tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176956382380492602023-11-15T22:29:58.796-08:00The Faith of NoahNoah believed what seemed improbable, impossible. There was no sea where Noah laid the ark keel. He was bidden by the Lord to construct a sea-going vessel on dry land. O mad old man! Faith which believes in the probable is anybody's faith. Faith which believes that which is barely possible is in better form. Faith which cares nothing for probability or possibility, but rests alone in the Word of the Lord, is the faith I seek. God deserves such faith, "for with God all things are possible."Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-34856981992708216292013-11-20T08:03:00.000-08:002013-11-20T08:03:38.475-08:00Out with the Old and in with the New?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who have visited my blog a few times in the past, you know of how my husband and I so desperately sought to bring home two children from the same classroom of our most recently adopted daughter, Chloe. Chloe was and continues to be a survivor. During and after her adoption we were told stories of how she refused to smile, how sick she was in the orphanage and the amount of money spent on her frequent hospital visits while living in the orphanage. The director of her orphanage was a beautiful and loving woman who did everything in her power to take care of her. She, the director, had an adopted child of her own who also worked in the orphanage. Chloe was blessed to be in this orphanage not only because of the director but also because of three special friends she had there with her. One of those friends was adopted just a month after Chloe came home but the two others wait. Wait for what? We do not know. These children are stuck in the system. Did we turn our backs on them? No, we fought for them and although it did not turn out the way we wanted it to their lives are better now because we did fight. We continue to pray. We receive updates on them and cherish every picture and bit of information we can get. We talk of them frequently in our home. Although they are not physically with our family they are in our hearts and we will always love them. Chloe has the opportunity to visit them when we return to China in February. I go back and forth in my mind weighing what is best for the boys as well as Chloe knowing that they are "family" and a significant part of each others story. A story that needs to be embraced and not forgotten, "the old". Do you throw the old away and start over again with the new? I do not think so. In my Trust Based Relational Intervention studies, Karyn Purvis taught us to be a blank slate for our children's stories. We do not make up a story for them hoping it will make the past better or less painful. We allow the children to tell us how they remember or even what they want to make believe about their past. As we accept their rendition of the story it slowly changes into the real experience of what they endured as they are able to process it and accept in with the love, trust and security we have given them by listening. Only listening and doing nothing else like correcting, fixing or negating. So do I throw out the old? No, I pray and ask God to help me trust in Him to heal the heart of this little miracle we have. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going backwards a little bit and also repeating some information in a previous blog, when we came home with Chloe, all I could do was think of her friends left behind. When you adopt and you get to visit the orphanage it changes you. To me, I was not rescuing one child. I was leaving behind an orphanage full of children who were losing hope with each "friend" they saw leave, never to return. How do you reconcile that? Well thankfully I allowed God , after some time of fighting him to show me how. It all started with my pastor. On Palm Sunday after having Chloe home for 6 months and still fighting to join her friends with our family, I went forward in church to ask for prayer for these boys. My prayer request was to adopt these boys, Noah and Rhys. After all, ever since I had gotten home every Christian radio station I listened to was preaching on Noah! This must be a sign that he and Rhys were suppose to be part of our family. I will never ever forget the pastor's response to my request. As we held hands and he prayed for me, He asked God if it was His will for these boys to be adopted that it be so. I was livid!!!! God tells us He will place the lonely in families. God fights for the orphans!!!! I could not believe the words coming out of this tall strong Texan's mouth. Had he not studied his Bible? Little did I know! In the days to come, a non-profit in the orphanage started a tutoring program for our two boys and the 5 other children stuck in the same situation as them. They, at the moment, do not have a hope of being adopted but they do now have tutors and loving people coming into the orphanage to mentor them. The old is not thrown out, it is rejoiced in. And what of the new?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe if we had been successful in bringing home these boys, less children would be reached through me by the grace of God. Because God said, "No", I was open to other ways that I could help children from the birth country of my two precious daughters. This search took many twists and turns that led to the opportunity of leading two teams to China, training under Dr. David Cross and Dr. Karyn Purvis, meeting Dr. Bruce Perry and talking to him of traumatized children one on one, and in the next couple of months I will return to Ft. Worth, Texas, to receive training in how to hold camps for adopted children and their parents as well as conducting camps in orphanages for the children and their care providers. A camp for children with histories of abuse or abandonment that has caused them to isolate themselves due to failed trust. These children often remained closed and alone while their parents and care givers watch helplessly. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God has truly been merciful to me. As I wait to see what God has next, I am thrilled at the opportunity to parent our newest son who will be 10 years old when he joins our family hopefully by the end of summer 2014. We will continue to celebrate in the new and as we support and cherish the past. I look forward to sharing how God continues to work in our lives and will give Him the glory for everything we have and do not have. I am what I am because He has been there in the old and in the new for me. Shaping me and forming me into what He needs to accomplish the goals He set for me before I was ever formed in my mother's womb. I am a child of His and I am thankful for all the children He has chosen for me to come in contact with. I ask for your prayers as we navigate the new and uncertain as we also continue to celebrate the old that continues to unfold from the pasts of our children's lives. The stories they have shared and will share as we journey together this side of heaven.</span></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-54639384029401031822013-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:002013-11-17T18:50:01.579-08:00Beyond Burdens be........Blessings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My last blog was almost a year ago as I prepared to lead a team to China. Today I find myself once again preparing to head off to China to lead another team to the beautiful province of Fujian. A new team, a new organization sponsoring me but still the same burden to make a difference in the lives of these children from my daughter's province. A burden that was placed on my heart 4 years ago and weighed so heavily at times that I though my heart would break. Today that burden has brought many blessings in my life; new friendships, sponsorship, education, love, children, etc....A heart that once was so heavy with the emotional and physical hurts of life. Burdens that I had carried by myself not trusting anyone with them and therefore not allowing them to be exposed to the light so they could be healed. As I opened up and told my story I found unconditional love and my burdens now became blessings. A heart that had to walk through the healing process herself so that she could walk others on the path she had traveled and found step by step that God was always there waiting and calling out to me. Burdens I bore have now become connections in order to help others bear their own. I rejoice that I have come to a place of healing that allows me to take these orphans of China and their caretakers farther than I could last year.<br />
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This year I go with a team that includes a teacher of Tia Chi, massage therapist, art therapist, girl scout leader, a mom of a son with sensory processing disorders that knows how only 18 months in an orphanage can have damaging effects on the brain of a child, a daughter adopted 18 years ago from this province and two males for the large group of teen boys we have in this camp. I also go being sponsored by a wonderful organization that used Karyn Purvis' book, The Connected Child, as a Bible study to teach healing to grown women who came from hard places. To me one of the most significant things is that I am allowed to bring my two adopted daughters back to China to help teach English and Christ's love to their age group. Chloe will also be able to visit her friends, the two boys, we left behind 3 years ago. God has been so gracious and merciful to me.<br />
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What do I go back with personally for the upcoming camp? Experience and knowledge would be the two things at the top of my list. Last year we were recruited to teach English first and foremost. I had a wonderful team to fulfill this task. We were blessed with a music teacher that also wrote curriculums, four beautiful ladies that had been on many mission trips and a sweet heart of a girl that wanted to learn and have her heart broken for the orphan. I learned through this first trip and my studies through Texas Christian University that learning English was secondary to what these children needed. They were not going to be able to learn English, higher learning skills, until we addressed the lower needs. This is what we will go equipped to do this camp. These children through no fault of their own and unknowingly by the workers that were assigned to them were not given the the neural input they needed to self regulate can be taught this skills months and years later. We will do this while introducing English words that will help them communicate in Mandarin, English and sign language what they need without acting out to get their basic needs met.<br />
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I am so excited to take what I have learned to continue the relationship I have built with the children. Not only that but I am so excited to return to these children that I served last year to let them know I am committed to them and that I want to pursue a relationship with them. I have not forgotten them and will seek to be a part of their lives as long as I am allowed. They are precious and valuable to me just as they are to their Heavenly Father. However, they can not know how precious they are to a Heavenly Father until they are shown that through us here on earth. I have been blessed to be able to go back and ask that you go with me. We are in need of prayer, supplies and funding. Please consider supporting us by first praying and then through the support of meeting our needs financially. <br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-36093070196083089802013-01-11T14:29:00.001-08:002013-01-11T14:29:15.197-08:00God answers prayers, His way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq8fMADtiaRAOEWl3fkeAX5R3_IlQvmwIx2ArXwRFGYSkAQ4EK2L3s1l6h1ii9w5D8Atx180co7W9UQcthBrzQxFHbJwXHLsmPepOQOLu8IYFvzCgrBs6i55mJOiVKn3O7aIZZSW2GM8/s1600/Chloe+and+Noah+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq8fMADtiaRAOEWl3fkeAX5R3_IlQvmwIx2ArXwRFGYSkAQ4EK2L3s1l6h1ii9w5D8Atx180co7W9UQcthBrzQxFHbJwXHLsmPepOQOLu8IYFvzCgrBs6i55mJOiVKn3O7aIZZSW2GM8/s320/Chloe+and+Noah+2.JPG" /></a></div>3 years ago this month, Greg and I were matched with Jiang YuJun. Little did we know at the time that we were also matched with her two best friends, Noah and Rhys. Two boys that would change the course of our lives.<br />
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When Greg and I returned home with Chloe we were determined to do all we could for her family, Noah and Rhys. As many of you know, family is not necessarily defined by blood. Sadly, my biological family and church family did not meet the definition of "family". I think maybe this is why I fought so hard to have the two brothers of Chloe's heart be a part of our family. So, the first thing we did was pray, beg and plead to our heavenly Father for these boys. Those first weeks home Chloe cried for her friends, she and her sister decided to sleep on the floor in Washington State Apple boxes so Noah and Rhys could have their beds when they joined us. I was always finding gifts Chloe had carefully wrapped and hidden away for the day the boys walked through the door. <br />
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It breaks a mom's heart not to be able to give her child the thing that is breaking their heart. I know you know that. How much more does our heavenly Father know that?<br />
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Palm Sunday in 2011, I could not focus on the sermon by our wonderful pastor. I bowed my head and asked God to forgive me for my wandering mind. My thoughts kept drifting to the two little boys left behind. Some have experienced this and some have called people crazy that claim this, but I heard an audible voice that told me that His name would be glorified through these two boys. I knew I had to go forward at the end of the service and ask for prayer from our pastor. As the final hymn played and my heart beat frantically, I made my way to the front of the church and asked for prayers concerning our situation. The prayer given up to God by my pastor was not the one I was expecting and I will have to admit I was a little ticked off. The prayer was that if it were God's will for these boys to be adopted let it come to pass. Of course, the mommy in me thought, "How in the world could it not be God's will for these boys to be adopted?" My Lord's thoughts and ways are higher than mine and my Lord is not finished!<br />
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Greg and I realized that with the situation our boys were in, being trafficked children without the hope of being adopted internationally or domestically, we needed to do something to help the country they were in take care of them. Greg and I with the help of secular non-profit agency began a tutoring program in the orphanage for this group of children. We, along with other sponsors, pay a small sum each month to provide these childen tutoring in the orphanage, school supplies, school lunch and some clothes. However,as you know this does nothing to fill the role of a family.<br />
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A year passes and my knees are sore from praying. My dear husband, knowing me so well and warning me not to become obsessed over these boys, reminds me that I am now obsessed. So, I start searching for an outlet for these feelings. On an internet search, I find the only organization in Colorado that works with orphans in China. I was so elated. I did not think this was my way to get the boys it was just an opportunity to help in the country where half my heart was left behind.<br />
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The mission of this organization, World Orphans, fit perfectly with the way my husband and I felt coming home from China after our second adoption. There are so many children out there that need a home and begging every Christian family to adopt one orphan so there would be no more orphans was just not working. Even with some families adopting up to 13 children, we just were not going to meet the need and the command that God has given us. World Orphans works with churches in the United States to partner with indigenous countries to care for the orphan. <br />
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Imagine my excitement to think I was going to be able to volunteer, advocate, and maybe visit orphans in China. To my disappointment, I was told that the two centers that WO worked in were self-sustaining. Feeling a door close again but not giving up I remained as a volunteer. It has been a year since the last door seemed to close. It was not a door sealed tight with no hopes of opening. It was a door that was not ready to be opened. It did open this past summer. WO was asked to lead a ESL camp during Chinese New Year in Southeast Asia. I signed up to be a part of the team but God had bigger plans for me. I leave in 17 days L<b>EADING<i></i></b> a group of wonderful women to the very place my boys, Noah and Rhys, are located. I did not know the location of the camp at the time I accepted the responsibility to lead the team. <br />
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What does God have in mind with this really big "coincidence"? I do not know and I am not even going to try and guess. I am going with no other agenda than to serve my Lord and the children, orphans, He has told me to serve. Stepping way out of my comfort zone and being obedient. Leaving behind my four children and my adored husband for the first time in my life. Am I scared? You had better believe it but I am going to trust and wait upon the Lord giving Him all the glory.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWnR-ikRhxmVXzHvx2qsNDFn-S9YNCiZ0kQpgZErBmBIxS3xwE2jLi7irg4FnQCm56F-tRlzK4zr2T-99UsGxD6ybmdtjmHB4D78DiGgSAlxYdoKTSXw6bXa-6QAsqCBU7lG6aW-eV0w/s1600/Jiang+Bingyi+Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWnR-ikRhxmVXzHvx2qsNDFn-S9YNCiZ0kQpgZErBmBIxS3xwE2jLi7irg4FnQCm56F-tRlzK4zr2T-99UsGxD6ybmdtjmHB4D78DiGgSAlxYdoKTSXw6bXa-6QAsqCBU7lG6aW-eV0w/s320/Jiang+Bingyi+Santa.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
You can follow our journey here. You can also support our journey by praying for us, the area we will be in, the orphanage leaders and the children.<br />
<br />
God Bless,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-58557006035014050792013-01-08T14:19:00.001-08:002013-01-08T14:19:51.621-08:00Part 4 where to after this?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJY4ewIFWsIJhZvclvM9hfvP-KEvSmGnMbjUA2_TKC0nrKo2A9-qoPGxaQfPY_G_MODSShCvldw8E8U8oe_JqMKbe0L7HwbNc51QZrUeNm_vXpEoX0ejkk40le6GSQIUfur5Gvl0APRM/s1600/20100915+-+38.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJY4ewIFWsIJhZvclvM9hfvP-KEvSmGnMbjUA2_TKC0nrKo2A9-qoPGxaQfPY_G_MODSShCvldw8E8U8oe_JqMKbe0L7HwbNc51QZrUeNm_vXpEoX0ejkk40le6GSQIUfur5Gvl0APRM/s320/20100915+-+38.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625896376844644338" /></a><br />
Greg and I were touched by the pictures we received of Chloe. However, it was the pictures taken of her that included her best friend that tore at our hearts.<br />
<br />
If it is possible to catch love in a photo, I have it stored on my computer under "photos of Yujun".<br />
<br />
Greg and I decided we would do everything we could to keep these children together. <br />
<br />
We inquired about adopting Noah at the same time as Chloe but China was not allowing adoption of two children unrelated at that time plus, we were told Noah was not available for adoption. <br />
<br />
We went to China and visited the orphanage. We got to meet Noah and another of Chloe's closest friends, Rhys. Rhys walked right up to my husband and held up his arms to be picked up. With tears in his eyes, my husband looked at me and I knew the two children we would need to bring home together would not be Chloe and Noah but Noah and Rhys.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBZafarFpWgsrGroNUuAIkhak4LNkzD7qY_GEv0f9NGk75BsTrwSbFren_a_Oi9bAuFsE37adabfb4klOPvFmchowtlxSWB-j3yQKaKtTzsYQjXiCpjMNmT3xa3xUKQGNIvL_x02tzBw/s1600/20100915+-+10.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBZafarFpWgsrGroNUuAIkhak4LNkzD7qY_GEv0f9NGk75BsTrwSbFren_a_Oi9bAuFsE37adabfb4klOPvFmchowtlxSWB-j3yQKaKtTzsYQjXiCpjMNmT3xa3xUKQGNIvL_x02tzBw/s320/20100915+-+10.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625920166461673330" /></a><br />
<br />
God is leading Greg and I to continue to fight for Noah and Rhys. <br />
<br />
There is no way I can explain how I know this and if I did it would probably make no sense to anyone but me. Why these two boys, when there are so many other children readily available? Why not adopt children a little older so there will not be such a gap in age? Why have four children the same age? Why adopt when you are about to retire and do not know what the future holds? Why adopt when you have two boys about to enter college and tuition is so expensive? Why, why, why?<br />
<br />
Blaise Pascal, says, "The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of."<br />
<br />
The why's go on and on and stop where the "what if's" begin. What if our petitions fail after we feel so convicted. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUKF3nHOz5YfsD6H2IKWefLEv3AhdEzmxcqZyldJ47yImDP2uRgcHt33RD6EGCmqvxojklIZClFZPsjjbsF1iKRTchnIsI1D-sARoUkV86fo2mnBGg7ArQbkjcuzR-j64-CTUt0RaqcA/s1600/20100913+-+80.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUKF3nHOz5YfsD6H2IKWefLEv3AhdEzmxcqZyldJ47yImDP2uRgcHt33RD6EGCmqvxojklIZClFZPsjjbsF1iKRTchnIsI1D-sARoUkV86fo2mnBGg7ArQbkjcuzR-j64-CTUt0RaqcA/s320/20100913+-+80.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625917684306156002" /></a><br />
<br />
I can not answer any of these questions. I just know that to not pursue this would be turning my back on everything I have learned through my personal story and as a Christian. We are to stand up for those who do not have a voice, we are to take care of the orphaned but most of all we are to follow our heart when we have tested our motives against the scriptures.<br />
<br />
The Lord will prevail regardless of what I want. I want these two boys to be part of our family but God's plans are bigger than mine.<br />
<br />
When Chloe entered the hospital, I wanted a successful surgery to help her have more independence with the issues we faced with her spina bifida. However, after 8 days in the hospital we were faced with the realization that one of the procedures in the operation had severe complications. After 20 days in the hospital we realized that somehow, unknown to all, that the operation had corrected Chloe's high blood pressure. Chloe no longer needed high blood pressure medication! However, the mitrofanoff I wanted for her so badly was sacrificed. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WiRY3dk-a6qU6cEV7qmS-cd2_USkYsheoU5ao5t0CiIfzII6tp63NPydOaLCSaJqKTwgMWzcFU2EXFd5NFC9OsrMNNlLKMGRacI29dlhnGnWlbpFjUlhyLBhPUrNDle7s3AZICdJcG0/s1600/20100915+-+17.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WiRY3dk-a6qU6cEV7qmS-cd2_USkYsheoU5ao5t0CiIfzII6tp63NPydOaLCSaJqKTwgMWzcFU2EXFd5NFC9OsrMNNlLKMGRacI29dlhnGnWlbpFjUlhyLBhPUrNDle7s3AZICdJcG0/s320/20100915+-+17.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625915445050725874" /></a><br />
<br />
In humility, I sacrifice all for the greater good. Please remind me of this again in a few minutes! Yes, it is a constant battle and sometimes one I lose. <br />
<br />
The hopes and dreams I had going into the hospital for Chloe's operation. Hopes and dreams of what I thought would be best changed drastically upon leaving the hospital. I was not in control.<br />
<br />
I know the faith of building a family is nothing compared to the faith of building the Ark but the "coincidence" of stepping out in faith to bring home this little boy coined Noah was not lost on me. I am studying the Faith of Noah as I walk this path and I am learning, growing and trusting. <br />
<br />
I humbly ask God to add these boys to our family, but if He does not, I know they are in His hands even if God does not use my hands to physically care for them.<br />
<br />
In His Name and for His Glory,<br />
AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-18992602526018981772013-01-08T14:18:00.001-08:002013-01-08T14:18:37.013-08:00Part 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PuH6ra4LxJsy9mwa0L4hDa3G8zyhw-AtuxXbrLRQxQ7mC8QO0qoDD5cxD8o67R1S2iYhaC3Bm8vHWwrg_pykffR_lsZ9Jci3nEOAfen8okn4upIUuybrIikvbe8rvjnRUr1ETwdCSnc/s1600/20110205+-+02.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PuH6ra4LxJsy9mwa0L4hDa3G8zyhw-AtuxXbrLRQxQ7mC8QO0qoDD5cxD8o67R1S2iYhaC3Bm8vHWwrg_pykffR_lsZ9Jci3nEOAfen8okn4upIUuybrIikvbe8rvjnRUr1ETwdCSnc/s320/20110205+-+02.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624026432940007090" /></a><br />
When we did our first home study for the adoption of Raeya, our social worker was very concerned about our ability to withstand the whispers, comments, questions and stares from strangers because we were an "international family". <br />
<br />
Little did she know that our military life was a life of international blending. As she spoke to us about this in our government quarters in East Point, Atlanta, I served her sweet tea recently purchased from a grocery store where I was the only Caucasian in the store. Over this tea, I could tell her the story of getting lost in Korea in a town where no one spoke English and my few words of Korean would not help me find my way back to post. Talk about whispers, comments and stares. <br />
<br />
Yes, we stand out a little. Not all that much in Colorado Springs. We have moved 10 times since being married courtesy of the US Army and I have never lived anywhere that had so many adoptive and foster families.<br />
<br />
After 23 years, I am home!<br />
<br />
But comments and questions from others do not offend me in the least. It gives me a chance to share our story and the love of my Saviour. In a country where you can find more that one church on some corners, I share my story of God's love but it is in China where I long to stand in the gap and show my Saviour's love. <br />
<br />
As my heart has cried out for the two boys we long to bring home, I have found it hard to concentrate on the here and now sometimes. I found myself in this very situation the Sunday before Easter as I sat listening to our wonderful pastor. I bowed my head and said a short prayer asking God to clear my mind for the moment of these two boys so I could hear His Word. The message that came back to me as I sat there humbled and teachable was, "Amy, through these two boys, My Name will be glorified". <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlD8QJQbVvmBenTIdh3RUVYJjbr2N9bohdfpz84QPtU8jqEa4kgxUzLTE-We3VTykBI4pI0DRkbiimJxb22wvHnR8EYcvxF6XZ7cFatxH6rfiE5v3qPFWqobv1uiSH0IGdeDeHjvT29E/s1600/20100914+-+29.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlD8QJQbVvmBenTIdh3RUVYJjbr2N9bohdfpz84QPtU8jqEa4kgxUzLTE-We3VTykBI4pI0DRkbiimJxb22wvHnR8EYcvxF6XZ7cFatxH6rfiE5v3qPFWqobv1uiSH0IGdeDeHjvT29E/s320/20100914+-+29.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624027895150778674" /></a><br />
<br />
Are you talking to me?<br />
<br />
I am not one to share things like this and honestly I have not been one to whole heartedly embrace comments from others when they say, "God told me this....". I quickly reasoned that this was my own inner voice telling me what I wanted to hear and thus, was able to concentrate on the sermon.<br />
<br />
It took me a couple of weeks to even share this experience with my husband. Another three months to share it here. Was this something I willed myself to hear because I wanted to hear it so badly or was this my Lord telling me He has it under control and I need not worry about it and I can rest the situation in His hands, concentrate on Him, and share the wonders of His Love.<br />
<br />
Stay with me and we will find our together.<br />
<br />
I hope to finish "the Calling to Noah" with one more entry and I pray you will be moved, you will pray and you will share my story with others. <br />
<br />
God is moving.<br />
<br />
He is calling. <br />
<br />
He is waiting. <br />
<br />
Don't miss it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<em><strong>What is the 10/40 Window?<br />
<br />
Where are the Most Unreached?</strong></em><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOTpY9N8_E6NXqmreG-OhleztAk47o9kp0vo2n6GivRBJvzSyyETGH6fssic0d0QotWpMHMUsJZvOiZDos50yuZIGnrMvuM5NFTyssJKC_nPfcCYS8ZhsSOyAVne7E5_rot0uctZt6GU/s1600/4rel3_wv02.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOTpY9N8_E6NXqmreG-OhleztAk47o9kp0vo2n6GivRBJvzSyyETGH6fssic0d0QotWpMHMUsJZvOiZDos50yuZIGnrMvuM5NFTyssJKC_nPfcCYS8ZhsSOyAVne7E5_rot0uctZt6GU/s320/4rel3_wv02.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624025029638603378" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Today the reality is that 97 percent of the world's unreached lives in the 10/40 Window, a rectangular shaped area on our globe extending from West Africa to East Asia, from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator. <br />
<br />
In this part of the world, millions live with little or no chance of ever hearing the Gospel. The Window also encompasses the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.<br />
<br />
The Neglected Window<br />
<br />
Although 97 percent of the world's unreached lives in the 10/40 Window ... Less than 0.05% of our total resources as the Church in the West are being sent to help share the Good News.<br />
<br />
Truly there is a staggering amount of work to do. <br />
Within the 10/40 Window:<br />
•The darkest of all areas within the 10/40 Window is Asia. <br />
•Over 80,000 die every day in Asian countries without knowing about the love of Jesus Christ. <br />
•500,000 villages in India alone have never heard the Gospel.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9gi_ko02i_A?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-78335407393683735492013-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:002013-01-08T14:16:30.970-08:00Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhweP6SntTjgW5iTwyqR8IcbOk6KA1uscCf7619TQdtUVRncK_dzlywj3IaVY_ZTwfqYx0c7PaVRtNdYTd7wMQZlKKwzP859swBze2JLbPEiqiGb8wqgLDcB3frbHQa1FbTm0QF0t6aE/s1600/20100914+-+86.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhweP6SntTjgW5iTwyqR8IcbOk6KA1uscCf7619TQdtUVRncK_dzlywj3IaVY_ZTwfqYx0c7PaVRtNdYTd7wMQZlKKwzP859swBze2JLbPEiqiGb8wqgLDcB3frbHQa1FbTm0QF0t6aE/s320/20100914+-+86.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622234881340497570" /></a><br />
With our adoption of Raeya, we were not allowed to visit the Social Welfare Institute. We did meet the director and an ayi on Gotcha Day and the following day when we finalized the paper work and accepted our little girl.<br />
<br />
With Chloe, we were allowed to visit the orphanage even though we were told before heading to China we would not be allowed to. Oh, the joy and excitement of being able to see where she grew up and the wonderful people who took care of her. We were also hopeful that we would be able to see her friends and find out why we could not adopt her special friend. Up until this point we were only told that their were rules that would not allow to do so.<br />
<br />
Our wonderful guide arranged all of our transportation needs and double checked with us to make sure we really wanted to do this. She was not so sure it would be a good idea for Chloe to go back. I had talked to several families who were blessed with the experience of an adoption trip to the orphanage and felt we were doing the right thing.<br />
<br />
So, we get to the train station early in the morning! We have toys and snacks to keep the girls occupied. Greg and I have lots of time to people watch. I have fallen in love with the Chinese people. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyyahhKPunK23EJHCgMko8pg90AiWs_b6wokzUOHwwiGw3JCIC1fP7U-4Yf4tsf0kUGJklRCjKX-sWxomOzdTzaAdgMfDYBKkba1KuezXe_fZS7lDoGw8JCujAz_OAKlqy9k_9ipCFXg/s1600/20100914+-+02.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyyahhKPunK23EJHCgMko8pg90AiWs_b6wokzUOHwwiGw3JCIC1fP7U-4Yf4tsf0kUGJklRCjKX-sWxomOzdTzaAdgMfDYBKkba1KuezXe_fZS7lDoGw8JCujAz_OAKlqy9k_9ipCFXg/s320/20100914+-+02.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621782485192536178" /></a><br />
<br />
Our guide, Isabel, hurried us to the front of the train to get a family photo before settling into our private section. We were excited, nervous and humbled about this opportunity to see and experience, with Chloe, the first 5 years of her life that we had missed out on. At no time did we think that the 5 years "missed" was actually 5 years of God lining up all the "coincidences" we would encounter with this adoption.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_nwpnkSSg2GFYIR-V3G2y6-FC1GmDg9M6BCKLXv5Z31GGrhw43BujcP-jEU_nYHwXguuzV0_W63-FJICRWmSWhAB9Vw51e4AjkiVtjbnTq4BXth89ZcgHpr2hMcI_H4d40Ox4Fprgs4/s1600/20100914+-+05.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_nwpnkSSg2GFYIR-V3G2y6-FC1GmDg9M6BCKLXv5Z31GGrhw43BujcP-jEU_nYHwXguuzV0_W63-FJICRWmSWhAB9Vw51e4AjkiVtjbnTq4BXth89ZcgHpr2hMcI_H4d40Ox4Fprgs4/s320/20100914+-+05.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621792400850162194" /></a><br />
<br />
On the train, we settled in and looked out the windows in anticipation of seeing the land from which or daughter came. Memories and pictures we could put away to tell her later when she began to ask questions. However, the action and memories were about to occur inside the train as a young female attendant began changing the cushion covers in our cabin.<br />
<br />
The province, where Chloe was born, does not see as many Caucasians as other provinces so we were an attraction to be stared at, asked questions of, taken pictures with and the most fun of all was to help with English practice. <br />
<br />
This young girl who was changing cushion covers could not keep her eyes off our girls. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAkG_2mHRdQLxK2BqfDFW6P5EeD6aM7gSMem_QGbB3z2lwoeZxoyY2mmmPk14i1XXp6bWpDJ7WEM-NUV5inWcC7qLp6Qj63CaNqk1V1VUTOHvd78ha3-6LY152nptOcSV9DSmmcf5ESI/s1600/20100914+-+10.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAkG_2mHRdQLxK2BqfDFW6P5EeD6aM7gSMem_QGbB3z2lwoeZxoyY2mmmPk14i1XXp6bWpDJ7WEM-NUV5inWcC7qLp6Qj63CaNqk1V1VUTOHvd78ha3-6LY152nptOcSV9DSmmcf5ESI/s320/20100914+-+10.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621808902212206146" /></a><br />
<br />
She sat down with us and began asking Isabel questions. Isabel explained that this young lady was overwhelmed that we had two daughters from China. She herself had been abandoned at the age of 4 on a street corner. Parents who were faced with no good options did what they thought was best. <br />
<br />
I think everyone is aware of the one child rule in China. A rule that is suppose to help with the over population of this beautiful country. However, there are 5 groups that are currently allowed to have a second child. Chinese couples in rural areas are allowed to have a second child if their first-born is a girl, as are couples from China’s ethnic minority groups. Families where the father is an occupation deemed to be dangerous like a soldier, fisherman, etc...Families in which both parents are only children, or where the first offspring is disabled, may also have a second child. For those families that do not fall into this category or a family in the category that has three children, a high tax is required. A tax that many times is more than the families annual salary.<br />
<br />
This young girl fell into the last category. She had an older sister who was able to help the family more and a younger brother who would insure the parents were taken care of in the older years. The family could not pay the tax and the only option left for the family was to abandon the child so she could be taken to an orphanage and adopted by another family. She was adopted by a family with a disabled son. She was adopted to take of the son when the parents were no longer physically able. She worked four jobs to send money back home to them.<br />
<br />
As Isabel, told us her story this young girl broke into tears and began crying. She told us she was the naughty one and this is why she was abandoned. As children, when tragedies happen at such an early age we blame ourselves. Some are lucky and a person will step into their lives to love them and healing can occur. Others are not so lucky. They suffer a tragedy in the home and no one steps in to love them. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all turn a blind eye and this child grows up to think they are a no body and they will rebel or try to earn love.<br />
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But the party grew and we left them laughing. Isabel has looked for this young girl every time she has ridden the Bullet Train and has not been able to find her again. She left such an impression on us. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce0yqaievpOAqwUT2pLTfCTRCAmAhCx6bvtQbCqdO8mC4wynEjEyZu0uNH_nrDMoxE8yhio23fp1VJZKLmyJFjbJ8lFt9RjZTcXlccexaMqFajREVJ0b33ahnzBzNspS5ZOnmw6iUxQk/s1600/20100914+-+16.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce0yqaievpOAqwUT2pLTfCTRCAmAhCx6bvtQbCqdO8mC4wynEjEyZu0uNH_nrDMoxE8yhio23fp1VJZKLmyJFjbJ8lFt9RjZTcXlccexaMqFajREVJ0b33ahnzBzNspS5ZOnmw6iUxQk/s320/20100914+-+16.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622245696913706626" /></a><br />
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These children whether in an orphanage across the ocean, here in the United States or in a family next door to you need your love. Please do not turn a blind eye. <br />
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Adoption is not for everyone. There are many ways to make a difference in a child's life. Some times just taking that extra time to invite a child over to your home so they can see what real love looks like can make all the difference in the world.<br />
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I believe God has called me to work with the orphans in China. I do not know how yet. I know that a great burden has been placed on my heart. I know that my heart understands these children who have been set aside by family members regardless of the reason it had to be done. <br />
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We can not point fingers and blame the Chinese people. Not even if you have been there and visited in their homes can you understand the great pressure they are under. However, we can blame ourselves for not doing anything about it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcS5tToJFd3tegciJH_GaBjbW52goxXzaLFxYodQREexNYxQzHfLrdNVqJqxWTcd0JTPzqXAupxhekpjrqxKegC_dAoW1_i6hk15VtriwqtN0W9T4DE321sGUvWfjzeeXb3xFPPd8V2Q/s1600/20100924+-+22.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcS5tToJFd3tegciJH_GaBjbW52goxXzaLFxYodQREexNYxQzHfLrdNVqJqxWTcd0JTPzqXAupxhekpjrqxKegC_dAoW1_i6hk15VtriwqtN0W9T4DE321sGUvWfjzeeXb3xFPPd8V2Q/s320/20100924+-+22.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622233050165968642" /></a><br />
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Hey, I think my family is great and we hope to be back to get you soon. We now know the obstacles of making you part of our family but we know we are fit for the race.<br />
Love you, Chloe.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-79317709403233471742013-01-08T14:05:00.001-08:002013-01-08T14:05:17.236-08:00My name will be Glorified through these boys. Part 1 <br />
This is very hard and scary for me to write. <br />
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As I said in a previous post, I have never asked for a lot, especially from God. Some children grow up learning not to trust or to expect too much. They do this to protect themselves from hurting. I have shared with you my desire to first of all seek God with all my heart but secondly to allow me to love two special boys as children in my home and not from a far. <br />
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This is asking a lot. <br />
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Especially from a child who learned not to trust authority figures. What bigger authority is there than God? <br />
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NONE. <br />
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Yes, this is very HARD. <br />
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Also, I have always been one to follow the rules. I grew up in a family where rules, spoken and unspoken, were very important. I am stepping outside of the rules set by man and I will be honest with you, I am scared but trusting with all my heart. <br />
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Why is my adoption blog about Chloe named the Faith of Noah? <br />
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Families involved in the adoption process know that children in orphanages have to be named, labeled, categorized in some way. Many agencies do this by assigning the child an English name, a number, or a name representative of the country they live in. It just so happens that one of the little boys we want to adopt was assigned the name Noah. I need to stress here that once we learned his real name we no longer called him by his assigned name. We referred to him by the name that he knew himself as. I filed away the name Noah in the back of my mind and did not think of him as that any longer, but only as the name he knew himself as. <br />
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When we were in the process of paper chasing for our daughter Chloe, we learned she had a close group of friends, a rat pack of four sweethearts. Chloe would be coming home to us in September, her girl friend would be going home to her family in October, but two other special friends remained behind. Can you imagine the sadness experienced by the children who see friend after friend leave and you are still left. Why was I not chosen? <br />
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We could see the bond of Chloe and Noah in particular. Our hearts ached at the thought of separating these two children. A little girl who had gone through so much pain in her short life, who had loved and lost a special ayi, and who was about to be thrown into an entirely different world devoid of anything familiar. Greg and I apart from each, he in Afghanistan and I in Colorado Springs, both were burdened with the desire to bring this little boy home. Imagine the awe when we discussed this over phone and found we were both at the same time a world apart being led to bring home the same little boy. <br />
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We knew that no matter what the special need even if his body was ravage by cancer we were going to do this. His special need was not terminal cancer. His special needs were rules and laws. We were told we could not adopt him. I called agency after agency and was told there was nothing anyone could do. Thankfully, I do not serve a God limited by man's rules, laws or time schedule.<br />
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Please visit this site and watch this video. I have tried to different times to download it and after 4 hours each time with no success of getting her on my blog I gave up.<br />
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http://vimeo.com/13888620 Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-57153086172829146892012-12-25T18:19:00.002-08:002012-12-25T18:19:54.433-08:00Saint Nicholas...my passionI would like to share with you the origins of gift giving, not because of the ever growing debate on Christmas being a Christian holiday. Sharing the origins of this tradition that most Americans celebrate can be said to come from an orphan. A child from a wealthy family orphaned at too early of an age. A child that most would expect to want to hold onto evrything that came into his life for fear of losing it, like he lost his parents. This is the story of Saint Nicholas and I love it because the mission trip I will be departing on in a few weeks is to touch the hearts and minds of children just like Saint Nicholas. Saint Nick had a wonderful uncle to step in and raise him. It is my prayer to be used to do the same for these children.<br />
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<b><i>The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick and the suffering.<br />
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He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.<br />
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Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).<br />
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Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. <br />
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</b>There are several other stories of the deeds Saint Nicholas which tell of Nicholas saving his people from famine, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more performed. However, my passion is not for the past stories unless they compel and inspire us to do the same. I am asking for your prayers for my team and myself as we travel to China to spend a week with children who need so much more that we can provide in a week. We are not seeking to provide what they need but to be a vessel for God to provide what they need while we are there.<br />
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Merry Christmas to you and yours!<br />
AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-46215075860910839732011-12-27T19:39:00.000-08:002011-12-27T20:11:54.276-08:00Tiny, timid, tough yet very tender<strong>CHLOE</strong><br /><br />She has had a tough week. She came home on the last day of school sick. I was hoping it was the fact that she had lots of Christmas treats before eating lunch.<br /><br />Unfortunately, it dragged on and on. <br /><br />Last year the week before Christmas, Chloe was admitted to the hospital. We were there for a week and that is when we found out just how serious her condition was. We were all so thankful to leave the hospital on Christmas Day, eating sushi for lunch and heading to our home, not filled with decorations but with love and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father.<br /><br />So, to have Chloe sick again the week before Christmas was very concerning to say the least. I know Chloe also sensed the stress. She was asked several times about her symptoms, her temperature was taken frequently, and fluids were given around the clock.<br /><br />We could see and test for the physical symptoms but it was the emotional symptoms we were unable to detect until after three days of being sick. As I was administering to some of her needs, she started crying. With some coaxing, she finally told me she was afraid she was going to have to go back to China. She thought she could not be "fixed" and would therefore have to return.<br /><br />She had several breakdowns like this during the week even with Greg and I reassuring her that she was here to stay with us not matter what. We loved her fixed or not fixed.<br /><br />Oh, the rationalizations these children come up with to make sense of the "orphaned world" they live in or have lived in. Rationalizations that take lots of time to work through. It saddens me to think of all the orphans out there that not only go without their physical needs being met but their emotional needs as well. <br /><br />Physical needs can be met quite easily with donations of money. It is the emotional needs that are harder to administer to. The longer the emotional needs go unmet, the harder it is for these kids to work through the past and to heal the hurts. <br /><br />Chloe shared that she was not only heartbroken because she thought she was not fixable and would have to return to China. <br /><br />This Christmas week she also shared that she missed her friends from China. As I hugged her and told her, I missed them also it made me that more determined to fight for these kids. I want to give my daughter the desire of her heart. Her tears are my fuel to keep trying to make a difference for her friends and ones like them. As I thought about this, I realized my Heavenly Father feels the same for me when I tell Him the desires of my heart. <br /><br />My New Years Resolution is to cry out to my Father without ceasing for the sake of the orphan.<br /><br /><em><strong>James 1:27<br />New International Version (NIV)<br /><br />27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. </strong></em><strong></strong>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-44684266206979492162011-12-25T14:30:00.000-08:002011-12-27T12:40:25.910-08:00Christmas is HopeWow, it has been so long since I have blogged. So many little twists and turns have happened that I felt the need to sit back and see watch the threads being woven into the tapestry God is making of me. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoOJ9zpN0483xB0ytRIYLtgEYuCyrh7qshEznmEapf6qobdGF1IqppVkPIaBmR4fKQqLQ7bvGYWpfNA9rpQgyiJ2GENi0tcdJasuD5OCIry7DtlN1hkkB3k82QFjz_pJp_9iNM-qeIgc/s1600/wall-tapestry-8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoOJ9zpN0483xB0ytRIYLtgEYuCyrh7qshEznmEapf6qobdGF1IqppVkPIaBmR4fKQqLQ7bvGYWpfNA9rpQgyiJ2GENi0tcdJasuD5OCIry7DtlN1hkkB3k82QFjz_pJp_9iNM-qeIgc/s400/wall-tapestry-8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690219384425353154" /></a><br /><br /><br />I recently read a book by Henry Blackaby. In it he shared a story of a friend who had bought two highly trained hunting dogs. He worked with them daily and they were quiet the example of dedication, devotion and discipline to their master. One day when his dogs were out back an English Bulldog came squeezing under the fence. At first the friend thought he should bring the dogs in but he decided to let them teach the Bulldog a lesson. The three dogs went round and round with no lack of hair, saliva and grunts being thrown through the air. The Bulldog finally had his fill and slunk back under the fence leaving defeated. The next day at the same time the same Bulldog returns dragging himself under the fence to have another "play date" with the hunting dogs. The Bulldog meets the same results and once again crawls under the fence gong home defeated once more. Well, the friend has to leave town for a week long conference and his wife is left in charge of the prized hunting dogs. Her husband neglects to tell her about the evening visitor that comes calling each day. It is not long before she finds out on her own. Her husband returns home after his week long conference and after checking hurriedly checking on his wife inquires of the welfare of his dogs. She told him of the bulldog that came every evening at the same time, under the fence, fought with the dogs and left defeated until one day. About mid-week of her husband's absence, the hunting dogs had had enough of the bulldog. Now when the hunting dogs hear the bulldog snorting as he came under the fence they would take off running and barking into the safety of the basement as the Bulldog struts around the backyard in triumph.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bhPyfq2kJHNp2gFRvtp3_Jk_RRuQeAlFADR6cxy4V7bGiHyQRH1Y_gNHjkYHSF4asp4_QaXuu9zuQquslQS4XSE6xKqYVapW5hmZIsuftxeLFJqcv9pvrbl1oS3BeHdGuH74QPpPUaE/s1600/20100228+-+02.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bhPyfq2kJHNp2gFRvtp3_Jk_RRuQeAlFADR6cxy4V7bGiHyQRH1Y_gNHjkYHSF4asp4_QaXuu9zuQquslQS4XSE6xKqYVapW5hmZIsuftxeLFJqcv9pvrbl1oS3BeHdGuH74QPpPUaE/s400/20100228+-+02.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690223598749985010" /></a><br /><br /><br />My husband has always wanted an English Bulldog and when we moved here to Colorado we were privileged to be chosen to rehabilitate two English Bullies. Their tenacious stubbornness can be one of the most frustrating or respected traits they have. They are also faithful, protective and devoted. When I read the story retold to you above, I laughed knowingly the whole way through and had to immediately read it to my husband.<br /><br />Throughout Greg's military career we have both felt like Bulldogs. <br /><br />Throughout our adoption quests we have felt like Bulldogs.<br /><br />Most recently, throughout our quest for Noah and Rhys, we have felt like Bulldogs.<br /><br /><br />We were told on 9 December that we would be allowed to help support Noah, Rhys and their classmates who live at the orphanage.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTxTt4Ho1255QhMeI4KTgPlM83K96_mOnvIuwg91sFnaDk3EDLOMparsPrUfWzCmGnFAxX-Aw4OL3k2EntFyN-t6lR6Gy2BMUVwf7tpNXA26kudFmISdHeNTfaGD8KzE_qk3JmBxWCy4/s1600/P1070041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTxTt4Ho1255QhMeI4KTgPlM83K96_mOnvIuwg91sFnaDk3EDLOMparsPrUfWzCmGnFAxX-Aw4OL3k2EntFyN-t6lR6Gy2BMUVwf7tpNXA26kudFmISdHeNTfaGD8KzE_qk3JmBxWCy4/s400/P1070041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690224050276383442" /></a><br /><br /> The children will be able to have a tutor and winter coats provided for the small amount of money we donate each month. Although, I want to do so much more. I will be content and patient with God has allowed us to do at this point. The girls also are very excited about being able to be a part of their "friends" lives. The week before Christmas I shared this story of my girls with another adoptive mom.<br /><br /><br />I have made some big food purchases as I have recently joined Costco. Our purchases have come home in the big, sturdy, Washington, apple boxes. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bI2_dufEZGFIQv9l1KFRmK7jYs0hr0DuZirPReVfBNwXJm3AoP6u5lfVy_6v1cijN5ThrK7dCic1WohH5T5BTITW4xLr0nDxXcyIXEi7J2a2pFOWvzgga1Mf2us-tnieBe3k1u6sft8/s1600/djw-applesales2-042211_w500.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bI2_dufEZGFIQv9l1KFRmK7jYs0hr0DuZirPReVfBNwXJm3AoP6u5lfVy_6v1cijN5ThrK7dCic1WohH5T5BTITW4xLr0nDxXcyIXEi7J2a2pFOWvzgga1Mf2us-tnieBe3k1u6sft8/s400/djw-applesales2-042211_w500.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690226962903919026" /></a><br /><br />The girls decided to make dog beds of them and pretend to be dogs. After tripping over the boxes in the living room a few days I told the girls to take them to their rooms. One night last week, after I tucked them in, I heard them in their room talking. They had decided to sleep in the well blanketed and pillowed boxes so Noah and Rhys could sleep in their bunk beds. They were discussing which boy would want to sleep on top. After they fell asleep in their boxes, I went in again to tuck them back into their beds. This went on for several nights until I convinced them they would feel much better sleeping in their own beds all night. <br /><br /><br />So, fast forward! The girls are going through the advertisements in the Sunday paper and circling what they want for Christmas. They hand me the Target flyer and I started going through it. They had several toys circled of course. But then, I get to the more mundane things in the flyer and have noticed the girls circled princess flannel sheets and pajamas. I marveled over how practicable and smart my girls were. However, I then get to the air mattress that is circled.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJN-9uK-2HE9lfG1METctY8GnrBdQ2Qb2Mj6Wk2xtTkIe1uRa4pY1PZoqvO1nvt4JKz8btorEup_Y-Mf1-IIJYyG39p2eI6tcmOUje06bSrWSTndjSBPaS4-aIIIbIT_6g8XIr1WVXs8/s1600/51MlpeA9ZrL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJN-9uK-2HE9lfG1METctY8GnrBdQ2Qb2Mj6Wk2xtTkIe1uRa4pY1PZoqvO1nvt4JKz8btorEup_Y-Mf1-IIJYyG39p2eI6tcmOUje06bSrWSTndjSBPaS4-aIIIbIT_6g8XIr1WVXs8/s400/51MlpeA9ZrL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690225261927696882" /></a><br /> I inquired about this. The girls told me that they could sleep on the inflatable mattress instead of the boxes so Noah and Rhys could sleep in their bunk beds. I try to explain that the boys have beds. Chloe comes back with the hard wood beds they have to sleep in at the orphanage. It seemed I could not find anything to satisfy them. Eventually they got interested in a board game and I thought the issue was put to rest for the night. You are right, NO. After I tucked them into bed last night, Chloe began crying. I went to check on her and she told me her friends would never come. How do you comfort the aching in this little girls big heart.<br /><br />Well, right now we do it through letters we will be able to send, pictures we will be able to receive because of our sponsorship and most importantly our prayers.<br /><br />God is not done yet. My aching heart for these boys and my tenacious stubbornness caused me to have "myopia" as another adoptive friend once said. I knew I needed to find something to focus my attention on. What I found, after seeking to volunteer in several different areas was <strong>World Orphans</strong>. <br /><br /><em><strong>World Orphans' Vision</strong></em>Extreme poverty, chronic disease, conflict, starvation, prostitution, natural disasters and countless other tragedies have combined to produce a truly global pandemic of orphaned and abandoned children. These children are subject to severe abuse and exploitation and often die on the streets, neglected and alone.<br /><br />When we look at the great social issues of this century – poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, child soldiers, and trafficking – there is a common link, the orphan. A child orphaned by HIV/AIDS who is left alone to find food, possibly even caring for younger siblings, will often turn to prostitution. This in turn leads the child to contract HIV/AIDS and perpetuates a vicious cycle.<br /><br />By stepping in to prevent, delay and rescue orphaned children, we can break these cycles and change more than just the number of orphans.<br /><br /><em><strong>Orphans Rescued</strong></em><br />World Orphans is committed to rescuing millions of orphaned and abandoned children, strengthening indigenous churches, and impacting communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ through church-based orphan prevention, rescue, care and transition programs in the least reached areas of the world.<br /><br /><em><strong>Indigenous Churches Strengthened</strong></em><br />Local churches all over the world are Christ’s front line of care and outreach. World Orphans believes that all ministries – including orphan care – should be owned by the local church. These church leaders know the needs of their community and how best to meet them.<br /><br />World Orphans has carefully selected key strategic cities with high populations of orphaned and abandoned children and the greatest need for stronger churches. Major cities are often the political, social, economic and religious centers for their countries. Because of their status and influence, they serve as the gateways for the gospel for their nations.<br /><br /><em><strong>Communities Transformed</strong></em><br />When a community sees a local church feeding the hungry, providing medical care and taking in orphans, they see the love of Christ. As the church becomes the “hands and feet” of Christ the community is transformed and the church becomes an integral part of that society. As the children are cared for by the church they become a living example of the power of Christ’s love and a powerful witness to their friends and neighbors.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHngkziLI3yTL6Yy1xmixUmFKK0V-cbdsN1gJ7Uz6povbSF35B6c6hFR0gchsGm_H9yy7tlUh7UCExCMcnYVU-z7-H3_3SiOjCQ4e5TZNKh6qEcl-W2QAD_0OvLByIeAUxSvD7hfm4HU/s1600/4218200_8e8ab00e40_m.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHngkziLI3yTL6Yy1xmixUmFKK0V-cbdsN1gJ7Uz6povbSF35B6c6hFR0gchsGm_H9yy7tlUh7UCExCMcnYVU-z7-H3_3SiOjCQ4e5TZNKh6qEcl-W2QAD_0OvLByIeAUxSvD7hfm4HU/s400/4218200_8e8ab00e40_m.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690229113344284194" /></a><br /><div align="center"> So, this Christmas, we have lots of hope.<br />"O Little Town of Bethlehem"<br />"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight." </div><br /><br /><br />If you would like to help or would like to know more about this, please allow me to share with you!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-1375542904767953432011-11-20T12:45:00.000-08:002011-12-27T12:42:09.986-08:00God's Providence<div align="center"> <br />Oh, how I love it!<br /><br />As a teenager, I remember praying to make a difference in this world.<br /><br />As a young married woman, I remember how I wanted to break a cycle I observed in my family. <br /><br />As a mom with my first born, I remember being angry at the things I needed to overcome.<br /><br />Being imperfect in an imperfect world surrounded by imperfect people, it is a wonder we can make anything good of our lives.<br /><br />There in lies the problem. I cannot make anything good of my lie. It is only through the grace of God and His providence that I allow Him to write my story which will make a difference in this world.<br /><br />In my mid-forties, a clay jar formed by the first 24 years, broken and reshaped over the next 21 years and counting, I am seeing God's providence in my life. God's story and not mine. Yes, it was hard and I had my times when I thought all I was going through was too much and it was not fair.<br /><br />Then I remembered why Jesus was sent to earth. <br /><br />His role to play here? Curse<br /><br />"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree". Galatians 3:13<br /><br /><br />My purpose here on earth? Cheesecake!<br /><br /><br />I am humbled by God's providence. His providence is "that preservation, care and government which God exercises over all things that He has created, in order that they may accomplish the ends for which they were created" -- ISBE, p. 2476.<br /><br />I continue to pray to make a difference as well as stop the cycle but now it is a much larger role I wish to play than the little circle of my immediate family.<br /><br />As I see things unfold before my eyes I am amazed at the millions of little turn of events that have led me to the place I am now. <br /><br />We dream such small dreams of what God is capable of. Lately I have been dreaming bigger and bigger. As I learn more about the men and women of the Bible, I have more faith. Men and women that are just like you and me. God has used them mightily above and beyond their imaginations and he wants to use us that way as well. I am dreaming bigger because I want God to blow me out of the water when He shows me He can do so much more that I can dream possible.<br /><br />We have faced another closed door in the pursuit of our boys and the children that fall in the same category as they. I cried so hard the morning I got the email that yet another agency asked the same question to the same people who have no power to do anything. However, this gave me more resolution to fight harder and not to stop. <br /><br />I want to be an Esther. <br />I want to free these children. <br />God cares for them.<br />He wants them to have families of their own. <br />Families that will point them to Him. <br /><br />I humbly request Lord Jesus to be used by You.<br /><br />Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." <br />Matthew 19:14</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-42295431797308723202011-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:002011-12-27T12:47:07.988-08:00Finding my green thumb midlife, revealed to me my green heart<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOWnf8ucnvdRscop9EdnGH5RVwT4nWzb88jCIbvTItFO5A9VA1E8mQh85SSvWItwQtQ_eWE1qyYfLxms0dxKam1wBDNnD4Y-nMkeTtKqcOgKpXObCVPWUYrhQbSlZ92_9h66FtD_reWg/s1600/img_0110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOWnf8ucnvdRscop9EdnGH5RVwT4nWzb88jCIbvTItFO5A9VA1E8mQh85SSvWItwQtQ_eWE1qyYfLxms0dxKam1wBDNnD4Y-nMkeTtKqcOgKpXObCVPWUYrhQbSlZ92_9h66FtD_reWg/s400/img_0110.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672281427687441682" /></a><br /><br />Greg and I have always joked about my lack of being able to maintain life for our potted plants. Early on, we decided silk plants were the way to go. We held onto many a silk tree throughout our Army life.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPMNDbn_QbalvbtgJ42oCwQsyShNM9grjw0QhrdNazzQYnLWC_D9qUwp7_rKIrlacUx_bhLFNUSoveDq03rP7yFDF_NldkKiWnyHDjh1XiDXgY3WeY73jp5n6_2ju1qFp9I7Jm4HxDpM/s1600/yhst-14928171590534_2179_52672586.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPMNDbn_QbalvbtgJ42oCwQsyShNM9grjw0QhrdNazzQYnLWC_D9qUwp7_rKIrlacUx_bhLFNUSoveDq03rP7yFDF_NldkKiWnyHDjh1XiDXgY3WeY73jp5n6_2ju1qFp9I7Jm4HxDpM/s400/yhst-14928171590534_2179_52672586.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672424194282341970" /></a><br /><br /> <br />We military families start getting the itch to move about two years after an assignment. We have accepted, challenged and tackled our mission and now it is time for another charge. However, upon moving to Colorado, my luck seemed to change about a year ago. We have been in beautiful Black Forest, Colorado, for 3.5 years and Greg has turned in his retirement paperwork. When I realized we were indeed going to live in the same house more than three years. I discharged the silk trees and their years of dust and began collecting beautiful ceramic pots.<br /><br />But, the pots were not the most exciting thing about being rooted here. Our sons will be able to graduate from the school they now attend and our girls will get to live in a home with a beautiful playground called nature right outside the strong walls of our home. A home that my dear husband bought for me because I desired trees after all our years of shared backyards with nary a tree.<br /><br />As I was meditating on the sudden occurrence of this green thumb I had, it did not escape my thoughts that Greg's mom had passed away almost a year ago. Mrs. Gentry could make anything grow. Did she leave me this parting gift. A gift she and I knew would be near and dear to Greg's heart. No, I do not believe in such things.<br /><br />Wait! <br /><br />A realization hit me! <br /><br />I love to water.<br /><br />I love to nurture.<br /><br />In the past, I had drowned all my plants by giving them too much.<br /><br />Here, in Colorado, in the high desert, it is so dry and I have indoor tropical and succulent plants that love water.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_Vza6mVnt8I5i480T8xSkzgq_I7wUpZTyC_uqWA-x0Okx40IqVeO9X3bm_iFg-JHztCsMEnaXbzB0_nk1w893DS1d-BXAbdcaRkmqN7A-KZnLE_nouISWDzwu7M_qOsdtEod7U5TX9E/s1600/thumbnail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_Vza6mVnt8I5i480T8xSkzgq_I7wUpZTyC_uqWA-x0Okx40IqVeO9X3bm_iFg-JHztCsMEnaXbzB0_nk1w893DS1d-BXAbdcaRkmqN7A-KZnLE_nouISWDzwu7M_qOsdtEod7U5TX9E/s400/thumbnail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672284722719888850" /></a><br /><br />We are the perfect match.<br /><br />This began me thinking about my approach to mothering and our decision to home school the first 8 years of our sons' lives.<br /><br />We chose to home school for several reasons:<br /><br />1) Greg and I were both introverted and the constant change of schools every two years to make the schools more integrated was not a good fit for us. Our children due to Greg's military career would be uprooted every two years if not sooner.<br /><br />2) Military bases are not placed in the best of school districts.<br /><br />3) I was not ready to let go of my babies.<br /><br />In the early years of homeschooling, everything went smoothly because I watered those boys and took care of them like no other.<br /><br />However, as they began to get older I realized my husband was right and I had done too much for them. Some plants and some children just do not need to be over saturated.<br /><br />The boys are in public school now. I listened to God's calling to do this and I have not regretted it one moment.<br /><br />Why have I not regretted it?<br /><br />No, it is not because I can sleep in and do whatever I want. It is because God has given me children that do meet my need to water, water, water and water one more time.<br /><br />The orphan.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL00PsQsZCqr43Doc8UhW-KsWO7-8KbmWnPch90Sdn1tq1Y9NGUaL8moT_Ogw2aNC_5AGUup5U_XOdlICK9lVOk2hjd1fXFSifDtcvIgSRJXbIhIQUUr42puDIFagqUg3HJiCx2A6kjo/s1600/th_Hans-Anders-brillendagen-Wiee-blind-wees-een-oog-eruit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL00PsQsZCqr43Doc8UhW-KsWO7-8KbmWnPch90Sdn1tq1Y9NGUaL8moT_Ogw2aNC_5AGUup5U_XOdlICK9lVOk2hjd1fXFSifDtcvIgSRJXbIhIQUUr42puDIFagqUg3HJiCx2A6kjo/s400/th_Hans-Anders-brillendagen-Wiee-blind-wees-een-oog-eruit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672288433584176450" /></a><br /><br /><br />The neglected.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaOYZcBrAFbtHhle3kO9CG13agxEAXQR4YnaSqPDV5zVxlOs5bZOJUEAOR2umv5bw5WX-72JVBUSHUSvuJaNa4Hy0gCv_NdBEuRFVYanVZaYrbljgLj6QpJYSmhDTLyB1uPdlqVRSiVg/s1600/th_children7421.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaOYZcBrAFbtHhle3kO9CG13agxEAXQR4YnaSqPDV5zVxlOs5bZOJUEAOR2umv5bw5WX-72JVBUSHUSvuJaNa4Hy0gCv_NdBEuRFVYanVZaYrbljgLj6QpJYSmhDTLyB1uPdlqVRSiVg/s400/th_children7421.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672288718047810130" /></a><br />The abused.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S2oIeVHWId6zPnDWlE5vOE-2gBSv4ZiCSab_kT7F6qQx6engOkFbxMC7DjrXsTc4GEIDy79TGul9hiN7dwPiOjp8KneCiRMxtKU6k2EYjDbGbcBoEhD5TY-kCRAxkiDOy_PfvukiPVY/s1600/serbia_abuse_1113.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S2oIeVHWId6zPnDWlE5vOE-2gBSv4ZiCSab_kT7F6qQx6engOkFbxMC7DjrXsTc4GEIDy79TGul9hiN7dwPiOjp8KneCiRMxtKU6k2EYjDbGbcBoEhD5TY-kCRAxkiDOy_PfvukiPVY/s400/serbia_abuse_1113.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672423735946904050" /></a><br /><br /><br />The trafficked.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoZyLO2QNnck8phwuwpisOxM_jMBUnDFwJcsgG0pduI5d3wZuclDcjGXZ57ofs1I6cVsYsQnSZ66w0RWLI2UgsmzSeZY40RvTIRBwzfdKdlb2siuuHcLAt1Pmre8zomjcNCN9F0LVoSo/s1600/8_0995_Pattaya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoZyLO2QNnck8phwuwpisOxM_jMBUnDFwJcsgG0pduI5d3wZuclDcjGXZ57ofs1I6cVsYsQnSZ66w0RWLI2UgsmzSeZY40RvTIRBwzfdKdlb2siuuHcLAt1Pmre8zomjcNCN9F0LVoSo/s400/8_0995_Pattaya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672288989058384114" /></a><br /><br />The forgotten.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HuvtcaaWRd544nnWS5UlUbeGi7lObBgakGzgAMhidl4UDdL1UqvLLidwqzbmjUalCi8WMY6BsCqM7pwR98Sv-O1WEB4zazY0ix5dCwVyaaqPWBnfV4LcQ1w3ixGlK3iJV58IGTgZyxs/s1600/1_2831_Roma-child2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HuvtcaaWRd544nnWS5UlUbeGi7lObBgakGzgAMhidl4UDdL1UqvLLidwqzbmjUalCi8WMY6BsCqM7pwR98Sv-O1WEB4zazY0ix5dCwVyaaqPWBnfV4LcQ1w3ixGlK3iJV58IGTgZyxs/s400/1_2831_Roma-child2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672432963239758946" /></a><br /><br /><br />I gave my boys up to God and He gave me 143 million children world wide that need the love of mom and dad.<br /><br />Thank you God for my Green Heart and my green thumb.<br /><br />In His Name,<br />AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-42542050386464008352011-10-24T08:59:00.000-07:002011-12-27T12:47:50.083-08:00I prayed for Tebow..silly but serious<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HLVJaafG4r6LyYKBMocS1oKcEiRxSN7VTUTpc8xKamhl7bygpXnpHeWR0hNgywlNN-KN0uI7vS5PFvT5X_V0vdaiYLjRfzJyODsLEUiHGu55h9pkv3tPreQVmY4vrSCVxoiS54Y6Sgw/s1600/65554824.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HLVJaafG4r6LyYKBMocS1oKcEiRxSN7VTUTpc8xKamhl7bygpXnpHeWR0hNgywlNN-KN0uI7vS5PFvT5X_V0vdaiYLjRfzJyODsLEUiHGu55h9pkv3tPreQVmY4vrSCVxoiS54Y6Sgw/s400/65554824.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667104836609063554" /></a><br />Imagine our disappointment this year when we learned John Fox would be following us to Colorado to coach the Broncos. <br /><br />North Carolina being our home state, we pulled for the Carolina Panthers up until this last year. Last year, we decided to plant ourselves in Colorado and with that we must pull for the home state team. Pulling for the Denver Broncos was not hard for me. As a young girl, with a crush on John Denver, I always wanted to live in Colorado. I have always had a Rocky Mountain High! Plus, pulling for the team that had Tim Tebow on it would be easy. A young man with the character that I pray my young men will have.<br /><br />Unfortunately, with Fox's coaching, the Gentry family was fearful Tebow would not have a chance. Imagine my joy last week when Greg told me Fox would be playing Tebow this week. I prayed for this young man. Through all his patience and good sportsmanship during this season, I wanted him to be an example of character as well as success.<br /><br />Due to an unrelenting illness, I slept through the football game. However, as I said before, I prayed this week for him. I slept peacefully knowing the game, although trivial in world peace, was in God's hands.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHllnpB_MN5zkDC5hilPA8mUxFjDAFRb_AJyURCgyaIoKhyyNhGiZyv8AROjpbqLjnYCX3BdHCb79UAgm7_G4fPXVLvSA00WdR27afsn9HDpbHFsgSssexzSXx7O72bOZffcmH9ND-SI/s1600/tebowdive_getty_102311.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 380px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHllnpB_MN5zkDC5hilPA8mUxFjDAFRb_AJyURCgyaIoKhyyNhGiZyv8AROjpbqLjnYCX3BdHCb79UAgm7_G4fPXVLvSA00WdR27afsn9HDpbHFsgSssexzSXx7O72bOZffcmH9ND-SI/s400/tebowdive_getty_102311.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667105918282401106" /></a><br /><br />Oh, what an example I have set for myself to do the same with other issues in my life. <br /><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><strong><strong>You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.</strong><br /><em>Psalms 10:14,17-18</em></DIV ALIGN=CENTER></strong><br /> <br /><br />I have prayed this weekend for my boys in China, for the China Center of Children's Welfare and Adotion, CCCWA, and for the orphanage. Greg and I have written a letter to the CCCWA and we are awaiting a response that the letter will be delivered. <br /><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><strong><strong>Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.<em><br /></strong>Isaiah 1:17</em></DIV ALIGN=CENTER></strong><br /> <br /><br />Just as Tebow won in the final minutes of the Broncos/Dolphins game, my Lord will win as well. <br /><br /><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><strong><strong>Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.</strong><br /><em>Proverbs 31:8-9</em></DIV ALIGN=CENTER></strong><br /> <br /><br />I will put it in his hands and rest.<br /><br /><DIV ALIGN=CENTER><strong><strong>Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.</strong><br /><em>Psalms 68:5-6</em></DIV ALIGN=CENTER></strong>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-90262621538373001382011-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:002011-10-12T09:11:53.615-07:00Allowing God<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LJz6Nh0b3P-tevNEneQxWnliCDfOgRzFlbQKqeMjmAH-P6BRTuo6e9PaiVpvGVURwMg2gt9KXLhRQsPebBSxExvlNGaeo73CdcBHt9L00kCCTUvm0lRxzqoO9nwCMGswwzfuV5tNVVE/s1600/IMG_7258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LJz6Nh0b3P-tevNEneQxWnliCDfOgRzFlbQKqeMjmAH-P6BRTuo6e9PaiVpvGVURwMg2gt9KXLhRQsPebBSxExvlNGaeo73CdcBHt9L00kCCTUvm0lRxzqoO9nwCMGswwzfuV5tNVVE/s400/IMG_7258.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662636385552958418" /></a><br /><blockquote><em><strong>We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be. <br /><br />Conformed to His Image, 354 L</strong></em></blockquote><br /><br />We celebrated Chloe's and my dear husband's birthdays on October 10th. How far we have come in just 13 months. Chloe's health is great, her prognosis is great and her desire to love us as her earthly parents has been confirmed.<br /><br />Chloe came from external circumstances beyond her control. There were external circumstances that almost prevented her from being joined to our family. There were doctors that did not want us to bring her home. We fought however and I could not be more thankful for allowing God to work this miracle in our lives.<br /><br />We are all faced with external circumstances that are beyond our control. Sometimes it does not seem fair that some of us appear to have greater things to overcome, but I believe that those obstacles can lead to a more fulfilling life, if only we allow God to use it for the good instead of Satan using it for evil.<br /><br />Chloe has chosen to use her for the good. <br /><br />I have chosen to use mine for the good.<br /><br />There are still many obstacle in our path but with God we know where the path will end.<br /><br />In His Name,<br />AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-81117851886060706312011-10-01T20:20:00.000-07:002011-10-01T21:29:08.094-07:00In the house and on the street,<strong>how many many feet you meet!</strong><br /><br />Feet have always been an obstacle for me, that is until I got my girls.<br /><br />I hid my feet for many years because I was teased about them as a young girl.<br /><br />However, when we brought home our first daughter, Rayea, at 18 months, I learned that love could be transmitted through the feet!<br /><br /><a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/baby feet/dreamweaverhd3/feet.jpg?o=41" target="_blank"><img src="http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/dreamweaverhd3/feet.jpg" border="0"></a><br /><br />The only way I could soothe Raeya the first two sleepless weeks was to rub her feet. This was a wonderful lesson learned because the foot rubbings for our second daughter who did not like me for awhile, proved to be our connection as well. <br /><br />Tonight as I painted the girl's toenails burgundy, pink, blue and purple, I marveled at the differences of their feet. Feet that I knew resembled the feet of their birth parents. Oh, how I would love to meet their parents, thank them, and introduce them to the most wonderful gift a person could give. <br /><br />I pray for their birth parents. <br /><br />I pray they are saved.<br /><br />If not, I pray for their salvation.<br /><br />I pray for the one whose beautiful feet will bring the Good News to them.<br /><br />(Romans 10:15 NLT).Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-66175422982258718202011-09-27T11:06:00.001-07:002011-09-30T09:13:07.360-07:00Chloe's dreamOne of the funest things I do with my girls is compare our dreams. <br /><br />Yes, it most certainly develops into a contest but what creativity these young girls have.<br /><br />One dream of Chloe's is to be a football player. <br /><br />Chloe came home to us last year at the start of football season. Chloe liked no one but BaBa at the start of football season last year. Chloe developed a love for football like her BaBa. <br /><br />She wants to be a football player. <br /><br />If you have not heard me talk about "little" Chloe's size, she is quite petite. She can wear some 18 month clothes and most 2T clothes. She would never be a linebacker but what mom wants their son to be a linebacker? <br /><br />I read another adoptive mom's blog this morning and was so touched by this video. <br /><br />We are only limited by our imagination and our determination.<br /><br /><br />The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. --Elisabeth Kübler-Ross<br /><br /><br /><iframe width="459" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mKhccioYfnI?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br />May He bless you richly,<br />AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-61861243614857683082011-09-27T08:51:00.000-07:002011-09-27T09:21:12.888-07:00Sugar and spice and everything nice?<blockquote><strong>The way you see yourself now, as a grown woman, was shaped early in your life, in the years when you were a little girl. Women learn from their mothers what it means to be a woman, and from their fathers the value that a woman has - the value they have as a woman. If a woman is comfortable with her own femininity, her beauty, her strength, then the chances are good that her daughter will be too. <br /><br />From our mothers we receive many, many things but foremost above them all is mercy and tenderness. When my sons were young and got hurt, their dad would say something encouraging like "cool wound." I would cradle them in my arms and tend their injury. Our mothers show us the merciful face of God. We are nurtured at their breasts and cradled in their arms. They rock us to sleep and sing us lullabies. Our youngest years are lived within the proximity of their apron strings and they care for us in all the meanings of the word. When we get hurt, moms kiss us and make it better.<br /><br />Little girls need the tender strength of their fathers. They need to know that their daddies are strong and will protect them; they need to know that their fathers are for them. <br /><br />From them, we learn that we are delighted in, that we are special or that we are not. How a father relates to his daughter has an enormous effect on her soul - for good or for evil. (Captivating, 61-62)<br /><br /> </strong></blockquote><br /><br />So, what if we did not have a mother or father that was able to do this for us? Maybe, hopefully, you had an aunt and uncle or grandmother and grandfather who were able to help with this role, no? Some may have had school teachers, neighbors, church members to step in and fill the gap. Some, maybe not.<br /><br />Sadly too many do not. I was one of those children. I tell you this because I have been struggling with my posts. Posts that I did not want to come across as me being proud of "adopting" and "advocating". <br /><br />It took many years for my heavenly Father to work in my life the things He has done. The healing that I needed and continue to need. It will take many more years for Him to complete His work in me. It is only by the grace of God that I have the blessings of a husband and children who love me. Would I want to relive my childhood again? <br /><br />Selfishly, NO! <br /><br />However, I know my childhood has given the heart wrenching desire to make sure no child ever has to feel the feelings I have felt and still struggle with to some degree today.<br /><br />I feel like I know the heart of the orphans and my heart breaks several times a day as I long to make a difference in their lives. <br /><br />So, the next time you run across an opportunity to donate to a cause that supports orphans, would you please consider giving. Or the next time you run into a child or teenager that seems to have built a wall around themselves for protection, please take the time to let them know they matter.<br /><br />Lord, please fulfill the longings of my heart so I may bring glory to Your Name and Your Name alone.<br /><br />Your humble servant,<br />AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-32710769252196608252011-09-25T14:42:00.000-07:002011-09-25T14:57:39.755-07:00Someone able to put words to the the voices within my heartThis is a quote from another blog, one of my favorite blogs. I often feel no one understands, no one cares, and I must be just crazy. Well, I guess there is another crazy person out there.<br /><br />I do not take joy in the fact that someone else is fighting a battle but I do take comfort in the fact I have found someone who understands. I pray their battles and mountains will quickly be overcome and that I might find strength, hope and faith by praying for them.<br /><br />This is taken from the blog, "A Place Called Simplicity."<br />http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/<br /><br /><br /><strong><blockquote>The mountains are large but we know their creator. The waters are rough but our God says peace be still. The storms are pounding but God is our refuge. <br /><br />Let's be honest - Satan hates the orphan. Do we really think he is going to give them up without a struggle. No way. He will raise hell to stop kids from coming home. We know our adversary, we know his tactics to discourage, and his plan - to take these kids captive for eternity. But Jesus overcame and his children were created to overcome as well!<br /><br />You see adoption is more than giving a child an earthly forever family. Adoption is the ultimate discipleship.<br /><br />Adoption is about introducing them to the one who planned their rescue in the first place. That they would know Jesus, that they would live for him, that God's plan for their lives would be discovered and lived out. That's what this is all about. <br /><br />So we are not surprised Satan hates God's plan and throws everything against us.<br /><br />Neither should you be surprised when you live out God's plan for your life that you will be attacked. So we take up the shield of faith to extinguish every fiery dart shot at us. Take it up with us will you. We really do count on all of you going to battle with us in prayer. </strong></blockquote><br /><br />I pray you will follow this blog and pray for this family and that you will also pray for the boys born of our heart that they may be able to come home to us.<br /><br />In His Name,<br />AmyAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-64774910976062058802011-09-21T08:12:00.000-07:002011-09-22T05:52:24.412-07:00Seeking.....trusting.....waitingJust like a child, I don't get it sometimes. A child who cannot tell time innocently asks for a cookie 45 minutes before supper. Dad and mom have to say no because they know supper will be served soon and there is a special cake hiding in the refrigerator. Of course, the child is incensed at not being allowed to have this treat not knowing there is something more special planned if only they can wait for 90 minutes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQhDq0j437Za6zvtz4em-S_UIMO0UntIR4XeL8LgDTdZBeIOmY2ngcoes4AJ_EdiLdRx9Oy5feMm1zO1XKONoXcwKC8uPi3StTKytDPzITl9doOitWdbPC-eDfgStORFBXcJ9JA6z1uQ/s1600/20110917+-+05.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQhDq0j437Za6zvtz4em-S_UIMO0UntIR4XeL8LgDTdZBeIOmY2ngcoes4AJ_EdiLdRx9Oy5feMm1zO1XKONoXcwKC8uPi3StTKytDPzITl9doOitWdbPC-eDfgStORFBXcJ9JA6z1uQ/s400/20110917+-+05.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655014913028923026" /></a><br /><br /><br />90 minutes can seem like an eternity to a child. However, I am sure Chloe would agree that the Oreo Cake she got for Gotcha Day after supper was much better than the two chocolate chip cookies she desired before supper!<br /><br />Oh, for us also to wait on the timing of God.<br /><br />Greg and I were once again told no in our pursuit to bring home Chloe's friends. <br /><br />We know it is in God's hands.<br /><br />We know His calling for us.<br /><br />We know His calling for Christians to take care of widows, orphans and to visit the incarcerated.<br /><br />We also know that he expects us to depend totally on Him. <br /><br />God has often been seen to step in at the very last moment. The stories of Abraham and Issac, Lazarus and Jairus's daughter are proof of this. <br /><br />Faith is what we must have.<br /><br />Greg and I are still resolved to keep fighting for these children. <br /><br />We know what the Lord has laid upon our hearts.<br /><br />We also know what God has laid upon our daughter's heart.<br /><br />I have lost count of the many times I have found a paper bag stashed away in a drawer or under a pillow. The paper bag is filled with individual envelopes containing little trinkets, magic markers or candy. Chloe hides presents in the house for her two friends. She does not want her friends to find the gifts.<br /><br />The other day we were talking about her birthday and I asked her if she would like to have a party and invite friends. She said she would like to ask her two friends from China. Raeya said, "What about your third friend from China?" Chloe responded, "No, she has a mommy."<br /><br />How can anyone turn their back on such a request?<br /><br />So, we continue to pray, have faith and keep asking.<br /><br />Through the love of a parent a child learns of the love of their Heavenly Father. Hopefully, although a fallen sinner, that parent is able to give the child a good picture of a Heavenly Father.<br /><br />I pray God allows me to be used by Him to show many more children His love.<br /><br />God spilled His Son for us, oh that we will spill ourseves for Him.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-50337009360952866482011-08-12T06:28:00.000-07:002011-08-12T07:08:11.386-07:00Blessings and MiraclesThe past two weeks have been very busy. I lost count of all the appointments with doctors and dentists for our family of six.
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<br />Do I feel sorry for myself?
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<br />Absolutely NOT!
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<br />I look at the families I have grown to love. Families I have met through adoption forums. Some of these families who have grown to magnanimous proportions desiring to be courageously noble in mind and heart and willing to give of themselves and their possessions. Families that have grown from 2 to 19 and more in just a small amount of time. So, do I feel boastful of having more than the national average of 1.88 children in our family?
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<br />Again, absolutely, NOT. I feel selfish.
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<br />I have truly come to understand what the Bible verse Matthew 16:25 means:
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<br />"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
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<br />Some can not wait for retirement, when the kids leave the house, or when they have nothing on their calendar except what they want to put on it.
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<br />Yes, there is day or two when I feel that way. Sometimes there are weeks at a time when I feel that way! However, if my husband had not led us down the yellow brick road of adoption this second time, I would not be saying, "There is no place like home" to our little Chloe right now.
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<br />I thank God for all the hospital stays, infections, tubes, and operations we have weathered with this little girl. We faithfully walked through and were carried through by the strength of God and your prayers to celebrate this day.
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<br />Our little Chloe has been granted the gift of a full life. Her nephrologist is so pleased with her healing. Based on the blood work taken two months ago and the measurements taken yesterday; Chloe has grown 2 inches, has gained back all her lost weight from being sick, blood pressure remains normal, she will not have to start taking growth hormones, and her kidneys are functioning as normal kidneys! I can not wait to get the results from the blood work taken yesterday.
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<br />She is our little princess and we have definitely won the lotto!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-33173869539690178212011-08-09T07:31:00.000-07:002011-08-09T07:31:47.325-07:00I Can Only Imagine (with lyrics) - MercyMe<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0xwzItqYmII?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-81587358203698197232011-08-09T05:47:00.000-07:002011-08-09T08:48:01.904-07:00Relinquish all to God<em><strong>“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6)</strong></em>
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<br />It is so hard to RELINQUISH anything; money, schedules, dreams, plans, loved ones, the list goes on and on. However, relinquishing the difficult circumstances of life is probably the biggest challenge. I can not count the times I have given something up to God only to find myself worrying over it even minutes later.
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<br />A picture was recently shared with me on what it means to let go of something completely. If you were to pour a glass of water into the sand, it would be impossible to take back the water. And the great thing is that you could even pour a bucket of water into the sand and the sand, God, can absorb that as well. All those things that worry, trouble, confuse, confound, hurt me,.....He can absorb.
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<br />I need to pour those things out completely before the One Who loves me most and best; Who ALONE can resolve any concern; Who ALONE already has a perfect plan for me AND my troubles; Who ALONE has promised He will never leave me or forsake me.
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<br />God is telling us, in Philippians 4:6, to RELINQUISH our concerns to Him: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with <em><strong>thanksgiving</strong></em>, present your requests to God.”
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<br />I hope to walk the rest of this journey to our sons in China with<strong> thanksgiving</strong>.
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<br />We had some good news on Friday. I awoke in the wee hours of Friday morning. I had had a weird dream and lay in bed to anxious to return to sleep but too fearful of what I might find in my message box if I got out of bed and warmed the computer up. It had only been a day since I had sent my letter to China asking for help to get our boys home. However, there was this aching feeling telling me there was a response waiting for me in my inbox. I lay in bed praying until the alarm went off, quickly kissed my husband on the cheek and slipped through the bedroom door as quietly as possible. I savor my alone time in the morning, however, that morning there was not going to be any alone time. As I closed the door behind me, I looked into the open door of my daughters' room in front of me. My day would begin with the image of my little Chloe sitting on the floor with her legs crossed "reading" her Precious Moments Bible.
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<br />How is that for a humbling moment?
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<br />Chloe and I scurried downstairs to check my email and <strong>NOT</strong> to my surprise I had an email from China. Chloe and I ran back upstairs to let BaBa know we had an answer but we neglected to read what it was!!!!
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<br />Back downstairs to open and read the email.
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<br />We had a positive response. We would receive help from Chloe's native country to bring our boys home. One person in her country would see if he could take it one more step. How wonderful to share that moment with Chloe. The one who made it a possibility for these boys to have a home. Only through her did we know of these boys. Only for her love of them did we seek them out.
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<br />So, what does this help mean exactly? It means we still have a long way to go but that the door has not shut for us. We have faced many shut doors up until this point. If we had stopped knocking after the first couple of doors we would not be where we are today. Today the hope is still alive for these boys. It is a glimmer of hope, but isn't that the most beautiful part? I love to see the glimmer of sun around the clouds here in the big skies of Colorado. It makes for the most beautiful picture.
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<br />I have been told that God's name would be glorified through these two boys. Greg and I have already seen that. We have had people email us and tell us that through the story of these boys they have renewed their faith and others telling us they have started reading the Bible. God uses the simple and the weak to do His work. It is through those people that His power shines through, often times beginning with only a glimmer.
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<br />We are holding onto the glimmer and continue to pray that one day those beautiful shinning faces will not be just a glimmer on the refrigerator door but the full shinning faces of two rough and tumble boys.
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<br />We thank you all who take the time to read and pray for our boys. It means so much to hear from you and know that they are being lifted up by people who care. People like my daughter, Chloe, who I found sitting up against the refrigerator with Noah's picture above her head. She had my cell phone out and was typing a letter to Jesus asking Him to please bring Noah and Rhys home. People like a new friend who shared she was fasting for the boys. Can you imagine having a friend like that? Up until this point, I could only imagine. I pray I can be that kind of friend to all I know.
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<br />We love our Lord and we trust Him and I thankfully and joyfully walk this path with Him. I relinquish all to Him and can not wait to share how the weaknesses and simplicity of all our "orphans" will magnify His Glory.
<br /><strong></strong><em></em>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-6803520444149419042011-08-02T19:34:00.000-07:002011-08-02T19:34:24.715-07:00Beautiful - Mercy Me<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uTpSLQzVocM?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-38566492931164068912011-08-02T19:31:00.000-07:002011-08-02T19:32:31.295-07:00The earthly leader of my home humbly requests....I believe in prayer. I’ve seen it work in others’ lives as well as my own. If you’ve followed Amy’s blog, or if you've heard our recent adoption developments from me, then you know we are the midst of stepping out on faith again and could certainly use your prayers if you are so inclined. But first, a little background information (actually a lot) on our story and why I believe only prayer can be the answer.<br /><br />In 2003, I had just returned from Iraq and relinquished command. I turned away from a potential assignment in Italy and requested to come back to Fort Bragg instead because mom had just been diagnosed with Alzheimers. We thought it best to get as close as possible to family so she would get plenty of exposure to her grandsons in her remaining good years. As fate would have it though, mom had a series of multiple strokes right after we moved back to Fayetteville. She was never really fully lucid again for her last 7 years. This had a profound effect on me and though family had always been important to me, I began to see it in a different light than I previously had the decade before while bouncing around the country from assignment to assignment . I read a few things about adoption and intrigued by it, discussed it with Amy. We both thought we had been very fortunate in our lives and felt some additional responsibility to share that in some tangible, unique way. We agreed to keep an open mind on the subject and to explore the idea more in the future. As often happens in the Army though, no good deed goes unpunished. I was moved into a key position within a soon to be deploying brigade that consumed more of my time and effort than I certainly had been planning on. The adoption idea was shelved out of necessity for the next few bumpy, yet rewarding years.<br /><br />Fast forward to 2006. Now stationed at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, my job there, though requiring a lot of in-country travel, was not nearly as demanding, and the chances of redeploying again soon were slim. I looked forward to a relaxing, enjoyable tour for a few years. Almost immediately though, Amy brought up the adoption subject again. I was surprised, having nearly pushed it out of mind, thinking we had missed our window of opportunity. She wanted to explore it again though. I acquiesced, since this was really the first time we really had the opportunity, and agreed to start the process with the caveat that we could back out at any point if either of us got cold feet. Were we too old for this? Could we afford it? How would this affect the relationship we have with our boys? How would we adapt to this major lifestyle change? All very valid questions with no way to know the answers until we’d committed. So we elected to just step out on faith. <br /><br />Nearly a year later, when working on my laptop in a remote spot in Montana, I opened an email forwarded from Amy by our adoption agency telling us we had been matched with a child and they wanted to know if we accepted her. When I opened the small picture of Xing Fu Wa, I knew she was our child. The rest of the process did not unfold nearly as soon as we wanted, but before we knew it, the whole family was flying into Nanchang to meet Raeya. In a meeting room with an agency official in Beijing, I remember him telling me “We’ll see you back here in a few years, when you’re here to pick up your next one” and me nervously laughing and saying “I don’t think so; this is it!” In hind sight, I suppose the seed had already been planted.<br /><br />After a few months back with Raeya, we found ourselves on our way to Colorado Springs for what I thought would be a quick payback tour of a year to the Army for moving us and then retirement. We were enjoying the beautiful new location, working on our fixer-upper retirement home, and getting to know and love our new daughter. Everything seemed in order and then, I’m not sure who brought it up, but adoption became a topic often discussed again. We agreed to look into it again and though the same old questions still applied, this time we came to a decision very rapidly. I decided I would put off retirement until we could complete the process. There are always obstacles and distracters to pull you away from your path however. I was soon offered another command but declined as that would have required yet another move and would have negated our long term plans. As a kind of peace offering to the Army for turning them down, I volunteered for a tour to Afghanistan. Amy agreed to work the adoption paperwork while I was deployed. Because we had trusted in faith before and our experience with Raeya had been so overwhelmingly positive, this time we decided to step out a little farther on faith and adopt a child who had a medical special need that gave her very little chance. We knew that my military benefits allowed us to take on a much more serious special need than most folks could, so we put in our request and waited to see what our agency came back with. We were matched with Jiang Yujun on the day I deployed. Again, we knew this was our child. Thankfully, the process was expedited, we think because they were anxious to turn Chloe over to us because they knew she had limited time. By the time I redeployed, we were making travel arrangements to go get her. The trip was wonderful, just like Raeya’s and we brought Chloe home and began our adjustments as a new family. There have been trials for sure; several weeks in the hospital over Christmas and we nearly lost her during her recent corrective surgery, but we could not be more blessed. She has had a miraculous recovery that has astounded her doctors and has blossomed into so much more than we ever expected. So again, I know prayer works.<br /><br />Chloe, because we got her at nearly 5 years old, unlike Raeya, has vivid memories before joining us. She remembers her caretakers, her stints in Chinese hospitals, and most of all, her friends from the orphanage. She speaks of them often and asks if she can have them come visit. When I was in Afghanistan, Amy would forward me pictures that Chloe's orphanage would send periodically, and almost always pictured with her were one or two of her friends, nicknamed Noah and Rhys by the orphanage. Every time the pictures would arrive, I enjoyed seeing these two boys nearly as much as Chloe. Half way around the world, Amy was developing the same affection for these boys that I was, but left it unsaid, just as I did. When I redeployed, as we prepared to travel to pick up Chloe we discussed these two boys and how difficult it must be for the children left behind in the orphanages as time and time again they see their friends leave with their new families. Again we decided to step out on faith and see what we could do for them and if there was a possibility of bringing them home as well.<br /><br />When we inquired with the orphanage director about this possibility, we found out that these boys are actually trafficked children. They were kidnapped as toddlers and were to be sold, but the Chinese police broke up the trafficking ring, and when the parents could not be found, they were turned over to an orphanage to be cared for. The Chinese government has deemed them un-adoptable (both locally and internationally) in hopes that they can eventually be returned to their parents. While this is certainly a good intention, it is almost an impossibility. The remoteness of the province the boys are from, poor communications, and inability of the parents to find them, likely sentences them to remaining in the orphanage's care. The harsh reality: at the age of 13, many Chinese children age out of the orphanage system and are farmed out to various work programs or elsewhere to fend for themselves. This is a travesty we can hardly bare to imagine.<br /><br />This is where we ask for your prayers. Our ultimate goal is to bring these boys home as a part our family. We have exhausted a number of avenues to help Noah and Rhys and have been unsuccessful thus far. We know that we are up against seemingly insurmountable odds. But Amy and I are not ones to take "No" for an answer and know that if this is to be, it will be. We've drafted a letter to the province adoption director, who we know from our last trip, pleading our case and requesting special consideration in this matter. We pray, as we hope others do, that it turns the heart and allows for an exception to policy or opens another door. If adoption is not possible, we've agreed to foster these children at no expense to the Chinese government. An adoption certificate is not necessary; we'd just like the chance to offer them a better life. The world is not fair and we know there are no promises. We also know that this prayer will be answered; maybe not how we want it to be, but hopefully in these boy's best interest. God's Will will be done, whether we understand it or not.<br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully I've feebly inspired you to join with us in prayer in this worthy quest.<br /><br />.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217695638238049260.post-80876762984746936612011-07-28T06:16:00.000-07:002011-07-29T06:47:26.639-07:00Husband, four kids, dog and God in my Trailblazer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGA73gta6c7ygNoYCsHkmtV65AQKmAQDDmkqpWCYeWBSnnGK8iXyO7H8YbDvRa6XweN2QqJU7hSaMHMGh1hyphenhyphenpUVzuCdbPtJkS7Yejs-noHp8Q0O_36pPiEDc9Y8dH2CpUTboBQPeklXo/s1600/20110717+-+02.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGA73gta6c7ygNoYCsHkmtV65AQKmAQDDmkqpWCYeWBSnnGK8iXyO7H8YbDvRa6XweN2QqJU7hSaMHMGh1hyphenhyphenpUVzuCdbPtJkS7Yejs-noHp8Q0O_36pPiEDc9Y8dH2CpUTboBQPeklXo/s400/20110717+-+02.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634765593545101122" /></a><br />We recently took a trip with my husband to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was to be business and pleasure. A chance to get out of our surroundings, forget about everything, focus on ourselves and forget about responsibilities, for a while. <br /><br /><strong>Bah, ha, ha, ha, ha!</strong><br /><br />I am glad God came along and did not require much space in my Trailblazer.<br /><br />With two adults, two kids in car seats, two teenagers with legs longer than my body and a bulldog, a bulldog that weighs 45 pounds in muscle and stubbornness, we head off to Utah. Not exactly the crew we had intended to take, but when life throws you a complication you adjust and keep going. <br /><br />So Hurley, the bulldog, after having a heat stroke due to neglect at the kennel is saved, he gets to go on vacation with us. He was such a treat and all the kids have voted to take him on the next vacation!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbz2p1pWw5zHRNxg_xefq5KeSNhrbf4dQ3mPg6zymwEz_8OM2-sZT-vM4Y91e8DtFgn-tKPCk-MzqgyYo0lE5ZF2YmfF3DmDJsoLz0CU0Y9CDkxGH7gCyCkNNyQ__hBRdrTpMtwB5eqE/s1600/20110717+-+14.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbz2p1pWw5zHRNxg_xefq5KeSNhrbf4dQ3mPg6zymwEz_8OM2-sZT-vM4Y91e8DtFgn-tKPCk-MzqgyYo0lE5ZF2YmfF3DmDJsoLz0CU0Y9CDkxGH7gCyCkNNyQ__hBRdrTpMtwB5eqE/s400/20110717+-+14.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634766444970873506" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQKdpHrGUDysZ2usBXRZA6jca9JvoKElxG_BJ7kt2TKTNMrQ5nN1PryvwhubaTmI_JzepVRbOLqsyD_RuOBC4phFuDyZqyM8PMxnAIDeNiaqoxIETmZTCMjqPxCcE055p7iWvl2gcBmY/s1600/20110717+-+15.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQKdpHrGUDysZ2usBXRZA6jca9JvoKElxG_BJ7kt2TKTNMrQ5nN1PryvwhubaTmI_JzepVRbOLqsyD_RuOBC4phFuDyZqyM8PMxnAIDeNiaqoxIETmZTCMjqPxCcE055p7iWvl2gcBmY/s400/20110717+-+15.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634768930156908578" /></a><br /><br />After nine hours of travel, we roll into one of our favorite Chinese restaurant franchises to get supper. Our orders are taken by the sweetest young lady just out of high school. She is Asian as our girls are, which is always an opening for conversation. This young girl, S, immediately asked about the adoption of the girls. S was adopted as well. Before her adoption, she lived in the Philippines with her dad and two siblings. She told us her heart breaking story.<br /><br />Her mother left the family leaving her dad to support and take care of the children. Unfortunately, her father got tuberculosis and due to the high transmission rate and the conditions they lived under, the children not too long after were infected with tuberculosis as well. S's father died leaving her, a child not yet in her teens, to take care of her younger brother and sister. She had no one to step in and fill the gap. She did her best. She did what she had to do to be the sole provider, mother and father to her siblings. S, whose sister was still in diapers, learned many things at an early age. <br /><br />Most of us out live our parents and know the pain of their deaths. Our parent's deaths are expected but not as such a young age.<br /><br />However, not many of us experience the death of a younger sibling when we are still children ourselves.<br /><br />She soon found herself dealing with the death of her sister due to tuberculosis. S and her brother then came to the attention of the government and they were placed in an orphanage. She and her brother were adopted by different families in the United States. Years later, she was able to find her brother and has been able to visit with him. She has now graduated from high school, and is saving money to return to her home country of the Philippines. She dreams of working with children and one day opening an orphanage of her own.<br /><br />As Greg and I adjusted to the small things; death of a puppy, near death of another dog, Com cast leaving our gate open while we were away and our dogs escaping. All things that happened leading up to and during our "escape".<br /><br />We were reminded that there are much greater adjustments innocent children of this world experience. Miraculously, S and her brother were given a home with the love of parents who helped heal the wounds. However the scars still remain. They remain as a reminder.<br /><br />There are thousands of children still waiting to know the love of a family. Children who long for a family. Chloe has told us that she wanted a family while she was living in China. She tells us that she and her friends talked about having a family. She asks every day if she can go and get her friends and have them spend the night with us.<br /><br />These "lucky" children, children who have been given a home or sponsored by a family, have been given much and they are giving much more back. Oh, for those of us who have been blessed with the love of a family from the very beginning, what are we giving back?<br /><br /><em><strong>"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48 </strong></em><br /><br />I am no Biblical scholar, but as I have grown and examined my life, I can not help but wonder if "those who much has been given to" are the ones who have experienced more pain in life. <br /><br />Is it not those who have the most to share with us?<br /><br />Is it not those who are the strongest?<br /><br />Is it not those who are the most humble?<br /><br />I wonder.<br /><br />We did not escape the trials of life on our vacation. Instead, we were reminded of God's call on our life to help the orphan and the saving Grace of God and His tender Mercies.<br /><br />I left my email address with this young lady hoping I can help her dream come true. <br /><br />I know through our prayers for her, we can be a part of the unfolding miracle of her life spiritually if not physically. <br /><br />I am glad we did not leave God at home when we went on our vacation. To think of all I would have missed out on. There will always be enough room in my Trailblazer!<br /><br />In His Name,<br />Amy<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em></em><em></em>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09272406316888636036noreply@blogger.com0