Kindness, Week Thirty

Here are this week's acts of kindness!

July 23- Made another sponsor folder. On this day I made a sponsor folder for my friend Liz and her sponsor child Shakespeare. I need to get some more supplies for these folders- I picked up more folders at the store recently, I've got a box of advocacy materials on the way from Compassion, and I need to get some more letter stickers because I didn't have enough to spell out "Shakespeare" on the folder. It's a long name! :)

July 24- Worked to cheer up a coworker. Someone I work with was in a really bad mood on this day, or so I heard. She just seemed kind of distant by the time I came in. Anyway. I tried to cheer her up and get her in a better mood on this evening. We had an ok time, for being at work. We talked about travel and looked up the kinds of food they eat in Indonesia. She also told me stories about when she went to Spain in college. She told me if I go to Indonesia, I should take a loaf of bread and some peanut butter in case I don't like the food! Haha.

July 25- Signed a petition. I was really worn out on this day, so it was a low-key act of kindness. Apparently the California government is planning on fencing in a  large piece of land for an airport or something, and that land happens to be where there used to be a Japanese internment camp. Survivors of the camps visit these sites sometimes, and it's not really fair that they wouldn't be allowed to visit this site. So I signed the petition asking them to reconsider fencing in the area.

July 26- Shared Compassion with a patron. Close to closing time on this day, a guy came up asking if we had change for a $10 so he could print some stuff. We didn't have change, so I offered to override the print job for him, as it was only a few pages. It turns out he was printing some stuff for a trip he's taking this week, to several countries in Asia. He was telling me how nice it is to travel out there, and he really enjoys it when he gets to go for work, and I told him that was good because I was hoping to travel to Indonesia next year. He started telling me how much he likes to visit there, and asked me why I was going (since obviously it wasn't for work- why would the public library send me to Asia??) And I got to tell him about Compassion! He said it sounded like a really awesome program, and he sounded genuine. So that was fun.

July 27- Airport party!!! I have already posted about this, but today's act of kindness was making my sign and heading down to the airport to welcome home the Bailey family. It was basically the best day ever. Sunday was really lame and boring by comparison. If you ever have the chance to welcome an adopting family at the airport when they arrive, I highly recommend it. It's exhilarating, and is a really nice way to show your friends that you care about them.

July 28- Sent a card. Well, I didn't send it on this day, since it was Sunday, but I spent some time writing some "thinking of you" type cards to send to some folks. Everyone loves getting mail, and it's always nice to let people know they're in your thoughts and prayers.

July 29- Offered to share the savings. I was very surprised to find a packet in the mail today from Target, congratulating me on my new child. Since, you know, I don't have any kids. Anyway, there  were tons of really good coupons in the packet, so I posted about it on facebook and I'll be divvying them up among some new moms I know! At least some good will come out of it.

Oh Happy Day

Today was one of the best days ever. No exaggeration.

We got to the airport a little before the plane was supposed to land, but found out when we got there that it had been delayed by about thirty minutes. No biggie. I've only been waiting like, two years for this day (maybe a year and a half), I can wait another half hour.

Though by the time we heard they had gotten off the plane, I admit I was bouncing up and down on my tired feet. So many people waited, ecstatic as all get out, waving little fans with my buddy's picture on them- the kind they hand out at church revivals.

And then we saw them, a beautiful family of three, coming our way. I may have squealed three or four times.

Immediate family gathered around for hugs at first, uncles meeting their nephew, grandparents meeting their grandson. Happy tears were shed. I stood off to the side quietly crying, waiting my turn for hugs.

Once the close family had their turn, though, I had to get closer or I was gonna explode. Not going to lie. I couldn't keep my happiness and excitement contained any longer. I physically ached with happiness seeing Anel with his thumb (sometimes thumbs) in his mouth, snuggled up to his mama, giving all these strangers funny looks before giving them gentle high-fives and even fist-bumps.

And finally I got my turn. And I felt like crying all over again.

Yeah, he's giving me the side-eye. We stuck our tongues out at each other, too. 

: )

I have prayed so much for this family. Held them so close to my heart. I love Anel and his mom and dad so much. Words can't even begin to express how happy I am that they are home. I can't wait to see updates on facebook about how he's doing as he settles in, getting used to life with his momma and daddy. I can't wait until he can come visit Bible study, too. : ) He's a little wild man- I have a feeling his mom won't have much time to do anything other than chase him around for a loooong time.

Welcome home, Bailey family!!!!

Happy dance!

This has been the LONGEST week! I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight- I simply just can't wait for tomorrow! Tomorrow afternoon, at 3:25 pm, my friends Scott and Ashley will be arriving back in Louisville with their little boy! I am sooooo excited! Ashley has been posting an update almost every day on facebook, and I am extremely grateful and blessed that she surprised me with two pictures in my email a few days ago. He looks so much bigger in his daddy's arms than he has in all the other pics I've see of him! They have been having lots of fun with their little wild man and the other kids at the orphanage. Wednesday was my little buddy's birthday and I am so thankful that they were able to spend the day with him. They endured multiple flights (some on tiny planes), cold showers (a blessing in the 100+ degree heat they've had every day) and who knows what else this week so they could spend that day with their son. And now they're on their way home. I am just so happy.

I wanted to say thank you to my online friends for praying for this sweet family, even though you have never met them. I am looking forward to sharing pictures of this adorable little boy with you sometime soon! Tomorrow I'm going to put on my Haiti shirt, roll up my posterboard signs, and head over to the airport for the welcome home celebration! Yay!!!


PS You really should take a look at the orphanage's website and check out the awesome work they're doing in Haiti. Children of the Promise is taking care of some adorable kids- and their first goal is to reunite children with their families. So many parents in Haiti are simply unable to take care of their kids because life is so hard there. CotP and other great organizations work really hard to help birth parents keep their kids. If that's not a possibility, they then work to find them loving homes with adoptive families.

Kindness, Week Twenty Nine

Here are this week's acts of kindness....

July 16- Gave out sponsor folders. This is actually a fun thing I've been doing for friends who decide to sponsor kids through Compassion. I put together a folder for them. In one pocket, I put some fun paper and stickers, and in the other pocket, I put some information about Compassion that I've ordered through the advocate catalog, like brochures, bookmarks, and window clings. I also include three pre-printed envelopes addressed for letter-writing (I never use the ones they send with my letters!) and a larger envelope for sending special stuff. When I have ink in my printer, I have also been including a little flier I made up about the do's and don't's of letter writing (like remembering to put your sponsor info on everything, what kinds of items you can send, tips on how to address different topics, etc.) But right now I'm out of ink so the last three folders I've made, I haven't included that. Anyway, on this night, I took two folders to friends at Bible study who have recently taken on sponsorships.

July 17- Moved on. The night before this day, some stuff happened and things were said that bothered me, made me angry and a little upset. I went to bed feeling a little spiteful that night, and woke up the next day feeling the same way. I had thought about sending an email to at least one person telling them how I felt, but I just decided to move past it, shut my mouth, and try to forget about it. Hopefully the same thing won't happen again, though, because I may not be able to do the same thing twice. I was that upset.

July 18- Donated to a yard sale. My friend Briana recently started the process of adopting a girl from Ethiopia. Next month she is having a yard sale to benefit that cause. She came over on this evening and picked up several boxes of stuff I had for her yard sale. Hopefully she sells it all and has a really successful sale!

July 19- Shared a smile. My boss got in a pretty bad wreck a few weeks ago, and this was his first full day back at work. When I saw him on this morning, I asked how he was doing, and understood a lot of his frustration about the pain, plus his exhaustion and concern about the day. He likes to hear my stories about the nonsense my pets get up to, so I emailed him a picture of my bunny with his head stuck in a cardboard tube. It made him laugh. Mission accomplished.

July 20- All I wrote in my little notebook on this day was "some days it is an act of kindness not to yell at/punch people." Can you tell what kind of week I had?

July 21- Served in the nursery. I am actually scheduled to help out in the nursery once a month. My surgery prevented me from doing that January through April of this year. May was my first time back, and I found that I couldn't lift the babies in the room I was normally in. In June I was out of town, and then I hurt my back at work right after that. I had considered telling the nursery director that I should just sit the next few months out, but I know they really, really need help. So I switched to another room (the "crib" baby room), put on my brace, and went and helped out. It was a pretty decent morning, and I'm glad I did it (even though I was achy when I got up and really wanted to stay home!)

July 22- Offered to help. This weekend a coworker of mine found out that her dad has a brain tumor. This happened just a few days after he had a check-up and was declared cancer-free for four years and three months. She has spent every day since Sunday in the hospital with him. I didn't find out about all this until I got to work Monday night, so when I got home, I sent her a facebook message asking if there was anything I could do to help. She lives with her parents and takes care of them, and they live pretty close by. It would be easy for me to go over there and take food to her mom (or take it to her at the hospital), help feed her cats, or whatever. I haven't heard back from her yet but hopefully she will let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Sweet Greetings

On Mondays, blogging Compassion sponsors often post the letters they may have received during the week. I am linking up with Blogging from the Boonies- please check out Michelle's lovely blog and the wonderful Compassion-related resources she posts there.

I was very excited to find two letters in my mailbox on Saturday, especially since I hadn't received any in several weeks! This week we got a letter from Mary, and our first letter from Mishel. 

May 25, 2013

Dear Jessi, 

How are you? I hope you are fine and your family. I even hope that you are doing well in terms of health and job. At school I am doing well. As you know this is the term of music festivals and I know that music is part of me. I am co-operating with the teachers so as to do well in my academics. 

My family and I are all fine. We pray for you each and every day because you are part of us. At church we are doing well. We praise and worship Him because He is the provider of all. I learnt that it is good to be humble before God. My best memory verse is in 1 Timothy 6:12, Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young but be an example for the believers in speech, conduct, faith, love, and purity. 

During the April holiday, we went for a camp at Kamatusa Girls High School. We were taught about God's word and it was very encouraging. I learnt many things like it is better to listen more than to talk much. 

I received the letter that you sent for me. I am glad that you are now feeling well. In our country now the weather is calm. Thank you for the stickers. Our country is well and the land is green. I would like you to pray for our country, me, my family, and the people at the hospital. 

Yours faithful, 

Mary

Mary writes great letters! I think it's so cool that she was able to go to camp at the girls' high school. It sounds like the senior retreat I went on at the beginning of my senior year! It also made me very happy to read that Mary considers me a part of her family!

And here is Mishel's letter, along with the drawing she made: 

26 June 2013

Dear sponsor Jessi, 

I greet you with much affection. I want to tell you that I am fine and so is my family. I am doing very well at school. I have many friends and we play volleyball with other friends who live near my home. We jump rope, but I do not neglect my homework. Are you married? What do you study or work? I would like you to pray for my family. I will be praying for you. I say goodbye with many kisses and hugs. Can you send me photos? 

Mishel Estefani

It sounds like Mishel has a lot of fun with her friends! I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. It's always exciting to get a first letter- I feel an instant connection and a big surge of love for my sponsor kids when I first hear from them!

Then this morning I found a letter from Victor in my mailbox!

25 May 2013

Dear Jessi, 

I greet you in the name of Christ who died for us hoping that you and your family are fine. Our family and I are farming on well, my parents are doing their best in the garden and I am also working hard in school to have a better grade at the end of second study level. 

I am happy to hear that you can now go to work after the surgery you have gone through and I am praying that God may guide and protect so you may continue with your work and continue showing love to me. 

Here in our country we experience a lot of rain from March, especially in our area and many people are planting crops while others are weeding their crops. The crops we grow are maize, sorghum, fruits and watermelon. I like fruits because they are protecting my body against diseases. 

I am very happy for your cousin whom God has blessed with a child and I know that he will be happy to know what God has done for him. I also believe that in some years to come I will be having children and I will care for them as you and my parents have done to me. 

I thank you for the gift you send for me and it helped me a lot because I used it to buy some school items like set books and I enjoy reading them in my free time. May God bless you. 

Your beloved child, 

Victor Otieno

What a great letter! Victor is such a friendly and sweet kid. I'm glad he told me about the crops his family has planted. I will write to him soon about my parents' garden! 

GO.

I have a small and possibly premature announcement to make. I had planned on keeping it to myself for a little while longer while I tried to figure some stuff out, but I am too excited about it and too anxious for people to pray, so here goes.

Like pretty much all sponsors, I would love to visit my sponsor kids. Not only do I love them individually, but I am really passionate about helping kids around the world, whether it's improving living conditions, health, education, whatever. I have read about so many people who have taken international missions trips or even moved overseas, like Katie Davis, and thought "gosh, I'd love to do that, but I can't." Why can't I? Fear, I guess. I have always said "I don't travel." That's why I've never gone on a mission trip. I don't go anywhere, and I definitely don't go anywhere without my mom or my husband. I let fear get in the way too often. Fear of travel, fear of the cost, etc. And I also felt weird about the idea of spending money on a trip like that when I should be, according to my plan, putting money toward expanding our family through adoption.

I am beginning to realize, though, that I need to get over my fears, and get over my own timeline. I need to give myself over to God's calendar and forget about my own. We have made so many plans and set so many goals when it comes to adoption, and none of them work out. I know I'm supposed to be a mom, and an adoptive one at that, but maybe I am trying to cram God's plan for my life into my schedule. And it's just not working out.

Based on things that have been placed on my heart, books and scripture that have been brought to my attention, persistent dreams I have been having, and a host of other factors, I am thinking that now may be the time for me to boldly step out in faith and finally, for the first time in my life, go on one of those trips I have dreamed about. And I do mean "boldly stepping out in faith." I feel braver about traveling since I went to Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, which I'm sure doesn't make sense to most people, but that was a huge victory for me over my anxiety. It would also be a leap of faith financially. I have a plan for getting the money for the trip, but it's still a big deal.

After a particularly vivid dream early Monday morning, the first thing I did upon waking up was go online and look at the list of trips Compassion has coming up. I was disappointed to see that no trips to Indonesia are currently open for registration, but there was one for Tanzania scheduled for March, and I thought "well, that will work." But something still didn't feel right about it. Later that night I went back online and looked at the website again, and saw something I missed the first time- a list on the side of the webpage for upcoming trips, including some that simply aren't open for registration yet. Do you know what I saw? Indonesia. And you know what was special about it? In the past, when I have seen Indonesia trips listed on the website, they haven't gone to the area where Tasya is. They generally stick to western Indonesia. But this trip is going to eastern Indonesia, including the "ID" area that Compassion works in. Tasya's project is ID 141. I have such a feeling of peace about all of this. It's really exciting.

So I have a prayer request for you. I want to spend a lot of time in prayer up until the time registration opens near the end of August, because while I know God wants me to go out into the world and meet with His children, I want to be sure that THIS is the trip He wants me to take, that this is the right time, and all that. I'm not even praying about the financing yet. I just want to know that this is what I'm meant to do, and it's not just another example of me getting excited about something that isn't meant to be...again.

I would really appreciate your prayers for me over the next few weeks, for wisdom and discernment and good decision-making. For clarity, definitely. For sureness of direction and for me to clearly and distinctly hear what God is telling me. I would truly appreciate it. And hopefully I will have some good news to report in a few weeks. : )

Kindness, Week Twenty Eight

I had the opportunity to do a few extra-special acts of kindness this week! Here they are:

July 9- Bought a t-shirt. My friend Ashley is getting ready to go to Haiti to get her son- in ONE WEEK! They started selling shirts, since so many people have asked about them, and the proceeds are going to the orphanage where my buddy has been staying. Of course I had to get one! Hopefully I will have it in time to wear to the airport when he comes home!!!

July 10- Mailed a package. I recently found out that one of my friends joined the Air Force, basically, because they are paying for her to go to med school. She is currently out of state training in Alabama, where it is hot and gross. She's working really hard, and I am so proud of her. I found out her current address from her friend, and found out some things she needs (like socks, sports bras and laundry detergent) and picked some up on clearance at Target to send to her. If you know anyone in the military, or even anyone who's spending time away from home, consider sending them a care package- they're a lot of fun to put together and are very, very appreciated!

July 11- Signed a petition. I love these things. I signed the petition that was sent to the UN president asking for education reform worldwide, so that all children may have access to education. You may have heard about Malala speaking at the UN on this subject recently. It's a very important cause- many kids, particularly girls, don't have access to education at all. Some are persecuted for trying to learn. Others can't grow to their full potential because of the struggling school systems, shortage of teachers, lack of supplies, and the distances between rural schools.

July 12- Donated to the American Cancer Society. This was another one of those "would you like to add a dollar to your purchase" things. I wasn't feeling well this day and didn't do much, unfortunately.

July 13- Treated the birthday girl. My friend Jess and I usually work together on the weekends, and we almost always get lunch (usually from the same place, actually) on those days. She won't be working with me this weekend because it's her birthday, so I treated her to lunch this past weekend instead!

July 14- Got donations together for church. I say I got them together, not "I donated things to church", because I forgot everything at home. We were going out to a late father's day lunch immediately after church, and going to a wedding that afternoon, so I was pretty scatter-brained. But I did get together a bag of food for the food pantry, and a bag of school supplies for our school supply drive that I totally planned on taking to church on this morning. I also had a small bag of baby food to donate- we are sending a team to Honduras in October on a medical mission trip, and they have asked for donations of baby food, formula, and bottles, as well as money for medical supplies. We have several jars of baby food leftover that we had bought for Monster, so I wanted to give those away as well. I guess it will have to wait for next weekend!

July 15- Shared my school supplies. I had a fun conversation at work on Saturday with a friend that I work with. We were talking about notebooks for some reason, and how we have notebooks that we never use, but we just keep buying them because they're pretty or cute or whatever. You can never have enough notebooks. Or office supplies. We love them. We are both on tight budgets, and she was telling me how she has to force herself to stay away from the school supply aisle when she does her grocery shopping, now that all that stuff is out on display! Well, when I did my shopping last week, I picked up a couple of extra notebooks (of course.) I picked out a cute one today and left it in my coworker's inbox, as a surprise when she comes in to work tomorrow. I hope she likes it!