Supply Ziway

I can't resist new school supplies!
Notebooks covered in the latest colors and designs.
Markers.
Unsharpened pencils with full erasers.
Crayon boxes with pointy tips and every single color in the box.
Pencil boxes just waiting to be organized so everything fits in a perfect spot.

Really isn't school supply shopping one of the highlights of the summer? After going years without a need to shop for supplies, I love taking my kids to the store and deliberating over the Star Wars or Angry Birds pencils. Maybe it's a tangible part of imagining possibilities and anticipating the things they will learn.

This year in addition to school supplies for my own kids, I'm collecting supplies for the kids at the Misgana Ministries schools I visited in Ethiopia.  They don't need a lot, just the basics of crayons, glue, pencils, pens, and erasers. I plan to have them delivered in ziploc bags which can be left in the classroom rather than carried back and forth between home and school risking getting lost or ruined.

Would you like to help?

Join me in imagining the excitement of Ethiopian kids get fresh supplies and also pray for God to use the education they are receiving for His good.

Injustice

Have you ever seen an injustice happening and been unable to stop it?

I have before, but none has stuck with me so much as what I saw in Ethiopia. 

Yes there is the extreme poverty. Only one child in a family of many gets to go to school. Orphans pick up the slack and do the dirty work for extended families in exchange for a place to sleep. The sick have no access to basic medical care.  A pastor and his family sleep together in a tiny one room home in the backyard of a property.

One of these stories alone is enough to make you want to ask why? Why are they there and I am here? What in God's sovereignty made the decision to allow me the abundance?

But this one injustice I had never seen before. I have read about it, seen documentaries about it, and signed petitions to try to stop it, but never saw it happening as I did when I stood in line at the Addis Ababa airport.

My mom warned me of what I would see. She said it doesn't matter what night, what month, what year, the guarantee is they will be there.  I prepared to see what before I had only read about, but it still surprised me to see so many.

As I stood waiting to check into the flight back to my family, in front and behind me stood young Ethiopian girls shrouded in black abayas that only allowed me to see their faces.  These young teens traveled in groups led by a Middle Eastern guide.  Dozens of these girls carried only a backpack but embarked on a journey to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or some other country with the plan to work in a home and send money back to their families.

Having read what I've read and seen what I've seen, I can't believe this intent would actually happen. I guess in the best of cases, they would be hired by a kind family who would treat them with respect and pay them a fair wage. The young women could send their money back home to Ethiopian villages and improve the lifestyle of their parents and siblings. After a few years of working they may earn enough money and be able to move back home and reunite with their families. 

Maybe I am too much of a skeptic to believe that is what actually happens.  A booming sex trade, domestic slavery, harsh abuse, those are the images and scenarios I saw when I watched them walk through security and head for those airplanes bound for a life that could be their worst nightmare.

As I stood in line, I tried to talk with the nervous girl standing in front of me, but she claimed not to speak any English.   I wished I could send her off with some hope - to give her a phone number to call if she found herself in trouble, give her a Bible or a message of the hope of Jesus, a few hundred dollars that she could use in an emergency.  Something!  But under the watchful eyes of the guides, I couldn't physically do anything.

I prayed a lot.  

The injustice is so big but as I think of those girls I stood in line with, the problem is so individual.

I still imagine her face and pray.

I pray for kind treatment and I pray for someone to be available if they need help.

What more can we do?

Ethiopia 2012

I hadn't visited Ethiopia for more than seven years and much had changed. Modernized buildings and roads in Addis Ababa impressed me and so did the many trendy coffee shops. Stopping for machiatto became the norm of every day. That alone might be enough to compel me to come back!

Since my last visit, my parents have founded Misgana Ministries. The ministry's first project in Ziway produced a bridge that villagers now walk across everyday to access the school and market. Before the bridge, they had to balance across logs or wade through muddy swift flowing water to get across.

Hundreds of students now receive an outstanding education at three school campuses. While at school, each student receives breakfast and lunch.  The school buildings are clean and bright. When I visited a government run school, the contrast of dark dusty rooms with broken desks shocked me.

The stories of children who don't have a mom, dad, or both would break your heart into tiny pieces if you could handle listening to them all. Some are cared for by family friends or grandparents, but many live on streets selling gum, shining shoes, or simply begging as a way to survive.  With the desire to do something to help as many children as they could, my parents began a group home.  Orphaned boys and girls now have a home with houseparents who love and care for them.

My mind boggled as I saw the construction projects underway as well as the sites where current dreams will one day become reality. Additional school sites, expansions, vocational programs...wouldn't you love to meet every one's need?

Many outstanding Ethiopians who also have big hearts to serve God assist with managing daily operations. They work hard, my parents work hard, teams work hard, and yet much more waits to be done.

Lives are being changed every day because of opportunities that weren't available to them before. I wish you could see it. I wish we could snap our fingers together and start the programs and open enough classrooms for everyone who wants to attend.

It was good for me to go and I hope to do more.

He changed!

I don't know where to start.

The first year of Kindergarten is long over.
Grandma passed away and I missed her funeral.
I've been to the other side of the world and back.
My dad's cancer was diagnosed and prayerfully completely removed.
Swimming, tae kwon do, and baseball are in full swing.
Mother's Day, Father's Day.
Asher's first lost tooth.

I've had deep thoughts, encouraging words, insights into life that I've thought about sharing. But this...this is the thing I am inspired to get out here first.

Please don't judge me to be shallow. I've never been enamored with kids walking dogs and am having trouble thinking of a great inspiring thought to add to this. Maybe my inspired thought is that kids can change!!

Asher has long had a severe dislike of dogs. No Dogs is the first sign he posted on the porch. On our walks on the Constitution Trail and at the Farmers Market, he would walk along shouting at any dog we passed that it should not be there. When we saw one from afar, he stopped dead in his tracks and started yelling wondering "What is that creature up there with its tongue hanging out?" While most kids wanted to pet a dog at the park, Asher wanted to loudly talk about how much he did not like them.

But this weekend, he delighted in walking my aunt and uncle's dog. After the visit at their home, he even stated that he would in fact like a dog!

I'm in shock and excited about all of the things that can change!

Blended

He never had pulled mint, parsley, and almonds from any one's skin before.
That's what the Prompt Care doctor told me after I tried to blend my finger. 

I've been trying to think of a more clever way to describe my dumb mistake, but haven't thought of anything that doesn't make my stomach queasy whenever I say it.  Anyone who has been around while I've cooked knows I love my immersion blender and use it multiple times a day. I make babyfood, smoothies, creamy soups, and in this case, pesto. Now I've used it to mangle my finger.

I tried not to be wimpy, but really that's what I am when it comes to blood. I pass out and screech before you even touch my wound. When my kids forget and attempt to grab my hand, I jump back like a wounded tiger and I'm amazed at such intense instincts to protect my body.

I've kept a list of things index fingers are really good at.
- serving up cookie dough for a little taste taste
- scooping mystery objects out of little mouths
- wiping yogurt off of baby's faces
- tying a bow
- holding down squirmy babies during diaper changes
- providing a handle to hold during learning how to walk practice
- typing on a keyboard

I'm getting my stitches out today so I'm hoping to ditch the bandaids and rubber gloves and get back to using this finger for its regular duties. 

Those duties will no longer include cleaning an immersion blender while blending.

Here's to novel advive of unplugging appliances before cleaning them!

Now he is one.

Happy Birthday Buddy Boo!

Asa's tight lipped smile lights up his whole face. This same smile has wished me many good-nights as I've tucked blankets over his little body. A sweet smile and then the two fingers quickly find their way into his mouth. The contentment of a sleeping baby.

Whenever he spots a ball, the smile reappears.  He babbles "Ba ba ba" and I can not resist finding yet another type of ball to put into his chubby little hands.

This year of cuddling and carrying and yes many moments of crying is transitioning into exploration, enjoying and even less times of crying. Not a baby but a toddler, how does it go so fast?

He is a sweet gift and today we celebrate our first year with Buddy Boo.

Amelia Island

Sunrise from our deck.

I want to share a hundred pictures with you. From these pictures I'd love for the sun, relaxation, and giggles to ooze out and fill you with joy the way we were filled last week.

Mostly of beach scenes, running down the boardwalk, crabs, clams, herons, turtles, and even a striped snake, these pictures reflect a spot of time very well lived.

The pictures are of my sweet family and their unique ways of spending days with no agendas other than enjoy.
Of Asher karate chopping at waves, yelling at them to stay back.
Of Amelie clinging to Daddy in complete trust of his ability to keep her safe.
Of Asa stepping in sand for the first time and his fasincation with the swirling water at our feet.
Of Walter and his delight in spending time with the kids on the sand and in the water.
Of me living in time minus a list - knitting, reading, having an opportunity to enjoy my own children.

I can't share them all with you, but these are a few.


Our only family picture of the trip! Yummy gourmet cupcakes we made 6 last over 4 nights.

Kids on the beach before sunrise the first day! They couldn't wait (neither could I!) 

Love introducing babies to sand!

A rare moment of Asa sitting on the sand.

Daddy loving his kids.