On Falling Short...

One of my favorite things about the Bible (aside from the awesome Gospel part), is that most of the people God uses, the big players, the characters we dressed up as during childhood VBS are highly imperfect. What?! You mean to tell me the person God sent to Pharaoh, the person God gave wisdom to, the man after God's own heart...had flaws?! *Cringe* 

Why? Why would God use those kind of people? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say God was hard-pressed to find a single perfect person to use. In all the world, surely he was able to find ONE person void of sin to make a point, move his people, convey his purpose? Nope. 

This isn't too hard to wrap my brain around, after all, with the exception of His one and only Son, no one is perfect. Why then, are we so harsh and judgemental toward others who aren't flawless? Because we are? No. Because we are trying to be and the only way to feel better about our issues is to make a stink over someone else's? More than likely. Concerning this, in Matthew 7, Jesus urges us to stop judging others. 

"Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about the speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the speck in your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your own eye." Matthew 7:1-5

I don't think it's a secret that I suffer from a fair amount of depression and anxiety. Some of that is genetic and some of that comes from a perceived pressure I feel to please others and put on that mask that says I generally "have it all together". A lot of friends comment on my need to have a clean house, my organizational "systems", and my need to be on time. However, these things really are just ways that I can control my broken-ness. Yes, I'm a mess, but at least my toilets are clean! Yes, I realize how ridiculous this is! 

Recently there was a situation in which a fellow Christian actually said, "It looks like you still have a lot of shaping to do as a Christian." Ouch! No really. I cried, and my heart literally hurt. I was hurt because I KNOW I'm broken, I KNOW I fall short of God's glory, but to have it pointed out by another person, someone you aren't even close to? Ouch! That was some judgement at it's finest.

However, the more I think about it, the more I realize they might have said "The sky is blue.", because the statement would have been just as true. Just as much of a fact. I will always have some shaping to do as a Christian. We all will. We are all imperfect. We all need God's grace. We all have flaws. Just like those people God used all those years ago, I'm hoping He can use me, and my flaws to reach others. To show others that no one is exempt from his grace. Having it all together only masks our need for Him and masks our ability to show others "Hey, it's okay. I need him to!". I can arguably say more people will find Christ through the ones willing to show their flaws, than the ones who act like they have it all figured out. 

For reference:

1. My house my look clean, but please don't look in my pantry, fridge, or attic. They are completely disasters.

2. I have no clue what I'm doing as a mum. Often times surviving the day is the most I can say we accomplished. I can't afford private school, and I don't have the patience nor the qualifications to homeschool, thank God for teachers - especially the public school ones. We try really hard to eat healthy, but McDonald's and Kraft Mac & Cheese works it's way in there. 

 

3. I have serious guilt over being a working mum. If I wasn't working Holden might be more obedient, and Adelaide might know the difference between an "L" and a "Q", but I honestly hope my job teaches them what serving other looks like and maybe they will forgive me for that at some point. 

4. I love ALL types of music. Secular and not. God made a lots of different people with lots of different music talents and I plan to enjoy them.

5. My favorite hobby is eating. That's the only thing that keeps my running (literally). 

6. I have two tattoos and and looking to get a 3rd as soon as someone...gives the go ahead.

7. I'm a pretty insecure friend. I'm almost certain I like people, more than they like me.

8. I'm sarcastic and realize that isn't becoming. Good thing Nick is too. We laugh a lot at each other expense.  

Here are just a few of my many many flaws. I hope we can all drop the charade. After all, not one of us is perfect and at the very least this Christian walk might seem a little less lonely. 

Time Flies...

I don't know why it's all of a sudden hit me that my kids are growing up. Fast. Or maybe I'm just getting old fast. Regardless if I am getting old, so are they. Yesterday we attended Holden's preschool graduation. I just can't believe that's where we are. One is almost three and the other is starting Kindergarten!

Their program was super cute. They sang 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' in different genres: country, rap, acoustic, rock, classical. Holden prop was country.

We had some minor wardrobe issues...

Thanks so much to my good friend Marcie for taking such great pictures!

Holden started Mother's Day Out when he was 1 and we were lucky enough to get in a class with really great kids with really great parents. The kids made fast friends and so did we. I simply cannot believe how big they have gotten!

I might be the only parent that really dreads summer break. Maybe once we are getting up early 5 days a week for 9 months I will look forward to it, but for right now it's just an anxious ball in my stomach saying "When will the work get done?" "What am I going to do to keep my to balls of energy occupied all summer?" I decided to come up with a sort of schedule.

Sunday: Church/Family day with a washing of bed linens. ;)

Monday: Park/Picnic Day - We would like to visit as many of the Metro Nashville Parks as possible and rate them based on playground, restrooms, shade, etc. to find the BEST park in Nashville. Mind you, there are over 100 Nashville parks, so we won't put a dent in the list, but it will be fun trying!

Tuesday: I have to keep this day open for a work day, so it will probably be a stay close to home/clean the house, play it by ear sort of day. Of course Blue Coast will still happen in the evenings. :)

Wednesday: I would like to designate Wednesday as a pool day if the weather is nice, and library storytime if it's not.

Thursday: Work Day. I have a sitter scheduled for this day. Somethings just can't change when there are things to do, babies to save.

Friday: Pancake & Pinterest day. This is when the kids and I peruse Pinterest (they love it) and find fun experiments or crafts to do. Last Friday we did bubble snakes. Ours didn't turn out much like snakes, but the kids had a blast and made a "mess" with bubbles. 

Ignore the PJs. Did I say Pancakes & Pinterest? Let's make it Pancakes, Pinterest & PJ day (for good measure)

Saturday: Nicholas works on Saturdays so it will most likely be another pool day for we that enjoy soaking in the sun. 

There will be a lot of interruptions with things like Adelaide's birthday, Ethiopia, Florida & Ohio, but otherwise I must stick to a schedule or my brain will simply explode. 

Yummy Pineapple Banana Smoothie

5-6 Ice Cubes

1.5 cups water

1 cup apple juice

3 tbsp chia seed

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 medium bananas

2-3 large handfuls spinach (stuff it in there)

3/4 cup frozen pinapple chunks

Blend & Serve; makes 4 servings

In other news:

* Our AC broke. Funtimes in homeownership. Will be fixed today thankfully.

* I completely chopped my hair off. Wasn't really planning on it, but I found out yesterday my super awesome hair girl is done doing hair at the end of this month (that would be Friday), so she squeezed me in yesterday and I had to make an executive summer decision. Yikes! I've already had the feeling of doom 10 times since. My sister will appreciate this. 

* The running is keeping on. Retiring wasn't in the cards for me, BUT I'm hurting since the marathon. Knee issue here, ankle issue there... I may quit if I find something equally as fulfilling but for now I will continue to tear my body apart joint by joint.

All in all we are doing fantastically. Super healthy, full-bellies, warm beds & clean clothes. Can't ask for anything else. Super grateful to God for the abundance he has blessed us with. <3

Slow-Cooker Freezer Meals - Yay or Nay

At the start of February I decided to dig back in my hundreds of pins and find that one. The one that boasted about making a month's worth of slow-cooker meals to stock you freezer so you could kick back and do nothing for a month (or do more somethings that don't include making dinner). I'm a busy person and I dread 6pm when the littles and Nick are expecting to be fed...sheesh the demands.

Anyway I found this which was written by Jessica over at Loving My Nest. This is proof that I have very few original ideas, but why reinvent the wheel? Someone else has done all the dirty work. In this case, Jessica.

I wouldn't necessarily say that my children are picky eaters, but they are 2 & 5 and some things they just won't eat. So I perused through Jessica's recipes of round 1, round 2 & round 3 to find meals that I thought everyone might enjoy. Let's get something straight. When it says a month's worth of meals, this is not 30 different meals, this is 10 meals doubled or even tripled. We like variety. We do repeat homemade pizza every friday for family movie night and hamburgers, because Nick makes a killer burger and that is the way straight to my heart. So I decided to find 12 meals and then fill in with pizza, burgers and Tuesday night Blue Coast Burrito. ;)

The dinners I chose were:

1. Bean Stew
2. Sausage & Bean dinner
3. Meat Stew
4. Pork & Veggies
5. Chicken Taco Soup
6. Chicken & Sweet Potato Soup
7. Creamy Farmhouse Chicken Soup
8. Enchilada Wraps
9. Chunky Veggie Chili
10. Jambalaya (this doubles itself)
11. Chicken Curry with Cabbage
12. Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

You can find all of the recipes HERE.

The first thing that I did was create a spreadsheet (naturally). I listed each meal in the first column, then put all common ingredients at the top ie carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, red/green pepper, etc. I also listed spices and additional ingredients. Then I just went through each recipe and put in the numbers until I had this...

                                                   
On the next tab I made my shopping list. Here is where I messed up a little bit. I don't know if I was distracted (no way!) or what, but I ended up not having certain things, or not understanding what the recipe was calling for. I replaced a lot of the bone-in chicken for chicken tenderloins, since Nick doesn't like dark meat and since we like purchasing meat in bulk at Costco. Then I went to Walmart. WHY did I choose Walmart you ask? Logically speaking, I needed a lot of canned goods and figured walmart would have the most/cheapest generic options. I'm all about saving money y'all. With somethings you get what you pay for...on others like Rotel vs. Great Value Tomatoes with Green Chilis, I really don't give a hoot.

I learned some valuable lessons from this shopping trip:

1. Categorize the list. As in put all produce together, spices together, variations of canned tomatoes together, etc. I missed things because I had to scan through the list in each aisle. Plus it wasted precious time. 

2. Do not under any circumstances take your children. Leave them with daddy, get a sitter, let the dog watch them. Whatever. Do what you have to do but do NOT take them. My children were horrendous on this particular trip and I wanted to roll into a ball and cry. I actually called Nick to come get them. He did not. He thought I was overreacting, but he was wrong. True story. 

3. I would say don't go to Walmart. But I really think had I done #1 & #2, it wouldn't have been so bad. And I promise you I saved some green.

I then unloaded everything and started chopping. I also learned that apparently chopping onions never bothered my eyes due to a contact lense shield. On this particular day I was wearing glasses and was DYING! Honestly, I was getting nauseous from the constant eye burn. So much education. The first medium onion I chopped I measured so I would know approximately how much 1 onion was when I had a ziploc baggie full of onion. I did that with the other veggies as well. Here are my equivalents...

I completed all the veggies in about 3 hours...yeah it takes that long to chop up a billion onions, carrots, celery and peppers. I stuck everything in the fridge and chilled out for the night...that's hard work. 

The next afternoon I pulled out 12 ziploc bags and labeled them with the meal and additional ingredients needed before slow-cooking like chicken broth or water, and when it needed to be served with. I started with meat and went through my spreadsheet adding the appropriate meat to the appropriate bags. The only meal that needed the meat to be cooked was the Sausage & Veggies. Then I added all the veggies, then canned goods and last spices. This all sounds easy now. It wasn't that it was hard, just very time consuming. This all took about 4 hours. I then stacked everything carefully in the freezer and was super pleased with a hard two days labor. 

Now for the reviews. I'm going to use a scale of 5; with 1 being terrible, never to make again, and 5 being super yummy, fulfilling our family's dinner desires. 

1. Bean Stew - 5/5: I was actually really pleasantly surprised with this one. The baggie looked so pitiful. I couldn't figure out how it the world it would feed a family of 4. It made plenty and was really tasty!! The kids liked it, and Nick had leftovers for lunch. Score. WIll make again.

2. Sausage & Bean Dinner - 1/5: Honestly, I didn't understand this one. The flavor profiles did not really mesh and it was supposed to be served with tortilla chips, which would suggest that it was Southwestern-y. But it wasn't. It was really sweet. Just strange all in all. It did make leftovers, that no one ate. Won't make again.

3. Meat Stew - 4/5: This was really good. It made a ton of leftovers and was perfect on those 5 degree days. The kids did not eat it, but did enjoy the cornbread muffins. ;) Will make again.

4. Pork & Veggies - 3/5: This one I didn't personally try. Nick made it while I was out of town and claimed it was good. It made leftovers for his lunch and another one for my lunch, I just never got around to it. He rated it. :) 

5. Chicken Taco Soup - 5/5: This was very very yummy! You actually use a bottle of beer for broth which I found interesting. Kids loved it! Made tons of leftovers! Will make again.

6. Chicken & Sweet Potato Soup - 4/5: This was another surprise. I'm not normally a fan of sweet potatoes outside the french fry variety and the cinnamon weirded me out, but it was yummy. Made lots of leftovers. Adelaide ate a lot, Holden didn't (that's usual for us). It's definitely a more autumn dish. Would make again.

7. Creamy Farmhouse Chicken Soup - 5/5: This one had pasta in it, so naturally the kids gobbled it up! It wasn't as creamy as I would have imagined, but the taste was delicious and it made a lot of leftovers. Would make again.

8. Enchilada Wraps - 6/5: These were REALLY good! We make slow-cooker fajitas all the time, so this was a really welcome change up in the taco dept. Just wrap in a tortilla and serve with fixins. These did not make very much in leftovers. The kids loved them! Will definitely make again.

9. Chunky Veggie Chili - 4/5: The flavor here was very very good. All the family liked it and it made tons of leftovers. I gave it a 4 because it was quite greasy. Would make again.

10. Jambalaya - 3/5: This one threw me for a loop. The directions said to serve over rice, but at the end of the cooking time it was really soupy, so I through the rice in there to cook and soak up the liquid, and then it was more like a traditional jambalaya anyway. It made leftovers and the kids enjoyed it. I had just made a black-eyed pea jambalaya for New Years that was excellent and this one just didn't really stand up to it. Although for not having to cook all day it was totally worth it. Would make again.

11. Chicken Curry with Cabbage - 2/5: I was really excited to try this one. I love cabbage and curry and Nick doesn't so I hoped it was my chance to change his mind. This just wasn't it. There wasn't nearly enough curry and way too much cabbage. Holden loved it bc he loved cabbage. We ate there were leftovers that we didn't eat. Would not make again.

12. Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken - 4/5: I was confused, I thought this would be a shredded BBQ chicken. Think sandwiches. This was definitely more of a soup. The flavor was really good though and the fact that there was no actual BBQ in it was neat. Made leftover and the kids generally liked it. 

disclaimer: These reviews in no way reflect Jessica, or her cooking abilities. Everyone has different tastes.

So would I do it all again. You know, after learning my lessons I will give this another go. I would really like to throw in some panned freezer meals like shepherd's pie, lasagna, baked ziti, etc. So it isn't all slow-cooker and there aren't so many soups. There are a lot of Parker staples that I would like to try to freeze as well. April is going to be crazy so I'm considering doing it again, just don't know if I have the time or energy to actually spend 2 days on it. 

If you've made it allllll the way down to this point I commend you. Promise my posts won't usually be this long!

Absolute Insanity & 50 in 50

So I promised during the last post to let you all in on why I've lost my mind. I'm extremely Type A, and pride myself in excellent time management. With that being said, the past couple months (okay last year) have just been absolutely insane. Everytime I feel like I have a break coming up, it doesn't happen and things snowball easily when you are a working from home mama of two with your house on the market...oy. So, I've been a bit scatter-brained recently. Forgetting things, losing things that aren't mine (don't get me started), in general over-extending myself completely. So instead of completely shutting down and burying my head in the sand - which sounds so enticing, especially if that means I get to go to the beach - I decided to throw something else huge in for good measure...why not?

After running for Ordinary Hero's Run 4 One team in Nashville 2012, Charlotte 2012 & Nashville 2013, I wasn't sure I was up for another Nashville race. Last year it poured for the entire 2 hours and frankly, I was tired. Training was rough. My head just wasn't in it. I do love to fundraise for OH though and had raised almost $1,500 just by running...so how could I say no? I decided to up the ante a little. Instead of setting my fundraising goal at $500, I wanted to try to get 50 $15/month supporters for one year (or $180 one time donations). This raises $9,000 for Ordinary Hero AND gives me the opportunity to go back to Ethiopia!! I absolutely see that as a win-win and I cannot wait to go back!! 

This was Nashville Country Music Half Marathon 2012 (my first) 2:06

I had made sure to smile and proudly show my bib number at every photographer I saw. These two are from the last mile of the race...when I was dying. Don't let the smile fool you.

Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon - November 2012 - PR 1:54

I was THRILLED to PR this race, but it was hilly and I was HURTING!! Once again, don't let the smile fool you.

Definitely don't let the smile fool you with this one either. Country Music Half Marathon 2013 - 1:57 I was soaking wet and freezing...

Why up the ante for my fundraising goal and just stay at the same ol' half marathon anyway? That's when I decided to train for the full 26.2 miles. Yes, I have officially lost my mind. For whatever reason, my brain figured it would be more motivating to train for something I have never done before, than to do something I know I can do. That doesn't make sense. I know. I'm still trying to figure it out. 

So mid-December I start Hal Higdon's full marathon training program. I had used his training program for all of my halves, but I modified it. Let's be real, I don't like running back-to-back days. That takes the fun out of it entirely (fun?). Anyway, I get going and on one random Sunday morning I fall into the Runners World trap. I call these traps because every single email they send is the BEST program, the BEST diet, the BEST shoes...and I fell for this one. It was the Hanson's Marathon Method. I downloaded the book figuring even if I don't do it, I will learn something from it. The book went into all the scientific reasons why their method works better than traditional programs. Very little of this I actually understood, but they did the research, who am I to argue? Basically you run your arse off 6 days a week and train your muscles to run tired. The longest run your have is 16 miles because when you do run those 16s you are so tired from the week leading up to that, it strengthens your legs. Their whole goal is to train you for the last 16 miles of the marathon not the first. I decided to go for it...I've already lost my mind, what can it hurt? Coming from the girl who hates running more than 3 days per week...

This was my training schedule...

No biggie...

So...if you want to help my efforts not be in vain, please consider donating toward my 50 in 50 campaign!! Go to Colleen's 50 by April 23rd to donate!

So far I have raised $2,890!! THANK YOU to all who have donated to far! Keep it coming!!

I hope to update everyone on my training. Truthfully, I'm stupid tired. If you see me and I look like I'm about to fall on my face, chances are I am. ;)

Coming up: Slow-cooker freezer dinner review

The Parker Organization Update

I realize it's been FOREVER since I have posted, but I assure you, I have really good post ideas. That counts. Right?

Life have been insane. At work we have hit missions/audit/spring fundraiser season, which is always fun (minus the audit part). I love love watching mission trip members receive donations and chipping away at their balance. I kind of throw a little party for them in my head when they hit their goal...I understand that sounds insane. I'm a nerd. I think I mentioned that in my intro somewhere? 

Change the World for One is coming up!! April 24th, 2014 at The Factory in Franklin. Go here to buy tickets! If you have anything to go in our silent auction you can email me at colleen@ordinaryhero.org. To find out more about Ordinary Hero go to www.ordinaryhero.org. 

I've been running more than I have ever run in my life (or ever hoped to, if I'm going to be real honest here). I'm a 28 year old with 80 year old joints. Apparently that's okay since I choose to run. Or something like that. I'm planning to retire my running career in April. We will have to see if that actually happens. I think too much of my sanity depends on it. 

This mothering thing. Yeah, that takes a lot of time. Yelling disciplining, teaching, finding some alone time encouraging independent play, etc. A little update on the littles...

Holden: has increased his energy level (are you surprised?) and is learning to READ!! I love LOVE to read and I can only hope that my kids grow to love it too. We have been working on sight words for a couple of months and he just recently "graduated" from kindergarten sight words. Watching him learn to read is really really fun. He loves the independence that comes with that. We register him for kindergarten at the end of this month! What?! Where has my baby boy gone? I try to remind him as much as possible that he will be my baby even if he towers over me. That will be next month probably. We finally cut his hair and then he cut a little bit of it himself as well...oy vey. Don't worry, it will grow out again. 

Non-biased opinion: He's gorgeous.

Adelaide aka Miss Sassy Pants: We are officially in the two's. They aren't too terrible...yet. Although I haven't forgotten three's and the insanity fun that they hold.  She throws her fair share of fits and dramatics, but for the most part she loves to snuggle, eat snacks non-stop, and play with her big brother. Before she asks a questions she says "Can you tell me sompfing?", and when I ask her pretty much anything she says "There's no reason." regardless of the question. Such a fun age. She recently got the opportunity to model for Ordinary Hero's new spring line. Coming to the Ordinary Hero store soon!

She's not ornery. Promise.

All in all the kids are getting easier. Both are potty trained - I can leave the house without a diaper bag, both are in big kid beds, both are in school. They can play without a ton of supervision - until they eat some toothpaste. That didn't happen. Yes it did. I'm really looking forward to this summer. I think galavanting around town with a 3 and a 5 year old will be really fun. We plan to hit the splash pad, science center, beach, library, and an assortment of parks & pools. 

Nick? Nick who? No I'm totally kidding. Nick works lots and lots six days per week. He tends to get home around 7pm, the kids go to bed at 8:30 and with my early (too freakin' early) wake up call, I go to bed about 8:35. We seriously need a date night. Ask my for my paypal if you want to donate to the fund. ;) Luckily we have my good friend & first roomie Jen Weber's wedding in Chicago this weekend! SO excited to get some time with Nicholas. We plan to eat some good food, celebrate some good friends, and sleep in! 

Nick planned something special for Valentine's Day this year. Last year we were flying across the continent of Australia from Melbourne to Perth on vday and it's impossible really hard to beat that! BUT Nick decided to bring Australia home with Aussie burgers, Aussie beer, and Tim Tam Slams!
Aussie burgers consist of grass-fed beef patties, over-medium egg, beets, greens, & bbq sauce. Aussie beer is Coopers, compliments of World Market. Coopers was the first beer we enjoyed on our first day in Sydney. 
I'd so love to keep Tim Tam Slams a secret, but really it's too good not to share. In the states these chocolate covered sandwich cookies are called Arnotts and can also be found at World Market. All you have to do is bite a bit off opposite corners of the cookie, then suck freshly brewed coffee through it like a straw and eat before it melts. You are welcome. 

Nick Tim Tam Slamming

Thanks for stopping by!! Coming soon...why I have lost my mind (like you need more reasons) and freezer slow-cooker meals review!

Have You Recovered?

When I returned from Africa, so many people asked "Have you recovered?"

My answer was always, "Physically, yes, but in other ways I hope I never do recover."

I have wanted to sit down and write a follow-up post to Ethiopia. I really haven't felt like I could end my trip posts and then start again with the "happy" posts, it just didn't feel right. 

In Ethiopia I tried so hard not to get bitter, to remind myself that some are blessed with things and others are blessed with faith and we all need to share. But upon coming home, putting that into practice was so much harder than I thought it would be. I was/am so caught up in how frivolously we spend, how much we "need", American traditions or the "norm", taking so so much for granted...don't even get me started on Hollywood. 

Nicholas had to talk me down several times, because I would get so angry..."Why isn't anyone helping?! How can people ignore the needs of others?!" The truth is, feeling like this won't get me anywhere. I can't get mad at people I don't know and assume they aren't helping, maybe they are? All I can do is account for my actions. What am I doing to help? Am I ignoring the needs of others? Am I taking my blessings for granted? It's not hard to get caught up in our culture; to expect a hot meal on the table, a clean bed climb in at night, a hot shower and clean clothes available everyday. We are so blessed in so many ways it's overwhelming. 

I couldn't stop thinking of that sweet little Hermela I held in my arms, sobbing for a bite to eat. Nicholas and I decided to sponsor them through Endihnew Hope via Ordinary Hero. Sponsorship meant three meals a day for her whole family (Mum and little brother Kaleb), as well as a job in claywork where she can bring her children with her. I just about lost it when Endihnew sent me a picture of their first trip to the market.

Seeing these pictures brought such joy to my heart, because the last time I saw her, she was sad and sick and hungry. 

Pulling that little girl off the ground that day and feeling her suffering radiating off of her changed my life. God blessed me so that I could bless her and change her life. It's a beautiful circle. 

Since then I have learned that she turned 5 yesterday! SO much fun that her and Holden are so close in age. It makes it really fun to share with him about Hermela and easier for him to relate to her. I cannot wait to go back and squeeze this sweet little girl! Holden wants to go too...maybe someday we can go together. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMELA!

Happy Birthday from Holden!

Travel Days #9 & #10 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Travel Day #9 July 7, 2013

Today we got to sleep in! We went to Beza Church, which was very interesting. I have experience full gospel worship before even though it’s far from Church of Christ. Beza was on fire for God. That’s really the only way I know to describe it. That type of worship gives everyone the freedom to praise God how they like which was refreshing and energizing. It was very interesting how this whole week we really have not seen “rich” people, but there at church people were well dressed, well fed, spoke English well, etc. This church could have easily been in Nashville, Tennessee. It was very strange compared to the devastation we had seen all week.

After church we ate a quick lunch in the parking lot before hitting the road back to the Hope for the Hopeless (H4H) country-side “campus”. Last night we had packed all of the blessing bags so we could hand them out. The last time we went there were tons of kids hanging out outside the H4H gate begging for food and clothes, so we were excited to get to bless them with the bags.

It poured down rain and hail on the way to H4H and had stopped but the clouds were very dark when we arrived. We assigned each dormitory room to an age and lined the kids up outside the gate and sent them in two by two. They first got wiped down and then sent into the rooms for new clothes, shoes, and a toy. After everything we had seen this week, it was like I had a weight on my heart for all of these children that needs so much. Today, while blessing these people with new clothes and shoes, it felt like some of that weight was lifted. To be able to make an immediate difference in these children’s lives was amazing.

There was also a medical clinic set up where people could get checked out and a dentist clinic set up. Kelly Soutas, a friend and dentist on the trip got right to work, but the power kept going out making his work difficult. They encountered several kids that needed much more work than they were able to provide under the circumstances. Some had teeth pulled, others had teeth filled, and one had an infection so bad it would have killed him within the year, if not for Dr. Soutas. It’s a joy and a pride to know the Soutas’ and I am so glad I got to see them work and serve the Hope for the Hopeless kids.

We returned to the Life Center after a long day on the road and helping these sweet sweet children. After dinner we gathered and got to hear Bissy and Kelly Putty’s story. I had heard them both prior, but before the backdrop of Addis, it was powerful to listen to their hearts and their passion to serve.

Travel Day #10 July 8, 2013

We needed to get to the Hope for the Hopeless house in the city early so the Soutas’ could get their dental clinic set up and start work on the city kids. The children did a great job. I can’t imagine how scary that is having never seen a dentist and with most needing teeth pulled. We played with the kids, started a soccer game and even gave a dental clinic showing them how to brush and floss their teeth.

We left to get lunch at (according to Ryan Daly) the only respectable burger place in Addis. We crossed town only to discover they had no food. To Americans this seems strange, but it’s life in a country where food and money is scarce, especially if quality is what you are looking for. We decided to head back to Metro Pizza where we had eaten earlier in the week. Pizza, calzones, and french fries were ordered and we continued to get to know each other as a team. It truly is beautiful when you meet people with the same passion, in all different walks of life. We all had different experiences on this trip and all of our hearts were pulled for certain organizations and causes.

After lunch the plan was to return to the IAG transition home, where we visited the very first day under our fog of jetlag. We are visiting Addis during the rainy season. It rains every day without fail. This results in a very muddy city and country-side and makes playing outside and service projects a challenge. On this particular day it poured and poured during lunch. We had to make several detours on the way to IAG, one of which involved driving the wrong way down a highway…our driver didn’t seem phased by this. We nearly arrived at IAG at the same time we were supposed to be back to the house to pack up and leave so we decided not to go. It would have been to sad to see the light on those kids’ faces, just to have to leave in 15 minutes.

Earlier in the day we started collecting money for anyone who wished to give to Endihnew Hope (the starving mountain children). This particular organization was especially dear to my heart. Seeing those kids with the hope of food in their eyes and there not being enough was too much to bear. I was so excited that just within the team members we raised close to $700 USD. This is HUGE!! This will help feed ALL of the children for 3.5 Saturdays!! I would really like to find monthly sponsorships for Endihnew Hope. Maybe church groups can commit to a Saturday a month or something like that? We got to present the money to Mesfin and that was fun. I cannot wait to see lives changed with that money. It didn’t take anything for us to throw a few dollars in, but it will make such a difference to those children.

Saying goodbye was really really REALLY hard. We had the best receptionists, drivers, translators, cleaning crew, security, and cooking crew we could have asked for. Plus, a host of children stayed with us throughout the week. Some were sponsored kids from the neighborhood, others were sponsored kids from Kore, others were sponsored kids from Hope for the Hopeless. By the end of this week they were all like family. These boys are really good boys just trying to make it in a world that is really difficult and trying. It was great to show them love all week, hug on them, encourage them, feed them, cloth them, welcome them into our hearts and our community. Naturally it’s not easy to break away, especially when you don’t know when you will be back. We will be back though and that’s encouraging all in itself.

We made it to the airport to wrap up our trip. It’s interesting how something can seem so long and so short all at the same time. I have extremely mixed feeling about leaving. This trip has changed my life. To be honest, I have read blog post after blog post, heard stories, seen pictures, and thought I had an idea what to expect and how I expected to feel. The reality is that the situation in Addis is so much worse than I had ever imagined. I will probably never know what it feels like to not be able to feed or clothe my children, to share a tiny one room hut filled with disease and despair, to know my child is sick and slipping, and not be able to fix it. This week, it felt like these children were my children and I had to do everything I could to fix it and make it better, but the need is far far to great for one person or for a team of 30. Thankfully, nothing is far too great for God. My prayer is that each and every one of those people are provided for above and beyond what we could every hope for. That is exactly what God promises and their faith is strong and complete and raw and unshakable. It’s easy to get bitter about where we live and how God as blessed us in comparison, but I fully believe that we are blessed so we can bless. We can show Jesus’ love through blessing the least of these and they can show Jesus’ love through their faith and reliability on God.

I am excited to go home. I cannot wait to see Nicholas, Holden and Adelaide. I cannot wait for modern conveniences like flushing toilet paper, drying my hair and internet. I cannot wait to breath in smog-free air. I cannot wait to share the need that is Addis Ababa, and inspire other people to be an ordinary hero. Step out in faith, change a life. It’s so easy to read about and forget, but when you look into a staving child’s eyes, you cannot forget. I seriously encourage everyone to sponsor a family or child. This is not a detached relationship. It’s a BIG deal to these people and they consider you family. All of this kids that stayed with us were sponsored and it was amazing to see how their lives were changed. They have a hope for a future when there was none.

Lastly I want to encourage everyone to go on a mission trip. Immerse yourself in what you think you understand but don’t. See, feel, hear, smell the desperation of these families and you will never ever be the same. We are all made in God’s image and we are all called to love. It’s not comfortable. It’s not a vacation. If I even begin to scratch the surface of my emotions over what I’ve seen, I may never stop crying, but it’s not about me, it’s about love and service, faith and duty. As an added bonus, the people you experience these things with will turn into family in a very short period of time. When God is speaking to hearts and revealing Himself, we come together and focus on Him, His will, His people. Lives are changed all around and it’s a beautiful thing.