Rescuing Ruby and the Saunders

And here she is... Ruby, the miracle girl... 

Found at an orphanage after being abandoned in a field...

13 mos old and only 6 lbs...

What a smile!!

And our sweet friends, the Saunders...

Who clearly walk the walk and mean what they say... 

And when they told the orphanage director, they would do anything to help her... 

They meant it!!!

They brought her home and she is thriving and blowing away all the doctors that said she wouldn't do anything...

What a blessed couple of days we had with their family!  

The kids had a blast together!  Lots of bike riding, trampoline jumping and laughs!

Literally, right after they left, Jojo was  asking when we could see them again?

As well as lots of reconnecting  of three teens (liberty, Louis, and Caleb) who served in Uganda together!!!

Even the mamas got to run out for a quick coffee before they shared their heart and stories of "international Voice of the Orphan" and "The Gem Foundation" with our church and blog friends.

#2mamas21children

They are in the process of adopting their 13th child... A 13 year boy from China:) 

And how precious to my heart to just sit, visit, And laugh with Dwight and Linny...

They are such an encouragement to me... 

Understanding ministry, homeschooling, large families, and adoption...  It was such a blessing to us...

Their Isaiah, Liberty, our Isaiah, and Anna:)

Love... The photo bomber above!  

What an amazingly beautiful group of kids...

So until next time...

Our prayers go with them as they share their heart and love for...

orphans...

Special need treasures...

And sharing the faithfulness of Jesus with 

Anyone and everyone who will listen...

A great summer read... You wont' be disappointed...

Hello friends from rainy Chicago...

When I think of the nature of our family and all that make up who we are and what we are passionate about... I think of all of the people and things that have contributed to and all that God has used to mold us in to who we are... and who we will continue to grow into in the future...

 I think of....

So many different members of our dear family...

So many different precious friends...

So many different difficult moves...

So many different crazy life experiences...

And so many tough times thrown in among the beautiful times... 

When I think of our passion for missions and caring for the orphans... I think of our sweet and amazing friends, Dwight and Linny,  the Saunders!  They are the founders of IVO (International Voice of the Orphan)  It is the group we have traveled with to Uganda over the past 4 years... dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.  

They break the mold when it comes to laying it down to care for the orphans in our world... 

Whether it means adding those kids to their own family, feeding them in the streets of Uganda, or watching their daughter give up her American life to start a special needs orphanage... it is all an integral part of who they are!

  I admire and look up to them... still opening up their home to another treasure from China while most their age are nearing an empty nest and retirement... 

Are they perfect?  No... but they are the real deal... sold out to walk their faith in action... And it is beautiful to watch... 

I am super excited for the release of my friend Linny's book Rescuing Ruby.  I believe it will be available from  Amazon in a week or so... It tells the story of their precious daughter Ruby and the amazing journey they have been on since she was basically left for dead in a field in Uganda... The transformation in this precious girl's life is REMARKABLE... 

My heart can not be shaken and amazed at the work of our gracious God... This photo taken of Emma the day they found Ruby at the orphanage and a year later after she had come home to their family... It doesn't even resemble in the slightest bit the same child... What a healing work God has done and continues to do daily in Ruby's life... 

Check out her book, Rescuing Ruby... you won't be disappointed... It will be perfect summer reading and I know will challenge you, stretch you, and renew your faith in our miracle working God!  

Here is Linny's blogpost announcing that the book is finally finished... 

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2015/06/eeeeeek.html

In just a few weeks their  family will be touring the US and we will be blessed to spend a couple of days with them here... We are thrilled... They were so gracious to house us 2 years ago when we RV'd to California... And now it is our turn... YAY!!! :)

We will be hosting a dessert night while they present their story of Ruby, IVO, and the Gem Foundation (the orphanage their daughter Emma started in Uganda...  www.thegemfoundation.com 

Look for more information, but put the 9th of July on your calendar if you are in our area...

We would LOVE to have you join us!

Watoto Suubi... What a vision!

Watoto Suubi campus... What fore thought and vision... And how beautiful to see it being put into practice!!

This is the church over looking the rolling mountains and hills near Kampala...

Watoto has been caring for the orphans of Uganda for the last 20 years...

They don't do adoptions but rather the focus is to provide homes for children...

They have over 3000 orphans in their care... At three different campuses.

They have house foster moms who care for 8 children, all different ages and care for them until adulthood... So on the Suubi campus there are about 125-150 homes built to care for the kids...

They are built in little clusters almost like a small neighborhood.  It is gorgeous... Up at the top of the campus they have their  primary school, the high school, and vocational school.  

They do a beautiful job and really are equipping these kids to be productive adults... Most importantly they are training them up in The Lord!  

Here is part of the team with Maureen and a bunch of her kids...

 She moved to Watoto with her two biological kids 14 years ago as a single mom... 

This is her home... Nice, but not in any way fancy...

Running water?? Yes..

Toilet??? Yes?

Beds for everyone??   Yes

Lots of love???  Yes!!!

Electricity???  No!! 

So, Watoto provides much better living conditions than many of these moms or kids would have otherwise, but it is not lavish in any way, shape or form...

They provided a meal for us... It was wonderful Ugandan food... Made by Maureen and all the kids:)

What a sacrifice of time and resources for us...

We were so honored!  We LOVED visiting with them, playing dominoes and soccer, and sharing a beautiful meal!  

Maureen and I sat together the other day at Emma's introduction and she was keeping me informed of all that was happening during the introduction and what it all meant:) she has such a beautiful loving heart... These kids are blessed to call her mom!

On the way to their home we passed this house built by a church in the town I grew up in... How cool is that?

Kim and our beautiful  friend Maureen!

Truthfully, I have such a heart for adoption, I never understood the philosophy of Watotos ministry...

After seeing more of the country, hearing more orphans stories, and seeing the ministry in practice... 

It is a beautiful place!

It is a beautiful ministry... Doing amazing things for the mothers and kids of Uganda!  I am TOTALLY Impressed... The baby home is one of the best I have seen here in Uganda!

The vision that was put forth here years ago is amazing and the follow through and blessing from The Lord so inspiring!  

It really challenged my thinking for my own life, my own family, and even for Emma and the Gem Foundation... Emma has great vision... Astounding for someone so young!

I am seeing fully today that with God nothing is impossible!!  

LOVE IT!!! 

Emma, josh, and the gems... A life calling...

This precious couple, Emma and josh amaze me... 

Truly, the first day at The Gem Foundation I was pretty overwhemed by my own selfishness just by watching them with the kids...

Emma has found the PERFECT man to share this AFRICAN MSSIONARY  life with...

 He is kind, funny, adventurous, God fearing, on fire for The Lord, will be a great dad to Emma's little man... 

And most importantly, here in Africa where she serves, he is loving, kind and "IS IN" fully  caring for the gems, the 24 kids that live at the Gem Foundation...

Here they were together scoping out land to build for the future Gem Foundation...

This isn't a calling for now... This is a life calling as they see it... Not leaving Africa... But living and serving here for life... Unless God were to do something else... 

They want to care for these kids for life... 

A few of the kids may be able to adopted at some point.  In Uganda witchcraft is wide spread and special needs kids are considered to be a cursed... So most wouldn't be able to be resettled back with family... So this is home for them... Most likely for a long time..

Or forever....

And Emma and josh are totally embracing that wholeheartedly...

And that BLOWS me away...shows me my selfish heart... And leaves me pretty in awe  of these two young people...

Emma caring for baby O... 5 years old but wears 9 mo clothing... He was severely malnourished... But has a smile that will melt your heart! 

Emma, only 21, founded the Gem Foundation and already, only 6 mos later, has filled her home... They are out of space...  And trust me, I am sure she could fill many more homes with kids...

The need is that BIG here in Uganda...

She is amazing, considers these her kids,  loves them dearly, puts them first...

But what impresses me the most is that she is right in there with the nannies in their day to day care... Feeding them, holding the. And loving on them... 

She REALLY knows what is going on with each of them...

She has a staff of 25 people, including nannies, cooks, nurses, and social workers... And they are kinder and more loving than any staff I have seen at an orphanage over here... 

And that says A LOT!! 

These are special needs kids with a lot if big needs and costly needs... It is much more costly than a traditional typical orphanage caring for healthy kids...

Emma and josh have followed the Lords calling on their life and are loving and embracing the serving the special needs kids here...

They are searching for new land to they can better care for the kids, provide more long term housing and housing in general for more kids, farm (to be more self sustaining), to be better stewards and not have to spend money on rent, and  be out from the terrible pollution in Kampala (but still minutes from a hospital). 

They know God will provide all...  Would you please pray for them and the precious kids they care for??

They are so humble and sincere... 

Check out Emma's blog at 

www.emonamission.blogspot.com

To know how to pray specifically for them and if God so leads you to donate towards the AMAZING work they are doing here in Uganda😊

I know that any money given is truly always going to where the need is so very great!

VBS in the village

VBS in the village

Pastor john , whom we have worked with for 3 years has a beautiful philosophy of ministry... The church is to care for the orphans in Uganda....

So he builds a church with an orphanage attached to it.... 

He has done that 15 times...

The kids playing duck duck chicken and hot potato:). 

In the far background, You can see the village women filling up water from the new well, installed within the past year:). What a blessing to the community!  

It's dancing time:)

3 orphanages were brought together for our day of VBS... Totaling about over 80 kids when you included the village kids:) 

Everyone was anxious to get inside and get started.... They knew there were balloons to pop... about 125 of them... That was a noisy, but really fun 5 minutes:)

We sang, danced, and gave lots of hugs!

My sweet Lawrence... My little buddy each time I return...

The teens told the story of David and Goliath... Focusing on the giants in our lives and how with God all things are possible... 

There are a lot if giants in the life of an orphan...  Can you imagine?   loneliness, fatherlessness, hunger, danger, sickness... I could go on and on... 

Thank The Lord for Pastor John and the care they provide for all of these kids... 

And most importantly, they are taught about Jesus, discipled, and raised up to be leaders Barack in their communities...

Bubbles for everyone...

And a very small toy for each to keep and play with as well...

Isn't she precious... Little grace, the smallest child at the 3 orphanages... 

The way she clung to all the older girls totally reminded me of my Anna and Isaiah...

It was a long day of VBS... But a beautiful day...

When we returned home it was off to the baby home to feed, change and put little ones to bed:) 

Day one...

Disclaimer... Typing on phone... Excuse all typos:):)

Day one... 

Overwhemed on many levels... I knew God was going to work and me... And He wasted no time:) 

We spent lots of time at The Gem Foundation today... A special needs orphanage in Kampala (more on The Gem Foundation another day:) 

Meet Colin... Smiliest kid EVER!!!  

Louis and his new friend Shafiek:)

Here is how God worked today...

In all honestly, my experience with special needs is pretty limited... This morning before we left I was reading in Matthew about how Jesus healed the lame man at the pool... Immediately it dawned on me that I really needed to pray for Gods will to be done in healing these special needs kiddos I was about to meet...

I know with God anything is possible... And His will may be a complete healing here or may be in Heaven. It may be an emotional healing.  It may be a healing of one specific problem... 

I was blown away by these precious kids... Many with cerebral palsey, hydrocephalus, autism, and much more... 

But my heart was particularly drawn to a few children...

A 9 mo old who has been severely burned... So much so, that both of his hands are missing... Oh the long road of healing he has in front of him... And yet he is so sweet and joyful...

I was also drawn to 2 precious boys that were severely malnourished...one being 5 and looking more like a 9 mo old...  Little O, so precious...

And the other sweet little T.  he is 12 years old but wears a size 4...  you read that right... 12 years old, looking more like a 4 year old...

How does this happen?  How does it go on that long?  How does it go THAT FAR?  T is the most recently added Gem to the home... He was also abused... I truly never realized or thought completely through the amount of damage  that is done through malnutrition... Or more like starvation in this case...

I was immediately struck by God to speak the truths of His Word and love to T... 

You are so loved..  God created you for a very special purpose... You are fearfully and wonderfully made... I know that how he has suffered in the past he may not be "feeling" those truths... 

 He has telling eyes... Even though he can't speak, he still uses his face to communicate, even his eyebrows... He even gave me the slightest smile...

He broke me... 

No one deserves even the smallest dose of what he has experienced in life... This treasure who can barely do anything, can barely move from a tight fetal position because that is how he has sat for FAR TOO LONG is a BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS  creation of God with a life purpose as great as yours or mine... Who knows maybe far greater than yours or mine... 

Do you believe that?  I am not sure what I believed fully before today... Before I saw it RIGHT in front of me with my own eyes... The toll of abuse, neglect, starvation on a precious little child...

He wasn't an accident... He deserves  to be loved, cared for, and treasured...

I feel blessed beyond measure and so privileged to be able to be a small part of that care and love these next two weeks...

Little T... I won't ever forget you... Part of your life  purpose was to change me... To teach me more about the infinite unconditional love of our Heavenly father... 

You are loved...

You are treasured...

You are handsome...

I am praying for your continued healing... Physically, emotionally... May God's perfect will now be done in your life...

You are now home T...I know you will be well cared for and deeply loved at the Gem Foubdation... No more to fear sweet boy...

no more to fear...

Thankful for today... and everyday...

At the moment my heart is sort of torn between two worlds...

I just saw a World Vision commercial for the work the are doing in putting in wells for clean water, all over the world...  I think my heart skipped a beat as I let the reality of the fact that in less than 3 days I will be boarding a plane for mission work in Uganda... I am sooooooo excited....

At the same time...

I am so terrified for the flight...I am sure the missing Air Asia flight isn't helping matters.   I know I need to spend some time in the word over the next couple days focusing on how many times God says, to FEAR NOT!!!  As well as focusing on His sovereignty and power in our lives... I would appreciate prayers for peace and comfort in my heart and for no turbulence too:)

And at the same time...

I am soooooo sad to leave my babies!  This year is so much harder than the past two years for whatever reason... Seriously, I was in tears a couple times today as I sat and snuggled them...  I am soaking in every little detail of the 5 littles... 

Levi's squeaky little excited voice...

Hopie's unending zest for life and all things wild:)

Isaiah's deep belly laugh...

Jojo's sweet tenderhearted kindness to me...

Anna's willingness to be my right hand lady with the babies... (she is SOOOO GOOD with them!!)

Levi's love for listening to stories in my lap...

Hopie's need for extra snuggles...

Isaiah's soft warm curly head on my chest...

Jojo's need to rub the sore muscles he has gotten from too much green machine riding.... (He is getting in every last opportunity to ride that thing before the snow falls:)

Anna's love and desire to read devotions with me at night... 

I kind of can't even think of not seeing them for 2 weeks... I know the Lord will use all the kids we serve who don't even have a parent to call their own, to fill my arms and heart to the brim while we are in Uganda... 

There will be many to love that is for sure!

Oh the expressions between the 3 of them....
Melts me...



I love this little sweetheart more than I dreamed possible!

Those eyes and that expression...

We have all the shopping done for both Uganda and the kids and Greg back at home...
The donation bags are packed and ready to go...
We just have to pack out own bags and pray ourselves up for the journey ahead...

We would appreciate your prayers as well...
For God to fully prepare us for all that He has in store for us...
For willing  and able hearts and bodies to serve in whatever capacity we are called to serve...
For good health and no illness while there in Uganda...
For the Lord to open doors for us to share His great love for people and His redeeming power with those we meet...
For the Lord to grow and refine us and continually draw us closer to himself...
For His love the love of the Father, to flow right through us to those fatherless kids we serve...

Thanks friends for holding us up in prayer....

The countdown is on....

 The countdown is on... only 36 days till we set foot back on Ugandan soil (God willing)

The plans for our meals for missions fundraiser are underway... Which meals the chaos of the next 2 weeks has begun... I think we have about 53 people signed up which means we will make about 530 meals that day... We are hoping for about 70 to sign up... So we will see... We know God will provide...

One of the highlights of last year was seeing the tremendous growth of my boys compared to the trip we had taken the year before... Our leader stretches the kids to get out of their comfort zone, share from their hearts, and even take a leadership role at times...

He sees the kids as an intricate part of the team and gives us a huge range of experiences.  He does not shy away from hard work, hard things to see, the harsh reality of living in the slums of a 3rd world country.

 I wouldn't trade that for anything... A precious life experience for myself and my boys...

Can you see the fly on the little girls lip that I am holding?   Sweet baby girls watching the boys play soccer in the slums of Kampala...

Louis and his special friend getting water from the water hole... We are praising God that these kids no longer drink from that stagnant unhealthy water hole, but from a well dug right on their property... 

Those eyes...

Those feet, having been chewed on by rats while he slept... 

Can you even imagine???

This little guy ate the rest of my nutella and peanut butter sandwich... He hid behind this tree so he could have the last few bites to himself... Isn't he beyond precious???

I know this trip will be different in many ways... We are thrilled to be able to spend some of our time serving at The Gem Foundation, a special needs orphanage that our 21 year old friend Emma opened this past summer.  

I have to be honest, I know that the Lord is going to use this place especially, to grow me... Sadly, I haven't had a great  deal of experience working with kids or people with special needs...Sadly, It isn't really within my comfort zone... I am embarrassed to admit that... 

I am not scared... maybe more intimidated is the word...I am just not sure what to do, what is safe and appropriate when handling them... But I can not wait to love on and care for these precious kids that the Lord created and loves.  And I know that with some direction and leading the Lord is going to grow my heart, my love for them, and my understanding of how to care for them... He is so good like that... And I am so looking forward to it... 

Already our hearts are praying... "Lord, break out hearts for what breaks yours..." That is our hearts cry... That we might be able to catch a glimpse of how God sees things, us, the orphans, the homeless, and that our hearts will be moved  and be motivated to GO and DO all because we love our Savior and want others to know and love HIM too...

So the countdown is on... Lord willing, 36 days and our feet will hit the ground running on the red dirt soil of Uganda... 

So hard... so real...

I just had to repost this...

From the mother of our missionary friend Emma, who recently opened a special needs orphanage in Uganda...

I rarely think of the details of the many  extremely tough things that she faces in her calling... everyday...

Please take the time to read this to get a clear picture of ALL that it means to follow the Lord's calling on your life... the beautiful and the really hard stuff...

and then...

Please support them however you can... through prayer, encouragement or even financially...

Hug your little ones tight tonight:)

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-stuff-no-one-talks-about.html

Special wedding day...

What a beautiful setting for two to become one...

Hot, sunny, rustic Arizona...

5 precious teens united in their love for missions, orphans and the Lord!

A few of my kids with their friends the bride and groom, Savannah and Graham...

What a blessing for my kids, especially my older boys, to witness the this precious young Christian couple tie the knot.... just 19 and 20...

I was young when I married, just 21, and I would never say it is better to marry young or older... Marrying when the Lord provides the "right one" for you is the perfect time to marry...

Sometimes, that might mean marrying younger and sort of growing up together so to speak... and marrying rather than dating on and on and on saves a relationship from  a whole lot of temptation...

It was so special to witness the father of the groom, our Go Team Leader Dwight, the founder of IVO, marry them... I remember so much from his message to the bride and groom.  One of the neatest things he said that I think is true for EVERY married couple is...

That God has a special, unique, and wonderful plan that the two of you can fulfill together that could never be fulfilled by either of you alone... So precious to think of the unique potential for each couple that just couldn't be fulfilled by any OTHER two people!  Makes me so excited for the wonderful plans the Lord has in store for my marriage, my friends marriages, and this brand new marriage:)

So it was special to see these two commit to FOREVER together!

The new "Mr. and Mrs." entering their reception...

Two dear friends of mine... Linny and Kim... time with them is so rare... Sharing in this special occasion together was so precious to me... I am so very grateful that God gave us this time together!  What a treat!  I miss them so much already...

Some of the little men enjoying eachother... The kids had so much fun together!  I love that the Lord allowed us this sweet time of making memories with sweet friends and family!  What a gift to my heart!