My heart is going in so many directions!

So I already feel like I am on an emotional overly loaded roller coaster ride. My heart breaks daily, I get overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas and it's just well....a big pill to swallow some days. But then I am reminded ever so gently by my faithful Father that I feel this way for a reason. That because I care and am aware, I can help make a difference. I can BE the hands and feet of Christ and really answer a calling that I feel in my heart. I'm not sure what the "call" is yet, I am hearing so much all at once. I do know that my heart is so in love with orphans......with the families that give so much of themselves to bring one of these sweet children of God into their homes and lives. I admire the sacrifice and selflessness and energy that go into the entire process. Having a friend who already adopted and having several friends who are currently in the process......it such a beautiful beautiful example of TOTAL faith in God and all that HE PROMISES when we follow HIS word. And His word has been speaking so loudly to me more and more as I constantly keep seeing this verse:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."----James 1:27

So I am 3 short short weeks away from my first one on one encounter with real life orphans. I know that sounds funny to say it that way.....but these aren't orphans in pictures or on TV or on a blog. They will be beautiful breathing children of God right in front of my face. I will be able to actually interact with them and embrace them. They will have faces and names in my heart. We are so desensitized by media, movies, internet......that it tends to lose some of the shock effect when we see things sometimes. I know that I was able to easily change the channel when one of those "Feed the Children" infomercials would come on a channel. If I can't see it, it goes away right? WRONG. I don't think I never really thought it would "go away" but I never really thought a $30 per month donation would do much for someone. I mean I grew up in a house where we spent $100 per week on groceries. $30 per month, that couldn't do anything worthwhile for a person.....change the channel. Yet I had no problem dropping $30 on wasteful "things" of this world back in those days. I say "back in those days" now because I am a changing loving child of God, who PRAYS and DESIRES to be so much more than I was......to give SO much more than I can.....to DO DO DO all that Christ calls me to do and to make what sacrifices are necessary for it to be done.

I think there has to be a change in heart to really BELIEVE that a difference can be made. One person can't change the world, but 100 people of God standing together on a mission to make a difference can make a HUGE difference to a group of people. I mean look at what has been done through our church!!! They started a Crazy Love Campaign, collected insane amounts of money and BUILT AN ORPHANAGE in Haiti!! I mean really?? A church in Hendersonville, TN has a congregation that gave enough of themselves to actually build an orphanage!!! That is CRAZY!!! SO crazy cool!!! I love it! Who can read that the congregation of a church felt the call and answered it and all these children will get to know the love of CHRIST because of it!!! I mean talk about answering when God is hollering!!! (On a side note, this is THE orphanage I will be going to on my trip.)

Okay.....let me get my thought track back. Okay, so one person CAN make a difference and SHOULD. I should. You should. All God's children should work together to make a difference. I am blessed beyond measure. Now, I don't live in a huge house or just have bank accounts with large sums of money in them. We have to budget in a night out to eat and I make sure bills are paid before I splurge on a $30 pair of jeans. BUT I am still blessed......far more than most in this world. I feel like I hear so many complaints about what people don't have or can't do or can't afford or want or "need" and who has more and who's house is bigger. I used to be that person.......USED TO! And NOW, I think twice about "needing" something and "wanting" something and what that money could mean to someone else's life. I mean if you had a $100 bill just handed to you......what would you do with it? I'm guessing most would go splurge on something or have a night out on the town or pay a bill. But do we ever really stop and think about the money we spend and what we spend it on? Is it junk of this world or are we investing in God's world. It's God's money anyways right? He blessed us with jobs to provide income.....so if it's HIS money, shouldn't we be better stewards? I love in the Bible it says:

Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

God has opened my eyes, my heart and my soul to the hurting and suffering people in our world. To the orphans and the mothers who had to abandon them because they couldn't care for them. To the ones with no food, no clean water to drink, no homes......and more devastating NO knowing the LOVE of Christ! So MY HEART IS GOING IN SO MANY DIRECTIONS!!! I just can't keep up! I see so many opportunities to do things to help, places to make a difference, ways to contribute and honestly I WANT TO DO THEM ALL!! BUT I know that God would have me slow down, breathe and find a place to plug in and give it my all. One thing at a time, one day at a time. But where to start???

Well, I say I'm starting with this trip to Haiti. I'm starting by being aware of so much work to be done with the hands and feet of Christ. So I'm going to Haiti in less than 3 weeks and I'm coming back with crazy love in my heart to help the nations.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."---Acts 1:8

But what can a stay at home mom of 2 from TN really accomplish? I am gonna show you.....stay tuned to see HOW YOU CAN HELP, CONTRIBUTE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOO!!! There is something for EVERYONE to do! I may not be able to do it ALL but I can do SOMETHING and that is A START!!

Not sure how much sense this all made, but it comes to me quicker than I can type and I lose my train of thought and I have 15 ideas at a time spinning around and well.....I hope you caught the gist of my heart going radically everywhere! <3