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.......she captured our trip on film

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Monday, February 28, 2011

when will abey grow up?

Still processing the massive amounts of information we heard at Idea Camp!  It was extremely challenging, inspiring and humbling to be there.  So many people with such passion for changing the plight of the 147 million orphans in the world.  As I process, I will share.  For now, here is a story that happened today.

Eyasu has never asked any questions about Abe, until today.  He always has referred to him as a baby. "Abey can't eat that, he is a baby!" and so on..... Abe has always been a baby to Eyasu and I guess it simply has never occured to him that Abe is a mere 15 months younger than he is..........so today, seemingly out of nowhere, Eyasu asked me when Abe was going to "grow up."

I asked him what he meant by "grow up".  He said, you know learn to walk and talk.  My heart hurt a little.

We had a precious conversation about how God made Abey's brain special.  How he can't walk and talk YET like most 3 year olds.  His next question, "did God make my brain special too?"  Oh sweet boy, he sure did, but not is the same way that Abe's brain is special.

I further explained to him that we are faithfully praying for healing, that we trust he will one day indeed walk and talk.............to that he said, "he will talk mommy, he will talk."

The things to learn from a 4 year old.  Thank you little man.
Friday, February 25, 2011

quick update from idea camp

Today was amazing.  Possible information overload, but really so many great things to chew on for awhile.  :)

I will certainly share more once home!  Moody and I speak tomorrow at 1:30.  Would you please pray that we convey our story in a way that brings glory to the One that has led us on this amazing journey?  We would greatly appreciate that.  They are broadcasting the conference via live feed, so feel free to join in on the fun.

Here is the link to watch.  It starts tomorrow at 9:00 am (CST)
Thursday, February 24, 2011

off to idea camp


I am, I am!!!

Excited about a weekend with my man, and spending time hammering out ways to help the orphan crisis with a group of people passionate about the 147 million orphans in the world! Should be a good time. :)

Will share details when we return!
Sunday, February 20, 2011

fishers of men

A precious blog friend, Traci, has made her 40th birthday request be known.  She wants people to donate to Dube Bute, to continue to bring HOPE!  How amazing is that?? She will be 40 in a little less than 40 days.  Go check out her h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s blog and make her birthday wish come true! :)

Below is her post.  You can read her blog here. Her campaign page is here.


In less than 40 days I will be 40.  This spring my oldest baby will graduate from 8th grade and enter high school, and my youngest baby will graduate from elementary school and enter middle school.  Have I mentioned that baby #1 gave me stretch marks and baby #2 gave me wrinkles?

It's a perfect storm.

On Sunday I was convinced I'd end up like George Clooney trapped inside a sinking ship wondering what happened to my life.

And I do believe I mentioned that I wept.  The weeping didn't help.

So I continued on into Monday.

And that's when I realized that I was in the throes of a  mid-life crisis.

But I digress.  I know I promised you HUGE news.  So here it is:

Last night I asked you to pray two things for me:

"If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will be like the noon day."   Isaiah 58:10

"I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living."   Amos 5:24

And then I told you that God had a come to Jesus meeting with me. 

It's big.  It's really, really big.  It's so big that there is absolutely no way that I can pull it off.  This will be a total God thing.

And it's left me speechless and terrified. 

We are going to raise $10,000 in 40 days for Dube Bute, a small village in Ethiopia.

I told you.  HUGE.

Over the next few days I'll tell you how all of this came about, but for now can I ask you to do one thing? 

Prayerfully consider giving to this cause.  Your gift will help to provide water points, classrooms, medicines, and veterinary services to a village so that poverty can be wiped out one village at a time.

You can read more about it here.  What I'll tell you today is this- 100% of your gift goes directly to the people of  Dube Bute. 

My bloggy friend Emily and her family started the campaign to raise almost $500,000 in order to save the children of this village.  They are roughly $47,000 away from finishing the project.

Did I tell you that in addition to their 4 children, Emily and her husband have adopted two boys from Ethiopia? Those two boys have changed their family forever, but more importantly, because their family was changed, the lives of hundreds of Ethiopians will change. 

I promise, there will be more information tomorrow.  But tonight I need you to pray and consider giving. 

And consider this...

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

God told me to go fishing for my birthday.  He promised a big catch.  Will you come with me?
See y'all.

Monday, February 14, 2011

i carry your heart in my heart


Woke up this morning all ready to do a cute little Valentines post and kept thinking of her..........I have debated whether or not to share this video for several reasons.  It is raw, it is very emotional, it shares details about Abe.........but ultimately it is a story of love.  A story of two women deeply in love with their boy.

This is from our trip in October to Addis.  We saw Abe's birthmother. Her heart was broken and we pray somehow healed a bit as she knows he is one loved little boy.  It was a rare and precious gift to have shared that moment with so many of my dearest friends and family.


ethiopiasmile 2010: Reunion at KVI Orphanage from Kurt Neale on Vimeo.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

global soccer mom- a great read

This is a great book!  I read it on one of the snow days we just had.  It was one of those ignore the kids because I'm so into my book kind of days. :)  Moody was home, so don't worry, they were fed! :)

It really spoke so much of my own heart.  Shayne has done some pretty amazing things to care for the poor and needy and to be a voice for those that have none.

Get it here, you won't be disappointed.

Here is a bit about the author:

Shayne Moore is an author, blogger, speaker, mama of three, and outspoken advocate in the fight against extreme poverty and Global AIDS. Shayne is one of the original members of the ONE Campaign, The Campaign to Make Poverty History(www.one.org) and sits on the executive board of directors for Upendo Village, an HIV/AIDS clinic in Kenya (www.upendovillage.org) and Growers First. (www.GrowersFirst.org) Shayne has written for ONE’s blog, Christianity Today’s Gifted for Leadership, FullFill, a digital magazine, and for her personal blog. Shayne is a member of Redbud Writers Guild. (www.RedbudWritersGuild.com)
Shayne is an ordinary, full-time “soccer mom” who joined the ONE Campaign at its inception and who represents the heart of the movement. Shayne is an original member of DGAAN, Dupage Glocal AIDS Action Network, an advocacy group in her hometown. She was chosen to attend the G8 Summit as a delegate to both Gleneagles, Scotland in 2005, and to St. Petersburg, Russia in 2006, to urge World Leaders to keep their promises to Africa and fully fund AIDS initiatives. In 2007 Shayne was featured in a commercial with Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Matt Damon. Shayne has been interviewed by CNN, NBC, and was quoted and pictured in The Wall Street Journal (2006). Shayne traveled to Capitol Hill for a photo shoot which was featured in the Africa issue of Vanity Fair (July 2007) with ONE members such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Pastor Rick Warren, Matt Damon, and NAACP chairman Julian Bond. Shayne has traveled to Honduras and to Africa twice to see first-hand the devastating effects of AIDS and extreme poverty on communities.
Shayne was raised in Wheaton, IL. She graduated from Wheaton College in 1992 and moved to Los Angeles during the riots to teach school in the inner city. After returning home Shayne slowly completed a Master of Arts in Theology while her children were babies. Shayne still lives in Wheaton with her husband John and three children, JD (14), Greta (12) and Thomas (9) spending most of her days driving carpool and doing mountains of laundry.
Saturday, February 5, 2011

sick and snice

Sweet baby Abe has been sick for a week.  It started with the crud and quickly headed downward.  He is getting some cuddle time with his big bro. :)
At the Dr. two days in a row.  Still trying to smile for the camera, but definitely not himself. :(
Ok, I am officially miserable!  Back at Dr who quickly sends us to Cooks to get IV fluids.
After they finally got my IV in.....cried pretty hard.  Didn't like that it took a few tries to get it in.
Felt much better after several hours of fluids running through my veins. :) The Dr and nurse still never saw my trademark grin, but they still thought I was pretty cute.
 We had FOUR days of no school due to the storm that blew through here.  Texans tend to over react in winter weather.  It doesn't help that the meteorologist are constantly using words like "treachorous"to beg you to stay home.

Snow days are fun, but snice (thank you David McDurham, I stole the word) not so much.  Much more ice than there is fun snow for the kids to play in.  I really have to hand it to you parents that live in places that this is typical weather.  Getting all of them geared up to go outside and play, then the mess they make as they come inside to warm up- it is a pain....... :)
Avery's darling little snowman.  She was determined to make one and since there was more ice 
We did get beautiful snow yesterday that redeemed the ice days.  The sun is finally out and I expect days more to come of wiping up wet floors.:)

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"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from becoming polluted by the world." James 1:27
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