Baseball Fan

I know it's only the beginning, but today was the first of many whirlwind spring baseball days. Braeden and Seth both had 5:30 practices. T helps coach Seth so that put him on that field and myself and Addison on the other, watching my little clown. So after having a quick dinner ready at 5, which didn't get eaten as sandwiches were way quicker and eaten on the way to practice (live and learn)... the boys were on their way.

The coach has said that Braeden has one of the best forms that he has seen in someone so young. That he is a natural and will probably make a great pitcher. But my little laid back son - he is hilarious as he stands in ultra-serious form with his little elbow cocked up and hits the ball to the outfield.... and then trots around the bases in what I'm pretty sure is the slowest speed that child has. The boy runs everywhere he goes!! He is still about 2 sizes smaller than what he should be as he runs off the massive amounts of food he ingests. Seriously, I am contemplating saving for future grocery bills vs. a college saving account. When I called him on moving so slowly around the bases, he told me "but these shoes are heavy!" Those skinny chicken legs can only handle so much!

After practice today, we rush home to get the kids baths and then my sweet hubby had arranged for a neighbor to come sit with the sleeping kids so I could go to his church softball game at 8:30. I have no idea what the final score was, but let's just say it was probably triple digits vs. single digits. The women in the stands were concerned that our team would never get the opportunity to bat as the first half of the inning just kept going, and going, and going. I'm just glad the guys took it in stride and were laughing about it. But to brag - my man hit it out too!! I think he was just showing off cause his girl was there.... Too bad I didn't bring out the old letter jacket or I really would have felt at home...

Paying the bills

So on my trip to NC today - I listened to 3 sermons on the iPod to tune out the "mommmmmmie's" and "he hit me's" in the back seat. If you haven't checked out NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC - their pastor Perry Noble is phenomenal.

Short thought - he was talking about how often you ask someone how they are doing and they respond with "just paying the bills...." Yeah, I've heard that one. How about "another day another dollar". Or "Waiting for the weekend"??

His point - now do you think the creator of our universe, in all His glory, chose to send His only son to Earth in human form, have him persecuted, stripped, beaten, and nailed to a cross FOR US ... all the time saying, "after all this, I hope they are able to get some bills paid..."

Do we stop short of doing something worthwhile in our lives, something we might even have a passion for doing, because we don't have the time? (I'm scared to say that one - scared that to say I don't have enough time - How easy would it be for God to take away some of the things I do value to spend my time on ?? Job, Computer, Housework, ability to do a hobby ...) "Let's see - you have too much stuff to do to serve others?? Let's just get rid of some of the clutter.."

Do we stop short of going after something we think God is telling us to pursue because of the money, or lack of?

Do we stop short of doing something significant because of fear? Or just contentment with "paying the bills"?

I'm pretty sure the God I serve is a HUGE and awesome God and no amount of anxiety, fear, money, or lack of time can hold him back. So what's holding you and I back from rocking this world and not just existing in it ???

Ethiopia - Day 10 - His Little Children

Back on track: Day 10 of our trip was to be our last. I would love to say I cherished every moment of it - but getting out of bed that last day was tough. I was sick and I was tired. I wasn't able to eat much. And I really missed MY babies. BUT... God in his wisdom, took me back to a place of joy and of rest, knowing that we had come for a reason. On that last morning we visited one last Child Survival Program in Addis Abada. At this program were the most beautiful children, the most loving mothers, and a wonderful morning to book-end our time in this beautiful country. Who wouldn't smile when greeted by these little munchkins?? It was here that I met the woman I had spoken of in a previous blog that volunteers with mothers in the community. To hear her talk about "so many disabled babies", and once again, see these beautiful and healthy children - I knew Compassion had made a difference in the lives of these mothers. Just the weight that must be lifted when you know that your child will not starve to death, or die of a preventable disease like diarrhea or malaria, must free these mothers to instead hug their babies every day, without the fear of loosing them. And to know that your baby will have the opportunity to go to school, to learn, to just be a child - is priceless. It is a gift that we take for granted everyday. Yes, I worry about my children. But my worries are more the "what ifs". Sex. Drugs. Pregnancy. Homosexuality. Atheism. Selfcenteredness. Naivete. Most of those worries are for another day and not the survival in the here and now. (Although Braeden likes to test that theory...) In that church, we had a wonderful morning playing with those babies and it really put my heart at peace. If it had not been for our ride to the center through the poverty and the dirt, if we had just been placed in the little church compound, you would never know that we were in a place of immense poverty. Now I don't want to brag about the wonderful thing that the great America was able to bring to those mothers and children. It wasn't like us high and mighty Americans were happy to see what great things our money could do in that barren land. Now follow me here: instead - it was mothers meeting mothers. God's children playing with God's children. We were not giving to them, not blessing them with our presence. God had found a way to level the field and bring His blessings to His people in that land. And we were there to be able to witness that and to see the smiles His gifts had born. To remember with humility that those children are healthy, and smiling, and playing - because God gave to us, so we could give to them. And that was my peace. It's not about us. It's all about His children.

Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Please remember, that for more children to be released from poverty, in Jesus' name through Compassion's assistance - the current waiting children need a sponsor. You will not miss the money. You will not regret your decision. You will not be throwing your money to the wind. There is no greater gift than to be able to be a part of God's blessings. Sponsor today. Partner with Compassion in helping to lead a little child to spiritual, physical, emotional, and social health. Matthew 25: 34-36,40 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'... "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

What kind of guts do you have??

First off, let me apologize for side-stepping my last Ethiopia day log - but sometimes, and very often, things just eat at me until I finally give in and write them out. Let me also start off by NOT apologizing for anyone who gets offended by this blog. Uh-oh.

Recently one of my Christian sisters and I were talking about believers vs. unbelievers and about how upset we get and how personal we take it when we are unable to 'talk' an unbeliever out of Hell. And it got my mind racing with all the stories, emails, and quotes I have received in the past that just seem to stick with me.

Let me start with an email I got about 10 years back. At the time, I had a very close friend who I loved dearly, but who also was very worldly. In that, she didn't want to even think about the next world as she had enough to deal with in this one. She believed in a god, but didn't see a real reason to have a close relationship, or a binding relationship, with Christianity. Once in a while church attendance should earn her a few points anyway. She was good, no worries. About that time, I got an email with the following little story which my memory says went something like this:

- "I wanted to tell you about my savior. I wanted to warn you of the price of rejecting him. But I was too scared, too embarrassed, too much of a good friend to beat you over the head with my Bible. We shared laughs, we shared coffee, we shared memories - but I never shared with you the only way to be saved of an eternity of misery."
- "I'm going to tell you today. I'm going to talk about the way to Heaven. I'm going to speak up and try to lead you to the love of Christ and tell you about how He died for YOU. How all you have to do is receive His gift. How your being good is not good enough. I need to be a good friend to you."
- "I couldn't tell you today. Today you were killed on the way over in a car accident. I loved your friendship so much. Why couldn't I tell you? Why did we share coffee, and memories, and laughs - but I didn't care enough to tell you how to escape an eternity of misery."
-" I will always remember how much of a good friend I was not...."

I let that opportunity with MY friend go. We are no longer close so I really don't think she would listen to me now. I had the relationship but I failed when I had the greatest chance of having her listen. I'm hoping that God saw fit to see what little seed I may have lazily planted and is busy watering it..

Another email that sticks out is :

- You are driving down the road and you come upon a truck that is on fire. You run to the truck but the cab is engulfed in flames. The driver inside is screaming for help, dying in pain. You try to get to him but the flames and the heat are just too intense. You stand there in tears and listen to his cries, which eventually are silenced. The couple minutes that he suffered immensely took forever in your mind. Now if you could not bare the thought of seeing a total stranger suffer through several minutes of intense pain, which could be eventually, and mercifully, ended by death - how can you look the other way when your friends or family members are in the cab of that truck and destined for an eternity of the same unbearable pain and anguish with no relief??

Stories and emails like that bother us. We don't want to think about it. Just another Christian wacko trying to scare us into Heaven. But it is not about hell-fire and damnation sermons. It is about love - the love that we profess we have for others but then stop short of. Christ's love is the ONLY thing that can save us from that fire. And yet we don't want to embarrass ourselves, put ourselves in awkward situations, cause friction - so we wait until tomorrow, or the next day, or never - to talk to them. Because life is good, all is well, we're alright. Right??



I also have found some wonderful quotes by men much more spiritual and educated than I:

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will persih, let them perish with our arms about their knees." C.H. Spurgeon

"Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." C.H. Spurgeon

"The Lord often permits Christians to be despised or rejected by the world, that being liberated and cleansed from its pollution, we may cultivate holiness. We must love those who do not love God, but conforming ourselves to their standards for their approval and acceptance is disastrous." John Calvin

"If I do not believe in my heart (how God saved me from hell) – believe them so that they are real in my feelings – then the blessed love of God in Christ will scarcely shine at all. The sweetness of the air of redemption will be hardly detectable. The infinite marvel of my new life will be commonplace. The wonder that to me, a child of hell, all things are given for an inheritance will not strike me speechless with trembling humility and lowly gratitude. The whole affair of salvation will seem ho-hum, and my entrance into paradise will seem as a matter of course. When the heart no longer feels the truth of hell, the gospel passes from good news to simply news. The intensity of joy is blunted and the heart-spring of love is dried up." John Piper

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Jesus - (Matthew 24).

"You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last." Jesus - (John 15).

This post is as much for me as it is for you. What are we waiting for? The perfect conversation. The perfect day. The perfect person. If God has given you a relationship with a person, He has put you there for a reason and a time, and it is not to share recipes or sports scores with. We do not know what day, what time, what hour Christ may one day chose to say "That's IT!! Enough chances!!" - do we have the guts to speak up, or the guts to do nothing and disobey the Lord we say we belong to??? Just something to make you think...

My struggling artist

Tonight we were "formally" invited to the County Fine Arts Center to view the new Children's exhibit featuring our own favorite artist. Seth's teacher told me that he had been upset he couldn't bring his painting home to show his dad. But how cool is it that I now have an artist with a piece in a real gallery!! What stinks is that he wound himself up to the point of getting sick and chose to go home before the actual reception. Not only does he draw like his mom, he has my nervousness also. Or I use to anyway. That was kind of kicked to the side after a couple years of married life to a social butterfly. So maybe there is hope yet for my little wall-flower. If not, he can always just sit at home and paint for his mom - as I am his biggest fan....

Ethiopia - Day 9: African Tourists

Day 9 we left Nazareth and it's 5 a.m. truck traffic / wake up call, smog, and mosquito netted beds to head back to Addis. This was to be our tourist day and we headed out to a resort and spa called Sodere. I really was excited to be going back to the Ghion hotel and it's pay-by-the-minute dial-up internet service. It was so hard not to be able to communicate with T for 3 days!

Now before all of you who helped to support my missions start calling me and complaining about our spa trip - let me just say - I DID NOT have a massage, I DID NOT have a pedicure, OR EVEN a manicure. But we did have a good time and it really was a neat and interesting place to visit. So thank you for my couple hours spa experience.

Sodere is the home of natural hot springs. I had expected that we would be driving up to a creek or a mini pool of water, bubbling up like a babbling little fountain or something. But instead, Sodere's hot springs looked like this:

On our trip was a family of 6 that was just awesome. The young girls from the trip got in the pool and said, "this is HOT!!". I'm thinking - "it can't be all that hot... Maybe bath-tub water hot?"

Let me digress by mentioning that my roommate Gina was also a microbiologist. Her job is to test water and hunt for protozoans and bacteria. Well, she was NOT getting in that water. But my curiosity got the best of me so I lower myself into really, really, HOT water! Cause, you know, I'm only in Africa once (kind of like when I tried everything on our buffet that first breakfast and puked all day afterward?) I'm not really a fast learner when it comes to new experiences ...

Anyway, the all-natural hot springs pool was actually pretty soothing but like a too-hot jacuzzi, after about 10 min., I was done. So my friend JoAnna and I stroll down the path on a safari for monkey viewing. I figured we would see about 5-10 but those little jokers were everywhere. And they really weren't scared of us at all. We could get within about 3 feet of them to take their pictures. I was a little squeamish that one of them was going to take a flying leap for my face.. But I loaded up on monkey pictures to bring back to my little monkeys. See, mommy WAS in Africa after all?!?


We also wandered down the the adjacent river beside the resort and were treated to pretty scenery ala putrid smell. I joked with JoAnna that I had better not fall in that polluted water or Gina wouldn't allow me to step foot back in our room due to my bacteria count!!

(This is JoAnna's room at the Ghion. I never took a picture of mine.)

Speaking of bacteria, after a cheeseburger lunch, most of us had sherbet ice cream which was 'probably safe'. Yeah.... I'm thinking not so much, as about 10 min. after eating, I was pretty sick again. Don't I ever learn?!? To make matters that much more pleasant, immediately after eating we board our fun-bus on the 2 1/2 hour drive back to Addis. Let me tell you - it is no fun to have a bacteria wreaking havoc on your stomach with no Exxon's in sight!! Thank goodness for Gina whipping out the Cipro antibiotic or I may have been 12 pounds lighter by the time I touched on American soil again.

When we got back to Addis Abada we were headed to the open air market to buy our souvenirs. **Here is where I could politely skip over the fact of making our bus wait for me (and a friend) outside of an Addis Piano Bar while I run in and praise God for the hugest sign EVER which says "Toilets". I really think I could also hear the angels singing at that point! And yeah, that seemed safe. Two female Americans running into a dark bar in a foreign country? But when a girl's gotta go...** At the market I was really at home, since I am a bargain shopper by nature. I, seriously, spend 4 hours in a huge warehouse twice a year to buy all 3 children the cheapest (but yet stylish) brand name consignment clothes at about $300 for an entire season. So to haggle over a pretty little Ethiopian embroidered dress? Got that $12 bargain for only $8!! In addition to a coffee pot (which the airlines broke) and a little girl bust for my display table, I also bought myself grand-baby #452 for Addison to love on - it is hilarious. His feet are about as big as mine! I really thought customs may give me a hard time about having huge brown baby feet sticking out from the top of my carry-on. But she loves him. And really, how often can you bring a foreign baby into the states for $7.50 without even paying for a passport??

Teachable Moment

My latest "wild hair" actually had a really good result so I wanted to share with you other moms. I'm all for having those 'ah-ha' moments with my kids where you can just see the knowledge seeping in their little brains.

So last night, in honor of Compassion's Global Food Crisis Day, we did the following:

I made baked fish, rice, steamed cabbage, and spiced lentils. I was kind of going for an international theme.

- Addison got her normal plate of a spoonful of each food. Cause who really wants to make a toddler mad on purpose!!
- Braeden got a small spoonful of beans and rice only.
- Tony and I got HUGE platefuls of everything, with 2 pieces of fish each.
- Seth got an empty plate, poor Seth!!

The kids had been complaining for about an hour that they were hungry but I just kept putting them off, not wanting snacks to ruin their dinner experience... So we sit down, join hands and pray (with Tony thanking God for our food and how he takes care of all our needs. And to help us to understand how blessed we are.)

Immediately Seth gets wide eyes and asks, "where's mine?" Me - "well, I'm sorry, but you don't get to have anything tonight." "So I don't have to eat?? Yeah! I'm going to get a cupcake!" Me - "No, no cupcakes either. I'm sorry, you're going to have to go to bed hungry tonight. That's all the food we had for dinner, we just didn't have any for you."

At which time Braeden is piping up, "I didn't get any fish. Can I have some fish?" (My weird child loves fish AND spinach,.. go figure.) "No, sorry bud, Addison, Daddy, and I are the only ones who can have fish."

Addison is just chowing down like she hasn't eaten in days!! Just shoveling it in while the boys look at me with questioning eyes. I really wish I had video of it because she couldn't have shoveled any faster. And lately she has been pretty picky. I was floored she ate the fish and the lentils without whining "I don't liiiiiiike this." Way to make my point little one!

I go on to explain that today is Global Food Crisis Day. And I wanted them to think about God and his children in the rest of the world. That Addison has just enough food to fill her up. Braeden has very basic food, just enough so he wont go hungry, like many children in the world who don't get to have nice foods like hamburger, steak, or chicken every night. And Seth, poor Seth... He doesn't have anything to eat for supper and will have to go to bed very hungry, like many other children this very night. Does that seem fair?

"Mommy and Daddy have sooooooo much. We live in America and God has blessed us with so much food and the money to buy that food. We really, have too much to eat. So what do you think God would want us to do with all this extra?? "

(Now here was where the lesson kind of fell apart a little... The boys decided that they should just come take our food, or steal it. O.k., so save the teachable moment on stealing til another day....)

Bringing them back - "Do you think that God may have given us so much so that we might share it with you? Maybe that is the reason God blessed us in America so much. So that we would share it with his other children that don't have enough." So we feed the boys off of our 'bounty' and lesson is learned. I hope.

Here's the thing - since coming back from my trip to Ethiopia - I have struggled with America a bit. And from what I hear from others who have done missions, it is something that most have to deal with when they come back from seeing the rest of the world. The week after, you feel like you are completely alone in your thoughts and why is it that no one understands what you do?? How can we be so blind and not see? Why is it that the American mind-set is that, "I made this money... I deserve to have this.... or this..... or this..... It never ends, this list of our "needs"

We have SOOOO much. To look in my closet and see my 20 pairs of shoes made me roll my eyes. To look in my children's closet and see 25 long sleeve shirts and about 20 short sleeves each, just made me sad. BUT.. as the head of Compassion's Ethiopia office had told our group, we were not meant to come and see to feel guilty about what we have. God gave us those as gifts. Instead, what we have, we need to remember is a gift and realize that He did not mean for those gifts to line our pockets and cupboards alone. So instead of feeling guilty or feeling sad when looking at what I have, it is my responsibility to not only share with others, but to teach my children to share. And to teach them that we don't have to eat steak every night, or have the newest and latest, or the best and the most. And if I do my job as a mother to help them learn those lessons through little, teachable moments while they are young - then I know my Heavenly Father, the one who gives me every blessing, will be smiling at me and know He has taught me through my very own teachable moment.


** After dinner, as we were cleaning up, my great-sport-husband who had gone along with my madness, whispers - "yeah, those lentils... don't let 'em find their way into this house again..."