Compassion International Works and a Prayer Request

Hey sweet friends! Just wanted to share a few things with you. On Friday, I received my FIRST letter from my Compassion International child, Monica! I was thrilled beyond words! She is just precious! I wanted to share it with you.
 

A few hours later, I was on my way downtown to a great Christian Women's Event, Extraordinary Women. I had been asked to volunteer at the Compassion table in hopes of sharing info with new sponsors.  It was simply wonderful!

These friends were so excited to find a child that they could bless through prayers and a small monthly donation. The donation is less than what it costs my family of four to eat out just once! We were able to share and listen to what God is doing through Compassion. It's an amazing outreach opportunity, y'all.

This darling gal, Amanda, was my co-worker. She was beautiful inside and out with a testimony that just melted my heart. While we were there with thousands of women (including Lysa TerKeurst, Chonda Pierce, Candace Cameron Bure--remember DJ from Full House? Yep, that's her! , Casting Crowns, Thelma Wells, and more!), were milling around, and I was receiving text messages from my sister. My sweet Mama had fallen a few hours earlier, and my sister took her to the ER to check for broken bones. While she was there, her blood pressure dropped, and she had difficulty breathing. The drs and nurses were wonderful. They did all that they could. But there was a Higher Calling for my Mama from Jesus. He was ready to take her to Heaven to live with Him. It happened quickly and perfectly--in His timing. She is no longer in pain. She will never ever have to have insulin to control her diabetes of almost 70 years. We will never have to worry about her cancer returning. She has been made whole again! Praise Him!!! She just spent the last week with my family, and we had a wonderful time. God is so good! His mercies are new each day, and His love is beyond our comprehension. We will miss that precious lady like everything! But we are at peace....His perfect peace. Thank you so much for your love and prayers! So many of you have sent beautiful emails and texts and facebook messages. We are overwhelmed at the outpouring of love. Thank you so much!

Sweet blessings,

Meet our Sweet Girl!

Hey, y'all! Just a quick Friday post to update you on LAST Friday's post!  Thanks for all of your sweet comments about our "little girl" that we are sponsoring through Compassion International! Her packet of information and photo arrived in the mail yesterday! And, y'all, she is JUST PRECIOUS!! Here, see for yourselves!



This is Monica! And I fell in love with her sweet little face all over again! She has parents and a sibling, but is in an extremely poverty stricken area. It just makes you want to go there and love on these babies and their families and bring them back home with you!! Thankfully, we are able to sponsor her and pray for her regularly. One day, I hope and pray that I will have the  opportunity to meet her and her family. We will see if my plans are the same as God's plans!

I loved your comments about the children that you too have sponsored! What a blessing....to US! Monica's birthday is in a few weeks...she will be 6! As much as I would LOVE to have a birthday party for her with cake and ice cream and presents, I sit here in my sunny kitchen and wonder what can I send her? I cannot send packages. I can send flat paper items that fit in an envelope. Bookmarks? But does she have books? Sheets from coloring books? Same question...does she have crayons? Do y'all have any ideas that you would be willing to share to help make this sweetie pie's birthday a little more special? I would greatly appreciate it!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! We are hosting a Chocolate Fest for the ladies at our church in the morning! Then, we have a speaker who will be sharing a beautiful love story from God. I cannot wait! I'll let you in on a little secret--for those of you who don't know me personally! I am not a chocolate eater at all! Can't stand the stuff! or the smell! Yes, I am normal (I think!!!). This is a chance to show some agape love to my sisters in Christ who breathe and live chocolate! I will smile and take pictures! Now, if there is white chocolate, move out of my way! I love me some of that! Pictures next week!

Sweet blessings,

It's a GIRL!!!!

Hey, y'all!
I am so excited I'm about to pop! After much prayer, more prayer, research, and sermons, my family has grown from the 4 of us to 5! And, we have pink balloons on the mailbox!

God has been doing a work in my heart through His Word, sermons, and your blogs! God can use the internet for His Glory! Little by little, He has revealed to me that He wants me to "go." Well, I wasn't sure exactly what He meant! That little word encompasses a lot! As an adopted child, I am a HUGE advocate of adoption. So is my Hubby--who also was adopted :). For this season, to "go" is to go into the heart and home of children in poverty, in brokenness, and to share the love of God. Physically, I will be here in SC. But spiritually, my heart just fell in love with a precious child of His in Guatemala. I can't hop on a plane tomorrow and go get her. She has a mom and step dad and two siblings. But, she is one of the "least" of those that Jesus taught us about. So, we are doing the next best thing!

We have agreed to sponsor her through Compassion International. It's a wonderful organization--trust me, I have spent a LOT of time researching this organization! Here's the link for you to visit yourselves. Her picture just made me melt into a pool. And, her name is the same as one of our best friends growing up --our next door neighbor to be exact. She is five and doesn't go to school just yet. Y'all, after I filled out the paperwork, and submitted it, I immediately went BACK to the website to see if her picture and availability were still there. They were not!! She's ours!!!! Such a small thing, but I did a happy dance.

I went to some of the You Tube videos to see more about the children, and sponsors and their visits. I have used half a box of kleenex! Take time and watch some of these. It's a Friday, the weather is pretty nasty over most of the country, and you need to see this if you've never watched them before.

It will take 15 days--and I WILL be counting!--to get her information packet and picture! I cannot wait!! I'll share all of this with you when it comes! And for those of you who sponsor children, thank you for your compassion! We see those little pitiful faces on ads in the sidebars of blogs, but do we really do anything about it? We (I) think, "Oh, someone else will sponsor them. I am really on a budget." Well, I am becoming that someone else. Someone who needs to step out of her safe little box and share the blessings that she has received. It's only 38.00 a month. We (as a family) spend more than that if we go out to eat a meal--even McDonald's and Chick-fil-a are costly when you have teenage boys! Mercy! So, we can give up one meal out a month to give to Compassion.

And, now, her sweet little name.....

Monica!

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.  Proverbs 21:13

Go, step out of your comfort zone and see what God has planned for you!

Sweet Blessings,