My hubby is guest vlogging for me this week and shares about what it means to be a Man Upper!  This is the perfect video to watch with your hubby and encourage him to take the Man Up challenge.  To read more about our upcoming mission trips with Visiting Orphans- please check out this link here.

Q- What does your man do to Man Up for his children?  What’s one thing you would like to challenge your man to Man Up and go on a mission trip?

To want to serve God in some conditions, but not others, is to serve Him in your own way. But to put no limits on your submission to God is truly dying to yourself. This is how to worship God. Open yourself to God without measure. Let His life flow through you like a torrent. Fear NOTHING on the road you are walking. God will lead you by the hand. Let your love for Him cast out the fear you feel for yourself.  (Dangerous Surrender – Quote Francois Fenelon.)

After returning from Africa last month, I’ve been reading the book, Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren.  For some strange reason it brings my heart comfort knowing I’m not really crazy!  I always tell my teams that it’s normal to feel sad after returning from a mission trip due to seeing with your own eyes the difficult conditions of the orphan crisis … the problem seems overwhelming.  The quote above reminds me that I want to serve God in all conditions.  I want to worship God in all conditions and allow Him to lead me by the hand.  I’m so grateful to Visiting Orphans for allowing me to walk down a road of ministry and service in Ethiopia and Uganda.  Leading my 1st mission trip was a dangerous surrender of my fears and God has changed my life forever.

Even though the conditions are overwhelming, they are NOT overwhelming for Him.  It is my responsibility to allow His life to flow through my life a crazy torrent.  I want to surrender completely to God.

Do it afraid!

I have a new on the right side bar – just click that you “like” and you are there to hang out with me and have some crazy daily discussions about love, life, and mommyhood!

My hubby showed me this hilarious article from Christian blogger, Jon Acuff.  It made me laugh so hard, due to the craziness of social networking sites.  I think I had literally done everything he had listed on my FaceBook and more!  This guy has a wonderful blog/website and sense of humor, so please check out more of his funny posts.  OK Bloggy friends- I want to know if you can come up with any other crazy ways to facebook your mission trip that Jon forgot to mention?

#843. Stuff Christians Like

(My family is hoping to go on a mission trip next year. When we do, I’ll make sure I reference this funny guest post. Enjoy.)

Facebooking your mission trip

So you’ve carefully chosen your mission trip location. You may still be in the Latin America game and are thinking of trying to upgrade to something in the Africa ball park. Asian trips are also very in, especially when smuggling Bibles is involved. No matter where you go, mission trips are transforming experiences. Outlooks on wealth are transformed. Views on how God works are transformed. Prayer requests are transformed. Profiles are transformed. Of course by profiles, I am referring to social networking sites.

It makes sense that when someone comes back different the way that they present themselves to the world via Facebook should also change. I will delve into the difference categories that encompass this mountaintop-upload.

Profile Picture

OK, this is the most visible and important change. Guys, you need to be wearing non-pleated outdoorsy pants with t-shirt or possibly a short-sleeved button up. Hat should be off so everyone can see that you are actually happy to be there. Girls, you need a long skirt, v-neck t-shirt, headband or rolled-up bandana, and a pony tail or braids. Of course a picture alone means nothing. Who is in your picture is very important, so you must crop wisely. Kids are a must. You can do the one kid “building strong, personal relationships” look, the multiple kids “this is my posse that I am discipling” look, or the tons of kids “look at the impact I am making” look. Make sure to at least be hugging a few of the kids. Also, be sure not to have too many fellow mission trip goers in your pic. It water downs your impact.

Quotes

Now this can have very different looks. There is the inside joke path which has things that only people who have seen that same lizard you saw one day or experienced the same meal while on the trip will perfectly understand. These same insiders can be used for wall posts or statuses that can be “liked” by the others from the trip or other confused friends. Quotes can also be of a more Christian nature with Bible verses, song lyrics, or words from a powerful speaker. Best of all is the, “Local wisdom,” words you quote as if you have in fact spent 17 years in that country and not 7 days.

Facebook albums

If you thought the power of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming, just wait for the tag-fest of candid photo moments that happen on a mission trip. Most pictures are of the group all staring at something unseen, but some may be people speaking, their living situations, local delicacies, host families, and lots of cute kids. Bonus points if you get a picture of you with one of the local animals. Cow? Boring. Python? Awesome. Goat? Boring. Lion? Facebook gold.

Friends

While I hypothesize that there are only five or six high schoolers across the country that are not already friends on facebook, you must friend everyone immediately after waking up from your 12 hours of sleep that you got on your first night back.

Relationship statuses

While the instance of breaking up with a significant other after a mission trip is well-documented, this also can take the form of joking single sex relationships of newfound biffles. I have always thought this is strange because even in joking relationship, someone must be the one who ends it.

Groups

If you don’t have a group called “First Baptist Goes to Guam” on Facebook, I’m not really even sure you went on the trip. Granted, your group is going to fall apart faster than your relationship will, but that’s beside the point.

We certainly are different people upon returning from a Mission trip and that’s definitely something we can see on our Facebook profiles.

Did I miss any ways?

(For more great stuff from Price, check out his blog.

10 DAYS IN ETHIOPIA
Apply NOW! (click here)

A special note from Kari:

I requested this 10 day trip to open the door wide for working dads, stay at home moms, and individuals that find it challenging to take a 2 week trip due to work schedules and crazy kids:)  I want to ask you to pray about joining me and my dear friend, Kelly for an exclusive trip to Ethiopia to serve and love orphans!  This trip will fill up fast, so apply today for information at www.visitingorphans.org!!  The best is yet to come!

Dates: February 17, 2011 to February 26, 2011
Leaders: Kari Gibson and Kelly Blackwell- both moms have adopted from Ethiopia!!
Location:  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Details:  This trip will be spent working with Kid’s Care orphanage, Mother Teresa HIV orphanage, AHope HIV orphanage, children living and working in the Korah city dump and a ministry for street children.   We will be packing and delivering formula for many different orphanages.  We will also spend the day at Fistula Hospital serving the women documented in A Walk To Beautiful.

This trip is ideal for moms & dads who have a passion for orphans, bloggy friends, individuals, families, and for those interested in taking a small group of people from your church.

Cost:  $3000-$3200 (varies depending on flight & individual travel insurance costs)

My crazy bloggy friends, do you want to join me?  Leave me a comment or email me if you have ANY questions about the new trip.

A “Shout Out” for the Visiting Orphans Mission Trip to Ghana Aug. 2-12th.  They need 5 more people to join the team to make this trip happen!!  Thank you Jaime for making this information available to readers!!

Details:
Dates: August 2nd to 12th, 2010
Team Leader: David Sweet
Location: Accra, Ghana
Travel with Visiting Orphans as we visit the “spirit children” of the Northern Region of Ghana, home to the Dagomba tribe. The members of this tribe are considered social outcasts by most Ghanaians because many of them are poor and uneducated.  They are farmers who toil day in and day out to eke out a small living by raising crops such as maize and goundnuts (peanuts).

In the mud huts of the Dagomba tribe, death is an unwelcome visitor way too often. There is little or no accessible healthcare and the nearest major health facility is four hours away by bus.  Children whose mothers die in childbirth are many times seen as “evil” and are rejected by the father. Multiple births are seen as a bad omen and those children are usually shunned by their mothers and their villages. These are called “spirit children”.  Most of the orphanages in the Northern Region care for these “spirit children”, but there are also orphans living in remote mud hut villages.  We will visit three of these villages as well.

This tribe is considered an “Unreached People” group, which means that 93% or more have never heard the Gospel.  They are Muslim.  We will be doing hut-to-hut evangelism, sports evangelism, and orphan care.  We will also be helping to paint the local school and deliver school supplies to the children of the Dagomba tribe.

This trip is ideal for individuals, families of older children, and for those interested in taking a small group of people from your local church.

Hello, this is a special program designed for individuals, families, or groups that need a quality product to use for fundraisers to raise proceeds.  “Pick Your Country” is a fully loaded package that offers personalized shirts, fundraising ideas and a fantastic company to work with from A to Z.

Crazy Shout Out:

You can add your blog URL and project link every week on my weekly post {Crazy Links- A Few Things I Think Are Great} using LINKY THUMBNAIL tool to bring viewers to your site.

There are 14 countries designed for you to use for your fundraisers for adoption, mission trips, or projects.  We have some new updates just for you!  Leave me a comment or email me - if you are interested in using Simply Love T shirts to raise funds and I will send you the Introduction Packet to look over.  “Adoption in a Box” continues to help families raise thousands of dollars- 100% of proceeds goes directly into your project.

“Adoption in a Box” is a virtual package that includes: fundraising tips, exclusive rights to sell Simply Love™ shirts, and original artwork mock-ups to use on your blogs and projects.

We now have 4 shirt designs plus an adorable youth shirt that blends well with adult shirts.  Our T shirt company is wonderful and all set to go!!  My “T shirt Rock Star” Manager, will help you pick shirt colors and sizes and styles that are available.

BRAND NEW- Dry-Fit running shirts available for your race teams- marathons, triathlons and more.

Women’s Simply Love A:

Simply Love – 16 countries available. Leave me a comment.

• This design is spreading all over the world!  You can now pick your shirt colors … we love tan, black, chocolate brown/espresso or even white.  We also include slim and unisex styles for you to pick from.

• Women’s slim-  Please let your customers know order 1 to 2 sizes bigger or you will have size issues!!

• Women’s Unisex- fits normal like a mens cut, slightly fitted. [China example in unisex]

Simply Love Women’s A:  [Example of Africa in slim cut] with Tiffany blue swirls.

Simply Love A: Men’s Standard back MAN UP

Men’s Man Up shirts are unisex cut.  They will fit normal, slightly fitted.  You can pick your shirt colors.  We love our men’s shirt printed on tan, espresso/or dark brown, army green or white.  You pick!

Simply Love A: Men’s Man Up (Back)

Simply Love China- example of country with army inspired design.

Simply Love B- new design available:

• Simply Love B- Indigo Blue with blue ink.  You pick shirt color to match the design! Leave me a comment to request Introduction Packet.
  

• Simply Love B- Espresso brown with pink ink.  You pick shirt color to match the design!

You can pick unisex cut shirts or slim cut shirts.  (Brand Next Level Apparel)

Simply Love B – blue ink available. (front- Simply Love.  back- 16 country shapes per request)

Simply Love – pink ink available.

(front- Simply Love.  back- 16 country shapes per request)

Simply Love C: Just for moms!

This is the exclusive design used for my Valentine’s Day HopeChest Project that raised $24,000 for “shirts for shoes” and now available for you to use for your fundraiser!  You can pick slim cut or unisex shirts.  The color of the shirt is up to you.  I recommend brown, espresso, black, tan, indigo blue, or white shirts.

Pick Your Country:

1. Simply Love USA- named
2. Simply Love Haiti- named Jack
3. Simply Love Russia- named Lanie
4. Simply Love India- named Abby
5. Simply Love China- named Annie
6. Simply Love Africa- named Zoie
7. Simply Love Guatemala
8. Simply Love South Korea
9. Simply Love Nepal
10. Simply Love Kazakhstan
11. Simply Love Philippians
12. Simply Love Moldova- named
13. Simply Love Armenia- named
14. Simply Love Thailand- named

15. Simply Love Morocco-

Leave me a comment- you can start today!

Here’s a peek at Simply Love “Pick Your Country” collection – we now celebrate 14 countries!   All T shirts have the verse that encouraged us during our adoption journey to Zoie… Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) wrapped around the country.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”

(Simply Love China- Men & Women front)

(Simply Love Russia)

(Simply Love USA)

(Simply Love Haiti)

(Simply Love Kazakhstan)

(Simply Love India)

(Simply Love South Korea)

(Simply Love Nepal)

Our original Simply Love™ art was created by Heidi Rohr for our adoption to bring Zoie home!

All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2009-2010

Any unauthorized copying of these photos or posts or original art will constitute an infringement of copyright. No part of this blog or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

I love my crazy readers and want to invite you to blog for me when I’m on my mission trip to Africa in July?  I will be in Uganda and Ethiopia for 14 days and want you to entertain and support and encourage and inspire while I’m gone.  Yep- I’m asking early to start getting things organized.  Here’s a few things I think would be great… YOU PICK:

• Are you a crazy mom or dad or parent-to-be or happily single?
• mommyhood
• Do you like to write funny, crazy, inspiring stories?
• Do you advocate for adoption or orphans?
• Do you have parenting advice on subjects that help with day to day craziness?
• Do you love to cook and share recipes?
• Do you have any DIY Mommy activities for the summer?
• ANY thing fun & crazy you want to share… sky is the limit.

If any of of these subjects make you want to be my crazy bloggy guest for a day, please leave me a comment on this post and add your email… I will contact you.  All I need is your “completed post” and some pics or video to match your subject or clip art + your URL link + 1 horizontal pic I can crop for the thumbnail at the top of post.  Deadline for guest posts- June 30th, but you can send sooner!!!

CRAZY ADOPTION FAMILIES:

I also need a new June, July, and August Adoption Family… leave me a comment. I need a few things:  photos, gotcha video (if you have one- HTLM code), and a few paragraphs WHY adoption has made a difference in your life, family, etc.  Also the challenges you have faced

and joys and miracles.  The post is meant to inspire and encourage, but also show the real side of life.  You can make your “adoption post” as long or short as you want.  Add 2-3 sentence testimoney of what adoption means to you.  That’s all I need for you to be a crazy adoption family!!!