The Obligatory

...Halloween post:

(guess which one is Cal's)

Throwin' a bone to the G-force out there

I must apologize to the Grandparents for not posting more pictures of my own children lately. Here are some recent ones to tide you over!

Oh yeah, and one of Gary that I found in his parent's old house!

Who does he look like???

New Favorite

The following quote by Theodore Roosevelt was posted as a response to an article written about the Indiana families adopting through Three Angels Children's Relief. I wanted to highlight it here for my partners in crime.

When the doubters, the nay-sayers, the complainers and the 'why-aren't-you-doing-this' comments start weighing heavily, just come back and read this doozy:


"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Not sure it is entirely theologically sound, but it sure seems to make sense!

Dress for Success

Since our church is focused on Living on Mission within our own community and culture, I though it would be helpful to post these guidelines written by our favorite Missionaries in Haiti, Angela and Carsen. I'll be embracing this wisdom as I tackle the front lines at the Valencia Mall.

"How to Dress Like A Missionary"

• Please wear a long skirt.
• If a long skirt is not available, you may consider wearing a dress underneath your tee shirt.
• Please wear a conservative top - keep your straps under wraps.
• Sandals are acceptable. However, as you never know what terrain you may come across, you may be more comfortable in tennis shoes.
• To keep your hair cool and off your neck, you may consider the french braid, a simple but elegant hair-do. A bun high on the head is an acceptable alternative.
• To identify yourself as a Christian a cross necklace can help bridge the language barrier.
• Carrying a bible may also be useful in case of emergency conversion issues.
  
• Please see attached photo for further explanation!

Well...

What would YOU pack if you had to fit everything you wanted to own in the back of a minivan?

(yes - I won't forget the children...)

Waiting to be evacuated as I type this.

Gary did a live report from our roof for KFI. I kinda think that's pimping out our peril for the sake of good radio...

Fierce Fires

This is a picture of the Malibu Presbyterian Church than burned to the ground yesterday. Indeed, it does feel like the end times around Southern California. The sun was blood red yesterday from all the smoke and haze. School was canceled today. Homes have been evacuated. The winds are gusting up to 70 mph which is spreading hot ash and embers resulting in more fires. There is NO humidity and it will be almost 100 degrees today. It is hot as H-E-double hockey sticks.

In Malibu the old Castle on the hill has burned down as well - but I love this quote I read in the LA Times today:

The castle belonged to Lilly Lawrence, the daughter of a former Iranian oil minister. She said she was able to gather a few things before the fire engulfed her home, including some jewelry and memorabilia that included Elvis Presley's Army fatigues.

She didn't seem too worried about losing most of her belongings in the fire.

"My parents taught me not to allow my possessions to posses me," Lawrence told KABC-TV. "So, that's the story. The house is a house."

She was able to say that about her castle - I hope I would be able to say that about my condo!

Please pray for our firefighters - they are all working on no sleep and with zero percent containment at this point. Please pray that these crazy warm winds die down. Please pray for safety. I can't imagine this air is good for the elderly or asthmatic... it hurts to breathe.

MORE PHOTOS

A Question for All you Lurkers

First, a little background:

My friend, we will call her Madame L, recently joined me on a trip to Three Angels and sent me this email a few days after we returned:

"How do you do it? How do you switch gears when you come home to 16 loads of laundry and, in my case, 4 whining kids who all of the sudden seem so darn ungrateful? My son actually told me today that he was starving to death, very dramatically I should add. It had been a whole 5 hours since he had eaten, and he has probably told me the same thing a hundred times before, but I wanted to throw him across the room this time. Instead, I gave him a short lecture on what starving to death actually might look like. Thinking about it, I realized how little the kids at the orphanage actually demanded. No one asked for juice every 5 minutes; they settled for a cup of water. No one complained about the food...I get to hear, "chicken again...I don't want chicken." All they asked for was a little attention and physical touch. As you can see, I'm having a little difficulty switching gears myself."

Sidenote: Honestly, I don't do it very well. The first week back is hard. I pretty much cry every day. Mostly from the overall stress and the overwhelming task lists, but there is usually one or two 'clinchers' every trip. This time I cried over a family that dissolved before my eyes and wondered how God was going to work it out. And I cried over a 2 year old girl that I held who didn't weigh more than 15 pounds. But hey, usually by day 4 I can pull it together enough to leave the house. (I just tell people I contracted pink-eye)

The transition back into suburbia isn't helped when my children seem extra ungrateful and churlish. My son, like Madame L's, often tells me he is STARVING! "Mom, we are out of Golden Grahams and I'm so hungry I can't stand it. I'm starving!" Seriously?!

Which brings me back to the original question I wanted to pose:

Is it unwise for me to show my almost-8-year-old son what starving really looks like? Too traumatic? Inappropriate? Will he be calling Dr. Phil when he is 17 and manorexic? I was thinking of printing out the following picture and laminating it to be used as a placemat for a certain redhead I know.

(and this was one of the more tame pictures)

Feedback?

Eye of the Needle

These are just some of the pictures from my last trip. I am so thankful to be able to share this experience - it can be difficult to explain to those who haven't been there. The people of Haiti have had an incredible impact on my perspective. I'm sure my friends will agree that you can never see things the same way again. Thanks for coming with me!



Hey please, just believe in me
Don't lose your hope so easily
Because passing through the eye of a needle
Isn't as easy as it sounds
For those like me

Nothing short of miracles
Can save a small and dying world
That offers no apologies
To lay their hopes and dreams asleep
But pray the Lord their goal to keep
But I still got a soul in me

-brandi carlile

A follow-up.

This is a little glimpse of what I mean:

A word on Three Angels and our employees.

There may be cultural differences and things we don't understand or that are frustrating. But these children are cared for by women who sing hymns and pray with the children. They work long hours for little pay. They have hard lives that many of us can't even begin to comprehend. How many times have I 'needed a break' from my own children after just a few hours of hyperactivity or bickering (and I only have 2 to deal with).

Are there things that could be improved? Yup. Is this a young organization with many things to learn? Uh-huh. Would I want my own child to be raised in this environment? Nope.

But do I understand how things are at other orphanages in developing countries? Absolutely. And I rest in the fact that we will improve, we will mature and we are providing the best possible Christian home we can. We are working within the constraints of a Haitian culture and an incredibly small budget and minimal manpower.

I praise God for our employees and the people who are willing to encourage and assist. I pray for protection against those who choose to tear down and criticize. I have heard that if you are not helping you are hurting. I like that saying.


Thank you to Leah who gave all of our nannies little gift bags of hand lotion and lip gloss. I pray that the love and attention people bring down for our children is also given to the people who take care of them day in and day out.

Fun with You-You

Our newest little girl has discovered the joy of living with You-You.

I dare you to find another who loves as she does. The individual attention she gives is invaluable. She prays for the children, she tends to them, does homework with them, lovingly disciplines. She shows them who Christ is every single day.

Skidmarks

... can be found somewhere other than the freeway if you know what I mean.

If you think this is bad you should see the other guy!


Gary totaled our trusty little Civic today driving home from work. Amazingly, he and the 3 other people involved were not hurt at all. We are thanking God for protecting him. For the non-SoCal crowd, going 65 and being spun backwards and sideways across lanes of I-5 usually does NOT turn out well in LA. Gary has covered stories of wrecks like these.

We are also very curious as to how God will work it out so we can afford to buy another car! Jehovah Jireh baby!