Ageze's 1st lost tooth!!!!

Tesfa + Joshua= buddies....Injera...LeTourneau family....class visit....new "must read."

Wow.what a crazy title. But, really awesome, exciting stuff. Well, first off...the injera...as Ageze was looking at photos tonight from our time in Ethiopia last summer, he came upon a picture of him at The Yod Abyssinia ( a traditional Ethiopian restaurant!) eating injera, doro wat etc...he held the picture up to his nose, and said.."momma, I can still smell it, can you??" typing it gives me goosebumps. I replied.."yes, honey...I can too!" mmm..mmm...good! Love that boy of ours!

We've had the privilege of having our friend, Joshua at our house this week...what fun we've had!! Take a peek at these two sweet boys!!

 Next up...Drum roll please.....the LeTourneau Family as in Joey & Destiny LeTourneau...will be coming to Bismarck The last weekend in October...and speaking at our church...Bismarck Community Church @ 10:15 am!! So, that is October 30th...10:15 am...be there!! You can & should check out their website at
www.mark1014family.com.... They have recently returned back to the states after serving in Ethiopia for a few years...they will be sharing about their time in ET, orphan awareness & talking about their newly released book.."Revolutionary Freedom."

So, yesterday while Ageze was in class...they were discussing continents, countries etc..His teacher told me while  they were talking he raised his hand, and started talking about Ethiopia...the sights, smells, food, animals, NO toys, his home, the orphanage etc...his life before coming home to our family! She asked if I would like to share anything else with the class...so, tomorrow am, Ageze & I will be showing pictures, Ethiopian clothes (yes, he has asked if he could wear his traditional clothes to school:) music...and Ageze suggested bringing popcorn to share with his friends..I'm not sure exactly all of the details about the significance of popcorn in ET, but I do know that it is very commonly served during their coffee ceremonies! He has also asked to bring his ET music...which will be so fun!! He asked me..."momma, can i dance & sing, too??" It is so precious to hear his sweet voice singing along to the music, and his dance moves are to die for!!!! I love that he is talking about his culture...I sure hope it continues!!

  Finally...today I received a new book in the mail...this is no ordinary book...it is "Kisses from Katie."
By, Katie Davis...I'm sure alot of you have read her blog, and if you haven't..I strongly recommend you do..www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com ...I'm on page 94, and I don't want to stop. What an inspiration she is:)
  alright, off to get my kiddos to bed...I gotta keep on with my awesome read!!!
                                                                       xo

i saw what i saw...now what??

I'm sure most of you know the song..."I saw what i saw" by Sara Groves...well, this song replays in my head over & over..."I saw what I saw & I can't forget it. I heard what I heard & I can't go back. I know what I know & I can't deny it. something on the road, cut me to the soul." Anyhow...if I'm being honest, which I am & will be. I understand these lyrics. I love these lyrics. I experienced something I can't nor want to forget. But, what now?? Again, here goes my honesty...If I could move to Africa today with my family & serve the least of these...the orphan, the widow, the lost...I would. I can't forget what i saw. I don't want to forget what i saw. Many people think...well, hey Kristen...you are adopting again...you are helping!! And, that is true..we are adopting again. But I don't want to stop there. We won't stop there. I saw. with my very own two eyes. something that has made such an imprint on me & our family. I'm not saying all of this to leave you wondering if we are up & moving to Africa. we are not. Do I believe that missions are in our future...I sure hope!! And, then there are the days where I think to myself..." man, it would be so much easier to have NOT seen what i saw...then I wouldn't understand the need, the poverty...& so on. But, Thank God I did see. And, I surely wouldn't be thinking my family ought to be missionaries in Africa of all places."
  These verses below are a few which have been consuming my mind:)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

Isaiah 1:17

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Proverbs 31:8-9

  I am in the middle of reading "Radical Together, By David Platt." If you haven't read "Radical"... it's a must read, followed by "Radical Together." IT is challenging, thought-provoking (like, keep you up at night thought provoking!!) & inspiring!

    After dropping off the little girls we hosted from The African Childrens Choir On Saturday...I arrived home, opened my mailbox...& pulled out a shirt that I had ordered---------->

 If you aren't familiar with this verse, here it is.....

Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard The Lord asking,"whom should I send as a messenger to this people, who will go for us?" I said,"Here I am Lord. Send Me."

 I pray that no matter where God sends you or I...that we do it all to glorify Him. 

                                 xo

Tesfa & friends:)

My boy & his buddies were watching a few toons this am...caught them looking sooo cute...so thought i'd grab a few pix!! Woody, Mr. Bird & elephant are his favorite little guy's...he sleeps with them every night & once in awhile....they even get to watch Monday am cartoons:)  Have yourself a fun Monday!!

                                                                   xo

loved every minute!!!

What a wonderful weekend we've had!! Last night we went to The African Children's Choir Concert here in town...which again.....was such an amazing time!! Wish they were our worship team at church!!! There is nothing quite like hearing children worshipping The Lord!! Such a beautiful sound:) Then we had the opportunity to host a couple of the kids and a chaperone at our home for the night!! After we made it home, we had a snack, visited with the girls & then we were able to tuck them in for the night & say a prayer with them! To say we were blessed & had an amazing time is an understatement...After putting all 6 kids to bed last night...we laid in bed, and discussed our night...how gREAT is OUR GOD!!.....2 of the most precious Ugandan children tucked in.... upstairs in our home...our 4 sweet sleeping children...laying on our bedroom floor fast asleep...How blessed we are. We also have the opportunity to sponsor our two new friends.......
G & D!! When they heard we were sponsoring them...their eyes lit up...like the most twinkling stars I've seen...their smiles were beautiful!! This morning "G" was reading one of the brochures that we were given from the concert....it read..."Helping Africa's most vulnerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow!" She read it out loud...the tears welled up in my eyes...she knows that is her...but she has HOPE & DREAMS of a bright, beautiful future....her wish is to be a surgeon. My wish is that all of the beautiful children we met last night will have a sponsor...is that you?? contact...sponsorship@africanchildrenschoir.com for more information. This morning, after walking to the park, playing, eating breakfast & lunch with one another...we drove them to their bus...they sang the host families one last beautiful song...again, the tears filled my eyes...well, actually...all 6 of us. Kate cried all the way home...wondering, will she ever see them again..they bonded. They made an imprint on her 7 yr old little life. I am grateful. Grateful to have had this experience. We sent them off with a picture of our family & them..together. On the back I wrote. "You are loved." And now we trust. Trust that we will see G & D again. xo

day 2 of the sale. african childrens choir!!

Well, considering our sale was only open for 3 hrs on Saturday( due to very limited customers!!)we still managed to fundraise around $350!! Our grand total for the weekend was $1744.00!!! Wowzers!! We were once again blown away by friends, family & complete strangers....their generosity was over the top!! Thanks again to all of you who gave to our garage sale, sponsored a puzzle piece, donated $$, and so on. We appreciate each & every one of you. We love your hearts. God loves your heart.
On a totally different subject...We are so thrilled to be going to an African Children's Choir Concert this Friday!! We are also totally thrilled that we will be hosting a couple of the kids from the choir!! Friday can't come fast enough...the kids said this morning.."how many more sleeps until The concert & our new friends are staying with us??" And new friends they will be. So, if you are in the Bis/Man area...come to the concert at 7pm...Friday night at Century Baptist Church!! You will be blessed.
xo

blown away blessed!!!!

before we start day 2 of our sale...I just had to tell you all how amazing day 1 was!!! Incredibly amazing!! It's so hard to believe how successful the day was...well, not really...considering God is just that BIG & Incredible!! We had a beautiful day...sunshine & smiling(for the most part!!) customers!! God has a way of putting some very incredible people in one's path. For example...I met a woman who actually stopped here twice...her & her husband are foster parents...currently they have the most precious 19 month old twins...we visited for quite some time... she shared that some of her friends think they are just crazy...not crazy for being foster parents, BUT crazy for being foster parents AFTER their kids were all grown & away in college..WOW! I'm guessing they are in their 50's..that is incredible! That's not crazy people...that's GOD! The love she has for her sweet foster children was undescribable!! Another cool part of the day was when a girl & a guy came ...no older than 18...They found a handful of items...came to the table & said..."Is $65.00 enough for this??" My mouth dropped...I said.." Oh my goodness, you guys, that is just way too much..." They refused to give me any less. By the smiles on their faces...I could tell how much they loved to be giving. They commented that they had been to our lemonade stand the kids had a while back...& they just thought it was cool, so they came back & gave again. WOW!!! I hope all of our kids will have that same giving, compassionate, generous attitude when they are that age....Their parents should be sooo proud of them!!! When they left I thanked them again, told them how inspiring they both were...young people with incredibly giving hearts. Ok, gotta get ready for our day...but have to share one more story...
A woman probably in her mid 30's...shopped the tables for a good hour...she brought her things to the table, asked me who to write a check out to...& then handed me a check for $100! Like I said in my last post...I'm getting better at receiving gifts from people...but being a mom with children...i know how much $100 is & I know how many groceries I could buy, or gas in my car, school clothes...etc....so, I said...well, thank you so much, but $100 is wayyy too much...I really appreciate it, but I just can't take all of this...she said..."I am going to give you this...We recently had a fundraising benefit dinner for our family & we were so thankful to those who gave, so I just want to help you in the same way others helped us! I said" would you mind If I asked what your fundraiser was for?" She said "My husband needs a heart transplant." WOW! My heart sank. How can she give to my family, when they could use this money?? They are a family of 4...two of them age 3 & 5..the other two their God-loving parents. I still sit here just amazed. Amazed at God's goodness & faithfulness. Amazed at how this woman could so graciously give when her husband is fighting for his life. I believe that her husband will receive the absolutely most perfectly matched heart for his body. You see, he can't receive just any heart..she explained that it needs to be just right...right for his weight & height. God is so Good & so Faithful...I know This family will be ok. Would you please join me in praying for this family?? Each one of these encounters & hearing someone's life story..has blessed me in a new way... I love getting to know new people & who they are.

OOps...almost forgot....drum roll please....yesterday our grand total was........$1,408.00.....Yes, you read that right....One Thousand, Four Hundred & eight dollars!!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!