Give Them Wings and WatchThem Fly

Nicholas came to the airport to see Uncle John off.

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Today I said good-bye to my 16 year old son as he headed off on the adventure of a lifetime to spend his junior year of high school in Cali, Colombia, at the Colegio Americano. As I was driving home from the airport I couldn't hold back the tears, and the thought occurred to me that the very act of becoming a mother means that you will never again be the same, no matter how old your children get. A tiny piece of your heart will always be with each of your children wherever  they go. You will rejoice when you see them make wise decisions, but if those decisions mean that they leave you for a time, that little piece of heart will go with them...and it will hurt for a while.

When John Carl (Juan Carlos to his Colombian and Peruvian friends) told his coaches at Westminster Christian Academy about his decision to go to Cali, one of his coaches asked him to write up something explaining why he was doing this. The incredible support he has had from faculty, administration, coaches and friends at WCA has been phenomenal. We are so blessed to have been part of such an incredible community of faith for the last 11 years.

I want to share with you what my son wrote because I am so proud of his willingness to listen to God's call. We have tried to raise him to be obedient, and now it's time for us to watch in amazement as he does just that!

Juan Carlos in his uniform

John Carl's Testimony

This summer I took a trip to Colombia for the 185th Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly which was held at the Colegio Americano. The Colegio Americano is a private school that was founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1925; it consists of kindergarten to high school. They have around 120 kids in the high school level grades, so not much bigger than Westminster. However in Colombia, graduation is after grade 11 unlike the United States where it’s after 12th grade.

When I first arrived at the Colegio Americano, I was astounded by the campus grounds, the teachers, and all the students helping out for the General Assembly. That Saturday I had a wild thought that coming here to do schooling would be amazing. When I told that thought to my mom, she didn’t know what to think. She thought maybe coming down again next summer for a couple weeks would be good for me after school here had finished up just to see what school is like in Colombia. I knew in my heart that I truly wanted to attend the Colegio Americano for the entire year and graduate from there.

I have always wondered what God’s calling feels like because I have never been spoken to physically by God, and so I wondered how to know exactly what the Lord wants. The next three days we had services in which God directly showed me the way He wants me to take. We had a sermon on how to listen to God’s call and to go and make disciples of all nations. On Sunday there was a special missionary service where missionaries throughout the world were recognized.

My family used to be in the mission field first in Costa Rica and then in Peru. I was born in Lima, Peru, into a missionary family and would live there for the next 5 years. I remember parts of Peru but not all of it; however, I do remember the heartbreak it brought my entire family, including me, when we were forced to leave the country where I was born. One interesting note is that my trip to Colombia was the first time I had been back to South America since we left Peru. I didn’t realize how much of a longing I had to be back and experience South America again. I have dreamt of going back to Peru and perhaps someday I may live there again, but Colombia feels like the place I want to be, the place I need to be.

The Colegio Americano has a beautiful campus!

That Monday night a Colombian preacher spoke about letting go and being willing to accept God’s will. He had urged his child to finish law school before going into seminary even though God was calling his son into the ministry. In order to please his father, the son finished law school and then became a pastor. That night the preacher apologized to his son for not allowing him to follow God’s calling immediately at that point in his life. This sermon was very powerful to both my parents and me. Afterwards I found my mother and sobbed because we both knew this was exactly what God wanted for me, no questions asked.

I still do not know what all God has planned for me as I go to attend the Colegio Americano this next year, but I do know that if I follow His will and his guidance I will be okay. I also know that people may worry about the safety of a gringo in Colombia. First off, if I am following what God wants me to do I am worried by nothing. Secondly, the city of Cali is a very safe city, and while I was at the General Assembly I never felt danger at all, only the loving kindness of all the Colombians. Someday I pray that I will be able to go to many countries in order to serve and proclaim the name of Jesus to those who are in the darkness, looking for light.

Fed by God's Design

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Have you looked at your local Christian book store for a book about breastfeeding recently? Chances are you didn't find anything. That's because it doesn't exist yet...But we are changing that!

The Background

Ten years ago I began writing As a Mother Comforts Her Child: A Christian Approach to Breastfeeding (yeah, I know, that's a real mouthful, right?) I had Martha Sears review it and asked several colleagues to take a look at it and give me input. The result was a really top-notch, well-written book about breastfeeding aimed at a Christian audience.

Then I began looking for an agent or a publisher. I was thrilled when agent Carol Sue Roth agreed to represent me and find us a publisher. I couldn't believe that a real live literary agent had agreed to represent me! Carol Sue was amazing. She maintained good communication and worked really hard to find us a publisher. I'll never forget the day she called me and told me that Thomas Nelson was interested in my book. Talk about a Happy Dance!! However, within a couple of weeks she called back to tell me that they were cutting unknown authors on the backlist.

I didn't realize at the time that they were about to launch a self-publishing arm. And quite honestly, I think both Carol Sue and I were pretty discouraged. My three year agreement with her came to an end, and from time to time I would think about trying to publish it myself, but I just didn't think that would work.

Where We Are Now

We are at a time when there is tremendous support for breastfeeding on a political policy level. Attitudes toward breastfeeding have continued to improve, but there is still a deep need for solid support. Within the church there is a real division. Many Christians have bought into a very strict schedule-based type of parenting, believing that is "God's way" to raise babies. However, an evidence-based approach combined with a serious study of Scripture indicates that meeting a baby's needs, feeding on demand, and building a solid relationship of trust in the early days are foundational keys to Christian parenting.

We believe this is the right time to get this book, which has been renamed Fed by God's Design and revised to reflect new information, to the marketplace. Our goal is to see it in the hands of Christian mothers across the country and on the shelves of Christian Bookstores in every state! You can help make this happen by being part of our Indiegogo project!

We've got some awesome perks including Digital downloads of the book, Fed by God's Design infant gifts, paperback and signed hard cover copies as well as the opportunity to have your baby's picture in the book or even on the front or back cover!

What You Can Do

This is a team effort, and we need all the players on the team we can get! We need prayer warriors. We need bloggers. We need people telling everybody in the sphere of influence about this. We need YOU doing whatever the Lord lays on your heart to make this a success!