This One's for You!

This post is in honor of my mom who would have been celebrating her 52nd birthday today. 

My mom and Ty visiting me at the hospital after the birth of Levi.

She would be so excited about our adoption.  She was once an orphan in our foster care system who was welcomed into a loving family and also a biological mother who made that difficult yet brave choice of adoption for her infant son. 

In the last few weeks of her life she spent some time at our house and I clearly remember one conversation about adoption.  I shared with her some of my fears and apprehensions, yet my strong desire to adopt.  She lovingly reassured me of the great blessing it would be and that God would give us the strength to do it.

Her greatest joy in life was being a "Granny".  She didn't care how old that made her sound or look.  Even when it seemed like nothing else was going right, she had that joy to hold onto.  And though I miss her, I am glad that she is no longer in pain physically or mentally.  One day it will be a joyous reunion in heaven with much celebrating!  This one's for you mom!


Mom and Baby Levi

Mom and Me on my wedding day

Determined Steps

"Walter" 

Late last week I checked my email and nearly had a panic!  Our social worker said she had good news......we have a court date set for August 22.  I felt a bit confused, thought maybe this was a precourt kind of meeting.  Apparently there is no such thing!  Silly me!  To this point our timeline has pretty much run on schedule for an older child adoption from Taiwan.  Submitting our documents August 1st put us on track for receiving an October court date and traveling in December.  I thought we were on easy street, plans for fundraising clearly laid out and well within a manageable means. In November Chris will finish college.  It seemed perfect. 

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

This verse speaks loud and clear to us!  Nothing wrong with a plan, I love a good plan, but ultimately the Lord determines the steps that we take!

As many of you know fundraising can and is a great burden on adoptive families.  The call is clear in scripture to care for those in need especially those who are alien, widowed, or orphaned,  but when the need is great how can so few possibly answer the call and it be enough?  I don't really have an answer for this except to say that we believe in a BIG God, with infinite resources!

I came across this idea on another blog months ago and tucked it away for a rainy day.  Today is that day!  We need to raise $6,000 in order to travel.  This will cover airline tickets, food, lodging, translator, and child visa.  Again this is a large amount, but if we break it down this way

300 families giving $20 each = $6,000

Please  join with us in this effort to bring our son home.  At the top of our blog you will find a link to make tax deductible donations. 

 We ask for your continued prayers and help in sharing our story with others.  Consider sharing this on your FB page or blog.  Thank you so much!





Old Journal Entry Part 2

"And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Hebrews 11:6

June 5, 2008

We can't come to God in prayer, praise or frustration; any of those things unless we believe that He is indeed real.  I think of my coworkers who I have heard or have written "I will pray for you" or "God bless you".  Do they believe in the existence of God, the one true God?  And if they believe in Him do they have a relationship with God?  Are they open to the idea of building a relationship, do they want their children to know Him?  How can God use me to share my faith with them?  I have already told my boss that I am willing to do this at risk to my job.  I am not able to separate my faith from who I am because it defines who I am, we are one.  No job is worth that. 

I do not feel that I do a very good job at earnestly seeking God.  The word earnest makes me think of doing something as if my life depended on it.  Do I act like my life depends on seeking God's face and his word?

To often I call out to God only when it is convenient or I am so worried I don't know what else to do.  That alone is not wrong, but I see all the missed opportunities I have had when I simply fill the time with something else.

This plague of worry that surrounds me sometimes, I am sure would be kept at bay or even destroyed if I were earnestly seeking God's face.

Seeking God is like breathing in fresh air or taking a medicine that heals pain.  He is the healer.  My life will still have trouble, the bible is clear on that, but it's a whole lot harder to see when my eyes are no longer focused on them, but on the one who made me!

An Old Journal Entry Part 1

I have notebooks and journals here and there in the house, not specific books I write in everyday, just ones I take notes in during bible study or when I feel like writing out prayers.  Yesterday I came across two I wrote during another faith testing time in our families life.  I was almost 5 months pregnant with our 2nd son, Chris was contemplating getting out of the Marines and I was very unhappy at my part time job.

June 1, 2008

I get so worried before I pay bills.  We planned for my check to be extra to pay our debt down, but so often it doesn't seem to make it that far.  Chris might be changing jobs, possibly even making less money, but this is what God is showing us........it is so hard to follow sometimes.

In the reading today Jesus is in attendance at a wedding.  A feast followed that was not necessary for life, but very important to the time and culture.  In the midst of this the wine runs out and Jesus turns water into wine.  Now the wine that He made was not just bottom of the shelf jug wine, but top shelf good stuff.  In the new couples time of need Jesus provided and He provided well.

God provides.  Whether we deserve it or ask for it, He provides for our needs.  Time after time, I pay bills and am surprised by God's goodness.  I worry and sweat and toil and then there is God who speaks and it is accomplished.  He has provided for us what we need and sometimes not a lot beyond, but it is a testament to His goodness and provision.

Thank you Lord for the wonderful ways you have taken care of our family.  Your love is great than anything we can imagine.  Your power and goodness know no limit.  You are great.  I know that in my life I can never repay you, but I ask that through the power of the Holy Spirit I may offer myself to you.  I am broken, flawed, fearful of trusting, not easy to love and sinful.  Yet knowing all this you accepted me as your own and so I desire to seek your face; my offering of praise and thanks!

Amen

We made it through those days by God's grace and I hold tight to His promises that He will see us through the rough days now too!

Reeces Rainbow

One day while I was scanning the pages of children on Reece's Rainbow I came across a profile that made my heart leap.  It was our son!  He is listed on their site by Lifeline Christian services as "Walter".  After contacting RR and confirming it was indeed our little guy, his profile was moved to my family found me status.  We have not yet set up our FSP, but we will soon.  We are still in the process of gathering the funds for our agency fee and then we will be able to do the love offering and paperwork needed to get that going.  We were also given permission by All Blessings to share Walter's picture for the RR page.  We will then be able to post a link on the blog for tax deductible donations to the FSP.  Our court documents have also been submitted recently.  Now we wait for a court date.  The other piece of good news is that we had our 1st of several Skype visits with Walter!  I have to admit I was a little nervous to meet him and worried about what to say or even if he would like us.  I know....I worry a little too much!

This worry was for NOTHING!  He showed us toy cars, made silly faces at us and rambled on and on.  He really did not want the translator there, he just wanted to talk with us, which considering he was speaking Manderin, was well....entertaining at the least!  The boys kept going to get cars to show him and even the model of the helicopter Chris works on.  It all made his eyes sparkle.  For 40 minutes that boy did not stop smiling!  It was pure joy and for the next several days I don't think I could stop smiling either.  When it was time to go the translator was trying to explain to him that Momma and Papa had to put brothers to bed and that it was late.  That was ok with him EXCEPT he wanted us to come right back so we could talk some more.

We are indeed Momma and Papa to him already, that needed no translation!

Please continue to pray for God's timing and provision as we venture along this crazy and faith building thing called ADOPTION!

"Humble yourselves, therefore,

under God's mighty hand,

 that he may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on him

 becuase he cares for you."  1Peter 5:6-7