out for drinks...edited just for you!

tonight i had a girls night out for drinks... but our drink of choice was our beloved coffee craving! due to the coffee craving... im still wired and its 1 am.... im looking at 4-5 hours of sleep now... ahh what have i done? not only did we relish in our coffee and cookie cravings, but also in a deep desire for conversation! we all enjoyed the fun friendly fellowship. i think it goes without saying that we all are in agreement with my next statement... let me start by saying that we all LOVE, ADORE, and ARE SO THANKFUL FOR BEING STAY AT HOME MAMAS but sometimes we just need a break to be able to hold a conversation without being interrupted without a tantrum, potty break, snack time, boo-boo, feeding, screaming, or just plain ole playing. it was fabulous to just catch up. ironically we sat in barnes and noble on the floor in the children's section... but it brought back memories of our ciu college days!




note one more thing that feels like college... the fact that i only got 3 1/2 hours of sleep due to the caffeine keeping me up and the little men waking me up! oh the joys of motherhood

i am responsible

copied from a new blog friend with Julie in mind... enjoy!


Albertine lyrics

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill, I think of Albertine
there in her eyes what I don't see with my own
Rwanda
now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are
now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are
I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda
I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda
I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them Albertine
I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

WORLD AIDS DAY

today is worlds AIDS day... sadly i could put up many pictures of little faces i personally know who are living with HIV/AIDS. i could tell you countless stories of babies getting it from their mother, of little girls being raped, or women and children who had to sell their bodies to put food on the table. you see not everyone got HIV/AIDS because of their sinful lifestyle. regardless how HIV/AIDS was obtained, as a Christian we are called to be compassionate and love the those who Christ would love. that means the down and out, the poor, the sick, even those who have HIV/AIDS!

so let me tell you a little story...

when i lived in Kenya, i would visit the local "hospital" (if it where here, DHEC would shut it down in less than a heartbeat) a few times a week and even more when there were abandoned babies present. its run differently than our hospitals... all the women were in one huge room and the babies in a different room, the moms would only see their babies during feeding times, so i would go during feeding times to love on the abandoned ones. we would all sit in a big circle on benches feeding our babies. they would all be whispering but it was clear that they were talking about the mzungu (white person). some who did know english, including the nurses, would lecture me about touching the "sick" babies (they NEVER spoke the words HIV/AIDS). i didnt wear gloves (heck the nurses rarely had them anyways and only used them for the "sick" babies). they never touched the "sick" ones. they rarely changed the bedding (note, NO diapers). it was the responsibility of the mother to have some form of blanket for the baby to lay on, so the abandoned ones just had nasty, crusty, rough rags. i often would take the babies clean kanga's (colorful clothe that all the women used for carrying the babies on their back, as a skirt, head scarf, etc). i washed them, fed them, held them, and prayed for them. i worked with a missionary and the children's officer to get the paperwork moving in order to get the babies into an orphanage. once these children had someone actually caring for them, they would thrive! they would gain weight and would not be as sickly. they were not always newborns, but quite often weighed as much as a newborn here in the states! one baby in particular was roughly 9 months old and weighed less than either of my boys (who were both born nearly a month early). when they would get the the orphanage, they were given the antiretroviral drug, which help to improve the length and quality of life of someone with HIV/AIDS.

part of the problem is not admitting that there is a problem, clearly not even saying the words HIV or AIDS is representation that it is taboo and that needs to change, before real change can take place. many of the Christian students i studied with thought i was crazy for spending so much time with HIV/AIDS babies, because so many think it is contagious by contact, like a cold! it is important that men are being educated that having sex with a virgin will NOT cure them from AIDS. its no wonder that 33.2 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. Every minute a child dies because of HIV/AIDS (stats taken from baptist global response).