The week of April 16

The week of April 16, is very special to my heart. On this week in 2011 , I was praying for my family and asking God if we were done. We had brought the boys home that summer before. We were busy and my heart was full, my schedule was full. But I wasn't sure if we were done. As I sat praying durning my quite time, I saw a picture of me holding a baby, chasing a wet dog through the house. This beautiful baby had blonde hair, blueish eyes and she seemed very small and young but somehow I knew she was older then she seemed. I wrote the whole thing down not knowing if I was just day dreaming or if it was a vision from the Lord.  I never thought much of it after I wrote it down, just tucked into my heart. Then in October of 2012 , I seen a beautiful little girl with the same hair pretties as the girl in my picture I had seen , she had similar hair and coloring too. I was shocked. I called on her and she had already been chosen. Thats when I realized I did want one more. I tucked it away and kept praying.  Then in February of 2013. I was on a site where I pray for kids who are up for adoption, I love to see matched next to their names. And there she was, it was her without a doubt.  She was real,  I couldn't believe it. The same beautiful blonde haired, blueish eyes , the same baby face. I ran out and told Steven. He just smiled. He said he would pray for her. As I went to bed that night I prayed for a flashing billboard.  I wanted to know without a doubt that this little girl was the one. In my heart I felt God telling me, 'I already gave it to you go look, you wrote it down.' I remembered my journal entry.  I ran to my closet and opened up to the week of April 16. And began to read , I was shocked details of this little girl were in there, things I dont even remember writing down. I ran out and had Steven read it.
I knew without a doubt she was my baby. After a week of praying Steven said yes lets go for it. We dont meet all the requirements to adopt from the country she was in so we knew we would need weavers. But we also knew that if God planned for this little girl to be ours He would move mountains. We asked the agency her file was with to ask for approval,  at first they were on board, until they found out we had 8 kids at home. They didnt work with large families.  I was shocked, she was ours how could the door shut so quickly. We went out on a date thst night and I was in tears over the whole thing. Steven finally said no we keep fighting,  the country never said no the agency did.  We hadn't told more then two people about what was going on. And didnt want to tell we had approval. So I asked if I could call a friend who had adopted from this country before. Steven said go for it. I called and told her the whole story.  When I got done talking she asked me one question,  ' do you believe without a doubt she is yours?' The answer yes! Then she said 'then God will find a way go get her home.' She called the agency that she had worked with and talked to them, they called me and asked a few more questions.  And then told me they would fight for our family and our little girl. She said I would hear back from  her within a few days. She told me what they planned to do to get the file locked into for us.
It was over a week before she got back to me , I was sitting in the dentist waiting for one of my kids. I seen Alabama area code on my phone,  I quickly answered.  She comfirmed it was me and then said congrats momma we have her file locked in.  They need us to fill out a application and file a letter of intent to adopt her. I was in tears. God had move mountains !! We still had to get approval but by now we knew God had a plan for this little girl and our family.
It took almost 5 weeks to get everything done to file for approval.  And on the week of April 16 we got a call, we had been approved!!!! God had moved mountains again. She was our little girl. When God has a plan nothing stands in His way. Our sweet Elle wasnt even born when he showed me her sweet face . He already knew where she would spend the rest of her life. He knew that when her birth mom seen her sweet face, she would know that the people around would never accept who she was. He knew she would make the next best chose and put her up for adoption,  I believe that she loved her baby. That she knew that even though she would love that child forever she couldnt raise her in the country she was born. Elle has a special need called albinism. And not all cultures accept children with special needs.
God had a plan and He chose us to be a apart of it. I feel very blessed that He would chose us to place this sweet baby with.
We have a few more weeks to go to get Elle home and lots money to raise but we also have peace that God will finish what He has started.

Update

We got our update on our baby girl today.  Be still oh my heart! We got a video again. She is getting so big. She is now crawling,  pulling her self up to stand and climbing up and over the low crib railings. She is pretty quiet in each video of her. She is a busy little girl, she will keep me on my toes for sure. Her beautiful blonde hair seems to be shave , very common in orphanages.  She is still as cute as ever. I cant wait to have her home. They are saying she now weights 19 pounds!  And is 30 inches tall. She is growing!  ( most parents say they weight them with thier clothes on, so take 3-4 pounds) still she is growing :)
We are still waiting for our letter of approval,  it will come in His time.

LID

We were LID as of December 9th. The letter of approvals have been taken around 45 days. Once we get that it should be two months till we travel.....cant wait !!! We sent Elle a Christmas gift a small Picture of our family. We hope to get a update next. Which sounds like the perfect gift for this momma!

Matching Grant

We are honored to have been giving a matching grant from Lifesong for orphans. This is a $2000 dollar matching grant. So every dollar you put in they put in up to $2000. Each donation is tax-deductible and they will keep accepting donation till Elle is home. Our goal is to have our grant matched by February 5, 2014. 100% of the funds raised goes straight to Elle's adoption. there are a few ways to give.
Mail-Please make checks payable to "Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note "family account number #3979" and "family name-Questad"to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.

Another option is to give online. Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate. Select "Give to an Adoptive Family." Complete the online form and fill in "Family Account Number-#3979" and "Family Name-Questad" Fields. In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use. Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

You can also donate through the donate button on our blog. Thank you so much for your continued  support and prayers!

AUCTION!! AUCTION!!

ITS THAT TIME OPEN AUCTION !! This event is open to everyone, please feel free to add as many friends and family as you can and share this event!!!  we cant do this without your help. here is the link to the auction. It is only a 5 DAY auction !!! So be quick and check often to keep your bid winning.
Auction for Elle

My daughters heart

So as parents Steven and I decided to try take each child once they hit middle school on a mission trip. Why middle school? because life is in consent change then, reality checks are a must. This coming year would be Isak and Rucy's turn to go. So we offered them to come to Ch*na to get Elle. The other catch about coming on a mission trip they have to make a huge effort to fund raise at lest 3/4 of their own way. Rucy (13) decided this was to much work and offered Taya her spot. Both Isak and Taya are more then thrilled at the idea of coming with us. Fund raising for middle schoolers are never easy. They have gone out and put their best foot forward. I have loved seeing their hearts work toward this. They were able to raise a couple hundred dollars each so far. They need $1000 each to go. When we didn't get our last grant, I told them I didn't know if they could come. Fund raising is hard and we need to focus on paying all our fees first. I know their hearts broke but I needed to tell them now just in case it doesn't happen. Taya wasn't going to take that answer, She turned to me and said' well mom YOU don't know what GOD has planned, He can provide a way if He choses'. I love her heart and she couldn't be more right, if HE wills Isak and Taya will be coming with but for now we have to focus on payments to our agency. with all that said Taya is selling Christmas ornaments  to help pay for her trip. They are $10 each and half goes to her and the other half goes to Haitians missions. If you feel lead to purchase one let me know. We can ship them any where.

Christmas shopping with a purpose!!!

We have lots of items popping up on our fund raising page. Be sure to stop by that perfect gift may be there for you!! Coming Thursday our online line auction will be up and running. these items can be picked up   or mailed anywhere. Be ready to do some bidding, it will only run for 5 days!!!

Here is the link to our facebook fund raising page
https://www.facebook.com/events/198713886945808/?fref=ts

Raffle!!!!

My sister in law is doing a raffle for a Kindle Fire HD!!! Its $10 a ticket and every penny raised goes to help get Elle home. It can be shipped anywhere, and it will be shipped by Christmas. This is a online raffle. I am putting a link up for you to follow and learn how to enter!!!
Rafflehttps://www.facebook.com/events/1416580695243570/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

DTC

Finally after 7 weeks, since we have had our 800a approval, we are dossier to Ch*na! Its been a bumpy 7 weeks lots of corrections and lost things but here we are! moving forward. Adoption is such a waiting game. It sometimes just feels overwhelming. Its hard to think that when we started that it looked like we could travel in February but now we are hoping to get her home around her birthday. It could even be later then that. We are  working on fundraising and looking for more grants to apply for. God has a plan for funded this adoption , we are just looking for what path he wants us to take. We are doing a bizarre this weekend and a auction the first week of December.
We requested a update on our baby 3 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything back. Its hard to not hearing how she is doing and whats going on in her life. Please pray we hear soon! Please be praying for provision for our adoption. We did get two grants this last week, they were small but covered our next payment. Mania you only get enough for that day or that next payment :)

We are so thrilled to be DTC. Next we wait to hear we are logged in. Then comes the big wait letter of approval. I have seen them quick for some families and slow for others. We are praying we get to be one of the quick families. But we do trust Gods timing and He will bring our baby home when He sees fit.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Matthew 25:40

And the king will answer and say 'Assuredly, I say to you , inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

This verse speaks volumes to my heart this week. As our ministry gears up for our annual conference. I asked the Lord to focus me. He gave me this verse. The least of these....The reason we set our hearts toward God. The passion He brings out in us to help , the least of these. As Christians we all need to be aware of this. There are the least of these all around us. We ignore the post from a friend who post of a orphan across the world. We ignore the plea from a homeless person on the street. We ignore the foster child stuck in the system . We ignore the abuse of the least of these all the time. We would rather live in our bubble and pretend they don't need us. But the truth is they do need YOU. Stand up , be the one to meet one need today. The least of these are waiting wondering when someone somewhere will.

one step closer

One step at a time

We have our approval!!! after a long week of wedding, wedding. we came home to our approval letter. Our papers will soon be on their way to Ch*na!!! I can breath easier knowing we have all our papers and state side stuff is
 done. Now we wait for our LOA and a few more papers. I could be holding my little girl within 6 months!!!! Prayers for a timely LOA and provision for our adoption is very much appreciated!

I-800 update

Well we hit the 60 day marker from receipt. So I decided to call and check on the progress of our application. After talking to many different people who were not very helpful , I got the right person. I had to leave a message and wait for her to call back. When she did it was not the news I wanted. Some how our home study had gotten miss placed. And she couldn't process our application without it. She also said I over paid my fee. ( we still have yet to get to the end of that one). I called my agency and thank God she was on top of things. She called the officer right away and decided to over night her a new copy. Sigh, I hate hiccups when it comes to adoption. It doesn't look like this will set us back to far. I am praying now that the officer, who is getting it over nighted to her  will process it right away. So once again we play the waiting game. If, that's a big IF they process it this week we would wait for our dosser to be authenticate  and then send to Ch*na. that takes about two weeks to be logged in. After that is the big wait, some families are waiting 125 days and other families 25 days to get a letter of approval. We are praying for the 25 but know that it usually takes 60 days. As we wait we are praying our little girls heart is being prepared to come home. Its funny to miss someone you have never meet but I do........

Fingerprints

Last Tuesday we did our last bit of paperwork we had to do. Fingerprints !!! They are done, now we wait to get approval. We drove a hour and ten minutes to get to the office, walked in and were done in five minutes! Then we drove a hour and ten minutes home. Done! they were super quick, we are praying to have approval by September 15. Then it is DTC!!! I cant wait. After that its a lot more waiting, waiting to hear we are logged in, then waiting to get letter of approval, article 5 and lots more waiting but each LID, LOA gets us one step closer to TA. Which is travel approval. We are praying for Gods perfect timing. We are also praying that is in February .....Our family has a lot of down time during this month. No sports! But God has a plan and we will trust Him.

Summer is almost over and fall sports have started. Our super busy season is starting up. It will help pass time by quickly. The kids start school in 9 days!!! We are all ready for schedules to be back on track and life to settle in. The fundraising has been going slow but still going. Enjoy what's left of summer. Thanks again for your prayer and support.

Fund raising!!!

We have a awesome opportunity  to fund raise with Olive tree. You can see the link on our blog. Go check them out, we get a % of each thing sold from our site. Such a cool way for people to support us! feel free to share the site with your friends and family!

video

And 11 seconds of our baby.....

Blessings

When I opened my email last night I was not accepting a update. We ordered a care package but it took weeks last time . This time it took 3 days!!! We got to ask 10 questions about our little Elle to her nannies. She is growing!!! Since November she has gained 6 pounds. She now weights 19 pounds and is 30inches long. So she has grown 6 inches taller too. She is now sitting up on her own, as you can see in the one picture she is standing holding onto the side of her crib. Of course we are head over heels even more in love with our little girl. I cant wait to hold her in my arms. We got a video too but I couldn't get it to down load . I am going to try a few different ways today. updates are the best! Have a great day, this mommies heart is soaring !

Moving FORWARD!!!!

We have moved forward!!! YAY!! We have our home study DONE! I don't have in hand yet but soon. I have read it so I know it is done. Wow, does it feel nice to get this far. We also sent off our 800, today. Ya, one more step done. This document is for immigration to approve us to get a visa to bring Elle home. Now we wait for them to send us a appointment to drive up to Yakima and get finger printed, then we wait for a approval. The last few ones I have seen other families file  has taken between 57-65 day after receipt to have approval. So shortest time frame is September 7 and longest ( it could be longer then this but hopefully not) September 16. You never know sometimes things will surprise you either way, longer or shorter . After this Our dosser we get notarized and sent to country! That will be a awesome feeling. With each step comes a new payment but thanks to everyone who has supported us, we were able to make our next payment today. we also paid for our 800. Which wiped out the fund raising account :) But I know God has a plan for the next payment, we are praying for His guidance. And praise Him for providing each penny as we go.
We are trying to work on some more fundraising ideas and jobs to raise the next payment. Trusting Him and His plan. Prayers are always welcome :) Now off to fill out grant papers and get dinner going! Praise HIM who makes ALL things possible!!! Have a great weekend!

Waiting.....

She wants to be done waiting too! ;)

Well here we sitting waiting. I do OKAY waiting for a time but then I go stir crazy. I am really bad about setting goals in my head. I have learned to set them out far but when they are not meet I crash. I know God's timing is always best and so I cant complain. Its just HARD! We are so ready to move forward. My goal in my head was to have our home study done by July 1. Its getting worked on but not done. We cant praise the Lord enough for providing the money for our next step. Our agency breaks up the payments making it easier to pay smaller sums. We are ready for the next step but we wait.....We would love some prayers or should I say I would love some prayers. Not just for my heart as we wait but for our home study to be done. Our next step is the 800 and this is taking right around 60 days to be approved. Then we can send our dossier to Ch*na. I am cant wait!! Prayers also needed for our little lady as she waits. Please pray she is being taking care of and that the Lord would be preparing her heart to come home. Have a very blessed fourth of July!

Our family

Not a whole lot happening on the adoption front. We did a yard sale and were very blessed through it. We are getting closer to our next payment, just over half way. our home study is still in the works....slowly be surely it will be done. Then we can file our 800.

On another note a lot of people have  asked how or why we do sports. well simple we love it. yes it can get crazy having 7 kids running 7 different directions. But for our family it works. This is simply our kids season....What else would we be doing? watching more TV? sitting on our couch more? No thanks, I would rather be on the sidelines of a game cheering on one of my kids. Helping them work through both the good and bad of each game or practices. Teaching them that hard work will pay off someday. Watching them learn to work as a team and learn to work under people you don't really agree with. Life lessons , its how we have been able to work applying those hard life lessons to everyday life. Its also how each one of our kids gets time alone with each parent. As we are driving to and from practices it gives some great one on one time to with each kid. Some of our best conversation have came in the car. This crazy run, run schedule doesn't work for ever family but for our family right now it does. Someday we may pull back and decided it is to much but for now it works great. I guess for me it is one of the reasons I am glad I had have had my family when I was younger , so I could keep up with them all. I know some great people have started later then me and have kept up just fine :)

Hopefully soon I can update on our adoption and say we are now waiting for our I 800 to be approved and sending our dosser off the Ch*na.  For now I am off to pick up the next group of kiddos!

Update and more fundraising

It made my day to see my baby's face when I got up this morning. She looks so healthy and happy. Oh I cant wait to hold this little one in my arms. God is so good!!

We have been busy doing fundraising and finding papers for our dossier. Here is our newest fundraiser beautiful jewelry Made by a lady who helps families and ministries fund raise. Each necklace is $24 dollars and I will ship it for just $2. Each one has a scripture on the back.

Matt. 11:28

Eph. 3:18

Joshua 1:9

1 Peter 5:7

Ex. 14:14

 

Prov.3:5-6

Jer.29:11

Prov.3:5-6

Eph.3:18

1Peter 5:7

Is.40:11

Phil.1:3

Eph.3:18

 

Eph.3:18

 

 

To order just email me scquestad@aol.com, you can pay in person, via mail or by the donation button. Thanks so much for your support!!!

Little update

As we look forward to having our little one home we have lots of things to do. We have been busy jump starting our fund raisers . We just got our beautiful necklaces in this week. If you want to have a look at them go to our event page on facebook. We are super excited to see God moving things along. We finally have our last home study visit coming up. Then that part will be done and then once she finishes writing it we can do the next step the 800. slowly but surely we move each day closer to having our sweet girl in our arms.

https://www.facebook.com/events/198713886945808/

We were so looking forward to seeing pictures our little Elle with her Birthday cake. But still we wait. You are never guaranteed to get them , yet we were sure hoping we would. Gods timing right? He has a plan for when we get to see new pictures of our Elle. Well we wait her is one we haven't shared yet. don't you just love that little face?

Let the fundraising begin!!!

To start out our fundraising I opened a Etsy store to sell prints of my photography. They are 12x12 canvas prints you can hang any where!

CrystalsJoy on Etsy

You can order through my Etsy store or if you live close by email me - scquestad@aol.com.

Also we are selling these beautiful aprons, this fund raiser helps supports us and also families in rural Asia and Uganda. We will share the profit for each one sold!! I will have 6 weeks to sell what I have on hand and then if it works I may do it again. This is a great product!!!They will make great mother's day gifts!! Shipping is 3.00 each, please add that onto the total when paying. You can pay to paypal , click on the donate button on the side bar or you can pay in person.Make sure to put which one you want in your email or on the paypal detail. Please make sure if I am shipping it to  you send me your address. scquestad@aol.com

Annie Jane $30.00

Vivan $30.00

Eleanor Blue $26.00

 

Bridget $30.00

Ava $22.00

Eleanor $26.00

 

Priscilla$30.00

 

Elle turns TWO!

I love this picture of her!

It's so sad to be so far away when one of your kiddos has a Birthday. All four of my adopted kids have had birthdays after we signed papers for them. Each time God has blessed us with a way to send a birthday gift. This time its no different. We were able to send a birthday cake, a blanket and a little panda bear. along with a birthday card with two picture of us in it. I cant wait to get picture and a update on our little princess. I am really hoping she has gained some weight since her last update, which was in November. She was only 13 pounds and 25 inches tall. Some of my 3 months old were bigger then that.
We cant wait to have our little one home. We had our second Home study meeting this week. just a few more visits to go. Then once that's done we can get moving on more paper work. We have most of our papers we needed done for this step done. We are working on our training. I wish things moved quicker but each step takes time. All our kids are so excited to have another little sister. Two of our kids really want to travel with us to go pick her up. They each gathered up all the money they had and put it in a jar. They have plans on what jobs they can do and who they want to call and see if they need help. I love seeing their hearts.
Happy Birthday to our baby girl, we are praying that we will be celebrating face to face for Birthday # 3!!

Our baby!

Wow, here we are number #9!!! I cant believe I am going to have nine! We were so excited to announce to our kids last night at dinner. We had waited till we had pre approval before we told any one. I loved watching each one process the information. Some at first were quite, others were excited from the moment they saw her picture. and then there were a few that were confused on what was going on, they later caught up with the hype of the table. As we sat eating and talking about what albinism was and what it would look like on a day to day base, I watched as God set each heart on fire to get their little sister home. We also talked about what delays she has and I just loved my 13 year old view, 'so she will be a baby longer.' yep buddy that's right, she will be a baby longer. This tiny 13lb girl will be our baby.

How did we get here? Well I seen my little one's picture back on February 1. I was so drawn to her, I began to pray for her and her forever family.  As a few days went by I realized I wanted to be that family. I ask for her file and showed Steven. He prayed too. We both felt that she was the one. Through a bunch of hoops we jumped. Our amazing agency got her file and off we went. it took us a little longer then I thought to get our papers for LOI but it all came together. After what felt like forever but it was really only 8 days we got PA (pre approval).
We are just thrilled to be called out again to parent another child. We know that parenting is never easy, we also know through adoption is never easy. Parenting is such a refining process, as we hit each speed bump with each kid. We learn a news lesson and helpfully so does your kiddo. We love this season in our lives. Kid season! i love watching each child grow in their own way and learn to become the person God wants them to be. I know its not all roses but every once in awhile you get to see a part that your child has struggled with for some time and see them grow through it, that's roses!
Now we are off , we have lots of fundraising to do and papers to get ready. We know God has a plan for all of this and we put our trust in him.

distractions

distractions......

Its funny how in life we get so distracted but our trials. My husband and I were talking about how many blessing we have gotten through the trails we have gone through. As a mom of eight and four adopted sometimes all I can see is the trial at hand. forgotten all i gained over the last few years. All the life long friendships the Lord has given me. Had we said 'no' to the Lord ,on His will.We would have never gained. During my quite time the Lord walked me through each trail. and each blessing He had given me. Wow, I missed the big picture! each trial has brought out a sinful part of me that God had wanted me to give up. It was painful but oh so worth it. I read somewhere a adoptive dad was being interview, he was just starting his second or third adoption. The person asked him ' aren't you worried about the kids you have at home? you have gone through so much, why do it again?' .I loved the dads answer, " no, this is not about us, the Lord never said following Him would be comfortable.' And there it is, He never said when we say yes to Him , He would make everything a walk in the park. But what He did say was that you wouldn't go through it alone. After a really hard week at home I vented to a sweet friend. She was a little blow away, I hope I didn't scare her away from adopting. After I got done talking, all she could say was 'adoption is raw'. Yes, it is but it is still worth it! Everyone goes through trails, not everyone goes through the same ones. I wrote a book this last year. Not sure it will go anywhere but saved in my computer but I will share the end of it here.

'Learning to Dance in the rain'


Life is about learning to dance in the rain. My rain storm may not look like yours but it’s still a storm. As each new rain drop falls God pulls me in closer, teaching me new things. Healing hearts that are broken and loving us even when we don’t deserve it. He is my umbrella the one you sustains me. Sure I am not perfect and neither are my children. But we were created in the eye of a God who believes in us. Who is willing to take the time to show us how to dance. This dance isn't always easy. Believe me step on many toes. But it is worth every moment; every rain drop that falls teaches us something new about how much our God truly loves us. And some day we will see that rain cloud coming and we will meet it with our rain boots. Ready to go jump in the puddles. Because we will know that even when the rain falls we have a God who will be there. He will be working in us so we can see that beautiful rainbow at the end.

Our storms are there to teach us, not destroy us

All That to say don't get distracted by what you face today. God has a great plan for you trust Him whether life is comfortable or not....

Books

Recently I read two great books. I have to recommand them to you. They are a little bit hard to read in the fact they are reality. But sometimes we need a little reality.

Tom Davis- Scared
kay Bratt- Silent Tears- A journey of a Chinese Orphanage

http://www.amazon.com/Scared-Novel-World-Tom-Davis/dp/1589191021/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155639&sr=1-1&keywords=scared+tom+davis

http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Tears-Journey-Chinese-Orphanage/dp/054774496X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155711&sr=1-1&keywords=silent+tears+a+journey+of+hope+in+a+chinese+orphanage

Okay then there is a third book, its short but a great story-

kay Bratt- The bridge
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bridge-ebook/dp/B0064BYJN8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362155711&sr=1-2&keywords=silent+tears+a+journey+of+hope+in+a+chinese+orphanage

Raw emotions

As a young girl I had a seed planted in my heart for orphans. Now as I see it in older eyes, my passion has grown stronger. Sometimes my heart is so heavy with their cries I feel as though it could burst. When we went to Ethiopia the first time I thought I was prepared for the orphanages but hearing and seeing is two very different things. My heart was ripped out with reality. My second trip wasn't much better, don't get me wrong I loved being there and hugging on as many babies as I could. This last summer went on a mission trip to Jamaica. I went with my 13 year old son, it was a amazing experience. Working in the orphanage each day was hard knowing what these Little ones had gone through. My heart just broke....There are so many orphans! It can get just overwhelming. But that's when God brings me back to the smaller picture. One orphan at a time, i know if you just look at numbers its to many. But if you take the time to see a face hear a story and let your heart care. YOU can make a difference. How? sponsor a child, support a family who is adopting or doing foster care, support a missionary. We cant all go- all the time but you can give a week or more to give a orphan HOPE. When we shared at our church after our mission trip my son put it right ' I just wanted to go and give them a picture of what a big brother could be. I wanted to see them smile, even if it was for a week they would know someone cared.' Its the truth, he could see the small picture. Please don't just say I wish this or I wish that. Do something, pray about how God wants you to apply Matthew 25: 35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; i was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me.
And remember be open to having your heart changed. sometime we think God may be calling us to one thing but when we search we find out it is a total different thing. Also don't think whatever you do is to small. Everything counts! Remember Jesus even said 'a drink of water'. It may seem small but its the world to that one person, that one child.

Perspective

Sometimes in life we new a perspective. There is a sweet lady in my life that reminds me almost each day to look outside and see the sun shining. She has touch my heart in many ways with her words. With Her positive view and her genuine take of life. She wrote something a few days back on facebook that touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I don't want to raise 'church' kids, I want to raise kids who see the world through Jesus' eyes. that each life is precious, each child is worth more then gold to our God. That compassion would be like second  nature to them. I know this has to be in part by example, so I can only pray that God would change each part of my heart to be the example he would want me to be. .I have copied and pasted her note here. May her words encourage us all to raise our children to have a heavenly perspective as the walk through their life's. May I teach my children think twice before saying a hurtful thing toward another child. May they also choose forgiveness toward those who have said those things to them. May they always know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

In a book there is a photograph of a little girl. Her eyes are dark brown and they shine. Her hair is blond and there is a yarn ribbon tied that she finger knit herself. Her adult teeth are coming in with a gap between her front teeth, she is grinning wide and she has dimples in both cheeks. She is wearing a red flowered dress that her grandmother bought, her first brand-new dress and it is pretty. She looks happy and she is very cute. She is 8 years old. That may have been the year she started to realize that words can hurt us. That may have been the year she started to wonder about how it all works. The other children in school said things that she didn’t even understand, things like, “you're ugly, you're fat, you live in a junky house, your clothes are ugly” and crazy things like that. They said she was a country cow because her mom had a milk cow so her family could have fresh milk and butter every day, so they could have good meat to eat. They said she was poor and she didn’t know why because she knew she was rich, richer than most of the world and when she thought about the poor little dark skinned children in Africa who had only rice to eat for every meal she knew it wasn’t true at all. They said even more puzzling things too, things like “you are going to hell because-“all sorts of because. That was most hurtful because that was a horrible place and people who had Jesus didn’t go there so why did people say that to her? She would wonder what her family had done wrong to make people say that. She had a good life at home. A childhood that was free and fun~ filled with days of swimming and campouts and ice-skating. She had a momma that sang while she worked and baked. When her mom nursed the babies she would read aloud and take her and her siblings all over the world. She had a father who worked so hard for them and who bought ice-cream even when it was winter. Those words began to change her. She sometimes told her mom what they said and her mom in great wisdom would say “forgive them for they know not what they do” and she tried not to carry a chip on her shoulder. What was most confusing to her was that most of the children who said these things to her went to the same church as she did, as if by being in church they had a special right. She began to feel ugly and fat when she was with those people. She began to find other friends who weren’t from church. She learned to laugh with them and she began to see how words do hurt. She was very small when she began to have a heart for the underdog. She decided not to tease anyone like that ever. Life happens. She had some great teachers who saw her for who she was. She read great books. She had some really good friends. She grew up and moved away. She married a man who didn’t care what people said about her or her family. Every once in a while she hears about someone being teased and that feeling comes back. She has learned what forgiveness is. She knows grace. She has been given much. Her children are growing up, they are not called names. Sometimes she tells them about it and they hurt for her, once during Sunday school she shared some of it with her little ones and they all got teary thinking about that little girl. She got some counseling. She has a good life. She still carries some of those words with her, that were not truths at all. If someone says she is beautiful she doesn’t always believe it. She has a hard time taking a compliment. Her girls are trying to show her that she is indeed pretty and that she is indeed worthy. It has been a long road home. The other day she went into the shop where her daughter works doing hair, maybe that is why she is drawn to hair. To make women like her momma feel pretty every day and she thinks it is working. They sat in the shop for a couple of hours, her daughter peacefully working and her friend sat chatting. It was cold and dark outside and the shop was warm and light. When she looked in the mirror she saw herself through her daughters’ eyes, maybe for the first time. She saw a pretty brown eyed women, she saw eyes that sparkle with life. She saw big dimples in each cheek and the gap has closed in the front of her teeth. She looked happy, that lady in the mirror. The next day she was in town and a young girl said to her “you are a beautiful women” and for the first time she almost believed the words. She made no excuses and this time she just said “thank you”.
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14

Eve Andersen

Sometimes we hear "no"

As many years as we have been in the adoption/foster care world , you would think one would get use to hearing "no". Not me, I am a goal oriented person when i set my sights on something I work till it is complete. so when I felt God calling us to adoption I jumped on it. search each door to see which one would open. I heard 'no' alot , this door wasn't ready for me. I struggled with this thinking i should be able to walk through the first one. I didn't like having doors open and have us stay in that place not to complete a adoption but to learn. Foster care was hard, we had many kids come and leave our home and each coming i would ask 'okay Lord, is this one?' each time it was a 'no'. as humans we cant see the big picture, we can't see the outside world looking in. We can't see the lives that God has chose to change by choose we make. For me all I could see was what was in front of me. No.....When we felt Gods season for us in foster care was ending it was such a relief and also a grief. Our eyes had been opened to a broken hurting world. We knew our lives were changed forever.

As we felt God calling us down another road. we once again heard 'no'. but through this no we meet some wonderful friends. who would later play a huge part in allowing themselves to be used by God to encourage me through some rough times. That was Zambia, a beautiful country. With many hurting children loving to have a safe, warm caring family. A country who has a struggling economy with sickness making more orphans then their orphanages can care for. shortly after we signed on, the country shut its boarders to adoption. We hung on hoping to move forward and once again heard 'no'. As we sat back and asked God what door? We looked, I should I looked. Remember I am goal driving person. I tried each door asking this one? this one? and then landing on the open one. Ethiopia. There was no 'no' here nothing but wide open doors and swirling paper work. As we walked into this door we had no idea what lied ahead. this door was open yes but the path was not nearly as easy as I had thought. See all our 'no's led up to this. all Gods growing He had been doing in our hearts lead up to this. Ethiopia was the biggest heart transplant in my spiritual walk, i have ever had. When God laid it on our heart that we were to adopt an older child we didn't think much of it. We had seen in foster care the heart that came with a child who had lost so much. I thought we were ready to take on such a case. Which God did open the door but I can till if He had told me before hand I would have had a very hard time saying 'yes, this door is open'. that not to say I had except our adoption to be all roses and sunshine . I did know I was adopting an older child. I just thought I would take it better. Our Ethiopian adoption had nothing to do with us and all to do with us.God used our willingness to say yes. He also used this to grow our hearts, getting into what we hadn't given up to Him yet.

When we were in the process of adopting the girls , I knew we were going to adopt a boy too. I even asked our agency if we could do it while we were adopting the girls. they said no, with good reason. We were taking on two older girls, not a good idea to add another at this time. After we went to the orphanage in Ethiopia, I knew all the more we were going to add one more. When we got home this went on the back burner for a year before i felt God laying this on my heart again. Once again I searched out doors. Where did He want me to go? which door would open. That's when I meet Bentley, He was on a web site. I fall head over heels in Love. He was only 12 months old, he had quite a few health issues but all this didn't matter IF he was mine. I requested his file and fall even more in love. I knew Steven hadn't said he was ready to go ahead again but I showed him any way. it took him three days to say yes and for us get a loan to pay for the adoption. I called the agency , he was chosen by another family just the day before. God said 'no'. i was so shocked he had opened the doors so quickly. why, what? I didn't see the whole picture. He used Bentley to open that door in our hearts. We knew we were to adopt again. We went back to Ethiopia. not only did God open this door up for one more but two! Both Steven and I felt like this was going to the end of our adoption road. now I can say part of me was holding back, saying my baby has not came home. Our boys are great, but with them came with another refining moments for me in my heart. It was hard but it was good. I need these tings to see God and who He is.

After a six months of the boys being home, i really felt like my baby didn't come home that there was one more. Now since then a few doors opened only to be closed quickly after. Now you can look at our lives and say we have made alot of mistakes, that we didnt listen close enough to hear the word of the Lord. Believe me i have, in fact that's why I am writing this. Because i was seeking answers.
This is what I got- God doesn't see them as mistakes He sees the whole picture. He sees lessons learned, hearts changed and things I don't even know at this point. But I do see now where each road yes or no has lead me where I am today not only physical but also spiritually. God has the bigger picture in mind always, He always has my best interest in mind. He loves me and my family more then I will ever know. I am a work in progress. And yes sometime we do make mistakes. But following God, saying yes to Him and surrendering to His will no matter what the out come that is not a mistake. So once again we open our selves up to have whatever God has planned. i cant see the whole picture but I can see God and I can trust Him with my life! I am praying our next adventure is a yes but sometimes you hear 'NO'.

Crystal