No Place Like Home

Today is my last day in New Orleans and I have made quite a significant realization. Like it or not, Louisiana is no longer my home. In the past when I visited I would feel so comfortable and kind of just fit back into the flow of Who Dat Nation. This time was different. This time I felt like a true visitor. This both saddens me and makes me happy. I've lived in Charleston for a year and a half, and I am proud to finally call it home. :o) And while I don't think we'll always live in SC, I'm happy that we are there now. :o)

I'll write soon with trip updates that include a conference, crawfish, and President Bush!

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updaaaaate

For starters, thank you guys so much for all of the kind words and support I received about my staph infection and losing Wilkemberg. I really do appreciate all of you. <3

I'm happy to report that my infection is MUCH better. For about a week I was unable to sit on my right side, walk correctly, or even take a bath. (Don't worry, I did shower with difficulty) The wound is still open, but is almost completely gone. Praise God that this infection was not worse and I am being healed. A little bit of advice - don't scratch mosquito bites, especially ones on your butt. Also, wash your hands a lot!

As for my sweet Wilkemberg, I wrote a final letter, sent a picture and final donation, and said my goodbyes. He is a very special little boy and I am happy that I was given time to get to know him. Keith and I discussed whether or not we wanted to sponsor another child, and to be honest I was a bit hesitant. Why on Earth would I want to get involved again when at any moment the child could leave me? That's when I realized this isn't about me. At. All. This is about those children in need. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." And that's exactly what we plan to do.

We decided to not only sponsor one child, but two. My newest sponsor child is named Luz and she is a beautiful 12 year old from Columbia. It isn't easy going on Compassion's site and seeing the faces of children in need. However, I can't explain it, but I feel a connection to some children. (I felt it when I began sponsoring my Michael) When I realized Luz had been waiting for 6 months or longer I knew that I wanted to be apart of her life.

The second child was a bit of a surprise. I received a packet explaining that I had been assigned another child since Wilkemberg had left. At first I was really shocked and bit offended. Did they really think Wilkemberg was replaceable?? Once I calmed down I realized that this was not meant as an insult, but as a way to help me continue impacting the lives of children. The child's name is Wesley and he's 8 from Brazil.

I am excited to begin building a relationship with my 2 new children, and continue corresponding with Michael, but I will never forget sweet Wilkemberg.

I hope you all have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend! Today is my sister's 22nd birthday and tomorrow we are headed to the beach to celebrate! :o) On Sunday, I leave for a 5 day business trip to New Orleans! (No really, it's for my work, I promise!)

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I'll be working at a conference all week, but just being back in the city that I love so much is very exciting. Plus, I think I may get to see a few family members and friends!Not to mention that I'm making it an urgent matter to find and eat as much boiled crawfish as possible! I'm hoping to write a bit next week when I have some down time. Until then....

my wedding trailer

Last week my Aunt finished creating the movie trailer from my wedding, and I wanted to share it with y'all! Watching it brings me back to the day that I married my best friend, and I am so thankful and that she made this for us. :o)

(It may take a minute to load completely, so if it keeps stopping just pause it for a few so that it can load.)

one week

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A lot can happen in one week.

Since I last blogged I have been dealing with two situations in particular that have been weighing down on me. While I had no control over either, I feel like I could have done a lot to help prevent these from happening. Let me explain...

Last Friday, I noticed that I had a mosquito bite in a very unexpected place. This bite was on my tushy...right at the part where I sit. This bite was not special, just itchy. I tried not to scratch but I couldn't help myself. It was driving me nuts!! By Monday, my little mosquito bite was very irritated and was no longer responding to the Benadryl and Neosporin. On Tuesday I went to the doctor and was told that my bite was now a staph infection.

I am going to spare you guys the disgusting details, but I will say that they had to cut the infection out. I've had surgery once before and suffered in the past from Endometriosis, but I have never felt pain like this. It is a constant shooting/burning pain and the only thing that helps is when I lay on my tummy and take my pain killers. I am heading back to the doc this afternoon for a checkup so that we can make sure my infection is going away and not getting worse.

Needless to say, I am not a happy camper. If I would have just left the bite alone I would not be going through all this pain. (Forgive me for being Captain Obvious)

The second situation also occurred last Friday. I was online fixing to pay my contribution for my 2 sponsored children, when I noticed that my oldest child, Wilkemberg, was missing. My heart sunk, and at that moment I knew something was very wrong. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time this happened to me. I immediately called Compassion to find out what was going on. What they told me next broke my heart.

The man I spoke with told me that Wilkemberg's parents removed him from the program. He is no longer attending school, Bible class, or church. He did write me a final letter, and they suggested that I do the same.

This is a picture of sweet Wilkemberg. I didn't have a digital file, but I did want to share him with y'all. For the past 2.5 years Wilkemberg and I have written letters back and forth. I have received pictures and drawings from this precious little boy. In February, I wrote about Wilkemberg calling himself my sponsored son and the joy I felt when I read this. One of the last letters I received from him was the one below...

Dear sponsor Lindsey. I'm so happy, I took an outing with the project, it was so nice. I like Luke 18:27. The impossible for men are possible to God. I'm learning English with an American teacher, I'm loving the project, the school front is beautiful, how are you? I'm fine. You look beautiful in that photo. My favorite sport is soccer. From your sponsored son Wilkemberg. Happy Birthday and a good wedding. Be happy! Many Kisses.

Compassion is an excellent organization that helps children all over the world become sponsored. However, this is the second time a child that I have built a relationship with leaves. I know they have no control over this, but I am heartbroken. Just recently I was talking to Keith about taking a trip to Brazil to meet Wilkemberg...I thought I was going to be able to watch him grow into a man...I thought I'd always be able to help him.

I don't know why his parent's removed him from the program, but I feel like there's something I could have done to help them out. I feel like I didn't pray enough or write to them enough or send enough to them....the list goes on and on. The only thing I can do is cling to the fact that God has everything under control, and that includes whether or not I understand the situation.

***Please pray for Wilkemberg and his family. Pray that the Lord consumes their lives and that He would keep them safe. Also, please pray for my staph infection to go away. I would really like to be pain free again...***

a wonderful wedding

This past Sunday, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law got married. My husband and his two brothers were all engaged at the same time, and this was the last of the three weddings. :o) I was fortunate enough to film their wedding, and I have to say that I truly had a great time capturing their precious moments. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and so were the Bride and Groom. Since I was filming, I didn’t take any pictures so I had to borrow this one from Facebook.

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Aren't they beautiful?

It’s been 6 months since I last filmed a wedding, but I was so comfortable behind the camera. Keith and I were married in March, and even though I adored being a Bride and marrying my sweet, I would MUCH rather be on the vendor side of things. Way. Less. Stress.

Before I moved to South Carolina in 2009, I would film as many as 8 weddings per month in Louisiana. Now that I'm in SC and just starting the business here, I have few weddings to film and even less time to edit. A part of me wishes that this was my full-time job, but I know that now is not the time. With school, work, and everything in between I just don't have the time to make this a bigger priority. I did find this clip of a pre-ceremony I edited last year that I wanted to share with y'all.

I am very much looking forward to editing Stephen and Ivey's wedding. Keep an eye out for their movie trailer that I will be working on in the next few weeks. Also, I hear that my Aunt is working on my movie trailer, so I'll be sharing that with y'all, too! :o)

Happy almost Friday!!!