Humbled

There really aren't words to describe the humbled feeling that Aaron and I have felt over the past week.  We are still in the process of fundraising for this adoption.  As you all know, adoption is expensive and we are two 25 year olds, one in seminary, that don't make a lot of money.  And yet God has called us to adopt.    Something that very obviously doesn't make sense on paper.  Once we said yes and decided to take the leap of faith, we knew that God would provide, we didn't know how, but we trusted.  We have seen God work and move and provide every step of the way through this process.  Any time we had money due for a certain step, it was there.  Miraculously it all came together. Friends, family, and strangers have all played important roles in God's plan to make that happen.  We have by the grace of God, raised everything that we needed up to this point.  We are so thankful for that!  After we turned in our dossier, we took a break from fundraising.  And honestly, even after watching everything come together in the beginning, part of me doubted.  Part of me thought, yeah we made it this far, but how are we going to come up with the 10, possibly $15,000 more that we need?  I was fundraised-out you could say and my mind was drawing a blank of what to do next, but I knew we had a long wait ahead to figure it out.  Once again, my lack of faith got the better of me.  I was trying to do it on our own again.  I was focused on how WE could make it happen, not on trusting GOD to make it happen.  When will I learn?  God is so much bigger.  I have debated on even posting about this, but y'all, God is just working.  He is so good, faithful, and loving.  He truly cares about each one of His children.  Back in October we applied for a grant.  The only one we've applied for up to this point, besides the one our church offers.  We scrambled to get the paperwork together(I was so over paperwork still) and mailed it off, hoping and praying for any little bit of help we could get.  Well, last week we got a letter in the mail, a letter from the grant agency letting us know that we had been awarded $6000!!!!  We could hardly believe it, we can still hardly believe it and we are incredibly humbled.  Humbled that God would put us on this journey, that He would use us, and that He would provide for us in such a mighty way!  This could possibly be about half of what we have left to raise, depending on travel costs, which we won't know until that point.  I don't say this to brag, I just want everyone to know that our God is mighty.  He owns the cattle of a thousand hills and this adoption cost is a drop in the bucket for Him.  When my feeble mind starts to lose faith and question, He is right there saying "haven't I told you that I got this?  Haven't I told you that I love you and this child you are bringing home?  That nothing is impossible for me? I am Faithful"  Praise God is all we can say.  Our adoption verse, Ephesians 3:20-21 just continues to resound in my head- To Him who is able to do abundantly more than all we ask or think....to Him be the glory!!

Naleigh Moon

Oh, be still my heart!! You have got to watch this new music video from Josh Kelly that features he and his wife Katherine Heigl's adopted daughter, sooo beautiful!!

Kisses From Katie

I just finished reading Kisses from Katie, and y'all, this book wrecked me!!  I knew that it would be good, I've read Katie's blog before and have always come away inspired to put more feet on my faith and to know Jesus the way she does.  This book was seriously incredible!!  I could not put it down, and yet there were days that I had to because if I read anymore of it I'm pretty sure I would have jumped on a plane to Africa right then.  Reading the accounts of some of the things she has seen made me ache even more for our baby.  It also made me ready to do something.  What that is or looks like at the moment I'm not sure, but you better believe I am praying and seeking the Father's face for wisdom.  The copy I had I checked out from the library, which I immediately regretted because I couldn't write in it and I felt like I should have highlighted the whole book!  I wanted to share a few things here that really stood out to me.  This is an excerpt from one of Katie's journal entries in the book:
                   "I've had people ask me why I think Africa is so impoverished, but these children are not poor.  
                    I, as a person who grew up wealthy, am.  I put value in things.  These children, having no 
                    things, put value in God.  I put my trust in relationships; these children, having already seen
                    relationships fail, put their trust in the Lord.  This nation is blessed beyond any place, any 
                   people I have encountered.  God has not forgotten them.  In fact, I believe He has loved them 
                   just a little bit extra.  I sit here freezing and wet in this pitch-black room as the rain beats on 
                   the roof, and God is so close I feel I can touch Him.  My deepest prayer is that I could know 
                   the Lord as well as the first grader next to me.  My senses are full of His greatness.  God's 
                   glory has fallen down into this place and is soaking us even deeper than the rain.  I never want
                   to be dry. "
Wow!  So beautiful and convicting.  The fact that these first graders she is teaching have so much more faith than I do, because God is all they have, really puts things in perspective.  After reading this, seeing how open Katie is to the Holy Spirit and seeing the Gospel on display in her life pretty much every day, convicted me that I really need to strive to see the Gospel in everything and have that be my reason for doing what I do.  Just being real here.  Too many times I find myself just going with the flow, not really seeking God for what He would have me to do in certain situations, and that's just not right and not how I want to live my life.  So I'm praying about how my life can be leveraged for the Gospel.  I might not have children with scabies around me dying of hunger that I can bring into my home, but there are things I can do here.

It is so refreshing to see a young girl, who pretty much had it all according to America's standards, completely give it all up to follow what Jesus has for her life.  And it is a beautiful life she is living.  She is seeing God work daily, and seeing the blessing of following him.  Hers is a life that is being leveraged for the Gospel, she is making a difference in Uganda, and because of her, countless many others have come to know Him.  I can't imagine being 22 and already having 13 children, but she is doing it, with God's grace.  This story is just so, so beautiful!! If you haven't read this yet, I encourage you to.  I pray that it will also change you and the many others who read it.  It's amazing what God can do through us if we let Him!!

New Look!

Well, it's a new year and I decided to give the blog a new look.  I've been debating on whether or not I should switch to Wordpress, but decided to hold off for a while and just change up the look here :) I think I'll be happy with it for now.  I can't believe January is already almost half over and this is the first time I've blogged in the New Year! Where is the time going?  I've got some posts I've been mulling over for a few days so they'll be coming soon.  Today you just get to see the pretty new design :)  unless I get a wild hair and decide to blog some more today while I'm home recovering from this nasty cold, courtesy of my preschool kiddos :)  Happy Friday y'all!