Monday, April 27, 2015

We'll Never Be The Same -from "Tea for Two"






Janet Limitho
Chayah Ministry's House Mother 
Uganda


We’ll Never Be The Same



From the moment our children are placed in our arms

We’ll never be the same

In an instant our dogs become animals again 

and lines in the freshly vacuumed carpet disappear

We may long for a carefree time we once had...
 but cannot take our eyes from
our baby’s face long enough to clear time in the calendar

Blow dried hair-dos are exchanged for a quick messy bun and
 we don’t even care where the makeup bag is for months

Darling outfits with matching accessories now fill the NURSERY and 
we proudly parade our adorned babies out in the world 

while wearing our sweats ... and a college t shirt, ...
which may or may not have also been last night’s pajamas

We are exhausted like we have never known it before
And one day runs into the next and are each exactly the same

And seem like a never ending cycle…
except that

feedings and burping, diapers and crying
 turn into
Play dates and park days and a hand-print-shaped... paper flower mother’s day gift

Then one day during the time it took to bring home groceries… The ABC song  became reading...

and counting turned into   
adding... 
    
and brushing teeth and bed making were suddenly 
chores...
 
which turned into a weekly 
allowance

We cheered when the training wheels came off
and then blinked back the tears 
when their success took them all the way to the end of the block

As they learned new things for themselves 
we learned new things about our own selves.  

Cutting in line in front of my child will NOT go unaddressed, 

 if your bathing suit is too skimpy for his tender eyes, 
I will have to  ask you to cover yourself,

If you swear within earshot  of my child, I’ll suggest you refrain     
which as you can see by my mama bear posture and face,
 is not even close to a suggestion at all.  

We learn that the moment they are born we will fight for them 
risking complete humiliation if necessary,   

die for them if that’s what it takes   
 even IF it IS from lack of sleep,  

 we’ll go barefoot when necessary, 
drive through the night if we are needed,  
 get a second job, get a third job

We will cry with them,    cry for them,   defend them,   discipline them,   educate them, 
go to     B   A   T   T   L   E      for them  

and over and over again pray for them 
because they have taken over our hearts 

and no matter what it takes

 they will have the best we can give them no matter the cost… 

Tea parties will turn into sleepovers. 

 The days of eating sand turn into surf lessons 
and nobody needs to be pushed on the swing anymore.   

Times tables and cursive writing,           dance classes and soccer practices,     
 braces       and       summer camp

 Those last sleepy moments of the day     as we will ourselves alert

 …lingering as we sit on the side of the bed listening

 just in case   this is the night     they want to talk


The “mean and entirely wrong” stage of social ranking   
 -the in group     - the out group   

 and driving lessons and growing pains and 

you realize that carrying them on your hip was so much easier 
than watching their heart break
 
And you learn that setting the world right for them          is now B  E  Y  O  N  D  you,
 though maybe not until after you found the courage to try 
one      L  A  S  T     time

And though you denied its coming ………….their growing hasn’t just been in stature     
 but in wisdom and strength 
and  
hopes and dreams begin to take shape.   

During all of the CHEERING  you’ve done and the HEARTACHE you couldn’t save them from and the NIGHTS on your KNEES, 

God has molded and prepared them for all that is ahead
  
HE has taken your best efforts and FILLED in the where you were weak, 
STEPPED in where you were broken because as impossible as it seems…..
He loves them EVEN MORE than you have

You will never stop being their mother…… 
but they will outgrow childhood 

and a pride & joy you never ever saw coming wells up in you 
as they take their first steps of adulthood
 
The difficultly of letting go is made easier because 
YOU know that 

there MAY just be a moment ahead 

when someone will PLACE A CHILD in THEIR ARMS 
and 

they too 

will

 never 

be 

the same


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"Its a powerful thing to love a child who is not your own"
                                                                                                                                       jen hatmaker

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Building HOPE...



See   PRAY   hear  share  move  observe  PRAY  adjust  wait  discuss  PRAY  GO

r      e      p      e      a      t

Our first two years...
and we felt  s e t t l e d

but not really completely for the long haul because there was this gnawing and seeing AGAIN
or
s  e  e  i  n  g   m  o  r  e

seeing longer and wider and deeper

because there was more to be seen... it's just that God is careful and kind and measures
His steps for us...and measures our steps for Him

a  n  d    t  h  e  n

reveals himself and His NEXT plan in the most effective way

which often means giving us time and VISION to SEE again 

with fresh eyes

 the NEW THING He is doing

and He rekindles a fire barely calm from the last wind of  HIS SPIRIT 
  
so we   PRAY   listen  and  share...

 that God is doing another new thing in UGANDA

 and has provided us with 7 acres to call our own and use for His Glory 
and a plan called

 BUILDING HOPE 

which means
  •   Clean water provided free to the community
  • A larger family-style home development
  • Additional staff equipped for growth 
  •  Animals and gardens for valuable life skills training & long term sustainability
  • Improved primary education       medical clinic area    church meeting area 
all providing opportunities to reach the surrounding area

with the gospel, to glorify Jesus 

and CONTINUE
  
care        for      VULNERABLE       children
Building HOPE