Blogger For Orphans II

OCA Mission Moments from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

They sat in the studio with an expectant glow as they spoke about their children they had yet to meet, but who they claimed as their very own... 

Josh: "As unbelievers, we are aliens.  We are strangers.  We are separated from God.  But God has come in and adopted us, through Christ, to be in His family."

Jenn: "And we're just so thrilled that our family can be a picture of that to the world!  And just like we would never question our true son-ship to God the Father, it's been an encouragement to us to think about, we really don't have to question whether these kids are our true children... cause they are!"

When Josh and Jenn Philpot felt God's nudging toward adoption they weren't sure where they would get the money.  They received a matching grant through the Orphan Care Alliance (OCA), turning the $6,000 they had raised into $10,000, and making it possible for them to bring home not just one child but two!

OCA is a multi-church alliance in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area.  Adoption funding is just one part of their ministry.  Their many outreaches include recruiting and training foster parents, mentoring local foster children, assistance for local churches in launching orphan ministries, international orphan care, and more!  They are also a part of Lifesong's Outside the Walls Network, which connects churches to serve orphans more powerfully together than they could on their own. 

 

 

Madalynnisms…

All of these were posted on Facebook within the last few months, but once they go on there they get buried, so I wanted to be sure I got these down on the blog which serves as our scrapbook.

Me; “Madalynn, how did I get so blessed to be your Mommy?”

M; “Jesus brought me here”

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Me; “I don’t want you to watch this part it’s scary, and you’ll have bad dreams”

M; “But Mawmmy I’ll be next to you” (as she pats my shoulder).

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Me; “Madalynn, want do you want a sandwich & chips for lunch?”

M; “No, I want….ummm….ummmm…ummmm….ummmm summfing squishy!”

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Me;"Madalynn don't eat straight sugar it's not good for your teeth".

Madalynn: "But it's good for my tongue".

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Madalynn called my parents & asked my Dad "So, when are you guys getting Marwwied?"... I have no idea where that came from... she was glad to hear they were married over 40 years ago.

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Madalynn talks in her sleep, and it just cracks me up. Once as I was leaving her room after she fell asleep, she asked me for something, and then then held up her hand, and said "Just put it right here Mommy"... I just kissed her hand instead :-)

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Madalynn's bedtime prayer one night "Dear God, please give me a giant ice cream cone, and my own TV show... Amen" Oh dear... I think she got it from a movie she watches at my parents house.

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Madalynn was over near my nativity this morning "Madalynn, what are you doing?" her response "I'm just watching baby Jesus being boring" ( I think she meant 'born'... let's hope :-)

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Quote of the day "Moooommmy! You need to hang up your sock-fing (stocking) so Santa will bring me a Daddy for Christmas!!"... I guess we should have put that in the Christmas letter. :-)

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Madalynn just came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl full of grapes "Madalynn, don't eat all those grapes you'll get a bellyache & it's almost dinner time"... To which she responds by walking to her Little People nativiity "But Mommy, they're for the kings".

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Madalynn just did something silly, and I laughed & she said "Oh...Mawwmy... I so happy I make you laugh... Mawwmy... I make you sooo happy"... Hands down best Christmas present I've ever gotten... I love that girl!!

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Madalynn comes walking out of the kitchen w/ a lollipop from Halloween... Me; "Madalynn didn't I tell you not to eat a lollipop?"... Madalynn; "Mommy, I'm not eating it I'm just licking it"... nice try...

Cinnamon Puffs

Pictoral recipe for cinnamon puffs on the "Here's the Thing" blog...

Re-launch

Re- launching my blog from about a year, and a half ago... "Ok here's the thing"... I'm re-launching with a review of one of my favorite movies of all time... "Return To Me"

www.okayhereisthething.blogspot.com

7 Things

My dear friend, and fellow GuateMama Bethany tagged me to ‘spill the beans’ on 7 of my deepest, darkest secrets...wait no, just 7 fun, possibly interesting little tidbits about myself that you might not know.  Just so you know I’m completely uncreative when it comes to this kind of thing….

Okay, here goes!

1) My senior year of college I spent a semester living in Romania with 7 fellow students volunteering in an orphanage, and children’s hospital.  I am forever changed from the experience.

2) My family has a history of quick engagements & marriages.  My brother was engaged after about 2 months of dating, my parents engaged after 6 weeks, married in 3 months, and my grandparents went on a blind date & came home 11 hours later man & wife. 

3) I’m a very aggressive driver… to the point where I say I drive like a man (with the exception of excessive speed …I keep it w/in 10 though my Mom may disagree).  Given that I have a perfect driving record.

4) It never occurs to me I can’t do something.  If I decide I want to… I research, research, research to figure it out. 

5) I played Truvy in a college production of “Steel Magnolias”.

6) I have an uncanny ability to remember movie lines, with the inflection delivered, as well as remember what actor/actress has been in what, and always win at “The Kevin Bacon” game.

7) I’m about 5th or 6th generation New England girl w/ my ancestors going back to Vermont, I have many ‘Yankee’ personality traits, but am very often told I’m more of a ‘southern’ girl in my disposition, and style.  Which I take as a compliment.  I always say I was born in the wrong generation, and location.

I’m going to totally break the rules, and only link back to the person who sent it… so hop on over to Bethany’s blog to see her 3 handsome boys, and cute ‘girly-girl’.

Defining my daughter…

Ok… this outfit defines Madalynn… balance of prissy-girl, and toughness… makes for a great combination in my opinion.  This was the outfit she put together the other day

• Football jersey
• Fireman helmet
• Twirly Hot Pink Tu-Tu
• Fancy orange jewel ring on her finger (look on the hand on the hip)
• Princess wand

This was as she had just made some sort of royal declaration followed by jumping off the chair…

Slamming doors….

I’ve always loved the expression “When God closes a door somewhere He opens a window”, although sometimes that faith is hard to have when the door closes, and you are left in darkness, with no glimmer of light anywhere.  In my life those closed doors have usually involved potential romantic relationships, and they’ve always left me disappointed.  While in those moments I am able to thank God for the closed door as I know it was His hand of protection on me, and trust He is still guiding me to that open window feelings of disappointment are hard to walk through.  Disappointment is one of the hardest emotions for me to get through as it is usually a hope deferred (again), or even a hope crushed.  Also, if not careful it can lead to despair.

This past week God slammed a door that has left me with nothing but joy!  I knew a decision was going to need to be made, and I was leaning toward saying yes even though in my heart I knew it was not right, nor what was best for Madalynn & I, but for practical reasons I was going to say yes for awhile while I figured out what else to do.  Thankfully, when that decision moment came God took the practical reasons away making my saying “NO” the simplest thing ever, and confirmation that God is in control, and He is guiding me in this time of transition… leading me to new things.  Things He created me to do.

As for an update for life around here in Madalynn’s world… all I can say is SNOW!  We’ve had A LOT!!  I hate to complain about the weather but I can’t remember the last time I was warm.  I always say the snow & cold makes us appreciate the coming of spring all the more.

The snow bank next to my house goes to the roofline.

One more storm & I don’t think I’ll be able to see out my kitchen window…

Our city was voted the 2nd worst for snow removal in our state… I can’t figure out why… I mean why would 2 cars need to pass each other?

 

This is my back deck… I really hope it doesn’t collapse... that’s a floor lamp on the left.

 

This was a few weeks ago making cupcakes with her kid cupcake baking kit Ga-Ga got her for Christmas, and the apron I got her for Christmas (I just LOVE it)

 

We hope you’re all staying warm… remember spring WILL come!!!

Blogger For Orphans

I'm very excited to have partnered with a great organization called Lifesong to be a "Blogger for Orphans"... My heart & passion is adoption & orphans, and this enables me to in a small part raise awareness, and educate my little corner of the world on what is going on. The post below is written & prepared by them for us bloggers to share.
William from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

Six year-old William once asked his mother, “Why do other children walk on the bottoms of their feet? Why am I like this? What did you do to me?” When she told him that it was God who did it, not her, William said, “Then please tell God to fix me.”
William was born with clubfoot, affecting both of his feet. If William had been born in America this common deformity would have been easily fixed when he was still a baby. But in Zambia it’s a different story. In Zambia, where the resources are few and the funds are even fewer, healing is only a distant dream.

Last February Lifesong Zambia coordinator, Dru Smith wrote about William in her newsletter. When Wendy in Illinois heard his story she was prompted to act. After a thorough investigation she discovered CURE Clubfoot International, which had a clinic in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia! In April William was fitted for casts (first in a series of 3) and then had corrective surgery on his right foot in June and his left foot in September (the video was taken in September just before his second surgery).
God used His people to “fix” William. Today William can walk! Soon he will be strong enough to return to school, play with the other children, and be able to do many of the simple tasks we take for granted!

Through this journey the Lifesong staff has been able to help not only William, but his family as well. William’s brother, Bright, and cousin, Gift, have both been enrolled at Lifesong school. In addition his father, Victor, who was unemployeed now works in the Lifesong gardens! We’re so thankful our God is the master at doing “abundantly and immeasurably more” than we even think to ask!

*Find out more about Blogging for Orphans here.

Memories of Egypt

Disclaimer: Ok, I just realized this headline could be related to some current events, but it’s not. 

There is a Sara Groves song called “Painting Pictures of Egypt”  it says

I don’t want to leave here
I don’t want to stay
It feels like pinching to me either way

It’s not about losing faith
It’s not about trust
It’s all about comfortable
When you move so much
The place I was wasn’t perfect
But I had found a way to live
It wasn’t milk or honey
But then neither is this

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt
Leaving out what it lacked
The future seems so hard
And I want to go back
But the places that used to fit me
Cannot hold the things I"ve learned
And those roads closed off to me
While my back was turned

So like the Israelites who were released out of slavery and are wandering in the desert on the way to the promised land… I feel stuck in between, or about to be.  I’ve described the way I’ve been feeling lately as being trapped . As if I’m getting ready to leave the security of the known, for the leading of God into the unknown.  I don’t know how each step will work, but I know I have to take the first one, or I’ll remain stagnant in this place of despair.

The beginning of this year has been especially difficult for me emotionally…. really feeling a distance from God, and a sense of despair.  Making life decisions no longer affects just me… I have a little girl’s life that God has given me charge over, that I need to be a good steward of… so my decisions also have an impact on her (as all parents can relate).  I think I’ve come to a decision about our future, and hope has returned.  The fear comes in the getting from point A to point B, also my lack of trust isn’t a lack of trusting God, but a lack of trusting myself.  However, if I do trust God, that also means I can trust Him to set me back on track when my choices are outside of his will.

This verse has happened across my path several times in the last few days, so I’m taking it as a word from God (it was also my class verse at Asbury College).  Here I am 21 years later, and I’m claiming it as my verse for 2011.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9