The other morning in our Sunday morning worship service a guest speaker provided the following statistic.  He stated that only 14% of Evangelical Christians view outreach to HIV/AIDS victims (including AIDS Orphans) in Africa as something the local (e.g. American neighborhood church) should be actively involved in.  This means that child sponsorships, short-term mission efforts, long-term missionary investment, medical relief and more are considered outside the purview of the Church’s responsibility for the other 86%. 

I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life. It is Christmas Day at 7:30 pm and I am done. Done. Done. Done. Christmas is so hard on these kids. There are so many Christmases past that bring about anything but fond memories of family and friends. My kids are stressed out and wound up. They are acting as though they've forgotten everything we've taught them. Z is new here and is so off course. Sometimes I get so frustrated at their choices and saddened by their lack of concern for others. I feel as though I've reached my limit and I'm so, so tired. The worst part is that most of this truly isn't their fault. Do you remember being able to process emotion and trauma at age 9 or 12? They have so many adult experiences and so little ability to process those experiences.

Within the next 45 days Z will be moving into our home and become a regular part of our lives. Yesterday we sat down, all four of us, and discussed our family purpose, otherwise known as a mission statement.