Love Strand 11/28

So here's a fun one...Valentine candy hearts in my pair of Bailey mugs! These mugs were sought after for years in a wide variety of antique stores. I bought the first in New Mexico and searched and searched for probably 5 years until I finally found the mate for Mr. Bailey.

So he really means it when he gives Mrs. Bailey the "soul mate" talk heart. As you can see from the bottom picture, she was "hiding" in that store just waiting for him!

How could you do that to your kids?

This is a question I've heard from people over the years. "How can you take those precious children to China for two years?" "How can you think about moving to India with those children?" "What about your REAL children...(when you adopt)? What will it do to them?" [This causes me to shudder as I realize that others place a separation between our biological children and our someday-to-be adopted children!]

These are real questions I have fielded. From people I love.

How can we do these "mean" things to our children? How can we cart them halfway around the world in the name of Christ? How can we upheave their world by adopting orphans who have an unknown past and might bring in unknown diseases? How can we return their Christmas presents and give to the poor instead?

We are called to do these things, not as individuals, but as a family. We do things together. That means serving God too.

It wasn't my idea...we tried tirelessly to go overseas before we had children. God stopped our plans each time. It wasn't until Jensi was 3 and Anneli was 1 that God opened the door and rolled out the red carpet for us to go. And we did. And it was amazing. We saw Him work miracles, both in us and around us. We went through great hardship, but He was enough for us and carried us through.

Certainly, you must know, as human beings we want to shelter our children from pain, hardship and turmoil. We want nothing to touch them that hurts. But don't we all know that our character grows best under the pain of these very things? Consider how a diamond is made--PRESSURE! Might we be praying a more effective prayer if we prayed for God to do whatever He needed to so that we might grow closer to Him rather than 'keep us safe,' or' keep us healthy' or 'bless us' with stuff?

I honestly think I thought I was saving my baby (Oskar) as I allowed Jensi, Anneli and Oliver's hands to be on my belly as they would boldly pray in their childlike faith, "Please God, let this baby live!" I couldn't fathom that God would ever allow a third child of ours to die. I truly thought that by involving my kids, God would protect their hearts from such pain and allow the baby inside me to live. (This is all months before we had any clue that he would in fact die at 39 weeks.)

But guess what? Our sweet Oskar did die. My children, the very same ones who prayed and did not receive what they asked for, walked through the grief with us as a family. They attended their baby brother's funeral, kissed his casket and squeezed my hand when the anniversaries roll around and the tears roll down my cheeks. We have experienced this as a family. And as a family, we have met God in the depths of our despair. Ask any of my children and they will tell you that GOD IS ENOUGH. No matter what they face, they know that He is real and He will help them to learn, grow and glorify Him through it.

So I don't see the fear that others do in our adoption. Questions like "how could we do this to our biological kids" doesn't even compute. How could we not? If God is asking us to take this journey, one that will cause our very family structure to change forever, how could we not include our children in such an opportunity? Even if it goes atrociously bad (which it could), would it still not be worth it? What is the value of living out our faith with our children? Teaching them what forgiveness looks like on a daily basis; learning what it means to love sacrificially; learning how to have faith in God when circumstances say that you should give up. In the end, is that not worth it? And would the fear of such pain seriously cause us to turn around and disobey God's command in our lives? I think you know the answer.

"Truly, truly, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24.

We are in the process of dying to ourselves, that we might bear much fruit. It is our prayer that God is glorified through ALL we do. 

Q&A about our adoption

Yesterday we were featured in a friend's blog and she asked me some good questions about our adoption. It occurred to me that perhaps I should replay them here! 


Q: Tell us about your family.
A: Our family is: Brian (a dairy farm manager, loves photography, missions, Indian movies and P90X), Amy (SAHM, Star Diamond Beachbody Coach, runs our photography business Silver Sand Images, loves people, blogging, missions, reading and exercise), Jensi (5th grader who loves horses, is a constant entrepreneur, plays basketball and loves to write), Anneli (3rd grader who loves to read, play imaginatively and is an excellent gymnast), Oliver (a homeschooled preschooler who loves dinosaurs, tractors and making spaceships out of couch cushions) and Darrah Kate (a 20 month old who loves to dance, explore her siblings possessions, pretend with Oliver and has a best friend: her elephant Fluffernutter). We have three children who await us in heaven as well: Timothy, Hope and Oskar.

Q: What led you to decide to adopt? What role did your faith play in that, if any? Did the orphan crisis influence you at all?
A: God led us to adopt. This was a decision that was not made by emotion but rather out of obedience. We knew that orphans were living without families all over the world. The command in Scripture to care for the orphan as well as the psalm that declares God is a Father to the fatherless and that he sets the lonely in families spoke deeply to our hearts. I have also had a life-long desire to have twins. One of my pregnancies was a set of twins but about halfway through, sweet Timothy went ahead to Jesus. I have accepted that perhaps I will join those in Hebrews 11 who did not see the answer to their promise in this life, but will receive it in full in Heaven. However, after our son Oskar died, I felt the Lord encouraging me to not give up in praying for another set of twins. Of course I assumed my next pregnancy would be a set of twins, but it was not (it was Darrah Kate...who is arguably as busy as a set of twins!) After feeling “settled” with our 4 children, God reminded me of praying for another set of twins. I stayed silent regarding this and told God that if He were referring to adoption, then He needed to speak to Brian about this. Less than 2 months later, Brian called me broken over the orphan crisis and the above mentioned Scriptures were burning in his heart. He asked me if I had ever considered adoption. I smiled and answered, “well, yes I have.” That week we decided to follow God in obedience to adopt and have never looked back.

Q: How did you decide on Uganda?
A: We began with the countries closest to our hearts: China (we served there for 2 years) and India. China’s adoption timeline is running 4-5 years and we wanted to adopt while our oldest girls are still children. India has a policy that 4 children in the home is too many...and we’d need to adopt older than our oldest, something we came to understand was not in our other children’s best interest. We then considered the neediest areas in the world: Africa. We pursued adoption from Zambia and applied to an agency, but just as we did, they closed their Zambia program due to the corruption in the Zambian government. They recommended us to our current agency, Generations Adoptions, and after much research, we took this recommendation. They work in Mexico, Uganda and Ghana. We chose Uganda because our hearts drew us there.

Q: What step in this long process are you in?
A: We are nearing the end of the first 1/3 of the process. We have completed our home study...almost. We await a document that takes up to 4 months in Ohio. (It’s been 2 1/2 months so far.) Once that is finished, then we will apply to USCIS (Immigration). Then we will be able to send our dossier to Uganda and await our referral.

Q: Can you tell us a little about the treasures you are adopting?
A: We do not yet know anything about the specific children we will adopt. Our agency works with a babies home that is a ministry arm of a local Ugandan church. All of the children in the home have been abandoned and most are double orphans (have lost both parents). Most children are under the age of 2, although age is sometimes difficult to assess given malnutrition and lack of history. We have requested at least one boy and have mentioned a preference of twins, although we are okay if they are not.

Q: What has been the best piece of advice you have heard so far about the long road of adoption, if any? Do you have any advice for someone just starting this path or just contemplating it still?
A: Advice...I don’t know that I’m far enough along to give advice! I would repeat some advice given to us: “If you know this is what God is asking, do not delay in getting going. The process is so lengthy, just get started!” I would also encourage interested adoptive families to do good research into agencies and ask lots of questions about where the children will come from. There is sadly a lot of corruption in the adoption “market” and one must be vigilant to find an agency that comes highly recommended with no record of shady dealings. I would also recommend that they get involved in the blogging community, whether or not they choose to blog themselves. I have met the most amazing people this way and they have taught me much and encouraged me along this sometimes difficult path.

Q: Is there anything else you would like us to know?
A: Other things about our family...we have a passion to serve God overseas and feel we are constantly trying to go. However, we have been placed in this NW corner of Ohio for a reason and we are embracing that as His place for us for now. We would love to one day go overseas and serve in some capacity as an entire family of 8...but we will wait for God to reveal that plan in His time!

Love Strand 10/28

Is it really real? Did I stage this? Ha! No way could I get this happy look out of a child if it weren't there on its own! My son has begged me all day to vacuum and I find myself telling him, "Okay now, that's enough vacuuming!"

Have I died and gone to heaven? Did my cleaning fairy finally arrive? Perhaps the answer is yes...but if this is heaven, I want new carpet!

The Love Strand 9/28

I love having pictures around my house. I love my husband and I love having history with him. Today, I've taken pictures of a few old pictures I still keep around. (In low light--sorry for graininess!) In the main picture, we were just dating...oh that wonderful summer of 1995! In the wedding picture, it was our first spontaneous kiss as Mr. and Mrs. (that one in the ceremony was a bit artificial!) Our photographer captured us kissing just as we came out of the church.

I will not live a safe life

That's right. I don't want a safe life. Where did people get this idea that doing God's will puts them in the safest possible place? I think the quip is something like, "Being in the center of God's will is the safest place to be." I don't get it. I see little evidence of that in Scripture. Ask Stephen, the first martyr. Was he safe? I think not. He died at the hands of those who hated and mocked him. (Reminiscent of Someone!) Yet he had joy and peace in the moment of his death. Hmmm, interesting.

I want to live a life that follows Jesus. And He never said following Him would be safe. He never said it would be easy. People will oppose you, call you crazy and turn their backs on you. He never assured you of comfort, ease or popularity. In fact, He said quite the opposite, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, whoever loses his life will find it."

So who in their right mind wants to live like this? To follow Jesus means sure death? Death to self, yes. Death to the American dream, yes. Death to what is "normal," yes. I want to live like this because He said, "If you love me you will obey me." I love Him, therefore I obey. This flows out of my genuine gratitude for His love for me. There is a very real joy in joining the work of God. Deep abiding joy that one cannot know if one remains in the realm of safe. Safe is not where it's at.

So we move forward in our pursuit of adoption. Are we going to blow apart the status quo? Absolutely. Will our family look the same? No way. Will we be rejected by our community? Maybe. Will we be doing the right thing? Well, according to Scripture yes, "Religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." And Psalm 68:5-6, "Father to the fatherless, defender of widows--this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families..." Those families have to be willing to do a radical thing by inviting in the lonely.

I am astonished at how different the Bible looks after reading the book The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns (President of World Vision). Verses that I practically never really even saw now stand out on the page to me. My heart beats faster when I read passages like Isaiah 58, "Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" [This passage is in response to the people who were doing all the "right" religious things and were wondering why God wasn't hearing them. It's because they were not carrying out justice among those God cared about.]

Which leads me to another passage that has sprung to life for me in recent months: the well loved Micah 6:8. "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God." That doing justice part seems awfully important if it's at the front of the list!

I am not trying to expound on any one Scripture or wax eloquently about any one topic, but merely to declare outloud that I WILL NOT CHOOSE A SAFE LIFE. I will take risks as deemed necessary in order to follow what course God has asked me to take. I will live on the edge of rational and I do honestly hope that if you are not a Christ follower, that my life will look awfully odd to you. I do not seek to make "sense" to the average person. I want to live a life completely sold out to the Lord...and that will not look normal, common or average. 

The Love Strand 8/28

All the training, reading, praying and preparation are far more than having a child in the "normal" way...but then again, these children are going to require extra understanding for the loss of their birth family(ies) that they will one day grieve, and we need to be prepared.

In case the verse looks a bit skewed in this photograph, this is James 1:27 that says, "Pure and geniune religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress..."

Love Strand 7/28

After dinner it's a common thing...someone goes to the ipod and makes a selection and then ...

                                                  BURST!!!

Everyone seems to be cuttin' the rug. Tonight, there are pictures. Enjoy! :)

Darrah Kate Sings!

Here you can see and hear my favorite little one year old singing her favorite song! (I hope she continues to sing in season...this won't be as cute in July!)

The Love Strand 6/28

The Love Strand Challenge 5/28

Today it snowed. A lot. As in major flakes falling at warp speed ALL DAY.

Brian went outside to shovel snow. Oliver joined him. Anneli followed. Jensi started pulling on her boots and I ran out with my camera. I turned around and saw sweet DQ (Darrah Kate as she is affectionately known) practically jumping up and down begging to be able to come out and play too!

And she got to come out! She didn't do much but stand in one place and sing "Jingle Bells," but she was happy. Hear her sing here. My heart swelled. It was her longing fulfilled.

What a delight when our longings are fulfilled! I believe God places His desires within our hearts and then He prompts us to want them and then He delights to give them to us. The whole exchange all in accordance with His plan before the foundations of the world.

I have a longing that remains unfulfilled. I have wanted to have twins. I have longed and ached to have twins. God gave me a set of them once, but one ran ahead to Jesus. That might be all for me...but I believe He has asked me to keep praying for twins. I don't understand it, but there it is: my longing remains unfulfilled. We'll see if this adoption is how He chooses to work.

Darrah Kate stole my heart!

18 months of happiness,  November 2010

The Love Strand 4/28

The Love Strand 3/28

There are few things I would trade for time one on one with my children. (A beach this time of year might win! But only "might!") One of the best decisions for our family has been choosing to homeschool during the preschool year.  I was really on the fence about whether or not to enroll Oliver this past year in our church's preschool program. When it all was said and done, I didn't do it.

I am so glad.

Now please don't pound me with comments about how anti-school I am. I'm not. I taught 3rd grade myself overseas. My older girls were also homeschooled for K, 1st and 2nd grades but are now happily learning in a local public school that we love. I think school is a really fabulous thing that our American children are blessed with and I don't take it lightly. [Enter a comment here about how unjust is it that children in poorer countries don't get to attend school because they are busy hauling dirty water. Or you could just go here.]

But, oh the times I have delighted in with my son this past year! It makes my heart overflow with gratefulness. I am so grateful that I chose to keep him home. His quest for knowledge is unquenchable! Today he has put himself on a self-led experiment with a large computer magnet. Some of the things he comes and shows me are crazy! Did you know that he can pick up a pack of 26 mini books with a magnet? We have played more Missing Match Ups then I can shake a stick at and he's learned to read and sound out words. His math skills blow me away and I think we can bank on him to take over the family finances.

Today we repeated a science experiment from last week. It was so fun then that he wanted to do it again. Why not? He wanted green food coloring rather than red. I see no problem. So please enjoy the expression of love we shared today:

I forgot, because there was no need to rush off to the school bus this morning (thank you 2-hour delay!), I started my day snuggling with him for about 20 minutes. Can you say heaven??? (I didn't get any pictures of that!)

Why do you want to adopt?!?!

The Love Strand 2/28

I've been snapping pictures all day. Which would I choose for day two of this challenge? Which one of these really spoke "love" the most to me? Turns out, the moment hadn't happened yet. I sure recognized it when it did.

I had one child in particular who was struggling with obedience. Not the outright defiant kind, just the oh-I-didn't-get-around-to-that kind. The kind of disobedience that drives a mom with a sore throat crazy. Repeating myself for the 4th time, I finally went and did the job myself.

I was not happy.

I called this child over to me and explained, "You are not obeying Mommy! I have asked you to do this [fill in my request] four times. You halfway obeyed. I had to finish the job. I am tired of this, [child's name!]"

Breath.

"I want you to know that you are not acting in a way that honors Momma. You are disobedient. Acting sinfully. Do you know that this is exactly the way we act towards God? But His love is never dependent upon how we act. God's love is dependent on who He is."

Another breath.

"You have asked me to make you French toast today. I am going to do that for you still. Not because you deserve it, for you have not done what is right. I am going to do it for you because I love you. I want to love you the way God loves me. "

"At some point, [child's name], you will discover how grateful you are for what God does for us. What He DID for us on the cross. You figure out that it is absolutely incredible, and you will decide to show your love to God by obeying Him. Jesus tells us in the Bible that when we obey Him, we show Him we love Him. Maybe you'll decide the same is true between me and you!"

Exit child. Sour face. Droopy head. No apology.

I then got busy. I made the best possible French toast I knew how. I then got out the fancy birthday-or-straight-A-grade-card plate. I served up heart shaped french toast to the very child who had made me crazy that morning. And I couldn't wait! I snapped some pictures of it first and then prepared the table. (It is this child's week to set it!) I called this child over, who expected another lecture apparently.

"[Child's name,] I want you to have this heart shaped French toast and enjoy it! You have the special plate not because of anything you did, but because of my love for you. I love you NO MATTER HOW YOU ACT. "

I had more to say, but this child burst into tears and hung around my neck. Sobbing, this child apologized and changed into the sweetest little one possible. This child then was delightful and helpful the rest of the day.

That's what love does to us, doesn't it?

You, the Multi-tasker: Shopping and Rescuing Orphans!

I have been humbled once again. This journey of adoption has blessed me so much already and I haven't even gotten our referral yet!

So, it goes like this, I have a friend from high school who was very much taken by our adoption process and was moved so much she sent her family to our blog. Her sister, sweet woman that she is, decided to not just read but to get involved! :) I like when people don't just read but DO SOMETHING! (Have you heard me say that before? haha) She has her own business marketing Uppercase Living products and has generously offered to donate 20% of her sales to our adoption fund!

"But what is this business, 'Uppercase Living'", I wondered. I tentatively clicked on the link that was sent and spent the next ten minutes in awe of the catalog. Truly I loved the things inside! Classy, creative, and full of options. I was sold. Let's do it.

So here I am today opening up a catalog party for anyone who would like to purchase these beautiful creations for their home. I have seen several companies that create vinyl clings for your home, but this company goes the extra mile. You can design plates, frames and signs and other things in their "off the wall" section. (Cute name, huh?) :) The "party" will be open until February 19th.

Here's the specs:

Amy Shaw invites you to be a part of an 

Uppercase Living Catalog Party

through February 19th

to help give orphans a home!

20% of all the sales of this Catalog Party will be donated directly to the Shaw family to help with adoption fund-raising!!!

Uppercase Living believes in the power of words and how they can transform your home.  We offer decorative vinyl expressions that can enhance any space in an instant with no messy stenciling!  We offer both pre-designed and custom vinyl expressions!  On my website you can view our online catalog and customize your own custom expression using our 50 fonts and over 40 color choices.  

http://kstewart.uppercaseliving.net/OnlineCatalog.m

2 ways to order:

For guests who live near Amy (your order will be shipped to her):

Email or call me (Karrie) with your item number, item description and color choice(s).  If you have created a custom expression, be sure to save it so I can access it

I will provide you with your total.  I accept checks or can send you a credit card invoice through paypal.

If you spend more than $50 in product, you qualify for free customer expressions!  Check out the customer choices of the February monthly gifts...http://kstewart.uppercaseliving.net/MonthlyGifts.m

For out of town guests:

Shop and create directly on my website...http://kstewart.uppercaseliving.net/OnlineCatalog.m

Add items to your cart and when checking out, choose to "associate" your order with Amy Shaw's party.

Amy will receive credit for your order and it will be shipped directly to you!

Please have orders to me or online by February 19th.  Contact me if you have ANY questions!

Check out my website to learn more about becoming an Uppercase Living hostess yourself or learn more about the business opportunity!!!

Karrie Stewart

Independent Uppercase Living Demonstrator

My Website: http://kstewart.uppercaseliving.net

614.557.8676

karriestewart@yahoo.com

***THIS JUST IN!!!***
New February deals for any shoppers who spend more than $50! Extra "expressions" will be available to you at no cost! Contact Karrie via email (above) if your order exceeds fifty dollars to receive your list of free things from which to choose!

From the first page of the Uppercase Living catalog. See that cool clock? Isn't that nifty?

And how cool is this? You can have your OWN PHOTOS become clingy thingees! (Probably not their wording)

This page gets my wheels turning for how we'll decorate the "boy's" room! WOW! We are going to have at least another son! :)

So that's probably enough to whet your appetite for some online shopping! Remember, when you shop you are multi-tasking: decorating, maybe getting ahead in your gift-giving AND helping us bring our children home from their orphanage! Go you! ;)

The Love Strand 1/28

It's Day 1!!

I wondered after I posed the challenge what kind of images of LOVE I might come up with for my days. Well, I have to say that today has not turned out anything like I would have expected...and so my image for the first day of this challenge is not something you might expect.

But it is about love.

My crockpot. I love my family by cooking for them. I never realized this until I was part of a poverty challenge to feed my family nothing but rice and beans for every meal for an entire weekend. I came face to face with an unfamiliar frustration: I wanted to love them through food. Hmmmm. Interesting to discover this as a Beachbody coach, but good information nevertheless! (So I try to love on them by providing healthy, whole foods! But, yes, I do bake cookies for my children on rare occasions--and oh the party that is thrown! ;) hee hee)

So today, the first day of February, enter the midwest blizzard. I wanted to cook something cozy for my family...so here you have my "LOVE" image for day one:

Superbowl Sex...what?!

The Superbowl is about as American as apple pie. Every year we gather together with our friends, sport our fav team's colors or even jerseys and root for their victory. And we love laughing at the fun, creative new commercials. But did you know that not everything is all fun and games that day?

Did you know that sex trafficking happens here in our very own country...and that the Superbowl is one of the biggest events where children are sold? Many of you did, some did not. It's pretty amazing the little bubble we can operate in. (I am in the process of emerging from mine.)

50 girls were rescued from the past two Superbowls. Far more remained enslaved. Some of these girls were young...as in the age of my own daughters. I cannot imagine the pain of their mothers and families. I cannot fathom what the girls themselves must experience. Many of them never come home. They are killed.

Read and share this article with your friends and networks on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. The word needs to get OUT.

A man named Tom Davis is a leader among those fighting the sex trade. Here are his words regarding this year's Superbowl:

There is a dark side to the Superbowl this 2011 that nobody wants to talk about. The sex trafficking of children that occurs at the SuperBowl. It will happen in Dallas, Texas right under the nose of tens of thousands of Superbowl fans. This year, Jay Ratliff, the nose guard for the Dallas Cowboys is speaking out against sex trafficking during the Superbowl this 2011. Jay didn't even know this existed in his back yard, but now that he does he's doing something about it. He's the father of two little girls and this is not okay with him. Watch this video then check out the Traffick911 website to find out how to get involved against child trafficking in the Dallas area.  Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/redletters/2011/01/sex-trafficking-at-the-superbowl.html#ixzz1CiemdNpD

Watch this video of Jay Ratliff, a Dallas Cowboy, speaking up on behalf of these caught in the web of these evil men.
 

Please, don't forget to pray. Pray for the conviction of those involved and for the rescue and restoration of the children involved. Follow Tom Davis on Twitter and Facebook and learn how to get involved and make a difference.

The Love Strand Challenge

I have an idea. You've probably see on Flickr, Facebook or somewhere on someone's blog where people step up to a personal challenge of taking one picture every day of an entire year. They will have captions like 1/365 for January 1st and then continue on through the year. The super amazing people make it to post picture number 365/365 on December 31st. I have thought I'd like to do that, but when the idea flits across my little brain, it's mid-year some point.  I think, "Well, I'll remember in January and start the year off right." Yep, you guessed it, today is January 30th. I missed again.

I got to thinking, "Why not just do it for a month?" AH HA!!! And what month is next??? FEBRUARY!! The shortest month of the year! Hey! Now I just might be able to follow through on 28 days of picture taking and posting! The more the idea rolled around in my head, the more like a snowball it became, picking up other ideas too. I'll keep a theme: love. Everything I photograph will be about love. Either something I love, something that speaks love or is a symbol of love. I will let the creative muse for the day simply take over and inspire me each day.

And then my idea expanded. What about getting other people to participate too? It's one thing to look at my pictures of love for a month, but what if a whole crew of us were doing it? What if we could all link to each other's blogs so we could see what each other is posting? What if I could find a way to post on my blog like Missy did on her blog of practical ideas (see her post here) so that we could easily check in on other's posts? (You have to understand I'm a baby in the blogger world, only doing this since last month. There's TONS I have no idea how to do!!) UPDATE: I figured it out!! Add your name and url in the box below and your name will appear in this post with a live link to the site you name! COOL! :)

So here's my challenge: Take a picture each day of February. Keep the theme of love. Post one picture each day with the caption 1/28, 2/28, and so forth. Add a caption or text if you like. Word happy people like me will be challenged to let the picture stand alone. Some poets may like to express themselves with prose or rhymey lines. You do not need any special photography skills, only to be motivated by your heart. (Everyone's will look different and that'll be the charm of it!) Link back to my blog (you can grab the button down the side if you like) or click "follow" so we stay connected.  Until I figure out how to have you place your own link to your site from mine, post a comment down below with a link to your blog, Facebook, Flickr or wherever you're planning on posting your love strand. Then spread the word.

Let's have some fun. :)

Flaunting the grace of God...

So, our family blog is about our adoption...or it started out with that intention, but I haven't said much about it. Don't get me wrong, I will talk about our adoption, probably more than people want to read! But right now I don't really have words, just a video about the blessing of adoption. (It's a promotional for an adoption conference.) One of my favorite quotes from this was that we, as adoptive parents, will be "flaunting the grace of God in front of everyone starting with [y]ourselves." Wow. How can it be that I am privileged to be invited into this gift?

If ever you feel the tug on your heart to adopt, pray about it, ask others you know who've already adopted and remember that there are 147 million orphans around the world who are looking for people just like you! Who knows what God might want to do in and through you???

A beautiful tribute

Eric with his daughter Ruby

My brother in law's birthday is today and his beloved wife found this quote that in her words, "describe him perfectly." Wow. What a tribute to a husband. These are two people maintaining, fostering and reinventing love in the middle of raising 3 small children. Bless them, O God!!

"The way to God lies through love of people. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made. Instead I shall be asked: Did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, an visit the sick and the prisoners? That is all I shall be asked." ~St. Maria of Paris

                                                                                   

Happy birthday, Eric. The way you live your life to serve the downtrodden and needy inspires us all.

A few tips to make the days go smoother...

Over at It's Almost Naptime! my fellow mom friend, Missy, has asked for us to share our tips on making life run a bit smoother. I loved reading other mom's tips (what a wealth of knowledge!!) and thought I might post a few that we have used. Nothing earth shattering, but after reading in our adoption training manual that children 4 and under assume that every family is like their family, I think we can all learn from what it's like in each other's houses. I love picking up tips from YOU! Here are a few things we do:

1) My older girls DAILY empty the dishwasher. Even on Sunday. One does the top and bottom rack, the other polishes all the silverware (ha! we all know "polish" is a bit of a stretch here...) and puts all the sippy cup plugs back into the lids. This saves me so much time and it's SO NICE to open an empty, clean dishwasher at the start of the day! (We run it every night while we sleep...look and see if yours has the "4 hour delay" option!)

2) When we homeschooled we had a special daily cleaning time I dubbed, "Home Blessing." We have a watered down version of that now that they attend public school (poor them, with homework, ya know?! wink wink!) I had little plastic nametag pockets that they wore around their necks that I would slide in the tasks for that 1/2 hour segment of the day. It was awesome! This is the ONLY way the 2 ferns on the porch survived the hot summers. (Thank you, Anneli!) Between the 3 of us (Oliver was too young then) we cleaned the entire house each week. Truly, our house was never as clean as when we homeschooled! Hmmmmm...

3) Earning computer time. My kids have to read 1 hour for every 15 minutes they play online. (Mom or Dad approved website, of course.) Books are where it's at and I'm trying to foster a love for reading. Did you know that just having books in your house (you don't even have to read them!) will increase your child's literacy rate? Imagine what would happen if they see Mom reading books at every chance she gets? (That's me...one in the car, one by my bed, one at the table for after dinner for all to listen to (usually a missionary biography) another on the island for when I'm having lunch! People are surprised that I am reading more than one book at a time...but that's why!!)

4) All laundry is taken immediately upon removal-from-body to the 3 baskets in our big closet. I quit having laundry baskets in each room b/c it was more work. One station for all of it. (I need a trick to get them to take it in there!!) My kids know how to sort: dark on the left, light on the right. (that rhyme is important!) I gather the basket that is the most full when I first get up in the morning and get it started as I'm filling up my water bottle for my morning workout.

5) Daily exercise. This is critical in my house, and not just because I'm a Beachbody coach. This is for my own sanity and for the purpose of modeling good habits for my children. I am CONVINCED that watching my mom jump rope for hours in our kitchen has carried over to my willingness to make this a daily part of my routine. (Thanks, Mom!) My tip is that as soon as I get out of bed, I put on my workout clothes. I don't have my quiet time with the Lord in my jammies, I've got a sports bra on and I'm ready to BRING IT! right at 6 am. If I work it right, I can get my workout(s) in and a shower before we have to load into the car by 7:30 am to go to the bus stop. (This doesn't always happen!)

My last tip is to go to bed on time, which I've not done b/c I'm writing this! I have a bed time too...and I try to keep it. It sure makes 5 am a lot easier to tolerate! Good night all!

Do you "Just LOVE Coffee?"

There's something really neat that happens when you embark on the journey of adoption. A lot really! But one thing that has delighted my heart is interacting with the amazing community of fellow adoptive families. I have been so blessed and enriched by them! I feel like I am just beginning to dip my toes in the waters of adoption and and already I am just so blessed!

One such blessing I have come across is a family by the name of Rob and Emily Webb. They have adopted daughters from Ethiopia and while doing their preparation research, they discovered that COFFEE was born in Ethiopia. (I didn't know that! Did you?) This was interesting information to him in particular, not just because they loved coffee, but because Rob and family owned and operated a coffee roasting house in Tennessee. He was brokenhearted by the way coffee farmers often were unfairly compensated for their work and decided to make a difference. He now runs Just Love Coffee that roasts FAIR TRADE coffee and donates a portion of the proceeds from each bag ($5 each!) to the orphanage where his daughters once lived. This alone would be really cool, but Rob has gone further. He has opened up this coffee loving venture to any family who is in the process of adopting as well!

Coffee in your favorite mug is always the best!

So you coffee enthusiasts, you can order your next bag of beans from Rob and support our adoption at the same time! I love things like this! You can make a slight change in your routine and by that slight change, make a big impact! (Picture the image of a pebble making big ripples in the lake!) If you were to order your coffee online from Rob instead of picking up your next bag at the supermarket, you will help us get a step closer to reducing the orphan population by two. And that is a big thing when you are those two orphans.

You can click on the link above (the name in white) in this post or you can use the widget on the side of the blog to be directed to our Just Love Coffee account. I thank you in advance for your java-drinking-orphan-loving support! Hey! It's time to brew!

The 5 Minute Snapshot

It's amazing to me what all happens across the world at the same time. I remember coming home from Haiti (my first long visit out of the United States) and being in awe that while I was ordering food at a restaurant while the people I just left were literally starving to death. I went into an anti-American funk for an entire year. Now that I'm older and hopefully a bit wiser, I realize that my hating America and not singing "God Bless America" on the 4th of July did nothing to help anyone in Haiti.

In his book, The Hole in Our Gospel, Rich Stearns talks about Former President Jimmy Carter and his take on what was the biggest global challenge facing us as we began the  new millennium. Carter wisely answered, "the disparity between the rich and the poor." It wasn't the fact that there were so many poor, or that so many died of preventable diseases but the problem he identified was that so many of US had so much and were ignorant or doing nothing to help out those who were so desperate in need. Part of my life-curriculum that God has for me is to become AWARE of the needs of the world...but not to stop there. All that becoming aware alone does is to make me feel guilty. I need to ACT upon my knowledge.

We were just saying this two weeks ago to our 5th and 6th graders whom we teach at our church. How awful that so many are in need! So many are hungry...we have more food than we need! What can we do? We waited to hear their answers. One of them raised a tentative hand, "We can give money to organizations?" YES! We don't have to necessarily buy a plane ticket and fly our leftover casserole to India and find a hungry person to give it to, but we can do smart research and pray about where we direct our resources to. Organizations already have the infrastructure in place and the connections with which to do SOMETHING for these needs.

I am not a proponent of any particular organization. I have many that I really love though. And I know that there are so many more that I have yet to encounter. I also know that corrupt organizations exist and that the need for smart research before giving is an important step. I want to encourage you (especially if you are taking the 3% challenge!!) to not just watch a video like this and walk away shaking your head at all that just happened while you watched it. DO SOMETHING!! Even if it's just $5. If you want a list of some of my favorite charitable organizations, I'd be happy to provide them, but my guess is, you may have some of your own. The important thing is to not walk away without action. This verse is coursing through my mind:

James 1:22-24 

 ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

(And just so you know, I can't hit "publish post" before I go make my own donation to a favorite cause!! Here's where I just gave: 60 Feet)

Liftin' up the roof with PRAISE!!!

Just wanted to announce what a GREAT BIG GOD we serve!! Our spaghetti lunch fundraiser that our church held on Sunday created a wonderful chance for people to enjoy one another's company and was a great success! Many people have wondered how it went so I wanted to post a quick update. Thanks to the generosity of so many people, the fundraiser brought in a total of $3,500! This blessed amount will be shared between our family and the sweet Bailey family who are also adopting from Africa. Praise be to the name of our God!

(You can always see our progress toward our goal of $40,000 by looking at the thermometer down the right side of our blog. I keep it up to date with all the different ways we are raising money. Thank you for all you are doing to become part of what God is doing in the world, in these children's lives and in our lives as a family. Blessings!!)


*****Amendment*****
I wanted to add that our church has set up a fund called One Less Orphan to which you can also donate if you so choose. This would make your gift tax-deductible and would be split between our family and the Bailey family. You can see their blog here.  You can also contribute to our adoption needs directly by using the ChipIn on the right hand side of our blog. These funds will be delivered into our PayPal account and will be used strictly for our adoption only (we won't take a quick trip to Disney or Jamaica!)

Three Percent

It's after midnight and I've just woken up from a dream. Not a very powerful one, really, something about eating mushrooms and my mom returning an old childhood book on butterflies. So that's not it. It's the something that lies just under the surface of my conscious rolling around constantly all these deep truths about the world we live in. The reality that while I sleep in my pretty flanneled bed, people around the globe shiver on the streets. The reality that while I get up and stumble a few feet to my indoor bathroom and turn on the faucet and drink a small cup of water, this is impossible to a good percentage of the world. And then I remember.

3%.

And the actual number that it would take is lower. It really works out to be less. It's only 2.5%, but guessing that many Americans won't do it causes me to increase it a little. (My math skills are a little like my painting and cooking skills--I do A LOT of estimation. (Enter snickers from my brother.) So I'm really only guessing three percent.) Okay, back up, I'm in a half-awake state and no one knows what I'm talking about. Sorry. I'm typing quietly to not wake up my sleeping husband, but let me click a few more keystrokes to explain.

Americans spent $450 BILLION on Christmas. Yes, that's right. 450,000,000,000 hard earned dollars. And we're in a recovering recession!! And did you know that it would only take $10 billion to permanently fix the world's water crisis. That's right. Take just a minute here to let that sink in. {pause} If we took $10 billion of our $450 billion from one year of Christmas spending and gave it to a reputable water drilling organization(s), we could end the water crisis forever. {pause again} The 1 billion people who don't have access to it would require simply 2 1/2% of what we self-righteous "Christian" Americans spent on ourselves at Christmas. This makes my stomach turn. It keeps me awake at night! Since the number 2.5% would require every American household sharing their Christmas and I know that is unrealistic, I've bumped up the number to 3%. What if WE all gave a simple three percent of what we spend on our loved ones at Christmas to help stop the water crisis of our globe?

And then I wondered, does each American even keep receipts for what they spent at Christmas? Do we even realize what we are doing? It's only been 24 days since Christmas. Do we even remember the gifts we gave? Are they now a distant memory because we are so swallowed up in that project at work or the latest gossip? What if we had all given just 3% of our spending to an organization that could responsibly use it to help solve the global water crisis?

So I challenge you: this year in 2011, in another 11 months from now, I want you to give 3% of your Christmas spending to provide water to someone on our planet you'll never know. (Yes, I realize I'll probably have to remind you. I'm willing to do that.) I really don't care through which organization you do it, but I can certainly suggest a few that we use. Will you do it? Will you take this challenge? Will you step up to the plate in this way and allow me to fall back asleep this cold night in January? I've got four kids to be alert for in the morning you know! Seriously, this is true, but something deep within me compels me to write. (Just might be the Spirit of God!) I am literally compelled to motivate you to understand the real life-altering HELP you can be to these far off distant people.

Here's a verse I'm going to sign off with from Matthew 10:

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Yeah, I know I already posted this picture from Charity:water...but it is perfect again and I want to go back to sleep! ;)

Eat for Orphans!!

"You want me to eat...for an orphan?" Yes. That's right.

Our church is hosting a big spaghetti dinner this Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:15 am. Freewill donations will be accepted and will benefit our family and the Joel and Lisa Bailey family. Both of our families are in the process of international adoption. God has led us both to adopt from Africa: us of course from Uganda, and them from Ethiopia. Come and fill your belly with a delicious Italian meal, enjoy fellowship of believers and know that you are helping bring home some amazing children who we haven't even met yet!

DETAILS:
        Where: Pettisville Missionary Church, Corner of Co Rd. D & 19, Pettisville, Ohio
        When: This Sunday, January 16, 2011
        Time: 11:15 am - ?
        What: Spaghetti and the trimmings...and desserts brought in by women of the church!
        Who: People who are hungry and have a heart to reach the world for Jesus and love orphans
       Why: Because it's a tasty way to live out James 1:27 that says, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress..." 

Lord, I want to SEE!

Luke 18:35-43... A dirty cast-off man cries out to Jesus and others try to crowd him out, to shush him up. No way. This guy's serious--he is blind and has been forced to live his life as a beggar. He has heard about this Jesus guy, and he's heard that He heals! So he shouts all the louder and makes himself a bigger nuisance to the crowd. But not to Jesus. Jesus has this way with people. The very ones we ourselves are annoyed with. The ones we sorta just wish would leave us alone, the very ones we ourselves would be tempted to just walk on by.  But here's what Jesus does--he stops and he has the beggar brought to him. Wow. Then he asks him a simple question, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind beggar's response always causes me to stop and ponder.

"Lord," he said, "I want to see!"

Two things have come to my mind as I've pondered this passage lately. I wonder if you might think on them with me.

The first: this blind man, though a beggar and clearly disliked by the population, did not assume that his blindness was a permanent condition. (But we certainly know that it is, don't we? haha) I LOVE that he didn't accept his blindness when he saw the chance to ditch it. Would I? If I were blind in the year 2011, I am quite sure I would have found ways to make peace with it. I would not be bitter, but I would have learned to master Braille (as completely impossible as it seems to my fingers!) and I would have probably joined a blind mother's support group. I would have learned to do life as a blind woman. Would I be constantly pounding on the door of heaven to be healed? No. I'm pretty sure I would not. I would accept my lot in life and figure, "This is how it is. I'll just have to make the best of it." But here is a man who seeks after Jesus to have his reality CHANGED. Matthew 7:7 tells us to keep on asking what we're asking for. Don't give up! Even in this same chapter of Luke Jesus shares the story of the persistent widow. Why? To emphasize the importance of persistence in prayer! Justice will be given to His chosen ones who plead with Him day and night. Now I am sure that I can rile up people by what I've said just now--because we should make the most of our current situation and we should avoid bitterness...but how do we fit that with this man's refusal to accept his blindness as forever?

The second thing I have pondered is the fact that the blind man clearly identified what he wanted. "Lord, I want to SEE." He didn't hem haw around. He was serious and straight to the point. I have echoed this man's prayer often in my life. But I'm not blind, right? Hmmm. I daresay I am though. I have eyes that show me my physical surroundings, but so often are blind to the spiritual realities that co-exist. I love the Old Testament story of the battle where God reveals all the heavenly fighters up on the hillside! If only we could SEE!!

So often I only look at my circumstances and ignore that there might be another perspective on them. My selfish perspective causes me to give way to my fears, doubts and worries. When I hear the Lord ask me, "Amy, what is it you want me to do for you?" I am careful to imitate this beggar's prayer: "Lord, I want to see." Rather than, "Well, God, could you please fix this problem for me...."  I ask to see. Gaining God's perspective on my life is often what I need far more than the actual thing fixed. Why? Because the next time something comes up (it will you know!) I want to still have my heavenly perspective in place to deal with it all. If I merely ask for a problem to be fixed, then I am no further ahead in my character.

Let's choose to SEE. Ask Him. The view might be overwhelming, but we'll for sure join the blind beggar: "Instantly the man could see and he followed Jesus praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too." Luke 18:43

It's worth it all...

At the end of it all: the endless essays, the fingerprinting, the paper chase and all the fundraising...this is what it is all for. It is such a great reminder to me that the children are God's children and they wait to have their Momma and Daddy come and hold them for the first time and take them home. It's worth it all....it's worth it all.

The Popcorn Analogy

We are a popcorn loving family. At least once or twice a week, we make it and devour bowls as we spend time talking and laughing together. We have our pretty red popcorn bowl that we regularly use and Brian even mentioned that one day, they will all want the popcorn bowl!

Last week, the final week of 2010, I was stressed. It is a normally difficult time for me anyway with the anniversary of our sweet boy Oskar's birthday. There were other deep stresses on us as well, and they left me sleeping poorly, run down and generally feeling depressed. I tend to be an optimist so when I was down it was extra difficult because my family counts on my buoyancy.

I could tell I was stressed because while I was sleeping and actually dreaming of our adoption (and it had all gone wrong!) I woke up to myself saying with great horror, "Oh no!!! I printed at 72 dpi!!!" (Never mind what this means, but in photography world, this is trouble!) I had no conscious level of thought regarding our photography jobs, but apparently it was going on in my head somewhere. I fell back asleep after getting up and attempting to remedy the situation and later woke up with a popcorn analogy in my head. I thought I would share it with you.

When you buy popcorn kernels, you expect them to pop. No one would dream of eating them in their unpopped state.

No, we want them in their delicious white puffy state! But the Lord spoke to me a truth right there as I lay in my bed: what is required for the kernels to reach their potential? Intense heat!!! It is with the pressure of heat that the kernels finally explode into their beautiful, fluffy, tasty state that we know and love. Hmmm.

I got up the next day and took my children to the stove. We made popcorn in a glass-covered pan so we could actually watch the steam build up inside. Finally the heat and steam gave way to the delightful sound of pop pop popcorn! Before I even made the analogy for them, Jensi jumped in with her eyes lit up! "Oh!! I get it Mommy!! We have to be heated up in life so that we can pop and do our best for God!" In the words of a child, that's just it, isn't it?

We all face trials in this world. It's actually a promise we get from our Savior. (But you'll be hard pressed to find it in a cute little promise book!)  "In this world you will have trouble," Jesus said. "But take heart! I have overcome the world!!" John 16:33  So this silly popcorn analogy will apply to us all. You and I require intense situations for our potential to burst forth. But let's take another look into the bottom of the popcorn bowl:

Do you see what I see? There are some that remain hard and unpopped. {hard hearts} There are some that are partially cracked and some that have a tiny bit of white emerging. {1/2 hearted Christians} But I want to be fully popped, white, fluffy...a tasty mouthful to my Creator. I want to allow the heat of my trial to fully pop me! (Far be it from me to want to break anyone's teeth!) I want the aroma of my life to give off Christ Jesus to the world: For we are the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and to those who are perishing. II Corinthians 2:15  The heat is going to come...how will I pop?

The Year of Adoption...and FUNdraising!!

Happy New Year!!  It is 2011 and what joy fills my heart as I anticipate all that God will do this year! None of us can know what lies ahead, but sometimes we get a glimmer! I am filled with excitement and great anticipation at the miracles God will do this year. :)

This morning we sat down with all our adoption information and wrote out a plan that takes us from where we are in our adoption process (waiting on the home study to be completed) to the very end of finalizing our adoption 6 months after we bring our precious ones home from Uganda. We made careful notes of how much money will be required and at which points along the way things need to be paid. Then we sat back with a huge sigh. WOW! This is definitely something that is WAY WAY bigger than we are!

You can see over on the right, I have included a new widget on our blog to reflect our funds that we will need in order to bring our two children home from the orphanage in Kampala. And yes, that really says $40,000!! I was amazed that it will require this much, but by the time we added up all the needed paperwork, lawyers, court fees, visas, passports, plane tickets and on and on...that was the number we reached! There is a US adoption credit that will become very important to us, but it is not given until after our children are officially adopted. The program in Uganda is such that we will get full custody of the children in Uganda and then come home and proceed as if it were a domestic adoption. In Ohio, that means an additional 6 months of home study visits and a final lawyer and court visit to complete the process. That said, the tax credit will not come to us until well after we have needed the money. We hope to take advantage of no interest loans that are available to families who are adopting, but we do not have any guarantees.

Now this is gonna get fun!! What? Fundraising is fun? Sure! (Why not? I see the word "fun" in there, don't you?)  ;)  Just today I was contacted by a friend of mine who offered to help out with our fundraising! She is a rep for a neat little online boutique called Thirty-one. She has set up a Shaw family adoption fundraiser that begins TODAY! :) Here is a link to enter the fundraiser and SHOP!  Purchases can be made toward our adoption until January 23rd. Your ordered items will ship about 3 weeks after that. There are some fun thermal bags on special this month (my girls excitedly pointed out the patterns their friends have for their lunch bags at school!) that would be fun gifts for Valentine's Day or Mother's day or even teacher gifts. There are many more fun products available beyond bags...here is a link to the general catalog. Just enjoy looking around and know that you can shop till your heart's content and know that it is going toward reducing the orphan population by TWO!! YAY!!!