We added a button to our funds account for Ghana. You now have the option to donate monthly for the next 7 months. Anything you donate will go toward building the school as well as school supplies and expenses. Thank you so much for supporting me in this.
Also keep up to date with the goings on of our trip by following this blog: www.tinyurl.com/Ghana2011.
I really am working on a blog dedicated specifically to this :) Apparently my life has so far been too busy with learning about knee surgery, canceling other appointments, finding help with child care, etc. But I am going to go into my room right now and work on it for a while. Kay?
Hope you will step out and join us in doing something beautiful in Africa. I am so passionate about these children and George's work in Kete Krachi. All children deserve a childhood and we hope we can help make this happen for a few more kids. "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world" That song keeps floating through my head when I think about the journey we are embarking on. God loves these children, I love these children and together we can make life a little easier by providing a safe home and education for trafficked children.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Getting my knee fixed up!
I am probably one of the few nuts that is semi-excited about having surgery. But... I am. Heh. On Wednesday the 13th I am going to have an acl revision on my left knee. I was very worried that my surgeon wouldn't want to do it again but thankfully he didn't even hesitate and is sure he can get it working :) The reason I am so excited is because I will be able to play softball and run again in a few months. More importantly I will be able to carry my toddler again and run around and play with the boys. And I will be able to play with the kids in Ghana in November. All massively important things to me.
Being the girl who is extremely fascinated by surgery and cool stuff like that... I am pretty excited about getting donor tissue for the graft too. It is pretty neat. Most everyone I have talked to it are a little weirded out but I think its so amazing that people donate their bodies and then it can help people like me continue to have an active lifestyle. I won't be able to play basketball or hockey or soccer but... softball and running... woohoo! Hopefully volleyball with a brace. Ah may zing.
Anyway, I am going to have a couple of rough weeks ahead but I am so looking forward to getting my mobility back in one of the ways that matters most to me: working out and playing sports. I have to work out to manage my anxiety. So yea, I am a little oddly excited about having surgery on my knee :) So keep me in your thoughts and prayers... My hubs too because hes going to have to take care of me and the boys for several days. Thankfully hes a pretty good (and hot) male nurse when I am down for the count.
Being the girl who is extremely fascinated by surgery and cool stuff like that... I am pretty excited about getting donor tissue for the graft too. It is pretty neat. Most everyone I have talked to it are a little weirded out but I think its so amazing that people donate their bodies and then it can help people like me continue to have an active lifestyle. I won't be able to play basketball or hockey or soccer but... softball and running... woohoo! Hopefully volleyball with a brace. Ah may zing.
Anyway, I am going to have a couple of rough weeks ahead but I am so looking forward to getting my mobility back in one of the ways that matters most to me: working out and playing sports. I have to work out to manage my anxiety. So yea, I am a little oddly excited about having surgery on my knee :) So keep me in your thoughts and prayers... My hubs too because hes going to have to take care of me and the boys for several days. Thankfully hes a pretty good (and hot) male nurse when I am down for the count.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Fundraising!
Fundraising is well underway for our trip to Ghana in November. We have a lot of money to raise so we have to get a move on. If you would like to help, I have added a chip-in button to the left of posts on the blog. I will also add it at the end of this post. We have already met 1% of our $30,000 goal to build the school at the Village of Life "campus". I am praying that God will continue to move us forward as we look to serve Him through our efforts.
Soon I will be dedicating a new blog solely to the trip to Ghana and will just post short updates on my personal blog. This is a blog that I typically reserve for my deepest thoughts and feelings. This is a big part of my heart and I will be sharing on here too but not as much as the last couple of posts.
In addition to the $30,000 we are raising as a group... I will be raising about $3,000 for traveling expenses. If you would like to help me with that, please let me know! This would not go to the chip-in but to me directly and put into a savings account until it is time to buy my plane ticket and various other things I will need before and during the trip.
I have lots of ideas for community fundraising ideas and also online fundraising, I will reveal more soon. But if you have any ideas on how we can ramp up our fundraising efforts, please feel free to let me know! Also if you have any friends or you yourself can donate items/services for an auction or raffle (not sure which yet) please let me know. I am thinking there will be an auction in May. Of course this will depend on how my appointment goes tomorrow with my orthopedist about my knee and when I will need surgery. Also if you would be interested in a softball tournament or sand volleyball tournament or know that you could help me generate interest for these, let me know as well :)
Thanks!
Soon I will be dedicating a new blog solely to the trip to Ghana and will just post short updates on my personal blog. This is a blog that I typically reserve for my deepest thoughts and feelings. This is a big part of my heart and I will be sharing on here too but not as much as the last couple of posts.
In addition to the $30,000 we are raising as a group... I will be raising about $3,000 for traveling expenses. If you would like to help me with that, please let me know! This would not go to the chip-in but to me directly and put into a savings account until it is time to buy my plane ticket and various other things I will need before and during the trip.
I have lots of ideas for community fundraising ideas and also online fundraising, I will reveal more soon. But if you have any ideas on how we can ramp up our fundraising efforts, please feel free to let me know! Also if you have any friends or you yourself can donate items/services for an auction or raffle (not sure which yet) please let me know. I am thinking there will be an auction in May. Of course this will depend on how my appointment goes tomorrow with my orthopedist about my knee and when I will need surgery. Also if you would be interested in a softball tournament or sand volleyball tournament or know that you could help me generate interest for these, let me know as well :)
Thanks!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
That big thing I was telling you about..
Remember I said I had big news? I am going to share it with you :)
In November of this year, I am going to Ghana, Africa on a mission trip. Here is what we will be doing (in summary from JD)
In November of this year, I am going to Ghana, Africa on a mission trip. Here is what we will be doing (in summary from JD)
Our trip to Africa will be in support of George and his team at PACODEP. We will serve alongside of him while he visits the child slaves on the islands of Lake Volta. This will allow us to gain a better understanding of their situation, which will help us as we work with the rescued children on the mainland and share/write their stories. God willing, we will also witness first hand the rescue of any children released while we are in Ghana.
On the mainland, we will work alongside of George and his team at the Village of Life, the campus built to accommodate the children who have been rescued. Love will be poured onto these children as they adjust to their new freedom and learn to read and write, learn the basics of hygiene, get proper nutrition and care… even as they learn to play.
I will be fundraising from now until we leave on November 6 for 2 things: 1) trip expenses (which will be roughly $2-3000... I am still working on figuring out a narrower window on how much it will cost) and 2) $30,000 to build a new school at the village of life so that George and his team can have the room and resources to continue rescuing children off of the lake (they are at max capacity right now).
I will share more about our fundraising efforts in the days coming. Until then, I want to share a video with you that shows you exactly what George does on Lake Volta...
For a more poetically and beautifully written blog post on it all you need to go see JD. This is a beautiful opportunity to be a part of what God is doing on Lake Volta. I have such a passion for children and human rights and I am ready to join God in this journey. I ask for your prayers, thoughts and support as we launch into fundraising for this trip and planning for it as well. If you have any ideas you want to share with me about fundraising or you can help with some of the things JD lists in her post, feel free to contact me, JD or Tia
More to come soon, I promise. Thank you for joining me in this fascinating journey. The passion and pull for these children that I feel is amazing and beautiful and I am thankful that God has put this on my heart and brought me to people who who are passionate about the same things in their lives.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Other goals
I have also been thinking about some other goals that are not really as "heavy" as life goals. Still important to me though.
1) Get a dSLR and learn about photography
2) Find some new alternatives for competitive sports that doesn't require tearing my knee up (which is a frustrating goal but apparently necessary as I can't play volleyball and basketball and soccer... sigh)
3) Read more often
4) Get our house ready to sell (craziness that we are moving in a bit over a year)
5) Continue working out the health issues I have
6) do something (even something entirely selfish!) for myself at least 1 time a month
Will post some ideas and steps to how to accomplish some of these goals soon. Some of them are obviously self explanatory (like picking up books more often).
And there is something stirring in my heart that I hope to fill you in on soon. Pray/think about me as I make a big decision about something I am really becoming passionate about.
1) Get a dSLR and learn about photography
2) Find some new alternatives for competitive sports that doesn't require tearing my knee up (which is a frustrating goal but apparently necessary as I can't play volleyball and basketball and soccer... sigh)
3) Read more often
4) Get our house ready to sell (craziness that we are moving in a bit over a year)
5) Continue working out the health issues I have
6) do something (even something entirely selfish!) for myself at least 1 time a month
Will post some ideas and steps to how to accomplish some of these goals soon. Some of them are obviously self explanatory (like picking up books more often).
And there is something stirring in my heart that I hope to fill you in on soon. Pray/think about me as I make a big decision about something I am really becoming passionate about.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Goals
I am trying to go about really figuring out what I want in life so I am going to list some goals as I think of them. I already have many scribbled into my journal so I am going to start there I guess.
1) Raise successful/content children. An ongoing, constantly fluid goal. One that influences pretty much all of my decisions and right now my number one goal.
2) Get a degree: The problem... I have no clue what I want to do when I grow up :) Right now I am leaning toward an online Psychology program at Penn State. Should only take 2 years and then I can pursue further education or licensing for some of the jobs I might like. I also figure if I am still interested in nursing down the road, I can pursue it. Lately I have been leaning toward child advocacy or child life specialist. Both meet many of the needs I have for a career and psychology would put in a field of study to pursue either one.
3) Have a career that has a positive impact on my community. That impacts people and helps people in a real and tangible way.
4) Adopt 2 more children. My hope is to adopt siblings so they don't have to be split up (I have some personal experience with this that really drives me in this direction). MW would rather not adopt a baby.infant but we also don't want to go too old. So I am thinking probably toddler/preschool siblings. I would love to adopt from a country where children are very at risk of being sold into the sex trade industry or abandoned. Most of the time my heart leans toward China because I have made some wonderful friends in Chambana who have opened my heart and eyes to the little girls of China. At any rate this is one of the bigger goals I have. I feel like my family has some children out there somewhere. Maybe they are not even born yet but I feel like I will find them when the time is right. The more time I put between me and the birth of Slobber Rocket, the more I feel convinced that we will be adding children to our family through adoption and not my uterus. And I love that idea because I feel like it is what is right for us.
5) Go to a Superbowl: completely superficial but one of my goals none the less. Anxiety poses a pretty big barrier to this but I will get to one in my lifetime if there is a way.
6) Do something life altering for someone with no expectations of them and without them finding out. Pretty self explanatory.
7) Contribute in some way or in many ways to decrease poverty and human rights abuses.
So that is the list scribbled down late at night several months ago into the safety of my journal. An assignment given to me by my counselor that I totally didn't follow the instructions to. I was trying to think of things I could do at home to help my progress so decided to write a list of my future goals then make a list for the next year of how to move toward those goals. It turned out my way was also useful :) I have also since figured out a few of the things she was talking about so it all worked out in the end.
1) Raise successful/content children. An ongoing, constantly fluid goal. One that influences pretty much all of my decisions and right now my number one goal.
2) Get a degree: The problem... I have no clue what I want to do when I grow up :) Right now I am leaning toward an online Psychology program at Penn State. Should only take 2 years and then I can pursue further education or licensing for some of the jobs I might like. I also figure if I am still interested in nursing down the road, I can pursue it. Lately I have been leaning toward child advocacy or child life specialist. Both meet many of the needs I have for a career and psychology would put in a field of study to pursue either one.
3) Have a career that has a positive impact on my community. That impacts people and helps people in a real and tangible way.
4) Adopt 2 more children. My hope is to adopt siblings so they don't have to be split up (I have some personal experience with this that really drives me in this direction). MW would rather not adopt a baby.infant but we also don't want to go too old. So I am thinking probably toddler/preschool siblings. I would love to adopt from a country where children are very at risk of being sold into the sex trade industry or abandoned. Most of the time my heart leans toward China because I have made some wonderful friends in Chambana who have opened my heart and eyes to the little girls of China. At any rate this is one of the bigger goals I have. I feel like my family has some children out there somewhere. Maybe they are not even born yet but I feel like I will find them when the time is right. The more time I put between me and the birth of Slobber Rocket, the more I feel convinced that we will be adding children to our family through adoption and not my uterus. And I love that idea because I feel like it is what is right for us.
5) Go to a Superbowl: completely superficial but one of my goals none the less. Anxiety poses a pretty big barrier to this but I will get to one in my lifetime if there is a way.
6) Do something life altering for someone with no expectations of them and without them finding out. Pretty self explanatory.
7) Contribute in some way or in many ways to decrease poverty and human rights abuses.
So that is the list scribbled down late at night several months ago into the safety of my journal. An assignment given to me by my counselor that I totally didn't follow the instructions to. I was trying to think of things I could do at home to help my progress so decided to write a list of my future goals then make a list for the next year of how to move toward those goals. It turned out my way was also useful :) I have also since figured out a few of the things she was talking about so it all worked out in the end.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Finding me inside this life
For the last 5.5 years or so I have pretty much been a mom. I dropped out of college to have my Super Muscles and became a stay at home mom. When we moved to Illinois, around SM 1st birthday, I started really wanting another child. Mostly because I looked at my oldest son and knew that I really wanted him to have a sibling. I knew if we didn't have another child now, even though it was an inconvenient time as far as money went, that our oldest child would not get a sibling until he was 6-7 years old. The thought of that made me sad. Now that we have Slobber Rocket, I think this was absolutely the best decision for our family. I can't imagine our lives without that tiny little blondie in it. And I love seeing him and big bubby interact with one another and learn how to care for and love each other. It is a beautiful bond. But with that being said, having another child pushed some of my goals even further away. And at some point, I got lost. I got very lost in being a mom. I look at my life now and I feel like it is SO much of my identity. And I love being a mom. But a mom is not all of me. A mom and a wife is not all of me. I am starting to really feel like I need to find me again. The "Me" that is separate from "Mommy". The me that wants to get a degree and have a meaningful career some day. The me who is passionate about advocating for children and taking care of the most vulnerable in our communities and world. The me who is fascinated with photography and really wants to learn a lot more about it. The me who wants to stop sitting by, in many ways, and watching the world go by.
I have spent so much time supporting my husband in devoting himself to his career that it has left very little time for me to develop the parts of me outside of my family. I feel like my family is the only thing that defines me to others and while I love them more than words can describe... they are not all of me. They don't embody all of my passions or skills or dreams. And I just feel a little lost, like even I don't know the other parts of me well at all anymore.
So I have decided that I am going to spend time achieving some of my own goals that are only for me. Some of them may take a really long time (like getting a degree while still staying home with my children... ha) but if not now, when? I don't want to keep feeling like everything is about everyone else. Maybe I sound selfish right now but I have to rescue some of the other parts of myself.
I think a lot of it is a product of really figuring out why I do some of the things I do. How I have always been the people pleaser and the one to make sure everyone is happy. And how that has simply led to me neglecting myself and my own goals. I don't mind the sacrifices I have made for my family. I don't want people to think that. I love staying home with my children. I like that they know the comfort of my arms when they get hurt and that my hands are lovingly preparing them food that nourishes them. And I even really love that my husband is going full throttle after his dreams. It has been beautiful watching him inch closer and closer to getting something he has dreamed about for so long. And it has been amazing how much we have both learned about sacrifice along the way (yea I stay home with our kids so he can do this but he has wonderfully balanced a very rigorous phd program while making time for us,... and PhD students get paid very little so that has been another area of big sacrifice for our family). Anyway I am learning these things about myself and I am also learning that I deserve to be happy. Not only in my family life but I deserve to have a career I love and hobbies I enjoy and passions and causes to pursue.
I am not sure what any of this looks like yet. But I know that I am going to go after some of my dreams. I am working on a list and a plan and MW is helping me figure it out (he is pretty much the best in case I haven't said that before). It is going to take a lot more work. A lot of patience and a lot of help. It is going to take really battling my anxiety and learning to trust a few more people. But heck, that is pretty much one of my bigger goals in counseling :) So... coming at you soon will be a list of long term goals and maybe you guys can help me brain storm how to move toward achieving them?
I have spent so much time supporting my husband in devoting himself to his career that it has left very little time for me to develop the parts of me outside of my family. I feel like my family is the only thing that defines me to others and while I love them more than words can describe... they are not all of me. They don't embody all of my passions or skills or dreams. And I just feel a little lost, like even I don't know the other parts of me well at all anymore.
So I have decided that I am going to spend time achieving some of my own goals that are only for me. Some of them may take a really long time (like getting a degree while still staying home with my children... ha) but if not now, when? I don't want to keep feeling like everything is about everyone else. Maybe I sound selfish right now but I have to rescue some of the other parts of myself.
I think a lot of it is a product of really figuring out why I do some of the things I do. How I have always been the people pleaser and the one to make sure everyone is happy. And how that has simply led to me neglecting myself and my own goals. I don't mind the sacrifices I have made for my family. I don't want people to think that. I love staying home with my children. I like that they know the comfort of my arms when they get hurt and that my hands are lovingly preparing them food that nourishes them. And I even really love that my husband is going full throttle after his dreams. It has been beautiful watching him inch closer and closer to getting something he has dreamed about for so long. And it has been amazing how much we have both learned about sacrifice along the way (yea I stay home with our kids so he can do this but he has wonderfully balanced a very rigorous phd program while making time for us,... and PhD students get paid very little so that has been another area of big sacrifice for our family). Anyway I am learning these things about myself and I am also learning that I deserve to be happy. Not only in my family life but I deserve to have a career I love and hobbies I enjoy and passions and causes to pursue.
I am not sure what any of this looks like yet. But I know that I am going to go after some of my dreams. I am working on a list and a plan and MW is helping me figure it out (he is pretty much the best in case I haven't said that before). It is going to take a lot more work. A lot of patience and a lot of help. It is going to take really battling my anxiety and learning to trust a few more people. But heck, that is pretty much one of my bigger goals in counseling :) So... coming at you soon will be a list of long term goals and maybe you guys can help me brain storm how to move toward achieving them?
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