Wow! Can it really be Thanksgiving tomorrow!?! Is Christmas really less than a month away!?! Up until this week it has felt like summer in Southern California, but this week the weather has turned and we have had some nice cool whether...even some rain!!!
We have much to be thankful for this year. We are thankful for a house filled with love and laughter. A nation where we can worship the Lord freely (for now). Jobs that allow us to pay our bills and save for the future. Family and friends to love and build memories with. Our sweet little dog Macchiato. Our marriage, which gives us the opportunity to serve someone other than ourselves. Hopes and dreams for the future. The gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. The list could go on and on...
As I write this Brian is out running errands for me as I rest on the couch battling a head cold. I never get sick, but for some reason this cold has really gotten a hold on me. I'm so thankful to have a wonderful husband who willingly runs to the store to get me Johnson & Johnson Vapor Bath, Vick's Vapor Rub, and a Cold Buster smoothie from Jamba Juice. Thank you honey! You take such great care of me!
While you celebrate the holiday, Thanksgiving, tomorrow be sure to take time to truly give thanks. It is so easy to let days like Thanksgiving pass us by without thinking about the purpose of the day. While you enjoy the delicious food and company you are surrounded with tomorrow remember to go before the Lord with a thankful heart.
We are thankful for each of you dear friends! Grace and peace to you!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. - I Chronicles 16:34
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Adoption
Would you let me share my heart with you just for a minute?
Over the past few years the Lord has worked in my heart to build a passion for adoption. I'm not sure when it started, maybe when my family began the journey of adopting Natasha, my sister from Belarus, or perhaps it was before that. For quite some time now I have known that some day I desire to be the mommy of adopted children. I want biological children too, definitely, but I love the extra blessing of giving your heart to children who might not otherwise have a chance. I recently heard someone say, with a biological child you get to have a child, with an adopted child you get to help a child. In both cases children are a gift from the Lord entrusted to us for a time of shaping and molding and raising to the glory of God.
I distinctly remember a conversation Brian and I had before we were married where we were discussing our hopes and dreams for our family. Through that conversation I learned that Brian shares my desire to build a family through adoption. He shared his experience with a small Jamaican girl on a missions trip that stoked the fire in him to adopt someday.
In our conversations over the past couple years our thought has always been to have children biologically first, then adopt down the road. This may be the path we take, but in recent weeks and months I have become more and more aware of the pressing need and wonder if perhaps our adoption dreams might be fulfilled sooner rather than later. There are millions of children in need of forever families. The percentages of those who consider adoption versus those who actually adopt are heartbreaking.
One of the biggest hurdles for many is the cost of adoption. Though this is steep and will certainly be a challenge for Brian and me, I know the Lord is faithful and He will provide. Would you join us in praying for the children in need of forever families? Would you ask the Lord to raise up the church to take a stand for these precious ones? Would you pray for me and Brian that we would follow the Lord's leading to adopt in His perfect timing?
There are many resources for those of you who would like to find out more about these staggering needs and how you can get involved. Here are a few resources to check out:
Over the past few years the Lord has worked in my heart to build a passion for adoption. I'm not sure when it started, maybe when my family began the journey of adopting Natasha, my sister from Belarus, or perhaps it was before that. For quite some time now I have known that some day I desire to be the mommy of adopted children. I want biological children too, definitely, but I love the extra blessing of giving your heart to children who might not otherwise have a chance. I recently heard someone say, with a biological child you get to have a child, with an adopted child you get to help a child. In both cases children are a gift from the Lord entrusted to us for a time of shaping and molding and raising to the glory of God.
I distinctly remember a conversation Brian and I had before we were married where we were discussing our hopes and dreams for our family. Through that conversation I learned that Brian shares my desire to build a family through adoption. He shared his experience with a small Jamaican girl on a missions trip that stoked the fire in him to adopt someday.
In our conversations over the past couple years our thought has always been to have children biologically first, then adopt down the road. This may be the path we take, but in recent weeks and months I have become more and more aware of the pressing need and wonder if perhaps our adoption dreams might be fulfilled sooner rather than later. There are millions of children in need of forever families. The percentages of those who consider adoption versus those who actually adopt are heartbreaking.
One of the biggest hurdles for many is the cost of adoption. Though this is steep and will certainly be a challenge for Brian and me, I know the Lord is faithful and He will provide. Would you join us in praying for the children in need of forever families? Would you ask the Lord to raise up the church to take a stand for these precious ones? Would you pray for me and Brian that we would follow the Lord's leading to adopt in His perfect timing?
There are many resources for those of you who would like to find out more about these staggering needs and how you can get involved. Here are a few resources to check out:
Monday, November 10, 2008
Happy Birthday Brian!
Today is Brian's 33rd birthday! He shared with me the other day that he will be a third of a century old sometime early next year (I can't remember the exact date, but he knew it!). Wow! I am blessed to be married to a man who has learned much in the time the Lord has allowed him to be a blessing here on earth.
To Tom and Judy - Judy, thank you for allowing the Lord to use you to carry Brian and give him life. Thank you for nurturing him and loving him through his childhood and teen years. Thank you for not shaking him to death even when you wanted to (and thank you Tom for intervening!...Brian told me a story about this once :-) Thank you both for teaching Brian about the Lord from a young age. Thank you for giving him the example of parents who love and are committed to one another for life. Thank you for allowing him to pursue the Lord's calling on his life even when it meant moving across the country. And thank you for giving him to me as my husband. You have blessed me more than I can express.
Brian - Baby I love you! I thank the Lord daily for giving you to me! All the years I prayed for you, not yet knowing who you were, I could not have imagined a more perfect partner and friend. Your heart for the Lord and knowledge of His Word greatly inspires me. Your dedication to ministry is amazing. I love hearing stories of how the Lord has worked in your life and how He uses you to touch the lives of the students you minister to. I am in awe of your tenderness when I watch you with Kaylee...you are going to be an amazing daddy when the day comes! And your love for me is more precious than I could ever deserve. Thank you for making me your wife and for treasuring me just as Christ treasures His bride.
May the Lord richly bless you today and in the days, and weeks, and years to come. Happy Birthday!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Catching Up...
Wow! It's been quite a while since we posted last. Time is flying by! We're enjoying the seasons--both of life and actual seasons. It has been a hot fall, but today is cool; perhaps the weather will actually change now.
Last time we posted we asked for prayer for our friends the Clarks, whose daughter was born quite early. They are all doing very well. Kate has been home for almost two weeks now and is doing beautifully.
We'll be posting some fall pictures soon so check back!
Last time we posted we asked for prayer for our friends the Clarks, whose daughter was born quite early. They are all doing very well. Kate has been home for almost two weeks now and is doing beautifully.
We'll be posting some fall pictures soon so check back!
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