Four Years Ago Today

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  The things of earth did turn strangely dim on November 14, 2009.  My walk with God grew much deeper and my perspective on life turned way more eternal.  

Four years ago today I held my precious baby girl in my arms for the first and last time.  God called her home to be with Him at just the perfect time.  Of course selfishly I would love for her time on earth to be far more than 9 hours.  I think of all the fun things we could have done together and all the things she would be doing with Nathan and Owen. But these are all in my earthly perspective.  I am so thankful God has given me an eternal perspective of Mia's life.  He united people in prayer for her in many different nations and denominations.  He brought people on their knees at His thrown who had not been there in quite a while.  She had a life well lived and now is enjoying eternity with our Heavenly Father.  Earth is temporal but eternity is everlasting.  I will spend eternity with my daughter. 

Four years ago today I saw two of my precious sons for the first time....so tiny and frail.  

Four years ago today we started a journey that I never planned to take.  This journey is amazing and given a second chance I would absolutely do it again.  Nathan and Owen have many more challenges than most people but not a single challenge that God did not specifically place in them for His glory.  God uses their special needs as special abilities to share His love, glory, faithfulness and miracles.  Our family is blessed by our sons.

Preston and I had the opportunity to read to Nathan and Owen's class at school today.  We were also able to go to lunch with them.  They were so excited we were there.  Owen was a little overcome with emotion and cried for a while.

Logan's Annual Cookie Party

Since Logan was one year old he has held an annual cookie party.  The vision behind the Cookie Party is to teach Logan to make something (with less and less help each year) and use it to give to those less fortunate.  Friends are invited to enjoy cookies, hot chocolate, hot tea and coffee.  A small box is placed on the cookie table.  Friends may give a donation if they desire.  Each year the Cookie Party has raised money for the Samaritan's Purse Feed a Hungry Baby for a Week program.  We decided this year to place the funds raised into our adoption account.  We feel helping bring our girl from an orphanage in the Ukraine into our home is a very worthy cause.  We would love for all of you to come and enjoy some great fellowship and yummy cookies.  Invite a friend.

Logan's baptism

This morning Logan share in the beautiful outward sign of the work God is doing in his life through baptism.  Logan prayed to receive Christ on July 25th.  He has been excitedly waiting for this day to arrive.  It was wonderful to have so many family join us at the service this morning.

Mia's Celebration Dinner

Each year we gather a group of friends and family, all whom were instrumental and supportive of our family during Mia's life and passing.  We fellowship and share a meal together in remembrance of the incredible life she lived and the fact that she fulfilled the purpose God gave her on earth in just 9 hours.  Here are just a few fun snapshots from the evening!

Our backyard

This weekend is really the first weekend we explored around our backyard.  It is so beautiful!  We plan to spend much more time hiking around back there.  I just had to get a few pictures of Logan in this beautiful surrounding while we were out there.

4th Birthday Party!!!!

Saturday our house was full of 50+ friends and family here to celebrate Nathan, Owen and their friend Mason's 4th birthday party.  We had an incredible time and were so blessed that so many came to wish the boys a happy birthday.

 I thought this big sign would help those who had not been to our house before!

 The younger kids played in the play room and swing set a lot while the older kids were outside playing soccer, football and basketball.

 Of course we had football on the tv.

We can't wait to see such a huge group together at their 5th birthday!

J K L M N O P

The only journey worth taking is that which obediently follows Christ.

When God calls us to do something we should respond with joyful obedience.  God knows what is best for each of us and He has an eternal perspective.  Our lives are an adventurous story written by God himself since the beginning of time.  We are very excited to embark on this next adventurous journey God has placed in front of us.

About two years ago Preston and I started talking about the possibility of adoption.  We are definitely finished having biological children but really felt God beginning to place the desire to share His love, His provision for a family and His value for all His children with one more incredible blessing in our lives, an adopted child.

There are 143 million orphans in the world.  That number is so big it is hard to wrap my head around it.  While, I can't do anything for all 143 million, I can give a family to 1.  If every Christian family gave 1 child the blessing of making them a part of their family then the 143 million would equal 0.  God calls all of us to care for the orphans. James 1:27 states, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

God painted a beautiful picture of adoption when He adopted each of us as His children!

Romans 8:12-17

So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,  for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Galatians 4:4-6

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

All children are an incredible blessings.  All children have special abilities and challenges.  No child is  perfect but they are all created by our perfect God.  If we seek to see our children through God's eyes they will always be a blessing.  We know God will give us His strength through this journey through adoption, just as He gives us the strength to live our every day lives.  A few scriptures that came to mind are following.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Colossians 1:10-12

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Today we are officially beginning our adoption process by turning in our adoption application.  For the past several weeks we attended a few informational meetings with Lifeline Adoption Services, the adoption agency we are using.  We particularly love this agency because Lifeline understands adoption as a calling to share God's love with a child, just as God has shared His love with us through Christ.

We are confident God is calling us to adopt from the Ukraine.  Honestly, this is not the country we initially thought we would adopt from, but God has confirmed this is the place for us.  We are very excited.  We will soon begin learning Russian so that we can communicate some with our child when she comes home.  Ukrainian adoption is different than most in that we will not be matched with our child until we are in the Ukraine.  Also, children are not up for international adoption until age 6.  Our plan is to adopt a girl between the ages of 6-9.  Of course, if God has other plans we will happily submit to them!

So, how does the subject have anything to do with the rest of this post?  Our names — though this was totally unplanned — go in alphabetical order for the most part.  We did not even realize this until a friend pointed it out.  Depending on lots of factors since we are adopting an older child, our initial thought would be to name her with a K: Karis.  So, our names would be Janelle, Karis, Logan, Mia, Nathan, Owen and Preston.