14 and Counting - A Family Like No Other

Meet Nathan and Cindy:

Cindy is a 39-year-old from Pennsylvania that has always found adventure and excitement in her life. In high school and college she was very involved in sports and clubs and was a star athlete on her cross country team. After college, she whisked away to China where she lived for four years teaching English and experiencing all the peculiarities of the Chinese culture, complete with eating cockroaches and scorpions, and living in the most extreme conditions in tiny rural villages. Following her cross-cultural experience, Cindy returned home to the States where she scored a great position as teacher and coach at a local high school. She bought a house, had a nice car, and kept her thirst for adventure alive by doing things like sky diving. Somewhere in there, she felt an urge to take a trip to Africa with a group of people from her hometown. Little did she know, that trip would change the rest of her life.

Nathan is a 42 year old who became an orphan at a very young age. Due to difficult circumstances in her life, Nathan's mom realized she could not take care of her multiple children, so she took Nathan down to a nearby Children's Home and had to say goodbye. Nathan was then taken care of in a family environment where he spent his childhood and youth as part of a family with dozens of other brothers and sisters, each one coming from similar backgrounds and situations. As a result of his years at the Children's Home and his place within this family, Nathan received a solid education, learned English as a first language while also learning his country's native language, learned strong character and good ethics, was taught to be a hard worker and to be useful with his hands, and developed a passion to help other children in his same situation.

You can only guess what happened next.

Cindy took a trip to North Africa and knew right away that it captured her heart and was somewhere she would be working for a long time. On that trip, Cindy ran into Nathan, who was back helping out at the Children's Home he had grown up in. The two hit it off, spent the next few months corresponding by email, visited each other several times, and within the next couple years were happily married and living back in the country where they met. Over the next few years, Cindy and Nathan began working full time at the Children's Home and eventually had two of their own children, in addition to fostering another little girl that was brought into the Home. There were several other families that lived there as well - other parents who had also had the same passion to help orphaned children in North Africa - and so a little community of families was built, with each set of parents taking in anywhere from one to seven children. Unfortunately, over time, circumstances changed and some of these parents were unable to stay in the country with the children they had been raising. As a result, two families ended up returning to their original countries, leaving 11 children with no foster parents to care for them again.

With their small family of five, Nathan and Cindy hadn't planned on having too many more children, but the call on their hearts to do something for these broken children was heavy, and they knew what they were supposed to do. The small, quiet family with three kids suddenly turned into a vibrant, dynamic, and boisterous household with fourteen children between the ages of two and ten.

Across the way at the Children's Home live Lesa and Barry, a couple who is a few years ahead in the child-rearing process (their youngest is 11). After living at the Home for 16 years, Lesa and Barry have taken in around 17 kids, about half of who are off at college or entering the work world and the other half who are still at home. Next door to them is a woman named Myrna who serves as the nurse for the Home and has also taken in three children at different periods of her life, including the young girl she is currently raising.

This is the community that I was privileged to step into a few weeks ago.

Over our two week break from classes, the four of us interns were sent to this Children's Home for a week to offer support, help, and service in whatever way we could to the families there. As you can imagine, there was plenty to do.

The kids were in school during the time we were there and were gone a lot during the day, so we really took advantage of the times they were home. Breakfast was served at 7 am every morning, and all the dozens of kids gathered around two long tables for a delicious morning feast that the mothers had prepared. We repeated this same routine at lunch, which the families are fortunate to be able to spend together every day since the kids come home from school for lunch, and at dinner. In between meals, we spent time with the kids working on homework with them, helping with their chores, reading stories, and of course, playing lots of games.

In addition to Saturday, the kids had early release from school one day during the week, so we had several opportunities to spend the whole afternoon doing activities and games with them. We hiked, played kickball, had four square tournaments, played playground games, did tug-o-war, and even played ultimate frisbee. After an entire day of physical activity and playing outdoors, I kept waiting for the kids to get tired and wear out.

They never did.

I guess when you have over 20 kids around there's always going to be someone who's got some energy. :) 

We had a blast though and I loved the precious time we got to spend with the children. Upon arriving, I had so many difficulties pronouncing each child's name and I thought, I'm never going to remember these in a million years. Within two days, I knew every single kids' name. But more than their names, we got to get to know the personality and character of each child over the time that we spent with them, which was my absolute most favorite part of the experience. With that many children, there was every personality type imaginable... crazy and outgoing, silly, quiet and shy, smart, reserved... so I enjoyed learning about each kid and finding different activities to relate with each of them. Some of them wanted to play cards, some wanted to have wrestling matches, and some wanted to paint nails.

 

 

During the daytime while the kids were at school, the interns and I got to venture out to nearby cities and do some sightseeing. I may have done a bit of traveling in my life, but this was a completely new experience to me. I have never seen landscapes like I saw in North Africa and I have definitely never been in markets and cities that were anything like the ones we visited. They absolutely blew me away and I found myself at times feeling like I was in a movie, or at least seeing things I had only ever seen in movies before! We walked through markets with camel and goat heads hanging in the windows, craftsmen hammering away at metals and materials, leather factories that reeked of cow dung, and carpet workshops with men spinning fabric into beautiful tapestries. After I thought I had seen it all, we were steered into the animal market to walk past shepherds and herdsmen guarding dozens of sheep tied together at the neck while local village men bargained to trade or buy the livestock.

On one of our escapades, we journeyed up to old ruins on a hill that overlook the city and the entire countryside below. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

When we weren't sightseeing, we got to spend our free time hanging out with the younger kids that don't go to school yet, the older ones who are in college and were home for the summer still, and the parents. Things were always kind of crazy when the kids were around, and the parents make a lot of intentional effort to spend time with each one of their kids, so I really enjoyed the one on one time we got with each of the adults. It gave us a chance to hear their stories, their backgrounds, and to see and understand better the joys and challenges of raising big families.

Basically what I quickly learned is that these people having amazing hearts. The children, obviously, have been through quite a bit and some have a rough past. But Cindy and Nathan, as well as Lesa and Barry, have completely given their lives for these children to provide a home where they are loved, given security, instructed, and encouraged.

These parents are not just co-existing with their children in the same house to provide a roof over their heads. They offer love, attention, and support to each of their children every single day, with intentional interaction - both in an attitude of seriousness and training and a spirit of silliness and fun. I saw the life in these children's eyes, the joy in their hearts, and the thankfulness from deep within for being a part of such a loving and caring family. What is more, the parents have not committed to taking care of the children until they are 18 and then send them out to find their own way in the world. They will be family for life. They will see these children go to college, get married, have grandchildren, and will be around any time they want to come back home for a season.

Unfortunately, these three families are currently the only parents at the Children's Home, and with the families at the size they are, no more children can be accepted into the Home at the time. Cindy and Nathan, Lesa and Barry, and Myrna have proved faithful in their calling to care for these beautiful children for a lifetime, and they are now hoping for others to join them in doing the same.

The Music Man

If you guys remember from my Meet the Interns blog, last term (July - September) we had a young married couple as part of our group - Chris and Jenny Telfer. In the blog, I nicknamed Chris as the Music Man for his obvious talent and skill within the music realm. Over the course of the semester, we got the privilege to hear Chris' musical genius on a regular basis, whether it was strumming quietly for fun while we were all studying, singing out over someone in prayer, practicing a new song, or leading a worship night for our house.

Before I came to G42, Jenny had posted on their blog a video (below) of Chris singing a worship song that I know quite well. I remember listening to it and thinking about what an awesome voice he has and how exciting it was going to be to have him lead worship for us (which it certainly was!). I even briefly considered for a minute that it would be really cool to be able to sing back up for him sometime, but with no expectation of that ever happening.

 

Chris spent a lot of time throughout the semester writing new songs, recording them in a back room in his apartment with his recording equipment, and even making some music videos for the songs with the help of other interns. One day, he approached me and told me about a new song he was working on. He had planned to have Grant film a music video for him, but unfortunately circumstances changed when Grant had to leave early because of his mom. Much to my surprise, Chris asked if I would consider filming the music video for him. 

Let me tell you - I have never made a video in my life, let alone a music video for an artist who is diligently working to boost his music career. I had no idea why Chris would ask me of all people (I have photography experience... not video!), but I was thrilled at the idea and thought it would be a great learning experience for me, plus I loved the thought of being able to help him out.

I happily agreed, with a warning that I would definitely need some help and instruction along the way, which Chris and Jenny were fully able to give as Jenny is an experienced photographer and Chris has a secret skill of editing in Final Cut Pro. That meant all I had to do was film, and Chris would take care of editing it and putting it all together. 

Plus.... Chris wanted some backup vocals for the song, which even more surprisingly he asked me to do as well. And I must say, it is certainly a privilege and an honor to sing with a musician as talented as him! 

So we recorded our parts and headed up one afternoon to the top of our street to spend an hour or so filming the music video. It's simple, but it was a great experience and we had lots of fun! I really had no clue what I was doing, but Chris and Jenny did a great job helping me, and I learned tons of new techniques about filming. 

Here it is. Hope you enjoy! :

Chris and Jenny graduated from G42 in September and are now back at home in Texas trying to work and save up money before they come back to serve as leaders at G42 for a few years. Chris is in the process of starting his own recording studio, with the hope of using the money to fund his and his wife's dream of starting orphanages in India someday. Like the sign in the video says, Big Dreams - Need Support.

If you like the song, you can buy it here, along with other original songs by Chris Telfer.

Also, don't forget to check out ChrisTelferMusic.com!

Midnight Marvels

 I started my Italian visit in the city of Rome to spend a few days visiting some of my friends there. If you have read any of my past blogs about Rome, you are certainly aware that it’s not exactly my favorite city in Italy. After only a few minutes there, I’m already overwhelmed by traffic, congestion, and tourists everywhere. However, a few adventures on my trip this time around may just have redeemed a small bit of my slight hostility towards the city.

The first thing I learned is that Rome is an entirely different city at night. When it's dark and everyone is safely tucked away inside their homes, there are no tourists walking out in the town, no cars driving all over the streets, no mopeds zipping past, and definitely no African men yelling at you trying to sell something. It's quiet, and all the city's ancient beauty that is drowned out by the congestion and noise of the daytime comes alive and shines in the magic of the moonlight.

I got to experience Rome in this magical way, sitting atop a balcony overlooking a classical piano concert below that was being held in the shadow of a 2000-year-old building. This building, the Teatro di Marcello, had once served as an amphitheater during the time of Emperor Augustus and was now, once again, providing a majestic stage for the resplendent notes coming from one single woman on a grand piano.

The concert was short, only an hour, but the enchantment of the night was only just beginning to unfold. As the evening wore on and darkness enveloped the majestic remains of the ancient world, a thunderstorm began to brew above. For a first row seat, I accompanied a friend of mine on a midnight moped ride through the prohibited gardens of the Villa Borghese to sit, perched on a ledge, overlooking the twinkling Piazza del Popolo below. Clouds enshrouded the moon, leaving the city lights below to illuminate the night sky in between flashes of colossal lightening. Thunder boomed above our heads and the cool of the night filled the air. Everything was still, except the violent call of nature expressing itself in grandeur all around us. 

Without the cars, without the people, without the noise, the ancient splendor of the eternal city gleamed brightly in the magnificence of the brewing storm.

But of course, with any thunderstorm, rain is sure to come at some point. Unfortunately, this thought had escaped our minds in the midst of the city’s beauty until it was already too late. The drops started to slowly fall. And so began the adventure.

Before I knew it, the empty streets of Rome were suddenly filled – with rain drops, water, and puddles, showering down upon us as we cautiously and quickly steered the moped through the rivers that were forming on the cobblestone streets. All hope was lost for staying dry. The downpour engulfed us, with nothing but the helmets on our heads as protection from the wet.

At that moment, the compartment on the back of the moped (that happened to be holding my purse and, consequently, camera) flew off the back and landed with a thud in the middle of the wet road. I watched from the back of the moped as the compartment popped open and my purse rolled out onto the ground, growing ever smaller as the distance between us and it continued to increase while we hurriedly tried to slow down.

A man was standing on the road nearby where it fell, and looked at us incredulously as we rode back, picked up our things from the middle of the road, and assessed the damage. He yelled something in Italian and while I have no idea what, I had no problem interpreting his astonishment at our helpless and slightly ludicrous situation.

All I could do was laugh.  My camera was a little banged up, but it survived and was fine. Ultimately I just found myself laughing at the situation and thinking, “What in the world were we thinking taking a moped ride in the pouring rain in the middle of the night in Rome?” But oh the adventures you find when you’re willing to do something crazy!

The rain continued to pour down on us the rest of our journey towards shelter, but I didn’t mind at all. We whizzed through the streets as the Colosseum, ancient walls, and ruins loomed prominently in the night sky, amidst torrents of water. It may have been the most beautiful Rome has ever looked.

By the time I got home, I was soaked from head to toe. And I absolutely loved it. :)

Home Really is Where the Heart Is

 After two and a half months of living in Spain, going to classes at G42 every day, and learning more than I could have ever imagine, the time came for the term to end, senior interns to graduate, and the four newest interns (myself included) to have a two week long break before classes started again. The second week of our break was already set aside for our Practicum week (more on that later), so I had one week to spend pretty much anywhere in Europe I wanted.

Naturally, I went to Italy. :)

I worked out that it's been about eight months since I was last in Italy, walking through the quaint cobblestone streets of Foligno, saying goodbye to my host family, and hanging out with other au pair friends in gorgeous cities. Oddly enough, before I considered it, I thought it had only been a month or two since I was there.

At least that's what it felt like.

When I finally gave it some thought, however, I realized how much I've done since my last day in Italy. After getting back to the U.S., I worked for several months in Dallas, moved in and out of a new apartment, visited Ecuador, au paired in Ireland, moved to Spain, studied for three months at a Christian leadership training center, and traveled to London. When I think about things in that sense, it seems like ages ago that I was picking up Maria Vittoria from school, helping Zoila with lunch, and coloring and playing Uno all afternoon with the kids.

But even though I've been in plenty of other places doing plenty of other things in the past eight months, Italy has been on my mind, and most definitely in my heart, frequently and consistently. Consequently, upon stepping off the plane in Italy, I found myself feeling right at home. And when I say "at home," I don't mean comfortable and at ease, as people generally mean when they use the phrase. I mean I felt like I was truly in the place where I belong.

I guess that's why they say home is where the heart is... 

Nevertheless, my time back in Italy was more fantastic than I can even explain. It was incredible to go back to Foligno, walk into my old house, see Zoila and Aurelio, have Cesare and Maria Vittoria run up to me and jump all over me, sit down and eat family dinners together, and basically just spend the entire week being an au pair once again. I loved it. I didn't even feel the need to leave the house a whole lot, because the main reason I went was simply to hang out with my Italian family and be around them. We had such a great time too. The family has a new au pair right now named Jordan, who just arrived in Foligno a week ago. I wasn't sure what it would be like having me, the old au pair, there while a new au pair was adjusting to everything still, but it ended up being perfect. I got to introduce her to some of my old friends and show her the ropes on some of the au pair duties, plus we learned that having two au pairs around is a lot of fun for us and gave us a friend to talk to and hang out with all the time!

In addition to the time I spent with the family, simply being a part of their every day life again, I also made sure to meet up with all of my old friends as well. Jordan and I went out in Perugia one night with the group I had hung out with most frequently (including my friends Andrea and Shaila) during my time in italy. We ended up back at a pub I had sung karaoke at (not to mention totally embarrassed myself at...) back in January and had a great time making a new memory at an old and familiar place. The whole time we were out, I kept feeling the paradox of disbelief that I was actually back in Italy with all my friends once again after so many months, combined with complete comfort in being there and the feeling that I had never left. 

 

 

I got to watch Cesare ride a bike with no training wheels, have a photo shoot with Zoila (along with many conversations to get her up-to-date on my life), and play with the kids on the terrace while watching a gorgeous sunset. I ate pasta, tons of Parmesan, and remembered how much better Italian wine is than Spanish wine. We all went for a walk in town, spent some time at the park, and ate lunch and dinner together with the whole family every day. It was a beautiful, restful, and relaxing week, and I loved getting the chance to be at home :)

The 42nd Generation

As you all know, I'm in a leadership program with an non-profit organization called G42 Leadership Academy. For three months now, I've been wanting to explain what exactly G42 means and where the name came from, but I could never figure out how to communicate it clearly and concisely.

Lucky for me, one of our staff members and teachers, Dave Hearn (The Warrior Shepherd) wrote a blog perfectly explaining G42 and the concept of the 42nd Generation. Since he explained it way better than I'd ever be able to, I figured I'd just let you read what he wrote! If you want to read more of his thoughts, check out his blog.

The 42nd Generation

The concept of the 42nd Generation is initially taken from Matthew chapter 1, the genealogy of Jesus Christ. If you’re like me, you’ve probably skimmed that genealogy to get to the good stuff like the birth of Jesus.

But I’ll give you a second to pull up the genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17. Then another 15 seconds to actually count the men in that genealogy. (hint: there are 41.)

But then verse 17 says:

there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah

14+14+14= (drumroll please) 42.

Okay... So either Matthew couldn't count, or he was trying to make a point about the generations leading to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 

 
Photo Credit: Wolfgang Staudt 

Jesus, Son of Man, is the 41st Generation

Jesus, son of Mary, born in Bethlehem, was completely human. He went through the same growing process as we all did: learning, making friends, scraping his knee, and becoming initiated as a man into the Jewish culture. He has the same temptations we did and basically lived a "normal life." 

Christ, Son of God, is the 42nd Generation 

Now, the mysterious part - Jesus was also completely God. Introduced by the Holy Spirit and the Father's voice from heaven, his baptism kickstarted his ministry. His resurrection from the dead, defeating sin, confirmed his Messiah-ness.

So, Jesus, 100% human, is also Christ, 100% God. And man. At the same time. This was his destiny, this was the plan, for him to step into his authority as the Son of God and bring a Message of love and redemption to Earth. Same. as. you.

Christ, formed in you. 

Jump to Galatians 4. Paul is talking about heirs, sons, inheritance, and how Christ can be formed in us. Christ = 42nd Generation = Us. 

Therefore, we can also be the 42nd Generation. The generation that accepts our inheritance. The generation that accepts our son-ship as "joint-heirs" to bring redemption to broken lives, light to dark places, and life to dead things. 

All the power, all of the authority, all of the inheritance of the Kingdom of God is ours through Christ and his sacrifice and defeat of sin and evil. That is the essence of the 42nd Generation. 
Easy, right?