What can we do for the children of Haiti?

We've all given a few dollars to the red cross at the grocery store checkout. We have prayed earnestly with our families around the dinner table. It seems like there is little we can do to impact the lives of children suffering in Haiti after the earthquake. But there is something we can all do. There has been much cooperation between countries and ministries in Haiti working together to help people who have been injured and displaced, but now it appears that there is a problem. I have linked to a post from the blog of God's Littlest Angels, the orphanage in Haiti that Josh & I are praying for, giving to, and feel God has led us to be personally involved with.

The children of Haiti need our prayers, but they also need us to advocate for them. Could you take a few minutes out of your day and call your Congressmen and let them know about this situation? It's a small thing you can do that could make a big difference in the lives of children in Haiti.

Here's a link to a site where you can easily find contact information for your representatives and senators.

Here's a quick synopsis of the problem:

1. There are orphanages like God’s Littlest Angels who are waiting and able to take care of the wounded and displaced children and UNICEF isn’t allowing them to. The Dutch, Haitian, US and Canadian governments worked very hard at getting the orphaned children who already had forever families waiting for them out of the country and home to their families. Why? 2 reasons – 1) To keep those kids safe but also 2) to create space in the orphanages to care for the children who are suffering because of this earthquake.

2. UNICEF appears to feel that it’s better for these displaced children to stay in tent cities in the badly damaged areas in Port rather than in orphanages that have food, water, medical care, a decent structure and paid professional caregivers waiting to give them love, attention and care. Ask the media and the governmental offices, what’s the sense in that?

3. We at God’s Littlest Angels Orphanage know that adoptions are closed for the time being. We are prepared to and plan on devoting significant resources to helping reunite those who have living family members with their family members. God’s Littlest Angels has and will dedicate the resources that it takes to make sure the kids are well cared for and that all governmental rules are followed in all countries involved.

4. We need UNICEF and the US and Canadian Governments to change this policy immediately and get these children out of tent cities and into adequate facilities like GLA. Not next week, not Friday, TODAY.

It is not an overstatement to say that some of the children in these tent cities are at a much greater risk of disease and infections, some of which could be fatal, due to the careless, thoughtless and selfish behaviors of the people at UNICEF and that needs to change NOW.

Thank you for spreading the word and pressuring those who need to make changes.

Putting Our Money Where Our Heart Is

We were on our way to drop D off at Awana Cubbies this evening, and for some reason I felt prompted to tell Josh about something that has been on my mind and heart all day today. Without any sort of introduction I just blurted out, "I think it would be awesome if we could adopt a child who has been orphaned in this earthquake in Haiti."

Cue crickets chirping.

"You mean right now?" Josh asked.

"Well . . . yeah. What do you think?"

"I'm open to it."

We went to dinner after we dropped D off and continued to discuss the idea. Then after we put the boys to bed tonight we had Fox News on, and would you believe Greta was interviewing an American missionary who works at an orphanage in Haiti? The orphanage is God's Littlest Angels, and thankfully no one at the orphanage was injured or killed in the earthquake. They are several miles from Port-au-Prince which was the center of the quake and has been devastated by the quake and continuing aftershocks.





















The Board Members of God's Littlest Angels here in the States have set up a fundraiser for earthquake relief for the orphanage but also for aid to the people of Port-au-Prince and and the surrounding area. Their goal is to have 1000 people from all over the world each raise $1000 of donations. We have decided we want to be one of the families that helps to raise $1000. Would you be willing to help us reach that goal? We have donated $100 and are hoping 9 or more of our friends who read this will do the same.

We would also love for you to pray with us about the possibility of God placing one of these beautiful children in our family. It might just be the emotions of the moment, but I don't really think it is.

More Recent Pics

Christmas Pics

Big Bird Tells Off Michelle Obama

At Senator Ben Nelson's Office

My friend Jenn & I took our boys and paid a visit to Ben Nelson's Omaha office today. We went because we haven't been able to get through on the phone for the past several days, and we were appalled when we heard he had been bought off in a closed-door meeting with Harry Reid & Barbara Boxer late Friday. (I hope you're happy with your 30 pieces of silver, Mr. Nelson.)

It was a disillusioning experience to say the least. The intern sitting at the desk promptly informed us that he couldn't talk to us because he had to keep answering the phone. He gestured to a stack of poor quality photocopies of a comment form. We each took a form and sat down to fill them out. There was another intern sitting in a chair next to Jenn answering another phone and doodling on a notepad while telling concerned callers that he would "be sure to get your message to the Senator." He wasn't even keeping a tally of why people called, let alone their names and individual messages.

After filling out our forms we were able to talk to a third staff member. He readily admitted that the office received far more calls against the health care "reform" bill than those in favor but said that the Senator had made his decision in view of the "silent majority". We reminded him of the poll showing that 67% of Nebraskans are opposed to this bill. He just blew it off. Kind of like the soon-to-be-ex-Senator did.

Another gentleman we spoke with in the soon-to-be-ex-Senator's office had the audacity to tell me that Nelson and others in Washington were passing this bill to protect the futures of the little guys I had brought with me. He said that it was going to help to get all the outrageous government spending under control.

WHAT???? Did you just hear what you said, sir? Congress is spending more money this year than anyone has ever conceived of. Talk about historic and unprecedented! How do you get spending under control by digging a pit of debt that my children may never be able to pull themselves out of?

I am glad I went, but I wouldn't be all that surprised of the same intern who was doodling instead of taking down messages just pitched our letters to the soon-to-be-ex-Senator in the waste basket after we walked out the door.

X-mas = Christmas

A friend shared a link to a very insightful article on the subject of X-mas vs. Christmas. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Pics from December

I have had a hard time finding art work that goes with Lincoln's nursery theme of lions, so I decided to do my own. I got 4 canvases on sale at Hobby Lobby and used some different scrapbooking papers for manes and buttons for eyes. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Although sometimes I think they look a little like teddy bears with flowers around their heads.

D's MOPS class made these a week or so ago, and I thought it was SUCH a cute idea. We made them again with our playgroup friends this week when we hosted play group at our house.

We got our first good snowfall earlier this month, and D was so excited to go out and play in it. He did not, however, want his picture taken. He refused to look at me.

We decided not to put up the big Christmas tree this year since Linky is so mobile. Instead we pulled out our Charlie Brown tree from when we were first married and decorated that before setting it up on top of the entertainment center, well out of baby's reach. For some reason D decided he wanted to participate sans clothing. It was pretty funny.

Our second snowfall this month was a doozy, I think we got almost a foot overnight, and the next day the high was around 12 degrees. D wanted so badly to go out and help daddy shovel the driveway. We insisted he wear a face mask and goggles. He was less than thrilled, but suffered so he could go out in the snow.

Linky is starting to stand up holding onto things. He doesn't stay up for long, but it's scary how much more mobile he is than D was at this age.

This was my first attempt at cutting D's hair in a couple of years, and it may well be another couple before I try it again. It doesn't look bad in this picture or if you don't look too closely, but if you take a good hard look at it close up you can see the utter imperfection. He was thrilled at the suggestion that we style it in a fauxhawk! Little rebel.

Pics from November

Linky is constantly scooting from room to room in persuit of either mommy or big brother.

Daddy gives thrill rides in the laundry basket.

Our family art project. Can you tell who made which one?

The Ant & the Grasshopper or, Chris is on Vacation

A friend e-mailed this to me, and I thought it was a fun read worth sharing.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER: TWO VERSIONS OF A PARABLE


OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Individual actions have consequences.
==================================================================================



MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away..
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well
fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home
with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country
of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and
everybody cries when they sing “It's Not Easy Being Green.”
Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the
news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.”
Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God
for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry
King that the ant has gotten rich off the back
of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on
the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper
Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green
bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home
is confiscated by the Government Green Czar.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits
of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just
happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he
doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the
house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who
terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Government actions have consequences.