Ethiopia Mission Trip Giveaway!

Korah Project 61 from Kari Gibson on Vimeo.

I came across www.mycrazyadoption.org blog yesterday, and boy was it inspiring. This family will be giving away 2 trips to Ethiopia for a mission trip with Visiting Orphans. I would love to win this trip, but it will be awesome for whoever gets this opportunity. The team will be working in Addis Ababa with Project 61 for extreme needy children living in the Korah city dump and a 2-day ministry for orphaned street children (feeding program). There will be a special outreach at an orphanage 1.5 hours outside the city, as well as an excursion to Negash Lodge to see the beauty of rural Ethiopia. They will also visit Fistula Hospital for an exclusive tour of the center and the courageous women featured in the movie “A Walk To Beautiful.” [itinerary subject to change]
All you have to go is go to www.mycrazyadoption.org and purchase one of the Simply Live t-shcirts before October 28 and you will be entered to win this amazing opportunity to serve God in another country by ministering to the poor, orphans, and widows. So, give yourself a chance to be a part of this.

Minus 1

147 Million is a huge number. But, just think, it could be 147 million minus 1, 2, 3, and so on. All it takes is a heart open to love. I love the orphans with a passion I cannot describe. And, God loves us so much more than that. Don't be afraid of the unknown. There is a child out there that NEEDS you, and you NEED them. You walk ten months with a life growing inside of you and your love for that child grows so much before you even meet that child. When you adopt, you have an adoption pregnancy that can sometimes last from 2-3 years...just think of how much love you would have for that child after that long of waiting to hold that precious one.
My husband says I cannot adopt them all, but if there were a way I could, I would. My heart breaks for them, cries for them, and loves them from the other side of the world. I challenge you to look into the eyes of an orphan and tell them, "No, I cannot protect you. I cannot feed you. I cannot clothe you. I cannot hold you. I cannot handle you in my life. You might be too much for me to handle." Did Gid say that to us? I hardly think so. He loves us so much that he sent his son to DIE for you.
As you lay in bed tonight thinking there is nothing You can do for the orphans, think of the child who has no one to call their own, has no food, has no clothes, cries out and knows there is no one to soften that cry and fear for them.

Be the Change

I started reading Quaker Summer a little over a week ago and am almost finished. It is a fictional Christian book. All I can say is everyone should read it. It is about life, how we get to that point where we know that there has to be a change. And figuring out what that change is going to be and how we are going to go about making that change. An awesome read.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world," was sang by Michael Jackson (not a favorite of mine, but those words hold some meaning to me). And Jesus said, "In as much as you've done it to the least of these, you've done it unto me."
God wants us to care for the poor and the lonely and the sick, not just for their sake, but for ours. Because in this, we become like Him, growing a bigger heart than we ever thought possible.
"Sometimes you have to go a little crazy to find the life you were meant to live."

The only family picture this family has ever had
The only shoes they own, most of the soles cracked in 2
Precious Souls, yes souls

Life around here has been crazy, nonetheless, good. Olivia has gotten into her school routine. She is now reading, adding, telling time, and teaching me things she already knew. Logan is loving his Day School Program. He constantly asks when he goes to school again. When we pick him up and ask what he learned, he responds by saying, "Letters and Numbers. We played outside and I ate cheeseballs for a snack." Gotta love him. Carson loves to color when I do school with Olivia. Logan and Carson have been spending a huge portion of their day outside and loving every minute of it. Leia has now added a full crawl to her list of things she can do. She prefers her army scoot but can manage just has quick with the good old fashioned crawl. Her first tooth finally broke through and makde its presence known a little over a week ago. Yay!! Not that she was letting no tooth hold he back from eating adult food. She still refuses baby food, and eats pretty much the same thing we eat for every meal.
Miss Naomi Grace made her grand appearance a little over a week ago. We've only seen a few pictures but are hoping Mammaw will have lots more to share. Olivia sure is excited about having a "girl" cousin.
We are only a month an half away from Leia's first birthday. I cannot believe our bbay girl will be one year old. She is growing way too fast. She is such a happy, bubbly, snuggly little girl. We have something special planned for her first birthday and can't wait for all who want to participate. Even those who live far away will be able to be part of this special time for her. More to come as it gets closer.
The pool came down this weekend, and the patio is ready for a fall cookout. Now if the temperatures would drop about twenty degrees it would be perfect. The pumpkin patch trip is scheduled for this Tuesday. The kids are super excited. And, so am I.

Orphan Sisters

Leia and Mia are sisters, in a way. They are orphan sisters, born in the same country, spent their first months together, until they were united with their forever families. This past weekend they got to see each other for the first time since we brought Leia home. I'm sure they don't remember each other, but I pray they develop a bond that holds together a lifetime. They have a story...together, to share with their children and grandchildren. We love you Leia, Mia, and Mr. Buttons. You are all most precious to us.

Psalm 119:105

Do we really let God's word light the paths of our lives or do we seek the guidance of men? God has all the answers, and he isn't hiding them from us. We have a book that is for us, made just for us. All we have to do is let it lead our lives and illuminate the path that we should take. There have been so many times in my life when I have not allowed God to guide my paths. I pray that I will be able to keep my focus clear and straight on the path that He has designed for me. I want His path, not mine. My path leads to nothing, but his path will lead to an everlasting life with him.
I know for me, I need someone here, in the present, to keep me accountable. I can recall so many times when I have called a friend, poured out my woes, only for her to answer with what God says. It puts my thoughts back into perspective and I am able to stop overanalyzing. Until I call that friend again, and she is there again to remind me of the path. Friends do that for each other. It is such a wonderful thing to have someone who can step in and say, "WEll...."
I believe that everyone has room to change and that everyone should change everyday. If you don't change then you aren't striving hard enough to be the Christian that we should be. A Christian is to be like Christ. And we will never be perfect like Christ, so there is always room for improvement on my part. I want to change. I do not want to be the same tomorrow as I am today. I want to be better tomorrow than I was today.

My Harvest is Overflowing

We spent the weekend in the ozark mountains with my family. It was soo wonderful just to be away from everything for a couple of nights. We wallked the creek, listened to the birds (singing while they migrated, Olivia informed me), read books, studied the Bible, kids running in every direction. Mom and I cooked a good ole Southern breakfast. Justin, Brittany, and Kaden joined us Friday night and Saturday afternoon. We had our annual fall family photos. It was incredible windy as the cold front moved through, but we captured some good ones. I will be editing this week and will post soon. Here are just a couple of candid shots.

I cannot even begin to put into words the amount of fun the kids had. Logan and Olivia went hunting with Papa. Logan was even telling Papa to be quiet. They ran, made stone soup, widdled sticks with Daddy, threw rocks, roamed the creek and fields, and so much more. They made memories that I hope they remember 20 years from now.

My harvest is my family. It has grown. I have sewn and am now reaping a beautiful family.

Impossible Is Not Possible

With God, all things are possible. If you know Him, have a relationship with Him, obey Him, then anything is possible.

Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

A little voice keeps entering my head telling me, "Our house won't sell. How will we ever get enough support to move to Costa Rica and survive? How will we do this?" I was driving today, and I kept hearing, "Nothing is impossible." It was like a broken record that kept restarting. The exact phrase that popped into my head was, "Impossible is not really a word to God, because with God there is only POSSIBLE."

So, with God's help....

• our house CAN sell


• he can provide the financial support that will be needed


• we can move to Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Ohio, South Dakota, Peru or wherever He sees the best place to start. KEY word, where HE sees fit. Not where We think or where someone else thinks.


• we can convert lost souls

Nothing is impossible, because with God all things are possible.

Things I Want You to Remember

To my sweet babies...

Olivia-

I want you to remember sitting in the bathroom with me and asking me to sing "I love you for always. I Love you forever. As long as I am living my baby you'll be.

You tell me we are the best buddies. And I pray you will still think that in 10 years.

You love to snuggle with me. We both treasure those sweet moments of eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses while snuggling.

You are amazing at memorizing your Bible verses.

Your prayers to God ring like sweet melodies to me as I listen to your requests to your heavenly father.

You have such a sweet heart and do not like anyone to be disappointed in you. It devastates you.

You love to sing songs about Jesus in the car. And your voice is quite beautiful. (And I don't say this just because I am your mama.)

You know how to work the system with your sweetness...not in a manipulative way though. It is very sweet. You want to stay up longer so you butter me up with sweet words and love.

LOGAN-
You are by far our loudest child. You have two volumes: Loud and LOUDER.

You can delay any meal by going to the bathroom 5 times before it is over.

You are so sweet when you want to snuggle. Yes, you do like to snuggle. Every night for the past couple of weeks I have had to crawl in bed with you under the covers to snuggle.

You love to sing in church.

Right now you always ask to be the one to lead prayer at home. You are so thoughtful in your requests. You even ask to go see the crocodiles in Costa Rica : )

You ran in front of me the other day to open the door for me. When I asked you what you were doing you said you were being a man and getting the door. You would not let me get the door. You said you would get it. Your Daddy has been teaching you how to be a gentleman and you have taken to it quite well.

When I ask about your mornings at school you always mention playing outside and snack time.

You will not allow the vitamin handouts to be forgotten. You are relentless until everyone has their vitamins.

You love to work.

You can melt my heart with the flutter of your eyes and the way your tilt your face.

CARSON-
You have the best giggle that can be heard a town away.

You call me Ma. You can say Mama, but I believe you like shortcuts, so I am Ma.

When you need a hug you come grab my leg or arm and pat it, then you give me your trademark smile.

You copy everything your siblings do at this point in your life. Sometimes it is cute and other times it gets you in trouble.

At the age of 2 you can carry a tune and it is so cute.

You love to help Mama around the house too.

Outside is your favorite place to be.

You pray along with Logan and Olivia when they say their prayers aloud. We can only catch the Amen, but you are trying so hard.

You have the pitter patter down the hallway down to an art.

You don't meet a stranger and always give them your smile and a shake of your sweet hand. And sometimes even a hug.

LEIA-
You look at me and, I believe, deliberately say "Dada," over and over. Daddy thinks it is the sweetest thing ever. He says it is the cutest voice.

You love to eat real food. No baby food for you.

You are crawling everywhere and pulling up on things.

You have become just as loud as your siblings, which makes for a pretty loud zoo around here sometimes.

You are the baby of the house that everyone wants a turn holding.

You always go to sleep with your monkey blankie.

You are going through a stage where you want Mommy and snuggle right in.

You do not like to be awakened and are quite the cranky thing if you don't wake on your own.

You have a smile the melts hearts all around.

Apple cinnamon Cherrios are your favorite.

You have started drinking from a sippie cup.

I do not want you to walk yet. Daddy practices with you, but I discourage it. I want you to remain a baby.


I thought about these things on this day, and I want you to remember them 10, 20, or 30 years from now.

To be a kid again...

Oh how I loved Saturday mornings as a child when I would sit and watch cartoons. Then once I outgrew cartoons it was Saved by The Bell. Seems like so long ago. Funny to see my own children on a Saturday morning watching cartoons.



Wow, look at this hair! Leia's hair has definetely grown. And it is out of control when she wakes up. Even Logan said the other day, "Mama, you need to conrol her hair. It is crazy." But she's so cute with her wild hair.


Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys this awesome weather that God has blessed us with. Aaron and Lisa flew in this afternoon. We are planning on haning outdoors tonight, playing, conversing, eating some yummy food, and Leia meetting Aunt Lisa and Uncle Aaron.