Tuesday, March 29, 2011

What if He meant YOU?

Sometimes, we find it easiest to look the other way.

Sometimes, we believe He isn't talking to us.

Sometimes, we figure someone else will do it.

Sometimes, we blow it off as someone elses responsibility.

But what if... God meant for you to do it?

As we were talking to someone the other day about support for our mission work we heard the all to common comment of 'go ask this church- or go ask that church'.

But what I sometimes think we forget is WE ARE THE CHURCH.

And often times we use the church as our excuse to not have to do what we are called as individuals to do.

We hide behind the title 'the church' and forget the church is made up of individual Christ followers who are all to do their own part.

Because after all, He is a personal God.

Personal to me- and personal to you.

While the church as a whole is powerful enough to knock out the orphan crisis- it's going to take all of us to do our part to make it happen- or it never will.

And yet all too often we sit and we wait...

For someone else to take care of the problem...

For someone else to give...

For someone else to serve...

For someone else to do something about it...

And we excuse ourselves of our individual responsibility.

When perhaps He was talking to us all along...

In the past I have talked a lot on my blog about our ties to money- and what the Lord has been teaching us. As we are raising funds for missions, more than ever before, our eyes are being opened to our cultures connection to the almighty dollar.

And more than ever before- I see how clearly it is the one thing that is bringing us, as a nation, down.

Our love for things...

and our love of self...

Over our love for Him.

I came across this picture the other day and I felt like someone punched me in the gut. I wondered how someone could just look the other way and go on without doing something to help?



But then it hit me..

Aren't we, in essence, doing this exact thing when we- choose that $6.00 latte over giving to missions?

When we choose to take a family vacation instead of giving our tithe?

Choose to have a pedicure over sponsoring a child in need?

Choose to look the other way as the homeless man sits on the corner begging for our help?

Choose a bigger house over adopting a child?

Choose to do nothing- when we could do something?

Choose not to respond.

Roman 14:12 tells us "Each of us will give an account of himself to God."

Belonging to a church isn't enough.

Each one of us, individually, are accountable to God for what we have done for the poor, the helpless, the widow and the orphan.

I once heard someone say the only thing worse than being lost- is being lost and knowing there is no one looking for you. As the body of Christ I believe the Lord is calling each one of us- as individuals- to open our eyes and LOOK. Look for the need and act.

Give.

Serve.

Love.

Take it personal-

Because He does.

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Just thought I'd introduce you to our families all time favorite music artist- Dan Ucherek. Seriously amazing guy and seriously amazing talent. If you haven't heard his music you are missing out in a big way.



Check out his new song- Only Jesus- that he wrote for his baby boy who is waiting in Ethiopia. We love you Dan and Christi and we are so thankful to have you in our lives! :)



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Monday, March 28, 2011

What is the best part of being in a big family you ask?

Having your own cheering section of course!!



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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Happy 3rd Gotcha Day Kaden!!

(Kaden March, 2008)

3 years of this crazy, funny, amazing little man = one blessed family! I always say everyone should be so lucky to have a Kaden in their lives. Not a day goes by that we don't stand in awe at the wonder of this precious little life. He keeps us on our toes, makes us laugh so hard our sides hurt and brings us more joy than we come close to deserving.

Thank you Lord for this gift you have given us. But most importantly, thank you for the things you have taught us about you through Him.


I love you Kaden...
you.bless.me


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Monday, March 21, 2011

Because missions are a group effort

One of the coolest things about going into full time missions is finding the people that God knew would partner with us.:)

We have met the neatest people and we have been so blessed by their example of love for the least of these~ and more importantly love for the Lord. We feel so incredibly humbled by those who have stepped forward to be on our team because they understand that missions are God’s plan- and we are grateful for each and every one of them.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she told me what a privilege it was for her to be a sender- and it stopped me dead in my tracks. You see, when God first called us into full time missions- I almost let the fear of raising support stop us. The thought of having to ask people for financial support made me cringe- and I wasn’t sure I could do it. We spoke to friends, sought advice and prayed like crazy. Through it all we sensed the Lord saying trust me.

So we stepped out in faith, with our knees wobbling and butterflies in our stomach...

The Lord has taught us so much about who He is through our support raising. I believe He wanted to strip us of our pride- of our self-sufficient attitude -so we can see clearly how often we are guilty of relying on our own strengths and abilities- over His.

It has been a beautiful to witness His people putting Him and His mission as a top priority in their lives. It has been beautiful to see the body of Christ in action.

Missions are a group effort. God planned it that way. If you know about the Lord today it is because of missions. It is because another Christians along the way shared the Lord with you. But for many, this is not the case. While God may have called our family to Guatemala to serve- He has called each one of us to care for orphans, and each one of us to share the good news.

We invite you to partner with us as we partner with the Lord caring for the least of these and giving them hope in Him.

If you have any questions please feel free to email us at block amy at hot mail dot com.



Tax deductible giving can be made at:

Commission To Every Nation
Todd and Amy Block
P.O. Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029-1307

Online giving here

Thank you so much for your support!!
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COOL BEANS~ with Tortillas! :)

Love this idea that Lifesong is doing!! Wanna join in?
Tortilla Tuesday!!






Next Monday we will be kicking off an exciting 10 day blog-a-thon to spread the word about what's going on at Lifesong Honduras. We will be sharing personal testimonies from changed lives, peeking into everyday Honduran life, and giving some tools to spread awareness in your families.
One of these tools is a little something we like to call (da-daDAAA!):





Tuesday, March 29th we will be dedicating 1 meal to eat what the children in Honduras eat on a daily basis... and we want you to be a part of it! We will also provide some great topical questions and discussion guides for you to share with your kids on what life is like for children in another culture.


Would YOU join us?

We'll share more as we get closer to the 29th, so mark your calendars, get your camera ready and head to the store to get tortillas, rice, and beans for the whole family!


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Thursday, March 17, 2011


Last week was our spring break so we took a road trip to meet up with some family and friends and do some support raising for missions. It was such a precious time of making new friends and seeing old. A time of getting to share our story (how we became a family of 11 and how the Lord called us to Guatemala) as well as hearing how the Lord is working in others lives as well. It was a long drive with 7 kids in tow- and while Havyn was not exactly thrilled about being in a car seat for 15 hours straight- all of our kids did an amazing job (despite making 3,491 bathroom stops).

I just wanted to say thank you to our amazing supporters- for your hospitality, your sacrifices, your encouragement and most importantly your example. There is no way we could do what the Lord has called us to do without you- and we are so thankful to have you in our lives.

Raising support for missions, we are learning, is not for the weak. But what I love is how the Lord has blessed us with so many people who know this- but stand beside us and hold us up when we can't do it on our own (you guys know who you are). I am so thankful for your encouragement, your prayers and for the way you so boldly go before us. We did nothing to deserve friends and family like you- and yet God blessed us with the most precious gift in this world- you.

Thank you doesn't begin to cut it- so I just hope you know you mean the world to us.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Happy Birthday...

I love you more than words could ever say.

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Please pray, spread the word and ACT!

As you may have heard, Joint Council recently released a Statement regarding the announcement by the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs plan to reduce intercountry adoption by 90%. We do not have a lot of detail on why or if this is going to be temporary or permanent. JCICS has issued the following Call to Action in hopes that MoWA will reverse this decision.

Please help! by doing the following:

1)Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on!

2)Have you adopted from Ethiopia? Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs. Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.org by Sunday, March 12, 2011 to be included. Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide.

3)Share…Please send this Call to Action to family members, other adoptive parents, and everyone you know! Post, forward and share your adoption stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Make sure you include us in your posts so we can all hear your stories! Here’s links to our pages: Facebook, Twitter and our blog.

4)Stay informed: Get up-to-date information regarding the situation in Ethiopia by signing up to receive information from us: click here to do so, make sure you choose “country and issues specific information” and “Ethiopia.” And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our blog!

5)Help ensure our advocacy can continue: Joint Council is a non-profit and receives no government funding. Please join us in ensuring more children live in safe, permanent and loving families. Donate today!



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Happy 1st Gotcha Day!!

One year ago today...



the Lord gave us one of His greatest gifts- our beautiful Ethiopian princess.


I cannot imagine our life without her in it. She has brought so much joy into our family and her little life has forever blessed ours.


She is full of spunk, smart as can be and enthralled with the world around her. She makes me smile and melts my heart with a single look.


Thank you Lord for this amazing gift and thank you God for her donor ~who we will be forever grateful for. Because of you and your heart, this precious treasure is ours.










And please pray for the many children in Ethiopia

and for the families who are longing to bring them home-

as news has it Ethiopia is cutting back as much as 90 percent the number of inter-country adoptions.

My heart breaks for all involved as they wait...
we are praying.

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Todd and I kind of had this deal that we were not going to buy anything for each other for our anniversary since we are saving for missions and all...
so today when I drove up to our house someone had put signs all over our yard and house.
Now the neighbors really think we are crazy. :)
But yes honey, I would marry you again- in Guatemala.


















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19 years ago...

19 years ago I became your wife...

Only looking back now I realize I first loved you for all the wrong reasons.

I was so young, lost, scared, alone and confused... desperate to find my place in this world.

But we found it...

together

in our saviors arms.

It hasn't always been easy

as the Lord has pruned us, changed us and taught us His ways.

Because what I have come to realize is that

it isn't

romance,

riches,

physical beauty,

or prestige

that makes my knees weak and makes my heart beat faster when you walk into the room...

it's the way you lead our family,

the way you defend the orphan,

the way you teach our children,

the way you love your neighbor

and the way you put God above all else

that makes me fall in love

with you

all over again.



Thank you for that.

Thank you for sharing your life with me

and for the privilege of being your wife.


I love you

to

the end.



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Wednesday, March 2, 2011


Several of you have asked me how you can be a part of our sending team. I cannot thank you enough for seeing the importance of mission work. Without you- it would be impossible for us to go.

We are excited to announce that we are officially approved and up on the CTEN (Commission to Every Nation) website and donations can be made in our names on their site. Check us out here.

Thank you for your support, your prayers, your encouragement and thank you for your hearts for the orphan.


Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Proof that shopping with a whole lot of little ones can be fun...


Plus, they tell you that you look fabulous in everything.
My little dummies. :)
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