Sunday, February 17, 2008
Honoring our Husbands
Please check out this response, from my friend Shawna, to the article on adoption I posted last time. She is very wise in helping us to remember that choosing to honor our husbands as we think about adoption and orphans is really a part of our calling as wives and women of God. By the way, Shawna and her family have done (and are continuing to do) amazing things in caring for the needs of orphans!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
More Disconnect
Please forgive the very disorganized thought process here - it was late at night and really was just the thoughts flowing from my head onto the screen. . .
For a long time now my husband and I have been questioning the "American Dream."
I mean, what's not to love about it. . . of course I would love to have a beautiful house with a white picket fence, two "safe" cars for my children to ride in (with air conditioning, of course, since we couldn't possibly let our children be hot), a yearly family vacation, name brand clothing, the security of money in the bank for college AND retirement, flat screen televisions with all of the latest technological add ons, and the list goes on.
The American Dream has seemed to get increasingly more lavish as the years go on (when did it become normal for a middle income family to have granite countertops?). Most young couples today expect to be living a lifestyle equal to or greater than that which it took their parents 30 years to accumulate.
We have stuffitis! - it is just like Madame Blueberry in the Veggie Tales film. She loved going to Stuffmart and getting all the things she just "had to have." What, though, does this accumulation of the American Dream have to do with being a Christ-follower? I honestly don't know.
To be fair to my readers I must admit that we pretty much are living the American Dream in many ways. We have 2 cars, a large comfy house, plenty of furniture, food, clothing, etc. . . but the sad part is, I don't even know how we got here. I don't think of the American Dream as our goal in life and I believe we are becoming more and more disillusioned by it, but yet we continue to live it almost without thinking.
What would it look like if the 65 million evangelicals in America chose NOT to live the American Dream but chose instead to care for "the least of these" in very practical, sacrificial ways? What would it look like if our family did? Would we be being "irresponsible" because we were not gaining equity, saving up, accumulating wealth? Is there a way to do those things AND to live as we are called to live (sacrificially, sharing what we have in common, caring for the least of these)?
I'm pretty sure that the American Dream is NOT what Christ-followers should be striving after yet so often we speak and act as if one is only and obviously in the "center of God's will" when they are financially secure and everything is going their way (but what about Job?!?!). So much of the prosperity theology abounds in current Christian teaching and I know the Lord blesses us with MANY things but are monetary riches really His great desire for us?
If we want to live ONLY for His Glory. . . how do we do that and continue to live in our self-indulged, over-entertained, and rediculously rich lifestyles???
No answers here yet, just questions.
I'd like to know what you think. To see what inspired my mad ramblings. . . read this article.
For a long time now my husband and I have been questioning the "American Dream."
I mean, what's not to love about it. . . of course I would love to have a beautiful house with a white picket fence, two "safe" cars for my children to ride in (with air conditioning, of course, since we couldn't possibly let our children be hot), a yearly family vacation, name brand clothing, the security of money in the bank for college AND retirement, flat screen televisions with all of the latest technological add ons, and the list goes on.
The American Dream has seemed to get increasingly more lavish as the years go on (when did it become normal for a middle income family to have granite countertops?). Most young couples today expect to be living a lifestyle equal to or greater than that which it took their parents 30 years to accumulate.
We have stuffitis! - it is just like Madame Blueberry in the Veggie Tales film. She loved going to Stuffmart and getting all the things she just "had to have." What, though, does this accumulation of the American Dream have to do with being a Christ-follower? I honestly don't know.
To be fair to my readers I must admit that we pretty much are living the American Dream in many ways. We have 2 cars, a large comfy house, plenty of furniture, food, clothing, etc. . . but the sad part is, I don't even know how we got here. I don't think of the American Dream as our goal in life and I believe we are becoming more and more disillusioned by it, but yet we continue to live it almost without thinking.
What would it look like if the 65 million evangelicals in America chose NOT to live the American Dream but chose instead to care for "the least of these" in very practical, sacrificial ways? What would it look like if our family did? Would we be being "irresponsible" because we were not gaining equity, saving up, accumulating wealth? Is there a way to do those things AND to live as we are called to live (sacrificially, sharing what we have in common, caring for the least of these)?
I'm pretty sure that the American Dream is NOT what Christ-followers should be striving after yet so often we speak and act as if one is only and obviously in the "center of God's will" when they are financially secure and everything is going their way (but what about Job?!?!). So much of the prosperity theology abounds in current Christian teaching and I know the Lord blesses us with MANY things but are monetary riches really His great desire for us?
If we want to live ONLY for His Glory. . . how do we do that and continue to live in our self-indulged, over-entertained, and rediculously rich lifestyles???
No answers here yet, just questions.
I'd like to know what you think. To see what inspired my mad ramblings. . . read this article.
Disconnected Numbers
65 million evangelicals + 115,000 orphans + James 1:27 = ?
please visit this site to find out the answer!
please visit this site to find out the answer!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
I Can Cornrow!
O.K. well, I think this is technically called an "underbraid" but it is still really exciting that I am finally good enough at this to feel like I can post some pics! I learned how to do many other hairstyles right away, but this type of "plaiting" was really hard to learn to do well (as in tight, consistent, close to the scalp). If you can tell from the pics, I basically underbraided (like an underhand french braid - but technique is a little different) up to the middle of "Little Missy's" head and then all of the braids sort of stick up from there. This is a classic Liberian style that my boys and Little Missy have been asking me to do for a while now. So, what do you think?
I am also really excited because I have finally figured out a really good system of hair care for "Little Missy." Here are the basics:
I do this every other week on Friday or Saturday:
1. Use the "bone comb" set I got at Walmart - use the comb with the metal pick end to "take out" her old braids or style.
2. Pour olive oil over her head and massage into her hair and scalp well with my fingers. Cover with a plastic shower cap and wait 30 minutes to an hour (this is to restore lost moisture).
3. Little Missy takes a bath during which time I use the olive oil in her hair to "wash" her hair - sounds weird but it works very well and doesn't destroy her hair the way products with sodium laurel sulfates do (basically any "sudsing" shampoo has this even the ones made for African American hair). I then use a conditioner - I have two that we like to use: one is a natural tea-tree oil conditioner, the other is a natural rosemary conditioner - and rinse it out. I always let her play before we wash and condition her hair so that it is still very wet when we begin to fix it.
4. After drying off and dressing, I pour on this WONDERFUL oil I found at Walmart called Africa's Best Herbal Oil for Hair and Body. It is a blend of many different natural oils like walnut, coconut, soybean, ginsing, etc. . . It smells great and softens her hair so that it is easily combed out (much better than anything else we've tried).
5. Then, I section part of her hair with the sectioning bone comb (not usually all at once), comb it out, and put in the braid or cornrow or twist. I then do another section. Sometimes (if it is taking a long time), I have to re-wet and sometimes re-oil some sections towards the end of the process to make them easier to fix and to help it not to hurt.
This does take a while now, especially as her hair has gotten much longer and thicker, so I try to make this as pleasant as possible. We sing and talk and I save some frozen Dove chocolates to dole out every so often when she is needing a little pick me up! I also occasionally let her drink some of my *gasp* coffee - which is a definite treat I do not allow at any other time!
So, for those of you who have been wondering about the hair. . .
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Top 10 Reasons to be Adopted into a Large Family:
I just had to share this great Top 10 List created by a great kid named Benjamin Green who is one of 8 adopted children in a loving Christian family!
#10. You always have someone to play with
#9. You don't have to look like your brothers and sisters
#8. Not many kids can say that they ride in the Mothership every week
#7. I've lived on 2 continents
#6. We get group discounts
#5. My mom and dad feed us at buffets
#4. We get more parties than other kids because we have birthdays and gotcha days
#3. You always have the largest cheering section whenever you do something
#2. Food never goes to waste
#1. When you're adopted, you know how much God really loves you
Aw, Benjamin, you have really made me think we need a few more children around here!
#10. You always have someone to play with
#9. You don't have to look like your brothers and sisters
#8. Not many kids can say that they ride in the Mothership every week
#7. I've lived on 2 continents
#6. We get group discounts
#5. My mom and dad feed us at buffets
#4. We get more parties than other kids because we have birthdays and gotcha days
#3. You always have the largest cheering section whenever you do something
#2. Food never goes to waste
#1. When you're adopted, you know how much God really loves you
Aw, Benjamin, you have really made me think we need a few more children around here!
Friday, February 1, 2008
To Blog or Not to Blog. . .
that is the question.
I have not had a blog for the past 9 months and my previous blog was really just an adoption update for our family and friends. I have gone back and forth about this in my own mind and in discussions with friends and I wonder. . .
The funny thing is, one of the links on my own "new" blog here led me to this convicting post which has made me consider even more if my new blog is something I should actually be spending time doing. I also had a conversation with a friend about this today. Hmm. . . is the Lord trying to tell me something?
I like the fact that it is a place for friends and family to get updates, but maybe it is a lot less personal than how I might interact with them w/o a blog. . . I would love to share resources and such, but really - isn't there enough out there already? I don't know. I'm off to really pray about this and to see what God says (and not google!).
I have not had a blog for the past 9 months and my previous blog was really just an adoption update for our family and friends. I have gone back and forth about this in my own mind and in discussions with friends and I wonder. . .
The funny thing is, one of the links on my own "new" blog here led me to this convicting post which has made me consider even more if my new blog is something I should actually be spending time doing. I also had a conversation with a friend about this today. Hmm. . . is the Lord trying to tell me something?
I like the fact that it is a place for friends and family to get updates, but maybe it is a lot less personal than how I might interact with them w/o a blog. . . I would love to share resources and such, but really - isn't there enough out there already? I don't know. I'm off to really pray about this and to see what God says (and not google!).
Addy's Hope
A year and a half ago our family was blessed to begin our adoption journey working with a wonderful ministry called Addy's Hope.
The Lord had placed a burden on the hearts of a wonderful Christian couple in Texas to minister to orphans in Liberia and to prospective adoptive families by providing resources to children in Liberia and providing ethical, loving, and extremely knowledgeable adoption assistance to families wanting to adopt from Liberia. The Lord had also placed a burden on the heart of a dear Liberian man named Pastor Wesley to care for orphans in his country after he saw the devastation that the 14 year civil war had wreaked on Liberia and he began the Greater Love Children's Home and School.
We had been considering adoption for many years and, in His own perfect timing, the Lord placed on our hearts the burden to pursue international adoption at that time. Through a photo-listing, a phone conversation, and much prayer, we joyfully joined with Addy's Hope in pursuing the adoption of three young Liberian siblings. I can honestly say that all of this was entirely the Lord's working. We were the first "official" Addy's Hope family and were soon joined by another. It was an incredible joy to be able to travel to Liberia with this other family and with Holly Ann (Addy's Hope founder) to meet and pick up our three beautiful children last April (07).
Working with Addy's Hope and Greater Love was a complete joy and was incredibly wonderful due to the extreme honesty and integrity shown by both Holly Ann and by Pastor Wesley. We were impressed at the ministry and care for the children in Greater Love Children's Home and were glad to see that Addy's Hope had been working (and continues still) to improve the conditions for the children still living at GLCH. Holly Ann was incredibly thorough and precise in all of the paperwork and worked hard on our behalf while we were in country as we completed the last steps of securing Visas for our children. We knew that we were in the presence of a godly man as we spent time getting to know Pastor Wesley and saw the incredible amount of work he does as he ministers to many people in Liberia.
We knew while we were in Liberia that the Lord was doing something great and awesome and Holly Ann and I wondered at where it would all lead. . .
In the 10 months that have passed since we "carried home" our children, many more children have come home to their adoptive families through Addy's Hope and GLCH and many more are about to come home! (I'll try to get the real numbers if I can, but believe me - it is incredible how many children now have loving adoptive families!)
I say all of this to encourage the Addy's Hope staff and families currently waiting to pick up their children in Liberia. Do not believe the reports made by the Deputy Minister of Liberia. Both Addy's Hope and Pastor Wesley have always been above reproach in every situation we have ever seen them in. I believe it is truly their desire to lovingly and legally join together orphans and families for the glory of the Lord!
AND,
PLEASE PRAY!!! Pray that the truth would be made know to all. Pray that the Deputy Minister's heart would be changed or that the Lord would put someone into that position who desires to see the Liberian orphans adopted into loving Christian homes and will work on behalf of the children and families. Pray for the people who are already in positions within the Liberian government and at the US Embassy who have been doing the right thing. Thank the Lord for them and continue to hold them up in prayer. Pray for Addy's Hope and for the families who just arrived home after a very long and emotionally exhausting journey. Pray against the schemes of the enemy who desires that these children die rather than be exposed to the gospel in loving, godly families. This is a spiritual battle that is raging right now and we must be on our knees in prayer!
May the Lord be glorified as Christ-followers share his love with orphans through the ministry of adoption.
The Lord had placed a burden on the hearts of a wonderful Christian couple in Texas to minister to orphans in Liberia and to prospective adoptive families by providing resources to children in Liberia and providing ethical, loving, and extremely knowledgeable adoption assistance to families wanting to adopt from Liberia. The Lord had also placed a burden on the heart of a dear Liberian man named Pastor Wesley to care for orphans in his country after he saw the devastation that the 14 year civil war had wreaked on Liberia and he began the Greater Love Children's Home and School.
We had been considering adoption for many years and, in His own perfect timing, the Lord placed on our hearts the burden to pursue international adoption at that time. Through a photo-listing, a phone conversation, and much prayer, we joyfully joined with Addy's Hope in pursuing the adoption of three young Liberian siblings. I can honestly say that all of this was entirely the Lord's working. We were the first "official" Addy's Hope family and were soon joined by another. It was an incredible joy to be able to travel to Liberia with this other family and with Holly Ann (Addy's Hope founder) to meet and pick up our three beautiful children last April (07).
Working with Addy's Hope and Greater Love was a complete joy and was incredibly wonderful due to the extreme honesty and integrity shown by both Holly Ann and by Pastor Wesley. We were impressed at the ministry and care for the children in Greater Love Children's Home and were glad to see that Addy's Hope had been working (and continues still) to improve the conditions for the children still living at GLCH. Holly Ann was incredibly thorough and precise in all of the paperwork and worked hard on our behalf while we were in country as we completed the last steps of securing Visas for our children. We knew that we were in the presence of a godly man as we spent time getting to know Pastor Wesley and saw the incredible amount of work he does as he ministers to many people in Liberia.
We knew while we were in Liberia that the Lord was doing something great and awesome and Holly Ann and I wondered at where it would all lead. . .
In the 10 months that have passed since we "carried home" our children, many more children have come home to their adoptive families through Addy's Hope and GLCH and many more are about to come home! (I'll try to get the real numbers if I can, but believe me - it is incredible how many children now have loving adoptive families!)
I say all of this to encourage the Addy's Hope staff and families currently waiting to pick up their children in Liberia. Do not believe the reports made by the Deputy Minister of Liberia. Both Addy's Hope and Pastor Wesley have always been above reproach in every situation we have ever seen them in. I believe it is truly their desire to lovingly and legally join together orphans and families for the glory of the Lord!
AND,
PLEASE PRAY!!! Pray that the truth would be made know to all. Pray that the Deputy Minister's heart would be changed or that the Lord would put someone into that position who desires to see the Liberian orphans adopted into loving Christian homes and will work on behalf of the children and families. Pray for the people who are already in positions within the Liberian government and at the US Embassy who have been doing the right thing. Thank the Lord for them and continue to hold them up in prayer. Pray for Addy's Hope and for the families who just arrived home after a very long and emotionally exhausting journey. Pray against the schemes of the enemy who desires that these children die rather than be exposed to the gospel in loving, godly families. This is a spiritual battle that is raging right now and we must be on our knees in prayer!
May the Lord be glorified as Christ-followers share his love with orphans through the ministry of adoption.
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