ADOPTION UPDATE

I know it has been some time since I gave an update on our adoption but there really wasn't a whole lot to tell. We got our Home Study packet and it took us around 6-8 weeks to get it all finished and mailed off to our agency.

From Dr.'s appointments to finger printing to online training to background checks to a gazillion questions about our pasts, our parents, our marriage, and our financial status....... Shew...... We are glad its in our counselors hands now. But we know that is just one small hurdle. Our next hurdle once our Home Study is completed is the dossier (which is pretty much a bunch of more paperwork for Ethiopia).

The biggest hurdle for me personally is the financial burden. God has thus far faithfully provided at just the right time but I am a planner and a control freak so you can only imagine how uncomfortable and unsettling this makes me feel. I like to be ahead of the game I guess you could say but God doesn't always work that way. My faith is definitely being put to the test and I am not proud to say that I have questioned God and doubted the path we are on most of the way. But at every turn God has been patiently reminding me to just trust Him & continue walking through the open doors in front of me.

As soon as our Home Study is approved we will owe our next payment of $3,550. We are probably about 2 months away from its completion and amazingly we have already raised about $2,500 of that amount!! But probably the most nerve racking thing for me right now is upon the completion of our dossier we will then owe 1/2 the Ethiopian country fee which is about $6,000. God is definitely teaching me how to trust Him more.

With all that being said I have to ask..... If cost wasn't an issue would YOU adopt a child?? Did you know that if ONLY 7% of the worlds Christian population would adopt just 1 child the orphan problem would be eradicated? I have people say to me all the time that they don't have that kind of money. Well guess what....... We don't either! But we believe that with God nothing is impossible and that He doesn't always call us to whats easy. God keeps reminding me that He didn't allow the "cost" of our adoption into the family of God to stop him.

"he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will" Ephesians 1:5


I absolutely cannot wait till I lay my eyes on this sign again coming off the plane in Ethiopia! Pray for us as we walk through this process and pray that in all of this God's glory and grace will be made known.

Feel free to visit our fundraising page and share it.... www.youcaring.com/wallaceadoption.

10 YEARS OF BLISS

In June of 2000 I was 16 years old and it was the summer before my senior year of high school. I was headed to Ponce Inlet, FL with my family and one of my best friends for our yearly beach vacation. The very last full day we were there it was rainy so we decided to head out to spend some time shopping and ate out for dinner that night. When we returned from dinner my mom looked out at the pool and said, "There are some boys in the pool." As a young teen who was crazy about boys (Lord help me if Alexa takes after me) I was ready to get out there and check them out.
Those boys turned out to be David and his younger brother, Jonathan along with their little sister, Amy who were at the beach for the weekend but lived in Orlando. David's opening line to me was...... " Where are you all from?" (My southern accent paid off big that day!) We spent the next few hours swimming in the pool with David and his siblings. The next morning he even got up early to watch the sunrise with us before we left to travel back to Tennessee. With a simple hug and exchange of email addresses....... we parted ways.
For 2 1/2 years we kept in touch through email, dated other people, and went on with our lives. At about this time 11 years ago, David sent me an instant message on the computer and asked if he could call me. That was when our friendship turned to romance and we planned a trip for him to come to Tennessee 2 days after Christmas. My heart skipped a beat as he got off that plane and as he was walking towards me at the airport my first thought was that this was who I was meant to marry.
For the next 5 months we dated long distance.... traveling back and forth once a month and spending every dollar we could gather on plane tickets. David began working to save money so he could move to be near me and in June of 2003 my Mom, Dad, & I made the 11 hour drive to Orlando, FL to move my love to Tennessee.
David moved into this little tiny studio apartment off of Memorial Blvd. and we began making plans to get married. On October 5th, 2003 at the Allendale Mansion in Kingsport, I said "I do" to my best friend and made a commitment to one another that we would spend our lives together.
The last 10 years has been so amazing and everything that happened to bring us together all those years ago is nothing short of a miracle. I am so proud and honored that God selected David to be mine.
David is the definition of prince charming....... thoughtful, loving, honest, hardworking, romantic, fun loving, an amazing father, selfless, and not to mention easy on the eyes! He gives without expecting anything in return, he loves with all his heart, and most importantly he loves the Lord. He takes his role as the head of our house very seriously and I can lay my head on the pillow at night with complete peace at where he leads us because he is seeking the Lord first in everything he does. It is the most amazing feeling to know that my husband is praying for me and our marriage on a daily basis. He is my love and even though I don't always feel like I deserve him, I know that God created him with me in mind and our divine meeting was in the plans way before our time.
So Happy 10th Anniversary to my prince charming, David!! I love you more now than ever before and I thank God for you everyday!

"I found the one my heart loves" Song of Solomon 3:4

MY 30TH BIRTHDAY IN AFRICA

We began our LONG journey to Africa at about 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday, July 30th. Roughly 36 hours later we finally arrived at the lodge where we stayed for the week. So our first full day in Africa was ironically on my 30th birthday, August 1st.

I began my morning with my blow dryer blowing up.  I obviously didn't realize the plug adaptor can only handle so much. Normally something like that would have quite possibly ruined my day but I laughed about it and considered it a blessing to not have to worry about my hair and the long process of styling it for a week.

David surprised me with birthday video messages from those closest to me. Wow.... that was really incredible! The hubs got big brownie points for that. Thank you to all of you who sent videos and tried to send videos. I know some of them didn't come through but it meant the world to me!! I believe I cried through most of them!

After breakfast we walked to Makwati school (I am not sure that is spelled correctly but it looks right so I'll go with it). Let me just say, that in itself was worth the 36 hours of traveling and leaving my kids for a week! I have never felt so much love from complete strangers before! They literally tackled us and surrounded us with beautiful, joyful smiles! If I ever doubted that I could love a child not biologically mine before that doubt was completely gone.....never to return. I instantly loved all those kids and soaked up their affection!

I have never been around kids that were so joyful & genuinely happy! They have nothing as far as possessions go yet they know a peace and contentment that I can only dream my kids would know. They wear mismatched, dirty clothes and many of them didn't even have shoes on. They didn't seem to care about any of that though. Their smiles were contagious and their affection made my heart swell! To say David was on cloud 9 is an understatement! He was totally in his element and it was obvious that children are definitely his calling!

The whole day I kept thinking about the child God has picked out for us to adopt! I am more excited and anxious now than ever before to dive into this process. The day before we left for Africa our adoption application was approved. Our next step is the home study but we have to come up with $2,100 before we can move forward. So far we have about $800 and I must admit I am stressing a little about the rest. Normally we would have that money tucked away but in our quest to completely rid our lives of car debt we used our savings to pay cash for David's car. I know God did that on purpose though because he wants to show us that he can and will provide for what he has called us to do. As soon as our home study is done we can apply for adoption grants. Hopefully we will be able to get some grants to help pay for the rest.

We have some things planned for fundraising but those are going to take some time to get together. I have some events this fall & winter that I am going to set up at and sell jewelry made by women in Africa.  My car is up for sale and if we can get it sold we plan to buy something cheaper and use as much of the money from that as we can toward our adoption. David is going to try to find some side jobs like painting to help us raise money.  We will do whatever it takes..... so everything at the Wallace's is for sale (with the exception of our kids...haha)! The life of a child is worth more to us than our "stuff." We trust God that everything will happen in his timing. So pray that God will give us patience! 

For now I leave you with this verse that God showed me the morning after we visited the school.....
"Listen, my beloved brother, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?" James 2:5

Acutally all of James 2 is good stuff! I encourage you to read it! 

THE NEXT MEMBER OF THE WALLACE FAMILY

In my last post I announced that we are ready and feel led to begin our journey with adoption. At the time we were pretty certain we knew what route we were called to take we just wanted to make certain that was where God was truly leading us.

Well over the past few days I have spent a lot of time researching and watching adoption videos and my heart has been broken over and over again. The need is so large that I have been overwhelmed by it. Honestly, I have felt inadequate...... Like just adopting one isn't going to be enough.

There are many estimates out there (its really hard to get an exact number), but there is approximately 153 million orphans world wide. Just take a minute to wrap your head around that and by the way that number doesn't even include the kids who are orphaned and living on the streets as opposed to an orphanage or foster home. Could you imagine your own kids not having a mommy & daddy to love on them, tuck them in at night, care for them while they are sick, and comfort them when they have a bad dream? Could you imagine being abandoned by the people who are supposed to love you the most on this Earth?  Could you imagine both of your parents suddenly dieing and having no one else to care for you?

For a long time (even 6 years ago when we first felt called to adopt), we have always been drawn to Africa. We went into our meeting with our adoption counselor with the countries narrowed down to 4 and after that meeting we felt stronger than ever that God was calling us to Ethiopia.

  So what is it about Ethiopia that stirs our hearts so much....... Of the 153 million orphans world wide, 4.3 million of those reside in Ethiopia alone. It is one of the largest orphan populations in the world. One in 6 children die before their 5th birthday and 1 in 4 girls are raped. Ethiopia is one of Africa's poorest countries: over 80% of the 77 million people that reside there live below the poverty line, with 10 million of those facing starvation. Preventable diseases count for 60% of health problems. One of the top killers in Ethiopia is diarrhea. Those statistics are hard to swallow and understand when compared to the United States and the privileges that we have here. We are on a rescue mission to bring the child home that God has already picked out for us. 

I would be lying if I said David & I have not had conversations about the effects of interracial adoption and what we need to expect as far as racism is concerned. It is so sad to me that this is still apart of our culture. The other day on facebook, Pastor Rick Warren's post said, "Racism is stupid. It's an insult to God, arrogantly implying that God goofed-up when he chose to make us all different." I love that! If you believe God created everything and everyone do you think he appreciates us having such hatred toward some of his creation just because their shade of skin is different than yours? There is only one race and that is the human race and we are all beautiful in the eyes of God.

So pray for us if you will as I know that we have some struggles ahead and pray for our child that God has reserved for us. We plan to raise every single penny needed to make this adoption happen. Our immediate need is for $550 for the formal application. We need this money as soon as possible. Currently there are only 10 spots left in the Ethiopia program (they only take so many at a time). We know God is in control and if one of those spots are meant for us then the money will come in. Immediately after the formal application is approved we need $2,100 to get our home study done. Then within a few more months we will owe $3,500. We won't owe anything more until we are referred a child which on average takes 3 years. So we will have some time to bring in about $30,850 more.

I have some fundraising ideas that I am excited to get started working on when we return from our mission trip. But I do wonder if we could possibly raise it all with facebook. What if 6,150 (or 37,000 for that matter) people on facebook donated just $1 to our cause? It will be nothing short of a miracle how God brings this money in. I have set up a fundraising website that people can go to and donate using paypal. Just follow this link..... www.youcaring.com/wallaceadoption

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."  James 1:27 (NLT)

LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN

In the past several months God has surrounded me with adoption. I hear about it everywhere..... no joke! Some may say that is just coincidence and it was all there before I just didn't notice it. But I KNOW that is not the case. It is God telling David & I to move forward and put our words into action.

We met with our adoption counselor on Wednesday and that night I prayed for God to send me confirmation that now is the time. When I woke up Thursday morning and read my devotional for the day tears filled my eyes. 

My devotion was titled 'Saying Yes To God.' Lysa TerKeurst writes, "You may be thinking, my yes can't affect others like this. I don't have that kind of influence. But we cannot even begin to understand the plans God has for us. There is always a far-reaching ripple effect when a woman says yes to God. We don't have to see the spread of the influence to know it's there. The power of saying yes to God is beyond anything we could ever imagine."

Up until now I have always seen us adopting as being a forever family for ONE child but when I read that devotion I realized that more than just one child could be united with their forever families because of our yes. The testimonies of others who have adopted has greatly influenced us and encouraged us to move forward and our testimony could very well do the same for others. God's plans are always greater than we could ever imagine.

 We are pretty certain we know the exact path God has chosen for us. We will make that public knowledge as soon as we have confirmed it with God and have revealed that information to our closest family members. We know that God has already chosen our next child and we cannot wait to see what the future holds!

So another fundraising journey will begin! We definitely do not have the funds for an adoption but we know that nothing is too great or too big for God and if he has called us to do it then he will provide the way. So pray for us as we begin this next chapter of our lives. 

Hopefully in my next post I will be able to unveil the country God has chosen for us! Until then I remind you that as christians we have been adopted into the family of God.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

 

PREPARING FOR AFRICA

IT IS OFFICIAL...... Our plane tickets have been purchased & I will be turning 30 in Zambia, Africa! We depart on July 30th at 5:25 am (Yikes.... That's early) for our loooong journey across the world!

Since on August 1st I will officially say goodbye to my 20's, my license expires that day. I didn't think it would be a good idea to let it expire while in Africa (they may not let me come back home),  so we went today to renew it. It was surprisingly the easiest process I have ever encountered at the DMV & we were in & out in 15 minutes. Wow.... I am still amazed AND I actually got a decent picture! That's a miracle all in itself! See... Miracles do still happen. :)

We also had to go to the Health Dept. today and get our yellow fever vaccine. Poor David hates shots and I threw him under the bus and told them he hadn't had a tetanus shot in more than 10 years so he had to get that too. Oops!! He has such a fear of shots. Not of the actual shot itself but of the possible side effects. We both survived though and it was a fairly easy process as well. Those shots costs over $350.... So thank you soooo much to those of you that have donated to us and has helped us raise the money!

This weekend we will be turning in the rest of the money we have raised to pay for our plane tickets, room, & food expenses while we are there. This has so far been an awesome journey and I have actually really enjoyed the fundraising part. I got to sit down with several people and share with them what we will be doing in Africa and why we felt led there. But the best part was witnessing as people stepped up to God's call and assisted us financially and prayerfully.

I leave you for now with this picture of David and I going into the Health Dept to get our shots. I just love this man! He is so much fun and truly makes my life enjoyable!

AFRICA UPDATE: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

I have had a couple people ask me for an update on our fundraising efforts for Africa. As of right now we do not have an exact final dollar amount. We have a pretty good estimate of what we need and I am happy to report that based on that estimate we are AT THE MOST $300 away from being completely fundraised for the trip. We have a meeting to attend next Sunday evening and I am hoping we can narrow that down to a more exact amount so we know where to go from there.

When David and I began this journey we talked about how awesome it would be to be able to completely raise the money without having to send out support letters. There is nothing wrong with that (we will most likely have to do it when the time comes to raise the money for adoption)  but I am very prideful and I like to work for it. We agreed that we would try to raise what we could on our own and if we still needed more we would send out support letters. I never imagined that people would start stepping up and giving us money without us having to ask and for the most part it came from people I would have never expected it from. In one case we even had a sweet lady we had never met before give us money for the trip. We are so grateful that people have answered God's call to support our trip.

The way that God provided for us financially to go on this trip, for me, is the greatest confirmation of all! I am ashamed to say, I doubted Him and lacked faith that it would come in. But in those moments of doubt He came through in big ways. He showed me that all I have to do is say yes and He will provide the rest of the way with what I need to walk in His will.

For now I leave you with this scripture....
"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:37 (ESV)

THE CHILD WISPERER

While David & I were dating, I became an aunt for the first time. My brothers little girl was born on April 22, 2003. David came in from Florida to see me and met my precious little neice, Abby when she was about a month old.

Most 21 year old guys would shy away from holding a baby so small much less feeding her a bottle. But David went right to her and picked her up and fed her a bottle. While everyone else in the room looked at him like an alien from another planet they were so shocked, I looked at him and thought "I have found the one!" I knew he was a natural and would make one awesome Daddy one day.

About 5 years later I watched as David became a Dad. He was so nervous and anxious! But when he laid his eyes on our baby boy I saw him in an instant fall in love. He was so excited he rushed out of the surgery room leaving Austin behind  just to tell everyone he was here. The nurse had to go looking for him to give Austin to him to carry to the nursery. It was funny yet so sweet! He was so excited he couldn't wait another second to tell our families he was born.

Those first several months were rough with a very colicky and fussy baby and honestly I wouldn't have made it through without David. He never shied away from a dirty diaper, a sleepless night, or endless rocking and bouncing trying to get our fussy baby content. He gave me my time and allowed me to cry when I needed to, take naps when I was worn out or step out to have some peace and quiet. David truly kept me grounded and encouraged me the whole way that it wasn't me and I wasn't a horrible mom because my baby wouldn't stop crying.

Three and a half years later I got the privelage of witnessing David fall in love with our little girl and it was just as magical as the first time. He was a little more relaxed (although not by much) and this time he never left Alexa's side except to come check on me after she was already in the nursery.  He waited on me hand and foot while I recovered from surgery and was sensitive to my every need. All the while helping care for our children without complaining one time!

David truly is an amazing Daddy! He has endless energy and always steps in to help me with them. I hear so many other women complain because their husbands won't get up in the middle of the night with their children, won't give their kids baths, won't cook and clean to give them a break, won't change a #2 diaper, or wipe a snotty nose. David has stepped up to help in every way he possibly can and even beyond that. Our kids absolutely adore him and I can definitely see why!

I started telling people he was the child whisperer. Kids everywhere just gravitate toward him. We were at the beach last week and several kids that we didn't know just came over and sat with him playing in the sand. We go to parks and he always ends up with extra kids around him. We go to family gatherings and all the kids in the family end up on David's lap or all around him playing. My neighbors granddaughter comes over and immediately asks where David is if he isn't home. When we volunteer in the nursery at church all the kids follow him around. He has this way with them that is really hard to put into words. You have to experience it in action to truly understand it. They all love him!

So Happy Fathers Day to the most amazing, funny, energy filled Daddy in the whole world! You are loved and appreciated more than you will ever know!!!!

THE BEAUTY OF THE STORM

I was blessed today to be able to spend my morning prayer time on the beach amongst the most beautiful, majestic view.

 As I sat watching my children play with their Daddy, I asked God to help me live in complete peace and to teach me how to not be a worry wart. I am a worrier (I openly admit it) and it causes me to literally be physically sick. Sometimes I don't even realize I am worrying or stressed until I start to not feel good. God surrounded me this morning with his power and showed me why I should not worry and have faith in Him.

We are on vacation in Tybee Island, GA this week. This place is so awesome! It's laid back, beach bum atmosphere is just perfect for a relaxing getaway. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Andrea decided she needed to visit here this week as well.

We arrived on Wednesday. Thursday it started raining about lunch time and poured the rain most of the day. That evening the wind arrived and whipped through this quaint, peaceful island.

Today was a beautiful day, with dark rain clouds mixed with pure white, fluffy ones. The wind decided to stick around and it would literally take your breath away on the beach if you were walking right into it. As I sat on the beach deep in conversation with God, the wind picked up and loose sand glided across the beach. It was so majestic as sand and wind blew all around me. My whole left side was sand covered in minutes as the wind whipped through my hair. I was immediately reminded of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. It was described in verse 2 as a "mighty rushing wind" as it swept in and filled the apostles. God reminded me in that moment that the Holy Spirit dwells within me. I am never alone and I have nothing to fear. He is with me always and He controls everything.

The wind died down enough to allow the loose sand to rest on the beach but it remained constant. As I leaned back, I was captivated by how beautiful the sky was. Just yesterday it was rainy and muggy, yet today it was picture perfect and worth stopping and enjoying. A few storm clouds remained and at times they would block the sun. But every chance the sun got it would shine through a cloud and warm my skin....reminding me that it was still there.

It made me think of trials that we go through in life. It is hard, depressing, and not much fun while we are in the middle of a storm but the aftermath can be worth it all. The beauty shines through the darkness and God is continuing to shape us into the image of Christ and preparing us for what he has ahead. 

For now I leave you with this scripture......

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

TO HOMESCHOOL OR NOT TO HOMESCHOOL?

Last year at this time I started researching homeschooling for my kids. I found this awesome umbrella school, HomeLife Christian Academy and learned about local Co-ops that I could join that would provide my kids with opportunities to take certain classes in a class room setting, support from other homeschool families, field trips and other events they could attend.

If you would have asked me a couple of years ago if I was going to homeschool or had considered it, my answer was a bit fat NO! Mainly because I didn't feel like I was smart enough to teach my children, I didn't want to take on that responsibility, and I have fond memories of going to school that I wanted my kids to have.

But, the more I learned about homeschool the more interested and excited I got. I was excited that I could teach my own kids and how awesome it would feel to know that I taught them how to read, write, add, and subtract. I was excited that I would have control over their curriculum and what they were learning.

After a few months of research, David and I settled on the decision the we would homeschool! Just to be clear on both sides of this topic these are the reasons we came to this decision:

1) Most homeschool kids actually test 1 to 2 grades higher than what grade they are actually in. This is because they are not held to the states standard and pace at which they learn and can move on once they have mastered a certain level. This also helps to keep learning exciting because they don't get bored.
2) Homeschool is MUCH more flexible. For example, we could spend the entire "school day" outside enjoying God's beauty. We can do homeschool anywhere! If we decide we want to go on vacation we don't have to wait until a scheduled break. We can just take our books with us. This will also be beneficial if we get more involved in mission work.
3) A "school day" for a homeschooler is only about 4 hours a day.
4) We can sleep in!!!! This is the best reason yet.....don't ya think?!!! We can get up at 9:00 and start school and be done by 1:00 AND do school in our pajamas if we want to!
5) I don't have to worry so much about my kids being exposed to things before I am ready to expose them...... bullying, sex, foul language, etc.... (For example, my brother learned the f word in kindergarten). I want them to just be kids for as long as possible. I don't want them to be completely sheltered from the brokenness of this world but at the same time I want them to learn certain things when I see fit.
6) I can incorporate a daily Bible study in their school day and make God apart of their schooling all together. 
7) Most importantly, we came to this decision because we have felt called by God to do so. 

Until about a month ago we were 100% sure we were homeschooling. I even registered Austin already for HomeLife Christian Academy. But, a few things have happened that have made us question whether or not it is the best decision.

At church our pastor has been preaching verse by verse through the book of Mark. Actually it was back in March that I had my first uncertain moment about homeschool during one of the sermons on Mark. Our leadership pastor, Daniel, preached that particular Sunday. He preached from the scripture in Mark 2:13-17 when Jesus called the tax collector, Levi, to follow him. Daniel mentioned the part in the scripture where Jesus went into the home of Levi and ate with the sinners and tax collectors. Jesus was harshly ridiculed for this. Ridiculed for being a friend of sinners. But in verse 17 Jesus says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

So what does that have to do with homeschool? Well Daniel said during this sermon, "Stop trying to shelter your kids. God has commissioned our children to be light in the world. You've got to send them out. Teach them how to be a friend of sinners and get in their world. Take them with you and model it." By homeschooling Austin this coming August am I denying the world the light he has to shine into their darkness?

I soon placed this doubt I all of a sudden had in the back of my mind because we had already made our decision and God had called us to homeschool (I guess.... I'm still not certain).

Then about a month or so ago one day in the kitchen while I was making the kids breakfast Austin says to me out of the blue, "Mommy, I want to go to school." Up until this point he has always said he wanted me to teach him at home. So you can imagine my surprise. I asked him why and he said he just wanted to. I said, "So you don't want Mommy to teach you at home" and he simply said, "No." At this point I had already registered him for homeschool and bought 75% of his curriculum. 

I have always said that if at any point either one of them want to go to school I would not deny them that choice. But he is only 5 & actually if I asked him today if he wants to go to school or be homeschooled he says homeschooled because they have nasty food at school and some kids might be mean to him. So I can't really leave this big decision up to him but I do seriously consider his desires. This brought doubt to my mind once again. I immediately remembered Daniel's sermon.

Just a couple of days ago I started thinking about it again and really questioning myself. Am I choosing homeschool because of fear of what public school will bring to my kids, am I sheltering them, am I denying the world of this awesome 5 year old that is so giving and genuinely a great kid that loves to talk and learn about Jesus? Don't our public schools need little missionaries to infiltrate them and spread the good news that our world so desperately needs to hear? I want my kids to experience the brokenness of this world so they can learn how to live and thrive in it and trust the Lord no matter what. They need to know whats out there. Will they truly know when all they know outside of our home is a Co-op that meets at a church and is made up of other christians and at church where christians gather? Where exactly would they be exposed to children that aren't taught the love of Christ?

David has always been open to what I want to do because he knows it is a major commitment on my part but doubt has started to fill his mind as well.  I brought it up to him in the car the other day and he said he had been thinking about it too. His boss had told him about this kid that said he learned about Jesus through another kid at school. I wondered then if maybe it was Satan trying to persuade us to homeschool because he knows what Austin is capable of and he doesn't want him out in the world being a friend to sinners like Jesus was in Mark. Or maybe Satan is casting doubt on our plans to homeschool? It is safe to say, we are so confused!

At this point we have no clear decision and honestly a couple of months ago I never imagined we would be in this position. We were so certain. But we just want to do what God wants us to do no matter what that looks like. We put our yes on the table! I don't want to homeschool out of fear of what they might learn or be exposed to. I want to homeschool if the Lord is truly leading us to that for whatever reasons He has. But if God is calling us to send Austin to school to be a missionary then we are ready to set our fears aside and let the Lord take care of him as he takes his light into our dark world.

No matter what God ends up leading us to concerning homeschooling, I am reminded of His promise in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

He has great plans for our children.... after all, they were his first! Pray for us as we navigate this decision and pray that we will follow God's plans and not our own.

JUST CALL ME MARTHA!

Yesterday it seemed that everywhere I looked there was stuff that needed to be done. I was overwhelmed and annoyed knowing that I didn't have time to get it all done and the stuff I did get done would just undo itself with 2 kids following behind me.

It is no secret that I am picky when it comes to my house. I like things picked up & tidy & every single thing has a place & everyone living with me needs to learn that & put stuff back (at least thats the lie I have been believing). Clutter annoys me to no end, stresses me out, and frankly puts me in a bad mood. I notice things that obviously the other members of my household do not..... Dusty baseboards, the pedestal on the sink gets dirty, the dirt On the floor under the benches in the kitchen, my white kitchen cabinets gets finger prints & food on them, etc. My poor kids & husband! I can be downright hard to live with..... There, I said it!! At least I admit it right?!

So in Luke chapter 10 when Jesus is welcomed into the house of Martha & Martha gets annoyed at her sister, Mary for sitting on her rump while she does all the work, it coincidently sounds a tad familiar! But what does Jesus have to say about it? In Luke 10:41-42 Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (ESV)

While Martha was worrying over the details, Mary was doing what really counted. She was resting in The Lord & spending time at His feet listening to His teachings. How often have I chosen to fuss over the little annoyances & make myself downright irritable than to sit and spend time with The Lord & REST? I am Martha!! But oh how I want to be Mary.

Now this doesn't give us an excuse to be downright lazy. As a matter of fact Romans 12:11 says, "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve The Lord enthusiastically." (NLT)  But when you are like me and let it ruin your whole day and more importantly give all the stuff that needs to be done priority over my time with God..... Well, that's when there's a problem! There's a difference in resting in The Lord & being lazy.

So how do I find that balance? Sometimes when I start getting overwhelmed I just stop, close my eyes, take a deep breath in, and say a quick prayer and ask for God's help. Peace rushes over me. I think sometimes we forget that we can call out to Him ANYTIME! It doesn't have to be a scheduled prayer time. He is always there & He wants to help us! When I want to talk to David or need his advice I don't wait until bedtime or right when I get up in the morning. I call to him if he's home or I call him on the phone right away. So why can't I be the same way with God? Praise God that I can call out to Him anytime! He is always listening and He loves me and wants to help!

Another thing that helps me is spending time in His Word everyday. It helps me keep my priorities straight and renews my spirit. I am more relaxed, more joyful, and more at peace when I have allowed Him to speak to me through His Word. He is the only thing that can satisfy our souls.

Are you a Martha like I am? How do you rest in Him when your to do list keeps getting longer and longer?

9 YEARS SERCHING.......

David and I were married in October of 2003. Our first home together was an apartment in Gray that we both loved. When we got married I was out of church and David moved up here from Florida so he didn't have a church around here that he attended either. 

The really ironic part is that the first church we ever visited together as a married couple was Tri-Cities Baptist Church. We both liked it but honestly we weren't too serious about finding a church and cared more about getting our beauty rest on Sundays. 

The next year we bought our first house and moved back where I was raised in Church Hill. We visited a few churches throughout the 2 1/2 years we lived there. One church we attended every Sunday for close to a year but never joined. It just didn't seem right for some reason. Why we continued to go and not search out the church for us I have no idea.

Over the next several years we would go to a church for a while and then just stop and not go back to a church for several months. Friends invited me to their churches and we would go and visit a few times and never return. For the most part there was never anything in particular we didn't like that caused us to quit going. We just never found one that we just felt like was "our church."

For several years we stayed away from Baptist churches. They just seemed judgmental and like they had too many "rules." I didn't feel like going to church to be judged every week and that was the label I had put on them. We were determined to find a non-denominational church. But honestly none of them seemed right for us either.

One non-denominational church we went to for a few months didn't offer a response time at the end of the service. The pastor would preach and at the end of the sermon we would be dismissed...... that was it. If someone wanted to accept Jesus as their savior who were they to talk to or when were they given an opportunity to respond to the call of God?  It bothered me from the beginning but I was determined it wasn't going to hinder me from finding my non-denominational church that I had in my mind I wanted to attend.  I thought I was getting hung up on silly stuff and then one day I tried to think of a single sermon the pastor had preached. Sadly I couldn't! Now maybe that was more my fault than his but I was never moved by a service or ever felt like I had learned anything. I wasn't growing as a christian. So we stopped going there and probably didn't step foot in another church for about 8 months.

When Alexa was about 6 weeks old we went to another church for a couple of Sundays. But it still wasn't our church. I started thinking maybe I was expecting too much or making excuses. Was I really just going to get this overwhelming feeling like we had found "the one" or was that just a fairy tale I was making up so I didn't have to commit to a church?

So for about 9 more months we once again quit going to church. It was really when we began researching homeschooling that we decided to make it a priority to find a church. I told David one night after the kids were in bed that if I was going to home school then I felt like it was vitally important for our kids that we find a church to invest in and make a major part of our lives. I was sick and tired of not going to a church because it was baptist and I thought they would judge me. Now who was doing the judging.... me or the church? Pretty sure I was the guilty one!

We decided that evening that the next Sunday we would go to Tri-Cities Baptist Church. Tri-Cities became an option because of my search for home school information. I had read that Kingsport Christian Academy offered classes for home school kids at the church. So we thought it would be a good option for us and when we went several years ago we really liked it and had every intention of going back until pure laziness got the best of us.

So the next Sunday we made good on our commitment to try out the church (again.....years later) and we got up and got our family ready. Both kids went into the nursery with no problems (that was amazing all in itself). We sat in the back because hey isn't that what visitors do?? We sure didn't want to be noticed too much (or maybe I should say "I" instead of we). What if we never returned? The music and worship part was awesome so we were good so far. Honestly I thought okay the pastor will be horrible or will be hard to follow and not make sense. I just knew I was going to be hung up on something (after all it was a Baptist church.... wasn't someone going to judge me or make me feel unwelcome?).

Pastor Mike took the stage and I braced myself (haha....I am literally laughing out loud right now at how silly I was). It was the first message in a series he was starting called 'Relevant.' He preached on why we believe the Bible. All I can say is WOW! I learned so much that morning. He was easy to follow, easy to understand, and my attention never once was diverted to something else. I left wanting to hear more and sad that it was over. I knew at the end of that service that we had found our church. I was so excited to return the next week and hear more.

I would like to brag on my pastor for a minute. Pastor Mike has a God-given gift to teach the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and relevant.  He is very thorough..... he doesn't just pick out a verse and apply it however he wants to. He TEACHES......verse by verse which I love. He admits his downfalls which I believe is his way of making sure we don't idolize him and put him on a pedestal. In a church, especially one as big as Tri-Cities, I think sometimes we look to the pastor almost as a celebrity. It is not Pastor Mike but the Holy Spirit using him to guide us and teach us. He always gives the glory and recognition to Jesus Christ. I can only imagine the work and endless hours that goes into pastoring a church. I believe a lot of people think pastors just work on Sundays (maybe one other day a week to prepare their sermon). I actually think being a pastor is one of the hardest professions......so encourage your pastor. He may need it.

Anyway, about 3 months after that first sermon we joined the church, joined a Sunday school group, and volunteered in the nursery. We decided to find a church and get involved and for once we stuck with it. Now 9 months later we LOVE our church and thank God for it. All of us, including our kids, have grown so much. David and I have been challenged (in wonderful ways) and our personal relationships with the Lord has grown leaps and bounds. I count down the days till Sunday because I am excited what I will learn next. I have learned so much in 9 months and I am pretty sure I can remember every sermon I have heard preached at Tri-Cities.  

So, if you are looking for a church we would LOVE to have you try ours. We are living, walking testimonies that church does matter and it makes a huge impact! Can I promise you someone won't hurt your feelings at some point? No....... as a matter of fact I can almost guarantee that someone in fact will. But that is because we are broken human beings and we fall short. We are a redeemed group of people that mess up sometimes. Don't let your fear of hurt and judgment (aka the devil) make you miss out on all the wonderful things that come along with being apart of a church family like it did me for all those years. Check out the link below for more information about our church. 

www.tcbchurch.org

OPEN HANDS

So.....back to our Africa mission trip!

 To follow up my last blog on how overwhelming but wonderful motherhood can be it seems appropriate to address my kids in regards to us going across the world. I assure you it came as no easy decision to leave our kids behind and go that far away when we have never left them for more than 2 nights before.

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that when I first heard about Africa it was completely out of the question. There was no way I was going that far away and leaving them for 10 days. I am pretty sure that was probably my exact words to David. The thought of something happening to one or both of my kids and being a 20+ hour plane ride away seemed ludicrous to me. There was simply no way (or so I thought) I was doing that.

When God first started pointing us in the direction of Africa my first question to Him was, "What about my kids?" I guess I thought I needed to bring them up and remind God that they would be affected by this. Silly me! He began showing me things about my kids that I had never thought of.

I was listening to a sermon on the internet one day and the pastor was talking about idolatry. He said as parents we tend to idolize our children and place them before God. I had never heard that before (or paid attention to it) but when I sat and analyzed my relationship with my kids and my relationship with God I realized I was guilty. I placed them above my daily quiet time, I placed them above my prayer life, and I even placed them above my marriage. They are important and a gift from God but God should ALWAYS be first, then my husband, then my children. I was convicted as I realized that was not the order in my life.

During our Sunday school class at church we did a marriage series called 'The Art of Marriage' which confirmed the order of importance and where God fit into the picture. One Sunday we had Pastor Gene & his wife come in and do a question and answer session with us. If my memory serves me right, they have been married over 30 years. We were on the topic of kids and how to set aside time as a couple. Pastor Gene said they went away once a year for about a week when their kids were young and he said something that really stuck with me. He said, "Your kids will be okay." God spoke to me that day loud and clear through Pastor Gene but I still wasn't ready to let go of my worry.

God spoke to me again through Hilary Alan's book 'Sent,' that I mentioned in an earlier post. She wrote a lot in her book about her kids and how their call to mission work affected them. In one chapter she writes about her pastor preaching a sermon about surrender. He told them to hold their hands out palms facing up and visualize what was most important to them and what they would be willing to die for. Hilary says, "My immediate response? I would die for my husband and children." (That is exactly what my response would be as well.) Then their pastor said to "squeeze your hands with the amount of firmness representing how much you want to hold on to whatever you visualized in your hands." Hilary describes her knuckles turning white because they meant more to her than anything. Then the pastor said, "If you are willing to give whatever it is in your hands to the Lord, regardless of what that means for you, then you open your hands, again, palms facing up and say, 'Lord, they are Yours. Do with them what You will because I release them to You. They're not mine, anyway, They are Yours.'" Hilary said that was when she began letting go of the control she mistakenly had over her children's lives.

About a month after reading that part in the book I was still in a great deal of turmoil over leaving my kids. I was stressed out and upset. Then one night David and I were in the living room after we put the kids to bed and David was preparing to lead Sunday school the next morning. He literally stumbled upon this verse in Matthew 19:29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life." I knew then that all my worry and anxiety was from the Devil. The last thing he wants me to do is be obedient to God. 

I can worry and stress out about the 'what if's' or I can decide that I am going to fully trust God and His promises. My children were given to me by Him. He created them and they were His first! Why did I ever think for a second that whatever God calls us to do that He hadn't considered my kids? He loves them more than I will ever be able to. Austin & Alexa are a gift from God, given to me to raise up and disciple.

 One of the most effective and important ways to disciple my children and teach them is to be a living example. What example would I be to them if I chose them over God's calling? What example would I be if I was disobedient to God? I began to realize that by David & I going to Africa we would be doing our kids more good than if we stayed behind out of fear. One of my greatest desires is for Austin & Alexa to hold true to Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Currently I am at complete peace about this trip. I say currently because the Devil certainly knows my weaknesses and I know he isn't going to let up on me.

We are excited to see what God has in store for us in Africa!! He has amazed us so far and I can't wait to share more with you and watch it unfold myself!

 Until then I leave you with this awesome song I came across......

MOTHERHOOD IS A MINISTRY

So I have come to realize it is incredibly hard to sit down and focus and write a blog post with a 5 year old and 20 month old running around. It's ironic that this Sunday is Mother's Day because I have been feeling a little burned out lately. You know when you haven't had a break from being a mother in oh say..... weeks? Sometimes I feel like I am not a very good one at that. I am not patient  (at all), a perfectionist to say the least, and frankly sometimes I want to go in my bedroom and close the door and scream to the top of my lungs. How's that for honesty?
On 106.9 last night they were talking to this woman, Erin Davis. She is 32, has 2 kids, & 1 on the way. She wrote a book called 'Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood As A Sacred Role.' During her interview she said, "Motherhood is a ministry." Essentially, as mothers, we are missionaries. Sharing the gospel with our young children and raising them up to be a light in this dark world. My job is to equip them to be ready for what the Devil has to throw at them.
Another thing Erin said was that she is overwhelmed a lot! I found this to be encouraging (especially since she is adding baby #3 to the chaos). Wow.....I am not the only one!!  I want more children (obviously if you read my last post) and I sometimes do ask myself if I can handle more. So because I get overwhelmed on occasion does that mean I may not be cut out for the big family I desire? Does that mean I should just stop at 2 because it's not always a walk in the park? I am not a quitter and when the going gets tough I refuse to let the Devil scare me into bailing on my calling. He knows exactly where our weak spots are and he takes every opportunity to cast doubt & fear. He makes me feel inadequate and not good enough. The best part is.... I am a child of God and the Devil doesn't stand a chance against Him.
I am broken and I cannot do this Mommy thing on my own. I can't all of a sudden be a patient person and I can't let the imperfections not annoy me. I need Christ and He is going to see me through the hard times. When we adopt and bring more children into our home it is going to get harder. But that just means we are going to have to lean on God even more! 
No matter how overwhelmed I feel the good still outweighs the bad by a landslide. To see Alexa's face light up when I enter the room, to hear Austin say "Mommy I love you", or to see how sweet they are to one another and how they adore each other. All that reminds me that the hard times are soooo worth it. I have plenty of love to give them and I even believe I can love another child that is not biologically mine just as much as I do my own. So does that mean I can't have a crazy Mommy moment or that I have to be this perfect mother that does everything right and is the image of pinterest? No way! We are way too hard on ourselves and each other. Constantly comparing how good of a mom we are to someone else or how well behaved our kids are. I label myself a failure if by dinner I realize my kids haven't had a single vegetable yet that day. Let me be honest here, some days I am lucky to get macaroni and cheese or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made. I am working on not holding myself to such an unreachable standard.
This Mother's Day I am proud of the Mother that I am despite my downfalls. I am grateful that God chose me to be a Mom to Austin & Alexa and grateful that I still have my Mom to spend this weekend with.
So have a great weekend everyone and remember those in prayer that don't have their Moms here on Earth to spend the day with and those that dream of motherhood but it just hasn't happened for them yet. A great day for some may be a horribly painful day for others.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." Psalm 127:3

Stay tuned.... next week I will return to my confirmations on our mission trip to Africa. 

A CALLING 6 YEARS (OR MORE) IN THE MAKING

Okay so I am going to take a little break from our Africa mission trip and tell you about a calling that God revealed to me about 6 years ago. Although I believe David knew it way before that.
Before we were even married David would often talk about adopting a child from Africa. I honestly thought he was just joking. I was under the assumption that only rich people adopted. It seemed like too big of a task for little ol' me.
About 4 years into our marriage God began showing me adoption. I remember one afternoon when I was at home alone I came across this video about orphans in other countries. My heart broke in two! I just couldn't imagine a child without a family, without a mom & dad, without proper medical care and poor nutrition.
As soon as David got home from work that night I talked to him about the video and how heartbroken I was. We both knew then that one day we would adopt! We decided that we would have a couple of our own and adopt the rest.
Over the last 6 years adoption and orphans remained in our hearts and minds. We had Austin in 2008 & Alexa in 2011. After having Alexa I knew that our next child would quite possibly come from adoption. David and I talked about it on several occasions. We knew the time was approaching but we wanted to wait for Alexa to get a little bigger plus at the time we didn't have any idea what our next step was to pursue it. 
When Alexa was 11 months old we began going to Tri-Cities Baptist Church. A few months after we started going there we joined a Sunday school class and soon learned that a couple in our class had a little girl that they had adopted. We were then introduced to an adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services.
During one of our Sunday morning services at church there were people from Bethany Christian Services there. We stopped by their table and signed up to get more information. There was an informational meeting in January that we weren't able to attend. A few months passed and honestly with all the mission trip stuff going on, we put adoption on the back burner.
 Have you ever had one of those moments when you are reading your Bible and its like God is sitting right in front of you speaking to you? I had one of those moments during this time that we set adoption on the "waiting list." I was actually looking up The Great Commission in my Bible and by accident turned to Matthew 18 instead of Matthew 28. Jesus himself says in Matthew 18:5, "and anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me." I knew that it was not by accident that I turned to chapter 18 and my mind immediately thought of adoption. God fueled the fire in my heart that I had for adoption and urged me to take the next step.
I brought it up to David and told him I was going to call the adoption agency and get more info. I called on a Thursday and the lady I spoke with informed me that there was another meeting that following Monday.
Everything worked out and we were able to attend that meeting. It was very informative and we learned so much. My excitement grew at the possibilities and that finally God was telling me that its time to begin this journey (or finally we were obeying).
We are still waiting on God to confirm what type of an adoption he is calling us to. International adoption seems a little scarier to me. There are a lot more unknowns. Usually you don't know the family history for example. The wait time is longer and you will not walk away with a newborn baby. (Which honestly, I don't know if I want to go back to newborn days.) But ultimately we are putting our yes on the table no matter what that looks like or what obstacles we may face. We are just really going to have to depend on God to see us through the uncertainty and scary times. We know He has a child picked out for us.
David recently found this site on facebook called Stuck. It is a documentary film about international adoption. They are traveling across the US showing this film in numerous cities. Their tour will end in Washington D.C. where they are going to take a petition (they are hoping to get like a million signatures) to try to get the US to advocate for international adoptions and do their part to make the process easier. Over the last 5 years international adoption from US families has declined more than 50% because the adoption process has been made so hard with all the legal obstacles. You can imagine with a decline like that what that has done to the orphan population. They are selling the documentary for $12.99 to help fund the movement. Here is a website you can go to and watch a trailer about it.... http://buy.stuckdocumentary.com/

So another journey begins! I am excited to see what our mission trip to Africa holds and what this adoption calling will lead us to. I definitely believe the two go hand in hand in some way. I have been on the edge of my seat in anticipation for God's next move. He fulfills my life and gives me blessings beyond my wildest dreams when I am obedient to Him. Some things may scare me to death and cause me stress while I am walking through it. But I always get to the end and look back in awe at how He orchestrated it and put everything perfectly into place.
For now I leave you with this verse that we taught Austin a while ago from 1 Peter 5:7, "Give all your worries to God because He cares for you." That scripture pops in my head every time I start to worry and get caught up in the "what if's."
Isn't it awesome to be a child of God?! The Almighty God who controls everything, loves us, and cares for us? What if He wouldn't have "adopted" us through the death of His son? I couldn't imagine walking through this scary world we live in without God as my savior. There is peace to be had that surpasses all understanding when you give your heart to God and "....confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead...." (Romans 10:9)

'YES, LORD'

I will probably have several blog posts in the next couple of days just to get caught up on everything that has been going on with our mission trip and the confirmations God has showed us.
First of all I would like to explain the meaning of the name of this blog.... "Putting my yes on the table." I read this book called Sent by Hilary Alan. It is about this family who gave up the "American Dream" and moved their family to Southeast Asia. It is an awesome book and I would recommend it to anyone. It really brings light to a completely different culture from ours and really how well we have it. But it also shows how a radical and scary step of faith brings blessings and rewards that money can't buy.

But in this book when her and her husband first felt called to move, her husband, Curt consulted with his pastor, JD. JD said at the time, "Just put your 'yes' on the table, Curt. 'Yes, Lord, I will do what You ask me to do and go where You send me. No conditions.' And then wait for Him to answer. Your job is to put, and keep, that 'yes' on the table, because believe me, if you do that, He is going to answer." So I pray everyday that no matter what it comes to that God will help me keep my 'yes' on the table concerning every matter of my life. 'Yes, Lord, I will do what You ask of me.' The no conditions part is whats really hard. We all tend to want to say, 'I will Lord but only if.....' I pray that I will just simply say 'YES.' Here is a picture of the book in case you want to get a copy.  

So anyway, back to our confirmations on Africa. We knew our next step would be a short term mission trip.  The Africa trip was a trip that we had briefly heard about but I dismissed the trip because it was a 10 day trip as opposed to 7 & for me at the time that was out of the question. Not to mention is was much further away than say Honduras or Nicaragua. My 'yes' definitely had some conditions.
We signed up for a class at church at the suggestion of our GO (global outreach) pastor, Jeff. It was called 'Let The Nations Be Glad.' This class was obviously about mission work and was led by one of the other missionary couples that would soon be moving to Uganda, Tommy & Marci. At the end of our 2nd class meeting we ran into our pastor, Mike. As we began to talk about the class and what we thought of it he brought up the Africa trip. He really seemed to think this trip would be a good trip for us as our first mission trip. I, of course, voiced my concerns about the length of the trip and he assured me we could come back early if we just couldn't be away that long. So the Africa trip became an option for us and we began to prayerfully consider it.
A few days later I was driving to my Mom's house while David was at work and I was listening to Big Daddy Weave's song 'Overwhelmed.' If you have never heard it I urge you to look it up and listen to it. It is an awesome praise song. It basically talks about how overwhelmingly great God is and His creation. Now, I have literally listened to this song 100 times before (I just love it) and thought I was well past the crying phase. (You know when you hear a song that moves you and makes you cry but eventually you finally can hear it and not cry anymore?) But this particular time I literally just started crying and worshiping God right in my car (with 2 kids in the back and driving down the road.....yes, people beside me at the red lights must have thought I had lost it). For some reason I had the greatest urge to go on that Africa trip. I literally would have gotten out of my car and boarded a plane right there. It is so hard to explain the enormity of what I felt that day. God's presence was all around me and it was, as the song states, overwhelming (in a magnificent way)!
Now, when I get a "feeling" about something I most definitely like to get confirmation from God on it because lets face it, our feelings can be deceptive and the Devil loves to use them against us. Once again God didn't make me wait long for that confirmation.
When David came home from work he told me he had been praying all day about the Africa trip and for God to give us guidance on that. On his 40 minute drive home he was praying the whole way home and he said this song came on the radio that he had never heard before. This awesome worship song. During that song he said he got this overwhelming sense that Africa was the trip we were meant to be on. He said the experience he had was indescribable.
I reluctantly told him about the experience I had that same day. I say reluctantly because honestly even though I felt the urge to go I knew that once I revealed my experience to David that it would seal my fate and there would be no turning back.....I would be going to Africa!
A couple days later we were in church on Sunday morning and our choir sang this song. It was amazing! They did such an awesome job! I had chills all over. At the end of the service as people were leaving they were playing the song in the background and David said, "That's the song I heard in my car that I was telling you about." God was confirming David's feelings to him. Thanks to my shazam app on my phone I learned the song was called 'O My Soul, Arise' by Sovereign Grace. Here is a link to this incredible song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtFzhLGJAPg

So sometime shortly after all that happened we scheduled a time to meet up with our GO pastor, Jeff (who is also going on the Africa trip) and discuss the details. We were going to Jeff's house on a Saturday evening to sit down with him and his wife and another extraordinary thing happened.....
I began using my direct sales business to raise money for our trip right away. I had made enough to get our passports so the week leading up to our scheduled meeting we got all that taken care of. After paying for 2 passports our "Africa Account" had only $60 in it. On Friday night I prayed to God and basically questioned if this was really what we were meant to be doing. I mean we need about $4,000 and only had $60 at the time. It seemed like a major undertaking to get enough people who were willing to help fund our trip. Lets be honest, I didn't have enough faith that God would pull through. I was doubting and worrying.
The next morning, Saturday and the day we were meeting up with Jeff, I had a message on my facebook account from an old friend whom I had not been in contact with in years. She wanted to donate money to us for our trip and wondered if she could stop by our house that day and drop it off.
For those of you that know me well you know how hard it is for me to take money from someone. I am proud and I want to work for everything I get. But David told me I was going to have to get over that and let people do what they feel called to do.
So I texted her and she stopped by my house that afternoon. Her and her husband amazingly felt led to give us a substantial amount of money for our trip. WOW.... I am still in shock about it! I would have been thrilled with $5 but God knew that it had to be something greater than that to wipe the doubt out of my mind. It was just so astounding to me! I think I walked around in a state of shock for a few days. I don't know why I am so surprised that my God can do great things.
I would like to add a little side note here,  who and how much you give is a private issue between you and God so for that reason I chose to leave her name and the exact amount out of this blog.
Some other awesome people have stepped up to help us out in our fundraising efforts in one way or another. We are soooo grateful for each and every one of you. My mobile spa business has brought in about $800 (thank you to my awesome hostesses & customers).
 I did an online Celebrating Home party. Another amazing individual bought me a kit to sell. So whatever I sold out of that kit I made 100% of the sales price. As of right now we are still working on raising $1,300 more. T-shirts will be our next avenue that we are going to start working on soon. So stay tuned for those.
It is so exciting to see God work!
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
He can do way more than we can even begin to imagine! Just look outside and see His creation and what He has already done. Think of how perfectly your body works to keep you alive, or how massive and amazing the galaxies are, or how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly! I could go on and on about how wonderfully He created us and this Earth. He did all that and yet I had my doubts that He could provide for us financially to go to Africa. It seems so silly of me when I think of all that He has already done including sacrificing His son for us.
Stay tuned, I still have more ways God confirmed our trip and what about my kids? I haven't left them for more than 2 days so how in the world am I going to leave them to go to Africa for a week? I'll tell you about how God spoke to me concerning this matter too.
I would like to add too before I go, I didn't create this blog to make much of David and I. I created it to be an encouragement to those who read it, to be a testimony that God is still in the business of performing miracles, to make you remember times in your life that God moved mountains, to make you more aware of Him and to pay attention to those times that He is trying to guide you, or to introduce you to my God, if you don't know Him yet, and to share the greatest news with you. That God sent his son, Jesus to bear our sin and die on a cross so that we have a way to Heaven.

I AM OFFICIALLY A BLOGGER

For some time now I keep saying I am going to start a blog. Well, now seems like a really good time to stop saying and start doing. A little forewarning.... I am no English major so please excuse any incorrect grammar, punctuation, etc.
As most of you probably know by now, David & I are going on a mission trip to Zambia this summer. Yes, we are leaving our children for 7-10 days. This decision did not come easily (especially for me). I for one questioned God more times than I count and He has been so patient with me and given me confirmation after confirmation that this was what He wanted us to do.
First of all I never felt called to get involved in mission work before. I always considered myself to be a sender. I would be more than happy to help people financially and prayerfully go but I for one did not want to leave my comforts (even for just a week) to go myself. All of that changed when our pastor preached a sermon titled "Go Global."
Pastor Mike really opened my eyes to the global view of the church. One fact he gave that was astounding to me was that of the 7.1 billion people in the world, 4.4 billion (that's over half by the way) of those are considered to be unreached. In other words... they have never even heard the name Jesus Christ. WOW! I was shocked! Being sheltered in the Bible belt where crosses and churches are literally every where you look, this fact seemed unreal. Something else he said that stuck out in my mind was that we were created to know God and make Him known. This is the purpose of our lives as children of God.
I had to ask myself, "How was I fulfilling my purpose?" I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to be a goer for once. I needed to see the global mission for myself. I needed my eyes to be opened and to be exposed to the world outside of the Tri-Cities. I needed to quit letting my comforts rule my life instead of God.
At the end of the service 3 families from our church were brought onto the stage. They were 3 families that God had called to be full-time goers (aka missionaries). I looked at those families and my first thought was....They are just ordinary people like me. God took a hold of my heart and shook it. It took everything in me to not just sit in my seat and sob. I didn't want to cry because I knew if I did it would be one of those really ugly cries. I was ashamed at the lost souls that I had not even given a second thought to. I looked at my life and wondered what in the world had I been doing with it that would make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
After the service I thought maybe I had just gotten caught up in my feelings but my first confirmation came before I even got home from church. David and I began talking about the service and what we were feeling. David explained to me his feelings and how he has never felt God move him in such a way ever before. He described to me the exact emotions & thoughts I was having. I was shocked, amazed, and scared all at the same time.
The second confirmation that we needed to get involved in missions in some way happened a week or 2 later (I should have written this stuff down so I would have a better timeline). I didn't know it at the time but David had been praying that God would put one of those missionaries in our path. Well, we walked into Sunday school class and there sat one of the couples. A week or so later we invited them over to our house and we got to hear about what they were going to be doing, where they were moving, and how they felt called. They really inspired me to dive into the Bible and from that night on a passion grew in me to study God's word like never before (Thank You TJ & Meredith Overbeek). I prayed for God to give me an understanding of the Bible and to make me yearn to know more. I can confirm....that prayer was answered!
So what was our next step? Where do we go from here? What exactly does all this mean? I will return to write more and tell you of more of God's confirmations and another calling on our lives that has been in the works for about 6 years now.
Until then I leave you with this.... "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...." Matthew 28:19. Where is it God is calling you to go? Maybe its just to your neighbors house or to a relative in another state. If you truly believe that Jesus could return at any moment and that He is the ONLY WAY to God and an eternity in Heaven.... Why aren't we out on mission for him no matter where we are? I ask myself that question everyday partly to keep it in the forefront of my mind and to remind myself that people are perishing all around me and what am I going to do about it? All children of God are missionaries! Some are called to cross into a different country and culture and some are not. But all believers are called to spread the good news no matter where that may take place.

"When you confess that Jesus is the Lord of the universe you sign up for significance beyond your dreams." John Piper

To view the sermon "Go Global" go to www.tcbchurch.org and click on messages. It was a message that was apart of the Church Defined series.