An Introduction: Red Letters Campaign

I have decided to to try something a little out of my comfort zone. I am going to blog as an Adoption Journalist for the Red Letters Campaign website. The links have been here on my blog for a little while now, but now my blog will be linked on the RLC website. This is a step of faith for me because I began my blog as a way to journal my thoughts and feelings more for my own benefit than for anyone who might read it. So now, using my blog as a platform to share what Jesus has done in my life and continues to do as we follow Him in the Adoption Process is both exciting and scary. So, if you haven't yet checked out the links to the Red Letters Campaign, please do so. Tom Davis' book, Red Letters, is also a book I completely recommend.

Now, if you are new to my blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Staci. I love Jesus! (That is probably the most important thing I could say about myself.) I have been married for 16 years to a wonderful guy, and we have four kids(so far!!). They are Aidan(12), Elise(9), Isaac(4), and Camille(2). We have two bio kids, and two adopted kids. We are also in the process of adopting our fifth child. We are a foster/adopt family and have adopted through our county here in California. We have had a great experience, and I have learned a lot about about both foster care and adoption. We are also a multi-ethnic family built through transracial adoption.

With all that in mind, I love being a mom. Our family has so much fun together, I am so thankful that God has brought me this family! I am not perfect, and neither is my family. We make plenty of mistakes, but we are learning along the way. Also, I don't want to imply that the way I do things is the only way. I seek God and try to follow the way He is leading me, my only advice is for you to seek Him for yourself. I have learned a lot, hopefully some of it will be helpful to others, but I certainly don't know everything. I look forward to learning more about God, myself, my family and adoption as I continue to walk down this road.

Transitional Housing Outreach!

So, a couple of Sundays ago, I find myself at church alone. (This is HUGE, given I tend to be shy in large groups!) It was ministry fair weekend, which means all the various ministies available at church have a table so people can get to know them and find a place to connect or serve. During the worship time I was thinking about how I would love to find a place to serve where all my passions can come under one roof, so to speak. Just then the name of a local transitional housing facility in our area came to mind. I knew our church partnered with them in some way, but I was not really sure how. So, after the service I went looking to see if they had a ministry table, and of course, they did. God is so good, and speaks so clear sometimes!! As I approached the table the woman who introduced herself to me was wearing a "Ask me about Serna Village" T-shirt. We talked and she explained the monthly outreach, and I knew it was a God Thing that I had come to church (even though Brian couldn't) and not missed the ministry fair!

Once a month, a small group of people go to Serna Village to build relationships with and serve the residents in the name of Jesus. This happens as a meal is shared, and friendships are made. Games and crafts are done with the kids while the adults do other activities. It is an awesome opportunity to serve people who need to hear how much God loves them!! The people who live at Serna Village are transitioning out of homeless and/or drug and alcohol addiction. Many of the kids have been in foster care, and are now in reunification with their birth parents. In case you aren't sure what to think of this, IT IS AWESOME!! This is a crucial time in the lives of these families and, as the body of Christ, we need to step up, love them, serve them, support them and point them to Jesus!

I decided to take Elise with me the first time, since Brian and Aidan needed to be elsewhere. We showed up not really knowing what to expect, but ready to serve wherever the need was. We ended up working with the kids on crafts. It was such a great time! The kids are just great, and it was nice to be able to share with them while working on creative projects. Elise was so much help, and had a great attitude the whole time, even picking up garbage and cleaning up afterwards. We plan to go back and continue to serve as a family.

Now, as I pray, I have specific faces and names to lift up. One girl in particular broke my heart, not only for her, but for her mother. As we were making picture frames she told me one of the frames she was painting was for her mom to put a picture of her kids that have been adopted. She told me she her mom had a couple of kids younger than herself that were adopted. I told her that her mom would love it, and it would be very special to her. Even though I wanted too, I didn't cry!! I have two kids adopted out of the foster care system here locally. I really have a passion for these families. I know the best place for these kids is with their birth families, if they are able to pull themselves together and adequately parent their kids. My heart is with these mothers, and I want to support them and pray for them and their kids as they are reuniting and taking on the responsibility of parenting. I also understand from the adoptive parent side that kids are the biggest blessings in your life, whether born to you biologically or adopted. I pray for the birth families of my children regularly. I know God wants them as His own children. I hope someone will see beyond their "stuff" and love them to Jesus.

I know that the time spent at Serna Village is well spent. It is time spent loving families and kids and parents in Jesus' name. I can't wait to go back!

My Heart is at Home Book Study

Today I began a new women's group at church. We are reading and discussing the book, My Heart is at Home, by Jill Savage. I think it will be a great time of growth for all of us. The subtitle on the book is "Becoming the Intentional Mom Your Family Needs". I just knew God was leading me to this group, because it fits so well with the direction He has been leading me lately: simplify things, focus on my home and dig deeper into the Word. I love the idea of becoming more intentional in my mothering, and look forward to seeing where God is taking me.

After we introduced ourselves, we shared what we loved about motherhood and an area we could use help and prayer. This is an amazing group of women! I was so humbled by the requests that were shared. The needs ranged from typical parenting issues, to serious marital issues and personal struggles. I was confronted again with my own struggle with transparency. As each woman opened up, I was challenged to open up myself. (I was one of the first to share, but I know the opportunity for transparency will come again!) In my Bible reading today I came across these verses:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

God reminded me that I am to let His light shine through me. When I am not open and transparent with people, it is like I have a dirty lamp. The light is there and it is shinning, but the dirt makes the lamp less effective. Please do not take this as a theology lesson, just hear the main point. I am less effective at letting Jesus' light shine in my life when I hold back parts of who I am from the people around me. This is not how I want to live, so I will again get on my knees and ask for help in an area I keep stumbling over.

Garden Helpers!

Today I had some help in the garden. Isaac, Camille and I removed some old tomato plants,

and prepared the bed for new fall vegetables.

The kids even helped me turn over the soil to get it ready for planting.
With all this "help" it was a fun morning. It is funny though how God always uses the kids to teach me something. As we were working, I was thinking about how much easier this job would be without the "help". I know that it is the right thing to do to have the kids help me with the work around the house, so that is why I do it. It is not easier. Then God reminded me of a saying I heard a while back that goes something like this: "The right thing is rarely ever the easy thing." Wouldn't you agree that this is true? I have often found that the right thing to do is the harder option given a choice.

So, as I gardened with the little ones, I prayed that God would lead me in the way everlasting, and give me the courage to do the right thing and follow Him even when it is hard, or requires more of me. I don't want to look back at my life and regret not having made the right choices because I wanted to take the easy way.

Haiti

I am not even sure what to say about this. I know that as I watched this video clip my heart was broken. Why does our media not cover this? I have heard Haiti was hard hit by the hurricanes, but this video reminds me that these are people. Everyone who has been killed or injured is someones son, daughter, mother, father, sister or brother. God promises us to walk with us even when things are hard, or tragic. Do these people know that God is crying with them, wanting to hold them, comfort them and give them the peace of eternal life? I don't know. Here is the link. It is for mature audiences, but it is also reality. Are we mature enough for the reality of what is going on around the world? Seek what God would have you do after watching this. Donate to a reputable organization that is meeting needs and preaching Jesus in Haiti. Pray for Haiti. Go online and get informed about the realities people are facing in the world. Get involved and do something. As for me, I am going to start with praying for Haiti(and actually doing it!), and see how else God might lead me to get involved.
http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/slideshows/090808_haiti_floods/

Camille's Adoption Day!!

Today is Camille's Adoption Day!! In our family we celebrate the anniversary of each child's legal adoption as a family day. We are so blessed to have each of the kids, and Adoption Day reminds myself and them that God is good and has put us together as a family. Each of us being vitally important to the whole, with a special emphasis on the one whose adoption we are celebrating. It is like the anniversary of our wedding, we are remembering one of the most important days in our lives!!



So, here is Camille! She is two and a half, very articulate and full of spunk. When I think about adoption, I tend to think about what it means to me personally as a mom and parent. However, today while the kids were eating popsicles and swimming, I was thinking about adoption as it relates to siblings. One thing that I am confident of is that if God is calling you to something, He is calling your whole family if you are married and have kids. I knew I wanted to love, adore, play with and parent more kids. I also knew that adoption was the path God was calling us as parents to walk down. As we prayed about the decision to adopt, we (Brian and I) were convinced that if we were meant to be parents again, then Aidan, Elise and Isaac were meant to be siblings again. As I look at Camille, it is hard to imagine our life without her. I am so thankful for her, that God found us to be the right family for her and that her birth mother made the hard choice to carry her to term. She is an amazing little girl and our whole family, each of us as individuals, are better for having her in our lives.
In these pictures, she is laughing and playing with Isaac. I am amazed by how perfectly they tend to compliment each other. Isaac and Camille are only 15 months apart in age and tend to be inseparable like twins. God knew that Camille was the perfect little sister for Isaac when he placed her in our family. I am just so thankful that God has not only my best interests but also those of my kids at heart. I am in complete awe of how much He loves us, and how His ways are perfect. Camille is an ideal example of His love!

What a Busy Homemaker!

It is funny how some things that I do make me feel like a REAL homemaker. Baking bread, hanging laundry on the line outside and making my own laundry soap, for example! I am not sure why these activities more than others bring out that feeling in me, maybe it goes back to what I imagine Aunt Bea would be doing in Mayberry. This morning I made a new batch of laundry soap. It only takes about twenty minutes, but it saves sooo much money. Regardless of the reasons why, making your own laundry is simply smart if you are on a budget(like most of us these days)! It is so simple to do, and the cost savings vs. buying pre-made is astounding! I would encourage anyone to give it a try! Now about a recipe, there are many online to choose from. The one I use I found at The Family Homestead a wonderful resource for christian homemakers and homeshoolers. Here is the link: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/

As we are tightening up our budget, I am looking for ways to stretch our money. I don't work outside the home, so I see saving money as my way of helping with our finances. What I have found is that I enjoy the things that I am doing to save money more than I thought I would. Making bread, hanging out clothes and making laundry soap are just small things in my day that I enjoy doing with the benefit of a big impact on our monthly budget. Living simply and being at home more has given me the focus to try some new things. I am still trying some budget friendly recipes and looking for more ideas. I'll keep you posted on what works!!

Adoption Update!

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:13-17

God is so good! It is so comforting to know that as much as I love each of my kids, God loves them more. He has them in His hands from the moment they are conceived, until they join Him in heaven someday. Amazing love! With a God like this in control, I don't need to worry.

With that said, many of you know our home study was supposed to be finished on Aug.22nd. I spoke with our social worker this week, and she informed me it has yet to be STARTED. She had some emergencies come up, and ours is the next one she will do. I was frustrated to say the least! I am often reminded that my timing is not always God's timing, and His timing is perfect. I am confident that when the child he has planned for our family is ready to join us, our paperwork will be ready as well! He loves that child already, more than I ever could, and He will not let paperwork stand in the way of His plans! We have also found that even though it may seem a county adoption is like a bureaucratic machine; God works in and through this "machine" to do His own will!

So, we continue to wait expectantly!