Obedience Leads to Blessing

We serve an amazing God who loves us beyond measure and wants to bless us beyond belief.  He has wonderful plans for our lives, if only we will obey.  Knowing He has such great love for us, we can trust Him with our lives because He knows all things and desires to lead us in paths of righteousness. 

We can't thank Him enough for rescuing our family from financial ruin in October of 2008 through a class called Financial Peace University.  Although we could not know what was going to happen that October, He did, and 6 months prior to that time, He lead us to get on a budget, get out of debt and save for an emergency fund. 

He not only protected us from disaster but He was also preparing us for His call to adoption.  Now we are waiting for our precious daughter Meilí and are so thankful that His hand was upon us then so that we can follow Him now as we seek to care for orphans.

We are extremely excited and completely amazed at the opportunity He has given us.  We were invited by the people at Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University to share our story of His protection in a LIVE simulcast web event that was aired last night (December 15, 2012).  We are so humbled that God allowed us to share what He has done, and we pray that many are encouraged to trust Him with their finances and with their lives.  If you would like to hear the testimony we shared last night, you can do that by clicking on the link below.  If you don't have time to watch the whole event, our testimony begins about 7.5 minutes into the program. 

Dave Ramsey's Night of Thanks Web Event

God is so good and faithful to His children, and we are so thankful.  Obedience certainly leads to blessing, and we just want to keep obeying and following Him wherever He leads. 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas. 

May He grant you His peace and joy as we celebrate all He has done for us.

Tollie, Ashley, Gabriel, Carter, Cason & Hudson

Step of Faith: Unbelievable Blessings One Year Later

For the Lord is a sun and shield;  the Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of Hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Ps. 84:11-12

November 14, 2010.  The day that, with fear and trembling, we took our first official step of adoption.

In the next year we would do countless hours of paperwork, and countless hours of praying, crying, and seeking God's face for direction.  We would learn so much about adoption and allow God to teach us His heart for adoption.  We would allow God to wrap us in His love and constantly praise Him for His provision.

It was a year filled with wonder as God did so many miraculous things.  And all the while, He was waiting.

Waiting for November 14, 2011.

Waiting to blow our minds and bring us to our knees in tears and humble thanksgiving.

On Monday morning, November 14, 2011, I received a phone call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognized.  I didn't answer, assuming it was someone trying to sell me something!  Ding, goes my phone, alerting me that I had a message.  So I checked it, and it was a good thing I was sitting down when I did.

The message was from a lady named Blair.  She said she was from Dave Ramsey's office.  She informed me that she had heard our testimony about how God had used Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University to impact our life.  She then informed me that they wanted to used our testimony in their upcoming LIVE web simulcast of "The Great Recovery" event.  They also were interested in using our testimony in some of the new promotion videos for Financial Peace University.

I am pretty sure I had a heart attack at that very moment.  WHAT?  This can't be happening.  Yes, it was amazing how God rescued our family from financial disaster in 2008.  How He led us to live on a 40 hour paycheck when we receiving an 80 hour paycheck.  How He told us to get out of debt and get an emergency fund with the extra money.  How it took us six months to be debt-free, with a fully funded emergency fund.  How, exactly one month after the last deposit to our emergency fund had been made, all of Tollie's overtime was completely cut out so we only had a 40 hour paycheck.  How God allowed something so potentially disastrous as losing over 50% of our income to actually be a blessing for our family because we got our daddy and husband back.  Yes, this is such an amazing God story, but to hear that Dave Ramsey was interested in it...well, it totally floored us.  And to get this phone call on this day...only God could do it.

But He wasn't done.

That afternoon my phone rang again.  It was a precious friend that I am so thankful God brought into my life.  She told me that she had a gift for us.  She wanted to give us the entire set of  crib bedding and all the accessories for Meilí's nursery. 

I have never been more humbled or touched by a gift before.  This bedding is very special to her, and she wants my baby girl to have it.  Then, to see this bedding, to see that it was exactly what I would have picked out, I was overwhelmed by His goodness.  This Miss Monkey is perfect for Meilí.

And to receive such a call on this day. 

It was as if God was saying, "When you step out in faith to follow Me, even when you are scared and unsure, I am going to bless you beyond anything you can imagine.  I have it all under control, and I am going to provide for you in amazing ways, so DO NOT WORRY."

We serve an amazing God, who has amazing plans for our lives.  These plans are not usually the "safe" thing to do, and they usually require us to step out of our comfort zone.  But if you are willing to step out in faith, no good thing will He withhold from you.  Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

What a mighty God we serve.

Step of Faith: Unbelievable Blessings One Year Later

For the Lord is a sun and shield;  the Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of Hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Ps. 84:11-12

November 14, 2010.  The day that, with fear and trembling, we took our first official step of adoption.

In the next year we would do countless hours of paperwork, and countless hours of praying, crying, and seeking God's face for direction.  We would learn so much about adoption and allow God to teach us His heart for adoption.  We would allow God to wrap us in His love and constantly praise Him for His provision.

It was a year filled with wonder as God did so many miraculous things.  And all the while, He was waiting.

Waiting for November 14, 2011.

Waiting to blow our minds and bring us to our knees in tears and humble thanksgiving.

On Monday morning, November 14, 2011, I received a phone call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognized.  I didn't answer, assuming it was someone trying to sell me something!  Ding, goes my phone, alerting me that I had a message.  So I checked it, and it was a good thing I was sitting down when I did.

The message was from a lady named Blair.  She said she was from Dave Ramsey's office.  She informed me that she had heard our testimony about how God had used Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University to impact our life.  She then informed me that they wanted to used our testimony in their upcoming LIVE web simulcast of "The Great Recovery" event.  They also were interested in using our testimony in some of the new promotion videos for Financial Peace University.

I am pretty sure I had a heart attack at that very moment.  WHAT?  This can't be happening.  Yes, it was amazing how God rescued our family from financial disaster in 2008.  How He led us to live on a 40 hour paycheck when we receiving an 80 hour paycheck.  How He told us to get out of debt and get an emergency fund with the extra money.  How it took us six months to be debt-free, with a fully funded emergency fund.  How, exactly one month after the last deposit to our emergency fund had been made, all of Tollie's overtime was completely cut out so we only had a 40 hour paycheck.  How God allowed something so potentially disastrous as losing over 50% of our income to actually be a blessing for our family because we got our daddy and husband back.  Yes, this is such an amazing God story, but to hear that Dave Ramsey was interested in it...well, it totally floored us.  And to get this phone call on this day...only God could do it.

But He wasn't done.

That afternoon my phone rang again.  It was a precious friend that I am so thankful God brought into my life.  She told me that she had a gift for us.  She wanted to give us the entire set of  crib bedding and all the accessories for Meilí's nursery. 

I have never been more humbled or touched by a gift before.  This bedding is very special to her, and she wants my baby girl to have it.  Then, to see this bedding, to see that it was exactly what I would have picked out, I was overwhelmed by His goodness.  This Miss Monkey is perfect for Meilí.

And to receive such a call on this day. 

It was as if God was saying, "When you step out in faith to follow Me, even when you are scared and unsure, I am going to bless you beyond anything you can imagine.  I have it all under control, and I am going to provide for you in amazing ways, so DO NOT WORRY."

We serve an amazing God, who has amazing plans for our lives.  These plans are not usually the "safe" thing to do, and they usually require us to step out of our comfort zone.  But if you are willing to step out in faith, no good thing will He withhold from you.  Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

What a mighty God we serve.

Ask And You Will Receive

If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7

Do you know how it is when a certain smell or certain sight jolts you back to the past to a certain time and memory?  When it happens, it's almost like you are there, experiencing the memory all over again.  This is what happens to me every time I read John 15:7.  It makes me have butterflies all over again, even after all these years.

It all happened on my last trip in China, in the summer of 2002.  Our team of Americans were teaching English to over 200 Chinese students.  One of the planned activities was a field trip to the Great Wall, with all 200 students plus 50 or more teachers.  Just the logistics of transportation was overwhelming!  But the Chinese team leader, Johnson, had been planning the camp for months and had buses reserved well in advance.

About three days before this field trip, I walked through the lobby of the hotel to find Johnson (who was not a Believer) sitting in the lobby, obviously troubled.  I asked him was was wrong.  He told me that although he had reserved buses for the field trip months in advance, the reservation had been canceled by his school director because she had found a better price on buses elsewhere.  At the last minute, he was informed that the buses were not available.  He explained to me that it was impossible to find enough buses now because July was China busiest tourist season. 

He was greatly distressed because he was afraid he was going to have to cancel the field trip.  In the Chinese culture, "saving face" is of the utmost importance, and to cancel the promised field trip would be bad for his school's reputation.  So I told him, "Johnson, I will pray about it."  With a look of surprise, he asked, "So you think your God can provide the buses?"  And...I nearly died on the spot.  Uhhhh, well...ummm.  "What do I say?" I thought.  If I say yes, and God doesn't provide the buses, what will he think of God?  But I can't say no because I know God can do anything.   Talk about being called on the carpet.

So I said the only thing I could say.  "Yes, God can provide those buses," I told him.  Johnson seemed skeptical, and I was SCARED TO DEATH.  I never doubted that God COULD provide those buses, but I just didn't know if He WOULD.  And I felt Johnson's faith in God was on the line. 

I left Johnson, went to my room and fell on my face before the Lord.  I begged the Lord for those buses.  I admitted how afraid I was, and I asked Him for a miracle, so that Johnson could see that my God was awesome and powerful .  I then called an emergency meeting with all the American teachers, told them about our conversation, and begged them to pray with me.  And pray we did!

Over the next two days, we all continued to pray and anxiously await news on the buses.  I finally asked Johnson about it.  He said, "Well, your God has come through about 85%." When he said that, God gave me great boldness, and I answered, "My God is a 100% God, and He will provide all of your buses." As I walked away, I was certain I had lost my sanity!

Later that afternoon, after I had reported this news to the team and told them what I had said, a teenager on the team brought me a card with a verse written on it.  It said:


If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7

It became my lifeline.  I have never held on to Scripture so tightly.  I reminded the Lord continually of this promise, as did my team.  We continued to pray the next two days, but God had not provided the remaining buses. 

The morning of the field trip dawned, and I was very anxious.  I searched Johnson out.  When I found him, he gave me wonderful news:  he said not only did we had enough buses, but that there was an EXTRA bus and driver. I was overjoyed.  God had done the impossible.  He had made a way when there seemed to be no way.
   

But He wasn't done yet. 

On the way to the field trip, it began to rain.  The further we drove, the more it rained.  The more it rained, the more Johnson began to worry.  Johnson, in a teasing voice, said to me, "Your God provided the buses, but now it is raining."  I replied, "Hey, you didn't tell me to pray about the weather."  We all laughed, but when we got there and Johnson got off the bus to walk to the ticket office, we began to pray.  We asked God to stop the rain, so that Johnson could see Him. 

And God did. 

By the time Johnson got back to the bus, God had not only stopped the rain, but we could see the sun peeking through the clouds.  Johnson got back on the bus, and with a huge smile on his face, said, "I can see your God coming through the clouds." 

In John 14:13, Jesus tells His disciples this:

And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do,

that My Father may be glorified in the Son.

Then, in the next verse, He repeats His promise:

If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

God heard the desperate prayers of this crazy girl from South Carolina, who had gone halfway around the world to tell people about Jesus.  He provided the buses and stopped the rain for Johnson, yes, but also for me.  He wanted me to know that He keeps His promises, and that if we ask in His name, that His name be glorified, HE WILL DO IT. 

He is good, He is faithful, and

He always keeps His promises. 

Hallelujah, what a Savior.

You Said by Shane Barnard

Hope Blankets: More Than We Imagined

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ

 Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 

God is good and faithful, and His word is true.  He always does so much more than we can ask or imagine, and Hope Blanket Collection Day was a testament to that.  It was an amazing day.  God's Spirit was so heavy in that place, and our hearts overflowed with the love that was poured out on our family.  We were so touched by each family who joined with us as Hope Blankets sponsors, to pray over their blanket, to present it at the alter, and to pray for our family and our daughter Meilí.  These prayers were from so many different places, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas.  We had blankets all over, and amazingly enough, we receive every single blanket back again!

   

God did so much more than we could have ask or imagined through these Hope Blankets.  Our hope was for Him to use these blankets  to get others involved in orphan care by praying and giving and for babies to be blessed in receiving these blankets.  Little did we know how He would use these blankets to inspire even our children to cry out for orphans. 

And, oh, how these blankets have been loved on and prayed over by them.  I cannot think of anything more powerful than the sweet, innocent prayers of our children.  We know God is already moving on behalf of these orphans because of these prayers.

As amazing as all of this has been, we know the greatest work is yet to be done.  God is going to answer our cry for these babies, and He is going to bless each one in an incredible way, and nothing could bring us more joy. 

We are especially grateful for our church leadership who has prayed for us, cried with us, counseled and  encouraged us in this journey.  They have such hearts for adoption, and we are thankful that they allowed us to share what God is doing in our lives through adoption.  We would love for those of you who couldn't be with us on Orphan Sunday to hear what God put on our hearts to share by clicking on the link below.   

                    Our Hearts For Adoption

  

We could not have asked for a more incredible experience with the Hope Blankets and Collection Day, but God wasn't quite finished yet!  This past Friday, we boxed up 109 Hope Blankets for their journey to Guizhou, China.  I dropped them off at the FedEx office, and on my way home, God did it again. 

He put another incredible rainbow in the sky, complete from end to end, right at our house.  And not only did I see it, but this amazing rainbow was visible at least ten miles away at BMW, where God allowed my sweet mom to see it too. 

He has already done more than we could have imagined through the Hope Blankets, and we know that the best is yet to come.  We are so grateful to all who joined with us, and we pray that He pours out His blessings on you as you continue to care for orphans.

Lord, I'm Amazed By You

You dance over me , while I am unaware.  You sing all around, but I never hear the sound.

Lord, I'm amazed by You.  Lord, I'm amazed by You. 

Lord, I'm amazed by You. 

How You love me.

This is the song of my heart.  This is what He is teaching me right now in this journey of adoption - how deep and how wide is His love for me.  He is doing this through my love for Meilí. 

Meilí is not officially our daughter. I have never seen her face, never held her, never heard her cry for me.  She doesn't even know that I exist, and yet I love her with this crazy, unexplainable, indescribable love.  Just the thought of her brings tears to my eyes.  I have such a longing for her to be mine, to hold her in my arms, to kiss away her tears.  I want to tell her how much I miss her and how we have prayed for her.  I want her to know that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God created her to be mine before time began.   

"How is this possible, to love someone so deeply that I have yet to meet?," I ask myself. 

Then I hear My Father whisper to my heart, "This is My love for you.  Before you were my child, before you even knew I existed, I loved you so much that I died to make you Mine.  I longed for you, longed to hold you in My arms and tell you of My love for you.  I wanted you to know that you have been fearfully and wonderfully made, and that I created you to be Mine before time began." 

And then I start to get it.  I get a glimpse of His great love, His Amazing Love, and it overwhelms me. I have done nothing that would merit this kind of love, yet He lavishes it upon me, His adopted daughter.  He loved me even before I was His.  And now, because of this, I cannot sing a song about His love without weeping.  I can't think about His dying to make me His without it breaking my heart.  My worship is different.  My life is different. 

And that is what adoption does-it changes lives.  

When God called us to adopt almost a year ago, we said yes, without reservation, without hesitation.  Our cry was, "Lord, just send us a child who needs love, and we will love her and give her a family."  We wanted to change a life, and yet it is ours that is being changed.  We so wanted to give but never realized how much God would give us in return.  Through adoption, He is giving us a glimpse of His great love for us.  He is giving us more of Himself.  And I am amazed by it.

Lord, I'm Amazed By You by Phillips, Craig, & Dean

Lord, I'm amazed by You. 

Lord, I'm amazed by You. 

Lord, I'm amazed by You. 

How You love me.



Hope Blankets: Update!

Hey Everyone!  Just wanted to give a quick update on our Hope Blankets!  As you know, on Sunday, September 18, we had our Hope Blanket Kick-Off.  These blankets will be going to babies in two different Chinese orphanages.  We started out with 98 Hope Blankets, and 70 of them have already been sponsored.  These 70 blankets are now in the homes of their sponsors, who are praying over these blankets and for the babies who will receive them.  The stories I am already hearing of children and families praying for orphans are incredible. 

We have 28 blankets that still need sponsoring.  Here is how it works.

1.  Sponsor a Hope Blanket - $25

$15 will go for the blanket and shipping costs.  The rest will go towards helping with some of our adoption cost.

2.  Pray

Take your blanket home and pray for the child who will receive it.

3.  Return Your Hope Blanket

Return your blanket on or before Sunday, October 30, as we will be praying over the blankets as a church body.  At this time, we will collect the blankets and prepare them to be sent to China.

4.  Seek God's Guidance

Pray about how God would continue to have you involved in caring for orphans.

We are so excited about the 70 blankets that have already been sponsored, and so thankful for those who are praying!  Please pray with me that God will raise up another 28 people who are willing to be involved in orphan care by praying over a Hope Blanket and for the child who will receive it!  Thank you!

Meilí: Choosing Her Name

Meilí

(May-LEE)

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Prov. 19:21

Isn't it funny how we tend to have a plan for everything??  Our schedule, our meals, our kids' lives...everything.  And , for us, planning the names of our children was no different!  Before our first son Gabriel was born, we had two names picked out, one for a boy and one for a girl.  We used our boy name and held on to the girl name, thinking we may need it for the next baby.  Well, the next baby came, and the next and the next, and they were all BOYS!  Each time we got pregnant, we pulled out that baby girl name just to put it away again!  For NINE years we held on to this girl name, but never got the chance to use it!  

So, when we first began the adoption process, we just assumed that our daughter was finally going to receive our girl name.  (I wonder if God just laughs at our attempts to run the show!!)  In planning our announcement to our family that we were expecting again (through adoption), we wanted to give each member of our family a painting of her name written in Chinese characters. 

It was when we started planning the details, trying to find someone to do the artwork for us, deciding exactly what we wanted everything to look like, that I began to feel hesitant about her name.  God began speaking to my heart, whispering that He had another name for her. 

Of course, names are a BIG deal to us, so when I felt God speaking to my heart, I was unsure whether I really wanted to begin the process of name-picking again.  I told Tollie what I was feeling, and he was just as unsure as I was!  It was like doing a name-change on one of our kids. 

Nevertheless, we began to pray and to search for the name He had for her.  We searched American names;  we search Chinese names (which can be difficult when you can't speak the language AT ALL!).  Finally, one day, Tollie called from work and asked me to check on the Chinese translation for two words.  The first word was rainbow, and , if you have read our blog, you know how significant rainbows are to us. When we couldn't even repeat the translation of rainbow, we decided that maybe that wasn't the one.  Then he asked me to look up the word beautiful.  The translation came back "Meilí" (May-LEE). 

We loved it -  for lots of reasons.  First of all because it sounded beautiful (and we could pronounce it!).  And, secondly, because it was MY NAME!!!  My Chinese students gave me a Chinese name when I was in China - Wang Fu Mei -- Mei being my first name.  Mei and Meilí -they are the same word in Chinese.  Talk about a WOW moment.  We realized that God was giving her my name.  This precious little girl who has been in my heart for eleven years was going to have my name.  This was His gift to me- my gift to her.  She will have part of me through my name. 

Sometimes, we plan and organize and decide how things should be, and that is okay, but most of the time, our aim is too low.  God has such good plans for us, and He is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine.  Our plans are fine, but His word tells us this:

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21

God purposed even before time began that she would be our daughter and that her name would be my own - Mei, given to me by my Chinese students, and, Brooke, given to me by my parents.   His ways are so much higher than our ways, and I am so thankful. 

God has allowed me to give her my name -- 

And isn't it just beautiful!!

Meilí Brooke Gosnell

We thought about adopting, but...

We began the adoption process over 10 months ago, and, during that time, I have been surprised by the number of people who have told me, "Yeah, we thought about adopting, but..." or "My husband and I wanted to adopt, but..." or even, "I wanted to adopt, but my husband/wife didn't want to." And the more God teaches me about adoption, the sadder I become by those confessions, not only for the child who may have missed out on a forever family, but also, for the family who missed out on the adoption experience.

When God put the desire to adopt in our hearts eleven years, I saw it as a chance to save a child.  And, of course, adoption absolutely changes a life forever.  But God is teaching me that it is SO much more than that.  He is teaching me that adoption is a chance to experience Him, to walk in His ways, to become more like Him.

In Galatians 4:4-6, He tells us,

" But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Over and over in His Word, He expresses His love for orphans.  He calls Himself the "Father to the Fatherless."  He tells us that He "delights in setting the lonely in families."  In John, He promises not to leave us as orphans.  This is God's heart.  He cares for the fatherless, the widow, the poor, the needy, the down-trodden.  In Isaiah 61:1-3 and again in Luke 4, Jesus tells us His mission: to preach the good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and recovery of sight for the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed.  He has come to give beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, peace for despair.

If this is Christ's mission, and we are Christ-followers, can we do anything less??  In 1 John 2:6, it says "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

Kerry Hasenbalg of Show Hope said this in one of her devotions:

"Somewhere along the line, I unconsciously began living the lie that says learning about God, singing about God, and speaking about God is more important than walking like Him.  Like so many well-intentioned Christians before me, I had thought I could live out my Christianity in church buildings, in Bible studies, and among friends.  I had anticipated a comfortable future of growing and learning and discussing and growing some more.  But as I took small steps of obedience, God kept leading me into the fields of the fatherless and the widow, the needy and the marginalized."

I think so many of us, including and especially me, bought the same lie.  That is why our churches are so inward-focused.  We show up every time the doors are open, and we sign up for every Bible study offered.  We learned more and more about Him, but we fail to DO what He did. 

 

In July of 2010, I began reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan as a part of a church Bible study.  This book was so challenging to me.  I knew that I was not living with reckless abandonment in obedience to Christ, but my heart cried out to Him because I truly wanted to live that way. I wanted to because I learned that if we do, "then we, too, will see His glory. We will see Him do the impossible."  He revealed to me that I did not love Him with this "crazy love" nor did I love others in this way.  My heart was broken.  I confessed this to the Lord.  I asked Him to break my heart wide open, and fill it with Him. 

On July 21, I recorded this in my journal:  "Please show me how to love others like You do.  I am too selfish. My heart is too hard.  I beg You not to let me go another minute like this. I don't have the strength or ability to change.  I don't like it.  I am afraid of it (change).  But, please, Lord, I want to be like You.  Change me. Make me like You.  Help me get my eyes off of myself, my needs.  Lord, I know that I am praying according to Your will.  You want to help me.  Therefore, I know that You hear my plea. I thank You that you are going to help me.  Lead me each minute.  Guide me in Your paths.  Beginning right now."

The next day, I recorded this from A.W. Tozer: 

"Begin in mercy a new work of love within me."

Two journal entries later, I have a concert ticket inserted into my journal.  It was the ticket from the Steven Curtis Chapman concert where God called us to adoption.

God heard my desperate cry.  He answered with the call to care for the orphan.  He said, "You want to love like I do?  Then follow in My steps.  That is where You will find me, among the least of the least."
 

Steven Curtis Chapman sums it up best: 

"I had said I wanted to find God and He answered by showing me that He is there, right where He said he would be, among the poor, the needy, the orphan - the least of the least. We pray for revival," he says, "we pray for God to move in powerful, earth-shattering ways, and I believe God is saying, 'I want to show up infinitely more that you want Me to show up.'  I believe the millions of waiting children represent innumerable opportunities for God to show up and reveal His glory through us, His church.  And that's the invitation from God, 'Come and know Me, and I will make Myself known to you, members of My body, the church, as you care for orphans in their distress.' "

God is showing me through His Word, that He does indeed have a plan to care for orphans.  WE ARE THE PLAN.  I am excited to be on this journey to my daughter because in finding her, I find Him. 

It has not been an easy road many days, but God's path usually isn't.  His call came at a time when we had the least time, the least energy, and, for sure, the least money.  Francis Chan said this:  "God doesn't call us to be comfortable.  He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through."  I can't say that we were "unafraid" to put ourselves in this situation, but we had no doubt that we would be in trouble if God didn't come through!  But praise God, we said yes to His call, and He has been faithful every step of the way!  

He has begun "a new work of love within me" just as I have asked., and I am "confident of this, that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)

"In coming to know orphans, I have come to know God

in a whole new way.  By obeying His word and

stepping out to bless the fatherless, God's Word has come alive,
and I have been the one most blessed," (Hasenbalg).

This is my hope and prayer.  I want to experience Him, to walk in His ways, to become more like Him.  He has called me to care for the fatherless, and I am so very thankful He did.

September 13: A Day of Miracles

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the works of His hands." 

Psalms 19:1

September 13 is a day of miracles for us.  Some of you may know a lot of our story from when I spoke almost two years ago at a Women's Event at First Baptist Lyman.  My story was called a Rainbow and a Promise.  It is almost impossible to summarize this story briefly, but you have to know the first part of the story to know why today, September 13, 2011 is such a MIRACLE. 

If you have time, I would love to share the whole story with you.  The link below will allow you to hear the audio of that speech. The sound recording is certainly less than perfect (I recorded it then thinking the only one I would be sharing it with was Tollie!) and the speech delivery, less-than-stellar, but the miracle of this God Story brings me to tears every time I listen.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0UxFNpkEWo9OTY5NjkyZjMtZjAyMS00MDMwLTljNDYtZmQxZjgzMGMzN2Iz&hl=en_US

On that day I shared about a very difficult time in our lives, in February of 2004, when we lost our baby during pregnancy and how God completely restored this loss five years later, to the day, when I brought our beautiful baby Hudson home from the hospital on February 13, 2009.  (You have to listen to the audio to hear this February 13th miracle!)

September 13, 2004 was the day that the baby I lost was supposed to be born.  On that day, God set an amazing rainbow in the sky, directly over our house, complete from one end to the other.  Words cannot describe its beauty.  God gave us this rainbow so we would know that He had not forgotten our tears or our pain.  He wanted us to know that He has our baby, and that one day, we will with be with our baby again. 

Thus, we had a rainbow and a promise on that 13th day of Septmeber, 2004.  I thought that the promise was that He loved us and remembered our tears and that He was caring for our baby in Heaven.  And I do believe that was part of it, but  after today, September 13, 2011, I know that wasn't all of it!

As you know, 10 months ago, we began the pursuit of our daughter.  This journey so far has been much more difficult than I ever imagined.  Midway into our journey, just as our Home Study was being completed, we felt God leading us to switch adoption agencies.  And, if any of you are familiar with the adoption process, you know that your Home Study is one of the biggest parts of your adoption paperwork, taking months to complete.  At the time, I really struggled with why God would have allowed us to go that far, seemingly wasting time and money, only to have us start our paperwork all over again with another agency. 

And I guess I still don't know all the reasons, but when I see what He did today, it makes a whole lot more sense.  And I didn't even see it coming until last night. 

It was about 9:30 last night, and Tollie and I were taking a break from my cooking and his cleaning out the garage.  We were sitting on the couch, eating ice cream and talking about our day.  I told him that I tracked our dossier (adoption documents) which had been sent to China last Friday by our adoption agency, and that it was due to be delivered today (which it was!!).  I was wondering out loud about when they would actully review our paperwork and officially log us into the system.  I said, "I wonder if our Log-In-Date will actually be tomorrow, September 13?"  In that moment, God let me see it.  It was as if He said,

"September 13:

The day your baby was due.

Also, the day I sent you the incredible rainbow.

Yes, it did come with a promise, but I am just now revealing it to you.

This is the promise. 

I had your dossier arrive in China on this day, so that you would know that SHE is My promise to you. 

I have not forgotten your loss, your tears, your pain.  You are My child, and your sorrow was My sorrow.  But I am redeeming that loss through your daughter Meilí (May -LEE).  I never take away without giving so much more in return." 

I have struggle today to get my mind around this.  Who could do this but God?  It is so huge I can hardly comprehend why this Great and Awesome God of the universe would allow me to be part of such a amazing story. 

The more I follow Him and learn His ways, the more I fall in love with Him.  He promises that He has wonderful plans to prosper us and not to harm us, and His promises are true.  Even when we suffer loss.  God does restore us, He gives us beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, peace for despair. 

My hope is that God will use this amazing story to draw others to Him.  He is trustworthy, and He loves us with an everlasting love.  If you don't know this Great God who is my Heavenly Father, I want you to know Him.  He is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love Him with all my heart.

Hope Blankets

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means

caring for orphans and widows in their distress

and refusing to let the world corrupt you. 

 James 1:27

This journey started out being about a little girl that we longed to bring into our family.  We have dreamed of doing this for so long, long before our first baby ever arrived.  But as we have prayed and sought God's face these last months for direction, provision, and peace in the waiting, we have really begun to understand that caring for orphans is truly God's heart.  Caring for orphans is a picture of what He has done for us and will do for us when He returns for us.  He came to us when we had nothing to offer Him, when we were sick and dirty with sin, and He rescued us, giving His very life for us.  And the more we realized how much God loves orphans, the greater our desire to care for them has become. 

Yes, we are adopting a little girl, one who brings tears to my eyes when I think of her, one for whom I have prayed eleven years for, but we want to touch the lives of other orphans as well.  Our heart's desire is for others to experience this amazing journey with us, one that has drawn us to God like nothing else has. 

We have prayed for God to show us ways to care for orphans that would allow others to join us, and we are so excited about the opportunity He has given.  Our adoption agency, America World, partners with two orphanages in China.  These orphanages have given us permission to send blankets to the children that are in their care.  We have 96 Hope Blankets, and we are praying that God will raise up 96 families who will join with us.  Our hope is that each family will sponsor a blanket for $25 (or whatever amount each family wants to give), take the blanket home, and pray as a family for the child who will receive that blanket.   Then, we would like to collect them again on Sunday, Oct. 30 (or anytime the week before), pray over them together, and then send them to the orphanages. 

Sometimes when we hear numbers like 18.3 million orphans worldwide, it almost seems impossible to make a difference.  But this is an opportunity to pray for one specific precious child who will receive a Hope Blanket from someone who has prayed (and hopefully will continue to pray) for them.

The money will cover the cost of the blanket and shipping ($15), and the rest will go toward helping with costs of our adoption.  In return, we would like to give each family a Seeds of Change 30-day devotional on showing hope to orphans, produced by Show Hope.  This is a powerful book with devotions written by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, Emily (Chapman) Richards, and Scott and Kerry Hasenbalg who serve as executive directors of Show Hope.  Here is an excerpt from Day One, written by Steven Curtis Chapman: 

 "Do you really want to know God?  Do you really want all He has for you, the abundant life He has promised you?  It may take getting a little uncomfortable, and it may take risking a little of what the world tells us to hold on to.  But He is good, and what He has for us is worth far more than all the world has to offer.  Are you willing to step out boldly and follow Him wherever He may lead?"



We hope that God will use these blankets to bring hope to orphans and to stir the hearts of His children to care for them in a greater way.  And who knows, maybe our precious Meilí will be the recipient of one of these blankets!  This journey has already been so much more than we had imagined, but I truly believe God is saying, "You ain't seen nothing yet!!"

ShowHope Grant!!

So excited!  Two months ago we applied for an adoption grant through an organization started by Steven Curtis Chapman called ShowHope.  They give out grants to families who are adopting to help cover some of the enormous costs of adoption.  Well, we received a letter yesterday from ShowHope letting us know that WE GOT A GRANT FOR $3500!!!  We are so very excited.  We estimate that our adoption is going to end up costing between $25,000-$30,000.  Whew, that number is even hard to type, but God is so faithful, and the money has been there so far!  We are just trusting (and saving like crazy) that He who began this great work will see it through to completion!  Praise His Name and thank you, ShowHope!

Where to begin??

When thinking back over the last 9.5 months, (well, eleven years, I guess), it is hard to know how to begin telling our story.  God has done so many amazing things to bring us to this point in our adoption journey.  It all really began in the summer of 2000 with a little girl named Anne.  I met Anne in an orphanage on the outskirts of Beijing, China.  She was this beautiful little girl, maybe 10 or 11 years old.   I immediately fell in love with her, and it was at that moment God put adoption in my heart.  I remember thinking, "Why is she here?  Why is she on orphan? Why hasn't someone adopted her?".

Fast forward ten years.  Here we were ten years later, with four beautiful boys, going crazy taking care of them, trying to run a food business, and doing life in general.  I had been wrestling with the thoughts about adoption at that time, wondering why we never felt God telling us to go.  I went through the whole gamut of laying everything down-"Okay, God, if You want us to adopt, it doesn't have to be China."  "Okay God, if You want us to adopt, it doesn't have to be a baby."  Okay God, if You want us to adopt, it doesn't even have to be a girl."  Finally, I laid it all down, coming to a place of complete peace that maybe I had misunderstood the call.  Maybe He didn't have another child for us to add to our family through adoption, and that was okay.  I was completely satisfied with my precious family.  Maybe that was what He was waiting for.  Maybe He was just waiting for me to lay it all down, I don't know, but that is when we finally got the call.  We were at Steven Curtis Chapman concert on Friday, November 12, 2010, when He finally spoke to our hearts that He did indeed have a child for us.  Talk about the tears flowing.  So two days later, unbeknownst to anyone but the Lord, we began the paperwork for adoption, still not sure exactly where He was calling us to adopt.  Two weeks later, as I sat praying for God to give us clear direction on the child He wanted us to pursue, He used my sweet Gabriel to make it clear.  Although we had talked about adopting so many times over the years, it had been a while since we had brought it up, but that day, at the moment I was desperate for direction, Gabriel asked, "Mommy, when are we going to get our baby sister from China?"  God couldn't have made it any clearer.  So it was on that day, Wednesday, November 24, 2010, (which happened to be the day before Thanksgiving) that we knew God did indeed have a baby girl from China for us.  On August 26th, 2011, 9.5 months after God conceive her in our hearts, we finally delivered our dossier (adoption paperwork) to the FedEx mail box.  They don't call it a paper pregnancy for nothin'!  Now we wait for that magic Log-In-Date, which is the date that China receives our dossier.  Once we get that date, we are officially in the program and on our way to being matched with our daughter!