Weekend in Pics

We Made It!

Long before Haiti came up, Jeff and I had planned a weekend trip to Gatlinburg. Thanks to a fabulous mother-in-law, we were able to leave the city kid-free. It took longer to get out of town this morning than we had hoped. The CDC issued a recommendation that all travelers to Haiti get the typhoid vaccine. It has to be in your system for a week, so we rearranged things this morning to include a trip to the doctor. We finally got away a little before lunchtime and now we are all settled in to our cozy little cabin.

We just had some time with God, thanking Him for this time away and asking Him to help us forget everything else for a couple of days and rest. Stress will be there when we get back. But for now...

These are the folks I'm heading to Haiti with in eleven days. It's a great team, and I'm really excited about having the chance to serve alongside them.

I will admit that I am more anxious about this trip than my previous ones, probably for obvious reasons. I specifically want to ask for prayer for these things:

Our health. There is some nasty stuff going around down there, not to mention the normal threat of malaria and intestinal issues from the conditions we're shocking our bodies with.

Our travel. We are flying out at 6 a.m. on the 25th. That means I have to be at the airport at 4, which means we have to leave here about 3:15. I know that I won't sleep that night, so I anticipate that it's going to be a really long day. We'll be flying to Miami and then the Dominican, where we'll spend the night. Then we're going to board a bus at 4 a.m. and drive for six hours to Port-au-Prince. Hopefully it won't be as bad as it sounds, but I'm envisioning the bus rides through Third World countries I've seen in movies and on TV, so I'm thinking there won't be much sleeping going on there either.

Our attitudes. Lack of sleep usually doesn't improve anyone's personality. So please pray that when we arrive at that orphanage we will have a supernatural infusion of energy and be ready to love on those kids as soon as our feet hit the dirt.

Other than that, please just pray for our general spiritual and physical protection. I'm sure I'll have more requests as time goes on, but this is a great place for you to start. Jen Gash left for the Dominican today, and she's heading to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. Please say a prayer for her safety as well.

Thank you, friends!

Giving Till it Hurts

One day late last week Bailey and I were having lunch at Cici's Pizza. As we were stuffing ourselves with mac n' cheese pizza and cinnamon rolls, an elderly woman walked up to our table and handed me two pens wrapped in a rubber band with a note that said, "I am a deaf mute. I am selling these items for $2."

My first instinct? Hand them back to her and politely say, "No, thank you." My second thought, "Isn't management going to do something about this?"

As she walked away, Bailey asked me, "Mommy, what did that note say?" Right then, I knew I had blown it.

I explained to Bailey that the lady was poor and was basically asking for money. She looked at me with an incredulous expression and said, "Well, aren't we going to give her some?"

You see, my daughter isn't old enough to be cynical. It doesn't occur to her to wonder what someone will do with the money you give them. She doesn't think about things like welfare that are designed to help people like that. She heard a sweet old lady ask for money, and she watched me send her away.

As my heart grew tighter and tighter in my chest, I had the vantage point of watching the lady walk to each table and get quietly rejected over and over again.

Feeling like I needed to salvage the moment, I began digging in my purse to see what I had that I could give. My choices were a $10 bill and the 75 cents I had in my change purse. I actually said, "I wish I had some smaller bills, but I guess this is better than nothing." I handed Bailey the 75 cents and watched her gleefully and excitedly wind her way through the tables to give to this woman. She knows what it means to be a cheerful giver. Clearly, I don't.

I have thought about this so much over the last few days. I'm reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, and this past week he described a characteristic of lukewarm Christianity. He said, "Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church... as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so." And later, "Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor."

I think of myself as a pretty generous person. Jeff and I give to many different charities, and when needs arise that we are made aware of, we are quick to write a check. And yet, what good did all that generosity do for this woman that dared to approach me while I was eating my lunch?

Here I am ready to go to Haiti and give in this very public and almost glamorous way. But when Jesus privately approached my table and asked, I sent Him away. Unfortunately it wasn't completely private. My daughter was watching.

Why did I hold on to that $10 as if I needed it? Better yet, why didn't I ask her if she was hungry and offer to buy her a $5 lunch buffet in the very place she was standing? The thought that I gave her 75 cents literally makes me sick to my stomach as I write. How utterly selfish.

I believe that God was testing me last week. I can choose to now beat myself up over failing the test, or I can see it as it was intended. I believe if I had thought all of this through before the lady walked up to my table, I would have given her the 10 bucks and bought her lunch. But because I hadn't made the decision to live a lifestyle of generosity, when the time came for a split decision I completely missed the boat. I think God was pointing something out to me that needs to change.

I'm praying now that every day He will give me an opportunity to give. I pray I have that chance today. This time I will be ready.

What about you?

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Forget Hollywood... I'm Going to Haiti!

Over the past 48 hours, the Lord has completely rocked my world. A trip that was only on my radar peripherally a couple of days ago has suddenly become a reality in a very short time.

I will spare you the lengthy details, but the nutshell is that I am joining a team from our church that is partnering with Sweet Sleep and Global Orphan Project. We will be leaving three weeks from yesterday, heading to an orphan compound outside of Port-au-Prince. The orphanage housed 75 orphans before the earthquake and now has over 200. By the time we get there, that number could be as high as 500. The folks in charge of this compound are literally getting calls every day to come and pick up more kids. It is an overwhelming task.

Our team will spend four days with the orphans, doing whatever we are asked to do. Mostly we'll be entertaining them and attempting to minister to their sweet hearts that have been permanently altered by the events of the past several weeks. So any ideas for entertaining a big group of kids are definitely welcome!

There are many uncertainties about this trip, not the least of which is where we will actually be sleeping. Right now there's a good chance that will be outside. You may not know this about me, but I'm not much of a camper. I'm not a complete girly-girl, but the idea of sleeping among the things that might be creeping around the ground in Haiti at night is something I just have to compartmentalize if I'm going to be able to do it. But I keep telling myself, this is these kids' reality. If they can do it, then I better just suck it up and get over myself.

The way this has come about is so random that it can be none other than the hand of God. I believe I am supposed to be on this trip. I have no idea why, but I know I can trust Him. I feel like a rubber band that He has been steadily stretching a little tighter over the past few years. It seems like he's chosen now to pull me towards that next peg. I pray that I am up for the challenge.

I know that many of you have already given generously to Haiti. So please don't feel solicited. But I am attempting to raise a certain percentage of the funding for this trip. If you feel led to help, you can write a check to Brentwood Baptist Church and put "Haiti trip" and my name in the memo line. Mail the check to Brentwood Baptist Church, c/o Jamie Bennett, 7777 Concord Road, Brentwood, TN 37027. She will put it towards my costs. Thank you in advance for prayerfully considering if God wants you to be a part of this.

Most of all, I covet your prayers. This is a journey into unknown territory for me. It is way out of my comfort zone. I know the Enemy is already formulating schemes designed to distract me from the purpose at hand. I ask that you pray for protection over our team in every way: physical, emotional and spiritual. I have no doubt that what I am about to encounter is going to break my heart, and I promised Jeff that I wouldn't come home an emotional wreck this time. :)

Until then, let me astound you with my mad Creole skills:

Jezi rinmin ou. Babay!

(Jesus loves you. Good-bye!)

Some friends called today to see if we wanted to meet them for sledding at a local elementary school. We decided to brave the slush and ice and headed out for some free family entertainment!

Jay took Brad and Bailey down on the Strother Family toboggan. Bailey screamed all the way down. So glad he's used to a house full of girls! After their lesson, they were ready to go solo...

By the time we got there, the bottom of the hill was pretty muddy, but nobody seemed to care.

They must have done this thirty times!

Even Bryant and Daddy went for a ride.

Bryant got off and said, "That was the best!" But he was completely satisfied with one time only.

So even though church services were cancelled today, our preacher still got to teach my kids some life lessons. I'm pretty sure this is one they won't forget. :)

Winter Wonderland

Last night the precipitation turned over into a sleet/freezing rain mixture, so there is a thin layer of ice over everything. It's impossible to make snowballs or snowmen, but it's not often we get to sled around here. The kids are freezing but having a blast! More pics to come...

Snow Day!

I decided to pull yesterday's blog post. My apologies to those of you who read it. I was feeling very antagonistic towards the President yesterday morning in the SOTU aftermath, and it all spewed out like bile. Sometimes I forget that's not who I am anymore.

What a perfect day to remember that He washes white as snow. :)

This is Megan Stephens. She's a recent graduate of Belmont University, and currently serving in Siliguri, India as a teacher to a missionary family's 15-year-old daughter. I had the privilege of meeting her on Tuesday morning and enjoying a nice 2 1/2 hour breakfast at Cracker Barrel hearing her share her story. It was pure joy to sit and share my love for India with someone who understands. She is headed back there this afternoon, and I can't help but be a little jealous...

Even though she's not serving in Hyderabad, Megan had the chance to visit there last October and attend a youth festival that was hosted by Baptist Church Hyderabad. Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I got from my dear friend Chuckoo about that day...

Leigh Ann, October 2nd event was a huge conference, and on that day I just gathered all my senses to witness what God was doing through the ordinary youth group in Hyderabad. Earlier when the sun rose that day there was a continuous heavy downpour and everything was getting damp... But deep within us there was a hope that the rain would stop, but our hope was not even the size of mustard seed...

When the clock struck 9, there were hardly 15 people in the sanctuary. I was dumbstruck to see that and could not even question myself looking at the situation. The food was prepared, the arrangements were made, but the downpour was still on.

Later, the rain grew intense but people started to come. They got drenched, but they kept coming. Their feet got wet, but not the path, and within 2 hours the whole sanctuary was filled with young people from all over the state. There were more than 90 churches that participated in the concert, and the registrations were more than 5000.

I realized that my faith was to stop the rain, and the Lord showed me that even rain cannot stop His people. We served a delicious Biryani to all the participants. For the first time we hired a ground to serve them food...

We promised to give the first 2000 registrants a free t-shirt and a free 2gb pen drive. While distributing, there was almost a stampede, but we could control it. It was a leap of faith for me to see the providence of God. Because, as I told you, the church did not give the funds for the youth, and all the burden was on Pastor David to raise such a huge amount. Initially our estimated budget was only Rs. 800,000/-, but the Lord has given us more than Rs.1,200,000/-

There's more, but that's enough for a good snapshot of how God worked through my friends to make a huge impact in the city of Hyderabad that day. It should also give you a glimpse of why I love these people so much.

Anyway, my new friend Megan had the opportunity to be there for that event, and in turn fell in love with the same people who have so captured my heart. She ended up going back there for a couple of weeks in December and spending a lot of quality time with them. Chuckoo and his mom went shopping before she left and sent back some gifts with her for me and my family. I'll take some pictures of the kids in their Indian garb and get them on here. The dress for Bailey is unbelievably gorgeous. Looks like she'll be wearing Indian for the second Easter in a row!

I sent back some things with Megan, but I have no idea how long it will be until they arrive. She has to ship them from Delhi when she gets there. I wish more than anything I could deliver them in person. We are currently praying for God to show us a way if He wants us back there. We've formulated a few plans, but lots of prayer is needed to know if He has the same plans. I'm daydreaming about being there for this year's youth conference. We shall see...

I swear this was not staged...

It's Not About Me

There was something about my post yesterday that bothered me all day, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I kept thinking over what I had written, but could never put my finger on it. And then it occurred to me in the middle of the night. This is not about me.

That fact should be readily obvious since I was nowhere near Haiti when a 7.0 earthquake unleashed the gates of hell on a place it already resembled.

And yet there is something about human nature that makes us want to insert ourselves into tragedy. Whether this is for attention, out of empathy or just pure self-centeredness, I've observed it over and over again in myself and others.

In high school, there was a boy a few years older than me named Jon who had joined the military after graduating. We were all shocked to hear that he had been killed on base in some sort of boiler explosion. High-schoolers tend to be fairly dramatic anyway, but when a peer dies everything escalates.

I have a clear memory of a girl turning around in Spanish class and showing me a picture of herself that had been taken with Jon a few years before. She was carrying it around and showing it to people to make sure they knew that she had known him and she had proof. I remember thinking how strange that was at the time. But perhaps there was a part of me that just wished I had a picture of my own.

For me to take what happened in Haiti and turn it into a way to feel sorry for myself is absurd. There are hundreds of thousands of people either dead or suffering in unimaginable ways. They are the ones that deserve our concern. It is wrong for me to attempt to steal even an ounce of compassion that belongs to them.

I'm sure some of you thought this as you read, you were just too polite to say so. Sweet Dana even felt compelled to defend me, something I so appreciate but do not deserve. I love you for it.

So at the risk of this turning into Pity Party II, which is definitely not my intent, I'm going to turn that self-absorbed energy outward and do something about it. I had already sent in a contribution to World Vision, but somehow it doesn't seem enough in the wake of what God has shown me today.

I've decided to try again. I hope and pray that Wadson is still alive. If we find out that he is, we will be much better sponsors from here on out. He will hear from us and know who we are, that we love him and pray for him.

But I've also decided to start completely fresh. Today, Bailey and I are going to pick out a little girl from India to sponsor through Compassion International. I realize that might sound weird to pick India over Haiti, but not if you know my story. Bailey has been begging to adopt a sister from there for a long time, and we should have done this long ago. I know it's not the same as bringing a child into our home, but it is certainly a good start.

You can also contribute to the Haiti cause through Compassion International here.

Another wonderful place to contribute if you aren't familiar with them is an organization called Sweet Sleep. They are committed to building beds and providing bedding materials to orphans around the world. I have a permanent link on the right to their blog.

Times like these are perfect for showing the world who Jesus is. Our compassion and prayers should be directly focused on healing for the Haitian people, physical, emotional and spiritual. The work in Haiti is never going to end. It's up to us to show them that the same is true of the love of God.

**UPDATE**

Bailey had I had wonderful fun scrolling through the waiting children in India on Compassion's website. We have chosen a beautiful girl named Gayathri. I would post her picture, but I don't seem to have access to it at the moment, so I guess I'll have to wait until we get our packet in the mail sometime in the next two weeks. We are both so excited and can't wait to start corresponding with her!

As a side note, if you are interested in sponsoring a child, I would definitely go through Compassion. Everything I have seen about them leads me to believe that they make it very easy to have a real relationship with your child. World Vision thrives in other areas, but I don't think sponsorship is their biggest strength.

This is Wadson. He was born on March 14, 1999, the day before my oldest child. He is one of seven children living with his parents in extreme poverty in the country of Haiti. And I have no way of knowing whether he is alive or dead.

We began sponsoring Wadson in 2003, when he was four years old. We chose him because he was almost exactly the same age as Bradley, and he is sponsored in Bradley's name. His picture sits on the side of my refrigerator, next to the Joey's Pizza magnet, hovering above the K-cup turnabout. I rarely think about him, except for the occasions when my eyes pass over his picture and I breathe a quick prayer for his day.

I haven't been the best sponsor. I receive his yearly report and picture with joy, and Brad and I enjoy reading over it together. We have been faithful to send in our monthly pledge for the past 6 1/2 years. But in all that time I think we've only sent one letter and picture outside of the easy form ones World Vision provides. Primarily because of the slight inconvenience of finding the address and figuring out how it is I'm supposed to go about it. It's just not been a top priority.

But for the past two days I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. I'm stunned to think that he and his family may not have survived the terrible earthquake that has turned Haiti into a living hell. Reports of fatalities range anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000. That is a huge gap. But even if it is a mere 50,000 people lost, that is twice the number of people that live in my town. It's more than the population of nearby Franklin. Imagine if the entire city of Franklin were wiped out in an instant. We can't.

So, like many of you, I find myself driven to and away from the news reports in regular intervals. I seek it out, desperate for signs of hope that things are starting to get better, turned away by the images of suffering, chaos and death.

For the great majority of us, our first instinct is "What can I do?" We want desperately to play a part in relieving suffering. It is one of my favorite things about Americans, that we do respond so overwhelmingly when crises hit. Sadly, it is one of the few things that unifies us, though only for a brief period of time.

This overwhelming urge to help, to make things right, even in non-believers points directly to God. Our sense of what is good and right and fair comes from Him. We know this is not the way things were designed to be. We cry out to Him for mercy. How many prayers have been lifted for this long-ignored nation in the past three days, even by people who don't really know the One they pray to?

I am bothered by the millions of dollars our government is promising to Haiti, even though I realize that there is no way we could not. But our government is rocketing towards bankruptcy. What good is the promise of millions when we don't have it to share? In reality, that number most likely pales in comparison to the amount that individual citizens of this country and others have pulled out of their wallets and sent to Haiti on their own through various charities and organizations. This is my preference. Americans are very generous when faced with a grave need. We will rise to the occasion without the government's intervention.

So what do I do now? My inquiry into World Vision was answered exactly as I thought it would be. "When we know, we'll let you know." So I sit and wait, perhaps for weeks, wondering if this precious child that I've sponsored, and yet not truly loved, is alive. If he is, our sponsorship will become far more than sending a check each month. The life Wadson lives and the suffering he is accustomed to has suddenly become very real to us. If he is not, I will grieve. I will grieve because I could have done more for him while he was here. I could have been more than a check in the mail. I could have been a friend.

Bailey made a Mars Rover in Astronomy class today...
All school projects should be so edible! :)

Roll Tide!

I love my kids.

Ruby's Ready

Wait for it...

It's 2010 - Election Year. Surprisingly, I haven't seen any campaign ads yet, but have no doubt that they are lurking around the next commercial break.

So will 2010 be a year for hope and change? What should we expect this fall?

Like many of you, I spent the majority of 2009 watching in shock and dismay as our new government systematically implemented one disastrous policy after another. Many of them were out of the public eye unless you happen to be personally affected by them. Such as the hundreds of thousands of dollars that were stripped from our partner church in South Africa and their AIDS work because our new President felt the need to get rid of some of Bush's faith-based initiatives. Others were more obvious, such as the race to socialize healthcare in America.

One thing I'm sure of as I struggle to remain optimistic in these troubled days. God is in control. Perhaps He's using this time to wake up a lazy American population to the fact that we are not immune to socialism. Perhaps He just got fed up and gave us the king that Americans, in our ignorance of how God has blessed us, wanted, just as he allowed the Israelites their own King Saul. Or maybe this is all part of a much bigger story that has been in the works from the foundations of the earth. I can't claim to know. But I do know that Daniel 2:21 says that "He sets up kings and deposes them." For whatever reason, we can be sure that this presidency did not take God by surprise. He hasn't been wringing his hands trying to figure out what to do next. We should probably follow that lead.

Elections bring consequences, as we've been so brutally reminded. But just as they can bring devastating consequences, the beauty of our system is that we have the opportunity to rectify some of our mistakes every two years. It is an enormous blessing that healthcare didn't fully pass before the end of the year. Now that it is an election year, everything changes. The powers that be in Washington are fully aware of that fact, which is why they were on such a rampage to shove it through before the clock ran out on 2009. There is a huge opportunity for candidates right now to run and get elected based on their promises to revoke whatever gets passed between now and then and start slashing taxes instead of raising them. They just have to be brave enough to do it.

I firmly believe that opposing Obama is no longer taboo. Millions of Americans are dismayed by the fact that they've seen all that change they were promised make their lives worse instead of better. He's losing support faster than Tiger Woods is losing sponsors.

And there's actually an interesting parallel between the two men. They both come from biracial marriages and have one immigrant parent. Both come from modest means. Both have been accused of not being black enough, whatever that means. Both have (or had) Stepford wives and the appearance of a perfect family. (Although I think the President is probably more afraid of the damage his wife could do to him if he were to ever get caught with his pants down. She's got some pretty impressive biceps.) Both have (had) the undying adoration of the media and a messianic persona, fostering a false impression that they can do no wrong. As the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Tiger is learning this firsthand, and I believe President Obama is starting to sense how close he is to the edge of the cliff as well. His approval has fallen from 65% this time last year to just under 50%, while his disapproval rating has soared from around 20% to 45%. It should be quite a wake-up call.

On the other hand, we could make another intriguing comparison. The only person I see currently that is sparking enthusiasm among Republicans is Sarah Palin. If Republicans can take back Congress this fall (which shouldn't be too hard unless they manage to blow it by running on moderate platforms. The approval rating for Congress is currently 27% versus a whopping 65% disapproval) then I believe they can at least bring all these changes to a sluggish crawl.

If Sarah could convince the American public that she will not be swayed from her conservative principles, I believe she would win in a landslide. Because Sarah is a whole lot like Ronald Reagan. Both incredibly charismatic. Both despised by the media that will stop at nothing to destroy them. Despite the fact that powerful people in the party would rather see her scuttle back to Alaska, she is wildly popular with millions of Americans. When she visited my in-laws' city last month, 2000 people showed up at the Barnes and Noble to get their books signed. That is some serious energy.

President Reagan took over when the top income tax bracket was 70%. 70%! That sounds utterly unfathomable, and yet can anyone deny that the current President isn't as hot in pursuit of that as Roscoe P. Coltrane after the Duke boys? He would LOVE to see that imposed upon the "rich." That's what socialism is about. And if you doubt he is a socialist, spend 20 minutes researching things that he has said throughout the years. He will prove it to you in his own words. He's doing everything he can to impose his Marxist beliefs upon America without actually using the label. It is not hard to see.

My point with this is that, as bad as things may look right now, things have been pretty bad before. Do I think we should put our hope in Sarah Palin? Absolutely not. Simply that she is a symbol of hope that politics in America is not necessarily going to have to go the way of Europe after all.

2010 may be exactly the hope and change this country needs. But as for me, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:7)

Tuesday Morning Playgroup

I wondered why things had suddenly gotten so quiet...

I'm Back

New Year's Resolution - resume the blog.

I didn't mean to drop off the cyber planet, but I could definitely sense that it was coming for a while. Partly because I've started working again, partly because our schedule seems busier than ever, and partly because I just felt private there for a while. Politically, I feel anything I write would be preaching to the choir. Spiritually, things just felt like they needed to be between me and the Lord for a time.

But my goal is to kick off 2010 with enough time management to allow for blogging, because I do miss it. If nothing else, the pictures of the kiddos allow grandparents to stay in touch. :)

So for my first post of the new decade, a Christmas story.

This year, Bailey was completely obsessed with the Kit Kittredge treehouse from American Girl. She began begging in approximately July. Considering this thing is enormous and costs $250, I knew there was no way we were going to go there. But somewhere along the way we came up with the idea of asking Granddaddy Reid if he could possibly build something like it.

I mentioned it to Dad and he seemed intrigued with the idea. As usual, it took him about 30 minutes to e-mail me back with some size dimensions and I knew he was hooked. I couldn't wait to see what he would come up with.

For those of you that don't know my dad, he spent the majority of his career as a project engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has the mind of an engineer and the patience of Job. His attention to detail is unbelievable with a work ethic to match. Throwing something together is just not his style.

Daddy spent the weeks leading up to Christmas building Bailey the most beautiful dollhouse I have ever seen. He did it in secret, telling Bailey when she asked him to build it for her that it was too difficult for him to copy. He hid it out in the garage and we only had one close call. Fortunately, she never had a clue what he was really up to.

On Christmas Day, it was time for the big reveal. At this point, watching beats reading.

Pure Christmas Joy - thanks, Sis! :)

Wishing all of you a very happy and blessed 2010!