Thank you to the many people who continue to check in on us through this blog, even though we have had so little news to report. It means a lot to us to know that others are joining us in our anticipation for this adoption to move forward.
We continue to be in almost daily contact with our adoption agency. They in turn are in regular communication with their staff on the ground in Eastern Europe. To this point, we have gotten news in bits and pieces, most of it relatively disappointing. The ministry of education has talked with our agency about a few children for us, but none that would be available to us according to our home study (age, health, etc are fairly non-negotiable items, both for the government and for us). Most of the time, the meetings have been completely fruitless.
That said, we have some hope that we may get a referral we could accept next week! Judy (our agency manager) let us know that another meeting is scheduled for Monday and that there may be a child available for us. We have learned not to get our hopes up, but we are cautiously optimistic that news could be coming soon. We ask that you guys pray for this weekend and early next week that we would finally get news that moves us forward. There is a little girl out there somewhere who is supposed to be a part of our family...let's pray that God gets her here sooner than later!
Have a happy, blessed Easter....He is risen!!
DESIGN CODE
Friday, April 6, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Waiting Room
As much as I know things are going to move fast and quickly all will be different, I still am getting a little anxious knowing that the time is getting closer. I love being a Mama and cherish hearing my 17 year old call me by that name still, however, those that say mothering is a never ending job are sort of mistaken. I would say that my role as Mama has severely changed over the years. They really DO grow up quick and just don't need you like they used to, which (hesitantly) is ok. A Mama's job is different over the years and we just wouldn't be Mama's if we were not helping them grow up and move on, now would we? Growing up means that they just DON'T need you like they used to....ah the irony.
As the time gets closer to getting our referral I am greatly anticipating all the mothering that I will once again be doing. The nose wiping, the potty-'reminding' or 'training'-not sure yet, the chuckles of laughter, the silly faces, the coloring together, reading together, the daily clothes choices, the hair bows, the hair brushing, the bathing, the bubbles in the bath!, the dancing around the house to loud music!, the meal preparation for a little one, the dr. visits, the new school visits and attending at some point (look out Mrs. Linden or Mrs. Branner!), the learning how to ride her bike, the visits to the beach, the 'pet the dog nicely, like this', the 'why is she crying' questions, the 'is she sleeping yet?', the Winnie the Pooh movies and Sesame Street shows! Oh the joys to come!
This is the Waiting Room. It is a busy room. It is a time of thinking, planning and anticipating. Waiting is a verb. It is a busy word. It means to.... to stay in place in expectation of; a : to be ready and available and b : to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized. Ok, I like the first two better than the last. So here I am, here we are...ready and expecting. :) We are planning on getting more ready around the home after the first trip. Then we will know what size she is and will be able to go through her clothes and sort out the right sizes. Right now we have about every size from 2 to 8. We don't have a coat yet, but think it will be warm when we get her, at least at this rate that may be true. We are hoping to travel during the warm months coming up. That is much more pleasant for me as I am a warm weather girl! I was so not looking forward to EE in the winter months! So that is one positive note.
One more thing Derek and I were talking about recently is the name of this blog. Kaylee's Hope. We love the name and even though Kaylee has been adopted by another family we feel we should keep this name. At this time it is best. That could change in the future, but we are planning on continuing to advocate for ORPHANS ongoing, so this would be an appropriate title as we have a HEART for the FATHERLESS and Kaylee was once one such child. She is also the one, though she does not know it, that started us down this path towards EE and to hands-on work with the orphan. There are so many 'Kaylee's' in the world, let's all choose to be a part of helping save Kaylee's life by either adopting or supporting those that do. The root being--do you value life? Check out these orphans that already have alot raised for their adoptions, Click Here .
You can do something too! :) Love you all and can't wait to update you on our progress soon!
As the time gets closer to getting our referral I am greatly anticipating all the mothering that I will once again be doing. The nose wiping, the potty-'reminding' or 'training'-not sure yet, the chuckles of laughter, the silly faces, the coloring together, reading together, the daily clothes choices, the hair bows, the hair brushing, the bathing, the bubbles in the bath!, the dancing around the house to loud music!, the meal preparation for a little one, the dr. visits, the new school visits and attending at some point (look out Mrs. Linden or Mrs. Branner!), the learning how to ride her bike, the visits to the beach, the 'pet the dog nicely, like this', the 'why is she crying' questions, the 'is she sleeping yet?', the Winnie the Pooh movies and Sesame Street shows! Oh the joys to come!
This is the Waiting Room. It is a busy room. It is a time of thinking, planning and anticipating. Waiting is a verb. It is a busy word. It means to.... to stay in place in expectation of; a : to be ready and available and b : to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized. Ok, I like the first two better than the last. So here I am, here we are...ready and expecting. :) We are planning on getting more ready around the home after the first trip. Then we will know what size she is and will be able to go through her clothes and sort out the right sizes. Right now we have about every size from 2 to 8. We don't have a coat yet, but think it will be warm when we get her, at least at this rate that may be true. We are hoping to travel during the warm months coming up. That is much more pleasant for me as I am a warm weather girl! I was so not looking forward to EE in the winter months! So that is one positive note.
One more thing Derek and I were talking about recently is the name of this blog. Kaylee's Hope. We love the name and even though Kaylee has been adopted by another family we feel we should keep this name. At this time it is best. That could change in the future, but we are planning on continuing to advocate for ORPHANS ongoing, so this would be an appropriate title as we have a HEART for the FATHERLESS and Kaylee was once one such child. She is also the one, though she does not know it, that started us down this path towards EE and to hands-on work with the orphan. There are so many 'Kaylee's' in the world, let's all choose to be a part of helping save Kaylee's life by either adopting or supporting those that do. The root being--do you value life? Check out these orphans that already have alot raised for their adoptions, Click Here .
You can do something too! :) Love you all and can't wait to update you on our progress soon!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Adoption/Family Updates!
Thank you to all of you who continue to visit our blog even though we have been slooooooooow to post any updates lately. So, thought I would write a quick blog on what's going on with the adoption and with our family...hopefully, if all goes well, there will be bigger news coming soon!
Today, Alyssa and I visited the notary to get some final papers notarized for our new region. Following the advice of our agency, we have decided to change regions for our adoption. After we lost Kaylee, we didn't have a strong reason to stay in the region we were in. Global recommended a change of regions as this area is supposedly known for much smoother adoptions. We have an online friend who adopted from this region and had nothing but glowing things to say about her experience there...so, we are trusting God that this is a good decision and that He will bring us the child that is meant for our family. We will send the papers to the secretary of state tomorrow for apostilling, and then they will be on to Maryland. From that point, they will be sent out of the country. We won't put a timetable on things from that point, but we are hopeful that things will move efficiently.
Alyssa is busy with work (as usual!) and continues to be blessed by working full time with people with special needs. (She works to get funding, housing and services for people with disabilities.) I was able to meet a couple of her clients on Sunday at church....what a blessing! These two women had such a sweet innocence and undeniable love for Alyssa. That was very cool for me to see. Alyssa has also had the privilege of organizing and being a part of a local adoptive mom's group that meets a couple of times a month or so...the group continues to grow every time they meet and she is finally not the only mom there who hasn't adopted yet! This has been a great resource for her and our family as she gets to learn so much from a lot of sweet families who have gone through this process before us.
Sam was voted homecoming queen at VCA this past week! Victory does things a little differently...the teachers nominate the court based on Christian character, school and community involvement and academics. So, it was definitely a privilege and honor for Sam to be thought of so highly by her teachers. The students then vote from the nominees and Sam won! I would say I am surprised, but frankly I am not...she is a wonderful young lady who has the respect of adults and is loved by her peers. She is in the middle of thinking through her options for college (she is a junior now) and is strongly considering Indiana Wesleyan, Grace and Huntington. We are planning to take her on a few visits next month, so hopefully God will give her some clear direction through that trip.
Cade went to his first dance this Saturday (VCA's homecoming) and had a great time! He is also starting to get involved in the youth group at Liberty and will be going on their winter retreat in February. He also starts high school baseball practice in February. I'm excited to see him getting to do so many social things and I think this is going to be a great spring for him.
(Cade ready for the dance!)
Logan just got his second grading period report card and once again got straight A's! We are so proud of him! He is really growing up and we are seeing him mature all the time. He has a good group of buddies this year and is really enjoying his fifth grade class. Hopefully, he will be able to play spring soccer this year. He is also getting involved with Liberty's 5th/6th grade ministry and that has been great...he has close VCA friends in the group and that has really helped him engage with church.
(Logan's "crazy" picture)
I hope everyone doesn't mind me bragging on my family....they are all great and special in their own unique ways. I am still getting to know them every day, and I am more and more proud of them all the time!
In terms of me, it has been a great month. The basketball team hit a rough patch for a while with players out of the lineup for various reasons, but we have won our last four games and are really growing as a team. The conference tournament and state tournament are this month and we think we have a good shot in both tourneys. It's been a fun season. Last week, I had the great privilege to speak alongside Rick Jones at VCA's spiritual emphasis week. After prayer and consideration, we chose to specifically address the boys of Victory. We have a strong conviction that if God wins the hearts of young men, he can do amazing things in our school. We worked together on a sermon series entitled "Modern Warfare" that elaborated on the spiritual battle that young men must fight. At the end of the week, we offered an opportunity for commissioning as a warrior for God...a true man of God. Over 50 boys between 4th-12th grades responded to the challenge! What a blessing that was only a result of the outpouring of God's spirit on our school. I hope to post video of these sermons on my blog (derekchirch.blogspot.com) sometime in the coming weeks. Great week at a great school!
We have plans in the works for more fundraising and we hope to post more on this soon. May the Lord bless and keep you all and make His face shine upon you!
Today, Alyssa and I visited the notary to get some final papers notarized for our new region. Following the advice of our agency, we have decided to change regions for our adoption. After we lost Kaylee, we didn't have a strong reason to stay in the region we were in. Global recommended a change of regions as this area is supposedly known for much smoother adoptions. We have an online friend who adopted from this region and had nothing but glowing things to say about her experience there...so, we are trusting God that this is a good decision and that He will bring us the child that is meant for our family. We will send the papers to the secretary of state tomorrow for apostilling, and then they will be on to Maryland. From that point, they will be sent out of the country. We won't put a timetable on things from that point, but we are hopeful that things will move efficiently.
Alyssa is busy with work (as usual!) and continues to be blessed by working full time with people with special needs. (She works to get funding, housing and services for people with disabilities.) I was able to meet a couple of her clients on Sunday at church....what a blessing! These two women had such a sweet innocence and undeniable love for Alyssa. That was very cool for me to see. Alyssa has also had the privilege of organizing and being a part of a local adoptive mom's group that meets a couple of times a month or so...the group continues to grow every time they meet and she is finally not the only mom there who hasn't adopted yet! This has been a great resource for her and our family as she gets to learn so much from a lot of sweet families who have gone through this process before us.
(A beautiful painting Alyssa did for a friend!)
Sam was voted homecoming queen at VCA this past week! Victory does things a little differently...the teachers nominate the court based on Christian character, school and community involvement and academics. So, it was definitely a privilege and honor for Sam to be thought of so highly by her teachers. The students then vote from the nominees and Sam won! I would say I am surprised, but frankly I am not...she is a wonderful young lady who has the respect of adults and is loved by her peers. She is in the middle of thinking through her options for college (she is a junior now) and is strongly considering Indiana Wesleyan, Grace and Huntington. We are planning to take her on a few visits next month, so hopefully God will give her some clear direction through that trip.
(Queen Sam!)
Cade went to his first dance this Saturday (VCA's homecoming) and had a great time! He is also starting to get involved in the youth group at Liberty and will be going on their winter retreat in February. He also starts high school baseball practice in February. I'm excited to see him getting to do so many social things and I think this is going to be a great spring for him.
Logan just got his second grading period report card and once again got straight A's! We are so proud of him! He is really growing up and we are seeing him mature all the time. He has a good group of buddies this year and is really enjoying his fifth grade class. Hopefully, he will be able to play spring soccer this year. He is also getting involved with Liberty's 5th/6th grade ministry and that has been great...he has close VCA friends in the group and that has really helped him engage with church.
I hope everyone doesn't mind me bragging on my family....they are all great and special in their own unique ways. I am still getting to know them every day, and I am more and more proud of them all the time!
In terms of me, it has been a great month. The basketball team hit a rough patch for a while with players out of the lineup for various reasons, but we have won our last four games and are really growing as a team. The conference tournament and state tournament are this month and we think we have a good shot in both tourneys. It's been a fun season. Last week, I had the great privilege to speak alongside Rick Jones at VCA's spiritual emphasis week. After prayer and consideration, we chose to specifically address the boys of Victory. We have a strong conviction that if God wins the hearts of young men, he can do amazing things in our school. We worked together on a sermon series entitled "Modern Warfare" that elaborated on the spiritual battle that young men must fight. At the end of the week, we offered an opportunity for commissioning as a warrior for God...a true man of God. Over 50 boys between 4th-12th grades responded to the challenge! What a blessing that was only a result of the outpouring of God's spirit on our school. I hope to post video of these sermons on my blog (derekchirch.blogspot.com) sometime in the coming weeks. Great week at a great school!
(A shot from our big win @ Portage Christian, our rivals!)
We have plans in the works for more fundraising and we hope to post more on this soon. May the Lord bless and keep you all and make His face shine upon you!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
not easy.
This walk with the Lord is anything but, easy. It is fruitful, it is a journey, it is encouraging, it is joyful...but not easy. At times it may seem so, but then we need to ask...does that mean I am growing? Or am i just going through routine? business as usual, so to speak. However, a twist on this thought is that when we are relying on ourselves to accomplish anything it may not be easy...relying on the Holy Spirit is easy. Doesn't He say- My yoke is easy, my burden is light? Well yes, it is, when we are surrendering to ourselves. Surrendering to our own dreams, our own goals, our own wants. Now the surrendering --that's not the easy part. Is death easy? Is dying painless? Dying to our own desires, our own will, our own dreams.
We need to be careful what we attach to. "Detachment is the great secret of interior peace. Along the way, in the journey with Christ, we get attached to (literally 'nailed to') behaviors, habits, things and people in an unhealthy way", as stated in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. He goes on to say that we rarely know how attached we are to something until it is removed. Then the power struggle begins.
Szazzero goes on to say, 'we are to appreciate nature, people and all God's gifts, along with His presence in Creation-----without being ensnared by them. It has rightly been said that those who are the most detached on the journey are best able to taste the purest joy in the beauty of created things. The critical issue on this journey with God is not "Am I happy?", but "Am I free?" We are to live our lives as the rest of the world--marrying, experiencing sorrow and joy, buying things and using them--but always with awareness that these things in themselves are not our lives. We are marked for eternity, free from the dominating power of things. Among our losses, God answers-- No, you don't need that. You need me!'
'The journey with Jesus calls us to a life of undivided devotion to Him. This requires that we simplify our lives, removing distractions. Part of that will mean grieving our losses and embracing the gift of our limits.'
While reading this book over Christmas break and intentionally journaling, seeking God for a personal revival, more depth in Him and a greater capacity to love Him and others, we have heard the news that our little Kaylee has been adopted by a Russian family. All along, I have known that circumstances could change at anytime and 'not to get too attached until its final', however I still have had a level of attachment to Kaylee. This is normal and completely healthy as we had a picture and information about her! So this is grieved by Derek and I, our children, our families and by you all that have supported us along this journey. We have no control over this happening. The joy in this is that she has a home! She has a home and we are thankful that it could be a Christian home. Praise God and we pray for this!
We do not ask for pity or anyone to feel sorry for us, we ask for you to REJOICE with us! We ask that you rejoice with us that she has a home! :) Yet we will Praise God! Rejoice in our trials (James 1) He says, so that is what we will and MUST do! He commands us to do this, so please do this with us! We have to remember God is much bigger than us!
Please don't think we are not grieving. We have grieved over the past several weeks of knowing this possibility. There have been times of anger and frustration over the system, having her picture and profile, etc....but we now rejoice. We rejoice she has a home, we rejoice in our trial, we rejoice in our faith being tested, we rejoice in our friends and family supporting us and being on this journey with us. We now trust the Lord once again for His great provision for this little girl and for the next one! We are so grateful that there is another one that can have a family. Come on church---rise up and BE. Be what God had commanded us to be. As my husband said earlier just today, as we were leaving church and I said once again, it is sad....he said, 'yes, but it is about an orphan having a home, not about our feelings'.
We look forward to this next step in our lives and in the lives of all the orphans in need. We continue to be reminded that God has called us to be a voice for the voiceless and this is not just about one little girl. We continue to ask the Lord for ways to be their voice.
We desire to grow our family and have more children as well, don't get us wrong, He has definitely given us that desire! However, we will wait on the Lord knowing that He has a perfect timing and a perfect will. We will continue to seek to offer our lives to Him in obedience asking Him to grow us and change us in Him. Come Lord Jesus! :)
We need to be careful what we attach to. "Detachment is the great secret of interior peace. Along the way, in the journey with Christ, we get attached to (literally 'nailed to') behaviors, habits, things and people in an unhealthy way", as stated in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. He goes on to say that we rarely know how attached we are to something until it is removed. Then the power struggle begins.
Szazzero goes on to say, 'we are to appreciate nature, people and all God's gifts, along with His presence in Creation-----without being ensnared by them. It has rightly been said that those who are the most detached on the journey are best able to taste the purest joy in the beauty of created things. The critical issue on this journey with God is not "Am I happy?", but "Am I free?" We are to live our lives as the rest of the world--marrying, experiencing sorrow and joy, buying things and using them--but always with awareness that these things in themselves are not our lives. We are marked for eternity, free from the dominating power of things. Among our losses, God answers-- No, you don't need that. You need me!'
'The journey with Jesus calls us to a life of undivided devotion to Him. This requires that we simplify our lives, removing distractions. Part of that will mean grieving our losses and embracing the gift of our limits.'
While reading this book over Christmas break and intentionally journaling, seeking God for a personal revival, more depth in Him and a greater capacity to love Him and others, we have heard the news that our little Kaylee has been adopted by a Russian family. All along, I have known that circumstances could change at anytime and 'not to get too attached until its final', however I still have had a level of attachment to Kaylee. This is normal and completely healthy as we had a picture and information about her! So this is grieved by Derek and I, our children, our families and by you all that have supported us along this journey. We have no control over this happening. The joy in this is that she has a home! She has a home and we are thankful that it could be a Christian home. Praise God and we pray for this!
We do not ask for pity or anyone to feel sorry for us, we ask for you to REJOICE with us! We ask that you rejoice with us that she has a home! :) Yet we will Praise God! Rejoice in our trials (James 1) He says, so that is what we will and MUST do! He commands us to do this, so please do this with us! We have to remember God is much bigger than us!
Please don't think we are not grieving. We have grieved over the past several weeks of knowing this possibility. There have been times of anger and frustration over the system, having her picture and profile, etc....but we now rejoice. We rejoice she has a home, we rejoice in our trial, we rejoice in our faith being tested, we rejoice in our friends and family supporting us and being on this journey with us. We now trust the Lord once again for His great provision for this little girl and for the next one! We are so grateful that there is another one that can have a family. Come on church---rise up and BE. Be what God had commanded us to be. As my husband said earlier just today, as we were leaving church and I said once again, it is sad....he said, 'yes, but it is about an orphan having a home, not about our feelings'.
We look forward to this next step in our lives and in the lives of all the orphans in need. We continue to be reminded that God has called us to be a voice for the voiceless and this is not just about one little girl. We continue to ask the Lord for ways to be their voice.
We desire to grow our family and have more children as well, don't get us wrong, He has definitely given us that desire! However, we will wait on the Lord knowing that He has a perfect timing and a perfect will. We will continue to seek to offer our lives to Him in obedience asking Him to grow us and change us in Him. Come Lord Jesus! :)
Friday, December 30, 2011
He Sets the Lonely in Families...
The adoption process has been full of twists and turns, so we have gotten used to expecting the unexpected. Honestly, though, we never expected the news that Kaylee is being adopted by a Russian family.
When you commit to a child from another country, very rarely is that a binding commitment in the eyes of that government. You can begin the process and attempt to pursue the child, but until you actually have the approval of the judge you have no legal claim to her. If a citizen of that country steps up and pursues an adoption of the child, there is literally nothing an American family can do. We have known all along that this was a possibility but that these situations rarely arise. Unfortunately for us, this is precisely the case for Kaylee.
In talking with a missionary friend from the country, it is rare that families there adopt children (let alone children with any kind of medical or special need). He said that it is almost always a Christian family that pursues these adoptions. So, while we have no official knowledge of her family, we have good reason to believe she is going to be in a Christian family. We rejoice in that hope and will pray that the Lord directs her path and she comes to know Him in a personal way. It brings us joy that she is no longer counted among the "lonely."
Are we disappointed? Of course. Despite not ever meeting Kaylee, our family "knew" her from pictures and descriptions. We "knew" her in the sense that we pictured her in our family, in her room and at our school. Poor little Laney (our three-year old niece) just knew that she and Kaylee would be best friends. When her mom broke the news to her tonight and let her know that there are many other lonely, orphaned kids who need a family, she cried and said "But I don't love the other kids!!!" (It's okay to laugh at that...it's cute.) Our own kids were very surprised and I think are not sure what to think...they had really adjusted to the idea of a new sibling and were expecting to meet Kaylee soon. So, certainly our disappointments are real. Whether we "met" Kaylee or not, it is difficult not to imagine her in our family.
That said, God is a comforter and peace-giver and He has shown Himself to be present in adjusting our perspective. We feel just as much joy as we do sadness. Two orphans will now have a home! This is certainly greater than just one little girl coming to be with us. When we decided to adopt, our decision wasn't based on Kaylee. We want to adopt because kids need families. God cares for the orphans, the lonely and the brokenhearted. We want to have that same heart. So, while our plans have shifted in terms of specifics, nothing has changed in our general plans. We are still headed to Eastern Europe as soon as we have a referral. There are some minor paperwork adjustments and perhaps a little more waiting (no surprise there), but nothing will stop us from fulfilling God's call to care for orphans. While we do not have a specific child in mind, we do know that we will be referred a little girl. Once we get that referral, we will probably not provide very much information to friends and family until the adoption is official. We learned our lesson about attachments throughout these months, and we want to protect our friends and family from any unneeded hurt.
Will you pray for us as we walk with God through the next steps of this journey? As I'm sure many will ask, here is a tentative timeline (note that I did say tentative---everything is tentative when dealing with adoptions!):
January- Remaining updated paperwork will be sent to EE for dossier submittal in another region. Assuming there are no errors in the paperwork, this could be a relatively short process.
January/February- We hope to have a referral during this time period. Basically, once everything is submitted, we will be matched with a child that meets our requests. We will then have time to pray over the referral, review it and decide whether or not to accept it. It is unlikely we would not accept the referral unless there were unforeseen issues that arose or some factor we felt would not fit with our family.
February- Once we have a referral, we will do another large fundraiser of some kind. We still have money to raise, but we wanted to put a long block of time between our fundraisers. We do not want to burn anyone out or offend anyone. We know people support and love us (as well as orphans), so we do not feel bad to fundraise. But it's nice for everyone to have a break. This fundraiser will likely be an event (a bowling night maybe?)
February/March- Maybe we will finally get to travel?!?
March/April/May- If we have taken a first trip, we should be able to travel during these months.
We covet your prayers. Pray that our family will be able to maintain a joyful spirit despite the circumstances. Pray that our paperwork will be accepted without any mistakes. Pray that we will be issued a quick referral. Pray that we will have wisdom as we make a decision about accepting the referral. Pray that we will be able to travel soon and that this little child will find a family in us.
Thanks for hanging in there with us...we will try to update the blog a little more frequently now that we have been able to put this news out there!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Family.
- A basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.
- Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place
We are not in this to have it easy just as the blog says....www.goodtobecrazy.com --Click Here.
We are not here to shelter them from all that life blows at them. We are not here to guard them and protect them from every hardship and trial, we are here to guide them through it. How do we grow and especially grow closer to God? It is usually through a trial we are going through or some reason to 'really pray', right? Let's get in the trenches with our children. The Lord calls us to help the broken and hurting...if at the expense of some of our own comfort and children's comfort--then yes! That is what we are to do. King David said, "I will not offer a sacrifice to you God that does not cost me anything". This is what we are called to do as Christians. When we lay down our life, we find our life. When we do what is right on behalf of the needy, we are doing it unto the Lord and the fruit will abound. Will our children complain or act 'put out'? uh, at times, possibly. But hang in there. Will they learn to give and care and love? quite possibly yes. They will learn to 'obey God's command' to love others and go into all the world, when you do. They will learn to follow you when you lay down your life. They will learn to care when you do. Go. Do. Listen to that call. No matter. Ruffled feathers at times? possibly yes. But the thing I know about feathers is that they will lay back down after a little while. :)
As we wait to hear about Kaylee's availability over the next couple weeks, I am even more encouraged and motivated to be a voice for the orphan. I am also reminded that we are all orphans. Even my children, we are all orphans in need of a loving Father--our Heavenly Father. We are lost on our own. We were bought at a price. The price of Jesus on the cross. As we walk by His Spirit today and wait on His leading let us remember that He is Sovereign. Let's trust Him more today than we did yesterday. Let's fear less. Let's ask Him what He has called us to do. Logic aside. He is bigger and more logical than us. Let's do it.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Celebrating Family! :)
In the process of our first adoption and
as we wait to hopefully hear THIS week about our first travel date I am celebrating FAMILY!! :)
I will be celebrating FAMILY, well I want to say all month, but I may just be celebrating FAMILY all year...and then maybe all next year and so on......
So as I pull out the boxes of pictures, dust them off, crack them open and start organizing, laughing, loving and remembering old times....I will be putting together albums. I will be catching up on all those old albums and boxes of photos so that we can start fresh this year!!
I started looking through old pictures last night and sorting them by.....
1. Sam
2.Cade
3. Logan
4. 2-3 kids together
5. friends of the family
6. Me- all my years, which is not that many btw.
7. Derek
8. Sweet, Loving, Wonderful Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins
9. Praise Dance
10. Old throwback Vintage Photos
So as I am looking through these pics and then talking with my oldest, Samantha last night...I want you to know I am........................
I am CELEBRATING SAM today and this month!
I am CELEBRATING SAM today and this month!
So I came across a photo of Samantha when she was younger reading a book and relaxing on the couch. I immediately smiled and said, 'LOOK SAM!!' That is SOOO YOU!! Then I turned to my husband and said, 'what is girl reads in Russian?' And he said, 'slkdjfsdjljf'.....hahaha.
Needless to say, he is catching on to the language more than me at this point. More to say on this later.....
but BACK TO FAMILY.....I was saying Samantha is my reader...had always been my reader since I first taught her what M - O - M spelled. I still remember that 2 year old sitting there at an old little school desk (easy to come by in this family as some of you know).....and she had those little magnetic letters and
I put M O M on the board....sounded out each letter and she followed, then said MOM and she said MOM!
There it was..there it all began.
Well maybe it began when she was one and I had a shelf full of books and one by one she would go get a book and bring it to me and say, 're re pwe pwe'....over and over.
So Sweet! Such Sweet Memories!! :)
So in order to CELEBRATE FAMILY TODAY, I am asking you to click here and read my Author Daughters First Novel Writing to Celebrate 'Novel Writing Month' this November! :) Will you join us this month!?
I love it! I just read it myself and was so caught up in it that I could not stop reading....so wonderful!
Way to Go SAM!! Would you be a BIG FAN for her this month?
Thanks.
Oh and btw.....Derek and I are using Rosetta Stone to learn Russian and God has truly paved the way as I have a friend that lives only 2 minutes from me and Russian is her native tongue.
So, she is coming over Thursday for dinner and language training! YES!!
So, she is coming over Thursday for dinner and language training! YES!!
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