Thankful...a year and a half

Today marks a year and a half of marriage for us. We feel like we've been married for much longer than that though. I guess we've grown up a lot since our wedding day. I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to bring us together. I was thinking back on when we were "getting to know each other" and dating. It was such a giddy time for me. Jonathan was my first everything. He treated me like a treasure. He pursed my heart with gentlemanlike valor...and he won it.

I cherish those memories of being young and in love. Still, you know what? Today's memories are better. Though our dating years were sweet, the past year and a half has shown me the depth and meaning of sacrificial love. I tear up just thinking about how blessed I am. I have seen my husband's love for Christ and for me in a new way these past few months. He has supported me ever since the Lord led me to quit my job and start something new. He has taken on the full burden of providing for us and given up so much. He has helped me build and given me the tools I needed. All of this has been without a single complaint. I sometimes feel like I've become a burden, but then I see just how much he loves me and my worries melt into nothing in his arms. Marriage is such a beautiful thing.

Still, I won't pretend that we feel lovey-dovey all the time. We are two very different people and those differences get annoying sometimes. We are just a pair of sinful, imperfect souls, but love covers that. It has been a blessing to learn all these things in the past year and a half. I look forward to the rest of my life with my wonderful husband. I look forward to building a home, pouring our lives into ministry, teaching our children to love Jesus and walking together hand in hand on this journey. There isn't anyone else I'd rather be with. I only pray that I can be as much of a blessing to him as he is to me.

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband." - Proverbs 12:4

When my husband looks back on our marriage I hope he can say that I have been a crown to him. I want to bring him honor and never shame. I want to be of great worth. I want to be a blessing. I'm excited about learning to do just that in the years to come!

I'm more in love with you today than ever babe!





PS: Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY to win the cute "elsie" cowl!

The Red Light District

She was not even 8 years old when they came for her. Mom left and dad was always out drowning his cares with drinks. She was helpless. They abused her and left. Then they came again, so she ran away. Out on the street she was held at knife point. They said, "sleep with me or I'll kill you." After one man had used her he told her she should end her life. He gave her a knife and sent her off. She almost killed herself, but someone saw and stopped her. One girl said, "you are already doing this for free, so let me show you how to make some money at it." With no place to stay, she tried to sell herself out on the street. Still, she was so young that many took advantage of her.

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The stench of urine and waste filled my nostrils and I knew we were getting close. My heart beat with anticipation. With tears and intensity we had prayed for a spirit of freedom for this night. Now all of our prayers had come to fruition and we were in the Red Light District. "Oh God, love through me tonight! Love through me tonight!" was my soul's desperate plea. At last the small white van pulled to the side of the road.

It was time. 

It is well known that this place is dangerous. To many our presence is not a welcome thing. The people know why we are there and that our goal is freedom for the girls. A fight even broke out at one point, but I felt no fear. My focus was on the girls. They were not what I expected...they seemed...normal. They were far from what you would think. We smiled and shook their hands. Some were friendly and smiled back. Others adverted their eyes when we looked at them. Some even followed us around and asked questions. Earlier the girls in the safe homes had passed out fliers for a party a few days later. There they'd have the opportunity to hear about Christ and about freedom. I prayed they would come. I wanted to tell them how much Jesus loved them! The language barrier weighed heavy on me, but I prayed that the love of Christ might know no bounds in us. I pray that our weakness was His strength in that dark place.

I was struck by the vastness of the Red Light District. We walked several streets, but only saw only a small portion. So many girls can stay in business because of the amount of traffic that comes through. It costs next to nothing to get a girl for a while, so lots of men do. I noticed men walking by with a smirks of satisfaction on their faces as they pulled their girl for the night close. The girls wore shame around them like a cloak. It broke my heart. Children roamed the streets, even so late at night. They have no choice. It's either the streets or getting shoved under the bed of the tiny little room they call home. Loud, pounding music blared from the rooms of some. Most of them had posters up of other women, as if the girls are merely the object and the attention is elsewhere. 

Tears filled my eyes as we pulled away. I saw it. I walked through it. I cannot forget it now. These girls will forever have a piece of my heart. I have seen those who are under oppression. I touched them and they touched me. I wish I could take you with me to see it. I wish I could adequately describe their faces, their eyes. You would cry. You would hurt for them. You wouldn't be able to pretend they don't exist anymore. You would have to do something to help.

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She was 11 years old when they rescued her. Trauma and abuse was all she had know for 4 years...4 years of her childhood. She had been through so much that she didn't speak to anyone for almost 2 years. To cope her mind completely shut off parts of her memory. Finally, she started interacting with the house mother and the other girls at the safe home. Then she started to remember. Coping was hard, but she finally started to develop and bloom. Now she stood telling us her story with tears. Betty, the translator had to take over mid-way through because she couldn't finnish. Still, the message was clear...

There is freedom.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

Ethiopia 2011 | part one

Well friends, here are a few photos about my trip. I think I am finally ready to share more about what I saw. There is so much to share that I'm going to split it up in several posts. I experienced everything from an earthquake to walking through The Red Light District...

It never hits me that I'm going overseas until I'm actually on the plane. I love to journal while we are flying through the clouds. Things seem so peaceful and worries feel irrelevant. It was a long journey, but we finally reached Addis Abeba. 

After a good night's sleep and a shower, we started our trek to Angacha...

Of course there was a little silliness on the way. :)

The land was not what I expected. The land may look beautiful, but the soil is dry from lack of rain. I can't see how anything grows there when all the ground looks like rock. The people are not unlike the soil. Telltale signs of years of hardship were as evident as the dry land in the eyes of some. 

We had hardly been in in Ethiopia 2 days when we were all awoken in the middle of the night. I woke up to my roommate screaming my name and the room trembling. It seemed like a dream to me. An earthquake? In Ethiopia? In the panic we didn't even think to grab anything but shoes. For several hours we shivered in the cold, waiting for the aftershock. It never came, so we went back to our rooms. As you can imagine, sleep was not possible after that.

When light came we decided to explore a bit. Needless to say we drew a lot of attention. The children steal my heart every time. It makes me want to adopt one day.

Such contrast - a shack next to a hotel...well, by third world country standards that is.

With the earthquake behind us, we headed out to the medical clinic to help with their feeding program.

There were so many families in the program. I was so wonderful to see how successful this ministry is in the community. The parents are so proud that their children are doing well. If it wasn't for ICA hundreds of these children would have died. A few of them looked a little pudgy (not much though), which is very, very rare. I didn't see one over weight Ethiopian there. Everyone was extremely thin. 

Beautiful people.

These are the families waiting to get into the program. There over 30 families that came to the clinic just because the foreigners were visiting and were accepted into the program. Their babies were incredibly malnourished and would have died otherwise.

These babies may look like newborns, but they are not. Some of them were up to 6 months old or older.

After finishing up at the clinic we visited the new hospital grounds - they were breathtaking. They made sure to plant flowers at the clinic and the hospital grounds. It's such a simple thing, but to the community it represents hope. Many families have started planting flowers of their own as well. Because of ICA this place has been transformed. The people have future. The flowers are just a symbol of the hope they have that things will get better. That is indeed a beautiful thing. 

This is the crop of potatoes they harvested from the land. God has really blessed these grounds. I thought it was amazing that the money for these things came from a local church in Ethiopia, not from America.

I was able to use a Nikon for the day! It's strange how foreign my point-and-shoot feels after so short a time. I made a good choice in not bringing it though. My mind was much more focused on what I came there to do, instead of photos.

There is so much work yet to be done. ICA has made a huge difference in this community and we got to be a very small part of that. Still, I can hardly describe what it is like to walk among them and feel their need. The burden still weighs heavy on my heart.

More coming soon...

23.

Today is my 23rd birthday. Here are 23 photos from the 23 years God has blessed me with, from birth to present day. :)

The first born to loving parents. Hey look, I already have a roll of film in my hands! Hehe.

I was little. miss. attitude.

My brother and I dressed up all the time. This one on the right is actually on halloween...I think.

More dress up. :)

Me and my sis...pals from the beginning. 

I've always had a love for animals. Hehe. I had a hamster that I really thought was my baby. I even gave him a for real funeral when he died. We sang "It is well" and read his eulogy. 

Art class...what fun memories. 

Highschool. Oh me oh my! Can you tell that I skipped some of my horrific middleschool memories? ha!

Gracie and I were best friends since 2nd grade. We did so many dumb things, but it was all awesome. I love those memories.

I met Ashley in college. We are true kindred spirits and will be friends for the rest of our lives. LOVE that girl. She is a gift. We've been through so much together!

The last year of college I fell in love withe the most amazing man in the world. The memories seem like a fairytale.

Ok, this last "photo" is more like 4 photos, but I didn't want to leave out the last year or so of my life. It's been too wonderful! :)

I am so thankful for the 23 years I have lived thus far. I look back on these photos and think of how greatly blessed I have been. A week from today I will be on my way to Africa. I can't think of a better birthday present than to be able to share the love of Christ with the people of Ethiopia. My cup is full and overflowing. Sure, I've had bad times but I choose to remember all of the blessings God has given me. Scars, joys, tears and laughter...I am so thankful for it all. Here's to another year!