God said GO {on going to Guatemala for the week}

It’s Independence Day weekend … and in the morning we’re leaving our comfortable surroundings for a week-long mission trip in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. This time, “we” means Greg, Cate and me. Ben is splitting his week between two grandmas.

Honestly, not traveling as a family of four was my biggest hesitation in committing to this trip in January. But I kept hearing God say, “Go.”

So that’s what we’re doing. When we step out in faith, we don’t always see the whole picture. Five months ago, I wasn’t sure why God was telling us to go now. But then in his goodness, I got to see a glimpse of the master plan. We’re preparing to bring a baby home this fall. I won’t be available to go to Guatemala for the next several years.

God knew this.

I know there could be a thousand other reasons we’re supposed to go now. We may even get to see some of those reasons this week. Or we may have to wait. Regardless, we believe God has called us to do this.

I’m most looking forward to experiencing this mission trip with my husband and my 8-year-old daughter. None of us have done anything like this before, so to do it together is especially exciting. I’m eager to see Cate interact with the other kids in our group and the ones who call Guatemala home.

We’re taking 50-pound suitcases packed with clothes, school supplies, soccer balls, and toiletries to donate. We’re carrying-on our own stuff in smaller suitcases and filling our backpacks with things we think we’ll need throughout the week. But no expectations are packed.

I don’t know what to expect, but I want to be open to whatever and whoever God has for us there.

In recent months, I’ve emailed with Katie, who works for Compassion International as a donor relations manager. This trip to Guatemala isn’t a Compassion trip, which is a thing. Katie and I initially connected in December when Greg and I made a donation and she called to thank me. I emailed her again a few months ago when I was trying to make meeting our Compassion-sponsored girl Roselyn, who lives in Guatemala, happen while we’re there. Sadly, that wouldn’t work out with our mission trip schedule and Compassion’s travel guidelines.

But Katie has been praying for my family as we prepare to go to a country she loves. And she emailed earlier this week to check in. The encouragement and sincerity in her words was so good for me. To know someone I’ve never met in person has invested themselves in our trip has reminded me how God’s Kingdom works.

And then she said this:

“When we are able to approach life and the opportunities the Lord gives us with open hands rather than tight-fisted, he fills those anxious places with so much joy and peace in His presence. It is certainly not an accident that you all will be on this trip, and I know He will work in and through you.”

Y’all, that is my prayer and hope. If you think about us this week, please join us in prayers for our family, for Ben and his time with grandmas, for the people we’ll meet and serve, for the missionaries who live there full time and have given their lives to this, and for traveling mercies.

People have asked what we’ll be doing. We’re going to build three houses, distribute clothes and food, and help with the ministry’s wheelchair distribution program. If you want to join us in specific prayers, below is information about the families for whom we’ll build houses.

I’m looking forward to bringing home stories to share with you. Thanks for being on this journey with us.
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Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

Why Adoption Awareness Month Matters – to everyone

Not everyone will adopt – and that’s okay. God certainly doesn’t call every family to the same thing, but he does encourage all of us to help the least of these, which includes orphans that may never have a family to meet their basic needs or families in your communities who need extra help to survive.

National Adoption Awareness Month is a good time to think about these orphans. Regardless of where you live or how much money you have, there are plenty of ways you can serve these children who are loved and wanted and chosen by the Creator of the world.

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL :: Yes, you can sponsor a child for $38 a month and ensure medical, physical, educational and spiritual needs are met for a particular child. This sponsorship becomes a relationship as letters are exchanged. My kids especially love when our two sponsored kids draw us pictures. Coloring is a universal language, apparently.

But if you can't or already do sponsor a child, you can also make one-time donations to help with critical needs. We especially love gifting families and communities items from the gift catalog.

You can also give to the Child Survival Program. These centers help babies who aren't old enough for the monthly sponsorship program and their mothers. So you donation would help prevent illnesses with medical check-ups and immunizations, provide nutrition for pregnant women and babies, prepare moms with child-care training, and proclaim Jesus to these women in poverty.

SAMARITAN’S PURSE :: This is the ministry that organizes Operation Christmas Child, which sends shoe boxes packed with toiletries and treats to children in more than 130 countries. Samaritan's Purse has worked with local churches and other ministries to send these shoe box gifts to more than 100 million kids since 1993.

This year, the shoe boxes are being collected at local sites this week. You can find out what to pack inside the shoe boxes, where they can be dropped off, and where they are shipped at the Operation Christmas Child website. We stuffed shoe boxes with friends from church last week. It's a great way to get kids involved in giving and make a difference in someone else’s life.

We’ve also purchased items from Samaritan’s Purse gift catalog.

LOCAL CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS :: We love how the staff at our local crisis pregnancy center values life and encourages mothers. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. And this doesn’t always mean going out and buying something. When my kids would move out of a diaper size but I still had unused diapers in that size, I just bagged them up and dropped them off. The staff here sorts them and re-bundles them. We also donated our crib when we no longer needed that piece of furniture.

FAMILIES WHO ARE ADOPTING :: Having been there, adoption processes are better endured with friends. We had friends pray, help with fund-raisers, write letters of recommendation, and encourage. They came alongside of us and shared in the journey.

FAMILIES WHO ARE FOSTERING :: Sometimes families who foster become home to a child with such little notice, meaning they don’t always have the right sized clothes. I’ve saved tubs of my kids clothes as they out grow them, but I like to pass them along to other families who can use them. From what I’ve heard about the foster system, families venture down a sometimes rocky road when they open their home – sometimes for a short time and sometimes forever – to these children. Not only are they adding a person into their family, but they’re navigating a bureaucratic system that seems to cause frustrations and disruptions.

LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES :: If you’re in Calloway County, the Needline Food Project is an easy, consistent way to help families whose cabinets may be bare. Every other month, a neighborhood coordinator will come pick up your bag of groceries and deliver it to Needline. My family picks up extra canned goods when we do our regular grocery shopping and even the kids understand it’s a way to give back to our neighbors.

This time of the year there are extra opportunities to give through various gift collections. Each of us can’t participate in them all, but we can all give in some way. I encourage you to find a way that fits your family, build some traditions around helping the least of these, and support those in the process of expanding their families.
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In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month, my ebook "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is on sale for $2.99 at Amazon. I'm sharing an excerpt about how God hears the desires of our hearts regardless of our words at Mandy's Hearts Undaunted blog today. Come join me there!

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On living in the light

“You know, momma, I just don’t like the dark.”

Those words came from my 7-year-old girl when I was questioning about why she was having trouble going to sleep the other night. It’s a regular thing: She reads in bed reading for some time. She knows it’s time to turn out the light, but she’s hesitant. And she’s so much like me: Her mind gets going right when she should turn it off. But it’s not that easy, I know.

And, really, who likes the darkness?

So I give her a hug and kiss. I tell her I love her. I say a quick prayer for God to calm her and give her rest. And I don’t see her again until I check on her before I head to bed and then nearly nine hours later awake her for school.

LIGHT has been my word for the year. It’s a popular blogger thing to choose a word for the new year. Like a trendy resolution. I like words, so I’ve been going along with it the for past several years.

But this year has been different.

God has shown me LIGHT in so many areas. I’ve worked through some childhood hurt that has spilled over into my adult life. I’ve witness God’s glory in some hard days. I hear the word in songs and realize its meaning in my everyday life. Book after book I’ve read have pointed me the LIGHT – such a stark contrast the darkness so many of us fear.

And I’m in the middle of “Breaking Free” by Beth Moore. If you’ve gone through the study, you get it. If you haven’t, you should. So many times I’ve felt caught in the doorway between darkness and light. I want to shut the door to the dark room and live in the room with all the natural light coming in through the windows. I spend so much time there, but sometimes meander back to the darkness.

I’m learning how to let go of that tendency. I’m learning to grab onto God because with him there is no darkness. And it’s easier to close my eyes at night because I know I’m not alone. That’s what I want my girl to learn too.

She’s a talker and a thinker. For as many words as she says, I’m pretty sure she has even more thoughts. These conversations about the literal darkness have spurred on so many good words between us.

A few days passed after her confession that she just doesn’t like the darkness. Then she brought me three $10 bills and eleven pennies. She wanted to give it to me. I’m not sure why. She just said it was a gift. As sweet and sincere as the gesture was, I told her I’d like to her to think of something else to do with that $30.11.

After a few minutes, she said she’d like to send Roselyn, our Compassion International-sponsored girl in Guatemala, a gift. We are only allowed to mail flat things like coloring pages, sticker sheets, and letters, so I encouraged her to come up with some like that.

Then her big, brown eyes lit up: “Can I help some other kids like Roselyn?”

I’m not sure she comprehends how “kids like Roselyn” live. Truthfully, I’m not sure I do either. But the fact she wants her $30.11 to help someone else is good. She went to bed with a gift catalog – you know, the one where you can choose meals to feed the hungry and medicine to help the sick – and I didn’t hear about the darkness from her that night.

The next morning, she showed me what she had circled. “Mom, you may need to help me. These things add up to $67.”

You can’t put a price on LIGHT, but I’m certain $67 will buy more than some gospel tracks, hot meals, and medicine. That money will shine the light on some dark situations – in Guatemala, maybe in Ecuador, and certainly right here in my own American home.
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It's nearing the Christmas season. I know. Choosing gifts for others is such a joy. We've loved helping others through Compassion International and have had good experiences doing so. I'd encourage you to check out those gift catalogs for a meaningful, life-changing kind of gift-giving. We've also loved sponsoring children through Compassion International. There's plenty of children who could benefit from your prayers, money, and relationship. 

Other posts about LIGHT :: One Word. Songs of Spring. Living & Learning. 

I'm linking this post with Lyli Dunbar's Thought-Provoking Thursday. 

Want more stories? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Compassion International} Help us celebrate!

Alexandres in Bolivia shares my birthday. She'll turn 4 and I'll turn 35 on May 3. Honestly, I'm still one of those strange adults who likes my birthday. I like to reflect on my life and celebrate the life I'm living.

I want Alexandres to be able to do the same.

If she's sponsored through Compassion International for $38 a month, Alexandres will get healthy food and clean water, receive immunizations for major diseases, be taught how to receive regular health and dental exams, have an opportunity to study at school and learn life skills, learn how to build relationships, see the love of Christ demonstrated through staff and sponsors.

To live a life worth celebrating, Alexandres needs to know she's loved and valued. Hopefully she already knows that from the love of her family in Bolivia, but have some medical, educational and spiritual care would help deliver the message.

Plus her sponsor can deliver the message of love and support through the letters exchanged with her. Sponsors also receive updated pictures and information from the Compassion-supported church/school where the child is involved.

Compassion Sunday is coming up. This annual event draws the church's attention to the needs of the world's poorest children, like Alexandres. Compassion Sunday is May 4 -- the day after Alexandres and I celebrate our birthdays. I'm hoping she has a sponsor by then because I'm not sure anything would make a grander gift.

Will you consider sponsoring Alexandres? If so, click here for more information. Or maybe you'd like to find a child who shares a birthdate with your child or is from a country you already love. That's wonderful too. You can find other children to sponsor here.
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Six Things I Learned in January

Here we are. First month of the new year done.

I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything.

But it's true. And, yes, unbelievable. So, before it totally escapes, I'm going to recap these past 31 days with some things I've learned {or perhaps realized and remembered}.

1. It doesn't snow just because the temperatures are in the single digits. OK, so, I didn't learn this. But, really, if it's going to be 8 degrees, there might as well be inches of snow on the ground so I can't leave my house. Instead, here in western Kentucky, we had a bunch of really cold days. {All of this comes from the girl who loves summer.}

2. With the right number of doctor's appointments, it's possibly to make a good dent in that new deductible in just the first month of the year. I've visited the gynecologist, endocrinologist and orthopedic for various unrelated reasons. My son has been to the allergist and pediatrician. Then there's an ENT visit for him and another check up for me next week to start February. Plus there are my diabetes prescriptions that have been filled plus Ben's new EpiPen that accompanies us to twice-weekly allergy shots.

3. Certain kids music can be good even when the kids aren't still in the car. I'm almost entirely referring to Slugs & Bugs' "Sing the Bible." If we hadn't had the "Frozen" soundtrack on so frequently and the temperatures hadn't been so cold, I may have left that one on too ... at least for a few minutes. "Let it go ..." is kind of a theme for me. {I recently wrote about such here and here.}

4. People respond to real life. I posted a couple pictures online showing my real life laundry piles and dirty dishes and discussed dinner. People liked them and talked about their own houses. And at least two people even took their own pictures {here and here}.

5. I like binge watching TV shows more than watching movies. I guess this isn't something learned as much as it's something affirmed. We finished watch "Dexter" this month, thanks to Netflix. And this week we started "Covert Affairs," courtesy Amazon Instant Video. {Speaking of which, do you use Amazon Prime? Y'all. I'm addicted. The free two-day shipping has replaced some of my trips to the store. And now I found a show to watch for no extra charge beyond the $79/annual subscription fee.}

6. I do much reminiscing in January, a month that holds some landmark moments for me. I became a Christian in 1996. Greg proposed in 2002. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2004. We met Cate's birth mom for the first time in 2007. Ben's adoption was finalized in 2010. This month hasn't had life-changing moments like those, but it's been busy and full of real life with a house, a husband, two kids, a vacation rental house, a job managing another vacation home, school commitments, friends who are like family, and family who are friends too.

What's your month been like?
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Author Emily Freeman got me started documenting life this way. {See previous posts from 2013: June. July. August. September. October. November.} Emily's January post is worth your time as is sponsoring a child through Compassion International, as her post suggests. 

This post contains affiliate links. 

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LIGHT :: One Word for 2014

Happy 2014!

As cliche as it sounds, I can't believe we are here. A new year is beginning and we're already 14 years into the 2000s, which used to sound so futuristic.

Even though it didn't look much like I dreamed, 2013 was a good year. God's continuing a good work in me and with my family.

Naturally, I'm a perfectionist who likes to be in charge and has opinions about most anything. God's been working on this part of me for awhile now. Embracing imperfection was my theme for 2013, and that's why IMPERFECT was my one-word focus this past year.

As I take steps into the new year, I know he's continuing that work in a more internal way. I feel like it's easy for me to invite people into my house even if there are crumbs waiting to be swept. I can let go of chores in a way that used to drive me crazy. But internally I still struggle with wanting to maintain order. I've been known to verbally erupt all over my kids and husband.

Recently, I can across that picture above from Isle of Palms, South Carolina, when I was looking for something else. I really like the contrast of the darkness being the background. The grass upon the sand seems to divide the light and dark.

I've been in the darkness that comes with making demands, holding onto life too tightly, and stressing to maintain order to be in the distance. I'm yearning for the other side, where the light really is marvelous.

I've had "Marvelous Light" by Ellie Holcomb playing often lately. A blogging friend gifted me the song. She had no idea how it was exactly what I needed. Well, actually I had no idea either.

"I am not who I once was, defined by all the things I’d done
Afraid my shame would be exposed
Afraid of really being known
But then He gave my heart a home

So I walked out of the darkness and into the light
From fear of shame into the hope of life
Mercy called my name and made a way to fly
Out of the darkness and into the light ...

There's no place I'd rather be
Your light is marvelous
Your light is marvelous.
You have come to set us free
You are marvelous
Your light is marvelous"

{From "Marvelous Light" by Ellie Holcomb}

It's this song that put the word "light" in my mind. And then I kept reading scriptures that echoed what my heart needs to hear:

1 Peter 2:9 :: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

John 8:12 :: "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

Matthew 5:16 :: "... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 11:28-30 :: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

God created the light that is day and the darkness that is night. And he's been in charge from the beginning. I want to be a light that glorifies him and in doing so I know he lightens my load, giving me more opportunities to delight in everyday life. And, really, there's no place I'd rather be than in his marvelous light.

There you have my one word for 2014: LIGHT. Do you make resolutions or perhaps choose a word to focus on in the new year? If so, what's on your mind as we start again?
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I'm joining others approaching the new year with a new focus: Compassion International bloggers. One Word 365. Circles of Faith. Three Word Wednesdays at Simply Beth. 

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The 4th Annual Jesus Birthday Party

In the last couple years as my family has established traditions of our own, this birthday party of Jesus has become a favorite of mine. It's fun and simple, yet it drives home the message I want my kids to hold onto: Jesus came as a baby and our world hasn't been the same since his birth. He came to show us how to live our lives and ultimately take away the sins of the world.

{I wrote a guest post about this party recently at Seasons with Soul. And you can look back at past parties: 2010. 2011. 2012.}

We had postpone this year's party a week after we had some snow and ice that interrupted plans last weekend. Thankfully, most of the families were still able to come. We had 33 kids and their parents. Several families brought food to share and Courtney made another delicious cake. Cool detail: Her cake and my table cloths matched. Her cake was topped with the word "Joy," which was also on the plates I bought to serve cake. We didn't talk about any of this before hand, but it's a sweet reminder that God is in the details.

We collected money for Compassion International and canned good for Needline, our local food pantry. Another kid recently asked me how we could bring gifts to Jesus if he wasn't actually going to be at our party. After the reminder that Jesus lives in our hearts, I also explained how we live our lives and how we give to people who need help are gifts to Jesus. He tells us so.

Greg, who goes along so happily with my party planning ideas, played some Christmas carols on his guitar and then read "The Sparkle Box" and "The First Christmas Night." The kids also went home with a cup of goodies from Oriental Trading, which has a good selection of "Happy Birthday, Jesus" items, and an advent coloring book I found online.

The Jesus Birthday Party was a fun couple hours in the middle of a busy season and a chance to remember to come to Jesus like a child. Our savior's birthday is certainly worth celebrating!

Have you ever sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus? What's another tradition you love?
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B-E-N, Ben, Ben, Ben!

My nose has finally thawed out enough for me to tell you about Ben's 4th birthday party. And, yes, I'll get around to telling you why my nose was so cold.

But, first, my favorite picture of the birthday boy ...

That's how you blow out a candle with a mouth full of Kit-Kat. Just in case you ever wondered.

I've decided I really like morning birthday parties. They've become a trend around here, and I like it. Five families of friends and cousins joined us for a couple hours. Turns out, I fed my kids cake, M&Ms, nachos and kettle corn for lunch, but, hey, everybody had a good time!

The kids colored soccer ball pictures for our Compassion International boy Jean in Ecuador who shares Ben's birthday. Soccer happens to be Jean's favorite sport, which worked well with my sports balls-themed party. Jean turned 12 today. We collected some money to send his family in what's become a good way to make giving tangible for my kids.

{We started this last year at Ben's birthday party and continued it for our Compassion girl at Cate's party six months ago. You can read about how we incorporate giving to Compassion International as part of my kids' birthday parts in this post from earlier this year. And if you're inspired to do more, you can always sponsor a child.}

Continuing with the sports balls them, we lined the kids up for a rousing round of Pin the Ball on the Bat. Ben was disappointed when I told him we weren't playing pin the tail on any variety of farm animal, so he was thrilled when I tweaked the party tradition.

And then there was the baseball pinata he's been talking about for days. He had the bat picked out for days too. So, yes, he was ready to take a swing ... and collect candy.

There are kind gifts, a delicious cake from my friend Courtney, and concession stand snacks. And there was a house full of other families who are our people. We did miss Ben's best buddy Davey and family, who were recovering from three cases of strep throat and some ear infections among the three kids. All of these friends are like family and the family are like friends.

It's really the best kind of community. These people of ours came to celebrate our boy. And then a couple friends even cleaned up the crumbs that covered the floor afterward. True friendship, I tell you.

And then we went to watch Murray State play Eastern Kentucky in football. It was 44 degrees out, if you're curious. The game was exciting and we were in the sunshine into the fourth quarter. And then I realized my nose my numb. The layering and hot chocolate didn't help that my nose. For the record, you know it's cold if I'm holding and drinking a hot drink of any kind!

Oh and then they game went into overtime, of course. But Racers held on and kept the Colonels out of the end zone when it mattered and ended the football season with a win.

Memories were made. My nose has thawed. The kids are sleeping off all the sugar they ate. A happy day indeed.
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{Adoption} Helping orphans

"... These could be our daughters and our sons

And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating

I know my God won’t let them be defeated

Every child has a dream to belong and be loved

Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free

Shout your name in victory ..."

{From "Kings & Queens" by Audio Adrenaline}

I've been focusing on National Adoption Awareness Month around here. Another part of this topic is orphans. There are kids across this globe who may not have families to provide basic needs. As much as many of us would like to, it's not realistic to bring them all to our Americans houses. But we can help.

Compassion International and Samaritan's Purse are my two favorite ministries that help these orphans. I know there are many, many other options that do excellent work. These are just two I have personal experience with and feel comfortable recommending to you. Both of these ministries have specific ways to give that have become holiday traditions in our family.

Compassion International
Yes, you can sponsor a child for $38 a month and ensure medical, physical, educational and spiritual needs are met for a particular child. This sponsorship become a relationship as letters are exchanged. My kids especially love when our two sponsored kids draw us pictures. Coloring is a universal language, apparently.

But if you can't or already do sponsor a child, you can also make one-time donations.

 A timely need comes in the aftermath of the typhoon that hit last week and has devastated the Philippines, where thousands of children and families have lost their homes and are in need of food, water, shelter and medical attention. UNICEF estimates 1.7 million children live in the typhoon's path. You can donate to this relief effort specifically through Compassion. When you give to this fund, you help Compassion workers provide relief, recovery and rehabilitation to the families affected by this storm. Relief comes as emergency food and water, temporary shelters, personal items and clothing, cooking utensils and other household items, trauma counseling and spiritual support. Any money raised beyond what's needs for the Philippines will be put into the general Disaster Relief Fund to help families affected by future disasters. {Donate here.}

Another giving-opportunity is to support Child Survival Programs in several countries. These centers help babies who aren't old enough for the monthly sponsorship program and their mothers. So you donation would help prevent illnesses with medical check-ups and immunizations, provide nutrition for pregnant women and babies, prepare moms with child-care training, and proclaim Jesus to these women in poverty.

Another way to give is through Compassion's gift catalog, which allows people here to give life-sustaining gifts to families who need hope. You can give gifts that help families produce income, such as livestock or a small business set-up kit. Other gifts provide educational tools for children and adults to excel. Gifts can also provide relief and stability after a disaster or meet critical health and medical needs in different parts of the world.

Personally, we've organized a collection for money to purchase gifts from Compassion's catalog as part of our annual Jesus Birthday Party, which is slated again this year.

Samaritan's Purse
This is the ministry that organizes Operation Christmas Child, which sends shoe boxes packed with toiletries and treats to children in more than 130 countries. Samaritan's Purse has worked with local churches and other ministries to send these shoe box gifts to more than 100 million kids since 1993.

This year, the shoe boxes are being collected at local sites throughout the country Nov. 18-25. You can find out what to pack inside the shoe boxes, where they can be dropped off, and where they are shipped at the Operation Christmas Child website. Personally, we stuffed shoe boxes with friends from church just last night. It's a great way to get the kids involved in giving. And you still have time to make a difference in a child's life through this ministry this year.

Other opportunities
Not every family will bring an orphan into their family forever, but every family can make a difference. Samartian's Purse and Compassion International are just two avenues to support orphans. The opportunities are endless, really. Here are some ideas:

• Donate items your kids have outgrown to families in your community who need the extra help. Murray's pregnancy crisis center takes partial packages of diapers and repackages them in smaller quantities for mothers they are helping. It never failed that when I had a big box of diapers, my kids had growth spurts!
• Partner with local ministries who serve underprivileged children right in your neighborhood. In Murray, the local food pantry has a fairly new project that aims to provide consistent, year-around giving to help stock the shelves for families who need groceries. The same local food bank also has a backpack program that sends food home with kids who need it for the weekend when they aren't getting school breakfast and lunch. If you don't live in Murray, maybe your town has similar programs.
• Volunteer with a homeless shelter, pregnancy crisis center, or other ministry that serves a local orphan population.
• Support someone else's adoption. You can do this with your time, words, prayers and money. Trust me, families who adopt like to know we aren't alone. 
• Participate in Christmas collection projects for families in your community. Our small group is helping provide clothing and gifts to a specific family in our town. These children may not be orphans, but their parents are struggling to have enough to buy a winter coat that fits. 

"... Break our hearts once again

Help us to remember when

We were only children hoping for a friend

Won’t you look around these are the lives that the world has forgotten

Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open ..."

{From "Kings & Queens" by Audio Adrenaline}

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This is the seventh post in the ongoing adoption series celebrating National Adoption Awareness Month. Find all the posts here, as they are published throughout the month. Want more stories? Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'. Subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Compassion} Walk by faith

Photo courtesy Compassion International.

Walk by faith.

A pair of rain boots, sparkly pink flats, two pairs of tennis shoes and some grown-up sandals sit beside our door right now. It usually frustrates me that people can't put their shoes away in their closets. One day I counted seven pairs of my 6-year-old girl's shoes sitting there. And I once again nagged her to carry them upstairs.

Then I see this picture from Compassion International.

Those are probably that girl's only shoes.

She doesn't have dress shoes, school shoes and tennis shoes to choose from each morning. There aren't flip flops for summer and boots for winter. And, really, she probably doesn't know what shoe size she wears because she'll take whatever somebody gives her, even if they're already worn down.

She'll wear them until there are holes in the soles.

She'll hope a new pair will come. Just like she hopes other basic needs are met as she trusts God to provide day after day, just like he says he will. We do after all walk by faith and not by sight.

Shoes protect.

Shoes guard.

Shoes cushion.

Shoes support.

My daughter certainly considers shoes to be accessories. Sure, we get many as hand-me-downs from my niece or from a yard sale down the street. But I don't stay up late wondering if my girl's toes will be protected from the dirt and sun. I know the soles of her feet are guarded and her steps are cushioned. Each step she takes is supported.

Next time I see the pile of shoes that people kick off the moment they walk inside our house, where there are relatively clean floors, I want to remember that not every girl and boy like my two have this protection so readily available.

It's not just the soles of the kids in Ecuador and Guatemala {and wherever else} that need protecting. It's their souls too. Yes, shoes protect and guard and cushion, but they also give hope. There is hope these shoes will fit long enough to another pair arrives from someone who cares. There is hope their dreams will make a difference for their communities burdened by poverty. There is hope the next generation of girls will have a choice of what shoes to wear each morning.

When you sponsor a child, you give them hope and sometimes new shoes for just $38 a month.

Our girl in Guatemala and our boy in Ecuador have both written to tell us what they've purchased with birthday money we sent. Shoes have made the list. And I'm grateful I can give hope to their souls while protecting their soles.
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September is Compassion International's Blog Month, which aims to find sponsors for 3,160 children. So far at least 1,583 have sponsors. This is the second post I've written as part of this Compassion Bloggers campaign. Here is the first, complete with some of my own childhood pictures. 

I'm also linking up with Beth's Three Word Wednesday, where she encourages with her transparency today.

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{Compassion} Lighten up, little girl.

I have no idea why I stared at my 5th birthday cake at Chuck E. Cheese with such disgust. Maybe it was because, yes, again, my name was spelled wrong. Maybe I didn't like the crowd of friends and family embarrassing me with the traditional "Happy Birthday." Either one is certainly possible. I still don't like to be the center of a "Happy Birthday" rendition!

It's taken me a long time since my 5th birthday {that would have been May 1984, folks!} to realize that life isn't perfect. People don't react like I think they will. Sometimes I say too much and other times I don't say enough. Some days are harder than I expect and others surprise me with how lovely they are.

Health and financial woes creep into lives. Disagreements arise, sometimes forcing hard decisions. Each family is different. Motherhood doesn't come with a manual. And marriage is hard work that has proven worth it, even just 11 years in.

Life isn't perfect. But it doesn't need to be. In perfection, we wouldn't need each other. In trying to figure out, we make friends and have revelations. We're spurred on toward the next moment that will change our hearts and create our legacy.

We're blessed in imperfection and are given more opportunities than we ever can notice to be a blessing.

September is Compassion International's Blog Month, which aims to find sponsors for 3,160 children whose lives are far from perfect. Better than any birthday party, just $38 a month can change their lives and take away some of their burdens.

These children may have frowns because their lives are harder than I can ever imagine. But I've seen pictures of smiles. There is hope there, friends. There where frowns seem to be expected, smiles are possible. In Guatemala and Uganda. In Peru and Ecuador. Across the globe. And in our futures right here. It all makes a cake with a misspelled name and a fictional mouse not seem so bad.

And here I am, 29 years later, left wanting to scream back to my 5-year-old self: Lighten up, little girl. There is a big world beyond you. Most people mean well, even some days are hard. Not everything will always be right, but there is joy here in this moment, even if you are required to wear a silly hat. Just ask God to show you. And be sure to help a friend along the way.
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I believe in Compassion International. Our family sponsors two children and serves as a correspondence sponsor to a third. If you're looking for a way to make a lasting difference, Compassion International is one way. 

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Dreaming with Compassion

I struggle with stuff. I get overwhelmed at birthdays and Christmas because I worry my kids are going to miss what's important. I talk a lot about sharing and I try to live my life in a way that demonstrates generosity.

We live a blessed life. We go on trips. My kids have plenty of toys and games and craft supplies. We don't have much debt and what we have we're paying down. I worry how as parents we'll combat the greediness in our culture.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I love giving gifts. To my kids. To my husband. To our relatives. To our friends. To strangers. It's one of the ways I show love. But I don't want excessive amounts of gifts to drown out what's important.

Birthdays are about celebrating life. I want to rejoice over the life of my kids, who we adopted as newborns. Their birth moms chose life for them. That is worth celebrating each year and each day, really. There is joy in unwrapping a gift that someone chose just for you. I get that. And I want that for my kids.

But I don't want stuff to drown out compassion for others who don't live the kind of life we have. Kids don't choose the circumstances into which they're born.

I know there are mommas in other places, probably closer than I realize, who spend time thinking about how their kids will have enough. I can't imagine wondering if my son will be educated and medicated in ways that will help preserve their future. To wonder if my child will ever break out of poverty is foreign to me. I know there are mommas who are scared their daughter may not have enough food.

When Ben turned 3 in November, we celebrated the life of Jean in Ecuador. He's one of the Compassion International kids we sponsor and share's my boy's birthday. The kids at my son's party made Jean birthday cards and donated money for us to send to him. We asked for the donations instead of gifts. Of course, some people still brought gifts. But they chose to bless Jean while celebrating Ben.

We recently received a letter from Jean. He thanked us for the money we sent and told us what he bought: two pieces of cloth to make a school uniform, a backpack, a pair of shoes, a ball, and two pairs of sandals for his sister. Y'all. Seriously. My kid got dinosaurs and superheros and Jean bought himself clothes and shoes for his little sister.

This is why I spend time thinking about stuff. I can't imagine Jean's momma wondering how she was going to buy her 11-year-old boy school clothes. But I can imagine how proud she was her boy wanted to share his birthday money with his sister, who needed shoes.

So we did it again when this past weekend at Cate's birthday party. My girl turned 6 and was willing to ask friends to bring donations for Roselyn, our Compassion girl in Guatemala who turned 6 about six months ago. Yes, this meant she got fewer gifts, but, let me tell you, my girl was blessed with some new horse toys, a cute cowgirl outfit, new crafts, and other goodies. She unwrapped joy.

But we also collected $147.54 for Roselyn and her family. The girls at the party colored pictures and made her cards. One sweet friend brought a Zip-loc bag full of change, the money she usually uses to buy stickers to send to her Compassion friend. I get the feeling Roselyn will unwrap joy when the stack of colors and blessings arrives at her house.

That's paying it forward. That's celebrating life. And that's compassion at its finest.
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Tuesdays are God-sized Dream days around here and I'm linking this post along with many, many other dreamers on Holley Gerth's blog. This week's prompt was: Find a way to pay it forward. You’ve been encouraged in your God-sized dreams by your sisters here the last few months. How can you spread that encouragement forward by investing in other dreamers? Every momma is a dreamer when it comes to her child no matter where they live. 

I'm also linking up with Compassion Bloggers, who are joining together to be a voice for mothers. Please let me know if you want to know more about sponsoring a child. You can also help mommas and their babies by making a one-time donations or providing on-going support of Compassion's Child Survival Program. 

And on Wednesday, I decided to link up this post with Jennifer Dukes Lee and other storytellers as part of the weekly #TellHisStory. This is one of the big stories in our lives right now and one that remains on my heart in what has been a busy week.

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{Compassion} Change a story

When I signed up to participate in Compassion Sunday, I didn't realize I'd get all these profiles of kids who needed to be sponsored. I mean, I know there are tons of precious pictures online. But to hold these packets in my hands is different.

I can't sponsor them all, but, goodness, I don't want to send them back after next week's Compassion Sunday. This day is a chance for church congregations to learn more about what Compassion International does and hear more personal testimony about how sponsoring a child is good for that child, obviously, but how it also changes your story here, where we have more than we could ever possibly need.

Waiting for sponsors are ...

Gisella, 4, in Indonesia
Esteban, 9, in Mexico
Lucia, 7, in Nicaragua
Ester, almost 4, in Tanzania
Damini, 9, in India
Milton, 10, in Guatemala
Patricia, 6, in Ghana
Sanju, 10, in India
Francisca, 9, in Brazil
Yakeline, 5, in Peru
Pehiagaing, 6, in India
Marilyn, 10, in Guatemala
Geremy, 4, in Nicaragua
Prince, 8, in Ghana
Sunil, almost 8, in India

For $38 a month, you can give a child what they need. They'll get educational, medical, social, practical and spiritual guidance and resources they didn't have before. Your regular financial contribution and the letters you exchange with your child will change a story there and here. {This $38 is tax-deductible and can be automatically deducted each month.}

I'm going to take these profiles and some stories of our own to our congregation on April 21. But, honestly, here's the deal: I go to a small church. It's a generous church, where several families already sponsor children through Compassion International. I hope a few more children get sponsors there. But I also want to ask you, this online extension of my community, to consider sponsoring a child. 

If you live in Murray, I invite you to come hold some of these profiles in your hand. Pick a country or name or birthdate that means something to you. Or pick a child who has been wanting longer than the others to be chosen. Or choose someone from that list up there and I'll get you the info you need to start a sponsorship. If you live elsewhere, go browse the online profiles. There you can search by country, sex, birthdate, and wait time.

And then there is Pedro in Brazil, who needs a sponsor and a smile.

Choose a child. And choose to change a story somewhere else and right here at home. 
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You can learn more about Compassion International at its website. Want more? Subscribe to get "Insights" in your inbox. Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Or follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

{Compassion} Make him smile

I was scrolling through the Compassion International profiles of kids who still need sponsors. Four-year-old Pedro caught my eye. He's an adorable boy from Brazil, but he's frowning.

That sweet face needs a smile.

And then after I clicked on him to be the one I encourage you to consider sponsoring, I realized he and I share a birthday!

I'm telling you, God is in the details. I was drawn in by his sweet face that needs a smile and it turns out he'll turn 5 the same day {a month from today!} that I turn 34.

For a $38 tax-deductible, monthly donation, Pedro will be connected to a church-based program that provides:

• Food and clean water
• Medical care
• Educational opportunities
• Important life-skills training

Most important of all, Pedro will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God. {To sponsor Pedro, visit my Compassion page.} When you sponsor a child, whether its Pedro or someone else who tugs at your heart, you'll receive his/her photo, personal story and a child sponsorship packet by mail in about two weeks.

Honestly, I can't imagine the joy the children feel when they learn they've been sponsored. It's bound to be better than being picked for a kick ball team in elementary school. You've chosen a kid and that little life will never be the same.

And, you know what, you won't be the same either. The words translated in the letters they send are real. Their stories and prayers and dreams are real. The money you give provides a better life and the letters you return provides a new relationship that points them to Jesus.

You can read more about Pedro and why my family sponsors three other children here. April 21 is Compassion Sunday, when congregations across the country will hear more about this sponsorship program and have a chance to select other children to sponsor. You can learn more about that here.
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{Compassion} Life in community

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

{Acts 2:42-47}

I've learned about community by living in it. I have four close friends who I text almost daily and usually see at least once a week, if not more often. I have a couple other dear friends who I would see regularly, if they just lived closer. I have ongoing conversation with one via email and am usually engaged in a game of phone tag with the other. Then there is a bigger circle of friends from church and who are friends of my closest friends with whom I share life  on a less frequent but still regular basis.

These are the people who brought me meals when we brought babies home. They are the ones who text me just to check on me. They are the ones I ask to help me with my kids when I need to go to the doctor and my mother-in-law isn't available. We brainstorm and problem solve and dream. We tackle frustrations. We organize parties and events. We pray for each other. Our kids don't know live apart from each other. We share dinners and game nights around my kitchen table. Sometimes our kids even share strep throat.

We share life. 

And it's in living like this that I learned the value of serving one another. God got my attention in the everyday moments through texts and phone calls, while sitting on the park bench watching our kids play, around the dinner table, and at baby showers and birthday parties. I want to help them when my friends are sick or stressed. I want to have their kids in my house. I want to make room for on my calendar. I want to give to them and learn from them.

It's because of these same relationships I'm spurred on to help others outside my tribe of people. Some of my favorite people to help are little ones who remind me of my own kids yet live lives in such different conditions in other countries. Sponsoring kids through Compassion International has become part of our life in community. These kids we've never met yet love already have found their ways into a birthday party and a church service. And their pictures are hanging from my real-life friends' refrigerators.

Won't you consider opening your community to these little people who need an extra dose of love?

Sponsor a Child

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I'm linking this post with fellow Compassion Bloggers sharing which Bible verses prompt them to serve others. Want more? Subscribe to get "Insights" in your inbox. Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Or follow me on Twitter.

{Compassion} It's your turn to give!

In recent posts, I've mentioned Compassion International's gift catalog, now I want to invite you to be part of the kind of gift-giving that could change someone's life and even their family for generations to come.

'Tis the season of giving. Even though this kind of gift may not sit under your tree with a pretty bow on top, it will bring the Christmas spirit -- the truth that God's kingdom is near -- right into a family's life and hear in South America, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, or Africa.

Learn more about Compassion's gift catalog.

Jesus literally gave everything. Even his last breath. His momma Mary gave much too as she spent nine months carrying the savior of the world in her belly. And to honor this birth, the life and his life-altering death, Compassion International is hoping to raise $20,000 to change the lives and hearts of children and their families.

You could give $55 for a baby's medical care for an entire year. Or $4 protects a child from parasites. An African family can have seeds for a garden for $10. Other families could be equipped with livestock for $280. You could help children have water {just $23 helps build reservoirs} and access to safe, sanitary bathrooms {$30}.

So, friends, here is your challenge : Consider being one of 10 of my readers to give just $10 to help families you've never met but who have hopes and dreams like you.

Of course, we don't have to stop there if more of you want to give. But I'd love to see our community here make a difference this Christmas. You can browse Compassion's gift catalog here and shop for someone who has needs greater than most of us have ever know.
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This is the third post inspired by Compassion International's #ItsAboutGiving campaign. Read about our birthday party for Jesus or my gift-giving love language. Want more? Subscribe to get "Insights" in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

{Celebrating & Giving} Happy birthday, Jesus!

In a where commercialization often drowns the real meaning, I don't want my kids to forget what Christmas is really about.

Simply, it's Jesus' birthday. 

This season is set aside to celebrate the birth of a baby who changed the world. This baby grew up to be a man that gave us the ultimate gift of eternal life. And he's coming back one day.

Now, there are tons of ways to celebrate all of that. Give to people to you love and the people down the street or across the world you've never met. Give anonymously and randomly as your go about your ordinary life that brings you to gas station stops and lunches at restaurants. Read the Christmas story. Read it from another version, like the Jesus Storybook Bible, which I highly recommend. Sing songs around your house, in your car and while standing in hallways of nursing homes. Bake treats for your friends, family and mailman.

And I pray this is the heart of my family even when it's not Christmas.

But because it is Christmas, I want to focus on the goodness that abounds this season and instill the things that really matter in my kids' hearts.

One way we've decided to do that is with a Jesus Birthday Party. The tradition started two years ago with two of my closest friends here and our families. And then it grew to include more families last year. This year, I had the {slightly crazy} idea to have live Slugs & Bugs music as we celebrated Jesus' birthday. Randall Goodgame helped me make it happen.

The Slugs & Bugs Christmas album has been a great addition to our family. Turns out it was a great addition to the party too. We were so glad four-fifths of the Goodgame family was part of our party.

Let me give you a little back story. I had a hard week that was full of relatively small things that weren't going as I had planned or hoped or expected. Then my momma heart was shaken with the seemingly senseless tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Truthfully, I was excited to have a party with lots of kids whose innocence and joy make the worldly problems fade. And, really, there's not much more fun than a birthday party in my world, even when some families had to cancel because of sickness. Unfortunately, December is full of busy schedules that conflict and sickness and these things kept several families from coming. But God had a plan and was present at our party. 

Part of our celebration was giving. We collected donations for a local food pantry and money to buy gifts from Compassion International's gift catalog.

The kids also made cards and I encouraged them to give them to their neighbors or someone else who may need a Christmas blessing. My sweet girl gave out four cards while we were caroling in a local nursing home Sunday. Her saying "Merry Christmas" has she handed strangers handmade cards is a snapshot of giving if I've ever seen one.

In celebrating with these joy-filled, innocent friends who aren't ashamed to shout "Happy birthday, Jesus!" wherever they are, I was reminded of cliches that really are true. God is in charge of all the details, even party planning. Jesus is the reason for the season. And two {or 12} are better than one.
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This goes along with Compassion International's #ItsAboutGiving campaign. Read an earlier post about my gift-giving love language. Want more? Subscribe to get "Insights" in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.