Tuesday, October 28, 2008

CHILDREN IN NEED

I want to touch on something close to my heart. CHILDREN IN NEED.

To begin. I haven't ever shared this experience I had because it is so personal, but I feel it is time to share it because we need people to intercede and step up for these children. Whether in prayer or in the physical by giving your time and love.

When Joshua was just a few months old or so I had a very real dream. I dreamed DHR took him away from me for no reason. There were witnesses who falsely accused me of things that weren't true and DHR believed them. In my dream I remember still the torment, pain, and agony of not having him. I don't know why I had this dream exactly and can't say God gave it to me but I do know He used it either way to plant a seed in me to love and pray for children in need.

In the dream I discovered the foster parents who got Joshua were hurting him in a bad way and not feeding him like he needed. I remember just gnawing my teeth in horror and felt so crazy because I was so distraught. I tried everything to get to my baby.

I woke up thankful this was a dream and went and got my baby and held him a long time. Thanking and praising God!

Over the next few weeks God would very strongly call me to pray for women who had lost their child by varies reasons. They include DHR wrongly taken them, death, kidnapping situations and women who discovered their child had been sexual abused and physically abused. God would call me to intercede at night with Joshua in my arms still after I had rocked him to sleep. I would think of these women who couldn't rock their child to sleep and how they indeed felt so distraught and in agony wondering how their children were. I began also praying that God would move where sexual offenders would be discovered if they would continue in hurting others. (I had prayed for them to be healed and to have a heart change.) Over the next weeks on the news I would see how God moved indeed with many sexual offenders being discovered and arrested.

My season to pray was over and up until this summer when a girl I know lost her child to DHR due to her own personal situation which gave me a desire to help, which led to me being apart of some really awesome small groups who minister to youth girls at Hill Crest.

Here recently, I had forgotten the dream until the lady I help with Bible Study at Hill Crest mentioned the children at Hill Crest. I was amazed to find out they were as young as 4. I can't imagine how they must feel being in this place without the love of a parent to tuck them in bed at night, to read books, to pray over them, kiss their boo boos, hug them when they need encouragement. I also can't dare to think of what they were going through either. This brought life back to my dream after 3 years.

Yesterday I went to Hill Crest and met with the children. They totally captured my heart. They desire so much of the things we take for granted. I sang songs with them and left. As I was leaving this little girl who wasn't much bigger than my own child who was very agitated because she just arrived her second time and I could see very distraught asked me to take her home please. It totally broke my heart. I did want to take her home. To read her a story and make her some hot chocolate and tell her Jesus loves you so much and you are so special but of course I couldn't.

I do plan to start going to be with these children and let them know that God does care and so do I. I am not sure how I will be able to go because of childcare and so forth but I know God put this in my heart and He will fulfill what He started.

If I could say anything it would be ... be quick to read that book to your children or stop and hold them because time flies so fast and opportunities pass.



Pray for these children. Pray hard! They need us to.

psalm 127 Pictures, Images and Photos

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Two Cooks & Scrambled Pancakes

I love Sunday mornings. We go to the evening service at church and this creates our time to be a family and enjoy each other without having this or that or places to be.

This morning Joshua and Shane decided to make pancakes, which is often their thing. I always love to watch. Little did I know Joshua watches and remembers all too well. He loves to cook just as much as his daddy and never passes up an opportunity to help cook.

Don't you love his little apron our friend gave him? He is just like daddy =)

So, here Joshua proudly display his pancakes he made. Yes, they look like scrambled eggs because he poured the batter in the pan without butter when I was asking Shane to help me put batteries in my camera to take these pictures.... so they stuck. Hence : Scrambled Pancakes


Here he shows off his "Sara face" from The Land Before Time movie

Sara and Duckie Pictures, Images and Photos

They had a great time and I did too observing.
Families are awesome and truly life's greatest treasure.

God bless
!

Friday, October 10, 2008

10 Can Soup

Here is one of my favorite fall recipes:

10 Can Soup
2 lbs of Hamburger Meat
2 Cans of Corn (drained)
2 Cans of Chili
2 Cans of Vegetable Soup
2 Cans of Tomato Soup
2 Cans of Tomato Sauce

Brown meat and drain. Add together in large pot, meat and other ingredients. Adding water as feel needed to get consistency you desire. You can also add any spices you like. Simmer to heat and eat. We love to eat with cornbread.

This makes a big pot and can feed your family and another. So invite your friends and family. Enjoy great fellowship. Afterall, this is the upcoming seasons to spend time with loved ones.

Enjoy and Happy Fall!

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

The poem below has always meant so much to me as a reminder of the impact a mother has in her child's life. Even as a mother 16 years old not fully serving the Lord I knew this poem was so true. I used to have it on my refrigerator for years laminated when my oldest son was a small child. I ran across it the other day just looking on the Internet. Life can bring the sweetest reminders. What a blessing it has always meant to me and I pray it is for you as well.


When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang up my first painting on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I LOOKED
....and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.
(author unknown)