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!