Deborah knows!

If you were mailed a copy of our most-recent newsletter, then you probably already know that we recently received word from Pastor Emmanuel in Liberia that international adoption has be re-instated! This is exciting news to us. We have been waiting to hear this since May of this year! What this means for us now is that we can actually begin the adoption process!

After the New Year, Pastor Emmanuel, who is serving as our liaison in Liberia, will begin getting the procedures and paperwork on his end in order.

I have spoken with Pastor Emmanuel in Liberia just about every day since he shared the news with us. Last night (Christmas night), while I was speaking with Pastor Emmanuel, he shared with me that Deborah is VERY excited about her adoption! This was the first news I had heard that Deborah knows about our desire to adopt her… it really takes the emotional level up a notch, knowing now that she even knows of our desire, and that she is excited about it!

Our desire is to have Deborah here by summer time, so that she can acclimate to her new environment and new family for a couple of months before having to start elementary school. This assumes that we would start Deborah in school this Fall; there is the possibility that we would want to wait one more year, as Deborah will have just turned 5 years old, & she is really small for her age.

Please pray that this process would be free of hurdles and that the adoption process would move forward without a hitch.

Thank you friends,
Josh

Just found this blog video

We just stubled across this blog video that never got posted, so here it is. It is from October 2009.

Click here to see the video

Traveling Man

We've been traveling a lot and visiting special people. Last week we took a trip to Kernersville to see Damari's grandpa, great-grandma and he met his Aunt April for the first time. While we were there we went to Hanging Rock and hiked a little. Damari slept through the whole thing, but we all had a great time!

On our way home from Kernersville, we detoured to Smithfield and Damari got to meet his great-great-grandma. She's 97 years old. I really enjoyed getting to see her hold him. Sunday we took a day trip to Landis, outside of Kannapolis. Damari got to meet his great-great-Aunt Blenda. We had a good visit with her. While we were there we realized we were just a few minutes down the road from a friend of ours so we decided to stop by and see her too. Zubecca and her daughter, Sarah have traveled with us a lot. We've been to Catalyst in Alanta and we've been to New York with them. It was good to catch up with them.

Busy boy!

Well, we have been busy! We are adjusting well and loving life with Damari! He's such a joy and blessing. He's had a busy life so far: he's spent a week in Albemarle, taken a day trip to Kernersville, spent a few nights in Atlanta, visited Daddy on a job site, and many other trips to visit family and friends!

He is definitely becoming more alert and aware of his surroundings. Its fun to watch him study different things. He loves ceiling fans; I think he's trying to figure out how they work...just like his daddy!

In the last few days he has really started to smile! He's done it some, but we didn't think it was intentional, but we got several smiles yesterday and today. He has a beautiful smile and it is definitely contagious!

These two pics are from an in home photo shoot at 4-5 days old. TJ, one of our friends, with smoot-photography.com did them. All of them are amazing, these are two of the preview ones he gave us.

Welcome, Damari Gray Robertson

Damari Gray Robertson

We would like to “officially” welcome Damari Gray Robertson into the world. Damari was born on Sunday, August 30th, 2009, at 6:26pm. He weighed in at 7lbs, 3 oz., and he was 20.25 inches in length. His hair color was brown with blond highlights, and he has bluish eyes.

His name comes from the name "Amari", which we had chosen if we had a little girl (remember, we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl!). We had a list of names narrowed down that started with the letter “K”, and we only had one name that started with the letter “D”. As you can tell, we chose the “D” name. It's is pronouced like the old video game system name, "Atari". He shares the same middle name as his daddy.

Since “Damari” is not a common name (very difficult to find anyone else with that name), there is not a baby-name-meaning for the name Damari. Therefore, we are going to create our own baby-name-meaning!

Our lives have been very, very busy since Damari came into the world, which is why we were so late in updating the blog. However, we have been showered with love, gifts, visits, and a lot of food! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped!


(click the image to view it full-sized)


Note: if you are one of the folks who wanted to provide food, visit this link to see if any days are still available (thank you Nana for setting that up!).

Lots of pics and a catch up

Here are some pics from my first baby shower, back in July. I've been slow I know.


These are from Josh's 30th birthday July 29!

Here are some pics from a baby shower/worship night/celebration of our baby on the way.
It was an awesome time and Josh and I really enjoyed the prayers...what an amazing way to begin our new journey as parents. Please continue to pray for us and our sweet blessing!

I'm finished with school now, so hopefully I'll be able to stay on top of this blogging thing!

Minor Complications

We've been busy busy busy!! Josh painted the nursery and it looks so good. I don't have pics to post, but will work on getting them up soon. It looks beautiful!

I'm 33 weeks now and feeling it. Thumper is really moving and kicking all the time! I've had to cut back to 8 hour shifts at work and I don't like it! I don't want to be pregnant and helpless. I still want to go and do like always. I'm finding out more and more everyday that its not possible, its very hard for me. I'm using the time off that I could have with the baby now, since I'm required to work 24 hours a weekend and am unable to now. That part is kind of hard and sad, but I remind myself that when I do return that it is only 2 days a week and that is a blessing. The reason they restricted my hours is because I was having Braxton-Hicks (minor or "practice" contractions) every 5-10 minutes last week after working 12 hours. I went home and rested and they went away. Yesterday I had another really busy day in the ER, I worked 9.5 hours without a lunch break and had some more Braxton-Hicks last night. I get home and rest and they go away, but it is still pretty scary. I don't want this baby to come too early and not be healthy. Please pray that I will be able to continue working and that Thumper won't come too early.

On a better note, I had my first shower 2 weeks ago. I got some great stuff, a book, diapers, bath tub, bouncy seat, travel system, burp clothes, onesies, hats, blankets and more!! It was so much fun. I don't have pics to add right now, but I'll add them soon.

Catch up

Well, Josh and I have been very busy! I've been wanting to update, but didn't want to do it without pictures, so that's the reason for the delay.

WE GOT OUR CRIB!! My mom bought our crib a few weeks ago and we picked up it from Walmart once it came in. Mom was spending some time with us that week, so she and I put it together. We only needed a little help from Josh. It is so pretty. The night we put it together mom and I went to Phantom of the Opera. It was really good! When we left, the nursery still had computer equipment and books and stuff of Josh's in it as well as the wrong dresser. The crib was in the middle of the room. When we got home Josh had moved the dresser in and all the other stuff out. The crib was against the wall and he had "decorated" as well! He put little stuffed animals and pictures everywhere. It was so sweet! He's such an amazing husband and daddy already! Having a room for the baby is making it even more real! I've only got 12 weeks left! The time is flying by! The bedding is white with a pale blue (it has a mint green tint too) and khaki. We plan on painting the walls a khaki to match. NO, we don't know if Thumper is a boy or girl, but we'll add splashes of pink later if we want for a girl!

Last week my uncle, David, came up from Texas. We headed to the beach to spend time with Ricky and Blake. It was so much fun! We hung out on the beach and by the pool. It was so relaxing! None of us wanted it to end! Hopefully this will be a tradition. It was nice hanging out with my uncle and family. We don't normally have as much quality time when my uncle is around and we all enjoyed it! He treated us to dinner and everything!

This week we are going to go to Kernersville and geting some maternity pictures taken! I'm so excited! One of Josh's childhood friends, TJ, is going to take them! He's so creative, I can't wait to see what he comes up with! I hope we can visit with Memaw and other family while we are in town too!

There is Not Enough

All is pretty well in the Robertson household...not much news. It is taking me longer to get caught up on things since I returned from Liberia than I had planned. Being away for three weeks got me really behind on a lot of things. After spending the first two weeks getting caught up on projects I had left in limbo, I have spent the past four weeks not working, just trying to get paperwork and other things taken care of. Not the best thing, since I should be out producing some income!

There were a lot of people who made my trip to Liberia possible (financial sponsors) who have been eager to hear about the trip, so we have been hosting guests at our home to see photos and hear all about the amazing trip. I've even been able to share photos and videos with Prosperity Park Dentistry and Lowes Home Improvement, both who helped by contributing supplies for some of the projects in Liberia.

Now that I'm back in the States, life as usual has begun to take over. It's the curse of living in the one of the busiest countries in America. It seems that we "busy" ourselves with so much stuff that we leave little time for friends, family, and those who do without on a regular basis, whether it is 10 miles down the street, or 10,000 miles away.

I continue to remind myself of the excerpt from the book, "Irresistible Revolution" about God "making a huge mistake". It reads,

I'm convinced that God did not mess up and make too many people and not enough stuff. Poverty was created not by God but by you and me, because we have not learned to love our neighbors as ourselves. Gandhi put it well when he said, "There is enough for everyone's need, but there is not enough for everyone's greed."

I hope this except challenges you in daily life as much as it challenges me.

There is also a quote from the new NOOMA video Corner by Rob Bell, who states,

...but this is ultimately about the far larger truth that if we each don't find some suffering and do something about it, we may become miserable. Our achievement, our education, our wealth, our time and our money; they'll turn on us if we don't spread them around. We leave a corner because in helping save someone else from suffering, we may in the process find ourselves being saved, from indifference, from the inertia of inaction, from taking what we have for granted.

You can watch the entire video here: http://bit.ly/NoomaVideo (thank you Compassion International)
I highly recommend it. The ending has a little surprise.

I conclude with the words of Mother Teresa who said to Shane Claiborne (and to us all), "Find your Calcutta".

Blessings,
josh




PS - If you have visited this blog before, and remember seeing some posts that are no longer posted here, do not be alarmed...we have removed about 10 blog posts because we felt like they could be misinterpreted, and we didn't want to convey anything that was not factual or could offend anyone.

not MIA

No, we aren't Missing In Action...we've been so busy. Josh has been back in the States for a little over a week now and we are back in the full swing of things. Josh had a bible study on last Wednesday night and basketball on Monday. He's been trying to finish a bathroom remodel and should hopefully finish this week. Saturday Tim, Josh's dad, came down and I got off work a 5! I came home to find the two of them upstairs playing guitars and banjo. We rented and watched a movie later that night. It was good to see Tim, even if it was for a few short hours. I know they enjoyed their Sunday together.

Sunday night we went to a cookout at my dad's house. I was a little late, but didn't mind. The food was great! Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, slaw, chips and dip, brownies, strawberry pie, cake, and vanilla and strawberry home made ice cream! It was so good. I ate more than my fair share. We stayed until about 10 o'clock that night. Josh was showing pictures and videos of his time in Liberia. Most everyone seemed to be intrigued by his time there. Yesterday Josh decided to go ahead and work, trying to finish this project. I went to my mom's for the day. We didn't do much at all, but eat and hang out. I took a nap there and another one when I got home.

Josh and I watched a movie last night and stayed up until 1 am. It was at this time we realized our downstairs a/c unit was NOT working! We had realized on Saturday night the upstairs unit wasn't working. I am so frustrated! So, at 1 o'clock this morning Josh is in the garage getting the window unit down and putting it in our bedroom window. It worked and we both slept well. I'm not sure what we are going to do about either unit. I know the upstairs one needs to be replaced or charged.

We are trying to decide what to do about the rest of this week. My grandfather is in Selma (near Raleigh) visiting my great-grandma until Monday. I haven't seen either one of them since Thanksgiving. My grandma is celebrating her 97th birthday this week! I want to go and visit, but don't really want to drive there and back by myself. Josh is hoping to finish the project and us go on Thursday. He is supposed to go on a camping and canoeing trip this weekend, leaving Friday so we are very limited with our open days. We have both decided we need a vacation! He hasn't been home 2 weeks and we are already back to our busy busy schedules!

Thanks again to all who supported and encouraged us with prayers during Josh's trip! We would love to have a big gathering to invite everyone over and share his pictures and stories...we are hoping to pick a date soon.

Back in America

Hello friends.
I know that many of you are anxiously awaiting me to make a post about Liberia, and all that I learned there. Trust me, it is coming. Right now though I have had to spend some down-time decompressing since I have been home.

My plane arrive Sunday evening, however yesterday (Tuesday) was the first day I turned my phone back on. It's taking me some time.

Also, I never once got sick while in Liberia, however since I have been home, I have been weak, tired, and not been feeling 100%. It seems that while Liberia tried to kill me with bumps, bugs, and rashes, it is coming back to America that made me sick. Haha! Go figure!

Today (Wednesday) I get back into the normal swing-of-things. I start back to work today, which will be difficult since I will have to get back to work on a tile project I left in limbo almost a month ago. I will probably spend a great deal of time asking myself, "now did I already do that...?"

Thank you so much for your prayers. There were many difficult times in Liberia, the 2nd poorest country in the entire world (Congo is the poorest); crime and corruption are everywhere. However, the bad times were greatly overcome by moments of pure joy and bliss; times when I would sit on a bench, surround by child orphans, who would just run their fingers through my hair or rub my arm or fall asleep in my lap. I have experienced countless surreal moments where I couldn't truly believe I was sitting in the Bush of West Africa at an orphanage that has nothing, feeling the presence of Jesus like you can hardly imagine.


I will tell you more soon.
Thank you friends.


Love,
josh robertson

ps - Here is one image to accompany the post. This was my life in Liberia.

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so upset right now! Josh just called and the flight leaving Liberia today has been canceled. There are only a few flights a week that leave the country, I think, but theirs has been rescheduled for tomorrow, hopefully! Charlie and Josh will leave tomorrow a few hours earlier and go to Brussels and then to Atlanta and finally Charlotte. They are scheduled to arrive in Charlotte on Sunday at 5:15pm or so. This is the same airline that lost Josh's luggage and stole things from it. He is so frustrated! The airline is paying for their hotel and transportation though, so we are thankful for that. Please pray that he will leave tomorrow and arrive safely in Charlotte on Sunday. Pray that they remain safe for their extra day in the country. Pray for both of our sanity, patience, and understanding!! :)

Time's almost up

Josh's time in Liberia is almost up. Today is his last full day, they are leaving first thing tomorrow morning for their 29-hour trip home. Josh called me last night and they are staying at Pastor Emmanual's house in Monrovia. He gave Charlie and Josh his own bedroom. Josh said he had a bat and two mice in the room last night. I told Josh he better not get rabies this close to the end of his trip! Josh hasn't sounded as refreshed and excited since he left the orphanage. He told me he was ready to come home. Its really hot and he can't sleep. I think its finally catching up with him! He still is happy, but I believe he's looking forward to coming home. They went to the beach yesterday and he and Charlie really enjoyed it. Josh said it was so nice to swim and cool off. Apparently the orphanage is in the mountains and its much cooler there than in Monrovia.

They are having a farewell celebration tonight, Josh said he thinks a lot of people will be there. Please pray for continued health and safety and for safe travel starting tomorrow. They are leaving early tomorrow morning. Josh said they have had a few more issues with getting through checkpoints, so remember that part as well.

His flight home is the reverse of his flight there. He flies from Monrovia to Brussels to Chicago to Charlotte. I can't wait to see him! I'm leaving work a little early Saturday to pick him up!

Liz, a Liberian I work with

I talked to Josh yesterday morning. He had hidden a Mother's Day card for me in my car...what a surprise! They should be traveling to Monrovia, the capitol city, today and staying there until Friday, when they head back home! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!

Last night at work, I talked with one of the Nurse Assistants. Her name is Liz and she is from Liberia. I hadn't had a chance to tell her Josh was there so I told her last night. She asked why and what he was doing. I told her and her face lit up, she started jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face. I told her how Josh and I both have a heart for Liberia. She shared with me that she was there during the Civil War, she escaped to a refugee camp in Ghana for a few years. She went back and brought as many of her siblings children here to America with her. We talked a little about how blessed we are here in America and how we take simple things, such as needing stitches and health care, for granted. I told her of the two boys Josh tried to help. She hugged and thanked me and started crying saying, "Deliver them, deliver them." It broke my heart. I didn't know what to do, so I just held her, let her cry and silently prayed for her. She told me that she appreciates what Josh and I are doing for her home country and that there needs to be more people willing to go over there and help. I asked her to pray for us and the child we hope to adopt from Liberia one day. It was such a neat moment! I can't wait till Josh gets home and I can share pictures and videos with her!

Please continue to pray for Josh and I. Pray for his continued safety and health. Pray for healing in Liberia, pray for those hurting from the recent war, where children watched their parents killed in front of them. Pray for us in regards to adoption, yes I am pregnant, but we hope to adopt one day. Pray that God will open up the right doors and help us to be in agreement about the right time, that we'll know HIS timing. Adoption in Liberia is currently closed due to some human trafficing and no rules. Pray that the rules will be set quickly and children may be delivered from Liberia. Thank you all again for your prayers, support and encouragement...We love you!

Brief Update

I haven't "talked" to Josh since Thursday. He told me he wouldn't be able to call as often once he left the orphanage. He did call today, but I was at work, where I have NO signal! :( He left me a sweet message telling me he was sorry he forgot it was Saturday and he knew I was at work. Oh well. They left the orphanage and he said there were lots of tears. They traveled safely to their next destination, Sacleipea. They will be there for a few days and then are spending their last few days in Monrovia, the capitol city.

On a side note, THANK YOU everyone for you overwhelming support and encouragement. Even before Josh left I knew I had so many people praying for and there for me. I have truly been blessed by all those who have offered to do anything for me. I've really enjoyed my time with my mom, but its still nice knowing I have plenty of people that would be there if I needed them. I truly feel blessed to have such awesome family and friends.

Josh and I love you all. I thank you on behalf of both of us for praying for BOTH of us and reaching out to me.

Time at the Orphanage coming to an end

Charlie and Josh are leaving the orphanage on Saturday. They are both kind of upset about it. Today they had a goodbye party/celebration for the guys. Josh videoed most of it I think. He said that they had Charlie on stage and talked about all the good things he did while visiting since February, then they awarded him with a really pretty expensive African gown. Josh said it was really nice. Then they called Josh on stage and gave him a really nice shirt. They continued to call each of them back on stage to give more gifts. Charlie ended up with several shirts and some gifts for his parents, Josh ended up with 4 shirts. They also both received a certificate. Josh said it was so humbling, an orphanage with small amounts of money wanted to spend it on Charlie and him as gratitude for what they have done during their time there.

Josh spent some time hanging out with the 1st and 2nd graders today. He said they were playing the drums, but not everyone had an instrument so Josh taught them that their mouth is an instrument and proceeded to teach them to beat-box! They had a good time and he said it sounded pretty good. Then later it began to rain (yes again, PRAISE GOD) and they were all crowded on the porch. Josh asked, "Where's my band?" And the 1st and 2nd graders began doing the beat-boxing again. The older kids looked kind of confused at first, but caught on and jumped in. Charlie was inside with the adults and heard the commotion. The adults asked, "What's that?" Charlie didn't need to look, but replied, "That's just Josh." They adults ran outside and saw the sight. All the kids beat-boxing and dancing. Josh said everyone loved it and even some of the adults joined in and started dancing! What a funny story!

Tomorrow is their last full day at the orphanage and they still have a few things to do. Josh is hoping to get 2 more picnic tables built and fix a few more electrical problems. Also the place they are going next (I'm not really sure where) is supposedly going to be more difficult than staying in the orphanage. I'm not sure if it is as safe either. Please pray for safety and health and that they'll finish the projects before their time is up. Pray for easy travel to their next destination.


2 Chron 16:9b "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that HE may strongly support those whose heart is completely HIS."

MY God Will Make A Way For Me

That is the title of a song the children have taught Josh. He said it is one of his favorites. He and one of the children actually sang it to me. It was a beautiful song and neat experience!! MY God Will Make A Way For Me is exactly what happened yesterday. We prayed Josh would have clean water to drink and God made a way. HE provided a "torrential downpour." Josh said all the kids just knew what to do and collected the water. God provided clean water for Charlie and Josh. Praise the Lord...He is GOOD!! Thank you Jesus! Hopefully the well will be fixed tomorrow, but either way, I know Our God will make a way!!

Please continue to pray for the safety and health of Josh and Charlie, their time at the orphanage will be ending soon. I know it will be hard for all there to see both of the guys go. Pray for healing for those who are sick, with wounds or anything else. Pray that the well is fixed soon.

Josh can fix anything...well almost

Well, Josh is doing his thing in Africa. He's been working on the electrical stuff. They have twice the voltage that we have here (240v). There isn't any electricity except when they occasionally run the generator. Josh has been checking to make things safer. He also built 4 picnic tables TODAY! He's so good! He told me the kids could hear him working all day while they were in school and they ran over as soon as they got out. They all said "Thank you Brother Josh" and started singing. They didn't know what a picnic table was! He said he enjoyed seeing their faces when they saw it for the first time.

He also worked on the child with the gash in his leg. He told me he cleaned it thoroughly, using his finger. That really surprised me, I can't even begin to tell him my stories from work without him getting pale and sick! He said it surprised him too; he's just doing what he has to I guess. He put some bandages on it and instructed the child to keep it clean. Just when he thought he was done, another kid came up with a wound and Josh did the same thing again! I'm so impressed!

There is one thing, and its HUGE, that Josh hasn't been able to fix. The freshwater well broke, and he and Charlie only have three 1.5 liter bottles of water to share until it gets fixed. There is another well, but it isn't safe for them to drink. He said the water has spiders and other gross stuff in it. The orphanage was going to wait a few days and get a part from Monrovia, Josh said it needed to be fixed sooner. He went ahead and paid someone to fix it sooner, but they had left for the day. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.

Josh said he now has a rash allover his body. It doesn't sound like a heat rash or allergic reaction. He said its small little bumps that ooze when he brushes his finger over them. When I got off the phone with him this afternoon, I just cried. I'm so worried about him. I don't think the pregnancy/hormones are helping any. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for his health, that he'll get clean water soon, and that the rash is nothing serious. Pray that my worrying will stop, I know God is in control. Also pray that my worrying won't harm our little Thumper. Thanks again! We couldn't do this without your support!

OUR GOD IS SO GOOD

I spoke with Josh for 24 minutes today, our longest conversation yet! He sounds so good! I'm so proud of him. I worried that I'm telling all his stories on our blog, he said to continue to share what he shares, he'll have plenty more to talk about. I’m overwhelmed right now with GOD and HIS GOODNESS!!!! I’m just so thankful for all He has done for us and I’m humbled at the question, why? Why are we so blessed to live in America? This country that is all about convenience and waste and SELF!! Josh just told me about a boy with the gash in his leg. We have so much here and take it all for granted. This boy with a large, deep, probably infected gash in his leg with bugs crawling in it doesn’t care and doesn’t complain. Josh wouldn’t have even known if he hadn’t taken off his “trousers” to play futball in shorts. He has no medical attention and really no access. He’s happy and jumping rope and bringing Josh water! What a testimony! God is moving in me and growing me while Josh is gone. I’m not there and not experiencing what he is, but God is allowing me to grow. I’m hurting for and loving these children I’ve never met! OUR GOD IS SO GOOD! I want the best for these kids and that orphanage and I want to do great things in the name of GOD for them! I want to help those precious children of God. I’m so far away, yet yearning to help them.

I got to talk to Emmanual, the son of Papa Anthony, who lives in Monrovia. He is the one who brought Josh to the orphanage and instead of going back home, he stayed so he could "learn from Brother Josh." He sounds like an amazing man and thanked me multiple times for letting Josh come. If he only knew how much I wanted to be there. He said it means so much for the children we sponsor to get to meet Josh. He said they call him, "Daddy." Emmanual said he would continue to pray for me and blessings upon me. Talking to him itself was a blessing!

Thank you for being a part of this journey God is taking Josh and I both on. Your prayers and support, in every way, mean more to us than you know! I have a feeling that this trip to Liberia, is only the first of many. I feel that God will continue to use us to bring glory to Himself at the orphanage in Liberia. I pray you will continue to follow God with us on the journey!

Luggage good and bad news

Josh called me today while at work. He said that BOTH of his bags were delivered. Unfortunately several items were stolen out of his bags before he received them. A laptop bag with software for Pastor Emmanuel, the director of LCMI in Liberia, was stolen. Josh's speed square was stolen as well. I tried to help him think of things that we packed, and he doesn't remember if he saw his underwear or soap or not. He does now have socks, hand sanitizer, medication, more clothes, bolts, nails and most other things. Praise God!

Yesterday was kind of eventful for them. Charlie, Pastor Emmanuel and Josh all went on a dirt bike, yes on one! They were heading to the Bible College and had to go through several road blocks. At one particular road block, the Liberian police refused to let them pass. Josh said Pastor Emmanuel refused to bribe the cop with money, which Josh supports his decision. They argued for about 25 minutes and Pastor Emmanuel told the man he refused to pay him off and that he was intoxicated. Josh said the policeman smelled of alcohol. The cop kept pointing to Josh and saying things Josh couldn't understand. Pastor Emmanuel and the policeman finally went in to his supervisor and they were able to pass. Josh said it has been a very eye-opening experience as to what they deal with on a daily basis. They are used to a some-what corrupt government and thieves; it is very sad.

Josh had to preach this morning, he had an interpreter to interpret him while preaching! He seemed to really enjoy the service. He told me that Nohn, one of the kids we sponsor, is one of the choir directors. He told me the children lead all songs for worship and it was beautiful. He called me after they had service and lunch. So far I don't think he's eaten anything too weird. He said last night after dinner one of the small children came up and asked if she could read to him. Josh said yes, so she sat in his lap and read The Bible to him. He said she could only read a little like the book, chapter and verse at the top. Then more children crowded around him and they would all read what they could. He said they sat there and read to him for over an hour! He told me there was nothing more beautiful than having children come up and ask if they could read to him. He got his NLT version out and they really enjoyed it.

He's reported a rash to me over the last few days, he said its turning into little boils. At first I thought it was a heat rash, but I'm not so sure now. Please pray for his health and continued safety.

Rough Night for me

Last night was very rough for me. I've been staying at my mom's since Josh left. I decided it would be best for me to come home and stay on the weekends. I'm closer to work from my house and Asher, our cat, likes to be outside. I won't let him out while we're at my mom's. So this way, I think, is a fair compromise. I get the weeks with my mom and Asher and he gets the weekends outside. So, last night was my first night at home without Josh. I'm so spoiled, I know. I just don't like being alone. I hear every noise and don't sleep well. Last night was not any different! I cried for a little while and then just went to sleep.

This morning, I was still sad, but I'm trying to be an adult. :) I got ready and headed to work. I wasn't very far in to my tearful trip and my phone rang. It was none other than my beloved Josh! We talked for a while. He said they found one of his bags, the smaller of the two, which has the tools and stuff he needs to build the picnic tables. Hopefully he will get them today or tomorrow. I'm not sure how they will get from the airport to the orphanage. He still won't have any clothes, hand sanitizer, soap or other meds, but he can get by without all that. Its preparing him for the back-packing trip he has shortly after he gets home!

Today they are going to the African Bible College; someone there has a shop with power tools! We all know Josh is thrilled about that! They are taking the hardwoods and cutting them to proper size for the picnic tables. Hopefully the bolts and nails will be there soon.

Josh has been helping Charlie pass out meds. He said they have a little room they are calling "Brooke's office" for now. They keep medications and supplies there. Papa Anthony said it is where I would've worked if I'd have been able to go. I thought that was so sweet! Josh has given Motrin to someone who felt warm, he thinks had a fever and Motrin to someone else with facial swelling and a toothache. Apparently, Josh has been learning from watching me take care of people. I thought it was so cute! The nurse coming out in my sweet husband!

I'll update more when I can! Thanks for following and praying! It means a lot to Josh and I both!

BUGS & Fruit

I talked to Josh this morning; he called right after I woke up! He told me he woke up with his face and eyes burning. He slept with a mosquito net on his face, he doesn't know if something sprayed him through the net or what. He said it felt like a chemical burn in his eyes. He thinks it might have been a praying mantis. He washed his face as soon as he got up, but said that made it worse, he thinks it spread it. He got some alcohol wipe from Charlie and tried that. He said after about 4 hours it went away. He said his face isn't red and he's not having any vision problems.

He took a "shower" last night. The boil a pot of water and put it in a room with a drain. Josh rinsed off right before bed last night, he doesn't have any soap though. He said its very hot and humid there as well!

He's eating well, they had just eaten rice, broth and fresh pineapple. He said all the fruit tastes better there. The pineapple is so much sweeter than here. He said one of the little girls probably about 5 came up and asked Josh if he sang. He said yes, so they kids started singing all sorts of songs for him. Then they asked if he played futbol (soccer) so they all went to a field and played for a while. He watched a few kids run into the jungle and come back with fruit. He asked them where it came from. They said they'd show him, so he filmed the whole thing. They took a 10 minute journey into the jungle and he said when he looked behind him, there was a line of 25 kids single file, following him. They got to the trees with fruit and one kid got a cane pole and started knocking down the fruit. Then several of the kids started gathering the fruit in their shirts. They showed Josh how to eat it. He said it was so sweet and it had the texture similar to a peach. He then said all the kids were shimmying up the trees about 40 feet. He told me they were about 5-7 and that high in the trees. It was amazing he said. He told me the kids even at 5 walk around with machetes.

They found one of his bags in Belgium and it will be delivered around tomorrow night. Lets pray it has some clothes and the tools needed to get started on the picnic tables! Oh, and some bugspray, sanitizer and soap!

Josh's arrival to the orphanage

I got a few more phone calls from Josh today. The first one was very brief, I could tell he was on the road. It sounded like a bumpy rough ride. He had to go suddenly and told me he'd call later. He called just a little later and told me about how bad the roads were. He said most of it was from the civil war in Liberia in the beginning of this century. He told me he was about 10 minutes from the orphanage and he'd call later tonight.

He called shortly after his arrival to the orphanage and told me about his grand arrival. He said the kids ran out to greet him about 1/2 a mile away and ran behind the vehicle the rest of the way. They sang songs and danced. One of the songs they sang was, "Welcome Visitor." It sounded like an amazing moment. He told me he met the 3 kids we sponsor and how exciting a day it was for them. Nohn, the girl we sponsor carries around the picture we sent her several months ago. Josh said he had been greeted by the most beautiful children on earth! He doesn't have his luggage yet, he'll find out tomorrow night if he'll get it soon. He has one change of clothes and bought some stuff more clothes today. He doesn't have any bug spray or medicine or any of the tools. Please pray they find and deliver his luggage soon, for the children's sake!

Then he called not very much later and when I said hello I heard a bunch of children saying, "Hello Brooke." It was breath-taking. Josh told me the kids wanted to talk to me, he passed the phone around and I got to talk to Nohn first. She sounds as beautiful as she looks. I also got to talk to Luogon, one of the two boys we sponsor. It was so neat to be able to talk to them, I can't imagine how awesome it was to meet them! I got to talk to a couple more kids, we were basically just saying hello and they would introduce themselves. Then Josh said, who else wants to talk to Brooke and I heard a dozen voices say "ME!" So, Josh put me on speaker phone and I said hello and they all said hello Brooke. I started laughing, it was so beautiful. They all laughed at me laughing. It was a neat moment. I told them I wanted to be there and meet them and that I prayed for them often, then they all told me goodbye.

Josh called once more tonight and he was free to talk for a few more minutes. He told me the food was really good and that he can't even come up with words to describe the events of the day. He told me the kids were amazing, they just want to come and sit in his lap and be loved! How I would love to just sit around and love those kids all day! He said that they have bugs and lizards different than here. The bugs are like lightening bugs, but don't fly, they just crawl around on the ground. He said, "it looks like there is glitter allover the ground." He seems to be doing so well.

Please continue to pray for him and his continued safety. Pray that he gets the tools needed to do the projects arrive soon or that God will provide another way!

Josh is safe in Liberia

Josh is safe in Liberia! I've talked to him twice, very briefly, since he made it. The first time was this afternoon around 4:30. As soon as I heard his voice, I started crying. I've done so well today, I guess I was just worried about him not being safe. When I heard his voice I was so happy, I just lost it. Josh said they lost his luggage, but hopefully they'll find it soon. He has an extra pair of clothes in his carry-on, so hopefully he'll be okay. I'm sure it had to do with his numerous connecting flights. He sounded so good, he said he'd slept well and that was about it.

The second phone call was around 7:30. This time we talked a little longer, about 4 or 5 minutes and I only teared up. He sounded so good again. He said he already had so much to tell me. He said the culture there was so different. I asked him if he'd eaten and he said he had rice with some stew/soup, and African bananas. He said it was really good. He's staying in Monrovia tonight with Pastor Emmanuel and his wife, they have given Josh their room. Even though he doesn't have his luggage with all the tools and supplies he was planning on using to build the picnic tables, he is heading to the orphanage and school in Camp Four tomorrow. Hopefully they'll find his luggage soon and get it to him without too much trouble.

Please continue to remember him in your prayers, pray for his continued safety, that the luggage will be found and delivered soon, and that God will be glorified! I'll update later when I have more info.

Early Morning Phone Call

This morning at 4:45am I was awakened from a deep sleep by my phone ringing. I didn't recognize the number, but answered it immediately. It was none other than my dear husband! He called me from Brussels to tell me he had landed safely and was waiting to connect to his final flight to Monrovia, Africa. I think it was like 10:45am where he was. He said he had gotten some sleep and sounded really good! He was so excited to be in Europe again. He said he wants to take me there very soon! He was texting me before the flight to Brussels left and said he was on a big plane, there were 9 seats across. He had his own touchscreen TV and remote. He also told me he could hear several different languages, including French. He sounded so excited. Well, I'll post when I hear from him again. I think he is supposed to land in Liberia around 3 or 4 pm our time, but I don't know if he will be able to call or not. Please continue to send up your prayers for him.

Leaving for Liberia

Today I depart for Liberia. This morning I have been a basketcase. It really hit me this morning how much i'm gonna miss Brooke while I'm away. We're an inseperable pair; we do everything together. This morning we both cried & cried. I know...I'm a softy when it come to my wife.

Packed my bags in just enough time to leave. One bag was 50lbs exactly...WOW! The other one was 65 pounds, so I had to pay $50 extra for it. Checkin at the airport in Charlotte went smoothly; it's probably the first time I got through metal detectors on the first try! This was the place where I saw Brooke for the last time (more tears).

I made it to the gate, only to board the plane, pull out from the gate, then pull back up to the gate and deboard. It seems there is a problem with the de-icer, so as it is now, my 12:25pm flight will be a 2pm flight (best-case). That's okay though...better safe than sorry.

UPDATE: Plane was broke, so now I am on a new flight (US AIR) to Chicago, on a packed plane, in a middle seat, but I'm getting there!

Baby Update

Wednesday we had another doctor appt. and our big ultrasound. Its the one to determine that all the organs are developing properly and the plus is you can sometimes find out the sex...IF you want to. Well, Josh and I may be a little old-fashioned, but we want to wait until the delivery to find out. We think it will be so exciting to hear the words, "Its a Boy" or "Its a Girl!" So, we went in to our ultrasound and told them, we didn't want to know. Everything looked absolutely great! We saw all four chambers of the heart. She said all the other organs looked good as well. We didn't look went she checked out the legs. It was very tempting though! She said she could tell what it was, but didn't tell us. She didn't even write it on the chart, so the doctors can't slip up and accidently tell us later. At the time of the ultrasound, I was 18 weeks 1 day pregnant, but Thumper measured 19 weeks 1 day. There is a 10 day margin of error, but I'd rather be bigger than smaller. The average weight of an 18 week baby is 5 oz and Thumper was 9oz. The doctor said not to worry, we weren't on our way to a 10 pound baby! That was a relief! The heart rate was 151 and strong, which is great too.

Josh and I both really enjoyed seeing Thumper, he/she was moving allover the place. First on the back, then flipped to the belly. The ultrasound tech said, he/she is just dancing allover the place! I can handle a dancer! Either way, we decided, Thumper has Daddy's energy. I will try to scan and post the pics soon. We got a really cute one of the sweet baby feet! Its my favorite!

Josh leaves in 2 days for Liberia, please pray that he can get packed and prepared for his trip. Please continue to pray for both of us during this time. Pray that he has a safe and productive trip and that I'm not too emotional without him. God had blessed us with a wonderful marriage and friendship and that makes for a difficult separation when we are apart. We both know that it will make our marriage stronger and we are at peace with Josh going and me staying, but it is still bittersweet. We'll keep you posted on his status.

Best Wife | Awesome Family

I just have to take a moment and brag to you about my wife Brooke. As many of you know, she had planned to spend time alongside me in Liberia on this trip, but due to the pregnancy she was unable to go. We are best friends, so being away from each other for even a week would have been difficult (we've only spend 3 days apart at one time since being married); 3 weeks is a lifetime.

It is going to be difficult on us, especially for my 19-week pregnant wife. Brooke has been very strong though.

All the supplies!

On Thursday, she found my packing list among my pile of paperwork, and she went to Wal-Mart and purchased EVERY single thing on the list. It's important to know though that this wasn't my personal packing list...it was one of those "you might need these things" kind of list. Needless to say, my wonderful bride purchased $300 worth of supplies for me! I have flashlights, batteries, medication, canned tuna (for protein), camping knives, etc. It looks like I'm going to backpack the Appalachian Trail. I guess when you are embarking on a 3-week trip to 3rd-world Africa living in the bush, it is a lot like backpacking! What a wonderful surprise....my packing is now 80% done! Look at ALL the stuff Brooke got for my trip!

---------------

An additional surprise: Last night Brooke, along with her dad and stepmom, planned and hosted little going-away cookout for me with family and friends.

There were even cowboys and cowgirls at my farewell cookout!

What a neat time! We had all sorts of good food, but the best part was when my father-in-law Rick gathered the family around for a time of prayer and commissioning. It is a practice within the Christian community to "commission" someone before they leave to do mission work. Rick setup the moment by talking about his experience in missions, then he and the entire group gathered around me, layed hands on me, and prayed for my time in Africa. It was exactly what I needed. Up to this point, I haven't perceived many folks interested that I'm traveling to a country with no power grid to live in an orphanage in the Liberian wilderness for 3 weeks to serve the orphans and the community. Last night though, there was a lot of conversation, questions and answers, and the beautiful time of prayer. I feel much more prepared to travel now. HUGE thank you to the Richardsons, Crockers, and Giambrones for making the evening special for me.

Love,
josh

My time is running out...

Last minute preparations are now underway for my departure to Liberia, just 5 days away now. As tends to happen with everything else I do in life, I have over-committed myself, and am now forced to now scratch some things off my "to-do" list.

I have been very busy with Graybrooke projects, which is a great thing!
In the past month, Graybrooke constructeded a 200 square foot deck nine feet off the ground (at the highest point), and have started work on a bathroom project in Huntersville. It is looking like the bathroom project will have a 3-week lapse, because we are behind schedule on it. Because of the timing of my trip, I have also had to turn down a $17,000 project because I will be gone, and the homeowner couldn't wait for me to return. I pray Graybrooke will still be busy with projects when I return.

I completed my classwork for my contractors exam a few weeks ago, but since I haven't had any time to study for the big exam, I had to also put that off until I return from Liberia. With my bad memory, I hope I'm able to remember all that I need to for the exam, now over a month away.

Some of you remember that when I was leaving for France when I was in college, I packed my bags the morning of departure. I am hoping (planning) that I don't do that again this time. There are way too many odd items that I need to acquire that I need to take with me to Liberia (manual tools, bolts & hardware, money belt, etc.). I also have to prepare to preach a few of times while in the country....and I haven't preached in years!

Lots of things going on.
Trying to determine what HAS to happen, and what can WAIT until my return.

- josh

Prayer for Charlie

In just one week, I will be in Liberia joining up with Charlie Godfrey, the American high school student already in Liberia (Charlie has been in Liberia since February). Even though there is no power or electricity at the orphanage, Charlie can use a cell phone because there is a tower located high on a mountain in the vicinity, and the signal reaches. For the past few weeks or so, we have received phone updates from Charlie about everything that is going on, and what I need to bring with me.

Yesterday Charlie phoned home with some not-so-great news. Charlie was left alone to teach the Liberian Children and some of the older students got into a fight. The youth who were fighting were around 17 years old, right around Charlie's age. I can only imagine that it shook Charlie up...there was probably not much he could do to stop it.

I will be there in just a week to join Charlie and offer him some help. I've always enjoyed working with somewhat challenging students (some of you remember our times at Sutton Park Community Day Camp*), but this will certainly be a new challenge for me.

Pray for the children at the orphanage. West Africa is a hurting land with a history of violence. Many children have been orphaned because of the 2nd civil war that occurred in Liberia (2001-2003); many children witnessed their own parents being killed before their own eyes. They have a lot of hurt and stored-up emotions. Please pray that their hearts would be softened, that the peace and forgiveness of Jesus will flow over them, and that Charlie will be equipped with everything he needs to tackle another day.

Peace,
Josh


*The Sutton Park Community Day Camp was a camp started by Shad Hicks in the lower-income community in Monroe known as Sutton Park. The camp used to last for two weeks at the church Shad was the pastor of. Unfortunately, the congregation never shared Shad's vision to reach-out to the community that surrounded their church, and so eventually Shad moved on and the church did not continue the day camp. At it's peak, however, a hundred or more youth (up to 18 years old) would come to the day camp from the surrounding area, to learn about Jesus, play some games, but mostly just to have someone adorn them with attention. Times were sometimes (always) challenging with the teens who were not used to supervision of any type, but the rewards were great!

Great Week

We've had a very busy week! Its been a lot of fun too. Monday we went and ate dinner at my Mom's with my Grandpa & Marge. Josh and I spent Monday night there and had a great day with them on Tuesday. I love watching Josh and my grandpa talk...they get along so well. They talk about how stuff works and building things all the time...its funny. Tuesday night we decided they needed the experience of La Unica, our favorite Mexican restaurant. I was a little nervous, as they are used to Tex-mex, a different kind of Mexican food in Texas. They seemed to enjoy it though! After dinner, we came to our house and visited for awhile. It was neat seeing them in our environment. We really enjoyed it and didn't want it to end. While they were in town they Lavished Thumper with tons of presents!! It was almost like a mini baby shower!

Wednesday mom and I met up to go pick up her friend from the airport. We stopped at Baby's R Us on the way and spent about an hour there! Then we picked her friend up and went and ate at Carraba's! Yum! It was so good. From there we went our separate ways, but not before Nancy, mom's friend could give Thumper a gift. She's a long time Longhorn and gave us 2 cute little onesies and two pacifiers. My favorite paci says, "I'm new." I think its too cute!

Yesterday was a day I had been waiting for. We had a dentist appointment, and while, I love our dentist, that isn't why I was so excited. Our dentist is near Concord Mills, so we went to Build-A-Bear. I wanted to build something for Thumper. We built a rabbit, named Thumper and really had a good time. We only bought a $2 pacifier, so it didn't cost much at all! We both enjoyed it and loved bringing Thumber home to meet Asher...he kept kissing the bunny...it was adorable! Last night we had dinner with my cousin, Keenan and his girlfriend, at La Unica, YES again! I love that place! We all had fun.

Wonderful Neighbors

Well, to sum things up, we've been so busy lately. Josh is making last minute preparations for his trip. Graybrooke business is doing so well, Josh can hardly keep up, which is such a blessing! I am doing my best to get to work and complete my school assignments on time. I haven't been feeling good at all and if I do feel okay, I haven't done much house work. My goals have been to try to keep the dishes done and to do the laundry every week. Needless to say, the house has been neglected in a big way. Well, Easter Sunday, Josh went to go visit family in Kernersville and I had to work. I called my friend/neighbor, Denise, to check on a friend of hers who was in the hospital. She asked how I was and I spilled my guts. I told her I was overwhelmed, I had a 5 page paper due Wednesday, my grandpa was in town from Texas and my house was a wreck. I was worried about getting the house clean and paper done before Grandpa and Marge come to visit. She asked what she could do to help, and I replied nothing. Well, that was that...or so I thought. I came home and Josh was still visiting family. I just sat in the car, I didn't want to come inside. I didn't know where to begin when I came home. Then I finally mustered up enough courage to come inside and didn't recognize my house! The floors were swept, the two bags of trash were gone, the junk was off the table and sat neatly on the floor, they had dusted, made the bed, and vacuumed to name a few things. I just spun around in circles looking at what had been done. I was kind of embarrassed to think they saw my house at the worst ever. Here are some pictures. I'm glad I don't have any before pictures, but just imagine dishes and junk everywhere! Josh and I are so thankful and grateful for such wonderful friends who help out without being asked. Something that may seem simple, like cleaning the house, was such a huge blessing to us. I finished my paper, and we spent some great time with my family and they got to see our house...clean...thanks to the Giambrones!

FAQ 2 - Why Do You Ask Us For Money? Shouldn't You Spend Your Own Money For The Trip?

This is a question that has been asked, both directly & indirectly, since we've been raising support for the Liberia Mission trip. Since there are many different people getting our newsletters and following our blog, some who belong to the Christian faith and others who do not, I will attempt to answer this honest question respectfully and to the best of my ability. If there is somewhere in the post when I am not clear, or there is a part that you take issue with, please bring it to my attention so I may correct the oversight.

As a Christian, we have only one identity: Christ. Jesus set the example as He drew no boundaries between Himself and those to whom He chose to minister.⁽¹⁾

I liked the wording from that source, so I kept it in it's entirety. Basically, Jesus is the example for those who are of the Christian faith. When in doubt, look and see how Christ handled things. Christ told his disciples (those who followed Him) that they were to go into "the uttermost parts of the world."⁽²⁾
Without making this too long-winded, I'll summarize to say that those who follow Christ are to be involved in missions.

But how many of us can realistically take 2 weeks, or a month, or a year or more off of work and do missional work? Not all of us can. I know it has even become difficult for me to get away from work, and I own my own company! However, in Corinthians, the body of believers that are called Christianity are described as having different roles, just as a body has different parts that has specific roles.⁽³⁾ Even though we are supposed to be involved with missions, not all of us will actively serve; but we can all still be a part of missions by partnering with others who are willing to sacrifice on the mission field. Many of us will do this by coming alongside those who do physically serve, making their stint financially possible. Many will also be partners of encouragement & prayer to the individual. In most cases it's not easy for missionaries to leave the life of comfort & stability, and leave family behind; encouragement from friends can make all the difference in the world. There are other ways to partner too, like donating tools, equipment, buying food/clothes, etc.

There are some folks who can outright afford to fund their own mission trip in it's entirety. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but it does take away the ability to have others individuals serve through the said individual, since there can be no partnership (at least, financially). There is something humbling that happens when people are forced to rely on God and others to supply their financial means. For me personally, it has been an eye-opening experience. Generally, those who are wealthy make little or no contribution; those who struggle from bill-to-bill generally make the greatest contributions. Sounds crazy huh? But it's been true for us.

Being dependent on contributions from someone with little-to-no income is a humbling thing, and it puts a new burden of responsibility on those serving (in a good way). I have shed tears for the contributions that have been made towards this trip. It also gives an opportunity for G-d to show up and give confirmation to the trip; if there are no funds, it's probably a good sign that G-d is saying to "wait".

If you are someone who still questions giving to a cause like this, then please find somewhere else to contribute. We are all at different places in this journey, and some are simply not on the journey at all. That's okay. I just ask that you be sensitive to how your heart is being led, then be obedient.

For those who do contribute in some form, thank you for the bottom of my heart. You'll probably never know how much it means to me personally, that you would entrust me to serve on your behalf. I pray that every moment I am serving on your/our behalf is time well spent.

Even if you don't agree with giving to missions and/or missionaries, at least maybe you now understand why people do ask.




References:
(1) http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:ByCakIV0CZMJ:www.cedarrockbaptist.com/sermons/060910%2520The%2520Biblical%2520Mandate%2520for%2520Missions.pdf+missions+biblical+mandate&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
(2) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%201:8;&version=51;
(3) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012:12-31;&version=51;

Exciting Monday

Well, Monday was a very exciting day. We hung out around the house together and took a walk around the neighborhood with our neighbor, Denise. Denise gave Thumper a present. Its a "My first tools," complete with tool box, hammer, and screwdriver! If Thumper is a boy or a girl, we still want him/her to be able to fix things and use tools, even if it is just to hang curtains! ;) I've refrained from buying much stuff, as sometimes I think its not real still. I did buy Thumper his/her first book about a week ago. Its called, "God Gave Us You." Its a cute book about a mommy polar bear telling her baby polar bear a bedtime story about how they became a family. Its very sweet and cute! Also, I brought some old books of mine home from Nonna's (my mom) house. The list includes: "Goodnight Moon," "The Giving Tree," "There's a Monster at the End of This Book," "Corduroy," and "What God did for Zeke, the Fuzzy Catepillar."

Monday afternoon, we had another OB appt. We got to hear the heartbeat!!! It was such a sweet and exciting sound! I didn't know how important it would be for me to hear it! In addition, the nurse had a hard time finding it and we kept hearing this "swooshing" noise. She said that was the baby moving around. So, not only does Thumper have a strong healthy heartbeat, but he/she is moving all over the place....sounds like Thumper has Daddy's energy! The doctor felt my belly and said, "She's so petite, you can't even tell she's pregnant," then he told Josh to keep telling me that. I can notice a little difference in my belly, and a few other family members have noticed too, but it isn't very noticable yet. We haven't started taking belly pics yet, we've been talking about it for weeks, but haven't gotten around to it. I'm sure I'll regret it, but oh well!

On another note, Josh has raised almost enough money to go to Liberia! He's began looking at flights and is finalizing the final details of his trip. He's planning on going about 2.5-3 weeks. Its still bittersweet for me to talk about and I get teary eyed often. I'm so excited he is going, but I'm going to miss him like crazy! He's promised to try to find a little baby outfit or something bold and bright the baby could wear to bring back for Thumper. He's also agreed to let us go to Build-A-Bear and build a rabbit for Thumper. It will be a small stuffed animal we "made" for our baby. We're going to name it Thumper and I'll sleep with it while Josh is gone. That way it will smell like me and hopefully bring comfort to Thumper when he is born, if we aren't together!

Update...Big News and Africa

Well, we hid some great news for about 6 weeks. Most of you probably know by now, but Josh and I are going to have a baby! I'm 12 weeks pregnant today! I am due September 22! It has been an exciting 3 months, full of nausea, lots of emotions (a lot of tears for no reason), and lots of extra sleep! I have began to feel better within the last week. I'm close to the 2nd trimester and it is making a big difference. We have really enjoyed sharing this news with family and close friends. We have enjoyed all the responses, but noticed 2 things. After everyone congratulates us and asks all the questions about the due date and how I've been feeling, they always have one of two questions. One is, I thought you guys were pursuing adoption. Well, we still plan to adopt, but it will be after our first child is born! It is something we are still very passionate and excited about! We look forward to how our family is going to grow not only through the child we are expecting now, but through adoption of one or more children in the future!

The other popular question, if you haven't figured out and asked already, is about Liberia. It is with mixed feelings that I must announce, I won't be going this trip. I'm really excited about being a mom and want to protect my unborn child from everything I can. I wish that I could go, as I had began to get really excited about the trip. However, I must tell you, back in November, I wasn't so sure if I was supposed to go or not. I prayed and asked God to give me a definitive answer. I prayed, "Lord, if I'm not supposed to go, let us only raise enough money for one of us to go AND let me be pregnant." That way it would be easy for me to know and understand that I'm not meant to go. Well, He has answered that prayer! Part of me still wishes I could go, but then the mommy brain kicks in and I'm okay with staying home. If I were to travel to Africa, I'd have to get several vaccinations, including the Yellow Fever one. It is a Class C drug during pregnancy. When we asked my doctor about whether or not I could/should go to Africa, he responded, "Well, I've never had anyone ask me that before." The shot as well as meds for Malaria are class C and while there isn't a proven harm, it isn't for certain safe. He said it would be a decision I'd have to make. We decided that since it is an avoidable risk, we wouldn't take it. Then I asked him if it would be okay for me to travel to the mountains (I'll be 35 weeks then and travel isn't always advised) in August for Camp Horizon (the camp for kids with Down Syndrome). He said as long as things remained perfect and healthy he didn't seem to have a problem with it. He then said, "Y'all seem to have some pretty cool interests." This made us happy!! We scheduled our next appointment for March 23 and at that appointment we'll schedule the next ultrasound.

We did have an ultrasound on February 5th. I was only 7.5 weeks then, but they needed to verify my due date. At that ultrasound all we saw was a little tiny bean and a strong heartbeat! It was 154, which is excellent. We have nicknamed our baby Thumper, since the heartbeat was thumping. We hope to wait until delivery to find out what the gender is and didn't want to call Thumper "it" until then. :)

Asher is home! (amazing discount)

Asher came home yesterday (Wednesday). He looks rough, but we are praying for a good recovery. He is on SO much pain medication, and he has to wear the crappy cone around his head. Poor kitty. You can see his many stitches in his hip. His leg will possibly be lame for life, but we're hopeful that he'll be able to use his leg more than that.

Our new vet continues to amaze us. They are an amazing group of people who have really been a blessing to us during this procedure. The cost of this procedure was supposed to be $800, and they gave us a flat fee of just $500 because the wanted to help us. Well, we found out that, due to some complications, the actual bill of the procedure was closer to $1,300, and yet the still only charged us the $500 flat fee. God was using this veterinarian to be His blessing to us! Just look at all the asterisks and the discount amount on our final invoice.

Our God is So Good.

Update On Asher & God's Provision

We found out on Monday that the procedure to re-attach the broken hip bone is not a common procedure in cats. For some reason, the success rate isn’t that great. Instead, something called an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy) is performed, where the ball joint (that was separated from the leg bone) is removed from the socket, and the joint is left to heal. Asher should regain close to full mobility, after about 5-6 months. It goes against how I thought joints and muscles should work, but a quick Google search found many others who said the procedure worked for them

Amazingly, God has still showed himself through the vet. The procedure should costs upwards of $800, but Asher’s doctor, knowing that we can’t afford much for our baby, agreed to do the procedure in-house for a flat fee of $500. Anyone who has ever taken an animal to the vet knows that costs quickly add up, so performing the procedure for a flat fee is the veterinarian taking a loss to service our beloved Asher. If anyone is looking for a good animal hospital (this one is located in Indian Trail), I have a great one to recommend.

The procedure was performed on Tuesday. Asher stayed in the vet through the night, but on Wednesday he wasn’t doing too well. We just got an update this morning (8:30am) that he started eating again, and that they were going to do some physical therapy today, run his blood-work again, and that he might get to come home today. This is good news, because we miss our little boy.

Even though a $815 unexpected vet bill ($315 + $500) wasn’t something we wanted to do at the moment while trying to raise funds for Liberia, God has demonstrated that he provides.

Our trip contributions now total $1,950, thanks to some new donations that we received, and Graybrooke work has been steadily increasing as well.

To God Be The Glory.

FAQ 1 - Why Support Children in Liberia When We Have Issues Here?

Some of our posts will begin to answer some of the questions we have heard from folks about our mission trip to Camp 4, Liberia. This is the first of such posts, addressing "Why Support Children in Liberia When We Have Issues Here in the US?"
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CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAINS
There was a special that aired this past Friday night called “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains”. It was a 20/20 documentary by Diane Sawyer that detailed the lives of families in Appalachia, specifically Kentucky (If you missed it, you can view it here). There is a high school senior they document who is a stellar football player, the star of the team, who sleeps in his pickup truck each night. Another scene documents two sisters who live in a broke-down trailer while their mom dips back into prescription pain killer addiction, spending any money they do have on pills. Yet another segment shows how young men follow fathers into the coalmines to make what living they can, having lost most of their teeth due to their high consumption of Mountain Dew.

Some of the feedback we have received while fundraising for the Liberia Mission Trip has questioned the notion of sending money to children in another country when we have our own issues here in the US. It is almost a valid point, yet naïve & ill-informed.

The children of the Appalachian Mountains are certainly an impoverished group of people when compared to you and me. But poverty is relative. The United States contains the majority of the wealth in the world. Africa, by comparison, houses the world’s most-impoverished people. The average annual household income in the US is $44,970, compared to just $140 in Liberia. The percentage of children under five who have severely underweight is 14%, compared to 0% here in the US. The number of children in Liberia whose growth has been stunted from the lack of proper nutrition is 39%, compared to just 1% here in America. I compiled a chart with some additional comparisons below:

(click image to enlarge)

There are certainly tough times in America – many of us have experienced financial pain first-hand. But consider this: when the US get’s a cold, the world gets pneumonia. The financial burdens we feel here are only exacerbated in Liberia and other third-world countries. We are still King and Queens by comparison.

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
– Edmund Burke