Whittaker Woman

Just A Little Whittaker Love To YOU!

Ditto

Somethings are just worth stealing... 

My man's post for the day, 

 

I took this of my girls yesterday…
And I’m not gonna lie…
Christmas in Los Angeles does not suck.
Los

You Know Your Home When

  

Tamales are in the air. 

 

 

My Love Language

We landed in LA and were headed  home. Carlos was with his dad and said they were going to stop and get some food, I asked where. Bakers was the answer and I quickly said I would pass. But my Love walked in the door with this...

He's a good man! A very good man. H 

Not For Hire (yes she is. for a price. this is carlos hijacking her blog title to let you know that she kicks serious butt and email me if you want her to make your party awesome. )

Soul City had a dinner party tonight, a vision casting party. I was asked to do the food. The past two days I have been a busy bee cooking up a storm. I have to HUMBLY say, I nailed it. 

We had three kinds of meat, cheese plates, tomatoes, veggies and mini bread bowl soups. It was so good. Oh and dessert too. 

 

 

 

 
 
 

  

 

I loved our team. It felt like Church tonight. We were all working together to serve other people! I loved it. 

If it was not for Angela I would still be cooking. She came over yesterday and helped me get all my ducks in a row. Everyone helped so much. What a wonderful group of friends I have! 

 Just thought I'd share what I've been up to! H

He's Still Around, But It Was A Close Call

The girls coming up to see who was at the door. They heard a knock. 

Losiah took charge. Sohaila was cautious. Seanna out of the picture! 

L-O-V-E! This picture. It says it all. 

 

Wait, no this picture is! 
 

And yes this is when she asked " Is he fiction?"  

I can't remember if this was before or after he slammed the elf's head on the table. 

It was a close call. I was not sure if Mr. Elf was going to recover. Thankfully Seanna and the girls sweep through the house all day to find him. My sweet Sohaila talks to him. The other day I heard her talking to someone in the garage. I asked who are you talking to... The Elf. The stories of these years in our lives will last our lifetime. H

Cash $ Gold

Sohaila has a normal kids Christmas List until you get to the "Gold" suggestion. 

Yep she is asking for Gold. 

Why? 

Because we don't have cable and in the morning when they get ready for school they have cartoons on. The channel is called Qubo and it has infomercials in between the shows. YEP! Sohaila is smart. She is asking Santa for Gold so she can turn it in and walla, she has cash! She even went this far the other day, 

I found this on top of my desk.  

I finally asked her, "baby why do you want Gold?" She responded with the most logical answer "So I can get money mama". I think my adult smarts were too much for her when I replied " Then why don't you just ask for money?" She warms my heart! Oh and she also told Carlos that he can grow hair too. H

Christmas Glee

The kids have the Season's giddiness! Seanna was the reindeer and pulling Losiah aka Santa around the house. 

Let the dance party begin. 

LOL! I told you the dance party began! 

I love having my kids! There is always some kind of performance!  H

 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree How Lovely Are Your Branches, Wait What Happened?

We got our tree at our faithful local spot that we always head to. All but one year in our marriage we have bought our tree at the same place. It's really romantic, it's Home Depot. 

This year the kids did not want to see the tree till we got home.

Seanna ended up being the unwrapper of our mystery tree. 

Round and round she went. 

The other kids played a song and waited to see what would unfold. 

 

She was excited until

it all fell off at the bottomI Carlos told them to do this, not sure if Seanna approved. 

How do you think she felt? She does not wear her emotions on her face at all! HAHA! 

Carlos came in and tried to fix it. 

Then she went straight to work! 

I love my tree. Its the only time of the year that I LOVE country crafty decorations. There are just so many memories that warm my heart as I put each ornament on. I love it.  H       

Me, Bean and Pie

 

 

There is one thing that Carlos and I firmly believe in as we drag our kids all across the states, on our journey we call life. We want them to have their own story. We don't want them to just be a chapter in ours. They need to have their own. We try to encourage their own passions and give them tools to be all of who God has made them to be.  Sometimes it's simple as in helping me cook. Bean has always been by my side when I am in the kitchen. She could probably teach a class to some women out there. You know that you have a  6  year old that loves to cook when you buy her a cast-iron pan for Christmas!

What is your babies story? Their passion? H

Red O Angel

That's the name to our Elf. A new tradition that I thought would be so much fun. If you don't read Carlos' blog I am sharing a post he wrote about Dear Old Red. This is true Whittaker entertainment! 

The Elf On The Shelf, My Parenting Manual, and Near Death

POSTED ON 03. DEC, 2009 BY LOSWHIT IN AUTHENTICITY, FAMILY

It started as innocent as any Christmas tradition.
But somehow Heather and I figured out a way to scare the hell out of our kids.
That cute/creepy bug eyed elf at the top of this post…
It’s his fault.
And mine.
Let me explain.

Heather had been telling me about this Christmas tradition that our friends Stephanie and Mark are doing.
Basically, an elf comes from the North Pole and your kids tell it what they want for Christmas and he also keeps track of Santa’s “Naughty and Nice” list.
CUTE!!!
I love it. I’m sold. Let’s buy that junk.
So it’s about 7 pm and Heather has the brilliant idea of knocking on the front door and leaving the elf there with the book about him as she is sprinting back around the house.
KOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK.
“What was that?” the 5 year old says.
“I don’t know? Go check the door.” I reply.
Nope. She can see through the window on the door that no one is out there and she’s not about to open it.
So the 7 year old offers…
Door opens…
This dude is sitting in front of it.

When I tried to look into his eyes and he never looked back I even got a bit creeped out.
I turned to the 5 year old…
Petrified.
I could see her mind spinning…
“What the #@$! That scary bug eyed elf just knocked on my door!!! I’m out…”
So I read her expression and tried to lighten the mood.
“Look!!! It’s an elf from the North Pole!!! Maybe Santa sent him!”
The 3 year old walks out the front door to pick him up.
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He Will Lose His Magic Powers!!!!!” The 5 year old screams.
Huh?
“No he won’t baby. Who told you that?”, I said as I picked him up.
She was not having any of this.
A stuffed elf who magically appears and knocks on the door harder than her daddy was not welcome in her home.

We tried. Nothing. She was not having it. She was scared of it. And I don’t blame her. Just look at it.
“Is that a fiction elf?” she asked.
Heather is now giving me the “Be Careful How You Answer This” look.
“Um. Well. Baby. Don’t worry. Sure. It may be a fiction elf. But we won’t know until we read the book”, I said.
I opened the book and started reading.
She kept freaking out that we had touched the elf and he’s probably lost his magic power.
To the point of tears.
I said that was nonsense. Nothing we can do can take the elf’s power away. So I thought I’d show her.

It all happened so fast. I don’t even remember why I did it.
But for some reason I quickly grabbed the elf and slammed his head 3 times on the table.
“See baby? He’s just fine.” I smiled.
Her eyes were as wide as the Atlantic.
Heather’s eyes were as well.
Bad move.
Move on quickly…

As I continued reading the story explained how this elf, whom we are supposed to name, will fly to the North Pole every night and tell Santa what’s up with the Whittaker kids.
Then he will fly back every morning and the kids were supposed to find him.

Then I turned the page and my mouth dropped…
“Do not touch me or I might lose my powers and not be able to fly to the North Pole and tell Santa all the nice things you are doing!”

Crap.

“SEEEEEEEEEEEE! I told you!!! DADDY!!!!!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Now we won’t get anything for Christmas from Santa!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
The 5 year old was hysterical.
Not only is she freaked out at the walking and knocking and flying elf in her house, I also all but killed it in front of her.
Then I saw the last page.
It was my safety net.
It was a certificate with a place to write the elf’s name, our family name and the date.

“Baby! It’s not official until we sign this…THEN you can’t touch him!”
She wanted to know if I was sure, I promised I was.
She wanted to know what happened if a friend touched the elf, I said it only counted if one of our kids touched it.
She wanted to know how the elf was going to get out of the house that night, I said maybe up the chimney.
I think she basically wanted to know if she would wake up that night and see that creepy elf staring her in the face.

They reluctantly went upstairs after I placed the elf on the shelf above the fireplace.
A few minutes later I took it down, hid it, opened the door, and went upstairs.
“Who left the door open?” I said.
The kids ran down and the elf was gone.
“The elf is gone!!!”, the girls yelled
“See kids. He didn’t lose his powers! He’s on his way back to the North Pole to tell Santa how amazing The Whittaker Family is!!!” I triumphantly exclaimed.

“But daddy, you almost killed him. I don’t think he will think that is amazing”

Where did that parenting manual go?
Los

Does anyone else have an Elf in their house? H

You Have To Eat Your Veggies

Chicago

I can't believe that next Christmas this will be home. CHICAGO! I am so nervous about living in the city, but I am also excited for this next chapter in our lives. After our move to Georgia I have learned to respect and capture all the good in every season in our lives. I was so grounded in Cali and at Sandals that I could never picture living elsewhere. Now that I am elsewhere, I love being able to experience where I am at for however long I am there. 

We have been asked so many questions about our move... why, when, where, did you know it is cold there? On and on and on. The best part is, WE DON'T KNOW! What we do know is that we are a part of this community that we love. Soul City snuck up on us without us ever knowing it was going to capture our hearts and now we are moving to be a part of it's vision. If you have not seen this video it's great at sharing what Soul City is about. 

One thing that we are working hard at is getting everything ready to start. Soul City is starting in the City in 2010. There are lots of things to get done to get started and I wanted to see if any of you could help. I know I have occasionally asked for help from you, my blog family. I never share something on this blog that I do not 100% stand behind, I am not in this blog world to advertise. So when I ask you about sponsoring a child from Compassion, or helping Angie pay off her house after Mark passed it's because I am passionate about it and it is in my soul. And just like I would share with you  if you were at my house having coffee with me, I sit here on the other side of the screen sharing my heart. 

So since Soul City is in my heart I wanted to share a great way you can help your self and Soul City at the same time. We are looking to raise enough start up cash to actually have a Soul City Church. (Don't you love church planting!) Anyways the number is big but I am going to try to tackle something more tangable. I want to work towards raising $11,000 to kick off the Soul City Kids. Will you come along side of my family and help support our new Church. We want to have a place for the kids of Chicago that will not only help them grow in their relationship with Jesus, but ultimately help there families grow theres as well. This goal is a chance to ask a little of a lot of people... Lots of streams make a mighty river. 

So I am asking you today. Right now to BE a part of launching this with me  www.yearendstart.com.

Grown-Up's Take Over

The kids came in saying there was a Circus happening down stairs. Carlos decided to grab the camera, by the end of their Circus the grown-ups took over and we were all JUMPING! 

 

 

 

 

  
  

 

And this is what the kids thought of us...

And that's a night with The Whittaker's. What's a random night at your house like? H

Just Waiting!

If you know Sohaila at all, you will know she had loved a sweet little piggy her entire life. She was given piggy the day she was born and has been attached from about 3 months on. Lately I have found piggy here,

Waiting patiently. Looking out the window for Sohaila to get home. When she wakes up in the morning she will put him here to wait for her. I love how sweet and innocent she is. I love that she is still such a little girl! H 

Catch Up... So-Go-Grab-Some-Coffee-Cause-This-Post-May-Drag-On-And-On-But-It-Will-At-Least-Catch-You-Up!

After my trip to El Salvador, emotionally my life was on pause while the rest of my life kept going. I had a wonderful visit from my Step Mom Sherry. She was married to my dad when he died when I was 16years old. She has been a wonderful addition to my life. I remember the day when she told me that she did not just make a vow to him on their wedding day, but to me too. And just because he had passed does not mean she was leaving. She has stood my me ever since. We had a great visit! She helped so much with the kids! I even got to go away with Carlos on one of his trips! We went to Memphis and were spoiled by those who he was working for!

Sherry arrived 15 minutes before I arrived from El Salvador, and she was here a week. She left on Friday and then on Saturday we headed back to the airport. Talk about No Vacancy! I love it! 

We took the train to meet our friends! We were giddy with excitement!

 

We were ready with our Southern Hospitality. Hehehe. What a week! I was so excited back in September when Angie called and said she wanted to get away for Thanksgiving and wanted to see if we were open for her and Nolan to visit. 

It  did not take long for them to get back to being BFF's. It was so cute! Nolan and Sohaila were joined at the hip while Seanna and Nolan fought like brother and sister. 

  
 The kids did lots of this.

We took them to our favorite Atlanta spots! The Varsity. 

I was excited that there were still some fall leaves for them to see! 

We took them to our favorite Atlanta History Spot... Martin Luther King Museum and house. 

This is in-front of the house that MLK was born and raised in. HOWEVER I can't help but see that Sohaila and Nolan look like twins! 

We took a road trip up to Nashville, and what trip to Nashville would be complete without a visit to our Amish Friends! 
  
 

We also got to hang out with some of my favorite Nashville peeps! Pete and Brandi! 

Angie was introduced to Corn Hole... Which by the way is what I want for Christmas!  

Then we went to Nashville for a quick jaunt down Music Row. It's fun, but if you are not there to drink there is not much to see. Angie was able to go to Hatch Print Show and get some goodies! 

Such a cool history to it! 

We headed home to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving at our friends! 

It was such a great time but really, where in the world did November go? I seriously have not stopped! I have been in my jammies for the past three days straight. Recovering. But I loved every second of it! Thanks for following this random crazy life of mine. H
 
 

The Advantage of Not Having a Dog!

You don't have to worry what is in those leaves! H

I Am Eleanor Billington

Here's a little tidbit of info for you... Sohaila's life is in song. There is not an hour that goes by that we do not hear some song coming from our number one. I never realized it until we lived with the Phenix's and Billy said "You know your daughter is always singing. We are going to miss her little soundtrack that is constantly playing". It's like living near the railroad, you just don't hear it. That was the case until Thanksgiving came, she was memorizing the words and songs to a play that her class did and can I say I am SOOOO over these two songs! All week we have been singing them. I would catch myself alone in the car singing them, at the grocery store, or worse around the girls and the second they would hear me they would jump right in and sing along. I make fun, but it really made my heart swell to see my little goose up there. She knows the entire play. Not just her lines, but EVERYONE'S! Meet Eleanor Billington, our pilgrim. 

 

As we were walking to her class to watch the play we see Sohaila in tears.  She drilled it in our heads that we were not suppose to come to her class until 8:15.  She told us we could hang out in the library, but instead we hung out in Seanna's class room. As we were heading to Sohaila's class I see her crying. No bawling. Poor thing went to the library looking for us and we were not there, so she assumed we left. Luckily she pulled it together and did a wonderful job! BRAVO GOOSE! H

All I Wanted Was to Give Grandma Sherry a Picture With Her Girls

 I don't know what she was crying about, but you can tell I was over it. 

 

We thought we'd try to smile regardless of the screaming 6 year old. It didn't work. 

Sohaila held the same pose the whole time, sweet, sweet memories! H

Family Night... Beauty Parlor

Seanna wanted to have a girly night, and I was ready for a massage and facial so I was all about it! 

 

We made a plate of healthy snacks. 

 

Had sparkling cider. 

 

Then the real fun began. Losiah was giving facials. 

 

 

Grandma Sherry was in charge of massages. 

 

Sohaila called her shop, Fancy Feet. 

 

Carlos could not handle it. 

 

But he loved his role! 

 

 

The makeup artist was Seanna. 

 

I must say it was a night of giggles! Carlos is such a great dad! I love him! H

In Case You Have Not Heard...

We Are Moving To…

POSTED ON 20. NOV, 2009 BY LOSWHIT IN MY CHURCH

So Team Whittaker would love your prayers as we pick up and move the family to Chicago.
I’ll keep this brief…
God has blessed us with an amazing community of friends here in Atlanta.
Some of us have decided that we want to be part of a movement committed to daily living out the Transformational Love of Jesus in the City so that we can change the World.
And the way we plan to do this is in a community called Soul City Church…in downtown Chicago.

Team Whittaker is moving with a few other amazing families to downtown Chicago to live, breathe, commune, fellowship, and take part in doing church 7 days a week in the city and I can’t wait.

I’ll post more tomorrow but I just wanted you guys to know the goods.
Love you guys!!!

po

I was asked this question and it got my mind a racing... 

What is your most treasured (non breathing) possession? 

Count Down

One word... Seanna. She has a moment in this video that is well worth your time!

Recap

I will be doing a few more posts on El Salvador, but I need some processing time. I don't know if you have followed the trip and read the other bloggers posts, but I thought I'd share my favorites. 

There was Molly: 

My roommate who moved me with her excitement and love for El Salvador. She was in love with Hector... You must meet him too! 

Then Kelly: 

The one I could always count on to have tears in her eyes before me. I loved watching her adapt to the culture. She made tortilla's (which I am actually fully envious of!), and she squealed like a girl on the soccer field! 

Then there was me... All I want to say is... Please help us take one more child out of Poverty. 

Look at Denis. He was born on July 11, 2003, He is waiting for a sponsor, will you be his? 

Shaun, our leader, my hero. 

I admire his love, passion and faith. I long to follow in his footsteps of sacrifice for others. My favorite post that he nailed talked about Hurricane Ira. Did you even know here was a Hurricane? There was. It devastated parts of El Salvador and we were able to see it first hand. Shaun did and incredible post on it. 

Then there is Patricia who just made me feel at home. 

However she did post one of my favorite moments of all. Check out the singing bunny, or goat, or ....

And finally there is Ms Keely who worked the fotos! 

Un foto mas por favor.  Oh she worked the spanish too! 

Thanks for following along. How did it change you? H

Heading Home

Can you tell I am on a blogger trip? Free WiFi to bloggers is like having fresh water in the dessert. 

Bowing Down to Rosia

Here I sit in a bus, driving down the polluted over crowded streets of El Salvador.  I am trying to process what just happened to me.I had a moment today that I know with absolute certainty I will remember for the rest of my life.

Today was field day. I did not know what to expect, but considering we were in Central America I had a feeling it would have to do with Soccer, which of course scared me considering I am a individual sports player. Snowboarding, waterskiing, hiking. I could kill it, but team sports were not my thing. This was us trying to be cool soccer players. Hahaha

We got there and sure enough got put on teams. Molly and I were on one team while  Kelly and Patricia were on the other. Molly took the goalie position which meant I was going to do the work. I was ready. Let the games begin! I had so much fun talking smack, it’s my coping mechanism for the fear that was deep down. I was about to be schooled in Soccer by some El Salvadorian girls.

And yes they did, but I must say I was slightly impressed at my skills! I held my own. I was taken down by a girl, literally flat on my face. It only made me push harder. Then I found my competition. The girls were all good, but one little spunky girl was my fight. She was so fast. It killed me. And I loved it. And being the trash talker I am, I told her that I was going to take her down. It was on!

Shortly, possibly seconds later I learned that I would bow down to Rosia.

She was just as feisty as me. My match! Who single handily humbled me and won the game for her team!

After the game the older girls and I all hung out.

They began to share stories about their lives, their dreams, but the best thing they shared was directed to you. The sponsors of children of Compassion. Let me be their voice.

The thing they desired most for you to know is how important being a sponsor is. No one in the group has ever met their sponsor but they all had one. You are important. You are their angels, you make a difference. There was one thing that they pleaded with me to share, THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! I asked them if they cared if it was written on a card or an email, their answer was ANYTHING. They just want to hear from you. Every word you say to them is one of the most important things they ever hear. They treasure it, they soak it up, they read it over and over.  So from Gabriella, Jennifer, Beronica, Cindy, Claudia, Clara, Rosio, Carolina, Karan,  Please write your sponsor child.

Compassion has created a simple way to do that. All you have to do is simply log on to their site and into your account. And you can write them right there!  A simple email is a treasure for them.

The girls followed me around. Held my hand and loved on me. I fell in love. What I did not expect was what happened next. They jumped on the bus and said this, 

So I ask you… Please sponsor a child.  If you have a sponsor child please write them! H

Oops, That Did Not Go Right

Can I just say Skype is amazing. I think you would all agree after this! Everyday we've had some great family time online. 

Yesterday, each kid had some special alone time with me. They would take the computer to another room and had some great catch up time. 

That was great, until this happened. Seanna began to tell me something about Sohaila. I stopped her because lately the Whittakerws have been battling tattling. So I asked her if this was Sohaila's story. Let me just say this was the WRONG THING to do!

I did not expect this. Oh I felt so bad! 

It took sometime to get her back to normal. But she makes me so happy, this brings me joy to write! H

 

Shannon

Hi Friends! 

I wanted to share this with you. It's a story of someone just like you. 

Her name is Shannon. Her story may resonate in your heart.  Maybe what you are feeling RIGHT NOW.

"I first heard about Compassion ten years ago when I was in high school, but never thought more than two minutes about it. It was always something that sounded like a great idea, but I never considered sponsoring a child.

It was kind of always like one of those really sad commercials you see on t.v. that I never watched. I always change the channel because my heart couldn't bear to look at those children in great need. What could I possibly have to offer them?

I didn't hear about Compassion for several years. Then, a year or so ago, a friend of mine wrote on his blog that he and his wife sponsored a child. The story was, of course, heartfelt. Then I learned that my best friend and roommate sponsors a child in Peru. I also learned that another friend of mine sponsors a child, as well. I couldn't help but wonder how my friends felt inclined to sponsor a child when I didn't. It was still one of those, "Aw, that's really sweet" ideas to me.

I started reading Heather's blog about a year ago, and as I read her Compassion stories, my eyes filled with tears and my heart cried out. For the past month, I couldn't shake the thought of these children all over the world who need so much, yet so little.

It suddenly hit me that here I am, single, living by myself, with no children of my own...no one who depends on me. Of course I have something to offer at least one of these children. Yes, there's the $38 a month, but I can offer someone hope, love, encouragement, prayer, and the reassurance that yes, they ARE important and they DO matter.

Of course it was difficult to choose a child to sponsor. I wanted them all! I prayed about it, and three times this happened: I chose a child, went to click on the "Sponsor this Child" link, and came to find out that she had already been sponsored! While this is a FANTASTIC thing, I couldn't help but wonder if God wants me to sponsor a child. Then I found her. Her profile grabbed my heart. I immediately sponsored her.

Meet Suwimol. 

She is five years old and lives in Thailand with her mother. I don't know her yet, but I already love her. 

I am praying for her. 

I am praying for her mom. 

I wrote her my first letter the other day. 

I cannot wait for the opportunity to actually meet her one day."

OK.  It's Heather again.

Thanks Shannon for listening to God's voice and changing the life of sweet Suwimol! 

So maybe if you feel led... sponsor one of these beautiful children from this amazing country right now.

Thanks for listening!!!

H

Parenting Advice Gone Wrong

Carlos' mom tells a story of a time when they were visiting family in Mexico when he got sick. The family member who house they were at came in and rubbed a egg on his head and put it under his bed. He had to sleep with it under there and it would cure him. She is full of stories of myths and parenting advice that are just absolutely absurd. I've often thought that these were stories of the past. No one could possibly believe something like that in this day in age, however today I learned otherwise. 

We visited a project that has a Child Survival Program. A CSP is a part of Compassion that teaches soon to be mothers and mothers of children 0-3 years old the tricks of the trade. They take them under their wing and teach them basic things that we take for granted. Things like nutrition, or something as simple as playing and stimulating your baby. 

Visiting these sweet babies and moms made my heart beat. I even still had the touch to put them to sleep! 

I was about to sneak a few in my suitcase.  That seems to be an issue of mine. We often assume that when we have a child it is just maternal for us to know what to do. Today I realized that is not always the case. 

This mother shared a story about her infant son who was fussy and never stopped crying. She finally got to the point where she took him to a clinic. She was instructed to go home and cover her son in ashes. She did what she was told and wrapped him up in ashes. What she did not realize was the fact that she was burning her son. She chuckled at the story as she told us that he survived and is 13, but has scars across his stomach. It's an awful story, but on the flip side so encouraging to know that Compassion has a program that will teach mothers such as this the simple truths of their babies. Child Survival Program helps developing world mothers and babies in their most vulnerable times, offering practical care and extending God’s love. By joining with Compassion, you’re giving them the best chance at life. Read below to learn how you can help moms and babies break the cycle of poverty.

This program is different than sponsorships, yet there is a way you can help. All it takes if $20 a month and you will be supporting a specific CSP. They will send you updates from the mothers there, from the survival specialist and even the pastor of the church where the CSP is held. Just another way to help with this unbelievable organization called Compassion. H

The Picture On The Fridge Becomes Human

It went from this...

 

To this...

They are as real as you and I.
And my kids now know.
Sponsor a child here and change a life...

HOW COOL WAS THAT!!!!!
H

XVIII

As you all can imagine, I have a million stories to share. It's just a matter of processing, and actually getting it down on paper. But today, there was one moment, it was actually one sentence I said, that I want to share with you. 

In El Salvador the Gangs are rampid and the people not only have to face issues that poverty brings, but they also must worry about the violence of the gangs. We went into a slum to visit some homes of children in the project we were at. They advised us to take nothing and stay together, we were entering gang territory. I felt prepared. I've watched a documentary on Gangs in Central America, I grew up in Fresno and lived in LA, where the evening news always had something about some gangs. But what I was not prepared for, is having these "gangs" become personal to me. 

Meet Maricella, the "gang" is personal now.

Our translator was asking her questions about her life: who she lives with, her children, how Compassion has changed their family. With each answer she had a modest smile and giggle. She was nervous. Then the translator asked about the elephant that was in the room. Her tattoo. 

She explained that she and her husband used to be in the 18th Street gang. When her daughter was accepted into the Compassion project she still was in the gang, fortunately the gangs allow people to leave for employment or if they were to become a Christian. That was her way out, but there is one problem. She is marked. Her tattoo prohibits her from leaving the house without her head covered, but worse she can not find employment because of the tattoo. That's the back story. 

There are 8 people living in the house. On the right are her two children. On the left two of her brothers.

One of the brothers asked us this question... 

"How does it make you feel to help the children." 

We went around sharing our hearts. Keely, Shaun and Molly all shared their hearts eloquently and then it was my turn. My insecurities of expressing myself through words peaked, but I had to say something.  

I began to share the truth that screams so loud to me when I travel to third world countries. 

WE ARE NO DIFFERENT.

I told her that even though I live in the US I am no different than her. We are human beings. Our stories may be different, but God does not see us as different, and so I don't see us as different. We are his children. 

And then it happened. She broke. She began to cry sharing the fears she had about letting us into her house. (On a side note, all I could think of was... She is afraid of letting ME in her house? Umm, she is the one with the gang experience!) She explained that she was certain we would look down at her because of her having the tattoos and her past. She could not believe what I said about being the same and equal. And that was my moment. I knew God used me to share his love for her. I did not plan those words. They just came out, but they went straight to her soul. It was a moment where God came and met her where she was. 

I know this post was not about a child. I know you know I am here to share stories about these kids and how they need sponsors, but the thing is... Compassion does more than just help the children themselves. Today through Compassion we made a mark in Maricella's life and she has made an imprint on mine. 

Talk to me, thoughts? Feelings? Thanks for reading, thanks for listening, thanks for being a part of this blog. And please if you decide to sponsor a child please tell us here! H

Where are you at?

I was a little groggy this morning, I turned on the news to slowly wake up and look what I found. 

That's right local new! Local as in the ATL! Which brings me to the question. 

Who's here? Who's reading and where are you from? H

We Are Here

WOW, what a day! It started early. Sohaila woke up while I was getting ready. I saw her sweet little eyes looking at me and silent tears flowing down her face. It broke my heart to leave. But I made it out of the house holding it together! It has been one long day, I can not believe I was in Atlanta this morning!

The flights were great. You know it makes a big difference when you don't have to travel two days just to get to your destination (Uganda).   

We arrived here just after noon. We traveled through some of the city and went and had lunch. 

I am not sure if you have heard the news. El Salvador was hit hard by the storms that Hurricane Ira produced. We saw streets filled with mud, trees down, but the best of all was to hear the Compassion Team already working with the families that were directly impacted. 

We headed over to the Compassion Offices where we were introduced to the staff. It is so detailed here. The Correspondence Department was my favorite. It was so cool to see the kids letters pour in. 

This was the box they had just got. They enter them into the computer, send them out to the translators and then to the kids. This is a picture of the file cabinet of more letters. 

I am so excited about the morning. I get to meet our sponsor girl first thing in the am! She will spend all day with us just hanging out. I must get some sleep! Until tomorrow! 

H

I'm a Big (Grown...Not Large) Girl

 It is time. At least I am not in this situation. Praise Jesus! That was chaos. But I am a grown up going on a big girl trip. I know that may sound silly because I have gone on many trips, but really when I go on a trip I have some kind of security blanket... Carlos, my kids, a familiar place, a visit to someone I love. But this trip, is to another country with a group of people I am not close to. Many I don't even know yet. And well this leaves me realizing that I am a big girl, taking an adult trip! Yikes. 

I have 6 hours before I have to get in the car and drive to the airport. Within that time I have to make lunches for tomorrow, get clothes ready for the week for the kids, write letters to all the teachers explaining where and with whom my kids are going home with. I have to finish packing, shower and do my hair. Print out pictures for our sponsor girl to keep. Brief the morning sitter on the am rituals, I need to do this here blog. Oh yeah and I need to sleep. 

But again, at least this is not me! 

Well my friends, we will have many posts coming your way. My heart is that I will share with you all the story of Compassion. The lives changed. The impact that we can have on the world. I am excited to see how God will write this story. 

Here is the trips page. You can see the new friends I am going to make and follow our posts! See you in El Salvador! H

Save The Date

One thing I did not know I would encounter as a mom with kids in school is the birthday invite story. I hear this all the time. 

"Mom, so-and-so is having a party. Can I go?" 

Over and over I have heard this. And my response is always the same. 

"You can go as long as we get an invite" 

This has played out numerous times so far, but this last one took the cake! 

Seanna came home with the announcement and we did the same song and dance. Only this time the next day she came home with this. 

She proudly walk in and said she got Elizabeth's Party Invite. She then says, "But mom it's not till February."  I guess Elizabeth took it in her own hands to make an invite so Seanna could attend her party. She included her address and all! Those clever little 6 year olds!
H

 

Family Night... Family Day

We have had our lives flipped upside down. Now that Carlos is self employed, I need to learn how to do Family Nights on a different schedule. 9-5 no longer works, and our Family Nights have been lagging. 

We had one day, yep ONE DAY where we will all be together. So we made the most of it. We each picked one thing each to do that day! Here is what we did. 

Seanna chose to ride bikes down by the River. 

I chose to have a picnic at our favorite local pond. 

Sohaila wanted to play at the park...

Losiah chose to go get a treat! 

And finally Carlos chose to go rest! :) 

Its simple easy and great family time! H