Every life matters

There is a 15 year old girl in who desperately needs to be adopted, so that she can get on a heart transplant list and vastly improve her quality of life.
To learn more, visit http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2015/03/because-she-matters/

If you are not feeling led to adopt, please pray, send happy thoughts her way, and tell your friends about her.
Let them know that every life matters. Every life is precious. Every child is important.
The need is great, but only one family needs to step forward for this young girl.
I hope her family finds her soon.

Twenty Less

Oh my.

Somehow I have just stumbled across twentyless.com
This is powerful stuff. The pictures, stories and testimonies there could break your heart.

There are so many children in the world who need forever families.... Too many of them, if you ask me.
This particular website seems to focus on children in China... but there are so many others out there in different parts of the world, waiting to belong.

Some of them have siblings, some don't.
Some have different abilities, some don't.
Some of them may need surgery or special services. Some don't.
Some of them remember what it is like to be loved and cared for... and some don't.

When Mike and I started on our foster parent/adoption journey, we felt compelled to work with children in our local area. In our state. In our own town, maybe, or at least as locally as possible. That's why we signed up with our county's DSS office to become foster parents. Families in crisis may not have an extended network of relatives to care for their children.Through no fault of their own, adult choices and situations might force those children to be cared for elsewhere. We want to stand in that gap and care for kids at a critical time, when they need it most.

No everyone is called to be a foster parent or to adopt; however, as Helen Keller said, "everyone can do something."
I don't know what "something" looks like for you and your family, but maybe some of these links will help you start thinking about where you might fit in.

Who can foster and/or adopt? This site has requirements for each state in the US.
To find children in the US who are waiting to be adopted, please visit adoptuskids.org
You can search photolistings by state, age, gender, and number of siblings.
If you are interested in kids with special needs, go to ReecesRainbow.org They specialize in helping children of different abilities or situations find forever homes. They often have sizable grants available, to make it easier to afford a costly international adoption, and to more quickly facilitate adoption, especailly for those who have special medical or health needs.

For those who aren't in a position to foster or adopt right now, what can you do to help others? Can you donate to an adoption fundraiser? Could you start a clothes closet ministry for people in your area who are in need? Could you donate your time to tutor at-risk kids at the library after school, or become a mentor at a Boys and Girls Club, or Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or another community organization?

There are so many creative, meaningful ways that you could donate your time, talents and resources to make a difference in the life of a child.

Isaiah 1:17

Isaiah 1:17  (NIV)

¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

This week, I am working on memorizing this Bible verse.
I thought I knew almost every verse in the Bible that had to do with orphans.... and yes, I know a few. But earlier today, I realized that I don't: primarily because they are not usually called "orphans". In the Bible, they are most often referred to as "the fatherless." In our American culture, being "fatherless" is much more commonplace than being "an orphan". This seemingly small nuance changed the message in my mind somewhat.

The above verse also reminds me of Micah 6:8, which says

"...what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God."

That is the verse I think we most often see, on tshirts or cutesy bags or even etsy necklaces. I've seen it on missions and/or adoption fundraiser t-shirts as well. It is a good reminder of how we should live, and how we should think, talk, and act. 

So, as Christians we proclaim it - there's even a song written about this verse by a popular contemporary group - but is that really the way we live? Are we humbly walking with God every day? Are we just and merciful to everyone we meet, without bias or discrimination? Is this truly how others see us?  I don't know. I would hope so. But I know that I fall far, far short of the expectations set before me. That's why I'm so appreciative of God's grace and mercy.

I don't know what I was trying to say here.... just my random thoughts.

Help Orphans in Haiti!

A friend of mine recently returned from a missions trip to Haiti. They are raising much-needed funds for 46 orphan children in Titanyen, Haiti. You can read more about it at http://myprettypennies.com/2014/05/14/help-for-a-haitian-orphanage/

I would love it if you could help with this worthy cause.
Even if it's just a few dollars, it is much appreciated.
Every little bit counts!

On Monday night I couldn't fall asleep, so after a couple hours of laying down and staring at the ceiling, I got up and started praying for foster kids. I actually stayed up until 3am praying for the children under 10 years old who are listed on Adoptuskids.org 

I am still not entirely sure why God brings these children to the forefront of my heart and mind, and what it is exactly that he plans to do about it in my life specifically...  but I will continue praying and helping where I can.

A family for Noah

My last post was about an orphaned boy named Noah looking for a family to call his own.
Well, I just got some great news - a family has been found for him!
You can read a few more details here:
 http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2013/10/with-joy-i-can-share.html
This means that hopefully he won't be an orphan for much longer.
They have a lot of paperwork and government red-hoops to jump through,
in order to meet the deadline of his birthday in December,
but with God's help and grace it will happen.

Thanks lots to those of you who prayed for this young man.
If you can, please continue to pray for him, that the adoption process would go smoothly.

Doubts...

First of all, I just want to say how grateful I am for friends that pray for me and think of me daily, and share their hearts and their lives with me, so that I can pray for them too. You have no idea how much I appreciate that kind of friendship.

So in my last post I wrote that I had some doubts. I guess my instinct was correct, because yesterday I learned that we were not, in fact, accepted into the foster parent classes that begin on Saturday. The class "was full. There is no space for you."

At hearing this news, I was initially crushed. Disappointed. Upset. Frustrated (this is the second time we haven't been "accepted" by Durham County, for goodness sakes!). I mean, we had worked hard to sell our house and buy this new bigger house, to make room for more children, to clear our schedules for the next six weekends in a row, to line up babysitters, and to make sure we did everything right so that we could take the foster parent classes this month. We did do everything right, but obviously God has different plans than the ones I had in mind. So I let myself cry a little for this lost dream.

Then after the shock wore off, my first reaction was to call a few different local agencies, to get us into another class soon. When I want something, I don't give up on it easily.  So there are 2 "orientation" classes we'll go to in the next month. (I didn't realize that there are options, that you don't HAVE to work with your county's DSS agency. News to me.)

To reiterate: I'm not giving up. I'm giving IN!
Giving in to whatever God has planned for me.
I KNOW God still has good plans for me!!

Because this is NOT about what -I- want. My goals need to be lined up with what God's plans are for myself and my family. Whether or not that means foster care or adopting, or neither, I need to be ok with what happens. Because none of it is in my control.

 Last night, I laid awake with a sick child at 2am, thoughts jumping around in my head, unable to sleep. I wanted to hear some kind of wisdom from the Bible, but I wasn't focused enough to read it myself and come up with some sort of applicable insight. So I searched through sermon archives and found a message that JD Greear preached five years ago, in September 2007. It is so applicable to me (and to many other people also, I'm sure). The first point he made was that everyone has doubts. I know that's kind of obvious, but it was what I needed to hear in the moment. Quote: "EVery person has doubts. It's part of what makes us human. We think, therefore we doubt God." It goes on to explain 4 common areas of doubt, and how we can overcome them. If you're interested, find the sermon here.

So, what does this mean, and where do I go from here? Well, today I was praying along with Proverbs 3:5-6. It's one of the very first Bible verses I memorized as a young child: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not upon your own understanding; but in all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." That's what I'm praying, that I will not give in to doubt, but put my trust completely in Him.

What if they say no?

I have this semi-irrational fear that I will call our local DSS and find out that, for some reason or another, we will not be allowed to take the foster parent classes that begin on Sept 8th. The foster parent classes that we cleared our schedules for over six months ago. The classes that I have been hoping and praying about for FIVE YEARS, that Mike finally just agreed to this spring.

Anyway, I am calling them tomorrow morning, and Ms T the social worker will either say "Yes, you are welcome to be in the class", or "No, unfortunately we don't have space for you at this time." And whichever answer it is, I am supposed to be ok with it. Because whatever happens, I have been assured over and over, is how it is meant to be.

The anxiety is getting to me.

Yesterday I explained my thoughts and asked my husband, "If we can't be in this class, what will we do?!?!?" He very calmly answered "That just means we aren't supposed to do it RIGHT NOW. Maybe now is not the right time" ...although he went on to say "I doubt it though. I think all signs point to yes. Look at all that's happened to put us in this position right now." He went on to elaborate about our move, the new house, his job and payrate, etc.

When he said "maybe not now", I had never considered that. I like to have my hopes and dreams and plans come true - but often in my own timing, not God's. And just as trying to have a second baby didn't go the way I wanted it to go, maybe God has plans that are far different, and far better, than the ones in my head. I guess I just have to keep trusting him, and put aside my own selfish wants. The song "This is Only a Mountain" has been repeating itself over & over in my head all weekend. How appropriate.

In the meantime, I found a new "Isaiah" at adoptuskids.org and I can't get the idea of him, or at the very least, the idea of an adopted son, out of my mind. In the photolisting, this Isaiah has dark curly hair that is identical to Mike's hair.

I don't know much about him, but I do know that this child needs a family to love and care for him. The big question is: Who will it be? I hope he finds them soon.

Adoption: Be a Prayer Warrior

Adoption is something that I feel strongly about. It's a cause very dear to my heart. Although we are not in a position to adopt right now, I often pray for those around the world who are orphans, or living in sad/abusive situations and need a loving home. Last month I found a very worthy organization who is fighting that battle and advocating for children with disabilities or medical conditions, children who are harder to place. Some of them have Downs syndrome, some have mild conditions that would easily be corrected with medication or surgery that is not available in their country, and some do not have a clear diagnosis. But all of them are parentless and destined to life in an institution, unless someone steps in to help them. Go to http://reecesrainbow.org/ to learn more about their ministry and specific ways that you can help. You can also click here to become a prayer warrior for a very special girl or boy who needs a home and a family. It's completely free; all it takes is a donation of your time. Maybe you will be the difference that child needs, in order to gain a better quality of life.