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Monday, October 15, 2012

Not a typical yard sale

Last weekend we had our first event to raise money; kind of a kick-off fundraiser for this adoption journey we're on.  Let me just start with, WOW!!!  It was truly amazing to see the love of God at a yard sale.  We were blown away with the love, support and generosity that was shown to us, much of it from people who have not known us long at all or had never even met us!  We had gotten the word out only a couple of weeks before, asking for any of our friends that wanted to donate items to the sale or bake items for the bake sale.  I thought maybe a few people would have a few things that they already wanted to get rid of and maybe a couple of people might want to bake a couple of batches of cookies for the boys to sell at their lemonade stand.  What I did not think, however, was that so many people would freely give so much stuff.  I really couldn't believe how much stuff we had.  And the bake sale- friends drove from Hendersonville and Franklin to bring us cookies and s'mores bars. Teachers at school baked muffins and amazing loaves of bread and pans of delicious cinnamon rolls.  And people bought them.  Tons and tons of people came and bought tons and tons of stuff.  Stuff was selling that doesn't ever sell at yard sales.  People were buying $8 loaves of pumpkin cranberry bread.  People bought lemonade and hot chocolate and popcorn from the kids.  A huge number of our friends came and helped us set up the night before and were here helping us for two days straight.  Some of them came for both days to help.  Friends came from Hendersonville just to say hi.  Families from school came because their kids that are friends with our kids, begged them to come because they wanted to help Silas, Eli and Cooper bring a little sister home from Madagascar.   A sweet girl "just happened" to stop by, not even knowing it was an adoption fundraiser, and that girl "just happens" to work for Show Hope, an organization that among other things gives grants to families trying to adopt.  She emailed us some information within an hour of leaving our house.  People that had never met us told us their own adoption stories and that they will pray for us.   It was not a typical yard sale, and we give all glory to God for that.  We cannot thank those enough who helped us in any way.  Even just praying from afar means more to us than you can imagine.   God provided abundantly in more ways than one.  Doesn't He always?

I woke up early Friday morning the first day of the sale, and opened my Bible app on my phone before I got out of bed.  As I was opening it, I was praying for God to bless our efforts and to just speak to me through the verse of the day that I was about to read.  Do you know what the verse of the day was?  This was what He said, "But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)  Gave me chills.  And confidence.  And hope.  And peace.
I, we, cannot do this alone.  For us, this is a huge task to take on- bringing this little child home when it will cost so much, when there is so much paperwork to do, when it will take so long- but for Him, this is so very small.  With Him, this is totally possible.  And He's already showing us that.

Thank you, Father, for Your constant abiding presence and Your abundant blessings.  We know that You are able to do immeasurably more than all we can ever ask or imagine.

















Happy Day!



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Something pretty huge



This seems to be a pattern with me, updating the blog once every two years. I guess maybe it takes something pretty huge to get me back on here and actually keep up with it- like maybe an adoption? We are excited to say that we have officially started the process to adopt a little girl from Madagascar. Yay!! This is something that we have been prayerfully considering for a long time. If I'm being totally honest, I used to think adoption wasn't for me- "why would I adopt when I could just have my own? how could I love another child as much as I love my own children? we could never afford it!" But, thankfully God has been working on my heart, teaching me lessons that I wish I would have learned earlier in my life. In the midst of my questions, God cried out these truths to me, "I decided in advance to adopt you into My own family by bringing you to Me through Jesus Christ.  
I will love you no matter what. I will provide all of your needs from my glorious riches." He wants me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He wants me to love others as Jesus did. He actually commands us to care for orphans. His love for the fatherless is written throughout Scripture. The Bible says that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus. Adoption is a picture of what Jesus did for us, for me. I was that orphan, without hope. But then Jesus came and gave me hope by dying on the cross. He offers unconditional love towards undeserving me. My lightbulb moment about adoption was, "This has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with Him."

We can each do something to care for orphans, whether it be adopting, fostering, donating or visiting orphans and supporting families who have taken them in. In our case, we feel that God has placed adoption on our hearts for a purpose.  We want to offer the hope of family and unconditional love to one of the least of these.


We covet your prayers and humbly invite you to engage with us as we move forward with this call that God has placed on our hearts.  Who knows where this journey will lead.  Only God knows and only He is the author of this story.  We are simply stepping out in faith and moving forward. And so begins our journey, to a far away island nation, where a little girl just might be waiting, hoping that little 'ole her, might be adopted by underserving us.  

"For whoever welcomes one such child in My name, welcomes Me."  Matthew 18:5