SPRING???

This is what we woke up to this Sunday morning. What happened to spring? Isn't it funny how our perspectives change .... at the beginning of winter snow is very exciting, but at the beginning of spring I find that snow is not what I'm wanting to see out my window.

I must admit, it was very pretty.

After talking about the possibility of snow Brandon had the best perspective. Brandon prayed that the snow would remind us that Jesus makes our hearts white as snow.
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A Small Update

Update: Things are looking up at our house these days. I think everyone is feeling better with a little residual effects here and there. I still have an urge to open all the window and doors to clear the air though. :)

On a totally different note... Just last week I shared with some people about Grace (our first referral) and how the Lord had been preparing us for what ultimately became her going Home to the arms of Jesus. This week someone that had been on a missions trip to her Children's Home contacted us about the time they had spent with Grace and sent us a couple of pictures. I thought I would share one of those pictures with you.

Grace went home to the Lord on July 9, 2007. She was so tiny and so very precious and we loved her from far away. The wonderful person that sent this shared that they had taken extra time with her and prayed for her. The Lord was so very good to provide people in little Grace's life so that she would not be alone.

Not very long ago Molly said to me, "I wish we had Baby Grace and Nathan." She has not been forgotten, by our family or by others, and she will always have a special place in our hearts.

Nooooooooooo!

What is that saying? March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? I thought that was in reference to the weather! Not at our house right now. We started out the month with one case of strep throat, then a sibling came down with pneumonia, then a second case of strep throat (someone totally different). Then I got some bug that knocked me off my feet for about 4 days. That's enough! Just about that time we hit a really nice patch of warm weather and I opened up the house and scrubbed down the walls. Phew! Glad that is over!

NOT! Then my dear hubby got a respiratory thing, and Nathan got a good case of the croup - that didn't go away with all the normal remedies so to the pediatrician a-g-a-i-n (groan) to find out that he also had an ear infection. And to top things off one of the other kids got pink eye.

Why tell you all this? No idea, other than it feels good to get it out. :) Anyone want to come visit? Just kidding. I think I am hanging a quarantine sign on our door. I think that we are all on the mend and things are starting to look up, though I'm not going to be sure until we make it a week or more without some other bug.

In the mean time I am going to be cleaning like crazy! And I will continue to remind myself that these are "light and momentary troubles".

#7 & 8, possibly the final? (see two previous posts)

7. Adoption is not for the faint of heart for numerous reasons. But most of all it is not without HOPE. We serve a mighty God who knows and understands not only our needs but the needs of our (His) children. He is able to bring hope and healing and that should fill us all with Hope.

"This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail." Lamentations 3:21-22

8. When the Lord chooses you to adopt it is not blindly or on our own. The Lord walks with us and equips us for the task that He gives us. Hebrews 13: 20, 21 says ..."May the God of peace, ....equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

So, yes, sometimes there are hardships in adoption, but that does not mean that we are not called to it. Just because something isn't easy does not mean that it shouldn't be. One time a dear friend asked me what I thought my life would be like if we hadn't adopted any children. I didn't have to think very long about her question. I told her that I didn't allow myself to think about that at all. I never wanted to allow those thoughts into my heart because I know that if we had not adopted these children that we would not have been obedient to what the Lord had called us to do and that we would have missed out on a great blessing. Ken and I have grown in our marriage relationship but more than anything we have grown closer to the Lord as we have raised our family.

In conclusion I want to leave you with just a few scriptures that have encouraged me at different times:

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

Psalm 27:13

" And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

II Corinthians 9:8

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"Stand firm. Let nothing move you. always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

I Corinthians 15:58

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(this last verse I can not think of without hearing the Donut Man)

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

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Number 4, 5, & 6 on my List (see previous post)

4. You've been praying for your new child before you even started the paperchasing. Some countries allow you to send pictures of your family before you complete the adoption, but many to most adoptive children have no idea who their new family is prior to meeting them. So while you are ready to love on them and become a family sometimes they have to catch up first.

5. We have found it very helpful to remind our kids that we were adopted by God when we put our faith in Christ. So while we weren't adopted by our earthly parents our Heavenly Father brought us into His family "while we were yet sinners". This is a great reminder to us that we were not sinless or even close to perfect (still aren't) when the Lord took us in. And when I meditate on that fact it gives me more compassion for my earthly children.

6. It was wonderful that we had the opportunity to be in Guatemala 3 times in a year. It gave me a great perspective on some of what Nathan would go through. The sounds, the smells (diesel fuel!), the food; it was all so different and took extra energy for me to adapt. When I consider that he did all this and then his daily caretaker not only changed in appearance but in the language she spoke - no wonder it took him a little bit to respond to our voices.

6a. When I think about our foster children they didn't come from a differenct country but very much about their culture was just as different. The way we ate dinner, where they slept, the clothes they wore. Many foster children come to your home with a kroger bag of their "stuff". What did they play with, did they have a blanket? Even the way we spoke, though the same language, really wasn't the same "language". They needed time to adjust as well.

Forgive me for continuing on my soapbox, but I am on a roll and I can't seem to clear my mind of all of this, so I am using my blog as self-induced therapy. Hoping that once I put this in print that I can step back from thinking about it. Hang in there with me!

Why Share the Hard Things?

We are in the middle of an Adoption Bible Study through the adoption ministry at our church. I love the Bible Study as it is truly God-centered. We talk about such topics as our adoption by God, God's sovereignty in adoption, discipling our children.

Ken and I are passionate about adoption - and have four adopted kids to show for it. So why do I sometimes share some of the hard things about adoption? That question has a long answer but, my immediate answer is, "because there are hard things about adoption." Whether it be in the process itself, the wait to bring home the child, or after the homecoming there are some things that are hard.

I share about some of the personal struggles we have had because I feel that if I am going to encourage someone in the area of adoption I better be honest with them up front. I don't want someone to come back and ask me why I didn't tell them it could be hard. And I will insert here that not all of our adoptions have been "hard", though there have been moments in each situation that have grown us closer to the Lord. I also want someone to know that if they are going through some difficulty they are not alone.

Ken and I have often talked about what we think people should know about adoption. Here are three things that come to mind without too much effort:

1. Adoption is the bringing together of two families, even if you only meet one member of one of the families involved. Simply, adoption is sort of like marriage. It is a committment made for life and involves the blending of two families.

2. Adoption is humbling. When I think about the Lord knowing us so well, especially our weaknesses, I am humbled that He chose us to parent any of our children. Oh wait a minute, they are actually His children.

3. In a perfect world the best place for a child would be with their birth family. However, we live in a fallen world. And just as God adopted us into His family when things didn't work out as He originally had planned (see Genesis 3), the adoption of children is the best plan when it is not possible for a child to grow up in their birth family. And one of the cool benefits of both of these types of adoption is that God can be glorified in each one! Addendum to #3 - in no way am I saying here that adoption is second choice in God's plan for us or our children, see Psalm 139:16.

As I am typing this I think of several others, but I think for now I will stop there. Maybe I will return to this list later.

We want people to know that we believe that the Lord placed each one of our children into our family, just in different ways. And we are so very thankful for the opportunity to love and raise each of our children even on the "hard" days.

You Gotta Start Them When They're Young

Our Little Helper:
Emptying the Dishwasher

Vacumming - Sort Of

Putting in the Laundry

Kissing the Baby

Nathan loves to do whatever someone else is doing. If you are sitting on the floor he often just sits down beside you. When he hears Natalie start to unload the dishwasher he literally comes running to help. Hope we can keep up these habits into his teens. :) He is a great little guy!