15 (More) Signs That You Might Be A Crazy Sponsor Parent

For those of you who enjoyed my post “15 Signs That You Might Be A Crazy Sponsor Parent.”… here’s Part 2! (Read Part 1 HERE!)

This is the Compassion Edition of “15 Signs” with suggestions from my friends over at the Our Compassion Forum, the place for Compassion sponsors to gather!

From Victoria A:

1.       You hold your wedding outside on a 97 degree day so that it won’t interfere with the timeframe or budget of your already-planned sponsor tour.

2.       You convince your new spouse that a sponsor tour to a third world country can actually count as a honeymoon!

From Kelli J:

3.       You’re disappointed when you don't receive a letter from your child even when you just heard from them last week.

4.       You devote multiple pages in your scrapbook to your children.

5.       You refer to your parent's sponsored children as your siblings and your parents refer to your sponsored children as their grandkids.

From Trisha P:

6.       The most exciting part of your day is when the mail truck comes.

From Michelle R:

7.       Your heart melts when you see a pencil smudge fingerprint on a letter from your child....  and you press your finger to the print to "touch" that child.

From Erin C:

8.       You’re constantly on the Compassion Forum to talk about your sponsored children and to hear about others.

From Emily J:

9.       You count down the days 'til it's time for a photo update.

From Amanda W:

10.   You refer to your sponsored children as your kids in public and in private.

From Joan C:

11.   You keep looking for and finding kids you want to sponsor on the web site.

From Kayla G:

12.   You jump down almost a full flight of stairs in your eagerness to open a letter.

From Andy and Miranda:

13.   You look at your child's weather online and wish you could move to their community because it's warmer/colder there than it is in your city.

From Lizzie:

14.   You want to name your future child after your sponsored child.

15.   You decide to like washing dishes because your child says their favorite thing to do is wash dishes!

If you’ve done any of these things, or if you have your own “Crazy sponsor parent” moment to share, please feel free to comment below, or share it on the Path of the Carpenter’s Facebook Page!

Monday Mail Call: Catch-up Edition

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been a slacker when it comes to blogging lately! I’ll blame it on the winter blahs. Anyway, I’ve received three beautiful letters from my kids since the start of this year, and today is a good day to get caught up and share them with you!

My first letter of the year was a card from Shakira, which arrived (hand-delivered by Mama Jo I should say!) on January the 11^th. It was my first time hearing from sixteen-year-old Shakira, and she made me a beautiful card! Here it is:

She also drew me a colorful flower inside, adding that she hoped it made me happy because it made her happy!

Shakira wrote that she was happy to have known that I chose her. She told me she loved me so much and added, “God continue to give you many blessings and protect you from temptations.” Then she told me that she wished to have my picture, and she closed by wishing me a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

I love how she is not shy at all about asking for my picture! (There was a mix-up with the Rwandan post, and I recently found out that she just now received all the letters that I’ve written to her – five at one time! She must have been excited!) Of course, I immediately wrote again and sent her even more pictures.

Then, on January the 15^th, I received a quick note from Isimbi. She shared that her family and her are alright, and that she is going to pass in primary 5 soon. She then tells me that she’s happy to write to me and shared her exam results with me. She asked if I was doing all right, and told me her family was preparing for Christmas, and asked if I was as well. She then wished me a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year as well, and thanked me for the coloring pages (“pages of Jesus”) and stickers I had sent her.

I was thankful to hear from Isimbi again; as my youth group’s sponsored child and my first correspondent child, she will always have a special place in my heart. We also celebrated our “1-year anniversary” on January 21^st… I have been writing to Isimbi for one full year! Time sure does fly!

My most recent letter was from my Kenyan brother Mbula, and it arrived on February 4^th. And speaking of Mbula, I just realized that I never shared his second letter with you all… whoops! Anyway, this was his third letter; and like the others, it was brimming with information and answers to my questions. I love the relationship I am developing with this Godly young man.

In his letter, he told me that he hoped I was going on well with my family. He then told me that he was happy to hear about my grandmother and that he is praying that she will live longer. He also thanked God for being with her all over since she was born. (She is 92 now.) He told me that his family is praying for me and that they are remembering me every time. Then he told me, “My brothers were very much interested with the letter that you send me. Actually, it was very interesting and they appreciated very much.” (I have the feeling this is in response to a letter about a historical community I sent him, with pictures and a flyer with lots of details.)

Mbula then told me his siblings’ names (He has one sister and three brothers!) and he thanked me for my appreciation of the Kenyan athlete Wilson Kipsang. (He broke a world record in running recently) Then he thanked me for the Christmas gift I sent him, and asked what I do and what my favorite game is as well as requesting further prayer for his studies. Finally, he closed by wishing me a merry Christmas and a prosperous happy new year.

I love the fact that since Mbula is 18 (well, soon to be 19) and he writes in English, we’ve been able to develop a great friendship so quickly. He seems to be a very mature, conscientious young man. In only his second letter to me, he told me that his hope was that I was praying for him to continue being saved by God the Father, and that I should remember that God is my portion so I must keep his words and commandments. He also told me that he was praying for me to continue being God’s servant. I have said this before and I’ll say it again… I am so blessed to have Mbula as my correspondent “brother”!

Have you heard from any of your sponsored children lately? Feel free to let me know; I love your comments! J

They Call Her Mama Jesus (Part 2)

This is the second installment of a two-part series. You can read Part 1 here: PART ONE

On Sunday morning, I again arrived as early as possible at the venue, not wanting to miss one moment of the excitement. As our band, Driftwood Cross, ran through our song list, I watched my friends and family trickle in. I noticed that Mama gave me a special smile and wave when she came in, and I glowed.

When you spend any amount of time with Jo and Jo (and now Mama too) you’ll quickly discover that they are amazing singers and worshippers. Their voices blend and weave together with such exquisite harmony that you’ll feel like you’ve been lifted into Heaven by angels. So when the girls requested that we add “How Great Thou Art” to our morning song line-up and offered to sing it in Kinyarwanda, we quickly agreed.

Isaiah 56:7 says, “My House will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” As the band sang in English and Jocelyne, Josephine, and Mama Jo accompanied us in Kinyarwanda, it felt like a small piece of Heaven had come down to earth. I believe we were given a glimpse of the day when every nation, tribe, and tongue will gather together in praise to our Father.

After our time of worship, Mama Jo began to speak. Josephine stood close by and acted as translator as Mama expounded on the Scriptures and told stories from her life. One thing that Mama said really stood out to me. “We are like a glass that the Lord fills with water. But in order for the Lord to keep filling us, we need to pour some out. Otherwise we will just sit, full of blessings but never giving any away and never receiving anything new. When we pour out of our time, resources, money, or whatever He has blessed us with; then He will continue to fill us.”

As Mama talked, I delighted in listening and watching her. Wearing a flowing, traditional African dress and shawl, she stood as erect as a queen. Listening to her low, slightly husky voice, I smiled whenever she said a word that I knew. Imana (God), imbabazi (mercy), amazi (water) and even amafaranga (money)! I marveled that this saint of God had come all the way across the ocean to teach us. It was kind of like having Mother Teresa in our midst.

Even after Mama finished her message, her words kept playing over and over again in my mind. They were so simple, yet profound. In order to receive, we must give… But then again, serving God is like that. The first shall be last, and the last, first. In order to find your life, you must lose it. We cannot be made whole until we become broken. It’s the opposite of the world’s system… which is why it works. Man could never invent something that sounds so illogical… giving to get. Dying to live. Losing to find. It sounds crazy, but it’s so simple. And it’s so beautiful.

That’s one of the reasons why I can hardly wait for my trip to Rwanda… I can’t wait to be broken. So I can finally become whole.

That evening, after the hustle and bustle of the day, a small group of us gathered at the home of friends Sherry and David, to enjoy a time of fellowship with Jocelyne, Josephine, and Mama Jo. I love to sit and listen to a group of friends talking together… you learn so much by just observing the way people interact with each other.

During the course of the night, as friends continued to arrive, we started to run out of space for chairs. David solved that problem by taking a seat on the floor next to Mama. It reminded me of one of the wishes I’d made my blog post Hurry Up and Wait; to sit at the feet of some of these precious Rwandan women and learn from them. At first I wrestled with the notion; it’s one thing to think something but quite another to do it, especially in front of a roomful of people. But it didn’t take me long to decide, “If David gets up and moves, I’m sitting next to Mama.”

My chance came soon enough when David excused himself from the room for a minute. At the moment I didn’t care how foolish I looked; I quickly got down on the floor and scooted next to Mama’s knee. When David returned, he gave me a surprised look; I just grinned and said, “You find your own place, I’m sitting with Mama.” A round of laughter greeted that remark.

Mama squeezed my shoulders gently and then began playing with my hair. As the night wore on there were stories told, laughter shared, and even a few tears cried; but not for the world would I leave my spot on the floor. Even though I began to get stiff after a while, I scarcely dared move as Mama moved her fingers in small circles across my shoulders and gently slid her hands in and out of my hair.

At one point Josephine, who was sitting next to us, leaned over and told me, “She loves your hair. You know that, right?” She also remarked that Mama had never seen a muzungu (white person) with red hair like mine.

Finally, quite a while into the evening, after most of the stories had been shared, I gathered up my nerve and leaned over to Jocelyne, who was sitting on the other side of Mama. “Can I say something?” I asked.

Immediately Jocelyne called out, “Everybody listen, Hannah has something to share!”

I was flustered at the sudden attention, but explained, “You all know that when I first moved to Newfoundland over three years ago…has it really been that long?! Anyway, I’d hardly heard of Rwanda before… it was just a country to me. Then I moved here and Sherry and Dave were always talking about Rwanda, and then I began to get involved with it all, and then it became my passion. But I have to say…” Here I choked up, but struggled to keep going as Jocelyne translated, “…that one of my dreams was always, from the beginning, to meet Mama Jo and sit at her feet like I’m doing now. Because she is such a godly woman, and to me she is a saint… so one of my dreams is coming true, here and now.”

By this time my tears were streaming, and Mama leaned over and wrapped her arms around me and held me as I cried into the crook of her arm. She began to murmur in Kinyarwanda, and Jocelyne translated for me; “She says you are one of her daughters too now. She can’t wait for you to come to Rwanda and visit her, and she says her house will always be open to you. You may have to sleep on the floor, but she wants you to come.”

It was such a precious and holy moment. It was like this had been ordained from the beginning; that on this night, I would be “grafted in” to a precious family in my heart country of Rwanda.

As Mama continued to stroke my hair, she began to speak to all of us. Josephine jumped in to translate. “She says that her passport is now good for the next four years, and she says if God wills, she will be back again. She says that all of you are her family, and that Open Door is now her church. She also says that the next time she visits, she won’t visit her daughters in Ontario but will fly straight to Newfoundland…” A roar of laughter greeted that remark.

So, as we hugged goodbye at the end of the evening, there was no sadness even though our Rwandan family would be flying back to Ontario the next morning. There were only joyful exclamations of “See you in Rwanda in ten months!” Usually “goodbye” means the end… but in this case, “goodbye” is really only the beginning of a whole new adventure, and a big step along the Path that was laid out for me by the Carpenter from Galilee.

They Call Her Mama Jesus (Part 1)

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you will have heard me mention Shelter Them, the ministry in Rwanda that I’m so passionate about. I’ve written about Jocelyne and Josephine, the twin girls who started Shelter Them (you can read their miraculous story HERE) and I’ve shared the excitement of their visits to Newfoundland (read the details of one of those trips HERE). Life is never boring with the twins around, so when they made plans to visit Newfoundland this month, I got ready for fun!

I love hearing the girls’ stories of their family back in Rwanda; most notably their mother, Mama Jo. Since both Josephine and Jocelyne often go by the nickname “Jo,” we call their mother, Sumwiza Cesarie, “Mama Jo” or simply, “Mama.” But in Rwanda, she is also called by another name.

They call her Mama Jesus.

You see, Mama Jo has a reputation for taking in street children, pregnant teens, hungry mothers with children, and anyone else who comes across her path. She lives in a modest two-bedroom house, but her home is almost always filled with people sleeping on mattresses in every corner. Mama says, “It doesn’t matter if there are ten other people standing around with me. Someone will tap my shoulder and say, ‘I am hungry and I have no place to go. I see you are a godly person, will you help me?’”

And Mama always says yes. She has been stolen from on numerous occasions, because when you take strangers into your house there are no guarantees. She has been taken advantage of many times, but yet she keeps on giving. Besides her own ten children, who are now grown up and have left home, she is also raising five other children as her own. And besides that, she also runs the Shelter Them Batarure office along with her son Jules and his wife. Quite simply, they call her Mama Jesus (in Kinyarwanda, Mama Yesu) because she is His hands and feet in Rwanda.

I longed to meet her.

There’s something about stories the girls told me that drew me to her. My friends David and Sherry, who know her through their visits to Rwanda, told me how good and kind she was, how sweet and loving. I wished I could have the privilege of sitting at her feet and learning from this dear lady who, I felt was a saint in every sense of the word.

But Mama was in Rwanda, and although she had applied for a passport to visit Canada many times, the answer was always, “No.” For fifteen long years the girls tried to bring her for a visit. They visited her in Rwanda as often as they could, but they hoped that someday she would see their “adopted” country for herself.

And then one day, the miracle happened, and Mama’s passport was approved. She was on her way to Canada!

I was beyond excited when I heard that during the course of Mama’s three month visit, Jo and Jo were bringing her to Newfoundland. I knew she didn’t speak any English, and of course I only know a little bit of Kinyarwanda, but I began practicing in earnest so I could at least greet her in her own language.

Finally, the day came when I was to meet her. Our church, Open Door, held a meet-and-greet for Mama and the girls, with finger foods and music provided by our band, Driftwood Cross. I was one of the first people to arrive, so eager to see my Rwandan sisters again and meet Mama Jo that I simply couldn’t wait!

I’m a withdrawn person by nature, so rather than bounce up to Mama and introduce myself, I hung around in the background and watched her as she conversed with her daughters and with others. She was just like her pictures… beautiful and elegant.

Finally Sherry noticed me standing there and asked, “Have you met Mama yet?” I believe I was too overwhelmed to say anything, so I just shook my head. Of course, Sherry grabbed my hand in hers and tugged me towards Mama. And then she turned and looked at me… and I blurted out, “Witwa Mama Yesu!” (Your name is Mama Jesus!) And all of us broke out in laughter as Mama’s face lit up and she hugged me.

I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how loving she was… as she crooned in Kinyarwanda and touched my face and my hair, Jocelyne translated, “She says you are so beautiful, and she is so happy to meet you!” And when Josephine told her that my chosen Rwandan name was Uwimana, (meaning "daughter (or son) of God") she lit up with delight. Jo translated, "She says that is such a beautiful name, she loves that name!" We conversed for a few minutes, with Mama grasping my hand and speaking directly to me in Kinyarwanda, and me smiling and looking to the girls for help understanding. I could see now who Jocelyne and Josephine get their beautiful, affectionate personalities from!

As the night wore on, I was more and more impressed with Mama’s passionate faith and humble spirit. With Josephine acting as translator, she expressed her love to everyone who attended the gathering and told us, “I am so amazed and humbled that you would all leave your warm homes and come out on a night like this just to meet us...”

By the close of the evening, I felt like Mama was part of my family. As I prepared to leave, I put my arms around Mama and told her, “Ndabakunda cyane.” (I love you so much.) She replied with the same words, and I was so thankful that I had taken time to learn a few things in Kinyarwanda so that we could share at least a few words of conversation with each other. We gave each other one last squeeze, and then I left the building, anticipating the next day’s adventures!

This is the first installment of a two-part series. Click here for Part 2: PART TWO

No More "Extraños Y Extranjeros."

It was one of those Northern Ontario winter days when the reflection of the sun on the snow is enough to blind someone; one of those days when the sky is a stunning blue with not a cloud in sight.

I was sitting on the corner cabinet as I so often did, swinging my legs and watching my mother working at the stove. When the phone rang, I paid little attention to it. However, when I heard my mother’s intrigued voice, I paid closer attention. Something was up. I could tell that it wasn’t one of our family members on the other end… and from my mother’s questions, I knew that we were in for some excitement!

By the time my mother hung up the phone, I was practically prancing in my eagerness to know what was going on… after all, a girl in her early teens growing up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere seldom sees much excitement. I listened as my mother told me about our odd phone call.

The call had come from a woman in our community, a motel owner, who told my mom about a family from Mexico who had recently moved to town. The whole family; Mother, father, and grandmother, were now working at her motel. Even their two little boys were running errands.

“They’re Christians, and interested in finding someone to have fellowship with,” the lady explained to my mom. “You folks are churchy… would you be interested in meeting with them?” Of course, my family agreed immediately. Plans were laid to visit the family within the next couple of days.

Later that day, I sat in my room and wondered about the family. It must be hard to have to go to a strange country to live and work. The two little boys especially… they probably had no friends here.

“I wonder…” I mused to myself, hauling out a couple of totes I had under the bed and digging through them.

“Ah-ha!” I  pulled out just the thing I was looking for… a little toy Volkswagen. When you pulled it backward along the floor a few inches and let it go, it shot forward a few feet. Just the thing for a little boy.

“Now, what about the other one?” I mused. I didn’t have many toys that young boys would be interested in, but there was one thing… I reached into another tote and pulled out a little stuffed dog. Don’t all little boys like dogs and stuffed animals?

Tucking both toys into a bag, I thought about what I could do for their parents. Suddenly, I remembered something that I had received as a free gift from a Christian bookstore… a Spanish Bible! Having a fascination with languages, I had kept it; after all, you never know when another Bible might come in handy.

I hurried to look up some Scripture verses in my English Bible that I thought would be appropriate, then laboriously copied their Spanish versions into a little card. It wasn’t much, but at least I would try to make them feel welcome.

To my immense disappointment, I was sick the next day and unable to go with my parents to visit the new family. Sadly, I handed over the toys and card to my parents, so they could pass on my greetings.

And that was the end of the story, or so I thought.

When my parents came home, they were buzzing with excitement. The family spoke little English, but they knew just enough to communicate! My mom said that both of the little boys adored their new toys… apparently the younger one had a fascination with cars while the elder loved stuffed animals! I believe that God Himself had guided my selection of those particular items.

But it was the next story that overwhelmed me… my mother said she had passed my little card with the Spanish Scripture verses over to this precious Mexican lady, who opened it, scanned the verses… and instantly burst into tears.

I’ll share those Scripture verses with you here:

“Que Dios nuestro Padre y el Señor Jesucristo les conceden gracia y paz.” Efesios 1:2

“Por lo tanto, ustedes ya no son extraños y extranjeros, sino conciudadanos de los santos y miembros de la familia de Dios.” Efesios 2:19

“Porque Cristo es nuestra paz; de los dos pueblos ha hecho uno solo, derribando mediante su sacrificio el muro de enemistad que nos separaba.” Efesios 2:14

Here is the English Translation of those verses:

“May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grant you grace and peace.” Ephesians 1:2

“Therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's family.” Ephesians 2:19

“For he is our peace, between the two peoples has made one, knocking down by his sacrifice the wall of hostility that separated us.” Ephesians 2:19

It was truly the hand of God that led me to those particular verses on that particular day, to speak comfort to a family who felt very much like strangers and foreigners in Canada.

My mother then continued her story by saying that at the end of their visit, everyone present joined hands together and shared a time of prayer in their first languages… my mother in English, my father in French, and our new friends in Spanish. Nobody understood what anyone else was saying, but yet, they were all one in that moment of time. Surrounded by the presence of an Almighty God Who reaches beyond borders, boundaries, and even transcends languages.

Happily, I was able to meet our new friends a few days later. They could only stay for a few minutes, since they were in a hurry, but I’ll never forget that precious lady throwing her arms around me, a perfect stranger, and saying over and over again in her limited English, “Thank you! Thank you!” They had to leave quickly since they were on their way to the motel, but I stood at the doorway in the icy wind and waved to their boys, who piled out of the van to giggle shyly and wave back to me calling, “Hola! Hola!”

I wonder, sometimes, what became of that beautiful family… we never heard from them again after they returned to Mexico. I believe God orchestrated our paths to cross for some reason; what it was, I’m not sure. Perhaps to teach me the power of a few caring words. Perhaps to teach me the impact of a few caring words spoken in someone’s original language; which may have sparked the passion for languages I have today. Perhaps to teach me about the power of friendship. Perhaps even to teach them something, although what, I don’t know.

But I do know that I learned a powerful lesson about God’s all-encompassing love and faithfulness.

May we all love one another more as we follow His Path in the coming year.

Looking Back: 2013

In some ways it seems as if 2013 has hardly begun, and yet here we are already at the end of it. This year has been a life-changing one for me in so many ways. It’s been marked by changes, opportunities, trial and error, and many blessings!

Blogging:

In March of this year, I began this adventure called blogging. After a bit of a rocky start, I settled into my stride and have been loving it ever since! For those of you who are wondering what caused me to begin this blog, here’s a link to my first ever blog post: Following the Carpenter

Today’s post is my 50^th one! What a milestone!

My Children:

This year will always stand out to me as the year that I became involved with Compassion International. This year, I was blessed with three wonderful correspondents: precious Isimbi, who calls me her parent; beautiful Basomingera, who asks that I always continue writing to her, and my brother Mbula, who said he didn’t mind if I would be the second sister in his family.

I also sponsored my first child, in partnership with my father. Beautiful Uwimana Shakira seemed destined to be mine, since we share a first name. Shakira is sponsored through Shelter Them.

This year, I have sent a total of 35 letters to my children. (I never realized it was this many, especially since I’ve only had one of them for about six months!)

This year, I have received a total of 9 letters from my children. Here is the breakdown on that:

Isimbi: 5 letters

Basomingera: 2 letters

Mbula: 2 letters

Shakira: 0 letters (but one is on its way)

I also celebrated Isimbi’s and Basomingera’s 10^th  birthdays! (They were born a month apart)

And, I received photo updates from Basomingera and Shakira.

Driftwood Cross:

This year will also stand out as the year that I officially joined the Open Door worship team, Driftwood Cross. I began the year by filling in on the Cajon, before being asked to stay on as a full-time Cajonist. In June, I performed at an Open Mic night and was asked to become D.C.’s only female vocalist shortly after. Since then, we’ve performed at coffeehouses, jamborees, music café’s, a Gideon meeting, and even a restaurant. We’ve also begun work on our first album, to be released in early 2014.

Shelter Them:

You all have heard me talk about Shelter Them, the organization started by Jocelyne and Josephine, twin sisters from Rwanda. For a long time, I’ve had a passion for Rwanda and helping these kids, and I love advocating for them. So I was delighted when the girls asked me to come on board this year as an official Shelter Them volunteer, taking over the social media platform and also helping with some editing. I’m a proud member of the team and I thank God for allowing me to be part of it!

These are just a few of the great things that happened this year, but if I were to write any more, it would be 2014 by the time I finished! I’m looking forward to see what God has in store for the New Year… I can’t wait for the adventure to begin!

I Won the Sunshine Award!

I was so surprised and excited this week when I found out that Hannah H. over at Because of Shamim nominated me for the Sunshine Award! Hannah blogs about all the wonderful letters she receives from her Compassion children, and also includes stories about her former Sponsored child, Shamim (Sherinah) from Uganda, who has just started a ministry for disabled children in Uganda. I highly recommend you check out her blog!

Anyway, as the requirement goes when you are nominated for a Sunshine Award goes, here are ten facts about me:

#1 I love to write. Finding just the right words to express a thought or convey an emotion gives me a wonderful feeling.

#2 I love music. I agree with Martin Luther, who said, “Music is to be praised as second only to the Word of God, because by it all the emotions are swayed.”

#3 I’m a passionate reader, and some of my favorites besides the Bible are “Whose Child is This?” by Bill Wilson, “There is Always Enough” by Heidi Baker, “No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green”, and anything by Karen Kingsbury.

#4 I am a member of the worship team at Open Door, and we call ourselves Driftwood Cross. There are four of us, three gentlemen and myself. Some people find that an odd combination, but they treat me with utmost respect and deference!

#5 I am passionate about Rwanda and will be travelling there with the organization I work with, Shelter Them, in November of 2014 to meet with three of the children that I sponsor.

#6 Although I’ve never been interested in gardening, I do love trees and have three small potted ones at the moment; two Norfolk Pines and a Lemon Cypress. They’re quite good company!

#7 I’m a transplanted Newfoundlander, which means I’m an Ontarian originally. It’s a personal source of pride that I have a perfect Central Newfoundland accent and most Newfoundlanders take me as one of them.

#8 I’m very introverted, but when I’m around people I know I can be extremely silly and sarcastic, some people would probably call me childish.

#9 Some of my pet peeves are not being able to find something that I’m looking for, people who drive like they own the road, getting sick, people who consistently break promises or cannot be trusted, and not being able to sleep.

#10 It’s my birthday today! (December 28)

Here is a list of blogs I am passing the Sunshine Award to! I couldn’t find ten that hadn’t already been awarded, so I am posting my “Fave Five!” These are awesome blogs y’all; you definitely need to check them out!

#1 Curly-Headed Family. Tyler and Jen blog about their adventures as an American family raising their kids in Uganda!

#2 Desert Violet. Alicia blogs about her life as a missionary kid growing up in Niger!

#3 Nothing Left to Paint. Sarah and her husband Jeff are the parents of two, one adopted and one biological, with another adopted child on the way! (I love adoption blogs and this is one of my favorites)

#4 Once Upon a Prayer. The ongoing story of Lily Grace and her sister Mackenzie, adopted from China and currently battling many health issues… but still going strong!

#5 Pure & Lasting. The story of a family with two wonderful children… a teenage boy from Rwanda and a baby girl from Ethiopia!

Thanks so much for nominating me Hannah, I hope you folks enjoyed learning a little bit of randomness about me and some blogs that I love!