A Link And An Opinion

I've never liked the "Growing Kids God's Way" series or the methods they teach. I've known a few families who swear by them and have tried to influence us in taking the Ezzos' advice but it just never sat well with us.

I hesitate to say that I have learned nothing from the Ezzos. Some of their discipline methods have worked with our children as they got older. But mostly I can say that I've learned what not to do from them.

Here is a link to a blog post written by one of my favorite authors. She has very eloquently put into words what I and many other people have always felt.

Here's a tip for the many new moms out there who might be reading right now: When our firstborn, Nate, was an infant I hated scheduling and was made to feel like a failure by some of my friends who thought he should be allowed to "cry it out" (controversially called the Ferber method) or that I held him too much or nursed too often. I hated scheduling but I didn't wan him to rule my universe either! I was sad and depressed and absolutely sure I was the worse mother in the world! Hetee and I were miserable and needed help.

When Nate was about 5 weeks old I was given a book that saved my life: The Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hogg. It was about routines NOT scheduling. I read it and learned to apply it and it has been the basis of my philosophy in training all 3 of my children as infants. I have also helped countless Mongolian couples to successfully apply it as well. It works for people like me who are a bit more laid back and willing to take the time and try to understand why our baby is crying, and who don't mind nursing for comfort not just for nutritional purposes. (scowl)

If you're in the "new mom" stage of life I really recommend "The Baby Whisperer"! It taught me to connect with my baby (and other babies I have helped). Buy the book; thank me later. They're not paying me to say that, believe it or not.

As our kids got older, we began implementing advice from a wonderful couple whose parents we know. Phil and Cynthia Phillips' parenting material has been a huge help to us and to many Mongolian parents as well. We were given their materials years ago and asked to translate them. Pray that can happen soon!

Here's one last link I would like to leave you with, if you're interested in learning more about why others don't trust the Ezzos. I'm not 100% against them and, like I said before, I probably at some time or another implemented their advice with some success. But I'm glad I followed my instincts and went against the grain when I did.

What are your thoughts?

What's been making me smile...

• Walks in the snow with my lovely children and soaking up the warm rays of the sun!
• Teacher's Day today! Yay!
• Kenny talking and talking and talking
• Meeting Charlotte, Les, and Skyla, our new friends
• The way my kids and husband devour my homemade version of Ezekiel bread
• My 3 babies, all freshly bathed and asleep in their beds
• Nate's double-wide front tooth gap
• Another set of twins saved from abortion! Not born yet, so pray for them!
• God's supernatural provision for His children
• Abi praying Lobo (my parents' dog who went astray) home. She prayed every day for about a week and sure enough, he came home! When we told her she was like, "Well, duh. I prayed, you know!"
  
• A full house for Sunday service. I had to stand in the doorway with several other people the past 2 Sundays.
• Making plans for our time in S'pore and Malaysia!
  

How about you? There's a lot of desperation and sadness in the world due to the demise of the economy. But, we can always find something to smile about! Leave a comment and spread the smiles!

Modern Talking Mongolian Style

I came to Mongolia when I was 16. Before then I had never heard of ABBA, George Michael or these guys:

Modern Talking

It didn't take me long to realize that Mongolians love these musical gems (and to start humming along to their songs!). My friend Amanda and I roll our eyes because every year around Christmas the "Last Christmas I gave you my heart" song (by George Michael) makes it to every radio station everywhere you go. They play it over and over in the departments stores like Christmas music. Second and third graders learn it in English class and sing it loud and proud. It's really sickening.

So, the other day I was taking a microbus (synonym for "sardine can") to another part of town when the guy that lets people in and out at the door, started singing along to"Touch By Touch" by Modern Talking. It was one of those moments when I just wished Amanda or Hetee could be there so we could have a good laugh. Alas, I was alone and quite sure I looked like a weirdo myself, trying to stifle the giggles.

Ok, so this was one of those "you had to be there" stories but in order to give you a better picture of what I saw, picture someone like an old grungy, Mongolian looking truck driver singing in a high pitched voice "Touch by touch, you're my all time lover. Skin to skin, come under my cover."

I know, it kind of made my skin crawl, too.

Too funny!

Sanctity of Human Life

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. Prov. 24:11


In keeping with the theme of "Sanctity of Human Life" week, I've put together a little post that I hope will encourage you.

Take heart! People are listening and they are choosing life over death.

The following pictures were taken during a time of prayer and dedication of 2 babies who wouldn't be here today had their parents followed the advice of relatives and doctors and aborted them. Instead, both babies are alive, thriving, full of potential and with a whole destiny ahead of them!

This baby's mom is a single mother. Her cell group leader helped her see that abortion is wrong. She was abandoned by the baby's father when she refused to have an abortion. She received prenatal vitamins and support and is still going strong today despite the difficult circumstances in which she lives.

As I looked out over the room full of outstretched hands I couldn't help but think of the irony. Her main concern was that she would not have anyone to support her and stand by her. But now, she had a whole church praying and supporting her in her decision to have and raise her child in the ways of God.

This next couple was pressured to have an abortion because of the poor health of the mother. She had kidney problems, among other things and was told she would never be able to have children. Once she became pregnant the doctors told her they'd have nothing to do with her because they feared for her life. She was discouraged but found hope in the church community (we've got tons of those stories!). Right before delivery she went for a check-up and the doctor apologized for being harsh before; that she was healthy and there was obviously nothing wrong to make them fear like that. So, not only was this baby saved from abortion but the mother was apparently healed, too. She had a perfectly successful delivery and has been in perfect health since her little girl was born 3 months ago!

I can't tell you how happy I am that this guy's mom decided not to abort. She had all the reasons and the paperwork for it (back in communist times they had to have special permission papers) but she chose life instead. If not for my mother-in-law's bravery and stubbornness, my husband and my children would not be here today, proclaiming the truth, as living testimonies to life in the womb.

Remember the Silent

Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
PROVERBS 31:8

With the "sanctity of human life week", approaching, I've been doing some reflecting on what it means to be pro-life.

For me, at least.

I've been involved in pro-life and anti abortion endeavors in Mongolia for the past 9 years or so. In the beginning, my main job was to inform the Christians here that abortion is wrong. Mongolia is different from America in that there is no pro-life/pro-choice influences or political influences to convince people that abortion is good/bad. Most people just go along with it because of the high poverty rates and lack of good prenatal medical care.

Once I began educating people, I was amazed to see the doors of opportunity swing wide open. No one, it seemed was against me or the anti-abortion message. We've seen churches, high schools, universities and hospitals open up and receive, wide-eyed, the truth that there is life before birth. Hundreds of babies have been saved as thousands have been reached through seminars, lectures, and the media. And the numbers are increasing. I've lost count of the people who have come up to me and said that they chose to have their baby because of a lecture they once heard, or because they read Hetee's poem in a hospital waiting room.

In Mongolia, the abortion rate is at least twice as high as the birth rate, or so I'm told. I think it is much higher. Finding solid numbers regarding abortion rates are always tricky because not many women like to talk about that sort of thing. Hospitals don't always register the right numbers because it's a great way for the abortionists to get rich off the books. Either way, abortion in Mongolia is rampant. It is usually sought out by the mothers but in some cases performed without her consent then is followed by unwarranted birth control as a means of "helping" her to have a better life. I'm counseling one such mother now. She was 7 months when her doctor gave her something to kill her 7 month-old baby. She's pregnant again, with twins, and terrified of going near a hospital. I'm still seething about that one.

Anyway, like I said before, I've encountered very little opposition from the Mongolian people in general. I have, however, had a few remarks from Americans that I never quite understood. Remarks like, "Can't we do more to help the women?" and "You need to offer the women alternatives to abortion" etc, etc.

Now, much of what I do and have done in the past is to financially or physically help the women or young families faced with an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. We help with food, vitamins and supplements, counseling, birth classes and anything else we can.

I think that sometimes we choose to make things a lot more complicated than they have to be. I remember a few years ago, someone told me that I wasn't doing enough, that I needed to "offer those poor women more alternatives". That it wasn't enough just to tell them that abortion was wrong.

Right away I became discouraged. I looked at my lack of ability to provide for their needs. I looked at my feeble human hands, my inadequacies, my lack of money and resources and quickly became depressed. It was my husband who led me back to the Scriptures and reminded me to just open my mouth and speak up for the unborn. I didn't have to carry anyone's load. I didn't owe them anything for keeping their baby. God would take care of them and reward them for their obedience. And since then I've seen this to be true over and over again.

I realize that to some these statements may sound flippant, even callous. Please understand that I do have a special place in my heart for the girls and women faced with an abortion decision. I still help these women in the many ways mentioned above. But it felt good to know that when the resources ran out, as they still often do, it doesn't have to stop me from proclaiming the truth. I don't need a back up plan. What it all comes down to is me opening my mouth and speaking out for those who are not able to defend themselves.

So, if you're a pro-lifer and you're feeling overwhelmed by the task of convincing people that abortion is wrong, just remember to keep it simple. Pray for them. Then speak to them. Show them pictures of fetal development, evidence of life in the womb. Then let them choose. If you can do more, like help a mother who lives in poverty then by all means, please do. But whatever you do, don't be silent. Speak out, and focus on saving one life at a time. God predestined that life. He can take care of the rest.

My thoughts are a jumbled mess right now and I am feeling and thinking so much more than what I am able to put into this post at the moment. A friend and fellow pro-lifer has written a great piece on her blog. Please check out Daja's thoughts on the subject and don't forget to pray for the women in your life who have gone through an abortion in the past or who are being faced with a difficult decision today.