2010 ~ A Year of Hang Gliding

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort, or fall into various temptations.  Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.  But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.”   (James 1:2-4)

The best way to describe the past year of our lives is that it has been twelve months of hang gliding, going from thermal to thermal looking for lift.  In hang gliding, a thermal is a column of warm air rising from the ground, lifting the glider to higher altitudes.  Hang gliders are continuously descending through the air, but reaching thermals and other areas of rising wind allows them to glide higher and higher, and stay airborne for long periods of time.  That’s exactly what the last year has been like for us.  We took a giant leap of faith when we left Austin in November of 2009 and moved to the farm, and have been airborne ever since.  At times it has felt like we have been plummeting toward the ground at incredibly high speeds.  But then we hit a thermal and we are called to new heights, we are swept back up in the winds of God’s movement, and continue to soar in Him.  Many a time, those thermals have come in form of trials and tribulations, but as I heard a woman who had walked through far worse than us say, “there are certain things that can only happen in the atmosphere of crisis.”  Certain lessons can only be learned, certain strongholds can only be destroyed, certain blessings can only be received, certain bonds can only be formed, certain skills can only be sharpened, and certain strengths can only be developed in the wake of hardship.   And the winds of God’s mercy have taken us in directions we never could have predicted!  It has been an exciting, exhilarating, exhausting, and daunting ride—a ride I am so thankful for!   

Many of our loved ones, family, and friends disagree with the decisions we have made.  David has gone from being an urban business man, with goals of climbing the corporate ladder and providing the “American dream” for his family; to being a rural farmer, climbing Jacob’s ladder, and aiming to follow the Lord in His provisions for our family.  I have gone from a suburban housewife, raising two small children in the convenience of the city; to a rural homeschooling mom, with scopes reaching far beyond the parameters of our farm.  The Lord has called each of us into new levels of commitment, understanding, trust, service, and relationship.  For better or for worse, that often does not look like the “right” thing to do in the eyes of the world.  But the world is not keeping us afloat.  If we looked to the world for lift, these gliders would surely crash.  It is only by the grace of God that we continue to be airborne.  With Him as our Pilot, we will continue to glide higher and higher…farther and farther from the world we once clung to.  We have been called to take yet another giant leap of faith,  and at the moment it feels as though we are falling with no thermal in sight.  But as James said, even when we fall we must be wholly joyful, and that in the fall we must prove our faith to gain steadfastness, endurance, and patience!  As usual, we don't know where this leap is taking us...we thought we knew when we jumped, but it has already taken several turns (which is why I don't feel released to be more specific!) 

My prayer for 2011 continues to be, “Take us higher, Lord!”  We want to be with You, we want to be enveloped in You, engulfed in the winds of Your movement.  We will follow You wherever You take us, even as the air seems to be getting thinner and thinner.  We will not suffer altitude sickness, because You are our oxygen.  We will remain faithful, and patiently await Your next thermal!  We will persevere in faith, so that we may be perfectly and fully developed, lacking in nothing!

I pray you all have a very Happy New Year!  I pray you soar higher and higher, closer and closer to our Father in Heaven!  It’s an awesome ride!

New Children in need of Forever Families!

Below are the bios of several children in need of forever families.  Please join me in prayer for their adoptions into loving families, but more importantly for their adoptions as sons and daughters of God!!  He will not leave them as orphans!


Taiwan
Yu-Chen
DOB June 29, 2009
Female 18 months old
This precious little girl desperately needs a family to love her. She has a cleft palate and has been diagnosed with AMC – Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. There are many discharge notes available on this precious little girl and we are waiting on more reports and photos.  For more information please contact Stephanie at  stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org.
 
Bulgaria
Sibling group –
 Gergana, female - age 6
 Georgi, male - age 5
These two precious children must be adopted together. They are absolutely beautiful and have dark hair and fair skin. Gergana is described as a small, quiet and sweet child. She is also a physically healthy child and she can walk and run. She has been attending a regular program in a preparatory group in the preschool in a nearby village. She is able to dress and undress herself and her sleep is calm. Her main diagnosis is: When placed in the orphanage positive test for syphilis; Subsequently no congenital syphilis was diagnosed; Clinically healthy child; Lagging behind in her neuro-psychical development - with respect of the speech, motor skills, habits and skills for the age norms; Undeveloped expressive speech.
Georgi is an adorable little boy. He started walking at the age of 18 months. He enters into contact with adults and children but prefers to play alone. He understands the speech of adults and is able to carry out simple orders and answers when called by name. He has deficit of attention and he lags behind in his neuro-physical development and in his expressive speech. He was diagnosed with epilepsy in October of 2010. This precious sibling group really needs a family to love them and bring them home. If you would like more information please contact Stehpanie at stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org

Nikolay
Male, age 4
This precious little boy needs a family to love him and care for him. He has normal development for his age both physically and in neuro-psychological areas. He has well-developed visual-motor coordination. He can speak freely and with complicated sentences. He is very bonded to adults that care for him and he is caring and affectionate with younger children. He cheers up when praised. He likes to be with adults and children. His main diagnosis is: Apert Syndrome; Multitude of malformations of the facial-jaw area and the limbs; Normal for the age physical and neuro-psychical development!!! Please contact Stephanie at stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org for more information and photos.


Daria
Female, soon to be 6
This precious little girl was transferred to a mental institution in March of 2010. She desperately needs a family to love her and to bring her home. This child is calm and can eat with a spoon and drink with a cup. She does need constant supervision and care. She can walk and understand when called by name. Her main diagnosis is: Apert Syndrome; Webbed fingers of both hands of second to fifth fingers; Feet – webbed toes; The fingers of the left hand have been separated surgically;Moderate mental lagging behind; Please contact Stephanie at stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org for more information

Asya
Female,will turn 2 in approximately 3 months
This precious little girl desperately needs a family to love her and care for her. She is a beautiful little girl and has made some improvements since physical therapy and rehabilitation are being carried out. She is able to sit for longer periods of time in a sitting position with support. She reacts positively to adult interaction and gets sad when the adult leaves. Her main diagnosis is as follows: Prematurely born first degree; Condition after ventriculoperitoneal anastomosis for surgical correction of hydrocephalus; Condition after surgery of occipital meningocelle; Severe degree of mental lagging behind. Please contact Stephanie at stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org for more information

Quick Update on "Sarah"

Sarah has been placed in her new home, and is doing well!  We will continue to pray for her progress and healing, as well as all those who have loved her along the way.  She's had quite a journey in her short life, but I know God will use every step of it to His glory!  Thank you to everyone who has joined us in launching prayercrafts for her!

Winter Snow

Winter Snow

(By Chris Tomlin and Audrey Assad)

Could've come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the power of Heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could've swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we've scarred

But You came like a winter snow
(Yes, You did)
You were quiet
You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Oh, no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn't in a rushing wind
It was still
It was small
It was hidden

You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Falling (Oh, yeah)
To the earth below
You came falling
From the sky in the night
To the earth below

Today we come together with millions of people around the world to celebrate the birth of our Messiah, and remember the greatest gift of all ~ our redemption in Christ.  We recall the miracle of His conception by the Holy Spirit, and His birth to the virgin Mary.  It is truly the most miraculous event in human history, and yet it came like the quiet humility of a winter snow.  There were no sonic booms, no flashes of lightening seen around the world when our Lord came to earth, only after He was born did "the glory of the Lord flash and shine all around" (Luke 2:9).  His birth was quiet, hidden, inconspicuous.  Just as a winter snow falls without a sound in the night, Christ came to save us without the clamor of pomp and circumstance.  His birth was so inconspicuous that we don’t even know when it truly occurred.  The Bible gives us points of reference, most leading to a birth that most certainly did not occur on December 25, but we do not know exactly when our Savior was born. 

When we wake up to a snow covered morning, we are never sure when the snow began to fall, we just know that it has arrived!  It matters not when the first snowflake fell, only that the beauty, the glory, and the wonder of glistening snow is all around us.  One very normal day, thousands of years ago, the Lord birthed His only Son, so that the world might have life in Him each and every day!  The world was asleep, and woke to a new day in which hope, grace, forgiveness and love glistened all around them. 

So today, December 25, is but one more day that we wake to the beauty, the glory, and the wonder of the Kingdom of God—to which entrance was, is, and always will be granted only by faith in His precious Son, Jesus Christ!  It is indeed a holy day, but every single day that we live in Him is holy.   The miracle of His birth remains a glorious reminder of the awesome power and love of our Father in Heaven.  And the quiet, humble, inconspicuous way in which He came to us serves as a reminder of the life God is calling us to live ~ a life of humble service, pure joy, unconditional love, and perfect peace!  Jesus came to remind us of the "covenant He sealed by oath to our forefather Abraham: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our foes, might serve Him fearlessly in holiness (divine consecration) and righteousness [in accordance with the everlasting principles of right] within His presence all the days of our lives."  (Luke 1:73-75)

"Glory to God in the highest, and earth peace among men of His favor." (Luke 2:14)

May His peace be with you!

Walking on Water!

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage!  It is I. Don’t be afraid.’

‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’

‘Come,’ he said. 

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ ”  (Matthew 12:22-33)

There is much to be gleaned from this passage about Peter walking on water; about trusting Christ, following Him in faith towards the impossible, and the awesome glory given to Him when in the wake of such miracles.   Peter stepped out of that boat in complete faith that he would walk to Jesus.  As long as Peter kept His eyes on Christ, he walked on the water, he did the impossible.  But as soon as he turned his eyes to the world around him, and saw everything that would naturally prevent him from moving forward, he immediately began to sink.  By faith he attained the unattainable; in doubt he was defeated…the most predictable, expected outcome of trying to do the impossible!  It is only by having complete and total faith in the Lord that we can follow Him when he says, “Come.”  Otherwise, we sink.

That level of faith and trust is so much easier said than done.  It’s easy to say, “Yes, I trust God.”  But when absolutely everything around you tells you that you will surely fall, will you take the step anyway?  Peter did.  And he walked!  He set his eyes on Christ, followed Him, and he walked!!  That’s pretty awesome for Peter, but it’s even more amazing for the Lord.  When we trust Him enough to do the unthinkable, it brings us, as well as those who witness His success, into a deeper level of belief and faith in Christ.  We must take those steps in faith, not only so that we may feel the water under our feet, but also that He might receive praise and glory from all those who watch us walk on water with Him!  We must take those steps to bring Him victory!

Standing in a sea of impossibility, surrounded by crashing waves of worldly disapproval, buffeted by winds of doubt and skepticism, the Lord is asking us to “Come.”  We have stepped out of the boat, felt the water under our feet, and have begun to sink.  We are crying out “Lord, save us!”  He has caught us, picked us up out of the water, and is admonishing us for our lack of faith and trust.  Will we walk forward in faith with Him?  Will we be vessels of victory for our Almight Father?  Will we bring him glory?  Or will we sink? 

To be continued!  And to Him be all the glory!

 

Prayer of the Children

Prayer of the Children

By Kurt Bestor

Can you hear the prayer of the children?
On bended knee, in the shadow of an unknown room
Empty eyes with no more tears to cry
Turning heavenward toward the light

Crying Jesus, help me
To see the morning light-of one more day
But if I should die before I wake,
I pray my soul to take

Can you feel the hearts of the children?
Aching for home, for something of their very own
Reaching hands, with nothing to hold on to,
But hope for a better day a better day

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the love again in my own land
But if unknown roads lead away from home,
Give me loving arms, away from harm

Can you hear the voice of the children?
Softly pleading for silence in a shattered world?
Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate,
Blood of the innocent on their hands

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the sun again upon my face,
For when darkness clears I know you're near,
Bringing peace again

Dali cujete sve djecje molitive?
(croatian translation:
'can you hear all the children's prayers?')
Can you hear the prayer of the children?

These are the lyrics to a powerful song written by Kurt Bestor; these are the lyrics to a melody that plays in my heart over and over and over again every single day.  Not a day goes by that I don’t “hear” these pleas coming from children all around the world.  I can’t shake it.  I can’t tune it out.  I can’t walk away from it or turn a deaf ear towards it.  This song was originally written about children living in the midst of the war-torn region of Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia back in the late 1970’s.  But the lyrics are still very real, they depict the lives of millions of children each day, who are caught in the crossfire between good and evil.  These are the cries that beckoned this “prayercraft” carrier into action, into the middle of the war for the orphan.

I go through waves of emotions about these children.  There are days when I see all the efforts being put forth by countless families and churches, adopting children into their homes, traveling to minister to them in their own countries, or raising necessary funds and supplies for them.  I am filled with hope on those days.  But then there are days when all I hear are these cries, the pleas of innocent children for a better day.  I see the statistics of 147+ million orphans in the world today, and wonder how on earth all of these children are ever going to be “rescued”?!  I hear this song and I feel helpless.  I feel like my hands are tied, because I can’t even take one of these children out of their current misery and wrap them in my arms and offer them the love and compassion and security of a loving home.  Not even one.  I feel desperate for them.  And I often get angry about how many obstacles stand in the way of willing parents being able to adopt children in need of a home.  (The average cost of an international adoption is about $30,000—a price that is often thought of as the ransom people have to pay in order to free their child from greed and corruption!)

It is at the end of these days that God reminds me that He has no orphans!  He is ready and willing to claim each and every one of these children as His own sons and daughters.  “[He] will not leave [them] as orphans; [He] will come to [them].” (John 14:18)  God is the mighty rescuer, not us.  For Him there is no price too high (He already paid the highest price with the blood of Jesus Christ), there is no red tape to cut through or hoops to jump through.  No amount of greed or corruption can keep Him away from His children.  Their days here on earth may be filled with unbelievable pain and suffering, but that is only temporary.  Waiting ahead is the loving embrace of their Father, the safety and security of His love and mercy.  I have to trust that.  I do trust that.  That’s how in Heaven
(not on earth) all these children are going to be rescued!

In my own “despair” I must be a voice for the “least of these.”  A voice crying out for their rescue, a voice crying out to God to go to them.  My hands are not tied, they are lifted to Him in praise and thanksgiving for His promise to not leave them as orphans.  His promise of a better day, when they will feel His love again, be in His loving arms away from harm, and be taken as His precious sons and daughters!  Thank You, Abba, thank You for the hope You bring!  

Humble...Thanks...Giving

As we enter into a busy week, filled with family gatherings and decadent holiday dishes, I have been led to look deeper into the “reason for the season” as they say.  I love the traditional Thanksgiving fare just as much as anyone, but the way we celebrate our thanks giving seems a little off base to me now.  How do these celebrations honor God, show our gratitude to Him, or bring us closer to Him?  It seems amiss to put so much time and energy into preparing a feast that will be consumed within an hour, then spending hours in front of the TV watching parades and football, and calling it “Thanksgiving.”  For many, it is just a means of getting the whole family together at an acceptable or expected time of the year, preparing the expected traditional kinds of food, and enjoying an expected amount of time off from work or other obligations.  But that is not where the celebration we call Thanksgiving started.

As the name implies, Thanksgiving started as a time to give thanks to God for all He had blessed His people with, specifically the fall harvest of crops, and was therefore considered to be a “harvest festival”.  The food that was typically eaten was food that would have been harvested at or by that time of year.  For Americans that would mean things like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and of course the turkey which would have been born in the spring and large enough to feed a whole family by the fall.  It was a time of rest, as all the work in the fields was done, and the bounty could be enjoyed.  But the roots of this holiday go even deeper.

The Jewish fall harvest festival, Sukkot—Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths—was a time when our ancestors not only celebrated their agricultural harvest, but also a time when they remembered the humble means of survival their ancestors endured while wandering the desert for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt.  To this day many Jewish people observe the Feast by building booths in their homes, as replicas of the bamboo style huts the ancient Israelites lived in while wandering the desert.  It is a time to give thanks for abundant provisions, but also a time to humble themselves before the Lord, giving thanks for even the most meager means of survival.  Because even those humble booths were provisions from God.  Instead of decorating their tables with the finest china and linens, exalting themselves and all they have, they humble themselves; eating, and sometimes even sleeping inside these booths.  In doing this they honor God for ALL that He gives, whether it be a tree branch to provide shelter from the sun, or a sprawling abode large enough to accommodate an entire family in wealth and abundance.  I am in no way implying that we should all go build booths in our homes this week, or mirror this Jewish ritual.  But the message of humble thanks is one we can take with us.  God’s love is abundant, life in Christ is abundant, no matter what our worldly means are.

So here is my mission for this focused time of Thanksgiving: 1) to not get lost in the tradition, the heritage, or the expectations of the season, 2) to be ever mindful of, and offer thanks for all that God has blessed me with, 3) to humble myself before the Lord, thanking Him for even the least of my blessings, which often take the shape of trials and tribulations, 4) to offer my loved ones the best of what I have to give, the best of my spiritual harvest from above.  Humble...thanks...giving. 

This Thanksgiving, as we gather together with family and friends, and enjoy the feast set before us, let us not forget to“rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is God’s will for [us] in Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  Let us pray without ceasing for those less fortunate, that the Lord will “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  [That] they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Let us carry with us the spirit of humble thanksgiving all the year long!

Intercountry Adoption Moratorium

On November 3, the U.S. Department of State released the following statement:

November 3, 2010

The Ukrainian legislature is in the process of voting on a bill that would suspend all intercountry adoptions from countries without bilateral agreements with Ukraine, including adoptions from the United States.  The bill passed a first reading and vote, but must still pass a second reading and be signed into law by the president.  The second reading could take place in the next few weeks.  If the bill passes the second reading, it may be signed into law as early as the end of 2010.  The draft bill appears to include suspension of all adoptions in progress.

This bill would prevent hundreds of children from coming home, some of whom have already been chosen by prospective adoptive families, some of whom have already met their adoptive parents and are simply waiting upon finalization, some of whom have urgent medical needs that cannot be met in their own country.  There are over 70 families working with Reece’s Rainbow right now, to bring home over 100 special needs children from Ukraine.  They are at various stages in the adoption process, but regardless of how far along they are, if this bill passes their children will not come home!  And that’s just the families associated with RR, that doesn’t include countless others working with adoption agencies around the world.  The second vote is supposedly scheduled to take place in mid December.  If the bill passes,it would be an enormous blow to the efforts of His faithful servants striving to obey His call of caring for orphans in their distress.  (James 1:27) 

As you now know, I have a special place in my heart for all orphans, but especially the least of those, the children with special needs.  Over that last several years, more and more special needs children have been adopted, chosen as treasured gifts from God.  Each time a little one is carried out of an orphanage, into the loving arms of a Christian family, and ushered into the Father’s Kingdom, Satan is defeated.  So he is fighting back.  Our enemy does not like this folks—the more innocent lives that waste away in orphanages and mental institutions the better.  We MUST NOT let him win this battle!!  For if he wins this battle on earth, he is winning a battle in the heavens. 

We must “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that [we] can take [our] stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Please, please join me in launching prayercrafts of mass destruction against this bill.  It must be destroyed before it ever gets off the ground!  These children have no future in their home country, so if they are not allowed out, their future on earth is extremely bleak.  Pray, pray that the authorities and powers that be see the futility of banning intercountry adoptions; pray that they see how many good and loving families are ready and willing to bring these children home; pray that Light overwhelms the darkness in one glorious crushing blow!

Chris Tomlin - Our God (Slideshow With Lyrics)

Good morning everybody! I thought that after all the sobering statistics and stories of children in need, we could all use something encouraging and uplifting today :) This song is one of our all time favorites, and a great source of encouragement. When faced with any challenge, no matter how big or small, no matter how daunting or seemingly insurmountable, we can all count on the fact that our God is bigger and stronger than anything we may face. If we are moving in alignment with His will, with Him on our side, NOTHING can stop us, NO ONE can stand against us!

Romans 8:31 says, "What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]" If you are in a hard place today, or know of someone who is, go to Romans chapter 8 and let the Holy Spirit reveal His strength, His power, and His awesome glory to you. Romans 8 is one my favorite chapters in the Bible, and each time I turn to it the Holy Spirit gives me new understanding of His word; time and again demonstrating that He is indeed our great Teacher and Comforter!

I hope you enjoy the song!

Sarah's Story: Part 2

While speaking with the woman who had taken custody of Sarah, who we will call Miriam (again, for security purposes I do not want to use her real name) I learned that Sarah was in "critical condition," in need of serious intervention.  Both Miriam and I had been extremely misled about Sarah's true condition.  When Miriam agreed to take custody of Sarah, she was under the impression that she was a healthy seven year old girl with Down Syndrome, who had mild behaviorial issues and hearing impairment.  But when she got Sarah home, the true story started to unravel.  As she realized just how severe the situation was, she began inquiring more and more about this little girl's past.  These are the pieces of Sarah's story that we have uncovered.

Sarah was born a twin, although when you go look at the birth announcements in her local newspaper, the only birth that was announced was that of her twin brother (who does not have Down Syndrome).  Her grandmother took her in, for what we believe was the first three years of her life.  When the grandmother could no longer care for her, the mother took her and pretty much immediately started looking around for a family to adopt her.  So for the last four years she has been living in a home where she was not wanted.  She was isolated to her own room, locked in to prevent her from "roaming" the house.  She was so malnourished, that her desperation for food has become the overwhelming driving force in her existence.  She will do absolutely anything she has to do for food.  By the time Miriam got Sarah home, she was critically ill with two parasites, one so severe she almost died, and it has taken the last four months to completely clear her body of it.  When asked if she ever held Sarah, the birthmother said she didn't hold her until she was 3 years old, and she has no idea who was holding her before that!  She was diagnosed as hearing impaired at birth, but didn't receive hearing aids until she was six years old.  Because of those six years of living in complete silence, doctors don't know if she will ever learn to speak.  The remaining details of  Sarah's condition are very hard to discuss.  Suffice it to say, because of the severity of her neglect, Sarah's instincts and behaviors are somewhat animalistic (similar to those of the famous feral child, Genie, though not as severe).  She has lived her life fighting to simply survive.  Sarah is far from being a healthy seven year old girl with Down Syndrome, mild behaviorial issues and hearing impairment!     

Sarah needs intense behaviorial therapy to learn how to function within a family.  She needs intense speech and occupational therapy to learn how to communicate and begin to accomplish basic tasks, like potty training.  But most of all Sarah needs intense spiritual healing.  She needs to know she is loved, she is safe, she is precious.  She needs to have her every need met with love and compassion.  All the doors that were opened to the enemy through her years of neglect and pain must be closed, and covered with the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ.  He is the one and only source of true healing.  Sarah needs to be bathed in His tender mercy.  Each of her wounds needs to be mended through prayer and relationship with her Heavenly Father, in the ICU of His loving embrace.  That is the therapy that will bring substantial levels of healing to this child.

Miriam cannot offer her the kind of treatment and special education that she needs, because the closest facilities are over an hour and a half away from where she lives.  While she has grown to love Sarah very much, and has made enormous progress with her, Miriam knows that what is best for her in the long run is to be with a family that can provide her with therapy and structured schooling every day.  Miriam feels that God used her as a transitional home for Sarah; a way to get her out of the deplorable conditions she was living in, and get her the immediate medical treatment she needed.  Now it is time for Sarah to complete her journey to her forvever home!   The family that has agreed to adopt her can offer her the absolute best in special education and therapy, a safe and loving home, and an evironment in which she can thrive.  We are all so very thankful for this family.  But it won't be easy for them, or Sarah.  She must undergo yet another transition into a new home, adding one more notch to her belt of insecurity, abandonment, and rejection. 

So please join me in launching prayercrafts for our sweet Sarah.  Let us storm Heaven with prayers of peace during her transition, and prayers of healing from the many years of neglect she has suffered; prayers that her ears will be opened to His word, her heart will be filled with His love, and her eyes will see the hope for brighter days that only He can bring.  I wait in great anticipation to see this little girl's light shine as Christ works in her!!

"Sarah's" Story: Part 1

I realized that for security purposes I needed to change the name of the child in the middle picture (on the righthand side of the page), so instead of using her real name, we will call her Sarah.  I trust that God will know exactly who we are talking about when we pray for her!  I want to share her story with you, but in an effort to keep the posts from getting way too long, I will break her story up into two parts.  Part 1 is about how Sarah came into our lives, and Part 2 will be about her personal journey, and why she so desperately needs our prayers.

PART 1:

Sarah is a precious seven year old girl with Down Syndrome who is in the midst of moving into her fourth home (after living in her previous home for only four months!)  We were contacted about Sarah several months ago when her birthmother decided she could no longer raise her and was looking for an adoptive family. We prayed over that decision, felt the Lord leading us to say yes, and then were informed that the birthmother had selected another home for Sarah.  The reason?  This mother had sent an email to us and one other family telling us about Sarah, and asking if we would be interested in adopting her.  One day later I found her email in my spam folder, and immediately replied.  Well, the other family had responded to the email faster, and within those 24 hours that our email was sitting in spam, this birthmother made her decision.  Part of us felt exremely sad...I was amazed at how quickly I began loving this child who I didn't even know, and how quickly we began picturing our life with her in it!  But the other part of us felt somewhat relieved that her mother did not choose us, because we felt TOTALLY unprepared to parent this child.  We trusted that if God wanted us to bring her into our home, that He would equip us with absolutely everything we would need to parent her.  But we knew it wouldn't be easy.  So there was some peace in the decision that had been made.  What we were not at peace with, however, was the hasty manner in which her mother made this decision.  She decided where and with whom her daughter would live for the rest of her life based on one email!  We didn't have much faith in that decision.  All we could do was to pray for her, and trust that Sarah would be going to a safe and loving home--to the right home.  Our faith was in God, and His ability to make all things work for good!
 
Over the next several months I thought of Sarah often, wondering how her transition had gone, if she was safe and secure, if her adoptive family was showing her the awesome love of Christ.  Then in October, late one night I received an email from the birthmother saying that she was extremely upset because the family she had sent Sarah to live with could no longer keep her, and she wanted to know if we would still consider "taking" her.  After getting over the inital shock that this little girl was once again "knocking at our door" so to speak, we began praying about what the Lord's desire was in this.  This time, we felt even more unprepared to take in this child.  The last several months have brought about many drastic life changes, presented many difficult challenges, and thrown many unexpected curveballs our way (but all leading us to a closer, more honest and pure relationship with our Father!!)  So the thought of taking in this little girl seemed totally irrational and unrealistic.  But again, we trusted that if God was asking us to do this, then He would certainly equip us with everything we needed.  I contacted the woman who had taken Sarah, and during that conversation it became overwhelmingly clear that Sarah was in need of SO much more than simply a loving forever family.  What this child needed was some intense healing at the hands of God, some time in the ICU with the Great Physician,  our Jehovah Rapha--God who heals.  Sarah needs physical healing, mental healing, and most of all spiritual healing.  Her precious spirit has been completely crushed over the course of her short life, and she needs to be on complete "life support"!

To be continued...

Reece's Rainbow

As you can tell by the buttons on the right, I am an advocate for Reece's Rainbow, a special needs adoption ministry focused on international adoption of children with Down Syndrome.  Andrea Roberts, the director of Reece's Rainbow (RR), started this ministry after giving birth to her son, Reece, who has Down Syndrome.  She was contacted by the hospital where she gave birth to him, to come back and speak to new parents of children with Down Syndrome about the journey that lay ahead for them.  From there, she began RR to raise awareness about the countless children with Down Syndrome that await families in orphanages around the world.  Theses children are shunned by thier families and their countries, viewed as having absolutely no potential for a fruitful life.  In some countries, babies born with Down Syndrome don't even make it to the orphanage, much less a loving home...they are literall thrown away, left on the street to die.  When these children reach the ages of 4-6 years, they are transferred from the orphanages ("baby houses") to mental institutions, where many die within one year.  That means that many of these precious lives are only on earth for less than seven years!  That is staggering, and entirely unacceptable!!  Even in the United States, with a pre-term diagnosis abortion rate of over 90%, the public perception of people with Down Syndrome is still largely misled. 

There is no rhyme or reason as to why I am drawn to these little ones.  I do not have any family or friends with Down Syndrome.  My personal involvment, previous to discovering this cause, was very limited.  The answer is simple:  God gave me a heart for them, an undeniable love for them, and led me to literally stumble upon Reece's Rainbow when searching for something entirely different.  It should go without saying that we must not lump every person with Down Syndrome into one general category; they are as individual and uniquely made as the rest of us.  In fact, a common phrase among parents of children with Down Syndrome is, "They are more like typical chidren than they are different."  That being said, another common perception expressed by these parents is that individuals with Down Syndrome have an enormous capacity to love, and are often so very honest, almost to a fault.  Love and honesty...things we could all use a little more of in our lives!!  These children deserve a chance to thrive, a chance to show the world what they have to offer, to shine the unique light of Jesus that was knit into that one little extra chromosome!  I do not believe that extra chromosome is a mistake; it carries an extra measure of love and honesty, an extra measure of childlike innocense, an extra measure of pure joy.  Jesus said, "Permit the children to come to Me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these!" (Luke 18:16) 

I feel a heavy burden to help these children, who retain much of that childlike innocense by design, come to Christ.  Please visit http://www.reecesrainbow.org/  to learn more about how we can all help to bring each of these kids into loving homes.  And for those who are still waiting in orphanages or mental institutions, we must launch powerful prayercrafts for them, that they will come to know Christ before their lives on earth are snuffed out, so that when they take their last breath, they will enter His kingdom as sons and daughters of God; that they will know the loving embrace of their Father.

Introduction

When contemplating whether or not I really should create a blog page, I kept asking myself, and God, why am I doing this, and who on earth is going to read my blog?  I lead a very quiet life with my husband and two children on our family farm...not much to blog about!  But over the course of several years my eyes have been opened to a world that is not so quiet, not so peaceful, of which there is much to be said~the world of orphans, of children abused, neglected, and oppressed.  These children have no voice, they alone are powerless to change their world. 

Since I was a young girl I have had a heart for these children, and have started down many different roads in an effort to reach out to them.  One of those roads has been that of adoption.  By taking us down that road, God has shown me that what these children need is SO much more.  Every child deserves a family to love them and a home where they are safe and secure.  But the reality is that there are over 140 million orphans in the world today, and many more children in foster care or homes where they are abused and neglected.  While these kids desperately need a safe home with a mother and father to love and protect them, their most immediate needs can only be met by their Father in Heaven, by being adopted as sons and daughters of God.  Which leads me to the purpose of this blog!

God has called me to be a carrier of His love, His healing, His protection, and His Word to these precious little ones.  There are many ways He has shown me to do this: adoption, advocacy, fundraising, mission trips, etc.  But the most powerful tool He has equipped me with is prayer.  Like an aircraft carrier, in times of war, deploys air power worldwide from one location, I deploy prayer power worldwide from this one humble location in the countryside of Texas!  The war for the orphan is not fought on a battlefield with tanks and missiles.  It is fought in the hearts of man, by those who believe in Jesus and His own heart for the fatherless.  The mission of this carrier can be summed up by the lyrics to Jared Anderson's song "Carrier" (written above), and the most powerful weapon we have is prayer.  As James 5:15 says, "The prayer that is of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him." 

There's much more to come, but until then, please join me in launching prayercrafts for the fatherless!  Thank you for taking the time to visit the blog!
~Ashley