Make A Joyful Noise...

Gene got this video of Eden last night playing the piano and singing. It warms my heart every time I hear her sing about Jesus...knowing that she likely never would have known these songs if she grew up an orphan in China. And just the joy of her being a little girl. Every child deserves that chance...

Make sure to scroll down to the very bottom of the blog and pause the music player before you play the video. Enjoy!

Christina

The Bus Stop outside the squatter camp.

Okay, back to my South Africa mission trip. In my last Africa post I introduced you to Esther's neighbors to the left. Now, meet her neighbor to the right...Christina, a 79-year-old widow who lives alone. She can hardly walk, even with her walker.

Christina has no running water, no stove, no electricity or plumbing, no bed (unless you count a make-shift one made from boxes and an armchair). She lives in a concrete block 2-room home. Christina is a trip, to say the least. She was our first stop every day on our journey through the Joe Slovo squatter camp. To put it kindly, the South African home-care workers we were with warned us that she was "moody."

Christina didn't look at us, greet us, or even come close to smiling at us when we arrived the first day. Her bones were hurting and she wanted some relief. When we explained through the translator that we weren't doctors, she rolled her eyes and shook her head as if to say, "A lot of help you will be!" I laughed at her response because honestly, I was wondering the same thing ...what do I possibly have to offer these people who need so much? I am just a stay-at-home mom with a public relations degree that I don't use.

Despite her exasperation, we proceeded with our visit. We did her dishes and cleaned her house while she waited outside. I looked in her cabinet for food and there was none...I mean NONE. There were 2 gourds in the corner on the floor so I asked the home care worker if we could prepare them for her. She said you boil them. Well, I can do that...I can go fetch water and make her some food. Then we discovered she had no stove, no pans, nothing. "How do you eat?" we asked her. She said she eats if her son brings her food and if he comes it's late at night. "Are you hungry?" I asked. She shook her head "yes." All I could do is leave her the lunch that had been given to me for that day. I gave her 1/2 sandwich and an orange. She sat in the sunshine and ate slowly, savoring each bite.

Next, we asked her if she wanted a bath. She did, but we had no warm water and it was cold that day (it's winter there). So one of our team members went in her home and just washed her arms and legs with a wet wipe and rubbed lotion on her. While they were alone in the house, Christina finally began to talk some and expressed her loneliness over and over. We promised to come back the next day.

The next day, we came prepared to give a "real" bath. The camp we stayed at had these water bottles that kept water warm that you could put in your sleeping bag at night. We filled one up with warm water before we left that morning for Christina's bath. When we arrived, the same team member, Rachel, went with Christina and gave her a good, long bath. Rachel said she just scrubbed and scrubbed. The water Rachel came out of the house with was dark brown with dirt...who knows how long it had been since she had a bath...how good must it have felt to be clean!

As we were leaving, Christina began to soften some and open up. She even asked for a Bible, even though she cannot read. She said she wanted to put it under her pillow at night.

On our last day, Christina was sitting outside waiting for us to arrive. I rubbed her shoulders and she relaxed and let me love on her. Rachel pulled out a Bible for her and read Scripture to her. We explained that this would be our last day. "Why?" she asked. We asked if we could take her photo. "Yes," she said..."but first let me go and change." We laughed...women are alike, aren't we? 30 MINUTES LATER (seriously) she came out in a new dress, and new scarf on her head, ready for the photo. Meet Christina, pictured here with our team-member Rachel:

She refused to smile in the picture...but we did get some smiles from her that last day. As we walked away, fighting tears, we looked back and Christina was holding her new Bible upside down, pretending to read it...what a sight that was.

"Lord," I prayed as we walked away, "Speak to her in her sleep as her head lays on Your Word. Reveal Yourself to her, Lord. I know You can."

Christina grabbed our hearts. The loneliness she tried to hide with her gruff exterior melted away easily if you just spent a little time loving on her. I will never forget rubbing her back in the South African sunshine, watching her close her eyes and relax into the massage. In a land of nothing, the littlest things make such a big difference...a hug, a smile, a back rub, a bath, 1/2 of a sandwich...can any of us claim we don't have this to give?

There are lots of "Go-Go's" (grandmothers in South Africa) and widows who I'm sure could use a back rub, or even just a visit...just a little love. Whether it's in Africa or Alabama, God says to care for the widows. And it's a beautiful moment when the scowl turns into a smile..

The Problem

"The core problem isn't the fact that we're lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He's great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers."
- From: Crazy Love by Francis Chan

You will see in the margin of the blog that I'm reading a book called "Crazy Love." This quote was in the preface...ouch. Not even in the "real" chapters. I think this quote is plenty to chew on for today. Another South Africa post coming tomorrow.

Until then, how much of you does He have? Let go of it all. Not only does He command it...He's worth it. That is what I'm learning...to give it all up...trusting that what He will give in return will be so much sweeter than anything I can grasp with my feeble hands. And what I hope to receive is not "things," but more of Him...and what could be better than that?

It's not easy...it's a journey I'm learning to take, slowly but surely...anyone want to come along?

A Random Eden Post

Just thought I would do a mostly-photo post to let you know what's going on in little Eden's world...enjoy!

When we moved to our new house, we ordered Eden her first "real" bed. She has PLENTY of room to grow!


For those of you with kids, you know that one funny face your little one can make that makes you crack up? And sometimes they'll do it when you're trying to discipline them and you lose it and laugh, which ruins everything....this is Eden's face...


Last week we took a quick-trip to Birmingham to visit Dr. Aponte at the UAB Dental School again to fit Eden for her prosthesis. She was so brave! I LOVE this doctor...any of you cleft moms who may need dental devices I highly recommend her. We haven't gotten Eden's to fit quite right yet so we'll go again in September. Dr. Aponte is from Venezuala, up in the Andes Mountains...



While we were in Birmingham, Eden got to visit with one of her best friends, Caleb Platt. Isn't it funny that even at age 3 the girl is trying to get the boy to be still and behave while he is trying to run?? Ha Ha!


Eden also got to visit with her Aunt KK and baby cousin Camp...he is growing so fast!



I was blown away today when Eden showed me the picture she drew on the dry-erase board at daddy's office. We color a lot, but I had no idea she could draw a "person" this well now. Little Picasso???

This is a person holding a dog, per Eden.

Person

Dog (with 5 legs I think, but still)

And finally, she started ballet today. We found a ballet school that teaches dance as a form of worship, just like the Psalms talk about. I HAD to let you see her in a real tu-tu...such a priss!

The Neighbors

Okay, back to South Africa. If you read my post about Esther, you remember I said she lived in a "duplex" with 3 doors...well, today you will meet her neighbors to the left. I don't know their names, but their faces are burned in my memory forever.

I'm not even sure how many people lived in that house. The first day we came it was like a ghost town. There were 3 little boys outside, playing in the dirt, with no adults to be found. Several times I had to run and grab the littlest one before he crawled off a concrete ledge. These children were terrified of us. They would just sit in the dirt and stare blindly ahead...no emotion...not even fear. It was terrifying how empty those eyes were. It literally disturbed me and sent cold chills up my spine. It was like their bodies were alive, but their spirits were slowly dying...much like what you see in orphanages when children are left in cribs all day with no human touch...except these weren't orphans.

As we were talking to Esther, she told us one of the boys, the middle one, had a sore on his lower abdomen. Esther went and found his mother and she brought the boy to us. Now there was fear...he was petrified of us, screaming and flailing. I fought tears, knelt in front of him, and tried to establish eye contact...he fought, I fought harder, finally he allowed his dark, beautiful eyes to lock with mine..."Okay," I thought to myself, "I see you in there, little buddy."

Slowly I inched towards him and put my arms around him while his mother jerked at his clothes to show us the sore. I wanted to scream at her, "Can't you see he's scared?! Slow down! Be gentle!" Of course I didn't. The sore was bad, oozing and infected. We put some medicine on it and told his mother he needed to go to the clinic ASAP. She wasn't really listening or concerned. I fought tears again. Then, I prayed over him, asking the Lord to heal his sore. Then we left. We prayed for the oppression of those children to be lifted as we walked away...and throughout the day. I grieved for their lost childhood...the thought of them sitting in the dirt day in and day out shook me to my core.

Fast forward to the next day. As we walk up the hill I'm bracing myself for what I will find. It's pretty bad at first. Two little boys sharing a chicken bone for breakfast...yes, a bone. Then I get some perspective through my western eyes and say, "Thank you, Lord for providing food for them today." After all, thousands of children die from hunger each day. The Lord is stretching me. Ouch, it hurts.

After a few minutes, I start to see smiles. Giggles, even. They want to play. So do I. We play with my sunglasses, stickers, and a book I've brought with me. The oldest boy starts to talk as I read to him...in English. He can count to 10! He knows his colors! He loves hugs! His smile would light up the darkest cave. My heart soars. Where is his mother? The middle boy still hasn't been taken to the clinic for the sore. Esther says it's better since we prayed for him. We keep praying. His mother, who hasn't hardly looked at me over the hour I've been playing with her children, leans over and whispers in my ear, "I like you." My soul sings. "I love you," I tell her.

Then we spend some time explaining to her why it's so important to play with her boys...to talk to them...read to them...count and sing...hug and love. God is using all the developmental/attachment reading I had to do for our adoption for these 3 little ones in South Africa. He is a big God. "They are smart," I tell her. Her soul sings. We leave the book for them and pray as we wave goodbye. That was the last day I saw those boys. Why?

Day 3...no one is home...they are at the clinic. Yes!

I wish I could describe the difference in those boys from the first to the second day, but there's no way to accurately do so. All I can say is their spirits came alive with a little love and attention. Children are so resilient. I don't even know their names, but I will never forget their faces. It gives me comfort to know that God knows the number of hairs on their heads. He made them for His glory, and He loves them beyond measure. That is the only way I could walk away from them...because I know the God who made them. There seems to be no end to the suffering in Africa, but God is bigger.

Meet my little friends...

The first day.

They wouldn't even look at us.

Reading on the next day.

I couldn't get him out of my lap...which was fine with me. I love how I look with an African child...hint, hint!

They shared a bowl of "pup" for lunch (it tastes like a mixture of mashed potatoes and grits). It's very cheap and fills the tummy and therefore a staple of their diets.

They gobbled it up and licked the bowl...no whining about food here.

Sticker fun!

This is all they had to sit on outside.

The oldest...very much a caregiver.

The middle brother.

And the baby.

Regular

I have a good Africa post coming tomorrow, but tonight I had to share something so sweet Eden said the other day. Before we flew to China to adopt her, I made her a photo album with family pictures in a Winnie the Pooh photo book. While we were in China, we were miraculously able to meet her foster mother (if you haven't read that story, go back to the Friday, July 27, 2007 post and read it...such a miracle). Once we arrived home, I put a photo we took of our family with her foster mom in the photo album so she could look at it whenever she needed/wanted to.

To this day, she pulls it out and tells us who everyone is. Well, the other day she and her daddy were reading and she brought the Winnie the Pooh album out to "read" to him. She started going through the family pictures saying who everyone is. Then, she came to the photo of us with her foster mom and she said, "This is daddy, this is my China mommy, and this is my regular mommy." I heard it and said, "Eden, why am I your regular mommy?" And she answered, "This is a regular family, so you are my regular mommy."

That's right sweet girl...I am your regular mommy...I love it. Here is the photo. I've never posted it before, but feel like after 2 years, it's time to introduce you to the angel who loved my baby like her own for 16 months of Eden's life. I will forever be thankful for her and pray for her. And Eden will forever love her I am sure.

Esther

Meet Esther...the first person we met in the Joe Slovo community. Joe Slovo is the name of the squatter camp my group was assigned to. We had to pass Esther's stone, one-room home on our way each day...she was our first stop. It was actually her neighbor, Christina, who was our patient...but it was Esther's smile and wave that greeted us each morning.

Esther lives in this concrete block structure with 3 doors, almost like a duplex. Esther's home is the one with the red door, in the middle. There is one "toilet" out back inside a make-shift outhouse made of sticks and plastic. There is no running water, so they have to go down to Refilwe to get water in their buckets and haul it up a path, around a sharp curve, back home. Esther lives alone. More on the neighbors later...let's talk Esther.

Esther seemed to be the care-taker of her little compound. She is a widow herself, but contacted Refilwe about her neighbor who needed help. Upon our first visit, she also informed us about her other neighbor's little boy, who had a sore on the lower part of his tummy. It was a bad, oozing sore...obviously full of infection even to my un-trained eyes. We told his mother to take him to the clinic...then we told Esther to make sure she did so :0)

Esther was funny and lively. I pulled out pictures to show her my family. When she saw Eden's photo she asked if my husband was Chinese. "No," I replied, "we adopted her from China." "You can't have babies?" she asked. "Well, that's not exactly the case...we chose to adopt." Okay, huge culture gap here. She clearly didn't understand because her next statement was, "Maybe it's your man...or maybe it's your eggs." I bursted out laughing. She was serious as a heart attack. "Maybe," I said.

I loved visiting with Esther and looked forward to her smile each morning. In our first chat, she told me she was old when she started having children...she was 21. She was clearly an open book. I asked her if she knew that there was a queen named Esther in the Bible. She did not know this, so I opened my Bible and showed her the book of Esther. A smile spread across her face. "You have a good name," I told her. "Queen Esther saved her people." A look of satisfaction across her wrinkled, lovely face. I think she could relate. Later she asked for a Bible of her own. We promised to let Refilwe know so they could get her one.

Esther's toes stuck out of the ends of her worn-out shoes. She wore the same clothes everyday, had no family living with her, and had little in the way of worldly possessions...and she was such a blessing to us, and to those around her. Her widow neighbor that she told Refilwe to help was mean as a snake to her...but she looked out for her anyway. God looks out for Esther, I'm quite sure. I asked what size shoe she wore that first day and she told me...she never asked for shoes. I just couldn't stand the thought of her exposed feet in the winter (it was winter when we were there and the nights were very cold). She had no warm, heated home to retreat to. On our last day, we got permission to get Esther some shoes from Refilwe. We dug through the box, looking for a size 8 pair of warm shoes...fashion was not important. We needed comfortable warm shoes that would be easy for an elderly woman to walk in. Finally we found some and set off for our first stop.

When we got there, Esther was not there and her red door was locked. We didn't even get to tell her goodbye. Her neighbor said she was at the clinic...so was the little boy next door with the sore. Sweet Esther. I laid the shoes in front of her red door and prayed for her. "Lord," I prayed silently, "Please make her know You gave her these shoes. I don't want her to think the white Americans brought them. I want her know they are from You." Maybe for the first time in my life I understood what John meant in John 3:30 when he said, "God must become greater; I must become less."

I will always remember sweet Esther. Hope you enjoyed meeting her, too. More on Esther's neighbors tomorrow. Here's one more photo for you. Have a blessed day!

Monday in South Africa

Hello all. I decided I was going to walk myself, and all of you, through my week in South Africa. If I go in order, that will help me to remember details and process it all...plus my photos are in order so that helps too. There will likely be times when there is more than one post on a particular day...especially the days spent in the community visiting. We saw so many, and I want to share individual stories with you as I can.

This post is going to introduce you to the ministry we partnered with. It is called Refilwe (this word means "gift"). You can also go to their website, Refilwe.org, to get more details and ways to support their incredible ministry. One of the first things you will find on their website is a quote by Albert Einstein. It says, "The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm, but because of those who see it and do nothing." This is a ministry that is definitely doing something.

There is so much I could tell you, but I'm going to try and summarize. My favorite thing about this ministry is that it is dealing with the "onion layers" of the culture in South Africa. What do I mean by "onion layers?" I'll try and explain. Here's a list of issues on this continent: HIV/AIDS, poverty, rape, lack of education, abuse and neglect, orphans, and of course, a lack of knowledge of God and faith in Christ (just to name a few). It seems that once you dive into one of these issues, like HIV/AIDS, for instance, all it does is peel away to another layer of darkness and sin, like rape. You see, many HIV positive men have been deceived into thinking that having sex with a virgin will cure them...therefore, rape is an issue...but it is linked to the AIDS issue. With each layer you peel back, there is more. There is no amount of money you can throw at this continent that is going to clean all this up...only Christ can fix it.

The staff at Refilwe realizes this, and so they don't just attack one issue...their ministry is to people. I don't know how many times I heard staff there say, "There is an entitlement mentality among the poor here and we have to teach them how to help themselves...we can't do everything for them." While their hearts break over what they see, the Lord has given them His eyes to see the big picture. Sometimes that means not picking a sick person up and driving him to the clinic to get their TB or ARV drugs...it means urging him to use his money wisely so he has money for a taxi...or not giving out food to everyone, but helping single moms apply for a grant so they can buy food. One of my favorite projects they have is they give out free seeds to anyone who will dig and prepare their yard for a garden so that they can grow their own food. But, they won't prepare the soil if the person is physically able to do so.

One of the ministries they have started is a home care team. It is made up of people living in the communities they serve. They provide training for them and then give them a job. They are provided English classes, and are discipled each Thursday by the founder of Refilwe. We were able to sit in Bible study and it was incredible. These home care workers are not being spoon-fed. They are being taught to study God's Word for themselves. This is the specific team we partnered with while there. Our task was to help these home care workers go beyond just checking off their paperwork. We came in with fresh eyes and fresh compassion. At each home visit we shared the Gospel, visited and prayed with people. We cleaned houses, gave baths, bandaged wounds, and played with little ones. Hopefully, our example "raised the bar" a little bit for the home care workers by encouraging them that they could make a difference in their communities.

Here are some photos of the Refilwe property with captions that explain each photo.

You may not be able to read this sign in the photo, but it says, "Refilwe, breaking the cycle of poverty." This sign sits by the highway.

Another Refilwe banner.

This sign hangs by the office. The staff calls Refilwe the "promised land" because when they bought the property, it was polluted and useless.

Look at it now. This stream runs through the middle and it used to be toxic. Christ truly does "make all things new," doesn't He?

This is an example of the project to help people make money for themselves. They make these, paint them, and sell them at market.

Here is part of the Refilwe garden.

This is the Refilwe project closest to my heart. In the background are foster homes. There are 45 rescued orphans who legally live in these homes with "real parents." Even after the turn 18 and move away, this is where they come back "home."

There is a Cresh (daycare) at Refilwe also. Here are some of the little ones who go there...precious!

And another

Who else could eat her up?

So that's a brief look at Refilwe. Before I go, I have to share one last thing that made me laugh out loud with joy and wonder. Refilwe is quite industrious in their ways of self-supporting. On the property, they have a huge earthworm farm/compost center. They are buying earthworms to mix with manure and compost to make organic soil...it seems South Africa is also going green, so the organic compost soil sells for a high price, even wholesale. Did you know that earthworms double in number every 48 days? As I was standing there listening to this information, I started laughing. God will even use worms and cow poop to glorify Himself, spread His love, and care for the poor, sick, orphaned and oppressed. What an incredibly resourceful God we serve!

I'm so thankful for what I learned partnering with this ministry. Our team SO wanted to give handouts to everyone we saw in need. We wanted to "fix" the problems with our western ways. Why? I think in large part because it makes us feel better about ourselves if we "do" something, doesn't it? I wanted to be able to come home and report all that I did, or gave. God turned those plans upside down, for His glory. We literally had nothing to give. All of the supplies we brought were given to Refilwe for them to give out as they saw fit. That meant we walked into these neighborhoods with a Bible...and ourselves. Yes, I gave out a few stickers at the end of the week, but most days I didn't have a bag of treats...just myself. I learned how far a smile goes, a hug, a conversation. I learned that there is POWER in just opening God's Word and letting Him speak and bridge the gaps of cultural differences. I learned that saying "Jesus Jesus Jesus" in front of a witch doctor's house will make the darkness flea. Each day the people were more open, the children's eyes brighter and more alert...even after one prayer. This is the God we serve...He is mighty to save!

Home From South Africa...A Sneak Peak

I've missed you, my bloggy friends! What an incredible 2 weeks! I arrived home early Monday morning...sorry I'm just now posting. Between jet-lag and soaking in time with my beloved little, blogging took the back burner....but I'm so excited to share with you what I saw and learned in Africa.

To be honest, I don't think I've yet processed it all. I really had to "turn off" my emotions throughout the week working there so that I could function...what we saw was so hard. Just to give you an idea, the first night we were there, one of the missionaries was preparing us for the communities we would be working in. She said, mid-sentence, 90% of the girls you will see age 3 and up have been raped...90%...

That was night 1, so you can imagine. The way our trip turned out, we were working alongside South Africans who lived in the squatter camps where we were working. Therefore, we couldn't really react to the poverty, neglect, sickness, oppression, etc. that we saw because we didn't want to offend those who lived in the midst of it. That was their normal, their home. So, I kind of just stuffed down my emotions all week. Now, I must let it all surface so I don't forget, or become numb. I need to weep, as I'm sure Christ does, for His people.

So, because it's so much, I'm going to be posting a picture and a story each day on the blog so I can share with you, and process for myself. Today, you will just get a sneak-peak. Here are a couple of photos. I am going to end this post with a devotion from a Charles Spurgeon book I have. It perfectly describes what I think God sent me to South Africa to learn...or remember. Hope you enjoy...and check back for more!

This photo had to be first. These are my African sisters, Elizabeth (left) and Elyse. They were part of the home care team we partnered with and I spent the week walking the dirt roads with these amazing women. More details on them to come.

Stickers on the forehead is universal, by the way. These beauties kept yelling "shoot!" at me...that meant "take our photo!"

The South African sunset. This picture doesn't even begin to show the majesty of the African sky. You have to go and see for yourself!

From Charles H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening
"Fix our eyes on Jesus." - Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you don't repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you don't have the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all, and is in all" Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you - it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you - it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, although that is the instrument - it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, don't be fixing your eyes so much on your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as on Christ; don't be looking at your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; don't be looking to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "fixing our eyes on Jesus." Simply keep your eye on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. Oh! don't let your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow closely after Him, and He will never fail you.

"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' Name."