Wednesday, April 30, 2008
What I know of God
I just watched for probably the 20th time the Sara Groves video I have linked to an earlier post. Its her song titled " I saw what I saw". As I listened to it yet again, I was struck this time with the words "what I know of God". Ask yourself this question. Dont rush right past the thought, dwell on this thought provoking question. What do you know of God. Is he a stranger in your heart who only comes to visit like a distant relative on a holiday? What do you know really of God? Are your thoughts and ideas of who God is formed by some book you read, some movie you saw or some experience in your life. Sure all of these things can teach us about God. But why not dig deeper. Ask him to show himself to you in a deeper way. He wont let you down. He wants to do great things in your life, talk to him, read his book, he will lead you to all sorts of incredible jouneys like the one our family is on to adopt. You may even find some day that he has led you to meet your new son or daughter, perhaps through the local foster care program, perhaps from a far away land. Know that he loves you and he died for you. You know why, he wants to get to know you more and more each day.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Be transparent
I have been thinking a lot about the blog lately. How its almost like writing in a private journal and then letting anyone who wants to read it. Sometimes I wonder if I have shared too much. Should I hold back, maybe not tell so many of the details such as how we were originally rejected by one agency. I dont think so. I think its very important to just live open and transparent lives. There are way too many people living with a mask on pretending to be ok. They hide their pain. I am reminded of the song my wife used to sing at the church we grew up in. Seeing her heart come through in this song was one of the reasons I fell in love with her. Its a song titled "People need the Lord". Here is the part I was thinking of:
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize -- people need the Lord?
Private pain. I wonder how often we suffer alone because our pride makes us suffer in silence. So I am going to keep on sharing. I want to be real. Our church has a new theme. Real hope for real people living in a real world. Thats what I want to be, just real.
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize -- people need the Lord?
Private pain. I wonder how often we suffer alone because our pride makes us suffer in silence. So I am going to keep on sharing. I want to be real. Our church has a new theme. Real hope for real people living in a real world. Thats what I want to be, just real.
Monday, April 21, 2008
What does faith look like?
Today was one of those great days. I decided to look into other agencies and found a list of 19 that also works with Ethiopia. I emailed all 19 of them explaining our situation and the fact that we were denied for now from Childrens Hope International. We have already received 8-10 responses and 5-6 of them have already stated we would most likely be a go with their agency and another 2-3 said its possible. So needless to say I am once again very excited. Please pray for us as we consider which one to go with.
Tonight I went on a few more hikes. I have been doing 2-3 a day as I am trying to lose weight and also get into backpacking shape for a possible weekend getaway soon. I have loved my time in the woods. Well tonight I decided on my last hike to take my bible and stop midway by the pond area and read for a bit. I am reading through the old testament and am in Genesis. I finished the new testament a few weeks ago. Tonight I came to the story of Jacob and how he wrestled with God all night. I kind of related in my mind to that sense of perservering before God. Begging him to intercede. I believe he is doing that now for us. To be honest, I am somewhat afraid to totally let go again, I am afraid of the pain I felt these past few days, but my hope is stirred once again.
Speaking of Hope, let me tell you about my daughter Hope. I titled this post, "What does faith look like". Tonight when I came home she had a hand made card she had made for me. She did not know anything about the good news we heard today but she did know of the rejection from last week. One day a few days ago she and I went for a walk by our house and I told her of what happened. The front of the card said to Daddy from Hope. She drew several hearts for a border all around it. On the inside there is a big heart with I love you in it on both sides of the heart. The really neat part is at the bottom of the card. She drew pictures of all 6 of our family. Mom is saying "bless you all", Daddy is saying "thank you so much". There is a woman holding a baby who is saying "here is your baby from Ethiopia", there is another person sitting at what she called the front desk. My son Christian is saying "this is great", my son Josh is saying " I love babies", my daughter Charity is saying " Go Ethiopia" and Hope herself is saying "It is baby time". Now that is what faith looks like. She is only 9 years old and she taught her Daddy, who is 42 a lesson in faith today. I hope she has taught you as well. And to think, I was most worried about how she would feel about adoption when this all began. She is the baby of the family, she loves the idea that she is the little one in the house. I wondered how she would take to the idea of losing that status of being the baby. I guess I found out didnt I!
Tonight I went on a few more hikes. I have been doing 2-3 a day as I am trying to lose weight and also get into backpacking shape for a possible weekend getaway soon. I have loved my time in the woods. Well tonight I decided on my last hike to take my bible and stop midway by the pond area and read for a bit. I am reading through the old testament and am in Genesis. I finished the new testament a few weeks ago. Tonight I came to the story of Jacob and how he wrestled with God all night. I kind of related in my mind to that sense of perservering before God. Begging him to intercede. I believe he is doing that now for us. To be honest, I am somewhat afraid to totally let go again, I am afraid of the pain I felt these past few days, but my hope is stirred once again.
Speaking of Hope, let me tell you about my daughter Hope. I titled this post, "What does faith look like". Tonight when I came home she had a hand made card she had made for me. She did not know anything about the good news we heard today but she did know of the rejection from last week. One day a few days ago she and I went for a walk by our house and I told her of what happened. The front of the card said to Daddy from Hope. She drew several hearts for a border all around it. On the inside there is a big heart with I love you in it on both sides of the heart. The really neat part is at the bottom of the card. She drew pictures of all 6 of our family. Mom is saying "bless you all", Daddy is saying "thank you so much". There is a woman holding a baby who is saying "here is your baby from Ethiopia", there is another person sitting at what she called the front desk. My son Christian is saying "this is great", my son Josh is saying " I love babies", my daughter Charity is saying " Go Ethiopia" and Hope herself is saying "It is baby time". Now that is what faith looks like. She is only 9 years old and she taught her Daddy, who is 42 a lesson in faith today. I hope she has taught you as well. And to think, I was most worried about how she would feel about adoption when this all began. She is the baby of the family, she loves the idea that she is the little one in the house. I wondered how she would take to the idea of losing that status of being the baby. I guess I found out didnt I!
Friday, April 18, 2008
It's all right to dream again!
I am home on vacation today. I posted about 60 minutes ago or so the last message "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord". I am about to leave and go on a hike a friend at work told me about that has a waterfalls. Before I leave I have to share this with you all. I just finished a book by my favorite author, Max Lucado. It is titled 3:16. Its all about the famous verse John 3:16 that is shown on signs at sporting events etc. I had just a few pages to read to finish it. Last night I started to read it but then my wife and I started talking so I put it down. Today I read the last 10 pages or so. This is one of those moments where God shows up and he shows off. Its like my wife said last night, God can raise us up from the ashes. Anyway, I came to page 199 of the book. The last section of the book is designed to be a 40 day devotional but I have just read through them quickly to get the book back to my friend who I borrowed it from. I am just going to type in the section from the book so here it is.
Day 33
Two thieves - Two Choices
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom 8:1
Ever wonder why there were two crosses next to Christ? Why not six or ten? Ever wonder why Jesus was in the center? Why not on the far right or the far left? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolize one of God's greates gifts? The gift of choice.
The two criminals have so much in common. Convicted by the same system. Condemned to death. Surrounded by the same crowd. Equally close to the same Jesus. In fact, they begin with the same sarcasm: "The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus" Matt 27:44
But one changed. "He said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" Luke 23:42-43.
Think about the thief who repented. Though we know little about him, we know this: He made some bad mistakes in life. He chose the wrong crowd, the wrong morals, the wrong behavior. But would you consider his life a waste? Is he spending eternity reaping the fruit of all the bad choices he made? No, just the opposite. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. In the end all his bad choices were redeemed by a solitary good one.
You've made some bad choices in life, haven't you? You look back over your life and say, "If only... if only I could make up for those bad choices." You can. One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth.
The choice is yours.
End
As I read those words and thought of what I had just typed in the blog about as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, I realized I had made a choice. A choice to believe God, to not give up, to keep the faith. How about you? Have you made your choice for eternity? Have you given up on God?
So I kept reading the book, tears now beginning to stream down my face as God was lovingly encouraging me. I then came to page 207 and I realized God was all over me this morning. Here is what it said.
Day 37
It's all right to dream again
"As the new day was dawning..." Matt 28:1
Mary, the mother of James, and Mary Magdalene have come to the tomb to place warm oils on a cold body and bid farewell to the one man who gave them reason to their hopes.
The women think they are alone. They aren't. They think their journey is unnoticed. They are wrong. God knows. And he has a surprise waiting for them.
"An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance" Matt 28:2
Why did the angel move the stone? For whom did he roll away the rock? For Jesus? That's what I have always thought. But think about it. Did the stone have to be removed in order for Jesus to exit? Did God have to help? Was the death conqueror so weak that he couldn't push away the rock?
I don;t think so. The text gives the impression that Jesus was already out when the stone was moved! For whom, then, was the stone moved?
Listen to what the angel says: "Come and see the place where his body was" verse 6
The stone was moved-not for Jesus-but for the women; not so Jesus could come out, but so the women could see in!
Mary looks at Mary Magdalene, and Mary is grinning the same grin she had when the bread and fish kept coming out of the basket. Suddenly it's all right to dream again.
"Go quickly and tell his followers, Jesus has risen from the dead. He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there," verse 7
Mary and Mary dont have to be told twice. They turn and start running to Jerusalem. The darkness is gone. The sun is up. The Son is out.
End
Did you see it. Lucado said its ok to dream again. I chose to believe God, to keep the faith, and he reassured me. Its ok to dream again!
Day 33
Two thieves - Two Choices
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom 8:1
Ever wonder why there were two crosses next to Christ? Why not six or ten? Ever wonder why Jesus was in the center? Why not on the far right or the far left? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolize one of God's greates gifts? The gift of choice.
The two criminals have so much in common. Convicted by the same system. Condemned to death. Surrounded by the same crowd. Equally close to the same Jesus. In fact, they begin with the same sarcasm: "The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus" Matt 27:44
But one changed. "He said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" Luke 23:42-43.
Think about the thief who repented. Though we know little about him, we know this: He made some bad mistakes in life. He chose the wrong crowd, the wrong morals, the wrong behavior. But would you consider his life a waste? Is he spending eternity reaping the fruit of all the bad choices he made? No, just the opposite. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. In the end all his bad choices were redeemed by a solitary good one.
You've made some bad choices in life, haven't you? You look back over your life and say, "If only... if only I could make up for those bad choices." You can. One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth.
The choice is yours.
End
As I read those words and thought of what I had just typed in the blog about as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, I realized I had made a choice. A choice to believe God, to not give up, to keep the faith. How about you? Have you made your choice for eternity? Have you given up on God?
So I kept reading the book, tears now beginning to stream down my face as God was lovingly encouraging me. I then came to page 207 and I realized God was all over me this morning. Here is what it said.
Day 37
It's all right to dream again
"As the new day was dawning..." Matt 28:1
Mary, the mother of James, and Mary Magdalene have come to the tomb to place warm oils on a cold body and bid farewell to the one man who gave them reason to their hopes.
The women think they are alone. They aren't. They think their journey is unnoticed. They are wrong. God knows. And he has a surprise waiting for them.
"An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance" Matt 28:2
Why did the angel move the stone? For whom did he roll away the rock? For Jesus? That's what I have always thought. But think about it. Did the stone have to be removed in order for Jesus to exit? Did God have to help? Was the death conqueror so weak that he couldn't push away the rock?
I don;t think so. The text gives the impression that Jesus was already out when the stone was moved! For whom, then, was the stone moved?
Listen to what the angel says: "Come and see the place where his body was" verse 6
The stone was moved-not for Jesus-but for the women; not so Jesus could come out, but so the women could see in!
Mary looks at Mary Magdalene, and Mary is grinning the same grin she had when the bread and fish kept coming out of the basket. Suddenly it's all right to dream again.
"Go quickly and tell his followers, Jesus has risen from the dead. He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there," verse 7
Mary and Mary dont have to be told twice. They turn and start running to Jerusalem. The darkness is gone. The sun is up. The Son is out.
End
Did you see it. Lucado said its ok to dream again. I chose to believe God, to keep the faith, and he reassured me. Its ok to dream again!
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord
Well everyone, I dont quite know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Our agency has rejected our application due to financial reasons. Ethiopia has specific guidelines along with the agency and we do not meet them at this time. We may be able to pursue another country, possibly another agency, possibly domestic, we just dont know for sure right now.
I have to tell you I felt like a truck ran over me yesterday when I heard the news. Anna from the agency was so very kind all through the process. I was moved by the last email she sent to me, at the end of it she said to not let anyone steal our dream, if God has called us he will make a way. Yesterday was a tough day to make through to be honest. All sorts of emotions and doubts began running through my mind. Was God really in all of this? How could this happen. I spoke with several of my friends and they all said not to give up. They all tried to encourage me but I think it was like grieving. One of my friends said I had to go through the process. I told my wife last night I felt like one of my children had died. I dont know if any of that makes sense to you but the emotion was deep and very painful.
You know when you are going through something like this, and everyone in your world says things to you to encourage you? People tend to think they have to say something. I especially appreciated my friend at work. He came to my office after I emailed him to pray for me. He just sat there with a deep look of compassion on his face and listened. I would speak a little and be still for a few minutes. Then I would say something else. He just listened. He taught me something on how just being there for someone, without all the answers so called, can really minister to you. I hope to practice that more often. This is not to say there are not times we need to use words of wisdom with those who are hurting, perhaps just use a few less.
Whats next for us you might be asking? I honestly dont know. We are going to pray and seek God's guiding. Please pray for us to know which direction to go. As Anna told me, the DREAM IS NOT DEAD!
The last thing I want to share with you is what my wife told me last night. She said that maybe God wanted to see if I would listen to his heart in all of this. As I have said before, my plan was that our family was complete. Four kids after all is not too shabby? Right? But he had other plans for us. I know he changed my heart. The hard part for me yesterday was thinking through all of this. How could God have led me all this way only to have it end like this. Then Lisa gave me this thought. So I want all of you to know, that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. No matter what he leads us through, no matter what emotions we have to spend, no matter if we can see the path and where it all leads, we will follow him!
I have to tell you I felt like a truck ran over me yesterday when I heard the news. Anna from the agency was so very kind all through the process. I was moved by the last email she sent to me, at the end of it she said to not let anyone steal our dream, if God has called us he will make a way. Yesterday was a tough day to make through to be honest. All sorts of emotions and doubts began running through my mind. Was God really in all of this? How could this happen. I spoke with several of my friends and they all said not to give up. They all tried to encourage me but I think it was like grieving. One of my friends said I had to go through the process. I told my wife last night I felt like one of my children had died. I dont know if any of that makes sense to you but the emotion was deep and very painful.
You know when you are going through something like this, and everyone in your world says things to you to encourage you? People tend to think they have to say something. I especially appreciated my friend at work. He came to my office after I emailed him to pray for me. He just sat there with a deep look of compassion on his face and listened. I would speak a little and be still for a few minutes. Then I would say something else. He just listened. He taught me something on how just being there for someone, without all the answers so called, can really minister to you. I hope to practice that more often. This is not to say there are not times we need to use words of wisdom with those who are hurting, perhaps just use a few less.
Whats next for us you might be asking? I honestly dont know. We are going to pray and seek God's guiding. Please pray for us to know which direction to go. As Anna told me, the DREAM IS NOT DEAD!
The last thing I want to share with you is what my wife told me last night. She said that maybe God wanted to see if I would listen to his heart in all of this. As I have said before, my plan was that our family was complete. Four kids after all is not too shabby? Right? But he had other plans for us. I know he changed my heart. The hard part for me yesterday was thinking through all of this. How could God have led me all this way only to have it end like this. Then Lisa gave me this thought. So I want all of you to know, that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. No matter what he leads us through, no matter what emotions we have to spend, no matter if we can see the path and where it all leads, we will follow him!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Obstacles 4/15/2008
Sometimes in life we come to a place where something stands in our way, something that we cant seem to find a way around. I have come to that place now. I dont want to share the specifics but please pray for us as we have encountered a potential problem that could end our dream of adoption or at least delay it significantly. I am trusting God to work through all of the details involved and I am trying to believe it will all work out. Isnt it tough at times like this to see your way clear. I have read of other families adoption journeys and of their ups and downs, frankly until now it has mostly been a high for me as things seemed to just be going as planned. This pothole is a big one though so please pray fervently for us. Sorry its been a few days since I posted, to be honest I didnt know what to say. All I know is that God is good all the time, all the time God is good!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Sin Eater 4/11/2008
I just finished watching the movie titled "The Last Sin Eater", it was to me a great movie. The thing that I want to share some of you will think is strange, but Im going to share it anyway. First, do yourself a favor and rent this movie. We borrowed it from the local library so check there first to save a few bucks. While your at it check out a few good books and read them. Anyway, the thing I wanted to share is this. My wife was at the church tonight for a christian comedian with her friend. Her friend bought her a ticket and invited her to the event. My oldest daughter was spending the night with grandma, my boys were working at the YMCA. So I was blessed to go out on a date with my youngest daughter, being that she is only 9 she was a cheap date. She was also easy to please so Daddy, the last of the big spenders, took her to that fine place for dining, Wendy's. Hey cut me some slack, it was her choice! Anyway, after dinner we ran around a bit and then came home to watch the movie. We had it all set up and was just ready to hit play on the dvd player and the phone rang. It was the boys. My son left his lights on again and they needed a jump. Of course the jumper cables are in the van sitting at the church. Ok ok, I know I should have a set in my car too. So my daughter and I turn off the dvd and drive to the church. We drive around the church parking lot looking for our van, the place was packed with cars. Does the humor of this scene stand out to you as it did to me driving in circles in my own church's parking lot? We finally found the van and took it along with the cables leaving the mult-colored car door vehicle known as Daddys ride. See earlier post. We go to the Y jump the car and all go home. So there we all are watching the movie together which for us is a miracle in itself. No drum leesons, no video games, no other distractions, just the 4 of us watching the movie. The movie was really really good. I wont give the movie away, but some of you can guess by the title. Anyway, at the end of the movie it hits me. I tell the boys now I know why their car needed a jump. God wanted us to watch this movie together, the boys would have missed it otherwise. And he wanted to remind me that he is in control, even when something bad like a broken down car comes into my life. You see, when we cant trace his hand we must learn to trust his heart. The message of the movie is powerful, and I think God wanted to remind my teenagers about him and his love for them. Again, I dont want to give the movie away, just watch it.
I love when God does little things like this. Some of you are thinking this is silly. Some reject the entire notion of a loving God so involved in our lives. I for one know that he cares about even the smallest of details in our lives. He cares about the orphans all over the world that are lonely tonight and are broken hearted. He burdens the heart of crazy people like me to go and find one of his lost sheep in a far away land. He cares about the hurt your feeling maybe right now as you read these words. And yes, he even cares about the entertainment options of two teenagers who just happen to need to be reminded like the rest of us, that God does love them!
I love when God does little things like this. Some of you are thinking this is silly. Some reject the entire notion of a loving God so involved in our lives. I for one know that he cares about even the smallest of details in our lives. He cares about the orphans all over the world that are lonely tonight and are broken hearted. He burdens the heart of crazy people like me to go and find one of his lost sheep in a far away land. He cares about the hurt your feeling maybe right now as you read these words. And yes, he even cares about the entertainment options of two teenagers who just happen to need to be reminded like the rest of us, that God does love them!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Can God use you? 4/9/2008
This link is to a cool site that has many videos that are used often for teaching and preaching illustrations. I found this one tonight. My friend who has been encouraging me lately has been talking to me about Gideon and what God did through him. This video touches on Gideon. Its message is that God can do great things through us for his glory. Do you really believe he can use you? Enjoy- http://www.bluefishtv.com/ProductDetails.aspx?cid=1005&id=2167&f=s2a&cc=1016&csc=0&ldr=0&s=
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
3/8/2008
Do you ever really think about your fears? Do you consider all the areas of your life where it holds you back? I went on another hike tonight. I took my daughter Charity and also my sister in laws foster child Patrick. Patrick is 17. We went to a hike by a river with quite strong rapids. We walked along the river for a while and we noticed off in the distance 3 men on kayaks. We watched for a while and then marched on. We came to the end of the trail and was faced with the decision to turn back, or climb the very steep hill to a trail above. Since we were all in adventerous moods we went for it. As we climbed about 1/2 way to the top we stopped and looked back and noticed that one of the men in the kayaks had fallen out. The other two were trying to secure his boat and their floundering friend. We watched but then pressed on. The climb became more treacherous the higher we went. The ground was covered with leaves and the ground below was somewhat muddy and slippery. For a moment I thought to myself what did I get these kids into. There was that bit of fear that creeps into our minds and we doubt whether we should go forward or turn back. We ended up making it of course and were once again on solid ground. As we walked back we decided to go back down towards the river, this time on the steps provided by the path. We ended up catching up with the men on the kayaks. The one who had turned over still looked shaken and weary. He and one of the others decided to walk down the shore carrying their kayaks. As we were leaving the park, I was thinking of how important it is for me as a parent to expose my kids to moments like we had on that hill. To face our fears and keep on moving forward. Sometimes our boats are gonna turn over and were going to get wet. Its not always going to work out perfectly as we planned. If we just refuse to quit though, just keep on forging forward, sooner or later were gonna get back on flat land, back on the path.
Today for me was one of those bad days. You know, days of doubt and worry. Days where your faith is weak and you want to give up. It seems its not Gods plan to always show me everything he is working on right now. He is the director and I just have to trust him. I must play my role and trust that he is putting together all of the other scenes even if I dont understand his plan. All I do know is that God is working, I cant see all that he is doing, but I know he is working. Bottom line, dont let fear hold you back, just put your trust in him and he will guide you. Dont give up, keep on believing!
Today for me was one of those bad days. You know, days of doubt and worry. Days where your faith is weak and you want to give up. It seems its not Gods plan to always show me everything he is working on right now. He is the director and I just have to trust him. I must play my role and trust that he is putting together all of the other scenes even if I dont understand his plan. All I do know is that God is working, I cant see all that he is doing, but I know he is working. Bottom line, dont let fear hold you back, just put your trust in him and he will guide you. Dont give up, keep on believing!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
4/6/2008
You know one thing that I really love about children, its how innocent they are. Today after church I took my 2 daughters and their cousin who came home with us to spend the night to Wendy's for lunch. Mom is away for the weekend and so I took them to a place where someone other than me could cook for them! Lord knows I cant cook. Anyway, I digress. We are sitting there and of course we pray before we eat. After the prayer we started talking about praying and how we shut our eyes when we do pray. We talked about how we dont really have to shut our eyes when we pray. One of the kids said, "You know when we talk with someone, we dont shut our eyes". Isnt that just what prayer is, just talking to God. It was just a simple conversation that lasted about 5-10 minutes. I noticed however there was an older gentlemen sitting nearby who seemed to be listening to the kids and I talk. I started thinking about what he was thinking of what we were saying. In the middle of that moment, I realized that the kids were oblivious to the knowledge that we had a watchful ear nearby listening in on us. I wondered if there was something I should try to say to "spiritualize" if you will the conversation. I love though how the kids were just being who they were, innocently talking about talking to God without any thought of anything around us. Dont we as adults often temper our behavior based upon our audience? Have we ever failed to share God with someone because we were afraid of how they would view us? For today I think Im gonna try to be like a big ole kid again and just forget that I am an adult. I think Im going to have some fun, love on those around me when I can, and just live free today. Just be innocent again. Why dont you try that too.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
4/5/2008 # 2
I found this on a UNICEF site. This will help describe the situation in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Steady increase in street children orphaned by AIDS
14-year-old Mandefro Kassa lives on the streets of Bahr Dar, Ethiopia. The country counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children are missing one or both parents.
By Indrias Getachew
BAHR DAR, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, 20 January 2006 – “The street has been my home since I can remember. It’s been more than one year since I moved here (Bahr Dar) and all this time, I have not seen one good thing about living on the street. Everything is horrible,” says 14-year-old Mandefro Kassa, who grew up as an orphan on the streets of Woreta, a provincial town in Ethiopia. Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing one or both parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children – 800,000 of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The country has seen a steady increase in the number of children becoming orphaned because of AIDS. In the past, famine, conflict and other diseases were the main factors that claimed the lives of parents.
Street children are continuously exposed to various forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation. They do not have access to basic rights such as access to proper care, education, psychological support and supervision.
Grim statistics
Many street children like Mandefro don’t have access to basic rights such as proper care, education, psychological support and supervision. Often, orphans and other vulnerable children are forced to work to earn an income. They are exposed to various forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation. In Addis Ababa more than 30 per cent of girls aged 10-14 are not living with their parents. Twenty per cent of these 30 per cent have run away from child marriages. Twelve per cent of adolescents aged 10-14 – of the 30 per cent not living with their parents – surveyed in two areas of Addis Ababa were domestic workers. They are very young, very vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, and typically have no legal or social support. In the Amhara region, the average age of marriage for girls is 14, while at the national level the mean age for marriage is 17. There are about 2.5 million children with disabilities.
No social net for vulnerable children. Very few government services help orphans. The primary coping strategy for communities has therefore been the extended family. Increasingly, however, the capacity of the extended family to support the growing numbers of orphans is declining.
“As more and more parents die, the capacity of the extended family to take care of orphans becomes smaller and smaller,” says Björn Ljungqvist, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia. “In all countries where you have a big HIV/AIDS epidemic, at first you don’t see any orphans at all, as they are absorbed by the traditional systems. And then all of a sudden you seem to reach some type of breaking point and you start finding these children in the streets, you start finding them working in difficult conditions, you start finding even child-headed households.”
UNICEF, in partnership with local HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Offices as well as government ministries, is responding to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia through collaboration with NGOs, youth and community-based organizations.
UNICEF engaged in helping children affected by HIV/AIDS
UNICEF is supporting the rights of children affected by HIV. This includes efforts to alleviate the personal and social impact of the pandemic by ensuring comprehensive care and support to children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.
Strategies include:
strengthening the capacity of extended families,
mobilizing and strengthening community and home-based responses,
strengthening the capacity of children and young people to meet their own needs,
ensuring the government protects the most vulnerable children and provides essential policies and services,
creating an enabling environment for HIV and AIDS-affected children and their families.
UNICEF is also trying to reduce children’s vulnerability to HIV by ensuring that they have access to their right to health, education, equality and protection. Children have become the most vulnerable and most prone group to be infected with HIV. This is particularly true of adolescent girls and young women – those aged 15-24 – who constitute between 40 and 50 per cent of all new infections.
Key partnerships
UNICEF, in partnership with federal and regional HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Offices, as well as government ministries, is responding to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia through collaborations with non-governmental organizations, and youth and community-based organizations.
There are around 10,000 Anti-AIDS Clubs in the country, and UNICEF Ethiopia sees these partnerships as the most efficient way to reach children who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Sabine Dolan contributed to this report from New York.
(here is the link to this story- http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_30783.html)
I once remember thinking in my own mind when it would consider the plight of the poor in other countries that it was too far away for me to do anything about. That there was enough problems here in our own country. I was like the treasure seeker in the Titanic movie, after hearing the story of the lady and all she had went through, afterwords when he was talking to her granddaughter, he told her that all the time he spent looking for the necklace from the movie, that he never "let it in". That is the story, the suffering, the loss of life involved when the titanic went down. Thats how I was with stories of some far away place like Ethiopia. It was easier for me to keep my focus on my middle class pursuit of happiness than to "let it in".
Then God showed up. Want to know how you can tell if God shows up. Things start changing. Like today. I went on a hike with my friend John and his cousin Chris to Virginia Kendall, both of them are backpackers. John turned me onto it last year. He took me on my first trip in Oct and I was immediately hooked. I cant wait to go again. In fact I have seen stories of adoptive families hiking in Ethiopia when they travel to get their child. Hey we could save some money right- haha. After the hike we went up to Appalachian Outfitters which is right up the road from where we hiked. As I walked around and saw so many things I could use for hiking / backpacking all I could think of was the adoption. I could not find a place to run to in my mind where I escaped the thought of the adoption. I soon stepped outside and just waited for the other guys to come out. I still have a passion to go backpacking and I will be able to go on a few weekend trips I am sure, its just that God has changed the priority of my heart. You see, I was finished with having children. As you know we have four kids. As we have 2 girls and 2 boys, everyone has a brother and everyone has a sister so there should be no complaints right. I was done. Like I said though, when God shows up things change.
Our pastor started a series last week he titled " I-change". It is a spoof on IPODs. Its all about how we need to change. You know while that can be challenging to us, isnt it also hopeful. Dont we all deep down really want to make changes. Dont most of us know, if we are really honest with ourselves, that we have holes in our life. Our pastor gave us a devotional he developed and we were to begin going through it this week. On page 4 he offers a series of 20 possible issues we may struggle with in our lives. We were to inventory our lives against this list. I checked off 8 of them as areas I need to work on. The one God is really impressing on me right now is overeating. I have been burdened by this sin in my life for some time. I have been trying to work on it for quite some time. This past week I have a renewed sense of comittment to it again. I have gone on a hike every day now for 8 days. You see we all struggle with something. You might be wondering why I would share something like this on the blog about adoption. I just want you all to know that we are like everyone else. God is not finished with us yet. He is still pruning us sometimes on a daily basis. I for one am glad. It gives me hope to know that God loves me and is working on me. Many people have an image of God of a school teacher with a ruler cracking our knuckles. Sort of a cosmic killjoy if you will. God is not like that. Everything he does he does for our benefit. Its up to us to react properly.
Well I think I have rambled enough for tonight. Until next time, goodnight.
Ethiopia: Steady increase in street children orphaned by AIDS
14-year-old Mandefro Kassa lives on the streets of Bahr Dar, Ethiopia. The country counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children are missing one or both parents.
By Indrias Getachew
BAHR DAR, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, 20 January 2006 – “The street has been my home since I can remember. It’s been more than one year since I moved here (Bahr Dar) and all this time, I have not seen one good thing about living on the street. Everything is horrible,” says 14-year-old Mandefro Kassa, who grew up as an orphan on the streets of Woreta, a provincial town in Ethiopia. Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing one or both parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children – 800,000 of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The country has seen a steady increase in the number of children becoming orphaned because of AIDS. In the past, famine, conflict and other diseases were the main factors that claimed the lives of parents.
Street children are continuously exposed to various forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation. They do not have access to basic rights such as access to proper care, education, psychological support and supervision.
Grim statistics
Many street children like Mandefro don’t have access to basic rights such as proper care, education, psychological support and supervision. Often, orphans and other vulnerable children are forced to work to earn an income. They are exposed to various forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation. In Addis Ababa more than 30 per cent of girls aged 10-14 are not living with their parents. Twenty per cent of these 30 per cent have run away from child marriages. Twelve per cent of adolescents aged 10-14 – of the 30 per cent not living with their parents – surveyed in two areas of Addis Ababa were domestic workers. They are very young, very vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, and typically have no legal or social support. In the Amhara region, the average age of marriage for girls is 14, while at the national level the mean age for marriage is 17. There are about 2.5 million children with disabilities.
No social net for vulnerable children. Very few government services help orphans. The primary coping strategy for communities has therefore been the extended family. Increasingly, however, the capacity of the extended family to support the growing numbers of orphans is declining.
“As more and more parents die, the capacity of the extended family to take care of orphans becomes smaller and smaller,” says Björn Ljungqvist, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia. “In all countries where you have a big HIV/AIDS epidemic, at first you don’t see any orphans at all, as they are absorbed by the traditional systems. And then all of a sudden you seem to reach some type of breaking point and you start finding these children in the streets, you start finding them working in difficult conditions, you start finding even child-headed households.”
UNICEF, in partnership with local HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Offices as well as government ministries, is responding to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia through collaboration with NGOs, youth and community-based organizations.
UNICEF engaged in helping children affected by HIV/AIDS
UNICEF is supporting the rights of children affected by HIV. This includes efforts to alleviate the personal and social impact of the pandemic by ensuring comprehensive care and support to children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.
Strategies include:
strengthening the capacity of extended families,
mobilizing and strengthening community and home-based responses,
strengthening the capacity of children and young people to meet their own needs,
ensuring the government protects the most vulnerable children and provides essential policies and services,
creating an enabling environment for HIV and AIDS-affected children and their families.
UNICEF is also trying to reduce children’s vulnerability to HIV by ensuring that they have access to their right to health, education, equality and protection. Children have become the most vulnerable and most prone group to be infected with HIV. This is particularly true of adolescent girls and young women – those aged 15-24 – who constitute between 40 and 50 per cent of all new infections.
Key partnerships
UNICEF, in partnership with federal and regional HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Offices, as well as government ministries, is responding to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia through collaborations with non-governmental organizations, and youth and community-based organizations.
There are around 10,000 Anti-AIDS Clubs in the country, and UNICEF Ethiopia sees these partnerships as the most efficient way to reach children who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Sabine Dolan contributed to this report from New York.
(here is the link to this story- http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_30783.html)
I once remember thinking in my own mind when it would consider the plight of the poor in other countries that it was too far away for me to do anything about. That there was enough problems here in our own country. I was like the treasure seeker in the Titanic movie, after hearing the story of the lady and all she had went through, afterwords when he was talking to her granddaughter, he told her that all the time he spent looking for the necklace from the movie, that he never "let it in". That is the story, the suffering, the loss of life involved when the titanic went down. Thats how I was with stories of some far away place like Ethiopia. It was easier for me to keep my focus on my middle class pursuit of happiness than to "let it in".
Then God showed up. Want to know how you can tell if God shows up. Things start changing. Like today. I went on a hike with my friend John and his cousin Chris to Virginia Kendall, both of them are backpackers. John turned me onto it last year. He took me on my first trip in Oct and I was immediately hooked. I cant wait to go again. In fact I have seen stories of adoptive families hiking in Ethiopia when they travel to get their child. Hey we could save some money right- haha. After the hike we went up to Appalachian Outfitters which is right up the road from where we hiked. As I walked around and saw so many things I could use for hiking / backpacking all I could think of was the adoption. I could not find a place to run to in my mind where I escaped the thought of the adoption. I soon stepped outside and just waited for the other guys to come out. I still have a passion to go backpacking and I will be able to go on a few weekend trips I am sure, its just that God has changed the priority of my heart. You see, I was finished with having children. As you know we have four kids. As we have 2 girls and 2 boys, everyone has a brother and everyone has a sister so there should be no complaints right. I was done. Like I said though, when God shows up things change.
Our pastor started a series last week he titled " I-change". It is a spoof on IPODs. Its all about how we need to change. You know while that can be challenging to us, isnt it also hopeful. Dont we all deep down really want to make changes. Dont most of us know, if we are really honest with ourselves, that we have holes in our life. Our pastor gave us a devotional he developed and we were to begin going through it this week. On page 4 he offers a series of 20 possible issues we may struggle with in our lives. We were to inventory our lives against this list. I checked off 8 of them as areas I need to work on. The one God is really impressing on me right now is overeating. I have been burdened by this sin in my life for some time. I have been trying to work on it for quite some time. This past week I have a renewed sense of comittment to it again. I have gone on a hike every day now for 8 days. You see we all struggle with something. You might be wondering why I would share something like this on the blog about adoption. I just want you all to know that we are like everyone else. God is not finished with us yet. He is still pruning us sometimes on a daily basis. I for one am glad. It gives me hope to know that God loves me and is working on me. Many people have an image of God of a school teacher with a ruler cracking our knuckles. Sort of a cosmic killjoy if you will. God is not like that. Everything he does he does for our benefit. Its up to us to react properly.
Well I think I have rambled enough for tonight. Until next time, goodnight.
4/5/2008
My son suggested I add a picture of my multi-color door to the blog so I thought I would take his advice. I also took a photo of the exterior of our home so everyone can sort of visualize what a house looks like where crazy people live- haha. Without further ado, here are the photos for your viewing pleasure. One more thing, if you like the house it is for sell. It will only cost you $1,000,000. That will leave us then with $980,000 to become missionairies to Ethiopia! Just kidding, its not for sale, although your investment would have brought you eternal dividends. My wife says I like change too much, we cant move again for at least a lifetime from now, that is unless God tells us to. Ok ok, I will shut up and add the photos. Have a great Saturday.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
4/3/2008
I love how through all of this process God is teaching me new lessons all the time. Since we opened our adoption fund I have found myself logging on to the account 3-4 times a day. I told myself that I had to make sure that I kept the blog up with any new donations that came in. I know I know, its just a rationalization. Anyway, my wife Lisa has been on me to stop doing it but I just could not stop taking a peek. Well day after day there was no changes. Once I took all the change we have been throwing in a jar at home along with the donations my kids made tot he bank just to be able to look at a new number online in our account! Well, I finally gave up and did not look for 1 whole day- haha. Guess what, I looked today and someone donated $20.00. I know its not a huge donation, but it did encourage me nonetheless. (note the fund raiser thermometer change). Its always interesting to see God working. He waited until I stopped trying to, I guess in a way, control things by looking at it all day every day. Once I did he orchestrated a donation to make me laugh, teach me and encourage me all in one. So whoever gave that $20.00 thanks! You really brought great value with it. Isnt that just like God though, he takes what little we give and he multiplies it. We dont have to have it all together or have all the ability to do something for him. He just wants us to be willing to go along for the ride, then he ripples the water and provides the rapids that speed us along our way. I love that about him. I guess theres always that fine line between letting go and letting God, but also making sure we do our part. I just want to make sure I strike a healthy balance with all of this.
To keep everyone up to date, we are working on a benefit dinner and possibly an auction to have hopefully late May or in June. We are not sure where it will be yet or all the details but we will update the blog once we finalize all of those details.
To keep everyone up to date, we are working on a benefit dinner and possibly an auction to have hopefully late May or in June. We are not sure where it will be yet or all the details but we will update the blog once we finalize all of those details.
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