OVERWHELMING Thankfulness...

I just received a phone call from Faith and Grace's Pre-K teacher.   She was almost in tears.   She quickly tells me that she had to call and share!     They were doing a Thanksgiving project and she pulled the kids aside to ask them what they are MOST thankful for...    Faith (without any hesitation) responds, "My Mama for getting me from the orphanage!"   

As I'm sitting at my desk here at work... bawling my eyes out and thanking God for his AMAZING blessings on our family -  my phone beeps!   I receive a text from her and Grace's answer is just as emotional for me - - Grace answered, "My Mama - cause she holds me!" 

I can't even express the emotion when I hear things like this.  

There was a time when I was SO tired.  I was tired of fundraising.  I was tired of redoing paperwork.  I was tired of answering questions with NO new news to report.   I was tired of the looks and the whispers behind my back.  I was tired of people asking if it was EVER going to 'really' happen.  I was tired of questioning it all myself.    I was tired of waiting.    (If you've not followed our story... just check out the L O N G timeline on the right side!)

I am can't even encourage you enough that if you are also TIRED.... if you are tired of waiting... DON'T. GIVE. UP!!!  No matter what you are facing or 'waiting' on.  

There were SO. MANY. TIMES that I felt I was fundraising and standing alone...  I wondered where in the world my God was.    I was EXHAUSTED from the emotions... I was EXHAUSTED from the struggles.   

However....   When I receive a call like this one... I remember that my God was and is so so so FAITHFUL.  

I am so incredibly humbled and thankful today that I was chosen by my God 4 times....  I was chosen and entrusted to be 4 precious girl's Mama!!!    I am honored.... and to say that I'm thankful today... well, that's putting it mildly! 

A miracle.... It's been ONE year!

It was one year ago today that we met Faith and Grace in that cold orphanage in Pavlodar, Kazkahstan.
One Year ago today that our God performed an amazing miracle…

We met them and knew they were our daughters, but had to rely on God to show up in a HUGE way…. I could retype the story out, but I’ve already written it in last year’s posts: 1) Update - Can you PLEASE help us?, 2)God is SO awesome!  , and 3) This is the UPDATE of a lifetime!!!!   PLEASE go back and read those… Join us in praising our God for miracle after miracle after miracle!

I know that so many of you moved in lightening speech to spread the word on this very day one year ago…. And you bombarded facebook, email, and contacted anyone who you knew that might help… I have a HUGE favor… Will you PLEASE forward this email/post on to those same people again…PLEASE! Will you help me show and spread the word about how awesome it truly is when we obey Christ.

I wish there was some way I could get in contact with EVERYONE who played a part in the miracle… but, I have NO way to contact most of them…. I need your help! I want everyone to know how truly thankful we are! Thank you SO SO SO much! We pray that God blesses you one thousand times over for your giving and kind hearts!

The miracle that occurred on Nov. 4, 2010 is PROOF that God is alive and well and will move through us when we allow him to.

God is so so so awesome!

Faith and Grace have been home 7 ½ months and the transformation is staggering. Yes, there are most definitely days that are overwhelming and sometimes the stress level is HIGH… but, they have made such progress is it really unbelievable if you think back to one year ago tonight! Wow… God had his hand on them… and it’s absolutely a miracle in SO many ways that they are asleep in our home tonight!

God, it’s ALL for you and YOUR glory!

Be encouraged tonight… and remember that often God is working the most on your behalf when you feel him the least! Remember that your miracle could be about to happen…. DON’T give up on the BRINK of your miracle!

Thank you again for your continued love and support of our family! We are so so so blessed to have had such love and support!


Here we are on Nov. 5, 2010.  This was the day we said YES!  :)



Here we are TODAY!  

Here's our first picture of Faith and Grace.... then known as Stella and Violetta (S and V)!

AND... Here are our precious adorable babies TODAY!   These 2 angels are truly amazing... and as you can see in this picture... their personalities come shining through!   We are in AWE of our God and the miracles we see EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!



Our 4 girls all together in ONE big hug... all looking at the camera and smiling...  THAT is truly a miracle in itself, and that my dear friends makes this Mama's heart soar BIG!



On the brink....

(Before I really start this post I want to explain about the new 'look'... ummm... well, I realized that the background was not showing up at all.. meaning it was hard to see lots of things... so I found this generic template where at least EVERYTHING is showing up. THIS IS NOT how I want the blog to look... and SOON (hopefully) I will update it - Goodness it needs some serious updating... it's in the works - It really is!)



Now... on to the REAL reason I am writing...


Well... I have felt this compelling need to come here to the blog and write about this very thing for DAYS… so, here I am!


It's a post of encouragement to ANY of you who might be about to 'throw in the towel' so to speak. I know that lots of you are facing things in your lives that you wish would END already. Some of you have honestly been trusting God for a miracle for a LONG time... and are wondering if he even cares or realizes that you are hurting....

Well... let me take you back - 1 year ago TODAY!


I was stranded in Kazakhstan... I remember those last few days before we met Faith and Grace SO vividly... Lots of people told me I'd forget and it would all be a blur. Some of it is... but, honestly, my stomach is rolling right now as I think back and reflect on that very time.... those 2 1/2 weeks when we were in country 'waiting' to meet our 'son'.... :) Now - if you don't know our story, and what we went through in country, then I suggest you go back and read through the blog from about Oct. 23 - Nov. 2nd, 2010. That will give you a good idea (sort of) of what we were going through.


However, at that time we didn't know who might be hacking into the blog, reading what we were writing, thinking, saying...etc.. and so I was somewhat reserved.


To be completely honest, I wasn't completely honest


It was BRUTAL! We talked about giving up... we asked ourselves if we had missed God. We didn't understand why we were there and NOT meeting our child. We were running out of money. We were both off from our jobs with NO pay. We hadn't even started the process of bonding and court, etc... and it had been weeks. We were desperate for God to show up and show up big.

I just read back through a few of those posts from one year ago today.... and on the day that I went on a walk alone... it was a BAD day. I didn't understand what was happening. I threw a HUGE fit... I walked around those streets in that city (not a very safe thing to do... but, I didn't care) and cried out to God.... I sat in a park bench in the city park... 1/2 of a world away from our family and just about threw in the towel. It was tough... it was hard and it felt like God had forsaken us...

As I look back and think back to that time now... I am just so thankful that we held on. We clung to each other and our God and the promises he had given us. We quoted the scriptures and the promises that he has given us and you better believe it I reminded him of what he had told me.

Even in the midst of "knowing" he did have a plan it was SO tempting to give up and walk away. I had followed other families for years and they walked over and came home in one month - court completed - families intact.. WHY US?! WHY God... WHY??!!!

I am assuming that most everyone who is reading this knows about our miracle, and what God did on Nov. 4, 2010! Wow…. And to think that when we were SO low and about to give up… we were 48-72 hours away from a miraculous breakthrough… WOW!

I came here because I know that someone who will read this in the next few days is facing some sort of struggle in their life and they are considering just giving up.

Maybe you are facing a 'wait' for your adoption and you don't think you can stand to wait another day/hour/second….HOLD ON!

Maybe you are struggling in the area of finances and things look so hopeless that you are about to just give up.... HOLD ON!!!

Maybe you are in a marriage and you've been trusting God for a miracle for years and you are about to give up... HOLD ON!!!!

Maybe you are unemployed and need work and wonder if God sees your babies are hungry and need clothes... HOLD ON!

Maybe you are reading this and considering taking your own life... because things are just not right in your world... and you've begged God to show up... HOLD ON!

Maybe you are waiting on a healing in your body or that on a loved one... and they are getting sicker and sicker... HOLD ON!

The list could go on and on and on!

You see NO MATTER what you are facing.... PLEASE don't give up.... don't throw in the towel... You never know when YOUR MIRACLE might be 5 minutes from happening!

One year ago tonight.... I almost gave up. I was on the brink of the most miraculous thing I've ever seen or experienced in my life. IF we had given up.... we would have missed that!

Now, don’t think that we weren’t trusting God because we were… but, sometimes the stresses get overwhelming and everyone considers (or at least I think we all do) just giving up. That appears to be the easier way out… but, let me encourage you tonight that you don’t want to!

PLEASE don’t give up…. Keep trusting God because you could be ‘on the brink’ or YOUR miracle!!!!!

Be encouraged in the Lord tonight and know that …”His love for you is NEVER ending!”

DON’T GIVE UP… Your miracle is on the way!!!! :)
… and cling to his promises! He says it perfectly in John 11:40, “ Did I not tell you that if you believed – You would see the Glory of God?”


Believe and you will see his Glory! What an amazing God!