Depraved Indifference

(sometimes only the play button shows up..just push it and it will go)

What else is there to say?

God, make my heart more like Yours each day. Willing to abandon my life, willing to love, willing to run….May I never again suffer from depraved indifference. Continue to break my heart for what breaks Yours—no matter how unconformable it may be for me.

Ethiopian Spiced Honey Bread

Okay friends…here is the recipe!!
 
As much as I would like to be---I am not an organized, take beautiful pictures baker. I feel a HUGE accomplishment to even bake!!


Recipe:
Yemarina Yewotet Dabo
(Ethiopian Spiced Honey Bread)

1 package of yeast, active dry
1/4 c lukewarm water
1 egg
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp.  ground coriander seed
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup lukewarm milk
6 Tbsp butter melted
4-5 cups flour, all purpose

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let stand for 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Set the bowl in a warm place for about 5 minutes; mixture should double in volume. If it does not, repeat procedure.
Combine the egg, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a deep bowl, mixing until smooth. Add the yeast mixture, milk , and 5 tbsp of melted butter. Beat until well blended. Stir in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, until becomes to stiff to stir.
On a lightly floured board, knead the dough, adding a small amount of flour when necessary to keep from sticking.  Knead for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit in warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.
Grease a cookie sheet with remaining butter. Punch down bread and knead it again for a few minutes. Shape dough into a round or a braid and place on sheet. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Let bread rise again while oven is preheating. Bake bread for 1 hour or until the top is crusty and light golden brown.
Enjoy!
I found this recipe somewhere but have no idea where now.  It is a good one!

Accountability

I’ve been slack on the blog…I’ll admit it.  And yesterday my eldest let me know.
Here is our email exchange:
Bekah:
You need to update your blog.
Tomorrow will be a week.
This is so pitiful.
I’m ashamed to be your daughter
Me:
Sticks tongue out at disrespectful daughter

Bekah:
It’s not disrespect.
I’m holding you accountable.
Apparently I have disappointed her and needed to be held accountable.
Life has been busy and I’ve been a little (okay..a bit more than a little) stressed and let’s just say the blog gets put on the back burner. But I know all of you are out there just waiting to hear what I have to say (snort) about life and my world so I am sorry that I have let you all down. Hopefully you made it through the week without me.
To appease my eldest:
Here are some pictures:
Ethiopian spiced honey bread we made…yum. very good. I still need to post this recipe for you. Maybe I will make that disrespectful daughter do it! :)

First snow we had and Ab went outside on the deck and wrote I LOVE YOU.

Sugar cookie fun.

Yesterday’s snowfall. The kids worked hard making a snow fort all day with their sand bucket.
   

Just thought this was pretty !
 
Our little dog, Bonnie, that loves the snow. She gets so cold that she starts shaking but won’t come in because she loves it.  Josh finally caught her and brought her in.  And all that snow ended up on my floor.
 
There you go! Hopefully that will appease the eldest!!
And by the way…our new numbers are

and

 

IJM Benefit Dinner

Last night I had the privilege to go up with a couple of friends to IJM’s benefit dinner in DC.
As always, it was inspiring and gives you a renewed sense of urgency. 
Hearing live from people in the field really gives you a personal touch to the ministry and reminds you that this is REAL. These girls enslaved in brothels are REAL. The widow whose home is stolen is REAL.  The family enslaved generation after generation is REAL.  The man falsely imprisoned is REAL. 
The oppressor is REAL.
The work is hard on so many accounts for IJM staff and I am so privileged to be able to play a small part in this ministry.
And..Sanctus Real was wonderful!
I encourage you to check out IJM’s website.  They also have a new app for your iphone!  .
You can also check out IJM Institute.

Mosquito Nets Delivered!

Remember Vince’s goal of 100?  Remember how excited I was at 47 nets?  Well guess how many were purchased!!!  130!!!  The original estimate of the price we could have bought 47, then Vince found out that we could probably get 80….When they went to buy them, they could buy 130!!!
Don’t you love when God breaks your goal?  haha.  Talk about some loaves and fish!
Below are the pictures of Vince and his family meeting at the school to hand out the nets.  They were only able to do 60 on that day and are going back to do more this week. 
Thank you so much for your support in this project. Just look at these faces and know you have helped to keep them safe at night!

Getting ready

Vince and his girls are in the background below.

Samantha is in the background helping to hand out the nets.

Sweet, sweet faces.
   
Click on Vince’s name above to see his site or go to www.grassrootsheroes.org as well.
Also…Vince will be in California around Feb/March of 2011 and would love come and share his story and heart with your group. (Trust me..it’s a powerful one!)
If you’d like to be involved with this or see about him speaking with your group, contact me at Chrissy@grassrootsheroes.org
Again…Thank you!!!

Here’s Yoda

Where dad found Yoda yesterday.

 

After drinking most of it.  Darling son put it in the ice dispenser. HaHa.

And yes, Cindy, you can play…just look for him at the house :)

A gift from Lifesong

We received a package in the mail yesterday from Lifesong. 

Lifesong has many great things going on and are wonderful advocates for adoption and orphan care.

I LOVE receiving packages. Here is what I found inside:

This beautiful card with a picture of a young man, Allan who is a double orphan in Zambia.

 

A note in his handwriting thanking for supporting children like him.

And a critter made by him! It looks so good with our Christmas decorations!

I was blessed ! :)

Here is their gift catalog for your Christmas shopping!

I LOVE these joy t-shirts!

Things That I Love

I LOVE the fact that Vince took your money to buy 47 nets and then told me that he was able to buy 80 nets!!  Yes, 80!!  I had prayed and asked God to multiply it (his goal was 100)  We are only 20 short of that goal! Thank you God!  Thank you all for your compassion and generosity to the people of a small village in Zambia!
Can’t wait to show you pictures!! 
In the meantime, here is a picture of Vince and his family:

Aren’t they beautiful?
I LOVE that my son, Ab is adjusting so well. Here is what the WHOLE family received on Thanksgiving.  He made 18 of these. (and inserted cousin, brother, nephew etc)

 
Melt your heart.
I LOVE some of the silly things we do as family…such as play and hide and seek with random characters. It adds much laughter into some of our long days. 
It started out with a Mark Martin figurine that we would hide (but it had to be partially visible.) Whoever found him first had to re-hide but not tell anyone.  Somehow Mark Martin disappeared and it switched to Darth Vader. His last hiding place was inside Stripe Earl’s cage (our pet rat).  Said rat ate Darth. Chewed him all up. Rest in peace Darth.
Now…it’s Yoda.  Here he is ‘hiding’ on top of the doorbell.

yes, with lots of dust bunnies to keep him company!
 
He was found and I am not sure where he is right now!
This has been the sign on Rachel’s door about a week now.  Hmmmm.

Show the love of Christ to a child in need this Christmas!

What are you doing this year for Christmas?

Decorating the house?  Making Christmas cookies?  Celebrating with family and loved ones?  Exchanging gifts?

What if this year you gave gifts that not only celebrated your loved ones but brought the love of Christ to a child in need?  An orphan in Africa, India, Ukraine, or Honduras?

This year Lifesong for Orphans has gifts that will do just that.  Give the new Lifesong cookbook...

  

 

or give a child in Africa food, a child in Honduras job skills training, a child in India a home... in honor of those you love... and really, what could be better at Christmas than to know your gift was given to a child who needed it more.

Check it out here.

May God bless your holiday season!  


10-11 Gifts of Purpose from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving and Final Net Count & a winner !

The big kids decide to decorate outside….I am watching to see if a fight will ensue.
I got out to help…thankfully there are no pictures of me standing and precariously reaching out to throw the lights over the tree….

They decide to to do the bushes instead… (I was still voting for throwing them over the tree from the ladder. I think they were worried for my safety.)

Went inside and made the best Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake.  Yea..it was good. 
Tell me..does your kitchen look like this when you are done?

I am ashamed to say I have no pictures of Thanksgiving Day.  Horrible, I know. I was busy.
Friday, we went to pick out our tree. This year the two big kids got the final say.  And…as we left and I told Ab to get his big coat , we discovered he had no big coat. So he is wearing big brothers…just a tad too big! :)  Don’t worry..he has one now.

After looking through the field…they pick one already cut.

Tree is now decorated and the boys were lounging watching the Va Tech / UVA game. I looked in and saw this…

love it.
And now…
Update on the Nets!!
Our final count is 45!!! 
Thank you friends so much for caring about people you have never met!!
I am blessed, Vince & Samantha are blessed and the people of Grippes Farm will be blessed.
And the random (computer picked not me!) winner of the bracelet and t-shirt is my high school friend Christina!! 
Christina, I will contact you to get your address! Thank you!!
The money will be sent over on Monday and the nets purchased and delivered this week. Now I am praying they are cheaper than expected so even more can be bought with your gifts!!
I will be post pictures as soon as possible!!
(PS…if you missed this and still want to give you still can!!  Click here for the post.   Vince’s goal was a 100 nets)

More Firsts

Update on mosquito nets!!  28 !!!  have now been purchased! Would you like to join in and be a part?  $10 to purchase a net for one of the families for the village we support in Zambia.  Click here for details!!  You could win a t-shirt and a bracelet made in Zambia for your help!

1) Ab had his first time skating last night at a friends party.  We started out really slow….

 
but was going good by the end of the night.  I didn’t even put skates on because I knew I would be helping him. Lots of pulling up off of the floor. And though I LOVE my TOMS shoes, they don’t protect much from roller skates rolling over your feet! Ouch!
2) When I am gone, my husband lets the kids climb up on the roof.  I need to rethink my babysitter selection.
    
3) This is my eldest does when bored. She needs help.

4) I am so very glad of opportunities to share about adoption, orphan care, humanitarian projects with others. I am so thankful when someone else’s heart is moved and they take initiative to join in as well.  It blesses me and I know it blesses God.  
Thank you to everyone who has donated to Save a Life with a Net!  The drive will end Friday so jump in to make a real difference!
I was telling my friend Lisa today how hard it would be as a mom to wonder with each mosquito bite if it was the one that could possibly make your child very sick or even die. I can’t even imagine that.  We can make a difference with our $10 today!  I will get pictures from Samantha and Vince to show what your money purchased!
Click on this post to donate!  All of this money will go straight to Samantha and Vince to purchase nets.  Their goal is 100.
Thank you!  Feel free to email me with questions!