i'm thinking about trashing my kids' cars

This is an empty applesauce container in my car door handle. The many trash items, like this one, in my car over the past sixteen years has lead me to some serious thinking! I have decided that I am going to trash my kids' cars. First of all, I am going to open the little packets of sauce and kechup from Chic Fil A and I'm going to leave them in the door handles and seat pockets. Next, I plan to trim my nails, toenails included, and let all of the clippings fall in the floor board. I am going to drop fries down the seat, next to the seat belts. I am considering leaving an age old dairy product secretly in the cup holder in the backseat, and best of all, I will remove my socks after practice and leave them under the seat. When my boys cannot figure out why their car smells like football practice, they will find the surprise socks and take them to the laundry room, and wash them for me. I might put little coins in their CD player and press my face against their windows. I will spit nasty stuff in an empty water bottle and leave it on the floor next to my athletic cup. I will leave my phone in their car and beg them to drive to where I am so I can text my friends.

I am thinking about having a nice argument with Brian in the back seat of their cars. I will certainly chew all of the gum in their cars and play MY music loudly anytime I ride with them. I will probably be late, and they will be waiting on me, so I expect that I will have to bring my breakfast pancakes with sticky syrup to eat in the car. I'm sure they will bring these dishes in and wash them. I will unpack my bat bag in their trunk and leave all of my empty Gatorade bottles. I will hit my cleats together so that the dried clay falls off and I will dump out the dirt from the inside of my cleats. I will feel really bad about it, but I will probably do it several more times. There are a few more things that boys do in cars that require rolling the windows down, but I am a lady, so I will not do those things. These are just a few of the fun things I am planning!

goats :)

We received this picture in the mail today!! This is Kyui, the 15 year old boy that we have been sponsoring in Kenya for the last eight years. At Christmas, we decided to send Kyui's family a gift. Seventy five dollars was the smallest amount that we could send in order for his family to receive some special help at Christmas, and since we had never given this way before, that is what we chose to do. We were a bit skeptical because they would not tell us how the money would be used. I am so glad we did this!
The little amount we sent did a lot for Kyui's family. They received two goats, a school uniform, pens, leather shoes and shoes for Kyui's grandmother.

It is amazing that we can tangibly help needy people on the other side of the world!!! If you are not sponsoring a child or helping in some way with missions, would you pray about how you could be involved? It is not about you and me. There is a world that is dying physically and spiritually and we have the resources that they need!!!

"For God so loved the world that He GAVE." John 3:16

first chat

This past week, we had our very first Launch Network video chat for church planters' wives!!! We were so excited about it. It was really little but really cool. We had two girls. One was in Missouri and one was in Georgia. One of the girls did not have a working camera on her computer, so we could just hear her and not see her.

Because my computer was messed up, I drove to Cindy Lake's house and we shared earphones. I had one in my ear and she had one in her ear. We had to sit close to both fit on the screen! We laughed afterwards because we are not very technological. Here we were with our little earphones in Cindy's living room talking with church planters' wives about God's calling in their lives.

I have seen God do some amazing things that started out little. Maybe you are doing something that seems little or insignificant. Maybe things have not turned out the way you thought they would. God is the master of little things. If you are doing something where God is already at work, He can turn little into much!

I had to document this because, in thanks to God, through the Launch Network, we are going to connect church planters' wives all across the country and the world. We will look back on our little inaugural video chat and remember that God did great things!!

love this verse!

Psalm 89:8
"O Lord God Almighty, Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord? Faithfulness is your very character."

the burkina kitchen project

When Brian returned from his first Burkina Faso, Africa trip, his pictures tugged at my heart. One set of pictures especially grabbed me. The women who cook for hundreds of students at the school in Burkina and at the Compassion site, cook in the dirt. They do not have kitchens. Somehow, as a woman, I felt like these women needed a kitchen. Every woman who has to cook for that many kids needs a kitchen! I thought that if we as women could donate to have a kitchen built, we could not only make their job so much easier, but we could aid in creating a healthy environment for these children as well.

One in 3.5 children in Burkina will die before they turn 10 years old, because they do not have food and water; so while I catch myself letting my water run in my kitchen faucet, these kids are starving and dying. This is not a National Geographic picture of a place that we will never see. This is where West Ridge Church has a family on the ground, a ministry that we can travel to and see for ourselves! Last year, Brian had the opportunity to meet the little girl that we sponsor, and when we build this kitchen, I am going to go and see it for myself!! God is doing amazing things in Burkina Faso, and when we get $25,000. we can add to that by building a kitchen!!!!! When you cook dinner with your stove and oven and use running water and , oh my gosh, a dishwasher, think about the women cooking in the dirt, and pray about donating to the Burkina Kitchen Project. You can be a part of changing lives!!!!!

To donate go to www.engageburkina.com.

hang in there!

Are you growing weary doing the right thing and not seeing results? When Taylor was little, he was a terror. I can say that now because he is almost 16 and is an amazing young man! I remember talking to my dad, who has a counseling degree. After staying with us for several days, he was supposed to give me some earth-shaking advice to "fix" Taylor. I was ready for a remedy, and I'll never forget what he said. He said, "I think you are doing the right things. Just keep on doing what you are doing and one day, you are going to see the results." That is not the answer I was looking for. I wanted a quick fix.

Now I can see that because of God's grace, after what seemed like an eternity, things did change. Now, I go through different challenges, but (I am writing this post to myself) I can look back and remember that if you keep doing the right thing, you will eventually see the results. Hang in there! Galations 6:9 says, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

R u having FUN?

(This is Brian and me sledding at Christmas!)


Are you having FUN with your husband or wife? FUN is vital to a healthy marriage. If you are not having fun, plan something fun today!! It does not require money to laugh and have fun, but the returns are hugely valuable!!!