When Hurt Gets To Me

I wear my heart right where everyone can see.
That gets me in trouble. A Lot.
I can't stand it that when I am hurt I get so upset I become angry.
And I am hurt right now. Hurt that we have family members who won't even acknowledge we are having another child. Hurt that I have friends who are desperately trying to raise money to adopt their little girl and they aren't getting a lot of support in their town. Oh this hurt makes me morph into something I don't like. I say things that I DO mean but they aren't nice. Then I look back and go "you know...that wasn't exactly appropriating God's love there....hmmm" And I get all wrapped up in being hurt and angry again and end up sounding horrid. Not a nice place to rest in.

BUT.

It’s not about ME.
It’s not about what God can do for me.
It is about listening for His voice.
Saying where you go I will go.
Where you tell me to step I will step. In faith.
Saying yes when the world says "WHY are you doing this!"
Saying we will go when the rest of the world doesn't want to look because the images are too hard.
It's about His love. How much He loves us and the tremendous Love He has placed in our heart which we get to give BACK so freely.
Outside of Him we don't even know what real love is.

So, no more holding expectations of how I wish people would act. Because there are always people who are going to let me down. My confidence is not in people...its in Him.

As I have said over and over...

It's not about me. It's not about Eli. It's about Him. If you haven't watched the Depraved Indifference video here you go...months ago the Lord used this video to speak to us.

What's In a Name? A Teaser...

Little One will keep her given name which I know I am not saying right now but I think it is here and there in the blog...if you look for it maybe.

We are very careful to not give out certain information about Little One or where she is as it must remain confidential. In no way do we want to disrespect far away lands regulations.

BUT...last night Little One's middle name came to me. For months we have been considering adding a middle or first name to Little One's give name. I have had my favorites but they were all shot down.

Piper? I LOVE it. Family said NO!

Selah? NO!

Payley? NO!

Phoebe? NO!

Sigh.

I gave up for a couple of months.

Then last night I was staring at her picture. Lopsided little piggy tails. Big blue eyes.

And God gave me her name.

Here is where I am not being nice to you my friends...I'm not telling!!

BUT...today I looked up the meaning of the name.

The one God whispered.

Want to know what it means?

"The Lord increases"

"God multiplies"

WOW.

It fits her perfectly.

Huge Give A Way for Three Sweet Boys!

My friend Michelle - who led us to our "Little One" adopted three children from the same place last summer. She has a tremendous heart for orphans and especially ones from the same baby house where her little ones once were. She is helping with a HUGE HUGE HUGE GIVEAWAY for three little boys who have already been transferred out of the baby house. These three little boys each had a family coming for them at one time..but something happened and the families were not able to continue in their adoption.  It is so crucial these little boys future families find them...please would you consider helping by reading Michelle's post below, passing it on or entering to win...or maybe....when you look at their little faces would you ask if maybe you could be one of these boys families? 

                                        

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Over the past year, I have seen many of the precious children from the baby house come home and are now in the arms of their forever families. Many of these children I have met while on my own journey…and the before and after images in my mind are amazing. I have looked into the eyes of these children while they were still in the confinement of the orphanage walls. Their eyes told a story…a story of abandonment, neglect, and hopelessness. Now, looking at the pictures of those same children…their eyes tell a whole new story…the story of love, hope, and a future. It has truly been a joy and a blessing to watch these children blossom because of the love of a family.

As I sit here the faces of many other children who were not so fortunate consume my thoughts. These are the ones left behind…the ones that have little chance of ever being united with a family…these are the forgotten souls of the baby house.
There are three forgotten ones that weigh heavy on my heart…Sasha, Niko, and Easton.

Although these boys do not share the same blood…they still share so much…they share the same story. All three of these boys were abandoned at birth and took their place behind the doors of the baby house. They were all perfectly made creations of God, but they all share another characteristic that deems them unacceptable in their society…they are all disabled. As many of you know, children with disabilities in Eastern Europe have little hope for a future.

The life of an orphan is not easy…most of these children never see beyond the orphanage gates.



There is little food, lack of attention, and no interaction with the outside world. Most orphanages are overcrowded and understaffed, because they lack the necessary funds to properly care for the children.



Many children are left in the confines of their crib and have learned that their cries for attention do no good.



As a response to neglect, many children turn to rocking as a form of self soothing. It is no life for any child…but it’s a better life then what awaits them on their 5th birthday. The walls of baby house are no longer their refuge…no longer their shelter…no longer their protection…because when a child turns 5, they leave the baby house and are sent to an institution.

I can’t even begin to imagine what these three forgotten souls were thinking on that day…the day when life as they knew it changed forever and they were taken away from the only home they had ever known and transferred to a new place. Oh my, how my heart aches for those forgotten souls. At one point, there were actually families that committed to adopt them. Families that thought about them, loved them, and were making the mad dash to rescue them. But recently, both families were unable to finish the adoptions…so once again these boys are forgotten.

Time is running out for them and they need a family fast…so I have joined forces with some very generous people to raise money and awareness for the forgotten ones.




Up for grabs…Apple iPad MB292LL/A Tablet

The best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. Hands down....
• Multi-Touch screen and advanced capabilities of iPad
• A vivid LED-backlit IPS display makes viewing photos
• The 9.7-inch high-resolution screen makes iPad perfect for multimedia
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
• Millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows
• With its large display and onscreen keyboard, iPad makes it easy to jot down quick notes and keep important information on hand






Apple iPod Touch


• 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video
• Up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge
• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640-pixel resolution (326 pixels per inch)
• Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store) and other audio formats; H.264, MPEG-4, and Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats









Nintendo Wii

Nintendo's Wii™ console brings a revolution of motion
controlled gaming to people of all ages and families everywhere.
Discover exciting titles like Wii Sports™, Wii Fit™ Plus, and New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii—available only for Wii. Enjoy new entries in legendary franchises like Mario™, The Legend of Zelda™, Metroid™, and more. Connect* online to download new and classic games, stream TV episodes and movies via Netflix, or surf the Internet from your living room. Get off the couch and experience a great value in video games



$300 Target Gift Card
















Here is how you can win one of these great items:
1) Donate to Sasha’s grant fund through Project hopeful
2) Donate to Niko’s grant fund through Project hopeful
3) Donate to Easton’s grant fund through Reece’s Rainbow

$10 donation= 1 entry
$25 donation= 3 entries
$50 donation= 8 entries
$100 donation= 20 entries
$150 donation= 35 entries
$200 donation= 55 entries
$250 donation= 80 entries
$300 donation= 110 entries

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and I have placed the donate buttons to the right of this post to make it easy for you to donate.

*Note: Individual grant funds have been set up for Sasha and Niko through Project
Hopeful because they are too old to have individual grant fund
through Reece’s Rainbow.

4) Donate and spread the word and you will be entered just for raising awareness. You can post on your blog, facebook, or any other media outlet. You can enter everyday just by reposting this giveaway daily.

Names of those who donate will automatically be sent through the chip-in, but if you are one of the awesome people spreading the word…please leave a comment where you posted so you can be added to the giveaway.

Giveaway will run March 4th through March 25th

The ultimate goal for this giveaway is to raise awareness for these boys. International adoption is NOT cheap and there are many families that would love to adopt…there is just one thing standing in their way…$20,000! Please help spread the word and raise the money needed to help a family save the forgotten souls.


If you are interested in finding out more about Sasha, Niko, and Easton…please visit their advocacy blog ...you can also visit Reece's Rainbow and Project Hopeful to find out more about International adoption.

It's Not About US

How could we turn away?
Use our hands.

Use our feet.

To the corners of the earth.

Last December God began burdening our hearts, preparing us. It wasn't an easy time. There were tears, questions. Even FEAR. On our knees we sought the Lord.

"and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps. 34:4)

He asked us one question.

"Will you go?"

Our answer was

YES.

It's not about Us. It never has been.

"For the word of the Lord is right, and all His word is done in Truth"

Rest

We are coming up for air...finally. One thing I have always said about having sick children....it causes you to slow down and brings everything into focus . Having sick kiddos has a way of revealing in full color what is priority and should be most important. I tend to say "yes" too many times especially when it comes to helping out at the kids school. I LOVE be involved in the things going on at their school. This helps because I know their teachers better and am more aware of what is going on both academically and socially with them. But the downfall is a plate that is often overflowing. This becomes so evident when juggling sick children along with the other things I have committed myself to.

Truth be known...it can get overwhelming.

Ahhh...does it seem I am leaving someone out? God. Every single time I become "overwhelmed", "stressed", "stretched way to thin" and "snippy" I am not resting in God. I am relying on my own devices to manage.

And that my friends never, ever works out well. All that ever happens is I get myself into a big tangled mess with no direction.

As part of a challenge until the end of the year, a group of women from my church are participating in memorizing scripture. Today is the first day to let everyone know what verse we have been memorizing. At first I thought "oh boy that will just be one more thing for me to have to keep up with" but last week while waiting in the doctor office (for the third time!) with Peyton I felt the Lord telling me to look up a verse in Matthew. I have prayed and committed this verse to memory over the past week.

Repeating these words have helped reign me in and keep me anchored in truth in the midst of the past weeks chaos. Something we can all find comfort in...rest in the Lord. Thank you Father for ordering all my steps and for keeping me anchored in truth.

"Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in the heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30 (NKJV)