Answers Part 3 -- The Next Rwanda Trip

Finally....the last part of our Answers from a fast not long ago....and this one involves YOU...

Ever since we were in Rwanda last November, we started praying about when we could go back.  Our hope was to go again by the end of this year or early part of next year.  God kinda makes me chuckle sometimes, because we are actually doing BOTH! 

And we want you to join us!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"  Then I said, "Here am I.  Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

This trip is for.....

SINGLES who want to ring in the new year like never before!

Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.

Matthew 18:4-5

This trip is for....

COUPLES who want to love babies, kids, teenagers, & young adults who have no mom or dad, no grandparents, no family.

This trip is for....

FAMILIES who desire to serve together, connecting your kids with kids the same age in Rwanda, relating to people in a way you could not if you came alone.

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.

Matthew 25:35

This trip is for

YOU! 

...Truly I say to you to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.

Matthew 25:40

Get involved by

PRAYING

GIVING

GOING

Join us the last week of December 2011 through the first week of January 2012!

Interested???  We will be having an interest meeting in May (TBA soon).
We want to bring school supplies, backpacks, new clothes and new shoes for 50 orphans!

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress....

James 1:27

Realizing dreams

Recently I shared some of my big dreams with you. 

WOW---it is so cool to see some of these things unfolding right before our eyes!! 

I really cannot keep up.  I want to just share everything with you right here right now, but I can't!!!!!!! 

And it is really hard not too!!!!

Let me just say....that marriage we have been praying for is holding on. 

God is working.  YEA!!!

(you have no idea how big the mountain range is that God is moving!)

Remember how I wanted to get some bunk beds, just to be ready for "whatever?"

Well, bunk bed #1 has been ordered!

And mattresses are waiting for it's arrival.

Can't say much else about the "whatever" part......yet!

We are starting to share our plans about homeschooling with the kids' schools and it is hard to say good-bye.  We will all miss these people and places that we have known the last few years! 

And I am slowly figuring out what and how we will start this summer with the next chapter ~ really excited about how that is going!

Our next trip to Rwanda....is in the works! 

 

I will share about when we're going

and what we'll be doing

and how YOU can be involved

in the next post! 

(This is the long-awaited Part 3 to our Answers!)

You can't

These past few months as I have been

thinking about homeschooling,

praying about homeschooling,

and now planning,

researching curriculums,

and talking to other homeschool families,

I have to share the most powerful advice I have gotten from one homeschool mom.

Before we made our decision,

I worried,

I fretted,

I felt overwhelmed,

I cried,

I didn't know what or how I would do it.

How would I handle everything and fit it all in?

One afternoon, I was sharing my concern with another homeschool mom and she could see my desperation and hear the defeat in my voice.

I asked the question aloud to myself, not expecting an answer,

"How will I do it all?"

She simply said,

"You can't."

Period.

Those two words changed everything.

E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

As I let that truth sink in,

I felt so relieved.

FREE

And for the first time, I felt no worry, no fear, no anxiety.

And we began to shift our thinking. 

We began to ask ourselves what can be taken off my plate. 

What needs to change to make this work?

WOW!

I can't do it all.

and I am so glad!

Humbled

I read stories of dear people here at home and around the world who are suffering.  Struggling.  And I start to feel guilty.

Why not me?

Why am I allowed to do what I want to do, dream, work hard, organize our life, run, make plans, say prayers, serve.

It's not that my life has been absent of pain.

I have had some very painful times over the years, in my marriage, in my family, and I have seen dreams shatter.  Like when we couldn't have another baby.  Like when we lost a baby and our marriage was rocked to the core.  Like when we found out Emily has autism.  Like when I lost my sister.

And when a dream has been shattered it is difficult.  It stinks.  It really hurts.  And the pain seems it will never go away.  And part of that pain never does go away.

But God....

God in His great mercy....

Heals. 

Shows us new dreams.

Moves us from our most painful times into a place of hope, joy, awe.

And I wonder, I marvel at how great God is.  How He cares for us, not because of anything we have done, but because He loves us.  And I marvel at His great works, His great plans that are so much bigger, so much better than our own.

I think about how much I would have missed out on if I had stayed in my grief.  People I would not have in my life because I chose to stay hurt when I did not get what I had planned. 

The blessings that have come through a stronger and deeper relationship with my husband.  Seeing how God has opened his heart...

the blessings that have come through growing our family through adoption.    

If you are in the middle of suffering, I do not pretend to take on your pain.  I do not say I understand.  But I am sad with you.  And I agree with you that it sucks!  It really does.  And I wish it wasn't happening.

And I pray that you are comforted.  And even WHEN you stumble, you do not forget who holds your hand. (Psalm 37:24)

Waiting...

Many are praying right now, my prayer warriors, thank you!!  Wow--yesterday I did not know what would come before us when I decided I needed to fast and pray in the afternoon.  I was fasting for God to move me, for Him to bring clarity to my jumbled up mind. 

And out of nowhere, He presents Himself to us.  I can't say how or what's going to happen yet (I frankly do not know), but I thank you for your prayers.

I'm waiting with my eyes on Him.

In the meantime...

I do have one more part of our "Answers" I want to share.  In fact, I have started the post and it is patiently waiting in my drafts. 

But the truth is I cannot get on here everyday. 

AND I am such a processor that when I do, it takes me a while to get my thoughts out.  And it is also important to me that my family NOT find out about big news in my life on my blog.  I want to actually have a conversation with those important people in my life when it comes to important decisions and things God is doing BEFORE I post about it.

Ya know what I mean?

But if this is the first place you find out about important news in my life, please don't take it personally. 

Just sayin'.

=)

This is my life at the moment....

books piled high on my nightstand (all of which I have started, but not finished.)

a lot of this

 

a little of this

and we have had a little fun this past week for Spring Break

 swimsuits and sweaters at the lake!

a fun day at Seaworld with Samantha and Patrick

(and about 400 million other people)

I am really thankful. 

Thankful for the people God has placed around me that encourage, love, and care about me. 

Thankful for how He directs our steps and opens our hearts and eyes to His desires.

Answers Part 2: Emily's response

So.....I'm back!

Part 2 on our answers......

I decided NOT to make an official announcement to the kids that we would be homeschooling everybody.  Instead, I brought it up to Emily first when we were riding home from school.  (I am in the car 3 hours a day commuting to my kids' schools so we have plenty of time to talk.)

Yea us.

=/

I kinda backed into the conversation with something I knew she would love.  We totally enjoy Tim Hawkins---if you haven't heard of this comedian, you gotta check him out on youtube.

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S

Welllllllllllllll, I signed up for this homeschool conference this summer and Tim Hawkins is giving a concert at the end of the event.  So I started out by telling Emily that I got Tim Hawkins tickets.

She was SO EXCITED!

Then I followed up with an "Oh, by the way...."

She simply responded, "Mom....about homeschool.....I feel kind of nervous.  I still want to see my friends."

That was IT??????????  That was what I was afraid of????????

No "I hate homeschool!"  OR "I DON'T WANT TO HOMESCHOOL UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL."

I tried to conceal the excitement in my voice and had to turn away so she would not be alarmed by my giddy smile and just said, "Oh, sure, we will still see your friends."

And that was it.

I was amazed...at God.

Simply in awe. 

I had been gearing up to listen to crying and gnashing of teeth. 

No tears. 

No opposition.  

And we haven't had any crying or gnashing of teeth in later discussions.

In fact, in another ride to school, she said, "Mom, can we start homeschool in March?"

Cracks me up!!

It kinda made me have to think about my faith.  I wanted to see God work before I stepped out "in faith." 

But that's not faith at all.

It took me stepping out first, and then I saw Him work.

God unfolded a few other details last week that are kind of woven in with this decision.

More to come!