Finding YOUR way...

As I posted previously I have gotten so many emails from people who after hearing our story have been refilled with hope. And that blesses my heart beyond words because when we have hope- we begin to see a way… a way to get the 147 million orphans in to loving homes. A hope that God wants to use you and me and will.

But I wanted to say that while GOD IS amazing to drop that money into our laps- He is STILL just as AMAZING when He doesn’t do it that way.

For Mya and Aleigha’s adoptions from Guatemala we worked our tails off to come up with the money. Trust me, IT WAS WORK. It took time, it took TONS of effort, tons of faith, and we were still left with some debt that we had to pay off in the end. We created and sold Adoption cookbooks- there was major hours of work involved in that. We gave up eating out, had garage sales, scrimped and saved and much, much more. But the cool things is- God brought them home and I don’t for one second regret what we gave up or the work we did. It was worth it all. And when I look back now and see how He was using that time to change us, stretch us, grow us- it all makes complete sense.

When faced with moving forward or not-we can’t just focus on the cost and say “Nope, no way- can’t do it- it’s too much.” If we know that God is calling us (and I am thinking He is if you are bothering to read this blog post) we HAVE to take that leap of faith… just like we did with the pickle jar... knowing it more than likely will NOT be easy- knowing it would take time- but being willing to do it anyway.

And please understand- we are not patting myself on the back-we were scared to death. I promise you I could NOT have seen this coming… But God did. And He see’s your way too- if you are willing… willing to GIVE IT ALL, GIVE IT ALL UP and GIVE IT ALL TO HIM.

I think for us, starting our pickle jar this time around meant confessing to him we were willing to sacrifice ourselves, and our lifestyle in this world- for something bigger. We were willing to give up eating out, we were willing to wear garage sale clothes and willing to not lavished each other with gifts at Christmas. We were willing to give up vacations and much more.

Do you get your nails done? Can you give that up?
Can you cut your own hair and your kids? If not, learn- I did. :0) (they had a few bad ones but I eventually figured it out LOL).
Keep looking- watch carefully what you are throwing into your cart at Walmart…
Drive less-car pool.
Is there a boat, camper or motorcycle sitting in your garage? Sell it.
Give up bottled water, Starbucks, and coke- drink tap water.
Turn down the air conditioner or the heat.
Hang dry your clothes.
Get a 2nd job.
Don’t give expensive gifts-make them instead. Or better yet- give someone your time and attention.
Make a budget.
GIVE to others (even while you are saving)
Spend less on entertainment. Use the library, take walks, go on picnics.
Make do with what you have.
Do without.
Tell God- or better yet- SHOW GOD how serious you are. What are you willing to give up to follow Him? Ask Him to point out the difference between your needs and wants. Then really search yourself and be honest.

The month of September (we are not starting now because we are using up our groceries) our family is committing to eating beans and rice every night for dinner to save on our grocery bill so that we can put what we saved off our grocery bill in our pickle jar for someone else’s adoption. Are we going to get sick of beans and rice? You better believe it. Will it be fun? Um, NO. But children living on the streets would be thankful for beans and rice- so who are we to sit down to steak and potatoes when we could be giving it up to GIVE MORE? Our kids also wanted to be a part of this- and what an great way to teach them to give of themselves for someone else. Can you image what God will be able to do through them one day when they 'get' this?

So my challenge is for you to ask yourself-How bad do you want make a difference? What are you willing to give up to GET a child home?

You CAN do it.

DO NOT GIVE UP.

It’s not a question of 'can we?'- it’s a question of will we?

Will we do what it takes?

And I also want to encourage you to really listen to God and where He is calling you. Have you prayed about adopting through the foster system? It’s way cheaper- virtually free. God brought our beautiful, perfect, precious Kaden to us this way and we were blessed in an even greater way than having $20,000 handed to us.

However, only you know where God is calling you- ALL children matter- not location. So whether God is call you to China, Ethiopia, Uganda, Russia, Taiwan, Columbia or the US foster system for your child- listen and then obey.

Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7