Christmas Blessings

                                                                                                            

So blessed this Christmas!!! We had three different family gatherings, went to the Nutcracker, the Journey to Bethlehem, and a Christmas play. We spent time with many friends and family. There was much laughter and lots of memories made. We also spent time at home with just family. We added a new puppy to the family for Christmas. It was a beautiful time for all of us. The only thing missing was snow. The photo above is that of our recent photo shoot near the orchard in the backyard in November. Two of my sweet daughters. I am so blessed. My miracles. My joy.  Being their Mother is something I am thankful for daily.  Lately I am obsessed with advocating for orphans. How can I stop? How can I not do my part to help them find families? This passion of mine just won't go away, so I spend time each evening on numerous facebook groups advocating for China's special needs orphans. Good news! Two of the ones I had advocated for are now matched with families! The way the system works for China now is that you can actually see lists of children on many agency lists, and you can ask to be approved to adopt them. It is so exciting to see so many being chosen, but heartbreaking to also see so many more for months on end that never end up with a family. I am determined to keep advocating...speaking for those that can't speak for themselves. Also...I just might turn this blog into an advocacy blog. Many exciting things are happening!

 

I LOVE this week every year! The week between Christmas and New Year. We sleep in, we don't do school. We play with all our new toys. We play with our animals. We go out. We catch a movie. We generally take the time to just be. And I wish we did this more often. If we had snow----like we should by now, we would also be out in it..sledding, building snowmen and then coming in for hot cocoa with marshmallows. The kids are dying for some snow to finally come our way. Since we don't have any yet, but do have cold temps, we have been snuggling up by the wood stove and the Christmas tree reading books and being cozy. That's what winter is to me, and I love it!

More updates soon!

 

Orphan care and prayer...

Deep thoughts tonight as I remember this girl...and now, seven years later, see the beautiful, sweet, loving, amazing person she is. My daughter. It's hard to believe that is her in that crib. I see God's hand on her life and all He is doing in her, and it is not because of me, it is Him. She is thirsty for His word. She is an incredible gift. She is advancing God's kingdom already. She has dreams and passions. For the Lord. For the orphan. For the unsaved, and for the lost. So much wisdom and deep understanding at such a young age. I have seen this all come up out of her little soul so early on, I thought it was a phase years back, but her passions and her purpose just grow stronger. She is a radiant light for Jesus. She is mission minded. She has so much love to give, and if you just spend one day out with her...she gives that love to those around her in the most admirable ways. It is a gift, and something I do not possess, but I learn so much from her, and admire the person she is. I love her so much. She has dreams and aspirations, and none of them are for her gain, but for God and those she wants to bless. Incredible. I am not here to brag, just here to describe what can be uncovered in the life of an orphan turned daughter.  The love she has to give, she shares freely with everyone. I can't wait to see all the Lord will make of her life, as she lives for Him. I am so excited to see it all unfold.

Today I saw something that brings me profound sadness. I visited a website of an adoption agency and clicked on a video of a little girl who is currently available for adoption in China. What I saw brought back memories of my first few days with my sweet Lilyann, pictured above. You see, neglect and institutionalization changes a child. It changes the brain. Connections are not made when they need to be. When nurturing doesn't come as it should, a baby goes through the normal cries from it's crib, no one shows up to help, and the baby actually goes through a rage cycle and then literally gives up when time and time again their cries bring nobody to their side...to feed them..to hold them...to cherish them. Neglect and attachment disorders set in. The metal cribs in the picture are the typical ones you see in many Chinese orphanages. They are bare. There are no toys. There is nothing soft to cuddle up to. The children begin visually zoning in on their hands as they move their fingers around in an attempt to find some sort of stimulation. It becomes their only means to stimulate, and occupy themselves in an environment of neglect. Then when someone comes along, and actually holds them, and attempts to play with them, there is no smile, and their hands go back up in front of their face...as they don't understand what someone giving them attention even means and their brain doesn't process it as it should. I saw this with my daughter those first weeks in China. I gulped down my fears each day as I heard the thoughts in my head saying "she may never snap out of this, then what??" Uncertainty. Unknowns. Yet, I knew in my heart the Lord brought us together. We brought her home. She still did not register our facial expressions at 16 months of age. Flat affect, hands in front of her eyes, tuned out to the world. Little by little, as we nurtured her, fed her, cared for her and played with her, she began to smile. Connections were being made in her brain. Healing was taking place. Caring for the orphan has been the most incredible experience ever.

Back to what I saw today. The little girl is close to four years old, I believe. She is more than precious, but appears fragile in every way. She is sad.  It appears to be an extreme case of neglect. Hands trying to move in front of her face when others want to talk to her. Her own little world seems more comfortable to her, yet she tries to comply with what is asked of her. I so wanted to do anything I could to reach into that video, scoop up that little girl and hold her, love her, care for her, with the nurturing, affection, and attention she so desperately needs. She seems so lost and alone, and so sad. I hope and pray a mommy and daddy come for her soon.  Please join me in praying for this little one who is on my heart tonight, and for the millions of other orphans out there who also need a mommy and daddy to come for them.

God works in amazing ways!

So I am not up to par with this blogging thing these days. The truth is, life is exhausting right now. Life is full, and at times quite overwhelming. I have taken some time after the kids are in bed these past few days to do some blog reading, which is something I do miss. Only God could have directed the keystrokes the way He did today. I came across a blog that I may have only read once before. A woman with a heart for adoption and caring for orphans. A woman who has 7 children, and  her post stood out, as she was honest about how hard this parenting thing really is. Parenting a large number of children is nothing short of difficult, straining, and draining at times. She has beautiful children she has adopted, and yet, she was only surviving her days lately. I can relate. Then she said it. Warfare. Yes, it is what I knew all along. This can feel like a daily battle at times because the enemy wants to win. He didn't want these children to find loving homes. He would rather see them alone, neglected, and sometimes abused and dying in their orphanages. He would rather see U.S foster kids left in drug houses, not being taken care of, and abused as well. Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that spiritual attacks come in this form. He wants to take us down, those parents willing to step out for the cause of the orphan. I have something to say in response to this: The battle belongs to the Lord, and He is mightier than any attack that can come our way. 


I also took the time to read the blog of the couple I know who started a ministry to the homeless in my town. As I continued to read, the tears would not stop. These people have stepped out in faith every single sunday for the past 10 months to care for homeless in ways that would blow your mind. They go to an area where they are, and the people come,  and every week, their crowd gets bigger, and they bring food and items that are donated by random people, and they believe, in faith that they will have what is needed. They minister to them with prayer, Bibles, friendship,...and most of all, love. They have seen miracle after miracle. As I read this, it occured to me once more, that right here in my home, I am doing the same thing for the orphan, except it's not every sunday, it's every day, and that is what can make this ministry daunting. It takes the strength of the Lord to get through each day sometimes, just like these people who minister to the homeless. They go and rely on God's spirit and strength to minister to these people and to meet their physical and spiritual needs. And as I left that blog, I somehow (it had to be the hand of God), came across the next blog which I had never seen. It was another family interested in orphans and adoption. The thing that jumped out at me was this...We are on a mission...to love the orphan. It made me realize again, and I think that it was the Lord gently reminding me that I am a missionary in my own home, and that I am doing this for Him, and His glory. I am doing this for His kingdom, and for His children. I am caring for His children in my home, to raise them up to be strong christians who will go out into this world one day to also do the work to advance His kingdom. It is a humbling thing to realize, and also to realize how much I am failing, and how much I need Him. I cannot do this without daily help from the Lord. No way. And then I thank the Lord for this reality in my life...because doing the hard thing has made me seek Him more. 


And that's not all...the next blog that I ended up clicking on was this one. And after reading that, I realized that this difficult job is also full of blessings, and that I am not alone. The rewards are great, and seeing how God is moving in all of these families, who have embraced the orphan....the children of God, is awe inspiring, and then I look at my life, and I realize that even  while I trip over the mountain of laundry in the basement, and gain my composure again after two of my littles were screaming non-stop at the same time, and I mop the kitchen floor for the third time today...I thank God for these precious children, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bless an orphan...

As readers of this blog, you all know, I am passionate about orphan care. Why? Because it is the Lord's will that we as christians care for orphans in any way that we possibly can. God has given me a heart for them, a mother's heart full of compassion for orphans. It haunts me...it drives me, and it compells me. So with that, I want to share something exciting!!! A sweet friend of mine is about to embark on a trip to a far away land to meet her daughter for the very first time! I am so excited for her, her family, and for the little girl who waits.

They are having a fundraiser to help pay for the costs in adopting this little one. As a parent who has adopted internationally twice before, I know how fast it all adds up with travel, lodging, food, etc. Not to mention the adoption fees. This family will recieve 20-25% of anything that you purchase through this fundraiser. Go HERE to check it out, and know you are doing something big in helping this cause, because soon, another precious child will forever be home with her family. God BLess.

Please read this...

In light of my disappointment written below, I found an excellent post that you can't miss. Read: THIS

What did your church do for orphan sunday?

I was disheartened to see that my church did nothing. I was also disheartened to see that out of 62 orphans that need to be sponsored in Africa (from an orphanage our church is supporting), not even half of them have been sponsored. At least 6 months have gone by since this was brought up to the congregation.

How can we be so selfish? How can we just walk by, or ignore the plight of the orphan all around us? This disturbs me to the core, and I often wonder how christians can justify this? Tbey can easily afford $5 a day at a coffee shop, but can't "commit" to helping an orphan. A child with nothing, no hope, no sense of unconditional love, often abused and mistreated. How can we as christains ignore this? The Bible speaks about caring for orphans at least 85 times. I see the church's being more concerned with their programs around fellowship, and sports, and small groups, and fun and entertainment, all the while ignoring the hurting all around them and all over the world. It's not right.

And I know this is not to blame the church, because I am the church, we, are all the church. It is up to us to reach out the hurting, the widows, the sick, the homeless, and the orphans. Unfortunately, with my church, I tried to present something along this line, to express my passion for the orphan, and how we as a church, all must take part in caring for them. My attempt was shut down, and not understood. Believe me, if it would have been accepted with enthusiasm and understanding, I would have been the first one up there today, presenting something about orphan sunday. It seems this particular church doesn't get it...and it's okay to ignore the mandate, and instead raise millions to build a church building, while also promoting entertainment and fun all the time. It's hard to take part in that, when I know what is happening around the world, having been there, and knowing it to be true. I have seen, felt, experienced, and touched the plight of the orphan, and I will never be the same. I cannot stand back and say nothing, do nothing, and even pretend to tolerate the church doing nothing. I will be praying...as I know that I cannot just be silent on this issue any longer. We, as the body of Christ need to pull together, in unity, to do what needs to be done to care for the orphan.

Reckless Abandon

Adeye, at No Greater Joy Mom, wrote a post you have to read...I wish I could have written it this well...go HERE

Fatherless Friday

Today, this beautiful friday morning in my part of the world there are millions of children suffering. From infants to teens, there are tears, pain, and hearts breaking all over the world. I am so grateful for this thing called blogging, as it can bring this reality to the forefront for us all, as those that are there can show us-holding an orphan that hasn't been touched in weeks, feeding the dying, and loving the babies some societies have turned away from. Some are there after months and years of drudging through tremendous adoption paperwork, and fundraising all they could to raise the funds to get their children home, where they can finally be nurtured, loved and well cared for. Some lives are literally saved by those that answered the call to adopt. We all need to pray, we all need to do something as the need is so, so great.

Read this post, entitled fatherless friday.

Ministry Mondays!

Today I want to introduce to you a ministry/organization called Children's Hope Chest.
In 2000, DH and I, took a leap of faith, and answered the call to care for orphans. We went to russia, along with Children's Hope chest. We visited orphans in several orphanages, and put on a vacation Bible school with a team of other people who also wanted to reach out to the orphans of russia. It was an experience that broke my heart, and changed me to the core, and I have never been the same. Sadly, not much has improved in this country in 10 years. A million orphans there continue to suffer. The despair and emptiness I witnessed in the faces of the very young up to teens was something I wasn't prepared for. To this day there is a part of me that still aches for the orphans of this country, and part of my heart is still there.
Children's Hope chest has evolved since then, and they now work in many other countries. I also found another wonderful ministry called Visiting Orphans that partners with them. I love all the options they have and what they are doing for the orphans of our world. These two ministries are amazing and I am going to pray about getting involved with both. Please check them out.