This poem is from my moms yf's years and she has saved it this long. Please join me in prayer for all the young people out in this world that need Jesus.
"THE CALL"
Repent and be baptized!!
...But Lord, we are only boys!
Repent for what? For growing up
Or playing with our toys?
Were much to young to understand
And do that sort of stuff ;
Go talk to high school boys like Joe and Jim
They're old enough.
And so it was the days went by
And childhood joys grew dim
And we put off the call of God
To come and follow Him.
The older boys both Joe and Jim
Were members in a church
But me and John, when Sunday came
Would ditch and fish for perch.
Repent and be baptized!!!
...But Lord were still just boys!
You know its hard to quit
And give up high school joys.
Besides I've got a girlfriend,
And John's a football star;
His coach would flip and Jane would laugh.
Were happy as we are.
And so it was the days went by
And graduation came
And high school joys were left behind
And so was Jesus name
I went to church quite often though;
To hear about the Lord
But always fell asleep or talked
Or got extremely board.
Repent and be baptized!!!
...The Savior seemed to plead
But I was pretty tough by now
and didn't feel the need.
A marijuana cigarette
Would send the call away
And keep me happy as I laughed ,
"Some more convenient day!"
Repent and be baptized!
...The message came again.
My Father prayed and my Mother cried,
But I would not give in.
Instead I left them all behind
For other friends in town
And live the way I wanted to
And put the Savior down.
And so it was the days went by
The call came less and less
I smoked and pranked and crossed the law
And drugs! Lord what a mess!
Now even John had found a church
And here I was in sin
"Please help me Lord" I almost cried
But couldn't quite give in.
Repent and be baptized!
...I feel the Saviors pull
It stung my conscience! Crushed my pride!
It pierced my heart and soul
I closed my eyes in wretched shame
And prayed on bended knee
"Oh Lord, whom I have crucified,
I pray, remember ME!"
I'd nailed my Savior to the cross
In pain year after year
I'd crucified my greatest friend
And never shed a tear
BUT NOW MY SINS ARE WASHED AWAY!
AND JESUS TOOK THE BLAME!!
AND I AM CLEAN BECAUSE OF HIM!!
OH BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!!
And so it is my life is changed
My name is written there
What great relief! What blessed hope!!
What joy beyond compare!!
What mighty love! What matchless grace!!
What promises of bliss!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Miscellaneous Monday
Happy Monday! Its cozy here in our house. The boys are nicely playing and I am doing laundry and blogging :) We had a wonderful Valentines Day last Monday. It was filled with simple love which is the kind I like best just having my loves close to me.
Brysen making his Valentine to Daddy. It was really his first time to color and he did good!
My little Valentines
Cupcakes for our dessert :) The boys had so much fun helping me make these and I think they were on a sugar high the rest of the day!
The boys got several Valentines in the mail and they had so much fun opening every one!
Little Valentine men from Grandma Kay!!! They squealed with delight when they opened them! * Do you spot our missing special people in the background? We are reminded to pray for both of them until they are home!
Our simple little Valentine supper with Daddy home! Just enjoying the little special moments.
MENU: Vegetable Soup ( my boys LOVE this soup!) bread, frozen peaches and cupcakes
Ok moving on from Valentines Day. I made this dessert for a gathering at church. We love this dessert and it is my go to dessert for when I haft to make something last minute I seem to always have everything on hand. Its called "Poka Moka Torte" its in the Pink cookbook on page 284. I never take any home! But in case you dont have the cookbook :)
POKA MOKA TORTE
2 cup whipped cream~1tsp vanilla~1tsp instant coffee~1-2 tsp maple flavoring~ 1/2 c brown sugar~1 (23 oz) brownie mix.
Bake the brownie mix cake-like method in 2 (9 in) greased round pans. Bake 20 min at 350. Remove from pans before completely cooled. For the frosting whip the cream to peaks. Add remaining ingredients gradually. Put 1/3 frosting between layers and cover with remaining frosting. Top torte with chocolate shavings and chopped walnuts if you prefer. Serves 12 Its SO easy and SO good!!
Ok does anyone elses laundry room look like this on Monday morning?? SIGH! I really don't mind doing laundry but I like to have it all washed and put away before supper otherwise it sits in a pile all week. So thankful though that I have a family and I can take care of them!
Here's a picture of my sweet boys this morning before breakfast :)
One last picture of last week we went to Jumpys again in Toy with cousins Colton, Chase and Cohen. The boys had so much fun!! Hope your day is blessed! Proverbs 21:13
Brysen making his Valentine to Daddy. It was really his first time to color and he did good!
My little Valentines
Cupcakes for our dessert :) The boys had so much fun helping me make these and I think they were on a sugar high the rest of the day!
The boys got several Valentines in the mail and they had so much fun opening every one!
Little Valentine men from Grandma Kay!!! They squealed with delight when they opened them! * Do you spot our missing special people in the background? We are reminded to pray for both of them until they are home!
Our simple little Valentine supper with Daddy home! Just enjoying the little special moments.
MENU: Vegetable Soup ( my boys LOVE this soup!) bread, frozen peaches and cupcakes
Ok moving on from Valentines Day. I made this dessert for a gathering at church. We love this dessert and it is my go to dessert for when I haft to make something last minute I seem to always have everything on hand. Its called "Poka Moka Torte" its in the Pink cookbook on page 284. I never take any home! But in case you dont have the cookbook :)POKA MOKA TORTE
2 cup whipped cream~1tsp vanilla~1tsp instant coffee~1-2 tsp maple flavoring~ 1/2 c brown sugar~1 (23 oz) brownie mix.
Bake the brownie mix cake-like method in 2 (9 in) greased round pans. Bake 20 min at 350. Remove from pans before completely cooled. For the frosting whip the cream to peaks. Add remaining ingredients gradually. Put 1/3 frosting between layers and cover with remaining frosting. Top torte with chocolate shavings and chopped walnuts if you prefer. Serves 12 Its SO easy and SO good!!
Ok does anyone elses laundry room look like this on Monday morning?? SIGH! I really don't mind doing laundry but I like to have it all washed and put away before supper otherwise it sits in a pile all week. So thankful though that I have a family and I can take care of them!
Here's a picture of my sweet boys this morning before breakfast :)
One last picture of last week we went to Jumpys again in Toy with cousins Colton, Chase and Cohen. The boys had so much fun!! Hope your day is blessed! Proverbs 21:13
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Adoption Update
Adoption update finally!! I wish I could post the pictures we got of our sweet little girl on Thursday but I can't do that until she is home. But she had a very fun "field trip" the other day. I will write off the email our case manager Micheal Arrowood sent to us. He is there in Addis taking care of some things.
" Thursday was a really big day for the older children at Acacia Village. Who knew it is so exhausting to take a bunch of kids to an amusement park and zoo? It was a glorious day here because of an unexpected heavy rain. The air is clean and cool again tonight. We got off to a bit of a late start, owing to the need to bring in a second hired van. We took a total of 23 kids--9 boys and 14 girls. Unfortunately we distributed the new tennis shoes, khakis and jeans before the trip (the girls also got their hair done for the outing). (One girl) didn't get a new pair of jeans and had a bit of a meltdown about it. So we went through the older kids clothes...I don't know how the nannies or Helen did it but eventually we got her on the bus wearing red checked pants, and her happiness returned. The tennis shoes look great and were a big hit.
They totally enjoyed even the drive, just any chance to get out of there and see a bigger world. We went to Bora Amusement Park where I kept busy buying tickets for rides and trying to keep some semblance of order. We had six adults including the driver-it wasn't really enough. But the little things make them happy. We tried to get pizzas there but the service was terribly slow. So only half fed we headed over to Friendship Mall on Bole Rd. where they have MUCH better pizza. But at that point the kids turned it down and opted for various injera-based dishes. I was very amused when one of the littler girls asked for raw meat...there Ethiopian through and through! (Note: raw meat is for adults only) They were very well behaved all around...no tantrums just alot of high energy. And I wish they would eat there food at Acacia Village half as calmly as they do out in public.
Then Helen took the kids to the "lion zoo"up by Sidist Kilo Square, where they saw lions and monkeys. I reconnected with them at a cafe where Helen had gotten them all ice cream and we stopped for gum on the way back. It was pretty much a perfect kid day all around. I have some video of the kids singing on the way home as we pulled into the compound. They were very happy this evening and I reaped lots of hugs."
Isn't that so neat? We got 22 pictures of this special day in her life and I am going to do a page in her scrapbook on it. She looked so very happy in all the pictures just beaming! And the amusement park looks like a very old run down one here in America. Oh I am hoping she was not the one little girl that asked for raw meat! ewww!
As far as where were at with paperwork...ALL of our papers are at the Ethiopian office. My other case manager said the next email we get should be to notify us that our papers were submitted to court. And since that was at least a month ago I am hoping any day now. And then we will wait for a court date. Its all in God's timing
Here is a poem I found on a blog. It didn't have who the author was so I am not sure but I didn't write it :) And its going to be a great poem for Gracie and I.
A Tale of Two Women
Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember and one you call Mother
Two different lives shaped to make yours
One became your guiding star the other became your sun
The first gave you life. The other taught you how to live it.
The first gave you a need for love and the second was there to live it
One gave you a nationality the other gave you a name
One gave you the seed for talent and the other gave you aim
One gave you emotions the other calmed your fears
One saw your first smile and the other dried your tears
One gave you up for it was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child and was led strait to you
Now you ask me through your tears the age old question through the years
Heredity or environment, which am I a product of? Neither my darling
Just two different kinds of love.
" Thursday was a really big day for the older children at Acacia Village. Who knew it is so exhausting to take a bunch of kids to an amusement park and zoo? It was a glorious day here because of an unexpected heavy rain. The air is clean and cool again tonight. We got off to a bit of a late start, owing to the need to bring in a second hired van. We took a total of 23 kids--9 boys and 14 girls. Unfortunately we distributed the new tennis shoes, khakis and jeans before the trip (the girls also got their hair done for the outing). (One girl) didn't get a new pair of jeans and had a bit of a meltdown about it. So we went through the older kids clothes...I don't know how the nannies or Helen did it but eventually we got her on the bus wearing red checked pants, and her happiness returned. The tennis shoes look great and were a big hit.
They totally enjoyed even the drive, just any chance to get out of there and see a bigger world. We went to Bora Amusement Park where I kept busy buying tickets for rides and trying to keep some semblance of order. We had six adults including the driver-it wasn't really enough. But the little things make them happy. We tried to get pizzas there but the service was terribly slow. So only half fed we headed over to Friendship Mall on Bole Rd. where they have MUCH better pizza. But at that point the kids turned it down and opted for various injera-based dishes. I was very amused when one of the littler girls asked for raw meat...there Ethiopian through and through! (Note: raw meat is for adults only) They were very well behaved all around...no tantrums just alot of high energy. And I wish they would eat there food at Acacia Village half as calmly as they do out in public.
Then Helen took the kids to the "lion zoo"up by Sidist Kilo Square, where they saw lions and monkeys. I reconnected with them at a cafe where Helen had gotten them all ice cream and we stopped for gum on the way back. It was pretty much a perfect kid day all around. I have some video of the kids singing on the way home as we pulled into the compound. They were very happy this evening and I reaped lots of hugs."
Isn't that so neat? We got 22 pictures of this special day in her life and I am going to do a page in her scrapbook on it. She looked so very happy in all the pictures just beaming! And the amusement park looks like a very old run down one here in America. Oh I am hoping she was not the one little girl that asked for raw meat! ewww!
As far as where were at with paperwork...ALL of our papers are at the Ethiopian office. My other case manager said the next email we get should be to notify us that our papers were submitted to court. And since that was at least a month ago I am hoping any day now. And then we will wait for a court date. Its all in God's timing
Here is a poem I found on a blog. It didn't have who the author was so I am not sure but I didn't write it :) And its going to be a great poem for Gracie and I.
A Tale of Two Women
Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember and one you call Mother
Two different lives shaped to make yours
One became your guiding star the other became your sun
The first gave you life. The other taught you how to live it.
The first gave you a need for love and the second was there to live it
One gave you a nationality the other gave you a name
One gave you the seed for talent and the other gave you aim
One gave you emotions the other calmed your fears
One saw your first smile and the other dried your tears
One gave you up for it was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child and was led strait to you
Now you ask me through your tears the age old question through the years
Heredity or environment, which am I a product of? Neither my darling
Just two different kinds of love.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Goodbye Brent *February 7 2010*
We had so much fun with Brent when he was home on 'boot leave'!! The above picture is him opening his Christmas gifts. He took Britton and I out to eat and then we and watched "The Green Hornet" in 3D, we went to Jumpys one morning, we laughed and joked, we heard many stories of his adventures which weren't always so grand btw, we ate many wonderful meals by my mom and he gained at least 10 pounds! He got to go skiing and hang out with friends and be on fb and watch movies and the superbowel and eat anything he wanted. He got three haircuts and text and text some more! :)
He had two of these and then a garment bag and a carry on. The above bag was so heavy! I couldn't even lift it and I usually can lift heavy thing. When he got in Jacksonville NC last night he had to carry all that outside to a taxi by himself.
The usual picture spot :) He didn't wear his uniform leaving because he didn't want to get it wrinkled or get it dirty during his flight so he was going to change when he got there.
We always have our birthday party together since our birthdays are 8 days apart. There will be no reason to celebrate this year!
A few last words from Dad. We got security passes to go back to the gate and wait with him.
He just finished up his supper. We didn't want to go to the gate quite yet so here is really where we said goodbye instead of in front of everyone.
Waiting, with him nervous about what lies ahead and us nervous to say goodbye. But this is what he wants to do and he is really good at it! He love the adventure part of it! We want him to be happy and although we may not all agree on certain things we are so glad for our precious freedom and someone has to keep it that way. Probably 5 people asked him, " What branch are you in?" and "Thank you for your service young man" and to which he would reply, "Marine Corp" and "Thank you sir or mam"
Waiting at the gate. We saw 3 other Marines in the airport and one was sitting with his family behind us and I looked over my shoulder once and he had the same look that Brent did. Nervous about whats to come.
There he goes! And we don't know when we will see him again :( He might come home for Christmas? He doesn't know and those kind of goodbyes are the hardest. While we were hugging goodbye there was several people crying around us wiping tears. Maybe they had a family member in service but they all knew what we knew that this goodbye could be forever.There are some Marines that won't make it back home. And when someone you love hasn't accepted Jesus into their heart it makes it much sadder to say goodbye. He did stick his Bible into his carry on bag. Please pray for his soul and that Jesus would keep knocking. We talked to an old lady at his graduation and she said, " I Love people! I don't always Love what they do but I love them anyways" What a great example of Jesus!He is headed to Camp Gieger in North Carolina for more training. It wont be like bootcamp because they are Marines now and will be treated that way but it will still be tough and they will haft to pass. They will have a graduation after this camp but its not as big or as important so we probably wont go. He is signing in at 1:00 pm today. He does have his cell phone so hopefully he will call today and let us know he got there safely. Then for this next month we will not hear from him. They will hike out far somewhere for a month. He said they wont take a shower for a month! wow! They only eat the packaged rations. So he will probably loose the 10-15 pounds he gained on leave and quickly get back into shape. He will be at this camp for 3 months. Then he will be stationed on a base in Hawaii, California, or North Carolina for a year. Wherever they have a need in Security Forces. He is hoping for his top choice Hawaii. He gets 30 days leave a year and he has 20 days left this year. My prayer for him is that he finds Jesus. Life is nothing without Him! And once you figure that out your life has a much bigger meaning!
Please join me in prayer for ALL of the service men and women that are keeping our country safe.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Seven Things
hehehe so I thought it would be fun to list some things that y'all might not know about me :)...cause I am board!
1) I am from California. BUT I moved to Washington state when I was three so I consider myself from Washington. And I moved out to Ohio when I was fourteen.
2) I do NOT like to live in Ohio (shhhhhhh) I really really don't! Not one day goes by hardly that I don't think about moving out of here to some mountainous place. Ideally back to Washington. And not that I don't have friends here but I really miss all my friends back home and wish so so bad I could live close to them. I feel like an alien in the "friend world" in Ohio. But I have learned that in whatever STATE I am in to be content. Ok so maybe I haven't learned it yet but I am working on it and home is wherever my family is BUT a girl can dream :)
3) If I could do anything in the world it would be to barrel race horses in rodeos. I have ALWAYS wanted to do that. I loved growing up in a rodeo town. Rodeo time was a huge highlight every fall and I would look most forward to seeing barrel racing.
4) I am 100% country girl. I love country music, jeans and t-shirts, horses and cows, ranches, rodeos, cowboys, farming, dirt, summer and anything else that has to do with "country" I LOVE it! But since Ohio is lacking somewhat I have to fit in in my surroundings hehe
5) I have a HUGE heart for the orphans. Expecially Ethiopian ones. I know God has big plans for me and my family... can't wait to see what they are! And I want to adopt {{lots}} of cute little ones.
6) It really really really bothers me to hear a "black" joke or hear somebody say "like the people in Dayton" like their some alien people. grrrrrr why do people do that? Who ever said that your different because of your skin color??!!?? Or when people think its not right to adopt a "black" child. That is SO SO shallow! Who made you so special because your "white" ?? Hogwash my friends!
7) I wish I had more patience. I wish I {{liked}} playing trucks and reading books with my boys. But thankful I LOVE spending {{time}} with my boys and whatever they like to do is fine but seriously how long can you push a matchbox car on the floor?
8) I love getting my hair cut and colored and my nails painted I just wish it didn't cost so much :)
9) I HEART inspiring positive people. So if you are one of those people can I be friends with you? Will you tell me about your life story and what you have learned to overcome and how you spend you time with Jesus and what you do for others? I love to learn and grow in this area of life
10) I like Enrique Iglesias...yes, yes I do. Yes I know the words to most of his songs aren't...........well................anywhooooo
11) I love JESUS! And I could write a hundred blogs about why I love Him and what He has done for me and how I am looking so forward to seeing Him someday! Oh what a day that will be!
There. So you think you know me now? YOU STILL DONT HAVE A CLUE WHO I AM! I am full of surprises for sure! My husband can't even figure me out sometimes :) And you know what? I am very happy to be myself. I am so happy that God made me just who I am! .......thank you Jesus
1) I am from California. BUT I moved to Washington state when I was three so I consider myself from Washington. And I moved out to Ohio when I was fourteen.
2) I do NOT like to live in Ohio (shhhhhhh) I really really don't! Not one day goes by hardly that I don't think about moving out of here to some mountainous place. Ideally back to Washington. And not that I don't have friends here but I really miss all my friends back home and wish so so bad I could live close to them. I feel like an alien in the "friend world" in Ohio. But I have learned that in whatever STATE I am in to be content. Ok so maybe I haven't learned it yet but I am working on it and home is wherever my family is BUT a girl can dream :)
3) If I could do anything in the world it would be to barrel race horses in rodeos. I have ALWAYS wanted to do that. I loved growing up in a rodeo town. Rodeo time was a huge highlight every fall and I would look most forward to seeing barrel racing.
4) I am 100% country girl. I love country music, jeans and t-shirts, horses and cows, ranches, rodeos, cowboys, farming, dirt, summer and anything else that has to do with "country" I LOVE it! But since Ohio is lacking somewhat I have to fit in in my surroundings hehe
5) I have a HUGE heart for the orphans. Expecially Ethiopian ones. I know God has big plans for me and my family... can't wait to see what they are! And I want to adopt {{lots}} of cute little ones.
6) It really really really bothers me to hear a "black" joke or hear somebody say "like the people in Dayton" like their some alien people. grrrrrr why do people do that? Who ever said that your different because of your skin color??!!?? Or when people think its not right to adopt a "black" child. That is SO SO shallow! Who made you so special because your "white" ?? Hogwash my friends!
7) I wish I had more patience. I wish I {{liked}} playing trucks and reading books with my boys. But thankful I LOVE spending {{time}} with my boys and whatever they like to do is fine but seriously how long can you push a matchbox car on the floor?
8) I love getting my hair cut and colored and my nails painted I just wish it didn't cost so much :)
9) I HEART inspiring positive people. So if you are one of those people can I be friends with you? Will you tell me about your life story and what you have learned to overcome and how you spend you time with Jesus and what you do for others? I love to learn and grow in this area of life
10) I like Enrique Iglesias...yes, yes I do. Yes I know the words to most of his songs aren't...........well................anywhooooo
11) I love JESUS! And I could write a hundred blogs about why I love Him and what He has done for me and how I am looking so forward to seeing Him someday! Oh what a day that will be!
There. So you think you know me now? YOU STILL DONT HAVE A CLUE WHO I AM! I am full of surprises for sure! My husband can't even figure me out sometimes :) And you know what? I am very happy to be myself. I am so happy that God made me just who I am! .......thank you Jesus
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