Friday, January 22, 2010
Praying for a Country to be Healed...
"You Said" sung by Rita Springer has been one of my favorite songs for a long time. This song has been going round & round in my head as I have been fervently praying for Haiti since the Earthquake. At first I couldn't find a video that sounded good, nor pictures that came close to anything that spoke about Haiti in any shape or form until I came across this one. It was made in Spring 2007...right before my first trip to Haiti in July 2007. We need to keep praying for a "healed Haiti."
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What a Mighty God We Serve!!!
A week ago today Haiti was shaken by the 7.0 earthquake. In a moment's time...everything there changed. Thousands dead, thousands injured, thousands homeless, the tradegy went on & on...and unfortunately continues to go on. The adoptive parents in the process of bringing their children home were in a tail spin. Many thoughts raced through their minds. Is my child(ren) alive? After it was found out they were alive then it turned to are they safe? Do they have enough food & water? What happened to the paperwork? How long is it going to take now to bring them home?
Some of these parents have been waiting over 3 years to bring their children home. The thought of countless more delays...especially in this crisis...could get the best of anyone. But God had a plan...a big plan! A plan that none of us even thought of. He took what was meant for bad & turned it into good for the children & adoptive parents of Three Angel's.
Last night the 26 children landed on US soil. Some of them were reunited with their parents shortly thereafter while others will be reunited with them today. Our area eagerly awaits the arrival of 7 of the 26 children. We can not wait!!! We will finally have our "circle of 19 3A's children" complete! Praise God from who all blessings flow!
Some of these parents have been waiting over 3 years to bring their children home. The thought of countless more delays...especially in this crisis...could get the best of anyone. But God had a plan...a big plan! A plan that none of us even thought of. He took what was meant for bad & turned it into good for the children & adoptive parents of Three Angel's.
Last night the 26 children landed on US soil. Some of them were reunited with their parents shortly thereafter while others will be reunited with them today. Our area eagerly awaits the arrival of 7 of the 26 children. We can not wait!!! We will finally have our "circle of 19 3A's children" complete! Praise God from who all blessings flow!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Haiti...
We want to thank all of you for your prayers & support this week since the catastrophic earthquake happened in Haiti on Tuesday. It means more than you will ever know. We are thankful beyond words that our Haitian children are home with us. However, we have very heavy hearts as we have many friends in Haiti as well as adoptive children that are waiting to come to our area & we are still waiting to hear about some people we know & have not been heard from or seen since the quake.
I'm sure many of you have seen the very graphic images of what's going on in Haiti right now. We can not stress that even those images don't fully capture the severity of tragedy or need. It's beyond most people's comprehension. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti & those of us who are so intricately intertwined with them. Please pray that our friends & all people nationwide that are in the process of adopting from Haiti will be allowed to bring their children home ASAP.
Some of you have asked how you can help monetarily. We know that the Red Cross is offering all kinds of innovative ways to donate. We think that's great but we also want to give you some other options. These are Haiti organizations that we have personal ties to. There are as follows:
Three Angels Children's Relief www.threeangelshaiti.org This is the orphanage that our 3 Haitian children came from. There is currently 7 children from this orphanage waiting to come to our area.
BOSKO www.boskohaiti.org This is an organization that was started by some very dear friends of mine who live near us & have adopted two children from Three Angels.
Heartline Ministries www.heartlineministries.org This ministry has been serving Haiti for quite some time & currently has a wonderful couple named the Livesays who live in Haiti & direct the ministry efforts.
Thank you!
I'm sure many of you have seen the very graphic images of what's going on in Haiti right now. We can not stress that even those images don't fully capture the severity of tragedy or need. It's beyond most people's comprehension. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti & those of us who are so intricately intertwined with them. Please pray that our friends & all people nationwide that are in the process of adopting from Haiti will be allowed to bring their children home ASAP.
Some of you have asked how you can help monetarily. We know that the Red Cross is offering all kinds of innovative ways to donate. We think that's great but we also want to give you some other options. These are Haiti organizations that we have personal ties to. There are as follows:
Three Angels Children's Relief www.threeangelshaiti.org This is the orphanage that our 3 Haitian children came from. There is currently 7 children from this orphanage waiting to come to our area.
BOSKO www.boskohaiti.org This is an organization that was started by some very dear friends of mine who live near us & have adopted two children from Three Angels.
Heartline Ministries www.heartlineministries.org This ministry has been serving Haiti for quite some time & currently has a wonderful couple named the Livesays who live in Haiti & direct the ministry efforts.
Thank you!
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Battle Within...
Grab a comfy chair & something to drink &/or eat because I have a feeling this is going to be a long one as I pour out my heart in regards to something I have been really struggling with lately.
For those of you who have or are currently going through the adoption process & have a child(ren) at home you know all too well the struggle that exists between having your heart in two different places, not fully being able to enjoy the moment due to having that nagging ache in your heart.
Although the situation I now face is different, the struggle is quite similar. When God called Randy & I to adopt Shakira, we knew it would not be a piece of cake. We knew that adopting a special needs child would be different & more challenging than adopting a child without special needs. It was not our choice to adopt her. It was God's will & we chose to obey him. I wish I could say that in by obeying God he would have waved his hand & having Shakira in our family is a piece of cake...but that's not the case.
We love her dearly but the day to day challenges that she brings can be very frustrating & tiresome. We also know that we are blessed with how well she has progressed since she has come home & that it could be a lot worse...and that indeed, there are a lot of families out there that are experiencing "a lot worse." But that still doesn't change the day to day life here with her.
We moved her into her own room a week ago because she is very loud in the morning & kept waking up Phoebe & Samara. She can also be very destructive & tears up a lot of toys or whatever maybe lying around. It didn't seem fair to Phoebe & Samara that their things were getting destroyed because of Shakira "choosing"...and yes, she does have a choice...she has the cognitive ability to make good & bad choices. So now Phoebe & Samara can leave things out in their room the way they want them without fear of Shakira tearing them up.
We took her glasses away from her & put them up for now because a couple weeks before Christmas she got mad that she was in time out so she took her glasses off & snapped them in two. We got the frames replaced & not even 12 hours after she got them back, she was trying to tear the arm off of one side. This was after over 6 months of wearing them without incident.
Her potty training is going much better. She remains dry most of the time during the day & only wears a pull up at night. That is a huge victory! We should be really happy about that...which we are...but we're also tired of telling her every step: "pull down your pants, go, stand up & wipe with TP, put the TP in the toliet, flush the toliet, pull up your pants, wash your hands." This may seem very trivial to some, but if you had to do this several times a day, every day, & not just with the bathroom but with everything...getting dressed, brushing teeth, eating, playing, etc., it gets very tiresome.
So last week I was really struggling with all of this. I was tired...no, exhausted. And in addition to that, we found out last week that there is a very high possibilty that Shakira is 2-4 years older than the paper work says she is. Although that doesn't surprise me because I've been "sensing" that for awhile, it hit me like a brick because that means she's even more delayed than we thought she was. This week we will be getting a bone growth x ray on her to help determine how old she really is. Although we will keep her age at what the paperwork says, it's important that we know her "real" age for health & development reasons.
I want to thank everyone who prayed for me last week because it really helped! I could feel them working. I was given a new perspective as my attitude changed & my spirits lifted. I was reading Matthew 16 & came to verse 25, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." I know that's a familiar verse but this time it had new meaning to me. I was trying to hang onto the life that I wanted. The one that I had envisioned. Forgetting that it's not about me...but God & His will for my life...not my will.
The footnote in my Life Application Study Bible says this about the verse: "If we protect ourselves from the pain God calls us to suffer, we begin to die spiritually & emotionally. Our lives turn inward, & we lose our intended purpose. When we give our life in service to Christ, however, we discover the real purpose of living."
Yes, it is His will that Shakira is a part of our family...reasons that are still not clear to us...but it doesn't matter what the reasons are. We are called to serve Him no matter what. So as we go through the day to day "what", we are striving to serve Him faithfully & joyfully.
For those of you who have or are currently going through the adoption process & have a child(ren) at home you know all too well the struggle that exists between having your heart in two different places, not fully being able to enjoy the moment due to having that nagging ache in your heart.
Although the situation I now face is different, the struggle is quite similar. When God called Randy & I to adopt Shakira, we knew it would not be a piece of cake. We knew that adopting a special needs child would be different & more challenging than adopting a child without special needs. It was not our choice to adopt her. It was God's will & we chose to obey him. I wish I could say that in by obeying God he would have waved his hand & having Shakira in our family is a piece of cake...but that's not the case.
We love her dearly but the day to day challenges that she brings can be very frustrating & tiresome. We also know that we are blessed with how well she has progressed since she has come home & that it could be a lot worse...and that indeed, there are a lot of families out there that are experiencing "a lot worse." But that still doesn't change the day to day life here with her.
We moved her into her own room a week ago because she is very loud in the morning & kept waking up Phoebe & Samara. She can also be very destructive & tears up a lot of toys or whatever maybe lying around. It didn't seem fair to Phoebe & Samara that their things were getting destroyed because of Shakira "choosing"...and yes, she does have a choice...she has the cognitive ability to make good & bad choices. So now Phoebe & Samara can leave things out in their room the way they want them without fear of Shakira tearing them up.
We took her glasses away from her & put them up for now because a couple weeks before Christmas she got mad that she was in time out so she took her glasses off & snapped them in two. We got the frames replaced & not even 12 hours after she got them back, she was trying to tear the arm off of one side. This was after over 6 months of wearing them without incident.
Her potty training is going much better. She remains dry most of the time during the day & only wears a pull up at night. That is a huge victory! We should be really happy about that...which we are...but we're also tired of telling her every step: "pull down your pants, go, stand up & wipe with TP, put the TP in the toliet, flush the toliet, pull up your pants, wash your hands." This may seem very trivial to some, but if you had to do this several times a day, every day, & not just with the bathroom but with everything...getting dressed, brushing teeth, eating, playing, etc., it gets very tiresome.
So last week I was really struggling with all of this. I was tired...no, exhausted. And in addition to that, we found out last week that there is a very high possibilty that Shakira is 2-4 years older than the paper work says she is. Although that doesn't surprise me because I've been "sensing" that for awhile, it hit me like a brick because that means she's even more delayed than we thought she was. This week we will be getting a bone growth x ray on her to help determine how old she really is. Although we will keep her age at what the paperwork says, it's important that we know her "real" age for health & development reasons.
I want to thank everyone who prayed for me last week because it really helped! I could feel them working. I was given a new perspective as my attitude changed & my spirits lifted. I was reading Matthew 16 & came to verse 25, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." I know that's a familiar verse but this time it had new meaning to me. I was trying to hang onto the life that I wanted. The one that I had envisioned. Forgetting that it's not about me...but God & His will for my life...not my will.
The footnote in my Life Application Study Bible says this about the verse: "If we protect ourselves from the pain God calls us to suffer, we begin to die spiritually & emotionally. Our lives turn inward, & we lose our intended purpose. When we give our life in service to Christ, however, we discover the real purpose of living."
Yes, it is His will that Shakira is a part of our family...reasons that are still not clear to us...but it doesn't matter what the reasons are. We are called to serve Him no matter what. So as we go through the day to day "what", we are striving to serve Him faithfully & joyfully.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year Resolution...
Turning Point Devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah
"A New Resolution"
Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Psalm 39:4
Recommended Reading: Proverbs 2:1-6
According to the USA.gov ("Government Made Easy") website, the dozen most popular New Year's Resolutions are: lose weight, manage debt, save more, change jobs, get in shape, go back to school, drink less, stop smoking, reduce stress in general, reduce stress at work, travel, and volunteer. Any of those look familiar? Since they're the "most popular," they probably do.
Here's a different approach for 2010: Instead of focusing on what's wrong with yourself or your circumstances, resolve this year to focus on God. Instead of making resolutions, resolve to do one main thing: Make your life the subject of gentle conversation between you and God on a daily basis. That doesn't mean in the sense of, "God, I want . . . I need . . . I wish." Rather, "God, I want to reflect Your glory in my life more in 2010 than in 2009. I want to live today in light of the end of my life. Speak to me and empower me to be conformed, gently but surely, more into the image of Christ this year."
That's a prayer God will answer by replacing the weakness of our resolve with the strength of His; a resolution that will not fail.
"If our lives and ministry are to count for anything today we must solemnly resolve to make time for God." Vance Havner
Happy New Year! Praying for God's love & peace to reveal itself to you in a new & refreshing way this year.
"A New Resolution"
Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Psalm 39:4
Recommended Reading: Proverbs 2:1-6
According to the USA.gov ("Government Made Easy") website, the dozen most popular New Year's Resolutions are: lose weight, manage debt, save more, change jobs, get in shape, go back to school, drink less, stop smoking, reduce stress in general, reduce stress at work, travel, and volunteer. Any of those look familiar? Since they're the "most popular," they probably do.
Here's a different approach for 2010: Instead of focusing on what's wrong with yourself or your circumstances, resolve this year to focus on God. Instead of making resolutions, resolve to do one main thing: Make your life the subject of gentle conversation between you and God on a daily basis. That doesn't mean in the sense of, "God, I want . . . I need . . . I wish." Rather, "God, I want to reflect Your glory in my life more in 2010 than in 2009. I want to live today in light of the end of my life. Speak to me and empower me to be conformed, gently but surely, more into the image of Christ this year."
That's a prayer God will answer by replacing the weakness of our resolve with the strength of His; a resolution that will not fail.
"If our lives and ministry are to count for anything today we must solemnly resolve to make time for God." Vance Havner
Happy New Year! Praying for God's love & peace to reveal itself to you in a new & refreshing way this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)