Catch up on the Clantons

So much has been going on over here!

First let me tell you that $1305 has come in directly either by checks from you all or folks in our church!!!   AND at least $365 has gone directly to Life2Orphans from you guys!!!!!  So all together we have raised $1665!  Only need $335 to meet our $2000 goal!   I'm so grateful to everyone who has participated.  This will make a huge difference in the orphans and caregivers lives no matter what happens politically in Ukraine!  Thank you!

if you would like to give here's how


 Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund or Well fund

 or directly to L2O

http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal! Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!


https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

Friday I got a call from school.  They thought Shad had pink eye.  Thursday was NOT a good day for him as he had " scoring violations" and "failed" two books.  First the scoring violations means when he checked his daily work, he did not correct his mistakes.  This is a big deal at his school based on the curriculum they use.  It's almost like cheating by default.  He wants to rush through and get done instead of going back and correcting his work.  The failure to score correctly caused him to score an "80" on math and an "85" on English.  I know those are passing marks BUT since he is a full year ahead in his books (he is in 5th grade but almost in 6th grade work in all areas) he is required to make a "94" or above to ensure he is understanding FULLY his work before he moves on.  Before school started, I warned him NOT to do this again as he got in trouble for it last year over & over again.  The consequences would be prolong recess & lunch detention and not being allowed to go on the numerous field trips.  That was only TWO weeks ago......  So Thursday night he cried and cried about all of this.  I thought maybe his eye was red from all the drama and crying but I took him to the doctor to be safe.  Come to find out, he has cellulitis around the eye!  This is the 5th time he has had that in 2 years!  He usually gets it on his legs.  Anyhow thanks to the meds and eye drops, his eye is back to normal.  He is still on restriction with me!  No TV at home either.......

Saturday Steve did a speech at a golf fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.  He was incredibly nervous.   Jon and I do not have a shy bone in our bodies and love to be on stage, it's very natural for us.  For me, I grew up "performing" in church.  Almost every Wednesday night, I was called on to sing, read/recite  a poem, or do something.  I was in plays.  Jon grew up with lots of confidence, I can't remember him saying he was ever nervous about speaking or being in front of people.  He loves being on tv (more than me LOL)  Well Steve is NOT like us.  We never pushed him to overcome his shyness because we do think some people just do not want to be up front.  The fact he actually agreed to doing a speech shocked me.  But he loves the people he works with at HH, not just for what they are doing for us but just how accepted he is there with the workers. 

So he had dreaded this speech ever since he agreed to it.  I helped to write the speech but he really worked on it.  He has a lovely deep voice.  A friend of ours keeps saying he should go into radio and listening to him (at least 100 times LOL) I agree, he has a smooth voice.  We were not planning on going with him because I thought it might make him MORE nervous for us to be there.  But Friday he asked me to go and Shad wanted to go too. 

So yesterday morning we went to beautiful Lake Jolivet's Golf  & Country Club.  The parking lot was FILLED, I had to reassure him not everyone was there for the fund raiser.  First there was a breakfast, I've never seen him eat so little. I was so nervous for him I couldn't eat much either.  However Shad had no sympathy for his brother and piled his plateS HIGH!  

Then to make things worse there was a long auction.  One good thing it did get people laughing and interacting so the audience was warmed up for Steve.  But he wanted to get the speech over with. 

Steve did a fantastic job!  People responded, as I looked around, many were wiping their eyes as I was too.  He shared from his heart what Habitat for Humanity means for our family & it was so sweet.  Steve told our family story in a concise manner with enough detail so the listener could get the picture.  He did so good, they've asked him to speak at their yearly banquet in March!   He is now worrying about that speaking engagement LOL!



                                                                                 





                                                                     there were probably 120 people there all together....    

 

 

He's smiling now that it is over!

 

 

 Last night I got to go out with one of my besties:)  Friends for 29 years since we roomed together in college.  What a blessing to have a friendship like that....and the fact we still love each other!!!  

 

Today was church and that is always busy...afterwards we met Jon's brother and his family for lunch in Lakeland and ran into two friends at Olive Garden:)   I LOVE going to Lakeland, you'll always run into someone you know. 

BTW, except for Sundays our family has gone without eating out for TWO full weeks!!!!!!!!!!  I did go out Saturday night and Steve went out a couple of times with friends but I don't' count that:)  I've been working hard to cook big suppers so there are leftovers for lunch the next day.  Once I'm in the groove, it works!

I've kept up my walking, at least two miles a day (except for this weekend)  I'm near 75 miles walked on the course in the past 6 weeks!!!!!   I like keeping track of my miles walked, it gives me a goal. 

So that is our last few days in a nutshell....Hope you had a good weekend!!!!

$645 to go!!!!!

So far I have $930 in hand with more that I know is coming in and readers have given directly to Life2Orphans, Inc. a total of $225 =$1155 so far!!!!!! I'm sure of another $200 so including that is $1355 ONLY $645 to go to reach the $2000 goal to help build a well in Druz Orphanage in Ukraine!!! Thank you to all who have helped. This means so much to me. My girls would be there right now if we had not adopted them. There are almost 500 mainly special needs orphans there with their caregivers and little water or food. Many children we

know personally.....if you would like to give here's how


 Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund or Well fund

 or directly to L2O

http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal! Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!


https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

This makes me HAPPY!!!!!!!

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Has strange computer issues yesterday.  Steve had to redo our whole computer/internet system, glad he knows what to do.  It's beyond me-mainly cuz I get too annoyed with it!

Well I had all kinds of blogs written in my head yesterday LOL but this morning I'm just focused on how happy I am that the money is coming in for the Well!  I'm very thankful!  It just thrills my heart to be able to do something for them that is LONG lasting.  The well if done correctly will be there for years to come.  We don't know what will happen in Ukraine but the well will be there to bless the orphans and the caregivers and maybe people in the area in the months and years to come.  That makes me happy.

Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart!!!!!!!!!

Jesus is Coming SOON!

Got great news today!  A friend was able to sell an old car and is donating $300 to the WELL Challenge!!!  So including what has gone directly to Life2Orphans, we have raised $ 1055 and only have $945 to go to hit our goal of $2000!  I'm so thankful to all my friends for helping us out on this!  It will be a blessing to the orphanage now and in the future!

You can be a part also

You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz WELL  fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

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Lately I feel like this world is in the most chaos since WWII, certainly things have never been like this in my lifetime before.  Daily, almost hourly, the news is just awful!  One awful thing will replace another thing on the news.  Do we even remember there is a missing jet with hundreds on it?  Now there are 11 missing jets from Libya and September 11 th is in days. 

 

Nothing but bad news from overseas.  We have ISIS and Putin.....plus all the other countries that hate us.  We have major border issues, scandals in government. gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, abortions ...... the list could go on and on.....    I think the majority of us are expecting something bad to happen in the United States or in one of our Allied nations.

 

BUT God is still on His throne.  He is not affected by the worlds' events.  He still holds our futures. 

 

I feel that it is a strong likelihood that we are living in the last days.  Jesus's return maybe very soon. I know we are not to try and force current events to line up with scriptures but it doesn't seem to be hard to look at this world and think that scripture has been fulfilled, the signs point to His soon return. 

 

As uncertain as life is anyhow and even more so now...take the time to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins.    He will hear you and answer you.  Then you will know peace in spite of any storm around you. 

 

When I was a kid growing up, there was a lot of emphasis on the Return of Christ.  The preachers would preach about it, the singers would sing about it, the Sunday School teachers would teach about it.  Then the focus changed in the 80's.....you didn't hear so much about the Rapture.  And even still there is not so much talk about it....  But it is in the Bible.  That is why I believe it.

 

There is purely a personal experience, I had a dream about the rapture.  It was an amazing dream and very real to me then and now as I remember it.  The eastern sky actually pulled back like someone opening a curtain on a play.  And then I saw Jesus and felt myself lift off the ground.  I had that dream probably 30 years ago and it is still vivid to me.  

 

The Rapture may not happen in my life time, I don't know but I know I want to live my life so I'm ready to stand before God whether whenever I go there.  I encourage you to do the same. 

Gifts

Wow!  I got a beautiful message today from Lisa in Texas, who sent in $125 directly to Life 2 Orphans!  And I got TWO cards today!  One from Sherri in Florida for $20 and one from Nancy in Rochester ( the sweetest town) for $25!   So thus far we have raised $755!  We only have $1245 to go to have the $2000 for the well for the Druz Orphanage!!!!

You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz WELL  fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

 

 

I'm so happy to be helping out by raising money for this great cause.  I guess I should rename it the Clean Water Bucket Challenge.....

 

Thank you for all your giving! 

 

I think of how life is and how God orders our steps.  Had we not said YES to God when He brought Sarah across our paths, then we would have missed out on Selah and all the wonderful people we met in Ukraine.  Obviously we never knew what was ahead for Ukraine, but God knit us together with others and now we can help those ones while they are going through hard times.  We are so glad to be able to do something for the people we care about in Ukraine.  The orphans have our hearts.  I can not think too deeply about the dangers facing these children that we know and care for or I find I can not hardly stand it.  All we can do is pray and do what we can from afar. 

 

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Today was a better day for me.  Grief is like a riptide.  Riptides happen in Florida all the time and we're taught to not fight it, go along with it and evidently you can get pass it and make it to shore.   The waves of grief do pass, and get smaller so they are bearable, thank God.  Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

 

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Do any of you have any contacts that could help out a little girl in the Philippines?   She is 5 years old and has Ewings Sarcoma.  It is in her arm and she is in much pain.  I'm in a group trying to get her medical help.  Do you have any contacts in the US that could operate and give her cancer treatment?????  Or do you have any contacts that could help her get to the US?  she has a family, she is not an orphan but a ministry called Maya's Hope is the ones who found out about her desperate situation.  Please contact me if you can help in any way! 

theclanton5@aol.com

 

 

Hope you are having a good week.  We are back to school/work/walking.....I like a schedule, I find we all function so much better with one:)

 

 

 

 

 

Waves of Grief

This morning I woke up missing Selah.  Missing the funny little girl who loved to eat, play with toys, follow Sam around, look in the mirror at all her new clothes.  The little girl we only learned about 6 weeks before we left for Ukraine.  The surprise for a mama who was used to having 3 boys....and who ended up with 2 girls....  We live in limbo....we still have Selah here, but in so many ways she is not here.  I feel I've missed out on the past two years, the time we would have been bonding and I know Selah has missed out. 

If you would have told me that I'd have to deal with a near drowning of one of my kids and live like this, in this limbo world, I would have never thought I could have stood it.  There are times when the waves of grief sweep over me in such a way I just want to go and cry, I feel like I can't breath or even stand.  Today, I don't know anything that triggered it.  It's a holiday long weekend, I slept in instead of going walking because I got to bed too late last night.  Steve was out with some friends and I can't sleep till he gets home.  Nothing bad is going on.....but the wave came as I opened my eyes this morning.  Maybe I had a half remembered dream.....but I woke up remembering the accident.   I just laid there and prayed that God would heal her.  That He'd bring her all the way back to us.  Then I worried if God healed her, she'd have a leg that is shorter than the other due to the hip surgery.  Then I though if God heals her mind, He can take care of the leg too. 

You may wonder how or why I am not angry with God about the accident or that she hasn't been healed but I really am not.  Don't know why but the Grace of God....

Funny thing, I dream about Selah more than any of the other kids.  She is always in my dreams, whole and back to her normal little self.  Sometimes there are just glimpses of her that I remember of the dream, sometimes the whole thing focuses on her....

She was our surprise child, we were going to add a little boy to our adoption of Sarah and then he got adopted before we left for Ukraine and Selah's info was given to us.  Jon fell for her immediately.  I was a tiny bit hesitant because she wasn't blind and I didn't know how to deal with a delayed child who wasn't blind.  Ok I know that sounds crazy but.....   It only took me a couple of days for the joy to set in of having two little girls.  Me, who'd been the only girl ever in the family!  After three boys, having girls was like a dream! 

Then getting them and everything being so wonderful....then the accident....

It's always seemed like a fairytale gone wrong.... and I've said over and over that "this can not be the ending"  I'm waiting for the fairytale ending, the little princess waking up......

We as a family go on, we live, we love, we do life....but there is an empty spot there.  Even tho she is home with us, it's nowhere near the same.  There is like a dark cloud hanging over us.  Oh we cope, because of the grace of God but it's there.  Having nurses in our home 24 hours a day is a blessing and at times hard.  We've never had the luxury of being alone since the day of the accident.  Then we were staying at Ronald McD House....it's not like I could just have an emotional breakdown and go screaming down the halls.

I said in the beginning, that I never would be truly happy again on this earth and it's true.  I have joy and love but happiness, a feeling that all is perfect, will never be mine again. 

Today must have been a hard day for several families, I noticed on FB that one of my friends who has a daughter who was in a near drowning had a hard day as well as a friend who lost his son to a rare disease both made comments about their situations. 

Life can be so hard.

God's hand still holds me tightly and I cling to the hope of eternity.  I really cling, that's my hope.  There is something beyond this life, there is a day coming when every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more death.  Everything will be made right. 

I'm not the best apologist (a person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial.  or a Christian theology which attempts to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defending the faith against objections.)   Which means I don't have all the answers but I KNOW in my heart that God is REAL and that His word is true.  And I'm so very thankful for that knowing.....

I still ask you to pray for Selah.  Pray that God will restore her to us.....  thank you....

Don't Forget!

Great news!  $585 has come in for the WELL Challenge!  I'm trusting that the remaining $1415 will come in this next week!  I want to see $2000 raised so the orphanage can have a well!  A reminder you can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

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Busy Sunday as always.  Sundays are NOT days of rest for a pastor's family!  But I'm glad that tomorrow is a holiday and everyone is off so we can relax together.

 

Hope you've had a good weekend and a restful day tomorrow for my US friends!

 

 

 

 

Sweet Sarah

Usually I sit on the floor and fed Sarah in my lap.  When she first came home, I put her in a high chair but she hurt her legs one time with a teacher because it was so hard to lift her up and out.  she was too little to sit at our table so it just seemed natural to sit on the floor and put her in my lap.  I feel like she is getting "emotionally fed" at the same time I'm meeting her physical needs.  I'm not sure she had anyone hold her while she was being fed in the orphanage. 

Well this morning, I had fed her breakfast late and was getting lunch for everyone else and she scooted into the kitchen.  First of all she moves herself by doing a hop/crawl which is fine in the living room as there is nothing she can bump into but the kitchen has the big table and chairs.  Also the cabinets and the floor are almost the same color and I think that confuses her as we believe she can see colors/big objects.  PLUS she HATED the wooden floor and tries to avoid it when possible.  So for her to come ALL the way deep into the kitchen, scooting on her bottom was just adorable.   I said her name and she answered me back with her little noise that sounds like "Unhuh"  she had never done anything like this before and we just loved it!   I sat her in the big chair and fed her lunch early:)  I thought she needed a treat!   She was smiling the whole time. 

I love to see Sarah do new things and to see her happy.  We have such a bond, I'm so blessed to have this little sweet girl as my daughter.  Unless you are around her, it would be hard to believe how easy going and sweet natured she is.  When we brought her home, in the back of my mind I did wonder "when was the honeymoon going to be over?"  Well after 2 years....it's still on:)    I'd love her no matter what, don't get me wrong, but there is something so unique about Sarah.   Who would have known that the little blind girl in the "bedridden" room had so much love inside of her to give? 

If I sit down in the living room, Sarah comes straight to me to sit on my lap.  It used to be she wanted to be in her favorite rocking chair, now she just wants to be on my lap.  We kid around that we will have to buy one of those massive Lazy Boys recliners/rockers as she gets older so we will have enough room!   I feel VERY loved!   Sometimes I'll try and be really quiet when I come in but we think she sees enough shadow/light to figure things out and she'll come hopping/crawling to me.   What a treasure she is!

It amazes me how she has such a capacity to love.  With everything she went through, and including her very low IQ, the way she handles emotions and love is just amazing.  There is no other word for it.  It's like she was totally unscathed by the years of neglect.  There are things she doesn't know how to do, like kiss or even hug but she snuggles up into my arms. And she pats us on the back constantly. She loves to touch my face and will rub it. It is so sweet. 


One other thing about Sarah and Sam both, they respond to Christian music and preaching in an unique way.  Sarah twirls on the floor and claps her hands BUT only to Christian songs!  We have tested her over and over again.  The only song she has responded to that was not a Christian song is the song that begins the  Duck Dynasty show LOL.....I think that is a ZZ Top song LOL

Sam LOVES preaching.  He likes the old time Pentecostal preaching with all the extras added in:)  I have seen him sit for a solid hour watching a DVD of someone preaching.  He particularly likes Tommy Bates, a fiery Church of God preacher.  He also likes to hear his daddy who is not quite that loud or exuberant.   Sam will get upset if there is a guest minister UNLESS the minister is a very loud one! 

It is so unusual to see this type of response in children with all of their challenges. It's like there is something inside of them that yearns for God.   Jon and I really hold these things in our hearts, not quite sure of what to make of them but very humbled and grateful for these sweet glimpses into their little souls.


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Please don't forget about the WELL CHALLENGE!!!!!

 You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

 

Life2Orphans has already sent $1200 to help with the food shortage!   L2O is right in there as always doing everything that can be done for the orphans of Ukraine.  I'm so thankful for this organization!!!!!

 

My goal is to raise the $2000 needed for the well repairs and their goal is to raise $3000 to help with the other needs just for the one orphanage alone that our girls would be at right now if we had not adopted them. 

 

Right now I have $300 towards the $2000 goal!!!!  I have the faith it will all come in and come in quickly!!!!!