Joseph's Adoption Hearing!

Praise God!!

We have adoption hearing date for Joseph! Although there has been no reason to believe his adoption wouldn't go through, it is always such a relief to finalize the adoption. We all love Joseph so much, and are so glad to finally be his forever family! It is times like these when the goodness of God is simply unquestionable!

A fortune cookie revelation!

"A great pleasure in life is doing what others say you can't."

Last week we decided to get Panda Express and eat dinner watching a movie (the kids love getting to eat dinner at the coffee table!) When we finished our meals, we all opened our fortune cookies and read them to the rest of the family. We always laugh at the silly, sometimes coincidental messages. Usually they say things like, "Good fortune will smile on you Tuesday." We don't put any stock into what they say, we just find them funny, until Brian read Camille's fortune. Sometimes things are too close for comfort! Her fortune read, "A great pleasure in life is doing things others say you can't." That is our little Camille to a tee right now. She takes great pleasure in doing the things Brian and I say she can't. I am sure the quote was meant to be uplifting, but in the context of Camille, it is a clear picture of our human nature. Don't we all want to do things our own way, especially when someone else(or God) tells us not to! So, my solution for Camille has been to plant the seeds of God's Word in her heart and mind. She has recently memorized Colossians 3:20 "You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord." It is good to be reminded that when we do the right thing it pleases the Lord, and it is a better pleasure to please the Lord than to do things our own way! (God always uses my kids to teach me about my own heart!!)

No Excuses!

I was driving to church last week, on my way to Bible study. We are doing a Precept study on the book of John. As many of you know the precept studies are awesome, but a lot of work! Well, I didn't finish my study and I was thinking about all the reasons I was too busy to get it done. When the Lord spoke very clearly to me. He said,"Having five kids is no excuse for poor character." Wow! Let me be clear, this was not a criticism, it is the truth. God is not in the business of condemning us, but correcting us. I knew what he was saying was right and I was very convicted.
It is funny how many times I hear, "Five kids, how do you do it? I can barely manage two!" Or, if I share I had a hard time getting something done, "Well, you have so many kids around all the time, it's understandable!" So, it was easy to allow myself the same excuses other people are willing to offer me.
So, as I was driving, I realized that, yes, I have been allowing my five kids to become an excuse for poor character in some areas of my life. Completing my Bible Study for example. Of course, I could have made the time to get it done. I didn't last week, but I did this week. It was good to spend the time in God's word studying, better than anything else I could have found to keep myself too busy!

Homeschooling Perfection!

What a perfect homeschool moment! All of the kids at the table, working on age appropriate activities, happily learning together! Even the baby is coloring with his homemade toddler crayons! I should really just leave my post with this, but then I would be denying the reader the reality of the moment. Yes, it is true that in this brief moment the kids were being angels, but this didn't last long!


The true story is that we had been having a particularly hard morning. (Joseph is into everything and has made me rethink my school schedule for Isaac and Camille. They now do most of their school while Joseph is napping!) I was, however, determined that I could make this work. And I did, for a couple of minutes!


I do love homeschooling, and I am glad that we made the decision to walk down this road. I am also learning about flexibility, and what schooling two kids, raising a family, keeping a house and all of the other responsibilities I have looks like. It does look different than I expected, but it has been a great adventure so far! (And, yes, I did make the toddler crayons!!)

Joseph and the CA Budget Crisis!

Joseph fell asleep in his high chair tonight while we were all eating dinner! I guess cantaloupe and chicken just isn't exciting enough for him!


Although Joseph's adoption is moving along as expected, there have been some curves in the road! We requested a new adoption worker for him after a less than professional experience with the worker he had been assigned. I met with her supervisor; she was very kind, and I felt that she really listened to what I had to say. She said she would assign a new worker after his hearing to terminate his birth parents parental rights(which was at the end of last month). His original worker represented him at the hearing, and the court decided to terminate parental rights, as well as, grant us the power to make educational decisions for Joseph prior to the adoption finalization. This seemed strange at first given he was only 10 months old at the time of the hearing, but I think it has more to do with requesting resources and services for him if the need arises. (He has a follow-up developmental assessment in August.) So, everything was moving along. However, due to the California budget crisis, 1/3 of all the staff in adoptions will be laid off or reassigned. This means that he will be assigned a new adoption worker at some point, but we don't know when. Until that time the supervisor has taken on his case, which I am happy with. She is very pleasant to work with. Unfortunately, our homestudy worker is being reassigned to another dept., so we will be assigned a new one. I am very sad about this because our homestudy worker has been very supportive throughout our whole process, and we will miss her! All homestudies are now on hold while the department re-organizes. Luckily, our homestudy was finished prior to placement! I asked if this would affect our finalization time frame, and nobody knows for sure. I would think that the county would want to get the adoptions that are close to finalization finished and off the case load, but this is the government...so who knows! God has all of this under control!

Joseph Update!

I realize it has been too long since I have updated this blog! It isn't that I have had nothing to say, I have simply not known what to share. For the first time since starting our adoption/foster care process we have had trouble with a social worker. I will not be able to share the details here until everything has been resolved, but I have filed a formal complaint against Joseph's adoption worker(not our home study worker).This will not affect his adoption proceeding forward(or shouldn't!) and we will be granted a new worker for Joseph after an upcoming meeting with the supervisor.

This has been very stressful for me, and something I have definitely spent a lot of time in prayer about. As an pre-adoptive family, like in the case of Joseph, I do not want to do anything that rocks the boat, or causes the social workers to have any reason not to like our family. We really want to fly under the radar of the system, jumping through the necessary hoops and as smoothly and quickly as possible adopt our kids. So, to file a complaint against his worker goes against what feels safe in this situation. However, the worker's actions have left us with no other course of action. So, please pray specifically that the supervisor hears what I have to say in the way I intend it; that we will indeed be granted a new worker, who will not be put off by our action toward the past worker; and that Joseph's parental rights termination hearing which is scheduled for the end of the month will go forward as planned. I know God is BIG, and that ALL of this is in his hands! I also see that God has asked me to step out in faith more lately, and he continues to prove himself faithful to me.


So, here are some cute pictures of Joseph I took the other night! He now has two teeth! He also is crawling, up on his hands and knees, not the army man crawl anymore! Joseph is also pulling to standing at, but not yet cruising the furniture. So Cute!

I thought this was soooo cute, Joseph fell asleep curled up next to Brian. I had to take some pictures!

PS. I am sorry about the crazy picture location. I was having trouble getting them to line up the way I wanted them!

Urban Farming!

I guess we are not alone in our endeavor to grow more of what we eat! We were the first people we knew to take out our lawn and put in a garden. And yes, I have my eye on our front lawn. It is so wasteful to water and fertilize such a large space, when it could be providing food. I know that a lot of people think this is crazy, but I think it is sensible. I also know that the yard can be beautiful without lawn. I wouldn't row garden like the folks in the video, but what an awesome idea to include your neighbors! What a great way to build community, sharing something we all need and love...food. Can we make a living sharing our passion for gardening and growing your own food? We think we can, and we are about to give it a try!!

Isaiah 42:16

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

Isaiah 42:16

God brought this verse to my attention this week, and it has been very comforting! The novelty of Brian's lay-off has certainly worn off now. Now it is the reality of following God into something new. I feel virtually blind as we look at all of the directions open to us(or should I say closed?). How do you pick? How do you know which way God wants you to go? Sometimes, in the past, God has spoken very clearly and the decision before us was whether or not we would obey. Brian's Africa trip has been like that. But what to do for work, for income? That seems to be another story. We have an idea, we have prayed, we don't feel God is saying "No!", and there is peace to take the next step. I guess in times like these you prayerfully take one step at a time, and continue to seek God's will; measuring each decision against God's word. I am thankful to be reminded by God's word that along these unfamiliar paths He will guide me. He won't let us get too far off track! He will also make rough places smooth. I understand that to mean that along the path we will encounter rough places...and at that point He will make it smooth. First, we have to experience the rough place to appreciate when the change to smooth is made. I also see that in the midst of our rough time right now, God is there, smoothing out the rough edges of our lives. Unfortunately, that means my character is being developed...and that isn't always easy or fun! But, the last part of the promise is that during all of this He is there and will never forsake me! Praise God!!

What is this?

I have been wanting to grow this since reading about growing it in either: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver or This Organic Life by Joan Dye Gussow.

So, I am so excited to finally have this in my garden. I planted it a while back and I thought it had died, but much to my surprise, here it is!! This is what I love about gardening, I am always amazed and surprised by what I can and cannot grow. I am not yet convinced that I will have a plentiful crop(I will have to wait a year or two!) I am, however, happy today in this moment to see this delicious vegetable growing in my garden. Brian asked after I took this picture if I was planning to keep them, because he was thinking of taking them out. Is he crazy? That is the difficulty of sharing a garden, sometimes we don't see eye to eye on what to plant. There is no discussion, they will stay!

Just in case you didn't figure it out....it's ASPARAGUS!!!

SCARED by Tom Davis

There is a new book coming out by Tom Davis, it looks like a must read!

Scared - A Novel on the Edge of the World from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.

Reece's Rainbow

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" Proverbs 24:12

I read this Bible verse for the first time about a month ago(At least I don't remember reading it before!). I cannot get it out of my head. I don't want to be held accountable to act because of the things I know. I want to be able to pretend things are fine, and people aren't hurting. I think this verse also buts up against the apathy that seems to be my natural tendency. It is easier to close my eyes to the hardships around me than it is to respond with action. But God is so good about calling us to look beyond ourselves and our comfort and see what He sees. I've been reading James for my quiet time in the morning, and I am reminded that my faith is worthless without action. (This would be a good time to listen to Screen Door by Rich Mullins on the playlist to your left!) So, I guess my plan is to try to see the opportunities God puts before me and pray about the action I should take in response to what I see. Easier said than done, I know!

Here is an example of God touching my heart and the action I have chosen. I recently read a blog with a link to Reece's Rainbow: http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ . This is an organization that aids the international adoption of children with Down Syndrome. They have also begun to help kids with other special needs from around the world find forever families. I don't really know a lot about Reece's Rainbow, so if your heart leans towards these beautiful kids, please do your research! However, as I read over the profiles of the kids who are waiting, and looked at their pictures...I was humbled. God loves these kids and I do believe that His heart is that each child would grow up with loving parents and a family. I have to think that special needs kids have special families waiting for them. So, even though my heart was deeply touched by these kids, another adoption is not in our near future(other than Joseph's finalization, of course!) However, I do want to share these kids and Reece's Rainbow with other people, so naturally it is on my blog. I hope if you read this, you will take the time to check out their website. Who knows, maybe God will break your heart for these kids also!

A Day in the Garden!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, almost 80 degrees! Since the weather was so perfect we decided to do some gardening. Elise and Isaac picked the last of the peas before we cleared the bed for tomatoes. We cleared all of our beds, turned vermiculite and compost in to the soil and started planting. So far, we have tomatoes, okra, zucchini, white bush zucchini, scallopini squash,

tabasco peppers and cucumbers. Brian is clearing the left over cauliflower plants! Camille and Joseph played in the sun!

It does feel good to be outside!This is my strawberry bed. I have decided to let the strawberries take it over. It used to be the herb garden, but they will have a new home this year.

TOMATOES!!

(Yellow Pear, Mexico, Purple Russian and Early Girl)

Camille ended up with Brian's hat!

This is a great picture of Brian and Joseph!

We had a great day in the garden. We harvested carrots, onions, and beets which I roasted with some olive oil and garlic for dinner! We also ate peas from the garden which were so sweet and delicious! I am excited for the new plants to grow, and to eat tomatoes and squash to our hearts content!
While we were working in the garden, Elise and Isaac found a caterpillar. This caterpillar they named wormie. They created a home for him with a mason jar, leaves, etc. They decided to write a report about him, so they are making notes about him each day. Today is day two. It is so exciting to see the kids excited about learning! It also fun to watch how naturally the older kids help the younger kids learn. Elise has helped Isaac with the data collection. This is one example of learning happening the way I envision learning will take place when we home school. I guess we already do!
Elise took this picture!

Changes!

Well, the bad economy has finally hit home! Brian lost his job this week. He was the vice president of land development for a local home builder. So, we knew it was a possibility but we were hoping to hold on until things turned around. It is good to know during times like these that God promises to take care of us!

How do you make decisions during times when so many things tend to be up in the air? We pray! God was leading us into some very specific things, and we don't feel His directions have changed. So, we are moving forward with Brian's mission trip to Kenya, Aidan's mission trip to the Dominican Republic and our decision to home school in the fall. All of these things feel like a bigger step of faith than they did a week ago!! I just know that although things are hard for many of us here in the U.S., things are much harder for those Brian and Aidan want to serve. We are also excited to see how God is going to provide for these trips, and who will be blessed for supporting what God is doing around the world!

I am also still very excited to begin the journey of home schooling this fall. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on(currently 'The Teenage Liberation Handbook', a dangerous choice for sure!), and researching curriculum choices online. I have also begun going to the home school co-op meetings at my church. I am amazed at the diversity of families who are walking this road together. So, even though I am not sure where Brian will be working, or if we will be relocating, I am sure I want to invest in the kids by schooling them at home.

So, many things in our lives are in a state of change right now, but God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!! A Bible verse that has been on my mind lately is: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

So, we had a free weekend, something of a luxury for us lately, so we decided to take a road trip! Brian likes the show Man vs. Food, and saw a show featuring restaurants in San Jose. Since one of the restaurants was BBQ, and San Jose in only a couple of hours away, and we were free, that settled it and we were off! Our first stop was for some teriyaki for lunch, then we went to a park we found online. The Guadalupe River Park is something like a river walk or a bike trail. It was nice, and the kids had fun running around on the bike trail. It was, however, confusing! We ended up at a dead end, which led us to follow a dirt path, climb under an open place in a fence and cross a railroad bridge to catch the trail on the other side of the river(Not quite as dramatic as Stand By Me, but dangerous just the same!). Yes, we did all this while pushing Joseph in a stroller!

At one end of the park was a park with some really fun climbing equipment!

There was also a carousel, which Brian, Elise, Isaac and Camille road on.

Go Sharks!!

After playing at the park, we went to our original destination, Henry's Hi-Life. We got there just before the crown from the Sharks game, and had a great time! It is a really old restaurant, and they serve really great BBQ! Brian didn't do the Man vs. Food challenge, but I ordered ribs for the first time in my life!!Here we are inside the bar waiting to be seated for dinner. Joseph is in the stroller next to us!

We had a really great day, and really great meal!

AIDS in my Region!

How do you find information on a subject that nobody want to talk about? Add to that laws that are in place to protect people from discrimination(which are good, by the way), and you come up with almost nothing. I have been hearing about the AIDS pandemic and my heart is broken. As a family we are praying for the children and families affected, and what our response will be. I also began to wonder how AIDS is affecting my own region, and whether there are kids in the foster care system with AIDS that are available for adoption. I am not seeking profiles of specific children, I am just wondering if they exist. My research has led to dead ends, and statistics about HIV/AIDS being on the rise here where I live. There must be a need Christians to make a difference here also, but where and with who?

My conclusion, we as a people are still extremely uncomfortable with acknowledging the presence of HIV/AIDS in our own communities. This is sad, I thought we were moving past this. It must be easier at some level to accept the global pandemic as occurring far from home, and the majority of cases are, but there are still people here in the communities in which we already live who are struggling with the reality of AIDS in their own lives.

I want to think and act both globally and locally!

Adoption Update, Home Schooling & Kenya!!

It has been a while since I have had the chance to update this blog. Our hard drive crashed a month or so ago, and we have been without a computer. It was eye opening to realize how much I use my computer during the day! So, now everything is fixed, and I have some BIG updates!!

First, Baby J. had his hearing to determine the status of the reunification services being offered to his birth mom. The court decided to end services, make adoption his permanency plan and move him from the Family Reunification Dept. into Adoptions. This was the news we were hoping to hear. So, the next step in the process is for the courts to remove parental rights from the birth parent, which allows us to move forward with the petition to adopt him. From this point forward the process is fairly straight forward, with little opportunity for involvement by the birth parents. (They are allowed to appeal the process, but that is limited.) So, we stand at another crossroad which is so familiar to adoptive families. Every decision has two (or three) sides to it. For each decision that lands in our favor, there is a birth family that is losing the opportunity to know this really great kid. Yes, I know their decisions have brought them to the place they are in now, but my heart breaks for them just the same. They are in my prayers.

Second, this probably deserves its own blog entry, and I will come back to this in more detail soon, but... I have decided to homeschool Elise and Isaac in the fall. I also plan to homeschool Camille and Baby J. when they are ready. For those of you who know me, you know that this is HUGE! It is definitely a decision that has been bathed in prayer and a long time in coming. I am totally excited and will post more about it later!

Lastly, Brian is going to KENYA!!! He has been praying about our families' involvement in Kenya for a while now, and God has provided an opportunity for him to go on a short term mission this summer. In fact, this January our pastor announced that our church, in connection with Compassion International will be stepping up their involvement in Kenya, and a couple of other countries(I will let you know more as I know more). In fact, he has been gone with his family to visit Kenya and the other locations during the last few weeks. It is just so exciting to see how God puts everything together. Brian's heart for Kenya, our churches increased involvement there, and the opportunity to go serve. God is good!! So, please pray for us as we prepare for Brian to go, raise money during a recession, and continue to walk the path God has laid out for us. Our desire is to live a life of obedience to Jesus, regardless of the cost or consequence. When I told my parents Brian was going to Kenya the first thing my dad asked was, "Is it safe?" I love my parents, and they are Christians who love Jesus but they missed the point. Please watch the Francis Chan video. It is short, but clearly illustrates this point!

Adoption Update(Finally)!!

Our computer crashed a couple of weeks ago, so I haven't been able to update the blog. So, here is the latest update on the adoption of Baby J. His court hearing was continued until the 26th of this month because not all the paperwork was completed by his social worker in time for the hearing. Now I realize these are very over-worked and underpaid people, but when my sons permanency is put on hold because someone simply didn't do their job...that really drives me crazy! I am thankful that the hearing was continued relatively soon, only a couple of weeks. Please pray that the next hearing will actually be heard, and progress can be made!

Goose Eggs and Lucky Days!

Yesterday, when we were leaving church I realized that Isaac had a new bump right in the middle of his forehead. When I asked him what happened, he reluctantly told me that he ran into the gate at church(Lately, he is sensitive to being teased or standing out in any way.) I asked him if he cried because the goose egg on his head looked like it must have hurt. He said "No!" then asked what a goose egg was, and I thought I explained to him that it was just a funny name we have given bumps like the one he had on his head. Later, at lunch he asked me if everyone had goose eggs in their heads or just him! I had to laugh! After more explaining, I think he understands now!
Today, when I was getting Camille out of her car seat she asked me, "Is today my lucky day?" I have no idea where she got that from, but I told her "Yes! And it's mine too, because I get to be with you!" We had a good giggle and a hug!
Kids just say the funniest things!

No More Candyland!!!

I remember it like it was yesterday... I carried the tattered box out to the garbage and threw it in. I thought I was done with Candyland forever, or at least until I had grand kids! I was totally relieved, I really don't like Candyland(or Chutes and Ladders). But that was before Isaac, Camille and Baby J. came along.

So, this afternoon the UPS delivery truck showed up, and a box was left on my doorstep. Inside that box was Candyland! I had completely forgotten about ordering it with reward points right before Christmas. It must have been a moment of weakness, when I thought a childhood isn't really complete without playing Candyland! So, tonight the kids gathered around the coffee table for a rousing game, and had a great time. Elise wanted to teach the little ones how to play, so I was off the hook! I tried not to act relieved!

Adoption and Reunification

It has been a while since I have blogged specifically about adoption. I think in my regular, day-to-day life I forget that we are in the process of adopting Baby J. I feel that he is already mine, and maybe I prefer to think of him that way, instead of in process. However, his birth mom has a hearing next week that should decide whether or not to continue offering her reunification services. As this date approaches, I am divided. Of course my heart is hoping for her services to be terminated and for us to be one step closer to officially adopting Baby J. But, there is the side of me that understands the weight of each hearing, and the loss involved both for Baby J. and his birth mom. I continue to pray for each of my kids' birth parents, and I truly hope for the best for each of them. I know the best thing for any of them is that they would meet and fall in love with Jesus. That is my main prayer for them! So, today as I think about adoption, I am hesitantly excited, anxiously hopeful, and obediently prayerful. Does that make sense?

1000 Books?

OK, here it is... The Kesler Family 1000 Book Challenge!!

As a family we read a lot. So, there isn't really a need to encourage reading or literacy around here. However, I wanted to come up with something to reward the kids for the great job they are already doing and reinforce something we think is invaluable...reading. So I came up with the idea for the Kesler Family 1000 Book Challenge.

The idea is simple, we will log each book read by every family member and celebrate at 100 book intervals until we reach 1000. When we reach 1000 books we will do something extra special as a family! This is not about getting bogged down in a bunch of rules (as I explained to my oldest son), but about having fun! We will count any book, read by anyone or to anyone in the family, including books on tape we listen to in the car. The books can be read more than once(we do have 4 & 3 year olds in the house!), and toddler board books also count. I used an old, half used notebook to make a log, and included date, title of book, read by, and audience columns. Yesterday was our first day logging books, and we wrote down ten books, which is less than usual, maybe because we didn't read to the little ones before bed last night! I expect this to take a little while, but that is OK. I also want to have the family vote on the reward at the end. We aren't in a rush, so we have time to come up with something fun!!

Another thing our family has done, but we are out of the habit lately, is that the older kids each read a book to their younger buddy every day. We learned about the buddy system from the Duggars on TV. We use it loosely, but it has been a great help! So, we are back in the "read to your buddy" mode, which has been great for providing one more way to build a close relationship between siblings!

Inauguration Day!

Please don't consider this a political post, it is far from that. Instead I see this as a post about hope, possibilities, and a better future. Regardless of your political bent, or mine for that matter, today was an amazing day for our country. I am not a political person, and to be honest politics overwhelms me. But today my bi-racial son and daughter watched the swearing in of our first bi-racial president. (The other kids were at school and will watch the recording tonight. My husband didn't want me to keep them home since we are recording the inauguration to watch later!!) I know the little ones really didn't understand what was going on. I did let them know it was important, and they had the opportunity to see people of color in a very prestigious setting. I was very moved! My kids will grow up never having known a time when a black child couldn't grow up dreaming of becoming the president, and actually have it happen. Things aren't perfect, and I am not naive to the racial tension that still exists in this country. But I have to believe that today was step forward. I am grateful to have been able to witness history in the making. Who knows, maybe one of my children will be the President of the United States of America? That dream is no longer too big for anyone to dream!!

New Direction?

So, how do you decide to take your life in a completely new direction? I guess for me it is continuing to follow God wherever He leads. My husband and I are praying about some HUGE, life changing decisions. I can't share yet, but God continues to draw us closer to himself and in that process we are changing. We are changing our minds about things we never thought we'd do, and places we never thought we'd go(literally and figuratively)! The verse that our church has made the "verse of the year" is:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

It is so reassuring to know that whatever situation we find ourselves in God is there with us!!! I think I just needed to remind myself of that today!

Everyday Life!

What a sweetie! Baby J. is such a great addition to our family. He has just slipped right in to all of our hearts, and seems unaffected by the busy nature of our lives.

This is where he tends to take many of his naps. On the kitchen counter, among the newspaper, books, and dishes. He seems very content to be in the middle of things(the kitchen is the hub of the house). He likes to be close to me and he will sit in his seat and hang out with me while I do dishes or make dinner. At least for now!!


We moved some furniture around, so we could have our old computer in the living room. Isaac thinks it is his! He has really enjoyed learning to play some preschool level computer games. It is nice to have the computer downstairs where I can see it. Since I am planning to home school Isaac for Kindergarten in the fall, we are rethinking the use of some of the spaces in our house. What an exciting time! God is doing a new thing!!

My son...the orphan!

My son is an orphan. That seems like an almost impossible statement, but it is true. In the past, when I have thought about orphans they have lived on the other side of the world, not in my own home. However, our newest son(what we consider him) is technically an orphan. I have never really considered my own kids orphans. Even during the time before they officially joined our family. I guess it is because I feel that God has always planned for them to be part of my family, and they haven't had to wait long. However, that doesn't change the fact that until our adoption finalizes(hopefully later in 2009) he is an orphan. As I look at him, I am so thankful that God has brought him home to us, but my heart breaks for the kids still waiting!

No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. John 14:18

It is funny how sometimes God speaks to you through a verse in a new and exciting way, even though you have read it many times before. This happened to me with this verse recently. I have been thinking about what it might feel like to be left as an orphan. How alone, desperate, helpless and hopeless that feeling must be. Add to that being sick, deathly sick, and hungry. It is almost unbearable for me to even let my thoughts wander to that place. Yet, that is the reality for so many of the worlds orphans. How fortunate I am not to have to live the life of an orphan. In the true physical sense, or in a spiritual sense. How good God is! His promise to us is real. I will not abandon you as orphans. THANK YOU JESUS!! How can I be Jesus to these kids...show them they will not be abandoned any longer as orphans...bring Jesus to them? (Obviously this does not include me adopting all of them, so I need to pray about otherways to be involved!)

My Verses of the Year: 2009!!

John 15
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.



Each year as the holidays come to an end and the new year begins, God puts a verse, or verses on my heart. I usually pray over them for a few days, and then adopt them as my "Verses of the Year". The first step is to memorize them, then God has me meditate on them at different times throughout the year. It has been awesome to see how God has used the verses He gave me in January much later in the year, when I have almost forgotten about them! Well, this year it is a fairly well known section of scripture. I have bits and pieces of it already memorized, but I do look forward to learning the whole thing in context of the other verses!

I was thinking about these verses when I read them as my daily scripture in a new devotional I am doing. God is always good about confirming things! So, I am thrilled, and scared when I read(really read)these verses. I have been feeling lately like I need to simplify my spiritual life like I have my daily life. I need to get back to the basics(not that I have been far off). I need to focus on reading my Bible, prayer, and helping others in Jesus name. I am excited to see where this new year will take me!

During the Christmas break, we went to lunch after church one day with all the kids. We were sitting at a mexican food place talking about church, life and the new year. The kids all said they wanted to adopt more kids. They have been saying this even though we have a new baby at home! (We told them a while back to pray for a different house if they want a bigger family...We are full!) This is when Brian said he feels that we should be praying for our situation in regards to adoption, and for what our families' growing involvement in Africa might be. This is a big statement from Brian.

So, where is God leading our family? I don't knowexactly. I do know we will dig deeper into His word and prayer. We will continue to grow through serving the people in our community and at church. Hopefully we will finalize Baby J.'s adoption!! Please pray that whereever God leads we will follow!