Friday, July 30, 2010

Chris Said I Could Tell You :)

We have been praying for a very, very long time that Chris could open up his own shop. Chris has been an auto technician for 16 years, has earned his master technician certification with GM, is ASE master certified and very much deserves to have his own shop.

God has given Chris an amazing gift at fixing cars and other things that run by motors and he has wanted a shop for sooooo long.

One other amazing thing about my hubby is how much he loves his family. Chris works about 25 minutes from our home right now and he just hates being away from us during the day. Chris has dreamed of a place that we could just come see him during the day or the kids could come "work" with him.

Chris has been doing some side work for awhile now but it has become so much that he was working crazy, crazy hours. We have been looking for a building but we live in a very small town and well there isn't much available.

After a lot of prayer we knew that God was telling us to trust him for the building if we just said "YES". Today Chris put in his 2 week notice, we are trusting God for that building and soon this little town will have the best, honest, Christian auto technician in the area. I know I'm bragging but I really love this man and he is really good at what he does.

Today was a very stressful day but tonight my hubby is on cloud nine because he knows he did what God asked him to do.

Soooooo.......if you live in our area (sorry I'm not giving that info on a public blog) and you want an auto technician you can trust and won't repair things that don't need fixed then call my wonderful, amazing hubby.

Here Is A Hint

My wonderful amazing husband took a HUGE leap of faith today to make a step forward in making his dream come true.

Some may think we are crazy but we have a very powerful God that we know will provide when we are willing to let him take the lead.

Thanks for your prayers!

As We Are Praying Like Mad......

God sent me to read a blog and this is what was in the post:


“This picture I took represents to me the broad path and the narrow path, and all of us have opportunities to make decisions. Today, when you leave here, you’re going to have the opportunity to make a decision, this week you’re going to have all kinds of opportunities to make decisions. Will you choose the path of least resistance, the broad path, or are you going to trust your heart into God’s hands and follow him into whatever path He leads you in? It’s a matter of trust, and you cannot have love without trust. God wants us to learn to trust him. His ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts higher than our thoughts and when we learn to trust him because of His love, it’s easier to follow him, down the road. Learning to live in God’s love…”

WOW.....does God have perfect timing or what?

By the way you should go read the exciting news on the blog I read this one.

KEEP PRAYING!!!

Will You Pray With Us?

I can't say what to pray for yet but I promise I will as soon as I can.

Yesterday I talked about Faith. God taught Chris and I an important lesson about faith when we said "yes" to Jaxson. God took 2 people who like to have it all figured out and taught us that sometimes it's OK not to have any of it figured out but just be willing to say "YES" and let God work out the details.

Today we may be taking a HUGE leap of faith if God makes 1 thing happen. Would you just pray with us that God will move this one mountain (there are more ahead) today and that we can take that leap?

I can't wait to tell you what this is all about :)

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Faith

Do you live by faith?

Are you willing to do things that other people would consider crazy?

Do you think you have missed out on great blessing because of lack of faith?

Have you ever seen true blessings because you walked on on complete faith?


Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Faith can be scary but at the same time it can be sooooo exciting. Don't let great opportunities pass you by because of lack of faith.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Power Of Prayer For An Orphan

OK, I haven't had much time to spend on this blog lately but it's time I get back to my true passion of advocating for orphans. This verse keeps going through my head today: A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows IS God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. Psalm 68: 5 & 6

So then I went looking at http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ and once again I couldn't believe all the beautiful faces still waiting when at the same time so many future mommies and daddies crying because they don't have a child. God then reminded me that when we found Jaxson we were not looking to adopt but we just started praying for this beautiful child to find a family. I also remembered that back when I was crying about not being able to get pregnant I didn't have a clue about special needs adoption.

I have an idea and I would love, love, love if you would join me in giving something a try. If I start see this working I will try to do it every week. What if once a week tons of people came together to pray, blog, Facebook, Twitter (I still don't Twitter) about ONE child. I'm not saying to give up on the children you are already advocating for but just to add whatever child I post each week about too.

If 10 people blogged about the same child and each had 50 followers, at least 500 people would see that one childs face that week. If 10 people added it to their Facebook profile that each had 150 friends (I know most people have more friends) that is a possibility of 1,500 people being exposed to that one precious face.

Do you believe in the power of prayer? I do and I know it works. I also know that you can see a picture of an orphan not expecting to adopt but God shows you that child is yours.

So this is what I'm asking you to do:
I am posting a child below off of http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ and I'm asking you to help me advocate this week for this child, pray for this child and if you feel led donate to this childs grant fund. If you blog about it please ask others to blog about it and you can link your post back to here to explain what we are trying to do. I am adding a linky for fun so if you blog about it would you leave the link to your blog in the linky? If you haven't used a linky before just follow the directions where it says "enter your link here", it is sooooo easy.

Let's get started and meet this weeks orphan:
Tara, Born September 30, 2002

She is extroverted and can express her feelings very well. When she is happy she will greet you warmly and embrace you enthusiastically; if she thinks that she was treated wrongly she will make sharp sound and cry loudly to blow off her discontent. She has made great physical progress and can go up and down stairs and loves to dance around!


Click here to find out more about Tara (you will need to scroll down the page).

Thanks for helping me spread the word about Tara this week and to pray for her. Let's let the power of prayer bring Tara a family!


Remember That Garden We Planted?

Well........I'm sure we wouldn't qualify for the state fair. I'm sure the town is about to call us about the weeds in our garden (life got crazy and weeds went crazy). Somehow though we ended up with corn, tomatoes and carrots. :)

I called my mom this morning to see if our corn was ready and she said it was so the kids went and picked enough for lunch (Paige is with grandma today).

I cannot even tell you how excited these 2 were to make their lunch from the veggies they grew (OK, if you saw our garden you would know it was only a miracle from God that they grew).

So next year you all are going to have to tell me how you do weed control with busy lives.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Home From The Most Relaxing Vacation Ever!!!

About a month ago we decided to take a vacation. It has been I think 3-4 years since we have had a real vacation. We honestly had no idea where to go but knew we could only go for about 4 days, we wanted a cabin and Amaya wanted a hot tub. I searched and searched for somewhere to go but in middle of July it's not easy to find a place. I had looked in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. One morning I just sat praying for God to find us somewhere that would be just what we needed and that he did. I found a little cabin in Michigan near the sand dunes (didn't even know that when I reserved it) and close to the lake that seems like the ocean.

We left Thursday morning at about 5 AM and the kids were sooooooo excited (OK, we were too).

This is the beautiful little cabin we stayed at and we loved it so much we are thinking about building one like it in a couple of years. Who needs a big house anyway?

Where we stayed there was no internet, no phone service and well not many places to eat. We were pretty hungry one day and asked a local where we could eat and she told us about this really cool dairy farm we could tour and have lunch. We even got to go see where they make cheese and ice cream. I know there are no cows in this picture but the kids were so cute in the hats they had to wear.

We got to take a ride in this very cool truck over the dunes and it was soooooooo much fun that we gave up going to a rodeo that night so that we could go on the ride again. Chris has decided he needs to find a way to live in Michigan in the summers so he can get a job driving these.

We spent lots and lots of time playing in the water at Lake Michigan and it was so very relaxing and fun. The kids had so much fun I didn't want to leave.


We had lots and lots of ice cream!!!

Chris and I also managed to put a puzzle together.

Now we have to convince my family and Uncle Walt and Aunt Robin to go back with us because we would have sooooooo much fun.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

10-12 Year Olds

As I have been working at the fair this week I have had sooooo much fun with the kids ages 10-12. These kids come up to my booth and get soooooooo excited to see all the pendants and they come back all the time to see if I have any new ones.

Last night a group of girls came up and asked me about the down syndrome pendants and I explained to them about Reece's Rainbow and they took in every word I said. They were all so excited they wanted to buy a down syndrome pendant just to help a orphan with special needs get a home. One girl did buy a down syndrome one.

My mom and I have also made a new friend named Noah at the fair and he is 11. Oh my goodness I wish I could take Noah home with me but I think his mom and dad might miss him a little bit.

This is the last day of the fair and I can tell you I am really, really going to miss having these kids come around to talk to.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

From My Friend Adeye

My friend Adeye posted this on her blog and I beg you to read this, pray and spread the word. PLEASE a child life is at stake.


I'm pleading....
Friends, I come to you tonight begging for your prayers. My heart is so burdened for a sweet little boy who so urgently needs our intercession...and a family.

Monroe is five years old. He is so fortunate to still be in a baby house. For those of you unfamiliar with adoptions in our daughter's country, around a childs's fifth birthday they are a transferred to a mental asylum. All children with special needs go there. For most, it is a death sentence. They simply cannot survive the heinous conditions.

Oh my goodness, he is just too sweet for words.

Monroe WILL be transferred in just six months time. That's how long a family has to get to him. The institution he will be moved to is known to be one of the worst in the country. There is no way sweet Monroe can survive there. Absolutely no way.

This adorable little boy deserves the love of a family and the medical intervention he so desperately needs. The fact that Monroe has CP should just be a big whatever. Just like every other child, he deserves a mommy and a daddy to help him become ALL that God has created him to be. There is nothing 'wrong' with Monroe, but everything RIGHT with him. He is created in the image of an Almighty Father--fearfully and wonderfully made just the way he is.

A missionary visited him last month and shared this about him....

I met with the doctor in his Groupa House who brought me back to meet him. The Head Doctor wanted me to meet the children who needed equipment. While measuring him for a chair, she explained to me what was more important was that he get a family. He will be tranferred in six months to the worst institution, restrained in a crib in a dark room. She broke into tears! Monroe has spastic cerebral palsy in all four limbs and is globally delayed. He is able to recognize the voices of his careworkers and understand simple directions. However, due to his spacitiy he is unable to do much of anything. No speech. With therapy he can improve but will always have limitations. His temperament was sweet and his eyes twinkled. He needs a family fast!

I look at this sweet boy in the picture and I am absolutely certain of something--this boy will blossom, grow and astound everyone with his rapid development once he is home. I know it. He just needs to be given a chance at life, an opportunity to learn and grow. Sadly, he will never reach any kind of milestone once he is in an asylum, he will wither away in a dark room and die alone. Fact!

Please will you pray with me? Please will you help me spread the word about Monroe?

All he needs is someone to say, "Here I am Lord, send me!" Everything else is already provided. Due to an incredibly generous benefactor, the adoption costs for Monroe are completely covered! Monroe has a $20 000.00 grant....


$20 000.00!

That is enormous. Never in my years involved in the adoption community have I ever heard of such an amazing grant for one child. Boy does this little guy need it.

Someone asked me if we would go and bring him home? Yes. In a heartbeat. It's a beautiful thing watching children like this change before your very eyes. It's breathtaking--a miracle! I cannot even describe what special needs adoption has done to us--it has changed us forever. But unfortunately in this season of our lives we don't qualify to adopt. And there is absolutely no way around it.

I know there is a family out there for this angelic little boy. They just have to find him. Will you help me spread the word, please? Together as the Body of Christ we can find Monroe's family.

Time is running out. Once he is transferred, it may be very difficult to get him out. Someone needs to go on a rescue mission--sent out by the Lord Himself.

I appreciate your prayers for Monroe more than you can know. I know the Lord hears every single plea on behalf of this angel--I know He will act!

I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Isaiah 45:3

Standing and trusting for the life of this child!

If anyone would like more information about Monroe, please contact Andrea Roberts from Reeces Rainbow at bamaroberts@comcast.net.

Look What I Found!!!

Oh my....oh my.........oh my!!!!
Look at these faces!

I haven't had time to pop in on Reece's Rainbow for awhile. Since $5 of every awareness pendant sold in my shop goes to a waiting child on Reece's Rainbow I popped in this morning to see who to send the donation to from my wonderful customers.



I can't believe all these beautiful faces are still waiting for a family. Do you think you could take just 2 minutes today, pop into Reece's Rainbow, and pray for some of these kiddos?



Monday, July 19, 2010

4-H Fun

We have been having fun this weekend! We love 4-H time here and this year I have my booth so we are having a lot of fair time.

One of the kids favorite things to do is go in the barn that you can hold chicks and bunnies. Can you tell this little one likes bunnies?

Amaya was cracking me up this year being a little teacher/mommy to Jaxson explaining everything to him and holding his hand all around the fair.

This is a picture of my very first booth. We ended up changing it around a little the second day but thanks to my mom it looks wonderful.

Last night on my way home I got a very excited phone call from my hubby and 3 kiddos. A few weeks ago Amaya and I had heard an owl but we live in town so this is kind of a rare thing and we have never seen an owl in town before. I think Chris thought I was a little crazy when I told him I had been hearing an owl when I was walking the dogs.
Last night Chris took the dogs out and he saw a baby owl just learning to fly. He told Amaya to hurry and get the camera and they all got to see it. I couldn't believe they actually got pictures of it. I hope I get to see it one of these nights.

OK, lots to do because I have 3 more days of fair. Have a good week!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Today I Found An Angel

The other day I got an amazing email from a lady that wanted to help spread the word about my friend Holly and her fundraiser. The day I got her email I could tell right away she had a heart of gold. Little did I know that day that she would be my little angel today.

This week is just plain crazy for me. God blessed Holly with selling 176 pendants the other day! I have been filling those orders and I need to make about 500 more in the next week (feel free to pray for me) because God has another family to bless next week in my shop and I will be having a booth at a 5 day fair.

Today has been a day that I was just totally overwhelmed by everything that has to happen in the next couple of weeks. I have prayed and prayed all day asking God how in the world am I going to get everything done. I'm not super woman for sure and oh my if anyone comes by my house I will crawl in a cave.

OK, now on to my angel for the day. This lady named Jill had sent me an email a couple of days ago with a link to a site but I honestly didn't really have time to check it out. This morning she emailed me about something and I checked out her site and cried with what I saw. It was exactly what I have been looking for to make some pendants. Not only am I teaming up with Jill for God's cause he has called her to but she has been my angel today.

I have needed a button for my shop and well I just haven't figured out how to make one and haven't had the time to do it. Jill ask me for a button she could put on her blog and when I told her I didn't have one she made me one.

Thank you Jill for being my angel today, making me cry and letting me be part of your amazing ministry! I can't wait to get those pendant s made.

OK, now go check out the very cool button she made me on my sidebar and if you want to bring more tears to my eyes today grab the button and put it on your blog.

Want to check out Jill's passion click here.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Chore Charts......LOVE THEM!!!

We are one week into our chore charts and let me just tell you that they are a blessing from God. When I first saw these they were $48 dollars a piece and I wouldn't spend that on them. Then out of the blue God sent us some money we had no idea was coming and we ordered these.

It took me several weeks to get them up because of needing to paint a room and things but let me just say that after doing these now I would have paid waaaayyyyy more for these.

Fisher Kids that created this is so full of wisdom about this kind of thing that it's worth the money just to read the booklet that comes with it. God has truly given Fisher Kids the gift of teaching parents how to teach your children to be responsible.

So this is what happens in our house now:

1. My kids get excited EVERY morning to find out what their chores are for the day.

2. The chores actually get done because they are excited and they don't get the same chore twice in one week.

3. This momma is a lot less stressed!

4. We are now working as a team.

5. Sunday's (payday) is a precious time for us as a family to go over everything they did that week. To talk about responsibility and how you get rewards for being responsible. We talk about giving and how there are many, many ways to give to God. We talk about saving. We do this as a family all together.

This system is amazing and is worth every single penny you spend on it!

Click here to check it out.

Monday, July 5, 2010

A Purpose Drive Family!!!

Tomorrow is a very exciting day for me. See that beautiful little boy in the middle of the picture below? God gave that little boy a BIG vision, a vision of a sister that needed to come home. This little boy has a wisdom wayyyyy beyond his 4 years and he wasn't about to give up the fight for his sister until his parents listened to what God had to say.

My friend Holly (those are her beautiful kiddos) is PASSIONATE about orphans. Holly does everything she can possibly do to fight for orphans, spread awareness, help other families fundraiser even though they are trying to fundraiser for their own adoption and now it's our turn to help Holly, help that beautiful little boy who has faith much bigger than a mustard seed and help her husband and other children get their child home.

I have the pleasure of hosting a fundraiser in my shop TOMORROW ONLY to help them bring their beautiful new child home. Please click here to find out the details.

I also want to ask you a HUGE favor. If you have a passion for orphans, if you have adopted and God has helped you financially, if Holly has ever touched your heart in any way (I know she has touched several), if you believe in fighting for the orphan and seeing one less orphan in the world could you please take 5 minutes today to help spread the word?

Just click here to get the details, Blog, Facebook, Twitter (whatever that is), send emails and let's show this 4 year old boy that God can move mountains when you have faith. Ask your friends to start their Christmas shopping and help bring his sister home.

THANK YOU!!!