Day 1 & 2 in Texas

OK, it's not Chelsea quality, be kind! We will do our best to keep the blog up while Mommy is gone. The girls have really enjoyed seeing all the pictures of Mommy and the kids in Ethiopia! So, we thought it would be fun for Mommy to see what we are up to as well. Here it goes!

Our first dinner was to the newly opened "Five Guys Burgers and Fries" that just opened up near us!! Pretty good I must say.....it's not In-N-Out by any stretch....but good! The girls are excited to take Mommy when she gets home.

We started a tie blanket project a while back and decided we would finish it this week! Here is blanket #1 of 5. (we will take these blankets to a local women's shelter when finished).

Day #2 started off by heading to Grandma and Pops house for the girls. I went to the memorial service of Darlene Voss, mother of our dear friends, Brad and Shannon Voss. Darlene lost her earthly battle with Cancer but gained eternity with Jesus, passing away on Christmas night. Brad and his family did an amazing job honoring their Mother's life and the amazing impact she had during her time on earth. We love you Brad and Shannon!

That afternoon, the Batchelor kids joined us for a Sleepover Extravaganza! The girls had lots of fun ideas to do with their special friends and we had a great time. Here are the highlights:

For Orphan Sunday, back in early November, families at our church gathered items that would help support Orphan Care here in the DFW area. The response was incredible! So, we delivered all sorts of diapers, toys, clothes, and blankets to the "Tapestry Kids Closet" at Irving Bible Church. They had so much fun doing this, especially since they made the Tapestry Box overflow. Thanks to all the families that donated items for this great cause and making their own difference right here at home!

The added bonus of going to Irving Bible Church was getting to play in "The Tubes", a HUGE indoor climbing area. They had a great time and I tired them out just slightly!

Next was dinner. My kids love Crystal's Pizza and the movie theater that plays Looney Tunes, so they were very excited to take the Batchelor's! Blake hit a "ticket" jackpot and scored 191 tickets for the group. He is such a trooper hanging with all these girls.

We came home and they all helped finish Tie Blanket #2 (while watching Toy Story 3).

And to finish the day, we continued the Jacobs-Batchelor sleepover tradition - Dance Party!! We found the "Classic Hip Hop" station on TV and the first song playing was "It Takes Two", by Rob Base and DJ Ez E. Yes, some serious flashbacks to early 90's-high school era music and probably inappropriate.....but they went nuts to the beat of the music and thankfully weren't paying attention to the lyrics due to their own screaming (-: Hilarious moves from these kiddos! I can't wait for the day where these "dancing machines" join the Ghana kids for a Dance Party at the new Touch a Life Village. WOW, can you imagine?

This morning we got up and went to Chick Fil-A for breakfast and more playtime.

Thanks for a great sleepover Batchelor's!

And Happy New Year to everyone from the Jacobs - from Texas and Ethiopia!

(We love you Mommy!!)

Day One: Korah

Whew. What a day! We arrived in Addis Ababa this morning , and after a couple of hours of getting visas, going through customs, and loading tons of luggage into our tiny vans, we finally made our way to the Guest House where we are staying.

We spent some time trying to get in touch with our families (with not a lot of luck…no phone service, and little to no internet service) and tried to rest a little before we headed out to Korah.

We got to sit and talk with Sumer, an amazing woman who literally followed the Lord here last year, after SHE came on a Visiting Orphans trip just like this one and fell in love with the people of Korah. It’s been amazing to hear what Project 61 has been able to do in the months she has been here and as I listened to her, you could just sense the passion she has for these people. (Visit her blog here and read all about her amazing ministry!!)

We visited the church where 65 of the children come for an after school program. Just as in Ghana, these children just crave your love and attention. I was asked a thousand times "What is your name?" and had hands holding every part of my hands, arms, and legs, along with kisses on my cheek and hugs galore. I learned many, many names, played dozens of pattycake games, took pictures of beautiful faces and smiles, and sang songs, many of which were American bible songs they had learned from other groups who have visited. A couple of the older girls (Bethlehem and Jessita) became my fast friends....here they are blowing kisses to my camera. They taught me alot of new words and phrases, and even how to count to 10 in Amharic. I'm pretty sure I won't remember it tomorrow, but it was fun to learn!

We spent a couple of hours with the kids just playing and listening to them sing and dance. And, then we said goodbye until tomorrow. On Saturdays, they have Bible school and an all day program for the kids. So, we will be teaching our VBS lesson to them and doing some fun crafts and activities. So, it will be a fun day.

After we said goodbye, we went to visit two local homes in Korah. I really can't express what the houses looked like. They were smaller than most bathrooms in America, and they slept on the floor. The first woman had been in prostitution until Project 61 began to help her. She has FIVE children and has HIV. She was so gracious and so thankful that we came to her home and prayed over her.

The next house was a bit bigger, but still consisted of one very small room. The walls were covered in Jesus posters and, again, the mother was so hospitable. She had seats for all of us and said "thank you" many, many times. She has three children, the oldest of which has been sent to boarding school because of Project 61's sponsorship program!

I feel like this is the same thing I write all the time. It is heartbreaking to see the loss, the poverty, the illness. And, it's so easy to be overwhelmed by it. But, to see the resilience, the hope, and the joy in these children just makes it so apparent that God does not see these situations as closed doors. He is putting the perfect people in place for His children around the world. I just love watching as He uses Sumer and her team to change this place for good.

I will be back with more updates on Korah tomorrow. Hopefully Mark will be able to add some pictures to this, since I'm not able to!

We're off to bed now, so we can make up for the 24 hour sleepless marathon we're going on at this point! Thank you all for the constant prayers!! Good night from Ethiopia!

We made it!

The wireless internet is spotty to say the least, so here is a quick post just to let everyone know I'm here and safe! (Family, my cell phone does not have reception yet, so that's why I haven't sent a text yet!)

Ethiopia is so beautiful....VERY cool and nice. Not exactly Ghana heat here. :)

We are resting for a couple of hours before we go meet the kids in Korah (the city dump in Addis Ababa). We will be playing with them at their after-school program, getting to know them for the evening. And, we will go back there again tomorrow for an all day Bible program that they have for the whole dump community, to play with the kids! It's wonderful to be back on African soil, and we're looking forward to a new adventure every day!

Also, while I'm here, this is the blog entry I wrote on the plane today (which wouldn't post until now)... Love you all and appreciate your prayers!!

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So, here I am on another airplane. I actually like these long flights. I have no where to go…in fact they tell me I HAVE to sit still with a buckle around my waist. :) So, it’s my time to think, to read, to sleep, to pray, and to try to wrap my mind around what I’m about to walk into.

I’ll be honest. I haven’t felt like my mind and heart were quite prepared for this trip. This is a different kind of trip than the last two I’ve taken, and it hasn’t helped that Christmas is such a busy time of year already. And, I think some of it was because I just got back from Ghana! But, needless to say, I had already been praying that God would go before me and prepare a time on the plane for me to focus…to emotionally prepare for what is ahead…and for me to hear His voice.

I do not believe in coincidences. I believe that God is always speaking, and sending messages to us, arranging our circumstances so we can see Him at work…so we can hear His voice. He wants nothing more than for us to spend time with Him listening, and once I do, I’m always astounded.

On our trip to Ghana, I borrowed a book called Priceless from my friend, Shannon. This was written by Tom Davis and is a fictional account (with a whole lot of truth) of the awful, gut-wrenching truth about the sex-trafficking of child orphans that occurs in Russia (and all over the world).

I was supposed to have finished the book way before now. I read it for hours on our trip home from the lake. And, I have picked it up twice since we’ve been home to finish the few pages I had left.

But, God had me read it today.

As I read, I saw what He was preparing me for on this trip. And, He just plainly offered it to me in a book. I love it when He does that. ☺

Straight from page 234-235, as a nun is talking to a man who has been thrown into the dangerous job of rescuing these girls:

“I want to show you something to underscore the importance of what you are doing. I feel strongly that the direction your life is taking is much more about bringing the kingdom of God to earth than you understand….Redemption means to restore and renew what has been stolen. Most people squeeze their eyes shut and pretend the Devil doesn’t exist. You know better, don’t you? They live their lives as if there were no problems in this world, no hunger, no orphans, no child sex slaves. They don’t do what God calls each of us to do: to redeem mankind. It’s what you’re called to do. It’s about much more than the redemption of just one child. It’s about you establishing the kingdom of God in a significant way by finding freedom for the captives. All of this is the beginning of a new life for you.

God’s salvation is beyond measure. He has made a way for each of us to have freedom in this world. I believe when you make a way for someone else’s salvation, physical and spiritual, as you have, this is also beyond measure. It is priceless.”

As I was reading these words, I felt this “ah ha” moment coming on. This isn’t just about loving orphans and rubbing bald heads like I keep saying. It IS about that. But, it’s about something bigger. It’s fighting against the enemy for the lives of these children. This book shows what a spiritual battle surrounds the orphan. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy the lives of these children, and to whisper lies to them about what they’re worth. We’re here to share the message that they are absolute treasure. This is about the priceless value of EACH one of these children. It’s about bringing the kingdom of God to this earth…making a way for little ones to get to Him and to really know His love. Even if it’s a battle along the way.

Wow. I am excited to see what that’s going to look like over the next two weeks.

As I was writing this blog, I have my music playing…and of course this song was one Mark just added to my playlist before I came. From Chris Tomlin’s newest album, called “I Lift My Hands”.

“Be still, there is a healer. His love is deeper than the sea. His mercy is unfailing. His arms, a fortress for the weak. Let faith arise. Let faith arise. I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge, you are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember. You are faithful, God, forever.

That’s what I keep sensing…our mission is to show them the Lord’s mighty strength. He is their fortress, their refuge. And, they are worth fighting for.

I have also been praying for a verse to pray over these sweet children. There are so many beautiful verses in Isaiah that I love. They speak of taking care of the oppressed and bringing hope to the hopeless. And, that’s usually what I go to on behalf of the orphan.

But, God had a different direction for me today. He wants me to tell them that they are chosen. The children who have been thrown out with the garbage…and the ones who LIVE in the garbage. They have been chosen.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are a people of God; one you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

He’s calling them out of darkness, into His wonderful light. The world of the orphan is so dark, yet He does not stop pursuing them. And, neither should we. It’s a fight for the priceless.

Christmas 2010

We have had a wonderful Christmas. And, it wasn’t really in the big “shiny” moments that I treasured the holiday. It was in the small ones.

It was in the times when I sat and listened to Kendyll tell Abby Kate about Christmas when she was three. Or, when I looked over to see Carlie hugging her grandparents just because she wanted to cuddle. Or, seeing the JOY in Abby Kate’s eyes as she snuck through the store with her sister’s secret Christmas present: the tiny dolls they had found, but never expected their three year old sister to buy for them. Or listening to the girls say the Christmas story from Luke, their memory work from December.

It was when “My Jesus I Love Thee” came on the radio, and brought tears to my eyes in a way it never had before, even though it’s always been one of my favorite songs ever written. I had never thought about it in the context of Christmas…My Jesus I love thee, I know thou art mine…My Gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou. If ever I loved thee, my Jesus ‘tis now.

Christmas morning was such a sweet one for us, too.

It was around 6:30 when Kendyll came in and woke us up. “Abby Kate is burning up, Mommy, and she had a nightmare!” Both of us stumble out of bed, after only a few hours of sleep, and head upstairs to see what “burning up” means to Kendyll. She was right. Abby Kate had a very high fever and was laying in her floor.

While Mark went to get her Motrin, I laid down with her, and her big sisters joined me. For twenty minutes or so, our whole family laid in the floor laughing and talking and stroking Abby Kate’s hair.

This may sound strange, but I just savored the sweetness of my girls. They weren’t scrambling downstairs to see what Santa brought, although I'm sure it was on their minds! They weren’t begging to get started on opening gifts, although I’m sure they had counted them a few times already.

They were just content to lay and snuggle and laugh with their baby sister, while we waited for her medicine to kick in so she could enjoy some Christmas fun.

I love this picture...even Annie checked on Abby Kate, as she always does when one of the kids is sick.

As we headed downstairs a few minutes later, I waited for the questions.

This year, Santa surprised these girls with a scavenger hunt for their gift. So, the only thing “on display” when they walked in the living room was this:

A bowl of popcorn and four root beers.

I thought for sure we would hear “That’s all?"

But, do you know what they did? They first made sure Santa ate his cookies and the reindeer ate their carrots, and were so excited to see that everything was sufficiently consumed.

Then, they just sat and ate the popcorn.

Mark and I were both thinking “Um…what? They thought they got popcorn from Santa and they’re OKAY with that?”

This was a lesson for me, I tell you. They were totally content with a stocking full of little things (those were also laying next to the bowl) and some popcorn. We Americans over-give to our kids so much. And, I realized it once again in that moment.

I drew their attention to the rolled up paper, tied on to the popcorn bowl, and then the fun began!

They hunted for clue after clue, and began to try and solve the mystery. Their first clue was popcorn and root beer, the next was laptrays hidden in the backyard,

followed by new classic movies, and then headphones.

Their last clue told them to go to the front yard, and they would find their big gift.

After looking all over the yard (it was freezing!!), I said “Oh girls! Look at the car!” The inside of the van was covered in silver tinsel, and as they crawled inside, Carlie was the first to discover it: A DVD player in our van!!

After years of fighting the concept of technology in the car, I am actually very glad Santa decided to send us this surprise. He was smart to leave some guidelines for watching…including not watching it too much, and always choosing things that are good for our hearts and minds. And, he even gave them videos for Math and Nature Studies for school! :)

But, let me tell you, that the next couple of days were quite amazing trips in the car. I’ve never experienced a quieter ride in my life. And, Mark and I would arrive at our destination in GOOD moods, having had real conversation all the way there! It was GREAT. And, if you have ever ridden in the Jacobs car, and experienced the loud volume of these three sillies, you understand how heavenly this really was. :)

So, I have to admit it: I’m liking it.

Now, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be limits on this little sucker. But, it has been one of the girls’ favorite presents ever. And, to think. They would have been thrilled to have some Jiffy Pop. Good to know.

Another one of my favorite moments every year is watching the girls open the present that their sister buys them. This is a BIG deal, and they get so excited to be “the giver”. They each picked out the perfect things for their sisters this year, and many, many squeals and hugs were given.

This Mommy heart loves to watch the love. It’s my favorite moment and another great time when we slow down to celebrate each other.

Celebrating was fun all week long, actually. Such sweet gifts were given, including thoughtful donations to His Chase and other charities on our behalf. My mom gave me a new windchime for Chase's Corner with his life verse engraved. Aunt Carol made His Chase shirts for the whole family! And, Katers got her special baby quilt from Aunt Carol too.

My grandparents gave Kendyll a jewelry box of Lil' Mama's and she truly treasures it so much. Lil' Mama is so special to all of us, so this meant so much to my big girl.

And, we got the coolest new collectible ornaments from Aunt Jodi. It will be great to see the collection grow over the years.

Then, of course, there were many fun gifts they were excited to see...fun arts and crafts, which is a constant source of entertainment in our house. A bow and arrow for Kendyll (so she can really be Susan from Narnia).

Christmas PJ's for the cousins...

Pillow pets! (That have been used every single day since Christmas!).

Hilarious singing dolls from Uncle Chris. (one of my favorite pictures--and gifts--this year!)

And, special traditions were continued the whole week of Christmas.

Chocolate fountain night with Grandma and Pops…with Japanese hibachi for dinner!

Look at these amazed faces at our awesome chef...

And, the faces of amazement continued when Popsy decided to dip a banana pepper in the chocolate this year. Silly Popsy.

The rest of us dipped yummier things, like marshmallows and bananas and cookies...and fingers. Yum.

We had a fun day of eating and visiting and of course, searching, with our wrapping paper scavenger hunt at Grandad and Grankays…SO many fun treasures and they love searching for their paper under the tree! It was the talk for hours before we got there, as they guessed what their paper would be this year. :)

And Christmas Eve morning at Gammy and Papa Ron's, after an evening of s'mores and a caroling hayride to see the lights in Mineola.

And, it's even cuter when cousins match on Christmas. Fun shirts from Aunt Cassie for the whole cousin gang were one of MY favorite gifts! :)

With time off from work and school, we were also able to do some things we don’t always have time to do with our aunts and uncles! We had "trade days", where the cousins spent the night at each other's houses while the grown-ups got shopping done. It was fun for all!

We also went to ICE together to see some Charlie Brown fun.

It is always an adventure with the big gang, and I LOVE seeing the cousin-love they all share.

We also got to take a trip to the symphony with our big girls and Uncle Chris, and Pops and Grandma!

It was one of my favorite Christmas activities this year, and it was an amazing performance! It was also very fun to hear the girls identify the instruments they have been learning about this semester. Even Abby Kate said “I see the violin Mommy. And, there’s the fute (flute)!”

Since I am actually finishing this post a month after Christmas, I've probably forgotten some things. That's what happens when you leave two days after Christmas for a two-week trip to Africa. Some things get lost in the shuffle. :)

But, it was a wonderful holiday, as it always is with our sweet family. We look forward with great anticipation to 2011, and all the adventures that await us. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness and lavish blessings of 2010. We are changed forever because of this year...