Trip up NORTH in Ghana!!!

I don't know where to begin to describe our trip up North! I am afraid that no words truly can give justice in describing the time we spent in this very remote and POVERTY stricken area of Ghana!! In all honesty my heart is on overload from our time there, it even being difficult to decide what pictures to share!!

As I felt my fingers type the word POVERTY ... my heart and brain said to stop and choose another word, as POVERTY is not suffice word to describe the conditions of the people who we once again had the privilege of connecting with and sharing a few hours with!!

In complete honesty, I SOO wish I could bring every single one of you with us to the Bolga Region, even if only for an hour, because I guarantee that you will experience what we did ... you will never see life quite the same way again!! You will be changed AND your prayer and your plead to God will be that you NEVER FORGET what you bore witness to, and that the sights, sounds, smells, and touches would radically change the way you life out your life!! You will pray that you would never take life for granted again, and that you would live out your life with a COMPLETE attitude of thankfulness, humility, and generosity!! You will also ask God to help you to not spend your life hanging on to stuff and building up stuff for yourself and your family - but instead that you make your WHOLE life about giving STUFF to other people, those right in front of you ... and those worlds apart!! I use the word stuff loosely to represent a lot of different things and values in my own life!!

I have been re-reading through the New Testament this year, and boy has the life that Jesus lived and calls us to live become more CLEAR ... it also becoming clear that this is not how I have been living!!! I believe Jesus lived a RADICAL life on every level, and that this is the life He calls us to live ... I've noticed that not once are the words "comfortable, convenient, safe, easy-going, living for my family " EVER mentioned in the Bible...

Our trip up North brings ALL of this to the forefront ...

I know there is a balance in living a radical life within our North American culture ... Sam & I don't think we have found our balance yet ... we are not yet living the life we feel God has made us to live!! We are working on it though ... and we KNOW that He will make every step clear!!!

For the last year or so God has been changing our passion from adoption to ORPHAN CARE on a broader and larger scale!!! This was part of the reason for us listing our house initially, us truly wanting to be better stewards of the financial resources God has given us!!

So I don't know what the NEXT STEP is going to look for us ... but I know it is coming!!! I don't think it has anything to do with bringing MORE KIDS HOME ... but instead I think it has to do with truly making sure that orphans are TAKEN CARE OF!!!

IF God is stirring your heart too ... join us ... imagine WHAT God can do with all of our resources put together ... on a REGULAR basis... it BLOWS my mind and heart!!!!!

I truly believe the mission of one of the badges on our blog ... "LIVING FAITH CAN END POVERTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" We ALL can make a DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!


Here are some pictures from up North!! Ella's extended bio family were wonderful!! They were quiet and shy at first, but then truly warmed up! And when we left, I really felt CONNECTED with them!! Nope, they did not speak one word of english ... but sometimes no words are needed to communicate!! In this first picture, the woman of the the family are doing a cultural dance in our honor!! They invited me to join them, and I gracefully declined ... I wish I could move the way they do ...