Our Family Circus

The trigger of interest for me to go on the mission trip to Vnam was the orphans. I have followed many blogs of families that have adopted and have been on the praying end of those as well as friends from college and now high school who are adopting! I am an adoption blog junky!! My Dear and I are watching for God to tell us when we are to join the ranks of these parents. I wondered if Vnam might be where He would lead us. In my readings, I have established a few rules for adoption....this is where families who have adopted laugh! We have 1 son and 2 daughters so naturally, our child would be a boy. Our child would also fall within the birth order meaning that he would be 2-3 years younger than B. keeping with the pattern of the ages. Yeah, I know, only God would smile at my arrogance with a "bless her heart" on His lips! Let me just say, the little boy above broke the mold! He came into the orphanage later in the afternoon because he goes to a deaf school off campus. I attem...

I had some reward money for being a customer at a store. I had to use it by today so last night we loaded up the troops so that I could go get some shirts that fit. A year ago, I cleanced my closet of stuff that was worn out or showed too much if I wore it. With that being said, I needed shirts. I know I have gotten older but has fashion really changed that much? I am beginning to wonder if since the clothes are made in Asian countries are they measuring Asian ladies for fit? I have seen those ladies and they would be the first to say that WE ARE DIFFERENT! I will just call myself a typical, healthy American (I so need to get a post up on this topic while in Vnam.) Due to my disappointment in fashion, I have develped a shirt test. I put it on and bend over in front of the dressing room mirror-if stuff is visible, the shirt is out! The other test is to reach. If you can see that evidence of my last pregnancy (or 3!) when I reach up or what the back of pants hold, then that shirt...

Since our trip to Vnam, I am seeing ministry differently. I did not realize that I was looking at it through, "it's all about me" glasses. You would think I would already know how this works. I held ministry positions since college and even worked at a Missions camp. I was called to ministry and then called to be a minister's wife....I should have gotten it! But it was clouded through those "it's all about me" glasses. Many times when My Dear wanted to hang out with the fellas or have teenage boys laying around our living room with game controllers, soda, burping, or the RISK game board-I wondered why he did not want to spend time with me. I resented his being gone every Friday night for football games and through the week for practices in a position he volunteered for. Tonight, after a service mission project and then a game of Capture the Flag-we had My Dear to ourselves again. After dinner, we hopped on our bikes and rode to the park. We LOVE...

My bed has been stripped of it's linens (thank you Billy) and lays naked under clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away. But I need to talk to ya'll! My Dear just asked if we had mushrooms and peppers on the pizza we had for dinner-apparently, I did not clean up after B. very well. Cool story-our local "Papa's Pizza Hut" as B. calls it agreed to put a flier about a new study at church on their pizza box lids. Because of that, the people of our church bombarded them with orders to thank them. So much so that they just laughed when I told them why I was ordering. He said, "we have talked to all of you tonight!" What a witness to those folks! My Dear has lost 17lbs so pizza is a no-n0. We ordered when he would not be home but he contributed the funds to pay for it. I pulled the wagon for a walk afterwards. Praying that God will see our goal and evaporate the extra calories! He is a mighty God!! As you can see, I have some stuff to take care of...

Some days I get so fed up with the STUFF in my life and the culture we live in that I want to put our belongings in the front yard with a for sale on it and pack the family up and move to a 3rd world country. I heard God tell me before our trip to Vnam to prepare to move. Finally, He is going to do it! He is going to send us to Vnam!!! I told My Dear and he did his preacher laugh. Have you noticed the preacher laugh? It is the laugh to celebrate what God had done. Billy told me about the laugh when he called My Dear (in the car with 2 preachers) to tell him that he had accepted Christ. I asked Billy what the fellas said and he said, "they laughed!" Hence-the preacher laugh. So when I asked if My Dear was ready to move-he laughed. As I sat with all of those folks in the insanely hot room I waited to hear God tell me to go to Vnam. I understood our leader's love for the country and it was easy to love the people. The fields are so ripe with folks hungry to know! Surely they...

Just when I think my body is back to normal, I lay awake in bed. I am aware that the happenings of the trip have invited some spiritual warfare so please continue to pray for those you read about. So here is what has been on my heart to share with you. Each time we left the hotel, we would pray together. When we got to Vung Tau we had enough room to stand in a circle holding hands right outside of the hotel. The hotel manager asked our translator Grace why we did that. Grace told me about her posing the question, told me she spoke English and prompted me to go to talk to her. Grace was our eyes and ears! She invited us to join in where God was working. I walked into the lobby to check on Grace while the rest of the group waited for their dinner. I saw the young woman and went to talk with her. Because both of us had a strong dialect, I had to strain to understand what she was saying and I am SURE she had to do the same. I told her what I believed and then went back to our table to get...

I am up 2 hours early this morning. So, maybe I am off still a little bit on time or maybe it was the chocolate that Nana left when she went home. Either way, I am up. I awoke with prayers of those who accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior in Vnam-the hands I held and the necks I hugged. Prayed for them today as well as the ministers and wives that blessed me. With My Dear working outside of our home and my being at home full time, the children miss their daddy. On Wednesdays, he kisses them good-bye in the morning and gets home to kiss them good night. In fact, he comes straight through the door to get to their bedrooms before they are too groggy to know he was there. If there is an event or camp, I try to busy them so they do not miss him. But then it happens, a break down. My Dear and I have diagnosed the problem as "QT." One little person gets QT and can not contain themselves. They need Quality Time with daddy! Daddy sweeps in to cuddle, talk, read, and sometimes lay ...