Sarah's Covenant House-India

Our church youth group is getting ready for their Fine Arts District competition.  This year I have a son in it:)  Shad is playing the marimba.  This is a picture from practice last week.  They go to district next weekend.  Shad's excited about it.  Last year they made it to Nationals.  He has learned to play the marimba in two months.  I can barely say the word LOL much less play it!

I know I bring up many needs and good causes on my blog....  One that is near to my heart is Sarah's Covenant House in India.  We sponsor a beautiful 2 year old blind girl that is part of their program.   As part of the government crack down on child sex trafficking, the government asked all programs to quit showing pictures of the children's faces.  Since they complied with the government's guidelines their donations have dropped sharply.  I'm planning on giving more this month and was able to send in a donation that came in for orphan care through our church/my blog.  If you can give to them, please consider.  They do such an awesome job working with handicapped children.  In fact I often learn some pointers by reading some of their blogs!

 www.tinyurl.com/sch-paypal-link

https://www.facebook.com/schindia?fref=nf  

 

 

Thanks for giving!  If we all do a little, it equals up to a whole lot!

 

 

 

Nepal Earthquake & Hello Molly

So terrible to see this awful news of the strong earthquake in Nepal.  If you'd like to give to help out the affected families, Convoy of Hope is a great organization.  They are the humanitarian outreach of the Assemblies of God and give aid in the US and aboard when disasters strike. You can read about their work and donate at the website below.

http://www.convoyofhope.org/blog/features/disaster-response/responding-to-the-nepal-earthquake/




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We have a new family member....
MOLLY

My son's friend rescued her a few months ago.  She was a stray and was being attacked by pit bulls.  He took her and got her all her shots, and got her fixed.  He and his wife are moving and found it hard to keep her so we are adopting her.  At first we were just going to babysit for a few weeks.  We got her yesterday and she cried all night outside.  We'd put her on a long chain because we didn't know if she'd try and get out of the fence.  Evidently she did not like the chain.  We worked with her today and she is just the sweetest dog.  She was all worked up yesterday and didn't know what was going on but she is calm today and totally fits in:)  She doesn't chase the cats and listens to us.  Since Molly is only about a year old, we look forward to a long time with her:)

My husband named her after a dog he had when he was a boy- Molly.  I sure miss Brownie girl today, but I think that Molly will be another dog for our family to love.

I love animals, if you hadn't picked up on that yet.....  And I don't know if "all dogs go to heaven" but I'm awfully glad for the animals I've had in my life.  They have all been friends to me and companions.  It's never easy to say goodbye to one but it is easy to say hello:)  So Hello Molly and welcome to the family!

Shad and the kittens

they are only 6.5 weeks old ( had to check with the calendar) and they already are all litter boxed trained and eat on their own.  I feel like they are super cats!

Ethiopia

 

Today I want to share with you about a family that impacted my family in a BIG way and they are impacting many through their humanitarian efforts.

 

I first met Kristen over the phone.  She worked for the agency that had Shad's file.  I called her because i was so concerned about the little blind boy's picture (Shad)  We talked for awhile and I told her to give my name and number to whoever adopted him because I thought I knew a doctor that could help him.

 

A few weeks later I got a call back from her asking US to consider adopting him!  At the time Sam was little and very sick and I had just resigned my career job to stay home with him.  There was NO way we were looking to adopt....yet she asked us to consider.  So we did...consider and called her back and said we'd start the process ONLY to hold his case in the US.  We doubted that China would be crazy enough to approve us.  I can remember her telling me "God can make a way"  And honestly I thought it was easy for that young girl to say that, she didn't have a sick child....  Well she was 100% right...God did make a way.

 

Truly if any other social worker/case manager had talked to us in the NATURAL we would not have adopted Shad.  Our world had just been turned upside with Sam and we truly had no money and it looked like the absolutely craziest thing in the world for us to do and there were MANY people who felt free to tell us we were crazy but not Kristen.  She was always steady and just believed it would work out.  That's the kind of person I needed to be working with at that time.  I'm so thankful in how God used her in our family's life!

She always believed in us and even more so believed in a BIG God who loves orphans and who hears their cries!  

 

So in 9 months time I was in China picking up our little China man. 

 

As time goes on we lost touch, Kristen changed jobs, then somehow I heard she and her husband were adopting two children.  Then we reconnected on facebook. 

 

Now I'm able to see all the projects they do for their children's home country of Ethiopia.   

this is their first project

http://aglimmerofhope.org/success-stories/adoptive-family-gives-back

 

 

And there was a well project recently that they successfully completed

 

 

Now they are working on 

https://secure.piryx.com/donate/UqI6DXkA/Mudula-Water/bachiraschool


Kristen writes "We've been raising money for 6 years now and the Lord just keeps blessing our efforts. Our current project is updating a school in Bachira, Ethiopia to a high school as there is not opportunity for additional education past primary school in this area. education is truly the key to breaking the cycle of poverty so our school projects are always so exciting! This one is in the actual village our two big kids are from, so it will be benefitting their actually family and friends living there!"



So can we help out again??????  Please visit this link  www.bachiraschool.com   to give!!!!!!



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Just an update on Ukraine....
we ( all of you blog readers) $1250 over the last few months to help our a humanitarian mission in Ukraine.  Sergey Kosyak is working hard in East Ukraine helping the refuges. Thank you all for what you do!!!!!!

And the well in Druz is working !!!!!!!!   So excited to hear that! 

There are many different needs in this old world, but if we all do something, it will help out many!  Thank you for being involved!!!

 

Dates & Anniversaries

Dates and anniversaries are so important to me.  Obviously my family's various birthdays, my husband and my anniversary, the day we met are all dear to me.  I remember the day I left for college, graduated from high school, the day I graduated from college ....  We all remember sad dates like December 7,1941, or 9/11.   Today is actually 20 years since the Oklahoma bombing, do you remember where you were that day?  I was on the couch in our apartment in NYC, sick as a dog with morning sickness....(thanks Steve)  My brother in law and his wife were visiting us and they'd gone into the city to sight see.  Obviously watching the bombing unfold on TV, made me worry about their safety.  It was only a couple of years since the first Trade Center Tower bombing.  Back 20 years ago, none of us had cell phones so we could only hope that nothing was happening in the city. 

There are dates that are just part of us forever, tomorrow is one of those days for me.  April 20, 2012 was our court day for Selah and Sarah.  We had a nerve wracking court session.  While we were confident of the outcome, it was still scary that we'd be denied their adoption.  Lots of what went on went over our head, all spoken in Ukrainian.  But at the end the very serious female judge spoke directly to us and asked us to promise her we'd always take care of Sarah and Selah for the rest of their lives and be a real family to them.  Jon and I answered through our tears and made that very solemn commitment.  The judge knew both girls would need life long care.  She knew there might be hard times.  Little did we know what was ahead in a few months for us....but God gave us the strength then and has continued to give us the strength to always take care of the girls.  When I look back, that commitment, that vow seems oddly prophetic now......

I have pictures of some of the court officials and us but I'm hesitant to post them because of the war. I don't want to put anyone in danger.   The very courthouse we were in, has been the scene of a killing.  I actually saw the video and the aftermath of the attack on the internet.  I've since heard the building has been bombed.

we just became parents again:)

 

 

 

 

 Jon and I with our dear wonderful facilator

 

 

It's so odd, that day was all about Sarah and Selah but we didn't even see them that day.  We were granted permission from then on to visit them on the weekends which was such a blessing, we got to see them every day unless we had something we had to do (like paperchase for visa's birth certificates etc) 

 

 

Actually I had to look at our pictures from this day-3 years ago....

it was our first day outside on the porch.  I think this is the first time they'd ever been out there to  be honest.

 

 

 

 me and Sarah

 

 

 

 

Selah and me

 

 

Jon and Selah

 

 

 

Just so you know, it was not at all cold

 

So this was the orphanage.

the 2nd floor area was the porch we played on with the children

Sarah's room was either the first or second window on the right.  Selah's was all the way at the other end

 

 

 

 

It's funny how certain dates come up again and again...  Ironically, May 5th which is the day we took the girls out of the orphanage forever is the same date a year later that I had to take Sam to NY and have most of his left eye removed.....and now three years later it will be the date that Selah has her 2nd hip surgery.  When I was given the date, I first looked at our nurse in shock!  She asked if I wanted to change it but I said no, it was a good date, it was our "gotcha day" and it was a day that Sam's pain was relieved so it will be a good day for Selah too!  Her pain will be relieved and hopefully this upcoming surgery will forever take care of her hip issues. 

 

Also we remember sad days, I remember the dates of my various family member's deaths, the hardest date for me is August 15, the day of the accident. Well, Steve will report to college and move in the dorm on that date this year.   That kinda took my breath away.  But it will be a day of happiness, this year, we are glad to see Steve take independent steps, who know what that step of going to college will lead to......

 

 



Just a Good Week

It's been a busy week around here.

 The best news is that Steve got accepted into Southeastern and got his financial award letter.  He got a $3000 scholarship based on academics and another almost one for almost $3000 for his essay.  Along with two grants, we are really happy thus far BUT being that this is a private college, he still needs some more scholarships or we/he will be facing some big loans.  I believe it will work out somehow.....he still needs about $15,000 for the school year!

We are really focusing on spending time as a family, knowing that soon Steve won't be with us every day (just every weekend, all holidays and summer LOL)   Wednesday was his day off and I took the kids to Brandon, to drop off some stuff at a consignment store and we spent the day out together.  It was just good fun. 

Yesterday Jon and Steve had off so after Jon and I did our FIVE mile hike in the woods.  We went out last night to see "Mall Cop II"  It was really funny and awkward LOL .  I love awkward humor.  Maybe because that is my life.   Ha-ha!   Then we went to our new favorite place "Happy Cow"  Just so good to be together having a good time.  Sam enjoys a movie, or he enjoys the popcorn and drink!  Sarah sits on my lap, she doesn't care for the commercials before the movies, those are too loud for her but she did fine. 


Mall Cop II is my kind of movie, no real drama, just funny without being dirty.  I like a movie that makes me laugh.  I'm not into serious deep movies, life is too serious, I don't need to see it on the big screen. 

                                         what a cute picture:)  All three boys into the movie.

And here are the kittens at 5/6 weeks.  Yes they are adorable but they are becoming a pain!  They climb out of the box I had for them.  I went and cleaned a big dog crate we have and I think that is where they will stay for now.  They have learned to use the poop box quite well but it has to be changed 2x a day because they are so many of them!  The kids want to keep all of them and it would be hard for me to let them go.  However Jon almost had a heart attack...."SIX cats in the house?????"   LOL  Our two cats come and go outside so it's not like they are complete house cats.  We keep a poop box for them but most of the time they go outside.  Pets are wonderful but messy!

 

 

 

 

Mama cat has been so good

this is from last week, they've grown since then

 

 

 

 

 Can you smell the honeysuckle?

It's so strong this year.  The honeysuckle bush we have is huge.  It took about 3 or 4 years from when I planted it for it to really take off.  More than once I thought about pulling it out and starting over but a few years ago it started growing and blooming so nicely.  I love walking outside and smelling honeysuckle.  We have a big jasmine bush/vine too but it's further from the front door so I don't notice it as much.

 



 

 

Well you know I'd packed up everything pretty much including all four of my various size crock pots.  I was going to unpack so I could do some more meals for Sarah but Steve found this roaster for me at Walmart on clearance (it's nice to have a kid working at Walmart)  It's huge!  So I've been cooking her meals and pureeing them and putting them in the freezer again.  I love this roaster, it's probably twice as big as my biggest crock pot so I can do so much more food with it.  What I try to do with Sarah's meals is to prepare them with ours if possible then puree and freeze them.  Otherwise on days we have something that we can't puree like salad, sandwiches etc.... I still have healthy meals for her without having to use canned soup or baby food.    This roaster enables me to have plenty left over for her.  I use 2-cup glass (never plastic) bowls for her food.  I did have to buy some more of those but she needed more anyhow.  

 

 

 

 

Here are 12 servings ( 2 cups each) from the last couple of days.  She has chicken & rice, spaghetti, and beef stew. 

 

I'm southern in my roots and I just love feeding my people LOL

When I was a kid, I did not get that.  My family was all about FOOD.  And of course with my anorexia/bulimic self, I didn't want to talk or think about food.  Even when I was older and married, we'd stay with my grandmother and she'd cook a breakfast that would send you back to bed for the day and then as soon as it was cleaned up she wanted to know what we wanted to eat for lunch!  All I wanted to do was hit a bathroom and go back to my bulimic days!!!!   But now I love cooking for my family.  I'm not quite like her, my kids want me to cook breakfast every day and that hasn't started happening YET!  

 

I found out a few years ago my great grandmother was from Italy.  I still don't have that all figured out but I understand our embrace of food now!   I was raised it was not supper unless you had at least two meats on the table.  No one cooked any pasta, my grandmother would call that "goulash"  The only pasta was good ole Mac & cheese- all homemade of course. 

Up early this morning, woke up at 4:30 am with a cat on my pillow.  That will do it for you:)  Thought I needed to do a catch up on here.  Hope everyone has a good weekend.  Jon is teaching a seminar for volunteers at the prison this morning, and Steve has to work.  No more play dates for us.

 

Taking Care of Business

WHEW!  One of the very least favorite things for me to do is a church business meeting.  I've been in some that were doozies!  I've seen people threaten other people and throw fists, and I'm not kidding.  Well we have been a little late, maybe I should say a lot late in doing our annual church business meeting this year.  Honestly I was dreading it, not that I thought something like that would happen but I've walked into business meetings with perfectly sane people and walked out think "Oh My God the Exorcist was here!"  LOL

Anyhow we had our meeting, went over the agenda and the last two years of financial stuff and made plans for the future.  What a GREAT meeting!  Everyone was eager to participate, in a good way.  No one got upset, everyone was of "one accord".  We even welcomed a new member into the church.

At the end of the meeting, some really sweet things were said to Jon and me but all I could do was to thank God that He has been so faithful to us and to our church over the past 9 years!

At one point in this church we only had SIX real members and two of them were me and Jon! Now we have 26 members and all of them are involved & active.  Of course we have more folks than that that attend, but 26 people who have committed to join and be a part of the backbone of this church in a deeper way.

Our church has absolutely not one penny of debt and has a large saving account.  Our mission giving is close to $10,000 a year PLUS if you include my various fund raisers on her for orphan care.  All of our building have been remodeled since we've been here and the grounds cleaned.

We have a youth group and a Fine Arts group (they do competition within our denomination in music)  It's amazing to us all that has taken place here.

But we had some very dry, very lean years.  YEARS not months or weeks....YEARS or some really rough times but God has been so faithful. 

I'm not trying to be odd but we had a minister that we really look up to tell us that it would be 7 years of sowing before we'd see any type of harvest at this church.  At the time we'd only been here for 3 years so we were not thrilled with that "prophecy" LOL  I remember telling Jon "boy we get some wonderful words from God don't we?" 

Well it was exactly 7 years.....and 7 months to be exact before the harvest began.  The "funny" thing is we were gone from the church for 7 months in 2012 between picking up the girls in Ukraine and the accident in NY. 

But is that the craziest thing ever?   You might think what's the big deal, you guys get excited when you have 60 people in attendance....but we are a rural church and this kind of stability is such a blessing! 

We are so extremely grateful for God's blessing and for the people He has brought into the church.  People that want to be apart of what God is doing around the world and here in our "little neck of the woods" too. 

So for any pastor's wives who read my blog or anyone doing ministry, just continue to be faithful to what God has called you to do.  Be yourself, don't worry about gimmicks or trying to be cool, look only to Jesus and measure yourself to what He asks of you.  Don't look around at others and be discouraged by their success, be glad for their successes for God.  The thing we believe is the most important thing is to be FAITHFUL!

Anyhow I'm just really feeling happy today, grateful for all that God has done and the fact that we are still here, standing!

My Favorite Place

Hillsborough River State Park is one of my fav places in the world.  I love being there and there is such a calm that comes over me when I go and walk by the river.  Jon and I went today and renewed our annual Florida State Park Pass.  For $124 a year, a family can go to any state park as much as they want without paying anything else.  What a great deal, Florida has some wonderful state parks so we love to visit them.

Today it was "crowded" which meant you met people on the path.  So we went off the paths and used a little known path to take us further out in the woods.  Boy did we see the wildlife today!

 

Can you see the two big gators?  We were across the river so the picture isn't that great.  Look at the tail on the one!  Baby got BACK!

 

 

 

 

This picture was my hubby's big idea, we crawled down the bank so we could take a "selfie" with the gators in the back ground.  The bank was probably 8 feet down, I thought I'd bust my tail but managed to get down and back without killing myself.

 

 

Back to the "rapids" SO beautiful to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I grabbed the tail of this snake once it got itself in the fence.  It's just what we call a corn snake or a barn snake, harmless.

 

 

my husband in his "Steve Irwin" outfit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the baby gator?  He was all stirred up, jumping off things and swimming around.

 

 

 

 

Jon and I had a great time.  We both love getting out in the woods and walking.  It was really hot today, by the time we'd finished an 1.5 hour walk, I had sweat pouring off me but it was good:)

 

Yesterday I got an email telling me that Sam and Sarah are eligible for "respite care"  It's part of a federal program called Medwavier and it is for special needs families regardless of income.  Of course the email said it was hard to get a provider in our area but that's fine, we have a young lady who babysits for us who will become our provider.  It's an easy process to become a provider.  I laughed when I read the email, like I'd leave my kids with someone I don't know!!!    Anyhow we were daydreaming today about some of the things we are going to do when we have respite care.  We are going to take the boys on a kayak trip down the Weekie Wachee River.  That's something we can't take the little ones on.  We also plan on going to Weekie Wachee the park to see the mermaids too!  Homosassa Springs is on our list too.  We love to do things like that but Sam and Sarah really don't nor do we feel comfortable taking them on any kind of boat trip.  Sam and Sarah rather be home with their things, where they are happy than go out.  Also neither of them are too thrilled with the sun or bugs!   We take them out because we don't want them to become to used to being at home.  We don't want them fearful of being out of their home.  There is a balance for little ones like them.  But we are really excited about getting back to kayaking as a family.  Jon, Steve Shad and me have our own kayaks and really love it.  Usually we all four can't go together.  Someone has to stay home.  But now we can:)  

 

 

Hope you are having a great weekend!