dossier here we come!

After many weeks of paperwork... we have finally got everything ready to go. Uganda our dossier is on it's way!

Give 1 Save 1... This time Give 2 Save 2

As many of you know... Paul & I are not fundraising for our adoption... but we want to ask that you prayerfully consider giving to our friends who are and are IN AFRICA NOW! They are waiting to bring their sweet kids, yes KIDS with an s... there are 2 Macy & Malachi, home. So go on over to the site... Give $1 and save not 1 but 2 kiddos today!!! (Ah, what the heck give at least $2 since there are 2 kids :)

buy a bunny. bless a child. build a family.

traditions seem to fade as the Gospel becomes more clear.

It used to be that Easter meant ... a new dress. As a child I remember always getting a Easter basket and always having a new cute dress. As I grew up, the Easter basket faded but the "New Dress" tradition kept. But as time has passed, and ever since Nov 2010 (when I went on my first international mission trip) a new Easter dress has faded away. 

You see these traditions that I grew up with and that American culture has held on to... the Gospel seemed to make them diminish and just completely fade away. In all honesty, I'm not so sure that in Africa or Haiti or even anyone in our very own backyard that is struggling to put food on the table really cares about our cute dress (or new matching tie, men). 

It's time we consider what these traditions are and what impact do they have on the rest of the world? Instead of holding onto these traditions to satisfy yourself ... consider the impact you could make worldwide. 

Here's what I mean... You don't have to completely give up on purchasing something new for Easter, but ...

• Consider purchasing a piece of jewelry from ApParent Project to go along with a dress you already have. 
  
• Consider purchasing a stuffed bunny for your child's Easter basket, that won't just end up under the bed or in a closet, but will make it's way to a Ugandan Hospital at Christmas. 

• And if you're just not interested in searching the internet for something worth purchasing, consider giving $1 to save 1 child at Give1Save1

Make smart purchases! Make a difference! Make your traditions mean something more!

“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?” -John 11:25-26 (The Message)

letting Him plan our lives

Stepping out in faith, facing giants, and trusting Him sounds easy, until you have to actually do it!

It was June of 2011, I had been on 2 foreign mission trips, 1 home disaster relief trip and it was pretty clear to me that I shouldn't be sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life, paying bills & cutting peoples utilities at the City of Wauchula. There were a few us in the process of brain storming for SendMeMissions (an organization that didn't exactly exist at the time). And so I began my search for "What God's will was for my life." I began to ask God to reveal his plan, his desire, his will for my life... and I searched. For the next year, I prayed and begged God to show me exactly where he wanted me. I promised Him, I'd leave my job immediately and follow Him if He'd show me where He wanted me.

It was now July 2012 and although I had no direction from God on changing my career (or at least that's what I thought), He had laid it on our hearts to adopt from Uganda. We placed the call to our agency in Sarasota and were told that we'd have to wait 6 months. SendMeMissions was now a non-profit organization, had completed it's first foreign mission trip to the Dominican Republic with Orphan's Heart and volunteers were increasing and getting more involved. But I was still desperate to leave my job and fulfill God's plan in my life, which was still unknown to me.

In September of 2012, I began to fast. Not from food, but from human opinions. I only sought God's guidance in my life, only His opinion mattered, His word spoke clearly during this month and it was crystal clear... I was to leave my job. But where was I going? What was I to do? Why hadn't God revealed to me the next step? And so in October, I shared this with my husband (that was interesting), family and by mid-month my employer. We agreed that since I didn't know where I was going, but that I needed to be obedient, I'd continue to work for a few more months and help the new person hired for my job with their transition.

I thought this transition was going to take place in April 2013, but to my surprise, in January 2013 we received an email from our adoption agency expressing their readiness to proceed forward with our adoption. Shortly after we received this news, my job was posted... It was really about to happen. I was going to be leaving my job in order to go and adopt. God knew these things would happen and that he needed me to be in a place ready for this child. What I didn't know is that he wasn't finished revealing His plan in my life. Just a few days later after my job had been posted, a job became open at our local help center.

It was huge news, but now I was confused... what did God want me to focus on? My baby or my career? Helping 1 child or helping our community?  How was this going to work? There was no way for me to apply for a full time position as an Executive Director, pour my heart & soul into another organization AND adopt, raise a child and pour my heart & soul into this child.

This idea came to me of what could be... what might work... and so I approached someone and asked her to join me in this adventure. Several weeks went by, meetings & negotiations took place, lots of prayer and then it all happened.

We (Lidenia Servin & I) accepted the position, the evening of Thursday, February 28th. I was excited, terrified, nervous, anxious and deep down wondering why God hadn't allowed me to know all this in advance and more importantly, how was all this going to work?

The very next day my morning devotion was on Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

He knew I was anxious. He knew I doubted. He knew I was worried. He knew I was scared. He knew I couldn't do this on my own even though I was excited. He knew that I would adopt & take on a new job in the same year, yet He knew He could handle it all if I'd just have faith & trust Him.

Mark Hall, of Casting Crowns, said at the concert I was at this past Friday night... "God doesn't expect us to plan out our lives... He'll take care of that. We're required to be in relationship with Christ and point others to Him." That's it... it's not my job to figure out God's plan... it's my job to be obedient, faithful and trust Him for the strength.

Sure, it's going to be a challenging year. And I know there are people out there that will doubt or question why I took this job at the same time as adopting internationally. But my God is Mighty! He is strong! And He will provide! And when this all works out in the end, you won't see my strength... you'll see His!

p.s. As we take on this new position at the Hardee Help Center, we will need your prayers, your help, your support. It can't be done alone. But we will shine like a City on a Hill... come and take this journey with us!

in our hearts

Although we don't know what Eli looks like, how old he is or what his personality will be like, he's in our hearts. 

We've chosen to adopt a boy under the age of 30 months. We know that the Lord has picked out the perfect child for us. We know that Eli is born and is in Uganda right now, somewhere. Our case worker is currently in Uganda (for other reasons) and visiting with children, orphanages and possibly our little Eli. 

Although he's not in my belly and we can't see him, he's definitely in our hearts. 

Reflecting from our 2nd Home Study Visit

In a few months, our lives will forever be changed by Eli. We’ll go from just being married and living life as we please, to having a family, being parents and focused on this little one. We sat listening to our case worker yesterday explain how Eli will begin to trust us. How we are to be there when he cries, when he’s wet, when he’s hungry. And all these things will begin to build his trust. We’ll bond and hopefully work through any attachment issues that may arise. And while the adoption will be apart of his life (forever) it won’t be what defines him. It will be his personality, his relationship with us and his relationship with others and hopefully, one day, his relationship with Christ.

The whole process though makes me think about my relationship with Christ and how God is always there and completely trustworthy. It’s so much more than being adopted by Christ and into the family of God; it’s about my relationship with Him and growing stronger in Him each and every day. I mean, it would be easy if all we had to do was walk down the aisle, say a prayer, sign a card and that be it. But scripture clearly lays it out, that we are to repent and follow Him (Matt. 4:19). We are a new creature in him (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are to be radically changed (Romans 12:2). We should not be deceived by the simple steps of salvation and the free gift of God and assume that’s our only role as a child of God. Sadly, this is what many believe.

Just as Eli’s life will forever be changed because of his encounter with us and the adoption into our family, so should our lives be from our encounter with Christ and our adoption into Christ’s family. And yet, so often it’s not. There’s no difference. And we simply blend right in with the rest of the world.

I can only pray that as Eli grows up, he can see a difference in his parents. That our relationship with Christ isn’t something we have to convince him of, but that through our love, actions and living life together, he will see the joy, the peace, the love, the fellowship, the understanding and the need of salvation from an Almighty God that has adopted us into his family. 

"Jesus is clearly, absolutely worthy of far more than church attendance and casual association. Jesus is worthy of total radical abandonment and supreme adoration." -David Platt

How many of us though have accepted the "ticket to Heaven"... the "free pass"... and in return, offered an occasional prayer, simply warmed up the pew on Sunday morning but even worse not truly repented... just so that we can say "We've been adopted in to the family of Christ?" 

Most of my posts (especially on the adoption) won't be so blunt... but I want to make sure that I'm clear with those of you who are reading... the only way, the only reason, the only thing that truly makes sense about Paul & I adopting Eli is that because we have been adopted by Christ, he has made it possible for us to adopt Eli. We've never been told that we can't have children but we honestly feel that God has laid it on our hearts to fly across the world to a country that is poor and hurting and adopt a little boy so that he will one day grow up and not just know of Jesus but be a Follower of Christ. 

What are you doing in your life, right now, today, so that others would see Jesus through you? 
ARE YOU FOLLOWING CHRIST? 

paperwork, paperwork & more paperwork

The last few days have completely consumed me with paperwork. Setting up appointments, getting our fingerprints, filling out financial documents, ordering copies of birth certificates, paying for copies of birth certificates, getting documents notarized, re-filling out paperwork because we made an error, sending off for criminal background checks, contacting our references, finishing our last online adoption class, setting up a FedEx account, and yes... the list goes on... a total of 46 things to be exact.

Up until March 1st (that's our goal) we will be working through 2 stacks of paperwork... our Home Study & our Dossier. Each has their own guidelines, some that overlap, while others do not.

This morning we were able to share with our church family about this process (in a very simplified format) and also include them in our process. While we will be Eli's parents and our immediate family will become his, our church family will also be his church family. We ask that our church family pray for him. Pray for us. Pray for his health, his biological mother (and possibly father) and for his caregivers right now.

But most importantly we'd like you to pray for his spiritual growth... that he would grow up to know the Lord and be a mighty warrior for God's army. That we, as his parents, will show him a love like no other and that we will exemplify Christ in our relationship with him, so that he will know the Maker of the Universe and have a relationship with Him.

So, one of the requirements in filling out our Dossier, is pictures. Pictures of every room in our house, pictures of Eli's room, pictures of the front of the house, pictures of the back of the house, pictures of us, pictures of our pastor (that one was easy :), pictures of the outside of the church and pictures of the inside of the church. And we all know a church is just a building without the people, so we decided to take a picture of the inside of the church... filled with all the people that will love him and be praying for him.

So Eli... here's your church family!!!

Over the last few years I've learned a lot about the family of God. I've come to know so many brothers & sisters in Christ from other churches, other denominations, other states, and even other countries. And for those of you who aren't in this picture, but are my brother or sister in Christ... you too, will always be welcome in our lives and into Eli's as well. 

For those of you reading, who aren't saved or don't know Christ or extremely confused about this whole adoption thing, while I'd love to introduce you to Eli... I'd really love to introduce you to a loving, compassionate, Father & Savior, who is all-knowing, all-powerful and would love to be apart of your life. 

We plan to raise Eli in the church, around his Church family, from the day we bring him home to Wauchula until the day God decides to take him home. We know his skin color will be different from ours, we know that from an early age he will learn about what adoption is & probably experience loss and sadness, we know that there will be obstacles from day one... but we also know that love has no boundaries, that Christ made salvation for EVERYONE and that he died on the cross for you, me, those in Africa and all around the world, we know that Eli will be accepted into our community by so many of you and will one blessed little boy. 

Acts 2:42-47

The Message (MSG)

That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.