For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”~Romans 8:15
Buy One, Give One
April 4, 2011 by 1 Comment
Don’t forget to enter the Rebecca St. James CD Giveaway! It ends Friday!
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed the TOMS Shoes Ad on my right sidebar or not, but I want to bring your attention to it today for several reasons. Have you heard of TOMS Shoes? They’re super comfy! Even more than quality shoes, I like them because for every pair that is purchased, they give a pair to children in need. One for one. As of September 2010, TOMS
has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children in need through Giving Partners around the world.
Pretty good reason to like a company, huh?
I can’t help but wonder, will the work that TOMS Shoes is doing directly touch the life of our Ethiopian child we’re waiting to adopt? I know they have given to children in Ethiopia. It makes me wonder if they are saving our child from from serious infection as a result of walking barefoot.
And it makes me want to share them with you.
Tomorrow April 5th, 2011, is One Day Without Shoes. Would you consider signing up and going barefoot to help spread the word about TOMS Shoes and the work that they are doing for children in need?
To do double duty, go without shoes and order a pair of TOMS! The kids shoes are adorable!
Content to Ignore
March 11, 2011 by 23 Comments
I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the gravity of what God has revealed to me about orphans and the Church’s role in orphan care. And frankly, it’s messing me up inside…in a good way, I think. The problem with having these big things revealed though, is that nothing in my world looks the same. Almost like sorting through the rubble left after an earthquake, I’m trying to pick up the pieces of my life and beliefs and decide if it is worth placing in the same spot on the shelf or toss it in the trash.
Most of the time, I find that God is replacing these things with something new. Something better. Him. His desire for my life.
But, when I look at Facebook, I’m often faced with the “state of our hearts.” It’s no surprise, we’re sinful people…therefore we make Facebook a sin-filled place. And when I say we…I really mean me. ‘Cause nobody likes to look in the mirror and realize you’re no better than anyone else. Truthfully, it is easier for me to see the things that need to be fixed in others than to take a good hard look at myself.
I’ve found myself reading status update after status update that leave me infuriated and mourning the conditions of our hearts. Because to me, it seems we care more about things than people. It’s everywhere I look.
New furniture!
Bigger houses!
Fancy gadgets!
New cars with every bell and whistle available!
Extravagant vacations!
And don’t forget the new wardrobe for the vacation!
Some days I can’t stand it. I want to shout from the rooftop “Life is not about YOU or ME and how much STUFF we can get!” But I don’t, because who tells their friends how many children they could sponsor instead of their latest purchase on Facebook?
Instead, we willingly cut off our cable. We choose not to have the latest i-gadget, nor do we have any intention of getting one–no matter how cool we think they are. We limit our eating out with everyone after church on Sunday. We use coupons for everything. We rarely shop for clothing.
And just because I do these things, doesn’t mean I think gadgets and cable are bad. No, I totally like these things….alot…maybe a little too much. It also has nothing to do with being self-righteous. The fact of the matter is that they don’t further us toward our adoption funding goal, so we cut them out. Because to us, playing with apps and fancy gadgets pales in comparison to hearing extra giggles in our home.
But I can’t help but wonder…Why do we sit next to each other in Sunday School talking about Acts and the Early Church, but it doesn’t seem to really make a difference in our everyday lives? We come to church, say the right things, and leave unchanged. Why? Why do we quickly pass over Acts 4:32-35 and how the Early Church “gave to one another freely so that none had need“, but yet we can’t spare pocket change for poverty or orphan care when faced with it later that day?
Are we really content to ignore?
Why is it ok with us that there are over 163 MILLION orphans? (Just so you know, that number is 19 times the population of New York City.)
Because…it isn’t ok with me.
I’ve posted this video before, but maybe you chose not to watch it then. I hope you can spare 8 minutes today.
When The Rumors Sound Grim… (Adoption Update)
March 9, 2011 by 10 Comments
We’ve been hearing rumors from others in the Ethiopian adoption circle. The grumblings sound grim and make our hearts ache at the news.
It’s being reported that tomorrow, March 10th, Ethiopia will be cutting the adoptions being processed in the courts by 90%. Yes, you read that correctly, 90%. The number of adoptions being processed each day will drop from around 50 to 5 . Five!!! (It makes me tear up just typing this!)
While the reasoning behind this is to make sure that children are not being trafficked, it breaks the hearts of many who are already in the adoption process with reputable adoption agencies. Because, ultimately, it’s the children it hurts the most. Orphans who will sit in an orphanage for even longer than they already should. All because of some people who care more about the change clinking around in their pocket, than the ethical responsibility to children. It’s a problem in adoptions, no matter the country.
The fact of the matter is, the longer the process takes the older the children get…and sadly, risk never being adopted because they’re older. It’s a sad truth about adoption…one that even I am guilty of contributing to with my desire to adopt a child younger than Jonah. Ouch.
I’m so grateful for our adoption agency! While I feel I shouldn’t share specific information I received in an email today, I know they are doing everything they possibly can to advocate for the changes not to happen. I’m praying that some of the things proposed in the email update are true and that quite possibly, the people who have put the cutbacks into place, really have no authority at all. But because it’s another country, I have no idea how their government works or how decisions are made. So I wait and pray until I hear another update….
Will you join us in prayer for Ethiopia?
- Pray for the Ethiopian government that they will find a way to protect children from trafficking without sacrificing adoptions completely.
- Pray for the children waiting for families. There are over 5 million in Ethiopia…163 million orphans worldwide.
- Pray for the families in the adoption process for Ethiopia. The worries, the fears, the anger of waiting longer…
Know this, we have a surprising peace about this. Our God is sovereign. He reigns above good and evil. What we might see as another roadblock in our journey to adopt, He sees as aligning us with the child He has chosen for us.
Adoption FAQ #4: Now that you’re pregnant, why are you STILL adopting?
February 25, 2011 by 17 Comments
There is no doubt in my mind. God told us to adopt. We listened and answered this calling. Then, and only then, did we get pregnant.
Yes, I feel like God waited for us to follow His calling before He blessed us with another pregnancy. Sorta like when He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and at the last second he provided a replacement. Only different. Clear as mud, right? Trust me, it makes sense in my head.
I don’t boast to know the thoughts or ways of God. Far from it. Most days the more I think I learn, the less I understand. But I know this…
His calling for us to adopt did not change just because I got pregnant. No, we’re still called.
And let’s get hypothetical for a moment, shall we….
If I had been able to get pregnant easily, I probably would have kept having babies one after another. Our “someday we’d like to adopt” attitude would still probably be in the “someday” category. Who knows if we’d ever actually get around to adopting if we could pop out babies easily. Our struggles with fertility brought adoption to the forefront. I believe God used our struggle with fertility to bring us to the point where we were ready to say “YES” to adoption.
Because He lavished His grace on us, He blessed us with a pregnancy after we said “Yes.” Now, does that mean everyone should say “yes” to adoption in hopes of getting pregnant…NO! Does that mean everyone who says “yes” to adoption will get pregnant…NO! Remember, His ways are not our ways and I totally don’t get it.
We also believe that this pregnancy is all part of God’s timing to get us to the exact place on the list to be matched up with the Ethiopian child He has already chosen for us. Who knows…our Ethiopian baby may not even be conceived yet! How’s that for some blow your mind thoughts?
We may sound crazy to some to be adopting and pregnant, but I don’t care. I’m crazy in love with Jesus and I’ll follow him to Africa and back with a baby in tow because he told me to.
Jonah Says…
February 23, 2011 by 5 Comments
Jonah: “When does Ethiopia open in the morning? I’m ready to go get my baby.”
Mommy: “Me too, buddy. Me too.”
Unfortunately, our adoption journey has only begun. It will be a while. Plus, there’s this whole surprise pregnancy thing we’ve got going on. Yep, it will be a while, but the wait is so worth it!
Overwhelmed
January 5, 2011 by 12 Comments
Photo Credit: Ken Wilcox via Flickr
Allow me to be honest for a moment…
The financial part of adoption has me completely overwhelmed. It’s a crazy-big number with lots of zeroes. And yet, I am confident that God will provide with His holy calling.
But sometimes, deep down in my soul, I question where all of those zeroes are going to come from.
And on those days, God shows up in a BIG way.
Like today, when I found a check in the mail…with zeroes.
Overwhelmed. Absolutely overwhelmed by people being obedient to God’s calling to help us in our adoption calling.
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Adoption Update: We turned in a HUGE stack of papers last week for our Home Study. They actually sat on the counter for almost a month as we prayed and worried over funds. I finally felt like the Lord was waiting for us to be obedient and take another step of faith by turning in our paperwork. We turned in our paperwork 12-28-2010. Reference letters were sent out the next day from our agency. Today we received a wonderful gift in our mailbox to go toward our Home Study fees. (Which is wonderful because after we finish our Home Study, we are free to apply for grants!) Our first Home Study interview is next week. Say a prayer for us!
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