disguised as a police officer

Despite what some might think from reading my stories, although my heart is in the clouds of Africa most of the time, I really do work. Today I was meeting with a favorite client, almost everyone is a favorite because I enjoy people so much! Anyway, I was listing a house for one of my clients and we were done with the paperwork in about 15 minutes but we all lingered and the most amazing conversation transpired. The surfaces slid away.

Officer D. began to tell us about his own heart felt passion. Like most other Americans, he works hard each day and provides for his own family. The option on traveling around the world to rescue children isn’t possible. But he didn’t let his own circumstances keep him from making a difference, a significant investment with what he already had. Officer D. has a friend in Haiti who helps rescue girls from sexual slavery. He has to go in under cover and pull them out one at a time with out blowing his cover. It is often dangerous work. Officer D. has listened to many of his stories and felt compelled to help his friend. He was able to gather old vests and equipment that would normally have been recycled. His friend for the first time was able to get a large vest that would protect him during a raid. He said that his friend was so encouraged by the gesture and the friendship. It will make a big impact for him and for others making raids.

Our conversation really encouraged me to remember how important it is for each of us to use the opportunities that we have to help others. I think it is easy to look around at others and think they are so much more talented or they have so much more to give or they just have a knack for that….when really all of us have connections in some small way if we are creative and think about it a bit.

It also encouraged me to look, really look and hear the people around me and see through the disguise of their profession, their status, their person. There are so many stories, there are so many generous and caring people around us, sometimes we just need to listen. Slow our day down a bit and listen to each other and really share from our hearts. When stories are shared, we encourage one another…we love…we bring change.

What’s your story? Your passion?

The highlights of today…3 more sponsored!

Today was a day of delight. All days certainly don’t go that way but today was wonderful, full and fast. I remember when days would go by and I wondered if God would allow our family to be used for something grand, maybe something average or really anything at all! Looking back it is always easier to see the seasons that have come and go and their influence on our current path.

Discussions of Ethiopia and the vast opportunity to serve, to explore and to dream began early today over coffee with my friend. More conversations continued with another dear friend over how to really allow the children at church to experience a connection with those across the globe. Stopped by the office to send out my newsletter sharing my heart with so many of my friends. Then off to pick up Kaytlynn and Harrison early from school as they had a short day.

We had arranged to follow up with our presentation to Shane’s coworkers. Last week, with Kaytlynn cheering in the background, Harrison presented to adults mind you, the need in Ethiopia through his written out speech and the documentary video about Korah. Today we returned with sponsor packets and actual children who needed help. We set up a table with trinkets and pictures. Included was a bucket for shinning shoes, coffee, a native shirt, hand woven table cloth from the leprosy hospital, beaded jewelry, a bottle with dirty water, hand made animals and a woven basket. Alex came out to see what was going on and was shocked to see “his country!” on the table. He escorted Kaytlynn and Harrison around the offices to see if anyone might be interested in sponsoring a child. Today, 3 beautiful children found a future and a hope.

I can see the confidence in Alex rising. His belief in really being able to make a difference and help his country is building. He would stand tall with Kaytlynn and Harrison and nod strongly. “Yes, my mother still drinks water like that.” “Yes, the children shoe shine and sometimes go to school after if they are lucky.” “Yes, most kids don’t go to school.” “Yes, they need help.” A partnership is being woven. Ever so intricately. “Yes, I lived like that for 14 years, until I took myself to the big city.”

How many years did he wonder if God had a plan for him? Maybe he didn’t even know he could dream for a plan. Today he would say to his coworkers “Someday I take you to my country and you will see”. He wants to bring water back for his mother’s village. Maybe the thoughts and dreams have always been there, cultivating slowly.

I made a quick dinner, answered some emails and went to show houses…

Now home again and glancing in my email I see a copy of the proof for the article to go out on December 7th in our local paper. I see another email from a friend who is going to donate beautiful handmade ornaments for the craft fair to raise funds for the people. I am filled with thankfulness. It feels like a miracle. I am reminded by this friends story and his adoption/sponsorship when he was just a boy in Bethlehem.

For a moment I relish in the connections, the human love, the closeness I feel to those sharing in the dream and watching their own stories unfold.

Letting Him set the Pace

New to our blog? Our story unfolding…

Our family has lived in Tualatin, OR for just over 10 years. We have always been passionate about sharing our love, our time and our resources with others who would be blessed by them. This year we have had our heart tugged in a very special way…just in time for Christmas.

I visited Ethiopia in July accompanying a dear friend who adopted a 4 year old boy. I had no idea how this trip would rock my world and drive me beyond where I have ever been with compassion for children, for those who are sick and for the devastated poor. When I returned, I chose not to forget, not to close my eyes, not to justify the extremes in which I had just been exposed to. My husband Shane, my daughter Kaytlynn (11) and my son Harrison (8) supported me and listened to countless stories, watched many videos and stared at the pictures with me. They chose to be moved inside.

We decided to start with what we could control…eliminating expenses and liquidating our treasures. We had a whole house garage sale and sold about 90% of our belongings. We leased our house and moved into a tiny apartment. We used the funds from the sale to buy plane tickets for Ethiopia on December 27th, just two days after Christmas. Since that time we have been making contact with NGO’s and non-profits already in Ethiopia serving the people.

Even without even seeing Ethiopia themselves yet, Kaytlynn and Harrison are volunteering to tell the story anywhere and to whomever will listen. They have been asking their friends to support them by collecting loose change and needed items to take with them on the trip.

Our hope is that we might be able to change the world for one. One child, one family, one community at a time. We hope to keep our eyes wide open and to Embrace Compassion rather than cover our head when the time comes to face the pain and suffering of the extreme poor in Ethiopia. There is one small community where we will spend some of our time, just outside the capitol city of Addis Abba Ethiopia. It is called Korah (Kore). Many of the locals do not even know this forbidden area that was once just for lepers. It now contains three generations, around 100,000 people, including babies and children scavenging for trash to eat. Orphans are overly abundant, unprotected and unseen.

We know that we may be one grain of sand on the beach or one drop of water in the ocean, but we will not use that as an excuse to not give who we are and what we have. As we have shared with our friends, we have found many others sharing the same hope and dreams for Africa. Many are giving in different ways of themselves and of their resources. We are not alone. The connections are deep and meaningful almost instantly as we are all fighting for something much bigger than ourselves. Much more important than a fancy Christmas tree or a big house.

We will be hosting an informational Christmas celebration complete appropriately with Ethiopian food, music and a story from a new Ethiopian friend who has just lived in the US himself for only 8 months. If you would like to know more how you can be involved or if you would like to share in this story unfolding, come see us at the Bridges Financial and Realty office in Sherwood on December 18th, 2010 at 7pm. If you would like a presentation in your classroom or at your office for the opportunity to make an impact for one, please contact Jen@bridgesfinancial.com. www.embracecompassion.blogspot.com as the story unfolds. Please find me on Facebook as Jennifer Bridges or Embrace Compassion.

my Christmas wish list

Today my heart and my mind are full of thankfulness for a beautiful day looking back at this year and years past. I am thankful for my beautiful family. I am always amazed by how much each year looks so incredibly different from the year before.

In the last 12 months, we moved our family which constituted a new lifestyle in many ways, traveled across the world to fall in love with Ethiopia, my daughter started middle school, hired and trained a brand new full time assistant, made many significant new friends, sold 6 million dollars in real estate, began leading a small group bible study, started writing my blog and have become aware of poverty in a new and tangible way. Maybe there are more?

As the day has already closed and I am slow to relinquish it, I begin to think about Christmas. The final crescendo of the year. Only 2 days later we will be leaving for Ethiopia. The discussion this evening began of gifts and planning for Christmas.

Just now I began to think of my own list…if I could truly have whatever I want.

for my friend B. to be able to provide medicine for his blind mother in the leper colony.

clean water for Alex’s mother in her hometown that has never known of a well.

restoration for broken relationship and past hurts.

my friends to be blessed by knowing of the blessing that comes from generosity.

understanding of culture that is so different than mine.

less need to drive the day and more opportunity to allow the day to pass on its own timing.

children to have people who love them and provide for their needs.

hope to be given for those with medical and special needs.

relief from poverty that devastates the very existence of someones soul.

Ultimately, for my “brother” and my “sister” to be given a future and a hope.

I hope you will pray with me that God will hear my request before him for the best Christmas ever. I pray the he will squish hearts that they might overflow with kindness and compassion toward those around them and around the world. I pray that my own heart my be soft enough to embrace my part. My will being surrendered to him and his gifts given to me, in whatever shape and size. I pray that he will do miracles above and beyond what make sense to to us in our human knowledge and that we might be amazed in his greatness despite our own insignifigant persons.

Pros and Cons of Apartment Living from a Novice

If you have been following my blog, then you already know, after 15 years of marriage and with two awesome kids in tow we have moved into an apartment. We have had tons of questions from our friends and I’m sure some are curious so if you are, read on.

Why move into an Ethiopian Mansion (apartment)?
I guess to start with, we have said, Why Not? Our children have only lived in a primarily all white upper middle class suburbia. We believe that there can be so much gained by living among people who look, smell, think and act differently than we do. We certainly don’t have it all together or know it all and by hanging out with others who think differently than we do, we might learn something valuable or at a minimum learn to appreciate how others are unique. Contrary to what we might have believed coming into this idea, the people who live around us are a lot more like us than we would have guessed. That may or may not be a good thing but it has helped us to break down our own stereotypes.

We were also hoping that we would all gain a new appreciation for what we have by living in a smaller space. We hoped it would draw us closer together as a family as we spend much of our time together in one room rather than spread throughout 3300 square feet.

Finally, if by chance we really might move to Ethiopia, we need to be a little less permanent and ready to go.

What are some of the downsides?
Well, it is probably the practical aspects of the actual apartment that is most irriating. I miss my clean, dry and warm car in the morning. The freezer pops open when you close the refrigerator. The fleas seem to be gone but we have only once lived on used carpet before and it is kind of gross. It never really seems clean. I can’t find my clothes because even with Shane’s fancy organizer system, the closet is just too small. It is kind of stinky and stuffy most of the time, as the air is difficult to circulate in a small space especially when it is cold and we don’t have forced air heat. Hearing the neighbors go potty is a bit awkward. Because of limited space, I can’t stock the pantry so more frequent shopping or simpler meals are needed.

What has been the best of the best?
Clark and James come to fix anything…really anything with just a little comment request filed online. No honey do list for Shane, no yard work. Everything cleans up really quickly…no need for our housekeeper.

The very best treasure about moving into this apartment has been new friends. Three darling girls that took us under their wing when we first moved in and have been so wonderful to befriend us and show us the ropes.

It is so much less expensive in so many ways. Because we have kept our other properties and just leased them out, we aren’t loosing the tax advantage of owning property or the investment value of long term equity growth. I wouldn’t recommend apartment living for the end all with no real estate investment. Apartment living is not an investment strategy. I penciled it out and in our same city a small house with current interest rates would be about the same payment as our apartment including the tax advantage.

How long will we stay?
I don’t know. I hope that will be more clear after we return from our trip in January.

What do I miss?
I miss my gigantic bathtub and the microwave. We just don’t have the counter space for a microwave. I miss my awesome neighbors, the Elders and the Callens. There is nothing that compares with their family friendship close by.

Are we crazy?
Maybe….The benefits have so outweighed the negatives so far. I know we will cherish this experiment forever.

Delighted to share some of our Favorites…

Please consider joining Shane and me this year for our Christmas Charity Dinner. I get so excited to share the evening with some of my favorite people, enjoy fabulous goodies and food and most importantly bubble with excitement over our very favorite charities.

In the spirit of our Ethiopia Trip just 2 days after Christmas, we thought it would be fun to host the evening with some Ethiopian flare…a little food, a little music and some of the best of the best in Addis Abba. We are going to highlight the groups we will be visiting, children you might want to consider sponsoring and a future trip you might like to participate in.

It will be a low pressure evening with the opportunity to give with Christmas in mind. Be prepared to catch the excitement of all that is already happening in Ethiopia. If all goes as planned, our very own “Alex” will be attending and sharing his personal story growing up in the countryside of Ethiopia.

Please do RSVP so we can plan on treats and seats! All are welcome…

jen@bridgesfinancial.com

15922 SW 2nd Street, Sherwood OR 97140

Miftah has no idea…

The lump in my throat wont go away. I walked into Mrs. Shelton’s eager 1st grade classroom today. They remember Kaytlynn and Harrison and me from chapel. They were so curious as to why I was there. We gathered around the rocking chair for circle time and Mrs. Shelton graciously helped me tell the children….

Miftah was probably hungry today. He was probably struggling to live and to stay alive along with his family. He had no idea, across the world in Ethiopia, that this 1st grade classroom came together to sponsor him today. Miftah’s world is about to be changed forever as well as the children in Mrs. Shelton’s class.

The reality for me is overwhelming of how life for this one child will be changed forever.

I thought of the box of cookies I brought for the class…I gave the box to two of the students. They graciously agreed to share with the rest of the class. I believe God has given us in the United States a big box of cookies. Plenty for us and for others around the world. If only we would share our cookies, there would be plenty for everyone.

Would you consider sharing your cookies?

I am receiving special picture portfolios of children from Ethiopia. Would you help Kaytlynn and Harrison sponsor 100 Ethiopian children before we leave?

Big faith in a little body.

Compelling, final part 3

Monday slowly comes. I go back to the clinic. They check for a heart beat first this time. Yes, it is still strong. This time I am again seeing a completely different doctor. For some reason the entire Kaiser system had crashed over the weekend and they had no record of me from the last week nor did they have records of any of my blood work to compare to. I was still having symptoms but there was indeed a heart beat. The word was the same, take it easy. We will check you in a week. There isn’t anything we can do for you accept watch and wait. If this pregnancy fails, it will be a miscarriage. We wont treat you for pre-term labor and delivery until 20 weeks as that is when you will have a viable baby.

I continue to try to wrap my mind around the lack of acknowledgment of the child growing inside me. I am so aware of this precious little boy who I can’t help but be in love with.

This pattern of managing my symptoms and waiting for the 20 week mark continues. People from church are amazing to come by, to bring dinners and to visit with me. Being the active person I am, it was painful to be home in my house and still for days. Kaytlynn was 2.5 years old and not sure what to do with me. We read a lot of books. I read my bible and trusted that God had a plan. I really had peace that it was going to be okay, one way or the other.

At the 20 week mark I finally was sent to St. V’s to the Perinatology dept. I saw a new doctor as I was officially “with child”. The high quality of their ultra sound equipment was finally able to show us what was happening inside. The doctor again did not understand how I had lasted this long. How I remained pregnant. I was bleeding internally above my uterus. The blood was running down through the layers of my uterus and then ultimately dumping in the bottom of my uterus which cause a hematoma. My placenta was also separating, but that was minor in comparison. Sorry about the graphics, not sure how to explain what was going on. The specialist told me there was no way the baby was going to make it with my body actively hemorrhaging. Complete bed rest and come back in a week. This continued week after week. She was always so surprised to see me. Harrison continued to grow. It was as if God was holding him in his hand because my body certainly was not.

I can remember at Christmas time I begged to be able to leave the house. Can I go in a wheelchair? I just wanted Shane to push me through the mall on Saturday and then be able to go to church. How I missed being at church.

He called the doctors office and I received permission, Shane borrowed a wheel chair from my Grandma Almeda and to my delight, our trip was scheduled. I had no idea what anxiety would come for me being wheeled down the busy mall during the very crowded Christmas season. Shane went faster than I was comfortable with, which felt to me like we were nearly bumping into everything and everyone. I got the strangest stairs from people to see this young woman in the chair. No one would smile or talk to me. I might as well have been terribly contagious! They crowed and cut in front of me instead of trying to make room. I really couldn’t take it. After just a short while, I asked to go home. I was frustrated with myself and frustrated with the lack of kindness by the people at the mall. I was tired from holding on for dear life!

Going to church was an entirely different experience. I was so thankful to see my friends. Really my family. To my surprise there was a guest speaker that week. Pastor Glen Cole. No one would have known the significance for me. See, Pastor Cole was the pastor in my home church in Olympia, Washington 30 years earlier. He introduced my parents and my grandparents to Jesus. He mentored them and ultimately I felt my upbringing in the faith was credited to him! What are the odds? Not likely. I hadn’t seen him for 15 to 20 plus years. After the service, Shane wheeled me to the front for him to pray for me. When I reminded him who I was as a child and who my family was, he remembered immediately. He was so kind and encouraging. He reminded me of my spiritual heritage and how much God loved me. He prayed for my little boy and told me it was going to be okay. Wow. That was a moment I will never forget.

Well that was my last trip out of the house. From whomever I had received permission from, my specialist doctor said that I should not have been allowed out and that I was to remain house bound and more completely on bed rest. When I reflected on the chances of that particular Sunday and that particular pastor and him praying for me, I was so very thankful to God for his encouragement to me…his personal encouragement to me, that only I would have known about the significance of this man God sent.

As the weeks went by slowly, my symptoms did not change. The weekly ultrasounds occurred as did my visits with the perinatologist. The only change was their opinion of the baby making it if he was born that week. Each week they told me of the unique birth defects or brain damage he would likely suffer if he was born during that next week.

Finally, at 38 weeks, I went to my regular appointment and my body was completely healed. The doctor was amazed and confused. The active bleed had stopped, the uterus walls appeared to be connected back together and the hematoma was gone. All at once, from the week before.

It was like God was saying, I can protect him despite the storm and I can take the storm away. I Am God and my will be done.

To further make his point, after being treated for pre-term labor and delivery all of these weeks and months, they induced me at 40 weeks. Harrison did turn his head to the side and they ended up delivering him via C-section. He was a perfectly, beautiful healthy baby.

So as for that sweet box of blue baby clothes? Well, they are now all washed up and ready to go to ET. I will remember the grace and the protection that God had for my child when I had no control of my circumstances. When the clothes are given for Ethiopian babies in orphanages or in the dump, I will be comforted by the fact that I still have no control but absolutely God does even through the storm.