Merry Christmas Family and Friends! The year 2018 is almost over. Recently, a dear friend of mine suffered a tragedy, and it served to remind me that some people really struggle this time of year. Please pray for your friends and family and reach out to anyone you see struggling this holiday season.
You may remember that last Christmas, I hosted a little girl named Sonni from Colombia. Sonni was a joy to host and our whole family fell in love with her. I am happy to tell you that Sonni has a forever family, and they are in the process of completing paperwork to bring her home. The adoption process is slow so please pray for Sonni while she waits. She will be adopted by a family here in Tulsa which means that I will get to see her! I am very thankful that she will have a mom and a dad and two big sisters.
In February, I made a two week trip to Africa. I visited Uganda as usual, and I also visited Malawi and South Africa for the first time. I went on Safari in Malawi and was able to see an elephant in the wild. While in Uganda, I traveled further within the country than I ever have before. As a result, I was able to stand on the North South equator at 0 latitude. In South Africa, I visited Constitution Hill where Ghandi and Nelson Mandela were imprisoned along with many others during apartheid. It was a sobering experience for sure. The trip itself was long and hard. Our return flight from South Africa to DC was 18 hours long! It looks like I’ll be making that trip again in 2019 as well.
I stayed home for a few months and then did some traveling around the US for work in April. I traveled to Florida, Arkansas, and Kentucky. We had a great trip with the whole family to Hot Springs, Arkansas. While we were there, we had a tornado warning and had to take shelter in the closet of our Airbnb. It was a great time of memory making.
Then, at the end of April, I traveled to Ukraine. Back in 2008 and 2009, I managed the Nightlight Ukraine adoption program, but I never got to visit. It was a real treat for me to visit in 2018 with our Ukraine program coordinator. I loved the people and the food. I saw my first hedgehog in the wild! It was funny seeing all the stores with toilet paper with Putin’s face on it. Putin toilet paper! It is funny for so many reasons. On my plane ride back, I sat next to a man who had been a missionary in Ukraine for 18 years. His home was located near Crimea, and he told me about his family having only 3 hours notice to flee their home permanently. They had to abandon their home and all their possessions and have not been able to go back. It’s hard to imagine.
In June, I visited the Texas Nightlight office in Waco. Mom rode along so she could visit the Magnolia Silos of course. Then, I traveled to DC for a conference and did a little advocating with our congressman for positive adoption laws. I had the privilege of meeting Oklahoma Senator James Lankford. Then, I traveled to South Carolina and visited some of my favorite Greenville people!
In July, I went on a real adventure. I took two weeks off work to participate in a Trust Based Relational Intervention camp in Wasilla, Alaska. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the Last Frontier. The camp, however, was challenging. I had a great camper, and I learned a lot about exercising patience and living outside of my comfort zone. I made some great new friends around the country, and I have already enjoyed visiting some of them this fall.
In July, I made another quick trip to DC and then again in August. I’ve visited DC more this year than I have in my entire life. In August, I took my mom to the PBR to celebrate her birthday. In September, my brother Brian got married! I am so happy for him and thrilled to welcome his wife Stephanie to the family. At the end of September, I took another trip to South Carolina and Georgia. I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a young man that I helped get adopted from Ukraine when he was 13 years old. It was the highlight of my year to see this strong and godly young man marry his beautiful bride. My September trip bled right into my trip to Branson in October. October brought more travel to our Indiana office and a trip to Nashville. Then, on November 10th, my baby sister got married! The wedding was beautiful, and of course Kassie was a beautiful bride. Needless to say, I’m tired and ready to be home for the holidays. This year God has brought the scripture Psalm 5:12 to me many times. “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” May you find that God’s favor surrounds you like a shield in 2019.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Getting Off the Guilt Wheel
Revelation 12:10 "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[a] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God."
Satan accuses us day and night. Day and night people! He accuses us incessantly He wants to keep us on the guilt wheel so that we are unable to actually be productive for God's kingdom. If I am consistently beating myself up for the things I "should" have done according to the world's view (be heathly, exercise, keep a clean house, etc.), how will I find the time or the engergy to do the things I really should be motivated to do? What are the real shoulds?
*Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and body.
*Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life
*Help those who are hurting around me
*Share the truth of God's love with everyone who doesn't yet know Him
I am a very task oriented person so this guilt thing is a double wammy for me. If I can't check it of the list, guess what? I feel guilty! It's time for all of us to get off the guilt wheel. Recently, I read "Undaunted" by Christine Caine. In reflecting on the story of the good samaritan, God told her this, "Christine, the only difference between the Samaritan and the religious people was that hte Samaritan actually crossed the street. The Samaritan was willing to have his plans interrupted so that he could assist the man. The Samaritan stooped down to lift up the broken one. Stopping and stooping are different. Compassion is only emotion-until you cross the street. Compassion means action. You go to them."
When I read these words, I was reminded that no task is righteous. No task left undone should bring feelings of guilt. The only thing I should feel guilty about is not laying down my life for the lost. Lord, please help me to focus on what really matters and help me to rebuke the enemy when he whispers inadequacy and doubt and guilt to my soul. May I remember to instead be the light in the darkness. That is all you have called me to do.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Merry Christmas Family and Friends! The year 2017 has been so hectic, especially these last few months, that I really debated whether or not to send cards this year. Some have told me that they look forward to my letter and card each year, so I am going to persevere. I think though that this year many of you will be receiving this letter electronically.
At the conclusion of last year’s letter, I was planning a trip to San Antonio to see my childhood best friend whom I had lost touch with and had not seen in 30 years! Well, the trip was a success. Sandra and I clicked as we did 30 years ago. It felt like we had never been apart, and we know we are family. I am so thankful to God for allowing us to finally find each other.
In December, I brought home my dog Glory. She was 3 weeks old when I brought her home because her mother stopped feeding her. She is a German Shepard/Great Pyrenees mix, and if you are my friend on Facebook, you know how cute she is! She’s a year old now and weighs over 70 lbs!
I have done a lot more travel within the US visiting different Nightlight offices this year. In February, I went to Missouri for work and received a last minute invitation to see Bon Jovi in concert while I was in town! Those MO girls sure know how to impress the boss.
In March, I made a trip to Uganda. I traveled with a co-worker from our TX office. We visited our baby home again and met with officials trying to decipher the way adoptions will work in Uganda under the new laws. We are still deciphering.
I got to go to CO 3 times this year for work events and conferences. I missed Colorado while living on the east coast so it has been a lot of seeing the beautiful Rocky Mountains 3 times already! In May, I took vacation time to install a new privacy fence at my house. My cousin gave me a great price on labor, and my whole family pitched in to get the fence up. It was a lot of work but totally worth it!
In August, I was able to visit another new country. This year, I went to Honduras for the first time! I traveled there to begin the process for adoptions, and Nightlight now has a Honduras adoption program! I was able to travel with an interested adoptive family who approached us about opening a program there. I met some lovely people, and I’m looking forward to helping Honduran waiting children find a family.
In September, my mother and I went on an epic road trip adventure. We visited Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Salt Lake, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Carmel by the Sea, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, The Petrified Forest, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Some of the highlights of the trip are: staying in a tiny gypsy house in San Francisco, seeing the ocean from Big Sur, and seeing the giant sequoia trees up close and personal. Of all the cities we visited, I think Santa Fe was my favorite. Also in September, Ken (baby home director in Uganda) traveled to the US for a month. As soon as we returned from our vacation, Ken came to Oklahoma for a few days. Hosting Ken was a lot of fun because, other than Kassie who went with me to Uganda in 2010, my Ugandan family has never met the rest of my US family. I’m so glad my family was finally able to meet Ken and get to know him better.
October got really crazy as I traveled to TX, CO, KY, MO, and back to KY all in one month. All of these trips were work related. Now, here we are in November again. Things have not slowed down. On November 11, 2017, I ran the Nightlight virtual 5K with Glory. Because it was her first 5K, I let her wear the metal for a little while. I hosted Thanksgiving at my house again this year, and we had 17 people. Next month, our Oklahoma Nightlight office is moving locations, and today I found out that I will be hosting a Colombian orphan for Christmas! Prepare to see lots of photos of Sunny as I advocate to find her a forever family. If you would like more information about Sunny, please message me on Facebook or just give me a call.
In other news, I finally found a church home. After a year of trying different churches in Tulsa, I have become a member of Guts Church. I am excited about the ministries at Guts and can’t wait to get more involved. Thank you to all who prayed for me to find a church home. Your prayers were answered. I pray that all of you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year! I know that not everyone has had a great year and the holidays can be lonely and hard. Please know that the Father above loves you and wants to comfort you.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32
God Bless,
Lisa
At the conclusion of last year’s letter, I was planning a trip to San Antonio to see my childhood best friend whom I had lost touch with and had not seen in 30 years! Well, the trip was a success. Sandra and I clicked as we did 30 years ago. It felt like we had never been apart, and we know we are family. I am so thankful to God for allowing us to finally find each other.
In December, I brought home my dog Glory. She was 3 weeks old when I brought her home because her mother stopped feeding her. She is a German Shepard/Great Pyrenees mix, and if you are my friend on Facebook, you know how cute she is! She’s a year old now and weighs over 70 lbs!
I have done a lot more travel within the US visiting different Nightlight offices this year. In February, I went to Missouri for work and received a last minute invitation to see Bon Jovi in concert while I was in town! Those MO girls sure know how to impress the boss.
In March, I made a trip to Uganda. I traveled with a co-worker from our TX office. We visited our baby home again and met with officials trying to decipher the way adoptions will work in Uganda under the new laws. We are still deciphering.
I got to go to CO 3 times this year for work events and conferences. I missed Colorado while living on the east coast so it has been a lot of seeing the beautiful Rocky Mountains 3 times already! In May, I took vacation time to install a new privacy fence at my house. My cousin gave me a great price on labor, and my whole family pitched in to get the fence up. It was a lot of work but totally worth it!
In August, I was able to visit another new country. This year, I went to Honduras for the first time! I traveled there to begin the process for adoptions, and Nightlight now has a Honduras adoption program! I was able to travel with an interested adoptive family who approached us about opening a program there. I met some lovely people, and I’m looking forward to helping Honduran waiting children find a family.
In September, my mother and I went on an epic road trip adventure. We visited Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Salt Lake, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Carmel by the Sea, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, The Petrified Forest, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Some of the highlights of the trip are: staying in a tiny gypsy house in San Francisco, seeing the ocean from Big Sur, and seeing the giant sequoia trees up close and personal. Of all the cities we visited, I think Santa Fe was my favorite. Also in September, Ken (baby home director in Uganda) traveled to the US for a month. As soon as we returned from our vacation, Ken came to Oklahoma for a few days. Hosting Ken was a lot of fun because, other than Kassie who went with me to Uganda in 2010, my Ugandan family has never met the rest of my US family. I’m so glad my family was finally able to meet Ken and get to know him better.
October got really crazy as I traveled to TX, CO, KY, MO, and back to KY all in one month. All of these trips were work related. Now, here we are in November again. Things have not slowed down. On November 11, 2017, I ran the Nightlight virtual 5K with Glory. Because it was her first 5K, I let her wear the metal for a little while. I hosted Thanksgiving at my house again this year, and we had 17 people. Next month, our Oklahoma Nightlight office is moving locations, and today I found out that I will be hosting a Colombian orphan for Christmas! Prepare to see lots of photos of Sunny as I advocate to find her a forever family. If you would like more information about Sunny, please message me on Facebook or just give me a call.
In other news, I finally found a church home. After a year of trying different churches in Tulsa, I have become a member of Guts Church. I am excited about the ministries at Guts and can’t wait to get more involved. Thank you to all who prayed for me to find a church home. Your prayers were answered. I pray that all of you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year! I know that not everyone has had a great year and the holidays can be lonely and hard. Please know that the Father above loves you and wants to comfort you.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32
God Bless,
Lisa
Monday, July 13, 2015
Never Give Up Hope
Today, I was able to talk to my bosom friend for the first time in almost 30 years. We laughed, we cried, and we reminisced. My heart is overwhelmed. It was so humbling to learn that Sandra has been looking for me too. After we were separated, our lives went on but with a piece missing. We realized when talking today that we have come close to finding each other a few times over the years but somehow missed each other. When we spoke today, it was such a treasure to learn that not only are we bosom friends, but we are also sisters in Christ. Sandra said that it is when she finally gave up her search for me, praying, "Lord, I know you care about the the things that are dear to my heart, and I am getting nowhere so I'm giving this search to you. I'm letting go.", that I called!
Just this morning, after a particularly dry season, I had asked the Lord to show me that He is still with me and still loves me. Wow, did He come through! Today He showed Himself by answering a 30 year old prayer of two little girls whose hearts were broken. If you have been praying for something for a long time, and you are growing weary, let this story encourage you. Don't give up. Keep praying and seeking Him. He is faithful.
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
Psalm 89:8
But those who wait upon the Lord will rennew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,
They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
All that's left to do is start checking prices on flights to Texas so that Sandra and I can catch up face-to-face.
If you have a similar story of answered prayer please share it hear to encourage us all.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
A Day in My Shoes
I feel like I've had a blog in me trying to get out for a few days now, but I'm still not sure what it will be.
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about "a day in my shoes". The demands and requests on all of us are pretty high, I'm sure. Sometimes, I am completely shocked by the requests I receive from adoptive families. Though I desire to make sure that everyone gets the answers they need, I can't promise that they will get all the answers they want. I truly think that if they could just glimpse into the window of my day, they would not ask some of the things they ask.
Let's start with Thursday this week in which I was in a trial for a contested domestic adoption until 10:45PM. I arrived home about 11:30PM but did not fall asleep until after 1PM. I was at the office the next day by 8:30AM. Fortunately, an intern had offered to pick up the snack for Friday's staff meeting. I quickly finalized my staff meeting agenda, printed copies of health insurance information, our monthly applications chart, the prayer list, etc. We had a short devotion, prayed for the needs of our agency and the waiting orphans, thanked God for every good thing, and then dove right in. We completed the staff meeting about 11AM. I moved on to about 40 e-mails waiting in my inbox which had been waiting since the afternoon before when I had gone to court. I began answering questions from waiting adoptive families. I manage the following programs (Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uganda). Of those programs, I had at least three families who I had promised would hear from me by Friday. In addition, I had e-mails from inquiring families for these programs as well. I received a pop up message that it was time to send out my monthly domestic adoption update to waiting families, and I also received notice from our Uganda baby home that they were in desparate need of funds which have not yet been raised. I e-mailed our attorney in Nicaragua for answers for the first family, e-mailed Uganda for answers for the 2nd family, and answered questions on e-mail related to advertising, an upcoming adoption workshop, and received additional HR information that I must disseminate to my staff. At 12:30PM, I took a short lunch break. After scarfing down my food, I returned to my desk to return 3 phone calls that had been waiting since the day before. I still have 2 phone calls I was not able to return that had to be pushed back to next week. Each phone call took about 20 minutes. I also had an urgent situation that arose with a family who had previously adopted from Uganda. I played phone tag with one party and then spent about 30 minutes on the phone with another party. In the midst of these e-mails and phone calls, I intermittently answered questions from staff who would enter my office, said goodbye to an intern who's last day was Friday, and gave direction to the new intern regarding our upcoming golf marathon. At 2PM, I received a phone call from a family in our Nicaragua program whom I had scheduled a conference call with because they had some things they wanted to share with me. This conference call lasted about 30 minutes. I then sent another e-mail to our attorney in Nicaragua and answered more e-mails and questions. At 3PM, I called one family that had been waiting for news regarding their child in Uganda only to tell them that I did not have any news as I had hoped. Even though I had no update for this family, they asked many questions that I could not answer (because I have no news from Uganda) and the phone call lasted about 15 minutes. I spoke with my board chairman regarding an upset relative of the court trial from the previous day and then sent them an e-mail. I mediated a dispute between my staff over a file cabinet. I planned a trip to DC and NYC (checked flights, looked at hotels, spoke with NCFA staff) for myself and the China program director to meet up with the CCCWA delegation so we can rub elbows and build relationships with important powerful people running this adoption program. At 4PM, I began to crash since I had worked until 10:45PM the night before and had slept little. I decided to leave work early. On my way home from work, I received text messages from our domestic worker regarding a birth mother in labor. I responded to her when I arrived home and also received the e-mail I had been waiting on from Nicaragua. I sent both Nicaraguan families e-mails with the answers they had been waiting for. While I was at it, I responded to the other e-mails I had received since leaving the office and finally put the work down at 5:45PM. One question I received during the midst of this day was a simple one, but often I am asked questions that are low on my priority list given the days duties. In the midst of all that I had to do on this day (Answering an e-mail from a relative from the trial the night before, answering a family adopting from Nicaragua about their attorney's meeting with officials the day before, discussing with one family the fact that the child they have been matched with may not be eligible for adoption after all, resolving a crisis with a family who has disrupted their placement, answering questions from staff, inquiries from new clients, and I forgot to mention that I am also working on an application to get licensed in another country), this question is just a slap in the face. Why? Because the questions that families ask when they are "checking up" to see if we are doing our jobs, is like a slap in the face. No one is sitting on their hands doing nothing. We are ALL working hard to do everything we can to complete every single adoption and see that every child comes home as smoothly as possible. Sometimes, I welcome questions from families. The families that I don't hear from often or who do not expect an updated on every single step in the process, these families can get lost in the shuffle. When I get a question from these families, it is often accompanied by "I really hate to bother you, but." To these families I say, "Please bother me!" I have told families that with all that I have on my plate, I can allow a lot more time to pass without realizing it because I am focusing on so many programs, duties, and questions from the "squeaky wheel" families, that their adoption is not high on my radar. I tell these families, please e-mail me once a week to make sure that I know how much time has passed, and I do not forget to check on your case. These are the families though that seem to understand the demands I am under every day. To all adoptive families I say this, "I promise to do my very best to be kind, patient, and effective in my work with you. I promise that I care about your little one who is waiting in another country for you in an orphanage. I care so much about orphans, that I got into this business of adoption because I want to see children in forever families. I work hard to find trustworthy staff in the countries we work in, and I contact them about important steps in the case as often as possible. For the little things though, I have to trust them to do the job they have been hired to do. Why? Because I cannot micromanage them even if I wanted to. I don't have time. Please hear me when I say that I rejoice with you when a step is completed that brings you closer to your child. I cry with you when you hear bad news or God forbid are not able to move forward with an adoption altogether. I and my staff pray over the decisions we make, the matches we make, and the families we serve." I am not writing all of this to complain but simply because as I said I sometimes think that if our clients could only see a glimpse into our day, they would re-evaluate their expectations. They would have more patience and more understanding for the work that we do. I'm sure that to our clients, it feels that we should understand better where they are coming from as well. Do we really know how it feels to have your child in a country far away, have no idea how soon you will be united, and know all the while that they are growing older in an instituion? No, for most of us we do not have that personal experience. We do try to understand as best we can. Its not easy seeing things from someone else's perspective, but I promise to try harder if you will too.
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about "a day in my shoes". The demands and requests on all of us are pretty high, I'm sure. Sometimes, I am completely shocked by the requests I receive from adoptive families. Though I desire to make sure that everyone gets the answers they need, I can't promise that they will get all the answers they want. I truly think that if they could just glimpse into the window of my day, they would not ask some of the things they ask.
Let's start with Thursday this week in which I was in a trial for a contested domestic adoption until 10:45PM. I arrived home about 11:30PM but did not fall asleep until after 1PM. I was at the office the next day by 8:30AM. Fortunately, an intern had offered to pick up the snack for Friday's staff meeting. I quickly finalized my staff meeting agenda, printed copies of health insurance information, our monthly applications chart, the prayer list, etc. We had a short devotion, prayed for the needs of our agency and the waiting orphans, thanked God for every good thing, and then dove right in. We completed the staff meeting about 11AM. I moved on to about 40 e-mails waiting in my inbox which had been waiting since the afternoon before when I had gone to court. I began answering questions from waiting adoptive families. I manage the following programs (Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uganda). Of those programs, I had at least three families who I had promised would hear from me by Friday. In addition, I had e-mails from inquiring families for these programs as well. I received a pop up message that it was time to send out my monthly domestic adoption update to waiting families, and I also received notice from our Uganda baby home that they were in desparate need of funds which have not yet been raised. I e-mailed our attorney in Nicaragua for answers for the first family, e-mailed Uganda for answers for the 2nd family, and answered questions on e-mail related to advertising, an upcoming adoption workshop, and received additional HR information that I must disseminate to my staff. At 12:30PM, I took a short lunch break. After scarfing down my food, I returned to my desk to return 3 phone calls that had been waiting since the day before. I still have 2 phone calls I was not able to return that had to be pushed back to next week. Each phone call took about 20 minutes. I also had an urgent situation that arose with a family who had previously adopted from Uganda. I played phone tag with one party and then spent about 30 minutes on the phone with another party. In the midst of these e-mails and phone calls, I intermittently answered questions from staff who would enter my office, said goodbye to an intern who's last day was Friday, and gave direction to the new intern regarding our upcoming golf marathon. At 2PM, I received a phone call from a family in our Nicaragua program whom I had scheduled a conference call with because they had some things they wanted to share with me. This conference call lasted about 30 minutes. I then sent another e-mail to our attorney in Nicaragua and answered more e-mails and questions. At 3PM, I called one family that had been waiting for news regarding their child in Uganda only to tell them that I did not have any news as I had hoped. Even though I had no update for this family, they asked many questions that I could not answer (because I have no news from Uganda) and the phone call lasted about 15 minutes. I spoke with my board chairman regarding an upset relative of the court trial from the previous day and then sent them an e-mail. I mediated a dispute between my staff over a file cabinet. I planned a trip to DC and NYC (checked flights, looked at hotels, spoke with NCFA staff) for myself and the China program director to meet up with the CCCWA delegation so we can rub elbows and build relationships with important powerful people running this adoption program. At 4PM, I began to crash since I had worked until 10:45PM the night before and had slept little. I decided to leave work early. On my way home from work, I received text messages from our domestic worker regarding a birth mother in labor. I responded to her when I arrived home and also received the e-mail I had been waiting on from Nicaragua. I sent both Nicaraguan families e-mails with the answers they had been waiting for. While I was at it, I responded to the other e-mails I had received since leaving the office and finally put the work down at 5:45PM. One question I received during the midst of this day was a simple one, but often I am asked questions that are low on my priority list given the days duties. In the midst of all that I had to do on this day (Answering an e-mail from a relative from the trial the night before, answering a family adopting from Nicaragua about their attorney's meeting with officials the day before, discussing with one family the fact that the child they have been matched with may not be eligible for adoption after all, resolving a crisis with a family who has disrupted their placement, answering questions from staff, inquiries from new clients, and I forgot to mention that I am also working on an application to get licensed in another country), this question is just a slap in the face. Why? Because the questions that families ask when they are "checking up" to see if we are doing our jobs, is like a slap in the face. No one is sitting on their hands doing nothing. We are ALL working hard to do everything we can to complete every single adoption and see that every child comes home as smoothly as possible. Sometimes, I welcome questions from families. The families that I don't hear from often or who do not expect an updated on every single step in the process, these families can get lost in the shuffle. When I get a question from these families, it is often accompanied by "I really hate to bother you, but." To these families I say, "Please bother me!" I have told families that with all that I have on my plate, I can allow a lot more time to pass without realizing it because I am focusing on so many programs, duties, and questions from the "squeaky wheel" families, that their adoption is not high on my radar. I tell these families, please e-mail me once a week to make sure that I know how much time has passed, and I do not forget to check on your case. These are the families though that seem to understand the demands I am under every day. To all adoptive families I say this, "I promise to do my very best to be kind, patient, and effective in my work with you. I promise that I care about your little one who is waiting in another country for you in an orphanage. I care so much about orphans, that I got into this business of adoption because I want to see children in forever families. I work hard to find trustworthy staff in the countries we work in, and I contact them about important steps in the case as often as possible. For the little things though, I have to trust them to do the job they have been hired to do. Why? Because I cannot micromanage them even if I wanted to. I don't have time. Please hear me when I say that I rejoice with you when a step is completed that brings you closer to your child. I cry with you when you hear bad news or God forbid are not able to move forward with an adoption altogether. I and my staff pray over the decisions we make, the matches we make, and the families we serve." I am not writing all of this to complain but simply because as I said I sometimes think that if our clients could only see a glimpse into our day, they would re-evaluate their expectations. They would have more patience and more understanding for the work that we do. I'm sure that to our clients, it feels that we should understand better where they are coming from as well. Do we really know how it feels to have your child in a country far away, have no idea how soon you will be united, and know all the while that they are growing older in an instituion? No, for most of us we do not have that personal experience. We do try to understand as best we can. Its not easy seeing things from someone else's perspective, but I promise to try harder if you will too.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Ugandan Dirt Remains on My Feet
There is so much to tell about my most recent mission trip to Uganda, I’m not even sure where to start. Well that’s not true, I want to start by saying thank you to all of you who donated toward my trip. I was so blessed by all of you as you continue to support me in my many trips overseas. This year I led a team of 16 people and through your donations and the monies raised by the other team members, we were able to cover all costs for the trip and purchase much needed supplies when we arrived. We had a really great group this year, and we accomplished a lot.
We had a church in Nebraska that rose over $100,000 earlier this year for the building of the new baby’s home. When we arrived in Mokono, Uganda, we were amazed to see how much work had already been done.
The walls were already up!!! Our team worked on landscaping, building a deck, building a changing table, and painting. We also did a short vacation bible school at Kidron Valley, brought lots of supplies from the US, and purchased bunk beds, crib mattresses, tricycles, curtains, a table and chairs, a fan, plastic plates and cups, office chairs, etc.
Our team was made up of folks ranging in age from 19 (turned 19 while we were in Uganda) all the way up to age 68. People often wonder. Is it really cost efficient to send a mission team to do construction? Wouldn’t it be more cost efficient to just send money over to Uganda and pay the local workers to complete the projects? If the only purpose of a mission trip is to build, then it is definitely NOT cost efficient. However, there are many reasons for short term missions that go far beyond construction. The relationships built between the people who travel and the people who live in Uganda that are grown over this time are priceless. In addition, our team shares the gospel through words and actions with local widows and children through prayer, VBS, and hugs. In turn, the people of Uganda bless our hearts so much and show us what it truly means to have the joy of the Lord. I don’t think I could ever express through words the impact that these mission trips have had on my life. I encourage anyone and everyone to go on a trip with us someday. I would love for you to see what God is doing and be blessed by the people of Uganda too. Soon, AHH is hoping to take a Friendship Team to China to work with an orphanage with which we recently began a relationship. I hope to go on that trip as well, so be on the lookout for more fundraising letters. LOL
I really do not have the words to express how grateful I am to all of you for your continued prayer and financial support. If you have not already liked A Helping Hand on Facebook, please do. We send out monthly updates about what is going on in Uganda and usually link those to our Facebook page.
The Ugandan red dirt is still on my shoes, and I don’t want to wash it off. It is a reminder to me that God is the Lord of all nations. When I am in Uganda, my heart is full and my spirit feels God’s presence even more fully than at home. When I enter the worship service in Uganda, tears come freely. Although I have experienced God just as close here at home, I look forward to going to Uganda because I know that God presence will overwhelm me. If you want to be overwhelmed by God, I pray you will join us on our next trip.
As always, if you wish to donate to any of my mission trips or to the ministries of AHH in Uganda, China, Guatemala, or elsewhere, please send checks to:
A Helping Hand Adoption Agency
1510 Newtown Pike Ste 152
Lexington, KY 40511
Or give on line at
http://ahelpinghandadoption.org/donate/
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Uganda Awaits
I thought I should write and give everyone an update. Things have been so busy, I think I forgot to send a thank you and praise out on my blog. My trip to Uganda this year is fully funded! PTL! Thank you to everyone who supported me through sending funds, prayer, and helping with the garage sale. We raised $900 in just one day! This year we are taking a team of 16 people. The folks in Uganda have already begun the work on the new babies home. With the added support of our team, it looks like we may be able to get the babies moved into the new baby's home by August. That would be so great! Below is a message I received from Ken a few weeks ago and some photos of the progress so far. I will update everyone again when I return.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," I Peter 2:7
Dear friends,
This morning I was frustrated with an issue; as I walked around the site watching what the masons were doing,the Holy Spirit reminded me of the portion in scripture that talks about Jesus. The corner stone that the builders rejected.
Friends every thing in our lives is saturated with the Lord; may you be encouraged just as I was this morning.
Blessings,
Kenneth Nganda
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," I Peter 2:7
Dear friends,
This morning I was frustrated with an issue; as I walked around the site watching what the masons were doing,the Holy Spirit reminded me of the portion in scripture that talks about Jesus. The corner stone that the builders rejected.
Friends every thing in our lives is saturated with the Lord; may you be encouraged just as I was this morning.
Blessings,
Kenneth Nganda
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