Making Friends with the Vet

Most Africans have a weird aversion to dogs. Maybe because as Americans, we treat pets like family, while here, dogs are for security purposes ONLY. In other countries, dogs are eaten (ugh – that’s disgusting).

Anyway - dogs are a huge part of keeping this home secure. Without dogs, most of the people with bad intentions around here tend to sneak right in and grab what they can and sneak right out.

Thankfully, petty theft is usually the name of the game. We have had the kids’ shoes stolen when they were outside drying, and we’ve had a few pairs of kid’s underwear disappear, too. Hmmm…

We’ve also had a small, low level grill stolen and charcoal, too. Boxes of matches have gone missing from the back veranda, and our trash usually gets dug into at some point during the week. But with Bonnie & Clyde, even INVITED guests are usually afraid to come in.

However, Clyde had been under the weather. So under the weather, he was almost in his grave on Saturday last week. We prayed and prayed that he would make it until our vet got back into town on Sunday. And thank GOD – he did!

Clyde

Our vet – Dr. Shaida – is awesome. She’s saved the lives of several dogs we love, and we were hoping she could save Clyde, too. She said Clyde had lost a lot of blood due to a severe tick infestation, despite tick treatments. Those little blood suckers would not leave our big guy alone. And he suffered a lot. He had lost so much weight & he was dehydrated.

Dr. Shaida gave us a heavy vitamin regimen along with some antibiotics to help get our big guy better. Unfortunately, he was only getting worse, so I took him back to the doc last Monday. She told me he has lost a lot of blood and all she could do was try to make him comfortable. Clyde passed away a few hours later.

Maybe its hormones or the fact that I sat with him most of that day, but wow – I didn’t know that sweet dog had crept into my heart so deeply. Every time I look out the window I keep waiting to see him walk by or chase Bonnie.

Because dogs are a big part of our security, and after losing Clyde, we needed to start raising some new pups or find some large dogs that need a home. The vet let us know she would bring any big dogs our way who needed a home, and our friend Niki hooked us up with a friend from Jadon’s school who had a puppy available.

Ali & Lucy

So while we’re still grieving our big guy, we’re busying ourselves with caring for a new Rhodesian Ridgeback. Lucy is sweet and small – only about 8 weeks – but by the looks of her mom & dad, she’ll be a big dog, too.

We’re praying our guard dogs stay healthy and grow to be nice & big. And I’m praying the vet bills don’t make the humans in this house sick….

Wind in Our Sails

Have you ever been gut punched?  Like, can’t-breathe-gasping-for-air, kind of gut punch? I sure have – come on, I grew up with 2 brothers. I hate that feeling of gasping for air. It reminds me of being under water and I can’t get my head up out of the water fast enough to take that breath I so desperately need. (Side note: Drowning is literally one of my worst fears.)

I felt the air go right out of me today. The word “NO” has never hit me so hard. I felt like I poured my heart and soul into the process. I felt like we answered EVERY possible question, and I know we left them with a lot to think about. But in the end, we clearly weren’t chosen for a reason.

Easter! They all changed & refused to put back on their nice clothes!

I sat back and looked over all the information I submitted and kept asking myself: where did I go wrong? What did I not explain well enough? And then it hit me – we weren’t ready for this. Now is not the time. God is still growing us, helping us to navigate this ship, and that process takes time. We weren’t ready for an exciting funding opportunity, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be ready soon.

I realize that funding a project like this is expensive. And I know not everyone gets the vision. I also know that orphan prevention and long-term solutions aren’t “sexy” in the nonprofit world right now. Even in the nonprofit sector, there are trends that we look at as a world & we prioritize based on what seems to be the biggest crisis.

Maybe it’s just me, but 160+ million children in this world without a caregiver is a pretty big deal. And out of a population of 27 million in Mozambique, we have nearly 2 million children who don’t have parents. That’s like the population of Houston! I can barely wrap my mind around that figure.

Easter with some of the neighborhood boys

Despite hearing that word NO today, I’m so incredibly thankful for many things. God used ordinary, caring, generous people to build this home. And God will continue to lead us, guide us, stretch us and grow us until we are ready for the next phase.

As we continue on, we have 5 children who need us daily. Four out of the five look nothing like me, but they are part of me & they always will be. I pray for them, worry about them, cook for them, scold them, teach them, cheer for them, play with them, and love them. I have big hopes & dreams for Ali, for Lina, for Fatima, for Jadon, and for Marieta.

This journey has been like sailing a boat. Sometimes things come along that knock the wind out of our sails, so we’re forced to sit & wait a while. We pray & hope the wind will return, and sometimes it doesn’t. So we wait a little while longer. And then like clockwork, the wind returns.

There are times when the boat sails smoothly, and there are times when storms are relentless and destructive. But the days that are sunny and breezy – those are the best days. And while these days don’t come as often as we thought they would, we cherish each one so much that when the beautiful day ends, we look forward to the storms so we can see the sunny, breezy days return. 

Here's the thing...

Cool, grey clouds fill the sky, a light breeze comes through the kitchen window, as the 5 princes & princesses of the house run, scream, laugh, and play. The blocks start to gain air and suddenly I get clubbed in the nose by a large, red square. Such is the life of "Mama."

Our girls 

This is a typical day for me. Wake up with the sun, go to bed long after it sets. Cooking, cleaning, disciplining, explaining, deciphering meanings of words, cuddling, teaching, and cautioning. Each day is full. How can the day possibly be full with only 5 kiddos, you ask? I know, I wonder sometimes myself. But when we are everything to each child, at least for now, we don't get much down time!

I always knew that I wanted more than one child. Growing up as the 2nd of 4 children, and Phil growing up as the 7th out of 9 children (God bless my mom-in-law), we never wanted our own child to miss out on having siblings. It shaped us both into different people. I learned to fight thanks to my brothers and sister, and I learned early on that life isn't fair. And, you always have someone to play with. I just couldn't imagine being the same person without my siblings.

But here's the thing - we don't always get what we want, and we sure don't get to dictate how we get what we want. As Jadon is closing in on 8 this year, he finally has some siblings of his own. But some of them may not always be with us. And I can't imagine what that will be like for him or for us when some of our sweet babies go to live with families who will love and care for them forever. It makes me want to cry and hyperventilate all at the same time. Yet, the way we've adjusted to being a family of 7 is all I could have hoped for and more. It's never felt too overwhelming, but it feels just like having a family - as if they've always been ours.

Here's the other thing - I know at some point it WILL feel overwhelming. It will be daunting and it will feel less than rewarding and beautiful. There WILL be a time when we have a child that rocks our world. There WILL be a time when we deal with systemic crap that frustrates us.There WILL be a time when we can't get a child the help he or she needs. There WILL be a time when we lose a child. There WILL be a time when we want to give up. This goes with the territory of what we do, and we knew it before we jumped in.

Working on their bunnies!

I, for one, am thankful for this period of joy & calm. Each child is doing well, learning, growing and showing their little personalities. Jadon loves to be the boss and the girls are helping to put him in his place. And we get to be Mama & Papa. We get to help shape little lives. We have the privilege of loving, playing, disciplining, cooking, cleaning, teaching and showing God's big love for each of his little people.

There are a lot of changes coming up for our family of 7, and I'm not sure I'm totally ready. There's lots of traveling and some other fun things coming up, all the way until the end of the year. I'm a little tired thinking of it all, but that may be the pang of guilt I'm feeling about leaving the kiddos & Phil alone for 4 weeks while I travel to the U.S. in June! We've been planning this trip for a while, and although I don't know how I'll be able to get all these sweet faces off my mind, I know God will help me accomplish what I need to in the States and get back home quickly.

If you'd like to grab a coffee or hear about some of the miracles God used to grow our faith in the last (almost) 2 years, let's chat soon! My calendar for this short trip is already filling up, but I really don't want to miss you! Please let me know when we can catch up & we'll make it happen.

I'm pretty sure the princes and princesses are done resting so I better go make them a snack. Mama duties call...

Break Through

The clouds look like a dark blue cotton candy, fluffy and soft. But they are just threatening and I keep praying the sky would just unleash the rain we desperately need. It doesn’t. The pattern continues – they clouds move together, dark and BIG, threatening to rain; the wind begins to howl, violently blowing dust into the hot, thick air. We race outside to pull the clothes off the line before they end up in the red, sandy dirt. The temperature drops slightly and then suddenly, the wind stops and the threatening rain never comes. The lightening and thunder continues for a few minutes and soon, the silence returns. In the morning, the clouds hang around for a bit, and then the heat & sun burn them away.

The lack of rain reminds me of anxiously waiting for a break through in life. It seems like the break through is coming and then…nope. It doesn’t work out, the break through doesn’t happen, and you’re left impatiently waiting.

The weather reflects exactly how I feel at this very moment. Everything we need to happen quickly isn’t working out. Our own efforts aren’t working because everything we are waiting on is out of our own control. We feel like we can help push things to happen – like the few things left to do so we can move into the children's home. The plumber keeps running away, our blocks aren’t ready so we can’t finish up the fence, and the water isn’t running in the house yet because once again, the plumber can’t seem to work a full day.

All of these things are so incredibly frustrating. We were hoping to be IN the children’s home this last weekend. We were hoping to at least be in the first floor, available 24 hours a day, watching over everything so the consistent theft we’ve been experiencing might actually stop for a while. But it’s not working out in our own time. Each day it seems like it will be weeks or months until we can get into the home and start preparing for the kids who will become ours.

While we know there are only 3 major things keeping us from moving in: sewer system hook ups, water hook ups, and raising our fence higher, it’s becoming difficult for me to have any kind of patience. I’m becoming anxious and I can’t seem to chill out. I’m trying to keep myself occupied with our end of year giving campaigns and Giving Tuesday that’s coming up next week, but it just isn’t enough.

As I was doing my daily Bible study (that I don’t normally get done DAILY) yesterday morning, I came across this Nelson Mandela quote:

Okay – reality check. It’s my CHOICE to feel anxious and annoyed that everything isn’t going my way. This is not some set fact that I have no choice in. I have the choice to make the most of the situation. Maybe God is allowing this time for me to rest a bit and to stop worrying. And, the world doesn’t revolve around us.

Yes, our motives aren’t because of something selfish – we want to prepare the home to receive kids who are orphans – but it’s not about our own timing. Waiting is really difficult but there is always a lesson to be learned during those frustrating times. I’m learning that I’m not as patient as I think I am, and I need to work on this. I’m also learning that it makes no sense for me to be focused on something I can’t control. Focus on something else!

So while we wait for the plumber today, I’m going over to visit our neighbors. One of our neighbors had surgery for prostate cancer and he’s doing really well but he’s not eating much. Another neighbor is fighting AIDS in its advanced stages & we're working together to make a plan for her children when she is gone. Another neighbor has a daughter with malaria who doesn’t seem to be getting better after multiple trips to the hospital.

I already know what’s going to happen when I go see my neighbors – I’ll forget that I’m annoyed. We’ll talk and they’ll laugh and correct my crappy Portuguese, and then I’ll ask questions, ask about their kids, we’ll talk about the weather and how the year is quickly coming to an end. They’ll tell me about those who are sick and in need, those who have lost children or relatives. And I’ll try to pray for them in Portuguese, I’ll end up praying in English, and then we’ll part ways. At the end of the day, I won’t remember how frustrated and anxious I felt this morning. And I hope that’s what happens because it’s not about me. 

Here's to making choices based on my hopes and not my fears - or my bad attitude. 

Hugs, 

Phil & Laura, and Jadon, too 

Waiting in HOPE

I’m sitting here at the dining room table, trying to get some paperwork done and I HATE it. Yes, HATE. Paperwork is a four-letter word in my mind. Ewwwww. I just can’t deal with it.  So what do I do instead of doing the paperwork I’m supposed to do? I check my email, and then, oops – I get on FACEBOOK.

That app is like the worst thing that ever happened to me. I need it to stay connected to the world and to communicate to the world how we’re doing here in Moz, but man…I waste a lot of hours stalking people, staring at cute babies and pictures of puppies and reading articles & recipes of stuff I’ll never make or find the ingredients here to make. Distracted much?!

I think it’s easy to be distracted when you don’t want to face reality. I don’t LIKE doing paperwork, but it MUST be done or there are serious consequences, both here in Moz and back in the States. Paperwork is just something I’ve never liked. I LOVE writing and journaling but actually filling out forms & answering cookie-cutter questions is so NOT my thing. But isn’t that SO similar to how this last week has felt? There are things happening around us that we MUST do but we don’t LIKE doing it, and many of these things are totally out of our control. Ugh.

Prime example: Cooking dinner. (YOU totally thought I was going to say something that rhymes with “Shmesidential Shmelection,” didn’t you?!) When you’re EXHAUSTED and it’s really HOT like it is here, turning on the oven just doesn’t seem right. But if you have a tribe of hungry ones on the verge of melt down mode, you light that stove and get to cooking, right? Well, at least I do because there’s no Pizza Hut around here!

I guess my point is this: there will always be things we don’t like and we don’t want to deal with. There will be times when we all feel frustrated, tired of waiting and tired of the crap that goes on in this world. There’s a lot that we cannot control, and that can be one of the most frustrating parts of a difficult season.

Recently, we’ve been experiencing a lot of things that are not in our control, but directly affect us. We’ve had a lot of construction materials stolen and with the exchange rate being very high, the cost of replacing these items is outrageous - three to four times what we paid for the same item only a few months ago.  

We’ve had some things taken right in front of our eyes, even when we thought we were being very vigilant. We have a team of builders who live on site, and there is still theft, almost daily. It’s something we can’t really control because there’s no way we can see everything that goes on until we are able to move in and be around the house ALL the time.

WAITING is also something neither of us deal well with and we’ve been waiting for almost a MONTH for the social action office to come and do a quick inspection. It’s not really even a REAL inspection – it’s more of a formality. But every 4-5 days, the director makes an appointment with us and then can’t make it or doesn’t show up. In his defense, the guy is SO busy and I feel for him, but waiting is difficult and annoying! I guess we’re learning patience.

So even though we’re mostly ready to move in - most likely by the end of the week, we have to wait on the social action office. And we’ll continue to wait, expecting to hear from them soon, knowing that we’ll get there. This is one of those things we don’t like to do, we don’t want to do, but we have to wait. Sometimes the reason we WAIT is because we’re being protected from something or we’re being propelled into something better than if we had JUMPED immediately and rushed through the process so we can have what we want, NOW.

In this time of waiting, we’ve had the ability to spend time doing what we LOVE – spending time with PEOPLE - with our construction team and with our neighbors. We’re taking this interim time to seek out anything we’ve been missing out on during our season of business and building. And it’s good, guys.

After this crazy week, take some time to WAIT. Sit back and look around you and look for those things that you might be missing when you’re too busy or too tired to see them.

Do me a favor – WRITE THIS DOWN! Take some time and log out of social media, shut down your email (after you read this!) and then listen. What have you been missing out on what you need to do or want to do? Write down something that you need to do during those seasons of waiting or frustration, especially if you're currently in one of these. Go see your neighbor, call someone you haven't talked to in a while, cook a meal for a friend, take your wife out for a glass of wine, make your hubby breakfast in bed. Then just chat – don’t talk about politics or what’s going wrong in this world. Just show some love and you’d be surprised how much hope you have when you’re finished.

Speaking of HOPE – help give our community HOPE by making a contribution to Heart for the Needy on Giving Tuesday, coming up in just 2 ½ short weeks! Learn more about Giving Tuesday HERE. If you haven’t already partnered with us, now is THE time! Help us finish preparing for the kiddos we will bring in and help us get a jump on our funding needs for 2017. You can give any time at www.heartfortheneedy.org, via PayPal!

AND – don’t forget every donation is TAX DEDUCTIBLE! Do some end-of-the-year giving AND get that tax deduction – we all win!  

We are in this waiting season for only a short time, and we love that you are walking alongside us, cheering us on. Often times, your encouragement and prayers are what remind us to keep going. It’s not always easy and we won’t pretend that it is. But we know that we have so many of you fighting for us, and we are overwhelmed

by your love. Please don’t stop loving us – we can’t do this without you.

 While we wait,

 Phil & Laura, and Jadon, too

Wait, October's over?

Well, hello there, NOVEMBER.......is it?! Just so November is aware, I'm in complete denial that you are here. Just FYI. Because if NOVEMBER is here, it means our team from the U.S. has already come and gone, just like that. POOF - here. BAM - gone. Did I miss something? Did they really come and then leave already? I feel like maybe I had a dream that our team was here and then I woke up and it didn't really happen.

Community outreach to families fostering children

But as I look back on the month of October, they definitely were here. I keep finding pictures of us with the team of 3 (including both my parents, Keith & Barb, and our friend, Marisa), finding little pieces of evidence in Jadon's stuff - seashells, Lego pieces, new clothes, new shoes - and we have some how acquired this amazing coffee from 81301 Coffee Roasters (Thanks Mark & Shelly!!), all the way from DURANGO, CO! So clearly, I've finally accepted that I wasn't dreaming and they were actually here - 10,000+ miles from their cozy little town.

Now that I'm slowly coming out of denial, I'm moving towards acceptance and realizing their trip here was a HUGE step for this organization. We were able to show a group of people our hard work, God's amazing provisions & grace, and the people who we serve each day. They were able to take away their own stories, learn the faces & names of the children who are suffering, and meet others who have the same passion and goals in mind - to prevent children from becoming orphans & eliminate the need for orphanages all together.

Giving beans & rice to families supporting orphaned children

Each team member was able to make their own case as to why this ministry and work in Mozambique is so important. They saw the water, the electricity and the soon to be children's home. They met our team of builders, our friends, our church family, and they became connected forever. This team became part of this great story, a great story full of failure, joy, success, peace and LOVE. This story is a great story because the Author loves us so surely, so deeply. He writes beautiful pages that often contain our horrid errors and lack of faith, but He knows that we are a beautiful mess because we are His.

Watching God knit this story together has been one of the most beautiful, trying, frustrating, faith building and life-giving experiences I've ever had. And now, three other people have witnessed the unfolding story that God started years ago. His timing is truly impeccable.

If you're wondering when we'll FINALLY move into the children's home and start operating, just know that we are CLOSE. We are about 2 weeks away from moving in. We start the inspection process and licensing planning tomorrow with the local social action office, and then we'll go from there.

Windows, doors & water - all that's keep us from moving in! 

Stay tuned for why November is a really BIG month for Heart for the Needy - it's historically the month where God surprises us and works HUGE miracles on our behalf. We know that November 2016 will be no different and we are expecting great provisions for 2017 from this month alone.

Keep walking alongside us as we get our heads back on straight and start into the next phase! And if it's been a while since you've heard from us, please understand this season has been difficult in more ways than we care to explain. We've experienced every possible human emotion, sometimes all at once and sometimes all in the same day. BUT! We know God is using every moment, every experience to prepare us for the years to come in Mozambique.

You'll soon get to hear more from our team and their experiences here in Mozambique. Follow us so you don't miss out!

Can't wait to get started in this next phase!

Tired but BLESSED,


Phil & Laura, and Jadon, too

4.5 WEEKS TO GO...

Decking the house, stolen phone, blistered hands, bruised legs, hand carrying blocks by the thousands, flat tire, new builders, broken truck, sore feet, tired back. Lots of laughter, some dancing, tears of thanks, cries of frustration, lots of caffeine, driving school, stolen truck battery, too much sun, not enough Jesus, 30 happy kiddos, a team of amazing friends, working night and day, without complaint. Quick trip to the beach, a stomach bug & fever from Satan himself, and a great reminder from God to REST.

Doors are going in! Tiles are up next...

This basically sums up the last 8 weeks. We're so tired and so overwhelmed and yet we've never experienced such joy, peace, hope, and love for each other, this community, this project and this country.

Every single day is full of problems of its own. Nothing is ever easy here and yet all problems come with fairly simple solutions - one has to only open their eyes! Like a flat tire - a few minutes and less than $0.25 later, and you're back on the road.

The last month has been full of so many ups and downs, it's like riding on a roller coaster without a harness. But we have more than survived and conquered a huge set of tasks. In the last 6 weeks, the house has gone from looking like a foundation with a bunch of walls to looking like a HOUSE.

The first floor of the building was decked the middle of July, allowing us to start the 2nd floor walls a few days later. The 2nd floor is now just a small beam away from being completed, and then the roofing will start later this week! While the 2nd floor is almost ready for roofing, the bottom is getting its finishings on - plastering of the walls, tiling of the floors, and finishing up the electrical work & plumbing.

AND - We are just 4 1/2 WEEKS away from receiving our first TEAM from the U.S.!! And we couldn't be more excited!! Our visitors are helping to push our team to get the house (mostly) ready.

This is Phil's best attempt at protesting going
 to driving school...at 6am...every freaking day..

We are working around the clock to make sure we are (mostly) ready to start operating as well! Our team from the States may very well be the first team to help us accept our first children into the Project Little Feet Children's Home!

We are excited and blessed beyond belief. How is this all happening so fast?! God has been so faithful over the last year - yes, we've already marked a YEAR in Mozambique. And now, we're seeing this dream come to LIFE - a tangible, growing vision that took a little faith, a lot of help, and a ton interventions from God.

Now, we are entering a new phase. In a few short weeks, we'll have a beautiful, functional home to welcome abused and abandoned children into a new life. But a building is just that - nothing more than blocks and cement and iron. We want to make this house into a HOME. Will you help us make this house a comfortable, inviting, child-friendly home, where our little ones can heal and enjoy a bit of childhood?

We need everything from beds & sheets to toys & tooth brushes, plates & cups and a fridge & oven. (A washing machine would be a dream come TRUE!!)

We'll be putting together a list of items and the cost of each. (Sign up for our weekly email on our Facebook Page - HERE.) Get together with your workout buddies, work friends, community group, Bible study, or church, and sponsor an item or a whole room!

You can also host an event - a run/walk, cycling event, lemonade stand or "give" your birthday to Heart for the Needy! There are so many great ways to raise awareness AND help us make this HOUSE INTO A HOME!!

This journey is far from over - we're really JUST getting started. And we couldn't have done it without your love & support!

Please pray for us as we prep for our team and the opening of the children's home. We know that everything will work together for good.

May God bless your socks off this week!!

Hugs,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too