For the last ten years I have given a lot of my life and love to children in Russia that are cast off into orphanages. What started as a willingness to follow God's pull to orphan ministry has become what is, and will be, a lifetime of fighting for orphans in our world...wherever God may … Continue reading change their story
Russia
anticipation
Anticipation...jitters...nervous...expectations...excitement. In Russia, on our way to the orphanage for the first morning with the kids it is always a wide array of emotions. It is one of my favorite moments of the trip, as those of us who have been before sit up straighter and crane our necks to see out of the front … Continue reading anticipation
aching
My arms are aching. Not because I did a major workout yesterday...yah right. It is an empty and waiting sort of ache. All because I know that I am within 36 hours if holding onto my family members that I haven't seen in a year. It is that time of year...and I am on my … Continue reading aching
reasons
It’s too expensive. It takes too long to get there. You have to use translators. The money would be better spent on helping orphans than sending you to travel there for a week. You name it, I’ve heard it regarding the reasons NOT to travel to Russia, and spend time with our kids over the … Continue reading reasons
leave
There is one place on this earth that rips my soul in two to leave. It is a palpable sound to God's ears because after all, he is the one that sends me. The echo of that rip haunts me when I leave. A good haunt though, a reminder that things are not right in … Continue reading leave
love
‘Love is patient, love is kind…’ Blah. Blah Blah. Yah, it’s absolutely true…but do the people that quote it at every wedding really buy in to the actually gritty truth of love? Love is hard. Love is pain. Love is loss. Love is your heart being taken out of your chest, stomped on and put … Continue reading love
family
‘Подруга, you are my friend,’ is what I kept hearing in broken English from the kids. They don’t know a lot of English, but they know some basic they have learned from their English teachers. Then I started hearing… ‘Семья.’ Family. You are my family. This year, one of our team members who had been … Continue reading family
known
How many people know you? I’m not talking Facebook friends, or Twitter followers…I’m talking about being known by others. What you favorite food is…how you take your coffee…the true passion of your heart…your dreams…not a lot of people, right? We like to hide. A lot, actually. Walls are thrown on a regular basis, and we … Continue reading known
‘the’ debate
I love the moments when I look around a table and find myself thinking, ‘I am so incredibly blessed to be able to serve with these people.’ Our Haiti team leaves in about a month, and we have a strong team on all fronts. We have laughter. We have strength. We have experience. We have … Continue reading ‘the’ debate
give me your eyes
At this point, it’s not news that one of the ways I feel God lead is through music. The lyrics get me every time. But what you don’t know is the story behind a certain artist whose music keeps taking journeys with me. I bought Brandon Heath’s ‘Give Me Your Eyes’ about a month before … Continue reading give me your eyes
sojourner4jesus 