A Family Affair

This may surprise some of you, but I am a white girl from the Midwest. I like to think of myself as half Puerto Rican [because when 2 become 1 it only makes sense that I'm half Puerto Rican...thanks babe!], half black [mainly because of my love for rap/hip hop and Ethiopia], and half Asian [Korean probably fits me best, but I'm a melting pot of Asian ethnicities...thanks Newsong!]. I know those fractions equal more than "1", but I gotta lot of personality!

My entire extended family is very white [minus my Hispanic husband, a Jamaican-by-culture sister-in-law, an Aussie cousin-in-law, and a Guatemalan cousin-in-law] - born and raised in the corn fields of Central Illinois. I don't even remember knowing anyone with another color or from another culture until late in elementary school when we moved from the small Midwestern town we lived in to Dallas, Texas. Pretty much everyone I knew growing up looked like me, even though I sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children". The "red, yellow, and black" children I sang about in that song were more theoretical than real.
But God's doing a crazy cool thing in my family!!! I'm not sure where it started but loving the little children of the world has caught a hold in the hearts of our family. I have 12 cousins and 2 brothers and the call to care for orphans is taking off!

• My cousin, Erin, and her family are looking to adopt a little girl from China.
• My cousin, Jeff, and his family are adopting a special needs boy from China.
• My cousin, Todd, and his family are adopting a Downs Syndrome little boy from Eastern Europe.
• I know other cousins are sponsoring kids through organizations like World Vision and Compassion International.
• My entire family has been prayerfully and emotionally supportive as we've sought to adopt our 2 kiddos.
  
• A number of my family have financially supported our adoption in ways that have brought head shaking and tears.
  

God is growing our hearts for caring for orphans!!! I never would've imagined our homogeneous family becoming so colorful, but God often does what's beyond our imagination to grow our faith and his Kingdom. Ever so grateful today for my increasingly colorful and diverse family! I am utterly convinced that it will grow us so much as we experience God through orphan care and different cultures.

Excited and proud of the Getz and Neukomm familia today!!! What a fun journey we are on together.

Learning from the Next Generation

For my day job, I'm the next generation pastor at Newsong Church. But it's my day job because to the core of my being in believe in the next generation. I spend the better parts of my days dreaming, praying, developing, planning, and cheering for those under 22 years old AND inspiring those over 22 years old to do the same. I can't think of anything more valuable and Kingdom shaping than investing in the next generation.

My friend and our college pastor, Abe Park, just shared this 8 minute TED talk with me. It's by 12 year old Adora Svitak about "what adults can learn from kids". She's wickedly smart, stupendously witty, and painfully wise about what kids have to offer the world. Enjoy!

Tukula (we grow)

I am ALWAYS on the look out for gifts that represent my heart for Africa, specifically widows and orphans. I love giving gifts that in turn bless the designer, creator, and developer of those gifts...not like Steve Jobs. But like widows and the poor. I'm a fan when the products I purchase go towards building a more sustainable way of life for those who don't have basic necessities like clean water and immunizations.

I've kind of felt like I've exhausted those ideas in the past few years through gifts from Product RED, Ethiopian t-shirts, Gobena coffee, pajama pants, jewelry, etc, but I'm always excited when I find a new idea for my friends and family. NOTE: these are still great ideas that I plan on continually using, but for those who've already received these gifts a time or two, I like to mix it up!

ENTER TUKULA! This organization offers such great ideas for purses, clutches, wallets, and messenger bags. They are incredibly reasonably priced, and provide great ongoing resources for women in Uganda.

CHECK THEM OUT HERE!!

**Warning: you may receive a gift like this in the months to come! Yeah for Christmas!!!