Arm yourself with knowledge

Some people are afraid of spiders.
Some people are afraid of people who are different than them.
Some people are afraid of cancer.
Some people are afraid of flying.
Some people are afraid to adopt children with certain special needs, certain colors of skin, certain ages, and certain backgrounds.

My biggest fear in life- is to not truly live because I let fear stop me.

I am afraid that I will let the fear of failure,
fear of pain,
fear of not fitting in,
fear of getting hurt,
fear of dying,
fear of the unknown
be the ruler of my decisions...
an in essence, the ruler of my life.

Lord, help me to hear your voice...
Help me to say yes to whatever you ask of me.
Help me to move when you say move.
Help me to truly live this precious life you have given me.

The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
Deuteronomy 1:30-33

Join me at T4A where together we can learn from the experts what it takes to raise children who come from hurting places. Come listen to Dr. Karyn Purvis (author of The Connected Child) and also learn how churches are getting real about adoption and being there for families once the child arrives. With education we can conquer those fears and truly live out the miracle of adoption!!! http://www.togetherforadoption.org/

Those days...

I absolutely love dressing my kids in cool clothes.

I love matching bows, tutu skirts, little plaid shorts, sporty shirts, pageboy caps-all the latest styles.

Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing my kids all clean, dressed up

and looking their best.

But there are those days...

Those days when anything goes...

Those lazy, laid back days when your kids have the opportunity to display their own personal style that brings out their unique personalities...

Those days....

And when those days happen...

Cereal for dinner is good enough :0)

Homeschooling steps

When God first put the idea homeschooling on my heart I admit I was scared stiff.

My one sided conversation with the Lord went something like this...
"Lord, you have the wrong mommy".
"Lord, I am NOT smart enough and I will fail my kids".
"Lord, surely this is not what you are asking me to do."

But God in His goodness patiently gave me the time I needed to get used to the idea. I tossed it around and around in my head, changing my mind daily... yet knowing all along it was indeed exactly what He was asking me to do.

For awhile, I did my best to ignore him... and yet over and over He would gently bring people and situations into my life making His will more and more clear.

Then I mentioned homeschooling in a blog post... you know, just to sort of put it out there... just to see if you all would tell me I was crazy. But instead I was overwhelmed with the support and encouragement I received. So many of you emailed and offered advice, told me what worked and didn't work for you, shared curriculum ideas and more. Seriously, you guys are THE BEST.

Yet, still... you were so far away in real life... somewhere out there in blog land (or Houston right Angel?) and while I was overwhelmed with the support- I was also overwhelmed with where to even start. I am one of those people who learn best by being shown and then DOING it. Seriously, I am not afraid to try anything if someone walks me through it the first time. It's just the way I am made.

So, I began to bargain with God...

And that conversation went something like this.... "Fine Lord, I will do it, but ONLY if you send me one friend close by who homeschools too."

I don't know why I ever doubt God. I don't know why I don't spend my days shouting His glory. He always, ALWAYS provides- even when we don't deserve it.

Today I was invited to this playgroup full of AMAZINGLY COOL moms who all had absolutely adorable and sweet kids. Many were adoptive moms, all were living their life for the Lord. And yes, you guessed it- most of them homeschool. :0) Seriously, why do I ever question His goodness? Just being around these crazy cool, Jesus loving moms was more than I could have asked for. God is so good like that- and I am blessed.

Incase you didn't know them...

Celebrating 6 years with this precious child. Thank you Aleigha for being exactly the way you are. Thank you for sharing your life and your love with us. Because of you, we are blessed. Happy 6th Gotcha Day to our Guatemalan Princess!!

There is more than one way to be rich...

Trust me, I know- because I am LOADED. :0)

What's stopping you?

Sometimes we get it all wrong and don't even realize it.

Sometimes we waste a whole lot of time trying to do the right thing- when the right thing is right in front of our eyes- and we miss it.

Many times we shuffle into church on Sundays. We sit in our pew and recite the words that had been neatly typed on the bulletin. We nod our heads at the appropriate times and sing the words to the hymn without really letting them touch our hearts. We frequently check our watches, anxious to get to lunch where we drop more there than we did into the offering. When the sermon is over we shake hands, greet those around us, load up our bibles, carry them home, and not bring them out until the next Sunday.

Then, we go on with our lives as if nothing had changed in our time with the Lord- because it really hadn't.

While singing Christian music is a good thing, while wearing a cross around your neck and boldly on your t-shirt is nice, while being involved in church related projects is wonderful and while having a WWJD sticker on the back of your vehicle might make people stop and think- those things amount to nothing- if we stop there.

So often we are guilty of going through the Christian motions. So often we know the words to scripture, we can retell the stories of the bible- but we don't truly let the cross change us.

"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making.I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want. " Amos 5:21-24

Today there are 147 million orphans waiting.

Waiting to be loved.

Waiting to be cherished.

Waiting to belong.

Waiting to matter

to us...

as much as they do to God.

We are His hands and feet. We are His plan to help the oppressed and afflicted.

There is no plan B.

We are it...

and I dare say, with 147 million of them- we are failing in a miserable way.

So what is stopping you?

...Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. Proverbs 24:12

Want to learn more about God's heart for the orphan? Reserve your spot at the T4A conference on October 2nd and 3rd at http://www.togetherforadoption.org/

You've got a friend in me...

Yeah, you've got a friend in me.

Finding God right where you are

Awhile back I had a reader leave me a private comment asking me how I had the faith that I do. She went on further to explain that for years her and her family had this dream of adopting again and buying a farm where they could raise their children, raise their food and live a simple life for God. However, no matter how much they prayed things just didn't seem to be falling into place financially or other ways for that to take place and she was at a point where she felt like she was wasting her time praying for these things. She was wondering if perhaps these things were just dreams- and not realistic for her and her family.

Most of us have this idea of how our lives would be if we had a choice. However, we all know that sometimes no matter how hard we 'plan' and 'arrange' and work towards a goal- sometimes things don't turn out the way we wish they would. While that can be frustrating- what I love about being a Christian is that I know without a doubt that even though things don't turn out the way "I" had intended- I know that they turn out the way GOD intended.

And that is true- even when things are hard.

Because the truth is- God works best when we allow Him to have full reign of our lives. When we allow Him to stretch us and grow us through the pain. When we surrender FULLY to His plans.
And even though our plans may look 'Godly' and good- if it isn't what He has for us- then it is not where we are supposed to be.

Sometimes I am guilty of looking at other peoples lives and wishing so much I could have what they have or be where they are. But that is not what God has for me. And while I may WANT that life- truthfully I know that He knows best. He can see the whole picture. He works everything together for the good of those who trust in Him. Even when it's not what we had planned.

Because while I don't have a crystal ball- one things I do know is that God DOES have a plan for each one of us. I know whatever He has planned for you is GOOD. Actually, it's better than good- it's perfect.

Perfect for the way he created you.

Perfect for the talents and gifts He has given you.

Perfect according to His plans.

I don't know if one day He won't have another child for you- or for a farm or anything else you have desired... but what I do know is that He has you where you are now, and He is working out His plans for your life. Your job now is to be still and know that he is God. (Psalms 46:10) Trust that He is working, even while you wait- right where He has you now.

I also know that praying is NEVER a waste of time- even if God is not answering your prayers the way you want at the moment. ANY time spent earnestly before the Lord, listening to His voice, seeking his face, isn't a waste of time. In that time spend on your knees before Him He will create a passion in you, a desire, to draw closer to Him and live out the life He has intended for you this entire time. And it will be GOOD.

Jeremiah 33:3 says: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. When you spend time in prayer, earnestly seeking God, I believe He will allow you to a better understand of His heart and His ways. I believe He will start to show you, little by little the plans He has for your life. I know for a fact that if 18 years ago if God would have told us that we would have 9 multi racial children with different special needs- we would have ran. I seriously don't think we could have handled that news yet. Because, we were not prepared. 18 years ago we had our eyes set on a different set of plans. But this is what God had for us- and it's better than anything I could have ever dreamed. Has it always been easy? Absolutely not. Sometimes that changing and molding hurts bad. But we kept our eyes on Him, surrendered to His will and said Yes to whatever He had for us. It hasn't always been comfortable- but sure has been GOOD.

So go ahead and spend time before the Lord. Share with Him your heart and your desires, and then really listen. He cares and He loves spending time with you. But be willing to surrender your desires for His. Be willing to trust Him for the best. I promise you that while His plans may look nothing like yours- they will be even better.


Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Seeing the fruits of your labor

To our adoption donor...

Sometimes we touch someone's life, but never realize what a difference we truly made.

Sometimes we do something for someone, but never get to see the end result.

I wanted you to know what a difference you made.

I wanted you to truly see.

I wanted you to know we have not forgotten...

and not a day goes by

that we don't remember

because of you~

this little life is what it is today...

and we are so very, very thankful.

Havyn today...

Because we have been reading a lot of this...

We've been playing a lot of this...

Bring back memories?

Just sharing the love

My kids love to put on 'shows' for me and are constantly coming up with new ones. Thought this one was too cute not to share. :0) Do they have talent or what?

I love you too sweet babies!!!

I was thinking...

I was thinking the other day where I would be had I not said yes.

I was thinking the other day how my life would be so different had I not believed.

I was thinking the other day where I would be now had I let the world determine my ways.

I was thinking the other day how much I would have lost out on had I succumb to fear.

I was thinking the other day how glad I am that I listened to the voice of truth.

I was thinking the other day how empty I would be...

without you.

A raffle too precious to miss

Friends of ours are raffling off some cool stuff to help bring their precious one home from Ethiopia.

One thing that I love is watching families and friends pull together and work together to raise the money to bring a child home. There is just something about knowing others have your back. Something about seeing others lift you up as you trust in the Lord to provide. Something about bringing people together for ONE PURPOSE- to bring HIM glory through adoption. Something about knowing He will indeed provide it all.

While most of us quiver at the thought of fundraising- I also believe that when we jump in with both feet and scream YES GOD WHATEVER IT TAKES- we will be blessed beyond measure as we watch HIM work through others.

Please stop by here and be God's hands and feet to help them bring their child home. Together we truly can make a difference.

Thank you Christi for being who you are. Your life, your faith and your example have blessed me more than you will ever know. I smile when I see your joy in serving Him- and I love how you have jumped in with both feet with a grin on your face the whole time- because you believe He will.

Team work

When we first brought Havyn home from Ethiopia in March we were overjoyed with our amazing daughter. However, it was obvious that at 6 months she was rather delayed and we had quite a bit of work ahead of us. Thanks to our amazing ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) workers- our occupational therapists and speech therapists- we were soon working our way towards recovery.

A lot of the issues Havyn was having revolved her being 2 months premature. She was having a lot of swallowing issues and horrible reflux. After a swallow study we found out she was indeed aspirating- even on her own saliva. Poor baby had been in horrible pain. We soon began thickening her formula and she also began sleeping on a wedge. It was a balancing act really- she would eat small amounts every 2 hours- but had to be kept upright for at least an hour after her feeding. ECI also wanted us to push tummy time so in between feedings every 2 hours and one hour being upright we then went down on our tummy. Lots to juggle. However- it began to pay off and she is now almost caught up and growing in leaps and bounds. She is 16 lbs and ready to take off.

Honestly though I have to attribute most of her success to her support team- Mya, Aleigha, Kaden and Carson. They are her biggest fans (as well as mommy and daddy and her oldest brothers and sisters). They encourage her, cheer her on and have crawled by her side. :0) Even ECI said that older siblings are the best therapist there are!

I am so thankful for these amazing, beautiful kids and I am so very, very blessed.

.

T4A- are YOU going??

So what are your plans for October 1-2?

I know what I am going to be doing- I am so going to be at T4A!!!

T4A-I mean seriously- even the name is cool don't you think?

What exactly is T4A you ask? (you did ask didn't you?)

Trust me, it's something you do not want to miss. Together for orphans 2010 National Conference is in Austin Texas Oct 1-2.

To read more about it you can check out http://www.togetherforadoption.org/

This years conferences promises to be a great one and I cannot wait to go! There is a fantastic lineup of keynote speakers and they are estimating a little over 1,000 cool people who are passionate about God, adoption and orphan care under one roof.

Can you imagine? All.Under.One.Roof. It's this orphan loving girls dream come true. :0)

So often times we adoptive families feel like we are in this alone. One reason why I love the blogging world is because here I know that there are others who 'get it'- and it's a safe place where we can turn to for support. That is what is so incredibly awesome about T4A!

Just think-two whole days surrounded by people who have heard God's call to care for orphans and are living that calling out.

Two whole days spent with people who 'get it'.

Two whole days spent with people who understand the heart of God.

It simply doesn't get any better than that.

This years conference theme is “The Gospel, the Church, and the Global Orphan Crisis"- and one thing I can promise you is that it's gonna be good.


So don't wait- go sign up here for the early bird special. I cannot wait to see you there!!!

Kids helping kids

Have you ever had a time in your life when you knew you had reached a turning point? Where you knew things were going to be different- that YOU were going to be different. That is what happened to me when I was 9 years old.

My name is Addisyn and I am about to turn 15 years old. This is my moms blog but she asked me to share part of my story with you.

When I was 9 years old we adopted my sister, Aleigha, from Guatemala. My parents had asked my brothers and I how we felt about adopting a baby and we were all on board. What I didn't know though at the time was how adopting a child would change my entire family- and my entire life.

When you are 9 years old it's pretty important to you that you are like every one else. It's pretty important to you that you fit in. I remember wanting to dress like my friends, talk like my friends and do the same thing as my friends. Adopting my baby sister changed my being like everyone else. When she entered our family we no long 'looked' like everyone else. When we went out in public people stared at us or asked questions. We were no longer just an ordinary family- we were now a multi racial, adoptive family with five children (who many people considered a large family). It was sort of hard for me to pretend I was just like everyone else anymore- because God had called our family to be different.

What I didn't know then was how God would use this experience to mold me into becoming who I am today. What I didn't know was that God would use our experience to create a passion for the least of these. What I didn't know then was how glad I would be that He did.

Going against the norm isn't always an easy thing to do. Actually sometimes it's downright hard. While God has blessed me with many supportive friends- we still do things differently than a lot of other families. Different isn't bad- it's just different and most kids my age just want to fit in. I'm okay with not fitting in. I'm okay with just being who I am. I may not win any popularity contests- but at least I definitley don't struggle with trying to figure out who I am .

Because of our adoptions, I have had the opportunity to go to Guatemala and work at Eagles Nest Orphanage and also travel to Ethiopia this past March to bring home my baby sister, Havyn. I loved Ethiopia before I even set foot there and that love only doubled when I did. My favorite part of being in Ethiopia was getting to spend the day with missionaries Gary and Peggy Ifft. Gary took us to Adami Tulu Preschool in Ziway, Ethiopia and I am pretty sure I left a piece of my heart there. I have a quote hanging on my bedroom wall that reads "When you walk with God, you always reach your destination.

I had reached mine.

Being at the preschool that day also made me realize how much I had been taking for granted. I no longer wanted to just claim to be a Christian- I wanted to LIVE as a Christian. Instead of just memorizing the verses in the bible- I wanted to put them into action. I knew that I couldn't return home and go on with my life the way it had been. I couldn't open my closet door and see 12 pairs of shoes in there without thinking about those left behind with none. I couldn't go into the mall with friends and spent $15 on yet another t-shirt knowing that $15 would have fed 5 children at the preschool for a month. I couldn't just be a regular American teenage girl anymore- I was different.

And different, I am realizing, is a good thing.

Last Tuesday families in Ziway, Ethiopia lined up to sign their children up for preschool. Over 50 children came- and there were only 30 openings. Such a huge need! Each child enrolled will need a school uniform. The cost for boys is $6.20- which includes pants, shirt, a vest, their book bag and supplies. The cost for girls is $5.83 which includes a skirt, shirt, vest, their book bag and supplies. The monthly fee for a child to attend is 25 Birr ($1.84). Yes, you read that right- $1.84 A MONTH is all it cost. You and I probably spend more than that on chewing gum and yet some children are too poor to even pay that.

.

Soon, children all over America will go 'school shopping' with their parents. Shoes, clothes, socks, and supplies will be thrown into their carts without much thought. And one thing I can guarantee you is that it will cost you far more than $6.20.

My challenge for you is to talk to your child. Tell them. Teach them. They won't know unless you do- I didn't. Teach them something far more important than what they will learn the entire year at school. Challenge them to go without one of those items thrown into your cart and instead send that money to Lifesong for Orphans and for Adami Tulu preschool. Show them how to think of others. Help them develop a heart for giving. Show them how to think outside of their own wants. Teach them to make their lives count. Develop in them an awareness for others. Teach them how to care.

More than anything in this world I would love to sit in my desk at school this year, love for your child to sit at their desk this year, knowing across the world, in Ethiopia, another child is getting the same privilege as we are because you and I chose to care enough to do something about it.

Will you please help me? Will you please help your child help another? Even if you can just give enough for one child to have a uniform and a book bag, that is huge to that one child.

Today, you can choose to live a life that is bigger than you. Today you can reach far beyond your ordinary existence. Help educate a child. Give them a chance. Change their life.

They changed mine, now it's time for me to do the same for them.

Please feel free to post this on your blogs, facebook, or yell it from the rooftop of your child's school. ;0) Thank you so much for spreading the word.

Can you guess what we just saw?

I love you 'til infinity and beyond!!!

Last year our oldest son Travis went away to college. While it was hard to let go, hard to not have him under our roof and hard to watch him grow up and go his own way- it was also a blessing to see him stand strong in his faith and make choices we can be proud of.

I look back now and realize how quickly our children grow up- and how precious the time we have with them truly is. I don't want to take a minute of it for granted. While at college Travis met an amazing young lady, Martina, who has become very dear to our family. It has been such a joy to get to know her. She is such a sweet, smart girl- everything you would want for your son. I am quite positive her family must be pretty proud of her too. Today I had the opportunity to take pictures of the two of them together and we had a blast. Thought I'd share some of their cuteness with you. :0)

Allowing change...

Almost 7 years ago, after bringing home our first adopted daughter from Guatemala, God started to really work in our lives. After seeing what we had seen, it became impossible for us to continue living the way we had before. Thank God.

Todd and I were both aware that the Lord was making changes in our lives that needed to be made. We were resistant at first, because change is never easy- even when it's much needed.

At that point we had no idea that the future would hold 4 more adopted children- but one thing we did know was that God was asking us to surrender completely to Him and His will for our lives. For us, that meant saying good-bye to our old selves, our old ways, changing our priorities and walking away from our desire to live the American Dream.

And it was hard.

Truthfully, it was all we had ever known. All we really ever wanted. I don't think I even knew any better and I truly believed that 'things' were what would make us completely happy. We had fallen for the lie that to be successful in this world you had to display your success in the form of a big house, a new automobile and kids that were picture perfect. We wanted to look the part, act the part and be the part.

For awhile after God called us- we performed the balancing act. We would allow God 'some' of our life- while still clinging to bits and pieces of our former life that we valued the most. The bits and pieces that we felt for certain we must have misunderstood God asking us to surrender. But God is not a half way God. So He patiently waited as we slowly began to let go of the grip we had on those things we had once held so dearly. We began to let go of our old lives and move onto the new... The new us that many people didn't recognize anymore. The new us that people questioned. The new us that looked a whole lot different than the old- which was exactly what was needed.

After a period of time, we sold our dream home, moved from Indiana to Texas and became sold out for Christ.

We bought a much small house that needed a lot of tender loving care to become a home. But the price was right and it was the perfect property to raise children.

As we have welcomed more children into our home one by one- God has faithfully provided everything we needed to make room for each and every blessing. Our once 3 bedroom house now has 6 bedrooms thanks to a lot of hard work and friends who have come beside us. Our home is not fancy and new- but it's comfortable and safe. God knew it would be the perfect place where our kids could

explore...
.

heal...

learn...
discover....

grow...
belong...

and THRIVE.

God knew all along what we didn't. His plans are always better than anything we could ever imagine for ourselves... and we couldn't be happier.