Time Flies.................

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."
Sir Francis Drake





      It is hard to believe that June is almost over.  Time flies whether  it is fun or not. Four days and the change will happen whether we want it to or not.  We have prayed for a change and here it is 4 days away!!!  What does God have in store for our family.  I am dreaming GRANDE, as good as a latte grande made with coffee grow on the coastal ghats of India and buffalo milk.  It doesn't get any better than that.  Or one of my favorite re-occurring Indian memories, coming back to my room out of the heat,noise, and pollution to lay on a firm bed with white linens and looking up at the high ceiling with the fan on high and the air conditioning set to freeze me.  Now that is a big dream to match up to those memories.









"For I know the plan I have for you"-"plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11




    Are we ready?  That is the million dollar question????I don't know, as ready as one can be.  A great resource is Operation World a huge book on countries and specific needs world wide. We took a family vote and the vote came in CHINA, no surprise there.  We all love China's culture,people,tradition, and great beauty of the land.    The next close runner ups were Thailand and India.  Of course we are open to stay right here as well for the right opportunity.  I find myself recently intrigued by Cambodia.  I would like some where with snow and 4 seasons, but that is just a preference not a requirement.  As many of you know that I love snow and winter months.  I would give it up for a major life change and opportunity.  I would go into the furnace countries for an adventure. Most importantly that HIS will be done, whether that is here or over there, where ever THERE may be.

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
 Matthew 16:25 NLT   

   

Philippians 3:20


But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.


The last few weeks have been very difficult.  I am so thankful that Graedy, Elise, and Elijah are having such a fun summer.  Graedy stayed most of last week with friends.  Elise and Elijah went to camp at Winter park and had a fabulous time.  This was Elijah first time to go to camp and to be away from home for 2 nights without any family.  Today Elise and Graedy fly to magnificent Astoria, actually fly into Portland and on the road to Astoria.  I  miss my brother so much I wish that I could go as well.    While most of the kids are gone I am working on simplifying our lives.  Can we say get rid of everything we don't need and de-clutter.  So many moves and so much stuff.  Sneha on the other hand is very mad that everyone left and basically destroyed her new glasses yesterday.  She broke the bow and a lens and of course she is directing all her anger at me.
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    I sure hope that we learn what-ever we are supposed to learn that we learn it soon.  I want summer to be fun and care-free not so full of worry. Time ticks very fast and  the weeks are closing in very fast.  A possible  end to this life as we know it .  Honestly I just don't know what to do.  I just have to sit back do what I can and wait on the Lord.


Jeremiah 29:11



For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Resting in HIM...................Remembering the flight home from China

Psalm 34:11



Come, my children, and listen to me,and I will teach you to fear the Lord.


I trying my best to have sustaining Faith.  Faith that will up-root trees and move mountains.  I have stories of many moments and circumstances that only God could create.  More miracles already in my life time than many people ever experience in a life time.  I need to be grateful and rest in the day, not consumed by what is to come and how we will get there.  My dreams are huge so large that I know in my own strength they will never come true.  They can only come true from heaven above.
Guangzhou city view


  I have to remember that not long ago on a plane traveling home from Guangzhou I brought home a new son that spoke no English.  The night before we left the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou China I became dizzy and fell down marble stairs.  The result many bumps,bruises, and a sprained ankle.  We were flying United home and it is so cramped and crowded not optimal for a sore leg and ankle.   We were just glad to be heading home after 2 weeks in China, fun but time to go home.  Little did I know the surprise waiting on the plane for me.  I was seated next to a nice Chinese lady originally from Guangzhou, China  a city of 10 million people.  To make a long story short  this lady from China now lived where????Great Falls, Montana and we knew people in common.  A town up in northern Montana surrounded by only the wild and ranches.  What are the chances meeting some in China and now lives where we loved to live????We talked almost the entire flight home.  She translated for me with Elijah, took him to the bathroom, eased his fears so perfectly.  She let me stretch my hurting leg and foot on to her side for more room. A true gift from God to surprise me that he was thinking of me.  Only the God of the universe can surprise us with a gift that we could never even imagine.  Fourteen hours can seem like an eternity sitting next to someone.  How can I doubt that he will remember our plans and dreams.  I just wait and see what miracle unfolds.
 The Pearl River, Guangzhou China


Lamentations 3:25

The Lord is good to those who depend on him,to those who search for him.

Missouri River-Great Falls Montana



The Missouri River running through a state that has a population of less than 1 million.  Two rivers a world apart and two people meeting in the skies. Nothing is by chance.................

The winds have changed....................

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV



   I am so ready to go, and I must say that I am ruined for the ordinary life.   I want more, I don't want the American dream.  We are finally free....Let us go......We are ready for change, I just can't settle for the ordinary any longer.  I want to wake up every day and see the new and the different.  Your will alone and not mine. It is out of our hands, funny we never could really hold on to it anyways.   You created the earth and everything in it, so I know I must have faith.  Nothing in this world is left to chance and I am dreaming the big dream, praying for a miracle to rescue us.  The hairs on my head are numbered and I praying to Heaven above to answer our prayers!




Psalm 100:5
 For the LORD is good;his steadfast love endures forever,and his faithfulness to all generations.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Most people dream of summer all year long, but it is the most difficult time of year for me.  I love it when all schedules are set the weather is not so hot.  I do have to say that so far the nice cool and rainy weather I love!!!When ever we are in the adoption process I tend to worry.  I wish the IRS would send our tax refund, they are holding on to the adoption tax credit due to adopting families!:(  Our home study is almost complete and then we apply to immigration .  I so hope that we will be able to bring two little people home.  We had originally thought just one child, but if a younger than 6 year old that is healthy becomes available we are going to try to bring 2 home.  We know that if this is what God wants the child will become available for us.  So much of life is waiting, waiting, and waiting some more.  My time frame is, "I want it now", and this is not always the best.  His time, not mine.  I know that we had to wait so long for Sneha was because we weren't ready, Elijah needed adjustment time and we needed to move again.  Her needs were far greater than we anticipated as were Elijah's so we needed time to get medical issues taken care of.  People hesitate that now is not the right time to adopt, we don't have enough money , not enough time, nor enough patience.  The good news is that we don't control time.  The key is obedience and trust!  Our Father in heaven will work out the details.  We just need to say "YES" to what he asks of us.  Many say I don't hear the voice of God, how do you know?  Everything we need to live life is one God breathed manuscript-THE HOLY BIBLE.  We read, we pray, and then we act, so the glory goes to God.  He will give us what we need when we are obedient to His will.

There are good days, bad days, and many in between.  It is not because we adopted, it is just life.  No matter if we are busy there is always time  for more.  I still have wasted time in my schedule, it just depends on how I manage my time.  When I look back on the last 4 years we have had hardships, and many joys.  With out our adoption journey's I would have the awesome memories of a life time and the children that go with them.  I never want all my children to leave home and so we adopt to fill our hearts, lives, and home.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world

How do we get from point A to point B????

Luke 17:6



He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.


Part 1

In a world full of change sometimes it is hard to keep sight of our goals.    Jobs restructuring, hours changing, and possible in town location changing.  Did I mention that I hate job changes.  I had just recently decided that I would stay at my job and position as long as we are in Sterling.   May I say ugh, it is just like if I plant roses where I live we always move soon there after, although I don't believe in luck.  We are in the process of adopting a little girl fro Ghana and the heat gets turned up.  What is it always about the link between adoption and job changes.  My job isn't ending, just changing:(  We step out to adopt and a series of unfortunate events begin to unravel to test our faith.  Adoption like being pregnant isn't easy, but so worth it.  Both experience have their pros and cons.

I feel there is tiger waiting to pounce if I make the wrong move or turn my back for a second.  (This white tiger is one of many that we saw up close and fed treats to at the Montana State Fair.)


I just need to remember that he is behind bars and can't get me.  This is a tiger in China.  I love tigers especially when they are behind bars or sleeping.

So we are standing at point A wondering how do we get to point B.  I don't even know where point B is.....There in lies the problem.

James 3:17-18

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Thoughts for the day

Revelation7:9                                                                                                                                       

 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
 
 
 

The answer to spread the Gospel lies in India's future it's children.  They have very beautiful child.  These are children from a Christian School in the city and these children are from the slums pictured below.  Many of the parents of these lovely children  are drunks, drug addicts, or prostitutes.  These children were offered the chance of a life time to attend an English school that is Christian and for free. Not all education is free in other countries, so often the ability to succeed and be educated is based on the success of one's family.  The cycle is being broken, slowly but surely.   From the ashes the leaders and life changers will rise up.  The children in the pictures did not crowd in for the pictures, this is how close and crowded the classes are.   We are talking 100 degrees or more with no air conditioning.   We need to appreciate all that we have and take for granted on a daily basis.                                                                                                                                          

My heart is still grieved from our recent trip to India.  There are so many people and they are so isolated in the countryside.  Imagine stepping back in time by 100 years.  I think of the pioneers here in America and how everything was done by hand.  The farming all done by hand, the harvest done by hand, carrying water in jugs, no electricity, no plumbing, no running water, no cars, no refrigerator.  Need milk, just go milk the buffalo and drink as much as you can before it sours in the heat.  Sour buffalo milk cannot even have the taste masked in tea.  How do we effectively spread the healing words of the Gospel when we can't even get to the people.  Then we throw in all the obvious barriers language, culture, lack of trust between cultures, lack of technology,the written Word, and literacy.  The answer is raising up local believers to spread the Word.  We in the white world are not the answer, but hopefully our resources can help across the world.  We can petition our Lord in heaven on behalf of our brothers and sisters in India.  We know the God hears our prayers and we need to keep petition on their behalf until we no longer have breadth of life.  We cannot forget them.

1.Revelation 5:8


And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.