How can this be? My beautiful girl is SEVEN today.
It seems like yesterday, when she was just like this:
a pretty princess at age 2:
ready for preschool at age 3:
beautiful at age 5:
silly at age 6:
and so sassy at almost 7!
Happy Birthday Abi!
Stay tender-hearted and kind to all.
May you love with great abandon and grow in the Lord this year.
We love you!
Warning: This post will make you cry. Read at your own risk.
I received a sweet email today from my friend, Sumer, who moved to Africa this summer. She had forwarded me a note my sponsored child, Askaley, wrote to me. I share it with some trepidation, it is very personal and special to Aaron and I. But I want you to see the impact we have on these children, how much our giving, our obedience, means so much!
Here is the email from Askaley:
I love you so much, Pam. I miss you so much. I just want to see you. I got your photo and your lotion. I just want to say something about you, I am just going to the mountain and I am praying for you because Jesus also prayed on the mountain and God will hear me. I am just praying for you and your family. I got the picture of your babies. Did you get my letter? I miss you so much! I am so happy that you are my sponsor. I see you like my mother because when I cry you are crying with me. You are my mother for me, you are in my mother's place. I live at the dorm in the summer camp. Please pray for Sumer. Sammy is giving for me his hospitality. You know that I have no mother and father, so that you are a gift. I have only one, you. That means that I am depending on you, but I am depending on God. I get your babies letter and drawings. And thank you for them. I am so glad that I have someone that when I cry is crying with me, when I am happy is happy with me. Keep your gift from God, because I have nothing to give you.
I love you,
Askaley
WOW, doesn't that just hit you where it hurts? The things I am worried about, how silly and petty. How quickly we forget! What a good reminder, to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart, to lean on Him, to not worry. What an impact we have had on this sweet 13 year old girl, but what an impact we have had in our lives as a result. 
I use to be a dipper. A toe dipper. I would ease into the pool, slowly lowering myself inch by inch, foot by foot, until finally submerging myself.
Then, I became a diver. I hurled myself off the diving board, into the abyss. I stepped off, on this journey, and fell...HARD.
I fell in love, with Korah, Ethiopia, with a ministry called Project 61. With children who live in a dump, who dig in the trash for food. Yet, they have so much JOY, so much LOVE, were so protective of me.
Meet Askele. (A-skal-ah) She is our sponsored child, age 13. She is leaving the dump, leaving Korah, in September, to go to a Christian boarding school. I love her dearly. She called me mother.
I treasure the extra time in Ethiopia when I got "stuck" for nine days due to the volcano. I spent this time with Askele, with her friends, teaching them English, playing with them, loving on them. And I was truly blessed.
I gave her all my clothes, my shoes, and she turned around and gave most of it to her friends.
This is her wearing my favorite shirt.
braiding my hair.
As we drove away, my heart was broken, not for the children we left behind, but for what most people never see, never grasp.
I grappled with this for the last few months. Why? Why does God allow children to live in the dump, to dig for food, to be orphaned, scared and hungry?
And again, and again, I come back to these thoughts.
Because HE is SOVEREIGN.
I am becoming more content to rest in the mystery of it. But the mystery of it, how God is working in all this...I am learning to trust Him in it.
The utter depravity of it all, the sheer poverty and sickness, death, and sadness...it can weigh down your soul and render you weak and useless, or it can stir your soul to life in a way that changes you. And other people as a result.
It can make you become a diver!
I believe this is God's way. His heart is broken; he is grieved. But we are God's feet. We are racing to these children's aid. We are his hands. We are feeding these children, and their families. We are feeding HIS sheep.
Some of the sponsored children of Korah. Kids are just kids, anywhere!
There are more opportunities to sponsor children. Email me or call me if you are interested. Or if you want to help feed them for the summer before school starts. There are so many opportunities.
Just DIVE in!
Here is our menu for the week:
Monday: tonight we had sandwiches, chips, watermelon, blueberries, and raspberries
(the Reverend was at a meeting late, so I went for easy!)
Tuesday: tacos, homemade guacamole
Wednesday: Domino's (3.99 pizzas + I work on Wed. nights at the library right now so
it's easy for the Reverend)
Thursday: grilled shrimp, thai pasta, steamed broccoli
Friday: Mexican lasagna, garlic bread, apple dumplings
Saturday/Sunday: taking an assorted collection of vegetables, chips, desserts, and condiments to a family get together for July 4th weekend
Also, last night (Sunday night), Abi planned our meal. We had salad, rotisserie chicken, and watermelon, blueberries, and raspberries. The Ave chose all the fruit. We carved up the chicken and the kids and I ate it in our salads, while the Reverend ate his plain. Very yummy and healthy too. Good job, kids!
Can't wait for this month to end, so I can post my shopping totals after I shop on Wednesday! Got my Publix list and coupons almost together already!
Menu for the week includes:
Monday--chicken fajitas with my new Pampered Chef stone bakeware! Hooray! Can't wait to make this recipe. I'll let you know how it goes...
Tuesday--Crockpot roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli, macaroni and cheese
Wednesday--Domino's
Thursday--Sloppy Joes
Last week I only spent about $30 for my week's worth of groceries. This week, looks like I'll be spending about $60. I had some great deals at CVS last week too, where I even made some money. I'm loving this couponing!
I am sorry I have been so remiss in posting about Africa. It has just been hard to get into words and to relay to others about the trip.
I wrote several weeks ago about Uganda. About the little boy I fell in love with, Alan, who lives at Canaan's Children's Home.
Another great ministry that we got to be a part of was Amazima Ministries. Amazima means truth. Katie Davis, from Brentwood, Tn, moved to Uganda several years ago, after a short term mission trip. She has now adopted 14 girls and also started a feeding program which feeds hundreds of children every Saturday through a sponsorship program. Oh, and did I mention that she is 21 years old.
We were privileged to be a part of this day one Saturday. The children have a Bible story, sing songs and play for hours. We took soccer balls, parachutes, face paint, crafts, stickers, etc. to play with them. They braided our hair, and just sat and talked with us too.
We were able to help serve a meal to the children. Rice, beans, and one piece of chicken. We also had helped fill 300 bags of rice, 300 bags of flour, and 300 bags of beans, for them to take home. It was amazing, watching them walk off the field, in a row, with those turquoise bags of food balanced on their heads. Most of these children walk 1 or 2 miles home by themselves, little children too. Here is a brief recap through pictures:
Katie's monkey. I have a few pictures of Katie, at her house and with her girls, but she had asked us not to post them on the internet. She is very protective of those girls of hers and loves them so very much!
The kids during the Bible story
one of my favorites, the kids praying after the story!
I was a face painter, and boy did I paint me a lot of brown faces all week. I loved it!
the girls who braided my hair...
this is a sweet girl named Dora. I held her, we talked, we sang, we played, she napped on me. I loved her!
passing out bags of food.
the children walking away with their bags of food. Uganda is a very beautiful country, so lush and green. 
That's it for Uganda. Now on to Ethiopia in the next post (where I lost my heart to those Korah kids from the dump!)
www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com
www.amazima.org
Well, I am going to try to start re-posting my menus for the week. I have had pretty good success with the coupons lately so now back to planning the meals for the week.
Monday--grilled chicken salad, watermelon
Tuesday--crockpot pork tenderloin, corn, broccoli, cresent rolls
Wednesday--Domino's $3.99 pizzas (our family usually eats 3 of these, with leftover for lunch)
Thursday--Tacos, guacamole
Friday--dress rehearsal for dance recital, so probably sandwiches or McD's.
Also, I'm excited to report my totals for the month of May. I tracked every shopping trip and kept my receipts to show my spending/saving for the entire month.
I spent: $312.45
I saved: $245.73
Now this includes everything: diapers, 2 baby shower presents, 1 birthday party, clothing, regular groceries, etc. so I thought I did pretty good. I also had just returned from Africa and was a little unsettled for most of the month. (to put it nicely!)
I'm tracking June as well, to see if I can beat my total. I'll keep you posted.
More about Africa soon, I promise.
