tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17378717835144722272024-03-06T00:48:07.976-06:00~ No Longer An Orphan ~Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-38163257243506122012013-02-23T17:48:00.000-06:002013-02-23T17:53:34.936-06:00Now I Know What They Meant...<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I now understand<span style="font-size: large;">,</span> first hand, how adoptive parents can say that when they left their child(ren)'s orphanage, they left part of their heart there, and just wanted to take every one of those <span style="font-size: large;">orphans</span> home. <br /> <br />Today<span style="font-size: large;">, our whole family, along with other church friends,</span> spent<span style="font-size: large;"> the <span style="font-size: large;">afternoon</span></span> at an American orphanage, just interacting with children in transition... playing games, doing crafts projects, and eating pizza with them, being there to brighten their day. When we first walked in, our teena<span style="font-size: large;">ge </span>children initially felt awkward, wondering what to say, and how to act. I just told them to interact with the<span style="font-size: large;"> children</span> like it's just Sunday School or VBS, except that the<span style="font-size: large;">se children</span> might express stronger emotions <span style="font-size: large;">in a <span style="font-size: large;">given <span style="font-size: large;">situation </span></span></span>due to the circumstances of their life stories. <br /><br />It wasn't long until our children realized<span style="font-size: large;"> that</span> children in transition are no different than them, they've just missed out on stable family life like our children have grown up with. But they still laugh <span style="font-size: large;">and giggle</span>. They still cry. They still get their feelings hurt. They still have the same questions and curiosities. They still want to give and receive hugs (or maybe not). They still want to give and rec<span style="font-size: large;">eive love, even if they aren't sure how to express that.<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />At some point in the day, each of our children shared <span style="font-size: large;">with</span> me how much fun they were having, how they <span style="font-size: large;">hoped we could come back<span style="font-size: large;"> again to spend more time there with these children, and even pointing out which children they'd really clicked with and wanted to tuck in their back pocket to bring home with us.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We had ten extra seat belts in the van we could have filled when we left, had the adoption process been that easy. The hard part would have been choosing which ten to bring home. Leaving behind children who were crying that we had to leave, asking us if they could come home with us, asking if we could pick them up tomorrow to take them to church with us... Oh the heartbreak!!! So hard not to just lose it right there and bawl my eyes out in front of the children!! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We could not take photos to document our day <span style="font-size: large;">(understandabl<span style="font-size: large;">y, but such a disappointment for <span style="font-size: large;">someone like me who <span style="font-size: large;">hardly goes anywhere without a camera in hand)</span></span></span></span>, and I can't share more specific details about our day than I have here, but I can tell you this much... We </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">WILL be back!! And thankfully, we won't even have to raise thousands of dollars in funds to make the trip each time, like a trip to an international orphanage would cost! I can honestly say, I think today was incredibly bittersweet<span style="font-size: large;">;</span> the most to<span style="font-size: large;">rturous day</span>, and yet<span style="font-size: large;"> the </span>happiest and very best day I've had since we moved to Texas. Today was truly life</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-changing for our whole family. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><br />And now I know what they meant when they said they left part of their heart <span style="font-size: large;">in an orphanage when they walked out</span>, and they just want to go back again to <span style="font-size: large;">bring home more children</span>. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">If you don't know what they meant, y</span>ou should find the opportunity to understand it too.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> It will change your life! <br /><br />You won't ever be the same! <br /><br />I dare you!!<br /><br />~ Michelle</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/U64bongHqYU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><a href="http://youtu.be/U64bongHqYU">Kings and Queens ~ By Audio Adrenaline </a><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-22847416253109001492012-08-23T07:56:00.000-05:002012-08-23T09:00:24.195-05:00Refusing To Be A Settler<span style="font-size: large;">It has been said that we should wait to adopt until our life has settled down for awhile. I've been trying to figure out even one season of our 20 yr marriage that life has been "settled" long enough to have completed an adoption... <br /><br />If that is the qualifier, I can't think of a single season we'd have ever come close to qualifying. The fact is, dreamers & visionaries simply do not wait for life to settle before they pursue their dreams. Those who choose to be settled before pursuing what God has put before them to do, are the folks who got too comfortable in their settled season, they remain on the couch still waiting for life to settle more. We are a family of big dreamers. Big huge God size dreams. Because if a dream is small enough to fulfill it without God, then God is not in it. God likes to give impossible dreams for us to accomplish so as the dream is being fulfilled, He can say "This is the 'I'm Possible' dream!" <br /><br />Last night as I was putting leftovers away (after signing off of FB), I noticed a quote on our fridge that has slowly been edged out by chore charts, coupons, and other miscellaneous items stuck over top of it. It says, "Go Confidently In The Direction Of Your Dreams". That is when God spoke, "If you're 'settling', you're not going anywhere. If you're 'GO-ing', you're not going to live like a settler." I needed that boost to be able to go to bed last night not feeling as discouraged as when I woke up yesterday. We're not quitters. And we're not settlers. I refuse to wear a label that says otherwise. <br /><br />Off to continue to pursue big things... </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSKzHxVqxQ&feature=player_embedded%20">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSKzHxVqxQ&feature=player_embedded </a></div>
<br />Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-86132677306525828262012-07-01T23:14:00.000-05:002012-07-02T15:21:37.892-05:00One Small Step...<span style="font-size: large;">One small step for orphans... One giant leap for our family today... <br /><br />We're in the process of completing our homestudy in Texas now, with a specific profile in mind. That's about all I can say at the moment, and we've been non-stop here since our last post, but we will try to fill in the gaps leading up to now (from the last few months) as soon as we can. I just don't have the spare time today to do a long update. <br /><br />~Michelle </span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-81156404080636274272012-04-11T15:03:00.001-05:002012-04-11T15:04:49.009-05:00We're Back Online Again!!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>We're back online!!! </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The internet hook-up guy just left, and we have internet in our new home, finally!</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>I'm a happy girl to have a real keyboard under my fingertips again after four and a half looooonnnnng months of transition between N. Idaho and W. Texas.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>And my eyes are loving that I don't have to view everything on my little bitty phone screen anymore. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>And I'm thrilled that I FINALLY have access to the author side of our blog again. (For some reason, my "smart" phone would allow me to VIEW our blog, but would not allow me to POST here. I don't think it's as "smart" as it thinks it is!) </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>We're pretty swamped with life in general this week, but we just wanted to let everyone know that we will do our best to get an update (or two... or twelve...) written in the coming week or so to catch you up on our crazy family life since our last post in January. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Thank you all for your patience with us, and supporting us even during the quiet times when you haven't heard from us. Many of you have followed us on Facebook (which I WAS thankfully able to access during our move), and we want to thank you for all your prayers along the way as we jumped each speed bump these past few months. You have blessed us!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>~ Michelle</b></span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-2736126442951508922012-01-24T22:20:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:42:56.416-05:00The Roller Coaster Plunge...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In our last post,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> we</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> left you clinging to the safety bars of the roller coaster, waiting anxiously at the top of the plunge... right where we were a week ago today. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But let me step back a bit before I tell you about last Tuesday.<br />
<br />
As many of you know, once we shut our computer down and packed it up around the beginning of December, I've been out of the loop completely on what was being posted in the blog world. And for the past several weeks I had no access to our own blog, emails, or my personal Facebook page. I was doing good to figure out how to access our adoption Facebook page from my phone. I think God preplanned this, as He knew my plate was as full as it could possibly get for a few weeks. And I am grateful for the somewhat blissfully ignorant month we had from mid-December to mid-January while we dealt with all the other things we shared in the last 3 posts (plus other stressful situations that I won't go into here, but add up to the total stress we were dealing with just the same). He protected us from the news that was to come until a better time. He waited for a time that my overall burden was a bit lighter, and our children were well again (mostly), and things were going a bit more smoothly with securing a home in Texas. His timing is perfect. Even when it doesn't seem like it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... a week ago yesterday (Monday, January 16th), I was able to jump onto our adoption Facebook page for a few minutes, and I saw a post in my newsfeed from our dear friend Adeye, an adoptive mother herself, who is committed to helping other families whose hearts are open to adoption. I clicked on the link going back to <a href="http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2012/01/lets-bring-them-home.html">her blog</a>. In that day's post, she asked for twenty families who urgently needed to raise funds to post a link to their respective blogs so she could help raise awareness and support for their fundraising efforts. I posted our blog link information for her, knowing that as soon as we received the keys to our new home, we were going to need to move through the remainder of our adoption approval process as rapidly as possibly (and still raise funds for each step of the process) because our girls would be aging out of their baby/preschool orphanages shortly, and their futures were unknown and likely to not be positive ones if not brought home in time. Yes, I </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">knew there were many families further in the adoption process than we were who also needed to raise funds to finish the race, but also hoping that our family's fundraising needs would qualify as urgent enough to be one of Adeye's featured families.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I was about to log off of the computer, I t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">hought about how we'd received a couple of inquiries over the past weeks (when our blog activity was almost non-</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">existent</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">) asking if we were still intending to adopt. I thought I'd post a brief update on our adoption Facebook page letting everyone know that we were still in pursuit of our girls, Olivia and Aliza. Just because we were in the middle of a cross-country move, and hadn't posted any blog updates, it didn't mean we were any less committed to bringing our girls home a single minute later than we had to. We just weren't being able to blog about it during that time. So I hoped to reassure and satisfy our readers' curiosity with an update on our Facebook page. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
And then I was offline again.<br />
<br />
The following day (a week ago today), Adeye contacted us saying that she'd received inquiries regarding our family. She had readers wondering why she was featuring our family for urgent fundraising if our girls were no longer available anyway. So she was contacting us to try to sort out the confusion so she knew whether to continue to feature our family on her blog at this time or not. <br />
<br />
Needless to say, I was completely puzzled by her statement/question, as we'd heard nothing of the sort. Was someone confusing our family with another? As far as we knew, our girls were both still available. We'd heard nothing to the contrary. No one had posted anything on our adoption Facebook wall. We'd heard nothing even hinting to that. So as far as we knew, there was no change. What she was saying was new news to us, but we completely understood the position she was in, and how she needed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on before she continued to feature our family. If I were in her position, I'd want to know for sure too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I knew I had to figure out what was going on and sort out the confusion for myself too. So off I went on a scavenger hunt for the truth about our girls' statuses</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, although I wasn't even quite sure where to start</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.<br />
<br />
I began with looking at the website where we first found our Olivia, one which had photolistings of children still available for adoption, as well as those who had a family somewhere in the process of working to bring them home. Nothing had changed that I could tell. Both of our girls were still marked as they had been: "Being adopted outside of (the agency)". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe someone was wrong. They're both likely still available or surely that photolisting site would have been updated already. Someone must've just been mistaken when they contacted my friend to say we had no children to pursue. Somehow we'd get this all sorted out, discover that our girls are still waiting for us, and my dear friend Adeye can go back to featuring our family on her list.<br />
<br />
Just to be sure, I jumped back onto our adoption Facebook page and asked anyone with any information about this unavailability claim to contact us. I got little response, other than posts of prayers and support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then I switched my attention to the adoption blog circles. Maybe I could figure out where someone mistook information posted somewhere. Surely one or more of my blogging friends could help me clear this up.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I browsed several of the blogs written by people who had, at one point or another in the past, featured our family. At first I could find nothing because when looking up a blog on the internet, you'll usually be directed to the most recent post, which would be mid-January for many of them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, I had no clue how far back I needed to dig. I searched a few days back. Then a week back. Then two weeks back. What am I supposed to be looking for anyway? Who holds this information? What do they know? Do my blogging friends even know anything? Is there even anything TO KNOW? Maybe we're all in the dark about this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Surely someone must have mixed us up with someone else. I know I sometimes confuse one blog with another, or forget which family is pursuing which child. Especially with all the photolisting code names floating around with all the real names that are known, as well as names an adoptive family intends to rename a child once they come home. Half of these children mentioned in various blogs have two or three names they are known by. It gets confusing sometimes. Even with my memory for those little minute details, I still often confuse these things. Surely this is what the case is with someone thinking our girls have been adopted by someone else. They're not even in the same region. It's not likely they were both adopted at the same time anyway? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But at least I can rule it out by poking around a handful of blogs to see what information is floating around out there. We'll certainly get this cleared up shortly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After reading the posts going back a full two weeks on each blog, I decided to just start reading these various bloggers' posts beginning from the day I'd last had our computer up and running back in Idaho to the present. This brought the information I didn't want to even search for to my fingertips much quicker. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
After reading one blogger's post, then another, then another, and yet another, the roller coaster I was now on was sending me plunging downward faster and faster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted off. NOW!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, this can't possibly be true. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted to barf. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted to scream. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just wanted to go back to standing on the ground watching others ride this plummeting course ahead of them, and feeling sad for them instead of it being us on this nerve-wrecking ride.<br />
<br />
So after blog hopping for quite awhile, and attempting to put my heart back where it belonged, instead of in the pit of my stomach, I had enough credible information to believe that our Aliza was most likely never going to be our daughter, living in our home, loved by so many who already love her, snuggled under a blanket on the couch with the rest of our children watching cartoons or reading books, or giggling with delight when her daddy tickles her tummy before kissing her goodnight. My arms would likely never bring reassurance to her after getting a boo-boo on her finger, or waking up to a frightening dream. She was gone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just gone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But still not with a family like she should be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That would have been easier to comprehend. If she had been adopted by a family, I could be thrilled for her, even in my personal grief. But she wasn't. She is still in an orphanage. A different one. At least it's a better one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But still, it's an orphanage. Orphanages don't have real mommies and daddies, and brothers and sisters, and cousins, and aunts and uncles, and grandparents. She's still an orphan. Only now, she's no longer legally available for adoption. At least not for another year, at the earliest. And certainly not likely to us, an American family. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll do my best to give you the gist of her current situation since each bloggers' post reflects slightly varying details. The basic information I've gleaned is this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A priest from an Orthodox Catholic church, having strong political connections and influence in Aliza's country, runs a "private" orphanage (despite it being government funded). He was recently given funds to significantly increase his bed count, and was given the authority to choose which ever children he wanted to have guardianship over. I'm sure he has the best intentions and believes he is helping these children. His facility is reportedly a "state of the art facility" with a great staff to orphan ratio. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But still... it is an orphanage. Still these children have no parents. Still they have no family of their own. Still... they are orphans. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He says he will make them available for adoption after at least a year, BUT, being a "patriotic" man, he will only make them available to citizens of their own country. That means our family, being American, has very little chance of ever being able to adopt from his facility. Which doesn't make any sense to me, knowing the statistics reflect that children with special needs are rarely adopted within their country compared to children with no physical or mental challenges or delays. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This priest took guardianship of d</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">ozens and dozens of orphans. Names I recognized. Orphans who had families working hard to bring them home. Lots of American families. Lots of my blogging friends. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our precious Aliza was just one of dozens and dozens of children he chose for his new facility. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So at the same time I learned that our Aliza was gone, I learned I had friends who were grieving too. I just didn't know it. I'd been out of the blogging loop for the past month or so. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not the only parent grieving. There are others who can relate to this roller coaster ride I'm on. There are other parents with knots in their stomachs, and tears in their eyes right now too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then I realized that all of this occurred back in the middle of December, right at the exact time we were wrapping up the final details in Idaho, packing up our covered wagon, and leaving for the wild west. I am grieving with this news. I know I'm not alone in my grief. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's just that all these other parents are a month ahead of me in their shock and grief. The sting for them is not as new now as it is to us. They've had a month to process this. They've had a month to regroup. They've had a month to pray and ask God where to go from here. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I was grateful last week for God's mercy in delaying our awareness of Aliza's fate for a month. My plate was just. too. full. at that time to handle. one. more. thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But still... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was shocked. I was confused. I was angry. I was weepy. I was hurting. This is just so wrong! How could this happen? Why God? Why are You letting this happen? What am I supposed to tell Rick? Aliza was HIS girl! She stole his heart. He was already wrapped around her little finger, and she didn't even know it yet. What am I supposed to tell our children? They're going to be devastated. She was supposed to be our daughter! She was their sister in their minds. We've been preparing a place for her. We've looked into all aspects of the care she'd likely need. We chose a home that was ready to accommodate her specific physical needs. God, why did you let us love her so much, only to let her be taken away? I couldn't understand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I still don't understand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I may never understand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not even sure I want to try to understand, because, knowing me, I'd probably still try to argue it with God anyway! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't know exactly what His purposes are for her now (and for us at this point), except that He promises that His purposes for each of us are for good, and not for evil, to bring hope, to bring life, life abundantly, and a future. That was all I could hang on to. He hadn't let go of her. And He hadn't let go of us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That, and the fact that Olivia was not included on the priest's round up list. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But why are people saying she's no longer available either? There were no blogs to check. Our Olivia is one of those unseen orphans. The kind that no one blogged about, unless they were blogging about our family specifically. I searched the remainder of the day for her. I googled her photolisting code name, her real name, and any other info I had about her. I left no known stone unturned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No blogs about her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No changes on any of the sites that had featured her at some point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just nothing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In her case, no news was good news. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No news was great news! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At least I could tell my family that we'd only lost one of our two girls.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We've already picked out girly bedspreads and curtains for them! We've already picked out stuffies for them to love on. I'd even been checking into various curricula to use after they came home and had time to settle in a little. At least one of them could still enjoy these things. At least one of our girls could still join our family. It was joy and heartbreak all in one shot. How can the human heart have that capacity to feel both at the same time?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I shared the news with Rick first. We grieved together. At least as much as you can grieve together while separated by hundreds of miles, hearing each other's voices, but having no body language to read, no ability to read each other's eyes. No ability to reach out and hold each other. I knew Rick wanted to be with me, and I wanted to be with him. We both needed that hug that begins to heal a broken heart. I wanted to grieve our loss TOGETHER. This being apart, well frankly, it sucks. Sorry if you don't like that word. But it's true. Grieve sucks your heart dry for a season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts flashed back to the night my dad passed away unexpectedly two and a half years ago. We were apart then too. It sucked then too. My dad would have loved these girls. My dad was a sucker for grandchildren snuggling on his lap. My dad was as sure enjoyed all his "shuggas". I was his "sugar plum". My children (well, all of his grandchildren) were his "shuggas". I grieve that loss too. Aliza and Olivia would have been his "shuggas" too if he'd been here to snuggle them. I missed him all the more. The loss feels the same to the heart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was hard to grieve when you know you still have to share the awful news with your children too. When you know you have to be the one who console them, to comfort them, to bear them up... when your own love tank has just been sliced open from one end to the other, allowing all your strength and resilience to leak out. I couldn't do it. Not yet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My children had been sick the whole past week. I wasn't feeling so well myself, even before I learned of this gut wrenching event. Now I just felt like puking. I waited to share the news with our children. I needed time to digest it more myself. We've been through so much lately, I needed an armor-bearer myself. Anyone. I felt so alone. On top of the cabin fever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I couldn't cry. I just couldn't let myself cry yet. It was all I could do to keep it together in our little "glamping" site, with no privacy from children. Children who read me well. Children who just know when something in their mother's world just isn't "right". I needed just a bit more time. Time to pray. Time to find the positive in this. Even if there wasn't any to be found yet. I wasn't feeling very positive at the moment. I try to follow the "Thumper Rule" and not say anything at all if I can't say something nice! And I had nothing "nice" to say at the time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It took me all day. I finally told our children that evening. They were devastated. We cried together. We held each other. I reassured them that it still appeared that our Olivia was ours. I had no reason to believe she was gone too. We clung to that as we went to bed that night. <br />
<br />
The morning brought more news we didn't want to hear. A dear friend back home (who graciously came and helped us pack boxes late into the night, even though we'd never met before then!) gently told me that she had a blogging friend who was currently in Ukraine completing her adoption at the same orphanage as Olivia. This friend had confirmed for her that indeed, Olivia was being adopted by an Italian family. The Ukrainian judge had already signed all the paperwork, and she would be going home with them in just a few days.<br />
<br />
Square One, do you understand how much I loathe you??? <br />
<br />
My heart sank into that familiar place in my stomach. And I wanted to throw up again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted to ask God "why?". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I didn't bother. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd asked it the day before. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I got no answer. At least none that satisfied my selfish desire for my girls. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All He said yesterday was "I work all things together for your good, and theirs." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's not what I really wanted to hear then. I wanted to hear "Oops. Sorry, I messed that one up! I'll get right on top of that and get it resolved for you as quickly as possible."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, not really. But if you've worn these shoes, you know what I mean. You understand the blisters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The only thing certain at that point was that now I had to update Adeye. I had to update Rick. Then I had to wake my children up with this devastating news. I did not enjoy being a mother that day. At least that part of it. I knew it wouldn't be an easy morning. Spilled milk would have been a welcome mess to clean up! I was thankful though that Rick's extended family had invited us over for the day, and children were finally well enough to be able to get out of the house. I was eager to get out of the house. I was eager for something else to focus on for the day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We'd had a double loss in less than 24 hours. Double the broken dreams. Double the emptiness. Double the tears. Double the questions in their eyes that I couldn't answer. I'm sure God looked in mine and saw the same questions. I'm sure at some point, He'll explain it in a way I can't understand now but will make more sense down the road. I still, a week later, ponder the quote <i>"God's strategic delay is for your greater good!"</i> It made sense with the other speed bumps. Why isn't it making sense now? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cannot say what is next for us. It's not because I don't want to. It's because I don't know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I know is this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know my heart is still drawn to adoption. (We both are.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know my heart is still drawn to the former Soviet region. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we have no specific children identified to pursue right now. (And even if we did, we probably wouldn't be ready to say we did. But we don't.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we aren't giving up the God-given dream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we are praying for a God-fearing family for Aliza. (And we are still committed to adopting her should she become available to an American family in the future.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I am grateful that Olivia in no longer an orphan. (Even if she isn't ours.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we are praying about the next step in God's plan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we will continue to raise the funds necessary to pursue adoption, since there are plenty of expenses required in the adoption process before a family is required to select a specific child.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know we are willing to follow God's leading, on whatever path He wants us to walk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I know I prayed for an adventure. (Okay, really I complained to God about having a boring life.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I've about had my fill of adventure for the past few weeks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or was it for the past few months? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, it's been an adventure for years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's been an adventure my whole life!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, it's been an adventurous life! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I should not have complained!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I'm about ready for a somewhat boring life again... </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At least for the next few weeks until we get the keys to our new home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know my heart needs time to process a little more of this grief. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And then I'll be ready to jump back into this adventure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I know I'm (mostly) ready to say "Yes, Lord." when He asks me to go with Him into the next adventure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even though it scares the snot out of me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seems He really rather enjoys those roller coasters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have to remind myself that the dips and plunges are no further down than the length of the climb to new heights. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And He is there to put His protective, trustworthy hands over mine when things get too unsure and scary for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's just how my Daddy God is! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~ Michelle <br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" are no longer available for adoption, we felt it was best to remove the photos we had posted of them from our blog. </span></span></span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-83902818943802366082012-01-22T22:30:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:46:34.153-05:00Since We Packed Up The Computer... (Pt. 3)<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px; text-align: left;">Picking up where I left off in Part 2... </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;">"God's strategic delay is for your greater good!"</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Rick and I had heard this comment somewhere many years ago (I couldn't even begin to tell you who said it to us), but it's stuck with us all this time. This thought came to me again when Rick called me to say we did not get that home we wanted. (The umpteenth one...) It was as if God was saying, "Juuuuust trrrruuuuussst meeee!!" Even when we don't understand what He's doing, He still desires our complete trust. I was just struggling to continue giving it to Him.<br />
<br />
But God is faithful! Right at the time that Rick was going to have no place to sleep, he found favor with his company and they offered him another month of corporate housing because they had originally told him we'd be living in Oklahoma, so he'd spent much of his original days of corporate housing looking for homes in Oklahoma before they settled on his final work location remaining in Texas. So they offered him housing until the end of January. What a blessing that was!!<br />
<br />
Still it's been a challenge to not be discouraged at times. After being out-bid on another home, Rick and his realtor went in search of more homes to drive by. After several days of running from one side of town to the other looking at places, he found one that he REALLY liked. He sent me a text saying "Babe, I think you're going to fall in love with this home!" Knowing that if we put an offer on the table for a house, I'd likely not even get to see it until it was ours, I began to panic just a little on the inside. It's smaller than our last home, and yet our family will be expanding! How are we going to make it work? What if we've been apart so long, he can't remember what little things are important to me, like the window over my kitchen sink, or that I prefer a real laundry room, not a laundry closet? What if I really DON'T like it when we arrive? </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">Panic... yeah, it's just another result of distrust.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"> (Oh the doubts I should not have doubted!!) And on Rick's end, he was fearing I wouldn't like this particular home he kept coming back to day after day. After Rick told me this, God reminded me that my husband DOES know my heart's desires (we've only known each other for 23 years after all!), that my husband has trusted ME to pick out two other homes for our family by myself in the past and never once complained or been negative about them, and that if I'd just ask Him, He could cause me to fall in love with this home as much as any other home I could have chosen myself. It was a gentle swat on the rear! So I did just that. I began to pray that God would cause me to fall in love with this home and see it as a peaceful refuge, not as a "best he could find" house. I have yet to actually see it in person, but the longer I starred at those pictures online day after day, the more I have begun to fall in love with this home! So on January 8th, I told Rick I was "good" with putting in a written offer on the home. So he met the realtor at the house once again, and they prayed together over the house and our offer on it. And then they submitted our offer. He received a call from his realtor just a few hours later saying the buyers had verbally accepted our offer and would sign the papers in the morning.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Our celebration time was cut short first thing in the morning when she received another call from their agent apologizing that the sellers had received an even higher offer overnight (ours was already above their asking price), and they were going to accept that offer instead. Frankly, I was mad! Mad about losing a house I originally thought I wouldn't like! Mad that things were looking like we were going to be back to square one AGAIN!! Mad that things seemed to be crumbling around us. We prayed about the house together on the phone. And we took a deep breath, and put in another offer for just a small bit higher than our first offer. And we decided that if they accepted it, we would move forward on it. But if they didn't, that was going to be our final offer, and we were going to look elsewhere. I did not sleep well that night! I just wanted this part of the adventure to be over with! I wanted a place to call home. And I wanted to get on with our adoption process. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Since we arrived in Oklahoma over a month ago, the children and I have been "squatting" (Rick calls it "Glamping", short for "Glamour Camping") in a borrowed very tiny 2 bedroom, 1 bath home without basic furnishings or any of the normal comforts of home. For those readers who are familiar with my childhood home in the hills of West Virginia, you need no further description of the home we've been staying in, only that we at least have running water in our current place and we're in town, instead of an hour from civilization. Although we're extremely grateful for the use of this little dwelling, without the joys of being able to visit with Rick's extended family while we're here, the past month would've been a really rough character development project to find the good in the day to day waiting. There have been days of frustration with waking up sore from a restless night of trying to sleep on the cold, hard floors to not being able to work in the kitchen as </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">usual, such as the time we finished prepping grilled cheese sandwiches, only to realize I had no skillet to cook them in! Many mornings in the last month, I've pulled the blanket tighter around myself, shivering and thinking about how orphans must feel. Cold. Hungry. Displaced. Lonely. Forgotten. Incomplete. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">Homeless.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"> No place to call home. Minimal things to call their own. Missing out on the comforts of a real home. Wondering if today might just be the day they find out they will have a home to go to soon. I could relate. And it made me really want to get on with life and get to our girls as soon as possible. I wanted a home for them to call their own, as much as I wanted that for myself too.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Further discouragement came when we were told that our storage unit fees were going to be almost as much as what we were paying each month for our last home. And again a few days later when we were hit with the news that they were wrong about that... our storage facility fees were not going to be what we were first quoted, but nearly THREE times what we'd been quoted!! We simply could not afford that, even without trying to buy a home! We prayed for favor with Rick's company, asking God to move on the hearts of those with the golden stamp. We prayed that in the same way they'd extended Rick's company housing, they'd also extend their coverage of our storage facility fees. (They originally said they'd only pay for one month.) </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Then we get the call that the sellers of this home Rick loved had accepted our second offer, and they would have it in writing shortly. Then we would have 24 hrs after that to sign the papers as well to put the home under an official contract. More panic. How are we going to get several thousands of dollars together for our down payment on the house, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">pay for two more months of storage fees while we wait for closing,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">and still feed our family in the meantime? We started to second guess our decision to purchase this home, even though we knew alternate options were simply out of the question. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">More forgetfulness on our part about faithfulness on God's part.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;">God is so creative in His reminders though. I flipped on the radio out of boredom, and found a local Christian radio station that came in somewhat fuzzy but clear enough to tolerate. I don't even know what program was being aired when I flipped it on, but God knew exactly what we needed to hear. I couldn't get it written down fast enough to quote him word-for-word, but the preacher basically said, "Don't spend time taking counsel from your fears when doing what God has called you to. Reverence allows you to go forth in faith, but fear only allows you to look back in paralysis." I sent Rick a text as quick as I could with what I'd just heard to share that with him (he was at work at the time so I couldn't call). He signed the papers to proceed with the purchase, and plunked the first required check down on the table. Oh so exciting!! We're going to be homeowners again!! We finally have an address to share with family and friends!! What a sigh of relief!<br />
<br />
Then another glitch a few days later. The mortgage lender needed actual documentation as to the date of our foreclosure several years ago, because if it was less than 5 yrs ago, they were reluctant to approve our home loan. A heaviness set upon my heart as I informed Rick that all the documentation related that particular home had been sent with the movers to the storage facility. Without a home, they wouldn't deliver our stuff. Without our stuff, we may not be able to buy a home. This was not looking so good. The original lender on that mortgage had gone out of business. Where else might we be able to track down this information? I was at a loss for where to begin. I prayed that God would show us if there was any other way to get this documentation we needed. As I got up from praying, I thought about a box I'd brought with us of various documentation I knew we'd likely need for our adoption of Aliza and Olivia, including past years of tax returns. I grabbed that box and practically ripped it open with the joyful expectation of a child on Christmas morning opening a gift they hope is the one they really wanted, but still not certain if they'll really get it. After an hour or so of flipping through tax paperwork, I found nothing that I thought would help. With a heavy sigh and a tear of discouragement welling up in my eye, I tossed the stack of tax folders on my blanket. One of them slid off the pile, and as it did, a loose sheet of paper began to slip out. I picked the folder up, opened it to the spot where the paper was loose, and began to tuck it back in again. In the corner of the paper under it, I spotted the words "Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property", and thought to myself, "What's this paper for?" As I scanned it over, I realized it had the address of the home that was foreclosed on. I looked for a date. Just guess what the date was!!! EXACTLY FIVE YEARS AGO... TO THE DATE!!! As I snapped a photo of it to send to Rick, I realized something... had our offer on any home we wanted been accepted sooner than it finally was, we most likely would not have been approved. And we would have been back to square one. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;">"God's strategic delay is for your greater good!"</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Later that day, I received a text message from Rick saying that his company had approved an extension on them paying for our storage fees because it was due to their change of assignment location that Rick had less than two weeks to find and secure housing for us in Texas (instead of Oklahoma) before we moved out of our home in Idaho. And they weren't just offering to pay our storage fees for an additional month, but all the way until the absolute latest date that we could possibly go to closing on our new home (so two additional months)!!! </span><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 25px;">"God's strategic delay is for your greater good!"</i> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">We needed this good news. At the time, t</span><span style="line-height: 25px;">he children and I were well into a long stretch of passing a strange illness from person to person, keeping us home-bound for days without any anticipated end in sight. (It's no fun to have a child ask for a puke bucket, only to realize the best thing you have available at the moment for them to puke in is the empty kitty litter bag headed for the alley trash!) With so little to do while being cooped up, our children begged me to let them unpack their schoolwork, even though we'd intended to take a break from it during the trip! We finally went on a "scavenger hunt" at the first thrift store we could find in town, and bought up a stack of books, a nearly new DVD player, a short stack of used DVDs, and some very mix-matched basic kitchen supplies and bedding. During our "quarantine" time, we browsed the phone book for a few places in town we could go to for "field trips" once children were on the mend again. That has helped with the cabin fever too! But having that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel knowing we have a home to go to soon was such joyful news to us!! Despite a few more days of prolonged illnesses and quarantine, there was a sense of excitement in the air again. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">And then the biggest plunge on this roller coaster ride so far hit our family very unexpectedly... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">You know what I'm talking about... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">That plunge that you already know could possibly be part of any roller coaster ride...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">The big one that sneaks up on you after several smaller dips and turns are already behind you... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">The one you think you are big enough to handle without grabbing for the safety bars... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">That plunge where your stomach detaches itself from where God created it to be and you just feel like you're going to throw up your lunch on everyone...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">And your heart pounds faster than it should... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">And you begin to scream for someone to stop the ride NOW because you just want off... </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">And you ask yourself why you ever got on this ride in the first place...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">And you swear to yourself that you'll never ride this roller coaster again...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Even though you know you don't really mean it...</span><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px; text-align: left;">*******************</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">I know you're gonna be upset at me for this but... </span><span style="line-height: 25px;">you'll have to stay tuned in a few days to hear the next part of the story. I'm on a borrowed computer, and I need to let the computer's owner get her family to bed, and I really should get our children back "home" to bed for the night too. I hope to return to our update in a few days (but I know it won't be able to be tomorrow). Sorry! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">~ Michelle </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-68703420571048210772012-01-21T22:40:00.000-06:002012-01-21T23:48:00.770-06:00Since We Packed Up The Computer... (Pt. 2)<div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just went out to our van to grab my little raspberry log book from our trip. Yes, I'd probably be voted "Most Likely To Document That" in my family, (remember my </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">devastation</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> to discover my camera had been packed up by the movers?). And yes, I did in fact make note of every stop, what time (and in what time zone), what exit or town, for how long, if we took any photos there, etc. I knew with the sleep deprivation of driving straight through (other than the half-night in the hotel after the accident), we'd likely forget what exactly happened when on our trip, or when and where a photo was really taken. So my handy-dandy raspberry colored log is my lifesaver in giving you accurate details of our journey to Texas! Or Oklahoma! (That's a tidbit for those of you who don't know the current details of story yet!) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, picking up where I left off in Part 1... </span> </div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The accident was just after midnight on Sunday evening (okay, technically Monday morning, for my friends who prefer preciseness!), about 30 miles west of Butte, Montana. To spare you the boring details of my log book, we FINALLY arrived in Denver, Colorado around noon on Tuesday!! This stop was the highlight of our trip. We were blessed to be able to meet for the first time our friends, Jonathan and Jessica, whom we've been in ministry with online for the past couple of years! We shared a joyous, delicious lunch with them (except for the child of ours who asked if we could ask the waiter for a puke bucket!) and enjoyed an impromptu "homeschool field trip" at a major outdoor sporting goods store together! (I wish I could post pics of our trip, but I don't know how to pull pictures off of our new camera's memory card without completely emptying it onto this borrowed computer.) We parted ways around sundown, wishing we could have spent a week together instead of just a few hours. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To continue to make a long story short-er (because I don't think I was created to make a long story just plain short), we finally rolled into Rick's parents' driveway in NE Oklahoma on Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 21st), ready for a long winter's nap! The next day I was able to get in to see a chiropractor in Oklahoma and he agreed with the diagnosis from the chiropractor I'd been to during the week prior to our trip. What I hadn't known previously was that one of my hips was significantly lower than the other, thus all the excruciating back pain during the moving process. With a few strategic adjustments, the majority of my pain decreased significantly. Even more so than with the adjustment back home. What a relief!! (I've been continuing the adjustments as needed since then.) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We enjoyed spending the next few days over Christmas weekend with Rick's extended family before Rick had to return to work in Texas. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Early on Monday, December 26th, Rick and I hit the road for our new hometown in Texas (without the children) to finalize details for securing a home for our family. We had papers all drawn up and signed, ready to submit for a house there. When we arrived Monday evening and met the agent so Rick could see the home for the 2nd time and show the home to me, we discovered things that really concerned us. We both felt a strong caution in our spirits against signing papers on that home. But that left us in a real predicament as his corporate housing had expired the weekend he arrived in the Northwest to begin our trip. So he had no place to stay, and the children and I had no place to finish moving to. I had planned on "dropping him off" in Texas, and making the return trip to Oklahoma the following morning when he resumed work. Suddenly being without any housing plans for our family, arrangements were made for extended family to care for our children (and pets), and with little more than my toothbrush, I stayed in our new hometown in Texas with Rick for the remainder of the week to search for a home while he was at work each day. Thankfully, one of his new co-workers took pity on us and loaned us their temporarily spare bedroom for a few nights before their new roommates moved in. We looked high and low, and every home was a "no-go", either due to details that would not accommodate our family needs (and we'd lowered our "standards" significantly already), or potential landlords with major attitudes against larger families. And there were precious few homes to check out to begin with. We literally scanned the online ads all day long, and jumped at a moment's notice to view them because homes that did become available were usually gone before the end of the day. There were days we (the co-worker's wife and I) just drove block after block after block looking for homes that had signs or just looked empty from the street. We thought for sure we'd be able to find a home before I returned to Oklahoma to retrieve children. No such luck.<br />
<br />
The final night I was to be in Texas (since I needed to release relatives from caring for the children), we went out for dinner, and the restaurant owner told us of a home for sale or rent by one of his regular customers. We drove straight there and loved the place! We called that night, and again the next morning (New Year's Eve) until we finally found a realtor who was willing to show us the home on a holiday, and before I needed to hit the road. We submitted an application to rent (temporarily, until we could familiarize ourselves with the idiosyncrasies of the home and decide whether to purchase it in the future). And I headed back to Oklahoma pretty certain that we had a home to go to. Like Rick said "I felt like part of me was amputated." in having to part ways again, knowing that there was no certainty as to how long we'd be apart again. We hadn't realized how much he and I really needed that alone time together (not that it was exactly a romantic getaway or anything).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We waited nearly a week for an answer from the homeowner on whether our application to rent would be accepted. And then we were told they decided not to rent, but to sell instead. We put in a full price offer on the home to purchase it. And still we were "out-offered". So they chose the higher offer, and we were once again at the beginning of a search for a place to call home. Sigh. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you know how much I hate being shown back to first base again and again? It stinks. For once, I just wanted to finally make it to home plate! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why wasn't God letting the puzzle pieces fall into place so we could be together as a family again? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why wasn't He providing a home for us? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What purpose is there for all this delay and frustration in securing a home? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If YOU brought us here, why aren't YOU working things out for us?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are many times in this journey that Satan began to whisper, planting those seeds of doubt on whether we were even where we were supposed to be or doing what we were supposed to be doing. There were times (even now sometimes) that it was easy to feel like we just wanted to double check with God for that reassurance that we were still on the same path. That we had heard Him right. Wanting to know that we remained in His will as we understood it. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Rick muttered at one point, "God, can we buy a vowel?" </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It gets discouraging when you begin to decrease placing all your trust in God's plan and attempt </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to walk in your own plans, even with the best intentions to let Him be in control.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> If we had known what the details were behind the scenes when it came to housing, it would've been easy to just wait on God's timing and not stress about finding a home. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll leave you with this thought, and then I'll end for tonight:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"God's strategic delay is for your greater good!"</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">********************</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll try to post the continuation of our update in a "Part 3" tomorrow. Until then...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~ Michelle </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div></div>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-85167424481946377622012-01-21T18:43:00.000-06:002012-01-22T16:53:12.448-06:00Since We Packed Up The Computer... (Pt. 1)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hello! Just in case you've forgotten who we are, let us reintroduce ourselves... (Just kidding!) We know it's been 6 weeks since we packed up the computer for our southern migration and you're all sitting p</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">atiently </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">on the edges of your seats awaiting an update. Or maybe you got tired of waiting, or wondered if we're ever coming back, and you've moved on to another activity besides waiting for our update to pop up on your screen. If so, YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!!!! ;-) (I have temporary use of a borrowed computer today, so I will post as much of an update as I can. There's a lot to update you on so it will likely take several posts!!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So we left you sitting there at the beginning of December pondering obedience. (I didn't mean to leave you all sitting there in "time out" for so long! Sorry about that!) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Obedience with the right attitude. And obedience without delay. And the difference between </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">unwilling compliance and a heart of joyful</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">obedience despite our own plans and desires or the temporary circumstances we see in our limited human understanding. Yes, it's been on my mind a lot the past month or so too! And my excitement for getting to Texas and getting settled has increased the more I've prayed for a willing heart to obey God's leading there. But it hasn't been easy. There's been a lot to be discouraged by, and a lot to rattle our willingness to "journey on". So let me begin where we left off...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Within a few hours after posting our last entry here, I began to feel quite ill. I was running a mild temp which kept steadily rising with each new day, and just didn't feel quite up to par (that's putting it very mildly). The movers were in our home that whole week packing and loading up our junque (much of the time with little care for what condition our items may likely be in at the other end of the move), and frankly, giving me lots of grief about it. Things I had set aside to take WITH US (like our camera and personal address book, etc), they packed up and refuse to locate and unpack again for me when I discovered they were missing. And things I wanted THEM to take on the moving truck got left behind (like an entire bathroom they missed). It was a week of sheer chaos!! I would have rather packed it all myself if I'd had a choice in the matter. But we really needed the help. We were out of time and I was in constant excruciating pain and could barely stand on my own feet for more than a few minutes at a time despite my usual higher pain tolerance levels. But only my family knew that I was in such extreme pain. I had to carry on. I had no choice. The work had to get done by a specific time, come hell or high water. By the time the movers pulled out of our driveway, I was wrung out emotionally and physically, and I dropped to my knees on the floor alone in my kitchen and bawled my eyes out while everyone was elsewhere in the house. Shortly thereafter, one of our small group leaders from church walked in and gathered those who, unbeknownst to me, had "bottle-necked" in the doorway to watch, and they prayed over me. The weepiness didn't stop, but the emotional weight on my shoulders at that moment lightened up and I was given a supernatural endurance to push through to the end of the project a week later, despite my rising temperature and decreasing ability to function physically. For an entire week after the movers were gone, we were working until the wee hours of the night, catching brief cat naps on the floor when we could go on no longer, and surviving on as much coffee as we could consume! When we finally reached the point of completion about 8am on December 14th, I climbed into a bed at my mom's house, shivering and weak. My body said "Enough is enough!!" and it shut down on me. A</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">lthough I didn't realize it at the time, she later told me I'd slept for the next 20 hours straight! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The following day, she took me to a chiropractor to find out why my back and feet had been in such </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">excruciating</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> pain, knowing I was not fit to make the trip south a few days later without some kind of medical attention first. The doc said that my back </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">was </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"all jacked up back there". After a lengthy chiropractic treatment, and switching from my old worn out tennis shoes into a brand new pair of professional running sneakers a friend gave me (Thanks Traci!), I was feeling somewhat better and a bit more confident that I could make the trip, if we allowed for frequent stops to stretch and move around. Although the pain in my back and feet had been significantly reduced, I was still running a temp, and feeling very ill when </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rick arrived in our home town late in the evening on the 16th. So much for making him the center of my attention after 13 VERY LONG weeks apart! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On December 17th, we ran all those necessary last minute errands, loaded up the remainder of our belongings into our van and a rented "haul-it-yourself" trailer, then celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. Knowing how grieved I was with the realization that we would not be able to take any pictures on our trip, my side of the family surprised us with a new camera and two new memory cards with lots of space!! I bawled my eyes out again!! It was a blessing I was not expecting at all! (We've taken over a thousand high resolution pictures since then, and have yet to fill up the first memory card!!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Sunday, the 18th, we said goodbye to loved ones, prayed for continued manifestation of healing in my body, and a peaceful, safe journey. And we hit the open road. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Little did we know what lie ahead of us! I can't honestly say that I would've been able to obey willingly or joyfully if I had known. At the very least, I would have struggled. At times I still have to remind myself that obedience with a bad attitude is still disobedience. The last five weeks have not been so easy.<br />
<br />
The day we left the Pacific Northwest, somewhere around midnight, in the middle of nowhere Montana, I turned the driver's seat back over to Rick so I could get some sleep after a lengthy stretch of white-knuckle driving (it was my first time ever pulling a trailer and I was, quite frankly, scared out of my mind to attempt it!). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The roads and weather were wonderfully clear when I fell asleep, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">but I was awakened a short time later to the motion of our van and trailer fishtailing several times from one side of the road to the other as Rick tried to regain control after unexpectedly hitting a patch of black ice. He just about had everything brought back under control again when our trailer suddenly jack-knifed, spinning our van so we were then facing the traffic originally behind us, and we began sliding backwards down the highway toward the center median. Our children were awakened, dazed and disoriented, to the sounds of their father speaking a language quite foreign to them; a language which reportedly many truckers, sailors, and construction crews are fluent in. ;-) (My apologies for the stereotyping to the innocent employed in those industries!) Having been in a roll-over accident as a child, I instinctively knew that we were most likely doomed to take a frightening rollercoaster ride in the median, and all I could do was THINK the word "Jesus" repeatedly in my mind. In my sleepiness, I couldn't even get it out of my mouth! (Thank goodness God's thoughts are higher than ours, but He still understands and honors our silent prayers anyway!) Our trailer pulled our van backwards down into the median, and back up the other side before gravity (and God) intervened, and the tail end of the trailer began to slide sideways back down toward the lowest point of the median. After coming to a rest, we checked to make sure our children were safe and okay before Rick got out to check on the condition of our van and trailer. The chiropractic adjustment done on my back a few days prior was undone in the accident. But otherwise, we were all fine. And our animals hardly noticed anything was wrong. Our big lovable dog looked up from her napping spot on the van floor, looking at us as if to say, "What's all the commotion for?", and promptly laid her head back down on her paws and returned to her blissful rest. When Rick returned to the driver's seat, he informed me that a tire on the trailer was bent sideways & we could not proceed with the trip until it was repaired, but we also knew we could not just sit there in the middle of nowhere waiting for the sun to rise, hoping to be rescued. So Rick hit the gas pedal and hobble-hot-rodded us out of median before we became a sitting target for other vehicles that might become another victim of the invisible ice. We got ourselves safely to the other side of the road, heading east again, and called the rental company's customer service department. We were told to get ourselves to the next town and they'd send someone out to look at it in the morning. So we crawled along at a snail's pace on the side of the highway for the next who-knows-how-many-miles until we reached the lights of civilization again. Thankfully there was a motel night manager there who had sympathy on our plight and allowed us to sneak our dog and three cats into our room so they wouldn't freeze in the van overnight. By the time our heads hit the pillows, it was nearing 4am. The trailer company guy was due to arrive shortly after sunrise. It was the soundest short night of sleep we'd had in awhile! When we awakened to the new day, and had the chance to see the damage to our van in daylight, we realized just how protected we were from what could have been. At some point in the accident, the front corner of our trailer had swung around far enough to put a large vertical dent in the side of our van EXACTLY where one of our daughters had been sleeping with her head nestled in a pillow against the window. Had the trailer hit with any more force than it did, it would have shattered the window she was sleeping against. She never even felt the impact there. If angels get bruises, they sure got some that night from working overtime to protect us during our accident!! Throughout the remainder of our trip, we saw more deserted remains of roll-over accidents than we cared to count, as well as several accidents with emergency service providers still on the scene. Without a doubt, God was certainly answering prayers for protection on our behalf that night. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">****************</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will post this much for now, and continue to update in additional posts. There is so much to share about how God has been working behind the scenes! Stay tuned for more after this commercial break...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~ Michelle</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-80252814529934999052011-12-07T08:13:00.000-06:002011-12-07T09:06:35.319-06:00Obedience<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I was sorting through a box of paper in preparation for repacking it properly for our move, I came across a paper we used to have hanging in our kitchen at the last house for our children, but I hadn't found again since living here. I want to share what's on this paper for two reasons: 1) In case it goes missing again before we get to our new home, and 2) because, darn it, it stinks to be convicted alone! LOL <br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CHECKLIST FOR EVALUATING </span></span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE QUALITY OF YOUR OBEDIENCE</span></span></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Obedience + Delay = Disobedience</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I have to be reminded several times before I do a job?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b>___ Do I say "I will" then take my time before I finally get around to doing it?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I answer, "I will, but not right now" or "Later"?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I fail to meet deadlines?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Obedience + Murmuring/Complaining = Disobedience</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I do what I am told, but pout as I do it?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b>___ Do I complain about the things expected of me?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I make sure others feel sorry for me as I do the work I've been asked or instructed to do?<br />
<br />
<b>Obedience + My Methods = Disobedience</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I do what I am told, but not in the way I am told?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ If i cannot do the job my own way, do I leave it undone or do it halfheartedly?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Am I sneaky about the shortcuts I take because my parents would not approve of them?<br />
___ Do I insist that my parents explain why they want something done in the manner they've specified before I will complete he task?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Obedience + The Desire To Have People Praise Me = Disobedience</b>___ Do I do the things my parents have asked of me just so people will praise me?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ If no one praises me for what I've done, do I stop doing it or do it halfheartedly?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Obedience + Letter of the Law - Spirit of the Law = Disobedience</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">___ Do I obey my parents, yet continually look for how close I can come to disobedience without actually being accused of it?<br />
___ Do I tell only a portion of the story so the complete situation is not fully understood by my parents?<br />
<br />
<b>"<u>LISTEN</u> to your father's instruction & do not forsake your mother's teaching." (Proverbs 1:8)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Children, <u>OBEY</u> your parents in the Lord, for this is right." (Ephesians 6:1)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"For even a child is <u>KNOWN</u> by his actions, whether his conduct be pure & right." (Proverbs 20:11)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"But <u>GOD BE THANKED</u> that... <u>YOU OBEYED FROM THE HEART</u>." (Romans 6:17)<br />
</b></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">OUCH!!!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> This is not just applicable to young children under a parent's authority. This applies to us big children under our Heavenly Father's authority. <br />
<br />
Reading through this paper when I found it yesterday really convicted me of my "obedience + murmuring/complaining" in moving to the land of tumbleweeds and Texas stars. As obedient as I thought I was, it was still DISOBEDIENCE in God's eyes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think I need to hang this paper up in the new home, not just on the fridge for the sake of the children, but somewhere where I will see it frequently too. <br />
<br />
It's all too easy to fall into disobedience when the action and the attitude are not united. I don't want to be found "obeying on the outside, but disobeying on the inside". I want to be in complete obedience.<br />
<br />
After that good swift swat on the rear yesterday (and a full night of sleep after too many brief winks), I'm finding myself today beginning to look forward to our new life in Texas. <br />
<br />
~ Michelle<br />
</span> <br />
<br />
</div></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-8861989613472465432011-12-03T10:36:00.000-06:002011-12-03T11:13:48.416-06:00I'd Marry Him Again...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Twenty-three yrs ago today <br />
I walked into a youth group meeting <br />
for homeschooled high schoolers <br />
that I attended every Friday night, </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">expecting the same ol' worship and fellowship. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And I went home wondering <br />
if I'd met the young man <br />
who would eventually ask my dad <br />
for my hand in marriage. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He stole my heart that night </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">with his blue eyes, his smile, his Coke Cake, <br />
and easy comfortable conversation. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Over the years, </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">h</span></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">e's continued to steal my heart</span></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span>.<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He's never given it back.<br />
<br />
Nearly four years later,</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I became his bride.<br />
<br />
Before our 7th Anniversary,<br />
we were blessed with </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">6 incredibly beautiful children.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
After 19 years of marriage, <br />
even if we had to go through <br />
the same ups and downs of life, <br />
the same disappointments and struggles, <br />
the same celebrations and accomplishments, <br />
the same broken dreams <br />
and the same uncountable blessings... </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'd marry him again. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rick, thank you for blessing my life <br />
with your smile, your easy conversation, <br />
and your tender unconditional love. <br />
(And so much more!)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And thank you for being my journey's companion. <br />
It's been an unforgettable experience <br />
walking through life by your side, <br />
and I expect this adventure is only going to get <br />
more exciting with each passing year! <br />
<br />
I just wanted everyone to know<br />
how blessed I am...<br />
because of you!<br />
<br />
I love you!!<br />
<br />
</span></span></div><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-14785267696081464232011-12-02T10:54:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:47:11.049-05:00What Am I Agreeing To?<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As anybody who has ever adopted a child can attest, it is an emotional roller coaster ride. And we're really just getting started. Yikes! Before we can really move forward with the adoption process, we have to complete the move to Texas (another long story but thought the movers were not going to get there before we have to be out of our current house), finish transferring from the temp-to-hire position I am currently in to permanent hire with benefits, (told that is supposed to happen today or Monday. Yay!) and we still need to find a permanent residence to rent or purchase in Texas. Oh, did I mention the movers are coming in 3 days? </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">All because my darling wife had the audacity to pray, "God, I'm bored. We need more adventure in our lives." </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Are you happy now, dear? We have adventure in spades!!!<br />
<br />
I tease because my wife was right - we had become plump, happy, and dumb Christians, and our faith was stale. Faith is kind of like working out - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. We had become </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>comfortable</b>. Our faith work out was at a maintenance level; a comfortable plateau. We didn't have a lot of extra but I rarely had to worry about how to pay our regular living expenses anymore, the cars are paid for, we live in a comfortable house in a nice neighborhood with great landlords - what more could we really want? </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then my wife suggests adoption. <br />
<br />
"Hmmm. Adoption. Really? Let me think about it." (Universal husband speak for "I'll give it some time and she'll get over it. She probably just had some bad pizza at lunch.") <br />
<br />
And then she shows me some pictures.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
"That's nice," I think, "So what?" <br />
<br />
But funny thing - I can't get those darn pictures out of my head. And I find myself day dreaming about having two more daughters, and even thinking about the logistics of how to accommodate a wheel chair. "Well, if we widen this doorway and put a ramp at the front steps...." That kind of thing. <br />
<br />
And next thing I know I realize, I'm agreeing to this idea and I don't remember making a conscious decision. (Just remember wives, you are the neck that turns the head.) <br />
<br />
"So, okay, this is kind of a cool idea. Over the next year or two, we'll save up the money, do the homestudy, etc. It will be a breeze, right?" <br />
<br />
Wrong!!!! And now all hell breaks loose, like the Hoover dam breaking and flooding everything beyond it! <br />
<br />
First, new job to help provide the additional income and benefits needed to pay for the extra medical costs associated with two children who have special needs.<br />
<br />
God - "Oh yeah, by the way, that new job's in Texas, Rick." <br />
<br />
Me - "What!?!? Texas?!? You're kidding, right? I gotta lotta friends there, but it's a nice place to visit and then go home." <br />
<br />
God - "Nope. Not kidding. Texas it is. Uhhh, West Texas specifically." <br />
<br />
Me - "Really?!? There's nothing there, and all my friends are in East Texas! It's a dessert, only no oasis, palm trees, etc. Surely you meant somewhere with some green, right?" <br />
<br />
God - "Nope. Texas." <br />
<br />
Me - "Oh, Okay." (Can you hear the underwhelming enthusiasm in my voice?) <br />
<br />
And now Satan rubs his hands together gleefully and cackles "Let the games begin! This will be fun!"</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<br />
And the games did begin - delay after delay, wondering what in the world we are doing. <br />
<br />
First, we decided to delay the home study since it would have to be done all over again once we got settled in a new state. I bought a car (hadn't needed a second vehicle in about 5 years with me driving truck.) and headed for my new job in Texas. Got here and was promptly moved 4 different times as the company battled with the housing market here to provide us with a place to stay for 3 months. I fulfilled my requirements to move to full time, permanent employ, but because my new company had just been purchased by a larger company, it delayed the process of moving to the list of permanent employees as they sorted through all the new processes and procedures to accomplish this. <br />
<br />
I was really digging the new and improved (aka, larger) paychecks and we were actually saving money for a change, thinking about buying a house here in Texas since it is considerably less expensive than renting, and then one by one, every car we own decides it needs some TLC to the tune of almost a thousand dollars or more, each. <br />
<br />
"So much for savings, God! Now what? How are we gonna afford a place to live? Where am I gonna put my family?" <br />
<br />
God - "Patience, my son. Didn't I tell you I will provide all of your needs according to my riches in glory...? I will never leave you nor forsake you." <br />
<br />
Me - "But God, time is running out and I don't see a solution yet! I'm scared!" And though I didn't say it, angry too. </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<br />
And this is where agreement comes into play. Those little thoughts; seeds planted by the father of lies... <br />
<br />
"You're running out of time. There's no way you'll be able to make enough money in time to house your family before they get there." And circumstances seem to agree. <br />
<br />
This is about the time that we are told that Aliza is getting ready to be transferred to the "laying rooms" that Michelle described in an <a href="http://nolongeranorphan.blogspot.com/2011/11/urgently-we-plead.html">earlier post</a>. (I won't describe it here because it makes me want to cry every time I think about it.) <br />
<br />
Pressure's on, and time is of the essence. Looming deadlines and no respite in sight. And I began to agree with these whispered ideas, the same way many of us do. "This is taking too long. We'll never make it in time. There's not enough money." Etc., etc., etc. <br />
<br />
For any Christian who has ever tried to accomplish a God-breathed vision on their own, they will know exactly what I'm talking about. Because the reality is, God does not give us visions we can accomplish on our own. If He did, we wouldn't really need Him, right?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
And the purpose of His visions are to show Himself strong on our behalf, to demonstrate to a lost world that He loves us and desires that </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>ALL</b> people come to know Him and experience His love. Yet how many times do we find ourselves doubting Him and agreeing with those little lies whispered in our ears by the enemy, who by the way, wants to see us <b>fail</b>! <br />
<br />
So last night I was reading a book (completely unrelated to adoption) by a couple of my favorite authors, called "Love and War - Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed of" by John and Stasi Eldredge. In one of the chapters, they talked about this very issue of agreement, and how we essentially exercise negative faith by coming into agreement with lies spoken by the enemy who we frequently ignore or forget even exists. This is not just a physical world with a physical life - it is a spiritual world too, and we are a spiritual people. Do we even recognize the war that rages around us every day in the spiritual dimension? <br />
<br />
If you're anything like me, sadly the answer is too often "no". I was really challenged by what they wrote in that chapter ("How to Have a Good Fight"). It made me stop and think about what thoughts I was meditating on and coming into agreement with. <br />
<br />
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7a. <br />
<br />
Wow! I mean, that's powerful stuff. What I think is what I become, so what am I thinking? Am I down on myself? "I'm not good enough. I'll never measure up." Ever had these kinds of thoughts go through your head? I know I have. And what's even scarier is that they are sort of true, which makes them easier to agree with, after all, which one of us really </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>does</b> measure up; really <b>is</b> good enough, apart from Christ? <br />
<br />
But the problem is, it's only half the truth. Yet so often we let these thoughts take root and grow until they produce a whole field full of weeds like doubt, shame, and inadequacy. Oh how many times have I said, "I feel so inadequate."? <br />
<br />
The reality is I <b>am</b> inadequate, but that's only half the truth, because as Paul said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That is the <b>whole</b> truth - that in myself, I am inadequate, but in God, I can accomplish great and marvelous things because He has invited me to participate with Him in what He's doing, and has granted me His authority to do it in. How awesome is that?!?<br />
<br />
So the question becomes, are we taking those thoughts captive and bringing them into submission to the truth of His Word and His will? <br />
<br />
Are we standing on the promises or sitting on the doubts and fears? <br />
<br />
Are we looking at the outward circumstances and believing what our eyes tell us, or reminding ourselves of the truth of God's Word? <br />
<br />
I pray that my Father would help me to stand against the schemes of the devil, to take every thought captive and bring it into submission to the will of God. May I stand on His promise in John 16:33 "</span> <span style="font-size: large;">These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">~ Rick <br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" are no longer available for adoption, we felt it was best to remove the photos we had posted of them from our blog. </span></span></span></div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-60274983776369412102011-12-01T13:52:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:49:13.422-05:00Mini-Artwork Giveaway!<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You all have been so generous the past few days, in your encouraging support, your prayers, and your contributions!! Wow!! Our adoption fund jumped from $200 to $643 in less than 48 hours!! God is so good!!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One of our readers invited us over to their blog, <a href="http://afamilyofsix.blogspot.com/">Treasured Pearls</a>, to participate in their 2nd Annual 24 Days of Giving! They are featuring at least adoptive family each day between now and Christmas on their blog. As part of their special Christmas Eve family festivities, they will draw the name of one of those families to receive a very special fund contribution. What a blessing this will be to which ever family's name is drawn from their proverbial hat!!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Then I get an email...<br />
<br />
And I cried...<br />
<br />
The generosity of "sisters", strangers, and stalkers alike just continues to humble us!! </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Many of you are already familiar with Jane George from <a href="http://textgeorge.blogspot.com/">Flight Platform Living</a> and know how much she yearns for each and every orphan to receive a family as quickly as possible! Jane heard about our pursuit to bring Olivia and Aliza into our family, and she wanted to be a part in that. She has graciously offered SIX pieces of mini-artwork from her Etsy shop, Art For Hearts, as a fundraiser for our adoption fund!! </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3-LyOwPSjatKYovQLlz8pdTIi_87hQtQnMqk8lKd9VvgJvfyp8_scOjPnkiFfq-VykOzV6uAW-gEHgElDQVtVSAbWUvwkyzJzQ-sBQmKNb7U4LSpNZj3stxY2CnBG5AdHLghHX1OqObc/s1600/may+2011+930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3-LyOwPSjatKYovQLlz8pdTIi_87hQtQnMqk8lKd9VvgJvfyp8_scOjPnkiFfq-VykOzV6uAW-gEHgElDQVtVSAbWUvwkyzJzQ-sBQmKNb7U4LSpNZj3stxY2CnBG5AdHLghHX1OqObc/s320/may+2011+930.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">These are from her "Tilly's Treasures Series" and they are simply beautiful. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">To enter this giveaway, you can do any of the following, then <u>leave a comment below</u> with a link: </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> 1) Share about this giveaway on Facebook, then <u>leave a comment below</u> with that link. (1 entry)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2) Share on your blog, then <u>leave a comment below</u> with that link. (1 entry)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">3) Click on the Chip In or Paypal Donate Button in the upper right column, and increase the balance in our adoption fund by $10 or more. (Every $10 donation is another entry. - $10 = 1 entry, $20 = 2, $30 = 3, etc. Any donation over $100 will receive an extra entry!!!) And, as always... <u>leave a comment below</u>. <span style="font-size: large;">(Comments are moderated, and we have chosen not to publish the comments that mention the amount of a contribution, but those names will be included in the final drawing.)</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Due to our move from one state to another this month, we will allow this fundraiser to continue indefinitely and will announce an ending date once we know where we will be living and we have web access again. So you have <b><span style="color: red;">at least until Christmas to enter</span></b> this giveaway. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When the giveaway ends, we will put all the names (of those who commented below about how they entered) into whatever handy dandy container we can find at the time, and we will have one of our children draw one name at a time. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The names drawn will be posted on this blog. The first name drawn will have first choice of the 6 mini-artwork pieces, and 2nd name drawn will have their choice of the 5 pieces that remain, and so on. We will give each winner 1 week to respond before we move the other names up the list, and draw another 6th place name.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">We want to thank Jane once again for her generous fundraising contribution for Olivia and Aliza !! After you enter this giveaway, please go check out <a href="http://textgeorge.blogspot.com/">her blog</a> and Etsy Store!! </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~ Michelle<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" <span style="font-size: small;">are no longer available for adoption, we felt it<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">was best</span></span> to remove the photos we had poste<span style="font-size: small;">d of them from our blog. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-24852592476059273452011-12-01T10:47:00.000-06:002011-12-01T15:26:21.115-06:00Book Giveaway Winners!!!<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We want to announce the winners to our first giveaway which ran for the whole month of November!!</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both winners will receive a copy of the book</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><span>"Adopt Without Debt: </span></b></span></span></div><div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><span>Creative Ways to Cover The Cost Of Adoption" </span></b></span></span></div><div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><span>(Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition) </span></b></span></span></div><div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><span>by Julie Gumm </span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s1600/1110290452.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s1600/1110290452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s320/1110290452.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtxbfuFCreJ9wuB9Ranqje9VIIIwdM_8th46cxNZFpzgyrsjSkvFSNYyN4vvm8I2gBI2HUPYWuIVSSdfSNq1qaWg3bJ6Gf6hI9ysYAX8vkPbDKFE6UazW3jSyStl-70tQhLdq5o80nQ1j/s1600/1112010018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">So without further delay...</span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwKiHSZJYF1dYMb7USlwRJte6b8U6iumjzRuU_oyeLzh-gDDiBkEWMRrGogngiD0w_C12Meg1DwrrDO0QU_302HgP6JaSgGO7c055b5qVGzd9J9UooXBG7hRte6V8oHq_K3hOBvDN4xCv/s1600/1112010015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwKiHSZJYF1dYMb7USlwRJte6b8U6iumjzRuU_oyeLzh-gDDiBkEWMRrGogngiD0w_C12Meg1DwrrDO0QU_302HgP6JaSgGO7c055b5qVGzd9J9UooXBG7hRte6V8oHq_K3hOBvDN4xCv/s320/1112010015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drumroll please...</span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tu3TjtOZHqPL1U9kQK4LpfOrFNcaBcPiCx0e9QWjjm3N1PKxfCUTmx5HmhyphenhyphenlIqEDeOHV0K6birFXow0JVWF0ppZDLoUiDIZnZ8pfzxaM1Mpri7U9bRMgYlngcerQmFz1bMKUhs9GbUt4/s1600/1112010017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tu3TjtOZHqPL1U9kQK4LpfOrFNcaBcPiCx0e9QWjjm3N1PKxfCUTmx5HmhyphenhyphenlIqEDeOHV0K6birFXow0JVWF0ppZDLoUiDIZnZ8pfzxaM1Mpri7U9bRMgYlngcerQmFz1bMKUhs9GbUt4/s320/1112010017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And the winners are...</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtxbfuFCreJ9wuB9Ranqje9VIIIwdM_8th46cxNZFpzgyrsjSkvFSNYyN4vvm8I2gBI2HUPYWuIVSSdfSNq1qaWg3bJ6Gf6hI9ysYAX8vkPbDKFE6UazW3jSyStl-70tQhLdq5o80nQ1j/s1600/1112010018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtxbfuFCreJ9wuB9Ranqje9VIIIwdM_8th46cxNZFpzgyrsjSkvFSNYyN4vvm8I2gBI2HUPYWuIVSSdfSNq1qaWg3bJ6Gf6hI9ysYAX8vkPbDKFE6UazW3jSyStl-70tQhLdq5o80nQ1j/s320/1112010018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Andrea G. and Abbey H., </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">please send us an email with your mailing address so I can get these in the mail to you... before the movers try to pack them in a box instead!! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Congratulations ladies! We hope these books will help you with your own fundraising efforts. And thanks to everyone who participated in this fundraiser! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stay tuned...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are more fundraisers and giveaways to come!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwKiHSZJYF1dYMb7USlwRJte6b8U6iumjzRuU_oyeLzh-gDDiBkEWMRrGogngiD0w_C12Meg1DwrrDO0QU_302HgP6JaSgGO7c055b5qVGzd9J9UooXBG7hRte6V8oHq_K3hOBvDN4xCv/s1600/1112010015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tu3TjtOZHqPL1U9kQK4LpfOrFNcaBcPiCx0e9QWjjm3N1PKxfCUTmx5HmhyphenhyphenlIqEDeOHV0K6birFXow0JVWF0ppZDLoUiDIZnZ8pfzxaM1Mpri7U9bRMgYlngcerQmFz1bMKUhs9GbUt4/s1600/1112010017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-49373043597328411962011-11-30T08:31:00.001-06:002013-05-21T14:48:27.621-05:00Newer News<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
<span style="font-size: large;">I awoke early this morning to an email update on our youngest daughter, Aliza, and her pending transfer to the mental institution that we blogged about yesterday. Rather than sorting through the information in her email, I'll just repeat what <a href="http://blogging4theleastofthese.blogspot.com/2011/11/update-on-mollyaliza.html">Natalie</a> has posted as an update in her blog at this point.</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Update on Molly/Aliza </span></i></h3>
<div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="post-header" style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"> Life in this country is like playing a giant game of telephone... only you don't know who started the game. I have heard three different things from three different people. I do know this much: Aliza is loved and cherished at this orphanage. This orphanage does NOT want her transferred. I am almost certain that the only way she will be transferred is if they are required by the government to transfer her. We must pray, pray, pray that this will not occur. I feel so much happier, and so much more hopeful today. I am SO thankful for all the prayers, spreading the word, and the support for her family, who are in a race against time to protect her from the horrors of a laying room. I am so happy to see people rallying around them and showing them how loved their little angel is from around the world!</span></i></div>
<div style="color: black; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: black; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it. It appears that prayers are already being answered for favor on Aliza's behalf. The focus of our prayer request yesterday was for Aliza, but Olivia is not out of her own risk of transfer. Because she is older than Aliza, her risk of transfer to another facility also increases with each passing month, although she is not likely to be sent to a "laying room" because she is physically mobile on her own. It's still a race against time for both girls. But God... Please continue to pray that transfer will be delayed for both girls until we arrive to bring Aliza and Olivia home. Our desire is that their only transfer is from their respective orphanages to our home. And God can make a way even when it seems impossible. He specializes in the impossible. I think it puts a smile on His face to say "See what I just did!"<br /><br />~ Michelle<br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" <span style="font-size: small;">are no longer available for adoption, we felt it<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">was best</span></span> to remove the photos we had poste<span style="font-size: small;">d of them from our blog. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-29740846572854742382011-11-29T04:28:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:49:59.495-05:00Urgently We Plead...<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I'm up posting this in the middle of the night, but this is URGENT!! I was going to load several pictures as well. But it didn't want to upload right, so I'm not waiting for my computer to make up it's mind. Maybe I'll edit later and add photos for you. But for now, let me move on to what's important.<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I just received an email a few minutes ago from a missionary who spends time in Aliza's orphanage telling us that the doctors there have just finished their medical evaluation of her, and she is literally hours (or in a best case scenarios, few short days) away from being transferred to a "laying room" location. To the reader uneducated in adoption "lingo", this sounds like a quiet little church nursery room where you can let your sleeping baby rest peacefully, away from the commotion of all the other children with the noisy toys and demands for snacks. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the case of any orphan with physical or mental limitations, this is certainly NOT the type of situation we are speaking about. This is a matter of life and death to a child like Aliza. This means she goes from her life as she knows it now... with semi-frequent stimulation outside her crib,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> watching other children play around her,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">laughing and smiling,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">having the privilege of going outside</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> for stroller rides,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">blowing bubbles with caregivers,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">being held in someone's arms, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">a</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">nd scooting around in a walker...</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> to a life I cannot fathom...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">BEING CONFINED TO HER CRIB </span></b></i></div>
<div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">24 HOURS A DAY, </span></b></i></div>
<div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">7 DAYS A WEEK, </span></b></i></div>
<div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">365 DAYS A YEAR, </span></b></i></div>
<div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">IF SHE SURVIVES THAT LONG, </span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO STIMULATION!!</span></b></i> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not all orphanages treat their children without affection and love, please don't misunderstand me, but from everything we've heard, if our precious Aliza is sent to any of the less-than-best "laying room" locations</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">, or what we'd call in America, a "mental institution</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">" (which is what she faces any hour now), she will likely be sedated, strapped by her limbs to her bed rails, laying in her own waste, suffering from bedsores, without any toys or books, or physical human contact with anyone. By no means to we want to make her country's people sound like heartless, inhumane folks. They are simply operating on extremely limited resources, and do not always have the means to give the children with physical and/or mental limitations the same kind of family type care that we think of for children waiting in our American foster system. Without a miracle, which we are praying for, Aliza is already scheduled to begin lying there alone, yet in the midst of a sea of dozens of bedridden orphans, all waiting to die, yet hoping desperately within their souls to be rescued. I have read in many blogs how statistics consistently indicate that most children sent to these living conditions will not survive their first full year there. I believe that breaks God's heart! Not one ounce of me believes that is the purpose in which He gave these children breath in their lungs. Yes, this is part of their story, and He wants to use the best and worst of each of our stories for His glory, but His purpose for them was not to be born into an orphanage and end up dying there too. He gave them life, and He gave it abundantly. He does not intend for these children to be strapped to a bed so they can wither away and die because His other children have a hundred and one excuses why we couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't be able to play a part in their rescue. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you imagine spending the remainder of your life like that? I cannot. It's hard enough to be isolated away from the love of my family and confined to my bed with the flu for a few days. I cannot even begin to identify with or comprehend the sheer boredom and loneliness followed by the mental, emotional, and physical regression Aliza will experience wasting away in these conditions she faces in the coming hours.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I am in tears. I cannot sleep. My heart is grieved that any child should have to face that possibility. Especially OUR child. Rick and I fully believe God has destined both Aliza and Olivia to be a part of our family, and although we have not met them face to face yet, we love them wholeheartedly. <br />
<br />
We are doing all we can behind the scenes to request an informal delay in Aliza's transfer until we can get to her country to bring both girls home with us, but we <i><u>desperately</u></i> need both your prayers and your financial help!!! Every single dollar is more helpful than you'd think! Please don't assume that you have to give thousands upon thousands of dollars to make a difference. (Although that would be awesome too!) Look how God provided miraculously for the widow who gave Him her last two mites. We can never out-give God!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask anyone who knows me... I am not one to ask for help usually, even in desperate times. I rarely ask. And when I do, I'm not very direct about it. But this time, I am beyond just hinting at the need, or sheepishly asking for your help.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I am on my knees pleading with our readers to help us with the ransom expenses wrapped up in "red tape" to bring these girls home to our family as quickly as possible. This adoption is NOT about us. It's not about us wanting more children, although we would gladly welcome them. It's not about being a "hero" to a child, or gaining recognition for rescuing an orphan from their plight. If I could do it without the fanfare and publicity of the bloggy world, I would. I do not like center stage at all!! Give me the job without the lights and cameras shining on me! <br />
<br />
This is also not about "we couldn't get pregnant again, so we'll adopt instead". This is about giving a child who faces certain death a chance to live. And not just live physically, but to have a life. A life with love, and touch, and stimulation, and interaction. A life with purpose and meaning. A life most orphans will never know. It's about giving orphans the opportunity to see God with skin on. It's about giving them a chance to know who Jesus Christ is, to accept Him as their personal Savior and Rescuer, the ultimate Redeemer, the only One who can ransom their soul from eternity in hell. This is not about us my friends! It's about HIM! It's about fulfilling God's commands to bring justice into the life of the fatherless. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">We knew our girls were in danger of being transferred out of their baby orphanages soon, but we hoped it wouldn't be until next summer when their next birthdays rolled around again. If we could have finalized these adoptions before our move south, we most certainly would have. But God made it pretty clear that we were to be in Texas during this crazy adventure. There are certain portions of our adoption process that we cannot move forward with until our move to Texas is complete next month, but we still face the hurdle of financial provision for each step of the journey. If the financial hurdle is </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> already </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">out of the way when our homestudy in TX is finalized, we can eliminate a significant portion of the waiting time that most families spend working on their fundraising efforts. Having the funding already in place allows us to travel to meet our girls almost immediately after receiving approval from their government to come pick them up. We simply cannot express how urgent this situation is. Unless you've been there and seen a "laying room" for yourself, or like us, you've read blog after blog describing what Aliza likely faces in the coming hours, you'll just have to take our word for it. It's not for the faint of heart. Your generous contribution to the legal expenses ahead of us is so critical right now! PLEASE help us get to our daughters as quickly as possible. I know God is able to provide exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that we could possibly ask, pray, dream of, or hope for.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry if I come across like I'm begging. I lack the experience of asking for help in a politically correct way without offending anyone! All I know is that God says repeatedly in His Word to "Give justice to the orphan, uphold the rights of the oppressed and destitute, defend the orphan, plead for the cause of the fatherless and widows..." That's all I'm doing now... Pleading for the lives of two little orphan girls that have stolen our hearts right out from under our chins. We refuse to sit idly by and watch either of them die alone in a crib without a mother or father's loving touch because we didn't plead for their precious lives to be spared. Maybe you've said in the past that you were never called to adopt an orphan. Maybe not. But God called all of us to pursue justice for these little ones without parents. And that calling looks different for each person. That doesn't always mean adoption is in God's plan for each family. For some families, pleading for justice in the life of an orphan is just as easily accomplished with those wads of green paper thrown on the dresser when you empty your pockets at night. That's why we urgently plead for your financial support right now in addition to your prayer support. Our family was "called" to adopt. That's our part in defending the fatherless. What part can you play in bringing justice to the life of an orphan?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjS3vKPEhYYPsjgdSQiKZREs9t1VxunmRQQ3vrQ7yh4-i90QYBUjHtzXDBj1mwq7rDEX-TdKhHXH__9_flmNc0dSYMgFboYLKIG-iCQvzFhu3VQEZ8itwKdbGU2H0A8o7MR80_u9Ta0kw/s1600/Polly-Olivia+%25281a%2529+-+FullCropCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> As a wealthy American nation, we think nothing of plunking hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars down every December to give gifts to those around us. I am no different than the rest of you at Christmas time when the funds are there to spend. I cannot trade places with our girls in a "laying room", but I would trade a lifetime of Christmas gifts to give these girls a place in our home and in our lives this very minute. There is so much more I'd be willing to "lay down" for them to prevent them from spending a single day in a "laying room". What could you "lay down" for them? All it takes is clicking on that "Chip In" or "Donate" button at the top of the right side column on this page. You can be a part of rescuing these children from a lonely death in a "laying room". They need each and everyone of us to pray for them, first and foremost, but also to plead for justice for them. Please pray for protection over our girls, favor with the orphanage staff, and ask God to show you if there is any other way you can help Olivia and Aliza.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">You'll never regret it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Do not withhold good </i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>from those to whom it is due </i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>when it is within the power</i></span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i> of your hand to do so. </i></span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Proverbs 3:27<br /></i></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" <span style="font-size: small;">are no longer available for adoption, we felt it<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">was best</span></span> to remove the photos we had poste<span style="font-size: small;">d of them from our blog. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-11540052017976765562011-11-24T17:34:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:51:42.671-05:001st Giveaway Recipient & Extension<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Right about now, you've probably just finished licking the last smudge off your fork after chowing down on turkey, stuffing, cranberry, and pumpkin pie!! And now you need something to kick back with and enjoy while you wait for your Thanksgiving feast to digest, so you can get up and move around again! <br />
<br />
How does a good book sound?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">For our very <a href="http://nolongeranorphan.blogspot.com/2011/11/national-adoption-awareness-month-first.html#comment-form">first fundraising giveaway</a>, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">which began on November 1st </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">and was scheduled to end today, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">we had offered 2 (two) copies of</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Adopt Without Debt: </b></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Creative Ways to Cover The Cost Of Adoption" </b></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>(Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition) </b></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>by Julie Gumm </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s1600/1110290452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s320/1110290452.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">for two of our supporters who either </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">1) shared about our giveaway on your own blog or Facebook page, </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><i><u>and/or</u></i> </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">2) contributed $5.00 (or more) to our </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">adoption fund, </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">followed by </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">3) leaving a comment on <a href="http://nolongeranorphan.blogspot.com/2011/11/national-adoption-awareness-month-first.html#comment-form">this post</a> stating that you contributed, and/or noting the link to where you shared about our blog. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">EXCEPT... </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We only had one comment left on our blog!!! </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">SOOOOO...</span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">One copy of this book will go to the one person who left a comment, <a href="http://ambassadoroflove.blogspot.com/2011/11/lizas-family.html">Andrea G.</a>.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(Andrea, please send an email to us with a mailing address where I can ship the book to you asap!!)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">and the other copy of the book will be left available for <b><span style="color: red;">one more week</span></b>, as an extension of our first giveaway. We will draw a recipient from the names of those who comment below between right now and November 30, 2011 at midnight, using the same giveaway guidelines as described in <a href="http://nolongeranorphan.blogspot.com/2011/11/national-adoption-awareness-month-first.html#comment-form">the original giveaway post</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Who wants a copy of this very informative book??</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">~ Michelle </span></span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></b></div>
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></b></div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-79813631623923294232011-11-18T16:32:00.000-06:002013-05-21T14:55:54.137-05:00Introducing Our Girls!!<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, you've been waiting long enough to see photos and hear a few details of the precious girls we are pursuing from Ukraine! We had to wait for a few minor details (that I can't elaborate on) to be settled before we could write this post, but the time has come at long last!!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The very first child to grab our hearts while browsing an organization's orphan photolisting was "The Girl With The Cookie Crumb On Her Lip". Unfortunately, I do not have permission at this time to share that specific photo with you here publicly, although many of you who are fully submerged in the adoption "world" have already figured out who she is, and have asked us privately if she was the child you thought she was. She is. She was added just a couple of weeks before we browsed that photolisting.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
After "loving a few, and losing a few" but finding peace in knowing the other children we had been interested in had been given a home, we "stumbled upon" the child we have referred to in previous posts as "Girl Number 2" on the official Ukrainian government photolisting (while looking for info on "Cookie Crumb Girl"). The official photolisting gives no detailed info beyond their birth names, ages, regions, etc., except in the case of "Girl Number 2" it listed that she was considered to have special needs (but didn't give any indication of what that might be). She caught our attention immediately though with her ear to ear grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It didn't matter to us what their situations might be if God was knitting our hearts to theirs from across the world, even though they don't know it yet. We later learned both girls were on the same organization's orphan photolisting, but "Girl Number 2" wasn't listed at the time we first browsed it</span><span style="font-size: large;">. She was added just HOURS after we found the girl with the cookie crumb on her lip.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Although I don't have permission to share their fake photolisting names, interestingly enough, both girls' aliases rhymed, like "Pete & Repete" type of twinny sounding names. Maybe it's not so interesting to you, but as a mother of identical twins already, I thought it was amusing anyway. We were relieved to find out those were not their real names as we very much disliked both aliases! LOL </span><span style="font-size: large;">Again, we do not have permission at this time to share those photos with you... BUT we do have permission from varying other sources apart from that organization to share photos they have personally taken of our girls while spending time in Ukraine. (And I will share those in a bit!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Although we do know what names both girls are called in their orphanages, we're choosing not to reveal their birth names publicly at this time so as to not put them in any legal situation that could possibly hinder the process of them joining our family in the coming months. Instead, from this point out, we will refer to both girls by the first names we intend to call them upon bringing them home with us. We want you to get to know them as they will be called and reduce the confusion for those who can't keep straight which name is which. (As that would be 6 different names for only 2 little girls!)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So, without further delay... </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We have chosen the name <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Olivia</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">for our "Cookie Crumb Girl".</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">We chose this name for her because it means "Peaceful One", </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">which seems to match her personality, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">as observed by someone who spent time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> with her recently.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Olivia has been described as "...</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">a doll, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...always wants to play with us, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and asks to wear my glasses all the time, ...gentle, quiet, a helper."</span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">"...loves to run her hands through my hair, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">..a girly girl at heart, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">but gets along with all the boys well." </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(I guess it's a good thing I wear glasses </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and have long hair!)</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">~~~~~~~ </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, we want to introduce you to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> "Girl Number 2"... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> We've (mostly) settled on the name <span style="color: #c27ba0;">Aliza<span style="color: black;">,</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">(pronounced "uh-lee-zuh", </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">with a long e sound followed by a z sound),<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="color: black;">which means "Joyful One".</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Aliza has been described as </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"... a very motivated little girl, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">...understands everything that is said to her, </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">... has a keen sense of awareness as to</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> what's going on around her, </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> ...a very smart little girl who knows</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> what she wants" </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"...has a great little sense of humour,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">...infectious laugh, </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">..</span><span style="font-size: large;">a gentle, loving girl who loves people, especially other children, </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">...will do best surrounded by siblings,</span><span style="font-size: large;">" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(That's a good things since she'll be surrounded by half a dozen of them!)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphNAyitIZsu_O1hn1nSoHpZKJuGO9Xck_djilKzRQJObG1Mph31tIYonweoPJfPlOacXyX3tShj4QKNKl8ZzZt_0JUIiHOYYwnM2vdXY1lFmlWd5jqbj_xmWUPz06jHXhmdcfO78nR_0S/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">"...</span><span style="font-size: large;">pure, unconditional joy in spite of </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">the numerous injustices she has faced, </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">...</span>She inspired me every day </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">as I looked in her eyes </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">and saw a joy that could only come</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> through Christ." </span><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it! These are the precious, beautiful girls we believe God has destined to be grafted into our family. Olivia and Aliza. We talk about them so much in our family, they almost feel "here" sometimes. But they aren't. Yet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We have a long to-do list ahead of us (that seemingly endless stack of paperwork, preparing a room for them, and tens of thousands of dollars of fundraising) as we prepare for their journey home in the coming months, and our family appreciates all your prayers and support.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We especially continue to ask for your prayers for God's protection over Olivia and Aliza while they await our arrival there in Ukraine. Both girls are at imminent risk of being transferred to mental institutions where conditions are horrible, where they would likely be treated no better than caged animals. We are doing everything we can, within God's timeline, to make sure our girls do not have to spend a single hour longer in their orphanages than they have to.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We can't wait to be able to share the news that they are finally home with us!! Just seeing photos of our girls makes me smile, but that will be the day I think I will smile the most!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">~ Michelle</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" <span style="font-size: small;">are no longer available for adoption, we felt it<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">was best</span></span> to remove the photos we had poste<span style="font-size: small;">d of them from our blog. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-70682137804647911982011-11-14T13:37:00.000-06:002011-11-20T18:29:55.438-06:00Someday We'll Look Back...<span style="font-size: large;">Well. . . we have an answer. Finally.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After a LOT of details I haven't bothered you with, and 5 (or more) of Rick's supervisor's and liaisons in the company finagling over whether Rick was staying in Texas or if they were indeed going to follow through with their transfer approval to Oklahoma, and all the varying reasons why they would or would not approve a transfer at this time after all. . . we finally have a real answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And for those who know me well, you already know the answer because you probably noticed I didn't use a bunch of exclamation points after the first line of this post.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">No, we are back to not being approved to transfer to Oklahoma at this time. They want to keep Rick in the Texas desert for a minimum of one year before they will reconsider a transfer north to OK. And they will only reconsider the transfer in a year IF the "powers that be" in the Oklahoma office specifically request his transfer. (Guess who's phone number got slipped to Rick as he left the Texas office this morning?) Do they even have a clue how much work it is on a mom to repeatedly move a crew our size? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure you can't tell, but I'm not having a real good attitude about this final answer yet this morning. I was praying and believing for Oklahoma. After the first supervisor said Rick was transferring, I had lined up so many of the "details" and contacts for the area in OK we had been told we'd be transferred to. I really haven't lined up all those things for TX yet. So my search begins again, just days before we head south. My biggest stress right now is helping Rick find a home for us. The housing market in the part of Texas we're going to is practically non-existent for 3 bdrms or larger. Rick has been out almost every weekend looking for a home there, just in case. More weekends than not, there are not even a total of 3 new homes to view, and that's even with being willing to look at homes that are half the size we're in now, and close enough to the neighbors to loan them toilet paper through the window when they run out. (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but only by a few feet! You'd have to toss them the roll instead of handing it to them!) Many weekends there have been zero homes to look at (like yesterday). Rick has even looked in the towns in each direction (by an hour's drive). Still nothing. A few average homes to buy, IF we wanted to go several hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, which we don't, especially knowing we could be transferred in a year. At this point, we don't know if we'll end up cramming our family of 8 into an apartment or duplex for the next year. I'm feeling discouraged. (You couldn't tell that, right?) Please pray that Rick finds something that is a blessing to our family instead of a drudgery, both financially and practically. Some place we can look forward to living in. Without having to leave our life long pets behind. And will pass inspection for the adoption homestudy. And a landlord as wonderful as our current landlords have been to us. And a window over my kitchen sink. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I really am trying to see the good in this, but I guess I haven't gotten there yet. I cannot see God's purpose in this location yet, but I'm trying my best this morning to turn it over to Him and just trust that He knows best. I promise I'll work on my attitude about it all, because I don't want to have to wander in the Texas desert for the next 40 yrs because of a bad attitude. I just pray that in a year, we'll be able to look back and understand why God sent us to Texas first, instead of Oklahoma. And hopefully by then, our girls will be home with us. It is for them that I am willing to live in the desert, if that's what it takes to proceed with our adoption. God must know the right home study worker, therapists, etc for the adoption of these girls will be in Texas instead of Oklahoma. I don't know. I do know I just want to be in God's will, fulfilling His purposes, and in my husband's arms, soaking in his warm embrace again. It's been a VERY long 9 weeks without him now. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't see it now, but I rest in the confidence that God doesn't ever do anything without a purpose, and a plan, one that is for our good, not to hurt us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Someday, we'll look back. . . and we'll see His good in this.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm off to pack more boxes...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">~ Michelle</span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-51002967339904157062011-11-01T09:00:00.000-05:002011-11-20T18:27:59.350-06:00National Adoption Awareness Month - First Giveaway!!!<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" data-ft="{"type":3}">"Adoption is not just about couples who want children - or who want more children. 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... I want to ask what it would mean if our churches and families were known as the people who adopt babies - and toddlers, and children, and teenagers. What if we as Christians were known, once again, as the people who take in orphans and make of them beloved sons and daughters? </span></i></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" data-ft="{"type":3}">"No one wants parents who adopt children out of the same sense of duty with which they may give to the building fund for the new church gymnasium. But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does. He is the one who tells us His Father is also "Father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5). And, He is the one who insists on calling "the least of these" His "brothers" (Matthew 25:40) and who tells us that the first time we hear His voice, He will be asking us if we did the same." ~ Russell D. Moore</span></i></span></h6><span style="font-size: large;">Wow, what an awesome privilege we have in sharing in God's love for "the least of these" through adoption!! It is humbling that He wants to include us in this mission of love! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month (November), we want to announce our very first give away to honor all families whose lives have been positively impacted by adoption, and to begin the fundraising efforts for our pending adoption of two precious little girls from Ukraine! (Okay, we'd be lying if we said it wasn't for the fundraising too!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For our very first fundraising giveaway, we have 2 (two) copies of </span><br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Adopt Without Debt" </span></b></div><div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">(Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition) </span></b></div><div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">by Julie Gumm </span></b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s1600/1110290452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLcmeY90h18Fgn1qn7KbgOVOgrPt__AVwtPwpe5aKfjMYJtgAhDDIloAbjZAPHs1Yzo4sP7t1TDZJuNHb7muoFxVVDW7W0F_heXUx4vhz5MYe6LUEO99WmquFD9M5CRiQimQ0qnSunJzL/s320/1110290452.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">to share with two of our supporters. Entering our giveaway is very simple, and there are two easy ways to enter:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1) Click on the 'donate' button (upper right) to contribute to our adoption fund, and leave a comment below letting us know you contributed. For every $5 donation, your name will go into the infamous hat. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">($5 = Your name goes in the hat once, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">$10 = Your name goes in the hat twice, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">$15 = Your name goes in the hat 3 times, etc.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">AND/OR </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2) Share about this giveaway with your friends on your own blog or Facebook page (include a link to our blog), and leave a comment below with a link to where you shared about this giveaway. Your name will go in the hat one time for each location link you posted at. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Because National Adoption Awareness Month lasts the whole month of November, this giveaway is going to be active for most of the month as well. On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24, 2011) we will draw two names out of the hat (or bowl, or stock pot, or whatever else we may have that isn't already packed in a box for our upcoming move) and we will post the names of our winners. We will need our winners to respond with a mailing address ASAP so we can ship the books before we move though! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Are you ready?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On your mark, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Get set, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">GO!!</span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-19030194029055002642011-10-31T01:40:00.000-05:002011-11-20T18:26:15.692-06:00The Man In The Mirror, Pt. 2<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Day 2 - Man in the Mirror - continued</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So tonight, I went to a church that in the short time I have been here, I have already grown to love. When I first went to check it out, it was with the intent of "crossing it off my list". I wasn't really interested in attending another "mega-church" as I had in the past. (So big, they have 4 services per Sunday!) Instead, what I experienced was a worship team that led me into the presence of God, and a pastoral team that unashamedly teaches the truth from scripture, and illustrates it from personal experience. Wow! </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So why do I bring this up? Because the current theme has been the book of James. We've been studying it for three weeks, and haven't even left the first eight verses of the first chapter! Ok, for those of you who are unfamiliar or may not remember, it goes "Count it all joy, brothers, <b>when</b> you encounter various trials..." (Notice he doesn't say <b>if</b>? Darn!) And then it goes on to talk about how trials produce patience/endurance and that it should have its perfect work in us, etc, etc. Ooookkkkaaayyy....so how? Well, that's the funny part. You'd think that it would be by somehow magically conjuring up more faith, right? At least, that's what I thought. But no. James goes on to say that "He who lacks wisdom, let him ask and it will be given abundantly..." </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, hold on just a cotton-pickin' minute! Did he just switch subjects or what, 'cause I'm lost. What does wisdom have to do with enduring trials? I'm glad you asked so I don't have to feel like the only dumb one. ;-) Well, interesting thing. Pastor pointed out that the AMOUNT of our faith has very little to do with anything. After all, the Word says that "faith as small as a mustard seed is enough to move mountains..." and I don't know if you've looked at one lately, but a mustard seed is pretty darn small. So if that's the case, why is faith such an issue for most people, including yours truly? Because the issue isn't the amount of our faith, its the object of our faith. What do I mean? Simply that God and His will are what we are putting our faith in, right? So if we know Him, understand His character and His will for us, its easy to trust Him, right? I mean, why does a young boy jump off the top step and yell half way down "Catch me daddy!"? Because there is not a doubt in that little boy's mind that he will! He knows his daddy loves him, does not want to see him hurt, and loves to play with him. In his mind, that's all he needs to know. Case closed. Daddy will catch me. So why do we struggle so much with trusting our heavenly Father to "catch us"? Because the reality is, we get caught up playing religion and we do not really KNOW Him; His character; His love for us. Ouch! </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so where does the whole "asking for wisdom thing" fit in? Simple. We are asking for Him to reveal His will to us and His character. Contrary to popular belief, knowing the will of God is not that hard. In fact, He promises that if we ask for it, (wisdom) that He WILL give it to us. The bigger question is, are we listening? Do we know Him well enough to recognize His voice when He speaks to us? Oh, ouch again! His is the still, small voice so easily drowned out by the cares and distractions of the world. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So Father, I ask your forgiveness. Forgive me for doubting; for trusting what my eyes see instead of seeking your Truth and trusting what your Spirit tells me. Please forgive me for complaining. Thank you for your patience with me. Please help me remember all the ways in which you have cared and provided for me in the past, and teach me to trust in you and your divine will for my/our future. Please continue to reveal your character to me as I learn to walk in the paths you've already established for me. I thank you that our children rest safely in your arms tonight. I thank you that you already know what needs to happen to reunite our existing family as well as the bridges that must be crossed to join with these two beautiful daughters who eagerly await a father and mother to demonstrate your love to them. Please protect them and watch over them, fulfilling not only their physical needs, but their emotional needs too. Please equip us physically, mentally, and spiritually to be everything you have called us to be to these two beautiful girls. Teach us to love them unselfishly, the way you've loved us, and knit all of our hearts together with yours. I love you, Father, and my heart safely trusts in you. Amen.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> ~ Rick</span></span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-66767808441169828172011-10-30T01:15:00.000-05:002011-11-20T18:21:53.986-06:00The Man In The Mirror, Pt. 1<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure I'm not the first man (or woman, for that matter) who has questioned their own motives or whether they are hearing God accurately as opposed to "putting words in His mouth". Nevertheless, it is never a comfortable feeling to be in that place of introspection, at least in my opinion. Tonight I looked at "the man in the mirror", and I did not like what I saw. I saw a man who had once again become so caught up in "making things happen" and being "the go-to guy", that I temporarily lost sight of the reason for doing them. And of course, in the process, began to doubt my Father. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm told this is a pretty typical male character flaw, but I hate indecision and I hate waiting, especially when I'm having to wait because I'm unsure of something. "God, just tell me what's up and I'm sure WE can make it happen." How my Father must laugh sometimes at my feeble human efforts to fill His shoes. Isaiah tells us "They that WAIT upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." Why is it that we men struggle so much with that simple concept? Is it because we are used to being in charge or having others dependent upon our decisions? Maybe its because at work, time is money and to wait on anything feels like we are wasting time. Whatever the reason, I know this has been one of my biggest struggles. I find myself constantly questioning if there is something more I should be doing, and yes, I have a hard time relinquishing control.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, there, I said it. And thus the battle with the man in the mirror. Because the reality is, this is the oldest struggle in the book. Man questioning and thinking he knows better than God. And the reality is simple. God is not an arrogant know-it-all like that guy you can't stand at work. He is omniscient. He truly knows everything. He has the advantage of an eternal perspective that in our limited human bodies, we can't even begin to grasp the scope of. Yet, time and again, we will question God because we forget that His ways are higher than our ways. We can't even see around the next corner or over the next hill, yet He sees the entire journey at a glance. He created us, designed us, knows our every detail of how we are designed to work, yet we still struggle to trust that He truly knows what's best for us and the people we effect.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, how do we overcome this defect in character? Well, one way is to "count our blessings." That's essentially what pulled me out of my self-inflicted funk. I began reading the various posts my beautiful bride had made to our blog, and I felt ashamed. I realized all the ways in which God had blessed us already; how He'd paved the way for us in so many ways, and here I was like the Israelites of old, looking over my shoulder at the land of Egypt and thinking "Oh, if I could just go back to my comfort zone (aka - slavery)!"</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(Stay tuned for Pt. 2) </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">~ Rick </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-85724022250975484272011-10-29T22:34:00.000-05:002013-02-24T02:35:51.858-06:00Help Us Win!!!<div style="color: purple; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">One of our very close friends is holding a contest on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/heartcaptions">Facebook page</a> of her business, Heart Captions Custom Signs. Who ever refers the most friends to her FB page before November 1st will win a $20 credit to her store. </span></b></div>
<div style="color: purple; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: purple; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">***Here's where we need your help...***</span></span></b></div>
<div style="color: purple;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> If WE win, we intend to use the prize as a fundraiser giveaway here on our blog to help raise money toward our adoption expenses!! </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">We would greatly appreciate it if you would so kindly go to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/heartcaptions">https://www.facebook.com/heartcaptions</a> , then "like" her business page, and simply leave a comment saying "Rick and Michelle sent me" or something similar (you must use our names though). </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Thank you so much for helping us win her contest, so we can make the prize multiply itself, allowing our children to come home sooner!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Hurry over to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/heartcaptions">her page</a> and let her know you heard about Heart Captions Custom Signs from us, Rick and Michelle! </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">The contest at Heart Captions ends on November 1st!!!</span></b>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-10264836087538390792011-10-28T16:40:00.000-05:002013-02-24T02:34:58.129-06:00Ever Blogged From A Puddle?<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">This could be a long post (I'll almost guarantee it), so go put children down for naps, start your dishwasher, or washer and dryer, or crockpot, or whatever you need to wrap up... so you can sit with us for a bit without any mommy guilt, and enjoy hearing what God's been up to lately! </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">So last update... we're moving to Oklahoma instead of Texas. You got that, right? What's the timeline you ask? We still don't know yet. All we do know at this point is that the children and I will be moving out of our home in Idaho around the beginning of December. Rick's corporate housing ends just prior to Christmas. Two of Rick's supervisors told him his transfer to Oklahoma was approved and he'd be headed there around the beginning of November. Everything seemed to be falling into place smoothly. So I penciled our journey south into the margins of December's calendar page. I keep checking in with God to see if He has any further specific updates for us... and, well, He just keeps smiling back at us with that “Just you wait and see” grin. So we'll wait and see! And we'll let YOU know the plan when HE lets US know the plan. Until then, we'd love to share what all has transpired since you last heard from us two weeks ago...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">A few days after our last blog entry, I received an apologetic email from a blogger friend saying they had learned that another family had dropped commitment money on one of the two girls we were intending to adopt. I went to the website of the organization that had the photolisting and sure enough, our “girl no. 2” (not the one with the cookie crumb on her lip, but rather the one with shaken baby syndrome) had been moved to the “My Family Found Me” page. My heart plummeted into my stomach. My heart was crushed. No, not just crushed... honestly, I was devastated. I cried. I really cried. I cried the whole day off and on. I probably needed to have a good cry by then anyway, but I'd been stiff-upper-lipping-it for several days before that. It had already been an emotionally draining month for us. On top of the normal stress of a job change, our family being separated from Rick by 1800 miles for an indefinite period of time, and preparing a large family for a cross-country move, this month alone held three anniversaries of grief for us; the 2<sup>nd</sup> anniversary of my dad's unexpected passing, the 17<sup>th</sup> anniversary of our first miscarriage (which for some reason never quite hit me as hard in the past as it did this year), and then my original expected due date for our precious son, Nehemiah. Had we not experienced a first trimester miscarriage earlier this year, I would have been giving birth to him sometime last week (give or take). Those who have not experienced a miscarriage many times cannot understand how reaching their EDD can throw a mom into round two of her grieving process. We've lost 5 babies by miscarriage over the years, so I kind of figured I was sort of an “expert” by now and could handle it just fine this time. Yeah right! Our children were also grieving the loss of their Grandpa as well, saddened by the realization that, with the pending move, we wouldn't be able to go to the cemetery on his birthday, etc. It was a puddle month around here regardless of how many times we've grieved a loss already. And although I am, in some ways, grateful that God, in His mercy, knew beforehand that giving birth right now (without Rick by my side), immediately followed by trying to pack and move with a newborn, would have been a very, very difficult ordeal for me, I still grieved our empty arms this past week, wishing it could have somehow ended differently. I miss the pitter-patter of little feet in our home, and waking up to little eyeballs at the edge of our bed staring at us until we wake up. (Well, okay, I still get those with our dog being inside. She likes to stare me awake in the morning too!) And yes, I do miss the diaper bag stage, and the potty training stage, and everything else that goes with being blessed with children. Even God's Word says that a woman's womb is never satisfied. He made mamas that way for a purpose! So I found myself processing tidbits of grief off and on last week. <br />
<br />
On top of that reason for the teary eyes, the children and I also hit “the wall” of Rick's absence here at home. Yes, I know we “should be used to it by now”. Let me explain something though... you never “get used to it”. And if you do, it should worry you deeply! Yes, we've learned over the last (almost) 6 years of Rick being a long-haul trucker (and a few other years before that with jobs that frequently took him out of town) to adjust to life without his physical presence in our home at every meal or at bedtime, but there just never is any real “getting used to it”. I always knew from past experience that we usually “hit our wall” around week three. It didn't matter what time of the month it was, “the wall” was usually around week three. That's when you see six teenagers morph into children I don't recognize as my own offspring. And they probably watch their mom regress into some strange woman they aren't eager to claim either! But around week four, life usually returns to a semi-normal state and moves on again. So this time around, when week three came and went, no meltdowns, and week four came and went, and no meltdowns, I was very thankful! I assumed, silly me, that attitudes around here were just staying a bit more even due to the excitement of our pending move south. Then week five hit. And I don't know for sure how they measure tornadoes, hurricanes, and nuclear explosions, but let me tell you... well, never mind. I'll move on. ;-) </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">So the day I received the email that “girl no. 2” had another family pursuing her as well, the cares of the world were already weighing me down. It just hit me when I was already not at my best, and I dreaded telling Rick or our children about this new development. I knew he had fallen over himself already with his love for these precious girls, and the children has as well. I prayed about how to tell him and the children the heartbreaking news. And I knew I had nothing positive to say about it yet, so I said very little that day to anyone, but my eyes leaked a lot. It was the only day I was thankful that my children are easily distracted from their packing projects by the books in their rooms. God must have known I needed the semi-alone time to cry without them asking why. </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">A few hours after receiving that email about “girl no. 2”, I received a text message on my phone from our oldest son which read “Guess what I did at work,” and a picture showing his leg in a brace type thing. As I waited for another text with an explanation, I thought “Seriously God? What else could possibly make this week any worse?” While working with a family member doing some landscaping project, our son's knee had popped completely out of socket, bending his leg sideways toward his other leg. Because of it, he was now in a velcro knee thingy (I can't think of the proper word right now), and not able to stand or walk without crutches. He was in a LOT of pain even though his knee had been popped back into place right away. As a mom, not being able to do anything to change his situation, it was one more weight on my shoulders that day. It hurt me to watch him in pain and not be able to make it all better for him. I don't care how grown up they get, a mom will always want to ease her children's aches and pains. Satan was playing around with my mommy guilt for sure. “If you can't be a good mom to him, if you can't ease his suffering, what kind of mom do you really think you would've been to 'girl no. 2' anyway? See, it's better that she goes to another family. They could take better care of her than you! She's beyond your capabilities anyway. You have no experience with her condition.” And on, and on, and on... satan attacked me with both barrels that afternoon. He knows my weakest spot over the years has been my mothering skills. And he's made good use of many willing participants in assaulting me in that area. That is where he has targeted me most in the past. His M.O. was certainly familiar, and I should have recognized it immediately, but I didn't. He is the accuser of God's beloved, full of twisted lies that shoot at us like a fully loaded assault rifle. And that day, his aim was pretty close to the center of his target; my heart. </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Then that evening, Rick called after work to tell me that a third supervisor had approached him saying yes, the transfer was still approved, BUT it wouldn't be until sometime in 2012, and he wouldn't narrow it down from there as to when Rick could go. With real vagueness, he said Rick had to be at a certain “level” or something before a location transfer is made, but couldn't/wouldn't give any specifics as to what the goal was, or how long it would likely take someone to reach it. (We're not sure what the political pecking order is between the 3 supervisors, so we don't know yet who has the final say... besides God.) So our prayer at this time is that God will orchestrate the transfer according to the word of the first two supervisors, allowing Rick to relocate very soon so he can begin the house-hunting process in advance of our arrival there. Needless to say, when Rick called with that news of the possible delay, I realized very quickly that satan had been target practicing on the whole family that day. Now we were both stressed about the move, the adoption, etc. I did my best to be my husband's cheerleader in the moment and encourage him that “God had it all under control”, even though I was discouraged myself. But even as I said them, my words felt so empty, like I was lying to him and blowing smoke in his face. We were both doubting God's faithfulness at the same time, even though we've always said we couldn't both be “down” at the same time, lest there be no one to pick the other back up. So Rick and I lamented together on the phone for a few minutes, wondering why God was letting life unravel on us. As I got off the phone, that's when I heard God say, in His gentle fatherly way, “I can't have it all under control until you're willing to lay your Isaac down.” Ouch!! OUCH!! But it was true. I needed to just trust that He would “provide the ram in the thicket”, and just keep doing the last thing He said to do, which was to sort and pack, and prep for the move and the adoption process ahead of us. Have you ever noticed how God doesn't give you multiple instructions at a time? He doesn't move you on to your next task or assignment until you're willing to obey Him in the last thing He instructed you to do. So we're leaving the concrete details of this move in His perfectly capable hands until He's ready to converse with us about that. God knows that we need to have our family all living under one roof again. He knows when our current housing situations end. He knows already what home we will be moving into when we arrive there. He knows I really want a heavily treed property like we have here in Idaho, and a large window over my kitchen sink looking out into that green yard filled with lots of trees. (God, You did get my memo about that, right?) Okay, I really am learning to let God handle this department on our behalf since I have too much else to do to get ready for the move anyway. I'm just doing my best to stay focused on the sorting, packing, and prepping for now, without getting distracted by the things He's working on for us behind the scenes. I'm not big enough to handle it all right now. But He is! And that's actually a relief to me! It means I'll have fewer gray hairs by the time we arrive in Oklahoma. </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">So God had a pep talk with me about the move over those next few days. Next came the harder part. It was the pep talk about the adoption and the orphans we've grown to love so much. I was willing to take “Isaac” to the hillside with the timing of our move, and I was even willing to seat “Isaac” on the altar when it came to the location in which we'd move, but I had yet to “lay him down” on the altar when it came to the adoption. The next part of that pep talk from God came in a text message from my husband, who thankfully was listening to God as well. I know for a fact he was, because I had yet to share with him what God has said to me about laying my “Isaac” down. In his text message, Rick summarized something he'd learned from Bruce Wilkinson's book, The Dream Giver; </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"><b>Be honest with God about how you feel (He already knows anyway) but always acknowledge His sovereignty. There almost always comes a point where the Dream Giver will ask us to surrender our dream. Sometimes like Abraham sacrificing Isaac, He gives the dream back to us to complete. Other times, like Kind David and the temple, He gives it to another (Solomon) to complete. We must never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of any dream is to bring glory and honor to the One who gave it to us. Even when David surrendered his dream, he continued to prepare the way for the one who would complete it. Humbling to think about, isn't it?”</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Is my man an exhorter or what? I had no doubt God was speaking to me through my husband that day. See how I said we've always striven to make sure one of us was always “up” to lift the other when they were “down”? He shared what he'd learned from a book to encourage me through my heartbreak. (And I know his heart was breaking too, even though he was trying to lift me up again.) I had yet to read that book for myself, although I've intended to for years. After this conversation with Rick, I figured I'd dig it out of whatever box it was in... AFTER we finished the move. I planned to put it in my “to be read next” pile next to my side of our bed... in the new house. Obviously, God had other plans. Wouldn't you know it... God has a sense of humor! I can prove it! I came downstairs from my bedroom after reading Rick's text message, and, of course, a copy of that book was laying in the hallway at the base of the stairs. Just there. On the carpet. In the hallway. All by it's lonesome. How did it get there? No one knows. Seriously! No one recalls leaving that book there, never mind having held it or looked at it prior to me finding it there. (I know our dog is the master of kitchen dumpster diving while we're not aware, but bookcase dumping now too? Intelligent ol' girl is into doing God's business now too? Well, like I've said before... “If God can speak through a donkey...”) I seriously don't have a clue how the book got there, but I don't think God could have made the message any clearer... I need to read the book NOW, before we move! (Doesn't God realize just how many books I'm in the middle of right now?) Okay, obedience. I've got it! I haven't really gotten very far into the book yet, but that pep talk was the beginning of me releasing these girls from Ukra<span style="font-size: large;">*</span>ne back OUT of my incapable hands into His fully capable ones. When I finally reached that point a few days after that devastating email where I could say (without the mommy guilt of “not being good enough”) that if “girl no. 2” was adopted by the other family, then I was okay with that being God's perfect plan for her instead of being a part of our family. God gently reminded us that our original prayer for all of these orphans was for them to have a family to call their own, and for them to be able to leave the orphanage behind as quickly as possible, EVEN IF IT WASN'T WITH US. And several days after that first email, when I could again say that prayer with all sincerity, that's when I received yet another email...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">It said that the other family had heard about us, had read our blog, and hoped to speak with us in real life as soon as possible. I really didn't know what to think. Honestly, I was scared. What if they were mean-spirited people? What if they put us through the wringer with their questions? What if they just want to make sure we clearly understood they had official dibs on this child now? We've all heard the story of the two moms in the Bible fighting over who got to keep the baby, right? I didn't really know for sure what this other family wanted. And although we still had a deep desire to adopt “girl no. 2”, the last thing WE wanted was a competition over an innocent child. I'm really a pretty phlegmatic person (with a good dose of melancholy thrown in for good measure), so I loathe unnecessary conflict! I wondered to myself if I could genuinely congratulate this other family on their adoption of “our” daughter. I had a LOT to pray about. My heart was still breaking at our potential loss. And yet I knew if we didn't let her go, their hearts would likely break too, but in the process, we would become their enemy, and they ours. I came face to face with “my Isaac” in that moment, and I knew I had to make that choice to obey or to disobey, not knowing the outcome. Not knowing if God would make me slay my dream, or if He would send a ram in the thicket just in the nick of time. I think it might have been one of the hardest things I'd ever done. I didn't tell Rick about them wanting to talk to us until I was fairly certain I could genuinely let her go and be happy for them. (Why was the process of letting go of a child so much harder this time than with the boys we first hoped to adopt? I don't know. I can't answer that one.) While I wrestled with God in making this decision to lay my “Isaac” down, I'm sure our children thought their mother was off in la-la-looney-land again! </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">I knew we had to face the music, and I told Rick this other family would like us to call them. So Rick and I bit the bullet, dialed their phone number, and began a conference call with this other family, not really knowing what to expect, or what to say. From the beginning, they openly shared their hearts with us, very quickly putting us at ease, and we knew we could openly share our hearts with them as well. We conversed about our respective families, how we each came to the place of pursuing adoption, and sharing info about international adoption in general. Before our conversation with them ended, we all prayed together for “girl no. 2” and for God to lead the four of us into a peace about her future, as well as the futures of both of our families. An hour and 15 minutes after that call began, we ended the conversation knowing we had made new friends who had huge hearts of gold. We hung up the phone still not knowing what the future held for us, or for them, but knowing one of our families was going to gain a daughter, and one of us was going to face the loss of the dream of adopting her. The future was unknown to all of us as we hung up the phone, but Rick and I had that confidence that God was truly in control of it all anyway. I had no doubts when we hung up that day that I had genuinely “laid my Isaac down” completely, regardless of the outcome which gave me an unexplainable peace inside. </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">The next morning, we awoke to an email from this family saying they had spent some time in prayer over the adoption of this precious girl. They wanted us to know they had notified the photolisting organization of their decision to pursue a different child and they wanted our family to continue to pursue “girl no. 2”. Again, I was speechless, and all I could do was cry. I was in a puddle of tears once again, not out of fear, or worry, or heartache, or anything like that. I was kneeling in a puddle of humble happy tears. </span> </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Rick and I could never say thank you to them enough, other than to humbly ask all of you to join us in prayer for our new friends, <a href="http://savemolly.blogspot.com/">Jamie and Stephanie</a>, as they wait for God to lead them to the child He has ordained for their family. Whoever she is, we know their new daughter is going to be an extra special addition to their family, and she will be greatly loved by the most unselfish parents we've met in a very long time. We would like to encourage your support of their adoption process as well! It would bring us joy to see their adoption fund grow quickly too! </span> </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">So later on that day when I logged onto our Facebook page, I noticed a quote on someone's wall that summed it all up so perfectly:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"> </span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"><b>You know it's love when all you want is for that person to be happy, </b></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"><b>even if you're not part of their happiness. ~ Author unknown”</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"><b> </b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">I will tell you now, “girl no. 2” is genuinely loved by this other very unselfish family. This describes the situation so very well. We, both families, loved her enough to be willing to let her go. She is genuinely loved and treasured, by more than just our family, and she doesn't even know it yet. It is humbling. I cried that entire day as the words to the Matt Redman song “Never Once” kept going through my mind...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/722zPX1npcA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Standing on this mountaintop</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Looking just how far we've come</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Knowing that for every step</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You were with us</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Kneeling on this battle ground</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Seeing just how much You've done</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Knowing every victory</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Is Your power in us</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Scars and struggles on the way</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">But with joy our hearts can say</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Yes, our hearts can say</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once did we ever walk alone</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once did You leave us on our own</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You are faithful, God, You are faithful</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You are faithful, God, You are faithful</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Scars and struggles on the way</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">But with joy our hearts can say</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once did we ever walk alone</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Carried by Your constant grace</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Held within Your perfect peace</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once, no, we never walk alone</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once did we ever walk alone</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Never once did You leave us on our own</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You are faithful, God, You are faithful</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Every step we are breathing in Your grace</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You are faithful, God, You are faithful</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">You are faithful, God, You are faithful</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">The song lyrics stayed on auto-repeat in my mind</span><span style="font-size: large;">… </span><span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">and the tears just flowed. How could they not?</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>He <u>IS</u> faithful!</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">So you haven't heard from us in the last two weeks, but I have an excuse... it's hard to know exactly what to write when you're blogging knee deep in a puddle... </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;">~ Michelle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Segoe Print; font-size: large;"> </span> </div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-24967335736314238682011-10-24T22:05:00.000-05:002011-10-24T22:05:58.793-05:00What More Could I Say?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAD50WAOWiXayrFAC1FfnnxtmWx-KN0SIv9et7k1pfa_I8t1dLRaUtl4cBoV_hdT0dhAG1gZ0_bQ4PbOzDt6YTnlwWpBnxP4Aga95Rj5_EcgdbC7u9iXyokoEllEVetSV6YG73aNdiS47/s1600/316502_203987789673175_100001858670604_496609_1579752422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAD50WAOWiXayrFAC1FfnnxtmWx-KN0SIv9et7k1pfa_I8t1dLRaUtl4cBoV_hdT0dhAG1gZ0_bQ4PbOzDt6YTnlwWpBnxP4Aga95Rj5_EcgdbC7u9iXyokoEllEVetSV6YG73aNdiS47/s400/316502_203987789673175_100001858670604_496609_1579752422_n.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737871783514472227.post-76670828005837676132011-10-15T21:28:00.000-05:002013-02-24T02:13:43.893-06:00We're NOT moving to Texas. . .<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, that's right! We're NOT moving to Texas after all.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">BUT. . . we ARE still moving across the country to. . . *drum roll please*</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">(press the play arrow)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/ZbrnXl2gO_k/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZbrnXl2gO_k&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZbrnXl2gO_k&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yep!! And we are incredibly excited about our move now! That is a huge answer to our selfish prayers! Really, I'll be quite honest. . . I was dreading the move to Texas. But I was repeatedly telling myself I'd learn to like it there eventually, especially with the development of new online friendships with ladies who already lived there in the town where Rick was sent for training. But really, when it boiled down to it, it felt like an arranged marriage. . . I was NOT eager, but I WAS willing to go where God was calling us, and hoped that someday down the road I'd learn to love it there after all. I'd kept my inner arguments about God's sanity in this move between me and God because I KNEW God was calling us from Idaho, but I didn't want Rick to second guess himself in going to Texas. I had resolved myself to cho<span style="font-size: large;">o</span>se to look for the opportunities available to us there, to make the most of it for our family's sake. But it was a chore to even want to sort and pack in preparation for the move. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Last night, Rick's new company told him they will transfer him/us to central Oklahoma, within a fairly short distance of his whole side of the extended family! Had we still been assigned to the <span style="font-size: large;">w</span>estern side of Texas (the brown part), it would have been a long drive (a solid 12 hrs if you count bathroom stops along the way!) from his family. Now we're going to be close enough to make it to Grandpa & Grandma's house, spend the day, and come home after dinner if we want to!!! (In the past, we'd only been able to make this trip about once every 5 years!) This is such exciting news for our family!! And the location we're being sent to in Oklahoma will give our homeschooling family so many more opportunities than our Texas location would have. And there will be so much more green, and water, and hillsides than the Texas location would have offered. I dreaded the idea of trading in my heavily treed, mountainside home in Idaho with all the surrounding lakes, for the just plain dry, sandy, flat, treeless Texas desert. My selfish little heart was willing, but not content with that trade! When I finally reached that point of being more than just willing to follow God where ever He was leading us, even if it were into the desert, He pulled the furry little rabbit out of the black top hat, much to my awe and amazement! When Rick told me there was a new, but very slight chance (discovered by rumor among classmates) that he could get approval to transfer to Oklahoma instead of Texas, we prayed, and the unanimous family vote was to put in the transfer request again, even though it had formerly been denied. We asked God for favor with the company, IF moving to Oklahoma was HIS will. When Rick asked the supervisor about the possibility of a transfer, they approved his request ON THE SPOT!!!! No board meetings, no human resource department ring-around-the-rosie games, no delay in answering... just a simple "YES!". Their only request was that he wait to go until they could get another classroom or two of new trainees out into the field for work. Rick readily agreed to that. So he will head for Oklahoma sometime in the first half of November. As the rough draft schedule is penciled in on the margins of the calendar right now, it looks like we will likely join him around the middle of December. It won't be a day too soon for us either! It's been a very long month apart already. We miss him horribly, and we want to get back into the full swing of our adoption process as soon as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We're so excited to resume the practical work towards this cross country move now. It's like a new boost of energy has overtaken all of us! There's still a lot of tiring work ahead of us, but that desire to "whistle while I work" has come back to my heart!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you Lord for giving us favor, and for teaching us to trust you to work out all the littlest details! You are ever the Faithful Father!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">~ Michelle</span>Rick and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03297284992144798931noreply@blogger.com0