Book Review: Kisses from Katie

                                                               


Ok, this may possibly be one of my favorite books EVER! I ordered it last week, after devouring everything I could find on Katie's blog. Katie is an incredible young woman who left everything she loved to go and serve the least of these in Uganda. Hers is a story of human frailty, loving Jesus, and learning to go the extra mile. What I love about this autobiography, though, is that it's really not about Katie Davis. It's about Jesus. As I read of Katie's adventures, I laughed and cried. It took me two and a half days to finish this book, because I simply could not put it down. And now I want to move to Kenya and bind up wounds and help to heal hurting hearts....... (:

Kisses in the Wind

I came across this lullabye last night while I was working on a project. It is so beautiful, and so perfectly sums up my family's emotions right now. :




I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

--- © Pamela Durkota, written for Josh

Defining a need

Did you know that there are people who won't give one dollar to rescue orphans because they "need their gatorade" ? Did you know that, while we all enjoy a nice Christmas and spend time with family, millions of children will be without any family? Did you know that, while you're eating that delicious Christmas dinner, millions of people will be going to bed hungry....again? Did you know that many families live for a year on the amount you might spend buying a toy for your sibling's Christmas gift? This time of year, I find it necessary to reevaluate. After all, what the average family spends on decorating their house for Christmas might provide meals for dozens of hungry children. I'm not saying that spending money is necessarily evil. I'm not saying that giving gifts, or decorating is evil. What I'm asking is, why? When did Christmas become all about making our life pretty, all about making the people in our family circle a little more comfortable? When did Christmas stop being about Jesus? About being His hands and feet? This picture really made me stop and think....what can I give up this Christmas, so that others might truly see Christ this year?

Hope

     There is Hope. And it's such a beautiful thing! Last night, my sister, Sarah, hosted a Pampered Chef fundraiser party for the adoption. A good friend from church came, and stayed afterwards for pizza and a game. We talked and laughed, and had a wonderful time. This friend, aside from one of my grandmothers and my favorite uncle, is probably the most adamant supporter we have as far as adoption is concerned. Anyway, we were talking about something completely unrelated, and she just simply said "I'm still praying about that benefactor, you know." In fact, it's something I've heard from several friends this week. I replied, "We are to, but it's ok with us if God uses a different route to." Can you guess what her reply was? I'm not sure I'd ever heard such a confident answer concerning a prayer waiting to be answered. "Oh, God is going to use that donor. He's just waiting for the right time." Wow.
     I've been reading the book "Wrestling Prayer" by Eric and Leslie Ludy again, and once again I was reminded that it's ok to ask God very specifically, and it's ok to trust Him fully! Also, I've been reading through George Muller's biography....the answered prayers in there are enough to lift anyone's faith. You see, my mom had prayed that Thomas and Juliana would be home by Christmas. And all of us were becoming discouraged, knowing that it won't happen. Of course, we knew going into it that it was a huge, crazy prayer, but still... and then God gave us hope. So maybe the children won't be home by Christmas, but God will provide everything necessary to bring them home, and perhaps by Christmas we'll have the full amount needed!
     As if God's gentle nudging to faith and hope weren't enough, God really spoke to me this morning. I usually wake up shortly before 6, make some tea, and sit down with my Bible and prayer journal. I opened my Bible, and out peeked those precious photos of my siblings. I cried for a moment, just missing them so much. And then I asked God for something. I wasn't looking for Him to give me an audible voice or anything, I just wanted more than human words affirming His faithfulness. I needed to hear it straight from Him. I've been reading through Psalms, in addition to me verse by verse studies. Usually I read through one full page, usually 2-3 chapters. Probably just coincidence, but here are those chapters from today:

Psalms 145:1 <> I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.


~I love how this Psalm speaks of God's provision, and how He answers those that call upon Him in truth! But there's more!


Psalms 146:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:

7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:

8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.

~How much clearer could it be? God is so real, so tangible, and He cares enough to send words like these to a soul that is clinging desperately to hope. He sent these words, not so that I could feel better, although I do. He sent them that I might truly believe them, and that His name might be glorified. I just couldn't stop, so I read on to the next chapter:


Psalms 147:1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

~I was realizing, while reading this chapter, that I've been waiting for God to start working. That I've been looking for Him to do something. The reality? He's been moving all along. He was moving when He led me to finish highschool 3 years early. He was moving when He directed me to CollegePlus, where I met Lissie and was introduced to the plight of Russian orphans. He was moving when He provided for Mom and I to go to Russia and meet Thomas and Juliana. Why would I think that He'd suddenly stopped moving? No, He's still moving. He's accomplishing His will. He's just working where I can't see Him right now. And you know what? That's okay! Just like when my Daddy goes to work, I can't see what He's doing, but I know he's providing for everything I need. God is so good! He gives exactly what we need when we need it - what a blessed way to start the Lord's day!

No word yet

Here's the hardest part of the whole fundraising letter- waiting for an answer that may or may not come. So, we're still waiting for a reply, but I promise, as soon as I know anything, I'll let you all know :) 

Major adoption prayer request

Ok, I have a really, really important adoption prayer request. As some of you know, Becky, the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project coordinator, was pulling together a presentation for a very wealthy donor who may have been able to give upwards of $1 million. However, the phone/personal presentation didn't work out for several reasons. Anyway, she had to revert to a letter, not always the most successful fundraising route. Interestingly enough, the presentation covered many families, ours included, but none framed as to stand out more than any other. Due to the change in format, Becky is unable to present all the cases. After a weekend of thought and prayer, she decided that our family's adoption was the highest priority case, and should be the one sent in the letter. Therefore, a letter presenting our need will most likely be in a very wealthy man's hands tomorrow. Please pray that God would move his heart to give abundantly- Becky has asked for the $70,000 needed to complete both adoptions. This could mean the difference between 1-2 more months of waiting, or 1-2 more years of waiting. Please, please, be in much prayer about this!

Having a good cry

picture credit: freeyork.org

Today started off beautifully- reminiscing about a wonderful week spent with sweet and wise friends, going to church to fellowship and worship my Saviour, and my cousin making the right choice and moving back to her home. I sat, happy as a clam, in my rocking chair, reading SetApartGirl.com, drinking hot tea, and eating biscotti. And then it happened. My mom came in, just a few moments ago, saying that Becky, the woman who has been helping us with the adoptions, sent new pictures of Thomas and Juliana. Of course, like any adoring big sister, I rushed in to the family computer to see them- nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. You see, the pictures that I've been holding and caressing and treasuring were all taken that blissful week that we spent with the children in Russia. These pictures were taken by the sweet translator that accompanied us for part of our trip. My sweet curly-headed angel, Thomas, had been shaved. His eyes were sad and lonely. He held up his school book, smiling slightly, but his eyes seemed to ask "why? why hold it up when there's no one to be proud of me? sure, you're happy for me and taking my picture, but tomorrow you'll be gone." Thomas wore the same clothes that he had worn the entire week we spent with him, night and day, literally. Juliana, being a precocious, precious girl, still seemed smiling and happy, but still, that sense of longing in her eyes. I want nothing more than to hop the next flight to Russia, to grab both of them in my arms and bring them home. But I can't. So now I sit, and have a good cry. I cry for Thomas, his lost curls and his lost hope. I cry for Juliana, her need to be so strong at such a young age. I cry for all the other children that will be left behind when Thomas and Juliana come home. And I cry, because I don't know how much more time will be lost before I hold them close again.
       Since I can't post on the children's actual birthdays, I'm making this my "happy birthday" post for Juliana. Juliana, more than anything in the world, I want to hold your hand, to give you another piggy-back ride through the apple orchard, to tell you you're loved. I want to bring you home, to help you adjust to your new sisters and brothers, to make special tea-parties for you and your friends. I want to paint your nails, and sew pretty dresses for you. I want to take you to see the Nutcracker, and watch your eyes light up as ballerinas dance across the stage. If I could, I'd give up everything material forevermore if it only meant bringing you home one minute sooner. Juliana, my prayers are all about you and Thomas. I pray that you're safe. I pray that you're happy in school. I pray that you'll be home soon. And I pray that you never have to spend another birthday away from your family! I love you!
    

What now?

Orphan Sunday is over, gone for another year. But the orphans aren't. They're still crying themselves to sleep, not daring to hope that a family could love them. I don't have time for a long post today, but I thought I'd post a great orphan article I read yesterday:

http://impassionedpurity.blogspot.com/

Today....and tomorrow

Today is Orphan Sunday. Thousands of churches all over the world will be praying for orphans, and considering ways to serve them. Even if your church, like mine, doesn't participate, you'll probably spend at least some time today thinking about orphans. You may even research ways to help them. And that's wonderful!.....for today. But what about tomorrow? When you go back to school or work, and get wrapped up in yourself, your daily life? Who will remember the orphans tomorrow? Because when you're an orphan, tomorrow only means more pain, more rejection, more sorrow. Would you consider not just remembering their need today, but changing their tomorrow?

Book Review: The Lost Daughters of China

I'm not sure what can be said about this book other than simply "wow." I had no idea that the girl-abandonment issue was so bad in China! It always amazes me to read a book like this and realize that horrible things have happened and are happening in my lifetime, but nobody has said a word!! Why are the evening news reports filled with the latest bestseller, new traffic laws, and silly, insignificant things, when on the other side of the ocean, millions of children are being abandoned, with only several thousand being adopted. This book opened my eyes to the horrors that still exist in China, but at the same time respects China rather than saying that it's a terrible place. On the downside, the author of this book is not a Christian, and has a very "open" view of Buddhism, Confucianism, etc. Also, although I found this book to give valuable perspective on the abandonment crisis in China and transcultural adoption issues, it does talk about China's birth control policies, and is not something I'd recommend for younger girls, or guys. Up next: deciding to read about the AIDs orphans in Africa, or a book about transracial/transcultural adoptions.....

Homestudy

So, if you've read this blog at all, you know that I'm a tiny bit excited for my brother and sister to come home from Russia. (okay, WAAAYYYY more than a tiny bit) Well, today, my parents are driving to "the big city" to start the homestudy!!!!! (not an incredibly thrilling process, basically lots of interviews and paperwork, but it's a start!) Please pray for my parents to have wisdom to say the right things, and to be a good testimony. 

"I can't wait"

I have nothing deep for you today, just a simple thought from my little brother. Michael is three, and an absolute joy! As he was walking up the stairs, he started a conversation with my mom.
Michael : "Mama?"
Mom: "yes?"
Michael: " Me can't wait."
Mom: " you can't wait for what?"
Michael: "Me waitin' for Thomas and Juliana come home."


I can't wait until Michael gets to meet his new big brother and sister! You'd be amazed how often he talks about them....about whether they'll like what we're having for dinner, or when he can take them sledding, or if he can share his room with Thomas, and if his brother Thomas will like Thomas the train. I love my siblings....every single one, and I pray that they all make it home safe, and soon!

The hope of a family

Today I saw up-close exactly what a family can do for an orphan. I spent my morning playing with an adorable 22 month old ex-orphan "Becca". She wasn't expected to have much of a future, but with her wonderful family, she is exceeding all expectations. I am amazed, the more I am exposed to adoptive families, the incredible christian families I meet. Becca's parents have been married 8 years and have adopted 4 children from Ethiopia! I love meeting new people, but having common bonds as strong as Christ and adoption, I love it even more! Anyway, I just thought I'd share the hope and joy I saw on her sweet little face, and ask again for prayers that my brother and sister would soon know that hope and love.

Indifference

My passion is for the orphans of the world. There's no getting around it, forgetting about it, going on with my life. It's there. What am I going to do about 43 million helpless hurting children? I don't know. Where do I start? I don't know. But God does. And between now and the time that He tells me "It's time to go!", I'll do all I can with where I'm at now. I was even more burdened after watching this video, and I pray that you will take a moment out of your busy life to watch it to.

http://www.ellerslie.com/Home.html