The Purse

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved purses. I think because of the environment I grew up in my purse was the one thing that was mine. I made it very clear at a young age that you don't mess with my purse. If it could fit in my purse I put it in there. I still carry a little bit of that compulsion with me today. Seriously, if you need it chances are it is in my purse!
Today I had decided I was going to treat myself to a new purse. I had not bought one in a long time. There are two rules I use when I buy a purse. 1. It has to be love at first site. 2. I will not pay more than I would normally carry in my wallet. That means usually not over $40 and knock offs are fair game!
So today I had been looking around without much luck. I decided the next stop was going to be my last. The store was having a great sale with some pretty nice selections. I was looking at a purse when this elderly lady came by. We started talking about purses and I told her I was trying to downsize. We laughed about how downsizing was hard to do and the purse rules for different seasons. I told her I never went for that rule if I like it I buy it black in spring, pink in winter, all that mattered was if I like it. She decided that was going to be her new rule because she needed to shake things up a little!
A little later she came back with this cute yellow purse. She asked me what I thought. Now I am not a huge fan of yellow but I really liked it. She told me that her granddaughter was a big executive with the Marriott Hotels. And when she visited her last week she was carrying a big yellow purse. She had told her grandmother that it went with everything...jeans, dresses, gym clothes. I told her I thought the purse looked great and she should buy it. She had found another one she liked and decided to buy both of them because they were hot! Then she told me there was one more yellow one left but it was a different style. Me? Yellow? I went over and looked at it and it was love at first site! And it was on sale! I told her I was going to buy it and she was thrilled! Half the people around the purse area and some cashiers were smiling and laughing with us. I have never had such a good time picking out a purse!
As my new friend and I were checking out I found out she was 86! I thought she was in her late 60's. She is proof age is just a number. I took my new purse home and transferred my possessions from my other purse. I love my new purse. Not just because I went outside of my box and bought yellow, I love it because it will always remind me of a very sweet & cool 86 year old lady who not only gave me some great fashion advice she blessed me and put a smile in my heart that is sure to stay there for a long time

The Journey

If you have read my blog then you know I have a foundation called Hug Away. People have often asked me why & how the foundation came to be. Well....it came to me at a very low point in my life. I am talking suicidal, depressed, what is the point of all this low. That was the fall of 2000. That September I had a very vivid dream. I seem to only remember dreams that have a purpose or meaning for my life. This dream was so amazing that when I woke at 2 a.m. I grabbed a legal pad and began writing down everything. I knew without a doubt that God had spoke to me in that dream. Afterwards I went back to sleep and when I woke up later on that morning I felt different. I was at peace. It was like God was telling me "this is the point Elaine." All I know is within a few days the suicidal thoughts were gone, I was no longer depressed and I knew what the point was!

I am a visionary, a dreamer and when I think of something I want it to happen now! What I didn't realize at that time that God was going to send me on a little journey before I proceeded with the dream He had given me. This journey would test my faith in more ways than I could have ever imagined. More importantly this journey would bring me closer to Him.

After we adopted our second daughter I had told one of the social workers at the agency we adopted from that one day I would be working here. She said "Elaine you need a degree." I told here that would not be necessary. A little over a year after "the dream" a friend called and asked if I would like to come and work part time for her at the agency. Are you kidding me? I ended up working there a almost 6 years. I would not replace the everything I learned working there for all the college degrees in the world! Seriously, not only did I learn many wonderful things but I met so many amazing people. That knowledge and some of the people I met would help me on my journey to full fill this dream.

One day in 2006 God laid on my heart about helping others with the cost of adoption. This was something that was close to my heart. When Mike and I were adopting cost was a huge factor. We knew that God had called us to adopt and He would provide. I don't mean He was going to dump a check or a bucket of money on us. He would show us ways, put people in our life that would help and we would get creative. One of the ways He provided was through adoption grants. On one grant we received way more money than we needed to finish paying for adoption so we gave that amount back so someone else could be blessed.Hug Away began as a ministry through our church. And right off we raised enough money to help several families with adoption grants. It was amazing! The only thing we asked of these family's was that at some point they give back so someone else could benefit.

In 2009 request for grants were few. This was kind of a good thing because there was no money and only two faithful donors. It was not looking good at all. For the first time I thought maybe I had made a mistake and maybe this wasn't what God had called me to do. So in September 2009 exactly 9 years after God had given me that amazing dream I was considering shutting the doors on Hug Away....well if we had doors! But there was one scripture that continued to come to my heart every time I wanted to quit.
Revelation 3:8 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

My main spiritual gift is mercies. I mean on a scale of 1-10 it is 110! Then comes faith, discernment and exhortations. I always knew I wanted the foundation to have the capability to help as many families and children as possible. So when we moved from under the umbrella of our church and became a non-profit I told my lawyer to make sure our paperwork stated we would work in other countries helping orphans and children who could not be adopted.I believe all children deserved to know they are loved, feel safe and not go hungry.
Let me back track a bit. I grew up in an environment where things that most families would take for granted was not provided. I will leave it at that. But no matter what has happened in your past you can overcome. God used that situation in my life and planted a desire in my heart to make a difference. Just saying. OK on to the journey.

So my heart was torn and I had no idea what to do. Then something truly amazing happened that proved God was not ready for this door to shut. a friend called and asked to meet with me. She along with her husband worked in Ethiopia for many years as missionaries. They now have a ministry called the Oromo Project and travel to Ethiopia several times a year. When we met she told me a friend of hers from Ethiopia was coming to visit and she thought we needed to meet. Myself along with my husband and two friends who had traveled to Ethiopia went to our friends house for dinner to meet this man. He told the story of him and his wife finding children hanging around the gate of their home. They were hungry not only for food but also for an education. They wanted to help them but how? They took their own money and found a building and rented it. They started a school so the children could learn and have a meal. They are both Christians an believed God would provide for these children. They had no idea how this would happen but they trusted God.
I sat there almost in disbelief. I am listening to this man thinking "Only God could bring a man from Ethiopia and sit him here in front of me and have him speak to my heart." Everyone was so moved and you knew without a doubt this meeting was no accident. Later I went up to the man and told him that the prayers him and his wife prayed were going to be answered and that God had just answered my prayer. That is all that had to be said. We knew. We hugged each other like we had known each other forever. Yes, God was keeping the door open.

Hug Away has partnered with this couple. We have a school in Ethiopia that needs our help and 110 children who need sponsors and more to come. Just like my husband and I believing that God would provide for our adoptions, just like this couple knew God would provide for these children, just like scripture told me only God could shut the door we all believe that God will help us help them. He will provide.

The journey continues every single day and I learn something new every day. Is it easy? Not always. But it is so worth it! When we first started the foundation I just knew that the money would come rolling in. After all who wouldn't want a child to have a home or help an orphan? Wow, was that a rude awakening! There are so many causes and needs in the world and people have a lot of choices of who to help. I also want to mention that after we became a non-profit and the donations were slowing down "I" just couldn't figure out why? After all "I" was doing everything "I" believed God had asked me to do. And "I" was trying to hang in there and stay faithful. Then it dawned on me, "I" was the problem. I had taken the focus off God and replaced it with "I." Not a smart move. Once I realized the problem and put the focus back on God things began to happen.

I am blessed to have been chosen by God to take this journey. He chose me at the lowest point in my life. A time when I had lost all hope and faith. That is how He works sometimes. You know why? It makes those watching us ask questions. And when they ask we have the opportunity to share not only our story but we can share about God and what He can do with if you let Him. Oh, remember that legal pad I wrote on after the dream? I still have it. It reminds me that God is always with us, we just need to be still and listen and stay on the journey.

Tolerence

I have been thinking a lot about this word lately. So I looked it up and here is the definitions of tolerance:

•the power or capacity of an organism to tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions
•permissiveness: a disposition to allow freedom of choice and behavior
•the act of tolerating something
•willingness to recognize and respect the beliefs or practices of others
•allowance: a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

The words "freedom" "choice" "willingness" "respect" "within limits" stood out when I read them. It seems that tolerance definition should read "politically correct" "it's all about me" "no limits" "no choice."
Now before I go on to the next sentence let me say this, I believe in free speech. I also believe that God gave us the freedom to choose. We can choose to believe in Him or not, we can love or not, we can help others or not, we can be tolerant of others or not. Tolerance does not mean you agree with the person or their ways or beliefs it means you respect that person.
The liberals, our president, our government, homosexuals, different religions,pro abortion groups and many others ask Christians to tolerate their beliefs, to respect them. Yet they do not practice what they preach. They refuse to tolerate us and our beliefs. Case in point, go to this site http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm20100331/ts_csm/291560
and read a story that should make most of us angry and sick to our stomachs. I wonder what these people would do if we said "OK our Marines and Soldiers will not protect you. If we are attacked in any way shape or form they will not come to help you since they believe a dead soldier is a good thing." As a mom to a Marine and an aunt to two nephews who have served in the Army the fact that a judge would side with the radical fundamentalist is just another example of where our country is heading.
One more example that soon Christians will get the raw end of the deal. Obama voted a radical gay woman to head his Department that oversees work discrimination. She believes that sexual freedom is far more important than religious freedom. huh? Yup the Obama crew tried to sneak that one past the American people. Gee I wonder who side she will be on if a homosexual files a case against a Christian because they were reading their bible on their lunch hour at work? Or Obama snubbing the guy from Israel. Nice show of tolerance Mr. President.
I don't believe in homosexuality but as a Christian I try my best to love the person. This is true even with our President. In my human heart and head I can't believe this guy was voted into office. But I do pray for him and try to find love for him. This is Gods greatest command. He didn't always agree with folks but no matter who they were or what they did He loved them. To bad some in our country are pushing God further and further away from America. I would love to be a fly on the wall and see their faces when He returns.
I love reading books and researching things. And I can tell you this, the Bible, a book written thousands of years ago has prophesied every single thing that is happening today. Don't believe me? Read it.


1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Reality Check

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."
- Patrick Henry, Patriot 1776

"People of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Who would have believed that men and women who have CHOSE to fight for our freedom in America would be told, not asked to scratch off a scripture that has been placed on rifles they use by the manufacture. Why? Because a "select" group complained. I found this snippet in a article about the rifles.

The contractor that makes the equipment, Trijicon, said the U.S. military has been a customer since 1995 and the company has never received any complaints about the Scripture citations.
"We don't publicize this," Tom Munson, Trijicon's director of sales and marketing, said in an interview. "It's not something we make a big deal out of. But when asked, we say, 'Yes, it's there."'
The inscriptions are subtle and appear in raised lettering at the end of the stock number. Trijicon's rifle sights use tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, to create light and help shooters hit what they're aiming for
See, there had been no complaints until this story came out. Then some politically correct "select" group chose to make this their platform and got their way.
Why make all of the Marines scratch it off? Let those who it bothers scratch it off their rifle. What about those believers who love having that scripture on their rifle? What about their rights?
Please don't email me or post that because I am a Christian I should turn the other cheek. Have you ever heard of righteous anger? I am angry because the God I love, the God I choose to believe in, the God who created the world and every human on it is slowly but surely being shoved out of America. I am angry because the majority of Christians choose to sit passively, ignore the issues, don't speak up or assume that someone else will fight the battle.
The amazing thing is that God gave us a free will. Believe or don't believe. That's your choice. He's not going to make you do anything. You don't like a scripture don't read it. Don't want to pray. Don't. Upset because of a tiny scripture on the end of your rifle. Scratch it off. That is your choice. But don't take away my right to believe, read scripture, pray or have a tiny scripture on the end of my rifle.
But for those who continue to push God out of America remember this, God will leave if you ask Him to. But along with Him goes the blessings America has had since she was founded on those biblical principals. That is already happening. Look around. Your freedom, your choices, your privacy is slowly but surely being stripped away. And as the quote above reigns true the religious freedom of Americans are being stripped away so we don't "offend" other religions or ethnic groups that choose to move here because of the freedom America will offer them. Ironic isn't it?
Yes. I am upset that my son who has chose to fight for Americas freedom is told to remove a scripture that he believes in from his rifle. And yes it upsets me that some who come to America for freedom are offended by the very thing that makes her free. But what gives me peace is that I know, that I know, that I know that you can push God away all you want but you can never, ever push Him out of a believers heart.
Wake up America. It is time for a reality check!

"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with WINGS AS EAGLES; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Simple Life

Oh how I wish things were simple again. The truth is we do have power to put some simple in our lives. I have decided to do just that. I have made my life not so much complicated but extremely busy. Now this happens when I react instead of being quiet and knowing God. I began this Spiritual Cleansing a gentleman spoke about at our church. I am going through one of three books and let me tell you it has been a spiritual eye opener!
I am a christian, a child of God, a servant of God, I study His word, I pray. I would think I am doing great. But when you ask God to search you with a fine tooth comb He will reveal your shortcomings to you and what you need to work on. All that to say God has put on my heart to simplify my life, enjoy life and spend time with Him.
He spoke to my heart and I listened. I don't need stuff to make me happy or busyness. I need Him. I also need to spend more time with my family and stop and smell the flowers.
I had my grandkids a few days this week. They were all having so much fun but I was watching my grandaughter as she went up and down the sidewalk a hundred times on her scooter, smiling and having such a good time doing such a simple thing. Oh and her outfit well that just added to her simple sweetness. She inspired me!


Amiya

Spring Formal and Good Times!

Yes! After 3 boys who could have cared less about dances, formals, proms (well one went to his prom and yes I was excited!)I have finally arrived! I mean Jordan went to her first spring formal!
It wasn't quite what I expected, there were no long dress oh but it was so much fun helping her shop and get ready! Before the dance we went to one of her friends house and took pictures. Afterwards they went to a restaurant to eat, on to the dance and they had a great time! After the dance IHOP,of course. Ahh..to live vicariously through your kids. Good times! Did you ask if I had pictures? ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Of course I do, plus some pics of my other beautiful daughters!
Kennedy decided she wanted to learn to ride her bike without training wheels. That took about 10 minutes and she had it down! Cameron is so protective of Kennedy. It is so cute to watch.

Grand kids

Our grand babies! They are such a blessing and a joy. When they come over there is never a dull moment and we have so much fun. My grandson is the only boy around. He is surrounded by his sisters and his aunts. And let me tell you he is all boy so we make sure he has boy things around to keep him entertained!! To have just a little bit of his energy. I love it when we all go out and people just stare at us. We have 3 Asian girls with their dark hair and eyes, a blue eyed blond girl, a dark haired, blue eyed girl and a red headed, brown eyed boy! Yes we make some heads turn not only because they don't look Mike or myself, with the exception of Jordan they are just about stair step. 1,5,6,8,& 11. People crack me up. They either stare at us and grin or stare and shake their heads like "what are they thinking?" If they smile I always smile back, but if they shake their heads I smile and wiggle my eyebrows up and down like "don't you wish you knew?"