Imagine How You Can Make a Difference...

 

Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out

 with no family to belong to

and 

no

place 

to call

HOME.

think about that.

When you are done thinking...

do something...

everyone can do something.

Here are a few ideas...

pray 

(ask God what He would like you to do)

seek out an agency (adoption)

and ask how you can help.

find a family who is adopting and support them

choose to adopt...take the steps to make it happen

offer to help a family post adoption...a night out without children can be so refreshing to a family

do Foster Care

call your local Foster Care office and ask what you can do to get involved

sign up to do respite care (babysitting for foster care families)

collect unused suitcases that are in good condition to give to the local Foster Care branch 

(often children are taken from their homes with their clothing stuffed into plastic bags.)

pray and take action!

Faith without works is dead. 

 just saying.  

That statistic upsets me, makes me angry and makes me want to cry all at the same time.

What about you?

Prayer Request Sunday-Would YOU??

 

I would love to pray for you this week, but I have a request to make of you my praying friends. 

Would you, could you pray for my new friend Robin?

The last few posts have been about her and how we met.

God put it on my heart to take her Christmas shopping tomorrow night.  God arranged part of the details in getting her a message (the woman who works with her, well her husband came to church this morning and God told me to give him a note, so his wife could give it to Robin on Monday.)  I gave her my phone number and AM hoping and believing that she will say yes.  I am not sure if she considers me more than a nice stranger yet, I am hoping she is thinking of me as a friend.

You see, I want to introduce her to my family.  Every year I go shopping with two friends, one who happens to be my sister in love/best friend and the other is her factual actual sister.  They too love Jesus and they too would love to be in on some Kingdom business- so we are hoping to have Robin join us on our annual shopping event.  My thought being that if she meets Rachael and Beth, that she would begin to feel more comfortable.  Rachael and Beth (and their husbands) go to my church.

Also, we are having a Christmas special next Saturday and Sunday and I'd love to invite Robin and her husband.  If she knows me, Rae and Beth...then maybe she would come.  

I so want her and her husband to meet Jesus.  

God keeps opening gates to her heart...praying she is open and ready for Him to come in and establish His throne on her heart.  This morning He even had someone willing to do His bidding in getting her my note and phone number. 

Would you pray with me too?  

I am banking on God's Word...here is what He has told me..

Where two or more are gathered, there He is in our midst.

If we ask anything according to His will, He will do it. 

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

1 John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 

that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that he hears us,

whatever we ask, 

we know that we have what we asked of Him.

Father;

We thank you for this day and that you have put our hearts together in this place.  Thank you for each that comes, I pray that you would move in their lives and that You would show Yourself strong to them this week Lord God.  I pray too that as Your spirit leads, that we would willingly follow.

Lord, I thank you for my faith and for being able to believe that Your Holy Spirit is moving in Power in my new friend Robin's life.  I ask You Lord to open the eyes of her heart, that she would know you as her Lord and Saviour.  I pray that no weapon formed against her would prosper, that the enemy of her soul would be bound and that You alone would be revealed to her.  

I pray that you would give me opportunity to lead her to You, that I would be strengthened by You and given wisdom and power to do Your will.  Oh Father that she would understand that she is a sinner, that her heart would be repentant and she would be ready to confess you as Lord and Saviour of her life.  Father, I ask that You bring her to harvest.  Prepare her even now oh Lord God.

Glorify Yourself in me and Glorify Yourself in Robin.  We ask all of this in Jesus' Name amen.

Thank you friends...let's love her to Jesus!

Things We Love: Sweet Goodness & Orphans

As Princess Mercy loves her ice cream; her Mama loves adoption.

If given the opportunity she would have it always; if given the opportunity I would adopt all 143 million orphans.

Mercy thinks its sweet: I know the sweetness of adoption-daily I see the six beautiful children that God has blessed my Knight and I with through the wonder of adoption.

Won't you ask God if He has adoption for your family?

And if you have a minute...check out the orphan doll website...this week they are moving to visit a new family!

www.orphandoll.com

Scooped Up by God!

* (notice the troubled look....and think of me)

* (notice the big smile and think of me)

*(notice the love and the strong arms that are holding Princess Mercy)


*(notice the pure joy on her face!)

2 Samuel 22:17

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

These pictures, are a visual of what God is doing for my family. Just as Princess Mercy's big sister came and scooped her up, so God is doing that to my family. This adoption is a huge stretch for us, though in faith we have agreed to do as God is asking us. You understand we just completed an adoption to Ethiopia in January, so straight out I have to say we don't have $20,000 to give Him currently.

Yesterday, I received an email from my friend Anna, of Pleasant View Schoolhouse. She decided that she wanted to help us in raising funds for Princess Sweetness' adoption. Oh how glad our heart is, for such love poured out for our new daughter and for us! Oh we are so thankful for her willingness to bless us; by sharing her gifts, friends and talents with us this week. Run over and see what a blessing God poured out on us...

Yup, God scooped me up yesterday through the arms of sweet Anna. He spoke to my heart to rest, that He was working and to not let my heart be troubled in regards of the money that is needed.

thank you God, thank you sweet Anna...thank you all who are letting the Holy Spirit stir your hearts~ to join us in this battle of rescuing a beautiful Ethiopian orphan, who happens to be the daughter God chose for us since the beginning of time. We appreciate you coming along side of us in this battle for a little girl's life.

thank you!

Another Thought About Orphans...

Proverbs 19:17

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD; and He will reward him for what he has done. (NIV)

Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full. (TheMessage)

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his deed.
(ESV)

He that is gracious to the poor lendeth unto Jehovah; and what he hath bestowed will he repay unto him.
(Darby)

Would you pray about financially joining us in bringing home our Sweet Princess Sweetness? She is an orphan and God is asking us to bring her home...won't you please help us do just that? There is no amount that would be too little,

every penny counts when trying to raise $20,ooo!

Secrets of homeschooling

After 13 years of homeschooling some secrets I will happily share:

Trust God:
If He has called you, He will enable you. Put Him first and everything else will fall into it's proper place (I promise and so does God!)

Ask God (first):
Before you do anything, seek God. Also ask Him what gifts and talents He has given your child(ren)...once you know them, then you can focus on 'tuning' them up. God has given them to each of us, so that we can walk in the fullness of His purposes for our lives. The Holy Spirit is a God of revelation...He so wants you to come and ask Him!

Loosen up:
In life when you run a race, you stretch before a run. Do the same with home school, allow yourself time to find what each of you enjoy and what your areas of interest are.

All learning doesn't come from curriculum:
Curriculum can be great, or it can be a major joy stealer. Pray before you buy any curriculum, ask God what He wants for your child(ren) this year.

If a curriculum doesn't work, don't keep using it:
If you are miserable with a curriculum and if it truly isn't working after giving it a chance, OR modifying it to fit your needs...well, then either sell it or give it away. You'll be so happy that you did.

Learn to say no:
Especially for new homeschoolers; don't try to do every field trip, class or opportunity that comes up. Pace yourself, embrace simplicity. The opportunity will come up again, most likely. If you try to do everything, you will get burnt out.

Learn to have a thankful heart:
See the blessings of homeschooling. Stop often to Praise God, alone and as a family.

Don't be worried about socialization:
God will not let your child(ren) become 'unsocialized.' He will give you opportunities, in His perfect timing, for friendships. Sometimes you will go through 'quiet' times, when it is just you and them. This is okay, as God is working His Hand in each of you (keep your eyes and heart open for what He wants to do currently.)

Pray for support:
Whether a face to face friendship for you (the homeschool mum) or an online friendship. It is important to have someone who can stand with you in prayer and share the good times and bad with you. Make time to get together alone (online it can be done too!).

Make use of free resources:
The library is an under used resource by most families. There are so many wonderful books, dvds, videos, library passes....get to know your libraries. Don't just use one...look to neighboring town libraries and use their resources as well. *upon entering into homeschooling, I prayed and ask God for protection from evil- this most definitely included our books...the library unfortunately has books that are NOT pleasing to God. By asking for His guidance and by teaching my children to only put things before their eyes that HONOR God, we avoided (and learned the gift of self-control and discernment) evil. If my kids found a book that they hadn't realized had things (such as witchcraft, rude language) in it...they came to me and let me set it aside to be returned.

Make time to go to the Christian homeschool convention:
You will be so encouraged by all the other families that come, old and new homeschoolers alike. You will have the opportunity to glean wisdom and have hands on time with lots of different curriculums/books. Don't always try to recreate the wheel, let someone else show you how they've done it, perhaps it will be just what you needed to hear. OR perhaps you can go and look for opportunities to bless someone else that is struggling or searching.

*Enjoy yourself:
Your homeschooling road isn't eternal (though sometimes it may feel like that)...your children will grow, they will learn, and so will you. Breath deep and choose to joyfully homeschool those He has given you. Take pictures, you will want them when the road finally comes to an end, so that you can look back and marvel at it all.

And the Spirit of Gratitude lives within me

Once upon a time there was a girl named Kimmie. She walked with a heart that was full to the brim with thanksgiving. It was not the kind of Thanksgiving that is set aside to come out for one week of the year, but the kind that burned with passion, a holy fire, that was set moment by moment before a Holy God.

Oh, burn bright oh heart of Love.

God, Emily and YOU!

My sweet generous friend Emily, from The Learning Never Stops, -creator of the fund-raising button for us- asked if I would post about how the fund-raising is going.

Well, currently we have raised just shy of $1,400 dollars.

We are amazed, as most of you don't know us face to face, but you have been willing to step out and send us financial support.

We are so thankful!

God is so big!

Would you pray and consider joining us. This is a Kingdom investment. I can't think of a better investment opportunity, than to rescue orphans. My husband and I vow to love them and to raise them in a godly home, so they can grow to love and serve our Father.

Don't think a little doesn't help- it certainly does. I know times are tight financially for many of us, but I do know that God asks us to make love offerings to Him. Would you consider a love offering for an orphan-we are believing God for two this adoption.

If you are new here and have found us by looking for an 'investment' opportunity....well, here are some of the dividends....a rescued life, children who will be loved, children who will receive emotional healing, they will be educated, a child who will never know physical hunger again, they will have physicians to see after their physical needs, they will learn to love others and be trained to be looking out for opportunities to touch others for the good of all, they will have loving brothers and sisters who will stand by them for the rest of their lives-never mind that their mother and father will continue to stand in the gap and believe God for their lives. Can you imagine what God will do with their lives? I promise you, it will be amazing. Spend yourselves with us...

This $1,400 is a fragrant offering to the Lord-we are excited about what He is up to. Stick around and see what else He will do. How blessed we are to be a part of this Kingdom work he is doing.

'We aren't at the end, only the beginning'-this is what God is speaking to me.

Job 29:12

Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and [him that had] none to help him.

Psalm 10:14b

...The helpless put their trust in you. You are the defender of orphans.