Operation Giggle

Soon after finding out about YWAM adoption ministry and applying to adopt one of the little girls in their care in Ethiopia , I found out about this ministry:





I was quite intrigued as this ministry had set out to minister to orphans in both China AND Ethiopia. Both my passions!!! Their mission this year is to provide Christmas gifts for orphans in a foster home in China as well as to provide for many of the orphans and widows in YWAM's care centers in Ethiopia. They have done a remarkable job in taking on a huge task of providing gifts for orphans on two different continents. I read their most recent post and realized they are trying to provide gifts for the street children of Gimbie Ethiopia. This is very likely where our daughter will be from. While she is not old enough to be living on the streets , her future could have been just that without YWAM being available there in her village to bring her into care. Operation Giggle is, as of this posting, 9 sponsors short of providing for the street children there in Gimbie. If you would like to make one of these boys and girls giggle with delight this Christmas, click on the above "Operation Giggle" button or in the side bar and they will direct you as to how to make a 25 dollar donation to sponsor one of these children. Yes, we CAN be the hands and feet of Jesus loving the lonely and lost. Thanks for taking the time to check out this incredible ministry and being a part of what God is doing in this great big world!

Treasured Traditions

Well, the boys football season is now over. They lost in the first round of their play offs but that was one of only two losses for the season. Coming off of an undefeated season last year, the losses were difficult. They played hard all season and their coach reminded them that losses are a part of life and character is shown more during the losses than the wins. We were thankful the boys had a great coaching staff for their city football league. They learned a lot on and off the field.

The most exciting game of the season was on a Saturday I happened to have been working at the hospital. I happened to get finished a little early and made it to the game right before halftime. I arrived just in time to see Graham as quarterback throw up a long pass to be caught by Noah who then ran it in for a touchdown!!!! That was SWEET!!!!! A Watkins Boys Touchdown!!! And how sweet of the Lord to allow me to get there just in time to see and celebrate with them!

Yes, It has become a tradition to spend our saturdays in the fall watching the boys play football. It has also become a tradition to go to a local diner called the Circus to grab a hot dog after the games. They have 99 cent hot dogs on Saturdays. The boys also like to celebrate with a limeade slushie! The Circus has been around for years. It is near the ball field where the boys play which is in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived most of my life. I have memories of going to the Circus with my grandfather when I was a little girl. I have even better memories of every Sunday afternoon driving to my grandparents house in that same neighborhood and having Sunday lunch. Those memories are priceless!! And those Sunday lunches also became a family tradition as we now travel to my parents house after church most Sundays and have lunch with my parents, my grandmothers, great aunt, and my sister and her three children. The kids have a great time playing with their cousins. They sometimes will stage an impromptu concert for the family or have a pickup game of basketball in the driveway . These are great family times and a treasured tradition. I think Chicken and dumplings is on the menu for tomorrow...can't wait!! Thanks Mom and Dad for carrying on this treasured tradition!

Memorial Box Monday

Today I want to share a memorial box monday post with you. I have put the link to the blog above where I first heard of doing this . I thought it was such a grand idea to record those God moments where He surprises us, or provides for us, or heals us ,or comforts us and to be able to record these for our children and children's children. What a legacy of God stories to leave behind. So this is my first attempt at doing this. I don't know if I will have a weekly post as I am still a new blogger but it will not be because God isn't moving, just that I am slow to record the stories.


Please go visit A Place Called Simplicity. You will be blessed I know!! Hers is one of the stories that stirred my spirit toward Africa as I read of their journey to bring home their two babies from Uganda .





So, the idea of a memorial box is to place an item in a special keepsake box to remind you of a God Story in your life. I don't have a box yet, but if I did, in it I would place the birth certificate of a little cabbage patch doll I purchased for our daughter we adopted from China before she came home. Actually, it was purchased before she was ever born, soon after we submitted our application to adopt from China. We had talked about naming our daughter Lottie after Lottie Moon ,a missionary to China who shared Jesus with the daughters of China by having them come to her home for cookie parties. What a hero of the faith to name our daughter after. We had not decided for sure until I walked into Wal-mart one day and happened to see these Cabbage Patch dolls. One looked a little more Asian than the others and I pulled it closer and saw the birth certificate through the cellophane which read....Cinderella Lottie.....yes!!! Lottie!! I had tears streaming down my face as I went to purchase the doll KNOWING that God himself had called our daughter by name and she would be born in China!!!





So this weekend I was reminded of that God moment as I watched my precious daughter dress up as a princess for a fall festival at school and for a neighborhood parade .....

my Cinderella Lottie........








Thank you Jesus for your confirmation that she was our daughter before she was even born!!! Our treasure from the King of Kings!!