We're in Love...WITH WHO!?!??!

Anyone who has spent time with our kiddos lately knows how much they talk about their sister.  They have been talking about their "sister" for over six months now!  It's so engraved in their hearts that we had to buy toothpaste for her, already have her pillow picked out, and already have her seat at the dinner table called for.  Ayla talks about her sister the most...probably because she cannot wait to share her room!!!  She is often asking us questions and will randomly say, "When my sister comes, there won't be more boys anymore." (meaning more boys than girls in our family). 

Eli's heart has been changed through this process.  He has always been our soft hearted child and cares so much about others! At the young age of 5 1/2 his heart is HUGE for orphans!  He talks about his sister too, but even more often talks about orphans and prays for children who are living without a mommy or daddy. 

Last night as the snow was blowing outside, Bobby took time to do some paperwork, the kiddos were busy playing,  and I sat down to read a book on the couch.  Out of nowhere Ayla decided to sing a song for her sister.   Luckily I happened to have my phone on the couch and was able to catch her (and her brothers) in action! 

I CANNOT WAIT until we can have a face and name for our daughter/sister!  Our love for her is sooooo huge, and I know it's only going to grow stronger as we can see her sweet face and meet her!  Please pray with us that we get the call soon....for the past month now I've thought we'd get the call by March 1st....I'm still hoping;) 

Love from our family to yours!

Blogging for Lifesong

I just signed up to be a blogger for Lifesong for Orphans.  I have been touched so many times by their commitment to advocating for orphans and their support toward adoptive families.

Lifesong's mission and method:

Bringing joy and purpose to orphans

We seek to mobilize the church, His body, where each member can
provide a unique and special service: some to adopt, some to care, some to give.

As a Lifesong Blogger I will be occasionally posting messages that come from Lifesong.  The posts will include a note about some of their current projects.  Here is my first post for Lifesong!

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Listen in as Jen Young, Forgotten Advocate, shares the impact one 'journey bag' had on a precious foster care child,

"A caseworker called to say thank you for the journey bags we delivered. She described one story of a child that came into care with a sibling from a horrible situation that involved a death of a parent. Caseworkers tried to keep the two brothers together, but could not, which was very difficult for the boys.  The caseworker said that when she gave them a journey bag, their eyes lit up. She expressed how excited they were to have their own bag and the joy it brought the kids really touched the caseworker as well. 

I couldn't help but tell this caseworker about the 500 bags we received from a church that put each of these bags together.  I told her that while we're glad the bags are appreciated, needed and useful, God cares about this child and took care of the details. His hand was upon this situation and He knew just what this child needed!"

The "Journey Bag Project" is just one way The Forgotten Initiative, partnering with Lifesong for Orphans, seeks to bring joy and purpose to the foster care community. 

To see how you can be involved or to learn more, please visit their website.

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Bobby and I started training for Foster Care last weekend.  It is a commitment of three Saturdays in a row and a small amount of paperwork.  As of now OUR plan is to get trained so we can provide respite care for other foster families and possibly do foster care down the road.....but we'll see what HIS plans are for us;) 

In our small community there are only a handful of foster parents...and 10 children referred for foster care in the LAST MONTH.  There are well over 50 children in foster care in our county.  Not enough families are stepping up to care for these children who need some love and hope in their lives! 

Remember, there is something ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE can do to care for the fatherless in our world. 

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Still waiting on a referral....praying we can see our sweet baby girl's face ANY DAY!!!!!!!!  Be still my heart, for it is getting impatient;)

Love from our family to yours!

Wild Ride

When I took on my new job last fall, the hardest thing (besides leaving my children) was figuring out my schedule.  No matter how hard I tried there was no getting around working Wednesday mornings which had been my weekly Bible Study morning with other women!  It was very hard to give up...

With the birth of my new nephew (of course I have to inlcude a picture as he is one handsome little man and I am quite proud), I decided to take Wednesdays off for the remainder of the school year.  My SIL used to watch the kiddos on Wednesdays and I have so many days/hours built up that it worked out perfectly.  Not only perfectly for she and I...but perfectly to get back into my Bible study;)

Walter Allen Kolar (born Feb 2, 2012 to Cain and Ally)

(Eli said, "I love my baby cousin.  I'm going to be a good example for him.")

Today was my first day back to Wednesday morning study...and I'm still thinking about how the lesson applies to exactly what I've been experiencing and writing about lately.

Beth started the session with asking everyone to think about the year (if it's happened yet) in which your life was changed.  The year in which you found exactly what your purpose here on earth is. 

Oddly enough, I just had this conversation with one of my best friends, Clara, last week!  I was telling her how last February (almost exactly a year ago), when we decided to adopt and our passion toward orphan care started, I knew for the first time in my life that I was doing EXACTLY what God had planned for me and that I felt like I finally understood my purpose. 

Don't get me wrong.  I love children, love teaching, love being a mommy, and love being a wife.  I have always had everything a girl could have wanted and was living the good life.  BUT, even in my perfectly comfortable, good life I always felt like there was just something missing...I felt like there was something more for me that was yet to come.  And then God led Bobby and I onto this road of adoption and ministry in orphan care/awareness.  I am 100% certain that 2011 is the year that changed my life and my purpose was clear.

She ended this session on making this statement:

"I'd rather ride a bucking bronco than sit and live a boring life.  It's only a wild ride if someone else is driving.  I want to live and live a wild ride."

This statement reminded me of my previous post relating to following exactly where God leads you.  I can honesty say my life has never been shook as much as it has since we started truly listening to what God was telling us.  

Our life is crazy.  The ride is wild.  But I woud not change this life for anything! 

We had a discussion with our dossier coordinator from ALBB today.  Not only is our dossier so much easier this time around (less paperwork!!) but it is almost completed as we have so much done already.  The DRC requires that after receiving a referral your dossier must be sent within 30 days (remember for the DRC the dossier is sent AFTER the referral, not before like Ethiopia).  She had to be sure that our dossier is close to being completed before they can give us a referral so this time requirement can be met.  I got off the phone with her at 2:30 and she assured me she would talk to our program coordinator that would start looking for a referral for us.....at 2:45 she called me to ask if we would accept a referral for a 10.5 month baby girl.  WHAT?!?!?!? 

We have decided to not to move forward with this child as we really want a child as young as possible.  Owen is only 20 months and we would like them to be at least a year apart (hoping for around 16-18months apart).  This again broke our hearts.  Bobby's first reaction was, "If we don't move forward with her, will she get matched with a family?"  You see, our hearts brake each time we hear of a waiting child (which is constantly).  We cannot imagine these children growing up without a daddy and mommy.  We want to change the world.  We wish we could take in hundreds of children.  Their pain is our pain. 

BUT, we do know that as long as we jump in the passenger seat....God will lead us exactly where we are meant to be.  He will lead us to the children who belong in our familly and He will help us share our passion with others. 

Please take a moment to pray for the waiting, lonely, fatherless children of the world.  Children who could live down your street, across the nation, or across the world.  For most of them, their only hope is in others who will love them and show them the love of Christ. 

Psalm 68:5-6
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families...

Love from our family to yours!

Your Pain Has Changed Me

It's Sunday afternoon...I should be getting my appetizers ready for our family Super Bowl Party or taking a nap.  But instead, I'm urged to sit down and write the feelings I've experienced this week. 

I just got done rocking Owen...tears flowing freely down my cheeks and rolling onto his forehead.  I'm hurting, aching, and overwhelmed.  I honestly can't find the words to try to express what is going on in my heart right now!  All I do know is God has changed me.  He has shown me some truths that are so hard to see. 

This week I was listening to Pandora when the song "I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves came on.  Listening intently, tears started flowing as the song reminded me of this journey we are on.  A journey to not only help fatherless children, but a journey to show others God's love and to move Christians to act as Christ followers.  

Turn the playlist on pause and watch this music video:

Bobby and I have been preparing for our adoptions in so many different ways.  One of those ways is to learn about the countries of Ethiopia and the Congo.  This week we viewed a few youtube videos about the Congo.  (I've linked some of them on our blog page "About the DRC")  One man describes the Congo as "a nightmare in Heaven."  Others refer to it as "hell on earth."  I've heard this before, but watching  the videos, seeing the faces of the lost and hurt makes the reality a little clearer.  

The Congo...a country where the Rwanda genocide has now crossed into their borders...a country who's death toll has surpassed that of the Holocaust...a country with extreme wealth but no government....a country who's people are amongst the poorest in the world...a country where disease and AIDS has decimated their population.
Their pain has changed me.  Their dreams inspire me. I know what I know and I CAN'T erase it.
As I sat in Sunday School this morning listening to talk about prayer, I could not help but think of the African children who are stuck in the middle of crisis, poverty, crime, and brutality.  Children who fall into witchcraft, prostitution, slavery, or war.  Comments were made about how many Africans pray diligently, often as the Father is their only hope.  But here we are a half a world away living in such extreme luxury and comfort and yet we are pulled away from prayer or a relationship with Christ by our the worldy society we live in.

I cannot change what God has called us to do, even if it is overwhelming, trying, and seems impossible at times.  But, I CAN do everything with continual prayer and obedience to Him. 

(I can only imgine what my heart is going to feel once we are able to actually touch African soil!!)

I Th 5:16-18
Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Love from our family to yours!