Currently I am...

Reading: No Longer A Slumdog, Left To Tell

Watching: All the shows on our backed up DVR

Listening to: Bethel Music (One day I'll make it up there...)

Dreaming of: Summer days

Anticipating: Summer vacation ( a summer theme is happening here)

Thinking about: needing to go clean the chicken coop. Blah

Enjoying: The She Reads Truth Soul Detox (check it out)

Freaking out: Because where did the month of January go?! Geeze February will be here this week

Feeling: A strong sense of peace this week...

Missing: My sister! Veron come back from England already geeze you left mom and I here with all the boys

Contemplating: Juicing a few times a week, I'm feeling quite blah after this nasty flu and cold and need a boost (juicing recipes welcomed)

Loving: The quote below, being sick allowed for me to watch Anne of Green Gables AND Anne of Avonlea, love me some Anne Shirley and I now want to move to Prince Edward Island. 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Last Friday we finished up 8 months of waiting, now we're into month 9..If  I were physically pregnant I'd be ready to pop. Sometimes I feel like I'm about to pop anyway.
We're beginning to enter a busy season, I'm looking forward to it, it'll keep me occupied.

This weekend I'm headed to Created For Care in Atlanta, GA. I get to meet all my adoptive mama friends in real life! Now, they will be real life friends.  I'm so looking forward to this time to rest and be encouraged with other moms in the same spot as me, and thankful to my parents and hubby who are helping me get there (ps, I've never flown anywhere by myself expect to and from Portland...I'm terrified to switch planes...)

You might have notice this poor little blog has been neglected a bit, well, there's a good reason. I'm now blogging over at Give1Save1Africa too! So, if you or someone you know if adopting..send them our way! We can help you! I'm learning to manage my time...it's coming along...

Some things I'm looking forward to:

1. Created for Care (Jan)
2. Hume Lake Winter Camp with the High School Students (Feb)
3. RWANDA!!!! (March)
4. Grad Classic and Justin's Birthday (April)
5. Summer begins! (May) and ONE YEAR DTE!
6. Graduations galore and Kickback (June)
7. Backpacking with Justin! And my birthday (July)
8. SUMMER HUME (August)

So as you can see, we have a full exciting schedule coming up, throw in a referral somewhere over the next 7 months and it'll be pretty dang perfect.

And for your viewing pleasure, these are one of the (many) pictures from our high school ugly Christmas sweater party.  It's pretty awesome, these are some of our staff and some random students who snick in...gotta love 'em. You can laugh, it's pretty hilarious.  And completely not in the actual background, oh well.  Oh, and Lauren, that's your son in there trying to do flips out of Dave's arms ;) 

Going...

I'm going to Rwanda

I actually can't believe I'm writing those words.

In March, a group of friends and I are headed to Rwanda with Africa New Life

It's crazy how many random connections we discovered throughout planning this trip

It's totally confirming where God wants me to go.

The founder of Africa New Life went to my alma mater, Multnomah (well, he went to the seminary, I went to the college, but kinda the same thing ;) )

Africa New Life's women's ministries partners with Noonday Collection

I am so beyond excited to meet these women who's stories I've shared and who's work I proudly display at shows.  Getting to meet these women in person, and hug them, and thank them and tell them how many people care for them and ask about them and want to hear their stories. It's priceless. 

I'm sure I'll cry.

We're going over on a vision trip, to see about possible long term partnerships with ANL. What I love about ANL is that they are Rwandan run, helping the Rwandan people.  They have an amazing ministry and I'm so excited to be able to go and learn more about it.  We have no idea what God has in store for this trip, but I know it's going to be life changing and I'm ready!

There are some ways YOU can  be involved too! Wanna know how?

1. PRAY PRAY PRAY. Please pray for me and our team, pray that God will make us uncomfortable and feel called to action. Pray for health while we travel and while we're on the ground.  Pray for those who we're going to come in contact with, God already knows-pray he prepares our hearts and theirs.

2. You can host a Noonday Collection Trunk Show! For the months of January and February all Noonday commission will be going to my trip costs.  By hosting a show not only are you helping me with the finaicial part- but you're becoming a direct link to the women I will meet! We can take pictures at your show and I can show these women in Rwanda all of you who care for them! There are also some sweet incentives in Januray and Fevuary if you decide you wanna host a show, let me know and we can talk.

So why am I going? Becuse for over a year I have felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit saying it's time to GO and I'm too comfortable right now, it's time to get uncomfortable.

My friend Jessica from Noonday recently took her 6 year old daughter to Africa. they visited Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda.  Here's an expert from the blog she wrote right before she left-it's a beautiful explaintain on WHY we go.

"When Amelie, my 6 year old, is 22, I want her to tell me that her life isn’t all about her. I want her to risk everything, to lay down her life, in order to co labor with Christ to make His love known among the poor, the oppressed, the disenfranchised. I am taking her with me to Africa so she can SEE the face of poverty; the face of strength and beauty. I want her to see that Africa is not just a land of moms and dads so poor that Americans have to send lots of money to “sponsor” their kids.  It is a place where God’s image bearers dwell. Talented people, who with a market place for their goods, can create beautiful things and overcome insurmountable odds. She will meet the ladies behind the accessories that have filled our house and now office for 2 years and know why mommy is working so hard. She will see the 50 crib room that Jack called home, and will meet many other kids without moms and dads. I want her heart to be ruined and wrecked for the God who ruined himself for her." (see full blog post here)

 ^"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:27

My word

I've spent waaaayyy too much time over the last few days reading over blogs and seeing what people hope for 2013, I love the idea of choosing a word to focus on.  I wrote a few days ago about my hope to live out Isaiah 58 this year (and the years to come) but with that, I wanted to choose a word that I also want to focus on, peace. 

Our lives are busy, and they're not gong to slow down, which sometimes really overwhelms me.  How I choose to handle situations is an example of Christ in me, and if I freak out and stress everyone and their mom out, well that's just not the best example right?

For 2013, along with living out Isaiah 58, I'm choosing to live out peace as well.  I love what my friend Beth wrote on her blog about her theme for the year, she used this verse as an example and it totally spoke to me.

"You will go out in joy and be led fourth in peace." Isaiah 55:12

What word would you choose?