Ukuleles

Some people are sooo creative! Today I woke to an email from Katrina in New Zealand, a favorite repeat Casa de Amor volunteer.

"I go to community choir and african drumming here in my home town and the lady who runs it (jennifermoss.co.nz) also runs a ukulele group - a very talented lady! She approached me earlier in the year to see if I would be interested in making some "bling" to sell at the ukulele festival she was organising for September (centralukulelefestival.org.nz). I jumped at the opportunity and since I got back from Bolivia, have been busy crafting away! I thought it would be a super opportunity to fundraise for the babies, seeing as how they were always on my mind back then, and still are! :) It was a fab day - about 900 people at the festival! I've just deposited the money via paypal :)"

She's been invited to another ukulele festival in October.

Now I know next to nothing about the ukulele, but am grateful that Katrina does and so willing shares with us. As my Mom said upon hearing: "She's a sweetheart!" :)



Katrina sent me these pictures to show how colorful and happy her creations were. Indeed!

Thank you, Katrina!!

learned.

On July 19 I celebrated seven years living and serving in Bolivia! Since early last year I even have my permanent residency visa, which is WONDERFUL! This means I never have to apply for a visa again as long as I’m not out of the country for extended periods of time.

Right now is one of my ever-rarer trips back to the US. I have a week more visiting my family and this weekend we'll attend my cousin’s wedding in Texas!

As I add more and more time in between trips, it becomes a little like visiting a foreign country! The United States changes, my family changes (changing houses right now), and I change. The main reason I feel different since my last trip is all that I’ve been privileged to experience and learn in 2010 and 2011.

I’ve learned how to…

…Drive stick shift

…Care for triplets! (In a phrase, it’s exhausting, rewarding, and definitely felt like a once-in-a-lifetime blessing!)

…Lead a worship team at church

…Be part of a leadership team at church of university students and young professionals

…Make a real Bolivian “torta” (birthday cake)!

…Administer first aid (second aid?!) for many and various urgencies and emergencies

…Stitch minor wounds

…Give shots (to humans…before I’d only given them to goats)

…Choose medicines for various complaints and illnesses

…Coach soccer :)

…Get out ID cards for Bolivians

…Deal with macho police on a daily basis

…Speak and understand many, many legal and medical terms I had no idea of before 2010

…Speak “street slang” (literally dozens of new phrases and words in my vocabulary…some usable, others—well, NOT!)

…Go to a beautiful Christian wedding in the maximum security prison

…Enter the three main jails plus juvenile detention facility in Cochabamba

…Get someone out of a holding cell…or jail

…Navigate far reaching corners of the huge valley that is Cochabamba as I take street friends to their families

What other country and job would allow me to learn all of THIS in 1 ½ year’s time?!

I LOVE learning, what about YOU?

Casa de Amor Concert: Latin Serenade!

Announcing....

You are invited to the Casa de Amor Fundraising Concert!

Details:

Latin Serenade with Carlos Sanchez and Matiz Latino

March 6, 2010, 7pm

St. Philip's Episcopal

6400 Stonebrook Pkwy

Frisco, TX 75034

Tickets: just $10!!

To purchase, call 469-358-2398

I am so appreciative of Carlos' initiative taking with this project. His wife is Bolivian and their heart is to serve children in need. I've always loved classical guitar music. Listen to his here on his website. Karyna, a Bolivian who lives with her family in North Texas, is also working hard to organize this event.

I'd love to hear if you plan to go - please let me know!

stretching my music muscles...

This year, 2010, has already been an incredible year - incredibly BLESSED - after the heartache and challenges of 2009. I'm trying to savor every minute of it and not take ANY of it for granted, for example how healthy the babies have been overall.

I've been blown away by how many opportunities have just dropped into my lap. Right now, besides directing the homes and visiting street friends almost daily, I have two new responsibilities at my church, the Cochabamba International Church.

I'm part of the newly formed leadership team for the "University Students and Young Professionals" group. Since none of the new leaders speak English but many of the young people want to learn, I've been asked to lead a few of the praise songs on guitar (in English), and at the end give a summary of the Spanish Bible lesson (in English).

The other very weighty responsibility is to lead one of the two praise teams. We play every other weekend and I currently have: acoustic guitarists (2), electric guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer, singers (3), and myself on piano/keyboard. Good group!

I thought I'd share our first song list as a team. If you find that weird...unless you've done this, you wouldn't believe how many hours go into analyzing every aspect of things and then deciding on song flow AND portraying your ideas to the team during rehearsals so that everyone is on the same page.

Right now I could quote you this list and the order of every verse/chorus/bridge and transition while standing on my head in a rainstorm. Practice, practice, practice!

~Te Alabare: always a favorite song in Bolivia!

~Trading My Sorrows/Cambiare Mi Tristeza: I'm partial to this song because of the great bass intro, but it's also a lot of fun to sing and play and meditate on the meaning.

~Salvation Belongs To Our God: good strong song.

~Mi Dios Puede Salvar/My God is Mighty To Save: where to begin!! A Bolivian friend actually first taught it to me when I was in Texas 1 1/2 years ago. I've mentioned it several times on the blog, particularly the line "He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave".

~How Great Is Our God/How Great Thou Art (chorus): Two great songs that make a very powerful medley when combined.

~Forever: Pastor Graham Porter is preaching through Psalm 136 ("His love endures forever"), and it will be an open mic service of people giving testimonies of God's faithfulness. Forever seemed the perfect song to end with, and we've had a great time practicing it already.

As my dear sister Heather so eloquently described it, "I love it! You're preaching, leading the music and working the streets at night. ;-)"

All I can say is, my organizational skills must be in tip-top shape if I'm going to survive and thrive this year with so much responsibility. Leading with diligence...

Well it will be non-stop tomorrow, rehearsing then playing at church, taking kids out to lunch afterwards, taking 7 of my street friends + their babies + a couple of my kids to a huge soccer game, then an "Italian Night" with our volunteers and a few staff members to break in our kitchen at the "new" Casa de Amor II.

Good night!

Contrasts

Today I…

Picked up all remaining trash and cleaned at our former CDA II
Made decisions upon hearing test results from CDA III (parasite outbreak)

Chatted with friends under their bridge home
Had dealings with the relative of an ex-president of Bolivia

Practiced guitar for church on Saturday
Practiced piano for church on Sunday

Talked with a friend from the street about family problems
Talked with a middle class volunteer about family problems

Coordinated two babies going in for immunizations
Comforted one of them through a rough afternoon

Talked with a teenager from the street about her pregnancy
Consulted with a midwife-in-training about risks of the pregnancy

Barely ate all day
Had a deliciously filling dinner

Took note of the frigid weather in North America
Appreciated temperatures in the upper 70s here


I think variety keeps life interesting - don't you?

The "Orphan Sunday" event, LIVE!

Through some schedule changing around and quick planning, I was very blessed to be able to attend the Orphan Sunday event LIVE just a few hours from where my family now lives. Definitely a perk to living in Memphis! Or visiting here, ya know.

So Heather (sister) and Emma (sister) and I packed up first thing Sunday morning, November 8, and hit the road for Nashville.

It was a huge treat to go from living on the front lines to sitting in such an electrifying crowd of people obviously “with it” on adoption, orphan care, and loving the unloved.

Still, I think I have just about the best job in the world and prefer to keep the ratio to about 95% “living it” and 5% “talking about it”, but cool all the same.

It was like the United Nations in children or something, passing in a continual parade in front of the back section where we sat. The most stylish accessory of the day was an adopted child, seriously!

All of the speakers were passionate, on topic, had or are adopting – names such as Jim Daly (Focus on the Family President & CEO) and Jedd Medefind (Christian Alliance for Orphans President and former White House staffer) – but the leader in the field I most identified with was Dr. Sharon Ford, of the Colorado Division of Child Welfare Services. She obviously does battle for these kids at every level, is passionate about seeing every one in the best home possible, gets fed up with the bureaucracy that traps innocent kids, and is used to having her heart broken as she pursues the vision. But she has kept at it and not given up, and many children (and families) have been blessed by her dedication!

Then of course, Steven Curtis Chapman was amazing. We had never seen him live before and it was quite an honor. He seems like an incredibly humble, down-to-earth, Godly man. Some of his family was there but I couldn't glimpse them around all the video cameras and cranes.

Just as an aside, what stuck out to me the most and impacted me the most from the entire event was not “save the orphan” (something I’ve already given 10 years of my life to) but how the Chapmans are finding hope in the midst of deep sorrow. I could have broken down and sobbed at just about any point when he was talking or singing because he came back constantly to losing their Maria a year and a half ago. Since I’ve lost two babies this year I could jump onto the same page with him all too quickly. (I know “lost” isn’t the correct word, but when you are not where they are and miss out on watching them grow, it sure feels like a loss...for us down here, anyway.)

Actually the past few months it seems to me like everywhere I turn, someone is working through terrible grief and sorrow. For example, in every sermon of my family’s new pastor here, what I read into it is how to deal with losing someone you love (he lost his mother right before I got here, plus multiple sudden deaths in their church body). As I was thinking on that the other day, I realized that more than “all of a sudden” everyone is losing someone near to them, those are just the high notes that stick out to me at this point in life as I process what has happened this year and the brevity of life.

Even so, I wasn’t the only one getting emotional as he shared the story behind his song “Cinderella” and then played it for us. He also did several songs from his newest album “Beauty Will Rise”. I decided then and there I would get that CD before leaving the US! It’s obvious that SCC is a wise man and has walked through this faithfully for 18 months now. It might be really painful to listen to, but as SCC challenged us at the concert, “We have to anchor our hope to that day that is coming!” And that we must be willing to say, "If my heart must be broken, then that's the sacrifice I am willing to make. I am Yours, God."





On a completely lighter note, at the beginning of the concert while the Children of the World Choir sang, I had glanced down and when I looked up, I swear (except that I don’t) Steven Curtis Chapman was in the aisle not ten feet from me, looking right at me AND WINKING. Now I think, and I hope, that he was communicating something to the sound guys right behind my head and not ME, but I was so shocked to realize who it was, the first time in my life to see him live in front of me, I think my jaw dropped open before nudging Heather. So mature. ANYWAY….

I’ll end what’s become a very long post with a video of SCC and the Children’s World Choir singing a final song together, one of my very favorites, Mighty to Save. As I’ve blogged about before, the line “He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave” has never meant so much to me since January 23 and May 28.

You can see it all with professional filming right HERE in this link to what appears to be the entire broadcast (2 hours and 10 minutes)! http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/orphansunday

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus." Hebrews 6:19-20a

P.S. - Read about our special evening post-concert here!

concerts and music and kids (of course!)

Last Saturday morning, we had visitors to the Baby Home. I was particularly excited because Lowell is a music pastor at a huge church in Houston, Texas, and was playing on our church's praise team that weekend. I needed to loan him my guitar so I brought it out and he started an impromptu "little kid music" concert! He ended up playing bass the next morning since our bass player had missed rehearsals.

Two kids - 2 year old B. and Twin Boy E. - went nuts at the guitar...and not in a good way! I think I need to play for them more often!!

Lowell and his family (wife and 4 young children) are prayerfully considering a bit of a life change....moving to Bolivia! His dad lived in Bolivia back in the 60s working with the Peace Corp and is encouraging them to take this leap of faith. Pray that God makes clear what they are to do and how to do it - and where to serve, as there are abundant opportunities for someone with his musical giftings.

Two of their kids feeding the new twins

Then last night, a few of us had a great time taking the 9 oldest kids from CDA II to a concert! It was held in Iglesia Santa Teresa, a beautiful church downtown that was built in 1790. Just set the scene for an evening of Handel.....

The kid's music teacher, "Tia Raquel", was playing in the first violin section. They were so excited to know someone playing! How I wished my sister Heather was also playing, as on this July 2007 evening in a lovely old downtown theater...

A picture with "Tia Heather", the kids, some of my family, and volunteers after the concert

But anyway, it was still wonderful to soak in some live classical music from very close proximity, as we sat down right there on the floor at the front of the church so that the kids could see. It was a free concert and continued to fill up, to where the sides and back were full of standing onlookers, and the middle aisle almost full of others sitting down as well (then I didn't feel so strange!).

They behaved so well!! At first I was concerned they might distract someone in the orchestra or choir, or one of the soloists, but not at all! They made me so proud. (Although if it had gone much over a half hour, I'm not sure what could have happened!)

Group picture afterwards with volunteer Christy, Tia Elizabeth, violin teacher Raquel, me, and the 9 kids (who are kind of distracted!)

When I got home I realized I'd been out 3 1/2 hours, most of that on the road at night chauffeuring, for a 40 minute concert (which I missed part of because of taking a child to the bathroom). Still, it was a more relaxed way to end what was a VERY stressful week in the government department. I saw several people I know, Bolivians and foreigners living here, and hope it was a memorable night for the kiddos - and great motivation to continue working on their violin skills!

all about You

This song is beautiful! The words, the music, the significance if we truly embraced it's meaning. I've heard it before but it means more today.

So, as I begin my 6th year in Bolivia.....



I would love to set pictures of the kids and ministry here to this song...if I knew how, that is. :-)

Here's a link because the video doesn't seem to be embedding right, and the first part:

It's all about You, Jesus

And all this is for You

For Your glory and your fame

It's not about me

As if You should do things my way

You alone are God

And I surrender to your ways

this is why...

...everything in the US looks so nice to me now. Especially your fancy churches!

Or at least I can't imagine that you practice in a cold, damp, poorly lit, former storage room.

We affectionately call it "la cueva" (the cave).

The sound is pretty decent though.

The keyboard I practice on is at the left corner there...a rinky-dinky thing that makes mine and the one in our Sunday-morning-rented-salon seem amazing!

One year ago today I was on my way to Texas to be there for July 4 (also my sister's birthday, incidentally) and a quick trip visiting friends and churches, shopping, and eating my weight in Tex-Mex. What fun it was......

Nope, the twins didn't arrive today.

Nope, I have no idea why.

Yet I Will Praise

Last night I got home from Bible study to emails by two dear friends sharing songs. I love music - everyone loves music! - but during hard times, there is truly nothing like it for healing, and accepting, and telling things to God that we might never verbalize on our own.

Kimber, in Cochabamba, shared the beautiful song "Yet I Will Praise" that I've never heard but is so appropriate. The music is even soothing.

I just wanted to share this song with you guys, and I'd appreciate it if you'd pass it along to anyone else that you think would be ministered to by hearing the words. I remember that I bought this cd right before 9/11 and would often be listening to this particular song as I would drive home from work and would cross over the bridge and would see the burning heaps of what was left of the Twin Towers. I remember having to sing it many times before I could actually believe it. At that point in time, we had no idea what life was going to be like and so there was a deep truth in singing these words, when we can't see where God is in a situation, but trusting him anyway, trusting him to be faithful no matter what, and that somehow in all of it, he remains worthy of our praise.

All of those touched by Joel's sweet life are in my prayers as you work through your grief and loss.

And Amber, who just graduated from nursing school in Texas, wrote me:

About a month ago a little 7 month old baby came to the ER not breathing. .........When I left the hospital that evening I was so angry that if that stepdad had been there I don't know what I would have done. I was mad at God too because what in the world was He thinking?? and he wasn't even my baby. I'm sure what you feel is even worse. Anyways, as I got into my car and drove home I was already crying and then the song "Always" by Building 429 came on. I had to make myself sing it. I didn't want to say that my Savior never fails because it felt like He had. But I did and it helped. Then as I was leaving the school Saturday after reading this email, the song came on again. It's like God is trying to really teach me to praise Him even when it's the last thing I want to do.

The whole situation still makes no sense to me....and I'm pretty sure it never will. But even when all hope is gone, He knows our pain and will be with us.

A clip about the story behind writing "Always":

Friends from all over the world are writing things like "I've been sitting here trying and trying to think of what to say and can't think of anything", but the emails above prove the contrary. It's not easy to be vulnerable and share stories like these or simply "I don't get it" (we certainly don't, either!).

And really, the most helpful is simply being there for us, to see that someone took the time to write and say "I'm sorry", although it hurts to know so many others are grieving this with us. On Sunday, a church in Scotland had the congregation stand in a moment of silence and then prayer, as a way of recognizing our sufferings at Casa de Amor. That is incredibly touching.

Many others have written me and are sharing in our sorrow in all different ways. Today I will share with the staff of the Baby Home as much as I can of what's been written to bless us during this time, and later I will post on more.

Addition:

We could start a whole song collection with this theme! Elena, a volunteer to join us in January 2010, just emailed this:

My heart is heavy for the loss of one of your little ones, and the different challenges you are facing! While I served in Haiti I had to say good-bye to three precious babies and there are no words... Suffice to say I am praying for you and your staff and the other children! I noticed that some people sent you songs of comfort...attached is an mp3 file of the song that helped me grieve during my father's illness and death...Jeremy Camp's "There Will Be A Day".

adoption, birthday, twins, and other randomness

Today was Christmas! That’s what the joy of an adoption feels like! Today for the 11th time I witnessed the “first encounter” between new parents and child (I missed the two others because of no advance notice). I ALWAYS get choked up or even sob (THAT was embarrassing, but it was for the adoption of our first child ever).

Every single time I re-live how it was to meet our new baby Emma for the first time in Russia. When you’ve seen/felt/experienced/lived through something that moving, you can’t help but put yourself in the shoes of others on the same path.

The emotion in the car was palpable on our way to Casa de Amor III for the first meeting. My social worker stayed past her normal hours to allow them the chance to meet M. today. The other Italian couple adopting wasn’t so fortunate; because their hearing was also late in the day, the home where their new son and daughter live (I saw them just a few days ago, clinging to their pictures of the couple!) said they don’t work late and that they can come tomorrow.

There are no words to describe it…

Tante emozioni, indeed!

Tomorrow I will live it with them from 10am-6pm (minus running a little girl to the doctor) and I can’t wait! I also can’t wait to learn more Italian. I LOVE learning new languages when I can immediately put what I learn into practice! If I can at least understand them, I can help them communicate better with M. The new mother speaks some English, but it’s easier to stay in the more similar Spanish and Italian….although we’ve already had jumbled conversations using words from all three languages. Love it!

Baby V and the new puppy at CDA III

My birthday weekend-and-Monday was great! After three days straight of cake (try FOUR types on Saturday) I’m, ah-hem, considering my diet options.

And look at this:

My first present: Ghirardelli chocolate from the US, from a missionary mother (bless you!).

My second present: a box of chocolate from my two right arms in administration.

My third gift: you guessed it! Assorted chocolate bars, plus other snacks, lotion, and a BOOK (love you, Alseths!!).

Do people think I’m stressed or something?!

Saturday morning we went to the park to celebrate birthdays of a volunteer and B. turning two (I didn’t take my camera, so will have to get pics from those who went). We were something like 14 adults (from New Zealand, US, Bolivia, Norway, England) and 13 children. Pretty good ratio, I’d say!! If our degree of dirtiness after three hours of much playing and much snacking is any indication, then we had a VERY good time indeed. I had to completely change!

On Sunday I was on the praise team playing keyboard (same as for my 21st birthday), which I loved! Didn’t want the music to end this week—we did one of my favorite Hillsongs, another fast one from Hillsongs, and several other favorites and the congregation really entered in.

That afternoon a nap sounded about the coolest thing as well as finishing a book (“The Open Door” about a children’s home in the US in the 40s and 50s) but it wasn’t to be as I talked to several members of my family by phone. This is the first year I’ve not been with them on my birthday….

Before leaving for the evening, I peeked in on the babies. Two were up on all fours considering crawling and Twins E & E were standing up thinking about walking and the tias were encouraging all of them—really cute! Then I went to the room with the toddlers and someone, I think boy A?, looked at me and called out “mommy!” and 3 or 4 others followed suit. They rarely call me that, or not multiple at once, and on my birthday, too! Melted my heart. And they’ve continued it since that day. (And it's Mother's Day week here in Bolivia!)

The Holmans then blessed my socks off Sunday night! First we met up (they were with their 7 youngest) at a new restaurant in town that has some semblance of “Tex-Mex” food. Yum!! Then I joined them in my parent’s former Bolivia SUV to go to their house for the cookie cake Denise Holman had prepared. It was so close to what I remember of cookie cakes in the US that I had to ask my Mom the next day if she had divulged the recipe for the cake and icing!!

Their new three story house with pool and back house is really lovely…..and it was really funny to be in it, sitting on my parents old couch, telling time by their former clock, and noticing their lamps all over the place. And to see that Faith has my first bed, the one I slept on till my feet hung off over the footboard!

After a while their oldest 3 arrived back with my new volunteers, and we continued chatting. It was a relaxing evening and so refreshing to be out of the Baby Home and forget about it all for a bit AND be in the middle of family life again.

Muchas gracias, familia Holman!!

Today is the one year anniversary since these two live wires arrived...


...weak, hungry, and sick sick SICK. How they have changed!

Now if I'd had my way today, I'd have fixed them all up and tried hard for some great pictures (although they are extremely active and don't appreciate being still at all), but there was no time. I barely had a minute to take two before M's parents arrived.

Today I also had an excellent time at CDA II, chatting and lunching (more chatting than anything) with the kiddos. Maybe I'll write about it tomorrow, but for now more tasks call my name....

music, and healing, and dancing

I always love listening (or playing to) praise and worship music, but lately it's been particularly soothing and uplifting.

Usually I pick what I listen to, but God definitely picked the most appropriate songs for me a couple weeks back via our praise team at church! Look at this:

Blessed Be Your Name (by Chris & Beth Tomlin)
It Is Well With My Soul (written by Horatio Spafford in 1873 as he passed over the spot where his four daughters had perished at sea)
Indescribable (by Chris Tomlin)
Todopoderoso ("Almighty", a very popular Spanish praise song)

The first time we rehearsed these was January 22, the night I was becoming very worried about the babies and the chicken pox outbreak. Before rehearsal I was at the hospital talking to our pediatrician and pharmacist friend, and afterwards moving baby Angel from the Baby Home to a missionary family till late, but during rehearsal I was comforted by the songs (when I could keep my mind on them).

Then by the next rehearsal, I thought God was pretty clever in choosing how to "beat me over the head" with trusting His omnipotence, blessing Him in everything, and quieting my soul in Him. Messages framed in music are just...less painful!

So this morning we played these and other songs at Cochabamba International Church, and they still impacted me as I apply them in whole new ways since losing Gabriela.


Then, as I mentioned in my email to the prayer team, the song “Glory Baby” by Watermark has helped me immensely as I try to turn my thoughts from losing Gabi from our midst to being comforted by where she is now, in her eternal home. Ironically, I first heard it here while comforting Gabriela on her first really rough night of colic in October. Every time I listened to it I was impacted to the point of tears, but it never crossed my mind that it would apply to my own life so soon.

Glory Baby

We miss you everyday
Miss you in every way
But we know there's a day
When we will hold you, we will hold you
And you'll kiss our tears away
When we're home to stay
We can't wait for the day
When we will see you, we will see you
But baby let sweet Jesus hold you
‘Til mom and dad can hold you
You'll just have heaven before we do
You'll just have heaven before we do

Sweet little baby, it's hard to understand it
Cause we are hurting, we are hurting
But there is healing
And we know we're stronger people
Through the growing and in knowing
All things work together for our good
And God works his purposes
Just like he said he would
Just like he said he would


Another song that's been amazing to listen to is this one, from the CD "Take My Life" by souled out, a Scottish group. Volunteer and dear friend Elizabeth gave it to me while she was here in December. Her pastor wrote this song:


To the God Above, by James Gregory

One moment the skies are blue and everything is clear
Then storm clouds are rolling in, our God are you still here?
When all of our words fall short in trying to explain
You’re good and we turn to You, surrendering again

To the God above all circumstance
Whose ways are higher than our ways
We lift our eyes and see Your face
And run to You

We trust in Your majesty, Your good and perfect will
Our wisdom is foolishness, our strength alone will fail
Though You’re still a mystery of one thing we are sure
You’re good and we turn to You, surrendering our all

We run to You, we run to You
God no one else will do, we run to you


Tonight the lesson for our church's women's Bible study was titled "Listening for the Music". After such a rough couple of weeks trying to keep my head above water running the homes, it was perfect to review the story of Peter walking on water with Jesus in Matthew 14:22-31.

Peter asked Jesus to say "come". I wonder if Peter expected what followed? Jesus said simply: "Come". (Similarly, I welcomed Jesus to call me to the field of the fatherless.)

When Peter realized, "Hey, this is nuts! the waves are HUGE! I'm gonna die!" his faithlessness threatened to sink him. (Somedays I wonder why in the world I wanted such a big job.)

But THEN when Peter called out "Lord, save me", Jesus immediately reached out His hand and rescued him. (Glad He doesn't get tired of me calling.)

Then the lesson ends with "Don't wait for the storm to pass before you sing. Don't wait for just the right situation in life before you let your spirit loose to dance. You can dance in the dark or when the storm rages. Lean fully on the Lord. Listen closely, and you'll hear His music in your spirit. Rely on Him for your every step, and you'll experience the joy and freedom of dependence." Amen! (The author has learned this lesson intimately--she is blind.)


Well that was a long post... I wrote it over a few days in spare minutes. Thanks for letting me process here! I don't care if anyone reads it or not, it's helpful for me. :-)

Here's praying that the next week is better........maybe with a chance to get all the babies out of the home to sterilize it top to bottom after these very sick weeks.

Baby Angel is really cute, still sleeping almost constantly. I got to hold him for several hours today after church, while we ate lunch in a serene outdoor restaurant on a perfect weather day.

In the afternoon we visited the cemetery. My Mom and sister had never been....they never had anyone to "visit" there until now.

A friend and former volunteer who works with street kids asked me today if we'd take in a 1 year old. A new child might help us heal. Or it might be too soon. A 2 year old was supposed to come soon anyway. Pray for God to make it clear which ones HE wants us to have!

Okay I'll really end this really long post now. Need to get myself organized before the week hits.