Connected to Serve: Glimpse of Lifesong and OCA

OCA Mission Moments from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

They sat in the studio with an expectant glow as they spoke about their children they had yet to meet, but who they claimed as their very own... 

Josh: "As unbelievers, we are aliens.  We are strangers.  We are separated from God.  But God has come in and adopted us, through Christ, to be in His family."

Jenn: "And we're just so thrilled that our family can be a picture of that to the world!  And just like we would never question our true son-ship to God the Father, it's been an encouragement to us to think about, we really don't have to question whether these kids are our true children... cause they are!"

When Josh and Jenn Philpot felt God's nudging toward adoption they weren't sure where they would get the money.  They received a matching grant through the Orphan Care Alliance (OCA), turning the $6,000 they had raised into $10,000, and making it possible for them to bring home not just one child but two!

OCA is a multi-church alliance in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area.  Adoption funding is just one part of their ministry.  Their many outreaches include recruiting and training foster parents, mentoring local foster children, assistance for local churches in launching orphan ministries, international orphan care, and more!  They are also a part of Lifesong's Outside the Walls Network, which connects churches to serve orphans more powerfully together than they could on their own. 

 

 

Carrot Laced Manicotti

Yummy, huh?

Let me tell you a little about myself...
-I used to live in a decently large town with access to grocery galore, but now live in a teeny tiny, yet wonderful village (Yes, it's not even a town), population 1400.
-I am in no way a creative cook and was notorious for running to the store for my missing ingredient, which is no longer an option unless I want to pay $10 for a bag of cheese at the gas station.
-I easily get in kitchen ruts, making the same couple of meals over and over and over...I'm bored just thinking about it.
-I am also prone to spending too much at the grocery store b/c I'm not good at planning out my meals, which leads to waste and a bill that makes me want to throw up.

So...starting in January, I decided to own up to my many failings and let someone else do the work. I registered for e-mealz. For a 3 month membership of $15 (and I found a coupon to take $2.50 off by googling), I get a weekly menu plan and grocery list. All I do is print it off, buy the items on the grocery list, and get to cooking.

Andy and I opted for the low fat plan for 2, which gives 5 meals for 2-3 people and costs on average $35-$45 per week. We almost always have leftovers for lunch the next day, a lower weekly bill, and I couldn't be happier!

Here are the pros:
-I don't have to think about what to make.
-Andy and I never end up arguing over what to have for dinner that week.
-We haven't disliked a single recipe.
-They are easy to make and sneak in veggies for kids (like carrots in manicotti!).
-I am making things that I would never voluntarily make like sausage and chicken gumbo or white bean chili.
-The meals only cycle back in every 5-6 months, which means that we will never be bored.
-Our weekly bills have decreased noticeably.

What I'm trying to say is...I give two thumbs way up for E-mealz! It gives me so much domestic joy that I just had to share. And if you're anything like me, I'd recommend cruising on over to e-mealz.com

Healthcare is a Privilege

My poor little girl has been sick lately, and last night and this morning, she was burning up and lethargic. I called the doctor at 8:15 am, was given an appointment time of 9:45 and was on my way to the pharmacy by 10:15. My sick baby was given excellent, loving care and a prescription to heal her pneumonia.

I have spent some time this afternoon contrasting our healthcare in America with what is available in the country where my son is. In his homeland, you don't go the doctor unless you are literally dying because the care is so poor. Similarly, when I was living in Romania, you didn't get decent care unless you could pay off the nurses and buy your necessary medical supplies with your own money. Both of these places put the poor at an extreme disadvantage...to the point that they literally receive little to no care. In fact, 26,000 children will die of preventable diseases today. PREVENTABLE. Why aren't they prevented? Because they don't have the care that we do. If my family where from that undisclosed country that my son is from, my daughter could very likely die from a bad case of untreated pneumonia, yet that thought hadn't even crossed my mind in America.

I know that our healthcare system is flawed, but what a God-given blessing we have! We have access to care that most of the world can't comprehend. We assume that we deserve this wonderful care; however, the reality is that we had no control over the country that we would be born into or the economic system that we would inherit. While my son's birth family likely suffered greatly from lack of basic medical care (his birth mother may have even died from childbirth), he no longer will once he steps on US soil.

The contrast is startling. So today, I am thankful for the gracious privilege I have of living in this material blessing-filled land. But I am also mindful of the millions who do not have the basic care that I do. There is a great need for godly doctors and nurses to go and serve the poorest of the poor. I am hopeful that maybe even my own children will be among the ranks of those who cash in their privileges as Americans and go to serve Jesus abroad with their various gifts.

Consistency

In Exodus, the Pharaoh just wouldn't let the Egyptians go. As with all poor decisions...there are consequences. In this case, the Egyptians experienced the ten plagues. The last one finally broke the Pharaoh's strong will and he released the Jews (only to start chasing after them shortly thereafter). In Exodus 9, before one of the plagues was delivered, Moses writes, "The LORD set a time and said, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land. And the next day the LORD did it." While this isn't terribly profound, I was struck with how God is consistent to His word. He said it would happen, and it did.

This verse has come to mind today as I am dealing with consistency parenting my daughter. After a wonderful week of visiting grandparents in Texas, Andy and I made the decision to take the pacifier away except for sleeping and in the car. Therefore, my last 3 days have consisted of hearing the word "Paci" at a minimum of 300 x per day. On top of that, she is feeling under the weather. Oh how that paci would make my days easier! ha But in the long run, I don't want her to have it all the time, we gave our word, and we want to stick by it.

While this is a teeny tiny issue to deal with in parenting, I am so thankful for the Lord setting the example of consistency before me. I am weak, inconsistent, and selfish by nature and don't have a chance without the grace of God daily. Praise Him for setting the example but going much farther by walking beside us and slowly but surely taking our weak, inconsistent selves and molding us into the image of Christ!

Free Audio Book!

Hi All! During the month of February, Russell Moore's book "Adopted for Life" is free for download in an audio format. It is a great book if you are considering adopting or know someone going through an adoption and want to learn more about it and read a Biblical explanation for it. It is a book that I would highly recommend.

It can be downloaded here this month. Enjoy!

One Day/One Lunch

This Thursday, will you consider joining me in participating in One Day/One Lunch? The information and back story can be found here. Essentially, Americans spend an average of $2 to $8 per day on lunch. On Feb. 3rd, a brilliant, compassionate 15 year old had the idea of calling the Church to give up that lunch for the sake of the orphan...after she had voluntarily started eating only light soup like the children in Ethiopia each day for lunch in order to donate her remaining lunch money.

At Lifesong's Adami Tulu Preschool in Ethiopia, $3 will feed a child for A MONTH! One Day/One Lunch challenges us to forgo our lunch on Thursday and simply donate that money to the orphans at Adami Tulu.

My heart hurts thinking about the abundance that I have in light of the poverty and suffering in this world. And I rarely consider the great blessing that I have been given to eat 3 square meals a day. I think that I need days like One Day/One Lunch almost as much as those children do because it reminds me that there is deep injustice in this world, where I am called to be Christ's hands and feet. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

Will you join me Thursday?

Online donations: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html
**indicate for the Adami Tulu Preschool.

Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
For the Adami Tulu Preschool