July Martini

This dude's brother came home from Ethiopia!

Family of FOUR.

While the boys were at VBS, Meadow and I had a few donut dates. Yes I said a FEW.

Fun times over iced tea.

Missing the boys.

Speaking to some teenagers about orphan care.

They packaged over 5,000 meals for orphans in Haiti!

We had one of the meals for dinner.

It is a mix of TVP, rice, dried veggies and vitamins/minerals. 

 

 

 

 

Meadow tipping back the spoon.

Moses was a little less into it but here's what it looks like when cooked.

Moses and his lizard.

Only if your Papa is a film maker...

One day this will be a reality.

Rockin the mullet.

Way too handsome to pass as a girl.

My turn.

My nephew turned two! No cuter red head around!

I decided to add a little girly-ness to the kids room...

and this is what happened while I did it.

And lots of swimming in July. These fish, I mean kids, LOVE it.

And that, my friends, was July!

weekend reading

I really like to read. I'm sort of an information junkie but as our kids get older, more mobile and take fewer naps, reading an entire book has become a bit of a challenge. Therefore, I've become a bit of a blog junkie...

I have to be careful how often I use the phrase "So I read on this blog today" when William comes home from work. If I use it to many times what he hears is "So I read on this blog today blah, blah, blah, blah. Did you know blah, blah, blah, blah? Blah! I never thought about blah."

I don't get to post here as often as I would like or in any way computable to the things that are heavy on my heart. But luckily, their are lots of other bloggers who post some great stuff.

Instead of just reading it and keeping it to myself or sharing it on my FB wall, I'm going to start a "weekend reading" series. My plan is to post these early Saturday morning. Sometimes I will, I'm sure sometimes I won't but my prayer is that you find the links encouraging for the task God has ahead of you.

Enjoy!

First, this post from the Gospel Coalition. I think the title says it all "Do I have What It Takes to Raise an African Child?". For those of us who doubt (don't we all?) it is an encouraging word.

The Christian Alliance for Orphans released a White Paper on understanding orphan statistics so that "Christian orphan advocates can both accurately understand and carefully present orphan-related statistics.  Failure to do so undermines the strength of our advocacy and can misguide the actions that organizations, churches and individuals take on behalf of orphans.   Meanwhile, an accurate grasp and communication of the true nature of the need provides a strong foundation for an effective, well-focused response." If you want to advocate for the "orphan" you need to understand what that means.

Third, this post from echos of mercy was just what I needed to hear Friday morning.

“We need to stop asking for guidance and start asking for the Guide.”

[tim keller]

And who doesn't love Kristen Howerton. Really?

DIY Louisville:For the Fatherless Spotlight

It's always fun to share our story, the plight of orphans and widows and 

talk about the amazing women who make the beads for our jewelry. 

Today For the Fatherless is spotlighted on D.I.Y. Louisville and 

we are sharing with the local Louisvillians! 

Check it out. 

Maybe you'll fall in love with some earrings...

Empowered to Connect - Nashville

I know many of you are playing the waiting game just as we are. I know the need you have to feel like you are doing something, anything to connect with your child while you wait. 

SO, I want to share an AMAZING opportunity coming in September to do something productive for your child! The Empowered to Connect (ETC) conference will be at Brentwood Baptist Church In Nashville on September 14th and 15th.


ETC is an initiative started by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe to provide practical tools and resources for adoptive and foster families. I've had the privilege of hearing Dr. Purvis and Amy speak and the passion they have for equipping families and the church is absolutely from the Lord and absolutely priceless.

Thanks to Focus on the Family, with the coupon code FOCUS, you'll receive 50% off the conference fee making it just $30 per couple! UPDATE: The FOCUS code is no longer valid:-( The regular price for the conference is still a GREAT deal!

Who else is going? Comment if you'll be there - we'd love to connect with you in Nashville!

i'm not the point

This week was a rough one. [WARNING: EMOTIONS ARE A'FLOWING SO THIS MAY BE A RAMBLE. YOU WERE WARNED.]

For starters, we've been waiting on ONE document to move forward with the DRC court process. We've been told for several weeks that we should have it "soon" and this week the communication changed to "this week". But the week is over, and we don't have it. We are discouraged to say the least.

A little closer to home we are struggling, let me stress that, WE ARE STRUGG-UH-LING, with a situation involving a couple little boys we love dearly. Reflecting the nature of God and focusing on how He is at work in the lives of others when we just don't see it is unbelievably difficult.

I know that I should reflect the grace and mercy that has so freely been given to me.

BUT.

IT.

IS.

HARD.

It is hard because it cannot come from me. It is not within me to give grace and mercy freely.

I keep asking myself "When do I get to stop?". Stop giving grace and start judging. Stop giving mercy and start dishing out ultimatums. When do I get to walk away from this messy situation that pulls apart my heart on a daily basis and go back to living life with my sweet simple family?

The answer: I don't.

Because Jesus never did. He never stopped pursuing the broken. He never stopped pursuing me.

Ironically, I was scheduled to speak to a group of teenagers on Friday about caring for orphans and why it is central to the gospel. When I sat down to put together my presentation ON THURSDAY NIGHT AT 10 PM, I was empty. I was exhausted. I was frustrated and I was heartbroken.

"Hey teenagers, want to feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest, stomped on and sucked dry? Sign up here! Orphan care for life!"

Since I couldn't get into a groove and focus on my presentation I decided to self medicate unwind by checking my blog roll and came across this post.

I knew immediately, these words were penned for me.

"Cultivate a thankful heart. When we give thanks, when we look around us and see what we've been given, how we get to participate in God's work, that we get to witness grace and love and redemption, it should floor us. Who are we that we get to do this? Who are we that God would use us in this way? It's the antidote to the soul rot of bitterness and self-righteousness.

We aren't the point.

Jesus is."

Who am I that I get to love these boys? Who am I that I get to witness grace and love and redemption in their lives?

I am not the point. Jesus is.

So I prayed and thanked God for giving me this trial that, were it up to me, I would have bailed on yesterday. Or three months ago. I thanked Him for allowing me to particpate in His work.

Then on Friday afternoon, just a couple hours before my talk with the teenagers, the "trial" drove me to tears. Again. For like the third time this week.

I just don't get it. I don't see His plan and purpose and can't figure out what I am supposed to "do". (Mistake #357 Lindsy. You are not supposed to "do" anything. Just be obedient.)

I drove to the warehouse where I would share our story with the teenagers, the biblical mandate they are responsible for and provide them with practical ideas to get started.

I pulled into my parking space, turned off my car and I prayed. I prayed for the boys and I prayed for the teenagers. I asked God that they would not see me but see Jesus. That they would not hear my words but His.

As I walked the teenagers through our journey I was reminded of all I have to be thankful for. That we get to participate in God's work. That we get to reflect His love and mercy to the fatherless. That I don't have to do it because He will.

I am not the point. Jesus is.

And then, after I shared with the teenagers, they packaged over 5,000 meals for orphans in Haiti. They danced. They sang. (Really, they had a blast!) They participated in God's work of caring for the fatherless and I was humbled to be a part of it.

Who am I that I get to participate in this?

SPEAK UP!

One year ago we emerged from a difficult season and refocused our mission as a family and for this blog.

If I looked back on only our adoption journey for the past year, it would be easy to feel as though we've made very little progress. But God has been faithful to us and blessed our obedience beyond what I would have ever imagined last summer!

For starters, the orphan care ministry we started at our little ol' church plant church is blossoming into something amazing. What started as one of my many wild ideas has turned into a dedicated group of volunteers stretching themselves beyond their comfort zones to care for the fatherless in Louisville, in Southern Sudan and all over the world!

That's our pastor playing mini corn hole with a foster family.

From over 100 people attending our seminar in January, to the foster family picnic we hosted last month, God is doing big things with our little church. Our pastor and elders are behind it, and orphan care is part of our church DNA, not just a "program" going on on the side.

Our family has also been stretched as we hosted the first Safe Families placement in Kentucky this spring! It was one of the hardest and yet most beautiful things we have ever done as a family. At least one full post is on the horizon about our experience as a host family. Stay tuned.

I've learned a lot, cried a lot, complained a lot and rejoiced a lot this past year. It has been glorious and painful. But every day I feel God calling us to do more. Give more. Share more. Encourage more. Equip more. Speak up more.

At the Created for Care retreat in March, God began revealing to me that our story is important. As I listened to Carissa Woodwyk speak about our individual stories and their importance, not because they are about us, but because God is writing them for us, I realized that she is right.

Our crazy adoption story is not about us, neither is it for us to keep to ourselves. It is for Him. But in order for our story to be used by Him, we have to be willing to speak up.

I feel God leading me to more, starting with sharing our story. Not just on this blog but in small groups, seminars, conferences, over coffee and anywhere else someone will listen.

So there's a new page on the blog. Up top in the "menu" you'll now find a "Speaking" link. I would be honored to share with your women's group, youth group, college students, church leaders or orphan care and adoption team. Check out the link for topics I've spoken on in the past and please share it if you feel led.

I'm one of those weird people who actually enjoys public speaking. I've been doing it for my "day job" for over eight years now. But, sharing about the trials and heartaches and joys and blessings of my personal life, well that's a bit different.

I'm stepping it out in faith on this one. I'm expecting God to do big things because He says that when we are obedient, He will.

coffee bean bracelets {GIVEAWAY}

I really like supporting adoption. And giving things away. 

What better way to combine the two than to do a little giveaway?

Some friends of ours are about to mail their dossier to Ethiopia 

and we can't wait to love on their little Ethiopians! 

To enter the giveaway visit their Etsy shop, Almost Africa, 

then come back here and let me know which bracelet is your favorite.

I'll pick one lucky winner from random.org on Saturday night!

My fav - zanzibar!

waiting: month two (take two)

Today marks two months since we accepted the referral for "J".

We are a tad bit closer to bringing him home. We learned on June 7th there were "errors" on our Consent to Adopt form and it was re-filed. We might already be in the midst of the first 30 day waiting period but the power has been shut off in Kinshasa so communicating with our in-country attorney has been difficult. We're hoping by the time he is able to call the US staff we will already be a week or two into the wait!


The best thing that has happened since I-don't-know-what (I wish I could come up with something clever but the children have leeched out most of my brain cells.) - this week we received FIVE photos and a 40 second video clip of "J"!

This blessing highlights one of the coolest things about adoption: community. 

A woman I am friends with on Facebook, but have never met, or even talked to in real life, sent me a message last month. She said she would be travelling to Kinshasa and would I like for her to visit "J", take some photos and video and deliver a package. UHMM, YES PLEASE!

I stuffed all of this into a gallon sized zip lock bag.

Why did this sweet woman choose us? Our little one to visit? 

Simply God's grace on our three year journey ya'll. 

I even asked her why us and she said because I am "so sweet". (Proof that we have never met.)

But seriously, there are probably 100 adopting families on the FB group with kids in Kinshasa and something prompted this sweet lady to bless us.

And bless us she did.

"J" has grown so much! Which is encouraging because most people in the Congo eat one meal a day if they are fortunate. Since his orphanage is in a slum community we assume he eats no more than that. But God is providing the nutrition he needs to grow!

In the video he waves the entire time. That's all, he just waves. For almost 40 seconds. It is the most adorable waving you have ever seen. 


He stops at the end when our sweet FB friend tells him to blow us a kiss. He kisses his hand and then slings it to the ground, almost like he has something gross on his hand and he is trying to fling it off. All. Boy.

I can't tell you how many times we have stared at those pictures or watched that video. Countless times already in just a few days. 

There are a lot of people who don't get it. Won't get it. Will never be able to relate to having a child on the other side of the world who sleeps on the concrete floor at night and eats maybe once a day and has been through more in their few short years than any of us on this side of the ocean could ever imagine. That can be hard, feeling like lots of people don't get it.

But, there are plenty of people who do. The adoption community is LARGE and caring and willing to be there in the difficult waiting and the countless fund raisers and continuous prayer requests. They get it. We get it.

Adoption is not for everyone but, if it is for you, you're joining an amazing group of people who will take time out of their trip on the other side of the world to bless you with five photos, 40 seconds of video and HOPE.