If you would like to read more about the children in Liberia click here: http://www.theliberiandialogue.org/articles/c122509tws.htm
We were told that we may get a call on Christmas from the children we are waiting to adopt. We did not. What we did get was a sweet day of remembering Christ's birth and being able to spend time with the children we do have with us.
We also received updated pictures of our children from Liberia. They are so beautiful and handsome! I wish I could post a picture! Maybe I'll figure out a way to do that and password protect it.
Please keep praying for our hearts. I am weary. I am getting bitter and I am not handling this waiting very well today.
Thank you to those who have hung in there with us during this most difficult journey.
Many Blessings
Ami
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
God Knows
Only God knows what it's like to truly feel his heart break. Sometimes I think my heart will break because of earthly circumstances---but it won't. Help me Lord today to lean on you and your faithfulness. I just want to serve you. Adoption is hard Lord, thank you for calling us to this.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thoughts on Serving Others
I was recently involved in some discussion about serving others, and some people had some input into the matter. I love godly counsel and wise input, but always try to take people's input and compare it to scripture. When I looked these up, I thought "Hmmm, I should keep those handy so I can refer back to them sometime." So, these scriptures are primarily here for me, but I thought someone else may find them handy as well.
Some scriptures on serving others:
Proverbs 3:27–28
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it.' When you have it with you."
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
James 2:14-17 (New International Version)
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Galatians 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
And one of my personal favorites, the parable of the sheep and the goats:
Matthew 25:31-46
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For 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, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
What does this say to you? How many excuses do we need to not care for our neighbors, the elderly, widows, orphans, and others who we can show the love of Jesus to in practical ways? Lord, forgive us for being so inward focused that we are blind to the needs of those around us.
Now, we must use wisdom, and these verses have to be tempered by Matthew 10:16-
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
I am glad that Mother Teresa and Katie in Uganda read and understood these scriptures, and what that meant for their lives, because they went out on a limb (waaaaayyyy out), and made differences in other people's lives and glorified God because of it.
Some scriptures on serving others:
Proverbs 3:27–28
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it.' When you have it with you."
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
James 2:14-17 (New International Version)
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Galatians 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
And one of my personal favorites, the parable of the sheep and the goats:
Matthew 25:31-46
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For 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, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
What does this say to you? How many excuses do we need to not care for our neighbors, the elderly, widows, orphans, and others who we can show the love of Jesus to in practical ways? Lord, forgive us for being so inward focused that we are blind to the needs of those around us.
Now, we must use wisdom, and these verses have to be tempered by Matthew 10:16-
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
I am glad that Mother Teresa and Katie in Uganda read and understood these scriptures, and what that meant for their lives, because they went out on a limb (waaaaayyyy out), and made differences in other people's lives and glorified God because of it.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
What does this mean to your family....?
Simple words, yet this is a call to action for all of us. I pray that it will stir your heart, your hands, and your feet to serve with love and compassion, as Jesus served us.
Matthew 25:37-40 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King replied, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Matthew 25:37-40 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King replied, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Lydia's Doll
I found the cutest baby doll for Lydia today. I have restrained myself from buying her anything in the past. I gave in today. I wanted my little girl growing up in Liberia to have her own baby doll to hold and play with. Here is a picture. Musu has agreed to carry it back with her and deliver it.
Musu will be leaving in a week. My heart is breaking. I have to come to love her so much! She is part of our family now and forever.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Update on adoptions in Liberia
We haven't had much to say in the way of updates lately. We are still firmly committed to caring for Lydia and Leo. If that involves bringing them home to America that would be wonderful. If it does not then, hey God knows best! We are still going to support them as best we can.
There has been movement on the adoption issue in Liberia. In the last two days there was a symposium on the rights of the child hosted at the Executive Mansion in Liberia. A lot of work went into this event. We are hoping and praying that good will come of this and that the children of Liberia will gain the right to be cared for by adoptive parents.
Here is an article about the symposium.
I will post more soon I promise.
http://theinquirer.com.lr/story.php?record_id=1937&sub=14
The government of Liberia has also said that they will begin processing adoptions that had court decrees before the moratorium began. They have not begun action on this yet. Please pray that this will take place soon. This is a battle. It will be won with much prayer. God's purposes ALWAYS prevail!
There has been movement on the adoption issue in Liberia. In the last two days there was a symposium on the rights of the child hosted at the Executive Mansion in Liberia. A lot of work went into this event. We are hoping and praying that good will come of this and that the children of Liberia will gain the right to be cared for by adoptive parents.
Here is an article about the symposium.
I will post more soon I promise.
http://theinquirer.com.lr/story.php?record_id=1937&sub=14
The government of Liberia has also said that they will begin processing adoptions that had court decrees before the moratorium began. They have not begun action on this yet. Please pray that this will take place soon. This is a battle. It will be won with much prayer. God's purposes ALWAYS prevail!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
adoption/orphan care symposium
Want to find out more about caring for orphans? Interested in adopting? Foster care anyone?
Go here to find out about an upcoming event at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville.
http://cckadoption.blogspot.com/
Go here to find out about an upcoming event at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville.
http://cckadoption.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 15, 2009
If
If you are one of those people that happens along our blog from time to time I have so much to post and yet I am weary. This whole adoption thing is HARD! Plain and simple it's the hardest thing I have ever done. So while I wait for the jumble of emotions in my brain to make some sense so I can let you know what's going on will you pray for us? Pray for the children of Liberia. Pray for all the orphaned children. And while you're praying ask God what you can do. There are approximately 147 MILLION orphans in the world. There are 115 thousand children in Foster Care in the United States alone waiting for a forever family. What are you going to do? What would God have you do?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
T4A
We just got back from "Together for Adoption" in Nashville TN. Wow! It was beyond words! There are just simply too many things to blog about at one time so I will start with how the Holy Spirit moved the first night for me personally. As you know from my previous post I was almost dreading this conference. Waiting for my children is at best Hard! I was trying to steel myself against having sad emotions. Well, that lasted all of 2 seconds! Ha ha!
Friday night a group of women sat behind us. They were quite talkative both during worship and the session. I started to get annoyed but then began to pray for them. I was jealous for them to hear what the speaker was saying so I tried not to be annoyed with them and just asked the Lord to bless them. Adrian told me later he was doing the same thing.
Fast forward to Saturday. I was at a booth that was selling hand made beaded necklaces made by women in Uganda and various tee shirts about adoption. Then I saw Katie's picture! She is a young girl serving in Uganda. I follow her blog and pray for her everyday! One of the ladies at the table came over to talk with me and she said they were raising money for Katie's work. Then another lady came up to me (working the same table) and said "Don't leave until I have a chance to talk with you." I said ok wondering what she could possibly have to say to me.
Okay this is where it gets so COOL. After some time this lady came over to me and said something like "we were sitting behind you last night and I wanted to let you know I was praying for you. I don't know why you are here, if your'e adopting, waiting on children to come home, etc. But I could tell you were having a hard time." She just wanted to let me know that we were in this together.
Then I realize who I was surrounded by! These are the ladies I was sitting in front of praying for the previous night. They are also Katie's friends. Working tirelessly on behalf of the poor in Uganda! How very cool is that? God allowed me to meet the people I read about online,to interact with them, to pray for them, and to be prayed for by them!!!!!
We got home last night at mid-night. As I laid down in my bed physically and mentally exhausted the Lord prompted me to open up to Psalm 82 (amplified version)
1GOD STANDS in the assembly of the representatives of God; in the midst of the judges He gives judgment as among the gods.
2How long will you judges judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Calmly think of that!
3Do justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.
4Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.
5The judges know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness of complacent satisfaction; all the foundations of the earth the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice are shaking.
6I said, You are gods since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High.
7But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes.
8Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations.
I felt the Lord saying to me personally that he is in control, that He will make things right. He will fight for the orphans of Liberia. He is their father.
Until the moratorium is lifted this Psalm will be my battle cry!
Please join me in this fight. Will you pray right now for children that were matched with families before the moratorium to be freed so that they may come home? Will you pray for the poor and defenseless in Liberia and elsewhere? Pray that God will work on the hearts of the judges and officials in Liberia.
Thank you
Ami
ps Click on the link to the right for Amazima to read all about Katie and her work. You will be challenged and encouraged. I promise!
Friday night a group of women sat behind us. They were quite talkative both during worship and the session. I started to get annoyed but then began to pray for them. I was jealous for them to hear what the speaker was saying so I tried not to be annoyed with them and just asked the Lord to bless them. Adrian told me later he was doing the same thing.
Fast forward to Saturday. I was at a booth that was selling hand made beaded necklaces made by women in Uganda and various tee shirts about adoption. Then I saw Katie's picture! She is a young girl serving in Uganda. I follow her blog and pray for her everyday! One of the ladies at the table came over to talk with me and she said they were raising money for Katie's work. Then another lady came up to me (working the same table) and said "Don't leave until I have a chance to talk with you." I said ok wondering what she could possibly have to say to me.
Okay this is where it gets so COOL. After some time this lady came over to me and said something like "we were sitting behind you last night and I wanted to let you know I was praying for you. I don't know why you are here, if your'e adopting, waiting on children to come home, etc. But I could tell you were having a hard time." She just wanted to let me know that we were in this together.
Then I realize who I was surrounded by! These are the ladies I was sitting in front of praying for the previous night. They are also Katie's friends. Working tirelessly on behalf of the poor in Uganda! How very cool is that? God allowed me to meet the people I read about online,to interact with them, to pray for them, and to be prayed for by them!!!!!
We got home last night at mid-night. As I laid down in my bed physically and mentally exhausted the Lord prompted me to open up to Psalm 82 (amplified version)
1GOD STANDS in the assembly of the representatives of God; in the midst of the judges He gives judgment as among the gods.
2How long will you judges judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Calmly think of that!
3Do justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.
4Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.
5The judges know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness of complacent satisfaction; all the foundations of the earth the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice are shaking.
6I said, You are gods since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High.
7But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes.
8Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations.
I felt the Lord saying to me personally that he is in control, that He will make things right. He will fight for the orphans of Liberia. He is their father.
Until the moratorium is lifted this Psalm will be my battle cry!
Please join me in this fight. Will you pray right now for children that were matched with families before the moratorium to be freed so that they may come home? Will you pray for the poor and defenseless in Liberia and elsewhere? Pray that God will work on the hearts of the judges and officials in Liberia.
Thank you
Ami
ps Click on the link to the right for Amazima to read all about Katie and her work. You will be challenged and encouraged. I promise!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Adoption Conference and Oprah
We received some updated pictures of our children yesterday. While I am glad for the pictures they always bring a myriad of emotions for me. I am happy to see them well and smiling. I am also struggling with sadness that they cannot be here with us.
This time we got pictures of them in their school uniforms. I have to say they are nothing at all like the uniforms we wear here in America. They were quite beautiful.
Today has been a little hard for me. We are preparing to go to the "Together for Adoption" conference in Nashville tomorrow. We are going so that we may learn more about how to get the word out about adoption. I know I will be interacting with lots of different people who have a heart for adoption. We will be taking lots of different classes and hearing adoption testimonies etc. We are hoping by going to this conference we will be able to help others to adopt.
Emotionally however, I don't know if I can handle this right now. It's just been a hard day. It'll be a year next week that we first laid eyes on our children. It has flown by. I am trusting the Lord with His timing. I just want to hold them, hug them, hear them laugh. Is that so bad?
So if you happen to be reading please pray for my heart this weekend while I am surrounded by people who have a passion for this ministry and pray that I will not grow weary in my calling to care for orphans.
In other related news we have a scholar coming from Liberia to live with us on Monday for a couple of months. She will be working with UT and the World Cocoa foundation. Please pray for her as she adjusts to a whole new way of life. It's her first time out of Africa. She also "happens" to live in the same town as our children. Hmmm, this is no coincidence. I am excited to see what God is up to.
Tomorrow (Friday, October 2) Oprah is airing a segment on the Liberian children that were adopted in Charlotte, NC. So tune in and learn all about what is going on in the lives of these families. It really is amazing to see!
ps I can't post pictures of Lydia and Leo on here but if you would like to see them I am apt to have one or two of them on me at any given time, being the proud mama I am! :)
PSS PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THEM HOME!
This time we got pictures of them in their school uniforms. I have to say they are nothing at all like the uniforms we wear here in America. They were quite beautiful.
Today has been a little hard for me. We are preparing to go to the "Together for Adoption" conference in Nashville tomorrow. We are going so that we may learn more about how to get the word out about adoption. I know I will be interacting with lots of different people who have a heart for adoption. We will be taking lots of different classes and hearing adoption testimonies etc. We are hoping by going to this conference we will be able to help others to adopt.
Emotionally however, I don't know if I can handle this right now. It's just been a hard day. It'll be a year next week that we first laid eyes on our children. It has flown by. I am trusting the Lord with His timing. I just want to hold them, hug them, hear them laugh. Is that so bad?
So if you happen to be reading please pray for my heart this weekend while I am surrounded by people who have a passion for this ministry and pray that I will not grow weary in my calling to care for orphans.
In other related news we have a scholar coming from Liberia to live with us on Monday for a couple of months. She will be working with UT and the World Cocoa foundation. Please pray for her as she adjusts to a whole new way of life. It's her first time out of Africa. She also "happens" to live in the same town as our children. Hmmm, this is no coincidence. I am excited to see what God is up to.
Tomorrow (Friday, October 2) Oprah is airing a segment on the Liberian children that were adopted in Charlotte, NC. So tune in and learn all about what is going on in the lives of these families. It really is amazing to see!
ps I can't post pictures of Lydia and Leo on here but if you would like to see them I am apt to have one or two of them on me at any given time, being the proud mama I am! :)
PSS PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THEM HOME!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Prayer, article and general comments
I am amazed at the people our Lord surrounds us with. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this blog, pray for our children, and just ask how we are doing.
Today I am going to point you to two different blogs. The first one is
http://wacsnspiritoftruth.blogspot.com. This blog had a post today that is actually a copy of a great article posted here: http://www.theperspective.org/2009/0814200902.html
It mentions some fellow Knoxvillians.
Also please read the blog from Angel Rutledge, our case worker from Christian Adoption Services. She works tirelessly on behalf of the children in Liberia. She is going through a tough time time right now. Please pray for her daughter Angelyn. You can read more about her at her blog.
Today I am going to point you to two different blogs. The first one is
http://wacsnspiritoftruth.blogspot.com. This blog had a post today that is actually a copy of a great article posted here: http://www.theperspective.org/2009/0814200902.html
It mentions some fellow Knoxvillians.
Also please read the blog from Angel Rutledge, our case worker from Christian Adoption Services. She works tirelessly on behalf of the children in Liberia. She is going through a tough time time right now. Please pray for her daughter Angelyn. You can read more about her at her blog.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Dentist
A while back we received a note from Leo and a medical form stating that he had a rotting molar. Since I had read that the need for dentists in Liberia was so great and that there were only 4 dentists in Liberia I didn't even think to ask if he could be seen by one.
A couple of weeks ago I woke up from a sound sleep to remember that we had been given the opportunity to provide support for Leo and Lydia. This support included medical and dental needs. I decided to ask if he could be seen by a dentist.
Today I got an email. He is going to the dentist today or tomorrow! Thank you God for your care and provision.
Please continue to pray for the moratorium to be lifted so that we can bring our children home and that many other children will be able to experience a loving family environment as well.
Ami
A couple of weeks ago I woke up from a sound sleep to remember that we had been given the opportunity to provide support for Leo and Lydia. This support included medical and dental needs. I decided to ask if he could be seen by a dentist.
Today I got an email. He is going to the dentist today or tomorrow! Thank you God for your care and provision.
Please continue to pray for the moratorium to be lifted so that we can bring our children home and that many other children will be able to experience a loving family environment as well.
Ami
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Clothes and interesting conversations
I was wandering around a local homeschool resource fair yesterday when I struck up a conversation with one of the Sonlight curriculum vendors. Somehow it came up that she was in the process of adopting. Funny how that seems to keep happening. She told me about her story and of course I told her about mine---rather, the story God is creating using our family. I told her about how we have had the referral for a while but are unable to bring our children home yet because of the moratorium on adoptions in Liberia. Adoptions are on hold while some much needed reforms are made to the laws to help protect the children. She asked how long it would be and I said weeks, months, a year or more? I just don't know. Her friend interjected with "Wow, and you're still smiling about it?"
I walked away from that conversation a little confused. Um, why wouldn't I smile about having to wait? I know, for those of you who know me or have known me in the past, patience is NOT something I excel at. I pondered this lady's comment most of the evening and on into to the early morning hours. Why can I smile while talking about how long it may take to bring Lydia and Leo home? The only answer I have is; it is not I but the Lord who gives me the grace to trust in His perfect timing. I know with every fiber of my being that He loves them so much more than I ever could, and believe me I love them so much my heart aches at times! So I smile when I talk about how long it may take because I can't do anything to change God's timing and I am glad for His ways are perfect, steady and unchanging.
A couple weeks ago, Rachel and I spent an afternoon shopping for the perfect outfits to send to Lydia and Leo. Our adoption coordinator traveled to Liberia last Saturday to set up foster care homes for the children who were matched with adoptive families.She was able to pack a few things to take to the orphanage.Rachel and I decided we would try Old Navy first. Of course, I walk over to the little girls section and pick up the cutest little sundress and immediately start crying. Rachel knows what to do. She just wraps her arms around me and gives me the tenderest hug. Do I detect a glisten in her eyes as well?
We ended up choosing an adorable pink sundress with matching flip-flops. They had hearts on them. For Leo I bought plaid shorts and a shirt. I can see him now with his big toothy grin smiling while he unpacks it. We also sent a box of hair creme for the orphanage. I have zero experience in buying this sort of thing. My husband and I went to Dollar General and I proceeded to wipe out the shelves. I was loading the entire contents of the shelf into our buggy when my husband said "Hey why don't you save some for the other customers?" I looked around and said "what customers?" and kept on loading up. My rationale was "Hey I am sending this to Liberia. We are in America. If someone else needs this stuff they can drive around the corner to another store and get it. They can't do that in Liberia. Can they?"
As I was packing up Lydia and Leo's outfits I began praying for them. I hugged the clothes tight, imagining what it would be like to hold Lydia and Leo in these clothes. "sigh" I even had my daughter Rachel take pictures of me holding the clothes.
Lydia and Leo will be moving into a foster care home in Liberia this week. We hope to get more information soon on who they are living with etc. Please keep them in your prayers. Transitions, even good ones, are often stressful and difficult.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
We Can't Save them All....
Hi Everyone. Adrian here. I've been reading a fantastic book about Mother Theresa, called "Serving the Poorest of the Poor". Towards the end of the book, she recalls a time early in her life where her work was called "a drop in the ocean". At that time, she said: "We will never be able to care for all orphans, cure all disease, feed all the hungry, or treat all the lepers. But, our purpose is not to cure the world's problems, but to demonstrate Christian love."
This reminded me of a great blog post I came across not long ago, where the author questioned whether adoption is truly the best answer if the goal is caring for orphans. His point is that it costs thousands of dollars to adopt one child. With that same amount of money, many, many children can stay in their own country with relatives, or extended family. From an economic standpoint, adoption isn't very cost effective. However, it's not only about money. It's about personally touching the life of someone else. Seeing them smile and laugh, caring for them when they hurt. Teaching them the love, grace, mercy, and principles of God. Giving them a loving family. As Mother Theresa said, we can't save them all. But, if we all do something, more and more will be saved, both physically and spiritually.
The answer is multi-faceted. The comments from the blog post catch it best, from multiple points of view. The first commenter asked this question: "Am I adopting to save a life or am I adopting to become a parent to a child?" The answer for us is "Yes". It's both.
Another comment that I really like: "We have repeatedly said that adoption is not the answer for Ethiopia/Africa, but it was the answer for our boys."
Here's another that is very good. "We are to help the orphans and widows. Plain and simple. There will be many ways to do this: adoption, financial aid, missions, supporting a child through an organization, etc. We are just called to continue to minister to them as Christ does. In this way we are living the Gospel which is most important for all Believers. I don't expect that a pagan journalist is going to understand my faith and the working out of that faith.
I can not understand why my little one's mommy gave them up for adoption but I have to believe that they were Providentially placed in our home for a reason...maybe even to learn the truth of the Gospel and take it back to their homeland someday. That is not only taking care of a very small part of this generation but hopefully impacting many generations to come. "
There are so many other great comments. I'd love it if you read them.
Here's the article:
http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2008/08/is-adoption-the.html
Thanks,
Adrian
This reminded me of a great blog post I came across not long ago, where the author questioned whether adoption is truly the best answer if the goal is caring for orphans. His point is that it costs thousands of dollars to adopt one child. With that same amount of money, many, many children can stay in their own country with relatives, or extended family. From an economic standpoint, adoption isn't very cost effective. However, it's not only about money. It's about personally touching the life of someone else. Seeing them smile and laugh, caring for them when they hurt. Teaching them the love, grace, mercy, and principles of God. Giving them a loving family. As Mother Theresa said, we can't save them all. But, if we all do something, more and more will be saved, both physically and spiritually.
The answer is multi-faceted. The comments from the blog post catch it best, from multiple points of view. The first commenter asked this question: "Am I adopting to save a life or am I adopting to become a parent to a child?" The answer for us is "Yes". It's both.
Another comment that I really like: "We have repeatedly said that adoption is not the answer for Ethiopia/Africa, but it was the answer for our boys."
Here's another that is very good. "We are to help the orphans and widows. Plain and simple. There will be many ways to do this: adoption, financial aid, missions, supporting a child through an organization, etc. We are just called to continue to minister to them as Christ does. In this way we are living the Gospel which is most important for all Believers. I don't expect that a pagan journalist is going to understand my faith and the working out of that faith.
I can not understand why my little one's mommy gave them up for adoption but I have to believe that they were Providentially placed in our home for a reason...maybe even to learn the truth of the Gospel and take it back to their homeland someday. That is not only taking care of a very small part of this generation but hopefully impacting many generations to come. "
There are so many other great comments. I'd love it if you read them.
Here's the article:
http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2008/08/is-adoption-the.html
Thanks,
Adrian
Monday, May 25, 2009
Questions
I (we) have been getting a lot of questions lately like "When are you going to bring your children home?" or "How is the adoption going?" Or my favorite "What's taking so long?" and the comment that followed ---"You should adopt from another country it would probably be a lot quicker" I'll address that in another post.
I never feel like I have a good answer. I am going to attempt to answer those questions here so the next time I am asked I can refer back to this post.
How is the adoption going?
GREAT! Just fine. It's proceeding just as God intended it to. Many of you know that foreign or domestic adoptions can take months to years. Look at China or Russia. The time period for those countries can be 3 years or longer even after you get a referral for your child---a fancy name for "when you find out which child you will be adopting"
My husband made the decision to go forward with adopting back in October 2008. That was only 7 months ago. I have been ready for over a decade! It takes time!
God lead us to the children we are adopting rather early in this process. We hadn't even had a homestudy yet. A homestudy is when you hire a social worker to come to your house and study/inspect things. They then approve or disapprove you to adopt. They then send your information on to the adoption agency you choose to work with and on to government for final approval. For us, this all happened at the speed of light.
As you know from previous posts adoptions in the country of Liberia were shut down for a time while they re-work adoption laws and address the best way to handle them. I applaud the president of this country for standing up for her children! This needed to happen.
We as a couple are using this time to pray for our children in Liberia and prepare for their homecoming. We trust that God has EVERYTHING under control and He will accomplish His plan for all of us!
As a side note: Children's issues are supposed to be addressed in June in Liberia. Please pray for the leadership that is involved.
Thanks for reading!
Ami
I never feel like I have a good answer. I am going to attempt to answer those questions here so the next time I am asked I can refer back to this post.
How is the adoption going?
GREAT! Just fine. It's proceeding just as God intended it to. Many of you know that foreign or domestic adoptions can take months to years. Look at China or Russia. The time period for those countries can be 3 years or longer even after you get a referral for your child---a fancy name for "when you find out which child you will be adopting"
My husband made the decision to go forward with adopting back in October 2008. That was only 7 months ago. I have been ready for over a decade! It takes time!
God lead us to the children we are adopting rather early in this process. We hadn't even had a homestudy yet. A homestudy is when you hire a social worker to come to your house and study/inspect things. They then approve or disapprove you to adopt. They then send your information on to the adoption agency you choose to work with and on to government for final approval. For us, this all happened at the speed of light.
As you know from previous posts adoptions in the country of Liberia were shut down for a time while they re-work adoption laws and address the best way to handle them. I applaud the president of this country for standing up for her children! This needed to happen.
We as a couple are using this time to pray for our children in Liberia and prepare for their homecoming. We trust that God has EVERYTHING under control and He will accomplish His plan for all of us!
As a side note: Children's issues are supposed to be addressed in June in Liberia. Please pray for the leadership that is involved.
Thanks for reading!
Ami
Friday, May 1, 2009
Liberian Adoption Bill
Here is a link to a copy of the Bill. If it doesn't work to link to it just cut and paste.
http://wacsnspiritoftruth.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html
It looks like the information we received and posted previously about the four month stay, and both parents having to be deceased was not correct.
We are getting closer to bringing Lydia and Leo Home!!!!!!!!!!
http://wacsnspiritoftruth.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html
It looks like the information we received and posted previously about the four month stay, and both parents having to be deceased was not correct.
We are getting closer to bringing Lydia and Leo Home!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, April 3, 2009
More Details on Liberian adoption and the Child Act Bill
We received more information this morning. The Child Act Bill would specify a four month long stay for adoptive parents in Liberia. It would also specify that the orphanage would have to prove that both of the child's parents are dead.
This has grave implications to the children of Liberia. Please pray for this country as they seek to make decisions that would have a life long effect on their children.
The Bill has not passed yet...
As far as how this bill would effect us? We are not so much concerned with "our agenda" I think that died months ago when God showed us the BIGGER PICTURE.
We are striving to rest in Him, the one who gave us Lydia and Leo to pray for, the One who put a whole nation at our feet and said Pray for them.
So here we kneel before a holy God crying out for a nation thousands of miles away with heavy hearts and yet joyful expectation. For He is able to do even more than we could imagine or hope for.
Below you will find links to Unicef and Children Concerned and their agenda. It is not a good one. They think foreign adoption is child trafficking and it all must stop. For you information junkies out their I have posted the links borrowed from a friend's blog.
Here is what UNICEF says their stance is on international adoptions:
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_41118.html
Here is a Newsweek article from 2/08 on UNICEF's efforts to discourage
international adoptions: http://www.newsweek .com/id/105531
Here is some info on UNICEF's influence on Guatemalan adoptions which
are now closed:
http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/FWBstudyGuatemala.pdf
You can also go to http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/ for more
info on what Families without Borders tried to do to stop UNICEF from
shutting down adoptions in Guatemala.
In this article you can see UNICEF using the same technique of
equating adoption with child trafficking in Guatemala:
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.html
Here is a blog entry about UNICEF working against adoptions in the
media in regards to Switzerland:
http://international.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/anti-trafficking-day-unicef-and-not-abou
Here is some recent info on Save the Children UK:
Save the Children's stance on international adoptions in light of
Madonna's adoption:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7969416.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7974232.stm
This has grave implications to the children of Liberia. Please pray for this country as they seek to make decisions that would have a life long effect on their children.
The Bill has not passed yet...
As far as how this bill would effect us? We are not so much concerned with "our agenda" I think that died months ago when God showed us the BIGGER PICTURE.
We are striving to rest in Him, the one who gave us Lydia and Leo to pray for, the One who put a whole nation at our feet and said Pray for them.
So here we kneel before a holy God crying out for a nation thousands of miles away with heavy hearts and yet joyful expectation. For He is able to do even more than we could imagine or hope for.
Below you will find links to Unicef and Children Concerned and their agenda. It is not a good one. They think foreign adoption is child trafficking and it all must stop. For you information junkies out their I have posted the links borrowed from a friend's blog.
Here is what UNICEF says their stance is on international adoptions:
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_41118.html
Here is a Newsweek article from 2/08 on UNICEF's efforts to discourage
international adoptions: http://www.newsweek .com/id/105531
Here is some info on UNICEF's influence on Guatemalan adoptions which
are now closed:
http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/FWBstudyGuatemala.pdf
You can also go to http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/ for more
info on what Families without Borders tried to do to stop UNICEF from
shutting down adoptions in Guatemala.
In this article you can see UNICEF using the same technique of
equating adoption with child trafficking in Guatemala:
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.html
Here is a blog entry about UNICEF working against adoptions in the
media in regards to Switzerland:
http://international.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/anti-trafficking-day-unicef-and-not-abou
Here is some recent info on Save the Children UK:
Save the Children's stance on international adoptions in light of
Madonna's adoption:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7969416.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7974232.stm
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tears and Joy
This week has had it moments. One moment I am full of faith and ready to take on the devil himself and the next I am melting in tears and overwhelmed at the task before us. Many of you know that The House of Representatives in Liberia has passed the Child Act and it is on its way to senate for final approval. Much prayer is needed as Unicef has had a great deal of influence over this bill. Unicef and Save the Children have a lot of influence in Liberia where the children are concerned. This is good and bad. It is good because they are providing lots of medical care, clean water, sanitation facilities, training, etc. It is bad because they would rather have children stay in an underfunded orphanage living in poverty, rather than have children be adopted by foreigners into loving, permanent homes. Both of these groups are trying their best to discourage international adoption. They believe children should not be taken from their country of birth.
This opens up a can of worms so to speak. On the one hand it is good to try and keep those children in their country of origin if at all possible with their own family members. But, there are children over there that need medical treatment they cannot get access to, and very often, children are given up for adoption because their familes cannot afford to feed themselves or their other children. In a war-torn country with an 80-90% unemployment rate, it is ridiculous to assume that the children will be well cared for in their own country. There are families waiting here to give these precious children a permanent home and a future. "If" this bill succeeds in shutting down adoptions in Liberia this will have a grave impact on these children.
Please join us in praying. Let me know you have been here by sending me a comment or an email. Today I need to know that my brothers and sisters are praying along with me.
"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" (proverbs 24:12)
This opens up a can of worms so to speak. On the one hand it is good to try and keep those children in their country of origin if at all possible with their own family members. But, there are children over there that need medical treatment they cannot get access to, and very often, children are given up for adoption because their familes cannot afford to feed themselves or their other children. In a war-torn country with an 80-90% unemployment rate, it is ridiculous to assume that the children will be well cared for in their own country. There are families waiting here to give these precious children a permanent home and a future. "If" this bill succeeds in shutting down adoptions in Liberia this will have a grave impact on these children.
Please join us in praying. Let me know you have been here by sending me a comment or an email. Today I need to know that my brothers and sisters are praying along with me.
"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" (proverbs 24:12)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Please PRAY!
Last night Adrian became aware of a bill in progress in Liberia. Please pray for the children in Liberia. There is a spiritual war going on right now.
Below you will find a copy if the news article. When I get more information I will post it.
Daily Observer March 30, 2009
MONROVIA, The House of Representatives has passed into law the Children's Bill and instructed its chief clerk, James Kabah, to forward the Act to the Liberian Senate for its concurrence.
Members of the House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of the bill late Thursday, March 26, 2009, after a series of consultations through cross-country legislative retreats that led to the strengthening of the bill to satisfy both local and international standards.
The Children's Bill was drafted and sponsored by the House's Committee on Gender, Equity and Child Development, chair by Bong County District #1 Representative, Corpu G. Barclay. Ms. Barclay has openly expressed her deep satisfaction with her colleagues' decision to pass the bill into law.
The Children's Bill suffered two years of setback since it was introduced to the Legislature in 2007.
But with support from the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Committee sketched a revised bill to conform to international child rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The revised version of the Children's Bill that was enacted last week seeks to protect the rights of the child from early marriage, over work and other harmful traditional practices as well as adoption, amongst others.
Speaking to our reporter shortly following the bill's passage Thursday evening, Rep. Corpu Barclay thanked her colleagues in the Lower House enacting it into law, giving full protection to the rights of the Liberian child.
Barclay also thanked UNICEF and other partners for supporting her Committee and pledged her commitment to fostering and supporting those things intended to protect the rights of the Liberian child.
She appealed to Legislators in the Upper House (the Liberian Senate) to concur with the Lower House's approved version of the Act so as to legally protect our children and create a conducive living environment for them.
Rep. Barclay, whose is a career registered nurse (RN), pointed out that by passing the Children's Bill into law, the 52nd National Legislature would be making history for our children and country at large.
There is no legal instrument that protects the rights of the child in Liberia. This, Rep. Barclay noted, is unacceptable because, according to her, Liberia is a signatory to all of the international instruments on the rights of the child.
According to the Bong County lawmaker, concerns that were raised by some lawmakers regarding traditional practices that were considered harmful and prohibitive in the first draft bill were all settled before it passage into.
Below you will find a copy if the news article. When I get more information I will post it.
Daily Observer March 30, 2009
MONROVIA, The House of Representatives has passed into law the Children's Bill and instructed its chief clerk, James Kabah, to forward the Act to the Liberian Senate for its concurrence.
Members of the House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of the bill late Thursday, March 26, 2009, after a series of consultations through cross-country legislative retreats that led to the strengthening of the bill to satisfy both local and international standards.
The Children's Bill was drafted and sponsored by the House's Committee on Gender, Equity and Child Development, chair by Bong County District #1 Representative, Corpu G. Barclay. Ms. Barclay has openly expressed her deep satisfaction with her colleagues' decision to pass the bill into law.
The Children's Bill suffered two years of setback since it was introduced to the Legislature in 2007.
But with support from the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Committee sketched a revised bill to conform to international child rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The revised version of the Children's Bill that was enacted last week seeks to protect the rights of the child from early marriage, over work and other harmful traditional practices as well as adoption, amongst others.
Speaking to our reporter shortly following the bill's passage Thursday evening, Rep. Corpu Barclay thanked her colleagues in the Lower House enacting it into law, giving full protection to the rights of the Liberian child.
Barclay also thanked UNICEF and other partners for supporting her Committee and pledged her commitment to fostering and supporting those things intended to protect the rights of the Liberian child.
She appealed to Legislators in the Upper House (the Liberian Senate) to concur with the Lower House's approved version of the Act so as to legally protect our children and create a conducive living environment for them.
Rep. Barclay, whose is a career registered nurse (RN), pointed out that by passing the Children's Bill into law, the 52nd National Legislature would be making history for our children and country at large.
There is no legal instrument that protects the rights of the child in Liberia. This, Rep. Barclay noted, is unacceptable because, according to her, Liberia is a signatory to all of the international instruments on the rights of the child.
According to the Bong County lawmaker, concerns that were raised by some lawmakers regarding traditional practices that were considered harmful and prohibitive in the first draft bill were all settled before it passage into.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Today
Today my heart is heavy and happy. Today I woke up feeling overwhelmed. I didn't have any particular reason why. Those pesky feelings---sometimes they just creep up and try to get the best of us huh?
I suppose the Lord knew I needed some encouragement because at lunch time the mailman dropped off two letters. One from Lydia and one from Leo. They were written to us and addressed "Dear Mom and Dad" Oh how that tore at my heart. We learned new things about them today too. Lydia's favorite color is pink and Leo loves to play soccer. Leo wants to be a pastor when he grows up and Lydia a teacher.
Both of the letters were dictated to adults that wrote them down. Leo signed his name perfectly. To think I am holding a letter from my son and daughter all the way from Liberia.
Oh please pray that the Lord allows them to come home to us soon. Pray for their safety and provision of their needs.
Thank you for reading
Ami
I suppose the Lord knew I needed some encouragement because at lunch time the mailman dropped off two letters. One from Lydia and one from Leo. They were written to us and addressed "Dear Mom and Dad" Oh how that tore at my heart. We learned new things about them today too. Lydia's favorite color is pink and Leo loves to play soccer. Leo wants to be a pastor when he grows up and Lydia a teacher.
Both of the letters were dictated to adults that wrote them down. Leo signed his name perfectly. To think I am holding a letter from my son and daughter all the way from Liberia.
Oh please pray that the Lord allows them to come home to us soon. Pray for their safety and provision of their needs.
Thank you for reading
Ami
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Praying our children home
Every Wednesday we are joining others in praying for our children in Liberia. Please go to this blog to get more details: http://respondinginfaith.wordpress.com/
Thank you!
Thank you!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Orphans and Widows in Rwanda
The following is an excerpt from a newsletter I receive from Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies. I thought you may find it interesting and encouraging.
RWANDA PROJECT
When I was speaking at the Oregon Ladies' Above Rubies Retreat in November last year, I met a brother from Rwanda. I loved his vision for Rwanda. Instead of setting up orphanages for all the orphans after the terrible genocide in Rwanda, he is putting an orphan child with a widow and finding finance to provide the widow to help with the orphan. In this way, it gives a ministry to the widows and the children are in a home rather than an orphanage. The following letter tells more about it.
Pastor Emmanuel Sitaki Kayinamura, a survivor of the Genocide, was born in Ngoma-Butare in Rwanda, Central Africa. In 1992 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Management in Kinshasa, Rep. of Congo. He is the Founder and President of Evangelical Revival Ministries (ERM). He writes:
Rwanda is a country of 20 percent of orphans and widows, because of the genocide in 1994.The biggest challenges people face on a daily basis is getting enough food to eat. This is especially true for the widows and those affected by HIV/Aids, where the medicines they are taking are so potent that they must be taken with food. ERM wants to get the food and crops into the hands of those who need it both for sustenance and financial benefit.
We also want to teach our widows and orphans how to farm and care for crops in order to be self-sufficient and have the food that they need to eat. Getting the crops grown to market is a very profitable undertaking. Today ERM is helping children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. With no family to take care of them they bear the financial burden of supporting themselves. There are also widows who lost their husbands due to HIV infected with HIV/AIDS. Many women were infected during the genocide by interahamwe (militia) soldiers who raped them spreading the disease as another form of harm, or killing, during the genocide.
Today many of these women struggle to just find enough food to eat. Many of these widows can get the medicine they need to survive easier than they can get food. The government provides the medicines to keep the HIV/AIDS semi under control, but if they cannot get enough healthy nutritional foods the medicine can be as harmful as the disease itself, and many have died from taking the medicines without having the right balanced diet. They need both the medicine and a stable nutritional diet. Many of the widows do not have the skills to provide themselves with enough income to obtain their daily needs.
ERM's helping to train widows with skills and knowledge to start a small business (giving those loans & credit) for income generating activities. Coupled with other financial services such as savings and insurance, this allows them to become financially self-sufficient. One hundred percent of all loans are repaid in full confirming the validity of the program and the value of self-sufficiency.
Through this program people are enabled to better provide for their basic needs such as nutrition, education, health care and housing for themselves and their families rather than needing a handout. We have started on a project providing widows with selected goats as a source of income, milk, and food. One goat cost $30.00.
We're praying to get people who can also help a widow directly by supporting them with a donation of $40 a month. The donation provides food, health care, and housing expenses.
May God bless you, Emmanuel Sitaki, manukay@gmail.com
Emmanuel also has children that are available for adoption. You can contact him about this.
Monday, February 16, 2009
We got it!!!!!
Our homestudy was mailed out on the 2nd of February and we got back our approval letter on the 14th! That my friends is unbelievably FAST! So at this point everything is done on this side except gathering a few documents for our dossier. Now we wait on Liberia.
The closure on adoptions should only be temporary. I know they are working on getting it up and running with the new reforms in place soon. This is such a good thing they are doing!
To God be the Glory!
Ami
The closure on adoptions should only be temporary. I know they are working on getting it up and running with the new reforms in place soon. This is such a good thing they are doing!
To God be the Glory!
Ami
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Another Answer to prayer
Ami's DCS Clearance came on Friday afternoon. This means our homestudy can be mailed off Monday February 2, 2009!!!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Suspension of Liberian adoptions
Quick update and ALL the information I have on the subject---mostly.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has temporarily suspended adoptions to America from Liberia. She announced this Tuesday evening. There are several reforms that need to be made.
This is what we need and are praying for.
1. Pray for our friends who already are legally parents of children over in Liberia. I won't list last names but here are the first names of the mom's Sonya, Linda, and Crystal. All these moms lacked were traveling over there to get their precious children.
2. Pray for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as she makes changes and decisions. It is my belief she wants the very best for the children of her country.
Thank you for reading. Please leave comments or questions as you have them. We love feedback!
Trusting in God as he leads us down this path,
Ami (For the Carr Fam.)
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has temporarily suspended adoptions to America from Liberia. She announced this Tuesday evening. There are several reforms that need to be made.
This is what we need and are praying for.
1. Pray for our friends who already are legally parents of children over in Liberia. I won't list last names but here are the first names of the mom's Sonya, Linda, and Crystal. All these moms lacked were traveling over there to get their precious children.
2. Pray for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as she makes changes and decisions. It is my belief she wants the very best for the children of her country.
Thank you for reading. Please leave comments or questions as you have them. We love feedback!
Trusting in God as he leads us down this path,
Ami (For the Carr Fam.)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
It's not about...
I have been wanting to put this down in words for so long now but haven't had the right ones to use. I still don't think I do but here is my feeble attempt.
It's not about money. That's right. This blog is not meant to encourage people to give. Yup, that's right. We know that we know that the Lord himself called us to do this and while that is a bold statement we also know that we know God will provide for all of our needs. He will also provide for Lydia and Leo's needs. They are being cared for and loved on at the orphanage. They are being taught the word of God. We want to get them out of there so two more children can have the same opportunity. Ooops, There I go I am already on a tangent. Let me refocus, so while you see the thermometer measuring how much money we have and how much more we need, it isn't about the money. Simply put, if I could figure out a way to minimize it or put in on another page I would. So why do we have it there to begin with? Good question! It is to encourage other believers in God's work of caring for orphans. Our earnest prayer is that God will provide double the amount we need so that we can turn around and give it to another family that wants to adopt but doesn't have the means to do it. This is completely a walk of faith for us. We also have the thermometer there so people can see where we are in this process. We want complete transparency in ALL things. Our motives etc. We do not want to be decieved. We seem to get the same questions over and over again and the most popular question is how much more money do you need? So we keep it on our blog. I love being asked and cared for.
Blessings my friends,
Feel free to leave comments etc.
By his grace
Ami
It's not about money. That's right. This blog is not meant to encourage people to give. Yup, that's right. We know that we know that the Lord himself called us to do this and while that is a bold statement we also know that we know God will provide for all of our needs. He will also provide for Lydia and Leo's needs. They are being cared for and loved on at the orphanage. They are being taught the word of God. We want to get them out of there so two more children can have the same opportunity. Ooops, There I go I am already on a tangent. Let me refocus, so while you see the thermometer measuring how much money we have and how much more we need, it isn't about the money. Simply put, if I could figure out a way to minimize it or put in on another page I would. So why do we have it there to begin with? Good question! It is to encourage other believers in God's work of caring for orphans. Our earnest prayer is that God will provide double the amount we need so that we can turn around and give it to another family that wants to adopt but doesn't have the means to do it. This is completely a walk of faith for us. We also have the thermometer there so people can see where we are in this process. We want complete transparency in ALL things. Our motives etc. We do not want to be decieved. We seem to get the same questions over and over again and the most popular question is how much more money do you need? So we keep it on our blog. I love being asked and cared for.
Blessings my friends,
Feel free to leave comments etc.
By his grace
Ami
Friday, January 2, 2009
We're going to Nashville!
We got our fingerprint appointment in the mail today! We are Scheduled to be in Nashville at 12:00 on January 8th. It couldn't have been more perfect timing. We are leaving in the morning to visit Adrian's family in Florida. We will just swing through Nashville on our way home and visit the Dept. of Homeland Security and get fingerprinted. One more thing to check off our list!
Thank you Lord, for your timing is perfect!
Thank you Lord, for your timing is perfect!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Pressing on...
As I look toward the New Year, I am reminded of what Paul said in Philippians 4:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me brothers I do not consider yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
2008 was filled challenges and surprises, losses and gains. We are so eternally grateful to God for all that He has given us. A home, children, community and a chance to serve Him.
In 2008 we said good-bye to a very special person. He is loved and he will be missed.
We also said "hello" to adopting. Lydia and Leo are already so much a part of our lives. They are thousands of miles away but in our hearts every moment of every day!
My prayer this year is that God will be GLORIFIED in all that we do and say. That His perfect will will be done. That we can serve Him by serving others. That this will be a year of dieing to self and embracing the Lord's calling to "Go into ALL the world and preach the Gospel" And to count others better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
We wish every loved one, friend, and stranger just passing through a Very Blessed New Year. We pray that our story will point you to God the author and finisher of our faith.
2008 was filled challenges and surprises, losses and gains. We are so eternally grateful to God for all that He has given us. A home, children, community and a chance to serve Him.
In 2008 we said good-bye to a very special person. He is loved and he will be missed.
We also said "hello" to adopting. Lydia and Leo are already so much a part of our lives. They are thousands of miles away but in our hearts every moment of every day!
My prayer this year is that God will be GLORIFIED in all that we do and say. That His perfect will will be done. That we can serve Him by serving others. That this will be a year of dieing to self and embracing the Lord's calling to "Go into ALL the world and preach the Gospel" And to count others better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
We wish every loved one, friend, and stranger just passing through a Very Blessed New Year. We pray that our story will point you to God the author and finisher of our faith.
Psalm 18:1-3
"I love you, O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my deliverer,
My God, My Rock, in whom I
take refuge,
My shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
"I love you, O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my deliverer,
My God, My Rock, in whom I
take refuge,
My shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
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