Coming and Going

  I'm sick. The kind of sick where you are really and truly grateful to be home with modern facilities and easy access to a change of clothes.
  And I am sleeping........a lot.
  I supose that I picked up a bug on my last day in Kenya where I drove a half hour north to Thika and then three long hours east to visit Naomi. (I will share about my incredible day with her in the days to come.) This was extreme  poverty and extreme heat like nothing I had yet to experience on the Compassion tour thus far. I ate a bowl of overripe fruit that was dished up by the locals; mango, avocado, bananas and papaya. I also had some brown rice but politely waved on the chunky goat stew.
   I hope to be nearing the end of this invasion to my gut.

   In the next few weeks I hope to unpack this African adventure for you and for myself as well and will be writing about each day, as all of them were so unique and worthy of a post all its' own.

   When the opportunity to travel with Compassion to Kenya first became available, I began to dream of the possibilities. But after reading the fine print and realizing I would be on my own in GETTING to Nairobi and then on to the hotel, I quietly closed the door and whispered, "Ummmm....maybe next time."
   There was no way I was going to make a trip of this magnitude alone. Remember now....I am geographically impaired. I get turned around at the doctors office because there are too many exit signs and hallways that connect with each other.
   I follow. I do not lead.
   But through a series of God-designed events, I stumbled across a new friend, Beth, who encouraged me to go and promised to fly with me from D.C. onward. Her enthusiasm and confidence infused me with just enough courage to sign on.
   So after all of the packing and filling out of forms and getting my shots and the building of anticipation for this trip as each day passed, I was finally on my way to D.C. to meet Beth. She is from Iowa and was due to arrive from her Chicago connection about the time that I arrived.
   All of that changed when my cell phone jingled and I learned that she had missed her flight from Iowa and was never going to make it in time to catch the D.C. flight with me.
   I was going to have to go this alone. 
 
  The rest of the story you already know. I made it without any trouble, unless you count the little girl in the seat behind me who vomited at least three gallons of liquid onto her parents, herself and their carry on baggage. Eight hours of flying proved to be a little too much for her and the aborted landing and circular rerouting for a second attempt did not help in the least.
   Thankfully we were landing and exiting the plane when this all took place. I threw my prized package of baby wipes to the dripping mother and told her to just keep and use them all as I was herded down the aisle by passengers who were very anxious to depart.
   I knew I was in Switzerland when this little girl's dress was the first thing to greet me in the airport. Definitely not something Maggie would choose, but adorable just the same.

   A Swiss airplane took me the remaining eight hours to my final destination. And do travel Swiss Air if ever you get the chance. We were treated like royalty with steaming hot, lemon scented towels to freshen up with, Swiss chocolate delivered on a platter and Vanilla Bean  Dream Ice Cream to go with it.

As we drew closer to Kenya, my eyes were riveted on the screen directly in front of me. I was in African airspace now and my dream was becoming a reality.

My seat mates must have thought I was incredibly bored to be staring at this map for so long and with such intensity. And no one seemed to speak any English, so it wasn't like I could explain myself.

If there is one thing I learned to do on this trip, it was to be myself and forget about what everyone else was thinking about me. I was presented with opportunities at every corner to step out of my own man-made ball pit and engage fully with all that was going on around me. It was exhausting and not ever easy, but I did it and will never regret it. I had no time to waste on fear and insecurity. In Africa, I emerged a leader and I have no doubt that God had that in mind all along.

Joy Unspeakable

   It was a magical day. I don't know how else to describe it. I walked hand in hand with three of the most beautiful and loved girls on the continent of Africa.

   Nine year old Mary arrived first and as I gently hugged her, I could literally feel her heart beating out of her little chest. This was a big moment for her and I am positive she was nervous, overwhelmed and excited, all at the same time. Her project staff worker was close by her side at all times, so Mary was not left without support.

   Mary was so tiny and the few pictures I have of her did not prepare me for her smallness. She's almost ten and looks to be all of six years old. I saw her face and knew it was her, but kept asking to make sure.

   She was very, very shy at first, with no hint of a smile. But she kept looking at me and watching my every move with the other two girls. After she saw that they were comfortable and even enjoying themselves, I felt her small hand slip into mine as we walked toward the park. Be still my beating heart.....

   Elizabeth was simply delightful. As the youngest of my girls, she was surprisingly effortless in bonding with me right away. The doll I presented her cinched the deal on our new friendship and she loved to just look at me, always watching me talk or eat or laugh. Her smiles came easily and she took my hand in hers at every opportunity.


   Roseline was my biggest surprise of all. In each of the pictures I have of her, she almost looks like a boy and seems very rigid and emotionless. I would not have called her "beautiful" if asked to describe her physical appearance.

   But Roseline in real life, I found out, is an entirely different girl than my assumptions from a few pictures. She walked towards me and held out her arms as we embraced in what felt like reuniting with with someone I had known for forever. And she was beautiful. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was wide and ever present.

   All of the girls were fascinated by my wind-blown, silky hair and they kept running their hands over to feel it. Whenever I was sitting down on the ground and needed to stand up, they surrounded me to help me up and then proceeded to brush every piece of grass and dirt off of my legs and skirt. When I showed them a few pictures of Caleb when he was sick and in the hospital, they murmured in Kiswahil and then said to me, "Sorry......so sorry" with their adorable Kenyan accent. Their instant compassion and concern for Caleb was genuine and their sad faces changed to broad smiles when I explained that he was healthy and well now.

   We blew bubbles, kicked a ball back and forth, and they delighted in throwing a frisbee...a new idea for them. I kept pausing to realize where I was and who I was with. My joy and wonder over it all kept rising and falling in huge crescendos. Never again will I wonder if I am doing the right thing in partnering with Compassion. These three girls mean as much to me now as my own children and are worthy of the hope and support and love that my sponsorship brings.

    The girls did not know each other before our magical day together, but they obviously bonded quickly and held hands like sisters. I am just blessed to be a part of their world  now and to have had the huge privilege of kissing the tops of their heads and looking into their eyes to say, "I love you. You matter. You are beautiful. I am honored to be your friend."

Out of Africa

   So much for blogging my heart out on this African adventure. For starters, our schedule is incredibly full and once we have a moment to spare, we either hand wash a few articles of our clothing or fall straight into bed from exhaustion. Also, the internet service is hit or miss and I've had trouble connecting on most of my attempts. Pictures refuse to load, so we shall see what happens here.
   Africa is everything I dreamed it would be and so much more. My first glimpse of a Compassion child on our first day nearly stopped my heart. She was the poster child of my heart's desire and the "yes" from God to my lifelong dream. It's been surreal, to look these people in the eye and see my image reflected there.
   I will walk you through each of our incredible days once I get home. Every day has been a totally different experience, from the culture shock of Maassi Land, to the unimaginable city slums and on to the equally destitute rural villages. The road to one center was about ten miles long, but took us at least 50 minutes to reach our destination.
   I know you are all waiting for the details and especially the pictures!  Here's a few to get you started...

  

This Is It

   I don't think I'll be eating much today. There is entirely too much emotion and anticipation in my gut for there to be any room for food.
  Tomorrow I leave for Kenya, Africa.

  Just typing that sentence makes me shiver and shake my head in wonder. I've always been a firm believer that dreams really do come true........

   For everyone else.

  Somewhere along the line I instituted my own personal rule that I would have to earn my keep in God's family of beloved sons and daughters. What He was offering was really too rich and too good for me to just help myself. I would easily and gladly take my place at the back of the line, and when I got too close to His outstretched hand of love, I would quietly slip to the back again, feeling that to even be in the line at all was enough. More than enough.

  Let's not call that humility, friends, if that's what you're thinking.

  Better to call it like it is.....a girl living and embracing a complete lie.

  The truth has been there all along, but it began to be unearthed when my four year old son got all tangled up in wires and catheters, IV's and central lines. It's just like God, out of so much pain and fear and the threat of death to bring about my life. He has a way of doing everything backwards, but it ends up being the right direction all along. As directionally impaired as I am, I get confused with this kind of help.
   But being confused is a small price to pay for living out who God says I am, and who I have been from the beginning.

   Before I go, here's a snapshot of another boy I love. His name is Alex and he lives in Uganda, Africa. He is one of my Compassion children and his letter landed in my mailbox yesterday. Attached was this photo of him, looking pretty sharp in the new clothes he bought with the Christmas money we sent for him.
  

    He sent me his love and his thanks, as well as a greeting from his entire family. You gotta love Compassion for making a relationship like this possible. One sponsor. One child. Hope.

     While in Kenya, I will be attempting to share adventures and pictures as they unfold. If you don't hear from me, it means I've either been kidnapped or the power is out. Both of which would be terribly inconvenient.


   
 

Kenyan Spaghetti

 The Compassion for Kenya Spaghetti Dinner was a huge success, raising over 1500 dollars, with three Kenyan children sponsored as well! I had a fantastic, hard-working team of friends cooking and serving almost non-stop throughout the evening. So many of you helped by donating your time and resources to this event and a big thank you to those who showed up for dinner as our guests!

  Here are a few more pictures for you!

    

I had to add a shot of my parents doing what they do best.....serving! Love and appreciate them both so much!

Only one week left until I board that Kenya bound plane!

All This Time

    I don't know what took me so long to become an advocate for children in need of rescue. I've been drumming my fingers on my maple desk to the tune of that question for the past few weeks.
    I'm 42.
    My life is maybe at least half over.
    I could have been making a difference a long time ago.
    I wish it had not taken me this long to find my way. Not that God is done with me, of course, for He has His hands full with the remaining repairs and upgrades that need to be done in my heart. Look out Home Depot.

    But I am finally breathing clean air.

    The velveteen rabbit in me has come to life....a direct result of God's unrelenting and loving pursuit of one broken, hard hearted girl. I can step outside of the fortress I've built, spread a blanket on the green grass and lie down for no other reason than to watch the white clouds drift by. I now say yes to God's love without sounding like a girl trying her best to give the "right" answer. And I am much more willing to trust Him and let Him take my hand and lead the way, instead of always frantically mapping out a "safer" route to where I think He wants me to go.

    I have spent a good bit of time anguishing over the years that were lost. For all the times I held back my tears, or silenced my own prayers. For all the moments I chose to be alone rather than relinquish the keys to my gated heart.                              
    But I find that when God wants to unveil yet another truth into being, He does it just like the dawning of a new day. From utter darkness all the way to a brand-new, bright shining day. Revelation. Understanding. Wow.....      

All this time
 From the first tear cry
To today's sunrise
And every single moment between
You were there
You were always there
It was You and I
You've been walking with me all this time

Ever since that day
it's been clear to me
That no matter what comes
You will never leave
I know You're for me
And You're restoring

Every heartache and failure
Every broken dream
You're the God who sees
The God who rescued me
This is my story
This is my story

I hear these people asking me
How do I know what I believe?
Well I'm not the same me
And I saw the proof I need
I felt Love I felt Your grace
You stole my heart that day

  

Compassion To The Rescue

   The fantastic part of being an Advocate for Compassion International is that once I match a waiting child with a new sponsor, I often get the privilege of reading their letters and seeing the pictures and drawings sent by the kids. New sponsors love to show me the latest incoming mail and I enjoy the letters almost as much as the ones from my own sponsored kids!

   This is exactly how I learned of Jeremy's story and I do have permission to share it!

   Jeremy is five years old and lives in the Dominican Republic, a place I have been to on a missions trip back in my college days. (A long time ago. I do not want to put in writing how many years ago that was.) Beautiful country and equally beautiful children.

   Last year, as an Advocate, I had Jeremy's packet in my possession and was looking for a sponsor for him. A woman at my church scooped him up without even a second glance at his information. She had no preferences...boy or girl, any age, any country.

   She's been getting lots of letters from Jeremy, sometimes two a month! His teachers help him to put it all down on paper and he draws animals  and also stick figures of his family.

   A few weeks ago she received a letter and two pictures. Compassion learned that Jeremy has had heart trouble since birth, but the parents did not offer this information when they registered him with CI. Jeremy needed open heart surgery and Compassion connected him with a team of foreign doctors who came to the country to do specialized operations on children who could otherwise not afford it.

   The surgery was a success and he is now back in school, with Compassion supporting the family and paying for Jeremy's medications.

  I love this story because it demonstrates the value of one life and the difference you are making when you come alongside Compassion and sponsor a child. Not all of the stories are this dramatic, but probably many of them are more life-changing than we will ever know. 

   Here's another boy from the Dominican Republic waiting for someone like you. His name is Dino!

Go HERE to read more about him and click "Select This Child" if you would love make him a part of your family!