BLOWN Clear Outta the Watta!

These are the posts a blogger LOVES to write! A post full of PRAISES!!!!

Assuming you read my post from last night, you'll delight in this picture from 10 am this morning:

This was only one of many, many donations for the three babies whose lives hang in the balance. And yes, this really was a donation from one person. (Our amazing doctor and his wife!! Love you guys, T&N!)

With everyone's generous we-love-Ugandan-babies donations, we were able to buy and fill not one but TWO extra footlockers of baby formula!!! I bought all the vitamin drops out of our entire town too! (Any idea how FUN this was for me?!?!?! I was telling everyone I saw--every cashier, every phone call, EVERYONE what God was doing!!!) HEY! We even have the overweight fees covered! ($400!!)

This all came together in less than 24 hours. Seriously.

HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT!!!?!?

Um, ONLY GOD!!!!

Now if you remember, we are not just going to Uganda to feed babies (although I might do that sometime!!) but ALSO to adopt our little Z!!

Do you remember one week ago?

Do you?

I almost don't, because life has been a big whirlwind around here!! I posted actually only SIX days ago about our financial needs that we were facing to be able to attend this crazy God-given courtdate. (Truth be told, I am STILL in shock over that miracle!!! To read about that miracle, click here!) I talked about stepping into the water and watching God part it AFTER we step out.

I admit it, that post was motivated from a place of fear in my heart.

But fear is an interesting thing. You can have fear but still move forward. As you move forward, your fear lessens as God proves Himself to you. (Sadly, we humans want this over and over again--which is why God wants us to REMEMBER and TELL OTHERS about the miracles He performs! He wants us to TRUST HIM MORE NEXT TIME!!!)

So we stepped. And you guessed it, He parted the waters.

Our ugly giant with hair growing out of the mole on his chin...you remember him? The pricetag on his hat read $6,000. Remember?

Guess what? In 6 days time...

God has brought in a total of $6,381.13.

Wha...??????? YES!!! NOT LYING!!!!

So, as if we don't have enough things to do...we are working on this:

And we are diligently recording your names on the back...so it looks something like this:

It's a pretty cool thing.

YOU are a pretty cool thing. We are adopting a precious child from Uganda by your support, love, prayers and giving. It's truly amazing. God is doing this, we know. But YOU are responding. You are not hardening your hearts. You are choosing to act. You are not saying, "someone else will do it," but you are actively jumping into our story.

We cannot thank you enough.

And soon, I'll have tangible evidence of what all this has been for. Stay tuned!!! :)

Until then, just party on in rejoicing over God's miracles! And I'd be curious, how does our story impact you? I know I am encouraged by the stories I read on blogs of God's faithfulness! All these stories weave a stronger and stronger faith in us and we have more guts to step out in faith in what He's asking us personally to do. I'd love it if you'd leave a comment and share with us how God's faithfulness here is encouraging you there.

Let me leave you with a favorite verse of mine:

The One who calls you is faithful

       And He will do it.

                                                              1 Thessalonians 5:24

The 11th hour--Saving babies' lives!

I'm not sure it could get any better than right now. (But it will--when we walk into that orphanage and finally meet our Z!) It's the 11th hour...we find out about an URGENT need to provide 3 babies living in a remote village in Uganda with what is for them LIFESAVING formula and vitamin drops.

Why do I say lifesaving? Because two of these babies are twins, abandoned in a trash pit when they were first born. Mama has passed away. They have no way to live without formula.

The 3rd baby was just born today. Her mama is HIV+ but not on the necessary ARV's (drug therapy) to keep the virus from developing into AIDS. Her newborn was hungry. She was told to hold on while someone ran for formula...but when he returned, the mother had already begun breastfeeding. (How HARD would that be? As a brand new mother ALL you want to do is love and care for your sweet child...to hold her new daughter close and NOT nurse? OH! I don't think I could have held off either...) But that nursing meant that she just infected her newborn baby with the HIV virus. 

We were devastated. But...then came good news! They were able to give the newborn a shot that would protect her! And she was drinking the formula!

Then the problem entered the picture.

The formula was being ravishingly consumed by the twins. They were "blowing through it like you wouldn't believe," they reported. Suddenly it dawned on them: they only had a 2 week supply. In two weeks, all three babies would die for lack of food!

HEL-LO, AMY!!! 


YOU ARE GOING TO THAT VILLAGE!!! 

God could use me.


My feet. (Yes, I'm a little slow at times. I remember that we named our blog "Feet 2 Our Faith!" DUH!)

So I put it out there on Facebook. The urgent call for formula and vitamin drops. And the donations came. People stopped by our house, people sent money through pay pal, I got emails and messages about the desire to help these babies.

And someone wrote the comment:

"For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat."

(Jesus' words to his disciples in Matthew 25:35)

And I burst into tears. Wow. Is THAT how that feels? (Why did I think it would be drudgery to do what Jesus commanded?!?!) I am having the time of my life coordinating all this: watching my husband pack and repack, weigh and reweigh so we can get MORE formula in. Hanging out with him with my phone blowing up with all the donations!!

So we have ended up being able to not only fill to the brim our own allotment of luggage but also to buy a footlocker (so cool--we can leave that in the village for the people to store things in and keep the rats out!) and fill it with MORE formula and vitamin drops! And we have the money (thank you friends!) to pay for that overage fee!!!!!!

All this has come together in a matter of hours.

(I cannot even finish this blog post because MORE PEOPLE want to donate! Will we fill a SECOND footlocker??? Only God knows! If you want to jump in on this (and it's not too late--you have about 8-12 hours after I finally post this!!) donate through the puzzle button to the right and note that your gift is "for the babies!" We won't use it for our adoption but to provide more life-giving nourishment for these 3 needy babies.)

Is this worth praising our God or WHAT?!?!? 

It's coming together...

Just have to show you what the puzzle looks like...and MORE pieces are being lovingly written with YOUR names on the back and fitted into place!

THANK YOU!!!!

The Pathway No One Knew Was There

We are just days away from leaving. All the emotions are just SWIRLING. I am not sure I can even write a post that makes sense!! There is just so much going on in our hearts and heads (oh the packing details, oh the documents that must be prepared, oh the kid care instructions that must be made!) that I really shouldn't even try to write a post...but I simply can't help myself.

We are about to fly halfway around the world and walk up the steps into an orphanage. Inside there is a little boy who has been living there, day in and day out. He is getting older each day. He has watched many, many children be chosen and leave with their new families. He has wondered when it is going to be his turn. My friend who used to stay there would tuck him in at night and say a prayer with him whispered into his ear, "Your Mommy and Daddy love you." He looked up at her with wide eyes, "I have a Mommy and Daddy?!?!" Oh! It totally melts our hearts!

And yes, Z, you have a Mommy and Daddy. And we are coming. FOR YOU!!!

Brian was putting our little DQ to bed the other night and reading her toddler Bible with her. The story was about Joshua and Caleb scouting the Promised Land. The other scouts went back to the Israelites and reported, "Oh, we cannot take that land, there are big nasty giants living there!" (Amy version) But Joshua and Caleb went back and reported, "We can take that land! There are giants, but our God is bigger!" (also Amy version) At that moment, in the quiet of his heart, God spoke to my husband: "The giant in your adoption is the money."

We have been totally shaking in our boots as we have spent money like there is no end to the supply. All the things required for this trip, especially now that we are going for court and all, is phenomenal. We find ourselves edgy, short with one another because we are nervous about finances. Ever been there?

We have discussed how we have NO IDEA how in the world we are going to complete our adoption. We need money to pay our legal fees, money to pay for a visa, a medical exam (for Z), money to buy our malaria medications, money to stay in a guesthouse. We need money to pay taxi drivers, money to pay for passport pictures for Z, money to throw a going away party for Z at his orphanage. And then, we need money to buy that ticket H-O-M-E for Z!!! Is this a giant? ABSOLUTELY. And the closer we get to our departure date, the uglier the giant becomes. The pricetag hanging off his hat says, "$6,000 or more" on it. And ew! He's got hair growing out of the mole on his chin!

Brian has continually reminded me that we have prayed to live like one of our heros, George Mueller. Time after time, George saw God provide miracles. But the thing with a miracle is, you gotta be in the place to need a miracle.

We are in that place. Oh yeah, baby.

I absolutely love the stories in the Old Testament when God's people NEEDED to travel across the water (the Red Sea and later the Jordan River). God had full plans of parting the water for them, but it did not happen until they stepped by faith into the water. There WAS a pathway there, but they couldn't see it. They had to step out in faith, and then the water would part.

Whew. That's hard.

I love this picture. We obey Him with trepidation. But God holds our hands and never leaves us.

One of my favorite underlined places in the Psalms says this:

"When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled!  

The sea quaked to its very depths...

Your road led through the sea,
Your pathway through the mighty waters--
A PATHWAY NO ONE KNEW WAS THERE!!!"
                                                                ~Psalm 77:16, 19

This situation is just like that. We are stepping onto a plane in faith that our God will provide the finances to complete the adoption of Z. We believe that this was His perfect plan for Z's life and for ours. We trust our God to do the impossible.

I cannot wait to see how He does it!

Abundantly blessed for the orphans!

Oh just LOOK at all the kids of PMC brought just this past week! We are so excited to get to share these gifts with the people of Uganda!!

My happy little helper! ;)

And I hear there's MORE to come this week! WOW!!!! Just praising God to be used of Him in this!!

Puzzle Progress!

Many people have asked about our puzzle...so excited to show you it's progress!!

Out of 750 pieces, we have sold 215!!! YAY!!!!!


We did some calculations today about the upcoming events (going to court/lawyer fees, visa and embassy fees, medical exam, food, lodging, transportation, changing my ticket and purchasing a ticket for Z) and we estimate our need over the next 4-6 weeks is going to be approximately $6,000.

No big deal.

                                                     Not for our God!!

For us, yes. This presents a HUGE problem. But we are not doing this, God is. I think He's made that ABUNDANTLY clear!! giggle!

A friend of mine says, "His will is His bill!" :)

What a tapestry of people are there on the back of this growing puzzle--he will KNOW that he was meant for this family!!! :)

God Said to Our Mountain, "MOVE!"

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ”

Matthew 17:20

It is with tears of joy that I sit to type out this news....

WE GOT A COURTDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and what's more amazing????

IT'S WITHIN OUR ALREADY PLANNED TRIP !!!!!!!!!!!

 OH PRAISE HIM!!!

OUR AMAZING, ALL POWERFUL, PHENOMENAL GOD WHO MOVES MOUNTAINS!!!!!!

And thank YOU for praying with us!!! What a HUGE answer to prayer!!! Hallelujah!!!

Ya know what? ...we are gonna bring home our little Z!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

ETD is coming soon...

My days lately have centered around two things lately: Annie (more on that soon!) and Africa. Two "A's" that pull me in very different directions!

Just so you know...although it will probably not matter to you in the slightest...

I'm not a list maker. 
                             I'm not an organized person. 


...but sometimes, I do what I don't want to do for causes I love. And let me tell you, going to Africa is something I  know I'm going LOVE!!! :) And I already love a little boy "Z" very very much!

And just in case you are worried, I have some wonderful friends who have given me THEIR lists to prepare for Africa and I'm just working from that! ;) Thanks for your concern!

But this post really isn't about that.

Nope.

We are going to pack all of our necessities in our carry ons. Guess what that means? We get two 50 pound bags EACH to load up with goodies to take to the children in Uganda!! I'm so excited to love on them!!!

We have three types of destinations: orphanages, remote villages, and the children's prison that Sixty Feet works with. One of the orphanages is (of course!) where our little Z is living. We also will visit other orphanages. Our goal here is to simply show love to the children and encourage the workers who work day in and day out with these precious little ones. And of course to meet and bond with our little Z! I AM SO EXCITED TO HOLD HIM!!!! (Sorry, all this excitement bubbles up and it gets a little boisterous and loud sometimes!!)The bulk of our time will be spent in his orphanage.

We have several rural villages on our docket as well. Brian has received some great donations from a vet and a pharmaceutical company that will enable him to do some specialized work with their cattle and dairy goats. We are very excited to meet all the children in these villages and just play. I may not make lists well, but I play well!!

Thirdly, we will visit the place referred to as "M." This is the place that I have lost sleep and shed many, many tears over. There is something about this place that draws me...like bees to honey. And I know it may be different than what I expect. But truly, I cannot wait to be there in person and to look into these precious boys and girls' faces and be with them. I am honestly not sure what good I will be there, but I pray that God will love them through me. I pray that Brian's agricultural/animal husbandry background can go far to help them on their 300+ acre site. I pray that God does big things. I am so excited about this I am tearing up just writing about it! I will take our photography equipment too. Who knows what God might do!

Our case for the adoption of Z is filed in the high courts. We do not have a court date. It is fully conceivable that we spend this amazing time in this soon-to-be beloved country and return home only to learn we've been assigned a court date. If this happens, we will scramble to arrange life for our children and fly back. Of course it would be easier if we could get a court date while we were already there. We pray for it! We ask YOU to pray for it! But we also know that sometimes, God does not do things in the timeframe or way we think would be best. (Wow, what an understatement!!) So we just trust. ...and we pack for our adventure!!


 Oh, and remember those bags we have? You can help us fill them! Already we have bubbles and frisbees, pick up sticks, bookmarks and some granola bars. If you would like to send some tangible love to the children of Uganda you can bring your donations of the following items to Pettisville Missionary Church no later than August 4th:

• children's sizes of underwear (new please)
• infant formula
• rubber gloves
• hotel sized soaps and lotions
• granola bars (the chewy kind that won't crumble)
• durable children's books
• small toys: jump ropes, deflatable balls, dolls, toy cars 
• toothbrushes/toothpaste

All this is going to bless their socks off!! I cannot wait! Pictures will come soon!!! :)

Dwelling Deeper (Part 2)

I wrote a post a little bit ago about dwelling deep within the holy of holies in our hearts. Please go here if you have not read it. This post is my follow up as I continue to process these things.

I was doubled over in pain. Diarrhea wracked my body. While I waited it out, I picked up a little book called His Thoughts Said, His Father Said by Amy Carmichael. (She is one of my heros...a life given to Jesus in India!) I had recently written the aforementioned post about dwelling with God and even mentioning her name as one who seemed to not allow how she felt physically to impact her joy.

There I was, feeling quite miserable, and I stumbled on to this passage from this wonderful little book and I was stunned: (sorry for the details...God shows up at the craziest times!!)

Dwell Deep

His thoughts said, My longing is to heal the broken and the weak, to defend the maimed, and to lead the blind unto the sight of the glory of the Lord. My choice is to be a corn of wheat and fall into the ground and die. Then why these waverings?

His Father said, Too much of thy surface is exposed to the breath of every wind that bloweth. Thou must learn to dwell deep.

And the son who had wavered answered humbly, Renew within me a settled spirit. Establish me with Thy directing Spirit. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise.

My heart lept! There it was! Proof that my dear Amy Carmichael needed to consciously go deep in order to tolerate the circumstances she faced in the world. (How could she have lived among the neediest in the world without aching for their healing till it killed her?!?!? THIS IS HOW!)

Just then I pulled this lovely tee shirt out of my drawer for the day. (One of our adoption fundraising shirts!) Isn't this just incredible? I was beginning to get what God was teaching me! (Complete with diagram!) The secret to true, everlasting joy! No matter how my body felt, no matter how many children melting down around me, no matter what atrocities I may encounter as I travel around the world. Dwell deep down in that secret space with the Lord. 

I love that Amy pointed out that too much of her was above ground...too much of her was feeling the wind above the surface. She needed to go DEEPER. Now those verses about hiding myself in God make sense.

Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings..." (emphasis added)

And take a minute to soak this one in with great joy:


Psalm 27:5 "For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."

WOW!!! That was how I got here in the first place--realizing that my body is God's tabernacle (temple) and that I needed to dwell with Him in the Holy of Holies!!

Isn't God so amazing to show us such sweet things?

So my challenge now is that when things overwhelm, threaten, frighten and intimidate--I beg to go deeper with Him in that special place and have less of me exposed to the surface winds.  More than just having deep roots...it's dwelling there with great joy. Having MORE of my life spent in that quiet space with Him than taking in life from the surface. How to work that out with 4 children, a household to manage, two businesses and an adoption underway is mine to work out on a moment by moment basis.

How do you dwell? Do you go deeper when it gets tough? Let us seek to live deeper with God in the secret place so that we can tolerate that which blows in our lives above the surface.

We will be blessed beyond measure by His presence.

"How good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do."  Psalm 73: 28

I have Doubters.

Yes. It's true. I have people in my life who doubt. They doubt me. They doubt God. They wonder if they should say something. "What if..." they formulate their questions that stem from their doubt. "...you don't have enough money," "...the judges rule against you," "...you break that little boy's heart because you can't get him home?"


On the spot, I'm not very good. Answers rarely pop into my head, but their questions mull. 


They roll around. And around.


My God is MIGHTY. My God loves. His very definition is LOVE. His heart breaks for the fatherless. The orphan makes Him cry. Wouldn't these children remain homeless and family-less if we followed the fears of the doubters? (I really should pose that question to them!)


Let's take a quick look at what God's Word says about these beloved children who are left fatherless in this world: 

Deuteronomy 10:18
 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 14:29

The fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Deuteronomy 24:17
Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice...

Deuteronomy 27:19 
“Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Psalm 10:14

You [God] are the helper of the fatherless.


Psalm 10:17-18
 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed

Psalm 68:5-6
 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. He places the lonely in families.

Psalm 82:3 
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Psalm 146:9
 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless...

Isaiah 1:17
 Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

James 1:27
 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Micah 6:8

He has showed you, O man, what is good. 
And what does the LORD require of you? 
To act justly and to love mercy  and to walk humbly with your God.

WOW.


That little tour of Scripture was pretty impacting. God's Word is true. It reflects His heart. And it's abundantly clear that He loves the fatherless and He wants us to too.


So...perhaps it comes down to a question of FAITH.


Do we (you fill in your name here!) have the FAITH to believe that God will accomplish His passions, purpose and will in OUR lives? I think we quickly want to answer yes. But slow down a bit, do you R-E-A-L-L-Y mean YES?????


Faith says, "I'll adopt even though I don't have the money upfront." And right now it's saying, "We'll fly to Uganda using up our adoption money and trust Him to provide the rest when we need it."


Faith says, "Yes," when asked to adopt a child with a special need.


Faith says, "I may not have what it takes right now, but I believe He'll supply all my needs just as He promises."


Faith says,  "I'll do whatever it takes," knowing full well that the path may be full of great obstacles and  be asked to go through extreme difficulties. But one also knows the strength does not lie in oneself, but in the God they trust.


What IS the cost of obedience anyway? Let's go back to the book and just see:

Luke 9:23
 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

John 12:24
 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Hmmmm.


 So, just because this is HARD it doesn't mean I'm supposed to stop? 


NO!!!


And as Brian so often reminds me, "Everyone wants to have miracles in their lives. But not many people are willing to be in the place to NEED a miracle." He's so right. Who wants to seek out being desperate???? 


No one wants to be desperate. No one wants to be uncomfortable. Yet it is in that very state that we experience God as our Rescuer, our Healer, our Provider. So...is that worth it to you? Is obedience to God--a very act that will put you in a DESPERATE state--worth knowing your God as MIGHTY? Are you willing to exchange some comfort for knowing God better? 


So, dear doubters, I say to you: I have no idea what we'll do in these "if" situations you create for me. But I know that MY GOD DOES, and that's good enough. Yep. It is. And I guess for you, well, you'll just have to watch and see.

Dwelling with God

I'm not sure how it began...just somewhere along the line I began thinking about my body being God's dwelling place. It's so often referred to in Christian circles as "the temple" and then followed by advice about how we must take good care of our bodies. And I'm all about that.

I'm a Beachbody coach folks.

But this post isn't about our bodies.

So often, I leave it there...or go on and think about how I must persevere in my exercise program, or be sure to drink plenty of water, eat whole grains. But no, this thought was back on the whole "God dwelling in me" thing.

The God of the Universe lives in me??? What? This is certainly cause for pondering. Yet I have not pondered lately. I've kept on spinning plates and wiping noses and just generally trying to keep pace with life. But I go back to it, there it is...

God dwells in me.

What does He find there? Am I short tempered, rushing, focused on what others think of me? Do I only see messes and work? Does the God of the Universe delight in dwelling in me? Oh my. Ummmm, not sure! Better do some sweeping up!

I began to pray that He would indeed delight in what He finds here. In this inner quiet place. In the part of me that is so still that it takes great concentration to even realize that space inside exists. But oh, it does! And it's the perfect shape for God to fill. You've often heard of it referred to as a "God shaped vacuum" and that nothing in the world other than God can fill it.

So...back to this thought about me being a temple. Usually, that's about the outside of me. "I need to take care of my body so I can live well for God." But what about the INSIDE of the temple? What about the holy of holies? Best that not be the most intimate, quiet, deep place? What good is a temple if the innermost holy space is...well, busy focused on wiping noses and getting frustrated that we're late to T ball again?

The answer is: not all it could be. God can do MORE in me. I know it. I have been BUSY. Such a thing of this American culture! We fill our lives with events, programs, to-dos and achievements and we never give thought to the inner "holy of holies." Oh sure, I'm a Jesus follower...did you see what all I have done lately?

Ha!

Only God and I know how deeply He dwells in the innermost part. And I'll be honest, it's not as deep as I want Him to!

My heroes are Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, Betsy Ten Boom and George Mueller. Brother Andrew and a young 22 year old girl alive in this day and age named Katie Davis. They all have that deep inner sanctuary filled with the deep dwelling of God. They do not advertise it. There is no need. It is deep and it is real and it is glowing.

"Lighthouses blow no horns, they only shine."  D.L. Moody

I have often wondered how my dear Amy Carmichael was able to live in the poor realities of India and yet her writings never reflect how she felt. I know now that it was because her life was so utterly focused on dwelling in that innermost place with the Lord. How was Stephen able to have a face full of joy as he was stoned to death in Acts 7 ? He too was busy dwelling with the Lord in that place.

Which leads me to another discovery. It's not just me having an inner place all prepared for my Lord--sin confessed, pure heart, ready to listen...but it's me hanging out there with Him. It's me picking up the toy for the nth time singing praises of joy in that deep place for these children. It's feeling that familiar twang of pain in my hip and rejoicing for the many steps I have been permitted to take thus far. It's me seeing evil in the world and asking my Lord for justice.

Paul talks about this dwelling with the Lord in that innermost place too:

I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.   Philippians 4:11-13

So there is a happiness bubbling in me. Not dependent upon what may happen to me. Not whether the kids are getting along or fighting. Not dependent upon the scale. Not dependent upon the bank account balance. Not dependent upon what my peers think about me. It's a bubbling up that is genuine joy because I am dwelling in the innermost space with the only One who fits there, and finding great, deep lasting fulfillment there!!

How is your temple? Are you keeping it holy for the Lord? Are you losing sight of what it's all about? Are you sitting in that innermost place and having tea parties with God while all the world goes on around you?

I pray you are. 

I urge you to find that inner sanctuary. And not just to clean it, but to go and dwell.  Let it be said of us that we dwelt richly with our Lord!

Going to Uganda!!

We bought tickets to travel to Uganda!! We are incredibly excited!!!!! 

We are going to hold this sweet little one's hand and love all over him!!

Many people are dying to know details...and well, we can't give out too much at this point. (Sorry!) But we can share with you that our trip is NOT to bring him home, as we do not have a court date assigned to us at this point. We are simply going because we are in love and we MUST be with this sweet boy and begin bonding with him and his culture.

As many of you know, we have lived overseas before. We absolutely cannot wait to spend some time in his culture learning what life in Uganda is like. We will be spending time together with Z in his orphanage serving all the children while we are there. (It's a big job to feed that many kids 5x a day!)

We are also excited to be able to help out different ministries with their dairy cows and goats as well! We are so thrilled that a pharmaceutical company is DONATING some special deworming medicine that will greatly help out the Ugandan animals! Brian will use his expertise in many locations and we are so thrilled to have this opportunity!

Now the hard part...waiting to board the plane!! Hmmmm, I sense a theme here! Do you?

DQ is TWO!!!

Our little DQ is now TWO YEARS OLD!! What?!?!?!?! How can that be? Just a wee tiny bit ago she looked like this: (this is back when we suspected she was "he!")

Then out came a GIRL!!!! What????? Totally shocking to us all...she acted like a busy boy in there...but she was indeed not--just preparing for a vibrant life of a daredevil!

What? You don't think this looks like a daredevil? hahahaha!!

What a precious bundle of baby she was!! Oh! My heart aches for baby days!

Definitely tons of potential here... hee hee!

Now you recognize her!  At 4 months of happiness!

6 months old!

17+ pounds of LOVE!!

In Grandma Thomas' baby dress! 9 months old

All American Baby!

Happy 1st birthday, DQ!!!

And now, for a more REAL LOOK at life with DQ...
one of many LIPSTICK episodes:

"So sad that I did that!!"

Repentence is so genuine. She'll NEVER do it again!
(If you don't know, she ate ALL of my mail-order lipsticks that are now discontinued.
 Got to Grandma Shaw's last weekend too!)

On to HAPPIER times...
Nothing is greater than when it's your BIRTHDAY!

Now the daredevil in her can be seen! :)

Cherishing the card!

Opening the biggest present! What could it be?

This is the child whose first trip to the beach had her barrel running down to the ocean. Had she ever been to it? No. Did she know what it was? No. But adventure called. She tripped, got a face full of sand and her first ever wave crashed over her head. Did this stop her? No. She got up and began to run AGAIN into the ocean. Wow!! Don't you just want to live life JUST LIKE THAT!?!?!? 

I do.

Thanks, DQ, for teaching me how to have a zest for life, a love for adventure and the non stop curiousity that brings the flavor to life! Happy 2nd birthday!! We treasure you and cannot imagine life without you!!!

And if you are still here...why don't you take in a sweet moment before bedtime with DQ?

Common Objections to Adoption

Take a listen to this short snippet from The Zoe Foundation (website here) on common objections to adoption. I pray for you as you listen...and I pray that one more orphan will gain a home. Bless you.

Adoption includes HIV+ children...

This is a subject that I feel great passion for...

We do not yet know if the Lord will grant our prayer...

We want to adopt an HIV+ child!

But in the meantime, while we wait, please please have a looksee over at this amazing friend's blog. She briefly tells her journey of going from "ew, sanitize my hands and double shower off their germs!" to fully embracing her role as foster mommy to an HIV+ child.

Sweet Mandie Joy loving on her HIV+ foster child! No possible chance of transmission like this!!

I promise, you will be AMAZED. The stigma is outdated, the reality is simple (drug maintenance) and the children are REAL who are being left behind because of it.

Go here and read!!!!

Remember when you played?

A tribute to childhood playtime!

by Jensi and Anneli

What's that lil' Native American sayin' anyway?!

She gave her sister a special "drink" and shrunk her good! ;)

Hit play and watch the "Native American Play" who knows...you may get inspired! ;)

Serious "Native American" faces...
(feathers courtesy of the backyard chickens!)

10 Things I love in my kitch

So I gotta say, I love my kitchen! Truly. We've lived in many houses over the years but this house has the BEST kitchen. The space is perfect, the counters are roomy, the island with electric on it is awesome and I love my eye-level fridge. But there are 10 other things that I love in my kitchen too.

And now I'm going to show you.
(in no particular order)

 My Magic Bullet. Best machine in the whole kitchen!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

 Having a plan for weekly summer lunches. Saves all the begging, complaining and keeps things fresh!

 A bottom drawer dedicated to kid dishes. If you don't already do this--DO IT! (put your cereal low too..) This encourages autonomy and allows you to SLEEP IN on occasion as they get their own bfast!

 Thankful hearts. I REALLY love this picture!!!

 The uber cool bench Brian built to fit the island. I fought this idea for a while, pushing for individual stools, but am so glad he won! ;)

 Homemade artwork gracing the fridge. (And magnets from places we've loved!)

 I didn't get many things from my Grandma Thomas, but I did get her recipe box! I loved her haphazard style and framed these and treasure them!

 My favorite animal made by Jensi years ago. (A lion.) Love it!

 God's word hanging around to keep us focused. :)

Recipe box designed and made just for me by that amazing husband! 

(It comes off the tracks so I can sit down and plan my meals!)

PLEASE MEET The Newest Shaw Feet!!!

HEY FRIENDS!!!!

This is it!!! We are so excited to share with you!!! The Lord has done some totally amazing and very difficult things in our adoption, but it has all been according to His perfect plan and He has led us to our SON!!!

There are many miracles to share about...but for now, I'm just going to say this:

We are totally in LOVE with this child!!!!

As you may know, we have to stay discreet at this stage in the game, but I am thrilled because my sweet friend who is there with him took this picture for me!! Please meet the newest pair of Shaw feet:

These are the feet of our soon-to-be child, Z! He is currently 2 1/2 years old and is waiting in an orphanage. We are so excited to welcome him into our family...in God's perfect timing. Please pray with us for that! If you haven't already seen, we are building a puzzle for our little Z to bring him home. We need 740 more pieces to complete the picture! Click here to learn all about it!