A Walk to Beautiful

I know in my heart that adoption makes a difference in the lives of my children... a big one. But i don't often realize how big. Just going through every day life i forget to think about how different Juli's life would be if she were still in Russia. I highly doubt she would think she was a princess. That is for sure. In an orphanage there is probably little room for thinking of such a life.

I watched a documentary last night called A Walk to Beautiful. It was amazing. It was about Ethiopian women who suffer from Fistula, a condition brought on by a life of hard labor and child birth. After this happens to them they are shunned from their village like they are worthless. 

At first it made me wonder why God had not called me to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. I mean there are at least 100,000 women suffering from this life right now in ET alone. And probably every African nation has a population who does. But then after Eric and i were talking we thought perhaps it will be that we are called back there again in the future or to some other African nation. To do something to help, adoption or not. (Although adoption is a big possibility knowing my addiction to it)  :)

So, i looked into it and we are going to try to visit this Fistula hospital while we are there. Perhaps collect some donations for it. Oh how excited that makes me. It costs only $450 to give a woman a bed and surgery to heal her forever. To completely change her life. That is amazing. I cannot wait for this journey. It will be so full and rich with knowledge and the love of God for His people around the world. I want His heart. A heart for all the suffering throughout the world. Those people, like the women in this documentary, who have no voice. The orphan, the widow, the suffering. 

I want a bigger heart. One that aches for them like God's heart must ache for His suffering children. And a heart that rejoices as they see God's great glory in healing and love.

Working out our Faith

Today we have a visit to the nursing home planned. It is so funny how little things always make me frustrated about having to go each month. Yet when i get there, it is such an amazing experience just to help these people who have no one experience true joy for an hour.

We really take so many things for granted in this life we lead. Just yesterday in our ladies Bible study, which is on the book of James, we were discussing this. And i must really take things for granted because this morning as i am trying to prepare our verses and readings for today's visit, i come across this devotional from the Daily Bread website. I see that God wanted me to read and focus on this today. I thought i would share it with you too.

       "No one can be saved by doing good works. On the other hand, the apostle James taught that faith without works is useless. (James 2:20) To illustrate, he pointed out that faith alone won't feed a hungry person. Only faith that takes action will. (vv. 15-16)

How timely this message is! Right now much of our world is suffering a bellyache from not enough food, while countless others have a bellyache from to much. 

Tragically, we who have enough to eat often "bellyache" about our food being too done, too tough, too sweet, too cold, too bland. Then we complain about the dirty dishes that our food creates. A poem from one of my cookbooks turns such ingratitude on its head. Pauline Davis wrote:

Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a story to tell. 

While others may be hungry, we are eating very well. 

With home, health, and happiness, I shouldn't want to fuss.

By this great stack of evidence, God's been very good to us!

Oh, that we might be grateful, for gratitude is vital to a working faith. People without gratitude seldom care about having a working faith. But believers who are deeply thankful for God's blessings long to share those blessings with others.

Make sure your faith is useful, not useless. And don't neglect the needy, both spiritually and physically, around the world -- around the corner!"   Joanie Yoder... Our Daily Bread

I am going to try to be more active in my faith today. I have heard say that faith, though according to Webster is a noun, it should really be a verb. Because faith is something you need to actively preserve everyday.

Orphans & Potato Chips

Did you know there are over 4 million orphans worldwide?! I have also read that if 1 out of every 7 Christians across the globe adopted just one child, there would be NONE!

What an amazing fact! Well, that makes about 25 people in our church. I really have to get on that. Look out my friends at Grace Bible Chapel. LOL But when you really think about it, we are called to care for them according to James 1:27. Now if you are like Eric and I when you get to the place where you adopt one, you will not be able to stop. I have a saying... Adoption is like eating potato chips. You can't have just one. You'll want the whole bag. 

I am slowly filling my bag with the potato chips of life. And boy is it good! God is so good. 

Tonight I am home without Julianna because i have to have some oral surgery tomorrow so my great family stepped in to take her for the night. But as i sit here and miss her terribly...and i do mean terribly...all i can think of is how special she is to me. How having her in my life has changed me. How loving Julianna is the best gift God has given me apart from my salvation and my husband of course. If i for a moment had not heard his calling toward adoption i might have missed it. I might have missed out on missing her tonight. I can't imagine the pain of that. 

I am so glad i listened.... Are you listening? 

I love the words to this song by Steven Curtis Chapman. I had it on repeat all the way to Siberia in 2006...

"I saw the face of Jesus, in a little orphan girl.

She was standing in a corner on the other side of the world. 

And I heard the voice of Jesus, gently whisper to my heart.

Didn't you say you wanted to find me. Well here I am. Here you are.

So, what now? What will you do, now that you found me?

What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found?"

Here is the Link if you would like to listen...

What Now 

Thank you Father for my Julianna, what a magnificent gift she is to me and my soul!

Tentative Travel Dates!!!!!

Today was the day we received word that we have tentative travel dates to Ethiopia to bring our son home! What an amazing feeling it is! When Eric called to tell me, I started to cry. It just began to feel real for me i think. 

We do have one more major hurdle to cross yet and that is court! That date is at the end of March and until that date passes, everything else will be a bit unsure. That is why they call the dates tentative. But our Lord is holding us in the palm of His hand. Caring for our every need. He is strong, mighty to save and He will be faithful to complete this good work He has began for us!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers, support, advice, well wishes etc. I can't even tell you how blessed we are to know so many amazing people.

On that note, our good friends are in Ethiopia right now for their son and stopped by Elias' orphanage to pay him a little visit. They said he is small, and sweet, and he fell asleep in Kyla's arms. How amazing! She also said that she told him that his mommy, daddy, and big sister Juli were coming to get him very soon. And that his best friend (their son) is in the same city right now and they will meet each other soon. I am eternally grateful to them for their friendship and love. And am so excited that they now have their son forever in their arms.