Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Christians and Adoption


Alright, here I go again.  

In my adoption resource room I have before me every single day the faces of children that we are all praying and fighting for, fighting to find families who will trust the Lord and take the leap of faith to save 1, 2,3,4...of these children.  

The orphanages in these Eastern Europe countries and all over the world are not what us here in the United States could ever imagine.  These special needs children are starved, sedated, left alone in cribs for days that turn into years until they can no longer hold on or they are transferred to adult institutions where they rapidly "deteriorate" to die alone.  

I continue to write about and post about these children, not to tug on your heart strings, but to open eyes to what is going on.  I know that I had no idea.  Ignorance is bliss.  It is painful knowing what's going on and wondering, praying every day about what MORE can I do?! How many can we bring home? Who can I "get" to bring "this one" home?! 

Visit Reecesrainbow.org to see hundreds of children with special needs of all ages that need to see the love of the Lord through you! We don't know why we are led to certain children that you will know the Lord is telling you to pray for, give money for or to bring home, but isn't that like our own adoption by our Father?

Here are a few children that were posted about in my resource room recently that need you...
Jayce, beautiful 14 year old boy with Down syndrome.  Where does he get the energy to smile as he is clearly starving to death?

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And...
"This beautiful boy, Carter, with cerebral palsy, turns 5 next month.

That's 5 years of no one celebrating his birthday. 5 years of laying in a crib. 5 years without love.

Can we make this birthday the last one he spends alone?"
Above is an old picture but Click here to see a recent video of Carter.

And...
Sean, precious 3 year old boy with Down syndrome.


There are babies up through teenagers (until they are transferred), that need us! 

Just since we have begun our adoption process, we have received news of four children in Eastern Europe that have been added to Reece's Rainbow's "In Loving Memory" page.   They couldn't hold on any longer waiting for their family.  We know that they are healed and in the arms of our perfect loving father now and we rejoice in this but can't help but weep over the fact that these children never knew the love of family on this earth.  We have been commanded to care for these children who died alone in pain and starvation and we as Christians are failing them.  

Adoption is not charity.  It is gospel. It is missional. It is spiritual warfare. 

 As gospel it "tells us about our identity, our inheritance, and our mission as sons of God...Adoption tells us our purpose in this age as the people of Christ.  Missional adoption spurs us to join Christ in advocating for the helpless and the abandoned... Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself." (Russell Moore, Adopted for Life) And as a picture of the gospel and a missional fulfillment of the great commission it is extreme spiritual warfare.  The Prince of this earth, the demonic powers, hate adoption, hate babies, hate "the least of these", the most vulnerable among us and want nothing more than to destroy this picture of Jesus.    

I know that many Christians cannot adopt for whatever reason but we ALL need to be serving them!  We have all been called to serve "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40).

I have posted this quote before but it is one that stays with me: 
"Kids in crisis can't afford to wait until it's most convenient for you to care for them. They don't have that luxury. They need you to stop rationalizing what you know God is calling you to do - and just do it. Your "no" is a lot more difficult on them than your "yes" will ever be on you. Perhaps these kids needs your family as much as your family needs these kids. One is given comfort and security for likely the first time in their life while the other is freed from comfort and security, and as a result, actually finds life. Jesus Himself said, "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:25) In perhaps one of the most counterintuitive and countercultural statements He ever made, we find what life is all about - losing ourselves for the sake of someone else's gain. Hard? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. What you stand to lose pales in comparison to what everyone, including yourself, stands to gain. There's never really a perfect time to foster or adopt; just a lot of opportunities to say yes to losing yourself despite the many reasons you have to say no.” –Jason Johnson B

I had the intention of writing a quick message with a couple of pics of children- oops.  
If you're still reading, then thanks for hangin' in there! 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Waiting and Praying

If I could sum up where we are in our adoption process right now in two words it would be "waiting" and "praying".  We have submitted every single paper possible to Eastern Europe and to US immigration and now we are just praying that they land in the hands of men and women that will see them through as quickly as possible. 

Because we have submitted all of our dossier (lots and lots of notarized, certified and apostilled documents)  to Eastern Europe in anticipation of moving the process along as fast as possible, we just have to wait for US immigration approval to go through for the final paperwork to be submitted in order to receive our court and travel dates.

Because of Nic's Down syndrome and other potential special needs, all of this has been done with a requested medical expedite.  However, whether it receives the medical expedite and the speed at which it goes through is completely out of our control.  So, we are PRAYING and requesting all of our wonderful family in Christ who has loved and supported Nic and our family through this, to pray as well. 

If it takes two days or two months we know that the Lord is in control and it is all part of His plan so we can't worry.  But Lord willing, it will move at record speed with the power of prayer to His glory. 

We continue to pray for Nic to feel the Lord's love while he is waiting for us and for his health and strength as he is growing.  We are also praying for the other orphans and how the Lord can use us in their lives as well.  

Thank you for your love, prayers and support! 



Thursday, October 6, 2016

Fully Funded!

YES, you read the title right.  Praise the Lord, we are FULLY FUNDED!!!!  

AAHHHHHH!!!!!!!! 

That is me squealing with excitement!!!  I am still walking around in a state of awe and giddiness!

I wish you all could witness just how amazing the Lord has provided and how He has worked through so many showing love to Domenic!

We not only received our most recent check that fulfilled our adoption needs, but have had others who have wanted to still give to help with medical needs! 

This verse just keeps going through my head:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
-Ephesians 3:20-21
We cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, sharing and generosity to help make this happen!

When we first made the commitment to adopt Domenic we almost let the expense stop us from moving forward, but we knew that if we were just obedient we could trust in God for every detail.  He is faithful! We are still in complete awe at the amazing way the funds came in!   

We are so incredibly grateful to every single one of you who have supported us through this process!  It means so much to us!  You all are apart in saving Domenic and bringing him home.  I can't wait for him to see just how loved he is!!

We will keep you updated as we continue through the process.  Our paperwork is waiting approval in the US and will then be sent to Eastern Europe for approval.  At that point we will receive our travel and court dates.  We are praying for all of these steps to move rapidly, Lord willing, so that we can get him home!!  Please continue to keep Domenic and speed in the processing of each step in your prayers. 

Our sincere thanks!!!!!!!  All glory to our amazing Father in Heaven!

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Kids For Kids


Well, my children's fundraising efforts for Nic have grown a bit bigger into what they have named the "Kids for Kids" Club, (the CURRENT official name after much deliberation).  They have spent countless hours putting together the logistics in an attempt to make this idea a reality.

My daughter decided that their club should not close its doors, or hanging sheet in their case, once the fundraising for Nic has ended but should continue on in their efforts to help orphans.

They were so encouraged and excited by people who contributed to their "club" adoption fundraising efforts that they decided once they reach their goal for Nic, they are going to find another orphan from Reece's Rainbow to support with prayer and fundraising.

As always, their cousins were on board and ready to help make this happen.  I found the above picture on my phone, apparently the minutes from the last meeting: "'donashons' coming in:", "we have raised $172.50", more "ideas to 'rais' money for Nic," along with multiple photos of "Kids for Kids" club t-shirt designs that they had sent back and forth to their cousins for review.  Since none of them have their own phones, my phone has pretty much been taken over by my children as they facetime and talk to their cousins from their "Kids for Kids"  club headquarters about the plans for their club t-shirts, name, verse, recruiting strategies, fundraising, and any other details.

I believe they finally settled on the club verse:
"We love because He first loved us." 
1 John 4:19
I think that perfectly sums it up.

I don't know what will become of this exciting idea of theirs, but I love their hearts for these children and their desire to help do something.  I love that their eyes have been opened, even a little, to seeing beyond themselves and their immediate space.  I love that their efforts to help aren't limited by the fear and doubts that we adults have.  And, I love that they will see how the Lord can use them to share His love and compassion.