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