I'm a bad blogger...

So much has happened recently and I haven't been blogging about it!
After a weird turn of events involving Chris' car being totalled (parked in front of our house) and an insurance check, we have been able to really move forward with the adoption process. A VERY generous family at our church GAVE us a car so that we could use the money to put towards our adoption. That same week we randomly received a DVD disc in the mail from a ministry that we have been involved with. It was an updated listing of waiting older children in Ethiopia. At first we weren't even going to view it because the children are connected to an agency other than the one we were planning to use. We thought it would be too much of a hassle to switch agencies and go through all that- but God had other plans. We watched it and have fallen in love. After A LOT of prayer, fasting and more prayer we know that we are supposed to switch agencies. God is in the details and we are trusting in Him. Coincidentally our home study was finished and approved that same week too! Things are really starting to move along. We are now filing our I-600A paper work (immigration stuff) and will wait to get fingerprinted for the FBI. All this involves some hefty fees - but the Lord has provided and we are excited!

So we have been sitting on some awesome news but are kind of waiting until we get more information. We will definitely keep you posted!

Conversations with kids: Part Tres

Looks like this might be a regular addition to the blog..... just can't help but spread the laughs!

G: When I grow up I am going to be a vet, an artist, a ballet dancer and a doctor.
Me: You can be anything you want....
G: I am also going to be a vegetarian.
Me: (trying not to laugh) Do you know what a vegetarian is?
G: Nope.

REAL motivation....

Last night, Chris and I watched "God Grew Tired of Us". A documentary film about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Pretty powerful stuff. The Lord continues to convict me that adopting from Ethiopia is what we are supposed to do and to push through this very difficult process. When I am exposed to the reality of what is going on in nations like Sudan I am saddened, burdened and disgusted- but most of all MOTIVATED! I know that I can't change the state of the world but I can be obedient to what God has called us to do. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6

Will you join us in prayer not only for motivation through this process but also for our African brothers and sisters?

More conversations with kids.....

This week after battling the stomach flu and spending 2 whole days in bed, I finally got some nice snuggle time with the kids tonight reading our bedtime story. Mommy is no longer "yucky". After our book and prayers Grace gets to chit-chatting and wait until you hear this one....

G: Mommy, if I am the princess, then Jack is the prince, right?
Me: Yeah- or the knight!
G: Okay, I am the princess, Jack is the knight, Daddy is the King and you are the Queen!
Me: Sounds good to me!
G: I think Queens are lazy.

Guess it's time to get back on my game, folks! :)

Testing of faith

Well, we have hit a small bump in the road. We are VERY close to having our home study complete and approved. I made a phone call to the ministry that we are working with to raise money and who had offered us a "grant". There was a HUGE misunderstanding in the wording of their letter to us and we have not received a grant of "95% of the funds earmarked for our adoption". We will receive 95% of the funds earmarked for our adoption. What? Are you confused too? It goes like this, if you donate $100 then we would receive 95% of that $100. Not 95% of the $20,000 that we originally thought. Chris and I feel a little bit mislead, angry, embarrassed and frustrated. What then, is the purpose of this "ministry". They are basically a "bank" for our donated money, they also take care of setting it up so that people can donate and get a tax deduction, all the while using 5% of our donated money. We understood that when we decided to join up with them, but we also feel a little mislead with the wording of the 95% comment. The day we got the letter I even called to get clarification and she just repeated what the letter said. I still felt a bit confused but didn't push the issue because I didn't want to be a bother. I do that way too often and I feel so dumb now.

So what is the moral of the story you ask? Do your research! Push through until you get clear answers! We have learned a hard lesson. This is not a process that will just "happen". The Lord has a plan for our life and for the life of the child or children that we are going to adopt. This will move in His timing, not in ours. We have taken this as a wake up call. Do we really want this? Are we willing to put in the hard work it will take to bring our baby home? The answer is YES! We believe that this is something our family is supposed to take on. We will do whatever it takes. There are so many other things that happened this week along with our news from the fundraising ministry that have made us open our eyes. Nothing in life is a coincidence. It is all Gods plan, He is in control after all, not us.

I was reading an old My Utmost for His Highest passage this morning; Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, "I believe ’God shall supply all [my] need,’ " the testing of my faith begins ( Philippians 4:19 ). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat? How timely! Will we continue to trust God even when times are tough, even during trials? YES!

So- the money situation is grim but not hopeless. We are $1000 short of our first fee that is due to the adoption agency. That fee will get us in the "system" and start our training process. We will take this thing one fee at a time. That's all we can do! Sometime in the near future we are going to have a pig roast (some VERY generous and thoughtful friends have already donated the pig! thanks s & r!), and we will probably have another yard sale sometime soon. Any other ideas???

Note: For those of you that have donated via the fundraising ministry, rest assured that your money will be going to the cause you gave to. Our children! We will use what we have so far to pay towards our first fee and then just close out our account with them. We are currently looking into other ways for people to make donations that are tax deductible. We are also looking for real grant money!
Sorry for such a long post!

Halloween and Hillary

Has anyone else noticed how out of hand the Halloween decorations have gotten these days? Bigger, uglier, and spookier in my opinion. Well Grace sure has a lot of questions lately about all this spooky stuff we see around. After a nice treat of dinner out with Papa and Meme (my mom and dad)the kids were noticing all the yard decorations out. Including an obnoxious set of giant blow up ghosts. It sparked a conversation on the way home between Gracie and Jack- (well Grace was doing most of the talking)...

Grace: I don't believe in ghosts
Jack: Ghos's.
Me: That's good...
Grace: I don't believe in goblins
Jack: Gobins.
Me: Uh-huh
Grace: I don't believe in monsters - I am not even scared.
Jack: No scared.
Me: That's great!
Grace: I don't believe in Hillary Clinton either.
Me: (laughing hysterically)Amen sister!

I am dead serious... what goes on in the mind of a 5 year old! :)

Life took over for a while there...

It has almost been a whole month since I posted! EEK! Where does the time go! I guess when you are getting ready for a home study, for a 5th birthday, for a fundraising banquet, home schooling a kindergartener, chasing an almost 2 year old little boy around, IN ADDITION TO piles of laundry, dishes and diapers the time just slips away. How sweet the life of a mother- I love it. It will be gone in a blink of an eye! I praise my Father in heaven for blessing us will a full life!

You know how towards the end of a pregnancy - it gets SO uncomfortable that bedtime is a dread. Sleeping comfortable is practically impossible. So we all say-- "Oh- that's just nature-- getting you ready for those sleepless nights when the baby comes!" Well all this busyness that has come along with this adoption process --has got me thinking. Sometimes there is SO much to do; the paperwork, fingerprinting, doctors appointments, phone calls, interviews, thank you notes, etc. It somehow just fits into our life- we make it happen. When our kids get here- things won't be so busy,right? Because I won't have all this extra stuff to do. DUH-- I don't think so. Is all this busyness actually preparing us for 4 kids? I can actually feel the transitioning of our life. Not only in the physical but the spiritual. Our prayers are more fervent than they have ever been and Chris and I are being brought through an awesome growing time in our marriage. It is so exciting to anticipate the next season that the Lord has for our family. God is so cool.

By the way -- our first home study visit went great! Our social worker, Cindy, is DA BOMB! (am I too old to use that phrase?) She is very helpful and puts us at ease. She seems genuinely interested in our family and our process of adopting from Ethiopia. We know that it is no coincidence that her office just happens to be right down the street from our house! :) The next step is our one-on-one interviews. I will have mine next week and Chris has his in November. We are also waiting for our FBI clearance, which can take up to 8 weeks they tell us. Ug. Once that comes through we are pretty much done with the home study process as long as Cindy approves everything. After that - we can begin the mountain of paperwork with our agency - Christian World Adoption. BRING IT! :)

Moving forward....finally!

Today I got to sit down with our social worker and set our first home study visit appointment! October 10 at 2:00 p.m. our social worker will start our home inspection and interview. Yay! After a few months of not getting anything accomplished and not really having the money to do it, we are finally able to move forward in this process. The money we made at our yard sale, almost to the penny(!), went towards our application fee, half of the home study fee, the state fire marshal fee, the health department fee and our fingerprinting and background check fee. Phew! So, Friday we are off to the MVA for our driving records ($14) and to get our fingerprints done. Then we wait and find more ways to raise more money (ideas, anyone?) We need to raise another $500 to pay the other half of the home study fee. Once the home study is approved we can start on the process of filing all of our agency paperwork. Another mountain to climb! The Lord is faithful, and we will put ALL of our trust in Him alone! Praise God in all His provisions!

I saw what I saw...

watch.

Movie Party!

Last night we had a "movie party", as Gracie likes to call it. We get to eat dinner in front of the T.V. and have popcorn and M&M's too! It seems that lately it is difficult to find a really good family movie that we can all enjoy. Usually the animated movies are safe for the kids - but big yawners for Chris and I (and I stress--USUALLY-- you never know!). Last night we set out to rent "Swiss Family Robinson", but of course Blockbuster didn't have it. So we stumbled upon a gem of a movie..."Duma". When I noticed that it was directed by the same director as "Fly Away Home"- one of our faves, I thought we would give it a shot. Who knew that a movie about a cheetah, a boy and a journey across the desert could be entertaining! Not only was it family friendly, it is based in Africa and was filmed there. Bonus! We got to see some stunning footage of our new babe's homeland. Although not Ethiopia, it was exciting to see God's creation on film, and know that we will get to experience it first hand someday soon! Pop some popcorn, snuggle up with your family and watch Duma! (Jack even got excited seeing Duma run!)

Every good and PERFECT gift.....

Saturday, September 8 was our first adoption fundraiser, our yard sale. Can you believe we brought in $971!! We were speechless! God is SO GOOD! Leading up to the sale I kept saying how it would be nice to raise $1000, but deep down thought that I might be setting my hopes a bit high. How dare I doubt the power of the Lord!? This is just another confirmation for us that we are on the right track, acting in obedience and faith. Thanks to all of you that donated items to sell, baked goodies, came to support us, donated money, and that drove by honking! We love you all!
An extra special thanks to Sue W., Kathleen H. and my mom. Sue and Kathleen were there from sun up until we closed up shop at 3:00 p.m, selling, packing, loading, and entertaining kids! My mom chased Jack around ALL morning! You guys are the BEST! After a day like that, you deserve a day at the spa!
Stay tuned for the next big fundraiser.....there has been talk of a "pig pickin"! :)
Here's a pic of Chris -"the egg sandwich guy". What a hottie!

Who made you?

Who made you?
God

What else did God make?
God made all things

Why did God make you and all things?
For His own GLORY!

Today was our first day of school! Grace was so excited! In addition to the 3 R's (reading, writing and arithmetic), we are working on verse memory and learning basic Bible truths through catechism. These were her first three questions today. Could you answer these questions? Would you answer the third one that way? It's that simple. For His glory, all for His glory.

I found this image online the other day- it is called Early Morning in Sona, Simien Mountains,Ethiopia. How can you not see God's delight in creating these mountains?! I cannot wait to experience this part of God's creation- especially knowing that it is ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

tornado....

I guess it's not a coincidence that ever since we made the decision to take a leap of faith on this adoption, things have been crazy! Spiritually I mean. I hate even giving Satan the credit, but boy does he like to have a fun when we need desire Lord more than ever. I hate that the day to day issues I deal with can so easily pull me away from my Heavenly Father. I am so thankful and humbled that I can still turn to Him even when I fall short. He loves me regardless, and sometimes I just don't know what to do with that. Yesterday at church was one of those days where I was just broken. I have been asking God to show me, and He did. I am a sinner, broken and wretched. But He sent His son, for me, so that I might be whole again. I can't even wrap my mind around that. All I can do is praise Him. Thank you Lord.

If you have the time, watch this movie from GodTube, I found it on another blog I read. How often do we let sin take over and ignore our Heavenly Father, our PERFECTER! We actually think that other things in life will mold us, shape us and perfect us, all while the Lord is patiently waiting, sometimes fighting for us, just to come back to Him.

One mans trash, anothers treasure......

We are planning our first adoption fundraiser!
In order to utilize the money that we are raising with Kingdom Kids, we need to have a completed and approved homestudy. That's what we are working on now....and things we are having a hard time finding the funds for are, fingerprinting fees, home inspection fees, social worker fees, notary fees, etc. (Just wanted to clarify in what having ZERO funds meant as I stated in a previous blog..)So we thought we'd host a yard sale and try to check some of these things off our adoption to-do list!

If anyone has any items (not clothing) that they could donate to our yard sale, it would be GREATLY appreciated! We will also be selling baked goods and possibly some sort of breakfast item (I haven't quite worked out the details on the food part yet....) Or if you want to come hang out and help us sell, COME ON! The more, the merrier! Here's the scoop on the details:

WHEN: Saturday, September 8, 2007 7:00AM
WHERE: our house (for those of you that don't know where we live - email me.)
WHY: To raise money for our homestudy and get this adoption moving! Our child needs to come home to us!

Letter to the Editor....

Today, I wrote and sent this letter to the Editor of our local rag. We'll see if it gets published. Doubt it. Peace all.

Dear Editor,

A few months back we planned to attend the “Movie Under the Moon” event, put on by the Salvation Army. We arrived early and our two young children were very excited to experience watching a fun movie outdoors. They had 60’s type music playing to make the time pass while we were waiting for the sun to set. As dusk was approaching, the man in charge made an announcement that they would be playing some music videos before the movie would start (again a tactic to pass the time). My husband and I looked at each other and both wondered what type of music videos they would play, knowing that the majority of what we see on MTV is NOT appropriate for young eyes. As soon as our eyes turned back to the screen, we saw a scantily clad woman on the screen dancing to the song “You Shook Me All Night Long”, by ACDC. “Knockin me out with those American thighs…and we were makin’ it and you shook me all night long.” We were shocked! My husband immediately went to the man in charge and asked if they thought that this was appropriate for young children to see. Unfortunately, the man in charge of the movie equipment, and the head of the event for the Salvation Army argued that, yes, this was fine and they didn’t see a problem with it. We had to make the tough decision to take the kids home trying to explain that this wasn’t after all, a family event. As we left the video that proceeded was “Wild Thing” by the artist Tone-Loc. “Hopefully if things go well, I’ll be with you tonight…Couldn’t get her off my jack… that’s what happens when body starts slappin from doing the wild thing.”

Is this what it has come to? Have we become so complacent and our hearts so hardened that we don’t care what our children see or what their precious ears hear? From what I noticed at the time, we were the only family that had a reaction to these videos. How sad that we can’t have a local event that is truly “family friendly”.

In the spirit of not giving up on our community and continuing to try and find events that we can experience with our children, we often check out the Daily Times website, delmarvanow.com. I was so disappointed the other day when I went to the “entertainment” section and was bombarded with photos of half-naked women from the “Miss Seacrets” competition. The coverage of this event is in my opinion, NOT news, totally unnecessary, and VERY offensive. As a family trying to live righteous, morally sound lives, I am pleading with you and your paper to remove these images from your website. I am sure I am speaking for many families in this area when I make this plea. Take a stance against what our society deems as “acceptable” and stand out from the norm. Have pride in your establishment as one that protects the spirits and eyes of your viewers, especially the children.

Once again we are let down by our community. We will pray for you and for our city.

Thank you.
Becky V.

(I did sign my full name by the way...)

On your mark, get set, go!

Run with endurance the race that lies before you, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2

This week is Vacation Bible School at our church. A friend and myself have headed it up this year and it has been a great week! Lots of work, but great nonetheless.
This verse from Hebrews is our theme verse for the week. How fitting it is for our adoption journey! I literally get goosebumps everytime I say it in my head- it really pumps me up! Eventhough right now things are at a stand still with our adoption process, due to having ZERO funds, we know that God is in it. We are going to continue to run the race and keep our eyes on Jesus!

anxiety...

I often find myself having a moment of anxiety when I think of my child in Ethiopia. All of a sudden it hits me, that I have a child somewhere on the other side of the earth. I don't know if she is hungry, cold, afraid and crying or warm, satisfied and taken care of. I want to know that she is okay. I want to know where she is, if she has a bed to sleep in and if she is safe. I want to be able to pick her up, hold her and rock her and tell her that everything will be alright.

It's amazing that God has put this in me. I have carried two children in my womb and have experienced the anxiety that comes along with being pregnant. Waiting for the baby to kick or get the hiccups, so that I know he's in there, snug as a bug.

Although I am not pregnant, I am experiencing the same sort of emotions. This seems to be a bit more difficult though. Being a world away leaves me feeling out of control. I am trusting that the Lord is watching over my child. He is comforting her, holding her, and assuring her that she has a mommy and daddy waiting to bring her home and love her forever! He is answering her prayers.

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.
Psalm 91:4

Faith without deeds is dead....

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. John 1:19-27

I know I keep referring to this scripture, but God keeps reminding me of it. Not only when I read His word, but in music and even secular books. In our culture we choose to look the other way and hide behind the excuse of one person not being able to change the world. Or we let someone else do the dirty work; missionaries, humanitarians, politicians even celebrities. I say that's unacceptable. It doesn't matter who you are. We don't have to be rich,the next best thing or a household name. God wants us to obey HIM. Not save the world.(That's His job!) He wants us to first read His word and then obey what He says. It really is that simple.

Brooke Fraser is a phenomenal musician from New Zealand. She is a part of Hillsong United, a Christian worship band, and also has her own solo stuff. I discovered this song right when God was really speaking to us about the time being NOW to adopt. This song hits me to the core.

"Now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go 'til you are..."

I haven't physically held an Ethiopian child in my arms yet, or witnessed a mother or father dying from AIDS, or heard the cries of an abandoned baby in a dumpster, but the Lord has placed a burden so heavy on my heart I can no longer be still.

Waiting on the Lord

How cool is God!? Just when frustration and sadness seem to be taking over, God steps in and says "Wait".

Have you ever been so angry that you immediately fly off the handle and attack?! I have! Usually, the words that come out end up being the wrong ones. Our flesh wants us to act on instinct, but the Holy Spirit can intervene and guide us in the way we should go.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Last week an unfortunate situation happened and I was hurt. But the Lord showed me the truth. The person that I was originally upset with ended up being the person on my side! God kept nudging me to not give into my flesh or my instinct, and as hard as that was, I waited. He knew all along what was going on. Last night I received confirmation of my patience. Although the original offender has not come forward, and might not, I know that God uses ALL things for His glory. He used a "yucky" situation to teach me. I pray that others are open to His teaching, through the good and the bad.

Today starts a new week, a new opportunity to learn. Another week to be patient.

6 years ago today.....

Chris and I were married! Happy Anniversary hunny! In honor of our special day I have decided to post "6 Things I Love About Chris". Enjoy!

1. I love that you love GOD first.
2. I love how our son looks EXACTLY like you. It makes me smile.
3. I love that you know just the right moment to hug me, usually when I need it
most, and I usually start crying like a big idiot.
4. I love that our daughter thinks that you are the funniest guy in the world!
5. I love that you want to have more babies. (I am the most miserable pregnant
woman, and you STILL put up with me!)
6. I love that you get up with the kids in the morning and get the coffee going,
every day. Sometimes that's the best part of my day!

Looking forward to MANY more years of smiles, hugs, laughs, cute kids, and morning coffee! I love you!

Going into battle...

It's hard enough trying to walk the straight and narrow. We all run into bumps in the road and experience discouragement in our Christian walk,right? What happens when another "Christian" is a part of the tearing down, and breaking of spirit? Isn't the church supposed to be our safe haven? Aren't we supposed to lift each other up and not knock each other down?

Being faced with these questions, the Lord brought me to His word in Psalm 139. He is always with us. Even in the darkness He is with us. He knows our past and he knows our future.

Read Exodus 23:23; My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Was God actually leading the Israelites into battle?! Yes! He wanted them to fight the good fight before they received their promise from God! Does this still happen today? Is God testing me in a "battle" to see if I do the right thing? I believe that He is.

Many times discouragement comes from the enemy, and in this season of our lives I know that the he is working hard to prevent us from serving our Lord. Even if he has to use other "Christians" to do it. But today, as hard as it is to swallow, I believe that this isn't the enemy, but the Lord preparing me for battle. I must face the fight, head on and allow God to use me in solving a yucky situation.

We are answering a call to adopt a child from Ethiopia and this child, who might not normally have a chance at life, could potentially change the world. We are also being obedient in our roles as parents to Grace and Jack and raising them to know and fear our loving God. I can only pray that our children will be MIGHTY warriors for the Lord. I pray that my example will be a testimony to them. This is just the beginning.

But, you're white.....?

We have already been approached with this issue. "Why is a white family adopting a black child?" "Why would you do that to the child? Aren't they going to feel like an outsider?" "You are going to face some hard realities."

I had a dream last night that I traveled to Africa to finally pick up our child. I was by myself and I walked into an orphanage, and was surrounded by children. I had to walk around and find my child. A woman was sitting on the floor near a window, and under the window was this baby. When I saw the tiny thing I immediately knew that she was mine. She was very small and weak, and the woman told me that she had been abandoned in a trash heap. I picked her up and she turned into an older child laughing and playing with me. Although when I first laid eyes on her she was black, when she came close she was white and I kept thinking, "why is this child white?" "Does God not think I can handle raising a black child in my "white" world?" I was so sad. My dream went on and I continued to play with the child and get used the idea that she was the one I would be bringing home.

So this morning I sat down to do my devotional and it was based on 1 John 3:2.
"We are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him." This is such a reminder to me that no matter what we look like on the outside, we are ALL the same in the eyes of the Lord. We will never really know who we are supposed to be until we meet Him. And when that day comes, we will be just like Him! No matter if you are a rich, white business man; a middle-class asian american; or a poor black orphan from Ethiopia, we are all made in the image of Him. We all will have the same purpose. We put so much worth in what a person looks like,or what a person does for a living. Will we turn away from Jesus on the day we meet Him if He doesn't look like us? I doubt it. We will be overwhelmed to see not only the face of Jesus but the heart of Jesus also. I can't wait!

My dream reminded me of even my own insecurities in the area of race. As the Lord shows me these things, I humbly pray that He is showing others in our life the same. When our child in Ethiopia comes home to us, I pray that she will be a living testimony of grace and mercy.

How many orphans in Ethiopia?

According to UNICEF there are an estimated 6 million orphans in Ethiopia. Their total population is an estimated 70 million. More than 744,000 of these orphans have lost their parents to AIDS. Can you wrap your mind around these numbers? I can't. What does 6 million actually look like?
Ethiopia has the largest HIV/AIDS infected population in the world. Children in Ethiopia die from childhood diseases that could easily be prevented through basic health services.

How can we NOT do something?


Dear Jesus,
I pray today that you give us the strength to make a difference. To come out of our own selfish ways and to actually SEE the reality. Show us what we can actually do. SHOW us the reality Lord. Let it be so real, we can no longer turn our heads the other way. Thank you Lord for your mercy, your forgiveness and your unconditional love. We are undeserving. I praise you in all your holiness for the blessings that you have bestowed on me and my family. Amen.

$2

Sunday our pastor handed out $2 to everyone in our congregation. He told a story of some missionaries that had to start their mission with only $2. They were not able to ask for money along their way, nor let anyone know that they had only $2. They had to trust God to provide for them. They also had to return from their mission with at least $2. Keep in mind that this was a choice for these missionaries, they didn't have to do this, yet they decided to take the challenge. The missionaries also had to tithe 10% of everything that they were given within a 24 hour period. A few of the missionaries had decided to save everything and put the 10% aside, in case some "emergency needs" came up. Of course they always had those "emergency needs". But the group that did as they were told never had needs, the Lord always met them where they were. A place to stay, a meal, even an afternoon tea event, all the necessary things were provided in one way or another.

"All the believers were in one heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possesions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." Acts 5:32-37

What TRUST! The Holy Spirit really spoke to me through this. "Trust me" He says. He asks us to open our hearts and give. How often do we "set aside" our tithe, or pay it last, not first, "just in case"? This is an area that God has really revealed Himself to me. How can I ask God for blessings and guidance when I am not even willing to trust Him with what is already His!? He is merciful, holy and loving. He knows what is best for me. "Trust me."

In my reading and research about adoption and specifically Ethiopia, there is such need! It is overwhelming at times. I want to do more than just adopt. That is only one facet of the journey for me. I know that God is igniting a fire in me for orphans, to serve them in a way that right now I cannot see. I pray that He continues to give me a vision to serve and give in a larger capacity than I could ever dream!

Today I am claiming that God is going to make this adoption happen. I know this is just the beginning for us. We have recieved confirmation after confirmation from our wonderful Lord that this adoption is what we are supposed to do. It might be a long road and a hard journey but I am already filled with joy for the day our child comes home to us and the eternal impact it is going to have on us, our children, our family, and our church. Now, what to do with HIS $2??

Something else to chew on, you HAVE to watch this video on YouTube. It is U2 in concert, praising God, and a short speech at the end at the National Prayer breakfast, some pretty powerful stuff.

the beginning.....

Well, I am joining the ranks and creating a blog to share in our journey to adopt from Ethiopia! I have found and read so many great blogs that have really inspired me, I thought I would give it a shot. Also-- what a great way to journal this experience and share with others our calling to do this, hopefully we'll inspire others too!



So I guess I will give a little history into how this whole notion of adopting a child from all the way across the world began.



Chris and I have always talked about adoption, even when we were dating. We have always had a common vision in our family being a little "different" than other families. Besides thinking that possibly adopting a child would come after we had all of our biological children, I also always thought that we would adopt domestically. Boy, did the Lord have another plan in mind for us!



One night we sat down to watch the movie "Blood Diamonds", and were very disturbed and bothered that this was something that actually goes on. (African children being abducted and forced into working as a child soldier, brutally murdering and torturing people.) The movie was very graphic, yet eye-opening. This stirred something in me. We had a brief conversation and I heard a voice speak to me, ever so gently "I will provide". What? I asked in my head. I heard it again. I brushed it off.



A few weeks later Chris received a DVD in his box at church. "Invisible Children." We put it in. Again, another disturbing but totally eye-opening experience. This documentary is about 3 guys that travel to Uganda, Africa really not knowing what to expect when they get there, and not knowing that they were about to uncover a huge story. Children from villages miles away travel by foot- every night to hide out and sleep together in an abandoned hospital (or bus station- I'm not sure). They are trying to escape the warlords, The Lords Resistance Army, that come into their villages and kidnap, rape and kill. These are the same warlords that we learned of in the movie "Blood Diamonds". We are not talking a few kids. We are talking hundreds of kids. It stunned us. Fortunately, this documentary has turned into a true movement. Check out their website, http://www.invisiblechildren.com/. Once again, this stirred something up in us. We felt like God was pointing us in the direction of Africa for some reason. We decided to start checking out agencies, start asking questions.



While researching agencies we came across a video made at an agency orphanage in Ethiopia. A segment of it shows a boy receiving a pair of shoes. They were too big, a bit silly looking, but new to him. This was the first pair of new shoes that this boy has ever received. The emotion and excitement that came from this young boy was something so raw, so pure, I LOST it. A pair of shoes??? What?? My kids get a pair of new shoes every change of season and hardly flinch. I mean, maybe if they have lights and make noise I will get a little dance and an extra hug , but that's it. I realized then, that it is that simple. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 He was asking us to do this. Later that evening I showed Chris, thinking he would be moved, but not to the level I was. He was also a mess!! We literally got on our knees on the floor of our playroom and cried out to God. He had placed something in our hearts and it was then we knew that our child (or children) were waiting for us in Ethiopia. Praise you God!!