Sometimes the thing that's the most powerful, seems to be so little in way of what we can do. Prayer is by far the most rewarding, most cause effecting thing we have in our lives. It's a privilege that we all share..us being able to talk to our God. He delights in hearing from us. Just like we delight in hearing from one's we love. If we don't make our requests known..How will He be able to let us know it's His hand at work? He already knows our needs, but He wants us to give them a voice. Kinda like we as mama's already know what our children need...but we still enjoy it when they come to us and seek our help in being able to meet that need for them. Right now there's so much going on behind the scenes in our adoption of Levi. ---------is having such issues I can't even begin to go into all the detail. There are 3 families who've been paper ready and waiting to bring home their children...all for over a year. That's a mighty long wait. We're still in the beginning stages and awaiting our fingerprinting appointment for our I-800a application, but I confess to wondering too...will we be another family in for a long wait? We're willing, but it's not wanted. In June it will be a year since we first saw our son's picture. I'm prayerful that by then he'll be home. In so many adoptions I see the enemy waging a battle...stealing faith from our families...Christina who so longs for her Emerson, Joy who waits for her Roman...all waiting, willing hearts and homes and one thing or another holds our children just out of arms reach. The enemy desires for our faith to falter, he gains strength when he sees us weaken...I want to encourage all of us to lay our needs at His feet...no matter what they may be. In Jeremiah 33:3 He says "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things like you've never known." I love to personalize God's Word. I love to be able to claim His promises as my own. I refuse to have the enemy feel welcome in my home, in my mind or in our adoptions. God has brought each family to this point for a reason. We as a family will choose to call to Him and let Him show us great and mighty things like we've never known. Won't you do the same?
As my son's days come to a close...I pray they feel God's presence embrace them. Mama love' s you both and I can't wait to hold you close.
These are my musings about our version of normal. Our days filled with adoption journeys, our lives lived with our 3 boys with Down Syndrome and our days lived with homeschooling. It's about learning how to shepard my children's hearts for the Lord and about living day after day fulfilling the purpose God has for us. It's about life..
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Our Family Blog..
I feel like I need a place to journal our on goings of home as well as a place to journal our adoption journeys. Needless to say, we have a lot going on right now. I wanted to post some pictures of our now family..while we're waiting for our son's to come home. I love this one. This is my Mathew hiking up the hill in Big Bear for my kid's to slid down. Eli's strapped on him in his sling. I should post a shot of Mat going down the hill with him on..Eli loved it. Notice I'm not in any pictures?..I'm usually the picture taker...Aren't most mom's? :)
Our monster's enjoying the cold and snow in Big Bear. Love the face on Zeke..& doesn't Eli look thrilled?
Okay, this one's odd, I know. But these are my monsters putting on a play for us. Ezekiel was the director and he deemed the show to be about vampiers who poisened everyone. (He's all boy :)
Gathered in our soon to be to small suburban. You can just get a peek of Zeke's slumbering head behind Ayla there.
And finally, Breakfast is served...mom style. Yummy oatmeal mixed with some healthy flax seed mill and pure Maple syrup to sweeten it :). Don't worry..my kid's are compleatly used to it.
So as we mexican's say it...Mi Casa, es su Casa...(my home is your home)...come by & visit.
Our monster's enjoying the cold and snow in Big Bear. Love the face on Zeke..& doesn't Eli look thrilled?
Okay, this one's odd, I know. But these are my monsters putting on a play for us. Ezekiel was the director and he deemed the show to be about vampiers who poisened everyone. (He's all boy :)
Gathered in our soon to be to small suburban. You can just get a peek of Zeke's slumbering head behind Ayla there.
And finally, Breakfast is served...mom style. Yummy oatmeal mixed with some healthy flax seed mill and pure Maple syrup to sweeten it :). Don't worry..my kid's are compleatly used to it.
So as we mexican's say it...Mi Casa, es su Casa...(my home is your home)...come by & visit. Thursday, March 19, 2009
OUR FIRST FUND RAISER!! : )
For every $5.00 you donate you'll get a chance to win a $100.00 Gift Certificate for Discovery Toys..an awesome place to get all kinds of educational toys for your little one's! Thank you for helping us bring our son's home!!
For a peek at all you can get check out: www.discoverytoyslink.com/playalong
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
BEAUTIFUL ANDREY..
SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR TRANSFER, PLEASE ADOPT
SOON!!!!!
This beauty is named Andrey. He's been on Reece's Rainbow for quite awhile..like so many of the other children have. He's been heavy on my heart and I would just like to ask you to pray with me for this little guy..and for his family that they find him quickly. I wish I could bring home all these wonderful children..I wish those of you who might be afriaid to step out in faith to adopt a child with Down Syndrome could know the pure bliss that can only come from raising a child with special needs. God does something magical in your heart...You don't see their short comings the way the rest of the world does..instead you see all their possibilities and you see every ounce of perfection that comes with them.
Here's Andrey's info. as it's listed on RR....Is he for you and your family?
Andrey P
Boy, Born June 27, 2004
SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!!
What a precious, lively, glowing with happiness little boy! Andrey is facing institutionalization very soon....I can't bear the thought of that happening to him. He will bring the greatest joy to any family who adopts him! We so hope he will be saved by a committed family!
Andrey does have an ASD and a PDA. He will likely require surgery when gets home, but this heart condition does not seem to have impaired him much! He is very active, crawling, playing, and very lively! He is an orphanage favorite and is loved by all of the staff and the other children. They desperately want to find a family for him right away!
He is up and learning to walk with a push walker, but will likely have to be adopted from the institution. Please save him!
The children in this orphanage are VERY well taken care of. They are blessed by the financial and humanitarian support of a very large aid group, meaning adequate food, stimulation, toys, and even therapeutic items. They are all being raised with the typical children, so this helps them be even more high functioning. Even more so, they are shared with us by a loving director who genuinely wants to see these angels find families. We are honored to be able to seek families for these children, and hope we can succeed in placing ALL of them very quickly!
Contact Andrea directly for more information
I have $3295 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!
Boy, Born June 27, 2004
SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!!
What a precious, lively, glowing with happiness little boy! Andrey is facing institutionalization very soon....I can't bear the thought of that happening to him. He will bring the greatest joy to any family who adopts him! We so hope he will be saved by a committed family!
Andrey does have an ASD and a PDA. He will likely require surgery when gets home, but this heart condition does not seem to have impaired him much! He is very active, crawling, playing, and very lively! He is an orphanage favorite and is loved by all of the staff and the other children. They desperately want to find a family for him right away!
He is up and learning to walk with a push walker, but will likely have to be adopted from the institution. Please save him!
The children in this orphanage are VERY well taken care of. They are blessed by the financial and humanitarian support of a very large aid group, meaning adequate food, stimulation, toys, and even therapeutic items. They are all being raised with the typical children, so this helps them be even more high functioning. Even more so, they are shared with us by a loving director who genuinely wants to see these angels find families. We are honored to be able to seek families for these children, and hope we can succeed in placing ALL of them very quickly!
Contact Andrea directly for more information
I have $3295 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!
I feel so blessed today to know my son's will be home soon and won't ever again have to long for a family to call their own..Luv you Levi, Luv you Isaac..mama
RED ENVELOPE DAY..SENDING A MESSAGE FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T ANYMORE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOR1wUqvJS4 I LOVE THIS VIDEO, IT'S A 12 YEAR OLD WHO SAYS IT LIKE IT IS..VERY POWERFUL!
Please join me in coming together to let our President hear our voices speak for the little one's who no longer can..
When: March 31st, 2009
Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores.
On the front, address it to:
President Barack ObamaThe White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NWWashington , D.C. 20500
On the back, write the following message.
This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion.It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world.We will mail the envelopes out March 31st, 2009.Put it in the mail, and send it.
Then forward this event to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died [in the U.S.] before having a chance to live.It may seem that those who believe abortion is wrong are in a minority. It may seem like we have no voice and it's shameful to even bring it up. Let us show our President and the world that the voices of those of us who do not believe abortion is acceptable are not silent and must be heard.Together we can change the heart of The President and save the lives of millions of children.The event wall is not for discussion regarding the abortion issue. If you don't agree with this event or what it stands for please do not attend.Wall posts may be deleted for any reason.Thank you.Barack Obama spoke at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund event, uttering the now infamous line, "Well, the first thing I'd do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. [Applause.] That's the first thing that I'd do."An empty red envelope will send a message to President Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue [The Freedom of Choice Act, which will essentially “undo” every law currently in place to limit abortion in the U.S. (i.e., parental consent laws, parental notification, waiting periods, prohibition of transporting a minor girl across state lines to obtain an abortion, etc.)]. It will be quiet, but clear.Quote-Doctor-" God Please send someone to find the cure for cancer..."God- " I already did, you aborted him though..."Please read more about The Freedom of Choice Act here:http://www.lifenews.com/nat4359.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/22/obama_statement_on_35th_annive.php&h=4647a4541d60f6724973bf7db9867fc3http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/07/one_year_annive.htmlPLEASE SEND THIS MESSAGE SOON! MARCH 31st IS VERY CLOSE! NOTIFY EVERYONE YOUNG AND OLD... =) thank you
Please join me in coming together to let our President hear our voices speak for the little one's who no longer can..
When: March 31st, 2009
Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores.
On the front, address it to:
President Barack ObamaThe White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NWWashington , D.C. 20500
On the back, write the following message.
This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion.It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world.We will mail the envelopes out March 31st, 2009.Put it in the mail, and send it.
Then forward this event to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died [in the U.S.] before having a chance to live.It may seem that those who believe abortion is wrong are in a minority. It may seem like we have no voice and it's shameful to even bring it up. Let us show our President and the world that the voices of those of us who do not believe abortion is acceptable are not silent and must be heard.Together we can change the heart of The President and save the lives of millions of children.The event wall is not for discussion regarding the abortion issue. If you don't agree with this event or what it stands for please do not attend.Wall posts may be deleted for any reason.Thank you.Barack Obama spoke at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund event, uttering the now infamous line, "Well, the first thing I'd do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. [Applause.] That's the first thing that I'd do."An empty red envelope will send a message to President Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue [The Freedom of Choice Act, which will essentially “undo” every law currently in place to limit abortion in the U.S. (i.e., parental consent laws, parental notification, waiting periods, prohibition of transporting a minor girl across state lines to obtain an abortion, etc.)]. It will be quiet, but clear.Quote-Doctor-" God Please send someone to find the cure for cancer..."God- " I already did, you aborted him though..."Please read more about The Freedom of Choice Act here:http://www.lifenews.com/nat4359.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/22/obama_statement_on_35th_annive.php&h=4647a4541d60f6724973bf7db9867fc3http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/07/one_year_annive.htmlPLEASE SEND THIS MESSAGE SOON! MARCH 31st IS VERY CLOSE! NOTIFY EVERYONE YOUNG AND OLD... =) thank you
Monday, March 9, 2009
Names, Names, Names and keep on moving..
Changing Names..
This was such an issue for us with Nika the first time around. We had read so many conflicting things..It could be bad for them because they may already have a strong connection to their name..(makes since..true,very true..), It's needed because it now gives them a since of belonging in our family..(Ahh, makes since..true, very true..), changing their name may give them a complex that they aren't good enough, so you had to make them better..(now that's sad, but, hmm..let's think about it more), By giving them a new name it lets them know their no different from our other children..( I like that, but still, hmm..let's give it more thought)..O' we felt so confused! So after much talk with each other, reading some blogs from the more experienced families and hearing answers to the question "should we?" on our yahoo group we decided to go for it. Ayla picked out Nika's name the first time around and we're sticking with it..Levi...how awesome is it that it means "to be joined with as one" and indeed he's going to be even with all that's happened?! Our little Vincent..His real name is Volodymyr..~and this isn't an easy one! :) We like the name he was given on Reece's Rainbow...Vincent...but already have one in our family...(my nephew, who we call Vinny)..And we wanted him to have a name with meaning behind it like we've given our other children. So Mat's chosen the name Isaac. It means "to bring laughter"..I find it perfectly fitting since thru his adoption I've been studying the book of Genesis with my Community Bible Study group and it's been an amazing source of renewing of my walk and faith with God. Isaac was the name Sarah gave to her little boy when God fulfilled His promise to her of blessing her with a child in her old age..He brought her laughter. We think our home will be filled with laughter brought to us by our little guy too. So these are their new names: Isaac Volodymyr and Levi Nika Fox, their are newest Foxy babies :) ...If they never fully get into being called by their new names..no biggy. But we don't see it being a problem though.
And...onward we go..We got our fingerprint appointments from the USCIS office on Saturday..Yay! This is the last step needed for our dossier to be complete and ready to turn in to Ukraine..wow!~things are moving quick here! We got an email from our social worker on Friday letting us know that our original homestudy for -------won't need to be change before we submit it with our I-800a because technically, no change has yet taken place in our home. Yay! Money saved there! We'll be submitting our application this week. The bad part about Levi's adoption is that we have to get everything done again for our dossier..Dossier's have to have all the paper work dated within a 6 month time frame and all our things expired as of last month, Ugh! It's okay, no big deal..we'll get it done.
Request: Could you please pray for us? Our travel time is coming up quickly here for our Isaac and we'll have to be leaving behind our 5 kiddo's. We originally planned on taking our Eli with us, but due to Levi's adoption we think we should save the money we'll have to spend on his airfare. We're praying we'll be able to still take him..my heart will hurt for sure without having at least one of my babies to hold onto & I'm not sure it'll be something good for him..at 2 he's still very much a baby who clings to his mama. So far we don't have a committed person or persons to stay with our children. Would you please pray that we find someone willing to stay here in our home with them? We'd love for them to have the comforts of home at least while we're gone. From all that I've read, it looks more like 3 weeks of travel time away from home then the 2 1/2 weeks it says on RR. I'm honestly not looking forward to this part of the adoption process. I really have separation issues from my kids..My dad was a single parent and I was raised by him..He past away when I was 16 unexpectedly..he went to work one day and never came home~ the way that things transpired has left me always in fear of not seeing the one's I love one more time..Poor Mat's had to learn the hard way that he HAS to call me if he's going to be even 15-20 min.s late..I go into a full panic mode pretty quickly. Even my poor father-in-laws had a couple of times of worry over my panic..Not very healthy, I know, but we all have baggage :) Please pray for peace of mind for my heart. I need it BADLY!!
We sent in for a loan today from Lifesong for orphans..Praying for that to come back with a good amount of financial help. I've been amazed already by the generosity of wonderful people I've met online..I want to say thank you to Alicia H., a dear friend I had the privilege of meeting online after committing to Nika the first time around. Her and her family have been waiting A LONG time for their son to come home from ----, Lords willing they'll be traveling within the next month to bring him home. She's given us a gift of a $100.00 gift certificate for Discovery Toys to be able to use as a fund raiser in our sons adoptions..I need to set it up here on our blog page. How good is our God? Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.
I've also decided to start a new blog..This one will be used for following our adoptions and the new one will be the on-goings of home in the mean time till our boys come home...Hope you decide to come check out our home :)..Night for now..night Isaac, night Levi..mama loves you.
This was such an issue for us with Nika the first time around. We had read so many conflicting things..It could be bad for them because they may already have a strong connection to their name..(makes since..true,very true..), It's needed because it now gives them a since of belonging in our family..(Ahh, makes since..true, very true..), changing their name may give them a complex that they aren't good enough, so you had to make them better..(now that's sad, but, hmm..let's think about it more), By giving them a new name it lets them know their no different from our other children..( I like that, but still, hmm..let's give it more thought)..O' we felt so confused! So after much talk with each other, reading some blogs from the more experienced families and hearing answers to the question "should we?" on our yahoo group we decided to go for it. Ayla picked out Nika's name the first time around and we're sticking with it..Levi...how awesome is it that it means "to be joined with as one" and indeed he's going to be even with all that's happened?! Our little Vincent..His real name is Volodymyr..~and this isn't an easy one! :) We like the name he was given on Reece's Rainbow...Vincent...but already have one in our family...(my nephew, who we call Vinny)..And we wanted him to have a name with meaning behind it like we've given our other children. So Mat's chosen the name Isaac. It means "to bring laughter"..I find it perfectly fitting since thru his adoption I've been studying the book of Genesis with my Community Bible Study group and it's been an amazing source of renewing of my walk and faith with God. Isaac was the name Sarah gave to her little boy when God fulfilled His promise to her of blessing her with a child in her old age..He brought her laughter. We think our home will be filled with laughter brought to us by our little guy too. So these are their new names: Isaac Volodymyr and Levi Nika Fox, their are newest Foxy babies :) ...If they never fully get into being called by their new names..no biggy. But we don't see it being a problem though.
And...onward we go..We got our fingerprint appointments from the USCIS office on Saturday..Yay! This is the last step needed for our dossier to be complete and ready to turn in to Ukraine..wow!~things are moving quick here! We got an email from our social worker on Friday letting us know that our original homestudy for -------won't need to be change before we submit it with our I-800a because technically, no change has yet taken place in our home. Yay! Money saved there! We'll be submitting our application this week. The bad part about Levi's adoption is that we have to get everything done again for our dossier..Dossier's have to have all the paper work dated within a 6 month time frame and all our things expired as of last month, Ugh! It's okay, no big deal..we'll get it done.
Request: Could you please pray for us? Our travel time is coming up quickly here for our Isaac and we'll have to be leaving behind our 5 kiddo's. We originally planned on taking our Eli with us, but due to Levi's adoption we think we should save the money we'll have to spend on his airfare. We're praying we'll be able to still take him..my heart will hurt for sure without having at least one of my babies to hold onto & I'm not sure it'll be something good for him..at 2 he's still very much a baby who clings to his mama. So far we don't have a committed person or persons to stay with our children. Would you please pray that we find someone willing to stay here in our home with them? We'd love for them to have the comforts of home at least while we're gone. From all that I've read, it looks more like 3 weeks of travel time away from home then the 2 1/2 weeks it says on RR. I'm honestly not looking forward to this part of the adoption process. I really have separation issues from my kids..My dad was a single parent and I was raised by him..He past away when I was 16 unexpectedly..he went to work one day and never came home~ the way that things transpired has left me always in fear of not seeing the one's I love one more time..Poor Mat's had to learn the hard way that he HAS to call me if he's going to be even 15-20 min.s late..I go into a full panic mode pretty quickly. Even my poor father-in-laws had a couple of times of worry over my panic..Not very healthy, I know, but we all have baggage :) Please pray for peace of mind for my heart. I need it BADLY!!
We sent in for a loan today from Lifesong for orphans..Praying for that to come back with a good amount of financial help. I've been amazed already by the generosity of wonderful people I've met online..I want to say thank you to Alicia H., a dear friend I had the privilege of meeting online after committing to Nika the first time around. Her and her family have been waiting A LONG time for their son to come home from ----, Lords willing they'll be traveling within the next month to bring him home. She's given us a gift of a $100.00 gift certificate for Discovery Toys to be able to use as a fund raiser in our sons adoptions..I need to set it up here on our blog page. How good is our God? Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.
I've also decided to start a new blog..This one will be used for following our adoptions and the new one will be the on-goings of home in the mean time till our boys come home...Hope you decide to come check out our home :)..Night for now..night Isaac, night Levi..mama loves you.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
ALL FOR YOUR GLORY, LORD! GOD'S BLESSING US WITH OUR BOYS!
Wow! Remember when we told you Nika's name was going to be Levi and how it means to be joined with?..& how God already knew his name before we choose it? God is good!
He's answered our prayers and has opened the doors for us to be able to bring Nika home! When we got the email asking us if we we're still interested we already knew the answer our hearts felt, but we had to really seek God and make sure He was really giving us this gift. The thought of walking away from one child for another was heart breaking. Vincent has been used by God in such a mighty way here in our home..not to mention this whole process and how much of a renewing of our walks with the Lord this has been...God took our broken hearts and patched them together again with our beautiful band-aid named Vincent. I'm the first to admit I'm scared. There's so much to do!! We're going to need a new (used) van to fit our wonderful family..and don't even get me started on the funding...what we have is going to our Vincent's coming home. Remember the way the Lord provided the money for us to use in Vincents adoption, the same amount of money that was only allowed to be used if we went thru Hopscotch Adoptions? So now we still have the extra funds that we paid into Nika's adoption the first time around..but it's not nearly enough to cover the whole cost. You know what's so great about it all? We're just a little worried..but only a little. :) "Is any thing to hard for the Lord?" Do you know the story of God's promise to Abraham? In Chapter 23 of Genesis Abraham's wife Sarah passes away. In faith Abraham buys a piece of land in Canaan to bury her, because this is the land that God has promised him. In faith he believes that God will be faithful to him and this land will indeed be not only his, but his descendants as well. Do you know who else is buried in the cave he bought? Abraham is, his son Isaac and Isaac's wife Rebekah, Rebekah's sister, Leah, and Jacob..Isaac's son..as well as 400 years later Jacob's son Joseph who had become a leader in Egypt..When he passed he asked for his bones to be taken to be buried there. It wasn't until Moses went to Egypt to set the Hebrews free 400 years later that the request was fulfilled. Why the long history? Well the day Abraham wept over his wife's body, is the day he also claimed God's promise in faith. Today that land belongs to the descendants of Abraham, just like God promised him it would. It's called Israel, named after Abraham's great grandson Jacob..whom God changed his name to Israel.....Today, we claimed God's promise in faith. In faith we're accepting two beautiful sons and in faith we accept that "all things are possible for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ". When we first told our families about our decision to adopt Nika we sent out an email to our families. Some of our family members hold their faith in our God, some don't. We closed the letter with this..."If your faith lies in God please pray for us and this adoption. If your faith lies elsewhere..then we invite you to sit back & watch God's hand move." Do you see His hand's at work? We do!~What an amazing day. Thank you Lord. Good night Vincent, good night Nika..mama loves you.
He's answered our prayers and has opened the doors for us to be able to bring Nika home! When we got the email asking us if we we're still interested we already knew the answer our hearts felt, but we had to really seek God and make sure He was really giving us this gift. The thought of walking away from one child for another was heart breaking. Vincent has been used by God in such a mighty way here in our home..not to mention this whole process and how much of a renewing of our walks with the Lord this has been...God took our broken hearts and patched them together again with our beautiful band-aid named Vincent. I'm the first to admit I'm scared. There's so much to do!! We're going to need a new (used) van to fit our wonderful family..and don't even get me started on the funding...what we have is going to our Vincent's coming home. Remember the way the Lord provided the money for us to use in Vincents adoption, the same amount of money that was only allowed to be used if we went thru Hopscotch Adoptions? So now we still have the extra funds that we paid into Nika's adoption the first time around..but it's not nearly enough to cover the whole cost. You know what's so great about it all? We're just a little worried..but only a little. :) "Is any thing to hard for the Lord?" Do you know the story of God's promise to Abraham? In Chapter 23 of Genesis Abraham's wife Sarah passes away. In faith Abraham buys a piece of land in Canaan to bury her, because this is the land that God has promised him. In faith he believes that God will be faithful to him and this land will indeed be not only his, but his descendants as well. Do you know who else is buried in the cave he bought? Abraham is, his son Isaac and Isaac's wife Rebekah, Rebekah's sister, Leah, and Jacob..Isaac's son..as well as 400 years later Jacob's son Joseph who had become a leader in Egypt..When he passed he asked for his bones to be taken to be buried there. It wasn't until Moses went to Egypt to set the Hebrews free 400 years later that the request was fulfilled. Why the long history? Well the day Abraham wept over his wife's body, is the day he also claimed God's promise in faith. Today that land belongs to the descendants of Abraham, just like God promised him it would. It's called Israel, named after Abraham's great grandson Jacob..whom God changed his name to Israel.....Today, we claimed God's promise in faith. In faith we're accepting two beautiful sons and in faith we accept that "all things are possible for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ". When we first told our families about our decision to adopt Nika we sent out an email to our families. Some of our family members hold their faith in our God, some don't. We closed the letter with this..."If your faith lies in God please pray for us and this adoption. If your faith lies elsewhere..then we invite you to sit back & watch God's hand move." Do you see His hand's at work? We do!~What an amazing day. Thank you Lord. Good night Vincent, good night Nika..mama loves you.
Monday, March 2, 2009
JUST MAYBE...NIKA CAN COME HOME?
...Robin emailed us today with this~"A light at the end of the tunnel..would you remotely be interested in adopting Nikoloz (Nika) now if we could submit your dossier quickly to------?"
My nightmare come true. About 3 days after we committed to Vincent I had a dream and in it I was asked..."Do you still want to adopt Nika? ~Yes! ~Then you need to give Vincent back. Choose." In my dream I made no choice, but I woke up with such a bad stomach ache from the turmoil my nightmare had caused. Later that day God confirmed in my heart that we were where He had us. I have to admit that I've been alot more hesitant in allowing myself to feel as emotionally connected to Vincent as I did to Nika. It's not that I don't feel conected..It's that I'm guarding my emotions more. Never the less..to choose is something my heart can't comprehend. These are our boys. When Nika's adoption was stopped I told Robin how confident I felt that God was still going to bring Nika home..but it was going to be later. Is this later? Robin was supposed to call us tonight to talk, but she had her hands full with a sick husband and I guess the time just wasn't right.
We've been praying boldly for God's will to be done in Nika's life. We were told another family was praying about adopting him and that they would be able to because they we're approved under the old Hague agreement. Our adoption was stopped because we petitioned for Nika's adoption after the new agreement was in place and under the new agreement ----- wasn't able to meet the new requirements. When I first heard this news my heart sank. I felt like my son was being taken from me again and I felt angry. Let me tell you how long my night was that night!! God convicted my heart like never before and all night I struggled~I mean struggled! "Have you not been praying for My will to be done in Nika's life?" Yes, Lord..but I don't want this to be Your will, I want Your will to be for Nika to come home to us! "Give Nika to me Alysha..Trust Me" I do Lord, but I want Nika to be ours, Please!" Back and forth this conversation played out in my mind, in my heart. By morning my heart sang a different tune because after much hesitation I was able to release my grip on what I wanted for Nika and I was able to give Nika to God for His will to be done. I was able to email back with joy that he would have a family and honestly felt at peace. God has a purpose for each of these children's lives and even when we don't get it..He's still in control and He still holds His children. He knows our Nika, He knows our Vincent. He knows what they need and who they need. If it's God's will and these doors are indeed being open for us we don't think a choice is needed. God's brought these children to our attention for a purpose and He will see it thru. Remember my verse that I clung to during our process on Nika's adoption? Psalm 12:5.."For the sighing of the needy, for the oppression of the poor, now I will arise says the Lord, and I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."As God's people we must actively, consciously trust that God's Word is true and that He always acts in accordance with it. Every situation we encounter is an opportunity to choose to trust God rather then our own inclinations. Our faith involves risk, but it ALWAYS brings us back the richest dividends.
We don't know for sure if us being able to adopt Nika is a reality yet. All the paper work we did for our -------dossier is old and would need to be updated. The other HUGE factor here is that we never submitted an I-800a application for adopting from ------. It was recommended to hold off because we needed to list the country we intended to adopt from and at that time-------was on shallow ground. We also held off because of the cost of having to submit the application & we were under the wrong impression that we would have to pay each time for a new country. Notice that Robins email said IF we can submit our dossier quickly. I honestly feel no pressure in this situation any longer. I know things will fall into place the way the Lord will have them fall as long as we lean on Him and follow His direction. If there's an ounce of hesitation that this isn't God's plan for us, that's not God's peace and that hesitation will speak volumes. My Mat right now is running all the thoughts thru. That going to get Nika might be possible has his stomach doing flip-flops..."Where would we get the money? We'd need a bigger vehicle! How? Why? Now?"...He prayed with our family for God to ease his fears tonight. A wise prayer. Lord's willing I'll talk to Robin tomorrow and we'll have a better direction. I want to say thank you to all who responded to my cry for prayer on our Yahoo group. I've come to find such encouragement in the wonderful group of ladies God's perfectly placed in the same position as I. May God's hand be seen in each of our adoptions and in each of our lives as we travel the road to it. Good night my Vincent, my Nika. Love you much.
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