Since we're saving money for a bicycle for a family with no transportation in Africa, we're focusing this week on what a luxury it is to have transportation. Ironic that Avery's motorcycle, his daily transportation to work, broke down this week. Yet amazing how God has provided for that to be fixed, as well as for us to borrow a car from a friend until the bike is operational. Not exactly what we wanted- Avery's motorcycle breaking down that is. But my, how it has opened our eyes to the degree of blessing we have. His bike breaks and we're merely inconvenienced by it. Wow!
Today while Kaitlyn was at school, Lucas and I took a walk. You see, we're out of hair conditioner so I indulged in buying some, a luxury to many of my sisters around the world, yet just another thing I take forgranted. Rather than drive the 1/4 mile to the store, we walked. At first, he thought it was lots of fun. About half way there, the complaining started. He is only four. I explained why we were walking. He said, "Oh. It's so we don't run out of gas." I said, "Yes. And the money we're saving on gas we can put in our jar for the family's bike." That satisfied him. Then all at once, he realized that his brother and sister in Ethiopia are just as poor as the family in Kenya that we are helping. Kind of sad, he said, "I wish my brother and sister could come home to America forever." HE GOT IT!!!! He understood that they are very poor in their country and that they need to be home with our family. So, at the store, I chose the conditioner that was on sale. Then when I got to the checkout counter, the clerk informed me that she had a coupon for it and I ended up getting it for 50% off the sale price! So, I gave Lucas the leftover money for in the jar. That's when he saw some candy he wanted. When he asked me for it, I reminded him that we're not spending money this month. He rolled his eyes and said to the clerk, "Oh yea, we're having a year of NOTHING!"
When Kaitlyn got home, we needed to mail a small package, so rather than drive, we all walked to the post office. My goodness, I wonder how much time each day my sisters spend walking. Walking to get clean water (if clean water is even available) and food for their babies. Walking to the river to wash clothes. Walking to their place of worship. Walking their children to school, when they're able to afford the cost of education. I have the utmost admiration and respect for these women. To my sisters around the world, I say kudos to you for your strength. Or as they say in Ethiopia, Gobeznesh- You are strong.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
30 Days of Nothing- Day 7
First, if you haven't checked out Mary's blog over at owlhaven, it's well worth the visit. I wholeheartedly agree with what she wrote yesterday when she said that rather than calling this "30 Days of Nothing", it ought to be "30 Days of Less." I have no clue what it means to have nothing, and as an American, I probably never will. As was pointed out on another blog (I forgot whose) even the poor in America can end up fat. Please don't hear me saying that we don't need to have grace and mercy and justice for the poor in America, for that is not my heart at all. It's just that the poverty in many of the unindustrialized nations of the world is something that the American heart cannot even begin to comprehend. At least I know mine can't.
Confession: I bought something yesterday!
I bought some yarn to make a baby blanket for a dear friend who is bringing her little Ethiopian baby, Daniel, home to America in just a few days. I got really soft yarn in green, yellow, red, and black. You guessed it- Daniel's little blanket is going to be the colors of the Ethiopian flag. Also, we had some digital photos developed at Walmart so that we could send them to the orphanage in Ethiopia where our kids live. When Avery was there, the kids were the ones who did most of the photography, so we printed the ones that were important to them so that they could have them. I meant to buy conditioner, but when Lucas had a complete meltdown over his desire to have "Spwite" to drink, I decided that the conditioner could wait for another day. As though I would reward a screaming 4-year-old by giving him what he wanted, hence reinforcing to him that Walmart is a most acceptable, appropriate place to have a meltdown!
Resisted Temptation: I didn't buy anything from the sewing section except for yarn!
I'm certainly not Martha Stewart, but I do enjoy doing certain types of crafty things. I'm working on a project. For each of our four kids, I'm collecting squares of fabric that I will eventually sew into a quilt to be given to them when they graduate from high school. The squares are all chosen for a reason, which I write down on a piece of paper with a square of the fabric attached. Walmart had so many cute new fabrics in, and while I did look, I didn't buy any. All we need for this bicycle for the family in Kenya is $60. Seriously, every dollar counts. Kaitlyn contributed a dime she found at school to the 30 Days of Nothing jar. She's a doll.
Huge Blessing Regading Motorcycle:
Okay, now for the thing that blows my mind. As though God has not been good enough to us already, He's really proving His provision to us this week. Yesterday, I got a phone call from a very good friend who said that she and her husband had an extra car and they wanted to let Avery use it until he could get his bike fixed. Wow! Having just one vehicle this week has been somewhat inconvenient, but we've also realized in our inconvenience how incredibly blessed we are to even have a car. Yet still, God has provided a replacement. It gets better though...
While I was on the phone with my friend, Avery got a call on his cell phone (Yea, I wonder how many people around the world have even just one telephone?). It was another friend calling to say that when he heard that Avery's bike had broken down that God had impressed on his heart to pay for the repairs. He said to get it taken care of and bring him the bill.
After our phone calls, we sat there in astonishment at God's goodness. I can't even understand how or why God loves us so much. We're just ordinary people doing our best to see the things that are important to God accomplished in the world and in our lives. We fail so miserably so often. Even after God has provided $20,000+ for our adoption, and given us so much favor, I still have days where I loose faith and cry to God that I just don't understand. And still, I can honestly say that God has never let me down. Not one single time. Even when tragic things have happened in my life, I can honestly say that God was right there with me. He loves me so deeply, so much more than I can understand. And it has absolutely nothing to do with anything I've done. It's just because of who He is. He's God. He's my Father. I'm his daughter. That's enough. Wow.
Confession: I bought something yesterday!
I bought some yarn to make a baby blanket for a dear friend who is bringing her little Ethiopian baby, Daniel, home to America in just a few days. I got really soft yarn in green, yellow, red, and black. You guessed it- Daniel's little blanket is going to be the colors of the Ethiopian flag. Also, we had some digital photos developed at Walmart so that we could send them to the orphanage in Ethiopia where our kids live. When Avery was there, the kids were the ones who did most of the photography, so we printed the ones that were important to them so that they could have them. I meant to buy conditioner, but when Lucas had a complete meltdown over his desire to have "Spwite" to drink, I decided that the conditioner could wait for another day. As though I would reward a screaming 4-year-old by giving him what he wanted, hence reinforcing to him that Walmart is a most acceptable, appropriate place to have a meltdown!
Resisted Temptation: I didn't buy anything from the sewing section except for yarn!
I'm certainly not Martha Stewart, but I do enjoy doing certain types of crafty things. I'm working on a project. For each of our four kids, I'm collecting squares of fabric that I will eventually sew into a quilt to be given to them when they graduate from high school. The squares are all chosen for a reason, which I write down on a piece of paper with a square of the fabric attached. Walmart had so many cute new fabrics in, and while I did look, I didn't buy any. All we need for this bicycle for the family in Kenya is $60. Seriously, every dollar counts. Kaitlyn contributed a dime she found at school to the 30 Days of Nothing jar. She's a doll.
Huge Blessing Regading Motorcycle:
Okay, now for the thing that blows my mind. As though God has not been good enough to us already, He's really proving His provision to us this week. Yesterday, I got a phone call from a very good friend who said that she and her husband had an extra car and they wanted to let Avery use it until he could get his bike fixed. Wow! Having just one vehicle this week has been somewhat inconvenient, but we've also realized in our inconvenience how incredibly blessed we are to even have a car. Yet still, God has provided a replacement. It gets better though...
While I was on the phone with my friend, Avery got a call on his cell phone (Yea, I wonder how many people around the world have even just one telephone?). It was another friend calling to say that when he heard that Avery's bike had broken down that God had impressed on his heart to pay for the repairs. He said to get it taken care of and bring him the bill.
After our phone calls, we sat there in astonishment at God's goodness. I can't even understand how or why God loves us so much. We're just ordinary people doing our best to see the things that are important to God accomplished in the world and in our lives. We fail so miserably so often. Even after God has provided $20,000+ for our adoption, and given us so much favor, I still have days where I loose faith and cry to God that I just don't understand. And still, I can honestly say that God has never let me down. Not one single time. Even when tragic things have happened in my life, I can honestly say that God was right there with me. He loves me so deeply, so much more than I can understand. And it has absolutely nothing to do with anything I've done. It's just because of who He is. He's God. He's my Father. I'm his daughter. That's enough. Wow.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
30 Days of Nothing- Day 6
Today, I don't even know where to begin...I'm so overwhelmed by the love of God and people in my life. Anybody who follows Avery's blog knows that his motorcycle broke down, which is a huge problem because we have one car and one motorcycle in our family. I use the car to take Kaitlyn to school. He takes his bike to work. We can share the car, but it involves a lot of back and forth driving and rearranging of schedules, which is both inconvenient and a huge waste of gas. Fixing it is the best solution, but also an expensive solution.
Now let me back up a little bit. This month marks one year since the referral of our Ethiopian kids that we are adopting. From reading up on Ethiopian adoption, realize that it is unusual for an adoption to take this long, but I guess our family is a little bit unusual too! Part of the deal for us in this adoption is that we have to pay $350 each month for fostercare for our kids while they're still in Ethiopia. At the beginning, we were told to expect 4-6 months, so I calculated fostercare for 7 months just to be on the safe side in figuring out how much this would cost. At the end of this month, our grand total so far for fostercare will be $4,500, a whole lot more change than we originally counted on. We still need a van too, as our little car isn't equipped for four kids. There's just no way to set aside money for a van with this kind of fostercare expense. This has been very overwhelming to me lately and has had me worried. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I've gone to God a few times asking Him why it's had to take so long; why it's had to be such a financial strain to do this thing.
A few nights ago I had a very rough night where everytime I woke up I was having another dream about our kids not being able to come to America. I woke up the next morning exhausted and sad, which opened the door for all of the "what if" questions to start creeping in. What if their paperwork never gets finished? What if they don't get a courtdate? What if they're never released to come to America. What if this thing goes on for yet another year? What if...
Then Avery's motorcycle breaks down right at the beginning of this 30 Days of Nothing. Yea, real convenient, huh?! Resist the urge to buy unnecesary things for the sake of breaking the grip of American consumerism while helping a family in Kenya that doesn't have transportation and Avery's transportation breaks down!!! Does anyone else see the irony?!?!?! Well, God is very faithful. A dear friend in Bikers for Christ gave Avery $100 for our adoption. Then, an anonymous person from my parent's church in Pennsylvania sent us $50. That makes $150. Then, there's this woman I've never even met from New York. We "met" via an Ethiopian Adoption user group on yahoo. We've coresponded for a while now and have become fast friends. Her support and encouragement throughout this adoption has been invaluable. She has prayed for our family through some of the darkest days of this adoption. I've also prayed for her family in their adoption of their baby boy, whom they are going to bring home from Ethiopia in just a few days!!! Lately, I've been praying for their finances, asking God to provide the final $1,800 they needed for their adoption. Well, I got a card in the mail from her and her husband yesterday explaining that out of the blue, they had received a check tucked inside a card for $2,000! Now, one of the things that Christians practice is something called "tithing." Tithing is where you commit to putting 10% of the money you make back into the things that God is working to accomplish here on earth. For some, this is very difficult. But Avery and I have always given back 10%, even in the most desperate of times, even throughout this past year. We believe that the things in the Bible are true, and one of the things the Bible says is that if you will trust God enough to give back 10%, then God will be faithful to provide for you. We're even told in the Bible to test God by doing this. Avery and I have always tithed, and we have ALWAYS been taken care of. There has never been a time when we didn't have what we needed when we needed it. We've seen times much leaner times financially than these, but even then, we always had what we needed. Well, 10% of $2000 is $200. That left my friend with the $1,800 I've been praying that she would receive. And her and her husband prayed and felt like God wanted them to give us the other $200. That brought our total to $350- the exact amount we have to pay for fostercare each month. Which also frees us up to use the money we would have had to use on fostercare to take care of Avery's motorcycle. Which also gave my heart so much encouragement to continue on with this journey; strength to stand.
Sure, the bike breaking down is money we'll have to spend, but hey, it's not like we're breaking this 30 day fast from consumerism to go drink milkshakes at McDonalds everyday! :) To me, the really cool part is how incredibly faithful God has been to us. He loves us so much more than we can understand. I've heard it said that you can't outgive God. Here we are, saving pennies to help a family in Africa, fasting from consumerism in order to invite God to speak to our hearts about some things. And even so, God has given us back so much more than we can give. He is so faithful. He is the faithful God who will bring my kids home to me. It's not an agency, not MOLSA, not my own persistance. It is God in his faithfulness and sovereignty that will bring my kids home.
Oh yea, one more cool little thing about this 30 Days of nothing thing. There was some meeting at Avery's work yesterday where they provided lunch for everybody. When Avery walked by the room later, he saw that there were leftovers that he brought home for our supper last night! So, we not only were able to save some of our rice and vegies and venison for another night, but we got really yummy deli-style sandwiches from Arby's and much to my kids' delight, curly fries!
So, one of the biggest things my heart is already understanding on an even deeper level than before this 30 Days of Nothing is that God is generous beyond my wildest dreams and He will take care of my needs and He even cares about our desires. I can only imagine the smile it brought to God's face yesterday to see my kids smiling and eating up their curly fries! :)
Now let me back up a little bit. This month marks one year since the referral of our Ethiopian kids that we are adopting. From reading up on Ethiopian adoption, realize that it is unusual for an adoption to take this long, but I guess our family is a little bit unusual too! Part of the deal for us in this adoption is that we have to pay $350 each month for fostercare for our kids while they're still in Ethiopia. At the beginning, we were told to expect 4-6 months, so I calculated fostercare for 7 months just to be on the safe side in figuring out how much this would cost. At the end of this month, our grand total so far for fostercare will be $4,500, a whole lot more change than we originally counted on. We still need a van too, as our little car isn't equipped for four kids. There's just no way to set aside money for a van with this kind of fostercare expense. This has been very overwhelming to me lately and has had me worried. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I've gone to God a few times asking Him why it's had to take so long; why it's had to be such a financial strain to do this thing.
A few nights ago I had a very rough night where everytime I woke up I was having another dream about our kids not being able to come to America. I woke up the next morning exhausted and sad, which opened the door for all of the "what if" questions to start creeping in. What if their paperwork never gets finished? What if they don't get a courtdate? What if they're never released to come to America. What if this thing goes on for yet another year? What if...
Then Avery's motorcycle breaks down right at the beginning of this 30 Days of Nothing. Yea, real convenient, huh?! Resist the urge to buy unnecesary things for the sake of breaking the grip of American consumerism while helping a family in Kenya that doesn't have transportation and Avery's transportation breaks down!!! Does anyone else see the irony?!?!?! Well, God is very faithful. A dear friend in Bikers for Christ gave Avery $100 for our adoption. Then, an anonymous person from my parent's church in Pennsylvania sent us $50. That makes $150. Then, there's this woman I've never even met from New York. We "met" via an Ethiopian Adoption user group on yahoo. We've coresponded for a while now and have become fast friends. Her support and encouragement throughout this adoption has been invaluable. She has prayed for our family through some of the darkest days of this adoption. I've also prayed for her family in their adoption of their baby boy, whom they are going to bring home from Ethiopia in just a few days!!! Lately, I've been praying for their finances, asking God to provide the final $1,800 they needed for their adoption. Well, I got a card in the mail from her and her husband yesterday explaining that out of the blue, they had received a check tucked inside a card for $2,000! Now, one of the things that Christians practice is something called "tithing." Tithing is where you commit to putting 10% of the money you make back into the things that God is working to accomplish here on earth. For some, this is very difficult. But Avery and I have always given back 10%, even in the most desperate of times, even throughout this past year. We believe that the things in the Bible are true, and one of the things the Bible says is that if you will trust God enough to give back 10%, then God will be faithful to provide for you. We're even told in the Bible to test God by doing this. Avery and I have always tithed, and we have ALWAYS been taken care of. There has never been a time when we didn't have what we needed when we needed it. We've seen times much leaner times financially than these, but even then, we always had what we needed. Well, 10% of $2000 is $200. That left my friend with the $1,800 I've been praying that she would receive. And her and her husband prayed and felt like God wanted them to give us the other $200. That brought our total to $350- the exact amount we have to pay for fostercare each month. Which also frees us up to use the money we would have had to use on fostercare to take care of Avery's motorcycle. Which also gave my heart so much encouragement to continue on with this journey; strength to stand.
Sure, the bike breaking down is money we'll have to spend, but hey, it's not like we're breaking this 30 day fast from consumerism to go drink milkshakes at McDonalds everyday! :) To me, the really cool part is how incredibly faithful God has been to us. He loves us so much more than we can understand. I've heard it said that you can't outgive God. Here we are, saving pennies to help a family in Africa, fasting from consumerism in order to invite God to speak to our hearts about some things. And even so, God has given us back so much more than we can give. He is so faithful. He is the faithful God who will bring my kids home to me. It's not an agency, not MOLSA, not my own persistance. It is God in his faithfulness and sovereignty that will bring my kids home.
Oh yea, one more cool little thing about this 30 Days of nothing thing. There was some meeting at Avery's work yesterday where they provided lunch for everybody. When Avery walked by the room later, he saw that there were leftovers that he brought home for our supper last night! So, we not only were able to save some of our rice and vegies and venison for another night, but we got really yummy deli-style sandwiches from Arby's and much to my kids' delight, curly fries!
So, one of the biggest things my heart is already understanding on an even deeper level than before this 30 Days of Nothing is that God is generous beyond my wildest dreams and He will take care of my needs and He even cares about our desires. I can only imagine the smile it brought to God's face yesterday to see my kids smiling and eating up their curly fries! :)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
30 Days of Nothing- Day 5
Before I go into the 30 Days of Nothing, I'd like to say that today marks the beginning of week #2 of school. I definitely got out of bed in time to get Kaitlyn ready without too many problems. Except for the fact that two hours wouldn't have been enough time today! Tolo na ebakesh (hurry up please) wasn't in her vocabulary today. Rough morning, but she made it in one piece. Now I'm left with Lucas. Sweet faces like this are what makes it all worth it- burakaeyae:
Now, about this 30 Days of Nothing...
Confession #1:
I went to the store last night. We were out of shampoo and there are still 25 days left. Enough said! I did resist the urge to buy pretty hair clips for Kaitlyn!
30 Realizations for 30 Days of Nothing:
1. Having spent only $98 on groceries for our family of four for the entire month of September, I still haven't come even remotely close to living like much of the world lives.
2. Firstly, I actually had $98 to spend on groceries.
3. My cupboards are full.
4. In fact, they're overflowing with food.
5. Despite the fact that there isn't going to be a whole lot of variety this month, I have enough spices in my cupboard that we can have a different flavor of rice every night without having to repeat anything.
6. I have enough rice to last for an entire month.
7. My kids can eat as much as they want.
8. There is no need in my house for rationing our food.
9. I have hot running water right in my kitchen.
10. I have a kitchen in my house.
11. I have a house.
12.I have a stove in my kitchen where I cook the food that I just pulled out of my refrigerater.
13. I have a refrigerater.
14. It's full of food.
15. I can't count the times I've had the audacity to complain that I couldn't find anything to eat, which really meant that out of all the food in my house, none of it appealed at the moment.
16. If we did run out of food and money, we wouldn't have to be hungry.
17. We could turn to our church for help.
18. We would go "shopping" in their food pantry.
19. My kids wouldn't have to be hungry.
20. I wouldn't have to go hungry for the sake of feeding my kids.
21. I have never had to make such a choice.
22. And if I did make such a choice, it would probably be due to the pride that would keep me suffering in silence rather than an actual need for that kind of sacrifice.
23. I have thrown away enough injera batter to feed my Ethioian kids' entire orphanage a high- protein breakfast for a month.
24. If I ask God to open my eyes to the reality of my wealth and my waste, He will do it.
25. God isn't helping me to see this so that I can feel guilty.
26. God doesn't motivate people by making them feel guilty.
27. God wants me to recognize my waste so that I can reign it in and steward our resources better.
28. Our wealth isn't for us alone.
29. God has blessed us as Americans so that we can bless others.
30. Saving money so that a family in Kenya can have a bicycle for making a living is just the tip of the iceberg for our family...
Burakaeyae (My Blessings) thus far:
1. Avery designed a logo for Bikers for Christ several years ago. This weekend, we discovered that it has been used on a T-shirt, which we could have purchased at the BFC retreat. But, that definitely would have broken our fast from consumerism. Later in the evening, knowing nothing about our 30 Days of Nothing, Pastor Fred Z, founder of BFC, pulled Avery aside and gave him a T-shirt for him and one for me too! I've come to know God as my Father and He is so lavish with me. Certainly, a T-shirt isn't exactly a need for me, as I have plenty of clothes. But our Father wanted the pleasure of watching His kids enjoy a little token of His affections.
2. I fed my kids donughts for supper at the BFC retreat. I didn't have to do that though. God already had it taken care of. We enjoyed fried chicken and salad, compliments of Stillwater Lodge. We didn't have to eat donughts just because they were there. God gave us something much better. Next time I will trust Him more. This made me realize that I've been worried about the fact that I'm soon going to have four kids, yet I drive a sub-compact car! Definitely a problem, especially since three of them are still in car seats. I've tried to figure out where a larger vehicle would come from. How will we pay for it? We've already spent $4,200 on fostercare for our kids in Ethopia, far more than we ever anticipated spending. Money that we had earmarked for a van. Our "van money" is almost completely gone now. Now I know that if God cares enough about us to make sure we had frivilous T-shirts and fried chicken despite the fact that we weren't hungry, then He will surely see to it that we have a vehicle where we can drive our kids around safely. Trust...
3. Generic Saltines and Stale popcorn out of the trashcan. That's right, this was a blessing to me yesterday! Supper last night was cooked by some very good friends who honored us by inviting us to supper and pampering us and serving us. I didn't have to do a thing. It was soooooo nice! They wanted to love us by taking care of us. Not only that, but aware that we're doing this 30 Days of Nothing, they sent us home with three pounds of venison (deer meat for those of you who have never hunted or are opposed to hunting!). As we were leaving, Amy opened her cupboards and started looking for other things she could send us home with. Hence, the Saltines and stale popcorn (for feeding neighborhood ducks- I can't afford to be feeding them bread this month!) .
Now, about this 30 Days of Nothing...
Confession #1:
I went to the store last night. We were out of shampoo and there are still 25 days left. Enough said! I did resist the urge to buy pretty hair clips for Kaitlyn!
30 Realizations for 30 Days of Nothing:
1. Having spent only $98 on groceries for our family of four for the entire month of September, I still haven't come even remotely close to living like much of the world lives.
2. Firstly, I actually had $98 to spend on groceries.
3. My cupboards are full.
4. In fact, they're overflowing with food.
5. Despite the fact that there isn't going to be a whole lot of variety this month, I have enough spices in my cupboard that we can have a different flavor of rice every night without having to repeat anything.
6. I have enough rice to last for an entire month.
7. My kids can eat as much as they want.
8. There is no need in my house for rationing our food.
9. I have hot running water right in my kitchen.
10. I have a kitchen in my house.
11. I have a house.
12.I have a stove in my kitchen where I cook the food that I just pulled out of my refrigerater.
13. I have a refrigerater.
14. It's full of food.
15. I can't count the times I've had the audacity to complain that I couldn't find anything to eat, which really meant that out of all the food in my house, none of it appealed at the moment.
16. If we did run out of food and money, we wouldn't have to be hungry.
17. We could turn to our church for help.
18. We would go "shopping" in their food pantry.
19. My kids wouldn't have to be hungry.
20. I wouldn't have to go hungry for the sake of feeding my kids.
21. I have never had to make such a choice.
22. And if I did make such a choice, it would probably be due to the pride that would keep me suffering in silence rather than an actual need for that kind of sacrifice.
23. I have thrown away enough injera batter to feed my Ethioian kids' entire orphanage a high- protein breakfast for a month.
24. If I ask God to open my eyes to the reality of my wealth and my waste, He will do it.
25. God isn't helping me to see this so that I can feel guilty.
26. God doesn't motivate people by making them feel guilty.
27. God wants me to recognize my waste so that I can reign it in and steward our resources better.
28. Our wealth isn't for us alone.
29. God has blessed us as Americans so that we can bless others.
30. Saving money so that a family in Kenya can have a bicycle for making a living is just the tip of the iceberg for our family...
Burakaeyae (My Blessings) thus far:
1. Avery designed a logo for Bikers for Christ several years ago. This weekend, we discovered that it has been used on a T-shirt, which we could have purchased at the BFC retreat. But, that definitely would have broken our fast from consumerism. Later in the evening, knowing nothing about our 30 Days of Nothing, Pastor Fred Z, founder of BFC, pulled Avery aside and gave him a T-shirt for him and one for me too! I've come to know God as my Father and He is so lavish with me. Certainly, a T-shirt isn't exactly a need for me, as I have plenty of clothes. But our Father wanted the pleasure of watching His kids enjoy a little token of His affections.
2. I fed my kids donughts for supper at the BFC retreat. I didn't have to do that though. God already had it taken care of. We enjoyed fried chicken and salad, compliments of Stillwater Lodge. We didn't have to eat donughts just because they were there. God gave us something much better. Next time I will trust Him more. This made me realize that I've been worried about the fact that I'm soon going to have four kids, yet I drive a sub-compact car! Definitely a problem, especially since three of them are still in car seats. I've tried to figure out where a larger vehicle would come from. How will we pay for it? We've already spent $4,200 on fostercare for our kids in Ethopia, far more than we ever anticipated spending. Money that we had earmarked for a van. Our "van money" is almost completely gone now. Now I know that if God cares enough about us to make sure we had frivilous T-shirts and fried chicken despite the fact that we weren't hungry, then He will surely see to it that we have a vehicle where we can drive our kids around safely. Trust...
3. Generic Saltines and Stale popcorn out of the trashcan. That's right, this was a blessing to me yesterday! Supper last night was cooked by some very good friends who honored us by inviting us to supper and pampering us and serving us. I didn't have to do a thing. It was soooooo nice! They wanted to love us by taking care of us. Not only that, but aware that we're doing this 30 Days of Nothing, they sent us home with three pounds of venison (deer meat for those of you who have never hunted or are opposed to hunting!). As we were leaving, Amy opened her cupboards and started looking for other things she could send us home with. Hence, the Saltines and stale popcorn (for feeding neighborhood ducks- I can't afford to be feeding them bread this month!) .
Monday, September 04, 2006
30 Days of Nothing- Day 4
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Today is day four of our family's 30 Days of Nothing. Note the home-made jar for collecting money. The quarter on the bottom is from Kaitlyn. What a sweetie! I've been working diligently on this home-made injera thing for a while now. It involves adding more flour and teff to the injera each day, and throwing some of the batter away so that the injera doesn't overtake the kitchen and my life! Well, this morning I thought of what a waste it is to throw away the injera batter. So, I added a couple of eggs and a little bisquick and made pancakes with maple syrup for the kids. Now, I thought it tasted absolutely disgusting and opted for yogurt instead, as did Avery. But the kids loved every bite of it. So, I now have a bunch of sourdough teff pancakes in the freezer that I can pull out and toast each morning for the kids. I'm pretty proud of my non-wasting of injera batter.
Yesterday, our family went to a Bikers for Christ retreat that is held each fall. The founder of BFC Fred Z and his beautiful wife, Esther were there. I wish I could spend more time with these Californians. They are good friends to us. It was so nice to get to see them yesterday. Not to mention we saw people from Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland, and North Carolina. We've missed some of these people for 2 years and it was such a gift from God to spend the day with them. The event was held at this beuatiful little retreat center, Stillwater Lodge right on a lake in rural North Carolina. I'm not kidding you- the moment you step foot on the grounds of this place, you can sense this amazing peacefulness. It's sureal. The owners, Jeff and Jan, are these awesome people who have seen their lives make a complete turnaround these past four years. Looking at them is looking at a miracle. Below is a picture of Avery and me with Fred (short little biker dude) with Esther (tall, prettiest 60 something woman I've ever seen!)
Lucas loves to sit with me on the "handkercheifs." This means hammock. We were snuggling together on a "handkerchief" under some tall, old pine trees just a few feet from the lily-pad covered edge of the lake. The only sounds are those that nature makes. Lucas looked up at me and said, "I just love it here where we can enjoy the sweet smell of frogs and fish, Mommy!"
We went swimming in 60 degree water! I'm amazed at how kids don't seem to mind freezing cold water! We went for a little canoe ride out on the lake. We got to catch up with old friends, met new friends, and kicked back in the beauty of nature.
Around suppertime, we thought we'd better get going so that we could get home before the kids got too hungry. Remember, it's 30 Days of Nothing, so that means no McDonalds drive-thru for us! There were leftover donughts, so we all had one so we wouldn't be too hungry before we got home. And wouldn't you know it, just when we were going to leave, Jan announced that there was leftover fried chicken in one of the lodges. God is so good and faithful even in the little things. Now, I know that many people might not see that as a gift from God, be we sure did. Not only did we get fed without having to break our 30 Days of Nothing fast from consumerism, but with our bellies full, we were able to stay for several more hours. 26 days to go. Check back later...
.
Today is day four of our family's 30 Days of Nothing. Note the home-made jar for collecting money. The quarter on the bottom is from Kaitlyn. What a sweetie! I've been working diligently on this home-made injera thing for a while now. It involves adding more flour and teff to the injera each day, and throwing some of the batter away so that the injera doesn't overtake the kitchen and my life! Well, this morning I thought of what a waste it is to throw away the injera batter. So, I added a couple of eggs and a little bisquick and made pancakes with maple syrup for the kids. Now, I thought it tasted absolutely disgusting and opted for yogurt instead, as did Avery. But the kids loved every bite of it. So, I now have a bunch of sourdough teff pancakes in the freezer that I can pull out and toast each morning for the kids. I'm pretty proud of my non-wasting of injera batter.Yesterday, our family went to a Bikers for Christ retreat that is held each fall. The founder of BFC Fred Z and his beautiful wife, Esther were there. I wish I could spend more time with these Californians. They are good friends to us. It was so nice to get to see them yesterday. Not to mention we saw people from Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland, and North Carolina. We've missed some of these people for 2 years and it was such a gift from God to spend the day with them. The event was held at this beuatiful little retreat center, Stillwater Lodge right on a lake in rural North Carolina. I'm not kidding you- the moment you step foot on the grounds of this place, you can sense this amazing peacefulness. It's sureal. The owners, Jeff and Jan, are these awesome people who have seen their lives make a complete turnaround these past four years. Looking at them is looking at a miracle. Below is a picture of Avery and me with Fred (short little biker dude) with Esther (tall, prettiest 60 something woman I've ever seen!)
Lucas loves to sit with me on the "handkercheifs." This means hammock. We were snuggling together on a "handkerchief" under some tall, old pine trees just a few feet from the lily-pad covered edge of the lake. The only sounds are those that nature makes. Lucas looked up at me and said, "I just love it here where we can enjoy the sweet smell of frogs and fish, Mommy!"
We went swimming in 60 degree water! I'm amazed at how kids don't seem to mind freezing cold water! We went for a little canoe ride out on the lake. We got to catch up with old friends, met new friends, and kicked back in the beauty of nature.
Around suppertime, we thought we'd better get going so that we could get home before the kids got too hungry. Remember, it's 30 Days of Nothing, so that means no McDonalds drive-thru for us! There were leftover donughts, so we all had one so we wouldn't be too hungry before we got home. And wouldn't you know it, just when we were going to leave, Jan announced that there was leftover fried chicken in one of the lodges. God is so good and faithful even in the little things. Now, I know that many people might not see that as a gift from God, be we sure did. Not only did we get fed without having to break our 30 Days of Nothing fast from consumerism, but with our bellies full, we were able to stay for several more hours. 26 days to go. Check back later...
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