rejoicing

I had a great day yesterday. Much to my surprise I got a message that my first document for Nede that I have been waiting for for almost 4 months was complete! I rejoiced!

Nede went to bed and I was still on my high from the events of the day. I sat down to email my group of what I can “Prayer Warriors for Nede.”

Once I finally settled down I went to bed. As I snuggled under my mosquito net I decided to check my email on my phone one last time before nodding off to sleep.

Then I cried.

I cried because I got an email of encouragement and rejoicing from a women I have never met. Someone who has faithfully been emailing and supporting me because she also believes that God’s heart is to care for the least of these.

I cried because I got an email from one of my sisters close friends who has also adopted and she reminded me that there will be a day when I look back at these hard times and know each tear was worth it.

I cried because I got an email from my dear friends that will soon fly to Ethiopia to meet their daughter. We’re rejoicing together.

I cried because I got an email from a women whom I’ve met once. She and her husband hosted an event for me before I left Minneapolis where I shared the whole story of Nede’s mother and Nede. They now FAITHFULLY pray for me and encourage me and rejoice with even the smallest progress.

I get emails from people from so many different chapters of my life. And I am encouraged, moved and strengthened by this. God uses so many to speak to me through. In a dry and weary land, at time it’s God showing himself in these ways that helps me press on.

I must have fallen asleep with a smile on my face last night feeling cradled in His safe, strong arms. It’s such a joy to share this difficult, yet wonderful, experience with so many.

And then, I woke up this morning, rolled over to let Nede in bed with me and there, where my back had been, was a dead cockroach!

Nice.

And so continues my journey.

George in Minneapolis

Hands @ Work: AIDS Crisis Response

Campus & Location:

Bethlehem Baptist Church Downtown, 114

Date & Time:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm

"Love God, Love your Neighbor"—How do the two great commandments fit into the response of the global Church to the AIDS crisis in Sub-saharan Africa? Come hear George Snyman, founder of Hands At Work Africa, share about how his organization mobilizes the Church to care for AIDS orphans throughout Africa and what you can do to be a part.

For more information, contact Peter & Katie Steen (612-616-7465).

George coming to US

(taken from Hands at Work website- www.handsatwork.org Please notify me if you need to get further information and I can direct you to someone who knows)

Hands founder, George, to take a tour of 'duty' in the USA

George Snyman's six-week tour is underway. He will spending time in the UK and Canada before visiting the USA. Spending nearly three weeks in the country, he will be speaking in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minneapolis from 3 to 23 November.

George is known for being an encouraging - and sometimes challenging - speaker. He will not only be talking about Hands at Work, but also about our mandate as Christians to respond to poverty. Not to be missed!

Date Wednesday, 3 November

Venue University of Wisconsin-Madison with Poverty Stops Here

Time 08:00pm

Date Thursday, 4 November

Venue Grace in Racine, 3626 Hwy 31, Racine, WI

Time 07:00pm

Date Friday, 5 November

Venue Glenview Community Church, 1000 Elm Street, Glenview, IL

Time 07:00pm

Date Sunday, 21 November

Venue Cornerstone Community Church, Orange County

Time Both Sunday services

Date Tuesday, 23 November

Venue Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

Time 07:00pm

we’ve moved

and we’re happy we can call it our own

and it’s, yet again, a glimpse of God’s faithful provision

happy birthday nede

I think today is Nede’s 5th birthday. There’s some controversy but we’ve claimed it to be and we celebrated! I enjoyed it as much as Nede. As we ate cake and drank icy Coke from the bottle I looked around the room, not knowing (again) how I got here, but SO GRATEFUL for how God places the right people with me at the right moments in time. It was a joy to celebrate Nede’s birthday with my “Hands at Work family” and my dear friend Sarah.

Nede was overjoyed with her party- she changed dresses 3 times during the short celebration and Uncle Sal and Brother Jaap spoiled her with new earrings and hair accessories in which she modeled around all to beautifully, making me nervous for teenage years;) 

My mom made matching dresses for Nede and her doll- she’s so proud!

Our birthday guests- Uncle Sal, Brother Marc, me, Nede, Uncle Jaap, Paula and Uncle Stephen. Sarah was the photographer.

Lord, bless and protect Nede’s 5th year of life! Make a way for us to have many more celebrations together!

dear dara

Dear Dara,

I am your friends sister-in-law. I heard your story and am touch. I believe with you in what you are doing. The Lord will sustain you. I have read your story and it’s evident how the Lord has directed you. I, and my other Christian Sisters, are praying for you.

God Bless you and Nede, you’re in our prayers and we support you!

Love,

One Who Believes (a mother who has adopted)

*

Dear Dara,

I am your friend’s sister-in-laws friend. I heard your story and am touch. I believe with you in what you are doing. I believe it’s hard, waiting is difficult. It may sound trite to say, but the Lord’s timing is perfect, I have experienced this. My husband and I support what you are doing. Please know you are in our prayers and we want to rejoice with you when this is all said and done.

Blessings to you and Nede, you’re being prayed for.

Love,

Another Who Believes (a mother who has adopted)

*

Dear Dara,

I believe in what you are doing. You have heard my story and you’ve been touch. My timing is perfect. I know it’s hard but can you see where I am there with you? Rest in my arms and wait. I support you. I hear your prayers and the prayers of those who Believe. I am rejoicing over you and Nede.

I am blessing you.

Love,

The One Who Adopts (a father who has adopted)

*

These are 2 letters (summarized) that I recently received. The last is one that I believe I would received if things worked that way.

questions and no answers

Last week I was a part of a clothing distribution at one of the community-based organizations we work with. It’s nice to see piles of clothes and eager children come to receive something of their own. As wonderful as it all is I struggle being a part of this sort of thing.

And now, everything is in a different light.

Now as I watched hundreds of children dressed in shreds (that are grubbier than my worst household rags), I see Nede. I see Nede in each child I pass on the bush roads. I know Nede is no different from each of these children who doesn’t know where their next meal will come from. This is Nede. This is what Nede comes from. The only difference is that I have been given the opportunity to give Nede something more. I have taken in Nede with a determination to never again allow her to have to look, feel and experience what she comes from. 

But, I can’t help by break for the rest of these children? It hurts me to my core. Knowing I can’t “save” all the children I still have this strong conviction that each of these children deserves what I’m trying to give Nede. It’s not supposed to be this way!! It’s not even the clothes on her back that are important, it’s not the well-balanced meals I try to provide. What each of these children need is to hear someone singing over them, “I love you, I love you, Jesus loves you.” Each child deserves for someone to stand over them watching them sleep with a hand on their head blessing them. I, of course, hope that some of these children do get this in their homes.

All these children are orphaned or vulnerable children (OVC) which breaks my heart, they likely don’t know how much God adores them. They have all either lost a mom, a dad, or both. I don’t know what that would be like. I can’t imagine it.

It makes no sense. The more I experience I am left with more questions than answers. There’s suffering everywhere I look. There’s hurting and heartache. It’s really aweful BUT I praise God that in my obedience to be back here with Nede I do have moments like the other day when I sang “I love Nede!” and I heard in return, “I love Sista Dar-da!”  And when we pray when she’s in bed at night she often puts her little hand on the top of my head and jabbers on in prayer for quite some time. Sheesh, those moments are worth more than anything I can imagine.

I bet God wishes all of us could experience something so real—for ALL of His children, young and old.

Travis, Bees and a Plunger

I wish someone could tell me who Travis is.

It made me laugh when one of the guys came to the office one day wearing a new navy blue fleece with the name “Travis” embroidered on the right chest. I always find it humorous when someone wears a shirt, obviously intended for someone else. What’s even funnier is that Timosse isn’t the only one with this “Travis” shirt. I have now been noticing it EVERY where! “Travis” is at the market, “Travis” is at the office, “Travis” is at Shoprite, I passed “Travis” on the road, “Travis” is in Beira. Really, “Travis” is everywhere. The same navy blue fleece with a yellow sailboat. “Travis”.

I wish someone could tell me who “Travis” is and why he ever needed so many fleeces!

*

Bees!! I returned home from Chimoio to a lovely hum of a bazillion bees entering my roof and house, again! There’s a hole between the roof and exterior of the wall and apparently this seems like a nice place to call home!!! They aren’t welcome! I tried Carlos’s smoke technique, with little success. I used almost a whole can of “Doom Super (Deadly Killing Action)”—little success. I even parked the truck as close to the house as possible and then stood on the top of the truck to try to reach as close to the hole to spray the Doom. Finally the sun went down and they settled in, TO The HOLE! EESH, we’ll see what tomorrow brings!

*

I simply wanted to by a PLUNGER in town today. Our toilet is working ok but it doesn’t seem to have the oomph that it used to have so I’ve been thinking something was clogging it a bit. So, in Chimoio today I thought I would try to buy a plunger at Shoprite. As I looked I started to think about how a plunger probably isn’t that common here. Of course some people have flushing toilets but most don’t. To my delight Shoprite did have a plunger which I bought without hesitation. Well, after I fought the bees off for awhile I thought I would give it a whirl! WELL, I had no idea that a plunger could work SO terribly. It formed NO seal around the area it was supposed to plunge. I hopefully continued to try to “plunge” thinking it could “grab” a grip somewhere in the plunging action. NOPE, it actually wrinkled and inverted almost clogged the toilet itself! I surely never knew that there could be such a terrible plunger.

There’s always something.

Travis.

Bees.

Plungers.

a couple photos

Is she not beautiful??? Sheesh…I couldn’t get the little stinker to stop praying this morning to eat her breakfast! What a great “problem.”I’m trying to learn how to manage her hair! It’ll be  a process. :)

is this it?

I wonder how many times I have sung worship songs like—Lord, I give you my all. Take my life. All to Jesus I surrender. You are all that I need. You are my all in all. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Praise you in the storm. He gives and takes away…the list could go on.

I have sung, seemingly from the heart, many songs about how I would do anything for the Lord. I have said prayerfully that I would sacrifice EVERYTHING, surrendering it all to be in the midst of God’s will. It was pretty easy for me to sing those things when I was comfortable at Highlands church in Scottsdale or at Campus Crusade while in college surround by lots of fun-loving peers. The words have been pretty simple when I’m surrounded by family and friends which is often where I draw my strength. I sure feel willing when I am comfortable.

Now? Now I feel I am starring at the very words that I have sung. I’m now wondering if this is what I was agreeing to then. I thought they were from my heart all those times but now I wonder where that strength has gone. I sort of feel like I a hypocrite. Now, when my life is harder than it’s ever been, I feel alone, tired, frustrated, scared, overwhelmed, confused, burdened. Not knowing what to do with myself I now think back to all these songs I sing knowing that this is it. This is the time to do what I used to just sing about. And do I have it in me to do just that? To give it all up. To surrender to a plan that is completely out of my control. Will I really accept whatever the outcome may be? Will I really give up all “my” plans for what the Lord has for me? Surrender and sacrifice. For the first time, I am trying to understand their meanings and am wrestling with living them out in my life. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I knew what I was saying/singing before. I don’t know. I have doubts, many of them. I guess it’s good to leave the church (the physical building) and start to BE the church where I am. It’s more than a building isn’t it? This may be what it means to be a Christian. Perhaps I am now understanding the practicalities of what it means to be called by Christ. It’s not easy but there’s a verse that says, “When I am weak then He is strong.” Lord, I am giving you lots of room to be my strength! I’m learning it’s a journey and there’s lots of grace along the way. I’ll keep staggering on drawing on with those words I’ve recited many times.