7:14 am

No one is too cool for me to be nice to them.

That thought just struck me like a load of bricks. It stemmed from a conversation that mom and I had last night about people thinking that you're discriminating against them, when really you just feel incompetent.

But,

No on is too cool for me to be nice to them.

???

Sooo, what were we doing?

Several months ago God gave me this idea to have a adoption/orphan care meeting back in November for my church to encourage our body to grow more in the way that we care for orphans.

Of course, my little fundraising, trip planning, vision voicing, high expectations brain immediately said: "Oh, and we'll sell T-shirts! And we'll have it at the church and it will be totally filled up! Maybe it could be a 2-day conference! And we'll have videos! And worship! And it will be the best thing ever!"

"Uh, Audrey? Hello? Aren't you going to listen to what I think you should do? Come down off of your high horse and sit and watch Me work."

Riiiiiiiight.

The Lord used the advice, talents and input of other people in my lovely covenant community to make this event exactly what God wanted for it to be. Small. Organic. Intentional. Relational. Foundational. Simple.

Thank you Lord for not letting me have my way. Thank you Lord for doing this work apart from me and for letting me be just one little tool. Thank you for Tori and her family for their encouragement and willingness to help with food. Thank you Mom for literally forcing me to do parts of this that I was afraid of and for spending hours cleaning the house and cooking delicious Ethiopian food. Thank you Lizzie for being a rock and a comfort. Thank you Mrs. Dokkestul for being the most encouraging, helpful, passionate about ministry person on the planet. Thank you Mr. Nelson for being willing to speak about our church's adoption fund which you helped create and for writing about it. Thank you Pauli for making delicious baklava, for being so fun, and for being willing to write the section on child sponsorship in the pamphlet so last minute. Thank you Mrs. Hensley for being willing and open to share your adoption story and your precious family with us. Thank you Tammy Bass for coming out of your way to people that you don't know to share about your passion and your work with Bethany Christian Services. Thank you Mrs. Smith for being so sweet and willing to help. Thank you Kathryn for bringing your whole family and being ready to speak LAST MINUTE about pro-life advocacy. Thank you thank you everybody.

It was a blast.

And totally do-able. I Am One folks and Next Generation folks-- you guys could start something like this for your church. Its beautiful. And its totally the Lord's work.

"Hey Joseph?"

Tonight in the car:

Michael: "Hey Joseph?.....Joseph?.......Hey Joseph?.....Hey Joseph?"

Joseph (finally): yesss?

Michael: "Hey Joseph, do you like to kiss little tiny baby dinosaurs?"

What we've been doing this weekend and Mission Photo Monday!

Well, first off, we have been flying kites this weekend. It was super fun and Michael and Julia loved it.

Secondly, my parent's accidently wore matching clothes one day this weekend, and I thought it was cute...

...so I took some pictures of them when they weren't looking.

Disclaimer: my parents do not EVER intentionally match each other. That would be frightfully cheesy I'm afraid.

Thirdly, and on to this week's Mission Photo Monday, what do you think is going on in our living room?!?!?

(Can you see me sitting in the corner with my amazing friend, Lizzie?)

Take a guess at WHAT this mission was! I'll tell you soon. :)

Celebrating Sergei!

We raised $60.65 for Sergei this March!!!!!!! Welcoming the spring with new hope for a family for Sergei-boy!

Sergei and I say: "THANK YOU!!!!"

The Music of the Cosmos

I turned off the radio

and heard to my surprise,

a beautifully strange silence,

alone, along my drive

Music that I recognized

from the road and the tires

and the wind rolling past me

gently, along my drive

Melodies of early Spring,

young sprouts, just arrived,

notes made by the budding trees

played, along my drive

The sprinkling, sparkling rain drops

And the sunshine in my eyes,

wove a lovely harmony

and sung, along my drive

The tune of child-like laughter,

and friendships weaving rhyme,

breath and life and growing things

took voice, along my drive.

And listening even closer

I heard the voices cry,

A great cloud of witnesses

praising, along my drive

With joy I finally realized,

as houses passed me by,

the Music of the Cosmos

was there, along my drive

Look who's home!!!!

Looking at goodies his friends brought him in the hospital. Is that a little glint of jealous awe I see in sweet, welcoming little sister? :) Hey, maybe the hospital is more fun than she thought....

Happy, healthy, and silly as ever--- of course refusing to give me a real smile, but he was so cute and happy to be home and seeing everyone that I thought I'd post these pictures anyway.

Thanks for praying! We still don't have answers (perhaps in a couple of days...) but we do have a happy boy! Love you, Michael. Glad to have you and mom home!

First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring. Unfortunately, my mom is in the hospital with Michael (long story) and my dad is driving 3 and 1/2 hours each way to a boy scout trip that my brother was on because he got sick as well.

So, it was a girls day at our house, and one of the first really fair days of the year. We watched Princess and the Frog, cleaned the upstairs with music on and all the windows open, and then went on a quick walk around the neighborhood as the sun was setting.

And, like a good responsible sister, I totally forgot Julia's helmet. Lela Grace scootered home to get it. Julie-babe wasn't especially happy about that.

But she got over it.

And we had a successful walk.

Can you guys pray for my sweet Michael? He has some mystery medical thing going on, and we are hoping that this round of illness (every time he gets a stomach bug he ends up in the ER) will help us get some answers. Anyway, just that he would feel better and be free from fear.

Thanks.

French Braid Attempt

Emphasis on the word attempt.

She has lovely hair, though.

Anne of Green Gables

"But Anne, with her elbows on the windowsill, her soft cheek laid against her clasped hands, and her eyes filled with visions, looked out unheedingly across city roof and spire to that glorious dome of sunset sky and wove her dreams of a possible future from the golden issue of youth's own optimism. All the Beyond was hers and its possibilities lurking rosily in the oncoming years-- each year a rose of promise to be woven into an immortal chaplet."

Sergei

Remember him? This little boy as well as his 9 year old sister have changed my perspective about people with special needs and given me a passion for Reece's Rainbow (even though he is biological) and kids with Down Syndrome.

I was blessed beyond measure to snuggle this little cutie again tonight for quite a while. He has grown and gotten so much stronger since about a month ago! I'm proud of him. He was in a super happy and unbelievably adorable mood this evening. He looks a older than this picture too, I wish you could see his ear-to-ear smile.

Tonight, this little man was smothered with kisses and cuddled and admired by about 30 people. He is appreciated and accepted and valued. But what about Sergei?

How amazing would it be to see this little one happy and loved by a family and a covenant community?

Sergei and I have been very blessed by those of you who have responded and wanted to help support his adoption fund. And we'd like to remind you that "we do not loose heart, though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

21.3.10 Warrior

This is Sergei. He is an orphan with Down Syndrome on Reece's Rainbow. I have committed to being a 21.3.10 warrior for Sergei.

Reece's Rainbow promotes special needs adoption. One of their primary focuses is getting people involved and aware about orphans with down syndrome and providing opportunities to raise support for their adoption funds.


The 21.3.10 project allows a person to commit to a child with Down Syndrome to try to get as many people as possible to give support (specifically 21$) on behalf of specific children.


March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, to honor the 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome in Down Syndrome. If any of you would like to be a part of my little mission from now 'til March 22 (the day after) to raise funds for sweet Sergei, please email me at ama2@bellsouth.net and check out http://reecesrainbow.com/ to learn more about the 21.3.10 project.

EDIT**** The blue stuff on Sergei's face and arms: its medicine that they put on cuts and stuff in the orphanage. Just so you all know. :)

March Challenge

Hi everybody!

Several months ago I wrote about my blog friend Molly, and her amazing mission on http://thisnextgeneration.blogspot.com/ . Her challenge this month is to follow the Biblical mandate in found in 1 Thessalonians which reads: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." ~1 Thessalonians 5:11~. She is challenging us to all write 2 letters (to different people), that are missionaries or adoptive families. Please go check out her blog to see what she says about the importance of this mission, and start writin'!

Oh, and don't forget to blog about your experience!

It's called a Thesis Paper

... and its the result of my blood, sweat and tears for the last five months. Yes, five. Months.

I've learned so incredibly much from this paper, and there is a pretty great back story too, but I have nothing left in me tonight except a tired body, a bad cough, an amazing sense of euphoria, and a 24 page paper!

Talk to you folks sometime when I'm sane!

ps. this is only the first draft of the whole thing (there have been drafts of parts of it), when I'm really done is after my declemation in two weeks. Prepare yourselves for some crazy blog posts!