Many of you know that we sponsor a boy in Brazil through Compassion International. I recently signed up for Compassion's What I want for Christmas program. I am committed to finding a sponsor for one child by December 31.The little boy's name is Andres Fuentes Nunez. He is 7 years old and lives in Peru. Andres lives with his mother and 2 siblings. His mother is only employed some of the time.
Sponsoring a child means a financial commitment of $38 per month, plus you get the pleasure of exchanging letters with them. (I just received a letter from our child today!) If you would like more info about Compassion International, please go to http://www.compassion.com/. My boss recently attended an event where the president of Compassion spoke, and she was lucky enough to go on a tour of their Colorado offices. She was very impressed!
I know we are all facing financial hardships right now, but I still wanted to pass along this information in case any of you would be interested in sponsoring Andres or if you might know of someone else who would be interested. Please keep Andres in your prayers and pray that I can find a sponsor for him. If anyone out there is interested, I can mail you the info you need in order to begin your sponsorship. Thank you!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Unforgotton Children
I still have two copies of Kristie's book, Unforgotten Children, available to give away. Please leave a comment with your email address if you would like one.
Blessings!
Blessings!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Baby Names
While we were in the Outer Banks over Thanksgiving, I had the chance to walk the beach alone and spend some time in prayer. I was specifically talking to God about our baby. I asked Him to take care of our little one and to guide me in helping others who have experienced this kind of loss.
Along the way, I picked up a stick and wrote the names Claren and Nolan in the sand. Since I miscarried at 8 weeks, I don't know if our baby was a boy or a girl. Claren is the name we picked out for a little girl the first time I was pregnant. The name is in memory of Eric's favorite grandfather, Clarence. Since we have two sons, we never got to use this name. When we told our sons that I was pregnant, we asked them to come up with a boy's name because we didn't have any in mind. They came up with Nolan. Eric and I really liked it.
I think our sons wanted a little brother, but I just have the feeling our baby was a girl. I always thought we'd have two sons close in age and then a daughter a few years down the road. Our boys are 2 1/2 years apart. They would have been 14 and 11 1/2 when the baby was born. (That's a little more "down the road" than I expected!) When I imagine what our life would have been like right now, I see a baby girl with her big brothers doting on her. I see pink clothing and little hair bows (even though I can't do hair!). I hear her "oohing and ahhhing" over the Christmas tree lights. This would have been her first Christmas, and I can feel the excitement of celebrating the season with a new babe in the house.
I know God has his reasons for keeping our child with Him and that he or she is so blessed to be in His presence right now. But I still long for what might have been.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Book Review: Unforgotten Children
Kristie Verret is the author of the new book Unforgotten Children: A Testimony of God's Healing Through Miscarriage.
I have only met Kristie online. In April of this year, I read an article that she had written on Christian Women Online. To my surprise, she replied back to me. Then I think I checked out her blog, she read mine, and we began corresponding via email. Kristie invited me to do a pregnancy loss Bible study with her online. I accepted. (Although, I still have 2 more chapters to do!)
She had told me that she was writing a book about the loss of her two daughters, Elizabeth and Sammi. Although the official release date of Unforgotten Children was December 1, I was able to order a copy early. It is a quick and easy read (not emotionally easy), and I think it will speak to every mom who has lost a child due to miscarriage, still birth, or early infant loss.
Kristie is quite candid about her thoughts and feelings regarding the loss of her two daughters...two beautiful babies born to Heaven. I miscarried last year during the 8th week of my pregnancy. Even though my circumstances were different than Kristie's, I could relate to everything she felt and went through during her own tragedies. In fact, I marked 25 pages in the book where Kristie wrote something that really spoke to me. Some of these pages are marked in more than one place!
Kristie speaks out about how she felt that people belittled her grief because a "miscarriage isn't as bad as losing a real person". She expresses being frustrated with her husband because he didn't seem to understand her feelings. Then there is the questioning of God; "What was the point of that?" Also, there was the feeling of being punished; the anguish of seeing a baby that was the same age as her daughter should have been; trying hard not to cry and actually dreading the tears that she wanted to shed. All of these things are feelings and emotions that pierced my own heart during my grieving process. Naturally, some of these things still haunt me a year later.
If you are a grieving mother, I highly recommend reading Kristie's story. She is doing what I hope to do...using her losses to help other hurting parents. In fact, because I love this book and have been blessed by Kristie's own generosity, I would like to make my readers an offer. If you would like a copy of Unforgotten Children, please let me know via my comments section. I will purchase one copy each for the first 5 people who make a request to me for the book. Don't forget to leave me your email address so that I can contact you in order to get your mailing address. This offer is open until I receive requests from 5 different people.
If you would just like me to pray for you, I will do that, too. Sadly, we are all a part of a club that we never wanted to be in. May God bless and comfort each of us by bringing us together to help one another.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
Moms, please allow God to allow Kristie to help you make your way through the desert and to be your stream in the wasteland. He is definitely at work through her!
I have only met Kristie online. In April of this year, I read an article that she had written on Christian Women Online. To my surprise, she replied back to me. Then I think I checked out her blog, she read mine, and we began corresponding via email. Kristie invited me to do a pregnancy loss Bible study with her online. I accepted. (Although, I still have 2 more chapters to do!)
She had told me that she was writing a book about the loss of her two daughters, Elizabeth and Sammi. Although the official release date of Unforgotten Children was December 1, I was able to order a copy early. It is a quick and easy read (not emotionally easy), and I think it will speak to every mom who has lost a child due to miscarriage, still birth, or early infant loss.
Kristie is quite candid about her thoughts and feelings regarding the loss of her two daughters...two beautiful babies born to Heaven. I miscarried last year during the 8th week of my pregnancy. Even though my circumstances were different than Kristie's, I could relate to everything she felt and went through during her own tragedies. In fact, I marked 25 pages in the book where Kristie wrote something that really spoke to me. Some of these pages are marked in more than one place!
Kristie speaks out about how she felt that people belittled her grief because a "miscarriage isn't as bad as losing a real person". She expresses being frustrated with her husband because he didn't seem to understand her feelings. Then there is the questioning of God; "What was the point of that?" Also, there was the feeling of being punished; the anguish of seeing a baby that was the same age as her daughter should have been; trying hard not to cry and actually dreading the tears that she wanted to shed. All of these things are feelings and emotions that pierced my own heart during my grieving process. Naturally, some of these things still haunt me a year later.
If you are a grieving mother, I highly recommend reading Kristie's story. She is doing what I hope to do...using her losses to help other hurting parents. In fact, because I love this book and have been blessed by Kristie's own generosity, I would like to make my readers an offer. If you would like a copy of Unforgotten Children, please let me know via my comments section. I will purchase one copy each for the first 5 people who make a request to me for the book. Don't forget to leave me your email address so that I can contact you in order to get your mailing address. This offer is open until I receive requests from 5 different people.
If you would just like me to pray for you, I will do that, too. Sadly, we are all a part of a club that we never wanted to be in. May God bless and comfort each of us by bringing us together to help one another.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
Moms, please allow God to allow Kristie to help you make your way through the desert and to be your stream in the wasteland. He is definitely at work through her!
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