Love's Lullaby

Lately, I've been fighting back sighs every time I exhale on behalf of the beautiful children on Reece's Rainbow. I'm aching for them, for how much I want to be able to call them my brothers and sisters or one day my children, or watch them thrive adopted by parents in my own home town. How do you deal with such devastating pain (and their pain is so infinitely much greater than any I might feel on their behalf), yet still walk in the joy of the Lord?

I’m singing you a lullaby

That you will never hear

A bleeding love, a longing groan,

Are whispered in your ear

A sighing pain in you and I,

From distant, foreign lands

Are all that’s left from our souls’ cry

“Jesus, move Your hand”

Yet while we sorrow, still we serve

In ways we cannot see

God makes noble what was base

And Sings a comedy

The Voice that made the stars to dance

And brought the sun to life

Can I hear singing over you

all this dark, moonless night

His perfect love relieves your shame

And casts out all your fear

He’s singing you Love’s lullaby,

He makes your ears to hear

Dedicated to: Avery, Mara, Sofia, Maggie, Evan, Martin and so many many others.

It is foolishness to think that perhaps our compassion is superior to the compassion of the One who created it. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

a little bit of Wednesday

"Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't believe they exist."

-Wesley in The Princess Bride

So, today I was hanging out with Wednesday, and we were detectives defending the city from the Lord of the Spiders. Right. Just your everyday babysitting adventure. Anyway, I chose a catapult to ward of the bad guys, but Wednesday? The old weapons just aren't good enough for her.

Wednesday: "I'll take my knife (it was a plastic toy, folks) and this Rodent Thrower! Its stocked with a million google google thousand million rodents already in there!"

Prestocked Rodent Throwers. Brilliant.

We have no idea...

...the way that God is going to use and bridge relationships in our lives.

Uganda:

was pretty much amazing.

But one of the most amazing things about it I didn't expect in the least. During our week there we visited a little baby cottage called Amani. I had the great priviledge of meeting a sweet little girl there named Josephine. My friend Elle told me that little Josie Love, as she was to be called, was being adopted by another family that lives right in our town! Josie's adoption story is amazing, and I followed her family's blog during the process because I couldn't believe how awesome it was that even though I had never met the family, (and still haven't) God had introduced me to Josie Love half way around the world! Anyway, Josie's big sister, Grace, just wrote an amazing guest post on her mom's blog about what life has been like for her family since Josie has been home. I encourage everyone to go read it at: http://joiningthejourney.blogspot.com/ , and remember that God's plan is so infinetly much bigger and more beautiful than the little peice that we can fit inside our brains.

2 Corinithians 4:16

For those of you who can't tell, that little tiny bit of ice is the very last of our igloo. Click on the "igloo" label on the side bar to see the whole igloo story. It's amazing how many lessons God hides in even the simplest things.

"So we do not loose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."

~2 Corinthians 4:16~

ps. this is also the verse that I'm praying over my little reece's rainbow boy, Prayer.

!

I.

Just.

Got.

My.

License!!!!!!!!

its 12:30 in the morning.....

and I just finished my second draft of proof two for the thesis paper. Whoo hoo!

Now, I probably only have to edit that portion of the paper one more time before its ready!

Now................ on to proof three....................

Gotta love high school.

A map

Sometimes, people ask: "So what are you going to do?"

And then you start to worry. You have big dreams, but they aren't very practical. You don't have a map.

And then, by God's grace, you remember: "In his heart a man plans his way, but the Lord ESTABLISHES his steps."

You rejoice, because you don't need a map to answer "What are you going to do?" because what your steps are established by the Lord. You only need to be able to answer: "Who are you going to be?" Because that is what matters anyway.

Mission Photo Monday: a little mission

Mother Teresa Orphanage, Ethiopia
Kidmia, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Walliso, Ethiopia

These pictures were taken last summer in Ethiopia.

When someone says "Ethiopia", or, "Africa", particularly referring to the Eastern and Horn of Africa area, what do you envision? Famine? Deserts? Desolation? Barren land? Death?

While all of these things are accurate descriptions of some parts of of Africa some of the time, my love for Eastern Africa and the African people drives me to want my friends and family to see the beauty of Africa. So, a little mission that I have whenever the opportunity presents itself is to share the beauty that the Lord has given to His children in Africa.

"The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world, and those who dwell there in, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers."

~Psalm 24:1~

There is no part of the Creation that does not reflect the glory of the Lord. Even in the wilderness, we see His face. And usually it is in the wilderness that we see Him most clearly of all.

Wednesday

Wednesday on the Trampoline

Every Wednesday I babysit this totally adorable but very strong willed and expressive little girl who I love to pieces. And she never fails to say something beyond hilarious each week. My mom suggested that I blog about my time with her every week so that I can go back and read all of the funny things she said. Here I'll call her Wednesday.

Today I babysat another little girl along with Wednesday.

Other Girl: (Singing)

Wednesday: That is just scribble scrabble singing, you're just making it up and it doesn't even have words!

Me: Wednesday, don't be mean, her singing is beautiful.

Wednesday: She is just making it up!!!

Me: Making up songs is good! Your dad makes up songs all the time that we sing at church.

Wednesday: No he doesn't! He just thinks of them and writes them down!




BAHAHAHAHA!

Glad we're all clear on the difference between making songs up and "just thinking of them and writing them down"

Names... again :)

So, I just finished reading Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman.

Fabulous. Absolutely amazing. One of my very favorite books I've ever read.

ANYWAY,

the heroine's name in the book has caused me to ponder more baby names, as I have said that I am wont to do quite often. :) I LOVE the character, she is the best example of a chivalrous women in any story that I've ever read.

Edith.

Well, what do you think? I've never liked it before, but I'm kind of head-over heels in love now.

Isn't it interesting how a character or a person can totally change the way you think about a name?

Oh, and Edith means "Rich Battle" or "Prosperous in War"

Psalm 43

"At Thy sacred altar bending, God, my God, my

boundless joy,

Harp and voice, in worship blending,

For Thy praise will I employ.

O my soul, why art thou grieveing?

What disquiets and dismays?

Hope in God;

His help recieving,

I shall yet my Savior praise."

(Text: Psalm 43, The Psalter, 1912; Music: Gregory Wilbur 2008, based on BLAENHAFREN, traditional Welsh melody. C2008 Greyfriars Press. Parish Presbyterian Church)

Mission Photo Monday: Ecaudor

In 2005, my dad went on a mission trip to Ecuador.

It was one of the trips that God used to prompt our family to adopt as Dad witnessed poverty at the 3rd world level.

All of the pictures from his trip make me amazingly happy, because my dad has the biggest heart of service of anyone that I've ever met. He would (and has) happily give the shirt off of his back to anyone in need and best of all, he would do it in secret. The biggest lesson that my dad has taught me about service is that true love and true servant hood is humble.

Isaiah 40:6-8

"A voice says, "Cry!"

And I said, "What shall I cry?"

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of

the feild.

The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

The grass wither, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand

forever."

~Isaiah 40:6-8~

Sillyness

Around the corner,

Or down the street



You'll find with all the kids you meet,

Though maybe living far or near,

One attribute is very clear:

KIDS. ARE. SILLY!!!

Persevere

...even when you feel like you're falling apart

haha

My brother and I had a conversation.

Joseph: "My friends and I are gonna start a band."

Me: "Can I name it?!?!?"

Joseph: "Psh, no. You'd probably call it the Happy Africans or something, but we're all white and grumpy."

He cracks me up. I love you, Joey.

Mission photo Monday

This Mission Photo was taken only about 30 minutes away from my house, but I think it was probably the most fulfilling mission experience that I've ever been a part of. A team of youth and a adults from my church and school spent a week at "camp" this summer with a group of Muslim refugees from Africa whose people group and name I can't share. :( We spent 5 days just hanging out with them and with each other and I witnessed my dear friends sharing the Gospel to the kids and to each other with out EVER using words to express God's love. The camp and the people were RADIANT with the Gospel, so much more, even, than if we had been able to use our tongues. The purpose of this adventure was to build relationship with these people so that eventually we will be able to tell them about Christ and that truth will fall on ears that are open and prepared to accept because they already trust us. We have followed through twice so far since last June and spent a day with them on two different occasions. We are working on maybe taking a tip to the zoo in March and then planning another week long camp for July.

The point?

I've always heard "you can be a missionary wherever you live, you don't have to travel far away to share the Gospel".... and that always kind of got to me, because I was actually burdened to travel far away. However, not to belittle 3rd world mission trips, sometimes the most amazing things really do happen right in our own towns. I think its harder for us to accept that because we aren't always looking to see and be the hands of Christ while we're still in our comfort zones. At least it is for me.

Hero Monday: The Eskimos

How on earth

they ever did it
without the

wooden rafters

is beyond us. :)