Archive for April, 2011

  • 27 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Mother’s Day for Haiti

    1

    My maternal grandmother’s prayers have always pushed me to reach out to the world, to help others, and to pray for others. Seeing her unfailing devotion to God, always praying, always sharing what she had read in the Bible, really has inspired me.

    In all the times I’ve traveled here and there, and been in all sorts of bizarre situations, I know my grandma is back home praying for me.

    When I went to Africa a few years ago, I rested assured knowing my grandma was one of my many prayer warriors. She prayed for me, despite her missing me. She knows that God is using me in different places to reach out to people who would otherwise not know His love.

    Letting me go to reach out to others is a huge sacrifice for her. Yet, she is always encouraging me, and telling me to keep praying and that Jesus is taking care of us.

    This mother’s day as you remember the moms or grandmas in your life, take a look at these beautiful pieces of jewelry and household decor. Your moms and grandmas, I bet, would love a piece of jewelry that is part of the “Shop for a Better World” initiative that is helping to fund reconstruction efforts in Haiti or Rwanda.  Its a little way of reaching out to help others in need.

    If you make a purchase from “Shop for a Better World” between May 3 and May 8, enter the promocode CLEVERGIRLS at checkout to receive a 15% discount on your purchase of Heart of Haiti or Rwanda Path to Peace items.


    *I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.*

  • 15 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Host an orphan for the summer!

    0

    How big is your heart?  Big enough to open your heart and your home to an orphan from Eastern Europe for a few weeks?

    New Horizons for Children runs an orphan hosting program which allows children to experience America and the love of a Christian family for 4-5 weeks.  The hosting programs run every winter and summer, and they’re looking for families to open up their hearts to host for the summer right now!

    Their website has more details about the hosting program and a listing of all the kids available to host, with photos. The kids are from Russia, Latvia, and the Ukraine, for this summer.

    The really awesome about New Horizons is that alot of these kids end up finding their forever families while in the US. Sometimes its the host family, sometimes its another local family. There is nothing more amazing than seeing the transformation in kids’ lives as they are adopted into a loving family.

    If you can’t host for whatever reason (I can’t because I’m overseas!), consider sponsoring a child for part or all of their program costs to allow another family to host them. Or, pick one or two to pray for. Pray for the kids, that a host family will find them, and they will find their forever family in the US.

    What I think I like best about New Horizons, as an organization, is that the people on staff actually host as well. And adopt. LeAnn, the founder, who I nannied for a few years ago, started the program after adopting one of her sons, when God put it on her heart to help more orphans, not just the “few” (ok, 7… or is it 8?) kids her family could adopt.

    Pray and see how God might have you involved in this awesome ministry to orphans in Eastern Europe.

  • 12 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    Shutterfly Announcement Celebration

    0

    My goodness, I feel like I have nothing to announce right now.  Is a new job an announcement?  I feel like announcing that with cards to everyone, I’m so happy to be working again!  And, we’re moving, shortly, but we don’t have a new address quite yet!  I think thats our biggest announcement this spring!!

    But for someone who has moved around too much, moving again almost doesn’t seem like news.  We’re just praying that the new place we find is better than this one!  Our current house has so many issues- flooding, loud neighborhood, party house across the street, eccentric landlady, and mold.  Last year we were looking more for how the space looked and felt, this year we will be looking for how it is structured and who our neighbors are!

    When we get our new address, it would be prudent of me to actually send out address cards with our new address!  I love getting mail… and visitors would be nice too, but usually it’s a little too far for most of my friends from the US.  But after writing out a super crazy long address, anyone who sends mail or visits will be happy when our address is a bit easier to remember.

    One year ago, we were announcing our wedding, though it seemed like an April Fool’s joke since I told people on April 1!  If we had actually had time to do save the date cards, I bet we would have used something like these save the date cards, they’re classy:

    I can always fine something I like (ok, maybe thats a problem for a photographer like me) on Shutterfly.  Especially when I had lots of wedding photos to play with.  I can still play with them, but I already got photo books made up of our wedding photos.  Or at least from one of our 2 weddings.  I’m still waiting to see the rest of the photos from our second wedding.  I loved how this design matched our wedding colors perfectly.  Everyone here wows over the photo books, they are so completely different than what people here are used to seeing.  Sometimes I love being American.  Sometimes.

    Maybe next spring we’ll have a better announcement… but for now, we need to move so that a better announcement would be a possibility…

    **Are you a blogger, too? Click here to register for a chance at 50 free announcements!

    This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.**

  • 08 Apr

    Posted by
    emily


    Category

    The Hallways Smelled like Death Today

    0

    the hallways smelled of death today

    of bullet holes in far away graves

    and lungs that couldnt stand to breathe

    leaving behind all the ones who loved

    who stood so strong, so proud, descent

    to tears in shock and hands unbent

    to eyes aglow with wondering dread

    of who this time might be dead

    the smoke from the guns cleared away fast

    rumors of physchopaths

    we’re locked up tight

    the procedures never seem to get it right

    what we expect and what we can’t ever

    seems so uncertain

    these manners and means

    this culture of cultures resounds the team

    no one knows where or how or what to say

    accepted truths won’t go away

    to tumble down the airport line

    saying goodbye goodbye

    because the death that traced its way here

    won’t go away like the dust to the air.