I GOT A JOB!!!

What??? You think I have enough to do with my 7 kids, farm, home schooling, public speaking & advocacy for Drug Endangered Children.

I am thanking God today for running into my kids old case worker late the other night at WALLY WORLD!

God has been calling me FOR MONTHS to do more to help the orphan.... I have been dreaming about black children and have felt drawn to Ethiopia for some time. I have been praying, reading books and buying stuff to support Africa.

I mentioned this to our social worker-I told her I felt our hands were tied since we can no longer foster here in our state because we have 6 children under age 16 (over the licensing limit). That's when she said "Oh, but we are desperate for Host Homes and you don't have to be licensed to be a Host Home." She went on to explain what this entails and gave me the number of the point of contact-"Dave". I came home, told The Captain and called the next day.

What is a Host Home? It's a safe place children stay for 1-2 days until their court date. These children are often removed from their homes with drugs, abuse or some type of danger. They are knows as "CINC" Child In Need of Care. Most of this happens on the weekend or the middle of the night.

I told "Dave" our history and he told me this "YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY!" I faxed him a copy of our old foster license and training certificate and they ran our background checks and he called me today to tell me that we are approved to be a HOST HOME. We could get a call as soon as this weekend. Only one other person in our county is doing this-he truly was desperate.

He also offered me a job-a difficult job. The job of an intake coordinator-I would be there with law enforcement to take a report when a child is removed from a dangerous home. I asked The Captain and he was very supportive. We live in a very spread out rural county and there is only one other intake person in our county. I told him I would do it the 2 weeks a month The Captain is home.

Thanking God today for using me right here in my community when I didn't think I could help-thanking Him for opening my eyes to a need to truly SERVE HIM through these children. What are you doing to help the kids in your community?

Once our eyes are opened, we can't PRETEND we do not know what to do. God who weighs our hearts & keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us RESPONSIBLE TO ACT! Proverbs 24:12

Mark 9:37 Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

Don't forget to check in on Isaiah at HIS BLOG and give Jen some encouragement. We've raised over $1100 on facebook in 2 days-GOD IS SO GOOD!

FIRST GIVEAWAY-YAY!

This is my first official giveaway!

It's in honor of my 104th post!

Seems like yesterday when I had NO CLUE what a blog even was! LOVE the blogging community! God has lead SO MANY friends to me!

I've been SO EXCITED and anxiously awaiting this little gift below to give to one of YOU...my faithful or sporadic bloggy readers!
Isn't it boxed so adorably? It will be a surprise to the winner!
My new friend Beki-has the most adorable stuff! She just made me this necklace and I LOVE IT! It's reversible-she also made the winners surprise!



















There are only 2 requirements for this giveaway. THEY'RE EASY!

#1 You must leave a comment on this post by Friday, Feb 20th at 11pm.

#2 You must promise to share the following quotes/facts with 2 people....

Every 10 seconds, one person dies of AIDS and another 2 are infected. A total of 3 million people die each year from AIDS. This staggering number has been compared to 20 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes crashing every single day for an entire year.

"WILL American Christians stand by as an entire continent dies?" ---Bono from U2

Halfway around the world..there is a little boy or girl who is desperately in need of your compassion.

Less than 3 percent of evangelical Christians said they would help a Christian organization minister to an AIDS orphan.

"In the poor we meet Jesus in HIS most distressing disguises."--Mother Theresa

"You can throw up your hands in despair (about the sheer numbers of children suffering)...OR you can roll up your sleeves and get to work."-Larry Jones, co-founder-Feed The Children

How do we get our arms around 15 million children orphaned by AIDS? It is not impossible. There are 350,000 Evangelical churches in America. If every church in America sponsored 42 African AIDS orphans, we literally could SAVE THEIR LIVES!

"THE HIV/AIDS pandemic is the greatest opportunity for the Church to be the Church. It is time for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need compassion." -----------------RICK WARREN

* There are 4.8 million orphans in Ethiopia.

- " In 2005, Ethiopia had 1,563,000 AIDS orphans, the second-highest concentration of such children in the world; and 4,414,000 orphans from all causes, the second-highest number in the world."

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody -- I think that is a much greater hunger -- a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. ~Mother Teresa

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” God is commanding us to care for the orphan!

“Whoever receives a child in My name, receives Me.” Matthew 18:5

There are NO unwanted children in the world, satan wants them ALL.

No, you can't "save the world" but you CAN make a difference in the life of one child that will last for generations. Bringing the love of Jesus to even ONE of the least of these-it's what Jesus would want.-ME(Jen)

"Though it makes things tighter for us in this king size bed, our home, our vehicle, as well as our wallet, the little pressure we may feel does not even compare to the pressure these little ones are experiencing. I figure if I ever make a mistake in over-indulging this is a good one to make." --John Loux (friend adopting 2 special needs kids from Ukraine as I type)

What are you willing to suffer for the sake of a child?

Got ya thinking huh? Good luck on the GIVEAWAY!

Toms and Pizza!

I only briefly got to talk to THE CAPTAIN late tonight & he was so tired so the details of the day didn't get shared. I am posting this info that may seem menial to you...For Him!

THE HIGHLIGHTS
Woke up to the phone ringing (7:30am)-Our new Auger (farmin equipment) is in. I had 3 in bed with me when I awoke 1 boy-2 girls.

The boys have the sniffles and Wy Wy swears his nose is "bleedin" but I tell him its just runny boogers.

All my sweats are low-rise so anytime I sit-Bit But promptly STICKS HIS FINGER IN MY CRACK and screams "POO POO!" and then runs away laughing.

I taught about meters, kilometers and such to Mr. Smearfritz and about Jesus and Romans to "T".

The oldest dropped by for a visit & surprised me with a diet Dr. P-that was nice.

3:30-do I have time to take a quick shower (I really stunk), dress and load 6 littles by the time I need to leave for piano lessons at 3:45? SURE I DO-lock bedroom door, shower, dress-load em all up and head to piano-call chiropractor to tell her I'm on my way and guess what? She left early today-never happened before. HOW DARE HER? I SHOWERED FOR HER! I Needed my body/sanity fix! Bit Bit fell asleep in car.

4-5pm-got gas, washed car and sat in piano teachers driveway.

We usually eat RIGHT AT 5pm but tonight it was 6pm-THREW MY WHOLE NIGHT OFF! Bit But slept in the car (yes in the car) until 6:15-we were all done eating by the time I finally woke him up. I had the doors open to garage and window down in vehicle people-CHILL!

Came home & tried a GREAT new recipe for BBQ chicken pizza and I doubled it as I do ALL recipes for this tribe-YUMMERS! Cooking dinner without Bit But hanging on my leg was a BREEZIO!

Mr. Smearfritz and I LOVE Jalepenos so our part had JAPS on it!You probably notice in most of my photos where there is food..there are paper plates. Why? If I did dishes for all we go through I'd have 3 loads a day.

Paper plates make it so I only have to run the dishwasher once a day.

Bit But slept in the car (yes in the car) until 6:15-we were all done eating by the time I finally woke him up. I had the doors open to garage and window down in vehicle people-CHILL!

Aw-Bell LOVES having her pic taken-here she is with "T"-Pizza LOVE!
After supper and kids cleaned up, we watched Jon & Kate whom the little ones call "their guys" and they slowly drifted to bed by 9pm.

Bit But went at 10:30 due to his extended late nap.

Then I got on-line and got THESE SHOES that I have been wanting for a while. They are Toms Shoes. Toms saying is "ONE FOR ONE"-for every pair you buy-a child in need will also get a pair-GOOD STUFF. Then I went to GOBENA COFFEE and got some of their Coffee that supports orphans in ETHIOPIA, Zambia, Ukraine and India. I have their link also on my side bar.

I figure If I can't adopt a child in Ethiopia right now, I will do all I can to support the causes of the orphans there. I feel my heart & God's voice pulling me there. One day....I pray.....

WITH ALL OF THAT SAID...I am Going to BED-hey I made a rhyme!

And as I do, I will be DREAMING OF HIM........

And praising God for all the wonderful gifts I have been given & praying for those in need.

"You hear, oh Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed" Psalms 10:17-18