Weekend Update and a few thoughts to go along with it

Thanks for praying for us! This weekend's womens retreat was WONDERFUL! It was amazing to watch God at work among these women. He truly met us there. It was so fun to see the women connect to one another and to the LORD. Our theme was "BFF ~ Becoming Fruitful in Friendships" and we took a closer look at what the Lord has to say about community and our role in it. We really prayed for the women, that they would connect to one another and understand more deeply how God has created us to live in authentic community with one another. What was especially fun was to watch the women who had such a hard time coming, either from fear or just an overwhelming life right now. Each of the women who we were most concerned about and praying for came up to us at the end just thanking us and telling us how much fun they had! That made the whole exhausting work all worth it! Thankfully, while it was a ton of work, I had the best team every! Thanks to Kelly, Jess, Sunday, Abby, Karen, Shannon and Shai!!!

Now for my thoughts for today. . .as if anyone cares to read my mind!

2 things stuck out to me in my quiet time this morning. The 1st was about our relationship with Liberia. Having not heard any answers about our possible fundraising trip, I have been getting discouraged. Well, this morning in my reading of "40 days to a more generous life" I read Psalm 67:6, "God will bless us. And people from remotest lands will worship Him". Oh Lord, that is my prayer!! Bless us and others and help us to bless Liberia that "people from the remotest lands will worship Him"!!!! Combine that with this scripture from 2 Chronicles 16:9, "The eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are fully committed to Him, SO THAT He can show His great power in helping them." They went on to quote passages from David and Goliath, from Gideon and his 300 men and from Jonathan and his armor bearer taking on the Philistines. The little group that God is gathering who have a passion for Liberia can be used mightily by God. Let's not forget that! Oh Lord, that you may find our hearts fully committed to you so that you will choose to show your great power in Liberia and allow us to be a small part of that miracle!! That also makes me more passionate about seeking the Lord and asking Him to change my heart. If He is looking for someone who has a heart that is fully committed to Him so that He can lend His power, well, I want to be that girl!

Which brings me to my last scripture for today. After reading all of that from "40 day journey", I opened up Philippians to look for scripture to pray. Here is what I read today, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:4-7) Saying, let your gentleness. . . assumes that you have gentleness. That you are characterized by it. This was challenging to me. For me to have evident gentleness, I need the Lord to build that in me. The opposite of gentleness is harshness, which comes whenever I judge others or protect my own heart. Lord, change my heart to be more gentle. May my words, actions and attitudes be gentle towards my husband, children, friends and others. Then, the verse goes on to challenge me to always present my requests in an attitude of humble, thanksgiving, recognizing His sovereignty always. Ooooh, that's always challenging!

Weeekend Hiatus

This will be my last post until Sunday night or Monday morning. I am leaving for our annual Women's Retreat today. Please join me in praying that God will do a big work that only He can do. You can pray for the details. . .I am in charge of the team that works so hard to make this happen and with people canceling left and right, it gets discouraging and hard on our budget since we've already paid out for everything! Pray that our team keeps good spirits and our eyes focused on the LORD. Pray for our speaker, Becki, to be used by God to speak truth we need to hear. Pray for the hearts of each woman who will be there (approx. 85-90) that we will come away changed and connected more to each other and Jesus!

Thanks! I'll miss you guys! If something "big" happens in blogland, please someone call me!

Praying and Praising with others

Praise the LORD!! We have had 4 special needs from Acres of Hope be referred to forever families this week alone!!! Praise HIM for taking care of these special little ones and for leading these special families in their journey of obedience!! Check them out and make sure to pray for them!

Denise and fam have added Kebbeh to their clan (they were already in process to adopt 2 little boys!)

Darbi and Blu will be adopting Samuel (he's SO cute!)

Tama and fam will be bringing home both Mercy and Joy

So, if you are now in the praying mode. . .go on over to a couple of more sites and pray for these families.

The Borcherts and the Alonsos are both dealing majorly with the visa situation and currently their kids are "stuck" in Liberia. Both families have one parent in Liberia right now advocating for their kids. In fact, they have a meeting with the visa lady at 9 am tomorrow (5 am est) so BE PRAYING!

Also, check out our 24 hour prayer watch blog that Katy set up to see a listing of all of our Acres of Hope families' needs. This is updated daily, so please just bookmark it and make a plan to check it each day and lift these families and children up.

**I know that this may be my record for number of links** this is what all of those girls in Naples asked for! Apparently, blog friends, all of my sister-in-law's friends have been stalking you guys and are complaining for more links!

The wedding!

How cute are my kids? We just got back from our wonderful weekend spent in Naples. We had the joy of watching Greg's Sister, Laura marry her wonderful Love, Slim! It was a blast. We started the fun with a rehearsal on Thursday night, during which the entire time the pastor prayed, Gracie said "hi" over and over! Then, we had a yummy Italian dinner and back to the hotel for some needed sleep! (By the way, I WAY recommend Embassy Suites for those with kids!) Friday morning, us girls (all the Bridesmaids) went for Pedicures and Manicures! That night, we had a fabulous time of praise and worship at their church, Summit Church (interesting side note: one the lead pastors there is Greg's roommate from college who is married to one of my roommates! So, it is always fun to go see them and participate in Summit services. This is a wonderful church with a great vision to reach people with the gospel in a missional way!) It was also fun, b/c Slim (the groom) in on the Summit Worship band and works at the church. We spent time in praise and worship and then had a time of prayer for Slim and Laura. Funny side note: Brayden was thrilled to go up and lay hands on them for prayer. Then, in the middle of my prayer (I am known to be a long "pray-er") he kept saying, "amen, mommy". SO embarrassing and hard to concentrate, so I wrapped it up quickly! Then, he wanted to pray and prayed, "Jesus, we thank you for your wove (love)" Too cute! Saturday morning, it was bright and early for a bridal breakfast where we all got mushy and shared how much we love Laura and see Jesus in her! From there, it was off to hair appointments and the church. It was such a fun wedding to participate in. I was honored to stand up for Laura and Gracie was her flowergirl with Brayden serving as ring bearer. I was a bit nervous, but the kids did great. Gracie started crying halfway down the aisle, so I just poked my head in the aisle way and bent down and she came running to me. They left the sanctuary with Nana to watch from the church foyer (thanks, Mom!) The reception afterwards was an absolute BLAST! Brayden was thrilled to go to "Aunt Laura's Party" for a little while and actually loved being introduced. Gracie however, sat on the ground crying as soon as they opened the door and introduced them. It was too funny! Laura had the foresight to actually get a sitter for the hotel, so the kids scooted up to bed and we got to stay up and PARTY!!! Check out these pics of the wonderful event !!! We love you Slim and Laura!

Grandpa and Gracie

Brayden and Grandpa

Gracie and I. . .PS: I looked better earlier in the day!

Our Beautiful Bride, Laura!!!

Uncle Slim and Gracie

Greg and I (I don't know why my eyes look quite like that? I look like I was drinking or something! Which, I was NOT!)

Greg, dancing with his breathtaking bride of a sister

Carly, Laura's best friend and Matron of Honor. She is so sweet and if she and her hubby lived here, we would be super close!

Jan and Bernie (Greg and Laura's parents) dancing. They took tons of dance lessons to prepare for this and then were hesitant to get out on the floor! They were super cute when they did, though!

Yes, everybody danced!! It was SO FUN!! Ooooh, Now you can see Laura more too. Doesn't she look gorgeous? Wait till you see their professional pics!!! A(pause)mazing!

Gotcha Day

Imagine with me. . .an orphanage that never tells the nannies where the kids are going. Picture them loving on and providing for these children. They care for them and fall in love with them, then they leave. These nannies grieve these children. They don't understand. Seems a little crazy doesn't it? They don't understand that these precious children are leaving a poor orphanage for a life with a family.

Now, picture the other side. . this is US! I don't know about you, but I love "Gotcha Day". I cried reading Jackie Sue's story. I cried when I saw Jaci with Mia for the first time. Let's be honest, I bawl like a baby watching TLC's Adoption Stories! I long for my "gotcha day" with Davis. For the day that I will hold him in my arms for the first time. For many of us, this is after months or even years of waiting. We LONG for this day. We know the truth, this child will come home to a family. To (my favorite phrase) a Home, a Hope and a Future that wasn't even possible for them before.

Well, this morning I was listening to Aaron Shust's song, "Holy". One line says, "We gather at the crystal throne. All these years and we're finally home. . .we sing "holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" and it hit me. . .we just don't get it.

Our "Gotcha Day" with Davis will be a glorious day. I can't wait to hold him in my arms for the first time. I can't wait to step off the plane to my friends and family and introduce them to my son. But all of the joy that I'll feel, is just a fraction. It's just a small glimpse into my real "Gotcha Day". The day that I die will be my "Gotcha Day". I have a Daddy who is longing to have me home. He waits and waits until the right time, then he'll come and get me and take me HOME! We are now living in "the orphanage" and have a home, a hope and a future waiting for us. We so often act like the nannies who don't understand. I once read an author who said it is crazy how we laugh at births and cry at funerals. We don't understand or maybe even really believe what God's word says about Heaven. He sent us our "photo album" and He's told us that He's coming for us. The only difference is, nothing can disrupt this referral! Please, on the day that I die, don't grieve for me without hope. Know that I have finally gotten my "gotcha day". I have a home, a hope and a future with MY DADDY!

Thank you, Jesus for coming for us. Please change my perspective. Let me realize that this world is not my HOME. This is just my "orphanage". I have a Daddy who is coming for me. I love you and can't wait to see you face to face. To gather at your crystal throne, all these years and I'll finally be home. And all I'll be able to do is stare at you and sing "Holy, Holy is the LORD Almighty. Who WAS and IS and IS TO COME!!"

NEW PICTURES!!!!!

I just got an email from Donna today with these wonderful pictures of my little one!!! Thank you Donna!!!

Here he is with Patty (AoH founder). She is showing him his photo album of us for the first time! (If that doesn't make you tear up, I don't know what will?)If you look closely, She is pointing at the page entitled "Daddy and Mama"

How cute is he? We sent him this Yankees jersey, just hoping for pics!

Do you think this is clean laundry? I LOVE this picture for some reason!

I can't wait to kiss on this face!

With Grandma Patty cuddling on the porch

With Aunt Donna snuggling!

Just look at that face!

Again I say.. . .Acres of Hope is the best agency EVER!!!!! Thank you for taking such good care of my boy. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Asking for the Moon. . .

So, as most of you know, I dream big! Yes, really big! Sometimes it makes me nervous, though. Tonight is one of those times. . .so, again, I'm going to use my blog as a real journal. I'm not editing myself or protecting myself from you guys (even the stalkers). This might not even be smart, but I feel pretty vulnerable right now, so here you go. . .

As you know, we feel called to plan a trip to Liberia this fall. A trip to bring people who are interested in prayerfully considering supporting the relief work there. Well, this trip seems to the outside to be impossible. It is now the beginning of September and we want to plan a trip to Liberia before the end of November. . .and, oh yeah, no one has said yes yet! We are meeting on Saturday with 2 couples to propose this trip to them. Please pray that if God wants them to go, that He will tell them loud and clear! It seems like everywhere I turn, people tell me that this won't happen. "These people are too busy and they may not even Want to go to Africa." So, I go back and check my heart. . .by now, people know about the trip. . .what does it say about me if it doesn't happen. I catch myself thinking it's about me and confess again. Then, I begin to say, "even if God just wanted us to propose the idea and didn't actually plan it to happen. . ." I know this sounds like I'm trusting Him no matter what, but am I really just hedging my bets? I want to be open to hearing if I may not have heard Him right. I really do want what He wants, yet I believe that we stepped forward after much prayer. This confuses my heart. Part of me wants to believe Him for the impossible and part of me feels so vulnerable doing that, so I hedge. The truth is, I believed we were called to go on this trip. Maybe I was wrong. I will Trust Him and learn from Him in the process, but I have no clue as to where to place my heart. At what point do you plow ahead in confidence? I know that if God called this to happen, that He can take these people and give them an absolute desire to go and a desire to do so quickly (this fall!). I was reading Jeremiah 32 tonight. God says to Jeremiah (after calling him to do something crazy), " I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jer. 32:27) So, I think for now. . .until I hear differently, I plow ahead. I believe and choose to rest my heart on 2 facts: number 1, God is able to do the impossible! AND, it's easy for HIM! Getting people to go to Africa on weeks notice, busy, important people? no problem for our God. number 2, whatever God does, He allows for My GOOD and HIS GLORY. He cares more than I do about getting this orphanage built, about the people of Liberia. . .. .So I ask Him "for the Moon", knowing He's the one who created it! But, I have to confess, I'm scared to do so. . .