2013 Goals

To give my year purpose and a sense of drive and achievement...

~ 2013 Goals ~

Faith Life

• Pray regularly with MrMoo and Milla Moo2. Whether at meal times or bedtimes, make it a usual part of the day when we are together.
• Read and pray through the New Testament (260 chapters, 1 chapter a day). Previously I start in the Old Testament at the beginning of the year but never make it to the New. 

Family Life

• Celebrate hard with our family. Seek out occasions to celebrate, have special meals and cakes together with special decorations. Mark special events, anniversaries, holidays, birthdays with a big celebration!
• A weekly out of the ordinary routine date with Milla with Mum, Dad or both. Be prepared for this and plan ahead with ideas and set aside specific times to make it happen. 

Home Life

• Create a happy, functioning home that is a safe space and refuge for us. Organise particular areas to make our lives easier and to keep junk and clutter at a minimum. Giveaway what we dont need and love what we do have. Embrace our rented home and make it feel like ours.
• Explore my creativity by making one new item for our family each month (and master The Zip!). 
• Create and stock an Emergency kit for our family. I'm appalled its taken over 2 and a half years to get around to something that is so essential to our lives in Christchurch. Time to man up and take responsibility for our family.

Financial Life

• Get well on our way to a healthy deposit for owning our own home (hopefully before Milla is in school!). Pay off existing credit card and save decent portions specifically for a deposit. 
• Open bank accounts for each of our children and deposit money into them.

Blog Life

• Blog about more moments and less happenings.

The Sisterhood - Why We Exist

For months now I have had it on my mind to simplify The Sisterhood, figure out where its going, put some organisation in place so it runs a lot more efficiently and smoothly. And most of all, figure out why we exist.

I know, I say it all the time, "we exist to bring smiles to an otherwise bleak day". But theres more to it than that.

Let me take you back to that night when The Sisterhood began in my bedroom, around midnight on a Friday, amongst tears and anguish as I blogged my heart out. I was angry with the world, with God, with life, my own brother had gone for days that week without any food to eat. He had the flu as well. Life is hard for him and I was furious. Life is hard. Theres a lot of people doing life very tough out there.

Then my anger lingered onto other situations, the ones who are doing it hard but dont say a word, they just get on with life - they balance kids, work, family, sickness, study, dreams. They balance it all and dont ask for anything in return.

Yes. Those people. The quiet ones. I love those ones. I wanted to know about them, I wanted to love on them, to tell them they were noticed, to let them know they were valued, appreciated, loved. I could think of countless women in my life who needed to be intentionally noticed and appreciated.

I heard God say yes. An audible YES in my room. It was urging, positive, Yeesss...

I have heard two audible words from God before, words so loud I can't help but stop in my tracks and know they weren't from my own head.

The first, I was driving to pick up a friend and heard an audible "SAFETY" being yelled at me, I almost died. I was scared, and started praying over and over and over for safety, I didn't know why, I just asked for Gods protection. After I picked up my friend I didn't mention it to her, half an hour later we were in a car accident. A man on drugs ran a red light as we were going through our green, at full speed, and hit the side of my car. We were supposed to have passengers in the back but 5 minutes before hand plans fell through, they didn't come with us, I was told there would have been death had we had back seat passengers. Safety. I thanked God. Seriously. I honestly with all of my being know that was Gods voice. Not my own.

So when I heard YESS. I knew. An out of this world YES. A heavenly YES.

The Sisterhood was born. Since then, God has spoken to me regularly through prayer, scripture and general "knowing" regarding The Sisterhood.

I'll be honest, I can't do this without him. In fact, I don't want to. Without God, The Sisterhood is just works based. Its just chocolate in the mail. And while thats cool, that can get boring, tired, unfulfilling. I really believe that what makes it successful is whats behind the chocolate. A load of prayers, a word of encouragement, a prophetic word of Hope, a Holy Spirit inspired poem, a vision of heaven.

One of my most fulfilling moments in running The Sisterhood was when I was preparing our first round of multiple LOVE BOMBs. A blogging friend, Simone, had sent me a mix CD in the mail, she urged me to listen to it, I put it on as I assembled the love bombs in their piles, took photos of them, boxed them up and addressed them. The CD was filled with beautiful happy songs. And worship songs. As I photographed and boxed I sang my heart out, I thanked God for caring and loving and saving me, and for caring and loving all of these women. I prayed for each of them and for each member of The Sisterhood.

In that moment I truly felt like I was doing exactly what I was called to do. 

Over time I have come to realise that what we do at The Sisterhood is really what God has done for us. 

Its us, knowing of someone. We are a stranger to them, but we know them, we know of their struggles (well, I do) and we want to help. We go out of our way, we reach out, we join together everything we have to say "here, take this, we love you, even if you dont know us" Loving despite geography, knowledge or circumstances; just because.

The Sisterhood is here to show LOVE, just like Jesus does for us. Just in a more earthly, physical, chocolatey way.

And you know, deep down, its really Jesus showing the love anyway. 

I really have to think about these things (The Sisterhood). When you are in charge of something as awesome as The Sisterhood its important to be clear as to why you're doing it.

When I get emails from women saying their sons needs an ipad, and then sending constant emails asking why I haven't sent one yet, its gets a little stressful. Or emails from I dont know how many women saying they have no money for groceries, their husbands in jail, winz has cut off their benefits..

Its a little stressful.

I have to think about these things because when I get an email every week asking if someone can start their own Sisterhood I need to know why they're doing it. For glory? Riches? God?

Its important to be clear. Who are we helping here, why are we helping. We have to know these things.

(I really dont mean to sound unhelpful, these stories break my heart, but I get these emails everyday, I'm realistic, I know we can't help them all so its important to know who we can help)

I know most of you are strangers to me, you "signed up" because a friend told you you could get free stuff, or you could do some baking, or they told you that The Sisterhood is the best thing to ever happen, ever.

I love that they told you something about the sisterhood, but they might not have told you why we're doing it. So I need you to know. I need that bridge between us to be broken down and replaced with reality: I am doing this because I heard GOD say YES. (If you've been around here for a little while this wont be news to you.)

I don't believe God has called us to buy ipads or groceries or to pay for someones internet bill.

He has called us to love those who are doing life well, the hard workers, the women with their heads down bums up, taking care of life. This hard life. He has called us to notice them, to flex our generosity muscles and to tell them that we notice them, just like he notices us. 

We will send gifts to people of all backgrounds, and people of all faiths can donate. 

The Sisterhood is a collection of different women all over New Zealand with different world views, religious beliefs, skills and circumstances all joining together to create something amazing.

Some of you may not like this God stuff at all, I'm thinking if thats you you have probably already stopped reading and removed yourself from our email list (but not before sending me an opinionated email) I'm okay with that. Feel free to do whatever it is you need to do.

Some of you may disagree but still put up with my God babble and will continue to join in. If thats you, I really like you. Thank you for still liking me and being here, even though you aren't into what I am but can see the bigger picture ;)

Others will get this God Thing. Thank you for being here. I really want your help.

Throughout this journey its important that I stay true to who I am, The Sisterhood was started because I heard YES from God, not because I thought it was a good idea or I might get more Facebook friends. Because of that, I'm not too worried about losing Facebook friends, but I AM worried about losing sight of God in this.

Therefore, I will continue to be me, and The Sisterhood will continue as usual, not growing The Sisterhood for the numbers or reputation, but continuing to share the love that God has to offer by way of chocolates and treats and loving on those unappreciated hardworking women.

Just needed you to know that, kay?

I love you all, whoever you are. Thank you for being here, and if you still want to do this journey with us, well, I think you just became my new best friend :)

xx

p.s - I am currently working on documents that will help us and help those overseas wanting to expand The Sisterhood. We all need to be reading off the same page.

If you would like to talk to me about anything I have mentioned here please email me on sophieslim@moo2.co.nz - I will respond to every email, even the nasty ones.

Resource; Encourage, bring hope, inspire

When I first started blogging all of those years ago it was because I was a youth pastor and felt the need to provide a positive space on the internet where my girls could be encouraged and inspired. I was tired of logging onto facebook or the like and seeing these beautiful girls get trashed by their friends, succumb to temptations and be someone I knew they were fighting so hard not to be.

I set about to change their internet space. I blogged about depression, identity, self worth, healthy relationships and Jesus. Blogging was fufilling and I found a lot of people outside of our youth group reading my words and telling me how encouraging they were.

Obviously, I'm not a youth pastor any more but the heart still remains - I am still eager to encourage young girls and have them know how much they are worth. Life and seasons change. Now I also aim to educate people on pregnancy birth and all the afters - to have them know that they have rights and can seek help and to encourage them that they are great mums and dads. I have started to use this space as a journal to record our families years with letters to my husband and our baby, I hope that one day they will be kept and shared. And now, The Sisterhood, of which I am ridiculously proud of what we have achieved already.

So you see, to me, my blog is a resource; It's a space to encourage and bring hope and to inspire. That was my aim and still is. I feel like I have been focussing on other things for a while now. Crafty things. Design things. Baby things. Food things. I love those things but they do not reflect my heart.

I am having a bit of a blog-dentity crisis.

There, I said it.

Sometimes I'm hesitant to post what I really want, I worry that it will be too mushy, or you'll get sick of me and my 'fluffy thoughts'. You'll say "She's so naive!" and I'll say "Just be kind to one another!" and you'll stop reading. So I don't and I limit what does get posted.

A part of me is also hesitant to post about the Sisterhood. I don't want recognition or glory for it. I don't want people to say "well done you". I just want to spread the word. Do you have any better ideas for doing that? I fear that if I post about the Sisterhood here too much you'll feel like I'm always asking you for something or you'll give me glory that I dont deserve. Both scenarios would hurt me.

I just enlarged those words up there. Resource. Encourage. Hope. Inspire. That's what I want. Doesn't that warm your heart? Make you feel wonderful inside? Don't you want to belong to a positive place that is moving towards something greater and better? I do. Seeing those bold words awakens me, makes me zing inside. At nine-o'clock at night I feel alive inside. I feel powerful.

So in the short term future you may notice a change in my posts. Maybe you wont like it and you will unfollow me. Maybe you'll love it and you'll spread the word. Maybe you wont even notice and this is actually all in my head and I'm making a big deal out of nothing.

If anything I want to thank you for reading my words up until this point. You yourself are generous and encouraging and I would love to hear from you about anything. I would love to get a conversation started. I would love to know that I'm not talking to myself as it so often seems like. Please comment, email, share, discuss, suggest.

Love.

Knowing and Feeling - Losing a Love

For the first time in my life I feel as if I have something to lose and that makes me feel sick to my stomach.

Years ago in a church service the preacher said "what have you got left to lose?" And I said nothing, so I put up my hand in response and I gained everything.  Then I knew God and now I know God, and I know that I am saved. I know I wont lose that.

A few years later I married the man I loved and life taught me that life is short, and although we are married on earth some day we will leave each other. I'm not sure if we are married in heaven but I believe Heaven is all about God (not each other). So although it would be terribly horrible and I would go through a whole lot of grief and life would be super hard, I began to prepare myself for one day being without my husband. Whether that was on earth or in heaven. But I know that ultimately I wont lose him.

Then, my beautiful daughter came into this world and my heart was captured. I love her to teeny tiny pieces. I love the miracle of life, how she came to be here, the perfectness of Gods timing. I love her little giggles, her warm hands wrapped around my neck in the unseen hours of the night, her breath against my chest, her long eyelashes, her utter joy over the smallest things, her wimpering cry in a strangers arms. I love who she is and who she has turned us into. And for the first time, I am terrified of life, accidents, evil. For the first time I feel needed and responsible and I can't bear the thought of losing my little one, or her loo]sing me.

I feel the weight of responsibility to teach her about this world and life with in it. To teach her about the saving power of Jesus and to watch her grow into a beautiful strong woman with her own values and passions. I want to be around to do that.

I know, I have a husband. But we are adults, we have wonderful memories already, I know that deep down we would survive (does that sound completely horrible??) But my baby girl growing up without her parents? Or us losing our first born? My stomach is in knots.

Perhaps these feelings pass, or maybe these are the feelings people feel when they say "being a parent is like having your heart walk around outside your body".

Am I just a worry-wort? A scardy-cat? Mr Moo tells me I can't live like this, and he is right. I am my daughters Mother, chosen By God, who I thank everyday. But she is His and He will look after her for us. I trust that and know that. Really, I do.

But knowing it and feeling it are two different things.

What's Ahead

I'm one for goals but not one for resolutions. I like to think that I am the sort of person who regularly examines herself and makes changes appropriately, not just on January 1st. That's why when the New Year rolled around I hadn't given a single thought to what my resolutions would be. I'm on a life time journey of change and adjusting. Don't like something? Change it. Love something? Do it more.

Thats me.

2011 was one of the best and worst years. It involved the hardest work and the greatest reward I have ever had and it involved the greatest fear and greatest celebrations I have ever been involved in. Unlike other years I will remember Twenty Eleven. It has been written down and earmarked permanently in my history book of life.

I expect Twenty Twelve to be even more. Challenging... Joyful... Testing... Celebratory... Learned. This marks the beginning of those years that go far too fast.

This is why I am so pleased I have a blog. Often I get to the end of a season in my life and I wonder why I blog. Do I share too much with the unknown world? Show too many personal photos of family members? Some times I get to the end of those seasons I feel that what I do is selfish. I take all of this time out of my day to write about myself. I think that what I have to say is important and perhaps someone else might want to read it. Selfish, selfish selfish.

Then I look like I am now at what lays ahead and I look behind me at the chaos, except that thanks to this blog I can make sense of it; I can look back and pinpoint memories, emotions, inspiration and milestones. Thanks to this blog I have lasting memories and a record of our lives.

Lately I have been feeling that I am spending too much wasted time on the internet. Lingering on my facebook home page reading about dinners, rivalries, beliefs. I am reading blogs I really am not interested in and always searching for new ones. Minutes and sometimes hours slip away. Not that I have all the time in the world, but 5 minutes here and there throughout the day hinders so many things. I will be focussed on something else while I walk past my laptop, I stop to check my blog updates, 5 minutes has past, Camilla wakes up, and then I have no time for what I was originally doing.

I'm not saying I do this all the time but I have noticed that it happens and its not something I'm happy with.

If anything, this is perhaps a resolution... a new way of doing life. I would like to be far more efficient with my time so that when I do have some spare time I can enjoy it not waste it. I would like to check all blog updates once a day and leave it at that. I mention the blogging because I do not want to give it up entirely, I love it and it is a huge blessing to our lives, but I would like to be more controlled with my time on it and use it wisely. I would like to reduce my facebook numbers so I'm only reading what I want to read. I would like to think of a blog post and post it, not think about it for days only to not end up posting it. I would like to have my lap top away during the day so I am not tempted by it. I would like to use that time instead in catching up on home duties, spending time with our daughter, learning more about crochet and a whole lot of other crafts, spending time with friends and going out and about Christchurch.

This year I also want to get more creative in the kitchen. I love to bake but have only started to learn to cook since I've been married for 3 years. This last year my kitchen didn't produce anything interesting. I had terrible morning sickness until June so we only ate take out because I couldn't stomach cutting anything or being near the fridge, and then I had a newborn so it was quick throw together stodgy meals - my specialty. I am aiming to make one new recipe a week (or experiment with an old one). I was given Jaime Olivers Ministry of Food cook book and it has blown my mind. Already I have changed 2 meals this week to include oils and herbs - something I never ever use (I know.)

So. Thats my year. More quality time and more creativity.

What are you doing this year?

2011 Gone

My favourite posts from each month of 2011. A year in review.

January

While only a few weeks pregnant I enjoyed my lack of responsibility and abundant freedom that was available to us while sneakily writing about it on my blog while no one new of our little blessing. Our trip to Westport mentioned in the post was really us going over to tell my parents of our news. Hehe.

February

February was a slow month for me. We spent a lot of time in Auckland and without power or internet so I was unable to blog. I managed to get my social networking policies blogged about before our big earthquake. We were so lucky to have the first flight out of Christchurch after the quake (already pre booked) and escape up north for a leadership conference but our hearts belonged in our city with our families and friends who were struggling. It was an odd feeling. I wanted to be away but I wanted to be back. I still mourn and feel for those who have lost in the earthquakes. There are still people without working toilets and running water. Thankfully we are fully functional with all of our loved ones still around us (except for those who have sadly moved away).

March

Amongst the mess of the earthquakes and my emotions I forgot to mention here on the blog that I was with MiniMoo. I wrote this post about how much I loved her Daddy and for a very long time it remained in my "top 5 viewed posts" stats. Through this people realised that I was having a baby and I began to blog about her more regularly. It was really hard for me to make any sense of anything that was going on inside my head, let alone type it out and publish it.

April

We went to Brisbane in March for a prebaby holiday and to celebrate some family birthdays over there.  It was a really great time for Graeme and I. We love to travel but money usually restricts us. It was really great to get out of Christchurch again and escape the ongoing after shocks. I finally blogged about it in April in this post. 

May

My largest and most worked on blog post to date and also one of my top viewed posts, The Great Quakes. I finally make some chronological sense of whats happened.

Also, I had a shared baby shower with 2 of my favourite Mamas!

June

We moved into our new [rented] home after living with the inlaws for many months. We moved in with them when our lease expired, we found out we were pregnant, and I lost a job. It was a blessing living with them but it was also very hard. I desired our own space. We moved into a scummy area behind a security gate and the apartment was everything on our wants and needs list at the time. We've just done a reshuffle so now its no longer a 3 bedroom apartment. We turned the master bedroom into a very small lounge and will be using the old lounge as a sitting room and dining room. It means our bedroom is down next to Camillas when she moves into it and we can get our dining table out of storage and start using it! Hoorah!

July

We hosted a lot of parties and it snowed! The parties were for Camilla and also a midwinter dinner for members of our connect group from Church. (We hosted a fortnightly connect group for young married couples).

We ended up having two large snowfalls (large for Christchurch anyway) and it just seemed to add on to the abnormal-ness of the whole year. More time off work. More shovelling to be done. I loved having Graeme home from work as I neared the end of my pregnancy.

August

Of course, August was the birth month of our beautiful baby. Camilla has changed our lives completely and I feel like a whole different woman. I wrote about the birth later but this Welcome Post received so many hits. I wrote it the day after her birth, early in the morning, in the days when they just sleep and sleep and sleep. Throughout my pregnancy I wrote weekly updates from week 20. Week 37, written during August was the most popular one. In it I write about how someone asked me for a cigarette (what the heck is the world coming to??) and also I peed myself at a friends party. Beautiful huh.

September

We settled into life with a new born baby, we had a few sleeping issues but they were quickly resolved, and mostly we just loved and enjoyed our little precious. We spent hours with her skin to skin, we carried her, rocked her and shared our bed. It was a wonderful month of bonding and I am 100% sure we are still reaping the benefits. Camilla is so attached to us and gets very upset if she is held by someone else and I am not in sight. I wrote about Camillas birth in September and to date it is my highest viewed post.

October

Right at the end of the month I posted my very first Vlog (Video Log). Camilla had just started making little noises and I tried to get some captured on my webcam. Now she talks and talks and talks. Especially at 7am. Its really cute but some times I'm too tired to appreciate it. Here she is adorable. This is around the time that I started to actually get dressed properly too and take a little pride in my appearance after a long winter or preggo clothes and having a baby. PJs are much too comfortable. Note for the future - set money aside for nice clothes after a birth. Nothing fits anymore (either you've changed or you've stretched everything).

November

photo credit to Juliet

I went to a bloggy party with other awesome Christchurch bloggers. They have invited me to many things before, they are all so social and lovely, but I was (unusually) to shy and fear ful. I finally got over it, took another blogger and went along. It was so much fun! These ladies are all seriously lovely and I love keeping up with their blogs. I'm so happy I went in the end!!

December

A very slow blogging month, I was without a laptop for most of it as it was being fixed before my warrant ran out and we went on a 9 day holiday to Westport. My favourite post was definitely my Christmas update. I love love love Christmas. Can't wait for next years already!! In December we also hosted a car park party for our apartment complex which I didn't blog about. We have 30 apartments around us and quite a few people came, it was so awesome!!


Thank you 2011, you were probably the hardest year yet but the one with the biggest blessing. Thank you for bringing our daughter safely into this world and looking after us through destruction and trials. 

I got this review idea from Mama Kats Writers Workshop. Thanks Mama! I've been signed up for a while but this is my first completed prompt.

Counting The Blessings

Just before I read a status of a friend of a friend on Facebook. It was short and to the point. She has cancer and has about a month left to live. She has a family and is planning to renew her marriage vows at the end of the month to celebrate their life and love.

What an appreciation for life.

With an eternal perspective everything changes. The small day to day trivia is no longer relevant, a "must do by 30" (or whatever) list probably doesn't matter any more. I have never had a life threatening illness but I presume in the last weeks the only things that matter is family and friends and a whole lotta love. 

I have questioned my life this year and had it flash before my eyes while alone in a voilent earthquake. The only things I thought of was my husband, baby and My Maker. 

I guess day to day we can't live in this perspective constantly. Its really inward focussed and doesn't pay the bills...

But it does pay to daily count your blessings and remember whats important during your day. 

My Saturday is almost over and it has been wonderful. I have joyfully cleaned, cooked and looked after our family. Everyday stuff, but with a smile and a glad heart. I also enjoyed a lunch time picnic under beautiful trees with 2 babies, a toddler and good friends. My life is short and one day it will end here on earth and continue elsewhere. For now, while I have My Loves around me I am enjoying what I have been gifted.

Isn't it wonderful?

My heart goes out to my friends friend. I'm sure there are many people around the world coming to terms with the same situation. Life is precious.

What A Privilege!

On Saturday we went as a family to vote for our new government. 

I've voted before, but I'm fairly new to this politics game. I think for the first time I began to understand what MMP is and its implications. In school they just teach you that it means lots of people are in the government. Not very helpful. 

Anyway, parties aside, I consider it a huge privilege to live in a country where our votes count. Especially in Christchurch central where there is a dead heat. One of my votes made a difference. 

I hope to teach Camilla to be informed about our country and our freedom to vote and be heard. She will be attending all the votes and will grow up listening to Mum and Dad talking policies and hearing us pray for our government until she can do so herself.

Smells a bit like freedom doesn't it?

The Elderly Like Leeks

When I was in my last stages of pregnancy I went grocery shopping alone. If you know me, I have a very tight budget to stick to and I do whatever it takes to do that. I write out my lunch and meal plans for the week, write out the ingredients I need, estimate how much it will cost and then I go shopping. As I put things in my trolley I add up the price on my phone and if it doesn't work out I have back up options to go to (different dinner options, ingredients etc). We're young, I don't get paid and Graeme isn't exactly a millionaire (yet. Hah). But I'm okay with that. I know that as time progresses so will our budget (hopefully) and one day I will be able to put whatever I like in the trolley.

So there I was, heavily pregnant and alone on a Friday night with my list and my calculator open on my phone doing our weekly shop.

An old man hobbled past me. He had grey whispy hair and an old woolen jersey and he was alone. He had leeks in his trolley. That's all. We were already halfway through the supermarket. I glanced at his list that was written on scrap paper with pencil. The writing was wiggly and messy, and it had a lot of items listed on it with prices next to half of the items. The old man was going around the supermarket finding out the prices of everything before he put them in his trolley. Leeks obviously made the cut.

My heart burst - and so did the floodgates of my tears. I started bawling my eyes out in the middle of the aisle, and continued to cry as I finished my shopping and loaded my groceries into the car. Hormones much?

Sure, our budget's tight, but his? Did he really need to go around the supermarket and find out the price, then go back and do it all over again? He was alone (so was I), did he have a wife at home? A wife in hospital? A wife at all? Did he have children? Friends? Anyone?

Really, his situation was similar to mine - we were both alone, had a tight budget, had a walking impairment (old vs. heavily pregnant). However, I know that that is my situation now and we have the rest of our lives to change it. I like to think that by the time we are his age we will have a few earthly comforts to help us enjoy life.

I hope that when I am older I am in good health, surrounded by lovely people, with enough resources to not have to do my shopping twice over. I hope to be filled with joy, not bitter by a lifetime of hurts. I hope to still have my husband by my side, loading the groceries into the car. I hope that I like leeks in my older ages. I hope I can stay in touch with the worlds developments and I be able to work todays equivalent to a laptop, the internet, etc. I hope that life is happy :)

Totally aware this whole post is a big hormonal ramble. 

One Step At A Time

I took one step today.

One small small step towards what I am sure God has called me to do.

I am excited, thrilled, nervous and almost peeing my pants at the same time.

More info as it reveals itself.

The Beginning of Stitch Africa

One morning when in the shower, I poured my heart out to God through frustrated tears. Why was I not living out the scriptures that I was sure he had called me to? Preaching and teaching in homes in distant nations, I was sure I was called to this.

Instantly I received a download from God. With it I saw Stitch Africa. I saw the name, the logo, the booties, the website, the prices, the mission, and the love. Everything.

I jumped out of the shower straight away and wrote everything down. That day I started on the "to-do list" and everything fell into place. It looks exactly as I had seen it that morning.

Now, a few months on, I rely on God for the inspiration for fresh ideas, the motivation to complete old ideas and the people to buy into the mission.

I am pining for the day when I get to go to Africa and meet these beautiful children. I can't wait for my husbands heart to be broken for the injustice and a passion to rise inside of him. I can't wait for the day that God will use me to spread his love in a bigger way.

For now, I'm just doing what God has allowed me to do and can't wait to see how it grows and develops in the coming months.