React less. Pray more.

Job

2011-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am back home in Ohio. The family I was working for in Virginia Beach had gotten out of the Navy and moved to North Carolina and with Kris and I becoming increasingly serious I figured it was the perfect time to transition home. As Hurricane Irene’s path seemed headed right for Virginia Beach I decided to expedite my moving process and left before she hit.

I had interviewed at a non-profit ministry and for an office job at a factory near home. I hadn't heard back from either job and was felt very anxious as I drove home to a lot of unknowns. I knew that my heart was being pulled toward taking the ministry job but I'd get paid more than twice as much if I took the factory job....and the factory job provided benefits. So as I waited to hear back from each job my prayer became that God would make one a no and the other a yes. I was begging for the easy way out on this one. :)

As it turns out the ministry called me back first to tell me I had gotten the job if I wanted it. I still hadn't heard back from the factory but decided to take a leap of faith and took the ministry job. The very next day I got a letter in the mail saying I hadn't gotten the factory job! So God was willing to confirm that I had made the right choice but He wanted me to have to walk in faith through it and CHOOSE to trust in Him.

I started at the job just over 2 months ago and I LOVE it. I'm working at a Teen home called the House of Hope. We are a residential program for troubled teens. We provide teenagers, ages 13-17, with a Christ-centered education program, supplemented with Christian counseling, administered in a loving, home-style environment to reconcile and restore teens and their families.
It is the PERFECT job for me and a true answer to prayer. Years ago when God knit together all of my qualities to make me who I am today He put in me a heart for ministry. The last 7 years away from home have been a journey for sure but God saw it fit to allow me to come home again. In the deepest places of my heart I’ve always dreamed of being able to do ministry in Morgan County but I believed I’d never be able to get a paid ministry position around this area. I should have known that God would see the deepest desires of my heart and make them come true.

If you want to know more about what I’m doing you can check out the blog at hohco.wordpress.com. I will warn you... I just created the blog so it is far from done! I'm getting paid to blog though...how cool is that! :)

Thank you all for your loving support and prayers that have carried me through these past few years!

In His Amazing Love,

Married

2011-11-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

10 days ago I married my best friend. As cliche as it sounds it is true. Kris and I have been friends for over a decade. We first became friends during my freshman year of high school when he sat behind me in Spanish class. Since then our friendship has stood the test of time. Through graduation, college, me moving to Honduras and then Virginia Beach, boyfriends and girlfriends, and so much more. Through it all he remained one of my closest friends.

Then about a year ago I flew back to Ohio to go to a wedding with him. Kris was in the wedding and had to be there all weekend. Since the wedding was near Salt Fork State Park (2 hours from our home) we decided rent a cabin for the weekend to minimize driving back and forth. As I flew to Ohio I had no idea what to expect from the weekend. I didn't know that Kris had feelings for me and I certainly didn't expect him to show up at the airport with flowers and Starbucks! When we got to the cabin he proceeded to pull out a Christmas tree, Christmas movies, my favorite candy, hot coco, and many of my other holiday favorites. I LOVE Christmas. Throughout the weekend Kris made no attempt to share his feelings but I could tell that something was changing.

Fast forward 10 months....Kris proposed to me just 3 days after my 26th birthday. We had plans to meet at his house to eat dinner and watch t.v. together. I had been in Zanesville for the day with my mom and was running late. I text him to tell him to go ahead and eat but I'd be there before our shows started. I got there an hour later and he wasn't there....nor had I heard from him all day. I began texting and calling nearly every hour but he never responded. Finally at a little after 10 p.m. (over 5 hours after he usually gets home) there was a knock at the door. I went to answer... certain that it was going to be the police telling me he'd been in an accident. I opened the door to find him down on one knee with the ring in hand. He started saying all this sweet stuff while I stood there with my mouth open. When he finished talking I still didn't respond and he finally was like "I think you are supposed to say something now." To which I responded "where have you been!?!?!" I finally gave him an answer and got the ring on my finger. :)

Now fast forward 6 weeks: November 5th 2011 Kris and I became husband and wife! People thought we were crazy to do such a short engagement but we wanted to get married at Burr Oak Lodge and they had announced that they would be closing their doors in January. They only had a couple of dates for us to choose from. Both dates were in November so we just made it work! :) The wedding was PERFECT! The weather was beautiful. The lodge and the decorations were gorgeous. It was the perfect day. I had said since the day we got engaged that there were going to be leaves on the trees for our wedding. I'd always wanted a fall wedding and I prayed every day for leaves. People kept telling me to not get my hopes up....that there are NEVER leaves on the trees in November. None the less when I woke up November 5th it was 60 degrees outside and there were lots of leaves left. God does answer prayers...and even performs miracles when we believe! God provided just enough rain and warm weather to keep the leaves from dying too early! What an amazing God we serve.

So I've officially been married for 10 days. Aside from some minor arguments on decorating things have been wonderful! He has lived in his house for 6 years now and the decorations have been the same since day one so me changing that is rocking his little world! However, I refuse to live in a house where pop cans from a superbowl year, old antique looking oil cans, and old ripped pillows are the decor! I keep telling him I'm not living in a bachelor pad!

We've been looking at buying a house. I think if we get that house it'll be different. It'll be a brand new place for both of us and we can make it OURS. The lake house has been HIS for so long it's hard for him to change. So for now I've tried to back off and just make little changes at a time.

I'm excited to watch what God has in store for us. I never thought I'd be married to this man...yet here I am! God's timing and perfect plan for our lives never ceases to amaze me.

4 months

2011-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

It's been over 4 months since my last blog. Now I know that I was far from blogging daily like I had planned but before July I was doing a decent job at being consistent in blogging a few times a month.....then Izzy died.

I shut down. I was hurting. I was frustrated by my friends/families response to her death. I felt like the people that love me most...the people who have always loved me best.....didn't even know how to comfort me. I was angry and frustrated that they couldn't help ease my pain. I was maddened by the fact that no one seemed to understand my loss.

The truth of the matter is people continued to love and support me in the ways they knew how. They supported me and did their best to comfort me.....there just was no "right" way. There wasn't enough comfort in this world to carry me through what I was experiencing. And while I got frustrated with my family and friends for not having the answers I forgot to turn to the one who did have the answers. I forgot to let God be my source of comfort. He is the only one who can or will ever truly know the anguish I experienced.

My situation was unique. It wasn't just a mother losing her daughter. It was more than that. And with the loss came a lot of extra pain as I felt like I had to fight for the world to acknowledge the loss as just that: a mother losing a daughter.

I still miss her with every passing day. In a lot of ways I'm dreading returning to Honduras because this will be the first time I've gone KNOWING she wouldn't be there waiting on me.

To all of you who experienced my frustration or rage these past months as I coped with my grief: I am sorry. You didn't fail me in any way. Thank you for loving me through this.

I miss you sweet Isabel. Mommy loves you.

Izzy

2011-07-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

It has officially been one week since I heard the news of Izzy passing away. A week of feeling like my heart has been split in two. A week of grief like I've never known it before. I miss her every moment of every day and I am still struggling to believe she is really gone. I loved that little one with every ounce of my being. I'm sure I failed her at times and that I didn't do everything right but I can promise you that I I loved her to the best of my ability.

A few months ago I came into contact with a girl because some art work she had made for a friend. I've never had the privilege of meeting her but during the past few months we have e mailed back and forth about a project she was going to do for me. During that time we have gotten to know each other on a deeper level. Today after hearing about Izzy she sent me the sweetest e mail......her words meant the world to me. She never got to meet Izzy.....heck she hasn't even met me. Yet God used her to touch my heart today and help me along in this grieving process....

"I am SO very glad you shared this with me... I can't even begin to imagine how heartbroken you must be. I don't know how you functioned there once learning the awful news, and I don't know how you're functioning at work for 12+hours at a time, as you cope with such a profound loss. I am so, so sorry, Ashley...

What a priceless series of gifts you have given Isabel in the "extension" of life God gave her--through you! I'm sure that if she'd been able to relay any messages to you on this trip, she would have wanted to thank you:
--for BEING IN HONDURAS, in the first place, when you could've been many other places...
--for FINDING her there in that village, and stopping to acknowledge her & reach out to her. I wonder how many people had previously seen/walked by her, yet left her there to die...
--for SEEING her for who she was: precious...sought after...and LOVED!
--for RESCUING her from what would've been a horrible, lonely death in that mountain village, years ago...
--for BELIEVING she could be helped--and for facilitating that precious process!
--for BEING WITH her, there in the hospital...company, to warm her heart...after such a long & isolated time of suffering silently where she'd been before...
--for PROVIDING for her physical needs, starting with medical care to help her frail little body grow stronger...
--for ADOPTING her as your own, giving her a true sense of identity...of belonging...and her first glimpse of God's love and tender care...
--for BEING HER TRUE MOTHER, nurturing her and showing her the opposite of what her biological "mother" had done...
--for STRUGGLING through the decision of what was best for Isabel, loving her unselfishly so that you gave her what was best for ISABEL, even when it meant an excruciating decision for YOU to have to leave her in others' care...
--for the EXTENSION OF LIFE you gave her as a result of your decision, allowing her body to keep healing/growing instead of giving her a setback by taking her to an all-new environment with other physical/medical risks.
--for the SUFFERING you endured, dealing with a huge hole in your own heart as you returned to the States without her, so that you could give her heart a chance to keep healing, miles away...
--for GIVING her the most priceless gift of knowing she is loved...through the years you cared for her & the stability you provided her, when all she'd known prior to that was abandonment and decline...

I will pray for you, Ashley, as you continue to process such a painful, devastating loss, and as you remember all those days and years with your precious little girl. I'll pray, too, that satan won't "beat you up" with any of the "what if's" and "if only's" he loves to taunt us with. God gave Isabel AND you a precious gift in one another. Hang on tight to those incredibly rich memories, and know that you made a PROFOUND difference in her little life!!! I know she made a difference in yours, too."

Thank you Rachel for your sweet sweet words. They touched my heart more than I could even begin to tell you.

For those of you who have never heard the story of Isabel I'm posting it below in 3 parts.

Isabel - part one

2011-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

The story of finding Isabel:

Living in Honduras I have witnessed a lot of things that lacked in the justice department. I've seen things that would make grown men break and sob. I've experienced things that I thought were surely the greatest acts of injustice in the entire world. However, when we found Isabel (March 11^th 2008) I knew that injustice had taken on a whole new meaning for me. A friend of ours (Carlos) runs a daycare center in Teguc called Jen to ask her to go with him to deliver food to a starving family in a village near us. Shortly after they left Jen called to say that they were on their way back but needed me to warm up some water and find something that would serve as a bathtub. Upon their arrival at the house they had found a little girl that was so malnourished that she was literally starving to death. Jen was bringing her back to Casa to get cleaned up and then planned to make the long overdue trip to the hospital with her. Just as I was about to hang up the phone I heard Jen's voice barely whisper the words "Ash this is worse than anything I've seen here."

Let me just say that nothing could have prepared me for the site that I was about to see. Jen walked through the door carrying a tiny little bundle that was unmistakably a baby from the wails that could be heard from miles away. Wails that screamed of injustice and pain. We headed straight for Jen's shower where I had set up our make shift bathtub. As Jen began unwrapping the blanket I felt my heart drop and my stomach turn at the site before my eyes. I managed to lift my gaze. I found the rush of emotions that were gripping my heart staring back at me as my eyes met Jen's. Knowing the time for tears and breaking down would come later I allowed myself to look past what I was seeing and meet the needs of the little one Jen was placing in my arms.

We managed to get her changed and wrapped up in a clean blanket. Within minutes after I found myself sitting in the car cradling that same bundle and staring down into the eyes of a little one I would quickly fall completely in love with. As we drove to town Jen helped me piece together the rest of the story that I had yet to put together. The bundle in my arms was four year old Maria Isabell. (we call her Isabell) She and her brother, sister, and cousin were living with their grandmother just outside of Ojojona. The mom had abandoned them months before when her new boyfriend said he didn't want kids. From there the Grandmother (who isn't all there) struggled to find money for food and medicines that were necessary to keep her grand kids healthy. Isabell was by far the worst. She had begun having seizures off and on about four months ago and continued to have them in my arms as we rushed her to the Emergency room.

Once there we learned that she weighed only 19 pounds....4 years old and 19 pounds. They hooked her up to an IV and we soon saw a doctor. However, answers were few and far between. Priority became getting fluids in here and getting her stable. Getting her belly full and her strength back was far more important than dealing with the seizures that came off and on or the distorted/deformed way her body had become over the past months. Her hunger pains had sent her into the fetal position. The fact that no one had touched/moved her for days on end had allowed her muscles to disintegrate and the skin literally just hangs from her legs.

Not willing to let her spend a night in the hospital alone I volunteered to stay the night with her. I spent the night massaging her feet. She LOVES having her feet rubbed. (oh yes ME touching feet! ....God does have a sense of humor) I've decided that it is one of the few places that people can touch without causing her great pain and she really just longs to be touched. Every time she would cry (which was often) I would be by her side singing or talking of the days ahead when we would be playing tag, singing together, giggling, and doing all the normal things that 4 year olds were made to do.

Let me just say that those late night hours bonded us on a level that I didn't know could exist after such a short amount of time. By middle of the night she was drinking water and able to swallow again. Around 2 a.m. she had the last seizure and by morning her eyes were brighter, her body was a little stronger, and she was beginning to develop a little bit of an attitude. We spent the night and today bending, flexing, and moving her limbs the best I could. She still prefers to keep them curled up and bent the way we found her but they have each at some point been stretched all the way out so we know it is possible. We also treated her head for lice and may have managed to kill half of them. (she had a head FULL of lice)

Isabel - part 2

2011-07-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Falling in love with her:

From the moment we found her, Isabel’s progress was more of a roller coaster ride than I could have ever imagined. For every step forward we took it felt like we took two steps back. I watched her grow and change so much. She began making eye contact and holding it. She learned to lift her head and role from side to side. We worked with her arms and legs non stop until her muscles became comfortable in a normal position. We definitely walked some miles together......especially in those first few days. I could tell you what the names of every med she was on and when she needed to take it. Heck I even knew what they each smelled like. I knew which meds she hated and that you had to mix them with something else to get her to take it at all. I knew the stubborn gleam she gots in her eye that meant she wasn't going to do anything you wanted her to until she decided to. I knew what her mad cry sounded like...her hurt cry...her scared cry. I knew every scar, bump, bruise, and speck on her little body. I learned quickly that she liked her hair played with when she was going to sleep and her feet rubbed when she was hurting. I knew that she loves the color red and found music/singing to be soothing. When she was in the hospital they would bring each of her meals on one tray and a meal for me on a second tray...the card on my tray always said "para la mama." (for the mom). All the nurses (whom I knew the names of as well as most of their life stories by the time we left) referred to me as Isabel's mom and talked to Isabel about her momma (me!). I loved her...she was mine in every way I know how to say it. Heck while she was in the hospital she needed a blood transfusion and when it came time for it all eyes (of the doctors) turned to me to give the blood for it. I of course rolled up my sleeve and stuck out my arm. I would have given it all to her if it is what she needed. So you know that saying flesh and blood...we were well on our way!:) For those of you who don't know me so well let me just say I HATE NEEDLES! I'm a baby ...plain and simple.

Isabel - part 3

2011-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Making her truly mine.

After spending nearly 6 weeks in the hospital fighting for Isabel’s life the doctors released her and we began the fight to make her mine. After fighting INHFA (Honduras social service) friends of mine volunteered to go pick up a social worker and bring her out to where I was. I spent hours tracking down the mother as well as every receipt, photo, or document that I could find to prove that she was better in my care and that the family could never afford to pay for her health care. The mother had agreed to meet us to discuss Isabel’s care.

Once we got to the grandma’s house I realized that I had brought with me my own personal Honduran entourage. I said very little…..my only role seemed to be standing in the background holding my sweet Izzy. Yet I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I felt like a fly on the wall as I watched it all play out before me. Have you ever prayed over one thing with specifics that you so badly want to happen....so specifically that you've imagined it happening that way a million times in your head? That was how that day went for me. I felt like God asked me to write a detailed list of what I wanted to see happen and then He made sure to bring to life all of the things I wrote on paper. It was a reminder that we can pray about things until we are blue in the face and ask God for 100 things...but unless those things line up with His will they aren't going to happen like we want. More than that it was like God was telling me I've been doing the right thing. That it was all falling into place because it was His will.

We got to the house and the mother was there as anticipated. The social worker and lawyer we had brought along went right to work. They started talking to the mom and grandmother explaining who they were and what organization they worked with. As the mom started to fight saying that Izzy doesn't need medical attention my friend (who happens to be a doctor) stepped in and made it known that in his professional opinion she wouldn't live if she didn't receive help. The social worker then ever so gently informed the mom that, with or without her consent, INHFA could take Izzy from them. Things went rather smoothly after that. Before too long we were in a car and headed to town to pick up Izzy's medical records from before we found her. We then went to make copies of all the paperwork/pictures/etc that I had as well as the medical stuff. After that they actually sat and typed up the authorization paper for the mom to sign in front of the lawyer saying she was handing over her rights to INHFA....who then drafted papers saying they are handing her over to me. They simply wanted to provide a buffer between the mom and I in case she decides at some point she is going to change her mind. From there we went to another office and they drafted a birth certificate on the spot. (she has never had a birth certificate and never been registered...makes me wonder what this countries population really is if they have all kinds of babies who aren't registered) All of her documents from before said her birthday was Jan. 12, 2004. However, her birth certificate now says Jan. 2, 2005. So somewhere in those 6 weeks I had her she has lost a year of her life. I walked away that day with her complete medical history, the paper with the mother's signature saying she is giving up all rights, the 2 original copies of her birth certificate, and most importantly....Izzy still in my arms. My heart called her mine from the second I met her but that day it was like everyone else was acknowledging it too.

Friday

2011-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today was an up and down battle emotionally for our team here in Honduras. Our first stop of the day was to the special needs orphanage. When we arrived we were told some devastating news. The girl Ashley had been telling me about all week, Izzy, had became ill and had passed away. Even though I had never met this girl I knew she had to be absolutely amazing from just listening to Ashley talk about her with such love and admiration. While at the orphanage all of us had some great experiences with the children. Their smiles and laughter are some of the most amazing things here in Honduras. The boys spent the night again last night so they were with us all day again!

After the first orphanage we went to the Dump. The Dump here in Tegucigalpa you have to see to believe. Hundreds of people live, and I do mean live in the dump. Our goal today was to feed some of them. As you drive towards the dump the scenery goes from sad to heartbreaking as you see men, women, and children in conditions you never thought possible. As we drove in we had to have people guard the food on the back of the truck so that it was not taken. When we got to a crowded spot we had the kids stay in the van as we got out to great the masses. The man in charge of the feeding is Mark Tindel. He works at Casa de Esperanza and at least once a week comes to the dump to feed. We passed out beans, rice, tortillas, and water to the people at the dump. Mike and I were in charge of passing out the water and it went fast. I got down to just one pouch and my goal was simple, give the last bit of water we had to a child. Two people came towards me, a man with a machete, and a little girl with a smile. I don’t even have to tell you who ended up with that water.

After leaving the dump we went to the Mother Theresa Orphanage. This place had some amazing kids. Daniel quickly made a new friend who wouldn’t part from his shadow. And his name was Daniel too! Steve also connected with a child, Kenny. They were inseparable all afternoon! One of the nuns there pointed out a small girl, Jacqueline who was shying away from our group. She was such a sweet little girl! The nun told me that when I leave the little girl would cry. But it didn’t take that long because as soon as anyone but me touched her she started bawling. Luckily Hines was there to help me calm her down. Side note, she also covered me in warm strawberry milk.

Our busy day continued when we went to the Jesus statue at one of the highest points of the city. From there we got to see a storm roll in and the view was breath taking. We then had to run back to the car to beat the storm and luckily we all made it back before the storm came.

Our final trip of the day was to KFC where we took the kids from Casa de Esperanza for dinner. Those kids are quite possibly the most energetic children I’ve ever associated with. The KFC has a soccer field in it so Daniel and I got to play some soccer with the kids! There were some sad goodbyes as we left KFC though.

In closing please keep Ashley in your prayers tonight as well as anyone else whose life was changed through Izzy.

(Written by team member: Corey Bryant)

Maria Isabel

2011-07-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Izzy,

God may not have knit you together in my womb but He certainly carved out a special space for you in my heart. And although I didn't labor for hours to bring you into this world we certainly walked a lot of long and hard miles together. Even when it felt like the entire world was against us I refused to give up on you because I knew in the depths of my heart that you were worth fighting for. I cried a lot of tears, prayed a lot of prayers, and picked a lot of fights on your behalf.....and it was all worth it. Even this pain that I now carry in my heart is worth even a second of the time that God granted us. I will never understand how God chooses what two hearts to bond together but I will be forever grateful that He picked your heart for mine. Your gentle disposition, your stubborn nature, your fighting spirit.....I will forever cherish all of the little things that made you my little princess. To the world you may have been disabled but to me you were perfect. I selfishly long for 5 more minutes to squeeze you close....but I know you are finally at peace. All of Heaven gets to delight in your presence as you skip, jump, laugh, play, and breath deeply for the first time. I imagine you there now singing with a whole choir of angels and taking long walks.....hand in hand with Jesus. I love you my precious girl and I thank you for the ways you freed this heart of mine. Your momma misses you deeply......

Thursday

2011-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Today we got up bright and early to build another house! And by bright and early I mean Mario woke me up at 5:55 by saying “Corey… GET UP” The boys stayed over last night and they can be a handful but they are awesome. We arrived at the build site with the wood already unloaded (by Mike, Daniel, and I) which means we were ahead of schedule! The brothers as usual were all about helping us build the house by doing whatever they could do help, even if sometimes that just meant running and giggling. We finished the house early even though we faced a lot of difficulties. I was so proud of our team as no matter what happened they continued to work hard and didn’t let these issues get in the way of providing for a family in need. The family we build the house for was so very gracious. The look in their eyes when the gazed upon their new house was all the satisfaction we needed!

During the building of the house Mario, one of the middle brothers, was by my side helping me for most of the day. He hasn’t said much to me so far on the trip but today he was extremely chatty! Mario’s story is a long one and to see him thrive is awesome. Whenever we have been around kids his age he is the center of attention and is always sharing with the other kids. Its amazing to see someone that has less that me give without even batting an eye. He is inspirational. On our ride home Mario, Marveen, and I sat in the back of the bus. Marveen was passed out after a few minutes but Mario and I were talking, singing, and dancing the whole way back. He is an awesome kid and I am so very thankful that I got to know him a little better today! Everyday down here has been a great gift and the things I have learned I will not soon forget. The boys are staying the night again so its time to get them ready for bed. Tomorrow we are going to the special needs orphanage, the dump, and taking some great kids out for dinner.. this all means that tomorrow will be my favorite day of the trip!

(Written by: Team member....Corey Bryant)

Pictures

2011-06-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our stuck bus....
Steph was a beast with the rake!
Our team building garden rows

Me with Christian (the little boy I attached to at the hospital)

Wednesday

2011-06-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

We started our day off at Hospital Escuela. I have a love/hate relationship with that place. I love it because it continually breaks me. My heart has never left that place feeling anything less than broken and changed. Yet I hate that same place BECAUSE it continues to break me....and because of the reasons it breaks me. It breaks my heart to see so much pain and despair. The hospital is worse than most things I've seen here. They put 10+ people in each bed. So that when you walk into a room there are hospital beds lining the walls on all sides. They reuse catheters, needles, and who knows what else. To top that all of because it is a "free hospital" they don't provide meals or bedding for their patients. So it is easy to see why my heart breaks from just being there. I believe that one of the greatest injustices of this world is inadequate health care. Today was no different for me. We went from floor to floor handing out blankets and stuffed animals. I ended up spending the majority of my time at the bedside of a little boy whose Mom is working every day so she can only come visit him on Sundays. The boy (Christian) couldn't have been more than 2 and when I first saw him he was screaming and crying as he got his injections/treatments for the day. I went to his side to hold his hand and ended up staying until he went to sleep.

After the hospital we went to "the brothers" house to clean for a couple hours. The brothers are a group of 8 boys. The 5 middle kids were the first 5 children in Casa de Esperanza (the orphanage) when they opened their doors. They were placed back with their parents a couple of years ago. Since that time they've been living near missionary friends of mine. (Jen and David) So we spent a couple of solid hours scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, and washing everything we could today.

We then headed to a new ministry called Casa de Esther. It is a ministry for sexually abused girls. They will be opening their doors to the first 4 girls within a month and are equipped to take in up to 30. We spent time building shelves, cleaning, and hauling away wood.

Finally, we headed back to the homeless ministry that my friend Amber runs. She feeds every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so we went there tonight to help feed and spend time with the sweet people that show up each night.

It was a very full day but we were blessed to get to be a part of all of it.

Monday & Tuesday

2011-06-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

4 years ago I met Nathan Hale and we became fast friends. He came to Honduras to build a garden for the orphanage I was working for. During his 2 weeks here I picked his brain and learned more about cob housing, worm beds, composting, and gardening than I ever thought possible. He shared with me his dream/vision to start a farming project that would employ people to work there and in turn would produce food to feed hundreds.

Flash forward 4 years.....yesterday I had the privilege of seeing all of that become a reality. Nathan (and others) came here in April to put his dream into motion. Someone donated land for the project and yesterday our team was able to spend the day working there. I was brought to tears as I stood and looked out over the land.....this project that Nathan has dreamed for, worked for, prayed for, cried for, and fought for. I am moved by his faithfulness to this call that God has placed on his heart and I felt blessed to be able to play even the smallest role in it.

Unfortunately our bus, the truck, and a delivery truck all got stuck in the mud on the property. And when I say stuck I mean STUCK.....like sunk right in. We spent the ENTIRE day pulling, pushing, digging, and praying one vehicle after another out of the mud. Around 8 p.m (after close to 6 hours of working at it) we finally gave up and called a tow truck (which ended up also getting stuck!) to come pull the delivery truck out. Despite it all the team was amazing. They never once complained....even after the sun went down and the skies opened up and began to down pour.

Then today it was off to the Nashville school which is a bilingual school near the valley of the angels to build bookshelves and picnic tables for the school. The school is dedicating to not only giving the kids an education but also teaching them about God's love. After hours of working on the tables we headed to the Valley of Angels (a little shopping village) to buy our souvenirs. While there we enjoyed some authentic Honduran food. We got coffee, Coke in glass bottles (the only real way to drink it in my opinion), pupusas, and fresh fruit popsicles. I was IN heaven. :)

Saturday

2011-06-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today was a build day. We headed out bright and early to build a house for a sweet family. The family was made up of a woman, her daughter, and her two grandchildren. As soon as we arrived we began carrying wood down a narrow path to the house site. We also jumped right in to tear down the existing structure that they had been living in. It could hardly be categorized as a house with its gaping holes, sparse furniture, and small size. It took us 10 minutes to move out all of their possessions. It would take us weeks to pack up all of our belongings and completely move out of our homes.

The team did amazing. They jumped right in and helped in any way necessary and within 6 hours we had demolished the previous house, carried in the wood, and built the entire house.

My favorite part of the day was at the end when we all circled up inside of the house to pray over the family and their new home. The mother decided she would like to express to us her appreciation for our hard work. In doing so she started sobbing and kept repeating how blessed she is. I was humbled beyond belief. This women standing before me was expressing how blessed SHE is. How often do we, Americans, think we don’t have enough? We want bigger houses, more things, fancier cars, etc. Very rarely do we stand back and just recognize how truly blessed we are. Yet here was a woman, standing in a 17X17 foot home, praising the Lord for the blessings he has bestowed upon her.

Mr. Dan is 75 years old, yet he was out there today helping us build and serving those wonderful people. He is living proof that God can use anyone despite their age or what they may have to offer.

In Honduras!

2011-06-24T19:43:00.001-07:00

The team all made it safely into the country. We headed out to Casa de Esperanza for the afternoon and played with the kids there. I can't even begin to describe how good it is for my heart to be there and near those kids whom I love so deeply. I will never grow tired of watching Katty come running towards me and flinging herself into my arms. Feeling her arms wrap around my neck is like a breath of fresh air. The team spent the afternoon playing and then grilled hot dogs to eat with the kiddos. I'll post pictures soon.

Smart Phone

2011-05-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

I recently upgraded my cell phone and got the iPhone 4. Thanks to my wonderful sister who bought me the iPhone 3G I was able to sell my old phone and buy the new one for just $50! Let me first say how much I, in my materialistic ways, love my iPhone.

Today while the kids napped I decided to go outside and soak up some sunlight. (I'm tired of living at the beach and being so white!) I settled down on a blanket with my ice coffee, a good book, and music streaming from my iPhone. About 30 minutes late my phone just suddenly stopped playing music. The screen said "TEMPERATURE!!!!" It went on to explain underneath that my iPhone needed to cool down before it continued to work. The screen then flashed to a keypad and above the keypad it said "dial emergency." It even flashed back and forth between English and Spanish asking if I wanted it to dial emergency. Apparently my phone thinks it's too hot to be outside and was prepared to dial 911 for me if necessary!

Thank you smart phone.

Parenting License

2011-05-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

The more I watch the news the more certain I become that there really should be some sort of screening process involved in becoming a parent. I've considered several options for such a screening process.....

1. Have a panel of judges who carefully considers each parental candidate. They could observe each person and decide on whether or not that person is up to the responsibilities of raising a child. The problem with such a panel is who would we deem worthy of such a position? Who out there deserves the position of judging the parental worthiness of an individual?

2. Implement a test. A list of 100 questions to determine if a person is competent enough to handle the role of being a parent. Included on the list should most certainly be "at what age is it appropriate to get botax?" If your answer is 8 years old....then you certainly should fail. I wish I were kidding when I say that the Today Show recently featured a story where a mom not only let, but also encouraged, her 8 year old daughter to have botax. The daughter competes frequently in beauty pageants and "the wrinkles around her mouth were holding her back from winning." Really.....I mean REALLY! The problem with such a test is that a person could pass by answering the other 99 questions perfectly and yet answer that they see nothing wrong with an 8 year old getting botax treatments so she can "feel better about herself."

3. Parenting Classes. Before a person can even consider conceiving a child they should take classes that teach everything from how to put on a diaper to money management to nutrition and health. Oh wait....they call that college right?

As you can see there are more than a few holes in my dreams of fixing the world's parental problems. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to down play how hard it is to parent a child....especially in today's world. I have years of experience with children and I still doubt my abilities to successfully parent a child. The thought of being a mom terrifies me.

Yet when I hear stories of child abuse I just want to scoop up all the wounded children in the world and let them know that someone out there really does love them....someone out there really does want them....someone out there sees the injustice being inflicted on them and weeps over it. I understand the fall of man. I get that when God created the world He never intended for us to know pain and sorrow. I get that it was by our own selfish nature that sin entered the world. And I understand that God allows each of us the free will to decide if we want to have a child and how to treat that child once it is born. My head gets it....it's my heart that is screaming out against it.

Real situations I've heard of lately that make me seriously wish we could implement some kind of required parenting license.

*A couple who are going to court for "caging their 6 year old daughter." Authorities suspect that the girl was caged in a crib for at least a year and that the parents were feeding her one poptart in the morning and one at night.

*A couple who are both in the Navy would put their twins in their high chairs with a bottle and then leave them there for 12 hours while they went to work.

*A 16 year old girl who committed suicide because her own father was molesting her and she felt like there was no other escape.

The list goes on and on....Stories like this happen every day. I probably won't ever win any awards for being a mother but I'm determined to do my best and I'm even more determined to pray for all those poor little ones out there who have less than stellar parents.

quote

2011-05-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one,

not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a

night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness:

only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dump Day

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time again....the annual "dump day." It is a day dedicated to raising funds to help feed the nearly 1,200 men, women, and children who live in the city dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Please consider going to the link below to donate.... something....anything....even the smallest amount helps.

http://treymorgan.net/dump-day-2011/

Conflicted Feelings

2011-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

As all of you know by now Osama bin Laden was confirmed to be dead yesterday. Yet, as everyone else gloats, cheers, celebrates, and congratulates my heart feels conflicted. To me there is no joy in taking a man's life....any man's life. However, sometimes there is a duty that must be carried out. A duty so great that many people's lives depend on it..... A duty of protection, not vengeance.

Please hear me when I say that I deeply appreciate the sacrifices made by our military men and women in order to keep us safe. I now live within the military community and am personally connected to several active members of our armed forces. I've seen first hand the sacrifices they make in leaving their family behind to join in a cause that they find worthy. I've become acutely aware of how often they have left their families on a moments notice to chase down a threat that we, as civilians, didn't even know existed. They are, in EVERY sense of the word, heros.

So I get why there was such a collective sigh of relief last night as people heard of Osama bin Laden's death. However, I still cannot come to terms with Celebrating this man's death. I mourn the life he led and the choices he made. I mourn the fact that he seemed to have never heard the word of God...or worse yet heard it and rejected it. I mourn the fact that he didn't know a personal relationship with Christ. So today, even though most will probably scoff at me, I refuse to rejoice in his demise.

Proverbs 24 :17 "do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice."

“Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions to this end,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, who released a brief written statement reacting to the news. “In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.” -Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, on the death of Osama bin Laden.

Happy Sunday

2011-05-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

“In your relationships with one another,

have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider

equality with God something to be used to his

own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness. And being

found in appearance as a man, he humbled

himself by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!” - Philippians 2:5-8

Mimi & Elle

2011-04-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago the twins (of the family I work for/live with) turned 2. I've been working for this family since the girls were 5 months old. I've watched them go through most of their milestones....starting to crawl, first steps, first words, etc. I can't believe they are 2 years old already!

Their 2nd birthday was, without a shadow of a doubt, fancier than my wedding day will be! They broke out the sterling silver and white table cloths. The cake was beautiful, the food was perfect, and the decorations took days to prepare and set up! They had well over 50 people come to the party and it was just a really great day.

Cake Table
Food table

Me & Elle

Jessie & Mimi
Mimi and her boyfriend Finn going on their first "car date"
My VA Beach family
I have the world's best best friends.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a blog entry today that I wanted to share with you all. You should most definitely click on this link and read it straight from the source to see the photos and full effect the writer was going for.

http://www.millionsofmiles.com/2011/04/cost-of-royal-wedding-what-if.html

"The Cost of the Royal Wedding... What if?

Every time I've turned on the television or opened a news website for the last two months, news of the royal wedding is at the forefront. Yes- I'm eager to see a picture of the princess in her wedding gown- but the numbers I'm seeing associated with the cost of this wedding break my heart every time I hear them mentioned. Some media outlets are estimating that the total cost of the royal wedding will fall somewhere between 40 and 50 million dollars. Add on top of that the burden to British taxpayers for security and lost productivity for declaring the wedding day a national holiday and the numbers get into the BILLIONS of dollars.

What if...instead of a $434,000 dress...Every one of the 88 abandoned and severely special needs children at Sarah's Covenant Home in India got the life saving surgeries and therapies that they needed.

WHAT IF... instead of spending $800,000 on the royal flowers...... 320 houses were built for families displaced by the earthquake in Haiti.

WHAT IF... instead of the $80,000 cake ordered for the wedding......the financial burden was removed to bring 4 children home to eager and loving families...

WHAT IF... the $65,000 that will be used just to clean the streets for the royal wedding procession......was used instead to clean up these streets in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

WHAT IF... instead of a $600,000 luncheon hosted by Prince Charles......The remaining 144 un-sponsored children at Yezelalem Minch (Ethiopia) were sponsored for the next 12 years- or until most of them are adults- providing them with an education, nutrition and a safe place to grow up.

The point is- there are choices that we all make, myself included. The choices aren't always easy. The world tells us that we need bigger and better things and that we should find our self worth based on the amount of "stuff" that we can amass. The amount that we deal with on a daily basis may not equal the millions spent on the royal wedding, but the decision is the same: continue our lives of comfort, or make sacrifices to support the least of these."

I couldn't agree with her more. I too have found myself annoyed and burdened these past weeks as I heard about the cost of the royal wedding. But for me, my annoyance goes even further than just what better ways the money could be spent.....I can't help but notice that we Americans who have no real ties to the Royal family are consumed with this wedding. We've taken more of a collective notice to this one event than we have ever taken in world hunger, poverty, lack of education, abuse, or any of the other injustices that go on in our world every day. I hope you found this (hers not mine) blog to be inspiring and motivating. What are we doing to make a difference on a daily basis? How are we taking a stand against the injustices we see around us?

quote

2011-04-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world

and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. -E. B. White

Easter

2011-04-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

At the last second I was able to go home to Ohio for Easter. I love being home so I jumped at the chance to be there for Easter.

It really is all about the simple things in life like blowing bubbles with your nephew!
Mams and Clayton dying eggs.
Yep...he's cute. :)
oh yes...and so is he.
Pap-pap and Clayton taking a swing at the pinata

Tornado

2011-04-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend came to VA to visit me for the weekend. There was a dirt track race (he LOVES racing) going on in a nearby town so we were going to spend our weekend there. Friday night we headed to the track for the qualifying and heat races. I had underestimated the frigid affects of the wind and nearly froze my butt off. However, we made the most of the night and watched some decent racing.

The main event was supposed to happen the next day but due to bad weather the race ended up being delayed and moved to Sunday afternoon.

Since the race was delayed we decided to drive to Williamsburg to have dinner with my roommate Addy and her boyfriend. The heavily anticipated bad weather had yet to show its ugly head and as we drove to Williamsburg under a cloudy but rainless sky the decision to postpone seemed premature. However, we were no sooner being seated at Green Leafe restaurant when all hell broke loose.

Let me take time out for a moment to mention that I HATE storms. Like am terrified of storms. Like want to climb under a bed, curl up in a ball, and cry when it storms.

It wasn’t until our waitress mentioned that a tornado had gone through Richmond, VA that we began to worry. But even then we didn’t understand the magnitude of what we were about to encounter. We spent an extra 30-40 minutes at the restaurant waiting on the rain to clear. Finally, seeing a lapse in the downpour, we made a mad dash for the car.

Despite the late night hour (it was only like 9 p.m. but that's late for me!) it seemed like we were driving through daylight as the sky was illuminated with lightning bolt after lightning bolt. As we made the hour drive back (I cried through most of that hour drive) to our hotel, in Gloucester, the storm damage became more extreme. As we reached the city limits there were obvious power outages, downed power lines, areas of forest that were completely leveled, and emergency personnel everywhere. It wasn’t until we got back to the hotel and turned on the t.v. that we realized that a tornado had indeed hit that area as well. Thanks be to God that we spent the extra time at the restaurant waiting for the rain to clear or we would have been in the heart of the storm.

The next day as we drove around the little town we saw the magnitude of the storm. A local school had been almost completely destroyed, buses had been ripped apart by the tornado, homes were damaged, trees were leveled, etc. There were 4 confirmed deaths and dozens others were injured. My heart goes out to the families affected by the storm. I'm so very thankful that God kept us at the restaurant for long enough that we missed the most severe parts of the storm.

Happy Sunday

2011-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23

I don't know about you all but I fail at ALL of these on a daily basis!

Lent

2011-03-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it was conviction, a weak moment of health consciousness, my nagging boyfriend's challenge that I couldn't do it, or sheer stupidity but I gave up coffee for lent. For those of you who know me you know I'm ADDICTED to coffee. I could make a full pot in the morning and enjoy it all day. It got to an almost sinful level last summer where I was spending nearly $100 month on Starbucks. Gasp....I know.... no worries though I've moved past that. After about 2 months of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression I finally came to the point of accepting that I had a problem. I've since scaled WAY back to where I only spend about $20 a month in Starbucks.

I've gotten off point....what I'm trying to say is "Hi, I'm Ashley and I'm currently a coffee addict who decided to give up coffee for lent." Cold-turkey, drank it one day and quit the next, gave it up! After much debate (with myself mostly) I decided there was no better reason. Lent is supposed to be a season of sacrifice right? I kept telling myself that if Jesus could be beaten with a whip, carry that heavy cross, have a crown of thorns pressed into His head, be NAILED to a cross, and die for sinful and unworthy ME...then I could give up coffee for 40 days and spend that time truly reflecting on the meaning of sacrifice.

Let me tell you ....it hasn't been easy. There are mornings when I wake up craving a big ol' cup of coffee so badly that I can almost taste it. There are days when I have an unmistakeable "caffeine headache." And there have been many moments when the every day crankiness, that coffee usually suppresses, rears its ugly head and attacks anyone within reach. So for those of you who have had to suffer for my sacrifice I am deeply sorry. I'd like to say its all been a positive experience and that I've used every craving filled moment to remind me of the sacrifice Jesus made for me....but that would be a lie. BUT I can say that I've spent some time in reflection, prayer, and praise. The sacrifice Jesus made is WAY worse than giving up coffee for 40 days so who am I to complain about cravings or headaches? So I beg that you don't view this blog as complaint but instead as a challenge. Even if you didn't give up anything for Lent I would challenge you to spend this Lent season thinking about the sacrifice that was made for each of us. Jesus went to the cross for EACH of you.....how amazing is that.

My coffee substitute has become Green Tea or Chai tea. Today I'm sitting outside, enjoying green tea, while reading a book. Refills happen to be free and I've taken advantage of it.....4 times. :)

being a mom

2011-03-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

You know you've been around kids too much when you aren't a mom and you.....

1. know the theme song to most shows on Nick Jr.

2. can name and give your opinion on most baby things

3. hear phantom baby cries when there isn't even a baby in the house

4. lost your ability to truly sleep deeply

5. find yourself calling lunch with friends a "playdate"

6. etc. etc. etc.

I have no kids of my own but I often find myself responding, thinking, or basically feeling like I'm a mom. I can't help but have those "mom moments." My favorite moment like this is by far when I was home this past week. Mr. Winter must have known I was in town and that I love snow because he dumped nearly an inch and a half of snow on the ground over night.....in the middle of MARCH! I woke up to this beautiful white wonderland. It was hanging off trees, covering the grounds, and falling softly out of the sky. I was in heaven! :) But as I looked out my window at the wonderfully white morning I in my "mom like mindset" thought of an episode of my favorite Nick Jr cartoon: Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends. The show gives its audience (usually children but in my case a 25 year old kid at heart) a peek into the whimsical, woodsy wonderland of a bugs life.

In the episode that came to mind the little hibernationally challenged bugs knew that it was officially spring and they were ready to play with their friends who had slept through the winter. Yet on the first morning of spring they woke up to see a winter wonderland outside their tree. The kid bugs were bummed at first but their mother (Miss Spider) reminds them that although we might be ready for something to happen it may not always be the right timing.

Lately I've been impatiently trying to figure out "what's next in my life" and where exactly it is I'm headed. I'm restless and ready for the next "big thing." Thank you Miss Spider for reminding me to be patient and let God's timing work itself out in my life. I tend to want things on my timing. I suck at being patient and I'm sure God spends a lot of time laughing at my silly time table demands.

You are probably thinking "gee she got all that from a cartoon about a spider?" To which I'm going to say "yep God really does work in crazy ways." :)

I took this picture in the afternoon so some of the snow had melted away and it wasn't nearly as pretty as that first untainted moment of the morning.

quote

2011-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.

--Mother Teresa

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.

--Mother Teresa

Happy One Month

2011-03-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy One Month baby boy. Jordan was born a month ago yesterday and its hard to believe he's changed so much already. He is such a good baby and I happen to adore him.

Failures

2011-03-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

I recently found this truly amazing blog called theveryworstmissionary.com. The blog is written by a women named Jamie who is a missionary in Costa Rica. In her blog Jamie is so real and open it is almost scary. There are moments when I stop and think "did she just write that" and I'm reading her blog that I'm almost embarrassed for her that she is exposing so much of herself on the world wide web for just God or anyone to read! However, I'm not scared of her opneness because I think it is wrong or unjustified. Instead, I'm scared because its so foreign and new to me. How many of us shield the world from what we really are like. We avoid sharing thoughts that might "rock the boat" in order to be sure that others will like us or support us. And I'm definitely scared of her openness because it challenges me. I've had a blog for 4 years now and I've written hundreds of blog entries. Yet, I'm not sure I"ve ever spoken so honestly with my readership.
It's easy to sit in front of my computer and type a blog. I never have to see the faces of the people who read my entries. I never have to answer questions my readers might have for me. I never have to go any deeper than I choose to share and my blog allows me to carefully consider each word that I type, each photo I put up, each story I choose to tell, etc. I'm able to display to you all of my best qualities...none of the quirky, honest, and less than appealing parts of myself.

So today I'm going to share some of my quirks, my faults, and my failures.
I talk to much
I listen to little
I like to watch movies with subtitles
I hate birds....am terrified of them actually
I'm a people pleaser to a fault
I'm terrible about letting others serve me
I pick at the skin around my fingernails....to the point that they bleed
I talk during movies
I'm impatient
I shut down when I'm mad
I love coffee but only when it is lukewarm
I don't call my parents often enough or tell them how much I appreciate them
I have a love/hate relationship with working out
I fill glasses of water and then leave them laying around the house still full
I hate to be wrong

Isn't it strange that most of you would consider me a confident, strong, independent, and well rounded person and yet there are days when I feel like the biggest failure out there....I feel like I'm not doing enough, or I feel like I'm not a good enough daughter, friend, Christian, sister, or person.

Yet the problem for me has always been whose eyes I'm seeing myself in. If I'm viewing myself in the eyes of the person I just honked at on the interstate because they cut me off, or the friend I just cancelled plans with at the last minute because I was overbooked, or my family whom I tend to neglect in my pursuit to meet everyone else's needs first, or the boyfriend who I was short tempered with because living 9 hours apart gets daunting at times, or just about anyone else I interact with on a daily basis...... If I view myself in their eyes then I'm never truly be... ENOUGH. So why is it I can't just learn to see myself through God's eyes...He's the only one that truly matters anyways...right? And HE looks past my imperfections and loves me anyways.

"....The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." --1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Happy Sunday

2011-03-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance; and to perserverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual-affection; and to mutual-affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measures, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Chirst. --2 Peter 1: 5-8

quote

2011-03-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.

You don't have to have a college degree to serve.

You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve....

You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics

in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace.

A soul generated by love.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

quote

2011-03-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method

which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.

The foundation of such a method is love."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2011-03-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

‎"And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed!

Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed."~Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! :)

31 Purses

2011-02-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

My roommate Addy recently became a consultant for 31 gifts. We are hosting a party today and a percentage of the sales will go to support missions in Honduras.

I have several bags from 31 gifts and I love them all! Please consider supporting a good cause. Just click on the link below and shop! :)

mythirtyone.com/addymccoy

quote

2011-02-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

"We must have the faith that things will work out somehow,

that God will make a way for us when there seems no way."

--- Martin Luther King Jr.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge,

aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

--- Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Sunday

2011-02-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

"LORD, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done wonderful things,

things planned long ago."

--Isaiah 25:1

The More I Seek You - Christ for the Nations Kari Jobe 16x9 lyrics

2011-02-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

quote

2011-02-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs,

and returns home to find it.” - George Moore

“You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you,

as you are to them.” -Desmond Tutu

“The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted

with people you might never even introduce yourself to,

had life not done it for you.” -Kendall Hailey

My family grew to include another little nephew this past Monday....I couldn't be happier that he is here...and healthy. I can't wait until we can get a family photo with our newest addition. :) I'm going home tomorrow to meet the little guy so I promise there will be more pictures of him soon....this proud Auntie can't help but show him off! :)

David Crowder Band - Come Thou Fount

2011-02-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

Auntie X 2

2011-02-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

I'm now officially the Auntie of the TWO most adorable nephews in the world. My sister had her second little boy. Jordan Wayne Blackburn was born at 10:45 last night. He weighed in at 8 pounds and was 20 1/2 inches long. Mother and baby are both doing great. And I of course am a proud Auntie...I couldn't have asked for a better Valentines gift! More pictures to come later! :)

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

I posted this blog 3 years ago but its message still rings true for me....and sometimes I need the reminder of the true meaning of Valentines Day.

I realize that Valentine's Day was yesterday and that some of you would much rather be rejoicing in the fact that it has come and gone. However, as we celebrate (or boycott) this "love" holiday I can't seem to help but ponder what it all means. Why does one holiday bring such joy to some and bitterness to others? I can’t think of any other holiday that brings such division among human beings. I’ve heard all the arguments for and against it and I've found myself on each side of the fence throughout the years. However, this year has found me simply sitting on the fence wondering why the heck we have a fence in the first place? So as I've sat pondering the issue I've come to a few conclusions that I want to share with those of you that live for the holiday, those of you that boycott the holiday, and those of you who like me find yourself sitting on the fence not sure what to think.

I have now spent 2 Valentines Days in this country. (Honduras) Both years I’ve been shocked and amazed to find that V-Day is almost bigger here than it is in the states. Every restaurant, store, and road seems plastered with decorations meant to make you in the Valentine’s Day mood. However, the difference between here and there is that here it is called the Day of love AND friendship. Makes all the single people out there less inclined to hide in bed when February 14th comes around. Reminds us that love isn’t limited to relationships between a man and a women. I know people think adding friendship is just a way to sell more cards and make those who would rather skip the day more apt to celebrate it. However, I’m growing to appreciate the “and friendship” part more every time I think about it.

I’ve been guilty of being one of the loudest boycotters out there against this “hallmark” holiday. There was a day when I may have picked up a sign and joined a group protesting the “stupid” holiday outside a flower shop. (ok so probably not but I would have been chanting with them in my heart/mind) For whatever reason through the years the desire to fight has left me and the arguments that used to ring so true seem pointless now. Why is it we have such a problem with having a day to celebrate love? We V day boycotters used to complain that it was a Hallmark holiday invented solely to sell cards. We couldn’t seem to figure out why there should be a day set aside for love. Shouldn’t we be loving and expressing that love every day of the year? In the past 48 hours I’ve sat pondering all of that once again.

It has hit me though that isn’t the point of any holiday to simply have one day in which we recognize that which we celebrate (or should be celebrating) every other day of our lives? Think about it….Christmas comes but once a year. It is a day to celebrate Christ’s birth. Just because we recognize and celebrate Christmas doesn’t mean that we don’t have to appreciate the precious gift of His birth any other day of the year. Thanksgiving Day by no means limits us to only being thankful for the blessings of life on that one day in late November. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day doesn’t mean that we spoil our parents on “their” day and treat them like crap the rest of the year. Each holiday is simply a reminder of the love, appreciation, and celebration that should be happening EVERY day.

I have looked up and researched the origin for why we celebrate Valentine’s Day. What was it that triggered its birth in the first place and what made it significant enough to be added to every calendar you buy? The results to my search could have kept me reading for days. I could fill you in on just about every detail of what makes February 14th what it is today. However, as I mentioned in my last blog… 1. this blog is plenty long enough already and 2. if you were capable of getting to this blog I’m confident that you can also handle a google search. (with the exception of maybe Bonnie! he he) I will leave you with this…. my research proved to me that there are plenty other reasons for this holiday than the cliché “hallmark wanted to make more money” argument. Does this mean I’ve climbed down off the fence and been converted to stand fighting beside those of you that love this holiday….no. I simply still sit wondering why it is we ever built this fence in the first place. What have those on the “love valentine’s day and anything to do with it” side of the fence done to invoke such a riot from those on the “not so fond of the holiday” side? Surely it is more than just an I have or don’t have a boyfriend, husband, reason to celebrate love issue. So what is it that fuels this war? So I would say I have at best become sympathetic to both sides but am choosing to simply celebrate the same way I celebrate every day I’m given to love those around me.

Happy Sunday

2011-02-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us

and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

--1 John 4:10

Friends

2011-02-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my friends Mike, Lauren, and Flick came to visit me. We had an amazing weekend visiting the aquarium, playing Harry Potter Clue, watching movies, going to the beach, and eating A LOT of great food. Mike happens to be a great cook and he spent the entire weekend making his infamous garbage burgers and crepes...breakfast crepes, desert crepes, middle of the day crepes...he's your guy just about whenever you want a crepe. :)

Even though it is February and a little cold we spent time at the beach flying a kite, throwing a football, hitting the volleyball back and forth, and yes we even got in the water....yay for doing a polar plunge!

It was the perfect weekend. I'm thankful for my friendship with each of them. And I was thankful for a weekend to relax and just be near them....it doesn't happen nearly enough these days.

We were a bit cold!

If you look really closely you will see Colby's head sticking up out of the water.....

she may or may not have tripped! :)

Snow!

2011-02-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

So it rarely snows in Virginia Beach. We might get the occasional snow flake but it hardly ever actually sticks to the ground or accumulates. Well yesterday morning I woke up to a good 2-3 inches of snow coating everything in sight! It was beautiful....for about 4 hours....and then it started melting. But I was a happy girl for those few short hours that we had snow! I miss living in Ohio where we get lots of snow.

quote

2011-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

No one can do everything about the suffering and unfairness in our world,

but everyone can do something. - Max Lucado

Good News

2011-02-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

"It's not just countries that are getting richer -- individual people are, too. In 2005, the number of people worldwide living in absolute poverty, or on $1.25 or less a day, was around 1.3 billion, according to estimates from Laurence Chandy and Geoffrey Gertz of the Brookings Institution. The same researchers suggest it was below 900 million last year. From one-half of the developing world in 1981, they estimate the proportion of people in absolute poverty today at less than one-sixth." http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/02/07/the_poor_are_getting_richer

My friend Lori posted this on her blog today and I couldn't help but steal it....it brings hope and joy to my heart.

quote

2011-02-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

‎"Life is a series of of pulls back & forth. You want to do one thing,

but you are bound to do something else. You take certain things for

granted, you know you should never take anything for granted.

A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band.

And most of us live somewhere in the middle." So which side wins, I ask?

He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.

"Love wins. Love always wins." [TWM]

Recipe

2011-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Creamy dairy-free pina colada smoothie that's good for you. Tastes like dessert:

1 Cup silk vanilla coconut milk

1.5 ripe bananas

1/2 avocado

1 cup frozen pineapple

3TB pasteurized egg whites

splash coconut extract

splash vanilla extract

Serves 2 - 240 calories each

The key is the avocado half. Makes the smoothie unbelievably creamy without imparting flavor.

Happy Sunday

2011-02-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

‎"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the

depths of the grave."

Psalm 86:11-13

Recipe

2011-02-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Fudge Babies

(Serves… depends on how good bad non-existent your self-control is)
I rolled these into balls, but if you want true brownies, simply shape the dough into bars instead.
.
Ingredients:

1 c walnuts (120 grams)
1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (230 grams) (If you want a sweeter result, up the proportion of dates.) (If you’re unsure as to what dates to use, or you want measurements in cups,
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder, depending on how chocolatey you want the balls to be (I used 4T extra dark)

Directions:
1. Chop/blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc. (No need to blend the dates first; I just blend everything all at once.)
2. Roll into cutey-pie little balls. (Use plastic wrap if you need to.)
.

Father God

2011-02-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to Honduras a mission team came to work with us for a week. During their time there they did nightly devotional time and would sing. One night they sang a song called Father God. It quickly became one of my favorite songs. I used to lay in bed with the kids at the orphanage and sing them to sleep with the song. In fact I sang it so often that they quickly learned the words and sang along with me. It is my prayer for their lives as well as my own life.

Father God just for today

Help me walk the narrow way

Help me stand when I might fall

Lend me the strength to hear your call

Refrain

May my steps be worship,

May my thoughts be praise,

May my words bring honor to Your name,

May my steps be worship,

May my thoughts be praise,

May my words bring honor to Your name.

quote

2011-02-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

‎"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

----Martin Luther King Jr.

quote

2011-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

"If we were to set out to establish a religion in polar opposition

to the Beatitudes Jesus taught, it would look strikingly

similar to the pop Christianity that has taken over

the airwaves of North America."

- Tony Campolo

Chris Tomlin - God Of This City

2011-02-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with this song a couple of years ago when I first heard it. I was living in Honduras at the time and felt like Chris Tomlin put my heart song for Honduras into words. It became my prayer for that country and its people. In moments of desparation when I wanted to throw up my hands and question everything ...I would come back to this song and remember God IS the God of that city and those are His people. And no matter what was going on at the time I could rest in the knowledge that I know who wins this fight. God will prevail. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

Triplets

2011-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I spend my days nannying for triplets. It's about as easy as it sounds....3, terrible twos, toddlers running around all day, fighting of toys, hitting each other, climbing things not meant to be climbed, biting, pinching, etc. etc.

The dad is deployed and the mom works 3 days a week. So I come to their house Monday evenings and stay until Thursday evening because they still aren't sleeping through the night. Yet in the midst of the chaos and tears I fell in love with these kids. I've been nannying for them for a year now and I adore them...most days.

I had one of those "most days" kind of days recently. Nothing was going right. I had a headache, the kids were especially cranky, no one napped, and they ALL wanted held at the same time. Not to mention one of the kids is potty training so I was also dealing with that. One of the little boys, (Mason) who isn't potty trained yet, figured out that if he takes his pants off he can then rip his diaper off. So that every time I turned around I found a diaper on the floor and saw a half naked boy streaking across the playroom in a fit of giggles. It was funny....the first 100 times. Then on that 101 time I look over in time to see him rip the diaper off and then take off running....peeing all over the floor as he left. By the time I cleaned up the mess and got a diaper back on him we had ripped it off again and peed on the couch.

Shortly after that I put the kids down for nap. When I went in to check on them a few minutes later Mason had once again taken off his diaper and peed all over himself and the bed! I had to strip the bed sheets and wash those and his clothes. Needless to say he has been wearing a onesie ever since....and while I didn't see the humor in the situation while it was happening I've since been able to laugh about it.

They certainly keep me on my toes!

Happy Sunday

2011-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

---Luke 15:11-32

New baby

2011-01-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read my blog while the team was in Honduras you will remember us building houses in the "dump village." That day we split into two separate building teams so that we could build for two different families. My team built for a family of three. A mom, her sweet sweet husband, and their little boy. The mom was VERY pregnant while we were there. Yet despite the heat and the dust that plagued us that day she sat on a rock close to the building site and watched us work ALL day. Well just 3 days after we finished the house the mom had her baby....and she was able to bring that sweet baby girl home to a new house! Praise the Lord!

Sara Bareilles - Yellow

2011-01-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

quote

2011-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

"Fate loves the fearless." --James Russell Lowell

School

2011-01-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

School begins in February (in Honduras) and MANY MANY MANY children need help to stay in school. The school supplies, uniforms, shoes are beyond what families can afford but desperately want their children to be educated. Often times families can only afford to send one of their kids to school so they have to pick which one to educate...leaving the others to work and pull their weight at home. We all know that education IS what changes the oppressive cycle of poverty. It is what will make the all the difference for the future generations of Honduras. We need everyones help to meet the needs of the 100's of requests that will be received for help! $175.00 will meet the needs of one child. Rally your friends and family to sponsor 1 or more children! Please and thank you!

Use Paypal here:
http://www.thehondurasproject.org/Honduras_Project/Give_2.html

or you can send a check made out to Belpre Church of Christ to me at 3515 St Rt 266 Stockport OH 43787. Just put a note in the envelope letting me know you want the money to go to schooling and I'll get it to where it needs to go.

Honor and Privilege

2011-01-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

It is my honor and privilege to get to do ministry with Mike...for those of you who have read my blog over the years you've watched Mike and I lead several teams together. I met Mike almost 4 1/2 years ago when I started college at Malone. He was transferring in when I started as a freshman. We hung out frequently in the same circle of friends. However, when I moved to Honduras we lost touch and it wasn't until March of 2008 when we truly reconnected. He and 7 of our other friends came down to spend their spring break serving in Honduras. By the time they went home Mike had fallen head over heels for a little girl named Daniela and God had placed a call on Mike's heart for Honduras. Before the plane even reached Ohio I think Mike had started planning his return trip....and return he did. He flew into Honduras in August to stay for 3 months and proceeded to spend as much time there as he spent in the states. He became known as "Papi" to many of the kids at the orphanage...especially his little Daniela. Since my move back to the states Mike and I have led several college age teams back down. I honestly couldn't do what I do without him. In moments when I stress and get upset he stays calm and works out the problem. He is my cheerleader, my confidant, my voice of reason, my common sense, and so much more. He has one of the most amazing servant hearts I've ever seen and his love for kids just over flows when he is there. I am truly honored to call him my friend and partner in all this. I'm blessed that God brought him to Honduras 3 years ago and allowed us to rekindle a friendship that would bring us closer than I could have ever imagined. Mike now plays the role of big brother in my life. Growing up with one sister I have never known what it is like to have a brother....but lucky for me God decided it was time I had one. :) I get to play the role of pesky little sister and know what it is like to have a protective older brother. So, Mike, If you are reading this....know that I'm thankful for you today and the heart that God has placed within you.

Kari Jobe: You Are For Me

2011-01-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday

2011-01-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

"How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

The girls

2011-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

I got to spend all day yesterday with the twins. (the girls I live with) I just LOVE them. We danced and played all day. They've started to talk more and are more animated with each passing day. One of the first words they said was "Buckeyes." They both now put their arms in the air and yell touchdown. It is ADORABLE. :)

Your Hands - JJ Heller

2011-01-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

quote

2011-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

"The difference between what we do, and what we are capable of doing, would suffice to solve most of the world's problems." ---Mahatma Gandhi

Starbucks serves 31-ounce drinks.

2011-01-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

As of this week Starbucks has added another size drink called the Venta. "The "Trenta" will be 31 ounces -- one ounce shy of a quart -- and available for iced coffee, Tazo shaken iced tea and iced tea lemonade." For all you starbucks obsessed people out there this should make your day. To read all about it you can click on the link below.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/17/news/companies/starbucks_trenta/index.htm?hpt=T2

The Hunger Games trailer

2011-01-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

Over the summer a friend of mine suggested that I read "The Hunger Game Trilogy." She knows me well enough to know my taste in books and she assured me I'd love these books. So in blind faith I ordered all 3 books without hearing anything else about them. I had all 3 books read within a week. They are fantastic. If I'm being honest I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the final book but overall they were phenomenal. And much to my delight right after I finished the last book I found out they are making the books into movies! I've included a trailer for your viewing pleasure. I hope you all go buy the books or at least go see the movies once they come out.

quote

2011-01-17T15:31:00.001-08:00

‎"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Sunday

2011-01-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” - 1 Corinthians 10:13

I love that even though Sin is a guarantee in life that God promises to give us an out. We just have to choose to take it....How great and loving is our God?

quote

2011-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. In the long run, we really do shaper our own lives; and then together we shape the world around us. The process never ends until we die." ---Eleanor Roosevelt

Haiti

2011-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

One year ago today we all witnessed on television the devastation in Haiti from the massive earthquake, creating an even greater desperation for the thousands of orphan children in this impoverished country. It seems impossible that a year has passed already. More astonishing is how much work is still to be done there. In the months following the disaster, the media spotlight moved off this island in rubble, but the need to care for the children of Haiti with food, water, shelter, and medical care continues.

God has touched many of your hearts to reach out and do more for the orphan children of Haiti. I'm sure some of you are thinking "how can I help?" If you are able to donate financially then I implore you to find a way to do that. I have several missionary friends who travel to Haiti to do relief work so please contact me if you need a contact. AND most importantly I beg that you continue to pray over this country and those still being affected by the disaster that took place a year ago. On this anniversary of the devastating quake, won’t you join with us as we fulfill God’s call to “defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy” (Psalm 72:4).

Leeland "Falling for you".( Opposite way) Album.

2011-01-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

For any of you out there who have walked (or maybe even run) from God at some point in life....this song is for you. I pray that you have found your way back and are falling in love with God all over again.

The Best Coffee at Starbucks Isn't on the Menu - DivineCaroline

2011-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Best Coffee at Starbucks Isn't on the Menu - DivineCaroline

If you are Starbucks obsessed like I am you should probably check out the link above. Starbucks now serves and "instant brew." I had it today.....it was quite yummy.

Happy Sunday

2011-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ---Romans 8:38

My heart misses Hondo

2011-01-08T19:05:00.001-08:00

Some of you have been asking to see more pictures from my trip so here you go..... I realize most pictures have me in them....but hey if you are reading my blog then I figured you would want pictures with me in them. I know it's a conceited assumption....but hey I'm only human right. :)

The kids and I spent more than an hour playing this crazy Honduran version of London Bridges meets tug-a-war. The girl that I'm attached to and I would created a "bridge" with our hands and the kids would march in a circle around us while we chanted a song. When the song was over we would drop our arms and whomever was in our grasp then had to pick a fruit. If the picked the fruit that had been predetermined (secretly) as mine then they went behind me. After all the kids had been "caught" by the falling bridge we have one huge game of tug-a-war. It was a blast! :)

This sweet ladies name is Julia. She lives at the old peoples home we visit. Her husband passed away a couple of years ago. She never was able to have children and has no other family so she moved into the home.

This man's name is Max. He is a self proclaiming hippie. He spoke with animation of the places he has been and the things he has seen. We were of course fast friends as I listened with rapture to his stories.

For those of you who have been avidly following my blogs for years you might remember my stories of Luvin. Jen and I made the decision to bring him back to Casa with us nearly 3 years ago when he had no home. His background was riddled with abuse, hatred, anger, and violence. Because of that he had a hard time transitioning into the home. He was a good 2 years bigger than the other kids. We were eventually forced to make the hard decision to take him to an all boys home where he would have more men around him. Well he is now back living with Jen. He still has his struggles but the tenderness I saw in him this trip still amazes me. AND boy how he has grown. He has more muscles than most grown men I know!

The kids at our house building site took the spare wood and began making play houses of their own. I loved watching the way they would talk about what piece to put on or what they wanted the house to look like. It was like they were building their dream home.

One of my favorite little boys at the "dump community" Andres. He never forgets my name and always wants to know when I will return. He is a sweetheart for sure! AND quite the worker. He can hammer 3 nails in the time it takes me to do one!

Our amazing team of girls rocked this week!

I had the privilege of doing this trip with 3 of my closest friends....you each are a blessing to my heart.

We did devotional at the "junk cross" with the kids from Casa (the orphanage where I used to work). A couple of the older boys led music and prayed over us....it brought me to tears.

Ok so I just plan ADORE her. I've never loved another the way I love her. God bound our hearts so tightly together that sometimes I forget that she isn't truly mine. My heart aches for her with every beat and my lips find themselves whispering her name in the most random moments.

My heart delights in you little one.

Video

2011-01-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/40943737#40943396

Check out this inspirational video!

Wednesday

2011-01-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today a small group of us had the pleasure of going to the dump to feed the people who spend their days working tirelessly in the midst of other people’s garbage in an effort to earn a feeble wage for their efforts. It is one of those experiences that you can never grow numb to, it will never become just something you do while you are in Honduras, or at least it shouldn’t. Driving into the dump you immediately feel dirty, you smell the stench of rotten food and things thrown away in the thousands of homes throughout Tegucigalpa, things that aren’t meant to be seen again, let alone dug through with human hands. And yet that is exactly what hundreds of people spend their days doing; searching, sifting, scavenging through trash in order to exhume plastic, cardboard, glass, whatever it is that they are responsible for collecting.

However, today at the dump was even more challenging for me personally. As we stood in the back of a truck and scooped out bowl after bowl of rice, beans and tortillas, we were enveloped in smoke. Every so often they burn the trash at the dump to make room for more waste. Today was a burning day. And there was no escape from the smoke. It burned our eyes, our throats and it covered us in a layer of stench and dirt that was recognizable from a distance. Our group spent 30 minutes at the dump today. 30 minutes. And for a lot of us the first things we talked about as soon as we drove away were the showers we couldn’t wait to take, or the cold water that was going to taste so refreshing. These aren’t luxuries that many of those workers were going to receive at the end of their long work day, a work day lasting far longer than the 30 minutes our group spent in the dump feeding. All day the men, women and children working there would be breathing in that smoke, smelling that stench and feeling that intense burning in their eyes and throats that I could barely stand for the 30 minutes I was there to serve them lunch.

Today being in the dump, at least for me, felt a little more real. Real in the sense that I endured their elements a little bit more. Real in the sense that I know how my body responded in that environment after only a few minutes. And real in the sense that I felt so appreciative driving away from the dump yesterday; for the opportunity to have gone and shared cold, clean water with those people and warm, nourishing food. In that moment it was also real to me how important it is to enter into to those places less appealing, less clean, and certainly less enjoyable because it is in those places that God has come looking for me time and time again.

The rest of us headed to Hospital Escuela. It is the "free hospital" in the city. If you have ever been to this hospital you know all too well how true the statement "you get what you pay for" can be. There is no such thing as a private room there. Instead most rooms have 10-12 beds lining the walls; filled with sick kids. The hospital often times is forced to reuse needles, tape, catheters, and other medical supplies because they don't have enough. I suppose when you are in pain and needing help you would choose the reused needle over nothing....but still it just makes my heart hurt. How spoiled are we in the states?? We take for granted the fact that we can walk into a hospital and receive good, sanitary, life saving medical treatment.

Our group split into two smaller groups at the hospital and headed to separate floors, armed with big bags of toys. My group had pediatric surgery and hydrocephaly floors. At each room we went to we handed out stuffed animals and toy cars. We played with kids, held hands with kids receiving treatment, talked with them, and formed bonds that surely wound their way into deepest parts of our heart.

After the hospital we headed to the airport where 12 more members of our team flew out. It is hard to believe that our time here is already over. My heart aches at the thought of going home already. I love this place and these people with everything in me.

Please keep praying over this place and the ministries here. I'll continue to put up a couple more blogs of pictures and stories even after I return home so keep checking the blog.

Pictures

2011-01-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Jen was a bit nervous using the chainsaw...but she rocked it!

Our almost all girl team ROCKS!

Our entire team at the Junk Cross. This Cross was literally built out of old car parts.

The finished product of our house building! :)

I ADORE her.

MANGOS!!!! I LOVE them.

Tuesday

2011-01-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Today we worked at the place where we have been staying all week. We have been staying with missionary friends of mine so we spent today building shelves, painting, cleaning, digging holes for hammock posts, and other such things. It was our opportunity to serve them today after they have served us all week.

After that we headed to KFC to meet the kiddos from Casa de Esperanza (the orphanage where I used to work) for dinner. We spent a couple of hours eating and playing in the play place with them! :)

And last but not least we had an Ohio State Buckeyes party. 4 of the missionaries here are Buckeyes fans so they came over to watch the game with us. We had white chili, red chili, corn bread, and buckeyes of course! :)

Sunset

2011-01-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

Honduras has some of the most beautiful sunsets. God simply takes my breath away here.

Monday

2011-01-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

The group split up into two separate teams today to build houses. We headed back out to the dump community where we had a carnival earlier this week. Each team built a home for a family. The houses we build are 16X16 wood one room houses. They take roughly 4-5 hours to build from start to finish.

Christina and Kristin braved the roof.

Katie played with kids all morning. They loved here....and I loved watching her with them. She was so patient and just delighted in playing with them so much.

Colby and some of our other girls braved the chainsaw for the first time today!

This was our house building team and the family we built for. We built for a sweet sweet family. A husband, his wife (who is 9 months pregnant), their 4 year old son.

After we finished building the two houses we headed up to the Jesus Statue. It is a huge statue of Jesus Christ that sits over-looking the city. The view at night is amazing. The team headed up there to have our devotional. After almost an hour of singing and devotional time at the feet of Christ we headed back home to get some rest. The team is starting to feel a bit tired and worn down.

Sunday

2011-01-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

Today we headed out early to build a church. The village we were building in is right in the city. It is butted up against all kinds of rich houses and yet no one takes time to notice it.

Well today we showed up to do just that. (notice it) We went in early and attended church in their pre-existing building. The make shift building that stood there before was one that they had made themselves from whatever they could find. Some of the families could have used those pieces of scrap wood/metal to fix leaky holes so that their kids could be dry. Instead, they so valued having a place to worship God and fellowship together that they sacrificed those pieces to build the church.

After attending their church service the members of the church helped us tear down their building and in its place we built a brand new building. The tear down process included lots of termites, a snake, a man falling off the roof, and so much more but at the end of the day it was all worth it.

After we finished building we headed back to Amber's ministry to attend church with the homeless and then we served yet another meal. It has been cool to watch the team connect to some of the homeless people there as we return time and time again.

The back side of their make-shift building.

With a team of 21 girls and just 3 boys our girls have had plenty of chances to flex their muscles ....and flex them they have! Today we had girls scaling the building to work on the roof. We had girls running chainsaws. And we had girls swinging hammers everywhere!

I of course spent more time playing with kiddos than building. :) BUT we did have around 30 people working on one site so I happily backed off and let the others build while I loved the heck out of the dozens of kids running around. This sweet baby girl is Sadie....she quickly became one of my favorites.

Saturday

2011-01-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

Today we headed out to Casa de Esperanza. It is the orphanage I lived/worked at for the 2 1/2 years I lived in the country. So needless to say I was ecstatic to get out there.

We took fried chicken, fries, and coke with us and had a picnic at a local park with the kids. After we ate we spent hours playing with the kiddos. We played tag, pushed kids on the swings, went down the slide countless times, and so much more.

After the park we headed back to the orphanage and did art projects with the kids. Each of our team members picked a kid and decorated a picture frame with them. We then took pictures with our kids to put in the frames. We ended up spending close to 6 hours total with the kiddos. It was great seeing them but 6 hours seems completely inadequate when I'm only getting 6 hours every 4 months.

When we left the orphanage we went back to Amber's homeless ministry to feed again. I got to meet this really cool man named Max. He is a self-proclaimed hippie and I thought he was great! :) I was proud of our team. It was a long day and they all had the option of staying home instead of going to feed yet ALL of them chose to go....not only chose to go but were excited about it.

I love this little one more than life itself.

Friday

2010-12-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today we headed out to one of my favorite villages, Nuevo Oriental, to set up a clothing store. We took all of the clothing, blankets, shoes, etc that were donated by people back home and organized it in a building in the village. It is kind of like a glorified yard sale. We organize the clothing on tables and then allow the people that live there to enter and "shop" for stuff. We charged 20 Lemps ($1) for 10 items. They then could sort through and find the type/size of clothing that they wanted and then purchase those items. We have found that by accepting their money for the items they are able to keep a level of dignity and they have a sense of ownership. We then take the money that we make from the clothing sales and donate it back to the local feeding center. We ended up making $140.

We were also able to play with the kiddos all day. That village has a TON of children. Which is of course one of the main reasons I LOVE it there.

We played duck, duck, goose and tug-a-war.

We walked around and helped the people shop. The line to get into the place was SOOO long!

We ate at Carnitas tonight for dinner. I clearly enjoyed the food! :) I think that because I'm only here for a week it is acceptable to gorge myself on food because I soon won't be able to eat these delicious meals! The restaurant makes some of the best food I've eaten in this country.

Thursday

2010-12-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today we headed to my friend Amber's ministry. She started feeding homeless people a meal out of the back of her truck. She would drive from spot to spot feeding them food and building a relationship with them. About 6 months ago she began renting a building in one of the sketchier areas of town. The building is HUGE and Amber has huge dreams for the location. It needs a lot of TLC but it is an amazing project. They have already opened the doors and are allowing some of the homeless community sleep in the rooms. They are now feeding 4 days a week out of the front room and they have church service every Sunday morning in the building.

Our team spent the day painting rooms. Building benches to be used as seating for their church services and scrubbed the entire building clean.

This evening we went back to Amber's to serve food to the homeless. We bought 30 pizzas to distribute as a special treat. They normally get beans and rice so pizza was a welcome change. We ended up having way more pizza than we needed so we loaded the extras on the bus and started driving the streets looking for people to give some to. We didn't have to go far before we found people sleeping on the streets or families walking around. We would pull over and ask if they wanted pizza. At one point the kids we gave pizza to started jumping around and cheering. A piece of pizza made their night......I was humbled to tears.

Wednesday

2010-12-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

The team is finally all together! woot woot! The remaining 5 of us flew in today.

The team spent the morning at an orphanage called the "Mother Teresa home." Our teams have been going to this orphanage for the last couple years and I just love it there. The facility is far from luxurious and they are way under-staffed. However, the place is run with love and kindness. The kids have their basic needs met but due to the under-staffing most of the kids aren't loved on nearly as often as what they should be. Our teams love going there and spending a few precious hours doing just that....devoting our time to simply showing them God's love for them.

After the Mother Teresa Home the team headed to the city dump. Over 1,200 people (men, women, AND children) call the dump home. They find shelter in the scraps of cardboard or plastic they find and they make entire meals out of the "trash" that the rest of us throw out. The team took beans, rice, tortillas, and water out to the dump and served a warm meal to those living there. For most of those people it will be the only warm meal they get all week.

After handing out the meal our team put on a make shift carnival at the dump. We had games, prizes, popcorn, cotton candy, and so much more. The kids LOVED it.

Our final stop was Bencaleth. It is a special needs orphanage. For those of you who have followed my blog over the years you've heard me speak of my Izzy. Jen and I found Izzy nearly 3 years ago dying on the side of a mountain. She has come a long way since then and is now living in this special needs orphanage. It was the perfect way spend my first day in the country! The team spent time pushing the kids around in their wheel chairs. Much to the kids delight Mike insisted upon playing bumper wheel chairs. Some of our group was content to simply sit talking to the kids.

Here!

2010-12-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

We made it safely. The team is finally all together. I'll post more later when we get back for the night.

And so it begins

2010-12-27T06:32:00.001-08:00

We woke up at 2:00 this morning and headed for the airport. With everyone being on Christmas break people were flying from all over. Myself and 2 others were going from Columbus, 14 people were flying from Canton, 1 from Providence, 1 from Kentucky, 1 from Nashville, 2 from Pittsburgh, etc.

When I arrived at the airport I found that our flight had been delayed and that I wouldn't make it to Atlanta in time to make my connecting flight. As I began questioning the people at the Delta counter they gave me a number to call to work it all out. So I got on the phone and began what would be an hour long phone conversation in pursuit of a solution. I had a wonderful and friendly lady on the other end and she did her best to accommodate myself and the other 2 with me. However, no matter what she did there was just no way that they 3 of us could get to Honduras before Wednesday. We could fly out today and go to Atlanta but the flight out of Atlanta going to Honduras was booked solid tomorrow. So we are having to wait until Wednesday to fly out. I cannot express to you the amount of sadness I am carrying with me right now. I awoke this morning preparing to head to the country that I love so much. I expected to be hugging the necks of those brown people I cherish. Instead I spent 7 hours driving to Columbus, working stuff out, and driving home. And now I wait.....

The girl flying from Providence is delayed until tomorrow. And the two going from Pitt will fly in on Wednesday.

8 of the 14 flying out of Canton made it to Atlanta in time for their connecting flight. The other 6 missed the connecting flight so will be spending the night in the airport tonight and hopefully will make it to Honduras tomorrow.

So as of right now 10 of our 22 are in Honduras. 6 are stranded in Atlanta. And 6 of us will be flying out in the next day or two.

Please continue pray for safe and speedy travels for the team. I'll keep you updated the best I can as things unfold.

Happy Sunday

2010-12-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

---Philippians 3:12-14

Christmas

2010-12-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

This years Christmas traditions were much different. My sister and her husband had to go to his family's Christmas the morning of Christmas so we got them that evening.

For the past 24 years I've woken up in my own house, opened gifts, ate an omelet (Daddy makes the best omelets), and then we go to my Aunt Cindy's house to have Christmas with the entire family.

This year my sister and her husband missed out on all that. I'm a tradition girl so this was hard for me to deal with. However, as I sat here surrounded by my family I remembered the importance of this season. It doesn't matter if we get up early and carry on our traditions. What matters is being together as a family. Most people aren't as blessed as I am. God has given me an amazing family and so many other blessings.

Some of my favorite moments of the day were watching Clayton with Grandma. We don't know how much longer she has to live and watching him make memories with her brought tears to my eyes.

Clayton helped EVERYONE unwrap their presents. He bounced from one place to another ripping wrapping paper from packages.
Bob and Whit had this made for my parents. Isn't it amazing.

Jack Johnson - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

2010-12-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

I just love Jack Johnson and I love this song!

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Every year my sister, mom, and I get together and make cookies, fudge, buckeyes, etc. All of the essential Christmas treats! :) This year was no exception. The only difference is that Clayton is now old enough to help. I know I usually don't let it show...but I just adore my nephew! :) He is the greatest gift there is. I love doing the simplest tasks with him so I loved baking with him! He kept running around the kitchen saying "I'm excited" in his two year only little voice. He loves to help in the kitchen. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE this holiday?

quote

2010-12-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

“Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.”

----Oren Arnold

Oglebay

2010-12-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

My family and I loaded up into the van tonight and headed to Wheeling to see the lights at Oglebay Park. It is one of those rare moments when we can all (Mom, Dad, Whit, Bob, Clayton, and me) get together. We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and then drove around looking at the lights. I just LOVE this time of year. I love everything about it.....lights, trees, snow, music, EVERYTHING! We sang Christmas songs and Clayton exclaimed over ALL of the lights. He wanted a picture of everything!

Happy Sunday

2010-12-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

"LORD, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done wonderful things,

things planned long ago."

---Isaiah 25:1

quote

2010-12-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do,

and liking how you do it."

~Author : Maya Angelou