SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

Global Rich List is an informative site that allows you to input your income and compare yourself to THE WORLD.  Think you are middle class?  Guess again!  What a sobering reality, when we step outside of this country and compare ourselves to the WHOLE WORLD. 

We have been blessed with SO much!  God has literally filled up our cups until they are overflowing.  I pray that this Thanksgiving you will not only take time to be thankful for the many blessings God has given you, but also take a look around and ask Him what He would like you to do with it.  I've seen it put this way: 

"Choosing to live simply, so others can simply live!"

Please do not think I am claiming to be some expert at this, because I have far from "GOT" this one.  We are however, making an effort as a family to look at our lifestyle through the eyes of a 5 year old ORPHAN girl.  Would she be horrified at the amount of food we throw away?  Just how excessive does a walk-in closet seem?  I could go on and on....

Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!  
Luke 12:48 (The Message)

God may not be leading you to adopt an orphan, but there is a way to help a child stay with their family and receive an education.  You can sponsor a child through World Vision and your monthly gift could keep that child from becoming an orphan due to poverty.

Today I received the final notarized copies of our home study and within a couple hours I had my application to adopt our daughter on it's way to USCIS (immigration).  I will be celebrating this Thanksgiving!  We are one step closer to our little girl!  We have SO much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!



Crazy Love

I read the book "Crazy Love" by Franacis Chan; it is a great book.  Really makes you stop and think, but that is not what I am talking about...exactly.

I had a hard day yesterday.  I've been expecting my final home study any day, so I became obsessed with checking my email.   I was frustrated every time my phone dinged to indicate a new email and it was NOT my home study.  It was, however, multiple emails from other adoptive moms whose hearts were heavy yesterday as well.  You see, this adoption thing is a long process (yes we know that when we sign up for it) and it gets very hard to wait for each step that brings you one step closer to your child.  Then God used another mom to deliver the most wonderful email we could have all received yesterday.  No it wasn't the one we were each waiting for, but it was the one we needed.

She started by sharing our pain; they are also waiting and understand exactly how it feels.  Then she added a BUT....
"I know my redeemer lives! Through all this waiting and hurting I pray that we will all know that in a deeper and more real way.  Doesn't the pain of waiting attest to His faithfulness?  He cares for the widows and the orphans in their distress!  We are being used by Him right now to care for our children.  Thank God for the miracle of adoption!  Is it not CRAZY that we are so deeply longing to LOVE, hold and call our own children that we haven't even met yet (or even know of)?!  Only God can do that!  Take heart; we are not alone.  He is working and will fight for our children!"

WOW! I needed that yesterday.  I have to be patient and wait on God in this process, but it is okay to feel a little CRAZY LOVE for a daughter I haven't even met yet.  God is doing that! WOW!

Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house.
God makes homes for the homeless and leads prisoners to freedom...       Psalm 68:5 

How was Orphan Sunday?

Yesterday was Orphan Sunday; a day set aside to remind the church of God's command to care for the fatherless.  My family wore our shirts from www.147millionorphans.com and handed out fliers with 10 steps to orphan care.  Our pastor showed a video from www.hopefororphans.org that reminds the church of God's command.  We spent the afternoon filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child (30 from one SS class), had lunch with good friends and then had an emotionally connected bible study in our home last night.  What a BLESSED and GLORIOUS day it was!  God is GOOD!!!

Isn't it great to know that God cannot/will not be out given!
The Message reads like this: Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple.  Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.  Malachi 3:10
Go ahead...put Him to the test.  He wants you to!

Our adoption process is still moving along.  We are waiting on the final notarized copy of our home study which will come when our social worker (and new family friend) receives the criminal background check on Michela.  Yes, that is correct; all family members over 14 must have a criminal background check and she turns 14 this Thursday!  I have all the paperwork ready to go to USCIS as soon as we receive the home study.  We are hoping to be DTE in January (That is have our dossier/paperwork to Ethiopia).  What a great way to start the new year!

Thank you to all of you who have made donations to our puzzle fund raiser.  Please continue to pray for our family and the roll that God wants each of you to play in the care of His children. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26