I was going to  try to post this morning, but Noah is already awake.  Lately, as soon as I make it down the stairs and turn on the coffee… boom there he is.  Well, actually, the clock said 5:30, but it’s really 6:30.  I’m not sure what happened to the clock.

Back to the coffee.  It’s funny, I was never a coffee drinker until baby number 5.  Can you guess who that was?  Yes, it was Noah.  Also, you’ll notice, I said turn on the coffee.  I gotta give my husband the credit.  He makes the coffee every morning.  Five days a week.  All I have to do is flip the switch and wait for it to brew.

Well, the coffee is ready now and I need to get started with the day so… hope you have a good day!

Blessings!

Haiti and Christmas…

I kind of have a goal of putting the word Haiti in my blog titles now hoping more people will stop by and learn of Haiti’s orphans, so… now, what about Haiti and Christmas?

Here’s what.  Are you sitting down?  You sure?

Okay.  We have miraculously received a grant of $5,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are ETERNALLY GRATEFUL to our coordinator who advocated on our behalf and to the family who so generously provided this grant.  We got the news yesterday in an email as well as a personal phone call and I of course was reduced to sobbs. 

How could we be so blessed?!  We were at a stand still without this grant.  Our paperwork was done and in Haiti, but, not moving because of the need for more financial provisions.  But, that is no more!  The paperwork will move and we can know we are getting closer!

Closer to what?

To this…

and this…

I’ve read the email telling us the news over and over and over again.  The title of the email?  It was MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  So, yes, Haiti and Christmas.

A Love Offering… Tax deductible

So, it’s Christmas and the economy is terrible, but, I want to challenge you. I challenge you to give the way your heart wants to.

Have you ever wished you could rescue an orphan but thought it’s too hard, I don’t have the means, I could never do that, I’m too afraid?  So, you just kind of stuffed that feeling back down. 

Open that place back up again, it is a gift from God to you.  Don’t be afraid, he will not dissappoint you.  You can take part in a rescue of a life, two lives. 

Just think about this… If 50 people gave $100, that’s $5000!  Expenses for adopting an orphan usually range from 20 to $30,000, but when you break it down it’s doable, it doesn’t seem so insurmountable, right? 

 

So, will you accept my challenge?  Open your heart and rescue. 

One last thing.  I’ve been reading about Jesus’ birth of course, it’s Christmas.  I’m always struck by Mary’s answer to the angel when he tells her she will give birth to Jesus.  What a challenge she has facing her.  Being a virgin, promised in marriage and now pregnant.  But, she says to the angel… May it be to me as you have said.  I love that!  Wow!

Below you’ll see some concrete ways to help from an earlier post, as well as an address, should you chose to help with your tax deductible donation! 

Concrete Ways to Help 

• Donate directly to adopting families. Cash will help them with adoption and travel costs, and gift certificates will help them to furnish their child’s room, choose clothing or provide for other needs they have for their new child.

• Take love-offerings at church for families who are adopting.

• Hold fund-raisers such as a garage sale, spaghetti feed, carnival, car wash, bake sale, babysitting, can drive, newspaper drive, candy sale, and so on.

• Donate frequent flier miles to a family who has to travel to adopt.

• Have an “orphanage shower” or collections box, providing the needed donations of new children’s clothing, toiletries, and medications the family will need to donate to their child’s orphanage.  On top of a large, mandatory, cash donation to their child’s orphanage, they will probably also need to take supplies to help the children who remain there. 

• Tax deductible donations can be made to  A CHOSEN HOME  with Peterson on the memo line and addressed to 440 28th Avenue Lane NE, Hickory, NC 28601

• 

I never thought

I sure do miss this girl!  Can you see that smirk as she covers her eyes?  Think she was getting tired of getting her picture taken?!

When we got back home, I never thought I would miss Haiti… the girls, yes, but Haiti, it was hard. 

So much devastation, poverty and lack of everything and no one who seemed to care for these people was gut wrenching to me.  To face it was tough.  To live it daily, I don’t know how they are able. 

On the flight back, we were sitting near several missionaries.  They were talking together about the places they had been and the work they had done.  Then I heard Haiti mentioned.  One missionary asked the others if they had been, but they replied no.  His reply… he’d been, but he would never go back.  It was the poorest place he’d every been and he said it was the poorest place on the face of this earth and he could never go back there again.  I felt his pain then, but going back through some of the photos, I started missing Haiti itself… hmmm.

Will you continue to go to the Father on behalf of the girls?  Please, pray for his power to be displayed!

My Husband

I wanted to share the link to my husband’s blog.

Go check it out!

http://tentstakes.blogspot.com

I don’t know

 

I don’t know about you, but this is a hard picture for me.  Probably why I haven’t posted it.   A dear friend of mine had this photo poster size at her yard sale a couple of weeks ago to raise money for the adoption expenses.  It was the sweetest thing to have her care for our family in that way.  That they would speak to strangers about this adoption trying to make each person aware of our orphans.  So, anyway, when I saw the photo so large, I just burst into tears.  I haven’t seen her in so long and then… there she was, poster size like she is in my heart.

Sorry, it’s been too long since I’ve written, but we are waiting on the Lord in a hard place.  Please, please pray.

Mercy

I’m so blown away at the Lord’s mercy again. 

We’ve received word that Djounela is doing better.  She is still in the hospital, but is now taking a bottle and holding down a little food.

Thank you again for going to the throne on her behalf.  Thank you.

Djounela…

 

 

Djounela is back in the hospital.

We just got word this afternoon.

I’ve spent the afternoon crying and calling friends to ask them to pray.

Please, please pray for her.  She’s so tiny.  I knew she would most likely get sick again.  She’s so underweight and weak, an illness is tuff for her to fight off.

Please pray she would be comforted, held.

Have you ever held an orphan in your arms? Have you ever held such treasure?  Have you felt their fraile bodies?  Stringy muscles and bones.  Have you looked into their eyes?  Trying to reassure them with your eyes.  Have you watched them eat?  Crying when the food comes because their so anxious and crying when the plate is empty because their still so anxious.  Ever watched them sleep?  Listening for their breath? 

Have you ever been so blessed?

I have.  Wtih two orphans in fact.  One only 13 pounds (2 years old, nearly 3) and the other 23 pounds (3 years old, almost 4)

… Their my daughters.

Please consider if you would like to be a part of helping us as we work to change the status for these two orphans.  To change their lives…. to go from orphans to daughters. 

Adoption expenses are great and maybe you’re in a position to help financially.  

Could you really make a difference?  Does being loved make a difference?   

Lord, I know you to be faithful.  Faithful to all the promises you’ve ever given me.  I know you are sovereign.  I also know you have a plan and you know how this will turn out.  But, I surely want to hold them.  I want to comfort Djounela.  Be with her in the hospital.  I want to see her again. Please Lord.  Please move quickly.  Please bring those who desire to help.  Please move hearts Lord.  Please rescue Vanessa and Djounela.  You are mighty to save.

I know you…

When we got home from Haiti it was Lona’s birthday.  She turned 7!  Her Namaw and Papaw came over with gifts, one of which was a dvd of Sleeping Beauty.  Okay, you know how many times we’ve watched it right…5 girls, one boy in the house…yea, we’ve watched it about 49 times now.  Anyway, I love the song in it.  It makes me think about Lillianna and you know what, I’m still used to their creole names so, let me use their creole names for now.  Okay, the song reminds me of Vanessa (Lillianna) and Djounela (Mariah).

Can you hear it… I know you, I’ve walked with you once upon a dream… I know you, the gleam in your eye is so familiar a gleam…

Sweet love… this is Djounela.  Sorry, her face was always covered in powdered formula.

This was towards the end of the week.  Look at Djounela sitting up!… even kicking her little leg!  Vanessa was teasing her, acting like she was going to take her formula, but Djounela ended up getting tickled about it.  It was so sweet to watch them get to be sisters again.  They’re not together at the orphanage.  Vanessa’s with the big kids.  Honestly, Djounela’s just not strong enough to hold her self steady when she’s sitting, so it would be tough to be with the big kids.

I have a million things to say about being in Haiti, about our girls.  It’s enourmous!  Hopefully, it will come out onto this blog clearly enough.  Sorry, it’s in little pieces, but like I said it was so enourmous that it will take me a while.  What I know though, is that I have to share what we experienced in our hearts…. it’s worth more than gold and silver!

Please continue to pray for God to sustain them, for his will to be done concerning paperwork, finances and the next trip to Haiti to either do paperwork or to go and build them back up again for another week.  THANK YOU sincerely for your prayers!

Blessings!

Gosh

Gosh you guys…THANKS SO MUCH for all of the encouraging comments!  You can’t know how badly I needed it.

Many Blessings!

Tracy, I’m so excited for you!  How wonderful it will be to cradle your daughter in your arms finally!