Posts tagged with "Adoption"
God,
I don't understand it all. I don't understand why children have to experience such horrible things. I don't understand why some of them slip through the cracks. I don't understand how some mothers are left powerless and defenseless in the face of overwhelming odds. I don't understand why children die in the streets everyday. I don't understand why their bellies are hungry when they lay their heads down on the cardboard to go to sleep. I don't understand those things.
But I do understand this...
I do understand this call you've put on my heart. I do understand the gifts you've given me. I do understand the passion you've placed in my life. I understand why you gave me a house with extra bedrooms. I understand why you gave me a mother's touch. I understand why you've instructed me to look after the orphans and widows.
I hear you, and I understand.
I am yours. My arms are yours. My house is yours. My heart is yours. My family is yours. It's all yours, God.
Use me. Wrap my arms around your hurting children. Fill my rooms with your loved ones. Birth in my family a compassion that knows no bounds, knows no fear, and will stop at nothing to show your love to the people around us. Use everything you've given me, and love on people.
Everyday, remind me to seek your eyes. Remind me to seek your heart. Remind me to love as I have been loved. Remind me that I've been given much, and much is expected of me. Remind me to forget about being a good girl and to run hard towards being a God girl. Fan the flame in my heart, Lord. Don't let it flicker, don't let it fade.
"Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missin'
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see."
Don't let me forget. Not for one second, don't let me forget, ignore, or doubt what you've asked me to do. Not once. Amen.
("Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath.)
(And you should all see "The Blind Side.")
...but I sure do love the Skidmores. :)
You see those papers? That's their dossier. And those papers (plus all the corrected and additional documents) are safely in Rwanda, being reviewed by the Rwandan government as I type. The hard part is over...sort of.
Now, they are waiting. Some day, probably in the next 6 months, their phone is going to ring. On the other end of the line, someone from their agency will tell them the name of their child(ren).
Zach and Sarah have recently learned that their agency is going to allow them to adopt two unrelated children, which is generally against their policy. This *greatly* increases the chances that Zach and Sarah will get two children, as they have hoped from the beginning.
With an additional child comes a few additional in-country fees. Plus, Zach and Sarah still have some travel fees that will be coming their way.
They have recently partnered with Just Love Coffee Roasters to sell coffee and raise funds for their remaining adoption costs. Of each bag purchased from their store, $5 will go towards their adoption fees.
To learn more about the company, simply follow the link I provided.
Do you love coffee or know someone who does? Please consider buying a bag or two from Zach and Sarah's coffee shop (http://www.justlovecoffee.com/TheSkidmores). Every single bit helps in immense ways.
Thank you for helping me love on Zach and Sarah and bring their kids home. My gratitude goes far beyond words.
Do you ever feel like the moments are slipping by faster than you can take hold? I feel like that right now. Thankfully, it doesn't happen too often. When it does, however, I feel a little panicked.
Like yesterday...when Ruby chewed a piece of gum for a solid two hours without swallowing it. The first piece she's ever tried, by the way. When did she get old enough to chew gum?
Or this morning...when I dropped Burke off in his classroom for MOPS, and he went to Seth without a single peep. Not a single peep! I think he's starting to move past the separation anxiety that has made my life a wee bit difficult the past two months. When did he get old enough to realize he doesn't need me every moment?
How about even earlier this morning, when I got an e-mail from our mortgage loan processor? She let me know that our house has passed appraisal. She's just waiting on one more bit of paperwork to get back from the IRS, and then we're off to Closing, which is scheduled for October 23rd. That's less than two weeks away!
And my friend, Amy? Today is her due date! :) She will be having her precious baby girl any day now, and I simply can't believe that it's been an entire 32 weeks since she told me she was pregnant. I can't believe it was nearly 8 months ago that she pulled me into her bedroom and said, "I need you to look at something for me." I knew she would be coming out of the bathroom with a pregnancy test, I just knew it. And now? Now she's going to be calling me any day to say, "I need you to come look at something..." And I'm going to go to a hospital and see a beautiful baby girl that I get to hold and love on in the years to come. And I'm overwhelmed... Is it really already October 13th?
Why yes...yes, it is already October 13th. Thanksgiving is six weeks away. Christmas is ten weeks away. The crisp fall air is here, and my deep freeze is begging to be stocked!
Time just keeps ticking, and I'm trying enjoy each moment. Right now, I'm praying a lot over my commitments, praying and making sure that my time is well shared between my family, my ministry, and myself. Praying that God is pleased with my time and how it is being spent.
This morning, at MOPS, we had a game day, and it was great. I got to meet new moms and play one of my favorite games, Catchphrase, for an entire hour! I love the little bit of "me-time." It was just enough to encourage me for the rest of the day.
I also saw a video made me want to speed up time a little bit. We watched a quick clip about Operation Christmas Child...a program that delivers Christmas gifts to children, hoping to show them the love of God in a tangible way. Looking at the faces of those children made me so anxious to meet Zach and Sarah's children! It made me so anxious to get into our new house and get settled, so we can begin the process of growing our family more! I know it is all happening according to God's timeline, and I'm (mostly) okay with that. :) I just don't want to be sluggish about showing people God's love. And I know that I, personally, am called and required to show God's love to children who do not have families.
So, today, I'm really aware of the moments of my days. I'm enjoying them and doing my best to make good use of them.
How about you? How are the moments treating you these days?
Do you like us? Well? Do ya? Do ya?
Forever Families Rock!
Love Mercy
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