An update on adoption, Denney Photography and Mighty Strong Girls

Have you ever gotten excited about something that God put in your heart? 

Two years ago, I attended an orphans conference and heard beautiful stories of adoption. I knew then and there it was something I could do, and I felt like God wanted my family to adopt. Since then, I've been excited (and anxious) about adding to our family.

A little less than a year later, my husband was at a church leaders conference when a speaker spoke for less than three minutes about adopting one of his children. Then and there, he received God’s word that we are to adopt. Seven months or so later, our children were able to instantly “find” enough money to cover the fees for an application for adoption. So we applied. We earnestly thought it was God's will. We were all comfortable with the challenges adoption brings and excited to see God's glory shine in and through the brokenness.

 

But then there was a communication snafu with the adoption agency we were working with, and it seemed we were already late with the $5,000 fee, on top of needing anywhere between $2,000-$6,000 for our home study that needed to begin right away. We thought we had 90 days to raise the money, and because our case worker dropped the ball in explaining anything to do with finances, they were gracious and gave us a 30-day extension. 

We were super busy at the time with the kids and Dan being in Jungle Book and me writing and photographing on deadline for Mighty Strong Girls, so it was obvious that if it was God's will for us to adopt right now with this agency, it would be His miraculous act that would make it possible. We ended up with a $50 donation right away and then nothing.  The 30 days came and they went.

Part of me wanted to (still wants to?) grieve. I have been saving the kids' clothes for hand-me-downs, dreaming of bedroom remodels. We've been praying for our children. We've been faithful. We've been hopeful. 

And yet, reality was hitting us hard over the head. Both kids NEED new mattresses, and we have no way to buy even those. We have a couple medical bills in collections, and then we discovered that the credit card we use for Mighty Strong Girls, Trades of Hope, gas and occasional food had suddenly been "maxed out." There was only $2,000 of "wiggle room," and while we knew I was without the teaching job that paid $500 a month, we didn't guard this very carefully and it grew. 

 

Why do I share such intimate details? Most people cringe at personal finance stories.

 

I KNOW that many of us go through such trials, and because we announced our adoption here, it seems only fitting to announce our un-adoption here with the reasons. 

 

YES, I believe in a big God who can do all things, and I had a few in the adoption community call out my doubt. But as former leaders of Financial Peace University, we knew we were being less than good stewards by letting things slide. Does God want us to adopt AND pay off our debt? Yes! But we believe He stopped this process so that we could see that it's time to right the financial wrongs FIRST so we can then get back to the adoption He so clearly put on our hearts and continue living in the principles He has taught us. He's here to help us not to hurt us!

 

I was feeling shame and regret, condemnation and criticism because I thought we failed, that I failed. That I disappointed my family. None of these are feelings are of God! 

 

Did we somehow screw up? You betcha! We are human, and we stumble. We know better. Oh my gosh, we know so much better. And if wasn't for the grace and glory of God, we would have far more debt right now than we do. Plus, we know what to do to get out of it. 

 

Here's where it gets sticky. It seems obvious to "get out of it," I need to get a job, right?

 

But something about scanning classifieds and considering a $15 per hour graphic design job seemed "icky." I could invest (I guess on credit) in Denney Photography. 

 

So I went back to "basics," the basics that have led me thus far. I prayed. I asked God to intervene, to show me the path to take, AND I promised I would be obedient. Uh-hum, the sticky part. 

My daughter had passed out magazines to the teen girls on the Jungle Book cast, and one of the moms wanted to talk to me. I knew this on Friday but didn't run into her. Saturday morning was when I went on a bike ride and I said my prayer before going to work at Jungle Book. It was then that I ran into her — the nameless woman I had never before met. It was SO WEIRD! She was asking questions and shaking her head in agreement before she spoke. She admitted she didn't read the magazine but only saw the cover. Then she began speaking to me with authority. It was almost like God was standing there talking to me through her! She looked me dead in the eyes and said, "If you are really serious about this, you have to give it everything you've got." 

I have always felt like this is what God wants of me. To brush all else aside. To focus on Mighty Strong Girls alone. It seems impossible, as there is barely enough in faith pledges to cover the basic necessities, let alone a salary of any sort. Plus, it was my photography that literally saved our butts in the last couple weeks as Dan took three days off for his grandpa's death and funeral (he doesn't get paid time off).

I absolutely believe and KNOW that God can do all things, and that the timing isn’t for us to figure out. I can count at least a half dozen reasons the adoption isn't in His timing right now, the most important being that it's about the kids He has planned to join our family.

So, what does this mean for our family? A lot of scary things, I suppose. A restructuring of Mighty Strong Girls is coming that will allow it to be both a mission (Business as Mission) AND a ministry. It will open up doors for us to sell magazines, advertising, event tickets and other things that simply aren't acceptable under IRS rules with our Ripe for Harvest partnership. We still are accepting and NEED donors more than ever. Those are tax-deductible through account 381 with Ripe for Harvest, and they allow us to do printing of the magazine as well as one-on-one ministry with preteen and teen girls.

It also means I am closing the doors on Denney Photography. I won't renew the website, so if you have a gallery online, place your orders soon! At first, this saddened me, but in prayer, I don't think it's the end of my creative and portrait photography work. For one thing, I am doing this now for Mighty Strong Girls, which gives me great joy! We can set up a shopping link on the Mighty Strong Girls website and sell prints from the magazine to help offset our expenses. Also, I will continue to take photography work as God brings it to me without investing time and money in marketing it. I don't need fancy tools, flashy props or sophisticated websites to bring me the small amount of work it would take to help our family. And this way, I can feel free to say no if it interferes with Mighty Strong Girls. I don't know entirely what this looks like, and I'm not convinced that He won't tell me to drop it all together. But God has certainly used my photography to bring blessings to others and to our own family's mission work, so I'm not feeling like the rug should be ripped out here. 

As for Trades of Hope, I'm a little less certain. God clearly brought that to me. But I never felt like I was to sell it, so for now, I'm simply praying.

Clearly a lot is in flux, so more than anything, I would appreciate your prayers. I believe in Mighty Strong Girls more than ever, and I know that's where God would have me focus all the energy and time I can offer. But I can't do it without your help, your support and your prayers. Thanks for them...they are literally the fuel that keeps me going!

Angry and sad and confusing....oh my!

Warning: This post is harsh, but it gets better. So please in the name of all that's decent and right in this world, stick with it, love me in my unlovable state and read it all the way through!


Lately I've been sad a lot. God's really breaking my heart for the things that break his. And it's, well, really truly heart-breaking in ways I never knew I could be be heartbroken. 


For instance, I couldn't listen to an NPR story on chronic acute malnutrition in a Yemen village this morning without bawling. 


Maybe because I've seen it...face-to-face. And "it" has a name. Lots of names. Sadly I didn't even get this woman's name, because I had to walk away. I could not muster a single word, and I was "working" lest I cry right then and there! She has given birth to eight children. Three of them are currently walking the earth. She has named and then said good-bye to five of her own, burying them in the ground before they had a chance to grow up. And here's the thing: It's not a fluke. This is one of many, many sobering realities for the poorest on our planet. Did she do something to deserve this life? Just try to look one of them in the eyes and ever say or think it. The reality is THIS COULD BE YOU. The only difference between this woman and me is the place we were born. 

I've also been angry lately. Oh, so angry. At God somewhat for the state of our world, for not giving me more resources to help the heartbroken. But mostly at other people. With their new cars, vacations, ridiculous "toys," weekly mani/pedis, rituals that involve their hair. You get the point. I'm angry at how it seems people take things for granted. I am angry at the reality that a mom in Africa is forced to wait a week to take her dying child to see a doctor because she doesn't have $1 -- the amount it takes to get a cab and get there.


Did you know that Americans spend $31 billion on their pets every year, $13 billion on plastic surgery, $65 billion on jewelry and an astounding $705 billion on entertainment and recreation? 


Did you know if every American church-goer tithed, there would be an extra $168 billion? To eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than a billion people, it would require 40 percent of that -- $65 billion. 


These numbers -- presented in "The Hole in Our Gospel" -- kind of make me more sad. 



I am angry, too, because the place where I come from -- my upbringing, my world -- put such a high value on "things," more stuff and achievement that is tied to a dollar figure. I watch as people I love look down their noses at their own family members who can't "afford" a car or boat or RV (loan) and snub their own blood, blaming them for not being successful enough to pay their own way. 


Then I wonder where my parents would have been without the occasional handout from my grandparents or where we would be without my parents helping out. Certainly we wouldn't have paid off all our debt without the occasional shoes, back-to-school clothes and food that my own and my husband's parents have aided us with over the years. And without their help, how could we possibly leave a legacy for our own children. How can we teach them what money means if we aren't showing them? 


1 Timothy 6:17-19 says "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they make take hold of life that is truly life."


I love the way Richard Stearns also describes the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 25:14. The master gives to each "according to his ability," but what he expects is that we multiply our gifts for his kingdom. I want my kids to know: It all comes from God; we are not entitled to it but entrusted with it and we are to use it to further his kingdom. 


God talks to us more about money than most any other subject. He WANTS us to have wisdom in this matter. This I know well, but I'm reading along thinking of all the people I know who could do so much to further God's kingdom, to end pain and suffering, to feed the poor, to help a woman in Africa watch her children grow past age 5 or get a cab to see a doctor. I was literally getting mad at what the people in my life are NOT doing. Can you imagine my indignation and self-righteousness? 


Then I read on in Stearns' book last night to discover that 87 percent of non-churchgoers view Christians as judgmental, 85 percent view Christians as hypocritical, 70 percent view us as insensitive to others and 72 percent believe we are out of touch with reality. 


Yikes. Was he writing that for me? 


And so I MUST turn the table if I am to call myself a Christian. I must get that darned plank out of my eye. Because to be Christian is to be Christ-like. And besides loving ALL people, Christ was forgiving, revolutionary, truthful, radical and genuine. 


There it is. MUCH WORK is to be done in me. Who am I to be sad or angry and then judgmental when I'm sitting here among the 1 percent of the world's wealthiest people? And then, to make matters worse, look at that scripture in Timothy again. He is calling out the "rich," and while I may not feel rich in my society, the reality is I AM rich, and there's no dollar amount on the call to action here: Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. The time for action is NOW. 


The church doesn't exist within the four walls where I worship every Sunday. And I love this quote in Stearns' book, too, by Billy Sunday: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car."


Will you take this challenge with me, Christian sisters and brothers? Will you take the church to the people? Will you help be the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus? Will you be radical and revolutionary with me? 


Look at the woman above again. She's beautiful, isn't she? She's happy (probably more so than most Americans) and she has faith in a great God who can perform miracles. Brother and sister, WE are her miracle! She is praying for us, for us to be the hands and feet. 


God gave us all the tools and resources to change the world. We have all we need to end poverty. But until we join forces in faith, we can never create the church that God envisioned!

Breastfeeding in military uniform: Really? Who cares?

I recently blogged about the Time magazine cover on breastfeeding, and then linked to the story about these military moms nursing on Facebook. 


But I just can't get the story out of my head. Because there's more I want to say. Because darn it, my opinion and our attention shouldn't be on breastfeeding. It shouldn't be focused on a "controversial" military policy. My innermost desire is that we would hone in on basic human rights. That we would be aware. That we would drop petty opinions in lieu of "bigger issues" on our globe that should DEMAND our attention. And yet time after time, we turn a blind eye on what really matters and get fired up over some of the most ridiculous so-called problems in the world.  


Yes, breastfeeding is wonderful. I think it's the best way to feed babies. For some moms, it's the only way. Breasts have been over-sexualized, in my opinion, in America, to the point of ridiculousness. But like I said, it's not about breastfeeding. 


Yes, the military has a policy. And yes, these gals have disregarded it. Does it mean they disrespect their country? For God's sake, of course not! That's a huge leap! If they did, would they be serving in the military? Personally, I would not violate a dress code. Because to me, a job is a job, and if they can't provide me basic privileges to nurse or pump as a human being, it's simply not worth working for that employer. I'm a quitter, not a policy fighter. Never have been. But for the sake of argument, maybe these moms found the dress policy to be reasonable when they signed up for the military and then discovered how impractical and inconvenient it was once they were nursing. God knows my perspective on a lot of things changed once I became a mom. Should we assume they have no respect for the Air Force or their country because they nurse their babies in uniform? Because they seem to be fighting a policy that -- whether proven true or not -- they believe inherently discriminates against women? Should we encourage or participate in berating them? Really? Seek first the plank in your own eye before going after the speck in your sister's! I certainly couldn't throw the first stone, lest someone pick up a stone and examine my sinful life!


This also seems like another "excuse" to question whether women should even be in the military, not that I would ever want to fight side-by-side with men in combat. But today a woman can choose to, and the truth is the gender of a pilot dropping bombs on another country is hardly consequential, is it? The fact is they are there because they want to be there, and that policy was more than likely written before breastfeeding moms were allowed to serve in the military. Sometimes policies need to be changed and updated based on new circumstances. Period. 


But I also said it's not about military policy. 


Because the truth is eating is a basic human right. And to deny a baby the opportunity to eat because of a dress code is deplorable, especially as mothers in developing countries give birth and then cannot even produce breast milk because of malnutrition. Honestly, they and their babies are dying. Right now. One reason among many that are completely preventable: Starvation. So pardon me if I suggest that we divert our attention from this so-called controversy and look toward one worthy of our attention.


Here's a glimpse of what I mean by "bigger issues:"


Each year in Africa, 30 million women become pregnant, and 18 million give birth at home without skilled care.

Each day in Africa:
• 700 women die of pregnancy-related causes.
• 3,100 newborns die, and another 2,400 are stillborn.
• 9,600 children, after their first month of life and before their fifth birthday, die.


This is according to Opportunities for African Newborns, a publication developed by a partnership of UN agencies, donors, NGOs, professional organisations and individuals to be useful for all those who are committed to accelerating progress to save the lives of African mothers, newborns, and children.

"At least two thirds of newborns and a similar proportion of mothers and children could be saved with cost-effective interventions that already exist in the policies of most countries, but do not reach the poor," said Dr. Gertrude I. Mongella, President, Pan African Parliament, African Union. "Strengthening newborn health is a win-win-win for mothers, babies, and children. The price is affordable at an extra US$1.39 per person. Imagine if all the funds used for destruction and conflict in Africa were redirected to the health and survival of newborns."


Do we have enough people in our very country with $1.39 they could spare to save a life? That's a bigger issue.


Let's focus our energy on partnerships for a better world for babies who didn't choose the circumstances they were born into, not silly bickering over controversial breastfeeding images and whether or not someone's violation of a dress code makes them somehow less than human! 

A malnourished boy eagerly eating a meal of rice in Africa.

Feeling empty; Lacking love

Do you ever feel empty? 


Oh, that's just me? 


Well, I (somewhat begrudgingly) admit it: Sometimes I feel empty -- an emptiness that can't be explained. The world tells us this isn't OK. I mean, look at all the STUFF at our disposal to fill up our "emptiness." Big homes. Fast, shiny, big, beautiful bright cars. RVs. Boats. Four wheelers. Swimming pools. Fashion. Furniture. Art. Gadgets upon gadgets. Social media. Pinterest. 


Why on earth would anyone feel empty?


And yet, I do. Perhaps that's where I've gone wrong. Maybe, just maybe that's why I feel so buried, so insecure. Could it be that I've been reaching for STUFF, instead of to the ONE who can fill me up? 


Yesterday, in the depths of despair I cried out to God. Then felt slighted when he didn't show up with an answer. "I have faith," I insisted, in anger. "And I know you'll answer my prayers. Please show up here!"


Nothing.


I was left alone, I felt, with only the rambling thoughts of emptiness inside. Chief among those scattered thoughts were worries. A broken car. No job/income. Medical bills. And this unceasing desire to do more -- sponsor an orphan, feed hungry children, end the injustices I've seen firsthand in developing countries -- all the while being unable to care for my own family.


I speak as if I have faith, and I believe I do. I have left it in his hands, and I KNOW he will provide. And I know things take time, and I know he's growing me in this season of life. I do trust him!


Yet, in the midst of this, I look at what everyone else has, and I'm jealous. A jealousy that makes me angry. "I just want to pay my bills and help needy children...why can't I have more resources, God, when I want to use them to honor and glorify you?"


Is it any coincidence that I'm currently reading a book entitled "The God Who Sees You: Look to Him When You Feel Discouraged?"


I'm not sure why it continually amazes me that he meets me where I am. 


That emptiness, could it be a longing? A longing to be affirmed, valued, loved, appreciated, assured, connected, desired, celebrated, cared for and included as the author has suggested? 


Could it be that this is EXACTLY how God designed us? So that we would fill this emptiness, not with things of the world, but with him. Things, stuff and even people are unreliable. God is not. 


He may not always give us exactly what we want or ask for, but he's there. Always. And he knows our pain. He's experienced it firsthand. He chose to come to us as man, as Jesus, who endured it all -- physical pain, emotional pain, suffering, temptations, hunger, exhaustion, mocking, death. 


So it was reassuring to me as I read last night this passage in the book: 


"The real difficulty is that the unseen God is also hard to understand. His actions often don't make sense to us, and He doesn't look at things at all the way we do...


"To our limited understand, God's ways are mysterious and often counterintuitive. There are even times when, for reasons we can't fathom, God hides himself completely from us. When that happens, it's so easy for us to get wrong ideas about him. We get all mixed up about what we can see and what we can't see. And that's when we may fall into the trap of wanting to tell God what to do."


Wow. 'Cause that's exactly where I was yesterday. Telling God what to do, in the midst of my anger and confusion. 


Yes, I have faith. But I was reminded from 1 Corinthians 13:2 "...and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."

Do I have love? Yes, I would answer. 


But then as I examine the rest of the passage, it makes me wonder, is my love: 


Patient? ...never grumbling about life's circumstances but trusting my needs will be met? 


Kind?  ...putting others above myself, not just occasionally but all the time? 


Free of envy and boastfulness? ...satisfied with what I have, who I am and where I'm at in life? ...free of bragging and boasting? 


A love that is not not self-seeking? ...who is it I want to please? 


Not easily angered? ...am I quick-tempered? Do I lash out at others? Blame others for my problems? 


Free of records of wrongs? ...do I forgive, let go and let God? Always? 


One that rejoices in the truth? ...do I live my life like God is all I need? 


Protecting? ...do I seek to protect my heart and my children's hearts from the evils of the world? 


Always trusting, hoping and persevering? ...do I question the authority of love? Do I lose hope, give up? 


I know I have faith and hope, but I still feel something is missing. After examining this scripture, it's clear I'm lacking in love. It's no wonder I feel empty! 


This is a long list. And honestly exploring the TRUTHFULNESS of love is an ongoing exercise. For me, it will require making choices daily -- sometimes hourly -- to live a life that's driven by love. 


It will be hard. It goes against what we're taught by the world. It's a lifestyle that's not revered, and it sometimes requires us to admit we've messed up. But yesterday was a reminder for me that doubt = darkness, and I want to live in the light. The light fills me up ...with God, with faith, with hope and with love. He is all I need!

Go for the SHOCK factor!

I've been emotionally charged and fired up since I first saw the Time magazine cover with a 3-year-old boy standing on a stool breastfeeding. Yet every time I've taken pen to paper, I can't find the words. 


The truth is the 'old me' could spew venom with words alongside the best of them. Just ask anyone who's been the recipient of one of my stinging emails in the past! They'll tell you. It's true. I can fire up hate in the written format. 


Or at least I could. But lately it seems God's given me this gift to mince words. Instead of reacting, I stop, breathe and contemplate my next move. Which always seems to be prayer. And then I'm suddenly at peace and don't feel the need to say or write anything, least of all hateful words. 


Well, at least I've perceived this as a gift until now. Because I'm angry about this, and it's causing some serious writer's block...and possibly profanity. Sorry about that. I'm so angry that I really want to write something using lots of four-letter words. You see I'm still struggling to find the right words, so please bear with me!


I have been praying, and I have been reading what others have to say about this intentionally shocking photograph. And it's interesting really, the conversations that are occurring. 


Sadly, all too often they're the wrong ones. Since I've stopped, breathed and prayed and still feel the need to voice my opinion, here it is. Take it or leave it. I don't care. It simply needs to come out. 


The supposed issue at hand in this divisive mothering article: attachment parenting. Good or not good?


I'm so sick and tired of the criticisms of moms and women, scattered throughout advertising and media in our country. Pitting woman against woman, forcing us to decide one way or another. As if there's only ONE right way to be a mom. Why have we not embraced the beauty of motherhood in all its diversity? 


I'll tell you why not. 


Time selected a 90-pound mother in skinny jeans for the cover shot. What an unrealistic portrayal of mother to begin with. What is the message we're sending here? The ONE right way to be a woman so typically and disgustingly predictable of the media. Thin. Fashionable. Blemish-free. Calm. In a word: Perfect. Just like these 'mommy wars' suggest there's only one way you can be the perfect mom. 


Pardon me, but it's simply bullshit.

No wonder our teenage girls are suffering from so many mental health issues that they carry right on into adulthood. 


Mind you I just returned from Africa, where literally a village will help raise a child because a mother couldn't possibly be expected to do it alone. Because that's the reality! There's no taboo about a woman exposing her breasts in public to nurse her baby, or toddler, or preschooler. Oh, the joy and beauty of open-mindedness!


So let's talk about the real issue here: we live in a society that thrives on comparisons and criticisms. If the so-called Joneses have it, then it must be good and we must all go get it. If you don't have what the Joneses have, there absolutely must be something wrong with you.


And so, here is my wish list for what the Joneses would get so the rest of us will go chasing it, too. Don't worry, it's not a long list. Are you ready?






























EYES LIKE GOD'S. 


So women will see themselves as the beautiful creations they are. 


So the media moguls will begin to portray women for what they really are: diverse and amazing. 


So we will stop picking at the specks in our sister's or brother's eyes. 


So we will help our neighbor in need. 


So we will serve one another the way Jesus so lovingly illustrated for us. 


So we will all be MOM ENOUGH! To love unconditionally. To care for, embrace and encourage ALL children, not just our own. 'Cause that's what women here used to do, you know, until we as a society decided there's something morally wrong with us helping one another out in this incredibly challenging task of raising our children to be the best they can be. 


Let's stop picking on moms. Because the truth is there are 143 million+ orphans who would take a mom regardless of whether or not she supports attachment parenting, prefers formula over breastfeeding, works outside the home or stays home, uses clothe diapers or disposable ones, allows her kids to have a cell phone or not. 


Do you see what I'm saying? These are NOT the real issues! 


According to UNICEF, there are more orphans than the entire population of Russia. 


Did you know....


Every day, 5,760 more children in our world become orphans? 


Every 2.2 seconds, an orphan ages out with no family or home. 


Older orphans are often victimized. They are prone to abuse, suicide, prostitution, slavery, being turned into child soldiers and immorality. 


If you think for a moment this isn't your problem, this is where you're wrong. These children aren't all in developing countries. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the foster care system in the United States. There are neglected and abused children and orphans in your community.


Every year, about 25,000 children age out of foster care at age 18. Of them: 
* 25 percent become homeless. 
* 56 percent enter the unemployment ranks. 
* 27 percent of emancipated male foster children end up in jail. 
* 30 percent of emancipated female foster children experience early parenthood. 


What if we took all the energy that is necessary to perpetuate these myths, these lies about womanhood and motherhood and used them to create good? 


Time magazine isn't the only one that can go for the shock factor. Let's start a movement that goes against the expectations for humankind! Let's BE MOM ENOUGH to change these statistics. 


Because the truth is if we really have eyes like God, together we can change the numbers. 




“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

Community and Cans

Sometimes being a mom can be a lonely proposition. In all the busyness, we forget (don't we?) that we're part of something bigger? 


But I can always rely on God to remind me of how big he is, and he lifts me up and gives me perspective. And that's just what happened on Tuesday this week. 


It was Girls on the Run day, and I was set to lead the session. On community. Blah. Seemed boring at first glance, but as I studied the words and prayed about how to share them, a transformation began to happen. Hope started blossoming. Hope in the girls. Hope FOR the girls. Hope for ALL girls.


With two very simple activities, they learned this about community: 


1. For a community (ie. work project, team, family, village) to run smoothly, everyone has to do their part and do it correctly. We have to put our trust in others for the good of a common cause. We have to rely on each other. They illustrated this in a circle, with half the group leaning their weight out and half leaning in.  


2. To effect change, all we have to do is reach out to one or two people. The girls did a relay and when the first girl on each team returned to the line, she tagged two girls instead of one, and those two tagged two. And in no time at all, they finished the race. 


It reminded me that when problems seem too big for me to tackle alone, well, they probably are too big. And that's why we reach out. That's why we rely on others. We can make BIG, BIG changes to make the world a better place, and it all starts with making contact with one or two other people, who (when passionate about your cause) make contact with one or two people and so on.


That night, we gathered on our bed to read our Bible. And I'm sure we're behind significantly on our plan, but we must  be right where God wants us. We read Mark 4:30-32 where God tells his disciples the parable of the mustard seed -- the smallest of all seeds but when planted becomes the largest of all garden plants. He compared it to the kingdom of God. 
Ryker said he liked the story, but I wasn't entirely sure of its meaning, so I asked Dan to read the footnote in his study Bible. It said: "When you feel alone in your stand for Christ, realize that God is building a worldwide kingdom. He has faithful followers in every part of the world. Your faith, no matter how small, can join with that of others to accomplish great things."


WOW. After traveling to Africa and seeing GREAT faith in the villages where often that's all people have to rely on because there isn't adequate healthcare, enough food or a trustworthy government, it reminded me that while I am small, I am truly part of something HUGE! Because they rely on God, and God uses his army of Christians to provide help to these small villages and in all corners of the world. 


On Thursday, the Girls on the Run girls got together and brainstormed ideas for their community project. They were randomly numbered off by one of the other coaches, and on one of the teams were several girls who go to my church. Two whose families are collecting aluminum cans to donate. They're being sold by one of our pastors. To buy rice. For kids in an orphanage in an African village that I had visited during my trip. Their idea for a community service project: invite everyone in the community to donate their aluminum and imagine the rice we can buy for the orphans!
Each of the three teams submitted ideas, and this one won by a landslide! 


I love the concept of community being taught to these girls, because it's such a CRITICAL lesson! But how beautiful that God used it as an opportunity to remind our family of how a faithful community is rewarded with the gift of being able to accomplish great things in his name! 

Here are some of the beautiful kids from the orphanage, currently located in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. If you would like to donate aluminum cans or other aluminum to help with the Girls on the Run project, please call me at 801.7464 or drop off your donation on my porch before next Wednesday. Thanks for being part of the Girls on the Run community, which is making a difference for the Children's Redemption Orphanage Home community in Africa!