Lots of Pieces!

We are so thankful for the amazing efforts of our family and friends!  We have almost met our first fundraising goal of $8,000!  WooHoo!
We are nearing the end of our Home Study and will soon have everything ready for our Dossier.  Our Dossier is a big packet of all the important documents, photos and requests needed for the Ethiopian government.  Once all of that is complete, notarized and certified, we will send it off.  :)
That means we need to hit our next fundraising goal.  We will have to pay a lot of major fees when we submit the Dossier.

We are excited about our Puzzle fundraiser.  :)  Our family loves puzzles, we have a new-found love for maps and we love keepsakes.  We are saving lots of things for our little girl, so she will see all the love people poured in to bring her home to us.  That's why we love our new Globe Puzzle.  Go to our Puzzle! page to get more info about how you can be a "piece in our puzzle".
We have lots of pieces!

Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61:3 has been on my heart for a few months.  It has taken on a new meaning in my spirit.

I am increasingly aware of the "ashes" in our world.   We all know that poverty is near us and rampant in other parts of the world.  Most of the time we keep it in the distance for our own sanity.  Just recently I have learned of mothers so desperate that they give parental rights over to orphanages just to keep their children fed.  I have seen images of families LIVING on landfills, not metaphorically, literally residing on trash.  Children without parents, without sustenance, without guidance rob and steal for survival, and then live in a children's prison because they are "bad".  People right next to us feel alone.  Children near us don't know love.    ashes.
They are ashes, because they are the ruins left from the Kingdom God intended.  These ashes are the remnant of the love and hope that is lost.
But...
There is a promise.  God speaks to His people.
...He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair."  Isaiah 61:3

Every time I am saddened by the ashes, I discover beauty that is rising up in the middle of it.  God answers His people.  He hears their cries, and beauty rises.  God's people are helping women in Haiti keep their children.  Servants of Christ are finding ways to rescue communities living in trash.  Men of God are fathering the fatherless.  People are loving people.
There is nothing more beautiful.

I have seen this beauty my entire life.  My church has always been full of beautiful people who heal the ashes.  Salem is full of servants who bring healing in our city and around the world.  My parents are beautiful people who have taught me how to love.  I am thankful to live in a community of believers that seeks to rescue and protect.

God gives beauty for ashes, and Isaiah 61 continues with His promise that one day there will be nothing but beauty.
"The Sovereign Lord will show His justice to the nations of the world.  Everyone will praise Him!  His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere." Isaiah 61:11

Until then, I want to be a part of the beauty.  Let it spring up in my home.  May I have the heart and vision to share it.  May I be unselfish enough to reach into the ashes.

I love his heart!

I want the world to know I love my husband!
(I'm going to be careful and keep it brief, because Kevin will not like this post.)
But, I love him!  There are so many things about him to love, but you should see his heart.
Kevin shows us a strong, dedicated love on a daily basis.  He truly follows Christ as he leads and loves our family.  He loves others, and his heart breaks for others.  The moment God moved him to adoption was not a surprise, but a special calling.  The moment he told me will forever be in my mind. His heart was broken.  He wanted us to take up the cause and take action.  He truly is a father to the fatherless.
Sun-up to sun-down Kevin has worked.  He works like he always has, and now even extra.  He mows and mows and mows.  Without missing a beat, he comes straight in to a game of Candy Land; he goes straight from the mower to the Pee Wee field; without fail, he steps right in to be an audience for the impromptu rock star shows.  Never a complaint.
And when you see him look at Drew and Kate, or the slightest mention of the sweet girl we haven't met, you can see his heart in his eyes.
They say dads have a lot to do with a girl's marriage.  It's true.  Because of my Dad, I knew how to find a pure heart.  Now, so will our girls.  And Drew will have a special heart for his family.
I love his heart!

Tangible Hope

The story behind these bracelets is awesome!
It is literally one of the things that keeps me up at night.
I am excited about supporting a worthy cause along with the pursuit of our own adoption.
Check out our Project Bracelets page for more details.

The more I learn about some of the desperate realities going on in the world, the less "normal" I want to be.  God continues to TRANSFORM my heart and the life of our family.  There is so much need right here and around the world.  Our family is certainly on a mission to rescue one sweet heart, and God has so much more in between and beyond.
I am thankful to be surrounded by amazing, Godly people who are always working and loving for the Lord.  In the midst of it all, there is a beautiful, tangible hope in seeing the hands of Christ!
I want to be a part of that Hope!

Lovin' Family Night

We LOVED our fellowship at Family Night!!!
Our friends and family were a tremendous blessing!

Cheesy at the Post Office

AMAZING Mother's Day!
God's love is alive and working all around me!  I have so many beautiful people in my life.

All of the adults and kids who worked the Car Wash on Saturday blessed us tremendously.  Just the fact that they were willing to sacrifice so much time and effort is awesome.  God blessed their work and used so many more generous people to make the day a huge success.  The FCA gave Kevin $1,000 today!!

Our family, church family and friends keep giving and encouraging and praying.  I promise you each and every bit means so much, and we feel it all.  It's hard to put it into words.

All of this generosity has brought us to this special time.  For Mother's Day, Kevin and I were able to complete some paperwork and fully launch into the 1st phase of the process.  Drew and I mailed our special package today, and we giggled and celebrated the whole time. :)
Best trip to the post office I've ever had.

Proud big brother and big sister

A stack of adoption shirts to give out!!! Thanks to everyone who ordered one!  Drew and Kate were so proud to wear their shirts for the first time today...actually all 4 of us were excited to wear them. 

The tangible things like this help us feel like we have a little something to grasp.  Many times throughout the day my heart aches, and my mind worries.  Time passes, and I know our sweet little one needs us.  The anxiety is not for me to feel something or feel better, but to rescue her.  I can resolve to patience when it is for my own purpose, but patience for the well-being of a child, my child.  Overwhelming.  And even more overwhelming that so many children need to be rescued.

That's when God steps in.  Every time, He steps in.  He moves, and He moves me.  I keep doing.  Kevin keeps doing.  Another yard.  A little more baking.  On my knees.  On our knees together.  God is sovereign.

So many of you are praying, loving and giving.  We feel it all and are truly blessed and lifted by each and every part.  I am confident that our little girl feels it, too.  I know she does.  Words will never be enough to express our gratitude.  I pray you each know the impact you have.

I am thankful for you!  for a God who loves!   for a God who is moving and working!  and for a God who works in spite of me!