Whittaker Woman

The Advantage of Not Having a Dog!

You don't have to worry what is in those leaves! H

I Am Eleanor Billington

Here's a little tidbit of info for you... Sohaila's life is in song. There is not an hour that goes by that we do not hear some song coming from our number one. I never realized it until we lived with the Phenix's and Billy said "You know your daughter is always singing. We are going to miss her little soundtrack that is constantly playing". It's like living near the railroad, you just don't hear it. That was the case until Thanksgiving came, she was memorizing the words and songs to a play that her class did and can I say I am SOOOO over these two songs! All week we have been singing them. I would catch myself alone in the car singing them, at the grocery store, or worse around the girls and the second they would hear me they would jump right in and sing along. I make fun, but it really made my heart swell to see my little goose up there. She knows the entire play. Not just her lines, but EVERYONE'S! Meet Eleanor Billington, our pilgrim. 

 

As we were walking to her class to watch the play we see Sohaila in tears.  She drilled it in our heads that we were not suppose to come to her class until 8:15.  She told us we could hang out in the library, but instead we hung out in Seanna's class room. As we were heading to Sohaila's class I see her crying. No bawling. Poor thing went to the library looking for us and we were not there, so she assumed we left. Luckily she pulled it together and did a wonderful job! BRAVO GOOSE! H

All I Wanted Was to Give Grandma Sherry a Picture With Her Girls

 I don't know what she was crying about, but you can tell I was over it. 

 

We thought we'd try to smile regardless of the screaming 6 year old. It didn't work. 

Sohaila held the same pose the whole time, sweet, sweet memories! H

Family Night... Beauty Parlor

Seanna wanted to have a girly night, and I was ready for a massage and facial so I was all about it! 

 

We made a plate of healthy snacks. 

 

Had sparkling cider. 

 

Then the real fun began. Losiah was giving facials. 

 

 

Grandma Sherry was in charge of massages. 

 

Sohaila called her shop, Fancy Feet. 

 

Carlos could not handle it. 

 

But he loved his role! 

 

 

The makeup artist was Seanna. 

 

I must say it was a night of giggles! Carlos is such a great dad! I love him! H

In Case You Have Not Heard...

We Are Moving To…

POSTED ON 20. NOV, 2009 BY LOSWHIT IN MY CHURCH

So Team Whittaker would love your prayers as we pick up and move the family to Chicago.
I’ll keep this brief…
God has blessed us with an amazing community of friends here in Atlanta.
Some of us have decided that we want to be part of a movement committed to daily living out the Transformational Love of Jesus in the City so that we can change the World.
And the way we plan to do this is in a community called Soul City Church…in downtown Chicago.

Team Whittaker is moving with a few other amazing families to downtown Chicago to live, breathe, commune, fellowship, and take part in doing church 7 days a week in the city and I can’t wait.

I’ll post more tomorrow but I just wanted you guys to know the goods.
Love you guys!!!

po

I was asked this question and it got my mind a racing... 

What is your most treasured (non breathing) possession? 

Count Down

One word... Seanna. She has a moment in this video that is well worth your time!

Recap

I will be doing a few more posts on El Salvador, but I need some processing time. I don't know if you have followed the trip and read the other bloggers posts, but I thought I'd share my favorites. 

There was Molly: 

My roommate who moved me with her excitement and love for El Salvador. She was in love with Hector... You must meet him too! 

Then Kelly: 

The one I could always count on to have tears in her eyes before me. I loved watching her adapt to the culture. She made tortilla's (which I am actually fully envious of!), and she squealed like a girl on the soccer field! 

Then there was me... All I want to say is... Please help us take one more child out of Poverty. 

Look at Denis. He was born on July 11, 2003, He is waiting for a sponsor, will you be his? 

Shaun, our leader, my hero. 

I admire his love, passion and faith. I long to follow in his footsteps of sacrifice for others. My favorite post that he nailed talked about Hurricane Ira. Did you even know here was a Hurricane? There was. It devastated parts of El Salvador and we were able to see it first hand. Shaun did and incredible post on it. 

Then there is Patricia who just made me feel at home. 

However she did post one of my favorite moments of all. Check out the singing bunny, or goat, or ....

And finally there is Ms Keely who worked the fotos! 

Un foto mas por favor.  Oh she worked the spanish too! 

Thanks for following along. How did it change you? H

Heading Home

Can you tell I am on a blogger trip? Free WiFi to bloggers is like having fresh water in the dessert. 

Bowing Down to Rosia

Here I sit in a bus, driving down the polluted over crowded streets of El Salvador.  I am trying to process what just happened to me.I had a moment today that I know with absolute certainty I will remember for the rest of my life.

Today was field day. I did not know what to expect, but considering we were in Central America I had a feeling it would have to do with Soccer, which of course scared me considering I am a individual sports player. Snowboarding, waterskiing, hiking. I could kill it, but team sports were not my thing. This was us trying to be cool soccer players. Hahaha

We got there and sure enough got put on teams. Molly and I were on one team while  Kelly and Patricia were on the other. Molly took the goalie position which meant I was going to do the work. I was ready. Let the games begin! I had so much fun talking smack, it’s my coping mechanism for the fear that was deep down. I was about to be schooled in Soccer by some El Salvadorian girls.

And yes they did, but I must say I was slightly impressed at my skills! I held my own. I was taken down by a girl, literally flat on my face. It only made me push harder. Then I found my competition. The girls were all good, but one little spunky girl was my fight. She was so fast. It killed me. And I loved it. And being the trash talker I am, I told her that I was going to take her down. It was on!

Shortly, possibly seconds later I learned that I would bow down to Rosia.

She was just as feisty as me. My match! Who single handily humbled me and won the game for her team!

After the game the older girls and I all hung out.

They began to share stories about their lives, their dreams, but the best thing they shared was directed to you. The sponsors of children of Compassion. Let me be their voice.

The thing they desired most for you to know is how important being a sponsor is. No one in the group has ever met their sponsor but they all had one. You are important. You are their angels, you make a difference. There was one thing that they pleaded with me to share, THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! I asked them if they cared if it was written on a card or an email, their answer was ANYTHING. They just want to hear from you. Every word you say to them is one of the most important things they ever hear. They treasure it, they soak it up, they read it over and over.  So from Gabriella, Jennifer, Beronica, Cindy, Claudia, Clara, Rosio, Carolina, Karan,  Please write your sponsor child.

Compassion has created a simple way to do that. All you have to do is simply log on to their site and into your account. And you can write them right there!  A simple email is a treasure for them.

The girls followed me around. Held my hand and loved on me. I fell in love. What I did not expect was what happened next. They jumped on the bus and said this, 

So I ask you… Please sponsor a child.  If you have a sponsor child please write them! H

Oops, That Did Not Go Right

Can I just say Skype is amazing. I think you would all agree after this! Everyday we've had some great family time online. 

Yesterday, each kid had some special alone time with me. They would take the computer to another room and had some great catch up time. 

That was great, until this happened. Seanna began to tell me something about Sohaila. I stopped her because lately the Whittakerws have been battling tattling. So I asked her if this was Sohaila's story. Let me just say this was the WRONG THING to do!

I did not expect this. Oh I felt so bad! 

It took sometime to get her back to normal. But she makes me so happy, this brings me joy to write! H

Parenting Advice Gone Wrong

Carlos' mom tells a story of a time when they were visiting family in Mexico when he got sick. The family member who house they were at came in and rubbed a egg on his head and put it under his bed. He had to sleep with it under there and it would cure him. She is full of stories of myths and parenting advice that are just absolutely absurd. I've often thought that these were stories of the past. No one could possibly believe something like that in this day in age, however today I learned otherwise. 

We visited a project that has a Child Survival Program. A CSP is a part of Compassion that teaches soon to be mothers and mothers of children 0-3 years old the tricks of the trade. They take them under their wing and teach them basic things that we take for granted. Things like nutrition, or something as simple as playing and stimulating your baby. 

Visiting these sweet babies and moms made my heart beat. I even still had the touch to put them to sleep! 

I was about to sneak a few in my suitcase.  That seems to be an issue of mine. We often assume that when we have a child it is just maternal for us to know what to do. Today I realized that is not always the case. 

This mother shared a story about her infant son who was fussy and never stopped crying. She finally got to the point where she took him to a clinic. She was instructed to go home and cover her son in ashes. She did what she was told and wrapped him up in ashes. What she did not realize was the fact that she was burning her son. She chuckled at the story as she told us that he survived and is 13, but has scars across his stomach. It's an awful story, but on the flip side so encouraging to know that Compassion has a program that will teach mothers such as this the simple truths of their babies. Child Survival Program helps developing world mothers and babies in their most vulnerable times, offering practical care and extending God’s love. By joining with Compassion, you’re giving them the best chance at life. Read below to learn how you can help moms and babies break the cycle of poverty.

This program is different than sponsorships, yet there is a way you can help. All it takes if $20 a month and you will be supporting a specific CSP. They will send you updates from the mothers there, from the survival specialist and even the pastor of the church where the CSP is held. Just another way to help with this unbelievable organization called Compassion. H

The Picture On The Fridge Becomes Alive

It went from this...

 

To this...

They are as real as you and I.
And my kids now know.
Sponsor a child here and change a life...

HOW COOL WAS THAT!!!!!
H

XVIII

As you all can imagine, I have a million stories to share. It's just a matter of processing, and actually getting it down on paper. But today, there was one moment, it was actually one sentence I said, that I want to share with you. 

In El Salvador the Gangs are rampid and the people not only have to face issues that poverty brings, but they also must worry about the violence of the gangs. We went into a slum to visit some homes of children in the project we were at. They advised us to take nothing and stay together, we were entering gang territory. I felt prepared. I've watched a documentary on Gangs in Central America, I grew up in Fresno and lived in LA, where the evening news always had something about some gangs. But what I was not prepared for, is having these "gangs" become personal to me. 

Meet Maricella, the "gang" is personal now.

Our translator was asking her questions about her life: who she lives with, her children, how Compassion has changed their family. With each answer she had a modest smile and giggle. She was nervous. Then the translator asked about the elephant that was in the room. Her tattoo. 

She explained that she and her husband used to be in the 18th Street gang. When her daughter was accepted into the Compassion project she still was in the gang, fortunately the gangs allow people to leave for employment or if they were to become a Christian. That was her way out, but there is one problem. She is marked. Her tattoo prohibits her from leaving the house without her head covered, but worse she can not find employment because of the tattoo. That's the back story. 

There are 8 people living in the house. On the right are her two children. On the left two of her brothers.

One of the brothers asked us this question... 

"How does it make you feel to help the children." 

We went around sharing our hearts. Keely, Shaun and Molly all shared their hearts eloquently and then it was my turn. My insecurities of expressing myself through words peaked, but I had to say something.  

I began to share the truth that screams so loud to me when I travel to third world countries. 

WE ARE NO DIFFERENT.

I told her that even though I live in the US I am no different than her. We are human beings. Our stories may be different, but God does not see us as different, and so I don't see us as different. We are his children. 

And then it happened. She broke. She began to cry sharing the fears she had about letting us into her house. (On a side note, all I could think of was... She is afraid of letting ME in her house? Umm, she is the one with the gang experience!) She explained that she was certain we would look down at her because of her having the tattoos and her past. She could not believe what I said about being the same and equal. And that was my moment. I knew God used me to share his love for her. I did not plan those words. They just came out, but they went straight to her soul. It was a moment where God came and met her where she was. 

I know this post was not about a child. I know you know I am here to share stories about these kids and how they need sponsors, but the thing is... Compassion does more than just help the children themselves. Today through Compassion we made a mark in Maricella's life and she has made an imprint on mine. 

Talk to me, thoughts? Feelings? Thanks for reading, thanks for listening, thanks for being a part of this blog. And please if you decide to sponsor a child please tell us here! H

Where are you at?

I was a little groggy this morning, I turned on the news to slowly wake up and look what I found. 

That's right local new! Local as in the ATL! Which brings me to the question. 

Who's here? Who's reading and where are you from? H

We Are Here

WOW, what a day! It started early. Sohaila woke up while I was getting ready. I saw her sweet little eyes looking at me and silent tears flowing down her face. It broke my heart to leave. But I made it out of the house holding it together! It has been one long day, I can not believe I was in Atlanta this morning!

The flights were great. You know it makes a big difference when you don't have to travel two days just to get to your destination (Uganda).   

We arrived here just after noon. We traveled through some of the city and went and had lunch. 

I am not sure if you have heard the news. El Salvador was hit hard by the storms that Hurricane Ira produced. We saw streets filled with mud, trees down, but the best of all was to hear the Compassion Team already working with the families that were directly impacted. 

We headed over to the Compassion Offices where we were introduced to the staff. It is so detailed here. The Correspondence Department was my favorite. It was so cool to see the kids letters pour in. 

This was the box they had just got. They enter them into the computer, send them out to the translators and then to the kids. This is a picture of the file cabinet of more letters. 

I am so excited about the morning. I get to meet our sponsor girl first thing in the am! She will spend all day with us just hanging out. I must get some sleep! Until tomorrow! 

H

I'm a Big (Grown...Not Large) Girl

 It is time. At least I am not in this situation. Praise Jesus! That was chaos. But I am a grown up going on a big girl trip. I know that may sound silly because I have gone on many trips, but really when I go on a trip I have some kind of security blanket... Carlos, my kids, a familiar place, a visit to someone I love. But this trip, is to another country with a group of people I am not close to. Many I don't even know yet. And well this leaves me realizing that I am a big girl, taking an adult trip! Yikes. 

I have 6 hours before I have to get in the car and drive to the airport. Within that time I have to make lunches for tomorrow, get clothes ready for the week for the kids, write letters to all the teachers explaining where and with whom my kids are going home with. I have to finish packing, shower and do my hair. Print out pictures for our sponsor girl to keep. Brief the morning sitter on the am rituals, I need to do this here blog. Oh yeah and I need to sleep. 

But again, at least this is not me! 

Well my friends, we will have many posts coming your way. My heart is that I will share with you all the story of Compassion. The lives changed. The impact that we can have on the world. I am excited to see how God will write this story. 

Here is the trips page. You can see the new friends I am going to make and follow our posts! See you in El Salvador! H

Save The Date

One thing I did not know I would encounter as a mom with kids in school is the birthday invite story. I hear this all the time. 

"Mom, so-and-so is having a party. Can I go?" 

Over and over I have heard this. And my response is always the same. 

"You can go as long as we get an invite" 

This has played out numerous times so far, but this last one took the cake! 

Seanna came home with the announcement and we did the same song and dance. Only this time the next day she came home with this. 

She proudly walk in and said she got Elizabeth's Party Invite. She then says, "But mom it's not till February."  I guess Elizabeth took it in her own hands to make an invite so Seanna could attend her party. She included her address and all! Those clever little 6 year olds!
H

Family Night... Family Day

We have had our lives flipped upside down. Now that Carlos is self employed, I need to learn how to do Family Nights on a different schedule. 9-5 no longer works, and our Family Nights have been lagging. 

We had one day, yep ONE DAY where we will all be together. So we made the most of it. We each picked one thing each to do that day! Here is what we did. 

Seanna chose to ride bikes down by the River. 

I chose to have a picnic at our favorite local pond. 

Sohaila wanted to play at the park...

Losiah chose to go get a treat! 

And finally Carlos chose to go rest! :) 

Its simple easy and great family time! H

And I Am Leaving Again?

I have less than a week before I leave for El Salvador. I am beginning to wonder if it is safe for me to leave! 

Gotta love dads! 

They Are All Whittaker

We get asked a ton of questions about adoption, the one question we love to answer is "How does Losiah fit in with your family? Was there a big adjustment?"

He is just all Whittaker. Always has been. They all are. There are times when their behavior makes me want to claim nature over nurture, but that is just when I am in denial. LIttle Los, Seanna and Sohaila were all born to be a part of this Whittaker team. They just fit. 

H

Amish Fall

We went with Carlos up to Franklin this past week. It was so great to hang out with friends and also go to see the Amish. When I found out that I was heading to Nashville I texted all of my friends to make sure everyone was in town and schedule time with them. It was simple and easy. 

On Thursday the kids and I drove out to our Amish friends house and were greeted with the sad news that Jacob was in Ohio for his brother in laws funeral. This is one of the disadvantages of having an Amish friend, they don't text. Hahaha! We still were able to get some fantastic pumpkins, for a $1 each. And see the amazing Amish Farms in Fall! Makes me want to move here. I thought I'd share the pictures with you. 

These are the signs that are posted at each driveway, helps you to know who sells what. 

Do you think we stood out? It was so beautiful! h