You had a little Compassion…. quite nice :)

Posted October 31, 2008 By Andrea and has no comments yet.

Here is Idrissa, a six year old beautiful little boy from Burkina Faso.

Name: Idrissa Ben Ouattara (BF3070121)
Birthday: August 30, 2002    Age: 6
Gender: Male
Region: West Africa
Country: Burkina Faso
Program: CIE-Sarfalao Church Child Development Center

Idrissa lives in a family of five and his mother and father are sometimes employed. He is not presently in school but he enjoys playing soccer and playing with marbles. Around the house Idrissa helps in the kitchen and runs errands for his parents. You, yes you!, could make a huge difference in Idrissa’s life by sponsoring him, praying for him, and loving him. It is a commitment to be proud of, a little way to show the love of Jesus to someone far away who might not know or have the same luxuries we do.

To sponsor Idrissa, please click HERE. Or, to sponsor another child from Compassion, please click here.

Because of your sponsorship, Idrissa will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.

This child lives in an AIDS affected area. In Africa, the disease has impacted the entire continent, creating a generation of orphans and vulnerable children. God can use you to help ease the pain of a child in desperate need.

IMPORTANT: A CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED as payment because this child has been classified “HIGH PRIORITY”. This child has been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor. Help make a difference in the life of this child, who is anxiously waiting for a sponsor.

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Categories: Compassion, Social Justice
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A Piece of Our Wedding…

Posted October 30, 2008 By Andrea and has 1 comment.

Sorry that we cannot send you any cake, but I thought that since I am so busy running and not being able to sit down and write, I would share a little piece of our wedding with some that we love who are not able to be there. I was driving down the road one day and heard this song. The lyrics, the music, everything reminded me of what God had done for me and Andy, while reminding me He is the only one who saves. I think that Andy and I had our separate experiences of going to God like this- realizing He was going to get us through- and it has made us so much better together. So this will be the song we take our first communion as husband and wife- You Alone by Casting Pearls…

I’ve come to Your throne here so cold and alone
I’m calling on Your name
I lift my hands to the sky open wide and I cry Lord take me away
Take this heavy heart and this weary soul and set them free
Remove myself till there’s nothing left but You alone in me
I’m letting go of all that I know
I’m holding on to You alone
I lay it all down down here at Your feet
I want You alone You alone
If I go to the heavens above Lord I know You are there
If I make my bed in the depths lord I know You are there
If I rise on the wings of the dawn or settle on the far side of the sea
Even still Lord I know You will, You will always be there with me
I’m letting go of all that I know
I’m holding on to You alone
I lay it all down down here at Your feet
I want You alone You alone

Can I get an Amen? :)

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Categories: Spiritual Reflections, Weddings
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The end of an era

Posted October 29, 2008 By Andrea and has 5 comments.

It is spectacuarly crazy that “singlehood” is about to end for me (see above picture, those aren’t just little beads around my neck!). As a woman, marriage was never really a goal for me- thank God. I always said, “oh, by 30…” or “maybe in a couple years.” What that means is, I am actually ready for this because I knew it was time, not because at 14 I made a timeline and it said I would be married by 26 and have kids by 28 (ok, so there was a timeline, but believe me, it was long gone by the time I reached 19).

So…what now? I think it is high time to make a pros and cons list!!!

PROS

  • don’t get hit on by skeezy guys (HELLO- wedding ring)
  • sex
  • have a man to do the multitude of dishes I inevitably use when cooking
  • always a “partner in crime” handy- i.e. someone to get lunch, watch a movie, or TP a house with
  • growing old together (wrinkles for me AND him)
  • McLovin (I don’t even know what that means, just sounds right)
  • some more sex
  • being united with the love of my life
  • did I mention se… oh yeah, I did

CONS

  • get hit on by even skeezier men (HELLO- they’re loving the wedding ring)
  • expected to cook everyday
  • have to get used to someone else’s (besides your own) funky bathroom smell
  • toliet seats- nuff said
  • remembering you always have to consider someone else (even if they are the cutest shoes you have ever seen and you do need a new vacuum)

Obviously, these aren’t so bad, beyond the funky bathroom smell. Am looking forward to someone promising to always love me, my wobbly parts (i.e. butthigh 1.) over the years. Seriously- I thank God for this man and could not be more estatic. He has saved us both and is a HUGE part in these nuptials. Jesus has a way of being amazing when you least expect it. Andy and I met at a bar- him, an addict and a user for years, me, a lost girl looking for approval in ALL the wrong places. Together we grew up, wrestled with God’s hand, and worked our way together again. He is amazing. And a free spirit (obviously).

I just have a couple more days of being the crazy bride to be and then I get to…err, be a wife!

Footnote
1. Butthigh: scary region between butt and thigh that seems to roll together

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Categories: Humorous, Relationships, Weddings
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I want to be the best person.

Posted October 28, 2008 By Andrea and has 3 comments.

Dun dun dundun, dun dun dundun, dun dun dun dundundun, dun dun duuuun

(Yes, this is a bride who had a life sized replica of herself made into a cake…)

I do not want to get sucked into wedding mania.

I do not want to think about every little thing that can go wrong.

I really cannot afford to thank every person helping out in this shin dig, but feel I must.

I really want to properly thank every single individual!

I don’t want to remember myself having any semblance of familiarity with the women on “Bridezillas.”

I want to be the best person, calmest person, most together person, ever seen walking down that aisle.

Finally, I want to love Andy forever. I think I can, I just hope I can do it without all the moodiness of the last couple days.

I want this to end. :( But also, I want to be married. :)

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Categories: Weddings
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Mother Teresa Says (Mondays)…

Posted October 27, 2008 By Andrea and has no comments yet.

Like Jesus we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Like Jesus we belong to others, not ourselves. A few years ago there was a very popular book that reminded Christians “It’s not about me.” I remember at the time posting a piece of paper by my bed to remind me. I was quitting everything at once- drinking, smoking, dating, even the college I was attending. Perhaps it would have helped to see the whole picture- perhaps if I had focused a little bit on what Jesus would have me do for others. Instead, I used it’s not about me to focus all the attention on myself, trying to fix whatever I thought God would see as the problem.

It never worked. Well, it would work for a moment, perhaps even months, always leading back to a shift that brought me further into whatever I had been desperate to be free of before. I guess what I am trying to say is, belonging to others is heavy and freeing at the same time. It is a calling, what some like to call a “burden,” but I like to think of it as a reason, a common purpose. Yet it frees us to not focus so much on what Jesus would not have us do, but rather what he would have us do. And that helps- like children we always seem to want to do whatever we are told not to do, however adult consequences seem to be different than the scolding for sticking our hands in the cookie jar…. So like Jesus, let us remember we belong to others, and let our joy in Him be the strength that gets us through, not relying on our own (I am pretty sure it doesn’t exist)….

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Categories: Spiritual Reflections
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You had a little Compassion… Thank you!

Posted October 24, 2008 By Andrea and has no comments yet.

I am going to believe that the 2nd week is a charm….Jhonatan still needs a sponsor, and I know money is tight right now….but just $30 a month, that is only $360 dollars a year (I am thinking of how much money I waste now…) can make a huge difference in his life!

So, here is Jhonatan. As soon as I saw him he stuck out because I had a student named Jhonatan from Peru as well, and he was the kind of student who was an inspiration. He was one of my students who came to this country legally, and he worked hard to maintain a job (UPS everyday after school) as well as maintain a legal status by paying for trips home to keep paperwork in order and check on his family. So I imagine this Jhonatan the same way. He is in a family of six, living in poor conditions, and his father is only sometimes employed. He is only a child of five with his entire life in front of him.

Name: Jhonatan Leonardo Salinas Quispe (PE5020105)
Birthday: October 3, 2003    Age: 5
Gender: Male
Region: South America
Country: Peru
Program: Rayitos de Luz Student Center

Take a little time to think and pray about making Jhonatan a part of your life today. His favorite things to do are art, playing group games, and playing with cars. Sometimes he also has to run errands for his family. He attends pre-school as well as participates in church activities. This is an immense opportunity to make a personal difference in someone’s life.

Because of your sponsorship, Jhonatan will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers. To sponsor Jhonatan, please click HERE. To sponsor another Compassion child, please click here.

IMPORTANT: A CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED as payment because this child has been classified “HIGH PRIORITY”. This child has been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor. Help make a difference in the life of this child, who is anxiously waiting for a sponsor.

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Categories: Compassion, Social Justice
Tags: , , ,

God really does rock

Posted October 23, 2008 By Andrea and has 4 comments.

Amen and amen. So, before all this wedding craziness began I think you could ask anyone who knew me and they would say that I was bored, or that I felt my life was lacking impact since I quit teaching. I did not really know which way to turn or what to do. It was like this winding road where all of these ideas were popping up, but none of them really had the potential of panning out.

Tonight I think I found a way of impacting students, being able to encourage and make an impact, without working for the public school system. Okay…so I still work part time for the public school system now, but that is beside the point!

I found…..dun dun dun…. Are you ready for this?

Night School!

This is where people who are taking their own initiative to learn go. People from various countries and walks of life who all want the same thing- to learn English and learn about the American culture. It was wonderful. As I sat in the classroom my heart was actually beating faster. And I knew, in a real way, that I will always have a heart for people who are coming to this country seeking a better life. That no matter what people have to say I will never support armed border patrol. That the difference between them and me is nothing other than the luck of the draw of where we were born. And that if our forefathers had thought it startling to enter a strange new world without filling out the proper paperwork they sure didn’t show it. (I am sure the Natives WOULD have had paperwork if they knew what was coming). I know that our country is in economically difficult times. I know that jobs are needed everywhere, and I know that citizens need jobs just as much as the immigrant. But what if for one minute we took away greed, we put to place fair wages, and we gave all who should earn disability or social security the right to have that and be able to live on it. Would there really be a problem? Or is the problem the way our system has taught us to operate? The jobs that are being eliminated that could be replaced with better ones. The companies that could ramp up the stakes rather than shutting doors. Can we say “go green” Ford Motors? Perhaps then we would see real change taking place. Until then though, God is taking care of me. And giving me the chance to show others that even a white girl from the South can say I love you no matter what, I accept you no matter where you’re from. There are more than they realize out there, I know, and I know some of you wonderful people, but they don’t always see it, and they don’t always feel it. So, I am going to try to spread the love. Hopefully in night school.
:)

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Categories: Education, Personal, Spiritual Reflections
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Weakness

Posted October 22, 2008 By Andrea and has 1 comment.

My weakness is procrastination. Now, don’t be caught off guard, I have other weaknesses of course. But this one perhaps annoys me more than any other. Although I say things like “I work better under pressure.” How would I know how I worked without it? That is to to say “I work well under pressure because I force myself into situations where I do not have a choice.”

10 days before your wedding….procrastination = the enemy!!!

Pray for me, I’ll pray for you. What’s your weakness?

*Disclaimer: I will pray for you if you tell me to, even if you do not pray for me! ;)

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Categories: Personal, Weddings
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Mother Teresa says (Mondays)…

Posted October 20, 2008 By Andrea and has 2 comments.

Simple and true….

It is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give,
but how much love we put in the giving.

Sometimes we burn ourselves out thinking of all we must do and trying to care and do ALL things right (at least I do). Then I realize in concerning myself so much with all the things I lose myself or the love I am putting into what I am doing along the way. You start looking at the days as something you have to get through. Not an opportunity to live out the love of Jesus. So DO…but don’t forget why. And if you need to take a little rest for yourself to regroup and feel that love so you can give it. Don’t feel bad, that is why God invented Sabbath (and maybe even massages).

So far this is one of my biggest travesties in life. Because I have learned big from the down times….but when everything is going right and I get stuck in just that, having everything go right, I start to lose the reason behind it all….

Oh Father, save me from myself. You know I need it! :)

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Categories: Spiritual Reflections
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Have a little Compassion…

Posted October 18, 2008 By Andrea and has 1 comment.

Here is Jhonatan. As soon as I saw him he stuck out because I had a student named Jhonatan from Peru as well, and he was the kind of student who was an inspiration. He was one of my students who came to this country legally, and he worked hard to maintain a job (UPS everyday after school) as well as maintain a legal status by paying for trips home to keep paperwork in order and check on his family. So I imagine this Jhonatan the same way. He is in a family of six, living in poor conditions, and his father is only sometimes employed. He is only a child of five with his entire life in front of him.

Name: Jhonatan Leonardo Salinas Quispe (PE5020105)
Birthday: October 3, 2003    Age: 5
Gender: Male
Region: South America
Country: Peru
Program: Rayitos de Luz Student Center

Take a little time to think and pray about making Jhonatan a part of your life today. His favorite things to do are art, playing group games, and playing with cars. Sometimes he also has to run errands for his family. He attends pre-school as well as participates in church activities. This is an immense opportunity to make a personal difference in someone’s life.

Because of your sponsorship, Jhonatan will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers. To sponsor Jhonatan, please click HERE. To sponsor another Compassion child, please click here.

IMPORTANT: A CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED as payment because this child has been classified “HIGH PRIORITY”. This child has been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor. Help make a difference in the life of this child, who is anxiously waiting for a sponsor.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Categories: Compassion, Social Justice
Tags: , , ,
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