Merry Christmas! hold the ones you love Read more

I hear the desperation in her rough, scratchy voice, see the bags under her eyes as she wearily replies to the prophet, “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in the jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” I know this kind of desperation. But the prophet knows more.... Read more

I’ve written this in my head a thousand times. A thousand times, words have failed. For over a year, I have been mom to 14. Today, my heart is still in love with 14 beautiful little girls, but only 13 of them are in my home. Only 13 are sitting at my table for breakfast. Only 13 are being reminded to brush their teeth. Only 13 are putting on pjs and being tucked snug in bed. Today, only 13 little... Read more

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. Philippians 1:29 In May I stood in front of a crowd of 500 people and spoke of our sweet adopted grandmother, Grace: “Grace is an 80 year old woman, blind and all alone. The cold rain drips through her grass thatched roof and onto her face which she covers with a plastic bag. AIDS makes it impossible... Read more

I have been sitting here staring at my computer screen for ten minutes trying to come up with adequate words to describe to you my dear friend Renee. But there just simply aren’t any words good enough. She emulates the heart of Christ more than anyone I have ever met. It is always a blessing to be in her presence and to call her my friend. Renee lives with purpose. She is intentional about loving people with the love of... Read more

Poverty and squalor and disease and desolation are REAL. They have names. And faces that stare back and hands that squeeze mine tight. They are beautiful people in need of REAL love. This is Betty. This is Nabakoza. They are real people. They are my friends. They are God’s children. Please pray specifically for Nabakoza as she may be nearing the end of her life. At 23, she weighs just 37 pounds (not typos.) She has been severely neglected all... Read more

I come to you humbly asking for prayer. Especially for my three oldest daughters, and for wisdom for me! All mommas know it: teenagers are hard. Three teenage girls are harder. Three teenage girls from different tribes and cultures and pasts trying to live together in one bedroom are harder still. In an effort to be real, I want to tell you. Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also HARD and... Read more

The king’s heart is in the hands of the Lord, He directs it wherever he pleases… Proverbs 21:1 I have never been one of those people who enjoys taking a vacation from her children. Don’t get me wrong, nap time if absolutely wonderful and even necessary for my sanity, but after a couple of hours of being away from my children, I find myself missing then and ready to be home. A 7 hour school day nearly kills me! Quite... Read more

I am alive! For all of you who are emailing Gwen and Suzanne concerned about my safety! The girls and I are doing wonderfully and are so thankful for your prayers. I took a little break from blogging because I am actually working on writing a book and popped into the US for a few weeks to meet with my publisher, love on my family, and do some fundraising. I will blog soon, and write something really moving and inspiring…... Read more

I spend much of my time in a little slum outside of Jinja called Masese that is heavily populated with Uganda’s outcasts, the Karamajong. Those in the community who are not Karamajong are shunned by society for other reasons, extreme poverty or illness or uncleanliness or all of the above. To say that I am in love with the people of this community would be a huge understatment. I do not really even have words to describe the way I... Read more