Happy Fall!

The wind began to blow yesterday, and with it came cooler temperatures. October is almost here, and it would appear that the fall weather is arriving, too.


I think fall is probably my favorite time of the year. I love changing out our wardrobes from shorts and t-shirts to long sleeves, sweaters and jeans. I enjoy the carnivals, parades, and festivities of this season. And I especially enjoy watching as God changes the color palette of creation. There’s just something about the beauty of yellow, orange and red leaves, and the crunch of them beneath my feet. I’m thankful that God created seasons for us to experience (in both nature and in life!).

While I’m excited that October is ushering in autumn, October also means that Zack’s long-awaited mission/vision trip to Norway. He leaves this Friday for Norway, and then on to Germany the following Saturday. In our 11 years of marriage, our longest travel separation is 5 days, so these 12 days might be a bit tough. Of course I’ll have my favorite little guy with me so I certainly won’t be alone or bored! But I will be flying solo for almost two weeks.


So if you think about it, please say a prayer for Zack as he journeys to 2 countries he’s never seen, and seeks to discover how God intends for our church to further His kingdom in Norway. Pray that the vision team will have safe travels and will stay healthy, and pray a hedge of protection around them from any outside forces that might cause them to miss out on their purpose.


And pray for William and me, too! We will be out of our routine for a while, and will have to work a little harder to make sure we get things done (school, work, soccer, church, a birthday party, household duties, etc.). Thankfully, I have a great mother-in-law who is going to help me with his school schedule. And I’m excited that my mom is going to come and spend a few days with us, too, which will be a big help as well!

Help Vera find her forever family

We are 27% of the way to our goal for Vera's fundraiser, with 50 days to go. Any amount you can give will help, and your gift is tax deductible!! Just click on the "Chip In" at the top of this blog to make your donation. Help us find a Daddy & Mommy for Vera!

And please continue to pray for us and our big news...

Grab This Button

Proverbs 28

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,

but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 28:27

Slava Bogu! (Praise God!)

I just received word that Lauren's forever family has found her!! We praise God for this wonderful answer to so many prayers, and we thank you for your help.

Because the family is already in-country and working to finalize her adoption, we will move our sponsorship funds to another child from Reece's Rainbow. Please join us as we raise funds for Vera, a precious little 4-year-old girl, also in Eastern Europe.

From her Reece's Rainbow profile:

Born April 8, 2005
Vera is a darling, energetic and happy little girl. She has mild CP and is able to walk on her own. She is very capable and smart. She is already 4 and needs a family quickly!

We're already almost a quarter of the way to our fundraising goal - help us reach it ASAP! Thanks to those who have given so generously.

Please give Vera a chance, just like the chance that children like William and Lauren have been given. My prayer is that there is already a family out there, praying about Vera, and that these funds will push them to pursue her adoption.

Oh, and if you haven't already seen our big news, be sure to check it out HERE!

Big news

Let's help Lauren find a mommy & daddy!

We are sponsoring a fundraiser for 3 ½ year old Lauren, in the hopes of helping her find her forever family. She is currently listed on Reece’s Rainbow, where they describe her as a “normal, active, happy and helpful little girl” who simply needs a family to love and support her. My goal is to raise $1,000 for her by November 17th (my bday). You can help make this happen!

Won’t you please help Lauren? Click on the Chip-in link below (or on the side bar of this blog) and make your donation. It’s tax deductible, and will go into an adoption fund specifically for Lauren. Once a family commits to her adoption, these funds will help offset their expenses.

Let’s make a difference in Lauren’s life!

If you're interested in more information about Lauren and the possibility of adding her to your family, please contact Andrea at Reece's Rainbow.

If paying through Chip-in, please consider adding an extra 3% to cover the paypal fees that Reece’s Rainbow will incur. If you wish to pay by check, email me and I’ll get the address to you.

Proverbs 22

Generous hands are blessed hands

because they give bread to the poor

Proverbs 22:9

How many of us have surplus stored up for an "emergency"? Or spend more than we really ought to? Maybe it's an over-abundance of food in our pantry... overly large savings accounts... frequent - or even daily - trips to restaurants...

Are we being good stewards of what God has given us?

I'm not advocating for starving your own family for the sake of others, or emptying out everything you have in retirement or savings. Being prepared is a noble and responsible effort (see Proverbs 21:5).

But at the same time, we have no promise of tomorrow. And I'll bet some of us store a lot more for a rainy day than we will likely ever need.

Some of that extra food in the pantry could be donated to a local food pantry
Some of that money in savings could go to help a needy family or a child waiting for a home
And those restaurant lunches? Maybe buy that day's less-expensive special, switch to fast food once or twice a week, cut out that $2.00 soda, or even brown-bag it from time to time - and put the savings aside for a good cause


I encourage you to examine your own lifestyle, and ask God how you can help those who are less fortunate.

Chip-in Code for your blog

If you have a blog, you can also post our chip-in widget on your blog. Simply click on the "COPY" button at the bottom of the chip-in widget/button, and you will get the code to put on your blog!

Help us find Lauren's forever family!

Help Lauren find her forever family

As you hopefully read in my previous post, we just started a fundraiser to help Lauren find her forever family. If you have a blog, would you please help us by adding Lauren's blog button to your blog? The code is over on the left in the side bar.

And remember, all donations to Lauren's fund are tax deductible, and go directly into a fund for Lauren's adoption.







If paying through Chip-in, please consider adding an extra 3% to cover the paypal fees that Reece’s Rainbow will incur. If you wish to pay by check, email me and I’ll provide the address for you.

Help Lauren find a family!

First off, I want to say Happy Birthday to my awesome husband.

Zack, I hope you have a wonderful day today!!!

As we approach the two-year anniversary of our journey to Ukraine to find William, I am once again reminded that there are so many other children throughout the world still waiting for a mommy and daddy to come and rescue them.

Another event that is just around the corner is my birthday. My mother-in-law and I were talking the other day and she said, “you need to be thinking about what you want for your birthday.”

So I began to think. I have more clothes than I should, a spacious house, a reliable car, a beautiful son, and an awesomely supportive husband. There is always food on the table, and plenty more in the cupboards. I have a wonderful church family, and the love of a Savior who died for me. I want for nothing, and there is nothing I need.

So instead of traditional birthday gifts, I want to sponsor a child from Reece’s Rainbow. And I am asking my friends, family, and blog buddies to help us celebrate my birthday and William's 2-year anniversary by supporting an orphan in Eastern Europe.


I’ve chosen to sponsor 3 ½ year old Lauren. She has some health issues that will be a lifelong struggle for her, but according to Reece’s Rainbow, she is an “active, happy and helpful little girl” who simply needs a family to love and support her. My goal is to raise $1,000 for her by November 17th (my bday). You can help make this happen!


Won’t you please help Lauren? Click on the Chip-in link below (or on the side bar of this blog) and make your donation. It’s tax deductible, and will go into an adoption fund specifically for Lauren. Once a family commits to her adoption, these funds will help offset their expenses.

Let’s make a difference in Lauren’s life!

If paying through Chip-in, please consider adding an extra 3% to cover the paypal fees that Reece’s Rainbow will incur. If you wish to pay by check, email me and I’ll get the address to you.

new blog design

I've updated the header and several of the link buttons (if you're reading in a blog viewer, click on over and see the actual site!). Let me know what you think!

Proverbs 18

When I read from the Bible, I typically use the NIV (New International Version) translation. However, I often like to go back and read the same passage in The Message translation. It is a little more modern and basic, and sometimes just puts things in a way that really hits home for me. This particlar verse stood out to me when I re-read it in The Message.

The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18: 21 (NIV)

Words kill, words give life;

they're either poison or fruit—you choose.

Proverbs 18: 21 (The Message)

As a parent, I'm even more aware of the need for an appropriate tone and delivery. I often find myself reminding William to speak kindly, and then I begin to think about what kind of example I'm setting for him. Do I speak with kindness? Is my tone controlled or accusatory? Am I speaking without thinking? I need to ask myself the same things I’m challenging him with, and live what I believe!

Parking Lot Proverbs

A few weeks ago, the guy that leads our small group at church talked about "Parking Lot Proverbs". Each morning, just before going into the office, he reads the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to that day of the month (that's right, there are 31 chapters!).

It sounded like a great idea to me, so I started it last week. And I'm really enjoying it! I'm the first one to arrive at the office, so before I get going with all the morning duties, I open my Bible and enjoy God's word. What a great way to start my day!

If you're looking for a way to get into God's word and don't know where to start, I encourage you to try the Proverbs method.

And from time to time, I will be sharing specific verses here on the blog that stood out to me from my daily reading, verses that will hopefully speak to you like they spoke to me. (See the post below about today's reading.)

Proverbs 17

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint.

And a man of understanding is even-tempered.

Proverbs 17:24

I often let words fly from my mouth without any real thought and care. My tone does not always edify. And at times, my choice of words does not show an even-temper or restraint. This morning I asked God to work in this area of my life. May I use wisdom in my speech, and may my words convey the love of my Savior.

Adopted for Life

Sometimes when I read a book, I keep a highlighter close by so I can mark my favorite quotes. Well, I just started a new book and as I went through the first chapter, I had to put the highlighter away for fear of marking up every word on every page...

At the advice of my blog friend Marcie, I purchased Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches. I haven’t gotten very far into the book yet, but I’m already hooked.

If you’re looking for a good read, and are ready to be challenged on our responsibilities as Christians in relation to the topic of adoption, I highly recommend that you go out and get this book!

Soccer

William is once again playing soccer. I'll have to upload some pictures when I get a chance, but in the meantime, if any of our local friends/family would like to attend a game, just send me an email and I'll give you his schedule! He plays almost every Saturday from now through November 21st.

Ukraine doesn't bend the rules for celebrities

Apparently Elton John made an appearance in a city not too far from William's home town over the weekend. He visited an orphanage for HIV-infected children, and felt a particular attraction to one little boy, 14-month old Lev, expressing his desire to pursue Lev's adoption. I knew that if Ukraine held him to the same standards as it holds other PAPs (potential adoptive parents), he would not be allowed to adopt for 2 reasons: 1) he is not traditionally married, and 2) he is more than 45 years older than the child.


And as it turns out, Ukraine is in fact sticking to their laws and according to THIS STORY, will not allow him and his partner David to petition the adoption of Lev.


My hope is that he doesn't use this as a reason to berate the Ukrainian government and authorities for laws that are already in place. I am personally glad to see a country who doesn't put celebrities before everyday people. Instead, I am hopeful that Mr. John will use his status and exposure to advocate for these children, and will take an active role in finding homes for them and others with special needs in Ukraine whose future is so bleak.

Overdue updates to the blog

FYI - I finally updated the "Other Blogs" link on the left. I also added a couple of recent pictures to the "Family Photos" link.

Answered Prayers

If you follow many Ukrainian adoption blogs, then you've likely heard about THIS STORY. I'm guessing this man thought he was doing a wonderful thing for these girls. But what he was really doing was jeopardizing the future of international adoptions in Ukraine.

Thankfully, there is now a happy ending, at least as far as adoptive families are concerned. The girls have been returned to their guardian. I'm especially thankful for this news as there are 2 couples in particular I'm praying for right now that will be heading to Ukraine soon.

Please pray for the McEacherns as they leave in about a week - they have a blog HERE.

And pray for another couple I know - they live in North Georgia and they have their appointment at the beginning of October.

Pray that God will clearly reveal these parents' children to them at their first appointment, that their journeys will be safe and peaceful, that all paperwork will go smoothly, and that they will return home with their children safely and swiftly.