Cosgroves in Ethiopia!

OCEAN friends Brendan & Kendra are on their way to Ethiopia this morning to meet their daughter, Malia! We love you guys and are praying for a wonderful week in Addis Ababa, a sweet time meeting Malia, a smooth and warm birth family gathering, safe travel going and returning, and that the Lord would be glorified throughout!

OCEAN Evening of Thanksgiving Photos

Thank you, everyone, for such a fantastic evening! I am thankful for OCEAN!

The Haus of Many Waters

By the shores of the Irvine Lakey
By the shining Big-Pacific
Stood the wigwam of the Hauswife
Daughter of the Moon, the Hauswife
Right behind it rose the garden,
Rose the prickly bouganvilla,
Rose the palms with fronds upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Pacific

My deepest apologies to Mr. Longfellow. Can you tell that we've been studying Hiawatha, Minnehaha, Nokomis, and the shores of Gitchee Gumee to the point that they tumble around our brains inspiring very silly poetry?

But, aside from the many waters of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth has little to do with this tale of woe.

It began with a new dishwasher, which is a good thing, and a desire to save the $75 removal/installation fee. A good thing too, yes? NO! Nevernevernever try to remove a dishwasher if you're not a plumber! Spend the $75 with bliss in your heart! Do not under any circumstances yank and heave and wrench and hitch the execrable appliance until it is half-way out and irreparably stuck and you are drenched in sweat and mad as a hornet! Because that's when you'll hear a tiny little whisper in your mind wondering if you might have broken something.

Which is why when you step into the dining room two days later and hear, "Squiiiish-squiiiiish-squiiiish..." you will wishohwishohwish that you had spent the blasted $75 instead of broken a pipe in the wall and destroyed the entire kitchen, the butler's pantry (*), and the dining room including the Chinese rug and the piano.

(* Yes, we use the official la-di-da name for the room connecting the dining and the kitchen to the pantry, but we call the guest bathroom with Scottish decor the unimposing name "The Scottie Potty" so the pretention level balances out.)

Three days of roaring dehumidifiers and deafening blowers later you will still be beating yourself up. The knowledge that you have months of living in a house under construction without a functioning kitchen, especially over the holidays, ahead of you will encourage much grumbling and cause you much negative self-talk. It's just not worth the potential savings, folks... even if your wife forgives you later!

Moral of the story: Call the plumber, Hiawatha, or your wigwam will be filled with many waters!

Acacia Village, Ethiopia

OCEAN families,

Come join us for dinner with
Christian World Adoptions Special Guest Speaker, Louis Fawcett
When: Friday, November 7
Time: 6:00
At the Sherrell's home in San Clemente

Louis is heading up the development of Acacia Village in Ethiopia. When completed, it will house up to 250 children and will include a crisis pregnancy center, mission housing, new parent housing, life skills school, and more.

Let Christy thesherrells@cox.net know if you can make it!

OCEAN Evening of Thanksgiving TONIGHT!

Don't miss it! Scroll down a few posts for the full details.

We're looking forward to a lovely evening of tasty fall food and great fellowship together at the Yates' home.

As always, feel free to bring your friends who are in the process of adoption or whose children are home with their Forever Families already.

See you there!

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song." Psalm 95:1-2

"I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17

Out of Order

I'm so sorry that I've been almost completely absent for the last couple of weeks. My computer went AWOL so (except for my phone) I've been in involuntary internet isolation! *gasp*

I know my emails and reader list are stacking up. Forgive me if you've been waiting for a response.

Life has been exciting as usual. I'll fill you in on the flood and living without a kitchen and dining room later. Remember the whole five kids and homeschooling thing? Yeah, it's been a little interesting lately... I'm practicing patience and flexibility!

Who's looking forward to a big home renovation job over the holidays??? Show of hands? Oh yeah, it's me! Actually I'm very excited about it even though the timing could be a little better.

Hopefully, my trusty computer will be back on duty tomorrow. Until then!

"Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11.28-30

"Fireproof"

Go see this edifying film! It's a two-tissue flick, so bring your hankie.

OCEAN Evening of Thanksgiving

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks." (ps 118:28)

You are invited to an

EVENING OF THANKSGIVING

with the OCEAN
(Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network)

When: Friday, OCTOBER 24
Time: 5:30 pm-??
Where: 17491 Parker Drive, Tustin 92780
Given by: Karen Yates & Laurie Hausam

Soups, salads, bread & desserts will be served. Please sign up to bring one to share.

Please say YES! RSVP by October 19.

We LOVE new adoptive friends. If you or someone you know is considering adoption from Ethiopia,
please invite them! We would love to welcome them to the OCEAN.

"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains.

Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun,

go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God.

Think of the beauty

that again and again discharges itself within and without you

and be happy."

~ Anne Frank

The Giggle Quad

For a guaranteed laugh:

You've probably seen it already, but it's worth a second viewing. Enjoy!

A Heart for Worship

A new worship website from Walt Harrah, uncle and friend, is up and running! Walt's resume in the music industry is incredibly impressive, but far more important than that is that he has a passion for worshipping Jesus that spills out into every area of life. He's just all about ministry and leading praise. On this site there are pdf's and mp3's of worship songs, a topical blog written by Walt that will encourage your soul, and it also includes script ideas for song sets for worship leaders. Check it out!

The N Word

You know the word.

That ugly word.

Wouldn't it be nice if "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" were actually true? But, we all know that words can make the deepest of cuts that can take years to heal.

Hearing racial epithets of any kind has always made me wince, made me recoil, made me have a hard time feeling any kind of compassion on the speaker of the offending slur. Michael and I have known a few people over the years who don't think using such terms is a big deal; they actually find it funny or somehow clever. But, it is a very big deal. Not funny.

My oh my, how much that has increased since my precious daughter, Ray Ray, entered my life and heart. When celebrity rappers or college athletes or teenagers hanging out at the movies use that word, I want to grab them by the ears and drag them to a restroom to wash their filthy mouths out! I feel that word slicing into my stomach for days afterwards.

WHEN did using that particular word become OK? And, WHY on earth is it considered cool?


It's one thing when it's done by a stranger or someone you expect ugly things from, but recently that word was used by a person I know... and love...

Honestly, my first response was not very Christ-like. Change my heart, o God!

I did refrain from sending an email with Ray Ray's beautiful photo that said "Is she a n*****"? But only barely.

I can imagine some of your comments here: This isn't the last time we'll hear the word so you have to learn to let it roll off your back. (You're right.) We can't always protect our kids from racism. (Right again.) Part of being an interracial family means having the opportunity to graciously educate those who are impolitic and in the process we give our children a valuable life tool. (Totally agree.) What would Jesus do? (Yes, I want to live that way.) Enduring sweetly through unkindness is a mark of maturity. (Enough already! I get it that I'm in the wrong here!)

So what do I want to teach my kids? After giving it some time, praying, and getting some Godly counsel we've made a decision about how we'll respond that I pray will be positive and uplifting and that I trust will bring healing to that friendship.

But, it still smarts. "Sticks and stones" my foot!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues put on love,

which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Colossians 3:12-14