Sarah Bowling

when I’m wrong

sarahbowling — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:10:54 +0000

I don’t like to be wrong & this is often based out of pride. I don’t like to be wrong because it makes me look bad. I don’t like to be wrong because it makes me feel inferior. I don’t like to be wrong because it hurts my ego. Nevertheless, because I’m human, I’m not always right. So here are some ways to constructively handle being wrong:

learn and grow from being wrong – it seems to me that I often learn more from being wrong than being right
get busy fixing whatever has been damaged from being wrong – this can include apologizing, taking responsibility (rather than shifting blame), forgiving and making amends
take on a humble mindset on a daily basis & this can help take out the sting from being wrong

My sense is that being wrong isn’t an if issue, but rather a when issue. With this thinking, it’s helpful to have some constructive strategies in place

very, very small but oh so important

sarahbowling — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:09:51 +0000

I just returned from Angola having seen such amazing things happening with Saving Moses! This was my 3rd trip & I am now working through the heart stuff that comes up from my visits to this amazing country. On this trip, I saw beauty in faces, actions, love, compassion, care and touch. The babies that we get to feed with Saving Moses are nothing less than captivating, not only for their eyes, faces and irresistible cuteness, but even moreso for who they are. Jesus said in Matt 25:40, when you are you kind, gracious & generous for the least of these, you do these things as unto Me. If we as humans cannot be generous, gracious & deeply moved by the smallest among us, then we probably need to put ourselves into environments & opportunities to connect with genuine love lest we become heartless, cold and even barbaric. Saving Moses is about genuinely loving the smallest expressions of Jesus, who could possibly die without an ongoing tangible love that we get to express.

Need a Makeover?

sarahbowling — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:45:42 +0000

Do you need a makeover?
I’m currently in Johannesburg South Africa doing something with Saving Moses that is beyond cool: daycare makeovers! We are doing 3 makeovers in a shanty town on the outskirts of J’burg. In this shanty town, the houses are made of corrugated metal sheets or former shopping containers. What is totally amazing is watching the daycare owners take nothing & make it into a functional daycare. They use old tires, shipping containers, metal scrape sheets, etc to create warm, inviting & safe environments for their kids to learn. They take the American concept of “modular education” into 3rd world living to provide education & care.
Today, our team is painting, “de-rusting”, cleaning, organizing & supplying these 3 daycares with upgrades that are essential for the future for these small people, 5 and younger. Saving Moses is about giving little people 5 & younger love, resources & survival essentials so they can have a bright future!

Some great news in Angola!

sarahbowling — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:39:41 +0000

Well today has been quite amazing. We made a 2 hour drive to a malnutrition clinic in Cubal Angola & I have to say that Cubal is has a very unique place in my heart for lots of different reasons. I love getting to see the babies who are here, but I hate seeing them suffer or go through hardship. I love getting to meet the moms & grandmoms of these babies, but I hate hearing their heartbreaking stories of babies that they’ve lost. I love getting to catch up w key staff members here but I hate watching them struggle to be effective w limited or non-existent resources. Cubal can be beautiful & tender or ugly & abrasive. Cubal is where we thought we rescued Angelina w a life-saving blood donation, only to hear that she died a few short hours after the blood donation. Cubal is where we ran out to buy formula last year when we discovered that they had run out of this essential food for a malnutrition clinic. So coming to Cubal has been a love / hate experience for me.
Today, it is only love & here’s why:
*I met babies who have been consistently receiving malnutrition formula over their 2 week stay & they’ve added more than 2kilos to their weight – super excellent weight gain for a malnourished baby!!!!
*i checked on our therapeutic milk supply & it looks good that we can continue to feed these babies for a few more months
*I interviewed a grandmom today who was nothing less than riveting because of her love – more to follow on her
*I got to say hello to my nun friends & talk about Jesus, prayer & John 15, abiding in the Vine & bearing fruit.
So I have to say that even though Mothers Day was last Sunday, I feel like a fulfilled mom today for Saving Moses. It does my heart well to see, hold, hear & experience success in Cubal
With God, all things are possible!!

I LOVE PROGRESS!!!!

sarahbowling — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:45:15 +0000

Today has been quite incredible & Angola never ceases to amaze me. It is a country of immense potential not only in natural resources, but moreso with the incredible citizens of this beautiful nation. Today, we visited a malnutrition clinic & met more moms whose courage is nothing less than breathtaking. We were able to follow up with Belito, my little buddy who I met on my 1st visit to Angola. Two years ago, Belito was in a really bad state. His mom, Marcella, had brought him to the clinic with severe malnutrition. We helped her bring Belito home with some formula, food & feeding instructions. Last year, we were able to touch base with Belito again & saw that he was healthy & doing well. Today, I popped in again to say hello & check in with Marcella. We had a really nice visit & I even got to hold Belito who snuggled into me
After our chat with Marcella, we began to explore the idea of giving literacy lessons at the malnutrition clinic (the higher the level the education for the mom, the more that the infant mortality rate declines). So this is an EXTREMELY exciting possibility that we’re exploring & I’ll of course I’ll happily keep you posted on our progress.
If you haven’t already done this, please consider going to www.savingmoses.org to make a donation to help us buy malnutrition formula for these babies. Without this kind of special therapeutic milk, the chances for these babies to survive rapidly deteriorate. Let’s help to give them a fighting chance to survive & possibly be the next “Moses” for Angola!! Thanks HEAPS for your consideration

Hello from Angola!

sarahbowling — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:26:17 +0000

YAHOOO!!! We visited our first malnutrition clinic today & I saw LOTS of encouraging things!! I saw about 40 babies & toddlers drinking our therapeutic milk. I saw moms getting help for their babies. I saw some of the milk supply for this malnutrition clinic & I saw hope!!
To add onto all of this excitement, we were able to follow up with 2 families that we met last year: Manushe & Celestina (Augustino died last year) and we saw Angelina & Desorae! Both of these moms & their babies are doing GREAT & it was totally heartwarming to get to see them again this year
Thanks LOADS for all of your prayers & support – we are making a difference & changing the future today!! The attached picture is of Angelina & Desorae, who we were able to see today!!

Thoughts while traveling

sarahbowling — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:52:36 +0000

Angola ’12

Well, I’m back on my way to Angola for my 3rd visit with Saving Moses. I have mixed thoughts & feelings about this visit. My first trip to Angola was extremely impacting because I didn’t have any clue what it would be like to look face to face with infant mortality. My 1st trip to Angola gave me this introduction. Last year, our visit to Angola didn’t have the same 2×4 shock of the 1st trip, but it was every bit as impacting. Maybe last year was more powerful than my 1st visit because we were able to make more friendships like Manushe & her daughter Celestina, Angelina with Desorae & a follow up visit to Belito from our 1st trip. It was nothing less than pure delight to get to be with my nun friends as well, so I’m very eager to catch up with them again, hopefully, on this trip.
I never want to get mechanical on these trips, which means that I always want to keep my heart soft, tending & feeling. I can trust that God will guide & direct not only our physical steps, but also the experiences for my heart as well. Be sure that any journey on which your heart travels always keeps God as your closest traveling companion. Stay tuned for more updates

let the small things stay small

sarahbowling — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:12:02 +0000

We’ve all had the experience of driving along & someone flips us off or does something rude that was stupid. We have a choice with these kinds of petty actions – we can let them stay small & fade into the past or we can get wound up about them & carry them into the present. Small things need to stay small, be that rude comments, gestures, attacking words, etc. Don’t magnify things that need to stay small. Of course I’m not advocating being a door mat, but I think that we can easily get caught up & distracted on things that should stay small.

On the flip side, let’s be sure to magnify important things like genuine love, Jesus’ presence, grace and forgiveness. Let’s stay focused on letting the Holy Spirit continue to work in our lives to make us big people!

Stay tuned here as well for updates about my upcoming Saving Moses trip to Angola next week!

what would Jesus say?

sarahbowling — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:31:28 +0000

Several years ago, it was really common to see the “WWJD” (what would Jesus do) bracelets everywhere & from time to time I still see them & they make me smile. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about what would Jesus say. I’ve been thinking about this not in my communication with others, but more so in what Jesus says to me. You see, from time to time, I wrestle with thoughts about discouragement, failure, disappointment, etc. If I’m not careful, these thoughts can overrun my brain & become dangerous distractions from Jesus’ plans & purposes for me.

When I look at Jesus’ life & His words to us, they are always filled with life, faith, strength, encouragement, forgiveness, love and acceptance. The only people Jesus ever slammed with overt offense were the religious leaders of His day who were judgmental, selfish and even ungodly. To everyone else, His words were full of life, encouragement & faith. When I think about Jesus’ words & their contrast with the discouragement & failure thoughts that run around in my mind sometimes, I’m faced with a choice. I either listen to His life-giving words or I let the failure & discouragement thoughts run amuck. I’m choosing Jesus’ words, because I’m Jesus’ sheep (John 10). :)

Stay passionate

sarahbowling — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:28:32 +0000

Reece & I have been married for more than 18 years. We have 3 elementary age kids, busy schedules & lots of demands. Translation: it could be easy to lose our passion & interest in each other just to try & keep up with the demands of life.
I think I the same is true with God. If we aren’t careful, our relationship w God can get programmed, stale & detached. Here are a few ideas that could help you stay passionately in love with God:
*don’t let disappointment or bitterness be stronger than genuine love
*be a proficient forgiver
*stay in awe – God is always up to something divine ,)
*pour out your heart to God & receive in exchange everything God is
*watch for God in the mundane – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!!
*Remember that God is Three & knowing the Three will always blow your mind
*be willing to let God’s will be supreme over your will