One Year Ago

This weekend has been full of disappointments caused by yet another yucky virus entering our home, but the Lord has been challenging me to find blessings in the midst of negative circumstances. Tonight I was having an especially hard time finding anything positive about missing church twice in one day, meaning I missed out on fellowship with other believers, corporate worship, seeing friends, and especially tonight's missions month service--a presentation by Embrace, the orphan care ministry started exactly one year ago at Brookhaven.

But not soon after I starting thinking tonight was just a huge disappointment, the Lord filled my heart with reminders of where He has brought my family in this past year. One year ago tonight, I sat in the MFC after having spent several months seeking the Lord's direction for my family, specifically in how He wanted to use me as a new mom. I had spent several months pulling back from quite a few of my "good" activities in order to seek the Lord's "best" for this new stage of life.

Last year on this Sunday night the Lord began unveiling the first glimpses of His new best for my family. We sat and listened to the presentation on a brand-new ministry being started at Brookaven called Embrace: Arms Open Wide to Receive a Child. I remember vividly sitting there thinking, "Lord, you are asking us to jump on board with this, aren't you?" knowing He was clearly saying "yes" as part of the answer to my months of prayer. I contacted Mike and Lori McDivitt right away and expressed interest in our family's involvement with this new ministry. Little did I know that step was just the small beginning of what the Lord wanted to do in our family.

After meeting with Lori and others in the early stage of Embrace brainstorming, the Lord began stirring up a more intense desire to consider adoption. We had had adoption or foster care in the back of our minds for a few years, but we had nearly written it off as a "later" item on our list, not something to consider yet as parents of an infant.

But God had other thoughts. You see, He has always been the defender of the fatherless and is always working to set the lonely in families. The child in crisis is always on His mind, never saved for a later date but always of first and foremost importance. As we sought His direction for our family, His surprising answer to our seeking was "Defend one of my little ones. Be his/her advocate. Adopt him/her into your family as I adopted you into Mine." The Lord confirmed over a period of months that we needed to step out in faith, trust Him, and pursue adoption.

To date, the journey has been everything others promised it would be: thrilling, exciting, full of adventure, and full of spiritual battles sometimes resulting in discouragement, disillusionment, and doubt. We are learning over and over (and OVER) of the need to rest in the Lord, trust in His promises, and continue stepping out in faith to pursue the little one He wants to place in our family. We thank you again and again for joining with us in prayer through this journey: we can't emphasize enough the spiritual battle that takes place for a child's life, so your prayers are absolutely crucial.

May He continue to burden our hearts for His little ones in crisis around the world!

Sweet Reflections

February is one of our favorite months, not because of Valentines' Day (though an extra time to say "I Love You" is never bad), but because 7 years ago on February 18 we exchanged vows at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church, promising to love each other in sickness and health, wealth and poverty, and all the other things that we said but can't remember because we were so love-struck looking into each other's eyes. What we didn't know 7 years ago was how much deeper the Lord would grow our love for each other and for Him as we entered the realm of parenting, and even deeper still as we embarked on the journey of adoption together.

These past seven years of marriage have been full of rich blessings as we've sailed through both smooth and rough waters. Through periods of doubt, financial blessing, loss, new friendships, closed doors, and new pathways laid before us, the Lord has been so faithful to hold us up and guide us forward when we cling to Him. He has faithfully corrected our short sight when we lost view of His larger picture while staring at immediate problems instead. We can't wait to keep travelling the road of marriage as we hold tight to the Lord!

Along with our anniversary, February is "missions month" at Brookhaven each year, a time we have really grown to love! While our family has never felt a call to foreign missions, we are consistently challenged each year to pursue reaching into the lives of others as the Lord calls and orchestrates. Through the years we have been challenged during missions month in prayer, faith promise giving, and most recently, to pursue the call of adoption and orphan care ministry. This year is proving to be a powerful affirmation of the Lord's call on our lives to continue pursuing adoption and has reminded us that when we are powerless and weak, HE is mighty and strong! We can't wait for the rest of missions month.

As we continue on this adoption journey, we are anticipating great things! We were reminded of God's greatness today through the account of the feeding of the 5,000. Five loaves and 2 fishes were placed in the Lord's hands, and He divided it over and over and over until there were baskets left over after all the people were fed! What a great God we serve! 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20