Well, we made it. The flight was long, very long but all went well, with no problems, thank you for your many prayers. It is very nice here, very clean, and the people are very polite and helpful. There are times when I can forget that I am not in the US. We're really enjoying the food and the weather is thankfully "warm" for this season. We have done a ton of shopping and visited two different palaces that were beautiful.
Yesterday we met Jack for the first time, it was a bit magical and overwhelming. His foster mom came into the room with him tied to her back and her coat was over them both, so when the social worker said here's your baby I was confused what she was talking about. He is very attached to his foster mother (a huge answer to prayers) and she is absolutely wonderful. Please be in pray for us as he is very shy and every time we held him he became instantly upset and scared. This is going to be a very difficult transition for him, please pray that he would trust us soon and for the adjustment of us all, including sleeping together, flying on a long flight, calming him and feeding him well.
Somebody give Kylynn a big hug and kiss from me and tell her we miss her but our buying her lots of gifts to make up for it! :)
I will write more later when we have time. Thank you all for your many prayers!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Dear Jack,
I hope that someday I'll be able to express to you the way you were anticipated, prayed for, and celebrated. I hope that in the times you find life to be hard or you perhaps try to think no one loves you, the number of people who called and wrote me crying and praising God for you yesterday will carry you through. I hope that you will be strong enough to be just who you are, your story is unique but I hope you take pride in that. I hope you stand tall that the Lord has such plans for you that He would give you three mothers who love you, two countries to call your own, and to have God worked miracle after miracle in your short 9 months.
Someday I'll understand this miracle of adoption better, right now I'm just walking in obedience and love and anticipation. It is only by faith that I know what I'm doing, practically speaking I have no idea how to raise a son, how to deal with the issues of being an "interracial family", how to help you through the certain hurts of not knowing your birth mother or father. But I promise you to always pray over my decisions for you, to walk in faith, to trust God's plan for your life, to parent you by the only Book that gives me true answers, the Bible, and to say I'm sorry when I mess up.
I've missed you for a long time, I cannot wait to meet you. Your big sister is so excited. Yesterday she gave me a long list of all the things she's going to do for you. Today she said, I'm ready for my baby brother to come home! We all are and this is going to be the best Christmas ever. I love you baby boy and if I'd go to the ends of the earth to get you once, I'll do it again, don't forget that.
Someday I'll understand this miracle of adoption better, right now I'm just walking in obedience and love and anticipation. It is only by faith that I know what I'm doing, practically speaking I have no idea how to raise a son, how to deal with the issues of being an "interracial family", how to help you through the certain hurts of not knowing your birth mother or father. But I promise you to always pray over my decisions for you, to walk in faith, to trust God's plan for your life, to parent you by the only Book that gives me true answers, the Bible, and to say I'm sorry when I mess up.
I've missed you for a long time, I cannot wait to meet you. Your big sister is so excited. Yesterday she gave me a long list of all the things she's going to do for you. Today she said, I'm ready for my baby brother to come home! We all are and this is going to be the best Christmas ever. I love you baby boy and if I'd go to the ends of the earth to get you once, I'll do it again, don't forget that.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
My hands have finally stopped shaking
We got the call this morning that Jack is ready for us to go and get him. Now we have the task of arranging hotels, flights, childcare for Kylynn, luggage, and on and on so that we can go. We are trying to book the flight/hotel right now, as soon as I know more I will share.
Please pray for us that my hands will continue to not shake (feel the Lord's peace and prescence), that He works out all this crazy travel perfectly so we can go quickly, that He would calm Kylynn down (she has picked up on the frenzy and is worried), and take care of the million of details, most of all that Jack would feel safe and loved with Kyle and I.
Thank you for all your prayers, I will write more I promise about this miracle that God has worked out every step of the way...I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this.
Please pray for us that my hands will continue to not shake (feel the Lord's peace and prescence), that He works out all this crazy travel perfectly so we can go quickly, that He would calm Kylynn down (she has picked up on the frenzy and is worried), and take care of the million of details, most of all that Jack would feel safe and loved with Kyle and I.
Thank you for all your prayers, I will write more I promise about this miracle that God has worked out every step of the way...I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
We will never forget
Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of when bonfire fell. I was a sophmore that year and I was changed in that moment in so many ways. Every year Kyle and I, and now Kylynn go to the memorial to walk around and remember what happened, but most importantly to pray. I pray for the family and friends of those 12 who died that day. I pray for this university that I love so much. As much as that event was tragic and sad, it was uplifting and inspiring as well. We were reminded that we are a family at Texas A&M, no matter how big the school is, we love one another. I walked around that tragic day and the days that followed and sat in my classes where the professors just talked to us and let us talk, and we just comforted one another, hugged one another, and prayed for one another even though we were by some's definition "strangers". I remember walking over to wear stack fell that day and it was surrounded by hundreds of people just praying and hugging and I knew that we would get through it okay because at Texas A&M we are a family and we are a family that loves God and He would walk us through this time, and He did.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Listen this week, You'll be glad you did
Since November is Adoption Awareness month Focus on the Family's radio broadcast will be focused on that topic. Please listen, these godly men and women have such important things to say on this topic. Here's the details:
During the week of November 17-21, 2008, tune in to Focus on the Family and FamilyLife’s radio broadcasts. We’ll cover issues related to orphan care and adoption. Here is an overview of what will be discussed:
- The plight of the orphan in today’s world.
- God’s heart for the orphan – the most vulnerable of the least of these.
- Practical ways to follow God’s call to care for orphans
November has another meaning for me
Every November my church, Grace Bible Church, has it's missions conference. Five years ago this month God somehow dragged me to one of the events and forever changed my perspective, which would in turn change everything about how I spend my money, my time, and my resources. I want to share my story, even though it is at times embarrassing in hopes that someone might realize that just like God has a role for us all to play in caring for the orphans, he has a role for us in reaching the nations with the good news about Jesus. Here we go...
As part of our misssions conference that year our church was hosting a "Day of Discovery" which was touted as Perspectives in a day. For anyone not familiar with those events it was a day long class on missions. Kyle really wanted to go and I'm pretty sure my first response was no way, I am NOT going to spend an entire Saturday bored out of my mind learning about missions. Besides if there was one thing I was sure of it was this, I was not now not ever going on a missions trip, frankly I wasn't interested in leaving this country for fun, I definitely was going to live in Africa and eat bugs (unfortunately that is probably a quote, no exageration here). But the Holy Spirit moved in me just enough that I chose to try and be a godly wife and go if it was so important to Kyle.
So we get there and I am not happy but I'm going to be there for 9 hours so I might as well listen. The speaker stands up there and just begins to read from the Bible, showing us God's heart for the lost, His desire that none should perish, His love for all people. Then he reads from the Bible the scary stuff (for me at the time) the commandments (yes commandments) to go, to make disciples, to send, to teach, to serve. We learned a lot more about the world, the people in this world who have never heard about the fact that Jesus died for their sins and if they just believe that they will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We learned how many people there are who have never heard and how few workers are there sharing with them and how even less money is given to help those missionaries. We learned how 98% of all international people who come to live in America for a period of time, never set foot in an American's home, that one made me cry. So I sat there all day and the man just read from the Bible and shared facts about missions around the world no gimmicks just truth, but it was all one needs to hear, and I left there sad and scared to death.
I have never experienced the fear of the Lord (a respect and understanding of my need to obey) as strongly as I did when we left that class. At the end we had a chance to pray and this is about what I said, "Lord I do NOT want to go on a missions trip, but I'll go if you make me. Lord, I am scared out of my mind as to what this might mean...I don't want to live in Africa and eat bugs and not get all the comforts of America, but I am more scared of not walking in obedience to You. Please tell me exactly what to do and give me everything I need to do it, because all I can contribute is saying okay." We got in the car and Kyle said I'm so excited I think we should go on a short term trip and I literally shaking with fear said if God wants us to I'll go. Kyle was shocked, I'm sure.
So after that day I committed to all I could at that moment, to pray everyday for God to send workers to the field, and I did. Then God told me clear as day to go on a short term trip, we signed up for one and 8 months from that class we went. But the awesome thing and what I hope encourages you, is God took care of everything. I mean not just all the physical things (the money, the doctor appointments, the plane tickets, the details), He took care of the biggest challenge of all, my heart. God used those months of prayer and Bible study to take away my fear, to trust Him with my life fully, to give me a love for the lost and for all nations, and to fall deeper in love with Him than I had ever been before. Oh, and I didn't have to go to Africa or eat bugs, my view of the world was so small and so wrong.
So I encourage you, pray. Ask God what do You want me to do with what You said,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."Matthew 28:19
"Then he said to his disciples,"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts1:8.
As part of our misssions conference that year our church was hosting a "Day of Discovery" which was touted as Perspectives in a day. For anyone not familiar with those events it was a day long class on missions. Kyle really wanted to go and I'm pretty sure my first response was no way, I am NOT going to spend an entire Saturday bored out of my mind learning about missions. Besides if there was one thing I was sure of it was this, I was not now not ever going on a missions trip, frankly I wasn't interested in leaving this country for fun, I definitely was going to live in Africa and eat bugs (unfortunately that is probably a quote, no exageration here). But the Holy Spirit moved in me just enough that I chose to try and be a godly wife and go if it was so important to Kyle.
So we get there and I am not happy but I'm going to be there for 9 hours so I might as well listen. The speaker stands up there and just begins to read from the Bible, showing us God's heart for the lost, His desire that none should perish, His love for all people. Then he reads from the Bible the scary stuff (for me at the time) the commandments (yes commandments) to go, to make disciples, to send, to teach, to serve. We learned a lot more about the world, the people in this world who have never heard about the fact that Jesus died for their sins and if they just believe that they will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We learned how many people there are who have never heard and how few workers are there sharing with them and how even less money is given to help those missionaries. We learned how 98% of all international people who come to live in America for a period of time, never set foot in an American's home, that one made me cry. So I sat there all day and the man just read from the Bible and shared facts about missions around the world no gimmicks just truth, but it was all one needs to hear, and I left there sad and scared to death.
I have never experienced the fear of the Lord (a respect and understanding of my need to obey) as strongly as I did when we left that class. At the end we had a chance to pray and this is about what I said, "Lord I do NOT want to go on a missions trip, but I'll go if you make me. Lord, I am scared out of my mind as to what this might mean...I don't want to live in Africa and eat bugs and not get all the comforts of America, but I am more scared of not walking in obedience to You. Please tell me exactly what to do and give me everything I need to do it, because all I can contribute is saying okay." We got in the car and Kyle said I'm so excited I think we should go on a short term trip and I literally shaking with fear said if God wants us to I'll go. Kyle was shocked, I'm sure.
So after that day I committed to all I could at that moment, to pray everyday for God to send workers to the field, and I did. Then God told me clear as day to go on a short term trip, we signed up for one and 8 months from that class we went. But the awesome thing and what I hope encourages you, is God took care of everything. I mean not just all the physical things (the money, the doctor appointments, the plane tickets, the details), He took care of the biggest challenge of all, my heart. God used those months of prayer and Bible study to take away my fear, to trust Him with my life fully, to give me a love for the lost and for all nations, and to fall deeper in love with Him than I had ever been before. Oh, and I didn't have to go to Africa or eat bugs, my view of the world was so small and so wrong.
So I encourage you, pray. Ask God what do You want me to do with what You said,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."Matthew 28:19
"Then he said to his disciples,
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts1:8.
"13For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Romans 10:13-15
More ideas
I have directed you to this blog before, and I wanted to put a link here on what the writer of Sit A Spell blog is doing for Adoption Awareness month. To read it click here .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)