Ten Years Ago Today...

Ten years ago today we met Victor.  Since there is no pre-selection process when adopting from Ukraine, the meeting was arranged so that we could see him and decide if we wanted to adopt him.  All we knew of him at this point was on a slip of paper our facilitator handed to us after reviewing his file at the adoption center in Kiev.  Somewhere in the middle of the eight hour road trip to his hometown, we knew we were on our way to meet our son rather than having an appointment to determine if we should adopt this child named Victor. We had prayed for 14 months that God would choose our child for us, so we wouldn’t make a mistake.  We were relying on the promise in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  After the confusing selection process in the adoption center, we felt like the only path available for us was one that led straight to Victor. This HAD to be our son.

We heard stories from others who had previously adopted, stories about dreams, signs, circumstances that were more than coincidental and proved God’s sovereignty in the choosing.  We were excited to experience our own magical moment when we would first lay eyes on our new child.  Surely God would give us some kind of “writing on the wall” to confirm Victor was to be ours.

Once we arrived at the orphanage, we were escorted to his room and instructed to sit on a couch in the corner.  One by one a dozen little 2 and 3 year olds walked past us and into the bathroom.  Waiting for further instruction, and having no idea what he even looked like, we were about to burst.  Finally, after all of the children were in the bathroom, a nurse emerged from the bedroom holding the hand of a little boy who could hardly walk.  As they headed toward us, we knew this was him.  Almost immediately after giving him a hug, our facilitator asked, “Is this the one you would like to adopt?”  You talk about pressure!  We knew God had led us straight to him, but we were also remembering advice given to us by  our pediatrician.  She told us to look for signs of things like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Reactive Attachment Disorder because these were very prevalent in Ukrainian orphans.  We asked if we could have a few minutes with him alone.  Sveta arranged for us to take him outside and pointed out that if we began the process that day, before the courts closed in 30 minutes, it would save us some time. We were already preparing to be in Ukraine and away from our other child for about three weeks, so her point was taken to heart.

We took Victor outside and begged God for confirmation that he was to be our child. We played with him just for a few minutes noticing the developmental delays (didn’t talk and couldn’t walk on his own without falling), all the while keeping our eyes and ears open for God to give us the “Yes” or “No”.  All we heard was the reminder of what we had decided the day before, that unless no major conditions existed, we would say “Yes”.  About five minutes later, Sveta rejoined us and reminded us of the time sensitive matter. We trusted that God would close the door if it weren’t His will.  Without a reason to say “No”, we said “Yes” and were whisked away to begin the paperwork process of making Victor a Rowe.

Sometime that night, we discussed how God had not given us a tangible confirmation that we could hold onto.  For a few days even, we continued to question if we had made the right choice. “What if he had one of these conditions we were warned about?  What if there were a more serious medical issue being kept from us.  What if…” After getting on our knees and begging God for clarity, He reminded us that Proverbs 3 speaks of not relying on our own understanding of things but to trust in Him.  He reassured us in our hearts that He had big plans for this precious child named Victor, and we would be so blessed by getting to watch those plans unfold.   He didn’t give us an emotional ly charged circumstance or miraculous moment we could share with the world, but rather He taught us that faith meant trusting in what we could not see.  And we would soon see just how blessed we would be for taking this step of faith in making this child our own.

 

Ten years ago today...

Ten years ago today we sat down at a desk in the Ukrainian adoption center anxiously waiting to be shown a picture of our soon to be adopted child.  Two hours later we left wondering what in the world had just happened.  In order to avoid the whole "Eeeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe" method of choosing from scores of orphans who were available for adoption, we asked God to choose for us, leaving no room for us to make a mistake.  The only two conditions we had previously decided upon were 1.We would not interrupt the birth order of our other child, Tommy, who was four years old at the time, and 2.We would not adopt a child with medical needs greater than what we felt we could handle. 

Immediately after sharing these two conditions with the older gentleman behind the desk, he showed us two pictures of  healthy boys, both five years old.  We thought he must have misunderstood, but when our facilitator, Sveta, explained again that we wanted to stay under the age of four, he shook his head, said something in Ukrainian, and pointed to a book shelf full of binders behind us.  We were so confused. This wasn't going how we expected.  Out of hundreds of thousands of orphans in the country, we were being told there were only 2 healthy children available for adoption that day, and they were both older than Tommy. 

The red binders behind us were full of information sheets on children with medical needs.  Following our facilitator's lead, we began to look through the binders at pictures of hundreds of children who had some pretty serious medical concerns.  We couldn't read any of the information written in Ukrainian, we only saw their faces. We were relying on Sveta to show us the children who had conditions that weren't so serious, all the while, we were praying that the psychologist would cave and show us the files of healthier children. Certainly, I thought, God knew we couldn't handle a child with such serious issues.  The quiet man sat for nearly two hours fiddling with papers on his desk while we watched Sveta nervously thumb through one binder after another, searching for a child who wasn't so sick.  She inquired about a few whom he would call to check on before hanging up and giving us a reason we should or could not consider each one.

Just after he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes one final time, Sveta said, "I think we should visit this one."  We looked at a page full of Ukrainian words with a tiny picture stapled to the top. We could barely see the face of the infant wrapped in a blanket. His name was Victor. He was 2 and a half years old and according to Sveta, the medical conditions listed were often over diagnosed.  The psychologist called to inquire, then he hung up and gave us a nod and a slight grin.  Within minutes, we were back in the taxi wondering how the magical moment of discovering whom God had chosen to be our child turned out to feel more like a process of elimination.  

Before leaving us at the apartment, Sveta handed me a slip of paper describing the child's medical conditions.  Rather than fretting over the "what ifs", I tucked the list in my pocket and practiced saying his name in my head, "Victor". We soon would find out how God, from this moment, was  opening our hearts to one of the most precious children we would ever meet, Victor Vitalyvich Sova.

I Could Never...

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. Tim and I were sitting in the back row of a van, making our way through the streets of Ethiopia. We were on our way to visit our soon to be adopted children and were deep in conversation with two other couples whom we had met only a few days earlier. Like us, they were full of excitement as we prepared to see our children for the very first time. As we rode in that van, each anticipating the moments we had looked forward to for so long, our friendship quickly moved past small talk and onto deeper discussions. One of the couples began sharing their experiences of being foster parents. I listened in amazement and commented, “I think it is wonderful that you can take a child into your home and be able to love on them knowing all the while you have to give them back.” I went on to explain how I could never do that because I don’t have the emotional stability. I was surprised by the husband’s response. With much tact and kindness he replied, “It’s a good thing Christ didn’t say that about you on His way to the cross.” Ouch!

I knew he was right. God had already proven in my life that when He asks me to do something hard, He gives me all I need to do it. A good friend recently reminded me that my fears are not uncommon. Jesus Himself questioned his own emotional stability when just before His death He asked God in Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Thankfully, God didn’t remove it, rather He gave Him the strength He needed to do the incredibly hard thing He was born to do, to die for us so that we might live eternally with Him. In response to that amazing gift He gave us by dying on the cross, the Bible tells us we are to do hard things and die to ourselves so that others may understand what His sacrifice means to them and choose also to live for Him, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” Luke 9:23-24.

Today I was faced with that hard thing I once said I’d never be able to do. I should have seen it coming after that convicting conversation in the van in Ethiopia, however, I’m learning that like most challenges we face, we are never fully prepared.  After caring for two precious baby girls for three months through a private fostering type program called Safe Families (http://orphancarealliance.org/safe-families-for-children/) , today was the day we had to take them home. Although we know it is best for them to be with their birthmother and/or father in a safe and stable place, the lump in my throat that won’t go away and the tears I keep trying to push back prove that giving back these babies that I’ve treated as my own is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.  

Thankfully though, God wasn’t surprised by the tough challenge we would face today. He knew well in advance that it would be hard to say goodbye and therefore He had some surprises planned.

First, He showed me the promise of blessings that come from serving in this way by taking me to Psalm 41:1 in my morning Bible reading, “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.”  

Next, He blew us away at church this morning when a friend handed Pavlina an envelope containing an anonymous donation for the mission trip she is taking this summer to Honduras. This amount, when added to what she has made from the jewelry she has sold and additional donations from friends and family, covers the cost of her whole trip. Wow!

God wasn’t finished though. After saying goodbye to the babies and dropping them off, Tim decided that in an attempt to try and cheer the kids up, we would do something we’ve never done and take all eight of them to Waffle House. We had a great time indulging in waffles for lunch and just before leaving, we were shocked when our waitress told us that an anonymous customer had paid for our meal. We were speechless. I immediately remembered what God had said this morning when I didn’t know how we’d get through this day, “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.”

 As hard as it has been to say goodbye today to these precious babies whom we have grown to know and love as part of our family, I am so thankful for the experience because it has given us the chance to again witness God’s presence and faithfulness when we obey. My friend was right. Christ did a very hard thing for me and as one of His followers, I am expected to do the same for others and die to myself. Maybe the most important lesson I’m learning in all of this is to trust God’s sovereignty and stop saying, “I could never…”.

 

Come to the Party!

"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

I've read this verse before but never really understood its meaning. It comes at the end of a parable Jesus told about a wedding feast. The story stood out in my Bible reading this morning because it was 20 years ago tomorrow, Feb, 8, 1994, when Tim proposed and we began to plan our own wedding. As I read the passage, I wondered why this verse about being called and chosen was Jesus's conclusion to a parable about a wedding. 

The story is about a king who planned a wedding feast  for his son and invited many guests. All of those invited were too busy with "farms or businesses" and ignored the invitation. Some even killed the messengers who came to remind them of the feast.  This enraged the king who then sent his servants into the streets to welcome any and everyone "good or bad" to the party. When the king came in to look over all the dinner guests, he found one individual not wearing wedding attire. He had this man tied up and thrown "into the outer darkness, in that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And then Jesus concludes by saying, "For many are called, but few are chosen".

Seems a little harsh, right?  I mean, of course someone there might have been a little under dressed. These were people off the street, probably without much clothing at all, let alone a suit for a wedding. God used a cross reference verse of this passage, however, (Revelation 7:14) to explain to me the significance of the clothing,  "...they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The clothing these dinner guests wore was symbolic of what happens when we accept God's invitation to His wedding feast (heaven). As when we accept Christ and receive clean robes, this clothing the dinner guests were wearing had been given to them by the king when they responded to the invitation to come to his party. And did you notice how the invitation was not only to the "good" people but  rather the "good and bad". Now that's good news! We don't have to have it all together to respond to His invitation to come to the party. But we do have to respond. They had to make a choice to leave their farms and businesses (worldly endeavors) and accept his invitation in order to be given the proper attire for the party. After all of this, Jesus ends with, "For many are called, but few are chosen." This story is about salvation, life after death. God offers the invitation to everyone "many are called". Few, however, respond and are therefore "chosen" to come to the wedding feast with Him in heaven.

Oh, praise God that I'm chosen. I get to go to that party. I want you to come too! Have you accepted His invitation? It goes out to everyone. We just have to accept it, making Christ Jesus Lord of our lives and placing everything else (farms, businesses, jobs, money, vacations, even family members) second to Him. I'll never forget the song our church was singing the night I made the decision to accept His invitation and be one of the chosen. It came to mind yesterday, before reading this parable. I looked up the words this morning and of course they seem to fit perfectly with the message in Matthew 22. I hope the words encourage you today as they have me.

Just As I Am,
text by Charlotte Elliott, music by William Bradbury

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches healing of the mind,
yea, all I need in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve
because they promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty

2 Peter 1:16 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

After an emotionally draining few weeks, I read this verse yesterday morning and asked God to make me an “eyewitness of His majesty”, to delight me with His presence, WOW me with His power, to let me know He is still near. He did! It had to do with my personal Bible study and it’s not the first time this has happened. About 6 months ago when finishing my reading through the book of Nehemiah, the book about how the Israelites rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in 52 days while fighting off the enemy, I wondered if anything significant had happened 52 days prior in our own life, maybe something concerning the property we had recently purchased (acceptance of the offer, the closing, laying of rock, etc..). What I discovered in counting back 52 days on the calendar and looking in my journal was that it was the very day I began my daily study of the book. It took me exactly 52 days to read it. This was even more reassuring than an event related to the property. The numbers matched up with something in my spiritual journey (the beginning of a study of a book about spiritual warfare). It reminded me that God is very much alive and more concerned with my heart and with my desire to grow and know Him through the study of His word rather than the specifics concerning a visible ministry. I love how He used these details to convey that to me!

It happened again yesterday, just after I asked Him to reveal His power. His answer came immediately from His word through the following verses:

Acts 26:16-18 “…to appoint you (Paul) a minister and witness not only to the things which you have seen but also to the things which I will appear to you…”

Mark 3:14 “The sower sows the word.”

Mark 16:20 “And they (disciples) went out and preached the word everywhere, while the LORD worked with them and confirmed the word by signs that followed.”

Acts 8:4 “Therefore those (early Christians) who had been scattered went about preaching the word.”

1 Timothy 4:6 “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.”

 It didn’t seem to make sense. When I asked Him to speak to me, His answer seemed to be, “You speak about Me.”  I knew immediately, however, what He was asking me to do. It’s a heart-breaking story, one I’d decided not to share because it has just been too hard to find words. I am trusting though that this is not one of those “cleverly devised tales” mentioned in 2 Peter 1:16 but rather a story that displays “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So here it is … the story:

A few weeks ago we finished a process to become part of a program called Safe Families. It is a wonderful way to minister to families by temporarily caring for kids whose parents need support. Soon after we completed our application process, we got a call from the coordinator asking us to pray about a situation. “There is a mother with cancer who needs a place for her child to stay while undergoing treatment,” she shared.  We began to pray, trusting that God would work things out according to His will. A couple weeks later we were excited about getting to meet with this mother in person. It was a meeting we will not soon forget. As Tim and I sat by her hospital bed, we were amazed by her strength and bravery to speak with us about keeping her child while she fought for her life. We were touched by the love she displayed as she lit up describing her child’s personality. We were grateful to have been given the chance to meet this beautiful individual who smiled when listening to us go on and on about our own kids while she was clearly in physical pain. Tim and I left the meeting feeling such a peace about the situation, very excited about how God might use us to demonstrate His love by temporarily caring for her child.

Three days later, however, she passed away.

We were shocked, sad and confused. Why did it happen like this? Why couldn’t we have met her sooner? Why does another child now have to live apart from her mother? Why…

I’ve been reading through Job recently. I’m always amazed at how God has us in the right place of His word at the right time. Job asked those same questions. His friends had all the answers, or so they thought.  “Of course he has done something wrong,” they argued. “There must be some unconfessed sin Job is hiding... God is just, blessing those who are good and cursing those who are not.” Job knew they were putting God in a box with this “health and wealth” philosophy. He knew that for some reason, God had allowed this to happen to him, “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this,” (Job 12:9). He argued with his friends that God's ways were higher than his, “Were He to snatch away who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” (Job 9:12)  And Job was right. God affirmed it in the last chapter. Job 42:7 says, ”the LORD said to Job’s friend, 'My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.'” Seeing all of this in the study of Job enabled peace to overrule in the shock, confusion and sadness surrounding this death of our new friend. 

Of course in hindsight, we wish we had said or done more.  We wished we had asked if she knew Jesus as her personal Savior, asked her if she truly believed that He died for her just over 2000 years ago so that she could not only have peace, fulfillment and joy in this life but live eternally with Him after death. We hope and pray that although not discussed openly with her when we met, God used something or someone in those last days of her life to cause her to make the decision to believe in Him and place her trust in Him if she hadn’t already done so.

In praying for comfort for the family and friends left behind, God has given us comfort by already allowing us to see that He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Soon after hearing the horrible news, we discovered that as a result of our meeting with this mother, word had spread about the Safe Families program and there is now a new interest in participation from individuals who knew about the situation. Although we would have liked for God to answer our prayers for a complete healing of this precious mother, we are comforted in knowing that in spite of this tragedy, He is calling others to this great need of caring for orphans and widows in our area. It gives us motivation and belief to pray fervently for the child left now without a mother because we know “God’s plans are not to harm her but rather give her a hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11)

I began by telling you how I asked God yesterday to make me an “eyewitness of His majesty.” He did that as I sat down to tell you this story. I began by asking God how I should start- a verse, a promise, a question? All I could think of was the book of Job. Realizing I had finished reading it the very day our sweet friend died, I became curious about when I began the study. I looked back in my journal to find something pretty amazing. Like the timing of my reading of Nehemiah, God had worked it out so that my study of Job was perfectly timed so that I would not only read about His sovereignty but experience it in my own life. My reading of this book began back in August as I sat next to my 91 year old grandmother’s hospital bed on the day she passed away. It ended on the very day our much younger friend died. My personal study of God’s sovereignty in the midst of death and suffering had been framed by two deaths of individuals close to my heart, but the lives of each of these individuals were used to make others “eyewitnesses of His majesty.”  Oh, praise Him!

My prayer is that in reading this you will be inspired to seek God daily as you look to His word for clarity and purpose in your life. I can confidently claim the promise in Matthew 7:7 “when we seek Him, we find Him.” I'm also praying that God will use this story to raise up more individuals to participate in the Safe Families program . If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved with this program please visit their website  http://orphancarealliance.org/safe-families-for-children/

or contact:

Chesson Hazlewood

Safe Family for Children Coordinator

Office - (502) 498-4765

 

Jesus Loves Me

If I had to choose the most important truth my grandmother, Amy Ruth Reeves, taught me in life, it would be that Jesus Loves Me. If you asked her why that was so important, she'd answer with full assurance, "The Bible tells me so!"

It was because Jesus loved her and sacrificed his life for her just over 2000 years ago that she gave her life to Him and in turn gave her ALL to others. She truly was the most selfless person I've ever known. She understood Luke 14:33 "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." Anyone who entered her house could testify that they would not leave without a few of her possessions.

She gave me an example of how to daily study God's word in order to find purpose, fulfillment and joy. She showed me how to, "not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world. The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." I John 2:15-17. She followed God's will daily and now gets to live forever with Him.

I was given an amazing gift last night. I got to be with Nanny, holding her hand, singing in her ear Jesus Loves Me, as she closed her eyes, took her last breath, then opened her eyes to see her Savior's face. She lived a life trusting that Jesus loved her so much that he died for her. And all of this was because the Bible told her so. Her deeds proved she believed that basic truth and I had the privilege of reminding her of that truth as she left this life and moved on to her eternal one, forever in the presence of God- the life she's looked forward to for so long!

Last night she joined with other saints who, "overcame because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." Revelation 12:11 She was, "faithful unto death" and therefore has received, "the crown of life" Revelation 2:10. Oh, I can only imagine the celebration going on today in heaven as she gets to dance again! I have a feeling, Jesus Loves Me, is on the playlist!

"'...take courage and work; for I am with you,' declares the LORD of hosts." Haggai 2:4

In response to scripture we have been reading after asking God for clarity in how to proceed with building a home on the property we just purchased, we feel we must begin by building a tabernacle (an outdoor pavilion type structure for the purpose of prayer). We can't see what will come of it or all God has in store for this place, but we are trying to take this one step at a time beginning with getting the posts in the ground. We set our first post last Sunday and hope to get the rest in this weekend.

Psalm 27:5 "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."

The Rock

Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

We had some rock delivered a couple days ago. It wasn’t for the foundation of a house, but rather for a driveway/parking spot so we can get onto our new property without getting stuck. (Twice now we’ve had to ask a neighbor for his chain and help in pulling our big van out of the mud there.) It was exciting to sit under the gazebo watching the dump truck pour out rock. It was a cool visual reminder that everything we build on this property must be founded on the rock of Christ. The kids were also excited watching it pour neatly out the back of the truck, creating an instant driveway. But then something happened, the truck stopped and the instant driveway turned to an instant rock pile. I knew something was wrong when the two workers got out and walked to the back of the truck and stood there for a minute, staring at the ground. They were stuck! One of the kids said, “We can help push.” (obviously experienced with being stuck in the mud!). The driver called his dispatcher and then walked over with his head down preparing to inform me that we would need to pay for a wrecker to come and pull them out OR pay for another load of rock so another truck from their company could come and pull them out. Fearing I might be being taken advantage of, I called Tim. He calmly reminded me that it was just money and that we probably needed more rock anyway. I think the truck driver was a bit surprised when I said with a smile, “It is fine. Go ahead and send for another truck of rock.” It was one of those times when I felt the Holy Spirit’s presence because I’m normally not as cordial when circumstances seem unfair, and something about us having to pay to fix this problem didn’t seem right. Through God’s power, however, I was totally okay with it.

This gravel company was about 30 minutes away so we had nothing to do but wait for the truck to get there. I invited the 2 men to sit in the chairs we had under the gazebo. The kids and I chatted with them while waiting, talking mostly about the dark rain clouds rolling in that would make it nearly impossible to pull the truck out. At one point I looked out at the huge tires sunk in the mud and wondered, “Why has this happened?” Even the driver didn’t understand because he surveyed the area before beginning and didn’t think it would be a problem. He admitted that he couldn’t remember the last time they got a truck stuck like this. I wondered if it might have been an attempt from the enemy to try and stop us from doing God’s work here. That thought made the situation a little more exciting knowing that we are on the winning side of any spiritual battle going on (Romans 8:31- “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”) Somewhere in the middle of the small talk, I thought maybe I should ask if they knew Jesus. As I was going back and forth in my mind trying to decide how to insert that question, one of the men asked, “Where do you go to church?” I had to laugh, a little relieved that he opened the door for a discussion about God first!  Our conversation immediately turned to a deeper discussion of church and God. He went on to share how this was his 1st day on the job with the rock company after a recent  accident that almost took his leg. It happened while riding a 4-wheeler and he crossed a railroad track without hearing the train coming.  Doctors told him he’d never walk again. He explained how he realized when he didn’t die from the accident that it was God who saved him, and he knew he needed to give his life to Him. He spoke of the true joy that only comes from knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. I was so encouraged!

Just before the 2^nd truck arrived, I asked him what his name was so Tim and I could pray for him. He told me his name was Brent and that he desperately needed prayers. He went on to explain that he still has pins in his leg from the accident that needed to come out a year ago, but he hasn’t had enough money for the surgery- thus the new job. I told him we would pray. About that time the rain began to pour so the kids and I hurried into the van where we could watch the truck pull. I picked up my checkbook to write out a check for the rock and had a strong sense that I needed to give a little something to Brent as well. I immediately knew why the truck got stuck. God was going to use us to bless someone else in much the same way we have been blessed by others’ generosity. Or maybe it was an attempt from the enemy to discourage us in this first project on the property, but God was using it for good.  (Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”) Either way, God got the glory! Hallelujah!!!

Later that evening, we got a call from Brent’s pastor. He said Brent was so full of joy after receiving the gift that he went straight to the nursing home where this pastor was preaching so that he could share with him. The call was a tremendous gift to us and a reminder that if we want to receive other blessings God has in store, then every single project we pursue on this property must be founded on The Rock, Christ Jesus.  Oh, praise Him!!!

Glory to God

"May the LORD grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your counsel! We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions... Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God." Psalm 20: 4,5,7

After going back and forth with a bank, who owns a piece of property in Waddy, KY which we've been praying over for months, they accepted our offer yesterday to buy it. We are so excited and can't wait to see how God will use us here! The banners we are holding up in the pictures were made before we moved from our house in LaGrange, in anticipation of how God was going to answer our prayers about this specific piece of property. Glory to Him!!! "God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us that Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." Psalm 67:1

Happy at Home

It's official. We have moved........to a farm!!! This picture shows what we woke up to the first morning in our new place. Well, "new" is a stretch, but after a weeks of cleaning, fixing, and moving things in, we are really liking it! As expected, God has blessed us with many wonderful surprises for doing something that was hard for us. Not only has it been physically hard, but mentally and emotionally as well.There have been many nights during this move when after sitting down at the end of an exhausting day, Tim and I have looked at each other and said, "Why are we doing this again? How did we get here?" Now that we are all moved in, however, and have closed on our house, we are so grateful that God led us here and we are confident that this is where He wants us right now. The kids are in heaven. Victor's dream of having cows has come true. The neighbor's beef cattle come VERY close to our fenced yard. Vanya has a pond where he can fish (although he's learning a pond full of turtles means there probably are no fish!). Chernet and Tommy have a HUGE field they can shoot their bows and arrows into. And the girls, I don't know which they like more, their new bedrooms or the outdoor sights and sounds of a farm.

God has been so faithful in answering our doubts not only through the tangible blessings we've already received (so much support from family and friends with moving, cleaning, and providing meals), but also through Scripture. It's no surprise that Matthew 19:29 just happened to show up in my Bible reading every day the week of our move. It says, "And everyone who has left HOUSES or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life." We are so excited to be here not only because of all we will learn by living on a farm (never thought I'd be a farm girl!), but also because we know God will continue to bless us as we seek His direction in our life. Again (and probably forever), we are learning how to seek God and not worry;

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

Trusting, Praising, Cleaning and MOVING!!!

Psalm 36:5-11 “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.”

Praise God, we have found a house we will soon call our home. After weeks of praying, “Show us where to go”, God has answered. It is not what we would have chosen on our own, but it is clearly where God wants us to hang our hats for a while.

This process has reminded us so much of when we adopted Victor 8 ½ years ago. Because of the Ukrainian regulations for adopting (no pre-selection/referral process), we knew from the start that we had to trust God to lead us to the child He had chosen for us. Before traveling to the country to find Victor, we asked God to lead us to him rather than us having to choose. Many of you know that He did just that. Out of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian orphans needing a family that 17^th day of October 2004, Victor Vitaleyvich Sova was the only one available for us to consider. After what seemed more like a process of elimination rather than choosing a child to adopt, we waited three days before we could meet him. Of course we anticipated a magical, “love at first sight” kind of moment when laying eyes on him for the first time. Tim and I will never forget what happened (neither will Victor who has heard this story hundreds of times since then). Rather than any writing on the wall or a supernatural vision come true, we saw an awkward little boy who, at 2 ½ years old, stumbled across the room to us in a confused sort of daze. It matched our own confusion as we watched him struggle but smile when rolling a ball back and forth to us. All the while the caretakers were repeating over and over in broken English how loving and sweet he was. Added to the stress of the moment was the pressure from our facilitator who was saying, “If you say yes and we start the process right now, we will save a few days because the courts close in 30 minutes.”  God knew we needed a little heat. He knew if we had more time to consider, we may have said no and missed out on a life full of blessings that would come from adopting Victor. Oh praise God He knows what we are capable of. Through this crucial selection period, I kept hearing my grandmother’s favorite verse, “Proverbs 3: 5-6- Trust in the LORD with all your heart. LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” In our understanding, it didn’t make sense. Victor was obviously delayed. He didn’t look like the child we pictured when beginning our adoption journey. We couldn’t see what the future would hold for him, or for us with him. We remembered however, that our prayer was that God would lead us straight to our child and here was one right in front of us who desperately needed a family. Oh thank goodness we said yes! Anyone who knows our precious little V will agree how much richer our lives are because of him. If it weren’t for Victor, we wouldn’t have adopted Chernet, Mulu, Ruby, Pavlina or Vanya. Our hearts wouldn’t have been opened to orphans. And we certainly wouldn’t be renting this old farm house.

 

This house is not one we would have ever considered on our own. As with our adoption of Victor, however, God knew we needed to feel a little heat in order to say yes. We looked at this very house a few weeks ago but it just seemed too broken and dirty for us to live there (I wrote about it in a previous blog post- the rental house with LOTS of cow patties).  With just over three weeks before closing on our current home, and with no other options (God turned the heat up pretty high), we decided to reconsider. We “threw out a fleece” and asked God to make it work if this were the place for us to go. We emailed the owner asking if we could negotiate on the rent (offering an outrageously low amount of rent for a house that size). It was an amount we knew God would have to work out for us because we couldn’t even find an apartment for that rate. We waited a few days wondering if he were laughing or offended and choosing not to respond to such a ridiculous request. But then, one week later, the owner responded and said YES, we could have it for that price!!! We could hardly believe it! What we dismissed just a few weeks ago, we were now excited about renting, mainly because we knew it had to be of God.  It needs a LOT of TLC, but after weeks of seeking and praying, it is the only place we have found available that will house all ten of us for a price that will allow us to purchase a piece of property where we can build another place where we feel God will use us to better serve Him. It’s not a place that would show up on a search where we enter our criteria, but we are confident that the blessings He has in store for us there will be even better than anything we could imagine.

 

Just after we signed the lease yesterday, claiming the house as our dwelling place for this next year, our dear friend, Ms. Bev, stopped by to help us do a spiritual cleansing of the house. It was one of the most amazing things we’ve ever done as a family. By the time we were finished praying through each room, this dirty and broken old house felt like a beautiful place of peace where we now know the Holy Spirit will dwell and bless us, protect us, and use us to point to God. As usual, we can’t see exactly what lies ahead but we have been given enough confirmation to keep putting one step in front of the other as we move forward in this direction. My aunt, Carolyn Sue, gave me a book recently that articulates so clearly what we feel God has been teaching us lately. It’s called Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren. In it she says;

“When we sense God leading us on a new journey, we want all of the information up front. We want God to fill out the travel forms in triplicate, give us the detailed road map before we start the journey, and guarantee our safe arrival at the destination. We want the rewards of living lives of faith without actually having to demonstrate faith. For you to become a seriously disturbed, surrendered person of faith, you will have to be willing to say yes in advance – to give God your answer before you’ve heard the question.”

Many of you who know how Tim and I like to plan for things and can understand how hard it has been for us to wait and trust that God has been quietly working on where we were to move.  Although a little tired, (we’ve had a few sleepless nights lately J), we are THRILLED God has finally revealed to us where He wants us to go, and we look forward to settling in there soon.

For those of you who have asked to help. We would LOVE it! Our plans right now are to go back this Tuesday (3/26), Thursday(3/28) and Friday(Good Friday- 3/29) to clean. Then our official moving truck date will be Wednesday, April 10^th. Thank you all for your prayers and your constant words of encouragement/support while we move into this next stage of our journey. We love you all!!!

p.s. I have to show you this picture of a precious note Vanessa wrote on the bottom of our list of things to do/get for the house. She and all of the kids are thrilled to be moving into this old farmhouse!

 

"Have the people sit down."

I share this for my own accountability and hopefully to encourage someone else who is waiting for God to answer a prayer. I guess you could call this an update to the update posted a few days ago on our family’s moving status.

After getting excited about pieces seeming to fit together in our search for God’s will in a place to move, we went to look at a rental property yesterday. It sounded perfect, a farm house for rent just minutes away from a piece of property that also looked promising. We knew it needed some work but after looking around, we left feeling more overwhelmed than at peace about moving in (quite a bit of hazards including more cow patties between the car and the front door than we were expecting). What started as a day full of excitement ended as one of discouragement as we felt even more up in the air about this decision of where to move.  

Oh, praise God that His mercies are new every morning. Tim’s readings this morning were in Psalms where David describes how God comforted him in uncertain times. It was exactly what he needed to hear today!  My message from God came from the gospels and the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I noticed something I had never seen before in this story. Just before the miracle, Jesus asked Phillip what they were to do, “Where are we going to buy bread, so that these may eat?” He asked. The passage goes on to read, “This He was saying to test him (Phillip), for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

Because I believe what Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction so that through perserverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”, I applied the lessons learned by the disciples in the feeding of the 5000 to our own life. Our discouragement last night came in our attempt to answer a question similar to the one posed by Christ to Phillip, “How in the world are you going to do this?” The details just don’t fit together yet as we contemplate options in front of us. This morning, however, we are reminded again that we can’t figure out all the details for this assignment God has planned for us.  Then Jesus said, “just sit down and watch”.

We still have no idea of where we will be going when we close on our house in just over a month but today we will sit down and watch God work out and reveal to us those details. I can’t help but wonder if when he told them all to sit down he added, “just watch out for the cow poo”.

 

Matthew 25:40

Matthew 18:5 "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me."

Just over a year ago our family asked God to give us clarity on whether or not we should sell our house and move to a place where we could use our resources to better serve Him. He answered in a way we were not expecting by giving us two more children. Our adoption of Vanya and Pavlina was finalized six months later. Through all of our adjusting, our house has remained for sale and about 3 weeks ago, we accepted an offer and have officially begun packing.

This morning, God used Scripture that seems to sum up what He has been revealing to us this past year as we have been seeking His specific will for our family. We feel it is now time to put it into writing on our blog:

Luke 9:48 "and (Jesus) said to them, 'Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.'" 

Matthew 19:26 "...Jesus said to them, 'With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (This is in answer to the disciples question of 'Who can get into heaven', after Jesus explains how hard this is for a rich man.)

Matthew 17:20-21 "And He said to them, 'Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. (But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.)"

Luke 17:5-6 "The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you'"

Ezekiel 17:24 "...I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it."

We believe it is God's will for us to grow our faith by moving us to a place (He hasn't shown us yet)where we can receive more children in His name (or "love the least of these" as the song above says.) We have been looking at pieces of property within a 45 minute radius of Tim's work and even made an offer last week on one of them. The offer was countered and we felt like this was a "no" from God who had given us the original amount to offer. Our faith is being stretched and tested as we pack up our house not knowing where we are going, but we are certain it will be a place where God will use us to minister to children in need. 

When we try to picture this or even plan out details, it seems impossible (as Matthew 19:26 describes). It confirms something we have read a lot about lately in a book about Rees Howells (a man of great prayer) whose life displayed again and again that "man's extremity is God's opportunity". Not only are we having to trust that God has a place already prepared for us and will reveal it to us in His timing, but we must also be obedient in "receiving the children" He has already given us by being patient and loving with them as we wait.

This was tested last night as we returned from a seemingly unfruitful afternoon of looking for a place to move and had our evening of packing interrupted by a clogged toilet. After the initial panic of (not so clean) water backing up onto the bathroom floor and then pouring into the basement and onto some school books, we cleaned it up and borrowed a drain snake from the neighbor to try and reach the culprit (most likely a very large wad of toilet paper Ruby attempted to flush at some point that day). My impatient attitude with the kids in this messy circumstance was not very loving. Then when working together to empty one of the pipes so he could use the neighbor's tool, a cap popped off and Tim and I both got sprayed (mostly in the face) with a LOT of the (not so clean) water. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. We decided on the latter. Thankfully, because I have such a handy husband, he was able to fix the clog and we had everything cleaned by bedtime (including ourselves).

Praise God that "His mercies are new every morning". After a good night's sleep, we awoke to the above messages in His word that continue to confirm that although messy at times, we are to continue patiently loving the eight children He has already given us while preparing for what else is to come.

We appreciate all of the prayers being offered for us and will keep you updated on any further developments (hopefully soon to come:)).

Why I Believe

I’ve been struggling lately. A stressor test would confirm that it is because of the many life changes that are occurring in our family, (house for sale, recent adoption of 5 children, beginning of another homeschool year, church transition…). I know I’m justified in feeling a bit stressed, but I also know that even in the most difficult circumstances, as a Christian, through the supernatural power of God, I am to have an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I’ve been missing these fruits in my heart lately and it is discouraging. Rather than appreciating the amazing work of God in our journey of trust/redemption/adoption, I’ve been highly annoyed by my children’s presence, wishing I were doing something else, wishing life were more fun. I’ve noticed this divide and have been asking God to help remove it.

In reading through Hebrews for the past few weeks, God is reminding me that Jesus is the great High Priest that I can confidently approach and ask for help, knowing that as a human, He was tempted in every way that I am. And then yesterday, God spoke clearly to me through a book by Oswald Chambers, So Send I You;

“If we know in our own lives that God can do what Jesus Christ said He could, we can never be put in the place where we will be discouraged.”

After letting this sink in, I got on my knees and begged God for a transformation- a grateful heart that consistently and unconditionally loves my children and my ministry as their mom. I left my closet and began to resume straightening up the house to prepare for bedtime when Ruby asked if I’d play a board game with her. I agreed (a little reluctantly wishing rather to clean a sink of dishes or something that didn’t require interaction) and began playing, realizing how much I have been missing of her adorable little self. In the middle of the game, Tommy came in and asked if I could wash his feet- that means help him dig the dirt out from under his toenails- (yuck, I know as it was sweeter when he was 2 or 3 not 12). Again, not my favorite thing to do but totally through the supernatural power of God, I agreed.

As he began to set up the wash basin, towel and soap station, a line quickly formed, “me next?”. “Of course”, I thought, “everything now is times 8”. After about the third, “can I go next?” I unlovingly answered in frustration, “only if there is time.” As I scrubbed and dug, Tim was reading out loud about a missionary in India, (Sundar Singh) who, for sharing the gospel, was thrown into prison and forced to endure having all sorts of things hurled at him, including leaches let loose on his back. In his torture, he continued to preach the good news of Christ saving mankind from sin. If anyone had reason to be discouraged, it was this man. Between the soaking, scrubbing, and rubbing, I began to get the blessing of seeing my children so relaxed and happy. It made me want to take my time in washing the feet of all eight of them, so I did.

After putting them to bed, I opened a book I have been reading lately, the one quoted from above, and began to cry when hearing again from God:

John 13:14 “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

Ministering as opportunity surrounds does not mean selecting our surroundings, but being very selectly God’s in any haphazard surroundings He may engineer for us. The characteristics we exhibit in our immediate surroundings are an indication of what we shall be like in other circumstances by and by. ‘Jesus, knowing that the Father had given up all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God’ (John 13:3). We might have expected the record to go on, He was transfigured before them, but the next thing we read that our Lord did was of the most menial, commonplace order. He ‘took a towel and girded Himself…and began to wash the disciples’ feet’ (vv.4-5). Can we use a towel as our Lord did? Towels and basins and feet and sandals, all the ordinary, sordid things of our lives, reveal more quickly than anything what we are made of. It is not the big occasions that reveal us, but the little occasions. It takes God Incarnate to do the most menial commonplace things properly. ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet’ (v.14). Our Lord did not say, “I have the means of the salvation of thousands, I have been the most successful in My service, now you go and do the same thing.’ He said, ‘I have washed your feet; you go and wash one another’s feet.’ We try to get out of it by washing the feet of those who do not belong to our own set – we will wash the unbeliever’s feet, or feet in the slums, but fancy washing my brother’s feet, my wife’s, my husband’s, (my children’s), the feet of the minister of my church! Our Lord said – one another’s feet.”

No coincidence that this was what I opened to read last night. The peace I felt just in knowing that God not only hears but answers me in my distress tucked me into bed last night. Oh, Praise Him!

My reason for sharing this is not to bring glory to myself in washing my children’s feet, in fact I hope I’ve left no question as to how pitifully sinful and in need of a Savior I am. I share this to show how real God is and how He speaks to us- even preparing us to listen. It is what helps me believe in Him.  

The Gift of Grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as s result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

We celebrate today with the angels over Pavlina's decision to be baptized. We feel so privileged to get to watch God work in her heart as He continues to prepare her for the amazing life of service and good works which He planned for her long ago.

A Perfect Day

July 27, 2012.

It was a day we never dreamed we'd be marking as special- the day we officially welcomed two more children, Vanya Timothy Rowe and Pavlina Alisa Rowe, into our family.

Just before leaving for our court hearing, we prayed with the kids and thanked God for the day. We talked with them about how this was similar to a Christian getting baptized. We explained how there is nothing magical in the water when someone gets baptized, but it is a symbol that communicates to others the commitment that has been made in a person's heart to follow Christ and to be in God's family for the rest of their life. Similar to baptism, although in our hearts we were already a family, this act of going to court to finalize our decision would communicate to the world our intentions of being a family.  We were all so very ready to go and make it official!

We filed into the courtroom at 1:00 as the only adoption case for the day and sat down with our attorney and the sherriff, waiting for the judge to enter. The actual hearing was more formal than we expected. Rather than being nervous, however, we rested comfortably in knowing that the judge who orchestrated this was not the one wearing the black robe sitting behind the bench, but our righteous Judge who "executes justice for the orphan and the widow..."Deuteronomy 10:18. In less than 20 minutes, Vanya and Pavlina were declared Rowes. That was it! He signed the decree and they were part of our family. It reminded us of how simple it is to become part of God's family. All we have to do is believe that He signed the decree 2000 years ago with Christ's blood that says we are welcome in His family and then invite Him to be Lord of our lives. "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9. Oh, Praise God that "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will." Ephesians 1:5.

We left the courtroom and had fun hugging and shaking hands repeating "Hello, Pavlina Rowe, Hello, Vanya Rowe". We waited in the lobby for our attorney to make a copy of the adoption decree and splurged on the gum ball machines. Mulu hit the jackpot by getting THREE for 25 cents!







We returned home to prepare for a "Welcome Home" celebration with some close friends and family. Even the storms that blew in during the party couldn't put a damper on the blessings we received by the presence of so many who have encouraged and supported us along this journey .

It really was a perfect day! Our true joy, however, comes in knowing that this is nothing compared to the perfection that awaits us in heaven where, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain..." Revelation 21:4. The Perfect Day!!!

We Got the Call

I love to go back and re-read journal entries when hindsight is 20-20. Most of the journaling is Scripture which either speaks clearly to something we are dealing with or a theme that I see in all of the verses I've read that particular day. In attempting to find the words this morning to communicate our exciting adoption news, I looked back in my journal to the days leading up to our meeting Vanya and Pavlina. Although we had no idea what God was about to present to us, we can see through His word that He was clearly preparing us to hear it.

Feb. 3, 2012- (2 days before learning of their need)
Romans 11:29 "...for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
I Corinthians 1:26-27 "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh..."
Ephesians 1:18-19 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."
Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
II Thessalonians 1:11-12 "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, accoridng to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
II Timothy 1:8-9 "...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
II Peter 1:10 "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things you will never stumble.".


Two days later we received the news that there were two children who needed a new home. After praying about it and looking into Scripture, we felt strongly that we should offer to help by providing them a temporary place to stay until other permanent arrangements were made. On Tuesday, February 7th, they walked into our home and our hearts, and we soon discovered that this was the calling for which God had been preparing us- loving and welcoming into our family a 14 and 16 yr. old brother and sister who were struggling in their adoptive family. Thankfully, further confirmation came through Scripture the next few days:


Feb. 5th (the day we received the news of their situation)- Ephesians 4:1-3 "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."


Feb. 6th - I Corinthians 7:17 "Only as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk."


Feb. 7th (the day they entered our home)- Hebrews 13:1-3 "...Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves are also in the body."
II Peter 1:10 9(again) "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you..."


Feb. 8th (the first full day they were with us- I certainly needed to hear this!) II Cor. 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."

It is very hard to describe what has been happening in our hearts and home these past five months. Although difficult at times (only because of our own selfish tendencies and prideful desires to hang onto the control of our lives), we have watched God's redemptive power transform two broken individuals while weaving together our family to look nothing like we ever imagined. And now, it is time to make it official. Yesterday we got the call from our attorney informing us of our court date. Next Friday, July 27th, we will stand before a judge and watch as he rules that Vanya and Pavlina are legally a part of our family. Clearly this will be a time of celebration for us all. It reminds us of the inexpressible joy we have as children adopted into God's family, Romans 8:15-17 "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."


We praise Him for grace that allows us, in our inadequacies, to participate in His amazing plans that
 are so much bigger than ours. And on those days when we ask, "How in the world did we get here?" or "Are you sure this is our calling?" (I asked both of those questions just yesterday.) He reminds us that, "...the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21