Facts about Uganda

Here's some fun stuff I'm learning about Uganda.

• Uganda was named the "Pearl of Africa" by Winston Churchill.
• Because it was a colony of Great Britain until 1962, they speak English in Uganda and drive on the left side of the road.
• The world's third largest lake, Lake Victoria, is partially in Uganda.
• The Nile also cuts through Uganda.
• Coffee is the largest agricultural crop and Uganda's primary export.
• The country of Uganda is roughly the size of the State of Oregon.
• Five countries border Uganda including: Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania.
• Uganda's official motto is My God and My Country.
• Uganda is 84% Christian.
• Soccer is Uganda's most popular sport.
• The currency is called a shilling.

`

Now to go see for myself! :-)

Adoptions galore!

My friend Carissa and her family just passed court in Ethiopia so they can finally bring home their daughter, Giana Helen! I'm so excited for her (and them)! Maybe we could go to Africa together. I do have to stop in Ethiopia. . . . . :-)

Check out beautiful Giana here:

http://legacyandjourney.blogspot.com/.

Yahooooo!

Uganda

I recently happened onto this website, which includes a blog: http://sixtyfeet.org/. Oh dear. This is heart-wrenching! To think that I will be in Uganda shortly and may witness some of this hard stuff. Ugh! My heart is not ready.....

`

But that's not the whole story on Uganda. In preparing for my trip, I've also corresponded with a couple of women doing great things there. One, Roxanne, is working with widows in a sewing group. She directs an organization that has helped resource and train directors and staff from more than 70 orphan homes and community programs throughout the country in the last two years. What a great contact! And Liz. She founded an organization called Sseko Designs. You can check them out here: http://www.ssekodesigns.com/. Liz and Sseko work with young women who want to attend the university. These women work at Sseko and make sandals in between the completion of their secondary education and University work. That way, the women have a way to pay for their education! What a wonderful idea! And the folks at Sixty Feet. . . . well, they are all over it!

`

In the midst of hard stuff there are successes and I hope to remember that while I'm there. Lord, keep working in Uganda!

April has come and gone!

Where has April gone???

Here are some of my new tricks!

Mommy wanted to show me about flowers. I wasn't all that interested. But my smelling face is hilarious!

I am also a really good swinger these days!

And, look what I can do. JUMP!!!!

And then there's the climbing.

And Soccer? And Baseball?

I'm all over that!

And some of my friends came over.

Good times in April!

I'm almost 2 and a half and I'm already 39 inches tall! That's the 95th percentile! Goodness me!!

Health update: We saw Seth's pediatrician and his endocrinologist this week. Both were stunned at how well he's doing. I told the endocrin it's the power of prayer. He agreed! We did a bunch of blood tests and other checks and Seth is alllll good. AMEN!

The Excitement Builds

In less than three weeks, I will be half way to Uganda on my first trip to Africa! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'm traveling with a church in Colorado -- from the A Place Called Simplicity blog -- to the right. Last night we had a call to "meet" each other over the phone and prepare for the trip. The group sounds absolutely terrific and I can't wait to see the ways God is going to show up.

`

I've dreamed about this trip or one like it for a long time. God built in me a heart for Africa many years ago and that passion is finally coming to fruition. Many people have asked me whether I'm bringing home a baby with me. Well, no. Can't quite do that. They don't just let you run out with their kids! But I don't know what God might have for me (us) there. I'm all ready to proceed with a domestic adoption. Home study is done. Background is done. Foster care license in hand. If my heart is changed on this trip, I'm open to what God might have for us.

`

So I pray on. For wisdom and for energy and for peace in The Call, whatever it may be. Lord, break my heart for the things that break Yours. Keep us safe and healthy and ready to follow where you lead on this trip. Amen!

Humbling

I am completely humbled by all of you who are praying for me. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I now have a long list of people happily added to my prayer list, and what fun God and I have had talking about you (or the loved ones for whom you sought prayer)! I pray God blesses all of you!!

`

Much, much love, in Christ's name,

Deb

Prayers for Health!

Linn at A Place Called Simplicity has called for a Crazy love party based on prayer. http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/ (The first party was meeting people's financial needs. Boy was that fun!). I couldn't pass up the chance to participate. Who doesn't need prayer???

`

I haven't felt well for too many months. I've seen loads of docs and tried a myriad of fixes. And I must say that today I feel better than I did in a few months ago. Thank God!! But still it lingers.... Unfortunately, I had to put my (second) adoption on hold until I feel better. Not feeling well has also brought about a fair amount of anxiety about what's wrong with me and why it won't stop. I've spent a lot of time in prayer, and God and I have had some good talks about that!! More trust in Him. More surrender of my "stuff". More of You, less of me, Lord.

`

I know my prayer request isn't the most interesting out there but it's awful to feel lousy for so long -- particularly when you're a single mama!! I would love to tell our adoption agency that I'm ready to start the process for our second baby by June (or sooner). Would you pray I'm healthy and full of energy by that time? I'm humbled by your willingness to consider my heart's cry.

`

If you want to read more about Seth and me you can see his story at http://conceivedinprayer.blogspot.com/2010/03/seths-journey-home.html and my prayer for the second one at http://conceivedinprayer.blogspot.com/2009/12/great-adventure.html

`

I'm also committing to pray for anyone who is praying for us. So in your comments, please leave a request and it will be covered in prayer by me for at least a month.

`

Last, let's all pray for Linn and Dwight. They are blessing sooo many of us (far more than the 1000+ followers). Pray for Jubilee's surgery and for their upcoming trip to Uganda and for the next children to come.

`

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" 1 John 5:14-15.

Hearing from God

You may have seen in the news yesterday that a little girl -- just 11 years old -- was found in a Florida swamp after disappearing over the weekend. I heard her story on Sunday and thought to myself that she may have been a victim of kidnapping -- or worse. Instead, this media story had a different and delightful outcome. A young man in Florida found the girl. Alive and well. He said God led him to her. The little girl was lost and now is found.
`
Lots of great analogies we could draw from this happy ending for our lives, but this one took a strange turn even I didn't expect.
`
I was sitting in my office, reading the story on CNN when one of my colleagues walked in. I quickly told him the story, including the part about the man being led to the girl by God. This prompted an interesting discussion, to say the least.

`

"You are a believer, right?

`

Yep. Got that one right.

`

"And do you believe that God still speaks? I mean, burning bush type speaking?"

`

For sure.

`

"So why don't we hear more stories like this one?"

`

Great question. My answer? Because we aren't listening. If we stopped the madness and tried to hear God rather than shooting up little requests as needed, we might hear Him more.

`

"Ok. So you think this is possible? This 'leading a man to a lost girl' thing?"

`

I do. (Remember: this is two lawyers going at it. The questions are getting progressively harder.)

`

"Why doesn't it happen more often? Of all of the people in the world who believe, if we accept that even just 10,000 of them are listening as you suggest, we should hear these stories a lot more often."

`

Interesting point my self-professed "I believe in nothing" friend made. And I didn't have a particularly good answer for him. On reflection, however, maybe it's because we aren't asking God for that. I didn't pray for God to tell me where the child was. What if I had? Maybe that man did! Bottom line is that I think we would have a lot more if we asked a lot more, in faith and with a pure heart. Lord provide (__the big things__). Lord, lead me to (__the seemingly impossible__). Lord, heal (__the incurable__).
`
My friend's questions got me thinking about how limiting we are in our view of God. How small we make Him. How finite. How weak, frankly. Lord, help me to never put you in a box. Help me to remember and know how deep and wide is your love for me and how awesome are your deeds. And, Lord, help me to ask BIG. Amen.

More talking

It's official. My son has me wrapped around his tiny pinkie finger. (sigh) We've been having some sleeping "issues" of late -- probably due to all of the new talking. Seth's doc previously told me she repeatedly sees sleeping issues when the talking explodes. Welcome to explosion. So on my fifth trip into his room last night to quiet him, he jumped up, grabbed his blankies, and with paci in place declared, " 'Nuggle Mama's bed." Oh for crying out loud, how do you say no to THAT one?!?!? I said, "You want to snuggle in mommy's bed?" "Yes please."

`

A snuggling we will go. (sigh) :-)

The Power of Prayer

I have no problem asking my friends and family to pray for me. (Just ask them. Ha!) It comes naturally and I do so -- often -- for I believe in the power of prayer! But asking for prayer corporately or from strangers or even from mere acquaintances is hard for me. It's a pride thing, I suspect.... Recently, I asked a blog-stranger-becoming-friend to pray for me and she has and is and has followed up with me. What joy! THANK YOU, Mo!!

`

After my post on Obstacles, I received a comment, seeking prayer for the No Greater Joy Mom family. You can see their link on my list to the right. Susan, who I do not know, asked whether I'd be willing to pray for this adoptive family and to that I say, "YES YES YES." In fact, I got on my knees the minute I saw her request. (Figuratively, since I was on the train.) Thanks for being bold for your friends, Susan, and I'm now boldly asking my friends to pray for Adele and Anthony and their children in the Ukraine. Pray with me, won't you?

`

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

Obstacles

I had the immense pleasure to spend a few hours with some fellow adoptive moms on Friday. What fun to share our hearts for children and adoption and God! As we closed our time together, we spent some time in prayer for each other and for orphans. One of the things that struck me as we prayed was that each of us had encountered and is encountering obstacles to our adoptions. One of my friends mentioned that she believes that the enemy is so bent on thwarting adoptions, that he throws these obstacles in our paths. She might be on to something . . .

`

See, one of us has a spouse who isn't quite ready for another adoption. Another had an agency tell her family it could not adopt a sibling group. (HUH?!?!?) Another of us has extended family throwing up road blocks. All of us have financial stumbling blocks, delayed court dates, address changes, timing issues. I have health issues causing a delay, and the list goes on and on. All of these obstacles can be overcome, and Lord willing, WILL be overcome. But sitting around that table, listening to my dear friends talk about our shared passion, I realized how important it is that we are holding one another up in prayer. The enemy doesn't want us to adopt. The enemy wants us weak and uncourageous. I refuse to accept that! It makes me want to follow even more adoption blogs than I already read (as if I have more time) because I want to be able to pray for all of those families who are trusting the Lord's call to adopt. Lord, free us all to proceed!

`

My time with the girls also helped me have another realization. I've sat around for the last few years feeling jealous of my married friends who have families of adopted and biological kids -- for that's what I always wanted for myself: A big family of all kinds of kids from all sorts of countries! And yes, I've been jealous. I've begged forgiveness from the jealousy and turned from it over and over, but it sometimes creeps back in and gets me. Here's the realization I had: I AM one of those families. I have nothing to be jealous of because I fit quite perfectly into my circle of adopted family friends. Praise God! Sure, my family looks a little different than some others, and we pray might look different still in a few years, but I am an adoptive family and look like the picture I always hoped and dreamed to have. Duh!

`

So praise God for blessings and for friends. And praise Him even for obstacles, which drop us to our knees in total submission to Him. Lord, loose the obstacles for families world wide who are adopting. Let them move quickly forward in perfect submission to your plan for the orphan. Amen.

Learning (again) to Pray

I'm reading "A Woman's Call to Prayer" by Elizabeth George. Great reminders. Great book. I loved a quote by D.L. Moody that she included:
`
Prayer is the bow,
the promise is the arrow:
faith is the hand which draws the bow, and
sends the arrow with the heart's message to heaven.
The bow without the arrow is of no use; and
the arrow without the bow is of little worth; and
both, without the strength of the hand, to no
purpose.
Neither the promise without prayer,
nor prayer without the promise,
nor both without faith,
avail the Christian anything.
What was said of the Israelites, "They could not enter in,
because of unbelief,"
the same may be said of many of our prayers: they
cannot enter heaven, because they are not put up in
faith.
`
Lord, help me to offer prayers that avail much and help me in my unbelief to fully accept and embrace that power of your healing. I love You. I trust You. Amen.

Happy Easter

The rest of Easter pics!

It's no fun if it's not difficult.....

HE IS RISEN!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Mom and I went to Papa's house again to be with the family. After church, of course. We got all fancy for church and then mom wanted pictures. I wasn't a fan of that whole process. Hey, I had some seriously playing to do!! (Don't know why the other pics won't come up. Will put them up tomorrow when the site is fixed!!)

We had an Easter egg hunt. THIS year, I finally get it so much better! Yahoo!

I had a great time playing with all of my cousins.

Here I am with Anna.

And then I play me some tunes. Seriously.

My big cousins colored some eggs. Mom said I wasn't invited.

Meany.

Good talkin'.....

Before I post our Easter pictures later today, I just wanted to take a second and update those of you who don't get to see Seth very often on his speech. A couple of weeks ago, Seth's therapists came to me and told me they were "worried" about Seth -- but had no solutions. (grrrr) That was frustrating! But something remarkable happened just a couple of days later. Seth starting speaking! No, it's not always clear and often requires Mommy interpretation, but he is speaking in sentences (phrases) all the time: "go mama's car." "crash cars" (no, not mama's). "I see choo-choo." "Seth eat pretzel." "Go outside." It's so fun!! Thanks for your prayers for his development. It's coming . . . . slow but sure!

The Barbers came to town!

Miss Julie and Mr. Holtie came to town with my new friend Tristan. We had a great time meeting them and hanging out!

This one's for you, Miss Julie. :-)

Isn't T cute????

The best part HAD to be my wrestle time with Mr. Holt. He's fun!!!

Come back again soon, Barbers!!!