Haiti Trip - The Joy of the Lord

On September 1st, Mackenzie and I, along with our friend Chelle' and 16 other individuals from across the U.S. traveled with The Global Orphan Project to Haiti.  We spent 5 days around the Port-au-Prince area, visiting orphanages, playing with the kids, and learning about the awesome work that GOP is doing in Haiti.  I'll post more about that later.

Because I'm finding it nearly as overwhelming to sort through all my pictures and thoughts about the trip as it was being there, I decided to just get started sharing a few things that touched me while I was there.

Today, lets talk about "Trading My Sorrows".  Yes, the song.  You might sing it in church.  You might listen to it in your car.  Maybe you're like my hubby and you play it on the guitar with the praise team at church.  But, how many of us really live it?  How often do we really choose joy?

We drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince and destruction was seen everywhere.  Over a year after the earthquake. Yet these things remain:  Tent cities.  Shanty areas.  Rubble.  Trash.  Smoldering fires.  Stench.  Ashes.  Poverty.  Pain.  We spent hours with children who had lost everything.  Homes destroyed.  Parents dead.  Siblings gone.  Nothing to call their own.

Amazingly, do you know what else we saw?  Beauty.  Love.  Smiles.  Joy.  Hope.  We heard laughter and singing.  We watched dancing and playing and rejoicing.

One of the men on our trip took some drums with him when we visited the orphanages.  The older boys especially loved playing them.  Over and over, at each orphanage, the drum beats would start.  Some kids would dance.  Some would sing.  They'd sing praise songs.  They'd sing "Trading My Sorrows".  

i am pressed but not crushed

persecuted, not abandoned 

struck down, but not destroyed 

i am blessed beyond the curse, 

for His promise will endure 

and His joy's gonna be my strength 

Again and again, as I listened to them sing, my heart was pierced.  Haitian orphans, amidst the rubble and loss, choosing joy.  And me, a blessed American with everything I could possibly ever want or need often not choosing it.

 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Psalm 51:12

Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord.

 Pictures to contrast the destruction with the beauty and joy!

Trading My Sorrows 

I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

We say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted but not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

September 11th

10 years ago on this day, Americans crowded around TVs across this nation - scared, crying, mourning, and angry.

Terrorist attacks.

Senseless violence.  

Devastating destruction.  

Lives Lost.

But 8 years ago on this day, for our family, the sad memories and memorial services were overshadowed by the birth of our first boy.

Big and healthy baby boy.

Uncomplicated delivery.

Overjoyed mommy & daddy.

Sweet "big sister".

Having a boy has been challenging and exhausting, but also a lot of fun and filled with laughter.  Boys really ARE different - and not just anatomically!  ;-)  Daniel has taught this up-tight, obsessive-compulsive, perfectionistic Momma to relax (a little) and enjoy life more.  Frankly, he gave me little  choice in the matter.  It was that or lose my mind.  I used to laugh with my friend Karen that it was a good thing that I scrapbooked because at least when he destroyed things and made awful messes, I could say, "Oh well, this will make a cute page in his book" while I snapped a few pictures.  There are a lot a pictures.

Happy birthday, Daniel!

Sweet baby boy

Playing the part of the baby Jesus

Uh oh!  Learning to walk

Into EVERYTHING!

What?

Wild

Silly

Messy

Really, really messy!

But so stinkin' cute!

Really, really cute!

fun-loving

Daredevil

Sweet boy

Daniel was so excited to wake on his birthday today to go to his first ice hockey game with SHAHA.  He got his official jerseys with his name and the number that he chose -- #93.  And, he scored 3 goals! What a great way to celebrate!

Daniel & his buddy Luke

Daniel and Luke wearing their new jerseys

 

Daniel playing center

8 years old!  And still cute enough to get away with a lot of stuff!

Guess Who's 5?!

Markos is!!

That sweet little boy whom we were told "was so very tiny" when he arrived at the care center in Addis is growing bigger, stronger, smarter, and getting older! Today, he is celebrating his 5th birthday!

Happy birthday, Markos!!

17 years ago today....

I married my best friend!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

It's a Shower! And You're Invited!!

In honor of my friend, Shonda @ Godwilladd, who will soon be embarking upon a trip to Ethiopia to adopt the older biological brother (MB) of her already adopted Ethiopian son (Taz), I invite you all to join me as we celebrate her "baby shower" by spreading a little love to those in Ethiopia affected by the famine!  Markos and his family are from the area where FOVC is serving.  Please consider helping out even if it's just a small gift.  Every little bit helps!

Here's Shonda to tell you all about it: 

*****

Hi friends,

This is Shonda from Godwilladd.  Lori has kindly let me take over her blog to tell you about an awesome Baby Shower like none other.  A couple of my friends have teamed up and we're trying to raise funds for an organization called FOVC.  They help provide aid and hope to the immediate areas where our kiddos are from, an area that has been hit hard by this horrible famine.

Shameless plug:  Will you hop on over to my shower?  I promise I won't make you smell mystery diapers and  no I won't let you wrap toilet paper around my abdomen.

For $13 FOVC can feed one starving child for one month.  So far, this shower has raised $710.  If you're amazing at math like myself, you know that 54 kids who didn't have food today, will have food tomorrow and for the next month because of the generosity of a select few.  Wow!  Can we make it 100 kids?  Will you please help me spread the word? 

Why? 

Of all the great charities out there, why have I chose to rally behind FOVC?  A few simple reasons:

1) There are a lot of other great charities that are working to fight this famine, and I (despite my cynicism of big organizations) have supported them.  But FOVC is the only NGO working directly in the areas my boys are from, and where their first families still live.  Even if I liked nothing else about FOVC, this one simple fact would make me want to support them.  Thankfully, there are lots of other things I like about them:

2) They are a very small grassroots organization and very conservative with their money.  All their workers are volunteers, and they do all their traveling on their own dime, which means all the money we give goes directly to feeding the kids and helping their community fight poverty with long-term goals in mind.

3) I have a close friend who has done aid work with them in Ethiopia (and is on her way back in a few weeks), knows many personal details about how they operate and spend their money.  She's a Dave Ramsey fiscal conservative like myself, and she fully endorses them.  They have an independent bookkeeper who verifies that over 96% of the funds go directly to Ethiopia.

4) Directly from the president of FOVC:  "We have an amazing team of volunteers! Our board members and officers (if I do say so myself) are doing outstanding work! We spend a lot of time and effort educating ourselves on best practices of economic development (it's what my husband does!) and strive to implement every program using best practices. This means we empower, not enable. Every effort we undertake is aimed at offering long-term sustainability, success...and HOPE

Have I convinced you they're great?
Click here and support them:

And then (this part is optional), click here and tell MB how excited you are about his arrival into our family.