I Love You

For several years my family has been involved in child sponsorship. Child sponsorship is a type of ministry in which a charitable organization associates a donor sponsor with a particular child. The money can go towards the child's food, home life, school books, medications, and many more things. There are some really good child sponsorship organizations out there, World Vision and Compassion International are just a couple. Throughout the years we have sponsored several different kids. Already we have had one of our children graduate from the program where the need was no longer necessary. This was incredibly difficult to say goodbye, as we write letters to each other several times a year. You get to know the kids very well through the written word and photos. 

Through another organization, Hope Generation, we have grown to love a child who I am very proud to call my daughter. This child sponsorship program is EXTRA SPECIAL and holds my heart! Hope Generation has a child sponsorship program which allows you to partner with a child from the Home of Hope orphanage in Bangladesh. This orphanage provides a home for children without parents or children whose guardian can no longer care for them. The goal is not simply to rescue. They provide a beautiful home, Godly mentors, nutrition and medical aid, a full English education, life skills and, most importantly, an environment where they can know and grow in God. Currently, the Home of Hope has over 100 children.  Sponsoring a child through Hope Generation lets you be a part of raising up this generation. 

My sponsorship of my daughter, Naomee, has completely changed me. I have never been able to meet her face to face, but we meet in our letters each week, and give each other love across thousands of miles. She calls me mom, and I consider her one of my own. My heart is deeply connected to hers. We have exchanged many letters through the years. I cherish every single letter.  I read them over and over again. I have photos of her displayed all over my home. I talk about her with my friends. I read sweet things she has written to me to my family. Someday, my dream is to go visit her. I long to see her face to face, where I can finally give her a hug and let her know just how much she means to me. 

Naomee is an artist. In each letter she sends, I get a drawing of some kind. She has beautiful penmanship and writes English very well. In her last letter that she sent to me, she included some very detailed drawings for each member of the family. They were a gift for Valentine's day. Each was a little different and personalized for the member it belonged to.

I thought it was time I shared some coloring pages made by my daughter Naomee. Both of my daughters are very talented when it comes to drawing. They are creative and artistic. I love it! Each page was drawn with love by Naomee. She did an AMAZING job! I love her so much!

You can feel free to use the coloring pages for your own PERSONAL use.  But please be kind and do not claim these pictures as your own or offer them for downloads.  It makes me sad to see my pictures on a coloring page website run by someone else.

My heart is for kids and always will be

I love you, Naomee.

Mail Call

My heart is overflowing with love.

These days my life has revolved around our three children we are sponsoring. They occupy my thoughts and prayers. In one word, I have become obsessed. It's a strength of mine, and a weakness. On the one hand I am able with God's help to accomplish much; however, I sometimes do it at the expense of other things.

I'm trying to figure out a balance. It's been very difficult to say the least.

Right now I'm waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

I have three children we have agreed to sponsor and correspond with. But it doesn't stop there. I want to keep adding children to the family. I want to send as much mail to them as possible. I want to buy them small gifts. I want to learn about them and their lives. I've got this obsession in me. It's like a red blinking light that yells their names.

Aberu. Yeabsira. Meyli.

I have so much love in me that it's overflowing and spilling out. I can't contain it. I keep seeing all these beautiful faces, and they are calling to me. Begging me for help.

But I am only one person. I am not God. And I do not have His complete power to do whatever I want. I have His power in me to do His will, not mine. I don't know what lies ahead. But I do know that I have been given an order. I am to wait. And wait I have done.

This week the wait has been briefly lifted. The letters are coming in.

Saturday we received our first letter from Aberu in Ethiopia.

Hope to meet in our next letter. Until then, May God bless you and keep you safe.

I loved the closing statement in Aberu's letter. We may never meet in person, but we will meet monthly in our letters. I cried when I read her mention of God. I thought I would never be allowed to mention Him, but on further inquiry, I am not allowed to mention "Jesus" or the "salvation message". But I am free to talk about God and tell her that I am praying for her. I was overjoyed to find that I am given at least this liberty.

Thursday we received our first letter from Yeabsira in Ethiopia. I cried and laughed when I read it. Here's a short excerpt.

My family and I are happy that you are willing to be my Sponsor. Thank you. Do you have many chickens? What do they eat?

And today we received an email from Compassion saying our first letter is on its way from Meyli in Peru.

My heart is full. My cup is overflowing. My love has multiplied.

I have spent hours and days scouring the Compassion and World Vision websites. And I have come to this conclusion. Your money means a lot to these children, but your words are a lifeline to them. Letters and packages to these kids are equated with your love. A sponsor who writes and sends words to these children, shares their greatest treasure, themselves. A sponsor who shares their money is of value, but the kids still end up feeling unworthy when the letters don't come.

I have recently been extremely discouraged. I overextend myself, and I feel stretched thin. I have many commitments but not enough of myself to commit. I know something needed to change. I was lost as to what. I pushed all these thoughts aside and made myself available no matter how I felt. I smiled when I felt like crying. I felt underappreciated and overworked. Let's just say, I wasn't happy.

Mothers are good at detecting those things. Mine called me on it. She told me I needed to do some serious praying and asking God what He wanted me to do. And maybe all the other things I would need to let go. She phrased the question like this.

If you had to give up everything you do, and asked God what He wanted you to do. What comes to mind?

I had a hard time answering through the tears. The only thing I could say with complete assurance, "I want to work with kids."

I have never been so certain in my life about anything. God has called me to children. I believe I have found my calling. I'm exactly where I need to be with them. I'm teaching and loving them. I'm trying to pour into their lives.

Compassion and World Vision has added a new dimension to this calling. I firmly believe that I am to invest in these sponsored children's lives. I am fulfilled.

Unfortunately the road to fulfillment is not always easy. There have been several bumps along the way. Anytime you do something to fulfill your calling to follow God with your whole heart, the enemy does not like it. We have had many days over the past few months that I honestly feel like we've been in a battlefield. I have lain there wounded, from the arrows that have touched me. I'm trying to keep up my spiritual armor, but it's difficult. Failure comes. Discouragement creeps in.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

For now, I wait again on God. I have three very precious children that I can write to. Someday I may have more, but for now I wait, and hope in the Lord.

I wanted to share another aspect of Compassion that some of you may not be familiar with. Remember earlier, how I said these letters are a lifeline to these children? You can have the opportunity to be that to as many children as you'd like.

If your first response is, I don't have the money. I have great news for you! Neither do I. If you're like me and your heart is bigger than your wallet, keep reading.

Compassion has a correspondence program that is not heavily advertised. For financial sponsors who do not have the time to put into writing letters and building the personal relationship, they can sign their children up for a correspondent sponsor.

This is the answer you have been waiting for. You can be used by God no matter what your circumstances are. God is looking for willing people to work through. You can be that vessel.

"Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

We are correspondent sponsors for Meyli. We do not financially support her. We are responsible for the personal relationship with her. We exchange letters back and forth. And as far as I'm aware, you can choose to correspond with as many children as you would like. The only thing Compassion asks is that you are willing to write 3 letters per year.

Everyone has this unique chance to change a child's life. It's so simple, and money is not a requirement. You need only give time from yourself, and a little bit of your heart. You will be richly rewarded by building a relationship with your sponsored child.

Now if finances are really tight, and you're still thinking, I don't even have the money for a stamp. Don't give up! God can still use your willingness to serve. On Compassion's website you can email your child for free. You can upload photos onto beautifully colored templates and Compassion will print them out and mail them to the country of your child. All you need is internet access, and most libraries have free internet access. I don't want anyone to miss out on this opportunity. It's a chance to change a child's life and it's available to everyone.

Now that I find exciting!

To sign up to be a correspondent for a child you can contact Compassion by phone or email. If you are already a sponsor you can email Compassion with your sponsor number and they will place you on the waiting list to correspond with a child. If you are not a sponsor, include the following information in your email: Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email Address.

I believe Yeabsira is learning English in school!

Prayer Changes Everything

"The family that prays together stays together."

When my daughter was a small infant, I read this bummer sticker. It has never been far from mind. Prayer is the glue that holds us all together. It's communication with God, a direct connection with the maker of the universe.

The older my children get, the more mature their prayers become. I have tried to emphasize prayer daily with my kids. Before school each morning, we write in our prayer journals. We enjoy attending church prayer meetings together. When we hear of a specific need, we stop and have a prayer meeting in our home. Anything that touches the heart, we pray about it. I have been so blessed to see this growth in my children. From the oldest to the youngest, prayer is a huge priority. Prayer is at the center of it all.

We have specifically "adopted" three children for a reason. I have three kids of my own. I wanted each of my kids to have a connection with a child, their own special friend. I will say I did it for selfish reasons too. Compassion and World Vision has been laid on my heart. I crave being used by God to make a difference. I won't be giving up my three "adopted" children completely to my kids. I plan to share.

This week my kids have each "adopted" or chose their own brother/sister. I explained to them all the things they could do for this new sibling.

• Write letters
• Share their favorite Bible verses
• Buy, with their own money, small paper gifts to mail
• When they make a fun craft or paper at church, they can send it
• Draw pictures
• Send photos
• Write stories for them
• Make paper crafts
• They can PRAY

I have been extremely touched at how serious they have taken this new role. I don't need to remind them to pray. It has come about without my help. Each day one of my children has always brought it up, and encouraged the others to participate. We are praying together as a family more than ever before. I am so pleased with how things have been progressing. I know that God is going to do amazing things in these children we've been given. They are prayed for over and over again by my family.

When you agree to sponsor a Compassion child, you will receive a welcome packet in the mail with your child's information and picture. One of the things they include is a bookmark with a prayer list suggestion on the backside. It has something to pray about every day of the month. We have found this to be extremely helpful. It keeps you from praying the same thing every day. In the beginning there were a lot of prayers that went, "Help Aberu to have a good day. Help Yeabsira to sleep well. Help Meyli to have enough food and clothes." With this list my kids have begun to get a bigger picture of the needs and things to be thinking of. Their prayers have changed drastically, and deepened.

This would be a great thing to use to pray over your own children with! It covers all areas, and each day gives you something to target. I know sometimes it can be a challenge to know what to pray about. This solves that for you.

"Day 1 - to accept Jesus as Savior and grow in Christ
Day 2 - to trust God for everything
Day 3 - to do well in school
Day 4 - for the Compassion center leaders
Day 5 - for his/her family
Day 6 - to resist negative peer pressure
Day 7 - to practice good hygiene
Day 8 - for good nutrition
Day 9 - for strong friendships
Day 10 - to develop a tender heart
Day 11 - to learn God's word
Day 12 - for protection from natural disasters
Day 13 - to use good social skills
Day 14 - for a bright future
Day 15 - to develop his/her skills and talents
Day 16 - to learn from the center programs
Day 17 - to make wise decisions
Day 18 - for safety in daily activities
Day 19 - for freedom from fear
Day 20 - for patience and perseverance
Day 21 - to resist temptation
Day 22 - to always tell the truth
Day 23 - for the desire to follow God's will
Day 24 - for good sibling relationships
Day 25 - for physical health and strength
Day 26 - to honor his/her parents
Day 27 - for a spirit of hope and joy
Day 28 - to grow closer to God in prayer
Day 29 - for comfort in sadness
Day 30 - for stability for his/her family
Day 31 - for solid self-esteem"
-Compassion International-
I believe God gave each child to our family for a reason. It was so easy for my kids to match up with their "adopted" sibling.

Gabe wanted Aberu because she is the same age as him, and he's excited about the challenge she poses to him. We are not allowed to talk about Jesus or anything spiritual with Aberu. She is in an area of Ethiopia where this could be a security risk to her and the center where she is at. However, we can still show her the love of Jesus without using His name. Gabe has a drive in him to tell the world about Jesus. It seemed most appropriate that he "adopt" the child who potentially still needs to meet and accept Jesus.

Gabriel has "adopted" Aberu

Ariel knew immediately that she wanted to "adopt" Meyli, our three year old from Peru. She had an instant connection after seeing her sweet little face. My daughter has always shown an interest in little ones, and they love her back the same.

Ariel has "adopted" Meyli

Yeabsira is five years old, the same age as Zechariah. They were the perfect match! I have been most impressed with Zechariah's heart for this sponsorship. He is the child who has brought up prayer the most. Every day he excitedly brings me his calendar and asks for explanation of what to pray over Yeabsira. Zech is also the first to bring up Yeabsira when we are praying over dinner. He has passionately put action to this adoption process.

Zechariah has "adopted" Yeabsira

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” — Matthew 21:22 NIV

Child Advocacy

My world is changing. It's expanding into something beautiful. My heart is flooding with emotion that I cannot put words to. I have wanted to share about the past month of my life, but every time I try the words don't come. I am overwhelmed by the feelings I've been having. God has been tapping on my heart. Although some days it has felt more like a hammer driving in the nails.

I'm going to attempt to tell you about this life-changing decision I have made. My words may fail me, but I want to try. My heart is overflowing with emotion. I am filled with love, but at the same time I am filled with pain. I am only one person, and I can only do so much. I cannot save all the little children of the world. But Jesus can. He knows them all by name. He knows when they are hurting, and He knows when they are rejoicing. He walks along beside every single one of them. Where I can't go, He does.

In the past month, our family has expanded by 3. That's a pretty big jump, you might think, but it still doesn't feel like it's enough. Will it ever be?

For two years now, I have wanted to sponsor a child through World Vision. I attended a ladies conference a couple years ago, and witnessed a very powerful friendship. God brought together child and sponsor. Neither were ever the same again. I wanted what that woman had, but I was afraid.

Afraid of the commitment. Afraid of the money. Afraid of the relationship.

Isn't it weird how we can be afraid of something we want so badly?

I put it off, and pushed it to the back of my mind. We give money to church. I don't have to do everything. I don't need to give away it all, do I? It seemed there was no room for extra. Or so my heart told me.

Every Christmas I receive a World Vision catalog showing me all the animals and gifts I could buy for families in other countries. I wanted to help. I really did. But other things came up. And I didn't give. I went to Mexico and gave to some other very special children. God is always leading me somewhere, to someone.

If you've been around for awhile, you know my heart has been with the elementary age kids at my church. I teach four times a month; two Sunday's and two Wednesday's. These children have been my treasure. My resources and time have gone into building relationships. I know that God has called me to work with children. Whenever I think of the kids, my heart swells up and tears begin to fall. God has put a heart for kids in me that will never grow hard. I love children, and I want to make a difference in their lives. If I could, I would spend every week with the kids. When it's time for a break, a part of me is always wishing I could be with them instead. But I know in order to be an effective minister, I must first take care of myself. My pitcher must be full.

April 21st was Compassion Sunday. A woman in our church stood up and spoke about Compassion International. If you've been to many Christian concerts you've probably encountered one or two speeches for this sponsorship program. For $38 a month, you can provide a child in another country with education, healthcare, nutrition, and regular Christian training.

I wasn't in the service that day; I was in the classroom with the kids. But I saw the table after the service. Several people crowded around, looking at the faces of the children needing a sponsor. The excitement was contagious. They were adopting children into their families and life. I wanted that too.

In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate (ad·vo·ca·cy: noun, To take action for another.) for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults. Compassion helps more than 1.2 million children in 26 countries.

I no longer was at a place in my life where I could put it off or say no. This was promised to be a year of stretching for me.

I didn't sign up that day. I have always felt a pull towards World Vision, a similar program to Compassion. One of the biggest differences between World Vision and Compassion is how the money is distributed. World Vision places a larger emphasis on changing the community, not just the child. When you give to Compassion, your money goes all to a specific child. World Vision is done on a larger scale too. They reach approximately 100 million children in 100 countries. I believe both programs have their advantages, and it was very difficult to choose which would capture my heart. Honestly, both did. I wanted to have an affect on an entire community, and I wanted to change a child's life.

Both things are possible, with both programs. It took a lot of prayer to make a decision. For my first child sponsorship, I went with World Vision. That is where I first developed those feelings of wanting to make a difference. To be used to change lives.

It took me a week of browsing faces before I would make a final commitment. I looked for children who shared Ariel's birthday, then Gabriel's, then Zech's. I couldn't decide. I searched for children that shared my kid's names. I wanted some kind of connection. I needed confirmation that I was choosing the right child for our family. It needed to be a perfect "God" fit.

On May 9th, we welcomed a nine year old girl, Aberu, into our family. I know this is not an adoption by most people's standards, but to me, I was agreeing to bring her into my heart, just as I would a child of my own. I wish I could share a photo of Aberu with you, but I'm not allowed. She is absolutely beautiful! She lives in an area of Ethiopia where Jesus is not allowed. For security reasons I am not allowed to share her picture over the internet. But that won't stop me from sharing it in my home!

Aberu represents to me each of my children. She is a girl like Ariel. Aberu is the same age as Gabriel, and she shares a birthday with Zechariah. As soon as her face appeared on my computer screen, I knew she was the "God" fit. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming. I felt like a proud mother, holding her baby for the first time.

I know I may never meet Aberu, but she has a very special place in my heart. She is my first "adopted" child.

God is softening my heart. I am opening my life to new possibilities. Our family is growing. We are no longer a family of five. We are now eight. My heart has continually been pulled in the direction of these child sponsorship programs. I felt God was drawing me to help other children. My family has now adopted one World Vision child, and two Compassion children. We now have Aberu and Yeabsira from Ethiopia. And we recently were given Meyli, from Peru.

Yeabsira
5 years old

Meyli
3 years old

All three children have captured my heart. I cannot wait to see how God works in these relationships. My heart is brimming with love for these children. My thoughts and prayers are with them constantly.

For the past several months I have had this Bible verse stuck to my bathroom mirror. God was preparing my heart months before I took this step of faith. I am so excited to see what good things God has planned for me and my family, all 6 of my children!

"Seek justice,encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” — Isaiah 1:17