Happy B-day Brody!

yesterday was Brody Blitz Jovin's birthday and i forgot to write a little blog about our special boy, but here is the facebook post i posted yesterday! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRODY! I can't believe you are a year old!!! you are so much bigger than this photo now... 20lbs -over 50lbs... super smart with some stubborn moments.... and hyper that can last all day...just cant get enough lovin and play...we are so glad for the lessons you teach us sweet dog of ours!!! love the pack leaders Junior Jovin & Natasha Rae Jovin

view blog post from our family  session when he was just 5 months old at: http://sarahdeshawblog.com/?p=233

photos by sarah deshaw
www.sarahdeshaw.com
www.sarahdeshawblog.com

4 guys/1 dollar/28 days

My dad emailed me this recently and i think it is amazing...what an amazing why to start ones involvement in making a difference and understanding poverty...

at first i was like really? why don't you do something to help the people, but understanding them, seeing what they go through each day, is the best way to start and to really know how to help...

would love to meet these guys one day... believe it can happen considering our involvement in Haiti already!

enjoy the short documentary, i promise it will be worth your time.... then go and check out their website, HERE!



step out of your box.....
have a great day, life changing, world impacting, making a difference kind of day!!!

Join us

Join with us in....

Praying for our Caribbean friends and family...

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/depression-storm-eighteen-20121020

it also looks like if it turns at all it could also effect us here in Southeast Georgia...

Better than mine

i have found a verse, yes a verse that i need to be walking in daily....reading daily, and most of all trusting in daily.... because the Lord's plans are always, i said, always, better than mine.... 

"These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!"

Habakkuk 2:3

New England earthquake

New England experienced an earthquake last night and it's crazy how my gut always goes to my experience in Haiti... and nothing compares... this quake there was only a 4.0 magnitude, it was shallow to the ground only 4 miles... but still people talk about it like it was a fun little excitement for their evening, no damage or deaths, just a fun little hiccup in their day...one is quoted she can mark something off her bucket list....

to read more about the quake in Maine and the surrounding areas in New England click... HERE

Yet me for i think, really...really, if only Haitians could say the same about their experience...3 years later still living in tents, still adjusting to not having a leg or an arm, still missing their mother who died.... still walking by the collapsed building where her husbands body was never recovered...

that is what i think about every time i hear of an earthquake somewhere.... and that it was i always compared it to... i am thankful that it was only a 4.0, and i realize it is a big deal any time it happens, but my heart always goes to Haiti....

please join with me and continue to pray for them as you hear news of earthquakes or as the Lord puts Haiti on your heart...because this nation needs our prayers... fear is still residing in the hearts of many people there from this tragic event, that devastated their nation...pray for peace and restoration...

and forgive me for having a lack of sympathy for those in New England... help me to instead be thankful and pray for all those that struggle with fear from experiencing the ground shake beneath you....

thanks for reading...have a blessed day....

Our dear friends!

 here is an article on Dorothy and Sherrie, our dear friends in Haiti!enjoy!

Junior with Sherrie in 2011!

Dorothy & I on my 26th birthday! 

so honored to know these women and to have worked with them and the Haitian people they invest in daily... truly an honor...

to wyclef & Yele Haiti

Wyclef,
It is so sad to see someone that once set an example fall and turn into something that completely was what you said you were against...

Wyclef, you are the most well known Haitian artist and you have officially been shut down, your organization that is...

Junior, my Haitian husband, and i started wondering about how authentic you really were when you ran for president, we started to see, read and hear things that felt out of line, with who you claimed to be, and the reputation you built as an artist fighting for the Haitian people and country, trying to make a difference....

it breaks my heart.... read more about what you have done here...

see i know people are people and we make mistakes, we can be selfish and do a lot of things that aren't true to the reputation we have created, but the thing is when you take the responsibility of being in the lime light you will and in my opinion should be held to a higher standard... because you are a role model, an example...and when you fall, make that mistake, well unfortunately, you're effecting a lot more people...your influence has reached farther and wider than say those around you who are not in the lime light....

your lack of integrity is affirming the corruption, the brokenness, and it is so discouraging and heartbreaking to people world wide...especially your own people, the people of Haiti...who have been so proud of you and the way you have supposedly fought for them... Wyclef ..i am mad at you...and heartbroken for my Haitian family and friends....

may the Lord convict you, change your heart and allow you to see what a mistake this is...and with that realization maybe redemption and something better can come, but as of right now...i am so discouraged and mad that you could chose to join in the corruption, greed and money game....instead of being who you claimed to be.... and have integrity.

once a fan,
Natasha Jovin
lover of Haiti & her people....

new job

i start my new job this week, already missing my kids from the last one, but excited to start volunteering at safe harbor where a few of them live that i connected with. i have become friends with some of them on facebook, so trying to give them words of encouragement through social networking....

feel a lot of freedom with the ability to continue those relationships that i started and it's good, but still miss seeing them every week.

this new job works with younger ages, infant-12 year olds... not sure what specific age group she will be placing me with, but will find out this coming week.

it's a much more convient schedule and i will get more hours... everyday 2:00-6:30, thursdays will be crazy and the days i do simple love with be crazy, but i need the hours and getting off at 6:30 will still allowing me to get to where i need to be on the days i work with simple love and his ministries....

i am still keeping wake up as i need more hours... and i love the people and leadership and atmosphere and mission...all of it really... and with just two shifts i dont get bored.

anyway... excited for this new season...praying that this job with empower me and have the resources to set me up for success! I also hope that i get to really build relationship and invest in these young kids!

thats all on that....

Officially Open!

After a little more than a month of working and having great people in my life to brainstorm with along with  offer their time and services for free...my Etsy shop is officially open!

i am so excited about the treasures i will be creating and pray that people will want to buy them! may it be a blessing to them and to me!

a new adventure and journey of trusting the Lord in something that He has gifted me in...

my own business....or the beginning of my own business... may it have much favor...

i don't have a ton of products, but have to start somewhere....

enjoy looking and please feel free to share with your family and friends....spread the word!

now you can go check it out!!! TRUST in the TREASURE

nutella cookies

ok so i am not one to post about cooking or baking, unless it involves my lack of it or frustration with it...but with the help of pinterest i am seriously becoming amazing....

and i just made the most amazing cookies...i cannot help but share!

check this out... if you love nutella and cookies...this will no doubt be a quick go to recipe to ease your sweet tooth! the recipe calls for sugar, but you really don't need to add it because its amazing without it...

ENJOY!!!

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/nutella-cookies/ 

connects us

i love this....because i love community...and i love the things that connect us....and this presents all of this well! enjoy!

oh jobs...

the last post i wrote i expressed my job dilemma...feeling the need to leave where i'm at, but trying to figure out where to go....

As i said, i felt the Lord lead me toward applying at the humane society and Map International...

however, neither are hiring, but i did make connections...

at the humane society i had some positive email correspondence with the mine guy that does all the hiring...

at map, they wouldn't even take my resume, but i had met a woman who works there through wake up previously and had positive email correspondence with her. she was impressed with my resume and said i would really fit in perfectly there and sent my resume immediately to the HR department.... so not now, but perhaps the Lord is just making connections...

so i went to work the next day praying that the Lord would open up a door and fast because i just didnt know how much longer my spirt could be there...

one of my friends just said sometimes we need to step out on faith...trusting that the Lord has a plan...

so that day a fellow coworker at the same place, who struggles with the same issues... told me she turned in her 2 weeks notice and that i should go apply where she did....

so the next day i did and they offered me a job on the spot...

it is a place called child care networking, its a bit like headstart and  i am a little nervous that it will be similar to the center i am at now, but i just need a change...maybe this will work until the door opens in those other places....

so i turned in my 2 weeks and have started telling the teens that i have built good relationships that we can email, be friends on facebook and stay connected.... despite my leaving....this part has been the hardest as they are what makes me want to stay...i love them and want them to know it's not them....

the 17th will be my last day...and i will still be at wake up and work 2-6:30 every afternoon with the new job...

i'm excited about the job, but also about the other connections i have made at the humane society and map...so a new season of jobs is upon me...

along with the etsy (which should be open by the end of this next week)... who knows where i will go...

cursing and crying....

So it is official... i seriously need a new job.... yes, Junior, my husband would probably say lets not write this and put it on public display...be thankful you have a job... this is true...and i probably should be following his advice...because i am thankful...it could always be worse....

yet....

i am tired, tired of being in positions that are full of micro-managing, horrible communication, lack of direction, lack of the resources one needs to succeed, not being empowered and not being in the place your gifts and passions meet, specifically mine...

most of my jobs since college have been this...some just in small doses...some done not intentional, but through their own struggles, some more extreme then others... some were amazing, but still the empowerment was a struggle...

but this job i am in right now has been the worst...it is not like me to cuss or want to cuss people out for that matter...but this job makes me so grumpy... i dread going in....i often want to cry or cuss when i am there...and as soon as i leave i want a glass of wine or a nap to help me deal with the time spent there...

i don't want to live like this, it's just not me... i am believing in the LORD...that yes He opened the door for me to be there, but He does not want me to be in a place like that...

maybe the connections i made with kids for that short period was all He wanted, and i am honored to have spent almost 5 months with them all, or perhaps they need me to invest in them further... the cool thing is they are all old enough that it does not have to end with me leaving the job....between facebook and texting, and several living close to us... i can still connect with the ones that would want/need me to...

with all this said i have started looking at jobs in Kansas City with the talk of us moving, but the reality is i know we won't be moving in the next few weeks...so i need something else...KCMO is more like in the next year or two... so where to go in the meantime...

i was praying about it and the Lord placed two organizations on my heart-

the Humane Society, which at first i thought really, that's not really people... but it is....helping families to adopt pets to bring them joy....that sounds amazing actually....i have applied and sent my resume to the main person who hires and i am planning on calling, emailing and maybe stopping in again on Monday...i want them to know how interested i am!

the other is Map International, Inc.  which i actually have wanted to work at for a long time now, but they are never hiring and i am leery of taking jobs that are not flexible. Junior and i want to be able to go to Haiti for  longer periods of time or on the spare of a moment if needed, plus all my family is in the Midwest...so wanting the flexibility to travel is important to me... but i started thinking that if i am up front with them, MAP of all places surely would understand this...however their website says they aren't hiring, but i'm still going to try... Monday...

family and friends...please pray with me... i need something else...and fast...

i still enjoy working at wake up and i tried to see if i could come back full-time, but there were no hours available...so i believe that Lord has something else in store...and going back to being full-time there is not the plan...

i am still opening my etsy shop, and super excited about that, but it won't be enough to step out of the job that's killing me... one day i hope that Turst in the Treasure will be that successful,  i would love that...but it will no doubt, be a process that takes time...

with all of this said the Lord is convicting me to watch my mouth and to be thankful,  because all that really matters is that His name be glorified...my journey is one that is beautiful only because of His grace and mercy....so reality check...be humble and remember who He is.... this was all revealed to me this morning as He gave me Proverbs 30... it is not an easy scripture to read...

verse 8-9 "Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, "who is the Lord?" or that i not be in want and steal and profane the name of my God."

verse 32-33 "If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth. For churning of milk produces butter, and pressing the nose brings forth blood; so the churning of anger produces strife."

but just like a good Father does, he also showed me His love before he even addressed the need for me to remember where i stand in the grand scheme of things... He started me off with Psalms 20

bits and pieces:

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!....May He send you help from the sanctuary, and support you from Zion!....May He grant your hearts desires and fulfill all your counsel. we will sing for joy over your victory.....Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God....May the King answer us in the day we call."

so i am trying to shut my mouth and rest in the fact that He will grant the desires of my heart....

AMEN!

Today

On my heart today...Slavery...

 


You know, it still exists...


since 2004, this is about how long i have know...that was the year i was educated and made aware...

that this thing, evil, unrighteous thing, that we learn ended with Lincoln and was declared no more injustice with civil rights....

still exists....

yes still exists.... ALL OVER THE WORLD

from bonded labor, to indentured servants, to child soldiers and sex slaves...

it is all over...

an industry that is more profitable than any...as they say you can sell and use a human over and over and over again....

it makes me sick, literally sick....

that this can happen to someone before they even can read and write... taken and forced...

oh the hurt...

i cannot even comprehend...

but i DO believe....

there is redemption and restoration...

this is why we must not sit back in the temptation of apathy...

but stand up, speak out...and act...

for this is the generation...

this CAN be the season...

that this evil, unrighteous thing...

ENDS!


the following are some resources i put to help you learn more as well as connect with some organizations doing some amazing things to combat modern day slavery....JOIN THE MOVEMENT!


http://www.againstourwill.org/     http://www.polarisproject.org/     http://www.facebook.com/walkfree.org

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/     http://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/index.htm

http://www.thedailymuse.com/education/the-fight-for-freedom-7-organizations-combating-human-trafficking/

Less than 2 weeks...

Each day gets closer to having my Etsy store go live and i am excited....realizing that i have a lot still to learn, but despite that i will open the store and learn as i go because if i tried to figure it out i will never open it!

so thanks to some amazing friends....it's coming along

i have talked with my friend Cyle Lewis about her experience as a shop owner and she has given me much encouragement! check out her shop here!

My friend Robbie is motivating me in the business details, like shipping and policies...which i am so grateful for because it is not my specialty... but it's a learning process!

My friend Sarah Deshaw is helping me to take amazing photos of my goods to sell...check her photography out here!

My friend James Ramirez is helping me to design an awesome shop banner for my store...and he has great skill when it comes to this kinda stuff.... something i need help with....so thankful for his willingness to do so....check some of his work out here!

many friends helped me with deciding on my shop name, but especially Lindsay Morris and my sweet husband Junior!

which by the way...the name is.....TRUST in the TREASURE! luke 12:34 (there is much meaning in this name and you can read more about it once the shop opens!

All this to say....i could not do my Etsy shop, TRUST in the TREASURE, without the help of people that i love! in less than 2 weeks i hope to have it up and running ready for people to shop!

Blessings!

stirring....

i feel like the Lord might be stirring something, well, He always is, but in our lives specifically.

Junior, my husband, is probably the most thankful guy anyone will ever meet, he rarely complains....(well he does have a bit of road rage, but we work on that ;) so to hear him complain about something is often a surprise...but a few weeks ago Junior told me for the first time ever that he doesn't really like living in Brunswick, GA... i was taken aback...because he has never complained about it, ever. then again, he doesn't complain about anything much at all.

me on the other hand...often with my self and my own journey i am a complainer....or at least since the marketplace closed and i no longer had a job (Much Ministries, inc.) that i LOVED....which has been about 16 months....which feels like forever...and i am tired of this season...complaining and feeling like i am just going through the motions...

Yes i can name all kinds of things that i love....in fact since junior has confessed his complaint i now keep reminding him of all the things i like about living in Georgia... funny how roles can reverse so quickly...

i mean now i can see....more clearly...

i love living near the ocean, and being able to walk on the pier, its beautiful
i love getting to have sand in my toes within 15 minutes of a drive
i love our church, it is full of the holy spirit...i am always overwhelmed when i worship there...so good
i love having a home that is ours and fixing it up together...
i love the few close friends we have made that are real...and so amazing...i am honored to call them friends
i love not having winter.... i mean the lowest its ever gotten here in GA is 27 degrees... and winter is short
i love the garage sales on saint simons, and the antique stores i have fallen in love with...
i love volunteering with HIS Ministries and Simple Love... so blessed by these world changing organizations
i love that so many people here LOVE Haiti
i love that my husband has family within driving distance
i love that flying to Haiti is a lot cheaper and faster
i love that we get to go to Kompa parties and he gets to be so happy djing them
i love that friends and family can vacation to see us- because we live by the ocean
i love that there are lots of islands around us and places like savannah near by the we can enjoy
i love the Dairy Queen by our house and the Goodwill in walking distance

And last but not least i love that there are reasons that the Lord has us here, despite my understanding of it...i KNOW His purpose is great...

but He is stirring...

since then Junior has looked at houses online in Kansas City, where my family and friends are... but i haven't put much stock in it because for me...how could we just live in the house we bought for only a year... when we bought this i thought we would be here for another 3-5 years, hoping for 3 max. but this house was a miracle house and there really is no way that we couldn't make a good profit off of it, even with the market the way it is....

now i have started just browsing the jobs in KCMO, but nothing ever seems to fit me...

what if i could get paid for this blog and do my etsy shop...those things i can take anywhere! i already am working on getting my etsy shop going...so what do you think about this job, getting paid for blogging?

these are just thoughts going through my head..... please feel free to tell me what you think!

there is some stirring going on....

Thoughts of Etsy

So i love to create... i don't do it like i should as it is so refreshing to my soul... so let me break it down...from the beginning so bare with me as i process...

ever since Much Ministries, Inc.  closed down their stateside part i have never quite found my place here again in Georgia... or at least when it comes to a job... nothing has compared or met my passions and talents with the need and positions out there...

and to be honest after this past trip to Haiti it's been harder... to be at peace where i am, where we are... i felt that leading a team, doing ministry in Haiti together, seeing how much Junior shines in that place... it just felt so right... like why God, why are we still in the states... still in just "jobs" to pay the bills and be.

i know the Lord has a reason and His plans and time is ALWAYS better than our own...but i was really in a frustrated place when i returned and went back to the jobs i have... i almost felt like a failure...see my whole life i have been told i can do anything i set my mind to...i can do what i love... i have options... go after my dreams... so why was i just in jobs to pay the bills...

this is where my wonderful husband comes in and reminds me to be thankful and i start to see the balance that the Lord has made in putting us together....

Junior being from Haiti... a nation that is 80% unemployed he looks at a job..a roof over our head and food on the table as a blessing...we are successful... me on the other hand... i feel like complaining and a failure because it isn't my dream job or doing what i love...

so with that said...we have a balance...he reminds me to be thankful and realize that hey it may be a job but at least we can have food on the table and take care of each other! and i can help remind him that we should still be dreaming of doing what we love one day and that the Lord has more for us than just meeting our basic needs...

but still... in the process of me complaining we started brainstorming ways to make me feel more content... more happy with life here...more pleased with my jobs...

then ETSY came to mind.... an online website for people to create their own stores... stores for people that make handmade stuff or have vintage things....

well i LOVE vintage things...and i make things with my hands...handmade whenever i can... so by the end of this month i am going to have my store up and running...

a bit nervous...as i make things and would like them, but who would actually spend money on it.... but like my friend sarah says..."you'll never know unless you try."

so here i go...about to try...just looking for a name now...this seems to be the hardest part...

but wow... if my store could have lots of favor and people purchasing...maybe it could be a full time thing...that would be AMAZING!!!!! i would love to stay at home and create...make my own schedule and invest in the things i love all day long... what a dream....hope it comes true!

that's all about my thoughts on ETSY! i will let you know as soon as my store gets up so you all can go and shop.... :)

just for fun...here are some bits and pieces of a mixed media piece i did... sadly it was given to a family friend so it wont be for sale....

     

changing perspective & being intentional

oh...and i got to see poutchino... how i love him!

although i will tell you i was very intentional about not giving him more attention than everyone else...as i was leading a team and needed to be available and felt that this trip was more for me to focus on that as well as the outreach we did with the women...

which by the way was SO amazing! i am so honored to work with these wonderful women when i am in Haiti...to call them friends and to encourage them... they are the real heroes behind these children in need of care and a home...as they travel everyday...before daylight...in the rain...you name it, to come and take care of them. they are with them more than anyone...and often the mother figures that they have.

i pray that this outreach to the workers expands with each trip we take.... because often when teams come the workers are not invested in... not intentionally, but it is harder to connect with an adult when there is a language barrier, but i believe that investing in these workers will in turn have an impact on the children... it is so important to my heart and i firmly believe the Lord put it there.

so yes i was beyond glad to see this young man who is getting so tall, but super honored to share my heart and say thanks to the women who love on him and take care of him daily.

Haiti Team 2012

i wanted to focus and process a bit of our trip to Haiti this past month... it was so incredible to lead a team with my husband for the first time...i believe this really was my favorite part...seeing him in action, loving on his people in Haiti...this is where he shines and it is truly beauty-full! i cannot wait for the day we get to be there full time.

Thanks to our extended family, the Melvin's, we were able to lead this trip. We planned it and lead it with the  help of David Melvin, but it was their support and church in Marianna, FL that really made this trip possible, financially and most of the people came for there as well.

We did a different kind of trip than what a typical trip looks like- staying very stationary in one place. We did it different because we wanted people to experience Haiti in several different facets. We stayed at Junior's sister's ministry, El Shaddai, so every evening this is where we spent our time... but during the day we went out and exposed the group to different ministries and areas within Haiti.

this was the trip schedule: (minus a day as we missed a flight and came later)

Wednesday:
Arrived, went to Sherrie Fausey's to tour her school, share stories and play with kids, then to El Shaddai to get settled in

Thursday & Friday:
Worked with a Haitian pastor and his feeding program, we did a program with the kids called Character first, then went back to El Shaddai

Saturday:
Toured Leogane, the epi-center of the earthquake, lunch with junior's family (wonderful Haitian food and hospitality), also connected with a small church that is rebuilding after the earthquake...spent time with their deacons in prayer and song...blessed them with some funding to continue building- a very beautiful day

Sunday:
Church at El Shaddai, Ladies outreach with staff, fun day with children- coloring, jump rope, bubbles, glow stick party! lots of fun

Monday:
Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue, with Dorothy Pearce, did women's outreach with staff, played with kids and helped organize, went to epidor for a glimpse of a nice restaurant in Haiti, back to El Shaddai

Tuesday:
said goodbyes and flew back to USA

God really did an amazing job with our team of 9! it is a rare thing to have a team where not once is there some kind of conflict or personality frictions that have to be worked through... people struggling a bit to connect, communicate and work well together.... but this team was a gift...everyone did an amazing job!

long time, sorry

so i may officially be the worst blogger yet.... i need to get back in the groove....

so many things have happened i think the last time i posted was about Brody Blitz Jovin our new addition to the family. well he is not so new anymore, now weighing in at over 50lbs...he's a big boy and at times a hand full but we are so glad to have him.

so the lasted time i was on was about 5 months ago... since then:

•  we both got a new job at the Boys and Girls club teen center, well second jobs
•  we have a new niece (that we still haven't seen in person-sad day)
• our good friends Sarah and Jon drove 18 hours and stayed with us for a whole week
• we celebrated our 2nd year of marriage
•  i surprised junior with a big party for his 30th birthday
•  junior's sister Didine visited us from Haiti 
• junior has started dj-ing a lot more, he was actually in a magazine.... how fun is that.

what else.... we have stopped doing much on the house for lack of funds, but between HGTV and Pinterest i am constantly dreaming of ideas for this house and future houses....

lets see what else...

we lead a team together to Haiti, which was amazing...our first time leading together...thanks to our Melvin family. way too short for junior and i considering our community and family there is BIG and just love Haiti...our home.  it was the shortest trip for me in about 5 years, how crazy is that...so it went by way too fast. i will try to post about that trip in detail real soon.

Brody on the way to the lake with some shades!!!

30th surprise with silly string! 

he had an article on his DJ skills!

tree climbing with jon and sarah!!!

hanging with wild horses on cumberland island!

after one of Junior's dj events!

sarah and i saving a prehistoric horseshoe crab!

Brody and all his lovely sleeping habits...

getting some time with kervens in the states!

showing Didine where we got married!

Didine teaching me some Haitian cooking skills!

30th surprise!

with his boys at the surprise...and the lovely wife in the back!

look at those smiles, we can't wait to squeeze...our nephew and niece. 

anniversary weekend..dancing to our song LIVE!!!


BE BLESSED  

IC

My HEART is b-r-o-k-e-n to see all of this unfold about the group Invisible Children...

i have been fasting from facebook and it hasn't been hard it's been truly good to not be consumed by it, however it is often a great way of getting news and i haven't reached out in other places to find it...so with that said i am not necessarily up to date....

but i do know that something that was seen as great and transforming to make the world a better place, has now lost its reputation and is shaping up to be a bit shady...

i felt like God told me to fast from it as so much of my time on FB could be time connecting with Him or doing things more productive in this world, and better for my spirit...so yes i am still fasting...

i often believe one of the reasons God asked me to fast from facebook was because of this issue... i was getting rawled  up about it because...how...how could something i have been involved with for SO LONG disappoint me in such a way... i had to defend it and believe it to be good...

this was one of my first responses to an article critiquing IC that was posted on facebook in the beginning of the debate....

"listen part of their mission is not just to help, but to use media to bring awareness so i expect a chunk of their profits to go to that...and in reality that bit has empowered a generation...and in the 8 years they have been involved...this war has come to the forefront, not only with the people, but with our government.... its not just about helping, its about awareness so that those individuals can bring justice themselves..

and all the facts about their traveling expenses, charity navigator, etc.... i dont know... to be honest i dont really donate money to them...i just try and be a part of the awareness because to me that is always the first step in bringing change.... 

also in terms of that picture with them holding the guns...it could have been something to promote their rescue me awareness event... maybe the UPDF wanted to take a picture with them...you never know...

but seriously its something to think about, but for now...i feel that i can visibly see how they have changed lives, empowered and protected people... and because of their movement, encompassing film, awareness and activism thousands of young people all over the world have realized they can make a difference and are standing up for something.... for that i am thankful...."


And to be honest i think this still is my response...but it doesn't change the fact that IC has made mistakes and ruined a very good thing... when one is in the limelight, a head of a million dollar organization... it's just fact....that the standards are high and the price of mistakes are much greater... i pray that those who have been empowered are not discouraged and still remember that they are who what makes the difference in situtations like this...

we are the world, we must take care of one another, when we fail, its a hard fall... but we must get back up and remember the bigger picture, no matter what others do, we still have a responsibility to do something to make an impact.....

it makes me think of the resolve at the end of the Apostles' Creed... "Resolved: that every man should live to the glory of God. Resolved Second: that whether other do or not, I will."

THANK YOU SARAH DESHAW!

Finally the pictures are here!

our newest member of the family....mr. Brody Blitz Jovin... you saw my cell phone shots, but now you must check out these amazing photos Sarah captured for us!

right here.... click now!!!!!! for the love of good pictures!!! CLICK

Also feel free to check Sarah out, she truly is a great photographer and an amazing woman. She inspires me all the time and i am thankful to call her my friend! plus she is a little piece of home to my spirit as she is from the midwest too...and well sometimes it's just good to know she is my friend and she understands.... (amidst all these southerners...lol)

so with that said, hope you enjoy the photos...we had a great time taking them!

xoxox

Our new family member!

i have wanted to get a puppy really since i left my parents and went off to college, and then after my sister got Maya, her pup and she is seriously the best trained dog i have ever met and lived with... i got nervous bc what if i didn't train my dog as well...i what if i didn't love my dog as much, bc i seriously LOVE Maya! then life went on...travels, work, got married to my wonderful husband...still one of those things i wanted...but a big responsibility...and money....

but then God provided a house... and i sort of got obsessed with the idea of finally getting one....was looking non stop and junior and i would visit the humane society now and again... i kept telling junior it would be a great gift... 

however we didn't agree on dogs...so just started praying that God would give us the one that was right for us! 

one afternoon we decided to go run to the humane society...and it just happened like that...it was so surreal, in fact not until we were walking out the door did i realize we just seriously adapted a puppy... 

my early valentines day and part of my birthday gift from junior!!!!! he is so sweet.... 

its been an adventure ever since...its so sweet to share something like a puppy with junior we are officially  3 in the family now! we named him Brody Blitz Jovin.... couldn't decide on Brody or blitz, but we have 3 names, so its only fair he does too!

he is a good dog, practically came to the house potty trained and crate trained already...he is super smart, but a bit stubborn at times.... he is a snorer and loves to sniff and play catch... he also has started to love digging in the yard...we are working on this one.... he loves his papa junior, often listens to him better (the deeper voice i believe) and never chews his food...it is literally gone in seconds.... he also loves to snuggle  and go on walks.... we are in love with this little guy...

its great practice for kids....but everyone don't hold your breath, we are definitely not there yet.... 

our sweet friend Sarah is going to take picture of the three of us this Sunday and i will be sure to get some on here as soon as i can, but wanted to leave you with a couple shots i have taken of him from my phone....he is a cutie.... we are pretty sure he is a plott hound/lab mix... but who knows...he is just a sweet mutt!!!

Trip to the dog park! 

On the way to the pet doctor...

my votes for Tap!

i get emails from several different sites that help people take part in signing petitions and taking a stand for what is right in our world, one is called food and water watch, recently this was on there website and i felt the need to share....



i have a really hard time with how we see water and the need for bottled water...please think about what you have learned from this short film and how you can change your world to be a part of making our water systems better.... tap is really not so bad...don't be scammed in to thinking "bottled water is where it's at"

thanks and God bless!

KONY 2012

my heart has been praying and fighting for this war to end for about 6 years now...maybe longer i cannot remember if it was 2004 or 2005 when i first got involved, but whether you are just hearing about it now or you have been praying for years, we should want this year 2012 to be the end...not just want it but truly fight for it... 


there are screenings all over the world...so i suggest you check it out, there could be one right in your very own city! in fact i know there are several in Missouri and Florida... and those that i know read my blog are in one of those 2 states.... if you cant go to a screening go to there website and tell the famous and influential people that you want them to take action, for all of us to take action to end this war... 


no war should ever be more than one decade, let alone more than 2 decades.... we must bring justice, this is the time! 

i have been trying for the last month to get them to do a screening at North Island where we go to church and at wake up coffee company where i work....i have called tons of times sent emails and am yet to hear back...please pray they do so we can get more people aware....because....

 awareness is the first step in change and education is power...so move Lord move...

Hear it, and know for yourself!

But as for me, i would seek God, and i would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number.

He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields, so that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, so that their hands cannot attain success. He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. by day they meet with darkness, and grope at noon as in the night. But He saves from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the mighty.

So the helpless have HOPE, and the unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also HEAL.

From six troubles He will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you. In famine He will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. You will laugh at violence and famine, and you will not be afraid of wild beasts.

For you will be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. you will know that your tent is secure, for you will visit your abode and fear no loss. you will know also that your descendants will be many,  and your offspring as the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like the stacking of grain in its season.

Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself! 


Job 5: 8-27

Enough already....

Last night I went to bed and around midnight when junior came to bed he told me that there had been a huge car accident in Haiti, POrt AU PRince... On delmas 33, this area is near sherries, a road I have driven many many times, a road that my friends and family in Haiti go on all the time... With that said I couldn't sleep...

This incresed junior's worry so we called his mom to make sure everyone was ok... Then we saw pictures... Some graphic, which then brought memories back from the earthquake... Why something now so close to an anniversary that is so raw and tragic in itself... Hasn't Haiti and her people had enough...

I am tired... Physically and now emotionally... Discouraged and anxious... Are all our loved ones safe... And the details at this time are so slim... Only on a Haitian radio station do we get some news... The other info and photos we found first were only via Facebook and friends of junior... Last night it was 20 confirmed dead, this morning at least 26 and over 50 injured....

My heart is aching in a way I cannot express through words... Please pray for HAiti and her people.... Protection and restoration... Peace and comfort as the nation grieves and families grieve the loss of loved ones from the earthquake and now also this fatal accident. For more info click on the following...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/17/us-haiti-accident-idUSTRE80G14920120117

http://www.inquisitr.com/182421/haiti-port-au-prince-truck-crash-2012/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrhM0oe8M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9R_woEor2w - (long video, but towards the middle and end they interview some haitian witness and then the president comes, its in creole)

pray hard for GOd's glory to shine through... I know it will in my head...but my heart is broken for HAiti today and I am discouraged, but I do KNOW GOd's goodness.... Searching for faith and peace and trying to reject discouragement and unbelief in the possibilities of change... Enough said.

where did all the money go?

check this article out...it talks where the money has gone since the earthquake....

it was a hard read for me...so many numbers and political talk...but despite all that it is really good to see whats been going on...

it's frustrating and discouraging... but i am having HOPE!

join with me....educate yourself and then pray pray pray for progress instead of what is really happening...i can't even find words for how i feel about whats really going on...

Junior just says despair but i want to believe that more can come from all this...that people in leadership can rise and change things for the better....

pray with me.... that the numbers will change and somehow they will actually help the haitian population instead of hurting them....

http://www.haitiaction.net/News/BQ/1_4_12/1_4_12.html

2 Years

This past Thursday was the 2 year anniversary of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.... just saying that is enough to me, as i can close my eyes and see it all...like it was yesterday...

the anniversary always humbles me, because like so many that lost their lives i could have been one of them...and although i don't feel guilty that i survived, i grieve for those that did.... more so i grieve for their families and a nation that is still struggling to rebuild and restore from this tragic day....

this past summer junior and i went to visit for 5 weeks and it was the first time i had been since the earthquake and yes there were improvements, but there are remnants of it all over and on top of that they are still having trimmers (maybe even aftershocks). While we were there we felt 4....

i really am at a lack for more words as i reflect on that experience... i will never forget.... so here are a few blogs, articles and a video from CNN on the anniversary....

http://blexi.blogspot.com/2012/01/2-year-link-round-up.html

http://news.yahoo.com/haiti-quiet-quake-marked-national-holiday-142001454.html

http://ataylor3.blogspot.com/2012/01/haiti-2-years-later.html

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/video-creating-confidence-in-haiti/?iref=allsearch

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THIS NATION!

My beliefs

Saw this on Facebook this morning and am overwhelmed at how amazing it is. This spoken word is truly how I feel about the church, christiNity, religion and JESUS....I don't know that I will ever be able to say it better... I had to share sorry the link is here instead of the video....I was having some technical difficulties with that. Hope it speaks to you as much as it does to me! Why I hate religion, but love Jesus