Friday, September 23, 2011

So, what's it like?

When we were on Moody Radio Chicago in August, one of the questions we anticipated was, "What's it like to run a nonprofit with 7 children?" We thought it might be fun for you to have a little snapshot into what it looks like for us, a fairly typical experience in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style showing you where our love for children--both in our homes and in Africa--takes us:

Danielle:
Wake up and get precious boy #1 on the school bus by 6:50 am. Have 10 minutes to myself to either crawl back in bed, start cleaning the kitchen after being too tired last night, or spend time reading my rockin' new devotional book by Sarah Young. Other two boys wake up at 7:00 am, get dressed, and start watching "Arthur" on PBS. Check e-mail and facebook. YES! Lots of responses for the new giveaway Awake and Alive is doing! Arthur's done. Love on boys for a few more minutes--shoes on, teeth brushed (sometimes), vitamins taken...there's the bus! Then, I should have 20 minutes of quiet before Selah is awake, though this is not guaranteed. Start a blog entry for Awake and Alive. 7:55 am-Selah's up! Run upstairs for hugs and kisses, and 2 books. What? You want them both read again? Okay...make that 4 books. Pull-up off, potty. Tickling, and more kissing and hugging....and then crying...Downstairs to blog some more. Check on brochure our awesome college intern Keith is working on. Shoot! Website is down. Phone rings. Ignore...then pick up (it's the PTO, after all). Share our new giveaway on my facebook page. Get Selah breakfast. Brochure is looking good! Help pick up toy room. Where was I? More blogging. And now it's 8:41 am. Anyone want to take bets when it will finally be ready to actually put on the website?!?

Similarly, here's a typical morning for Jolene:
Responding to an E-mail from a lover of Awake and Alive. She was interested in our mission trip and I was trying to jot down the details of our trip all the while I was getting breakfast for 3 babies. So I was cooking eggs, pouring glasses of milk, typing response e-mail, cleaning up spilled milk, spooning apple sauce in their little mouths, developing a thought, breaking up a fight, continue typing e-mail, blowing on eggs to cool them down, pouring myself a cup of coffee, typing some more, wiping up milk mustaches, refilling sippy cups, typing, singing and dancing to Veggie Tales "here I am to worship" for the kiddos, proof reading my E-mail, Calling Danielle to let her know we have a few people interested in traveling with us to Kechene, breaking up a fight, laying a little one down for a nap...

Can any moms or dads relate?
This is life for us. Beautiful, tricky, busy, full life with 7 incredible blessings. Sometimes an office and uninterrupted time sounds really appealing.
We'd sure get a lot more done!
But most of the time, we wouldn't change all the interruptions for the world-to hear the laughter along with the cries. Because we know that they're not really interruptions, are they?
Mothering is our highest calling.
We're just so thankful that God has allowed us to do both. I want to leave you with a little bit longer video from Andrew Peterson that a wonderful friend posted on my facebook page at just the right time. I hope it means as much to you as it did to me.
Glory to God who gives us strength. :)


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