I would appreciate if you would cover Suzanne, Grace and myself w/ prayers as we get ready to leave for Uganda to see Katie ... Please also pray for our families here at home ... Leaving behind 12 children w/ our hubbies and some really sweet family help is not easy ... Scott and Mike do a great job holding down the fort, but it is hard on a mommy's heart to leave behind the children ...

I am speechless with excitement to see the Katie and her girls, the bead making ladies, some other ministries that we have been giving to and just BE in Uganda ... This country has a special place in my heart, yet I know my heart will break again with all that I will see ... There are still some things I haven't fully processed from my last trip and perhaps that is a gift ... The things I have seen in China and Uganda have molded me in a way that only GOD can do ... He speaks to my heart and teaches me more about how HE LOVES ... It is like he is breathing out scripture to me as I see so many of his children that I would never see or understand if I stay in my little Brentwood, TN bubble ...

I sometimes think WHAT IF we had never adopted or never traveled to other places to get a glimpse of all that GOD has created ... It is easy sometimes to get so self absorbed in daily life and forget the WHY WE ARE HERE ... Seeing outside of ourselves and not holding on to tight to anything here on this earth ... NOT A JOB, A CHILD, A MINISTRY, A SPORT, A FRIEND, A HOBBY, OR ANYTHING that takes the focus off of GOD ... Loving and Serving in his name ... Teaching others about him ... Sharing all the blessings you have with those that don't ... WHAT A SWEET SWEET PURPOSE !!!

I hope to be able to update my blog or facebook from Uganda, so check back in ...

blessings,

I feel like most days I CHOOSE to laugh at my life over crying cause that is just my personality ... I was needing some laughter in my day and FB gave me some funny stories ...

I went to pick up at school and Maggie's teacher told me they caught her in the bathroom and she had eaten soap and was blowing bubbles from her mouth into the mirror and laughing ... I MEAN SERIOUSLY HOW CRAZY FUNNY WEIRD IS THAT ... The best part was I could totally picture her doing it too and her little giggle at herself ... MADE MY DAY !!!

Now the bad part is we know now that using soap in the mouth for future discipline is OUT ... hee hee!

 I hope you CHOOSE to laugh each day and see the many blessings around you from the LORD ... Funny things from your children's mouth (this one is ENDLESS at my house), having those days when you knock EVERYTHING over, hitting every RED light, watching your kids dance/sing off tune, the toots and burps at the WORST moments, the craziness of bedtime, sneaking chocolate and not letting the kids know about it, wrestling in the floor, and so much more !!! I LOVE MY CRAZY CHAOTIC FUNNY LIFE !!!

I love the LORD more than Orphans ... Just wanted to make sure that was clear ... And because I love the LORD I love orphans also ... And because God gave me a big mouth, I use it for the orphans ... I try to speak, write, and live out my life for HIM (failing miserably each day, but still trying) ... Nothing ever comes easy when following the LORD that is what is so cool about it ... FOLLOWING him is a sacrifice in our flesh for a blessing in our spirit ...

Conference after conference we attend I always leave reminding myself that it is GOD I want to honor and follow ... NOTHING is greater than HIM - not my desire to speak up for orphans, not my longing to adopt, not my love for my husband, and not my heart for my children ... NOTHING CAN BE GREATER THAN HIM (again on many days I fail at this one too, but I will try again the next day to get it right) ...

HE COMES FIRST bottom line !!!

I have learned one of the main reasons for summits, conferences, events, and all the other things we do SURROUNDING the orphans crisis is for people to get together and NOT FEEL OUT OF PLACE in our passion for serving the LORD ... It is a time to refresh and renew ... It is a moment in time where we can share our heart fully about how GOD has called us and not feel rejected, misunderstood, alienated, or alone ... One thing I do love about the conferences is that we are challenged in the word and reminded that GOD'S GOT THIS !!! He doesn't need us, but calls us to serve HIM because it changes us on the inside ... It gives us a glimpse into his LOVE for us and allows us to go deeper ...

As I share my life and the 147 mission at a conference it opens so many doors for me into other people's life ... IT ENCOURAGES ME and gives me that boost I need to fight some more !!!

You know how sometimes you can feel like the 7 headed monster when you walk into church, Target, school, the grocery store, or just the ball park ??? Well at the ORPHAN SUMMIT WE ALL HAVE 7 HEADS !!! and it feels good ...

On Wednesday I had the privilege of serving on a couple of panels and small group leader for a group of adoptive moms ... I hope I encouraged a few people and helped some moms who are starting out on their journey ...

A lot of people wonder about what to do when your child starts asking why they look different than the other people in their family and a mother shared this SUPER COOL example (disclaimer: I told her I was totally stealing this and blogging it ... hee hee) ...

You take brown eggs and white eggs - you show how they are different on the outside, but totally they same on the inside ... The mother described cracking the egg and examining the inside.  She even cooked both eggs and everyone tasted how they were they same in flavor also ...

It is just like all the colors of M&Ms ... different on the outside and same on the inside !!!! Just a fun way to put your child's hearts at peace ... I will be honest and say that my children have never asked those questions ... We always talk about the JESUS LOVES ME song ... RED, YELLOW, BLACK, AND WHITE, they are precious in his sight ... Celebrate the differences and find the fun similarities - Daisy, Emily, and Maggie all have brown eyes, Joseph and Jeremiah get their heads shaved, Elijah and Scott have the same smile, Daisy and Scott both have rthyum (none of the rest of do for sure !!!), Emily and I are totally alike in our love for chocolate and the REBA show, Maggie and Daisy are not great sleepers, and the list goes on and on ... We are family - DIFFERENT YET THE SAME !!! It is so cool how God puts us together ...

I have so much to share from the conference and it will probably take me a whole week !!! So keep checking back as I reflect on the 3 days I was in KY at the Orphan Summit !!!

BIG THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT BOUGHT 147 GEAR !!! 147millionorphans.com 

To the four amazing birth mothers of my children ... I am sending you prayers today and wish there was some way I could tell you how each of them are doing ... I wish I could tell you how they are growing in the Lord ... How Emily is a strong, creative, adorable little girl, who loves to sing and cheer.  How Maggie is over coming the many hurts in her life with the confidence we are instilling in her ... How Joseph gives light to everyone he meets ... How Daisy is understanding what a forever family is ... Each growing into the person God wants them to be ... Each of them telling a story about the Lord to those that see them ... Each of them a survivor in their own way ... My prayer as their mother is that they never stop trying to learn about the Lord and trusting in HIS plan for their life from the moment they took their first breathe ...

May the breeze that comes from a fresh wind shower over my birth mothers the peace from the Lord about their angel.

Preparing my heart and mind for the Orphan Summit in KY next week ... It is always a great time of encouragement and action in my heart ... If you have never gone then you should ...  The resources for adoption, orphan care, and fundraising is enormous and from people living in the middle of it ... These are people who have a heart to change the world for orphans...

Just in case you haven't gotten information about the PRE-EVENT for adoptive moms I am attaching the flyer ... I will be serving on a couple of panels and there are some amazing speakers ...

I am without a doubt a constant THINKER ... I am never just NUMB ... There is always some problem to solve, something to organize, something to purge, something to SPEAK UP ABOUT, something to fix, something that irritates me, something that brings me unimaginable joy, something I am confused about, or something I just figured out ... IT IS EXHAUSTING AND EXHILARATING the way God created me ... He gave us so many tools and we are all equipped to spread his message ... We are all equipped to love on his people ... We have the greatest PEACE on this earth by being HIS CHILDREN !!!

On a daily basis I think about how GOD placed me here in Tennessee in the United States ... I didn't do anything to deserve that or earn it ... This is where God placed me and with whom MUCH HAS BEEN GIVEN MUCH WILL BE DEMANDED (God's words not mine) ... I think about my sisters in Uganda, China, Honduras, or Ethiopia (and many other places) that were not born into a place of freedom and opportunity ... Yet I know the FATHER loves them as much as he loves me ... He desires for us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER and sometimes that is through prayer, food, money, medicine, or water ... We can not sit around and pretend that the people around the world got themselves into this situation and they can get themselves out ... Just for one minute pretend you were born in a different country where if you worked 12 hours a day you would not be able to provide anymore for your family than if you worked none ... Pretend you are walking miles to try and find clean water ... Pretend your child is sick and has no way to get medicine ... This is the reality for many and they live w/ NO HOPE in their daily lives, but I have seen first hand how they have HOPE in Christ - HE IS LITERALLY THEIR FOOD, WATER, AND MEDICINE !!!

Never think you are too small  !!! You can IMPACT this world for the LORD ... There is no small offer ... Think of the widows mite ... It is all about the HEART OF GIVING !!!  My sweet cousin (who is 12) Bruce Jr.  brings with him every time he comes to visit a big bag of change/dollars for the ORPHANS ... He sees every penny, quarter, and dollar as HOPE for the orphans ... He sees the rice and beans that will be provided because of his AWARENESS of the crisis ... He brings me great joy because I have seen his heart change since we brought MAGGIE home ... Orphans are REAL to him ... Are they real to you?  Is Marvin real ?? Is Lilly real ?? Is Gabriellla real ?? Is Thomas real ?? Is Beruk real ??  They need to be real everyday ...

I am hopeful with what I see going on around me, the emails I get and the people I have met ... We are all locking arms !!! Ministries helping each other, people sharing resources, and spreading the word on ways for people to get involved - whether it is in the United States, Ethiopia, China, or Mexico IT IS ALL FOR THE SAME PURPOSE - GOD'S CHILDREN LOVING EACH OTHER AND SPREADING HIS MESSAGE !!!

Proud to journey w/ you all !!!