life so much easier. It starts to make so much more sense. And I begin to see that the feelings I have are simply answers to prayer…”break my heart Lord for what breaks yours”.

The Lord’s heart breaks that babies need homes. The orphan. The widow. The poor. The forgotten. They all break His heart. Have you ever wondered if God is ever distracted? If you read scripture, you can definitely see evidence that things distract His perfect nature—they get His attention—and it’s those things He fights for. Want to know what they are? If we want to be conformed to His image, we need to know what’s important to Him…and let it be those things that distract us too.

In today’s reading some things that grabbed my heart…

(Chapter 10)
For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.

(Chapter 11 verse 22)
Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.

And in my reading…the miracle of waiting on God begins to happen. I begin to lose my feelings of anxiety. I begin to hold TIGHTLY to HIM instead of the future. Yes, on days like today…I need to be in His Word more than ever. It is my LIFE BREAD…literally…I NEED IT!

As we pray Lord, to have hearts like yours–help us to be brave enough to let them break as yours does. I have listened to the lie that when I am broken—I am weak. Not so much. I have YOU. YOU are MY STRENGTH. You are enough! Where I am weak, you are strong!!! You are made strong through my weakness. Shine your glory now in my brokenness and weakness! I am trusting in You for all that is to come. Let thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven! Amen.

Posted in Crafts,Inspirational,One Year Bible Study,Orphan & Widow Care
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Megan - March 16, 2010 - 12:37 am

Reading about your browsing through that store made me tear up – only because I’ve so been there! I feel the same. That overall I’m doing great, but I have my days where that’s all I can think about! And I feel guilty as my Lil Man is running around playing so patiently without me as I’m browsing blogs and bawling reading about mommies finally holding their sweet ones in their arms after their long wait. It can be. So. Hard. I hear ya.

april - March 16, 2010 - 1:08 am

ohhh girl…i need to tell my sister about that egg craft…she has little ones that I think would like doing it! Your seriously so crafty and creative! Love all your ideas! :0)

Amy @ Filled With Praise - March 16, 2010 - 8:57 am

Andrea, I love the craft. So cute. I also feel your longing for Issac. You know I can relate. I feel like I am Elijah’s Mommy, so I should have him now. I don’t even know what he looks like, smells like or feels like, but I know I am his and he is mine. One day…some day…hopefully soon.
Blessings,
Amy

Renea - March 16, 2010 - 9:05 am

Wish I could give you a big warm hug and sit down with you and have coffee and chat. That would distract your waiting heart. 😉 My 6 yr old reminded me of his favorite song this morning. Our God is an AWESOME God! He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love our God is an AWESOME God. Always lean on Him and you will find the comfort you need. Hugs today! ♥

Renea - March 16, 2010 - 9:06 am

P.S. If I ever get to your house I’m stealing that big ‘ole picture over your fireplace!!!! It’s to die for!!! ♥♥♥♥

Jennifer - March 16, 2010 - 10:08 am

Great post! Yes, this waiting journey is full of ups and downs. I posted about my down and back up journey last Friday:-) I also did a Wiphan shout out yesterday. Blessings!
Jenny

Kim - March 16, 2010 - 10:19 am

Love the craft but the portrait over the fireplace is beyond FABULOUS! WOW!
I know the ups, downs and distractions of the WAIT.
And I also know that God is working mightily behind the scenes!
Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim

Heather - March 17, 2010 - 6:32 am

Yes, I’m still here. You described how I feel, only I have no little ones to help distract me at home. I wish I did. 🙁 BUT I do have work, hubby, church, & all the little ones there to help. Sometimes it’s hard though when I’m home alone & the house is too quiet with nothing to do but think…….. Thanks for this encouragement.

The beginning of Wiphan…

03.15.2010

***PAUSE MUSIC BEFORE WATCHING!***

And as always…feel free to share.

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Renea - March 15, 2010 - 5:12 pm

Watched this last week. 🙂 Listened to a podcast sermon today from David Platt on topics such as WIPHAN. Got the link from Katie’s blog, kissesfromkatie. Incredible sermon. Just wanted you to know how much I’m looking forward to being a part of and participating with WIPHAN! ♥

Vanessa - March 15, 2010 - 10:23 pm

WOW Andrea! This is so beautifully done. It is such a wonderful concept, and it is so cool to see how God weaved it all together. I am in such awe of your family! Praising God for your ministry and praying for it!

Tiffini - March 15, 2010 - 10:39 pm

Just beautiful! We bought five t-shirts last night and can’t wait to get them. This is so inspiring. We would love to become more involved. Praise God for the work He is doing!

A share about Wiphan Care Ministries…

03.14.2010

As most of you know by now, my family is involved with a sweet ministry in Zambia called Wiphan Care Ministries. Many more of these to follow…and God bless all of you who shared Wiphan last week on your blogs, on Facebook and word-of-mouth. We got lots of kiddos sponsored last week! Praise Jesus! AND the widow program…it’s JUST around the corner…as in—THIS WEEK! Stay tuned—and please ALWAYS feel free to embed the code from Vimeo so you can share our videos on your blogs, websites and Facebook. NEVER underestimate the power of the ministry in being a voice for the voiceless! You NEVER know who God will raise up to join us just because you posted it on your site. Thank you for sharing…and for being a part of what God is doing in this really cool way.

{One Year Bible Study – Dueteronomy 6, 7, 8 & 9}

Verses from today’s reading that I love…

Chapter 6 –

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

As we drove down the road last week, Parker was trying to figure our all the responsibilities of policeman verses firemen. We were classifying the different things each did. He get the fireman role. But struggles with the policeman role.

If they are good, Mommy—then why do they have guns?

Hmmm…not a conversation you want to have with a 5 year old. So I tried to skirt around going into shoot-’em-ups, and said, “Policeman like to keep us safe. They make sure people drive safe. IF you drive to fast, they might pull you over and give you a ticket…”

Oh mommy! AND THEN…THEY’D TAKE US TO JAIL! And there we’d be! In JAIL! And daddy–he’d have to come to the police station and say, “LET MY PEOPLE GO!”

I couldn’t help but laugh and then smile–that conversation showed me scripture is sinking in. He is getting the stories—and he understands. And in a little kid way, he is applying it to his life today. So we obviously recently studied the story of Moses (one of their FAVORITES). One thing I have learned as a mommy (which isn’t much…but this is one thing that I have learned that is worth it) is that you will always reap the rewards of spending time with your children, teaching them scripture and explaining it more deeply to them. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Some things that help us in our family…

We memorize a verse a month with our preschoolers.

We listen to Seeds Family Worship when we are in the car (OR audio Christian plays like Antsillevania…you wouldn’t believe how much my kids BEG for this!)

We monitor carefully what goes in their little minds…we choose to not let them watch cartoons or do video games…but we will watch a movie a month as a special family treat. (You wouldn’t BELIEVE the difference I saw in my kids when we made the decision to turned cartoons off.)

We teach the Bible by reading children’s books, doing things like the Lent Tree and with kid friendly things like Betty Lukens felts.

Those are just a few thing we do regularly that help our children have His Word written on their hearts and help us to teach them. I would LOVE to hear from you…things that YOU do with YOUR children to creatively teach them scripture! OK, so Betty Lukens felts look really old school…but my kids LOVE them and it’s so funny to walk by and see them re-inacting the Bible stories. A popular quote by William Glasser says “We learn… 10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, 50 percent of what we see and hear, 70 percent of what we discuss with others, 80 percent of what we experience, and 95 percent of what we teach to someone.” My kids LOVE to reteach one another the felt Bible stories…but they sure are a pain to cut out…but WORTH it! (They do have 5 pre-cut stories to start with!)

Chapter 8

“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”

What a warning. When you are overflowing with blessing—and you are COMFORTABLE…this is the time to be careful. Do not forget the Lord–and what He has commanded us to do. Oh Lord, keep us from getting trapped in activities and a busy life. Protect us from getting wrapped up in what activities to sign our children up for…what camps to send our kids to…etc, etc. Oh…that we would NOT forget His instructions—how to spend the blessings He has given us. How to spend our lives…if we are His. Let us not forget to serve the poor, the orphan and the widow. Need an opportunity to do so regularly? We are in need of families to sponsor our widows program for $25 a month…for families to sponsor an orphan for $39 a month…would you pray about this? If already sponsor a child, could you wiggle and get uncomfortable a bit…and sponsor a widow too? If not with Wiphan, pray about joining God some where. Let us not become comfortable. Our society seems to be good at coming up with money when we really want something…like building that garden I did for Rich last week. But do we fight and push and shove to make room for the things God asks us to?

Help us to follow you Lord and not forget You in our time of plenty. For when we serve the poor, the widow and the orphan…we are truly serving and remembering You.DSC_5861

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julie@Flitterbugs - March 15, 2010 - 8:23 pm

Love, love your comments on talking to your kids about scripture. It is a good reminder to me that I do not have to DO anything fancy…just talk continually about the truth! A mentor of mine always says, “You cannot shephard your child’s hear if you are not WITH them!” Just BEING with our kids ALL the time, SPEAKING of His truths and answering thier 5 million questions, then PRAYING the Lord will grow those little seds in their hearts! That being said, I still want you to publish a book (if you got my crazy email 🙂

“THE” flower garden… {Weekend reading: Dueteronomy 1-5}

03.14.2010

K–I feel like I had a lot to say…but little time…so I’m all over the place. Once again…bear with me;)

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my hubby’s return from Africa…hence no bloggin’…and just chillin’ with the fam. I’ve also been playing with a video editing program—so hang tight…really fun videos to come all next week about Wiphan Care Ministries and their time in Africa!!! AMAZING to see what God is doing in Zambia…and SO excited for what is to come. Anyone ever told ya “all good things come with a wait?!”…OH WAIT…the saying is really “all good things come to those who wait”. Okay, so that phrase isn’t scripture…BUT there is some truth to it. But how’s this for waiting according to scripture…

“When I was waiting quietly for the Lord, His heart was turned to me, and He gave ear to my cry.” Psalms 40:1

“I am waiting for the Lord, my soul is waiting for Him, and my hope is in His Word.” Psalms 130:5

“Love is never tired of waiting.”1 Corinthians 13:4

“Now may the God who gives comfort and strength in waiting make you of the same mind with one another in harmony with Christ Jesus…” Romans 15:5

“And so, as the result of patient waiting, our forefather obtained what God had promised.” Hebrews 6:15

“Be as calm in your waiting; let your hearts be strong: because the coming of the Lord is near.” James 5:8

Waiting is much like planting a garden—she plants them in the morning yet does not get a return over night. In her waiting, rain and storms come. In her waiting, others look and wonder why she waters the ground yet nothing is there. BUT then—His faithfulness comes one unexpected day. “And it is worth all the labor. Whoever keeps a fig-tree will have its fruit; and the servant waiting on his master will be honored.” Proverbs 27:18

It’s funny how the Lord calls out to us in our waiting–and He longs to be the One we CHOOSE to come to. He creates perfect scenerios so it is HIM we seek and cry out to. Two spring breaks ago when Rich was in Africa, I finally got a plus sign on a pregnancy test after months and months of charts, ovulation tests and trying. OF COURSE I would discover the AMAZING news of our baby Frank’s beginning when Rich was UNREACHABLE. But who was??? My Heavenly Father. He wanted ME to worship and REJOICE with Him. And where was Rich last week when the Ethiopia program made big changes? Yep–once again in Africa…and the Lord again wanted me to come to Him. He was reminding me that it is HIM I need to talk to.

AND instead of worrying–because my Heavenly Father reassured me in my time with Him that He had a plan for these changes for His glory—I planted a garden instead. Rich had been wanting one…so on Thursday at 3pm just 19 hours before he got home, I decided to labor—and plant seeds. I bought what I thought were 100 bulbs. Miscounted. 200 friends. Yes, this will be QUITE the garden. This was a labor of love as I shoveled off an entire layer of grass, laid rocks, put down stepping stones…and got a great deal on adirondack chairs (only because I had to put them together MYSELF…screw BY screw!) And I finally finished at 1am. Picked Rich up at 11am from the subway/marta—and boy was I proud to show him my work!!! FOR HIM.
IMG_1912

IMG_1922

IMG_1996

He couldn’t believe that I did this for him. And when he saw the back yard and how wet the ground was–he realized it was all done in the RAIN. A TRUE labor of love. (I think I even spotted a tear in his eye!) And then he said what he always says…

“Ang, this was soooo sweet. BUT…have you lost your mind?!”

Yes. Well, I think I did a long time ago with the 3rd child…but still…I love him and I want to show that in how I labor for the things he loves. Although he can’t see the flowers yet—he knows they are there and he knows the one he loves planted this garden for him. I thought about us sitting there through the Spring as we wait to bring home our baby. I smiled thinking about our old selves sitting in those chairs down the road. And I dreamed about one more child in our family running with the children outside while we sat. And I remembered how the Lord, too, wants to bless us with the things that He is passionate about too—and He wants nothing more than for us to wait WITH him.

I am so thankful He had my hubby in Africa when I found out I was pregnant with our Frank two years ago. I got to celebrate with MY GOD first. I was so at peace when we found out changes in Ethiopia program while the hubby was gone this past week too. And as I ran out of the house to buy mulch on that rainy, yucky Thursday–I saw the MOST GLORIOUS rainbow I have ever seen. I squealed like a little girl coming out of the store and asked to strangers, “HAVE YOU SEEN IT?! LOOK! LOOK! A rainbow!!!!” Laney was with me…so I picked her up and cheered, “It’s His promise!” And He just wanted me to see that after we had gotten our news and before I could have the chance to tell Richard the following day upon his return.

For the rest of the year I’m starting count…of when I sense His confirming hand and see His glory. So I can be constantly and forever reminded of the things to come—they all may be uncertain…but I sure can trust the one doing the planting in my life. And I truly believe that He completes what He starts—and has a perfect plan and purpose for every single seed that HE plants. It may be confusing, it may not come up at first—but His ways are higher than our ways. Amen.

1. Saw beautiful rainbow leaving the store with Laney.

2. Had the EXACT amount of rocks I needed for the border of my garden.

3. Richard came home safely.

4. Amazing meeting with pastors at church…in agreement to start ministry for orphans and widows local and abroad!

5. Didn’t lose it or cry the ENTIRE time Richard was in Africa…wow…now that’s Your sustaining power Lord! (But did cry the minute he landed for my oldest little one who was having a hard time…but STILL God sustained me with creative energy and love all week while Rich was gone!)

6. Ran into precious girl in Walmart from Kenya…talked pimentos and Africa.

7. Met a lady today randomly who had lots of questions on adoption…talked an hour…excited for what is ahead for her family!

…my how beautiful it is to see You at work Lord!

Also…yesterday and today’s reading is Dueteronomy 1-5! Yay to be in a NEW book of God’s Word!!! Let us not give up on being in His Word DAILY. He longs for us to be with Him…and it is so important that we know our Shepherd’s voice! I don’t know about you—but the MORE I am in His Word…the more I know what He would want me to do throughout my day!!! AND what an adventure to know Him…because—my God isn’t safe…but He’s good. And He’ll take you on the ride of your life if you’ll let ’em.

Have a sweet Sabbath resting in the Savior.

XOXO,

Andrea

Posted in Day in the Life,Learning,One Year Bible Study
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Kim - March 14, 2010 - 4:06 am

Have I told you yet that your blog is like food for my soul?!
I so love your heart and hope we get to meet someday!
As always, thanks for sharing.
Cannot wait to see all that blooms from your gorgeous garden and your grateful heart!
Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim

Leigh - March 14, 2010 - 3:00 pm

Thank you giving me inspiration! It feels so good to do for others. Your husband is a very Blessed man!

kristi johnson - March 14, 2010 - 3:17 pm

awesome garden and beautiful pics…what a great present 🙂 kj

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