There is only one word for a woman like this.
That word is....
Wait for it.....
It's......
MOTHER.
Mother, I love you. Thank you for your generosity. And to John, who is the world's best step-dad, thank you! We love you both!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Multitude of Thanks
See this lady...the one in the pic...what an amazing lady she is. Since we were fundraising for our adoption, we couldn't bring ourselves to pay for a hotel. She welcomed all 6 of us into her home. Not only that, she bought all the food. Not only that, she prepared all the food. Not only that, she contributed to the adoption expenses above and beyond her own means.
There is only one word for a woman like this.
That word is....
Wait for it.....
It's......
MOTHER.
Mother, I love you. Thank you for your generosity. And to John, who is the world's best step-dad, thank you! We love you both!
There is only one word for a woman like this.
That word is....
Wait for it.....
It's......
MOTHER.
Mother, I love you. Thank you for your generosity. And to John, who is the world's best step-dad, thank you! We love you both!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thinking, preparing, dreaming
Hotels:
Thinking of hotels. Where I can stay and be safe. Where we can walk to dinner close by.
Shopping:
Where can we stay where shopping is around the corner. Shopping! She'll come with nothing. She'll be 9 years old and own nothing but the clothes on her back. I cannot pre-buy anything because she's 9. Not only do I not know here size, I don't know what she likes. So shopping, we will be shopping. She will need clothes immediately.
Things to do:
I hear there are many things to do in Xi'an. I look forward to exploring my new daughter's birth city with her. Since I'm traveling alone, I'll have lots of mom-daughter bonding moments. What's the city like? What will my trip be like?
Someone else took this photo. It's the Remnan Sqaure in Xi'an.
So much to think about.
So much preparing to do.
So much dreaming.
And lots and lots of praying.
Missing my girl today. Getting excited.
Thinking of hotels. Where I can stay and be safe. Where we can walk to dinner close by.
Shopping:
Where can we stay where shopping is around the corner. Shopping! She'll come with nothing. She'll be 9 years old and own nothing but the clothes on her back. I cannot pre-buy anything because she's 9. Not only do I not know here size, I don't know what she likes. So shopping, we will be shopping. She will need clothes immediately.
Things to do:
I hear there are many things to do in Xi'an. I look forward to exploring my new daughter's birth city with her. Since I'm traveling alone, I'll have lots of mom-daughter bonding moments. What's the city like? What will my trip be like?
Someone else took this photo. It's the Remnan Sqaure in Xi'an.
So much to think about.
So much preparing to do.
So much dreaming.
And lots and lots of praying.
Missing my girl today. Getting excited.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Unexpected Blessings
Sometimes the blessings we receive mean so much to us, that we must really stop and make note of them and give a Shout of Thanks!
This is one of those times.
Last night I poured my heart out to my husband about how I am running out of time to do all I have to do for the family, the house, the adoption, the fundraising. I need help and the only one that can help me is God himself. So Dale tells me to take a 10 day break from it all and at the end of 10 days we'll see where and how God has led.
One of the many things on the BIG TO DO LIST is make beanie hats for the babies at the orphanage. We are supposed to take gifts to the little ones left behind. We have taken bottles, medicine, clothes, bought washing machines, etc in the past. But now funds are so very, very tight. Okay, funds are not tight. Funds are, well, non-existant. So, we have all this yarn and decided we would learn to make beanie hats. But to make 25-50 beanie hats for extreme-novice crocheters is an overwhelming task. I have never crocheted anything worthy of ever giving away and Kya is just 7 years old. But we were going to give it a whirl. And so it sat on the BIG TO DO LIST.
After pouring out my heart to hubby last night, I wake to this blessing.....
Do you know what this is? It's beanie hats for babies. Not just any babies....for babies in Chinese orphanages. Someone is asking us to deliver them to our child's orphanage. She is 16 years old and has made 400 hats for Chinese orphans, and she needs us to deliver them for her.
BLESSINGS!
That's what these hats are!
BLESSINGS!
This is one of those times.
Last night I poured my heart out to my husband about how I am running out of time to do all I have to do for the family, the house, the adoption, the fundraising. I need help and the only one that can help me is God himself. So Dale tells me to take a 10 day break from it all and at the end of 10 days we'll see where and how God has led.
One of the many things on the BIG TO DO LIST is make beanie hats for the babies at the orphanage. We are supposed to take gifts to the little ones left behind. We have taken bottles, medicine, clothes, bought washing machines, etc in the past. But now funds are so very, very tight. Okay, funds are not tight. Funds are, well, non-existant. So, we have all this yarn and decided we would learn to make beanie hats. But to make 25-50 beanie hats for extreme-novice crocheters is an overwhelming task. I have never crocheted anything worthy of ever giving away and Kya is just 7 years old. But we were going to give it a whirl. And so it sat on the BIG TO DO LIST.
After pouring out my heart to hubby last night, I wake to this blessing.....
Do you know what this is? It's beanie hats for babies. Not just any babies....for babies in Chinese orphanages. Someone is asking us to deliver them to our child's orphanage. She is 16 years old and has made 400 hats for Chinese orphans, and she needs us to deliver them for her.
BLESSINGS!
That's what these hats are!
BLESSINGS!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
White Picket Fences
Simplicity!
That doesn't mean boring. It doesn't mean giving up living in the modern world. But it does mean that I take a few drastic measures. For one, it means that not every child in my house has their own extra curricular activity. It also means that family dinners are a priority; sitting around the table, bowing our head in thanks to the Lord, talking with no TV on. It means not yelling for someone across the house, but walking over to them to speak. It means that we don't drive a new car until our old one dies. It means making the most of the home we have. It means living frugal and not keeping up with the neighbors.
Simple living depicts certain pictures to me:
Apple Pie
Grilling hot dogs
Sprinklers
The ice cream shop on a hot summer night
~ and ~
white picket fences
What does a simple life look like to you? What would you do for that vision? What would you give up to have your life simplified?
It's a sweet thing to ponder. Enjoy a moment to ponder this idea. Perhaps on your patio or back deck with a cup of coffee or a glass of lemon aide. Go ahead and ponder. Ponder all day if you want and just be still.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Left Behind....
This is a special video. This is the video that inspired my heart to adopt a 5th child. I was comfortable with my 4 children, comfortable in my home, the size of my home, didn't want to expand our budget, stretch our resources or rock our boat (especially in THIS economy). But, then Lucy.....Lucy's little face shined upon my computer screen, I was reminded of the desolation around the world, the lack of hope, the need for us to be God's arms and feet. How can I sit here and be so self-absorbed when "the least of these" suffers so? This world is coming to end. It is. We will not be here forever. Our lives are but a vapor. We have 1 shot, only 1, to make a difference and this is our moment. If we do not grasp it, we will miss it and in so doing, we will miss the blessing. Oh, friends, I don't want to miss the blessing. I don't want you to miss the blessing.
Not everyone is called to adopt. It is a calling. But we are are ALL called to care for the orphans. Do you see the conditions in this video? Do you see the numbers of children that need to be cared for? That care is not free. It cost someone, somewhere lots of money to care for them. When we go to China, Joy will walk out into the light, she will have a hope and a future. But, that orphanage will have then cared for Joy for 9 years and paid all of her expenses for 9 years. And so, in order to give back, we will be required to donate $5000 to the care of the children left behind. We need your help. It's that simple. We need you to help us raise the donation amount to give to the children left behind.
Since 2003, Dale and I have personally funded $133,000 for this cause. The cause of the fatherless. Our work is FAR from done. This is our life calling. But, we are running out of own resources and we simply are asking for $5,000. It seems like a lot but in comparison, it is not. Please help. Please.
Not everyone is called to adopt. It is a calling. But we are are ALL called to care for the orphans. Do you see the conditions in this video? Do you see the numbers of children that need to be cared for? That care is not free. It cost someone, somewhere lots of money to care for them. When we go to China, Joy will walk out into the light, she will have a hope and a future. But, that orphanage will have then cared for Joy for 9 years and paid all of her expenses for 9 years. And so, in order to give back, we will be required to donate $5000 to the care of the children left behind. We need your help. It's that simple. We need you to help us raise the donation amount to give to the children left behind.
Since 2003, Dale and I have personally funded $133,000 for this cause. The cause of the fatherless. Our work is FAR from done. This is our life calling. But, we are running out of own resources and we simply are asking for $5,000. It seems like a lot but in comparison, it is not. Please help. Please.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Leap. Now. Really? Yes, really!
Why must we do things we find most uncomfortable, most unpleasant? There are things we could do for God that, well, are easy. So why can't we just do those things? But that is just now how it works. He ask us time and time again to LEAP. I always say that when God speaks you have two choices. Obedience and Disobedience. So when he ask you to LEAP, do you LEAP?
Well, we have leaped. We are not doing this for recognition, a pat on the back, to be a saint. We simply LEAP because to not do so is actually scarier than the LEAP. I don't ever want to be outside the will of God. So even when the will of God for my life seems uncomfortable, unpleasant, hard work, I know that being outside of his will, well....just sucks. How's that for 'religious talk'? It sucks, it does. There is no other word that better describes it. You just don't want to find yourself outside his will.
So, here we are,
~ Uncomfortable ~
We must raise $10,000 to adopt the child the God has led us to. This leaves us most uncomfortable. We are givers, not receives. Yet, God has asked us to be receivers. To fundraise. To admit we can't do it on our own. To LEAP. To TRUST. And, so to be 'in his will', we are fundraising.
For some the words "rescue mission" are taboo. Some really dislike the idea of fundraising for a "particular child". So folks let's not call it a rescue mission. Let's not raise funds to "save this child". Let's raise funds to be in the center of God's will. Let's raise funds to help out our brothers and sisters in Christ who are called by the God of the Universe to adopt 1 more child. Will you help us? Will you help with the massive expense?
The cost is over $23,000. We started out with $13,000.
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
Dale and I have pray that God would use our story to inspire others to adopt. We believe that there are many who will respond to God’s request for them to LEAP if they knew and saw just how God can work when it comes to the Fatherless. You simply LEAP and God shows up by using those around us to embrace his plan, embrace the orphans and the call. In the month of May we raised over $2,400. We still have $7,500 to go.
Will you help? Will you be part of the mission that God has set forth? Will join us?
Well, we have leaped. We are not doing this for recognition, a pat on the back, to be a saint. We simply LEAP because to not do so is actually scarier than the LEAP. I don't ever want to be outside the will of God. So even when the will of God for my life seems uncomfortable, unpleasant, hard work, I know that being outside of his will, well....just sucks. How's that for 'religious talk'? It sucks, it does. There is no other word that better describes it. You just don't want to find yourself outside his will.
So, here we are,
~ Uncomfortable ~
We must raise $10,000 to adopt the child the God has led us to. This leaves us most uncomfortable. We are givers, not receives. Yet, God has asked us to be receivers. To fundraise. To admit we can't do it on our own. To LEAP. To TRUST. And, so to be 'in his will', we are fundraising.
For some the words "rescue mission" are taboo. Some really dislike the idea of fundraising for a "particular child". So folks let's not call it a rescue mission. Let's not raise funds to "save this child". Let's raise funds to be in the center of God's will. Let's raise funds to help out our brothers and sisters in Christ who are called by the God of the Universe to adopt 1 more child. Will you help us? Will you help with the massive expense?
The cost is over $23,000. We started out with $13,000.
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
Dale and I have pray that God would use our story to inspire others to adopt. We believe that there are many who will respond to God’s request for them to LEAP if they knew and saw just how God can work when it comes to the Fatherless. You simply LEAP and God shows up by using those around us to embrace his plan, embrace the orphans and the call. In the month of May we raised over $2,400. We still have $7,500 to go.
Will you help? Will you be part of the mission that God has set forth? Will join us?
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