For those of you looking for a family giving project I would like to make a suggestion.

Rob and I have friends Johnny and Kate Brooks in Nakuru, Kenya who have taken in nine orphan girls as a part of their family. They depend on the gifts and generosity of others to provide for these orphans as well medical care, beds, etc. for those suffering with AIDS around them.

We appreciate their hearts and selflessness and want to take part in their ministry in a special way this Christmas season.

I asked Kate for specific ways that we, and others that we know, could help.

You can donate to them by going to afutureandahope.net and click on the picture of Johnny, Kate and their family titled a future and a hope then click on the donate button or you can get the donation to Rob or I and we will make sure they get 100% of it.

Here is a list of suggestions:



This is the cost to send these girls hope to spend some time with their grandma's while they are on break from school. This does not include anything special for them for Christmas besides a trip home which they will be grateful for, so if you would like to include some extra besides this I know that would be appreciated, that is what we are planning on doing.



Mary ($30) + chaperone($30)=$60

Mercy ($30)

Teresa ($30) + chaperone ($30)+$60

Edith ($3) + chaperone ($3)=$6

Mildred($30)

Sarah A ($20) + chaperone ($20)=$40

Sarah M ($3)

Beatrice ($3)

Grace ($20) + chaperone ($20)=$40



Rob, myself and our family are sponsoring Mary and our Friend Ann Marie is sponsoring Teresa so that leaves $152 dollars I know we can do this. Thanks so much for your help! The goal for the above needs is by November 17th because the transportation costs go up as soon as the schools let out for break.



I then asked Kate for more needs because I know we can do more than this to help and this is what she responded.



3 of our older girls, being orphans, have not had the chance to get a good education. Despite going to a good school since moving here over 3 yrs ago, they are still really struggling just to make 40% or 50%. They are 15/16 yrs old and will be going to 6th grade in Jan. I, and they, think that they are getting too big to go back to Primary school. So we plan on sending them to the vocational college of their choice. Grace wants to go to hair school, and Sarah Apiyo, too. Mildred wants to take catering classes. The courses are only for 6 months. After that, the'll start an apprenticeship somewhere. I said all of that to say that we'll need about $800 a girl ($2,400) in January to be able to pay their college fees.



Of course, all of our other children's (orphans only, our bio-kids are home schooled) school fees will be due then as well... I can't remember exactly how much it is, but around $1500 - $2000, total.



To sum this up besides the 1st paragraph of transportation needs they need $4,400 for school cost for January and I am hoping and believing that we can easily come up with at least 44 people that can share $100.

$300 has already come in for school needs so the total that remains is $4,100. Thanks to those who have already helped with these needs!



Thanks again. We love you all. Fun stuff for the holidays:) Get your kiddos involved. This is a great opportunity for the kids to experience the joy of giving.



Love,



Rob, Marti and Girls

A new way of thinking...

Wow has God been changing my heart and my way of thinking over the past couple of years. Starting with crumbling my religious, robotic way of thinking and replacing it with a true desire for relationship with Him and others.

It has been exciting, scary, challenging, refreshing and messy but in a good way:)

One of the big changes is my giving...It has changed from a mindset of throwing $ at someone and feeling like I was really giving to an all around paradigm shift. I'm learning that giving is about WAY MORE than $ it a change in lifestyle.

I must tell you, I am a bit nervous that my world has been rocked. And not in a guilt sort of way but in a reality sort of way.

I will be the first to tell you that I love the little "comforts" of life. I love Starbucks and Tim Horton's(Michigan's cheaper version of Starbucks:)yet the more I become aware of those living around me and around the world who just want a bite to eat or a family or a warm place to lay their head the less "comfortable" my Tim Horton's stops become. And yes, I said less comfortable not non existent...yet.

I feel like I have to say again, my friends, this is so not about guilt but about awareness and stepping outside of ourselves a bit to share the love and comfort that we have.

In our fostering of little ones from Haiti, we often get comments about what great things we are doing as people drop their heads because they aren't doing the same thing. But we all have our little corners of the world for a reason....I challenge you to do something right where you are.

Maybe it is something seemingly small or Maybe it's something BIG and CRAZY. Just do it friends and have some fun while you are doing!

Marti

Inspired...

Today, I am inspired by reading other blogs and I am once again determined to blog regularly. So we'll see how that goes.
Today is probably not the best day to start blogging again. This is November the popular time of the year to be Thankful. I have been posting "thankful statuses" on FB and today was just one of those days where Thankfulness is not coming easily. It "should", but it's not today. So I keep plugging along, trying not to give in to the disatisfaction trying to take hold today. Because the truth is I have sooo much to be thankful for and my friend Kate who lives in Africa is a constant reminder to me just how much I have to be thankful for and just how little I really NEED. Her contentment is contagious. I want to be contagious:)
So pardon me while I make a list to help re-focus myself:

1. A God who loves me unconditionally.
2. A man who is a great husband and father to my children.
3. Friends who love me just the way I am.
4. Food.
5. $ for food and gas for my vehicles.
6. Good health for myself and my family.
7. A house.
8. A flexible job.
9. Beautiful healthy children.
10.And so much more....

I'm off to try and have a thankful day....Hope yours is thankful too.

Marti

Conversations with God

Let me start out by saying how appreciative I am for a husband that has learned the art of "patience with my babbling". He offers himself up often as my own personal "word processor" and for this(and him) I am thankful.
Well....on of such processing occasion I was sharing with him a "bop on the head moment" I had with God and upon finishing my storey he said "wow you need to write that down". So here it goes.
I was listening to one mom complain about another mom and some choices she was making with her children. Poor choices in this mom's opinion. I kind of "uh-huhed" my way through the conversation feeling sad for the judged mom. Upon processing this situation later that day God gently pointed out that I often do the same thing with this mom that was doing the "judging" and I quickly asked God what we as mom's can do to stop this cycle of judgment of each other. God spoke(clearly but not audibly:) the solution to this issue is if each mom would help each other by "picking up the slack" instead of criticizing to make ourselves feel better and love each other unconditionally in spite of our own weaknesses this world could be a better, more peaceful place and motherhood would be strengthened. Our kid's would certainly come out on the winning side of this.

Living Loved,

Marti

Introduction

Well, here I go. My very first post. I love to journal always have, but it has always been just for me. Just a way to unload my busy thoughts from my head to paper. In my "brand new mommy" days it was sometimes the only way I could get my mind still enough to sleep.

I have only recently become familiar with "blog world". Some of them have been so refreshing and inspiring to me that I thought I would give sharing my thoughts with the world a try. I am not promising they will be deep or organized in any particular manner. I have so many things that interest me and fill my mind these days that you will probably get a potpourri of titles. Any thing from running to foster/adoption to spiritual topics to kids, kids and more kids.

As you have probably already read in my "about me" portion, I am a newly stay at home, almost 40 mom tired of the crazy pace I was keeping and really trying to learn how to be simple and still. So, you will get to join me on this new journey if you choose.

Thanks for you patience as I figure all of this out.

On a Journey,

Marti