A Yukky Story That Must Be Shared...

This story is a serious one.  

I have prayed for a couple of months about sharing it.

Because of the yukkiness of it, I just couldn't bring myself to.  

However, the circumstances are such that,

the time is now.  

I would ask that you kindly read it in it's entirety or 

feel free to skip it altogether.

At this moment, I am sitting in the comfort of my home, 

the kids are watching Despicable Me {one of my personal favorites}.  

We picnicked on the floor for lunch {my littles favorite thing to do}.  

Liberty made a yummy Mexican dish she found on Pinterest.

It wasn't an expensive nor was it a fancy meal, but it was yummy.

This morning my treasures and I were talking about life.  

One of them was sharing their heart about being an orphan

and their pre-family days.  

It was a serious discussion. 

And although their life was not-so-nice prior to coming home, 

they are home.

Safe.

Protected.

Loved.

Cared for.

Wanted.

Snuggled.

No longer lonely.

No longer wondering.

"What's wrong with me that I don't have a family?"

Such a sharp contrast to a situation on the other side

 of the world.

At this moment Dw, Graham, Savannah and the rest of the June 2013 GO Team 

are speeding their way toward Uganda.  

 They will land in a few hours.  

They have chosen to GO because of the needs they have either seen or heard about.

But this trip is different, on a level that is hard to describe.

Let me back up a speck.

A few years back Dw and I began  a ministry {501c3} called

 International Voice of the Orphan.  

We felt that God would use it be the voice of the orphaned 

and vulnerable children around the world.

Among many "arms", 

one of the most prominent is the our feeding program. 

Many of you have graciously given to it.

Shopping at Orphan Wares or donating something handmade

for others to buy,

provides food for Front Lines + feeding program. 

International Voice of the Orphan's Front Lines+ Feeding program feeds 

both the street orphans of Kampala and an orphanage where we have served.

Which brings me to the yukky part of the story....

A couple of months ago we received a Facebook message.  

It was from our "daughter" Praise who runs the orphanage, House of Praise, 

where we serve and where we feed the children there..  

Praise wrote that the day before, one of the little treasures in 

House of Praise had had an accident outside, his finger had been cut pretty badly

and they had wrapped it up.   

However, in the night a rat had come, smelling the blood,

 had gnawed on his finger and had eaten a good portion of it off.  

His finger now had the bone largely exposed.

He was taken to the hospital where they attempted to fix the finger.

Friends,

What are we doing?

We {me included} live in a beautiful home,

where laughter, joy, friendship,

food, commodities, perks and goodness flow freely.

Yet on the other side of the world,

a little boy in an orphanage has a good portion of his finger eaten off

by a rat in the night as he sleeps?

I can barely talk about it.

This just shouldn't be so.

We must do something!

Little ones who already feel rejected by life,

having a rat gnaw their finger off as they sleep?

We cannot sit back!

We must do more!

Trust me, I hate asking for anything.

But I promised the Lord I would spend the rest of my 

life being the Voice of the Orphan.

Which brings me to now....a few days ago 

we received a message from a friend of IVO.

They wondered if they could talk to Dw.

Dw called and spoke to the husband.

This generous couple had been praying and had 

wondered if we would be willing to take their very generous donation 

and use it for  

Matching Grants?

We were overjoyed.

The team that is speeding their way toward Uganda is going to work

on several projects.

One of their projects will be to begin building a rat free dorm for House of Praise.

They will build as much as we can afford.

That's where the matching grant comes in.

Trust me, I hate asking for anything.

But I promised the Lord I would spend the rest of my 

life being the Voice of the Orphan.

Every dollar donated will have 

a dollar matched 

from this generous donor.

As you look around your home,

open your fridge, peek in your pantry,

glance in your closet, gander into your garage... 

Is there a chance that you give a generous gift

to build this dorm for House of Praise?

The thought of rats running freely as the little ones sleep

 is something that is 

beyond our comprehension. 

These are the projects that the team will be doing,

{and gifts, no matter the project, will be donor matched}:

~ dorm for House of Praise

~ building a rabbit hutch for API

~ a secret project {that will be shared before too long}

~ a Legacy Pastor's Conference where local Ugandan pastors will be 

challenged and encouraged to live lives 

that leave a Legacy for future generations.

If there a chance you can help with one of these?

There are two places to donate:

IVO's website here.  

or

IVO's Facebook page has a donate button here.

{please like our page while you are there, 

it encourages the heart so much}

Or if you prefer to mail a check:

International Voice of the Orphan
3820 West Happy Valley Road
Suite141 - #510
Glendale, AZ 85310

As always, 

100% of the money donated to the projects will be used for the projects.

 Thank you, in advance for your gift ~

no matter how big or small, we commit to steward it well. 

Time to Pray {and Fast}

So many needs.

So many monstrous seeming trials and troubles.

So many health concerns.

Some struggling with loneliness.

Others struggling with addictions.

Some having troubles in their relationships.

So many in need of a touch from Almighty God...

And in the midst of it all, there is one thing we can count on:

God is able.

Almighty God is able to move every single mountain,
obstacle,
blip on the radar,
trial
 or
 problem to accomplish His good plan.

Let's post our requests
in the comments below 
and pray for one another...

Contending that Almighty God meet needs,
move mountains,
heals broken bodies,
flatten hills,
span crevices,
throw a bridge in where there is only a cliff...

Whatever

However

Whenever...

He is definitely able.

Miss Ruby Turns 3

Yes, it's a miracle day for our family.

Dw said he couldn't think of a better day to coincide with Father's Day -
Miss Ruby Grace's 3rd birthday...

The princess started the day as any princess should begin her day -

breakfast in bed -

next to the best daddy in the world
{since it was Father's Day}!

Breakfast was her favorite:
oatmeal with a speck of maple syrup

Daddy and the rest of us tried a new recipe Savannah had found on Pinterest.
It bombed.
Like seriously bombed.  {haha}

It was not Savannah's fault, she's a great cook.  It was the recipe.
In fact,
Jubilee came downstairs and asked, "What that?"
Savannah told her it was breakfast.  She said, "Euuu. Stinks bad."
We laughed and laughed.
Note to self:  Lose the recipe.  Cereal would have been delicious. Stick with cereal.

Church was awesome and to make the day more festive

we tied a balloon to Ruby's stroller.

Lunch was another favorite for her:

Organic mixed vegetables with grains and flax seed

The rest of us had chicken and corn {with lime} 

on the grill.

It is hard to imagine that Ruby is already three.

Miss Ruby Grace has been up to some miracle stuff....

{more about that later}

All glory to our miracle-working,

mountain-moving, awe-inspiring, 

gasp-giving God... 

This little treasure of ours is a 

magnificent mountain of miracles, 

and clearly, 

the miracles are not over.

{giggle}

And if you feel like wishing our miracle girl a happy birthday,

I will read them all to her and tell her each of her friend's names.

I'll try to capture it on video and post it on Youtube, 

so you, too, can enjoy how she 

grins when she hears about her friends -

she gets soooo excited.

"Momma"

For those who have been praying for Mattie, there is a pile of joyous news froms Mattie's hospital bed this morning! 

Mattie signed "momma" to his momma.

This is a monumental step and we are rejoicing like crazy over here in Phoenix.

Faithful God.

"Those who hope in Him, will not be disappointed."

4.3 Million People and He Chose Us

Last night we had one of the wildest things ever happen.

In fact, we are still shaking our heads and saying to each other,

"*That* was the crazy.  
Out of 4.3 million people, He chose us. 
What a privilege."

So the six youngest ones were tucked into bed as we sat down to wait for an
alarm system sales man to come to talk to us about his service.

His appointment was for 9pm, at the end of his very long day.
This young man came with such rave reviews on Yelp that I
was eager to meet him and hear about his business.

A few minutes after 9, he arrived.  He came in and sat down at the kitchen table
and just as quickly as he sat down the front door bell rang again.
I glanced at my cell phone and saw it was 9:09pm.

Hmmm.

That's weird.

Who would be at our door at 9:09pm?

I looked at Jim the salesman and Dw.  Both looked just as perplexed.
Dw went to the door, opened it and stepped outside.

Jim and I started to talk, but in the back of my mind I was wondering who was outside at this time of night chatting with Dw?  It could only be someone with a problem.

But who?

We hardly know our neighbors, basically are the new kid on the block, so if someone did have a problem, they'd likely go to a more familiar house.

About 5 minutes passed and I said,
"I think I'd better go see who it is with Dw, it's kind of concerning me."

Jim actually said, "Yeah, it's kind of weird" and followed me to the door.

I opened the door and found no one.  Not even Dw.

I called, "Dw?"

No response.

Okay, now I'm starting to get creeped out.

Then I kind of yelled, "DW?  DW!?  Are you there?"

Finally I heard his voice, "Yes, I'm here.  I'll be there in a minute."

Standing with the door open wondering what in the world was going on, suddenly
Dw came from behind where the cars were parked in the driveway, slowly walking with
a beautiful and frail little elderly woman.

She looked confused, frightened, maybe even terrified.

My mind was racing.

Where had this sweet little lady come from?

What was wrong?

Understanding what she was saying was difficult between her broken English
and very heavy accent.

Slowly piecing together the bits, we found that this sweet little Japanese lady
was trying to get home but had gotten lost and confused.
She had seen Jim approach our door and decided to follow him.

She stood in our foyer going through her purse for anything that would help us help her.
After she settled a bit, we invited her to come in and sit at the table with us.
Liberty got her some ice water.

Still not having a clue who she was or where she was from,
Graham went to her car and got her registration.

In the meantime we had called the police because maybe they even knew she was missing.

As the story unfolded we found that she had been visiting a friend this afternoon,
 and when she left her friend's home, had become confused,
turned around and had been wandering the streets in her car for hours and hours.

And now she was an hour from her home!

With her car registration, Graham hopped on his computer and searched and searched and searched until he found one of her son's home phone number {incredible in this day and age!}.

She was so scared and confused.

Over and over we reassured her that she was safe with us and
we would help her get home.

I showed her our treasures pictures, holding her hand, reassuring her over and over that she was safe and would be soon sleeping in her own bed.

I was able to show her Ruby on the little video monitor sleeping soundly and then took her to our bedroom and showed her our sweet baby girl, Ruby, sleeping in our bed.
She smiled, nodding when she saw Ruby.

We even were able to Skype in Emma and introduce her to K.
We told her about our family and she told us little pieces about hers.

As she settled and realized she was safe, K made us giggle as, over and over,
shaking her head she would say,

"No more drive again.  
He {her son} take keys away." 


Dw called her son and talked to himwhile a plan was beginning to be made to get her home.  Somewhere in there the police came {which scared the hooey out of K initially}.  Liberty was patting her arm and I was holding her hand, both of us constantly reassuring her she was safe and we would not allow anything bad to happen to her.

We had the joy of having K sit at our table for just about an hour and a half.
Eventually her son was able to come to pick her up.

As the events were drawing to a close, 

Jim, the alarm man {who is also a believer} said, 

"I will never, ever forget this call.

I feel like I have spent an evening in the

presence of God."  

It's true friends.  

When we are His hands and feet, 

allowing Him to use us for whatever He wants,

there is tender awe...

Out of 4.3 million people living in the metro Phoenix area,

{seriously, what are the odds, out of zillions of homes}

K would come to our door? 

We will likely shake our heads in 

wonderment for the rest of our lives. 

Such a beautiful privilege from His loving hand.

We thank Him for choosing us.  

*Anytime, anywhere, in any way.  

We're yours Lord.  

Please use us.*

We Won't Be Disappointed

This heart of mine has been feeling pretty heavy.

So many tragic things going on around us.

Precious treasures in the hospital fighting for their lives,
one particularly close to our hearts, Mattie.

Communities lost to the tornadoes recently, like Moore, Oklahoma.

Hundreds of homes lost in the last two days to wild fires in Colorado,
{right where we looked at homes when we were hoping of moving to 
Colorado Springs once-upon-a-time}.

A dear friend battling cancer {love you K.}.

Another precious friend hanging on by a thread to hope for her future.

Tragedy.

Pain.

Loss.

Betrayal.

Many have had to wonder:

Why even pray?

Does prayer even matter?

Stop the wondering!!!

God's word has always got to be our final authority.

Why pray?

Because God's word tells us we are to pray about 
everything.

"Pray without ceasing." 
I Thes. 5:17

It also tells us:  

"Cast all your cares upon Him, 
for He cares for you."
I Peter 5:7

He longs for us to talk to Him.

He craves us coming to Him with our cares.

To tell him our struggles, our grief, our loss, our fears, our heartbreaks, our betrayals.

Why?

Because He wants, more than anything, relationship with us.

And because He wants to answer our prayers.

He really does.

Sometimes He moves just because we simply asked.

Sometimes He moves after we have prayed much.

Sometimes He moves in ways we hadn't prayed, but always it's for our best.

Sometimes He moves when many join together to pray about the same thing.

Why does He do it like that?

I have no idea.

Perhaps it's because when we come together earnestly praying for one common cause:

We are unified. 

 He loves to see us kneeling together, hands joined, arms linked, contending for one purpose.

And there is definitely, no doubt, that He loves to move on our behalf when we
collectively come together for one common purpose.

Sadly, there is grumpiness, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and even hatred among God's people.

This grieves God's heart.

What parent likes to see his children fighting and being mean to one another?

I know I don't sure like when my kids argue at all.

So maybe that has something to do with it.

Whatever His reasons, there is a common thread throughout scripture that
when people agree and pray together,
 He does,
 indeed,
 move mountains.

On that note,

let's pray [and fast] together on

Monday, June 17th.

We'll open up the comments and allow prayer requests.

Let's kneel together for miracles.

Let's kneel together for healing for those who are sick.

Let's kneel together for the fires to stop,
the tornadoes to end,
the hurricanes to banish...

For farmers to have crops flourish where drought has been.

For the treasures in Russia caught in the cross-fires of the adoption ban to be set free!

For those needing adoption funds to come  - to be flooded with donations. 

For those sponsoring kids this summer to have an opportunity to show
them the love of God in a real and tangible way.  

For missionaries on the field to be encouraged.

For orphans' families to find them.

For those imprisoned for their faith to be set free.

For those sharing the Gospel with the threat of imprisonment to be encouraged.

For the moral decay to end around the world.

For those holding onto unforgiveness to release it.

For those struggling to be set free.

Whatever the need  - He *is* the Need-Meeter.

He can do anything.

There is nothing too difficult for Him.

Ever.

"Those who hope in me, 
will not be disappointed."
Isaiah 49:23

Let's join together this Monday and see what God will do, when we are unified.

This week-end I will be posting about how to prepare to fast, I invite you, 
if you have never fasted, or haven't fasted regularly, 
to prepare for this spiritual discipline.

Join us.

God's going to do some amazing things, I just know it.

Ya' know how I know?

"Those who hope in Him will not be disappointed."
[That's where my hope is.]

Maybe It's the Silver Hair

Today Isaiah had an appointment downtown for his Arthrogryposis.
Ruby, Isaiah, and I left early this morning to get there on time.

He needed to have some x-rays done and a mom and her two kids joined the three of
us as we waited in the chairs outside the x-ray room.

The mom and her two kids stared straight ahead.  We were in tight quarters,
 but you know that awkwardness when you are in tight quarters with others
who you don't know, no one is saying a word and there is no end in sight?

I suddenly felt that I should just start telling them Ruby's story, after all,
maybe these two little boys know nothing about the power of God.
Or maybe the mom has never imagined all that God can do.

Truthfully, I really am shy, but maybe it's the silver hair or maybe it's just finally {!}
realizing that time is short and people need to hear about the power of God
or maybe it was just the Lord prompting me...but I dove right in.

Unsolicited I turned to the little boy who was nearest Ruby and began,
"Would you like to meet my little girl?  
She's a miracle.  
Do you know what a miracle is? 
Have you ever seen a miracle?  
It's something that no one could do, only God.  
And He's doing it.   
Look!!  
He's healing this little girl, right here!  
Do you want to see what she used to look like?"

The mom was leaning in, smiling and listening as I grabbed my cell phone and
flipped through the pictures to the one you all have seen of Ruby in Emma's arms...
the mom gasped!
The little boy's eyes darted back and forth between Ruby and the picture.

I flipped to another picture, one I have not posted anywhere
{although I may include it in her book -
I'm still working on it and praying it is ready for Christmas}
due to the pain associated with the picture.
It is probably not like anything anyone has likely ever seen before.

As the mom stared at the pictures, her eyes appeared teary, listening,
as I poured out Ruby's story and all that God had done and was doing.
I told her about her eyes and the healing that God is doing there too.

Did you realize that when you tell a story of something that happened to you,
no one can argue?

They can't.

It's your story or in this case, Ruby's story and no one can argue when it's a personal story.
And no one can deny the power of God as they hear it and see the pictures and then look into her adorable, enthusiastically smiling, most exuberant squealing face
{she love, love, loves to meet new people}.

It is these stories of the Ruby's, your children, your own life that open people's
hearts to an all powerful God.

He is the healer.

He cares.

He works.

He advocates.

He rescues.

He defends.

He is faithful.

He's not just a little faithful.

He is always, completely faithful.

Have you shared your story lately?
Have you opened up to people you don't even know to tell them
what Almighty God has done for you?

Silver hair aside, it was a powerful few moments.  Ruby loved meeting them and grinning and squealing and I just have to think that all day today that mom and her two children thought about a baby girl, emaciated and dying in a garden who was rescued by God and now lives to tell the miracles of Him.

Tell your story.

It doesn't have to be as dramatic as Ruby's.

It's yours.

He's been faithful to you.

The world needs to hear it too.
Because many don't know about God
or
the power of God
or
the love of God.

Go ahead, share it.

Don't wait for the silver hair.