Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Praising God...
There have been countless moments of joy over the last two months as I have become a mother. Getting to know Niko and Mya have been life changing and it has been such a sweet time in Vermon and my lives.
We just got back from La Jolla in which we were able to spend a wonderful week on the beach with the kids (ah..gone are the days of reading 5 or 6 books on our weekend getaways :)).
This is a picture of Mya on the beach. There was a good half hour where Mya just sang at the top of her lungs praise songs to God, "God, you're the lover of my soul" or "God, you're so nice! God you made us! God we neeeeeeeeeed you." It didn't matter who walked by...Mya just sang as loud as she could. Sometimes it was while making sand castles, sometimes with her hands in the air just gazing out into the ocean.
Childlike faith. I wonder at what age she will become too self conscious to do that. What age did I become too self aware of others to determine when and where I praised the Lord so publicly? How glorious heaven will be when all of creation screams to the Lord in worship with no fear of man!
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5: 1-4
Monday, May 04, 2009
Family Like No Other Family
It has been almost a month since Niko and Mya have moved in with us full time. It has been such a wonderful, blessed time. I knew that fostering/adopting would be full of joy, but I had no idea just how much fun it would be and just how much the Lord would grow my heart to love overnight.
Since January when we started down this road of becoming parents, it has been filled with one blessing after another. The greatest blessing from God has been our church family and I just want to brag a little bit about them...
In order to have Niko and Mya live with us, we needed a 3 bedroom home. We had put an offer on a home/gone under contract with a bank the same week that we decided to move forward with having Niko and Mya move in with us. We were supposed to close at the end of February and have the kids move in sometime in March, but needless to say, nothing ever goes as planned.
Buying a foreclosed home turned out to be a nightmare. As of March, we found out it could be June until we moved into this home. By this point, Niko and Mya had been spending every weekend with us and we were already committed to being their "mommy and daddy." It was such a trial and so frustrating to try to figure out why this was happening and how we could get them to live with us as quick as possible.
As we asked those around us to pray, a couple in our church offered to switch houses with us. They had a 3 bedroom home just down the street. Within two weeks of joking about it, we were packed and ready to move. These were brothers and sisters in Christ we had just met and here they were just giving us their home. They packed up everything they owned in two weeks and swapped houses.
We moved four days before we had the kids move in with us full time. So many people showed up from church to help us move that both of our homes were completely moved in under two hours. After that, about ten women stayed and helped me unpack and put everything in the entire house away. By the time the weekend was over, we were moved in and ready for the licensing company to inspect our new home Monday morning.
It was a whirlwind and one of the most amazing things I have been a part of. To be on the receiving end of such a beautiful example of Christ-centered community moved me beyond words. I was able to go to work and tell all my co-workers about this great act of love.
Another sister from church gave me her car for nine months. Vermon and I had been happily sharing one car, but she was given a company car to drive back and forth to work in and wasn't using hers during the week. Instead of just letting it sit in her garage all week like most people would have (probably even me before all this), she gave it to me to use (and she kept paying her own insurance).
Other church family have instantly adopted Niko and Mya into their own families...seeing no distinction between their "biological" nieces and nephews and Niko and Mya. Others showed up our first three weeks to give us meals. Someone else arranged for firefighters to drop off bikes at our house for the kids. Others helped so much this first month as I have tried to finish out my work commitment/ late schedule with watching Niko and Mya, housekeeping, helping Vermon with some of his church commitments, and the list could go on and on…almost all of this happened without Vermon or I asking or suggesting this.
It has been a great illustration in our children’s lives as we talk with them about how nothing we have belongs to us, but it all belongs to God. We then talk about the many, many friends we have who have shown this to us. We talk about what it means to live life as though we had nothing, yet we have been richly blessed with everything. We tell them that we have more riches then we could ever hope for or imagine and all of this belongs to God and his purposes.
Recently, we were at the park and a homeless man approached us for money, I offered him one of our sandwiches instead and after he left Niko eagerly said, “but mommy…our money belongs to God, not you…shouldn’t you give him some, like Faith and Ryan gave us their house?”
Since January when we started down this road of becoming parents, it has been filled with one blessing after another. The greatest blessing from God has been our church family and I just want to brag a little bit about them...
In order to have Niko and Mya live with us, we needed a 3 bedroom home. We had put an offer on a home/gone under contract with a bank the same week that we decided to move forward with having Niko and Mya move in with us. We were supposed to close at the end of February and have the kids move in sometime in March, but needless to say, nothing ever goes as planned.
Buying a foreclosed home turned out to be a nightmare. As of March, we found out it could be June until we moved into this home. By this point, Niko and Mya had been spending every weekend with us and we were already committed to being their "mommy and daddy." It was such a trial and so frustrating to try to figure out why this was happening and how we could get them to live with us as quick as possible.
As we asked those around us to pray, a couple in our church offered to switch houses with us. They had a 3 bedroom home just down the street. Within two weeks of joking about it, we were packed and ready to move. These were brothers and sisters in Christ we had just met and here they were just giving us their home. They packed up everything they owned in two weeks and swapped houses.
We moved four days before we had the kids move in with us full time. So many people showed up from church to help us move that both of our homes were completely moved in under two hours. After that, about ten women stayed and helped me unpack and put everything in the entire house away. By the time the weekend was over, we were moved in and ready for the licensing company to inspect our new home Monday morning.
It was a whirlwind and one of the most amazing things I have been a part of. To be on the receiving end of such a beautiful example of Christ-centered community moved me beyond words. I was able to go to work and tell all my co-workers about this great act of love.
Another sister from church gave me her car for nine months. Vermon and I had been happily sharing one car, but she was given a company car to drive back and forth to work in and wasn't using hers during the week. Instead of just letting it sit in her garage all week like most people would have (probably even me before all this), she gave it to me to use (and she kept paying her own insurance).
Other church family have instantly adopted Niko and Mya into their own families...seeing no distinction between their "biological" nieces and nephews and Niko and Mya. Others showed up our first three weeks to give us meals. Someone else arranged for firefighters to drop off bikes at our house for the kids. Others helped so much this first month as I have tried to finish out my work commitment/ late schedule with watching Niko and Mya, housekeeping, helping Vermon with some of his church commitments, and the list could go on and on…almost all of this happened without Vermon or I asking or suggesting this.
It has been a great illustration in our children’s lives as we talk with them about how nothing we have belongs to us, but it all belongs to God. We then talk about the many, many friends we have who have shown this to us. We talk about what it means to live life as though we had nothing, yet we have been richly blessed with everything. We tell them that we have more riches then we could ever hope for or imagine and all of this belongs to God and his purposes.
Recently, we were at the park and a homeless man approached us for money, I offered him one of our sandwiches instead and after he left Niko eagerly said, “but mommy…our money belongs to God, not you…shouldn’t you give him some, like Faith and Ryan gave us their house?”
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Something to pray about...
Vermon and I have had a whirlwind of the last 3 weeks! We have been presented with the wonderful opportunity to become foster parents to a beautiful 4 year old girl and her wonderful 7 year old brother. The timing is about 7 months ahead of schedule for when we were planning on having kids and it isn't at all perfect with our lives and my career, but after meeting these wonderful children and seeing months continuing to pass with no option for them, Vermon and I felt we needed to strongly consider and pray about it...
There were a lot of factors that needed to fall into place before we could say yes. We needed a 3 bedroom house to pass state licensure standards, I needed to be able to come home from work earlier then 9pm, and Vermon needed a little creativity/flexibility with his schedule until I finish out some commitments I have at Sojourner. We started praying and both felt that these two precious children were clearly put in our path for a reason and we need to do whatever we can to ensure they have a Christ-centered, loving, safe, and nurturing home that they could go to together.
Please pray for us! Working as much as I do and getting ready to parent kids with deep needs is a little overwhelming right now, but I know God will give us the energy and strength. The kids have begun spending every weekend with us and will do that through March. In March we should close on our house and finish the licensing and then they will be with us permanently.
So...in the next 30 days we will be moving into a 3 bedroom just down the street, buying dozens of children's books, making many trips to the park, vastly shifting our priorities, reading parenting books, and adding two special additions to our family!
What a privilege God has given us!
(Once it is official I will post pictures and more details to the story (which is so obviously the Lord's doing!))
There were a lot of factors that needed to fall into place before we could say yes. We needed a 3 bedroom house to pass state licensure standards, I needed to be able to come home from work earlier then 9pm, and Vermon needed a little creativity/flexibility with his schedule until I finish out some commitments I have at Sojourner. We started praying and both felt that these two precious children were clearly put in our path for a reason and we need to do whatever we can to ensure they have a Christ-centered, loving, safe, and nurturing home that they could go to together.
Please pray for us! Working as much as I do and getting ready to parent kids with deep needs is a little overwhelming right now, but I know God will give us the energy and strength. The kids have begun spending every weekend with us and will do that through March. In March we should close on our house and finish the licensing and then they will be with us permanently.
So...in the next 30 days we will be moving into a 3 bedroom just down the street, buying dozens of children's books, making many trips to the park, vastly shifting our priorities, reading parenting books, and adding two special additions to our family!
What a privilege God has given us!
(Once it is official I will post pictures and more details to the story (which is so obviously the Lord's doing!))
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
My People Group
"A Christian is immortal until his work is done."
-James Fraser
I just finished reading a biography about James Fraser, a missionary to China in the early 1900's. I was very encouraged and challenged to read story after story about this man's passion for these remote tribes of people. He would spend hours and days praying and fasting for God to move among the Lisu and spent five years there before he saw any fruit of his work and prayer.
I have always been captivated by stories of missionaries who have devoted their life to a people group in India, Africa, Latin America, etc. There are stories told about people who spend hours and days in prayer, asking God to move greatly among these people they have been "called" to...only to see God move in powerful ways. I have read about entire tribes of people that decided to follow Christ who then ended their practices of child sacrifice, female circumcision, or infanticide. It is always compelling to me to hear of how God works greatly through men and women who have given all of their energy, time, and life fully to be used to worship and serve God.
As I read about James Fraser's life, I was especially convicted this time about the way I see who I have been "called" to. I often think, prayer and total dependence on the Lord, is the only way many of these men and women have been able to stay in some of these countries that they have been in to minister. But why is my life any different? Why do I not think of the people of Phoenix as being my people group that I am called to? America is no different then these remote tribes all over the world...they need a powerful encounter with Christ. Just like child sacrifice and female circumcision can end overnight when a "people" trust Jesus to be their savior...so can child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance use, social injustice, etc...when God really moves on a "people."
Prior to reading this book, I do not think I have ever thought of praying for God to move greatly in this city that I am living in. I have never asked God to redeem downtown Phoenix and make it whole and a beautiful reflection of who he is. I have passionately prayed for individual people, I have felt "called" to the women and children I work with, but I have never invested myself so fully as to see that I was placed in Phoenix by the Lord specifically to advance his kingdom and bring glory to his name in this city, among these people.
If only we could stop distinguishing between those "missionaries" all over the world and ourselves.
-James Fraser
I just finished reading a biography about James Fraser, a missionary to China in the early 1900's. I was very encouraged and challenged to read story after story about this man's passion for these remote tribes of people. He would spend hours and days praying and fasting for God to move among the Lisu and spent five years there before he saw any fruit of his work and prayer.
I have always been captivated by stories of missionaries who have devoted their life to a people group in India, Africa, Latin America, etc. There are stories told about people who spend hours and days in prayer, asking God to move greatly among these people they have been "called" to...only to see God move in powerful ways. I have read about entire tribes of people that decided to follow Christ who then ended their practices of child sacrifice, female circumcision, or infanticide. It is always compelling to me to hear of how God works greatly through men and women who have given all of their energy, time, and life fully to be used to worship and serve God.
As I read about James Fraser's life, I was especially convicted this time about the way I see who I have been "called" to. I often think, prayer and total dependence on the Lord, is the only way many of these men and women have been able to stay in some of these countries that they have been in to minister. But why is my life any different? Why do I not think of the people of Phoenix as being my people group that I am called to? America is no different then these remote tribes all over the world...they need a powerful encounter with Christ. Just like child sacrifice and female circumcision can end overnight when a "people" trust Jesus to be their savior...so can child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance use, social injustice, etc...when God really moves on a "people."
Prior to reading this book, I do not think I have ever thought of praying for God to move greatly in this city that I am living in. I have never asked God to redeem downtown Phoenix and make it whole and a beautiful reflection of who he is. I have passionately prayed for individual people, I have felt "called" to the women and children I work with, but I have never invested myself so fully as to see that I was placed in Phoenix by the Lord specifically to advance his kingdom and bring glory to his name in this city, among these people.
If only we could stop distinguishing between those "missionaries" all over the world and ourselves.
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