Toby Time!!!!

Snapped some cutie patootie pics of the Tobster in the hotel this afternoon and wanted to show him off!

If you are interested in his state of AMC, take a look at his wrists, elbows especially the degrees he can bend passively! We are SOOOO encouraged by these!

You may not be an avid student of my children...but that swing jaw is just so stinkin' Shaw!!!!

Here come pictures...

Announcing Toby!!!

Introducing...

Tobyn BaoKun Shaw

Tobyn means "God is good"

BaoKun means "Precious treasure"

Shaw means FAMILY!!!!

Born August 13, 2010

Adopted for life March 19, 2013.

Welcome to the family, little precious treasure!! You bring us soooooo much joy!!!

Gotcha Day and Adoption Day Images

We want to share a few pictures from our 2 amazing days...

Gotcha day and Adoption day!

We have some technical limitations from here so I will have to simply add them to the end of this post...but suffice it to say it was an AWESOME and INCREDIBLE experience.

We did not know what to expect when we met him.

We had heard the best and the worst stories.

We knew that we would be in a room with TWENTY EIGHT other families meeting their children! And just as suspected...

It was stuffy,

hot

and the emotion was palpable in the air.

It was very noisy...some children were all out screaming as they were handed over to their new parents. All of us understood.

What was happening for each child was the same: EVERYTHING they ever knew was changing.

Caregivers.

Environment.

Language.

Food.

Even their very names.

It would be a lot for any adult to deal with...but they are all children aged 14 and under!!!!

Our little Tobyn BaoKun came out with his nanny, walking on his own.

I could try to describe that moment, but i'll never do it justice. (You'll just have to do it yourself one day to REALLY know that excitement/ joy/concern/love that fills that moment!!)

He just stood there for a moment...

looking at the face of his new mommy.

It must have been too much, because he looked away.

I held out my arms. He stood looking at me and then away again.

Finally, I made the move.

I picked him up, knowing he could scream and throw himself backwards. (Nope, it ain't my first rodeo!)

He didn't scream.

He smiled.

No camera caught it because he was turned the other way,

but my heart did.

I carried him over to where our things were and the nannies and orphanage director joined us.

We oogled over him and he sat silently, wide eyed at all the commotion.

At some point we began asking the list of questions we had prepared ahead of time.

We were being given a little person and knew NOTHING about his diet, routine, likes/dislikes or what helps him feel safe when frightened.

We began a hunt for these answers as it was all beginning to sink in: these dear souls had loved on Toby since birth and were now trusting US to take over.

WOW!!!

Things felt a lot like when you inform a babysitter how to do their job.

Except we were not babysitters.

We were soon-to-be parents.

China allows you this 24 hour period to just be sure you want to go through with your intended adoption.

Wow. (Again.)

How can I capture all these emotions for you??!?

I cannot.

Maybe you understand why I simply could not sleep for days!!

We returned the next day to officially adopt this little delight. It involved several stops in different government offices, signing and answering questions.

And confirming we did not want to, "change the baby."
(I think they could work on improving that translation!)

Then, a few more red stamps and we had done it: added one more precious child to our little clan.

What a blessing. Oh, I simply cannot find the words to express HOW amazing it all is!!!

Later, after we returned from adopting him, I spent two hours alone with him.

I was just DESPERATE to get away from all the noise--and just love on and be with him.

Oh, what wonderful hours they were!

I watched him play with stacking cups and with Toby Bear. (The very special bear I saw way high on a Hilton Head Island toy store shelf and heard a voice say, "That one, over there," and when I got him down I saw his tag said, "Toby!!!!!")

THe boy amazed me.

Although his AMC (special need) is new to me, it is NOT new to him. He has learned ways to compensate for not having bendable elbows and it is very impressive!

A small yogurt melt I had put into his hand was dropped into my flat palm and he dove down and gobbled it up with his mouth.

An itch on his face was scratched with a toy, brought up to his forehead...with his foot!

He giggled as he showed off how he could raise the toy up to his head.

When he needs to move multiple things to a new spot, he uses his feet almost like hands--quickly and pinches with his toes.

Nope, ain't his first rodeo either!!

He began to smile...and then giggle.

Last night we had an all out gigglefest!

I was so curious to see if he would be stoic and silent all over again today, but he WASN'T!

He sang during breakfast, tried any new food we offered him and flashed that melt-your-heart smile that he is going to be known for.

YESSSSSSS!!!!!

Today he began imitating things we say. He especially likes to imitate what his big sisters say. The boy is going to be speaking English by next week!

Tonight, after flashing his "Baba" (Daddy) another melting smile, I could not help thinking back to the time we had to decide: would we say YES or NO? Would we actually say yes to adopting a special needs child?

My heart told me we MUST. My fears told me I might not be enough, I was too busy already, I was not patient enough and we would never get all the money to do a Chinese adoption.

What a wonderful thing that we did not look at our abilities/inabilities but at the Mighty God who called us to Toby.

HE IS ALL WE NEED.

Shortly after saying YES, the Lord gave me this verse for his adoption and parenting: "May He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him." Hebrews 13:21

Amen!!!

Gotcha,Toby! (And middle of the night musings)

It is silent. Dark. I hear the sound of even breathing. I clear my throat hoping desperately not to disturb the sweet slumber of those so precious to me.

How in the world am I ever going to sleep?!?! This new child of mine doesn't need nursed through the night as the bio ones did...but their momma still loses sleep. Why????

Cause it turns out its dreadfully hard to sleep while your heart is bursting at the seams with joy!!!!

This child we will officially adopt in a matter of hours was once a "waiting child."

He was unchosen.

Unwanted.

He sat on the Shared List month after endless month since he was just 3 or 4 months old. (The Shared List is China's central listing place for children with mild to severe special needs. All agencies that work in China draw from it.)

And no one came forward for him.

Many people advocated for him.

Many people clicked on his picture.

But for one reason or another, he still waited.

Turns out, he was ours.

{smile.}

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but since God has moved so mightily, I've got something to say and I do hope you will stick around to hear it.

Toby has Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Geesh that sounds scary, but guess what? Underneath that long name, he is just a boy who needs a family.

Just a boy who needs a family.

This time, WE were that family.

And ohhhhhh...if you could have seen him throw his head back and giggle tonight, you would NOT SAY to me, "Oh he is SO LUCKY."

You would say, "Wow, your family is SOOO LUCKY to be chosen to have him!!!!"

(Then I'd say that luck has nothing to do with it. That God alone did this uniting!!)

Let me tell you something.

There are millions more orphans waiting.

MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS.

It is true that not all are eligible for adoption, but many are.

Many, many, many wait.

Who do they wait for?

A Super Family "who can" to come along and say, "I'll save you from that fate!" ?!?!?!?

No. Definitely no.

Such people should shake in their shoes, for they CANNOT save. They cannot rescue.

They can only obey.

Adoption is not about people saving people.

Adoption is obedience.

(No, I do not think we ALL are to adopt. But we are All to have a part in caring for orphans. ESPECIALLY if you say you follow Jesus. You are commanded in Scripture to play some role in caring for the fatherless.)

Adoption is not showing off a calling.

Adoption is not done for oneself.

Adoption is hard, painful and messy. Just ask any adoptee who has or is growing up. The holes in their life story, the ache to know "what if" things had been another way...it is a part of their very fabric. A tension that never leaves.

Adoption is obedience to the Father who did not reject us because of our sin, but gave His only Son up to death so we could be forgiven and then ADOPTED as sons and daughters ourselves...completely made new. Completely clean. No history of our past sins tacked on to us like a tattered, dirty orphanage blanket--COMPLETELY FORGIVEN.

We adopt not because we are amazing, but because HE IS.

Reality is, we are weak. We are selfish. We want comfort, luxury and we want to self indulge. We are completely unfit for this calling.

And that is where the secret lies: when we say "Yes," to God when He asks us to adopt, we acknowledge a call to a lifelong, daily, blow-by-blow dependence upon Him.

A super natural strength is required.

But WE do not have to supply it. We merely have to get ourselves out of the way to channel it.

Jesus calls it "dying to ourselves,", "picking up our cross and following Him,"..."suffering for His sake."

Not our favorite verses, are they?

But something happens to us when we donwhat is counter intuitive. When we obey instead of indulge.

When we say we will trust Him for the "hows" and not even TRY to figure it out ahead of time.

We find joy.

Invigorating joy.

We learn to walk emptied of self (although the struggle daily remains to serve self!) and are given abundance.

We live with purpose. Meaning.

Did I mention joy??!?

We found our Toby because two women, Sarah and Kelly, partnered together to tell his story and do what the Bible tells us to: speak up for those who have no voice.

Toby had NO MEANS of telling us, waaaay over lost in our lives in America, that he needed a family. He had no method to do this. No concept of his need even!

But Sarah and Kelly did.

They didn't adopt Toby, but they advocated on blogs, told his story and therefore played a VERY CRITICAL role in him being adopted.

Many, many MANY of you gave us money to come here and bring him home. You did not adopt him. But you played another VERY CRITICAL role in him being adopted.

And I have no measure of those of you who prayed for Toby while he was referred to as "Bo" on different sites and those of you who prayed for him after we recognized God calling us to him...but you played a VERY CRITICAL role in him being adopted.

This was a huge group effort! I believe all adoptions are.

Are you feeling a tug on your heart? An ache to do something more for orphans?

Don't shush that voice.

Listen.

Obey.

The road is not marked out with nothing but roses anymore than life as a Christ follower is, but there are some very real promises that ARE given.

What is impossible for man, is possible with God.

You will be given abundant life.

Your fruit will always be in season because your strength does not come from your circumstances but from Whom you draw your strength.

My goal in this post is not for you to adopt.

My goal is not for you to become a foster family.

My goal is not that you will finance adoptions, advocate for orphans or anything other than to LISTEN TO GOD'S CALL TO YOU, SPECIFICALLY.

If you do the latter, you may well do (many of) the former. You may do something completely different in regards to orphan care.

But the point is you will no longer sit along the sides and NOT be part of it.

Seriously?? Listen to me: You WANT a piece of what God is doing. You want to obey His plan for your life.

You want meaning, purpose and fulfillment.

Living for yourself gets old and stale. An insatiable hunger that is never satisfied. Stop it.

My life is über blessed because of this little orphan sleeping in the crib at the foot of my bed. Tomorrow he will go from orphan to son. My blessing will only swell.

Is the road ahead smooth? Easy? Fun?

Most likely no.

But i never ever want to even think of what it might be like had we not said "yes."

Isn't it time for YOU to say yes too?

(Disclaimer: this post is a stream of consciousness from a 3 am writing on an iPad that has given me fits. I'm not proofreading for fear of losing it all...so i am sure there are mistakes and run on sentences and the like. I apologize for those now but hope at the end of it all you will be moved to ACTION on behalf of the orphan rather than picking and chewing this messenger apart!!)

A Day in Hong Kong

We are fully alive and well on this side of the globe! Jetlag is a doozey, but not unmanageable. I doubt I'll be saying that on the way home! Going the other direction is notorious for taking a good two weeks to switch the body back!

We had to fly in on Thursday/Friday due to the best rates...which gave us the entire day on Saturday to sightsee around Hong Kong. Can you guess where our girls wanted to go??

Did you say Disneyland??? Or did you say, "Huh? There's a Hong Kong Disney!?!"

YES!! And what a most perfect and wonderful day we had there!!!!

In order to get ourselves there, we chose the adventure of the subway! We had to change trains 3 times, but it really was so simple. A great system to get around...and make friends!

And that is exactly what we did when a bouncing boy of four years old and his jubilant mother came into our cab other second train. They were meant to be our friends and we delighted in their company immediately! Ever meet someone and you realize your happy factor just shot thru the roof because of being with them? Within 3 minutes we were all bursting at the seems with laughter and love for these two!

They seemed to love us back too, evem the sweet mom, Sunni, asked if we would give her Chinese son an American name! Jensi immediately named him Will. Sunni beamed. Then tried hard to learn to pronounce it. They a visiting from Shanghai and had very understandable Mandarin. Although it was killing the girls to not be able to understand adorable Will's questions!!

We've Made It to Asia!!!

We are here!!!!

After a successful flight across half the world that felt like forever...we got thru customs finding all our luggage and found a sweet taxi driver whom took us to our hotel.

Great sleep after the plane--although our bodies woke up starting at 1 am! Feels like we had to wait forever for Starbucks to open at 7:30!!!

No pictures available from this device...but have uploaded several to Instagram (grainofwheat is my username) and Facebook and Twitter!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has joined Toby's story to help him come home!!

Love to all!!

Last Night as the 7 of Us

And so...we are here...the final night at home as a family of 7.

We had a wonderful meal together (thanks KM for dinner!) and discussed how differently things will be the next time we sit together at our dining room table.

We checked, weighed and repacked a bag...or two.

We even upsized a suitcase.

(there's always one more thing to add!)

We brushed the Littles' teeth a final time realizing it was the last time they would be known as that to us.

And we gathered for a family prayer time.

I got teary.

Different people prayed for different things...

*safe flights

*health while we are apart

*our Chinese friend and her brand new baby

*Zeb's cow (from a visit to Chick-fil-A he can't seem to stop praying for a cow costume!)

*that Toby would have arms and legs

...and for Zora (amazing wonder dog) who was staying home alone. (not really)

(Okay, yes, all ages pray here...and we've taught them they can pray for whatever is on their hearts.)

DQ prayed that Toby would be able to eat himself. I think she meant eat BY himself. (locked arms means he can't get his hands to his lips!)

Giggles began.

And Anneli has this giggle that is CON-TA-GIOUS.

It's SO GOOD to be together.

I'm going to desperately miss US together.

But we all know this is what God has called us to...

and we will come back together again

BIGGER

and

even more blessed than before!!

Here we go!!

Moyer Family Update

Oh my dear friends...

WE MUST KEEP PRAYING.

My friend Jenny has shared with me that things are NOT going smoothly in their efforts to get Vitaliy out of Russia and into their family.

More than likely, he has been transferred to a very ugly, frightening place. They do know that he was NOT admitted to the monastery where they hoped he would be able to go. :(

They are NOT giving up, but their options are incredibly limited. Their most recent attempt to bring him home was met with a big fat NO.

How would this affect you? I'd be incredibly crushed.

On top of this, their domestically adopted daughter has a half sibling who was about to be born. They were asked to adopt him.

They rejoiced with this news!!

They named him Solomon Robert.

His nursery is ready.

And then...birthmom changed her mind.

Double whammy.

Can you believe it????

Neither can I.

We must keep praying, sweet friends. We cannot let up. This family is under fire. They have their hearts open to children who are in need of a family both domestically and internationally. They have not said no to special needs. They are denying themselves and following Jesus.

And it's gotten messy.

And their hearts are broken and achy.

Jenny said, "I feel depressed, but functional. I am so grateful for the 3 kids here to keep me going."

Please, please keep praying.

She also said like the warrior she is, "Faithwise, I am not shaken. For the first time I'm asking God why but I still know this is for our good and His glory. I just don't see it. It's so dark."

They also have maintained a commitment to continue going to Russia to visit Vitaliy until it is no longer possible.

Will you take on this family to pray for them? My heart screams that we need more prayer warriors on their behalf!!

Maybe you would be willing to send a message or prayer of encouragement to them? You can contact me on Facebook to do this or leave a comment here.

Travel Approval!!!

It's the loooong awaited (most painful) travel approval!!!

In other words: MY WATER JUST BROKE!!!!

Instead of packing bags and running to the hospital...

                         ...we are packing bags and buying flights and going to CHINA!!!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!

March Means Much!

There are so many exciting things happening in my life this March!

The BIGGEST of which is adding to our family!! Sweet Toby is going to be adopted in just 25 days! (or LESS if our Travel Approval shows up quickly!!!!)

Other awesome things happening is a sweet friend's 40th birthday, my daughter becomes a teenager this month...and another daughter turns 11.

But I want to talk about something ELSE that happens this month.

I'm celebrating 5 full years of being a Beachbody coach.

Huh? Yep. This actually is a big deal.

I'm a Beachbody coach. Hopefully this is not new information to you...but if so, let me tell you briefly about my story.

I was a regular mom who was trying to lose weight after having kids. But I loved love cookie dough and ice cream and had no understanding of how to exercise. I knew I should be exercising...but every time I attempted to go for a run I was a failure.

Spring 2007

A big, fat failure.

I had a lovely collection of exercise DVD's (and VHS tapes!) and would have streaks where I would use them for a few weeks at a time. But really, I had no idea what I was doing.

What I was doing was having more babies and getting bigger.

Inwardly, I had actually resigned to living my life feeling fat and sludgy. (There was no chance of anything else...right?)

And then...I found Beachbody.

Seriously, it was actually like that! I had a friend tell me about Power 90 and how it was working for her and had heard about another program they had made called Slim in 6. I found out it was $60 and decided I had enough workout videos, what would another one really benefit me? So I forgot about it.

Then one day in June, I went to a garage sale.

There sat Slim in 6. It was marked $3.

I shot up a silent prayer, "Lord, if you'll let me get that $60 program for $3...then I will DO it!" I made my way over to the table to grab it and someone stepped between it and me...and...

...she passed it up! I grabbed it and bought it and made my silent pledge.

This was 2007, shortly after we had buried our son Oskar. I had fed my pain with bread and butter and was not proud of the way I looked.

AT. ALL.

So here I was, each day doing this (incredibly boring!) workout program. I had pledged to do it for the entire time...and that meant SIX DAYS a week for SIX ENTIRE WEEKS! Yes, it about killed me from boredom. (Please don't tell dear sweet Debbie S*ebers I said this about her first program...but maybe she already knows?!???) ANYWAY, I found Beachbody online and joined the community. I found other women who were doing this program too and we collectively supported each other, whined about our sore thighs and got the idea to put our own soundtrack in to make the time go faster.

In short: I got hooked onto the Beachbody community.

One of the things that stood out that made this whole thing different was that the Beachbody program came with a plan. A calendar. A "do this workout, then do this workout...now a day of rest and get back at it and do this workout." 

You see, up until then, I just willy-nilly did workouts as I felt like it.

I would wake up and if I thought about exercise I would stand and stare at my collection and choose one at random.

And often, I chose the easier ones.

And guess what?

I.GOT.NOWHERE.

So by week 4 of doing Slim in 6, I was actually seeing REAL CHANGE in my body! I was completely amazed. Nothing I had ever done had made these kinds of changes!

I quickly realized I was going to need something NEW to do by the time week 6 arrived!

And we all knew I was DONE with D*bbie! (Seriously, I love her...but that workout was blech!)

I found a Beachbody coach online in this community and I asked her for help.

She was so kind and helped me understand about the different trainers and their different specialities and what might be a good next choice for me.

I without hesitation went and spent the money to have a new program to begin when I finished the first!
(What a different take I had now on spending money for GOOD QUALITY exercise videos!)

Fast forward a year...and that same beloved Beachbody coach shared with me that I could become a coach too. I could find additional encouragement, accountability and earn an income while doing it for myself.

Hmmm.

I was totally skeptical.

Totally.

But then, my Dad explained to me that there really was some good promise in this. He gave me some advice, "If you are going to do it, do it for the long haul. Don't just try it for 6 months and dump it. Hang in there. It will pay off."

Good words.

(My Dad is full of great advice, it turns out! How blessed am I???) Love you, Dad. :)

And so, in March of 2008, I signed up to become a Beachbody coach.

Truly I think I did this for two main reasons: I wanted the 25% discount for my own purchases...and I loved Traci Morrow my coach and wanted to be like her.

Turns out, those were pretty decent reasons.

Traci is now one of my dearest friends...and I've become one of her star diamond coaches on her team. My own team is an awesome collection of the COOLEST people and we all take our training from Traci herself.

Wow--you may not understand how AMAZING this is...but trust me, it's AWESOME!

So...it's been 5 years and I will never look back. I will never need a gym membership and I will continue to use program after program to challenge my body in greater and greater fitness.

Playing WITH my kids, summer 2012

I actually have learned to LOVE exercise and the way it makes me feel when I am done! :) I love the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight, dealing with stress better, having strength ready to go for whatever task I may find and being able to run and play with our kids. (Not merely watching from the sidelines!)

It's a great life.

And then there's that income thing. What a fabulous side benefit! I'm super excited about this part!

Braces, clothing, groceries...covering all our own Shakeology purchases, supplements, new programs, and supporting precious dear Afiswa in Uganda are some of the perks we enjoy.

So...today marks 5 full years of doing this...and there's no sign of me letting up!

Want to find out what program might be a fit for you? Go here to browse and then here to contact me and have me help you!

You never know where YOU may be 5 years from now! 

A MONUMENTAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's time for a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready!?!?!?!?!

(drum roll please...)

We are FULLY FUNDED for Toby's adoption!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES!!!! IT IS TRUE!!!!

Our amazing and incredible God brought in $32,000 in just 9 months time to fund the adoption that was HIS IDEA in the first place!!!
HALLELUJAH!!!!

But...

there's more!

WHAT?!?!?!

Did we get Travel Approval? 

Nope.

Listen to this amazing story:

My crazy awesome friend Chasity Cole is also adopting. We adopted in Uganda together back in the summer of 2011. She called me last week to let me know that God had performed a miracle and they were fully funded.

She wanted to help me with funding.

So she invented and pulled off a MOST AMAZING auction. (see previous post!!)

Then, today Tuesday February 26, 2013 God brought the rest of our necessary money in and we now share the status, "Fully funded."

I have a sweet friend, Angie Rylands, who is also adopting as well. (go figure!) This family is adopting TWO children at once from China. (VERY EXPENSIVE!) The two children are older boys...the ones who often get overlooked. A 9 year old boy and a boy who is about to age out (almost turning 14.)

Side note: In China, children are allowed to live in orphanages until they are 14. Upon their 14th birthday they are moved along in life. They are put out on to the streets. If they have any kind of special need, this is a death wish. Sexual slavery, drugs, street life awaits. 15% commit suicide. Most have no education or job skills. At age FOURTEEN. This is a desperate situation.

So, anyway...back to the Rylands...they have been raising a CRAZY amount of money to go and bring these boys home. I often thought, "wow, glad that's not MY amount..." And today...they saw God move mountains as well...

...their number went from $30,000 left on December 1st to $17,000 on January 1st to $12,900 on February 1st...and yesterday their need was $7,778 And today...with our full funding we were blessed to be part of polishing off their need and now they join us as:

FULLY FUNDED!!!!

And this leads us to another family, the Smiths, who are in dire need of funds. They were in China last August adopting and fell in love with this sweet girl who is deaf: 

Guan Ya

They knew that God had her for their family and they worked their tails off to return to China to bring her home. One problem...she ages out on March 8th!! They leave in THREE DAYS to go bring her home before she ages out...so Angie and I thought we would help THEM raise their final funds!! 

God has blessed each of us: Chasity, us, the Rylands...now it's time to bless the Smiths!!

But wait!!!

SCREEECH!!!

They are now only $200 odd dollars away from ALSO BEING FULLY FUNDED!!!!!

So I was telling Niki, "We are going to blow that outta the park!" And she said, "Nope! Got someone on it! Go find someone else!!"

HA!!! LOVE IT!!

So...we now issue out a challenge from ALL of us:

CHASITY, ANGIE, NIKI and MYSELF:

We want you to help us get Jennifer's daughter home!!!

Jennifer has traveled to China multiple times and has ministered to many orphans over her trips. There is one orphanage especially founded for children with Brittle Bone Disease. There is one very special child who has captured Jennifer's heart in a way unlike any other orphan ever has. 

Jesus whispered, "She is yours."

So along with some red tape that none of us can do anything about...Jennifer needs funding to be able to travel to get this sweet child and attend to her medical and spiritual needs.

Now one of the most AMAZING things is that Jennifer is the CEO of the non-profit ministry Into the Field that exists to serve as servants around the corner and around the world. A huge passion is loving orphans home. Once Jennifer's adoption is FULLY FUNDED then monies will be available for other adoptive families in grants! In other words: IT KEEPS ON GIVING!!! TOO COOL!!

So go here and keep the momentum rolling! Donate to her Razoo link on the sidebar! $15,000 is the number to hit! Ready...set...GO!!!

Join with us as we link arms as a body of Christ to help MORE ORPHANS HOME!!! LINK UP!!

(And please pray for each of our families as we go through the amazing process of adding a children into our families! This is delicate heart work and we need TONS of grace, patience and wisdom from God Himself!!)

A HUGE AUCTION THANK YOU!!!!

What an AMAZING AUCTION we had!!!

I hope you had a chance to look around, bid and delight in all the amazing offerings that were part of the donations. I was truly speechless as I saw all the amazing things that people donated.

I would like to THANK the following amazing people and businesses who helped Toby come home:

Mary Kay products from Tori Tinch www.marykay.com/vtinch

Hair bows Chasity Cole www.etsy.com/shop/AllThingsHis

"Got Love" bag Minus 1 Project www.minus1project.blogspot.com

Jennifer Hunt for the Bundles of Bows (sorry, no website)

Awesome clothing and gift certificate Emmy with Vintage Couture at www.vintagecoutureinc.net/emmy

Fabulous Thirty-one bags from Christy Hill at www.mythirtyone.com/CWHill

Helen Lewis collectible cars (sorry, no website)

Handmade necklace from Heather Hansen at www.etsy.com/shop/thehansenfamily

Metal Africa shapes with hearts cut out from Erika and Nate Johnson (sorry, no website)

Leather cuff from Debbie at www.etsy.com/shop/Dentit

Scarves by April Wade with Created New at www.etsy.com/shop/AprilWade

Unique printables by Mandie Joy at www.etsy.com/shop/echoesofmercy

Mother's necklace from Dawn with Funky Fish at www.funkyfishdesigns.com

Ezra necklace from Megan at www.etsy.com/shop/LifeStitchedTogether

Jewelry from Ashlee at www.fivelittlecranes.com

Shirt and blanket from Mary at www.etsy.com/shop/mybabystarfish

Melissa at www.mercyformamas.com

Adoption canvas from Laura at Glory Haus at www.gloryhaus.cameoez.com

Poetic Posies at www.facebook.com/PoeticPosies

Lotion from Chrissy at www.lovemybabycakes.com

Squeaky shoes from Connie Johnson at www.k6comehome.blogspot.com

Please VISIT their sites and patronize their amazing businesses!!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! (and the ones who wouldn't let me thank them publicly!!)

We earned well over $1275 in the bids!! Thank you for your generous donations all you who won and gave over and above!

God is good!! And Toby is coming home!!!!!! :) :) :)

Lifesong Blogging Update #1

So...I've become a Lifesong for Orphans blogger! Basically, I'm going to use my blog occasionally to pass along updates from Lifesong in their efforts to fulfill James 1:27's command to care for orphans. I am so happy to be able to use this platform to speak up for the fatherless!!

Faith. Family. Home. In caring for orphans, our hope is to instill faith, family and a sense of home deep into the hearts of every child we are blessed to serve. Please enjoy this month's Mission Moment highlighting the fruit of God's work through us.

Baptized in the Name of the ONE True God...

In a country where the worship of many gods is commonplace, lives of children are being changed and transformed by the working of Jesus Christ, the ONE true God. Lifesong India provides homes for almost 600 children who are all being exposed to the gospel of our loving, merciful and kind Father God.
Baptism has always been a powerful symbol of Christianity. This symbol is especially notable in this culture because through this outward testimony of faith, children are publicly turning away from false gods to rely only on Jesus! Witness the baptism of the girls from one of our homes below. Learn more about Lifesong India >>

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38 

Building Children's Home in Guatemala

It's exciting to see the progress of our new orphan care initiative in Guatemala. Construction has started on the family homes that will one day invite orphans with special needs into their doors to give faith, family and a future to children in need. Thanks to many of you for your support in this exciting new project!

Please continue to pray for safety and wisdom as construction continues. Learn more about Lifesong Guatemala: Village of Hope >>

Read more about Faith, Family & Home...

Orphans in Ukraine Find Forever Families -- Through Adoption with Borders, like-minded families and churches in the USA connect with Christian families in Ukraine who are seeking to adopt.  Read Full Story

Planting Spiritual Seeds in Liberia -- Our aim is to help children develop a personal relationship with the Lord and to keep that relationship growing.  Read Full Story

Mehesh, A Life Changed -- "I don't want to think about what my life would be like if I didn't have the opportunity to live at that home (Chitty Memorial Home in Lifesong India)..." Read full story

An AUCTION!!! For Toby!

I have THE SWEETEST FRIENDS EVER.

Like EVER.

Friends who are also in the middle of their own adoption process...

who have become fully funded...

and have said, "I want to help you!"

So this is what they have done...rallied together and gathered items for an auction!! Special thanks to the mastermind behind it all, Chasity!!! And thanks to EVERYONE who has donated items! :)

ONLINE AUCTION EVERYONE!!!

Woot woot!!!

This lovely auction will begin TOMORROW February 21 and will close Sunday, February 24th at 4 pm CST.

Want a sneak peak?? Auction items can be viewed here!!!

Just got word--SEVEN more items will be listed soon! Yippie!!!

Please...

               SHARE the auction link with your networks

                     PRAY for God's blessing on it

                               and BID on items!!!



Spread the word!!!! You! Go! Share! Now! :) :) :)

Calling all Foster and Adoptive Moms!

Mark your calendars for September 6th-8th!!

This is a retreat for foster and adoptive moms! It is sponsored by the Abba Fund and my friend Shelly Roberts who wrote the wonderful devotional for adoptive moms, 31 Nuggets of Hope!


Held in SW Illinois, it should be a central place for many moms to meet up!

With the cost for the conference only $199 (and that includes lodging!)...the only question is...

...who will I get to room with?!

If you are planning on going, send me a message and maybe we can be roomies! :)

Spread the word!

Registration opens March 15th!

Check out all the retreat details yourself by visiting the Reaching Hearts with Hope Retreat site!

Hope to see you there!

A Time to Rest (or else!)

It seems unlikely that NOW it would be time to rest.

But it is.

I have been burning the candle at BOTH ENDS for quite some time now.

My body demands that I rest.

Unfortunately, I haven't been the best at heeding the warning signs...

...and so I crash and burn.

(In the form of getting sick.)

This time though, it wasn't a quick 24 hour thing. It's been longer.

(Just TRY to keep me down longer!!! GRRRR)

But that's is EXACTLY what God has been doing. Not allowing me to just bounce back.

Each day I wake up thinking, "A shower will make me feel better!"

I get out feeling the same and realize,

"No, no, a shower just makes you WET!"

Now I am indeed making progress each day, but as a busy mom of almost 6, it's not nearly the speedy recovery I am expecting!

It's slow and demands long naps each day. Long hours of sleep at night.

I do think there is a lesson here.

My husband  put words to it today for me: "We all appreciate what you do, but you MUST TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Stop doing the work of three people!"

I live intensely. It's REALLY hard to figure out how to dial it back!

But I'm learning that I. SIMPLY. MUST.

I must build margins around the edges of my life. Plan in pauses. Stop pushing myself so hard.

A time is coming VERY SOON when I will need to be cocooning with a new child and all outside activities will cease. It will be time to hold, cuddle, weep, and simple be Momma.

Breathe.

In...

....Out.

We may leave for China in 3 1/2 weeks. 

There is SO MUCH STRESS associated with that above statement! And yet I must not allow myself to get uptight. I must keep on breathing and take it slowly. I need to pace myself and trust God with the finances that are not yet in.

He's got this.

It's my job to trust Him.

And that's the easy part. He's got the hard part. And He can handle it!

So here I sit less than a month out of meeting my newest son. It appears that although there are many things undone, funds un-raised and empty suitcases...that I've got things the way they need to be.

Praying I can stay this way.

Breathe in.  Breathe out. In. Out. In. Out.

Give 1 Save 1/Happy Chinese New Year!

Yep, it's totally the year of the SNAKE!!!

Happy Chinese New Year! This week EVERYTHING in China is shut down. This is like our American Christmas/New Years holidays. That means everything we are waiting on...is at a halt.

So...what a cool thing to be featured on the Give 1 Save 1 blog this week!

This is a blog run by a sweet woman who has a heart of gold and wants to see orphans come home to their families!

The premise is simple: 
Give $1 and help save a child from a life without a family.

That simple dollar goes not only to help a child home to his or her family, but it also frees up a bed in an orphanage for another child to come in off the streets.

Oh the power of a dollar!!

So this week, CHINESE NEW YEAR WEEK, the blog is featuring our family and all dollars collected will help us finish up the gap to bring Toby home.

We have $6,700 left.

So I have a favor to ask...

...in addition to following the link and reading about us and donating a buck, would you also share this blog post with your networks? Tweet it, blog it, put it on your Facebook...and Instagram it!!

The power of this week can potentially bring $1,000 in!!

BUT ONLY IF WE HAVE HELP SHARING!!!!

Here's what you want to paste places:

http://give1save1asia.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-week-meet-shaws.html

How can I thank you enough???

Maybe sweet pictures of Toby in our arms will do the trick! ;) (soon, so soon!!!)

Blessings, dear ones!!!

Oh, and Chun Jie Kuai Le! (Happy Chinese New Year!!)

Prayer Alarms!

Passing on a little tip I learned from sweet Aunt Mary...

Use your smart phone as a tool to instigate prayer in your heart.

That's right.

Technology goes spiritual!! 



Here's what I did after her inspiration:

I set alarms on my iPhone for each of my children and my man.

Using their birth dates, I turned them into times--for example: Oliver's birthday is October 22nd, so I set an alarm for 10:22 am with the note, "Pray for Oliver" to pop up on my phone. I chose a fun drumming sound.

This alarm will repeat daily, so each day at 10:22 am I will be reminded whatever I am doing to pray for Oliver. Obviously, I can pray whatever comes to my mind at that moment or for whatever activity he is currently doing or...I may go find him on the weekends and just hold him and pray for him.

This little handy idea has me shooting up a prayer for my most important people everyday AT LEAST ONCE.

(They truly deserve hours and hours of daily prayer, but if they want lunch, then we are going to settle for these little dart prayers! And yes, it is TOTALLY my goal to be praying for all needs while I do other tasks too...but reality is that I GET DISTRACTED EASILY and these little alarms are perfect for me!)

I've done this for each of my children (yes! including Toby!) and also my husband.

And I've also taken our anniversary and created a "pray for our marriage" alarm as well. I must say, that I haven't spent concentrated time praying about us like this. And really, those little one minute prayers  can really add up...as well as have an impact on my heart.

How easy is it to have the alarm go off, pray for our marriage, then send off a little text message about how I adore him and can't wait for him to come home?

It's the little things.

And so, I thank dear Aunt Mary for modeling prayer using technology for me!

Who knows? Maybe my sweet friends who read here will do it too! What might happen in our lives and marriages if we add just little prayers each day?

I know I can't wait to see!!

Feet 2 Our Faith--the bracelet!

Wow! What a gift!!

My new friend from Funky Fish Designs has learned about our family and our adoption and just THIS MORNING has created this awesome bracelet to benefit our adoption!!

They are personalized JUST for us!

Feet 2 Our Faith!

Hooray!!!

There are only a PRECIOUS FEW available...so if you want one: JUMP!

Cost is $25 which includes shipping.

Use the Paypal button to the side (where it says, "Pay for Clay Necklaces") and indicate that this is for the Feet bracelet.

Proceeds help bring the Tobster HOME!!!

Beautiful Things--Our Story

This is the video that God showed me in my mind while driving to an appointment earlier this week. "Beautiful Things" by Gungor came on the radio...and I watched the story of my life go by.

I was filled with joy and sheer awe. Tears were in my eyes and my heart was bursting!

Sometimes when you are living in a story, you don't always see the big picture!

God put this video together in my mind...and I came home and created what I saw. Special thanks to Brian Bagley for our airport homecoming footage!

As you see, Toby is patiently waiting for us to come for him. We are in the final weeks preparing to travel to bring him home! We still have $8,500 yet to raise in order to travel.

We have been graciously blessed by our church, Crossroads of Wauseon and Lifesong for Orphans, with a matching grant! Every amount given up to our grant will be DOUBLED! All money after that amount will come 100% to our adoption account payable for our adoption expenses. 

Will you prayerfully consider a gift to help us finish the task of bringing Toby home?

You can easily give online using the link on our sidebar: Lifesong for Orphans. Please follow the instructions below the picture.

However, if you would like to avoid the 1.9-2.9% Paypal service fee please write a check directly to Lifesong for Orphans. Your gift is tax deductible.  In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor's suggested use. 

Mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40

202 N. Ford St.

Gridley, IL 61744

Please write: Preference SHAW 3330 in the memo line.

We are forever grateful for the ways others have helped us fulfill what God has called us to do. In the words of Ashley Moreno,"We have been called to help heal, with God's help, a child who has suffered the profound damage of being unwanted and unloved. We are obediently living out the command given in James 1:27 to care for the orphan, clothing the gospel of Christ's redemption in flesh and blood. We are asking the body of Christ to come alongside us prayerfully and financially...to become part of the miracle of what God is doing!" 

Getting so excited!

Early morning hours I wake and think of Toby. 

I think of the funds we have yet to raise.

I think of to do lists like packing, meals, childcare for the others, itineraries and visas.

And although it was maybe NOT the smartest use of wee-morning-hour-wakings...I made a word cloud!

You can make one of your own on the tagxedo site too! Would love to see what you come up with! :)

...Is it naptime yet?