Recently, I finished reading a book entitled Crazy Love that I had received for Christmas and have been reading on and off throughout the year. It's a great book and very challenging for me if I'll keep taking it to heart. While there are certainly stories strewn all throughout the book, there is one chapter specifically dedicated to others personal accounts of Christ in their lives. They were all fascinating, but this one was my favorite and I wanted to share it.
Jamie Lang
When Jamie was twenty-three years old, she flew from the United States to Tanzania with $2,000 from her savings account. She planned to stay until she ran out of money, at which point she would come home.
Jamie was overwhelmed by all of the need that she encountered, so she started praying that God would allow her to make a radical difference in one person's life. After about six months, she met an eight-year-old girl at church who was carrying a baby on her back. Jamie learned that the baby's mother was dying from AIDS and that she was too weak to care for him. Jamie begin to buy formula for the little boy, Junio, to provide him with the nutrition he desperately needed. At the time, he was half the size of a healthy baby.
Jamie fell in love with baby Junio. She wondered if she was being foolish - a barely twenty-four-year old, single, white American entertaining thoughts of adopting a baby. Besides, she didn't even know if Tanzania allowed international adoptions. Eventually, she discovered that the country didn't allow international adoptions; however, because she had lived there for over six months, she could establish residency.
Before Junio's mom died from AIDS, she came to Junio and said, "I have heard how you are taking care of my son, and I have never known such a love. I want to be saved." Just before she died, she said, "I know that my son is taken care of, and I will see him in heaven someday."
Jamie spent six months going through the adoption process and then five more months working with the American embassy to get Junio a visa. When she finally came home, she had been gone for a year and a half.
Junio is now five years old, totally healthy and HIV negative. When Junio's mom was pregnant with him, she took a "morning-after pill" late in her pregnancy in order to abort him. But instead it induced premature labor, and because Junio was so small, no bleeding occurred during his birth. Thus, he did not contract HIV from his mother. What was intended to end his life, God used to save it. Since adopting Junio, Jamie has gotten married, had a little girl, and is moving back to Tanzania with her family to work with Wycliffe to translate the Bible for a group that has never heard it before.
- from the chapter "Who Really Lives That Way?" (p 152-153)
Speaking of crazy love, I know of a teenage girl that's been really struggling with her health - she has very recently undergone very major heart surgery and her & her family are still having to take it very carefully day by day. All my information is third or fourth hand, but could you send up a short prayer for her & her family? She's only 14 and was very frightened. I know any would be greatly appreciated.
Showing posts with label worldwide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worldwide. Show all posts
The Birth of a New Country
on July 10, 2011
Indeed, it is official now: we have a new country in the world. :)
CNN: South Sudan a New Country
The Republic of South Sudan.
If you have been following anything coming out of Africa, you will probably have at least heard of the Sudanese genocide. The simple version is that there has been bloodshed and violence for decades in their country. Essentially, a constant civil war. The South has been devastated. And devastated is an understatement.
I don't understand all the details. There are too many cultural intricacies that I can't understand. Nonetheless, with the little I knew, I never, ever expected South Sudan to even have the opportunity to vote for separation. I just assumed it would never be allowed to happen. But the vote was allowed. And it was overwhelming the numbers to split. And after much anxiety, the vote was actually honored. And as of Saturday, well.... This sentence brought a smile to my face, that even surprised me how much I was pleased to see it:
"South Sudan took a seat at the world's table early Saturday as citizens of the new country took to the streets to celebrate."
That leaves me pretty speechless.
That is not to say, however, that there won't be pitfalls immediately following their jubilation. Now decisions have to be made, especially the establishment of government and the decision between the North & South over their oil. Please pray for both countries. There is so much pain. And there is now so much hope in their eyes. I'm so grateful for that hope. Praise God.
CNN: South Sudan a New Country
The Republic of South Sudan.
If you have been following anything coming out of Africa, you will probably have at least heard of the Sudanese genocide. The simple version is that there has been bloodshed and violence for decades in their country. Essentially, a constant civil war. The South has been devastated. And devastated is an understatement.
I don't understand all the details. There are too many cultural intricacies that I can't understand. Nonetheless, with the little I knew, I never, ever expected South Sudan to even have the opportunity to vote for separation. I just assumed it would never be allowed to happen. But the vote was allowed. And it was overwhelming the numbers to split. And after much anxiety, the vote was actually honored. And as of Saturday, well.... This sentence brought a smile to my face, that even surprised me how much I was pleased to see it:
"South Sudan took a seat at the world's table early Saturday as citizens of the new country took to the streets to celebrate."
That leaves me pretty speechless.
That is not to say, however, that there won't be pitfalls immediately following their jubilation. Now decisions have to be made, especially the establishment of government and the decision between the North & South over their oil. Please pray for both countries. There is so much pain. And there is now so much hope in their eyes. I'm so grateful for that hope. Praise God.
You're my sunshine, oo...
on January 29, 2011
Today was a gorgeous, slightly breezy 75 degrees. Tomorrow has a high of 44 plus a wind chill. Tuesday we're being told to expect a major winter storm. Some forecasters have Wednesday & Thursday morning with a high of 6. 6. Bemusement, bemusement.
Anyway.
It's been a weekend of seeing friends.
Last night (Friday) Julie, Jenny & I celebrated Christina's birthday with her in the city. We munched down at Chilis and then wandered over to the Blazers rink for some ice skating. I've been ice skating before - only twice, but both times I succeeded slightly better than I expected so I assumed this time would go about the same.
This time I barely made it three laps and only by clinging to the wall on the third lap, falling onto the bench as my ankles gave way. Hm.
I did finally make it another round on Julie's skates which were three sizes smaller and fit much, much better. Oh, and Christina kept me from falling, which was awesome. I enjoyed it though and really think that if there was a rink within 15 minutes driving distance I would probably take a session of lessons. Nonetheless, I was terrible at skating this night. :)
Today was so beautiful that Regina & I soaked up some beautiful sunshine walking over to Holly & Sam's house. The three girls chatted while Sam worked off his cold playing video games, and then off to Pizza Hut where Philip, Eric & Brad joined us. And then Regina & I left for ice cream and a movie (Tangled) while a game of DnD commenced. A mini movie review is below, if you're interested.
A lovely weekend as we launch into....Valentine's Day.
Yes, it's true, we're two weeks out from the big day so if anyone's ordering flowers, order now. We'll be starting our main set of preparations this week. The weather may be an issue this week - no, it's not the big delivery day, but it's the week a huge chunk of our flowers arrive. Freezing weather during shipment? Hm.
All this to say, posting may be sporadic, but it's already that way, so you probably won't notice a difference. :)
Tangled
What I Knew Going In: The trailer, which leans heavily on the male character of Flynn Rider, and a lot of commentary on how Disney had marketed the movie so heavily towards boys.
The Movie: Was super cute. But I can see now how heavily it really did play to boys, because this movie was not what I expected from the trailer. This movie is a very traditional Disney princess movie. Sure, there are times when it's stretching it a bit, but it's forgivable over the great characters and fun lines. And Maximus, the horse, who is beautifully done. Personally, there were several scenes "borrowing" from Little Mermaid and Beauty & The Beast and at times felt like it was a smashup of the two.
Simply put: it's a Disney princess movie. If you like that, you'll love the movie. If you don't like singing princesses, don't go.
For those interested in the situation in Egypt, there is this live feed constantly running footage and information. They are also rerunning segments at times for people just tuning in to catch up.
Anyway.
It's been a weekend of seeing friends.
Last night (Friday) Julie, Jenny & I celebrated Christina's birthday with her in the city. We munched down at Chilis and then wandered over to the Blazers rink for some ice skating. I've been ice skating before - only twice, but both times I succeeded slightly better than I expected so I assumed this time would go about the same.
This time I barely made it three laps and only by clinging to the wall on the third lap, falling onto the bench as my ankles gave way. Hm.
I did finally make it another round on Julie's skates which were three sizes smaller and fit much, much better. Oh, and Christina kept me from falling, which was awesome. I enjoyed it though and really think that if there was a rink within 15 minutes driving distance I would probably take a session of lessons. Nonetheless, I was terrible at skating this night. :)
Today was so beautiful that Regina & I soaked up some beautiful sunshine walking over to Holly & Sam's house. The three girls chatted while Sam worked off his cold playing video games, and then off to Pizza Hut where Philip, Eric & Brad joined us. And then Regina & I left for ice cream and a movie (Tangled) while a game of DnD commenced. A mini movie review is below, if you're interested.
A lovely weekend as we launch into....Valentine's Day.
Yes, it's true, we're two weeks out from the big day so if anyone's ordering flowers, order now. We'll be starting our main set of preparations this week. The weather may be an issue this week - no, it's not the big delivery day, but it's the week a huge chunk of our flowers arrive. Freezing weather during shipment? Hm.
All this to say, posting may be sporadic, but it's already that way, so you probably won't notice a difference. :)
Tangled
What I Knew Going In: The trailer, which leans heavily on the male character of Flynn Rider, and a lot of commentary on how Disney had marketed the movie so heavily towards boys.
The Movie: Was super cute. But I can see now how heavily it really did play to boys, because this movie was not what I expected from the trailer. This movie is a very traditional Disney princess movie. Sure, there are times when it's stretching it a bit, but it's forgivable over the great characters and fun lines. And Maximus, the horse, who is beautifully done. Personally, there were several scenes "borrowing" from Little Mermaid and Beauty & The Beast and at times felt like it was a smashup of the two.
Simply put: it's a Disney princess movie. If you like that, you'll love the movie. If you don't like singing princesses, don't go.
For those interested in the situation in Egypt, there is this live feed constantly running footage and information. They are also rerunning segments at times for people just tuning in to catch up.
Watching
on January 28, 2011
I wasn't keeping up with the situation in Egypt at first. Mostly because it seemed to come out of nowhere and I guess I suspected it would stop as quick as it came. Then I saw where their internet access had been shut down and suddenly realized this was getting much larger than what I expected.
And when it came to the earlier protests in Tunisia, I had no information, period. This article actually clarified a lot of my questions about Tunisia and Egypt and their similarities and differences.
I can't offer comments on either, because I know absolutely nothing about the whole situation, except what I learned sifting through articles and commentary tonight. My mind can't even fathom the protests that have been occurring and I am at a loss about what it may be causing across the rest of the world.
Personally, my eyes have been on Sudan for the past few weeks during their voting. The residents were voting on whether to continue as one country or split into two, creating Africa's new country. But the government is shaky and despite their agreements there's an uncertainty that the President will allow the country to split even if voted for. (Results from the vote are expected in early February, with the latest date for an announcement being Valentine's Day.)
Sudan's north and south regions have been at war for years, and their President is wanted for war crimes for the mass killings and rape in Darfur.
If the south splits, their going to have to not only figure out their leadership, but also potentially deal with the thousands of displaced people that may return. (Current estimates say 2.5 million people are displaced due to the Darfur conflict.) There is also the large issue with the oil wells - the oil is in the South, but flows through pipes in the North for exporting.
As always with the Mideast, there is more going on here than meets the eye. Please keep all these thoughts, countries and people in your prayers this week.
This article is being continuously updated about Egypt if anyone wants to keep up.
And when it came to the earlier protests in Tunisia, I had no information, period. This article actually clarified a lot of my questions about Tunisia and Egypt and their similarities and differences.
I can't offer comments on either, because I know absolutely nothing about the whole situation, except what I learned sifting through articles and commentary tonight. My mind can't even fathom the protests that have been occurring and I am at a loss about what it may be causing across the rest of the world.
Personally, my eyes have been on Sudan for the past few weeks during their voting. The residents were voting on whether to continue as one country or split into two, creating Africa's new country. But the government is shaky and despite their agreements there's an uncertainty that the President will allow the country to split even if voted for. (Results from the vote are expected in early February, with the latest date for an announcement being Valentine's Day.)
Sudan's north and south regions have been at war for years, and their President is wanted for war crimes for the mass killings and rape in Darfur.
If the south splits, their going to have to not only figure out their leadership, but also potentially deal with the thousands of displaced people that may return. (Current estimates say 2.5 million people are displaced due to the Darfur conflict.) There is also the large issue with the oil wells - the oil is in the South, but flows through pipes in the North for exporting.
As always with the Mideast, there is more going on here than meets the eye. Please keep all these thoughts, countries and people in your prayers this week.
This article is being continuously updated about Egypt if anyone wants to keep up.
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