I'll be home for Christmas....but not for long.

I've safely arrived in the great state of Alabama to briefly celebrate the holidays before heading to South Africa. Crazy to think that just a few years ago I had been desperately trying to get to Africa for years and in just 3 years time I have been to Uganda four times, Nigeria and now South Africa....oh an a brief layover in Eygpt but I try to forget that one! I now loving refer to Africa as my favorite continent.

I will be serving with a team from the US and hosting a "summer camp" of sorts for the missionary kids in the southern region of Africa. I'm looking forward to it....I love all things camp and when you combine that with Africa and some fun people, I can't think of a better way to spend my Christmas holiday.

This will be the second time I have celebrated my birthday overseas....oddly enough the last time was a trip to Italy where the love of Africa was birthed in my heart after spending time with a Sudanese family in a refuge camp. It was through the family that the Lord began planting a seed for international adoption and now look how things are coming full circle!! And so...birthday number 35 will be brought in with my good friend Tommy McGregor whom I share a birthday with while we serve students together in South Africa. (shameless plug---I wont have internet but I do have unlimited incoming text messages so feel free to wish me a happy birthday on the 28th if you have my number)

On the drive home today I was listening to Phil Wickham and the words to this song just gripped me....this is my prayer for this trip and just for my life and ministry in general...but especially preparing spiritually for this trip:

ALL I AM

Take these hands, I know they're empty but with you they can be used for beauty in your perfect plan. All I am is yours.
Take these feet, I know they stumble but you use the weak, you use the humble so please use me. All I am is yours.

I give you all my life, I'm letting it go. A living sacrifice, no longer my own. All I am is yours. All I am is yours.

Take this heart, set it on fire, shine it in the dark. I wanna tell the world of who you are. All I am is yours.

I give you all my life, I'm letting it go. A living sacrifice, no longer my own. All I am is yours. All I am is yours. I give you everything, to you I belong. Every beat of my heart, the breath in my lungs. All I am is yours. All I am is yours.

I lift my hands up, God I surrender all I am for your glory, your honor, your fame. I lift my hands up, God I surrender to you.

I give you all my life, I'm letting it go. A living sacrifice, no longer my own. All I am is yours. All I am is yours. I give you everything, to you I belong. Every beat of my heart, the breath in my lungs. All I am is yours. All I am is yours.


I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior. Have a safe and happy new year! Feel free to prayer for our team while we're gone :)

Daizy Update

Well as of last week everything is done....for now. The homestudy report is written....all 18 states have sent back their child abuse clearance. Fees are paid in full...for now. Now we just wait. Soon we will begin the next round of paperwork but for now I am breathing a sigh of relief from work and all things adoption and fundraising. Speaking of fundraising....I am only $3000 away from my goal. Praise the Lord. I still have Daizy shirts if you are needing/wanting one.

I did get word from Pastor Geoffrey that Daizy is spending the holidays with his family and that she wanted a new dress and to have her hair braided for Christmas. How could we not grant that sweet girl her wish???? I received a picture yesterday of Daizy in her new dress with her hair done...Merry Christmas Daizy!!

Christmas Gala

We do Christmas big around Louisiana College. It all began for me long before Thanksgiving with gala planning and decorating campus. Somehow I inherited decorating the entire student center when I came here seven years ago....not sure how that happened. By the time Christmas rolls around I have usually decorated upwards of 15+ trees. I was smart this year and put my own tree up first so it looks the best and was actually fun to do.

Gala is our formal Christmas dinner and program for our students. Last year I played my ace of spades right off the bat...which added pressure to making gala memorable this year. We finally just decided to go a different route rather than trying to top "Buddy the Elf" from last year. However, Buddy did make an appearance at the end of the program because Andrew is a good sport.

Here is he is getting ready for his surprise appearance....not even the Union Board Staff knew he was part of the program.

And to mark the occassion we took a photo just like the pose we took last year of the three amigos.I love these guys....they are the brothers I never had.

And then there are these two distinguished gentlemen...Dr. Brad Duffy and Dr. Wade Warren, who did a interpretive dance to the 12 days of Christmas and completely stole the show.

And it's not very often that Big Momma gets this dressed up so I always have to take pics with some of my favorite people...
Christian and I

Andrew and I

Lee and I (he came back for another gala)

And this pic is too funny not to share...

And here is a glimpse of the set...pictures don't do it justice.
Here is the the ceiling in Granberry where we had dinner.

And this a small part of the set in MPAC.

And this fun little pic of my ornament that I made for the tree before gala started. The students got to decorate their own oranments to decorate the tree in the lobby and then keep them as a party favor.

Gala is always fun but an exhausting event to plan for, decorate for and pull off. I am always glad when it's over but feel accomplished when students have had a good time. After the program we watched ELF on the big screen in our auditorium and had milk, hot chocalate and cookies.

And here is the great staff that makes it all happen!

Merry Christmas from our UB family to yours!!!