SO MUCH ON MY MIND

These precious kiddos are always on my mind...

But there has been so much more on my mind this week. Such a smattering of different things...

I was so so thankful that my sweet friend Becky and her family safely welcomed their new baby boy Micah into the family this week. God knew the time that he needed to be born safely and we are so thankful that He moved to make that happen.

At the same time my heart was heavy this week for my 2 blog friends that I met in Atlanta last January.... both of their sons were born into heaven this week, 2 and 3 years ago. I know how hard anniversaries are...

My sister in law had surgery this week. It is hard to be away when you wish you could be up there helping out in some way, with meals or whatever... I am thankful to be heading up soon to hopefully be able to do some of that. We are thanking God that the surgery went well... She had the same surgery a year ago, and now is back at it just 13 months later. We are praying for the Lord to allow her to have a smooth, safe and speedy healing.

Orphan Sunday went well at church last Sunday... we are praying we can do it again next year as it was somewhat of a last minute thing... we hadn't even heard of it until a few weeks before. Actually the timing really was perfect. This past Wednesday we had a choir of about 14 orphaned and disadvantaged kids come to do a concert. We were so blessed to have 2, 10 year old boys get to stay with us for 2 nights. This is where the week got totally interesting on another level for us.

OH MY GOODNESS... THEY COMPLETELY STOLE MY HEART. They were amazing... so polite, funny, a total joy to have around. The kids had a ball with them. They were enamored with the simplest of our toys and truly as I made dinner for them all on Tuesday, I loved looking in the other room and seeing 2 sweet dark skinned boys from Nepal and Uganda, belly laughing along with my kids as they played with Jacks of all things. (We have so many great pictures, but are allowed to post them online:) Bummer!)

During their concert... I was choked up continually. I just CAN NOT FATHOM that these kids don't have parents on the other side of the world waiting for them, and worrying about them. As we did family prayers at night with them and I watched them sleeping in our beds my heart was completely broken for the poverty that is a part of so many orphans lives and here we sit in our cush, huge houses. My heart is totally convicted on so many levels.

Part of the mission of the organization that they travel with is to promote getting sa

fe water to these countries. Did you know that children are dying every single day because of drinking unsafe, unclean water... the number is staggering. It would be the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day. I could not help but think of the upheaval that would happen if 20 jumbo jets really did crash every day... something would be done immediately ... But yet, all of these children are dying and we are oblivious, or we know, and still stand by idly.... really, it makes me sick to my stomach.

I called the organization that they came with to see if any of them are adoptable after their tour in the states is done... I had to leave a message. We will see if I get a call back. They may get tons of calls like that... If I don't hear back from them... I will call them back. I highly doubt it would even be possible... but it is certainly worth a try.

The kids and I were talking about how blessed we are here in America... we were just batting around all sorts of stuff... I asked them... would you rather have a pool (this would never happen, I was really just curious to hear their responses:) or adopt another sibling?? Their unanimous response was no pool, but adopt 2 kids. They can be so sweet sometimes... I would love to say they always act that way and respond that way... but that wouldn't be the truth:)

So who knows what God has planned for the future of our family, and our ministry here in OK. What I do know, is that my heart was changed this week, in so many ways, some ways I can't even describe to you. I CAN NOT imagine millions of children literally living without one of the most basic needs of life... the love of a family... a mom and dad to care about them... It is too much for me... I know that the global picture is huge, yet if churches would all do their part, I have to believe that the problem could really be so much smaller.

Thanks for listening as I try to put into words some of what I have been thinking... Greg and I were going to talk about it ALL last night... after dinner, I of course laid on the couch around 8:30, moved to my bed and didn't get up till 9:00. The talk will have to wait... we will have lots of time to discuss on the road this week:)