Mother India Review and Giveaway

India is the home to 31 million of the world's orphans. David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha traveled there with the goal of telling the story of some of these orphans. Upon arrival at a train station in Tenali, India they found a family of 25 children living together under the guidance of a 20 year old orphan named Reddy. This documentary follows them and introduces us to their stories in their words. We see the reality of sex abuse, police brutality, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS that is part of these children daily lives. We watch as a 19 year old girl relays how she cuts herself to numb the pain of remembering her son who died. We go to the grave of a young man who died on the streets from a drug overdose. Somehow though these children have come together to take care of each other. Rebecca St. James opens the documentary with a quote from Mother Teresa, "I have come to realize more and more that the greatest disease and the greatest suffering is to be unwanted, unloved, uncared for, to be shunned by everybody, to be just nobody [to no one].” Despite their situation this group has found community, family, and love among each other.

Among the group are two young siblings, Polayya and Koteswarei, ages 3 and 7. Reddy hopes for them to find a home and not grow up on the streets. David and Shawn step in and contact Harvest India ( a local children's home and orphanage) to help. The documentary concludes as the group of 25 visit HI and make the decision whether to allow Polayya and Koteswarei to move there.


This 49 minute documentary is a first hand glimpse and the life 31 MILLION children are living. There stories are heart breaking. Unto One has been given a DVD to review as well as the opportunity for one person to win a copy. We'd love to hear from you, let us know you're reading our UNTO ONE blog by leaving a comment over at UntoOne.com. We will randomly pick one winner Sunday, April 28th to receive a copy. If you live locally please contact Jess to borrow the DVD. 

Please take a chance to watch this brief trailer.

The Privilege

Tuesday was a hard day for me. I felt yucky. I had to be on the road literally from 8am to 6pm bringing kids to appointments, schools, pick ups and finally sitting in my van with four Littles for 2 1/2 hours for baseball practice. On top of that chaos it was also a memorial of sorts for one of our girls. This week marks two years since the abuse she survived in her early months was discovered. It's easy to feel angry and think what if, but it serves no purpose. All we know is we have been amazed by the miracles God has performed in her life. She is a walking testimony to God's healing and provision.

As I was driving two hours to an appointment and listening to Jedd Medefind (head of Christian Alliance For Orphans) talking about Summit 9. I became overwhelmed by the reality that I'm attending this, and overwhelmed by the life that we are living. When we started this journey our only thought was of getting a baby. It has grown into so much more. Tears streamed down my face to realize that this ministry that we have been called to is such a privilege. There are days when it is so hard, times when it has ripped our hearts out, and moments when all we could do is hold our breath and know that God sees. BUT there have been more times than I can count that have made all those hard moments worth it. A smile on the face of a child who made no expressions, "mama", little hands holding mine, my teenage son falling in love with these little people, to know that He is pleased.

I can't even begin to imagine where this road will lead. I do know that our hearts have been ripped open for the cause of the orphan and we can never go back to who we were before.  

The One About Getting My Way

I am a schedule person. I like my routines. I like my lists. I like being in charge. A lot.
When my routine is challenged and things are feeling like they are spinning in chaos my first reaction is to organize more. However, I'm learning that sometimes you just need to step on to the roller coaster, buckle up, and hold on. The past week has been full of finding the balance of organization and just letting go. I'm realizing that with four kiddos under four chaos is unavoidable. I'm learning that I don't need to be every 15 minutes early. I can be on time... and quite frankly being early can be almost worse (although I am VERY thankful for our factory installed minivan DVD player.) I'm beginning to figure out new routines: bath times, dinner, bedtime, morning routines, and meal planning to name a few. I wish I could give you all kinds of great tips, but really it's pretty simple. Oh... and preschool is a God send. April vacation... not so much.

The things that I've really been thinking about a lot is the act of sacrifice and dying to myself. My flesh desires to be in control. After our adoption journey with the girls I became way better at letting go of the big things,  mainly because I had no choice. It's the little things though that I'm realizing God wants me to begin to let go of. He IS a God of order, however when my desire for order and things to go MY way cause me to go off on the ones around me and react in anger- well... that's sin. I am learning that I need to look at my family's hearts and realize that this is a change for all of us, and that just because things aren't happening the way I WANT doesn't mean that my family isn't trying.

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:16-17)

It's easy to think I'm pretty awesome for serving my family and all that... but God looks at it and it's my heart and my spirit He's looking at. I want my offering to Him to be a sweet smelling one, to smell like like Jesus. I want to be broken for Him willing to do WHATEVER He desires of me and not let my preferences and "my way" get in the the way of "His way".

The Nitty Gritty

It's been a rough week. Not a bad week... but a rough week. This is one of those all out there posts, because quite frankly in parenting blogs, and adoption and foster care blogs especially sometimes I feel like there is a glossiness that is portrayed. Not that I believe in airing all my dirty laundry... quite literally why I don't have a clothesline... really no one needs to see my skivvies blowing in the wind. But I digress... last week we took in two more kiddos ages 2  (as of this week) and 4. So that brings our grand total at home to one 13 year old, one 4 year old, and THREE 2 year olds. "What's two more?" I said. "I've made it through twins!" I said. It will be like a little perfect preschool my mind said, picturing glistening wood floors and cozy reading corners. Montessori shelves with faceless Waldorf dolls and blocks... wood blocks. All the things that Pinterest says preschool parenting should look like... right? Well... it isn't. It's chaos. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I find myself breaking down in tears at least once an hour day. And I'm hormonal. In the words of my 13 year old... "What were you thinking taking kids in when you're PMSing?!" Wise that one is.

And you, know I can't blame it on one child or the other. None of them are horrible. Well maybe one particular daughter of mine who has decided to fully launch into temper tantrums and use her new found potty skills as a way to escape the cell  living room playroom. What a threat: "Mom... I have to pee!!!!" Hidden two year old translation: "Mom..... I know I have just peed.... five times in ten minutes... but I may just need to pee again... or worse... and really, do you want to clean all that up?" It's like a toddler game of chicken that I'm doomed to repeat over and over and over....

I want to throw in the corner. I called one my best adoption mama yesterday. I can't do it. She reminded me of the stuff I knew. It's been a week. This is your ministry. You'd kick yourself later. Then the words of wisdom from a mom of nine... "Did you think adding a toddler and preschooler to the mix would be easy? Enjoyable? Pleasant?" I think I did, I got blinded by the pretty thoughts of how it would be. And darnit all, it's hard. It's draining. But I know that this is what our family is called to, this is our passion. So, I will plug a way, honestly it's the only fair thing to do. I'm not saying it's wrong to decide a kiddo(s) isn't a good fit.. we've done that too and don't regret it at all. But, I think a week (THE week) isn't fair to any of my kids. We need to adjust. There are growing pains, very real ones, and the lovely "Gotcha Day" videos don't show that. And I just needed to be real. Just in case you're struggling too.

This morning I read Psalm 19 and the following led to a big 'ol prayer written right there and dated (one of those stones we pile up).

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned; 

in keeping them there is great reward.

The italic/bold sections are the parts that hit me. During this battle, during the chaos I need His words to guide me. To revive me, to give me joy, to enlighten my eyes and give me truth.

UPDATE- After posting the link to this post on FB and commenting that, " it just bugs me a little because you see all the happy happy sometimes, and then you feel like you're doing something wrong because it's not all roses and Steven Curtis Chapman song." My sweet friend Shannon posted this link to Jen Hatmaker's blog: After the Airport. I think she was at Summit last year, super hoping she's at it this year too... I have to laugh that I'm so stalkerish on all these adoption mamas, lol. OK... now back to the trenches, I'm sure there's a puddle of pee somewhere to clean up.