You just NEVER know...

Funny how things can come full circle.
I am in awe of people who believe in sheer consequences. To me, it makes so much more sense to believe that God is in control of all this craziness... especially when you see - in hindsight - a fun or even amazing plan unfolded!

For those of you who know me, it is not surprising to know that I really do not like Wal-Mart. I have tried to figure out - honestly - why? I could say it is a matter of principle and it is about fair trade and how a giant retailer creates a negative environment from the most basic, third world laborer to the middle man supplier or even to treatment of the store employees right here in the good ole USA. I get all that - I really do....but it's not that complicated. It donned on me recently: I just think people should be NICE! Gosh darn - especially if they are dealing with me, the PAYING CUSTOMER!

Given the choice, I will choose to shop at Target...just tends to be a more civilized experience...at least in my neck of the woods. However, there are times when Wal-Mart is more convenient and has what I "need." I will say, though, I have my limits. My sisters-in-law suggested one year, on Black Friday, that we be at Wal-Mart when the doors opened at 4 AM! Ummm, NO! I had them pick me up around 6 am, when they were done with that insanity and on their way to the next open-way-too-early store.

I will shamelessly admit I am rather proud of the fact that I boycotted Wal-Mart for over a year not too long ago. However, I am now not all that proud of the reason WHY. I went to return some excess craft items I purchased for a classroom Halloween party. The lady at the Customer Service desk (oh my - there's an oxymoron) was rude. She did not say a single word to me and had a sour expression the entire time. Her silence was a challenge to me and I attempted to get her to crack  - and MAYBE be nice - but AT THE VERY LEAST speak to me. She never did. WOW...that really threw me for a loop. I got to my car and called the phone number on my receipt. I asked for the manager and unemotionally told him how disappointed I was with the way I was treated.

Wait! I have to throw in an important tidbit here...I try real hard to call store managers when I have a positive experience - especially when an employee goes above and beyond what is expected. Heck, I have called about a couple delightful Wal-Mart employees AND I recently gave the DMV a glowing report!! It is our nature to QUICKLY complain...so I consciously try to COMPLIMENT, too!

Back to Wal-Mart....

The manager listened to my complaint and assured me he would speak to the lady at the returns desk. Obligatory, I am sure. I was polite to him - but - I had to admit to him...I really was not going to shop there anymore. Like he cared, right? As if he believed me? Not likely. If not, he was over 1 year wrong.

Fast forward 2 or 3 years...

I am working at a church and a woman I know briefly comes on staff at one of our campuses. She is delightful and inspiring and supportive and one of THE MOST LOVING people I know! I simply adore her and treasure every single moment I am in her presence. She is someone I want to live next door to when I get to heaven. (Are you catching on to how much I love her?!)

To make her even MORE wonderful, in her previous life, she was a professional hairdresser who now cuts hair in her home one day a week. With so many kids, that is a savings opportunity I am totally all about. PLUS, I get to hang out with her that much more!

Here's the DRUM ROLL part......
I arrive at her house one lovely Monday for haircuts and I am introduced to her mother. OH YES...you just made the connection and I am SO glad this woman has NOT remembered me from the service desk!

C'mon now...how CAN this be?! This woman could not possibly have raised this GOLDEN CHILD?! My heart sinks with realization as I acknowledge enough physical resemblance that I dismiss any crazy notion of questioning the genetics.

I am polite & friendly & in a state of shock that I am hopefully concealing.

I find out later that these two women have a very strained relationship and it's been rough for quite some time. (Okay...at least SOMETHING makes sense - whew!)

Over the past year, this Wal-Mart lady (actual identity unrevealed!) through her wonderful daughter has supported us in adoption & missions trip fundraising. God is so cool~ He has seen fit to humble me and give me a natural, comfortable...even delightful...relationship with this woman. Yup...the same lady who single-handedly got me to swear off Wal-Mart for over a year.

I often run into her at her daughter's house and she seems excited to see me. She works in the photo lab now at Wal-Mart and has printed several photos of our foster kids when I am sending them to their bio moms. She is actually sweet to me!

The bottom line? I have been able to love on this MOM for her daughter...and her daughter claims SHE, herself, is blessed by that. (I get paid in take-your breath-away squeezin' hugs!)

Funny how things come full circle: I was in Wal-Mart the other day - right after Christmas - and I saw this mom. I went up to tell her I knew she got a really cool necklace from her daughter's family (she bought it from OUR fundraiser!) and she smiled, turned to me - SHOWED OFF the very necklace I was referring to! - and gave me a big hug!

Never say never!

BEADS, Glorious Beads!

WE HAVE NECKLACES!

Gorgeous necklaces made by lovely Ugandan women from hand rolled recycled PAPER beads.

Each one - no matter how long - is $20! That price is split between: the beader, Visiting Orphans and US...for Ali's missions trip! Add $1.50 for shipping...unless you are local & I can hand deliver!

TO ORDER ONLINE: Visit www.doingitafraid.org, Click on the DONATE button (right column), specify $21.50 and send email to doingitafraid@gmail.com indicating the one you want! Don't forget to include your MAILING address.

LOCALS: I am happy to show you ALL these beauties in person. Just ASK!

Our Christmas "Letter!"

 SMITH FAMILY 2010

WISHING YOU A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS

 & AN EYE-OPENING NEW YEAR!

By grace, we have been blessed & it is an added blessing to be able to share with others.

In 2011, our desire is to offer hope...

right here in Chicago—or even half a world away!

Our prayer is that YOU will join us as we search for what really matters in this life … in an effort to make a REAL difference!

 

Another FUN GIveaway!

Click on THIS: http://networkedblogs.com/b9k8O?a=share&ref=nf and check it out.
I have a new friend who is stepping out to serve God and love of little ones in Uganda....AND SHE LEAVES TOMORROW! To celebrate her departure, she is giving away three beautiful necklaces...all made of hand rolled PAPER beads. If you have not seen these, you will be amazed. I have more than one - and they are addictive.

You will also LOVE reading her blog and learning all about her "story!" She has a sponsorship program for the children in Uganda and only $100 a year - a YEAR, not a MONTH - supports one child....and makes a HUGE difference in their lives. YOU just might be there ticket out of a life of poverty...and all for less than $10 a month.

This Giveaway Stuff seems to be contagious...

My friend is getting creative and doing a pretty cool fundraiser. Check it out. Honestly, winning a photo session with her would become a priceless family memory for years to come! I am going back to check out that kid-friendly cookbook for only $5.00. And - having my name on the back of that framed puzzle when they show their adopted daughter who helped out? Hmmmm....pretty cool.
http://stephanie-fishoutofwater.blogspot.com/2010/11/any-day-now.html

UNbelieveable!

I have actually started to write this post more than once. I think it just was not happening because I SIMPLY COULD NOT BELIEVE I won a completely free 10 day missions trip to Ethiopia! Here is what I sent to Kari Smalley after my hands finally stopped shaking:

We’re crying and shaking here….and wanting to HUG and KISS that wonderful family who was moved by God to make this possible. My daughter and I are still in shock and my husband – at work – is not believing us. He is logging on to see for himself. Looks like my husband will be staying home with the kids and PROUDLY wearing his MAN UP shirt! I love it!!! (BTW…Carolyn T. is a good friend of mine…and she did not make a peep.) THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for doing this. I would not be going otherwise…in fact…the last of the 3 t-shirts I purchased came out of tight grocery money!

I am one of those people who does not ever REALLY "expect" to win. I was excited to watch the taped drawing because I knew some people who had purchased t-shirts to enter and I hoped I would know at least one of the two winners. Even my kindergarten buddy bought a "Man Up" shirt - I have not seen him since 6th grade - and we joked about how cool it would be if one of us won...incredible if we BOTH won and went together...but I never thought it WOULD happen.
The actual drawing happened over the weekend and the video was supposed to be posted at 9 am the following Tuesday...but, when we opened the computer that morning, it had posted an HOUR EARLY! We nervously watched it...excited, but not expectant.
Two winners drawn and no names we recognized. THEN - THEN! - Kari pulled out a check and said ONLY 4 DAYS before a woman contacted her saying her family wanted to fund a 3rd person for the trip. Way-too-cool!! And JUST 2 DAYS later a check came in that was actually and above the cost of the trip. (There is a 4th trip being given away now through Visiting Orphans!)
As a woman reached into the pile of 573 entries to draw the 3rd and final name, Kari stopped her to mix up the entire pile. I told Ali, "What a bummer if she had her hand on YOUR entry, huh?!" She replied, "Yeah...it could have been YOURS!" I quipped, "Well, at least I would never know."
There was this strange slow motion feeling as Kari read my name...as she sorta stumbled over my hometown...and I saw the look on Carolyn's sweet face. I heard none of the tape after that....because - YES - you really cannot help but scream & cry & shake & laugh all at the same time....you even put your hands out in front of you, then bury your face in your hands in disbelief. Yup - I was totally lookin' like a nutty contestant on the Price Is Right! Glad Bob Barker and his camera crew were NOT there to witness it.
Someone listened to a dream God gave them and made this happen. Someone listened to God's prompting and added a 3rd person. These people and their incredible acts of faith have blessed me and will impact my life in ways I am sure I cannot begin to imagine. I take this sacrificial blessing very seriously. I am humbled and determined to yield myself to be used by God in amazing ways!
Oh...by the way....I did cry my eyes out in the shower because:
I
Simply
Could
NOT
Fully
Grasp
That
God
Had
Just
Hand
Picked
....ME!
During the time leading up to the drawing, Kari kept confidently claiming that God had already CHOSEN who would go...and He had it all planned out...and there was an amazing reason why He had CHOSEN these specific people. That really struck me. And it really rocks my mind even moreso NOW. "CHOSEN?!" Wow, this is even better than being Charlie Bucket!


Here is an excerpt from an email to Kari. (You would not believe the flurry of emails and FB communications since that announcement - crazy fun!) I really feel like God is bringing me back around after walking through some tough stuff. He is faithful!

Oh, my goodness….where to start? This is SUCH a celebration in a long journey of God changing me and refining me and getting me to surrender to Him. I am so at peace with the craziness we are considering as a family right now. Carolyn knows our story. Adoption, disruption, a constant & confusing tug on my heart to go back….riddled with closed doors. We surrendered the dirt of our lives to God and He has been faithful to plant beautiful perennials there….they just keep blooming and they come back bigger, stronger and more gorgeous each time. YOU have blessed me by YOUR faithfulness. I am so inspired.humbled.in.awe! There is no where I want to be except smack dab in the middle of God’s out of this world plan for my life! (Lori 11/2)

Go For It!

I believe that, when God Himself wants you to DO SOMETHING, He opens doors to make it happen. All He needs from YOU is a yielded heart. I want to encourage you to make yourself available to go just about anywhere (well, among 13 countries, for now) for/with Him by joining Visiting Orphans on a missions trip. Below is general - amazing - information about Visiting Orphans. RIGHT NOW, Kari Gibson and Visiting Orphans are working together to GIVE AWAY a free trip to any of the 13 countries. Can you imagine what it would be like to hear YOUR name called out as the winner?! I CAN! It's simply amazing and you might just cry and scream like a crazy game show contestant. Click over to http://www.mycrazyadoption.com/, enter to win a free t-shirt, get your name in the Trip Giveaway (Nov. 11th - right around the corner!) and see if God has chosen to ROCK YOUR WORLD!


Visiting Orphans is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Established in 2005 by America World Adoption Association as a way to further help the orphans of the world. Visiting Orphans works to fulfill the biblical mandate given in James 1:27 of "visiting orphans" in their distress.




Visiting Orphans has conducted many missions trips for churches, schools, and individuals from around the United States to orphanages around the world including China, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Ecuador, Peru, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Russia and Costa Rica.


Looking ahead, VO's plan of action is to begin mobilizing and working more directly with churches in the United States. While we will still work with individuals and schools in order to bring people to orphans and expose them to the hardships they face, partnerships with churches will drive our expansion and positive impact on orphaned children around the world.


Our Mission: Visiting Orphans works with Christian churches to help raise orphan awareness in the hopes of each orphan experiencing the blessing of family through:


1. Reunification


2. Transitional Services


3. Adoption


If you are part of a church looking to start or expand your orphan ministry we would love to assist you!