You're Invited......

I'll bet  you are wondering why I am posting AGAIN!

In your wildest dreams you couldn't guess how the past week has gone....

where and how I have been spending my time...

 

BUT....

I have to pass along 2 invitations!

The first is more for the "locals"....

The second is for everyone!

AND please invite your friends to both!!

 

 

I am blessed to be a part of a ministry for Orphans!

ONE (Orphans Need Everyone) is a ministry that seeks to help, support and bring awareness to the cause and crisis of the orphan.  Caring, educating and supporting those caring for the orphan through Foster Care and Adoption. 

 

On November 2, 2013 they are having a benefit concert to support local families! 

You are invited!

Join us for an evening of new and old praise and worship songs performed by David Niemi and the Eastpoint Band. Gain insight and understanding into the world of adoption and foster care through the testimony of local families. Hear how God is working through their calling to care for children! Come early to meet families and browse items for purchase (Adirondack chairs, t-shirts, birdhouses, bathouses, cookie mixes & much more) to help them bring their children home!

Featuring David Niemi and the Eastpoint Band 

 

Saturday, November 2 , 2013

Concert from 6:00-8:15 pm (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

Calvary Bible Church , 1450 Oakridge Road, Neenah, WI

No charge — a free will offering will be taken

Learn ……..

•  firsthand from families currently or recently involved in foster care and adoption
•  how you can help those involved in foster care through home placements, mentoring, respite, or service projects!
•  about resources available to foster care families as well as adoptive families.
•  about caring for the orphaned and abandoned children on a local and international level through adoption!
• the numbers, facts and statistics about the orphan and what you can do to help!
• about the harsh realities of human trafficking and how you can help bring hope to those        striving to succeed!
• the truth about HIV and how many children are needlessly passed by for adoption because of false information!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

 

 

AND NOW

I invite you to enjoy this ....and do something!

THIS  is very near to our family!
thank you my sweet friend for this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qX5wcFUV4I&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0qX5wcFUV4I&app=desktop

 

In His Embrace,

with so many others....

laurie

Getting Ready….. Set……Go!

 Isaiah 25:1

Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago

Just think... God planned all of this long ago!  He knew!  He planned! He spoke it all into life!  I don't know about you but reading this verse and resting in it makes me smile! Who are we that He would do "wonderful things" for us....with us.....to us!?!  I am humbled by the thoughts put into what I would do to honor Him.  Me! A sinner redeemed!  He used me! 

Oh but on to the news!

We are getting ready to go to Bulgaria to bring home our boys!

As this weekend draws near I cannot help but think of all that we will be doing!

This will be our last weekend here together as a family of 5!  The next weekend we are all here we will be a family of 7! (12 if you count those who don’t live with us)  Roger and I will be leaving in just one week to be re-united with our boys!  7 months  since we were with them!  There is much to do… most of it has to wait until just before we leave….

Planning for this 2^nd trip has been much like the 1^st trip.  I make the plans and God smiles and gently released my grip on them.  As much as I have learned about myself during this journey, I have learned so much more about the Father.  Mostly, I have gained a deeper level of dependence on Him because I have seen His faithfulness firsthand in so many ways!  So often we speak of His faithfulness…and His goodness.   Do we really get it?  Do we really understand that He has all of our needs covered… We do not need to figure everything out…. He will provide. 

Roger and I have been praying specifically for something the past month since we were approved in court.  We keep praying… and we keep praying boldly and asking for it in His name and according to His will.  We have gone to both extremes about whether or not He will say yes…..or no.  But we have not really thought much about the “wait” response that God can sometimes give us.  There have been moments when I have thought about ‘making the call’ myself, taking things into my own hands just so I can “know”.  But I refrained from doing that!  Instead I prayed.  As I opened my devotional this is what I found….

1 Kings 8:56

Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave.

Someday we will understand that God has a reason behind every no He gives us through the course of our lives.  Yet even in this life, He always makes it up to us.  When God’s people are worried and concerned that their prayers are not being answered, how often we have seen Him working to answer them in a far greater way!  Occasionally we catch a glimpse of this,  but the complete revelation of it will not be seen until later.

The person who knows how to wait has grown to an exceptional degree in God’s grace.

How about that?!

The person who knows how to wait!   I am learning…….

Has grown!   I am growing……..

God’s grace!   A way of life……… 

I don’t know when or if God will grant our request.  But I know that no matter what, it is what is best!  I know that if there are more changes to come, He will lead us through them and it will be as it should. I will keep my focus “in the tent” and prepare for our trip and for our growing family!

We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare, leave, reunite and return with our boys!

Please pray for ….

 

Our time together as a family before we leave to be peaceful and not too busy!

Our preparations to come together and continue to progress smoothly.

Our health.  That we would all stay healthy and get good rest.

The schedules for all of our boys staying home.  People caring for them and getting them  where they need to be.

Safe travel and that David and Jonathan do well on the plane ride home and in the airports.

The foster family as they prepare to say good bye to David and Jonathan, who they love so much.  I know they are already grieving the boys leaving.  We are so thankful for them!

For Levi and his fears of not being with us. 

For Sam and Jacob to be able to help Levi as they take on a bigger role in being caregivers for him and David and Jonathan when we come home.

For the final details to come together for the trip.

For the remaining travel and in-country expenses to be covered.  God is faithful!

For our lives to reflect Christ to all those we meet as we travel! 

We are so excited to bring our boys home!  We are so thankful for each and every one of you in our lives.  We know that there are no chance encounters but that God puts people together for His purposes.  We look forward to seeing what He is going to do next and humbly wait on Him!

Praising Him who works all things for good!

Roger and Laurie

Set..............

 

In the few spare minutes I have I want to share what the Lord is speaking to my heart.

If you know me well you know that I have been known to struggle with "control" from time to time.

If you only are getting to know me through my blogging you may see that in me as well.

 

Hey I am better than I used to be!

Seriously I am a work in progress.  Thankfully the Lord has not given up on me in this area.

In the last post's title, "Ready",  I spoke about our hearts being ready to bring the boys home and how we have the proper "permissions" from the proper "authorities" to go...so are we ready?!  YES!

 

But are we all "set"?....

As each day passes and we get closer to leaving for Bulgaria, I think that I am less and less "set"!

The more I try to gain ground on the "to do" list the more it seems I need to make up!

 

In my mind I have a vision of what I would like things to look like, not only when I leave, but when I come home too!  I have a plan!  Right?!  Seems reasonable right?

Well who ever said I could/would be reasonable....  Just kidding, I am not that bad...or at least I didn't think I was that bad. 

 

In my time with the Father the past few weeks He is trying to tell me something...

I know it....

I just keep pushing it to the bottom of my list.... I will look at that after I get everything else done!

Oh how I justify my "hurry up" attitude. My "I have to get this done NOW" mindset. 

"If only I could just have 2 days to do my planning! Then I would be able to relax and have a few days of peace before we leave."

R.......I..........G...........H...........T!

 

I tend to be a "reactive" person.  I could learn a few lessons from my "processing" husband!

I will say that I am seeing that as an area of growth in my life....in every way! 

 

Here is a little snippet from one of my devotionals this morning

(you see, you cannot hide from what God is trying to tell you by

using a daily devotional  book instead of the Word)

 

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic.  Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our nature, not along the lines of God's nature.  Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple  Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is alright in a child, but disastrous in a man or woman-an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person.  Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.  Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God.  Walking on water is easy  to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different.  Peter walked on water to go to Jesus, but on dry land "he followed from a distance".

 

My Utmost For His Highest

Oswald Chambers



 

 

Oh that is so me!  The bold stuff is easy....the everyday disciplines are hard... The extra-ordinary is easy....the ordinary is hard.  How I want to be content to see myself in the everyday disciplines that really are the defining and refining points of my life. The places where He wants to slowly and carefully sanctify me by honoring my request to make me more of Him and less of me....

 

On the top of my blog is the verse Psalm 61:3-5... about me finding shelter and peace and comfort in the shelter of His wings......all while "dwelling in His tent". 

 

As I pondered the verse... and really thought about why my heart is impulsive at the core....I realized that it is because while I love to go to be with Him...and love my time spent with him each day....
In the tent.....
I am always peeking out of the tent. 
Honestly.... this will sound crazy...but this morning as I was thinking on that.... He very clearly said to me... "STOP PEEKING OUTSIDE THE TENT!" 
Keep  your eyes on the things that are here.... in this dwelling....

keep your focus on Me the one who will give you all you need...

the one who will change what you perceive needs to be done to be "SET"....

Stay under the shelter of my wings and receive all that you need to be "SET"!

It may look something like this....

 

Colossians 3:1-2

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

 

 

Oh how my mind can get "set" on the things of this world! The ways of the world...

The demands of this world... I do see this in my life and while I do not understand completely yet what it should/will look like... I know that it is where my mind must go. 

In my heart.... I trust....

I know that He would have only the best for me....and that so far in my own mindset....

I am not enjoying that "best"... 

I am not relaxing in the peace and comfort of His great tent...just dwelling...

because I am too busy peeking out to see what is out there!

I am going to take the next few days to focus on what is IN this tent of ours that He shows me needs to be readied and prepared before we leave. 

 

In His Embrace,

laurie

Why?......

Ephesians 5:1-2

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

 

We all know someone who has passed away...

It is hard to see some one we love pass from this life..

AND

sometimes we grieve for a life ending even though we've never met that person...

today I received a post in my inbox....
 

it brought me to tears...

as it should.........

 

I am broken .... so broken..

I wish I could save them all!

I wish I could

do more ....

help more.....

give more......

maybe this will help one!

Oh just one! Please Father!

Move the hearts of those you are calling!

 

I ask that you read the post below and listen to the song...

 

then listen for God's voice speaking to your heart!

Whatever He says to do

DO IT!

Pray, give, apply.....

Please do what He is asking YOU to do...

Oh I pray this will move many to Kingdom Work!

 

 

at the end of the day.... this life is valuable........

even though we didn't know about him...

even though we didn't ever meet him....

even though.....

he mattered to God and he should matter to us

as they all should...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Post from What It Means to Love

Sarah writes....

My heart is broken and the tears won't stop. His picture grabbed at my heart awhile back but I never advocated for him.

Because while we celebrate that he is pain free and with Jesus now, he still died without ever knowing the love of a family. Something every child should know.

I sometimes feel like I'm doing alot for orphans, but it's never enough. There's always more I could do.  These child can't advocate for themselves. They can't raise money for their grants. They don't know how to pray. We can though.

And since they can't take care of themselves, we need to be a defender of the orphan, strength for the weak, and a voice for the voiceless.

My resolve to fight this battle is stronger, and I will not let his death be in vain.

Dance with Jesus sweet Ryker! We will fight harder so others don't have to go through what you did.

 

 

 

 

Broken...In His Embrace

laurie

Ready...........

We are ready! 

It has been a long 7 months since we were with our boys!

We are officially confirmed to travel!

In a few weeks we will be leaving to bring our boys home!

We are blessed beyond anything that we could imagine!

David and Jonathan, We are coming!

 

So much has to be done!

So much has to be planned!

So much has to fall into place!

So much already has!

 

While this post will be brief, it is truly so amazing that I am even writing it!

There is so much going on here.... so much planning taking place....

So much organization (shocking right?!)

So much to ask of others to help.... (so beyond thankful for the help coming in)

 

Abba Father!

There is so much Glory that needs to be revealed....Glory that is all His!

Our Father-The One who put it all together!

In the next couple weeks I will share more of what is happening and when it is happening...

but for now....

please join us in praise and thanksgiving for all that He is, has done and is yet to come!

 

2 Corinthians 4:13-15

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,  because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

 

 

In His Embrace

laurie