Christmas 2009

Aurallia new horse trailor

Julie with her cat Romeo and his dress up.

Destiny, Anthony (with skate ramp) Conner and Aurallia.

IT SNOWED!! Hey we are from California so it was a big deal!

Ben with v-smile, Tezz, Sherman, Mary, Joe, Omar, Anthony and Voni.

Christmas this year was a lot quieter than we are used to. Most of our family is in California. We had my daughter Monique, her husband Darin and my three grandchildren over. Food was shared, presents
opened, the Christmas story read from the bible. But it is never over for us that love the Lord.

Every day is a celebration of HIS birth, HIS resurrection and HIS presence in our life.

I have been reading a book You were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson. It has me deep in thought.
The book says that most people believe that God still works miracles, but He only works through select group of people. The truth is, that we were all created to help people in need. We were ALL created to cooperate with God to accomplish His work by His power. He goes on to say that we have to be open in EVERY circumstance to what God would have us do.
In every circumstance we are supposed to be ready to minister to those in need.

In I Peter 3:15 we are commanded, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

I am a type A personality and this is so..... hard for me. I have a list, I need to get all this done in a certain amount of time and no time to chat. Is it easier to see miracles happen when you are a sanguine personality? For heavens sake I have 18 kids and very little time....

Or is it that every moment of our life has to be surrendered to God? That a hurting person he wants us to minister to is more important than getting my to do list done? Do I have to take time to look around me and discern peoples pain?

I find myself leaving many situations now AWARE that I missed an opportunity to love someone, to follow God's command, because I was just to driven to get something done. Can I just simply say to someone who I can sense is hurting "Can I pray for you?"

Lord I want to be surrendered to your will.... so I will keep trying to see things through your eyes and not my own.

Ben really loving decorating cookies

Dani guarding the stairs so no one sees the presents.

Silly Aurallia, Morgan and Moyou

Yeawee with her finished creations.

Yeawee, Madison making cookies.

Daddy giving Aurallia and Julie instruction.

Mary so..... proud.

The Grandchildren are here for a couple of weeks, school is out. My daughter Monique has to work but she brought sugar cookies to decorate for all 20 kids. Actually my job was to wrap the presents upstairs and my amazing husband took on the cookie decorating. I just know so few men who would offer to do cookie decorating with twenty kids......

Since we moved to a smaller home we don't have room for a Christmas tree and guess what? We don't even miss it. This year we watched a movie about a group of young men brought over from Africa. They were strong Christian men who had lived a really difficult life in a refugee camp. When they explained how we celebrate Christmas they wanted to know what a Christmas tree has to do with the birth of Christ. That really made me think about how we celebrate the birth of our Savior. What does a tree have to do with Jesus being born? Are our hearts centered on Christ and his birth or on who gets the best presents? Should we only be giving to the poor and needy? So this year we cut down the presents, the kids drew names to give to each other, and we lived without a tree. And next year.....
While I was writing this and uploading pictures my daughter Dani said "Mom why don't we give up one of our presents next year and give it to a homeless person." Yeah, she gets it....

SURPRISE WHEN HE FIRST CAME IN THE PROGRAM.

SURPRISE A FEW MONTHS LATER in a

Forget me not Foster home.

This is the difference our program in Liberia is making in the life of special needs children.

This little boy looked dead in his orginal picture. He was laying in a hospital without love, attention, therapy and nutrition. Now in a loving foster home, with the same caregiver he is laughing!! I am Praising a loving God!!

Omar being totally goofy

Sherman and Anna with babies

Anthony with Rescued Puppy

Destiny with rescued puppy

Today we took our foster puppies (well at least supposed to be) to the Rescue center once again for their final shots. And once again they asked us if we would like to leave the puppy's NOW to be adopted.
Once again I said that I just couldn't stand to leave them in a kennel alone while they waited to be adopted.
I was willing to come down and sit with them every time the doors were open to see if someone
would adopt them, but to leave them....
I searched my feelings over and over on the way home. Crying out to God for some type of answer on why I couldn't leave puppies.... they are not humans for goodness sake. We even (some of my children and I) went to the animal control so I could convince myself they were going to a much better place at the Rescue... but all it did was cause me to cry. Tons of puppies crying, shaking, alone.....
And why should of any of this surprise me? In Liberia and all over the world they discard there babies like trash. If you have a disability you are not fit to live. Children are abandoned in hospitals, feeding centers, and on the streets or the bush to die.
In Haiti they use there discarded children for there own slaves. Yes you heard right SLAVES. It still exists today. Our DOGS in this country are treated better!
Oh and our country... we get patted on the back because we have foster/welfare systems. But have you ever looked into the eyes of a hopeless foster child? Destined for home after home until they are thrown out into a cold and heartless world with no compassion or trade?
The Lord in his goodness reminded me that my compassion for animals is what led me to be a nurse, it is what opened my heart to adopting numerous children and now what drives me to work in Liberia Africa to help the lonely, abused and abandoned special needs children.
COMPASSION is the heart of Jesus. It drove him to heal the sick, comfort the hopeless and then die to save all of us from eternal Hell.
So I take my children to hold abandoned and hurting animals so that maybe a spark of great compassion will ignite in their souls. And I pray that every one of them will go to Liberia or a homeless center or anywhere in the world to carry on the Great Commission of Christ.....

MY HEART IS BREAKING

Today the director of Forget Me Not children's homes went to the bush of Liberia Africa
to find this little boy to put him in our program. The father felt he was a worthless
burden and didn't want to keep him. He had Cerebral Palsy. When she found the
father he said he had "killed him."
My heart is breaking at the loss of such a beautiful child. He deserved love, a home
and everything a "NORMAL" child has. It is the reason for our ministry, why our
Lord has laid these children on our hearts.
I pray he lays these children on your hearts. Please pray we find funding to take in more
children before they are abandoned to die.

Pray that the Liberian people come to
know JESUS so they will see the blessings in these wonderful children.

Pray that God
gives us wisdom to do his will.

As some of you know; many of us have been helping in different ways in Liberia since the adoption of our children. One of those ways is with a program called Forget-Me-Not Children’s Homes. These are foster homes for special needs children. In deed-Christina is in Liberia this week working with the program nurse as well as meeting all the children and caregivers in these homes. To read more about this: www.globalorphanoutreach.blogspot.com

At this time of year, our thoughts and hearts turn to those who are less fortunate and how we might be able to help. We encourage you to consider giving to this program so that we can continue to help and support children who have been left abandoned because of their unique special needs. It is as easy as going to www.globalorphanoutreach.org and clicking on the pay pal button. You are welcome to send a donation to our address listed on this site as well. We are a 501c3 and give receipts upon request. And as always, you can reach us by phone at #715-415-4401

We also have an African Inspired Quilt Raffle that you can participate in. All proceeds are going towards the homes for special needs children in Liberia. What a great gift for a loved one in your circle of family or friends. The warmth of this quilt will be appreciated by your loved one and the donation of this raffle will go to precious children in need of your help. Thank-you!