Christmas Party Number 465

Russ and I have had so much fun going to different Christmas parties. It is so much fun to spend time with people that you love. I hate that we don't make quality time with the people we love more of a priority during the rest of the year. These are a few pictures of a party we went to with my friends from high school. I don't get to see these people too often but it is so much fun when I do. These girls have known me my entire life and have seen me through good and bad times. It means so much to have their support in all that I do. They have been there with me through elementary, middle, and high school, family issues, trips to Ghana and China, and now as we plan to adopt. They even surprised me with money towards my China trip in October.

They accept that me and Russ are a little "strange" but love us anyway! I love them so much and cannot wait to see what God does in their lives.

Surprise, Surprise

Russ and I always take a night before Christmas to spend with each other. The holiday's can get crazy and we love spending time with just each other! So, this year we went to Pickwick to our friend's cabin. We spent two nights and did nothing but rest, eat, and watch Christmas movies.

We took our Christmas gifts and opened them on the first night. Russ surprised me with a new camera!!! I was shocked...I had mentioned it but didn't expect to get it. He had told me that we were just going to get each other a little something. So, I followed that rule. I got him a t-shirt from his favorite tv show and a book. Then, I open the camera from him. He is so sweet and I am so thankful for the husband that he is. While we love gifts, we are mindful that this time is to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Eyes to see

God has really been showing me scriptures about faith lately. I was reading Matthew 9: 27-29. Here is what it says.

"After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do."

"Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen." Then their eyes were opened, and they could see!"

Now I must say that God is not a magic genie that you just rub on the bottle and it will come true. But, according to scripture, God can do ALL. My trouble is BELIEVING. I tend to believe according to what my human eyes see. If things are looking good in life, then I believe God is good and He can do all. When things begin to look grim, then I tend to doubt.

But that is not what faith is. Faith is " being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1). God is doing so much more..we just can't see it for our unbelief.

This world would be a different place if people when asked the question "do you believe" answered yes wholeheartedly. My prayer is that I would not view the goodness of God by the realities that I see but by the characteristics of who He is.

Ephesians 3:20

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Love, Anna

Season to love

Christmas season is officially here! Wal-mart is crazy...traffic is everywhere. But, I have really been thinking this year about the true reason for Christmas. When I look around me, I become sad about how much STUFF we buy. I say we because I am the world's worst. I mentioned earlier this year to my family about not buying so much STUFF. I tried to come up with a RULE...mostly because sometimes I like to be in control. Okay, a lot of the time. But, I have realized that it is not even about setting RULES. It is more about just having the realization that Christ is the only reason we celebrate this season. It is about putting HIM first and giving to others. It is about love. I am still struggling with how to balance this all. I was reading this blog and found this video. Please take a minute to watch this.

Letters from Frank

We just received a letter from Frank, our child we sponsor through Compassion. Nothing brightens our day more than seeing that Compassion envelope in our mailbox. We usually rip open the envelope, read the letter, look at the sweet pictures he has drawn us, and then talk about how we miss him. But today was different. Russ opened the envelope and then let me know the bad news.

Frank and his family have been through so much. Their dad left at the beginning of the year leaving Frank, his two siblings, and his sweet mother. They were kicked out of their house. Compassion came to the rescue and provided a room. It was in this one room that the entire family slept. It was outside this room that we met that sweet family. Today, we found out that for whatever reason, they are being kicked out. They asked us to pray for his family a place to live. So, as helpless as we feel, we know that praying is the most important thing that we can do. I ask you to join us in praying for the Donkor family. Pray for a place to live, for his mom a stable job, and for them to know God's love. We are so thankful that they have Compassion and know that they will do all that they can.

Thanks for praying for Frank and his family. Also, if you want to help a child like Frank out...click here to sponsor a child.

Say my name, Say my name

We have a name for the dog.... Molly. We have been calling her that but thought we might come up with something better. We didn't. So, the name is sticking. Please start praying now for the day we find out we are having kids. Apparently, Russ and I don't agree on names. I looked up the meaning of Molly here
Gangster's girlfriend..too funny!!

Twilight at Midnight

I have three things to say:

1. I have a wonderful husband that always tries to make me happy. I thought Twilight was sold out at midnight. He had me two tickets AND he used one of them to go with me.

2. Edward = fabulous. So much fun to have the characters played out on the screen exactly as I had imagined them.

3. The movie was average. The book was better, as usual. Don't see the movie until you read the book.

That is all.

This is ridiculous..we need a name.

Well, as you can tell from the photo, this no-name mutt is fitting in quite well at the Polsgrove home. We have tossed around many names, anywhere from Voodoo to Molly, but nothing seems to stick. Russ was out of town last weekend so I had to tend to her during the cold weather. I found myself in the backyard, with a flashlight, in my monkey pajamas, freezing my tail off trying to put woodchips in her bed. (How is that for the longest sentence ever??) Who have I become?

I also found myself needing to call her but..she doesn't have a name. I know my neighbors are getting tired of hearing someone yell out "Hey, Dog" numerous times a day (as I try to pry her from the fence where she is flirting with the male dog on the other side of the fence). Tomorrow is the day. We will choose a name before the sun goes down. Let us know if you have suggestions.

New addition

Last Saturday Russ and I were at Crackel Barrel eating breakfast. I had the thought, "maybe we should get a dog." But I didn't say anything because I usually change my mind about this subject about 3 seconds after I have the thought. About that time, Russ said, "we should get a dog today." We discussed it and decided we needed to get our fence fixed before getting one.

Fast forward two days.

My friend Jessi texts me while I am at work and says that she found a homeless dog that really needs someone to live with. I told her to call Russ, confident that he would say no.

I come home to Russ snuggling with the dog in the garage. He has bought it everything it would ever need. Food, treats, leash, collar, bowls, etc. Next thing I know we have a doghouse and we are walking the dog around the neighborhood. As we walked, and Russ talked in baby voices to the dog, he did tell me that we could get rid of the dog if I wanted. Right. He also used the line that we had been praying for an orphan and this was God's answer. Right.

We cannot agree on a name. Any suggestions???

Nice to know someone feels the same

Adoption can sometimes feel very lonely. While we have not started the process yet, we are praying about the specifics of our adoption. We deal daily with some not understanding. While most of the time it is such a wonderful opportunity for us to share about what God did for us, sometimes I just feel so alone. I read the blogs of Maris and Steven Bush. While I do not know them personally, I have felt very connected to them--with them choosing to adopt their first child. Here is an article that Maris wrote for a magazine. Just click here and then turn to page 5. My heart feels very much like hers did. Hope you enjoy!

Also, you can click here for their adoption website.

Great Wall

Action needed

My friend Blake posted about this article on his blog. This was the second time this week I have heard about this. Here are some excerpts but you can also click here to read the article from Relevant magazine.

"The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?"

" If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that—whether or not the President shares your same values. "

"The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?"

"We’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty."

"Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along."

I love the thought about many people being pro-life but yet not being pro-active in the fight for orphans. What if everyone against abortion were active in promoting adoption? We could definitely make a dent in the 132 million orphans in the world!!

Footloose

We spent two days reading to children at two different kindergartens. We got to experience "pe" and even participate. During this time all of the kids do organized dance routines. This particular dance was to none other than Footloose. These kids were soooo much better at the routine than we were! America needs to take a hint from China--organized routines for exercise are so great. The kids were well-behaved, had fun, and burned lots of energy!

Compassion in the Dominican Republic

Compassion International has sent bloggers to the Dominican Republic to visit and blog about their experiences. You can go here and check out all the bloggers and their websites. I have been reading this one and that one and have really enjoyed them!

Hotel California

So we are eating breakfast of noodles, rice, and strange meat when we hear a very familiar song. I listen because I can't quite hear it. Then, yes, it starts: Welcome to the hotel california Such a lovely place Such a lovely face . Plenty of room at the hotel california. Any time of year, you can find it here. Not what I expected to experience my first days in Beijing.

We arrived to the NICE hotel, had a quick shower and then off to tour The Forbidden City and p-walking at Tienanmen Square. We began to realize what a communist country looked like then and now. The people paying respect to Mao seemed very sad.

During the afternoon, we spent our time at my FAVORITE home in China. You will have to read here tomorrow to get information on what it is and how you can help!!

I must sleep now. My ambian is making it to where I cannot see straight. Maybe I should go lay down!

Love love love

anna

Night with the husband

Well, I leave at 6 in the AM for China!! I have had a wonderful day seeing and talking to people that I love. I have the most wonderful friends and family that are so supportive. I love you all!!!

Tonight, Russ and I are in Memphis spending the night so that he can take me to the airport at 4 am. We are at the hotel enjoying the two things below. How great is it that you can lay in the bed and order pizza on the computer!!

Please continue to pray for our team as we meet in Chicago. We leave Chicago around noon tomorrow and should land in Beijing around 2 am (cst).

I appreciate your prayers so much! I must get back to my husband and scrubs now. I am going to miss him sooooo much!!!

Anna

Ni hao

I leave for China in less than two weeks. The time since we decided to go and now has flown by!! I ask that you pray for our team. I am not one to blame everything on the devil but I do think he wants to interfere with the great things God is doing. We have all experienced some sort of back pain, leg pain, head lice, family issues, etc. So please continue to pray for us.

Our flight leaves on Saturday, October 25th at 6:00 in MORNING!! Here are a few prayer requests.

1. The people we will develop relationships with.
2. Safety during our flights and stay in China
3. Our families in the United States
4. That God's power would overcome any evil that wants to interfere.

I will update you more as the time gets closer!

Love, Anna

Miracle

God has risen our washing machine from the dead. About 3 weeks ago, our washer stopped working (granted it is from like 1922). We went out of town so we didn't have time to get it fixed or buy another one. After vacation, it seemed like everything was falling apart...washer, dvd player, computer. Last night, I went to the washer and tried to turn it on. And to my surprise...it WORKED!!! Thank you Jesus!

Words to my heart today

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Jeremiah 29:11
" For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Romans 8:26-28
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them"

God is good.

Anna

Praying for Ethiopia

Ethiopian Facts

*There are approximately 5 million orphans in a country less than twice the size of the state of Texas.
*Between 60-150 million kids live on the streets
*One in six children die before their fifth birthday.
*One in ten children die before their first birthday.
*Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school; 88% will never attend secondary school
*In the 1980's one million Ethiopians died of starvation
*Some areas still practice female circumcision
*82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day
*Only 24% of households have access to safe drinking water
*Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
*Children and family are honored above all else
*1 in 3 people are HIV+, the average life expectancy is 37

Join with me in doing this today.

AP

Something to think about

I read an article this morning that has shattered me. I have a heart for orphans and have heard and seen many devastating situations. But, then I read this. Today I am praying for the people that live in Mae Sot garbage dump in Thailand near the Thai-Myanmar border.

The quote that is sitting with me today is this: "Still, she says scavenging for food in the dump is actually an improvement on her previous life."

Read this for something to think about today.

AP

Russ and I have been on a much-needed vacation to San Francisco. So romantic..and do you want to know one of the reasons why. Let me tell you. I have been reading Stephanie Meyer's book Twilight. Basically, it is a book about a teenage girl being in love with a vampire. Yes, a vampire. And let me tell you this, I am addicted! There are four books and I am almost through with the second book. Back to being romantic..these books make me have LOVE my husband. Just being honest. I actually thought last night--I wish my husband had super-powers. Those words are like music to his ears, considering his obcession with the make-believe world.

AP

show some love

Okay, for all of you people who occasionally read this blog (all two of you), I was on compassion international's website and saw this.

Wisdom Mawuko Akrom is a 9 year old boy living in Ghana who has been waiting a long time to get a sponsor. I must tell you that we have seen first-hand what a difference Compassion makes in the life of a child--physically, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually.

It is just $32 a month and you can completely change his life. If you are interested, you can click here. If this doesn't work, you can go to Compassion International and search for him. If you have any questions and would love to talk more about Compassion, please email me at annapolsgrove@gmail.com

Let me know if you sponsor him so I can let everyone know that he is taken care of!!!

Anna

consume me from the inside out

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

We sang these words at church Sunday night. God began to reveal to me that spiritual growth is not necessarily measured by what I do. It is more about giving God access to all of my heart. This has been my prayer:

In my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control.
Consume me from the inside out.

Anna

Russ Turns 30 - Day 5 (evening)

To end the week of fun, I had Russ a "kid-style" birthday party. Emily, the writer, wrote me a cute phrase.

Russ is turning 30 and this day is his
So come celebrate with pizza, people, and this big kid.
There'll be Dr. Pepper, Dave Matthews, Darth Vader
Good food, his wife, and even lightsabers.

So that gives you an idea of what the party was like. We even included LOST and the Tennessee Vols. I am married to such a big kid. I have never seen so many toys given to someone when they turned 30! But, that is what I adore about my husband.

He had a great time seeing people and reconnecting with some he hasn't seen in years. Special thanks to the Berry's for hosting the party in their backyard!

How weird is that..I am married to a 30-year old?!!!!!

anna

Russ Turns 30 - Day 5 (morning)

On Russ' actual birthday his dad came driving up in a loaded down 1970's pick-up truck. He decided to surprise Russ and build him something for his big day. So, Russ and his dad (well, mostly his dad) built a large wooden shed in our backyard. This is so great because we needed one but didn't want to pay mucho dinero for a nice one. Plus, it was really sweet to see them outside working together. Thanks Mr. Terry!

Anna

Headed to China

I have always loved to travel but had never gotten a chance to travel internationally until April. It was during that trip that I got to go to Africa and Europe. Now I get the chance to go to Asia during October. I have never really been interested in going to China but about 2 months ago I began to feel a tugging on my heart. I can't really explain it but I began to read about China and how Christianity is on the rise. And then the opportunity presented itself. So I knew God wanted me to go.

I will be traveling with 7 other women to China October 25- November 3rd. We will be going through an organization called Follow One.

Follow One sees ministry in China strategic for these reasons.

* Most experts fully expect China to lead the world in economic, military and political power in the 21st century.

* This is a kairos moment in history. God has sovereignly decided to pour out His Spirit on China.

* China is uniquely positioned to influence North Korea, one of the darkest places on the planet.

* The Chinese Church sees itself as called and positioned to take the Gospel through the Muslim and Hindu world.

* Making an investment in the Church in China is an investment in the evangelization of the world.

I am so excited about this opportunity. I will update you closer to time about specifics on the trip. Please pray for the relationships that will be formed and the people that we will meet. Pray for the people that risk their lives daily to share Jesus. Also, pray for Russ and I since this will be the longest we have been away from each other since we've been married. The last one seems petty compared to the first two but I want to pray about everything that could keep me from focusing on sharing and learning.

Anna P.

Russ Turns 30 - Day 4

Russ has a special friend who lives in Nashville. They love to get together and talk about deep issues such as sports, music, and famous people. They have a deep love for each other but rarely get to see each other. So, I planned a meeting.

He was to arrive in Memphis around 9 pm. We took a few friends with us--letting it be their idea as to why we were going to Memphis so late. We got to The Rendezvous around 8:30. Perfect. He was just going to walk into the restaurant while we were eating. Not perfect. They were running late. Let's just say the night ended with our friends challenging me to eat my entire meal and me singing and dancing to Shakira. Wasting time is not a talent of mine. Neither is staying cool during awkward situations. So I danced and ate. A lot.

Needless to say, we finally met him at The Peabody and Russ was completely surprised. It was this night that he finally said "Turning 30 isn't so bad." Mission accomplished.

Jesus in Beijing

In light of the Olympics and my upcoming trip to China, I am reading Jesus in Beijing. The product description of the book describes it as "the great unreported story of the Chinese giant and its enormously rapid conversion to Christianity and what this change means to the global balance of power." The author David Aikman is a former Time magazine Beijing bureau chief. So we shall see.


Have any of you ever read this book??

Anna

Russ Turns 30 - Day 3

Part of Russ' birthday included this 6'3" cut-out. Yes, I paid good money for him. I should get wife of the year for ordering this!!

I ordered it in plenty of time for it to get here by his birthday. But, in my life nothing ever works out like it is supposed to. It was to be delivered to our friends house. I called daily to check on the status of "the vader" only to be let down each day.

Two days before his birthday it had not arrived. According to UPS, it had been delivered 3 days earlier. So, I went on a search around Tupelo to find him. I searched in garages all around the neighborhood. Finally, 5 hours later, he was found.

Anna

Another Town

***From journal while in Ghana
The last day of visiting towns is pretty nice. We see the school in Bale is well established. We hope to help build a place where the teachers can come and stay. This way it helps them recruit quality teachers who can live in the same town as the school.

The dancing is great. The crowd falls in on us, and then they bring out the instrument.

They have a wooden xylophone. Handmade. I get all excited about the way the thing looks and the way the thing sounds. I play at it for about 20 minutes. The longer I play, the more the crowd starts to pinch in on me. They are confused by my playing, which sounds odd to them. Rhythm and melodies and sounds are totally different in African culture. There seems to be less fluidity, more repetition, but the energy and spirit are all unique.

I read an article years ago about the evolution of Hip Hop. The article traced the roots from modern day back to Blues, back to Southern Spirituals, all the way to African drumbeats. As I stand in a circle with other people around singing and dancing, there is a spontaneity to it all. In a place with no running water and no television, I am aware of how much american music has been influenced by these people on the other side of the world.

In fact, I begin to become aware of how much I have been influenced in a span of 12 days. In reality, it has taken me four months to begin to wrap my mind around the things that God has taught me.

No matter where you are, there is a need that people have to hear the gospel. The news that God wants to be in relationship with people despite our flaws is amazing. The realization that he sent Jesus to come and pay a price we never could is humbling. The idea that everyone can have access, no matter where you are or what you come from, is what I'll remember most about this place.

Russ

Happy Birthday Frank!

In the midst of Russ' 30th birthday we forgot to write a post about Frank. Frank (our child through Compassion International)turned 7 on August 11th. We love him so much and hope that he had a great birthday!