We have heard the call and are going! We leave June 17th for Liberia. It is a 10 day trip and we will be back in Knoxville on the 26th of June. We get to serve alongside other Christians to help build, encourage, and equip! Wow!
And YES! you guessed it! We get to be with Lydia and Leo and see Musu!
More details as we have time to write about it!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Too Funny
So Adrian sends me yet ANOTHER blog post to read---Like I have time right? Well, you just have to read it. I can't tell you how often we have been given the same speeches by well meaning people. Oh how it must grieve the Father's heart. One thing that we will try to do differently for college is no loans. Our opinions differ a little there. But we still have no idea how our kids will pay for it???? Who cares? Really? God knows. He ALWAYS accomplishes his plans, Right? Right!
So here you go. For your reading pleasure.
http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html
Ami
So here you go. For your reading pleasure.
http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html
Ami
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tragedy
Here is the full story (sort of) and why I have been so desperate for people to pray. Now that it is "out there" please click on this link and continue to help us FIGHT this battle. We are weary, tired, and heartbroken on numerous levels for varying reasons!
http://rutledge6.blogspot.com/
How long will you tarry oh Lord My God? How long? we cry out to you for justice. Come Holy Spirit and do what you do best. Please work a miracle in the lives of the orphaned, the innocent, the victims--- the defenseless of this world.
Amen.
http://rutledge6.blogspot.com/
How long will you tarry oh Lord My God? How long? we cry out to you for justice. Come Holy Spirit and do what you do best. Please work a miracle in the lives of the orphaned, the innocent, the victims--- the defenseless of this world.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thankful and Heartbroken!
I just came across this. I hope you will click on the link and read and then pray. I promise it won't take but a couple of minutes. These Haitian orphans need your prayers!
http://thethackerpack.blogspot.com/
Read the post entitled " Where our Kids are Staying"
Then pay particular attention to this sentence:
And...all of our children could be in their parent's arms right now. This is truly unbelievable.
Thank you "Save the Children" and Unicef...Great Job! (sarcasm) Please pray. We have to get the orphans taken care of and in homes. They deserve nothing less.
I am thankful the Lord allowed us to be able to care for Lydia and Leo. What a different situation in Haiti. We still do not know about our sponsored child Westerlineda. We sponsor her through Compassion international. She lives in Haiti as well...
Our complacency as American Christians MUST end. You can PRAY! Do It!!!!!!
http://thethackerpack.blogspot.com/
Read the post entitled " Where our Kids are Staying"
Then pay particular attention to this sentence:
And...all of our children could be in their parent's arms right now. This is truly unbelievable.
Thank you "Save the Children" and Unicef...Great Job! (sarcasm) Please pray. We have to get the orphans taken care of and in homes. They deserve nothing less.
I am thankful the Lord allowed us to be able to care for Lydia and Leo. What a different situation in Haiti. We still do not know about our sponsored child Westerlineda. We sponsor her through Compassion international. She lives in Haiti as well...
Our complacency as American Christians MUST end. You can PRAY! Do It!!!!!!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Furious
Please go here http://rutledge6.blogspot.com/
Click on the video "Haiti's Orphans Held Hostage" and watch. We have been trying to get the word out about Unicef, The United Nations, and Save the Children---which by the way is supported by "Babies r us" (don't shop there...) They are not "saving children"
The same thing is going on in Liberia. We can pray. But we need to be angry too! It just isn't right! It isn't. Where are Gods' people???? Do you care? What are YOU going to do?
Click on the video "Haiti's Orphans Held Hostage" and watch. We have been trying to get the word out about Unicef, The United Nations, and Save the Children---which by the way is supported by "Babies r us" (don't shop there...) They are not "saving children"
The same thing is going on in Liberia. We can pray. But we need to be angry too! It just isn't right! It isn't. Where are Gods' people???? Do you care? What are YOU going to do?
Friday, February 19, 2010
pray today
If you came here today to read the latest on our adoption please read the last two posts. If you just happened along please pray extra hard today. I cannot go into details but right now is when we need our prayer warriors surrounding Liberian adoptions with Prayer that God will prevail!
Thank you!
Ami
Thank you!
Ami
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Driving Through a Blizzard.
Many of you reading this right now were praying for us on Wednesday the 10th. It was a BIG day for us. We traveled to Charlotte, NC. to meet with our adoption coordinator stateside and the coordinator from Liberia. I won't waste words here telling you why, since the last post explains it.
The five hour drive there was uneventful. When we arrived at Christian Adoption Services I (Ami), was a little overwhelmed. I was going to meet one of the people I admire more than anyone else in the world. As the director was taking us on a tour of the offices I saw Angel (our stateside coordinator) out of the corner of my eye along with Georgia George walking through the parking lot. I was a little star-struck. Let me tell you; Angel has been on the front lines fighting for the children of Liberia for a long time. It would be "easy" for her to walk away from the calling the Lord has put on her life...But she continues to fight in spite of many frustrations and heartaches. She fights the fight of faith daily. Oh and that was sarcasm when I said it would be easy for Angel to just "walk away". No more easy for her than for Jonah who ended up in the belly of a whale doing exactly what God had planned to begin with.
On to the meeting. It started with Angel praying and really beseeching the Lord.
We received a report from Georgia on the children and oh how wonderful to hear how well they are doing. We asked about the possibility of Vivian, our children's foster mom adopting them---all the questions we had.
After an hour and a half our meeting needed to end.
Wow. We cried, we laughed, we were in the presence of the Lord.
After the meeting Adrian and I knew---we just knew the answer. I can't explain it.
We went out to eat and hung out at the mall near where Adrian did his internship after college. A short trip down memory lane and then we began our journey home. What was supposed to be a five hour journey took seven, YES seven hours! We were driving along and it started to snow then it started to really snow. We were coming up the mountain near Wolf Laurel ski resort and all of a sudden no road---Yes we were driving on a road but could not see the road! I tried calling our children but alas, no one answered so I called my tried and true prayer-warrior friend Ann. I explained the situation and she grabbed the two ladies she was with and they prayed us through this blizzard.
I don't know that we would have made it without those prayers, driving a mini-van with bad tires on a road like that! What was even more unbelievable was that the ONLY time I had cell service during that storm was during that phone call!
We wanted to stop and pull over for the night. There was nowhere to pull over. We simply had to keep going. We eventually came safely up and over the mountain and began to be able to see the lines on the road consistently and then the storm was gone. We made it safely home.
So just as the Lord, faith, and those prayers carried Adrian and I safely through that blizzard we have decided to keep walking this walk of faith called adoption. It may not look anything like what we once thought it would. It may not end or begin the way we would like---But as Adrian loves to quote our dear friend Dave, "It's not about us now, is it?"
It is not about how much we want to be the ones to tuck in our children at night or how mad it makes us feel that we can't bring them home right now or that we simply cannot understand WHY the Lord led us to these children, seemingly to adopt them and then adoptions were shut down "temporarily" making it a longer wait. Doesn't seem fair now does it? We suffer. We question. We have doubts. But here is what we do know---God is still God. He has called EVERY child of His to care for orphans and widows. He has called us to walk a walk of faith---Like the Israelites in the desert. He has called Adrian and I to care for Lydia and Leo. Out of all the orphans in the world, the God of the universe put these two in our lives. Their lives would be so different if we were not able to care for them the way the Lord has made possible. By allowing us to support them he has given them hope and a new life. So we continue to walk this walk. We know the Lord will bring them home in His timing. In the mean time we pray and we beg and we seek. And we continue to ask for others to stand alongside us to pray them home. We need battle buddies. So just like driving through that blizzard and feeling the prayers of our faithful friends, we will continue to "Drive through this blizzard" A wonderful high calling of caring for orphans. One day at a time and sometimes one moment at a time.
I cling to this Psalm today (Psalm 127) especially Verse 1 (a) "Except the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..."
The five hour drive there was uneventful. When we arrived at Christian Adoption Services I (Ami), was a little overwhelmed. I was going to meet one of the people I admire more than anyone else in the world. As the director was taking us on a tour of the offices I saw Angel (our stateside coordinator) out of the corner of my eye along with Georgia George walking through the parking lot. I was a little star-struck. Let me tell you; Angel has been on the front lines fighting for the children of Liberia for a long time. It would be "easy" for her to walk away from the calling the Lord has put on her life...But she continues to fight in spite of many frustrations and heartaches. She fights the fight of faith daily. Oh and that was sarcasm when I said it would be easy for Angel to just "walk away". No more easy for her than for Jonah who ended up in the belly of a whale doing exactly what God had planned to begin with.
On to the meeting. It started with Angel praying and really beseeching the Lord.
We received a report from Georgia on the children and oh how wonderful to hear how well they are doing. We asked about the possibility of Vivian, our children's foster mom adopting them---all the questions we had.
After an hour and a half our meeting needed to end.
Wow. We cried, we laughed, we were in the presence of the Lord.
After the meeting Adrian and I knew---we just knew the answer. I can't explain it.
We went out to eat and hung out at the mall near where Adrian did his internship after college. A short trip down memory lane and then we began our journey home. What was supposed to be a five hour journey took seven, YES seven hours! We were driving along and it started to snow then it started to really snow. We were coming up the mountain near Wolf Laurel ski resort and all of a sudden no road---Yes we were driving on a road but could not see the road! I tried calling our children but alas, no one answered so I called my tried and true prayer-warrior friend Ann. I explained the situation and she grabbed the two ladies she was with and they prayed us through this blizzard.
I don't know that we would have made it without those prayers, driving a mini-van with bad tires on a road like that! What was even more unbelievable was that the ONLY time I had cell service during that storm was during that phone call!
We wanted to stop and pull over for the night. There was nowhere to pull over. We simply had to keep going. We eventually came safely up and over the mountain and began to be able to see the lines on the road consistently and then the storm was gone. We made it safely home.
So just as the Lord, faith, and those prayers carried Adrian and I safely through that blizzard we have decided to keep walking this walk of faith called adoption. It may not look anything like what we once thought it would. It may not end or begin the way we would like---But as Adrian loves to quote our dear friend Dave, "It's not about us now, is it?"
It is not about how much we want to be the ones to tuck in our children at night or how mad it makes us feel that we can't bring them home right now or that we simply cannot understand WHY the Lord led us to these children, seemingly to adopt them and then adoptions were shut down "temporarily" making it a longer wait. Doesn't seem fair now does it? We suffer. We question. We have doubts. But here is what we do know---God is still God. He has called EVERY child of His to care for orphans and widows. He has called us to walk a walk of faith---Like the Israelites in the desert. He has called Adrian and I to care for Lydia and Leo. Out of all the orphans in the world, the God of the universe put these two in our lives. Their lives would be so different if we were not able to care for them the way the Lord has made possible. By allowing us to support them he has given them hope and a new life. So we continue to walk this walk. We know the Lord will bring them home in His timing. In the mean time we pray and we beg and we seek. And we continue to ask for others to stand alongside us to pray them home. We need battle buddies. So just like driving through that blizzard and feeling the prayers of our faithful friends, we will continue to "Drive through this blizzard" A wonderful high calling of caring for orphans. One day at a time and sometimes one moment at a time.
I cling to this Psalm today (Psalm 127) especially Verse 1 (a) "Except the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..."
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Update and more details
Recently I sent in a very vague request to our church's prayer team for prayer. Many people have asked for a more detailed update on where we are in the process of adoption and what we need prayer for. Thank You! I am going to attempt that answer now.
It is a hard question to answer, because I don't think anyone really knows.
If you can track with me for a little bit this may be a long post but I will at least attempt to answer that question of where we are in this process.
To do that, I will have to go back to the beginning. In October of 2008 we decided to pursue adoption. God led us to two children (siblings, age 4 and 8) in Liberia, West Africa. Most of you know that story, so in the interest of keeping this post as short as possible I'll leave out how we were led to them.
In January of 2009 we had completed all of our paperwork and our dossier was headed to Liberia. Also, that same month the President of Liberia shut down adoptions. She said it was because she wanted to "protect" the children of her country---I'll leave off my opinions at this point except to say I think she thinks she is doing the right thing.
Fast forward to October of 2009: we have a Liberian student come live with us for two months while she studies at UT and works with the World Cocoa Foundation. She is amazing! She quickly became part of our family.
When she went back to Liberia she made an appointment to go and see our children to take back a soccer ball for our son and a doll for our daughter. She sent us picture of them with their foster mom. The children and the foster mom all looked so happy together! Our Liberian student wanted to see how they were really doing, so she just showed up one day out of the blue to check on them and both of our children ran out of the house yelling "our sister is here" How cute! She said that the children are very happy and being well cared for.
Which leads to our dilemma. We know that disruptions in a child's family life can be life changing and not always the best thing.
They were dropped off at an orphanage in August of 2008. I have no idea if their family member(s) told them what was happening. I have been told the family cannot care for them and they very much desire them to be adopted. That's all we know.
Well, after several months of adoptions being being on hold, our adoption agency gave us the opportunity to get our children out of the orphanage and into a foster home in Liberia. They hand selected the lady that is parenting them now. They chose her because she is active in her local church and a strong Christian.
We want very much for our children to come home to us and we would do anything short of breaking the law to get them here with us. We have so many plans and dreams for them just like when you are expecting a baby. We have designed their rooms in our heads and imagine going to soccer practice with our son and having tea parties with our daughter.
Which brings me to my next point. We LOVE them so much that we are wondering if taking them out of their current loving foster home will be the very best for them? We do not want to disrupt a good thing IF it is the best thing for them to remain there.
It is complicated: Keep Reading please.
Right now some children from Liberia whose adoptions had court decrees "Before" the moratorium are getting to come home. We did not have a court decree. We were ever so close though. There is a Child Act bill awaiting approval there is one sentence that may make it difficult if not impossible to bring our children home under the new law. We were told that perhaps in March we may know if they are going to be adoptable under the new rule. They were adoptable when we received their referral a year and a half ago but this new bill may make them unadoptable so we are looking at some different options and scenarios. Since our children seem to be doing very well in their foster home we are considering the option of asking the foster mom if she would want to adopt them if that is even possible and if we still deem it the very best thing for them after we meet with the director from Liberia and our coordinator in the Charlotte NC area on February 10th. There is still a possibility that civil war could break out again in their country so there is also the issue of, if the foster mom is willing to adopt our children, would it be the safest and best thing to do?
So as you see we are up against a struggle.
We covet your prayers as we seek God's will in all of this. In addition to pursuing this adoption we are also currently taking classes to become certified foster parents. We do not know if God is calling us to foster care but as Adrian puts it "We are taking the steps to become certified so that we can better server others who have questions and who want to know how to get started" We also want to position ourselves to be used by God however he deems fit.
So that is our situation. Please pray for us and the upcoming meeting February 10th from 12-1:30.
Thank you,
Ami
It is a hard question to answer, because I don't think anyone really knows.
If you can track with me for a little bit this may be a long post but I will at least attempt to answer that question of where we are in this process.
To do that, I will have to go back to the beginning. In October of 2008 we decided to pursue adoption. God led us to two children (siblings, age 4 and 8) in Liberia, West Africa. Most of you know that story, so in the interest of keeping this post as short as possible I'll leave out how we were led to them.
In January of 2009 we had completed all of our paperwork and our dossier was headed to Liberia. Also, that same month the President of Liberia shut down adoptions. She said it was because she wanted to "protect" the children of her country---I'll leave off my opinions at this point except to say I think she thinks she is doing the right thing.
Fast forward to October of 2009: we have a Liberian student come live with us for two months while she studies at UT and works with the World Cocoa Foundation. She is amazing! She quickly became part of our family.
When she went back to Liberia she made an appointment to go and see our children to take back a soccer ball for our son and a doll for our daughter. She sent us picture of them with their foster mom. The children and the foster mom all looked so happy together! Our Liberian student wanted to see how they were really doing, so she just showed up one day out of the blue to check on them and both of our children ran out of the house yelling "our sister is here" How cute! She said that the children are very happy and being well cared for.
Which leads to our dilemma. We know that disruptions in a child's family life can be life changing and not always the best thing.
They were dropped off at an orphanage in August of 2008. I have no idea if their family member(s) told them what was happening. I have been told the family cannot care for them and they very much desire them to be adopted. That's all we know.
Well, after several months of adoptions being being on hold, our adoption agency gave us the opportunity to get our children out of the orphanage and into a foster home in Liberia. They hand selected the lady that is parenting them now. They chose her because she is active in her local church and a strong Christian.
We want very much for our children to come home to us and we would do anything short of breaking the law to get them here with us. We have so many plans and dreams for them just like when you are expecting a baby. We have designed their rooms in our heads and imagine going to soccer practice with our son and having tea parties with our daughter.
Which brings me to my next point. We LOVE them so much that we are wondering if taking them out of their current loving foster home will be the very best for them? We do not want to disrupt a good thing IF it is the best thing for them to remain there.
It is complicated: Keep Reading please.
Right now some children from Liberia whose adoptions had court decrees "Before" the moratorium are getting to come home. We did not have a court decree. We were ever so close though. There is a Child Act bill awaiting approval there is one sentence that may make it difficult if not impossible to bring our children home under the new law. We were told that perhaps in March we may know if they are going to be adoptable under the new rule. They were adoptable when we received their referral a year and a half ago but this new bill may make them unadoptable so we are looking at some different options and scenarios. Since our children seem to be doing very well in their foster home we are considering the option of asking the foster mom if she would want to adopt them if that is even possible and if we still deem it the very best thing for them after we meet with the director from Liberia and our coordinator in the Charlotte NC area on February 10th. There is still a possibility that civil war could break out again in their country so there is also the issue of, if the foster mom is willing to adopt our children, would it be the safest and best thing to do?
So as you see we are up against a struggle.
We covet your prayers as we seek God's will in all of this. In addition to pursuing this adoption we are also currently taking classes to become certified foster parents. We do not know if God is calling us to foster care but as Adrian puts it "We are taking the steps to become certified so that we can better server others who have questions and who want to know how to get started" We also want to position ourselves to be used by God however he deems fit.
So that is our situation. Please pray for us and the upcoming meeting February 10th from 12-1:30.
Thank you,
Ami
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Our Hope
I just got off the phone with a dear "family" member in Liberia. It was so good to hear her voice and to know she is well. She loves the Lord and trusts Him. Sometimes it is hard for me to know why, after everything she has been through, she still loves and trusts Him. I could never fully understand how---except that she has a wonderful gift. The gift of Faith in a Holy God that loves her and cares for her in spite of difficult circumstances. I like to think I would have that kind of faith but lately I have lacked even hope. Shame on me! God has ALWAYS been faithful to His children and I am His daughter. He will be faithful to me as well.
My heart is full and rejoicing right now along with being saddened by her absence, I know God has a plan to reunite us one day!
She has been able to visit the two children we are adopting. They run to her and call her "sister". Lydia sang her a song. I couldn't quite understand what the title was but I think it was something like "Your delay is not your denier"
So as of today I will try to have faith again---where is that mustard seed? Got it! I will ask God to allow our children to come home or for the ability to go to Liberia to visit. After-all it's only money we need to get there and what is that to our God?
Our hope is in you Lord!
My heart is full and rejoicing right now along with being saddened by her absence, I know God has a plan to reunite us one day!
She has been able to visit the two children we are adopting. They run to her and call her "sister". Lydia sang her a song. I couldn't quite understand what the title was but I think it was something like "Your delay is not your denier"
So as of today I will try to have faith again---where is that mustard seed? Got it! I will ask God to allow our children to come home or for the ability to go to Liberia to visit. After-all it's only money we need to get there and what is that to our God?
Our hope is in you Lord!
Friday, January 1, 2010
This year?
Do I dare hope that this be the year that our children come home? Faith, so simple, yet so hard!
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