The Earthquake- One Year Ago

I still remember watching the news and the emotions that flooded me as I sat watching the devastation in Haiti.  It was heart wrenching.  All I wanted to do was GO. HELP. something. anything.  We sat glued to our tv for days.  It was then that God started moving and breaking our hearts.  We knew we had to do something....but what??  He then began to lay ADOPTION on our hearts so heavily that we couldn't ignore it.  We thought we were crazy!!!  Is this really what HE wanted for our family??  It couldn't be.  I was done having kids.  But still we couldn't ignore the "feeling".

I sometimes wonder why that earthquake happened.  The utter devastation and loss of life is mind blowing.  But then I think...If it didn't happen, would we still be adopting???  How many other people did that earthquake "shake", "wake-up", "move"???
I do know God's ways are not our ways.  He does things that we don't understand. 

I don't like that it took such a catastrophic event to wake us up.  But I am so thankful for where we are today.  Paul and I have grown so much in the last year it's crazy.  God has never been SO real to us.  I am so thankful for where HE has taken our family and the path that we are on. 

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:10

The BIG thanks!!

I am so full of praise and thanksgiving to the God of the universe who loves me for me, who looks over all of my many flaws, who is so amazing.   I am so thankful I am a child of the King.  Thankful for His amazing grace, forgiveness, peace that passes ALL understanding.  This verse has been one that I go back to constantly especially with the adoption:


Do not be anxious about ANYTHING but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends ALL understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 
                                                 Philippians 4:6,7

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Orphan Sunday.. and some other odds and ends

Yep that's right, Orphan Sunday is right around the corner.  If you don't know what Orphan Sunday is or have never even heard of it, please go HERE and check it out. 

My husband and I are privileged to share a small portion of our testimony and how God is using us.  I am getting nervous and trying to remember that I am to "get anxious for NOTHING".  If you don't know me, I do NOT like public speaking so this is going to be a great time for God to use potentially the worst public speaker for His glory.  And that truly is what it is all about!!   I am actually very excited (along with the nervousness) to do this.  This is our Church's first Orphan Sunday (we are doing it on Nov 14th) and I am just praying that people's hearts will be open to hear and then to do.  I just feel this fire inside of me burning for God and I want others to feel that same fire.  One quote that I love from the book "Wild Goose Chase" (if you haven't read it, read it!! Maybe it will be my first giveaway) is "if you haven't felt God moving its probably because you are not moving".  Going through this adoption makes that so clear.  I have never felt God so real than I do now, I can feel Him moving and it is SO awesome.

Last night when I was praying with my sweet Ava, her prayer went something like this

" Dear Jesus, please bring my baby brother home, protect his heart.  Thank You for washing away all of our sin. Amen"

......and last of all I have to share a pic my bro-in-law took when they lived out here

She melts my heart!!