Once upon a time...

There was a young woman - ok, not soooo young - 28 to be exact -

who - together with her husband and little girl

lived in a beautiful tropical island

Far - far away from her home and family.

Her "castle" was a small 1-room-house without glass in the window-openings.

Their bedroom was a small garage with a bamboo curtain.

When it rained and stormed, they would get kind-of wet in there.

But her joy was immense, as she was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her baby boy.

He was considerate not to arrive on (nor soon after) his due-date, as the young woman had a bad cold and was feeling yuck.

So - on a Sunday morning, October the 27th, 1991 - 

just as she felt that she was FINALLY feeling well enough to give birth,

labor was induced, as the baby was showing signs of distress.

In the early afternoon, HE was finally there!

JOY!!!

But wait!

He was not doing very well - was blue all over.

The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, his stomach and his arm.

It was a MIRACLE that the little boy was alive!

And the woman was OVERJOYED!!!

GOD had GIFTED her with his precious LIFE!!!

Today

21 years later

this miracle boy

Jeremie Temanu (meaning bird)

is officially grown up - a man!

WOHOOOOO!!!!!!

Now living on another beautiful tropical island

far from his home and family

yet close to his gorgeous girl-friend

this young man is CELEBRATING TODAY!

And so is the woman - not so young anymore at all - and her husband

as well as the boy's 3 sisters and brother.

CELEBRATING an AMAZING young man!

Jeremie,

You are the most incredible young man. 

A leader -  mature beyond your years. 

Such a treasure to our hearts. 

Watching you become a man has given us more pleasure than we could have ever imagined. 

You have learned to lean on Jesus and you constantly glean from the wisdom of those around you.

You love well, you give well, you serve well.

Your future - with God on your side - is BRIGHT!!!

We couldn't be prouder of you and who you have become!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU - SO MUCH!!!

We had a special birthday breakfast today (waffles) and I made a yummy cake (all raw and healthy) which we'll eat tomorrow - your birthday in Hawaii-time.

Here are some photos from your last 21 years.

If you have 13 minutes, have a look - and ENJOY!

Customize your own picture slideshow

USUALLY

USUALLY

When God provides for people it's not through stuff that falls from heaven

Admitted - it HAS happened!

But it's not the norm.

USUALLY

God provides through people with flesh and blood.

Through YOU and ME sharing what we have.

Remember Praise's accident and the Update I wrote last week?

Well,  shortly after the accident, a wonderful Kiwi family from Tauranga, who moved their family to Uganda last year to do exactly that:

SHARING the blessings they have received with those less fortunate,

loaded up their 6 kids, bought some food - and - 3 hours later arrived at Praise's house in the village to deliver it.

At lunchtime.

Guess what?

There was no food cooking for lunch.

Remember?

The ones who were supposed to do the fund-raising concert to get food were badly injured in hospital.

No concert - no food.

YET

Through Team Gordon going WAY out of their way

 - from New Zealand -

to Kampala -

to Praise's village,

 there was PROVISION of food that day (and for a few more days, I think) -
 and I'm sure there was GREAT JOY!

THANK YOU, TEAM GORDON! YOU ROCK!!!

Friends, this kind of sharing does not come without cost.

Much more than money!

But isn't this the life we're called to live?

Jesus gave the example - we are his followers.

Praise lives like this.

As a matter of fact, she had JUST arrived back at the village after resting for a week at her aunts in town (the hospital sent her home as there was no room for her), when she was very disturbed by the news she received that the girl she had brought to the hospital the morning of the accident, was actually not doing well at all.

She was very unwell and on oxygen in the hospital.

The hospital staff hadn't wanted to tell Praise as she'd just had the accident.

Immediately, Praise went back to town to be with Monica in the hospital.

Please pray for this precious 11-year-old - one of Praise's students:

photo taken off Praise's facebook page

USUALLY

God moves when HIS PEOPLE

PRAY

REACH OUT IN LOVE

GIVE

That's the way he's got it going.

Let's JUST.DO.IT!

Lord, HELP US to LOVE like YOU do!

Happy Balancing Act

I can't explain it.

It's definitely not perfect circumstances 

(although I do have to admit that I am very happy to be back home!).

I have this incredible JOY bubbling out of me - so much of the day.

I feel like I could explode with happiness!

First thing in the morning

When I go to bed at night

And many times in between (with definite exceptions!)

My heart is smiling.

I KNOW this is GOD!

He just tickles my heart

and does me good!

My Daddy!

Oh, how I love him!!!

He's the BEST!!! 

My LIFE, my JOY, the reason I can sing!

(S)he who has a glad heart has a continual feast 

[regardless of circumstances].

Proverbs 15,15

I've been mostly playing a catch-up game since coming back a month ago.

Getting the house back in order (kind of).

Preparing for home-schooling Shayden next year.

While home-schooling Kylie  - and trying to figure out if I should continue with her next year or send her back to school...

Filling up the kids' love cups after very busy months.

And - oh yea - catching up with Rich, too.

Can't forget the wife part - oopsies!

 I love being a Mom and find it hard sometimes to be so torn between my kids here and my kids in Africa. Part of me would love to JUST be a wife and Mom and do the very best possible job, nurturing my kids, pouring everything I've got into them, giving them THE BEST.

And then I'd love to be a devoted grandmother,  too - of course!

But then - there are my other kids - and pouring myself into the ministry definitely takes away from my kids here. It's quite a balancing act and I'm not always successful.

                                             

Up to you to choose which one I am - hehe!

I guess for me it comes down to a justice issue:

Why should my kids have EVERYTHING

and other kids - whose faces I have before me continually - 

BARELY SURVIVE?

How are my kids any more special than the thousands and millions that are silently suffering?

Truth is - they're not.

 

I love them to pieces - but how about those who have NOBODY?

ALL CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET!

And the one who has 2 coats needs to share with the one who has none.

And this is not just materially and financially,

but also TIME.

 

'Nuf said for tonight.

Update on Praise

I just got off the phone with Praise, who has been released from hospital and staying with an aunt while trying to recover, still in a lot of pain - going back to the hospital now for a check-up.

She told me a bit more about the circumstances surrounding the accident:

Sunday morning, she was asked to take an 11-year-old girl from the community to the hospital, as she was very sick with HIV and dying and the mother (also HIV+ and very sick) wasn't able to take her. 

Praise dropped her off at the hospital and told the hospital staff that she would be back in the evening to take care of her. 

Believe me, when you are in the hospital in Uganda, you NEED somebody besides the hospital staff to care for you!

In the afternoon, she left with some friends to do a musical performance at a church meeting.

They were doing it as a fundraiser for her children, since they were in need of food for them.

Since it is the rainy season, there are a lot of mosquitoes around and many of the children have come down with malaria.

And in these circumstances, on the way to church, this terrible accident happened. 

It was raining and muddy.

They were driving and trying to avoid a boda-boda (motorcycle) and ended up in a ditch.

When people saw the car they didn't think that anybody would be alive in there.

Some onlookers - instead of helping - started taking car parts away for themselves...

So sad (yet typical)!

Praise herself doesn't remember any of this and only came back to consciousness in the hospital.

It really pains me to know how extremely challenging and traumatizing this whole situation is.

It just doesn't seem right!

All of Praise's friends who were going to help her with the concert/fundraising are still in bad condition in the hospital.

And - by the way - the 11-year-old girl ended up getting taken care of by the hospital staff and doing much better. So that's good!

But - PLEASE - continue to pray for Praise.

She needs healing in her body

Healing in her soul

Good sleep

Healing for her friends

Provision of food for her kids

Healing for all of her sick kids

(who are getting cared for by the people working with her)

ENCOURAGEMENT and STRENGTH

She is ALWAYS giving out

serving

rescuing

loving

And she really needs a GOOD DOSE OF LOVE POURED INTO HER right now!!!

Heavenly Father - would YOU do that please?

Prayers needed!

Asking for prayers for Praise!

I just found out that she was involved in a violent car accident on Sunday, on her way to minister through music, along with a car-load of friends.

She was unconscious for 2 hours - and is still in a lot of pain and shock. 

Thank God she wasn't as seriously injured as her friends who lost limbs etc. - as she had a seat-belt. (The seat-belt cut her)

But she does need our prayers!

Thank you!!