You are loved fully as you are.

As Easter approaches, in light of our heightened awareness of His love that adoption has gifted us with, my heart longs to say..You are loved. Our King did not come to the perfect. No. He came for me. He came for you. He came for the broken, weak, sick, and depraved. He came for the fatherless and lonely, the rejected and cast off, the prostituted, the imprisoned and suffocating, the addicted and used, the overwhelmed and the tired. He especially adores You...the ones who long for a Savior. There is no sin too depraved, no wound too severe, no grief too deep, no mistake too destructive for His redemption.  You. Are. Loved.  You are so loved beyond comprehension.  There is nothing that can stop His love for you.  

Dare to come to Jesus- the One who chose to die for You. Dare to come to the One who sacrificed all for you. He is the One who will forgive and cleanse away ALL that is not pure love. He longs to adopt you and make you a new child- His treasured child. He longs to redeem all the scars and even use them for beauty beyond description. He turns it all into purpose. He longs to speak pure, healing love to your heart. 

Do not perform religious rules for Him- we cannot earn His love. Instead, just receive His love and then give His love away. Simple. No more shame. No more hiding. It's all about being loved by Him. And He's all about loving those who need His love through us. 

Director in Lesotho

The director of the adoption agency we are using arrived in Lesotho yesterday. The purpose of the trip is to care for orphaned children yet he plans to talk with officials regarding Mohale and the other two children stuck in red tape.  He returns on Tuesday, April 2. That gives only 2 weekdays to hopefully interact with people regarding these three adoptions.

I pray that he's filled with passion to get Mohale home. I'm praying that doors open and hearts are moved. 

Call to prayer for DRC orphans

Kathy just texted me a miracle in process...

After jumping through hoops for three years... Their ADOPTED children, Benny and Shiloh, who remain orphanages in the Dominican Republic of the Congo, may be coming home!!! 

An estimated 350 of the impoverished nation's orphans have already been legally adopted by American families -- approved by both the U.S. government and the courts in the central African nation -- but have been living in orphanages and foster homes since a decree last September denying exit visas for adopted children. 

It looks like freedom is coming for so many orphaned children in the Dominican Republic of the Congo. Please pray for the release of these precious treasures. 

"He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains." Psalm 107:14s.

Soaked. Looking at "what if's" caused me to slip...

March 18, 2015

Last night grief over our little boy we have yet to meet kept sleep far from me.  At this stage in our journey and life, I've seen the unwavering, incredible, miraculous faithfulness of our Shepherd. I have no excuse to fear. But I am weak and last night was filled with fear as my gaze slipped from Him. "What if's" roared loud..

Mohale is in a beautiful orphanage- rare and filled with love. We've been told that 70 other children under the age of six are truly loved there. Yet, Mohale is our son... He belongs in our arms.  My heart is filled with grief today...as two governmental systems and red tape and political tangles prevent Mohale and other children from having parents.  What if it takes more months..years..or never??  What will become of our son who is is soon to legally be returned to orphan status? What if his re-adoption by us doesn't happen?  Orphaned children do not fare well and many do not make it to adulthood- in any part of the world. Are not loving parents and sisters and brothers across the ocean better than none?  These roaring waves screamed "what if..." into my ears throughout the dark hours of night. My gaze darted from Him and suddenly fear enveloped.  No longer was I "walking on water."  Finally at 2:30am His hand reached down. The verse below brought some strength. Perhaps it will bring strength to you too in whatever storm you could be facing- perhaps it will help to silence the "what if's..." so we can walk by faith and not by sight..so that we, can walk on water by keeping our gaze on Him...

Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, He can be trusted. This I know. 

Dare to let your heart break. True love.

His light bursts forth from broken hearts- 

(2 Corinthians 4:8)

Friends of ours have 10 children and are expecting their 11th next month. I want to share Anna's blog. Anna is real. She and her family have chosen to surrender to His love and risk in spite of their fears and human weaknesses- knowing that He is close to the broken-hearted. Four of their children are adopted. Last year they joyfully embraced their two China children- both with cardiac deformities and short life expectancy. This week, their beloved Bea is scheduled to have surgery.  Here is Anna's blog. Get some tissues and dare to read their journey... Let's join together and pray for Bea this week.

http://treeanditsfruit.blogspot.com/

Here is another blog I love that is full of truth and hope. Each entry is written by parents or siblings who adopted potentially terminally children with severe heart conditions. Many have been given life saving surgeries. Others did not make it. Yet each story is filled with hope and beauty:

http://28daysofhearts.blogspot.com/

Update on Mohale's adoption delays. Calling for prayer.

Calling our friends to pray with us...

Last summer, Lesotho completed Mohale's adoption by our family in Lesotho, South Africa without us being present.  We waited another 6 months for the USA to approve a visa for him so we could travel to Lesotho and bring him home.  In December, we were appalled disheartened to learn that the US Embassy decided to require Lesotho to dissolve Mohale's adoption by our family and redo it because paperwork had been done out of order.  The political unrest and new elections this February have made the dissolution process difficult.  We need our adoption of him to be dissolved so that they can restart the adoption process for him (typing this makes my stomach sick.)   We are thankful that Mohale's adoption will be done in accordance with the USCIS order per HAGUE requirements so that the process won't have glitches for future children, yet we are begging for prayer that it happens and that it happens faster.  During last week of this month the adoption agency director will be traveling to Lesotho.  We are hoping that hearts will be moved, signatures acquired, mountains shattered....so that Mohale can come home to us and countless others can flow forward into forever families.  

Thank you for your prayers for Mohale's adoption.  We will be fasting and praying during the trip mentioned above. We'd love for others to join us in prayer and fasting for Mohale, and orphans around the world who long for a family but remain stuck.  

Kind Stranger

March 7, 2015

Unspoken prayers answered.

This day, God lifted my heart through a stranger.  Ive felt DISCOURAGED as we painfully wait in blind silence for Mohale.  Yesterday as our family drove to Costco, I noticed a Thai restaurant and wishfully mused out loud- " I'd love to take the kids to experience a Thai restaurant...someday!). 

At Costco, a kind man was behind us in the food line.  He said something about how much Liam looks like me.  He asked how many kids we have and I told him we are in the process of adopting our seventh.  Kind Stranger laughed and mentioned how I can feed all of them at Costco for under $20.  I laughed too and verbalized my happy memory of our last wedding anniversary where David and I took the kids to Costco to celebrate with huge portions of frozen yogurt for under $20.  It was so FUN! Words of encouragement came from this kind stranger stayed with me as our family found a large table and began to portion out their frozen treat. 

Unexpectedly, this Kind Stranger came over, and knelt down at our table told me and David that he loves what we are doing. He went on to say he'd love do something similar yet is not able so he hoped we would let him encourage by allowing him to pay for us to take our kids out to a dinner.  He slipped some paper money into my hand and gave me his email...  

Tonight was a special time! Thai food was a major Big Hit!! All six kids LOVED it!

Throughout dinner they commented numerous times how special it was to be out to such a nice restaurant as a family. Gratefulness bubbled out in their laughter and words. Their hearts were filled and touched...and that melted my heart. 

Thank you Precious Father for loving us through a Kind Stranger.  Thank you Kind Stranger for being a miracle.