Hey Valentine, Love Endlessly!

So many of you supported our adoption process of all THREE of our treasures from afar.
HOW WE THANK YOU.
We could never have brought them home without you.
And we OH HOW WE treasure having them in our arms!!!!
So many of you ordered our most recent shirts…the "Love endlessly" ones that spawned from a painting I made for the art auction. 
We did not order extras, and many people saw them and wanted to order!
Well, we've got a little surprise for you: THEY ARE BACK!!!

This time, we are doing a solid red heart with all white print. These will be available in tees and hoodies in your choice of grey or pink.

Think love.
Think Valentine's Day!

We are also using different shirts. These will be printed on heavy Gildan sweatshirt hoodies; unisex Gildan "softstyle" for grey tees (a relaxed fit that is soft…the same as our Chosen shirts); a junior fit women's style on pink (so these run small…order 1-2 sizes up for comfort) and youth sizes for both tees and hoodies!
With all this snow this year, you can't have enough hoodies!! (At least we can't around here!) The youth hoodies are available in both colors but in sizes medium (10-12) and large (12-14).
The funds will go to alleviate our debt from Esty's emergency hospital stays in Guangzhou. After that amount is raised we will donate all our profits to our fabulous friends, the Coles, who are embarking upon yet another {surprise!} adoption…the biological sibling to their most recent adopted Ava!!
Go here to order yours!! 
Love endlessly!!

I Can't Seem to Finis...

I currently have TEN started drafts for this blog.

TEN.

That seems excessive to me.

I have more than that started in my head of course...and their next step is to make it to my iPhone to do list for "this month." Then I grab a 1/2 second and begin to write...only to be interup...

So you see, I am seriously backlogged.

But I am determined to finish this post about NOT finishing!!

I have valid reasons for my scatteredness, really.

Source

*Health issues in myself, DQ and Zeb (we are battling the leftovers from a stupid parasite that he came home from Uganda with 15 months ago!). This has been going on for me since late July. Just when I think it's over...its back. Poo! (oh yes, pun intended!) 

*My father in law's sudden fall at our house and subsequent emergency brain surgery and 2 weeks hospitalization.

*Brian's spontaneous lung collapsing and subsequent surgery and 10 days hospitalization.

*Zeb's tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy yesterday morning...and what is looking like a not fun recovery.

*Financial stress from all of the above.

*Regular life does not slow down so we can attend to the above!

And so, I have let sitting and blogging go to the wayside.

I miss it. I miss you.

I still am living life as passionate as before...but I don't have the freedom brain cells left to use my venue to express it!

Still aching for orphans who need families.

Still wanting to get overseas to rescue children from brothels.

Still working out daily and eating healthy and challenging others to do the same.

Still having awesome conversations with friends who mean so much to me...and being challenged in my faith by them.

But I cannot seem to find a square inch of space in my day energy to sit and write.

So today, I'm grabbing this moment to simply write about my frustration of not being able to fin...

Another cramp in my heart...Alea

I'm short on time...but that's probably EXACTLY what the priest and the Levite said when they passed the bloodied man on the path.

I want to be the Samaritan who stops.

I saw this angel's face tonight in a blog post:

And it stopped my heart.

I read her story, and I felt that familiar cramp in my heart.

Do you know the one?

Ache...cramp...

"Lord, this child needs a family! This child needs Your touch! She needs a MIRACLE!!!"


Then I went upstairs to read to my children their nightly Bible story. Guess what it was?

The Good Samaritan.

If you don't remember, a guy gets sacked, robbed and left for dead. Two people who were EXPECTED to help, walked around him.

They were too busy.

It was the Samaritan (who was the sworn enemy of the man who was so poorly injured) who stopped his life, took the man onto his donkey and paid for his treatment and stay at an inn.

I heard God speak to my heart.

"Alea."

Be her Good Samaritan.


So, because I am in a rush...I beg you to click on the link to read her story. She is in DESPERATE need of a liver transplant in a country where livers do not get donated. (scroll to the bottom where she is listed as in CRITICAL CARE!!)

She needs one NOW. She is going to die without it.

Please. 

Let's be her voice of hope.

And be able to sit back and watch what glory God does in her precious little young life!!!

Who is Joseph Kony? Glad you asked...

Few things make me angrier than children being victimized.

I hope this is true for you too.

I am sure it would be, if you KNEW.

But first, I have a few questions for you.

Would you help rescue a child if it required you to give up your current lifestyle?

Let's back it down.

Would you help rescue a child if it cost you an evening out with your friends?

Let's back it down a bit more.

Would you help rescue a child if it took the cost of your morning coffee?

Well what if it were this easy...

WOULD YOU HELP RESCUE A CHILD IF IT WERE FREE, AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER????

I hope you said YES!
(see your step to action at the bottom.)

There is a nasty man named Joseph Kony who is loose in central Africa. You have probably never heard his name before. But you will. Oh yes, you will.

You might think he's running for president. I hope you do some quick investigating. You will see that he is not. Far from it. He's running, but FROM the president. That's right, Barack Obama sent 100 US troops to find and arrest this man last fall. Why didn't we hear about it?

Hmmmm.

(Let me make a parenthetical note here. I do not watch the news. I do not keep up. I am so incredibly swamped with my own life (sick face here) that I don't invest much energy at all into following the news. It's quite possible that people DID know of this and I just missed it. But if so, NO ONE I  KNOW HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT HIM!!!!!!!!!!!)

There are going to be YAHOOS who comment that a simple click to share something on Facebook is NOT going to rescue a child. Skip it. Don't give me flack. Use your energy toward something that MATTERS.

Back in 2006, I was in the process of leaving my American life to rescue children in India. God had other plans. He took our son Oskar at that very moment in time. I have every intention of moving to India someday and saving children. As you know if you've been reading my blog, in that time frame of being "redirected" we have adopted a child from Uganda.

What kept him-our Zebby-out of the clutches of Kony? I do not know. He is here now, he will not be abducted, forced to kill, rape, maim and trained to hate. But...what about the OTHERS???

I watched this video by Francis Chan earlier this week (thanks Shelly!) and it's been rolling around and around in my head. The question keeps coming back to me: Why is an "emergency" only an emergency if it happens to ME or MY CHILDREN? Are not ALL CHILDREN precious? Is not it time to give up my things, resources, to respond to such an emergency? Does it matter where they were born?

I have learned about Kony tonight. I cannot help thinking of the verse that says, "Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know--Someone not impressed with weak excuses." Proverbs 24:11-12 (The Message)


I know of people that only quote verses that they like, or that offer comfort to themselves. This one from Proverbs sure won't be on their list of favs! But like it or not, we are called to justice.


I am not pretending that a simple click will save the life of a child. I know it won't. But educating people about WHO Kony is will put into motion some actions that will STOP THE CRIMINAL and therefore save children.


What are you waiting for?


Watch this: (Yes, it's 30 minutes of your time life. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think it was important. It's worth it. I promise.)

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

I hope that you will leave your comfortable life and go and meet these people face to face. I hope you would be willing to give up a night out with your friends to make your voice heard. I hope you would be willing to part with $4 from a morning's coffee indulgence to help stop a world class atrocity. But if at the very minimum all you do is share this video, then you've done SOMETHING.

(I cannot end this post without reminding you that I met, held hands with, shared a meal with children (then and maybe still HOMELESS ON THE STREETS) who were victimized by this very man. If you want a recap, go here to read the story from last August as we met Sunday and Simon. There faces, their stories and this evil man are burning in my heart tonight.)