March 4 - SoL -- It's a small world: Mechanicsburg & the Crimean Peninsula

What is happening in the Ukraine? I'm not sure I could even find it on a map before this week. Being in the mommy bubble often prevents SAHMs from keeping abreast of world news. It's unfortunate, isolationist, maybe even elitist... but it's true.  Most of us don't know (or care to know) what's happening around the world... to other women, mothers of small children just like us.  We tell ourselves that we have entirely too much happening right here in front of us to worry about what's happening somewhere else. And maybe that's true... a person can only think about so many things at one time. But I still don't think it's right. 

My mommy bubble burst wide open when I heard the brief testimony of Alysa, a Ukrainian mother who just happened to be at the table behind me at Bible Study this morning. We listened to a short version of her story: She's a wife and a mother of a toddler. She and her husband run an orphanage in a small town in the part of Ukraine that has just been taken over by Russian troops.  They were here in the US for a conference related to the mission work they are doing at home, when Russian troops invaded the Crimean Peninsula (a part of the sovereign nation of Ukraine) over the weekend. 

As I understand it (she had quite a thick accent, so there are parts of the story that are unclear to me, but you'll get the idea), she and her family are unable to return home because the Russian military has deemed them spies and they would certainly face some dangerous, life-threatening repercussions if they were to return right now. 

They are in the process of applying for asylum here in the US and are very fearful for their friends and family back home. Alysa told a story of Russian snipers shooting at random less than twenty blocks from their orphanage. Seriously, MILITARY SNIPERS.  It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? 

When I woke this morning, my biggest problems related to being "great with child" and not much more. I was humbled by this woman's testimony, not only by what has happened to her over the last week and the incredible situations she and her family are facing; but I was also humbled by her complete faith. The same lips that told us of her dire circumstances, also praised God for His provision thus far, and confidently made known her dependence upon her Lord for the safety of those remaining in Ukraine, for wisdom in how to proceed, and for the asylum that would grant her family's safety.  What a lesson in true dependence! 

I do not know how she came to be there this morning; I think they are staying with someone who attends the church. I am so thankful for her story, for the way that God used her to shrink my world today. I do not know what (if any) support or help Alysa and her family might need from The Body this week, but certainly, I can take the time to pray for God to work in this very messy situation... and now, it's real to me. There's a face and a deeply personal story to make what's happening on the other side of the world very real to me.  

March 2 - The Oscars and Real Life

I love watching the Oscars. I don't usually have the opportunity to sit and watch it all at once. But, tonight I'm enjoying just such a luxury, complete with a mug of chocolate ice cream hand-dipped and served by my loving husband. Anyway, the crazy things people will do on live television always intrigues me, maybe that's the draw for everyone else. But it always astounds me how the people involved (the actors, the techs, the directors, and so on) all make it sound like they're curing cancer or something when they talk about their work.  

I mean, really, it's just movies. Movies. Don't get me wrong, I love movies. I love the way that watching an incredible story unfold on a screen transports me into a virtual world. I laugh. I cry. I flinch and cringe and hide my eyes between my fingers, breathlessly trying to avoid scary dreams later in the evening. I ask a million annoying questions (just ask my dearest friends who tolerate watching movies with me). 

But seriously, it does drive me a little bit crazy how seriously some people take themselves. Have you ever seen a more  self-congratulatory demographic? They invented an"awards season" just to keep on congratulating one another and, I can only assume, to try and add some level of deeper meaning to what they're doing. I'm happy to advocate for The Arts and I know that our Creator designed us to appreciate beauty in all of our senses. But.... when I think about the amount of money spent on evening wear, jewels, accessories, stylist consultations, etc.  Uff dah. Staggering just to think about it. I wonder how much good could be done with even just a small portion of that money if it were put to better use. 

People suffering from curable diseases and conditions would be relieved. Hungry men, women, and children would be fed many, many meals. Women and teenage girls would be rescued from the real-life horror story of the sex-trade. Babies would survive pregnancies. Children would grow up in families.

I love watching movies and I love the hoopla of the Oscars, really, I do. I love the fashion and the fun. But I wish there would be more recognition of those individuals and organizations that actually make a difference in the quality of life lived by actual people.  

 Cure International is one. Bethesda Mission is another.  Look at Change Purse and Capital Area Pregnancy Centers for more inspiration. The people who love and serve in these missions deserve a season of recognition, not because of their work, but because of the One they so lovingly serve.  Someday, lordwilling, I will get the chance to use my time as a SAHM to serve alongside the folks changing real people's stories.