So, I'm sitting here in the O.R. Tambo International Airport, watching the sun rise over Johannesburg, and all I can think about is how I would rather be at the baby house getting the kids out of their cribs right now. I'm happy to be coming home soon (between wireless internet, REAL coffee, and feeling safe in a car, I'm pumped to come home), but I'm also sad to be leaving. The last few days have been so, so crazy here. My last two days of work, I was in charge of all of Starfish. Auntie Mary was off, so I was basically the one in charge! That means that I was the one preparing and giving all of the medication and kindof bossing around a new volunteer who is older than my parents. It was a little overwhelming the night before when I was reviewing how to prepare all of the medication (one of the things I had to do was poke two holes in a teeny pill and try to blow the gel from the inside into a spoon, then feed that gel to a baby girl-ahh!!), but it went so well. The little girl with cerebral palsy is back, so I was so glad to see her again and see how much progress she has made in just a week! It is a miracle. As I reflect on my time in Starfish, I am struck with how each of their lives is really a small miracle. Most of these kids were severely neglected, on the edge of starvation, and on medication when they came in. Now, almost all of my kids are going to be adopted by the end of September.
I wasn't really sure how to come home with all that I've experienced in South African these past two months. I felt like I was holding all of these experiences and lessons and children in my hands, not quite sure what to do with them or how they applied to my American life. Last week, however, I was at a funeral for one of my little girls (I briefly mentioned her in another post...it broke my heart when she passed away from AIDS two weeks ago.) that I really, really loved, and the pastor said some things that really spoke to me. He said that in life, it's not really about the duration, but about the deposit you make. This little girl's life was short, but from the surprising amount of people at her funeral, she obviously touched a lot of lives. He said that now because of her, I have a connection to every orphan, to every child affected with AIDS, and whenever I think of her, it reminds me to serve. That's what I'm bringing home with me. Although I leave a few pieces of my heart in Africa with my kids, I am bringing home their faces, their laughs, their cuddles, and a continual reminder to serve. Wow, I'm starting to cry, but I really don't want to mess up my makeup. I have a long flight home!
Thanks so much for following my blog. I'm not sure if I will update more or not, but feel free to check. And please, whenever you think of me or this blog again (if ever), please pray for my kids in South Africa. I so appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts thus far. Also, please take my experiences as a challenge to serve in whatever capacity you can wherever God has placed you. When you serve others, God expands your heart and fills it with His joy-it makes life worth living. Don't settle for a mediocre life when God has the BEST just waiting for you to take.
All to Him,
Emily
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
changes in starfish.
Hi everyone! Wow, it has been a crazy past few days. Where to begin?
Well, last week one of my boys was transferred to the toddler house! He turned one last month and just learned to walk, so he will be fine there. The sad thing is that I can't see him every day anymore, but I am glad that his development is to the point where he can move up on the food chain here. We also moved one of the babies from upstairs to downstairs with us in Starfish. He was having some trouble with early development, so we all decided it was best to try to remedy it now before it becomes more of an issue. He is three months old, and so cute!
We also got a new 11-month old from the hospital who has cerebral palsy. Her story breaks my heart. Early in her life, her mother dropped her off at a creche, sort of like a daycare center. She never came back to pick her up, and during her time at the creche she contracted meningitis. Creches stop taking care of children who aren't monetarily supported by their families, so this meningitis got worse and worse until she was admitted to the hospital. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. What kills me is that her entire condition could not have only been treated, but prevented. Now her muscles are tight and her joints do not bend, it is difficult for her to swallow things, she can only open her right eye, and she sleeps most of the time due to her medicine cocktail she must take every few hours-everything from morphine to seizure medication. She also weighs barely over 11 pounds. I could tell you so many stories similar to this one from my time at Door of Hope. It amazes me what adults will do to children when they are desperate.
Please pray for this new baby, as she has just been transferred to hospice today. I'm not sure if she will be able to come back before I leave, but I trust that now she is being well-cared for. It is crazy to me that I only have a week left before I return to America. I will never forget these children, my African babies.
All to Him,
Emily
Well, last week one of my boys was transferred to the toddler house! He turned one last month and just learned to walk, so he will be fine there. The sad thing is that I can't see him every day anymore, but I am glad that his development is to the point where he can move up on the food chain here. We also moved one of the babies from upstairs to downstairs with us in Starfish. He was having some trouble with early development, so we all decided it was best to try to remedy it now before it becomes more of an issue. He is three months old, and so cute!
We also got a new 11-month old from the hospital who has cerebral palsy. Her story breaks my heart. Early in her life, her mother dropped her off at a creche, sort of like a daycare center. She never came back to pick her up, and during her time at the creche she contracted meningitis. Creches stop taking care of children who aren't monetarily supported by their families, so this meningitis got worse and worse until she was admitted to the hospital. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. What kills me is that her entire condition could not have only been treated, but prevented. Now her muscles are tight and her joints do not bend, it is difficult for her to swallow things, she can only open her right eye, and she sleeps most of the time due to her medicine cocktail she must take every few hours-everything from morphine to seizure medication. She also weighs barely over 11 pounds. I could tell you so many stories similar to this one from my time at Door of Hope. It amazes me what adults will do to children when they are desperate.
Please pray for this new baby, as she has just been transferred to hospice today. I'm not sure if she will be able to come back before I leave, but I trust that now she is being well-cared for. It is crazy to me that I only have a week left before I return to America. I will never forget these children, my African babies.
All to Him,
Emily
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
adventure!
Hi everyone! I hope that you all are well. I just returned from a two day trip to the Drakensburg Mountains in Mpumulanga (which is easier to pronounce than it looks). It was so fun! I went with Rachel from my flat, and two other volunteers, Sam and Heather. We decided on Friday that we wanted to have an adventure during our next days off, so we "planned" a trip to Kruger National Park and the surrounding area! By planning, what I really mean is that we decided we wanted to go, got some maps, and said we would leave at 6:00 AM and drive east (we were right on the border of Mozambique, for those of you into geography).
I navigated and Sam drove for most of it, and we had a blast simply driving through the countryside and the mountains. I couldn't help but think that this was the "real Africa." Where I live is very suburban, and Johannesburg is very crowded and dangerous to walk around, so when I saw little huts, fields, and knew I was one of four white people for miles, I felt like I was really "in Africa." The mountains were gorgeous. I am convinced that the sky in Africa is bigger-like, hundreds of times bigger, bigger than I have ever seen in my life. Maybe it's just because a lot of Africa is flat, so you can see so much farther, but it is amazing.
During our adventure, we stumbled across beautiful waterfalls, scenic views of the mountains, monkeys scrambling across tunnels, and even a "crime zone." Don't worry-this "crime zone" was hilarious-a large strip of the shoulder of the road with "crime zone" spraypainted all across it. It was a ridiculous find! We also heard a lion roar through the forest. IT WAS SO LOUD!!!
We stayed at a little bed and breakfast that we found. Our hosts were Johann and Ina, a cute, parental couple who knocked off a few hundred rand off the price of the room for us. (We paid R100 each, about $12). They even let us use their kitchen so we could cook our own dinner rather than eating out! By the time we woke up and were ready to leave for Kruger National Park, Ina had made us a hot breakfast and packed it for us to take in the car with us. They were so kind and hospitable-things I have come to find in most South Africans.
Kruger was really cool! We saw so many animals, and I even saw monkeys and baboons!! Everything was really, really close to our car. As in, I could have probably reached out and touched the monkeys! We talked to the monkeys for a while and "played" with them from inside the car. They were definitely my favorite animal I saw, along with the baby hippo and the elephant!
We drove back on Tuesday afternoon/night. It was such a fun adventure! I felt like a true traveler, since all I brought with me was a backpack and some sneakers. Yes, this girl who loves clothes and shoes was able to pack everything she needed in one surprisingly light backpack. Miracles happen.
All to Him,
Emily
I navigated and Sam drove for most of it, and we had a blast simply driving through the countryside and the mountains. I couldn't help but think that this was the "real Africa." Where I live is very suburban, and Johannesburg is very crowded and dangerous to walk around, so when I saw little huts, fields, and knew I was one of four white people for miles, I felt like I was really "in Africa." The mountains were gorgeous. I am convinced that the sky in Africa is bigger-like, hundreds of times bigger, bigger than I have ever seen in my life. Maybe it's just because a lot of Africa is flat, so you can see so much farther, but it is amazing.
During our adventure, we stumbled across beautiful waterfalls, scenic views of the mountains, monkeys scrambling across tunnels, and even a "crime zone." Don't worry-this "crime zone" was hilarious-a large strip of the shoulder of the road with "crime zone" spraypainted all across it. It was a ridiculous find! We also heard a lion roar through the forest. IT WAS SO LOUD!!!
We stayed at a little bed and breakfast that we found. Our hosts were Johann and Ina, a cute, parental couple who knocked off a few hundred rand off the price of the room for us. (We paid R100 each, about $12). They even let us use their kitchen so we could cook our own dinner rather than eating out! By the time we woke up and were ready to leave for Kruger National Park, Ina had made us a hot breakfast and packed it for us to take in the car with us. They were so kind and hospitable-things I have come to find in most South Africans.
Kruger was really cool! We saw so many animals, and I even saw monkeys and baboons!! Everything was really, really close to our car. As in, I could have probably reached out and touched the monkeys! We talked to the monkeys for a while and "played" with them from inside the car. They were definitely my favorite animal I saw, along with the baby hippo and the elephant!
We drove back on Tuesday afternoon/night. It was such a fun adventure! I felt like a true traveler, since all I brought with me was a backpack and some sneakers. Yes, this girl who loves clothes and shoes was able to pack everything she needed in one surprisingly light backpack. Miracles happen.
All to Him,
Emily
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
birthday celebration.
So, the past two days have been SO AWESOME here in South Africa. I got a package from my family-thanks, guys!!! I jumped up and down and screamed a little bit, I was so excited! I love all of the food, letters, pictures, stickers, etc.! Thanks for taking the time to send it! The next day, I got letters from two friends from school (Steph and Em-thanks so much!!!). It is so much fun getting mail here! It amazes me, actually, that it made it all the way over here haha.
Yesterday was the craziest, busiest, longest, but most fun day I've had since I've been here. It was one of my girls' birthdays! The one on oxygen turned one yesterday. It was even more exciting because she was OFF HER OXYGEN all day yesterday!!!! Wow, God is good. Kat and I were kept busy most of the day with party preparations and decorating. We also were training a new contract worker with Auntie Mary and taking care of three babies we have from upstairs for a few days. These babies are premature, and we've had them for about a week (they're only a week old or so), and most of the babies upstairs are getting sick, so they moved them down here for the time being to keep them away from the sick kids haha. However, during all of this-the birthday party, three little babies, daily chores, new people...all of our countertops are getting replaced!! So we were really busy keeping everything off of the counters and running upstairs and downstairs trying to warm bottles haha.
The birthday party was so fun, though! Everyone sang to her, then the director of Door of Hope prayed for her and over her for healing. She has come off her heart medication in the last few months, which is a miracle in itself, since the doctors told DOH that she had a heart condition. She also is getting off her oxygen now. Seriously, God is so good! I am continuing to pray for her complete healing and eventual adoption. Please join me in that prayer! I have complete confidence that God will answer.
I hope all of you are well and enjoying your summers! Dan, I hope you have fun in UGANDA!!!
All to Him,
Emily
Yesterday was the craziest, busiest, longest, but most fun day I've had since I've been here. It was one of my girls' birthdays! The one on oxygen turned one yesterday. It was even more exciting because she was OFF HER OXYGEN all day yesterday!!!! Wow, God is good. Kat and I were kept busy most of the day with party preparations and decorating. We also were training a new contract worker with Auntie Mary and taking care of three babies we have from upstairs for a few days. These babies are premature, and we've had them for about a week (they're only a week old or so), and most of the babies upstairs are getting sick, so they moved them down here for the time being to keep them away from the sick kids haha. However, during all of this-the birthday party, three little babies, daily chores, new people...all of our countertops are getting replaced!! So we were really busy keeping everything off of the counters and running upstairs and downstairs trying to warm bottles haha.
The birthday party was so fun, though! Everyone sang to her, then the director of Door of Hope prayed for her and over her for healing. She has come off her heart medication in the last few months, which is a miracle in itself, since the doctors told DOH that she had a heart condition. She also is getting off her oxygen now. Seriously, God is so good! I am continuing to pray for her complete healing and eventual adoption. Please join me in that prayer! I have complete confidence that God will answer.
I hope all of you are well and enjoying your summers! Dan, I hope you have fun in UGANDA!!!
All to Him,
Emily
Monday, June 29, 2009
holy spirit moments.
Hi everyone! As a warning, this will be a short post. I am running out of time during my "tea break," which really means "gross instant coffee and peanut butter toast break" to me.
God is so good. I was able to go to church yesterday morning and night, which was so awesome. It's a bummer when you work the weekend and can't go to church, so I am always grateful when we're able to go! There was a visiting pastor/missionary there, and he was SO AWESOME. He was talking a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit and how, as Christians, we all have access to that power. Because we have Jesus inside of us, and if we pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell more richly inside of us (sometimes called the baptism of the Holy Spirit), we are able to operate in the supernatural and in the miraculous. This has been my prayer since coming to Africa, thus it was so timely.
I had been feeling really down all day yesterday, so I was glad to be able to go back to church at night to hear this man speak again. I went up for prayer at the end, and Noelle (one of the elders who is really sweet) was praying for me. She put both her palms on mine, and lifted up my hands and told me to praise God for who He is. It was such a Moses moment-do you remember that story in the Old Testament? The Israelites were in the middle of a battle, and as long as Moses (at least I think it was him, haha) had his hands raised to God, they would be winning the fight. Moses started to get tired and his hands kept dropping. Every time his hands dropped, the Israelites would start to lose. His friend (Aaron?) came over and stood in the gap for Moses, helping him continue to raise his hands by holding them up over his head for him. That's what it felt like for me when Noelle raised my hands up-I had been feeling so down and tired and just blah...and immediately when she helped me raise my hands, I had to take this HUGE breath in, like I was breathing in the power and strength of Christ to help me through. It was awesome.
Africa is awesome. I am loving every minute, and I am so grateful that God has placed me here. I can only hope that He will call me back again.
Quick shout-out: Hannah, I hope your dance recital went well!!! I'm sure you looked beautiful!!! :)
All to Him,
Emily
God is so good. I was able to go to church yesterday morning and night, which was so awesome. It's a bummer when you work the weekend and can't go to church, so I am always grateful when we're able to go! There was a visiting pastor/missionary there, and he was SO AWESOME. He was talking a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit and how, as Christians, we all have access to that power. Because we have Jesus inside of us, and if we pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell more richly inside of us (sometimes called the baptism of the Holy Spirit), we are able to operate in the supernatural and in the miraculous. This has been my prayer since coming to Africa, thus it was so timely.
I had been feeling really down all day yesterday, so I was glad to be able to go back to church at night to hear this man speak again. I went up for prayer at the end, and Noelle (one of the elders who is really sweet) was praying for me. She put both her palms on mine, and lifted up my hands and told me to praise God for who He is. It was such a Moses moment-do you remember that story in the Old Testament? The Israelites were in the middle of a battle, and as long as Moses (at least I think it was him, haha) had his hands raised to God, they would be winning the fight. Moses started to get tired and his hands kept dropping. Every time his hands dropped, the Israelites would start to lose. His friend (Aaron?) came over and stood in the gap for Moses, helping him continue to raise his hands by holding them up over his head for him. That's what it felt like for me when Noelle raised my hands up-I had been feeling so down and tired and just blah...and immediately when she helped me raise my hands, I had to take this HUGE breath in, like I was breathing in the power and strength of Christ to help me through. It was awesome.
Africa is awesome. I am loving every minute, and I am so grateful that God has placed me here. I can only hope that He will call me back again.
Quick shout-out: Hannah, I hope your dance recital went well!!! I'm sure you looked beautiful!!! :)
All to Him,
Emily
Friday, June 26, 2009
a dream fulfilled.
Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken me SO LONG to update again!! It's been so busy here with diarrhea, runny noses, and remembering when everyone takes their medicine. :)
HOWEVER, on one of my days off this past week (Wednesday), I was able to go to Pilanesburg National Park with most of the girls and Russell and one of his friends from the States who's visiting!!! For those of you who don't know, that means that I WENT ON A REAL AFRICAN SAFARI!!!! It was so awesome! We basically were all in this big van which luckily had many windows and drove around teeny dirt roads through this huge park. About five minutes into the park, we saw a herd of wildebeest and zebra, all munching on some grass! I was so excited. I kept saying, "These are REAL! There are real live ZEBRAS right in front of our CAR!!" Everyone kindof laughed at me, because I seriously said it so many times, but they were just as excited. :)
I also saw rhinos, giraffes, elephants, springbok (kindof like gazelle/deer looking things...they are the name of the South African rugby team, so they're kindof a big deal), many different kinds of gazelle things like impala and kudu, this huge snake sunning itself on a rock, hippo, warthogs (they seriously looked just like Pumba from the Lion King!), etc. etc. I was SO EXCITED!!! I have so many pictures that I will post to Facebook, then I will post the link on my blog for you guys. My favorites were the elephants and the giraffes!! I love them!! And they were SO big!! I couldn't believe that I was able to see all of those animals in the wild! That is one thing that I have always said that I wanted to do before I died...so I guess I am one step closer to dying! Haha just kidding...
But speaking of dying, I couldn't believe it when I heard that Michael Jackson died yesterday! That was the first thing I heard when I woke up today-Kat looked at me and said, "Hey, did you know that Michael Jackson died?" It was really weird to wake up to that comment haha. It is all over the radio today, so we have heard many, many Michael Jackson songs. I have declared to all of the children in Starfish that every time one of his songs comes on, we need to have a mini dance party. It is HILARIOUS-I basically just dance around them looking like an idiot, and they all stare at me and laugh. I am so glad that there are no videos or pictures of this. :)
Well, I will update more later! Thanks to all of those who are praying for Auntie Mary! A good update on the baby who was in the hospital is that she is back home now! She is doing much, much better, and has even been weaned off a liter of oxygen (she was on 2.5, now she's just on 1.5). Praise God!
All to Him,
Emily
HOWEVER, on one of my days off this past week (Wednesday), I was able to go to Pilanesburg National Park with most of the girls and Russell and one of his friends from the States who's visiting!!! For those of you who don't know, that means that I WENT ON A REAL AFRICAN SAFARI!!!! It was so awesome! We basically were all in this big van which luckily had many windows and drove around teeny dirt roads through this huge park. About five minutes into the park, we saw a herd of wildebeest and zebra, all munching on some grass! I was so excited. I kept saying, "These are REAL! There are real live ZEBRAS right in front of our CAR!!" Everyone kindof laughed at me, because I seriously said it so many times, but they were just as excited. :)
I also saw rhinos, giraffes, elephants, springbok (kindof like gazelle/deer looking things...they are the name of the South African rugby team, so they're kindof a big deal), many different kinds of gazelle things like impala and kudu, this huge snake sunning itself on a rock, hippo, warthogs (they seriously looked just like Pumba from the Lion King!), etc. etc. I was SO EXCITED!!! I have so many pictures that I will post to Facebook, then I will post the link on my blog for you guys. My favorites were the elephants and the giraffes!! I love them!! And they were SO big!! I couldn't believe that I was able to see all of those animals in the wild! That is one thing that I have always said that I wanted to do before I died...so I guess I am one step closer to dying! Haha just kidding...
But speaking of dying, I couldn't believe it when I heard that Michael Jackson died yesterday! That was the first thing I heard when I woke up today-Kat looked at me and said, "Hey, did you know that Michael Jackson died?" It was really weird to wake up to that comment haha. It is all over the radio today, so we have heard many, many Michael Jackson songs. I have declared to all of the children in Starfish that every time one of his songs comes on, we need to have a mini dance party. It is HILARIOUS-I basically just dance around them looking like an idiot, and they all stare at me and laugh. I am so glad that there are no videos or pictures of this. :)
Well, I will update more later! Thanks to all of those who are praying for Auntie Mary! A good update on the baby who was in the hospital is that she is back home now! She is doing much, much better, and has even been weaned off a liter of oxygen (she was on 2.5, now she's just on 1.5). Praise God!
All to Him,
Emily
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
"you white people, you don't have to worry."
Things are going pretty well here at Door of Hope. Aside from everyone screaming today in unison from approximately 7:00 AM until 10:00 AM, it's been a good day. ;) Right now it is 1:27 PM my time, and I am taking my much-needed lunch break haha.
When I work here, I always work with Auntie Mary. She is an awesome Congolese woman living in South Africa with her husband. I love working with her because she is FULL of joy, no matter how many kids are screaming at the moment. I love getting to talk to her about her life.
Yesterday I was able to talk with her for a while about what she was praying about at the moment. I was so challenged. I have noticed that every spare moment she gets, whether that be waiting for lunch to cook, her break time, the kids' nap time, or whatever, she always goes into the sick baby's room (who is still in the hospital, by the way, but is doing much better) and prays and reads her Bible. I mean, every spare second this woman is praying! I asked her yesterday what she prayed about all the time, and she said that I might not understand, but she would tell me.
She said that as a black person, she has to pray all the time against curses on her life. It is apparently very common once someone leaves the village or gets married that there is a family member who was offended in the process. That family member then proceeds to declare curses on that person's head, asking for them not to have children or to be sick or not to be happy. Auntie Mary told me this whole crazy story that once she was asked to be married, she got this disease on her face, all these huge dark black spots all over her face. She got this disease the day after she was asked to be married. She is convinced that this is because someone was offended and was praying for her to be cursed.
Auntie Mary kept telling me how important it is for her to pray and pray for her and her husband, because if she forgets, something always happens. She said that as a white person, I don't have to worry about magic and mysticism, but that as a black person from the Congo, she really has to pray against it. I told her that something I'm learning is the power of the declaration. As Christians, the Bible says that we have Christ in us. Because of that, we have Jesus' power in our spoken word, so that when we declare something about His Kingdom down here on earth, the Bible says that it WILL happen. In the Lord's Prayer, it says, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus modeled for us here that if we see something here on earth that is not a part of His heavenly Kingdom, we have the authority to pray against that and literally pray for His Kingdom to be manifested here on earth in that situation. (By the way, I didn't think all of this stuff up on my own. I am learning so much about this from the book When Heaven Invades Earth,by Bill Johnson. Go pick up a copy-it's awesome!!)
Please join me in prayer for Auntie Mary and her family. She is in the process of writing me a list of more specific prayer requests. If you'd like a copy, please let me know.
Something else that has changed in Starfish is the addition of a new member! We have a new 18-month old girl who is HIV positive. She arrived yesterday and is very, very malnourished. I have never seen a child like this in all my life except for in those commercials you see about adopting African children on TV. I mean, skin and bones, hair like straw, huge tummy...my heart is just torn for her! I've been tending to her all day. She smiled today at me, and I got so excited!!! In her medical records, it said that she had never smiled, so I think it might be a big deal that she did so today. I held her for a long time today, and she FINALLY accepted some food and a little liquid. I was really excited as she ate, but my hopes for her eating anything this morning were a little crushed as I rubbed her back while she vomited everything back up. Please pray for her. She is so beautiful and curious, and I just want her to get well! Because she is HIV positive, she might have to go to another home, but I'll keep you posted.
She spent most of the morning on my back, African papoose style. All you mothers out there--I HAVE to teach you how to do this. It is awesome! A child can be on your back while you do whatever you have to do around the house! She was crying and crying, but as soon as I put her on my back in the papoose, she stopped crying and fell asleep. Apparently, this is what happens to most children in this magical papoose. The best part is-you don't have to buy a special piece of cloth! Just use a bath towel! I am seriously doing this once I have kids-it is so sweet!
I'll update again soon. I haven't forgotten that I need to tell you about Nelson Mandela's house and Soweto!
All to Him,
Emily
When I work here, I always work with Auntie Mary. She is an awesome Congolese woman living in South Africa with her husband. I love working with her because she is FULL of joy, no matter how many kids are screaming at the moment. I love getting to talk to her about her life.
Yesterday I was able to talk with her for a while about what she was praying about at the moment. I was so challenged. I have noticed that every spare moment she gets, whether that be waiting for lunch to cook, her break time, the kids' nap time, or whatever, she always goes into the sick baby's room (who is still in the hospital, by the way, but is doing much better) and prays and reads her Bible. I mean, every spare second this woman is praying! I asked her yesterday what she prayed about all the time, and she said that I might not understand, but she would tell me.
She said that as a black person, she has to pray all the time against curses on her life. It is apparently very common once someone leaves the village or gets married that there is a family member who was offended in the process. That family member then proceeds to declare curses on that person's head, asking for them not to have children or to be sick or not to be happy. Auntie Mary told me this whole crazy story that once she was asked to be married, she got this disease on her face, all these huge dark black spots all over her face. She got this disease the day after she was asked to be married. She is convinced that this is because someone was offended and was praying for her to be cursed.
Auntie Mary kept telling me how important it is for her to pray and pray for her and her husband, because if she forgets, something always happens. She said that as a white person, I don't have to worry about magic and mysticism, but that as a black person from the Congo, she really has to pray against it. I told her that something I'm learning is the power of the declaration. As Christians, the Bible says that we have Christ in us. Because of that, we have Jesus' power in our spoken word, so that when we declare something about His Kingdom down here on earth, the Bible says that it WILL happen. In the Lord's Prayer, it says, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus modeled for us here that if we see something here on earth that is not a part of His heavenly Kingdom, we have the authority to pray against that and literally pray for His Kingdom to be manifested here on earth in that situation. (By the way, I didn't think all of this stuff up on my own. I am learning so much about this from the book When Heaven Invades Earth,by Bill Johnson. Go pick up a copy-it's awesome!!)
Please join me in prayer for Auntie Mary and her family. She is in the process of writing me a list of more specific prayer requests. If you'd like a copy, please let me know.
Something else that has changed in Starfish is the addition of a new member! We have a new 18-month old girl who is HIV positive. She arrived yesterday and is very, very malnourished. I have never seen a child like this in all my life except for in those commercials you see about adopting African children on TV. I mean, skin and bones, hair like straw, huge tummy...my heart is just torn for her! I've been tending to her all day. She smiled today at me, and I got so excited!!! In her medical records, it said that she had never smiled, so I think it might be a big deal that she did so today. I held her for a long time today, and she FINALLY accepted some food and a little liquid. I was really excited as she ate, but my hopes for her eating anything this morning were a little crushed as I rubbed her back while she vomited everything back up. Please pray for her. She is so beautiful and curious, and I just want her to get well! Because she is HIV positive, she might have to go to another home, but I'll keep you posted.
She spent most of the morning on my back, African papoose style. All you mothers out there--I HAVE to teach you how to do this. It is awesome! A child can be on your back while you do whatever you have to do around the house! She was crying and crying, but as soon as I put her on my back in the papoose, she stopped crying and fell asleep. Apparently, this is what happens to most children in this magical papoose. The best part is-you don't have to buy a special piece of cloth! Just use a bath towel! I am seriously doing this once I have kids-it is so sweet!
I'll update again soon. I haven't forgotten that I need to tell you about Nelson Mandela's house and Soweto!
All to Him,
Emily
Friday, June 12, 2009
sunshine and dirty nappies.
To whoever prayed for sun in South Africa yesterday: you are a prayer warrior! The beautiful sun is in the sky and I am very thankful to not be cold anymore. Thanks!
Random fact about living in South Africa: there are ants everywhere. As in, I literally just smushed one with my finger that was crawling next to this computer. There are also cockroaches in our kitchen. Gross!!! They freak me out every time they randomly zip out from underneath the microwave.
I just found out this morning that one of my girls is being adopted in July! I can't even believe it. Another girl has been found a potential family also, but for August. It is so weird to me...I almost feel like I don't want to give them up, even though I KNOW that they're not really mine! Most working days, though, I feel like a mother with six children.
Please pray, though, because today I only have five children. One of the kids I look after (the one who is permanently on oxygen) went to the hospital yesterday. She is very, very sick, and has to stay there indefinitely. Her first birthday is at the end of this month, so please pray that she will be home by then. Her entire little life is a miracle, as doctors predicted that she would never live this long. Please pray that she is able to come back home for her birthday! All of her previous doctors and nurses are invited...it will be a big bash. :)
Funny story about my day so far: one of the little boys I look after has become a pooping MACHINE yesterday and today. Yesterday, I seriously changed about FIVE dirty diapers from him alone, and when I say dirty, I mean like it was starting to explode out of his diaper (or "nappie," as they say in South Africa). It was ridiculous. This morning I went to change him, and it was only wet...so I was immediately prepared for a big one later on. However, I went to check on him and two others in the bath a few minutes later, and he had POOPED ALL OVER THE BATHTUB!! It was literally EVERYWHERE. Sickening. Oh and yeah-guess who had to clean it up? Lovely.
Too much information? :)
All to Him,
Emily
Random fact about living in South Africa: there are ants everywhere. As in, I literally just smushed one with my finger that was crawling next to this computer. There are also cockroaches in our kitchen. Gross!!! They freak me out every time they randomly zip out from underneath the microwave.
I just found out this morning that one of my girls is being adopted in July! I can't even believe it. Another girl has been found a potential family also, but for August. It is so weird to me...I almost feel like I don't want to give them up, even though I KNOW that they're not really mine! Most working days, though, I feel like a mother with six children.
Please pray, though, because today I only have five children. One of the kids I look after (the one who is permanently on oxygen) went to the hospital yesterday. She is very, very sick, and has to stay there indefinitely. Her first birthday is at the end of this month, so please pray that she will be home by then. Her entire little life is a miracle, as doctors predicted that she would never live this long. Please pray that she is able to come back home for her birthday! All of her previous doctors and nurses are invited...it will be a big bash. :)
Funny story about my day so far: one of the little boys I look after has become a pooping MACHINE yesterday and today. Yesterday, I seriously changed about FIVE dirty diapers from him alone, and when I say dirty, I mean like it was starting to explode out of his diaper (or "nappie," as they say in South Africa). It was ridiculous. This morning I went to change him, and it was only wet...so I was immediately prepared for a big one later on. However, I went to check on him and two others in the bath a few minutes later, and he had POOPED ALL OVER THE BATHTUB!! It was literally EVERYWHERE. Sickening. Oh and yeah-guess who had to clean it up? Lovely.
Too much information? :)
All to Him,
Emily
Thursday, June 11, 2009
world cup renovations.
So, the weather SERIOUSLY needs to kick into gear here! It's winter, which means it's "cold" according to South African standards, but I find it to be pretty nice. In the mornings and at night it can get pretty chilly, but during the day I'm normally fine in short sleeves, because it's really nice and sunny. For the past few days, however, it has been drizzling and really gross weather, so we couldn't take the kids outside at all. So sad. I hope it gets nice again soon!
When I was in Pretoria on Monday, I passed the stadium where the World Cup is going to be held! (Dan, I tried to take a picture of it for you!) It is so crazy what is going on here for the World Cup. There are flags EVERYWHERE, and there is so much construction. In the airport, they are working right now to double its size, and they are also doubling the size of all of the highways and most big roads by adding another lane! There are construction workers everywhere.
What really gets me, though, is the fact that they are rebuilding the township houses that are right along the sides of the road, to make it look better to the tourists. Townships, for those of you who don't know, are ghettos left over from apartheid. White South Africans made all the black South Africans live in these ghettos because they didn't believe that the blacks were as good as the whites. It was a horrible situation that was only legally abolished about 20 years ago or so. Many people still live in the townships, however, which means that many people still live in terrible situations. Some of the townships line the highways, so the government, in an effort to make them not look so bad, is literally constructing mansions in place of the shacks that lined the road. They are leaving the rest of the township as is.
I just can hardly wrap my mind around that. On Saturday, I have the opportunity to visit a township called Soweto, and I am also able to visit Nelson Mandela's house. I can't wait to experience it, and I will definitely let you all know how it goes!
Just be praying for the people who live in these townships, and for those who face prejudice every day. Even here at the baby house I have experienced this prejudice, for any white babies we ever receive are adopted locally within a few weeks, while we have many, many black babies waiting to be adopted. Please pray for peace and restoration.
All to Him,
Emily
When I was in Pretoria on Monday, I passed the stadium where the World Cup is going to be held! (Dan, I tried to take a picture of it for you!) It is so crazy what is going on here for the World Cup. There are flags EVERYWHERE, and there is so much construction. In the airport, they are working right now to double its size, and they are also doubling the size of all of the highways and most big roads by adding another lane! There are construction workers everywhere.
What really gets me, though, is the fact that they are rebuilding the township houses that are right along the sides of the road, to make it look better to the tourists. Townships, for those of you who don't know, are ghettos left over from apartheid. White South Africans made all the black South Africans live in these ghettos because they didn't believe that the blacks were as good as the whites. It was a horrible situation that was only legally abolished about 20 years ago or so. Many people still live in the townships, however, which means that many people still live in terrible situations. Some of the townships line the highways, so the government, in an effort to make them not look so bad, is literally constructing mansions in place of the shacks that lined the road. They are leaving the rest of the township as is.
I just can hardly wrap my mind around that. On Saturday, I have the opportunity to visit a township called Soweto, and I am also able to visit Nelson Mandela's house. I can't wait to experience it, and I will definitely let you all know how it goes!
Just be praying for the people who live in these townships, and for those who face prejudice every day. Even here at the baby house I have experienced this prejudice, for any white babies we ever receive are adopted locally within a few weeks, while we have many, many black babies waiting to be adopted. Please pray for peace and restoration.
All to Him,
Emily
Monday, June 8, 2009
adoption day.
Today I had an incredible experience. I was able to travel to Pretoria with two beautiful baby boys to meet their adoptive family. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I am so, so grateful that I got to see the "final product," per se, of why I'm here. This adoption agency is called Abba Adoptions, and it is a Christian adoption agency. They match Christian homes up with babies from a few places in South Africa and other countries.
When Steph and I got to Pretoria, we fed the babies and changed them into their "going away" outfits. They looked so cute! I took a LOT of pictures haha. The first couple that we gave a baby to was a "first time" family. They didn't have any children, and they had never adopted before. I walked in ahead of Steph (who had the baby), and when I saw the looks on the parents' faces, I just about lost it. Here they were, after having waited for so long (at least one or two years) for this child, having prayed for this child, and waited some more...finally getting their baby. Steph said it best when she said, "It's an incredible experience, because normally only God gets to give babies. Today, WE get to give one away." The parents were so excited! As soon as we gave them their new son, they both just kindof buried their faces into his little body, cuddling and kissing him.
Before we gave the babies to their new families, I had the chance to take each of them and pray over their lives. I was just struck with what a miracle it was that they were alive, well, and how God had so obviously been watching over them in their short life. One of the babies had come through the baby bin, and I was particularly drawn to him. What an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness to turn this baby's future around, take what the enemy meant for harm, and turn it into a beautiful story of adoption and a family who loves him and has waited and prayed for him! I couldn't stop smiling in the placement room as I watched these brand new parents get acquainted with their new son. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this!!
Regular work is also going well. I love going to see the kids! One of the boys is teething, so he's a little cranky, but that also means that he is extra cuddly, which is just fine with me. This is him here (I'm allowed to post photos as long as you can't see any defining features of the child):
Well, I will update again later! I hope you are all doing well!
All to Him,
Emily
When Steph and I got to Pretoria, we fed the babies and changed them into their "going away" outfits. They looked so cute! I took a LOT of pictures haha. The first couple that we gave a baby to was a "first time" family. They didn't have any children, and they had never adopted before. I walked in ahead of Steph (who had the baby), and when I saw the looks on the parents' faces, I just about lost it. Here they were, after having waited for so long (at least one or two years) for this child, having prayed for this child, and waited some more...finally getting their baby. Steph said it best when she said, "It's an incredible experience, because normally only God gets to give babies. Today, WE get to give one away." The parents were so excited! As soon as we gave them their new son, they both just kindof buried their faces into his little body, cuddling and kissing him.
Before we gave the babies to their new families, I had the chance to take each of them and pray over their lives. I was just struck with what a miracle it was that they were alive, well, and how God had so obviously been watching over them in their short life. One of the babies had come through the baby bin, and I was particularly drawn to him. What an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness to turn this baby's future around, take what the enemy meant for harm, and turn it into a beautiful story of adoption and a family who loves him and has waited and prayed for him! I couldn't stop smiling in the placement room as I watched these brand new parents get acquainted with their new son. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this!!
Regular work is also going well. I love going to see the kids! One of the boys is teething, so he's a little cranky, but that also means that he is extra cuddly, which is just fine with me. This is him here (I'm allowed to post photos as long as you can't see any defining features of the child):
Well, I will update again later! I hope you are all doing well!
All to Him,
Emily
Friday, June 5, 2009
refreshed.
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of your comments!
To answer a few questions...
Stephanie-I have made lots of PB&J sandwiches, some Tuna Helper (HAHA), a ham and cheese panini, and some chicken with corn (of course-my favorite vegetable) and red curry sauce. It was SO SPICY!
Hannah-I have two favorite moments of the days that I work. The first is when I wake up the kids from their naps...they are so cuddly and precious in those times! Also, I love the end of the day when we put on a Baby Einstein-like worship video for kids where I sing worship songs, hold the kids, and watch the sun set through the window. It's indescribable.
So now for my update. :)
On Wednesday, Rach and I went back to church because Brian Doerkson was leading worship! He's the guy who wrote "Come, Now is The Time to Worship" and "Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)." Isn't that awesome?? It was so amazing to be able to worship with everyone at church. I had been getting pretty tired, but that was just the thing I craved after three days of work with the babies.
One of the songs that we sung at the end had a line that went "I was an orphan, You adopted me." That line just struck me so much, because I realized that I am not this awesome person caring for orphans in South Africa, but I AM an orphan. We are ALL orphans! Thankfully, Jesus loved us enough to adopt us into His eternal, royal family. I was just so taken aback by that realization, and love that it provides me with something I have in common with every child here! Even though our backgrounds are different, our languages or accents are different, our ways of life are different, or even the colors of our skin are different...God loves us each the way we are. And He loves these children even more than I do. I pray each time I'm with the children that God would just take ahold of their lives, and that He would use the circumstances the enemy meant for harm for such GOOD.
Be blessed.
All to Him,
Emily
To answer a few questions...
Stephanie-I have made lots of PB&J sandwiches, some Tuna Helper (HAHA), a ham and cheese panini, and some chicken with corn (of course-my favorite vegetable) and red curry sauce. It was SO SPICY!
Hannah-I have two favorite moments of the days that I work. The first is when I wake up the kids from their naps...they are so cuddly and precious in those times! Also, I love the end of the day when we put on a Baby Einstein-like worship video for kids where I sing worship songs, hold the kids, and watch the sun set through the window. It's indescribable.
So now for my update. :)
On Wednesday, Rach and I went back to church because Brian Doerkson was leading worship! He's the guy who wrote "Come, Now is The Time to Worship" and "Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)." Isn't that awesome?? It was so amazing to be able to worship with everyone at church. I had been getting pretty tired, but that was just the thing I craved after three days of work with the babies.
One of the songs that we sung at the end had a line that went "I was an orphan, You adopted me." That line just struck me so much, because I realized that I am not this awesome person caring for orphans in South Africa, but I AM an orphan. We are ALL orphans! Thankfully, Jesus loved us enough to adopt us into His eternal, royal family. I was just so taken aback by that realization, and love that it provides me with something I have in common with every child here! Even though our backgrounds are different, our languages or accents are different, our ways of life are different, or even the colors of our skin are different...God loves us each the way we are. And He loves these children even more than I do. I pray each time I'm with the children that God would just take ahold of their lives, and that He would use the circumstances the enemy meant for harm for such GOOD.
Be blessed.
All to Him,
Emily
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
daily life.
So, SOUTH AFRICA! I am seriously loving every minute here (per normal). It is very, very busy, but I love it that way!
A little update on my cooking...I cooked CHICKEN the other day!!!!! I was so proud of myself, and I started laughing as soon as I threw it in the pan. The girls all looked over at me, like, "What is WRONG with her?!" and I just exclaimed, "I'm cooking CHICKEN!" They all laughed. They might think I'm a little crazy, but we're all getting along so well. I cooked the chicken with this red curry sauce I bought...it was EXTREMELY spicy! My mouth literally felt like I had FLAMES coming out of it. Now I know better, I guess...
The tricky thing is that we don't have a real oven or stove here. We have a microwave (which actually triples as a microwave/voice recorder/radio. Yes, I'm serious. I listen to music coming out of the MICROWAVE!), a toaster, and this large version of a toaster oven (about the size of a large microwave) that has two cooktop things on top. Apparently they don't work very well...Beth tried to cook rice on it the other day, and it took her over two hours. TWO HOURS! So yeah, my limited cooking experience will do me no good, especially considering that everything is in Celsius... :)
Here I work in the "Starfish" room, which is the room for babies with special needs (when I say babies, I mean anywhere from 7 to 18 months). Most of them have developmental issues, and not many know how to walk yet. There are two boys and four girls, and all of them are very possessive about wanting someone to hold them all the time! My arms get very tired, haha...
I start work at 7:00 AM, which means I wake up at 6:00 and leave by 6:50. Here is my schedule at work:
7:15-wake babies up, change them, bathe them
8:15-bottle time!
9:00-exercises (we do physical and occupational therapy with them)
10:00-12:00-nap time, make the kids' lunch, do dishes, take out trash, put wash on the line, clean the tub
12:00-wake up babies, feed them lunch
2:00-nap time
3:00-wake babies up
3:15-music time (with motions!)
3:45-outside time
4:30-dinner time
5:00-get in pajamas
5:15-watch this worship Baby Einstein-like video...it is awesome haha
6:00-the night shift comes, and I go home to try to figure out how to cook!
So...it's a busy day haha. I can't even stay awake much past 9:30 anymore, which is a little sad for someone who considered herself a night person!
I hope you all are doing well!
All to Him,
Emily
A little update on my cooking...I cooked CHICKEN the other day!!!!! I was so proud of myself, and I started laughing as soon as I threw it in the pan. The girls all looked over at me, like, "What is WRONG with her?!" and I just exclaimed, "I'm cooking CHICKEN!" They all laughed. They might think I'm a little crazy, but we're all getting along so well. I cooked the chicken with this red curry sauce I bought...it was EXTREMELY spicy! My mouth literally felt like I had FLAMES coming out of it. Now I know better, I guess...
The tricky thing is that we don't have a real oven or stove here. We have a microwave (which actually triples as a microwave/voice recorder/radio. Yes, I'm serious. I listen to music coming out of the MICROWAVE!), a toaster, and this large version of a toaster oven (about the size of a large microwave) that has two cooktop things on top. Apparently they don't work very well...Beth tried to cook rice on it the other day, and it took her over two hours. TWO HOURS! So yeah, my limited cooking experience will do me no good, especially considering that everything is in Celsius... :)
Here I work in the "Starfish" room, which is the room for babies with special needs (when I say babies, I mean anywhere from 7 to 18 months). Most of them have developmental issues, and not many know how to walk yet. There are two boys and four girls, and all of them are very possessive about wanting someone to hold them all the time! My arms get very tired, haha...
I start work at 7:00 AM, which means I wake up at 6:00 and leave by 6:50. Here is my schedule at work:
7:15-wake babies up, change them, bathe them
8:15-bottle time!
9:00-exercises (we do physical and occupational therapy with them)
10:00-12:00-nap time, make the kids' lunch, do dishes, take out trash, put wash on the line, clean the tub
12:00-wake up babies, feed them lunch
2:00-nap time
3:00-wake babies up
3:15-music time (with motions!)
3:45-outside time
4:30-dinner time
5:00-get in pajamas
5:15-watch this worship Baby Einstein-like video...it is awesome haha
6:00-the night shift comes, and I go home to try to figure out how to cook!
So...it's a busy day haha. I can't even stay awake much past 9:30 anymore, which is a little sad for someone who considered herself a night person!
I hope you all are doing well!
All to Him,
Emily
Friday, May 29, 2009
south africa.
I made it!! So sorry that I haven't been able to update...I haven't had access to the internet until now. In South Africa, they pay by bandwith instead of paying for something more like WiFi, so it's really tricky trying to buy it...
But enough about technology (though those who know me well know I could talk about it for a long time...)-I'M IN SOUTH AFRICA!! The South Africans I work with tell me that about 20 times a day-"Emily is in South Africa!" and I just kindof laugh in disbelief. I arrived a little ahead of schedule, and Russell (the general manager here) was there waiting for me in the airport. I know that some were worried about me being attacked/captured/stolen from/killed in the Jo-burg (everyone here says that) airport, and I am happy to report that I only have a few scratches and bruises. No, kidding, I got out of there alive, safely, and everything still in my luggage and backpack.
My flat is so cute! I haven't thought about how to upload pictures of it yet, since this isn't my personal laptop, but I'll find a way. I am living with four other people-Beth, Rachel, Kat, and Leigh. Beth took me grocery shopping as soon as I unpacked everything (yeah, okay, WAY too much stuff. Somehow I fit it all into my three drawers. That's right, three drawers.). It was a little bit like a marathon trip, but I warned her that I would need LOTS of help because I don't know how to cook anything. I got some good things (I even got CHICKEN. No idea how to cook it, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.). Here's a good example of my incompetency in the kitchen: we walked past the eggs, and Beth asked me if I wanted any. I looked at her with a sheepish look, then dropped my head to my chest and said, "I don't even know how to cook EGGS!!" We both laughed, and she's promised to help me become more domestic. I'll update you on how that goes, or if I burn anything down (I just knocked on the wooden desk). Leigh is Beth's friend that has been here for a few weeks, but actually leaves tomorrow. Kat and Rachel are both from the UK and have wonderful accents. They say "petrol" instead of "gas" and "the loo" instead of the "bathroom." It's awesome. Before I went to bed last night, we all watched about five episodes of Friends (LOVE THAT SHOW) and one episode of Grey's Anatomy. It was so nice to be able to chill with all of the girls!
My first day of work is TODAY (the babies are napping from 10-12, so right now is "tea time" and some free time). I'm working with six beautiful babies (two boys, four girls) that have special needs. I got here at 8:00 and bathed four children first off. It reminded me of bathing my little brother David back in the day! My shirt got very wet. One of the babies is really into splashing...haha. We played all morning, fed them some milk in bottles, and then a therapist came over to do some gross motor exercises. After learning about a lot of those exercises in my Early Childhood Education classes, it was really cool for me to actually see them done, learn them, and help two children with them! Think a lot of bouncing on balls, feeling different textures, and helping them move their hands and feet across their midline. It was pretty cool.
The only sad thing is the privacy law here. Because of that, I am not allowed to mention any child by name, post any pictures publicly of their faces, or tell any stories that can directly be linked to one particular child. I will do the best I can to update you on the children, but because of that privacy law, I can't be too specific. However, I can talk about it in person all I want, show pictures in chapel or to my friends, etc., I just can't publicly post anything over the internet.
Tonight, I think Kat, Rachel, Russell, and Stephanie (the baby manager) are going out for karaoke. My only real experience with that is being embarrassed on vacation with my family (I sang a song by Britney Spears, and from then on the staff called me Britney...yeah) and a little bit in Italy (I was a failure at trying to sing a song I didn't know in the first place, not even counting the different language haha). We'll see how that goes. We're just trying to leave the flat for a little while since Leigh is leaving tomorrow (we're giving Leigh and Beth a little time alone before she leaves).
Thank you all for your encouraging emails and comments!! I so appreciate all of them. I will try to answer as many as I can, but if I don't get back to yours as soon as you would like, please know that it is not from a lack of wanting to talk to you! :) I am loving taking care of these beautiful children. One little boy is so cuddly, and it just melts my heart when he toddles over and flops onto my chest. Another girl always gets really jealous when she sees that, though, so she'll crawl over and try to push him aside. In about two minutes, I end up having that first boy in my lap, her on my knee, and another little boy on my other knee. It is so fun being covered in children! Yes, I get drool and remnants of milk and snot all over me, but I don't really care anymore-I just want to be Jesus. If this is what it means to have His love in me, then I never want it to leave.
I love you all.
All to Him,
Emily
But enough about technology (though those who know me well know I could talk about it for a long time...)-I'M IN SOUTH AFRICA!! The South Africans I work with tell me that about 20 times a day-"Emily is in South Africa!" and I just kindof laugh in disbelief. I arrived a little ahead of schedule, and Russell (the general manager here) was there waiting for me in the airport. I know that some were worried about me being attacked/captured/stolen from/killed in the Jo-burg (everyone here says that) airport, and I am happy to report that I only have a few scratches and bruises. No, kidding, I got out of there alive, safely, and everything still in my luggage and backpack.
My flat is so cute! I haven't thought about how to upload pictures of it yet, since this isn't my personal laptop, but I'll find a way. I am living with four other people-Beth, Rachel, Kat, and Leigh. Beth took me grocery shopping as soon as I unpacked everything (yeah, okay, WAY too much stuff. Somehow I fit it all into my three drawers. That's right, three drawers.). It was a little bit like a marathon trip, but I warned her that I would need LOTS of help because I don't know how to cook anything. I got some good things (I even got CHICKEN. No idea how to cook it, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.). Here's a good example of my incompetency in the kitchen: we walked past the eggs, and Beth asked me if I wanted any. I looked at her with a sheepish look, then dropped my head to my chest and said, "I don't even know how to cook EGGS!!" We both laughed, and she's promised to help me become more domestic. I'll update you on how that goes, or if I burn anything down (I just knocked on the wooden desk). Leigh is Beth's friend that has been here for a few weeks, but actually leaves tomorrow. Kat and Rachel are both from the UK and have wonderful accents. They say "petrol" instead of "gas" and "the loo" instead of the "bathroom." It's awesome. Before I went to bed last night, we all watched about five episodes of Friends (LOVE THAT SHOW) and one episode of Grey's Anatomy. It was so nice to be able to chill with all of the girls!
My first day of work is TODAY (the babies are napping from 10-12, so right now is "tea time" and some free time). I'm working with six beautiful babies (two boys, four girls) that have special needs. I got here at 8:00 and bathed four children first off. It reminded me of bathing my little brother David back in the day! My shirt got very wet. One of the babies is really into splashing...haha. We played all morning, fed them some milk in bottles, and then a therapist came over to do some gross motor exercises. After learning about a lot of those exercises in my Early Childhood Education classes, it was really cool for me to actually see them done, learn them, and help two children with them! Think a lot of bouncing on balls, feeling different textures, and helping them move their hands and feet across their midline. It was pretty cool.
The only sad thing is the privacy law here. Because of that, I am not allowed to mention any child by name, post any pictures publicly of their faces, or tell any stories that can directly be linked to one particular child. I will do the best I can to update you on the children, but because of that privacy law, I can't be too specific. However, I can talk about it in person all I want, show pictures in chapel or to my friends, etc., I just can't publicly post anything over the internet.
Tonight, I think Kat, Rachel, Russell, and Stephanie (the baby manager) are going out for karaoke. My only real experience with that is being embarrassed on vacation with my family (I sang a song by Britney Spears, and from then on the staff called me Britney...yeah) and a little bit in Italy (I was a failure at trying to sing a song I didn't know in the first place, not even counting the different language haha). We'll see how that goes. We're just trying to leave the flat for a little while since Leigh is leaving tomorrow (we're giving Leigh and Beth a little time alone before she leaves).
Thank you all for your encouraging emails and comments!! I so appreciate all of them. I will try to answer as many as I can, but if I don't get back to yours as soon as you would like, please know that it is not from a lack of wanting to talk to you! :) I am loving taking care of these beautiful children. One little boy is so cuddly, and it just melts my heart when he toddles over and flops onto my chest. Another girl always gets really jealous when she sees that, though, so she'll crawl over and try to push him aside. In about two minutes, I end up having that first boy in my lap, her on my knee, and another little boy on my other knee. It is so fun being covered in children! Yes, I get drool and remnants of milk and snot all over me, but I don't really care anymore-I just want to be Jesus. If this is what it means to have His love in me, then I never want it to leave.
I love you all.
All to Him,
Emily
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
it's actually here.
So, I'm sitting in the airport right now, and my flight to London is boarding in about 15 minutes. I am sitting slouched in a chair looking out the window, and I just still can't believe that this is my life right now. I. am. going. to. AFRICA. I almost had a little panic attack after I checked my two bags and started walking to the gate-I was thinking, "What the HECK am I doing?? This is crazy!!" I am so excited, though, to just trust that God knows and that I really only need to know one step at a time.
Right now, that one step is making sure I didn't lose my ticket already (don't worry, Dad, I didn't-that was a joke. My ticket is right next to me on the seat.) and finding my aisle seat (YES!). It is a little bittersweet leaving home, but I am so much looking forward to what is ahead.
I'll update as soon as I can when I arrive in SOUTH AFRICA!!! I land tomorrow at 9:00 AM (SA time...so that's 3:00 AM in the US). My flight is calling me...
All to Him,
Emily
Right now, that one step is making sure I didn't lose my ticket already (don't worry, Dad, I didn't-that was a joke. My ticket is right next to me on the seat.) and finding my aisle seat (YES!). It is a little bittersweet leaving home, but I am so much looking forward to what is ahead.
I'll update as soon as I can when I arrive in SOUTH AFRICA!!! I land tomorrow at 9:00 AM (SA time...so that's 3:00 AM in the US). My flight is calling me...
All to Him,
Emily
Saturday, May 9, 2009
victory.
Unlike yesterday, today I actually studied, and very hardcore at that. After my final this morning, I studied for about 12 hours (minus breaks for lunch and dinner), then went to a worship thing in the chapel.
Worship was AWESOME!! I was so overwhelmed by the sense of God's presence. There weren't many of us there-just the team going to Uganda (including my brother) and a few other friends and me, but the Holy Spirit's power just really showed up. There was a thunderstorm outside, and anytime we declared that God was our "Jehovah Nissi," which means "The Lord is my banner" or that He is the victorious one, the thunder would go crazy!! What a testimony of God's might and victory in our lives. I am just so humbled to live a victorious life, for God has already won my battles! He has fought the fight, and all He asks of me is to walk forward, knowing my identity as a princess in His court! Wow, what a gift. God is so good to us.
Final exams demand my time once more, but step forth in victory as you go through your day today, and be blessed.
All to Him,
Emily
Worship was AWESOME!! I was so overwhelmed by the sense of God's presence. There weren't many of us there-just the team going to Uganda (including my brother) and a few other friends and me, but the Holy Spirit's power just really showed up. There was a thunderstorm outside, and anytime we declared that God was our "Jehovah Nissi," which means "The Lord is my banner" or that He is the victorious one, the thunder would go crazy!! What a testimony of God's might and victory in our lives. I am just so humbled to live a victorious life, for God has already won my battles! He has fought the fight, and all He asks of me is to walk forward, knowing my identity as a princess in His court! Wow, what a gift. God is so good to us.
Final exams demand my time once more, but step forth in victory as you go through your day today, and be blessed.
3 He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. 4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
Deuteronomy 20:3-4
All to Him,
Emily
Friday, May 8, 2009
holy spirit, set us free.
Today is "Study Day" at my school, a day they specifically set aside so everyone can begin to study for finals. How many hours of said "Study Day" have I devoted to studying? One and a half. Should I be studying right now? Probably. Am I deciding to write about what God is doing in my life instead? Absolutely.
This semester, I have been learning so much about freedom in Christ. I am so blessed to have an amazing church family here at college (Victory Christian Center), and one thing that we've been talking a lot about in the college group time before regular church is the Holy Spirit. He is constantly speaking fresh words of revelation to each of us, but sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to continue to listen with our spirit. I have been trying to remember to do that lately, and during Warriors (a Thursday night student-led worship service at school) last week, I got this picture in my mind that I was led to pray over. I got a picture of looking down a tube, and I was trying to see down the tube, but there was all this crap on the insides of the tube. Think of a Plavix commercial or something, when they show you blood clots forming on the side of an artery, and you get the picture. I heard God say that this crusty tube represented a lot of Christians out there, including me. In my attempt to "live life to the fullest," I crowd myself with all of these things that are so unnecessary and distracting. I focus on things that are not of God, and I lose sight of what really matters in life. Sometimes I get so busy that I convince myself that God would appreciate me sleeping instead of doing my devotions or praying, because I would "probably just fall asleep anyway." How often I fall into that trap of substituting the good for the best. Then when something bad happens in my life, I turn around to immediately blame God, asking, "Where were you when I needed you?!"
I really should be hearing "Emily, where were YOU?" I have all of this junk crowding up my tube that seems like it should be good, but the only purpose it's really serving is to hold me back from what God has. Just like an artery gets clogged, this spiritual tube the Holy Spirit desires to flow through and fill can get clogged up with things of the world. God cannot fully work in and through us if we do not allow Him to make us clean! I just was so overwhelmed with the sense of being held back from whatever God has that I couldn't help but pray, "God blow away this chaff in my life-make me free to worship you with all that I am, for You are so worthy!" All I desire is for the Holy Spirit to sweep through that spiritual tube, and brush all of that stuff away so that I am empty and clear for Him to fill up and flow through. I prayed that for myself that night, but also for those worshipping around me, that we would just be able to experience the freedom that comes from being empty of ourselves, giving the Holy Spirit control to do whatever He wants with our surrendered hearts. That is what I pray right now more than anything, that Jesus would just take control and use me. Holy Spirit, set me free.
As I go back to studying for finals and listening to some random marching band drum past my window, be blessed, and be set free.
All to Him,
Emily
This semester, I have been learning so much about freedom in Christ. I am so blessed to have an amazing church family here at college (Victory Christian Center), and one thing that we've been talking a lot about in the college group time before regular church is the Holy Spirit. He is constantly speaking fresh words of revelation to each of us, but sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to continue to listen with our spirit. I have been trying to remember to do that lately, and during Warriors (a Thursday night student-led worship service at school) last week, I got this picture in my mind that I was led to pray over. I got a picture of looking down a tube, and I was trying to see down the tube, but there was all this crap on the insides of the tube. Think of a Plavix commercial or something, when they show you blood clots forming on the side of an artery, and you get the picture. I heard God say that this crusty tube represented a lot of Christians out there, including me. In my attempt to "live life to the fullest," I crowd myself with all of these things that are so unnecessary and distracting. I focus on things that are not of God, and I lose sight of what really matters in life. Sometimes I get so busy that I convince myself that God would appreciate me sleeping instead of doing my devotions or praying, because I would "probably just fall asleep anyway." How often I fall into that trap of substituting the good for the best. Then when something bad happens in my life, I turn around to immediately blame God, asking, "Where were you when I needed you?!"
I really should be hearing "Emily, where were YOU?" I have all of this junk crowding up my tube that seems like it should be good, but the only purpose it's really serving is to hold me back from what God has. Just like an artery gets clogged, this spiritual tube the Holy Spirit desires to flow through and fill can get clogged up with things of the world. God cannot fully work in and through us if we do not allow Him to make us clean! I just was so overwhelmed with the sense of being held back from whatever God has that I couldn't help but pray, "God blow away this chaff in my life-make me free to worship you with all that I am, for You are so worthy!" All I desire is for the Holy Spirit to sweep through that spiritual tube, and brush all of that stuff away so that I am empty and clear for Him to fill up and flow through. I prayed that for myself that night, but also for those worshipping around me, that we would just be able to experience the freedom that comes from being empty of ourselves, giving the Holy Spirit control to do whatever He wants with our surrendered hearts. That is what I pray right now more than anything, that Jesus would just take control and use me. Holy Spirit, set me free.
As I go back to studying for finals and listening to some random marching band drum past my window, be blessed, and be set free.
All to Him,
Emily
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
He is strong.
Today marks three weeks until I leave for South Africa. That's three short weeks, or 21 days! It gets more real each day that I will soon be in a country I have never been to, with people I have never met, doing who-knows-what in an inner-city orphanage. As I type this, it sounds crazy!! When I have told people about where I'm going and what I'm doing at Door of Hope this summer, I get all kinds of responses. Some ask me why I didn't choose a safer place, or if I'm nervous to be there "by myself." Some lightly suggest that it might be a better idea to get a job so I can pay off college loans. While these things are all pretty valid comments, and while I know I really should be scared of them...these things are what THRILL me about this upcoming mission trip. I have no idea what I'm doing or how I am even going to succeed, but I truly believe that this is the best place to be. If God works through my weaknesses, as I know He does, just IMAGINE how much He could do through all of the unknowns surrounding my time in South Africa!
As I pray and prepare for the road ahead, I look forward EXPECTING God to do mighty things this summer and ANTICIPATING how He will show His glory!
All to Him,
Emily
Door of Hope Website
As I pray and prepare for the road ahead, I look forward EXPECTING God to do mighty things this summer and ANTICIPATING how He will show His glory!
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
All to Him,
Emily
Door of Hope Website
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