Before I became a mother, it was easy to pick out a Mother’s Day gift for my mom. I had the privilege of ignorance. But on February 17, 2006, that ignorance flew out the window of Baylor Grapevine Hospital when a baby boy was placed in my arms. Now I knew.
Having heard on my birthday every year about the 14 stitches my mother suffered during childbirth and how many months she felt that pain, I now felt it.
Having heard my mother say that having a child is like carrying your heart outside your body and letting it walk around, I now carried it. I now saw it take first steps.
I had never loved my mother more. Now I knew. The magnitude of what my mother had done for me all my life started to sink in.
So how exactly am I supposed to say thank you to my mother now that I know?
For countless meals fixed or fetched, for hairdos perfected before school and messed up before the bus got us all the way there, for refereeing more sibling battles than one can count, for pretending and being silly, for enduring back to school shopping with two daughters year in and year out, for carpooling, for taking us on vacations to places we wanted to go, for protecting us from harm, for comforting us when kids were mean, for correcting us when we were mean, for listening to kids’ music in the car, for teaching our VBS classes, for volunteering at the school, for confidentially counseling our friends, for cheering us on from the bleachers even when our team couldn’t win a game, for enduring our adolescent mood swings, for playing basketball in the driveway, for teaching us about Jesus Christ, and for doing all these things with love and a smile on her face. HOW? How do I thank my mother for raising me? And for doing it without letting on how hard it was?
Mom, truly, I thank you. Now that I know, I don’t know how you did it. But I’m grateful. And I hope I can raise your grandchildren in such a way that they remember me with a smile on my face. Even if I put all my money in my purse and spent a year doing nothing but shop for the perfect Mother’s Day gift to accurately reflect your worth to me as a mother, it would elude me. Nothing in a store could ever measure up to your value.
I may have a little gift in my hand for you on Mother’s Day, but I also want to give a gift that means something more. I want to show you your value to me by showing a little girl in India how much value she has to Christ. She is living in a very dark, unsafe brothel and her own mother is a slave to many men. Her mother is unable to care for her because she is not free to stop working. Her mother could sell her young daughter to the brothel and escape a living hell. But her mother wants freedom, protection and life for her child. Her mother is saying, “Help me by helping my daughter.”
With a financial gift made in your honor, God is providing a means of rescue for this little girl through As Our Own. The little girl’s mother will entrust her to their care. When she visits her daughter she will see her thriving and healthy and she will know that she has given her child a priceless gift. The child will be raised by loving women who will nurture her like their own daughter. She will go to school and be educated, which will change the path of her future. She will be introduced to Jesus Christ, who loves her and gave Himself for her. For the rest of her life, a family of believers will devote themselves to her well being.
Rescuing children from horrific exploitation and eventual death from AIDS does not come without a cost. For those of you reading this, the cost is financial. For a team of believers on the ground in India, the cost is spiritual and physical. Today I am looking for people who will partner with us by giving sacrificially to As Our Own. Let’s equip them to do the work God has called them to do. They are anointed for this work. They are even training pastors to take up this cause so that the church in India will become a mighty advocate for these children. The momentum is building and I ask you to please be a part of what God is doing.
Honestly, it is easier not to know about these things. I could have written details in this post that would have made you sick for the rest of the week. What happens in that red-light district haunts me daily. But I will not turn away because it’s easier. I will consider what is happening, how I can help, and I will take five minutes to go to their new Web site and actually do it. The beauty is that right now you and I can impact a child’s future and honor our moms (or a special mother figure in our lives) at the same time. Who is with me?
Donate in honor of Mother’s Day: AsOurOwn.org/ThanksMom
About As Our Own
The extreme poverty in India places girls at great risk for exploitation, enslavement, and neglect. Girls are regularly abused and degraded, forced into lives of bonded labor, either in organized begging or the sex trade.
These girls will face a dark, horrific future—unless someone intervenes.
God has opened the door for As Our Own to rescue girls before they are exploited, giving us the privilege to care for each one as our own—for life. We are building strong communities through our Lighthouse church network and training strong leaders and pastors at our Hope College, all to break these cycles for girls in future generations.
Your gifts make a lasting difference for these girls. Thank you!
Hi Siestas! Curtis was able to visit this ministry in India a few years ago and he was very moved by what God was doing there. We have become more and more involved with As Our Own ever since then and are now serving on the board of directors. We are passionate about our little sisters in India and how Jesus is redeeming their precious lives. Thank you for reading about something so close to our hearts.
Blessings!
AJ
I love you so much, Amanda! Thank you for staying in touch, even when I know you are so busy with those little ones! I know all too well, cause I have 3 very close in age myself! At one point I had a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant at the same time, and my husband couldn’t figure out why I was so tired!!!Ha!!!
Dear Amanda
As the mother of three daughters and the grandmother to one, your post touches me deeply. Thank you for putting us in touch with a way to help. My financial contibution cannot be large, but what I can do in large measure is pray for these daily.
Happy Mother’s day to you, your mom and to all Siesta Moms.
Meant to say “pray for these sweet girls daily.”
Such a beautiful tribute to your Mom and women around the world. Thank you for sharing about this amazing organization. I also have a heart for India after living there for a summer. The more information we can get to people, the greater chance we have at changing the horrible situation.
Laura’s Last Post: Trying To Feel Like A Human
Amanda,
This depravity rips my heart into pieces. The tribute to your Mom is awesome. I’m so down with helping. Thanks for sharing and thanks for caring. Going to their website now. Happy Mothers Day to everyone. May God be glorified.
Love,
Vickie
Hi Amanda,
I popped by your blog, Baby Bangs this morning and saw your post on this. I went over to the website and made donations in honor of my mom and mom-in-law for Mother’s Day. Thank you soooo much for letting us know about this wonderful organization.
At the first of the year, I began asking God to show me where He might like me to serve outside my comfort zone. (yes, thank you David Platt). The nation of India keeps coming up in so many places. I’m waiting to see if God has something for me to do in India. Not sure yet.
Happy Mother’s Day to you Amanda!!
What a wonderful tribute to your mother and I couldn’t think of a more meaningful way to honor and esteem our mothers than through our participation with As Our Own, because, “now we know”!! Thank you for sharing such an important part of your life and inviting us, along with you, to make a life-long difference in a childs life. My mom went home to Jesus just a few years ago, so Mothers Day is bitter sweet for me, but I couldn’t think of a better way to honor her life and to let her know that her life long sacrafices are not only still impacting me, but
will also impact another little girls life for all eternity! What a neat way for me to keep my mothers spirit alive!! Thanks Amanda!!:)
hi amanda! i am wondering why it costs so much to support a child in india when i support a child thru compassion intl for only $40 a month. what is this group doing different that is costing so much more? im not trying to be negative or critical, im just wondering.
Cindy, that’s a great question. It does seem like a lot of money compared to Compassion. The difference is that Compassion is not an orphan care ministry. They host awesome programs for the children to attend and they support the families by meeting physical and spiritual needs. But As Our Own is actually raising these little girls. $184 is how much it takes to provide every single thing one child needs in a typical month – shelter, education, school supplies, clothing, medical attention, food, etc. I hope that helps!
I posted this on my facebook page. Maybe my family will get the hint if they haven’t purchased anything! 🙂
Amanda, what a lovely Mother’s Day rememberance. I will make a donation, thank you for the opportunity.
I appreciate my mother. However, due to her strong self focus, I missed out on that wonderful special mother daughter bond.
I’m learning not to judge and let those bitter roots develop.I’m sure I cannot fully understand why I always felt a low priority to my own mother. God Bless all mothers in this world and lots of blessings to you and yours-
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I was just sitting here thinking, what can I give my mom this mother’s day that would be meaningful and not the same old thing. We will be donating for both my mom and my mother in law. Thanks again for raising awareness!
Amanda,
I noticed that many siestas did not leave a comment. Don’t be discouraged. I knew the Lord wanted me to comment about the beautiful post that you did. Being a mother of 2 small children, you took the time (Lord knows how!) to honor your mother and pour out your heart about the horrific slave industry.It was passionate.
Thank you for posting in Mom’s absence. I know she is so proud of you and loves those grandbabies as I do my own.
God Bless you and your family, we love you
South Bend
Thanks, Renee! Maybe they are busy clicking over to As Our Own’s web site. That would be a great thing. 🙂
as i sit here and read this i have tears literally POURING down my face. this will be my first mother’s day without my mother. i don’t quite know what to do or how to act. i wanted to just not go to church because i didn’t want to endure the “stand up if you are a mother” “oldest mother” “youngest mother” “mother with the most kids” etc. i would have to be among those “stand if your mother is in heaven and you miss her more than words can say.” but alas, my sweet husband has reminded me that i, too, am a mother, and my children need the chance to honor me. i’d still rather go to sleep saturday night and wake up monday morning.
amanda, i could ditto everything you said about your mom. but given this day and this time, i will say that above all else, i am eternally grateful to my mother for not only teaching me about the love of Jesus, but SHOWING it in everything she did for me. and because of that, i know that as soon as i have seen my heavenly Father i will see her too.
bless you!
Sherrylu, I’m so sorry for the loss of your mom. I pray Jesus will love on you in huge ways this week and that you will be able to enjoy your kiddos on Mother’s Day. God bless you, sister.
Thank you Amanda and Sherrylu: My adult children asked what gift do I want for Mother’s Day. I have so much and I only want them. This is a perfect gift. I am in the same situation as Sherrylu. This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom and instead of dreading it, I can give hope to another mother.
I’m about to cry for you, Sherrylu. I’m praying for you, sweet sister.
Sherrylu, I will pray for you as this first anniversary approaches. Something to consider is that you are honoring your mom because you are serving Jesus! She is celebrating that in heaven over your commitment to Christ and your family. Hugs!
Sherrylu – I am so sad for you. Moms are so precious. My mom has moderate dementia. Today she does not recognize her lawn mower as hers (she thinks the neighbor switched them) and I know one day she won’t recognize me. It’s really hard to see her slip away right before my eyes. Even we as adult women need our moms. Praying God’s best for you 🙂
SherryLu, I am so sorry. This is also my first Mother’s Day without my mom. I drove through our city and saw a digital billboard advertising flowers that said, “Do you have a mom?” and started to cry.
As Our Own is an organization my family and I are passionate about. My husband donated in honor of me (sent a little girl to summer camp), and I donated in memory of my mom.
I know we’ll be sad when we wake up on Sunday. But I’m going to think of some precious, beautiful little girls in India and smile through the tears.
I’ll be praying for you that day…
Just shared this on Facebook – thanks for sharing. I’m a lurker and though I don’t post too much I am so glad to see you writing about this!
Siestas, raise your hand if you could read that without crying.
I know there is no greater gift you could give your mom than your beautiful words and what an honor to be able to make a difference in the world in her honor.
I’m blown away at both the need of these little princesses, as week as.the incredible way God is taking care of them. I’m humbled to make a donation in honor of our mothers, grandmothers, and the women who stand in the gap of helping me raise my own children to love the God who saves!
Amanda, Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful opportunity to make a lasting impression, maybe even an eternal difference in these precious girl’s lives!! And to do that in honor of my Mom is such a wonderful idea! Just made my donation. I know my Mom will be so happy with her “gift”!
Thank you for the post. My college daughter learned about this wonderful ministry at MetroLive last summer. Recently, I was checking her balance in her bank account to make sure she had what she needed as the end of the term was close. What did I see but a half (which wasn’t much, but it was HALF) of her bank account was spent in a donation to As Her Own. Praise God! She’s choosing to spend her money to be a blessing to someone else instead of blowing it partying or buying things for herself. In turn, I was touched by her actions. 🙂
Natalie, that is the best thing I’ve heard all week!
Hey Amanda,
I made a donation in honor of my mom today and printed off the certificate to put inside her mother’s day card! I can’t wait for her to get it! I am going with my mom and sister for a girl’s shopping trip on Saturday to celebrate mother’s day and at dinner we will all exchange gifts 🙂 I guess it seems strange we are celebrating mother’s day by taking a break from being a mommy! Hahaha!Nothing sweeter than having my AWESOME mom to look up to and watching my younger sister develop into a precious and wonderful new mommy. Happy Mother’s Day to you, Amanda!!!
Absolutely perfect post, gift, and words Amanda. I had that same realization ten years ago when I became a Mama too. Boy do we appreciate our own Mamas when we are suddenly one ourselves!
As for the sweet little ones in India… my man had the chance to visit a red light district in India last April that left him forever changed. The stories and photos he brought back… well, no greater gift could be given to a Mother than the one you are promoting. Those little girls have a very special place in my heart as well. Thank you so much for the chance to give a beautiful gift of love.
And Happy Mother’s day to you! (And Mama Beth too!)
Blessings,
Sasha
Amanda Thank you for sharing this. So thankful to be able to give and to pray for these sweet girls. I have precious granddaughters. Thanks again
Love ya.
What a wonderful idea!!! If your heart is drawn to Africa, here is a wonderful group who does the same in Uganda that we have visited and support:
http://zionproject.org/need.html
Keep seeking first HIM.
Peace,
Cynthia
Thank you Amanda for such a great post about your Mom. It has inspired me to write a letter to my own Mom and Mother-in-law and include the certificates that show that I donated in their honor. Also, there is an older woman in our church who never had any children (although she wanted to). So, I will donate in her honor, as well, and write her a note as an “Honorary Mother.”
Happy Mother’s Day to you, your Mom and all the Moms and Honorary Moms out there!
Thank you Amanda for the wonderful post and chance to help those who are being the hands and feets of Jesus.
love
Jill
Amanda, You are bold! Thank you for all of your words and for letting your heart walk around outside your body for these young girls.
Amanda,
So good to hear from you. I have so much respect for the choice you made a while back to back off so you would be more fully present for your children. I have a 6 yo daughter and a 4 yo son, so I am right there with you in the throes of busy mommyhood!
Thank you for this lovely post… both for the reflections on your mom, and bringing this ministry to the forefront. Our church and family have supported one very similar through our denomination (that works primarily in Thailand and parts of Asia) for the last 2 years. And you are right, once you know about it, you either ignore it or do something about it. I pray that as the body of Christ bands together to influence their mission fields and the dark places that more mothers and daughters find safety… and JESUS!
God bless you!
Heather from Lewiston
PS I just read your Mom’s book “Feathers from my Nest” the last few days…. It was fun to hear about your childhood and to learn some great lessons on mothering from Mama Beth as well. Thank you for your willingness to share your lives with us!
Amanda, that was precious. You are such a wonderful gift to your mom and to all of us in Siestaville. I love your gift of words, expressing kindness to your mom and honoring her in a way that also glorifies our LORD. You also have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Love you,
Your Big Sister in Christ
Amanda,
Thank you for advocating for such an important issue, one that is close to my heart. My heart breaks for these girls and women all around the world, caught in this awful situation – many here on our own soil. This post reminded me of a speaker at Catlyst last year saying that when she herself escaped such slavery and was years later moving past women still caught in it that she said “I will carry your voice for you! I will carry your voice! I will carry the voice you don’t have to bring change.” May we not stand silent as such tragedy continues. As our local advocacy group against childhood sexual exploitation says, “Not on our watch.” God give us courage and the eyes to see what we can do to carry their voices!
Oops! I accidentally put Amanda’s name in the my name field. Thanks again, Amanda!
Love, Toni
Amen! “Not on our watch” gave me chills.
Amanda,
As a mother with two little ones nearly your kids ages, I not only feel a connection with you as a sister in Christ but also because of being in the same boat as you right now! So many things you have shared on here are exactly how I feel or what I am going through. Some weepy and tear-jerking but some hilarious and fall over laughing! Being a mother is such a wonderful wonderful thing! I just made a donation to As Our Own in honor of my own mother, Janice. I so wish that she loved Jesus in a deep and personal way. Please could anybody that reads this lift this prayer request up to our heavenly Father. She is coming to visit us in England in two weeks with my dad and we are thrilled to pieces! Thanks Amanda for sharing such a trustworthy and powerful organization. God does certainly make a way where there seems like no way. I love y’all, Cindy
Praying for your mama, Cindy.
Am praying!
I’m praying with you for your mom, Cindy.
Thank you Amanda for your sweet words. I did some research on similar situations when I was in college years ago and it has truly stayed with me. I love my mom and my Grandma so much, and this is the perfect way to honor them on Sunday! I appreciate your openness in your posts. Your relationship with your mom is much like mine. And I love the relationship we have now as she walks along side me as I raise my kiddos (now 11 and almost 8).
One thing I’ve always wished to be able to tell you and your sister (and your dad if you’d like to pass it on!) is a HUGE thank you. Thank you for being supportive of your mom and being willing to share her with us over the years. I can imagine all the traveling she has had to do can be wearing on your family. Many times as I’ve sat at her events, I’ve thought of the three of you. Knowing at the time you were still in schoool, and knowing that your family was willing to let her go so she could minister to us. Your sacrifice is much appreciated, and I wanted you to know that everytime I’ve seen her I have prayed for you three and asked for blessings on you as you send her our way.
Looking forward to hearing more from you as you walk through mommyhood. The journey is amazing! When your precious girl gets hormonal in a couple years look me up…hopefully I will have survived it and come out of it with some wisdom!! 😉
Thanks again!!
Marci Dighton
Marci, thank you so much. That means a lot.
Thanks for sharing Amanda,
I cannot imagine how heart-wrenching this must be for these moms to be faced with two such painful choices; it is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s a blessing to be able to donate to As Our Own in honor of my mom, who is the gutsiest woman I know. I love her dearly.
Much love, and Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Adrienne
Amanda, although I’m not a mom (and probably don’t understand the full extent of sacrifice),I am SOOOO thankful that my mom did all of the things for me that you mentioned above. Also, the organization you mentioned sounds amazing! I’ll definitely check them out. Thanks for sharing information with us, and best wishes for your husband’s church plant. May God bless you richly for your obedience to His calling. 🙂
This was beautiful, Amanda. Made me cry. Happy Mother’s Day!
Amanda,
Thank you for this post! I am immensely grateful for you and my brother Curtis!
I will never forget that you let Curtis come to India to visit us even when you were pregnant with Annabeth. You had never met the mothers in the brothels or their children, and yet you cared so deeply for them. That touched my heart beyond words.
You honored the moms in the brothels that had no one to help them and gave them hope through that visit. I am grateful that you continue to honor them and the staff moms who care for these wonderful children day and night. This will mean more to them that I can ever describe.
I am blessed each day by the deep love and passion that your mom has for Jesus and how authentically she has imbibed that in her children! Your statement above, “I want to show you your value to me by showing a little girl in India how much value she has to Christ,” is a wonderful reflection of that!
Thank you for sharing the love of our Lord Jesus in such a tangible way with the mothers who care deeply for these precious children!
Your brother in Christ!
Ralph Borde
What a beautiful tribute to your mom. Made me cry too. I pray my kids will have even a snippet of your feelings that you have toward your mom towards me. God bless you and these sweet kids in India!!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your passion for rescuing children, and for sharing this ministry with us. My mom will love this donation made in her honor. I love your beautiful heart! God bless you, Amy
Amanda,
What a wonderful tribute to your Mom. I bet she bawled her eyes out when she read that. What a gift to be able to tell people how much they mean to you while you still have them here to enjoy.
Thank you for the information – what a great way to honor a mother.
Have a great!
Amanda,
I heard the same story from my mom about stiches and how much pain she was in when she had me. I always thought..blah,blah,blah. then I had my 4 children:) Pay back is… well let’s just say it’s not fun.
Loved the post, made me cry. Miss you on this blog. This is my wake up and drink coffee blog. I never thought I would spend so much time in prayer over women I have never met. God is good…
Allison
Thank you! For not allowing us to be disconnected. Happy Mother’s Day early!
Karen I chose to use the same verse as Beth this time Psalm 27:14 NET Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord! This verse is needed at this time.
Beautiful Amanda,
STEP 1 2 3 = BLESSINGS GALORE!!!
THANK YOU for sharing and giving!!!
GREAT REMINDER TO GIVE BACK!
I just received a letter from my precious girl who lives in India. She is almost 18 years old. She is having some health issues but finding time to share her love and appreciation to Dave and Me.
Just brought me to tears and sobs when I read her letter!!
May your Mother’s Day & Everyday be blessed beyond measure!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY WITH LOVE AND BLESSINGS,
Kim Safina 🙂
My mother is very troubled, she left for the Netherlands several years ago, after her and my dad divorced, they had been married for 35 long years.I am the oldest of 5 girls. At 37 I have come to terms with the break up of my family.I still honor her as my mother, but as a mother of 4 boys, one that is graduating on the 16th of May. I am in amazement how a mother can turn her back on her own children. Even tho we(my 4 sisters) are all adults , we would still like to at least talk to her.She was the best mom she could be, and I pray everyday that she knows I am here for her if she ever needs me. I love you , mom…. LOVE, your oldest,Crystal
Amanda,
I believe God is definitely wanting me to participate in As Our Own. On my CenturyLink Home page today there was a news story on how many infant baby girls in India are allowed to die each year. The article gave two main reasons why. First because the marriage ceremony is so expensive due to all the traditions that the Indians continue and the large dowry that must be paid. Also only sons can light the funeral lamps for the parents. The article also stated that many women have abortions if they know they are going to have a girl. India has made it illegal to tell the pregnant mothers the gender of their unborn child because of this but the article stated the ban is regularly circumvented. The article also stated that in one hospital ward there were 10 malnourished toddlers and 9 of them were girls.
I finished that story and clicked on LPM blog and Amanda’s post was there. God can be very clear sometimes can’t he.
I am going to donate in honor of my mother who is already with Jesus and my foster home mother who stepped in when I was 11 yrs old and has gotten me to the ripe old age of 47 yrs and the mother of a 22 yr old son and 16 year old dauthter.
Amanda,
Thanks for being God’s hands in typing that post.
Praying God will give you and Beth a special Mother’s Day.
Linda…wow.
oh, amanda, what an incredible ministry to be involved with. my heart breaks for them!
going to check out the website now.
praying you and your mom have a glorious mothers day!!
Amanda–
your post makes me cry as I think about all those things that my mama has done and still does for me. And you are right, no gift is good enough, though my sweet mama just wants the gift of hanging out with us and having supper together for Mother’s Day!
I am also going to ask that our church do this for Mother’s Day next year instead of getting all the moms a little gift (it’s nice, but I would rather see the money go to a wonderful cause like this one!)
Happy Mother’s Day to you too Amanda!
Amanda, Thank you so much for posting this. I reposted on Facebook and also gave a donation in honor of my own sweet mom. Like another Siesta wrote above, I have also been asking the Lord to show me which ministries I need to get involved in, and India has popped up several times over the past couple weeks. Thank you for sharing your heart!
Amanda,
I forwarded your post to all of the moms and daughters that I could think of. My heart breaks for the dear ones in India. It motivates me to share this message and to inspire this younger generation to get involved and make a difference! What a purposeful and unique way to care for needing children.
I finally was blessed with the joy of being a mom two years ago, and can relate your motherhood stories. I pray that my Benjamin grows up to make a difference for Jesus. Please continue to share more about this amazing ministry and how we can be of support.
Thanks again for reminding me to think about the needs of others!
Jennifer
Thanks for letting us know about this. I, too, am always stumped when it comes to a Mother’s Day gift that will appropriately show my appreciation!!
Amanda,
This year has been a struggle for me as my mom went home to be with the Lord in December. Facing Mother’s Day this year is awkward then the day after Mother’s Day is my mom’s birthday so for me it is a double whammy. This post is timely and because of it I now have a way to honor her for both special days.
Thanks for posting.
With tears,
Kels
Amanda, thanks so much for letting us know about this ministry. I’m looking forward to checking it out – and, you’re right: there’s nothing quite like having one’s own children to make us appreciate all our mothers have done for us! Hope you have a special day celebrating mommyhood!
(Hey! As a Mother’s Day gift to you, I’m going to pass along an idea I read about and implemented when my kids were your kid’s ages and were bringing home oh-so-many art projects – maybe not Annabeth yet; but I’m sure Jackson does – and I couldn’t bear to throw any of them away. I bought an art portfolio expandable holder to store their artwork – once the art had done its stint on the refrigerator door, of course! It kept their work tidy and in one place. The portfolios don’t cost too much – maybe $20. Just an idea! You should be able to pick one up at any art supply store.)