Blessed to be a Blessing

Today, this phrase came to mind...."Blessed to be a Blessing." The first time this became a reality to me was 12 years ago when the Lord grabbed my heart for the people of Kosova during the war. I had no clue what was happening, but He put a burden in my hear that was indescribable. All I could do was think about the suffering of the people. At first, he called me to pray. Pray in the middle of the night. Pray driving in the car. I would literally begin crying, and I knew He wanted me to PRAY.

Little did I know, that the Lord planned for me to see them face to face. Following the Kosova war, I traveled to Albania to minister to the refugees in camps. It was truly a life changing experience, and the first time in my life I lived out the blessings He'd given me...by giving to someone else in need.

Now, twelve years later he's called me to it again. In fact, I think His call never stopped during all those years. I just didn't quiet myself enough to hear it.

Now, we have literally stepped out in faith with provision He has given us to bring a baby girl from the other side of the world to be a part of our family. From the "world's" perspective we have little, but from God's perspective, we have enough. What He has given to us, we are now giving back....truly, blessed to be a blessing to our sweet girl waiting in Ethiopia.

Praise God - We're In!

Today we finally received the long awaited news that our case has been submitted to the Embassy. Now, we wait for the final approval to travel to Ethiopia to bring our baby girl home! It's hard to say how quickly we'll receive our travel date, but we're hoping to be there within a month to see her face-to-face.

We are so grateful to all of the prayer warriors joining us in this journey. "For He who promised is faithful."

The Walls

I was reminded this morning to celebrate my inability to control life. Wait. Stop. That seems like a weird thought. After all, isn't that what we all want? Control.

I considered the story of Joshua outside of Jericho. Clearly Joshua was anxious about the battle ahead of him, and who wouldn't be if you were told to
march around the city carrying a trumpet and on the 7th day play the trumpets along with a loud shout and poof the walls will collapse...really? That's your master plan God? He must have felt foolish.


I certainly have my moments of feeling foolish. I wonder if we took a wrong turn or somehow misunderstood the plan. This past Sunday at church, it was as if the Lord was speaking just to us. We were beat, worn down and honestly all I did was cry for most of the service. The Lord was gently affirming where we are and reminding us that He's calling us to take a radical step with our lives....

I've had a book on my desk for months. I thought I'd have all this time to read it during our first trip to Ethiopia, but I didn't. This week, I was drawn to it. I suppose now is when I'm ready to receive what the Lord has in it for me. In David Platt's book "Radical", I was reminded that these are circumstances God loves - those are - times when we are completely unable. It's the point when we realize that God has divinely orchestrated circumstances in our life so that only He will get the glory from what unfolds. This is what Platt says:

This is how God works. He puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness.

So, I'm feeling pretty confident not in my own ability but in God's today. And, I'm trying to rest in the fact that He put all of these wheels in motion...our adoption...Carlos job situation...my desire to be at home more with our kids...to show me that I can't fix it. But He Can. He will bring His glory to this all somehow.

One of Those Days

Have you ever had a day where you just can't seem to find your tail?

Today, I feel like Eeyore.

I had this friend who I used to work whose name was Jeff. Jeff had a unique sense of humor and honestly one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. He would start wallowing during a conversation and afterwards I'd quietly walk back to his office and leave my stuffed Eeyore on his desk. He'd look up and give me the biggest smile! How much I wish he were still here to give me one of those big warm encouraging smiles....

Today, I just have Eeyore.

A friendly reminder that life isn't so bad. That we all need a few moments to throw a pitty party for ourselves before we...Get Up....Dust Ourselves Off...and realize that tomorrow will be a T-I-GG-E-RIFIC day!

On a more serious note, please pray for our Embassy submission. We desperately want our baby girl home before her 1st birthday next month!

5 Simple: Valentine's Day Tips

I really love my work at Porch Step. I feel like I'm making a difference in people's lives, and I get to know some amazing stories along the way. This week, I get to try my hand at writing for our newsletter. We needed some "simple tips", so I thought why not something fun for Valentine's Day. I'd love to hear what you think!

1. Plan Ahead. I’ll never forget our first Valentine’s Day. My (now husband) proudly picked me up for a fun dinner out. As we were driving, he asked “where do you want to go?” What? Doesn’t he know that reservations should have been made weeks ago? After stopping by four restaurants, he finally gave up. We had a wonderful take-out pizza!

2. Keep it Simple. Too much of a good thing is not so good. As much as a woman loves nice cologne, bathing in it won’t get you thumbs up. Chances are, she’ll have watery eyes all evening long – and it won’t be for the right reasons!

3. Sweat the Small Stuff.
Details are king when it comes to Valentine’s Day. A hand-written card will go a long way.

4. Flower Her with Love. It doesn’t take a dozen roses to win your partner’s heart. One simple flower can still do the trick and it won’t break the bank. Try a single rose bud with a handwritten love note attached.

5. Play Hard Ball. Ladies, sometimes the biggest gift we can give our husbands is a little quiet. Next time the big game is on TV, take the kids for a walk and give them a little uninterrupted bonding with their favorite team.

How are you going to make Valentine’s Day special this year? What simple ways can you show random acts of kindness every day?

The Crazy Train!

Our son loves trains. Trains sitting on a track going nowhere. Loud trains that blow their horns as they roll by. Imaginary trains when he plays, and even books about trains. Curious George is his favorite story about trains. Whenever we read the Curious George Train Story, Ean will (without prompting) know the exact moment that the conductor in the story yells "All Aboard!" and will proudly join in!

I envy Ean's disregard for what's on the train, where it's going and when it's leaving. He just wants to hop on and take a ride because he knows it will be fun. He doesn't worry about safety, or where he needs to be next - he lives in the moment.

I had to admit, this has been a really hard week. After much waiting, we thought we'd at least have a sense of when we'll be going back to Ethiopia by the end of this week. As it turns out, that was not in God's plan. Not only did the Embassy change procedures, now the MOWA office (Ministry of Women's Affairs) has closed temporarily means none of the paperwork now required by the Embassy can be completed. Lord, what are you up to?

This week, the only way I could describe how I feel is that I'm on the CRAZY TRAIN and no one will let me off. Honestly, I wanted to "turn back." Say, "Oh never mind, I think I'll just pass and get on with my life." But, I know that even in the uncertainty and madness that there is purpose.

As I think about Ean's love for trains, I realize that there must be trust in the conductor. Trust that he knows where he's going, what the schedule is and the best way to get there. Lord, I'm just a passenger here. As much as I want to jump up front and take control, I'm along for the ride. Let's roll!