Thankful

On this Thanksgiving day we have so much to be thankful for. As I sit here in my warm house with hot coffee, Christmas music from the Rat Pack playing and my children making little noises through the monitor, I think, "wow, I am so blessed." My husband is off of work for the next 4 days, and we have the food we need to take care of our family and visitors. I heard a sermon recently that reminded us Westerners that most of us have to work only 5 days a week to provide 7 days of food, and many even get paid while we're on vacation. Who's ever heard of such a thing! Well, of course, we have, and sometimes don't we feel so entitled to those things? When in actuality, this is unheard of for much of the world's population. They work each day for the food they eat that day. They don't know where tomorrow's meal will come from. And a paid vacation?! Not likely. We are truly rich! Think about that for a moment and give God thanks for your circumstances and life, for God says to "give thanks in all circumstances," not when you feel like it or when things are going just how you want them to (because let's be honest, how often does that happen!?). If we approached life that way, how self focused would we be!?

As I enter a trial season of not working at all (yes, yesterday I put an out-of-office message up on my TNTP email that said I had transitioned out of my role!), I am feeling especially thankful this morning. My amazing husband initiated this whole thing as he felt like God was leading him to make it work so that I could leave TNTP. And that's what we're going to do - be obedient to God and make it work. While we are certainly using wisdom in budgeting and spending, we also have seen over our 8 years of marriage that God has always provided - from trips to Niger to paying off our school loans within just a few years. And since finances has been an area I have held the tightest to in terms of not trusting God (despite so many unexpected blessings), I know that through this I am going to be stretched during this season. And stretching leads to growth, which is always a good thing!

My prayer for you on this day of Thanksgiving and Advent just around the corner is that you would find joy in the everyday and gratefulness for the things we often take for granted - that we are still breathing, that God has given us another day to live and love others, and that we are truly rich - rich in resources but also rich in life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our International Visitors

We were blessed to have our dear El Salvadoran friends that serve as Niger missionaries with us for the first week and a half of November. We picked up Juanita, Rodrigo, Nathan (3) and Kaila (2 months) in Northern Virginia and entered a full weekend to celebrate the wedding of another Niger missionary, an early Christmas party with Zalika's (Leila's bud from the orphanage) family and a trip back to Northern Virginia where Rodrigo preached at an Hispanic church. While the kids and I sat out on the trip to the Hispanic church, Geoff enjoyed and was challenged to spend several hours listening and speaking in what I consider his 2nd language - Spanish. I hear he did pretty good and kept up well. Rodrigo headed to Niger from there for a quick trip to check in on his staff and their house that they hadn't seen since last February (long story but basically Juanita was incredibly sick and the Nigerien doctors couldn't take care of her, so they had to leave to ensure her safety and Kaila's whom was not yet born). 

So, we had Juanita and the kids with us while Rodrigo was in Niger. When you live in Niger and are gluten and dairy free, your food options are limited. And when you're overseeing the LINK Outreach Center (LOC) where mission teams stay and Westerners come for a little reprieve, and there's a brand new 2nd floor, you can't exactly go to the local Target to get what you need. There is no Target. Or Home Depot. Or Bed Bath and Beyond. Even in the capital city. So, that meant we shopped here - in the great place of America where Americans know how to shop. 

With some help from other friends (because let's face it, taking 4 children under the age of 4 shopping is not enjoyable for anyone), Juanita wore herself out shopping. But really, we loved having them here and with us. We've only spent time together in Niger during my one trip there in September 2012, but through email and FaceTime we've been able to stay connected. She is really a kindred spirit, and a very dear friend that gives and loves others well because of her great faith in Jesus. The girl also speaks 3 languages fluently and has lived in Niger for almost 10 years. She's pretty amazing. If you go to Niger and see it, you will understand that living in Niger is no small thing, especially with 2 small children. Only by faith and through her faith can she do this. It's truly inspiring.

With juggling children, we were not so stellar with picture taking, but here's our few attempts.

Homestudy Approved!!

On Friday, we also found out through a former orphanage employee that Leila's birthmother's name is Samira, and her birthfather's name was Adamou, making Leila's name Leila Adamou (plus paternal grandfather's name which they are still searching for) in accordance with Nigerien tradition. All of this is necessary for the birth record search and the government declaring her legally adoptable. Keep praying!!

Orphan Sunday

"Defend the cause of the fatherless." ~Isaiah 1:17

Today was Orphan Sunday - a day where Christians all over the world share how God's great love for orphans should echo in our lives. There are an estimated 143,000,000 (yes, that is 143 million) orphans in the world today. I can't even wrap my mind around that number. How can we not do something, say something, give something?

You know that this pulls on our heart strings like nothing else, so thank you for joining us in supporting this. 

James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Here are 10 Ways Every Christian Can Care for the Orphaned or Waiting Children pulled from the Orphan Sunday resources. 

PRAY for them
Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in a car. Visit
AdoptUsKids.org or RainbowKids.com.
Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.
SPEAK UP for them
Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would
give this child a home.
Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care. Visit NationalCASA.org for details.

PROVIDE for their needs
Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid
needed by orphans. Visit HelpOrphans.org for more information.
Organize a drive in your church to collect school supplies for children in foster care or shoes for orphans
overseas. VisitGainUSA.orgorShoesForOrphanSouls.org.
SUPPORT those who support them
Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you
appreciate what they do.
Encourage a family adopting an older child by hosting a shower for them.
PROTECT them from harm
Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.
Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets. Visit

WorldOrphans.org for details.

VISIT them where they are
Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit GainUSA.org or HelpOrphans.org
for information.
Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.
GIVE sacrificially to them
Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.
Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs. Visit ShaohannahsHope.org or
LifeSongForOrphans.org.
ENCOURAGE them to press on
Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Visit VsionTrust.org
to learn more.
Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.
ADOPT them into your family

Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

MOBILIZE your church for them
Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit HopeForOrphans.org for

resources and to learn more about attending a Your Church and the OrphanTM workshop.