We are the featured family of the Give1Save1 Europe Ministry.
First if you haven't checked this awesome ministry out please do...it's GREAT!
Second follow the link below and check out our story and video...then if you feel led, give a dollar to help bring our son home! If you aren't able to do that, then just share this link everywhere you can! The only social media I have is Facebook and this blog, so my friends who are everywhere...share it there too!!!
CLICK THIS LINK TO GO TO OUR FEATURED STORY!!!
After you've read our story you can go to our fundraiser set up through Pure Charity on that page or just to the right over here in the side of this blog -------->>>
If you aren't a member of pure charity, it's easy to sign up and it's free. Then you can click "Back this Fundraiser" and you will be able to give as much as you want.
We need to reach this goal to help pay for our second trip and associated fees. Please help and share!!
Lilypie Waiting to Adopt tickers
Monday, June 3, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Education: Foundation for the Future (Lifesong Blog)
YOUR SPONSORSHIP MATTERS...
Sponsors support a child like Mesaye with quality education, 2 meals a day and exposure to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for only $19/month! When you sponsor a child, you impact a family!
(100% of sponsorship received goes directly to the need -- helping children! No administrative fees deducted.)
EDUCATION & THE GOSPEL
While providing vulnerable children with an education, we also have the opportunity to share with them the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Watch Teja, student at Lifesong India, explain the impact of not only education, but also spiritual discipleship he received.
Learn more about Lifesong India>>
Read more...
Rising to the Top with Technology - Lifesong Honduras tells of the dramatic impact technology has had in our school. Read full story"Poor" Kids Come Out on Top - Students at Lifesong Zambia excel on their mock exams! Read full story
Adding Fun into School Days - Students at Lifesong Liberia enjoy new playground & school uniforms. Read full story
Gift of Education - Moses, student at Lifesong Zambia Schools, shares why he values and appreciates the education he is receiving. Watch Video
Monday, May 20, 2013
Trip 1
I know this has been a long awaited post. Finally after a week of settling back in I'm able to post details from our first trip. During the week I e-mailed close friends and family the details so I'll be copy and pasting those e-mails into this post essentially. So here it goes!!
Day 1-Sunday
Day 3-Tuesday
Day 6-Friday
We spent the day walking around the city and doing a little shopping. Then we went to a notary to sign some papers to make this thing official! We went back to the apartment and started packing for our early flight out of Sofia on saturday morning.
Day 7-Saturday
We had a pretty easy flight home, just long and exhausting. We were glad to be home but bittersweet because we were missing part of our family.
We can not wait to share pictures and videos, but of course we can not until we have passed court. Our estimate is that we will travel back in October. Until then I'll leave you with this picture, because it doesn't reveal his identity!
Hope you've enjoyed!
Day 1-Sunday
We left L-ville Saturday afternoon with a pretty bumpy flight. Landed safely in ATL and took off on our big jet for London. It was a long flight with little sleep. Which certainly caught up to us once we got at London Heathrow airport. After following the trusty advice of a fellow American traveler we ended up in immigration which we later found out we didn’t have to go through…go figure. Well by the time we got through immigration our flight was gooooone. We were stranded in London!! It took us forever to figure out who to talk to because the Bulgarian Air guy was gone (apparently they only send one flight out a day and since ours was gone…he was too.) So a nice gentleman from Airfrance searched and searched to find us a new flight to Sofia or else we would be spending the night in London. Well low and behold there were no straight connections. Our best option was to go through Brussels (which we didn’t even know where it was) and then fly on to Sofia. We took it, it was our best option and would get us to Sofia before the end of the night. We were so exhausted, by the time we finally landed in Sofia which was exactly 24 hours from the moment we took off from Kentucky. Our driver picked us up, gave us a quick tour of the city, exchanged some money, and to the aparment we went for bed. Might I mention it was a beautiful apartment, very uptodate and Dustin loved the Espresso Machine!!
Day 2-Monday
This was our free day in the city since everyone else was off of work still celebrating Orthodox Easter. We had a pretty great day exploring Sofia and its rich history. Such a beautiful city and pretty easy to navigate. In the evening we took a free walking tour of the city and it had a lot of information about the history of the country. It was great to learn so much about our son's culture.
We were both doing well at this point and really wasn't experiencing any Jet Lag or exhaustion...we were just ready to head to meet our little guy!
We were both doing well at this point and really wasn't experiencing any Jet Lag or exhaustion...we were just ready to head to meet our little guy!
Day 3-Tuesday
The day started off getting up at 7:00 to get things together. We left at 8:00 for Stara Zagora….I got car sick twice on the way …not fun at all but felt good once we got to Stara Zagora. We were ready to meet our little man for sure, no sickness was stopping me!!! When we got to the orphanage Dustin got really nervous all of a sudden and that made me nervous. First we met the orphanage director which was a wonderful meeting then we left our meeting with him and went to a small room, the same one Easton's pictures were taken in and waited for him to come in. We knew this would only be a few minutes because it was time for him to take a nap.
The orphanage workers refer to him as Pepee (pronounced Pep-ee) it's the cutest thing ever. So this is what we have been calling him. When he came in he was just as little as we expected, maybe a little smaller. Just by looking I would say he's in a 2T. His little legs are so thin, his belly sticks out, and his arms are just as small. But oh those eyes. He has the biggest eyes you've ever seen, pictures just don't do him justice. He went straight to sit down and Dustin and I sat beside him and he just stared at us, made many hand stems, and began to rock back and forth. This is a very common stereotypical orphanage behavior and it's a self soothing method. We were fortunately prepared for this and just looked past it to play with him. The meeting was short and after a few minutes he layed down and began rocking even more with his hands cupped just under his ears and his care taker said he does this to put himself to sleep so we knew he was tired. We left, came back to the hotel room and started talking about the whirlwind that had just happened. He was making great eye contact but it was obvious he was unsure about what he should be doing and was nervous.
We went to lunch, then called a taxi and went back to the orphanage at 4:00. We were hoping this meeting he would open up a little bit more. When the caretaker brought him back, he went straight to a sitting position and began rocking. They left us alone which was really unexpected. We tried cars, balls, and snacks but nothing was working, he was so unsure about everything. Then it's just like a wall fell. We went over to a rocking toy and he got on it and this little boy that was hiding inside just came pouring out. I've never heard such a laugh in all my life. A laugh that can make everyone in the room light up...and smile like none other. After a few minutes dustin decided to try letting him look out the window, he wasn't sure at first but quickly decided this was a good thing. He loves to be held, chased, tickled, and thrown in the air. He laughs hysterically at all of them. He communicates but definitely in his own way. He's stubborn...go figure. When he doesn't want to do something he turns his head and won't look at you and makes a very demanding noise close to the word "Nah". Noises is all he makes, and a large variety of them, from squealing to growling, but it's strange how quickly we caught on to what several of them meant for him. Even though his communication is lacking, he is so smart. He understands everything being said to him, from sit down, stand up, throw it, chase him, you name it he does whatever you say (as long as he wants to). He loves being tickled. At the end of the meeting he was getting tired because he would lay down and rock, we didn't want him to do this so we would tickle him every time. Eventually he would rock and if we didn't tickle him he would stop scoot closer and start again as if asking us to tickle. We learned how to say "give me five" in Bulgarian and he caught on quickly doing it every time we asked. His motor skills are behind but he is strong and has a good grip. He is full of energy, laughter, joy, and curiosity. We are just smitten with him. We were told that we could take him outside the next day which we are looking forward to. We will also be meeting with the specialists who work with him so we hope to ask some questions about his development and skill level.
We needed to buy him sunglasses because he thought it was so funny to wear dustins. He would be rocking and completely stop if he saw dustin was taking his glasses off to give to him. His shoe size was a 23 in european sizes but I need to look up the correlating US size. He honestly seemed basically healthy, and certainly felt heavier than 25, he burped a lot, grits his teeth, sucks on his tongue, and still does hand stems. Dustin said he thought they would go away quickly after being home because once he was holding him and was so tired he just completely relaxed and stopped all stems.
Day 4-Wednesday
We went to the orphanage this morning and he clearly did not remember us because it took some time for him to warm back up to us. We went immediately outside and he was pretty apprehensive. He's terrified of grass, which isn't uncommon. They told us sometimes bigger spaces scare him. This is understandable because when you are used to living in the same room with same 10 kids your whole life, anything new would be scary. He loved swinging, seesawing, a little springy duck that rocks. He wasn't too sure about the slide either but he attempted it holding our hands a couple of times. He had a good time and laughed a lot.. During the evening visit he seemed to remember us and was waiting on us when we got to the orphanage. He was ready to go outside. He had a little jacket on and I checked to see if it had a size and surprisingly it did. It was from the US so it clearly said 24M. Yes he is still wearing 24 months at 6 years of age. I think it would have been a little tight if zipped so our guess of 2T is just about right, and childrens size 6 or 7 shoe. He has long feet. We had to take his shoes off once to change him after he peed on dustin (true story, it was hilarious)!! He pulled his own pants back on after we changed him and then tried to put his shoes on, so he is learning to do some things on his own. They said he still can not feed himself. He can hold a spoon but can not figure out how to get it to his mouth and also needs help drinking from a cup. Developmentally he is about a 12-18 month level. But he is much farther along in is receptive language understanding, he clearly knows what is being said to him and does just about everything like I mentioned before.
We were able to speak with his psychologist today also. She said in her opinion he will never talk unless there is a miracle (when she said this all I wanted to say is "good thing my God is a miracle worker"). She said to never expect great things from him, and it made me sad to think at such a young age he had been given up on. We see so much potential in this little guy. She talked about his motor skills and size. She said that he understands everything like we already knew, and that he is good at following directions. He is strongwilled and determined. He loves to lay on a beanbag she said. Basically she told us everything we already had read on a piece of paper, so nothing too surprising. Of course this didn't change our minds at all. Only makes us more determined to get him home and in an environment where he can excel.
Day 5-Thursday
We were able to speak with his psychologist today also. She said in her opinion he will never talk unless there is a miracle (when she said this all I wanted to say is "good thing my God is a miracle worker"). She said to never expect great things from him, and it made me sad to think at such a young age he had been given up on. We see so much potential in this little guy. She talked about his motor skills and size. She said that he understands everything like we already knew, and that he is good at following directions. He is strongwilled and determined. He loves to lay on a beanbag she said. Basically she told us everything we already had read on a piece of paper, so nothing too surprising. Of course this didn't change our minds at all. Only makes us more determined to get him home and in an environment where he can excel.
Day 5-Thursday
This was of course our last day with Easton and we were very sad to leave him behind. He is used to us leaving at this point but his disapointment will come tomorrow when we don't show up. Be in prayer for him.
This morning he was ready for us again! We went to the same room we've been meeting in and we waited for the social worker to come because we had to go get his Visa picture made. We weren't sure how he'd handle the car ride but it was hilarious, he laughed the whole way. They say he loves to ride in a car. They will sometime take the kids to a local zoo. This orphanage that he is in is such a great place considering it's an orphanage. He is in a small group of about 10 boys with 2 caregivers at all times. We had been told he wouldn't be fed much or given liquids but this is quite the opposite. He is given a breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, and supper. And they are large portions with milk. He is a big eater. This evening when we went to get him he was very grump, in fact started crying as soon as we got outside and wouldn't quit until he saw a nurse bringing his snack. He was just hungry. We quickly agreed we would bring lots of snacks for our journey home with him, b/c we certainly do not want him crying like that on a plane!!! Dustin was allowed to feed him which was such a great bonding experience. He loooves to eat. I put the spoon in his hand once and he took the food and put it to his mouth (unlike they said he would do). But then he refused to do it anymore. Our theory...he is capable but doesn't because they will just feed him. I would let someone feed me too if I could, haha, he's just lazy. They had already told us how lazy he was haha, there is a beanbag chair in the room that he loves to lay on. Once we took him back to his room and he went straight to it. We see so much potential in this little guy. I'm pretty sure he's gotten everyone fooled. He's capable of much more than he lets on but allows everyone to do it for him because they will...pretty smart!
He loved his new sunglasses, and his teddy bear. He would stop rocking if I would take the bears hand and rub around his mouth and on his cheeks, it soothed him. After eating he was ready to play, not an ounce of crying. We are just so amazed by this child. It's hard to look at him and see a 6 year old. We often forget he actually is 6. But what a smart 6 year old he is. When we put his glasses on him we would say in bulgarian, Pepee you are so handsome, and he would just smile as if he already knew it haha. He has taken to us pretty well, and I believe with time will attach pretty well. Unfortunately that will be many months from now.
We just arrived back in sofia via bus and grabbed some KFC...we needed a small fix of home! Tomorrow we will be in sofia signing papers to officially commit to this little guy. Then early saturday morning it's back to the states we head. We should land in Louisville around 5:00 assuming we don't miss any flights!!!
This morning he was ready for us again! We went to the same room we've been meeting in and we waited for the social worker to come because we had to go get his Visa picture made. We weren't sure how he'd handle the car ride but it was hilarious, he laughed the whole way. They say he loves to ride in a car. They will sometime take the kids to a local zoo. This orphanage that he is in is such a great place considering it's an orphanage. He is in a small group of about 10 boys with 2 caregivers at all times. We had been told he wouldn't be fed much or given liquids but this is quite the opposite. He is given a breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, and supper. And they are large portions with milk. He is a big eater. This evening when we went to get him he was very grump, in fact started crying as soon as we got outside and wouldn't quit until he saw a nurse bringing his snack. He was just hungry. We quickly agreed we would bring lots of snacks for our journey home with him, b/c we certainly do not want him crying like that on a plane!!! Dustin was allowed to feed him which was such a great bonding experience. He loooves to eat. I put the spoon in his hand once and he took the food and put it to his mouth (unlike they said he would do). But then he refused to do it anymore. Our theory...he is capable but doesn't because they will just feed him. I would let someone feed me too if I could, haha, he's just lazy. They had already told us how lazy he was haha, there is a beanbag chair in the room that he loves to lay on. Once we took him back to his room and he went straight to it. We see so much potential in this little guy. I'm pretty sure he's gotten everyone fooled. He's capable of much more than he lets on but allows everyone to do it for him because they will...pretty smart!
He loved his new sunglasses, and his teddy bear. He would stop rocking if I would take the bears hand and rub around his mouth and on his cheeks, it soothed him. After eating he was ready to play, not an ounce of crying. We are just so amazed by this child. It's hard to look at him and see a 6 year old. We often forget he actually is 6. But what a smart 6 year old he is. When we put his glasses on him we would say in bulgarian, Pepee you are so handsome, and he would just smile as if he already knew it haha. He has taken to us pretty well, and I believe with time will attach pretty well. Unfortunately that will be many months from now.
We just arrived back in sofia via bus and grabbed some KFC...we needed a small fix of home! Tomorrow we will be in sofia signing papers to officially commit to this little guy. Then early saturday morning it's back to the states we head. We should land in Louisville around 5:00 assuming we don't miss any flights!!!
Day 6-Friday
We spent the day walking around the city and doing a little shopping. Then we went to a notary to sign some papers to make this thing official! We went back to the apartment and started packing for our early flight out of Sofia on saturday morning.
Day 7-Saturday
We had a pretty easy flight home, just long and exhausting. We were glad to be home but bittersweet because we were missing part of our family.
We can not wait to share pictures and videos, but of course we can not until we have passed court. Our estimate is that we will travel back in October. Until then I'll leave you with this picture, because it doesn't reveal his identity!
Hope you've enjoyed!
Friday, April 26, 2013
IAC 249 Results
My dear friend who posts these IAC results on her blog allowed me to steal this particular post for good reason!! The IAC meeting is the meeting where referrals are issued. The results are usually posted to a public site a month or so after the meeting is held. This post is special because #14 is our referral. I mean we already knew we had it, but to see it publicly listed is exciting. In case you missed it it's the one with large font in black...hehe!!! Praise the Lord!!
IAC 249 Results
The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 249 which was held on March 21, 2013:
1) Spanish dossier from January 2010 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month
2) Spanish dossier from January 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 4 months
3) Dutch dossier from March 2010 referred a female child aged 5 years and 6 months
4) Italian dossier from April 2010 referred a female child aged 6 years and 7 months
5) German dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 8 months with features in health status
6) US dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months with features in health status and a family history
7) Dutch dossier from December 2010 referred a female child aged 4 years and 3 months with features in health status
8) French dossier from December 2010 referred a male child aged 4 years and 2 months with a family history
9) US dossier from January 2011 referred two female children aged 5 years and 7 months & 7 years and 9 months with features in health status
10) French dossier from July 2011 referred two male children aged 8 years & 6 years and 3 months
11) US dossier from March 2012 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status
12) Portuguese dossier from April 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months with features in health status
13) Canadian dossier from June 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years with features in health status and a family history
14) US dossier from July 2012 referred a waiting child (#983) with a profile on the MOJ site
1) Spanish dossier from January 2010 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month
2) Spanish dossier from January 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 4 months
3) Dutch dossier from March 2010 referred a female child aged 5 years and 6 months
4) Italian dossier from April 2010 referred a female child aged 6 years and 7 months
5) German dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 8 months with features in health status
6) US dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months with features in health status and a family history
7) Dutch dossier from December 2010 referred a female child aged 4 years and 3 months with features in health status
8) French dossier from December 2010 referred a male child aged 4 years and 2 months with a family history
9) US dossier from January 2011 referred two female children aged 5 years and 7 months & 7 years and 9 months with features in health status
10) French dossier from July 2011 referred two male children aged 8 years & 6 years and 3 months
11) US dossier from March 2012 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status
12) Portuguese dossier from April 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months with features in health status
13) Canadian dossier from June 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years with features in health status and a family history
14) US dossier from July 2012 referred a waiting child (#983) with a profile on the MOJ site
15) US dossier from October 2012 referred a waiting child (#1988) with a profile on the MOJ site
16) French dossier from October 2012 referred a male child aged 6 years and 6 months with features in health status
17) US dossier from March 2013 referred a female child aged 10 years
18) US dossier from March 2013 referred two waiting children (#1449 & #1578) with profiles on the MOJ site
19) Italian dossier from March 2013 referred a brother and sister aged 10 years and 4 months & 6 years and 2 months
20) US dossier from March 2013 referred two waiting children (#1933 & #976) with profiles on the MOJ site
Thursday, April 18, 2013
I'm Going To Prepare a Place for You
As the day inches closer that we will take off on a plane to meet our son for the first time, Dustin and I both grow more and more excited to hold him in our arms.
Our travel dates have been moved forward a week so we are 16 days from leaving as of today. That seems unreal to me in this moment. We have been staring at this picture since October and it almost feels as though that's all he is..a picture. I have no idea what emotions I will feel the first time we see him. What scares me is the emotions he might have. Dustin and I have said over and over "what if he doesn't bond to us?". I know it's not a thought that people like to think about, but it is a reality. It was pretty quickly that we had to stand on the promises that God has given us. God has picked this child out and said "This is your son". With that we have to know that God is preparing his heart for our meeting, just as He has been preparing ours.
During a bible study at church a few weeks ago we began to talk about what the disciples must have felt when Jesus was telling them He would be leaving. They clearly did not understand. They did not know what they would do without Jesus by their side. In fact they were pretty terrified. He continued to explain that He was going to prepare a place for them where they would live forever with Jesus once their separation was over. Jesus had poured so much time into building relationships with these disciples who followed Him so closely and now they felt He was leaving them to fend for themselves in this world that already had nothing promising for them. If these men could not understand this time of separation then how can a small child?
I think about what it will feel like when we spend a week with our son just to leave him. We can tell him over and over that we have to go back to where we came from to prepare a place for him. A place that will offer love and shelter and a family, but essentially a place that he can't imagine because he's never seen it, or heard of it. It's heartwrenching to know we will bond with this child who has longed for a family for so long then we will leave him just like we never met him (at least he'll think so). We'll be home working so hard to bring him home, but he won't know that. We very likely will become a distant memory in his tiny world.
Sure we will leave pictures, and a teddy bear, and a blanket, but in no way will that replace physical touch and time spent together.
Often I imagine these older children with their picture books of the families that have come to adopt them. How after this family leaves they show all of their friends these pictures and explain how these people have come to save them from this place, to show them unconditional love, and to adopt them. How proud they are to "show off" their new mommies and daddies. Isn't this a great picture of what God has done. God sent His son so that we could be adopted into His family. We are co-heirs to the throne along with Jesus. And even though physically He is not with us right now, He has left us all of these things to remind us that He is coming back for us. His scripture, much like those picture of families, we should look at daily and is a reminder of His love. The Holy Spirit, just like those blankets that wrap us with comfort and security, we turn to in moments of uncertainty for guidance. Shouldn't we be just as excited to share with everyone we meet our Father who has paid our ransom and come to rescue us. It is a love unlike we've ever known and we should want all of our orphaned friends to understand all we have to do is say yes to receive this love. Don't you think every child in an orphanage would say "yes I want that love" if they knew that's all they had to do. We don't have to wait for a family to choose us because we've arleady been chosen!
It is my deepest prayer that our son knows we are coming back for him. That he doesn't feel abandoned at the end of our week. That he can look at our pictures and understand that Mommy and Daddy are working so hard to bring him home. It is my prayer that we can show him a love that he's never known before. I've been reminded by so many wonderful adoptive parents that have gone ahead of us to take things slow. To make sure we go at his pace, which will certainly be slower than ours. It will take so much time for him to learn he can trust us. I'm even certain there will be times he will test our love and commitment to him, much like we do with God. I'm reminded of a beautiful scripture in Malachi 3 when I think of this happening. God was dealing with a rebelious people who had done so many displeasing things. But God said "I the Lord do not change". Essentially saying no matter what you do, I'm not going anywhere. No matter how bad you are, I still love you. There's nothing you can do to make me love you any more or any less. What a wonderful picture of God's love. I hope our son understands this. Nothing he can do can make us leave. Our love for him will not change. Sure their may be moments of frustration but we will be his family. FOREVER.
It is because of this love God has shown us, that we in return are able to show this love to a child who so desparately needs it. Because God adopted us we are able to adopt these beautiful children. I have seen a quote going around on social media a lot lately and it speaks so loudly. "We adopt not because we are rescuers but because we have been rescued."
Our travel dates have been moved forward a week so we are 16 days from leaving as of today. That seems unreal to me in this moment. We have been staring at this picture since October and it almost feels as though that's all he is..a picture. I have no idea what emotions I will feel the first time we see him. What scares me is the emotions he might have. Dustin and I have said over and over "what if he doesn't bond to us?". I know it's not a thought that people like to think about, but it is a reality. It was pretty quickly that we had to stand on the promises that God has given us. God has picked this child out and said "This is your son". With that we have to know that God is preparing his heart for our meeting, just as He has been preparing ours.
During a bible study at church a few weeks ago we began to talk about what the disciples must have felt when Jesus was telling them He would be leaving. They clearly did not understand. They did not know what they would do without Jesus by their side. In fact they were pretty terrified. He continued to explain that He was going to prepare a place for them where they would live forever with Jesus once their separation was over. Jesus had poured so much time into building relationships with these disciples who followed Him so closely and now they felt He was leaving them to fend for themselves in this world that already had nothing promising for them. If these men could not understand this time of separation then how can a small child?
I think about what it will feel like when we spend a week with our son just to leave him. We can tell him over and over that we have to go back to where we came from to prepare a place for him. A place that will offer love and shelter and a family, but essentially a place that he can't imagine because he's never seen it, or heard of it. It's heartwrenching to know we will bond with this child who has longed for a family for so long then we will leave him just like we never met him (at least he'll think so). We'll be home working so hard to bring him home, but he won't know that. We very likely will become a distant memory in his tiny world.
Sure we will leave pictures, and a teddy bear, and a blanket, but in no way will that replace physical touch and time spent together.
Often I imagine these older children with their picture books of the families that have come to adopt them. How after this family leaves they show all of their friends these pictures and explain how these people have come to save them from this place, to show them unconditional love, and to adopt them. How proud they are to "show off" their new mommies and daddies. Isn't this a great picture of what God has done. God sent His son so that we could be adopted into His family. We are co-heirs to the throne along with Jesus. And even though physically He is not with us right now, He has left us all of these things to remind us that He is coming back for us. His scripture, much like those picture of families, we should look at daily and is a reminder of His love. The Holy Spirit, just like those blankets that wrap us with comfort and security, we turn to in moments of uncertainty for guidance. Shouldn't we be just as excited to share with everyone we meet our Father who has paid our ransom and come to rescue us. It is a love unlike we've ever known and we should want all of our orphaned friends to understand all we have to do is say yes to receive this love. Don't you think every child in an orphanage would say "yes I want that love" if they knew that's all they had to do. We don't have to wait for a family to choose us because we've arleady been chosen!
It is my deepest prayer that our son knows we are coming back for him. That he doesn't feel abandoned at the end of our week. That he can look at our pictures and understand that Mommy and Daddy are working so hard to bring him home. It is my prayer that we can show him a love that he's never known before. I've been reminded by so many wonderful adoptive parents that have gone ahead of us to take things slow. To make sure we go at his pace, which will certainly be slower than ours. It will take so much time for him to learn he can trust us. I'm even certain there will be times he will test our love and commitment to him, much like we do with God. I'm reminded of a beautiful scripture in Malachi 3 when I think of this happening. God was dealing with a rebelious people who had done so many displeasing things. But God said "I the Lord do not change". Essentially saying no matter what you do, I'm not going anywhere. No matter how bad you are, I still love you. There's nothing you can do to make me love you any more or any less. What a wonderful picture of God's love. I hope our son understands this. Nothing he can do can make us leave. Our love for him will not change. Sure their may be moments of frustration but we will be his family. FOREVER.
It is because of this love God has shown us, that we in return are able to show this love to a child who so desparately needs it. Because God adopted us we are able to adopt these beautiful children. I have seen a quote going around on social media a lot lately and it speaks so loudly. "We adopt not because we are rescuers but because we have been rescued."
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Perfect Timing
I have held off trying to publish a new post because I truly wanted it to be filled with exciting news instead of more of the waiting game we've been playing for so long.
Well Folks this is it! I can't hold out any longer and fortunately I don't need to...wahhooo!
Just when I thought I was losing hope in this process, and realizing that I am horrible at waiting, God moves. God didn't just move a little, I mean he REALLY MOVED!!!
We had expected our referral to be issued from the IAC meeting on March 6th. After a week or two of waiting we realized our case obviously had not been reviewed
So we waited some more.....THEN....Friday we received word that there was a good possibility our referral had been issued this past week, but we would wait until Monday before receiving confirmation.
I honestly didn't expect to hear anything on Monday. But we did. We got the best confirmation!! Our referral had been issued and we had been officially matched with our son. All that was left was to get the paperwork translated then issue travel dates. We were told 2-3 weeks before travel dates would probably come. I was ok with that, seeing as we had waiting so long up until this point, knowing that travel dates was the next step made us excited.
THEN...today we received an e-mail titled "Travel Dates". What...Are you kidding me?? We weren't expecting these for weeks. How awesome is God! I think He was showing off a bit with this one.
We are very fortunate to have received a pretty good notice. We've heard of 7 day notices before and that made me pretty antsy. Fortunately we got a 6 week notice. Where does that put us?? We will be flying out of the US on May 11 and landing in Sofia on May 12th. How perfect is that?? In case you haven't caught on to the date, let me be the first to tell you, that is Mother's Day. God's timing is beyond incredible and we feel so blessed to be spending our first mother's day in our sons country. Granted we won't see him that day, but to know we are so close makes it all seem a little bit better.
As I'm writing this post I'm realizing there is sooo much to be done to prepare for travel. But we are just thrilled to have a date and can't wait for 6 weeks to fly by!!
We appreciate all of the prayers that have been going up for our family! Please keep our son especially in your prayers that God will continue to prepare his heart to meet his new mommy and daddy.
Well Folks this is it! I can't hold out any longer and fortunately I don't need to...wahhooo!
Just when I thought I was losing hope in this process, and realizing that I am horrible at waiting, God moves. God didn't just move a little, I mean he REALLY MOVED!!!
We had expected our referral to be issued from the IAC meeting on March 6th. After a week or two of waiting we realized our case obviously had not been reviewed
So we waited some more.....THEN....Friday we received word that there was a good possibility our referral had been issued this past week, but we would wait until Monday before receiving confirmation.
I honestly didn't expect to hear anything on Monday. But we did. We got the best confirmation!! Our referral had been issued and we had been officially matched with our son. All that was left was to get the paperwork translated then issue travel dates. We were told 2-3 weeks before travel dates would probably come. I was ok with that, seeing as we had waiting so long up until this point, knowing that travel dates was the next step made us excited.
THEN...today we received an e-mail titled "Travel Dates". What...Are you kidding me?? We weren't expecting these for weeks. How awesome is God! I think He was showing off a bit with this one.
We are very fortunate to have received a pretty good notice. We've heard of 7 day notices before and that made me pretty antsy. Fortunately we got a 6 week notice. Where does that put us?? We will be flying out of the US on May 11 and landing in Sofia on May 12th. How perfect is that?? In case you haven't caught on to the date, let me be the first to tell you, that is Mother's Day. God's timing is beyond incredible and we feel so blessed to be spending our first mother's day in our sons country. Granted we won't see him that day, but to know we are so close makes it all seem a little bit better.
As I'm writing this post I'm realizing there is sooo much to be done to prepare for travel. But we are just thrilled to have a date and can't wait for 6 weeks to fly by!!
We appreciate all of the prayers that have been going up for our family! Please keep our son especially in your prayers that God will continue to prepare his heart to meet his new mommy and daddy.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
One Child. One Life. One Soul.
We are excited to begin posting stories from Lifesong for Orphans. This is an incredible ministry and any opportunity we can take to advocate for orphans and share in the wonderful work being done around the globe, we rejoice! These are God's children and we are blessed to be a small part of sharing His story of their life.
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" Matthew 25:40
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" Matthew 25:40
An ongoing theme of our ministry is the power of ONE. Not to ignore the often overwhelming 147 million orphan statistic, but to focus on making an impact on ONE child. As Andy Stanley says, "Do for ONE what you wish you could do for every one. And when do you for ONE, you often end up doing for far more than just one."
Please enjoy these ONE child stories...
IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS // Lifesong Zambia
In Zambia, like many parts of the world, witchcraft is very prevelant. At Lifesong School in Zambia, we teach the children that God is more powerful than witchcraft and the witchdoctors that practice it. They can have power through Jesus Christ to fight off evil, through HIS NAME! Listen in as Paul shares the experience that he and his friends had with a local witchdoctor...
Pray that God will continue to show himself to Paul and use this experience to build his trust and faith in our Father God.
Learn more about Lifesong Zambia >>
Learn more about Lifesong Zambia >>
GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION // Lifesong Liberia
Thomas grew up on the streets without any parents to care, protect or provide for him. A missionary brought Thomas to Lifesong's Master's Home of Champions, knowing he would be cared for. Listen in as Thomas shares his heart for the people of Liberia and the role he sees for himself to bring Christ's name known!
Pray that Thomas will continue to grow in His relationship with Jesus Christ and with boldness, share the gospel to others. Learn more about Lifesong Liberia >>
Read more ONE child stories...
Katie Rescued from Orphanage -- Katie, born with down syndrome, was 9 years old and weighed only 10 pounds when Joe & Susanna traveled to adopt her. Read Full StoryNatasha Breaks the Cycle -- "I was looking for someone to understand me, to love sincerely...I received all this!" Read Full Story
"I am your mommy!" -- Beautiful account from one of our Lifesong Adoptive families, sharing their first moment they met their son Cohen from Congo. Read full story
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