July 18 On the Plane

By the Time we got to Dulles Airport, I was already homesick and exhausted. I called Guy David in tears and asked him to come and get me. LOL   We came the night before and spent the night in Newark. We got up and I believe we got to the airport at about 8, caught our flight around 10 , and then once we got to the airport in Dulles we had a 9 hour layover. Oh and if you only could have seen Marge, Sarah and I trying to get all of this heavy luggage where it needed to be. There was a scene on the escalator that I am sure if someone was video taping it we could have won  a million dollars on AFV. I still laugh every time I think about it!!  The time spent at Dulles Airport was so long!!!!! I had no book w/ me and was depending on the Ipod where I had downloaded " Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. We had charged the ipod before I left and for some reason it was already drained and I did not even use it. So I decided I would get out my little computer and go on facebook, etc. Well, I could not sign in to anything even though it kept saying I was connected. So much for technology and I was faced w/ the fact that if I was not able to use them here in the states then the chances I would be able to use them in Africa was slim and I began to struggle. The day before I left, I downloaded skype at the suggestion of my Aunt and was so excited knowing that if and when I could get  online I would be able to talk to my family. Now, I was faced w/ the thought of not being able to talk w/ them while I was away again. That and  NO BOOK!!!! Yep, I just wanted to go home!!! I love my husband dearly  but if I ever go on a trip like this again , he is not going to be around when I pack. I wanted to pack a book , my hairdryer and some makeup. He kept giving me the guilt trip as we were struggling keeping the weight at 50 lbs for one bag and I had already decided that I would go over on one and pay the $50 extra but was struggling keeping that bag at 70 lbs. He would say say, " Hmmmm, would you rather take that stuff or donations for the kids?"  School supplies are so heavy!!! even trying to keep my carry on at 15 lbs was a struggle as I was stuffing crayons and chalk into it. Now , though I have to say I wish I would have left a couple more boxes of crayons and chalk and taken at least my hair dryer.  Those who know me ,know that I am no diva but boy did I have some real bad hair days and yes, it bothered me (embarrassed to say) !!!!!! To top it off, something happened that brought out just about every insecurity I had and I so longed to be home  w/ those who knew me,knew my heart, knew my struggles, and loved me despite it all.At that moment , I was even more grateful that Marge and Sara were there w/ me!!! I just kept praying and reminding myself that I did not want to let anything hinder me from being used fully by God and reminding myself that it was not at all about me!!!!

                      We soon met the whole team and started to feel a little more at ease. I could tell right from the start that this was an awesome team!!!! Everyone was so friendly  and helpful!!! I started to relax and get excited!!
                     Marge and Sarah made sure I got a window seat and I was so happy!!! Here are some shots from my flights:

                

I am Home!!!

Good Morning  all!!!! After a very long day of flying, I along w/ Marge and Sarah are home!! When we got to Dulles we had a 4 hour layover and then a quick flight to Newark  and then I would see my husband.I was counting the hours.  We were so close but so far away. First , we had a delay because they were doing maintenance on the plane. I wasn't sure whether to feel good or bad about that. Then they decided to put us on another plane. Good thing because  the other plane only had one propeller working.  We got on the plane ,it started moving and then it stopped. We were told that we did not have the okay to take off because there were other planes circling and waiting to land at Newark due to bad weather. After awhile, We were taken back to the gate and had to go back into the airport. We waited there for about another hour and were loaded onto the plane. We thought ,"Ok, now we are out of here." We were so anxious to see our families!! No such luck.  We got on the plane ,got into our seats and were given the "Psych." We seriously thought the pilot was joking when he said  that we could not leave after all. We were then given the option to get off and seek out renting a car  or staying on and waiting to see if  we would be able to leave. Once you got off of the plane you could not get back on. This was the closest  thing to a breakdown I had the whole time I was on the trip. ( I think;0) ) It was close to a temper tantrum, I must confess. To top it all off I was in that last seat right by the bathroom and let's just say  who knows when the last time they did lavatory servicing was. I sat there and cried because I was so frustrated , because I so wanted to see Guy David, because the smell was making me sick and because I was so embarrassed of how I was acting and what I was feeling. The stewardess ended up bringing a bag of coffee back and putting it into the bathroom. It did help. This was after I tried to move to a different seat once others chose to get off and was told I could not. That's when the temper tantrum almost happened.  I am so ashamed but in my defense ( Though I feel there really is none) I felt done a couple of days before  and just kept fighting through and kept saying to myself, " It's not about me." I failed once I got to America and it truly makes me feel sick!!! I expected  a clean smelling plane, I expected to  have a flight actually go smoothly once I got to America etc. etc. So , I felt like a spoiled brat and I cannot believe I have shared this with you!!! I pray that I get to a place that it is never about me like so many of the amazing people I met in Africa.
               I can't even explain how good it felt to finally land in Newark and to walk through those gates to baggage and see my husband standing there.I had waited for one of those amazing hugs he gives for so long!!!! I love him so much and I don't think I was ever so happy to see him in my life!!!! It was a such a long night  but so good. I cannot share about my trip w/ out tears. I prayed that the Lord would break my heart for what breaks his and he did. And now , I am so overwhelmed and wondering how I will put it into words and right now I just can't. I am going to take a day  and then plan to share here one day at a time. I am sad to say that I forgot to take my camera battery charger so I will need to get pics of Ethiopia from my new friends. What an amazing team I went w/ BTW!!!!!! God could not have sent me w/ better people. I was blessed beyond my expectations!!! I seriously liked every single one of my teammates and one of them reminded so much of my brother Ryan. He had the same kind of humor so I laughed alot. What a comfort it was to me!!!!! Thank you, Kevin!!!! Hopefully it did not freak you out too much that I kind of adopted you as my brother for the trip!! LOL
              Thank you so much for all of your prayers!! I felt them in a huge way!!!! Thank you to all of you who helped make this happen for me!! I was right where God wanted me !! There were times I questioned but God was so good. How funny that I say that like I am surprised.At those times when I was anxious about my safety etc. I would just remember how far God had already brought me and how he just kept working things out making it possible for me to even go on this trip and this verse kept coming to my mind ; Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God , who began the good work within you,will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. NLT
             I am now heading for another cup of coffee and hopefully will be able to share some of my pics w/ my family. Guy David took the day off to be w/ me!!! And I am so grateful as I am pretty much an emotional wreck!!! It is so weird to be here,to sleep in my bed, to flush the toilet paper,to hear my washer going, to see my clutter piles...all while thinking of my friends in Africa who have so little in things but have such joy of the Lord. We will never forget the children that we asked where their home was and they would point up to the sky and say,"It is in Heaven w/ my Father!!" Most of these were orphans and some had HIV or were sick in other ways. Never have I witnessed such a joy  and a love for the Lord!!!

Africa, Here I Come!!!

Wow, what a whirlwind it has been since I decided to go on this crazy missions trip. :0) I cannot believe the time is here. God has done amazing things to get me to this point.I have no doubt that this is His plan. That does not mean that I am not feeling a bit anxious and not having a hard time leaving my family for 2 weeks. Tucking my kids into bed last night was rough. Livy and Jonah were crying and Keith was extra playful. What that means is that on the inside he was crying too. Well, I stayed strong, gave lotts of reassuring words and extra lovin. Then, I cried myself to sleep. :0) Well , I actually did not cry myself to sleep. Right before I fell asleep my wonderful husband prayed over me and I felt that peace wash over me . The same peace that has been washing over me all week. God is GOOD and gives us just what we need. All we have to do is seek Him and ask. Part of how he does that alot of the time is using others. So ,I ask you to please be praying for me and my family while I am away. Here are my requests and please check out the side of this blog for my itinerary.
                                       PRAY FOR:
~ that I would be myself and let nothing hinder me from being used fully by God in the lives of the children etc. I will meet while I am there
~ a hedge of protection around my family while I am away and that they would have so much fun that it will be hard for them to be too sad
~ Safety for all of them but especially for the little one who is not quiick to obey.:0/
~ For Guy David while he is being Mr. Mom
~ For all who will be helping to take care of my children
` that all of the children our team will meet will see and feel  the love of Jesus in us and will somehow be changed because of our presence.
~that I would not be anxious for anything......especially while I am on the planes
~ good weather and smooth flights ( maybe too much to ask but I am asking :0) )
~ no stomach/ food issues while I am there and no reactions to Malaria meds ( so far ,so good)
~that I will sleep well so I do not get sick
~ that I and the rest of my group will be led by the Lord  and have unity and wonderrful new friendships
~ that I will have a sweet time w/ the Lord and though it will be a crazy trip ,that I will come home refreshed
Special Request in my heart:
~Some of you know that last year I became even more passionate about photography and started taking classes. In one of my classes, there was a gal who goes on mission trips for the purpose of capturing the trips on film. I thought that sounded so fun. Well, this is not the main reason for my trip but it is certainly something I am very excited about. The Lord even provided an extra job for me so I could get a new lens. :0) I haven't had the time to devout to my classes like I wanted to or to even play w/ my new lens. So I ask  that you pray that I remember all that I have already learned ans that I will capture what is in my heart w/ my camera. Also ,please pray that my camera works well for the trip.


Thank you!!!!!!!! Hugs and love to all of you!!!! I am blessed !!!

I will soon be here and feeding these children!! It will be moments like these that will make all of this worth it!!! I cannot wait to share it with you!!!

The hearts of the Children

 

What a fun week we had at VBS. This years mission project was raising money for the Amazima Feeding Program. This was very special to me because I will be visiting Katie Davis http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ on my mission trip and will be part of this Feeding Program while I am there. Sarah and Julie did such a good job at teaching the children about the Feeding Program and why there is a need for it.Thes children worked so hard to bring in money for the kids in Uganda. I heard that some  were having lemonade stands,some gave all of their allowances and some gave away birthday money.In the end the children raised about $1,000.00 and w/ a very generous donation all together we were able to donate $2,000.00 for the Amazima Feeding Program. Even now, I write this w/ teary eyes. What a blessing and soon I will see those little children in Africa and be feeding them myself. :0)

We definitely needed to reward the children at VBS for their great efforts and giving ways. Since , the theme was High Seas Expedition, we decided that the reward would have to do w/ water and since some of the pastors were getting the kids wet during the week........hmmmmmmm............there was only one thing to do: The Pastors must Walk the plank!!!!!

First, the kids had to find all of the  pastors.

The Plank

Let the bombing begin. :0) The kids got to throw water balloons at them and try to knock them in.

I think Sailor Jack is going down.

There he blows me hearties!!!!

ARRRG!!!

Well Shiver me timbers!!!Finally, all men overboard!!!

What good sports!! It was alot of fun!!!

PS Thank you Seneca for taking pictures ! Very nice girlie!!!!

Shots of the Fling Part 2

Ok , Now it's time to dance!!! It was what I was waiting for all night!!

Jonah is showing off his moves!!

Riah showing off something else. LOL

I couldn't get a good shot of Molly because she just kept spinning.Check out that hair though!!!

And the winner Is...... She was trying to outdo Jonah and she did!!

Connar was acting all shy and then the truth came out. He is not too cool for crazy dancing afterall. These make me laugh every time I look at them!

Lydia getting down!! Really we were surprised that she did not fall down. Rock on Sister.

Too cute!! Livy was giggling w/ embarrassment but she couldn't help herself.

Annalise bustin a move. I tell ya Break Dancing  must run in the family. Go Annalise!!

It's time for Family  Feud!!!! I must say that my team kicked butt. Woot Woot!!!

Molly and Livy modeling the Tu Tus we made to auction off.

And here is a little taste of the goodies that were donated for the auctions. :0) So thankful!!!

This is the beautiful quilt that my Mother in law made and donated. My Aunt Judy was blessed to take this home!! She was so excited!

I love the tag and what it says. :0)