Yesterday was a rough day. I tell you this has been the most stretching time of my life.  Learning to deal with who I am in a world that doesn't understand my love for Christ and what he has called us to do in this season.  Learning to turn towards Him in the bitter, hard moments.  Please Lord help me to have a loving heart that is full of grace and not a heart that is bitter.  I'm human and fall, but He keeps picking me back up and leading me down the path again.  I couldn't do this without Him holding my hand.

This morning I went to the mail box to find a check for 250.00 from a complete stranger.  Someone I don't know.  This person is from my town and felt led, and saw the need to bring home Nellie.  I opened the letter and was just in tears. I am just so thankful.   My God is good all the time, in the moments of sorrow, hardship and the moments of great Joy.  I am constantly in awe of who He is, working on a transformed life, becoming more like Him.  I know everything I go through is to draw me closer to Him, and to glorify His name.

We have 10,750  left to raise to go get Nellie.  I know we will get there. So hopeful that we will be able to travel in March.

I think over the past months since deciding that we wanted to bring home a precious little girl that you my readers have come to see how passionate I am about adoption.  For the past several months it seems to be what I live and breath, trying to get everything done to bring home a miracle girl.  There are many other things that our family are passionate about.
My husband is a people person.  When I send him on a five minute errand he will be gone for hours. Why because he is out talking to people.  When we are in the community he knows everyone.  He is a pastor and  one of his greatest joys is telling others about Jesus. Teaching others and seeing transformed lives.  He is a pastor of a very small church.  On any given Sunday we might have 15 to 20 people sitting in the seats of the church.  Our church and my husband are passionate about the lost, and definitively want to help those in great need.  Our church I feel puts our arms around those that others would turn away.
This gets me thinking, this is a statement for our family.  It's who we are.  We are a family that wraps our arms around those in need. I think it defines us well. It doesn't matter where your from, what you have, or how you dress. It just doesn't matter, we show others that they are loved.   So if you wonder what drives us, it is our love for our Savior.  We feel our Fathers love and we want people who don't know him to feel a glimpse of His love.   Especially those who would be overlooked by others.  If only a seed is planted from our actions than so be it.  My greatest wish is for others to see that I am who I am because I have a father in heaven who loves me so much.   If only they could see it, and know that they too are so treasured.
Our lives are a field to do the Lords work, we are not just Sunday Christians.  Nellie will be loved in our home, she will be taken care of, she will laugh, she will cry and know there is someone here to wipe away her tears.  She will have a home, but the most important thing is that she will be know about our Lord who loves her so much and has a plan for her life.  The possibilities are endless for her life, she can be who she wants to be with the help of a family who wants her,  and loves her.

Priorities

My week has been a bit frantic.  I have a tendency to try to fix everything and do everything myself for everyone else.  On Sunday, at church I walked in late to go to Sunday school, so I decided to watch my kids to see if they were behaving in there Sunday School class instead.  The kids were in a race to see who could built the highest tower of oreo cookies.  At first it was easy but by the time they got to 7 or 8 cookies there towers started to fall over.  There wise Sunday school teacher started talking about living a balanced life.  I'm not sure what passage they were studying but it reminded me of
 Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;


A lesson at that moment I really needed to think about.  I am a busy lady and have started thinking about redefining my priorities.  I came across this chart that kind of puts it all into perspective for me.  Trying to remember that in this busy season that the Lord is  my first priority and if I do that than everything else will fall into place.

Yeah, today in the mail we got dates to get our fingerprints done.  Hoping we can sneak in next week and get them done. Other than that we are still waiting on our medicals for our dossier, I guess it might be time to go sit in the doctors office until they hand me the document yet again  Praying we will get immigration approval quickly.  I'm hesitant but I need to call on Monday to see if they will rush our case.  Still hoping to have our dossier submitted when Nellie's country opens back up.

I know I keep talking about the photo contest, so far we have 8 cute entries.  Please consider entering you kiddos.  Registration deadline is Feb. 5th.


http://createarippleeffect.blogspot.com/

Okay, I'm coming to you guys to ask for help.  If you could please take ten minutes and post our contest on face book, on local boards, on twitter, on your blogs and get the word out. I really don't like asking, I know there are so many other families that need help.  I so don't deserve the help but these precious babies do.  We are only a few months away and still need so much more.  I truly have watched as the Lord has proved for us and am waiting to see how he walks us through this next step.  I'm so grateful that you all have opened your hearts and prayed for us through this.  I truly feel loved by so many of you.  I see your passion for orphans and I see your passion for Nellie.
Truly I was hoping that this baby contest would work. I know people are looking because we have almost 60 people liking our face book page.  Wouldn't it be awesome if we could get 60 people to actually post photos of there beautiful babies.  I know this is a good idea it is just about getting it out there for people to see.  I have 38 people that follow my blog and I know that if each one of you helped us we could have a lot more people reading about this fundraiser.
I'm hopeful that we will get there. These babies are my heart.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beautiful-Baby-Contest/212656692152180

http://createarippleeffect.blogspot.com/

BABY CONTEST FUNDRAISER!!!!

These babies above all have families desperately working to go get them.  All three of our families are struggling coming up with the money to go get our little ones.  Gracie's mama is going to be traveling in a week. They are having faith that they will come up with the funds needed to get there sweetheart.  As for Sydney and Lucien's mama she only has a few short months to raise a huge ransom. Then there is our family and we are trusting that we can get Nellie in March, and we have a huge amount left to go.  All of us going to rescue children are in this together so why not trying to fundraise together.  Fundraising has proven to be difficult for our families, but these are the times that we find ourselves clinging to the promise that God will provide.  Learning over and over how to be faithful to the one who loves us so much.  Drawing closer to him in the hard moments.  Knowing that He loves these babies more than we can imagine, keeps us going.  

So our newest fundraiser is a baby photo contest.

All proceeds from this fundraisers will 100% help these three families.  All the rules and regulations to this contest are on a new blog page so go check it out, and enter your babies.  Tell your friends to enter there sweet baby pictures.

http://createarippleeffect.blogspot.com/

The registration fee for this contest is how we are fundraising.  The more beautiful chubby cheeks entered the closer we get to bringing home our little ones.

Thank you Courageous Christmas Heroes

Wow, last night was so amazing, I watched as these amazing women advocated for Reeces Rainbows sweethearts with everything they had.  It was awesome to watch as little by little the Lord provided until every single child on the angel tree had hit there goal of 1000.00.  I still sit here in amazement.  What a way to start a new year.  You ladies know who you are. I wanted you know that your appreciated, saying thank you just doesn't seem enough for all you do. Wow, what an encouragement it is to watch you come together and live and breathe advocating for these precious children. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.  Different women who all have the same heart, passion that these little ones will find  homes.  I just wanted to take a moment to thank you.  Thank you women of God for the support network you provide for these wee children and the families that eventually find them.  Thank you for believing in them when no one else does, thank you for taking the time to pray for them.  God has used you in a mighty way.

I learned something about myself these past few months watching you.  My personality is happy being a fly on a wall, I watch people, and try not to be noticed.  I sat in that facebook room for the last few months and prayed for all of you. I watched and rejoiced as each  child met there goal.  I was jumping up and down when I would find out that one was going to have a family.  What I didn't do was shout to the end of the earth pleading with others to support and donate for these kiddos.  I didn't show photos of these kids so that others knew they needed homes. You wise women have driven me to do the same.  I will advocate with everything that I have.  I am no longer happy sitting idle watching as others do it, I to am on a mission to find these babies homes.  Bringing Nellie home is great, and no small task.  But all those other faces I stare  at there pictures day after day wondering when the next person will say yes, I will save that child.  There are just so many of them.  But I have faith that our God, can find them all homes in this upcoming year.  You all taught me a great lesson, be faithful, courageous and use my voice and I too can shout out to the world and help these children.  They are so worth it.