Back to School!!

Today was our first day back for the new school year.  Antonis is 8th grade, Kalista and Karisma 2nd grade and Annalise is Kindergarten! Zacky will be playing alot and participating in crafts and stories.  We are excited about a new school year...I think Antonis was even a little excited..we are studying different countries and cultures of the world this year.

Cry Out to the Lord!

One thing that I am learning lately is that the Lord hears our cries and He knows every tear we shed.  Life can be so difficult and there are times when we just don't understand what is going on with a certain situation we are facing.  We get to these places of frustration or confusion...and we start questioning...Lord.. are you really doing anything here??!!  And He wants us to cry out to Him.  He wants us to passionately seek Him.  This is more than just a little prayer I am talking about here (though He hears those too)..but He wants us to cast our burdens on Him and just lay it all out at His feet.  He can take all of it..our anger, our disappointment, our inpatience...just cry out!!  Find that quiet place where it's no one but you and Him and just empty yourself of all your bottled emotions....He is listening and He will answer.  He is faithful.

Summer is Flying By..

Well homeschooling will be starting again on August 16th.  Our pool will be open until Labor Day though so we will try to continue getting there at least once a week!  It has been alot of fun this summer taking the kids there.  Everybody enjoys it and I have a decent tan.  I have even managed to read a little bit on the breaks while the kids eat their snacks.  Right now I am working on a book on adoption that we are required to read to understand more about the process..it's called Successful Adoption by Natalie Gillespie.  It's written from a Christian perspective and includes scripture references and other cool stuff.  I am enjoying it.  I am also reading Power Perfected in Weakness by Chris Klicka which inspires me with every chapter I read!!!  It's about a homeschooling Dad who had MS and was in love with Jesus.  He had a gift of evangelism and he shared Jesus wherever he went.    

I will be turning in our packet of adoption paperwork this upcoming week!  The next step is an interview with our social worker which probably won't take place until late in August.  There are several other couples who are at the same point in the process as us so there is going to be a short delay.  I am ok with that though- I know that God is in control of the delays and they are all part of leading us to child God has for us.

Adoption Training Day!

Today was a great blessing to us.  We sat through several speakers at our adoption training and we finish up tomorrow.  The training was so encouraging..we heard from many different people..two of the people  had been adopted as children and a family came in that has adopted two children.  We also heard from an attorney and a Bethany social worker.  The testimonies were amazing.  I am in awe of the parallel between the concept of adoption and how God adopts us into His family when we accept Him as our Savior.  At the point of salvation, we become His adopted son or daughter and we get all the privileges of being an heir of Christ!  Incredible.  All the promises in the Bible are ours and His riches are ours when Christ becomes our Father.  I am still asking Him to show me what this all means!

We learned so much today.  One of the biggest things with domestic adoptions these days is that they are moving towards more of an "open relationship" rather than a "confidential, closed" situation.  There are varying degrees of openness..the minimum requirement by Bethany Christian Services is that we provide pictures and a letter about our child once a year for the BirthMom.  Many families are going well beyond this though and keeping in touch via email and even having visits with the biological family.  It was stressed how important it is for a child to know their story about where they came from- whether it was a good situation or a bad situation- they need to know (always on an age-appropriate level)!  Children can often carry a misconception that they weren't loved if they were placed for adoption but the opposite is true- it is out of great love that a Mother sacrifices raising her child in order to find a better family situation for that child. 

Another point that was made is that it is important not to share with others all the details about your child's birthstory until the child knows first.  It would be painful for the child if they learned any of that information from someone other than their adoptive parents.  It was suggested to start telling them the story from birth (at that point- it's more for the parents to get comfortable sharing it, rather than the baby!) but it sets in motion that sharing of truth about where they came from.

One of the speakers spoke on parenting and he explained that one of the important parts of disciplining our children other than boundaries and consequences is setting a good example in the way we conduct ourselves.  We've all heard this before but WOW! that really popped out at me and I know God had that for me to hear.  If my behavior is lacking self-control and I am acting undisciplined, what am I teaching my kids?  Ouch.  I get exasperated watching my daughter with her drama-infused-displays of emotion and I am literally watching myself played out!  God help me. :)

There are 40 couples on the waiting list with Bethany right now in VA.  We are getting ready to start making our family profile which is like a scrapbook about our family that will be shown to the BirthMoms that come through the Bethany offices.  There are three offices in VA.  Our profile will be shown at all three offices to the Moms who match our criteria.  We also have the option to put our profile online so that Moms in other states could see us too.  This is an exciting process!  I am so comforted knowing that God knows exactly who are baby is and holds all the details in His perfect plan for our family.  I am so glad He is writing our story.

Beginning Our 9th Year Together

Tuesday was our 8 Year Anniversary!  We celebrated with flowers, cards, and a piece of German Chocolate Cake (Bob's favorite).  We have special plans for the weekend along with our adoption training.  I am looking forward to it all.

8 years of marriage blows my mind!  I know that God is the glue that is holding us together.  We have grown so much in Christ together since we got married.  I was very young in the Lord when we said our marriage vows (only about 2 years old in the Lord)....it is a blessing to look back at all the Lord has done....7 new children...4 here with us, 2 in heaven, and 1 to be adopted..  It is exciting to think of all He is going to do!!   I am amazed at the husband the Lord has given me.  I am so blessed.

Never Can Get Enough

I don't know when this started to happen but I'm in this place where deep down I just don't feel satisfied...there is a hunger for more of God but an inability to be completely quenched.....it's like I'm at the service at church and I don't want the worship to end...........the Word is opened and I don't want it to close...........I could go on there forever...but we must eat..and we must sleep..and these bodies are so weak.  And many things need tended to.  But if only we could stay a little while longer...

The War Raging Between The Spirit & Flesh

Being a Christian isn't easy..following Jesus is a dying to self daily....saying no to our flesh and yes to the Spirit's leading in our lives.  Before I came to Christ life was a mess and I was on my way to hell, but it seemed more simple.  I was dead in my sins and lived by my sinful nature.  It completely controlled me.  When I accepted Jesus at 26, his Holy Spirit came and took residence inside me..I can no longer sin like I used to..when I do, I grieve the Holy Spirit and He convicts me to stop..to go another way...His light doesn't mix with the darkness.

The thing is..that sinful nature or what is called the "flesh" will never be gone until we go to be with Jesus if we believe on Him.  And so there is a daily struggle and I want to please my heavenly Father but there is that pull from the flesh that tries to drag me away.  Our flesh has a hearty appetite that seeks to be satisfied in many different ways.  In the end though we will be hungry again..Jesus is the only One who can completely satisfy the longings deep within us. 

We need Him every day to walk out this Christian life.  We can't even be Christians without God's help.  He is the author and finisher of our salvation and everything in between.  He is waiting each day to give us more grace.  He wants to help us in our times of need.  Sometimes our flesh is so strong and we can't bear up from under it.  Maybe we don't even want to.  But that is when we need to fall on our knees to our heavenly Father and ask Him to give us the desire to not satisfy our flesh and to only please Him.  He will do that in us!  He is stronger and more powerful than our sin nature and if we run to Him, He will give us a way out.  As a Christian, I am no longer in bondage to my sin nature so I don't have to live anymore like I am!!!!!!!!!

He is so faithful.  He is our strongtower.  He keeps us from falling into a snare.  He gently guides us and warns us.  If only we will listen to his still, small voice...and not ignore him.