Florida & Haitian Orphans

Brrrr.....it's cold up here! Cory and I just got back from a nice trip to sunny Florida. We stayed with Melissa but spent much time with Jack and Carol also. Miya is as adorable as ever and really growing. We love and miss everyone already but I must admit we can't help but miss her most. Sorry guys! 

We missed our flight home last night so we just made it back this morning. Horrible traveling experience coming and leaving but our time in between certainly more than made up for it. It was great to see everyone! 

I had many messages to check when I got back. I should have checked them while in FL but never dreamt I'd have so many. Sorry for the late responses everyone. I had many messages concerning Haitian orphans coming into Indy. I am overwhelmed that you all thought of us so quickly. You are amazing friends. My heart breaks for these beautiful children. They've lost and endured so much.  I enquired about it this morning and I am happy to say that the need is not as acute or imminent as they first thought. Thousands have already responded and it appears as though all the children will be taken care of. Those who are wanting to adopt these children will be placed on the list first. It is a blessing that so many families want these children. In the beginning, Cory and I thought maybe this was an opportunity for us too but by the time I read the emails, I was already receiving emails stating the children have already been placed. I was excited by the thought of becoming a mom so quickly but Ethiopia is where my heart is. Only God knows what is best for our family. I need to just trust in that. We are so far into the process with Ethiopia that it would be difficult to leave it now. If God decides that Haiti is best for us, then doors will open and it will happen. Otherwise, Ethiopia is still our path. God Bless all of these children! 

James 1:27 says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

Grace Community Church >

Grace Community Church >

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State of Your Heart

Below is an outline of the latest message from Grace Community Church. These questions effected me more than I expected so I thought I would share them.

• To what degree is God at the center of your life?

1. Am I practicing Attentiveness to God?
2. Am I getting the Word of God ingrained in me?
3. Am I removing distractions to attentiveness from my life?
4. Am I dealing with the fatigue and anxiety that prevent me from being attentive?
5. Am I working to eliminate spiritual apathy?

• How much are you reaching out to others with the love of God?

1. Am I focused on reaching out to others?
2. Am I fearless in reaching out to others?
3. Am I compassionate toward others who are in need?

• How generous are you in your giving and service to God?

1. Am I excelling in generous giving?

• How many truly authentic relationships do you have in your life?

1. Do I talk too much?
2. Do I patronize others?
3. Am I patient?
4. Am I prideful and self-seeking?
5. Do I keep a record of wrongs?
6. Do I faithfully stand alongside others?
7. Do I believe God loves me?

• Are you changing...maturing...growing?

1. Is Jesus disrupting my need for power and control?
2. Is Jesus changing my understanding of God?
3. Is Jesus changing my reputation?
4. Is Jesus my Savior?

My next post will be a link to this an other messages if you would like to listen to them. Enjoy!

Stepping Out in Faith

Below is a devotional reading that really struck me hard this morning. This seems to be just what I needed to read at this time. 

There is no way for us to take the first steps toward the Christian life except by faith, any more than a baby can get launched on his earthly life without blind baby-trust in his parents. We have to accept the fact of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, even as our young children accept the fact of parental love. For the child, as for the new Christian, understanding comes later. 

In Jesus' ministry of healing, it seems faith was necessary before the divine act, not afterward. "Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace' " (Luke 7:50). And: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22). Faith, then, can be defined as stepping out in trust. 

We must have faith before the fact, not after. And when we take the risk of completely trusting God, we, like David in Psalm 34:8, can say, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

•  What present situations or future risks are facing you now?
• Have you trusted them to God? 

Notably Remarkable

Is it any wonder why I fell in love with this country?! 

"Ethiopia has ensured that its culture has remained remarkably intact, unpolluted and undiluted by outside influence. The country retains its own particular language and script, its own food and drink, its own church and saints, even its own calendar and clock. Endlessly fascinating, it defies any categorization and generalization; Ethiopia is like no other country in Africa". 
Frances Linzee Gordon - a Scottish author

New Year's Resolution "2010"

I've never been one to give much thought to New Year's Resolutions. Usually they are filled with a bunch of empty promises you make to yourself and never intend to keep. BUT, this year I'm giving it a try. My resolution is to educated myself and those close to me on everything concerning Ethiopia. This will be important to my child, therefore it is important to me. I've obviously already spent a great deal of time researching Ethiopia but now it's time to dig deeper. Below is the beginning of many posts I plan to make regarding this beautiful country and the culture. The following information was taken from one of my favorite blogs. 

Ethiopian Flag Meaning:
The colored stripes on the Ethiopian flag are significant - the red stripe stands for power, faith and blood; the yellow symbolizes peace, natural wealth and love; and the green represents the land and hope. The colors were also interpreted to have a connection to the Holy Trinity, and the three main provinces of Ethiopia. The star represents unity of the people and the races that make up Ethiopia. The five rays on the outside of the star represent prosperity and the blue disk represents peace.

The three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors.