FAITH

Faith. A word I love. Most Christian are aware that having faith is not always easy. I would dare say that for the most part it's not easy. Faith is believing in something we can not see. My 7 year old daughter Kennedy said it best, "I don't know what faith is but I know I have it."
In about 3 weeks our team will be traveling to Ethiopia. Satan has attacked this trip since the get go. What began as seven team members is now down to five. Our route to Ethiopia is going to be brutal. What we planned on doing while we are there has changed. Our fundraisers have not gone well and $3,000 we were expecting, well that's not looking good.
For most of us who have been called to "go and help the orphan, feed the hungry, preach the gospel" the finances are not there. We have faith and do our part. As for my team, we are working concessions every Saturday for 2 months. Today is the 4th week we have worked and will be the first time we will see a small profit. We have 2 more games before we leave. We have sold t-shirts, we have prayed. We will leave behind our families, our work which we will not be paid while we are gone, plan to do one thing but knowing if those plans change we will walk through the doors that God opens. We will remember that we are there for them, not for us.
So it is safe to say the only thing we do have that is for sure is our faith and when your a Christian you know that is all that matters. God has called five of us to Ethiopia. This is a honor, not a burden. We will do our part and in His most perfect timing He will do his.
Satan would love for us to crumble and quit. Sorry Satan, not going to happen!
I love this quote and I live by it.
"Be the kind of woman that when her feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, Oh crap she's awake."

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Today my heart broke...again

Today I went to visit the Vietnam Traveling Wall.It is something I have wanted to see for a long time. When I was little girl my family lived just down the road from Fort Sam Houston Army Base in San Antonio, Texas. My dad had stayed in the hospital on base when he had heart problems. After he was released he began inviting some of the men who were serving in the Army to our home. They would visit on holidays, dinner or just to hang out. They were so young.
There were three young Green Berets that we became very close to. They were like our big brothers. We would visit them on base or go watch them practice jumping out of planes. In my eyes they were bigger than life. I was particularly close to Gary. I even took him to show and tell!


One day they came to our home and I remember they looked sad. They were leaving to go and fight in the war in Vietnam. We never saw them again. We did get a couple of letters but I have no idea what happened to them. Did they make it back? Did they die? I will never know. As I walked up to the wall and saw the thousands of names my heart broke. Is one or all of their names carved on this wall? So many names. So many lives lost.


What was pretty amazing is that when I pulled up to where the wall was I saw all of these people walking out of the school. It was a naturalization ceremony. These people, young and old were walking out with their flags, citizenship papers and these big smiles. It was a sight to behold! Trust me, our newest citizens have to know more about our country than we will ever know! They do not take our freedom for granted. As I walked past all the smiling faces and I came to the wall, I didn't expect to feel so many emotions. It was reminder of all the lives that have been lost in the name of freedom.

America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. Today I had the privilege of seeing people who came to America to be free and the names of men who had died for that right.


Greater love has no one than this, that he who lays down his life for his friends. John 25:13

Prayers needed for these sweethearts!

Please pray for thier daughter Teresa. She needs a miracle
www.ourplacecalledhome.blogspot.com

Please pray for Michael. He also needs a miracle.
www.stinkytofu&otherthings.blogspot.com

Have you ever thought about adopting?

Well if you have I've got some news for you! I have a blog www.Istillwait.blogspot.com with information about several waiting children.
I also just received information on a young man 13 years old who needs to be adopted before he ages out July 1st 2012. It is stated he is from the Asia continent. He loves to play soccer, is an extrovert, healthy and wants to be adopted!
There is financial aid up to $14,475. Single women may apply. For more information please email me at: hugaway@cox.net
Please let others know about this young man and the children posted on my
"I still wait" blog. Maybe together we will find all of them a home!

5 Grandestbabies!

This is a picture of me and my five grandestbabies! I have had the same question asked several times since I posted this picture on face book. So I thought I would answer it here just in case anyone else wanted to ask me this question.
Those that know my family should know that 2 of my 3 sons each have a child. Now it has always been a unspoken rule in our home that we never use the words step or half. Adopted yes. So along the way of life's amazing journey God has blessed us with five grandestbabies!
With that being said 3 out of 5 of these precious ones have blessed our lives by allowing us to be their grandparents through adoption! I have often said "we have six kids 3 are adopted but I forget which ones." The same applies with our grandestbabies. Their ours plain and simple. It doesn't matter how they came to us, all of them are part of our family. And that's what matters!

The Mom

Tonight I went to my youngest daughters meet the teacher night. Again I sat there in a second grade classroom, in a tiny chair looking down once again at the little drawing my daughter made me because she knew without a doubt I would be there. The surroundings are all to familiar. I added it up, I have attended 27 meet the teacher nights ( this was the 3rd time for this particular teacher) at this elementary school! On the bright side only three more to go.

As I looked at all the young moms sitting there hanging on to the teachers every word and asking lots of questions I was thinking to myself that I would have never in a million years imagined that I would still be sitting here at this stage in my life. That wasn't my plan. But God had a different plan and I am so glad He did. The older I get the better my life becomes.

I may never be the youngest mom, the skinniest mom or the coolest mom in Kennedy's class, but I will always and forever be her mom...and Cameron's mom, Jordan's mom, Dustin's mom, Cody's mom and Michael's mom and that makes me a blessed mom!