I Choose Peace

I drink a ton of coffee and I often wonder if the caffeine really affects me.  The other night, I drank a cup around 7 o'clock and guess what, I was wired until midnight!  I talked my husband's ear off until 11.  After crawling in bed, he was soon snoring but I was still wide awake.  Around midnight, I heard a familiar sound.

Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! (6 gunshots, about a block away)

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I'm guest posting today on Finding Purpose in the Pain.  Thanks Stacy!



When Helping Hurts

I am SO excited to announce that I am partnering with Children's Hope Chest to continue helping my little friends in Ethiopia. Why the change? It's a long story but one in which I clearly see God's hand.

In case you don't know, I took a life-changing trip to Ethiopia in January 2011. Upon my return, I began to support a US based non-profit that was working with a ministry in Ethiopia called FOVC. In August, 2011 I became the sponsorship coordinator and was responsible for a program that was helping 100 precious little orphans.

Last May, I was given the news that the US based non-profit that I was working with, was going to stop supporting FOVC in Ethiopia. I was heart-broken but prayed and trusted God. HE came through in a BIG way.

I was told that I could move on with the sponsorship program if I could find another organization to step in and help. I sent out some e-mail inquiries and one of my e-mails was forwarded to Children's Hope Chest and in early June, they contacted me. I had never heard of them. Honestly, I was pursuing Compassion International. Compassion looked into the situation and decided they couldn't help. However, the more I learn about Children's Hope Chest, the more excited I get. They are a Christian organization whose goal is to help alleviate poverty and spread the love of Jesus. I LOVE their philosophy of ministry.

Children's Hope Chest bases their model on a book called When Helping Hurt: How To Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting The Poor And Yourself. Their goal is to help ministries become self-sustainable. That means they want to see FOVC be able to supports itself within 10 years. That is a healthy goal! I would highly recommend that anyone who is working to fight poverty or is taking short-term mission trips to developing countries, read this book!

This transition will happen in November. More children are being added to the program. I will have about 90 new children to get sponsored. I am excited! If you would like more information about sponsorship please e-mail me at reachinghiskids@gmail.com. I think this is unique in that you can know and get personal e-mails from your sponsorship coordinator, ME!!  I am also traveling to Ethiopia once a year to visit the children and sponsors can come along with me.  It is exciting.  I hope to hear from you!

Living and Active

I'm participating in Peak 313's Living and Active Challenge!  It's perfect timing since school just started.  I really want to get back to being consistent with exercise.  I got off track this summer and ate WAY TOO MUCH ice cream and smores :-)  On Saturday, I did a full workout and today, I am SORE!  It feels great.

A perfect end to summer

We had a fabulous weekend at the cabin.  It was the closure that I needed for the end of summer.  I realize that may sound strange but summer represents something special to me, childhood.  My boys are getting older.  In just 6 years, my oldest will be heading off to college and the other one probably working and super busy.  These summers are special and I am cherishing them.  Each year, I find it harder and harder to send them to school knowing that these years of raising them will pass and a season of life will come to an end.  Boy, I sound pathetic, don't I?  I just really love being a mom, love my boys, love raising them and want to cherish every moment :-)

This weekend we brought along our neighbor friend.  He's 13 and a super fun kid young man.  We love him a lot!  We also spent time with my husband's brother and his family.  They enjoyed the family cabin (that we all share) so much, that they bought their own cabin 4 years ago.  It's just 2 doors down.  I took some pictures for my niece, her senior pictures (sniff, sniff) and also took some family pictures of them.  We had a fish fry, played at the gravel pit, swam, ate LOTS of smores and enjoyed the beauty of Northern Minnesota.  It was a perfect weekend, a perfect end to this summer and as I type this, I'm getting teary-eyed.  OK, time to stop, please enjoy the pictures below!

 

 

My beautiful niece!

Fish fry!  Have you ever had fresh walleye?  Oh my, yummy!

This was my favorite of the family pictures that I took for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Hmmm...

My 2 oldest, their favorite cousin and our neighbor friend.  These guys had so much fun.  I really wish I would have taken video of them on the inner-tube.  They were going about 40 mph across the lake. 

Gravel pit - boy's paradise!

 

I climbed to the top!

So thankful for a wonderful summer!