a couple things

  I wanted to share that Paypal is offering to match 1 % of all donations to charitable events now through the 31st! How awesome!! Organizations must have a 501(c)3 to qualify. A few favorites of ours HeartCry Missionary Society, Gospel for Asia, Lifesong for Orphans, and Sole Hope. Or, if you're interested in supporting 'locally', the MICAH Fund is also qualified and can be designated to support our adoption. So, make the most of this offer and support where the Lord would lead. We certainly are going to.
  ... have you heard about the law passed in Russia? President Putin signed a bill that includes measures to ban all Russian adoptions by Americans. Heartbreaking to think of, especially after reading about the conditions in orphanages there. And the families that are in the process of bringing their children home... Much prayer is needed for all.
  It's disheartening to hear the callous responses to the news. People stating this is a good thing, now we (Americans) will start taking care of "our own", adopting domestically instead. Or the only reason adoption from Russia is popular is because the children will be blonde and blue eyed. So wrong.  Judgement should not be passed on what the Lord's will is for an adoptive family. Just as He ordains what child is born into a family, He does for a child that is adopted. If the child He has for a family is across the ocean, then we trust in His perfect plan. The other argument falls through as well; American international adoptions are mostly from China followed by Ethiopia.... definitely not seeking blondes and blue eyed babies from those areas of the world.
  After hearing these responses, I remembered a story by an adoptive parent. They had been questioned why they went so far away to adopt when there are many children in the U.S. that need a home. He asked the questioner if her convictions about American children had led her to do anything about the need. She dropped the issue after responding "no".  If we belong to the Lord, we have a heart for the things He does. Orphans- no matter if they are born in the U.S., in the foster system or a distant land. How we demonstrate His love will look different for each of us. But they all have a need and we all can bring it before the Father who created them and loves them more than we can imagine. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son..."

wait for it

Waiting once you have been matched.... it's still waiting, not quite so, hmmm... sanctifying, but it is still waiting.

We're getting the last details ready around here. The little pops of gender appropriate color in the nursery, new carseat cover finally sewn, newborn clothes unpacked and waiting to be washed. Still thankful for the time for lots of prayers for all involved. Sometimes it helps to read what those that are past the waiting period are up to. I came across this post on Give1 Save1. This family was once featured and she posted this to encourage those who are still waiting. I wanted to pass it along to those of you who are waiting on the Lord.

"and the Lord answered me. Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time, it hastens to the end- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay."  Habbakkuk 2:2-3

By...

This stuck with me all day after hearing it in church service this morning.

"By repentance, we cast away our weapons of rebellion; and by faith, we give and devote ourselves to Jesus Christ as His peculiar people." 

And to that I add, by grace you are saved.

make known His deeds

I'm with David on this one.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name;  make known His deeds among the peoples!  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!"  

It is with MUCH joy and thanksgiving, and a hundred other emotions, that I tell you we have been matched with a birthmother. We had the unique privilege and blessing to meet her this week. She is sweet and funny and very dear to our heart. The little one that seems to be meant for our family is due at the end of January. We are beyond excited and have begun the final preparations for the new addition. Forgive me if I seem reserved about all this. I'm not, but we have had a bit of time to process; for if I had told you immediately this post would have had thoughts running in a million different directions, repeated "I'm so excited" multiple times and you would have gotten sick of reading exclamation points everywhere :)   
So join us in giving thanks, join us in singing praise to Him and join us in telling of His wondrous works. You can even join us in saying "I'm so excited !!!" lots of times. And please, join us in prayer: for the baby, for our birthmom, for our family and for our God to be glorified through it all.

October 17th

  Last year on this day we signed the final copy of our homestudy. It was a good day; we were officially able to adopt. We sent it in and the next week we signed on with Abba Adoption. And now we're scheduled to update our homestudy; they are only valid for one year.
  Our social worker told us when we finished up last year that domestic adoptions usually take 1-2 years before bringing a baby home. She mentioned that she penciled us in for an update in 2012. I thought, okay, but we won't need it. I mean, we're pretty awesome, right... who wouldn't choose us? : )  In all seriousness though, we had a peace that gave us confidence: this is the next step the Lord would have us take. I assumed that if we were on the path He had for us, it would be a short one. We had heard the stories about the Lord quickly working out these beautiful adoptions and were encouraged by them. How can this be His will for our family if it hasn't come to pass?

  How soon I forget the examples in His word. Don't look around, look at what God says. How long did Abraham wait for his promised son's birth ? How long was Joseph tested before his dream became truth? Remember how long Moses was in the desert? Why did David have to run for his life for years after God told him he was to be king? While I certainly do not lump myself into the same category or situations of these great saints, I am a child of God. He loves and sanctifies all that belong to Him. This time has passed to test, try and refine my faith, and my patience. Just as it did for those men in the bible. As we continually seek His will and continue to have peace, I rest in that thought.

  Obviously, my thoughts here are not original. You can listen to this encouraging message by C. Leiter here.

Happy Birthday to You!

To my sweet baby girl, who is no longer a baby but still sweet.... happy 6th birthday! Thanking the Lord for these six years; what a blessing indeed.
Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,  always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you..."

6 weeks

6 years

Who knew?

I was completely clueless about this. I think this woman's story needs to be heard, EVERYWHERE.
Really, what was Roe vs. Wade? A lie. Praise God who gives this woman courage to tell the truth. Meet Jane Roe.

More Give 1 Save 1

I know, I know. But this blog ministry is just awesome and we were sooo blessed through it!
This couple is beyond sweet and the love they have for Christ shines. I had to share them with you and if you have a dollar to spare, I'm sure they would appreciate your kindness.
http://www.give1save1domestic.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-week-new-family-meet-the.html

If you or someone you know are adopting and looking for help financially, contact the ladies from Give1 Save1, they love to feature new families every week!

thank you

   Well, our week on Give1 Save1 is officially over. We are still overcome by the way God provided through the kind generosity of so many people. How can we thank you all enough? We appreciate every kind word, every 'share', every dollar donated and every prayer uttered.
   My initial goal was to make $10 to cover the cost of the apps needed to make the movie :) Oh, me of little faith; I'm ashamed to admit it. Jesus would not have marveled at my faith as He did the centurion's. But isn't that just it? He proves Himself over and over again regardless of our simple, unbelieving selves. Because that is who God is. Good. Merciful. Faithful. Incomprehensible.
   Our donations totaled $ 1,192 from last week. We are humbled and immensely grateful. And excited for what's next.
 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think... to Him be the glory". 

Eeekkkk!

So thrilled to let my dear readers know that our video is up and running! Those ladies are the sweetest, Lord bless them :) You are more than welcome to pass along and share however you'd like. And your prayers are most appreciated! Have a great week.

Give 1 Save 1

   Have you heard of this awesomeness? I hadn't either until last week.  The sweet lady that started it all is dedicated to relieving some of the financial burden for folks that are adopting. She knows a thing or two about it, right now she's in Africa for her new son.
     So each week, they feature a new family and ask viewers to give one dollar via paypal. Kind of like, hey, can I have a dollar to help get a child to his family? Umm, SURE!?!  And they feature a new family PER area of the world that has a need for adoptive parents... Africa, Europe, Asia, Carribbean, and domestic. That's a lot of lives impacted every week. Stop by and check them out. The family videos are so great.
  OHHH, before I forget. Our family will be featured on the domestic side on Monday. :)  :) :)
Our video will be posted here and there next week. Yayyy!
 

Waiting

Psalm 27:14 tells us,

"Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

But what shall we do while we wait on Him? What shall we do while we wait for direction or an answer? Let us not repine, be anxious or waste our thoughts wondering. Our answer is in Matthew 6:33,

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you." 

No one who waits on the Lord is ever disappointed.

Parades, picinics and fireworks

Happy 4th of July!

Mmmm, coffee

In my mind, summer time equals iced coffee, or even better, blended coffee. Since I lean towards frugal and think homemade is best, here you go. My recipe that's a compilation of lots of those out there. This makes one giant serving... um, yes please!

- 1/2 cup double strength coffee, chilled
-1 mounded cup ice
-1/2 cup milk
-2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 1 tablespoon flavored coffee creamer (use a bit less milk if you add creamer)
-optional 1 tablespoon sugar- I skip this if I have the creamer on hand

Toss everything into your Ninja (most amazing little gadget ever) or your blender. Mix until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into a glass and sip from a straw. I recommend topping with a bit of whipped cream for the full effect.

-Edit... I like to blend the ice alone first then add the rest and mix until smooth. The ice chunks tend to be smaller and more uniform this way.

We Once Were Fatherless

I came across Katie's blog when I received an email from Lifesong for Orphans.  This organization works along with Pathways for Little Feet (the source of our interest free adoption loan). I was so encouraged by her posts and how similarly the Lord has worked in both of our journeys to adopt. This post was so powerful. How could it not be? It's about the faithfulness of God that loves to provide for His people.  And she writes in such a way that magnifies Him. I loved it. Can't wait to see how He brings their son home!

Adopted for Life

I loved this book by Russell Moore. There was so much I wanted to share. I settled for a few excerpts from the first chapter; something to peak your interest so you want to read it yourself :)


    "Whenever I told people I was working on a book about adoption, they'd often say something along the lines of, 'Great. So, is the book about the doctrine of adoption or, you know, real adoption?'  That's a hard question to answer because you can't talk about one without talking about the other."    
    "It is one thing when the culture doesn't "get" adoption. What else could one expect when all of life is seen as the quest of "selfish genes" for survival? It is one thing when the culture doesn't "get" adoption and so speaks of buying a cat as "adopting" a pet. But when those who follow Christ think the same way, we betray that we miss something crucial about our own salvation."
     "Not everyone is called to adopt... But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does."


Yeah, just typing that out makes me want to read it again.

I'll always be your first baby

  I never got around to decorating the 'baby' room in our home. So the last month I started working on it. I decided to make new bedding, curtains and finally put up a mural type painting. When it's all done, I'll post pictures :)
 Last year we started selling things on Craigslist to raise money for our adoption plan. As I took the quilt, bedding and old curtains down, I figured I'd just list that, too. I hesitated. I had made all of it when I was pregnant with my first. And used it with both of them. I rationalized, it's just fabric, it'll just take up space in a closet. I sold it all to a lady in town. On my way home from dropping it off, I cried about the quilt. It's just a blanket! But I was remembering all the hopes and dreams and prayers I had for my baby while I was sewing that little crib quilt. I sheepishly told my husband about it. He told me to ask for it back if it means that much to me. No, no, it's fine.   And it really was.
  Since Sunday mornings can be rushed around here, I got to open my Mother's Day gifts the night before. First came a bag from Little Miss: a handmade necklace, sweet, love it! Then a small bag from U J: gift certificate for a haircut, aweSOME. Then another bag with a note, "I'll always be your first baby". Aww, that alone made me tear up a little. I opened the bag and pulled out that old, sweet quilt that had covered my babies every night for years. I couldn't even get words out, in fact a sob (or two...) escaped. My amazing husband knew where I had gone to sell the baby stuff and had stopped there on his way home that very night. He explained it to the kind and understanding lady and bought it back. Yes, it is just a blanket.
  Thank you Lord, for Your many blessings: for the gift of children and the role of mama, and for a husband who loves his bride as Christ loves His.  Ephesians 5:25 " Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

Teach them diligently...

"We don't teach our children the bible because we think if we do our children are going to be converted. We primarily teach our children the bible because God commands us to teach our children the bible." Paul Washer

Jesus Storybook Bible

Note to self: the bible says “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved," Acts 16:31, not 'teach them the bible and they shall be saved'. Teach them the bible as unto God.

Oh, spring....

The humm of field work begins around us. Inside the noise turns to a tractor loving little lad running from window to window, trying to get a glimpse of the machinery, shouting "Let me drive papa's tractor!" Or the one that breaks my heart a little, "Papa go with out me, Mama!" 

waving

Don't worry, he gets plenty of "drive" time.

A few of my current favorite things

~Blooming tulips 

~Homemade granola bars

~Voddie Bauchum Ministries’ FB page

~This text from Romans 4 and 5.  “In hope against hope he believed… and hope does not disappoint"  Why?  "because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit”  Beautiful.

more good news

At times, we viewed the financial obstacle in adoption as insurmountable. We stepped out in faith, knowing that if this was God's plan for our family, He would provide. And each step along the way, He has given us drops of mercy through provision~ increasing our faith in Him who is faithful. Pathways for Little Feet has approved us for an interest free loan for adoption costs. A large loan. Enough to decrease our goal through donations to The MICAH Fund by 70%. In simple terms, reduced our need from ten thousand to just over three thousand.  Since The MICAH Fund is a matching grant, we only need half of that amount donated to have our need completely met.

That. Is. HUGE. Can you see the smiles on our faces and in our hearts?

Join us in praising Him for His goodness. "But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him" Psalm 103:17

Choo Choo... he's two!

March 1st, 2010

Our little man is two. Two years of immense blessings, laughter and pure joy. What a gift~ we love our U J.  And he loves trains :)

Chu-eeese!

We had his favorite foods and a train ice cream cake (thanks to my awesome sister!) with family to celebrate. Happy birthday, little buddy!   
       "Taste and see that the Lord is good" Psalm 34:8

Support letter

The MICAH fund asks its families to send out support letters to let people know about our grant. As we wrote ours, I felt there are a couple parts that needed more recognition. For instance, black American mothers have fewer options than white American mothers for potential adoptive families. Meaning, more prospective adoptive parents are white, hence more are open to white infants than those of color. And, ready for this?  Nearly half of black American babies are aborted (cdc.gov). These facts alone deserve attention in prayer. And on a more personal level we have a few prayer requests : health and safety of birthmother and baby and when the time comes, grace to show Christ’s love to the birthparents as they grieve the loss of their child.

Answered prayer

Last night we had our interview with The MICAH Fund and they have decided to support us with our adoption plans. We are so grateful this financial need seems to have provision. Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  In His timing and His will....

Yum!

The fam (by that I mean husband) was craving chocolate cake the other night. I wanted it to be quick and easy. I found this amazing recipe. I was seriously doubtful...one bowl to mix, dairy and egg free. It was quite tasty, especially with cool whip on top. I used a bowl to mix all ingredients because mixing in the pan didn't seem quite right and used instant coffee instead of espresso powder so the kids could eat it at 7 pm :) Wish I had a picture for you, but I don't. And it's gone. Try it!

Why? There is a lot going on in our lives right now and I wanted an outlet for sharing with family and friends. So, here it is~ the tidy, shortened version of what is happening :) Welcome.