Well hello there! Man, I get a big ole FAIL for my blogging efforts the last many months. Gosh, has it been almost a year?? Yep, a big F for me in this department that's for sure. But I gotta tell ya, it's been pretty busy around here! Our new little guy that came home in November of 2016 is one busy little dude! It's a constant job just knowing where he's at and making sure he is safe and/or the house is safe!! Seems he loves to climb, and it's just the funnest thing to be on top of the house. Yes, the top of the house. And he has the coolest big brother that actually helps him get up there when he can't seem to do it on his own. 😊 And, he loves to run the toaster, the microwave, the sink water, bath water, washer/dryer. Dries all kinds of things!😄 And that's just a small part of our day! Needless to say, I don't have time to blog during the day and after they go to bed at night......well, i FALL into bed. And then we do it all over again the next day! 😊 And if your wondering if I would do it all over again....3 international special needs adoptions in 5 yrs??? Oh yes. Oh heck YES. And here's a few reasons why:
KINGSTON ISAIAH
FOREVER HOME Nov. 2016 at the age of 6
JOSIAH ZHENSI
FOREVER HOME Aug.2014 at the age of 5 1/2
GABRIEL DIMITRI
FOREVER HOME Aug.2011 at the age of 5
And now, in their Papa's arms, where they are safe, they are loved and they will never be left all alone again.
It has been an amazing 5 yrs. since these boys have been in our family. We are just grateful for the opportunity to be their parents and learn from them each and every day. That being said, know that all our days are not on the mountain top! So in case you wondered........here you go. Every single day has its challenges, but the first 3 or 4 months after bringing home our latest, Isaiah, the days were really, really tough for me/us. Adoption is beautiful. It is also hard, especially when your kiddos come from hard places, and the many unknowns that come with them. It is a process and an adjustment period you go through before things begin to fall in place. The adjusting period with Isaiah was tough on everyone in our home, and it seemed it would never be right again at times. And the craziest thing was that God was very silent with me during this time! I have leaned on my faith my whole adult life, but I was like "HELLO LORD! WHERE ARE YOU???!!!" Seriously, I was drowning and really no know one knew how bad but me. Not a good place to be and definitely more needs to be shared on the importance of having a good support system for families in your community who are bringing these kids home. I promise, they need it and would be so appreciative. And there's lots of ways to help during that period, but more on that later. :) So back to HELLO LORD?? So happy to say that I was not forgotten by my Lord like I kinda felt during those first few months. And in my heart I knew this, but still I was wanting God to move in like really fast and fix this. I mean I was beginning to believe what others were thinking and saying! We didn't need another kid to take care of, we WERE crazy, I had my hands full already before this one, why would we do this again, we were too old, and the infamous "well you asked for it", and blah blah blah. I was buying into the worlds beliefs instead of sticking to the One who has always stuck by me. The One who put me on this path of adoption some 30 yrs ago. But you know what.....He had me right where He wanted me. Right where I needed to be. As the fog began to lift after 3 or 4 months home with Isaiah, I could see clearly that I was never alone in my that trench, and I learned things while there that I wouldn't have otherwise. I learned more about hard places, the trenches of adoption, I learned that just because we said "yes" to following God's lead to these kids, that didn't mean it would be without more cost(not money) . Sometimes a trench is needed to protect us and we welcome its safety, but other times a deep trench is somethings we fall into before we even know whats hit us, and that's where I was. But here's the deal. Just because we end up in there doesn't mean we have to stay in there. As I began to dig out of my trench, and began to see more clearly again, I knew without a doubt that I had to dig out so that I could begin to DIG IN again to what I know to be true. God's heart is for the orphan. The fatherless. The least of the least. And He intended for us to play a very active part in caring for them. Now notice, I did not say all should adopt, but all should help the orphan crisis in some way. We are not here to be comfortable. We are not here to live the American dream. We are here to love and serve God and to love and serve others. If that kind of love takes us to the trenches from time to time.....so be it. If that kind of love keeps us in the trenches, just know that we're never there alone when we're there in the name of Jesus. :)
Matthew 25:40
Mom and the 3 Amigos!!
If you've ever thought about adoption, think no more. Just do it. Stop trying to make sense of it all because you never will.
If you've thought about adoption and are still praying for God to show you what to do.......stop making this an excuse and do it. He has already shown us. He has already told us. Just pick up your bible and read the gospel.
My shirt in the above photo says,"Build a longer table." The boys shirts say, "'They built a longer table."
How about you?? Got room for one more at your table?? If your answer is no.......then
BUILD A LONGER TABLE!
It's really that simple, and you will be so thankful that you did.
