A hit and run post, as Meg would call it (I forgot to put a title when I posted!)

Children are on my mind today. I love kiddos. Sometimes I'm around out-of-control kiddos who force me work hard to look past their behavior and see them for who they are (nothing more than little sinners just like us big sinners:-) but overall I can't imagine how boring and shallow this world would be if it were made up of only adults!

Any of you who know me (or are friends with my mom) probably know that my lifelong dream has been to raise up a whole brood of little ones! I have this vision of our home being filled with children of all ages and nationalities. Up to now I'm totally confused as to why I have this dream since it hasn't happened and doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon (if ever) but it is something that stays on my heart...A LOT!

I don't want to put any of my blog-readers in an awkward position (especially you comment-leavers!) by going on and on about this aspect of my life but I have to share a few things for the rest of this post to make sense! We have one child after 7 years of marriage (and after having taken no preventative measures). It has definitely been one of the most difficult struggles in my life (which probably reveals how few trials I've actually been through!). So because of this (and many other events leading up to this) we spent the day yesterday at a Dr.'s office in a big city about an hour away having some exams done (on me).

I have no idea what the outcome of these tests will be but looking back I can see how the Lord led us to this Dr. and how confident I am that He is about to give us some answers. Even if they aren't the answers I would hope for I have such a peace because I am confident that it is in His hands! So I'm encouraged.

One thing I'm learning by watching Karis grow is how incredibly blessed she is...more so than she may ever realize. Even though we are far from perfect parents (and it sounds cliche to say but very true, nonetheless) she has absolutely no clue what millions and millions of children face every day. My heart is overwhelmed by the thoughts and feelings that orphans deal with on a day-to-day basis and how naive I am about their situation. At the same time I want to do all I can to be used by the Lord in their lives and don't know how.

There is this story that K.P. Yohannan has in his Road to Reality book (every believer should read it, just in case I haven't mentioned that before! Oh yeah, I've mentioned it like 34 times). It has come to my mind quite often and helped my worldview deepen a bit, I believe. I want to share it with you! If you're like me and have other things to do you'll be tempted to skip this part since you're probably reading books of your own and don't feel like receiving conviction-overload. I would encourage you to read it anyway...I know it will speak to you in some way!

"The streets of India–especially in our bloated, overpopulated cities like Bombay and Calcutta–are maddening to Western visitors. Millions of homeless people are born, live, and die in them. Part toilet, part barnyard, part roadway–they are also the bedroom, living room, and marketplace for the poorest of the world’s poor.

In summertime’s furnace heat, the dust of centuries rises from them to fill your eyes, choking your mouth and nose. In the monsoon rains, the streets turn into vast seas of mud and sewage. In winter, the freezing pavements bring disease and death to those who have nowhere else to rest their starving bodies.

It was one of these nightmarish streets of Bombay that I was surrounded by an army of begging children. Already late and on my way to an important meeting, I tried to ignore the pleading children as I waited for the light to turn green.

Suddenly from the sea of hungry faces I heard a voice so distinct from the rest that I was paralyzed. In crystal clear tones I heard her speaking in plaintive Hindi, “Sir, my father died three months ago of tuberculosis. My mother is too sick to beg anymore. My little brothers and sisters have not eaten for two days. Please, sir, they are hungry and crying. Can you please give me a few pennies so I can buy some bread?”

The light turned green. But I couldn’t move. I was arrested by the image of this little girl who must have been about 9 years old. Her face was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, perfectly shaped with big brown eyes and long black hair.

Through the tears on her cheeks, the dust and the sweat, I could see that in different circumstances this desperate little waif could easily have been a princess. Her filthy hair had obviously not been washed or combed for weeks. She was barefoot and dressed in rags. But I’m still sure she had the potential of being a winner in the Miss World beauty pageant.

Then something else happened. It was as if another face came before my eyes right beside hers. It was another child, about 8, also with big brown eyes. But she had long, clean hair and a shining face. Her clothes were fresh and colorful–and she wore nice socks and tennis shoes. I knew her. She was the best student in her class. Each night she said her prayers and read the Bible. Her parents loved her. She had a comfortable home, air-conditioned from the Texas summer and heated in the cold winter. She had a comfortable bed with clean sheets every week. I didn’t know the name of the dirty little beggar girl, but I did know the name of the girl beside her. It was Sarah, my own darling daughter.

Then I heard a supernatural voice beside me ask, “What is the value of this beggar girl? Is she of less value than your daughter, Sarah?” (K.P. Yohhanan "Road to Reality" page 136)

I think about this little girl when I look at Karis...quite often. I see how special she is to me and am then reminded how she isn't any more special to my Father than the thousands and thousands of children who haven't received the earthly comforts that Karis has. I don't know how the Lord can/will use us in other children's lives like that little girl but I do hope that Karis can grow up with a healthy perspective on her own life and the life that many children are forced to live. More than that I pray she has a heart to help them and to make sacrifices in her life in order to do so.I realize that not everybody is burdened/called to minister to children in this way but I do think many should be who are not.

Ok, now onto much more trivial things in life; like my living room! I'm actually only posting the before pictures since I don't have the after pictures yet. Actually, the living room isn't in after-picture condition yet. We still have the green flower lights with the florescent lights sticking out (we changed to the florescent lights because they end up saving us SOOOOO much money in electricity!).

Maybe I'll get around to taking some after pictures in the next few days!

After being away from bloggy-world for a while I now have an abundance of pictures just dying to be posted. Here are a few!

I find droopy diapers to be hilarious! Here is Karis with her droopy-diaper buddy! (they look a lot alike too...they could probably be droopy-diaper twins.)

Karis has been blowing me away by her artistic ability (I'm completely unbiased, I'm sure.) She has also realized what fun it is to have her artwork displayed on the frig. It is getting rather full. I guess you can be a refrigerator hog if you're an only child!

Aren't those the most amazing flowers? See, I told you she was artistic :-)

Another one to add to the "goofy-face" folder...