Blessings

Today I’m grateful for so much.  Not things, but people.  People like you, my invisible friends who support us through thick and thin.  Grateful for family and friends.  Grateful for relationships.  Grateful for all the children God has blessed us with. 

 

But the thing I’m most grateful for is my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Grateful one day I’ll be reunited with my precious princess Chrissie, as well as my mom, my grandparents, and many other loved ones who knew Jesus as their Savior.  Grateful for the love, grace, forgiveness, hope, and eternal life offered to us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

If you didn’t get a chance to read yesterday’s post, I encourage you to do so.  And then I encourage you and your loved ones, whomever you’re celebrating Thanksgiving with today, to bless Village of Hope—Guatemala with a donation.  Perhaps you’d like to donate in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone special.  The first $3,000 in donations will be matched, so your donation will be doubled.  Double blessings.  Thank you, Jesus!

Thanksgiving

I will never be able to express my gratitude for the outpouring of support for the Boss Your Heart Birthday Benefit/toy drive for Village of Hope—Guatemala.  I am still astounded by the amount of toys purchased to bless the future kiddos at Village of Hope, in memory of Chrissie.  This Thanksgiving is a time for us to count our blessings and show gratefulness.  I have a fun opportunity that I’m sharing below, a way you can bless Village of Hope in Guatemala this Thanksgiving.

 

But for now, back to the toys.  All toy purchases via Amazon were all shipped to a friend of a friend where they were stored in her garage until they could be carefully and lovingly packed up and shipped to Guatemala.  Can I get a big shout out to my friend Gina and her friend who stored, packed, and arranged for shipping of the toys?

 

There were so many toys that it took six massive boxes to get them all packaged for shipping.  Gina’s a whiz at packing, too, so she got everything in the boxes as compactly and efficiently as possible.

 

Shipping from the US to Guatemala is EXPENSIVE.  God provided the funding to get all of the toys to Guatemala.  Jehovah Jireh always provides.

My friend Amy (the one who is serving as a missionary in Guatemala—starting up Village of Hope) promised to take photos of the toys once they arrive in Guatemala.  I’ll be sure to share them here.  Please pray for the children who will play with these toys.  They need someone to pray for them because they most likely don’t have a mommy or daddy or family to pray for them, and everyone can use prayers. 

 

Speaking of children and families, I’m sharing a message below with you so you can challenge your family and friends to GIVE to Village of Hope this Thanksgiving, out of our abundance.  There’s a generous donor who is matching the first $3,000 in purchased bricks. Donate today and help build homes for special needs orphans at Village of Hope in Guatemala.  You can even have a home named after you!!!  How awesome!!!

 

Here’s the info:

 

Living out a life of Thanksgiving…

(borrowed with permission from my friend Amy Block’s blog)

Without hesitation, when asked, people all over America this Thanksgiving will respond by saying the very thing they are most thankful for in their lives is their family.

 

Family… the very thing that literally millions of children face life without.

Here at Village of Hope we understand the importance of family and that is why we exist- to bring FAITH, FAMILY and a FUTURE to those who have none. We choose to do ‘family style’ homes for orphans instead of an institution because we understand that is what the Lord desires.

A Father to the Fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. Psalm 68:5-6

There is simply no biblical model for institutional care - so while clothing, feeding and giving toys to a child are all wonderful things- the one thing a child truly needs- is a family to call their own. A mother and a father who are willing to invest in their future, help them discover their gifts and strengths- to care for them , encourage them and show them they have a purpose and they matter.

Because international adoptions are closed in Guatemala the orphans here have little hope of being adopted into a forever family. These children must face a bleak future- alone. We cannot stop but to ask ourselves-how will these children be able to one day function in a family unit? But even more- how can they have a clear view of their God who loves them if they don’t have an earthly father to model who He is?

We all know living in an institution isn’t what is best for a child- studies prove it- but more importantly we have seen it with our own eyes. The “fatherless” are the most vulnerable people in the world because they lack the very person God intended to protect and provide. But as the body of Christ we have a responsibility to live out James 1:27- to care for orphans. We are called to action.

At Village of Hope each child will be placed in a family- in a home- with a mother and father figure who will be the ones who tuck them in at night, pray with them, help them with their homework, cook dinner with them, counsel them and teach them.

This Thanksgiving we challenge you to gather your precious family around the table, enjoy the blessings the Lord has provided- and then give back out of that abundance. Encourage your family to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of the children in Guatemala. Thank Him through your obedience by caring for the orphan in a tangible way. Together your family, aunts, uncles, cousins truly can make a difference in the life of a child.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

To purchase a brick in your family’s name….

Give HOPE, brick by brick. Village of Hope - Guatemala from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

We have been blessed by a generous donor who is matching the next $3,000 in bricks purchased! This means that each brick you buy, up to the first $3,000, will be DOUBLED… doesn’t get much better than that!

• -Buy 10 bricks/$250 - Get a free VOH tshirt!
• -Buy 20 bricks/$500 – Get a free VOH tshirt and VOH bag.
• -Buy 40 bricks/$1,000 – Get a free VOH tshirt, VOH bag, and a necklace/earring set hand-made by a Guatemalan woman.
• -Buy 100 bricks/$2,500 - An engraved plate (2" x 4") with your family name on the wall in one of the homes for children as a reminder of those that provided that wall and prayed for each of them.
• -Buy 200 bricks/$5,000 - A plaque ( 12" x 10") with a photo and text (of your choice) will be hung in the home and the room will be named after your family (painted on the wall)
• -Buy 1,200 bricks/$30,000 – Provide an entire HOME for a FAMILY! Get a free VOH tshirt, VOH bag, plaque (as described above), and family name on the outside of the home.

 

**As you reflect on all that you are thankful for, please consider giving toward one of the above options in honor or memory of a loved one! Though some of our family may not be on this earth any more, their legacy lives on and can bless the lives of those without a family!

Nuff Said

 

Sometimes I don’t even get to the shower part.

 

Fixing my eyes on all things eternal.  Thank you, Jesus!

God’s Provision

Whoa, are you serious?!?!

My very own iPad?!?!

From these nice people? 

Awwwww, these girls are so cute! 

And they sent this to me? 

Oh, not just to me, but to Conner and Cooper, too? 

Oh my goodness gracious, how sweet!!!!!!!

 

OK, let me see how this thing works.

Oh, wow, it’s a PIG!!!  I love pigs!

 

And a goat!  I can touch the goat!

 

 

Listen.  Goats say, “BAAAAAAAA!!!”  I can, too!  Listen to me!

No way, a CAT!!!  How does this thing know about all the animals I love and all the sounds I love to make?

Wow, this is the coolest gift ever!!!  I promise to share it with Cooper and Conner.  I’ll even show them how it works.  Please thank the generous, giving, kind family who sent this to us, okay?  And, Mommy, you’re right—God does always provide!  Thank you, Jesus!!!

 

Oh, and, Mommy, will you please ask all those awesome people out there what apps they recommend for me and my brothers?  I think we will need games for toddlers who like instant gratification.  You know, our attention span is about 5 seconds, so we like fast results.  And tell those people thanks in advance because they always have great advice.  Thanks!

 

And is there any way you can thank the people who make these games?  It’s really hard for my brain to make my finger touch the things I want to touch, but these games help my brain and my finger work together.  How do they do that?!?!  So awesome!

Kings and Queens

Today is National Adoption Day, a day to raise awareness for the boys and girls around the world just waiting to celebrate their adoption.  Adoption is redemption.  Someday the status of waiting children around the world will change from “orphans” to “kings and queens”.  Oh, the glorious majesty to be in His court.  Jesus, send families to rescue orphans, to bring Your redemption to the least of these.

 

Click HERE to watch this AWESOME video and listen to the TRUTH of this song.  I LOVE it!!!!!!

Sticks and Stones

This little cowgirl was up most of the night vomiting last night.

 

Poor baby was vomiting every 20-40 minutes for hours.

 

Eventually, a twig came out!!!!!!

 

Yes, you read that correctly.  A twig.  Much like the one she’s holding in the photo above, only shorter.

 

 

Yes, a small stick came out of Selah’s stomach via her mouth last night.  I was stunned.

 

It was about the size of my pinky.  Maybe 3 inches long and 1/2” in diameter. 

 

How in the world does one swallow a twig?!?!?!  Look at that innocent face!

 

I seriously do not have an answer to this mystery.  No one had any idea that Selah had ever put a twig in her mouth, much less swallowed it.  And we’re continuously following her around like hawks, which leaves me baffled as to how Selah could have actually swallowed something of this size without gagging—or spitting it out. 

 

I know Selah loves all things sticks and stones, dirt, dust, and ranch, and all things cowboy, just like her brothers.  But eating sticks?  No one does that!

 

Not even Kiefer the Kowboy!!!  I just can’t fathom how something that large could be swallowed.  It didn’t even appear to have been chewed.  Just a whole twig.

 

Praise God it came back up successfully.  I shudder to imagine what damage this twig could have done to Selah’s intestines had it not come back up.  We would have never known it was in there either.  So far, there’s been no signs of any damage, praise God.  No blood in her vomit, no blood in her stools, no signs of pain or complications. 

 

Oh, Jehovah Rapha, heal this little cowgirl, and Lord, please always surround Selah with your angels of protection.  Thank you, Jesus!

Indoor Residential Gym?!?!

I’m looking for ideas.

 

In order for Selah to be manageable, she must be moving.  She’s much easier to handle when she’s able to roam around our ranch (supervised, of course), running, jumping, climbing, and exploring.

 

Now that the time change occurred, it’s dark around 6:30PM at our house, making it difficult for Selah to roam around outside.  Plus, it’s getting colder outside, and no one really wants to follow Selah around with a flashlight outside!!!

 

So, I’m trying to come up with ideas for indoors.  Selah just isn’t safe in our house.  She literally climbs everything…bookshelves, cabinets, dressers, even the walls!!!  She stacks things like boxes and tubs on the floor in order to get higher.  The higher, the better for Selah.

 

Selah’s also really destructive.  We’ve had more items broken in our home over the last few months (by Selah) than in 16 years of raising kids.  I’m not exaggerating.  Selah climbs everything, then grabs anything she can reach, throwing it as far as she can, all in a split second.  We’ve never experienced anything like this.  She’s pure joy, but, man, we’ve gotta protect Selah, as well as ourselves, and our stuff!!!

 

Selah also cannot be contained or restrained without her hurting herself or others.  This is just part of who Selah is and what her brain requires.  Praise God that He gave Selah to us after raising numerous little ones so that we would know it’s not us or the way we’re parenting.  This is all part of Selah’s multiple brain malformations, and no combination of parenting techniques make a bit of difference.

 

Oh, and Selah doesn’t play with toys.  She doesn’t watch movies or TV, she doesn’t play with puzzles or dolls or learning toys.  She moves.  Constantly.  Doesn’t sit still for 15 seconds.  Ever.  Which is all fine and dandy until we need to “contain” her indoors!!!

 

Selah is medicated and doing better, but we must make adjustments indoors to meet Selah’s needs during the times that she cannot go outdoors.

 

That’s why I’m searching for ideas.

 

Ideally, we’d LOVE to have an indoor “safe room” for Selah.  In my mind, this would look much like what you’d find in an occupational/physical therapy gym.  Or even what you’d find in a gymnastics gym!!!  This is the type of stuff Selah loves.  Large motor activities with lots of climbing, jumping, crashing, and swinging.

 

Unfortunately, that type of space is not what you find easily in residential spaces.  That type of equipment is outrageously expensive, way out of our price range.  That’s why I’d like to pick your brains for alternative ideas.

 

Currently, I’m thinking about purchasing a huge camping tent, simply in an effort to have an indoor space where Selah could be safely contained.  (Hopefully.)  She shouldn’t be able to climb the walls or climb out of a tent, although we’d have to secure the zipper system so she couldn’t just unzip it and climb out.  Someone would be in the tent with her at all times to supervise her, but we’d need to find some equipment to put inside the tent to occupy her or she’d go crazy.

 

That’s where I’m stuck.  What could I put inside the tent, that’s affordable, that would keep Selah occupied?!?!  Since she doesn’t play with toys, and her brain needs large motor movement, our options are limited.  We have a small Little Tikes climbing cube with slide, but Selah really doesn’t use it.  She likes bigger and more daring stunts.

 

Please leave a comment or email me at BossYourHeart {at} gmail {dot} com if you have any ideas or suggestions or if you know where to get equipment for cheap!!!  I would so appreciate any advice you may have!!!