In Celebration of Learning

Last night was a huge night of celebration at Harvest India. We celebrated the 19th graduation ceremony of the Harvest Vision Centers, the Bible colleges run by Harvest India. From the moment we arrived here on Wednesday, it was obvious that the graduation ceremony was going to be a big deal. Even though Laura had brought two saris for us to wear, Christina said that we would need new saris for such a special occasion. So within an hour of our arrival at her home, she had a tailor here to take our measurements so that she could have these beautiful saris tailored for us in time for the graduation ceremony the following night:

When we arrived on the campus of Harvest India, there were signs and banners and twinkle lights everywhere. The walkways were lined with green reeds for walking on. IPP sewing trainer Kelsea had arrived just in time for the graduation, and Christina had a new sari waiting for her as well (she's the gal in the purple below. The two little girls below are in their fanciest Indian dresses. They are Nancy and Vasanti, Suresh and Christina's daughter and foster daughter and the princesses of Harvest India!).

At the end of the walkway, we met up with all the graduates, beaming with pride as they lined up for the processional into the graduation ceremony. We were all given academic regalia to wear and we led the graduates into the ceremony right behind team of RockHarbor pastors. The beautiful saris were under our regalia the entire night, which seemed odd to me after they had gone to all the trouble to have new saris tailored. It was a bit warm in the saris and graduation gowns as well. Just a bit. :-)

The ceremony was long and celebratory, and included things like a huge Bollywood-style song and dance number to the song "Heal the World" by the children at the orphan home. There are just no words to describe how over-the-top this production was. I'll just toss out a few descriptors: Costumes. Sequins, Confetti. Banners. Dancers. Michael Jackson impersonator. Fireworks. It left us absolutely speechless.

After the song, we were ushered up to the stage where we presented the graduates with their diplomas. Reverend Suresh pulled a quick one on Laura when he asked her to give an impromptu speech/blessing to the graduates and the 1,000 people in attendance at the ceremony using an interpreter. Laura is one talented gal. She gave the most beautiful and moving blessing to these Bible College graduates who are being sent out to remote Hindu villages to preach the Gospel.

At the end of the night, all the graduates and children were milling around, and we were meeting them and offering them our congratulations. It was such a joyous night. This sweet little girl from the orphan home came up and asked me if I would be her mommy. She didn't leave my side the rest of the night until I had to get in the van to leave. She was precious.

Laura has told me about these types of experiences on her previous trips to India; about the fanfare and the impromptu speaking and the welcoming and honoring of westerners that really feels over-the-top.

After last night's, graduation ceremony, I'm starting to get it. It's awkward and a little absurd, but for some reason the Indian nationals here really love it when we participate in the celebrations in such a formal role. Even though it's a little embarrassing and I want to communicate an attitude of humility, I am beginning to see that all of this fanfare is somehow a way that these men and women receive love. And if they truly feel loved by me standing in academic regalia and handing them their diploma, I'm more than willing to do that!

Punjammies on The Pioneer Woman!

Yesterday, while all the way around the globe in India, Laura and I received the most wonderful surprise! The Pioneer Woman posted about Punjammies on her fabulously popular site! Click here to see her post and beautiful photos of the Punjammies. It's amazing that while I am here in India meeting the women who are learning to sew with IPP and seeing how the Punjammies project is really impacting their lives, people back in the states are catching a glimpse of the vision as well!

We're thrilled that such a talented blogger is helping get the word out about International Princess Project. Thank you, Pioneer Woman!

Harvest India

Laura and I are now in a more rural area of India with Harvest India, a large ministry here that partners with IPP. If you want to know how rural this is compared to the huge city of Mumbai where we came from last, just check out the local airport:

After we flew into this airport on a jet-prop plane, we took a car another hour and a half out of the airport's town to get to the home of Suresh and Christina. Suresh is the head pastor of a ministry called Harvest India. They are doing so much work to spread the gospel here, it's almost hard to even keep track of all of it: an orphan home, medical clinic, AIDS/HIV relief, a leper community, six Bible colleges, a home for women who are rescued or escaped from forced prositution (this is Ashraya Home that IPP works with!), a medical clinic to help prostitutes in the red light district, and other ministries that I don't even know about, I'm sure. They are truly ministering to the poorest of the poor and reaching some of the least privileged people on the planet with the hope of the Gospel.

Suresh and Christina are the type of people who immediately draw you in with their warmth and their joy, and their love for the Lord is never more than a few words away in any given conversation. This is the busiest week of the year at Harvest India, as they are hosting a huge youth conference, pastor's conference and graduation from Harvest India's Bible colleges (more on all of this later!). Even with so much going on, they welcomed us as family with open arms. Their amazing family includes their three children, 19 foster children (really!), an orphaned 6-year-old girl they've basically adopted when both her parents died a few months ago, and scores of other Indians and Americans who are here helping with all of the various ministries of Harvest India. We found out after we went to sleep in our comfortable room last night, that over 40 people slept in their home last night. They are hospitality personified. I am learning so much just from watching them minister in their home and in their community.

This morning we were ushered into a bus that took us down the road to Harvest India's Mercy Medical Clinic. Hundreds of children were lined up, seated on the ground in long rows, waiting for our arrival. A few of the children were selected to greet us with the gift of flowers. We are here for a couple of days with a team of pastors from ROCKHARBOR church in Southern California.

We are here for a couple of days with a team of pastors from ROCKHARBOR church in Southern California. One of the pastors gave a short translated message to the children, telling them that we are here in the name of Jesus Christ, and the Jesus loved all children and told the adults to let all the little children come to Him. Then we handed out one egg, one banana and one piece of bread to each child. They beamed back at us with huge grins that seemed even brighter against their beautiful dark skin.

Tomorrow we will be at the Ashraya home doing some training and meeting with the girls who are sewing with IPP. I can't wait to see IPP in action and meet these girls!

Before I go, I'll leave you with this one sweet picture from yesterday:

Nancy, Suresh and Christina's 3-year-old daughter, LOVES Laura's red hair. As soon as we arrived yesterday, she came up to Laura, plopped her thumb in her mouth and started rubbing a strand of Laura's hair in her other hand. She removed her thumb just long enough to tell us that Laura's hair is her "silky." What a little sweetie!

From the Other Side of Planet Earth

Hello from the other side of planet Earth! It's been interesting to try to explain to my toddlers where I am and what I am doing on this trip to India with International Princess Project. Max best understands this when I tell him that I'm flying on an airplane to go to the other side of planet Earth.

For the past three days, Laura and I have been in Mumbai (Bombay), a city with a population of about 14 million people. The sheer number of people in India has been a bit staggering. The population of the entire country is 1.3 billion. That number didn't mean much to me until someone offered this perspective: The US has a population of about 300 million. So add A BILLION people to that (remember, one billion is one thousand times one million!) and put them all in the land mass of an area roughly 1/3 the size of America. I can't even begin to describe just how many people there are everywhere.

During our days in the city, we've been busy with IPP business: a trip to the fabric district to pick out samples for future Punjammie styles, several meetings with other organizations doing important related work in Mumbai, a visit to two aftercare homes for Indian girls who have been rescued from forced prostitution, and debriefing and taking notes on the meetings and interactions we've had here on the ground in India.

When I return home, I'm planning to spend some significant time writing and blogging about all the details of our time in India. While we are here, there's simply not time to emotionally process, much less write about, all the things I'm seeing and experiencing. But while we are on the trip and when I can get a decent Internet connection, I'm hoping to keep you all updated about at least some of the basic facts of what we're doing. In the weeks to come, be watching for more in-depth posts about all that God is doing in this amazing country.

Very soon we'll be moving on to our next leg of the trip: several days spent in a quite rural area of India visiting one of the IPP sewing centers. More to come, friends!

This is a photo of Laura and I in a tiny little auto rickshaw, riding around this huge city.

The driving here is like nothing I've ever experienced. Absolute chaos, but somehow it works!

A Difficult Step

Dearest friends, please pray for my family tonight. My mom got back her PET scan results from yesterday, and the news is not good. I'll let Dad and Mom share the details on their blog, but the basic gist is that her very aggressive brand of cancer is showing quick progression once again, with three new large lesions on her liver. We know that each time we get a report on her health, whether good or bad, it does not change the number of days God has ordained for her. Still, this is tough news. Dad and Mom will meet with their oncologist on Tuesday to get details, discuss options, and make a plan. Please pray for peace and wisdom as they take this next step, and of course please continue to pray for her healing if it is God's will. I wholeheartedly believe that this could be simply another opportunity for God to show His awesome power and glory in her life, as we have seen Him do so many times over the past two years!

Many of you know about the adventure I am about to embark on. I know the timing of all of this is in no way a surprise to God, so I am choosing to focus on the things I DO know in the midst of many unknowns: I know that my upcoming plans are something that God wants me to do and has provided for me to do, and I know that God is taking the very best care of my mom and doesn't need my help to do so. God has given me enough grace to keep my eyes focussed on the exciting task I have set before me for the next couple weeks. As I have learned from my parents, I'm going to do my best to just take things one day at a time and trust God with all the tomorrows.

Thank you for your prayers for me and all of my family!

This is one Super Mom

Just had to take two seconds this morning to post this picture: visual proof of what we all know about Chris Matchell's crazy good kid-wrangling skills:

We had a super fun couple of hours yesterday doing a little photo shoot with the Matchell kids and then playing outside on a gorgeous day. I have to agree with Maggie's assessment of this family yesterday:

"I love Anna. I love Jakin. He THE BEST!" That's basically the way we feel about all this whole family.

On another note, If we come to your mind today, please pray for our little family. We have had such a tough time staying well for the past couple weeks! Lucas has been really sick for the past couple days, and I have been struggling with a terrible cough. I'm leading worship at the SCCC women's conference tomorrow, and I would really appreciate your prayers that I will have enough singing voice to do it, and that Lucas will feel well enough to keep the kids all day so I can be at the conference! I have been praying, and I've asked a lot of other people to be praying for this, so I know God is going to take care of all of it!

Meeting the new Cousin

On Friday, I took the kids up to the hospital (or "hostible" as Max calls it) to see Roman for the first time. Kids under 12 aren't allowed in the labor and delivery wing because of RSV risks, but they were allowed to look at him through the windows of the nursery. Tyler brought Roman down to the nursery so they could see him. I wish I had a video of this- Max and Maggie were leaping up and down; they could not contain their excitement!

On Sunday, Mitch and Steph were able to come over from Owasso. We weren't able to get a pic of the whole family, but all 14 of us were there at Tyler and Meagan's to welcome Roman. It felt so good to have the whole family there together! We did manage to get a picture of Dad and Mom with all six of the grandkids!

Lucas and I holding Roman for the first time:

It is just so exciting to have a new baby in the family! Later this week, we are hoping to do a full newborn photo shoot of baby Roman, so stay tuned for some more newborn sweetness!

Conversations with Maggie

Just a few minutes ago, I went in to check on the kids before I went to bed. As I was covering Max up, I heard Maggie's little voice, obviously wide awake, coming from her crib:

Maggie: I covered up my body.

Me: You covered up your body?

Maggie: Yes, I covered up my body.

Me: (I look into her crib to see her bundled under her favorite pink crocheted blanket) That's good. When you cover up with your blanket, you keep warmer at night. [pause and look closer]. Maggie, are you naked under that blanket?

Maggie: Yes.

[I pull back the blanket to see that she has unzipped and taken off her footie pjs except for the arms, and removed her diaper.]

Me: Maggie! Where is your diaper?

Maggie: It's on the floor. I need big girl panties.

Me: Sweetheart, you're not ready for big girl panties at night yet. You have to learn how to keep dry first. Why did you take off your clothes?

Maggie: I was swimming.

Me: Swimming? Why were you thinking about swimming? Did you see something about swimming?

Maggie: Yes.

Me: What did you see?

Maggie: Ariel. Ah ah ah, Ah ah ah [she starts singing like Ariel.]

Me: Maggie, you cannot swim like Ariel in your bed. Let's put your clothes back on.

**Note: Can you tell I have a little talker on my hands with Maggie? We carry on this type of conversation every day. Wait, make that every minute of every day.

Welcome to the World, Sweet Baby Roman!

Welcome, Roman Alexander Dees!

February 26, 2010, 12:55 a.m.

7 lbs 2 oz, 20.5 inches long

Huge congrats to Tyler and Meagan on the birth of their first son! It was really wild to see my baby brother become a father last night. I am just so thrilled for Tyler and Meagan, and I know they are going to be fantastic parents. Just look at how precious their little family is:

And this is probably my favorite shot of the night. It captures a moment when Mom and Dad were standing outside the delivery room, waiting to meet Roman and listening to his first cries. This was a day and a moment we didn't think Mom would live to experience– and yet, she was there and reveling in every second! It was very emotional and we were all praising God and overflowing with gratitude. What an amazing night!

Amazing!

Just a quick update on preparations for the India trip: Expenses for my trip are now 100% covered! I'm completely blown away by how God has moved in the hearts of individuals to be a part of this trip. It's been amazing to see God use the generosity of others to provide for every single need. I'm grateful to both God and to all of you who have supported me financially and with your love and prayers!

I'll be flying out in exactly two weeks. There's A LOT to be done between now and then, but I am so excited about the trip! Please keep praying for our safety and productivity during our travel and during our two weeks in India. As I've seen how God has so powerfully provided for all the physical needs for this trip, I've grown even more excited to see how He plans to move and work during the trip.

Happy Birthday, Pops!

Happy Birthday today to Lucas' stepdad, Tony (A.K.A. "Pops")! Even though Max has had a really rough couple of days with a bad ear infection and various other maladies, he wanted to wish Pops a happy birthday. And of course Maggie is always up for an opportunity to sit in the spotlight. She sat in front of the camera and "rehearsed" for about 10 minutes before we recorded the video.

Happy Birthday, Tony/Pops! We love you!

And, just for fun, check out their birthday greeting to Pops last year! I found it on our YouTube account when I was uploading today's video. I can't believe how much Maggie has changed!

A Week With Uncle Joe and Aunt Tammy!

We just had a fabulous week with Joe and Tammy! (For those of you who don't know- Joe is Lucas' brother and Tammy is Joe's beautifully lovely wife!). Here's a pictorial recap of some of our adventures this week:

The week started with a Valentine lollipop from Uncle Joe and Aunt Tammy. Max and Maggie were feeling the love. They quickly realized this was going to be a pretty fun week. :-)

After weeks of COLD and cloudy weather, Joe and Tammy brought some California sunshine along with them! We enjoyed a picnic in the park on a gorgeous February day.

Extreme Swinging with Uncle Joe. "Higher, Uh-Al Doe!" Maggie was yelling.

Joe and Tammy cooked us up some awesome Carne Asada, which we enjoyed on the patio, thanks to Joe's mechanical skills of fixing our patio heater!

We spent some quality time with my parents. Then they watched the kids so Joe and Tammy and Lucas and I could go on a double date- how fun!

Max and Maggie learned how to dry the dishes.

And Maggie and Tammy read, and read, and read......

.... and read.....

..... and read some more!

And Uncle Joe put on some puppet shows.

So, as you can see, it's absolutely no wonder why, when Saturday came, Max and Maggie were asking if they could go home to California with Joe and Tammy. Seriously. They thought they might could hitch a ride this way:

Thanks, Joe and Tammy, for a wonderful week of fun! We loved having you here!!

I'm Going to India!

Friends, I have some exciting news: I am going to India! As many of you know, my sister-in-law Laura is the director of International Princess Project, a non-profit organization founded by Christians to help women in India who have been rescued or escaped from a life of forced prostitution. IPP takes these women/girls in, gives them a home, and teaches them a sustainable trade: sewing.

I will be traveling with Laura on her next trip to India. In addition to visiting three cities in India, meeting IPP Indian partners and visiting one of the sewing centers where the Indian women are learning to sew and are making Punjammies, I will also have the opportunity to tell the stories of these beautiful women through some photography and writing work that I will do for IPP while in India. I could not be more excited about having the opportunity to contribute to the important ministry at IPP through photography and writing!

I will be working very hard over the course of the next four weeks to check everything off the "Must-do" list to make this trip a reality. All the details from visa applications to immunizations to raising support to preparing my family and kids for me to be gone for two weeks is now looming before me. But as God has opened this door, I am confident that He will provide all that is needed and probably even more. I am certain that I will return home from India six weeks from now as a different person. I can't wait to see what God does in my own heart, and I pray that He will multiply any contribution I am able to make to IPP during this trip so that the important work of redemption in these Indian women's lives will be multiplied as well.

I need to raise $2,300 to cover the cost of my airfare. I also need as many friends and family as can to pray for me, for Laura, and for my family during the preparations and during the trip. Please do not feel coerced or pressured to help in any way, but if you want to help support me on this trip, just send me an e-mail at cherissa (at) roebuckmedia (dot) com and I'll get you some more info.

If you'd like to learn more about International Princess Project, take a few minutes to watch this brief video. I think you'll see why this organization and this work is already so near to my heart:

Conversations with Max and Maggie

Conversations with Max:

Thanks to an uber-generous gift of an awesome new TV, we now have PBS kids playing in our house in the mornings. This is the first time we have had TV in our house basically since we've been married (maybe we had it for a few months at one point pre-kids?). Anyway, the kids are loving their PBS shows, and we are learning how to regulate the amount of TV time. :-) The kids were watching PBS this morning when I called to them from the bedroom:

Me: Kids, in five minutes the show goes off so I can do my exercising.

Max: Oh, man!

Lucas: Max, why don't you do the exercises with your mom?

Max: I don't do exercising early in the morning. I just watch TV and play video games.

That sounds like something I would say!

Conversations with Maggie:

Last week as soon as Maggie and I walked into the standard bathroom in Best Buy:

Maggie: (looking around at the metal stalls) Ohhhhhh, This is wonderful!

(Stranger in middle stall starts laughing uncontrollably)

Me: (Chuckling) Why is this bathroom wonderful?

Maggie: It has a place just for me!

Perhaps it will take more than a day...

Friends, we are potty training full-force with Maggie this week. Pray for our endurance and success! For those of you who have potty trained a child before, I need not tell you what hard work this can be!

I have to say, though, that day one of potty training has been about 1,000% less frustrating than the first two weeks of potty training with Max. Here's my shout-out to Sarah Smits and her recommendation of the book Toilet Training in Less Than A Day. After two weeks of NO PROGRESS with Max, Sarah recommended this method to me. It worked wonders with Max, and we are having some immediate success with Maggie as well while using this method. Neither of my kids have been "toilet trained in less than a day," but this method has definitely gotten us off to a positive start.

Here's hoping for a speedy potty training process!