We arrived home around 9pm on Sunday night to our big extended family cheering us home with banners and signs... and food! It was overwelming. God has provided so many times and has answered prayers in so many ways we have a hard time understanding it. Thank you for your prayers.
We said over and over that yesterday felt like Christmas day. Everything was new to the girls and everything that seems so simple in the US was appreciated by us. I can't express the full joy we had yesterday that God is always faithful. It wasn't just about being in a 3rd world country for 5 weeks, it was about a 2 year long struggle with God that has ended. God won. But He won in a way that allowed us to win too. Big Jesus!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Here we go
God is always faithful. We leave for Uganda tomorrow morning to adopt our two little girls. We are going as a family so your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Friday, January 4, 2013
To God Be the Glory
God
has closed so many doors throughout the past year and a half that we thought we
were not going to go to Uganda - at least we thought for now. We had decided to move back into our house
at the end of August and then God miraculously sold our house. We were confused as to why He did that since
we had no plans to go to Uganda. It
makes more sense now. If we had moved
back into our house, we would've been closed to what He had in mind for
us. He wasn't done with us yet.
Amy's
friend was in Uganda a couple months ago adopting a child, and Amy asked her if
there were other children that she knew of that needed a family. She said there were two sisters needing to
be adopted, ages 5 and 3. We prayed
about it and got in touch with the adoption agency. They were very helpful, and we started the process. We applied to the adoption agency, and we
were accepted. We re-started our
homestudy and are currently in the process of gathering all of the required
information for international adoption.
We plan on going to Uganda this spring with our kids to bring their
sisters home. God has provided all
along. His plans are perfect. God WAS opening doors for us and because of
so many closed doors, it was confirmation that we were doing what He
wanted. As if to give us even more
encouragement, we found out that someone donated to the agency to help with our
adoption expenses. This was shocking to
us since we hadn’t told very many people that we were adopting and even fewer
people the name of the agency we are using.
Monday, November 12, 2012
God's Mighty Strength
It's hard to believe, but we are supposed to close on our house tomorrow! 7 weeks and 4 closing dates later, it might really happen. The difficult part is where to go from here. The organization that showed an interest in us in August let us know a few weeks ago that they decided that they weren't ready for a missionary family. That possibility was one of the reasons why we decided to sell our house. Combine that with the miraculous way our house sold, and we know that it was supposed to happen. But the question remains... why? Why did God want us to sell our house? Was it so that we would just buy another one? We aren't sure but we do know that there is something exciting around the corner. REALLY exciting. We are hopeful that it will be the fulfillment of what God has called us to do in Uganda.
We will do what it takes. We WILL keep going. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
God is faithful. He is true. Throughout all of the turmoil and stress in the past 2 years, He has guided us and comforted us and protected us. Satan has used the tools at his disposal to try to chip away at our faith and destroy us as Christians. I laugh in his face because he has already been defeated through the resurrection of Jesus. Faith in Christ is true strength and real power. We praise Him and give Him the glory for this time in our lives! Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
We will do what it takes. We WILL keep going. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
God is faithful. He is true. Throughout all of the turmoil and stress in the past 2 years, He has guided us and comforted us and protected us. Satan has used the tools at his disposal to try to chip away at our faith and destroy us as Christians. I laugh in his face because he has already been defeated through the resurrection of Jesus. Faith in Christ is true strength and real power. We praise Him and give Him the glory for this time in our lives! Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Contract
The day after I posted the blog entitled, "Are we there yet?" I got a call from the guy that was interested in our house. We had talked a week earlier and he made a low offer and Amy and I countered it and he said he would call us back to let us know. He didn't call us back until a week later. By that point, we thought it was over. We were wrong. He said he would take the house at the price I offered him. Big Jesus! With our house being off the market for almost
a month after 14 months of trying to sell it, without a sign in the
yard, without realtors, and with a house with a broken water heater, and
a kitchen without countertops and the backsplash all torn out, a
dishwasher needing repair, a microwave needing repair, and a water well
needing repair, we got a contract on our house. We sold it AS-IS for more than what we thought we'd get. God is amazing!
Not having a realtor saved us 6% in fees. The price we got was almost exactly 6% less than what we originally listed our house for 15 months ago - a difference of $170.
Not having a realtor saved us 6% in fees. The price we got was almost exactly 6% less than what we originally listed our house for 15 months ago - a difference of $170.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Are we there yet?
First and foremost, we praise God and give Him the glory for all the things He has shown us and done through us. He is always faithful, always loving, and He continues to show us that.
For about the last year and a half, our family has been trying to fulfill God's calling on our lives to go to Uganda and share Christ's love to orphans and adoptive families. While we never imagined the obstacles that would come our way or how incredibly difficult the journey would prove to be, we have come to he conclusion that we have been blessed throughout the entire time. As my wife has continued to remind me, "It's not about us." God has shown us His grace and mercy at times when we were about to break or about to give up. He would give us strength and let us know that He was in control even though we did not understand what was going on. Who are we that our Creator should care enough to want to bring us comfort during times of stress? Who are we that the Lord of Lords should stoop so low to bring us peace? I don't know the answer to those questions, but it raises another: Who could deny the mercy that God extends when He loves and cares for us so much?
At the beginning of August, Amy and I prayerfully came up with a much needed plan for our next steps. This is what we wrote:
"We will wait for the house listing to fully run through. If the house sells, we plan to do our best to find a place to serve, fundraise, and go. If it doesn't sell, but we have found a place to serve, we will do what measures it takes to go regardless of the house. If the house doesn't sell, and there are no clear leads, then we plan to move back in the house and serve God from here. "
A couple weeks before the end of our house listing, an orphanage organization based out of Tulsa called us. We sent them an application and they wanted to meet us. About the same time, we were planning on moving back home and complete the granite countertop installation among other home projects. The countertops that came in were not what we ordered and I was very upset about it. Why did it feel like everything was breaking and every small task so big? A day or two after our house went off the market and we took the sign down, a guy called wanting to look at it. I told him that the kitchen was a complete mess because the countertops were ripped out. He said his wife would want to choose the countertops and backsplash anyways. Amy and I didn't know what to think. We gave it to God and left it up to Him. We were willing to stay or go and we were excited to know what His plan was for us.
We met with the organizations' board on September 9th, and got to know each of them and their passion for
ministry in Uganda. They called us later and wanted us to give them a proposal of what we want to do in Uganda. We sent three "ideas" to them and they will be discussing them in the coming weeks and get back to us.
Meanwhile, the guy that wanted to buy the house has since stopped communicating. He made a low offer and we countered and that was the end of that - so it seems.
Once again we are back to the unknown and the waiting. Waiting is hard to do, especially for extended periods of time. Waiting is hard to do when it doesn't seem logical. Why wait when we could be doing something or making progress? Believe me, we've gone through the range of emotions, the sin of impatience, the selfish thoughts, and the complaining. But in the end, God knows and His timing is perfect. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't have made the Jews wander around in the desert for 40 years. That doesn't seem logical but it was perfect for what God wanted it to accomplish. In the end, Moses didn't get to even enter the promised land. We are prepared for the same fate. Does that mean Moses wasted his time? It might have felt like it to Him but in God's grand plan, it wasn't.
As we struggle with where to go from here, we remember our plan we made in August and tread toward that side of the lake. We plan to move back home. This could take a while because of all of the repairs to do but it will also give us time to evaluate the organization we talked with. There are a few things that are important for us to tell whomever may be interested:
1) We accepted 3 checks during this time from people wanting to support us. We greatly appreciate this support (and we really mean that). However, we did not cash any of them because we did not want to accept money without a firm plan in place.
2) We said we were going to go to Uganda to be missionaries. If we don't, we lied. This is unacceptable. Our kids have worked so hard for this and it is not right to tell people one thing and do another. If all doors close on us going to Uganda as long-term missionaries, we plan to still take a short-term mission trip to Uganda as a family.
3) God is good. This may be a test of faith for us, something to make us stronger for the future, a way for us to gain insight that we needed, or to open a door down the road that we don't even know about. We don't deny our calling. We wouldn't have moved and gone through this if we weren't 100% sure that God called us to do it. Just because we don't know where He is taking us doesn't mean we don't know who is driving. We praise Him and give Him the glory!
For about the last year and a half, our family has been trying to fulfill God's calling on our lives to go to Uganda and share Christ's love to orphans and adoptive families. While we never imagined the obstacles that would come our way or how incredibly difficult the journey would prove to be, we have come to he conclusion that we have been blessed throughout the entire time. As my wife has continued to remind me, "It's not about us." God has shown us His grace and mercy at times when we were about to break or about to give up. He would give us strength and let us know that He was in control even though we did not understand what was going on. Who are we that our Creator should care enough to want to bring us comfort during times of stress? Who are we that the Lord of Lords should stoop so low to bring us peace? I don't know the answer to those questions, but it raises another: Who could deny the mercy that God extends when He loves and cares for us so much?
At the beginning of August, Amy and I prayerfully came up with a much needed plan for our next steps. This is what we wrote:
"We will wait for the house listing to fully run through. If the house sells, we plan to do our best to find a place to serve, fundraise, and go. If it doesn't sell, but we have found a place to serve, we will do what measures it takes to go regardless of the house. If the house doesn't sell, and there are no clear leads, then we plan to move back in the house and serve God from here. "
A couple weeks before the end of our house listing, an orphanage organization based out of Tulsa called us. We sent them an application and they wanted to meet us. About the same time, we were planning on moving back home and complete the granite countertop installation among other home projects. The countertops that came in were not what we ordered and I was very upset about it. Why did it feel like everything was breaking and every small task so big? A day or two after our house went off the market and we took the sign down, a guy called wanting to look at it. I told him that the kitchen was a complete mess because the countertops were ripped out. He said his wife would want to choose the countertops and backsplash anyways. Amy and I didn't know what to think. We gave it to God and left it up to Him. We were willing to stay or go and we were excited to know what His plan was for us.
We met with the organizations' board on September 9th, and got to know each of them and their passion for
ministry in Uganda. They called us later and wanted us to give them a proposal of what we want to do in Uganda. We sent three "ideas" to them and they will be discussing them in the coming weeks and get back to us.
Meanwhile, the guy that wanted to buy the house has since stopped communicating. He made a low offer and we countered and that was the end of that - so it seems.
Once again we are back to the unknown and the waiting. Waiting is hard to do, especially for extended periods of time. Waiting is hard to do when it doesn't seem logical. Why wait when we could be doing something or making progress? Believe me, we've gone through the range of emotions, the sin of impatience, the selfish thoughts, and the complaining. But in the end, God knows and His timing is perfect. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't have made the Jews wander around in the desert for 40 years. That doesn't seem logical but it was perfect for what God wanted it to accomplish. In the end, Moses didn't get to even enter the promised land. We are prepared for the same fate. Does that mean Moses wasted his time? It might have felt like it to Him but in God's grand plan, it wasn't.
As we struggle with where to go from here, we remember our plan we made in August and tread toward that side of the lake. We plan to move back home. This could take a while because of all of the repairs to do but it will also give us time to evaluate the organization we talked with. There are a few things that are important for us to tell whomever may be interested:
1) We accepted 3 checks during this time from people wanting to support us. We greatly appreciate this support (and we really mean that). However, we did not cash any of them because we did not want to accept money without a firm plan in place.
2) We said we were going to go to Uganda to be missionaries. If we don't, we lied. This is unacceptable. Our kids have worked so hard for this and it is not right to tell people one thing and do another. If all doors close on us going to Uganda as long-term missionaries, we plan to still take a short-term mission trip to Uganda as a family.
3) God is good. This may be a test of faith for us, something to make us stronger for the future, a way for us to gain insight that we needed, or to open a door down the road that we don't even know about. We don't deny our calling. We wouldn't have moved and gone through this if we weren't 100% sure that God called us to do it. Just because we don't know where He is taking us doesn't mean we don't know who is driving. We praise Him and give Him the glory!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Kids Take
It has been about 4 months since Amy returned from Uganda to help my sister adopt Lucy and to visit orphanages. She visited these orphanages to see if there were some that would need our help and that would be a good fit for our family. There was one that she wanted to make sure she got to see. It was in a town called Jinja and it was very hard to find. She about gave up but she finally found it. She thought it was amazing and loved the children and the atmosphere. They are adoption minded and they even place older children. These were two things we were looking for because that is what we were called to help with in Uganda. A few days later, she visited them again and spent the night and her feelings for them were even more confirmed. Upon hearing about this orphanage, I was super excited because we had spent so many months looking for a place to serve that was in line with what God called us to do.
When Amy returned home, we were excited to pursue this opportunity. We were told we would receive an application to fill out. We waited. After a while, we skyped the director and she said she was excited about us and that she would talk to the board and send us an application. We waited. After a while, we sent emails and phoned and then waited some more. About a month and a half ago, we finally talked to a couple people on the ground in the U.S. affiliated with the orphanage and the conversation went well. They said that they would send an application and they did. We sent it in... and waited. About a week ago, we agreed that if we didn't hear anything from them by this Sunday, June 24th, that we would not work with this orphanage. Here it is, Sunday June 24th as I type this, and I am hoping and praying we will hear something... get some kind of email... or some kind of phone call.
After church today, we did what we try to do as a family on Sundays - Family Forum. It's a time where we can all bring up something we want to talk about without fear of getting into trouble. Most of the time it's about getting something, buying something, or doing something. Today was no different, but then we started talking about Uganda and that we may have eliminated the only real option that is on the table. I asked them what they thought about it. This was when it got difficult. Brandy said that maybe God doesn't want us to go. Brandon said that maybe we should give them more time. Cody thought the same. I told them that if we are supposed to go through them that God will allow us to hear something but that we have to be open to what God has in store for us. Maybe that it's not to go or to wait.
Then Cody said, "It just seems like a waste." I said, "What is a waste?" He said, "That we did all of that work, and packed all of our toys, and gave away a bunch of our toys to just not go. We have come this far. I think we should go." Cody started to cry. I did too. Brandon brought up that God promised Abraham a son and it took a long time for Abraham to get his son. Cody said, "Yeah, and Paul didn't give up when he was a missionary." Brandy also said that she thought we should still go. Brandon then quoted 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." NIV
And then Isaac said something about Disneyland and the Toy Story ride and we all laughed.
We left it that we are going to pray and fast one day this week about God's role in our lives in Uganda. There are so many unanswered questions - and we desperately need guidance. Please pray with us.
When Amy returned home, we were excited to pursue this opportunity. We were told we would receive an application to fill out. We waited. After a while, we skyped the director and she said she was excited about us and that she would talk to the board and send us an application. We waited. After a while, we sent emails and phoned and then waited some more. About a month and a half ago, we finally talked to a couple people on the ground in the U.S. affiliated with the orphanage and the conversation went well. They said that they would send an application and they did. We sent it in... and waited. About a week ago, we agreed that if we didn't hear anything from them by this Sunday, June 24th, that we would not work with this orphanage. Here it is, Sunday June 24th as I type this, and I am hoping and praying we will hear something... get some kind of email... or some kind of phone call.
After church today, we did what we try to do as a family on Sundays - Family Forum. It's a time where we can all bring up something we want to talk about without fear of getting into trouble. Most of the time it's about getting something, buying something, or doing something. Today was no different, but then we started talking about Uganda and that we may have eliminated the only real option that is on the table. I asked them what they thought about it. This was when it got difficult. Brandy said that maybe God doesn't want us to go. Brandon said that maybe we should give them more time. Cody thought the same. I told them that if we are supposed to go through them that God will allow us to hear something but that we have to be open to what God has in store for us. Maybe that it's not to go or to wait.
Then Cody said, "It just seems like a waste." I said, "What is a waste?" He said, "That we did all of that work, and packed all of our toys, and gave away a bunch of our toys to just not go. We have come this far. I think we should go." Cody started to cry. I did too. Brandon brought up that God promised Abraham a son and it took a long time for Abraham to get his son. Cody said, "Yeah, and Paul didn't give up when he was a missionary." Brandy also said that she thought we should still go. Brandon then quoted 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." NIV
And then Isaac said something about Disneyland and the Toy Story ride and we all laughed.
We left it that we are going to pray and fast one day this week about God's role in our lives in Uganda. There are so many unanswered questions - and we desperately need guidance. Please pray with us.
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