Countdown Continues: Day 13

Exhausted.

The following post was from yesterday. I couldn't get to Internet access so I am posting now:) 

It has been a terrible, awful, no good day!

We got up early and drove 2 hours to our state capital to get our special POA certified since I will be traveling alone. When we finally arrived and walked 4 blocks to the correct location we were told “oh no! They forgot the seal!” Yep, our lovely county courthouse forgot to put their seal on the paper. 

We drove 2 house back to our county courthouse to get the seal placed on our POA. After explaining what happened they wanted ME to pay for another seal. I think not!  We had to get the manager involved and she managed to smooth things over. They fixed their error but didn’t feel the need to apologize for ruining my day and costing me $70 in gas! I left with my papers in hand, not very confident that what I had was correct.

We drove 2 hours back to our state capital just before closing and I walk out minutes later with a state certified copy of our POA. Praise the Lord!

I will overnight it to the courier tomorrow and Monday she will take it to the Houston Chinese Consulate. Praying all goes well and I will have it back in my hands within a week. 

FUNDING UPDATE:

We received the cost of my inside China travel today! It was a little more than I expected... I had hoped since it was a party of 1 it would be a little less but the total was $3490.

That cost has been covered and LifeSong is sending our agency a check Monday morning. Thank you all for making this possible! 

14 days left and $3000 left to complete our adoption!! 

Can we just stop for a moment and PRAISE the good Lord above?!?!

We have received $7000 in donations in 5 days!

$3000 in 14 days seems very possible. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s provision. 

It is my hope and my prayer that if the Lord is leading you to do something... no matter how impossible it may seem... trust Him and act in obedience to His calling! 

Countdown: Day 16

Wow, I am just overwhelmed at the love you have all showed my family over the past few days! God is so amazing!!

I don’t even know where we stand right now financially!! So many of you have contacted me to let me know you are giving to LifeSong and I can’t even put into words how thankful I am! I hope to get an update sometime between now and next Tuesday which will give us a better understanding of how much more we need. I am guessing a few thousand which is a long way from $10,000 a few days ago. Praise the Lord!

So currently we have $2530 in our adoption account and we have $943.60 (matched) in our LifeSong account giving us a total of: $3473.60.

Is all this clear as mud?

As soon as I get totals for our inside China travel and a more current update of our LifeSong account I will update things! Trusting God to do great things!

Please continue to pray for Nate as he will soon make the transition back to the orphanage where he will wait for two long weeks for me to arrive!

Pray that we will continue to grow in the word and in our faith. Pray that we will stand strong and confident in our Lord even when things seem impossible. I don’t feel like I have done a very good job of that over the past week. I have worried, doubted, and feared but the Lord always has a way of reminding me of His greatness. How true the words are in 2 Corinthians 12:10:

 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I’m going to end with some scripture that has been lingering in my mind today.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

But what ever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11

Countdown: Day 18

Day 18:

Our need this week: $3000 by the end of the week. We have $1656 in our adoption fund leaving us a need of $1344.

Over the next 18 days: $6100 orphanage donation, $1600 China legal fees, $250 meals, and $200 hotel in Hong Kong (no flights until morning).

God’s Provision:

In October 2010 my friend Vickie and I belonged to a Yahoo Group for families adopting older children. The two of us had been bullied by a very opinionated Australian lady and we had had enough! We left the group and started our own which has now grown to over 70 families. The group was established to offer love, support, and encouragement to Christian families who have adopted older (10+) children from China. This group has become so much more than just a group- it’s a lifeline! Over the past two years we have laughed and we have cried, we have lifted each other in prayer, we have fasted together, we have celebrated joys and victories, and we have shared heartbreaks and disappointments.  This group is part of my family and today this is God’s provision. They have supported and encouraged me so much throughout this journey and I am so thankful and blessed to have each of them in my life!

Prayer Request:

Pray for my husband and I during this difficult and stressful time. Pray that we will be patient and understand with each other. Pray that we will be the example Christ wants us to be to our children and to those He places in our path.

UPDATE!!

Thank you so much to those who have reached out and taken advantage of LifeSong’s matching grant to support our family. As of 1:56 we have received $471.80 and that will be matched giving us: $943.60. So updating this week’s goal….. we know need $400.40J Praise the Lord!

Countdown: Day19

I will let this start the countdown:

Day 19

Immediate Need: Around $3000 to cover inside China Travel needed by the end of the week.

Needs over the next 2 weeks: $6100 for orphanage donation, $1650 for attorney fees, $250 meals, and $200 for a hotel in Hong Kong (no flights out until morningL)

Story of God’s Provision:

Of course I have no idea who has donated to LifeSong (except for the ones that shared it with meJ THANK YOU) but we will get an update on Thursday and I pray it will be enough to cover the cost of my Inside China travel.

Today I received a $100 bill from a very special customer of mine!  We have had some very meaningful conversation over the last few months and he recently shared with me that he has started going to church (yea God!). Pray the Lord will continue to work on his heart and he will continue to grow in Christ.  

Prayer Request:

Our little guy will soon be returning to the orphanage. Pray the Lord will protect him and keep him safe until we arrive. Pray the Lord will comfort him as he makes these transitions.

I want to thank each of you who have reached out to me and my family! You will never know just how much your act of kindness has impacted my family, and changed our lives forever!

It means everything to me that YOU stopped and took the time to say “I’m praying for you” or that you sacrificed a need or want in your life to make a donation to our fund. An act of kindness… it seems so simple but so few take the time to do it. Thank you doesn’t seem enough. I pray the Lord will shower you and your family with blessings from above.

Yesterday's AMAZING news:)

Most of you don’t know that 2 weeks ago we were told that Chad would not be rehired at his teaching job. In normal circumstances this news would be devastating, but since our adoption hung in the balance made it all the more difficult to hear. For two long weeks we prayed alongside a team of prayer warriors the Lord placed in our lives. We had moments of hope and moments of despair. The Lord called Chad to teach in the inner city. It was not something he had ever desired to do but the Lord opened the door and in he went. The first year was incredibly difficult. He came home many a nights saying “I can’t do this.” He text me many days “start looking for me a new job!” I knew God was going to do great things through Chad. I would always respond, “No, you can’t but God can!” Chad had always excelled in everything he did. He had also been known to be a little bit of a bragger. For the first time in his life he felt completely helpless and incapable of excelling in his job. I knew God was going to do great things and God was going to get the glory for it. As they were introducing the teachers on award day that year some got standing ovations while, some got a small applause, and then they called out Chad’s name and there was complete silence in the room. Chad left that year discouraged but willing to go back a second year.

The second school year came and Chad was moved from 6^th grade to 8^th grade. He was placed with an amazing group of teachers that we jokingly call “The Dream Team!”  Another member of the “dream team” also felt called by the Lord to teach there. The children soon realized that these teachers were not there for a paycheck but because they truly cared about these kids and wanted to see them succeed in life. I can’t even begin to tell you just how much the Lord worked in the lives of the teachers and students that year. Grades improved, test scores improved, some of the parent’s perspectives began to change, and for the first time in many of their lives they had hope. As they were introducing the teachers on awards day that year Chad dreadfully waited for his name to be called as he reflected back to the eerie silence he experienced the year before. The principal got to his name and the entire gym broke out into an uncontrollable roar as everyone in the building stood to their feet and cheered. Chad was so embarrassed to get all the attention and we both knew in our hearts it wasn’t for Him but for the work that Christ did through him.

The school year ended and Chad definitely knew he was exactly where the Lord wanted him to be. He wasn’t tenure and he knew he was not guaranteed his job back. The system as a whole was failing and they were cutting positions at the central office and moving them into the classrooms. He never applied for any jobs. We talked about it but it really didn’t make sense to do so when we knew this was where the Lord wanted us to be. So we waited, and waited for a call back. His former principal was transferred to a new school and a new principal whom he did not know was moved to his school. The week finally arrived and we received news we never expected “all positions have been filled.” What? How can this be? God called us to that school and great things were happening! How can it all be taken away? We gathered with close friends and family and began to pray. Despite no positions, Chad decided to drive the hour drive to meet the new principal and introduce his self. A day later we found out that the person that took his position took another job and his spot was open once again. The new principal contacted him and said she would try to get his job back. She called Saturday and she called Sunday and on Monday she went to the board to make her request. She was 90% sure he had his job back but they had to wait for all the transfers were complete. Days and days past and we heard nothing. Chad finally emailed the person at the board and once again he was told “No, we do not have any position open at this time.”

What happened next makes me so proud to be married to my amazing husband, he started working on his lesson plans. He was told no he had no job and he started making plans for school to start back and so was the rest of the “dream team!”  

We got the news yesterday that Chad was officially hired back and registration started today!

All praise and glory be to God!

Where we stand...

Orphanage Donation     $6100

Airfare to China            $2000

Inside China Travel       $3000

China Fees                   $1650

Meals                             $250

TOTAL                     $13,000

We currently have $3000 in our adoption fund and in need of $10,000 more! Yikes!

We have $550 in our Chip-In leaving our total:

$9450.00

We were recently awarded a matching grant of $3000! If we receive $3000 in donations LifeSong will match it dollar for dollar = $6000

That will bring us down to: $3450

We also are waiting to hear from another organization in hopes of another grant. We should hear soemthing by next week!

This is a lot of money and just a little bit of time...less than 30 days to be exact.

Pray the Lord will work on hearts and minds leading others to give to this very worthy cause!

The Garden of LIfe

The Garden of Life

(**I went out and took pictures of my garden for you and sure enough... I ran off and left my camera at home. Since we do not have Internet at home I have to drive to Mc* for free Internet so the pics will have to wait!)

This is so not my garden but how pretty it is;)

Since we moved out to the country this year we decided to have a big garden. We tried our hand at gardens throughout our lives in the city with little to no luck. No matter what we did, our plants did not grow and fruit did not produce. So it really defies logic to even think of planting a big garden when we were never successful at a small one, however, we’ve never been one to let failure stop us, so in the early spring of this year we began planning our garden.

Oh, how I prayed for this garden! As my husband tilled the rows and did the prep work I walked up and down each row praying and asking the Lord to bless this garden. We carefully planned what we would grow and where it would be placed. We planted the seeds and made little signs to plug into the ground to help us remember where we planted what.  I continued to pray for the Lord’s blessings as we planted each seed.

As the days passed, we looked forward to going to the garden and watching the progress of our labor. As the weeks pasted we realized that my brother’s garden and my parents’ garden had grown double the size of our garden. What had we done wrong? Nothing. We planned, we prepped, we labored, we even prayed!

We continued to care for our big garden that didn’t want to grow. We fed it and watered it. I continued to walk the rows and pray, “Lord, please bless this garden!” Weeks and weeks passed and our garden began to grow. Little by little we were able to bring in a zucchini and a couple of tomatoes. It was never a lot, literally 2-3 veggies with each trip. We thanked God for His faithfulness and soon we had enough to can a few jars of tomatoes. The garden always provides a side with our meals.

As I have spent time with the Lord in my garden, I have come to realize this garden is a representation of my life. The gardens in the past never produced fruit. No matter what we did or how much care we gave, it withered up and died. This represents the years of my life I played church. I always had a good heart and wanted to do good things but despite my good actions—I failed.

My garden today represents my life today. I no longer play church but daily surrender my life to Christ. I work hard to live my life for Christ but I often fail. I am reminded of this in my garden. In all the planning and preparation, we didn’t notice that the row of corn received too much shade. It has grown but not very tall. It will produce a few ears despite our error.  I am reminded that God is faithful despite my mistakes. The squash plants grow and grow. Its vines are thick and they twist around like a roller coaster. A reminder that life is not always easy when we follow Christ and can often feel like a roller coaster when we chose to worry and not give Him complete control of our problems. If we stand strong in our faith in what sometimes appears to others an impossible task He will bless us. I look at the flower bloom on my squash and I watch it turn into a beautiful yellow squash, and I am reminded of the transformation Christ is doing in my life. Last, I look at the tomatoes. They stand tall and loaded with green tomatoes. Each day we walk out and one or two has turned red and ready to pick. God is just good like that. He gives us what we need each day, not too little, not too much. Each day as I bring in 1 to 3 pieces from our garden, my heart is full of joy because it is a reminder of how God has provided throughout our adoption. Each piece of “fruit” has been a reminder of each one of you who chose to act in obedience to God’s word and reach out to support the orphans, to help bring our son home. Time and time again, complete strangers have approached us, all with the same story—“God placed it on my heart to give.”  Despite the huge financial need to complete our adoption, I wouldn’t want it any other way. God’s way—God’s time; Lord, help me to be completely dependent on you. 

What started out as a garden bound to fail, has turned into much more than I could have ever imagined. It has placed food on our table, it has placed joy in my heart, and it has brought me closer to God. This garden has produced much more than squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. It has been a reminder how God uses ALL things to bring glory to His name. It has not only been a reflection of my life thus far but a glimpse of what He has planned for all who walk by the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, “let us walk by the Spirit.”

                                                                                   Galatians 5: 22-24