Life at home with my kiddos this summer has been HARD.  DEFEATING,  EXHAUSTING, and just downright  DIFFICULT. My kids have fought more than ever before.  I have been waking up each morning and JUST SURVIVING.  Because I have been so focused on just making it through each day, I haven't stopped to think and RECOGNIZE what is really going on. It has been warfare at it's finest.  God is doing AMAZING things in Haiti and I leave tomorrow for Uganda.  I KNOW this is satan trying to defeat me, but BOY, I am sick of it.
  My 16 year old, Grace, is in Uganda right now with a group from school.  I am going to meet her at the end of her trip and we will stay for another nine days in Jinja with Katie.  The group that is going with me is a group of moms and daughters.  God solely orchestrated this group (because it is somewhat random) and I know HE is going lead it.   My sister, Susan, (Landon's mom) has never been to Africa.  I am taking her and my niece, Abbie ( who belongs to my other sister, Dana).  Landon is going to leave the place where he is serving for the summer meet us over there....can't wait to see his sweet face:)  Abbie, has a HUGE heart for people.  She is one of the most solid 16 year olds I have EVER met.  I cannot wait to watch how God is going to open her heart to what HE has for her life.  She has walked through all of our adoption journeys alongside Grace (they are 5 months apart) and so she TOTALLY gets the orphan crisis. There are two more moms and their daughters (Renee and Amy Manuel and Julie and Abby Cook) And sweet Kate Farley, who shares a heart with Grace for Africa will be with us.  Her mom was planning to come with us, but has to stay home due to family conflicts:(   I know the Lord has a SPECIAL trip planned and hearts are going to be MOVED in a mighty way.   I am excited to see Anna Bliss and Katie.  I can't wait to kiss on all of Katie's girls faces...walk the red dirt roads, and feel HIS presence.   Please be praying for our trip..for safety/my SUPERSTAR hubby that will be here with my kiddos:)   Anna Mitchell and Stephanie Todd..my rockstar babysitters!

Matthew 17:20
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustardseed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  


I  am not sure why I have to be reminded OVER and OVER again of this truth.  I am clinging to this verse.  a mustard seed is LITERALLY as small as the head of a stick pin.  THAT MUCH FAITH...that is ALL that I have to hold in my heart for the rest of the summer.  HE will do the rest.  

                                  


At school each day, Megan's students receive breakfast.  God has given her a group of Haitian women to make this happen..feeding 400 students is NOT a small feat!!





                                          



                                                     
this is one of the teachers bathing her child during class:)  She is afraid to leave her baby with anyone because of child sacrificing...SO, she brings her baby to class with her each day.


this is the breathtaking view from the top of the mountain.  This mountain has been used for voodoo for many many years, and Megan has bought it and claimed it for Christ.  Her prayer is that HIS presence will start here and spread through her country.




This lady showed up on Megan's porch with her sick baby:(  I felt like I was reliving being in Uganda with Katie.

mike and i had the privilege of going to Karen Kingsbury's ( christian author) daughters wedding last week...this is the reception...truly like a movie!!
it was AWESOME!!!!
(I won't even mention the Ivy cake cupcake buffet, the Coldstone Creamery buffet, the Coffee bar...and the yummy sit down dinner!!)

you'll be glad to hear that we took your funds to Haiti and fed MANY children!!  Our hope was to raise $1000.00 for the week and through Facebook, we brought in $2500.00 for the children in Haiti!!  It has taken me several days to process all that we experienced.  My heart really hasnt recoverd yet.

We went to two different places, this blog post is about the first stop and the next blog post will be about our last stop.

These pics are from "My Life Speaks" (mylifespeaks.org).  They have a feeding program in Nepley.  They feed hundreds of children, and also have a feeding program for infants.  One of the problems that women face is their milk drying up while trying to feed their babies.  My Life Speaks provides formula and medical care for the babies in their village.  Right now Haiti is HOT.  SO MANY of the children were covered in heat rashes and were sick.  About 3/4 of the babies that they weighed and assessed were sent to the medical clinic down the road...it was so sad, yet gave so much hope knowing that they will get the care that is needed for them to thrive because of My Life Speaks:)

                                       

                                           This picture is about 1/3 of the amount of children that we fed....they kept coming and coming!
                                                   




                                      
This is one of our favorite little peeps at My Life Speaks...she is FULL of love...brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.
 One of our hopes with 147 Million Orphans is to provide a new kitchen for them.  THIS is the kitchen that they are using to feed hundreds of children..it is long and narrow, DARK, and has no ventilation.  They need a BIG freezer and refrigerator that runs on a generator.  the electricity turns off CONSTANTLY.

if there is anything that i have learned over the past few years, is that people are ALWAYS watching!  sometimes it is a blessing, sometime it is TOTALLY a curse.  (having  preschoolers for the past 16 years, i think it is actually more a curse)
I talk about the "next generation" a LOT.  After all, they are the ones that will carry our torch. (and lately, i am feeling old, like I definitely need help carrying my torch)

My nephew Landon, is just like me.  I have seen myself in him since he was just a little tot. He was a rebellious little stinker in high school, and I watched his life be completely transformed after ONE trip to Uganda his junior year.  He is now a senior at UT, and is spending the summer in Uganda, serving at a school.  He is blogging his trip if you would like to follow: lettersfromlando.blogspot.com.  It makes my heart SO full to see him give his life away each and every day.  He has a contagious fire lit in him, that burns fiercely for Christ.

Anna Bliss Eberle, is an angel from above.  The past five years, she has loved my children SO well.  She has taken trips with us.  She has cared for my kiddos while I have traveled.  She can "get it done" if anyone can!  She has taken mission trips through high school to Belize, and traveled  to Uganda with Gwen to bring home Joseph and Daisy.  She is now in Uganda serving this summer.  you can follow her journey:
www.lovewithabandonment.wordpress.com

Psalm 78:5-8
He planted a witness in Jacob, set his Word firmly in Israel, Then commanded our parents to teach it to their children So the next generation would know, and all the generations to come— Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God, Never forget the works of God but keep his commands to the letter.


Psalm 78:1-4
 Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I'll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother's knee. We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing it along to the nextgeneration— God's fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done.


FRUITS...this is two out of the many young adults/teenagers, that I am watching serve our LORD without holding back....it does a mama's heart good:)