PRAYING FOR INDIA SOUL

The phone call...the one no parent ever wants to receive...it came today and our hearts are turned to prayer.

 

Our daughter, she has a name. God has allowed us to care deeply for this tiny little orphaned girl on the other side of the world and He has even allowed us to give her a name. It's India Soul and we love her very, very much! Would you please join us in prayer for her life?

 

She is extremely ill, but her illness and vulnerability is not a surprise to God. After all, He ordained all the days He planned for her before one of them came to be and He loves her way more than we ever could!

 

We pray for peace in our hearts as we trust God's plans for her life. We ask the Lord for healing in India's tiny 8 pound body, yet we trust His will. We ask the Lord for the opportunity to raise this little one up to know and love Him and serve Him with her life here on earth, yet we thank Him if He should choose to call her home with Himself. We also ask for comfort for our whole family as we process the potential loss of a little someone we have all come to love very much already.

 

May God be glorified in and through India's life and story. May He be trusted by many in new ways as we depend on Him in this trial and pray. May His love and care and saving grace be on display in the life of little India, no matter His determined course for her.

 

God is with her now across the globe. He is with me here, her mommy on the other side of the world, helpless, but trusting Him who is able. He never leaves, never forsakes, always cares, is always in control, is always good, and He loves us!

 

"The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

1 Samuel 18:1

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

Proverbs 19:21

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I have a dream that...one day...little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

-Martin Luther King Jr., I Have A Dream, August 28, 1963

 

SETBACKS AND GRACE

This weekend we received exciting news of dates and time frames that would make any parent overjoyed in anticipation of a beloved union to come. And then...today, Monday morning, came the setback. Ah, the joys of the adoption journey. And yet...

GRATITUDE...as we thank a good and trustworthy God for His perfect timing and plans that far exceed ours.

PEACE...in knowing that this God we serve is purposeful, wise, and loving in all of His ways.

LOVE...swells for my new children even more as I'm challenged to wait for them longer than expected. (How is it possible to love these little people so much when I haven't even met them yet?!)

PATIENCE...that exists because of faith.

RELINQUISHMENT...of the reigns, knowing full well that God is always in control of all things.

TRUST...because of all of the above.

Today we rest in the perfect plans of a perfect God who has written His story better than we ever could. And GRACE upon GRACE flows down.

Thank you, Lord, for holding our children in the shelter of your wing. Thank you for loving them and providing for them in the ways that you've deemed best. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your story. And, thank you for your grace and steadfast love, even in (especially in) the setbacks.

"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." 1 John 1:16

 

Come Weary Saints by Sovereign Grace Music

(awesome CD filled with God's words of comfort)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRODIE

I'm SO blessed to be best friends with you! HOW I LOVE YOU!!!

 



 

"Many waters cannot quench love."
Song of Solomon 8:7

I HAD A DREAM

 

Sometimes...I feel like the little girl I used to be (and still am in many ways).

Sometimes...I wonder how I blinked and became the grown up.

Sometimes...in my mind, I'm still that little girl way up in the tree with her dolls and stuffed
animals tied to her waist so she could climb high and perch together with all her "kids".

I had a dream.

When it came time to blow out a candle, I always had just one wish. I'd wish for a baby to be left on our
doorstep with a note saying that he or she was to be cared for by the youngest member of the household.
(Certainly, that was the most logical way to ensure the child was designated for me, the baby of my family.)

Believe it or not, that particular wish never came true, but in a way I have to laugh thinking
back on just how much of my childhood was preparation for what God had in store for me.

I had a dream. God had a plan.

Even though I'm a big grown up girl now, it's not uncommon for me to miss my mom and dad at times and especially in the fall since both of them joined Jesus in heaven in September. The looming autumn scents in the air, school supplies, and summer's end tend to till my heart's past pains. And, when I wish I could pick up a phone and say hello to the ones I love and miss, I'm thankful that I have my eternal Father God to talk to. I'll always have Him to talk to, to listen to.

When I was a little girl, I had a dream.

I dreamed that one day I would grow up and get to be The Mom. That's all I remember ever hoping to become. It's strange, the reality to be in the dream. I'm thankful...thankful to be trusted by God with these precious children...thankful to be a forever child of a good Father God...thankful for this day, today, from Him.

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'”
James 4:14-15

We aren't promised tomorrow, but today we live according to God's will. I pray to give my little girls and boys the opportunity to dream and be little, all the while preparing them to be big. I pray for them to grow up loving Jesus. I pray to love them well and to grasp the brevity of this life, 'cause we live it differently when we do.

"Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."
Psalm 144:4

It's kind of fun, actually, to realize that I'm just here...in my dream. And, one day I'll enter a new dream, the eternal dream to come.
It's written about in God's Word. It speaks of forever love in a perfect place and it becomes reality sooner than we think.

This life, it's a vapor, but I have a dream.

"Show me, O Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.  
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man’s life is but a breath.
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you."

Psalm 39:4-7

 

PRAYING FOR MALAWI

The Operation World country of the day is Malawi. Brodie had the opportunity to serve there this past spring and had a wonderful experience. He said that the people were so joyful. Even in their circumstances, he said that the children at the orphanage were smiling. I guess that's why it's called The Warm Heart of Africa.

May we here in the United States of America find the same joy that comes from God, no matter our circumstances, especially in our plenty. In ALL things may we thank our heavenly Father who has lovingly ordained our every encounter for our good and His glory.

Let's take some time to pray for the people of Malawi, that they would come to know their Savior in a real way and that they may be filled with the joy of the Lord no matter what they may endure.

"Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!" Psalm 67:4

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

HE HAS OUR NAME

To see our family's name on his passport is moving to say the least. He is our son. God has called us to him. Though joyful, my heart can't help but hurt to think of the loss he has already endured in his young life, but God has a plan and we're part of it. I pray we serve Him well in the task He has ordained for us.

We wait for the same news for our daughter, patiently, trusting God's perfect timing. It won't be long now...

"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"

Psalm 27:14

EPHESIANS 4:29-32

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:29-32

WHAT ABOUT LAUNDRY?

 

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men." 

Ephesians 6:7

Another common question...
I realize that laundry doesn't seem like the most spiritual thing to write about
and has nothing to do with adoption in the general sense, but for me, in a way it is and does.

Perspective is powerful.

When I fold my loved ones' laundry and I pray for them individually as I do, the Lord knits my heart to their current needs and/or triumphs and fills me with His compassion for them. When I daydream about children who don't have stacks of clean laundry to put away in their room as of yet, and I consider how lovingly I will fold their jammies once they are mine, I thank God for giving them a mommy. I thank Him for choosing me.

Mommies are a special part of the treasury of childhood innocence. We kiss and cook and hug and read and wipe and teach and fold and love with a special mommy-kind-of-love. With profound influence for future generations,

do we realize just how much we've been entrusted with?

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

Having lost my mom prematurely, I'm sometimes hyper-aware of the good we mommies stand to invest in our little ones' lives.
Even something as mundane as laundry can be viewed as a privilege if we allow it to be.

As our family size has grown, it seems I'm asked more often about how I approach the laundry situation in our home. The funny thing is that I honestly don't really feel like there is a "laundry situation" primarily because I make a choice to "put it over there"...meaning...I make sure we all have enough clothing to last about 2 weeks or more, then I forget about the laundry all together. The kids have learned how to put away clothes that are still clean after wearing them, the hampers are large enough that they are (rarely) overflowing,
and for 2 weeks or so I don't think about laundry.

Then comes the BIG day. (That's about 24 times/year if you're doing the math.) I'll spend the whole day at home (usually in my pjs) washing and drying and folding and praying, stacking in designated rows. The kids do the sorting and putting away and we all work hard to have kind hearts as we serve. It's a group effort, but most of it's mine, and really I've found that by doing it this way, I'm not constantly bearing the weight of the loads, so to speak. The laundry is just "over there" and this has worked well for us so far.

"She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:17, 27, 30

So there you have the laundry question answer.
Just like anything else, it's not as important what we do,
but how we do it, knowing God looks at the heart.

"For the LORD sees not as man sees:
man looks on the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

"I will walk with integrity of heart within my house."

Psalm 101:2

Whatever laundry strategy works for each of us, may we mommies (and daddies) all remember with intentionality that our work is done unto the Lord. We are serving Him in all that we pour out for our families and He sees our every chore.
He carries us in our weakness and fills us with His joy. We are never, ever alone.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

I hope and pray that any mommies reading this who find yourselves weary (or even just behind on the laundry) will fall into the arms of Jesus as you serve your loved ones in His name. May the loads of tasks we mommies do be done for the Lord, in service to Him. And may we love Him more as we love our families with His love, even in daily chores as seemingly trivial as laundry.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

...a great song to sing while doing things like laundry :)

Seeds Family Worship (on Seeds of Purpose, Vol. 4)

ETERNAL H20

"Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” John 4:13-14

We've been blessed with the opportunity to help distribute water filters to the orphanage where our children are, thanks to Hurley's H2O outreach. Something so simple, so taken for granted...clean water...it holds the power of life and death.

Our baby, drinking formula from contaminated water before, now has clean water. We thank the Lord for this delivery! Our dear friend's son had typhoid, but God has made him well. He now drinks clean water too. They all do. How thankful we were to receive this photo of the kids jumping for bubbles and notice the water bucket in the background! :)

But it doesn't stop there. Clean water for drinking and replenishing our flesh, though vital, is temporal. Living water, which quenches the soul, is eternal. In it is true life...apart from it is death.

"Therefore, choose life." Deuteronomy 30:19

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” 

John 7:38

"The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price."

Revelation 22:17

We hope to be able to continue to provide clean water to those who desperately need it, and we hope to quench these same souls with living water as we do. Our humanitarian efforts are really only as good as our spiritual efforts which accompany them. What good is clean drinking water to an eternally perishing soul? So, we offer physical aid as we offer spiritual life.

In Jesus Christ is the true living water. May we thirst for Him and come to know Him as we do. May we link arms with others who share a common goal. May we drink of that which is offered to us...living water, eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." 

John 3:16

 

To God be the glory!

SOON...

Though we don't know all the timing, we know it will be soon when we meet our children face to face. The documents are coming in. The reality is setting in. And we are ready...as ready as we can be.

This readiness, this homecoming, it all resembles more. It helps me wrap my mind around our eternal homecoming, our forever home. How can we, here, comprehend what it will be like, there, when we have but a glimpse?

And yet, God our Father, He knows. He is there now. He has prepared a place for us. He has many rooms. He awaits our union with expectation. He has planned it long ago.

“Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass."

2 Kings 19:25

"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."

John 14:2-3

 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

John 14:18

 

Our little boy looks at photos of his soon-to-be and he tries hard to understand what he's being told. But how can he know? He has no concept of the new reality. He has never experienced it before. He sees a mere glimpse of all that awaits him in love.

And yet, we know. We are here now. We have prepared a place for him, for her. We have readied many rooms for them. We await our union with expectation because God planned it long ago.

 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
 in your book were written, every one of them,
 the days that were formed for me,
 when as yet there was none of them."
Psalm 139:16

It's still hard for me to believe that God has ordained this privilege of participating in His plans for our children's lives...all of them! He planned it long ago. It spurs me on to love them well for Him.

In reverence, I press on, eternity in view and thankful to start another leg of this journey...soon.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14