BOOKS

I have been struggling with the words to promote these two books and I'm falling short every time. First please red RED LETTERS by Tom Davis. Please read it. http://www.redletterscampaign.com/
The second book is The Shack. For you fiction readers this is the book for you! From Christianbook.com "Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his "Great Sadness," Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"
Happy reading.

JOY

This weekend our church was trashed. Our current sermon series is called Bookends, from Eden to Eden. Our pastor talked about creation and how we have trashed it. Our church auditorium was literally full of trash. You had to kick around newspapers to get to your seat. He talked about our love of materiel things. When he was talking about this “stuff” I felt God speak to me. “You will never be wealthy. It is not your things I want people to see.” What joy I find in that statement. I don’t want people to see my stuff either; I want them to see my Father. I want them to see joy. To experience this overwhelming love I have for my family and for the things of God.
For the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
—Nehemiah 8:10
You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
—Psalm 16:11
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
—John 15:11
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
—Philippians 4:4
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
—John 13:34-35


My prayer is only to know Him more, to need Him more. For Him to fill me, for He is enough. Below is some scripture I had Noah memorize some time back it is so meaningful to me now:
ISAIAH 43:
1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
"Do not fear, 8 for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 "For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 "Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
5 "Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
6 "I will say to the north, `Give them up!'
And to the south, `Do not hold them back.'
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."
8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses that 5 they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, "It is true."
10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 "I, even I, am the LORD,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12 "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD,
"And I am God.
13 "Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?"

First time around...again

Many of you already read the brief essay I wrote about our first adoption, on the CWA newsletter or our church website www.southlandchristian.org, but for those who didn't here it is again:
The “Birth” of a New Family
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Recently, I bought a plaque that has the famous quote, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.” That’s the kind of moment you experience the first time you lay eyes on your adopted child. The drive to the orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was short from where we were staying, but it felt like Christmas Eve as a child. We chatted anxiously with our wonderful Christian driver as we approached the gates of the compound encompassing our children’s home—at least for the last three months. I will have to admit I was a bit nervous. Will they like me? Will they hug me? Will it be awkward? Will they wonder why God sent them a white mother?
My anxieties were all wrong. As soon as we entered the gate I saw him—Derara Desta Simon Bond. He was wearing a smile and the traditional Ethiopian dress. I was in awe. This child dressed for me, for us. He knew today he would go home and he dressed special for that day. He ran to me and hugged me and he smelled like a little boy—like dirt and sweat and spices. It was love at first sight—or really love before first sight.
I felt for an instant unworthy—unworthy of the gift of this child. I also felt, and feel, honored by this call to love God’s children, to let Him love them through me, through us. I looked down through the tears in my eyes and he was slowly running toward me with his head down, Beniam Teraku Bond. He was dressed in a ghastly neon green and orange sweat-suit and the lump again formed in my throat at his amazing beauty. He jumped up into my arms for a hug and fit around me like a glove.
In that instant I was overcome by the vastness of God. He knew before I even WAS that one day these very children would be my own. My son Noah and my husband Ryan crowded around for our first family picture and our first family hug. Behind the camera was my ex-husband, my son’s father, also Ethiopian. He was not there for the birth of our son, but God wanted to restore that which was lost to me and He divinely arranged for David to be there for the “birth” of my other children. He not only gifted me with these boys; He also was in the process of my restoration.
One of my favorite funny authors Ann Lamott says “Laughter is just carbonated holiness.” Jesus gifted me with these little giggly boys and simultaneously was making me more and more His image-bearer.
The road for us has been smooth; we have only been home a few months but we are enjoying knowing and loving each other. The task before us is huge. These boys are 4 and 8 and have lost everything. But just as Jesus sees to value my restoration, He will see to valuing theirs. Each day as I actively love them I know it is He who gives me the strength.
Lisa BondSubmitted May 3, 2007

school trip and hum, um 35 years old?

Noah got in an age progression machine, above is a picture of him very old.
Me and bubby at the park.
Noah and friends on a scavenger hunt.

We went on the 4th grade trip last week. We left early Wednesday morning and went to a science center. Then we went to a park. We spent the night in the Hampton Inn and the next day visited a cave and a Austrailia type of park. We returned home Thursday night and Friday morning loaded the school bus for a two hour ride to a state historical site. It was wonderful to spend time with Noah and watch him interact with his friends.

On Friday, I turned 35 and my husband turned 33. 35 is tough for me...

35 means....

I know my years of being able to bear a child biologically are numbered.

I know the greatest thing we can give anyone is love

I know some people will never love us the way we wish for them too, but we must be gracious and love them anyway.

I know I have ONE life to work for Gods Glory and the time to do it is NOW.

I know I will only get physically less attractive, but my inside continues to become more beautiful

I know there are such worse problems in the world than my battle with 10 lbs.

I know there is good in the world as evidenced by my husband and kids

35 leaves many of my questions unanswered...

Why do those with HIV die in Africa, but not in the US?

Why do I need a pair of shoes for every outfit, when all over the globe children go without any shoes?

Why do we have such a food distribution issue? Why are we throwing food away, when so many go to bed hungry?

Why do stay at home Mom's judge me? Why do I?

In the next 35 years...I hope to be surrounded by grandchildren of ever race, from all over the world. I hope Ryan and I are serving our Lord somewhere outside of this country. I hope many of questions have answers...more than that I hope I still have questions.

I never thought I'd say...

With Mothers day approaching, I have to think of the two women, besides my own mother, who have greatest influenced my life: My son’s mothers. Not a phrase I thought I’d say when I was a little girl. I never thought I’d have son’s that were birthed by someone else. Women who I never met. Women who I am sure I would have loved. Women who were born on the wrong continent, for if they were born in the US they would still be alive and caring for their children. I am sure my kids and husband will buy me something grand for Mothers day. I think about them and wonder if ANYONE ever told them of their high value. I think of Derara’s Mom the most often, likely because we are adopting a second of her children. They have big doe eyes and I wonder if they got them from her. Derara has a delightful laugh and I wonder if it echo’s her laugh. Beniam has this behavior where he seems to retreat within himself when he’s in trouble, I wonder if in that place he can SEE or FEEL the comfort of his birth mother. I know these women loved their children. I know they wanted the best for them. I know they never wanted to leave them. I am so THANKFUL to have been given, or to have seized the opportunity to raise these kids. These are now my kids, but really they are Gods and they are taking up temporary residence in my/our heart and lives. Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers. Let us remember today the mothers who greatest influenced our lives.

FROM HIV TO HOME

Monday, May 5, 2008
two little girls
I want to say something about Tsion and Samrawit, two little girls who died at AHOPE, my son's orphanage, in the past month. These two little girls are not dead because they had HIV. They are dead because we don’t really care. The blunt truth is that these two little girls were fortunate enough to make it to AHOPE, a place where people care enough to do something. At AHOPE, they received medication, hugs, love, and even the hope of being adopted. But they hadn’t been adopted yet. If they had been and had been in the US, they would be alive today. And they would probably be alive for many years to come – high school, college, jobs, marriage, children. All of it.I am speaking here to a hypothetical “you”. I don’t know who will read this post. But you could have done something.Here are some quotes from some reading I did this weekend.“We can’t reach far enough to offer compassion because our arms are too busy holding all that we own.” (Red Letters, Tom Davis)“Put yourself in the figurative shoes (she has no real ones) of a five-year-old girl somewhere in the middle of Africa. Your father has died of AIDS and, after you’ve watched your mother cough up blood and shrivel to nothing for the past month-and-a-half, she too is gone. How do you make sense of this [that God offers hope]? How could you not feel abandoned? What do you set your hopes in? You set your hopes in people. People who might show up and offer a refuge, a safe place, a home. People who are the living embodiment of Christ himself. People like you and me. People who can show, with the actions of their heart, that God has not abandoned you…” (Red Letters)You have “been given influences, resources, and the ability to make a difference in what seems like a hopeless situation….what if you knew your actions could prevent even one death?” (Red Letters)Readers, you and I are responsible for these girls’ deaths. You and I are responsible for the 6,000 children that will be orphaned by AIDS today. Before you go to bed tonight there will be 6,000 more children orphaned by what is only a chronic disease in our country. Somehow this is OK with us. We say it’s not – we buy red shirts and carry red phones and wear rubber bracelets. But we don’t give a single thought to today’s 6,000 children. This is not just. We think that we are powerless, that these are simply the winds of evil that blow across barren places in our world. But we are not powerless. God’s kingdom has been entrusted to our hands. Empty your hands of all those other things that you are holding on to. Please.
I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. (Elie Wiesel)
COPIED FROM:
www.fromhivtohome.org

nurses week

Happy Nurse's week to all my fellow nurses.

Being a nurse means ...
You will never be bored.
You will always be frustrated.
You will be surrounded by challenges.
So much to do and so little time.
You will carry immense responsibility
and very little authority.
You will step into people's lives --
and you will make a difference.
Some will bless you.
Some will curse you.
You will see people at their worst --
and at their best.
You will never cease to be amazed
at people's capacity for
love, courage, and endurance.
You will see life begin ...
and end.
You will experience resounding triumphs
and devastating failures.
You will cry a lot.
You will laugh a lot.
You will know what it is to be human
and to be humane.
*Melodie Phenevert

HIV awareness

This is from a friends blog:

Friday, April 25, 2008
Wake Up People! This is 2008, not 1980!
A friend of mine wrote a great post (you can see the original post here), asking everyone to "tell two" people the truth about HIV/AIDS. Frankly, I don't think I can say it better than she did, so I have pasted her post below. =) Please take a moment to read it (all 2 of you!) and consider "telling two" yourself. Something has to be done - it should start with you and me."Tell Two"
Today I have heard from several different parents of HIV+ children who are facing negative reactions to their adoptions based on the stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV. It is extremely frustrating to me that in 2008 there is still so much unfounded fear caused by a lack of education, that results in nasty, ugly and mean treatment of people who are HIV+ and their families.
The reason people in the U.S. are not educated about HIV is that most people don't care, because most people in this country are not affected by it. People still see it as the problem of homosexuals, drug users and people in Africa. The reality is, HIV/AIDS is everyone's problem. It is a devastating problem in Africa and many countries, but there are many, many Americans living with this disease as well. In fact, new cases of HIV in the U.S. are now being seen in the largest numbers in heterosexual women. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem.
Living with this nasty disease is hard enough, but compounding that with the misguided fear and judgment of society is beyond tragic, and as the mom of two HIV+ children, it is sad and frustrating.
So, if you are one of the many who check in to this blog every day, I am asking you to do me a favor. I want you to tell at least two people about HIV. Spread the word that...
- HIV can NOT be spread through causal/household contact. HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other causal way. It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).
- HIV is now considered a chronic but manageable disease. With treatment, people who are HIV+ can live indefinitely without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives.