There have been many ways that our Zeway team has prepared for the Zeway trip. We have had chapters to read out of manuals, trip logistic discussions, vaccinations to get, prayer and team building time.
We had our final prep meeting last week discussing and seeking God's truth on how we mentally, spiritually and emotionally prepare for the sights, sounds and smells we will experience in Ethiopia. Poverty in Africa is like no other experienced in the world. And the team is coming from a culture in which prosperity is experienced like no other place in the world.
Which made it especially timely that the pastor of our church (Grace Covenant Church,) Matt Cassidy, taught a couple weeks ago a sermon entitled "Faith to Endure" (click here to listen), focused on Psalm 42. The introduction to this sermon was that we have values as Americans that are culturally true but not biblically true. In our value system, the ending of our stories always end happily. It is as if we don't know how to respond to anything else. In most parts of the world, endings are not happy. The psalmist says in 42:3, "My tears have been my food both day and night".
Nothing could be more true for the people of Ethiopia in a literal sense that we can't even comprehend. Because of our deeply embedded value system, there is a valid fear that when we are faced with a culture like Ethiopia, where orphans are thrown aside, parents die of HIV/AIDS, food and water is no where to be found, and children die of diseases that are easily cured here, we may place a barrier between ourselves and the Lord with the big question "WHY?". "Why do you allow such suffering?", "Why do you not do something?", "Why do I have all that I have?"
Matt Cassidy's spoke directly to how we overpower this fear. In Psalm 42, the psalmist says many times over to himself "Hope in God. Hope in God" . It is believing in this that is the only true emotional and spiritual preparation for the poverty in Zeway. Our hope in this world is not in a trip to Zeway to love on 48 orphans, our hope is not in the billions of dollars sent in aid, our hope isn't even in teaching men how to fish instead of giving them fish. Our hope is in the Lord. Our hope is in His eternal perspective and His faithfulness in working out all things for good. Our hope is in His return to rule over His kingdom in the way He intended.
So, there may be 3 ways we can return from this trip: 1. bitter and blaming God for the world's suffering. 2. Complacent and with a loss of hope that anything can get better. OR 3. Hoping more fervently and with more conviction that only in Christ's return will the wrongs in this world be righted. We are praying for #3.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Funny
Want to hear a funny story? So last summer Christopher signed up to participate in his first Ironman. Yes, my husband is beyond human, nuts, and he pretty much rocks. Anyway, you have to sign up for this race a year in advance. Registration opened the day after the 2008 race concluded and was filled within days. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, June 21, 2009 is where Chris has planned to be since June 2008.
Late last summer we also began to discuss a trip back to Ethiopia as part of this Zeway project we are so blessed to work on. Before Christmas we learned that it was very likely the Ethiopia trip would occur late May, early June. Chris looked at me and said, "I'm out. It just does not work with the Ironman." I agreed and within 60 seconds we decided I would go to Ethiopia with the group since he would need to remain in Austin for training - seeing as how that was just about the time he would need to peak for the race. It was just simple Bauer logic.
A week or so before our first Zeway trip meeting in January, out of the blue, Chris said, "You know, I would really love to go to Ethiopia. I wish I could make it work out somehow. But it just does not make sense, right?" I agreed I just could not see how it would work, although I would love for him to join me. The following day our friend, Matt Kouri (who is also going on the Zeway trip), called Chris and asked, "Is there any way we could work around your training so you could go to Zeway?"
That evening Chris and I decided, you know - we should back up and start where we should have began in the first place...actually praying about it and seeing what God would have us do versus what we think makes sense. Let me think...my peon brain versus GOD. Yes, back up and pray. Let's do that.
Laughing, Chris and I both arrived for that first Zeway trip meeting in January. We were giggling and shaking our heads at how absurd it was for Chris to consider going on this trip after all the time, money and sweat Chris had invested in this Ironman. It just did not make sense. BUT, he was feeling strongly that God was leading him to join us on this trip and for us, that was all that mattered. It didn't make sense but we've learned better than to argue with the God of the universe.
It gets funnier.
One of Chris's partners at his accounting firm has a client - Glimmer of Hope. They are based here in Austin and they do incredible humanitarian work in Ethiopia. As it turns out, as part of the audit, SOMEONE needs to visit a few of Glimmer's project sites in Ethiopia....hmmm...just about the time Chris and I will be there. Wonder who could do that? Again, we found ourselves laughing.
We also found ourselves encouraged at God's further affirmation that in spite of it makeing no sense to us, Chris is supposed to go on this trip. We have yet to figure out how in the world he is supposed to swim/bike/run in Ethiopia, and we are taking a step of faith in hoping he won't get sick.
By the time we return from Ethiopia, Chris will have just 2 weeks until we head to Idaho. I love God's sense of humor and the way He teaches us that He knows the big picture and all we see is this microscopic view. I can't wait to see how it all works out.
Late last summer we also began to discuss a trip back to Ethiopia as part of this Zeway project we are so blessed to work on. Before Christmas we learned that it was very likely the Ethiopia trip would occur late May, early June. Chris looked at me and said, "I'm out. It just does not work with the Ironman." I agreed and within 60 seconds we decided I would go to Ethiopia with the group since he would need to remain in Austin for training - seeing as how that was just about the time he would need to peak for the race. It was just simple Bauer logic.
A week or so before our first Zeway trip meeting in January, out of the blue, Chris said, "You know, I would really love to go to Ethiopia. I wish I could make it work out somehow. But it just does not make sense, right?" I agreed I just could not see how it would work, although I would love for him to join me. The following day our friend, Matt Kouri (who is also going on the Zeway trip), called Chris and asked, "Is there any way we could work around your training so you could go to Zeway?"
That evening Chris and I decided, you know - we should back up and start where we should have began in the first place...actually praying about it and seeing what God would have us do versus what we think makes sense. Let me think...my peon brain versus GOD. Yes, back up and pray. Let's do that.
Laughing, Chris and I both arrived for that first Zeway trip meeting in January. We were giggling and shaking our heads at how absurd it was for Chris to consider going on this trip after all the time, money and sweat Chris had invested in this Ironman. It just did not make sense. BUT, he was feeling strongly that God was leading him to join us on this trip and for us, that was all that mattered. It didn't make sense but we've learned better than to argue with the God of the universe.
It gets funnier.
One of Chris's partners at his accounting firm has a client - Glimmer of Hope. They are based here in Austin and they do incredible humanitarian work in Ethiopia. As it turns out, as part of the audit, SOMEONE needs to visit a few of Glimmer's project sites in Ethiopia....hmmm...just about the time Chris and I will be there. Wonder who could do that? Again, we found ourselves laughing.
We also found ourselves encouraged at God's further affirmation that in spite of it makeing no sense to us, Chris is supposed to go on this trip. We have yet to figure out how in the world he is supposed to swim/bike/run in Ethiopia, and we are taking a step of faith in hoping he won't get sick.
By the time we return from Ethiopia, Chris will have just 2 weeks until we head to Idaho. I love God's sense of humor and the way He teaches us that He knows the big picture and all we see is this microscopic view. I can't wait to see how it all works out.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Zeway Update
We continue to plan for our Ethiopia trip in May. Our current focus is raising financial support for the trip and shots, lots of shots. Chris and I need to get a couple extra immunization shots as we will be traveling outside the capital city this time. Lily and Claire are excited to watch us get shots since they (and Zane) are usually on the receiving end of that needle at well check appointments.
Our team met with Food for the Hungry's in country director to Ethiopia last month. He was in town and able to provide the group with more details on our day-to-day iteniary while in country, as well as cultural insight. We were also excited to send him back to Ethiopia with these:
...these sweet little hand cutouts made by the children in our church for the Zeway orphans. I divided them up into 48 envelopes and marked each envelope with the child's name so they would have something of their own to open.
Last week Chris and I went to visit The Gladney Center in Ft. Worth to attend an Ethiopian cultural dinner. The infamous Belay (Gladney's in country director to Ethiopia) was in town, and as always it was such a treat to visit with him and get a bit of an update on the children in Ethiopia. There are now estimated to be 6 million orphans in Ethiopia. Just 400 of these children were adopted last year. Gladney's staff works tirelessly on behalf of so many children, and not just in relation to adoption but in terms of programs they have developed to help those that are not being adopted - leadership programs, college scholarships, job training, etc. To learn more about Gladney's humanitarian projects in Ethiopia and to donate, visit here.
Our team met with Food for the Hungry's in country director to Ethiopia last month. He was in town and able to provide the group with more details on our day-to-day iteniary while in country, as well as cultural insight. We were also excited to send him back to Ethiopia with these:
...these sweet little hand cutouts made by the children in our church for the Zeway orphans. I divided them up into 48 envelopes and marked each envelope with the child's name so they would have something of their own to open.
Last week Chris and I went to visit The Gladney Center in Ft. Worth to attend an Ethiopian cultural dinner. The infamous Belay (Gladney's in country director to Ethiopia) was in town, and as always it was such a treat to visit with him and get a bit of an update on the children in Ethiopia. There are now estimated to be 6 million orphans in Ethiopia. Just 400 of these children were adopted last year. Gladney's staff works tirelessly on behalf of so many children, and not just in relation to adoption but in terms of programs they have developed to help those that are not being adopted - leadership programs, college scholarships, job training, etc. To learn more about Gladney's humanitarian projects in Ethiopia and to donate, visit here.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Ethiopia Bound, AGAIN!
Yep, Chris and I are Ethiopia bound! I am excited, thrilled, amazed, and humbled. I still can't believe we get to go back so soon. And no, we are not traveling to bring home a sibling for Lily, Claire and Zane (although they are already asking for another sibling, and we do hope to adopt again one day). This trip is about 48 children who have lost both their mothers and fathers, and are living on their own, raising themselves and often their siblings.
Imagine Leul who is 14-years-old and lives with his 12-year-old sister. His father passed away 12 years ago and his mother died 3 years ago. They survive by the support of their neighbors who help with room rent and food expenses. Leul is in the 5th grade and has asked for prayer for he and his sister that they would be successful in the future and would contribute to their country. He also requested prayer for the daily necessities for sustaining life and their ability to attend school.
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Imagine Ibsa who is 14-years-old and lives in a closet-sized room on the compound where his family used to live. He has lost both his parents and a sister. He has a brother that lives in a different village who helps pay his $5/month rent. Ibsa is extremely lonely. He requested we pray for his success in school and to live with someone who could be his family.
.JPG)
Can you imagine? I can try to imagine but I think I only allow my brain and heart to go so far. The heartache is too much.
Our church set out to raise a reasonable sum of money to provide assistance to these 48 children. The money was designated to go towards food, clothing, shelter, education, small business development and hopefully towards identifying local families that can adopt these children within their own communities. Our church blew us away because within just 2 weeks God provided over 3 times the amount of money we hoped to raise!
We are so blessed to have partnered with Food for the Hungry on this project. Their staff continues to visit with these children and provide us with updates. We know the names of these children. We have their photos. We know their stories. They know about us - this small group of people in Austin, Texas that are praying for them, raising support, and planning to soon come visit. It certainly does not come close to replacing a loving mom who tucks them in at night, hugs them before they go off to school, feeds them, and encourages them. It does not replace a loving father who provides them with shelter, guidance, and security. We hope it offers them some hope that someone out there, even so far away, cares and is working and praying on their behalf.
Lily, (my oldest daughter who is four) recently asked me a tough question. She asked, "are these orphans God's children too, like I am?" I told her, "Yes, these children are very important to Him and He loves them very much just like He loves you." She asked, "then why does He not give them food to eat and families to care for them?" I told her that God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also tells us to care for, and visit orphans. God has blessed our family with resources and wants us to give these children food and help them find families. When we ignore the suffering of others, get caught up in our own materialism and comfort, we disobey God. He does not make His people obey, just like I can not force my little ones to obey. He gives us a choice.
Something we frequently discuss with our children is that when we disobey, bad stuff happens (natural consequences of our actions/choices) but that when we choose to obey, good stuff happens (blessings, joy). For example, if (ok, WHEN) one of our kids throws a tantrum, they have to take a "time out" from playing to cool off. But when they respond in love to one another, they get to continue to have fun, learn together, and play.
Chris and I have made bad choices, we continue to screw up - but we are works in progress. God continues to work on us and our hearts, teaching us how to better "love one another". God led us to adoption and has used it to teach us more about Him. I have learned much through adoption about how He sees me, how much He loves me, how powerful and real He is, and how He wants good for us and longs to bless us.
We are so fortunate to be connected to this project, and humbled to have the opportunity to go to Ethiopia in a few months and spend time with these children. There is much more to this story that I will share in the next post. So come back and visit!
Imagine Leul who is 14-years-old and lives with his 12-year-old sister. His father passed away 12 years ago and his mother died 3 years ago. They survive by the support of their neighbors who help with room rent and food expenses. Leul is in the 5th grade and has asked for prayer for he and his sister that they would be successful in the future and would contribute to their country. He also requested prayer for the daily necessities for sustaining life and their ability to attend school.
.JPG)
Imagine Ibsa who is 14-years-old and lives in a closet-sized room on the compound where his family used to live. He has lost both his parents and a sister. He has a brother that lives in a different village who helps pay his $5/month rent. Ibsa is extremely lonely. He requested we pray for his success in school and to live with someone who could be his family.
.JPG)
Can you imagine? I can try to imagine but I think I only allow my brain and heart to go so far. The heartache is too much.
Our church set out to raise a reasonable sum of money to provide assistance to these 48 children. The money was designated to go towards food, clothing, shelter, education, small business development and hopefully towards identifying local families that can adopt these children within their own communities. Our church blew us away because within just 2 weeks God provided over 3 times the amount of money we hoped to raise!
We are so blessed to have partnered with Food for the Hungry on this project. Their staff continues to visit with these children and provide us with updates. We know the names of these children. We have their photos. We know their stories. They know about us - this small group of people in Austin, Texas that are praying for them, raising support, and planning to soon come visit. It certainly does not come close to replacing a loving mom who tucks them in at night, hugs them before they go off to school, feeds them, and encourages them. It does not replace a loving father who provides them with shelter, guidance, and security. We hope it offers them some hope that someone out there, even so far away, cares and is working and praying on their behalf.
Lily, (my oldest daughter who is four) recently asked me a tough question. She asked, "are these orphans God's children too, like I am?" I told her, "Yes, these children are very important to Him and He loves them very much just like He loves you." She asked, "then why does He not give them food to eat and families to care for them?" I told her that God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also tells us to care for, and visit orphans. God has blessed our family with resources and wants us to give these children food and help them find families. When we ignore the suffering of others, get caught up in our own materialism and comfort, we disobey God. He does not make His people obey, just like I can not force my little ones to obey. He gives us a choice.
Something we frequently discuss with our children is that when we disobey, bad stuff happens (natural consequences of our actions/choices) but that when we choose to obey, good stuff happens (blessings, joy). For example, if (ok, WHEN) one of our kids throws a tantrum, they have to take a "time out" from playing to cool off. But when they respond in love to one another, they get to continue to have fun, learn together, and play.
Chris and I have made bad choices, we continue to screw up - but we are works in progress. God continues to work on us and our hearts, teaching us how to better "love one another". God led us to adoption and has used it to teach us more about Him. I have learned much through adoption about how He sees me, how much He loves me, how powerful and real He is, and how He wants good for us and longs to bless us.
We are so fortunate to be connected to this project, and humbled to have the opportunity to go to Ethiopia in a few months and spend time with these children. There is much more to this story that I will share in the next post. So come back and visit!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Happy Birthday Zane!
Little man Zane is two-years-old today. He was sick yesterday and I actually loved it. All he wanted was for me to hold him as he dozed on and off throughout the day. He was so sweet and cuddly. He is better today but we will hold off celebrating until next week. I would like to claim that Zane's fever is the result of his delayed celebration but...
In all honesty, it sucks being the third child and mama has not spent any time planning a bday celebration. I love birthdays but my plate has carried extra items these last few weeks and a certain someone's birthday snuck up on me in the midst of it.
In other news, my Ironman-in-training husband completed his third marathon on Sunday! I'm so proud of him. The kids swung between enjoying trying to catch Daddy at as many mile markers as possible and so ready for him to be done so they could go home. The pics to prove it....
waiting for Daddy with Gu in hand...
Still smiling...
Still cheering!
And then they had enough. 
But the reward is sweet...and short. You might have just run 26.2 miles but a Daddy still has to carry kids and get everyone home for naps.
In all honesty, it sucks being the third child and mama has not spent any time planning a bday celebration. I love birthdays but my plate has carried extra items these last few weeks and a certain someone's birthday snuck up on me in the midst of it.
In other news, my Ironman-in-training husband completed his third marathon on Sunday! I'm so proud of him. The kids swung between enjoying trying to catch Daddy at as many mile markers as possible and so ready for him to be done so they could go home. The pics to prove it....
waiting for Daddy with Gu in hand...
Still smiling...
Still cheering!
And then they had enough.
But the reward is sweet...and short. You might have just run 26.2 miles but a Daddy still has to carry kids and get everyone home for naps.
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