Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ohh Samford...
The weekend that we returned from Kenya, I had the most special treat ---- my friends from college came in town and stayed with me for the weekend! I cannot even begin to say how much fun we had and how great it was to see them! I miss these girls so much and although I'm thankful for phone calls, emails, facebook, etc. that help us stay in touch, nothing compares to spending face to face time with each other! We went to Gilchrist (our favorite lunch spot) in Mountain Brook, walked around Samford and visited the ADPi house, had dinner at Cocina..of course...went to Step Sing, talked about life, and laughed the entire time. So pretty much..we pretended like we were in college again! It was wonderful and such a reminder of how blessed I am with precious friends!
Overwhelmed...
One month later and here I am finally getting back to the blog. Needless to say, it's been a busy month! Kenya was an absolutely amazing trip. It was such a blessing to see the beautiful faces of the people we met last year, and just as great to meet new people. To explain the people of Kenya in just a few words is near impossible. They are the most gracious, beautiful, joyous people...in the midst of the most oppressive, dark, poverty-stricken circumstances. They are truly amazing.
I put together an album of pictures on facebook, but there are way too many to post on the blog. If you would like to see pictures, feel free to visit that album here.
Being honest, I struggled so much more in Kenya this year than I did last year. Everywhere you turn in Kenya there is poverty. Even on the cleanest of streets, it is dirty. Even in the most developed of areas, there is a slum on the borders. Now I realize that there are areas of Kenya that are not like this...but for the most part this is how it is. The emotional burden that I felt while I was there...and continue to feel right now...is so heavy. I felt overwhelmed the entire time I was there. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVED being there and cannot wait to return...I'm just being honest here. But I'll tell you what hit me the most while I was there. While I felt this heavy sense of sorrow and helplessness...the beautiful people of Kenya were smiling, happy, laughing, playing, holding my hands, playing with my hair, wanting their picture taken...this is all they know and they are thankful for the little that they have. Not thankful in the way that we as Americans are thankful; they are TRULY, TRULY thankful for EVERY little thing that they have. Nothing is taken for granted. I learn more from the 7 year olds I play with in Kenya than I almost ever do while sitting in Birmingham, Alabama.
God is doing mighty things through Compassion International - He is changing children, their families, their communities, and ultimately their countries. He is showing them that their hope does not lie in the slums in which they live, but their hope lies in the fact that they have a Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ who is passionate about the poor and who loves them immensely.
Andy Blanks, who went on the trip with us, kept up with his blog while we were in Kenya and seeing that he is a writer, he articulated everything beautifully while we were there....If you would like to read more details about our trip, please visit his blog...http://andyblanks.com/...even if you're not interested in our trip to Kenya, his blog is worth visiting!
Here are just a few pictures from our time there...
I put together an album of pictures on facebook, but there are way too many to post on the blog. If you would like to see pictures, feel free to visit that album here.
Being honest, I struggled so much more in Kenya this year than I did last year. Everywhere you turn in Kenya there is poverty. Even on the cleanest of streets, it is dirty. Even in the most developed of areas, there is a slum on the borders. Now I realize that there are areas of Kenya that are not like this...but for the most part this is how it is. The emotional burden that I felt while I was there...and continue to feel right now...is so heavy. I felt overwhelmed the entire time I was there. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVED being there and cannot wait to return...I'm just being honest here. But I'll tell you what hit me the most while I was there. While I felt this heavy sense of sorrow and helplessness...the beautiful people of Kenya were smiling, happy, laughing, playing, holding my hands, playing with my hair, wanting their picture taken...this is all they know and they are thankful for the little that they have. Not thankful in the way that we as Americans are thankful; they are TRULY, TRULY thankful for EVERY little thing that they have. Nothing is taken for granted. I learn more from the 7 year olds I play with in Kenya than I almost ever do while sitting in Birmingham, Alabama.
God is doing mighty things through Compassion International - He is changing children, their families, their communities, and ultimately their countries. He is showing them that their hope does not lie in the slums in which they live, but their hope lies in the fact that they have a Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ who is passionate about the poor and who loves them immensely.
Andy Blanks, who went on the trip with us, kept up with his blog while we were in Kenya and seeing that he is a writer, he articulated everything beautifully while we were there....If you would like to read more details about our trip, please visit his blog...http://andyblanks.com/...even if you're not interested in our trip to Kenya, his blog is worth visiting!
Here are just a few pictures from our time there...
Monday, February 1, 2010
TOMORROW!
Graham and I leave for Kenya tomorrow with Student Life and Compassion International. There are 16 people from Student Life going and 2 from Compassion - we will be gone for 9 days...and I cannot wait!!!
These are the precious faces that I get to see...
These are the heart-wrenching sights that I will see...
And this precious little girl - I cannot wait to hold her! This is Esther - the adorable 4 year old that Melanie and Reynolds sponsor through Compassion International. We got to meet Esther last year and it was one of the most special moments of my life! Mel, Reynolds and Abby have packed a bag full of goodies for us to take her - SO excited!!
Mike and Mary (Graham's mom and stepdad) also sponsor a 6 year old little girl, Dorcas, in Kenya. I cannot wait to meet her for the first time and take her a bag full of surprises from the Hinkles! Don't worry...we will take lots of pictures!
Now with all of the excitement that comes with this trip, I have to be honest and admit that there is a little bit of anxiety as well. I know that I handled 18 hours on an airplane last year...but I cannot for the life of me imagine doing that again!! I know it will be okay, but for some reason I am so nervous about that this time around! Also, Graham and I have both been sick for the past few days - and although our doctor nursed us up pretty good today, please pray that we will feel much better when we wake up in the morning! The most anxiety, though, comes from knowing some of the sights that I am about to see. Knowing the extreme poverty that I am about to walk through and experience and observe children and babies living in...it is so overwhelming. Please pray that God will shine through each of us and that His presence will be felt by all that we come in contact with. God is doing an amazing work through Compassion by providing children and ultimately their families and their communities with HOPE - praise Him for that!
Pictures to come when we return!
These are the precious faces that I get to see...
These are the heart-wrenching sights that I will see...
And this precious little girl - I cannot wait to hold her! This is Esther - the adorable 4 year old that Melanie and Reynolds sponsor through Compassion International. We got to meet Esther last year and it was one of the most special moments of my life! Mel, Reynolds and Abby have packed a bag full of goodies for us to take her - SO excited!!
Mike and Mary (Graham's mom and stepdad) also sponsor a 6 year old little girl, Dorcas, in Kenya. I cannot wait to meet her for the first time and take her a bag full of surprises from the Hinkles! Don't worry...we will take lots of pictures!
Now with all of the excitement that comes with this trip, I have to be honest and admit that there is a little bit of anxiety as well. I know that I handled 18 hours on an airplane last year...but I cannot for the life of me imagine doing that again!! I know it will be okay, but for some reason I am so nervous about that this time around! Also, Graham and I have both been sick for the past few days - and although our doctor nursed us up pretty good today, please pray that we will feel much better when we wake up in the morning! The most anxiety, though, comes from knowing some of the sights that I am about to see. Knowing the extreme poverty that I am about to walk through and experience and observe children and babies living in...it is so overwhelming. Please pray that God will shine through each of us and that His presence will be felt by all that we come in contact with. God is doing an amazing work through Compassion by providing children and ultimately their families and their communities with HOPE - praise Him for that!
Pictures to come when we return!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
One Year...
One year ago today, my precious Grandmother passed away. I cannot believe it has been an entire year. One year ago from Saturday was my Grandmother and Graham's Grandfather's funerals. Yes, in the same day. That morning we had Graham's PaPaw's funeral, which Graham did, and that afternoon was Grandmother's funeral. Definitely one of the hardest and most emotional days of my life thus far....if not THE most. I wrote a card to my mom this morning saying this same thing, but I woke up this morning with these lyrics in my head:
"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
What comfort and JOY these words have brought to me today. To think that my sweet Grandmother and Graham's PaPaw are in their eternal home with Christ...that they are in constant worship at the feet of our Father...that they are experiencing eterninty where there is no pain, no sorrow, no worries, no sadness...that they are with Christ! Praise God that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us...to become sin for us...so that we might have eternal life with Him. Hallelujuah, what a Savior!
"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
What comfort and JOY these words have brought to me today. To think that my sweet Grandmother and Graham's PaPaw are in their eternal home with Christ...that they are in constant worship at the feet of our Father...that they are experiencing eterninty where there is no pain, no sorrow, no worries, no sadness...that they are with Christ! Praise God that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us...to become sin for us...so that we might have eternal life with Him. Hallelujuah, what a Savior!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Help Haiti...
I am in the process of putting together another blog post of pictures from our Christmas break and our time at Passion 2010, but this is much more important.
As I'm sure you have already heard, an earthquake hit Haiti yesterday causing immense amounts of damage, and costing many their lives. Haiti is the most poverty-stricken area in the Western Hemisphere. Not that any country needs to be hit with a natural disaster, but if there was ever a country that had absolutely no resources to survive a disaster to this scale, it is Haiti.
To view some pictures of the aftermath, click on the link below:
Earthquake hits Haiti
Compassion International, who is heavily involved in Haiti, has set up a Disaster Relief Fund to provide the following items for families effected by the earthquake:
As I'm sure you have already heard, an earthquake hit Haiti yesterday causing immense amounts of damage, and costing many their lives. Haiti is the most poverty-stricken area in the Western Hemisphere. Not that any country needs to be hit with a natural disaster, but if there was ever a country that had absolutely no resources to survive a disaster to this scale, it is Haiti.
To view some pictures of the aftermath, click on the link below:
Earthquake hits Haiti
Compassion International, who is heavily involved in Haiti, has set up a Disaster Relief Fund to provide the following items for families effected by the earthquake:
- Food and clean water
- Temporary shelter
- Basic sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Medical attention and preventative health care
- Family reunification and/or counseling
Sunday, January 10, 2010
White Christmas...
For the first time in my life I had a WHITE Christmas! It was absolutely beautiful!!!
Graham and I spent Christmas in Oklahoma this year. We headed up there on the 23rd, and luckily we did because a blizzard hit on the 24th! I have never seen so much snow before! I love snow. Snow and fireworks. Both fascinate me. The fireworks were a random insert just then, but I always lump them into the "Things That Fascinate Me" category. Anyways... it was a wonderful Christmas! This was my first Christmas away from home - except for one in Mexico, but Mom was with me then - so officially, this was the first. I was a little emotional, to say the least, but once I got there I was A-Okay :) Well..except for when Graham got stuck on Christmas Eve. That story to come soon...
I should warn you before you read this...I got a camera for Christmas. Like a real camera. I am SO excited and cannot wait to learn more about photography! I have had so much fun with it so far...especially in OK with the snow...so get ready for lots of pictures on the horizon....
Okay, so Christmas Eve...the blizzard begins. Because of this, I could not go outside and therefore took a picture of just about EVERYTHING in Graham's mom's house. No, seriously. Everything...
It was a wonderful day...but ended with, well, tears. Ha. Graham and Mike (his stepdad) braved the snow to take Car Car home and..well..got stuck. Due to the fact that half of Oklahoma City was also stuck on the roads in the snow, no tow trucks were able to make it out that night, resulting in a slumber party...that's Graham, Mike and Car Car in her apartment, at her retirement home. Funny thought now...not so much then. So after calling my parents and crying to them...missing them so much at this point...Graham finally called (his phone had been lost in the snow) and we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 together. He promised he'd find a way back on Christmas morning, and sure enough, he did! ...after hitching a ride with a stranger at the retirement home. Seriously. That is the only time I will not care that my husband is practically hitch-hiking! Christmas day turned out to be absolutely wonderful, though. It was a beautiful day and an incredible celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ.
We were able to spend lots of time with Graham's dad and stepmom, as well, which was wonderful! I was afraid we were not going to get to see them on Christmas day, but it all worked out for us to make it over to their home that afternoon!
The rest of our time in Oklahoma was spent going back and forth between family and friends - loving every second of it! It was a wonderful week!
Graham and I spent Christmas in Oklahoma this year. We headed up there on the 23rd, and luckily we did because a blizzard hit on the 24th! I have never seen so much snow before! I love snow. Snow and fireworks. Both fascinate me. The fireworks were a random insert just then, but I always lump them into the "Things That Fascinate Me" category. Anyways... it was a wonderful Christmas! This was my first Christmas away from home - except for one in Mexico, but Mom was with me then - so officially, this was the first. I was a little emotional, to say the least, but once I got there I was A-Okay :) Well..except for when Graham got stuck on Christmas Eve. That story to come soon...
I should warn you before you read this...I got a camera for Christmas. Like a real camera. I am SO excited and cannot wait to learn more about photography! I have had so much fun with it so far...especially in OK with the snow...so get ready for lots of pictures on the horizon....
Okay, so Christmas Eve...the blizzard begins. Because of this, I could not go outside and therefore took a picture of just about EVERYTHING in Graham's mom's house. No, seriously. Everything...
It was a wonderful day...but ended with, well, tears. Ha. Graham and Mike (his stepdad) braved the snow to take Car Car home and..well..got stuck. Due to the fact that half of Oklahoma City was also stuck on the roads in the snow, no tow trucks were able to make it out that night, resulting in a slumber party...that's Graham, Mike and Car Car in her apartment, at her retirement home. Funny thought now...not so much then. So after calling my parents and crying to them...missing them so much at this point...Graham finally called (his phone had been lost in the snow) and we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 together. He promised he'd find a way back on Christmas morning, and sure enough, he did! ...after hitching a ride with a stranger at the retirement home. Seriously. That is the only time I will not care that my husband is practically hitch-hiking! Christmas day turned out to be absolutely wonderful, though. It was a beautiful day and an incredible celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ.
We were able to spend lots of time with Graham's dad and stepmom, as well, which was wonderful! I was afraid we were not going to get to see them on Christmas day, but it all worked out for us to make it over to their home that afternoon!
The rest of our time in Oklahoma was spent going back and forth between family and friends - loving every second of it! It was a wonderful week!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Continuing Traditions...
This weekend Graham and I made our annual Christmas Cookies! I have to say...it was much more of a success than last year. I actually had all of my Grandmother's cookie cutters that we used each year growing up - it was so much fun reflecting on all of the fun times that we had at their house making cookies each Christmas season. Though I did not have as many fun things to decorate with as she had...it will come eventually!
If you know me, then you know I am pretty particular about things. Some may call it type-A, others may call it a perfectionist, I just like to think of it as being thoughtful :) Because of this trait of mine, I could spend HOURS decorating cookies. I have always been like this. Every sprinkle needed to be in it's exact spot and every drip of icing needed to look good. My sister, however, always liked decorating the first 2, but then got sick of it. She would throw the rest of the icing on, toss the sprinkles on top, and head on her way. I don't know why, but it would frustrate me so much as a child! I guess I just thought everyone should be as particular about their Christmas cookies as I was. I mean...they were going to Santa, of all people...right?! Well, I quickly learned this year that Graham has this same approach to decorating cookies. And by same I mean the same as Melanie...not me. For him, it is all about the taste of the cookies and since he does not like sprinkles, then he only used the icing. For me, it is all about the look of the cookies, and since I can't eat the cookies..ha..I use as many sprinkles as needed to make it look pretty :)
Here are some pictures to recap the night...
The final mess...
Ta-da!
We are headed to mom and dad's tonight to have our Christmas with my family, then we fly to Oklahoma tomorrow to spend Christmas this year with Graham's family. We are so excited to see all of them and spend such a special time of the year with them!
I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and that it is FILLED with the JOY of Christ!
Merry Christmas!!
Graham and Beth Ann
If you know me, then you know I am pretty particular about things. Some may call it type-A, others may call it a perfectionist, I just like to think of it as being thoughtful :) Because of this trait of mine, I could spend HOURS decorating cookies. I have always been like this. Every sprinkle needed to be in it's exact spot and every drip of icing needed to look good. My sister, however, always liked decorating the first 2, but then got sick of it. She would throw the rest of the icing on, toss the sprinkles on top, and head on her way. I don't know why, but it would frustrate me so much as a child! I guess I just thought everyone should be as particular about their Christmas cookies as I was. I mean...they were going to Santa, of all people...right?! Well, I quickly learned this year that Graham has this same approach to decorating cookies. And by same I mean the same as Melanie...not me. For him, it is all about the taste of the cookies and since he does not like sprinkles, then he only used the icing. For me, it is all about the look of the cookies, and since I can't eat the cookies..ha..I use as many sprinkles as needed to make it look pretty :)
Here are some pictures to recap the night...
Graham so excited about making cookies.... :)
Mixing the icing...
Baked, pre-decorating...
Graham's final products...
My final products...
The final mess...
Ta-da!
We are headed to mom and dad's tonight to have our Christmas with my family, then we fly to Oklahoma tomorrow to spend Christmas this year with Graham's family. We are so excited to see all of them and spend such a special time of the year with them!
I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and that it is FILLED with the JOY of Christ!
Merry Christmas!!
Graham and Beth Ann
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