Be You, Bravely

This post has been sitting in my drafts for nearly a year and since a new year of MOPS is upon us, starts Tuesday in fact, I figured it was high time I wrapped this one up.

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You guys I joined MOPS this year! And to say it's been a blessing is a bit of an understatement. We meet two Tuesdays a month at our church, and every Tuesday I come home and thank Peter for letting me spend the money on joining this group! It doesn't cost much but it was an extra expense we hadn't taken into account when budgeting, and the cost far outweighs the benefits.

What is MOPS you ask?

It stands for Mothers of Preschoolers - simply kids from birth to kindergarten. And according to the MOPS website, "MOPS is a grassroots movement that believes moms are world influencers. We also believe that incubating hearts and giving just-because-hugs can change the course of history. That's why we connect moms all over the world to a community of women, in their own neighborhoods, who meet together to laugh, cry, and embrace the journey of motherhood. MOPS groups are rallying women to be more honest, to feel more equipped and to find our identity by journeying along side one another."

The theme this year is Be You, Bravely, and the verse that accompanies that theme is this one.

This theme and verse fit the theme of my life so perfectly right now, yet at the time, I didn't realize just how perfectly until Ryan was in the hospital and this post was written - Be Strong and Courageous.

During our first MOPS session, one of my fellow MOPS moms shared about herself and her story bravely by sharing the characteristics that make her who she is. And after she was finished, I couldn't help but wonder what it looks like to truly BE ME? What are my characteristics? What does it look like to live bravely? And am I doing it?

So then of course, I came home and made a list of all the things that make me me.

I am a child of God.
I am a wife.
I am a mother.
I am a sister.
I am a friend.
I am a peacemaker.
I am honest.
I am a truth teller.
I tend to overshare.
I try to control things...and my husband more than I should.
I let chaos in my house stress me out.
I am a doer and I have a really hard time just being. 
I am a reader, but I don't read as much as I'd like to right now.
I have a scar on my stomache that marks my eldest sons entrance into the world.
I get mean when I'm hungry.
I am selfish.
I am the mother of a preemie.
I live in the uncertainty every day right now for fear that this 2nd baby will have the same story as the 1st. (Praise the Lord that the 2nd had his own story, along with his own NICU stay!)
I am a proud boy mom.
I am a person that loves deeply and lives passionately.
And I am extremely vulnerable. 

And then I began to wonder, what would happen if we all shared our issues with each other...if we were all open and honest and vulnerable with each other...if we all shared our struggles and our joys. What would it look like to live in that space of vulnerability all the time? What would it look like to encourage others to do the same? Wouldn't it just be so freeing? And am I doing that?

During the second MOPS session we shared a photo and a story of a time when we were brave. You guys, I brought a picture of Jack in the NICU, all strapped up to machines and a feeding tube as he just laid in his little incubator. And I shared with them his birth story, everything leading up to it and everything that happened after it. And as I shared that story, I was reminded of just how brave I was and just how brave and courageous I can always be ...by the grace of God.

So tell me...Who are you? And what would your brave moment be? And what does it look like to be you, bravely?

Master's Completed!

So it has happened....I AM OFFICIALLY finished with my masters program and I officially have my Master's from Northwest University in International Care and Community Development. It was a wonderful program with some really wonderful professors, and to be honest I am a little sad it's all over. I will really miss writing papers and working on group projects! Some may think it's tireless work, but I find it all exhilarating! I loved our discussions and being exposed to different and new ways of thinking.

A few weeks ago I presented my final project to my classmates and my main professor, and it was such a joy to be amongst such kindred spirits who are passionate about such similar things. The program truly was such an amazing blessing and as I was compiling pictures and information for my final project I couldn't help but reflect on the past 2 years.

I couldn't help but reflect on my time in Africa as well...it has been nearly 6 months since we left the African continent and I wonder what has changed in my own life from that month long experience? How are things different for me and the women I met? It is soo easy to forget...soo easy to forget their way of life, their lack of luxuries...and it is so easy to remember all of mine. But as I was putting together a video for my final project, I realized that these women, these people, these children and their stories are real and they will forever be a part of me regardless if I am in Africa, or here, in the states, or even in another country entirely!

My time in Africa taught me what it really means to live simply, to love abundantly, and to give graciously! I thought I had these things all figured out...but little did I know. I thought Peter and I already lived simply, but lo and behold to many Africans we lived lavishly - we had a car, even though we had just ONE car, we have a tv, eventhough we have just ONE tv, we tons of furniture, tons of clothes, shoes, eventhough we don't go shopping alot, we have money in our savings account..and I could go on, but I won't because I imagine you get the point. Well folks we do live lavishly and we are blessed abundantly whether we recognize it or not...it is ALL about perspective. I know it is easy to get caught up in the mindset that we just want more...more...more ..and some more, but the reality is we could live with so much less...less...less. So why don't we??? Who cares what kind of car you drive...or how many cars you have? or how new your clothes are...who cares if you keep up with the latest fashion?? Who cares if you don't have money to go out to eat?? Or to buy that new computer?? I mean really...who cares! What we should be caring about is our own hearts...and our own people. I mean seriously there are people in our own country who are struggling financially. There are people without jobs and without homes...we have homeless people in the richest country in the world...i think something is wrong with this picture people!! And then you look to another country...or an entire continent...AFRICA and you see that thousands, millions are struggling to survive each and every day. How can we as children of God help those in need...those who are also His children? How can we reach out to those less fortunate than us whether thats those down the street or across the water?

Well I will finish my little rant by posting the video of the culmination of my final project for school. I wrote a grant proposal for Children of the Nations' Widows Program, which you can read about HERE , and please if you are interested in donating to the program or the work of Children of the Nations development programs click here or here..please don't hesitate to contact me! We have the capacity to make a difference ...but the question is ...do you have the willing heart to do so??

check out the video here...and share it with others...tell them about Children of the Nations and the work that they do!!

The Blue Sweater.

I just finished this book called The Blue Sweater - Bridging the Gap between rich and poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz, and to be quite honest I am truly sad that I am finished with it! I checked it out from the library weeks ago and I was underlining all my favorite bits with a pencil, so I decided that instead of destroying the library book with my eraser marks I should probably purchase the book with my Barnes and Noble gift card. And that is exactly what I did! This book is about a woman's journey to Africa...a journey where she found her true calling and followed hard after her heart in order to stand up for what she believed in. She shares her joys, pains, triumphs and struggles within the pages of the book and I, as the reader, grew to love, admire and respect this woman that I havn't even met. SO READ IT! and check out the organization she started called Acumen Fund. They raise charitable funds and make careful investments in entrepreneurs who are willing to take on some of the world's toughest challenges.

Some of my favorite parts...

Within the prologue she writes, "I went to Africa to try to save the continent only to learn that Africans neither wanted nor needed saving...Indeed, when I was there, I saw some of the worst that good intentions, traditional charities, and aid can produce: failed programs that left people in the same or worse conditions...the gap between rich and poor is widening across the world, creating a dire situation that is neither socially just no economically sustainable...moreover, my work in Africa taught me about he extraordinary resilience of people for whom poverty is a reality not because they don't work hard, but because there are too many obstacles in their way."

She also writes about privilege within the pages of this book, and it resonajavascript:void(0)ted so very deeply with me. On page 115, she writes about a conversation she has in Rwanda with a friend at a shop as to whether they should buy a bottle of champagne to celebrate. They debated the necessity of it and the extravagance, and ultimately they bought the champagne. She states, "We lived with enormous privilege in all aspects of our lives. We had drunk fine wine at the French embassy's parties and already had traveled the world. Most precious of all were our passports that would allow us to leave the country whenever we wanted and our sense of empowerment that led us to believe we could accomplish the impossible. The challenge wasn't whether to buy a couple bottles of champagne; it was instead not to take our privilege for granted and to use it in a way that served the world and our highest purpose."

Lastly, "How you see where you are always depends on where you have been" (p. 117). Well isn't that the truth!