::5:: (1 of 2)
photo credit: Alan Vernon. death by wave I am standing in water waist deep, Where I waded on my own accord. Waters ’round me race away and sand slips from beneath me. I see it building on the horizon- the mammoth wave that seeks to crush me. I do not move, but fix my gaze squarely on my foe. Bystanders mistake this for courage, but there is no place else for me to go. I am going to take it. The coming crest will overcome me. But come on great wave For I have only found life when drowning. I…
::5:: (2 of 2)
I like to fix things. Not appliances or cars- as a real man would. I like to come against issues, sift through the white noise and identify the real problem. I like to think that God has gifted me with this desire and that it is He that has hardwired me in a way that seeks resolve; but sometimes the gift becomes a curse, and I have recently become aware of my self-reliance. I fall back on my gifts and problem-solving before I sit or think or pray. I dive in because I think I can do something, I think…
Highlights and Thanks
Thanks so much to all of you who have followed along, given and participated in our BLEMISH IS BEAUTY blog series. We kind of rolled the dice on this one, and we feel like it was a huge success as well as something we can improve on in the future. Here are some highlights and references for you. Thanks so much to our talented contributors who advocated with the gift of words on behalf of these children and encouraged over 3,000 visitors to the site to spend time reflecting on a topic too often neglected- the plight of special needs…
True Beauty
TEAMworks, an initiative of 99 Balloons, took a trip to Guatemala for the first time this September. The purpose of the trip was to build relationships with orphanages in Guatemala and provide physical, occupational and speech therapy for children with special needs. About a week prior to the trip, we received information from one of our Guatemala contacts about another orphanage in Guatemala City called Anini that is home to 65 kids with special needs. Although we already had our trip schedule planned out, we knew we needed to make room to visit this orphanage as well. It all worked…
I chose you for a reason
I chose you for a reason. Those words echoed in my heart as I sat perched on the edge of my bed; defeated. Worn down. Doubtful. No matter how much I see how God provides OVER AND OVER, no matter how hard I pray, no matter how much I read my Bible – doubt creeps in. I hate it. I’m not saying this for sympathy. I am saying this because sometimes we are afraid to admit to others our faults, and our sins. Even when it is Biblical that we do as such. So here is my sin, confessed to…
meeting Lena
Ginny & I are in a coffee shop in Kramatorsk, Ukraine trying to tune out the local pop music videos- which are more fascinating than I can relay. We are racking our brains, trying desperately to sort our thoughts into some sort of order that make will make sense. Our last two days have been spent at Antoshka Baby House- an orphanage here in Ukraine. We are accompanying our TEAMworks therapy team that has come back this year to continue their work with the special needs children here. But we are here for her. To hold her. To let our…
A Lightning Rod For Glory
I went to kindergarten with my daughter Remy today. Again. I’ve attended school so much this year, my husband calls me Billy Madison. The only exception is that I am the character who is one nanosecond away from painting my face with glue like Miss Lippy. (Related: I’ve formulated a reasonable salary for kindergarten teachers based on observation and empirical research, and I believe a practical wage is ten million dollars a week. Obviously a little low, but we’re in a recession.) We brought our daughter home from Ethiopia at the end of July, and we brought our son home…
photo credit: Alan Vernon. death by wave I am standing in water waist deep, Where I waded on my own accord. Waters ’round me race away and sand slips from beneath me. I see it building on the horizon- the mammoth wave that seeks to crush me. I do not move, but fix my gaze…
I like to fix things. Not appliances or cars- as a real man would. I like to come against issues, sift through the white noise and identify the real problem. I like to think that God has gifted me with this desire and that it is He that has hardwired me in a way that…
Thanks so much to all of you who have followed along, given and participated in our BLEMISH IS BEAUTY blog series. We kind of rolled the dice on this one, and we feel like it was a huge success as well as something we can improve on in the future. Here are some highlights and…
TEAMworks, an initiative of 99 Balloons, took a trip to Guatemala for the first time this September. The purpose of the trip was to build relationships with orphanages in Guatemala and provide physical, occupational and speech therapy for children with special needs. About a week prior to the trip, we received information from one of…
I chose you for a reason. Those words echoed in my heart as I sat perched on the edge of my bed; defeated. Worn down. Doubtful. No matter how much I see how God provides OVER AND OVER, no matter how hard I pray, no matter how much I read my Bible – doubt creeps…
Ginny & I are in a coffee shop in Kramatorsk, Ukraine trying to tune out the local pop music videos- which are more fascinating than I can relay. We are racking our brains, trying desperately to sort our thoughts into some sort of order that make will make sense. Our last two days have been…
I went to kindergarten with my daughter Remy today. Again. I’ve attended school so much this year, my husband calls me Billy Madison. The only exception is that I am the character who is one nanosecond away from painting my face with glue like Miss Lippy. (Related: I’ve formulated a reasonable salary for kindergarten teachers…