charity

Did y’all think I was never coming back?  Were  y’all scared that I was overcome with anxiety about my trip and changed my name and moved to somewhere rural and remote like Bean Station?  OH wait, that’s where I live.  But seriously.  It is Wednesday and I leave for Nicaragua in FIVE DAYS.  Here’s what I have packed so far:  nail polish and dishcloths.  I’m nothing, if not prepared.  In my defense, I have a bunch more stuff laid out in my bedroom beside the suitcase, ready to pack, including, but not limited to a snazzy pair of closed toe shoes.  I went with Keen sandals and some Dansko clog-ish type sandals.  My girls said I looked weird yesterday when I wore them for practice.  I look like I’m trying too hard.  Flip flops makes sense in the summer but something about closed toe shoes makes you look twice and wonder, why?  Couldn’t you just wear some flip flops like normal folk? (Get used to the nervous chatter because apparently, it’s here to stay.)

I get crazy when I travel and the nervous energy combined with the irrational fears makes me do things like rally the troops at 4 p yesterday to clean out the garage.  In other words, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.  To continue my streak, I’m thinking about painting Emme’s new room before I leave.  Because that makes perfect sense when you’re to-do list is so long, it makes you wanna dry heave. I  try to leave my affairs in order when I travel so naturally, I’ve been stressing over where I should be buried,  what casseroles to bake for the family, and who to leave in charge of my bust collection should I perish.   These are things normal people think about, right?  Zip it.  I like living with the illusion that I’m not the slightest bit cooky? kooky? cookie?  (Carol points out it’s kooky! Thank you dear!)

To make matters worse, my computer’s been on the blink.  Turns out, I need a new battery, which has resulted in two trips to Knoxville this week.  A computer is sort of necessary when one is to travel with Compassion to BLOG.  Speaking of Compassion, I’m so honored to be going on this trip.  We had a twitter party last night at 10pm, which means I could very well have dreamed up the whole thing, because I’m anything but a night owl and 11p feels like the middle of the night to me.   But for some reason, it helped to calm some of my fears.  Christy and I both were lamenting how late it was and how we grannies can’t be staying up til 11 pm for some such activities.  So then, Shaun called her Meemaw and then she called him Sonny, and that was it for me.  For some reason, traveling with Meemaw and Sonny doesn’t seem quite as daunting.  In fact, it sounds like a blast.  I can do this.  Right?

And then there’s the wee ones.  I’m on the verge of tears pretty much 24/7 but when I think of the little ones we’re gonna meet, my heart beats out of my chest because here’s the thing;  I’m not so much nervous about all the logistics of the trip, even though that’s what I’m obsessing about right now.  What I’m worried about is the wrecking ball that’s about to crash through my heart.  And that’s where you come in.  I’d be so honored if you’d pray for us?  You are the best internets a girl could ask for!

Let’s pray Psalm 37 together:

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

(I need to be reminded that it’s He who will act!)

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Okay, more minutiae. Because I know you’re thrilled about the rambling.

1.  I can’t decide if I should bring my big camera.  I think I’ll regret it if I don’t.  I’ve downloaded some cool iphone photography apps in the last few weeks, including Afterlight and Snapseed and VSCOcam and Camera Plus.  What are your faves?  Would you bring your big camera?  (There will be two photographers that travel with us—which is why I would consider not bringing it.)

2.  Have you downloaded any Shake! Shake! Shake! from Bronze Radio Return?  Great music. Their previous album is awesome, too, Old Time Speaker.

Love Stone’s Throw Away and Sell it To Me and Sticks and Stones and Shake, Shake, Shake!

3.  I have the ESV Bible on my phone, along with the PrayNow app.  I LOVE them both.  The PrayNow app has an Psalm for each day and an OT and NT reading, along with a prayer of the day and a writing from a church father.  It goes along with the church year calendar and has been my favorite devotional for the last 2-3 years.  You should seriously consider buying it.   I’m so glad I have it and don’t  need to carry a Bible or a devotional book, especially when I’m always over the weigh limit with my luggage.

4.  The Civil Wars’ new album will be out in August but they’ve released one song from it.  So good.

5.  I can’t decide what books to bring with me.  I’ll probably bring Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and Lewis’ That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3), two of my favorite books.  Maybe Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free, which I haven’t read yet.

6.  I’m eating a lot of citrus and taking supplements and using essential oils,  in an all out war against all possible illness.  I’m vulnerable to any and all Appalachian medicine/voodoo/old wive’s tales.  Whatever you tell me to do, I’m liable to do it.  I don’t want to get sick.

7.  I’m praying to literally take you on this trip with me.  I’ll be writing everyday, about what we see and feel.  I’ll be writing about His little ones and their poverty and need.  I’ll be writing about how He is their only hope and how YOU can help bring Him to them.  If you’re ready to learn more and possibly sponsor a child, visit my Compassion link and if you decide to sponsor, you’ll get a free copy of my ebook.

Love y’all!  Thank you for taking this journey with me!  (I think it’s only fair that you wear closed toe shoes in my honor!)

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While at Blissdom, I got to meet the other bloggers in the 40 Days of Water Campaign.  We had dinner with Mike from Blood:Water Mission and all sat around telling our water stories.  Most of it was a confessional of how we didn’t do it perfectly.  I guess confession tends to lend itself to more confession, which is why it’s so good for the soul and why the church embraces it so wholeheartedly.  Alli didn’t stop with her water stories.  She went on a confessing rampage.  I laughed, then cried, then laughed ’til I cried when she showed us the Facebook page she set up for me after our house fire.  She never actually launched the page but it was called A Dollar for Edie.  She confessed that she wasn’t sure if it was the right way to help but she desperately wanted to help.  I already knew I loved her, but now? We’re sisters for life.

And? For your pure enjoyment, I made her send me a text of the my un-published Facebook page. It’s completely adorable.  It got 9 likes and was never made public.  It would have gone places, I just know it.

Thank you Alli, for inviting me to your 40 Days of water team and for setting up a phantom Facebook page in my honor. The whole thing made me so verklempt. I love you and you are a brilliant woman for bringing so much bliss to our lives.  And laughter!  You are one of a kind!
I have an idea. Let’s all donate those stray dollars that we all have laying around to help build wells in Uganda!!
Only a few days left before Easter, so even if you didn’t participate, would you consider making a one-time donation to the Blood:Water Mission?
And if you have been participating, even if very feebly like me, make sure you update your page soon.

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p.s.  I’ve been wrestling with what to do with my email subscription service.  Some of you wanted an email with every post but most did not.  Here’s what I’ve decided. I’m going to set up two different tracts.  Everyone, who’s signed up for the email service already will get the monthly newsletter (which comes out this weekend) but not emails every time I post.

1.  So, if you are already signed up with me,

you will get my newsletter and an occasional update but not the regular posts.

Sign up here, if you haven’t already to get my monthly newsletter and an occasional update.

If you want an email every time I post, sign up here.

even if you’ve already signed up for the first subscription.

If you haven’t signed up at all yet and you want the newsletter and every post delivered via email, you’ll need to sign up for both.

Does that make sense?  Do the giant letters help make it more clear?  That’s what I thought.  Don’t you love it when someone just talks louder and slower instead of explaining what they meant?  Yeah? Me, too. You’re welcome.  We can discuss in the comments if you’re confused.

If you think you’re confused, try setting it all up and trying to keep it straight in my ADD brain.  I should get an honorary doctorate in computer science.  Or else at least a congratulations for not blowing up the internet.

Now, go forth and subscribe, dear friends!!

Love y’all.

Better n’ anythang.  (as my mamaw would say)